1e - Adventure - UK5 Eye of the Serpent (Level 1)

8/2/2019 1e - Adventure - UK5 Eye of the Serpent (Level 1)

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One-on-One or Group L-er- -Are or First Level CharacLCrs


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One-on-one or Group Adventure for 1st Level CharactersEYE OF T

6y Grama?%kmisA b a n d o n e d on t h e roof of t h e w o r l d ! T h e S e r p e n t 's E y e b e c k o n s, b u ton l y t he b rave w i l l su rv i ve t he l e s sons of H a r d w a y M o u n t a i n .

How to Use this M o d u l e 2 Abbiexiations 2ARDWAY MOUNTAIN

Backgiound 3 Geneid1 Notes 3HOICE OF ROUTESRoute P h n i n g Chdi I 5LIGHT T O TH E NEST (Encounter Area 1: Map 1

RANDOM ENCOUNTERSCE HEIGHTS (Encounter Areas 2-8: Map 1)

Encounter Areas 9GRAFENVOLK DALE (Encounter Areas 9-22: MapEncouii er Areas 13BARROW SWARD (Encounter Areas 23-26: Map 1)Encounter Aieas 19SLOUGH MIRES (Encounter Areas 27-34: Map 1)Encounter Areas 21

2

3

4

689

12

19

21

EYE OF TH E SERPENT (Encounter Areas 35-48: Maps 1 & 2) 24Reaching the Island 24 The Island 24 Beneath th e Island 25NEW MONSTERSMephit 29 Splanxty 30 29NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS 31

CREDITS

M AP SMODULE FOLDERPlayel s' 1Map outs dcM a p 1 : Hartlway Mount;iiii itisidcM a p 2: Eye 01 the Serpent inside

MODULE BOOKLETpage 14page 15page 17p a g e 20

TSR, Inc. TSR (UK) Ltd.n'.POB 756 The Mill, Rathmore RoadLake Geneva, Cambridge CB14ADWI 53147 United Kingdom


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Th is is an outdoor adventure for first levelAD&DTMharacters. The module is intend-ed for one-on-one play by a dungeonmaster and a single player, and has beendesigned to provide a suitable startingpoint for the development of the specialistskills of a druid , ranger or monk character.T h e player decides the actions of thecharacter and of three pre-rolled first levelNPCs (non-player characters) who makeu p the rest of the party.Alternatively, the module is suitable for aparty of 4-6 first level adventurers.T h e adventurers are captured by a pailrocsanddepositedat the topof amoun tsLeft alone for a while, they must escape 2survive the harsh journey to the plbelow, drawn on by the lure of'Serpent's Eye'.Although the encounter areas are I-specified as usual, the wilderness terrover which most of the adventure taplace al lows the po ssible routin gs betwlthem to be changed to suit the painvolved. Suggested routings for adventL.to test a druid , ranger or monk have bprovided, but D M s can have fun producunique and interesting adventuresarranging the routings in their own w;

HOW TO USE THIS MODUlThis module uses a standard set ofcounters which are linked togetherrniitinm which c2 n he vxrierl to

r ofiin.tndai nthe

)re-air1keseenirtyireseenin gby

'Y .

LEen -by

These rout ings , for example narrowmountain ledges or short, undergroundtunne ls, can be either 'op en' (usable by theadventurers) or 'closed' (a ledge collapsedor a tunnel blocked, for example).Th e routings are described on page 4, andon page 5there is a diagram showin g theencounter areas and connections betweenthem. T h e diagra m is used to record whichrouti ngs are open an d which are closed.Th e final choice of routings is up to theD M , but if the module is to be used to start an ew rlriairl rzariopr n r m n n b i t i c E I I O O P E ~ P C J

If this module is to be used as a one -on-oneadventurr for a druid, ranger or mo nk, theplayer should be provided with details ofthe non-player characters who will makeu p the rest of the party. T he tear out sheet(pages 31-32) contains details of fourNPCs, but only three of these should beused, a5 follows:With a druid: cleric, fighter and thief.With a ranger: cleric, magic user and thief.With a monk: cleric, fighter and magicuser.

..... -.-..., .Y"bC' -. ...- ..., ..,...hb\Y.LYthat the appr opri ate , standa rd set of rou t-ings is used. These standard sets are givenon page 4.If on e of the sta ndard sets is not used, theDM has the oppo rtun ity to shap e the style,challenges, rewards and length of theadventure. Before doing this, the D Mshould read the encounter descriptionscarefully, decide which ones wouldbe apptopriate for the charactersand players, and then choose a setof routings which will providean interes t ing and tes t ingadventure (not forgettingthat there must be at least

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Most of this adventure takes place in along, deep valley wh ich winds down fromthe top of Hardway Mountain (see Map 1).On their way down from the top of thevalley to the plain below, the adventurerswill pass from a region of ice and snow (t heICE HEIGHTS), into an area of coolwoodlands and marshes (thc GRAFEN-YOLK DALE), across a verdant greenmeadow (the BARROW SWARD) andfinally through a mist-laden swamp (theSLOUGH MIRE).

At th c bottom of the valley, the riverIlows out into a grassy plain andmeanders across it, eventuallydi-oppingovet. a waterfa ll i ntoii dense forest below. Abovethe watcrfall is a small

I . 1 . .

BACKGROUNDSeen from the mountain, the river lookslike a snake writhing across the plain withthe lake for its head an d the island for itseye. It was named the Eye of the Serpentby the Grafenvolk dwarves - clan whichlived on the mountain in the wooded partof the valley (the GRAFENVOLK DALE).The dwarves built a cult around theSerpen t River, arid chose the isl and as thesite for an underground shrine (areas 39and 40). Th e entrance to the shrine was aconcealed door of rock crystals behind apool of everlasting flame (area 38). T hereflection of sun ligh t from the crystals byday, and the light of the burning pool bynigh t, ensured that from the dwarves daleon the mountain, the Eye of the Serpent. . . I shin ing like a beacon.

i ev i ng adu l t hood , youngId go u p to the rock face abo\;eits in order to see the Serpen te Eye of the Serpent at theirIan erect edan obelisk near theflame (see area 37) on whichb t down the basic principles ofr snake cult and described theeks u p the mountain.

iarte

T h e Grafenvolk lived bymining for gems andprecious metals. Whenthe mines were ex-hausted and thec lan began to

of the Cult of the Serpent fell under thinfluence of a group of duergar (evdwarves) who hastened its downfall. Athoug h the dwarves have gone, the duergalinger on in dark chambers below thoriginal temple (areas 42-48), where thehoard the remains of the dwarves treasureSome time later, the Kharg (a tribe ohumans who by herd and train horsescame to the plain below the mountainThey found the island, the pool of flamand the stump of the obelisk but, knowi nlittle of the dwarven tongue, they made poor translation of the fragment of thinscription which remained (see area 37The y believe t hat the Serpents Eye (theinterpretation of the Eyeof the Serpent)a fabulous treasure at the top of the mounain, an d they have never realised that theris a shrine beyond the flaming pool. T htribe took the snake motif on the base of thobelisk as their symbol. Occasionally, meof the tribe go u p he mountain in search othe Serpents Eye in order to provthemselves or to re-establish their honouaftcr being convicted of some crime. No nhas ever returned, and the Kharg havnamed the mountain Hardway.From the nest, and d urin g their flight to ithe adventurers will see the lie of the landincluding the Serpent River and the Eye othe Serpent.ln the nest they will finda cluthat great wealth is hidden on the island. Avarious points along their journey dowthe valley, the adventurers will see thSerpent River again. They will also finimagesof thewrith ingserpen t (relicsof thdwarves an d Kharg adventurers).


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Below ar e listcd the possible routes connecting the the uicounwr ;ireas in this advrvitul.c. E a d i o f tlicse ca n bemade eit her open (Le. passable) or closed (i.e. impassablc) by th c D M ( s w HOW TO USE THIS MODULE - p a g e2). This table gives the standard routing5 for paitics led by ;I range1 (R ), m o n k ( M k ) 01. ruid (D ) - route5 niarkcd0 shou ld be open , those markcd X should be c h c d .

R Mk D Description when OPEN Description when CLOSED

R 2 X 0 0 A thick sheet of ice providing a safe passage It is very obvious that t his ice sheet will not bearR3 0 X X acrossa corner of the lake. the adventurers' weight.

R5 0 X X T he river has cut deep, leaving a natural arch of Th e stumps of a collapsed arch of ice face eachice as a nat ural bridge. other across the river.

R7 0 0 0 Cracks and ledges on the ice-sheet provide a safe The steep sheetof glassy ice has no ledges or ha ndclimb u p or down the steep slope. holds.

R10 X 0 0 T h e ledge along the cliff continues.RI I 0 X X Several hundred yards of the ledge have fallenaway here.

Th e path winds into the marsh but soon comes toan obvious and abrupt end.R14 0 0 0 A clear, firm, winding path (10-15 feet wide)R15 X 0 X through themars h.

1.1, '1 v ' X 'I L I U l l Y I V \L" L L L I " V L U L , *U"C, " V l L L l " L l l l C U l I Y L R A . . l _ . ..-..VI. * U . 'C , . .us Y.VC. .CU 'V..:, Y:,V ",faces on either side. massive land slide.?rr(ern

R19R20 support ed byw ood enp rop s. blocked by a rock fall.R21 X X 0

A dark mine tunnel, 10 feet square, its roof The pit props have collapsed and the tunnel is

R23 0 0 X An old, narrow trail meanders down and along A landslide has swept away the path which oncethe cliff. It is still safe. ran down the cliff.

4 C H O I C E OF ROC'TES


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ROUTE PLANNING CHART1 NEST2 VILSTRAK

li R 16Use a pencil to mark the rou ti ng eitheropen or closed on the chart below, and thentransfer the information to M a p 1 on themodule folder.

3 SNOWCATR2

USK OXEN

KOALINTH 8 7 STEAM MEPHITICEMEPHIT 6

STRANGE20 BATS COMPANIONS

7

KAMPFULTAL-MIRA

RATS 26 25 BARROW

R23

GT .F RO G 28 27 SCUM CREEPERS

BULLYWUGS 11 NOLL & KOBOLDSa 27

IT

BULLYWUGS BULLYWUG TOWERC H O I C E O F R O U T E S


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The adventure starts on a lonely countryroad, well away from any settlements,where the party of first level adventurers arecarried off by a pair of rocs. T he adventurersshould be encouraged to travel along theroad by means of a suitable (preferablyfalse) rumour and should be allowed toequip themselves beforehand using what-ever star ting money they may have. If themodule is being used to start a druid,ranger or m onk character, only this adven-turer needs to be equipped since theequipment of the three NPC companions(see HOW TO USE THIS MODULE -page 2) is fully detailed on the tear-outsheet (seeNON-PLAYER CHARACTERS- pages 31 and 32).The rocs will attack the party many milesfrom Hardway Mountain on an openstretch of road where there is nowhere tohide:

Soaring high above the clouds, twotiny, dark shapes appear. Soon, thesebecome recognisable as birds -eagles perhaps, or even larger crea-tures. Mu ch larger! As they plum mettowards you, mighty wings sweptback, you realise to your horror thatthese are rocs: terrible beasts capabl eof carrying off even elephants andbeyond the power of men to harm.Before you even have time to lookaround for somewhere to hide, themonsters are upon you.

