Episode 4: Manor of the Sea King
Daybreak
At dawn, as noted in the previous chapter,
the PCs arise and everyone is
completely healed -- the final blessing of The
Goddess.
The day dawns overcast and chilly, with occasional
spatterings of cold rain, but it isn't
the climatic nightmare of the day before. The
characters can tell that they aren't facing damage
and death from exposure today. Perhaps
this is another gift from The Goddess.
If no one asks the old _ man Keestake,
either
last night |or| this morning, he volunteers the
info that he thinks he knows about
"some o' them objects of power The Goddess
mentioned;"
| Aye, I know about some odd bits and
pieces hereabouts. The Sea King had many treasures from his years of adventuring before settlin' down here. The pirates ran off with most of 'em, but they didn't recognize all of 'em. Nor would I. But one of 'em that he gave the queen
|
Players' Map of the Manor
If the PCs request it, the old
man, as usual, will sketch them a crude
map
of the manor of the Sea King. When they request
it, give them the Players' Map of the
manor. <link>
When the old _ man gives the characters
their
map of the manor, he goes over it with them
briefly, showing them the layout and what the
various parts of the manor are.
The manor of the Sea King is a single-story,
large, rambling mansion built roughly in the
shape of the letter H.
The north-west projection, or wing, is
where the manor's residents lived 60 years
ago. It consists mostly of bedrooms and living
suites. The "little
stick that throbs" is here --
or used to be, in The Queen's suite. There may
be others of The Goddess's items of magick
in
this area, but there are likely to be prowling
orcs here: the orcs normally enter the
building
through this wing.
The south-west wing was for servants' quarters,
and has many bedrooms and quarters for
the family's loyal servitors, such as Keestake.
Since there was no treasure here, the orcs and
goblins do not often come here, and
Keestake
thinks this would be the best place to enter the
manor.
The "bar," the cross-piece joining the west
wings to the east, was once a beautiful display
AREA, where Viledel had his library
and his galleries
and displays of Art, most of which were
carried away 60 years ago. It's possible that
there are some items of treasure
here; it's
likely that goblins and orcs will be encountered
here.
The north-east wing was for manor administrative
functions, and so there are many offices
and records rooms here. It is possible that
here, too, the objects The Goddess mentioned
can be found. Also, the hidden entrance to
the catacombs is here.
The south-east wing was for manor stores
and workshops -- in other words, here are the
storerooms for all the food and supplies
(now
empty or rotting), and the workshops where
clothes were woven and made, where
leather
goods were created, food was prepared, and so
on. However, this AREA is where the goblins
typically enter the mansion to do their prowling
and attacking.
Sneaking to the Manor
Assuming that the characters eventually do
decide to go to the manor (if they don't, see
"When Things Go Wrong," appendix 1), let
them choose how they intend to go about it.
Look at the DM's map of the manor to familiarize
yourself with its shape and layout.
Then, if the characters decide to get a look
at the manor before approaching it, let them.
They'll probably want to observe it from the
summit of their hill or somewhere far enough
away that they will be safe.
If they do give it a look, relate the following:
| The mansion, just as the old _
man described,
is an "H"-shaped building, very long and low. It seems to be built of granite. The exterior looks like it has stood up to the elements better than the temple. Unlike the temple, all the exterior windows have solid-looking, if rusty, iron bars across them. It looks as though it was made to be defended, though it's no castle. You can see the orcs and goblins
at opposite
The terrain around the manor is rolling,
|
Peculiar Behavior of the
Orcs and Goblins
It's likely that the characters will, at some
point, evidence confusion at the odd behavior
of the orcs and goblins.
Why on Earth don't
they settle their differences in a civilized
manner -- by mounting an all-out war, one
side annihilating the other and then picking
the mansion clean at its leisure?
That's a reasonable question. If the characters
do become curious, inform them--
courtesy of any character with sailor skill, or
the character with the highest Wisdom
-- that
this seems to be part of the code of the pirates
of the Korinn Archipelago.
Pirates of the archipelago, when they meet
in a neutral AREA such as a free pirate port or
unclaimed territory, are not supposed to wage
true war on one another. Decades or centuries
ago, the rulers of neutral pirate ports made
this decree to quash the excessive pirate wars
and rumbles that tended to erupt in their
streets.
In neutral ports, pirates of differing crews
are allowed to participate in individual duels,
to defend themselves if attacked, and to attack
if someone is stealing from them. Often,
this decree is circumvented by pirates who
only claim to have been attacked or robbed
but, in general, the custom keeps neutral pirate
ports more peaceful than they would be
otherwise.
Obviously, what the orcs and goblins are
doing is keeping to the letter of the law. Each
side has claimed the manor and its goods, and
has set about exploring it.
Whenever they see an enemy prowling
around in "their" territory, or -- even worse--
carting goods off from the manor, they consider
it "stealing," draw their weapons,
and
attack. The end result is a war of skirmishes.
The armies keep well apart, and the real battles
are fought by the scouts prowling through
the manor.
Getting Into the Manor
Let the characters decide how they intend to
get into the manor; be sure to repay cleverness
with appropriate success.
