Fighting Fire - Ernie Gygax Benefit Adventure

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Fighting Fire!

Creat iveMountainGames .com FIRE!CMGA System-Neutral Fantasy RPG Narrative Adventure

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Particular thanks to George Fields for his assistance with the details.

Some cartographic and graphic design elements are copyright of Creative Mountain Games.

Some artwork, used by permission, is detailed alongside the table of contents.

All rights reserved.

Fighting Fire!A System-Neutral Fantasy RPG Adventure

CreativeMountainGames.com FIRE!CMG

Fighting Fire!, CMG, Creative Mountain Games, and the

Creative Mountain Games logo are trademarks of Creative Mountain Games.All textual elements and trade dress are copyright of Creative Mountain Games.

Designed, written and produced by Mark Clover of Creative Mountain Games.

A Special Adventure Designed to Assist the Ernie Gygax Fire Relief Trust Fund.

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On Relief 3

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part I - The Tragedy at the Tower 3

Introduction / A Brief History of Gamington 4

On the Tragedy by Gentle Lake 5

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part II - The Fellowship 5

The Warning Bell / The Tower Ruins 6

Gamington Folk 7

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part II - The Fellowship (cont. 7

Leesees Elixirs 9

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part III - Dire Discoveries 9

The Wilderlands / Night Lights 10

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part IV - Trek to the Mountain 11

The Highlands / The Old Fort 12

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part V - Bridge and Brood 13

The Lower Mines 14

Funnel 15

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part V - Bridge and Brood (cont.) 15

Ash Zombies 16

The Split 17Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part VI - Upper Level 17

Dwarven Runes / The Upper Mines 18

Arsons Three 19

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part VI - Upper Levels (cont.) 19

Empty Nest 20

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part VI - Upper Levels (cont.) 21

Clan Remnants 22

The Giants Hoard 23

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part VII - Battle Below 23

Seeing Red in the Cavern of Flames 24

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part VII - Battle Below (cont.) 25

True Power 26

Notes and Treasure 26

Fighting Fire! (An Epic Poem): Part VIII - Journey Home 27

Dramatis Personae 28

The Map of Fire Mountain Interiors 32

Table of Contents

2 Fighting Fire! CreativeMountainGames.com

On the cover (and page 1) there is a

composite of three artists creaturesincluding: Fire Elementals by Eric

Quigley (also page 19), a Fire Giant

by Nicole Cardiff (also page 20), and

a Hellhound by Keith Curtis (also

page 20).

In addition to the above creatures,

the Will-O-Wisps (page 12) come

from Jeff Ward, the Fire Bats

(page 14) and the Ash Zombie

(page 16) were drawn by Nicole Car-

diff, the Fire Giant Zombies (page

22) were created by Eric Quigley,the Ettin (page 13) and the Dragon

(page 24) are by Malcolm McClin-

ton, and the Fire Mage (page 26)

is Black Hand Artwork by Tams

Baranya.

The elixers (page 9), amulet (page

16), treasure chest (page 23), rings

(page 27), and underground tunnels

(pages 15 and 17) are the work of

Rick Hershey.

The landscapes, town, and build-ing locations, and the Town of

Gamington (page 4 and back cover,

labeled and adjusted by CMG) are

from The Forge Studios Medieval

landscapes collection(s) and The

Mountains of Lament: the town

drawing (proper, page 4 and the back

cover), the Warning Bell (page

6), the Tower Ruins (page 6), the

town street scene (page 7), the large

building (page 8), the ruined outpost

(page 10), the Highlands (page

12), the Old Fort (page 13), the

Lower Mines entrance (page 14),

the Dwarven Runes (page 13) by

Maciej Zagorski, and the Aban-

doned Fire Giant Fortress (page

20) are all by Maciej Zagorski. The

Upper Mines entrance (page 18)

is by Pawel Dobosz. The character

illustrations (pages 28 thru 31) are

from The Forge Studios Rogues

Gallery collection(s) all drawn by

Maciej Zagorski.