It is intended that the rocs should capturethe adventurers and carry them to the nestunharmed. T he awesome power of the rocsshould be obvious to the adventurers andthe DM should give clear hints to theplayers that it would be futile an d danger-o u s to resist. Th e DM shou ld have the rocsattack to injure only as a very last resortbut, for the purposes of this adventure,their attempts to grab the adventurers willsucceed automatically.2 rocs:AC 4; MV 3/30; H D 18; h p 90each;#AT 2 or 1; D 3-18/3-18 or 4-24; SA Nil;SD Nil; MR Std; Int Ani mal; AL N; Size L;xp 7250 each; T HA CO 7; MM.When a ll t he adventurers have been grasp-ed, the rocs will carry them to their nest(area 1) .The players ma p (o n the outside of themodule fol der) represents the general im-pression that the adventurers will getof thelie of the landscape:6 F L I G H T TO T H E N E S T ( E n c o u n t e r a re a I )

(EncounterArea 1:Map 1)Helpless in the grip of the rocs, youare swept aloft, higher and higheruntil the countryside below is laidout like a map. Mile after mile, therocs steady wing beats carry youtowards whatever fate awaits, but fornow you can console yourselves withthe magnificent view and your for-tune a t still being alive.After some time, the open countrygives way to a dense forest andbeyond this a broad grassy plain , butit seems that the rocsdestination liesstill further. Dead ahead, a darksnow-capped mountain looms upbeyond the plain, flanked on eitherside by lesser peaks.Running like a gash down themountain side, a deep valley sendsforth a river onto the plain below.The river meanders through greatloops until it forms a small lake, thendrops over a ledge and disappearsin to the forest below. T he river an dlake remind you of the body and headof a snake, and the image is com-pleted by an island in the lake likethe snakes eye. Never faltering, therocs carry you towards the mountainpeak, following the course of thevalley. At its mouth is a steamymarsh, above this a grassy meadow,woods and lake, and higher still aretwo more lakes, icy blue an d boundedby snow-covered slopes. Fina lly, youcome to the rocs nest, perched on arocky crag near the peak.

1. Rocs NestTh e rocs will deposit the adventurers in thenest an d then fly off:

The nest is a massive structure oftangled trees and branches- here iseven a n old wagon and half a smallboat incorporated into it! T he centr-al hollow, where you have beendump ed, is carpeted with leaves andstraw, and contains the sad remainsof the rocs past victims - bothanimal and human.For a few moments, the rocs remainnear the nest then, apparently satis-fied that their captives are secure,they flap away into the distance.

T he rocs will not return to the nest for 4hours, but t he DM sho uld encourage theparty to make haste to leave:

As you watch them leave, your eyesare drawn down to the magnificentview from the nest. Spread out belowyou is the long valley, hemmed in o neithe r side by towering walls of rock.Beyond the valley is the windingriver. Shimmering in a shaft ofsunlight which breaks through theclouds, it reminds you more thanever of a snake. Just for a moment,before the clouds close over, the l igh tcatches the island in the lake, whi chanswers with a spark l ingglint like awinking, inviting eye.

Th e nest contai ns the bones of the rocspast victims. These were mostly cattle,horses and sheep, but there are also thesplintered bones of a dozen h uman s anddemi-humans.Th e adventurers will find a thi n, crumpledsheet of copper with a neat inscription on itin the common tongue:

T R I A L BY O R D E A LJI S U R E F O O T , H O R S E T H I EF ,M U R D E R E R .F E A RI NG T H E G U A R D I A NO F T H E I S LA N D , Y O U H A V EC H O S E N TO SEEKT H E S E R PE N T S E Y EO N H A R D W A Y M O U N T A I N .S U C H I S Y O U R R I G H T .G O T H E N .N O T H I N G B U T D E A T H O R T H ES N A K E S PR E C I OU S J E W E L C A NG I V E Y O U B A CKY O U R H O N O U R .A R N F L O W M A N E , G U A R D I A NO F T H E I S L A N D .

Below the inscription is a stylised pictur eof a writhing snake and, next to this, thefollowin g words have been crudely inscrib-ed with the point of a dagger or similarimplement:E7121o l d fool, death and hono ur haueI f ound bu t the Serpen t s Eye wasyours a l l a long!

The copper challenge was carried by JiSurefoot, an unfortunate Kharg tribesmanwhose bones now lie mingled with the


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m t h t . r b in th e nest. It is illustrated below theplayers map o n the outside of the modulefolder.Th e only other items of use or value are:

Aftci cxploi iiig th e nest loi I shoi I while(dn d picfciibly rftci the\ h ~ i v cound thecoppci sheet) thc d\c iit uic is will noticcthdt thcicisdiocj\) ledg-eonl) 40lcet belowthe nest, ollrii ng th e hope o f cscnpc

opportunity to spur the adventurers on totheir goal. No descriptions have beenprovided, but the DM should either createhis own or paraph rase the one given above(area 1).- a helmet (non -magical) painted withg o l d a n d d e c o r a t e d w i t h s e m i -precious stones (value - 600gp).- a leather backpack containin g: a 50-footlength of rope; a packet of dried food(the equivalent of one weeks ironration s); a wine-skin full of sourwine; a bag holding 50gp; a vial ofholy water; and a ceramic bottle(labelled healing brew) containingone dose of a potion of healing (acolourless, odourless, tasteless liq uid ).- a silver dagger (value - 2Ogp); a longsword in a scabbard; a small woodenshield and a qu iver holdin g 11 arrows(six with silver heads).

T h e ledge below the nest is the top of theroute down from area 1 shown on Map 1 .Once the adventurers have escaped fromthe nest, the rocs will not search for them,although the DM might wish to use anoccasional glimpse of them flying highoverhead as a means of encouraging hastein the party during the adventure.

Views of the Serpents EyeAt various points of the descent down thevalley, the adventurers will grt furtherviews of the Serpent River and the Eye ofthe Serpent island s hini ng like a beacon.When the party reaches each of these point s(listed below) the DM should take the

Th e river and i sland are visible:i) duri ng the climb down from the nest(above R1)ii) duri ng the climb down from the icemephit s cave (en counte r area 6 - R7)iii) from the cliff edge at the bo ttom of theIce Heights, as far west as R9 andeastwards to R13iv) from the eyrieof the Grafenvolk dwarves(encou nter area 16)v) from the top of the cliff at t he bott om ofthe Barrow Sward, where the river fallsdown in to the Slough Miresvi) from the ledge overlooking the mo ut hof the Slough Mires, from where ther i v er f l o w s o u t i n t o t h e p l a i n(encounter area 33)

RANDOM ENCOUNTERSTh e duration of the advent ure depends on the route taken by the party. To main tain the excitement of the adventure, however,i t is preferable that the party makes good progress and the DM may wish to encour age this by the judicious use of randomencoun ters. Suitab le random encounters are described below.

Ice Grafen- Barrow SloughHeights volk Dale Sward Mires Plain

(roll ld4) (roll ld4) (roll ld4) (roll ld4) (roll ld4)1 1 1

2

2

3 3

4 4

1

2

3

4

8 R A N D O M E N C O U N T E R S

4

Encounter2 wolves: AC 7; MV 18; H D 2+2; hp 12 each; # A T 1; D 2-5; SA Nil;SD Nil; MR Std; lnt Semi; AL N; Size S; xp 71 each; TH AC O 16; MM.6-8giant rats:AC 7; MV 12; H D 1/2; lip 3 each; #AT 1; D 1-3; SA Disease:SD Nil; MR Std; Int Semi; AL N; Size S: xp 10 each: TH AC O 20; MM.2 giant killer frogs: AC 8; MV 6//12; H D 1+4; h p 9 each; #AT 3;D 1-2/1-2/2-5; SA Surprise, le-:p, tongue; SD Nil; MR Std; Int Non;AL N; Size S; x p 54 each; THA CO 16; MM.2 blood hawks:AC 7; MV 24; H D 1+1; h p 6 each; #A T 3; D I-4/1-4/1-6;SA Nil; SD Nil; MR Std; Int Semi; AL N ; Size S; xp 3 2 each; TH AC O 18:FF.5 giant bats: AC 8; MV 3/18; H D 1; h p 5 each: #AT 1; D 1-4; SA Nil;SD Manoeuvrability; MR Std; Int No n; AL N ; Size S; xp 15 each;THACO 20: FF.2 giant ants: AC 3; MV 18; H D 2; h p 9 each; #A T 1; D 1-6; SA Nil;S D Nil; MR Std; Int Animal; A L N: Size S;x p 38each; THA CO 16; MM.2 giant fire beetles: AC 4; MV 12; H D 1+2; h p 8 each; #AT 1; D 2-8;SA Nil; SD Nil; MR Std; Int No n; AL N ; Size S; xp 36cach; THA CO 18;MM.1 eagle:AC 6; MV 1/30; H D 1+3; lip 6; #AT 3 ; D 1-2/1-2/1-2; SA Dive;SD Only surprised on a 1 ; MR Std; Int Animal; A L N; Size M; x p 47;TH AC O 18; MMII.


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V B(EncouterAreas 2-8: M a p 1)

k L & G;Once the adven?urers ha\ rearledge below the rocs nest, thrnegotiate the rock face below. T heis very steep an d is generally free ofice. At the bottom they will be facthe upper part of the river valley;wilderness of ice, snow a nd rock. Tof the valley is divided in two by anover which the river falls.The valley floors are generallycovered, with occasional patchesrock or tough grass. Th e slopes atvalley are a treacherous combinaticand vertical rock faces.Ice LakeTh is is the source of the river, and istreams whic h cascade from the ice-boundpeaks above. Th e water is bitterly cold (seeGENERAL NOTES - page 3) and ice hasformed over the shallower parts (R2, R3and area 5).

Geyser LakeTh is lake feeds the waterfall which dro psinto the wooded dale below. It is a fewdegrees warmer than the upper lake, sinceit receives t he outfl ow f rom t he geyser (area7) , and the narrow paths o n either sideof itare free of snow. Even so, the waters feel icycold.

River and StreamsBetween the cliff and the lower lake, theriver is fast -flow ing and very cold (seeGENERALNOTES page 3). Th e streamsflowing int o the river a nd the lakes are allnarrow and may be forded easily.

