TEXT: Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module
  TONGUES OF THE SCREAMING TOAD
  Written by “Weird Dave” Coulson
  An Adventure for Character Levels 4-6
  TG2
   
  MeMories of the toad God #2
  
  TONGUES OF THE SCREAMING TOAD
  Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module TG2
  For use with Castles & Crusades
  An Adventure for Character Levels 4-6 
   
  Written by “Weird Dave” Coulson
  MeMories of the toad God #2
  The frontier outpost of Kraden’s Hill has been having 
  problems lately with people going insane. Signs point to long 
  dead religious rites honoring a horrendous god of the jungle, 
  but who or what is behind the madness? Can a brave band 
  of adventurers face the utter horror of the … TONGUES OF THE 
  SCREAMING TOAD?
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  Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module TG2
  TONGUES OF THE SCREAMING TOAD
  MEMORIES OF THE TOAD GOD #2
  For use with Castles & Crusades
  Writer: “Weird Dave” Coulson 
  Cover Art: Matt Morrow
  Interior Art: Johnathan L Bingham
  Cartography: Glynn Seal 
  Layout: “Weird Dave” Coulson
  The Cut to the Chase logo is a trademark of Cut to the Chase Games LLC.
  Cut to the Chase Games LLC is not affiliated with Troll Lord GamesTM or Chenault 
  & Gray LLC.
  
  2
  Buried secrets have a way of finding a path back to 
  the surface to reveal themselves to the world again. 
  Sometimes it may take a long time, and during that 
  time it’s likely that the world has forgotten about the 
  secret. But if the secret is the loathsome Ibholtheg the 
  Squamous Toad, an outer power of ancient evil, it 
  certainly hasn’t forgotten about the world.
  TG2 Tongues of the Screaming Toad is the second 
  scenario in the MEMORIES OF THE TOAD GOD Fantasy 
  Renaissance Adventure Module trilogy. It is designed 
  for a party of four to six characters levels 4 to 6. The GM 
  should read the module thoroughly before playing to 
  become familiar with the overall plot of the adventure. 
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: The Frontier
  The Memories of the Toad God series takes place in a 
  frontier town on the borders of an inhospitable and 
  dangerous jungle. Details of this blot of civilization 
  known as Kraden’s Hill are given, but not much is 
  determined as to whom the master’s answers to. Find 
  a place in your campaign for Kraden’s Hill to help root 
  the characters in your setting. You won’t regret it.
  Adventure Background
  Ibholtheg, a loathsome but powerful creature, cast its 
  shadow upon the world thousands of years ago. In 
  its time it was one of many outer powers that lived 
  and ruled, coming from other realms to conquer and 
  dwell on the Prime Plane. Known as the Squamous 
  Toad, Ibholtheg’s influence spread across the vast 
  territories of the south, encompassing most of the 
  ancient human society of Xilonoc.
  Eventually, the people of Xilonoc fell to worshipping 
  the foul creature, offering blood sacrifices in its name. 
  Ibholtheg fed on the power of those sacrifices and 
  offered boons to the high priests of Xilonoc. These 
  boons included long life and magical secrets unknown 
  to the world at large, and using these gifts the priests 
  ruled Xilonoc.
  Eventually, the society collapsed when Ibholtheg 
  was banished by a band of jaguar knights. With 
  the departure of the Squamous Toad’s loathsome 
  influence, cities fell to ruin and were claimed by the 
  fierceness of the jungle. Many secrets were lost.
  Over the centuries there have been many attempts to 
  reclaim the lost treasures of ancient Xilonoc. Treasure 
  hunters, fortune seekers, and more have plumbed 
  the depths of the jungle in search of Xilonoc’s lost 
  secrets. But in a desert kingdom, one man has turned 
  to more arcane sources to uncover the treasures of 
  Ibholtheg’s influence.
  Natan il-Hasa Basswa was born into a rich merchant 
  family in the desert kingdom. Given every possible 
  advantage in life, Natan still craved more, and 
  so he pursued arcane studies against his parents’ 
  wishes. The young desert nobleman was drawn to 
  forbidden, dark magic, and learned that mastery 
  over such power came easily to him. Natan studied 
  in secret, but when he was discovered by his parents 
  he accidentally killed them with the dark magic at his 
  disposal. Already a young man, Natan easily masked 
  the deaths as an accidental tragedy and took over 
  the family’s business.
  He sought more and more dark power, and to that end 
  he founded a merchant company called Noviortum 
  House. Natan quickly gained a reputation as a dealer 
  in magical curiosities and historic artifacts, but secretly 
  he traded in the blackest of black markets. He learned 
  of Xilonoc and Ibholtheg and hungrily sought every 
  scrap of information he could uncover about the 
  Squamous Toad and the boons it could bestow upon 
  worthy worshippers.
  The research proved slow, but over the years Natan 
  never gave up. He played the long game, never 
  wanting to tip his hand to his real goals in purchasing 
  books, scrolls, and trinkets. When a rival and more 
  prominent merchant company, Grimden House, 
  announced the opening of Kraden’s Hill on the 
  edge of the Great Jungle itself, it was too good an 
  opportunity to pass up. Natan committed Noviortum 
  House resources and moved his own abode to the 
  frontier town in order to move first hand on any 
  information regarding Ibholtheg or Xilonoc that would 
  be uncovered.
  In Kraden’s Hill, Natan used his magic to penetrate the 
  mysteries of the Great Jungle in search of Ibholtheg’s 
  lost power. He stumbled upon a band of degenerate 
  natives, ancient descendants of Xilonoc, who kept 
  up the worship of the Squamous Toad. Natan learned 
  more rites of sacrifice from these natives, who painted 
  themselves in specially treated green pigment 
  that provided a measure of the Squamous Toad’s 
  protection.
  Natan began to split his time between his duties in 
  Kraden’s Hill running Noviortum House and his new 
  realm in the Great Jungle, which the natives referred 
  to as the Swamp of the Screaming Toad. In the 
  swamp, the merchant wizard has been researching 
  a powerful rite called the Ritual of Rising that can be 
  used to crush enemies and move the land. Natan has 
  plans to use the summoned monster to help cleanse 
  Xilonoc ruins, but he is growing paranoid, In Kraden’s 
  Hill, the more travelers and merchant arrive the harder 
  it is for Natan to keep up his secret research.
  He puts into motion a plot to use the shells of cipactli, 
  TONGUES OF THE SCREAMING TOAD
  
  3
  ancient jungle monsters descended from Ibholtheg’s 
  influence, to weaken Grimden House’s influence and 
  drive people away from the frontier town. The town’s 
  sheriff, a northern woman named Karolina Lomen, has 
  had her hands full dealing with the influx of strangers, 
  so Natan is not worried about investigations into the 
  strange events.
  Those that came into contact with the shells of the 
  cipactli eggs develop a madness as their tongue 
  blackens and elongates to a monstrous length. 
  Already several people in Kraden’s Hill have fallen 
  victim to this malady, which Grimden House is trying to 
  keep under wraps. Unfortunately for Natan, a band of 
  adventurers happen to stumble into the mystery while 
  slaking their appetites at the Thirsty Serpent Inn.
  Module Synopsis
  The adventure begins with the characters in the frontier 
  town of Kraden’s Hill, which sits on the very edges 
  of the dangerous and inhospitable Great Jungle. 
  Perhaps they’ve come seeking fame and fortune in 
  the borderlands, helping to fight off incursions from 
  wild elves, shadow orcs, and cannibal natives, or 
  perhaps they are in the employ of one of the three 
  major merchant companies. The Thirsty Serpent is the 
  only inn in town, so the characters start there.
  The troubles begin when a man bursts into the Thirsty 
  Serpent, grasping at his throat. He mutters and 
  mumbles nonsense and the characters notice the 
  man’s tongue is black as coal. After a few moments 
  the man flies into a homicidal rage, intent on inflicting 
  as much harm as possible to everyone, forcing the 
  characters to intervene. The sheriff of Kraden’s Hill, an 
  experienced northern warrior named Karolina Lomen, 
  gets involved and tells the characters that things like 
  this have been happening lately.
  Karolina and her small team are pushed to their limits 
  trying to keep the peace in Kraden’s Hill. She offers 
  to deputize the characters to bolster her ranks and 
  to assist in tracking down whatever is happening with 
  the madness that turns people’s tongues black. The 
  man who staggered in, Lambert Glover, is their best 
  lead, and following his trail takes the characters to the 
  warehouses of Grimden House and then to another 
  outbreak of madness.
  Theodric Grimden, de-facto town master and highest 
  ranking representative of Grimden House’s merchant 
  interests, claims to know nothing about the outbreak. 
  Investigation into shipping and receiving records shows 
  that there are extra crates in Theodric’s warehouse 
  that should not be there. The crates contain egg sacks 
  of cipactli, monstrous toad-bat-crocodile creatures 
  who worship Ibholtheg.
  The trail of how the crates appeared in Grimden 
  House’s warehouse takes the characters into the 
  surrounding settlements of Kraden’s Hill. There they 
  learn that one of the settlements has been stripped 
  of any inhabitants and is now occupied by native 
  cannibal cultists of the Squamous Toad – working in 
  league with Noviortum House, a mystical merchant 
  company with a strong presence in Kraden’s Hill. 
  An assault on Noviortum House’s warehouse turns 
  up more cannibal cultists, but their leader Natan is 
  nowhere to be found. Below the warehouse sits a 
  sealed vault guarded by magical creatures, inside of 
  which the characters find Natan’s journal. The journal 
  points the characters to a site in the Great Jungle 
  called the Swamp of the Screaming Toad.
  The characters must head out into the jungle and find 
  the swamp in order to clear it of Ibholtheg’s cultists 
  and Noviortum House saboteurs. Once located 
  they face Natan, a powerful sorcerer, and a host of 
  cipactli, along with monstrous swamp creatures who 
  do the bidding of its master.
  Future Modules
  The MEMORIES OF THE TOAD GOD adventure trilogy 
  focuses on Ibholtheg, a loathsome outer power from 
  an ancient epoch, who has decided now is the 
  time to rise again. The trigger was the destruction of 
  its Vestige in a golden temple (TG1 Lost Temple of 
  Ibholtheg) which freed much of its essence. Now, 
  in this adventure, its influence has spread to create 
  a cult of the native cannibals and ensnare one of 
  the powerful merchant companies in Kraden’s Hill, 
  Noviortum House.
  The third adventure in the trilogy, TG3 Shadow Out 
  of Sapphire Lake, pits the characters against the 
  machinations of Ibholtheg directly. A terrible entity 
  rises out of Sapphire Lake and the characters must 
  move quickly to defeat it. Tracking it back to its source 
  reveals an underwater cavern system beneath 
  Sapphire Lake. At its heart is a portal to the Pit of Black 
  Gulfs, the prison where Ibholtheg currently resides, 
  and to re-seal it the characters must venture into it, 
  risking life and sanity to keep the Squamous Toad from 
  rising fully into the world.
  Involving the Characters
  The adventure starts with the characters in Kraden’s 
  Hill staying at the Thirsty Serpent. If they played through 
  TG1 Lost Temple of Ibholtheg they are likely recovering 
  from their ordeal in the jungle, but if they did not they 
  could have arrived in the frontier town with the promise 
  of gainful employment and adventure. Trouble soon 
  finds them, regardless of why they came to seek it!
  
  4
  Adapting the Module
  This module tries to use as many generic location 
  names as possible to make it easy to port to nearly any 
  fantasy campaign setting. Below are the elements of 
  the module that would need to be mapped out to an 
  existing setting along with notes of how they fit within 
  the adventure.
  Great Jungle: A vast expanse of largely unexplored 
  jungle wilderness on the edge (or even just beyond) 
  of settled territories. Occupied by tribes of nomadic 
  wild elves, savage shadow orcs, and native humans 
  who were once part of a large Aztec-like civilization 
  (Xilonoc) long ago.
  Kraden’s Hill: A frontier town settled a few years ago 
  by enterprising members of Grimden House.
  Grimden House: A powerful merchant family with 
  trade connections across a great area. Interested in 
  plundering the Great Jungle for valuables to be sold 
  in other markets.
  Clan Ironstar: Dwarven merchants with an eye for 
  adventure and gold.
  Noviortum House: A merchant family with ties to 
  mystical powers in faraway lands. Known for using 
  magic to further ends with a keen interest in arcane 
  locations.
  Ibholtheg: Squamous bat-toad entity of ancient 
  antiquity. Worshipped by mutant bullywugs, some of 
  which can fly on bat-like wings.
  Swamp of the Screaming Toad: A section of the 
  Great Jungle known for its loud toads, now the base 
  for the cannibal natives who worship Ibholtheg and 
  Noviortum House.
  Xilonoc: 
  Ancient 
  society 
  of 
  humans 
  that 
  fell 
  mysteriously thousands of years ago. Descendants 
  are now barbaric natives of the jungle, many of whom 
  are cannibals.
  PART ONE: CATCH THE FEVER
  Strange things have begun happening in the frontier 
  town of Kraden’s Hill. For the past week, several 
  people have gone insane and tried to murder their 
  friends and family, and the only link between them 
  all is the victim’s tongue turns black just before the 
  madness takes hold. So far the constable of Kraden’s 
  Hill, Karolina Lomen, has managed to keep the 
  incidents wrapped up so as not to cause a panic, but 
  things are about to get out of hand for her.
  Luckily, a group of capable heroes happens to be in 
  the middle of the latest incident.
  
