The commander wastes no Time in sizing
up the situation. Baron Cromm is a
friend of Daggerford. The Daggerford
militia is the nearest help. The commander
orders the PCs to investigate the
baron's holding and find out what happened
to the baron.

Cromm's holding is about 15 miles
away (see Map 2), about 2 hours of <link>
steady riding. The commander provides
the PCs with fresh horses and sends them
on their way.

Fiery Aftermath

As you ride over a hill, you see a pillar of smoke rising from the tower of Cromm's holding. As you watch, a stone wall falls in, the wooden supports eaten away by fire. A few reptilian bodies lie in the dirt. They appear to have been slain as they ran away.

The holding was raided by lizard men
who somehow made their way over the
wall and killed most of the 20-odd people
in the hold. A few of the lizard men were
killed as they tried to escape. They still
clutch some of their loot, mostly cheap
household items.

As the PCs approach the holding,
point out to them that the dead lizard
men are wearing ornamental belts and
baldrics laced with blue feathers. When
they enter the courtyard, read them the
following:
 

In the courtyard, the heat from the fire is intense, but dying. Members of the household and some of the serfs, mostly women, are mourning their dead. Suddenly, an ash-stained woman accompanied by a forlorn attendant rush towards you. The woman throws herself at one of your horses. "You must help him. You must!" she sobs. "He's gone after the rest of them, into the swamp!"

The hysterical woman's attendant fills them
in. The woman is Piann, the baron's wife.
The baron and his men had been out hunting
when they returned to find the lizard
men completing their raid. The baron
slaughtered the looters to a lizard and then,
seeing that his only son was one of the victims,
swore bloody vengeance against the
marauders and left in hot pursuit in the
direction of the Lizard Marsh.

If the PCs are reluctant to chase after
the baron into the swamp, point out to
them that the continued survival of
humans in the area depends on marauders
knowing their hostile actions will
bring swift retribution. Also remind the
PCs that their commander has ordered a
complete investigation.

Into the Marsh
Since the baron was not trying to conceal
his passage, the PCs have little trouble
finding and following the trail. If any PC
wonders why the lizard men took a land
trail, have him make an Ability Check
against his Intelligence. If he succeeds,
tell him the lizard men wouldn't want to
risk losing their loot in the swamp.
 

Entering the marsh is like entering another world. It is thick with lush vegetation. Reeds grow as high as a man on horseback, making long distance viewing impossible. The flat terrain is occasionally broken by a hillock which rises above the reeds.

Marsh Encounter Table
The following table lists a few of the
many dangers the PCs may encounter in
the marsh. Statistics and details of each
encounter follow.

When the PCs first enter the swamp, roll
1d6. A result of 1 indicates an encounter.
Roll 1d6 again and check the table.
 

Roll	Encounter
1	Wounded Ceratosaur
2	Pteranodon
3	Quicksand
4	Giant Toad
5	Giant Lizard
6	Giant Centipede

1. Wounded Ceratosaur: AC 5; MV 15";
HD 8 (effectively 5, due to wounds); hp
15 (normally 40; #AT 2, normally 3, but
one paw is hurt); 0/1-6/4-16; THAC0 15;
AL N; XP 165.

The baron and his men had a run-in
with several of these dinosaurs and came
out on the short end. However, he killed
one and his men wounded another. The
wounded ceratosaur is in a killing rage
and attacks anything that looks like the
people who hurt him.

2. Pteranodon: AC 7; MV 3"/15"; HD
3+3; hp 17; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8; THAC0
16; AL N; XP 128.

This hungry pteranodon swoops out of
a tree and attempts to spear one of the
riders and carry him away. If it loses more
than 5 HP, it flies away to SEARCH
for easier prey.

3. Quicksand: One of the horses wanders
into some quicksand and begins to
sink, taking the rider with it.

The horse will sink in 2d6 rounds
unless the PCs do something, but saving
it isn't hard. Any 2 PCs with a Strength
of 10 or higher can pull it out. (Rescuing
a horse is worth 35 XP.)

4. Giant Toad: AC 6; MV 6"+6"
hop; HD 2+4; hp 13; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8;
THAC0 16; AL N; XP 74.

The toad leaps from a clump of bushes
over the heads of the PCs on the trail,
intending to land on the opposite side. In
mid-leap, it attacks a PC. If the PC is
killed in a single attack, the toad drags
the body into the brush and vanishes for
ever into the swamp. If the PC is NOT
killed, the toad gives up and hops away.

5. Giant Lizard: AC 5; MV 15?; HD
3+1; hp 16; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 (2-16 if
swallows); THAC0 16; AL N; XP 149.

This creature comes out of the mud
right next to the party and tries to swallow
a horse and rider, which it can do on a roll
of 20. The lizard reacts to so slowly that it
watches the entire party march by before
attacking the last PC in line.