Some ways to get into the manor:
Keestake's Recommendation
The characters can creep down the hill to
the end of the little depression which Keestake
thinks should be their approach to the
manor. If the characters try this approach, let
them get to the START of the depression without
incident; then, as they progress along the ravine,
have them make Move Silently rolls a
quarter of the way along, half the way along,
three-quarters of the way along, and finally
just before they reach the west wall of the manor.
If any character blows a Move Silently roll
tremendously -- for example, by rolling an 80
or higher -- have a single, incurious Orc
GUARD
investigate. He moves in the general direction
of the noise, certain it's some wild animal but
professionally inquisitive anyway.
This can let you play the classic movie scene
where the characters freeze in the underbrush
as the brooding guard walks around, mere
inches from them; perhaps they'll decide they
must assassinate the
guard silently before he
can spot them; perhaps they'll panic and attack,
and then have to make a run for the manor <run=x>
before the other orc guards by the
southeast entrance can reach them
If they don't panic and decide not to attack,
let them all make Move Silently rolls again. If
all roll below an 80, the none-too-curious
guard does not spot them. If anyone rolls
above an 80, the guard hears that character
shifting in his hiding place and slowly walks
over to investigate -- perhaps leading to the attack
or assassination attempt, as mentioned
above. Should the PCs let him
get to the noisy character without attacking
him, he spots the character and grabs him,
making a commotion to attract his allies,
which probably will lead to one of the outcomes
listed above..
Incidentally, if you simply wish to give the
characters a harrowing encounter, spring this
orc guard situation on them even if they make
their Move Silently rolls. Explain that they
would have had a whole nest of orcs down on
them if they hadn't made their rolls successfully.
If the characters make it to the end of the
depression, which is only a few feet from the
manor wall, Keestake creeps over to the window
of Room 18, where the frame of bars is
loose. He pulls it loose and crawls in, or allows
the characters to precede him, whichever they
prefer.
Orc GUARD: AC 10; HD 1 (hp 6); MV 7"; #AT
1; Dmg 1-8/ 1-8 (battle axe), 1-4/
1-3 (dagger);
THAC0 20; AL LE.
Equipment: battle axe, dagger.
Orc guard
AC: 10
HD: 1
hp: 6
MV: 9"
#AT: 1 (battle axe)
Dmg: 1-8/1-8
THACO: 19
AL: LE
Distraction and RUSH
The characters might think to cause some
sort of distraction and then RUSH for an entrance
while the guards watch the distraction.
This should work, provided the characters are
sensible about it. Setting a fire in
the underbrush
near the manor will draw some of the
guards away to investigate, and holds the attention
of all guards left behind.
However, the characters will be disappointed
if they expect their distraction to draw
all the guards away from 1 of the guarded
entrances. No matter what sort of distraction
takes place, 3 guards will remain in front
of the guarded entrances -- 3 goblins
before
the door to the northwest wing, 3 orcs
before the door to the southeast wing.
Pure Stealth
The characters might choose to approach
the manor by relying purely on stealth and the
natural cover of the AREA. This is dangerous,
but certainly allows them to choose between
entering at the southwest entrance, the northeast
entrance, or the unbarred window to
Room 18.
Because of the natural cover and the
guards' typical disinterest, the characters'
chance to remain unnoticed while approaching
is 60%, rolled 4 times by each
character--once 1/4 of the way to
their objective, once 1/2 way, once 3/4
of the way, and finally when almost
upon their objective.
If a roll is failed, or if you wish to do so, you
can give the characters an encounter with a
GUARD such as the one described previously.
Prowling the Manor
Once the characters are within, from whatever
entrance, they may begin prowling
through the manor. Obviously, they're not
strong enough to confront a large, heavily-armed
band of orcs or goblins.
However, by
carefully sneaking, ambushing unsuspecting
enemies, and other stratagems, the characters
should be able to explore much or all of the
manor, find what they may of the treasures
left there, and make it mostly intact to the entrance
to the catacombs.
The manor's windows are all barred. A successful
"Lift Gates/Bend Bars" roll allows
a
character to tear the bars off a window, but
this makes a lot of noise--enough for orcs and
goblins nearby to hear and come running.
The manor is not utterly dark; light spills
through the windows into all the rooms, and
the corridors have enough residual light filtering
in so that characters can see as if they were
in a standard dungeon and carrying torches.
If anyone is curious as to how the Sea King
and followers could think that the manor
could be defended, with all its windows and
doors, tell them the answer: Occasionally,
rulers rely more on the might of their navies
than on their fortifications. You see this sort of
half-hearted defensive construction
when the
ruler never really expects enemies to make it to
his front door. In the case of the Sea King, this
confidence was obviously unwarranted.
1. Exit
The door is of solid wood. The bars
used to barricade the door are long broken
and LOST.
Outside the door, 3 orcs -- 1 with an
axe and 2 with bardiches -- stand GUARD,
concentrating their attentions on the grounds,
not on the door.
