TEXT: Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
  ® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and the new DUNGEONS & 
  DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. 
   
  This game product contains no Open Game Content.  No portion of this work may be reproduced in any 
  form without permission of the author.  To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 
  system license, please visit www.wizards.com/d20 
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, GREYHAWK and RPGA are registered trademarks of Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc. LIVING GREYHAWK is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 
  This scenario is intended for tournament use only and may not be reproduced without approval of the 
  RPGA Network.  
   
  VER Intro 3-03 
   
   
   
   
   
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  A One-Round D&D LIVING GREYHAWK®  
  Verbobonc Introductory Adventure 
  Version 1 
  Round 1 
  by Ron Lundeen 
  Editorial support from the rest of the Verbobonc Triad: Brad Ruby & Terry Doner 
   
   
  Late at night, the storm howls and sheets of rain fall upon you.  The High Road from Verbobonc to Veluna is 
  supposed to be safe and well-traveled.  But on this stormy night you have seen no one else on the road for hours, 
  and no sign of a place to stop and rest.  You now travel through the dark lands of Lord Chondell of Verbobonc, 
  whose peasants mention his name in whispers and shutter their windows tightly at night.  Perhaps tonight, you 
  will learn why House Chondell is so feared.  An Introductory Verbobonc Regional Scenario, for 1st level 
  characters only. 
   
  
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  Page 2 
   
  This is an RPGA® Network scenario for the 
  Dungeons & Dragons® game. A four-hour time block 
  has been allocated for each round of this scenario, but 
  the actual playing time will be closer to three and a 
  half hours. The rest of the time is spent in preparation 
  before game play, and scoring after the game. The 
  following guidelines are here to help you with both 
  the preparation and voting segment of the game. Read 
  this page carefully so that you know and can 
  communicate to your players the special aspects of 
  playing an RPGA scenario.  
  Preparation  
   
   
   
   
  First you should print this scenario. This scenario was 
  created to support double-sided printing, but printing 
  it single sided will work as well. There is enough 
  room along the inside margin to bind the adventure, if 
  you desire.  
  Read this entire adventure at least once before you 
  run your game. Be sure to familiarize yourself with 
  any special rules, spells, or equipment presented in the 
  adventure. It may help to highlight particularly 
  important passages.  
  When you run an RPGA D&D adventure we assume 
  that you have access to the following books: the 
  Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and 
  the Monster Manual. We also assume that you have a 
  set of dice (at least one d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20), 
  some scrap paper, a pencil, an RPGA scoring packet, 
  and your sense of fun. It is also a good idea to have a 
  way to track movement during combat. This can be as 
  simple as a pad of graph paper and a pencil, as handy 
  as a vinyl grid map and chits, or as elaborate as resin 
  dungeon walls and miniatures. 
  Instruct the players either to prepare their characters 
  now, or wait until you read the introduction, 
  depending on the requirements of the scenario as 
  described in the introduction.  
  Keep in mind that you must have at least four players 
  (not counting the DM), for the game session to be a 
  sanctioned RPGA event. As well, you cannot have 
  more than six players participating in the game. 
  Once you are ready to play, it is handy to instruct 
  each player to place a nametag in front of him or her. 
  The tag should have the player’s name at the bottom, 
  and the character’s name, race, and gender at the top. 
  This makes it easier for the players (and the DM) to 
  keep track of who is playing which character. 
  The players are free to use the game rules to learn 
  about equipment and weapons their characters are 
  carrying. That said, you as the DM can bar the use of 
  even core rulebooks during certain times of play. For 
  example, the players are not free to consult the 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide when confronted with a trap 
  or hazard, or the Monster Manual when confronted 
  with a monster.  
  Some of the text in this scenario is written so that you 
  may present it as written to the players, while other 
  text is for your eyes only. Text for the players will be 
  in gray boxes. It’s strongly recommended that you 
  paraphrase the player text instead of reading it aloud. 
  Some of this text is general and must be adapted to 
  the specific situation or to actions of the player 
  characters. 
  Reporting 
   
   
   
   
   
  As an Introductory Scenario, reporting play of this 
  event is not required. 
  Living Greyhawk 
   
   
   
   
  This is a LIVING GREYHAWK Adventure.  As a 
  LIVING adventure it is expected that players bring 
  their own characters with them.  If players do not 
  have a LIVING GREYHAWK character generated, 
  get a copy of the current LIVING GREYHAWK 
  character generation guidelines, and a character 
  sheet from your convention coordinator or the 
  RPGA Web site, ant then have any players without 
  a character create on.  Once all players have a 
  LIVING GREYHAWK character, play can begin. 
  Along with the other materials that you are assumed 
  to have in order to run a D&D game, it is also 
  recommended that you have a copy of the LIVING 
  GREYHAWK Gazetteer. 
  Living Greyhawk Levels of Play  
   
  Because players bring their own characters to 
  LIVING GREYHAWK games, this adventure’s 
  challenges are proportioned to the average character 
  level of the PCs participating in the adventure. To 
  determine the Average Party Level (APL): 
  1. 
  Determine the character level for each of the 
  PCs participating in the adventure. 
  2. 
  If PCs bring animals that have been trained for 
  combat (most likely being war horses, dogs 
  trained for war), other than those brought by 
  virtue of a class ability (i.e. animal companions, 
  familiars paladin’s mounts, etc) use the sidebar 
  chart to determine the number of levels you add 
  to the sum above. Add each character’s animals 
  separately. A single PC may only bring four or 
  fewer animals of this type, and animals with 
  different CRs are added separately. 
  
