TEXT: 1
  Base of
  operations
  CREDITS
  Design: 
  Ed Stark
  Copyediting: 
  Jesse Decker
  Cartography:
  Ian R. Malcomson
  Graphic Design: 
  Sean Glenn, Cynthia Fliege
  Web Production: 
  Sue Weinlein Cook
  Web Development
  Mark A. Jindra and Doug Beyer
  Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game by
  E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  INTRODUCTION
  Base of Operations is a short adventure intended for
  four 5th-level characters. DMs can easily modify the
  adventure to suit higher- or lower-level adventurers, or
  larger or smaller parties of adventurers. Simply adding
  a few monsters to every encounter area makes the
  adventure more challenging for larger parties, and
  adding levels to any of the humanoids can make them
  more of a threat to high-level groups. For low-level
  adventurers, make the relationship between the two
  factions within Brightstone Keep more strained, and
  take away a few monsters from each group. You can
  remove levels from some of the humanoids in the
  adventure to make it a lower-level challenge, but it is
  important that the orc cleric (described in encounter
  area 8) still have the ability to animate the dead. Still, he
  can have fewer minions around him when encoun-
  tered, and that makes him less of a challenge for a low-
  level party.
  ADVENTURE
  BACKGROUND
  The PCs are not initially privy to all the background
  material, but they should know some of it if they are
  locals or if they can discover it without much trouble.
  What the PCs know:
  • Brightstone Keep is an abandoned castle about a
  day’s march (for characters with an average speed
  of 30; mounted characters go faster, and small
  characters or those in heavy armor go slower)
  outside of the large town of Marikest. (DM’s can
  use any large town in their campaigns instead of
  Marikest.)
  • In the old days, Brightstone Keep guarded a
  mining settlement, but humanoids overran the
  area. Recently, an army drove back the humanoids
  and the people of Marikest hoped Brightstone
  Keep would be rebuilt and used to watch the fron-
  tier—but the army has moved on, leaving the keep
  unoccupied.
  • The townsfolk worry that humanoids or other
  monsters will return to Brightstone Keep and use
  it as a base of operations to raid Marikest. The
  army’s presence has kept the humanoids at bay so
  far, but everyone knows the wars have moved on.
  
  2
  What the PCs don’t know:
  • Brightstone Keep has already found new owners.
  An orc cleric by the name of Kurjan Sawtooth has
  rallied a small band of orcs and brought them to
  the keep.
  • Kurjan has suborned two powerful trolls into his
  service and looks to recruit other monstrous allies
  in an effort to actually rebuild and occupy the
  keep—he is much more ambitious than previous
  owners of the keep.
  • Kurjan is a necromancer, a worshiper of Wee Jas,
  and a creator of undead. He hopes to raid Marikest
  and its surrounding farms, animate the dead his
  followers bring back, and use them to take over the
  town and make its people his slaves.
  What no one knows:
  • Brightstone Keep got its name from the mines,
  and not because iron ore could be found there.
  Deep in the mines lie many valuable gemstones.
  Kurjan, who uses the mines mainly as a storage
  area for the undead he creates, has no knowledge
  of this, and would be overjoyed if he did (animat-
  ing undead is an expensive proposition).
  THE LARGE TOWN OF
  MARIKEST
  ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS
  Base of Operations is a site-based adventure that is
  designed to be either very brief (one or two sessions) or
  part of an ongoing campaign. Player characters have
  the opportunity to save a town from a horrible fate, rid
  the world of a vile necromancer, and find a little wealth
  in the meantime. Or, if the DM wishes, the adventure
  allows for player characters to set themselves up in
  their own “base of operations” and become permanent
  members of a community.
  • Marikest: The starting point for the adventure, the
  PCs may learn a little more about Brightstone
  Keep’s history and the townsfolk’s fears here, and
  they might use it as a place to retreat once or twice
  if things go wrong for them in the field.
  • The Road to the Keep: Fairly well marked (by the
  army that left a few months ago), this area attracts
  the occasional dangerous creature or party of brig-
  ands.