IllustrationCredits

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Fighting Fire!CreativeMountainGames.com 3

Forgive me if I wax Gygaxian during this passage but

the situation that befell Ernest Gary Gygax Junior, his

dog Kaycee, and Ernies friend and roommate ScottFelton on the morning of February 24, 2013 was tragic.

Early morning, a re broke out in their home, driving

them into the cold with little more than the clothes on

their backs and what meager possessions they could

grab as they scrambled to escape the ames. If it had

not been for a passing citizen who spotted the smoke

and alerted them to the danger, we might have lost them

all. Though nearly everything was taken by the blaze,

including many irreplaceable heirlooms and the embodi-

ment of a lifetime of memories, we can all count our

blessings that it was not a far worse tragedy.

Now, however, comes the rebuilding of their lives.

Without Ernies fathers work, and the work of many

who helped in Gary Seniors lifes work, including Ernie

and others, my own life would be considerably less rich.

My imagination may have found other elds to har-

vest but, I daresay, none so fertile as those authors and

designers helped provide. I can only hope that some of

the inspiration I have received over the years, through

the hobby gaming they engendered and to which I was

drawn, will be made manifest in the pages that I have

lled herein. And so I offer this humble publication tothe gaming community in hopes it can assist my friends

while they move forward.

To that end, I am dontating thirty-three percent of all pro-

ceeds from the sale of this publication to the Ernie Gygax

Fire Relief Trust Fund, set up by Ernies brother Luke. I

hope that the community of gamers who have found joy in

the hobby can also nd in their hearts ways to assist Ernie

in his current struggles, either with my offering or in other

ways as means and circumstances permit. So, in the spirit

of Poppa G, gone six years now, good gaming to you,

Gentle Reader, and also good fellowship!

All the bestMark CMG Clover

Creative Mountain Games

On Relief Fighting Fire!Part I - The Tragedy at the Tower

In the village by the lake,

Home to salmon and to drake,Ernesto, restless, lie awake,Desirous for sleep to take, He wished but to retire,But the dreams they would not come,In his head a beating drum,There was no chance he would succumb, His thoughts a ceaseless choir,

In his home of worldly treasures,The memories of many pleasures,Untold wealth by many measures

He lived his life in quiet leisure, The master of his ire,Before the dawn there came a spark,A frightening icker in the dark,Against the blackness stoked and stark, And then the ames rose higher,

Sadly he did not perceive,Or surely he would take his leave,Stealing in, the ames did thieve,Passers-by could not believe, A circumstance so dire,

Then at the door there came a blow,And anxiously repeated so,That roused the sullen Ernesto, And saved him from the re,

Before the ames did all devour,There escaping from the tower,His guest and friend, a man of power,Right in the eleventh hour, So neither did expire,As Scot and he observed the blaze,Ernesto felt a clearing haze,Saved lives, one cannot appraise, Did ame and chance conspire?

It wasnt long before they found,That from a distant peak came down,A foe so deadly, evil bound,Sent with purpose from that mound, To make the home a pyre,Ernesto swore hed right the wrong,Scot and others formed the throng,From them, as one, there came a song, Of Fellowships Forged in Fire

The adventure contained in this publication is in-

spired in part by the events that lead to its creation,

albeit a highly fantastical account. Running concur-

rently is an epic poem meant as a companion piece to

the adventure. The poem is additionally inspired by

Alfred Lord Tennysons The Lady of Shallot. Enjoy!

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Fighting Fire!4 CreativeMountainGames.com

The goals of thisNarrative Adventure, I hope, reect the

goals of many GMs. In presenting this as a mini-setting

and an adventure, it is hoped any outcome can be dealt

with during gameplay. Blank text boxes (form-llable

in the PDF version) are provided, where adversaries and

encounters are presented, for adding abbreviated stat

blocks, resolution information, and/or other GM notes.

Fighting Fire!is an adventure for RPG systems that can

handle combat, mystery and puzzle-solving, social inter-

action, and teamwork. It is not likely an adventure for

beginners, as some of the adversaries are quite ruthless

and the scope of what must be accomplished could be

considered epic. However, there is little grey area in themorality herein; Evil is afoot and must be vanquished.