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  Page 3 
   
  # of Animals 
  Mundane 
  Animals Effect 
  on APL 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  1/4 & 1/6 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  1 
  1/3 & 1/2 
  0 
  0 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  6 
  7 
  8 
  5 
  5 
  7 
  8 
  9 
  6 
  6 
  8 
  9 
  10 
  CR of Animal 
  7 
  7 
  9 
  10 
  11 
  3. 
  Sum the results of 1 and 2, and divide by the 
  number of characters playing in the adventure.  
  Round to the nearest whole number. 
  4. 
  If you are running a table of six PCs, add one to 
  that average. 
   
  By following these four steps, you will have 
  determined the APL. Throughout this adventure, 
  APLs categorize the level of challenge the PCs will 
  face. APLS are given in even-numbered increments. 
  If the APL of your group falls on an odd number, 
  ask them before the adventure begins whether they 
  would like to play a harder or easier adventure. 
  Based on their choice, use either the higher or the 
  lower adjacent APL. 
  APL also affects the amount of experience you may 
  gain at the end of the adventure. If your character is 
  three character levels or more either higher or lower 
  than the APL this adventure is being played at, that 
  character will receive only half of the experience 
  points awarded for the adventure. This simulates the 
  face that either your character was not as challenged 
  as normal, or relied on help by higher-level 
  characters to reach the objectives. 
  Note: LIVING GREYHAWK adventures are 
  designed for APL 2 and higher. Four or sometimes 
  even five 1st-level characters may find difficulty with 
  the 
  challenges in a LIVING GREYHAWK 
  adventure. If your group is APL 1 there are three 
  things that you can do to help even the score. 
  1. 
  Attempt to create a table of six 1st-level 
  characters, 
  or try to enlist higher-level 
  characters to play at that table. 
  2. 
  Advise characters to buy riding dogs to help 
  protect them, and fight for them. All riding 
  dogs are considered trained to attack. PCs who 
  want their dogs to attack must succeed at a 
  Handle Animal or Charisma check (DC 10). 
  Failure indicates that the animal will not attack 
  that round. This is a free action (spoken 
  command) that may be attempted each round. If 
  an animal loses half or more hp in a single 
  round it flees, unless another check is successful. 
  Time Units and Upkeep 
   
   
   
  This is a standard one-round Regional Introductory 
  adventure, set in Verbobonc.  Characters native to 
  Verbobonc pay one Time Unit per round, all others 
  pay two Time Units per round.  Adventurer’s 
  Standard Upkeep costs 12gp per Time Unit.  Rich 
  Upkeep costs 50gp per Time Unit.  Luxury Upkeep 
  costs 100gp per Time Unit. 
  Adventure Background 
  The 
  Chondell 
  family 
  has 
  a 
  long, 
  dark 
  history, 
  and 
  suffers under a 
  lingering curse 
  that will not be 
  described fully 
  here.  Suffice to 
  say, the current 
  Lord Chondell, 
  Kosak, lost a 
  son 
  several 
  years 
  ago.  
  That son was 
  named 
  Sergei 
  Chondell. 
  He 
  was slain by an 
  undead creature 
  on a dark and 
  stormy night six years ago.  He rose as a wight.  
  Whenever a particularly dark and stormy night 
  wracks the lands of Lord Chondell, his son Sergei 
  rises and kills anyone  or any creature he chances to 
  comes across.  When morning comes, Sergei returns 
  to the family crypt and his undead rest. 
   
  In all these years, none have been able to stop 
  the powerful Sergei Chondell.  Only recently, Lord 
  Kosak Chondell has learned of his son’s terrible fate, 
  and he has descended from his high mountain home 
  in order to put a final stop to his undead son’s 
  attacks along the High Road running through the 
  lands of House Chondell.  Lord Kosak Chondell is a 
  stern-looking man in his late 40’s.  He uses few 
  words, and cuts a very imposing figure. 
   
  In the year 592 CY, the popular and kind 
  Baroness Elinor Asbury was appointed Ambassador 
  to Veluna by Viscount Langard.  As a result, Lady 
  Asbury travels to and from Veluna quite often, 
  usually by the High Road.  She always travels with a 
  contingent of House Asbury Guardsmen, of course, 
  as the lands of Verbobonc are not completely tame 
  (and most certainly not in the far western edge of 
  the Viscounty).  Lady Asbury is one of the youngest 
  nobles of Verbobonc, at only 21 years old. 
   
  On this stormy night, Lady Asbury was 
  traveling back to her lands in eastern Verbobonc.  
  As she and her guardsmen crossed a bridge earlier 
  tonight, her men were attacked by the creature that 
  Sergei Chondell has become, Sergei was out on one 
  of his killing rages.  All of Asbury’s retainers were 
  slain, and Lady Asbury herself was left for dead on 
  the bridge. 
  
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  Page 4 
   
   
  Unfortunately, this bridge is also home to a 
  particularly vicious troll.  This bald, knobbly-hided 
  creature has laired under this particular bridge for as 
  long as anyone can remember.  Most of the time, 
  this troll sleeps deeply in its old den under the 
  bridge.  This night, the smell of blood on the bridge 
  above awoke it, and it has come out into the rain to 
  feed.   It is pursuing Sergei Chondell, but will 
  mistakenly follow Lord Kosak Chondell instead. 
  Adventure Summary  
  This adventure should play out like a horror movie.  
  The rain and dark makes it very hard to see or hear, 
  and two very powerful (and very scary) opponents 
  will be stalking the characters throughout this 
  adventure.  Feel free to add anything you’d like that 
  will enhance the scary aspect of this scenario—
  monstrous cries from somewhere out in the 
  darkness, characters getting momentarily lost and 
  separated from each other, and so on.  Play with the 
  characters, but avoid killing them—it’s much scarier 
  to face a horror and live than have it kill you 
  outright.  If you have it, some creepy background 
  music would be appropriate as well. 
   