6. Giant Centipede: AC9; MV 15";
HD 1/4; hp 2; #AT; THAC0 20; AL N;
XP 32.

A giant black centipede drops out of a
tree on the neck of a randomly chosen
PC. The centipede's bite does no damage,
but a bitten PC who fails his saving
throw vs. poison is unconscious for 1d4
hours.

MASSACRE
 

After about half an hour in the swamp, carrion birds rise from the trail, frightened by your approach. Pushing through some tall weeds, you come upon the remains of a fight. Dead men and horses are sinking into the mud on both sides of the path. Across the path is the dead body of an immense ceratosaur. The livery of one of the dead men identifies this as the baron's party.

This is where the baron and his men were
attacked by ceratosaurs. If the PCs look
over the bodies, they will find the baron,
thoroughly dead and partially consumed.
The baron's signet ring, reputed to be
magickal, is missing. His armored gauntlets
are also missing. Several of the men
are missing weapons.

After the slaughter, several lizard men
came back to loot the bodies. If the PCs
continue to look around, they spot the
tracks of the ceratosaurs and also of the
lizard men leading into the swamp.
<ttracking>

While the PCs are searching the area,
roll 1d6 for an encounter on the Marsh
Encounter Table. A roll of 4-6 means
there is an encounter.

Trail of the Raiders
Pick 2 unused encounters from the
Marsh Encounter Table, then read the following:
 

You are on a path which follows the edge of a large hillock to your left. To your right is water as far as the eye can see, and it looks deep. You have noticed some small movement in the brush uphill of you. Suddenly, you are looking at a band of hidden lizard men who are looking back at you. They are heavily armed, and wears baldrics of red-brown pelts.

The largest lizard man is Redeye, a lizard
man shaman. The rest are his followers. As
should be obvious from their baldrics, these
are not the same lizard men who raided
Cromm's holding. (The raiders wore blue
feathers.) Redeye's scouts reported to him
that humans were in the swamp, and Redeye
wants to know what is going on.

Redeye, lizard man, Lama:
AC 3; MV 6"//12"; hp 50; #AT 1; Dmg
1-8; THAC0 16; S 15, I 13, W 16, D 15, C
14, Ch 18; AL N. Equipment: <footman's> mace +1,
shield <buckler>, javelin. Spells:

1st 1evel: cure light wounds, protection
from evil, resist FEAR.
    <holy water>
    <A tube of silvery fluid (quicksilver, 1# weight, worth 100 gp($1000)): T1-4.59>

2nd level: augury, chant, snake charm.
    <the wet leaves of an infusion which remain in the container after the infused brew is consumed.
        If the last method is used, a crushed pearl of at least 100 g.p. ($1000) value must be added to the concoction before it is consumed>

3rd level: dispel magic, remove curse.

4th level: tongues.

Lizard men (16): AC 4; MV 6"//12";
HD 2+1; hp 11 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8
(<bat>), 1-6 (thrown javelin); THAC0 16;
AL N; XP 93 each.

The lizard men raise their weapons, but
do not attack. If the PCs make no hostile
actions, Redeye steps forward to talk with
the PCs, using tongues. If accused of raiding
the baron's holding, Redeye firmly
denies it. One of his followers jabbers to
him in lizard speech, then Redeye tells the
PCs that he has just been informed that the
Blue Feather Clan might be responsible.
PCs who make Ability checks against their
INT remember seeing blue feathers
decorating the dead lizard bodies back at
the holding.

Redeye has no grudge with the Blue
Feather Clan, but if they're stirring up
trouble with the humans, he'd just as soon
have them out of the way. Redeye wishes
the PCs good luck and sends them on their
way. Under no circumstances will Redeye or
his followers JOIN the party. However, if the
PCs make PEACE with Redeye, they will
have made a valuable contact in the Lizard
Marsh for future adventures.

On the other hand, if the PCs attack
Redeye or his followers at any Time, they
defend themselves with their weapons.
They fade back into the swamp and disappear
beneath the water as SOON as they can.
Though the PCs may manage to kill a few,
there is no way they can follow them into
the swamp. Redeye will NOT reappear in the
adventure, but he will consider the PCs to
be enemies, as they have reinforced his
basic mistrust of humans.

Showdown
The PCs continue following the trail.
After another 15 minutes have passed,
roll 1d6 on the Marsh Encounter Table.
On a 1, there is another encounter.

After the encounter is resolved, the
PCs may continue following the trail. If
the PCs are excessively noisy, as soon as
they come out of an AREA of tall reeds,
they come into a clearing dominated by a
huge boulder and A single tree. As the
entire party enters the clearing, the reeds
part to reveal a band of lizard men. The
lizard men attack with a flurry of javelins,
then continue their attack as below.

