TEXT:  
  INTO THE WOODS
  Three Low-Level Adventures for 
   From the pages of the 
   
  Fury of the Boarmen
   
  Temple of the Black Goat
   
  The Green Minotaur
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  All advent
  1 
   
  INTO THE WOODS
  Level Adventures for Mazes & Minotaurs
  Mazes & Minotaurs
  Mazes & Minotaurs
  Mazes & Minotaurs
      
  From the pages of the Minotaur
  Minotaur
  Minotaur
  Minotaur webzine
   
  Fury of the Boarmen  
   
     
   
   
   
  emple of the Black Goat  
     
   
   
   
  The Green Minotaur   
     
   
   
   
   
   
  All adventures written by Olivier Legrand 
   
  Some illustrations © Clipart.com 
  INTO THE WOODS  
  Mazes & Minotaurs
  Mazes & Minotaurs
  Mazes & Minotaurs
  Mazes & Minotaurs    
  webzine 
   
  p 2 
   
  p 8 
   
  p 13 
  
  2 
   
  FURY OF THE BOARMEN 
   
  A not-so-classic cavern crawl scenario for beginning characters by Olivier Legrand 
   
  Fury of the Boarmen is a short scenario for a small 
  party of first level adventurers. It works well as an 
  introductory adventure and can easily be run in a 
  single, 3 to  4 hour gaming session. Depending on the 
  importance given to the character of Lelios and his 
  tragic story (see below), there are two ways of running 
  this adventure : either as a fast-paced, classic cavern 
  crawl or as a more involved story about rejection, blood 
  ties and betrayed feelings. This scenario was actually 
  created with the Adventure Plot generator given in the 
  Maze Masters Guide (p 34-35), with the following rolls : 
   
  Adventure Patron = 3, a noble person / family. 
   
  Main Location = 1, deep caverns. 
   
  Adventure Goal = 5, rescue important captive(s). 
   
  Complication = 1, foul play. 
   
  The Mission 
   
  As they are travelling throughout the Land of the 
  Three Cities, the adventurers come across the villa 
  domain of Lord Joris, a local Noble. Here, they are 
  greeted by two household guards who take them 
  before Lord Joris himself. An ageing, melancholy 
  man, Joris soon tells them the following tale : his 
  only living child, his beloved daughter Veda, who 
  has just turned 19, has been abducted three days 
  ago by a marauding band of brutish Boarmen.  
   
  Veda was taking a walk in the woods to collect 
  various medicinal plants, accompanied by two of her 
  father’s retainers, when the Beastmen ambushed 
  them. One of the retainers was killed by the 
  Boarmen ; the other one was grievously injured but 
  lived long enough to return to Joris’ house and raise 
  the alarm : before drawing his last breath, he 
  explained how Veda was captured by the beastly 
  marauders and was taken away, alive and kicking, 
  as if the Boarmen were following specific orders…  
   
  A small rescue party composed of soldiers and 
  woodsmen was quickly organized. After a full day of 
  tracking and scouting, the trail of the Beastmen led 
  Joris’ men to the Caverns of Voros, which are said 
  to be cursed and are viewed with considerable fear 
  by the superstitious locals. As the men were arguing 
  among themselves about whether or not they 
  should enter the caves, they were ambushed by 
  Boarmen, who slaughtered them all – except for one 
  of them, who was lucky enough to escape and 
  returned to Lord Joris’ house to tell the tale…  
   
  Joris desperately needs the adventurers’ help and 
  asks them to rescue his beloved daughter before 
  the Boarmen kill her (or make her suffer “a fate 
  worse than death”), the nobleman will reward them 
  with his eternal gratitude and all the money he could 
  gather, a total of 3000 silver pieces (which is quite a 
  sum, enough to buy a small ship). 
   
   
  Lord Joris, the worried father 
   
  A Family Secret 
   
  As implied by the Complication roll (Foul Play) of 
  this adventure, the story told to the adventurers by 
  Lord Joris is NOT the whole truth : it does not 
  include any outright lie but it purposefully omits 
  some very important facts… Alert adventurers will 
  have noticed that Lord Joris referred to his daughter 
  as “his only living child”. If this topic is raised during 
  conversation, Joris will reply in a very cold manner 
  that his only son, Veda’s twin brother, has been 
  “taken away from him” by the same foul creatures 
  that now have captured his daughter. Lord Joris will 
  not discuss the matter further but the adventurers 
  may have the familiar feeling that “something isn’t 
  quite right” here. If they question servants about 
  Joris’ son, they might learn his name (Lelios) but will 
  not get any substantial information about his fate, as 
  if Joris’ people had been explicitly ordered to avoid 
  this subject with strangers – in fact, their Lord has 
  expressly forbidden them to even mention his son’s 
  name in his presence. If hard pressed, they will use 
  euphemisms like “Lord Joris has lost his son”, never 
  explicitly telling whether Lelios is alive or dead.  
   
  The young man is, in fact, very much alive… but he 
  has been disavowed and banished by his father 
  because he is… a Shapeshifter ! 
   
  The Fate of Lelios 
   
  Lelios first discovered his shapechanging powers 6 
  years ago, at the age of 13; he didn’t tell anybody 
  about his prodigious, newfound abilities in total 
  secrecy, (rightfully) fearing the reaction of his father 
  if he ever found out his son was a “freak of nature”.  
   
  Lelios kept his secret to himself – he would have 
  loved to share it with his dear sister Veda, but he 
  also feared her reaction and did not want to run the 
  risk of being rejected by the person he loved the 
  most in this world… but this secrecy caused a lot of  
  
  3 
   
  tension in Lelios. This emotional stress, as well as 
  the necessity of being alone to explore his new 
  powers, gradually eroded his relationship with Veda, 
  who never understood why her beloved brother had 
  changed so much and why he no longer seemed 
  interested in her confidences or in her company.  
   
  The only one who knew about Lelios’ magical gifts, 
  unbeknownst to Lelios himself, was Euryskos the 
  Satyr - see below for more details on this character 
  and his possible role in the adventure. 
   
  Then, one year ago, a local hunter wandering in the 
  nearby woods unwittingly witnessed one of Lelios’ 
  transformations (from Stag back to his human form). 
  Believing that some evil forest spirit had somehow 
  taken possession of his lord’s son, he ran to Joris’ 
  house and told him what he had seen.  
   
  When Lelios, who was unaware that he had been 
  observed, returned to his father’s estate a few hours 
  later, he was confronted by Joris and several of his 
  most faithful retainers, who all thought that Lelios 
  was in fact some malevolent, appearance-stealing 
  creature in the guise of Lelios : the men quickly 
  restrained him and a local Priest was called to the 
  rescue. In fear and confusion, Lelios managed to 
  take the form of a hawk and flied for his life… 
   
  During the following night, a naked, exhausted and 
  terrified Lelios sneaked back in his father’s house; 
  he went to his sister Veda and told her the whole 
  truth. As the young man was weeping in his sister’s 
  embrace, their father burst in, mad with rage and 
  anger. “It’s me, father ! I am your son !” cried Lelios.  
   
  Veda tried to reason her father but he refused to 
  listen to her desperate pleas and drew his sword… 
  Lelios could only save his life by taking once again 
  the form of a bird… While transforming, he heard 
  his father utter these fateful words, which left no 
  doubt in his mind : “You are no longer my son !”  
  Lelios flied away and was never seen again. 
   
  Lelios lived in the wilderness. He survived as he 
  could, spending most of his time in various animal 
  forms, which made hunting and feeding easier. It 
  also allowed him to remain completely undetected 
  by his father’s men, who had been ordered to 
  search the nearby woodlands for the “degenerate 
  freak”. His new way of living gradually changed 
  Lelios, hardening his heart and darkening his soul.    
   
  Meanwhile, Veda sank into despair and melancholy, 
  blaming her father for having forsaken her beloved 
  twin brother. She tried to run away a few times, so 
  Lord Joris had her watched and guarded at all times 
  by two of his most loyal retainers. 
   
  But let’s get back to Lelios. A few weeks ago, during 
  one of his “animal trips” in a nearby forest, he saw a 
  group of three brutish Boarmen hunting in the 
  woods and followed them back to the Caverns of 
  Voros. When he realized that there was at least a 
  dozen of other Boarmen living here, he began to 
  think about a plan… 
   
   
   
   
  Lelios 
   
   
   
   
  Level 1 Shapeshifter, age 19, rejected son 
   
  Personality : Used to be a bright, promising boy; a 
  bit shy, perhaps, but full of life; since his rejection, 
  he has turned into a bitter, callous, vengeful soul.    
   
  Attributes : Might 10, Skill 13, Luck 15, Wits 16, 
  Will 13, Grace 14. 
   
  Combat : Initiative 13, Melee +3, Missile +5, Basic 
  Defense Class 14, Hits Total 8.  
   
  Saving Rolls : Athletic Prow +3, Danger Evasion 
  +5, Mystic Fort +4, Physical Vigor +3. 
   
  Personal Charisma : +4. 
   
  Magic : Protean Repertoire 4*, Power points 6. 
   
  Background Talents : Actor, Woodsman. 
   
  * His Protean Repertoire includes the four following 
  nonhuman forms, with their Power costs : Hawk (5), 
  Fox (5) Stag (4) and Boarman (4).   
   
  See the Mazes & Minotaurs Companion (p 20-22) for 
  more about Shapeshifters and their powers. 
   
  My Son… the Shapeshifter 
   
  It might seem odd that, in a magically-rich world such 
  as Mythika, a Shapeshifter should be rejected as an 
  “unnatural freak” by his own father… but Joris’ reaction 
  is actually quite symptomatic of the social stigma 
  against Shapeshifters. Sure, magic is part of life on 
  Mythika… but Metamorphosis is something of a special 
  case, since its very nature points to the taint of Chaos – 
  something that Mineans tend to view as “inherently 
  bad”. Furthermore, Metamorphosis is a very mysterious 
  form of magic : it is neither learned nor granted by the 
  Gods and seems to be more a “twist of nature” than 
  anything else – that plus the fact that the power of 
  Shapeshifting is usually thought to be a hereditary 
  gift… Since nobody in Joris’ family has ever exhibited 
  such a power, the shock and repulsion he felt when 
  faced with his son’s “coming out” can also be 
  interpreted as a rejection of the boy’s paternity. In other 
  words, Joris is really convinced that Lelios cannot be 
  his son – and since Joris’ wife died several years ago, 
  all the terrible questions that this revelation brought to 
  Joris’ mind are bound to remain unanswered.  
   
