TEXT: 5th Edition Rules,
  1st Edition Feel
  Necromancer 
  Games
  fifth Edition 
  compatible
  
  1
  Quests of Doom=
  Necromancer Games, Inc., 2015, all rights reserved. 
  Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Necromancer Games Inc.’s Product 
  Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Game Content: 
  product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures; 
  characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, 
  designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other 
  visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, 
  teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, 
  magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark 
  or registered trademark clearly identified as Product Identity. Previously released Open Game Content is 
  excluded from the above list.
  Authors: Casey W. Christofferson, Michael Curtis,  
  Matt Finch, Clark Peterson, James M. Ward, Bill Webb
  Developer: Steven Winter
  Editors: Steven Winter, Merric Blackman
  Layout ,Typesetting, Cover Design: Charles A. Wright
  Cover Art: Rowena Aitken 
  Cartography: Robert Altbauer, Ed Bourelle, Conan Venus
  Interior Art: Chris McFann, Andrew DeFlice, Brian LeBlanc
  Quests of Doom
  Volume 2
  5th Edition Rules,
  1st Edition Feel
  Necromancer 
  Games
  Necromancer Games is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast™. 
  We make no claim to or challenge to any trademarks held by Wizards of the Coast™.
  
  2
  Quests of Doom=
  Table of Contents
  Credits ................................................................................................p. 1
  Bugs & Blobs
  Of Ants & Men by Bill Webb .................................................................. p. 4
  Demons & Devils
  Pit of Despair by Casey W. Christofferson & Bill Webb............................... p. 17
  Giants & Dragons
  Dread Dragon Temple by James M. Ward .................................................. p. 25
  Lycanthropes & Elementals
  The Darkening of Namjan Forest by Michael Curtis ..................................... p. 39
  Men & Monstrosities
  Perils of Ghostwind pass by Matt Finch ..................................................... p. 61
  Vampires & Liches
  Isle of Eliphaz by Bill Webb & Clark Peterson ........................................... p. 90
  Legal Appendix ...................................................................................p. 101
  
  3
  Bugs
  &
  Blobs
  
  4
  Quests of Doom: Bugs and Blobs
  This adventure is designed for characters of levels 4 to 8. 
  Sometimes bugs are just bugs, and sometimes they are organized 
  into a hive mind that is just as smart as humans. Ants are just that. 
  In battle, the ants become a horde of raging combatants that form 
  a blur on all sides. While ants are typically peaceful, they respond 
  to a threat against the hive with a scale of violence that’s almost 
  impossible to imagine. Utterly devoted to duty, ants never retreat from 
  a confrontation—even in the face of certain death. Their engagements 
  are brief and brutal. Working in teams, ants grab enemies, holding 
  them in place until one of the warriors rips into the captive’s body, 
  leaving it smashed and oozing.
  Of Ants and Men begins as a quest to recover (e.g., steal) eggs from 
  a giant anthill near the town of Endhome. The real treasure is a sword 
  made of a rare and strange metal, called the two-edged sword, which has 
  amazingly powerful anti-magical properties. 
  The adventure can also be played (perhaps more effectively) by smaller 
  groups. In response to many requests from our fans, the main encounters 
  are designed to work well with groups of two to three characters of levels 
  6 to 8. Even a solo adventurer could do reasonably well, if the individual 
  character had very good climbing, trap finding, and stealth skills. Druids, 
  barbarians, and rogues will fare best in cases where the groups are limited 
  in size.
  While there’s plenty of opportunity for combat here, characters who 
  think through a situation before drawing their swords are likely to do best. 
  Hacking one’s way through is likely to result in character deaths. 
  Starting the Adventure
  If the GM is using the Lost Lands setting by Frog God Games, the 
  anthill is located just south of the Penprie Forest, near the city of Endhome 
  and along the banks of the Oldrock River. GMs using another setting could 
  place this adventure anywhere with virtually no modification beyond 
  minor re-tweaking of the “finding the body” portion of the adventure. 
  Otherwise, it’s playable anywhere.
  There are a number of hooks the GM can use to get the players involved 
  with this adventure. Rumors of a giant anthill “filled with treasure” could 
  be presented in the local watering hole, or perhaps a more direct method 
  could be employed. Bug-hunts such as this often are high on danger and 
  low on treasure (that describes this one), so if incentive is lacking, several 
  methods can be employed. Potential adventure hooks include:
  • Player characters are hired to get giant ant eggs. A kindly old wizard, 
  perhaps a friend of the characters, needs these eggs for magical research. 
  He will pay 500 gp if they retrieve eggs for him. 
  • Player characters are geased by a not-so-kindly wizard to gather eggs 
  from the anthill. While not a very nice way to treat player characters, this 
  is about as old-school as you can get. In fact, in the original white box 
  version of the game, virtually all wizards and clerics encountered used 
  geas and quest on player characters regularly. Alas (for GMs; not so much 
  for PCs), this is a different day and age.
  • A powerful lord was killed while fighting gnolls on the fields 
  south of the Penprie Forest, very near where the giant anthill is 
  located. When retainers arrived to recover the dead, they found the 
  bodies had been dragged away by giant ants. His family offers a 
  reward of 1,000 gp for recovery of his body (impossible—he was 
  eaten) or 500 gp for recovery of his plate armor. The armor is 
  inscribed with his family crest: a pair of unicorn heads entwined by 
  vines and facing one another.
  • Farmers have complained about sheep going missing in the area. 
  They beg the player characters to investigate the cause and stop the loss 
  of livestock.
  Whatever the method used, the GM can find some way to encourage the 
  party to head toward the location of the anthill. Once there, they find the 
  body of a man wearing leather armor lying a few hundred yards from the 
  anthill. The man is on a small island of rock in the center of the Oldrock 
  River. His body is bloated and red, and his armor is heavily damaged, 
  almost as if it were partially melted by some type of acid. A partially 
  melted shortsword is gripped in his hand, and he wears a belt pouch that 
  contains a journal. 
  Speak with dead or perusal of the journal reveals the following details. 
  Paraphrase to suit the manner that the characters get the information.
  This man and his friends were hired by a wizard to retrieve giant ant 
  eggs—in fact they were offered 500 gp, with a 500 gp bonus should 
  they get a royal queen egg. They fought their way into the nest but 
  soon realized they could never cut their way through the entire nest of 
  ants. Their druid used his magic to make them invisible to the ants, 
  and that seemed to protect them. While working their way down into 
  the egg chambers, they discovered a series of cut caverns and worked 
  stone tunnels and chambers. There they found a strange vault of carved 
  stone covered with ancient, mystic writing. For some reason, the druid’s 
  magic failed, as did that of their wizard and their priest, and the ants 
  returned with a vengeance.
  They tried to run, dropping most of their equipment in an attempt to run 
  faster. The man was stung several times by warrior ants, but he made it out 
  and sought refuge in the river, where he hoped the ants would not follow. 
  The pain of the ant stings became unbearable, and he hoped a short rest 
  might restore his vitality. Instead, he died from the poison.
  The journal also notes that the worker ants seemed docile enough 
  at first, and the warriors, while aggressive, were slow moving. It also 
  contains a rough map, indicating that they got into the anthill through the 
  entrance leading to Area 2.
  The anthill itself rises 40 feet above the plain. Multiple entrances can be 
  seen, some with ants moving in and out of them. Careful inspection reveals 
  that the ants are not active outside at night. The area around the anthill 
  is almost completely stripped of vegetation in a radius of approximately 
  one mile. Creatures that approach the anthill during daylight hours are 
  investigated by 3d6 workers, 1d6 warriors, and 1 bomber ant.
  Giant Ants and the Hive Mentality
  Before I go into the adventure itself, the GM should understand certain 
  general information that governs the whole of the ant lair. Members 
  operate without a power hierarchy or permanent leader. Colonies are 
  decentralized, with workers that individually know little making combat 
  decisions that nonetheless prove effective at the group level without 
  oversight—a process called swarm intelligence. Different varieties of ants 
  are described, different conditions that exist depending on player character 
  (or random event) actions that occur, as well as the type of terrain (e.g. 
  the portion of the hive) that encounters with ants could occur in all play a 
  factor in their behavior.  
  During the course of the adventure, the player characters can encounter 
  five different kinds of ants: workers, warriors, drones, bombers, and the 
  queen.
  Of Ants and Men
  By Bill Webb
  
  5
  of ants and men
  Giant Ant, Worker
  These are sterile females, approximately 2-3 feet long, which do the bulk 
  of the heavy lifting, hive construction and expansion and food gathering 
  for the colony. The workers present in this colony are not particularly 
  aggressive, and absent pheromones being released indicating that “the 
  hive is in trouble,” generally will not attack a creature that enters the hive, 
  unless it is an ant from another hive. Lacking a poison sting, these ants 
  typically approach any intruders and “smell them” using their antennae. 
  While it may seem at first that a player character is being attacked, these 
  ants will not aggressively bite anything moving about unless attacked 
  first. In combat, these ants typically grab a leg or an arm and hold on while 
  the warriors attack the held opponent. There are 900 workers in this hive. 
  Each week 10d6 more join the hive to replace slain comrades.
  GIANT ANT, WORKER
  XP 100 (CR 1/2)
  Unaligned Small beast
  Initiative +0
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 13 (natural armor)
  hp: 39 (6d6 + 18)
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee Attack—Bite: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 
  2d6 + 2 piercing damage and the target is grappled. The 
  worker ant can’t bite while it maintains a grapple.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 14 (+2), Dex 10 (+0), Con 16 (+3), 
  Int 1 (-5), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 8 (-1)
  Languages: None
  Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land
  Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (3–6), or hive (10–100 
  workers, 7-18 warriors, 2–8 drones,  
  1-4 bombers, and 1 queen)
  Giant Ant, Warrior
  These ants are 5-6 feet long and much more aggressive than their 
  worker sisters. In addition to a nasty bite, these ants have a poison sting 
  that can be used three times per day. Also sterile females, these ants are the 
  organizers of colony-wide resistance and attack. Attack groups typically 
  are organized into groups of 1 warrior with 6 workers that attack single 
  opponents as a group. The probability of attack depends on several factors 
  if a warrior ant is approached within 50 feet. Fortunately they are fairly 
  slow moving. There are 120 warriors in this hive. Each week 4d6 more 
  join the hive to replace slain comrades.
  GIANT ANT, WARRIOR
  XP 450 (CR 1)
  Unaligned Medium beast
  Initiative +1
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 14 (natural armor)
  hp: 45 (6d8 + 18)
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 25 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee Attack—Bite: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). 
  Hit: 2d8 + 2 piercing damage plus 1d8 poison damage, 
  and the target must make a successful DC 13 Con 
  saving throw or become poisoned. A poisoned creature 
  repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns; a 
  successful save ends the poisoning.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 14 (+2), Dex 12 (+1), Con 17 (+3), 
  Int 1 (-5), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 8 (-1)
  Languages: None
  Skills: Perception +3
  Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land
  Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (3–6), or hive (10–100 
  workers, 7-18 warriors, 2–8 drones, 1-4 bombers, and 1 
  queen)
  Giant Ant, Drone
  These winged male ants are fairly rare outside of the queen’s chamber, 
  and quite short lived (she eats them). They exist only to procreate, only 
  mobilizing to fight if the hive is attacked. They are slightly bigger than 
  warriors, but their poison is weaker. There are 16 drones in this hive. Each 
  week 1d6 more join the hive to replace slain comrades.
  GIANT ANT, DRONE
  XP 200 (CR 1)
  Unaligned Medium beast
  Initiative +0
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 14 (natural armor)
  hp: 76 (9d8 + 36)
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee Attack—Bite: +5 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 
  3d8 + 3 piercing damage plus 1d8 poison damage.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 16 (+3), Dex 10 (+0), Con 18 (+4), 
  Int 1 (-5), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 8 (-1)
  Languages: None
  
  6
  Quests of Doom: Bugs and Blobs
  Skills: Perception +3
  Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land
  Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (3–6), or hive (10–100 
  workers, 7-18 warriors, 2–8 drones, 1-4 bombers, and 1 
  queen)
  Giant Ant, Bomber
  These ants look like workers with large hind ends. Really large hind 
  ends. These Sir Mix-a-lot inspired critters have a terrible special attack. 
  They are basically suicide bombers that unleash a caustic poison in a 10-
  foot burst, covering everything near them in a more deadly version of the 
  ant warrior’s poison. These creatures are fairly rare in the hive, and are 
  non-aggressive unless directed by a warrior to attack or if they sense the 
  hive is threatened through release of pheromones. There are 60 bombers 
  in this hive. Each week 2d6 more join the hive to replace slain comrades 
  (attrition is high among bombers).
  GIANT ANT, BOMBER
  XP 450 (CR 1)
  Unaligned Medium beast
  Initiative +1
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 14 (natural armor)
  hp: 45 (6d8 + 18)
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee Attack—Bite: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 
  2d8 + 2 piercing damage and the target is grappled. The 
  bomber ant can’t bite while it maintains a grapple.
  Area Attack—Poison Burst: automatic hit (10-ft. radius 
  sphere; creatures in the sphere). Hit: 1d8 +3 poison 
  damage, and the target must make a successful DC 
  13 Con saving throw or become poisoned. A poisoned 
  creature takes 1d6 poison damage at the start of each of 
  its turns, then repeats the saving throw; a successful save 
  ends the poisoning. Also see Poison Burst, below.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 14 (+2), Dex 12 (+1), Con 17 (+3), 
  Int 1 (-5), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 8 (-1)
  Languages: None
  Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Poison Burst: The bomber ant’s poison burst is a one-time 
  attack that destroys its abdomen (the large, hindmost 
  portion of its body). A bomber ant takes 20 force 
  damage when it uses this attack. They can use the attack 
  whenever they want, but typically, bomber ants fight 
  for a few rounds first and don’t detonate their poison-
  filled abdomens until they have fewer than 15 hit points 
  remaining and are likely to die soon anyway. The bomber 
  ant always tries to position itself among the densest group 
  of enemies before triggering the poison burst. However, 
  the poison burst can be set off two ways by other 
  creatures. First, an attack that does 25 or more points of 
  force, lightning, piercing, or slashing damage to a bomber 
  ant triggers its poison burst instantly. Second, a bomber 
  ant that’s killed before it uses its poison burst has a 1-in-3 
  chance (roll 1 or 2 on 1d6) of setting off the burst instantly 
  with its last, dying spasms. Other giant ants are immune to 
  this poison.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land
  Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (3–6), or hive (10–100 
  workers, 7-18 warriors, 2–8 drones, 1-4 bombers, 
  and 1 queen)
  Giant Ant, Queen
  Her Majesty resides in her throne chamber, and basically sits there, 
  mating with drones and making eggs. The queen is the center of colony 
  life because she reproduces. She does does not lead troops (although she 
  is quite dangerous in close combat) or organize labor. There are always 
  several queen eggs hidden in other chambers, in case she is slain or dies. 
  While she lives, queen-bearing eggs are brought to her to be devoured. 
  The queen is always accompanied by 3d10 workers and 2d6 warriors, 
  and they fight fanatically to protect her. There is ever only one queen in 
  a colony. If she is slain, another is born within 1d2 days, growing to full 
  size in six weeks.
  GIANT ANT, QUEEN
  XP 700 (CR 3)
  Unaligned Large beast
  Initiative -1
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 15 (natural armor)
  hp: 105 (10d10 + 50)
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 10 ft., climb 10 ft.
  Multiattack: The queen ant bites once and stabs with her 
  claws once.
  Melee Attack—Bite: +6 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). 
  Hit: 2d8 + 4 piercing damage plus 1d8 poison damage, 
  and the target must make a successful DC 15 Con 
  saving throw or become poisoned. A poisoned creature 
  repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns; a 
  successful save ends the poisoning.
  Melee Attack—Claws: +6 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). 
  Hit: 2d6 + 4 piercing damage and the target is grappled. 
  The queen ant can’t attack with her claws while she 
  
  7
  of ants and men
  maintains a grapple, but a grappled creature takes 2d6 
  + 4 piercing damage automatically at the start of the 
  queen ant’s turn.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 18 (+4), Dex 8 (-1), Con 20 (+5), 
  Int 6 (-2), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 14 (+2)
  Languages: None
  Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land
  Organization: hive (10–100 workers, 7-18 warriors, 2–8 drones, 
  1-4 bombers, and 1 queen)
  Hive Conditions
  Certain conditions can determine how the hive reacts to instruction by 
  outsiders, such as the player characters. These include:
  The Hive is At Peace
  This is the standard condition of the hive. Normal attack chances occur 
  if any intruders are present. The worker ants touch and sniff anything 
  within reach, but do not physically attack unless attacked or directed 
  by a warrior. Drones and bombers just ignore intruders unless a warrior 
  is present and hostile. The warriors’ base chance of attacking anything 
  within 50 feet is 20%, modified as follows:
  +5%
  1 player character within 20 feet
  +20%
  2-3 player characters within 20 feet
  +40%
  4-5 player characters within 20 feet
  +60%
  6 or more player characters within 20 feet
  +90%
  Hive in trouble! One or more ants have been 
  killed within 500 feet of the hive
  +100%
  A “foreign” giant ant (e.g., polymorphed PC)
  +30%
  Within 200 feet of queen’s chamber
  +100%
  Within queen’s chamber
  -40%
  Silence spell on character
  -40%
  Invisibility spell on character
  -30%
  Character made successful DC 13 Dexterity 
  (Stealth) check
  -30%
  Character tosses sweet food (honey, sugar, aphid 
  jelly)
  -50%
  Character is coated in giant beetle guts (50% chance 
  if not attacked that a warrior sprays the character 
  with pheromones, making it “one of the gang” unless 
  they attack an ant or enter the queen’s chamber)
  -75%
  Character slays an ankheg or bulette (50% 
  chance if not attacked that a warrior sprays the 
  character with pheromones, making it “one of 
  the gang” unless they attack an ant or enter the 
  queen’s chamber)
  The Hive is in Trouble!
  This occurs if one or more ants are slain within 500 feet of the hive. The 
  slain ant releases pheromones that indicate the hive is under attack. Note 
  that instant kills, such as by cloudkill, fireball, etc., do not allow the ant to 
  release this warning. Should this occur, all outsiders are treated as hostile, 
  and the ants organize and attack. 
  While some of the workers that first reach the attacking force try 
  to delay or subdue the intruders, another group does not join the fight 
  immediately, but instead returns home, leaving an odor trail behind. 
  When they arrive home, they warn their nest mates by moving their 
  bodies back and forth, and touching the antennae of the other ants 
  with their own antennae. This gathers 6d6 workers, 3d6 warriors, and 
  1d6 bombers as reinforcements to join the fight. If they are slain or 
  losing, another batch of the same numbers arrives every ten minutes 
  thereafter. 
  Another cause of war is one colony (basically anything that is or 
  resembles a giant ant) entering the territory of another.
  Famine!
  This situation occurs if the aphid nest or the fungus garden is destroyed, 
  after a one-week delay. In this case, workers attack at the same probability 
  as soldiers. All the remaining ants remain unchanged.
  A note on using area of effect or “kill the hive” spells: Use of 
  spells such as fireball and lightning bolt in dirt tunnels can be very 
  dangerous. Any use of large destructive spells within a tunnel or 
  chamber has a percentage chance of causing a collapse within its area 
  of effect equal to the points of damage done by the spell (assuming no 
  save). This area has a 25% chance to expand to one-and-a-half times 
  the spell’s area of effect. For example, if a fireball is cast in a 60-foot 
  chamber and does 32 points of damage, the 40-foot area centered on 
  the burst has a 32% chance to collapse (because the spell did 32 points 
  of damage). If a collapse occurs, there is a flat 25% chance that it will 
  expand from 40 feet to 60 feet in diameter (because 40 feet x 1.5 = 60 
  feet). 
  “Kill the hive” spells such as cloudkill can wipe out a large number of 
  ants. Keep in mind the area of effect and duration of the spell. The vast 
  size of this place would only allow a small portion of the hive to be killed. 
  One good effect of spells that cause instant death is that they prevent ants 
  from releasing “The Hive is in Trouble” pheromones. 
  Four Areas—One Hive
  Nearly all of the hive area is un-numbered areas. These tunnels and 
  chambers are full of random ants, and little else. Numbered locations are 
  described specifically at the end of this section. Movement through the hive 
  absent the map in Area 2 is rather random, because it is a huge, trackless 
  maze. Each minute, roll on the following chart to determine what the 
  player characters find. Encounters are dictated in each level description. 
  Following the map (or using a find the path spell or equivalent) uses 60 
  of these features (as selected by the GM, but always including Areas 3, 5, 
  and 6, and always terminating in Area 8).
  d20
  Hive Feature
  1
  Pathway up to the surface; requires crawling (1-9) 
  or can be walked (10) out of (into keyed areas 1 
  or 2). Applies only in the Upper Hive; otherwise it 
  moves the party up one level.
  
  8
  Quests of Doom: Bugs and Blobs
  d20
  Hive Feature
  2-4
  Tunnel continues 100 feet, flat 
  5-6
  Tunnel continues, but reduced in size (Medium-size 
  characters must crawl)
  7-8
  Opens into a chamber 10d10 feet in diameter. 
  There are 1d3 exits from the chamber.
  9-10
  Opens into a chamber 5d10 feet in diameter. 
  There are 1d3-1 exits from the chamber.
  11-12
  Dead end.
  13-14
  Opens into a numbered area (select randomly).
  15-16
  Tunnel continues 100 feet, but slopes up or down 
  steeply
  17
  Obstacle blocks path (1 = deep deadfall,  
  2 = sheer cliff of 10-60 feet, 3 = partial blockage 
  requiring crawling, 4 = collapsed tunnel).  
  This requires the GM to improvise to some 
  degree, and allows player characters to use 
  skills.
  18-19
  Tunnel leads down to the next level.
  20
  Tunnel leads deep into the earth, out of the hive 
  (GM’s choice of where this leads).
  Entrance and Upper Hive
  The entrance and upper levels of the hive consist of dirt tunnels and 
  chambers dug out by the tireless labor of the workers. These tunnels 
  typically are 6-10 feet in diameter and are composed of hard-packed earth. 
  There are eleven surface entrances leading down into the hive, and these 
  lead into chambers full of workers and the occasional other ant. Only the 
  entrances leading to Areas 1 and 2 are passable by anything larger than a 
  halfling unless one crawls. If using the map, this area requires 20 minutes 
  to traverse.
  In this area, wandering monster checks must be made every minute by 
  rolling on the table below.
  1d20
  Encounter
  1-9
  1d3 worker ants
  10-11
  1 warrior and 1d6 worker ants
  12
  1 drone
  13
  1d6 warriors, 1 bomber, and 2d6 worker ants
  14-19
  No encounter
  20 
  Intruder!
  Worker Ants: These ignore all beyond 20 feet (roll 6d6 for distance), 
  otherwise they behave as described above. They typically carry leaves and 
  sticks or other food items.
  Warrior Ants: These behave as described above.
  Drones: These ignore intruders unless commanded to 
  attack by a warrior.
  Intruder!: This is either 1d6 ankhegs (50% chance), 
  1d6 giant beetles (35% chance), or a bulette (15% 
  chance) here to eat ants and anything else they find. 
  They attack anything they encounter. Note that covering 
  oneself in beetle guts or defending ants against the 
  larger predators can have positive consequences. Any 
  intruder encounter automatically draws an encounter 
  as if 13 was rolled after five rounds of combat.
  Keyed Areas in the Upper Hive
  1. Are Those Big Grasshoppers?
  The tunnel entrance at this location seems devoid of ants. The walls 
  and ceiling of this 20-foot-diameter hole are made of the same compacted 
  earth as the rest of the entrances, but the floor seems freshly dug and soft. 
  Careful inspection of the floor reveals that various bits and pieces of ants 
  (legs, a thorax or two) are mixed in with the soft dirt piles, the odd leg or 
  antennae sticking out of the piles.
  The tunnel leads to a chamber 60 feet across, with large piles of rock 
  and earth blocking all other exits. Four rounds after the chamber is 
  entered, 11 ankhegs break through the floor and attack anything in the 
  chamber (unless it was entered by someone under magical silence). This 
  in turn draws one battle group of ants every minute, starting on the fifth 
  round of combat. A battle group consists of 3d6 workers, 1d6 warriors, 
  and 1 bomber ant. 
  The ants have largely abandoned this entrance, blocking access from 
  below after deciding that losses were too high to defeat the ankheg nest. 
  That being said, should sounds of battle emanate from here, the ants join 
  in the fray. Player characters who are carefully observant notice that the 
  ants attack the ankhegs viciously, but they pay no attention to the player 
  characters. If any player character attacks an ant, they are sprayed with a 
  pheromone indicating they are hostile—and all ants automatically attack 
  them for 1 hour.
  Ankheg Tactics: Ankhegs gain automatic surprise on the first round of 
  combat except against someone with mining skills or a dwarf. They burst 
  through the ground and attack using their bite immediately. Each round 
  thereafter, an ankheg has a 25% chance of spitting acid and a 75% chance 
  of attacking physically. If wounded over 50%, an individual ankheg 
  retreats underground and burrows away.
  Ant Tactics: The ants attack individual ankhegs in groups of 6 workers 
  and 1 warrior, with extra warriors or workers aiding their “allies” (the 
  player characters) until a total of 7 creatures are on a single ankheg. The 
  bomber ant heads toward the biggest group of ankhegs before exploding 
  on them. 
  Afterward: Should the player characters help the ants defeat the 
  ankhegs, any surviving warriors (roll for each) has a 50% chance of 
  approaching one individual player character (it seems aggressive, but is 
  not) rear-end first and spraying a pheromone on them. This spray lasts 1 
  hour, and prevents the individual player character from being attacked by 
  any ants unless the queen’s chamber is entered or the player characters is 
  within 10 feet of an ant that releases an enemy-labeling pheromone as it 
  dies. 
  
  9
  of ants and men
  (Ankheg: AC 14, 39 hp; +5 to hit, 2d6 + 3 slashing damage 
  plus 1d6 acid damage and the target is grappled [bite]; 
  30-ft. line, 3d6 acid damage, or half damage with a 
  successful DC 13 Dex saving throw [acid spray, recharge 
  6]; the ankheg has tactical advantage on bite attacks 
  against a creature it has grappled)
  (Giant Ant, Worker: AC 13, 39 hp; +4 to hit, 2d6 + 2 piercing 
  damage and the target is grappled)
  (Giant Ant, Warrior: AC 14, 45 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 + 2 piercing 
  damage plus 1d8 poison damage, and the target must 
  make a successful DC 13 Con saving throw or become 
  poisoned [bite]; a poisoned creature repeats the saving 
  throw at the end of each of its turns, and a successful 
  save ends the poisoning)
  (Giant Ant, Bomber: AC AC 14, 45 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 + 2 
  piercing damage and the target is grappled [bite]; 10-ft. 
  cone, 1d8 + 3 poison damage and the target must make 
  a successful DC 13 Con saving throw or become poisoned 
  [poison spray]; a poisoned creature takes 1d6 poison 
  damage at the start of each of its turns, then repeats the 
  saving throw, and a successful save ends the poisoning)
  2. Dead Dudes
  This large tunnel entrance (8 feet in diameter) leads 40 feet down at a 
  10% slope and opens into a 40-foot-diameter chamber. During daylight 
  hours it contains 3d6 worker ants. It is abandoned during the night. 
  The far wall is spattered with blood and bits and parts of non-edible 
  adventuring equipment. Present in the chamber are the following:
  • A spear head, 2 daggers (1 is bent and corroded), a mace head, a 
  completely destroyed suit of plate armor, a shredded (and very bloody) 
  suit of chain armor, a metal shield (missing its leather straps)
  • An iron box containing two potion bottles (potion of flying and potion 
  of levitation)
  • An ivory scroll tube containing a map of the best path through the 
  middle levels leading to the worked stone area and the sword vault. Travel 
  using the map takes 1 hour to reach the stone tunnel area. Ants and other 
  creatures encountered on the map path include wandering monsters as 
  well as Areas 3, 5, and 6.
  No organic or body parts are here, as everything edible was picked 
  clean by worker ants. 
  (Giant Ant, Worker: AC 13, 65 hp; +4 to hit, 2d6 + 2 piercing 
  damage and the target is grappled)
  Middle Hive
  Dozens of tunnels and chambers fill this area, most full of workers. 
  This creates a maze that makes it almost impossible to follow without a 
  map or spell indicating the correct way to go. This area contains the “cow 
  farms” of giant aphids. Random wandering through this area likely leads 
  to certain doom, as eventually the player characters will be attacked by a 
  warrior, forced to defend themselves, and will either be killed or will kill 
  
  10
  Quests of Doom: Bugs and Blobs
  an ant (creating a “Hive is in Trouble” situation). If using the map, this 
  area requires 30 minutes to traverse.
   In this area, wandering monsters check must be made every minute by 
  rolling on the following table.
  d20
  Encounter
  1-9
  1d3 worker ants
  10
  1 bomber
  11
  1 drone, 1d2 warriors, 1 bomber, and 1d6 worker ants
  12-19
  No encounter
  20 
  Intruder!
  Roll 8d6 to determine the distance in feet between PCs and ants at the 
  start of an encounter. 
  Worker Ants: These ignore all beyond 20 feet, otherwise they behave 
  as described above. They typically carry chunks of dirt or rocks, aphid 
  jelly, or other food items.
  Warrior Ants: These behave as described above.
  Drones: These ignore intruders unless commanded to attack by a 
  warrior.
  Intruder!: This is either 1d4 ankhegs (35% chance), 2d6 giant 
  beetles (50% chance), or a bulette (15% chance) here to eat ants (and 
  anything else they find). They attack anything they encounter. Note 
  that covering oneself in beetle guts, or defending the ants against 
  the larger predators, can have positive consequences. Any intruder 
  encounter automatically draws an encounter as if 11 was rolled after 5 
  rounds of combat.
  Keyed Areas in the Middle Hive
  3. The Aphid Nest
  This chamber is 200 feet in diameter and is filled in the center with 
  torn up bits of plants and branches covered in leaves. At any given time 
  there are 3d6 worker ants present here, running aphid puke out of the 
  chamber to soldiers and the queen at regular intervals. This area represents 
  the primary delivery are for outside vegetation brought in by the workers 
  each day. In addition to all the greenery, there are approximately 200 
  giant aphids roving about the chamber munching way on the leaves 
  and branches. The aphids ignore intruders unless touched (or attacked), 
  in which case they regurgitate a sticky, sweet substance on the ground 
  (gallons of it) and squeak and retreat from the one contacting them. The 
  aphids are harmless.
  These giant aphids are herded like cows by the ants. The aphids secrete 
  a sweet substance called honeydew, prized as food by ants. This substance 
  consists of partially digested, highly concentrated plant sap and other 
  wastes. These aphids have a symbiotic relationship with the ants that 
  resembles the relationship of domestic cattle to humans; hence the name 
  “ant cows” for aphids. The ants tend the aphids, transporting them to their 
  food plants at the appropriate stages of the aphids’ life cycle and sheltering 
  the aphids. The aphids, in turn, provide honeydew for the ants.
  Should all the aphids be slain, the ants go into “famine” mode as 
  described above. Note that the aphids do not release ant pheromones, nor 
  do the worker ants react to aphids being killed.
  Treasure: Careful digging around in the dirt piles reveals a few pieces 
  of plate armor. One of these (a breastplate) is inscribed with the family 
  crest of the dead noble slain in battle (see adventure hooks). One could 
  also obtain a bunch of honeydew that could be used to pacify warrior 
  ants (1 gallon pacifies an ant if offered prior to attack), if containers are 
  available.
  (Giant Ant, Worker: AC 13, 39 hp; +4 to hit, 2d6 + 2 piercing 
  damage and the target is grappled)
  (Giant Aphid: AC 10, 12 hp; no attacks)
  4. Bombs Away!
  This area is the nesting area for the hive’s bomber ants. At all times, 
  6d6 bomber ants are present here. They are generally non-aggressive and 
  slow-moving. The ants segregate them to avoid “accidents” should they 
  accidentally pop. The ants only bother intruders if attacked or if the hive 
  is on alert due to famine or war pheromones. If any player character has 
  hostility pheromones, this area is very dangerous. Otherwise the bomber 
  ants just sit still, resting, and don’t even sniff or investigate any intruders 
  (it’s tiring carrying around that big butt!).
  (Giant Ant, Bomber: AC AC 14, 75 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 + 2 
  piercing damage and the target is grappled [bite]; 10-ft. 
  cone, 1d8 + 3 poison damage and the target must make 
  a successful DC 13 Con saving throw or become poisoned 
  [poison spray]; a poisoned creature takes 1d6 poison 
  damage at the start of each of its turns, then repeats the 
  saving throw, and a successful save ends the poisoning)
  5. Eeek! It’s a Mushroom
  This chamber is also made of packed dirt, and spans an area of roughly 
  100 feet in diameter. It is completely covered with hundreds of mushroom 
  growths used as food by the ants, some as small as a few inches high and 
  some as large as a man. In the center. There are always 3d6 worker ants 
  present here. In the center of the cave are several species of very large 
  fungus. Two of these are of note.
  1. Grayish, 4-foot-tall mushrooms are present in a 10 foot area. Careful 
  inspection from afar reveals that the dead and rotted bodies of several 
  worker ants are present in a decaying state near their base. These are a 
  form of violet fungus; there are 6 here. They move and attack any that 
  come within 10 feet. The ants are oblivious to the danger they pose.
  2. Two large silver-and-red mushrooms stand in a small wet area near 
  the center of the cavern. These are shriekers. If approached within 10 feet, 
  
  11
  of ants and men
  they sound off, causing a wandering monster check with +12 on the roll 
  (ants are used to the noise, but other creatures see this as a dinner bell!). 
  Should the fungus all be destroyed, the famine condition described 
  above applies to the colony.
  (Violet Fungus: AC 5, 18 hp; +2 to hit, 1d8 necrotic damage 
  [rotting touch]; attacks 1d4 times)
  (Shrieker: AC 5, 13 hp; shrieks loudly when a creature 
  approaches within 30 feet)
  6. Raid!
  This is more of a fixed encounter than it is a room. 
  At some point in the exploration, the player characters encounter a mass 
  melee between ants and giant slicer beetles (see Fifth Edition Foes). In the 
  melee when the player characters encounter this are 12 workers, 2 bombers, 
  and 7 warrior ants and 10 giant slicer beetles. These beetles have developed 
  a taste for giant ant, and have burrowed here to get a meal. Similar to the 
  ankheg encounter, this encounter provides an opportunity for the player 
  characters to become “one of the gang” with the ants for a short period of time 
  and facilitate passage through the hive. Once again, the ants do not attack the 
  player characters unless attacked, treating them as allies in this fight.
  Beetle Tactics: Being far larger than the ants, the beetles try to quickly kill 
  anything non-beetle that they can and move onto the next victim. Anything 
  killed by a beetle, should they win the combat, is taken and devoured. 
  Ant Tactics: The ants attack individual beetles in groups of 6 workers 
  and 1 warrior, with extra warriors or workers aiding their “allies” (the 
  player characters) until a total of 7 creatures is on a single beetle. The 
  bomber ants head for the largest groups of slicer beetles before exploding.
  Afterward: Should the player characters help the ants defeat the 
  beetles, any surviving warriors (roll for each) has a 50% chance of 
  approaching one individual player character (it seems aggressive, but is 
  not) rear-end first and spraying a pheromone on them. This spray lasts 1 
  hour, and prevents the individual player character from being attacked by 
  any ants unless the queen’s chamber is entered or the player characters is 
  within 10 feet of an ant that releases an enemy-labeling pheromone as it 
  dies. Anyone smeared with beetle guts is treated as if they had the friendly 
  pheromone for 1 hour as well.
  (Giant Ant, Worker: AC 13, 39 hp; +4 to hit, 2d6 + 2 piercing 
  damage and the target is grappled)
  (Giant Ant, Warrior: AC 14, 45 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 + 2 piercing 
  damage plus 1d8 poison damage, and the target must 
  make a successful DC 13 Con saving throw or become 
  poisoned [bite]; a poisoned creature repeats the saving 
  throw at the end of each of its turns, and a successful 
  save ends the poisoning)
  (Giant Ant, Bomber: AC 14, 45 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 + 2 piercing 
  damage and the target is grappled [bite]; 10-ft. cone, 
  1d8 + 3 poison damage and the target must make a 
  successful DC 13 Con saving throw or become poisoned 
  [poison spray]; a poisoned creature takes 1d6 poison 
  damage at the start of each of its turns, then repeats the 
  saving throw, and a successful save ends the poisoning)
  GIANT SLICER BEETLE
  XP 700 (CR 3)
  Unaligned Large beast
  Initiative +0
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 15 (natural armor)
  hp: 42 (5d10 + 15)
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 20 ft.
  Melee Attack—Bite: +8 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 
  2d10 + 5 piercing damage. If this attack scores a critical 
  hit, see Vorpal Bite, below.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 20 (+5), Dex 10 (+0), Con 16 (+3), Int 2 (–4), Wis 10 (+0), 
  Cha 9 (–1)
  Languages: None
  Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Vorpal Bite: The mandibles of a slicer beetle are extremely 
  sharp. It scores a critical hit if the attack roll is a natural 
  19 or 20. If a slicer beetle scores a critical hit on its attack 
  roll, the affected creature must make a DC 10 Dex saving 
  throw. Failure indicates the slicer beetle severed one of 
  the opponent’s extremities (roll 1d8: 1–4 = arm, 5–8 = leg; 
  even = right, odd = left).
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Temperate forests
  Organization: Solitary or cluster (2–5)
  Lower Hive and  
  Queen’s Chambers
  This area features more aggressive warrior ants as well as several 
  areas central to the adventure. The soldier and drone ants here are always 
  aggressive (+30%), and usually attack anything not coated in beetle guts 
  or friendly pheromones. One ant always runs immediately to the queen’s 
  chambers to warn the ants of intruders there, even if the intruders have the 
  correct smell. If using the map, this area requires 10 minutes to traverse.
  In this area, wandering monsters check must be made every minute by 
  rolling on the following table.
  1d20
  Encounter
  1-7
  1d6 worker ants
  8-10
  1d6 solder ants
  11-15
  1d6 warriors, and 2d6 worker ants
  16-19
  No encounter
  20 
  Intruder!
  Worker Ants: These ignore all beyond 20 feet (roll 8d6 for distance for 
  all encounters (in feet)), otherwise they behave as described above. They 
  typically carry aphid jelly.
  Warrior Ants: These behave as described above.
  Drones: These ignore intruders unless commanded to attack by a 
  warrior.
  Intruder!: This is either 1d4 ankhegs (15% chance), 2d6 giant beetles 
  (35% chance), or a bulette (50% chance) here to eat ants (and anything 
  else they find). They attack anything they encounter. Note that covering 
  oneself in beetle guts, or defending the ants against the larger predators, 
  can have positive consequences. Any intruder encounter automatically 
  draws an encounter as if 11-15 was rolled after 5 rounds of combat.
  Keyed Areas in the Lower Hive
  7. The Queen’s Chamber
  This 200 by 200 foot square chamber is constructed of cut stone, and 
  has been commandeered by the ant queen as her throne chamber. There 
  
  12
  Quests of Doom: Bugs and Blobs
  are nine exits leading out of the room at various places, none of which is 
  large enough for anything larger than a halfling to crawl through, except 
  the stone passageway that leads to Area 8. The ceiling is 20 feet high and 
  also made of cut and mortared stone.  The room is filled with thousands 
  of eggs, as well as pools of honeydew and choice tidbits of animal flesh, 
  plant matter and fungus. There are always 2d6 warriors, 1d6 drones, and 
  3d10 worker ants here, as well as the queen. The warrior ants here are 
  elite, so they have 60 hit points instead of the usual 45. 
  As the center of intelligence for the any colony, the queen directs the 
  soldiers to position themselves in front and on her sides. She does not 
  order them to immediately attack, preferring to wait until she sees how 
  they react while 2d6 workers scurry off to gather reinforcements. A total 
  of 1d3 battle groups (3d6 workers and 2d6 warrior ants) arrive each 
  minute after the first. No bombers come to this chamber.
  This room can be either a boon or a death trap. Note that pheromone 
  spray of any kind does not fool the queen. She recognizes intruders for 
  what they are. Tactics that can be employed here are to either 1) present 
  an offering of sweet food to the queen, then back off slowly and leave or 
  2) cast speak with animals or comparable magic and converse with the 
  queen. Any other tactic or action results in the entire hive coming down 
  and attacking intruders. The queen is suspicious, but should the player 
  characters have beetle guts or pheromones indicating they have helped 
  the hive, she likely lets them pass along, if they are suitably deferential.
  As long as the characters persuade the queen that a) they mean no harm 
  and b) are not stealing eggs, they are either left to wander (if they have 
  fought the ankhegs, beetles, or bulette) or attacked and eaten. It is possible 
  that the queen would send them (under threat of death) to deal with the 
  bulette in Area 10, as she has lost too many soldiers attempting to rid her 
  hive of it. If asked for eggs, she indicates that if the bulette is killed, she 
  would grant a boon of 10 royal eggs (she eats them anyway, as a new 
  queen is a potential rival and not tolerated).  If this is the case, she sends 
  a warrior ant to guide the player characters to Area 9 and allows them to 
  take 10 eggs. Roleplaying with the queen and the player characters can be 
  an enjoyable and amusing experience for everyone; have fun with it. She 
  is haughty and surprisingly clever (despite her low Intelligence score), but 
  in an alien, buglike way. She knows nothing of the sword vault, and has 
  directed her minions to avoid the area as many were killed in examining it.
  The queen has no treasure.
  (Giant Ant, Queen: AC 15, 105 hp; +6 to hit, 2d8 + 4 
  piercing damage plus 1d8 poison damage and the 
  target must make a successful DC 15 Con saving throw 
  or become poisoned [bite]; a poisoned creature repeats 
  the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, and a 
  successful save ends the poisoning; +6 to hit, 2d6 + 4 
  piercing damage and the target is grappled [claws]; 
  the queen ant can’t attack with her claws while she 
  maintains a grapple, but a grappled creature takes 2d6 
  + 4 piercing damage automatically at the start of the 
  queen ant’s turn)
  Giant Ant, Worker: AC 13, 39 hp; +4 to hit, 2d6 + 2 piercing 
  damage and the target is grappled)
  (Giant Ant, Warrior: AC 14, 60 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 + 2 piercing 
  damage plus 1d8 poison damage, and the target must 
  make a successful DC 13 Con saving throw or become 
  poisoned [bite]; a poisoned creature repeats the saving 
  throw at the end of each of its turns, and a successful 
  save ends the poisoning)
  (Giant Ant, Drone: AC 14, 76 hp; +5 to hit, 3d8 + 3 piercing 
  damage plus 1d8 poison damage [bite])
  8. Tunnels of Stone
  Eventually, either by luck or by use of the map from Area 2, the player 
  characters will find this area. The dirt and mud tunnels suddenly change to 
  a mud-brick, mortared stone complex. This area is obviously constructed 
  by men, not ants. The entrance to these tunnels is where the ants dug to, 
  and the room here is 30 feet square, with exits straight ahead (to Area 7) 
  and the left (to the Dungeon of the Sword). The left tunnel runs 60 feet 
  straight and ends in a staircase going down.
  9. Royal Eggs
  This chamber consists of dirt, as does most of the ant hive. The chamber 
  is 40 feet in diameter, and has no other exits. There are always 6 elite 
  warrior ants here. Only the warrior ants are allowed to transport royal 
  eggs, and these stand guard in case the queen is killed, in which case a 
  drone is summoned to fertilize three of them. The eggs are allowed to 
  hatch, and the infant queens then fight a three-way duel to the death, with 
  the survivor becoming the new queen. There are 30 royal eggs here.
  (Giant Ant, Warrior: AC 14, 60 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 + 2 piercing 
  damage plus 1d8 poison damage, and the target must 
  make a successful DC 13 Con saving throw or become 
  poisoned [bite]; a poisoned creature repeats the saving 
  throw at the end of each of its turns, and a successful 
  save ends the poisoning)
  10. Bite the Bulette
  The solid stone tunnel leading to this area is nearly devoid of ants, 
  with only a half dozen workers at 30 foot intervals along its 180 foot 
  length. The workers stand motionless, not even bothering to sniff any 
  intruders unless the bulette makes an appearance. The end of the tunnel 
  opens into a stone and dirt walled chamber 100 feet in diameter. Unlike 
  the other chambers in this place, this one has a stone ceiling, covered with 
  stalactites, although its floor is dirt. Bits of the fallen limestone cover the 
  floor in small piles, and water drips down, making the floor somewhat 
  muddy and slippery.
  
  13
  of ants and men
  There is a 20% chance that the bulette is asleep here, a 40% chance it is 
  out hunting, and a 40 % chance it is awake and lying in wait in the ground. 
  The bulette has reached an uneasy truce with the ants, neither wanting 
  to give up its lair nor wishing to continuously fight these nasty-tasting, 
  acid-filled insects. Unlike the ankhegs and beetles, the bulette does not 
  particularly enjoy ant as a meal. Likewise, the ants, after initially trying 
  to drive the beast off, quickly realized that its thick armor and devastating 
  attacks were more than a match for them, and decided to leave guards 
  posted and well enough alone.
  Tactics: The bulette seeks meals elsewhere, but thanks to its ability to 
  track prey by vibrations, quickly realizes something tastier than ants is 
  coming down the tunnel. Its favorite tactic is to keep its nose just above 
  the ground (it looks like a rock) and attack by crawling up and out of the 
  ground, surprising opponents. The bulette attacks any within the chamber, 
  ignoring dwarves but pursuing halflings throughout the corridors leading 
  to this chamber. 
  At the first sign the bulette is active, the worker ants retreat to get help. 
  Unlike combat with the ankhegs and beetles, the ants (while 1 battle group 
  arrives per minute) stand back from this fight, scattering away from the 
  bulette unless he approaches the queen’s chamber. 
  Afterword: Should the player characters defeat the bulette, any 
  surviving character is approached by an ant warrior (it seems aggressive, 
  but is not) rear end first and sprayed with pheromones. This spray lasts 1 
  hour, and prevents the individual player character from being attacked by 
  any ants unless the queen’s chamber is entered of the player characters is 
  within 10 feet of an ant killed (releases a counter pheromone that labels 
  the individual an enemy) by the player characters or an ally. 
  (Bulette: AC 17, 94 hp; +7 to hit, 4d12 + 4 piercing damage [bite]; the 
  bulette can jump 15-30 feet and land in a space containing other creatures, 
  which take 3d6 + 4 bludgeoning damage plus 3d6 + 4 slashing damage 
  and are knocked prone, or take half damage and are pushed 5 feet with a 
  successful DC 16 Str or Dex saving throw [deadly leap])
  Dungeon of the Sword
  The ant colony found a very easy way to expand its hive recently. 
  While tunneling, they came across a long-buried, worked stone dungeon. 
  Defeating everything residing there, they used the worked stone corridors 
  and rooms as new space without having to dig. This uncovered a vault area 
  that killed many of them, and now they give that place a wide berth. This 
  area begins where the stairs connect down from Area 8. The downstairs 
  area is off-limits to the ants, and none come here. There are no wandering 
  monsters on this level.
  Keyed Areas within the Dungeon 
  of the Sword
  11. Ants Don’t Build Traps!
  At the base of the stairs, the corridor continues 60 feet and turns to 
  the left. The floor is filled with desiccated and crushed remains of ants, 
  perhaps a dozen or so. Bits and pieces of these are smashed flat in places, 
  where other parts seem basically intact. Careful inspection reveals the 
  floor to be composed of 1 foot by 6 inch rectangular bricks surrounding 2 
  foot wide hexagonal bricks spaced 3 feet apart. The hexagonal bricks are 
  all pressure plates—each triggers a release mechanism that unleashes a 
  heavy spring, thrusting the 2 foot wide hexagonal columns into the ceiling. 
  Anyone contacting a hexagonal section of the floor is thrust up into the 
  ceiling and smashed flat. Moving safely through a section of hexagonal 
  bricks requires a successful DC 5 Dex (Acrobatics) check. Triggering one 
  of these causes 6d6 damage, or half damage with a successful DC 15 Dex 
  
  14
  Quests of Doom: Bugs and Blobs
  saving throw. There are 20 such sections in the 60 foot hallway. Once the 
  corridor turns, there are no more hexagonal plates.
  12. Something Wicked This Way Comes
  The corridor continues another 30 feet and opens into a 30 foot by 40 
  foot room. A large, stone double door is present on the far side, opposite 
  the corridor. In the center of the room is a diamond-shaped stone of pure 
  blue marble, 5 feet per side, sharp in contrast to the other reddish brown 
  mud brick of the place.
  The Door
  In the center of the door is a large keyhole, with a cup-shaped depression 
  3 inches deep encircling the hole for a key. The cup is surrounded by a 
  series of small (1/4 inch) holes. The door is carved with mysterious runes 
  and hieroglyphs. No magic of any kind functions within 10 feet of the 
  door. (Be sure to read the description of the new magic item below before 
  proceeding, as magic items fail within 10 feet of the door, and may in fact 
  be permanently destroyed.) 
  Comprehend languages (if cast more than 10 feet from the door) allows 
  a character to read the runes and hieroglyphs on the door. A character 
  who spends 10 minutes studying the door and makes a successful DC 
  18 Intelligence (Investigation) check can puzzle out enough of them to 
  get their general meaning, but the information will be fragmentary. They 
  pronounce a general curse in an ancient tongue against all wizards and 
  priests, calling them “deceivers and villains” and stating that “all of them 
  will die in lakes of fire and blood.”
  The door is locked with an extremely intricate lock, requiring thief’s 
  tools and three consecutive DC 15 Dexterity checks to unlock. Any single 
  failed check requires a restart of the three checks. Further, the first failure 
  breaks a hidden vial and releases a poison/acid gas; anyone within 5 feet 
  is automatically affected, and it fills the entire room in 3 rounds. The glass 
  vial can be detected with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) 
  check, but it can’t be removed, as it is 3 inches inside the door frame. If 
  the players ask exactly how far in they see the glass object, be very clear 
  on the distance, as this may come into play when they use the key-scepter 
  found in the coffin, as described below. The gas dissipates in 1 day. A 
  character who starts his or her turn in the gas takes 4d6 acid damage and 
  4d6 poison damage, or half damage with a successful DC 15 Constitution 
  saving throw. The gas only triggers once. 
  The Blue Diamond
  The blue diamond in the center of the floor is a stone slab. It is not 
  set with mortar as are the other bricks that make up this room. Prying 
  it up requires a prybar or similar lever, and can be accomplished easily 
  by someone with such an implement, but is almost impossible without 
  the tool (automatic success with a prybar; requires a successful DC 25 
  Strength check without a tool; if a weapon is used as a prybar, a DC 15 
  Strength check is needed, and the weapon breaks if an odd number is 
  rolled on the die).
  Beneath the stone is a 5-foot-deep, 3-foot-wide, 5-foot-long vault, 
  containing what appears to be a coffin or a mummy case. Contrary to 
  characters’ suspicions, there is no undead within the coffin. What it does 
  contain is the terrible menace of 4 scarab swarms. A scarab swarm is 
  identical to a standard swarm of beetles, but it replaces that swarm’s bite 
  attack with the following attack.
  (Scarab Swarm: AC 12, 22 hp; +5 to hit, 4d6 piercing 
  damage and the target must make a successful DC 
  11 Dex saving throw or 2d6 scarabs burrow into its flesh 
  [scarab bite, see Burrowing Scarabs below]; half damage 
  if swarm is below half hit points; can occupy the same 
  space as another creature)
  Burrowing Scarabs: Each surviving scarab in the creature’s flesh 
  causes 1 piercing damage at the start of the scarabs’ turn. A scarab in a 
  creature’s flesh can be killed automatically by stabbing it (creature takes 
  1d3 piercing damage), by smashing it (creature takes 1d4 bludgeoning 
  damage), or by burning it (creature takes 1d6 fire damage). If killed this 
  way, each scarab must be killed separately. All the scarabs burrowing 
  into a creature can be killed at once by casting lesser restoration or 
  comparable disease-curing magic on the creature. After the third round, 
  burrowing scarabs can only be killed with magic; they’ve gone too deep 
  to be affected by stabbing, crushing, or burning. 
  The swarms burst out of the coffin 1d3 rounds after the diamond plate 
  is removed, or immediately upon opening the coffin. It attacks the nearest 
  opponent, then moves toward the next closest target.
  Treasure: Inside the coffin is a golden rod worth 2,500 gp along with 
  the bones of a man. The scepter is 3 feet long, and has a large knob on one 
  end, and a large knob with a 4-inch, keylike protrusion of the other end. It 
  is carved with entwined snakes baring large fangs, their heads facing the 
  end with the extended key. If used to open the door, the end with only a 
  knob works like a key and opens the door. The end with the key protrusion 
  does likewise, but using it also triggers the gas trap as described above 
  (the “key” extension is just long enough to strike and shatter the vial 
  containing the gas). If anyone asks, be clear that the key would hit the 
  glass object visible in the keyhole, if it’s been noticed. 
  13. The Sword Vault
  Once the door is opened, a corridor leads 50 feet, ending in a blank 
  wall. No magic of any kind functions in this corridor. Careful searching 
  (a successful DC 15 Intelligence [Investigation] check, with one check 
  New Magic Item—
  The Two-Edged Sword
  Very Rare Weapon (requires attunement)
  This longsword is an antimagical sword made of Osmium, one 
  of the rarest metals in the world. It radiates a constant antimagical 
  effect that prevents the use or functioning of any magic within 60 
  feet of the sword. Spells, spell-like abilities, and magic items are 
  entirely ineffective within this radius. Spell areas of effect stop when 
  they reach the sword’s antimagic field. Magic items brought within 
  the area must make a successful saving throw or be permanently 
  disenchanted. The DCs for the saving throws are as follows:
  Potion: DC 20
  Scroll: DC 19
  Ring: DC 17
  Rod, Wand: DC 14
  Staff: DC 13
  Miscellaneous Magic Item: DC 12
  Armor or shield (add magical bonus to saving throw): DC 11
  Miscellaneous Weapon (add magical bonus to saving throw): 
  DC 10
  Sword (add magical bonus to saving throw): DC 9
  Saving throws must be made upon first entering the aura effect 
  each day; only one saving throw is needed per item per day. A 
  successful save doesn’t mean the magic item works in the aura, 
  only that it isn’t destroyed.
  Artifacts and relics are never destroyed by the antimagic field, 
  but they also must make a successful DC 3 saving throw or their 
  powers are negated while in the field. 
  The sword’s antimagic effect can’t be nullified or turned off in 
  any way. 
  The only way to destroy the two-edged sword is to melt it in 
  nonmagical fire at 3300 degrees K (5480 degrees F). 
  Osmium is a hard, brittle, bluish-white metal in the platinum 
  group that is found as a trace element in alloys, mostly in platinum 
  ores. This is probably the largest piece of pure Osmium in the 
  world. Osmium is the densest naturally occurring element; the 
  sword is so heavy that anyone with a Strength below 13 has 
  tactical disadvantage on their attack rolls with it.
  