2. Vilstrak AttackA vilstrak is hid ing by the mofintain ledge(which is about 15 feet wide), waiting toattack creatures passin g by. The re is only a25% chance t hat i t will be noticed before itattacks and the following descriptionassumes that it has not been spotted(otherwise the DM must amend the des-cription accordingly):f IJuttingabruptlyout of therock lace,the wide ledge leads you onwar ds-channel led between the blanched skyabove and the snow-covcred valleybclow - nable, for the moment, togo up or down. At least the ledgeseems safe, solid and unyielding. Butthen a boulder breaks away from therock face and topples towards you,transforming as it does so into the

rough shape of a pouncing man.L J

T he vilstrak will fight until killed, since ihas no hope of escape on the narr ow ledge1 vilstrak: AC 2; MV 9; H D 1-6hp; h p 4#A T 2; D 2-5/2-5; SA Surprise on a 1-4SD Nil; MR Std; Int Low; A L N(E); Size Mxp 11; TH AC O 20*; MMII.Its lair is inside a large, hollow boulder, 30yards further along the ledge, and a rang erhas the usual chance of following thecreatures tracks back to it.Just where the tracks disappear into theboulder, the rock is very thin and may besmashed through easily with blunt wea-pons. Inside the boulder is a roughlyspherical cavity (6 feet across). Here, theadventurers will find some chewed ani malbones, a dozen pretty pebbles and rocks (n ovalue), a nugget of gold (value 20gp) an d afine, unadorned, metal shield +1 (large).

9CE H EI G H T S ( En c o u n t er ar ea 2 )


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3. Snow Cat

f

Sheltered from the dagger-sharpwind, the freezing atmo sphe re of thisflawless icecave seems almo st bri ttle.In the centre of the cavern is a pooland o n the far side, illumina ted by afaint blue glow from the depths,crouches a winged figure. Pale,translucent and angular, it mightwell have been carved from ice.i

As they descend this snow-bank towardsthe upper lake, the adventurers will beattacked by a hungry snow lion:

f 3The unyielding ice is slippery be-neath your feet but thankf ully showsno signs of giving way under yourweight.Then, without warning, there is aloud crack, and you are showeredwith flying shards of ice as the sheetbefore you bursts upwards and aman-l ike beast leaps freeof the water.Its long, blackened talons claw theair and, with a hideous leer, thecreature lunges towards you.

~~

Asleep beneath an even blanket ofpure white snow, the land is still.Apart from the icy wind and thescudding clouds, not hing stirs - rdoes it? Out of the corner of your eyeyou seem to catch a movement. Wha thad seemed an innocuous whiteshape resolves itself into a large,crouching white cat. Without warn-ing it springs forward and boundstowards you in a flurry of scatteredsnowflakes.

The snow lion (simply a white-furredbreed of mountain lion) is well camou-flaged, and will not be noticed until it isonly 20-5 0 yards (d4+1 x 10) from the party.Its aggression is a result of its hunger and itwill break off its attack if any meat isthrown to it before it reaches the party . If i tsucceeds in ki lling a character, it will figh tto the death. Otherwise it will flee ifreduced to 7 or fewer hit points and , withits speed and agility, will soon shake offany pursuit.Th e snow lion has n o treasure but its peltwould be worth 50gp.1 snow lion: AC 6; MV 15; HD 3+1; h p 15;#AT 3; D 1-3/1-3/1-6; SA Rear claws for1-4/1-4; SD Surprised only on a 1; MR Std;I n t S e m i ; A L N ; S i ze M ; x p 1 7 0 ;TH ACO 16; MM - lion, mountain.4. Musk OxenTh is small herd of musk oxen is foragingin a steep-sided valley. Its only exit istowards the lake:

On one side, a small, steep-sidedvalley leads away from the lake. Theblanket of snow is thinner here,allo wing a few patches of wiry grassto show through. At the far end,some shaggy musk oxen are grazing.They see you, and bellowing criesecho across the valley. The femalesusher their calves into a defensivegroup , while the bulls glare at you,stam ping their hooves and snortingclouds of breath into the air.

Th e beasts are not aggressive, bu t as lo ng asthey are cornered in this side valley, theywill defend themselves if threatened.If the adventurers ignore the oxen they willnot be attacked, but the bulls will becomeincreasingly agitated if approached andwill charge the adventurers if the partymoves to within 20 yards or attacks withmissile weapons. In this event there is a 20%chance that the whole herd will stampede(see M M p14). Magical att acks will causethe males to charge only if t he party is theobvious source of whatever befalls theoxen.Th e females and young will only fight inself-defence an d then as a last resort.2 male musk oxen: AC 7; MV 15; H D 4;h p 18each; #AT 2; D 1-6/1-6; SA Charge,trample; SD Nil; MR Std; Int Semi; AL N;Size L; x p 157 each; TH AC O 15; MM -bu ll.1 1 female musk oxen:AC 7; MV 15; HD 3;hp 12 each; #AT 1; D 1-4; SA Stampede;SD Nil; MR Std; Int Semi; AL N; Size L; x p59 each; TH AC O 16; MM - cattle, wild.12 young musk oxen: A C 7; MV 15; H D 1;hp 5 each; #AT 1; D 1-4; SA Stampede;SD Nil; MR Std; Int Semi; AL N; Size M; xp45 each; THA CO 19;MM - cattle, wild.T he oxen have no treasure, of course, butthei r flesh is very good to eat if it is cooked.

5. Ghoul under the Ice

T he water below the ice at this poin t is 3feet deep. The lacedon was easily able toburst through a part of the ice which it hadscraped thin but the surrounding ice isperfectly sound. The lacedon will fightuntil destroyed, unless it is turned. Ifturned, it will attempt todive back th roughthe hole in the ice in order to escape fromthe party.1 lacedon (marine ghoul): AC 6; MV 9;SA Paralyse; SD Immune to sleep, charmetc.; MR Std; Int Low; AL CE; Size M;H D 2; h p 6; #AT 3; D 1-3/1-3/1-6;XP 77; TH AC O 16; MM - ghoul.T he lacedon is dressed only in f ragments ofrusty chain mail a nd is wearing two goldbracelets (value - 40gp each) which aredecorated with silver inlaid in the form ofwrithing snakes.Clearly visible on the lake bed below thehole i n the ice is the remainder of the rustedchainmail armour and a dagger in adecorated scabbard. Th e scabbard will fallapart at a touch, but the gems with which itwas decorated are worth a total of 150gp.The dagger has remained undamaged bytime since it is a magical dagger + I (+2vs.small creatures).

The ice mephit will not remain still forlong. As soon as it sees the party it willswoop over the pool an d attack. Althoughwounded by an encounter with the steammephit (area 7) , the ice mephit willperform its duty by protecting the remor-haz egg with its life (see below an d area 7) .It has no personal treasure.1 ice mephit: AC 5; MV 12/24; H D 3;h p 12 (19); #AT 2; D 1-2/14?;SA Breath,freeze; SD Special; MR Std; In t Ave; AL LE;Size M; xp 141; TH AC O 1 6 New monster(see page 29).

10 I C E H E I G H T S ( E n c o un t e r ar ea s 3-6)


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Th e ice mephit will always be unsuccessfulif it attempts to gate in oth er mephits.T h e pool of water is perfectly clear an d iskept just above freezing poi nt by the heatfrom a remorhaz egg lying at its bottom.Th e pool is 9 feet deep. Its sides are ice, butthe bottom is the rock of the mountain.T h e egg is resting on a bed of tiny gems(fragments of blue quartz, total value -110gp) i n a shallow depression in the rock.Th e egg is about 18 inches long, pale blueincolourandemit safaint bluelight. Ifit isremoved from the chilling effects of thewater, it will begin to glow mor e brightly.Three round s later, it will hatch to reveal asmall remorhaz which will attack the partyfearlessly, although the adventurers willautomatically gain initiative in the firstround of combat:Hhe egg pulses with an eerie, bluelight which grows stronger by thesecond. Fi ne cracks appear, spread-ing rapidly across its surface, andsuddenly a s mall , voracious, wingedreptile is released into the world.Hungrily, it rears up a nd lungestowards you...Th e remorhaz is far too small to swallowvictims whole and does not yet have thepower to cause its back to become danger -ously hot. It has no treasure, but the glass-like shell of its egg will continue to glowindefinitely (although not very brightly)and coul d be sold to a jeweller for 50gp.1young emorhaz: AC 0 (head 2, undersideNil; S D Nil; MR 75%; Int Animal; AL N;Size S (about 3 long); xp 281; TH AC O 13;MM (variant).

4); MV 12; HD 7; hp 7; #AT 1; D 1 - 6 SA

Th e remorhaz had been prevented fromhatchi ng by the chill of the pool, and theice mephit had been sent to the primematerial plane to tend to the pool and toprotect the egg until its hatching wouldbest suit the purpose of the mephitsmaster. Th e steam mephit (area7) has beenattempting to foil this plan.

7. Steam MephitBetween forays to the ice cave (see belowan d area 6), the steam mephi t basks in thewater of a geyser. Th e adventurers will beaware of the geyser long before they meetthe mephi t, however:

There is a faint sound, like rushi ngwater at a great depth. At first youcan barely hear it, bu t it rises steadilyand then bursts into an explosivewhoosh as a cloud of steam bellowsou t fr om a side valley some distanceahead. T he noiseand steam conti nuefor almost a full minute and thenstop abruptly.

Th e geyser erupt s every 10 rounds, and theDM should po int ou t this regularity to theplayers as the party approaches it. Theadventurers will see the steam mephitwhen they reach the mouth of the sidevalley:~ ~~~~

No ice or snow clings to the side ofthis shor t, rocky gulley. Here t he airis warm and steamy, heated by abubbling pool of water barely 20yards away. Half-submerged in thepool, enveloped by steam, a grey,winged f igure glares at you threaten-ingly.

The steam mephit will only engage inmelee with the party if forced so to do.Otherwis e it will try to avoid combat andwill attempt to delay the adventurers sothat they will be caugh t by th e next burst ofthe geyser (see below).T h e mephit will not pursue theadventurersif they flee from the valley but will try toescape (never to be seen aga in ) f reduced to5 or less hit points. The steam mephitcannot use its rainstorm of boiling wateragainst th e party as it has already used thisability today, attempting to undermine theice cave (see below). Like the ice mephit(area 6), it will always fail in attempts togate in other mephits. It has a platinumband ar ound its neck (value - 70gp).1 s team mephit : AC 7; MV 12/24;SA Breath; SD Special; MR Std; Int Ave;AL CE; Size M; xp 227; TH AC O 16; FF.The geyser gives a full round of warning(in the form of the noises described above)before erupting. Characters wit hin 10 yardsof it when i t blows will suffer 1-10 hitpoints of damage from boiling water andsteam. Thi s damage is halved if the victimmakes a successful saving thr ow vs. Breath.T he steam mephit was sent to this plane tocause the remo rhaz egg in the ice cave (area

H D 3+3; h p 13(18); #AT 2; D 1-4/1-4;

6) to hatch prematurely, by 1from its icy pool. Its first atteresulted only in its being w(driven off by the ice mep hit sethe egg. Since then the steambeen usingi tsabilit y tocreater;boiling water to undermine athe ice cave, release the egg, aeven kill the ice mephit. Ho weevent is still many days away.