  
  4 
   
  Lelios’ Revenge 
   
  Returning to the forest, Lelios practiced his 
  shapeshifting and was soon able to turn into a very 
  convincing Boarman. Being far more clever than the 
  real pig-faced brutes, Lelios joined their band 
  without arousing their suspicion and quickly became 
  their leader, after killing the former “top hog” in 
  single combat (thanks to his high Luck and Wits, 
  which allowed him to use Subterfuge tactics in a 
  very efficacious manner). Having submitted the 
  Boarmen to his command, he then led a small group 
  of them to the borders of his father’s estate. As soon 
  as the opportunity arose, Lelios and his Boarmen 
  abducted Veda, killing one of her chaperons in the 
  process before fleeing back to the Caverns… 
   
  As the leader of the Boarmen, Lelios claimed the 
  captive for himself, making sure that no other 
  Boarman would harm her. At first, Veda was 
  terrified… but the strangely clever Boarman leader 
  made her understand who he really was.  
   
  For Lelios, Veda’s abduction was just a way of 
  declaring war on his father. The next stage of his 
  plan is to organize a massive raid on his father’s 
  land and destroy everything he has. Lelios has not 
  decided whether or not he will kill his father : for 
  now, he just want Joris to suffer and despair. That’s 
  the real reason why he abducted Veda, even if he 
  prefers to believe (and have Veda believe) that he 
  was driven by the need to have his beloved sister at 
  his side. His grief, humiliation and loneliness have 
  changed him, turning him into a bitter, hateful, 
  callous creature – or, in his own view, into the fiend 
  that his father wanted him to be. Veda has only 
  begun to realize this and is becoming more and 
  more afraid of her brother, despite her love for him. 
   
  The Trip to the Caverns 
   
  If the characters accept to rescue Lord Joris’ 
  daughter, he will order some of his most trusted 
  retainers to lead the party through the woods – but 
  none of them will dare enter the Caverns.  
   
  The trip takes slightly more than one day of travel 
  and, aside from the optional encounters detailed 
  below, should be largely uneventful – unless the 
  Maze Master wishes to spice things up with one or 
  two extra encounters, preferably with wild beasts 
  and other woodland creatures.  
   
  The Dryads 
   
  Maze Masters may consider adding an encounter 
  with a few curious young Dryads who might heal, 
  help or even hide wounded adventurers once they 
  are out of the Caverns – especially if they are 
  chased by those nasty, brutish Boarmen... but under 
  no circumstance will these frivolous Nymphs accept 
  to venture into the Caverns themselves. This 
  optional encounter will be especially appropriate if 
  the group does not have access to magical healing 
  (or has never met Nymphs before). 
   
   
  Euryskos the Satyr and one of his Forest Friends 
   
  Euryskos the Satyr 
   
  If the Maze Master wishes to emphasize the tragic 
  dimension of Lelios’ character, the party should 
  meet the Satyr Euryskos on their way to the 
  Caverns – see below for more details about this 
  encounter. Maze Masters who prefer to run this 
  scenario as a classic, fast-paced cavern crawl 
  should simply leave the Satyr out of the story. 
   
  Euryskos the Satyr is a really nice guy and, as far 
  as Satyr standards go, a bit of a hermit. Unlike most 
  other Satyrs, Euryskos is a thoughtful, meditative 
  and sensitive type : he likes watching the stars at 
  night and listening to the quiet music of the forest. 
  He lives in the woods, among the local animals 
  whom he considers as his friends, and has no 
  contact with other members of his kin. Euryskos is 
  on friendly terms with the local Dryads (see above) 
  but, oddly, has never really tried to seduce anyone 
  of them – much to the young Nymphs’ surprise, 
  given the behavior of Satyrs in general. The Dryads 
  have accepted the fact that Euryskos was “special” 
  and have developed a unique friendship with the 
  lonely Satyr, whom they see as a sort of elder 
  brother and confidant. 
   
  Euryskos knows everything that happens in the 
  woods. Unbeknownst to Lelios, the Satyr has 
  witnessed several of his transformations, including 
  the first few ones, and has kept a watchful eye on 
  the young lad, wisely sensing that terrible trouble 
  would erupt when Lelios’ gift would be discovered 
  by his father, the haughty Lord Joris. Many times, 
  Euryskos was tempted to make his presence known 
  to the troubled Lelios but he never did – perhaps 
  because of his shyness… or perhaps because he 
  felt that his intervention would only make things 
  even more complicated for the young man. 
  
   
  Aside from Veda and Lelios himself (who has never 
  even suspected the Satyr’s presence), Euryskos is 
  the only one to know that the Boarman leader is in 
  fact the shapeshifted Lelios. Euryskos also knows 
  that Lelios and the Boarmen have abducted Veda; 
  he has even witnessed the slaughter of the search 
  party by the pig-faced brutes. Euryskos now feels 
  he has to intervene before this whole story ends up
  in blood and tragedy for everyone 
  reason why he will approach the adventurers.
   
  Euryskos will come to the party in a peaceful and 
  straightforward manner. He will welcome them to 
  the forest and tell them he has some very important
  information to share with them. Then he
  the truth about Lelios : his shapeshifting debuts i
  the forest, how he was banished from his home, 
  how he assumed the form of a Boarman to take 
  control of a band of Boarmen marauders and how 
  they abducted poor Veda. Once his story is told, 
  Euryskos will ask the adventurers to spare the life o
  Lelios, who is, according to him, “more troubled and 
  misled than truly malevolent.”  Euryskos even thinks 
  he could help the young Shapeshifter to start anew, 
  once this whole sorry business is over. Wheth
  not the adventurers intend to spare Lelios is up to
  them… and whether or not Euryskos is right about 
  Lelios is up to the Maze Master, as detailed under 
  the Aftermath section at the end of the scenario.
   
   
  Euryskos the Satyr
   
  Euryskos has the usual game characteristics of 
  his kin, with a few extra special abilities (Sharp 
  Senses and Stealthy) that reflect his special 
  personality and way of life. His only weapon is a 
  sling. He will try to avoid any form of combat.
   
  Size : Medium 
   
  Ferocity : Peaceful  
   
  Cunning : Clever 
   
  Mystique : Weird 
   
  Movement : 80’ 
   
  Initiative : 18 
   
  Melee Attack : +1 
   
  Missile Attack : +2 
   
  Damage : 1d6 
   
  Defense Class : 15 
   
  Hits Total : 8 
   
  Detection / Evasion : +8 / +10 
   
  Mystic Fortitude : +2 
   
  Abilities : Grapple (16), Lightning Fast, Mi
  Weapon (sling, 150’), Sharp Senses, Stealthy 
  (18) Supernatural Vigor, Uncanny Agility.
   
  Awards : Killing this well-meaning, non
  Satyr will bring neither Glory nor Wisdom.
   
  5 
  Aside from Veda and Lelios himself (who has never 
  even suspected the Satyr’s presence), Euryskos is 
  the only one to know that the Boarman leader is in 
  Lelios. Euryskos also knows 
  that Lelios and the Boarmen have abducted Veda; 
  he has even witnessed the slaughter of the search 
  faced brutes. Euryskos now feels 
  he has to intervene before this whole story ends up 
  ryone – which is the 
  reason why he will approach the adventurers. 
  Euryskos will come to the party in a peaceful and 
  straightforward manner. He will welcome them to 
  the forest and tell them he has some very important 
  information to share with them. Then he will reveal 
  the truth about Lelios : his shapeshifting debuts in 
  the forest, how he was banished from his home, 
  how he assumed the form of a Boarman to take 
  control of a band of Boarmen marauders and how 
  they abducted poor Veda. Once his story is told, 
  ryskos will ask the adventurers to spare the life of 
  “more troubled and 
  Euryskos even thinks 
  he could help the young Shapeshifter to start anew, 
  once this whole sorry business is over. Whether or 
  not the adventurers intend to spare Lelios is up to 
  them… and whether or not Euryskos is right about 
  Lelios is up to the Maze Master, as detailed under 
  section at the end of the scenario. 
  Euryskos the Satyr 
  e characteristics of 
  his kin, with a few extra special abilities (Sharp 
  Senses and Stealthy) that reflect his special 
  personality and way of life. His only weapon is a 
  sling. He will try to avoid any form of combat. 
  ightning Fast, Missile 
  Sharp Senses, Stealthy 
  Uncanny Agility. 
  meaning, non-violent 
  Satyr will bring neither Glory nor Wisdom. 
   
   
  A brutish Boarman – or is this Lelios ?
   
  Caves of the Boarmen
   
  The number of Boarmen in 
  depend on the number of player
  this number, Maze Masters should multiply the 
  number of adventurers by 3 and add 1d6 to this 
  total. Thus, if you are running this scenario with 
  players, Lelios will have either 13 to 18 (1d6+12) 
  Boarmen under his command.
   
  All are standard members of their race, as 
  described in the Creature Compendium
  None of them carry shields and they all fight with 
  one-handed weapons, mainly spears and crude 
  axes. Like all Boarmen, they are very aggressive 
  and will tend to attack all intruders on sight. The
  are fanatically loyal to their new cunning and 
  ambitious leader… but they would certainly try to k
  him on sight should they realize his true nature.
   
  Even as Beastmen go, Boarmen are not very bright, 
  disciplined or vigilant creatures. One or two easy 
  victories are enough to make them believe in their 
  own invincibility and these particular Boarmen have 
  no reason to believe that Joris could send them men
  brave enough to venture into their Caverns. All this 
  to say that Boarmen do not keep well
  turns of watch duty and are likely to be surprised 
  any reasonably fast strike on their lair. 
   
  The Maze Master should place the Boarmen as he 
  sees fits inside and around the Caverns, using the 
  map given next page. The Boarmen are the only 
  menace awaiting the adventurers in the caves : 
  despite what local legends may imply, there are no 
  fiendish traps, hidden dangers, ancient curses or 
  wandering monsters in the Cave
  hide any treasure worthy of note 
  the Maze Master decides otherwise. 
   