Orc with axe (x2)
AC: 10
HD: 1
hp: 4
MV: 9"
#AT: 1 (battle axe)
Dmg: 1-8/1-8
THACO: 19
AL: LE
Orc with bardiche (x1)
AC: 10
HD: 1
hp: 3
MV: 9"
#AT: 1 (bardiche)
Dmg: 2-8/3-12
THACO: 19
AL: LE
2. Corridor
The corridor here is lined with dusty,
cracked wood panels; tattered cloth indicates
it was once hung with tapestries and drapes.
This particular wing housed the royal family
of Viledel, and so doors lead to
various
rooms and suites which were once lavishly furnished
and richly decorated.
3, 4. Majordomo and Chief Scribe
These 2 rooms were bedrooms of chief
servants of the Sea King; 3 housed his majordomo,
the man who administered this manor,
and 4 housed his chief scribe and correspondent.
Both are similarly decorated -- polished
wood floors (marred by axe-blows from
SEARCHING orcs), beds, chairs, and couches
<funiture=x>
faded and made dusty by the years, broken up
and scattered about.
If the characters spend any Time prowling
around in 3, they can find a signet ring showing
a leaping dolphin, which Keestake
angrily
tries to snatch away from them, claiming it
was the Sea King's seal. (It was, and if the
characters bring it intact back to the world, it
is worth 1,000 gp <$10,000> to collectors.)
If the characters search around in 4, they find
several ancient and crumbly documents, written
in Common <runes>: records of items in storage, profit/
loss statements, etc. If they take the Time to LOOK
at each surviving piece of paper (there are about
30), one is found to be different from the rest--
beautifully hand-lettered, with a single paragraph
scribed upon it.
It's a clerical scroll with one spell -- hold
person. A character reading its
heading and
the first few words realizes what it is and has
the deep-rooted confidence that he can read it
and use it -- exactly as was promised by The
Goddess. The character can use the scroll
as if
he were a 1st level cleric.
Naturally, if the characters already have the
wand of magic detection,
it leads them
straight to the scroll. It will not detect the signet,
which is not magical.
5, 6. Princes' Quarters
These two rooms were decorated and furnished
even more lavishly than 3 and 4, with
woven rugs (now moldy) on the floor, tatters
of tapestries on the walls, delicate, intricate,
and thorougly smashed furniture all over the
floor. As usual, there are axe-cuts and other
signs of orcish investigation everywhere.
7. Queen's Quarters
This suite consists of two rooms -- the sitting
room, which has the door opening onto the
corridor, and the bedroom, which opens only
onto the sitting room.
The sitting room once featured carpets and
wall hangings like the princes' rooms, though
substantially richer before the years of neglect
and decay. As is normal for this manor, the
walls show the signs of orcish investigation--
walls chopped on, floorboards pried up, etc.
The bedroom once featured a 4-poster
bed, a settee
<"a medium sized sofa with arms and a back",
Webster>
with an actual glass mirror (Now
in shards all over the room), and a terra-cotta
bathtub behind a screen; the bathtub is
painted with fish and squids and rays
and
other sea-life, and is cracked into several large
pieces.
When the PCs get into the sitting
room, have them all make rolls to Hear
Noise as
if they were listening at doors (i.e., a
1 on 1d6). If anyone
succeeds, he hears the
low, muttered conversation of the goblins
in
the sitting room.
If the characters decide to take a quiet peek
through the slightly ajar door, they see a small
party of goblins giving some attention to A
small piece of decorated wood -- an
unadorned
crimson wand. YES, the goblins have
finally found and investigated the very wand
that the PCs will probably want.
How many goblins are there? Base that on
the number and status of the PCs.
For every PC who is armed
and in good shape to engage in combat
(i.e.,
armored, retaining most or all of his HP, etc.),
include 1 goblin opponent.
Hero characters who are non-combative in
character, or who have few HP left, or
are otherwise of marginal USE in combat
don't
earn the party any extra opponents. Melisana
and Keestake don't earn the party any extra
enemies, for instance, but might be able to
help their FRIENDS.
Goblins with spears: AC 10; HD 1 (hp
3); MV
6?; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6/1-8 (spear), 1-4/1-3
(dagger); THAC0 20; AL LE.
Equipment: spear, dagger.
Goblin with spear
AC: 10
HD: 1-1
hp: 2 <1>
MV: 6"
#AT: 1 (spear)
Dmg: 1-6/1-8 <-1 damage>
THACO: 20
AL: LE
8. King's Quarters
This suite of 3 rooms once housed Viledel,
the Sea King, and so Keestake is naturally
solemn and reverential while he is here.
Like the quarters of the queen, these chambers
are decorated in once-beautiful decay
The room whose door leads to the hallway is
the suite's antechamber, filled with broken sofas
which once accommodated nobles awaiting
the king's pleasure.
The next room into the suite is the king's
sitting room, which features a broken desk,
smashed <padded> chairs, and particularly badly
hacked-up walls. The hacking and smashing is
especially fierce in this room, more so than in
any other in this wing; if questioned, Keestake
reluctantly admits that the orcs had the
idea that there was treasure to be found here.