  The adventure begins when the characters 
  discover Lady Asbury’s entourage slain on the 
  bridge.  Lady Asbury is alive among the bodies.  
  When the characters discover that she is alive, the 
  skeletons of the guardsmen burst from their bodies 
  and attack the characters.  They attack in two 
  waves. 
   
  When the characters get free of the undead, 
  Lady Asbury recommends an inn off the road about 
  an hour back the way the characters came.  This 
  dilapidated inn is called the Gravedigger’s Rest. The 
  Inn is run by an elderly old human woman named 
  Roberta.  A few farmers, trapped indoors by the 
  thunderstorm, the rain and their own fear, are also 
  in the Gravedigger’s Rest as well when the party 
  arrives. 
   
  While the characters are enjoying a hot meal 
  and a chance to warm up by the fire, Lord Kosak 
  Chondell arrives at the Gravedigger’s Rest.  Much 
  about his appearance should lead the characters to 
  think that he could be some sort of vampire, but he 
  is not.  He asks some pointed questions about Lady 
  Asbury’s attackers, as he is looking for information 
  about his son’s whereabouts (although he doesn’t 
  reveal this at this time).  
   
  From outside comes the horrible noise of an 
  animal being slain.  When the characters investigate, 
  they see a bald, black-skinned, knobbly-hided troll 
  prowling around the Gravedigger’s Rest in the rain. 
   It is trying to figure out how to get inside, but it is 
  prevented by its size. 
   
  The farmers and Roberta are the source of much 
  information at this point.  The farmers are aware of 
  the troll, and Roberta suspects that some other 
  predator, something darker and more unnatural, is 
  prowling around.  Lord Chondell admits that he is 
  looking for his undead son, and asks the characters 
  to destroy the monster his son has become.  Roberta 
  provides a charm for each character’s, which could 
  help to protect them in their upcoming battle. 
   
  The characters have to come up with some sort 
  of plan to distract the troll long enough for them to 
  sneak off into the night, and back to the bridge.  
  There, they will see Sergei Chondell waiting for 
  them.  The characters must defeat the wight while 
  under Roberta’s protection.  As Sergei is defeated, 
  the troll returns, and retreats to its lair under the 
  bridge. 
   
  Both Lord Kosak Chondell and Lady Elinor 
  Asbury thank the heroes for what they have done, 
  and reward them for their help. 
  Introduction 
  I have long maintained that there are two kinds of 
  Living Greyhawk adventures.  In the first kind, the 
  characters are assumed to have met one another “off-
  stage” before the adventure begins, and are already 
  assumed to be traveling companions.  In the second 
  kind, the DM reads some opening text in order to 
  bring the characters together for the first time, and 
  they introduce themselves then. 
   
  This adventure is the former kind.  The 
  characters have been traveling on the High Road 
  from Verbobonc to Veluna (for whatever personal 
  reasons they care to create), and have been traveling 
  together for company and safety for a few days 
  already.  The previous day was a steady drizzle, and 
  the rain has increased earlier this afternoon to a 
  downpour. 
   
  The players should introduce their characters to 
  each other at this time. 
  Storm Rules 
  The heavy rain and night makes detection difficult.  
  Whenever the characters are outside in this 
  adventure, they suffer a -4 penalty to all Spot, 
  Search, and Listen checks.  Uncovered light sources 
  (like torches) are extinguished automatically, and 
  covered light sources dance and flicker but are not 
  extinguished.  Visibility is only good to about thirty 
  
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  Page 5 
   
  feet, even for characters with low-light vision or 
  darkvision.  After that range, only vague shapes can 
  be seen in the storm.  All creatures outside this 
  visibility range count as having full concealment 
  (attackers must choose a square to target, and have a 
  50% miss chance). 
  Encounter One: Troll Bridge 
  If you are using a battlemat, draw a bridge about 
  fifteen feet wide and thirty feet long.  The bridge 
  spans a flooded ravine twenty feet wide.  The first 
  five feet on either side are thick mud, and the middle 
  ten feet are rushing waters. 
   
  On the bridge, lay about a dozen corpses.  
  Choose one of these “corpses” to be Lady Elinor 
  Asbury, who is still alive.  The characters approach 
  this bridge from the east, and Lady Asbury’s group 
  was approaching from the west.  Read: 
   
  As a tremendous clap of thunder and 
  lightning explodes across the evening sky one 
  can see from out of the darkness and gloom an 
  ancient stone bridge ahead of you.  It crosses a 
  rushing stream greatly swollen with the days 
  rainwater.  
   
  Upon the bridge lie numerous forms.  As you 
  peer through the falling rain, you can see broken 
  planks of wood, a lone carriage wheel, and the 
  bodies of at least a dozen men.  All litter the 
  bridge like carelessly-discarded toys. 
   