  Maze Masters who want to make things tougher for 
  the adventurers should feel free to add a few extra
  perils and denizens to the Caverns of Voros : 
  perhaps some frightful Giant Spiders lurk in some 
  unexplored, deeper level of the Caverns (which 
  would explain the ill repute of the place), guardin
  some ancient, undiscovered treasure… or perhaps 
  a few mythic items are scattered among the bony  
  remains of their ancient victims (adventurers from 
  an earlier, forgotten era). Another possibility coul
  be an entrance to the realms of Hades, guarded by 
  Charonts and other evil Spirits.
   
   
  or is this Lelios ? 
  Caves of the Boarmen 
  number of Boarmen in Lelios’ force should 
  depend on the number of player-characters. To get 
  this number, Maze Masters should multiply the 
  number of adventurers by 3 and add 1d6 to this 
  total. Thus, if you are running this scenario with four 
  will have either 13 to 18 (1d6+12) 
  Boarmen under his command.  
  All are standard members of their race, as 
  Creature Compendium (p 16). 
  None of them carry shields and they all fight with 
  handed weapons, mainly spears and crude 
  ike all Boarmen, they are very aggressive 
  and will tend to attack all intruders on sight. They 
  are fanatically loyal to their new cunning and 
  ambitious leader… but they would certainly try to kill 
  him on sight should they realize his true nature. 
  Beastmen go, Boarmen are not very bright, 
  disciplined or vigilant creatures. One or two easy 
  victories are enough to make them believe in their 
  own invincibility and these particular Boarmen have 
  no reason to believe that Joris could send them men 
  ough to venture into their Caverns. All this 
  to say that Boarmen do not keep well-organized 
  turns of watch duty and are likely to be surprised by 
  any reasonably fast strike on their lair.  
  The Maze Master should place the Boarmen as he 
  d around the Caverns, using the 
  map given next page. The Boarmen are the only 
  menace awaiting the adventurers in the caves : 
  despite what local legends may imply, there are no 
  fiendish traps, hidden dangers, ancient curses or 
  wandering monsters in the Caverns, nor do they 
  hide any treasure worthy of note – unless of course 
  the Maze Master decides otherwise.  
  Maze Masters who want to make things tougher for 
  the adventurers should feel free to add a few extra 
  perils and denizens to the Caverns of Voros : 
  haps some frightful Giant Spiders lurk in some 
  unexplored, deeper level of the Caverns (which 
  would explain the ill repute of the place), guarding 
  some ancient, undiscovered treasure… or perhaps 
  a few mythic items are scattered among the bony  
  heir ancient victims (adventurers from 
  an earlier, forgotten era). Another possibility could 
  be an entrance to the realms of Hades, guarded by 
  Charonts and other evil Spirits. 
  
  6 
   
   
   
  Map Key 
   
  A) Main Entrance : This is the entrance used by 
  the Boarmen themselves. It is likely to be guarded. 
   
  B) Empty Cavern : As shown on the map, the 
  access to this chamber is extremely narrow, which 
  explains why the Boarmen have left it unoccupied. 
  At the Maze Master’s discretion, this could also be 
  an access to a deeper, more dangerous level of the 
  caverns (see previous page for a few possibilities).  
   
  C) Dead End : Nothing of interest here.  
   
  D) Communal Cave : This is where the Boarmen 
  gather to eat, feast, sleep etc. The only item of note 
  here is the severed head of their previous leader, 
  which has been left to rot in a small niche as a 
  remainder of who is in charge now.  
   
   
  E) Leader’s Lair : This is where Lelios (in his 
  Boarman form) is most likely to be found. It is also 
  there that Veda has been ordered by her brother to 
  remain, under the “protection” of two Boarmen. 
   
  F) Storage Cave : There the Boarmen store their 
  food, findings, extra weapons and other junk. There 
  is absolutely nothing of real value here. 
   
  G) Boar Shrine : This small chamber holds a crude, 
  2’ tall, wood-carved statuette of Og, the beastly god 
  of Boarmen, surrounded by various offerings 
  (mainly the remains of dead forest animals).   
   
  H) Hidden Entrance : The Boarmen don’t know 
  about this entrance nor do they know that the X-
  marked spot is actually a huge stone that can be 
  moved away with a successful Feat of Strength.  
  
  7 
   
   
   
  Is fair Veda a Shapeshifter, too ? 
   
  The Fate of the Twins 
   
  While masquerading as the Boarman leader, Lelios 
  will always let his warriors fight for him, unless 
  someone manages to grab Veda, in which case he 
  will attack that someone in mindless fury. At the 
  Maze Master’s discretion, such a crisis could also 
  trigger an uncontrolled reversion of shape to Lelios’ 
  true form, with all the dramatic consequences that 
  may ensue. Lelios’ fate is pretty much into the Maze 
  Master’s hands : if wounded, he will either fight to 
  the death in a blind, desperate rage… or turn into a 
  hawk (which takes him one full battle round and 
  costs him 5 Power points) and fly away – perhaps to 
  return in a later scenario (see Aftermath below). 
   
  Veda’s behavior and fate also depend on the tone 
  you wish to give to the end of the adventure : she 
  could either try to plead mercy for her misled brother 
  or be grateful that the adventurers have freed her 
  from the callous fiend her brother has become. In all 
  cases, though, she is unlikely to forgive her father, 
  whom she blames for rejecting Lelios and turning 
  him into something else. (“Nature or magic may 
  have made Lelios different – but YOU, father, you’re 
  the one who really turned your son into a monster !”)  
   
  Maze Masters might also consider the following 
  twist : since Veda was Lelios’ twin and since the 
  power of shapeshifting is thought to be (at least 
  partly) genetic in nature, then she too could well be 
  a Shapeshifer – albeit a latent one, who has not yet 
  discovered her powers. In this case, the major crisis 
  of her abduction by Lelios could be the “trigger 
  event” that unlocks her true heritage…   
   
  See Aftermath below for more details on possible 
  endings and their consequences. 
  Aftermath 
   
  Although the plot of this scenario is very linear and 
  straightforward, its ending is extremely open-ended.  
  Here are a few possibilities : 
   
  The Death of Lelios  
   
  The Shapeshifter is killed by the adventurers or by 
  the Boarmen themselves when they realize he was 
  an impostor. Depending on her reactions to her 
  brother’s actions, Veda will either return to her 
  father, saddened by the death of her brother but 
  grateful to have escaped from his clutches… or 
  escape to the forest to lead a new life under the 
  protection of Euryskos and the Dryads. 
   
  Revenge of the Shapeshifter 
   
  Lelios manages to escape with his life and swears 
  revenge against his father and those damned, 
  meddling adventurers. His vengeance plans will 
  also include his sister, if he feels she has forsaken 
  or betrayed him. Depending on her reactions to her 
  brother’s actions, Veda may either return to her 
  father’s domain or decide to live on her own, in 
  which case Euryskos will ask the local Dryads to 
  help and adopt her. 
   
  Happy Ending 
   
  Lelios is spared by the adventurers and realizes all 
  the harm he has done. Still forsaken by his father, 
  he takes up residence in the forest under the 
  tutelage of Euryskos the Satyr, who becomes his 
  friend and mentor. Depending on how she reacted 
  to Lelios’ actions, Veda may either return to her 
  father or take up residence in the woods too, living 
  with her brother, Euryskos and the local Dryads.  
   
  Revenge of the Father  
   
  If, for some reason or another, Veda does not return 
  home Lord Joris is likely to hold the adventurers 
  responsible for the loss of his daughter and may try 
  to get back at them later… Perhaps he becomes 
  mad and hires an evil Sorcerer to Enslave them… 
   
  Unhappy Reunion 
   
   Veda does return home… but since she was Lelios’ 
  twin, her father begins to suspect that she too might 
  not truly be his daughter. Perhaps he tries to kill her 
  in a fit of blind rage… and she manages to escape 
  and catch up with  the adventurers and asking them 
  to take her back to the safety of the woods, where 
  the Dryads and Euryskos will help and protect her. 
   
  Fury of the Boarmen, the Sequel  
   
  Some Boarmen have survived and, in their beastly 
  rage, decide to take revenge on Euryskos and the 
  Dryads… Will the adventurers be there to defend 
  the forest friends from the fury of the Boarmen ? 
   
  Olivier Legrand (2008) 
  
   
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
  A Revised Mazes & Minotaurs
   
  Temple of the Black Goat is a short scenario for a small party of first leve
  single, 3 to 4 hour gaming session and can fit smoothly i
   
   
  An Auspicious Encounter
   
  During the course of their travels, the adventurers
  meet a young Priestess of Artemis named 
  The best way to introduce her is to have her come 
  to the adventurers’ help – perhaps she suddenly 
  appears to assist them with bolts of 
  while they are fighting a dangerous beast or 
  monster or perhaps she arrives after the fight to 
  heal them with Divine Vitality. Whichever way the 
  Maze Master sets things up, the overall idea is to 
  have Keira befriend the characters by helping them 
  in a tight spot. 
   
  Keira will then explain to the characters that she 
  also happens to be on an adventure of her own 
  better than an adventure, a divine mission
  that she thinks of it, perhaps her chance encounter
  with the adventurers was in fact predestined by the
  goddess Artemis herself !  She will tell the followin
  story to the characters…  
   
  Deep in a nearby forest lies an abandoned 
  of Artemis. Some thirty years ago, it was raided by a 
  savage horde of Tragos and other 
  slaughtered its priestesses and 
  sacred place by their foul deeds and odious habits.
  Their descendants are still occupying the former 
  temple and their vile presence is an insult that the 
  goddess Artemis can no longer bear. 
   
  Through a Divine Vision, the goddess Artemis
  sent one of her most devoted young priestesses
  (that’s Keira herself) on a sacred mission : journey 
  to the lost temple, drive away (or, prefer
  exterminate) the foul Beastmen and reclaim the 
  place on behalf of her goddess. Of course, young 
  Keira cannot be expected to carry such a heroic 
  task all by herself so she will need the help of br
  and bold adventurers such as the player
   
  If the adventurers seem too greedy to be content 
  with intangible rewards like glory or the personal 
  satisfaction of helping to execute a deity’s will, 
  will explain to them that the high priestess of her
  temple has promised a vast financial reward 
  those who would help young Keira 
  sacred mission. This is of course a complete lie, 
  since Keira embarked on her divine
  without the permission (or knowledge) of her high 
  priestess (who also happens to be her aunt, but 
  that’s somewhat irrelevant). In other words, 
  an adventurous (read : runaway) young priestess 
  who got bored with sacerdotal duties and decided it
  was time to “really do something for the goddess” 
  like, for instance, reclaiming a long lost temple. 
   