There is indeed treasure here:
A secret compartment
in 1 of the surviving large pieces
of desk. If the characters prowl through the
large remaining pieces of desk, and someone
makes his roll to detect a secret
door, he finds
the secret panel which opens the compartment.
If the characters have the wand
of
magic detection,
the compartment is a cinch
to find. The compartment holds a dagger
and
a small, blue, glass flask,
stoppered and
sealed.
The dagger is shiny, showing no sign of rust
after all these years -- a clear clue to its special
nature. It is a good double-edged fighting-style
dagger with a black stone hilt _ inlaid
in
gold in the design of cresting waves.
It's actually
a dagger + 2, + 3 vs. creatures larger than
man-sized. (1#, XP 250, $20,000)
The contents of the flask, should a character
risk a taste-test, make the character feel as if
he's swelling with power--it's a potion
of
super-heroism. (Viledel,
no fool, kept a backup <2.5#, XP 450, $7500>
weapon and a magical bonus to his fighting
ability near at hand--attacked in his
quarters, he would've had the potion and the
magical dagger to USE. Obviously, he never got
the chance to use them in the final sack of the
manor.)
The 3rd and most interior room is the Sea
King's bedroom, also decorated in modern
decay style. It features smashed <round> tables,
smashed 4-poster bed, and ruined floor
planking and wall paneling.
Southwest Wing
-
9. Entrances
2 doors lead into this wing: The
north
door into 2 and the south door leading outside.
Both doors are of solid wood and still on
their hinges, but as usual with the manor the
locks are broken.
10. Corridor
This corridor, unlike the bright and cheerful
corridor of 2, has darker and cruder wall-paneling,
brackets for torches instead of
for
lamps, and rough finishing overall --
obviously an AREA for servants.
11. Upper Servants' Quarters
These smallish rooms seem to have only
enough broken furniture in them to accomodate
1 or 2 persons--they appear to
have been the rooms for married servants.
<small sack, cresset, pallet,
large
sack, screen>
12. Upper Servants' Quarters
These smallish rooms seem to have only
enough broken furniture in them to accomodate
1 or 2 persons--they appear to
have been the rooms for married servants.
<fountain, pegs>
13. Upper Servants' Quarters
These smallish rooms seem to have only
enough broken furniture in them to accomodate
1 or 2 persons--they appear to
have been the rooms for married servants.
<hassock: an upholstered footstool or ottoman,
Oxford>
14. Upper Servants' Quarters
These smallish rooms seem to have only
enough broken furniture in them to accomodate
1 or 2 persons--they appear to
have been the rooms for married servants.
<wall sconce, crate>
<A sconce or wall light
is a decorative light fixture that is mounted to a wall, Wikipedia>
15. Upper Servants' Quarters
These smallish rooms seem to have only
enough broken furniture in them to accomodate
1 or 2 persons--they appear to
have been the rooms for married servants.
<charcoal, padded chair, butt (large
barrel), bag>
16. Upper Servants' Quarters
These smallish rooms seem to have only
enough broken furniture in them to accomodate
1 or 2 persons--they appear to
have been the rooms for married servants.
<trestle table, pillow>
17. Upper Servants' Quarters
These smallish rooms seem to have only
enough broken furniture in them to accomodate
1 or 2 persons--they appear to
have been the rooms for married servants.
<small table, tub>
18. Keestake's Entrance
This room has the window with the loose
bars. It's a dormitory-type room; numerous
broken cots and storage chests litter the floor.
19. Keestake's Quarters
This is the room where Keestake has lived
for the last 60 years. If the characters get near
it during their exploration of the manor--
which is automatically the case if they entered
the manor through room (18) or through the
southwest entrance--Keestake wants to see it;
he hasn't seen it since he was captured.
It's a mess. The furniture he had taken to
his choice room and kept up all these years is
recently destroyed and picked through, including
his bed, his chest of drawers, his <large> tables,
his <padded arm> chairs. He complains and moans
loudly until told to shut up by the characters.
20. Dormitory Quarters
These chambers, like 18, were once
dormitory-style quarters for the servants of the
manor. Now, like 18, they're just ruins.
<screen, idol (largish)>
21. Dormitory Quarters
These chambers, like 18, were once
dormitory-style quarters for the servants of the
manor. Now, like 18, they're just ruins.
<rug (small-medium), hogshead,
chair, sheet, coal>
22. Dormitory Quarters
These chambers, like 18, were once
dormitory-style quarters for the servants of the
manor. Now, like 18, they're just ruins.
<cupboard>
23. Dormitory Quarters
These chambers, like 18, were once
dormitory-style quarters for the servants of the
manor. Now, like 18, they're just ruins.
<shrine, tub, box (large), bed, rug (small-medium),
wall basin and font>
24. The Hallway
This hallway, Like 2, was once a richly
appointed passageway leading to the large
general-use rooms along it. As the characters
should expect, it's a ruin Now.
Here's an optional encounter to use if your
characters need a little more excitement.
When exploring this hallway, when the characters
reach a point between rooms 26 and 29,
a party of orcs emerging from the hallway
at
31 enters this corridor -- the party of orcs
2/3 the size of the characters' party.
