TEXT: Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
  ® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and the new DUNGEONS & 
  DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. 
   
  This game product contains no Open Game Content.  No portion of this work may be reproduced in any 
  form without permission of the author.  To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 
  system license, please visit www.wizards.com/d20 
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, GREYHAWK and RPGA are registered trademarks of Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc. LIVING GREYHAWK is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 
  This scenario is intended for tournament use only and may not be reproduced without approval of the 
  RPGA Network. 
   
  NYR5-S01 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  A One-Round D&D LIVING GREYHAWK®
  Nyrond Regional Introductory Adventure 
  Version 1.0 
  by Robert Altomare 
  Edited by John Jenks and Tom Kee 
   
  The tiny town of Felton has need for some adventurers deep within the Anodan Hills. A dangerous tale for 
  first-level adventurers only. 
  
  Introduction 
  This is an RPGA® Network scenario for the 
  Dungeons & Dragons® game. A four-hour time 
  block has been allocated for each round of this 
  scenario, but the actual playing time will be closer to 
  three and a half hours. The rest of the time is spent 
  in preparation before game play, and record-
  keeping after the game. The following guidelines 
  are here to help you with both the preparation and 
  voting segment of the game. Read this page 
  carefully so that you know and can communicate to 
  your players the special aspects of playing an 
  RPGA scenario. 
  Preparation  
   
   
   
   
  First you should print this scenario. This scenario 
  was created to support double-sided printing, but 
  printing it single sided will work as well. There is 
  enough room along the inside margin to bind the 
  adventure, if you desire. 
   
  Read this entire adventure at least once before 
  you run your game. Be sure to familiarize yourself 
  with any special rules, spells, or equipment 
  presented in the adventure. It may help to highlight 
  particularly important passages. 
   
  When you run an RPGA D&D adventure we 
  assume that you have access to the following 
  books: the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual. We also 
  assume that you have a set of dice (at least one d4, 
  d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20), some scrap paper, a 
  pencil, an RPGA scoring packet, and your sense of 
  fun. It is also a good idea to have a way to track 
  movement during combat. This can be as simple as 
  a pad of graph paper and a pencil, as handy as a 
  vinyl grid map and chits, or as elaborate as resin 
  dungeon walls and miniatures. 
   
  Keep in mind that you must have at least four 
  players (not counting the judge), for the game 
  session to be a sanctioned RPGA event. As well, 
  you cannot have more than six players participating 
  in the game. 
  Playing the Game  
   
   
   
   
  Instruct the players either to prepare their 
  characters to participate in the adventure before the 
  session begins, or wait until you read the 
  introduction, depending on the requirements of the 
  scenario as described in the introduction. 
   
  Once you are ready to play, it is handy to 
  instruct each player to place a nametag in front of 
  him or her. The tag should have the player’s name 
  at the bottom, and the character’s name, race, and 
  gender at the top. This makes it easier for the 
  players (and the judge) to keep track of who is 
  playing which character. 
   
  The players are free to use the game rules to 
  learn 
  about 
  equipment 
  and 
  weapons 
  their 
  characters are carrying. That said, you as the judge 
  can bar the use of even core rulebooks during 
  certain times of play. For example, the players are 
  not free to consult the Dungeon Master’s Guide 
  when confronted with a trap or hazard, or the 
  Monster Manual when confronted with a monster. 
   
  Some of the text in this scenario is written so 
  that you may present it as written to the players, 
  while other text is for your eyes only. Text for the 
  players will be in bold italics. It’s strongly 
  recommended that you paraphrase the player text 
  instead of reading it aloud. Some of this text is 
  general and must be adapted to the specific 
  situation or to actions of the player characters. 
  Tracking 
   
   
   
   
   
  After the players have completed the scenario or 
  the time allotted to run the scenario has run out, 
  the players and judge fill out the RPGA Tracking 
  Sheet.  The judge should complete the top of the 
  form and list his name and RPGA number.  The 
  players should each list their name and RPGA 
  number.  After the form is filled out it should be 
  given to the Event Coordinator. 
  LIVING GREYHAWK 
   
   
   
   
  This is a LIVING GREYHAWK Adventure.  As a 
  LIVING adventure it is expected that players bring 
  their own characters with them.  If players do not 
  have a LIVING GREYHAWK character generated, get 
  a copy of the current LIVING GREYHAWK character 
  generation guidelines, and a character sheet from 
  your convention coordinator or the RPGA Web 
  site, and then have any players without a 
  character create one.  Once all players have a 
  LIVING GREYHAWK character, play can begin. 
   
  Along with the other materials discussed in the 
  Preparation section above that you are assumed 
  to have in order to run a D&D game, it is also 
  recommended that you have a copy of the LIVING 
  GREYHAWK Gazetteer. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 1 
  
  LIVING GREYHAWK Levels of Play  
   
  # of Animals 
  Mundane 
  Animals Effect 
  on APL 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  1/4 & 1/6 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  1 
  1/3 & 1/2 
  0 
  0 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  6 
  7 
  8 
  5 
  5 
  7 
  8 
  9 
  6 
  6 
  8 
  9 
  10 
  CR of Animal 
  7 
  7 
  9 
  10 
  11 
  Because players bring their own 
  characters to LIVING GREYHAWK 
  games, 
  this 
  adventure’s 
  challenges are proportioned to 
  the average character level of 
  the PCs participating in the 
  adventure. To determine the 
  Average Party Level (APL): 
  1. Determine 
  the 
  character 
  level for each of the PCs 
  participating 
  in 
  the 
  adventure. 
  2. If PCs bring animals that 
  have 
  been 
  trained 
  for 
  combat (most likely being 
  war horses, dogs trained for 
  war), 
  other 
  than 
  those 
  brought by virtue of a class 
  ability 
  (i.e. 
  animal 
  companions, familiars paladin’s mounts, etc.) 
  use the sidebar chart to determine the number 
  of levels you add to the sum above. Add each 
  character’s animals separately. A single PC 
  may only bring four or fewer animals of this 
  type, and animals with different CRs are 
  added 
  separately. 
   
  Nevertheless, 
  if 
  a 
  character has the Mounted Combat feat, he 
  may bring a single warhorse, light or heavy, 
  with him in the adventure and it will not count 
  toward the APL calculation. 
  3. Sum the results of 1 and 2, and divide by the 
  number of characters playing in the adventure. 
   Round to the nearest whole number. 
  4. If you are running a table of six PCs, add one 
  to that average. 
  By following these four steps, you will have 
  determined the APL. Throughout this adventure, 
  APLs categorize the level of challenge the PCs will 
  face. APLS are given in even-numbered 
  increments. If the APL of your group falls on an 
  odd number, ask them before the adventure 
  begins whether they would like to play a harder or 
  easier adventure. Based on their choice, use 
  either the higher or the lower adjacent APL. 
   
  APL also affects the amount of experience 
  and gold a PC may gain at the end of the 
  adventure. If a player character is three character 
  levels or more either higher or lower than the APL 
  at which this adventure is being played, that 
  character will receive only one-half of the 
  experience points for the adventure.  Further, if the 
  PC is three character levels or more lower than 
  the APL at which this adventure is being played, 
  that PC will receive one-half 
  gold for the adventure as 
  well.  This simulates the fact 
  that either the PC was not 
  challenged 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  normal or relied on help by 
  higher-level 
  characters 
  to 
  reach the objectives. 
   
  Further, a PC who is four 
  or more levels higher than 
  the highest APL supported 
  by the adventure may not 
  play the scenario unless the 
  highest APL supported by 
  the adventure is APL 12. 
   
  Note: LIVING GREYHAWK 
  adventures are designed for 
  APL 2 and higher. Four or 
  five 1st-level characters may 
  find difficulty with the challenges in a LIVING 
  GREYHAWK adventure. If a group is APL 1 there 
  are three things that the group can do to help even 
  the score. 
  1. Attempt to create a table of six 1st-level 
  characters, or try to enlist higher-level 
  characters to play at that table. 
  2. Advise characters to buy riding dogs to help 
  protect them, and fight for them. All riding 
  dogs are considered trained to attack. PCs 
  who want their dogs to attack must succeed at 
  a Handle Animal or Charisma check (DC  10). 
  Failure indicates that the animal will not attack 
  that round. This is a move action (spoken 
  command) that may be attempted each round. 
  If the animal is wounded or has taken any 
  nonlethal damage or ability score damage, the 
  DC increases to 12. 
  Time Units and Upkeep  
   
   
  This is an introductory one-round Regional 
  adventure, set in Kingdom of Nyrond.  Characters 
  native to Nyrond pay one Time Unit per round, all 
  others pay two Time Units per round. 
   
  Adventurer’s Standard Upkeep costs 12gp per 
  Time Unit.  Rich Upkeep costs 50gp per Time 
  Unit.  Luxury Upkeep costs 100gp per Time Unit. 
  Characters that fail to pay at least Standard 
  Upkeep will retain temporary ability damage until 
  the 
  next 
  adventure, 
  must 
  buy 
  new 
  spell 
  component pouches and healer’s kits, and may 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 2 
  
  suffer other in-game penalties (or possibly gain in-
  game benefits) as may be detailed in this 
  scenario. 
   
  A character that does not pay for at least 
  Standard Upkeep may also avoid the above-
  described penalties by living off the wild.  If the 
  character possesses four or more ranks in the 
  Survival skill and succeeds at a Survival check 
  (DC 20), the character will heal temporary ability 
  damage as if he or she paid for Standard Upkeep, 
  may refill spell component pouches and healer’s 
  kits, and may restock up to 20 arrows or bolts if 
  the character has at least four ranks in Craft 
  (bowmaking).  The player is allowed to Take 10 on 
  this roll. 
   
  More information about Lifestyle and Upkeep 
  can be found in the “Lifestyle and Upkeep” section 
  of Chapter 3 of the LIVING GREYHAWK Campaign 
  Sourcebook. 
  Adventure Background 
  The hamlet of Felton is peaceful and quiet – a 
  veritable hideaway – far from the maddening 
  crowds. It is home to hermits, recluses, goatherds, 
  and a quiet scholar who enjoys its remote beauty 
  and serenity. Located twelve miles off the nearest 
  major road and with no clear access except for a 
  dry riverbed to show people the way, there are 
  usually no visitors or disturbances of any kind to 
  upset the delicate balance of this quaint town. 
   
  That is until the disappearance of two young 
  girls three days ago. 
   