  5
  A Quiet Night at the Thirsty Serpent
  The characters begin having already arrived in 
  Kraden’s Hill. The only place for travelers to stay in the 
  frontier town is the Thirsty Serpent. In addition, it serves 
  the cheapest ale and wine available – the twin elven 
  siblings that run the place don’t seem interested in 
  making a profit.
  Read or paraphrase the following, adjusting as 
  necessary to fit the characters’ backgrounds and 
  reasons for being in Kraden’s Hill.
  Another day draws to a close in the frontier town 
  of Kraden’s Hill. You make your way through the 
  cramped, mud streets, watching merchants close 
  down their shops and people rush home. To the 
  south, looming like a massive phantom, waits the 
  Great Jungle, the tall boughs of its trees reaching 
  over the one hundred foot wall that encircles the 
  town. The hill that gives the town its name is situated 
  near the center, and its flat top offers a good vantage 
  over the surrounding area. You see a handful of 
  guards, relatively unarmored considering the heat 
  and humidity, make their way up the hill to take 
  their watch for the evening. People have been on 
  edge lately, it seemed – strange rumors have been 
  floating around Kraden’s Hill about dark dealings. 
   
  The only inn for travelers is the Thirsty Serpent, and 
  you arrive with little pause in the crowded common 
  room. The twin wild elves that run the place, Ereldris 
  and Esythis Evenleaf, move about constantly, 
  setting plates of meat, goblets of wine, and flagons 
  of ale down at various tables as they wind their way 
  around. On the back wall behind the bar are nailed 
  dozens of snakes of various sizes, shapes, and colors 
  – a curious tradition for the frontier tavern.
  Allow the characters a chance to mingle in the 
  Thirsty Serpent, soaking up rumors and asking around. 
  Ereldris or Esythis comes by their table to take orders 
  – the special for the night is a roasted boar flank 
  and a mug of fermented viper fruit (a local specialty 
  that resembles spicy apple cider) which sets back 
  a traveler 7 sp. Mugs of fermented viper fruit and 
  imported dwarven ale can be had for 3 sp each.
  Rumors in Kraden’s Hill
  Asking around the common room of the Thirsty 
  Serpent (or cornering one of the Evenleaf twins) can 
  turn up some interesting tidbits going on around town. 
  Choose from the below list or roll randomly to see 
  which clue a character picks up in their inquiries.
  Bands of savage wild elves have been seen close 
  to Kraden’s Hill lately. These aren’t the friendly kind – 
  they seem intent on shooting first so far anyone that 
  tries to get close.
  1d12
  Rumor
  1
  The native men and women of the 
  jungle say a terrible plague is coming as 
  punishment for Kraden’s Hill pushing too 
  far into the jungle. [This is a common rumor 
  in town and has no basis in actual fact.]
  2
  The merchants of Grimden House, who 
  own most of the town, are said to have 
  uncovered a great treasure in the jungle 
  and they’re trying to find a way to get it 
  out. A golden temple! [This is in reference 
  to the events of TG1, when the golden 
  temple was found and subsequently 
  destroyed.]
  3
  Adbrek Ironstar and his dwarves are 
  planning on leaving Kraden’s Hill soon. 
  Apparently they’re getting the short end 
  of the stick, with Grimden and Noviortum 
  House recently pledging an allegiance. 
  [Clan Ironstar is on the losing end of the 
  allegiance, which is far from sealed, but 
  they’re not about to cut their losses yet.]
  4
  The wizards and sorcerers of Noviortum 
  House have been seen moving around 
  at night lately. Never trust a magic-
  user! [Noviortum House sorcerers have 
  been moving around at night to make 
  arrangements regarding the hidden egg 
  sack that causes the black tongue.]
  5
  Recently, 
  shadow 
  orc 
  tribes 
  have 
  begun to get restless. The word is that 
  something deep within the jungle has 
  been awakened and they want no part 
  of it. Some of the tribes have actually fled 
  into the mountains north of the Great 
  Jungle! [The shadow orc tribes, perhaps 
  more sensitive to the feelings of the jungle, 
  know something is afoot. They don’t have 
  specific details about Ibholtheg though.]
  6
  A merchant who came in with the last 
  caravan was murdered by his own 
  brother two days ago. The sheriff has kept 
  everyone quiet about it but something is 
  up. [This is true – the merchant went mad 
  and killed his brother and several guards 
  before Sheriff Lomen arrived.]
  
  6
  7
  Sheriff Karolina Lomen has been keeping 
  busy lately with trying to keep the peace 
  in town. She’s understaffed though, and 
  the merchant houses pretty much run 
  their businesses the way they want, which 
  means they get to push around some 
  people. [This is sadly true – Sheriff Lomen 
  doesn’t have the resources to properly do 
  her job to the town.]
  8
  The cannibal natives deeper into the 
  jungle have been raiding some of the 
  settlements along the border west of 
  Kraden’s Hill. Technically the settlements 
  are under Sheriff Lomen’s jurisdiction but 
  she doesn’t have the numbers to keep 
  the peace. [Cannibal natives who have 
  returned to Ibholtheg’s worship are striking 
  out with more frequency.]
  9
  Old 
  Nordman, 
  an 
  accomplished 
  woodsman who helped build Kraden’s 
  Hill, hasn’t been seen for a week now. He 
  normally hangs out at the Jewel in the 
  Jungle but he just up and left. Where to 
  no one can say. [The characters have a 
  chance to find Old Nordman during the 
  investigation into Lambert Glover.]
  10
  Bands of savage wild elves have been 
  seen close to Kraden’s Hill lately. These 
  aren’t the friendly kind – they seem intent 
  on shooting first so far anyone that tries to 
  get close. [The Shadow Watchers have 
  been seeking signs of Ibholtheg’s return 
  around Kraden’s Hill.]
  11
  Several of the cannibal natives from the 
  jungle have been seen snooping around 
  the borders of Sapphire Lake. The thing is 
  – they’re painted up with all sorts of green 
  tattoos! Even the friendly natives don’t 
  seem to want to talk about that. [The 
  green tattoos are marks of Ibholtheg’s 
  worship.]
  12
  A dragon lurks in the jungle and devours 
  anyone who goes too far in. A friend’s 
  cousin’s brother went in and never 
  came back again, so it must be the 
  dragon! [While there might be a dragon 
  somewhere in the jungle, it is beyond the 
  scope of this adventure!]
  The characters should have a chance to relax a bit 
  and take in the local flavor before the door busts 
  open and trouble comes strolling in.
  Black Tongue
  People come in and out of the Thirsty Serpent all 
  night, but when Lambert Glover, a warehouse worker 
  from the far northern lands, stumbles in and begins 
  spouting nonsense and clutching his throat people 
  take notice. Fortunately the characters are there to 
  help put a stop to the madness.
  Read or paraphrase the following about an hour or so 
  after the characters enter the Thirsty Serpent.
  You’re just about to order another round of that 
  spicy viper fruit drink when a gurgled choke 
  catches your attention at the door. Night has 
  fallen completely on Kraden’s Hill, and in from the 
  darkness staggers a man clawing at his throat. He 
  leans heavily on the wall, gasping and muttering 
  for a moment, as the rest of the Thirsty Serpent 
  patrons turn to see. “Lambert?” one man asks in a 
  concerned voice as the man – Lambert apparently 
  – lets loose a choked cry and falls to the floor. He 
  retches and black vomit hits the dirty floor with a 
  sickening splash.
  Lambert Glover is currently suffering from the end of 
  the second phase of the black tongue of Ibholtheg. 
  People around him back up after the black vomit hits 
  the floor and Lambert begins to mutter incoherent 
  words – “ozalko,” z’dyrr’kuu,” and “yongulluu,” 
  followed by a drawn out “Ibholtheg.”
  The characters can try to push through to get to him 
  but by the time they arrive the curse has taken full 
  effect. Lambert Glover stands up suddenly, now fully 
  a black tongue victim, his elongated tongue pitch 
  black and hanging out of his mouth. He lashes out at 
  the nearest character (unless they did not approach, 
  in which case he attacks a nearby commoner) with 
  murder in his starry eyes.
  Tactics: The black tongue victim wants only to cause 
  as much death as possible. Lambert Glover kept to 
  himself since his arrival but he would drink with a few 
  of the other workers, one of whom recognized him 
  at the beginning. If it looks like the characters aren’t 
  going to intervene (who invited them to the party?) 
  Lambert slashes with his claws and paralyzes with his 
  tongue until he gets to the coworker.
  People for the most part are in a state of shock around 
  the events, so the characters are on their own for the 
  most part. The crowds part and get out of the way 
  enough to give the characters room to attack, but 
  it’s clear that Lambert is giving no quarter. Because 
  of the curse, nonlethal damage does nothing against 
  Lambert.
  
  7
  The Sheriff Steps In
  After Lambert Glover is defeated, people glance 
  around with dumbstruck looks on their faces. After a 
  moment, though, Sheriff Karolina Lomen arrives from 
  outside, having tracked Glover to the Thirsty Serpent.
  Read or paraphrase the following.
  The body hits the floor with a sickening thud, the 
  great black tongue finally stopping to twitch a 
  moment after the man stops his final death spasm. 
  People look on in wide-eyed horror at the final 
  scene before them. No one speaks and the eerie 
  silence is nearly deafening. Suddenly the doors to 
  the Thirsty Serpent bang open and you look to see 
  a woman dressed in leather armor standing in the 
  doorway, panting. Her curved sword is drawn and 
  she glances around frantically for a moment before 
  settling her gaze on the body on the floor. Her 
  shoulders slump and she pulls out a metal badge. 
  “Sheriff Karolina Lomen,” she says in a steady voice, 
  bearing the badge for all to see. “And I’m going to 
  need to talk with some folks.”
  Sheriff Lomen asks to speak with the people 
  responsible for putting down Lambert Glover, and if 
  the characters don’t volunteer themselves enough 
  patrons in the common room point her to them. She 
  asks the Evenleaf twins to close the common room for 
  the night and assures everyone as they leave that this 
  is an isolated incident and no cause for alarm. The 
  sheriff requests the characters stay behind to answer 
  some questions.
  Chat with the Sheriff
  Sheriff Lomen asks first for a detailed accounting of 
  what happened. She nods at mentions of the black 
  tongue, claws, starry eyes, and murderous intent. 
  Once complete, she sits down and for a moment she 
  lets her proud facade down and the characters can 
  see weariness and worry in her young face.
  “Something bad is happening here,” Sheriff Lomen 
  starts, “and I have a feeling it’s only going to get 
  worse. Lambert Glover is only the latest victim to 
  succumb to this strange madness. There have been 
  four others, but this is the only one that I’ve gotten 
  to first. The big merchant companies do what they 
  want when they want, and so far Grimden has 
  gotten to all of the evidence before I could so much 
  as gather statements.” She looks at each of you in 
  turn. “But I think this one is going to be different.”
  Sheriff Lomen imparts the following information bits to 
  the characters over the course of their conversation.
  •	
  The previous four victims were all in the employ of 
  Grimden House, but that’s not unusual – Grimden 
  House employs fully half of the town.
  •	
  As far as she knows, Lambert Glover was a 
  freelance worker who sold his skills on a contract 
  basis to whomever would pay the most. Previously 
  he was known to work for all three of the merchant 
  companies in town (Grimden, Noviortum, and 
  Ironstar).
  •	
  From accounts she has been able to gather, the 
  victims all spoke in a strange language. To Sheriff 
  Lomen the words sounded like an old dialect of 
  the native humans, but her questions into that 
  have hit a dead end.
  •	
  Sheriff Lomen doesn’t have the resources to track 
  down the leads – she’s busy enough trying to keep 
  the peace in Kraden’s Hill and the surrounding 
  settlements on a daily basis.
  Once she has laid out the problem, Sheriff Lomen gets 
  right to the point. She wants to deputize the characters 
  with the purpose of finding the source of this strange 
  madness. Her hunch is telling her that something is 
  behind it, some malevolent force, but the characters 
  seem like the kind of type that can handle malevolent 
  forces. She offers them each a star pin with the world 
  “deputy” emblazoned on it – most people in Kraden’s 
  Hill are good, law-abiding citizens and respect the 
  authority of the badge.
  As far as a place to start, Sheriff Lomen suggests 
  following Lambert Glover’s trail – he’s the only 
  concrete lead so far. But she warns them that the 
  merchant houses have their own private guards and 
  