Practically simultaneously, a party of goblins
rounds the corner from 2; the party is equal in
size with that of the characters. (None of the
3 parties is surprised.) This puts the characters
in a fix, as they're trapped between
these 2 forces.
If they use their heads, they'll be in no danger.
All they need to do is remember that
these 2 forces are enemies, and get out of
the way -- duck into one of the nearby rooms,
and wait until the fireworks settle. If they do,
after about a minute the goblins will all be
dead and 2 injured orcs remain.
Should the characters foolishly decide to
duke it out, the orcs and goblins are similar in
composition to those found in Episode Two.
Orcs with bardiches: AC 10; HD 1 (hp 1);
MV
9"; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8/3-12 (bardiche), 1-4/
1-3 (dagger); THAC0 19; AL LE.
Equipment: bardiche, dagger.
Orc with bardiche
AC: 10
HD: 1
hp: 3
MV: 9"
#AT: 1 (bardiche)
Dmg: 2-8/3-12
THACO: 19
AL: LE
Orcs with axes: AC 10; HD 1 (hp 2); MV
9" ;
#AT 1; Dmg 1-8/1-8 (battle axe), 1-4/1-3
(dagger); THAC0 19; AL LE.
Equipment: <battle> axe, dagger.
Orc with axe
AC: 10
HD: 1
hp: 4
MV: 9"
#AT: 1 (battle axe)
Dmg: 1-8/1-8
THACO: 19
AL: LE
Goblin with spear
AC: 10
HD: 1-1
hp: 2 <1>
MV: 6"
#AT: 1 (spear)
Dmg: 1-6/1-8 <-1 damage>
THACO: 20
AL: LE
Goblin with bow
AC: 10
HD: 1-1
hp: 4 <3>
MV: 6"
#AT: 2 (short bow)
Dmg: 1-6/1-6 <-1 damage>
THACO: 20
AL: LE
25. Study
This room had once been a study. There is
the moldy remains of a rug on the floor, three
smashed desks, and two ruined tables. A
small door behind a moldy tapestry leads into
the antechamber of 8.
26. Library
Breathing is difficult in this room because
of the thickness of the mold growing here. In
the room are toppled bookshelves and masses
of rotting paper and leather covers--hundreds
of books, all absolutely ruined. Not one is in
good enough shape to recover.
On the east wall is a large (8 feet tall, floor
to ceiling) wooden plaque, only slightly damaged
by pirate and on weapons;
it's a piece of <grammar=x>
relief sculpture showing a harpooner
(full size)
drawing back his weapon to release at a distant
whale. The plaque has been pulled bodily
from the wall, presumably by those searching
for secret doors, and leaned against
the wall.
If the characters take the time to really look
over the plaque, they find something strange:
the harpoon the figure is holding is a separate
piece, inlaid into the wood of the plaque but
easily removable. It's been painted to look like
part of the plaque, but it isn't. The harpoon-head
is false and drops off if the harpoon is
handled, revealing the golden hue of the
weapon beneath.
It's actually a javelin
of lightning, another
of Viledel's last-ditch weapons hidden in the
surroundings. It's especially easy to find if the
characters use the wand
of magic detection.
27. Board Room
This chamber contains little furniture: one
massive oaken table, still standing and little
damaged, and the ruins of about 20 wooden
chairs.
28. Chapel
This chamber is a chapel dedicated to The Goddess,
easily recognized by the plastered
WALLS and pertinent frescoes, just like those the
characters found at the temple. There are
wooden benches here, mostly in good shape.
There has been some careful prying and
searching, but the chapel has not been outraged
as the temple was. Evidently the orcs
were not so ambitious when they found the
manor. When they later went crazy and defiled
the temple, they were frightened by the
onslaught of the storm and decided not to
subject the chapel to the same treatment--
proving that orcs have some modicum of intelligence.
29. Gallery
This room contains only the ruins of some
picture frames. Once upon a time it housed
Viledel's collection of Art, but it was all taken
away by the pirates 60 years
ago.
30. Lesser Dining Room
This chamber, like 27, has a large
table still
standing within it, and benches enough to accomodate
about 40 people. Keestake, if
asked, explains that it was the secondary dining
room, used when there were too many
guests for the main dining room to accommodate.
31. Hallway
This hallway is functionally identical to 10.
Keestake can assure the player characters that
there's nothing of value to be found in this
wing; if they choose to investigate, that's fine.
This is the wing by which goblins enter
the
manor, so you can give the characters a random
goblin encounter if they really wish to investigate
this wing.
32. Kitchen
This kitchen, similar in style and arrangement
to the one in the temple of The Goddess,
has lightly damaged tables lining the walls
and two giant recessed hearths. A double door
leads out to the hallway, and a secondary door
leads to the meat storeroom at 33.
33. Meat Storeroom
Like its equivalent in the temple of The Goddess,
this heavily-walled chamber has meat-hanging
hooks and is otherwise empty.
34. Weavers
This workroom contains the remains of several
looms. Many drop-spindles and spinning
wheels are also to be found, all of negligible
value.