  The two young girls, Laurissa and Dewshelle, 
  are wards of the local seamstress Karmala, and 
  work with wool and in the refining of lanolin for use 
  in soaps and lotions. They were out in the 
  Feltonwood, a half-day’s walk from Felton, looking 
  for fragrant flowers for soaps when Laurissa fell 
  into an odd hole in the ground. Dewshelle called 
  and called after her friend, and after hiding her bag 
  of flower petals and thistle branches nearby, 
  proceeded to climb down into the hole in search of 
  her dear friend. 
   
  What the two girls stumbled upon was a new 
  airshaft for the infamous Rent. The Rent is a 
  coalmine run by Sir Pierell Dempstren, a petty 
  noble with a big secret. He runs a mine impossibly 
  deep and far into the Anodan hills with the use of 
  undead. [No Knowledge or Bardic Knowledge 
  checks will reveal this information – it is a well-
  kept secret.] He keeps human slaves around to 
  man the upper levels and to transport and refine 
  the raw ore. He does little to care for the humans 
  who are just as valuable to him dead. The humans 
  on the upper levels ready the ore for market and 
  provide a false cover. No one outside of the Rent 
  interacts with the unliving workers deep in the 
  earth. Very few deal with the living human slaves. 
   
  The taskmasters of the Rent install airshafts in 
  the winter, when few wander around the hills. In 
  truth, the only reason for the vents is to allow the 
  human taskmasters to visit and survive the lower 
  levels as the undead need no fresh air. This air 
  vent, less than five miles from Felton, is the 
  farthest they’ve ever opened. Given the changes 
  in 
  Nyrond 
  recently, 
  the 
  taskmasters 
  were 
  emboldened and somewhat pressured to open 
  this vent in a less remote area than usual. 
  Typically these holes are very deep, at times over 
  300 feet or more, and have sheer walls which 
  make them very difficult to climb – so no guards, 
  traps, or warnings are posted nearby. A small 
  collapse caused by spotty workmanship in this 
  particular vent has left an opening into two of the 
  upper mine layers. 
   
  The girls remain in great danger, but are not 
  dead. Laurissa has fallen into a mazelike section 
  of an abandoned corner of the mine. For now, she 
  has remained undiscovered. 
   
  Dewshelle climbed down with considerable 
  trouble and is on the uppermost level, entering the 
  human inhabited parts of the mine through a small 
  cave-in. She wandered the level and was mostly 
  ignored by the slave workers until a cook, Morgan, 
  spotted her as an outsider. The cook has hidden 
  the girl successfully and even managed to send 
  two of her scullery hands off to look for the girl’s 
  friend. 
   
  A local ranger, Blix, was looking for the girls, 
  has disappeared. Blix has fallen to his death at the 
  bottom of this vent. 
  Adventure Summary 
  Lady Hystander (Wiz8) of Felton, a prominent 
  member of the secret Sagacious Society, has 
  need of a rare thistle and some very peculiar 
  nettles to finish an experiment. One big problem, 
  the thistle and the nettles are on the lands of Sir 
  Pierell Dempstren. Neither her family nor she 
  herself have ever tolerated Dempstren, nor he 
  them for that matter, so she will never be allowed 
  to walk his lands. His large private militia makes it 
  too risky. Although she suspects she wouldn’t be 
  harmed, she’s fairly certain Dempstren would use 
  her trespassing to his advantage. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 3 
  
   
  Dempstren’s reputation and warnings on his 
  trespassing signs keep all locals off Dempstren’s 
  lands. Still, Lady Hystander took a risk and told 
  two local girls of the thistle and the nettles as well 
  as approximately where they might find them. The 
  two young ladies normally forage Feltonwood for 
  various 
  fragrant 
  flowers 
  and 
  other 
  natural 
  aromatics for the soaps that the seamstress 
  makes with the wool’s naturals oils. The thistle is 
  just beyond it and the nettles should be just within 
  Dempstren’s lands, from what the Lady Hystander 
  understood. 
   
  When the girls disappeared, Lady Hystander 
  did what she could to help locate the girls, both 
  because she feels partly responsible, and also 
  because she wants the thistle and nettles.  She 
  tried to pull strings to get the local militia to this 
  remote town but this failed given the current state 
  of Nyrond. The lady also recalled a favor from Blix, 
  a ranger her family knew. Alas, Blix has also 
  disappeared. 
   
  Blix has now been missing nearly as long as 
  the girls. Lady Hystander has enlisted the help of 
  Thesbo Hinkleherd, a local gnome shepherd, to 
  journey to the main road and beyond in hopes of 
  finding a group of adventurers to pick up the task 
  of finding the girls. 
   
  The adventure begins when Thesbo bumps 
  into the adventurers on the road between Wragby 
  and Oldred. The Goat Keeper is quite a character 
  and will appeal to every possible type of 
  motivation, short of paying for their services, to get 
  the characters to come to Felton. He knows he will 
  be well paid if he completes this task for the Lady. 
   
  When they arrive at the Undercoat Inn, the 
  adventurers are quickly told of the situation. The 
  Lady, who arrives shortly after the party does, 
  mentions only in passing the presence of the Rent. 
   
  Most of the town of Felton is detailed should 
  the PCs decide to stay in town for any length of 
  time, or require the help of a priest or supplies. 
  The PCs can explore the small town for more 
  information or can venture off right away. 
  In time the PCs should venture into the woods 
  picking up the trail or getting help from some of the 
  locals to put them on track. They find the airshaft 
  and can easily descend below to the cave-in 
  entrance on the first level. 
   
  The PCs should eventually find Morgan and 
  Dewshelle, which will draw the attention of one of 
  the taskmasters, an adept in the employ of the 
  Witches of the Bright. 
   
  If the party defeats the adept, they receive the 
  location of Laurissa from Morgan’s scullery hands. 
  It seems none of the mineworkers will venture far 
  into the mines. The PCs easily find Laurissa but 
  must defeat a team of the undead workers before 
  getting out. 
   
  Lady 
  Hystander 
  rewards 
  the 
  party 
  handsomely and finds that Dewshelle and 
  Laurissa have indeed gathered the thistle and 
  nettles she desired. 
  Preparation for Play 
  Before you begin, ask the PCs the following and 
  note it in advance: 
  • 
  What lifestyle are they playing this adventure 
  at? Note the appropriate modifiers to Sense 
  Motive, Gather Information, and Diplomacy 
  checks. 
  • 
  Generally what does the PC look like? Is 
  he/she wearing adventurer’s clothes, armor, 
  weapons, and do they display any holy 
  symbols? 
  • 
  How does the character travel, do they 
  commonly have a weapon or bow ready? 
  • 
  Note the alignment of the PCs. If any of the 
  PCs are good, assume that Glerma will cast 
  bless just before the combat in Encounter Five 
  – Area 6 
  Introduction 
  The following serves to introduce the characters to 
  some of the events, key NPCs, and geography of 
  Nyrond. Feel free to improvise or change it as the 
  events of the region dictate. 
  Key things to include in your version will be: 
  • 
  Adventurers have just left Wragby and are 
  headed to Oldred. 
  • 
  The southern lands are a dangerous place 
  for 
  able-bodied 
  adventurers 
  to 
  be 
  wandering about at this time. 
  You feel as if you’ve left Wragby just ahead of 
  a storm. The city appeared to be full of brutish 
  guardsmen in a livery you did not recognize. 
  Whispers on the street said if you were found 
  in the city as an adventurer, licensed or not, 
  you’d be pressed into service for the new 
  Emperor if not imprisoned or enslaved. Who is 
  this new Emperor they are whispering about? 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 4 
  
  As you left the city you saw just how gracefully 
  and compassionately this could happen – as a 
  troop of twenty guardsmen surrounded and 
  pummeled 
  to 
  unconsciousness 
  five 
  adventurers leaving the Daring Keel Inn. 
  Regardless of the rumors, or the gathering 
  clouds of some dark and dangerous time, you 
  had planned to leave Wragby and head out in 
  search of adventure. You pass through the 
  gates wondering if the next time leaving a city 
  such as this will be so easy. 
   
  The road out of Wragby leads north and 
  then east to Oldred. It appears as if a number 
  of other adventurers have fallen in with you as 
  you walk the road. 
  Have the PCs introduce themselves to each other. 
  Encourage the exchange of gossip at this point by 
  suggesting that the PCs not only describe 
  themselves but also speak in hushed terms of 
  things they may know about the current state of 
  Nyrond. 
  Within the first mile out of town you see a 
  company of soldiers ahead in the now familiar 
  dark livery of Red and Purple, with Black trim 
  and Gold bursts. A squad of about twelve 
  cavalrymen accompanies a platoon of easily 
  forty infantrymen. On the edges, a half a dozen 
  rangers pace the troops with eyes always on 
  alert. 
   
  A group of twelve commoners follow in 
  manacles. Others, perhaps fellow adventurers, 
  also follow, most looking quite dejected, and 
  all holding banners in a strange, dark Nyrond 
  coat of arms. 
   
  You 
  had 
  hoped 
  this 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  beginning of a profitable or heroic escapade, 
  or perhaps for some of you, your very first 
  adventure. But now, instead, all looks rather 
  grave. As you look on, two of the sharp-eyed 
  scouts spot you on the road. The cavalry’s 
  lances come down as they spur their horses 
  into a run. 
   
  Just as it looks as if they are sure to run 
  you down, a sound off the road catches their 
  attention. Strangely, the entire company, with 
  slaves and retainers in tow, turn and charge off 
  into the barren lands to the West. It’s hard to 
  believe it, but you just escaped certain 
  capture. 
  Thesbo is nearby and well hidden (he took 10 and 
  used cover and distance to his advantage). He 
  used his gnomish abilities to conjure up an 
  illusionary Ogre (Spot DC 12) with a symbol of 
  Heironeous around its neck (Spot DC 20). The 
  Ogre called out in common to the troops, “Down 
  with the sewer emperor, long live King Lynwerd.” 
  (Listen DC 10). The lead soldier, also the 
  commander, falls for it and runs after the illusion. 
  The rest of the company quickly follows suit. 
  Soon, the road ahead is empty as far as the 
  eye can see. 
  The PCs can choose to pursue the troops or wait 
  around for their return. However, either choice is a 
  very bad one and you should encourage the PCs 
  not to do so. Should they persist in these actions, 
  even for a good reason like freeing the slaves, 
  have them nearly captured and give them one 
  more chance to flee. Should they still persist, they 
  will be captured and pressed into slavery for a 
  period of time. Charge them 16 TUs and end the 
  module. 
   