   
  8 
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
   
  Revised Mazes & Minotaurs mini-scenario for novice adventurers, by Olivier Legrand
  is a short scenario for a small party of first level adventurers. It can easily be run in a 
  , 3 to 4 hour gaming session and can fit smoothly in any ongoing campaign.  
  An Auspicious Encounter 
  During the course of their travels, the adventurers 
  meet a young Priestess of Artemis named Keira. 
  The best way to introduce her is to have her come 
  perhaps she suddenly 
  bolts of Divine Wrath 
  while they are fighting a dangerous beast or 
  monster or perhaps she arrives after the fight to 
  heal them with Divine Vitality. Whichever way the 
  things up, the overall idea is to 
  have Keira befriend the characters by helping them 
  Keira will then explain to the characters that she 
  also happens to be on an adventure of her own – no 
  divine mission. And now 
  that she thinks of it, perhaps her chance encounter 
  with the adventurers was in fact predestined by the 
  goddess Artemis herself !  She will tell the following 
  n abandoned temple 
  it was raided by a 
  savage horde of Tragos and other Beastmen, who 
  desecrated the 
  sacred place by their foul deeds and odious habits. 
  Their descendants are still occupying the former 
  ence is an insult that the 
  goddess Artemis can no longer bear.  
  the goddess Artemis has 
  sent one of her most devoted young priestesses 
  on a sacred mission : journey 
  to the lost temple, drive away (or, preferably, 
  exterminate) the foul Beastmen and reclaim the 
  place on behalf of her goddess. Of course, young 
  cannot be expected to carry such a heroic 
  task all by herself so she will need the help of brave 
  and bold adventurers such as the player-characters.  
  If the adventurers seem too greedy to be content 
  with intangible rewards like glory or the personal 
  satisfaction of helping to execute a deity’s will, Keira 
  will explain to them that the high priestess of her 
  temple has promised a vast financial reward to 
   to carry out her 
  sacred mission. This is of course a complete lie, 
  embarked on her divine-inspired quest 
  without the permission (or knowledge) of her high 
  priestess (who also happens to be her aunt, but 
  s somewhat irrelevant). In other words, Keira is 
  young priestess 
  who got bored with sacerdotal duties and decided it 
  was time to “really do something for the goddess” – 
  like, for instance, reclaiming a long lost temple.       
   
   
   
  Keira, a young Priestess of Artemis
   
   
  Keira the Priestess
   
  Level 1 Priestess of Artemis
   
  Attributes : Might 8, Skill 12, Luck 17, Wits 15, 
  Will 17, Grace 16. 
   
  Combat : Initiative 12, Melee +2, Missile +5, 
  Basic Defense Class 15, Hits Total
   
  Saving Rolls : Athletic Prowess +
  Evasion +8, Mystic Fort. +8
   
  Personal Charisma : +8 (+
   
  Weapons : Bow, dagger. 
   
  Magic : Divine Prodigies of Artemis, Spiritual 
  Aura +6, Mystic Strength 18, Power 7. 
   
  Note : Using the optional variant formula
  previous issues of the Minotaur, Keira’s Danger 
  Evasion would be +5 instead of +7. Her Mystic 
  Fortitude would be unchanged.
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT
  TEMPLE OF THE BLACK GOAT    
  Olivier Legrand 
  l adventurers. It can easily be run in a 
   
  Keira, a young Priestess of Artemis 
  Keira the Priestess 
  Level 1 Priestess of Artemis, age 19 
  8, Skill 12, Luck 17, Wits 15, 
  2, Melee +2, Missile +5, 
  Basic Defense Class 15, Hits Total 7. 
  Prowess +2, Danger 
  . +8, Phys. Vigor +5. 
  (+9 with reputation) 
  Divine Prodigies of Artemis, Spiritual 
  Aura +6, Mystic Strength 18, Power 7.  
  variant formulas given in 
  previous issues of the Minotaur, Keira’s Danger 
  Evasion would be +5 instead of +7. Her Mystic 
  Fortitude would be unchanged. 
  
  9 
   
  Suspicious adventurers may also wonder why, in 
  the last 30 years, the priestesses of Artemis haven’t 
  tried to reclaim the temple before. If they question 
  Keira about that, she will reveal the ugly truth : a few 
  years after the tragic event, her own temple did 
  send an expedition to the lost temple but these 
  priestesses and the adventurers who escorted them 
  were never heard from again…  
   
  Trail of the Black Goat 
   
  The abandoned temple of Artemis has been 
  colonized by a band of evil Beastmen (actually a 
  pack of Tragos) led by an unusually charismatic 
  (and mystically inclined) Caliban.  
   
  Under the Dark Satyr’s tutelage, the goat-heads 
  have turned the place into a temple dedicated to 
  their own deity, a malevolent earth spirit known as 
  the Black Goat of the Woods. Over the years, the 
  odious orgies and foul sacrifices performed by the 
  Tragos in the lost temple has attracted other 
  followers to the cult of the Black Goat – including 
  local Degenerate Men and a few perverted Silenes. 
  Of course, the worshippers of the Black Goat do all 
  the things that one might expect from mad, 
  degenerate cultists, including bloody sacrifices, 
  gratuitous torture, bestial orgies and other things 
  better left to the imagination.  
   
  The Caliban “priest” now rules over a small force of 
  fanatically loyal (and completely crazed) adepts, 
  who have managed to exterminate (or drive away) 
  the former inhabitants of the woods, including Bee-
  folk, Sylvans and Acteons (who fought with utter 
  courage but were eventually butchered by the 
  servants of the Black Goat).  
   
  As a consequence of the cult’s growing menace, the 
  nearest human villages have been deserted for 
  several years – and of course those rare wayfarers 
  who are foolhardy enough to venture into that part 
  of the woods usually end up as the main course (or 
  worse) in the next orgy of the Black Goat’s minions. 
  It is to bring an end to this insufferable situation and 
  to reclaim the lost temple in the name of Artemis 
  that Keira needs her newfound friends’ help. Of 
  course, from this point on, we shall assume that the 
  adventurers do accept to help Keira in her daring 
  mission, otherwise there would not be an adventure. 
  If you feel like your players need some extra 
  persuasion, have their characters ambushed by a 
  few Tragos sent by their Caliban master to purge 
  the forest of their unwelcome presence. 
   
  The trip to the ruined temple should be pretty 
  uneventful, since the activities of the cult have 
  driven away most of the denizens of the forest 
  (including most wild animals). The Maze Master 
  should insist on the eerie, gloomy silence of the 
  woods – as if something had driven away all life 
  from the area… If you want to accentuate the dark 
  tone of the adventure, the characters could stumble 
  on the grisly remains of a few Acteons – severed 
  heads impaled on tree branches, garlands made of 
  entrails – you get the idea.  
  The cultists have grown lax in their surveillance of 
  the woods – they simply can’t believe anyone would 
  be stupid or crazy enough to venture so deep in 
  their territory… so unless the adventurers do 
  something really stupid, they should be able to 
  approach the temple undetected. If you want to 
  spice things up a bit, have them encounter a few 
  marauding Tragos, Degenerate Men looking for 
  hallucinatory mushrooms or even some drunken 
  Silenes having bestial intercourse in the woods.  
   
  The Cultists 
   
  The size of the cultists’ force should depend on the 
  might of the player-characters’ party and should be 
  calculated as follows, with “X” corresponding to the 
  total number of levels in the group, including Keira. 
   
  One Caliban cult leader 
   
  2X Tragos 
   
  3X Degenerate Men (and 2X Degenerate Women 
  who never fight and behave like scared beasts) 
   
  1X Silenes 
   
  Thus, if the party is made up of four 1st level player-
  characters plus Keira, there will be a total of ten 
  Tragos, fifteen Degenerate Men and five Silenes.  
   
  These creatures’ stats can be found in the Creature 
  Compendium. The Tragos are unarmored, do not 
  carry shields and are armed with swords or spears, 
  while the Degenerate Men and Silenes are armed 
  with clubs and stone axes. All these creatures are 
  crazed fanatics and will fight to the death, except for 
  the Silenes who are just cowardly bullies.  
   
  The Caliban ‘priest’ is armed with a vicious sickle 
  and a magical thyrsos staff (see p 11). 
   
  The Lost Temple 
   
  Once the adventurers get near the temple, the sight 
  which awaits them will depend on the moment of 
  their arrival. During daytime, most of the cultists are 
  in the large communal room (see map) - either 
  asleep, drunk or otherwise trying to recover from 
  last night’s debauchery (-4 to detection rolls).  
   
  Then, as dusk draws closer, they begin to grow 
  more and more restless, starting to chant, feast and 
  otherwise worship their foul goddess in ways which 
  are, again, better left to the imagination. Things 
  culminate to a paroxysm of collective frenzy at 
  midnight, the hour at which the Caliban usually 
  leaves his private premises in the temple to join his 
  “flock” in their bestial orgies which take place in the 
  worship chamber (see map). These “revels” then 
  proceed until dawn, at which point most of the 
  celebrants start to doze off into sleep or drug-
  induced stupor; during their orgies, they ingest 
  enormous amounts of hallucinatory mushrooms 
  which are regularly collected by the Silenes.    
  
  10 
   
  MAP OF THE LOST TEMPLE 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1 : Entrance 
   
  This location is usually guarded by 1d3+1 Tragos 
  (see Creature Compendium, p 118). Like all the 
  other Beastmen met in this adventure, they are 
  unarmored and do not carry shields. 
   
  2 : Storage Room 
   
  This is where the cultists keep their food – including 
  the partially dismembered carcasses of a few fellow 
  cultists and perhaps one or two unwary adventurers. 
   
  3 : Mushroom Storage 
   
  This closet is filled with heaps dried hallucinatory 
  mushrooms. Anyone foolish enough to eat these 
  things will have to make a Physical Vigor saving roll 
  (target number 15) for each handful. Failure means 
  that the character will suffer from hallucinations, 
  disorientation and warped perception for the next 
  three hours (-2 to Danger Evasion, Melee, Missile 
  and Initiative). Effects are cumulative. Note that the 
  cultists are accustomed to the ingestion of these 
  mushrooms and do not suffer such penalties.  
   
  4 : Stairway 
   
  These stairs originally led to a lower (underground) 
  level but access has long been blocked by stone 
  boulders and rubble. It would take three Feats of 
  Strength to clear the way. What awaits below is left 
  to the imagination of the Maze Master.  
   
  Alternatively, the stairs could be unblocked and lead 
  to a large chamber filled with the grisly remains of 
  dozens (hundreds ?) of victims, in which case a 
  nauseating stench should logically emanate from 
  the stairs : anyone trying to go downstairs will have 
  to make a Physical Vigor saving roll (against a 
  target number of 10) or throw up after the first two or 
  three steps (make the same saving roll for each 
  minute spent below). Characters who throw up will 
  immediately and instinctively retreat upstairs.   
   