  • Brightstone Keep: Inhabited by orcs, trolls, and a
  few other nasty creatures—not to mention some
  newly-created undead—this site provides the
  setting for the final battle.
  CHARACTER HOOKS
  Player characters can find Brightstone Keep easily,
  simply by following the Mountain Road out of Marik-
  est to the northeast. The PCs can be drawn into the
  adventure by the following methods (which are mutu-
  ally compatible, should the DM wish to employ differ-
  ent means for each character).
  It’s an Adventure: The PCs have heard of the army’s
  departure and Marikest’s concerns about rampaging
  humanoids and other monsters. They’ve heard Bright-
  stone Keep may become a haven for evil again, and they
  wish to stop that from happening.
  A Friend in Need: One of the sheriff’s guards is an old
  friend (perhaps a retired adventuring companion or
  Only a day’s march from Brightstone Keep,
  Marikest finds itself uncomfortably near the fron-
  tier. Most of its able-bodied men and women went
  off with the army that recently departed, leaving it
  with only a small force of sheriffs to patrol the
  entire community. The large town follows the
  rules noted for a community of its size in the Dun-
  geon Master’s Guide, Chapter 4.
  Marikest (large town): Conventional; AL NG,
  3000 gp limit; Assets, 150,000 gp; Population 3,300;
  Mixed (human 80, halfling 9, elf 5, dwarf 3, gnome
  2, half-elf 1).
  Authority Figures: Town Council Speaker Ger-
  rard Ishkar (male human Ari8), Town Council
  members Hubrid Darkfather (male dwarf, Exp5
  “blacksmith”) and Sara Ty-Djarling (female half-elf,
  Brd8).
  Important Characters: Reg Ty-Djarling, male elf,
  Rgr5 (sheriff ); Lorren, male human Clr9
  (Pelor/healer); Makkal of Psen, male dwarf
  Mnk3/Rog3 (adventurer)
  Others: Sheriff’s guards, War2 (30); Traders and
  Craftsmen, Exp3 (40); Rog3 (12); Rgr3 (2); Com1
  (3210)
  
  3
  former hireling) and contacts the PCs on the town’s
  behalf. The sheriff, Reg Ty-Djarling, has lost nearly all
  his guards to the departing army and has his hands full
  keeping the peace around town. He has no guards to
  spare for an investigation of Brightstone Keep (even
  though the Town Council is extremely worried). He’s
  willing to pay a group of adventurers 100 gp each (600
  gp maximum) to go to the Keep, scout around, and
  report back with any useful information.
  A Soldier’s Tale: The PCs learn of Brightstone Keep
  while in a town other than Marikest. A drunken old
  soldier, recently stationed in Brightstone Keep (“a run-
  down, broken old castle if I ever saw one!”) tells them a
  legend of fabulous treasure to be found in the mines
  behind and below the keep. He says that he actually
  went into the mines (completely against orders—the
  shafts are dangerous and unstable) and shows the PCs a
  large, uncut gem (worth about 50 gp) that he says he
  found there. Unfortunately, his unit was ordered out of
  the area before he could explore the mines any more.
  INFORMATION
  GATHERING IN
  MARIKEST
  The people of Marikest are still recovering from the
  departure of the army and haven’t really gotten used to
  the idea that they are now on the frontier of civilized
  lands. Most who come to that realization either con-
  sider moving west (following the army) or go to the
  Town Council and demand that someone do some-
  thing about the safety of their community. This infor-
  mation is common knowledge, and if the PCs spend an
  evening in any one of a number of taverns sprinkled
  throughout this community (there was an army here
  recently, after all), they’ll hear it first hand.
  Should anyone in the party actually seek information
  about Brightstone Keep, they can learn the following
  through the use of a few skills (or through roleplaying,
  at the DM’s discretion):
  • Gather Information (DC 10): Brightstone Keep
  originally housed about 100 troops. It sits on a
  hollow or a plateau partway up one of the larger
  mountains in the nearby range. From the towers of
  the keep, one has a commanding view of the entire
  valley around Marikest.