  The commoners and adventurers following the 
  soldiers keep in step and march off the road 
  regardless of the player’s actions. Thesbo doesn’t 
  approach the party at this point but waits until they 
  are much closer to Felton. Hopefully, the PCs will 
  accept their good fortune and eventually continue 
  on up the road. 
  Continuing along the road after your harrowing 
  escape, the low brownish-green Anodan Hills 
  rise to the north. The hard rocky earth of the 
  coast gives way to loamy rich farmlands as 
  you turn east towards Oldred. 
   
  Even a dozen miles from the coast you 
  catch a scent of the sea upon a cool breeze. It 
  could be that the breeze came from Oldred, 
  famed for its shipyards. Perhaps, in a more 
  peaceful time, the road ahead would have lead 
  you out onto the bay from Oldred and then 
  onto any of dozen fabled isles in the Relmor 
  Bay that are rumored to house evil men, 
  valuable treasure, and powerful magic. You 
  have heard other more seasoned adventurers 
  returning from Relmor Bay and talking of red-
  garbed warriors and of monkeys, evil vile 
  monkeys, who will bargain for dairy goods. 
  Hah! 
  It’s 
  easy 
  to 
  tell 
  which 
  of 
  these 
  speculations is wild rumor and which is worth 
  warding! Then again, the current state of 
  Nyrond seemed to be just as far-fetched a few 
  weeks ago. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 5 
  
  Encounter One: The Gnome 
  on the Road 
  As you approach a dry creek bed, in the 
  distance you spot a small boy followed by 
  what could only be a large sheep. He waves 
  and closes ground running towards you. 
   
  As the small figure comes closer, you 
  realize it’s a somewhat disheveled young 
  gnome with a crooked staff. In a high voice he 
  says, “Greeting travelers, the town of Felton 
  has dire need of your help!” 
  This is a short role-playing encounter. Thesbo will 
  seek to convince the PCs to come to Felton – 
  going a bit overboard even if the PCs look to 
  agree. The sheep, Munch Hinkleherd, is trained to 
  nod in agreement and “bahhhh” when asked, “Isn’t 
  that so?” by the Shepherd. 
   
  The gnome has no trouble playing fast and 
  loose with the facts and will try to shape the 
  situation into something the PCs will want to do 
  while making it sound like a better alternative than 
  proceeding to Oldred or returning to Wragby. 
   
  If the PCs do not have someone who can 
  track, Thesbo will help the PCs in Encounter 4 to 
  find the girls. 
  These are some things Thesbo could try. Feel free 
  to embellish or ad-lib as you see fit, and add the 
  requisite “Isn’t that so?” at the end of each 
  statement of ‘fact’. 
  • 
  He will tell the PCs about the missing girls. He 
  will say that the girls are extremely well loved, 
  saved his sheep (twice, “bahhhh, bahhhh”) 
  and commonly nurse kittens back to health 
  (partially true, it was only one kitten, and the 
  sheep wasn’t really in trouble one time, it was 
  playing hide-and-seek with the girls). 
  • 
  He will tell how he helped the PCs out by 
  casting an illusion to distract that company of 
  soldiers. He’s heard from farmers that there’s 
  a new Emperor in Rel Mord and no able-
  bodied adventurer (or shepherd for that 
  matter, “bahhhh!”) is safe on the open road 
  right now (true, so true). 
  • 
  There’s no militia in Felton, and he highly 
  doubts anyone in any military service knows it 
  exists (false, the Sewarndt allied Rent militia 
  know of Felton, good for a “bahhhh!” though). 
  • 
  That if the PCs help, he may know the location 
  of a cave containing treasure guarded by an 
  evil creature (complete lie, no “bahhhh!” this 
  time, even Munch doesn’t believe this one). 
  • 
  A local woodsman, a Ranger named Blix, is 
  their only help, assuming he’s sober this 
  fortnight and his gimp leg isn’t acting up (the 
  only lie is the suggestion that the ranger could 
  be sober, he hasn’t been in a year). Munch 
  will shake his head with a discouraging 
  “bahhhh” as Thesbo pats his head while 
  relating this. 
  • 
  He’s heard that the Imperial Legions in Oldred 
  are employing not just strong-arm tactics but 
  powerful magic to press adventurers into 
  service for the new Emperor (a lie as far as 
  Thesbo knows, but it sounds good to him and 
  Munch). 
  • 
  If the PCs help, he knows the location of a 
  pool the contents of which make you invisible 
  – you can bottle it up and use it later anytime 
  you want (complete lie, silence from the 
  Sheep no matter what the Gnome does). 
  • 
  One of the girls is really a bastard child of the 
  Duke Korenflass and will surely bring a great 
  reward if saved (a lie, as far as Thesbo is 
  concerned, but one of the girls is indeed a 
  bastard child of Duke Regurd Korenflass). 
  Thesbo Hinkleherd: Male Gnome Wiz1/Exp3; CR 
  1; Small humanoid; HD 1d4+3d6+4+3; hp 22; Init 
  +1; Spd 20’ ft.; AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 14; 
  BAB/Grp: +2/-2; Atk: +2 melee small quarterstaff 
  1d4 or +3 ranged small light crossbow 1d6; SQ 
  gnome traits; AL CG; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5; 
  Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 8 Cha 10. 
  Skills and Feats: Bluff +1; Concentration +5, 
  Handle Animal +6; Knowledge (nature) +5; Listen 
  +6; 
  Profession 
  (shepherd) 
  +5; 
  Search 
  +5; 
  Spellcraft +4, Spot +3; Survival +8; Scribe Scroll, 
  Toughness; Track 
  Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—speak with animals 
  (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). A 
  gnome with a Charisma score of at least 10 also 
  has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—
  dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. 
  Caster level 1st; save DC 10. 
  Equipment: Chain shirt, quarterstaff, backpack 
  (containing: light crossbow, 5 bolts, 3 days of 
  rations, wineskin –full-, waterskin –full-), used 
  scroll of silent image. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 6 
  
  Encounter Two: The 
  Undercoat Inn 
  Following the sprightly little shepherd, you 
  travel north into the Anodan Hills using the dry 
  bed of the creek as a crude path. The valleys 
  appear to be growing a number of crops. The 
  dry southern faces on the warm hills are either 
  covered with sheep and cows or are small 
  vineyards with lush vines overburdened with 
  fresh bunches of dark, plump grapes. 
   
  It almost seems as if the problems of 
  Nyrond don’t exist here. 
   
  As the miles pass, the terrain becomes 
  rockier. You pass an abandoned mine, and the 
  old shell of some stone structure.  Before you 
  can ask, Thesbo says he only knows that the 
  ruins and mine have been there since his 
  father’s, father’s days. 
   
  The creek bed that has served as your trail 
  until now, branches as the surrounding 
  farmlands come to an end. Beyond appears to 
  be chaparral-grazing lands with spots of light 
  tree cover. Throughout the afternoon the only 
  thing to draw your eye has been the bands of 
  goats munching on the dry grasses of the hills. 
   
  As the sun begins to set, Thesbo’s step 
  speeds up as he tells you that town is right up 
  ahead. You turn and head up the side of a 
  fairly large hill and find yourself on a narrow 
  paved path that leads over the hill. Felton 
  comes into view as the sun wanes. 
   
  The first building you come to appears to 
  be a made to resemble a huge cask sticking 
  out of the ground. Voices, firelight, and the 
  smell of pipe smoke waft from the doorway. In 
  the dim of the early evening, you see that the 
  placard out front shows a sheered sheep with 
  its belly still wooly. In neat lettering below it 
  says, 
  “Undercoat 
  Inn, 
  Whoshy 
  Whisser 
  Wassleton, prop.” 
  At this point have Thesbo ask the PCs to get 
  comfortable at the Inn while he fetches someone 
  who, “wants to talk to them about the girls 
  (assuming they agreed to help find her).” If 
  pressed, he’ll provide her name, Lady Hystander. 
  The PCs will have about hour to interact with the 
  various NPCs in the Inn before Thesbo returns 
  with Lady Hystander. 
   
  A stable hand lounges outside the front door. 
  If anyone with a mount approaches he introduces 
  himself as Smuggly, and offers to take good care 
  of his or her mounts. He’s great with animals, and 
  all mounts will be well tended. The barn is small, a 
  mere 20 feet x 30 feet, with three areas, one for 
  horses, a smaller one for dogs, and a corner area 
  to store hay, shovels, and barding. 
   
  The Undercoat Inn itself is a roughly 30 foot 
  round, uneven structure (just the way a judge 
  might freehand draw a round 30 foot across 
  room). In the middle of the room is a narrow 
  circular stairway that takes up a mere 5 foot x 5 
  foot space. Any medium sized players will be 
  squeezing going up or down and it’s known that 
  every once in a while someone in full plate gets 
  jammed in them. The stairs lead up to five guest 
  rooms and down to a kitchen, wine cellar, and tiny 
  storage room. There’s a trap door in the kitchen 
  that leads to the horse section of the barn out 
  back. 
   
  Read aloud the following as the PCs enter: 
  The Undercoat Inn is a cozy place. The small 
  round main common room has a fireplace next 
  to the door, a small bar in the back, four tables, 
  and funny round stairway in the center that 
  leads up and down. A large half-orc is quietly 
  talking with an elven minstrel at the bar. Four 
  chain-mailed men sitting at one of the tables 
  look you over as you enter and then return to 
  their meal. Two other men, a rotund, brown-
  robed, red-faced man and a peg-legged, 
  weathered old coot, sit at another table 
  smoking and telling tales. A young female 
  Halfling serving wench scuttles about, waving 
  for you to take a seat at a table. 
  Along the curved wall farthest from the door is a 
  small bar, 15 feet long behind which is the owner, 
  Whoshy Whisser Wassleton [Exp3], a hunched 
  over half-orc who drags one foot. Coralain [Brd1], 
  a young leather-clad half-elf woman, sits at the bar 
  talking to the owner about playing the lute for his 
  customers. Whoshy is not interested in paying for 
  her services but will eventually agree to let her 
  stay in the common room and eat leftovers in 
  exchange for entertaining for the next fortnight. 
   
  The following can be obtained by talking to 
  either the owner or the bard: 
  • 
  Two girls, Laurissa and Dewshelle, about 13 
  years old went missing three days ago. 
  • 
  They work for the seamstress, Karmala, and 
  are also her wards. (Whoshy can direct them 
  to the seamstress elsewhere in Felton if 
  asked.) 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 7 
  
  • 
  The girls are unpredictable, and like to have 
  fun. They let a wild monkey lose in the inn 
  once and it broke all the pie plates in the 
  place. (The bard has written a ditty called 
  Great Pie Smash about the event that 
  everyone but the cook remembers fondly.) 
  • 
  A drunken ranger named Blix went looking for 
  them. Blix has gone missing since – he used 
  to be one of Whoshy’s best customers. 
  • 
  Both know that Lady Hystander is the 
  landowner of the entire town. Whoshy pays a 
  very reasonable rent to the Lady, and provides 
  her with wine for her table. Either can direct 
  the PCs to her estate at the edge of town. 
  • 
  The Bard knows everything that is currently 
  going on in Nyrond, but will whisper this 
  information if the mercenaries are in the room. 
   