The characters presented in the nal pages of this offer-

ing can be used as the backgrounds for pre-generated

player characters and non-player characters. In the epic

poem that runs alongside the text of this mini-setting and

adventure, they are the heroes and many of them meet a

gruesome fate. This is not to say that the way things un-

fold in the poem need be the way the adventure plays out

at any given game table. Think of it as but one possible

outcome presented as inspiration for the person behind

the screen. As always, enjoy and all the best!

Introduction A Brief Historyof Gamington

The town of Gamington was formerly named Warburg.

It was and still is the home of some of the greatest tacti-

cians and strategists of the day. However, the folks of

Warburg grew tired of the constant conict and the toll

that took on their lands, loved ones, and lives.

As an alternative to the incessant battling of kingdom on

kingdom, faction on faction, and neighbor on neighbor,

the Treaties of Gamington were proposed by the great

wizard, Poppagax the Original. The idea behind the

treaties was to replace actual war with tabletop versions

of the potential conicts. All involved parties had toagree to the terms and choose a neutral party to adju-

dicate for each battle, who would in turn decide on the

makeup of the representative forces to be used. Systems

of resolution were developed by many of the experts,

locally and from outlying regions, and multifaceted dice

were fashioned to assist in the randomization of out-

comes to account for chance and luck.

For forty years the treaties have stood and their reach

has extended farther and farther. Despite the occasional

minor conict, often put down by parties allied in the

treaties, the Peace of Gamington has prevailed.

A larger, labeled version of this

map appears on the back cover and

can be used as a player handout.

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Fighting Fire!

Part II - The Fellowship

There comes a time in every life,

When there are struggles, there is strife,Fate can cut deep like a knife,Throughout the world are sorrows rife, One nds oneself in mire,But through the fog there comes a call,And to the service, one and all,Who will then defend the wall, The Fellowship Forged in Fire,

Of the rst friend, more needs saying,From nearby Fellstone, Scot was staying,Within the tower, his head laying,

That fateful night, his sleep conveying, Scot toward death entire,But the fellow saved him there,When into ame the man did dare,From thence forth, good Scot did swear, To the Fellowship Forged in Fire

Lucor was the next arrival,Hearing of his kins survival,With hopes of helping his revival,With lance on steed he had no rival, In all he did inspire,

Ernestos brother, Lucor said,Let us seek your foe, and dread,What we will do to them instead. Our Fellowship Forged in Fire.

Then also came the man of verse,The Bardic Kasak, not averse,To utter oath and vile curse,Opponents found they had it worse, When they aroused his ire,Kasak had traveled far and wide,His enemies, they could not hide,No better man for by ones side, In the Fellowship Forged in Fire,

Marv and Leo of the Dale,Both had come by separate trails,They had each heard of the travails,So to the lake town without fail, These were no men for hire,Leo was a comrade brave,Of Lucor, even to the grave,And Marvelous, his pledge he gave, To the Fellowship Forged in Fire,

In the sleepy, little town of Gamington, on the shores of

Gentle Lake, tragedy has struck. Lifelong resident and

magely protector of the realm, Ernesto Magnico, has

been driven from his tower by re most foul. It happened

on a dark night while the moon was obscured by clouds.

But this did nothing to hide the culprits for they were

most brazen in their assault.

Those who bore witness to the attack saw several beings,

wreathed in re, perhaps even made of ame, descend

from The Fire Peak in the Fellstone Mountains above

Gamington. They touched little else in the town butrather bore down directly on the tower, set it well ablaze,

then itted off as quickly as they had come. The tower

was all but destroyed in less than an hour, losing most of

what it contained, much of it irreplaceable.

Many in the town recall that a clan of Fire Giants once

dwelled high in the Fellstone Mountains near a dormant

volcano known as The Fire Peak. Some woodsmen,

those who traveled as far as the shadows of the mountain

range several days to the northwest, reported over the

last year spying a huge hound with ashen fur watching

them from the cliffs above. Neither of these suspicionsseem to directly explain the strange creatures who as-

saulted the tower.