  15
  of ants and men
  allowed per 10 minutes of searching) will locate a single brick that is not 
  mortared, near the floor in the center of the back wall. If this brick is pried 
  loose, a keyhole can be found. Not surprisingly, the keylike protrusion on 
  the golden rod fits it perfectly.
  Opening the lock without the rod is possible, but highly difficult; doing 
  so requires thief’s tools and a successful DC 20 Dex check made with 
  tactical disadvantage. 
  Once the lock is opened, a rumbling can be heard, and the bricks and 
  mortar start to crack and fall apart. At this point, the floor below starts 
  rising toward the ceiling. In two rounds, the floor will be flush against the 
  ceiling and anything still in this corridor will be squashed to jelly between 
  them. The only escape is to race out of this area and back to Area 12 before 
  the end of the second round. Anyone who foolishly hesitates or refuses to 
  run is dead.
  In fact, it was not just the “floor” that was rising, but the entire vault 
  beneath it. The vault is composed of the same blue marble as was the 
  diamond in Area 12. In its center lies a sword wrapped in dusty red cloth. 
  The cloth falls apart if touched. This is the two-edged sword.
  Escape!
  The obvious problem with getting away with the sword is that no 
  magic or magical abilities can be used. If the party used tricks such as 
  becoming invisible or speaking with animals on their way in, none of that 
  will work on the way out. If the player characters have befriended, or at 
  least not offended, the ant hive, it should be possible for them to escape. 
  In any case, characters must navigate their way out the same way they 
  came in, which means spending 60 minutes running the gauntlet of the 
  tunnels. Getting out can prove to be even more difficult than getting in 
  was. Remember—possession of that sword is “two-edged.”
  
  16
  Demons
  &
  Devils
  
  17
  The Pit of despair
  Designed for a party of at least 13th level, this module details an 
  adventure to recover the sword of Karith, a +3 holy avenger longsword. 
  Not the straight-forward hack-and-slash treasure hunt your players will 
  be expecting, this adventure is instead a trap laid by the forces of evil to 
  corrupt and destroy their greatest enemies: paladins.
  At the direction of Orcus, the demon-god of undead, a nalfeshnee 
  demon named Caanara misappropriated the sword of Karith and hid 
  it in a desert temple, called the Temple of the Justicars. Adding to his 
  villainy, Caanara also replaced the sword of Karith with an unholy 
  sword, which Orcus heavily enhanced to mimic the sword of Karith. 
  Knowing paladins simply cannot resist a holy quest to recover a lost, 
  magic sword, the forces of evil have created a win-win situation. Up-
  and-coming paladins attempting to find the temple and recover the 
  sword will either be killed outright during their quest or be utterly 
  corrupted when they inadvertently recover the unholy sword, believing 
  it to be the sword of Karith. This adventure, then, has two possible 
  outcomes: either the PCs all die or they recover an Evil and corrupting 
  unholy sword. Cruel treatment of the characters, you say? Evil? 
  Wicked? Dastardly? Exactly.
  GMs thus must be at their most deceptive, skirting that thin line 
  between gunning for your players and running a complex deception fairly. 
  GMs must run this adventure with an understanding that it was crafted by 
  extraordinarily intelligent deity-like demons whose goals are deception, 
  corruption and slaughter. For instance, do not refer to this adventure as 
  The Pit of Despair. Instead, call it The Temple of the Justicars or The 
  Quest for the Sword of Karith. Do nothing to tip off the do-gooding 
  heroes to the presence of the trap.
  The party’s initial trip to the Temple of the Justicars most likely 
  results in their defeating the demon guardians and recovering the false 
  holy sword, thus corrupting the party’s paladin. This unlucky soul 
  will then need to perform an act of atonement to cleanse himself of 
  his unwilling sins and recover his paladinhood once he realized his 
  corruption. Learning that the destruction of the false holy sword is the 
  only means of atonement, the PCs no doubt attempt a second trip to 
  the temple, where they return with the unholy sword in an attempt to 
  destroy it along with the demon Caanara, and recover the true sword 
  of Karith.
  GMs should feel free to replace Orcus, the demon-god of undead, 
  and Thyr and Muir, the god of Law and the goddess of virtue and 
  paladins, respectively, with those gods most appropriate to their 
  campaign. 
  The Legend of the 
  Holy Sword of Karith
  For the Players
  PC paladins are familiar with the legend of Karith — a heroic paladin 
  of old who roamed the lands as a champion of Good, wielding a wondrous 
  sword of great power. Consulting a sage or casting a legend lore spell 
  reveals the true history of Karith and his holy sword.
  Many years ago, a paladin of great renown, named Karith, roamed the 
  world, righting wrongs, slaying dragons and protecting the innocent. The 
  deeds of this great man border on the unbelievable. In fact, most common 
  folk consider them great exaggerations, if not outright myth. In truth, 
  Karith was less famous than he should have been, having done deeds far 
  greater than even the most superstitious or pious would believe.
  Karith wielded the mighty sword, Entrancacor, which in the ancient 
  dwarven tongue means “slayer of demons.” The finest dwarven smiths 
  and enchanters forged this sword for the Holy Order of the Justicars 
  — the paladins of the goddess Muir — over 1,000 years ago. Legend 
  holds that no greater weapon was ever forged, before or since. Tales 
  tell of demon armies recoiling from a lone man wielding this sword. 
  The sword was passed from grandmaster to grandmaster within the 
  holy order over many generations, and Karith was the last grandmaster 
  of the Justicars.
  As Karith neared the end of his life, the gods of Good bade him wait 
  patiently for his successor to appear. However, no paladin of the order 
  then living was sufficiently worthy of bearing the sword and becoming 
  grandmaster. Some held promise, yet none sufficiently distinguished 
  himself from his peers. The high priests of the temple of Thyr and Muir 
  — the god of Law and the goddess of virtue and paladins, respectively 
  — communed with their gods and were instructed to have faith. After 
  several years passed with no worthy successor appearing, a female 
  celestial of Muir visited the priests. In angelic splendor, the celestial 
  instructed the high priests to relinquish the sword into her keeping. She 
  revealed her plan to set the sword in a temple, hidden in a valley deep 
  within a distant desert, where it would await discovery by a paladin 
  worthy to retrieve it and bear it forth again. By its recovery, the celestial 
  told the priests, they would know the new grandmaster of paladins. 
  Legends call the resting place of the sword the “Temple of the Justicars.” 
  Though many brave paladins have attempted the sword’s recovery, to 
  this day, none has succeeded.
  For the GM
  The avatar mentioned above, who retrieved and hid the sword, was 
  unrelated either to Thyr or Muir, and was instead Caanara, a nalfeshnee 
  demon, sent by Orcus to steal the sword and place it beyond the reach of 
  those serving Thyr and Muir. A master of deception, Orcus also gave his 
  demon a false sword, called Entranhumani (“slayer of humans”), with 
  which to dupe and despoil any paladins who successfully locate the hiding 
  place of Entrancacor. Orcus bound his demon to the sword’s resting place 
  and commanded him to guard it. GMs should remember that nowhere in 
  the legends are these demons mentioned; instead, convince any questing 
  paladin that his god’s avatar took the sword. The PCs should expect a 
  “quest to find a sword belonging to the good guys” adventure, not an evil 
  trap set by the worst enemies of Law and Good.
  The methods by which the PCs discover the exact location of the Pit 
  of Despair are up to the GM. The holy sword’s hiding place is a well-kept 
  secret. Because demons do not want a powerful enemy running around 
  slaughtering their kind with so powerful a weapon, even they go to great 
  pains to keep the location a mystery — however fond they are of using 
  the ruse to destroy up-and-coming paladins. And there are never any 
  survivors of failed quests to question — their deaths mistakenly attributed 
  to the paladin’s excess pride or arrogant belief in his own worthiness to 
  bear the sword. When in reality he was yet another victim of Orcus’ and 
  Caanara’s treachery and deception.
  Consultation with a sage is, perhaps, the best way to set the adventure in 
  The Pit of Despair
  By Bill Webb and Clark Peterson
  
  18
  Quests of Doom: Demons & Devils
  motion. The sage could direct the PCs to a secluded sect of Muir’s priests. 
  Those priests, should they deem the party’s paladin worthy, provide him 
  with a copy of a map to the Valley of the Temple of the Justicars — the 
  rumored hiding place of the sword of Karith. They also inform the paladin 
  that the legends reveal that “only someone devout and who sees with the 
  true eyes of faith can find the entrance to the Temple.”
  Other methods of discovering the location of the Pit of Despair include 
  a treasure map, a holy text found secreted away in a vast library, a message 
  scratched into an abandoned shield or breastplate, a divinely bestowed 
  vision, or consultation of the oracle at Rappan Athuk.
  Traveling to the 
  Temple of the Justicars
  After learning the location of the Temple of the Justicars, as described 
  above, the PCs must travel to the edge of the desert and beyond to the 
  Valley of the Temple. GMs should make this an arduous journey fraught 
  with danger to provide the right “feel” for a holy quest. In the Lost Lands 
  campaign setting by Frog God Games, the lost Temple of the Justicars 
  lies in the mountains ringing the desert plateau known as the Sacred Table. 
  The ruins of the holy city of Tircople still stand upon this plateau across 
  the desert from the Crusader Coast.
  To reach the general location of the Pit of Despair, the party must 
  travel through a wilderness stretching 180 miles beyond the last human 
  settlement. The first 120 miles involve traveling to the edge of the desert 
  and should be dangerous, though not overly so. Once the PCs reach the 
  edge of the desert, they must then travel an additional 60 miles through it 
  until they reach the Valley of the Temple.
  GMs wishing to avoid a prolonged wilderness trek can proceed directly 
  to the section entitled, “The Entrance to the Pit of Despair,” below. 
  However, GMs are encouraged to run wilderness encounters as the PCs 
  travel to the Valley of the Temple. This increases the “epic quest” feeling 
  of the adventure, making the PCs more likely be duped when they recover 
  the false holy sword after their major battle in the Pit. Otherwise, the PCs 
  might get suspicious if the quest is too easy. 
  The Entrance  
  to the Pit of Despair
  The PCs have traveled miles through the desert and have finally reached 
  this forsaken place — the Valley of the Temple. Their map guides them 
  into a cleft in the red-rock wall. They travel the narrow path in the shade 
  of the looming walls for over an hour, and emerge from between the two 
  large walls of rock into a small canyon, open to the sky.
  The canyon ends in a worked wall of red stone, similar to that of the 
  surrounding rock. The floor of the canyon is sand. Worked-stone entrances 
  are set into the wall at various heights. The entrances all have the same general 
  appearance: a 10-foot-high archway flanked by bas-relief statues of knights 
  in mail. There is no detail that distinguishes one from the other. To access the 
  entrances — which do not have ledges in front of them — the PCs must find 
  a way to climb the face of the canyon wall, which is nearly vertical. They can 
  do this by climbing, which requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) 
  
  19
  The Pit of despair
  check, or by using magic such as dimension door, fly, levitate, or teleport.
  Climatic conditions in the Valley of the Temple run to extremes: 
  unbearably hot during the day (exceeding 110° at noon) and freezing cold 
  at night (dipping below 0° from 1 am to 3 am). This inhospitable region 
  offers no source of water and no natural source of shade to shield the PCs 
  from the sun. Strong winds also plague the valley. Check once every hour 
  on 1d20 with the following results: 1–10: no wind, 11–15: moderate wind, 
  16–17: strong wind, 18–19: severe wind, 20: windstorm. The winds in the 
  canyon only last for 3d10 minutes. Any time strong or severe winds arise, 
  there is a 50% chance that a dust storm accompanies them. In addition, any 
  windstorm is always accompanied by a dust storm. The winds themselves, 
  of extreme temperature, do nothing to reduce the effects of heat or cold. 
  Wandering Monsters: Aside from the weather, one other danger threatens 
  the PCs. There is a 1 on 1d10 chance per hour during the hours of darkness 
  that 1d6 giant scorpions descend into the canyon to attack the PCs. There 
  is an endless supply of these scorpions. They infest the surrounding hills.
  (Giant Scorpion: AC 15, 52 hp; the scorpion attacks 
  twice with claws and stings once; +4 to hit x2, 1d8 + 2 
  bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled [claw]; 
  +4 to hit, 1d10 + 2 piercing damage plus 4d10 poison 
  damage, or half poison damage with a successful DC 12 
  Con saving throw [sting])
  False Entrances: All of the obvious entrances are false entrances, 
  leading to caves and passages but not to the Temple of the Justicars. Each 
  such cave has a 50/50 chance of being occupied by 1d4 giant scorpions, 
  which immediately attack intruders. Each cave also houses a sarcophagus 
  of marble, carved to represent a knight in mail on the stone lid. Each such 
  sarcophagus has a 2-in-3 chance of containing the remains of a knight in 
  full plate armor with a sword (of random type) and shield. If remains are 
  present, there is a 1-in-6 chance for each that the armor or the sword is 
  enhanced. If enhanced, roll 1d6: 1–5 = the item is +1, 6 = the item is +0 
  but has another miscellaneous effect. These remains are, in fact, the corpses 
  of paladins killed during their quest to recover the sword of Karith. The 
  demons have “entombed” the remains to look like the final resting place 
  of revered heroes. The demons find this false reverence very entertaining.
  The Real Entrance to the “Temple of the Justicars:” The actual entrance 
  to the Pit of Despair is hidden from mortal eyes. Only a paladin under the effect 
  of a true seeing spell or comparable magic has a chance to see the entrance. 
  Such a paladin must still make a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) 
  check to see the entrance; one check can be made per 15 minutes of searching. 
  Powerful magic prevents any other means of detecting the entrance, short of 
  a wish or a divine miracle. Even find the path does not reveal the entrance. If 
  there is no paladin in the party, any Lawful Good character will do; if there’s 
  no Lawful Good character, this requirement can be dropped (but what are you 
  doing running this adventure for these characters?).
  Once the real entrance is exposed, that paladin can thereafter see the 
  entrance as plainly as the false ones and can direct others to the entrance.
  The GM should make it very difficult — though not impossible — to 
  locate the true entrance. Let the party search for several days and suffer the 
  temperature extremes and begin to despair and contemplate abandoning the 
  quest. After no fewer than three days’ searching, the GM might take pity 
  on the party and give it the following clue: between midnight and 2 am, 
  someone notices a faint glow from the portion of the cliff face where the 
  true entrance is located. This clue doesn’t let the PCs see the actual entrance; 
  it just gives them a hint about where to concentrate their intensive search. 
  They still need to cast true seeing on a paladin to see the real entrance. If 
  the PCs still can’t find the entrance, prod them to the proper solution by 
  reminding them of the words of the priests that “only someone devout and 
  who sees with the true eyes of faith can find the entrance to the Temple.”
  Once located, the entrance threshold may be crossed at will. There are 
  no doors, locks or traps on the entrance. A winding, 10-foot-diameter, 
  roughly worked tunnel leads 120 feet to Area 1.
  Note: Because the Pit of Despair is a source of conflict between Good 
  and Evil deities, any spells, such as commune, divination or find the path, 
  cast in an attempt to learn the location of the entrance or the consequences of 
  future actions will have no result or only confusing results. GMs might imply 
  that Thyr and Muir want the PCs to find and recover the sword on their own 
  merits, without guidance. Remind them: this is a test of faith and virtue, which 
  can only be surmounted by noble, unguided, individual action. In reality, 
  Orcus himself is watching the PCs and actively disrupting any contact with 
  their Good-aligned deities; he cannot, however, interfere with miracle spells.
  The Pit of Despair
  Three areas comprise the Pit of Despair. The first, a large underground 
  amphitheater resembling a temple to Thyr and Muir, functions as the false 
  “Temple of the Justicars.” The second area, the pit itself, contains a false 
  avatar of Muir (really an altered nalfeshnee) and the unholy sword. The 
  final area, an Evil altar room, contains an unholy shrine to Orcus, with 
  the sword of Karith encased in blackest stone. The first two areas are 
  enhanced with a strong magic that masks true alignments by projecting a 
  Lawful Good alignment. This enchantment does not mask the alignment 
  of the demons (though the unholy sword masks Caanara’s alignment). 
  Additional shields prevent detection of the third area. 
  1. The “Temple of the Justicars”
  The entrance room is a large temple, designed to resemble an 
  amphitheater. Three tiered series of pews lead down to a flat central area 
  that features an altar. A recessed area at the far side of the room is lined 
  with columns, ending with a statue of Muir. The recess contains a large 
  pit, 30 feet across, around which mists swirl, obscuring view within. The 
  only inhabitants of the chamber — fifteen robed priests of Muir — chant 
  and dance around the pit. The walls of the amphitheater and the pillars are 
  worked with images of knights in full armor.
  The First Visit
  At first glance, the room resembles a temple of Muir — austere and 
  dignified with clean, white marble columns, altars and statues. Holy 
  runes and glyphs cover the walls. Careful inspection and a successful DC 
  15 Intelligence (Religion) check reveals subtle defacement of the holy 
  images, vaguely suggesting an evil presence. The room detects as Good; 
  however, the dancing priests clearly detect as Evil — because they are, in 
  fact, 5 vrocks dancing their Dance of Ruin, attended by 10 dretches. They 
  attack as soon as they detect the PCs’ presence.
  If characters manage to observe the demons surreptitiously, a PC who 
  makes a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check notices that although 
  all the priests appear human, five of them are a little too tall to be human and 
  ten are a little too short. Anyone who makes a successful DC 20 Intelligence 
  (Religion) check realizes that the priests’ dance is not of any known ritual 
  in the worship of Thyr or Muir but resembles the abyssal Dance of Ruin.
  Dance of Ruin: The Dance of Ruin is an abyssal ritual unique to vrocks. 
  If a vrock dances the Dance of Ruin for three consecutive rounds, the dance 
  concludes at the end of the third round when a crackling wave of energy 
  explodes from the vrock, doing 5d6 points of lightning damage to all creatures 
  within 100 feet, or half damage with a successful DC 14 Dex saving throw. 
  Each additional vrock involved in the dance increases the damage by 2d6 and 
  increases the DC of the saving throw by +1, to a maximum of 11d6 when 
  four or more vrocks dance (the DC keeps climbing with additional vrocks, 
  but damage does not). The dance immediately ends and must be started anew 
  if any of the participating vrocks are slain, stunned, or otherwise prevented 
  from dancing. With five vrocks dancing here, the burst of energy will do 11d6 
  lightning damage and the saving throw has a DC of 18. 
  Vrock Tactics: When PCs first enter the amphitheater, the vrocks, 
  disguised as robed priests of Muir, are gathered in a circle dancing around 
  the pit and chanting. They started their dance when the party passed through 
  the hidden entrance, completing it the first round the party is fully within the 
  room — which becomes the first round of combat. If the characters have not 
  yet grown suspicious of the dancing priests, the explosion of lightning when 
  the Dance of Ruin ends should quickly convince them. Once the Dance 
  of Ruin effect occurs, the vrocks attack viciously. All five of these vrocks 
  have the variant ability to summon other demons, however, and they take 
  
  20
  Quests of Doom: Demons & Devils
  
  21
  The Pit of despair
  turns making the attempt for the first five rounds of battle. They summon 
  dretches only if all 10 dretches have already been destroyed; they prefer to 
  summon another vrock. PCs killed in the Pit have their souls taken directly 
  to the Abyss where Orcus himself feasts on them. They cannot be retrieved 
  or raised without divine intervention, or by a wish.
  (Vrock: AC 15, 104 hp; the vrock attacks once with beak 
  and once with talons; +6 to hit, 2d6 + 3 piercing damage 
  [beak]; +6 to hit, 2d10 + 3 slashing damage [talons]; 15-ft. 
  cloud, creatures in cloud must make a successful DC 14 
  Con saving throw or become poisoned; poisoned creatures 
  take 1d10 poison damage at the start of their turn and 
  repeat the saving throw, and a successful save ends the 
  poisoning [spores, recharge 6]; 1/day, vrock can screech, 
  causing all nondemon creatures within 20 feet of it to make 
  a successful DC 14 Con saving throw or be stunned until the 
  end of the vrock’s next turn [stunning screech]; has tactical 
  advantage on saving throws against magic)
  Dretch Tactics: Dretches are pathetic, expendable pawns. The dretches 
  try to keep melee combatants away from the vrocks while those far 
  tougher demons concentrate on killing spellcasters. 
  (Dretch: AC 11, 18 hp; attacks once with claws and once 
  with bite; +2 to hit, 1d6 piercing damage [bite]; +2 to hit, 
  2d4 slashing damage [claws]; 1/day can emit a cloud of 
  gas in 10-ft. radius [fetid cloud]; creatures that start their 
  turn in the gas must make a successful DC 11 Con saving 
  throw or be poisoned until the start of their next turn; 
  poisoned creatures are limited to a single action or bonus 
  action on their turns, and can’t take reactions)
  The Arrival of the “Celestial”: Caanara, the nalfeshnee demon, bides 
  his time at the bottom of the pit (Area 2 on the map). He monitors the 
  battle between the PCs and the demons. If the characters kill three vrocks 
  and it seems likely they will kill the remaining two, Caanara assumes the 
  form of the female celestial of legend and ascends from the pit, bearing 
  the unholy sword (see below). If, however, the PCs are losing the battle, 
  Caanara might intervene on their behalf, emerging from the pit as “divine 
  intervention.” To maintain the charade, give the PCs a chance to defeat 
  several demons, if possible.
  Once Caanara ascends from the pit, the room brightens with a blinding, 
  holy light. The demons freeze. Blasting away the mists covering the 
  mouth of the pit, a beautiful, shimmering female figure wearing white 
  robes rises from the pit, as if freed from ages of captivity. She levitates 
  above the pit and holds in her hand a brilliant silver sword, encrusted with 
  gems and inlaid gold and glowing with a holy light. 
   The vrocks and dretches slink away from her holy presence. Though 
  she does not speak, each of the PCs hears a voice, so melodic and 
  otherworldly it is almost painful.
  “May the goddess bless you for freeing me from my captivity,” 
  the celestial says. “Many ages ago I built this temple to house 
  the Sword of the Justicars. When I returned to these halls to 
  await the coming of the next grandmaster, hordes of demons 
  and evil priests overcame me, imprisoning me in that pit. Your 
  presence distracted them, allowing me to break free.” She turns 
  to the paladin in the party. “To you, great champion, I bestow 
  this mighty weapon. Borne last by the great hero, Karith, and 
  by all Justicar grandmasters before him, you are now chosen to 
  succeed them. Hail to you, Grandmaster! May the lady of virtue 
  bless you! Go forth and use this weapon to bring just retribution 
  to creatures of evil and win glory for our lady’s name.”
  Her great task completed, the celestial disappears in a blinding flash.
  The vrocks, party to Caanara’s deception, recoil from “her” in 
  pretended fear. They do what they can to make the paladin and his party 
  believe that they have, in fact, won the sword of Karith and can return to 
  the world, carrying with them an unholy sword, thereby despoiling one 
  of the world’s more promising paladins. When Caanara “disappears,” he 
  really just teleports himself to Area 3, where he remains. Remember that 
  Caanara has genius-level intelligence; play him as though he really were 
  Muir’s female celestial. The party should have no clue that this is a ruse — 
  unless one of their number has true seeing (the true seeing on the paladin 
  required to find the entrance should have long since worn off). If his 
  ruse is discovered, Caanara teleports to Area 3, and any other remaining 
  demons flee to that area if they can.
  Once Caanara teleports away, the vrocks make no attempt to fight 
  whoever has the unholy sword, instead resuming their attacks against easier 
  foes. They flee from the paladin, acting as through afraid of him. If the 
  paladin attacks them with the unholy sword, it seems to cuts through the 
  vrocks like butter. They pretend to die after they are struck by the sword 
  — although they won’t dissolve into ichor as demons typically do when 
  slain, which should clue in characters who’ve fought demons before that 
  something is amiss. They aren’t afraid to “die” to further this ruse, since 
  death outside the Abyss is no more than a free ticket home for demons.
  Conversion: At this point, the GM might choose to have the unholy 
  sword tempt the paladin, suggesting his conversion to the cause of Evil. 
  The sword tells the PC that if he converts right now to the cause of Chaotic 
  Evil, accepts Orcus as his god, and joins with the demons in slaying his 
  companions, then the sword will instantly advance him by two experience 
  levels. In addition, the sword promises the PC demon servants of great 
  power, a suit of +2 armor and a +3 shield. 
  These offers are almost entirely lies. If the character accepts the sword’s 
  offer, he becomes an oathbreaker paladin. None of the other benefits are 
  delivered: no increase in level, no demonic servants, no magic armor. The 
  sword has accomplished its goal of perverting a paladin. 
  If the PC refuses to convert, the sword’s magic causes him to forget 
  what just transpired, removing any memory of the solicitation from the 
  wielder’s mind. Of course, attempting this conversion tips off the paladin’s 
  player that the sword is not a holy sword and something is terribly amiss. 
  Only attempt this conversion with a trusted roleplayer who will not reveal 
  the sword’s secret or act on information the character doesn’t have. 
  This scenario should be roleplayed away from the main group so that 
  no one else is privy to what’s happening. If other players ask questions, 
  suggest that the sword was communicating privately with its new wielder, 
  explaining its powers. Or you could skip the conversion attempt for now 
  and wait until the paladin leaves with the sword, as detailed below.
  Return Visit
  At some point in the future, when PCs return to the Pit of Despair to 
  destroy the unholy sword, they find 3 vrocks waiting for them, scattered 
  about the room. The vrocks immediately attack the party. These also have 
  the variant ability to summon more vrocks or dretches.
  2. The Pit of Despair
  With the demons finally destroyed, the mist shrouding the mouth of the 
  pit dissipates. In the well below lies a massive treasure hoard. The pit, 40 
  feet deep and carved of stone, has no apparent exits.
  The First Visit
  Initially, the pit is shrouded with mists that serve no purpose save 
  hiding Caanara from view. He lurks in the bottom of the pit, monitoring 
  the battle above. If any PC is crazy enough to jump into the pit during 
  combat, he encounters Caanara, who, if not expecting this action, will 
  be in his original form. If Caanara suspects a PC might enter the pit 
  before defeating the demons, he changes into his celestial guise before 
  his arrival and pleads with the PC to slay the demons so that “she” might 
  be free and thus bestow the sword on the paladin. If seen in his normal 
  form, Caanara engages the PC in melee. If the melee goes poorly, 
  Caanara teleports to Area 3. Otherwise, Caanara acts as outlined above 
  
  22
  Quests of Doom: Demons & Devils
  under “The Arrival of the ‘Celestial.”
  (Caanara [Nalfeshnee]: AC 18, 184 hp; Caanara can use 
  horror nimbus and make two claw attacks and one 
  bite attack on its turn; creatures within 15 ft. of Caanara 
  must make a successful DC 15 Wis saving throw or be 
  frightened for 1 minute or until it makes a successful Wis 
  save [horror nimbus; recharge 5, 6]; +10 to hit, 5d10 + 5 
  piercing damage [bite]; +10 to hit x2, 3d6 + 5 slashing 
  damage [claw]; can teleport up to 120 ft. as an action; 
  has tactical advantage on saving throws against magic)
  Treasure: 6,200 gp, 36,000 sp, a gold cup set with emeralds worth 
  7,000 gp, inlaid masterwork harp of silver and elven hair worth 4,000 gp, 
  amulet of inescapable location (cursed; appears to be an amulet of proof 
  against detection and location; wearer has tactical disadvantage on saving 
  throws against divination), bracers of defenselessness +3 (cursed; appear 
  to be +3 bracers of armor and act as such until the wearer is attacked by 
  a creature with a CR at least equal to the wearer’s level; then they lower 
  the wearer’s AC by 5, and do so until removed) and a periapt of foul 
  rotting (cursed; appears to be a periapt of health; its owner loses 1 point 
  of Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma every week). Unless a wish is 
  used, the cursed nature of the items cannot be detected while PCs are 
  within the pit.
  Secret Door: The secret door to Area 3 is very difficult to locate, 
  having been concealed with powerful magic. No magic short of a wish 
  makes it obvious. A true seeing spell reduces the DC to find the door from 
  35 to 25. 
  The secret door consists of an entire 40-foot section of the wall. When 
  opened, the door swings upward 90 degrees, triggering a trap — a symbol 
  of death inscribed on the reverse side of the door — and sealing the pit’s 
  mouth. 
  False Ending
  If the PCs do not find the secret door, the GM should smile, solicit 
  feedback on how challenging the adventure was, and congratulate 
  the players on a job well done. Remark how incredible it was that the 
  PCs defeated five vrocks conducting the Dance of Ruin to recover the 
  sword of Karith! Then take a break, quit for the night, or start the next 
  adventure. The unholy sword will show its true colors later. Wait until 
  the next playing session before beginning corruption of the paladin. See 
  “Atonement,” below.
  Return Visit
  Returning to destroy the unholy sword, the PCs find the Pit of Despair 
  empty. Any treasure left by the party during its previous visit has been 
  moved to Area 3.
  3. The Altar of Evil and Good
  If the PCs find, open, and survive the symbol of death-trapped secret 
  door, they enter a large room. The secret wall, however, swings up and 
  seals the pit’s mouth with a foot-thick lid of stone. The large room houses 
  an evil altar carved from onyx set upon an ebon dais. Strangely, the onyx, 
  partially transparent, reveals the fabled sword of Karith, pulsing with a 
  holy white light, sealed within the altar.
  At this point, the demons re-enter the picture, attacking the PCs en 
  masse. Their sole purpose: preventing retrieval of the holy sword. The 
  forces of darkness include Caanara the nalfeshnee, as many vrocks as 
  survived the initial encounter in Area 1 above and two more vrocks if this 
  is a return trip to the Pit of Despair. The party will also have to contend with 
  the dretches that survived the initial encounter. Unlike before, all demons 
  now concentrate their attacks on whoever wields the unholy sword. They 
  interpose themselves between the PC and the altar, preventing contact at 
  all costs.
  During combat (but most likely after combat), the paladin can destroy 
  the altar and unholy sword, thus freeing the holy sword, by striking the 
  altar with the unholy sword. The impact shatters both objects instantly! 
  Destruction of the evil altar and unholy sword nets each PC a 5,000 XP 
  story award in addition to any combat experience.
  Tactics of Caanara the Nalfeshnee: When encountered in this room 
  — whether by a resourceful party on its first visit to the Pit of Despair 
  or by a party returning to the pit to undo his treachery — Caanara uses 
  all his powers to slay all PCs. As soon as the secret wall is opened, 
  he tries to summon 1d3 hezrous (50% chance of success). He uses his 
  horror nimbus as often as possible, and only fights hand-to-hand as a 
  last resort. If reduced to less than 30 hit points, Caanara teleports to 
  Area 1 (above the pit, which is now sealed off by the open secret door). 
  Defeating Caanara should be a feat that all of the surviving PCs brag 
  about for years.
  Treasure: The holy sword, Entrancacor is inside the stone altar. See the 
  Appendix for more information. The sword can be moved from the altar 
  block either by casting a wish spell on the altar or by striking the altar with 
  the unholy sword, Entranhumani, as described above. Doing so shatters 
  the altar and the unholy sword and frees the holy sword (the party can’t 
  have both!). No other way to remove the sword exists.
  Atonement
  If the characters are duped into believing they have recovered the 
  sword of Karith, there is a strong chance that the paladin will fall under 
  the evil sword’s sway. The PCs should have no encounters on their return 
  trip. Returning to an area with a large (over 50) population of humans, 
  the PCs might begin to note changes in the sword wielder. The sword 
  waits until a good-sized group of low-level victims are available and, 
  in the presence of a few of the paladin’s comrades, tries to seize control 
  and force the character into a killing spree! Consider the common room 
  of an inn or tavern, late in the evening after most PCs have retired and 
  the paladin is telling the story of the sword’s recovery to some locals, 
  an appropriate venue. Or, more despicably, wait until the paladin visits 
  the local church to pray. The sword tries to take control of the character 
  every day when a ripe opportunity presents itself, and erases the memory 
  if the attempt fails. 
  GMs can find this highly entertaining. Any PC paladin succumbing to 
  the will of the sword and committing atrocities loses his paladin status and 
  cannot continue as a paladin without doing atonement. Any PC attempting 
  to rid himself of the sword discovers that it continually teleports itself 
  back to him.
  The sword, of course, suggests an alternative. After the PC’s 
  paladinhood is lost, the sword tempts the paladin into becoming an 
  oathbreaker, with the temptations described above under “Conversion.” 
  The only catch: he must slay all of his Good- or Lawful-aligned 
  companions.
  As GM, decide who might properly suggest atonement for such vile 
  deeds. For example, require that the PC return to the priests of Muir from 
  whom he obtained the map to the Temple of the Justicars. There, he can 
  relate the story of the quest and its consequences. After much prayer and 
  communing with the paladin’s deity, the priests describe what must be 
  done to restore paladinhood: the paladin must destroy the unholy sword! 
  There is only one way for this to be done: it must be smashed upon the 
  altar on which it was forged. That altar, the PCs are informed, is hidden 
  within the Temple of the Justicars, but no one knows exactly where. When 
  this is done — the PCs are promised — not only will the unholy sword be 
  destroyed, but they will also free the true sword of Karith. This act also 
  restores the fallen paladin’s status.
  Most likely, amid feelings of doubt, hope and regret, the party gears 
  up for a return trip to the Pit of Despair. Plan an appropriate number of 
  wilderness encounters if it travels overland. Perhaps now the PCs might 
  teleport to the canyon containing the temple’s entrance. Once the PCs 
  arrive at the Pit of Despair for the second time, GMs should refer to the 
  above sections in Areas 1 and 2 entitled “Return Visit” for details on how 
  the Pit of Despair is different the second time around. Who knows? Maybe 
  they will even succeed …
  
  23
  The Pit of despair
  Appendix: Entrancacor 
  and Entranhumani 
  Entrancacor (Holy Avenger)
  Very Rare Weapon (requires attunement)
  Entrancacor is a sentient, Lawful Good +3 holy avenger longsword. 
  In addition to the standard abilities of a holy avenger, it has Int 14, Wis 
  13, and Cha 17. It can communicate telepathically with its owner and has 
  hearing and darkvision out to 60 feet. It can cast the spells dispel magic 
  (3/day, +6), see invisibility (at will), heal (1/day), true seeing (2/day), and 
  banishing smite (1/day, on itself).
  Entrancacor is noncorporeal except when it is held or carried by a 
  Lawful Good paladin, ensuring that no one but a Lawful Good paladin 
  can even pick it up, much less use it. 
  Entranhumani (Unholy Reaver)
  Very Rare Weapon (requires attunement)
  Entranhumani is a sentient, Chaotic Evil +3 unholy reaver longsword. 
  It does an extra 2d6 damage to targets of Good alignment, but a wielder 
  who is not Chaotic Evil has a -1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, 
  and ability checks made while Entranhumani is drawn. It has Int 14, Wis 
  13, and Cha 17. It can communicate telepathically with its owner and has 
  hearing and darkvision out to 60 feet. It can teleport into its owner’s hand 
  as a bonus action. Entranhumani can cast the spells forget (3/day, on its 
  wielder only; removes all memory of the last 5 minutes; no saving throw), 
  feeblemind (2/day, save DC 14), and harm (1/day, save DC 14).
  Entranhumani is noncorporeal except when it is held or carried by a 
  paladin of any alignment, ensuring that no one else can even pick it up, 
  much less use it.
  The only way to destroy Entranhumani is to strike the altar on which it 
  was forged while a holy sword is encased inside the altar. This altar lies 
  in the Pit of Despair.
  All attempts, magical or mundane, to discern the nature of Entranhumani 
  identify it as a Lawful Good +3 holy avenger.
  
  24
  Giants
  &
  Dragons
  
  25
  dread dragon temple
  Dread Dragon Temple is a 5th Edition adventure designed for four to 
  six characters from level 5 to 7.
  History of the  
  Dread Dragon Temple
  This information isn’t essential for players to understand, but it will 
  enhance their enjoyment of the adventure and provide them a few clues on 
  how to proceed. If you play this adventure as a one-shot, you can read the 
  following aloud to players to get things started. If the adventure is being 
  folded into an ongoing campaign, it’s best to break this information into 
  smaller chunks and present it gradually over many gaming sessions as 
  legends and folk tales the characters hear in roadhouses or read in ancient 
  books and scrolls found in treasure hoards. 
  In the mountainous country of Norss there is a stone temple 
  shaped like a dragon. This is no ordinary temple; the structure 
  is shaped like a massive dragon, and it stretches across 15 miles 
  of mountainside! At that size, it can be seen for many miles. 
  Everyone in the surrounding countries has heard of it, though 
  many people who’ve never seen it doubt that such a thing could 
  exist. Those who have seen it, leave it alone. Such a structure is 
  no place for mortals to go messing about. 
  One legend that persists, however, is of a magical staff hidden 
  deep inside the temple. If the legend is true—and it probably 
  isn’t—this staff could transform a person into a massive red 
  dragon. As with all great treasures, the staff is guarded by 
  ferocious, terrible monsters. Other, lesser treasures also fill the 
  corridors of the dragon temple—but how could chests filled with 
  diamonds and platinum compare to a device that could transform 
  you into them mightiest of all creatures?
  Over the centuries, great warriors and formidable wizards dared 
  the temple for a chance at the legendary dragon staff. Every one 
  of these heroes came to the same end: none were ever seen again. 
  In one such tale, an egotistical king and his crew of dwarven 
  engineers worked for ten years building a ramp to the temple’s 
  entrance at the dragon’s mouth. When they finished, 500 dwarven, 
  human, and elven warriors and wizards, every one a legend in his 
  or her own time, climbed the ramp to invade the temple. Many 
  never made it inside the temple. Those that did, never came 
  out. The great ramp was burst asunder and tumbled down the 
  mountainside. What caused such tremendous destruction, no 
  one knows, but the temple has never been challenged on such a 
  massive scale again.
  Adventure Hooks
  If the lure of unimaginable wealth isn’t enough to overcome the 
  characters’ fear of insurmountable danger, here are some other hooks to try.
  • Two years ago, a blue dragon moved into the mountains 10 miles 
  south of the temple. One year ago, a red dragon appeared in the mountains 
  north of the temple. Obviously, something major is afoot, and the king (or 
  the dean of the wizards’ consortium) wants to know what it is. Someone 
  is willing to pay a handsome reward to anyone willing to set foot inside 
  the ancient dragon temple. It must be less dangerous than confronting two 
  living dragons.
  • Characters could find a crude, simple sketch of the temple (essentially, 
  the map accompanying this adventure, minus the scale and other labels) 
  drawn on a flap of dragon hide, along with cryptic clues such as “Giant 
  rattlesnakes here” and “Watch out for lizardfolk!” Most importantly, it 
  would include a clue concerning how to get inside (“Present a dragon 
  here” or “Ask politely, but loudly”). Additional clues could mysteriously 
  appear on the map the nearer characters get to the temple.
  • The temple can be seen from miles away—many days’ travel, in 
  clear weather. If characters know nothing about it, just seeing it in the far 
  distance should pique their curiosity, if they have any.
  Reaching the Temple
  Simply reaching the temple is challenging. The mountains around it are 
  rugged and exposed to severe weather. 
  But this isn’t an adventure about mountain climbing. There’s no need to 
  throw geographical obstacles in the characters’ paths. Just let them know 
  that climbing to the “head” of the temple is going to take 1d4 + 3 days of 
  hard climbing. 
  The easiest and best route to the mouth, however, is by climbing up 
  the tail and marching across the temple’s “back.” If no one thinks of that 
  on their own, let the characters attempt DC 15 Int (Nature) checks or Wis 
  (Survival) checks; those who succeed recognize, while inspecting the 
  temple from miles away, that the roof of the temple is like a paved highway 
  compared to the rest of the mountains. This route cuts the climbing time 
  down to 1d3 + 1 days to reach the tip of the tail, plus one more day of 
  relatively easy marching 15 miles across the temple’s roof to the head.
  Reaching the Temple: For each day of climbing, every character 
  must make a successful DC 12 Str (Athletics) check or gain one level of 
  exhaustion. There are no random encounters in this part of the mountains; 
  dangerous creatures seem to avoid the area around the temple. 
  Getting Onto the Temple: At the tip of the temple’s tail, anyone with a 
  Dexterity modifier of +2 or higher or with training in Athletics can easily 
  scale the surface and find a place to attach a rope so others can follow 
  without making Strength checks. 
  Atop the Temple: The outside of the temple is carved to resemble 
  truly gigantic dragon scales that would be tiring to walk on, but a narrow, 
  smooth path extends from the tip of the tail, up the spine of the temple, 
  right to the head. This path can’t be seen from the ground, but it’s obvious 
  to anyone who ascends the tail (or the head). 
  Breaking through the wall or roof of the temple is impossible, either by 
  mundane digging and mining or by magic. The structure is unlike anything 
  characters have encountered before, and its origin is a complete mystery.
  The only danger on this part of the trek is a troop of six lizardfolk 
  that are met marching in the opposite direction somewhere around the 
  middle of the temple. Both groups should make Wis (Perception) checks, 
  using the best score in the group (+3 for the lizardfolk) and with tactical 
  advantage to represent multiple sets of eyes; the group with the highest 
  result spots the other group first at a distance of (1d4 + 1) x 100 yards, and 
  can make whatever preparations it wants. The lizardfolk use the spines 
  and scales of the structure for cover to set an ambush for the characters, 
  if they have surprise. 
  Dread Dragon Temple
  By James M. Ward
  
  26
  Quests of Doom: giants & dragons
  
  27
  dread dragon temple
  (Lizardfolk: AC 14, 22 hp; +4 to hit x2, 1d10 + 2 slashing 
  damage [halberd] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 
  piercing damage, [javelin])  
  A. The Mouth of the Dragon
  The apparent entrance to the structure is built and carved—it’s 
  hard to tell which, really—in image of the head of an ancient 
  red dragon. The head is 150 feet wide, 60 feet tall, and the snout 
  alone is 120 feet long. There is flat ground around the head of 
  the dragon, but it’s only about 20 feet wide; beyond that, the 
  mountains plunge away steeply.
  The disintegrating bones of dozens of dwarves, elves, and 
  humans are mingled with bits and pieces of rotted military gear. 
  In some places, only red dust remains to show where a sword 
  has rusted away to nothing. As wind howls around this mountain 
  face, it occasionally brings the scent of blood swirling out from 
  the temple mouth.
  Each of the granite fangs of the dragon is at least 30 feet tall. 
  There’s enough space between fangs to see that a cave extends 
  down the throat of the dragon, but not enough space to squeeze 
  through. This must be the entrance to the temple, but there’s no 
  apparent way to get past the massive teeth. 
  There are three simple ways to get into the stone mouth. 
  1. If characters shout loudly and in unison, asking the mouth to open, 
  the jaws part far enough for a Medium creature in armor and with a full 
  pack to walk through. 
  2. “Showing” the temple a dragon of any type causes the jaws to open. It can be 
  a live dragon, a carving of a dragon, or even just a drawing, including the sketch of 
  the temple on dragon hide mentioned above under “Adventure Hooks.”
  3. Magically shrinking or becoming gaseous lets characters slip 
  between the stone fangs.
  Don’t feel constrained by these three methods. If players come up with a 
  creative solution, give it a chance to work; the more creative, the higher the chance.
  Once past the fangs, characters are inside a stony reconstruction of a 
  towering dragon’s mouth, carved in remarkable detail. They walk past 
  rows of teeth along a stone tongue. Characters might expect a long echo 
  from such a tunnel, but sounds are surprisingly muted. 
  The characters aren’t alone here. Ten giant poisonous snakes have 
  made their den in this “cave.” As characters advance down the throat, let 
  any character who’s alert for traps or danger make a DC 12 Int (Nature) 
  check to recognize that they’re walking into a snake den. If no one makes 
  a successful check, the snakes get to attack with surprise. 
  (Giant Poisonous Snake: AC 14, 11 hp; +6 to hit, 1d4 + 4 
  piercing damage plus 3d6 poison damage; successful DC 
  11 Con saving throw halves poison damage)
  Inside the Temple
  The layout of the temple is simple. It consists of a single, long corridor 
  that extends from the entrance to the tip of the tail. The main corridor crosses 
  two four-way intersections where secondary corridors split off to extend 
  through the dragon’s front and rear legs. A much smaller, tertiary corridor 
  extends from the “throat” (beyond the mouth) up into the dragon’s head. 
  The main path through the temple, from the entrance to the tip of the tail, is 15 
  miles long. From the entrance to the first four-way intersection is a distance of 
  4 miles; the distance between the intersections is 6 miles; and from the second 
  four-way intersection to the final chamber in the tail is 5 miles. Each of the 
  four arm corridors is 5 miles long. Different sections are dressed in different-
  
  28
  Quests of Doom: giants & dragons
  colored stone corresponding to the five colors of chromatic dragons—black, 
  blue, green, red, and white—giving characters some clue as to what lies ahead.
  All of the corridors are semicircular in section; they have a flat floor 70 
  yards (210 feet) wide beneath a smoothly arching, semicircular roof that 
  peaks 35 yards (105 feet) overhead. The walls and floor of these corridors 
  are carved to resemble dragon scales. The rough surface deadens sound, 
  so noise doesn’t travel far or echo in the temple—very much the opposite 
  of what experienced dungeon and cave explorers would expect.
  The corridors are so large that any normal torch or lantern can’t 
  illuminate more than a tiny portion of the floor. The ceiling is completely 
  lost in darkness if the light source is more than a short distance from a 
  wall. The circle of light from a torch or lantern is 60 feet in diameter—
  barely one-fourth of the distance from wall to wall in these corridors. 
  If characters move out of sight from a wall, the swirling pattern of scales 
  on the floor makes it impossible to keep walking in a straight line. Characters 
  who try to walk down the middle of the corridor quickly find themselves 
  heading toward a wall. The wall didn’t curve; their footsteps did. 
  What’s more, a magical property of this structure deadens light. A 
  torch or lantern should remain visible as a point of light for miles in pitch 
  darkness such as the inside of this temple. Instead, a light fades rapidly as 
  it moves away from the viewer, until it disappears entirely at a distance of 
  just 200 feet. Two characters holding lanterns and standing near the walls 
  along opposite sides of the corridor can barely see each other’s lights! 
  They look miles away, not less than a hundred yards. 
  Lizardfolk
  The temple is not, as is widely thought, uninhabited. A community of 
  lizardfolk lives here, serving the dragon gods, tending to the temple, and 
  protecting it against intruders. Groups of patrolling lizardfolk will be met 
  in specific areas of the temple. Feel free to create random encounters with 
  patrols, too, but not too many—it’s important that the vast space inside 
  this temple feels mostly empty. 
  Dead bodies of slain adventurers will also be found in some parts of the 
  temple. The lizardfolk consider every slain explorer to be a sacrifice to the 
  dragon gods. Lizardfolk never move or even touch these bodies; doing so 
  would defile the sacrifice. Lizardfolk never talk to characters, either. In 
  their minds, all strangers inside the temple are unwelcome intruders who 
  should be killed. 
  Lizardfolk can find their way around in the pitch dark of the temple 
  easily after years of living here. They never carry light sources, meaning 
  they will usually spot characters’ lights well before they are spotted in 
  return.
  Resting in the Temple
  Because of the size of the temple and the many dangers it holds, it’s 
  almost guaranteed that characters will take at least one long rest inside, 
  and possibly two or more. When they do, their dreams will be haunted by 
  the ghosts of dragons. See the section “Dragon Dreams” at the end of the 
  adventure for information about what happens when characters rest inside 
  the temple.
  The Dragon’s Throat
  Past the dragon’s mouth, you’ve entered what appears to be 
  its “throat.” The structure no longer resembles the actual insides 
  of a dragon, though. You don’t know how wide the corridor is; 
  it’s so big, your light can’t reach from wall to wall. The floor is 
  flat and dressed in tight-fitting black stone carved to resemble 
  dragon scales that are each the size of a large shield. The 
  swirling, whorled pattern makes it difficult to walk a straight 
  line if you drift too far away from a wall. The roof is beyond 
  the limit of your light, which seems less effective than usual in 
  this blackness. This darkness seems more intense than a simple 
  absence of light.
  Dwarves discern a slight downward slope to the corridor automatically. 
  Other creatures can detect the slope only if they look for it specifically and 
  make a successful DC 15 Int (Investigation) check. Normal tests, such as a 
  marble on the floor, won’t work here because of the uneven, scaled texture 
  carved into all the surfaces.
  Dwarves also marvel at the fitting and masterful carving of the stone 
  dragon scales. If the same level of craftsmanship is maintained throughout, 
  then the amount of work that went into building this structure surpasses 
  anything they’ve seen before. 
  About a quarter-mile down the throat, a side passage branches 
  off the main corridor. The main corridor continues on to the 
  southwest, but the side passage veers sharply to the northeast and 
  ascends noticeably. This passage is much smaller than the main 
  passage, being only about twenty yards wide. You can actually 
  make out the ceiling just 30 feet overhead in the side passage. It’s 
  a smooth, semicircular arch curving gracefully from the floor on 
  one side to the floor on the other side. 
  The branch to the northeast leads to area B, while the main corridor 
  leads to the first (forelegs) crossroads. All of the stonework in this part of 
  the temple is black. 
  B. Black Dragon Chamber 
  The corridor goes on for a mile before suddenly opening into a 
  chamber. At least, you assume you’re in a chamber; once again, 
  it’s far larger than your light can reach. Unlike the areas you’ve 
  walked through, this area looks like a natural cavern; it’s broken 
  up by many stalactites and stalagmites. 
  Not far ahead, you can see a 20-foot-long carving of a young 
  black dragon. The dragon’s back is flattened to form a platform 
  about five feet high, and on the platform is a pile of green, lightly 
  glowing crystals.
  On the floor in front of the statue is a tangle of human body 
  parts. You count four heads, and the number of arms, legs, and 
  torsos seems to confirm that this was once four bodies. Tatters of 
  what once were fine robes are mingled with the bodies. The scent 
  of dung hangs over the pile. 
  Suddenly, the scratching of claws on stone breaks the silence.
  Stalactites and stalagmites cover the area. The bodies are the remains of four 
  wizards who came looking for the staff. Characters who search the bodies before 
  scouting the rest of the chamber are automatically surprised by the basilisk. 
  (Basilisk: AC 15, 52 hp; +5 to hit, 2d6 + 3 piercing damage 
  plus 2d6 poison damage; creatures that start their turn 
  within 30 ft. of the basilisk and able to see it must make a 
  DC 14 Con saving throw; if the save fails by 5 or more, the 
  creature is instantly petrified; if the save fails by 4 or less, 
  the creature is restrained and repeats the saving throw at 
  the end of its next turn; if the second saving throw fails, the 
  creature is petrified; if the second saving throw succeeds, 
  the restraint effect ends; an unsurprised creature can 
  avoid this effect by averting its eyes, but until the start of its 
  next turn, it treats the basilisk as an unseen target)
  The basilisk keeps fighting until there’s no one left in its den to fight. 
  Its nest is on a deep shelf above the entrance to the chamber. The creature 
  won’t follow retreating characters.
  The four dead wizards have equipment useful to experienced 
  adventurers. One wears a ring of protection +1 on her toe, under a blood-
  soaked boot. A total of 57 gp and 22 sp can be gotten from purses and 
  
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  dread dragon temple
  pouches. Each figure was equipped with a shortsword and four throwing 
  daggers. Each also has a scroll tube. Altogether, the tubes contain scrolls of 
  fireball, expeditious retreat, cloud of daggers, misty step, see invisibility, 
  polymorph, dimension door, and stoneskin.
  Eighty-eight glowing crystals are heaped on the back of the dragon. 
  The crystals are cut in the shape of dragon scales, and they glow with a 
  green light. The light is too dim to actually illuminate anything, but they’d 
  make unusual night-lights. In other words, they’re worthless except as 
  curios: they could be sold for 1 gp each in a large town or to someone with 
  gold and curiosity. Dragons and the temple’s lizardfolk recognize them as 
  coming from this temple, however, and won’t react kindly to their theft.
  East Junction
  When characters reach the first crossroad, whichever wall they’re 
  following simply ends and they find themselves standing at a corner. 
  Because of the immensity of the corridor and the limitations of their light, 
  exploring this area to be sure of what they’ve encountered is a tricky 
  business. The crossroad forms a square 210 feet by 210 feet, and 300 
  feet across diagonally. Unless characters take special precautions, such as 
  setting out lanterns in a straight line as guideposts, someone venturing into 
  the dark must make a successful DC 15 Wis (Perception) check to avoid 
  becoming disoriented and heading in the wrong direction. This isn’t likely 
  to turn into a life-threatening situation. It can test the players’ ingenuity 
  as they figure out how to accurately gauge and map their surroundings.
  Once they figure out that they’re at an immense, four-way intersection, 
  read the following text aloud.
  You’ve come to a four-way intersection in the broad corridor. 
  Straight ahead, the black-walled corridor continues on. Corridors 
  to the north and south are equally immense, but the northern 
  corridor is lined with green stonework instead of black, and the 
  air wafting from that direction is stale and acrid. The southern 
  corridor is lined with blue stone, and the air drifting from that 
  direction is humid. 
  C. Green Dragon Chamber
  If characters take the northern passage, the corridor extends north-
  northwest for a little over two miles, then turns west-northwest for another 
  three miles before reaching an immense, dead-end chamber. The chamber 
  is circular and 150 yards in diameter, with a domed ceiling that rises to 75 
  yards above the floor. Characters can estimate the size of the chamber by 
  making a circuit of the wall—but that would mean entering the chamber, 
  which they might not want to do.
  The corridor opens into an immense chamber, probably inside 
  one of the “claws” of the dragon temple. A smell of dried blood 
  and putrefaction permeates the area. Chunks of decaying meat 
  and bones neatly sliced apart are scattered throughout the 
  chamber. Judging from the shattered weapons and demolished 
  gear, it appears a group of adventurers similar to yourselves met 
  its end here. Dried blood is splattered on the walls and collected 
  in dark pools in low spots on the floor. Slashed armor and 
  shredded backpacks testify to the violence of whatever happened 
  here. Bloodstained slots in the walls, floor, and ceiling imply that 
  some enormous, diabolical trap was responsible.
  About 70 yards into the chamber stands a stylized statue of a 
  green dragon approximately 15 feet tall and twice that long. You 
  can see it faintly from the corridor because of the orange glow 
  emanating from its flattened back.
  There’s no effort to hide the grooves in the walls, floor, and ceiling. 
  Players should quickly realize that they’re looking into an enormous trap. 
  The trap is triggered by stepping on well-concealed pressure plates in 
  the floor. The plates are more numerous near the center of the chamber 
  than near the wall. A character who stays within 10 yards of the wall has 
  a 1-in-20 chance of triggering the trap, checked just once no matter how 
  much they move around near the wall. A character who moves into the 
  middle ground between the wall and the statue has a 1-in-20 chance of 
  triggering the trap for every 30 feet they move. A character who moves 
  within 10 yards of the statue has a 10-in-20 chance of triggering the trap 
  for every 30 feet they move. Characters who search for the pressure plates 
  can make DC 15 Int (Investigation) checks; a successful check doesn’t 
  find a pressure plate but confirms in the character’s mind that this trap is so 
  cunningly constructed, the only way to find a pressure plate is to trigger it. 
  If the trap is triggered, spinning blades swing down from the ceiling 
  and up from the floor, and rotating blades slice out from the walls at 
  waist height (on a human). The blades slash through the chamber for four 
  rounds, affecting one quarter of the chamber per round. The quarters are 
  northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest. The quarter where the trap 
  was triggered is affected first, then the blades move clockwise around the 
  chamber, slashing through one quarter per round. After four rounds, they 
  retract into the walls, floor, and ceiling and reset. If someone steps on a 
  pressure plate again, the trap activates all over.
  When the trap activates, every character in the affected area takes 8d8 
  slashing damage, or half damage if they make a successful DC 15 Dex 
  saving throw. Characters in other quarters have a chance to race ahead of 
  the blades or even get out of the chamber if they act quickly, but if they 
  dither or hesitate, they’ll be caught. 
  The dragon-shaped pedestal at the center of the chamber has a pile of 
  crystals on its flattened back that are shaped like dragon scales and that glow 
  faintly with an orange luminescence. Each “scale” is about seven inches long. 
  Close inspection reveals that they’re nothing but cheap stone; the glow is 
  magical, but the scales are worth only about 1 gp apiece to curiosity collectors. 
  Taking even one crystal from the pile automatically trips another trap. 
  The trap can be noticed with a careful inspection of the platform and a 
  successful DC 15 Int (Investigation) check. This trap releases poisonous 
  chlorine gas in a visible, green cloud from the statue’s mouth. Characters 
  who are still anywhere in the chamber two rounds later take 12d6 poison 
  damage, or half as much with a successful DC 14 Con saving throw. The 
  gas persists in the chamber for 24 hours before it dissipates.
  A careful search of the remains and gear in this chamber (taking ten 
  minutes) turns up four potions of cure wounds in metal flasks. Quite a few 
  ruined scrolls can be found (sliced in half), but one intact tube still contains 
  a scroll with two polymorph spells. A careful search of that same tube (or a 
  successful DC 20 Wis [Perception] check) discovers a hidden compartment 
  in the cap that conceals a masterfully cut red ruby worth 1,000 gp.
  D. The Dragon Throne
  Once again, the already immense corridor opens into an even 
  larger area. Barely visible in the pitch-black distance is a faintly 
  blue-glowing object that looks like a throne carved in the shape 
  of a blue dragon. The entire thing appears to be made of some 
  magnificent gemstone, but it’s impossible to be sure in the dim 
  light.
  The shape and apparent size of the throne suggest that a creature 
  as large as an ogre could sit in it. 
  The chamber itself presents no danger. It is circular, about 150 yards in 
  diameter, with the corridor running straight through its center. The blue-
  glowing throne provides a landmark that’s visible from everywhere in the 
  chamber, so characters can move around here without getting disoriented. 
  As characters approach the throne, they encounter ten crushed and 
  mangled corpses strewn across the floor 10 to 20 yards from the throne. 
  The bodies look reasonably fresh, but there’s a noticeable lack of flesh on 
  