  Four small round tables are in the room, two 
  of which are occupied. 
   
  One table has the small group of unattached 
  mercenaries. They are not particularly loyal to 
  anyone, but know that Sewarndt is currently in 
  power. The squad is made up of four regulars 
  [War1] and a sergeant [Ftr1] 
   
  The mercenaries know the following: 
  • 
  Two girls went missing three days ago. 
  • 
  They aren’t interested in wandering around 
  the woods looking for little girls or lost kittens. 
  • 
  Although they will only hint at it, the squad is 
  lying low in this remote village hoping to stay 
  away from the press gangs on the road. 
  • 
  One of the militia believes that Lady Hystander 
  is a member of some society of sages within 
  Nyrond. He collected a funny looking rock for 
  her in Oldred once, and was paid well (15 
  royals) for the errand. 
   
  The sergeant, Gerhardt, was a member of the 
  Rent’s militia and knows a little more but will only 
  provide the details if the PCs befriend the 
  mercenaries somehow. This is possible by buying 
  them a round of drinks and rolling a good 
  diplomacy or gather information check (DC 15). If 
  the PCs succeed in this, AND tell Gerhardt they 
  are going to be looking for the girls, he’ll quietly tell 
  the following to the toughest looking member of 
  the party (regardless of who made the checks). 
  Be careful out there. From the sounds of it, 
  you’ll be near the Rent. It’s a huge mine just 
  east of the woods. It’s not a good place to be, 
  trust me. They use slaves there and there’s 
  worse, much worse, down below. 
  If pressed further, a single try at a DC 20 
  diplomacy check will get the Sergeant to tell them 
  a little more. This time only to the character who 
  made the check. 
  I used to work there. Guards rarely left service 
  there, they more commonly disappeared. 
  Some said that they were turned to slaves to 
  work in the mines. I don’t know if that’s true, 
  but I don’t know why an able-bodied living man 
  would permit that to happen. I’d rather die than 
  live out my days in some dark dank mine. 
  At the other table Friar Squib [Clr1 Wenta] and the 
  peg-legged Old Captain [Rog1/Exp3] are smoking, 
  laughing, and telling tall tales. These two are 
  always in the Undercoat Inn, always at this table, 
  anytime day or night. The Friar will cast cure light 
  wounds spells for normal prices and can learn any 
  first level Clerical spells the following day, if the 
  PCs are nice to him or buy him a drink. He gets 
  his spells back after last call, 2am. 
   
  Regardless of what is asked of these two, they 
  will invariably turn it into a tale of legendary 
  drinking or frivolity. For instance, if asked about 
  the girls, they would say that they remember a 
  time they got drunk drinking an entire barrel of ale. 
  They then wandered lost in Feltonwood for three 
  days until they were found in an apple tree 
  unclothed and couldn’t remember a thing. Nearly 
  all of these tales are completely untrue.  There is, 
  however, one exception. 
   
  If asked about Lady Hystander specifically, the 
  captain will tell a wild story about the time she paid 
  him to meet with a guy named Max years ago. 
  “I remember just before the Greyhawk Wars 
  when I still had me leg I did a small errand for 
  the Lady. I was a captain then, in port for a 
  long bit o’ work on me ship after she was beat 
  up bad by Silky Trango’s Outrageous Fortune. 
  I hear Silky’s still out dere.” The old captain 
  takes a long draw on his pipe and continues. 
   
  “Anyways, I got tired and ached for some 
  sailing and responded to an advertissmint in 
  the Sea Wench over yonder in Oldred. Tasty 
  little deal; I was to drop off a gem, pick up a 
  small package from some scoundrel named 
  Max of the Road and bring it to Wragby as 
  quietly as I could. A hefty 500 royals was the 
  payment. 
  Lady 
  had 
  contracted 
  this 
  highwayman to get something very hard to get. 
  I was to collect it near Swan Bore and take it in 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 8 
  
  a small skiff down the river and along the 
  coast to Wragby. Well, I tried to pull a fast one 
  on him and knock him out and take the 
  package AND the gem. Hah! I was a stupid 
  scullery wag that day. The rogue used some 
  sorta magic and hit me in the leg. Eventually, I 
  lost it,” he says knocking three times on his 
  wooden stump. 
   
  “The Lady Hystander met me on the dock 
  and paid me my money but it doesn’t seem 
  worth it in hindsight.” The captain’s demeanor 
  turns serious for a second. “I slipped off da 
  plank that day and me career slowly slipped 
  away, too. When my work as a third mate 
  faded, the Lady felt bad for me and has 
  allowed me to retire here to a nice burrow on 
  the sunny side of Felton, free of rent. Heh. 
  Maybe it was for the best. Old salts like me 
  usually don’t get such a deal and end up dying 
  deckhands.” 
   
  “I did do one thing I regret. During the 
  wars, I captured a pirate ship and kept the 
  bounty for meself with but a pittance for me 
  crew. Instead of saving that gold, I paid a 
  wizard, a good wizard, to curse that man Max 
  so that he too would lose his leg. I wonder if 
  that worked.” 
  The serving wench, and cook, is a middle-aged 
  female Halfling named Marta Biggust. She knows 
  little of the girls except that they were the ones 
  who let that rotten little monkey loose in the Inn. 
  Marta secretly has kept the monkey as a pet and 
  keeps it in the storeroom in the basement. She 
  feeds it leftover scraps smothered in one of her 
  special sauces when she can. She’s recently 
  become upset over the smell of the droppings the 
  little simian makes. 
   
  The monkey secretly hates Marta and wants 
  to escape. It’s lactose intolerant, and the cook 
  loves creamy sauces. It has recently hidden a 
  plate and is currently plotting to knock out Marta 
  when she next opens the door. 
  Encounter Three: Lady 
  Hystander & Felton 
  The doors of the Undercoat Inn open, and 
  Thesbo enters behind an attractive older 
  human woman in fine dress. 
   
  The lady is wearing a lace-trimmed blouse 
  of fine linens with small jewels sewn into the 
  fine lapels. A buttery calfskin jerkin laced up 
  the front with emerald green silk fits her form 
  to the waist where it flares out in green and 
  gold 
  painted 
  ridges. 
  Leather 
  leggings 
  impressed with a complex knot design flow 
  naturally 
  to 
  her 
  lustrous 
  boots, 
  which 
  complete a road-ready but regal outfit. 
   
  Thesbo points at you and leads the woman 
  over. A little winded, the gnome says, “May I 
  introduce you to my patroness, The Lady of 
  Felton, Owner of the Felton Hill, Lady Corianna 
  Hystander.” 
   
  “Thank you for the kind introduction, my 
  little shepherd.” 
   
  “Welcome to Felton, heroes. We have need 
  of your services in this remote and quiet town. 
  Perhaps by now you have learned that two of 
  the young girls in town have gone missing?” 
  Skip a full review of the situation if the PCs already 
  know most of the details. Lady Corianna 
  Hystander [Wiz8, Chaotic Good] is a carefree soul 
  most of the time. She cares about her town only 
  as far as it is a place where she can do as she 
  pleases. Even when she remembers to collect it, 
  the low rent she charges has most of the town in 
  love with her. Thesbo and the townspeople all 
  drop what they are doing to assist her day or night, 
  and she cares about them when not involved in 
  her experiments. 
   
  In this particular case, Corianna feels more 
  involved than normal. Though no amount of sense 
  motive or diplomacy will get her to reveal this, she 
  talked to the girls about gathering some thistle and 
  nettles for an experiment of hers. She knew this 
  would take the girls close to the Rent and possibly 
  just into Sir Dempstren’s lands, but she felt 
  confident she could retrieve them unharmed 
  should they get caught. No one from Felton had 
  ever been killed by the Rent’s militia for wandering 
  onto the wilderness that surrounds the 25 square 
  mile estate within. 
   
  It was Sir Dempstren’s common practice, 
  though, to teach anyone naïve enough to wander 
  onto his lands to keep word out that his lands are 
  not to be traveled – usually with a good beating 
  and a fortnight or so in a rat infested tiny prison 
  cell. 
   
  There are rumors of those that passed the 
  inner ring of trespassing signs and were never 
  heard of again. 
   
  The Lady will provide any details that no one 
  else has provided up to this point. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 9 
  
  “The girls disappeared on the far east side of 
  Feltonwood. Blix, a local woodsman who lives 
  in the Littlewood, found some of their trail and 
  told me that the girls had gone out of Felton 
  lands. Unfortunately, after telling me he was 
  following them, he has disappeared as well. 
  Normally, I might call upon the militia, but I’ve 
  found 
  that 
  my 
  messages 
  have 
  gone 
  unanswered. 
   
  “So late last night I dispatched Thesbo 
  here to find a group of adventurers who might 
  help us in our hour of need. 
   
  “The girls are 13 and 14, and look like 
  sisters but are not. Both have Oeridian 
  features, with green eyes. Dewshelle is the 
  older, with dark hair and she was wearing dark 
  blue britches and a leaf green blouse. She also 
  would have a cloak with her, of gray wool. 
  Laurissa has light hair and was dressed in 
  gray wool hose and a brown over shirt. She 
  had a dark brown wool half cloak. 
   
  “They both work for the seamstress 
  Karmala. Besides wool fabrics and felt, we use 
  wool oils to make creams and fragrance soaps 
  and candles for all the courts of Nyrond. 
  Karmala is quite talented at making such 
  things, and has taught the girls how to gather 
  flowers, leaves, thistle, nettles, bark, and roots 
  to assist her in coloring and scenting the many 
  fabrics, soaps, oils, and waxes she produces. 
  It is not uncommon for the girls to be out two 
  or three times a month – typically all day and 
  into the early evening – gathering for the 
  seamstress’s work. The woods around Felton 
  in the past have been safe and, aside from a 
  lone wolf or a scared bear, there’s never been 
  much out there. 
   