  Once the characters move closer, it is clear that 
  all these men were killed by something with vicious 
  claws.  The bodies are mostly intact.  Many of these 
  men have their weapons out.  Here is more 
  information that the characters can gain with the 
  following skill checks: 
  • 
  With a DC 12 Heal check, it is clear that 
  these men were slain less than an hour ago, 
  maybe as recently as fifteen minutes. 
  • 
  A DC 10 Knowledge (local), Knowledge 
  (nobility and royalty), or bardic knowledge 
  check reveals that these men were Lady 
  Asbury’s House Guard.  If the check result 
  is 15 or more, the character recognizes 
  Lady Elinor Asbury herself. 
  • 
  A DC 12 Knowledge (nature) check reveals 
  that whatever attacked these men walked 
  on two legs.  If the Knowledge (nature) 
  check result is a 20 or more, then it’s clear 
  that the creature that attacked these men 
  was man-sized as well. 
  • 
  A DC 15 Search check reveals that the 
  boards and wheel were once part of a small 
  carriage.  It was smashed to pieces, and 
  most of it was flung over the side of the 
  bridge, into the water. 
  • 
  A Survival check to find tracks is 
  impossible to make, as the rain has washed 
  all the tracks away. 
  What Happened Here: This group was traveling 
  across the bridge (with Lady Asbury in her 
  carriage), when Sergei Chondell suddenly attacked.  
  Since each strike drains a level, and these retainers 
  were all 1st-level characters, it wasn’t long before 
  Sergei was able to defeat them all.  In the panic, 
  Lady Asbury’s horses overturned the wagon.  The 
  wagon smashed against the side of the bridge, and 
  most of it went over the side.  Lady Asbury, 
  fortunately, was thrown clear, but the accident 
  wounded her badly and knocked her unconscious.  
  The horses have fled, and cannot be recovered.   
   
  If a suspicious cleric in the party tries turning 
  the 
  bodies 
  immediately, 
  nothing 
  happens 
  (technically, the skeletons inside have full cover 
  from the cleric, which negates the turning attempts). 
   
  When the characters find Lady Asbury, they 
  discover that she is still alive.  A DC 10 Heal check 
  will bring her back to consciousness.  She currently 
  has 6 hit points remaining, and counts as staggered 
  until the end of this scene.  For now, she can do little 
  but groan. 
  Lady Elinor Asbury: Female human Bard12.  Cha 
  17, AL: NG.  Lady Asbury has already exhausted 
  her spells for the day, unless you determine that she 
  has a single cure light wounds spell left. 
   
  Lady Asbury’s fate soon becomes the least of the 
  characters’ concerns.  Once they help Lady Asbury, 
  or otherwise start to disturb the bodies, read: 
   
  The wet corpses on the bridge appear to 
  shudder for a moment, and split apart like 
  overripe melons.  The skeletons of the dead men 
  claw their way out, and rise to a sitting position. 
   A cold red light gleams in their eyes, and their 
  jaws clench and unclench as though anticipating 
  a meal. 
   
  There is one skeleton per character present (at 
  first).  Once more than half of these skeletons are 
  destroyed, one more skeleton per character rises 
  from the remaining guardsmen corpses. 
  Skeletons, human warrior (1 per PC, then 
  another 1 per PC): hp 6 each; see Monster Manual 
  page 225 & 226.   
  
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  Page 6 
   
  Tactics: These skeletons begin combat sitting, and 
  must take a move action to rise.  Unlike standing up 
  from prone, this does not provoke an attack of 
  opportunity. 
  Treasure: The bodies have little of value, mostly 
  longswords, longbows, and chain mail armor.  The 
  characters can take these items for now, but Lady 
  Asbury will insist they are returned to the men’s 
  families. 
  Development: Once the characters have defeated 
  the skeletons, Lady Asbury comes more fully to her 
  senses.  She thanks her rescuers and says: 
   
  “I know of a nearby place that’s safe and dry. 
   We should be gone from here.   About an hour 
  down the road, back the way you came, is a 
  signpost.  Ten minutes due south of that post, 
  down a path little more than a wagon track, is an 
  inn.” 
   
  As the characters prepare to leave, they hear an 
  enormous bellow echoing from under the bridge, 
  and a large form squelching in the mud.  This is, of 
  course, the troll under the bridge.  The troll is just 
  awakening now, and will not appear or attack the 
  characters as long as the leave fairly quickly.  
  Choose one character further away than the others 
  (preferably a keen-sighted character, like an elf or a 
  rogue) and describe a large, dark, hulking form 
  keeping just out of sight under the bridge. 
   
  Once the characters leave this area, move on to 
  Encounter Two. 
  Encounter Two: 
  Gravedigger’s Rest 
  If the characters follow Lady Asbury’s instructions, 
  they leave the High Road by the signpost (which the 
  characters didn’t notice the first time they passed it, 
  in the rain).  After ten minutes of travel down a 
  rutted wagon track, the party comes across the 
  Gravedigger’s Rest. 
   
  In the growing darkness and rain, a blocky 
  structure looms into view.  It looks to be a 
  tavern or common house, with lights shining 
  warmly from its windows.  It looks to be very 
  old, and not very well cared-for.  A low covered 
  porch runs along the front of the building. 
    
  A painted sign hangs upon the roof of the 
  porch above the entrance to the Inn.  On the 
  sign, a man sits on the edge of a small square pit, 
  his face resting in his hands and a shovel lies 
  across his lap.  Under the picture, the sign reads, 
  “Gravedigger’s Rest.” 
   
  If any party member has a horse, mule, or other 
  form of a mount, add: 
   
  A hitching post near the porch provides a 
  place to leave your mounts. 
   