8. Koalinth TrapA lone koal inth lives i n the shaof the lake edge. He has set anarr ow (IO-foot-wide) lakeside

removing bmpt at thmnded ann to guarmephit haiinstormsond collapsInd perhapver, such a

illow watertrap on thpath:r ~ Suddenly, the ground whicmomen t before had lookedsafe, tilts violently to osending you sliding tow;dark, cold waters of the lakt-nder normal circumstancesturers have on ly a 10% chanc ethe trap. It consists of a large (1by 15-foot-long), delicately baof rock concealed by a tanglecvegetation. Wh en the characteithe rock tilts violently towarcCharacters must make a dexteroverbalanceinto the lake whideep at this point. Th ey will theto act for 1 round while they 1footing.Th e koalinth will be hiding 1water, and will attack whensprung, concentrating on anythose characters in the water.1 koalinth (mar ine hobgoblin)Nil; SD Nil; MR Std; Int Ave;9; D 1+1; h p 7; #AT 1; D 1-6

M; XP 34; THA CO 18;MM - hIf th e koalinth is badly inju red2 or fewer hit points) and 1opportunity to dive back into twill do so in order to escape.Th e koalinth came to this unlila n outcast from his tribe. He Mand still wears the gold armbai(three on each arm, value - 30gspear is made of bone inlaid wof-pearl (value - 40gp), and hering of warmth. Attached to 1silver amulet in the form ofsnake which the koalinth t(young Kharg tribesman.

IC E H E I G H T S ( E n c o u n t e r a

,h only afirm andne side,ards the

the advenof noticin0-foot-widlanced sla1 growth o-sstep on i.Is the lakeity check oich is 3 fee:n be unablregain the

beneath ththe trap ielves or o

I:AC 5; MVi (spear); S4L LE; Sizobgoblin.(reduced tnas a goohe water. h

cely place aJas a leadends of officpeach). Hiith motheis wearinghis belt is a writhiniok from


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o sccti J* I o th e valley I S notice 1 5 I . bwarmer t han th e snow-boun d slopes above,since it is at a lower altitude a nd the riverhas been warmed by the geyser (area 7)above the waterfall.Many years ago, t he dale was the h ome ofthe Grafenvolk dwarves. They are longsince gone, and other creatures occupytheir old domain , but the remains of theirworks can still be seen (areas 14, 16, 19, 21and22, androut es R16, R19, R20andR21).The surrounding mountain slopes oneither side are steep, with nothing butsteeper, impassable slopes and peaks be-yond. Movement i n the d ale is restricted bythe slopes, the marshes, the lake and theriver whic h flows out from it.

Th e Weed LakeTh e lake is only 40 feet deep at the most an dhas a gently slop ing bottom. Despite theclarity of the water, the bottom canno t beseen even at the edges (where it is onlyabo ut 2 feet deep) since the lake is chokedwith weeds. The se will prevent members of12 G R A F E N V O L K D A L E

th e party wading or swimming throughany part of the lake. Over most of the areaof the lake the weeds will not impede a raftor boat. Near wher e the river flows ou t ofthe lake, however, they are particularlydense and grow right up to the surface,preventing the passage of boats or raftsfrom the lake to the river.Standing on a rocky islet in the lake is anancien t, battlemented refuge which may beseen from many parts of the dale (see area14).

T h e W o odT h e wood consists mostly of conifers withsome mixed hardwood trees. The lightundergrowth does not impede movement.Druids will be able to find oak or hollyleaves without difficulty, but mistletoemay only be foun d in one place (area 17).

T he MarshesThese treacherous meres are covered by atangled mass of warped trees, bushes and

other growth. The tracks through themarshes may be followed safely withcauti on (e.g. by pro ddi ng with a pole). Th eDM should hint at the dangers of leavingthe paths, and characters deliberately do in gso must m ake a dexterity check every roun dor lose their footing and fall into aquagmi re. Here, thev will be qui te helpless.Unless rescued, they will go under thesurface after d4+2 rounds and drown 3rounds later.Visibility in the marshes is poor, especi allybelow the falls where the cool air descend-ing from the valley above causes mists togather.

Th e RiverBetween the lake and the rapi ds, t he river isfast -flowing but may be crossed safely. Itforms rapids in the narrow gorge at thelower end of the valley (R18). Charactersfalling into the rapids, attemp ting to swimin them or trying to navigate a boat or raftthro ugh them, will be swept throu gh to thequiet er water beyond and wil l suffer 3d6 hitpoints of damage.


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Th e grass aro und enc ounter area 15 is verytough and about 8 feet high. It restrictsvisibility to only a few feet. When theadventurers enter this area, they will beplagued by swarms of mosquitoes andother insects, which are completely harm -less alth ough they will cause considerablediscomfort and irritation.

r

The floor of this dismal gorge islittered with bleached bones andhollow skulls. You can recognise th eremains of goats, wolves and evensome humans, but there is noth ing toshow what fate befell them.

E N C O U N T E R A RE AS9. Blood HawksA pair of blood hawks have a nestoverlooking the ledge, and will attackwhen the adventur ers are directly beneaththem. As they approach this point (wit hin30 feet), the adventurers will notice somesmall bones of humanoids and animals(the remains of the blood hawks pastmeals):

The ledge narrows and you becomeeven more conscious of the precip-itous drop to the valley below. Ascreech from overhead causes you tolook skyward just in t ime to see twoshapes swoop ing towards you, eachan angry riot of beak, feathers andtalons.

The blood hawks have been denied thepleasure of human or humanoid fleshrecently. They will fight the party untilkilled, choosing their targets at randomeach round.2blood hawks:AC7; M V 24; H D 1+1; h p 6,5; #AT 3; D 1-4/1-4/1-6; SA Nil; SD Nil;MR Std; Int Semi; AL N; Size S; x p 32, 30;THA CO 18; FF.T h e blood hawk nest is i n a small cleft, 30feet above the ledge. It may be seen easilyfrom the ledge if looked for. For thepurposes of clim bing, the rock face belowthe nest is fairly rough and non-slippery(see DMG p19).The nest contains three amethyst gems(value - 80gp each) and a silver amuletshaped like a writhi ng snake (value- 5gp).

10. SplanxtyEast of the mai n falls from the Geyser Lakeis a smaller waterfall, abo ut 10 feet across.Th e climb down from the Ice Heights

crosses tne watertall a nd descends next to iton the western side for abou t 70 feet beforere-crossing and descending towards theeast. T he small waterfall is the home of asplanxty

Just this side of the broad falls whichplummet from the lake above, is agentler cascade. Its crystal waterssplit and recombine, spilling overrocks to fall splashi ng into swirlingpools below - here to spill an d fallagain. Your path leads towards thewaterfall. As you draw near, a slimwoman rises smi ling from one of thepools, her hair a nd robes flowing asif formed from the tumbling water.

Th e woman is an illusion created by thesplanxty which is hiding i n a small pool 10feet above the paths upper crossing of thewaterfall.1 splanxty: AC 7; MV 15//15; H D 2;h p 12; #AT 1 (bow)& 2 (special); D 1- 3 +special; SA Special; SD Special; MR 30%;In t Very; AL CN ; S ize S; x p 1 3 7 ;THACO 16; New monster (sec page 30) .As the adventurers draw near, the womanwill hold u p her hand to indicate that theyshould stop, and recite this riddle:

Y o u n g a s s p r i n g , o ld a s t i m e ,O f t e n f a ll s , c a n n o t c l i m b ,A l w a y s r u s h i n g , n e v e r s ti l l ,I n a be d , ne v er i l l .A correct answer would be river,stream, waterfall or something simi-lar. The voice is that of the splanxty(projected by ventriloquism)who will givethe party three guesses at the answer,repe ating the riddle if the adventurers givea wr ong answer. If theadventu rers fail afterthree attempts, the image will d emand atoll of thrre gems which are to be throwninto the waterfall.If the adventurers solve the riddle or pay thetoll, the woman will appear to dissolveback into the water and the party will befree to continue. Even so, the splanxt y willanim ate the waterfall to splash the adven-turers annoyingl y as they cross the water-fall, descend beside it an d cross again.If the adventurers disbelieve the illusion,ignore it or attack i t , or if they do not solvethe riddle and refuse to pay the toll, thesplanxty will animate the water to attackrather than annoy. It will become so

agitate6 : i ~ T - I J ) ; 16 tits pool and will no longer be hidden.I f it is threatened personally, the spl anxwill defend itself with its bow and a nimatwater, tran sport ing itself throu gh twater to confuse its attackers. It will flenever to be seen again, if reduced to 6fewer hit poi nts.In the pool where the splanxty woriginally hidden are six azurite gem(value - 25gp each).11 . Rocky GulleySome bowlers live amongst the scree arocks on the lower slopes of this 30-foowide gulley. When the party passes belothem, the bowlers will start a small rocslide an d roll down to attack:

This narrow, dry, barren gulleyseems once to have been a river bed,but now you r footsteps echo from thebare, rock-covered slopes. There is alow rumblin g noise and all at once amass of loose rocks on the westernside begins to slide towards you.

The rocks and scree will reach the adveturers in the first roun d after they hear t hnoise. Each adventurer must make dexterity check or suffer d4 hit pointsdamage. In the next rou nd t he five bowlewill reach the party and attack. Eachthem has, at its core, a beryl gem wor15gp.5 bowlers: AC 4; MV 6 + special; H D5hp; h p 2 each; # A T 1; D 2; SA Special ;SNil; MR Std; Int Semi; AL N; Size S; x peach; TH AC O 20*; MMII.

12. Valley of BonesThi s gorge is the home of a gambado.approached, it will attack viciously:

G RAF EN VO LK D ALE (Enc oun ter areas 9-12)


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lar * r.- , ats skull.1 s lair I S in the centreof the gorqe near theof the grue some debris. If an yf the characters approac h to within 4 feet,unch itself toat tack but will retreat

to 6 or fewer hit

gambado: AC 6; MV Le ap 12; H D 4; hp#AT 3; D 1-8/1-4/1-4; SA Nil; SD Nil ;Low; AL C N; Size M; x p 157;AC O 15; FF.n the gambados pit are a gold andal in k bottle (e mpty, value - 10gp)an dp. Nearby are four other gambado pitsnd automaticall y if they

ead. Thr ee are empty but the other has-

ere are five hum an skulls in the gorge,of theirlong since rotted or rusted away,re is a bronze brooch (value lg p) nof a curli ng snake. Th is will betomatic ally if the area is searched.