  8
  their own jurisdiction. The law of Kraden’s Hill can’t 
  protect them on merchant-owned property unless 
  they can prove that there’s a credible threat to the 
  safety of the town.
  If necessary, Sheriff Lomen requests an oath 
  of service from the characters. She asks that 
  they bring any evidence to her (she gives them 
  her address but notes that just as often she’s 
  patrolling the town or taking care of some trouble). 
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Frontier Justice
  Much of this scenario, especially the first part, plays 
  out like a wild west mystery. Play up the tropes as 
  much as you see fit – it can be fun to switch up the 
  genres a bit from time to time!
  Glover’s Trail
  It’s just before midnight when Sheriff Lomen leaves the 
  Thirsty Serpent and heads back to her office. What 
  follows are a series of locations and clues that can 
  be gathered at that location by the characters. To 
  gather a clue a character must succeed at a CL 5 
  charisma or intelligence attribute check, as noted 
  by each clue. Ultimately, the characters should be 
  lead to the Grimden House office, where they get 
  stonewalled by Theodric Grimden.
  The Thirsty Serpent
  The following clues can be learned at the Thirsty 
  Serpent. All of these checks require the use of a 
  Charisma-based skill (though 10 gold in bribes can 
  work as well).
  •	
  Lambert Glover was good friends with Old 
  Nordman, a grizzled and experienced woodsman 
  who hasn’t been seen for the past week or so.
  •	
  The two of them liked to spend their time at the 
  Jewel of the Jungle, the other tavern in Kraden’s 
  Hill, which is run by a thin sneering man named 
  Rocco Zangari.
  The Jewel of the Jungle
  The only other tavern in Kraden’s Hill, the Jewel of the 
  Jungle tries to pass itself off as the more opulent of 
  the two. The building is a single story with a tall ceiling, 
  empty most of the day (it doesn’t open until noon). 
  Patrons come in around early evening and stay until 
  late at night typically. The owner, Rocco Zangari, is 
  a thin-faced man with slicked back black hair and 
  olive-colored skin.
  The following clues can be learned at the Jewel of 
  the Jungle. All of these checks require the use of a 
  charisma-based skill (though 5 gold in bribes can work 
  as well).
  •	
  Lambert Glover was a regular, and in fact was in 
  just the night before. Seemed pleased as a hog in 
  mud, and bought everyone in the house a round 
  of drinks to celebrate.
  •	
  Glover was celebrating getting a lucrative 
  contract with someone in town. He wouldn’t say 
  who, but he promised to pay off all of his old debts 
  when his coins started coming in.
  •	
  Glover owed money to several people in town, 
  though no large amounts. It seemed the man was 
  always short on coins at the wrong time.
  •	
  Glover and Old Nordman seemed to be good 
  friends. The two shared and apartment on the 
  east side of Kraden’s Hill, #16 on Blue Lotus Way.
  Glover’s Apartment
  The apartment that Lambert Glover lived in is a tall 
  building, with three cramped stories. The door to the 
  building itself is open but Glover’s apartment door is 
  locked. The characters can speak with the manager 
  to get it unlocked (CL 4 charisma check, with +2 if they 
  show their badges) or they can unlock it themselves 
  with a CL 5 dexterity check with thieves’ tools.
  The apartment is a simple three room layout, with a 
  main room/kitchen and two separate bedrooms. One 
  of the beds hasn’t been used in over a week while 
  the other seems like it was recently used (Glover’s was 
  recently used).
  NPC Profile: Sheriff Karolina Lomen, Beleaguered 
  Human Law Officer
  Karolina Lomen is an accomplished warrior, 
  born into a military family far to the north and 
  west. Her esteemed lineage were knights and 
  soldiers in service to a great king, and Karolina 
  distinguished herself early on as an exemplar of 
  her traditions. She swore the oaths of a paladin 
  and prepared to defend her king and country 
  on the field of battle.
  However, things went differently for her. Her 
  father fell from grace in the eyes of the king, and 
  though Karolina had no part in it, the punishment 
  fell to her as well. She was sent to the fledgling 
  frontier town of Kraden’s Hill to act as the 
  sheriff and keep the king’s peace. It’s mostly a 
  token role – much of the peacekeeping occurs 
  between the three merchant companies who 
  want no part in the “king’s pet” interfering with 
  their duties. She has little resources and all of her 
  requests have been denied for more soldiers 
  and more authority, but as a paladin she refuses 
  to back down. Karolina is stubborn, resourceful, 
  and shrewd, with a good heart and a keen 
  blade at her side.
  
  9
  The following clues can be learned at Glover’s 
  Apartment. All of these checks require the use of 
  Intelligence (Investigation).
  •	
  Paperwork 
  in 
  the 
  used 
  bedroom 
  confirms 
  that Glover had recently acquired a lucrative 
  contract with Clan Ironstar to assist with loading 
  and unloading of goods coming in on the next 
  caravan. He was scheduled to start in a week.
  •	
  Glover’s bedroom contains a piece of paper 
  beneath the bed. On the paper is written a note 
  to Glover from Old Nordman saying the grizzled 
  woodsman was checking up on a settlement two 
  day’s ride west of Kraden’s Hill and wasn’t going 
  to be back for a few days.
  •	
  Additional paperwork is found indicating that the 
  most recent employer of Glover was Grimden 
  House – it seemed their employees were paid in 
  company scrip that can only be used to purchase 
  Grimden House goods.
  Clan Ironstar Office
  There isn’t much to be learned from Clan Ironstar 
  regarding Glover or the madness, but it’s possible the 
  characters seek them out just the same to tie up any 
  loose ends. Adbrek Ironstar, head of the merchant 
  company’s interests in Kraden’s Hill, is happy to speak 
  with the characters though his time is short. He does 
  acknowledge that they had recently hired Lambert 
  Glover for top coin to help with the unloading of the 
  newest shipment due in just under week, but Adbrek 
  assures the characters that there’s nothing unusual 
  about this. He had heard good things about Glover’s 
  work from the other warehouse workers and thought 
  that they could use the extra help.
  Grimden House Office
  Grimden House has a large office on the north side of 
  Kraden’s Hill. A throng of people are standing outside 
  waiting to get paid, so the characters must muscle 
  past them if they hope to get inside to speak with 
  someone. The characters are only allowed inside if 
  they use their badges – the guard doesn’t want any 
  trouble and lets them in, though refuses everyone else.
  Inside, Theodric Grimden greets the characters with 
  a smile that drops quickly once he sees the badges. 
  His normally good natured disposition drops and 
  he demands to know what the characters want. 
  He doesn’t recognize the name of Lambert Glover 
  (which is true) but asks a nearby secretary to check 
  the employment records for the name, which she 
  does and returns with a confirmation that Glover was 
  on the payroll of Grimden House. 
  If they mention the black tongue, madness, or 
  anything along those lines, Theodric Grimden gets a 
  little angry. Read or paraphrase the following.
  “You think you can just come in here and start 
  throwing accusations around,” Theodric Grimden 
  grits from behind clenched teeth. “I’ll have you 
  know that Grimden House built this town, and that 
  you and that nosy sheriff wouldn’t even have a job 
  if it weren’t for us. Who keeps this town running? 
  Who keeps coins and settlers coming into Kraden’s 
  Hill? It’s –“ The man is cut short by a sudden scream 
  from outside.
  Though Theodric Grimden is innocent of the problems 
  he wants to make sure that his house’s name is 
  not smeared by potential scandal and murder. 
  Unfortunately, things outside have taken a turn for 
  the worse and several people have now fallen victim 
  to the black tongue. He stands dumbfounded as 
  another scream pieces the air followed by yelling and 
  shouting and the sound of a loud, screaming toad. 
  Just like the one from Glover at the Thirsty Serpent.
  
  10
  Madness in the Streets
  Outside the Grimden House Office, the throng 
  of people have parted to give way to a grisly 
  sight. Four workers, their tongues blackened and 
  extended far outside their mouth, have descended 
  upon a pair of fellow workers in a murderous frenzy, 
  tearing at them with razor sharp claws and lashing 
  with their ebony tongues.
  The characters are the only ones with the capacity 
  to take any action. There are 4 black tongue victims 
  in the city street, and unless they act quickly the two 
  people being attacked die in two rounds.
  Tactics: Once the characters stand up as a credible 
  threat the black tongue victims focus their attacks 
  on them, keeping the rest of the crowd safe. They 
  otherwise fight until death.
  Development: After the black tongue victims are 
  dispatched, Theodric Grimden – shaken as this is the 
  first time he’s seen it actually happen – invites the 
  characters into the office to speak more about the 
  incident. He orders a squad of guards to clean up.
  PART TWO: THE MYSTERY DEEPENS
  All signs point to Grimden House, but Theodric Grimden 
  is actually innocent of any charges. The characters 
  are going to need to dig into where all of the victims 
  worked and find the clue that sends them out of 
  Kraden’s Hill and into the surrounding settlements, 
  there to find the true villains behind the madness.
  Grimden Warehouse
  Once he witnesses the black tongue victims in the 
  streets Theodric Grimden becomes more willing to 
  work with the characters to find the source of the 
  problem. He pours everyone a glass of rich brandy 
  from his private stock and asks that the characters 
  share everything they know with him.
  In turn, Theodric shares what he knows – that the 
  people who have fallen victim were all employees 
  of Grimden House. A few minutes later, the secretary 
  arrives and hands Theodric a piece of paper, which 
  he looks over and sighs. He lets the characters read 
  it. The piece of paper is work orders assigning each 
  of the victims, including Lambert Glover and the four 
  who just died outside, to Warehouse #4 within the 
  past week.
  Warehouse Secrets
  Theodric leads the characters to Warehouse #4 on 
  the south side of Kraden’s Hill. The building is large but 
  only a single story, and once inside Theodric calls for 
  the warehouse manager to let everyone off for the 
  rest of the day.
  Though a proud man, Theodric is not afraid in this 
  circumstance to ask for the characters help in finding 
  the problem. He gives them a manifest of what should 
  be in the warehouse and ask that they go through 
  the boxes and crates looking for anything unusual. 
  He assigns a guard to watch over them just in case, 
  but can be persuaded against it with a CL 5 charisma 
  check (attempts at Intimidation automatically fails).
  Have the characters make CL 5 intelligence checks. If 
  more than half of them succeed they discover there’s 
  an anomaly in the warehouse – there are supposed to 
  be 24 crates but there are in fact 26. Theodric checks 
  the numbers and confirms it as well, and after only a 
  few minutes they find the two aberrant crates.
  The two crates that aren’t supposed to be in the 
  warehouse are stuffed with so much straw that 
  much of it pokes it from between the wooden slats. 
  You aren’t sure, but it seems as though these two 
  crates are glowing with an unearthly, sickly green 
  light.
  Opening the crates, each of which appears to have 
  been recently sealed, requires a CL 4 strength check. 
  Inside sits a dozen yellow, pale, fist-sized eggs that 
  pulsate with a green glow. Remnants of shells lay 
  scattered about the unbroken ones – evidence that 
  there were more eggs here at one point.
  The eggs are from cipactli, toad-bat-crocodile 
  creatures that worship Ibholtheg, placed here by 
  Noviortum House spies. Unfortunately, the spies also 
  placed a trap on them – if the crates are opened for 
  more than a minute they release their guardians, 2 air 
  elementals that burst forth (one from each crate). The 
  air elementals, once summoned, fight until all non-
  Noviortum House personnel are dead.
  Tactics: The air elementals fling opponents around into 
  boxes as much as possible, causing general mayhem 
  and destruction. Theodric Grimden isn’t a fighting 
  man and keeps out of the way as much as possible. 
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Don’t Eat the Eggs
  Each of the victims that fell to the black tongue 
  did so after devouring one of the eggs in the crate, 
  as evidenced by the broken shells. The characters 
  should NOT be tempted to eat one as the disease is 
  quick-acting and curing it beyond the abilities of a 
  group of 5th level characters. No rules are given if 
  they do, however, but it shouldn’t end in anything good.
  
  11
   
  Trail of the Crates
  Once the air elementals are dealt with, Theodric 
  Grimden recovers his senses (and tries to ignore any 
  damage done during the battle) and has a guard 
  fetch the warehouse manager. The manager explains 
  that he was just promoted a few days ago after the 
  previous manager disappeared, which Theodric 
  groans and remembers as one of the first victims of 
  the black tongue.
  Theodric has the manager go through the records 
  and finds that the last delivery to the warehouse was 
  from a caravan that travels to the local settlements 
  around Kraden’s Hill. The timing of that delivery and 
  the madness outbreaks lines up. Theodric provides a 
  map of the caravan’s route, which is done once per 
  tenday to drop off and pick up goods and supplies.
  Any character searching the crates can make a CL 
  5 intelligence check to identify some unusual clay 
  deposits in the bottom. If shown to Theodric or Sheriff 
  Lomen they can identify it as clay that comes from 
  around the shores of Sapphire Lake, to the west of 
  Kraden’s Hill.
  Theodric Grimden offers to pay the characters 200 
  gold each to track down the source of the crates and 
  bring whomever is trying to ruin him to justice. He gives 
  them the known route taken by the caravan before it 
  arrived back in Kraden’s Hill.
  Sheriff Lomen also urges the characters to follow the 
  trail to wherever it may lead. While she doesn’t have 
  much to offer in terms of manpower, she does have 
  a small stash of potions of healing that she is willing to 
  give them (one per character).
  Outside Kraden’s Hill
  The map that the caravan took before arriving at 
  the Grimden House warehouse leads through three 
  settlements outside of Kraden’s Hill – the Juliano 
  Homestead, the Einhorn Homestead, and the Carrico 
  Homestead, in order of closest to furthest from the 
  frontier town. The characters are expected to check 
  each one in turn for any suspicions of illicit activity.
  Juliano Homestead
  Located only a half-day’s travel east of Kraden’s 
  Hill, the Juliano Homestead is the first settlement the 
  characters come across. Read or paraphrase the 
  following as the characters approach.
  The road east of Kraden’s Hill is rough and little 
  used, with the encroaching jungle just to the south 
  threatening to engulf it seemingly at any moment. 
  You travel for several hours with the relentless 
  sun overhead beating down, causing rivulets of 
  sweat to run down your back and chests. The first 
  settlement on the caravan’s route is the Juliano 
  Homestead, and up ahead you finally see it – a 
  wooden house, small but well built, with a large 
  garden and a field of nut-producing trees to its 
  north. A burly man is working the field with a shovel 
  along with three younger men.
  The Juliano Homestead is run by Enzo, the patriarch 
  of the Juliano family. He is assisted in the field with 
  his three sons – Ariosto, Ivo, and Mortello – while his 
  wife and two daughters work in the house. Enzo is a 
  stubborn man, determined to make a new life for him 
  and his family on the frontier of the Great Jungle. They 
  harvest jungle nuts and fruits from the trees in their 
  field to be sold in Kraden’s Hill and other places.
  Enzo is friendly if a bit reserved, and answers any 
  questions from the characters as quickly as possible. 
  He remembers seeing the caravan that came by 
  about a week ago but he didn’t have anything to 
  sell at the time so the merchant driver didn’t stay. It 
  looked to Enzo as though the caravan wagon was 
  not as full as it normally ought to be, but he thought it 
  was just a sign of the times.
  Enzo’s wife, Iris, calls the men in for lunch (or supper 
  if the characters come closer to evening), and the 
  patriarch asks if the characters would like to join them. 
  They don’t have much but they’re happy to share with 
  deputies from Kraden’s Hill. The meal consists simply of 
  bread with fruits and butternut spread, with candied 
  nuts for dessert.
  Einhorn Homestead
  About a half a day’s ride east of the Juliano Homestead 
  lies the next settlement, the Einhorn Homestead. As the 
  characters approach, however, they find that things 
  are not well and that the homestead is under siege by 
  a band of savage shadow orcs from the jungle.
  Read or paraphrase the following as the characters 
  approach (the text assumes they arrive just at sunset).
  The sun is setting low over the horizon behind you as 
  you continue along the rough road that connects 
  the various settlements outside of Kraden’s Hill. 
  The next on your list is the Einhorn Homestead, the 
  closest settled location to Sapphire Lake and as you 
  round the bend in the jungle you spot the lights of 
  huge fires springing up from around the house that 
  just came into view. A feminine scream splits the air 
  and you see dozens of black shadows moving out 
  of the jungle to swarm over the house.
  The Einhorn Homestead is under attack by the Gabadi 
  shadow orc tribe, who have been a constant threat 
  to the settlements in the past year. Tonight is the night 
  they chose to raid the Einhorn Homestead and burn 
  