  • Gather Information (DC 15): When the army
  pulled out of the area around Marikest, many of
  the most talented folk went with it—and a lot of
  “scum” stayed behind. Marikest’s guards are
  concerned about a rise in crime, and banditry on
  the road is almost too much for them to handle.
  • Gather Information (DC 25): A few people have
  gone out to Brightstone Keep in the last few
  weeks, and some of them haven’t returned.
  Rumors of undead and ghosts walking the walls of
  the keep have started circulating through the
  town.
  • Listen (DC 20): In a tavern, one (or more) of the
  PCs overhear a dwarf (Makkal of Psen; see
  “Additional Help” sidebar) and two men talking
  about a “raid” and how they should “stay away from
  the east quarter”.
  Talking to some of the important people of Marikest
  (particularly the Town Council, the Sheriff, and the
  Cleric of Pelor) reveals the mood of the town and the
  urgency they feel. The Council also has a map of Bright-
  stone Keep they will show to anyone who appears seri-
  ous about going out there and taking care of their prob-
  lem. (The DM can decide if the PCs appear serious, or
  have them make a Diplomacy check at a DC of 10.) The
  DM can sketch a copy of the map included with this
  adventure; it was provided (in haste) by the sergeant in
  charge of the squad that manned the Keep during the
  army’s occupation of the area. It should not give away
  too many details about Brightstone Keep except its gen-
  eral layout.
  ADDITIONAL HELP
  One way the DM can adjust the difficulty of this
  adventure is to provide a little added help to the
  PCs—or a small, added hindrance. This can come
  in the form of some of the NPCs found around the
  town. Use the NPC tables in Chapter 2 of the
  DMG to flesh out any of these characters.
  Reg Ty-Djarling: If the PCs are seriously under-
  manned or underpowered, Reg could accompany
  them to Brightstone Keep. He should only come
  along if the DM feels the PCs will be completely
  overmatched without his aid, however, as he is a
  5th-level character and has a connection with the
  cleric of the town (either his wife or his sister;
  DM’s choice). If the PCs only need a bit of a boost,
  he might be persuaded to hire out one of his 3rd-
  level lieutenants.
  
  4
  ON THE ROAD
  Once the PCs decide to go to Brightstone Keep, the
  DM can either hurry them through the wilderness
  along the well-marked road, or throw in a few travel-
  ling encounters. If the PCs need a little more XP before
  they are ready to face Kurjan and his band, throw in a
  few CR 3 and CR 4 encounters along the road. If they
  are perhaps too tough, you might choose to wear them
  down a little with encounters of the same level—not
  enough to make them turn back or rest before arriving
  at the keep, but enough to deplete a few resources.
  Use the tables in the back of the Monster Manual,
  “Monsters Ranked by Challenge Ratings,” to design any
  additional encounters you feel are necessary. Dire ani-
  mals, wolves, and magical beasts all inhabit the lands
  around the keep, and they are just starting to emerge
  from hiding—hungry—after the departure of the
  army. As mentioned above, small groups of deserters
  have become brigands on the road, and it is also pos-
  sible a few of Kurjan’s undead may have gotten loose.
  BRIGHTSTONE KEEP
  Built many years ago to protect a small mining con-
  cern, Brightstone Keep was just too far out on the fron-
  tier for anyone to protect when the wars began. As a
  result, it was assaulted, overrun by evil humanoids, and
  abandoned. Recently, the armies of civilization drove
  back the creatures that occupied the Keep, but it still
  has that same old problem—location, location, loca-
  tion.
  To a rising young orc necromancer named Kurjan
  Sawtooth, Brightstone Keep is located in the perfect
  place. On the edge of civilization, it will provide him a
  perfect stepping-stone into power. With a small band of
  humanoids at his beck and call, a few trollish allies, and
  the magical ability to animate undead, Kurjan is ready
  to rise to true power.
  Should the PCs approach the keep during the day-
  time, they see it long before they actually reach it.