. Muckdwellersh e marsh is dank and misty. If a rangerof the safeor she will find theof muckdwellers leading in bothresting area, the muck-secure from attack. Unless the

mak ing loud noises, for example), thee them:

T h e marsh is a little less boggy here,but still you must peer hard throughthe clinging mist to see the wayahead. A breath of wind clears themist for a mo ment, and reveals half-a-dozen or more lizard-like creatures,squatting on their hind legs andhissing in a coarse, i nhu man tongue.

meet, two of the eightof muddythe eyes of the adventurers - ne- chosen at random. Theof these jets ar e described in Monster11. Th e other muckdwellers willto attack with their fangs.he muckdwellers are not brave and whenor more have been killed, the survivors

wii 1 attempt to flee into the marsh (wherethe adventurers will not be able to followthem).8 muckdwellers: A C 6; MV 3//12; H D %h p 3 each; #AT 1; D 1-2; SA Water jet; SDNil; M R Std; Int Ave; AL LE; Size S; x p 10each; TH AC O 20*: MMII.T h e muckdwellers were resting against anold ash tree, and there are chewed fishbones scatteredall around. L eani ng againstthe base of the tree is a 2-foot-high woodenstatuetteof a lizard man (valu e 5gp).Th i swas stolen from Swilbosh, the lizard manwho lives on the island in the lake (see area14). The tree is hollow and contains themuckdwellers hoard: 50 gp worth of mixedcoins, a broken gold bracelet (value 40gp),a coil of silver wire (value - 30gp) and athin, crumpled piece of copper sheet.Scratched on this are a picture of a snakeand the na me El i Sweetgrass.The muckdwellers lair is in the lake andmay not be found by the adventurers.

14. Island in the LakeA lone lizard man, named Swilbosh, livesin this is land refuge built by the dwarvesbut abandoned many years ago. Untilrecently he had been on good terms withthe muckdwellers (see area 13) but sincethey stole one of his beloved woodenstatuettes, open hostility has existed be-tween them:

Perched on a rocky islet amid theweed-tangled lake, is a gri m, battle-mented building. Its ancient stonesare stained and moss-covered, andthe timbers of the stockadeextendingfrom one side are rotten. A greyfigure paces the battlements as if onlook-out duty bu t it does not seem tohave noticed you.

The figure on the battlements is thephantom of on e of the strongholds ormerdwarf occ upants. When the adventurers areable to see it clearly ( tha t is, if theyapproach to wit hin 60 feet) they must savevs. Spells (at -2) or panic as if affected by afear spell. The fear of the phantom keepsthe muckdwellers at bay.1 phan tom : AC N/A; MV 9; H D N/A;h p N/A; #AT N/A; D N/A; SA Fear;SD Nil; MR Special; AL N; Size M; xp 0;TH AC O N/A; MMII.

sents 10 feet ,

a. CourtyardThe timber stockade is 6 feet high. Thewood is sound but thegates have fallen flat:

The years, neglect an d weather haveall taken their toll on this place. Yeti t seems that somebody has been hererecently - omebody with a grimmission - since two flesh, scalyhides hang limply from a hookbeside the door of the building.

T he hides are from muckdwcllers and werehung up by Swilhosh, who killed them.There is a 5-foot-deep pit trap a t the foot ofthe steps leading u p to the door.b. Old GuardroomTh is is Swilboshs food-store:

Dried fish, more dried fish and yetmore dried fish! From floor to ceilingand from wall to wall this room iscrammed with wooden racks hold-ing hundreds of fish and cels, allneatly slit an d dried.

On the far sideof the room, obscured by th eracks of fish, is a locker and a ladder.The locker contains five old light cross-bows (only one of which is usable), anddozens of quarrels (4 0 are usable). Theladder leads u p to a trap door in the ceiling,which opens onto the bmlement ed roof ofthe building. A phanto m (for details seeabove) paces the battlements.

G R A F E N V O L K D A L E ( E n c ou n t e r a re as 1 3 -1 4 )


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c. StairsT he stairs are trapped. Th ere is a trip wirebehind the door at the top of the stairs,which will trigger a heavy crossbowmounted at th e foot. Th e quarrel from thecrossbow has the same chance of scoring ah i t a s a 2 hitdicemonster(i.e.aTHACOof16) and a h it will inflict 2-5 hit poi nts ofdamage.d. T he BoathouseUnless the adventurers silence their move-ments from the time they first enter thebuildin g, Swilbosh will hear them and willbe hidden in the small dock, behind theboat (if he is taken unawares, Swilbosh willbe seated at the table, carving a statuettefrom a block of wood):

T he door swings open, and you aremet by the gaze of a horde ofdiminutive beasts - ll poised toleap o r strike. You brace yourselves,but surprise turns to relief as yourealise tha t these are lifeless, woodenstatues carefully arranged arou nd t hewalls of this damp room. O n a table,lies a half-completed carving, sur-rounded by shavings - ut of thesculptor there is no sign.

You emerge onto a windswept plat-form on the eastern side of themountains. A bleak, squat tower,crafted from the stark rock of th emountain, looms at one end, its darkwindows staring out over the jaggedgrey peaks and ridges which dropaway to the south-east. Perched onthe battlements, a flock of sinistercrows regard you with b right, mal ic-ious eyes.

Swilbosh is well-hidden (10% chance ofbeing spotted) but can see most of whathappens in the room. He will jum p out ofthe water to threaten any one wh o interfereswith his statuettes or to demand the returnof the stat uette stolen by the muckdwellers(see area 13) if h e sees it. Swilbo sh has n odesire to fight an d will only attack i n self-defence, to protect his works of art, or toensure the safe return of the statuette fromthe muckdwellers. Swilbosh speaks thecommo n t ongue and, if the adventurerscomply wi th hi s wishes, he will offer themfood an d shelter (o ne night only) and willwarn them about the muckdwellers (area13) and the humanoids who have takenover the mine (area 19).1 lizard m an (Swilbosh): AC 5; MV 6//12;SA Nil; S D Nil; MR Std; Int Ave; AL N;Size M; x p 83; THACO 16; MM.If the adventure rs can prove that they havekilled the muckdwellers (th e statuette willbesufficient proof), Swilbosh will alsogiv ethem the emerald hidden under the floorslab (see below).In addition to the statuettes, the table andthecarvi ng tools, Swilboshs room contain s

HD 2+1; hp 16; #AT 3; D 1-2/1-2/1-8;

a locker, several blocks of wood, a chair anda hammock. There is also a boat in thedock.The re are 23 statuettes in all , representingvarious creatures living i n the valley. Th ereare two muckdwellers, a bl oodhawk, threehobgoblins , two snakes, four crows, threedeer, a hedgehog, two wild boars, a bat, twodogs and a couple of al-miraj. T hey are all2 feet high an d worth 5gp each.T h e locker contains three flasks of cheap,poor-qual ity wine, a large pot of fish paste,a box of carving tools, a fishi ng line withhooks, a cloak, and a bag containing 35gpand a silver hat pin set with a garnet stone(value - 300gp). Th e blocks of wood are forcarving int o statuettes at a later date. T hetable, chairs and hammock are unex-ceptional.Swilbosh has hidden a n emerald in a smallsilk bag (value - 1OOOgp)beneath one of thefloor slabs (noticed as a secret door ).Th e timbers of the rowin g boat have rottedthrough and it has sunk to the bottom ofthe pool.

15. Snake-in-the-GrassWhichever route they take through thisarea of tall grass, the adventurers shouldalways come across the old wagon, thechest an d the snake which lives in it:

Buzzing with insects and taller than afull-grown man, the grass surroundsyou li kea sea. Just when i t seems thatthe grass will never end, you comeunexpectedly to a tiny clearingaround an old , col lapsed, openwagon. Its only visible contents are arusted, iron-bound chest and someli mp sacks.

The wagon was abandoned here manyyears ago. Eventually its wheels rotted a ndit collapsed to the ground. Since then, thebottom of the wagon and the chest havealso rotted, and a poisonous snake hasmade a nest insid e the chest by enterin g itfrom below. It will attack anyone whointerferes with the chest.1poisonous snake: AC 6; MV 15; H D 2+1;h p 8; #AT 1; D 1; SA Poison (save at +1,failur e results in 2-8 hit po ints of damage);SD Nil; MR Std; Int A nimal; AL N; Size S;xp 279; TH AC O 16; MMII - snake.

Th e chest i s ioc cr (but not t rap pc athe lock mechanlsm has rusted soliHowever, if the chest is lifted or moved, icontents will simply cascade out througthe rotten bottom; five snake eggs, thremnants of several articles of clothing,pile of coins ( 1400s~ ) nd a small bcontaining four rings. Three of these asilver (value - 2gp each). The fourth made of gold and is a ring of protection +Th e sacks in the wagon are empty.

16 . EyrieHere o n the eastern side of the ridge, is thlook-out tower from which the dwarvonce viewed the worl d beyond their valleThe adventurers will be able to see thSerpent River from here.

1 representsI 10 feet

-wti

I

a. CourtvardT he steps and t unnels from the mai n valleopen i nto a courtyard below the look-otower. If t headventur ers appear to beaboto enter the tower, the crows which livthere will attempt to frighten them away

G RAF EN V O L K D AL E ( En co u n te r ar ea s 15-16) 1


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u r e r ~reto enter the tower, seven of the birdsents ( noI < ! O W , ,/ r

Once , it seems, this room was a warmrefuge from the elements but now i toffers you n o comfort; the roof ismostly ope n to t he sky, the windowsare empty, windblown sockets andthe furniture is ruined. Perched onthe jagged ribs of the collapsed roof,the jet-black crows flap their long,ragged wi ngs and caw menacingly.

h e crows will retreat if four or more of

crows:AC 7; MV 1/36; H D %; h p 2 each;T 1; D 1; SA Attack eyes 10%;SD Never; AL N; Sizexp Nil; THA CO 20; MMII - raven.Lower Roome door at the base of the tower is locked.e lock may be picked or the door may be30 hit points of

Roused by t he draught from the opendoor, the dust of ages billows outfrom t he darkness.When it clears, you can see severalbox-like shapes on the floor of theroom beyond, their ou tlines softenedby a thick layer of dust. No-one butyourselves has come this way formany years and, to judge by theskeleton slumped against o ne of theboxes, t he last to d o so met with anuntimely end.

he dust lies about a n inch thick o n everyvel surface and, al tho ugh harmless, willw u p in dense clouds as the adventur-ove around the room.e skeleton is that of a dwarf, and it has a

consists only of rotten rags and

h e dust-covered boxes are wooden lock-; there ar e five i n all. Thes e lockers are

foot2 feet deep, in the western wall.if the wallsrched. It is trapped but not locked.

part ment is opened, a 5-foot-e section of the floor in front of it willdropping anyone on it into apit. In the bottom of the pit isof a dwarf. I t is

G R A F E N V O L K D A L E (Encounter area 17)

1 huge crow: AC 6; MV 1/27; H D 1-1;h p 6; #AT 1; D 1-2; SA Attack eyes 10%;SD Never surprised; MR Std; Int Semi;AL N; Size M; xp 36; TH AC O 20; MMII -raven.2 crows: AC 7; M V 1/36; HD %; h p 2 each;#A T I ; D 1; SA Attack eyes 10%;SD Neversurprised; MR Std; Int Animal; AL N;Size S; xp Nil ; THACO 20; MMII - raven.At first sight, the watchroom seems tocontain nothing of value. Th e furniture (atable and four chairs) is ruined. Th e hearthis empty, and an empty chest lies openunder the western window. Beneath thechest, however, is a leather pouch, brittlewith age, which contain s several shceta ofinscribed parchment. Th e writing on thisis illegible, but on one sheet a dr awing of asnake may be made out.