  12
  it to the ground, but thankfully the characters have 
  arrived just in time.
  The homestead is being attacked currently by 10 
  shadow orc warriors. The fires are from their flaming 
  arrows which so far have not hit the house and look to 
  simply burn out where they landed. The Gabadi raid 
  takes place in three waves – this is smply the first.
  The house sits about 100 feet from the edge of the 
  jungle and the characters arrive 250 feet away from 
  the house.
  Tactics: The characters have a chance to get to the 
  house before the first wave of 10 shadow orc warriors 
  arrive. The orcs fight savagely, bloodlust and rage 
  shining fiercely in their ebony faces. Once the first 
  wave is dealt with, the characters can rush to the 
  house, where they find Leopold Einhorn and his wife 
  Marion holding swords and shields and preparing to 
  defend their land. Their children hide inside, all too 
  young to hold a sword.
  The second wave consists of 6 shadow orc warriors 
  and 4 shadow orc ragers. The warriors hang back 
  and shoot arrows at the characters while the ragers 
  charge recklessly forward.
  The third and final wave consists of 6 shadow orc 
  warriors and 3 ogres, all of whom charge forward for 
  the final assault.
  Development: If the characters are not successful 
  in repelling the attacks, they can persuade Leopold 
  and Marion to flee with their children by making a 
  CL 5 charisma check. The Einhorns are stubborn but 
  seeing so many orcs from the Gabadi tribe coming 
  out of the jungle should be enough to convince them 
  to flee. In this case, the orcs do not pursue but burn 
  the settlement to the ground.
  If the characters are successful in repelling the attacks, 
  Leopold and Marion are eternally grateful. They don’t 
  have much to offer in thanks except for a warm bed 
  for the night (the Einhorns often have merchants and 
  travelers from Kraden’s Hill stay in their barn). Marion 
  
  13
  and Leopold offer a family heirloom to the characters 
  as a reward – a mithral chain shirt that Leopold was 
  wearing.
  If questioned about the merchant that came through 
  a week ago, the Einhorns can confirm that they saw 
  them arrive with two crates that gave Marion “the 
  shivers.” Leopold sold several crates worth of silk they 
  harvested from their crops at the time but nothing else 
  unusual. Also if questioned the Einhorns confirm that 
  shadow orc tribes are a constant threat in the area – 
  the night’s full raid was long expected.
  The Carrico Homestead
  The last spot on the caravan wagon’s trail is the Carrico 
  Homestead, and it’s here where the characters find 
  the clues they’ve been searching for. The Carrico 
  family was killed two weeks ago by Noviortum House 
  agents, who promptly took over the homestead with 
  a force of cannibal natives in green paint. Now they 
  work to prepare egg sacks of cipactli to overthrow all 
  of Kraden’s Hill.
  The journey from the Einhorn Homestead takes the 
  characters past the tranquil Sapphire Lake, the 
  nearest source of fresh water on the outskirts of the 
  jungle. The lake is fed by a mountain river and it flows 
  out into the jungle from a solidly moving stream. A low 
  wooden bridge spans the stream to provide access 
  to the settlements east of the lake.
  It takes the characters another half day of traveling to 
  arrive at the Carrico Homestead. Read or paraphrase 
  the following as they approach.
  The last stop on the caravan wagon’s journey (or the 
  first depending on your perspective) is the Carrico 
  Homestead, a half day’s ride east of Sapphire 
  Lake. The single-story farmhouse comes into view 
  as the sun reaches its zenith, but you notice that the 
  fields north of the house are unattended and seem 
  slightly overgrown.
  The homestead is eerily empty and the shutters are 
  closed on the windows to the house. The door to the 
  house is closed but not locked and fresh footprints 
  abound around it – some booted, some barefoot 
  human, some webbed monster. There is a cellar door 
  on the back side of the house.
  Inside, the stench of death is overpowering. The 
  Noviortum House agents have reanimated the 
  corpses of the Carrico family so that they serve now 
  as 6 zombies in the house that lurch forward to attack 
  anyone who isn’t affiliated with Noviortum House. Bells 
  attached to the zombies alert the people downstairs 
  to intruders. Searching the house turns up nothing 
  more than clothing for a household of four – most of 
  the food has been eaten or taken recently.
  The Cellar
  Below the farmhouse is where the real trouble is 
  brewing. Once the zombies move and the bells ring 
  out, the Noviortum House agent in the cellar sends a 
  band of 8 green-painted natives up to investigate and 
  deal with any intruders. The agent moves further into 
  the cellar to enter the Sanctum of Slime (see below).
  The cellar is a simple 40 foot square chamber below 
  the farmhouse. Most of the stored foodstuffs have 
  been raided haphazardly, some torn apart by claws. 
  A freshly dug tunnel exits the cellar to the southwest 
  leading down. Three lit lanterns illuminate the cellar.
  Sanctum of Slime
  The tunnel out of the cellar continues for 60 feet in 
  darkness before ending in a round chamber, 50 feet 
  wide. In the center is a shallow pool of green slime 
  with a squat, 5-foot-tall statue of a horrendous toad-
  bat-crocodile monster in the center carved of green 
  porous stone. The Noviortum House agent is likely here 
  along with 3 cipactli.
  The slime in the middle of the chamber draws out the 
  life force of any non-Ibholtheg worshipper that stands 
  in it. Characters starting or ending their turn in the slime 
  (which is only 2 feet deep at the deepest) must make 
  a CL 5 constitution saving throw or suffer 2d6 necrotic 
  damage as the slime eats away at their life.
  Tactics: The Noviortum House agent keeps to the back, 
  using his spells to incapacitate as many characters as 
  possible, while the cipactli move forward to engage. 
  They know about the slime pool’s effects and do their 
  best to lure the characters into the green sludge to 
  do battle.
  Afterwards
  Once the characters defeat the green-painted 
  natives, the cipactli, and the Noviortum House agent 
  they can look around and assess what’s going. 
  Searching the slime pool with a pole or stick turns 
  up more eggs just like the ones they found in the 
  crates in Kraden’s Hill, smaller though and perhaps 
  not quite ready. The Noviortum House agent has a 
  house insignia ring on his hand, and a document in 
  the cellar reveals that Noviortum House is planning on 
  distributing more eggs around the frontier town in the 
  next week. Another note indicates that more eggs 
  are already in town awaiting delivery in the Noviortum 
  warehouse.
  The characters have the pieces of the conspiracy 
  now and the major players revealed – Noviortum 
  House is working with the cipactli and green-painted 
  natives to tear down Kraden’s Hill.
  
  14
  Raid on Noviortum House
  The journey back to Kraden’s Hill takes the characters a 
  total of a day and a half. If they present their evidence 
  to Sheriff Karolina Lomen she grows grim and asks that 
  the characters help in taking down whatever lurks in 
  the Noviortum House warehouse. She doesn’t have 
  much to offer in terms of immediate support but she 
  demands to go with them (Sheriff Lomen is a 5th-level 
  paladin).
  Approaching Theodric Grimden with the evidence 
  would also be a good approach. The wealthy 
  merchant is angry and wants to see Noviortum 
  House go down for the treachery, and is willing to 
  offer a squad of 10 guards to assist in the raid. He’ll 
  accompany them as well but stay well out of combat 
  – he’s a merchant, not a fighter.
  Sheriff Lomen suggests organizing the raid right away 
  so as to act with the most amount of surprise. With 
  Theodric Grimden’s backing she knows that, even if 
  they’re wrong, the town won’t suffer for their mistakes. 
  But if they’re right they’ll have rid Kraden’s Hill of a 
  cancerous evil festering at its heart.
  General Features
  The Noviortum House Warehouse has the following 
  general features.
   
  Ceiling: The ceiling in the warehouse is 40 feet up.
   
  Walls: The walls are made of thick wood that help 
  insulate for sound proofing. However, there are vents 
  along most of the walls to try and keep the heat and 
  humidity down (which doesn’t help much).
   
  Floor: The floor of the warehouse is bare dirt and 
  shows tracks very well.
   
  Heat: The warehouse is incredibly hot and humid. 
  Characters spending more than 1 minute inside 
  must make a CL 4 constitution saving throw or suffer 
  exhaustion (ability checks are at +2 CL for the next 8 
  hours).
   
  Crates: Boxes and crates are piled high throughout 
  most of the warehouse. Characters can climb a pile 
  of boxes with a CL 4 strength check. Boxes can also 
  be pushed atop victims with a CL 3 strength check, 
  dealing 2d8 bludgeoning damage to an adjacent 
  target.
  1. Gate and Yard
  The Noviortum House warehouse is big, one of the 
  largest in Kraden’s Hill, with a roof that stretches 40 
  feet up. The building itself is shaped as an L, with an 
  inner courtyard surrounded by a ten foot tall fence 
  in the crook of the L. Peering through the fence you 
  can see two entrances into the warehouse itself. 
  Four guards stand watch inside the courtyard.
  The 4 guards have orders to not allow anyone inside 
  unless they are with an agent of Noviortum House. They 
  do not recognize the authority of the sheriff either. The 
  characters must either magically or physically secure 
  their way into the warehouse.
  The gate is locked with a key that one of the guards 
  carries on his belt loop. Unlocking the door without the 
  key requires a CL 5 dexterity check with a set of thieves’ 
  tools, but the guards try and stop the person using 
  their spears at range through the gate. Alternately, 
  the gate can be busted down with brute force – a CL 
  6 strength check is enough to push it down. Climbing 
  the wall takes a CL 4 strength check.
  The doors leading into the warehouse itself are not 
  locked.
  Tactics: If the guards see that the characters are 
  coming in and have time to react, one of them rushes 
  inside to area 3 to warn the Noviortum House agents 
  and other defenses (see that area for details).
  2. Main Storage Area
  Beyond the broad loading door a darkened 
  warehouse looms before you. Crates and boxes 
  are stacked nearly twenty feet high in seemingly 
  haphazard piles around you. Magical globes of 
  light sit suspended from the 40 foot ceiling, providing 
  dim illumination inside.
  At any point in the day or night the warehouse is 
  occupied with 1 Noviortum House agent and 6 green-
  painted natives. The natives lurk in the southeastern 
  corner of the warehouse, gnawing on bones, while 
  the agent moves about the room making notes on a 
  chart in his hand. The agent carries a small enchanted 
  stone with him that can be used to summon an air 
  elemental as an action if intruders enter.
  Tactics: If a guard is able to get into the warehouse 
  before the characters, the Noviortum House agent 
  summons the air elemental first and then casts 
  stoneskin on himself. He then mentally summons the 
  green-painted natives in the corner and in area 3 to 
  wait in ambush around the doors for the intruders. 
  If he has time the agent climbs one of the stacks of 
  boxes to lob spells from above.
  Development: The Noviortum House agent knows 
  of the secret vault in area 4 but only reveals that 
  information under threat of death (or a magical 
  charm). He knows that Natan, the master of Noviortum 
  House in Kraden’s Hill, uses the vault frequently but he 
  hasn’t seen him for about a week or so. The agent 
  doesn’t know what’s in the vault.
  
  15
  3. Secondary Storage Area
  Beyond the broad loading door a darkened 
  warehouse looms before you. Crates and boxes 
  are stacked nearly twenty feet high in seemingly 
  haphazard piles around you. Magical globes of 
  light sit suspended from the 40 foot ceiling, providing 
  dim illumination inside.
  This section of the warehouse holds 6 green-painted 
  natives drawing in the dirt in front of the rear entrance 
  to the warehouse. That door is locked with a good 
  lock (CL 6 dexterity check with thieves’ tools to open) 
  and tampering with it alerts these natives to someone 
  trying to get in.
  Tactics: If the characters use the back entrance the 
  natives likely surprise them in combat, but the agent in 
  area 2 is used to them being noisy so he doesn’t pay 
  it any attention.
  4. Vault Access
  A trap door lays on the ground at this spot, covered 
  by dirt to make it look like the rest of the floor. Finding 
  the trap door requires a CL 5 wisdom check, which 
  opens by pulling on the iron ring. The revealed chute 
  leads straight down for 20 feet with a ladder clinging 
  to one side. The ladder is safe.
  The Sealed Vault
  Below the Noviortum House warehouse, Natan built 
  a secret vault two years ago to conduct rituals and 
  experiments in, away from the prying eyes of Kraden’s 
  Hill. Now, it serves as the perfect location for Natan’s 
  newfound worship of Ibholtheg and the epicenter 
  for his plans to destroy the frontier town. Most of the 
  agents that are loyal to Noviortum House know of 
  the vault, though Natan is the only human to have 
  entered it.
  General Features
   
  Walls and floor: The walls and floors of the vault 
  are made of thick stone not native to this area.
   
  Ceiling: The ceiling is made of the same stone as 
  the walls and floor and reaches 10 feet high.
   
  Sound: As part of its magic, no sound escapes the 
  vault, and each room is magically soundproofed from 
  the other rooms.
   