There are also two old mines delving into that same

peak, though abandoned years before. The Dwarves

who mined there fought regularly with the Fire Giant

clan near the calderas mouth. It may well be that the

shafts are long collapsed or lost to earthquakes. At the

very least, the lower of the two is likely overgrown as

it was somewhat below the tree line. The other, about

halfway up the slope, would be difcult to reach given

the years of erosion and rock slides that would have long

since wiped out any access roads and paths.

In any event, a band of adventurers is now being as-

sembled to investigate the incident and avenge the

crime. If there are hostile creatures living close enough

to Gamington to execute such an attack, they must be

driven off or destroyed to protect the peace. The mem-

bers of this fellowship must be ready for hardships

normally only experienced by seasoned adventurers, and

also prepared for combat with formidable enemies.

On the Tragedyby Gentle Lake

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The Tower RuinsThe Warning Bell

The last attack on Gamington, nearly fty years ago, is

commemorated by the towns warning bell. This guard

post has not been manned since those dark days andhas been left with the remnants of the attack, spears and

arrows, still protruding from its battered shell. An old

bell hangs within and it is rung on days of remembrance.

Since the assault on Ernestos tower, some of the folks

of Gamington believe that, if the tower had been in use,

the tragedy might have been averted. Others argue that

a single attack in fty years doesnt warrant stationing

guards in the tower again.

The debate of whether the tower should have

been in use, and whether it should be in use go-

ing forward, is the single most prominent dis-cussion raging at this time in Gamington and

unless something changes in regard to the cur-

rent threat, it is likely that the town

will increase their security a great

deal. The indirect result? Gamington

will cease to seem as peaceful and

might lose its status as a neutral loca-

tion for wargames. That could further

weaken the treaties and cause a return

to days of factious warlords.

Not much survived the re at Ernestos tower. But for

the few things that Scot and he could grab while scram-bling to safety, everything went up in ames. Many of

the things inside were extremely prone to being de-

stroyed: old tomes on magic, great tales of the heroes of

bygone ages, and unpublished missives penned by both

Ernesto and his father, Poppagax the Original. Fortu-

nately, for Scot of Fellstone, he believes that a Dwarf

always sleeps in his battle gear, in order to be ready for

anything, so his armor, shield, and weaponry were all

with him as he ed.

There were also a number of explosions within the

tower, as the ames spread into Ernestos laboratory andignited numerous experiments. The top of the tower

was mostly of wooden construction, and all of that either

burnt away or collapsed into the interior (causing addi-

tional damage). It was lucky that Ernesto and Scot were

out of the tower by that time.

It may have been fate or simply luck that two of Er-

nestos nephews were in the area so late that night, but

it was Leesees boys, Jobie and Jonster, whose quick

thinking and action alerted the occupants to the danger

and helped them extricate themselves.

Structurally, the tower can be rebuilt, and perhaps made

even better than before, but until the culprits are brought

to justice, that task must remain unrealized.

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Fighting Fire!

Part II - The Fellowship (cont.)

And also coming to their aid,

Was a sister and shield maid,From far off isles where she prayed,Fiery hair in one long braid, With healing skills acquired,Heidala left long ago,To seek out knowledge and to grow,And through her now a strength did ow, To the Fellowship Forged in Fire,

With Ernests father once allied,A pair of learned men did ride,To stand along Ernestos side,

The Warden and the Tanner cried, We come to join the choir!By the trumpet and the horn,Two campaigners, legend born,Battle-hardened and foresworn, To the Fellowship Forged in Fire,

Another duo joined the band,Both were known throughout the land,To be ready to withstand,Smaej and Eneg could command, A grit that could inspire,

Both would promise, come what may,To avenge that fateful day,And they pledged to join the fray, With the Fellowship Forged in Fire,

Finally, at last not least,From his home not too far east,Leaving the comforts of a feast,Whommats furrowed brow was creased, When coming to the shire,A genius of mechanics known,Master of both steel and stone,An engineer through blood and bone, For the Fellowship Forged in Fire

They had arrived by ones and twos,As soon as each had heard the news,Before that day of separate muse,But as a group they soon would fuse, Wed come to all admire,For evil knew not what it spawned,Or how the heroes would respond,And for Ernesto they did bond, The Fellowship Forged in Fire

Gamington FolkBookmans Breadloaves and Bakery- The Bookman

Brothers, Harrison and Jefferson, run this ne bakerywhen you can tear them away from their extensive

library of historical and geographical tomes.