T h e CIOWS L - if-- S L I ~ T-timbers of the rool. Two 01 them eaclicont ain two defenceless fledglings. All fivecontain treasures of some kind: a goldearring (value - lOgp), a tiger eye gem(value - 25gp), some gold and silver thre ad(fragments torn from a tapestry - value15gp), another gold earring (identical tothe first) and an hematite stone on a silverchain (value - 10gp).

17. Th e WoodThis part of the wood is home to manycreaturcs and plants. Only a needlemanand the bloodt horn which shares its lair areany threat to the adventurers. The partywill encounter the needleman 3 roundsafter entering the wood:

Th e tall, straight trunks of the pinesstand guard-like around you, rankupo n rank, broken only by occasion-al clumps of other trees. Save for thebirdsong, all is quiet, and the air isfilled with the scent of pine. Nothinghere seems threatening or out ofplace, but then, without w arning , agaunt, crouching figure springs fromthe cover of a large tree, its skincovered by a mass of bristling pineneedles.

The needleman will flee (never to be seenagain) if reduced to 6 or fewer hit point s orif i t is attacked with a spell or a magicalweapon. Not even a ranger will be able totrack down the fleeing creature.1 needleman: AC 6; M V 9; H D 3+4; hp 17;#AT 1-6; D 1-2; SA Surprise on 1-3 (d4);SD Camouflage; MR Sub-Std; Int Low;AL N; Size M; xp 136; TH AC O 15; FF.

The needleman has a small, dirty, clothpouch hang ing on a tho ng around its neck.The pouch contains two perfectly formedpine cones (no value), a lu mp of amberwith a f l y embedded in i t (value - 80gp) andeight mistletoe berries (these will c oun t asborrowed mistletoe for the purposes ofcastin g druidic- spells) wrap ped in a frag-ment of parchment.Althoug h the ncedlernan cannot be follow-ed if i t flees, a rangcr will havc a normalchance o f following the tracks which itmade on i t s wa y here from its lair.Th e lair is at the cawrn end of the ropebridgc ovcr thc iivcr:


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,, f-

tAs you push open the door, smokeand hot air billow out from the roombeyond which is ill umina ted only bythe red glow of a bulky centralhearth. The re is a hoarse cry of angerand surprisean d three goblins l ungeat you fr om the semi-darkness.

\

Ahead, you see a welcome break inthe dark canopy of trees, and thesound of rus hin g water reaches yourears. Followi ng the sound, you find anarrow gully w ith steep, moss-cover-ed sides, cut by a clear, splashingbrook. T h e gorge offers no prospectof an easy crossing, but ju st here i t isspanned by a rope bridge, old andivy-covered but intact.\ JTh e gorge is 30 feet deep an d its sides aretreated as rough - slippery for thepurposes of climb ing (see DM G p19). Th erope bridge is old and rickety, but safe.The needlemans lair is a rough shelterleaning against the trunk of a gnarled oaknear the eastern end of the bridge. Nearbyare several hornw ood an d other hardwoodtrees. One of these, standing between theoak and the bridge, is a bloodthorn. It canreach characters attempting to use thebridge or enter the shelter, and i t will attackusing 1-4 tendrils each round until itand/or its five tendrils are destroyed.1 bloodthorn: AC 4 (tendrils) / 3 (trunk);MV Nil; H D 6; h p 32+5/tendril (attacks as3HD monster); #AT 1-4; D Special; SASpecial; SD Nil; MR Std; Int Non; AL N;Size M; x p 2795; THA CO 16; MMII.T he shelter is made of pine branches andcontains a bed of pin e needles. Beneath thisis a gold rod with a silver snake coiledaroun dit (value- 120gp).Theoak ree hasalarge gi-owth of mistletoe (enough for thecasting of 30 druidic spells) but this mustbe treated as lesser mistletoe if cut by adruid (see PHB p54).

18. Hunti ng PartySoon after the adventurrrs enter the westernpart o f the wood (i.e. after 1-4 rounds), theywill encounter a hu nti ng party:


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iircnunc; t i t -ea t I z - e soi-7 E T * : ~ s tools(hammers, tongs etc.) and some old mini ngtools (picks an d shovels) which the goblinswere in the process of re-forging. Next tothe hea rth a re five sacks of coal.

A wall stand s astride the pass aheadof you, as grey an d weathered as th esheer rock faces on either side. At thefoot of the wall is a narr ow gateway,its portcullis raised as if in invita-tion.

T h e stools are unexceptional, as is the tablewhich bears the remains of a meal ofmutton and carrots. Under the table arethree sacks cont a in ing fru i t (mostlyapples) , vegetables (carrots and potatoes)and nuts respectively. The mattresses arethin, straw-filled bags.T h e chest is old (it belonged to the dwarves)and very solidly made. The lock may bepicked or unlocked with the key from thehobgo blin (see area 18).Thechest contains10 clear glass bottles. Five of these areempty, three contain white wine and oneholds brandy. T h e last bottle is corked andsealed with wax, and contains only atightly rolled sheet of parchment -a scrollwith the clerical spell neutralise poison. Itmay be extracted if t he stoppe r is removed,but if the bottle is smashed there is a 50%chance that the scroll will be cut andruined. If the chest is smashed ope n, thereis a 30% chance for each bottle tha t it willbreak.

r *The faint glimmer of light in thetunn el ahead becomes steadily bright-er as you advance until, turning acorner, you are confronted by thedazzling brilliance of daylight. Th ehewn walls of the tun nel have givenway to a wide cavern with a naturalentrance. At first it seems unoccup-ied, but suddenly thea ir is filled withhigh-pitched whistles and the flap-ping of leathery wings ... bats!

\

20. Giant Bats

the cave are the bones of the bats anim alvictims and a gold amulet shaped like awrithing serpent.8 gian t bats: AC 8; MV 3/18; H D 1-4hp;h p 2 each; #AT 1; D 1-2; SA Nil; SD Dodgemissiles; MR Std; Int Non; AL N; Size S;x p 7 each; TH AC O 20+; FF.

21. Strange CompanionsTheinhabitantsof this part of theminearea denzelian and a grey ooze who have co-operated to form a maze of passages byero din g rock and or e deposits respectively.These passages meet the mine tunnel atonly one place:dou begin to notice a foul reek whi chbecomes stronger as you approa ch aside-passage which joins the tunnel.Th is passage is clearly not par t of theorigina l mine workings. It is circular,smooth-walled, and follows a slightlymeanderi ng course to a point a shortdistance away, where it branches.T he creatures tunnels branch, twist andrejoin in an amazingly complex fashion,givi ng the impression of a maze. Th e DMshould draw u p a quick, rough map of thepassage system (starting with a four-wayjunction 30 feet from the mine tunnel)marking the positions of the grey ooze, thedenzelian and three (separate) onyx gems(value - 50gp each) which are lying i n thetunnel, ignored by the creatures. Thepassages are all circular in section and 10feet across, an d should bend and/or splitevery 30 feet or so, in order to cover a totalarea between a bou t 100 an d 150 feet across.If requ ired, the random dun geon generat-ing tables I, I11 and IV (see DM G p170) maybe modified and used to produce the maze.The denzelian is no threat to the adven-turers, bu t the grey ooze will attack to kill.In many ways the two creatures are similarin appearance, and the DM may wish tomake their descriptions slightly ambigu-ous deliberately, in order to test the skill ofthe players.1 denzelian: AC 0; MV 1; H D 6; h p 37;#AT Nil; D Nil; SA Nil; SD Nil; MR Std;I n t S e m i ; A L N; S ize S; x p N / A ;TH AC O N/A; FF.1 small grey ooze: AC 8; MV 1; HD 3+3;hp 8; #AT 1; D 2-8; SA Corrode metal;SD Special; MR Special; Int Animal; AL N ;Size M; xp 240; TH ACO 16; MM.

Th is narrow pass was once the mai n routeinto the dwarves domain, and was wellguarded at this point (where it is 20 feetwide) by a thick stone wall (15 feet h igh )pierced by a gateway only 7 feet high an d 5feet wide.T h e gateway could be blocked by aportcul lis whic h was raised or lowered by awinch at gr ound level on the northern side.Along the top of the wall is a line ofdownward-pointingmetal spikes, but theseare now rusted and blunt. T he rope andwinch of the portcullis have rotted awayand a kampfult has taken their place inorder to ambush the unwary:

Th e kampfult will allow the portcullis todrop when half (rounded up) of theadventurers have passed through. Char-acters attempting to leap through thegateway beneath the falli ng portcullis willonly succeed if they make a successfuldexterity check. Otherwise, they will be hitby the portcullis, suffer 1-8 hit points ofdamage and be pinned down until i t israised or destroyed (see below).Th e kampfult will attack any creatures onits side of the gate and, lacking speed toflee, will fight until killed.1 kampfult: AC 4; MV 3; H D 2; h p 7;#A T 6; D 1; SA Surprise on 1-3; SD Nil;MR Std; Int Low; A L N ( E ) ; Size S ; x p 50;TH AC O 16; MMII.The portcullis consists of wooden beamsbolted together. It may be lifted (usualBend Bars/Lift Gate chance) or smashed.Smashing requires only 20 hit points ofdamage (automat ic hit) since the timber isin poor condition. The wall may beclimbed (treat as fairly rough/non-sl ip-pery - DMG p19) in whi ch case the rustedspikes will n ot impede.Clearly visible near th e winch is the h ilt ofa broken sword. In the handle is a cavitv(the ivory pommel acts as the stopper)conta inin g two doses of a potion of speed (asweet, yellow, slightly fizzy liquid). Thepommel is finely carved (value - 125gp).

18 G R A F E N V O L K D A L E ( E n c ou n t er areas 20-22)


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,This relatively short stretch of the valleyconsists mostly of a lush green meadowacross which the river meanders. Thenarrow valley run nin g down to the mead-ow fr om t he west has less lush vegetationand more rocks.

rA strange animal smell lingers inthis low, dark tunnel which leadsgently down into one end of themoun d. Shiel ding your eyes from thelight outside, you can make ou t thegrey stone slabs of the floor coveredwit h small mud dy footpri nts. Above,the low ceiling is a single massiveslab, its weight sup port ed by smallerslabs set on edge to form the walls.Twenty feet or so away the tunnelends at a blank wall.\

EN C OU N TER A REAS23. Spiders Lai rTh e valley narrows at this poi nt (to about30 feet) and a pair of large spiders havewoven a barrier of webs across it:

Like the timbers of some ancient,wrecked ship, a cage of massive,bleached ribs stands as a mutemonument to a long-dead giantamongst beasts. T he skull an d otherscattered bones are shrouded by asheet of pallid, web-like strands,whi leo n either side intricate traceriesof threads block the valley l ike a pa irof outstretched wings.rhe skeleton is that of a large mammoth,the skull lies on the eastern side but thetusks were removed long ago. Two largespiders live inside the ribcage. They willnotice the vibrations caused by any at-tempts made to cut through the web of thebarrier an d will rush o ut in search of theirnext meal. They will not notice if fire isused to make a hol e in the barrier, however,since this causes less vibration. They willfight until killed, but will not pursue theparty more tha n 50 yards from the web.