  I am sure a capable group can pick up their 
  tracks and follow or find them. I’m afraid my 
  days of traipsing off into the woods are well 
  behind me. If Thesbo here could handle a 
  sword, I would have sent him already. 
  If asked about the lands beyond Feltonwood or if 
  questioned 
  directly 
  about 
  the 
  Rent, 
  Lady 
  Hystander will answer the PCs with such. 
  Beyond the woods to the east lay the lands of 
  Sir Dempstren. His lands are well marked and 
  the 
  outlying 
  wilderness 
  well 
  patrolled. 
  Dempstren is a wicked cad who is well 
  connected in Oldred and not one to be 
  reasoned with. Still, if his men had run across 
  the girls, he is not such a fiend as to not tell 
  us. Though getting the girls back would likely 
  cost me acreage. He’s always looking to 
  ‘acquire’ land where he can. 
  This is completely true as far as she knows. 
  About the Rent she’ll add: 
  The Rent is Sir Dempstren’s mine. How he 
  continues to coax coal out of that thing is 
  beyond everyone. He must have dug tunnels to 
  the bottom of Oerth by now. 
  Also true as far as Lady Hystander is concerned. 
   
  If asked about the seamstress, she will direct 
  them to her home noting that she would likely be 
  fast asleep now. See Appendix B - Felton if the 
  PCs visit the Seamstress, the Sheerhouse, the 
  Friar’s Chapel, Lady Hystander’s Estate, Thesbo’s 
  Burrow or the Old Captain’s Cave. 
   
  If asked about the situation in Nyrond, she’ll 
  provide little details. If asked about the society she 
  belongs to she’ll tell the PCs the following: 
  Lady Hystander draws closer to you and 
  lowers her voice. A fragrance about her of 
  spice and flowers fills your nose. “Yes, I am a 
  member of a certain group of sages. But at this 
  time, it is not something that is good to have 
  people talking about. I am not a seer or a sage 
  of power as others within the society are. I 
  work to keep Nyrond a place of knowledge and 
  learning and not on the more political tasks 
  like many of my fellow members. Even in these 
  dire times, I can not veer from my course lest 
  all knowledge will bleed from the land like the 
  blood that is sure to stain its battlefields.” 
  Lady Hystander is a member of the Sagacious 
  Society but is unsure of its status at this time. She 
  concentrates on keeping her library going at her 
  estate. It contains a huge wealth of knowledge 
  about many scientific, arcane, and natural 
  pursuits. Within the society, she is known as the 
  most knowledgeable on the subjects of alchemy 
  and nature outside of the AAAA and various 
  druidic circles. Thus she is often called on for this 
  knowledge, as the Society doesn’t like to involve 
  outside groups. 
  Encounter Four: Feltonwood 
  and the Vent 
  The PCs will need to track the girls to the Vent. It 
  hasn’t rained nor been particularly windy since 
  they disappeared. Also, the ranger was successful 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 10 
  
  in tracking the girls – adding to the available 
  tracks. 
   
  Tracking will take three successful DC 12 
  Track checks to follow the trail of girls to the Vent. 
  Each attempt in this particular case takes an hour. 
  If no one can track, it’s possible to succeed with 
  DC 17 Search checks. Each search check in this 
  case equates to two hours of searching. 
   
  If no one is particularly good at tracking or 
  searching, Thesbo can find the vent after three 
  hours of tracking. 
  The tracks from the girls and the ranger lead 
  you to a small clearing in the woods, 
  approximately fifty feet in diameter. It’s 
  obvious that the clearing is man-made as a 
  number of trees appear to have been chopped 
  down, and a couple of others have been 
  completely removed, roots and all. 
   
  In the middle of the clearing is a round hole 
  in the ground, ten feet in diameter. 
  If examined, a knowledge (nature) check, DC 15, 
  will reveal that the trees were chopped down less 
  than four months ago. A track check of DC 17 or a 
  search check of DC 22 will tell the party that the 
  girls and a booted medium sized person, probably 
  the Ranger Blix, approached the hole and didn’t 
  leave the area. 
   
  If anyone searches the clearing not looking for 
  tracks but something else, a DC 12 search check 
  will find a single bundle of fragrant flowers, 
  thistles, and nettles. 
   
  Eventually the PCs should approach the vent. 
  The hole is obviously man-made. There 
  appears to be some mortar and some worked 
  stone used to shore up the opening and the 
  walls of shaft, at least near the top. 
   
  While it isn’t possible to determine what 
  this hole is for, if it was in a town or near a 
  farm, a well would be a good guess. 
  A spot check of DC 15 or better from someone 
  with low-light or darkvision will see a place where 
  one of the sides of the vent caved in, about 25 feet 
  down. If not, anyone descending 5 feet or more 
  down into the shaft will see it easily. 
   
  The cave-in is easy to reach by knotted rope, 
  DC 5 climb check. There are plenty of trees and 
  tree stumps nearby that are perfect for tying a 
  rope to. 
  Trap: The area around the cave-in is unstable and 
  prone to further collapse. Anyone climbing through 
  the cave has a 20% chance of triggering it, with 
  the chance increasing an additional 20% for each 
  subsequent PC to go through. When it collapses 
  the PC who triggers it and anyone near the 
  entrance below, or anyone holding the rope below, 
  may take damage. 
  Additional Cave-in: CR 2; mechanical; touch 
  trigger; repair reset; Atk +10 melee (2d6, debris 
  and rocks); multiple targets (all targets in two 
  adjacent 5-ft. squares); Search DC 20; Disable 
  Device DC 20. Market Price: 2,400 gp. 
   
  The cave-in at 25 feet leads to Encounter 
  Five: The Cook, The Girl, The Witch, and her 
  Minion. 
   
  If the PCs wish to descend further, the shaft 
  goes down 120 feet before angling slightly and 
  then descends to 350 feet at a steep angle. At 
  about 130 feet the PCs find another opening and 
  the corpse of the dead Ranger. A DC 15 heal 
  check will show the ranger took some massive 
  falling damage but looks to have died from 
  something dining upon him. 
   
  The opening at 130 feet leads to Encounter 
  Six: Now for Something Scary. 
   
  If the PCs proceed past this opening a sense 
  of dread fills each of them. If they push further, 
  have them make a Will save starting at DC 10 and 
  adding 2 to the DC for each 10 feet of descent to 
  keep from succumbing to the evil dread of the 
  place. When they fail the PCs become frightened 
  of the vent for 3d6 hours. 
  Encounter Five: The Cook, 
  The Girl, The Witch, and Her 
  Minion 
  Beyond the opening is a dark, reinforced mine 
  tunnel, 10 feet wide and heading east from the 
  clearing. Along the tunnel are worked veins of 
  dark rock and one or two broken picks and 
  decrepit carts. The tunnel runs for 150 feet 
  before coming to a three-way junction. One of 
  the passages heads west-northwest, while the 
  other tunnel continues roughly east. 
  If the PCs take the path that leads west and 
  angling back, they will travel about 120 feet to a 
  dead end.  Seeing nothing more or less than the 
  same worked veins as the other abandoned 
  tunnel. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 11 
  
   
  If they proceed east, the tunnel runs on for 
  over 200 feet before a dim light appears ahead. 
  The light is from the slave barracks, area 3. 
  1. The Old Tunnel Entrance. The entrance to five 
  points (area 2) from this tunnel is partially boarded 
  up. A DC 15 Escape Artist check for a medium 
  sized PC will allow them to squeeze through. 
  Small PCs can get through with a DC 12 Escape 
  Artist check.  Otherwise, the boards will need to be 
  destroyed or removed. 
   
  Boarded-up mineshaft: 1 in. thick; hardness 
  5; hp 10; AC 5; Break DC 18. 
  See Judge’s Aid #3: Encounter 4 Map. 
  2. Five points. This is a grand junction of sorts in 
  the upper mines. From here the passages lead to 
  the slave barracks (area 3), the kitchen (area 4), 
  the corkscrew (area 5), the guard post (area 6). 
  The chamber beyond the boarded-up opening 
  is large, with a number of openings leading 
  away. All appear to lead towards lit areas, 
  except one that leads down a curving ramp 
  way. 
  3. Slave Barracks. No matter what time the PCs 
  arrive, this area will be empty of all save a pet rat 
  (non-combative). 
  This room is full of leaning and decrepit three 
  tier bunk beds with moldy, rotten-smelling 
  bedding. At first the place appears to be long 
  deserted. But footprints, a small fire pot, and 
  the privy against the far wall all look to be 
  recently used. 
  The PCs find nothing else of particular interest.  
  The rat likes only its master, and will not want to 
  be with the PCs.  Even if captured and some 
  means to communicate with it is found, it knows 
  nothing of value. 
  4. The Kitchen. 
  A short corridor of buttressed, loose dirt and 
  stone leads to a warm, well-lit kitchen area. 
  Working in front of the large hearth is an older 
  looking woman and a much younger girl. 
   
  The woman, with flan tattoos on her face, 
  turns to you and says, “Who are you? Did the 
  guards see you come in?” 
  The woman is Morgan the slave-cook for the 
  upper mines, while the girl is Dewshelle, one of 
  the missing girls from Felton. 
   
  If the PCs immediately tell them who they are, 
  Dewshelle will run up to them and grab hold of the 
  most warrior-looking woman first, or man second. 
  Should no one appear to be a warrior, she’ll run 
  up and approach the first PC. From this point on, 
  she will not leave this character’s side without a 
  DC 10 Diplomacy check from the chosen PC. With 
  this check she will hide in the back of the party or 
  wherever told to, but she will not leave the sight of 
  the one she is attached to. She will return to the 
  chosen PC’s side every ten or fifteen minutes 
  unless another check is made. A DC 20 check will 
  get her to do exactly what she is told for the rest of 
  the adventure. 
   
  If they don’t tell Morgan who they are, she’ll 
  send the girl into hiding behind a secret panel 
  (Spot DC 12 to see where and how to get to the 
  hiding spot) and call for the guards should one of 
  the PCs approach within 5 feet or should any PC 
  threaten her with force. 
   
  If Morgan calls the guards, it will take a DC 15 
  Diplomacy check to make Dewshelle leave 
  Morgan or the kitchen. Should the PCs not make 
  the check, the girl will demand the PC find her 
  friend to prove they are trustworthy. The calling of 
  the guards will summon Glerma and her Minion 
  (from area 6). 
   