  If no one in the party has a mount, then there is 
  a donkey tied up to the hitching post.  It belongs to 
  one of the farmers inside.  Add: 
   
  Tied to a hitching post in front of the 
  building, stoically ignoring the pounding rain, is 
  a surly-looking donkey. 
   
  If you are using a battlemat, feel free to draw 
  the Gravedigger’s Rest.  It is about thirty feet 
  square, and two stories tall (the second story is all 
  private rooms).  The entrance is in the center of the 
  north side of the building, and there is a large porch 
  along the north side: it’s ten feet deep and runs the 
  entire length of the building (that is, thirty feet). 
   
  When 
  the 
  characters 
  venture 
  into 
  the 
  Gravedigger’s Rest, read: 
   
  As you enter the building, warmth and light 
  wash over you.  Along the left side of the room is 
  a cheery fireplace, and along the right side of the 
  room is a long bar.  An old human woman 
  wrapped in a shawl looks up from a chair behind 
  the bar as you enter, and traces some small sigil 
  in the air as if to ward off evil.  Four men, 
  farmers by the look of them, turn from their 
  drinks as you enter.  They seem suspicious, and 
  you get the sense that they already don’t like 
  you. 
   
  There are about six strangely-shaped tables 
  in this room, each about three feet wide and six 
  feet long.  With a shudder, you realized that 
  these “tables” are overturned coffins, raised off 
  the ground on stout wooden legs. 
   
  The old woman, Roberta, owns and operates the 
  Gravedigger’s Rest.  Her husband was an 
  undertaker in this very building, but he died years 
  ago with several coffins constructed and yet unfilled. 
   Roberta, who was more interested in operating an 
  inn than a mortuary, turned the coffins into tables 
  and has been running the Gravedigger’s Rest Inn 
  ever since. 
   
  Roberta’s hand gesture is a “folk magic” ward 
  against evil, which the characters can recognize with 
  a DC 12 Knowledge (arcana).  It has no effect, of 
  course, because none of the characters are evil.   
  Roberta is a superstitious old crone with enough 
  magical knowledge to be well-respected throughout 
  this back water region of Verbobonc.  She puts on a 
  surly 
  demeanor, 
  but 
  she’s 
  actually 
  quite 
  
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  Page 7 
   
  grandmotherly to everyone once she gets to know 
  them. 
   
  The farmers have been trapped here because of 
  the heavy rains, and intend to leave in the morning.  
  Hopefully, they think, the rain will have stopped by 
  then, but at least it won’t be as dark.  Roberta is very 
  kind for letting them stay, and she isn’t charging 
  them anything for their nights lodging. 
   
  If the characters ask for a room, or drinks, or 
  anything of that kind, Roberta insists that they 
  settle in and have some soup first, to chase away the 
  cold and the wet.  The soup is a thick garlic stew.  If 
  any of the characters act particularly averse to 
  garlic, the farmers look at them even more 
  suspiciously, and whisper among themselves. 
   
  If the characters mention the skeleton attack 
  and/or the help they gave to Lady Asbury, Roberta 
  makes the warding sigil again.  She acts particularly 
  caring to Lady Asbury, fetching her a blanket and 
  ladling her out some extra garlic stew. 
   
  Roberta bustles upstairs to get the rooms ready, 
  and while she’s gone, Lord Kosak Chondell arrives.  
  He knows his son is out on this night, and he’s 
  looking for clues.   Read: 
   
  Thunder crashes outside, and a flash of 
  lightning illuminates the yard around the 
  Gravedigger’s Rest.  The front doors open on 
  their own, and framed in the doorway is a lean, 
  pale, older man standing on the porch.  His 
  elegant long hair hangs down over his well-cut 
  cloak, and the rest of his clothes are well-
  tailored, though a little out-of-date. 
   
  Something strikes you as suspicious about 
  the man, and you suddenly realize that he is 
  completely dry.  He waits for a moment, 
  surveying the interior of the inn, and does not 
  step inside.  Roberta bustles down the stairs, and 
  sees that the door is open.  “Come in, come in,” 
  she barks. 
   
  With this invitation, the man steps across 
  the threshold and strides over to your table.  The 
  farmers cower away from him, and you hear 
  them whisper “Chondell” to each other.  The 
  man ignores them. 
   
  The man pulls a handkerchief from a pocket, 
  and holds it over his nose as he scents the stew 
  on your table. 
   
  Lady Asbury seems to recognize the man.  
  “Lord Chondell, what a surprise.  My friends, 
  this is Lord Kosak Chondell, one of the 
  most…reclusive nobles in the Viscounty.” 
   
  You should do your best to lead the characters 
  into thinking that Lord Kosak Chondell is a 
  vampire, without actually saying so.  Lord Chondell 
  is not, in fact, a vampire.  There are actually several 
  reasonable explanations for Lord Chondell’s strange 
  actions, like: 
  • 
  Lord Chondell is completely dry because, 
  on the porch, he cast prestidigitation to dry 
  himself, before opening the door. 
  • 
  Lord Chondell doesn’t like to enter any 
  place he hasn’t been invited, since he knows 
  that many people in his lands find his family 
  disturbing and unpopular. 
  • 
  He genuinely doesn’t like the smell of 
  garlic. 
  Lord Chondell is blunt and to the point.  He is here 
  to find out where his son is prowling about.  He asks 
  Lady Asbury and the players if they have noticed 
  anything unusual this night.  If the characters are 
  not forthcoming about the skeleton attack, Lady 
  Asbury will bring it up.  Lord Chondell asks where 
  this attack took place, and when he hears it was at 
  the bridge he nods knowingly. 
  Development: The Troll Arrives 
   
  Once the characters have chatted with Lord 
  Chondell for a few minutes, read the following text: 
   
  Another peal of thunder crashes outside, and 
  strange, large shadow passes by one of the 
  windows.  There is a horrible, inhuman shriek 
  from outside, and then deadly silence. 
   