  Approaching Brightstone Keep is a task that must be
  done carefully. If the PCs choose to climb the mountain
  road up to the plateau, they walk right into the teeth of
  the keep’s defenses—but they may not think of any
  other way.
  Cimbing: To either side of the man-made ramp lead-
  ing up to the plateau is a sharp drop. The lower cliff
  walls are extremely steep and not at all easy to traverse
  (Climb DC 30 because the natural rock is slippery). The
  orcs in the guard towers (see encounter areas 1, 2, and
  3) have an additional –2 modifier to Spot them (plus
  distance modifiers), and certain towers may be shielded
  from sight. For example, if the PCs climb up the cliff to
  the east of the road, only the orcs in Tower #3 have any
  chance of noticing them.
  Should the PCs try climbing up the mountain and
  descending toward the keep, the Climb DC is 15 on the
  way up the sides of the mountain, but 30 when
  descending to the plateau. It is possible the orcs from
  Towers #1 and #3 might see them doing this (such a
  climb would take a long time), but Spot checks would
  be made at a –4 (plus distance modifiers).
  Flying: If the PCs are high enough level to cast the fly
  spell, or if they have other means of flying, they can
  approach the keep from just about any angle. They can
  also be seen from a variety of angles, and the DM will
  have to judge how easy or hard it will be for the orcs to
  Spot them.
  Walking: Oddly enough, the walking approach isn’t
  all that terrible. The orcs in Towers #2 and #3 aren’t
  expecting anyone to come out of the west (unless the
  DM wishes to employ the “Makkal of Psen” option and
  he somehow sneaks off to warn them).
  Makkal of Psen: Makkal, on the other hand, is an
  added “wrinkle” the DM may want to throw into
  the plot. He is a spy for the local brigands with an
  eye toward power of his own. He cannot abide orcs
  and hopes to see Kurjan defeated, but he wants to
  explore the mines and take the keep for himself. If
  the DM wants to add some intrigue to the adven-
  ture, have the lawful evil Makkal accompany the
  PCs and try to put them in a position where they
  and Kurjan destroy each other.
  A high mountain rises before you. Its snow-
  tipped peaks look high enough to touch the
  clouds, but the road winds up its ever-steepening
  slopes until the path reaches a plateau, sheltered
  beneath the mountain’s shoulders. There, tiny
  against the backdrop of stone and ice, lies Bright-
  stone Keep.
  
  5
  ENCOUNTER AREAS
  Humanoids lurk in every section of Brightstone Keep,
  but there are a finite number of enemies for the PCs to
  face.
  1-3. The Towers (EL 5)
  Each tower has three levels: a ground floor, a middle
  floor, and a top floor or roof. Built to house active
  guards for the keep, the orcs inhabiting these struc-
  tures have turned them into squalid living areas. The
  ground and second floor areas each have arrow slits
  that look outside the keep, and the top floor is pro-
  tected by a crenelated wall (but no roof).
  Creatures: Eight orc guards man each tower, and each
  tower is commanded by an orc sergeant (War3). During
  the daytime, one or two orcs stand miserably on the
  tower roof, squinting in the sunlight, while the rest of
  the orcs sleep inside the towers. At night, two more
  watchful sentries man each tower and the rest of the
  orcs can be found anywhere within the towers, on the
  walls, or in the courtyard. At least one sergeant patrols
  the walls at this time, keeping the guards on their toes.
  All the towers are well-stocked with javelins (at least
  48 in each tower), and any guards on wall patrol or at
  the top of the towers have at least two on hand.
  Orc guards (24): hp 6 (x6), 4 (x12), 2 (x6)
  Orc sergeants (3): hp 26, 23, 20
  The orcs all have standard personal treasure. The sergeants
  each have a potion of cure light wounds in addition to what-
  ever other treasure they are carrying.
  If the PCs manage to get into one of the towers (espe-
  cially during the daytime), it is unlikely that even a
  loud fight will draw the orcs from the other towers. The
  orcs often fight amongst themselves, and each sergeant
  has learned not to “butt in” during territorial disputes.