Butcher Block, The- Weynoth and Dalianne run one

of the larger businesses in town. Aside from the usual

preparation of livestock, they also make some of the n-

est sausages anywhere near Gentle Lake.

Cousin Willems Livery and Cartwright- Despite the

nickname, Willem has no relatives in the area other than

his wife, Leesee, and their two sons, Jobie and Jonster,

both of whom work for the town as a watchman and are marshall, respectively. Jonsters quick actions are

likely what saved the lives of Ernesto and Scot.

Dauntless Armor and Shields- Mighty Migycal, who

learned his craft from the Dwarves of the Dauntless Clan,

makes some of the nest armor and shields anywhere.

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Kountz Keep- One of the taller structures in Gaming-

ton, the earlier inhabitants, for whom the building is

named, have moved south to Stockton Woods. The new

resident, a bard of some small talent named Cam, churns

out poems and other scribblings to make his wages.

Leesees Elixirs- Sister to Ernesto, Leesee is known

around town for her compassion and generosity. She

and Cousin Willem will both aid however they can

with supplies and mounts, if deemed necessary (though

the mountains are very rugged country). Leesees wares

are detailed more fully at the end of this section.

Yonsons Drinks and Dartery- Sometimes tabletop

gaming needs to be supplemented by liquid refresh-

ment and the occasional throwing of pointy objects. To

that end, Yonson runs a tavern, known as The Hovel, in

which strong alcoholic beverages are served and dartcontests are regularly run.

Potent Portals- J. Alphonse Warden is always working

on ways to travel across the planes to distant lands (some

say even through time!) by tying strong elemental mag-

ics to nely crafted doors and archways. As a man with

a bond to earth, wind, re, and water, he uses his knowl-

edge to show others that there is more then just this life.

Shrine of Survival, The- Cinderloo, sister to Ernesto,

runs the day-to-day operations of this non-denomination-

al (or multi-denominational) shrine. When Heidala, her

sister, is in town she stays in the guest quarters. There is

also a barracks within the walls of the grounds, a rem-

nant of days gone by when troops would be kept active.Lucor, Leo, Smaej, and Eneg all chip in to make sure the

barracks is maintained and use it and the stables when in

Gamington. The area is still fortied and the group has

taken the name The Four Horsemen of the Acropolis.

Alexandros Wheels- Alexandro, a half-brother to

Ernesto and his other siblings, runs this establishment.

Here he supes up chariots for the annual race ofciated

by a fellow named Carmichael.

Tactics & Strategies- Karmerz Tanner runs a school to

teach the arts of warfare and trains many of the partici-pants in the Treaty Games, a seasonal event where c-

tious scenarios are in the ofng for all who wish to play.

Whommats Gears and Grommets- This shop special-

izes in making small metal items like those mention on

the shingle. But when not producing those, Whommat

likes to make gures and other accessories of the sand

tables in the Cultural Halls of Gaming.

(Gamington is able to accomodate many more businesses

which the GM can detail as needed for their campaign.)

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Fighting Fire!

Part III - Oath and Assistance

In a chamber for their meeting,

All the comrades said their greetings,Several times, details repeating,Lucor was the one entreating, All to join the fray,Not a one did disagree,As if he even had to plea,They had come to take a knee, Until all done to stay,

Now all assembled in the hall,No thought what to each might befall,Oaths were sworn by one and all,

For to ensure the evils fall, Foresworn to win the day,Girded and with nerves asteady,Nary one a hint of dread, they,Donned their armor, weapons ready, And soon they would away.

But rst they gathered to each one,Resources from under the sun,Assistance overlooked was none,To guarantee the deed be done, From all they asked a boon,

And everyone within the town,Not one would turn their heroes down,More than theyd give to king or crown, Before them all was strewn,

The smithy brought his armor forth andWeapons of the mightiest sources,From stables came the nest horses,These gifts were offered quite remorseless, The warriors were equipping,Then Mistress Leesee shared some vials,Within elixirs for their trials,Made of components from the isles, In dire need for sipping,

J. Alphonse had stored some gear,To aid them on the dark frontier,And one more thing that made them cheer,Scot it seemed, procured some beer, Their spirits would be lifted,Thus outtted for their trek,With provisions and some tech,To bring the evil back in check, The balance surely shifted.