  The troll has caught up with the party here at 
  the Gravedigger’s Rest.  If the characters left their 
  mounts outside, the troll has killed one of them.  If 
  the characters have no mounts, then it is the donkey 
  that the troll has killed. 
   
  In any case, a DC 10 Knowledge (nature) or 
  Survival check identifies the inhuman shriek as the 
  animal (horse, donkey, or whatever) getting killed 
  outside by the troll. 
   
  When the characters go outside, move on to 
  Encounter Three. 
  Roberta: Female human Adept3.  Knowledge 
  (arcane) +5, Sense Motive +8, AL: Neutral.  Her 
  familiar, a white cat, prowls around inside the 
  Gravedigger’s Rest.  Roberta is an old seer well-
  respected in these parts, and is very superstitious.  
  Her initial attitude to the PCs is indifferent. 
  Farmers (4): Male human Com2.  Sense Motive +3. 
   These 
  farmers 
  are 
  superstitious, 
  gruff, 
  and 
  
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  Page 8 
   
  suspicious of strangers.  Their initial attitude to the 
  PCs is unfriendly. 
  Lord 
  Kosak 
  Chondell: 
  Male 
  human 
  Ftr2/Ari4/Sor1.  Kosak is Lawful Neutral, but the 
  players shouldn’t realize this.  If they try detect evil 
  on him, declare cryptically, “He doesn’t detect as 
  evil.” 
  Encounter Three: Unearthing 
  Information 
  This encounter begins once the characters go 
  outside.  Read: 
   
  Standing in the rain is an enormous monster 
  with warty, blue-black skin.  The creature is 
  nearly as tall as the inn, and as wide as a wagon.  
   It stands on two legs, and in its clawed hands 
  are the remains of the (donkey, horse, or 
  whatever).  It shovels fistfuls of raw meat into its 
  toothy maw. 
   
  The creature’s nostrils flare, as it scents you 
  on the porch, and it drops its gruesome meal.  
   
  The characters can identify this creatures as a 
  troll with a DC 16 Knowledge (nature) check.  It is 
  unlikely, as 1st-level characters, that they have seen 
  one before, but they might have.  If so, they 
  recognize the monster as a troll immediately.  
  The Troll: hp 61; see Monster Manual page 247 & 
  248.  This troll is bald, has blue-black skin, and a 
  knobbly hide.  It is also exceptionally stupid, even 
  for a troll (Int 4).  
   
  If the characters leave the porch to get at the 
  troll, it will try to attack them, but fighting 
  defensively (it knows that humanoids can be 
  dangerous).  As long as the characters don’t leave 
  the porch, the troll will pace around the porch 
  trying to figure out how to get at them, but it won’t 
  attack. 
   
  If the characters attack from the porch, with 
  bows or crossbows or the like, then the troll will 
  retreat into the rain and darkness until it can’t be 
  seen anymore.  It bellows occasionally from 
  somewhere in the  darkness, just to keep the 
  characters scared and on edge. 
  What do we do now? Eventually, the characters will 
  either kill the troll (a very unlikely possibility) or 
  retreat inside.  When they do, everyone inside (Lady 
  Asbury, Lord Chondell, the farmers, and Roberta) 
  are curious to know what is going on.  When the 
  characters describe the monster, the farmers or 
  Roberta can shed some light on what’s going on.  
  Read: 
   
  “Ah, blue-black skin with warts and bumps?  
  Sounds like the Bridge Troll ta me.  That 
  monster lairs under that old bridge on the High 
  Road.  He sleeps most all of the time, they say, 
  but now and again he comes out ta feed.   They 
  say he chooses one victim when he wakes, 
  someone on his bridge, and he’ll hunt that poor 
  soul until he catches it and eats it up.” 
   
  This local legend is somewhat true.  In this case, 
  however, the troll awoke and scented Sergei 
  Chondell (since he spends most of his time in his 
  coffin, Sergei smells quite like he did in life).  
  Undead are hard to track, generally, and the bridge 
  troll was confused.  When it scented Lord Kosak 
  Chondell, it tracked him instead, and arrived at the 
  Gravedigger’s Rest. 
   
  The characters won’t know this, of course.  If 
  they believe the old tales about the bridge troll, they 
  probably think that the troll is chasing Lady Asbury, 
  or one of the characters instead.  If the characters 
  perform some sort of experiment (like lining 
  everyone up on the porch to see who the troll 
  examines most closely), they will find that it’s Lord 
  Chondell. 
   
  If Lady Asbury is asked about the creature that 
  attacked her entourage, she will insist that the 
  creature was man-sized, not troll-sized.  Something 
  else attacked her men, not this troll. 
   
  At this point, Lord Chondell reveals his mission 
  here.  Read the following: 
   
  Lord Chondell drums his fingers nervously 
  on the coffin topped table, and begins speaking.  
  “You may ask, with good reason, why the Lord 
  of House Chondell would be out on such a 
  terrible night.  I will now tell you. Lady Asbury, 
  what attacked your men, and it wasn’t that troll. 
   It was my son. 
   