  5 : Large Communal Room 
   
  This is where the members of the Black Goat cult 
  sleep, eat and spend most of their non-ceremonial 
  time. Depending on the time of the day, it may be 
  completely empty, filled with sleeping cultists or 
  occupied by roughly one-half of them (plus most of 
  the Degenerate Women). 
    
   
  
   
   
  The Caliban Priest
   
  The Caliban ‘priest’ has the same stats as a 
  standard member of his race, except for his 
  Mystique, which is Eldritch, reflecting a special 
  psychic connection with unseen forces.
   
  The Caliban also carries three mythic items on 
  his person : an Amulet of Protection
  Ring of Good Fortune (both stolen from 
  adventurers who were killed and eaten a few 
  years ago by the cultists), which give him 
  various saving roll and Defense Class bonuses, 
  and the Thyrsos of Pain, a staff with special 
  properties (see below for more details).
   
  Size : Medium 
   
  Ferocity : Aggressive 
   
  Cunning : Clever 
   
  Mystique : Eldritch 
   
  Movement : 80’ 
   
  Initiative : 19 
   
  Melee Attack : +3 
   
  Damage : 1d6 (weapon ; a vicious sickle)
   
  Defense Class : 18 * 
   
  Hits Total : 12 
   
  Detection / Evasion : +6 / +12 * 
   
  Mystic Fortitude : +6 * 
   
  Special Abilities : Grapple (M = 16), Lightning 
  Fast, Stealthy (18), Supernatural Vigor, 
  Uncanny Agility. 
   
  Awards : Glory 75*, Wisdom 10. 
   
  * These scores take into account the bonuses
  by the Caliban’s Amulet and Ring. 
   
   
   
  Thyrsos of Pain
   
  This magical thyrsus staff (Enc = 2) is the most 
  prized possession of the Caliban. It gives him 
  the power to cause excruciating pain (but no
  physical damage) to a single target of his 
  choice within 20’, simply by pointing the staff in 
  the victim’s direction.  
   
  The target must make a Mystic Fortitude saving 
  roll against a target number of 15 or writhe in 
  helpless agony for the rest of the battl
  While in this state, characters are completely 
  unable to act and suffer the same penalties as 
  for being prone (-4 to melee EDC). 
   
   
  11 
  The Caliban Priest 
  The Caliban ‘priest’ has the same stats as a 
  standard member of his race, except for his 
  Mystique, which is Eldritch, reflecting a special 
  h unseen forces. 
  The Caliban also carries three mythic items on 
  Amulet of Protection and a 
  (both stolen from 
  adventurers who were killed and eaten a few 
  years ago by the cultists), which give him 
  d Defense Class bonuses, 
  , a staff with special 
  properties (see below for more details). 
  ; a vicious sickle) 
  Grapple (M = 16), Lightning 
  Fast, Stealthy (18), Supernatural Vigor, 
  the bonuses granted 
  Thyrsos of Pain 
  This magical thyrsus staff (Enc = 2) is the most 
  prized possession of the Caliban. It gives him 
  the power to cause excruciating pain (but no 
  physical damage) to a single target of his 
  choice within 20’, simply by pointing the staff in 
  The target must make a Mystic Fortitude saving 
  roll against a target number of 15 or writhe in 
  helpless agony for the rest of the battle round. 
  While in this state, characters are completely 
  unable to act and suffer the same penalties as 
  4 to melee EDC).  
   
  The Caliban, leader of the Black Goat cult
   
  6 : Prison  
   
  This is where the cultists keep their prisoners bef
  they butcher them during their demented orgies. 
   
  The heavy barred door is always guarded by two 
  Tragos armed with spears. The cell currently holds 
  one Acteon captive named Kernos, who is the sole 
  survivor of his tribe (see Creature Compendium
   
  Kernos is down to 5 Hits because of various injuries 
  inflicted on him before and after his capture. The 
  cultists intend to sacrifice (and devour) him durin
  their next full blown orgy. If he is given a weapon
  Kernos (who, like all Acteons, is a devotee of 
  Artemis) will gladly join the adventurers in their 
  search-and-destroy mission. Keira will heal him  
  back to his maximum Hits total of 12, which will co
  her 3 points of Power. 
   
  7 : Worship Chamber
   
  This is where the cultists of the Black Goat 
  celebrate their foul ceremonies during night
   
  The star mark on the map indicates the location of 
  man-sized statue which once represented Artemis 
  but has been defaced and mutilated by the cultists 
  and now acts as a grotesque representation of their
  dark deity : the arms of the statue are missing and 
  its head has been crushed and replaced by the 
  horned skull of a dead goat. The body of the statue
  is covered with dried blood and other yucky stuff 
  best left to the reader’s imagination.
   
   
   
  The Caliban, leader of the Black Goat cult 
  This is where the cultists keep their prisoners before 
  they butcher them during their demented orgies.  
  The heavy barred door is always guarded by two 
  armed with spears. The cell currently holds 
  captive named Kernos, who is the sole 
  Creature Compendium).  
  s down to 5 Hits because of various injuries 
  inflicted on him before and after his capture. The 
  cultists intend to sacrifice (and devour) him during 
  their next full blown orgy. If he is given a weapon, 
  Kernos (who, like all Acteons, is a devotee of 
  ) will gladly join the adventurers in their 
  destroy mission. Keira will heal him  
  back to his maximum Hits total of 12, which will cost 
  7 : Worship Chamber 
  This is where the cultists of the Black Goat 
  l ceremonies during night-time.  
  The star mark on the map indicates the location of a 
  sized statue which once represented Artemis 
  but has been defaced and mutilated by the cultists 
  and now acts as a grotesque representation of their 
  rms of the statue are missing and 
  its head has been crushed and replaced by the 
  horned skull of a dead goat. The body of the statue 
  is covered with dried blood and other yucky stuff 
  best left to the reader’s imagination. 
  
  12 
   
  This sacrilegious vision will cause the righteous fury 
  of any Priestess or devoted worshipper of Artemis 
  (included, of course, Keira herself); such characters 
  will receive a +2 bonus to their Melee attacks when 
  fighting the cultists. This bonus lasts for the rest of 
  the adventure and only applies to characters who 
  have chosen Artemis as their patron deity. 
   
  8 : Caliban’s Private Apartments  
   
  This is where the Caliban leader of the cult usually 
  spends his daytime. This room is separated from 
  the Worship Chamber by a reinforced door which 
  the Caliban closes with a very strong bar when 
  inside (he doesn’t trust his ‘flock’ that much – 
  especially 
  the 
  Silenes, 
  whom 
  he 
  wrongfully 
  suspects of plotting his demise); the barred door 
  can be broken down with a successful Feat of 
  Strength or by doing it a total of 10 Hits of damage 
  using axes, maces and other similar weapons. 
   
  Unlike the rest of the temple, the Caliban’s living 
  quarters are well-kept and even have some decent 
  pieces of furniture. The room contains nothing of 
  real interest… except for a hidden door leading to 
  the Secret Treasure Room (see below).  
   
  This hidden door can only be found by characters 
  who conduct a careful search of the room and make 
  a successful detection roll (target number 15). It is 
  protected by a trap (Concealment 17, Danger 15) : a 
  poison-coated needle (death in 1d6 battle rounds). 
   
  9 : Secret Treasure Room 
   
  This concealed room contains all the treasure the 
  greedy Caliban has managed to amass since the 
  temple was taken. It includes 200 silver pieces 
  worth of gold, silver, bronze coins and jewels for 
  each character in the party (including Keira) as well 
  as several mythic items (all of which are detailed in 
  the Maze Masters Guide) : 
   
  3 amphorae full of Wine of Dionysus 
   
  3 phials of Potion of Healing (3 doses per phial) 
   
  1 phial of Potion of Celerity (3 doses) 
   
  1 Aegis 
   
  1 Sword of Ares 
   
  1 Bow of Artemis and 1 Quiver of Artemis 
   
  1 Harp of Poetic Insight 
   
  1 Flute of the Shepherd  
   
  Options & Complications 
   
  Maze Masters who wish to make things tougher or 
  trickier for the poor adventurers might consider the 
  following complications or alterations : 
   
  The Caliban Sorcerer 
   
  The Black Goat has granted the Caliban priest full 
  Psychic Powers. In this case, his Thyrsos becomes 
  either a Staff of Power or a Staff of Command and 
  he will also have some Enslaved creatures to his 
  service, such as several Acteon warriors, a Dryad 
  (who could use her powers to lure new victims to 
  the temple) or perhaps even some Large Monster 
  with a suitable theme, such as a Moon Spawn, a 
  Wood Titan or even a Capricorn Horror. 
   
  Dark Festival 
   
  The adventurers have chosen the worst moment to 
  raid the temple – that of some dark festival which 
  attracts many other worshippers of the Black Goat 
  to the lost temple in the woods. Such evil pilgrims 
  could include more Calibans, Silenes and Tragos, 
  as well as humans who have secretly converted to 
  the cult (such as, say, a local Noble or his son). 
   
  More Crawling Chaos 
   
  Guided by dark visions sent to him by the Black 
  Goat and thanks to a foul ritual involving a massive 
  blood sacrifice, the Caliban is about to summon a 
  Crawling Aberration onto the mortal plane as the 
  messenger of the Dark Goddess of the Woods. 
   
  The Mad Old Crone 
   
  The priestesses of the previous expedition were 
  NOT all slaughtered by the Beastmen – one of them 
  survived and was kept alive by the foul creatures, 
  who inflicted such horrors on her that she became 
  hopelessly insane. In her madness, she had a vision 
  of what she thought to be a darker, more primitive 
  aspect of Artemis and joined the Beastmen cult as 
  the Caliban’s consort.  
   
  She is now a raving mad, withered old crone who 
  has forgotten her true past – so the fact that the real 
  Artemis has stripped her of her Divine Prodigies 
  does not worry her at all… especially since her new 
  goddess has granted her new powers, similar to 
  those of a Priestess of Cybele (see M&M 
  Companion, p 25), including the dreadful prodigy of 
  Divine Emasculation. 
   
  Written by Olivier Legrand (2009) 
   
  Temple map by Tim Hartin 
   
  Visit Tim’s great cartography site at http://paratime.ca/cartography/ 
  
  13 
   
  thE GREEN MINOTAUR 
   
  A not-so-classic monster hunt mini-scenario for low level characters by Olivier Legrand 
   
   
   
   
  The Green Minotaur – fact or fallacy ? 
   