  Temperature: Unlike the warehouse and all of 
  Kraden’s Hill, the vault is a comfortable temperature 
  and bone dry. No humidity enters the vault.
  1. Vault Door
  The chute from the warehouse above ends in a 
  square chamber 20 feet across. The walls and floor 
  are bare stone of a curious quality, and the only 
  feature in this room is a large circular portal door 
  on the south wall. The iron door bears the carven 
  image of a large face, grim and stoic, with a hood 
  covering its eyes.
  Opening the vault door and bypassing the trap 
  requires speaking the password, a phrase which only 
  Natan knows. The door opens by rolling and sliding it to 
  the left. The trap on the door is magical, so unless the 
  characters can detect magic traps they are not likely 
  to find it (though they most likely suspect something!).
  If the door is opened without the password being 
  spoken, the mouth on the carven face opens up and 
  billows poisonous gas that fills the chamber. It lasts 
  for 2d6 rounds, and each round a character stays 
  in the gas they must succeed on a CL 5 constitution 
  saving throw or suffer 2d8 poison damage and gain 
  exhaustion (all ability checks are at +2 CL for the next 
  8 hours). The gas dissipates after its expiration but the 
  trap must be reset manually by Natan, so it is safe to 
  enter after that.
  2. Conjuring Chamber
  This large chamber is mostly bare except for a 
  curious circle drawn in white chalk on the floor. 
  The nubs of candles sit around the edges of the 
  circle, inside of which is drawn a myriad of symbols. 
  As you enter the room, a pillar of smoke rises from 
  the circle but it seems contained by some invisible 
  confines. You see movement inside the smoke and 
  a webbed, demonic hand pushes against the 
  invisible barrier.
  Natan was an accomplished wizard but had a 
  tendency to summon creatures well beyond his ability 
  to control. Using ancient magicks known to his order, 
  though, he constructed prisons to hold the summoned 
  denizens that would not do his bidding. As long as the 
  chalk is not disturbed and the candles are not moved, 
  the prison holds.
  Currently, the summoning chamber holds a toad 
  demon that Natan summoned to try and gain insight 
  into Ibholtheg’s teachings. Natan thought incorrectly 
  that since the demon bore a superficial resemblance 
  to the Squamous Toad that it would know more about 
  Ibholtheg, but that route proved fruitless. In frustration 
  the wizard decided to keep the demon pinned to the 
  chamber until he decided to free it.
  The toad demon, who calls itself Gadruhm, demands 
  that the characters free it immediately. In return the 
  
  16
  demon promises to kill them slowly, a deal which it 
  quickly realizes the characters are unlikely to take so 
  it switches tactics and offers a chest full of gold and 
  treasure instead. Gadruhm is a consummate liar and 
  releasing it would be a bad idea – whatever deal 
  it swears to make it reneges on immediately and 
  attacks the characters.
  Talking with Gadruhm should prove an exercise in 
  frustration and truthfully the toad demon doesn’t know 
  more than that he was summoned, asked questions 
  by its summoner Natan about some entity he didn’t 
  know and doesn’t remember, and then promptly left.
  Tactics: If released, Gadruhm attacks the characters 
  immediately, releasing all of its penned up fury.
  3. Shrine
  A foul odor rises from this large stone chamber. In the 
  northwest corner squats a statue of green porous 
  stone depicting a large, squamous toad creature 
  on its haunches, with a pair of bat wings folder over 
  its shoulders and a wide crocodilian mouth. Several 
  humanoid figures lie prostrate before it, and as you 
  enter they turn quickly towards you, their long black 
  tongues slithering out of their mouth.
  Natan experimented with the cipactli eggs on native 
  slaves before unleashing them on Kraden’s Hill, 
  and the 5 black tongue victims here were the first 
  successful creations. They quickly fell to worshipping 
  the statue of Ibholtheg the wizard brought here to 
  study, a curious practice that Natan was studying to 
  understand the effects of the black tongue better.
  Tactics: The black tongue victims launch themselves 
  at the characters in a righteous fury for invading their 
  sacred place of worship. They fight until dead.
  4. Natan’s Private Chamber
  The walls of this large chamber are lined with stout 
  stone tables, eight in total. Each of the tables holds 
  something different and exotic. The one that draws 
  your eye contains the body of a human, laid face 
  up with its arms and legs spread apart and its chest 
  cavity open, revealing dried shriveled organs inside. 
  The opening in the chest extends up to the neck 
  and lower jaw, and you see a long black snake-like 
  appendage stretched throughout. Other tables 
  hold beakers, bottles, books, powders, minerals, jars 
  of fluid, and other unspeakable objects.
  This room is where Natan performed most of his 
  experiments and research. However, in the case 
  that anyone were to discover the vault, he placed a 
  summoning trigger here. If anyone but himself enters 
  the room, a fire elemental appears and attempts to 
  burn the contents of the room before they can fall 
  into his enemy’s hands.
  Tactics: Once summoned, the fire elemental begins to 
  set fire to documents on tables and boiling the liquids 
  just by being close to them. If engaged in combat, 
  however, the creature turns to defend itself, but 
  the heat of it is enough to cause much of the brittle 
  papers in the room to burst into flames.
  Treasure: If the characters can defeat the fire 
  elemental in 3 rounds they can save most of the 
  papers and beakers. Each round after that has a 
  cumulative 15% chance of destroying the following 
  items (roll individually): potion of haste, potion of fire 
  giant strength, potion of fly, spell scroll of haste, spell 
  scroll of stinking cloud, spell scroll of polymorph, and a 
  spell scroll of dimension door.
  Regardless of the rest of the items, if the characters 
  search around they find Natan’s charred diary. 
  Many of the pages are burnt (the fire elemental had 
  instructions to destroy it first) but the last few entries are 
  still legible. The entries are dated two days ago and 
  speak of meeting the “green-painted savages” to 
  complete the “Ritual of Rising” at the “Swamp of the 
  Screaming Toad” along with a crude map showing 
  the location of the swamp. There isn’t a lot of surviving 
  details about the ritual itself, but the characters should 
  be sufficiently invested at this point to want to see it 
  stopped.
  PART 
  THREE: 
  SWAMP 
  OF 
  THE 
  SCREAMING TOAD
  Armed with the map and the knowledge that 
  something called the “Ritual of Rising” is going to 
  occur in a far swamp, the characters prepare to 
  set out. Sheriff Lomen and Grimden House clean 
  up the rest of Noviortum House’s holdings in the 
  meantime. Looking over the map, Sheriff Lomen 
  suggests the characters get a guide to help get 
  them there quickly – if they don’t know of anyone 
  she suggests Jabu, a half-shadow orc ranger. 
   
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: A Familiar Face
  Jabu was the guide for the characters in TG1 Lost 
  Temple of Ibholtheg and hopefully he survived the 
  ordeal. If he did not, feel free to substitute him for 
  another skilled ranger with similar stats. If the 
  players went through TG1 make sure Jabu references 
  their past deeds (which were hopefully suitably 
  heroic!). 
  
  17
  Jabu can be found at the Thirsty Serpent, and once 
  he sees the deputy badges he leaps to service with 
  no charge. He looks over the map and laughs, saying 
  that the journey there is going to take them 4 days of 
  hard jungle traveling.
  Into the Great Jungle
  The journey to the Swamp of the Screaming Toad 
  from Kraden’s Hill takes the characters 4 days of hard 
  jungle traveling. It’s a hot, sticky, miserable journey, 
  potentially filled with dangerous encounters.
  Every 12 hours, there is a 30% chance the characters 
  encounter something in the jungle. Roll on the 
  random encounter table below, and then roll 1d12 to 
  determine the hour that it occurs.
  d10
  Jungle Encounter
  1
  Giant constrictor snake
  2
  Savage shadow orcs
  3
  Swarm of poisonous snakes
  4
  Giant boar rivals
  5
  Cannibal natives
  6-8
  Heat wave
  9
  Troll ambush
  0
  Giant ape attack
  Giant constrictor snakes
  The jungle around the characters hides 2 giant 
  constrictor snakes eager for a quick meal.
  Tactics: Any character with a passive Perception 
  greater than the snakes’ Dexterity (Stealth) check 
  notices the creatures before they attack, but 
  everyone else is surprised. The snakes go for the 
  smallest characters first, eager to crush their opponents 
  quickly.
  Savage shadow orcs
  The Great Jungle is filled with tribes of shadow orcs 
  that are not friendly to outsiders.  A hunting group of 
  8 shadow orc warriors stumble upon the characters 
  and decide to punish them for trespassing.
  Tactics: Four of the shadow orcs charge forward while 
  the other four hang back, shooting arrows at targets. 
  The shadow orcs shooting bows have half cover 
  where they are from the surrounding trees.
  Treasure: The shadow orcs carry the bodies of five 
  dead brockets (jungle deer) that the expedition can 
  use instead of their own food for five days.
  Swarm of poisonous snakes
  Giant constrictors are not the only serpent threat in 
  the Great Jungle. Rustling in the nearby undergrowth 
  alerts the characters to the presence of 3 swarms of 
  poisonous snakes that surge forward to attack and 
  kill.
  Tactics: The poisonous snake swarms focus on the 
  least armored character available.
  Giant boar rivals
  The characters come across 2 giant boars who were 
  fighting over a mate. They immediately turn upon the 
  characters, seeing them as intruders.
  Tactics: The boars charge in recklessly intent on killing 
  the intruders to their turf.
  Cannibal natives
  Like the shadow orcs, not all of the native humans of the 
  Great Jungle are friendly. Many of the ones that lived 
  in close proximity to Kraden’s Hill were absorbed as 
  slaves and taught the basics of civilization. But not too 
  far deeper, tribes of cannibals – barely recognizable 
  as humans anymore – still live to hunt for flesh. A pack 
  of 10 cannibal natives attack the characters, eager 
  to add their skulls to their belts.
  Tactics: The cannibal natives are capable hunters, 
  moving quickly through the jungle and as silently as 
  possible. They use their blow darts at range to try and 
  drug the characters with the poison of the jungle tree 
  frogs.
  NPC Profile: Jabu, Half-Shadow orc Ranger
  Raised in the jungle as a member of the Moronkula 
  tribe, Jabu cut his teeth and earned his scars 
  hunting great panthers, huge serpents, and other 
  beasts growing up. As a half-orc, the child of a 
  human slave mother and a shadow orc father, 
  he had to work extra hard to prove himself. He 
  distinguished himself quickly as a skilled tracker, 
  and could move as silently as a shadow upon 
  unsuspecting prey. The Moronkula tribe were 
  the first ones to make peaceful contact with the 
  human settlers, who had up to that point only 
  encountered the shadow orcs when they were 
  raided savagely by them. A peace was offered, 
  and soon several other tribes came to trade with 
  the strangers in Kraden’s Hill.
  Jabu made himself available as a guide and 
  liked the respect that came with his skill from the 
  outsiders. He found himself staying in Kraden’s 
  Hill more and more, until he could finally afford 
  a place to live there. Now he is one of the more 
  experienced guides in town.
  
  18
  Heat wave
  The jungle is hot, but the characters hit a particularly 
  bad spot of heat and humidity. Each character 
  must make a CL 3 Constitution saving throw to avoid 
  suffering from exhaustion (characters wearing 40 
  or more pounds of armor make the check at CL 5). 
  Exhaustion imposes an additional CL 2 to any ability 
  check until 8 or more hours of rest are completed.
  Troll ambush
  Trolls lurk in the Great Jungle, feasting on the lesser 
  creatures. They move in a wide area, and anyone or 
  anything that comes into that territory they view as 
  their own. Unfortunately, the characters come upon 
  such a territory. A single troll moves to attack the 
  expedition.
  Tactics: The troll uses a wounded brocket (a type of 
  jungle deer) to lure the characters into a pit trap. The 
  brocket can be heard plainly, crying in the jungle a 
  short distance away. Jabu wants to investigate but 
  won’t do it alone. Anyone that checks out the sound 
  sees the wounded brocket lying against a fallen log, 
  with a great gash in its side. Actively looking and CL 
  3 Wisdom check is needed to find the trap, which 
  otherwise dumps unsuspecting characters 20 feet 
  down into spikes. The fall deals 2d6 bludgeoning 
  damage and the spikes deal 2d10 piercing damage. 
  The troll, hiding nearby and spottable only by a 
  character actively searching for it with a CL 5 Wisdom 
  check, leaps out to attack in surprise.
  If the characters do not take the bait, the troll attacks 
  a short time later by simply leaping out the jungle.
  Treasure: Finding the troll’s lair requires a CL 5 wisdom 
  check, but in doing so the characters find its small 
  treasure pile. The troll has accumulated a bag of 100 
  gold from various victims.
  Giant ape attack
  There are only a handful of giant apes in this section of 
  the Great Jungle, which is thankful as the beasts are 
  ferocious and terrifying. The characters hear the giant 
  ape bellowing a short distance before it shows up a 
  few rounds later.
  Tactics: The giant ape is not a subtle opponent, and 
  bangs its massive fists down upon the enemy that 
  deals it the most damage. If it is reduced to ¼ or less 
  hit points, the giant ape retreats into the jungle to 
  nurse its wounds. It does not pursue characters that 
  flee more than 50 feet from it.
  