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  Quests of Doom: giants & dragons
  them, given their apparently recent demise. If the bodies are disturbed in 
  any way, swarms of flesh-eating beetles rush out of the dead bodies (one 
  swarm per player character). 
  (Swarm of Insects: AC 12, 22 hp; +3 to hit, 4d4 piercing 
  damage, or 2d4 piercing damage if the swarm has 11 or 
  fewer hit points; the swarm can enter and remain in an 
  enemy’s space, and can only attack an enemy whose 
  space it occupies)
  The bodies still have some useful items, if characters take 10 minutes 
  to search the grisly remains: potion of invisibility, +1 silver dagger, +1 
  dwarven throwing axe, 5 gems (500 gp per gem), 29 copper coins, 44 
  silver coins, 19 gold coins, and 11 platinum coins.
  Interacting with the Dragon Throne
  Anyone who inspects the throne notes a large amount of dried blood 
  on the arms and seat. The throne is carved from a single block of bright 
  blue lapis lazuli that is enchanted to give it a soft glow. Veins of what look 
  like gold and silver trace through the intricate carvings, but they are just 
  attributes of the gem, not actual gold or silver.
  Lapis lazuli is semiprecious, and this is the largest chunk of it the 
  characters have ever seen or even heard of. Melon-sized pieces of it 
  could be knocked off with hammers, and each would be worth 200 
  gp. If characters try to knock pieces off the chair, however, a glyph 
  of warding (explosive runes) explodes, causing 5d8 lightning damage 
  to everyone within 20 feet of the throne. Characters who make a 
  successful DC 15 Dex saving throw take half damage. The glyph can 
  be noticed before it’s detonated with a successful DC 15 Intelligence 
  (Arcana) check. 
  Damaging the throne also infuriates the band of six lizardfolk that are 
  watching PCs from the shadows at the far end of the chamber. The lizardfolk 
  immediately attack and will pursue characters if they try to retreat. 
  (Lizardfolk: AC 14, 22 hp; +4 to hit x2, 1d10 + 2 slashing 
  damage [halberd] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 
  piercing damage, [javelin])  
  The throne is a deadly mechanical trap. Anyone sitting on the throne 
  takes 7d10 bludgeoning damage as the chair collapses into itself, folding 
  and crushing the character. The character takes half damage with a 
  successful DC 13 Dex saving throw. The throne then ejects the crushed 
  victim onto the floor and magically resets.
  As characters prepare to leave this chamber, an ear-numbing roar from 
  the throat of an enormous dragon rumbles through the temple. This doesn’t 
  actually signify anything; it’s just an effect magically programmed into 
  the temple to occur once every few days. The characters have no way of 
  knowing that, however. 
  West Junction
  Having already passed the first crossroad, characters shouldn’t be 
  puzzled by this second one. The crossroad forms a square 210 feet by 
  210 feet, and 300 feet across diagonally. Once characters figure out that 
  they’re at another four-way intersection, read the following text aloud.
  You’ve come to a four-way intersection in the broad corridor. 
  Straight ahead, the main corridor continues on, but the black 
  stonework is replaced with blue stone. The air in that corridor 
  seems somehow heavier than the air elsewhere. Corridors to the 
  north and south are equally immense, but the northern corridor is 
  lined with white stonework instead of black, and the air wafting 
  from that direction seems chilled. The southern corridor is lined 
  with red stone, and the air drifting from that direction is warm. 
  If characters turn north, jump to section “G. White Dragon 
  Chamber.” If they turn south, refer to section “F. Red Dragon 
  Chamber.” If they continue moving west, proceed to the next section 
  below, “Rivals.” 
  Rivals
  Four miles west of the second crossroad, characters encounter a 
  quickly moving group of rival explorers coming up behind them. These 
  newcomers are making a bit of noise, so they’ll be noticed by characters 
  with passive Perception scores of 15 or higher. Assuming they’re not 
  ambushed or attacked on sight, the strangers hail the player characters and 
  ask for a parley. They are four experienced, well-equipped explorers: a 
  wizard (mage), a cleric (priest), and two warriors (a knight and a veteran). 
  Their names are listed with their stats, but you can give them any names 
  you like, to suit your campaign, or even replace them with other NPCs the 
  characters have met before if you prefer.
  (Sir Hennik [Knight]: AC 18, 52 hp; +5 to hit x2, 2d6 + 3 
  slashing damage [greatsword]; 1/round as a reaction, 
  the knight can increase its AC by 2 against a single melee 
  attack; has tactical advantage on saving throws against 
  fear; 1/round the knight can grant an ally within 30 ft. a 
  bonus of 1d4 on an attack roll or saving throw)
  (Belintar the Bold [Mage]: AC 12, 40 hp; +5 to hit, 1d4 + 2 
  piercing damage; spell attack +6, save DC 14; prepares 
  the following spells: [at will] fire bolt, mage hand, 
  prestidigitation; [1st level, x4] detect magic, mage armor, 
  magic missile, shield; [2nd level, x3] misty step, suggestion; 
  [3rd level, x3] counterspell, fireball, fly; [4th level, x3] 
  greater invisibility, ice storm; [5th level, x1] cone of cold) 
  (Sagrimor of Menok [Priest]: AC 13, 27 hp; +2 to hit, 1d6 
  bludgeoning damage [mace]; spell attack +5, save DC 
  13; [at will] light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy; [1st level, x4] 
  cure wounds, guiding bolt, sanctuary; [2nd level, x3] lesser 
  restoration, spiritual weapon; [3rd level, x2] dispel magic, 
  spirit guardian)
  (Nardin Velox [Veteran]: AC 17, 58 hp; +5 to hit x2, 1d10 + 
  3 slashing damage [longsword] or +3 to hit, range 100 
  ft./400 ft., 1d10 piercing damage [heavy crossbow])
  Sir Hennik (Charisma 15) does most of the talking for the strangers. 
  They try hard to persuade the player characters that they’ve already 
  explored this western corridor and found nothing of value at the end of 
  it. Furthermore, according to the legends they’ve been told, the temple is 
  visited by the ghosts of dragons when the moon is full—which it will be 
  tonight. They intend to turn back and leave the temple, but having heard 
  the PCs ahead of them, they wanted to deliver their warning about the 
  ghostly dragons first. 
  Of course, the strangers are lying. They just want to prevent the player 
  characters from finding whatever treasure lies at the end of this corridor 
  before they do. If characters turn around and head back toward the temple 
  mouth with these strangers, the NPCs will attack somewhere along the 
  way. If characters don’t buy this story and refuse to leave, the strangers 
  attack right away. They fight until one of their number is slain; then the 
  remaining three retreat into the darkness. They’ll lurk nearby, however, 
  looking for a chance to strike again when the characters are weakened or 
  distracted.
  E. Pyramid of the Staff 
  The blue corridor runs west for 5 miles before opening into another 
  circular chamber 210 yards in diameter. 
  
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  dread dragon temple
  In the middle of this immense chamber is a platform with seven 
  steps. Each of the steps glows a different color: from bottom 
  to top, they glow red, green, white, blue, yellow, purple, and 
  orange. Each step is two feet tall and six feet deep, and the top is 
  18 feet wide, making the whole pyramid 14 feet high and 90 feet 
  across at the base. On the top level of the platform, a glowing 
  staff with a headpiece carved to resemble a gold dragon rests on 
  an ornate stand.
  Ten long-dead bodies are sprawled at various places on the 
  steps. Their equipment indicates that they were adventurers of 
  a variety of classes. Although they’re all in an advanced state of 
  decay, the bodies don’t appear burnt, frozen, or torn apart; they 
  appear to have just fallen dead at random spots on the pyramid. 
  Along with the bodies of the dead adventurers, the dried husks of 
  hundreds of beetles as long as a human thumb cover the first step. 
  The beetles can be identified as swarming, flesh-eating beetles with a 
  successful DC 10 Int (Nature) check.
  The staff at the top of the platform is the Staff of the Dragon. It contains 
  one charge per player character in the group. The first character to touch the 
  staff automatically understands how to use it: each charge can transform 
  one character into a young dragon of whatever type they choose, for as 
  long as they want to use that shape.
  A character climbing the pyramid takes 10 damage the first time he or 
  she sets foot on each step. The steps do the following damage, in order: 
  acid (red), cold (green), fire (white), lightning (blue), poison (yellow), fire 
  (purple), and lightning (orange). If the characters fly above the steps or 
  step only on the dead bodies, they can reach the top safely and probably 
  only take lightning damage from the top level of the platform.
  The staff is resting loosely in a holder at the center of the top platform. 
  It’s not secured to the stand, so it could be lassoed from the floor and 
  pulled down safely. Even levitation might do the trick, if characters think 
  up a clever way to maneuver using ropes, gusts of wind, or some other 
  method.
  The bodies of the dead adventurers have useful equipment. The safest 
  way to retrieve it is to lasso the bodies and pull them to the floor. Their 
  gear includes a +1 shortsword, staff of striking with 11 charges, +2 
  shield, displacer cloak, potion of protection from dragon breath, a scroll 
  of protection from lightning, and a +1 greatsword. Their backpacks also 
  include all the usual, mundane things found in adventurer’s kits such 
  as candles, canteens, blankets, clothes, needle and thread, whetstones, 
  hammers, and spikes. If characters pull bodies off the steps onto the 
  floor, however, they are attacked by four swarms of insects (flesh-eating 
  beetles) and two carrion creepers that were lurking in the darkness, 
  hoping for an easy meal.
  (Carrion Creeper: AC 13, 51 hp; +4 to hit, 2d4 + 2 piercing 
  damage [bite] and +8 to hit, 1d4 + 2 poison damage 
  and the target must make a successful DC 13 Con 
  saving throw or be poisoned and paralyzed for 1 minute 
  [tentacles]; paralyzed creature repeats saving throw 
  at the end of each of its turns, and both paralysis and 
  poisoning end with a successful save)
  (Flesh-eating Beetles [Swarm of Insects]: AC 12, 22 hp; +3 
  to hit, 4d4 piercing damage, or 2d4 piercing damage if 
  the swarm has 11 or fewer hit points; the swarm can enter 
  and remain in an enemy’s space, and can only attack an 
  enemy whose space it occupies)
  
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  Quests of Doom: giants & dragons
  Red Corridor
  The red stones of the corridor seem to reflect the unusual 
  warmth of the area, and it grows warmer the farther you travel 
  along the passage. Eventually, after traveling several miles, metal 
  weapons are becoming uncomfortably hot to the touch, and metal 
  armor is almost unbearable to wear. Then, as if the perpetual, 
  choking darkness isn’t bad enough, you see a wall of steam 
  roiling at the edge of your light: steam so thick you can’t see 
  more than a few yards into it. 
  Hidden in the steam and enjoying the heat is a squad of six lizardfolk 
  with halberds. The steam doesn’t bother the lizardfolk; it makes them more 
  aggressive. They use the obscurement provided by the steam to set up an 
  ambush on the characters. They won’t pursue if the characters retreat. 
  (Lizardfolk: AC 14, 22 hp; +4 to hit x2, 1d10 + 2 slashing 
  damage [halberd] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 
  piercing damage, [javelin])  
  If characters run from the battle, there’s a good chance they’ll get turned 
  around in the steam and unintentionally “retreat” south toward Area 
  F instead of back the way they came. Make a DC 12 Wis (Perception) 
  check for each character. Those who succeed know which way is north 
  and which is south. Those who fail got mixed up in the fighting and have 
  the directions reversed. It’s important that you roll these checks, not the 
  players; otherwise, they’ll know immediately that the people who rolled 
  highest have the right direction. If characters have a reliable way of 
  determining direction, such as a compass or arrows chalked on the walls 
  behind them, they can avoid going in the wrong direction.
  F. Red Dragon Chamber
  The steam seems to go on forever, making it hard to judge 
  distance or whether the corridor curves. Just breathing is hard, 
  let alone keeping track of where you are. But suddenly, the steam 
  clears away to reveal a large chamber, hundreds of yards across 
  and lit by flickering flames rising from a pool of lava that covers 
  the entire area of the circular chamber. 
  At the center of the pool is a pedestal of some stone that’s 
  impervious to the heat. Atop the pedestal is a statue of a red 
  dragon carved from red crystal. The statue is twenty feet long 
  and almost as high. Its back is flattened, and on it is a pile of dully 
  glowing white crystals. 
  It’s a relief to be out of the blinding, choking steam, but the heat 
  of this area is nearly unbearable.
  Characters wearing armor are in a great deal of discomfort from the 
  heat by the time they reach the lava chamber. Those in heavy armor take 
  6 fire damage per minute (1 per round) spent in or near this chamber. 
  Those in medium armor take 3 fire damage per minute (1 per 2 rounds) 
  spent near the lava, and characters in light armor or no armor take 2 fire 
  damage per minute (1 per 3 rounds). Entering the lava or trying to walk 
  on it causes instant death. Flying over the lava at any height causes 4 fire 
  damage per round (heat is concentrated under the domed ceiling). 
  There are 33 white crystals on the back of the dragon. A character who 
  possesses such a crystal automatically succeeds on one saving throw 
  against white dragon breath, then the crystal turns dark and has no further 
  effect.
  When characters approach within 10 feet of the lava pool, two fire 
  elementals rise from the lava. They don’t attack unless attacked; they 
  want to talk to the characters. The elementals tell a story of forced labor 
  keeping the lava hot in this pool. They want to go back to their home on the 
  Elemental Plane of Fire. If characters take the ruby eyes out of the dragon 
  statue and throw them into the lava, the spell binding the elementals will 
  be broken and they’ll be able to leave. The elementals offer four potions 
  of fire resistance if the characters help them.
  The rubies can be blasted out of the statue by 20 points of bludgeoning or 
  force damage, if there’s no concern about damaging them. They’re large, 
  spectacular gems, however, worth 600 gp each. Each one can be removed 
  without damage by using a prying tool and making two successful DC 15 
  Dex (Sleight of Hand) checks. If the check result is 10 or less, the ruby 
  is gouged and its value is halved. The elementals attack immediately if 
  they realize characters intend to take the rubies with them and not destroy 
  them, because destroying them in this lava pool is the only thing that will 
  set the elementals free. 
  The elementals aren’t interested in fighting for no reason. If characters 
  attack them, the elementals simply sink back into the lava and the entire 
  chamber becomes even hotter, inflicting ten times as much damage per 
  minute as usual. 
  (Fire Elemental: AC 13, 102 hp; +6 to hit x2, 2d6 + 3 fire 
  damage and a flammable object ignites, taking 1d10 fire 
  damage at the start of its turn until an action is used to 
  extinguish flames; enemies that hit the fire elemental with 
  melee attacks from 5 feet away take 1d10 fire damage; 
  can enter and remain in an enemy’s space, causing 1d10 
  fire damage and igniting flammable objects as above)
  White Corridor
  The white stones of the corridor would seem to represent the 
  influence of a white dragon. The temperature in the corridor 
  drops steadily as you move north, eventually reaching the 
  freezing point, and below. 
  After several miles, the corridor opens into a large cavern over 
  a hundred yards in diameter. At the center is a statue of a rearing 
  white dragon at least thirty yards tall and long. A portion of its 
  back is flattened into a platform; gems of many colors are heaped 
  on it.
  The extreme cold numbs your feet and hands.
  While in the white dragon chamber, characters take 2 cold damage 
  every minute. The extreme cold slows characters down to half speed while 
  they’re in the chamber and for ten minutes after they leave it. 
  The gems on the platform are all worthless glass. The real treasure of 
  the chamber is the white dragon statue. It’s a live young white dragon, 
  frozen so it can’t leave the chamber. In its current state, the dragon looks 
  like a statue of ice, but characters who touch it, knock on it, attack it, peer 
  into its eyes, or interact with it in other ways can attempt a DC 15 Int 
  (Nature) or Wis (Animal Handling) check. Success indicates the character 
  realizes this is a living creature, not a carving. 
  The magic keeping the dragon frozen is broken if the dragon is taken 
  out of this chamber. Moving the dragon is easier than it sounds, thanks to 
  the icy floor. It can be moved automatically by characters whose combined 
  Strength modifiers are 8 or higher, or by someone who makes a successful 
  DC 25 Str (Athletics) check. Even so, the process isn’t quick; sliding the 
  dragon out of the chamber takes 10 minutes of effort. 
  The creature begins thawing the instant it’s out of the chamber, and 
  within a minute, it is fully restored and willing to talk with the characters. 
  Its name is Noustatoren, and it relates a long story detailing how it came 
  to like humans and how, for centuries, it aided northern tribes. When 
  Noustatoren helped the tribesmen kill a marauding black dragon, other 
  dragons banded together and cursed it to spend eternity frozen in this 
  temple. 
  Noustatoren is so grateful for its freedom that it gives each character 
  who helped free it a ring made of ice. If the wearer whispers a request for 
  
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  dread dragon temple
  aid to the ring, the dragon will hear it, no matter where it is, and will come 
  as quickly as it can. It will do this once for each character with a ring. It 
  won’t stick around in the temple, though, because it fears the dragons that 
  cursed it might find it here and imprison it all over again. The tunnels are 
  big enough that the dragon can get out of the temple quickly. 
  (Young White Dragon: AC 17, 133 hp; +7 to hit, 2d10 + 4 
  piercing damage plus 1d8 cold damage [bite] and +7 
  to hit x2, 2d6 + 4 slashing damage [claws]; 30-ft. cone, 
  10d8 cold damage [cold breath, recharge 5, 6], or half 
  damage from cold breath with successful DC 15 Con 
  saving throw)
  Green Corridor
  The corridor grows warmer and more humid the farther you 
  travel. It never becomes too hot, but the humidity eventually 
  becomes so thick that your clothing and the padding in your 
  armor are drenched in sweat.
  After a few miles, everyone must make a successful DC 12 Con saving 
  throw or gain one level of exhaustion. This exhaustion can be removed by 
  taking a short rest in a dry area (the main corridor will suffice) and getting 
  into dry clothing, but resting in the blue corridor won’t help.
  H-1. Lizardfolk Nests
  A few miles into the tunnel, the corridor suddenly widens into 
  a vast chamber. There are sconces on the walls holding flickering 
  torches, and the light lets you see that the hall is circular and 
  about 200 yards in diameter. The corridor continues southward 
  from the opposite side. 
  Between you and the exit, however, are scattered perhaps a 
  hundred or more shapes that resemble heaps of mud and reeds. 
  The room reeks like a swamp. 
  The mounds are lizardfolk nests. Each nest is little more than a heap of 
  mud and rotting swamp grass about 10 feet in diameter, crudely shaped 
  into a shallow bowl. Fewer than half have full or partial roofs of woven 
  reeds.
  The nests near the entrance to the chamber are empty, but by the time 
  characters move 30 yards into the chamber, they encounter nests with 
  lizardfolk sleeping in them. It’s impossible to tell how many of the nests 
  contain lizardfolk without checking each nest.
  These lizardfolk stay asleep if there’s no commotion in the area. Any 
  loud noise wakes 20 lizardfolk who immediately throw javelins at the 
  intruders, then charge. There is no retreating for these lizardfolk. They are 
  serious temple guards filled with the importance of their duty. If characters 
  run, the lizardfolk follow them until the intruders have been killed or 
  
  34
  Quests of Doom: giants & dragons
  chased out of the temple.
  Each of these reptilian warriors wears a large bandoleer bearing a silver 
  disc the size of a saucer on its chest. The silver ornament carries an image 
  of the dragon temple in the mountains. The workmanship is crude and the 
  silver is low-grade, so each disc is worth just 10 sp but weighs as much 
  as 100 sp.
  (Lizardfolk: AC 14, 22 hp; +4 to hit x2, 1d10 + 2 slashing 
  damage [halberd] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 
  piercing damage, [javelin])  
  H-2. Lizardfolk Pool
  Several hundred yards down the corridor past the lizardfolk 
  nests, the corridor widens again to reveal a pool of water that’s 
  several hundred yards in diameter. The water is murky, and 
  this chamber also smells like a swamp. The pool doesn’t fill 
  the chamber; there’s a “dry” stone walkway between 15 and 25 
  feet wide all the way around the chamber’s circumference. The 
  corridor continues on through an archway at the far side of the 
  chamber. 
  Glowing shapes swim in the water. When one of them swims 
  close, you see that it’s not a single creature but a school of fish. 
  Each one glows faintly, but together, they cast a fair amount of 
  light. They seem agitated. 
  Fifteen lizardfolk are hiding under the murky water. The creatures 
  are waiting for the characters to proceed one way or the other around the 
  pool. They are what is agitating the fish, since they’re the chief predators 
  in this pool. When characters advance 100 yards into the chamber (about 
  a third of the way to the far corridor), the lizardfolk rise far enough out 
  of the water to throw their javelins. Each has three in hand, but they 
  have plenty more stashed in the water; it takes them one round to swim 
  down and grab three more and another round to return to the surface. 
  The lizardfolk don’t follow the characters or even get out of the water, 
  but they do roar out a warning that echoes faintly down the corridors in 
  both directions. 
  (Lizardfolk: AC 14, 22 hp; +4 to hit x2, 1d10 + 2 slashing 
  damage [halberd] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 
  piercing damage, [javelin])  
  At the southern end of the chamber are several crudely-made stone 
  benches and weapon racks. Fifteen halberds of excellent construction are 
  leaning on the rack.
  H-3. Lizardfolk Dining Area
  After walking another mile, another 200-yard chamber opens 
  in the corridor. It must be lit magically, because you don’t see any 
  source for the soft glow that fills the area. Near the far side, the 
  carcasses of ten large crocodiles have been gutted and hung on 
  meat hooks. Square stone blocks must serve as butchers’ tables, 
  because they’re covered in blood. Many larger, rectangular stone 
  tables, also covered in dried blood, must be where the lizardfolk 
  consume their raw food.
  At the far left side of the chamber, four lizardfolk who heard the 
  characters approaching are hiding behind stone tables. They intend to 
  wait until the characters have nearly passed through the chamber, then 
  toss javelins into the intruders’ backs. They follow the group and keep 
  attacking if the characters don’t stay and fight.
  (Lizardfolk: AC 14, 22 hp; +4 to hit x2, 1d10 + 2 slashing 
  damage [halberd] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 
  piercing damage, [javelin])  
  H-4. Lizard King’s Chambers
  Half-a-mile down the corridor, you discover two doors set in 
  the wall. The doors are made of boiled and cured leather, and 
  appear quite sturdy. 
  The door on the left opens into a large chamber where a bigger-
  than-average lizardfolk (a lizard king) is using a halberd to chop 
  some type of meat on a large chopping block while five lizardfolk 
  watch. The chamber contains a nest and a stylized statue of a green 
  dragon near the back wall. Characters don’t have time to see any more 
  before the lizard king and his lizardfolk guards raise their halberds 
  and charge! All six fight to the death and pursue if characters try to 
  flee.
  On and around the green dragon statue at the back of the chamber are 
  five holy relics made of gold and encrusted in jewels. Each item is worth 
  3,000 gold pieces. The items are a large bowl, a chalice, a small sphere of 
  silver with embedded gems, a bejeweled gold box, and a small gold bell 
  with a tiny hammer attached by a fine chain.
  The door on the right opens into a large chamber with the skulls of 
  many intelligent races mounted on the walls. The chamber has a nest 
  at its center, a stylized dragon statue at the back, and a large chest near 
  the statue. There is nothing living in the area. This is the chamber of the 
  lizardfolk shaman who is the real leader of these creatures. The shaman 
  is currently away from the temple, gathering herbs and other supplies in 
  a nearby swamp. 
  The leather-bound bound chest is locked and trapped. The lock is quite 
  simple; it can be opened with a set of lock picks and a successful DC 10 
  Dex check. The trap is trickier; it can be spotted with a successful DC 
  15 Int (Investigation) check, but the only way to prevent it from going 
  off is to unlock the chest with the proper key (which is on the lizardfolk 
  shaman’s belt, many miles away in a swamp) or to score 25 or higher on 
  the Dex check to unlock the chest. A character who spots the trap can tell 
  that, lacking the proper key, opening the chest without setting off the trap 
  will be nearly impossible. 
  If the trap is triggered, it fills the chamber with poison gas identical 
  to a young green dragon’s breath weapon (12d6 poison damage, or half 
  damage with a successful DC 14 Con saving throw). 
  The chest contains the lizardfolk shaman’s “treasure,” but most of 
  it has little value to the characters other than three potions of cure 
  wounds, a potion of lesser restoration, and a potion of meld into 
  stone. 
  The chest also has a secret compartment that can be spotted with a 
  successful DC 12 Int (Investigation) check, but only if the chest is pulled 
  away from the wall before being examined (the compartment is a drawer 
  at the back of the chest). Inside the secret drawer is a bronze holy symbol 
  representing a bronze dragon; the shaman captured this item from a slain 
  cleric. Once per day, a cleric equipped with this holy symbol can reroll 
  one saving throw against dragon breath. Emeralds set into the dragon’s 
  eyes are worth 5,000 gp, but the holy symbol’s magic is destroyed if 
  they’re removed.
  (Lizard King: AC 15, 78 hp; +5 to hit x2, 1d8 + 3 piercing 
  damage [trident]; can also throw trident with range 20 
  ft./60 ft.; 1/turn, the lizard king can inflict an extra 3d6 
  damage with its trident and gain an equal number of 
  temporary hit points)
  (Lizardfolk: AC 14, 22 hp; +4 to hit x2, 1d10 + 2 slashing 
  damage [halberd] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 
  piercing damage, [javelin])  
  
  35
  dread dragon temple
  H-5. Lizardfolk Hall of Honor
  Another humid, sweat-drenched mile of hiking brings you to 
  another chamber. This one is like the others you’ve seen, but 
  it’s lined with mounted heads and bodies of dangerous foes 
  the lizardfolk have fought in and around the dragon temple. 
  There are more than 100 trophies here, with all intelligent races 
  represented and a few monsters, including three hill giants and a 
  tyrannosaurus rex. Against the back wall stands a fifteen-foot-tall 
  stone statue of a lizard man with a brass club in his hand.
  There’s nothing dangerous about the mounted and stuffed creatures 
  in the chamber. The danger is the stone golem in the form of a gigantic 
  lizardfolk. If characters do anything here other than proceed directly to the 
  exit at the far end, the golem steps off of its pedestal and attacks.
  There is little of value in the hall, except for a pair of boots of elvenkind 
  worn by a mounted drow. 
  (Stone Golem: AC 17, 178 hp; +10 to hit x2, 3d8 + 6 
  bludgeoning damage [slam]; each target the golem 
  can see must make a successful DC 17 Wis saving throw 
  or be slowed for 1 minute; a slowed target can repeat 
  the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending 
  the effect with a successful save; the golem has tactical 
  advantage on saving throws against magic and no 
  magic or power can alter its shape)
  H. Blue Dragon Chamber
  At last, the corridor opens into a huge circular area easily two 
  hundred yards in diameter. At the center of the chamber is a 
  massive statue with ten dragon heads, each sculpted in a different 
  color of stone: gold, silver, brass, bronze, copper, white, black, 
  green, red, and blue. The statue rises fifty feet above the floor, 
  and the body must be 100 feet long.
  The dampness in this area is oppressive. With each breath, it feels 
  as if you’re inhaling as much water as air. The temperature is hot, 
  too; not painfully so, but it’s uncomfortable. The air is noticeably 
  warmer near the statue than at the edges of the chamber. 
  Speaking of the edges of the chamber, that’s where you see 
  the eggs. Hundreds of them, probably, in all shapes, colors, and 
  sizes. Every type of dragon must be represented here, many 
  times, in this mass of eggs.
  If the characters break or take any eggs, the dragon head of the 
  appropriate color animates, swivels toward them, and blasts out the breath 
  weapon of an adult dragon of that color. If characters attack the statue, all 
  the heads animate and attack with breath weapons (of young dragons) in 
  turn. To determine which head attacks each round, roll 1d10.
  The statue is immune to all effects and damage except clerical spells 
  and attacks by clerics. Magic weapons in the hands of other types of 
  characters do only as much damage as their magic bonus: a +1 sword, for 
  example, does 1 point of damage per attack. The statue is destroyed by 
  500 points of damage overall; 50 points done to a particular dragon head 
  destroys that head. Only the heads of the statue move; it can’t follow 
  characters who retreat from the area, but it remembers who interfered 
  with the eggs for 24 hours. All damage done to the statue heals after 24 
  hours.
  If the characters don’t touch the eggs or the statue and they aren’t 
  carrying any glowing crystals taken from other statues, they hear a loud 
  command of “Wait!” before they leave the chamber. The gold dragon head 
  lowers to their level and opens its mouth. Inside is a single, fist-sized 
  diamond worth 25,000 gp. Only one such reward is handed out by the 
  statue per decade.
  1d10
  Color
  Breath Wpn
  Damage
  Save
  1
  Black
  30-ft. line
  11d8 acid 
  damage
  DC 14 
  Dex
  2
  Blue
  60-ft. line
  10d10 lightning 
  damage
  DC 16 
  Dex
  3
  Green
  30-ft. cone
  12d6 acid 
  damage
  DC 14 
  Con
  4
  Red
  30-ft. cone
  16d6 fire 
  damage
  DC 17 
  Dex
  5
  White
  30-ft. cone
  10d8 cold 
  damage
  DC 15 
  Con
  6
  Brass
  30-ft. cone
  Unconsciousness 
  (5 mins)
  DC 14 
  Con
  7
  Bronze
  60-ft. cone
  10d10 lightning 
  damage
  DC 15 
  Dex
  8
  Copper
  30-ft. cone
  Slowed
  DC 14 
  Con
  9
  Gold
  30-ft. cone
  Weakened (1 
  min)
  DC 17 
  Str
  10
  Silver
  30-ft. cone
  Paralysis (1 min)
  DC 17 
  Con
  Final Trial 
  If characters leave the temple with the Staff of the Dragon in their 
  possession, when they step into the open outside the temple, it can be 
  nighttime or daytime, your choice. (They may have marched as much as 
  60 miles, so they’ve been inside for a long time). The first thing they see is 
  an ancient blue dragon soaring toward them. It’s still several miles away, 
  so they have a few minutes to prepare for battle, but it’s apparent that the 
  dragon is headed straight for the temple and has seen them. 
  Emphasize that this is an ancient blue dragon. As themselves, the 
  characters have little chance to defeat itt. As dragons, however . . .
  The Staff of the Dragon is their only hope. With its power, they can 
  transform into adult dragons of any color and engage in dragon-to-dragon 
  battle with the ancient blue monster bearing down on them. That’s the 
  intended climax for this adventure. Even if characters escape from this 
  immediate danger somehow—by teleporting away to a sanctum, for 
  example—this blue dragon will pursue them to the ends of the earth to 
  recover the staff. 
  Any protective magic items the characters are wearing when they 
  transform into dragons, still lend their protections to the characters. Items 
  that need to be used, however, such as wands, implements, or weapons, 
  meld into the dragon body and can’t be used. Characters heal when 
  they transform, so they begin the fight with a dragon’s full hit points. 
  Transformed characters can’t cast spells or use other class abilities; they 
  are young dragons in every way. Characters stay in their dragon form for 
  up to a week, or they can transform back to their normal form any time 
  they wish. Sadly, the change back is permanent.
  Once it’s used, the Staff of the Dragon is spent. The gold and gems 
  adorning it make the staff worth 20,000 gp. Plenty of arcane spellcasters 
  would kill (or worse) to get their hands on it, even with its magic exhausted, 
  and most dragons fly into a rage if they see it in the hands of mortals.
  (Ancient Blue Dragon: AC 22, 481 hp; the dragon uses its 
  breath weapon once, OR uses frightful presence plus 
  one bite and two claw attacks; every creature within 
  120 ft. must make a successful DC 20 Wis saving throw 
  or become frightened for 1 minute [frightful presence]; 
  
  36
  Quests of Doom: giants & dragons
  +16 to hit, 2d10 + 9 piercing damage plus 2d10 lightning 
  damage [bite]; +16 to hit x2, 2d6 + 9 slashing damage 
  [claw]; 16d10 lightning damage in a 120-ft. line, or half 
  damage with a successful DC 23 Dex save [lightning 
  breath, recharge 5, 6]; can use 3 legendary actions [tail or 
  wing attacks] after other creature’s turns, 1/turn; +16 to hit, 
  2d8 + 9 bludgeoning damage [tail]; all creatures within 15 
  ft. take 2d6 + 9 bludgeoning damage and are knocked 
  prone, or half damage with a successful DC 24 Dex saving 
  throw [wing attack, costs 2 actions])
  Dragon Dreams
  Early during your rest, everyone awakens to the sounds of 
  dragons roaring in rage. The sounds are clearly coming from 
  many dragons of many different types. In this thick darkness, 
  huge monsters could be just a few hundred yards away and still 
  unseen. 
  Suddenly a ghostly form appears near your camp. It’s a ghostly 
  dragon, and it doesn’t look pleased about your presence. “Why 
  have you come here?” the ghost roars, and you can almost feel 
  its breath.
  In this highly magical temple, the air is filled with the ghosts of slain 
  dragons. Luckily for the characters, all these dragons have agendas of 
  their own. If spoken to reasonably, ghostly dragons reveal what they 
  want from the party. The characters aren’t attacked if they agree to help 
  the ghost so the creature can escape from the temple and move on to the 
  next stage of its existence. If characters attack a ghostly dragon, it attacks 
  with its breath weapon (as an adult dragon), then fades away, but it or 
  others will return. Affected characters take only half damage from ghostly 
  dragon breath, or no damage with a successful saving throw. 
  All of the dragons start out furious with the party. Each one threatens to 
  kill the characters for the terrible things done to the dragon while it lived. 
  In actuality, all these dragons really want is for someone to listen to their 
  story. If characters talk to the ghost creature at all, they can calm it down 
  and hear the story of the dragon. 
  Roll 1d12 to determine what type of ghostly dragon has appeared and 
  what it has to say.
  1: Gold Dragon Story. Greedy dwarves killed the gold dragon. If there 
  is a dwarf in the party, the dragon will attack at the least provocation. 
  A powerful, dragon-killing longsword was stolen from its hoard by the 
  dwarves and taken to their fortress in a nearby mountain. The dragon 
  wants the characters to go to the dwarves and recover the sword by any 
  means. If they bring it back to the temple and present it to any of the 
  lizardfolk guards, the dragon can help them secure the Staff of the Dragon 
  located in another part of the temple. Naturally, the dwarves don’t want 
  to give up the magic sword. They will sell it, however, if enough gold or 
  riches are offered. If the sword is brought to the temple, the ghostly gold 
  dragon should prove extremely helpful to the party.
  2: Silver Dragon Story. The silver dragon died under the swords and 
  arrows of orcs. If there is a half-orc or orc in the party, the dragon attacks 
  at the least provocation. The dragon tells a story of waves of orcs attacking 
  its lair, slaying all of the dragon’s guardian minions, and taking over the 
  lair as their own. The silver dragon wants the characters to go to that lair, 
  nine days away through the mountains, and wipe out the orcs. Afterward, 
  they can help themselves to its treasure, all except a 2-foot-high statue 
  of a silver dragon wrought from holy silver. The statue belongs here in 
  the dragon temple. The dragon’s old lair is overrun with orcs, orogs, and 
  ogres. If the silver dragon statue is brought to the temple, the ghostly 
  silver dragon proves very helpful to the characters.
  3: Bronze Dragon Story. The bronze dragon died in a cave-in while 
  excavating part of its lair. The dragon wants its skeletal head brought to 
  this temple. The skeleton is 90 miles away in the mountain range. The 
  ghostly bronze dragon will actually go with the party and help them find 
  its dead body. If the group goes on this quest immediately, the ghost also 
  leads them to a suit of plate armor hidden in its lair that gives its wearer 
  immunity to lightning damage.
  4: Copper Dragon Story. The copper dragon was killed by a band of 
  stone giants in a faraway land. It helps the characters claim the dragon 
  staff if they free the two fire elementals trapped in the lava pool in the Red 
  Corridor. If the group doesn’t agree to this, then this dragon appears in the 
  pyramid chamber when they try to take the Staff of the Dragon and attacks 
  with its illusory breath.
  5: White Dragon Story. The white dragon felled by the shafts of elven 
  arrows. If there are elves among the characters, the temperature in the 
  area plunges to below zero. Characters won’t be able to rest here at all 
  unless they agree to the ghost’s terms or drive it away. The white dragon 
  wants the party to go to Area G and free the white dragon trapped in 
  the cave. It doesn’t know how, exactly; it only knows that the curse will 
  be broken if the statue is removed from the chamber. The ghostly white 
  dragon vanishes when characters agree to its quest.
  6: Black Dragon Story. The black dragon was killed in its swamp 
  home by lizardfolk. If the characters will hunt down and kill the lizard 
  king and at least 20 of his minions, the ghost promises to reward them 
  with a +2 weapon or implement (your choice—offer whatever is most 
  likely to get a positive response from the characters). This evil creature is 
  lying, however; it never reappears or gives them anything, no matter how 
  many lizardfolk they kill.
  7: Green Dragon Story. A goblin war band surprised this dragon in 
  its lair and overpowered it. It now hates goblins and wants revenge. It 
  offers to lead the party to its den in a forest a month’s travel away. There 
  they can find an ancient bow manufactured by elvish wizards, which does 
  +10 damage to giants. There is also a locked case containing 11 emeralds 
  worth 10,000 gp. The only catch is that they must first wipe out the entire 
  tribe of goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears living in the lair.
  8: Red Dragon Story. The red dragon died under the claws of a 
  blue dragon centuries ago—the same blue dragon living nearby in the 
  mountains. If characters tell it truthfully why they are here, the dragon 
  disappears in a burst of flame, then reappears a short time later and drops 
  the Staff of the Dragon at their feet. If anyone has taken anything else from 
  the temple, however, the staff is ghostly and impossible to pick up until 
  everything is returned to where it came from; then and only then can they 
  pick up the staff. All it asks is that they kill the blue dragon and place its 
  head on a high rock spire, where it can be seen for miles.
  9: Blue Dragon Story. The ghostly blue dragon knows that if the party 
  claims the Staff of the Dragon, they’ll wind up using it to fight another blue 
  dragon. It isn’t happy about this, and it won’t consider helping. Instead, 
  the ghost rages at the characters, telling them never should have dared to 
  enter this temple created for only dragons. No one can rest, and by the 
  time the dragon fades away, it has cursed everyone; the curse has the same 
  effect as being poisoned, and it’s permanent until removed by magic. 
  10: Shadow Dragon Story. The shadow dragon is unnaturally small, 
  only about the size of a horse. It circles the characters’ camp endlessly 
  while roaring and shouting dire threats. Occasionally it swoops through 
  the camp; it can’t hurt anyone physically, but it knocks over weapons and 
  scatters light gear into the darkness with buffets from its wings. Characters 
  can hear the dragon’s story only if they patiently work at calming it down. 
  There aren’t many shadow dragons in the world, but there are more in the 
  Shadowfell. This one was summoned to the Material Plane by a witch 
  who enslaved it. The shadow dragon served the enchantress for almost 
  a century before finally escaping from her control. Unfortunately, the 
  witch pursued it on a roc. She caught up to the young dragon a month 
  later and slew it out of spite. The ghostly dragon wants to make a deal. 
  Several hundred miles away is the home of the witch and her pet roc that 
  killed it. If the characters destroy them, the shadow dragon can make sure 
  lizardfolk guards don’t see the characters unless the characters attack first. 
  If characters don’t accept this deal, the ghost dragon fetches a group of 
  six lizardfolk to attack a few hours later and interrupt the characters’ rest.
  (Lizardfolk: AC 14, 22 hp; +4 to hit x2, 1d10 + 2 slashing 
  damage [halberd] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 
  piercing damage, [javelin])  
  
  37
  dread dragon temple
  11: Brass Dragon Story. The brass ghost dragon was slain by gnomes. 
  If there is a gnome in the party, the ghost demands an apology. If it gets 
  one, it tells its story; otherwise, it attacks. The dragon tells of the gnomes 
  offering it a huge treasure if the dragon would help the gnomes drive off 
  three marauding remorhazes. The dragon and the gnomes were victorious 
  in the first two battles and were on the verge of winning the third. As the 
  dragon struck the killing blow against the remorhaz, the gnomes revealed 
  their treachery. They attacked the weakened dragon and killed it so they 
  wouldn’t have to pay. The ghost dragon wants the characters to go to the 
  lair of the gnomes and demand the treasure the dragon earned. The lair is 
  only a few days away. If they return with the treasure, the dragon leads 
  them to the Staff of the Dragon and advises them on how to obtain it. If 
  the party refuses to help, the ghost attacks.
  12. Weak Ghost Dragon. The party hears a dull roar and the tunnel 
  shakes with the sound of an approaching creature. In the distance is a 
  dimly glowing form coming at the party. A huge form looms out of the 
  darkness, poised to attack. But the long-dead dragon is too weak from 
  passing ages to affect anything on the Material Plane. It fades as it charges 
  through the campsite, and vanishes without interacting with the party.
  
  38
  Lycanthropes
  & 
  Elementals
  
  39
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  The Darkening of Namjan Forest is an adventure designed for the Fifth 
  Edition of the original fantasy roleplaying game. It’s intended for use by 
  six to eight 4th-level characters. In the course of the adventure, the party 
  explores Namjan Forest, a woodland threatened by the creeping advance 
  of the Plane of Shadow made manifest through the presence of a rare 
  shadow elemental. This creature, an embodiment of the gloomy substance 
  that underlies the Plane of Shadow, escaped from a long imprisonment 
  in an ancient artifact known as the Darkling Lanthorn. The party must 
  investigate the phenomenon affecting Namjan Forest, trace the Darkening 
  back to its source, and destroy the agent seeking to infect the material 
  plane with shadow’s touch.
  The adventure is assumed to occur in a temperate forest region bordered 
  by hills on the edge of a small duchy. The GM can alter the adventure to 
  better fit his campaign world if necessary.
  Background
  Namjan Forest is a modest-sized woodland in the fork between two 
  chains of hills along the verge of civilization. The Namjan is an old wood 
  but not a pristine one. Residents of the realm have long felled its trees, 
  hunted its wildlife, and made charcoal within its borders. They’ve even 
  gone so far as to live within the forest; a small village stands on the shore 
  of the Fehlween River, the large waterway flowing through the Namjan. 
  In short, Namjan Forest seemed to harbor few mysteries. This impression, 
  however, was horribly wrong.
  Eons ago, when the hills were higher and the Fehlween wilder, the land 
  now filled by the woodland was held by a sorcerer-warlord named Dyraxl 
  The Darkening of
  Namjan Forest
  By Michael Curtis
  
  40
  Quests of Doom: lycanthropes & elementals
  Uhl-Kal-Totten. Uhl-Kal-Totten built his fortress on an easily-defendable 
  rise of land near the center of the hill-bordered land. From this keep, the 
  sorcerer-warlord ruled over the farms and small villages that lay under his 
  gaze and conducted arcane experiments to increase his magical prowess. 
  Uhl-Kal-Totten, like many a man who carved his way to despotism, 
  desired to expand his holdings, dreaming of an empire that spanned from 
  distant shore to far-flung shore. Like many a would-be tyrant, Uhl-Kal-
  Totten’s dreams never came to fruition.
  The circumstances that lead to Uhl-Kal-Totten’s fall are long forgotten. 
  The few scraps of lore that survived from that distant time only record 
  that the sorcerer-warlord’s enemies breached the walls of his fortress with 
  cataclysmic magic. Uhl-Kal-Totten fought to the last, ultimately calling 
  down powerful sorceries onto his own head to destroy himself, his keep, 
  and the multitude of invaders who thirsted for his blood. When the smoke 
  cleared and the dust settled, all that remained of the warlord and his 
  fortress were scorched bones and broken stones. His enemies returned to 
  their homelands, and the dreams and accomplishments of Uhl-Kal-Totten 
  were forgotten.
  As the centuries rolled along, the land that had been tamed under Uhl-
  Kal-Totten’s rules grew wild once more. Seedlings became mighty trees, 
  the high hills wore down like old teeth, and the Fehlween grew slow and 
  tired. Where once were tilled fields and a towering keep, now only old 
  trees and shallow gullies remained. But this placid landscape hid a dark 
  secret.
  Not all of Uhl-Kal-Totten’s dreams died in the conflagration. When 
  his fortress fell, the rubble buried his deepest cellars and undercrofts 
  beneath a mountain of blasted debris. Deep underground, neglected 
  magic slumbered, long forgotten by history, guarding relics the sorcerer-
  warlord planned on tapping to achieve his dreams of empire. Among those 
  forgotten objects was the Darkling Lanthorn, a lamp that threw not light, 
  but gloom, and which contained a titanic elemental drawn from the Plane 
  of Shadow.
  The Darkling Lanthorn might have lain in quietude forever had it not 
  been for a tree. A mighty oak sprang up in the nearly-vanished ruins 
  above the forgotten foundation of what was once Uhl-Kal-Totten’s keep. 
  As the tree grew, its roots dug deep, burrowing through the ground to 
  seek out nutrients and support the tremendous trunk and branches that 
  towered over the land. One of these probing roots wound its way into one 
  of Uhl-Kal-Totten’s cellars and—perhaps by chance, or perhaps guided by 
  supernatural powers—curled about the handle of the Darkling Lanthorn.
  At the touch of life, the Darkling Lanthorn’s slumbering occupant 
  awoke. The devastation that destroyed the fortress above had long since 
  weakened the protective barriers and wards placed around the Lanthorn, 
  so that the shadow elemental in the lamp could easily shake off the feeble 
  defenses that remained. With nothing left to contain it, the Darkling 
  Lanthorn’s power climbed out of its moldering prison and snaked its way 
  into the oak above.
  The once-mighty tree is now ground zero for an infectious gloom 
  spreading throughout Namjan Forest, a plague known as The Darkening. 
  Tendrils of darkness and wisps of misty gloom flow outward from the 
  tree, staining everything they brush against with the touch of shadow. The 
  Fehlween’s water have turned ebony and the animals that once frolicked 
  within the woods have changed. Hunters and loggers have disappeared in 
  the unnaturally dark forest, and those who know those woods speak of a 
  relentless, ever-hungry gloom intent on plunging the entire wood—and 
  perhaps even the lands beyond it—into eternal shadow.
  The power within the Darkling Lanthorn is just beginning to grow. 
  Unless someone can root out the source of this tangible darkness, the fate 
  of those living outside the Namjan will soon hang in the balance. It is up 
  to a band of intrepid adventurers to find the heart of darkness before it is 
  too late.
  Starting the Adventure
  First alerted to the threat by the survivors of the Darkening of Stillwater 
  (see Namjan Forest, Area 4), the local Duke sent a company of soldiers 
  into the Forest to investigate the matter. When these well-armed veterans, 
  led by the ranger Egrihl, failed to return, His Grace offered a reward of 
  2,500 gp and the promise of a noble claim on the Namjan to whoever 
  could discern the origin of the gloomy menace and put an end to it before it 
  spreads across the duchy. Hopefully, an offer of that magnitude is enough 
  to draw the player characters’ attention and motivate them to finding and 
  stopping the insidious taint that afflicts Namjan Forest.
  If the adventurers are renowned adventurers, an agent of the Duke can 
  seek them out and extend His Grace’s offer to them directly. The agent can 
  provide the information below and, if characters make a successful DC 
  15 Cha (Persuasion) check, arrange an audience with the Duke to further 
  elaborate on the offer. 
  Gathering Information
  A wise party will seek out further information about Namjan Forest 
  and the mysterious events occurring within before beginning their 
  investigation. Characters can investigate by questioning occupants of 
  any nearby settlement or through the Duke or his agents. The following 
  information can be gleaned.
  1. The shadowy infestation was first noticed about a week ago, when the 
  Fehlween turned dark. The river’s discoloration was originally thought to 
  be sediment washing down from the hills, but the water soon had strange 
  effects on animals and people who drank it. 
  2. In addition to the darkened water of the Fehlween, the forest itself 
  has grown dim. Shadows cling to branches like vines and pool in thickets, 
  exuding an aura of menace. The sound of animal noise has diminished, 
  and even the air has grown heavy and still, as if tainted by an invisible 
  weight.
  3. According to refugees fleeing the forest, this encroaching darkness 
  spreads like a sickness, infecting those exposed to its touch for more than 
  a few days. The creeping shadow drains vitality from living creatures. 
  Those touched by the gloom either vanish utterly, fading away as if 
  ghosts, or become transformed by the darkness. Transformed creatures 
  become a dusky ash in color and manifest unnatural powers. Their minds 
  become evil and they revel in violence.
  4.  Several areas in Namjan Forest are of special interest. There are two 
  permanent settlements, Stillwater and Thistlehill; a low, stone-covered 
  hill known as the Tumbles; a cave called the Gullet; and the ruins of an 
  old watchtower of amazing age.
  5. Stillwater is a human hamlet located on the western shore of the 
  Fehlween River deep in the Forest. According to refugees, it has been 
  overwhelmed by the Darkening. The fate of its inhabitants is unknown.
  6. Thistlehill is a small gnomish community situated near the western 
  edge of the Forest. The gnomes mine a rich quartz vein and trade the 
  shining stones at Stillwater. No one knows if Thistlehill has been touched 
  by the darkening or if the gnome miners are even aware of the threat.
  7. The Gullet is a small cave located near the middle of the Forest. It 
  is said to be home to various monsters. Legends conflict, and trolls, orcs, 
  demons, and even a dragon have all been said to live within it.
  8. The riverside hamlet of Stillwater is perhaps the best place for the 
  party to begin their exploration of the Namjan. The village can be reached 
  by paddling up the Fehlween River or by following a horse trail that runs 
  along the east (left) bank of the River.
  The Darkening 
  Shadow’s taint is slowly expanding across the forest, from its epicenter 
  at the Darkling Oak (see “Namjan Forest, Area 12”). The forest map 
  shows what portion of the woodland is already under shadow’s sway and 
  what has yet to succumb to the creeping gloom. Adventurers can rest in a 
  hex untouched by shadow, allowing them to recover and perhaps shake off 
  shadow’s touch (see “The Danger of Shadow Inflection” below).
  Once the adventure begins, the GM rolls 1d4 + 1 at the start of each day. 
  The result is the number of hexes on the forest map that shadow spreads 
  to. The GM determines which hexes are affected and marks them to chart 
  shadow’s progress. The GM can choose the afflicted hexes randomly 
  
  41
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  by whatever means she desires, or pick areas that are most dramatically 
  appropriate and that will have maximum dramatic impact among players 
  (the party awakening to discover shadow has surrounded them during 
  the night and they must venture through affected territory to escape, for 
  example).
  If shadow ever claims the entire Namjan Forest, its grip become 
  absolute. Even the destruction of the Darkling Lanthorn and its elemental 
  defender is insufficient to break shadow’s hold on the land, and further 
  troubles are bound to affect the region (see “Concluding the Adventure” 
  for further details and ideas).
  The Danger of Shadow Infection
  The influence of the Darkling Lanthorn pervades Namjan Forest, 
  insinuating itself into every living creature within the forest’s borders. The 
  heroes are subject to this infection as they explore the tainted woodlands 
  and, should they fail to root out the source of the corruption quickly, may 
  succumb to its effects. 
  Each day (or portion thereof) a character is within the boundary of the 
  forest, he must make a successful DC 10 Con saving throw or become 
  drained of vitality. This drain manifests as one level of exhaustion. 
  Exhaustion gained through exposure to the Darkening cannot be relieved 
  by taking a long rest while inside any portion of Namjan Forest that is 
  under shadow’s hold. A character suffering from vitality loss because of the 
  Darkening can be cured only by resting in an unaffected area, regardless 
  whether that area is inside or outside the forest. A greater restoration spell 
  removes the exhaustion normally.
  Characters directly exposed to the spreading gloom also lose vitality. A 
  hero drinking the tainted water of the Fehlween River or eating the flesh 
  of a shadow-infected creature must make a successful DC 15 Con saving 
  throw or immediately gain one exhaustion level. 
  A creature who acquires six exhaustion levels from exposure to the 
  Darkening does not die, but is instead completely overcome by shadow. 
  The creature either fades away to the Plane of Shadow (75% chance) or 
  becomes shadow-touched (25% chance). In either event, the character 
  becomes an NPC no longer under the player’s control.
  Namjan Forest
  Namjan Forest is predominately first- and second-growth trees of 
  maple, oak, spruce, and pine. The forest floor is covered by a thick layer 
  of rich, dark loam, which supports small plants and shrubs, as well as 
  mushrooms, mosses, and similar low flora. Deadfalls are common away 
  from the trails that snake through the woods; close to these paths, fallen 
  limbs and dead trees have been cleared for firewood and charcoal-making.
  General Features
  Atmosphere: The forest is much quieter than a normal forest should 
  be. Little animal noise is heard, and the few sounds that are present echo 
  unnaturally. The air is still and oppressively stale, and travelers experience 
  a sense of being watched from the ever-present shadows.
  Trails: There are two types of paths through the Forest: the main trail 
  and secondary footpaths. The trail links the settlements of Thistlehill and 
  Stillwater with the outside world, while the smaller footpaths leave the 
  main trail to reach smaller sites of interest inside the woodland. The main 
  trail is wide enough to accommodate two horses and riders travelling side-
  by-side, while the footpaths are narrow enough to force riders into single 
  file. The main trail is clear of forest debris, and the occasional sign points 
  in the direction of Thistlehill and Stillwater. Footpaths lack signage and 
  tend to be occasionally overgrown by brush.
  Illumination: Because of the effects of the Darkening, the portions 
  of Namjan Forest that have been infected are permanently cloaked in 
  dense shadow. These shades are ominous and seem to almost possess a 
  physical heft. Draperies of gloom hang like Spanish moss from tree limbs, 
  Random Encounters
  Characters are subject to random encounters while traveling 
  through the Namjan and on the Fehlween River. There is a 20% 
  chance of an encounter occurring at select intervals, depending on 
  whether the party is in the woods or on the river. The GM checks 
  for random encounters three times a day in the Forest: once in late 
  morning, once in mid-afternoon, and once in the evening. If the party 
  is traveling by river, a random encounter check is made every hour 
  while on the water and once during the night. Use the following two 
  tables to determine the type of random encounter, if one occurs.
  Namjan Forest Random Encounters
  1D8
  Encounter
  1
  Encroaching shadow (see below)
  2
  1d3 Shadow-touched elk (see “Namjan 
  Forest, Area 9”)
  3
  1d3 Grimseems (see “Namjan Forest, Area 6”)
  4
  1 Shadow-touched owlbear (see “Namjan 
  Forest, Area 10”)
  5
  1 Shadow-touched wolf (see below)
  6
  1 Shadow king (see “New Monsters”)
  7-8
  1d4 Shadows
  Fehlween River Random Encounters
  1D6
  Encounter
  1
  Encroaching shadow (see below)
  2
  1 Shadow king (see “New Monsters”)
  3
  1d3 Shadow-touched alligator gar (see 
  “Namjan Forest, Area 3”)
  4
  1d3 Grimseems (see “Namjan Forest, Area 6”)
  5-6
  1d4 Shadows
  Random Encounter Notes
  Shadow-touched Creatures: Animals and monsters that 
  succumb to the Darkening gain frightening new powers. The 
  GM should refer to the “New Monsters” appendix for details on 
  converting a typical creature to a shadow-touched monster.
  Encroaching Shadow: A long, thin finger of shadow creeps out 
  to wrap itself around a random character. Treat the tendril as having 
  a Stealth check result of 15. Any creature with a passive Perception 
  of 15 or more, or who is specifically keeping an eye out for trouble 
  and makes a successful DC 15 Wis (Perception) check, notices the 
  creeping shadow before it strikes. The targeted character must make 
  a successful DC 13 Dex saving throw to avoid being touched by the 
  shadow tendril. If the tendril was noticed by the character or he was 
  warned by an ally who detected the tendril’s approach, he makes 
  the saving throw as normal. If unseen, the saving throw is at tactical 
  disadvantage. On a failed saving throw, the finger latches onto the 
  adventurer, siphoning his energy (represented by the character 
  gaining one exhaustion level).
  The tendril continues to drain the hero on subsequent rounds, 
  requiring the character to make a successful DC 12 Con saving 
  throw or gain another exhaustion level. The affected character or 
  his allies can cut the tendril with silver or magical weapons (AC 
  10, 5 hp) or can break free by making a successful DC 15 Str 
  check. Once broken or cut, the tendril dissipates into sooty mist.
  