  Introduction 
   
  The Green Minotaur is a short scenario for a small 
  party of level 2-3 adventurers. The adventure will 
  work best if there is a Hunter in the party. The 
  Green Minotaur can easily be run in a single, 3 to 4 
  hour session and can fit smoothly in any ongoing 
  campaign.This scenario was created with the 
  Adventure Plot generator given in the Maze Masters 
  Guide (p 34-35), with the following rolls : 
   
  Patron = 4, populace of a village, town or city. 
   
  Main Location = 4, a dangerous forest. 
   
  Adventure Goal = 2, defeat a mythic monster. 
   
  Complication = 5, obstruction/interference from an 
  unrelated third party. 
   
  Masks & Minotaurs 
   
  During the course of their travels, the adventurers 
  come across a small isolated village located near a 
  dense (and ominous-looking) forest. As soon as the 
  locals realize the strangers are actually heroic 
  adventurers, they will request the player-characters’ 
  help against the terrible menace that has been 
  plaguing their village for many months : a band of 
  savage Green Minotaurs. Several farms have been 
  raided, livestock stolen and villagers killed over the 
  last few months, including several young girls and 
  boys whose bodies were found horribly mutilated 
  and partially devoured in the woods.  
   
  If the players ask the Maze Master what a Green 
  Minotaur is supposed to be, they should be told that 
  their characters have never heard of such creatures 
  before… but that the existence of a previously 
  unheard-of or unique type of Minotaur is always a 
  possibility : more than any other Monster, Minotaurs 
  do seem to come in a wide variety of breeds. 
  If the characters ask the villagers to describe these 
  mysterious Green Minotaurs, the locals will seem 
  surprised that seasoned, well-traveled adventurers 
  would know nothing of such creatures and will then 
  proceed to describe the foul monsters as, well, 
  Minotaurs whose heads seem to be covered with 
  foliage rather than with the usual bovine hair. There 
  are apparently half a dozen of them, armed with 
  clubs, axes and other weapons.  
   
  At this point, clever adventurers might suspect that 
  the whole story seems to be a classic Impostaur 
  case (see Creature Compendium, p 79)… and 
  indeed a group of local brigands have recently 
  begun to masquerade as the infamous “Green 
  Minotaurs”, exploiting the villagers’ fear of the 
  monster to cover their own misdeeds.  
   
  There is, however, a catch – or rather two catches.  
   
  Two Monsters Too Many 
   
  The first catch is that the Green Minotaur actually 
  exists - a relatively harmless creature, who lives in 
  the deepest part of the forest under the protection of 
  the local Hamadryad and who has nothing to do 
  with the Impostaurs… nor with the horribly mutilated 
  corpses (including several children) which have 
  been found in the woods over the last few months.  
   
  The second catch is that the Impostaurs themselves 
  have nothing to do with these mutilated, half-eaten 
  corpses : the villains DID kill several persons during 
  their farm raids but the people found dead (and 
  horribly mutilated) in the woods were actually 
  slaughtered by another, very real Monster… 
   
   
   
  A cleverly (?) disguised Impostaur 
  
  14 
   
  A Sorrowful Tale 
   
  There once was a young Dryad called Lyra ; like so 
  many young Nymphs, she was a romantic and 
  adventurous soul; she quickly grew bored of living in 
  her mother’s woods and was eagerly awaiting her 
  chance to “see the world” and “live her own life”…  
   
  When a small band of adventurers crossed her 
  mother’s domain on their way to some perilous 
  destination, Lyra seized the opportunity and, against 
  her mother’s best advice, left the woods with her 
  new friends to lead a life of excitement and 
  adventure, travelling around Mythika in search of 
  adventure, glory and treasure…  
   
  But one day, while exploring a lost labyrinth, the 
  fellowship of brave maze delvers met a tragic end at 
  the hands of a clan of brutish Minotaurs, who slew 
  all of Lyra’s companions, sparing the Dryad’s life 
  only for the fun of raping her over and over again.  
   
  Weakened by injuries, bound in chains and horrified 
  by her friends’ cruel demise, the hapless Nymph 
  suffered the bull-headed brutes’ beastly assaults 
  before coming back to her senses and using her last 
  drops of Power to summon a Wood Titan which 
  promptly killed the Minotaurs. Alone, in a state of 
  utter shock and confusion, the Dryad started to 
  wander the wilderness, trying to make sense of 
  what had happened to her – in vain.  
   
  As if her fate had not been tragic enough, she soon 
  realized that she was pregnant. Not only had the 
  Minotaurs defiled her soul and body… but they had 
  impregnated her with some monstrous spawn.  
   
  Wracked with despair and shame, she eventually 
  sought refuge in the forest where the scenario takes 
  place. There, she decided to meld into a tree 
  forever, probably as a desperate attempt to end her 
  constant suffering… and perhaps to prevent her 
  monstrous child from ever coming to life, trapping it 
  forever in the essence of the tree.  
   
  But things did not work that way. After a few 
  months, the Green Minotaur baby did come to life, 
  wracking open its mother-tree and killing its now 
  unconscious mother in the process…  
   
  Left alone to survive in the forest, the baby became 
  a beastly creature, solely driven by primal urges of 
  hunger, violence and destruction. Thus was born 
  this unique monster, the Green Minotaur. This 
  sorrowful birth took place three years ago.  
   
  The monstrous Green Minotaur baby survived on its 
  own like a wild creature of the forest, well away from 
  the local human villagers, who lived on the other 
  side of the great woods and remained unaware of 
  the Green Minotaur’s existence – until recently. 
   
  In the deepest parts of the forest, far away from the 
  dead, wracked tree that has once been its mother, 
  the small Minotaur soon came under the attention of 
  Maedra the Hamadryad (see Minotaur n°3, p 31).  
   
   
   
  The real Green Minotaur 
   
  The forest nymph sensed that, somehow, this odd 
  creature was “kin” and soon came to the correct 
  conclusion that this being could only be the result of 
  the rape of a Dryad by a Minotaur.  
   
  The wise Hamadryad sensed that the poor creature 
  was just a lost, confused child; using her magical 
  powers, she managed to charm the monster and 
  calm his inner rage and primal urges. Under her 
  protection and tutelage, the Green Minotaur seemed 
  to find the attention and love it never had received.  
   
  A few months ago, another, far more dangerous 
  Monster settled in the area and began to prey upon 
  the local animals and humans alike, leaving horribly 
  mangled, half-eaten bodies in the forest.  
   
  The bravest men of the village eventually mustered 
  their courage and decided to track down the foul 
  beast responsible for those horrors and put an end 
  to its reign of terror. They ventured deeper into the 
  woods than they were used to… and when they 
  stumbled upon the Minotaur child, they just knew 
  they had found their monster. They only caught a 
  glimpse of the shy creature – enough time to shoot 
  an arrow at him, to see a green-hued Minotaurian 
  head… but not enough time to see that the creature 
  was no taller than a small human child. Or perhaps 
  they just didn’t want to notice this, anyway - they 
  were looking for a monster, after all. 
   
  Thanks to its camouflage powers, the terrified and 
  wounded child creature managed to elude pursuit. 
  Thanks to its Supernatural Vigor, the arrow that had 
  hit him did not kill him…  
   
  Full of fear, pain and confusion, the Green Minotaur 
  retreated to the deepest parts of the woods and to 
  its Hamadryad protector, the only being who has 
  ever helped and loved him… 
  
   
  When they got back to the village, the hunters told
  their tale to the other villagers.  
   
  This tale began to spread and grow and soon, 
  everybody knew that the deepest parts of the forest 
  had become home to a whole clan of fearsome, 
  man-eating, flesh-rending Green Minotaurs… 
   
  This rumor eventually came to the attention of some
  local outlaws, who decided to exploit the situation
  raid several local farms wearing green Minotaur 
  masks. And the victims who survived the
  helped to spread and reinforce the tale of the drea
  Green Minotaurs.  
   
  Meanwhile, 
  an 
  unseen, 
  unknown 
  and 
  very 
  bloodthisty Monster still roamed free in the forest
   
  Enter the adventurers. 
   
  Monster Hunt !  
   
  Much of the action of this scenario wi
  how the adventurers interact with the various NPCs 
  and creatures involved in the current situation : t
  villagers, the Impostaurs, Maedra the Hamadryad,  
  her Green Minotaur child protégé… and, of course, 
  the real Monster of the story. As deta
  Options & Complications section (p 39
  Masters may even add another intervening party to 
  the situation – the local Sylvans who, depending on 
  the adventurers’ behavior, may help, hinder or 
  oppose their chosen course of action. 
   
  The Villagers 
   
  The local villagers’ perception of the situation is
  pretty simple : they want to get rid of the Monster
  responsible for the grisly killings of the last few
  months… and since adventurers obviously have far 
  more experience than them in the perilou
  of monster-hunting, they will beg the heroic player
  characters to come to their rescue and put an end t
  the Green Minotaurs’ reign of terror. 
   
   
  The big, bad Manticore
  15 
  When they got back to the village, the hunters told 
  This tale began to spread and grow and soon, 
  that the deepest parts of the forest 
  lan of fearsome, 
  rending Green Minotaurs…  
  This rumor eventually came to the attention of some 
  local outlaws, who decided to exploit the situation to 
  raid several local farms wearing green Minotaur 
  masks. And the victims who survived their attacks 
  helped to spread and reinforce the tale of the dread 
  Meanwhile, 
  an 
  unseen, 
  unknown 
  and 
  very 
  bloodthisty Monster still roamed free in the forest…  
  Much of the action of this scenario will depend on 
  how the adventurers interact with the various NPCs 
  and creatures involved in the current situation : the 
  villagers, the Impostaurs, Maedra the Hamadryad,  
  her Green Minotaur child protégé… and, of course, 
  the real Monster of the story. As detailed in the 
  section (p 39-40), Maze 
  Masters may even add another intervening party to 
  the local Sylvans who, depending on 
  the adventurers’ behavior, may help, hinder or 
  oppose their chosen course of action.  
  The local villagers’ perception of the situation is 
  pretty simple : they want to get rid of the Monster(s) 
  responsible for the grisly killings of the last few 
  months… and since adventurers obviously have far 
  more experience than them in the perilous business 
  hunting, they will beg the heroic player- 
  characters to come to their rescue and put an end to 
  the Green Minotaurs’ reign of terror.  
   