  19
  The Shadow Watchers Appear
  On the third day out of Kraden’s Hill on their way to 
  the Swamp of the Screaming Toad, the characters 
  are confronted by a band of wild elves called the 
  Shadow Watchers. This small band has been charged 
  in ages past with the task of stopping the spread of 
  Ibholtheg. They have been watching the swamp 
  area, with its strange robed travelers, green-painted 
  natives, and other horrors, and feel that the time is 
  right to strike.
  They don’t know anything about the characters or 
  their mission, however. At around noon on the third 
  day of the party’s journey, 8 wild elf watchers led 
  by Duru, their female wild elf leader, surround the 
  characters. If they are not noticed, Duru calls for 
  them to halt in an old dialect of Elven. Anyone that 
  speaks Elven can understand their dialect with a CL 4 
  intelligence check.
  Duru and her kind do not speak Common, so if no 
  one in the party can speak their dialect of Elven Jabu 
  steps forward as an interpreter. Duru demands to 
  know what the characters are doing in this part of the 
  jungle. She is straightforward and blunt, and doesn’t 
  believe that the party are worshippers of Ibholtheg 
  (otherwise they would have attacked first) but she 
  wants to make sure.
  If the characters suggest it and more than half of 
  them succeed at a CL 3 charisma check, the wild 
  elves agree to assist in the attack on the swamp. Duru 
  and her band have already performed preliminary 
  scouting runs around the area and provide a rough 
  layout for the swamp and its buildings. She notes that 
  they have seen robed men (that match the description 
  of Noviortum House agents), green-painted natives 
  worshipping at the idols in the swamp, giant toads, 
  monstrous bats, huge crocodiles, and cipactli. They all 
  seem to be led by a bald man the others call “Naa-
  Tahn.”
  If the characters don’t suggest it, or they fail the 
  check, Duru and her Shadow Watchers melt back 
  into the jungle and do not impede their progress. 
  They can be used to assist the characters in the 
  attack, however, if things go badly enough. 
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: The Watchers From TG1
  The Shadow Watchers were first introduced in TG1 
  as guardians of the Temple of Ibholtheg, whom the 
  players may have had an altercation with if they were 
  not forthright with some good answers. If your group 
  played through that module, make sure the elves 
  here reference those actions (and replace Duru with 
  another elf leader if she did not survive).
  The Swamp of the Screaming Toad
  The Swamp of the Screaming Toad contains the base 
  for Natan and his Ibholtheg-worshipping allies. The 
  green-painted natives have been very useful in putting 
  together crude shelters for Natan and his Noviortum 
  House agents to dwell in while they prepare for the 
  Ritual of Rising.
  Read or paraphrase the following once the characters 
  arrive.
  The thick underbrush that you’ve been moving 
  through has slowly been getting wetter, and the 
  ground softer as your path turns south and east. Up 
  ahead you hear the gurgle of running water, but 
  it is nearly drowned out by the sudden croaking 
  of a multitude of toads. Hundreds, perhaps more 
  sound their cry in the jungle in a horrendous 
  cacophony that reaches to the sky. Then it dies 
  down to a subtle sound and you find that you’ve 
  arrived at the swamp as you push aside some 
  thick leaves. Ahead you see three crudely built 
  wooden buildings, two smaller ones on either 
  side of a long open one, connected to each 
  other by long lengths of wood cut and lashed 
  together to form crude bridges over the swampy 
  morass. Several trees grow up from the muck, 
  exposing their tall roots and letting thick tangles 
  of moss hang down from their grasping branches.  
   
  Two wooden bridges provide access to the 
  swampy lair, one on the western side and the other 
  on the south, and several of the bridges connect to 
  broader platforms. One of the platforms sits against 
  the river that forms the camp’s eastern border, and 
  upon that pavilion you see a great green stone 
  idol, the same type you saw in the Noviortum House 
  vault but this one is larger and more ancient. Vines 
  cling to its porous surface and its eyes are carved 
  to resemble a night sky.
  The swamp itself is small and situated on the banks of a 
  small river. To avoid having to move through the thick 
  mud, Natan ordered wooden paths be constructed 
  between all of the buildings and sacred sites. There 
  are three buildings in the swamp, two small platforms, 
  and one large pavilion that contains the Idol of the 
  Squamous Toad.
  General Features
   
  Swamp: The ground beneath the boardwalks 
  in the swamp is thick and difficult to get out of. It is 
  considered difficult terrain, and any creature that falls 
  in must make a CL 4 dexterity saving throw to avoid 
  getting stuck and losing a round. Any stuck targets 
  can make a new saving throw at the beginning of 
  their turns to try and free themselves.
   
  Boardwalks: The wooden boards that sit above 
  
  20
  the swamp are slick and poorly constructed. Each 
  is 5 feet wide. Moving more than 20 feet in a round 
  requires a CL 4 dexterity check to avoid falling into the 
  swamp.
   
  River: The river that creates the eastern border of 
  the swamp is slow moving and reaches a depth of 15 
  feet in the center. Swimming it requires a CL 3 strength 
  check or no check if the swimmer is under no duress.
  1. Jungle Access
  The two points on the map marked as area 1 give 
  access to the boardwalks. They are each guarded 
  by 3 green-painted natives, keeping an eye on the 
  jungle for any intruders.
  Tactics: If the green-painted natives are not dealt with 
  quickly, one of them pulls out a horn and gives a blow 
  that echoes throughout the swamp lair. The horn blow 
  is the signal for Natan to begin the ritual (see Ritual of 
  Rising below).
  2. Open Shelter
  A large open shelter sits on a broad platform 
  suspended above the swamp. The shelter is held 
  up by five sets of posts spaced ten feet apart with 
  a broad leaf top that keeps out the rain. An alarm 
  horn hangs on a vine-woven strap on one of the 
  posts.
  The shelter is used intermittently by the residents of the 
  swamp lair. There is usually 6 green-painted natives 
  and 2 giant poisonous toads that hang around 
  beneath the shelter, eating or otherwise occupying 
  themselves.
  Tactics: The natives attack anyone whom they do 
  not recognize on sight, sending the poisonous frogs in 
  to deal with characters in melee. One of the natives 
  rushes over to the horn and gives it a blow, alerting 
  Natan in area 8 to begin the ritual (see Ritual of Rising 
  below).
  3. Noviortum House Refuge
  A crudely built dwelling squats just above the swamp 
  at the end of the boardwalk. The door is closed and 
  the window slats are shut. It looks like another door 
  exits on the opposite side of the building as you can 
  see more boardwalks extending from the back.
  This building was built for the humans who have 
  assisted Natan in Noviortum House to live and work. It 
  holds 2 Noviortum House agents studying or sleeping 
  in shifts. They awaken to any sounds of combat in 
  the swamp or to the bellow of a horn signaling the 
  beginning of the ritual.
  Tactics: The Noviortum House agents work to keep the 
  characters occupied for as long as possible, which 
  includes sacrificing themselves. They believe devoutly 
  in Natan and the rise of Ibholtheg.
  Treasure: Searching the building turns up the following 
  items: a sack containing 150 gold and 250 sp, a potion 
  of invisibility, and a spell scroll of disintegrate.
  4. Crocodile Point
  The boardwalk abruptly ends at this point, but anyone 
  that approaches it gets the attention of the 2 giant 
  crocodiles that lurk in the river and nearby swamp.
  
  21
  Tactics: The Noviortum House agents feed the 
  crocodiles from here so the creatures know if someone 
  is there they are getting fed. If several pounds of meat 
  are not thrown into the swamp to placate them they 
  lunge forward and attack anyone on the boardwalk.
  5. Platform of Dark Wings
  The natives and agents are careful not to stay in this 
  location for longer than 1 round. Any target that stays 
  here after 1 round attracts the attention of 8 giant 
  bats that live in the trees on the other side of the river.
  Tactics: The green-painted natives and agents try to 
  pin characters in this location if fighting breaks out in 
  order to attract the bats. The agents use hold person 
  as much as they can while the natives occupy warriors 
  as long as possible. 
  6. Sacrifice Platform
  At the corner of two boardwalks sits a crudely 
  constructed circular platform. The rain, heat, and 
  humidity in the jungle have done nothing to remove 
  the blood stains that mark its surface nor dull the 
  stories of the claw marks dug deeply into the wood.
  Natan orders slaves and especially wild elves to be 
  sacrificed in honor of Ibholtheg at this location. The 
  surrounding swamp hides 2 cipactli who wait just 
  beneath the surface in deep pockets, watching the 
  platform for their next meal.
  Tactics: If the horn is sounded, the cipactli leap out of 
  the swamp and move to defend the swamp lair while 
  Natan prepares the ritual (see Ritual of Rising below). 
  Otherwise the creatures attack anyone that isn’t a 
  green-painted native or a Noviortum House agent 
  that steps on the platform.
  7. Toad Hollow
  The incessant croaking of the swamp seems louder 
  here, taking on an inhuman kind of language as 
  the amphibians in the jungle communicate with 
  one another. The boardwalk ends abruptly and 
  you see the eyes of dozens of toads lurking around 
  the exposed roots of a nearby tree.
  The most sacred toads of the swamp that give it its 
  name live here. Even the green-painted natives know 
  not to linger for the toads are absolute masters of the 
  lair, despite Natan’s assurance. The roots of the nearby 
  tree hide 5 giant poisonous toads and a hideous great 
  slime toad, which keeps its bulk hidden in the mud.
  Tactics: Anyone approaching this area attracts the 
  attention of the toads and the slime toad. The toads 
  jump out to devour any intruders, but the slime toad 
  waits for the horn to be sounded in area 1 or area 2. In 
  that case, it rises from the swamp and leaps forward 
  to area 2 carried by humongous hops.
  8. Natan’s Study
  A wooden building stands here, not very large but 
  much better built than the others in the swamp. 
  The door is of fine quality and the shutters are well 
  crafted. The smell of incense and spices wafts 
  through the air around the door.
  When the swamp lair was constructed, the master of 
  Noviortum House made sure that his dwelling was the 
  best constructed and best defended. This building 
  is where Natan can be found, inside working on 
  formulae and experiments. His bed sits in one corner 
  along with a chest of his personal goods brought from 
  NPC Profile: Natan, Master of Noviortum House
  The man born as Natan il-Hasa Basswa had 
  a good life in his native homeland, a desert 
  kingdom of riches and plenty. His family were 
  wealthy traders and Natan was given every 
  luxury a man could ask for. But he hungered for 
  more nonetheless. Never satisfied with being 
  given everything, Natan wanted to create a 
  name for himself to show everyone that the 
  worth of a man is more than what he is born into.
  He studied magic in secret while his family 
  thought he was learning the academics of the 
  world, and when they confronted him about it 
  angrily Natan lashed out in a rage. Though he 
  was young in the art he was skilled, and his magic 
  killed his parents outright. Fearing reprisal, Natan 
  fled the desert kingdom and vowed never to 
  return. He traveled the world, and with a keen 
  business acumen he built a merchant company 
  he called Noviortum House. He gathered like-
  minded people to his cause, and eventually 
  he discovered the long-forgotten name of 
  Ibholtheg. The few words of the Squamous Toad 
  he could find intrigued and excited Natan, and 
  he bent every resource to uncovering greater 
  truths about the outer power.
  Word reached him of the frontier town of 
  Kraden’s Hill, and he knew that great secrets 
  of Ibholtheg lay in the foreboding jungle just 
  beyond its border. Using his wealth and influence 
  Natan secured a place in Kraden’s Hill for himself 
  and his most loyal agents, setting up shop as 
  simple merchants of curios, trinkets, and other 
  minor charms. But he had his eyes on the jungle 
  and the promise of releasing Ibholtheg upon the 
  world once again.
  
  22
  his desert homeland.
  The chest inside is locked with a good lock (CL 6 
  dexterity check to unlock with a set of thieves’ tools).
  Tactics: If the horn is sounded in area 1 or area 2, Natan 
  rushes to area 9 to begin the ritual that summons the 
  power of the swamp to do Ibholtheg’s bidding (see 
  Ritual of Rising below). Otherwise the wizard does his 
  best to immobilize powerful enemies and retrieve help 
  from the rest of the swamp lair.
  Treasure: The chest contains several sets of fine silken 
  clothes fit for a desert prince (worth 300 gold). Below 
  that is a small sack containing 5 small diamonds each 
  worth 75 gold, and tucked below that is a figurine of 
  wondrous power (silver raven) that Natan stole from 
  his family.
  9. Pavilion of the Idol
  The most prominent feature of this broad flat 
  wooden pavilion is the massive stone idol squatting 
  on the edge. The idol is made of a porous green 
  stone and is carved in the likeness of a toad, twenty 
  feet tall, squatting down on its haunches. A pair 
  of wings wrap around its broad shoulders and its 
  mouth is more crocodilian than toad. But the eyes 
  are not like anything you’ve seen before. They 
  appear to resemble a night sky. The base of the idol 
  shows clearly that it once sat for a long time in dirt.
  This is the Idol of the Squamous Toad, which the 
  characters may recognize from TG1 Lost Temple of 
  Ibholtheg as the key for them to reach the temple. 
  Natan had it moved with magic and the will of 
  Ibholtheg to this location to help consecrate it in the 
  Squamous Toad’s honor.
  There are 8 green-painted natives worshipping the 
  idol at any given time here.
  Tactics: The natives view any characters or wild elves 
  as trespassers on a holy site and attack savagely. 
  If the horn has been called in area 1 or area 2 the 
  green-painted natives move to block the boardwalks 
  leading to the pavilion while Natan rushes towards the 
  idol and begins the ritual (see Ritual of Rising below).
  Ritual of Rising
  It is likely that at some point one of the natives blows 
  the horn that alerts the camp to intruders. Natan has 
  been preparing for the Ritual of Rising for the past 
  several days in anticipation of some force trying to 
  stop him (he knew the Shadow Watcher wild elves 
  were preparing to strike).
  If the horn is sounded or Natan is otherwise alerted 
  to the presence of intruders, he moves quickly to 
  area 9 to finish the Ritual of Rising. The ritual takes him 
  3 rounds to complete, and during each round the 
  ground rumbles and buckles as if a great force were 
  pushing up from beneath it.
  At the end of the third round, the Swamp Avatar rises 
  on the opposite side of the river. Read or paraphrase 
  the following if that happens.
  The sky above takes on a dark timber as the ground 
  buckles and shakes once more, this time more 
  violently than before. On the opposite side of the 
  river, the swamp rises like a great bubble, pushing 
  trees aside in its rise. Suddenly the bubble takes 
  form, growing massive arms and thick legs out of 
  the swamp and mud that gave it form. A pair of 
  emerald fire eyes spring to life on the swamp thing 
  head, or at least what you approximate to be 
  its head. It steps forward and the ground ripples 
  beneath its titanic feet. The thing is 30 feet high and 
  walking towards the pavilion that holds the stone 
  idol.
  Natan commands the Swamp Avatar to destroy 
  the intruders, which it does so with all possible haste. 
  Anyone making a CL 4 wisdom check sees that the 
  eyes of the stone idol on the pavilion are lit with the 
  same emerald fire as the Swamp Avatar.
  Stopping the Swamp Avatar
  In melee combat, the Swamp Avatar likely crushes the 
  characters in mere rounds, and it can spew poisonous 
  mud in a line if no one is in reach of its long pounding 
  fists. The easiest way to defeat the thing is to destroy 
  the Idol of the Squamous Toad, which is the link that 
  Natan used to summon the avatar in the first place.
  The idol has an AC 10 and 50 hp, and suffers half 
  damage from fire, lightning, bludgeoning, piercing, 
  and slashing damage, immunity to psychic, cold, and 
  necrotic damage, and double damage from acid.
  Natan does everything in his power to stop the 
  characters from targeting the idol, and orders the 
  remaining forces of the swamp lair to do the same. 
  If the idol is destroyed (or the characters manage to 
  destroy the Swamp Avatar in straight combat), read 
  or paraphrase the following.
  With a horrendous cry that splits the air, the titanic 
  avatar of swamp fury staggers backwards slowly, 
  its blazing green eyes flickering for a moment 
  with a brilliant light before stopping forever. The 
  massive bulk of the creature swings around and it 
  takes steps towards the other side of the river from 
  whence it came, diminishing with each thud, until it 
  finally collapses completely back to the earth.
  