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  Quests of Doom: lycanthropes & elementals
  
  43
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  and darkness collects in drifts like fallen snow beneath the canopy. This 
  cloaking of shadows means that even in daylight, the Forest is lightly 
  obscured to all creatures without darkvision, blindsight, or other advanced 
  senses. Additionally, as a result of the overall gloom, targets farther than 
  60 feet away from an observer are considered to be lightly obscured and 
  to have half cover if attacked.
  Fehlween River: The river averages between 60 and 100 feet wide and 
  is 30 feet deep at its center. The water of the Fehlween has turned pitch 
  black from the Darkening as shadow creeps down its length. An individual 
  putting her hand in the water discovers the fluid has an inexplicable heft, 
  as if filled with sediment, but there is no gritty feel to the river. In fact, 
  the water feels almost silky, but it is a silkiness that has no place on this 
  earth. Physical contact with the water is not hazardous, but drinking it is: 
  see “The Danger of Shadow Infection” (above) for the consequences of 
  drinking from the river.
  1. Shadow Attack
  The sound of screams rings from the riverbank. A small boat 
  packed with bags, tools, and similar goods rests on the shore 
  amongst reeds and mud. A body lies sprawled beside the boat, 
  looking curiously drained and ashen. A human male dressed 
  in homespun stands over the body, swinging a woodcutter’s 
  axe wildly. Looming over the panicked man is a patch of deep 
  darkness that possesses a vaguely humanoid shape.
   
  The woodsman and his now-dead companion were refugees fleeing the 
  Darkening by traveling down the Fehlween River when they encountered 
  a shadow king (see “New Monsters”). They took to the shore to try to 
  escape the creature, but it killed one of them and is set on slaying the other. 
  Creatures: The shadow king concentrates its attacks on the woodman, 
  killing him in two rounds unless destroyed or driven off. It then attacks the 
  adventurers, if they intervene.
  If the woodman survives the fight, he thanks the party and can provide 
  any information listed under “Gathering Information” above, as well as 
  directions to the various places of interest (see Namjan Forest map). He 
  has no desire to join the party and only wishes to escape. He insists on 
  burying his dead companion, unaware that the body will rise as a shadow 
  in 1d4 hours. Unless gentle repose is cast on the corpse, it crawls from 
  its grave as a newborn shadow, and the woodsman later becomes its first 
  victim. If the woodsman dies from the shadow king’s attack and gentle 
  repose is not cast on the bodies, the two newly-spawned shadows track 
  down the party and attack after dark on the adventurers’ first night inside 
  the forest (treat as an automatic nighttime random encounter).
  Their boat is packed with clothes, tools, and other household goods 
  the two owned. The only objects of value or interest are a pair of lanterns 
  (filled with oil), a shovel, a wood axe, two daggers, a short bow, 20 arrows, 
  a small barrel half filled with whiskey, a pipe, a full tobacco pouch, and a 
  leather sack containing 56 cp, 24 sp, and 6 gp.
  (Shadow King: AC 13, 39 hps; +6 to hit x2, 1d10 + 3 necrotic damage 
  plus DC 11 Con saving throw or target gains a –1 penalty on Str-based 
  attacks, saving throws, and ability checks [claws])
  2. Forest Trail
  A dirt path wide enough to accommodate two riders traveling 
  side-by-side leads into the forest. The branches above form a 
  tunnel of leaves that hang motionless in the still air. The hairs 
  on your neck stand up as you view the forest, for it feels as if 
  something inexplicable is missing from the woods.
  The main trail enters Namjan Forest at this point, winding its way 
  through the woods until it ends at Thistlehill (see Area 8). The trail is 
  considered normal terrain for travel speed. Characters walking or riding 
  through the forest without following a trail move as if traversing difficult 
  terrain.
  3. River Bridge
  A 100-foot-long wooden bridge crosses the inky water 20 
  feet above the river. Fashioned from rough timbers lashed and 
  nailed together, the bridge is wide enough to allow wagons to 
  cross. Fragile-looking railings run along the edges of the span, 
  providing minimal protection against falling into the river below.
   
  This bridge once allowed traffic to and from Stillwater to cross the river, 
  but the corruption of shadow has undermined its strength. The bridge’s 
  pilings have been weakened by shadow’s touch, and the span now is a 
  hazard. In addition to its failing condition, a pair of alligator gar, tainted 
  by shadow, swim around the bridge’s supports, waiting for someone to 
  fall in.
  There is a cumulative 10% chance the bridge collapses per person 
  crossing it; i.e., the first person crossing the bridge has a 10% chance of 
  causing a collapse, while the fourth risks a 40% chance of collapse. If a 
  group crosses together, the chance equals the number of characters in the 
  group plus the number that crossed individually before them, if any. A 
  large animal or vehicle such as a horse or wagon automatically causes the 
  bridge to fail. Roll 1d6 + 2, multiplied by 10 feet, to determine how far the 
  character, group, or transport has progressed before the collapse occurs.
  If a collapse happens, the person or creature causing the collapse as 
  well as all others on the bridge and within 10 feet must make a successful 
  DC 10 Dex saving throw or fall into the Fehlween River, taking 1d6 
  bludgeoning damage from the fall.
  Creatures: Two large alligator gar that succumbed to the Darkening 
  now hunt in the black water beneath the bridge. Any creature falling into 
  the river is immediately attacked by the savage animals. These alligator 
  gar have stats identical to reef sharks, but with the addition of one shadow-
  touched power chosen by the GM. 
  (Shadow-touched Alligator Gar x2: AC 12, 22 hps; +4 to 
  hit, 1d8 + 2 piercing damage [bite]; plus one shadow-
  touched ability chosen by the GM)
  4. Stillwater
  A cluster of small cottages stands along the western shore of 
  the dark river. These rude huts appear dim and indistinct, their 
  edges blurred by shadows. The structures almost seem as if they 
  are fashioned from gossamer scraps of gloom rather than wood 
  and plaster. The air surrounding the hamlet is also dim and heavy 
  with darkness as if a cloud of soot and ash clings to the village 
  with an unrelenting grip. You detect no signs of life.
  Stillwater succumbed to the Darkening swiftly as both its residents 
  and its existence depended on the Fehlween River. The hamlet is entirely 
  corrupted by shadow and is no longer part of the Prime Material Plane.
  Creatures: Most of the two score residents of Stillwater died from 
  shadow’s infection, but a half-dozen emerged from the blight as servant of 
  the Darkening. Six shadows lurk along the gloomy edges of town, striking 
  anyone who enters the village from ambush.
  Shadows (6)
  The cottages of Stillwater of insubstantial, being nothing more than 
  dark reflections of the Shadow Plane. Solid objects pass through them 
  and even magical weapons and spells have no more effect that slicing a 
  
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  Quests of Doom: lycanthropes & elementals
  shadow with a knife. heroes peering inside the buildings observe that the 
  Darkening overcame Stillwater abruptly as there are half-eaten, shadowy 
  meals sitting atop gossamer tables and signs of chores stopped in mid-
  task. A successful DC 12 Int (Investigation) check discerns that it appears 
  the occupants of the buildings on the southeast end of the village seemed 
  to have had some warning before being overcome by shadow’s march, 
  suggesting the encroachment came from the north or west.
  5. The Charcoal-Maker’s Shack
  The smell of burned wood hangs heavy in the gloomy air. 
  Before you is a small clearing containing a single hut made of 
  timber and sod. A ring of charred wood, dead coals, and ash 
  surrounds the clearing, encompassing the entire area within its 
  blackened embrace.
  The hut was until recently home to one of the charcoal-makers who 
  dwell in the forest. As the Darkening spread through the woods, the 
  charcoal-maker and his family found themselves surrounded by the 
  encroaching shadows. Seeking to save themselves, they heaped wood in 
  a ring around their home and set it alight to drive back the darkness. This 
  worked well until nightfall, when the burning barrier threw more shadows 
  than it drove away and the charcoal-maker, his wife, and son watched in 
  horror as the Darkening reached for them. Determined not to fall to its 
  embrace, the man killed his wife and child, then took his own life, denying 
  shadow more victims.
  The ashes surrounding the hut are cool to the touch, having burned 
  out a few days ago. Inside the burned area, tendrils of shadow lurk in 
  depressions in the ground and crouch by the timber and sod hut. Despite 
  the shadows, the hut can be entered without danger.
  Inside the small, two-room hut are the bodies of the charcoal-maker and 
  his family. Clouds of blowflies fill the air in the dark hovel, and the smell 
  is ghastly. From their wounds, it is apparent that the wife and son died 
  from slit throats and the husband perished from a single stab to the heart. 
  The knife’s hilt juts from his chest, his hand still on the handle.
  There is little to be learned from this place, but characters who don’t 
  mind pilfering from the dead find a gold wedding band (50 gp value) on 
  the wife’s finger and a carved wooden box containing 67 cp and 14 sp, if 
  the hut is searched.
  6. Ancient Watchtower Site
  In a dark clearing stands the broken remains of an old watchtower. 
  The structure is missing its upper floors and is gutted by fire and 
  time, leaving only the shell of a once formidable redoubt. The ruin 
  seems to stand like a tombstone to some forgotten age.
  A crumbling relic from the days when Dyraxl Uhl-Kal-Totten ruled the 
  land, the watchtower survived the collapse of his rule and served as a safe 
  refuge for travelers for centuries before falling utterly into decay. The ruin 
  later provided shelter for woodsmen and sometimes bandits, but is now 
  home to some of shadow’s spawn.
  Creatures: A pair of grimseems (see “New Monsters”) lurks inside the 
  shell. They prefer to remain in hiding during the daytime, but will attack if 
  the ruin is entered while the sun is high. After nightfall, the two elementals 
  emerge to hunt, attacking the adventurers if the party is camped nearby.
  (Grimseem x2: AC 14, 32 hp; +5 to hit, 1d4 + 3 necrotic 
  damage [bite] and +5 to hit, 1d8 + 4 bludgeoning 
  damage [tentacle])
  
  45
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  The watchtower’s interior is 50 feet square and filled with mounds of 
  fallen masonry, underbrush, and vines. A small fire pit containing cold 
  ashes and charred wood is dug at the center of the ruin.
  A forgotten treasure, overlooked by travelers, resides inside the shell. A 
  bandit gang once buried its loot here, but internal squabbling and eventual 
  murder ensured the trove was forgotten with the death of the bandits. A 
  successful DC 20 Int (Investigation) check discerns a few odd scratches 
  on a large slab of fallen stone. Lifting the stone up—requiring a successful 
  DC 15 Str (Athletics) check—uncovers a shallow hole containing a large 
  bundle wrapped in oilskin. Inside the parcel is a wrapped stack of 10 
  beaver pelts (2 gp value each), an ermine-trimmed coat (25 gp value), 
  a pair of silver candelabras (15 gp value each), a longsword scabbard 
  adorned with semiprecious stones and wrapped with gold wire (200 gp 
  value), a sack containing 27 sp and 15 gp, and a glass vial filled with a 
  potion of vitality.
  7. The Soldiers’ Fate
  The faint glimmer of steel is visible on the narrow trail that 
  winds through the gloom. A closer look reveals it to be several 
  chain mail shirts, metal shields, spears, and swords strewn about 
  the path. Mixed in among the discarded arms and armaments are 
  tunics, breeches, and boots. It is as if the wearers decided they no 
  longer wished to be encumbered by weapons, armor, or clothing, 
  and hastily shed them.
  It was on this spot that the Duke’s men succumbed to the 
  Darkening and either perished or were consumed. Those that were 
  absorbed by shadow’s grasp left their gear behind. Their equipment 
  and clothing, however, is not all that remains of them. While some of 
  those devoured by shadow sought out the Darkling Lanthorn (see The 
  Cellars, Area 10), a few remained and have gorged themselves on the 
  living energy of creatures in the woods, growing fat and fearsome in 
  their feasting.
  Creatures: A trio of shadow kings lurks along the path. They first 
  devoured some of their fellow soldiers, but now subsist on the occasional 
  animal that survives in the forest. They haunt this stretch of path until 
  destroyed.
  (Shadow King x3: AC 13, 39 hps; +6 to hit x2, 1d10 + 3 
  necrotic damage plus DC 11 Con saving throw or target 
  gains a –1 penalty on Str-based attacks, saving throws, 
  and ability checks [claws])
  The discarded weapons and equipment along the path consist of chain 
  mail shirts, spears, longwords, and shields for a dozen men. There are 
  also four light crossbows and four bolt cases with 10 bolts remaining in 
  each. In addition to the arms and armor, there are a dozen sets of traveling 
  clothes and 12 small sacks holding water skins and three days of rations. 
  Among the mundane supplies are pouches containing a total of 46 cp, 77 
  sp, 15 gp, two silver rings (10 gp value each), a gold hoop earring (5 gp 
  value), and a small garnet (50 gp value).
  8. Thistlehill
  The ground rises slightly here, forming a 10-foot-high hillock 
  in the midst of a gloomy clearing. In the side of the hill is a wide, 
  low doorway bracketed by thick timber posts and lintel. A well-
  worn path leads to the tightly-shut door.
  This is the main entrance to the gnome burrow of Thistlehill, the other 
  settlement inside Namjan Forest. Like their neighbors in Stillwater, 
  Thistlehill has fallen to the spread of the Darkening. Most of its residents 
  have been carried off to shadow or corrupted by its touch. There is a 
  bastion of hope in Thistlehill, however. A particular vein of gemstones 
  mined by the gnomes possesses a peculiar property of absorbing and 
  then releasing light, and this power makes them potent weapons against 
  shadow. More information on the gnome burrow is presented bellow in 
  the “Thistlehill” chapter.
  9. Hunter and Hunted
  The sound of howling and the thump of hooves on the soft 
  forest floor ring around you. Bursting from the cover of the 
  trees comes a pack of wolves, their eyes bright not with 
  fury but with panic. A moment later, another beast rushes 
  from between the boles, branches tearing free from trees as 
  it passes. Pursuing the pack is a large elk with fur that is a 
  dusky ash color. Strands of writhing shados dangle from its 
  antlers.
  The elk succumbed to the Darkening, turning it fearsome and hungry 
  for vitality. When the wolves encountered the afflicted animal, they found 
  themselves going from predator to prey. Now they flee the elk, and their 
  flight has brought them into the party’s path.
  Creatures: There are four wolves and one shadow-touched elk 
  emerging from the woods. The wolves are panicked and may attack the 
  party if the characters fail to get out of their path. The elk, seeing more 
  vitality in the heroes than the wolves, ceases pursuit to siphon the life 
  from the heroes.
  (Wolf x4: AC 13, 11 hp; +4 to hit, 2d4 + 2 piercing damage 
  and the target must make a successful DC 11 Str saving 
  throw or be knocked prone [bite]; a wolf has tactical 
  advantage on attack rolls if at least one active ally is 
  adjacent to the target)
  (Shadow-touched Elk: AC 10, 13 hp; +5 to hit, 1d6 + 
  3 bludgeoning damage [ram] or +5 to hit, 2d4 + 3 
  bludgeoning damage [hooves, against prone target only] 
  plus one shadow-touched ability chosen by the GM)
  It is possible for the wolves to be magically induced to aid the party 
  via spells such as animal friendship or dominate beast, but the canines 
  have tactical advantage on their saving throw due to their frenzied state. 
  If charmed, the wolves calm down and act according the parameters of 
  the spell.
  10. The Gullet
  Large rocks jut from the forest floor in this vicinity, leaning 
  on one another like staggering drunks. Two especially large 
  outcroppings form an upside-down V with a dark cave mouth 
  visible in the gap between them. The air here smells foul 
  and rank.
  A careful inspection of the area accompanied by a successful DC 15 
  Wis (Perception) check reveals a trail of large footprints winding among 
  the rocks. A successful DC 12 Wis (Survival) identifies the tracks as bear 
  tracks, but a ranger with the favored enemy (monstrosities) recognizes 
  them as owlbear tracks.
  Creature: The cave measures roughly 30 feet square and is home to a 
  shadow-touched owlbear. During daylight hours it remains inside its cave, 
  emerging to hunt after dark.
  
  46
  Quests of Doom: lycanthropes & elementals
  (Shadow-touched Owlbear: AC 13, 59 hp; +7 to hit, 1d10 + 
  5 piercing damage [beak] and +7 to hit, 2d8 + 5 slashing 
  damage [claws]; plus shadow-touched abilities chosen by 
  the GM)
  There is a 50% chance the owlbear is asleep if characters enter the cave 
  during the day. It automatically awakens if attacked, but suffers tactical 
  disadvantage on its initiative check because of its sudden rousing. It mauls 
  any adventurer in melee range. If the party is out of range, it uses its 
  shadow-ripping ability for two rounds before closing the distance and 
  fighting with beak and claws.
  The cave contains bones and owlbear scat. Mixed in amongst the 
  detritus is a rusty chain shirt, a +1 dagger, a set of ivory gaming dice 
  (15 sp value), and a gold belt buckle with amethyst stone (20 gp value) 
  attached to a rotting leather belt.
  A crude and extremely old map is scratched on the cave wall. This map 
  dates back to the time of Dyraxl Uhl-Kal-Totten and depicts the region 
  as it was then. The Fehlween River is easily identifiable and, with that 
  as a guide, the characters can deduce the approximate locations of the 
  Watchtower (Area 6) and the Darkling Oak (Area 12). Each of these sites 
  is depicted as a crude tower and keep, and may hint at further locations in 
  need of exploration to find the source of the Darkening.
  11. Shadows Merge
  A small tributary flows into the Fehlween River from the west, 
  its water just as inky dark as the shadow-rich liquid of the main 
  river. Stands of soot-colored reeds cling in clusters to the river 
  banks, their tufted stalks standing unmoving in the still air.
  A successful DC 15 Wis (Perception) check notices a punt pulled up 
  to the northern bank of the tributary and mostly hidden among the reeds. 
  Heroes inspecting the long, narrow boat find the bottom of the punt stained 
  with copious amounts of blood. Lying in the gore is a human leg severed 
  at the shin and a blood-stained fishing knife. Writing is carved into the 
  seat of the punt, scratched into the wood by a shaky hand. The writing is 
  in Common and reads:
  “The dark crept in and touched my leg. Cut it off, but too late. I’m going, 
  going dark and light. Came down the thinny way, out of the Tumbles. 
  Can’t st..” The scratched message ends abruptly.
  The message was written by the unfortunate former owner of the 
  severed leg who became infected by the Darkening as it crept down this 
  narrow tributary (“the thinny way”) from the tree. The infected boatman 
  severed the appendage but shadow overtook him and his body faded away. 
  He had just enough time to scrawl his warning before his physical body 
  dissipated.
  If characters continue upriver past the meeting of the waters, they soon 
  see that the water of the Fehlween becomes clear, losing its dark taint. It 
  is obvious that the source of the river’s Darkening is the tributary, perhaps 
  spurring them deeper into the forest toward the source of the shadows.
  12. The Darkling Oak
  The ground rises slightly here, forming a low island among the 
  gloomy forest floor. This small hillock appears formed by a mass 
  of ancient, fallen stones. Tumbled together and half-buried under 
  centuries of forest loam, the moss-covered stones are weathered by 
  storms and time. Sprouting among the broken masonry is a titanic 
  oak rising 50 feet into the air. Its trunk is dusky ash in color, its 
  leaves glossy obsidian. Hanging from the branches are thick coils of 
  shadow that drip slowly down toward the ground like black honey.
  This tree is in direct contact with the Darkling Lanthorn and the conduit 
  to shadow. It is responsible for the awakening of the relic’s power and the 
  start of the Darkening. The oak is entirely infected with shadow’s touch, 
  so that it exists only partially on this plane and partially on the Plane 
  of Shadow. Any attack or destructive spell targeting the oak temporarily 
  damages it, but the tree heals its massive trunk and limbs moments later 
  as the injury is patched over with shadow stuff.
  The dripping coils of shadow are dangerous, and the tree instinctively 
  lashes out with the viscous substance at any creature approaching within 
  20 feet of it. 
  Darkling Oak
  XP 1,800 (CR 5)
  CE Huge plant
  Initiative +2
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 16 (natural armor)
  hp: 75 (10d12 + 10)
  Immunity: Psychic damage; charm, fright, stun, 
  unconsciousness
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 0 ft.
  Multiattack: The darkling oak attacks four times with shadow 
  coils.
  Melee Attack—Shadow Coil: +7 to hit (reach 20 ft.; one 
  target). Hit: 1d8 + 2 necrotic damage, and a living 
  creature must make a successful DC 12 Con saving throw 
  or gain a –1 penalty on all Strength-based attack rolls, Str 
  saving throws, and Strength ability checks. The penalty 
  is cumulative with multiple unsuccessful saving throws. 
  The penalty persists until the creature completes a long 
  or short rest. If the penalty plus the creature’s normal 
  Strength modifier reach –6, the creature dies. If a non-evil 
  living creature dies from this effect, a new shadow king 
  rises from its corpse 1d6 hours later.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 18 (+4), Dex 14 (+2), Con 12 (+1), Int 0 (-5), Wis 10 (+0), 
  Cha 5 (-0)
  Languages: None
  Senses: Tremorsense 60 ft.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Shadow-infested forest
  Organization: Solitary
  The earth-covered mound of broken rubble is all that remains of Dyraxl 
  Uhl-Kal-Totten’s stronghold. This rise of land measures 100 feet in 
  diameter and 20 feet tall at its highest point. The Shadow Oak sprouts 
  from the western end of the hillock. Slightly south of the tree at a distance 
  of 20 feet, a narrow, dark tunnel mouth is visible between two massive 
  piece of masonry. It appears to lead to a cave or similar descent within the 
  mound. This tunnel does indeed connect to the cellars, Area 1.
  
  47
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  Thistlehill Gnome Burrow
  This small burrow was home to two dozen gnomish miners and woodworkers. 
  They did a brisk trade with their human neighbors of Stillwater, selling their 
  wares to dealers there in return for the necessities and luxuries the gnomes 
  desired. When the Darkening spread through the Namjan, the gnomes barred 
  their doors and hoped to withstand the infection. They failed, becoming afflicted 
  by shadow’s touch. Only one gnome remains untouched, surviving thanks to 
  the strange properties of the sunbreath quartz the gnomes mined.
  General Features
  Thistlehill is excavated out of the rocky soil beneath the forest, but it’s 
  no series of earthen caves and tunnels. The floors, walls, and ceilings of 
  Thistlehill are lined by stout timber planks, planed smooth and pegged firmly 
  into place. The air is dry and cool, and holds only a trace of rich, earthy scents.
  Interior Dimensions: Thistlehill is a gnomish home, and it’s sized 
  accordingly. Ceilings stand 6 feet high and corridors are 8 feet wide at the most. 
  Human-sized creatures can move and act without penalty inside Thistlehill, but 
  find the place cramped and uncomfortable after longer than an hour.
  Illumination: In better days, the interior of Thistlehill was lit by thick 
  beeswax candles set in wall holders or hanging chandeliers. These are still 
  present, but shadows’ taint not only makes the interior of the lair a place of 
  deep darkness but also prevents the candles from being lit. If set alight, the 
  flame struggles feebly for a moment, then fails. Unlike in the cellar (see 
  below), other illumination sources function normally inside Thistlehill, 
  providing their normal illumination.
  1. Front Door
  The double doors measure 6 feet high and 8 feet wide and are made 
  from stout oak bound with iron. A small, closed peephole pierces the left-
  hand door, looking out at gnome-eye level. The door is barred from within, 
  but the bar holding it is small (better to be managed by the gnomes). The 
  door can be bashed open with a successful DC 20 Str (Athletics) check or 
  the use of a knock spell.
  No one is guarding the door, but if more than two attempts are made to 
  force open the portal, the shadow gnomes at Area 2 are alerted and prepare 
  to attack intruders.
  2. Guard Post
  A cramped square room stands at the end of a sloping, plank-
  lined hallway. The space holds a small table and three chairs, 
  a little sealed barrel, and a pair of doors leading out. One door 
  stands in the north wall, another in the west wall.
  
  48
  Quests of Doom: lycanthropes & elementals
  Creatures: Three gloom gnomes (see “New Monsters”), the former guards 
  stationed here, continue their vigil, but for hunger, not duty. If the party burst 
  open the front door and immediately proceeded here, the guards are present 
  and preparing to attack. If the character dallied before entering or if multiple 
  attempts were needed to breach the front door, the shadow gnomes are merged 
  with the gloom and attack from ambush, likely surprising the party.
  The barrel contains 5 gallons of watered brandy. The doors exiting this 
  room are closed, but not locked.
  (Gloom Gnome x4: AC 13, hp 27; +4 to hit x2, 1d6 + 2 
  necrotic damage [shadow blade] or +4 to hit x2, range 30 
  ft./60 ft., 1d6 + 2 necrotic damage [necrotic ray])
  3. Observation Post
  A small, round room stands at the top of a narrow flight of stairs. 
  Small observation windows are cut through the walls of the room 
  at the eye level of a short observer, granting a 360-degree view 
  of the forest outside. An unlit brazier filled with coal sits in the 
  center of the room.
  This place once allowed the gnomes a hidden vantage point to observe 
  travelers approaching Thistlehill’s front door. It is no longer manned but 
  might still present a threat to intruders.
  The coal in the brazier is thoroughly infected by shadow’s touch. If set 
  alight, the coal bursts into brilliant, deep blue flames that immediately 
  suck the warmth from the room. Everyone in the room suffers 1d8 + 2 
  cold damage, or half damage with a successful DC 12 Con save. The coals 
  continue to burn, inflicting additional damage each round to anyone who 
  stays in the room. The brazier cannot be extinguished by mundane means; 
  it burns out naturally after one hour.
  4. Pit Trap
  A 20-foot-deep covered pit blocks the passage here. A successful DC 
  20 Int (Investigation) check notices the concealed trap. Failing to detect 
  the pit forces the first rank of the party to make a successful DC 15 Dex 
  saving throw or plunge into the trap. A hidden switch, detectable with a 
  successful DC 20 Wis (Perception) check, is located behind a knothole 
  in the corridor’s plank walls. Throwing the switch seals the pit cover, 
  allowing it to be crossed without danger.
  5. Common Room
  This large room holds carved wooden chairs, tables, and 
  cupboards, each fashioned with exquisite skill. A plush woven 
  carpet of forest green and autumn gold covers the plank floor. 
  A wide, cold hearth stands in the south wall, and a curious, low-
  walled box rests beside it.
  The central gathering place for the gnomes, this common room was the 
  hub of life within Thistlehill. It is now home to the worst of the shadow-
  afflicted residents.
  The room contains only normal furniture for the warren’s inhabitants. 
  The curious, low-walled box is filled with straw and wood chips, and 
  served as the badger’s bed before shadow’s coming.
  Creatures: Four gloom gnomes dwell here, along with their former 
  pet, a giant badger. 
  (Gloom Gnome x4: AC 13, hp 27; +4 to hit x2, 1d6 + 2 
  necrotic damage [shadow blade] or +4 to hit x2, range 30 
  ft./60 ft., 1d6 + 2 necrotic damage [necrotic ray])
  (Shadow-touched Giant Badger: AC 10, 13 hp; +3 to hit, 1d6 
  + 1 piercing damage [bite] and +3 to hit, 2d4 + 1 slashing 
  damage [claws]; plus shadow-touched abilities chosen by 
  the GM)
  6. Kitchen
  The smell of many old and fine meals has seeped into the 
  wooden walls of this well-kept kitchen. Clay ovens stand against 
  the north wall, facing low tables covered with bowls, plates, and 
  kitchen implements. A closed trapdoor lies in the floor next to the 
  preparation tables.
  This ordinary kitchen is free from danger. The table holds several 
  bowls, wooden spoons, a butcher’s knife, cleaver, paring knives, and a 
  pewter salt cellar. The ovens are cold and empty, but the faint odor of 
  freshly-baked bread is barely detectable when the ovens are opened.
  The trapdoor is unlocked and opens to reveal a short ladder leading 
  down to the pantry (Area 7).
  7. Pantry
  Sacks, barrels, and boxes fill this cramped root cellar. The smell 
  of flour, smoked meat, and earth is rich here.
  This room holds enough food to feed two dozen small appetites for 
  two weeks. The pantry holds sausages, wheels of cheese, flour, corn meal, 
  pickled vegetables, dried fruit, and salted fish. There are four dusty bottles 
  resting atop a high shelf, but a successful DC 12 Wis (Perception) check 
  is necessary to see them under the dust and cobwebs without a thorough 
  search. Each bottle holds an old gnomish fortified wine spiced with 
  restorative herbs and flowers. Drinking the lavender wine of a full bottle 
  acts as a potion of vitality.
  8. Lavatory
  This rooms served the burrow’s basic sanitary needs. Seven stalls with 
  single-hole latrines line the walls. An enclosed bathing area (A) is used for 
  washing. A natural spring flows into a clay basin in the bathing area. There 
  is nothing of interest or value in this area.
  9. Dormitories
  Numerous small bunks, tables, chairs, and wardrobes fill this 
  room, providing sleeping quarters for the warren’s occupants.
  Each of these rooms holds 12 bunks and wardrobes, along with small 
  tables and chairs for sitting and eating. The wardrobes are filled with 
  small-sized clothing and the personal effects of Thistlehill’s miners, 
  as well as a handful of common tools. The two dormitories are largely 
  identical; their differences in contents are listed below.
  9A. Gloom Gnome Ambush
  A band of gloom gnomes slinks about in the darkness, waiting to 
  
  49
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  ambush the curious.
  (Gloom Gnome x4: AC 13, hp 27; +4 to hit x2, 1d6 + 2 
  necrotic damage [shadow blade] or +4 to hit x2, range 30 
  ft./60 ft., 1d6 + 2 necrotic damage [necrotic ray])
  Among the mundane contents of this room are a small pouch of six 
  moonstones (10 gp value each), a pair of small boots with silver heels (10 
  gp value), 75 cp, 49 sp, and a small barrel of good brandy (10 gp value).
  9B. Treasure!
  This dormitory is free of dangerous inhabitants. There is minor treasure 
  consisting of a silver drinking decanter (25 gp), four copper cups (5 gp 
  value total), a pouch containing 12 freshwater pearls (10 gp value each), 
  and 96 cp, 66 sp, and 63 gp.
  10. Storage
  This room is crammed with crates, barrels, spools of rope, 
  boxes, and tools. The smell of grease and wax fills the air. 
  Cobwebs dangle in the dark corners of the room.
  The chamber contains mundane supplies necessary for the day-to-day 
  operations of the warren and adjacent mine. There are spare lanterns, 500 
  feet of rope, picks, shovels, buckets, barrels of grease, crates of candles, 
  timbers for building mine supports, wheelbarrows, and similar items. 
  There is no danger or treasure present.
  11. Gemstone Mine
  The plank-lined corridor gives way to an excavated area hewn 
  from the surrounding earth and stone. Timber braces support the 
  earth and stone ceiling, creating a low, wide cavern underneath 
  the earth. Buckets, tools, and wheelbarrows lean against the 
  walls of the room. Flickering shadows with malicious smiles 
  crowd around the edge of a glowing circle of light at the cavern’s 
  northeastern end. Huddled within the light is a pale, thin gnome, 
  watching the shadows in terror. Several pools of melted wax 
  surround the gnome.
  The gnomes of Thistlehill mine a rare form of crystal known as 
  sunbreath quartz. Although not as valuable as many precious stones, 
  sunbreath quartz is highly desired by jewelers and tailors for its unique 
  property. Most of the stone has been extracted, and only a small bit of the 
  original vein remains.
  Creatures: This area contains five shadows and Mevlyn Butteroak, the 
  sole remaining resident of Thistlehill unaffected by the Darkening. When 
  the Darkening spread through the community, a handful of gnomes fled to 
  the mine where they discovered the absorbed light of the sunbreath quartz 
  stymied shadow’s encroachment. Over the past few days, most of the 
  gnomes made a desperate attempt to gather supplies or escape the burrow, 
  they all but succumbed to shadow’s minions. Now only Mevlyn remains, 
  and he has run out of candles to keep the sunbreath crystal illuminated. 
  Unless rescued, the crystals’ glow will soon expire and the shadows will 
  claim Mevlyn. The shadows turn to attack the heroes, hungry for long-
  delayed sustenance.
  
  50
  Quests of Doom: lycanthropes & elementals
  (Shadow x5: AC 12, 16 hp; +4 to hit, 2d6 + 2 necrotic 
  damage and the target loses 1d4 Strength [strength 
  drain])
  (Mevlyn Butteroak: AC 15, 16 hp; +4 to hit, 1d8 + 2 piercing 
  damage [war pick] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d4 
  + 2 piercing damage and DC 12 Con saving throw or 
  poisoned for 1 minute)
  Mevlyn is overjoyed if the shadows are vanquished. He has been trapped 
  in the mine for several days and is severely dehydrated and malnourished. 
  Saddened by the loss of his friends and home, he wants nothing more 
  than a meal and to get as far away from shadow’s reach as possible. He 
  will explain how he remained untouched by shadow for so long, telling 
  the party of sunbreath quartz’s power (see sidebar) and suggesting they 
  take as many of the stones as possible if they are brave enough to fight the 
  Darkening’s power. Unfortunately, only 20 quartz crystals large enough to 
  be used offensively are available.
  Mevlyn tells the party that the Darkening flowed over Thistlehill from 
  the northeast, corrupting everything in its path. If they seek the source of 
  shadow’s power, he suggests they head in that direction—deeper into the 
  forest. 
  Mevlyn is traumatized by his experience and has no desire to join the 
  party. If characters play upon his love of home and his desire to avenge the 
  deaths of his friends, however, then a successful DC 12 Cha (Persuasion) 
  check gets Mevlyn to swallow his fear and dedicate himself to stopping 
  the Darkening. He gathers his possessions from Area 9A (assuming the 
  gloom gnomes have been dispatched), which include leather armor, a 
  short sword, a sling with 20 stones, traveling clothes, and food and water 
  for three days, and joins the party.
  The Cellar of Dyraxl 
  Uhl-Kal-Totten
  Buried beneath the ancient rubble and thick forest loam are the surviving 
  catacombs of the sorcerer-warlord, Dyraxl Uhl-Kal-Totten. It was in these 
  chambers that he conducted his eldritch research and stored his prized 
  magical artifacts—including the Darkling Lanthorn which is the source 
  of the Darkening of Namjan Forest. It is here that the heroes must venture 
  to end shadow’s infection, but the task is not easy; formidable foes are 
  arrayed against them.
  General Features
  The cellar is hewn from the bedrock that underlies the forest, carved 
  from the stone eons ago by both magical incantations and physical labor. 
  Much of the cellar is in ruins or buried under tons of rubble, victim to both 
  the original destruction called down by Uhl-Kal-Totten and the march of 
  time.
  Illumination: The cellar is dark—even more so than the lack of 
  illumination can account for. Shadow’s encroachment has veiled the entire 
  undercroft in an unnatural gloom. Light sources that normally create 
  bright light struggle against the gloom, casting only dim light in their 
  area of effect. Areas that are normally considered dim light (the edges 
  of a lantern’s illumination range for example) are treated as darkness in 
  the cellars. These shadows even affect darkvision. All darkvision range is 
  reduced by one-third, rounded down, while in the cellar (e.g., a dwarf’s 
  darkvision only has a 40-foot range in the cellar).
  Wandering Monsters
  Several shadowy occupants of the cellar prowl its corridors, constantly 
  seeking to assuage their hunger and increase shadow’s hold, and characters 
  might encounter these wanderers during their exploration. There is a 20% 
  chance of encountering a wandering monster every 30 minutes while 
  inside the cellar. If a wandering monster is indicated, roll on the table 
  below to determine the type and number of creatures encountered.
  The Cellar Random Encounter Table
  1d6
  Encounter
  1
  1d4 Shadow-touched Spiders 
  2
  1d6 Shadows
  3
  1d4 Grimseems
  4
  1 Miasmic Death
  5-6
  1 Shadow King
  The Cellar of  
  Dyraxl Uhl-Kal-Totten
  The entrance to the cellar is a steep-angled tunnel filled with fallen 
  blocks of masonry and old forest earth. It connects to the surface in the lee 
  of the Darkling Oak, which unwittingly serves as guardian to the cellar. 
  Once the Darkling Oak is evaded, explorers can venture down the shaft’s 
  50-foot length to arrive in Area 1.
  Sunbreath Quartz
  Sunbreath quartz appears identical to clear quartz, but if it is 
  exposed to bright light for four or more hours, the quartz glows 
  naturally, producing illumination equal to a candle for 12 hours. 
  The emitted light is always a pale yellow glow similar to sunlight 
  regardless of the origin of the absorbed illumination. This property 
  makes it valuable to tailors who adorn clothing with sunbreath 
  quartz as well as jewelers, who use the glowing stones in their 
  creations. A single sunbreath quartz crystal is worth 25 gp.
  Sunbreath quartz can be “charged” with magical light to create 
  an effective weapon against certain creatures. By casting light on 
  a single sunbreath quartz crystal, the stone absorbs and retains 
  the spell, becoming a form of miniature “light bomb” that can be 
  employed against creatures affected by bright light. The magical 
  light is retained by the crystal for up to one hour and, due to the 
  strange properties of the stone, continues to maintain its light even 
  if another light cantrip is cast by the same spellcaster (this effect 
  supersedes the spell’s description). A spellcaster can cast the light 
  cantrip on multiple sunbreath quartz stones and each retains its 
  illumination until an hour passes or the stone is used offensively.
  A charged sunbreath quartz can be thrown as an improvised 
  weapon with range 20 ft./60 ft. If it strikes a target or hard surface, 
  the stone shatters, releasing the light. The explosion of illumination 
  has one of two effects. If the creatures possesses eyesight and is 
  not shadow-based, it must make a successful Con saving throw 
  (DC equals the save DC of the spellcaster who cast light on the 
  quartz) or be blinded for one round. Shadow creatures, including 
  shadows, shadow kings, shadowkin, and gloom gnomes, struck by 
  the blast suffer 1d6 + the spellcaster’s magic attack bonus radiant 
  damage. Regardless of effect, the explosion shatters the crystal 
  and destroys its light-absorbing property.
  A sunbreath quartz crystal can also be used to focus a light 
  cantrip, transforming it into a ray attack capable of damaging 
  shadow-based creatures. The spellcaster makes a magic attack roll 
  while casting the light cantrip and holding a sunbreath crystal in 
  his hand, aimed at the target. If the attack hits, the target takes 
  1d8 radiant damage. One such attack also “burns out” the crystal, 
  destroying its light-absorbing property.
  
  51
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  1. Spider Wine
  The steep shaft terminates in a dark chamber, its contents 
  largely obscured by the almost-physical gloom that fills the space 
  with shadows. A collapsed wooden rack and smashed barrels are 
  vaguely discernable in the dark, and the stone floor is littered 
  with shards of broken, dusty glass.
  Creatures: Once a wine cellar, this chamber is now home to a pair 
  of large, shadow-touched spiders. Ever hungry, they scuttle close to the 
  party, seeking to ambush them from the dark.
  (Shadow-touched Giant Wolf Spider x2: AC 13, 11 hp; +3 to 
  hit, 1d6 + 1 piercing damage plus 2d6 poison damage 
  [bite]; DC 11 Con saving throw for half damage; creatures 
  poisoned to 0 hp are paralyzed for 1 hour; plus shadow-
  touched abilities chosen by the GM)
  The contents of this room are in ruins; barrels and bottles that once held 
  fine vintages from long ago are now broken and empty. The tall wooden 
  racks are dust-caked and riddled with dry rot, so they collapse into punky 
  wood with a touch. A careful search of the chamber accompanied with 
  a successful DC 15 Wis (Perception) check uncovers an intact bottle 
  fashioned from cut crystal. The vessel alone is worth 50 gp, and it contains 
  a potion of longevity.
  2. Ruined Menagerie
  Rusty bars form several caged-off areas of varying size in this 
  chamber. Yellowed, moldering bones lie in haphazard fashion 
  within the cages. Open doors on rusty hinges moan slightly, 
  pushed by faint subterranean drafts.
  Dyraxl Uhl-Kal-Totten kept his most fearsome and fascinating pets 
  in this chamber, intent on experimenting on and crossbreeding them. 
  The mystical creatures died during the siege, and their bones have lain 
  undisturbed here ever since. 
  There are eight cages, all comprised of rusting bars, with doors ajar. 
  Skeletal remains of great age, some nearly fossilized by mineralization, 
  are scattered inside the cages. A successful DC 20 Int (Arcana) check 
  identifies the remains as belonging to a bulette, a catoblepas, a gorgon, an 
  owlbear, a peryton, and a unicorn.
  The unicorn’s horn is still intact and is worth up to 2,000 gp.
  
  52
  Quests of Doom: lycanthropes & elementals
  3. Snatching Darkness
  This location conceals a pool of semi-intelligent darkness that is 
  a conduit between the material realm and the Plane of Shadow. It 
  clings to the ceiling, nearly undetectable (requires a successful DC 25 
  Wis [Perception] check to notice) until the party passes beneath it. At 
  that point it strikes, lashing down with its two 20-foot-long shadow 
  tentacles to grab living passersby. The pool cannot move from its 
  position.
  Once the pool grapples a creature, it drags the victim upward to the 
  ceiling and pulls it inside the shadow. The pool’s form exists in both the 
  Material Plane and the Plane of Shadow, so victims pulled into it seem 
  to disappear into the ceiling as if dropped into a dark hole between the 
  planes. The pool is large enough to hold one Large, two Medium, or four 
  Small victims at a time.
  Remember that characters lifted into the pool are 15 feet above the 
  corridor’s floor, and the distance is likely to hamper any attempts to aid 
  them. 
  The pool cannot be killed. It can only be banished,by natural or magical 
  daylight. It retreats immediately if subjected to daylight. 
  Shadow Pool
  XP 1,800 (CR 5)
  Unaligned Medium aberration
  Initiative +2
   
  AC 10
  hp: 10 (2d8 + 1) per pseudopod
  Immunity: All damage types but radiant; all conditions
  Speed: 0 ft.
  Multiattack: The shadow pool can have two pseudopods 
  at a time. Each pseudopod can either attack or lift a 
  character into devouring shadow.
  Melee Attack—Pseudopod: +6 to hit (reach 20 ft.; one 
  creature). Hit: the target is grappled and restrained, and 
  lifted 5 feet off the ground. Breaking free of this grapple 
  takes a successful DC 14 Str saving throw by the grappled 
  creature or an adjacent creature.
  Melee Attack—Devouring Shadow: automatic hit (one 
  creature already grappled by the shadow pool at the 
  start of the shadow pool’s turn). Hit: the creature is lifted 
  into the shadow pool. A living creature must make a 
  successful DC 12 Con saving throw or gain a –1 penalty 
  on all Strength-based attack rolls, Str saving throws, and 
  Strength ability checks. The saving throw is repeated at 
  the start of each of the character’s turns, and the penalty 
  is cumulative with multiple unsuccessful saving throws. 
  The penalty persists until the creature completes a long 
  or short rest. If the penalty plus the creature’s normal 
  Strength modifier drop to –6, the creature dies. If a non-
  evil living creature dies from this effect, a new shadow 
  king emerges from the shadow pool 1d6 hours later.
   
  TRAITS
  Daylight Vulnerability: Any spell that creates daylight (not 
  just bright light) banishes the pool to the Plane of Shadow 
  for 24 hours.
  Shadow Substance: The pool draws a limitless supply of 
  shadow from the Plane of Shadow. Radiant damage can 
  destroy pseudopods, but a new pseudopod grows to 
  replace each destroyed one at the start of the shadow 
  pool’s turn, so it always has two pseudopods to use during 
  its turn. 
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Underground
  Organization: Solitary or patch (2-5)
  4. Alchemy Lab
  Broken glassware is strewn about this small chamber and 
  covered by a thick blanket of dust. The floor is stained by the 
  spills of a hundred strange chemicals and reagents. The air seems 
  to roil and swirl, casting a rainbow of dull hues as if soap bubbles 
  were caught in a draft.
  Creature: The countless spilled chemicals combined with the arcane 
  destruction called down by Uhl-Kal-Totten and now infused with 
  shadow’s touch has created a unique life form in this room—a miasmic 
  death. The gaseous creature drains both nutrients and the breath of those 
  it envelops, seeking to reproduce itself and spread beyond the confines of 
  this small chamber.
  (Miasmic Death: AC 12, 38 hp; DC 13 Con saving throw, 2d6 
  necrotic damage [steal breath]; gaseous)
  The contents of this room are largely beyond salvage. The various 
  alchemical instruments and materials are rusted and rotted or smashed to 
  flinders. However, mixed amongst the debris are three iron beakers sealed 
  with foul-smelling wax. Each beaker contains a potion, but the elixirs 
  have undergone “magical spoilage” down the millennia. Now, each potion 
  produces a harmless but interesting side-effect when consumed. The side 
  effect lasts for as long as the potion is functioning.
  The potions are a potion of flying (side effect: turns the drinker’s skin a 
  vibrant color), a potion of gaseous form (side effect: gaseous form throws 
  tiny, harmless blue lightning bolts, which cause the drinker to have tactical 
  disadvantage on Stealth checks), and a potion of heroism (side effect: the 
  sound of cattle lowing accompanies the drinker wherever he goes).
  5. Sensory Deprivation Chamber
  A large spherical vessel resembling an amphora occupies this 
  room. The 10-foot-diameter container has a large hole in its side, 
  allowing a faint glimpse into its empty interior. The flagstone 
  floor is stained by some ancient spillage and is covered by dust. 
  The remains of a corroded iron ladder lie beside the grand vessel. 
  Creatures: A trio of grimseems lurk inside the round vessel, hidden 
  by the gloom and the curving sides of the container. They flutter out on 
  shadowy, batlike wings and attack.
  (Grimseem x3: AC 14, 32 hp; +5 to hit, 1d4 + 3 necrotic 
  damage [bite] and +5 to hit, 1d8 + 4 bludgeoning 
  damage [tentacle])
  The spherical vessel was a sensory deprivation tank. Uhl-Kal-Totten 
  drifted inside the tank, floating in warm water and shrouded in darkness, 
  allowing his mind to visit unseen dimensions and contemplate the 
  mysteries of magic. The stain on the floor comes from the heavily salted 
  water that once occupied the tank.
  A search of the north wall accompanied by a successful DC 10 Wis 
  (Perception) check discovers a concealed compartment. This tall, narrow 
  cubby once contained dressing robes and towels, as well as certain 
  substances Uhl-Kal-Totten imbibed before entering the tank to help him 
  attain a trancelike state. On a small shelf is a crystal box (10 gp value) 
  containing a gummy black resin. This substance is extract of the night 
  hyacinth flower, a mystical drug that affects spellcasters. There is a single 
  dose of resin in the box.
  Any spellcaster consuming the resin must make a DC 15 Con saving 
  throw. If the saving throw fails, the spellcaster suffers 3d8 poison damage 
  
  53
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  and the resin has no further effect. On a successful save, the caster falls 
  unconscious for 1d4 hours, during which time nothing can awaken him or 
  her. The caster has fearsome dreams while unconscious, his mind glimpsing 
  strange vistas at the far ends of the multiverse. When he awakens, he does 
  so with the understanding of how to bolster his magic with his own body. 
  The spellcaster can effectively increase the level of an expended spell slot 
  by permanently reducing his Constitution by 1 point. For example, a 3rd 
  level wizard could cast a spell using one of his 2nd level spell slots and, by 
  permanently decreasing his Constitution score by one, cause the spell to take 
  effect as if cast with a 3rd level spell slot. Lost Constitution cannot be restored 
  by any magic less than a wish spell. Lowered Constitution can still be raised 
  when using the Ability Score Improvement feature during leveling.
  This knowledge doesn’t allow the caster to use magic beyond his ability. 
  A caster cannot expend more than 1 point of Constitution per round.
  6. Golem Forge
  A massive table fashioned from a single stone slab occupies 
  much of this room’s floor space. Scraps of punky, dry-rotted 
  wood and rusty nails indicate tables or other furnishings once 
  lined the western wall, but they have long succumbed to age. A 
  large stone box, its exterior inscribed with strange sigils, rests 
  atop the slab table.
  Golems and other constructs were fashioned in this chamber, Uhl-Kal-
  Totten was preparing to create a new model when his stronghold fell. All 
  that remains is a single component sealed inside a magically-warded box.
  A character conversant in Primordial or who makes a successful DC 
  15 Int (Arcana) check identifies the writing as pertaining to the Plane 
  of Elemental Earth. The box is sealed shut and bears no obvious lock 
  or closure. It weighs 300 pounds. The chest resists attempts to break 
  it open, its rocky surface quickly “healing” damage and shrugging off 
  most magical spells. Its contents can be accessed only three ways: 1) A 
  disintegrate spell destroys the box, revealing its contents; 2) a stone shape 
  spell allows an opening to be molded in the box’s side; and 3) an earth 
  elemental can reach inside using its earth crawl power and extract the 
  box’s contents. 
  The box contains an oversized humanoid left hand made from solid 
  stone. Originally intended for a stone golem, the hand is magical and 
  useable by one daring enough to pay the price. If the hand is affixed to 
  the freshly severed (within 12 hours) stump of a left arm and a regenerate 
  spell is cast on the hand, it potentially fuses with the flesh, allowing the 
  creature to utilize it as his own, natural appendage. When the regenerate 
  spell is cast, the subject must make a DC 10 Con saving throw. If the save 
  succeeds, the limb attaches itself without side-effect. If the saving throw 
  fails, the fist rejects its owner’s natural flesh and replaces it with solid 
  rock, petrifying the subject. If restored to normal, the hand separates from 
  the now un-petrified owner and can never be utilized by that creature.
  When successfully fused to flesh, the fist grants the owner a +2 Strength 
  bonus when using his or her left arm. Twice per day, the creature can 
  also smash the hand onto the ground and create a thunderwave (save DC 
  equals owner’s Strength modifier plus proficiency bonus).
  7. Slippery Stones
  A jagged hole tears the stone floor of this chamber in two. 
  Collapsed ceiling stones are piled in tumbled fashion, forming 
  a crude bridge across the gap. Mounds of dark forest earth 
  have partially buried the chamber, having poured into the room 
  through holes in the roof. Debris or broken furnishings are dimly 
  visible on the far side of the room, as is a closed door.
  The destruction long ago severely damaged this room, opening an 
  80-foot-deep, 30-foot-wide rift in the floor while dumping tons of earth 
  and rock into the room from the compromised ceiling. By sheer chance, 
  several of the ceiling slabs fell to form a delicately balanced bridge across 
  the gap. There they have remained, but they are precariously positioned.
  Creatures: A quartet of shadows flitter through the darkness, greedy 
  for the adventurers’ lives. They wait until characters begin crossing the 
  haphazard bridge before attacking.
  (Shadow x4: AC 12, 16 hp; +4 to hit, 2d6 + 2 necrotic 
  damage and the target loses 1d4 Strength [strength 
  drain])
  Combatants battling on the stone slab bridge risk a very real chance 
  of collapsing the precarious span. Roll 1d6 at the end of each round 
  when combat occurs on the bridge; if the result is less than or equal to 
  the number of rounds fighting has lasted, the slabs fall, pitching all on 
  the makeshift bridge into the chasm. Nonflying creatures on the bridge 
  must make a successful DC 15 Dex saving throw to grab a ledge and save 
  themselves from falling 80 feet to the chasm bottom (8d6 bludgeoning 
  damage). Characters that grab a ledge can be pulled to safety automatically 
  by an ally, or they can pull themselves out with a successful DC 10 Str 
  (Athletics) check. Someone who is struck while dangling over the chasm 
  must make a successful Str (Athletics) check with a DC equal to 5 + 
  damage suffered or fall into the chasm.
  The broken debris on the eastern side of the room is all that remains of 
  display and trophy cases that once housed prizes Uhl-Kal-Totten wrested 
  from his enemies. An inspection of the ruined wood, glass, and rusty iron 
  uncovers shattered bits of bone, corroded pieces of armor, and scraps of 
  cloth that crumble to dust at a touch. One object survived the destruction: 
  a human tibia inscribed with magical glyphs and wrapped with decaying 
  reptile hide. This is a wand of radiance (see the “New Magical Items” 
  appendix). A thorough search, or a quick search with a successful DC 13 
  Wis (Perception) check, discovers the intact wand in the debris.
  8. Map Room
  Collapsed shelves and crumbling chests of drawers slouch 
  in this small room, covered with eons of dust and smelling of 
  great age and mildew. A faint, old stink of rotting flesh is barely 
  discernable amongst the other pungent, subterranean smells.
  Uhl-Kal-Totten stored his library of maps, charts, and similar documents 
  in this room, but age has destroyed them all. The smell of rot comes from 
  the decayed animal hides that once bore ancient maps of long-vanished 
  lands. The few surviving scraps of material in the room fall to pieces if 
  handled. The exception is a bone scroll case sealed with a mithral cap 
  (200 gp value). 
  The case contains a thin sheet of metal, rolled like a scroll and bearing 
  a number of seemingly randomly spaced rectangular holes (similar to 
  computer punch card). The sheet measure 12 inches square, and the metal 
  is unidentifiable, even by dwarves. This object serves as a key to open the 
  vault door in Area 10 and to bypass the trap protecting it.
  9. Funeral Trophies
  More than a dozen sarcophagi in various styles and condition 
  are placed about the room. Some stand upright, while others lie 
  flat on the cracked flagstones. The casket lids are all intact and 
  closed, obscuring what, if anything, they contain. One, however, 
  glows with an eerie, pale green light, like foxfire in a dismal mire.
  