  Assuming the PCs have not previously 
  defeated them at area 6, the adept and her minion 
  will arrive just before the PCs leave. 
  5. The Corkscrew. This is a round, downward-
  sloping ramp. A Knowledge (architecture & 
  engineering) or Intelligence check (DC 5) will 
  show that this construction is identical to the 
  design of the vent the PCs descended in 
  Encounter Four: Feltonwood and the Vent. This is 
  a new ramp way, the old way having long since 
  collapsed. 
  This passageway winds down, curving into the 
  depths like a corkscrew. At the top of the ramp 
  and every 50 feet beyond there’s a small oil pot 
  that can be lit to provide a dim light for many 
  hours. The walls are largely a patchwork of 
  mortar and worked stone and are of recent 
  construction. 
  Trap: About 75 feet along the corkscrew there’s a 
  razor wire across the ramp way. It’s positioned 
  directly between the second and third firepots and 
  is hard to see. Depending on the marching order, 
  one or two PCs will trip on it possibly taking 2d6 
  damage each. Once found it is easy to spot and 
  remove but cannot be replaced as it was, nor 
  recovered for later use. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 12 
  
  Razor-Wire across Hallway: CR 1; mechanical; 
  location trigger; no reset; Atk +10 melee (2d6, 
  wire); multiple targets (first target in each of two 
  adjacent 5-ft. squares); Search DC 18; Disable 
  Device DC 15. Market Price: 400 gp. 
  6. The Guard post. 
  The passageway beyond slopes upward and 
  comes to a small chamber. Beyond, through a 
  giant locked portcullis, is what appears to be 
  daylight. 
   
  Standing between you and the portcullis, 
  and turning to approach you, is a fierce 
  looking man with two funny curved swords 
  locked into his gauntlets. Behind him stands a 
  flan woman, strangely tattooed, and gesturing 
  the somatics of a spell. 
  APL 1 (EL 3) 
  My ‘Beloved’ Minion: Male Human War1; CR 1; 
  Medium humanoid; HD 1d8+2; hp 10; Init +0; Spd 
  20’ ft.; AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14; BAB/Grp: 
  +1/+2; Atk: +4 melee masterwork Kukri 1d4+1 (18-
  20,x2); Full Atk: +2/+2 melee masterwork Kukri 
  1d4+1 (18-20,x2); AL CE; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will 
  -2; Str 12, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 7 Cha 5. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Balance +2, Jump +5, 
  Tumble +4,Weapon Focus (Kukri); Two Weapon 
  Fighting 
  Equipment: Chain Mail, 2 Masterwork kukris, 
  locking gauntlets, Potion of Cure Light Wounds 
  (2). 
  Glerma, the Witch: Female Human War1/Adp2; 
  CR 3; Small humanoid; HD 1d8+2d6+3; hp 18; Init 
  +5; Spd 20’ ft.; AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18; 
  BAB/Grp: +2/+2; Atk: +2 melee Flail 1d8 or +3 
  ranged Light crossbow 1d8; SQ spells; AL CE; SV 
  Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +5; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, 
  Int 8, Wis 15 Cha 8. 
   
  Skills 
  and 
  Feats: 
  Concentration 
  +9, 
  Knowledge (religion) +1, Listen +2, Spellcraft +2, 
  Spot +2; Combat Casting; Improved Initiative 
   
  Spells Prepared (3/2; base DC = 12 + spell 
  level): 0—[cure minor wounds, touch of fatigue 
  (2)]; 1st—[bless, burning hands]. 
   
  Equipment: Banded Mail, Heavy Steel Shield, 
  Flail, Light Crossbow, Scroll of Sleep, Scroll of 
  Detect Good, Potion of Cure Light Wounds (2), the 
  note fragment 
  Tactics: Glerma will have overheard the PCs 
  approaching unless they use stealth, in which 
  case roll opposed Listen and Move Silently 
  checks.. If encountered in the Kitchen, she would 
  have been doing her rounds and overheard the 
  PCs and Morgan talking. In either case, she backs 
  away and then casts detect good from the scroll 
  (Listen check (DC 15) to hear her casting). If she 
  senses good nearby (all the slaves and the girls 
  are neutral), she will cast Bless and follow her 
  minion into battle. 
   
  Once in battle, she will cast sleep from the 
  scroll and then burning hands, if possible. She will 
  direct her minion in battle with commands like, “Kill 
  them, my Minion,” or “Be on them like the dog you 
  are, my Minion,” all the while cackling as witches 
  are wont to do. 
   
  If her minion falls, Glerma will exhaust all her 
  energy trying to seek revenge against  the 
  character who dealt the killing blow. During her 
  attacks when seeking vengeance she will say 
  things like, “You will die painfully for having killed 
  my beloved minion,” or, “I will kill you and raise 
  your corpse for killing my beloved minion.” 
  Development: Searching Glerma will reveal the 
  fragment of a note, “… our battle sister, please do 
  the Witches proud and protect the Rent’s secrets 
  for our allies. If you succeed, your lizard will await 
  you…”. The PCs can guess that she was a Witch 
  of the Bright (formerly the Witches of the Sands). 
  A DC 15 Knowledge (local - Nyrond Meta-Region) 
  check, given the clue above, will also provide this 
  information. 
   
  Once Glerma is vanquished, what twisted 
  relationship Glerma had with her minion will be a 
  mystery forever more. 
   
  Beyond this room is an exit from the mine.  
  This is but one entrance into the depths beneath 
  Sir Dempstren’s lands. This introductory mod 
  should not take the PCs out of the mines here. 
  Instead the PCs should get a sense that 
  something big is going on here beyond where they 
  can venture. 
   
  The Portcullis in the room is down and there’s 
  no way to open it from this side. Should the PCs 
  try to break or lift the Portcullis have the girls, if 
  present, try to persuade them otherwise. If the 
  girls are not present, have the cook arrive and 
  attempt the same thing. Beyond the portcullis are 
  seventy-five off-duty militiamen (War1) waiting to 
  take them to Sir Dempstren’s prison cells. The 
  PCs should survive, but will loose 8 TUs learning 
  not to trespass. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 13 
  
  Portcullis: 5 in. thick; hardness 10; hp 100; AC 5; 
  Break DC 35, Lift DC30. 
  Encounter Six:  
  Now for Something Scary 
  The lower mines smell of rot and decay. The 
  chill in the air turns your breath to wispy 
  vapors as you walk onwards. 
  Take this time to draw the map and have the PCs 
  place themselves on it. The PCs should find the 
  Laurissa shortly after. 
  As you turn a corner you see a small, dirty girl 
  hiding in a corner. Noticing you, she jumps up 
  and runs towards you, arms out and eyes 
  shedding tears. The girl’s shriek echoes down 
  the mine’s tunnels in all directions. 
  The two girls will shriek with delight at having been 
  reunited, nothing will stop them from doing this 
  except a silence spell. If both girls aren’t there, 
  Laurissa behaves exactly as Dewshelle did, 
  choosing a protector and sticking to them unless a 
  Diplomacy check (DC 15) is made. It will take a 
  DC 20 Diplomacy Check for her to do more than 
  hide behind the rearmost PC. 
   
  Alerted by the noise, a number of zombies will 
  approach and attempt to cut off the PCs path of 
  escape. The PCs will hear them approaching as 
  they reach the limit of the PCs’ vision. 
  APL 1 (EL 3) 
  Human Commoner Zombies (4): hp 11, 10, 9, 
  8; see Monster Manual page 266. 
  The Zombies each have a sack sewn to them that 
  contains 20 lbs of coal, each worth about 5 gp. In 
  one of the sacks is a small ruby, worth perhaps 
  200 gp, is mixed in with the ore. 
   
  If the PCs investigate this level fully or search 
  for the Ranger, they will find what remains of his 
  body. On the body of the ranger is a Masterwork 
  Longbow and potion of cure moderate wounds. 
  Conclusion 
  Following the path you came in and climbing 
  back up the vent, you easily find your way out 
  of the mine and back to Felton. Saving the 
  children from the evil in the tunnels seems like 
  a great feat, and a great tale you now can tell 
  when you need one. 
   
  The locals in Felton rejoice at the return of 
  the girls. The seamstress and Lady Hystander 
  seem especially happy that Dewshelle was 
  returned. 
  Assuming both girls are recovered, the Lady 
  Hystander provides a reward of 200 gp per party 
  member. 
   
  You spend enough time in this small quaint 
  village to trigger the urge to move on. The time 
  has come again to wander the road in search 
  of heroic deeds, brave tasks, and hidden 
  mysteries. It seems as if the world is full of 
  people in need. Some of your companions 
  wave goodbye while others stay with you as 
  you leave this task complete and begin the 
  search for the next one. 
   
  Coming down out of the Anodan hills, the 
  road 
  ahead 
  looks 
  promising. 
  Surely 
  somewhere up ahead is the adventure that will 
  turn you from fledgling hero, magician, or thief 
  and into the veteran warrior, great mage, or 
  daring rogue you have within you. Perhaps 
  just ahead you could earn your place in a tale 
  told in taverns, if you haven’t already. 
   
  The End 
  Experience Point Summary 
  To award experience for this adventure, add up 
  the values for the objectives accomplished. Then 
  assign the experience award.  Award the total 
  value (objectives plus roleplaying) to each 
  character. 
  Encounter Four 
  Survived or disarmed the additional 
   
  cave-in  
  60xp 
  Encounter Five 
  Defeated the Witch and her Minion 
  90xp 
  Survived or disarmed the razor wire trap 
  30xp 
  Encounter Six 
  Defeated the Zombies 
  90xp 
  Story Award 
  Found and returned Dewshelle 
  65xp 
  Found and returned Laurissa 
  65xp 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 14 
  
  Discretionary roleplaying award 
  0-50xp 
  Total possible experience: 
  450xp 
  Treasure Summary 
  During 
  an 
  adventure, 
  characters 
  encounter 
  treasure, usually finding it in the possession of their 
  foes.  Every encounter that features treasure has a 
  “treasure” section within the encounter description, 
  giving information about the loot, coins, and magic 
  items that make up the encounter’s treasure. 
   
  The loot total is the number of gold pieces each 
  character gains if the foes are plundered of all their 
  earthly possessions.  Looting the bodies takes at 
  least 10 minutes per every 5 enemies, and if the 
  characters cannot take the time to loot the bodies, 
  they do not gain this gold.  If you feel it is 
  reasonable that characters can go back to loot the 
  bodies, and those bodies are there (i.e., not carted 
  off by dungeon scavengers, removed from the 
  scene by the local watch, and so on), characters 
  may return to retrieve loot.  If the characters do not 
  loot the body, the gold piece value for the loot is 
  subtracted from the encounter totals given below. 
   
  The coin total is the number of gold pieces each 
  character gains if they take the coin available.  A 
  normal adventuring party can usually gather this 
  wealth in a round or so.  If for some reason, they 
  pass up this treasure, the coin total is subtracted 
  from the encounter totals given below. 
   
  Next, the magic items are listed.  Magic item 
  treasure is the hardest to adjudicate, because they 
  are varied and because characters may want to use 
  them during the adventure.  Many times characters 
  must cast identify, analyze dweomer or similar spell 
  to determine what the item does and how to 
  activate it.  Other times they may attempt to use the 
  item blindly.  If the magic item is consumable (a 
  potion, scroll, magic bolts, etc.) and the item is used 
  before the end of the adventure, its total is 
  subtracted from the adventure totals below. 
   