  23
  Natan and any remaining forces are stunned for 1 
  round if this occurs, hopefully allowing the characters 
  and their allies to clean up any further resistance.
  EPILOGUE
  Once Natan is defeated and the Ritual of Rising 
  stopped (or the Swamp Avatar put down), the 
  characters can return to Kraden’s Hill. The Shadow 
  Watchers, whether they participated in the battle or 
  not, keep watch on the party on the return journey 
  and ensure that no other creature comes to harm 
  them.
  Sheriff Lomen is pleased to hear that the evils that 
  lurked in the swamp were dealt with but is quite 
  troubled that such a thing could fester under her 
  own nose. She becomes sullen and withdrawn, her 
  confidence in her paladin oaths shaken to their core. 
  Characters who enjoyed playing the part of deputy 
  can step up and take the mantle of sheriff while 
  Karolina Lomen figures things out on her own.
  Theodric Grimden is ecstatic to hear that one of his 
  two prime rivals in Kraden’s Hill was eliminated and he 
  had nothing to do with it. He rewards the characters 
  with 300 gold each as a token of his thanks and 
  promises to pledge Grimden House support if any of 
  them want to become sheriff in town.
  Rewards
  In addition to the experience awards for defeating 
  their foes in combat (or cleverly avoiding combat), 
  the characters can also earn bonus experience points 
  for accomplishing story-centered goals. The list below 
  offers examples of some that can be used, but create 
  your own as you see fit!
  •	
  Discovered Lambert Glover’s fate
  •	
  Helped Sheriff Lomen keep the peace
  •	
  Uncovered Noviortum House’s true plot
  •	
  Destroyed the Idol of the Squamous Toad
  Next Steps
  The events of the adventure shake the citizens of 
  Kraden’s Hill to their core. Noviortum House’s influence 
  quickly drops, especially if the characters spread 
  information about Natan and what happened in 
  the swamp. Grimden House moves to consolidate 
  more power, which sees them snatch up a number 
  of Noviortum assets and workers in short order. People 
  begin to take note of the characters, especially Sheriff 
  Lomen.
  Once again, however, things are about to take a 
  turn for the worst in Kraden’s Hill. Ibholtheg shakes the 
  confines of its extraplanar prison, and cracks begin 
  to appear between the worlds. The characters are 
  going to have to deal with those cracks in …
  SHADOWS OUT OF SAPPHIRE LAKE!
  
  TG2 Monster and NPC Information
  NPC Profile: Sheriff Karolina Lomen, Beleaguered 
  Human Law Officer
  Karolina Lomen is an accomplished warrior, 
  born into a military family far to the north and 
  west. Her esteemed lineage were knights and 
  soldiers in service to a great king, and Karolina 
  distinguished herself early on as an exemplar of 
  her traditions. She swore the oaths of a paladin 
  and prepared to defend her king and country 
  on the field of battle.
  However, things went differently for her. Her 
  father fell from grace in the eyes of the king, and 
  though Karolina had no part in it, the punishment 
  fell to her as well. She was sent to the fledgling 
  frontier town of Kraden’s Hill to act as the 
  sheriff and keep the king’s peace. It’s mostly a 
  token role – much of the peacekeeping occurs 
  between the three merchant companies who 
  want no part in the “king’s pet” interfering with 
  their duties. She has little resources and all of her 
  requests have been denied for more soldiers 
  and more authority, but as a paladin she refuses 
  to back down. Karolina is stubborn, resourceful, 
  and shrewd, with a good heart and a keen 
  blade at her side.
  Giant constrictor snake: Large Size Animal; Physical Saves; 
  HD 6d8; hp 31; Move 30 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.; AC 15; 
  Atk bite (1d4) and coil (2d6); Special: constrict (the round 
  after a coil hit, the victim must make a strength save or suffer 
  2d6 damage per round, -2 cumulative penalty to save after 
  each round); AL N; XP 360
  The giant constrictor snake is a massive predator, easily 30 
  feet long, with a wide mouth capable of biting nearly any 
  creature in the jungle. This snake slithers through the lush 
  underbrush, its green scales allowing it blend in easily with 
  its surroundings, but it can just as easily be found in a tree 
  waiting for a victim to walk by beneath it. 
  Shadow orc warrior: Medium Size Humanoid; Physical Saves; 
  HD 1d8; hp 8; Move 30 ft.; AC 13; Atk crude axe (1d8) or 
  javelin (1d6); Special: darkvision 60 ft.; AL LE; XP 14
  The shadow orcs of the Great Jungle have dark gray skin 
  and keep their black hair cut into topknots. Ritualistic 
  scarring is common among the various tribes, with each scar 
  telling a story of the orc’s deeds. Some tribes see peaceful 
  relationships with the merchants of Kraden’s Hill as a way to 
  increase their standing in the jungle, while other tribes only 
  concern themselves with which type of merchant tastes the 
  best over an open fire.
  Swarm of poisonous snakes: Large Size Swarm; Physical 
  Saves; HD 4d8; hp 22; Move 30 ft.; AC 12; Atk bite (1d6); 
  Special: swarm traits (occupies a 10-foot circular space, 
  automatically hits any creature in its space each turn, can 
  occupy same space as another creature, attacks against it 
  that target individual creatures deal 1/2 damage), poison 
  (bitten targets must make constitution save, 1d4 damage 
  or half on success from poison, on a fail - suffer -1 to hit and 
  on all physical attribute checks for 10 minutes, second save 
  after 10 minutes, success negates poison, failure causes 1d4 
  damage and -3 penalty to attacks and physical checks, 
  daily saves are required for 1 week, lose 1 constitution point 
  each failure); AL N; XP 188
  Great swarms of poisonous snakes are a common problem 
  in the Great Jungle, as the smaller vipers have learned that 
  they can live longer and feed on greater food by slithering 
  together. A swarm encompasses an area 20’ wide and 
  wear down their victims with a dangerous venom.
  Giant boar: Medium Size Animal; Physical Saves; HD 2d8; hp 
  10 each; Move 40 ft.; AC 16; Atk gore (2d6); Special: twilight 
  vision, aggression (attack as 5 HD creature); AL N; XP 20
  That snorting in the underbrush might be a giant boar, and 
  if so you want to make sure you don’t let it charge you. The 
  beast’s powerful gore attack at the end of a charge has 
  felled creatures much larger than itself, and for this purpose 
  many shadow orc tribes in the Great Jungle seek to tame 
  and ride the boars. The boars are as large as ponies!
  Cannibal native: Medium Size Humanoid; Physical Saves; 
  HD 1d8; hp 6; Move 30 ft.; AC 13; Atk spear (1d6); Special: 
  tracking, pass without trace (in jungle terrain, can move 
  without leaving a sign); AL CE; XP 15
  Fallen descendants of once proud civilizations, cannibal 
  natives of the Great Jungle are humans who have become 
  dangerous and primitive. They communicate with grunts 
  and gestures and generally don’t have a sense of scale or 
  self-preservation. A single cannibal native facing off against 
  much larger or dangerous prey is undaunted.
  Troll: Large Size Giant; Physical Saves; HD 6d8; hp 28; Move 
  30 ft.; AC 16; Atk 2 claws (1d4) and bite (2d6); Special: rend 
  (if both claws hit, 1d4+1 extra damage), regeneration 2 
  (except fire and acid damage), darkvision 60 ft., twilight 
  vision; AL CE; XP 438
  The trolls that dwell in the Great Jungle are taller and lankier 
  than their mountain kin, but their mottled green skin allows 
  them to blend in with their surroundings easier. Generally 
  hairless, a troll enjoys stalking its prey for miles before striking 
  at the right moment.
  
  NPC Profile: Jabu, Half-Shadow orc Ranger
  Raised in the jungle as a member of the Moronkula 
  tribe, Jabu cut his teeth and earned his scars 
  hunting great panthers, huge serpents, and other 
  beasts growing up. As a half-orc, the child of a 
  human slave mother and a shadow orc father, 
  he had to work extra hard to prove himself. He 
  distinguished himself quickly as a skilled tracker, 
  and could move as silently as a shadow upon 
  unsuspecting prey. The Moronkula tribe were 
  the first ones to make peaceful contact with the 
  human settlers, who had up to that point only 
  encountered the shadow orcs when they were 
  raided savagely by them. A peace was offered, 
  and soon several other tribes came to trade with 
  the strangers in Kraden’s Hill.
  Jabu made himself available as a guide and 
  liked the respect that came with his skill from the 
  outsiders. He found himself staying in Kraden’s 
  Hill more and more, until he could finally afford 
  a place to live there. Now he is one of the more 
  experienced guides in town.
  Giant ape: Large Size Animal (12’ tall); Physical Saves; HD 
  7d8; hp 49; Move 30 ft., climb 30 ft.; AC 14; Atk 2 claws (1d8) 
  and bite (2d6); Special: rend (if both claws hit, 2d6 extra 
  damage), twilight vision; AL N; XP 613
  Few creatures in the Great Jungle can match the size and 
  ferocity of the great ape. Standing around 20’ tall, the great 
  ape crashes ungracefully through the jungle and beats its 
  chest as a warning to all that it’s in the area. Its claws are 
  capable of tearing boars and snakes in half, but if severely 
  wounded the great ape is smart enough to flee to fight 
  another day.
  Cipactli: Large Size Aberration (10’ tall); Mental Saves; HD 
  6d8; hp 31; Move 30 ft., jump 30 ft.; AC 14; Atk 2 claws (1d8) 
  and bite (1d10); Special: regenerate 3 (as long as it has 1 
  hp it regenerates, stops regenerating when below 0), SR 8, 
  immunity cold/fire/lightning (half damage, quarter save), 
  pounce (if the cipactli jumps it can make a single claw 
  attack, if it hits the victim must make a strength saving throw 
  or be knocked prone and cipactli hits with bite attack); AL 
  CE; XP 486
  When the kingdom of Xilonoc stood in the Great Jungle, 
  offerings were made to the favored servants of Ibholtheg 
  the Squamous Toad – cipactli. These deep jungle monsters 
  have the head and scales of a crocodile and the hind 
  quarters of a toad, and are able to heal from most wounds. 
  They are intelligent enough to understand speech but are 
  only able to croak out a few phrases.
  Wild elf watcher: Medium Size Humanoid; Physical Saves; HD 
  2d8; hp 9; Move 30 ft.; AC 15; Atk longbow (1d6, range 100 
  ft.) or long sword (1d8); Special: twilight vision, enhanced 
  senses, move silently, sleep resistance; AL LN; XP 33
  Sworn to protect the temple of Ibholtheg from intruders, the 
  wild elf watchers serve Duru, their leader, and are honor-
  bound to obey his every command. The watchers are 
  fearless in their duty and ruthless in combat.
  Duru: Medium Size Humanoid; Physical Saves; HD 5d8; hp 27; 
  Move 30 ft.; AC 17; Atk 2 longbow (1d6, range 100 ft.) or 2 
  long sword (1d8); Special: twilight vision, enhanced senses, 
  move silently, sleep resistance; AL LN; XP 295
  When Ibholtheg’s temple was found, a secret order of elves 
  took it upon themselves to make sure no one discovered 
  the golden site. That mantle of responsibility has passed 
  from generation to generation, and now rests with Duru, a 
  stern elf who is not afraid to put down anyone that attempts 
  to cross the mists.
  Great slime toad: Huge Size Aberration; Physical Saves; HD 
  8d8; hp 45; Move 20 ft., jump 40 ft.; AC 15; Atk 2 claws (2d6, 
  10 ft. reach), tongue (1d10, 15 ft. reach); Special: twilight 
  vision, swallow (targets hit by tongue must succeed on a 
  Strength saving throw, small and medium creatures are 
  pulled in immediately and suffer 2d8 damage each round, 
  can fight out with small weapon to deal 10 damage to get 
  out); AL CE; XP 860
  The most devoted worshippers of Ibholtheg are able to 
  summon a great slime toad to wreak havoc on the toad 
  god’s enemies. This massive creature resembles a giant 
  toad with a nearly translucent slimy body and skin. The 
  creature is able to extend its front legs as slime-coated 
  tentacles against foes, grabbing them and then slamming 
  the hapless victims into nearby solid ground.
  Crocodile: Medium Size Animal; Physical Saves; HD 3d8; hp 
  19; Move 20 ft., swim 30 ft.; AC 15; Atk bite (2d4), tail slap 
  (1d12); Special: roll (on a successful bite, victim must make 
  a Strength saving throw or be held, automatic bite damage 
  each round and victim is incapacitated for 1d4+1 rounds, 
  only usable in the water), twilight vision; AL N; XP 87
  The Great Jungle hides many dangers, one of the most 
  fearsome is the crocodile that lurks in the shadows of the 
  shallow swamps and rivers that cross the terrain. They are 
  known flesh eaters, and the tribes of shadow orcs and wild 
  elves have learned to tread carefully around watery areas 
  in the jungle.
  Zombie: Medium Size Undead; Physical Saves; HD 2d8; hp 
  14; Move 20 ft.; AC 12; Atk slam (1d8); Special: slow (never 
  gains initiative, always acts last in combat round); AL NE; 
  XP 38
  In his studies of the forbidden arts, Natan has learned to 
  create zombies from the corpses of the living. He has passed 
  this knowledge down to his most devout disciples, who in 
  turn use it to make good use of fallen enemies. The ritual to 
  create a zombies takes many hours, however.
  