  54
  Quests of Doom: lycanthropes & elementals
  Uhl-Kal-Totten plundered many tombs and cemeteries to acquire 
  lost lore and the ghastly material components he needed for his spells 
  and experiments. He took to collecting the sarcophagi of his lootings as 
  macabre trophies, speculating that he might be able to utilize their funereal 
  power in his experiments. One of the stone caskets was an obvious source 
  of magical power, and Uhl-Kal-Totten claimed it to further experiment on, 
  but his research was foiled by the collapse of his demesne. 
  The glowing sarcophagus possess an unusual and possibly beneficial 
  enchantment, but only to the character brave enough to climb inside. If the 
  lid is removed, ancient hieroglyphics are found to line the interior of the 
  casket. A successful DC 20 Int (History) check reveals them to be concerned 
  with rebirth, but their exact meaning is vague. If a living creature climbs 
  inside the sarcophagus and closes the lid, the green glow increases in 
  brilliance, becoming nearly blinding to those outside the coffin. The person 
  inside the sarcophagus undergoes a vivid hallucination of a hundred faces 
  of strangers racing past, many of whom are dressed in outlandish fashions 
  from the distant past (or future?). The enclosed adventurer must then make 
  a DC 15 Con saving throw. If the save succeeds, nothing happens and 
  the light subsides. If the saving throw fails, a strange contingency magic 
  affects the casket’s occupant: if he or she dies an untimely death, the body 
  immediately returns to life as if a reincarnate spell had been cast on it. The 
  character’s appearance is altered to resemble one of the many individuals 
  who have benefited from the magic of the sarcophagus. 
  While the coffin’s contingency magic is in effect (i.e., prior to the 
  hero’s untimely demise), the character radiates both necromancy and 
  transmutation magic if subjected to a detect magic spell. There is no other 
  indication of what the sarcophagus’s effect is. The sarcophagus’s magical 
  contingency effect can be nullified on a character by both dispelling magic 
  and removing a curse from the character.
  The remaining 14 sarcophagi in the room are old, but are otherwise 
  unremarkable.
  10. Shadowkin Lair
  Shallow niches in the walls of this dark chamber hold rotted 
  picture frames, indicating this was once a galley where art was 
  displayed. Thin, decorative columns divide the room in two, 
  and the floor is covered by the dusty, decayed remains of a thick 
  carpet that might once have been magnificent.
  Creatures: Lurking in the darkness is a victim of shadow known as 
  Egrihl. Egrihl and his hounds were scouts for the Duke’s soldiers but, like 
  his companions, Egrihl succumbed to the Darkening. Unlike his fellows, 
  Egrihl became a rare form of creature known as a shadowkin, and his 
  faithful hounds were transformed into shadow mastiffs. The shadowkin 
  and his beasts were lured by shadow’s summons and now reside close 
  to the source of the Darkening’s power. They defend the approach to the 
  Vault of Shadows (Area 12), attacking by ambushing from the shadows. 
  Ergihl also has a +1 battle-axe, hide armor +1, and a hunter’s mask (see 
  the “New Magic Items” appendix)
  (Egrihl, Shadowkin: AC 11, 51 hp; +7 to hit x2, 1d8 + 2 
  necrotic damage plus DC 11 Con saving throw or target 
  gains a –1 penalty on Str-based attacks, saving throws, 
  and ability checks [strength drain])
  (Shadow Mastiff x2: AC 12, 22 hp; +4 to hit, 2d6 + 2 piercing 
  damage, or living creatures within 300 feet must make a 
  successful DC 12 Wis saving throw or be frightened for 3d6 
  rounds [bite])
  Eghrihl uses the hunter’s mask ability to cast enhance ability (bear’s 
  strength) on himself at the start of combat to gain temporary hit points. He 
  then wades into the thickest concentration of foes. The shadow mastiffs 
  attack foes Eghrihl isn’t engaged with.
  If both shadow mastiffs are slain and Eghrihl is still alive, he flees to 
  Area 12. He waits with the shadow elemental there to defend the Darkling 
  Lanthorn and the conduit to shadow.
  11. Vault Door
  This chamber is mostly barren. Its only content is a stone post 
  that rises 4 feet from the floor to end in a U-shaped bracket. A 
  small, round protrusion extends from the east side of the post, 
  giving it a lopsided appearance. 
  Set in the western wall is a massive stone door with dozens of 
  small, iron plates riveted to its face.
  This room protects the Vault of Shadows (Area 12) with its well-secured 
  door and a secret trap.
  The door measures 8 feet square. Sixty-four steel tiles, each measuring 
  about 2 inches square, are arranged in an eight-by-eight pattern. The tiles 
  are rusted but solid. 
  The door is solidly locked. No amount of pushing or hammering will 
  force it open. The door can be safely opened only by pressing the correct 
  combination of tiles. A pressed tile slides 1 inch into the door’s face, 
  creating a shallow divot. Fifteen tiles will stay depressed at one time; 
  when a sixteenth is pressed, all of the depressed tiles reset to the original 
  position. If the correct fifteen tiles are depressed, the trap is disarmed and 
  the door is unlocked. 
  The stone post is situated 6 feet from the door. It is part of the solution 
  to determining the proper combination of tiles to be pushed. Each end of 
  the U-shaped bracket has a narrow slot running vertically down its inside, 
  as if it’s intended to hold something. If the metal sheet from Area 6 is 
  unrolled and slid into the grooves, it fits perfectly. The round protrusion 
  extending from the eastern side of the post is a stone ring sized large 
  enough to hold a torch or fat candle. Placing a lit torch or candle into the 
  ring allows light to pass through the holes punched in the metal sheet so 
  that it throws small rectangles of light onto the door’s face. Each rectangle 
  flickers directly on one of the iron tiles on the door. The fifteen illuminated 
  tiles are the ones that must be pressed to unlock the door and deactivate 
  the trap. The order in which the tiles are pressed doesn’t matter. When 
  all fifteen are depressed, the door unlocks with a loud clank and shifts 
  slightly; it can be pushed open by anyone with a Strength modifier of +1 
  or higher. 
  A party that hasn’t found the key sheet in Area 6 can deduce which 
  tiles unlock the door with a DC 25 Int (Investigation) check. If successful, 
  someone notices that certain tiles show slightly more sign of wear. A 
  knock spell unlocks the door so that it can be pushed open as above, but 
  does not disarm the trap.
  The trap is triggered by pushing the door more than 5 inches. A cloud 
  of gas floods the chamber from miniscule vents in the ceiling (a successful 
  DC 20 Perception [Wisdom] check notices the vents if a character 
  specifically inspects the ceiling and has sufficient light to do so). Luckily 
  for the heroes, the toxicity of the gas has diminished over the centuries. 
  Each character must make a successful DC 14 Con saving throw or take 
  3d8 poison damage. The gas persists for three rounds; characters must 
  repeat the saving throw each time they end their turn in the gas.
  12. The Vault of Shadows
  The high, vaulted ceiling of this chamber suggests a large size, 
  as do the rows of thick pillars that extend away from the entrance 
  and disappear in the Stygian blackness beyond your light. From 
  somewhere in the darkness comes a hideous rustling sound, as if 
  the fabric of reality was undulating in an unnatural rhythm. 
  
  55
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  Uhl-Kal-Totten kept his most prized treasures in this secure 
  vault, where they remained undisturbed for millennia. But when 
  a single, stray root brushed across the Darkling Lanthorn, that 
  contact with vitality was enough to rouse it from its long slumber. 
  The shadow elemental within escaped its prison and now oversees 
  the conduit between the Plane of Shadow and the material world.
  The far end of the room is covered in the magic darkness 
  created by the Darkling Lanthorn, so neither the artifact nor the 
  shadow elemental that lurks within it are visible. The darkness 
  can be circumvented as normal (a daylight spell, for example), 
  which temporarily banishes the gloom and makes the Lanthorn 
  visible (see sidebar).
  Creature: The shadow elemental is confined to this vault, both 
  by an innate connection to the Lanthorn and by its need to protect 
  the shadow conduit. It waits until one or more heroes approach 
  the magical darkness and then rushes from the gloom to attack.
  If Egrihl the shadowkin fled here after confronting the party in 
  Area 10, he too waits in the darkness for an opportunity to strike.
  (Shadow Elemental: AC 14, 85 hp; +7 to hit x2, 2d6 
  + 4 necrotic damage [fist]; as an action, can fill 
  a 20-ft.-by-20-ft. area for one round with writhing 
  tentacles that cause 2d6 bludgeoning damage, 
  or no damage with a successful DC 12 Dex saving 
  throw [shadow tentacles, recharge 5, 6])
  (Egrihl, Shadowkin: AC 11, 51 hp; +7 to hit x2, 1d8 + 
  2 necrotic damage plus DC 11 Con saving throw 
  or target gains a –1 penalty on Str-based attacks, 
  saving throws, and ability checks)
  If the darkness is dispelled, the party glimpses an incredibly 
  old lantern forged from black iron and lit with blue-black flame. 
  This is the Darkling Lanthorn. It rests atop a stone table. A large 
  tree root coils around the lantern’s handle and vanishes into a 
  crack in the stone wall. The air around the Lanthorn ripples with 
  shadows; those are what create the unearthly rustling noise. A 
  dark, gloomy world can occasionally be glimpsed through the cut 
  crystal windows of the Lanthorn. The Lanthorn can be targeted 
  by attacks and spells if it is visible. If it’s destroyed, the conduit 
  is sealed and the Darkening is ended (see sidebar for more 
  information).
  Destroying the Darkling Lanthorn before the Darkening has 
  fully enveloped the forest (see “Concluding the Adventure”) 
  causes the conduit to break apart, creating a brief but powerful 
  suction of ethereal wind as the breech tears apart. All creatures 
  within 40 feet of the Lanthorn when it is destroyed must make 
  two DC 12 Strength saving throws. Anyone who fails both checks 
  is sucked through the collapsing conduit and launched into the 
  Plane of Shadow. The transition alone does no damage, but such 
  characters are stranded in another dimension with no easy way 
  to return to the Material Plane. They must survive the threats of 
  shadow long enough to discover another means to return home.
  With the Darkling Lanthorn vanquished, the pervasive gloom 
  filling the cellar vanishes and the party discerns several large 
  stone chests pushed against the wall in the southwest corner of 
  the room. Each locked chest can be opened with a set of thieves’ 
  tools and a successful DC 15 Dex check; they aren’t trapped. 
  They contain:
  • Chest #1: 1,506 cp and 997 ep.
  • Chest #2: 57 gp and 160 pp.
  • Chest #3: a small coffer holding 4 emeralds (100 gp value 
  each), 8 sapphires (150 gp value each), 4 white opals (200 gp 
  value each), and 2 pink diamonds (300 gp value each).
  • Chest #4: A gold trinket box (500 gp value), an electrum 
  statuette of an orc chieftain (200 gp value), a breastplate adorned 
  with moonstones (400 gp value), a gem-encrusted astrolabe (700 
  gp value), and a gold and ruby ring (1,200 gp value).
  • Chest #5: A stave of striking and a ring of wizardry.
  The Darkling Lanthorn
  This magical artifact resembles a black iron lantern with cut crystal panes. 
  When visible, the Lanthorn burns with a black-blue light. The Lanthorn 
  naturally produces a permanent darkness effect in a 15 foot radius, but this 
  blackness can be temporarily negated with a daylight spell or similar magic. If 
  countered, the darkness fades for as long as the negating spell is in effect, but 
  returns once the spell ends.
  The Darkling Lanthorn has three magical properties. 
  First, a rare shadow elemental resides within its housing. The elemental 
  can emerge from the Lanthorn to protect it and to defend the conduit the 
  artifact produces. The elemental can return to the Darkling Lanthorn when 
  injured, healing all damage after spending 24 hours inside the artifact. 
  Second, the Darkling Lanthorn acts as a gate per the 9th level spell. The 
  gate leads to the Plane of Shadow, and is permanent as long as the Darkling 
  Lanthorn exists. Any creature speaking the phrase, “Lethel marr d’clatik” 
  (which is inscribed on the base of the Lanthorn in Draconic) is transported to 
  the Plane of Shadow the same as if the gate spell had been cast. The gate works 
  in both directions.
  Third, the Darkling Lanthorn has the power to form a conduit between 
  the Material Plane and the Plane of Shadow. This conduit allows the basic 
  essence of shadow to slowly invade the material world with its pervasive 
  darkness. This “darkening” begins slowly, assimilating an area of 2 square 
  miles per day at first, but quickly begins accelerating. The effects of this 
  darkening are detailed at the beginning of this adventure.
  The Darkling Lanthorn is subject to physical and magical attacks. 
  Destroying the Lanthorn closes the conduit and the gate, and banishes 
  the shadow elemental back to the Plane of Shadow if it is still alive. The 
  Darkling Lanthorn has an AC of 15 and 100 hit points. It is immune to cold, 
  lightning, necrotic, and poison damage, and has resistance to damage from 
  nonmagical weapons.
  If reduced to 25 hit points or less, the Darkling Lanthorn attempts to 
  summon shadow kings to help protect it. Roll 4d6; one shadow king is 
  summoned for each die that rolls 5 or 6.
  
  56
  Quests of Doom: lycanthropes & elementals
  Concluding the Adventure
  The destruction of the Darkling Lanthorn likely closes the conduit 
  between the material plane and shadow, halting the Darkening and 
  preventing Namjan Forest from become a beachhead of darkness. With the 
  Lanthorn gone, the effects of the Darkening slowly subside over several 
  days, vanishing like shadows at noon. Creatures infected by the touch 
  of the Plane of Shadow do not revert to normal, however; they remain 
  afflicted until their deaths. Whether it’s possible for them to pass on these 
  traits to their offspring remains to be seen (and may play a role in further 
  adventures). Heroes who end the Darkening are rewarded as promised 
  by the Duke, earning the 2,500 gp bounty and being named “Wardens of 
  Namjan Forest,” a grant of minor nobility that allows them the right to 
  build a stronghold within the woodlands and to act as local overseers of 
  the domain. 
  It is possible, however, that the spread of shadow grows too large to be 
  easily broken with the Lanthorn’s destruction. If the party tarries too long 
  and the daily growth of the Darkening infiltrates every forest hex on the 
  overland map, shadow succeeds in establishing a claim on the material 
  plane. In this event, destroying the Darkling Lanthorn is insufficient to 
  seal the conduit. Like an avalanche racing downhill, shadow gains too 
  much momentum and the artifact is no longer necessary to keep the 
  conduit open.
  In this case, the Darkening continues spreading across the land, moving 
  beyond the boundaries of the forest and infecting whatever it touches. 
  Shadow’s encroachment grows daily and the forces of light and hope are 
  pushed back before the advance. Powerful magic, either in spell form or 
  residing in ancient relics, is necessary to seal the conduit and halt the 
  invasion. However, with the conduit stabilized, denizens of the Plane of 
  Shadow also begin pouring through the gate, so anyone venturing into 
  the afflicted area must face them as well as shadow-touched creatures. 
  Eventually, an entire shadow army marches out of Namjan Forest to lay 
  siege to the world. Only an equally powerful force of Light has a hope of 
  stopping it.
  
  57
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  New Magical Items
  Hunter’s Mask
  Very rare wondrous item
  This object is a wooden mask carved from darkest mahogany and 
  bearing inlaid ebony to form winding sigils across its face. When worn by 
  any class other than a ranger, it is simply a decorative ornament. Only a 
  ranger can utilize its full power.
  The hunter’s mask has three properties when donned by a ranger.
  • The wearer gains darkvision with a range of 60 feet. If the wearer 
  already had darkvision, its range increases by 50 percent.
  • The wearer has tactical advantage on Wis (Survival) checks when 
  tracking, regardless of quarry. This benefit does not affect the ranger’s 
  usual tactical advantage when tracking favored enemies.
  • Once per day, the wearer can cast enhance ability on himself, 
  choosing whichever of the spell’s six effects he desires. This spell is cast 
  by the hunter’s mask and does not count as a spell use by the ranger.
  Wand of Radiance
  Rare magic wand
  This wand is crafted from an ancient human tibia wrapped with crumbling 
  reptile hide. Prehistoric glyphs are carved down the length of the bone.
  Property: The wand has seven charges. As an action, the owner can 
  cast one of the following spells, using the indicated number of charges 
  to do so. 
  • Light (1 charge)
  • Fire bolt (1 charge)
  • Daylight (3 charges)
  If the wand’s last charge is expended, roll 1d20. On a result of 1, the 
  wand crumbles into dust and is destroyed. The wand regains 1d6+1 
  expended charges each day at sunrise.
  New Monsters
  Gloom Gnome
  XP 200 (CR 1)
  NE Small elemental (shadow)
  Initiative +2
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 13 (natural armor)
  hp: 27 (6d6 + 6)
  Immunity: Necrotic and poison damage; disease, 
  petrification, poison, unconsciousness
  Vulnerability: Radiant damage
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 20 ft.
  Multiattack: A gloom gnome attacks twice.
  Melee Attack—Shadow Blade: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one 
  creature). Hit: 1d6 + 2 necrotic damage. The gloom 
  gnome summons a blade of chilling shadow into its hand 
  that persists as long as the gloom gnome desires. The 
  shadow blade can be dismissed at will.
  Ranged Attack—Necrotic Ray: +4 to hit, range 30/60; one 
  creature. Hit: 1d6 + 2 necrotic damage. The gloom gnome 
  throws a beam of dark, scintillating energy that drains the 
  victim of vitality.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 10 (+0), Dex 15 (+2), Con 13 (+1), 
  Int 12 (+1), Wis 11 (+0), Cha 9 (-1)
  Languages: Common, Gnomish, Primordial (shadow)
  Skills: Stealth +4
  Senses: Darkvision 120 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Surprise attack: If the gloom gnome surprises a creature 
  and hits it with an attack on the first round of combat, the 
  attack deals an extra 2d6 damage.
  Light sensitivity: A gloom gnome has tactical disadvantage 
  on attack rolls and ability checks while it is in bright light.
  Shadow stealth: Dim light obscures the gloom gnome 
  sufficiently for it to attempt to hide and gives it tactical 
  advantage on Dex (Stealth) checks.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land
  Organization: Solitary or band (2-5)
  Description: A short humanoid with dusky, ash-colored skin 
  and glittering black eyes slinks out of the shadows and 
  plants a blade in your back.
  Grimseem
  XP 450 (CR 2)
  CE Small elemental (shadow)
  Initiative +2
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 14
  hp: 31 (7d6 + 7)
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 10 ft. fly 40 ft.
  Multiattack: A grimseem bites once and attacks twice with 
  tentacles.
  Melee Attack—Bite: +5 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 
  1d4 + 3 necrotic damage.
  Melee Attack—Tentacle: +5 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). 
  Hit: 1d8 + 3 bludgeoning damage.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 10 (+0), Dex 16 (+3), Con 12 (+1), 
  Int 5 (-3), Wis 8 (-1), Cha 8 (-1)
  Languages: None
  Skills: Stealth +5
  Senses: Darkvision 120 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Shadow form: While in dim light, the grimseem can move 
  Appendix
  
  58
  Quests of Doom: lycanthropes & elementals
  through any opening regardless of size without squeezing.
  Shadow stealth: Dim light obscures the grimseem sufficiently 
  for it to attempt to hide and gives it tactical advantage 
  on Dex (Stealth) checks.
  Light sensitivity: While in bright light, a grimseem has tactical 
  disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Plane of Shadow
  Organization: Solitary or flock (2-7)
  Description: An inky black creature resembling a headless 
  bat with a pair of long tentacles trailing behind it swoops 
  down upon you, lashing and biting.
  Miasmic Death
  XP 100 (CR 1/2)
  Unaligned Medium ooze
  Initiative +2
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 12
  hp: 36 (8d8)
  Resistance: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage 
  from nonmagical weapons
  Immunity: Necrotic damage; blindness, charm, prone, 
  restraint, stun, unconsciousness
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: fly 20 ft.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 2 (-4), Dex 14 (+2), Con 10 (+0), 
  Int 5 (-3), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 10 (+0)
  Languages: None
  Senses: Blindsight 60 ft.
   
  OFFENSE
  Melee Attack—Steal Breath: automatic hit (reach 5 ft.; one 
  creature). Hit: target must make a successful DC 13 Con 
  saving throw or take 2d6 necrotic damage.
  TRAITS
  Gaseous Form: The miasmic death can move through 
  spaces occupied by opponents but can’t end its turn 
  there. It can pass through openings of any size without 
  squeezing.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land
  Organization: Solitary 
  Description: A cloud of dim oblong bubbles throws a pale 
  rainbow light as it drifts toward you.
  Shadow Elemental
  XP 700 (CR 3)
  CE Large elemental (shadow)
  Initiative +2
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 14 (natural armor)
  hp: 80 (10d10 + 30)
  Resistance: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage 
  from nonmagical weapons
  Immunity: Necrotic and poison damage; disease, paralysis, 
  petrification, poison, prone, unconsciousness
  Vulnerability: Radiant damage
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 50 ft.
  Multiattack: A shadow elemental attacks twice with fists.
  Melee Attack—Fist: +7 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 
  2d6 + 4 necrotic damage.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 19 (+4), Dex 14 (+2), Con 16 (+3), 
  Int 5 (-3), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 10 (+0)
  Languages: Primordial (Shadow)
  Skills: Stealth +5
  Senses: Darkvision 120 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Shadow form: While in dim light, the shadow elemental can 
  move through any opening regardless of width without 
  squeezing.
  Shadow stealth: Dim light obscures the shadow elemental 
  sufficiently for it to attempt to hide and gives it tactical 
  advantage on Dex (Stealth) checks.
  Shadow Tentacles (Recharge 5, 6): As an action, a shadow 
  elemental can fill a 20-foot-square area with squirming, 
  shadowy tentacles that last until the beginning of its next 
  turn. The affected area becomes difficult terrain. Any 
  creature in the area when the tentacles are conjured 
  or that enters it must make a successful DC 12 Dex 
  saving throw or suffer 2d6 bludgeoning damage and be 
  grappled.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Plane of Shadow
  Organization: Solitary 
  Description: A vaguely humanoid shape of swirling, shadowy 
  mist slithers out of the blackness. A pair of empty holes in 
  its “face” stare at you with malevolent hatred.
  Shadow King
  XP 700 (CR 3)
  CE Large undead
  Initiative +3
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 13
  hp: 39 (6d10 + 6)
  Resistance: Acid, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder damage; 
  bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from 
  nonmagical weapons
  Immunities: Necrotic and poison damage; fright, grapple, 
  paralysis, petrification, poison, polymorph, prone, restraint, 
  unconsciousness
  Vulnerability: Radiant damage
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 40 ft.
  Multiattack: A shadow king attacks twice with claws.
  Melee Attack—Claw: +6 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). 
  Hit: 1d10 + 3 necrotic damage, and a living creature 
  must make a successful DC 11 Con saving throw or 
  gain a –1 penalty on all Strength-based attack rolls, Str 
  saving throws, and Strength ability checks. The penalty 
  is cumulative with multiple unsuccessful saving throws. 
  The penalty persists until the creature completes a long 
  or short rest. If the penalty plus the creature’s normal 
  Strength modifier reach –6, the creature dies. If a non-evil 
  living creature dies from this effect, a new shadow king 
  rises from its corpse 1d6 hours later.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 3 (-4), Dex 16 (+3), Con 12 (+1), 
  Int 8 (-1), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 10 (+0)
  Languages: none
  Skills: Stealth +6
  
  59
  the darkening of Namjan forest
  Senses: Darkvision 120 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Shadow Form: While in dim light, the shadow king can 
  move through any opening regardless of width without 
  squeezing.
  Shadow Stealth: Dim light obscures the shadow elemental 
  sufficiently for it to attempt to hide and gives it tactical 
  advantage on Dex (Stealth) checks.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land
  Organization: Solitary or band (2-5)
  Description: A large humanoid shadow reaches out, a wave 
  of chilling cold accompanying its grasping claws.
  Shadowkin
  XP 100 (CR 1/2)
  NE Medium elemental (shadow)
  Initiative +1
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 11
  hp: 33 (6d8 + 6)
  Immunity: Necrotic and poison damage; petrification, 
  poison, unconsciousness
  Vulnerability: Radiant damage
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 40 ft.
  Melee Attack—Strength Drain: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one 
  creature). Hit: 1d8 + 2 necrotic damage, and a living 
  creature takes a cumulative -1 penalty to all Strength-
  based attack rolls, saving throws, and Strength checks. 
  If the total penalty and the creature’s normal Strength 
  modifier ever equals -5, the creature dies. The penalty 
  persists until the creature takes a long or short rest. 
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 15 (+2), Dex 13 (+1), Con 12 (+1), 
  Int 12 (+1), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 10 (+0)
  Languages: Common, Primordial (shadow)
  Skills: Stealth +8
  Senses: Darkvision 120 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Shadow Form: While in dim light, a shadowkin can move 
  through any opening regardless of width without 
  squeezing.
  Shadow Stealth: Dim light obscures the shadowkin sufficiently 
  for it to attempt to hide and gives it tactical advantage 
  on Dex (Stealth) checks.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land
  Organization: Solitary or band (2-5)
  Description: A humanoid shape carved from living shadow 
  and dressed in martial gear steps forward to bar your 
  passage.
  Shadow Mastiff
  XP 100 (CR 1/2)
  CE Medium fiend
  Initiative +2
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 12
  hp: 22 (5d8)
  Resistance: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage 
  from nonmagical weapons
  Immunity: Necrotic and poison damage; poison
  Vulnerability: Radiant damage
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 45 ft.
  Melee Attack—Bite: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 
  2d6 + 2 piercing damage.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 12 (+1), Dex 14 (+2), Con 10 (+0), 
  Int 4 (–3), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 14 (+2)
  Languages: Common
  Skills: Stealth +6
  Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Frightful Howl: As an action, a shadow mastiff can emit 
  a terrifying, otherworldly howl that conjures nightmare 
  visions in those who hear it. All living creatures within 300 
  feet of the shadow mastiff that hear its howl must make a 
  successful DC 12 Wis saving throw or be frightened for 3d6 
  rounds. While frightened, the creature must move away 
  from the shadow mastiff as rapidly as possible, until it’s far 
  enough away that it can’t hear the howling at all (not just 
  beyond the howl’s effective 300-foot range). 
  Shadow Affinity: A shadow mastiff has tactical advantage 
  on Dex (Stealth) checks in dim light or darkness, and it can 
  make a Stealth check to become hidden as a bonus action 
  anytime it is in darkness or dim light. A shadow mastiff suffers 
  the effect of being poisoned while in bright light.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land
  Organization: Hunting pack (4–16)
  Description: Shadow mastiffs are large dogs resembling 
  normal mastiffs but seemingly composed of solid shadow. 
  Shadow-Touched Creatures
  Shadow-touched creatures are normal creatures that have been altered 
  by overexposure to the Darkening. Any living creature can become 
  shadow-touched. When a creature is transformed into a shadow-touched 
  monster, the following changes are made to its stat block.
  1. The creature becomes evil if it isn’t already.
  2. The creature gains one new ability chosen or randomly determined 
  from the following list.
  3. Shadow Stealth: The Creature gains proficiency in Stealth. Dim 
  light obscures the creature sufficiently for it to attempt to hide and gives it 
  tactical advantage on Dex (Stealth) checks. 
  4. Strength Drain: As per a shadow’s attack (q.v.).
  5. Damage Resistance: The creature gains resistance against 
  bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.
  6. Shadow Coil: The creature gains the Shadow Coil attack (Melee 
  Attack—Shadow Coil: + standard bonus to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 1d8 + Str or Dex modifier necrotic damage.
  7. Shadow Form: While in dim light, the shadow-touched creature can 
  move through any opening regardless of width without squeezing.
  8. Necrotic Ray: The creature gains the Necrotic Ray attack (Ranged 
  Attack—Necrotic Ray: + standard bonus to hit, range 30 ft./60 ft.; one 
  creature. Hit: 1d6 + Str or Dex modifier necrotic damage. The shadow-
  touched creature throws a beam of dark, scintillating energy that drains 
  the victim of vitality.
  9. Shadow Ripping: The creature gains the Shadow Ripping attack 
  (Melee Attack—Shadow Ripping: + standard bonus to hit; reach 15 ft.; one 
  creature. Hit: 2d6 + Str or Dex modifier slashing damage. Ghostly black 
  arms emerge from the creature’s shoulders to tear at its enemies’ flesh.
  10. Shadow Immunity: The creature gains immunity to necrotic 
  and poison damage, and to paralysis, petrification, poison, prone, and 
  unconsciousness.
  11. Increase the creature’s Challenge Rating by +1 to reflect its new ability.
  
  60
  Men&
  Monstrosities
  
  61
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  “Once upon a time, twin sisters went to slay the Winter Prince, who 
  held the freezing winds like tigers leashed in Ghostwind Pass…”
  Introduction
  Roll 3d6 and add 10. Write that number down.
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass is a Fifth Edition adventure designed for 
  four to six characters from level 5 to 7. It is playable at other levels 
  and with different numbers of characters, but the monsters and risks of 
  the adventure may require adjustment by the Game Master to offer an 
  appropriate challenge to the players. 
  The adventure has two levels of complexity. On one level, there is an 
  interesting background story with a mystery that can be solved, leading 
  to a powerful artifact. The mystery can be left out if desired, leaving a 
  straightforward location-based adventure with a race against time and an 
  evil mastermind.
  The adventure is designed to fit anywhere in your campaign world, as 
  long as you have some mountains available. If you’re using the Frog God 
  Games Lost Lands campaign world, Ghostwind Pass cuts through the 
  northern reach of the Cretian Mountains, connecting Yolbiac Vale to the 
  Town of Elet.
  Background
  The Ghostwind is a mountain pass, threading a high trail through the 
  taller peaks rising to either side. It is the main pass in the area, since it 
  can be traversed (with difficulty) by wagons. A few smaller trails remain 
  usable later into the winter, but these mule-trails are too rough for wagons 
  and generally pose other significant dangers such as rockslides along the 
  narrow, cliff-side trails.  
  An old stone road winds its way through the pass, relic of an empire 
  that has receded from these lands, leaving them unprotected and wild. 
  Although the road is dilapidated and broken, the work done by its builders 
  still allows the pass to be traversed by wagons, even centuries after the 
  stones were originally set. The road is vital to the merchants and other 
  travelers in the Ghostwind for another reason, too: as long as it is not 
  covered in snow, it shows travelers the fastest and safest way through a 
  pass that has several dead-end ravines and blind canyons. Without it, a 
  large number of journeyers through the pass would never arrive on the far 
  side of the mountains.
  The ravines and canyons of Ghostwind Pass are rich hunting and 
  trapping grounds during the warm seasons, drawing fortune-seekers to 
  the hunting camp around the Abbey of Saint Kathelynn and to the “South 
  Camp” on the far side of the mountains. There is a third settlement in the 
  highlands of the pass, the Manor of the Mountain Queen, but visitors to 
  the pass avoid this fell place. It is said that the Mountain Queen is not 
  human, although no one really knows what she might be.
  Twice each year, the Ghostwind blows down the high peaks, hurling 
  snow and sleet before it to bury most of the pass. The weather becomes 
  violent and murderously cold. Anyone caught in the heights when this 
  maelstrom hits is most likely doomed. Entire caravans have been lost, found 
  at the end of the season where they froze to death after only a day or two of 
  desperate travel back toward a lower altitude. The Ghostwind season lasts 
  two months; during this time, the pass is effectively closed to all passage.
  If you intend to run a player character in this adventure, READ NO 
  FURTHER.
  Referee Notes
  The vague rumors about the Mountain Queen’s Manor are entirely 
  correct: the Mountain Queen is not human. She is a lamia with innate 
  power over storms and snow. She uses these powers to insulate her 
  stone castle from the Ghostwind. Once the Ghostwind falls, she and her 
  monstrous followers rule the high regions of the pass for the two months 
  until the murderously cold storms abate. Chief among her clan are her 
  children: the gray saber-tooths and the white were-tigers that hunt in the 
  higher regions of the pass.
  The lamia is long-lived; she knows a great deal about the series of 
  events that took place in the pass seventy-five years ago, when a powerful 
  fey being known as the “Winter Prince” was supposedly defeated by the 
  paladin Kathelynn—because she is Kathelynn, or at least what is left of 
  her original self (see, “What Really Happened,” below). Although the 
  Winter Prince survived, he traded his life for a promise to restrict the 
  supernatural storms in the pass to twice per year. The characters might or 
  might not stumble upon the odd mysteries and contradictions surrounding 
  the defeat of the Winter Prince; the information is there to be uncovered 
  but is not necessary to the adventure.  
  For adventurers, the most important key to survival in the high region 
  of Ghostwind Pass (other than avoiding frontal assaults on the Mountain 
  Queen’s hall) is to understand how the cold weather moves in. During the 
  warm seasons, humans and their kin are able to survive in the pass. Once 
  the Ghostwind Season begins, the storms and cold turn the pass into a death 
  trap. The only hope for a hunter or a group of adventurers is to fight their 
  way back down to the lower altitudes, out of the deadly weather. No one 
  knows exactly when the Ghostwind will suddenly fill the pass with snow 
  and bitter ice, but the locals are able to make a close estimate. It will be up 
  to the characters how long to remain in the pass as the Ghostwind draws 
  closer. If greed delays them too long, there is a good chance that they will 
  die in the harsh conditions of the Ghostwind, joining the ranks of many 
  other fortune-seekers who thought they could risk “just one more day.”
  Missions
  The adventure assumes that the characters have arrived at the north 
  side of the mountains, beginning the adventure just as they approach 
  Perils of  
  Ghostwind Pass
  By Matt Finch
  
  62
  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  the Abbey of St. Kathelynn. The town of Elet lies close behind them to 
  the north, so allow the characters to do any pre-adventure information 
  gathering there, if they choose. They might simply be traveling 
  through the area, soon to learn that the pass offers some interesting 
  possibilities; but less time will be wasted at the game table if the 
  characters start with some kind of objective (which can, of course, 
  change during the course of the adventure). Seven possible missions 
  are listed below.
  • A local baron’s son recently disappeared in the pass during a 
  hunting expedition into the ravines. Find out what happened to him 
  and his three companions, and return them (or their bodies) to the 
  baron. The reward will be appreciably larger if the lost nobles are 
  still alive.
  • A wizard offers to pay well for the heart of a peryton, and even 
  more for one or more eggs. More than one caravan through the pass 
  has been savaged by perytons, so finding and killing one ought to be 
  easy!
  • The characters are hired to guard a small hunting party: a minor noble 
  and his/her courtiers (1d3 + 3). They are seeking large game such as boars 
  or deer. Unfortunately, the highborn can be very independent-minded and 
  difficult when it comes to taking advice from members of the lower social 
  orders.
  • The characters might decide to go hunting on their own behalf: there 
  are definitely a lot of undeserving monsters out there, wearing some very 
  valuable furs.
  • An alchemist could hire adventurers to find a “blood violet.” The 
  more sacks of blood violets they can collect, the better.
  • The characters are hired to guard a mule train through the pass.
  • In the midst of the Ghostwind season, while the storms are blowing, 
  the characters are hired to get an emergency message (or medicine, or a 
  fugitive) through the pass.
  Arrival of the Ghostwind
  The first thing to do at the beginning of the adventure is to roll three 
  six-sided dice and add 10 (3d6 + 10). This is the number of days that 
  elapse between the characters’ arrival at the Abbey of St. Kathelynn 
  and the Ghostwind blowing into the pass. The effects of being caught 
  in the Ghostwind are described below, in the “Wilderness Map” 
  section.
  The players ought to have some idea of the bell-curve probability 
  involved in their race against time (that all-important 3d6 + 10 days), 
  so it’s important that someone in the abbey should tell the characters 
  something like the following.
  After the Ghostwind blows in, you’ll die if you’re in the pass. 
  It’s just too cold. But you’ve got some time until then. My 
  rheumatism says the Ghostwind won’t blow in for another 10 
  days plus another three casts of the die, or so. You never know 
  exactly when, until a couple days before. Two days of heavy 
  clouds and then the cold.
  If you and your gaming group have a more “beer and pretzels” approach 
  to the game, feel free to just tell them that you rolled 3d6 + 10 days to find 
  out when the Ghostwind will blow in, and that you’re not telling them the 
  result. They can judge the odds for themselves. 
  Wilderness Map
  The map shows three elevations, each shaded differently. Capital letters 
  offer a rough indication of risk levels. The numbered locations on the 
  Wilderness Map are referred to in the Map Key with the letter W for 
  “Wilderness.” The elevations and other symbols are described in more 
  detail below.
  Three Elevations
  Low Elevation: This is the floor of the pass. It is very rough terrain 
  but passable by mules and horses. Wagons can negotiate the road, 
  but they move slowly. Although this is the lowest elevation in the 
  mountain pass itself and is low enough for evergreen trees to survive, 
  it is still high, cold, rocky ground. The trees here are sparse and 
  small; most cannot live through the bitter cold of the Ghostwind 
  season.
  Middle Elevation: These are high, steep areas, but not rugged enough 
  to require the use of ropes and other equipment. Lots of the movement in 
  these areas is climbing rather than walking, using hands as well as feet. 
  This contour line also represents the tree line: trees cannot grow in the 
  middle or highest elevations of the pass.
  Highest Elevation: The highest elevation is impassable for purposes 
  of the adventure. A high-elevation area can be reached with climbing 
  gear (the peryton nest is an example), but it is not possible to move from 
  one high-elevation square to another. Up and down are the only choices 
  here.
  Special Movement
  Mules and Other Mounts: mules do not increase an expedition’s speed; 
  they are no faster than people, but they can carry more. Horses also do not 
  increase speed, and since they are not as surefooted as mules, they double 
  movement cost on the Middle Elevation (see “Movement Cost” below). 
  Only mountain creatures such as giant mountain goats and great cats, or 
  giant mounts such as mammoths and elephants, will affect movement. 
  Such mounts do not increase the party’s speed, but they do reduce the 
  toll of moving at speed through the uneven terrain, adding one hour to 
  the length of time the characters can move during the day (increase from 
  eight to nine).
  Wagons: Wagons move at “slow” speed on the road at the lowest 
  elevation (see below, “Movement Speed”). They can move off the road 
  but have a 10 percent chance per hex traveled of breaking a wheel. They 
  cannot move into the Middle Elevation at all.
  Flying: Flying might appear to be the ideal solution to the perils 
  of Ghostwind Pass, but it actually affords little benefit. During the 
  Ghostwind, flying and levitation are simply not possible. Even before 
  the Ghostwind arrives, the winds in the pass are quite violent if anyone 
  flies higher than 50 feet. Flying provides the following benefits and 
  drawbacks.
  • Flying Speed: Flying speed requires 0.2 hours (12 minutes) to cross a 
  mile-wide hex on the map. This might seem slow, but the winds are very 
  difficult to handle when airborne.
  • Benefit: The adventurers cannot be surprised at the beginning of an 
  encounter.
  • Benefit: If the characters are specifically hunting for animals, roll a 
  second encounter each time you make a normal encounter check. They 
  will not have two encounters, but if the second roll indicates an encounter 
  when the first roll didn’t, this means the flying character has spotted the 
  other possibility at a distance from a tenth of a mile up to a full mile (1d10 
  x 0.1 miles). Note that the other encounter may have spotted the flying 
  character as well, since airborne objects are easy to spot. If it is intelligent, 
  it will definitely react in some way once it knows it is being observed 
  from afar.
  • Higher than 50 feet—Immediate Risk: Every time the character tries 
  to fly higher than 50 feet, there is an immediate 10 percent chance that 
  a violent gust yanks the character 1d4 x 100 feet sideways and down in 
  a random direction, to smash against the rocky floor of the pass for 2d6 
  bludgeoning damage.
  • Higher than 50 feet—Ongoing Risk: Each mile scouted (and if 
  stationary, once per 20 minutes) while a character remains airborne at an 
  altitude above 50 feet, the character has a 10 percent chance to be blown 
  off course 1d3 miles in a random direction. Hitting one of the highest-
  altitude squares while blowing off course results in a rapid stop and 
  4d6 bludgeoning damage. As soon as a character reaches this elevation, 
  the feel of the winds alone will alert the character to the risk. (It is a 
  
  63
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  good idea, for purposes of the game, to give the player a fairly good 
  description of the risk and the result of having a character flying in this 
  sort of wind).
  • Lower than 50 feet flying fast—Ongoing Risk: A character 
  skimming along at an altitude below 50 feet can travel at a movement 
  cost of 0.1 hours per mile, without the risk of blowing off course. 
  However, the low-flying character faces risk from downdrafts. Once 
  per mile traveled, a low-flying character has a 10 percent chance to 
  be caught in one of these and smashed to the ground (1d4 x 100 feet 
  of random sideways movement, and 2d6 bludgeoning damage upon 
  landing).
  • Lower than 50 feet flying slowly—No Risk: It is safe to remain with 
  the rest of the party at an altitude of less than 50 feet, gaining the benefits 
  of aerial scouting. The character will be tossed around in the wind but not 
  thrown sideways, downward, or off into the distance.
  Movement Speed
  Overland movement in Ghostwind Pass is considerably slower than the 
  official handbook speed, reflecting the fact that characters aren’t really 
  “traveling” here. In any combat on the rocky terrain of the mountain pass, 
  assume that all terrain is difficult.
  Each hex on the Wilderness Map takes a certain amount of time to 
  cross, depending on its elevation. Crossing the contour lines themselves 
  does not cost extra time; that’s accounted for by the different movement 
  rates at the different elevations. A normal speed and a slow speed are 
  given; certain circumstances can reduce the characters’ movement rate as 
  described later. Moreover, the characters will normally be limited to eight 
  hours of hiking in a day (see below).
  Lowest Elevation: It takes 0.5 hours to cross a hex at normal speed and 
  1 hour at slow speed. Movement cost during the Ghostwind is 1.5 hour at 
  normal speed and 2 hours for slowed speed.
  Middle Elevation: It takes 1 hour at normal speed to cross a Middle 
  Elevation hex and 2 hours at slow speed. The characters cannot cross 
  Middle Elevation terrain if they are “force marching” in the 9th 
  or 10th hour of the march. During the Ghostwind, it takes 3 hours 
  at normal speed to cross Middle Elevation terrain, and 4 hours at 
  slowed speed.
  Highest Elevation: The High Elevations can be scaled to reach a 
  particular objective such as the peryton nest at Area W-4. They are 
  impassable to any other movement; characters cannot move from one 
  high-elevation hex to another.
  Exhaustion and Encumbrance
  Characters can hike up to eight hours per day, spending the 
  remaining time making/breaking camp, cooking dinner and breakfast, 
  resting, and sleeping. It is very, very difficult to travel over rough 
  terrain for eight hours with heavy loads of supplies. Nevertheless, 
  it is possible for characters to really push themselves and “force 
  march” to go more than eight hours a day. Forced marching allows 
  the characters to keep going an additional two hours (for a total time 
  of ten hours).
  Forced marching is dangerous in treacherous terrain such as Ghostwind 
  Pass. Exhaustion sets in, reducing alertness and making people clumsier 
  than normal. It is much easier to miss your footing or trip over a rock that 
  would have been noticed and avoided earlier in the day. At the end of each 
  hour of forced marching, each character must make a DC 12 Con saving 
  throw or suffer two levels of exhaustion.
  If the characters are extremely burdened (not likely, but possible), or 
  are slowed by exhaustion, they will be moving at “slow” speed—which is 
  not necessarily half speed.
  Risk Zones
  The Wilderness Map is divided into several risk zones, denoted by 
  capital letters. Along the same elevation, the exact boundaries of the 
  risk zones are unimportant, but the risk zones don’t cross contour lines. 
  Whenever characters climb up or down past one of the contour lines, they 
  are automatically crossing into the risk zone in the new elevation. Most 
  of the risk zones are specifically to indicate how dangerous the higher 
  elevations are.
  There’s another side to risks, of course. As they say, “the greater the 
  risk, the greater the reward.” If characters are hunting for valuable pelts, 
  they will find more of them in the more dangerous parts of the pass.
  Hunting
  The valuable hunting—for furs—is handled by the system of encounter 
  checks described below. Whenever characters enter a new hex, there is a 
  chance for an encounter. If the characters are also hunting for subsistence, 
  use the normal rules for foraging. 
  Encounter Checks
  The short answer is: check for an encounter when characters enter a 
  new hex, and once during the night. If the Ghostwind is blowing, use 
  the special encounter table for the Ghostwind Season. Note that the 
  Ghostwind Effect Check is a different check (made every two hours and 
  once at night).
  To check for an encounter when characters enter a new hex (or for the 
  one nighttime check), find which Risk Area the characters are closest to 
  (reminder: don’t cross contour lines), and roll on the encounter table for 
  that Risk Area. It is fine to be approximate in terms of which risk area the 
  characters are in.
  Ghostwind Effect Check
  Once the Ghostwind has blown in, it becomes so cold that no matter 
  how long the characters try to rest, they cannot gain the benefits of a 
  long rest. A full night’s sleep is needed just to gain the benefits of a short 
  rest.
  Each day the characters are in the pass while the Ghostwind is 
  blowing, they may suffer damage and other effects from the supernatural 
  cold and violent storms. Every two hours of movement, in addition to 
  the encounter checks, roll for each character on the Ghostwind Effects 
  Table (d100). A successful Wis (Survival) saving throw gains a + 5 on 
  the die roll.
  If characters are fighting their way out of the pass during the Ghostwind, 
  consider them “out of the pass” if they reach the abbey or the south camp.
  Quick Travel Rules Summary
  1. Determine Movement Rate (normal or slow). If flying, check 
  flying rules.
  2. Move into a hex
  a. Mark off the time required for a hex at that elevation. 
  Ghostwind Rules: when 2 hours elapse, each character makes 
  a check on the Ghostwind Effects Table)
  b. Determine Risk Level for that hex (the nearest capital letter 
  at that elevation)
  c. Roll for Encounter: use the table for that Risk Level. 
  Ghostwind Rules: use the Ghostwind Encounter Table, not 
  the Risk Level Tables. 
  d. After 8 hours of movement, characters must either make 
  camp or force march.
  e. If they force march, add Con saving throws against 2 levels of 
  exhaustion (see Exhaustion and Encumbrance). Ghostwind 
  Rules: cannot force march during Ghostwind.
  f. When characters make camp, make one more encounter 
  check for that Risk Level, covering the entire night. Check to 
  see if the Ghostwind is going to hit the next day.  Ghostwind 
  Rules: use the Ghostwind Encounter Table, not the Risk Level 
  Tables. Make only one more check on the Ghostwind Effects 
  Table for each character.
  
  64
  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  Wilderness Travel Tables
  Ghostwind Effects Table
  d100
  Effect
  01-10
  Make a successful DC 10 Con saving throw or 
  suffer severe frostbite*
  11-15
  6 cold damage**
  16-20
  4 cold damage**
  21-25
  2 cold damage**
  26-00
  No adverse effect
  *Randomly determine on 1d6 whether the frostbite is in (1) 
  fingers of left hand, (2) fingers of right hand, (3) toes of left 
  foot, (4) toes of right foot, (5) nose, (6) ear. Cure wounds cast 
  at 3rd level or higher can reverse the damage if it is cast 
  before the frostbitten piece falls off (1d6 days). Unless more 
  than one finger is lost on the same hand, missing fingers are 
  not enough of a problem to cause modifiers on die rolls.
  **Because the characters cannot get a long rest during 
  the Ghostwind, these hit points will not automatically be 
  restored even after a night’s sleep.
  Ghostwind Encounters Table 
  (use this table in all Risk Areas during the Ghostwind)
  d100
  Encounter/Result
  1-76
  No Encounter
  77-78
  White Pudding (1)
  79-80
  Giant Snowy Owl (wild: not from the Roster) (1)
  81-82
  Giant Mountain Goats (1d4 + 1)
  83-84
  Giant Badger (1)
  85-86
  Snow-serpents (1d4 + 1)
  87-90
  Giant Weasels (1d3)
  91-92
  Cave Bear (1d2)
  93-94
  Giant Ermine (1)
  95-96
  Gray Saber-tooth (from the Roster) (1d2)
  97
  White Weretiger (from the Roster: Claude, Pierre, 
  or Thibault) (1)
  98-99
  Remorhaz
  00
  Khethro Tulroc the Satyr (see Area W-7)
  Encounter Table for Risk Areas A, B, C, D (lower risk)
  d100
  Risk Area A
  Low Elevation,
  Low Risk
  Risk Area B
  Low Elevation,
  Higher Risk
  Risk Area C
  High Elevation,
  Low Risk
  Risk Area D
  High Elevation,
  Low Risk
  1- 75
  No encounter
  No encounter
  No encounter
  No encounter
  76-78
  Mountain Goats (normal) 
  (1d4 + 2)
  Mountain Goats (normal) 
  (1d4 + 2)
  Mountain Goats (normal) 
  (1d4 + 2)
  Mountain Goats (normal) 
  (1d4 + 2)
  79-80
  Wolves (1d4)
  Wolves (1d6)
  Wolves (1d6 + 2)
  Wolves (1d6 + 2)
  81
  Giant Lynx (1)
  Giant Lynxes (1d3)
  Giant Lynxes (1d3)
  Giant Lynxes (1d3)
  82
  Wild Boar (1)
  Wild Boars (1d3)
  Giant Mountain Goats 
  (1d4)
  Giant Mountain Goats 
  (1d4)
  83
  Badger (1)
  Badgers (1d2)
  Badgers (1d3)
  Badgers (1d3)
  84-85
  Bear, Black (1)
  Bear, Black (1)
  Bears, Black (1d2)
  Bears, Black (1d2)
  86
  Giant Weasel (1)
  Giant Weasel (1)
  Giant Weasels (1d2)
  Giant Weasels
  (1d2)
  87-88
  Giant Ermine (1)
  Giant Ermine (1)
  Giant Ermines (1d2)
  Giant Ermines (1d2)
  89-90
  Humans (1d3) (trappers, 
  normal humans)
  Ogre hunting party (1d4 
  + 1)
  Minotaur Hunting Party 
  (1d3 + 1)
  Perytons (1d2) (or 
  Minotaur Hunting party if 
  the perytons are dead)
  91
  Hawk overhead (normal)
  Vultures circle party for 2 
  hours (normal)
  Perytons (1d2)  (normal 
  hawk overhead if perytons 
  are dead)
  Perytons (1d6) (normal 
  hawk overhead if perytons 
  are dead)
  92
  Badgers, giant (1d2)
  Badgers, giant (1d2 + 1)
  Giant Ermine (1)
  Giant Ermine (1)
  93
  Giant Ants (1d4 + 1 
  workers, 1 warrior)
  Giant Ants (1d4 + 3 
  workers, 1d2 warriors)
  Giant Ants (1d8 + 4 
  workers, 1d4 + 1 warriors)
  Giant Ants (1d8 + 4 
  workers, 1d4 + 1 warriors)
  94
  Slip and fall on rock: 1 
  character takes 1d4 
  bludgeoning damage.
  Slip and fall on rock: 1 
  character takes 1d4 
  bludgeoning damage.
  Trip and slide on rocks: 
  1 character takes 1d4 + 
  1 bludgeoning damage 
  from fall and must make a 
  DC 15 Dex saving throw or 
  suffer a sprained ankle.*
  Trip and slide on rocks: 
  1 character takes 1d4 + 
  1 bludgeoning damage 
  from fall and must make a 
  DC 15 Dex saving throw or 
  suffer a sprained ankle.* 
  95
  No encounter
  No encounter
  Rockslide. Each character 
  must make a DC 15 Dex 
  saving throw or take 1d20 
  bludgeoning damage.
  Rockslide. Each character 
  must make a DC 15 Dex 
  saving throw or take 1d20 
  bludgeoning damage.
  
  65
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  d100
  Risk Area A
  Low Elevation,
  Low Risk
  Risk Area B
  Low Elevation,
  Higher Risk
  Risk Area C
  High Elevation,
  Low Risk
  Risk Area D
  High Elevation,
  Low Risk
  96
  Giant beetles (1d2)
  Giant beetles (1d3)
  Giant beetles (1d3 + 1)
  Giant beetles (1d3 + 1)
  97-98
  No encounter (squirrels)
  Blood violets (1d3 sacks 
  worth)
  Blood violets (1d3 + 2 
  sacks worth)
  Blood violets (1d3 + 2 
  sacks worth)
  99
  No encounter (crickets)
  Troll (1)
  Trolls (1d3)
  Trolls (1d3)
  100
  Tiger, Gray Saber-tooth 
  (from the roster) (1)
  Tiger, Gray Saber-tooth 
  (from the roster) (1)
  * A sprained ankle causes a delay of 0.5 hour while it gets wrapped and the cursing and swearing abates. The sprain reduces character’s speed to half 
  (in combat) and the party’s wilderness speed to “slow,” with the movement penalty lasting 1d100 hours. Cure wounds immediately cures the sprain. 
  Reroll this result for the night encounter check.
  Encounter Table for Risk Areas E, F, G (higher or specific risk)
  d100
  Risk Area E
  Highest Elevation,
  Very High Risk
  Risk Area F
  Any Elevation,
  Very High Risk
  Risk Area G
  Any Elevation,
  Highest Risk
  1- 70
  No encounter
  No encounter
  No encounter
  71-73
  Mountain Goats (normal) (1d4 + 2)
  Mountain Goats (normal) (1d4 + 2)
  Mountain Goats (normal) (1d4 + 2)
  74-75
  Wolves (1d6 + 2) with winter wolf (1)
  Wolves (1d6 + 2) with winter wolves (2)
  Wolves (1d8 + 3) with winter wolves (3)
  76-77
  Giant Mountain Goats (1d6)
  Giant Mountain Goats (1d6 + 1)
  Giant Mountain Goats (1d6 + 2)
  78
  Giant Badgers (1d3 + 1)
  Giant Badgers (1d4 + 1)
  Cave Bears (1d2)
  79
  Cave Bear (1)
  Cave Bears (1d2)
  Cave Bears (1d2)
  80
  Giant Weasels (1d4)
  Giant Weasels (1d4)
  Giant Weasels (1d4)
  81-85
  Giant Ermines (1d4)
  Giant Ermines (1d4 + 1)
  Giant Ermines (1d4 + 2)
  86
  Trolls (1d3)
  White Weretiger (from the Roster) (1)
  Khethro Tulroc the satyr  
  (see Area W-7)
  87-88
  Giant Ants (1d8 + 6 workers, 1d6 + 1 
  warriors)
  Giant Ants (1d8 + 6 workers, 1d6 + 1 
  warriors)
  Hill giant and 2 ogres, carrying 1d6 + 
  3 giant ermine pelts.
  89-90
  Trip and slide on rocks: 1 character 
  takes 1d4 + 1 bludgeoning damage 
  from fall and must make a DC 
  15 Dex saving throw or suffer a 
  sprained ankle.* 
  Trip and slide on rocks: 1 character 
  takes 1d4 + 1 bludgeoning damage 
  from fall and must make a DC 
  15 Dex saving throw or suffer a 
  sprained ankle.* 
  Trip and slide on rocks: 1 character 
  takes 1d4 + 1 bludgeoning damage 
  from fall and must make a DC 
  19 Dex saving throw or suffer a 
  sprained ankle.* 
  91
  Rockslide. Each character must 
  make a DC 15 Dex saving throw or 
  sustain 1d20 bludgeoning damage.
  Rockslide. Each character must 
  make a DC 15 Dex saving throw or 
  sustain 1d20 bludgeoning damage.
  Rockslide. Each character must 
  make a DC 15 Dex saving throw or 
  sustain 1d20 bludgeoning damage.
  92-93
  Blood violets (1d6 + 1 sacks worth)
  Blood violets (1d6 + 2 sacks worth)
  Blood violets (1d6 + 3 sacks worth)
  94-95
  Bears, Black (1d3)
  Bears, Black (1d3)
  Bears, Black (1d3)
  96-97
  Snow-serpents (1d4) (fur still spotted 
  green, has not changed to white)
  Snow-serpents (1d4) (fur still spotted 
  green, has not changed to white)
  Snow-serpents (1d6) (fur still spotted 
  green, has not changed to white)
  98
  Badgers, giant (1d2)
  Badgers, giant (1d2 + 1)
  Badgers, giant (1d2 + 1)
  99-100
  Tiger, Gray Saber-tooth (from the 
  roster) (1)
  Tiger, Gray Saber-tooth (from the 
  roster) (1)
  Tiger, Gray Saber-tooth (from the 
  roster) (1)
  
  66
  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  Rumors and Whispers
  Before the adventuring really begins, characters will have a chance 
  to gather some information in the town to the north. (In the Lost Lands 
  campaign, this is the town of Elet). The characters automatically get the 
  Basic Information below. Each character makes a Cha (Persuasion) check. 
  The result determines which category of rumor the character hears through 
  conversation (False, Easy, Pretty Good, and Extraordinarily Good). Once 
  the category is determined, roll in that category to see what sort of tidbits 
  the character learns.
   