  The big, bad Manticore 
   
  These poor country folks have nothing substantial t
  offer in terms of financial or material wealth 
  are desperate to get help. If they get the feeling 
  the adventurers are more motivated by greed than 
  by heroic altruism, they may concoct a tall tale 
  about some “lost treasure” hidden in the forest, 
  somewhere in that part of the woods where 
  coincidence - those darned Green Minotaurs seem 
  to have settled. Of course, only very stupid and 
  greedy adventurers will believe such a story.
   
  If the adventurers do seem to need some extra 
  incentive (other than the selfles
  protecting helpless, desperate folks from some foul
  Monster and gaining a few Glory, Wisdom or 
  Experience points in the process), the Maze Master 
  may even choose to make this “lost treasure” a 
  reality (see Options & Complications
   
  The Impostaurs 
   
  These six men are actually escaped slaves from the 
  nearest big city; they arrived to this area some th
  months ago, a few weeks before the 
  of the real Green Minotaur by the locals 
  consecutive killings of some vill
  ventured inside what the creature perceives as its 
  territory. The villains first heard about this “Green 
  Minotaur nonsense” while spying on a group of local
  hunters who were camping near their cavern lair; 
  they then decided to turn 
  fragments of an eavesdropped conversation
  “cunning plan” to disguise their own activities as the 
  doings of an imaginary monster.
   
  The Impostaurs do not live in the forest
  small network of caverns located just betwee
  forest and the village. Thus, they have never 
  into contact with the real Green Minotaur
  local Sylvans (see Options & Complications
  For the Impostaurs, the Green Minotaur is just a si
  (but very convenient) local rumor
  some horribly mangled corpses were found 
  other part of the woods”, probably killed by 
  sort of wild beast” but are too proud of their own 
  stratagem to actually connect the dots here (well, 
  nobody said that Impostaurs were 
   
  The stats for the Impostaurs can be found on page 
  79 of the Creature Compendium
   
  The Real Monster 
   
  As mentioned above, the various killings which have 
  been blamed on the creature by the villagers were 
  actually performed by the Impostaurs… and by 
  another, far more dangerous menace : a vicious 
  Manticore, which, unbeknownst to the villagers, the
  Impostaurs and most of the forest denizens, has 
  recently moved to the area, after being driven out 
  its mountain lair by a band of adventurers.
   
  See the Creature Compendium
  particular specimen is of the wingless variety.
   
  These poor country folks have nothing substantial to 
  inancial or material wealth – but  
  are desperate to get help. If they get the feeling that 
  the adventurers are more motivated by greed than 
  by heroic altruism, they may concoct a tall tale 
  about some “lost treasure” hidden in the forest, 
  part of the woods where - what a 
  those darned Green Minotaurs seem 
  to have settled. Of course, only very stupid and 
  greedy adventurers will believe such a story. 
  If the adventurers do seem to need some extra 
  incentive (other than the selfless satisfaction of 
  protecting helpless, desperate folks from some foul 
  Monster and gaining a few Glory, Wisdom or 
  Experience points in the process), the Maze Master 
  may even choose to make this “lost treasure” a 
  Options & Complications below). 
  These six men are actually escaped slaves from the 
  nearest big city; they arrived to this area some three 
  months ago, a few weeks before the first sightings 
  Green Minotaur by the locals and its 
  consecutive killings of some villagers who foolishly 
  ventured inside what the creature perceives as its 
  heard about this “Green 
  Minotaur nonsense” while spying on a group of local 
  camping near their cavern lair; 
  they then decided to turn these half-understood 
  fragments of an eavesdropped conversation into a 
  to disguise their own activities as the 
  doings of an imaginary monster. 
  The Impostaurs do not live in the forest itself but in a 
  small network of caverns located just between the 
  forest and the village. Thus, they have never come 
  Green Minotaur or with the 
  Options & Complications below). 
  For the Impostaurs, the Green Minotaur is just a silly 
  (but very convenient) local rumor. They know that 
  some horribly mangled corpses were found “in some 
  probably killed by “some 
  but are too proud of their own 
  stratagem to actually connect the dots here (well, 
  nobody said that Impostaurs were that clever). 
  The stats for the Impostaurs can be found on page 
  Creature Compendium. 
  As mentioned above, the various killings which have 
  been blamed on the creature by the villagers were 
  actually performed by the Impostaurs… and by 
  ther, far more dangerous menace : a vicious 
  Manticore, which, unbeknownst to the villagers, the 
  Impostaurs and most of the forest denizens, has 
  recently moved to the area, after being driven out of 
  its mountain lair by a band of adventurers.  
  ture Compendium (p 73) for stats. This 
  particular specimen is of the wingless variety. 
  
   
   
  Maedra the Hamadryad
   
  Maedra the Hamadryad 
   
  Maedra the Hamadryad is the local wood nymph. 
  She protects the Green Minotaur, whom she sees 
  as a confused, lost orphan and will not hesitate to 
  intervene directly, using her magical powers to the
  full extent, if she sees the Green Child (as she ca
  him) threatened in some manner – but her ability to 
  intervene directly is limited by the fact that, lik
  Hamadryads (see Minotaur n°3 , p 
  rooted in the ground and thus cannot act (or sees 
  what is happening) beyond her immediate vicinity.
   
  If it feels threatened, the Green Minotaur will usu
  flee to Maedra’s grove, which the creature perceive
  as the safest place in the woods 
  Down the Monster below.  
   
  If the adventurers come into contact with Maedra, 
  she will at first try to avoid any form of bloodshe
  using her magical powers to calm down aggressive 
  characters; she will then explain that th
  Child is under her sacred protection and has nothin
  to do with those grisly killings; if the adventurer
  refuse to listen to her and try to attack her or he
  ward, however, she will not hesitate for one second
  before calling a Wood Titan to the re
   
  If the adventurers trust Maedra (and she feels she 
  can trust them in return), she will offer them some
  very useful information about the true perpetrator 
  the gruesome killings – “not those stupid mortal 
  brutes with their stupid masks but a far m
  dangerous predator, a vile Manticore, which has 
  recently come to these woods from the East.”
  16 
   
  Maedra the Hamadryad 
  Maedra the Hamadryad is the local wood nymph. 
  She protects the Green Minotaur, whom she sees 
  nd will not hesitate to 
  intervene directly, using her magical powers to their 
  full extent, if she sees the Green Child (as she calls 
  but her ability to 
  intervene directly is limited by the fact that, like all 
  , p 31-32), she is 
  rooted in the ground and thus cannot act (or sees 
  what is happening) beyond her immediate vicinity.  
  If it feels threatened, the Green Minotaur will usually 
  flee to Maedra’s grove, which the creature perceives 
  – see Tracking 
  If the adventurers come into contact with Maedra, 
  she will at first try to avoid any form of bloodshed, 
  using her magical powers to calm down aggressive 
  characters; she will then explain that the Green 
  Child is under her sacred protection and has nothing 
  to do with those grisly killings; if the adventurers 
  refuse to listen to her and try to attack her or her 
  ward, however, she will not hesitate for one second 
  before calling a Wood Titan to the rescue.  
  If the adventurers trust Maedra (and she feels she 
  can trust them in return), she will offer them some 
  very useful information about the true perpetrator of 
  “not those stupid mortal 
  brutes with their stupid masks but a far more 
  Manticore, which has 
  recently come to these woods from the East.” 
  Indeed, since she became aware of the Manticore’s 
  presence (reported to her by various animals of the
  forest), Maedra has been looking for some brave 
  and strong allies to help her defeat the Monster or, 
  at least, drive it out of her forest.
  gladly used her own magical powers to get rid of th
  fell creature but, as mentioned above, her absence 
  of mobility seriously limits her ability to interve
  and the Manticore has, of course, wisely avoided 
  the vicinity of the Hamadryad’s grove.
   
  If the Maze Master uses the 
  option detailed below, Maedra’s grove will also be 
  placed under the constant watch of four hidden 
  Sylvans armed with bows and 
   
  The Green Minotaur 
   
  Maedra the Hamadryad is absolutely right about the 
  Green Minotaur : it is just a lost, confused child…
  now - but who knows what it will grow into, 
  especially if it is driven or taken away from Maedr
  soothing, benevolent influence ? This question 
  could easily turn into an interesting moral dilemma
  for players who like to explore such themes in play
   
  Since it is only a child, the Green Minotaur is not 
  very dangerous in a fight. When faced with a fight
  or-flight choice, he will always use the flight option
  unless the player-characters make the mistake of 
  attacking Maedra while in its presence, in which 
  case it will enter into a blind, berserk fury and f
  to the death to protect the Hamadryad. 
   
  The Green Minotaur
   
  Taxonomy : Monster 
   
  Description : A green-hued Minotaur, with the 
  size of an eight-year old human child.
   
  Size : Small 
   
  Ferocity : Aggressive 
   
  Cunning : Average 
   
  Mystique : Weird 
   
  Movement : 45’ 
   
  Initiative : 11 
   
  Melee Attack : +2 
   
  Damage : 1d3 (horns) 
   
  Defense Class : 15 
   
  Hits Total : 6 
   
  Detection / Evasion : +4 / 0
   
  Mystic Fortitude : +6 
   
  Special Abilities : Camouflage (18, forest), 
  Charge into Battle (Initiative 12, Melee +3), 
  Magic Resistance, Sharp Senses, Stealthy (14), 
  Supernatural Vigor, Tough Skin.
   
  Awards : None. This monster is just a lost child.
   
  Indeed, since she became aware of the Manticore’s 
  presence (reported to her by various animals of the 
  forest), Maedra has been looking for some brave 
  g allies to help her defeat the Monster or, 
  at least, drive it out of her forest. She would have 
  gladly used her own magical powers to get rid of the 
  fell creature but, as mentioned above, her absence 
  of mobility seriously limits her ability to intervene 
  nd the Manticore has, of course, wisely avoided 
  the vicinity of the Hamadryad’s grove. 
  If the Maze Master uses the Watchers in the Woods 
  option detailed below, Maedra’s grove will also be 
  placed under the constant watch of four hidden 
  ows and poisoned arrows. 
   
  Maedra the Hamadryad is absolutely right about the 
  Green Minotaur : it is just a lost, confused child… for 
  but who knows what it will grow into, 
  especially if it is driven or taken away from Maedra’s 
  hing, benevolent influence ? This question 
  could easily turn into an interesting moral dilemma, 
  for players who like to explore such themes in play. 
  Since it is only a child, the Green Minotaur is not 
  very dangerous in a fight. When faced with a fight-
  flight choice, he will always use the flight option… 
  characters make the mistake of 
  attacking Maedra while in its presence, in which 
  case it will enter into a blind, berserk fury and fight 
  to the death to protect the Hamadryad.  
  n Minotaur 
  hued Minotaur, with the 
  year old human child. 
  +4 / 0 
  Camouflage (18, forest), 
  Charge into Battle (Initiative 12, Melee +3), 
  Magic Resistance, Sharp Senses, Stealthy (14), 
  Tough Skin. 
  None. This monster is just a lost child. 
  