  Green-painted native: Medium Size Humanoid; Physical 
  Saves; HD 1d8+2; hp 10; Move 30 ft.; AC 15; Atk spear (1d6) 
  or blowgun (1 plus poison); Special: tracking, pass without 
  trace (in jungle terrain, can move without leaving a sign), 
  poison (constitution save or suffer -1 to physical attributes for 
  1d3 days, no effect on successful save); AL CE; XP 23
  In the Great Jungle, the descendants of the once proud 
  Xilonoc empire have devolved into cannibal savages. 
  Natan made friends with one particular tribe, and taught 
  them the long secrets of painting their skin to protect against 
  harm. These green-painted natives are loyal to Natan 
  and Ibholtheg to a fault, fighting to the death against the 
  fiends who would stop the rise of the Squamous Toad. They 
  speak only a handful of words in Common, and their own 
  language consists of little more than grunts and gestures.
  Black tongue victim: Medium Size Aberration; Physical 
  Saves; HD 3d8; hp 20; Move 30 ft.; AC 13; Atk black tongue 
  (1d8 plus poison, 10 ft. reach); Special: poison (Constitution 
  save or suffer 1d8 poison damage), tough to kill (if reduced 
  to 0 hp, the black tongue victim makes a Physical save at 
  CL equal to its negative hp result, if successful it is reduced 
  to 1 hp instead); AL CE; XP 105 
  People who consume the egg of a cipactli are doomed 
  to become black tongue victims. The abominable process 
  generally takes a day or so to manifest, but when it does it 
  takes over quickly, turning the victim into a brute that can 
  withstand the toughest hits. It uses its long, prickled tongue 
  to lash out at anything living nearby.
  Air elemental: Large Size Elemental; Physical Saves; HD 
  4d8; hp 22; Move fly 100 ft.; AC 17; Atk slam (2d4); Special: 
  regenerate (2 hp per round while in air, stops regenerating 
  when reduced to 0 or lower hp), +1 or better magic weapons 
  to hit, air mastery (+1 to hit and +2 damage when fighting 
  airborne creature), whirlwind (1/10 minutes for 2 rounds 
  transform into a whirlwind 5 feet wide at the base, 30 feet 
  wide at the top, and 20 feet tall, creatures in whirlwind must 
  make dexterity save at +4 or suffer 1d4 damage, strength 
  save at +4 or be picked up and held); AL N; XP 198
  Natan has learned a great deal of magic in his travels, 
  and over the years he has learned to bend elementals to 
  his will. The air elemental bound by Natan is an angry spirit 
  of wind and rage that rails against its supernatural cage 
  though it has little hope of escaping on its own. It fights to its 
  last breath as it knows that death returns it to the Plane of 
  Elemental Air.
  Shadow orc rager: Medium Size Humanoid; Physical Saves; 
  HD 3d8; hp 18; Move 30 ft.; AC 16; Atk two-handed axe 
  (1d12+1) or javelin (1d6); Special: darkvision 60 ft., rage (for 
  1 minute rager gains +2 to hit and damage but suffers -2 to 
  AC); AL LE; XP 152
  While some shadow orc tribes in the Great Jungle are 
  friendly and trade with the people of Kraden’s Hill, there are 
  just as many that see the town as only a target to raid and 
  pillage. These tribes have powerful warriors called shadow 
  orc ragers that fling themselves into combat with a reckless 
  zeal.
  Ogre: Large Size Giant; Physical Saves; HD 4d8; hp 19; Move 
  30 ft.; AC 16; Atk greatclub (2d6+3); Special: darkvision 60 
  ft., twilight vision; AL CE; XP 116 
  Though rare, some ogres from the mountains north of the 
  Great Jungle have been lured down to assist shadow 
  orc tribes that promise riches and a slaking of the ogre’s 
  insatiable bloodlust.
  Noviortum House agent: Medium Size Humanoid; Mental 
  Saves; HD 5d8; hp 27; Move 30 ft.; AC 12; Atk quarterstaff 
  (1d6); Special: spellcasting (5th-level wizard, see below), 
  gear (30 gold, dagger +1); AL NE; XP 335
   
  Spells (5th-level wizard) – 0-level: dancing lights, 
  detect magic, endure elements, mage hand, message; 1st-
  level: burning hands (x2), magic missile (x2), shield; 2nd-level: 
  acid arrow, mirror image; 3rd-level: lightning bolt
  Among Natan’s most trusted subordinates are the Noviortum 
  House agents, who have studied with the sorcerer for 
  several years and help to carry out his and his house’s 
  infernal agenda. Though he has only a few, Natan trusts 
  these agents with great power and enough knowledge of 
  his master plan to keep them from telling everything should 
  they fall to enchantments or interrogation.
  Guard: Medium Size Humanoid; Physical Saves; HD 1d8; hp 
  6; Move 30 ft.; AC 14; Atk longsword (1d8); Special: gear 
  (ring mail, large wooden shield, longsword, 30 gold); AL LE; 
  XP 11
  The guards hired by Natan to protect Noviortum House’s 
  interests are mercenaries and lowlifes that came to Kraden’s 
  Hill seeking a better life – or an escape from an old one. They 
  are as loyal as money can buy, though they are not above 
  being bribed. The guards in Natan’s employ are paid 25 
  gold a week to protect his interests, so a bribe would have 
  to be substantial (more than 100 gold) to get them to leave 
  his service. Most of their pay goes right into the coffers of the 
  Thirsty Serpent or Jewel of the Jungle, though.
  Toad Demon: Large Size Extraplanar; Physical & Mental 
  Saves; HD 6d10; hp 40; Move 30 ft.; AC 18; Atk 2 claws (1d6) 
  and 1 bite (1d8); Special: +1 or better magic weapons to hit, 
  spell resistance 12, spell-like abilities (each 3/day – darkness, 
  see invisibility, levitate); AL CE; XP 690
  In his study of Ibholtheg, Natan sought out knowledge from 
  every possible angle. The toad demons of the Abyss seemed 
  to bear a superficial resemblance to the Squamous Toad, 
  so Natan summoned and bound Gadruhm in his sealed 
  vault below the warehouse. Unfortunately, Gadruhm knew 
  nothing of Ibholtheg, but Natan kept the demon bound just 
  in case.
  
  NPC Profile: Natan, Master of Noviortum House
  The man born as Natan il-Hasa Basswa had 
  a good life in his native homeland, a desert 
  kingdom of riches and plenty. His family were 
  wealthy traders and Natan was given every 
  luxury a man could ask for. But he hungered for 
  more nonetheless. Never satisfied with being 
  given everything, Natan wanted to create a 
  name for himself to show everyone that the 
  worth of a man is more than what he is born into.
  He studied magic in secret while his family 
  thought he was learning the academics of the 
  world, and when they confronted him about 
  it Natan lashed out in a rage. Though he was 
  young in the art he was skilled, and his magic 
  killed his parents outright. Fearing reprisal, Natan 
  fled the desert kingdom and vowed never to 
  return. He traveled the world, and with a keen 
  business acumen he built a merchant company 
  he called Noviortum House. He gathered like-
  minded people to his cause, and eventually 
  he discovered the long-forgotten name of 
  Ibholtheg. The few words of the Squamous Toad 
  he could find intrigued and excited Natan, and 
  he bent every resource to uncovering greater 
  truths about the outer power.
  Word reached him of the frontier town of 
  Kraden’s Hill, and he knew that great secrets 
  of Ibholtheg lay in the foreboding jungle just 
  beyond its border. Using his wealth and influence 
  Natan secured a place in Kraden’s Hill for himself 
  and his most loyal agents, setting up shop as 
  simple merchants of curios, trinkets, and other 
  minor charms. But he had his eyes on the jungle 
  and the promise of releasing Ibholtheg upon the 
  world once again.
  Fire elemental: Large Size Elemental; Physical Saves; HD 
  4d8; hp 23; Move 50 ft.; AC 15; Atk slam (1d4 plus 2 fire); 
  Special: burn (non-magical combustible objects ignite 
  upon contact), darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire, regenerate 
  2 (only while in fire), +1 or better magic weapons to hit; AL 
  N; XP 192
  Back in his native land, the summoning and binding of 
  elemental spirits is considered a noble and respected art. 
  Natan learned much from his sorcerous training in his youth, 
  and he put it to good use in binding a fire elemental to 
  protect the secrets of his vault from falling into prying hands.
  Giant poisonous toad: Medium Size Animal; Physical Saves; 
  HD 3d8; hp 14; Move 20 ft., jump 40 ft.; AC 16; Atk bite 
  (1d4); Special: twilight vision, poison (any creature making 
  contact with skin must make a constitution save or fall into 
  convulsions for 1d6 rounds, returns 1d12 hours later for 1d4 
  days, cured with treatment and 8 hours rest); AL N; XP 68
  The Great Jungle contains a breed of giant poisonous toad 
  that are as big as large dog, with bright colorful markings on 
  their back. The native tribe working with Natan specialized 
  in training and keeping these dangerous animals and 
  harnessing their venom for their blowguns.
  Giant bat: Large Size Animal; Physical Saves; HD 4d10; hp 29; 
  Move 20 ft., fly 80 ft.; AC 16; Atk 2 claws (1d8); Special: blind 
  sense 120’; AL N; XP 176
  The giant bats in the Swamp of the Screaming Toad are 
  an oddity. They are huge, with ten foot wingspans and 
  great mouths, but they were not summoned or brought 
  to the swampy site by Natan or his associates. They simply 
  appeared over a short period, and have taken to protecting 
  the swamp base entirely on their own. Natan believes this to 
  be a sign from Ibholtheg that they are doing the Squamous 
  Toad’s will in the jungle.
  Natan: Medium Size Humanoid; Mental Saves; HD 8d8; 
  hp 57; Move 30 ft.; AC 12; Atk quarterstaff (1d6); Special: 
  spellcasting (8th-level wizard, see below), gear (ring of force 
  shield, wand of magic missile (15 charges), 120 gold); AL NE; 
  XP 825
   
  Spells – 0-level: dancing lights, detect magic, detect 
  poison, endure elements, mage hand, message; 1st-level: 
  burning hands x2, charm person, shield, shocking grasp; 
  2nd-level: acid arrow, darkness, invisibility, see invisibility; 3rd-
  level: fireball, gust of wind, lightning bolt, fly; 4th-level: ice 
  storm, minor globe of invulnerability
  The information for Natan of Noviortum House can be found 
  in the NPC profile.
  Swamp Avatar: Huge Size Elemental; Physical Saves; HD 
  10d10; hp 75; Move 30 ft.; AC 15; Atk 2 slams (1d10); Special: 
  corrosive mud spray (3/day can release a line of corrosive 
  mud, 5’ wide and 100’ long, anything in range suffers 8d6 
  acid damage, dexterity save for half), spell resistance 20, 
  only hit by +1 or better magical weapons, true sight (sees 
  through illusions and invisibility); AL N; XP special
  The culmination of the Ritual of Rising spurred on by Natan 
  and his degenerate followers is the creation of the Swamp 
  Avatar, a primeval force of destruction with an insatiable 
  appetite for death and carnage. It resembles a 20-foot-tall 
  mass of jungle vines and rotting vegetation, with a vaguely 
  humanoid shape. It does not speak, but when summoned 
  it obeys the words of Natan to the best of its ability. It is truly 
  a terror that must be stopped before lurching out of the 
  Swamp of the Screaming Toad, where it will grow larger as it 
  consumes more and more of the jungle around it. 
  
  Kraden’s Hill
  
  Noviortum Warehouse
  One Square = 5 feet
  1.
  2.
  3.
  4.
  5.
  
  Sealed Vault
  One Square = 5 feet
  3.
  4.
  1.
  2.
  
  Swamp of the 
  Screaming Toad
  One Square = 5 feet
  2.
  8.
  1.
  3.
  4.
  5.
  6.
  7.
  9.
  1.
  
  This release of Fantasy Renaissance Adventure 
  Module TG2 Tongues of the Screaming Toad 
  is done under version 1.0 of the Open Gaming 
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  by permission from Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  System Reference Document Copyright 2000-
  2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors 
  Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, 
  Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich 
  Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, 
  Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original 
  material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  Castles & Crusades: Players Handbook, Copy-
  right 2004, Troll Lord Games; Authors Davis 
  Chenault and Mac Golden.
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  Thank You, Kickstarter 2016 Backers!
  Without the support of these fantastic people, this module and the rest of the TG Memories of the Toad God 
  series would not have been possible. The Kickstarter campaign ran for 30 days, from October 17th, 2016, 
  through November 16th, 2016, and raised $6,891.00. Hoody hoo! Thank you to everyone!
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Castles & Crusades Siege Engine/Castles & Crusades Adventures & Settings/C&C Memories of the Toad God/TG2 Tongues of the Screaming Toad (C&C).pdf