  Automatic: Basic Information
  1. The mountain pass is blocked twice per year when blizzards called 
  the Ghostwinds blow in.
  2. The Abbey of St. Kathelynn is a safe place to rest.
  3. There’s a druid who lives just by the abbey. The different religious 
  beliefs cause some friction.
  0─5: False Rumors (d6)
  1. The Mountain Queen is a giantess who collects the heads of anyone 
  who casts magic in her mountain pass.
  2. Giant ice toads have built a massive windmill in the heights of the 
  pass, and it pulls in the Ghostwind when their human slaves work the 
  treadmills that turn the windmill’s diamond-edged blades faster and faster.
  3. A songbird kept for three days in the pass will lay golden eggs for a 
  week afterward.
  4. Some people say that the Abbot of Saint Kathelynn actually killed 
  the saint.
  5. Ice gnomes have built a giant water wheel at a high elevation near 
  one of the lakes. It is used to catch salmon, but a giant fish with legs has 
  started attacking their settlement.
  6. A woman who lives near the abbey is actually a necromancer who 
  curses adventurers by using some sort of rune magic.
  6─12: Easy Rumors (d6)
  1. The higher you go up the walls of the pass, the more dangerous it 
  gets, but the better the hunting.
  2. The best hunting in the pass is the giant ermine. Don’t use cutting 
  weapons on them, or you drop the value of the pelt.
  3. There is some kind of powerful artifact is rumored to be hidden in 
  the pass.
  4. You better have magic weapons or silver weapons if you go exploring 
  where you shouldn’t go.
  5. There is an abbey of a saint at the base of the pass. She was only 
  sainted 75 years ago, and they consecrated an old watch-fort to put her 
  bones in. They haven’t repaired it very well, if you ask me.
  6. Rope yourselves together to cross the river fords, and if you plan on 
  climbing any of the crags, bring spikes, ropes, and grappling hooks. The 
  giant owl eggs are worth a lot, and that’s the only way to get them, because 
  they nest in the high places. If you get one of the owl eggs back safely, you 
  can buy me a drink.
  13─18: Pretty Good Rumors (d10)
  1. There are gray saber-tooth cats in the pass. Avoid them, they’re 
  cunning.
  2. The abbot of St. Kathelynn’s is so old that he remembers the last days 
  of the saint’s life.
  3. There is a nest of perytons on one of the high peaks.
  4. An artifact associated with Saint Kathelynn is supposed to be buried 
  with her bones.
  5. Saint Kathelynn had a sister you almost never hear about in the 
  stories.
  6. Watch out for the Manor of the Mountain Queen. You don’t want to 
  go there.
  7. If you’re going to hunt giant ermines, you should wear the druid’s 
  Mark.
  8. They say the Mountain Queen hunts people in the wilderness. If she 
  finds you, you become her slave and you’re never seen again.
  9. The abbey at the base of the pass is kept warm by the Saint. It’s the 
  only place the Ghostwinds can’t freeze when they blow in.
  10. The the Mountain Queen has a magic pool, and she can see things 
  in it even if they are far away.
  19+: Extraordinarily Good Rumors (d4)
  1. The servant of a fey winter power, by the name of Tulroc, lives near 
  the eastern wall of the pass.
  2. The Ghostwinds are fey powers called into the pass by a creature 
  named Tulroc.
  3. Saint Kathelynn and her twin sister were both famous, but Kathelynn 
  was definitely the one who shined the brightest.
  4. The Ghostwinds are fey powers controlled by a creature called the 
  Winter Prince.
  What Really Happened
  The characters might realize early on that there is something strange 
  about Kathelynn’s canonization. The fact of the matter is that the proper 
  authorities of the church, rushing to honor the heroine of Ghostwind Pass, 
  canonized the wrong person. Not only that, Kathelynn is the one who 
  killed Elys, and she is still alive, no longer a champion of the faith. Cursed 
  and transformed by the gods, her mind twisted to murderous hate, she still 
  lives in Ghostwind Pass, under the name of the Mountain Queen.
  Kathelynn and Elys were both clerics, identical twin sisters. Kathelynn 
  was the famous warrior-priestess, and the quiet sister Elys was her standard 
  bearer, carrying Kathelynn’s red rose banner into battle. The twins could 
  be told apart by their shields: Kathelynn wore her red rose, and Elys’s rose 
  was white as snow. The only other difference was a vertical battle scar on 
  Kathleen’s face.
  At this time, seventy-five years ago, Ghostwind Pass had been choked 
  off for many years by a fey lord known as the Winter Prince. His 
  Ghostwinds, like chained hounds, kept the area in a perpetual blizzard, 
  completely impassable. The sister paladins swore an oath to banish the 
  immortal Winter Prince and free the mountain pass from his influence. 
  They and their five retainers stopped at the fort just north of the pass (now 
  the abbey), and the sisters went out alone into the snow to pray. They 
  returned bearing the Staff of the Remorhaz, a holy artifact dating back to 
  the beginning of history and the wars against forgotten, evil gods.
  With Kathelynn at the forefront, and Elys bearing the Staff and Red-
  Rose banner, the twins became separated from their followers in the 
  blizzard, and then lost each other too, coming separately upon the Winter 
  Prince in the midst of his howling Ghostwinds.
  First to meet him was Kathelynn, and the Prince’s sweet words and 
  subtle magic undid Kathelynn’s defenses and corrupted her to the service 
  of evil. Then Elys came upon them, and fought the Fey Lord in single 
  combat. In the great battle, the power of the Winter Prince snapped the 
  Staff of the Remorhaz, but he was still forced to yield by Elys’s prowess in 
  battle. The Prince agreed to free the mountain pass from the Ghostwinds 
  except for twice a year. As Elys put her weapon away, the treacherous 
  Winter Prince gestured to Kathelynn. The Prince’s newest servant, 
  standing behind Elys, crushed half of her twin sister’s skull with her 
  mace. Dying, Elys swung with the last strength in her, and killed the body 
  of the Winter Prince. Laughing, the spirit of the Winter Prince rode his 
  Ghostwinds away to find a new body: victorious, although still bound by 
  the oath he had sworn to Elys. The Ghostwinds would only return to the 
  pass twice a year instead of year-round.
  Kathelynn reached out to take the Staff of the Remorhaz, for without 
  her twin holding the cold-warding staff, she was freezing in the bitter 
  chill of the high mountain. The moment she touched the ancient artifact, 
  it took a terrible vengeance upon her for the murder of her twin. She was 
  transformed into a horrible beast with the lower body of a white tiger and 
  her own body from the waist up, a dreadful lamia of the cold mountains. 
  Blinded by the pain of the transformation, she grabbed what she thought 
  was her own shield and ran, still clutching the part of the ancient relic she 
  had taken. When the lamia awoke in the wilderness, fully transformed, 
  she could see what she had left the battle with: the eye from the top of the 
  
  67
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  staff, and her sister’s white-rose shield.
  With the Ghostwinds gone, the five knights were able to find Elys’s 
  body where it lay next to the body of the slain Winter Prince, together 
  with Kathelynn’s shield and the staff of the remorhaz fallen nearby. The 
  knights, of course, assumed the faceless body was the famous sister, 
  Kathelynn, apparently the victor over the Winter Prince. They brought 
  the body and the broken staff back to the chapel at the base of the pass, 
  where they buried it in secret, concealing it in a grave labeled with another 
  person’s name (“Gryffin Winemaker”). Their thinking was simply to hide 
  it from anyone who might try to desecrate it before Kathelynn could be 
  sainted. The result was disaster. Kathelynn, now a lamia, insanely believes 
  that if she can repair the artifact, she will reverse her transformation. Not 
  knowing where the other half lies and correctly assuming that it was 
  buried with Elys, Kathelynn kidnapped each of the retainers in turn and 
  tortured them to learn the periapt’s location. Each of them died without 
  divulging the secret.
  With the retainers all dead, the broken staff’s location has been lost. 
  No living person knows where St. Elys’s body can be found, and only 
  Kathelynn the lamia knows that the wrong saint was consecrated.
  Trimming the Background Story
  If you want to remove the artifact-and-buried-saint mystery from the 
  adventure to make it simpler, all you need to do is make one change: 
  change the rose symbols in the Manor of the Mountain Queen from red to 
  white (or from roses to but tigers or some other symbol). As long as that’s 
  done, all you need to do is ignore references to Saint Elys and her burial.
  Start
   
  You and your companions have traveled up an increasingly poor 
  trail toward the foot of the mountains. You now stand gazing at 
  what definitely appears to be the last ragged gasp of civilization 
  this side of the mountain peaks. A dilapidated-looking drum 
  tower is set on a hill, attached to a sagging wooden stockade 
  that probably encloses a couple of other buildings. A watchtower 
  stands to each side of a wooden gate. There is a cottage of some 
  kind beside the hill, with one or two trees around it. 
  Wilderness Map
  W-1. Abbey of Saint Kathelynn, 
  Druid’s Cottage
  See the separate map of the Abbey grounds.
  W-2. River Crossing
  The river is deep and very fast-flowing, although it is obviously not as 
  full as it will get during the spring thaw. There is a ford here, where the 
  river widens and becomes shallower as it runs over a broad rock shelf. 
  Any person going across the ford on foot must make two successive DC 
  15 Dex saving throws along the way to avoid tripping, falling, and being 
  carried away by the water into the rapids below.
  Anyone failing a saving throw has one chance to grab hold and stop 
  before being pulled into the rapids, by making a successful DC 15 Dex 
  (Acrobatics) check. If this check fails, the character is washed downstream 
  in the icy water and takes 2d10 bludgeoning damage before being washed 
  to one side of the river or the other (roll randomly to see which bank).
  The same risks apply to crossing the river anywhere in the pass.
  W-3. Tembril Tarn 
  The water of this lake is, of course, icy cold, and it is very deep. At 
  night, an eerie luminescence rises over the lake, and anyone near the 
  banks hears a soft, muttering, whining voice that does not form words 
  but continues for several minutes, then suddenly rises to a low scream 
  before being suddenly cut off. This phenomenon repeats itself over and 
  over again until dawn. Spellcasters cannot regain spell slots if characters 
  are camped within a quarter-mile of the banks of the tarn.
  W-4. Peryton Nest
  This is the nest of 6 perytons. (Some of them might already have been 
  killed by the time characters scale the cliff to the nest, if they appeared in 
  random encounters.)
  The cliff is very steep and 110 feet tall. The wind whipping around 
  the rock formation makes it impossible to fly to the top. There might be 
  ways around this (players are ingenious). Their solution, if it is to succeed 
  without catastrophe, would need to address all six directions in which 
  a flying or levitating character could be violently pitched (forward/
  back, side/side, up/down). Impacts could range from a bad bump of 1d4 
  bludgeoning damage, up to a massive gust causing 4d6 bludgeoning 
  damage if the character hits the stone.
  The most reliable way to reach the top of the cliff is climbing, which is 
  not especially dangerous if the climbers have spikes, ropes, and plenty of 
  time. Unless characters have already killed all the perytons, however—in 
  which case they probably don’t know how to find the nest in the first 
  place—they must climb the cliff under attack from at least one peryton 
  and possible as many as six. The perytons do not hunt in groups of more 
  than two unless there is a human kill available (possibly a decoy miles 
  away, if the party splits up to leave a human effigy somewhere). If the 
  adventurers manage to decoy some of the perytons away from the nest, 
  roll 1d4 + 1 to see how many leave (subtract previously killed ones, too). 
  Waiting for a couple of perytons to leave, whether decoyed or just hunting, 
  is a good strategy.
  The climb has three stages:
  Stage 1 starts at the ground, hits a difficult spot at 20 feet, and ends at a 
  secure 6-inch-wide ledge at the 50-foot mark.
  Stage 2 starts at the 6-inch ledge (50 feet), hits a difficult spot at 80 feet 
  and 90 feet, and ends at 100 feet.
  Stage 3 starts at the 100-foot mark and is a fairly easy scramble to the 
  cliff top at 110 feet.
  All vertical movement is at a speed of 5 feet per minute, and movement 
  is not possible in the same round that a character attacks or takes any 
  other action. The areas between the “difficult spots” can be climbed by 
  any unskilled person using a rope or driving spikes into the rock along the 
  way; it just takes time and care. Climbing such an area without equipment 
  requires a successful DC 20 Str (Athletics) check. One failed check does 
  not indicate that the character falls; it means the character is stuck on 
  the rock face and can’t proceed farther without equipment. If a second 
  check fails (while the character is retreating down from being stuck, for 
  example) the character does fall.
  Climbing past the difficult spots with equipment requires a separate DC 
  20 Str (Athletics) check; without equipment, the DC is 25.
  If anyone uses a hammer to drive spikes at an altitude higher than 
  Stage 1 of the climb, the noise alerts the perytons. They defend their lair 
  savagely against climbers on the cliff.
  (Peryton: AC 13, 33 hp; +5 to hit, 1d8 + 3 piercing damage 
  [gore] and +5 to hit, 2d4 + 3 piercing damage [talons]; 
  does 2d8 extra damage with an attack that follows a 
  dive of at least 30 ft.; doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks 
  when flying out of an opponent’s reach)
  Treasure: The perytons actually collect treasure in the nest, although 
  they also threw out one object of considerable information value (the 
  
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  69
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  notebook of Jauric Tallbones: see below). In the nest, characters can 
  find a scattering of 52 gp, 129 sp, and 533 cp. Two halves of a magic 
  wand are now useless, but a steel scrollcase was shiny enough stay in the 
  nest and tough enough to protect its contents of two scrolls. One scroll 
  is clerical, with the spells cure wounds x3 and mass cure wounds. The 
  other scroll contains the magic-user spells web, mirror image, and gust 
  of wind. A golden bracelet is worth 100 gp, and a piece of jade carved 
  into the shape of an ugly baby is worth 300 gp (the value of the jade). 
  A necklace of ivory rabbits is worth 500 gp, and a well-chewed quiver 
  contains one +2 arrow (along with three whole, mundane arrows and six 
  broken arrows).
  On the cliff ledges below the peryton nest are many bones, and below 
  the aerie falls a curtain of death’s garbage: clothes, empty boots, and bits 
  of hair. One of the more noticeable items is a leather-bound notebook.
  The notebook is the journal of an adventurer named Jauric Tallbones, 
  son of John Tallbones, one of the names in the Abbey graveyard. Jauric 
  came to the Abbey to learn more about his father, taking notes and 
  collecting information about the ill-fated expedition to the Hall of the 
  Winter Prince.
  My father, John Tallbones, told me before his martyrdom 
  how they found Saint Kathelynn and the dying Winter Prince. 
  He spoke of a battle standard that was also found at the same 
  location. This staff was a holy item with great power, but the 
  faceted gem atop the staff was broken away. He said that if I 
  should become a knight I should seek it. My father used to say, 
  “Find Elys, the sister, and you’ll find the eye of the remorhaz. It’s 
  probably treasure in the Manor of the Mountain Queen now, or 
  sitting in some badger’s lair. The other half we buried with Saint 
  Kathelynn of the Red Rose, blessed may be she, but I am sworn 
  never to reveal where the saint’s bones are buried, even under 
  torture. All I can say is to look in the griffin’s lair, son.”
  W-5. Shrine of St. Kathelynn. 
  This is where the battle took place, and there is a memorial here. The 
  ground around the shrine has been dug up in several places (by Kathelynn’s 
  bugbears, checking to make sure that Elys’s bones were not buried at this 
  fairly obvious location. Red roses have been left here in memory of Saint 
  Kathelynn. Kathelynn the lamia occasionally collects these to decorate 
  her rooms, appreciating the irony. Just as the druidess Lurilune makes 
  an occasional trip to Cenaur Yltair (Area W-11), Abbot Godefroy makes 
  a pilgrimage to this site, leaving roses and offering prayers. Any ranger 
  or druid making a successful DC 10 Wis (Perception) check will notice 
  what look like big lion or panther tracks around the shrine. For any other 
  character class, the DC is 20.
  W-6. Manor of  
  the Mountain Queen
  The Mountain Queen is Kathelynn, whose acts transformed her into a 
  lamia with the body of a white saber-toothed tiger and a woman’s torso. 
  See the separate map of the Manor of the Mountain Queen (and the map 
  entries with an “H” prefix).
  W-7. Piper of the Winds 
  Roll an encounter as normal for this hex, but in addition to whatever 
  else might be here, the area contains a cave, the den of a satyr named 
  Khethro Tulroc. 
  Tulroc has a very unusual appearance for a satyr, being the servant of 
  a different power than most satyrs follow. His skin, horns, and hair are 
  bone-white; his only color is in his ice-blue eyes. The satyr carries a set of 
  bone pan-pipes and wears nothing but a belted sporran and cudgel, even 
  in the most biting cold. His behavior is not much different from normal 
  satyrs, although he is quite old and very canny. 
  Tulroc is a servant of the Winter Prince, and his bone pan-pipes are 
  actually the instrument that lures the Ghostwinds down into the pass. 
  If Tulroc does not play the pipes, the Ghostwinds will eventually come 
  looking for him—but there will be a delay of 1d4 + 2 days beyond the 
  time they would normally have arrived. However, if the satyr is killed, 
  the Ghostwinds will bring some other servants of the Winter Prince to 
  avenge him: a pack of five white trolls with maximum hit points. The 
  five trolls will pursue their quest for vengeance beyond the heights of 
  the pass. If they are defeated, no further servants of the Winter Prince 
  will follow.
  Tulroc has 90 percent concealment among his rocks, and this makes it 
  unlikely that the characters will find him if he doesn’t want to be found, 
  even if they have a character scouting from the air. He could be enticed 
  into the open if the characters camp here, if there are any females in the 
  group, if they play music, or if the characters are calling his name.
  The pipes will not call the Ghostwinds unless it is Tulroc playing them: 
  they are not magical.
  (Khethro Tulroc [Satyr]: AC 14, 31 hp; +3 to hit, 2d4 + 1 
  bludgeoning damage [ram] or +5 to hit, 1d6 + 3 piercing 
  damage [shortsword] or +5 to hit, range 80 ft./320 ft., 1d6 
  + 3 piercing damage [shortbow]; has tactical advantage 
  on saving throws against magic)
  W-8. Snowy Owl Nest
  There is a nest of 2 giant snowy owls here, in a cave high up the cliff 
  face. Unless the Game Master chooses to use a different procedure, the 
  cliff must be scaled in the same way as the one where the perytons make 
  their nest (Area W-4). In this case, the owl nest is only 70 feet up the cliff, 
  and there are only two stages to the climb.
  Stage 1 starts at the ground, hits a difficult spot at 30 feet, and ends at a 
  secure foot-wide ledge at the 40-foot mark.
  Stage 2 starts at the ledge (40 feet), hits a difficult spot at 50 feet, and 
  ends at the cave mouth (70 feet).
  At night, one of the owls is always out hunting while the other guards 
  the nest. During the day, both owls are here.
  (Giant Owl: AC 12, 19 hp; +3 to hit, 2d6 + 1 slashing damage [talons]; 
  doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when flying out of an enemy’s reach)
  Treasure: There are 3 giant owl eggs in the nest.
  W-9. Druidic Holy Place 
  (Olir Orphais)
  The holy place known as Olir Orphais is a natural rock arch, flickering 
  all over with a faint greenish fire. The flames cannot be extinguished other 
  than by the power of a demi-god, at the least. This arch is one of the sacred 
  places Lurilune (Area A-8) is sworn to protect and maintain.
  W-10. Druidic Holy Place 
  (Ambioc Tor)
  Ambioc Tor is a naturally formed tower of rock 60 feet tall and 20 
  feet or so in diameter. It is a place where the material world lies very 
  close to the elemental plane of earth. Anyone within a quarter mile of the 
  Tor begins hearing a low-toned, slightly rhythmic music, like several bass 
  drums whose every beat occupies a half minute rather than a half second. 
  This is the living sound of elemental earth, so close that it reverberates 
  into the material plane.
  
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  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  W-11. Druidic Holy Place  
  (Cenaur Yltair)
  Cenaur Yltair is found on a mile-wide saddle of high, rocky land. It is 
  a rock formation shaped like a curving ramp, with its apex 50 feet over 
  the height of the surrounding rocks. If there is a druid in the party, the 
  character might know that according to local druidic tradition, a person is 
  sacrificed here once every seven years by throwing them off the top after 
  a procession up the ramplike rock formation. Usually these are criminals 
  who have been sentenced to death in the town of Elet to the north. The 
  town tends to keep this connection and tradition quiet.
  In between the major sacrifices, one of Lurilune’s duties is to come to 
  Cenair Yltair once a year to light a bonfire at the top. It is possible that she 
  might recruit the characters, especially if there is a druid among them, to 
  come with her as guards and assistants on the bonfire trip to Cenaur Yltair.
  There is a danger in coming too close to the area around Cenaur Yltair 
  without a druid: a will-o’-wisp guards it (for no apparent reason). The 
  will-o’-wisp can charm people up the formation, causing them to fall 
  over the edge. It darts from behind one rock over to the next, showing its 
  eerie lights to one character after another, trying to enrapture at least one 
  of them into walking up the Yltair. The will-o’-wisp then leads the way 
  toward (and over) the edge, which ends up giving the other characters a 
  short window of time to attack it. With luck, they can kill it before their 
  companions walk off the edge to their doom. The will-o’-wisp leaves the 
  characters alone if they are accompanied by a druid.
  (Will-o’-Wisp: AC 19, 22 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 lightning damage 
  [shock] and one creature at 0 hp within 5 ft. of the will-o’-
  wisp must make a successful DC 10 Con saving throw or 
  die, giving the will-o’-wisp 3d6 hp)
  W-12. South Camp
  The South Camp is a base camp for hunters and trappers who live south 
  of the mountain pass. It is far enough down, and sheltered enough from 
  wind, that it is considered “out of the pass” for purposes of escaping the 
  Ghostwind’s terrible cold. If the characters are starting the adventure by 
  approaching the pass from the south, they can gather information from the 
  hunters and trappers who are camping here between their expeditions into 
  the wilderness.
  Abbey of Saint Kathelynn
  “Saint” Kathelynn was only canonized 75 years ago, but the tower and 
  outbuildings of the fortified monastery are obviously older than that. It was 
  originally an old border fort, which was consecrated to Saint Kathelynn 
  after her “death.” Despite the fact that Kathelynn is neither saintly nor 
  dead, the yet-to-be-recognized Saint Elys protects the Abbey as her own.
  The nature of this protection is warmth, and protection from the 
  Ghostwind. If you are running the adventure to include the mystery of 
  Elys and the location of the Staff of the Remorhaz, the relative warmth 
  of the abbey is an important clue, so make sure you stress that the entire 
  abbey is far warmer than the biting mountain air outside the walls. 
  A-1. Gates
  Two watchtowers stand with a wooden gate between them, a 
  bowman in each tower. The gate is painted with a red rose, and the 
  towers are crude, providing cover for only one person at a time. 
  The two archers are the lay brethren Brother Maru and Brother Tenir. 
  If the two brethren decide the characters aren’t going to be a threat to the 
  abbey, Brother Maru will climb down his ladder and unbar the gates. Their 
  passive perception is 12.
  The moment the characters step through the gates and into the abbey’s 
  curtilage, they feel the biting cold of the mountain air lessen. Although 
  the temperature does not rise to the point of complete warmth, it is 
  definitely above the freezing point. Everyone ascribes the divine warmth 
  to Saint Kathelynn’s intervention, since it only started after the abbey was 
  consecrated to her.
  (Brothers Tenir and Maru [Guards]: AC 16, 11 hp; +3 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft. or range 20 ft./60 ft., 1d6 + 1 piercing damage 
  [spear])
  A-2. Abbey Hall
  This is a stone building with shuttered arrowslits for windows 
  and a steeply pitched slate roof. A painting of a red rose has been 
  added over the top of the door, but the red paint has faded to a 
  delicate shade of pink.
  This is the abbey’s main hall, containing a storage room, a kitchen, and 
  a dining hall. Stairs lead up to a second floor, which has small bedrooms 
  for up to eight lay brethren. Six of these are occupied by brothers Maru, 
  Tenir, Odoc, Bernart, Ocrip, and Selmus, and the other two are empty. 
  The two empty rooms are used as guest rooms if the abbey has visitors. 
  Brother Odoc, the abbey’s cook (and generally responsible for this entire 
  building), is usually found here.
  (Brother Odoc [Acolyte]: AC 10, 9 hp; +2 to hit, 1d4 piercing 
  bludgeoning damage [club]; light, sacred flame, 
  thaumaturgy, bless, cure wounds, sanctuary)
  A-3. Stable and Barn
  This stone building smells like a stable, and has doors to match. 
  A rudimentary blacksmith’s forge stands outside under a canvas 
  shade, capable of making horseshoes and not much else.
  The stable is used as a barn as well, currently housing six mules and 
  ten goats. Brother Bernart is currently here tending the animals, but he 
  doubles as the abbey’s blacksmith and goatherd. He is often away from 
  the abbey, guarding the goats as they graze the meagre fodder of the 
  foothills north of the pass.
  (Brother Bernart [Acolyte]: AC 10, 9 hp; +2 to hit, 1d4 
  piercing bludgeoning damage [club]; light, sacred flame, 
  thaumaturgy, bless, cure wounds, sanctuary)
  A-4. Chapel Tower
  The tower is stone, with a conical roof. The roof is shingled 
  with slates, some of which are missing. A red rose has been 
  painted on the door, but the paint seems to be developing small 
  white spots where the red pigment is dropping away.
  
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  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  In the tower:
  The ground floor of the tower obviously serves as the chapel. 
  Along with lots of candles and a small wooden altar, the 
  chapel’s central feature is an empty sarcophagus. The wooden 
  lid is propped up vertically beside the stone coffin and bears the 
  painting of an armored woman, with the symbol of a red rose on 
  her shield. She has a vertical scar on the left side of her face. A 
  flight of stone stairs leads to the upper stories.
  A very old man stands by the sarcophagus, looking at the 
  painting.
  This is Abbot Godefroy, the 85-year-old man who is in charge of the 
  abbey. He receives little from his superiors and less in tithes, so the abbey 
  has gone from being in merely poor repair to being in very poor repair 
  over its 75 years as a religious institution.
  If characters look closely at the painting, they will notice that the paint 
  of the red rose is flaking very slightly (automatic success if a player 
  announces that the character is checking the painting for detail). The rest 
  of the picture’s paint appears to be fine, although a DC 15 Wis (Perception) 
  check reveals that the paint of the facial scar also seems to be suffering 
  the same problem. If asked about the painting, the abbot admits sheepishly 
  that he painted it himself from memory, decades ago. No doubt he mixed 
  the red paint poorly, he admits; such things happen with pigments. Abbot 
  Godefroy can provide a great deal of information if the characters get 
  curious about the Staff of the Remorhaz (see “Talking to Abbot Godefroy,” 
  below), but if they are just here to hunt monsters or guard caravans, don’t 
  push the area’s background story on them. They will either start looking 
  into the mysteries of the pass or they won’t. If they do, they’ll be back at 
  the abbey asking questions soon enough. If not, Ghostwind Pass offers 
  plenty of adventure and treasure for those who aren’t interested in playing 
  detective.
  The second floor contains Abbot Godefroy’s bedroom and study, 
  together with bedroom-cells for two monks. These are currently empty, 
  since the only ordained brother here is the abbot. The third floor contains 
  six more monkish cells and some arrowslits. The tower’s conical slate 
  roof can be reached by a trapdoor, but the slates of the roof are in poor 
  condition. Climbing around on them would be unsafe, to say the least; 
  climbers must make a successful DC 17 Dex (Acrobatics) check or fall.
  Talking to Abbot Godefroy
  If characters appear to be worthy individuals, or rich ones, Godefroy 
  offers to grant them a benediction that help them in their endeavors. A 
  generous contribution to the abbey would certainly be appreciated, of 
  course (see “Abbot’s Benediction”).
  If the characters are specifically asking about Saint Kathelynn, or the 
  Abbey’s history, Abbot Godefroy is happy to talk.
  The Story of Saint Kathelynn
  The sarcophagus is empty because the bones of St. Kathelynn were 
  buried in secret by her five retainers; characters are invited to pay respect to 
  their memorials in the graveyard. The sarcophagus awaits the day when the 
  saint’s bones are finally returned to their proper place. Anyone who does so, 
  Fading Roses
  The whitening of all the red roses in the abbey, and the brothers’ 
  unconscious preference for leaving their wooden holy symbols 
  unpainted, is a symptom of the abbey’s mis-consecration to the 
  “red rose” twin rather than the “white rose” twin. If characters 
  use any sort of divination spell that requires a vague answer from 
  higher powers, the answer to the spell might be pointing out the 
  whitening of the abbey’s red roses.
  
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  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  And so began the Expedition to kill the Winter Prince, led 
  by Kathelynn, who would be the saint, and her twin sister 
  Elys, her standard-bearer. The twins forged ahead, magically 
  protected from the cold by their  
  gem-topped staff, and the five warriors of their  
  retinue became separated from them in the blizzard. 
  Ahead of them the warriors heard an inhuman scream upon 
  the cold, white winds, and when they made their way forward 
  the harm was done. The body of Sainted Kathelynn lay upon 
  the snow, her skull half crushed. Of Elys, there was no sign 
  at all.
  But there also lay dying the body of the Winter Prince, its 
  evil soul already gathering away from the body in a freezing 
  mist. And the Winter Prince laughed from the lips of that 
  dead man, saying, “I am defeated, yet I keep my bargains. I 
  shall release the Ghostwinds from the mountain pass except 
  twice a year.” And then the body of the Winter Prince fell 
  dead, and its misty soul blew away on the wind to wait for 
  the evils it would do in the next winter. 
  The warriors brought back the body of the Saint, and buried 
  her in secret. Shortly thereafter, they disappeared one by one, 
  leaving no trace. For killing the Winter Prince and thus 
  banishing the Ghostwinds for most of the year, Kathelynn 
  was canonized as a saint. The mystical way in which she 
  called her loyal followers to her, to serve her as knights where 
  they were needed, serves as obvious confirmation of her 
  sainthood.
  
  73
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  the abbot notes, would be greatly blessed. Not only that, more visitors and 
  pilgrims would also make their way to the abbey to see a real relic. 
  Godefroy was a ten-year-old boy when the twin paladins Erys and 
  Kathelynn undertook their fateful mission to the heights of the pass along 
  with five loyal retainers. He remembers seeing the saint and her twin sister, 
  but of course he was not actually on the expedition. He wrote down the 
  story as it was told to him by the five retainers who were there (almost), 
  and will provide the characters with a copy if they wish.
  Abbot’s Benediction
  This is also where the characters can receive the abbot’s blessing if they 
  donate money or other valuables to the upkeep of the abbey. In particular, 
  the abbot wants to repair the tower’s roof to avoid having slates fall off 
  and possibly hit someone. Also, it is beginning to leak a bit. He wants to 
  replace the wooden wall with a stone curtain wall, but this would require 
  many thousands of gold pieces.
  If characters donate 200 gp or more each, they can receive the abbot’s 
  ordinary benediction. The benediction is a powerful blessing from the 
  greater powers of Law, delivered in the name of “Saint” Kathelynn. The 
  blessing allows the character to call on the saint before attempting a task 
  and thereby gain divine favor for the attempt. This is reflected by gaining 
  tactical advantage on whatever die roll is being attempted. If the task 
  is one that would be adjudicated with a judgment call rather than a die 
  roll, the task automatically succeeds unless it is simply impossible. The 
  benediction can be used for an attack roll, an attribute check, spell or 
  weapon damage, etc. It can be used for a saving throw only if the character 
  would have time to yell out the saint’s name. The ordinary benediction can 
  be received twice in a character’s lifetime.
  If the character donates 500 gp or more, the abbot grants a greater 
  benediction. The greater benediction may be used twice rather than once, 
  and allows the character to roll 3d20 instead of 2d20. The greater benediction 
  can be received by a character just once in the character’s lifetime.
  The Abbot and Druidism
  The abbot stresses that a character cannot carry a benediction and a 
  druid’s mark at the same time. He is obviously disdainful of the druidic 
  faith and cautions characters that they should not trust druids in general 
  or Lurilune in particular. Druidism, he believes, is like an extortion 
  scheme, holding Lawful civilization hostage to the amoral forces of 
  nature, demanding sacrifices in exchange for good weather and fertile 
  lands. If there is a druid in the party who takes offense at this attitude, 
  the abbot quickly shifts into the role of an old man who perhaps rambles 
  too much, that he does not mean to offend, and that he perhaps overstated 
  his opinions. He did not overstate his opinion, of course, but he is not a 
  confrontational person. He will specifically offer the druid character the 
  abbot’s ordinary benediction with no donation required, if that level of 
  apology is needed.
  (Abbot Godefroy [Priest]: AC 13, 27 hp; +2 to hit, 1d6 
  bludgeoning damage [mace]; spell attack +5, save 
  DC 13; light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy, cure wounds, 
  guiding bolt, sanctuary, lesser restoration, spiritual 
  weapon, dispel magic, spirit guardian)
  (Ocrip and Selmus [Veterans]: AC 17, 58 hp; +5 to hit x2, 
  1d10 + 3 slashing damage [longsword])
  A-5. Trappers’ Hall
  This building is stone with a high, peaked roof. A sign above 
  the door shows a white animal fur, and underneath the words, 
  “Trappers’ Hall.” 
  The Trappers’ Hall is a mixture of inn, tavern, warehouse, and store. There 
  are ten rooms on the upper floor, three of which are occupied by traders and 
  two of which are occupied by trappers recently returned from expeditions 
  into the pass. The traders have offices with one-room vaults containing their 
  furs and other goods; they buy pelts from trappers throughout the hunting 
  season, then retreat back to the town of Elet when the Ghostwind blows into 
  the pass. They are mostly interested in purchasing furs from hunters and 
  trappers, but they also do a brisk business selling the various goods needed 
  for long expeditions into the wilderness.
  Prices offered by the traders are as follows:
  Blood Violets: 200 gp/sack
  Mountain Goat meat: 5 gp/goat (150lb)
  Giant snowy owl egg: 1000 gp
  Giant lynx pelt: no trader will purchase these due to the druidic ban on 
  killing or hurting the giant lynxes of the pass.
  Snow-serpent pelt (white): 100 gp
  Snow-serpent pelt (spotted green): 200 gp
  Giant Weasel pelt: 200 gp
  Cave bear pelt: 800 gp
  Giant ermine pelt: 1000 gp
  Saber-tooth pelt: 800 gp
  Weretiger pelt: 1000 gp
  Wolf pelt: 5 gp
  Winter wolf pelt: 500 gp
  The Traders
  If necessary, use the commoner or veteran stat block for specific traders.
  Auloyne of Elet
  To lower Auloyne’s selling price by 5 percent requires a successful  
  DC 20 Cha (Persuasion) check.
  To raise Auloyne’s buying price by 5 percent requires a successful  
  DC 20 Cha (Persuasion) check.
  Tadric Furman
  To lower Tadric’s selling price by 5 percent requires a successful  
  DC 15 Cha (Persuasion) check.
  To raise Tadric’s buying price by 5 percent requires a successful  
  DC 20 Cha (Persuasion) check..
  Paganne of Troye
  To lower Paganne’s selling price by 5 percent requires a successful  
  DC 20 Cha (Persuasion) check.
  The Abbott’s Note
  And so began the Expedition to kill the Winter Prince, led by 
  Kathelynn, who would be the saint, and her twin sister Elys, her 
  standard-bearer. The twins forged ahead, magically protected 
  from the cold by their gem-topped staff, and the five warriors of 
  their retinue became separated from them in the blizzard. 
  Ahead of them the warriors heard an inhuman scream upon 
  the cold, white winds, and when they made their way forward 
  the harm was done. The body of Sainted Kathelynn lay upon the 
  snow, her skull half crushed. Of Elys, there was no sign at all.
  But there also lay dying the body of the Winter Prince, its evil 
  soul already gathering away from the body in a freezing mist. And 
  the Winter Prince laughed from the lips of that dead man, saying, “I 
  am defeated, yet I keep my bargains. I shall release the Ghostwinds 
  from the mountain pass except twice a year.” And then the body 
  of the Winter Prince fell dead, and its misty soul blew away on the 
  wind to wait for the evils it would do in the next winter. 
  The warriors brought back the body of the Saint, and buried 
  her in secret. Shortly thereafter, they disappeared one by one, 
  leaving no trace. For killing the Winter Prince and thus banishing 
  the Ghostwinds for most of the year, Kathelynn was canonized as 
  a saint. The mystical way in which she called her loyal followers 
  to her, to serve her as knights where they were needed, serves as 
  obvious confirmation of her sainthood.
  
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  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  To raise Paganne’s buying price by 5 percent requires a successful  
  DC 15 Cha (Persuasion) check.
  The Trappers
  If necessary, use the bandit, commoner, or veteran stat block for specific 
  trappers.
  Lodo the Trapper
  Leather armor, dagger, short bow, 20 arrows, smelly fur-lined sleeping bag, 
  pouch containing 10 garnets (5 gp), various bits of outdoor survival gear.
  Ghentry Badger
  Leather armor, dagger, short bow, 20 arrows, fur-lined sleeping back, 
  pouch containing 34 gp, 3 dice, and a rabbit’s foot, flask of whiskey, 
  various bits of outdoor survival gear.
  A-6. Privies
  This is a rickety wooden building with a half-moon-shaped 
  hole cut in the door. 
  The facilities boast wooden seats and an unpleasant smell.
  A-7. Graves
  This is a very small graveyard with only six headstones. Each 
  headstone bears a name but no inscription, other than a rose 
  carved into the stone below the name.
  The names on the gravestones are: Tallow Smith, John of Elet, John 
  Tallbones, Griffin Winemaker, Claude Yellowhair, and Benedict the Bald. 
  None of the graves except Griffin Winemaker’s actually contain bodies; 
  these are memorials for the five loyal retainers who disappeared shortly 
  after burying St. Kathelynn’s body in a hidden sanctum. Give no hints or 
  helpful die rolls in this area! If the characters are to get hold of a powerful 
  artifact like the staff or earn the fame that comes from finding a saint’s lost 
  bones, they should earn it fairly, without help.
  The grave carved with the name of Griffin Winemaker contains the 
  lead-shielded bronze casket of St. Elys (a body everyone believes to have 
  belonged to Kathelynn). In the casket along with the true saint’s bones is 
  the wooden stave of the Staff of the Remorhaz; it is bereft of its tip, the 
  multi-faceted eye of the remorhaz. The half-artifact conveys no benefits 
  From the Northlands Saga Book 2: Beyond the Wailing Mountains
  In eons past, many dread gods rose and fell, thrown down by 
  deities of good and their heroic champions. Most of these elder gods 
  were born when the world was young. They were savage and feral, 
  drawing their power from the primordial forces of nature perverted 
  to evil and destruction. Most of these elder gods have long since been 
  destroyed, but a few remain, sleeping away the ages and waiting for 
  the opportunity to rise again.
  One such elder god is Althunak, the Lord of Ice and Cold. His is not 
  the natural changing of the season, not the cycle of autumn, winter, 
  and spring, but instead the continual death of a perpetual winter. His 
  cult once flourished when the races of the world were young, but he 
  was challenged and destroyed by some of the earliest heroes to walk 
  the world, or so it was thought.
  One of the abominations in Althunak’s dread horde was a great 
  remorhaz, Othroäta the Paleworm. When the vanguard of Althunak’s 
  army was broken at the Battle of Heshkar, Othroäta was slain by Ulhred 
  the Horned Paladin, who ripped out the beast’s great, faceted eye. 
  Spiking the eye on his battle-spear, Uhlred raised it aloft as a standard 
  to call his warriors forward. Seeing this, the great ice trolls and giants of 
  the horde’s vanguard ceased their advance, and the troops behind them 
  halted and milled about in great consternation. Whereupon the warriors 
  in their ranked battalions behind the Horned Paladin gave a great cry of 
  triumph and charged, following Ulhred and his grisly standard to the 
  legendary victory on Heshkar’s blood-glutted fields, where Althunak’s 
  horde was broken and the evil god himself was thought slain.
  This battle standard, the eye of the remorhaz on the spear of the 
  Horned Paladin, was then lost to history for a very long time. It does 
  not reappear in recorded histories until Tourmaj’s account of the 
  Second Battle of Aixe, at the darkest and most desperate moment of the 
  battle, in the small wood where the true King lay wounded, defended 
  by his embattled knights. As the snow began to fall, Leothrand the 
  High Priest raised the Staff to rally the remaining forces of the King. 
  The last charge of Leothrand Cold-wielder shattered the half-demon 
  army of the Alabastrian heresy and brought peace once again to the 
  lands. When Leothrand’s body was recovered from the piles of dead, 
  the Staff was gone. Thereafter, the Chansons of Ghen describe three 
  more instances after the Second Battle of Aixe when the Staff of the 
  Remorhaz was granted to heroes; always clerics, always of Lawful 
  alignment, always by an angelic being, always in blizzard-like snow. 
  The only change in detail is that the eye of the remorhaz seems to have 
  hardened into a multi-faceted gem atop the staff.
  The Staff was most recently held by the paladins Elys and 
  Kathelynn, three quarters of a century ago, when it was broken in half 
  in battle against the Winter Prince. The two parts are assumed to be 
  lost in Ghostwind Pass, where the battle took place.
  The standard is a six-foot battle staff which, before it was broken, 
  was topped by a multi-faceted gem, the Eye of Othroäta. 
  Any Good-aligned cleric who holds the staff is immune to cold 
  damage, including magical cold. On the other hand, the holder of the 
  staff is vulnerable to fire damage. The cleric’s hair becomes snow 
  white for as long as the character holds the artifact, and if the staff is 
  used thrice, the change is permanent. 
  The Good-aligned cleric holding the staff can use any of its powers 
  listed below. When the staff is used, it pulls coldness from the air. 
  In a 10-foot radius around the user there is a blast of violent heat: 
  every creature in the radius must make a successful Con saving throw 
  against the cleric’s save DC or take 1d3 + 1 fire damage. Anyone in 
  contact with the artifact is unaffected.
  The staff’s powers are:
  • Read languages (at will)
  • Find traps (3/day)
  • Wall of Ice (2/day)
  • Polymorph Self (1/day)
  • Visions (This power of the staff is not under the wielder’s control. 
  When there is a great evil that must be addressed, the wielder may 
  begin having cryptic visions about it. This aspect of the staff is under 
  the GM’s control.)
  If anyone who is not Good-aligned takes hold of the staff, the artifact 
  defends itself ferociously by polymorphing the offender into a white 
  lynx with the intelligence of an animal and only vague memories of 
  its former existence. A successful DC 15 Wis saving throw prevents 
  the transformation, but the saving throw must be repeated each time 
  the staff is gripped. The staff’s powers can only be used by a cleric.
  The only way to destroy the staff is to bathe it in the still-hot blood 
  of a remorhaz.
  The Staff of the Remorhaz
  
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  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  to a wielder unless it is joined with its other half. It does, however, exert 
  enough magical force that it warms the entire area of the abbey. Despite 
  the vast magical power of the artifact, it is shielded from all detection 
  magic other than the direct intercession of a deity. This is no magical 
  trinket with a distinct aura: it is ancient power that blends into the power 
  of the earth itself, unable to be distinguished unless a detection spell is 
  cast directly upon it.
  A-8. Circle of the Druidess
  A cottage made of stone and roofed with slates is surrounded 
  by a circle of widely spaced stones, each of them about five feet 
  tall and carved with runes. Green grass grows within the stone 
  circle, and at the center of the field stands a stone altar. A giant 
  lynx the size of a dire wolf sits in the path at the entrance to the 
  strange garden.
  This is the cottage of Lurilune, the druidic custodian of Ghostwind 
  Pass. Her task here, as she sees it, is fairly simple. She maintains the 
  various small druidic shrines in the pass; makes sure the visiting hunters 
  do not abuse the bounteous hunting in the area; and looks for ways to 
  destroy the Mountain Queen, whom Lurilune considers to be completely 
  outside the natural order. She knows and constantly reminds herself not 
  to seek a direct confrontation with the monstrosity that Kathelynn has 
  become, but if she makes contact with a strong-enough looking group 
  of adventurers, she would definitely seek ways to point them toward the 
  lamia. She will not risk herself, the guardian of the pass, by accompanying 
  them, but she will give each of them a druidic mark if they swear that they 
  will use it in an attack on the Manor of the Mountain Queen. She does not 
  know the lamia’s true identity but simply refers to her as the Mountain 
  Queen. Lurilune does know that the Mountain Queen has the lower body 
  of a white tigress. Having the secretive nature common to many druids, 
  she will share this information only if the characters are definitely on a 
  quest to attack the Manor.
  The druidic mark is a pattern that Lurilune traces upon a person’s face 
  before they venture into the pass. Most of the hunters would not dream 
  of entering the pass without the mark. To get the druidic mark, one must 
  make some sort of sacrifice on the altar in the center of Lurilune’s green 
  freehold. Only a few types of things are acceptable sacrifices:
  Accepted
  Not Accepted
  Gems or precious stones 
  (100 gp minimum)
  Gold, silver, copper
  Gems or precious stones 
  (500 gp minimum)**
  Blood (1 hit point’s worth)*
  Someone else’s blood
  Blood (5 hit points’ worth)**
  Pelt of a wolf, badger, or 
  giant weasel
  Herbivore pelts or a lynx pelt
  Heart of a peryton** or pelt 
  of a saber-tooth**
  Iron or steel
  * A blood sacrifice reduces the character’s max hit points 
  by 1 (or 5) points for as long as the character is in the pass. 
  Even a restoration spell will not return the lost hit points 
  until the character enters the Abbey, the south camp, or 
  otherwise leaves the pass into the lowlands.
  **These are the “greater sacrifices” described in more 
  detail below. 
  A normal sacrifice “allows” the recipient to hunt the giant ermines that 
  live in the pass. Anyone without the mark who kills more than one of the 
  giant ermines immediately begins suffering from a curse: they are afflicted 
  with a weakness of the joints that imposes a -1 modifier on all attack rolls 
  and damage rolls. Leaving the pass abates the weakness, but it returns 
  if the victim enters the pass again without having the curse removed by 
  Lurilune or by a spell. Each additional giant ermine killed without the 
  druid’s Mark worsens the curse by increasing the penalty to -2, -3, etc.
  Making one of the greater sacrifices (5 hit points or a peryton heart) 
  confers a temporary druidic power against death itself. If the bearer of 
  the greater druidic mark takes a mortal wound (would be brought to 0 
  hit points), the mark draws upon the natural pattern of sacred sites in the 
  pass to bring the character back to 1 hit point. When this happens, the 
  greater druidic mark also disappears from the character’s face. The mark 
  disappears if the character leaves the pass, but reappears upon return (until 
  its power is used). 
  There are some restrictions on the mark. It disappears permanently if 
  the character bearing the mark sets foot in the chapel tower of the abbey. 
  Similarly, it is not possible to have both the Abbot’s blessing and bear the 
  druidic mark. Moreover, the druidic mark disappears immediately if the 
  character with the mark kills one of the giant lynxes in the pass. These act 
  as Lurilune’s eyes and ears, and they are sacred to the druidic powers of 
  the area.
  (Lurilune [Druid]: AC 11, 27 hp; +2 to hit, 1d8 bludgeoning 
  damage (shillelagh); spell attack +4, save DC 12; 
  druidcraft, produce flame, shillelagh, entangle, longstrider, 
  speak with animals, thunderwave, animal messenger, 
  barkskin)
  (Giant Lynx [Lion]: AC 12, 26 hp; +5 to hit, 1d6 + 3 slashing 
  damage [claw] or +5 to hit, 1d8 + 3 piercing damage 
  [bite]; keen smell, pack tactics, pounce, running leap)
  Treasure: The inside of Lurilune’s cottage is carpeted with woven 
  green rugs, and several books are stacked on a writing desk. There is a 
  bedroom in the back containing an unnaturally soft mattress stuffed with 
  fragrant grasses, and a wardrobe containing white druidic robes. The 
  books all contain complex astrological charts, weather predictions, records 
  of prophetic bird migrations, and instructions for all kinds of auguries 
  and divinations. All told they are worth 4,000 gp, but if they are sold, 
  eventually the druids will find out that one of their own has been robbed, 
  and they will search tirelessly for the thieves (or, perhaps, murderers).
  A small chest (unlocked) contains 40 small emeralds (500 gp) in a 
  pouch. If anyone departs the cottage with these emeralds and does not 
  leave one of the stones behind, an earth elemental is released from 
  imprisonment beneath the stone circle—the precious stones are part of 
  the binding. It attacks ferociously to retrieve the emeralds and thus ensure 
  its escape.
  (Earth Elemental: AC 17, 126 hp; +8 to hit x2, 2d8 + 5 
  bludgeoning damage [slam]; can burrow through stone 
  and earth without leaving a trace.)
  Manor of the 
  Mountain Queen
  The Mountain Queen’s minions are tracked on a monster roster, since 
  the battle for the Manor will most likely involve monsters moving around, 
  rather than staying in one place. 
  Approaching the Manor
  A huge manor house is built into the sloping side of a hill, with three 
  levels. The roof is steeply pitched and made of slate shingles.
  There is a bugbear sentry in Area H-28 keeping watch over the front of 
  the building, waiting for the sort of visitors who walk up to front doors. 
  
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  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  It is certain to notice creatures that don’t take special precautions against 
  being spotted. Against those who do, this bugbear’s passive Perception 
  is 13.
  Other than the front door, the Manor offers two other avenues for covert 
  entry: through the roof or through an arrowslit.
  The Roof
  Getting onto the roof of the Manor is easy, but getting through the heavy 
  slate shingles without making a tremendous racket is virtually impossible. 
  Rogues recognize the extreme difficulty of this route automatically. A lone 
  person on the roof can make a hole large enough for one person by first 
  making a successful DC 20 Str (Athletics) check to physically move an 
  area of tiles without noisily dropping any, followed by a successful DC 25 
  Dex (Acrobatics) check to get through the gap without dislodging more 
  tiles. An individual character can attempt each check only once. Failing 
  a check by 5 or fewer points means the character realizes the job can’t 
  be done without making a lot of noise; failing by 6 or more points means 
  a tile (or a tool) was dropped, making enough noise to attract attention. 
  If characters haven’t yet made a hole in the roof, guards from the manor 
  roster come to investigate. If they have made a hole in the roof, someone 
  inside the building spots them.
  A character who succeeds at both checks gets inside without attracting 
  attention, possibly into a loft, possibly onto nothing more substantial than 
  one of the roof beams 40 feet above the floor (in the low or middle tiers) or 
  20 feet above the floor in the top tier. Other characters can follow through 
  the same hole by making just the second ability check. 
  Players who come up with an especially ingenious plan (probably 
  involving magic) might be able to get through the roof more easily.
  Arrowslits
  There are four arrowslits in the front wall of the manor: two are high up 
  on the first tier, and two are high up on the second tier. The arrowslits on 
  the second tier have line of sight to anyone on the roof of the bottom tier.
  The slits are too narrow for Medium or larger creatures to pass through. 
  A Tiny creature can get through easily, and a small humanoid can squeeze 
  through by stripping off all gear and armor and making a successful DC 
  20 Dex (Acrobatics) check. Only one attempt is allowed per character. 
  Characters who can polymorph, turn gaseous, or teleport might find an 
  easy access through the arrowslits. 
  Wandering Monsters (if needed)
  Wandering monsters will only be an issue in the Manor if characters 
  stop in one place for a long time. If the characters stay in one place for 
  more than an hour or set up an ambush in a corridor, roll on the following 
  table once every 30 minutes.
  Wandering Monsters 
  Roll 
  1d20
  Result
  1-10
  No Encounter
  11-12
  1d2 + 1 bugbears
  
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  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  Roll 
  1d20
  Result
  13
  Gaston the Cook (Area H-7)
  14
  1 weretiger and 1 saber-toothed tiger
  15
  1d2 saber-toothed tigers
  16
  Glaivorn (Area H-13) and 1d3 of his bugbears
  17
  Henri Tharnac and 1 weretiger (Area H-17)
  18
  Serz and Cloyaun, human servants (Area H-18)
  19
  Martin of Becqueril (Area H-19)
  20
  Kathelynn and 1 weretiger
  All is Not as it Seems—Weretigers!
  Even if they are being attacked, the weretigers will remain human for 
  one or two rounds, trying to make intruders believe that the Manor is 
  a normal settlement that just happens to have saber-toothed tigers and 
  bugbears wandering around. The charmed slaves and Henri back this up 
  convincingly. Gaston the Cook tries to lie, but he isn’t very convincing. 
  The weretigers, of course, try to keep characters away from Gaston, 
  introduce them to an illusion of Kathelynn, and get them to sleep in one of 
  the guest rooms. Once the characters are separated, Kathelynn can try to 
  charm and enslave them one at a time.
  Kathelynn may use her ability to create a major image of herself as a 
  human, with a face different from her own. She usually only attempts this in 
  the Great Hall, where she can regally dismiss the characters before the ten-
  minute duration of her illusion expires. One of the weretigers always stands 
  near the illusion to open doors for it and to prevent it from being touched.
  The weretigers are usually in human form, even when they are alone. 
  H-1. Main Gate
  This solid-looking wooden door has a red rose painted on it. A 
  slot through the door at eye level can be opened from within to 
  inspect visitors.
  During the day, the door stands open, allowing the saber-toothed 
  tigers to come and go as they please. At night, the door is barred and a 
  bugbear stands watch behind it in the murder hall.
  (Bugbear: AC 16, 27 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 + 2 piercing damage 
  [morningstar] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 
  2 piercing damage; the bugbear does an extra 2d6 
  damage in the first round of combat against an opponent 
  who was surprised)
  H-2. Murder Hall
  This stone room has arrowslits pointing into it from the room 
  beyond (the Covered Court, Area H-3) and a stout door that 
  obviously leads into the main part of the manor.
  If it is nighttime, include the bugbear in the description of the hall.
  As with the main gate, during the day this door is open to the rest of 
  the hall so the cats can go in and out. At night, a bugbear stands guard 
  here with a horn to summon reinforcements if the Manor is attacked. The 
  bugbear is any of those listed on the general roster.
  H-3. The Great Covered Court
  This room comprises almost all of the castle’s lowest tier. 
  The ceiling is steeply pitched overhead, supported with 
  wooden beams and stone buttresses. There appears to be a 
  walled-in loft under the center of the roof, surrounded by a 
  cobweblike array of heavy beams and struts. The room has a 
  number of strange features: balconies, arched openings placed 
  high up the wall, a ramp and drawbridge leading to the next 
  tier of the fortified manor, stairs that lead up to the loft area, a 
  wall with arrowslits pointing into the hall rather than outward, 
  and some large double doors. It is a lot to take in at a first 
  glance.
  A. Balcony (10 feet up)
  A sturdy balcony made of stone is mounted 10 feet above the 
  floor, with no railing.
  The tigers can leap 10 feet up, so their leaping-hole has a balcony 10 
  feet below it, allowing the tigers to clear the upward distance from the 
  main floor to the leaping-hole in two jumps. They can pounce downward 
  from the leaping-hole to the floor 20 feet below in a single leap without 
  risk. One of the saber-tooths always watches the balcony from the leaping-
  hole (see Area H-11, the Tiger Run).
  B. Leaping-Hole
  An arch-shaped opening in the wall sits oddly 20 feet above 
  the floor. This presumably leads up to the second tier of the 
  building.
  There are several leaping-holes in the manor. They are designed to let 
  the great cats of the manor pounce in and out of a room through a door 
  humanoids can’t reach. All of the leaping-holes have an adjacent balcony, 
  as described above, to make the required upward leap manageable. One of 
  the saber-tooths can come blasting down from a leaping-hole at full speed 
  for an automatic pounce. A quarter ton of fast-moving saber-toothed tiger 
  will knock down any creature. 
  One saber-tooth is watching the balcony and can pounce directly to it, 
  if it sees prey.
  C. Drawbridge and Ramp
  An enormous right triangle of stone rises from the ground 
  at about the center of the yard. It forms a ramp that is 10 feet 
  wide, 10 feet high, and about 20 feet long. The ramp ends 10 
  feet short of north wall, but a drawbridge has been lowered from 
  an opening in that wall to the top of the ramp. The ramp appears 
  well traveled, and the drawbridge clearly allows access to an 
  upper tier of the manor—or it can be raised, sealing off the upper 
  tier in case of attack.
  The drawbridge is usually down so that Kathelynn’s bugbears and any 
  guests can move freely about the manor. If Kathelynn decides that she 
  faces a significant threat, she has this drawbridge pulled up to block the 
  route into the higher tier of the manor. In that case, adjust the readaloud 
  text accordingly. 
  