2 large spiders: AC 8; MV 6*24; H D 1+I ;h p 6 each; #AT 1; D 1; SA Poison (save at+2);SD Nil; MR Std; Int Non; AL N; Sizes;x p 77 each; T HA CO 18; MM.T he mammo th was killed by a lone Khargtribesman but collapsed upon its assailantand killed him. The Khargs bones lie,entangl ed by webs, between the ribcage an dthe skull. Most of his gear (leather armour,pack, shield, spear and sword) are rottedand useless, but there is a gold buckle onhis belt (value - 40gp) and hi5 pack conta insa figurine of a horse carved i n jet (value -2OOgp). Th e p aint on the Khargs shield iscracked and faded but the shape of astylised coiled sn ake can be clearly seen.

24. AI-Miraj MeadowTh e meadow on the eastern side of the riveris grazed by a colony of al-mi raj whose lairis inside the barrow (area 25).Th e males, i na wild act of bravado, will try to attack theparty:

T he turf is lush and springy beneathyour feet, and eases for a while theexertion of your long journey. Asyou walk, a group of large yellowhares or rabbits comes int o view frombehind a long, low turfy mound. Th ecreatures are still some distanceaway, but you can see them nibbli ngcontentedly a t the grass.Then one of them sees you. It raisesitself up to its hind legs and you seethat it has a single horn- ike that ofa unicorn. Another sits u p and looksat you...then another ..and another ..

T he si x male ai-miraj will first be seen at arange of d4+6 x10 yards. The y will not crossthe river (a nd will retreat if attacked bycharacters on the western bank) but willattack fearlessly any adventurer in themeadow east of it. The remaining eightal-miraj are females who will not fight andwill flee if threatened.

14 al-miraj (6 male, 8 female): AC 6; MV18;HD 1;hp4each; #ATl;D1-4;SANilSD Nil; MR Std; Int Animal; A L N; Size Sxp 14 each; TH AC O 19; FF.

25. Burial MoundClearly visible from the flat meadow is low, turf-covered mound (about 90 feelong, 50 feet wide and 10 feet high). It ialigned roughly east-west and contains aancient burial chamber which theal-mir a(area 24) use as a lair.

BAR ROW SWA RD (Encounter areas 23-25) 1


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Th e tunnel is 5 feet wide, 4 eet high a nd 20feet long, and the slabs are onl; crudelyhewn. Th e footprints are those of the al-miraj, which have dug a tunnel ( 1 footsquare and 15 feet long) between theentrance tunnel and the chamber (area25b), emerging at a n arrow gap between thewall slabs at either end. Th is tunnel is notconcealed in an y way.Th e stone slab at the end of the tunnel isactually a door. This is not obvious, butwill become apparent if the tunnel issearched. Th e slab is very heavy but pivotsat the left-hand edge. As soonas it is moved,however, the trap will be sprun g. Th e doorhas a glyph of warding cast upon it. Whenthe door is opened, this will explode with aburst of flame, inflicting 5 hit points ofdamage on any character within 5 feet.Damage is halved if a successful savingthrow Vs. Spells is made.b. ChamberTh e chamber contained several cremationurns, but most of these have been broken:

Any expectations of a lavish tombladen with riches are soon dashed.Pee r ing th rough the en fo ld inggloom, you see a low chamberwhich, to judge from the smell andthe litter on the floor, has been ananimal lair for many years. Exceptfor an empty, stone sarcophagus inthe centre of the chamber, and twocrude jars against on e wall, you seelittle else here but useless, smashedpottery.

The chamber is about 20 feet across androughly circular. T he ceili ng consists of asingle, rough-hewn slab of stone and thewalls and floor are of similar (b ut smaller)slabs. The al-miraj tunnel (see above)emerges between two of the wall slabs.Originally, there were several sealed cer-ami c jars here (each about 12 inches high)conta inin g cremated bones and , occasion-ally, items of value. All but two of these20 B A R R 0 W S W A R D ( E n c o u n t e r area 26)

have been smashed and if the characterssearch the floor, they will find fragments ofbone an d several items of crude jewellerymixed with the litter. Ther e are three smallgold earrings (value - 5gp each), anelectrum bangle (value - 15gp) and apendant consistingof a piece of jade wi th asilver mount (value - 1OOgp).The two intact jars are decorated with anembossed snake motif. Both contain frag-ments of cremated bones. One also contai nsa small, carved, ivory box inlaid with silverand coral (value - 300gp).The sarcophagus is very old and worn. T helid lies next to it on the floor and closerexaminati on will reveal the crude carvingof a humadhumanoid figure on itssurface. The base of the sar copha gus is aconcealed, stone, trap door covering theshaft down to a poltergeists lair (seebelow). Once discovered, this t rap door canbe lifted out easily by two or morecharacters.c. Poltergeists CaveA vertical shaft under the tra p door in thesarcophagus leads to a rough cave contain-ing a poltergeist. Immediately the trapdoor is opened, the poltergeist will comeu p in to the burial chamber (25b) and startto throw fragments of pottery at the party:r ~ - 3

A rough, slimy shaft leads down i nt othe earth. It is difficult to be certain,but it looks as thoug h there migh t besome sort of cavern at the bottom ...Suddenly, ou t of the corner of youreye, you catch sight of one of thenumerous shards of pottery risingfrom the ground. It hovers in mid-ai rfor a second and then flies towardsyou as if thrown by an unseen hand ...I JT h e poltergeist will continue to throwsmall objects at the adventurers until eitherthey all flee in terror, or it is turned ordestroyed.1 poltergeist: AC 10; MV 6; H D %; h p 3;#AT Nil; D Nil; SA Fear; SD Invisibility,needs silver or magical weapons to hit;M R Std; Int Low; AL LE; Size M; xp 35;THACO 15; FF.T h e poltergeist may be turned as a skeletonin the burial chamber, but is as resistant asa ghoul in the cave at the bottom of theshaft. If it is able, it will fo llow anycharacters who climb down the shaft andbombard them with loose rocks and so on.

Th e shaft is about 6 feet 7- r r -feet deep. It should be treated as veryrough - slightly slippery for the purposesof climbing (s eeDMG p19). At the bottomit opens out in to a rough cavern:

Th e shaft suddenly opens out into arough, da mp cave, where a gr inni ngskull lies on the floor amid someother mildewed bones.t JThe bones are all that remain of thepoltergeists previous, hu ma n existence. Ina small pouch under the skul l are threebloodstone gems (val ue - 50gp each).

26. Spiral StairwayThis stairway was built by the dwarvesbefore the mires formed below the BarrowSward. It is plain, skilfully constructed,about 10 feet wide an d 10 feet high. At t opand bottom , the entrances are plain, archeddoorways each of which was guarded by apair of caryatid columns. These were allkilled some time ago and their statue-likeremains may be seen near the respectiveentrances. At the bottom of the stairway, ashort passage runs south to the doorwayopening out on to the bog. On the westernsideof the passage, a 10-foot-widedoorwayleads into a square room 20 feet across. Asthe adventurers approach, they will hearthe rats which live here:

To one side of the passage is adoorway; just far enough from theexit for the dayliyht to do no morethan cast deep shadows across it. Y o ucan just make out the shape of a door,slightly ajar, and from the darknessyou can hear the omi nous scrat chingof claws on stone.

There are 20 starving rats in the room.They are cowardly but desperate and willattack the advent urers as they pass the door(even braving fire, if necessary). The ratswill break off their attack at once if half ormore of their number are killed or if anyfood is thrown to them. They will pursuethe party up the stairs but not outdoors.The rats room contains only bedding,chewed bones and a platinum piece.20 ordinary rats: AC 7; MV 15; H D %; hp 2each; #A T 1; D 1; SA Disease; SD Nil ;MR Std; Int Animal; AL N ; Size S; xp 4each;THACO 20.; M M I I .


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A -

i1

Th e path leads you behind a broadwaterfall. Here you find a gloomycavern where water drips incessantlyfrom folded sheets of pale stone thathang from the ceiling like petrifiedcurtains. Someone lives, or lived,here since there are chairs an d a tableall fashioned from the pale, wet stoneof the cavern a nd seemingly meldedto the floor. Lying a t the back of thecavern is another, smooth rockyshape ... the shape of a man.

I

(Encounter Areas 27-34: M a p 1)

6

Since the fall of the Grafenvol k dwarf clan,the poor drainage of this part of the valleyhas turned it int o a misty swamp. With theexception of a few islands of firm ground(described in encounter areas 29,30 and 31)the swamp consists of treacherous meres,pools and quicksands overgrown with tallreeds, bushes and twisted trees. Concealedas they are by the vegetation, no details ofthe paths or encounter areas can be madeout from t he meadow above the swamp.Th e only safe ways through the swamp forthose on foot are the paths (R24 to R31).Most are abou t 15 feet wide, b ut they varyoverall between 10 an d 20 feet. The pathsare not difficult to follow if care is taken,but any characters deliberately leaving apath must make a dexterity check everyround or lose their footing and fall intoquicksand. Unless they are rescued, theywill be quit e helpless an d will go under thesurface after d4+2 rounds. Three roundslater, they will drow n.Ihc exit fIom rlic s w a n i p on thc castc31nsidc Ic;ids through ;I d a ~, ~ . o o d: I I ~ ; I 34) .

ab

ab

V,

lurking on the ceiling concealed by thENCOUNTER AREAS27. Cave Behind the WaterfallA path of solid rock runs along the cliffface. It passes behind the waterfall, andhere the adventurers will fin d a da mp cave,inha bite d by scum creepers:

Th e cave was once a hunters lodge. Now itis the home of two scum creepers which are

stone curtains. They will attack any creatures entering the cave.2 scum creepers: AC 8; M V 3; H D 1 (28hp); h p 4 each; # A T 1;D 0 ( 1 ) ; SA SpeciaSD Nil; MR Std; Int No n; AL N; Size S; x18each; TH AC O 19; MMII.Th e minerals in the water dri pping fromthe ceiling accumulated to form the stoncurtains a nd have coated the hunters bodand his furniture (two chairs and a table-all made of wood) with a smoot h, soft laveof stone which may be chi pped away easilyAlth ough the stone has preserved the s hapof the objects it has coated, everything buthe hunters bones and his valuables (sebelow) has decayed away.Within the coating of stone, the hunterbones still bear the remai ns of his clothingsix silver buttons (value - lg p each) andgold buckle (value - 80gp). Clutched i n hiright hand, is a short bow +l.ts enchanment has protected it from decay.