35. Leatherworkers
This chamber contains only broken tables,
porcelain vats, small wooden mallets, and
some moldy scrap leather. Keestake, if asked,
can identify that this was where the manor's
leather goods were made. Any character with
the secondary skill armorer ov leatherworker <armorer=smith>
can identify the room's function.
36-46. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<large chests>
37. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<chests of drawers>
38. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<chests of drawers>
39. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<chest, large>
40. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<chest of drawers>
41. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<chests of drawers>
42. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<medium chests>
42. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<medium chests>
43. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<medium chests>
44. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<medium chests>
45. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<chests of drawers>
45. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<chests of drawers>
46. Dry Goods Storerooms
These chambers are filled with rubbish and
chests of moldy garbage that once was dry
goods, grains, cloth, pottery, etc. There is
nothing of value to be found here.
<chests of drawers>
47. Exit
Outside this heavy oak door (with its
barbracers
and crossbar miraculously intact, but
currently unused) are stationed 5 goblin
guards, who pay no attention to the door behind
them unless they hear it open.
48. Dining Hall
In this chamber are enough heavy oaken tables
and heavy wooden chairs to accomodate
60 guests in grand comfort. The leather padding
on the chairs is all eaten away by time,
and some of the chairs have been smashed,
but the chamber itself is in fair enough shape,
compared to the REST of the manor.
49-51. Scribe and
Record Rooms
These chambers, all essentially identical,
feature 2 broken desks, numerous broken
chairs, and shelving units which feature small
trays filled with mold and scraps of paper. It
was here that the scribes administered Viledel
's empire, and the trays once contained
manor records and foreign correspondence.
50. Scribe and Record
Rooms
These chambers, all essentially identical,
feature two broken desks, numerous broken
chairs, and shelving units which feature small
trays filled with mold and scraps of paper. It
was here that the scribes administered Viledel
's empire, and the trays once contained
manor records and foreign correspondence.
51. Scribe and Record
Rooms
These chambers, all essentially identical,
feature two broken desks, numerous broken
chairs, and shelving units which feature small
trays filled with mold and scraps of paper. It
was here that the scribes administered Viledel
's empire, and the trays once contained
manor records and foreign correspondence.
52. Scribe and Record
Room
This chamber is identical to 49 through 51,
with one significant difference: It's here,
Keestake says, that the entrance to the catacombs
is, under one of the bookcases on the
north wall. All anyone has to do is press a button
atop the bookcase, above the average
character's (or orcs or goblin's)
line of sight.
Keestake says it's been nearly 20 years since
he's been down below.
When the characters try to utilize the mechanism,
they can press the button -- but nothing
happens. No grinding noise, no bookcase
swinging open, nothing.
Let the characters have Time enough to
ponder
this unexpected complication. Keestake
has the following information (which he volunteers
is no one asks):
If the bookcase is pried away from the wall,
it reveals the shaft leading down. That will
take some Time and make a lot of noise,
unfortunately.
However, there's machinery at the bottom
of the shaft which should seal the shaft behind
them. It's not delicate, secret machinery like
the device that was supposed to swing the
bookcase open.
The characters have to decide if and how
they want to handle the opening of the bookcase.
When they decide to do so, proceed to
"Descent to the Catacombs," below.
53. Official Visitors
This room was once a lushly-appointed
waiting room: sofas, <padded arm> chairs, carpets, desks,
and hangings were designed for official visitors
checking in with the chief scribe on
duty,
making appointments to see the Sea King,
etc. It's one of the rooms most thoroughly
sacked in the efforts to find treasure,
so there's
nothing but a fairly homogeneous mass of ruined
funiture and cloth in the room now.
<armchair, butt (large barrel),
rug (small), trestle table, normal stool>
54. Waiting Room
This room, originally arranged much like
53, was for visitors awaiting the Sea King's
pleasure. It's now in much the same state as
53.
55-58. General Offices
These rooms were used as offices for various
of Viledel's Admins. They are Now
characterized by the gouged walls, smashed
expensive furniture, and other signs of orcish
_
treasure-hunting.
<sideboard, medium rug, tapestry>
56. General Offices
These rooms were used as offices for various
of Viledel's Admins. They are Now
characterized by the gouged walls, smashed
expensive furniture, and other signs of orcish
_
treasure-hunting.
<pallet, buffet, hassock, stand, urn>
57. General Offices
These rooms were used as offices for various
of Viledel's Admins. They are Now
characterized by the gouged walls, smashed
expensive furniture, and other signs of orcish
_
treasure-hunting.
<hamper, cresset, fountain, medium chest, normal
stool>
58. General Offices
These rooms were used as offices for various
of Viledel's Admins. They are Now
characterized by the gouged walls, smashed
expensive furniture, and other signs of orcish
_
treasure-hunting.
<pallet, medium rug, altar, barrel>
59. Exit
This is a solid oak door like those at 1, 9,
and 47. Unlike the others, this one is completely
intact and has been left barred from
within. Someone outside, attempting to force
it, would have to make his "Open Doors"
roll
which, of course, makes a lot of noise.