  17 
   
   
   
   
  A stealthy Sylvan scout 
   
  Tracking Down the Monster 
   
  The easiest way to track down the Green Minotaur 
  is to have a Hunter in the party (as per the regular 
  tracking rules given in the Players Manual p 45).  
   
  Alternatively, some hunter NPCs from the village 
  could be persuaded to join the adventurers in their 
  exploration of the deepest parts of the woods to 
  help them follow the trail of the monster… but there 
  is a good chance that these tracks will be those left 
  by the Impostaurs after one of their farm raids; any 
  true Hunter examining those tracks will quickly come 
  to the conclusion that they are just human footprints 
  (no roll needed here). Following this trail will require 
  a successful tracking roll (see Players Manual p 45) 
  against a target number of 15 and will lead the party 
  to the cavern hideout of the Impostaurs.  
   
  Depending on how long or complicated the Maze 
  Master wants the adventure to be, the Impostaurs 
  may be waiting in ambush, drunkenly celebrating 
  their latest farm raid, arguing over the spoils… or 
  perhaps they have already been slaughtered by the 
  real monster, the Manticore. A Hunter examining the 
  tracks left by the Manticore will identifying them as 
  those of a huge, probably monstrous quadruped; 
  following them will require a new tracking roll, but 
  with a much higher target number of 20 (10 + the 
  monster’s Evasion mod of +10). 
   
  The characters could also stumble upon the real 
  tracks of the real Green Minotaur, which definitely 
  look like the footprints of a child-sized but quite 
  heavy humanoid. Following those tracks require a 
  tracking roll, against a target number of 1d6+9 (this 
  randomness reflects the fact that some of these 
  tracks may already be quite old) and will eventually 
  lead the party to Maedra’s grove. 
  Last but not least, the adventurers’ search through 
  the woods may also draw the attention of the local 
  Sylvans (see below)… or of the Manticore itself.  
   
  Whichever sequence of events is chosen by the 
  Maze Master, the adventurers should eventually 
  encounter the true monster of the story, the fell 
  Manticore. How and when this happens depends 
  entirely on the players’ course of action (and on the 
  whims of fate, a.k.a the Maze Master).  
   
  Interesting possibilities include joining forces with 
  the Sylvans to track down and confront the monster 
  in its lair, stumbling upon the Manticore while it is 
  attacking some villagers, Impostaurs or Sylvans (or 
  perhaps the poor, terrified Green Minotaur child !) or 
  simply being ambushed by the vicious, wicked 
  predator itself.  
   
  Options & Complications 
   
  The Maze Master may choose to weave some of the 
  following options into the plot in order to make the 
  scenario more complex, more dangerous – or both ! 
   
  Watchers in the Woods 
   
  As mentioned above, the deeper parts of the woods 
  may also be home to a small colony of Sylvans (see 
  the Creature Compendium, p113).  
   
  These beings are loyal allies of Maedra the 
  Hamadryad but have deep reservations about her 
  monstrous child protégé, whom they view as an 
  unwelcome source of trouble; they are fully aware, 
  however, that the poor creature has absolutely 
  nothing to do with the gruesome killings perpetrated 
  by the newly-arrived Manticore.  
   
  The elusive, wary Sylvans normally prefer to keep a 
  safe distance from humans but the threat posed by 
  the presence of the Manticore may prompt them to 
  seek an alliance with the adventurers, perhaps with 
  some mediation from the Hamadryad.  
   
  They know that is only a question of time before the 
  monster decides to prey upon them and they are 
  fully aware that their poisoned arrows will have little 
  effect on the monster, since its Supernatural Vigor 
  makes it immune to toxins. They will nevertheless 
  make useful allies against the Manticore, especially 
  if the party does not include a Hunter. 
   
  Monster in Distress  
   
  What if the darn Impostaurs had stumbled upon the 
  Green Minotaur and captured it, taking it back to 
  their cavern lair ?  The masked brutes could decide 
  to torture it for fun – or perhaps try to tame it by 
  force in order to use it as a scout or decoy for their 
  future farm raids. This option could add an 
  interesting dose of drama (and confusion) to the 
  plot, especially if the party finds the Impostaurs’ lair 
  before having a chance to meet Maedra and learn 
  the truth about the Green Minotaur… 
  
   
   
   
  Bregos the Monster Slayer
   
  The Great Monster Hunter
   
  The adventurers are not the only monster hunters 
  around ! Rumors of the gruesome killings have 
  caught the attention of an expert, high
  known as Bregos the Monster Slayer
  arrive in the village shortly after the characters, with
  his trusty hunting dog Rantanos.  
   
  Bregos will quickly take things into his own hands, 
  telling impressive tales of his past exploits, boss
  the “natives” around and dismissing the adventurers
  as “bloody amateurs” whose lack of experience in 
  such matters will only be an extra source of danger
  for everybody involved and who should leave the 
  “job” to the “real professionals here”. 
   
  Depending on how the adventurers react to Bregos’ 
  attitude, this complication could create extra tension 
  or add a degree of comic relief to the whole story 
  especially if the so-called great hunter turns out to 
  be little more than a bragging buffoon who runs 
  away in terror when the true monster finally 
  appears. Regardless of his actual level of expertise, 
  Bregos will most certainly pose a direct threat to t
  Green Minotaur, whom the party may have to 
  protect or rescue at Maedra’s request.
   
  Too Many Manticores ! 
   
  What if there were two Manticores involved ?  A 
  male Manticore and its “Manticoress” could have 
  chosen the forest as their new territory and as the
  place to watch their Manticore cubs grow up, which 
  would be very bad news for the villagers, the 
  Sylvans and pretty much everybody in the area…  
   
  Of course, this option is only recommended if your 
  party’s level of power does seem a little too high 
  the basic version of this adventure…
  18 
   
  Bregos the Monster Slayer 
  The Great Monster Hunter 
  The adventurers are not the only monster hunters 
  around ! Rumors of the gruesome killings have 
  caught the attention of an expert, high-level Hunter 
  the Monster Slayer, who will 
  e in the village shortly after the characters, with 
  Bregos will quickly take things into his own hands, 
  telling impressive tales of his past exploits, bossing 
  the “natives” around and dismissing the adventurers 
  amateurs” whose lack of experience in 
  such matters will only be an extra source of danger 
  for everybody involved and who should leave the 
  “job” to the “real professionals here”.  
  Depending on how the adventurers react to Bregos’ 
  on could create extra tension 
  or add a degree of comic relief to the whole story – 
  called great hunter turns out to 
  be little more than a bragging buffoon who runs 
  away in terror when the true monster finally 
  actual level of expertise, 
  Bregos will most certainly pose a direct threat to the 
  Green Minotaur, whom the party may have to 
  protect or rescue at Maedra’s request. 
  Manticores involved ?  A 
  its “Manticoress” could have 
  chosen the forest as their new territory and as the 
  place to watch their Manticore cubs grow up, which 
  for the villagers, the 
  Sylvans and pretty much everybody in the area…   
  ly recommended if your 
  party’s level of power does seem a little too high for 
  the basic version of this adventure… 
  The Lost Treasure 
   
  Remember the highly dubious tale about a “lost 
  treasure” hidden somewhere in the forest ?  What if
  this rumor was actually based on some true facts ?  
  Perhaps it was those same rumors that drew the 
  Impostaurs to that particular area… and perhaps the
  did manage to find the lost treasure (or at least s
  of it) in one of the local caverns. 
   
  This treasure, a suitably sizeable
  gems, could be the long-lost spoils of some long
  forgotten marauders (adventurers ?) who met their 
  doom in the woods… perhaps at the hands of the loca
  Sylvans, who protected their homes and families from
  those unwelcome intruders and
  trinkets” into one of the nearby caverns, away from
  sacred ground of their beloved forest. 
   
  Written by 
   
  Only the bravest heroes dare enter the…
   
  TOMB OF THE BULL 
   
  A mega-module for Mazes & Minotaurs
   
  Myriads of Monsters
   
  Tons of Treasure
   
  Plenty of Perils
   
  A sinister curse has fallen on the colony of 
  Coristea. Ancient powers have awakened, 
  forgotten secrets have been unearthed and 
  dark monsters once again 
  men. Will your heroes brave the dangers and 
  mysteries of the Tomb of the Bull King?
   
  Find out in the ultimate maze adventure
   
  TOMB OF THE BULL KING
   
  THE HUGEST, DEADLIEST SCENARIO EVER
   
  DEVISED FOR MAZES & MINOTAURS
   
  Available – for 
   
  JUST CLICK
   
   
  Remember the highly dubious tale about a “lost 
  treasure” hidden somewhere in the forest ?  What if 
  based on some true facts ?  
  Perhaps it was those same rumors that drew the 
  Impostaurs to that particular area… and perhaps they 
  did manage to find the lost treasure (or at least some 
  of it) in one of the local caverns.  
  This treasure, a suitably sizeable amount of coins and 
  lost spoils of some long- 
  forgotten marauders (adventurers ?) who met their 
  doom in the woods… perhaps at the hands of the local 
  Sylvans, who protected their homes and families from 
  those unwelcome intruders and dumped their “shiny 
  trinkets” into one of the nearby caverns, away from the 
  sacred ground of their beloved forest.  
  Written by Olivier Legrand (2010) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Only the bravest heroes dare enter the… 
  TOMB OF THE BULL KING 
  Mazes & Minotaurs 
  Myriads of Monsters 
  Tons of Treasure 
  Plenty of Perils 
  A sinister curse has fallen on the colony of 
  Coristea. Ancient powers have awakened, 
  forgotten secrets have been unearthed and 
  dark monsters once again threaten the land of 
  men. Will your heroes brave the dangers and 
  mysteries of the Tomb of the Bull King? 
  the ultimate maze adventure! 
  TOMB OF THE BULL KING 
  THE HUGEST, DEADLIEST SCENARIO EVER 
  DEVISED FOR MAZES & MINOTAURS 
  for FREE! 
  JUST CLICK HERE 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Mazes & Minotaurs (osr) [multi]/Adventures/Into the Woods (Mazes & Minotaurs).pdf