S L O U G H M I R E S (Enc ounter area 27) 2


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Beside the sfrog lives ir

Th e pat1sickly twisps 01bubblesripplesbulbousdepths a

roywa mp pa th, a n aggressive killer1 a shallow pool:

h loops arou nd a still pool ofvater, overlain by ragged. mist. As you watch, a fewof air rise and burst, sendinglazily out across the water.these have faded away, twoeyes rise silently from thend turn towards you.

The killerswamp crewugs (see awho wandethe water t(will contini1 killer fro8hp 9; #ATtongue, surIn Non ; AIMM.

frog lives on a diet of smallatures plus occasional bully-reas 29,30 and 31) and hum ansr in to the bog. It will leap fromI attack the party on sight andue to fight until killed.:: AC 8; MV 6//12; HD 1+4; 3; D 1-2/1-2/2-5; SA Leap,prises on a 1-4; SD Nil; MR td;L N; Size S; xp 54; TH AC O 16;

Caught on tleather tho1amulet shalhe branch of a nearby tree by itsig, the party will fin d a bronze3ed like a snake (val ue - lgp).

BullywugThe south-inhabited bwugs. Onebetter equitower (arearemainderequipped,groups aroionly encoustationedor

;Wa r (areas29,30and 31)western part of the swamp isy two bands of warring bully-band (th e more intelligent andpped) lives in a crude stone31) on a small island. Theare less intelligent, poorlyand are stationed in smallind the tower. The party willnter two of these groups -I thedry paths(areas29and30).

29. RoadBAhead of thiwill see a gi

lockem on the pa th, the adventurers-oupof four bullywugs:

From solches ofthroughward y oblockingtheir shaa handfiand halficulating22 S L O U (

newhere ahead, muted snat-conversation drift to youthe mist and peering for-u can see a rough barrier; thepath. Squat tingon this,pes softened by the mist, are11 of creatures - alf-men-frog - abbling and gest-;with long, webbed hands.;H M I R E S (Encounter areas 28.

The bu ~ i i : ~- t !!did5 ,tway fsom theparty. They will attack the adventurers onsight, but if three are killed, the survivorwill flee into the swamp.4 ullywugs: A C 6 MV //15; H D 1; h p 5each; #AT 3; D 1-2/1-2/2-5; SA Hop;SD Camouflage; MR td; Int Low; AL CE;Size S; xp 23 each; THA CO 19; FF.The bullywugs each have lOgp worth ofcrude jewellery, made from bones, teeth,obsidian pebbles, silver wire and leatherthonging.Th ei r barrier may be climbed over easily orthrown to one side.

30. Lizard KeepersTwo bullywugs here are keeping a giantlizard in a cage. When they release it,however, it will attack them rather than theparty:

Th e path leads you onto a n island ofsorts, where the gr ound is agreeablyfirmer underfoot. The mist thins alittle and, in a small clearing, you areconf ront ed by a cage of s t o u tbranches crudely lashed togetherwith creepers.Inside is a huge lizard, its tonguelashing between massive jaws and itseyes watching you hun grily.

L JThe two bullywugs are hidden in theundergr owth near the cage. When the partycomes into view, they will leap fromconcealment and open the cage door,expecting the lizard to attack the adven-turers. Instead, the lizard will attack (andalmost certainly ki ll) the bullywugs. (If theDM does not wish to roll the dice for thiscombat , an average result wou ld be for thebullywugs to be killed in the 3rd and 5throunds of combat respectively and for thelizard to suffer a total of 5 hit points ofdamage.)The bullywugs each have lOgp worth ofcrude jewellery which they have madethemselves (see area 29).After the lizard has killed the bullywugs, itwill pick u p one of the bodies in its jawsand disappear into the swamp withouthar mi ng the adventurers. However, if theadventurers attack the lizard (except withranged weapons or spells) it will turn on

I P x l r i anc -%$ It 4Plt tC (


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~ le rinicE -11 > > I c. I i c i oot 1s I rc-usell p:eccof dwarven mason ry and bears a carvi ng ofa snake (now upside-down).Th e lower room has n o windows, and thedoor may be barred from the inside. T h ebully wugs ha ve a table, six stools, a barrelof swamp water and a sack of dried fish.Ha ng in g from theceiling is a smoky quartzgem on a silver mount. Th e gem wasoriginally a pendant and has a continuallight spell cast up on it. Its value is 110gp.T he tabl e has a drawer which is locked andtrapped. T h e trap releases a spray of tiny,razor-sharp darts which will inflict a totalof 1-6 hit points of damage on all within aIO-foot-radius semi-circle in front of thethe drawer. A successful dexterity checkwill halve thedamage. T he drawer containsIlOgp in a cloth bag.

32. Mist MephitIn the part of the swa mp where the mist isdensest, a mist mephit lives in an oldhollow tree:

Mist washes around your feet likewater , swir ls in tat tered wispsthrough bushes and reed beds, andhangs like shrouds from the branchesof a wizened tree. It is thicker herethan it has been elsewhere in theswamp, and seems to be growingthicker by the second. The tree youcould see clearly a moment agobecomes only a vague shadow thenvanishes completely, and secondslater you can see no further t han a narms length away!

The sudden thickening of the mist is aresult of the wall of fog spell cast by themist mephit from inside the tree when theparty comes within range (30 yards). T h ewall of fog will be centred o n the party an dwill spread along the pat h i n a bank 80 feetlong, 30 feet wide and 10 feet deep.Next round, the meph it will fly out of thetree to attack the party. It will concentrateon the use of its breath weapon an d attemptto avoid hand-to-hand fighting. It is acowardly creature and will not attack theadventurers if they move outsid e the wall offog or if t he fog disperses. It will flee(assuming gaseous form if necessary) onceits breath attacks are exhausted, or if anyfire-based attac ks are used against i t, or if i tis reduced to 9 or fewer hit points. It is

wearing a platinurn chain ar ound its neck(value - 50gp).1mist mephit: AC 7; MV 12/24; H D 3+2;h p 19; #AT2 ; D 1/1; SA Breath; SD Special;MR Std; I nt Ave; AL NE; Size M; xp 226;TH A CO 16; New monster (see page 29 ).The mephit was sent here to waylaytravellers and to ensure that the swampremained a generally unwholesome place.For the purposes of this module it willalways be unsuccessful in its attempts togate in other mephits.The hollow centre of the tree (auto-matically fo und if the area is searched)contains objects taken from the m ephitsvictims: 50gp in mixed coins, a gold arm-band (value - 80gp) an da n iron helm with agold crest in the form of a snake (value -50gp).

33. Enemies on the LedgeA cave opens onto the ledge which runsal ong the rock face. A gnoll lives here withsix kobolds who m h e treats as slaves. Whenthe party approaches, the gnoll will orderthe kobolds to attack:

In the valley, hundreds of feet belowthe ledge you are following, thesteamy swamp is gradually givingway to woodland. The ledge, how-ever, carries on a nd on , unch anging,with n o sign yet of a way down.Roundinga small spurof the mount-ain, you come up on a low, dark cavemouth. A harsh voice echoes fromthe depth s and half-a-dozen unarm edkobolds rush, half staggering, intothe da yligh t. Dazzled, they hesitate,but a second shout from withindrives them o n once more.

Th e cave will be about 60 feet away whe nthe party first sees it. T he kobolds are morefearful of the gnoll than of the adventurersand will fight them to the death. In fulldayli ght, the kobolds will attack at -1to hit.6 kobolds: AC 7; MV 6; H D %.; h p 2 each;#AT 1; D 1-4; SA Nil; SD Nil; MR Std;Int Ave (lo w); AL LE; Size S; x p 7 each;THACO 20x; MM.Th e cave mouth is 6 feet across an d 5 feethigh. Beyond, the cave is wider (15 feet),higher (7 feet) an d abo ut 30 feet deep.

T 1A Fi e gnol; wit1 l u r k at t h r . back of the t::;3vhoping to remain unseen. If the adventurerspass by the cave he will not attack but ifthey enter, he will fire arrows at t hem (ifpossible) before taking up his battle axeand fighting to the death.1gnoll:AC 5; MV 9; H D 2; h p 6; #AT 2 o r1; D 1-6 (longbow) or 1-8 (battle axe)SA Nil; SD Nil; MR Std; Int Ave (low)AL CE; Size L; x p 40; TH AC O 16; M M .In addition to his bow, 20 arrows and axe,the gnoll has a plain, electrum headband(value - 5gp), a thick gold earrin g with amalachite stone (value - 25gp) and 12gp ina pouch h ung aroun d his neck.Th e cave contains the straw bedding of th egnoll and kobolds, along with a sack ofdried meat an d a cask of stale beer.Th e gnoll has hidden a silver hat pin with asmall tourmaline head (value - 45gp) in acrack in the wall of the cave near themouth. Th e chanceof finding it is the sameas for a concealed door.

34. Wild CatsFollow ing the river th roug h the valley, theadventurers will find that the mist gradual-ly disperses as the swamp gives way to adark, briar-choked woodland. In order tomake progress, the party will have to hackthrough briars every 20 yards or so. Whenthey are about halfway throug h the wood,the adventurers will come across a pair ofwild cats:

Disentangling yourselves from yetanother patch of clin ging briars, youcome face to face with a pair ofwildcats standing over a freshlykilled young deer. Spitting andhissing, with their backs arched, thecats prepare to defend their prize.

In the circumstances the cats will notsurprise the adventurers. They will attackif threatened in an y way or if the adven-turers mak e any move except to back awayslowly. They will fight until o ne of them iskilled at which p oint the survivor will fleeThey have no treasure.2 wild cats:AC 5; MV 18; H D 1; h p 6 each#AT 3; D 1-2/1-2/1-2; SA Rear claws for1-2/1-2; SD Surprise d only on a 1; MR StdInt Animal; AL N; Size S; xp 16 eachTH AC O 19; MMII.S L O U G H M I R E S (Encounter areas 32-34 ) 23


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The adventurers should have no difficultyin finding or reaching the island. Thegrassy plain between the foot of HardwayMountain and the ledge above TrenhurstForest (see Map 1) is almost completely flat,and the Kharg tribe (with the exception ofAm Flowmane- ee below) is far away tothe north with its herds of horses (seebelow).The Serpent River is slow-moving andshallow as it crosses the plain an d may beforded easily. Th e lake above the falls (thesnakes head) is deep ( about 50 feet), butbetween t he island (the Eye of the Serpent)and the lakes northern bank, the water isshallow and may be waded easily. To thewest of the spi ked fence (area 36), the islandrisesgently from th e lake, but to theeast theshore is steep and rocky and may only bescaled by characters with the ability toclim b walls.

HE ISLANDTh e island, with its pool of flame and cleftof rock crystals is the Eye of the Serpent,the site of the Grafenvolk dwarves snakecult sh rine (seeBACKGROUND - page 3).T he Kharg refer to it as Rushmede Rockan d use it as a meeting place and a place ofexecution. A largeconstr ictor snake is keptat the eastern end of the island (see area 37)an d those convicted of s

1e - Adventure - UK5 Eye of the Serpent (Level 1)

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