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  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  
  79
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  D. Stairs to Loft
  A flight of narrow stone steps is built against the south wall.
  These stairs are too narrow for anything other than walking single file; 
  they are just barely wide enough for the saber-tooths to climb. They lead 
  to Area H-28, a storage loft.
  H-4. Tiger-Proof Stable
  These large double doors seem extremely powerful for internal 
  doors, even in a castle. They lead into an enclosed stable. Two 
  mules watch you placidly from their stalls, which is unsurprising. 
  The third animal is most definitely unusual, though: it is a 
  chestnut-brown warhorse, the sort that would ordinarily be found 
  in the possession of a knight or noble. The warhorse is obviously 
  much more nervous than the mules.
  The design requirements of a stable in a castle where weretigers and 
  saber-toothed tigers roam free are different from the requirements for 
  a normal stable. The mounts only come out when the cats are safely 
  occupied in other rooms, and then make a beeline for the outside. 
  The warhorse belongs to Martin of Becqueril, the son of Baron Jauntir of 
  Becqueril, who is willing to pay an enormous ransom (1,000 gp) for the return 
  of his missing son. Martin has been enthralled by the lamia (see Area H-19).
   H-5. Inside Bastion
  This fortified space has no entrance from the yard, but it appears 
  to have no roof, meaning it can be entered by jumping down from 
  the arched hole in the wall above it. Arrowslits in the walls make 
  it clear that it serves as a defensive bastion for the courtyard. 
  If characters announced their arrival by knocking on the door or gave 
  the entire manor time to prepare against an assault in any other way, then 
  Kathelynn will be in this area to see what happens when strangers enter 
  the Covered Courtyard (Area H-3). If she believes she’s in any danger, 
  she leaps out of the room and into the kitchen above (Area H-7). She 
  doesn’t necessarily order her minions to attack strangers; visitors might 
  be bringing messages or interesting news of the outside world. She 
  wants to assess newcomers before allowing them farther into her home. 
  Kathelynn might possibly even speak to characters from this chamber, 
  since the arrowslit easily conceals the fact that her lower body is that of a 
  white tiger. If she decides that her best course of action is to impersonate 
  a human, she will play the trick here.
  H-6. Great Hall
  The walls of this room are hung with tapestries depicting saber-
  toothed tigers stalking and killing humans in the snowy crags 
  and rifts of a mountainous region. Two fireplaces blaze with the 
  crackle of pine wood, and three great wooden tables are set out 
  with embroidered cloths and tableware.
  Two confused-looking humans seem to have been working in 
  the room, because they are holding mops and buckets.
  If appropriate, add a description of the bugbears (below) to your 
  description of the Great Hall.
  The great hall is where the denizens of the Manor eat their meals and 
  socialize, and also is where visitors are brought to meet Kathelynn. There 
  will always be one or two bugbears in the hall (assuming they haven’t 
  all been killed) and two human slaves. The slaves are Caurien and Jirral, 
  both of them charmed by the lamia’s magic. They will not help either 
  the bugbears or the characters if a fight breaks out here, but if Kathelynn 
  or one of the weretigers is here and gives an order, they must follow it. 
  They won’t follow the characters, act as lookouts, or help in any other 
  substantial way; they’ve been told to mop the floor, and they aren’t going 
  to let themselves be sidetracked from that task.
  If characters inspect the ceiling, they see a wooden loft above the 
  eastern half of the room. It has wooden walls, and no entrance is visible 
  from this area (the stairs to the loft are in the Kitchen, Area H-7).
  (Caurien and Jirral [Commoners]: AC 10, 4 hp; +2 to hit, 1d4 
  bludgeoning damage)
  Treasure: the tapestries in this room are worth a total of 100 gp and 
  weigh 500 pounds altogether. The embroidered cloths on the tables are 
  worth a total of 200 gp. The tableware is of no particular value.
  H-7. Kitchen
  This room is obviously the kitchen. A massive fireplace stands 
  almost in the center of the room; its chimney is a stone column 
  that rises to the roof above. A fat man wearing a chef’s hat is 
  chopping vegetables at a large table, apparently preparing the 
  stuffing for a roast goat, which also lies on the table.
  In addition to these basics, the room has several entrances and exits:
  • A flight of stairs leads to a loft overhead.
  • There is a door in each of the north and south walls. 
  • An archway in the west wall leads to an adjoining room. 
  • An archway in the south wall appears to open into the room 
  to the south, well above the level of the floor in that chamber.
  • There’s an arched opening in the north wall 20 feet above the 
  floor of this room. A ramp leads up along the east wall, behind 
  the chimney, and ends 10 feet away from, and 10 feet below, the 
  north archway.
  The cook at the table is Gaston Payis, a normal human. He is a 
  tremendously good cook; the weretigers kidnapped him from the town 
  of Elet and brought him here specifically to become the Manor’s cook. 
  Unlike the lamia’s other slaves, Gaston is not charmed. The monsters 
  decided that it might inhibit his cooking skills. He is utterly terrified of the 
  other denizens of the Manor, but he knows he couldn’t possibly survive 
  in the wilderness of Ghostwind Pass long enough to get away. He won’t 
  be willing to help the adventurers unless it is clear that they are going to 
  succeed in killing the lamia and the weretigers; if they fail, what then for 
  Gaston Payis, who betrayed the tigers?
  Various kitchen supplies are kept in boxes under the table, including 
  knives, pots, pans, buckets, and the like.
  (Gaston Payis [Commoner]: AC 10, 4 hp; +2 to hit, 1d4 
  piercing damage; 5 gp)
  H-8. Storage Room
  This room contains crates and sacks on the floor. Shelves on the 
  walls contain earthenware pots and wine bottles.
  
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  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  This is the kitchen’s storage room. It holds flour, sugar, herbs, cheese, 
  and various other ingredients found in kitchens. Most of the wine is poor 
  quality with the exception of five bottles of Chateau d’Amber, which can 
  be sold for as much as 200 gp each in a large town. One of the crates has a 
  piece of parchment nailed to it, which reads: “For delivery, Henri Tharnac 
  of Elet.” (Henri is a merchant who deals with the Manor: see Area H-17).
  H-9. Cook’s Quarters
  This modest room contains a bed, table, chair, and an unlocked 
  wooden cabinet.
  This is Gaston the cook’s room (see Area H-7). There is nothing here to 
  interest the adventurers.
  H-10. Foyer
  This room’s most prominent feature is another ramp-and-
  drawbridge arrangement like the one on the lower tier. It is on the 
  north wall and obviously leads to the Manor’s third tier. There 
  is a balcony on either side of the drawbridge, 10 feet above the 
  floor, and the archway the ramp leads to is 20 feet above the floor. 
  A wooden-walled loft runs north-and-south over the middle of 
  the room, but it has no visible entrances or exits.
  Most of the area is bare stone, but there is a little island of 
  luxury in the eastern part of the room. There, three armchairs are 
  grouped around a delicate wooden table on a flower-patterned 
  carpet.
  There is also a decorative pool in a western corner of the room.
  A gentleman is sitting in one of the armchairs, unless the alarm has 
  already been sounded. This is Claude, one of Kathelynn’s were-tiger 
  sons. He wears a black robe and sandals, which makes him look a bit like 
  a monk, but he wears no holy symbol. The robe is what Claude always 
  wears; the robe fits loosely enough that it doesn’t tear when he transforms 
  into a tiger.
  If the characters are trying to trick their way in, Claude is not easily 
  fooled, because he is usually the one of the three brothers whom 
  Kathelynn sends to Elet on errands such as kidnapping people or dealing 
  with merchants.
  The flowers embroidered on the carpet are red roses, if anyone bothers 
  to look. Kathelynn is as obsessed with her heraldic symbols as any knight.
  The pool in the western part of the room is not more than three 
  inches deep. It has a shallow, concave bottom that appears to be coated 
  in silver, making the pool so reflective that it is almost a perfect mirror. 
  This pool is actually a scrying bowl that Kathelynn can use to find the 
  location of intruders in her manor before directing her defenses against 
  them.
  If the Manor has been widely alerted to the presence of armed strangers, 
  the monsters’ fighting contingent assembles here (see the roster for 
  details).
  (Claude [Weretiger]: AC 12, 120 hp; +5 to hit x2, 1d8 + 3 
  slashing damage [claw] or +5 to hit x2, 1d6 + 3 slashing 
  damage [scimitar] or +4 to hit, range 150 ft./600 ft., 1d8 + 
  2 piercing damage [longbow]; if the wertiger moved 15 
  ft. straight toward a creature before hitting with a claw, 
  the creature must make a DC 14 Str save or be knocked 
  prone and attacked at +5 to hit, 1d10 + 3 piercing 
  damage [pounce and bite]; shapechanger)
  H-11. Tiger Run
  At the south end of this hallway is an archway that opens 20 feet 
  above the floor of the manor’s lowest tier. At the northern end is 
  an archway 20 feet up the wall, with a balcony 10 feet below it.
  Unless the saber-tooths have all been killed by the time the characters 
  get here, one saber-toothed tiger is watching the leaping-hole to Area 
  H-15 like a cat outside a mouse hole. The saber-tooth is one of those from 
  the general roster.
  H-12. Bugbear Quarters
  Ten very big beds are covered with shaggy sleeping-furs in this 
  rancid-smelling room. A substantial wooden table stands in the 
  middle of the room, looking like it has taken a beating and been 
  repaired several times. There is a door in the far wall with a knife 
  stuck in it.
  This is the room where the manor’s bugbears sleep. If the 
  characters have gotten this far, assume that all surviving bugbears 
  on the roster (with the exception of those that have set locations on 
  the map) will be here. 
  There is a burlap sack under each bed where the bugbears store 
  their nonvaluable possessions. They contain nothing but dirty clothes, 
  bones, and the occasional mouse.
  If there is any combat in this room, Glaivorn the Overseer (in Area 
  H-13) joins the fight in 1d3 rounds.
  Treasure: Other than what they carry in their pouches, all of the 
  bugbears keep their treasure in individual bags stashed in Glaivorn’s 
  chest.
  
  81
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  (Bugbear: AC 16, 27 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 + 2 piercing damage 
  [morningstar] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 
  piercing damage; does an extra 2d6 damage in the 
  first round of combat against an opponent who was 
  surprised)
   
  H-13. Bugbear Overseer
  This room is a bedroom with a table, bed, sturdy chair, and 
  a wicker basket filled with clothes. There is a large, padlocked 
  wooden chest in the northeast corner of the room, with a smaller 
  iron box beside it.
  This room belongs to Glaivorn, the bugbear who oversees all menial 
  work done in the manor. He wears a black tunic embroidered with 
  Kathelynn’s red rose symbol. The large wooden chest contains 10 leather 
  bags, each containing the treasure of one of the bugbears.
  Bag #1: 15 gp, gold earring with pearl (100 gp), 2 dwarf-bone dice
  Bag #2: 22 gp, 28 sp, 119 cp, cat skull with “bad kitty” written on it in 
  goblin, iron ring with quartz stone (1 sp)
  Bag #3: 169 gp and a hand mirror (10 gp)
  Bag #4: 56 gp, 260 sp, 2 cp, and a set of ivory false teeth (25 gp)
  Bag #5: 9 gp, 28 sp, bracelet of wooden thorns (worthless), someone’s 
  finger bone, crushed-velvet hat (1 gp) with broken feather, polished 
  obsidian fish (50 gp)
  Bag #6: large sewing needle, thread, pincers, thumbscrews, and a large 
  piece of amber containing a preserved lizard (200 gp)
  Bag #7: 16 gp, 189 sp, 295 cp, 1 wad of chewing tobacco (1 cp)
  Bag #8: 6 gp, 505 sp, 2 rolled-up ermine furs (normal size and low 
  quality, worth 100 gp each)
  Bag #9: 35 gp, 69 sp, 12 cp
  Bag #10: 8 gp, wax candle (1 sp)
  Glaivorn’s personal treasure is in the smaller iron box, which is 
  locked and has a poison needle trap on the catch. The trap can be 
  detected with a successful DC 15 Wis (Perception) check, and the lock 
  can be picked with a set of thieves’ tools and a successful DC 10 Dex 
  check. If the chest is opened without detecting the trap, the opener 
  must make a successful DC 15 Con saving throw against poison or 
  immediately drop to 0 hit points. The character can be stabilized 
  normally but can’t regain hit points until the poison is neutralized. The 
  box contains 10 gp, 16 sp, 31 cp, and a silver brooch inlaid with jade 
  and garnet (300 gp).
  (Glaivorn [Bugbear Chief]: AC 17, 65 hp; +5 to hit x2, 2d8 + 
  3 piercing damage [morningstar] or +5 to hit x2, range 
  30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 3 piercing damage; does an extra 
  2d6 damage in the first round of combat against an 
  opponent who was surprised; carries the key to the iron 
  box in Area H-13)
  H-14. Central Hall
  This broad stone hallway is accessed from the chamber below 
  by another ramp-and-drawbridge arrangement. It also has two 
  doors on the west wall and one on the east wall.
  What is not apparent in this room is the concealed trapdoor in the 
  ceiling (treat as a secret door that can be noticed from the floor only 
  with a successful DC 25 Wis [Perception] check). If Kathelynn is 
  cornered in her rooms and tries to circle around the characters through 
  her escape loft (Area H-30 is above the trapdoor), this is where she 
  will jump down.
  H-15. Tiger Den
  This large room contains boulders, which must have been 
  brought into the manor from the outside with considerable effort. 
  They range from four to six feet in diameter. The remains of a 
  goat—not much more than bones—are scattered about, and fresh 
  blood is splashed on one of the rocks. There is a door in the north 
  wall.
  This is the playroom for Kathelynn’s gray saber-toothed tigers 
  that, along with the weretigers, she refers to as her “children.” If the 
  characters reach this room, assume that all surviving saber-toothed 
  tigers are here.
  The door in the north wall is locked. It can be opened with a set of 
  thieves’ tools and a successful DC 10 Dex check.
  H-16. Weretiger Room (Thibault)
  This room is luxuriously furnished, with a velvet-draped 
  feather bed, a locked iron chest, several thick rugs covering the 
  floor, and woolen tapestries on the walls.
  Thibault (TIH-bawlt) is Kathelynn’s youngest son and a white 
  weretiger. Unless the characters launched a frontal assault on the manor, 
  they should encounter Thibault first in his human form. He is a tall and 
  handsome man with a long ponytail, long mustaches, and bushy eyebrows, 
  all very pale blond. His yellow eyes are a bit disconcerting, but they have 
  normal, human pupils rather than a cat’s.
  (Thibault [Weretiger]: AC 12, 120 hp; +5 to hit x2, 1d8 + 3 
  slashing damage [claw] or +5 to hit x2, 1d6 + 3 slashing 
  damage [scimitar] or +4 to hit, range 150 ft./600 ft., 1d8 + 
  2 piercing damage [longbow]; if the wertiger moved 15 
  ft. straight toward a creature before hitting with a claw, 
  the creature must make a DC 14 Str save or be knocked 
  prone and attacked at +5 to hit, 1d10 + 3 piercing 
  damage [pounce and bite]; shapechanger)
  Treasure: The velvet bedclothes are worth 200 gp, and the rugs 
  (weighing 300 pounds in total) are worth another 200 gp. The locked iron 
  box contains a leather pouch with a drawstring that holds 56 gp, 229 sp, 
  and 3 pearls (300 gp).
  H-17. Guest Room (Henri Tharnac)
  This room contains a feather bed with a quilt. There is a 
  nightstand with a candlestick on it, and a backpack on the floor. 
  A man sits at a small writing desk.
  This man is Henri Tharnac, a merchant from Elet. He visits the 
  Manor to deliver supplies and take orders for the next delivery. Henri 
  is quite aware of his customers’ monstrous nature, but he allows 
  himself to believe that they do not actually kill people. After all, he 
  delivers large quantities of salted meat and even drives small herds of 
  goats here.
  (Henri Tharnac [Veteran]: AC 17, 58 hp; +5 to hit x2, 1d10 + 3 
  slashing damage [longsword])
  
  82
  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  H-18. Slaves’ Quarters
  Two humans are asleep on straw pallets in this room, which 
  contains two empty pallets as well. The people are dressed in 
  clothing that was once of extremely fine quality but is now 
  stained and torn.
  Four of the lamia’s human slaves share this room as their sleeping 
  quarters. Two of them, Caurien and Jirral, are in the Great Hall (Area 
  H-6). The other two, Serz and Cloyaun, are the ones currently in the 
  room. Serz and Cloyaun were originally courtiers in the service of Martin 
  of Becqueril but, like Martin, they are now under the lamia’s spell and 
  are her willing servants. They have been put to cleaning and other menial 
  tasks, but because of the charm, they bear no resentment at all. Serz is 
  quite pudgy, but Cloyaun looks as if he’s half starved. They actually 
  receive different quantities of food; Serz is being fattened up for slaughter.
  (Serz and Cloyaun [Guards]: AC 16, 11 hp; +3 to hit, reach 
  5 ft. or range 20 ft./60 ft., 1d6 + 1 bludgeoning damage 
  [club])
  H-19. Martin’s Guest Room
  This room is furnished with a cot, a wooden chest, and a small 
  writing table. A peg on the wall holds an expensive green cloak 
  of boiled wool, trimmed with what looks like fox fur.
  A dreamy-eyed man sits at the table, clad in the fine clothes of 
  a nobleman.
  This is the room belonging to the Mountain Queen’s “guest,” Martin of 
  Becqueril. Martin is the heir to a barony. He was hunting with three of his 
  courtiers in the pass when Kathelynn came upon them. Returning with the 
  weretigers, she made short work of kidnapping all of them and returning 
  to the Manor with the unfortunate captives. One of them is now dead and 
  eaten; the other three, including Martin, are alive but have been drained of 
  all their wisdom and are Kathelynn’s slaves.
  It is not readily apparent that Martin has been mentally emptied out. He 
  tends to be excitable and to babble on about nothing, unless Kathelynn is 
  nearby, in which case he immediately becomes completely alert, hanging 
  on her every word. There is a substantial reward offered for his return, 
  which will be paid by the Baron of Becqueril; If characters rescue Martin 
  and bring him home, the next mission offered to them might be to help 
  restore Martin’s mental faculties (which were never remarkable, but at 
  least he had free will).
  (Martin of Becqueril [Noble]: AC 15, 9 hp; +3 to hit, 1d8 + 1 
  piercing damage [rapier]; can add 2 to AC as a reaction 
  against an attack he sees coming)
  H-20. Empty Guest Room
  This room contains a comfortable feather bed and a wooden 
  chest. A thick wool carpet covers the floor, and the walls are hung 
  with heavy tapestries for warmth.
  These rooms are given to Kathelynn’s guests. The locks work properly, and 
  the guest is given the key. Even if the door is locked from the outside (using 
  another key), the guest can unlock it again from the inside, with the key.
  H-21. Treacherous Guest Room
  This room contains a comfortable feather bed and a wooden 
  chest. A thick wool carpet covers the floor, and the walls are hung 
  with heavy tapestries for warmth.
  This room is given to guests that might cause problems in some way 
  or guests that need to be gotten rid of. As with the other guest rooms, the 
  guest is given a key. The lock in this door, however, is unusual; it can be 
  locked from the outside with a different key, and if this is done, the guest 
  key won’t unlock it from the inside. Thus, a guest can be confined in the 
  room while his or her companions are dealt with.
  H-22. The Unpleasant Minstrel
  This room contains a bed, chest, small table, and chair. A lute 
  and a small set of bagpipes hang from wall pegs. 
  A man dressed in a multicolored tunic is reading through 
  several parchment sheets that appear to be musical notations.
  The Manor’s minstrel, Cap Jongleur, lives in this room for the time 
  being. He is not charmed by the lamia, and he has no particular problem 
  living with a clan of psychotic monsters. He is confident that if he ever 
  needs to escape, he can, and it will make a great story to turn into a ballad. 
  It hasn’t occured to him that he might not survive to the end of the tale.
  (Cap Jongleur: AC 12, 27 hp; +4 to hit x2, 1d6 + 2 piercing 
  damage [shortsword] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 
  + 2 piercing damage [hand crossbow]; spell attack +5, 
  save DC 13; friends, minor illusion, prestidigitation, charm 
  person, heroism, sleep, thunderwave, cloud of daggers, 
  detect thoughts, hold person; has a lute, bagpipes, 
  shortsword, warm-weather clothing, backpack, 5 days’ 
  rations, and a small chest containing three sets of clothes, 
  two lady’s handkerchiefs [one embroidered with a red 
  rose, a token from Kathelynn], a golden bracelet [50 gp], 
  and a belt pouch containing 25 gp)
  H-23. Empty Guest Room
  This room contains a comfortable feather bed and a wooden 
  chest. A thick wool carpet covers the floor, and the walls are hung 
  with heavy tapestries for warmth.
  This was the guest room assigned to a huntsman named Ormant Ulute, 
  who was just recently killed, cooked, and served to the monsters and 
  Kathelynn’s charmed slaves. Ormant happened upon Cap Jongleur (Area 
  H-22) playing bagpipes by a mountain stream nearby, and Cap invited 
  him back to the Manor for dinner. Kathelynn was so amused by the prank 
  that she gave the minstrel a token of affection and decided to keep him 
  alive for at least another month. Ormant, on the other hand, was served for 
  dinner after a few days as a guest.
  Ormant suspected that something was not quite right in the Manor, and 
  he wrote a note outlining his suspicions, which he hid under the mattress 
  along with a dagger, hoping that the next person to sleep in the bed would 
  feel the dagger and find the hidden note.
  The note reads: “I fear I have fallen in among monsters. Do not trust the 
  singer. Escape if you can. Have the abbot sing prayers for me, if you find 
  this and live. Signed, Ormant Ulute.”
  
  83
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  H-24. Stairs to the Dungeon
  A stone staircase leads down into cold and darkness.
  This staircase leads to the cellars (Areas H-31-36), first arriving in Area 
  H-31, the Dungeon Cellar.
  H-25. Lamia’s Antechamber
  The walls of this room are bare stone with only two decorations. 
  The first is a suit of armor carrying a shield in one corner. The 
  second is a large basin in the center of the room, mounted on a 
  4-foot stone pedestal.
  The suit of armor is plate mail, and the shield, which bears the sigil of 
  a red rose, is magical (+1 AC). The red paint on the rose is still wet, and it 
  will remain so until it is removed, revealing a white rose beneath. This is 
  the shield of St. Elys, which Kathelynn grabbed by accident when she fled 
  the scene of her sister’s murder.
  The basin contains water, and its inside bottom surface is coated with 
  silver, making it highly reflective. This is Kathelynn’s small scrying 
  basin (as opposed to the large basin in Area H-10). It is not inherently 
  magical, but it provides a place for the lamia to “see” what her magic 
  reveals.
  H-26. Lamia’s Bedchamber
  The walls of this room are lurid with blood-red tapestries, and 
  the floor is painted red as well. There is a four-poster bed against 
  the southern wall, with closed curtains that look uncomfortably 
  like crimson-dyed human skins stitched together. A high loft is 
  built above the south portion of the room, but no ladder or stair 
  leads up to it. The strangest feature of the room, though, is the 
  east wall, which is entirely covered by a blooming rosebush: 
  tangled thorns, red flowers, and green leaves grow more than a 
  foot deep from the floor to the ceiling. There is a door through 
  this hedge, but it looks as if it is thoroughly covered in thorns.
  A window in the north wall looks out over the mountainous 
  scenery behind the Manor.
  This is the lamia’s bedchamber. If the manor is taken entirely by 
  surprise, she will be found here. It is also the room where she will flee if 
  a battle is going badly, because the loft has a secret exit through the roof 
  (see Area H-30, the Escape Loft).
  Kathelynn has the torso of a human female but the lower body of a 
  white tiger. Her face looks quite human, although her canine teeth are 
  long and the irises of her eyes are a golden color. She has a vertical 
  scar on the left side or her face. If the characters have seen the 
  painting of Saint Kathelynn in the Abbey’s chapel, they immediately 
  notice the remarkable resemblance between Kathelynn’s face and the 
  lamia’s. 
  Kethelynn wears the Eye of Othroäta on a gold chain around her neck. 
  Even a cursory examination of the Eye reveals that, unlike most jewelry, 
  the Eye is held in its setting with a clever, puzzle-like latch. A few simple 
  twists free it from the setting. A rogue or bard solves the puzzle instantly; 
  others figure it out automatically with a minute or two of effort.
  There is no window in the north wall, as the characters might know if 
  they scouted the outside of the Manor. It is an illusion permanently placed 
  to conceal a niche in the wall, which contains a key. Anyone touching the 
  window detects the illusion automatically, but it does not disappear when 
  detected. If the character feels around behind the “window,” the niche can 
  be found easily and the key recovered.
  The lamia does not keep her treasure in this room, but there is a 
  longbow and an “escape kit” in a leather bag next to the bed. The bag 
  contains a quiver with 20 arrows, a heavy winter coat, a waterskin, 
  rations for five days, and a pouch holding 30 gp and three emeralds 
  worth 1,000 gp each.
  (Kathelynn [Lamia]: AC 13, 97 hp; +5 to hit, 2d10 + 3 slashing 
  damage [claws] and either +5 to hit, 1d4 + 3 piercing 
  damage [dagger] or +5 to hit, target has tactical 
  disadvantage on Wis saving throws and all ability checks 
  for 1 hr. [intoxicating touch]; can replace standard 
  attacks with +3 to hit x2, range 150 ft./600 ft., 1d8 + 1 
  piercing damage [longbow]; spell DC 13; at will—disguise 
  self, major image; 3/day—charm person, mirror image, 
  scrying, suggestion; 1/day—geas; longbow, 20 arrows, 
  dagger, 30 gp, key to Area H-25, the Eye of Othroäta)
  The Rose Door
  The rosebush over the east wall is real, although it is created by 
  magic. The inch-long thorns drip with poison. Anyone pushing through 
  them must make a successful DC 15 Con saving throw against poison or 
  immediately drop to 0 hit points; the character can be stabilized normally 
  but can’t regain hit points until the poison is neutralized. 
  The door through the rose-covered wall has no latch or knob: its only 
  feature is a rose carved in bas-relief at the center. The rose vines covering 
  the wall grow outward from the carving. The vines can be cut with 
  weapons that do slashing damage, but new growth rejoins the cut ends 
  within seconds. The vines penetrate the adjoining walls, floor, and ceiling 
  into Area H-27 and form a thorny cage enclosing that entire room.
  The rose in the center of the door has a round hole or channel at the 
  center that’s an inch in diameter. Someone who peers into this channel or 
  probes it with a small tool notices that it is about 2 inches deep and at its 
  end is a small depression with a hole in the bottom; anything smaller than 
  one inch in diameter that’s pushed into the channel would drop through the 
  second hole. The channel is a keyhole, and the key is the Eye of Othroäta. 
  The Eye must be dropped through the hole. Dropping it in on a string so 
  it can be fished back out won’t work: it must be dropped so that it can roll 
  freely into the Treasure Room on the other side.
  Once the Eye is dropped through the door, five keyholes appear in 
  the door around the rose. The key to all five locks is hidden behind 
  the illusory window in the north wall. Initially, the key fits one of the 
  locks (if you like, you can roll 1d5 to determine how many keyholes 
  characters must try before finding the right one). When that lock is 
  unlocked and the key removed from the keyhole, the key magically 
  reshapes itself to fit another lock; when the second lock is unlocked, 
  the key reshapes to fit a third, and so on until all five locks are released. 
  When all five locks are turned, the door slowly swings into Area H-27 
  as the thorns recede from the opening. 
  The doorway remains clear for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, 
  the door swings shut and the roses grow over it again (on both sides). If 
  the door was blocked open with something heavy, it takes 1d10 rounds 
  before building up enough force to overcome the block, or 2d10 rounds if 
  it was spiked open. Even if the door is held open, the thorns grow across 
  the doorway in just two rounds. On the first round, a character who 
  can reach the doorway with a single move can dive through the roses 
  without getting scratched with a successful DC 12 Dex (Acrobatics) 
  check. On the second round, the DC increases to 18. Failure on either 
  check by 5 or fewer points means the character escaped from the room 
  but was scratched by the roses and must make a saving throw against 
  their poison. Failure by 6 or more points indicates that the character 
  isn’t just scratched but is also grappled by the rapidly growing vines. A 
  grappled character who is still conscious can escape with a successful 
  DC 18 Dex (Acrobatics) or Str (Athletics) check. An unconscious 
  character can be pulled free by an adjacent ally who makes a successful 
  DC 18 Str (Athletics) check.
  
  84
  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  H-27. Treasure Room
  The walls, ceiling, and floor of this room are entirely covered by 
  blooming rose vines to a thickness of 6 or more inches. Entering 
  it is like walking into a cave of roses. The room also contains two 
  sturdy chests and five large sacks.
  The Eye of Othroäta sits in a depression on the threshold just inside 
  the room (assuming characters didn’t devise some means of getting into 
  this chamber without unlocking the door). Immediately upon entering the 
  room, characters smell the overpowering, cloying scent of roses. Anyone 
  breathing the scent for more than 30 seconds must make a successful DC 
  15 Con saving throw against poison or fall asleep. This magical sleep is 
  profound; it can only be removed by a kiss or by magic capable of lifting 
  a curse.
  Characters can walk on the roses safely, assuming they’re not 
  barefoot (unlikely in this climate). Someone who falls down or bumps 
  against a wall must make the DC 15 Con saving throw against the 
  roses’ poison. 
  All five sacks are full of human skulls: grisly trophies of Kathelynn’s 
  meals. There are 183 skulls in all, taken from people she has eaten over 
  the last 75 years.
  Chest #1 is locked, and is covered in thorns (all of which are coated 
  with the same lethal poison as the roses). Because the roses regenerate so 
  quickly, the lock must be picked through the vines. That task requires a 
  set of thieves’ tools and a successful DC 20 Dex check. If the check fails 
  by more than 5 points, the character is scratched by a thorn and must 
  make the DC 15 Con saving throw against the roses’ poison. Smashing 
  the chest sends thorns flying and vines thrashing in all directions, hitting 
  everyone in the room. The chest contains 3,205 gp, 6,730 sp, 4,053 cp, 3 
  ep, 2 polished disks of rare wood worth 10 gp each, and 25 worthless lead 
  tokens the size of coins.
  Chest #2 is trapped and locked the same as chest #1. It contains a scroll 
  (protection from energy, hallucinatory terrain, remove curse, and wall of 
  stone), a giant ermine pelt worth 1,000 gp, and four potions: plant control, 
  growth, invisibility, and gaseous form.
  If characters are inside the room when the door closes after 10 
  minutes, they may be in serious trouble. For details on how the door 
  closes, see “The Rose Door” in the description of Area H-26. The 
  inside of the door has an ordinary doorknob, so opening it is simple 
  if the roses can be cleared away, but they regenerate so fast that it is 
  impossible to just cut them back. If characters look at the door closely, 
  they notice that the roses do not grow near metal. There is a clear 
  space around each of the hinges and around the doorknob. With some 
  experimentation, characters discover that the branches actually move 
  a bit away from iron, as if they dislike it. It is possible to start in the 
  middle of the door with some metal (first sword points, then plates 
  of armor will work) and slowly create a perimeter of metal to push 
  back the thorns. Alternatively, characters could cut away branches and 
  quickly block them with metal from regenerating back over the door. 
  By working like this, a group of trapped adventurers can clear the 
  doorway, turn the knob, open the door, repeat the process with the rose 
  wall in Area H-26, and walk out.
  H-28. Storage Loft
  This is an airy wooden loft underneath the sharply pitched roof 
  of slate tiles overhead. The front of the loft is the manor’s front 
  wall, which is pierced by two arrowslits.
  Several barrels are lined up along the side walls, and thirty 
  chicken coops are stacked against the north wall.
  During daytime, a sentry is posted in this room (a bugbear from the 
  roster). He might have spotted the characters’ approach if they headed 
  directly for the manor’s front gate.
  Most of the barrels contain salted meat. Three of them contain ale (these 
  are worth 100 gp each, but they weigh 440 pounds apiece). Many of the 
  barrels bear a merchant’s mark with the initials “H.T.” This is the mark of 
  Henri Tharnac, a merchant who knowingly deals with the monsters of the 
  Manor (see Area H-17).
  The chickens are ordinary chickens.
  H-29. Storage Loft
  Boxes and crates are stacked in here, along with cords of 
  firewood, rope, and three statues.
  The statues are all of a woman wearing armor with a rose on her shield 
  and a vertical scar on the left side of her face: they were taken from shrines 
  to Saint Kathelynn on orders from the lamia.
  The contents of the storage loft are diverse; virtually anything required 
  to run a wilderness freehold can be found in this loft, at least in small 
  quantities. 
  H-30. Escape Loft
  This loft overlooks the bedroom below. It contains a wooden 
  log supported on sturdy trestles and a round cushion 5 feet 
  in diameter, lying on the floor. The center of it is indented 
  slightly.
  Unless they have flown down to reinforce Kathelynn in a combat, there 
  are 2 giant white owls here, on the log perch. They are very intelligent 
  and can speak the Common tongue. They are also very loyal to the lamia, 
  so they attack anyone they consider a threat to her.
  There are two hidden exits from this room. If Kathelynn needs to 
  either escape or double back around the characters, this loft provides the 
  opportunity. There is a secret exit (leading to a secret door in the roof) 
  in the loft’s eastern wall, and there is a trapdoor in the floor (under the 
  cushion) that leads to Area H-14.
  The cushion is a cat bed for the lamia, when she chooses not to use the 
  human-style bed in the room below. It also does a good job of concealing 
  the trap door beneath.
  (Giant Owl: AC 12, 19 hp; +3 to hit, 2d6 + 1 slashing damage 
  [talons]; doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when flying 
  out of an enemy’s reach)
  Treasure: There is nothing valuable in the room.
  H-31. Dungeon Cellar
  This is a low-ceilinged cellar with doors in the north and south 
  walls. It smells bad down here.
  Although it looks innocuous, this room is the entrance to the 
  dungeons beneath the Manor. Both of the doors in the room are locked. 
  They can be opened with a set of thieves’ tools and successful DC 12 
  Dex checks.
  
  85
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  H-32. Jailer’s Room 
  This chamber is decorated with shields of all shapes and sizes 
  hung on the walls, at least 50 of them. A comfortable-looking bed 
  stands against the western wall, and a set of keys hangs on a peg 
  next to the bed.
  This bedroom belongs to the weretiger Pierre, one of Kathelynn’s sons. 
  If the manor has not been completely alerted, Pierre will be here; he is the 
  last to hear of any assault, and deep enough underground not to hear the 
  clamor of battle.
  The shield collection is not worth more than any other collection of 
  battered-up shields.
  The keys open the cells (Areas H-33-35) and the door to Area H-36.
  (Pierre [Weretiger]: AC 12, 120 hp; +5 to hit x2, 1d8 + 3 
  slashing damage [claw] or +5 to hit x2, 1d6 + 3 slashing 
  damage [scimitar] or +4 to hit, range 150 ft./600 ft., 1d8 + 
  2 piercing damage [longbow]; if the wertiger moved 15 
  ft. straight toward a creature before hitting with a claw, 
  the creature must make a DC 14 Str save or be knocked 
  prone and attacked at +5 to hit, 1d10 + 3 piercing 
  damage [pounce and bite]; shapechanger)
  H-33. Unoccupied Cell
  The door of the cell is wood, with iron bindings and a padlocked bolt. 
  There is a small, barred window in the door, 6 inches by 3 inches.
  This stone cell is apparently empty.
  Yes, it is definitely empty.
  H-34. Cell
  The door of the cell is wood, with iron bindings and a padlocked bolt. 
  There is a small, barred window in the door, 6 inches by 3 inches.
  A person in rags sits in the back of the cell directly across from 
  the door, head bowed so that long hair covers the face. 
  This prisoner has been tortured, and is now blind. He introduces himself 
  as Mad Andre, and asks if the characters have any food or water. 
  Andre is a mystic who has visions of a “Saint Elys.” He began preaching 
  about her in the town of Elet, north of Ghostwind Pass, calling her the 
  Snow Maiden. Word of this preacher came to Kathelynn’s ears, and she 
  immediately sent the weretigers Claude and Thibault to kidnap him and 
  bring him to the Manor. 
  From his visions, Mad Andre knows Elys’s name and that she is 
  associated with winds and snow, but he doesn’t know much more about 
  her. Her symbol is a rose, white as snow. She has difficulty sending the 
  visions to him because she is far away, but she will gradually draw nearer 
  as more people hear Andre talk of her. Elys tells Andre that her bones are 
  hidden “beyond the reach of the Ghostwind, in the Ghostwind’s reach,” 
  but Andre doesn’t know what this means. If characters ask, he can tell 
  them that the “tigers” tortured him because they wanted to know the 
  location of Elys’s bones.
  H-35. Communal Dungeon Cell
  The door here is a barred gate like a cage wall, secured with 
  a padlock. The inside is a noisome cell containing four people.
  The people in the cell are 4 trappers and hunters captured by the 
  lamia or the weretigers. Their names are Yaric, Otho, Kevrix, and Winfril. 
  Winfril is female, the others are male. Otho has been scratched by one 
  of the weretigers and infected with lycanthropy. However, he will not 
  transform for the first time until he stands under the night sky when the 
  moon is full. Thereafter he will be able to change form at will. There is no 
  reward for any of these prisoners, but—with the exception of Otho—they 
  will eventually present a giant ermine pelt to the characters (they are, after 
  all, hunters).
  H-36. Five Skeletons
  Five skeletons hang from rusty manacles on the walls of this 
  room. 
  These are the bones of the five loyal retainers who buried Elys’s body, 
  thinking it belonged to Kathelynn. This room is where they met their 
  demise one after the other, refusing to the bitter end to disclose the body’s 
  whereabouts. If a Lawful cleric enters the room, the ghostly shade of a 
  woman in chain mail, resembling all the images of Kathelynn but without 
  a scar, appears in the middle of the room. She seems to be trying to speak, 
  but the words are faint and inaudible. She gestures to the skeletons, and 
  you can hear the words, “Must bury [something something] at the Abbey 
  [something something] warm [something] protect.” She gestures again at 
  the skeletons, then fades away.
  The characters have just had a direct encounter with Saint Elys. If the 
  five skeletons are brought to the abbey and buried in their appropriate 
  graves (as best as can be determined), every Lawful cleric in the party will 
  gain one level of experience or 1,500 XP, whichever is greater. Each other 
  member of the clerics’ party gains 1,000 XP.
  
  86
  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  Monster Roster
  State of Alert
  If the Manor is alerted, most of the fighting monsters head for Area 
  H-10, to assemble under Kathelynn’s leadership and counterattack. 
  Kathelynn uses the scrying pool in that room to find the characters 
  and direct the counterattack accordingly. Noncombatants (the “Free 
  Individuals” and the “Charmed Slaves” other than Martin) remain where 
  they are. The giant owls and the saber-tooth at Area H-11 remain in place. 
  From that point on, the monsters respond as their leaders indicate. The 
  Manor is designed to allow lots of tactical mobility.
  If the Manor is not on alert, all of its inhabitants can wander freely 
  through its halls and lower chambers. They are found in the indicated 
  areas if they haven’t been met elsewhere first, haven’t been drawn away 
  by an alert, or if you think it would be more appropriate or more dramatic 
  for them to be somewhere else.
  The Lamia, Kathelynn the 
  Mountain Queen
  If she isn’t met first somewhere else in the Manor, Kathelynn will be 
  found in her chamber (Area H-26)
  Kathelynn: AC 13, 97 hp; +5 to hit, 2d10 + 3 slashing damage 
  [claws] and either +5 to hit, 1d4 + 3 piercing damage 
  [dagger] or +5 to hit, target has tactical disadvantage 
  on Wis saving throws and all ability checks for 1 hr. 
  [intoxicating touch]; can replace standard attacks with 
  +3 to hit x2, range 150 ft./600 ft., 1d8 + 1 piercing damage 
  [longbow]; spell DC 13; at will—disguise self, major image; 
  3/day—charm person, mirror image, scrying, suggestion; 
  1/day—geas; longbow, 20 arrows, dagger, 30 gp, key to 
  Area H-25, the Eye of Othroäta
  10 Bugbears
  When they aren’t on duty, the bugbears spend most of their time in their 
  quarters (Area H-12).
  Bugbear: AC 16, 27 hp; +4 to hit, 2d8 + 2 piercing damage 
  [morningstar] or +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 
  piercing damage; does an extra 2d6 damage in the first 
  round of combat against an opponent who was surprised
  When he isn’t on duty, the bugbear leader Glaivorn spends most of his 
  time in his quarters (Area H-13).
  Glaivorn (Bugbear Chief): AC 17, 65 hp; +5 to hit x2, 2d8 + 3 
  piercing damage [morningstar] or +5 to hit x2, range 30 ft./120 
  ft., 1d6 + 3 piercing damage; does an extra 2d6 damage 
  in the first round of combat against an opponent who was 
  surprised; carries the key to the iron box in Area H-13
  2 Giant Owls
  The giant owls spend most of their time at their perch (Area H-30).
  Giant Owl: AC 12, 19 hp; +3 to hit, 2d6 + 1 slashing damage 
  [talons]; doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when flying 
  out of an enemy’s reach
  5 Saber-toothed Tigers
  The saber-toothed tigers roam freely through the Manor and can be 
  encountered anywhere. One is always present in the tiger run (Area H-11).
  Saber-toothed Tiger: AC 12, 52 hp; +6 to hit, 2d6 + 5 slashing 
  damage [claws]; if it moved 20 ft. straight at an enemy 
  before hitting with claws, the target must make a DC 14 
  Str saving throw or be knocked prone and attacked at +6 
  to hit, 1d10 + 5 piercing damage [bite]
  3 Weretigers 
  The weretigers are the Lamia’s three sons: Claude (Area H-10), 
  Thibault (Area H-16), and Pierre (Area H-32).
  Weretiger: AC 12, 120 hp; +5 to hit x2, 1d8 + 3 slashing 
  damage [claw] or +5 to hit x2, 1d6 + 3 slashing damage 
  [scimitar] or +4 to hit, range 150 ft./600 ft., 1d8 + 2 piercing 
  damage [longbow]; if the wertiger moved 15 ft. straight 
  toward a creature before hitting with a claw, the creature 
  must make a DC 14 Str save or be knocked prone and 
  attacked at +5 to hit, 1d10 + 3 piercing damage [pounce 
  and bite]; shapechanger
  5 Charmed Slaves
  The slaves have many duties around the Manor, but they spend most of 
  their time in the same locations.
  Caurien and Jirral (Commoners, Area H-6): AC 10, 4 hp; +2 
  to hit, 1d4 bludgeoning damage)
  Serz and Cloyaun (Guards, Area H-18): AC 16, 11 hp; +3 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20 ft./60 ft., 1d6 + 1 bludgeoning 
  damage [club])
  Martin of Becqueril (Noble, Area H-19): AC 15, 9 hp; +3 to hit, 
  1d8 + 1 piercing damage [rapier]; can add 2 to AC as a 
  reaction against an attack he sees coming)
  3 Guests
  The guests of the Lamia are free to wander through the lower areas of 
  the Manor, but they spend most of their time in their rooms. 
  Gaston Payis (Commoner, Area H-7): AC 10, 4 hp; +2 to hit, 
  1d4 piercing damage; 5 gp)
  Henri Tharnac (Veteran, Area H-17): AC 17, 58 hp; +5 to hit 
  x2, 1d10 + 3 slashing damage)
  Cap Jongleur (Bard, Area H-22): AC 12, 27 hp; +4 to hit 
  x2, 1d6 + 2 piercing damage [shortsword] or +4 to hit, 
  range 30 ft./120 ft., 1d6 + 2 piercing damage [hand 
  crossbow]; spell attack +5, save DC 13; friends, minor 
  illusion, prestidigitation, charm person, heroism, sleep, 
  thunderwave, cloud of daggers, detect thoughts, hold 
  person; has a lute, bagpipes, shortsword, warm-weather 
  clothing, backpack, 5 days’ rations, and a small chest 
  containing three sets of clothes, two lady’s handkerchiefs 
  [one embroidered with a red rose, a token from 
  Kathelynn], a golden bracelet [50 gp], and a belt pouch 
  containing 25 gp)
  
  87
  Perils of Ghostwind Pass
  Concluding the Adventure
  If the only focus of the adventure has been hunting and monster-
  fighting, it will conclude with the characters either leaving the pass before 
  the Ghostwind catches them (“better part of valor”) or getting caught 
  by it (“just one more”). Assuming they get away alive, the immediate 
  focus probably will shift to selling their furs before moving on to other 
  adventures.
  If characters solved the mysteries of the pass and restored Saint Elys’s 
  bones to the Abbey’s chapel, they will be rewarded with possession 
  of the Staff of the Remorhaz. It will seem obvious to all that anyone 
  who can find and safely carry the artifact is its chosen holder. With 
  the Ghostwind a thing of the past, the Abbey doesn’t need the staff to 
  maintain its warmth.
  Since Ghostwind Pass is a large area, it can easily be used for further 
  adventuring. If the characters joined the two pieces of the Staff of the 
  Remorhaz and the artifact is in their possession, it provides its wielder 
  with fragmented information about other quests, if the characters are 
  inclined to become roving defenders of justice. 
  New Monsters
  Cave Bear
  XP 450 (CR 2)
  Unaligned Large beast
  Initiative +0
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 12 (natural armor)
  hp: 47 (5d10 + 20)
  Resistance: Cold damage
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Multiattack: A cave bear either bites once and attacks 
  once with claws, or uses its bear hug.
  Melee Attack—Bite: +7 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 
  1d10 + 5 piercing damage.
  Melee Attack—Claws: +7 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). 
  Hit: 2d6 + 5 piercing damage and the target must make a 
  successful DC 15 Dex check or be grappled and take 3d6 
  bludgeoning damage. 
  Melee Attack—Bear Hug: automatic hit (one creature 
  already grappled by the cave bear at the start of the 
  cave bear’s turn). Hit: 3d6 bludgeoning damage and 
  the cave bear can make a bite attack against the same 
  creature.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 20 (+5), Dex 10 (+0), Con 18 (+4), 
  Int 3 (–4), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 8 (–1)
  Languages: None
  Skills: Perception +5
  Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Cold mountains
  Organization: Solitary or family (2 cave bears and 1d4 
  noncombatant cubs)
  Prehistoric bears and polar bears are even larger and more ferocious 
  than grizzly (brown) bears.
  Giant Ermine
  Giant ermines are identical to giant weasels for most purposes, but their 
  snow-white pelts are worth 500 gp. Its valued is halved, however, every 
  time the ermine takes slashing, acid, or fire damage. Giant weasel pelts 
  sell for 1d6 x 10 gp each, with the same penalty for damage.
  Giant Mountain Goat
  XP 50 (CR 1/4)
  Unaligned Medium beast
  Initiative +1
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 12 (natural armor)
  hp: 16 (3d8 + 3)
  Resistance: Cold damage
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 30 ft.
  Melee Attack—Ram: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 
  1d6 + 2 bludgeoning damage.
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 14 (+2), Dex 12 (+1), Con 12 (+1), 
  Int 2 (–4), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 5 (–3)
  Languages: None
  Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Charge: If the giant mountain goat moved 15 ft. straight 
  toward its target before hitting with a ram, the creature 
  takes an extra 1d6 bludgeoning damage and must make 
  a DC 12 Str saving throw or be knocked prone.
  Sure-footed: A giant mountain goat has tactical advantage 
  when making saving throws against being pushed or 
  knocked prone.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Cold and temperate mountains
  Organization: Cluster (2-5) or herd (4-24, half of which are 
  noncombatant young)
  These beasts are quite impressive, standing 5 feet tall at the shoulder. 
  They are shaggy-coated, and the males sport enormous, curving horns. 
  Giant mountain goats are found only in the highest mountains, often in the 
  keeping of stone giants or frost giants. They are not territorial but they are 
  very aggressive about protecting the herd, and until they learn otherwise, 
  they assume any strange creature approaching within 300 feet is a predator.
  White Pudding
  XP 700 (CR 3)
  Unaligned Large ooze
  Initiative –2
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 7
  hp: 76 (9d10 + 27)
  Immunity: Piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical 
  weapons; acid, cold, and lightning damage; blindness, 
  charm, deafness, exhaustion, fright, prone, stun, 
  unconsciousness
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee Attack—Slam: +5 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 
  1d8 + 3 bludgeoning damage plus 3d6 + 3 acid damage, 
  and the target’s clothing and gear might be damaged by 
  
  88
  Quests of Doom: men & monstrosities
  acid (see Acidic, below).
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 16 (+3), Dex 4 (–3), Con 16 (+3), 
  Int 1 (–5), Wis 7 (–2), Cha 1 (–5)
  Languages: None
  Skills: Stealth +2
  Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Acidic: A white pudding’s acid eats into organic matter 
  such as cloth and wood but doesn’t affect metal or stone. 
  When a white pudding does acid damage, the target 
  of the attack must make a successful DC 10 Dex saving 
  throw or one item of nonmetallic gear is damaged by 
  the acid: clothing or footwear can have holes burned 
  through it, a wooden canteen could spring a leak, a 
  backpack could have its straps burned away, etc. If the 
  target is wearing padded, leather, or hide armor and 
  fails the saving throw, the armor’s AC is permanently 
  reduced by 1. Even metal armor can be temporarily 
  damage by having leather straps or padding dissolved. A 
  wooden weapon, or one with a wooden handle, gains a 
  permanent, cumulative –1 penalty on damage rolls each 
  time it strikes a white pudding. A magical weapon made 
  entirely of wood (e.g., a quarterstaff) is immune to this 
  effect, but one that is only partly wood (e.g., a magical 
  axe with a nonmagical wooden handle) is not; such 
  damage can be repaired by replacing the damaged, 
  nonmagical parts. Arrows are destroyed automatically.
  Amorphous: A white pudding can move through gaps as 
  small as 1 square inch without penalty.
  Camouflage: A white pudding has tactical advantage on 
  Stealth checks in areas of snow and ice.
  Split: If a Medium or Large white pudding is hit by an attack 
  that normally does lightning or slashing damage, the 
  pudding splits in half, creating two puddings that are 
  one size smaller and with one-half the parent pudding’s 
  remaining hit points apiece.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Cold land, underground
  Organization: Solitary
  The white pudding is a variety of the black pudding that is found 
  only in frigid areas. It uses its pure white coloration to advantage when 
  ambushing prey. 
  The creature secretes a digestive acid that dissolves organic material 
  but doesn’t affect metal, stone, or other minerals. This is a particular 
  danger in the frigid environments where white puddings hunt, because 
  having holes burned through your parka or your insulated, waterproof 
  boots can lead to death by freezing just as surely as being killed directly 
  by the white pudding. The body of an old white pudding is a good place to 
  search for magical arrowheads and axeheads lost by other adventurers, if 
  someone is willing to risk more acid exposure; the creature’s remains stay 
  dangerously corrosive for weeks after its death. 
  Snow-serpent
  Snow-serpents are snakes covered in thick fur that’s mottled gray and 
  white. They are at home in snow and ice, and they are seldom found in 
  climes warmer than arctic tundra. They slither easily through deep snow 
  drifts, suddenly bursting from the powder to strike with fangs that drip 
  deadly venom. 
  Occasionally, in areas with wide variation in temperature, the fur of 
  a snow-serpent is mottled green until the first snow falls. The hide of a 
  snow-serpent can fetch as much as 100 gp for a white pelt or 200 gp for 
  the rarer mottled green pelt.
  Snow-serpents have stats identical to giant poisonous snakes, with two 
  exceptions. 
  • Their swim speed is replaced with a burrow speed of 20 feet, effective 
  only through snow.
  • The bite of a snow-serpent inflicts cold damage instead of poison 
  damage, but it is still considered a poison effect. A bitten character who 
  takes full damage from the poison must repeat the saving throw at the end 
  of each of its turns until it either succeeds once or fails two more times. 
  No damage is inflicted for succeeding or failing at these saving throws, 
  but if the saving throw is failed a total of three times, the creature’s blood 
  freezes in its veins and the creature immediately drops to 0 hit points. A 
  successful save doesn’t give immunity to the venom: a second bite has the 
  same consequences as the first.
  