Use of Random Encounters
If the characters are remaining too unruffled,
too undamaged, and too successful in
their search of the manor, you may wish to
drop some "random encounters" on them
Of course, there are parties of orcs and
goblins
prowling through the manor. If you want the
give the characters some more danger and excitement,
bring them into conflict with the
other prowlers in the manor. Some ways to go
about it:
Discovered By Small Party.
The characters
can be discovered by a small party of either
orcs or goblins.
This is likely to lead to a
straightforward fight to the death
in the hallways.
Hiding From Large Party.
The characters
can be spotted (at a distance) by,
or simply
have to hide from, a large party; of either orcs
or goblins which is prowling from room
to
room. This should TAKE place in terrain where
the characters can have some opportunity to
hide--for instance, the various series of adjoining
rooms, or storage chambers where
there's plenty of decaying trash to hide beneath.
Caught In a Rumble. The characters can become
caught between 2 opposing forces, as
described at 24. Perhaps this time they won't
have the option to just duck into the nearest
chamber && WAIT out the action; they may
have to fight the 2 forces as the goblins
and
orcs fight one another as well.
In any case, don't confront the PCs
with enough enemies to annihilate
them unless there's some way for the characters
to USE local terrain or their brains
to extricate
them from the bad situation.
Orc Commanders: AC 8; HD 1 (hp 6); MV
9"; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8/3-12 (bardiche), 1-4/
1-3 (dagger); THAC0 20; AL LE.
Equipment: bardiche, dagger,
padded
armor.
Orc Leader
AC: 8 (leather)
HD: 1
hp: 6
MV: 9"
#AT: 1 (bardiche)
Dmg: 2-8/3-12
THACO: 19
AL: LE
Orc with bardiche: AC 10; HD 1 (hp 3);
MV
9"; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8/3-12 (bardiche), 1-4/
1-3 (dagger); THAC0 19; AL LE.
Equipment: bardiche, dagger.
Orc with bardiche
AC: 10
HD: 1
hp: 3
MV: 9"
#AT: 1 (bardiche)
Dmg: 2-8/3-12
THACO: 19
AL: LE
Orc with <battle> axe: AC 10; HD 1 (hp
4); MV 9?;
#AT 1; Dmg 1-8/ 1-8 (battle axe),
1-4/ 1-3
(dagger); THAC0 19; AL LE.
Equipment: battle axe, dagger.
Orc with axe
AC: 10
HD: 1
hp: 4
MV: 9"
#AT: 1 (battle axe)
Dmg: 1-8/1-8
THACO: 19
AL: LE
Goblin Commander: AC 8; HD 1 (hp 2);
MV
6" ; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6/1-8 (spear), 1-6/
1-6
(<short> bow), 1-4/1-3
(dagger); THAC0 20; AL LE.
Equipment: spear, dagger, leather armor.
Goblin leader
AC: 8 (leather)
HD: 1
hp: 2 <1>
MV: 6"
#AT: 1 (spear)
Dmg: 1-6/1-8 <-1 damage>
THACO: 19
AL: LE
Goblin with spear: AC 10; HD 1 (hp 2);
MV
6"; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6/ 1-8 (spear), 1-4/
1-3
(dagger); THAC0 20; AL LE.
Equipment: spear, dagger.
Goblin with spear
AC: 10
HD: 1-1
hp: 2 <1>
MV: 6"
#AT: 1 (spear)
Dmg: 1-6/1-8 <-1 damage>
THACO: 20
AL: LE
Goblin _ archer:
AC 10; HD 1 (hp 4); MV 6?;
#AT 1; Dmg 1-6/ 1-6 (<short>
bow), 1-4/ 1-3 (dagger);
THAC0 20; AL LE.
Equipment: battle axe, dagger.
Goblin with bow
AC: 10
HD: 1-1
hp: 4 <3>
MV: 6"
#AT: 2 (short bow)
Dmg: 1-6/1-6 <-1 damage>
THACO: 20
AL: LE
Noise and Reinforcements
In reference to the encounters notes above,
you may wish to bring in wandering orcs
and
goblins when the characters are doing
something
particularly noisy, such as fighting, or
(perhaps the most FUN for you) when they're
prying the bookcase from the wall in 52.
Follow the advice given above about confronting
the characters with enough enemies
to challenge them but not enough to annihilate
them. This adventure should be constant,
slow drain on the strength of the PCs.
Beyond this point, if they lose any
members from their party, there can be no replacements,
as discussed in "When Things Go Wrong."
Treasures Found in the Manor
Be sure that the characters note on their
character sheets or on a central scratch-sheet
every treasure they TAKE, win, or
are assigned.
This is especially necessary when you're calculating
their XP for this episode.
Keestake and the Treasures
If any characters state that they're watching
Keestake (to gauge his reactions) while
they're
acquiring loot from the various rooms, tell
them that he becomes quiet and subdued
whenever they pick up an object.
Should they ask him why he reacts with less
than glee whenever they find something that
may save their lives, he says, "I just don't
much care to see the goods of himself gathered
up like shells on the beach. They belong
here. I understand it, though. You'll get no
trouble from me." He won't meet their eyes
when making his claim.