  “My son Sergei Chondell was killed six years 
  ago on a stormy night like this one by a vile  
  undead creature.  We buried him without 
  realizing his terrible future.  On every stormy  
  night since, Sergei claws his way free of his 
  grave in our family crypt  and kills who or what 
  ever he can find.  By morning, his hunger stated, 
  he returns to our family crypt in the Lortmils.  I 
  only recently heard about this undead monster, 
  and mere weeks ago I realized that is was my 
  own son.  I have come out this night to put a 
  stop to him. 
  
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  Page 9 
   
   
  “They say that those Sergei kills rise again.  
  Their bones tear their way free of their skin and 
  they wander as skeletons until destroyed.  This is 
  how I know that Sergei was responsible for the 
  attack on the bridge. 
   
  “I do not know if I can bring myself to attack 
  my own son, even in his undead state.  I would 
  like your help to put my son to rest.  Will you do 
  this for me and the people of Verbobonc?” 
   
  If the characters agree, Lord Chondell asks 
  them to return to the bridge and begin their search 
  there.  He will stay here or accompany them, as they 
  choose. 
   
  If the characters don’t go, they are welcome to 
  wait until morning with the farmers.  By then, the 
  troll has gone and the rain has subsided to a drizzle. 
   Go on to the Conclusion, and this ends the scenario 
  for them. 
   
  Before the party leaves, Roberta will stop them, 
  and insist on providing her protection.  Read: 
   
  As you prepare to leave, the old innkeeper 
  raises a bony hand to stop you.  “Ah, ye’ll not be 
  traveling after such a creature without all the 
  protection old Roberta can give ye.  It’s blood 
  kin ye’re after, and blood kin will protect ye.  
  You, there,” she gestures to Lord Chondell, “I 
  need a few hairs from yer head.  One hair for 
  each of these brave heroes steppin’ into the teeth 
  of the storm.” 
   
  Lord Chondell does so (although it’s clear from 
  his expression that he thinks this hedge-wizardry is 
  fairly silly).  Roberta ties the hair in a knot around a 
  character’s wrist while muttering protective wards 
  and words.  She does this for each character, but not 
  for Lord Chondell.  A DC 20 Knowledge (arcana) 
  roll will reveal that Roberta is crafting some sort of 
  protective charm, but no other details. 
   
  This hair-charm provides a death ward effect to 
  the character who wears the charm, with the 
  following modifications:  the charm lasts until the 
  next sunrise, and it is only effective against Sergei 
  Chondell.  This means that the wight cannot energy 
  drain a character wearing a hair-charm. 
   
  Roberta won’t tie a hair around anyone that 
  doesn’t want one.  Be sure to note which characters 
  are unprotected. 
  Leaving without Lord Chondell 
  If the characters don’t want Lord Chondell to 
  accompany them, he is perfectly willing to stay in 
  the Gravedigger’s Rest and converse with Lady 
  Asbury. 
   
  Lady 
  Asbury 
  doesn’t 
  mind 
  this 
  arrangement, either. 
   
  However, this means that the characters have to 
  come up with some way of distracting the troll long 
  enough for them to slip away.  Any sort of ruse that 
  you think is clever (like leaving food on one end of 
  the porch, and leaving from the other end of the 
  porch) will work.  As soon as the characters are 
  more than 30 feet away from the troll, they are out 
  of its scent and vision range, so it ignores them. 
  Leaving with Lord Chondell 
  If the characters leave with Lord Chondell, once 
  they are sixty feet or so from the porch, the troll 
  attacks.  It rushes out of the darkness and attacks 
  Lord 
  Chondell 
  (even 
  accepting 
  attacks 
  of 
  opportunity from the characters, if necessary).  Lord 
  Chondell takes the hit, and dashes into the night 
  crying, “To the bridge!  As quickly as you are able! 
  I’ll lead this monster away for as long as I can!” 
   
  Lord Chondell then leads the troll on a merry 
  chase around the Gravedigger’s Rest for several 
  minutes, before returning to the porch (and safety).  
  By this time, the characters should be long gone. 
  Encounter Four: Wight Night 
  When the characters return to the bridge, read the 
  following: 
   
  The bridge is as you left it, with shattered 
  bones and boneless corpses lying on the slick, 
  ancient stones. 
   
  Before the characters investigate further, they 
  may want to cast some spells.  That’s fine.  When 
  they move closer, read: 
   
  A bolt of lightning illuminates the scene as 
  bright as a flash of sudden daylight.  Amid the 
  carnage at the far end of the bridge stands a 
  man.  He wears torn finery, and has long, 
  straight hair.  This young man was probably 
  once handsome, but his features are feral and his 
  clothes are ragged.  Sergei resembles Lord Kosak 
  Chondell, although he is shorter and his hair is 
  fairer.  His black eyes now burn with a hateful 
  red light.  He advances slowly towards you, bare 
  feet slapping in the puddles of rain and blood on 
  the bridge.  His fingers end in long, twisted 
  claws. 
   
  Sergei Chondell attacks immediately.  He does 
  not speak, or negotiate, and he fights until 
  destroyed. 
  