  If a fight goes on for a long time, or something unto-
  ward happens (pyrotechnics or loud noises caused by
  spells), a runner from one of the uninvolved towers
  will go to area #4 or #5 to inform the troll lieutenants.
  Either troll has enough power to threaten any remain-
  ing orcs into joining together and assaulting invaders.
  4. & 5. The Buildings (EL 5)
  Once used as homes for the workers in the mines and
  guards for the keep, these two-story buildings have
  become prisons for slaves of Kurjan and his troll lieu-
  tenants. Mixed among the two dozen goblins in resi-
  dence are five humans, four dwarves, three halflings,
  and one elf. Unless the DM needs to adjust the chal-
  lenge level of this adventure, these miserable people
  (goblins and non-goblins alike) are noncombatants.
  The goblins might be intimidated into fighting on the
  side of the trolls or the orcs (if the party gives the occu-
  pants of the keep enough warning), but it is unlikely
  they will prove much of a challenge to anyone.
  The slaves spend their nights laboring in the mines,
  during which time the trolls can move about the castle
  or relax in their buildings. The slaves sleep during the
  days, chained  up and half-guarded by the trolls.
  Creatures: Trolls (2), hp 70, 57.
  Treasure: Each troll has, in addition to standard treasure, a
  special item. The smaller of the trolls wears a +1 chain shirt
  while the larger wears a ring of elemental resistance (fire,
  minor).
  If attacked individually, the trolls will fight individu-
  ally. They will order goblin slaves to warn Kurjan (in
  the Mine Entrance, area #8), but even if a goblin slave
  escapes the PCs it has only a 50% chance of warning
  Kurjan (roll for each goblin separately; they run off
  otherwise). Every round a fight goes on in one of the
  building, the DM should make Listen checks for the
  troll in the other building and the orcs (allowing for
  distance and for the fight being indoors). If one troll
  hears something going on in the other building, there’s
  a 50% chance he ignores any such noise. On subsequent
  rounds, this chance decreased by 5% until he sends a
  goblin to investigate. If the goblin does not report back
  (or reports trouble), the troll from one building will
  come and help the other.
  6. The Overlook
  This high platform was built for two reasons: First, it
  served as a shelter for draft animals and wagons once
  used at Brightstone Keep (there are no more draft ani-
  mals in residence and the army took any wagons it
  brought to the area), and second, it provides an addi-
  tional watch platform for sentries and archers.
  If a fight breaks out in the courtyard, or even in one
  of the towers or along the walls, look for at least some
  of the orc archers to head to the overlook with
  javelins and hurl them at invaders below. The over-
  look has no side walls but provides excellent cover
  opportunities for those on its surface—move away
  
  6
  from the edge and attackers on the ground can’t see
  you, let alone attack you.
  7. The Courtyard (EL 5)
  The courtyard is a mass of rock and mud. Broken
  wagons, tools, and other trash litter the area. The most
  notable feature is a deep well in the center … with a
  winter wolf chained to it.
  The wolf was captured by one of the trolls and taken
  in as a pet and a guard. The wolf is angry and miserable,
  but knows it has to obey the trolls or it won’t survive.
  The trolls keep it well-fed and occasionally talk to it
  (though neither has much to say to each other, the
  winter wolf can speak the Giant tongue), but there is no
  friendship between them.
  Creature: Winter wolf (1): hp 51
  
  7
  The wolf’s chain is thirty feet long and fixed on a
  crank—anyone on the crank must beat the wolf ’s
  Strength check to tighten the chain. During the night,
  when the orcs want exercise, the trolls shorten the
  chain to around ten feet in length—unless they want
  to surprise the orcs.
  The winter wolf will fight anyone who appears in the
  courtyard unprotected by the trolls. It has a 50% chance
  of attacking any orc that comes within reach (though it
  saves its frost breath for larger prey). There is also a
  small chance that it will try to negotiate with anyone it
  thinks can set it free.