  Once you have subtracted the value for 
  unclaimed treasure from each encounter add it up 
  and that is the number of gold pieces a characters 
  total and coin value increase at the end of the 
  adventure.  Write the total in the GP Gained field of 
  the adventure certificate.  Because this is a 
  Regional scenario, characters may spend additional 
  Time Units to practice professions or create items 
  immediately after the adventure so this total may be 
  modified by other circumstances. 
   
  L = Looted gear from enemy; C = Coin, Gems, 
  Jewelry, and other valuables; M = Magic Items. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 15 
  
  Encounter Five 
  APL 2: L: 113 gp; C: 15 gp; Magic: potion of cure 
  light wounds (4) (4 gp each), scroll of sleep (2 gp): 
  18 gp 
  Encounter Six: 
   
  APL 2: L: 35 gp; C: 54 gp; Magic: potion of 
  cure moderate wounds (25 gp): 25gp 
  Conclusion: 
   
  APL 2: L: 0 gp; C: 200 gp; M: 0 gp 
  Total Possible Treasure 
  APL 2: L: 148 gp; C: 269 gp; M: 43 gp 
  Total: 450 gp 
  Special 
  Favor of Lady Hystander:  The Lady Hystander, 
  a member of the Sagacious Society owes you a 
  favor. You can use this favor at any time in Oldred 
  or Wragby to get +10 to a Diplomacy or Gather 
  Information check from regular citizens. Cross this 
  off once used. 
  Favor of Dewshelle: You have saved the young 
  girl Dewshelle from enslavement in the Rent. 
  Perhaps this will prove to be very important at 
  some point in the future. 
  Enmity of Sir Dempstren: Unbeknownst to the 
  PCs, Sir Dempstren has found out about their 
  excursion into the Rent – and that they know what 
  lurks in its deepest levels. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 16 
  
  Appendix A: ‘The Rent’ from The Marklands 
  The following is from The Marklands (pp 74), an older Greyhawk supplement that detailed Nyrond before 
  the Living Greyhawk campaign began. Dempstren supplied Lynwerd with his full due after he took the 
  throne, but is now in league with the new Emperor, Sewarndt. 
  It is assumed that the undead workers of the Rent have remained a well-kept secret until the start of this 
  adventure. It is not clear from the events of this adventure that Undead are extensively employed in the 
  mines of the Rent. 
  The Rent 
  A petty local landowner, Sir Pierell Dempstren, maintains a fortified mansion house and a powerful 50-
  strong militia in the lands here. His source of wealth is a coalmine. Veins of coal skirt around a geological 
  fault, the Rent, which gives the place its name and makes work here very hazardous. 
  Dempstren manages to supply Archbold with his full due, to avoid attention being closely paid to what he 
  does here. Dempstren wants to avoid attention because his workers are zombies and slaves. He secretly 
  buys slaves along the south coast, and he usually has them killed and then animated by his cousin, a 7th- 
  level priest of Nerull who escaped from Aerdi during the late stages of the war. 
  Obviously, Dempstren is desperate to keep the secret of his mine’s profitability. He is paranoid about any 
  intrusions into his lands. For around five miles in every direction around the mine, land is fenced off and 
  posted with signs reading, “Keep Out! Trespassers will be Impaled.” One or two senior militiamen know 
  what is happening within the mine, but they have kept quiet about this … so far. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 17 
  
  Appendix B: Felton 
  The following is provided to flesh out the small 
  town of Felton. It is not necessary to use any of 
  the following in the introductory adventure. 
  History 
  Lady Hystander inherited these lands over forty 
  years ago from her father, a younger brother to 
  a Count from a County that no longer exists. Her 
  lands, which had been handed down at least six 
  generations, are unquestioned mostly because 
  they are remote and small. At the time the land 
  came into her family, the only inhabitants were 
  Thesbo’s grandfather and about 200 sheep. 
   
  Through five generations, the 
  Hystanders did little more than build 
  a country Estate to escape to in 
  times of rainy weather along the 
  coast. In the years since, the Lady 
  has acted occasionally to build up 
  the town attracting various trades 
  people and a priest to help her keep 
  her coffers from emptying. The small 
  taxes she collects from the trade of 
  wool, felt, fabrics, sheep, soaps, oils, 
  and creams has offset most of her 
  costs in recent years and even 
  started to show a profit recently. 
  Felton 
  (thorp): 
  Conventional; 
  AL: 
  CG; 
  500gp; Assets 250,000gp; 
  Population 
  216; 
  Mixed 
  (Human 14; Half-orc 1; 
  Halfling 
  1; 
  Half-elf 
  1; 
  Gnome 3, Sheep 200) 
   
  Authority 
  Figures: 
  Lady Corianna Hystander, 
  female human Wiz8 (Sigil 
  of Felton). 
   
  Important Characters: 
  Thesbo Hinkleherd, male 
  gnome 
  Wiz1/Exp3 
  (Shepherd, 
  Jack-of-all 
  Trades), Friar Denbrook 
  Squib, male human Clr1 
  (Friar of Wenta, drunk), 
  Whoshy 
  Whisser 
  Wassleton, Exp3 (Owner, 
  Undercoat Inn), Karmala 
  Fessel, 
  human 
  female, 
  Exp2 
  (Seamstress 
  of 
  Felton), Crassen Squib, 
  human 
  male, 
  Exp3 
  (Sheerer of Felton) 
   
  Temples: 
  Wenta 
  (Friar Squib’s Chapel)
   
  The Lady’s title, Sigil of Felton, is 
  a family office held by her oldest 
  known relative and was handed 
  down to at least one in each 
  subsequent generation. Though the 
  origin of title is unknown, it comes 
  with 
  documentation 
  that 
  legally 
  allows her to be addressed as Lady 
  in the Courts of Nyrond. The build up 
  of the town or the affairs of the Court 
  is 
  of 
  minor 
  concern 
  to 
  Lady 
  Hystander, 
  though 
  she 
  takes 
  ownership of the land very seriously 
  and travels to court for all the major 
  events. 
   
  The real task of the Lady is the maintenance 
  and subsequent build up of her family’s library of 
  tomes and scrolls housed within her Estate 
  related to herbs, plants, animals, and alchemical 
  combinations and having fun discovering new 
  mixtures and potent reformulations. 
   
  As a youth and as a student of magic 
  Corianna was rather unusual. Where most 
  sages and alchemists are slaves to study and 
  reading, Lady Hystander was more inspirational 
  in her experiments. Instead of studying texts 
  endlessly for small excruciating details about 
  how to mix perfect formulas, she would rush into 
  an alchemical recipe with little regard for such 
  things looking for something new. Where most 
  found disaster in such activity, she found 
  enlightenment. This style and her creativity 
  earned her respect in learned circles, and she 
  was approached about twenty years ago to join 
  the Sagacious Society. 
   
  She withdrew from adventuring and has 
  concentrated on some of the more public 
  functions of the Society, that of 
  protecting 
  the 
  knowledge 
  and 
  scholarly history of Nyrond. Not 
  very political, Lady Hystander has 
  avoided involvement in many of the 
  more covert tasks the Society has 
  undertaken 
  over 
  the 
  years 
  choosing instead to be a quiet 
  benefactor 
  training 
  future 
  alchemists and naturalists. Lately, 
  she’s been rather upset with the 
  Society leadership for not coming 
  to her for a cure to Xenia’s 
  condition and instead reaching out 
  to the AAAA. 
   
  Lady Hystander’s creative style 
  of alchemy is reflected in the off-
  color patchwork of people living in 
  the town of Felton. See Lady 
  Hystander’s 
  Estate 
  below 
  for 
  additional details. 
  Geography 
  Felton is located about 10 miles 
  north of the road between Wragby 
  and Oldred, deep in the Anodan 
  Hills. The town is situated on the 
  cool north-facing side of a 600 foot 
  tall mound the locals call Felt Hill. 
   
  The Koren Creek runs through the town but 
  is dry ten months out of the year, filling to the 
  brink in the early spring and declining to a trickle 
  before summer. 
   
  Woods dot the Anodan hills in this part. 
  Mostly made of stout digger pines and low scrub 
  bushes, the woodlands and the long grasses 
  that cover most of the mountains here are prone 
  to fire in early winter. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 18 
  
  See Judge’s Aid #1: Felton Town Map. 
  The Undercoat Inn 
  This building looks like a gigantic wine or beer 
  barrel sticking halfway out of the ground. 
  Whoshy Whisser Wassleton is the half-orc 
  proprietor. See Encounter Two: The Undercoat 
  Inn for a thorough description of it’s interior.  
  Friar Squib’s Chapel of Wenta 
  This small white building features a wobbly 
  looking twelve-foot tall steeple. Atop the 
  steeple is a weathervane with a man running 
  on one side and a frothy mug on the other. In 
  even light winds, the illusion that the man is 
  chasing the mug is quite complete. 
   
  Inside through two swinging doors are 
  two small round tables, a couple of broken 
  chairs, and an old bar. 
  Friar Squib was brought to Felton through his 
  Brother, Crassen the sheerer. He was a junior 
  brewer at his previous temple and was looking 
  to spread the word of Wenta, lesser deity of 
  Harvest and Brewing. He built this chapel 
  himself over thirty years ago. Like many Priests 
  of Wenta, he’s a good-hearted but not very 
  industrious fellow. He has concentrated his 
  further studies of Wenta mostly by celebrating 
  with beer. 
   
  The chapel is 10 foot square with a small 5 
  foot square room off the back (enter from 
  outside). Searching closely (DC 10), the place 
  seems to have been broken up in a fight of 
  some sort. Scattered on the floor is broken glass 
  and splinters of wood. Behind the bar in a 
  locked strong box (Open Lock check, DC 12) 
  are a light mace and fifteen copper pieces. 
  Hiding in some cobwebs are five old steel 
  flagons and one wooden mug. 
   
  A tiny room off the back of the chapel 
  contains a small bed that the Friar used to fit in. 
  A book can be found under the straw mattress 
  (Search DC 12) entitled, Songs of Drinking and 
  Prayer. This is a classic Wentan devotional text 
  (Knowledge Religion DC 15 to determine this). 
   