Descent to the Catacombs
To descend into the catacombs, the characters
must pry the bookcase off the wall to reveal
the descent shaft. There are enough
chunks of wood lying around to accomplish
this task. The characters simply have to figure
out exactly how they want to do it: SLOW or
FAST.
SLOW means they carefully and quietly (or as
quietly as possible) pry the bookcase off. FAST
means they insert their pry-sticks and wrench
as hard and fast as they can, so they can descend
the shaft before anything can catch up
to them.
When they've made their choice, let them
pry the bookcase from the wall.
FAST means it takes 1 combat round to
move the bookcase. It makes a tremendous
grinding noise as it's pried loose from the wall
and another tremendous crash as it falls to the
floor. (Should a character try to stop it from
falling, have him make his Open Doors
roll. If
he fails, it falls anyway, on top of him, causing
1-6 points of damage. If multiple characters
are trying to stop it, have each roll; if all fail,
damage is divided between them. If they succeed,
they can lower it safely to the floor, but
the first noise was still quite enough to startle
birds a quarter mile away.)
SLOW means it takes A full turn 1 round
(1 minute)
to pry the bookcase from the wall. The characters
can safely lower it to the floor with no real
danger. Each ten-second round segment,
you should
roll 1d6. On a 1, goblins somewhere
in the
southeast wing have heard the noise and come
to investigate. They arrive 2d6 turns rounds after
they
hear the noise, 2 goblins for each 3
characters. This may lead to characters fighting
a delaying action at the doors while their
allies finish moving the bookcase and
begin
descending the shaft; this is all very appropriate,
heroic, and cinematic.
When moved, the bookcase reveals A small
shaft, 2 feet wide and 2 feet long. The shaft
is
lined with bricks. Small steel staples, somewhat
rusted, act as rungs for descending. 2
characters can enter the shaft every combat
round, descending at a rate of 10 feet per combat
round (60 100 feet per turn).
Where the characters end up is discussed in
the next episode.
On the Passage of Time
Considering that the characters only have
until nightfall to escape the island, they're
probably going to be very interested in how
much Time they have remaining.
The day is about 12 hours from sunup to
sundown. That's their Time limit.
Observing the manor, then laboriously
creeping down the hill and entering the
manor--or setting up a good diversion--takes
about 2 hours. That leaves 10 hours.
Each wing of the manor they explore takes
about an hour. If they just walk down the hallway
and don't explore, that's effectively no
Time. But if they do a room-to-room SEARCH,
that takes an 1 hour. Figured into that Time is
the actual SEARCHING, plus The time it takes to
MOVE quietly in a manor filled with enemies.
Once they've entered the manor and done
all the searching they're going to, and descend
the shaft to the catacombs, note how
much Time they spent topside and tell them
how much Time they have left.
Don't tell them how the time they've spent
breaks down, because they probably will
argue.
(They'd argue if you told them it only
takes 5 minutes to climb down a hill
and
2 to SEARCH a wing; they'd want to do the
hill in three and each room in one.)
<players who argue with the DM should suffer
lightning bolts, and the attacks of ethereal mummies (blink mummies, and/or
phase mummies)>
<absoulute 0 tolerance for a player that wants
to argue with the DM. after a few warnings, the DM should kick the bad
player out of the group>
<am i being too harsh here?>
Experience and Character Class
It's your choice whether you want to assign
experience at this point--because when you
do, characters will begin reaching 0 and
higher XP totals and will be
ready to choose their character classes.
Make your decision this way. If over half the
party seems to have made a decision (purposely
or inadvertently) as to their character
classes and alignments, assign experience at
this point. If half the party or less has not
made such a decision, wait until about halfway
into the next episode before assigning the
experience.
Experience for Monsters
For each orc or goblin,
give the party 12 xp.
Divide the XP among the characters
who actually fought the monsters.
Experience for Treasure
As mentioned, the GP value of
mundane treasures found in the manor is negligible,
with the exception of the seal of the
Sea King. Don't assign any experience for that
yet.
Experience for the various items of magickal
treasure found is awarded to the character who
ends up with the object. Experience for the
wand of magic detection,
however, is divided
among the entire party.
The worth of the magical items is:
| Potion of Super-Heroism | 450 |
| Wand of Magic Detection | 2500 |
| Scroll of Hold Person | 200 |
| Javelin of Lightning | 250 |
| Dagger +2 et al. |
Character Class Choice
Once experience is assigned, you'll find
that some (or all) of the characters have
reached 1st level.
Individually (privately if possible), as described
in the "Dungeon Master's Introduction,
" tell each character what you think his
class and alignment are, get his feedback, and
make your choice. Reroll HP if appropriate
(and adjust the new number to reflect
damage the character has taken to this
point--if he had a total of 6 HP before
and had taken 3 points of damage, and you
now determine he has 8 hit points, he?s still
taken 3 points of damage). You now have
some 1st level characters.
If some of the characters who have technically
reached 1st level have not demonstrated
a leaning toward one class or another and tell
you they haven't yet made up their minds, let
them stay at 0 level a while, but no longer
than the end of Episode Five. At that time,
every character must take his class and alignment
unless he has not yet earned enough XP to do so.