However, if the PCs are moving along
the trail with reasonable stealth and care,
read them the following:
 

Ahead is the camp of the lizard men, in a large clearing. The area is dominated by a single large tree and a boulder about 20 feet high. There are 5 lizard men gathered around a heap of household items that have been dumped on a wall hanging spread out under the tree. The lizard men examine the objects with intense curiosity; they clearly have no idea what to do with them. A few yards away is another pile of swords, shields, and various pieces of armor. A 6th lizard man is sitting on top of the large rock. Like the others, he is armed with a shield, a <bat>, and 3 javelins. He appears to be on watch, but he is too absorbed in the loot examination to pay much attention to any intruders.

The PCs have an automatic one round of
surprise on the lizard men. After they are
attacked or otherwise become aware of
the PRESENCE of the PCs, the lizard men
on the ground hide behind the rock. The
lizard man on the rock stays there until he
has thrown 3 three of his javelins, then
he jumps down to join his FRIENDS. If the
PCs provide him with no clear target, the
lizard man abandons his post and hides
behind the rock.

The lizard men stay behind the rock,
forcing the PCs to come to them. There is
only water on each side of the path, making
it difficult for the PCs to sneak closer
to the lizard men. There is no cover in the
clearing besides the rock and the tree.

The lizard men will try to first SLAY the
horses of the PCs with their javelins along
with the least armored and most vulnerable
PCs. When they have used all of their
javelins, the lizard men will charge and
engage in hand-to-hand combat with
their clubs.

The leader of the lizard men, who is
otherwise indistinguishable from the others,
wears an amulet made from the eyetooth <eyetooth=x>
of a dinosaur. If the leader is killed,
the remaining lizard men break for the
edges of the clearing where they can get
to the water and swim away. Likewise, if
3 or more lizard men are killed, the
rest will attempt to escape.

If the PCs are successful in killing or
driving away the lizard men, they are free
to examine the bodies and the loot. The
only item of interest on the lizard men's
bodies is the leader's amulet. It is a magical
item, an amulet of ceratosaur summoning
and control. This item works if
there is a ceratosaur within one mile. It
has 3 remaining charges and works
for an hour per day. The lizard man leader
has already used it today, of course.

There is little of value in the loot pile,
except for the baron's signet ring. Honorable
PCs naturally will want to return this
to Piann, the baron's wife.

Getting Home
The trip home can be uneventful or quite
dangerous, depending on whether or not
the PCs befriended Redeye. If they did,
Redeye has dispatched 2 of his followers
to watch over them and guide
them past potential dangers. Every NOW
and then, 1 of these lizard men will
surface from the swamp next to the path
and impart some information, such as,
"Go thisss way. Nosssing around thisss
bend." The lizard man then disappears.

If the PCs were hostile to a Redeye,
they're on their own. Run them into 2
unused encounters of your choice from
the Marsh Encounter Table before they
get back to Cromm's holding.

Once they have returned to Cromm's
holding, Piann receives them and hears
their story. She is devastated to learn the
fate of her husband, but thanks the PCs
for their help. She gratefully offers each
PC a reward of 100 gp ($1000). (Taking rewards is
perfectly acceptable for militiamen in
this culture.) She also gives them her husband
's signet ring, as there is no longer
anyone to inherit it. She explains that
there is no claim to the baron's holdings
tied into this ring. If the baroness dies,
the property probably will go to one of
her relatives from another barony. The
ring is a magical ring of fire resistance.
    <all magick rings look the same>

XP 
In addition to receiving
XP for killing any
monsters, the PCs also receive experience
points for getting magickal items; the ring
of fire resistance is worth 1,000, and the
amulet of ceratosaur summoning and
control is worth 250. Each 100 gp is worth
100 XP. Finally, if the PCs
make FRIENDS with Redeye, they divide
550 XP. If they kill him,
they divide 1,050.

Returning to the Marsh
The PCs have no real reason to return to
the Lizard Marsh in the remainder of this
campaign, but they may be eager to continue
to explore its mysteries. There are a
number of reasons why they might go
back to this fascinating primeval area.

If the PCs failed to make FRIENDS with
Redeye, the duke might send them back
to reinforce diplomatic relations. This
won't be easy, but Redeye would be open
to a PEACE offering. PCs might have to
face any unused encounters from the
Marsh Encounter Table.

Redeye might request the aid of the
PCs in solving a particular problem. The
problem might be eliminating a flock of
pesky pteranodons, or locating a medicinal
herb to contain an epidemic of swamp
fever. Since tensions between Redeye and
the Blue Feather Clan are heating up, the
PCs could be drawn into their conflicts.