  Friar Squib used to run the only tavern in 
  town out of this chapel until he had a big fight 
  with his brother the sheerer. Subsequently, 
  Whoshy opened the Undercoat Inn with Friar 
  Squib’s blessing. 
  Seamstress Karmala 
  This 
  small 
  thatched 
  roof 
  building 
  is 
  constructed out of what appears to be the 
  earth itself. The walls of the building, that 
  from a distance appeared to be a rich green, 
  are covered with a deep thick growth of 
  grass. 
   
  Outside the front door, a sheep is tied up 
  to hitch. 
  Karmala [Exp2] will immediately be aware of 
  anyone entering her shop and will greet him or 
  her before they get out of the front room. She is 
  young and attractive, yet single. She is not 
  looking for a man as she enjoys what she does 
  and thinks (perhaps rightly) that a man will take 
  what she earns and work her to the bone. Lady 
  Hystander allows her to run her business as a 
  single woman. 
   
  Karmala speaks ten languages, and likes to 
  address 
  Elves, 
  Gnomes, 
  Half-Orcs, 
  Flan, 
  Rhennee, and Suel in their native tongue. She is 
  quite charming and perceptive [Cha 16 with a +8 
  diplomacy and sense motive]. 
   
  If asked about the girls, she will provide the 
  following small additional details: 
  • 
  The girls usually go west this time of year, 
  but decided to go east this time. 
  • 
  She has spent many days in the Feltonwood 
  and 
  has 
  never 
  seen 
  anything 
  more 
  dangerous than a skunk. Though, they are 
  dangerous in their own way. 
  • 
  They are great girls, both are smart and 
  both carry a dagger when they go into the 
  woods, just in case. 
  • 
  Neither of the girls is related to her. She 
  took them in as requested by Lady 
  Hystander with the condition if they didn’t 
  behave and help with her work, they couldn’t 
  stay. Both have worked out, though she 
  thinks Dewshelle is growing bored with the 
  work. 
  • 
  She knows most of the details of the people 
  in town but will not share it with the PCs in 
  the first couple of days of knowing them. 
  • 
  She hopes Blix is okay, as his leg is bad and 
  he’s hardly ever sober these days. 
  • 
  She does not like the sheerer or his brother 
  the Friar and will tense slightly and change 
  to a stern tone when talking about them. 
  Both of the brother’s have acted like she 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 19 
  
  should 
  consider 
  them 
  as 
  a 
  potential 
  husband since she met them, yet neither 
  holds any interest for Karmala. As a result, 
  over the years, the two men have come to 
  grate on her nerves and finally simply set 
  her off if they try being nice to her, which 
  they do all the time. 
   
  The seamstress’s wares are largely normal 
  fare but she can sell the PCs cold weather gear 
  that’s super-soft in any number of colors for the 
  regular price in the PHB. 
   
  From the outside, the place looks like it 
  might be a mere 30 feet long and 15 feet deep. 
  But the structure’s rooms extend an additional 
  30 feet into the hillside. 
   
  The front room is a large space 30 feet wide 
  and 10 feet deep. The room is full of samples of 
  various sorts on shelves and tables. Cloth in 
  scores of shades, fabrics rough to feather soft 
  are on one end, while the other is full of cloaks, 
  robes, hose, leggings, caps, heavy shirts and 
  other articles of clothing and outerwear made of 
  wool. Finally a series of inset shelves in the 
  back wall feature soaps, oils, and creams that 
  smell like flowers, a crisp summer day, or a 
  fragrant spring shower. 
   
  Two doors lead back, one to two small 
  bedrooms, another to a large workshop 20 feet 
  wide and 40 feet deep. 
  This room is full of machines for creating 
  cloth. Looms and odd weaving contraptions 
  fill most of the rear. Cauldrons that make 
  thick bubbling noises and smell almost like 
  lanterns burning surround a fireplace near 
  the front. 
  Anyone with Craft (alchemy) can try a check 
  (DC 11) to determine that the cauldrons are full 
  of a base for ointments. 
  The Sheerhouse and the Sheerer 
  During the day, anyone approaching the sheer 
  house will see the following. 
  A large, long structure comes into view as 
  the smell of animals fills your nose. In front 
  of the building, close to the trail, a man and 
  two older boys are in a pen sheering a very 
  reluctant sheep. 
  Crassen, the sheerer, is a vicious looking man. 
  It’s hard to believe at first glance that this is the 
  Friar’s brother. Subsequently, an Intelligence 
  check (DC 15) will lead a PC to suspect this 
  even if PCs do not know. 
   
  He will greet the PCs amicably and talk with 
  the PCs enjoying a pleasant diversion. Crassen 
  always wanted to be an adventurer but never 
  committed to the life. He fell back on the 
  profession of his Uncle and began sheering 
  sheep when he was fifteen. He’s an expert at it, 
  and can do it with his eyes close. The two boys 
  are apprentices, Kellem and Brickle. 
   
  If 
  at 
  anytime 
  the 
  PCs 
  mention 
  the 
  seamstress, he will perk up and ask about her, 
  and bring the conversation back to the topic 
  often. If any of the PCs say she is lovely or nice, 
  he will get jealous and will become less 
  talkative. 
   
  Crassen does not like Thesbo. He’s plainly 
  jealous of the gnome and the fact that in recent 
  years the Lady has used him for many errands 
  he would have liked. If Thesbo is brought up, 
  he’ll make sure to use an expression like, “that 
  lazy gnome,” or, “that lay about.” 
  He knows the following about the girls and the 
  situation: 
  • 
  The girls were both hard workers. 
  • 
  It seems like Dewshelle was the favorite, 
  though. Lady Hystander had him send one 
  of his apprentices to fetch her on a number 
  of occasions, but never Laurissa. 
  • 
  He would go looking for them himself, but 
  Lady Hystander assured him she would find 
  someone to find the girls. 
  • 
  Feltonwood may not be dangerous, but he’s 
  seen plenty of ogres, and other foul 
  creatures in the Anodan Hills. 
  • 
  Lady Hystander is great to him. She’s 
  helped him though tough times and even 
  brought in druids to heal his flock once. 
  • 
  The Rent is a very dangerous place. He 
  wandered out of the Eastern edge of 
  Feltonwood once and found a fence over 
  there with signs. The signs said, “Keep out! 
  Trespassers 
  and 
  adventurers 
  will 
  be 
  impaled, then burned.” 
  Thesbo Hinkleherd’s Burrow 
  A small bump in the hill ahead features a 
  round door and two windows. A small 
  chimney sticks out of the top. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 20 
  
  If the PCs arrive here anytime after the first 
  night, Thesbo will be inside drinking warm apple 
  cider and smoking his pipe. 
   
  The west wing is a large library, two stories 
  tall. The lower level is full of the usual books one 
  might find in a small city library [20,000 gp 
  value]. 
  All 
  are 
  well 
  kept. 
  The 
  librarian, 
  Esmerelda [Wiz5], will always be here if the PCs 
  are here. 
  Thesbo is prone to lying, and some of the lies he 
  will tell the PCs are detailed in the Introduction. 
  The Old Captain’s Cave 
   
  The upper level of the library is a series of 
  glass-fronted shelves contains numerous rare 
  books and old scrolls dating back as far as the 
  Ur-flan period [150,000 gp value]. The cabinets 
  are all well locked (DC 35). 
  A rough cave opening ahead catches your 
  eye. Just within a plaster wall ends the 
  tunnel with a narrow, human-sized doorway. 
  The door is unlocked. 
   
  The east wing is a laboratory. It contains an 
  alchemical laboratory [2,500 gp value] as well as 
  a golem works [25,000 gp value], though no 
  golems are currently under construction nor 
  have they been for a number of years. 
   
  The captain is never here. But his old 
  journals are. If the PCs read them, recount the 
  story the Captain tells in Encounter 3: The 
  Undercoat Inn. 
  Lady Hystander’s Estate 
   
  There is no basement. 
  Atop the hill nestled in small grove of apple 
  trees is a large house. A line of trees leads 
  along the side to the barn. 
   
  At any time of the year there is at least one 
  visiting scholar [wiz3] using the library and at 
  least two alchemists [wiz2 or clr5] using the 
  laboratory. All are involved in studies or tasks for 
  the Sagacious Society. 
  Ringing the house is a series of large 
  green stone boulders. Although they look to 
  be half in the ground, they are still over 
  seven feet tall. 
   
  The stones that ring the house are made of 
  a 
  strange 
  green 
  stone 
  that 
  creates 
  a 
  dimensional anchor effect within most of the 
  town. Except for the finely tuned mirror, no 
  conjurations nor scrying or other divinations can 
  penetrate the ring itself. Any spells that detect 
  magic, see invisible creatures, or see magical 
  auras will simply not work in or around the 
  Estate. 
  Day or night the stable hand will hear the PCs 
  approach and help them if they need help with 
  their mounts. 
   
  If the PCs knock at the door, the Lady’s 
  Butler, Orison, will answer. He knows his name 
  is a type of spell but he’s a dry serious fellow 
  who talks slowly and properly when talking with 
  guests. 
   
  At night the grounds are patrolled by three 
  arcane 
  watchdogs, 
  from 
  the 
  spell 
  Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound, as cast by a 
  16th-level caster. The Hounds will approach and 
  attack any evil person on the grounds or anyone 
  stupid enough to be forcing entry into the Estate. 
  They have free roam and can enter and exit the 
  house at will through any wall. Only under the 
  most criminal, nearly evil circumstance should 
  these hounds come into play. 
   
  The central part of the house contains a 
  sitting parlor for guests; a sizable room that 
  could have once been used for entertaining but 
  currently contains a standing mirror covered with 
  a sheet. This room is warded and a wall of force 
  that will drop only for the Lady protects its 
  doorways. The mirror allows Lady Hystander to 
  talk with other members of the Sagacious 
  Society. Upstairs contains two large guest 
  bedrooms and a large suite with a small study 
  for the Lady. 
   
   
  There are three wings to the house. 
   
  The rear wing contains a dining room 
  capable of seating 20 people. It looks to 
  currently be set for seven. Behind the dining 
  room is a large kitchen that is mostly unused. A 
  cook and a maid will usually be here preparing 
  meals. Above the kitchen are five small rooms 
  that serve as servant’s quarters. 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 21 
  
   Judge’s Aid #1: Felton Town Map 
   
   
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 22 
  
  Judge’s Aid #2: The Vent (Side view) 
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 23 
  
  Judge’s Aid #3: Encounter 4 Map 
   
   
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 24 
  
  Judge’s Aid #4: The Lower Mines 
   
   
  A Tale to Tell in Taverns 
   
  Page 25 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/3rd Edition (3.x)/RPGA/Living Greyhawk/Nyrond and Her Environs/Nyrond/NYR5-A01 - A Tale to Tell in Taverns.pdf