  89
  Vampires
  &
  Liches
  
  90
  Quests of Doom: vampires & liches
  The Isle of Eliphaz is an adventure for characters of at least 14th level. 
  In the course of the adventure, the PCs face the powerful lich Athransma 
  in the hidden Maze of Ancients. Careful searching and sharp wits help 
  the PCs avoid being led astray by the devices of Athransma in his goal 
  to awaken the primal Eliphaz. The group should include a rogue who’s 
  skillful at both spotting and disabling traps. The party should also include 
  a druid, a wizard, and at least two powerful melee combatants. Under no 
  circumstances should any adventuring group set out without a cleric.
  Throughout the adventure, items and features that can be spotted with 
  Perception checks take only a round or two to find. If an Investigation 
  check is called for, then it automatically involves spending five to ten 
  minutes making a careful, deliberate search of the area.
  Island of Eliphaz 
  Keyed Locations
  A: A Mysterious Island at Sea
   It is said among sages and treasure-hunters that on the Isle of Eliphaz, 
  located in the Crescent Sea nearly 200 miles off the coast of the Grand 
  Duchy of Reme, the false tomb of an ancient wizard lies buried. Local 
  legend flies as far as Bard’s Gate that a great evil god lies in a slumber on 
  the isle, waiting to be awakened by some poor unfortunate souls. Indeed, 
  it is said by all that this is an island to be feared, and no local sailors ever 
  agree to an attempt to reach its shores.
  The island is small and rocky, with only two places available for egress 
  by ship. The beaches of this island are nondescript, though the rocks in the 
  channels leading to them are treacherous. These passages are so vicious 
  that any ship with a draft of greater than six feet has an 80% chance of 
  running aground, with half that chance of inflicting so much damage to 
  the ship that it begins to sink. At best, a successful DC 15 Intelligence 
  (Nature) skill check or a comparable Intelligence check by a professional 
  sailor cuts these probabilities in half.
  The island itself is a typical one for this region, with coniferous trees, 
  sea birds, and thick brush. This land is curious in the fact that no magic 
  of any sort functions on or around it. In fact, anyone approaching the 
  island within 50 feet has all active magic nullified — a potentially lethal 
  hazard for anyone attempting to reach the island by air. This effect is the 
  result of a permanent antimagic field cast over the entire island by the 
  evil wizard prior to the time of his demise. The antimagic field allows 
  many of his magic traps and hazards to function, but it shuts down 
  everything else. 
  B: Crater of Eliphaz
  Once on the island a quick search by the PCs discovers a low volcanic 
  cone within the center. Characters can scale the rugged outer slopes and 
  reach the lip of the cone with successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) 
  checks. There, they spy a small tower with a single door and no windows 
  sitting atop the cooled lava dome in the very center of the crater. A second 
  DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check allows the characters to progress down 
  the inner slope to the crater itself. Failure on either of these Strength 
  checks results in the character falling and taking 4d6 slashing damage 
  from tumbling across sharp rocks.
  C: The Tower of the Guardian
  The tower is made of dark stone, the door of fine wood. Strangely 
  enough, the door is unlocked.
  C1: Bottom Floor
  Inside the tower, the intruders discover some old furniture: a table, four 
  chairs, and a wooden staircase leading up. Hidden in the table, revealed 
  only by a successful DC 20 Int (Investigation) check, is a note from the 
  wizard and a deck of many things. The deck is special; anyone drawing 
  a card has double the normal chance of drawing a negative one. When a 
  character draws a card, if the card is a good result, ignore it and have them 
  draw again. Apply the second card regardless of whether it’s beneficial or 
  The Isle of Eliphaz
  By Casey W. Christofferson and Bill Webb
  
  91
  The isle of eliphaz
  harmful. Of course, the deck doesn’t do anything until the antimagic field 
  is turned off. The note is a challenge from the wizard to:
  “Trust Lady Luck in your quest for my tomb.”
  In the floor of this level is a secret trapdoor, which can be found with 
  a successful DC 15 Int (Investigation) check. The trapdoor leads to C4: 
  Passage to the False Crypts, the dungeon below the tower.
  There is nothing of value in this level of the tower, but on the fifth round 
  after it is entered, a gray ooze attacks from above. It is impossible to 
  detect before it moves because of its False Appearance, so it automatically 
  surprises the characters when it attacks.
  (Gray Ooze: AC 8, 22 hp; +3 to hit, 1d6 + 1 bludgeoning 
  damage plus 2d6 acid damage and metal armor loses 
  1 pt. of AC; nonmagical metal weapons that strike the 
  ooze gain a cumulative –1 penalty on damage and are 
  destroyed if the penalty reaches –5).
  
  92
  Quests of Doom: vampires & liches
  C2: Rickety Stairs
  The stairs are old and rickety but can easily support the PCs. They lead 
  up to the second level.
  C3: Second Floor
  The second level of the tower is not a very nice place. All that it 
  contains is the old bedroom furniture of the wizard, a couple of useless 
  papers, scrolls, books, a fireplace, and a wood and metal construct in the 
  form of a blocky humanoid. This is a shield guardian created long ago by 
  Athransma and left here with ages-old instructions to guard the chamber 
  and its contents. 
  A single shield guardian would be a relatively easy fight PCs at this 
  level but for two things; the PCs’ magic doesn’t work, and Athransma 
  stored a unique version of the black tentacles spell in the shield guardian. 
  At the start of the shield guardian’s second turn in combat, the spell is 
  released. It nearly fills the entire chamber. The spell isn’t shut down by 
  Athransma’s antimagic field, and the tentacles don’t attack the shield 
  guardian. It lasts for one minute or until the shield guardian is destroyed, 
  whichever happens first. 
  (Shield Guardian: AC 17, 142 hp; +7 to hit x2, 2d6 + 
  4 bludgeoning damage [fist]; the shield guardian 
  regenerates 10 hp at the start of its turn, as long as it has 
  at least 1 hp remaining; black tentacles spell is stored in 
  the shield guardian)
  Secret Panel and Locked Box: In the fireplace is a secret panel, which 
  the characters can discover with a successful DC 20 Int (Investigation) check. 
  Inside is a locked box requiring a successful DC 20 Dex check to open. Within 
  the box is a key, and there are two keyholes in the bottom inside panel. The 
  key appears to fit both keyholes. Turning the key in the left hole lowers the 
  antimagic field surrounding the island. Turning the key in the right keyhole 
  has no effect while the antimagic field is still active. If the field has been 
  deactivated, then the right keyhole activates a glyph of warding that triggers 
  a powerful dispel magic effect. All magical effects on characters that are 
  equivalent to 5th-level or lower spell effects are dispelled automatically; this 
  applies primarily to the effects of ongoing spells and active potions. Then 
  characters must start rolling 1d6s for their magic items, one at a time. A potion 
  is destroyed on a roll of 1, 2, or 3; a scroll is destroyed on a roll of 1 or 2; 
  and any other magic item is disenchanted on a roll of 1, becoming a normal, 
  mundane article of its type. Artifacts, relics, and sentient items are unaffected. 
  If this effect is triggered before the shield guardian is destroyed, the construct 
  also has a 1-in-6 chance of being deactivated, and the black tentacles spell 
  ends on a roll of 1 or 2 (like a scroll).
  Athransma found it necessary in his studies of the Ancients to craft 
  this box. He intended for it to dampen all magic on the island in the event 
  that one of his experiments went awry within the Maze of Ancients. In 
  addition, it was his hope that treasure hunters and looters would be put 
  off by the loss of their powers upon stepping onto the shore. Much to the 
  chagrin of Athransma, the spells on the box, although powerful, are not 
  strong enough to overcome the bindings that the Ancients placed upon the 
  elemental god. Athransma had hoped his little box of tricks would work. 
  He added the second keyhole purely out of spite.
  C4: Passage to the False Crypts
  The trapdoor in Area C1: Bottom Floor leads down to a T-intersection 
  of 10-foot by 10-foot tunnels. At the end of each tunnel is a door. To the 
  left are a false door with a pressure plate trap in front of it that releases 
  a stone block that falls in the third 10-foot section of the hall (see below). 
  The center passage leads to a concealed door with a poison needle trap 
  on the opening mechanism (see below) and an arcane lock. Behind this 
  door is a small pentagram inscribed on the floor. This symbol has minor 
  magic woven into it so that it will set off detect magic spells, but it is 
  nothing more than a decoy. 
  Pressure Plate Trap: The pressure plate can be detected with a 
  successful DC 15 WP check. Once it’s spotted, the trapped section of 
  floor is easy to avoid. If it’s not spotted, anyone examining the false door 
  triggers the trip, which drops a stone block from the ceiling into the third 
  10-foot section of the hall. Everyone in that space takes 6d6 bludgeoning 
  damage, or half damage with a successful DC 15 Dex saving throw. 
  Concealed Door: The door can be found with a successful DC 15 Int 
  (Investigation) check. Opening the door requires a successful DC 25 Str 
  (Athletics) check, or DC 15 if the arcane lock is removed or suppressed. 
  The door’s opening mechanism is protected by a poison needle trap.
  Poison Needle Trap: The trap can be spotted with a successful DC 15 
  Wisdom (Perception) check. If spotted, it’s trivial to disable. If it’s not 
  spotted, the person opening the door takes 1d4 piercing damage plus 2d6 
  poison damage. The character makes a DC 14 Con saving throw at the end 
  of each of its turns; if the saving throw fails, it takes another 2d6 poison 
  damage, and if the save succeeds, the poison is neutralized.
  C5: The False Tomb
  The right passage leads to the first false tomb. When the door is opened, 
  a magic mouth spell triggers evil laughter and the voice of the wizard 
  screams:
  “Now prepare to die the most painful of all deaths!”
  
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  When the voice stops, a glyph of warding triggers a fireball spell. The glyph is 
  concealed on the far side of the room; it’s impossible to detect from the doorway. 
  Fireball Trap: The fireball does 8d6 fire damage to everyone in area 
  C4 and C5, or half damage with a successful DC 18 Dex saving throw.
  The room contains a large golden calf, a coffin, and a bronze chest. 
  A rotting tapestry hangs above the chest. Three rounds after the room is 
  entered, the golden calf reveals its true nature by transforming into a 
  gorgon. It attacks immediately.
  (Gorgon: AC 19, 114 hp; +8 to hit, 2d12 + 5 piercing damage 
  [gore]; +8 to hit, 2d10 + 5 bludgeoning damage [hooves]; 
  30-ft. cone, creatures must make successful DC 13 Con 
  saving throws or be restrained [petrifying breath; recharge 
  5, 6]; restrained creatures repeat the saving throw at 
  the end of their next turn; a successful save ends the 
  effect, but a failure petrifies the creature; if the gorgon 
  hits a target with its gore attack after moving at least 20 
  feet straight toward the target, the target must make a 
  successful DC 16 Str saving throw or be knocked prone 
  and attacked by the gorgon’s hooves)
  The chest is unlocked and contains a pile of gold — that in reality is a 
  patch of russet mold disguised by an illusion. The illusion is dispelled as 
  soon as anyone touches it, and the mold attacks with surprise at the same 
  instant. Beneath the mold is a potion bottle wrapped in a scrap of leather 
  with a note written on it. The note is from the wizard.
  “Fools! You have failed in your grave-robbing ways to find my 
  tomb, for it is far away, and this is just a hoax. Now, you idiots 
  must decide which of your stony comrades you will save, for 
  in ten minutes, all of the statues will turn to dust. Go home and 
  become shopkeepers, for you are failures as grave robbers. Lick 
  your wounds and rejoice that I have allowed you to live, for I 
  could have chosen not to do so.” 
  The note is signed, Athransma the Merciful.
  (Russet Mold: AC 8, 9 hp; each creature within 5 ft. of the 
  russet mold must make a successful DC 12 Con saving 
  throw or take 2d6 poison damage and become poisoned 
  [spores]; a poisoned creature repeats the saving throw 
  at the end of each of its turns, ending the poisoned 
  condition with a successful save but taking 2d6 poison 
  damage on a failure)
  Hanging above the chest is a moldering tapestry depicting an island. 
  The island on the tapestry reveals the true location of the wizard’s tomb 
  — it was left here by mistake. If the ancient writing on the tapestry is 
  deciphered (with a comprehend languages spell or a successful DC 22 
  Int (History) skill check), characters will realize that the tomb is on a 
  nearby island, not this one! The island shown on the tapestry is known 
  as the Island of the Ancients. If characters compare the tapestry map to 
  the zodiacal symbols found on the dolmen of the pierced stone along the 
  northern banks of the Isle of Eliphaz, they find that the hole in the center 
  of the disk there points directly to the island’s location. It lies just off the 
  shore of the Isle of Eliphaz, but beneath the waves. See Area D: Dolmen 
  of the Pierced Stone for further details on raising the Isle of The Ancients.
  Treasure: The bottle is marked “potion of stone-flesh, 1 dose,” but is in 
  reality a dose of extremely powerful acid. Anyone or anything onto which 
  this is poured takes 10d6 acid damage.
  The coffin is made of granite, and contains a skeleton holding a wooden 
  staff and adorned in fake jewelry. If an identify spell is cast upon the 
  skeleton’s robe, it reveals itself as being a robe of the archmagi, but it is 
  actually a poisonous cloak that does 4d6 poison damage to whoever puts 
  it on, or half damage with a successful DC 12 Con saving throw. The only 
  real piece of treasure is a gem of seeing, tucked into a pocket of the cloak. 
  D: Dolmen of the Pierced Stone
  This dolmen on the north shore of the island comprises several standing 
  stones carved with various arcane or zodiacal symbols, as well as symbols 
  easily recognized runes of both earth and water. A stone disk stands 
  balanced upon an altar of large stones. The center of the disk has a hole in 
  it approximately the size of a fist. A character that makes a successful DC 
  16 Int (History) skill check can read the following passage.
  “Into the eye of the disk do place that which makes secret 
  things revealed; thus does the light then find Isle of The Ancients 
  divined.”
  Placing a gem of seeing (one can be found in Area C5) into the hole 
  in the center of the disk causes a great beam of light to flare forth from 
  the disk. The disk itself swivels on its altar pointing a short distance into 
  the ocean. The water begins to boil as the beam strikes it, and the island 
  of Eliphaz rumbles and shakes beneath the player’s feet. After a few 
  moments a second island rises from the waves not far from the shore of 
  the first island. The second island is shrouded in a silvery mist as steam 
  billows from the seawater. The gem of seeing is completely consumed in 
  the process of raising the Isle of the Ancients.
  Isle of the Ancients
  This small island just off the coast of the Isle of Eliphaz is shrouded in 
  steaming mist generated from the Dolmen of the Pierced Stone. Walking 
  upon the island is treacherous as the entire island is concealed as by an 
  Enlarged fog cloud spell. Furthermore the footing is very slippery from a 
  rank-smelling muck of ankle deep silt, which has coated the island during 
  its years of submersion beneath the waves. The island counts as difficult 
  terrain, and movement across the island is reduced to one-fourth normal 
  speed. Any character moving at a higher speed or jumping must make a 
  successful DC 15 Dex (Acrobatics) check or fall prone into the mud and 
  seaweed. This does no real harm, but it’s embarrassing and the character 
  smells bad for the rest of the adventure.
  Entrance to the Maze of Ancients
  Two huge pillars carved with images weathered and covered in thick 
  barnacles dominate the entrance; whatever symbolism the carvers of these 
  pillars left behind has been lost to the ravages of the sea. Between the two 
  pillars sits a low shrinelike structure carved of the same materials as the 
  weathered pillars. A tight-fitting door sits in the center of the southern wall 
  of the shrine.
  When the characters clear away the muck and seaweed, they reveal a 
  finely crafted bronze door. Bright green with the patina of age and salt 
  water, the door is inscribed with a cipher that can be interpreted only if 
  comprehend languages is cast on them.
  “So have you found the entrance to my tomb! Know that 
  through the Maze of Ancients you must pass. Be warned: their 
  evil is greater than my own. Tread here and breathe your last, for 
  Athransma the Merciful am I. Turn back thieves or surely die!”
  The door to the Maze of Ancients is trapped with a black tentacles 
  spell that triggers the moment the door is touched. An arcane lock spell 
  also seals the door. Casting knock on the door may open it, however it still 
  triggers the trap, which may only be disarmed by a high level rogue or 
  some form of dispel magic.
  
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  Once the PCs open the door, they see a stone staircase descending 
  hundreds of feet deep into the heart of the island ending at Area 
  M1.
  M1: Portal of the Ancients
  At the end of the hallway is the Portal of the Ancients. The Portal 
  of the Ancients is 30 feet tall by 20 feet wide and engraved with ancient 
  celestial holy symbols that some unknown hand scarred and desecrated 
  long ago. The engravings once featured law and celestial power being 
  brought to bear against the elemental chaos of a primeval world, forging 
  it and shaping it into a semblance of order. Detect magic reveals a strong 
  antimagic field within the portal, possibly shielding against certain 
  transmutation spells.
  Writing on the portal is in an ancient tongue, decipherable with 
  comprehend languages or a successful DC 20 Int (History) check.
  “So did they who came instruct in all manner of goodness 
  and power over chaos, thus here did we build for them a 
  remembrance of what was left behind, eternally restful by 
  device. Thus through this door may those with wisdom glean 
  their sage advice. Bringers of chaos and hatred enter not into 
  their sacred womb for thus trapped forever find their doom. 
  Those who bring with them nature’s gift, welcome be and not 
  bereft for close you are to a power true, within Letek’re stones 
  lies the answer sought by you. Only one with true balance 
  may complete the task, setting the bound god upon the path of 
  natural order at last.”
  2. The Trapezoidal Conflagration
  This room is filled with 10 doors, three of which lead into the 
  maze, one that leads to the bottomless bowels of the mountain, and 
  the other six doors being false doors that are actually part of the wall. 
  Searching for which doors lead out into the maze and which doors 
  lead nowhere or do nothing at all should be an interesting challenge 
  for the players.
  A: Door of the Narrow Path
  There’s nothing behind this door but a spear trap that can be detected 
  with a successful DC 12 Int (Investigation) check and disabled with 
  a successful DC 18 Dex check. If triggered, it attacks the person who 
  opened the door with +12 to hit and does 2d8 piercing damage.
  B: False Door
  The door’s obvious lock can be unlocked with thief’s tools and a 
  successful DC 20 Dex check. There’s nothing behind the door but blank 
  stone wall. 
  C: Door of the Far Path
  This door is protected by a poisoned needle trap that can be detected 
  and simultaneously disabled with a successful DC 15 Int (Investigation) 
  check. If triggered, the person who opens the door takes 1d4 piercing 
  damage plus 4d8 poison damage, or half poison damage with a successful 
  DC 13 Con saving throw against poison. This door allows passage into 
  the maze.
  D: False Door
  The door’s obvious lock can be unlocked with thief’s tools and a 
  successful DC 18 Dex check. There’s nothing behind the door but blank 
  stone wall. 
  E: Door of the Dark Path
  This door’s lock can be unlocked with thief’s tools and a successful 
  DC 16 Dex check. Opening the door triggers a tilting floor trap that 
  can be detected and simultaneosly avoided with a successful DC 14 
  Int (Investigation) check. If triggered, the person who opens the door 
  is dropped through the floor into the trackless void below; see “Maze 
  Features” for further information on falling off the maze.
  F: Door of the Den
  An arcane lock protects this door; forcing it open requires a successful 
  DC 24 Str (Athletics) check, or DC 14 if the arcane lock is dispelled or 
  suppressed. Opening this door releases the displacer beasts from Area 6: 
  Den of the Displacer Beasts.
  3. The Maze of the Ancientst
  The stone pathway is 10 feet wide. It is all that exists between the 
  characters and oblivion. In the near darkness they can see other parts of 
  the path about 10 feet away in several different directions.
  The magical effect of the Ancients prevents magical flying and levitating 
  effects to merely cross directly through the maze, anyone attempting such 
  an action find that their spell has failed. The chasm below the pathway is 
  effectively bottomless. Of course fast thinking, ropes, bungee jumping off 
  the side and catching a falling comrade are interesting game possibilities.
  4: Pillar of the Ancients
  Here, seemingly suspended in the air within a pillar of pure light energy, 
  is a wizened and hairless figure sitting in the crouched lotus position. His 
  Maze of the Ancients
  This area below the Isle of Ancients is the lair of several intellect 
  devourers and the tomb of Athransma the Lich. The Maze of 
  Ancients is so named for the bodies of ancient outsiders, encased 
  in pillars of pure energy.
  Maze Features
  The maze itself comprises an area of 10-foot-wide pathways 
  that twist over a deep chasm that apparently falls away into 
  nothingness. A character who falls off the side of the maze can 
  catch the edge of the surface by making a successful DC 12 Dex 
  saving throw. Failing that, they fall into nothingness, and if they 
  fall beyond 100 feet without being rescued somehow, they are 
  effectively beyond rescuing unless their companions come up 
  with a very, very clever plan to get them back.
  An additional magic field, functioning regardless of the state 
  of the antimagic field — one in place due to the presence of the 
  Ancients — renders all magical levitation, flying, dimension 
  door, or teleport magic ineffective. Such magic works normally 
  on the pathway, but it fails if it’s used in an attempt to from one 
  section of the maze to the next. This field is only in effect on the 
  actual path itself, and does not impede magic in any of the various 
  chambers located within the maze unless otherwise noted. Should 
  all the Ancients be either destroyed or released, should Eliphaz be 
  released from his confinement, or should all three Letek’re stones 
  be brought together, this effect is eliminated. 
  Locked Stone Doors: Unless otherwise noted, all of the doors 
  in the maze of the Ancients are made of stone (AC 17, 20 hp) and 
  are locked (DC 20 Dex check to unlock, DC 25 Str (Athletics) 
  check to force open).
  
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  four fingertips are pressed together in a contemplative state, and beautiful 
  wings like mother of pearl are folded behind him. There is a strong aura 
  of good and justice emanating from the glowing image though it does not 
  move or even breathe. The ancient winged figure is dressed in a simple 
  robe and his oversized eyes are closed. At the base of the pillar of energy 
  the PCs note writing in an exotic script glowing along the side of a metallic 
  disk upon which the Ancient sits.
  The language upon the base of the pillar is Druidic, therefore it is 
  quite possible that it is unknown to many of the PCs and would require 
  a comprehend languages spell to decipher. Druids can read it. The words 
  on the pillar read:
  “Guardians here for eternity our sacrifice keeps primal beast 
  beneath, trapped here with us by our leave. So disks of stone in 
  Nature’s hand thus with a sense of balance stand. Force of will 
  upon a knotted brow rebukes the mountain god for once and all.”
  The two remaining pillars of the Ancients cannot be moved by any 
  force or entered without a complex ritual that involves dampening 
  the energy field that is generated around them using the pedestals in 
  Area 9.
  A druid channeling elemental energy through the Pillar of Ancients 
  using that pillar’s corresponding Letek’re stone generates the following 
  effect: The pillar fills the Ancient with energy as the pillar itself 
  dissipates, releasing the astral deva from his self-imposed slumber. 
  Dissolving the pillar of light has the secondary effect of breaking one 
  of the two remaining seals that bind Eliphaz beneath the main island’s 
  volcanic cone.
  Ancient (Astral Deva)
  The deva greets the PCs, addressing the druid of the group if one is 
  present.
  “Ten thousand of your years have we bound ourselves to this 
  place. In doing, we bound the one called Eliphaz to the island 
  of his name. Great was his power for destruction, and hatred 
  did he have for all manner of green life, and the life which 
  bleeds precious red blood, for his is a heart of burning fire, 
  and a mind of wrath. Sad am I that one of the three has been 
  lost to this place. For now, with only two who remain, sworn 
  to defend your world against the elemental. I fear we are not 
  strong enough to save precious mortal lives from his burning 
  vengeance. Unless…”
  The deva suggests that within the bound crater of Eliphaz the elemental 
  belt lies hidden. If the other Ancient is freed from the Pillar of the Ancient, 
  the deva acts as a diversion allowing the PCs time to slip within the mouth 
  of the volcano and grab the elemental belt, allowing them one chance to 
  send Eliphaz to rest forever. Should the PCs agree to this course of action, 
  the deva summons his mace to his hand and vanishes to stand watch over 
  the rim of the crater waiting for Eliphaz to rise.
  5. Pillar of the Ancient
  As with Area 4, this Ancient is also in a state of meditation within the 
  pillar of light that is so deep no mortal power, not even a wish spell can 
  remove them from it. An aura of Good and Law exudes from the pillar in 
  a 40-ft. radius that causes individuals of Chaotic and/or Evil alignments 
  to become uncomfortable. Athransma appears immune to this effect. The 
  light from the pillar is as bright as daylight in a 20-ft. radius from the 
  pillar itself.
  Ancient (Astral Deva)
  The Druidic writing around the base of this disk reads:
  “When angels again absorb their light, the slumbering one shall 
  rise. Turned from nature in his wrath did the fiery god despise 
  every living thing upon which he set his burning eyes: A word of 
  pause to nature’s servants who would bring down the pillars of 
  light, our strength was not enough before to win that brutal fight. 
  Is your faith in earth now great enough to set the balance right?’
  Note that a druid, and only a druid, using the correct Letek’re stone, can 
  dissolve the power of the pillar of light. If this deva is the first one freed, 
  use the description in Area 4. If this deva is the second one freed by the 
  players, the pillar of light dissipates as before, filling the Ancient with 
  light and recharging his powers. It looks to the PCs and says:
  “We must hurry to my ally’s aid. The beast rouses from 
  slumber, and the elemental belt must be gained. We shall hold it 
  away from you as long as we can.”
  It then summons its mace to its hand and teleports to the rim of 
  the volcano as a rumble shakes the Maze of Ancients. See the Final 
  Confrontation section for information on how to run the end of this 
  adventure.
  6: Den of the Displacer Beasts
  This chamber was once a place of divine meditation within the presence 
  of the Ancients. Held here in temporal stasis are 10 displacer beasts. 
  When door F in Area 2: The Trapezoidal Conflagration is opened, they 
  are released from their rest, allowing them to hunt freely within the maze. 
  If this door is opened first, these beasts are also released, confronting the 
  PCs with a pack of dangerous, snarling beasts. The displacer beasts don’t 
  necessarily stick together as they prowl through the maze. This chamber 
  once held the desecrated Letek’re stone, and was plundered by Tlip Lopodi 
  and his intellect devourers.
  (Displacer Beast: AC 13, 85 hp; +6 to hit x2, 1d6 + 4 
  bludgeoning damage plus 1d6 piercing damage 
  [tentacle]; if a saving throw normally reduces an attack to 
  half damage, the displacer beast takes no damage if the 
  saving throw succeeds and half damage if it fails; attack 
  rolls against a displacer beast are made with tactical 
  disadvantage unless it has been hit by an attack since its 
  last turn, it’s incapacitated, or its speed is 0)
  7: Shrine of the Ancients
  This sacred shrine of the Ancients can only be reached by somehow 
  crossing the 10-foot-wide abyss from the pathway to the Shrine. Players 
  are likely to invent any number of ingenious methods by which their 
  characters can cross the gap. Any character with a Strength of 10 or higher 
  can make this jump automatically, provided they get a 10-foot running 
  start. There are only two places where that’s possible and completely safe: 
  running south away from the doors to Area 11, and running west past the 
  door into Area 9. 
  If characters try to get a running start by running straight across 
  the 10-foot-wide pathway, they must make a successful DC 12 Dex 
  (Acrobatics) check or their foot slips on the last step and they fall off 
  the path; see “Maze Features” above for more information about that 
  experience. 
  
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  Characters who are clever might hit on the idea of running across 
  the pathway at an angle, to ensure they have enough running room for 
  the jump. This works automatically for characters with Strength 12 or 
  higher. A character with Strength 11 must make the Dex (Acrobatics) 
  check described above, and a character with Strength 10 or less falls short 
  because of the increased jump distance. 
  Other possibilities include walking or shimmying across a pole, only 
  Small characters are light enough to try this, and it requires a successful 
  DC 15 Dex (Acrobatics) check to walk or DC 8 to shimmy. Remember 
  that flying, levitation, and other magical means of defying gravity don’t 
  work within the Maze.
  The door to the shrine of the Ancients is trapped with a falling floor 
  stones trap that can be detected with a successful DC 17 Wis (Perception) 
  check and disabled with a successful DC 12 Dexterity check. If triggered, 
  the stones that form the floor of the enclosed chamber begin dropping into 
  the void, starting at the center of the chamber and quickly spiraling out to 
  the walls. This effect stops at the door into the chamber, so it’s unlikely 
  to send any PCs tumbling into the void, but it leaves Area 7 with no floor, 
  which will become a problem momentarily. If someone does fall, see 
  “Maze Features” above for more information about falling off the Maze. 
  The Shrine of the Ancients, as it was once known, lies behind a door 
  of solid stone. A character of Lawful Good alignment can push the door 
  open easily and step through the doorway without difficulty, but all other 
  characters find the door impossible to budge and must make a successful 
  DC 20 Wisdom saving throw to step through the doorway into the 
  chamber. Once inside, they can leave again without saving.
  The inside walls of the shrine are carved with scenes of a great battle 
  between angelic beings and a gargantuan elemental of stone and fire. The 
  carvings tell the tale of a titanic struggle. The three angelic beings are 
  depicted hurling the elemental into the midst of a small island, creating a 
  massive crater. There the angelic beings set to binding the creatures’ arms 
  and feet with chains forged from the elements of air and water.
  Floating in the center of the room within a shaft of light is a small disk 
  of purest milky jade, with a hole piercing its center. Very fine writing on 
  the disk in the Druidic tongue matches exactly the writing on the base of 
  the pillar of light in Area 5. The disk is a letek’re stone.
  Treasure: Letek’re (LA ‘Teck ‘Ray) stone. See the New Magic Item 
  Appendix for details.
  8: Corrupted Pillar of the Ancients
  This light pillar is of a less peaceful and more menacing hue than the 
  others, and there is no Ancient within the light that is present. The runes 
  that would be in the stone below have been desecrated.
  9: Laboratory of the Lich
  In the center of the maze is this wedge-shaped construction that appears 
  to be crafted completely from an otherworldly greenish metallic substance. 
  The circular doorway is completely crafted from metal and pulses as if 
  alive as you approach. Symbols similar to others found throughout the 
  Monastery and Mausoleum complex adorn the door in a swirling pattern. 
  The door is held with an arcane lock requiring a successful DC 28 Str 
  (Athletics) check to force open while the magic is active. Within the 
  metallic looking building is a single room that seemed to once have been a 
  place of meditation and enrichment for the Ancients that was stripped and 
  desecrated and is now the laboratory of Athransma. Bubbling cauldrons 
  and beakers line the walls of the chamber. Three curious pedestals, pulsing 
  with an unholy arcane light, stand near the back of the triangular room.
  Two of the three curiously carved pedestals are empty. The third 
  contains a small disk seemingly carved of jade about a hands-breadth 
  across which floats and gives off a malignant aura. This is one of the three 
  Letek’re stones, one that has been cursed and warped by the foul magic of 
  Athransma. In using this stone, Athransma was able to force movement 
  from the god of the island. This resulted in the destruction of the third 
  pillar of light and the death of the Ancient contained therein. With these 
  dark pedestals and the Letek’re stones, Athransma believes he can actually 
  rouse the god of the island from his slumber. If he succeeds, he plans to 
  use the great elemental as a weapon with which to conquer the world. 
  From there, his goals include placing himself in a position to challenge 
  the gods themselves and join the ranks of the deities. His problem thus 
  far has been the presence of the Ancients themselves, and the divine 
  warding over Area 7, which forbids him entrance into the chamber which 
  contains the last two stones. He has found the language of this Letek’re 
  stone undecipherable even with his magic, not knowing that it is in the lost 
  script of the druids. In his arrogance, Athransma never bothered to study 
  this simple language of the humble servants of nature.
  Treasure: Tainted Letek’re stone worth 2,000 gp due to its impurity, 6 
  vials of alchemist fire, 2 potions of gaseous form, 2 potions of invisibility, 
  2 vials of midnight tears poison
  10: Lair of the Intellect Devourers
  A curious-looking door made of solid stone of an unknown origin 
  stands at the end of this section of the Maze.
  Behind this locked stone portal is an odd shaped chamber that appears 
  to be only 20 feet deep and 30 feet wide at its widest segment, but is in 
  actuality twice that size due to dimensional warping of space. The room 
  is adorned with strange iconography of an almost alien design as well as 
  four high-backed chairs surrounding a swirling pool of brackish liquid.
  Tlip Lopodi and three of his intellect devourer kin are servants of 
  Athransma who have joined in the curious research of the Ancients. It is 
  seldom that their kind are allowed such close scrutiny of celestial powers. 
  The intellect devourers eagerly absorb any knowledge they can for use 
  against these powers of good.
  Lopodi is a rare creature, in that he has learned a certain amount of 
  spellcasting on his own (not just from devouring brains). His three 
  companions are standard intellect devourers. 
  (Tlip Lopodi [Intellect Devourer]: AC 12, 30 hp; an intellect 
  devourer attacks with claws and devour intellect, or with 
  body thief, on its turn; +4 to hit, 2d4 + 2 slashing damage 
  [claws]; range 10 ft., target must make a successful DC 
  12 Int saving throw or take 2d10 psychic damage and if 
  a 3d6 roll equals or exceeds the target’s Intelligence, its 
  Int score drops to 0 and it is stunned until it regains at least 
  1 point of Int [devour intellect]; if the intellect devourer 
  wins an Int contest against an incapacitated humanoid 
  within 5 ft., it consumes the humanoid’s brain, teleports 
  into the now-empty skull, and assumes control of the 
  body; it knows everything the victim knew, including 
  spells; spell attack +3, save DC 11; [at will] acid splash, 
  dancing lights, mage hand; [1st level, x3] grease, magic 
  missile, thunderwave; [2nd level, x2] darkness, ray of 
  enfeeblement)
  (Intellect Devourer: AC 12, 21 hp; an intellect devourer 
  attacks with claws and devour intellect, or with body thief, 
  on its turn; +4 to hit, 2d4 + 2 slashing damage [claws]; 
  range 10 ft., target must make a successful DC 12 Int 
  saving throw or take 2d10 psychic damage and if a 3d6 
  roll equals or exceeds the target’s Intelligence, its Int score 
  drops to 0 and it is stunned until it regains at least 1 point 
  of Int [devour intellect]; if the intellect devourer wins an Int 
  contest against an incapacitated humanoid within 5 ft., 
  it consumes the humanoid’s brain, teleports into the now-
  empty skull, and assumes control of the body; it knows 
  everything the victim knew, including spells)
  Tactics: The intellect devourers are aware of the PCs’ presence the 
  whole time they’re in the Maze, thanks to their ability to detect sentient 
  creatures within 300 feet. They are ready to surprise the characters the 
  moment someone opens the door into their chamber. 
  Treasure: Amongst the silks and lacquered boxes of the intellect 
  
  98
  Quests of Doom: vampires & liches
  devourers’ chamber are a potion of superior healing and a potion of speed. 
  The six lacquered boxes are worth 200 gp each. Hanging silks of exquisite 
  craftsmanship are also valued at 200 gp each.
  11: Tomb of Athransma
  The PCs can only open these adamantine doors with the key that is 
  found in the magical box from Area C3. Casting detect magic upon the 
  door reveals these words scribed with arcane mark.
  “Fools you are to have come this far. Know that you have 
  been warned, Athransma’s mercy goes only so far. Enter and be 
  destroyed, says the cat to the mouse when he has tired of his toys.”
  Beyond the huge adamantine doors lies a chamber of opulence and 
  rot. The dust of centuries clings to what must have once been finely 
  crafted hangings of crushed velvet. The floor is inlaid with a summoner’s 
  pentagram exquisitely set with silver and platinum. Paintings with images 
  long since worn away lie in piles with urns of gems and precious coins 
  from antiquity, all finely covered in a film of dust. A large stone dais stands 
  in the center of the chamber dominating the room, its stone slab swirling 
  with arcane markings over every inch. There standing in his glorious rot 
  with a bejeweled crown upon his skull is the face of evil personified: the 
  lich Athransma. A black fire glows from the empty sockets of his eyes as 
  he grasps his staff tightly in his right hand and an opened book in his left. 
  Athransma’s grating voice is filled with a millennium of dust from the 
  grave as he hisses his incantations, interwoven with taunts against the PCs 
  for disturbing his tomb.
  “Now grave robbers, there is this question. Do I slay you now 
  and be forever done with you and your meddling, or do I respect 
  such power for having survived thus far, and send you on a task 
  for me, sparing your lives in return? Merciful it is said I be, so a 
  merciful fate I offer. In your quest to plunder my tomb, I offer a 
  chance for you now to choose your own doom!”
  If the PCs answer that they wish to be spared, Athransma directs them 
  to Area 7, hoping that the PCs find a way where powerful liches and 
  intellect devourers have failed, or are destroyed in the effort — which 
  would suit Athransma just fine.
  (Athransma [Lich]: AC 17, 135 hp; +12 to hit, 3d6 cold 
  damage and the target must make a successful DC 18 
  Con saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute or until 
  they make a successful save at the end of their turn 
  [paralyzing touch]; spell attack +12, save DC 20; prepares 
  the following spells: [at will] mage hand, prestidigitation, 
  ray of frost; [1st level, x4] detect magic, magic missile, 
  shield, thunderwave; [2nd level, x3] detect thoughts, 
  invisibility, Melf’s acid arrow, mirror image; [3rd level, x3] 
  animate dead, counterspell, dispel magic, fireball; [4th 
  level, x3] blight, dimension door; [5th level, x3] cloudkill, 
  scrying; [6th level, x1] disintegrate, globe of invulnerability; 
  [7th level, x1] finger of death, plane shift; [8th level, x1] 
  dominate monster, power word stun; [9th level, x1] power 
  word kill; 3/day can succeed on a saving throw it just 
  failed; has tactical advantage against being turned; 
  can use 3 legendary actions/round [cast cantrip, use 
  paralyzing touch (2 actions), use frightening gaze (2 
  actions), disrupt life (3 actions)]; 1 creature within 10 ft. of 
  the lich must make a successful DC 18 Wis saving throw 
  or become frightened for 1 minute or until they make a 
  successful save at the end of their turn [frightening gaze]; 
  every creature within 20 ft. of the lich takes 6d6 necrotic 
  damage, or half damage with a successful DC 18 Con 
  saving throw [disrupt life])
  In addition to his standard lich abilities, Athransma also has a staff of 
  power and the master’s amulet for the shield guardian in Area C3. The 
  amulet won’t do him much good in this fight because the shield guardian 
  is too far away to be of help, but it could be valuable to the PCs. Athransma 
  seldom uses the staff of power in combat; he prefers to rely on his spells. 
  He can use it if the right opportunity presents itself. If it appears that he is 
  doomed to lose this battle against the PCs, however, his final act will be 
  to break the staff and trigger its retributive strike power. (This is why he 
  seldom uses the staff’s spells; Athransma is so spiteful that he wants his 
  final act, if it comes to that, to be as devastating as possible.)
  Athransma has found through his research and the otherworldly 
  knowledge possessed of his ally Tlip Lopodi that it was the Ancients who 
  bound the mighty Eliphaz within the volcano. It is these same Ancients whose 
  inanimate forms keep Eliphaz deep in his slumber through some unknown 
  combination of arcane and divine power. The great mage Athransma made it 
  his goal during his lifetime to uncover the secrets of the Ancients, knowing 
  that to possess the power to bind a primeval god unmoving for ten thousand 
  years is true power. When age began to wear upon Athransma prepared 
  the proper phylacteries and performed the powerful rituals, transforming 
  into a mighty lich. Now, with an unlimited lifespan to work with he could 
  continue his research of the Ancients and attempt to rouse Eliphaz from his 
  slumber. Failing this Athransma seeks to twist to his will the Ancients, a pair 
  of astral devas locked for an eternity within the pillars of light.
  Treasure: 3,400 pp, 2,500 gp in gems, three golden ewers (200 gp 
  each). Several of Athransma’s old spell books are on a shelf along the 
  back wall containing, all of Athransma’s 1st- through 5th-level spells, a 
  Letek’re stone bearing the same script as the base of the pillar in Area 
  4, a tiny replica of a locked chest (linked to Athransma’s secret chest), 
  and a scroll detailing the ritual for raising Eliphaz, which mentions the 
  elemental belt.
  
  99
  The isle of eliphaz
  His higher-level spellbooks are hidden in a secret chest that’s linked to 
  the tiny replica chest from the bookshelf. Destroying the replica ends the 
  secret chest spell and recalls the hidden chest to this location. The secret 
  chest is protected with a glyph of warding that triggers a cloudkill spell 
  when anyone by Athransma opens the chest. 
  Final Confrontations
  The following section details the possible ramifications of freeing 
  Eliphaz from his slumber, or of dirty dealings with Athransma.
  If PCs slay Athransma and free Eliphaz
  In this scenario, the PCs, having defeated Athransma, use the Letek’re 
  stones and rituals described in Athransma’s personal effects to raise Eliphaz 
  from his prison in the dead volcanic cone. Eliphaz goes into a rage, attacking 
  the characters with every power and weapon at his disposal. It should be noted 
  that using the Letek’re stones in this manner destroys the Ancients forever.
  Ten rounds after PCs exit the Maze of Ancients, the top of the volcano 
  collapses. A huge being made of stone rippling with waves of heat rises 
  from the center of the volcanic crater where the tower stood. Over 25 
  feet tall and armed with a greatsword glowing red-hot in his massive 
  fists, Eliphaz roars with rage and exultation at being freed after all 
  these thousands of years. Eliphaz waves his hand and summons a fire 
  elemental, an earth elemental, and an efreeti to guard his resting place. 
  With a rumble that seems as if it could rip the world asunder, the mighty 
  god Eliphaz steps from the crater, his lavalike, glowing eyes seeking the 
  devas. He speaks, his voice a roar like a lava flow:
  “Arisen from my prison in the earth, Eliphaz shall slake his 
  thirst, destruction to things green with sap and red with blood, for 
  they do not respect the living stone, and seek to shape it as their 
  own. Eliphaz shall teach them to rue their insolence!”
  Eliphaz moves quickly to do battle with the devas, ignoring the PCs 
  unless he is attacked and takes damage from one of them, at which time 
  he unleashes his fury upon the pathetic mortal offenders.
  Within the crater where the tower once stood is an island surrounded 
  by a 20-foot-wide ring of lava. Three great warding stones lie broken at 
  the bottom where the elemental’s hands and feet were bound. Upon an 
  outcropping of rock is a wide belt fashioned of rare stone. Eliphaz uses 
  his summoning abilities to summon guardians for the elemental belt. All 
  three fight as a team and must be overcome before the elemental belt can 
  be won. See the New Magic Item Appendix for details.
  Written upon the stone where the elemental belt sits are the following 
  words written in the Druidic tongue:
  “Servant of Nature Blessed Be through earthly magic set we 
  free, in turn to do the celestial task. Let the elemental belt set thee 
  on the path for from the earth’s great fire he comes at last with 
  Primal Fury and Volcanic Blast, perform the task lest ye sojourn 
  and bind forever the Elemental in his otherworldly home. Speak 
  the words written here:
  Eliphaz return to that place of fire from whence you came! Your 
  ties to this world are torn asunder! Let the earth open up and 
  swallow you under!
  Say three times with a commanding voice; he must obey and 
  has no choice.”
  Only a druid can use the elemental belt to command Eliphaz to return to 
  his home plane, never to bother this world again. The druid must make a 
  successful DC 20 Wisdom check and spend one round chanting the above 
  incantation. Eliphaz, of course, attempts to disrupt the druid from the task, 
  if he can. At this point, if the astral devas are still alive, they do their best 
  to distract him as he turns to rush against the one calling the words to send 
  him home.
  Once the druid has managed to shout the incantation three times, the 
  earth beneath Eliphaz opens in a fiery abyss. The great elemental god 
  screams in rage and is swallowed whole in a great flash of light.
  If PCs also free the Ancients
  After the second Ancient is freed from his pillar of light, the Maze 
  of Ancients begins to rock and sway with the shocks of an earthquake. 
  Every time a character starts its turn on a pathway in the quaking Maze 
  of Ancients, he or she must make a successful Dex saving throw. The DC 
  is 11 for the first saving throw, 12 for the second, 13 for the third, and so 
  on. If the saving throw fails, the character tumbles off the pathway into 
  the bottomless void, but gets one last chance to grab the edge of the path 
  by repeating the same saving throw, only this time, it’s made with tactical 
  disadvantage. 
  Upon escaping from the maze, characters are greeted by the sight of 
  a great rumbling from the volcano on the Isle of Eliphaz. The Ancients 
  appear within a moment before the PCs, warning them that the slumbering 
  one is awakening. The Ancients reiterate their plan if the PCs are still 
  reluctant to stop Athransma and Eliphaz. They intend to do their best to 
  draw off Eliphaz, but the PCs must enter the elemental’s bed of stone as 
  soon as he rises and seize the elemental belt. With the elemental belt, a 
  druid might find it possible to command the elemental to rejoin the earth 
  forever.
  The devas offer to fly the characters over to the island of Eliphaz and 
  set them down near the volcano’s edge, but can only move two players at 
  a time. In the coming battle, they help however they can, unafraid of death 
  but very concerned about the consequences of defeat.
  If PCs return the 
  Letek’re stones to Athransma
  Should the PCs return to Athransma with the Letek’re stone from Area 
  7: The Shrine of the Ancients, Athransma cackles with glee:
  “At last I have them! Now the pillars of the Ancients fall and 
  Eliphaz shall rise again and the world will see Athransma’s true 
  mercy! Thank you, fools. Take whatever you desire, for the 
  treasure I now possess is greater than any shipload of shining 
  gold or mountain of twinkling gems.”
  Athransma quickly attempts to depart the chamber via dimension door, 
  heading to Area 9. As a parting shot he unleashes a disintegrate spell 
  on the toughest looking player character. Once within his laboratory, he 
  begins the ritual to bring down the pillars of light, destroy the Ancients, 
  and take control of Eliphaz as his personal slave. The ritual takes 10 
  rounds to complete, and he cannot be interrupted in this time or the ritual 
  fails. If the ritual fails, the Ancients are destroyed and Eliphaz is freed, 
  but Athransma has no control over him. Eliphaz then seeks to destroy 
  everything, but especially Athransma. At the end of the 10 rounds, the roof 
  of Area 9 disappears. The entire room experiences a plane shift; it is now 
  hovering over the volcano as Eliphaz rises from his slumber, completely 
  under the command of Athransma.
  When all three Letek’re stones are placed on their special altars within 
  the laboratory of Athransma, the entire laboratory gains a flying speed of 
  30 feet, and it flies according to Athransma’s mental commands. Only 
  Athransma knows the command words to make the laboratory fly.
  All is not lost
  Should this unfortunate series of events take place, remember that the 
  characters might still have the box from Area C3. Simply getting back 
  
  100
  Quests of Doom: vampires & liches
  to the larger island and turning the key causes the floating laboratory to 
  crash to the ground, leaving Athransma with only his undead powers to 
  protect him. Of course, there is still Eliphaz to deal with, but without the 
  magic of the Letek’re stones to control him, he quickly turns all his fury 
  against Athransma. If the characters help Eliphaz destroy the lich, he 
  thanks them for his freedom and offers them the elemental belt as a token 
  of his respect. Soon after, he departs the Material World for his true home 
  on a demiplane of fire and earth, and he never returns (unless the GM has 
  a particularly juicy idea for him ...)
  New Magic Item
  Elemental Belt
  Wondrous Item, unique (requires attunement)
  The elemental belt consists of four very thin plates of jade, malachite, 
  bloodstone, and obsidian attached to a wide belt made from various 
  animal pelts. These fine stone plates are ornately carved with symbols of 
  the four elements of fire, earth, water, and wind.
  The elemental belt grants a druid the following benefits:
  • A +4 increase to Strength, a +4 increase to Wisdom, and a +3 bonus 
  to AC while the belt is worn. These benefits do not stack with other items 
  that grant similar bonuses, with the exception of AC.
  • The druid gains resistance to fire damage.
  • The druid can cast stoneskin once per week without using a spell slot 
  and with a duration of 1 hour (no concentration requirement).
  • The elemental belt allows the druid to command any elemental 
  of up to Huge size once per day. The targeted elemental comes under 
  the complete control of the druid for up to 24 hours unless it makes a 
  successful Wis saving throw. This power includes elementals summoned 
  by others, which the druid can turn against their master.
  • If the druid is wearing the elemental belt when he or she uses wild 
  shape, the druid can cast up to 2nd-level spells while in animal form.
  Letek’re Stone
  Wondrous Item, very rare (requires attunement)
  Letek’re stones are made from a single piece of a solid jadelike stone 
  that is impossible to break. They were carved in ancient times by the 
  first Great Druid, and the carvings tell the story of the traditional druidic 
  creation epic. Their value as works of art is well over 5,000 gp each. The 
  magic in the Letek’re stones is subsumed as soon as either the Ancients are 
  freed or Eliphaz is deposed. The stones serve no other magical purpose, 
  but they can be used as focus objects by druids.
  New Monster: Eliphaz
  This massive elemental appears as a nearly perfect humanoid specimen 
  made completely of semi molten stone. Waves of heat pour off of its rocky 
  skin. As it moves cracks appear revealing spider-webs of glowing lava 
  across its surface. It wields within its great fists of stone a greatsword of 
  red glowing iron that its swings with deadly ferocity.
  Eliphaz
  XP 18,000 (CR 17)
  CN Huge elemental
  Initiative +2
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 19 (natural armor)
  hp: 237 (19d12 + 114)
  Saving Throws: Str +14, Con +12, Wis +9, Cha +13
  Resistance: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage 
  from nonmagical weapons; acid and lightning damage
  Immunity: Fire and poison damage; paralysis, petrification, 
  poison, stun, unconsciousness
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 40 ft., burrow 40 ft.
  Multiattack: Eliphaz attacks twice with its magma 
  greatsword or once with a magmaball.
  Melee Attack—Magma Greatsword: +14 to hit (reach 10 ft.; 
  one creature). Hit: 2d12 + 8 slashing damage plus 3d8 fire 
  damage. The magma greatsword’s attacks are treated as 
  magical.
  Area Attack—Magmaball (recharge 5, 6): automatic hit 
  (range 120 ft.; all creatures within 15-ft. radius of impact). 
  Hit: all creatures within 15 feet of the magmaball’s point 
  of impact take 6d10 fire damage, or half damage with a 
  successful DC 20 Dex saving throw. 
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 27 (+8), Dex 14 (+2), Con 23 (+6),
  Int 20 (+5), Wis 16 (+3), Cha 25 (+7)
  Languages: Common, Ignan, telepathy 120 ft.
  Senses: Tremorsense 120 ft., truesight 120 ft.
   
  TRAITS
  Final Eruption: When Eliphaz is reduced to 0 hit points, it 
  explodes. Every creature within 30 feet of Eliphaz takes 
  12d10 fire damage, or half damage with a successful DC 
  20 Dex saving throw. Unattended, flammable objects in 
  the area are set ablaze.
  Magic Resistance: Eliphaz has tactical advantage on saving 
  throws against magic.
  Summon Elementals: 1/day, Eliphaz can summon 1d3 fire 
  elementals, earth elementals, efreet, or salamanders.
  Volcanic Heat: At the start of Eliphaz’s turn, every creature 
  within 10 feet of the elemental takes 2d10 fire damage. 
  A creature that strikes Eliphaz with a melee attack from a 
  distance of 10 feet or less takes 2d10 fire damage, or half 
  damage with a successful DC 20 Dex saving throw.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Any land, but especially volcanoes
  Organization: Solitary
  Eliphaz is a wild elemental spirit. In the days when the world was young, 
  it felt great anger that things of flesh and blood, sap and leaf were given 
  higher standing in the mortal realm than things of fire and stone. Quietly 
  its rage built until at last it began taking its vengeance out upon all living 
  things. After a great battle in which many demons and celestial beings 
  were destroyed trying to vanquish its indomitable force of elemental will, 
  three deva finally bound Eliphaz within a volcano. There they too were 
  forced to bind themselves to the mortal world in the event Eliphaz should 
  ever escape and again make war upon living things.
  Eliphaz typically uses its summoning ability, followed by throwing a 
  magmaball into the largest gathering of enemies, even if they are at his 
  feet, since it can ignore the exploding magma. Then it simply wades in 
  and smashes or burns every living thing it can find. 
  
  101
  Legal Appendix
  This printing of Quests of Doom, Volume 2 is done under version 1.0a of the of the 
  Open Game License, below, and by license from Mythmere Games and Necroman-
  cer Games. 
  Notice of Open Game Content: This product contains Open Game Content, as 
  defined in version 1.0a of the Open Game License, below (the “Open Game Li-
  cense”). Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of the Open 
  Game License.
  Designation of Open Game Content: Other than as set forth in the declaration of 
  Product Identity, below, all text contained within this product (including monster 
  names, stats, and descriptions) is hereby designated as Open Game Content, with 
  the following exceptions:
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  Preface pages is not Open Game Content; 
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  not Open Game Content;
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  Content. See the “Note on the ‘Credit’ Section,” below;
  Use of Content from Tome of Horrors Series: This product contains or references 
  content from the Tome of Horrors Revised, Tome of Horrors II and Tome of Horrors 
  III by Necromancer Games, Inc. Such content is used by permission. Further, some 
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  Any and all material or content that could be claimed as Product Identity pursuant to 
  section 1(e), below, is hereby claimed as product identity, including but not limited 
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  1. The name “Necromancer Games” and “Frog God Games” as well as all logos 
  and identifying marks of Necromancer Games, Inc. and Frog God Games, including 
  but not limited to the Orcus logo and the phrase “Fifth Edition Rules, First Edition 
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  2. The product name Quests of Doom Volume 2, Fifth Edition Foes, Tome of Hor-
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  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
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  System Reference Document. Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors 
  Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax 
  and Dave Arneson.
  Tome of Horrors, Copyright 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc. 
  Tome of Horrors, Copyright 2005, Necromancer Games, Inc.;
  Swords & Wizardry Core Rules, Copyright 2008, Matthew J. Finch 
  Swords & Wizardry Complete Rules, Copyright 2010, Matthew J. Finch
  Monster Compendium: 0e, Copyright 2008, Matthew J. Finch
  Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, © 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason 
  Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Au-
  thors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, 
  Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal 
  MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, 
  Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ 
  Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, 
  and Skip Williams.
  Monstrosities, © 2012, Frog God Games LLC; Authors Andrew Trent  
  (“the Venomous Pao”), Trent Foster, Salvatore Macri (“Skathros”), Scott Wylie 
  Roberts (“Myrystyr”), Sean Stone (“Stonegiant”), Sean Wills (“Geordie Rac-
  er”), Cameron DuBeers, Matt Hoover (“Random”), Mike Davison, Russell Cone 
  (“Grim”), Mudguard, Old Crawler, Michael Shorten (“Chgowiz”), Mark Ahmed, 
  Scott Casper (“Scottenkainen”), The Lizard of Oz, James Malizsewski,  
  Michael Kotschi, J.D. Jarvis, John Turcotte, Guy Fullerton, Michael Coté,  
  Thomas Clark, Tanner Adams, and Matt Finch (“Mythmere”). 
  Cyclopean Deeps: Volume 1 — Copyright 2014 Matthew J. Finch, Frog God 
  Games LLC 
  Fifth Edition Foes, Copyright 2014, Frog God Games, LLC.
  Quests of Doom, Volume 2, Copyright 2014, Frog God Games, LLC. Authors; 
  Casey W. Christopherson, Michael Curtis, Matt Finch, Clark Peterson, James M. 
  Ward, Bill Webb 
  
  Notes
  102
  $11.99
  ISBN 978-1-62283-224-8
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Necromancer Games/5E - Necromancer Games - Quests of Doom 1 Volume 2.pdf