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  Page 10 
   
  Sergei Chondell, Wight: hp 30; see Monster 
  Manual page 255.  Sergei has a few qualities that 
  distinguish him from most wights.  First, he spawns 
  skeletons, and not other wights, and the skeletons 
  rise any time from a few minutes to an hour after 
  being slain (these are the skeletons that the 
  characters fought in Encounter One).  He also has 
  fast healing 1 and +4 turn resistance.  He attacks 
  with a claw, not a slam attack (but his attack bonus 
  and damage are unchanged, and his claw attack can 
  still drain levels). 
  Tactics: Sergei attacks the most threatening-
  looking character first, but he seems surprised when 
  his energy drain attack doesn’t work.  He will then 
  try to move to attack another character, and keep 
  changing targets hoping to find someone that he can 
  affect with his energy drain.  Sergei avoids being 
  flanked, when possible, and won’t provoke attacks of 
  opportunity if he can avoid doing so. 
  Treasure: 
  Sergei 
  wears 
  fine 
  jewelry 
  (rings, 
  pendants, and the like) worth 100 gp per PC. 
  Conclusion 
  Once the characters have defeated Sergei Chondell, 
  read the following (modify it if the characters were 
  somehow able to defeat the troll earlier in this 
  scenario): 
   
  Again, you hear the bellow of the bridge 
  troll in the rainy night.  The creature lumbers 
  into view, a dark form full of menace. (Give the 
  characters a chance to back away, if they’d like) It 
  moves to the body of Sergei Chondell, and 
  scoops it up like a child might pick up a doll.  
  The troll turns the body around, looking 
  curiously at it, before lifting it to its mouth and 
  taking a large bite.  A look of unpleasant surprise 
  crosses the troll’s features.  It flings the body to 
  the ground, and spits out the bitten piece.  
  Shaking its bald head, the troll lumbers down 
  into the squelching mud, and returns to its lair 
  somewhere under the bridge, spitting all the 
  way. 
   
  The troll has returned to its lair, to slumber for 
  several days (or weeks).  If the characters try to find 
  the troll lair, it is completely sealed up with mud.  
  Once the characters leave the bridge, or a few 
  minutes have passed, Lord Chondell appears out of 
  the night. 
   
  Lord Kosak Chondell suddenly appears near 
  you. His hair and skin are slick with rainwater.  
  He eyes the mutilated body on the ground, and 
  nods slowly at you. 
   
  “Well done, my friends.  If you would do me 
  one last courtesy, I would like you bury 
  this…thing that was once my son.  Bury it very 
  deep.”  Lord Chondell turns and walks away into 
  the rain, but stops and looks back at you.  “I have 
  left a generous reward for your services back at 
  the inn.  You have earned it, and earned the 
  respect of House Chondell.  Good evening to 
  you.”  And with a twirl of his cloak Lord 
  Chondell is gone. 
   
  If the characters return to the Gravedigger’s 
  Rest, they find that Lord Chondell has left 250 gp 
  for each of them.  Lady Asbury asks them to escort 
  her to her home, and rewards them with 100 gp each 
  if they do so.  The characters have earned Influence 
  Points with  both House Asbury and House 
  Chondell. If any of the characters lost a mount Lady 
  Asbury will also offer to pay for a replacement for 
  them.  
  Epilogue  
       After the characters have returned back to their 
  previous lives in the Viscounty of Verbobonc, read 
  the following: 
   
  Deep in the mud under the bridge, the troll 
  slept restlessly.  Its lair was protected, sealed up 
  with river-mud, and it had eaten well.  It should 
  be dropping back into the hibernation in which it 
  spent most of its time.  But the troll could not 
  rest easily. 
   
  The troll coughed and spat again.  Its last 
  bite—the bite that was cold and dead—weighed 
  heavily in its stomach.  It retched again, but the 
  heavy weight would not leave the pit of its belly. 
   
  Slowly, the heavy weight spread.  The troll 
  grunted in pain and flailed its mighty limbs.  Its 
  whole torso felt thick and heavy, then its arms 
  and legs as well.  At last, the troll lay still. 
   
  The blue-black hide of the creature slowly 
  paled to the gray color of death.  Deep in its 
  dead black eyes a spark kindled, a hateful red 
  color. 
   
  And the troll began to move again. 
  The End 
  Experience Point Summary 
  To award experience for this adventure, add up the 
  values for the objectives accomplished. Then assign 
  the experience award.  Award the total value 
  (objectives plus roleplaying) to each character. 
  
  Teeth of the Storm 
   
  Page 11 
   
  Encounter One 
   
  Defeat the skeletons  
   
  120 xp 
  Encounter Three 
   
  Show bravery in facing the troll 
   
   
   90 xp 
  Encounter Four 
   
  Defeat Sergei Chondell 
   
  120 xp 
  Discretionary roleplaying award 
   
  Good roleplaying 
   
   
  120 xp 
  Total possible experience:  
   
   
  Total 
   
   
   
  450 xp 
  Treasure Summary 
  During an adventure, characters encounter treasure, 
  usually finding it in the possession of their foes.  
  Every encounter that features treasure has a 
  “treasure” section within the encounter description, 
  giving information about the loot, coins, and magic 
  items that make up the encounter’s treasure. 
  Encounter Four:   
   
  Jewelry from Sergei Chondell’s corpse 100 gp 
  Conclusion: 
   
  Reward from Kosak Chondell  
  250 gp 
   
  Reward from Elinor Asbury 
   
  100 gp 
  Total Possible Treasure 
  Total 
   
   
   
  450 gp 
  Items for the Adventure 
  Record 
  For saving Lady Asbury’s life, the characters earn 
  one Influence Point with Lady Asbury. 
  For delivering his son to his final rest, the characters 
  earn one Influence Point with Lord Kosak Chondell. 
  Item Access 
  (none in an Introductory scenario) 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Living Greyhawk/Modules/Verbobonc/593/Intro mods/VERIntro3-03 - Teeth of the Storm/VERi3-03 - Teeth of the Storm.pdf