  8. The Mine Entrance (EL 7)
  This large, cavernous opening leads to a series of
  mines built into the cliff face behind the keep. It is cov-
  ered by a strong gate with a chain lock (DC 20 to pick).
  The only key stays inside the cave with the necro-
  mancer Kurjan Sawtooth.
  Kurjan is an orc cleric of Wee Jas who desires the
  power that death can bring to him. He has successfully
  allied his small war-band with two powerful trolls and
  taken over Brightstone Keep. Now, he’s using the gifts
  of Wee Jas to create and command undead to guard his
  slaves and build his army.
  Creatures: Kurjan Sawtooth lives inside this cave
  area, along with several zombies and skeletons he has
  created. During the night, his undead minions super-
  vise the slaves as they work in the mines. At the first
  sign of trouble, Kurjan casts desecrate and makes it
  more difficult for anyone to turn his most loyal fol-
  lowers.
  Kurjan Sawtooth, male orc Clr6: CR 6; Medium Humanoid
  (6-ft. tall); HD 6d8+12; hp 45; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.(plate mail);
  AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 18; Atk +8 melee (1d12+4, +1
  greataxe; SA spells; AL LE; SV Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +7; Str 16,
  Dex 10, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 16, Cha 14.
  Skills and Feats: Spellcraft +9, Concentration +12; Martial
  weapon proficiency (greataxe), Extra Turning (+4 attempts
  per day), Power Attack.
  Possessions: +1 greataxe, +1 half plate, wand of magic mis-
  sile, 3rd-level caster (15 charges).
  Spells Prepared (5/5/5/3): 0—cure minor wounds, inflict
  minor wounds (2), read magic, resistance; 1st—cause fear*,
  bane, command, deathwatch (2); 2nd—death knell*, death
  knell, cure moderate wounds, desecrate, hold person; 3rd—
  animate dead*, bestow curse, speak with dead, summon mon-
  ster III
  *Domain Spells. Domains: Death (death touch once per
  day); Magic (use scrolls, wands, and other devices as 3rd-level
  wizard).
  Zombies (4): hp 16, 16, 16
  Skeletons (3): hp 6, 6, 6
  Treasure: Most of Kurjan’s treasure has been sunk into his
  plans, or lies in a chest not far from the cave entrance. Kurjan
  has roughly 1500 gp worth of uncut gemstones to add to the
  other loot the PCs find in the area.
  WHERE TO GO FROM
  HERE
  There are several avenues to explore once Kurjan and
  his forces have been defeated. The following are just a
  few suggestions:
  • Become lords of the manor: No one else is claim-
  ing Brightstone Keep. If the PCs wish to turn it
  into a base of operations for their strikes into the
  frontier, it won’t be hard to do. The mine is no
  where near played out, and if the PCs want to hire
  a manager from the nearby town, they can make
  fixing up the keep and using the mine a break-
  even proposition without too much trouble. The
  DM 
  can 
  use 
  further 
  adventures 
  around
  Brightstone Keep to help the PCs develop a
  rapport with the locals and a vested interest in the
  area.
  • Exploring the mine: Maybe Kurjan wasn’t in
  Brightstone Keep just because of its nearness to
  the town—perhaps there’s something down below
  the keep that caught his interest. It is possible that
  the mine complex was abandoned not because of
  humanoid invasions, but because the original
  miners found something far more deadly below
  the mountain than a few cave-ins.
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  Creative Director of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Ed (or
  Ted, or T'Ed, depending on who you talk to) started at
  West End Games in 1991, came to TSR in 1995, and
  ventured out to the Great Northwest (and Wizards of
  the Coast) in 1997. You may know his work from the
  Birthright or ALTERNITY lines, or you might see his
  short D&D adventure, "Evil Unearthed," appearing in
  the August 2000 DUNGEON magazine. Now that the
  new D&D game is out, Ed thinks he should finally be
  able to get some sleep.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/Adventures/Pre-Generated Adventures/LVL5 Base_of_Operations.pdf