Leesees ElixirsThe building that houses Leesees Elixirs is a huge,

rambling old structure with many added-on sections,dormers, and extensions. Much of the inside is mazelike

and if folks wanders off from Leesee when she is taking

them to some remote portion of the building, they could

nd themselves lost for a while or worse. Some of the

ingredients used require her to maintain a menagerie of

creatures, some of them quite dangerous. Woe to the

prowler or intruder who opens the wrong door, especial-

ly close to feeding time.

Leesee shares her home with Willem and her mother

Jomarie, who helps her with her concoctions. In their

kitchen, they brew potions, make salves and oint-ments, and even some simple medicines and remedies

for common ailments. The family has a great reputa-

tion for their generosity and compassion. They are ever

ready to assist adventurers and persons in the act of

enforcing the Treaties of Gamington.

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The WilderlandsThe swath of forest lies between Gentle Lake and the

Fellstone Mountains. Gamington lies on the northern

most tip of Gentle Lake which stretches to the southwest

in a roughly oval shape. There are few towns or settle-

ments near Gamington and much of their trade utilizes

the lake rather than overland routes. Despite this, much

of the lowland country to the southeast, east and north-

east is relatively tame and is regularly patrolled. To the

northwest, however, the forested country is more rugged

and rises within a few days travel into a mountainous

region with few trails meandering southwest, parallel to

the lake, or circling northeast and then eastward. The

Fellstone Mountains cut off the northwest and the north

but for a narrow gap that allows passage to the frozenregions beyond.

Years ago, in the late Warburg period, the Dwarven

Undaunted clan occupied pockets of this range, defend-

ing and mining the area directly northwest of Gaming-

ton known as The Fire Peak, a dormant volcano. The

wilderness reclaimed trails heading to the volcano after

the Dwarves abandoned their mines about fty years

ago. Due to the craggy nature of the mountains and the

thickness of the forest blanketing the wilderlands, the

mine entrances cannot be seen from below. One is about

a third of the way up The Fire Peak and the other abouttwo-thirds up that forbidding slope. The lower mine is

difcult to locate unless one is actively searching and in

close proximity, though at night the Fire Bats might give

it away. The upper mine is easier to nd while nearby

due to the ancient timber scaffolding that remains around

the vertical shaft. From the Wilderlands, the silouette of

the Fire Giant halls can be seen atop The Fire Peak.

Night LightsSince it is typically a few days travel between Gaming-

ton and The Fire Peak, any adventuring party is either

going to travel by night or be camping at night. In either

circumstance, they will attract the attention of at least

one local Will-O-Wisp. The GM should use his discre-

tion as to how many but one is often plenty to cause

mischief enough.

Will-O-Wisps are clever and malevolent. Despite their

defenses to most magic, as well as how difcult it can

be to strike them with physical weapons, they can be

vulnerable if many opponents attack them at once. For

this reason, think of them as predators of herds, look-

ing to cull one or two of the members from the restand isolate them. They do this by the simple means of

getting someones attention with their movement and

light, which they can manipulate in intensity, attempt-

ing to lead the unsuspecting off to other dangers. They

can even go dark for brief periods making them nearly

impossible to detect.

Remember, this is rugged country and what paths their

were that head toward The Fire Peak are long gone,

disused and overgrown. As such, any group of individu-

als looking to trek in that direction will need to either fan

out a bit or tramp along in single le to avoid traveling atthe very slowest of speeds. Regardless of which method

is employed, there will be moments, perhaps minutes,

when some one or two persons in the group are separat-

ed and even out of sight from the others. That is when

the Will-O-Wisp will make itself known, doing so in

some innocuous manner. While in camp, when watches

are employed, this becomes even easier to accomplish.

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Fighting Fire!

Part IV - Trek to the Mountain

They tried to rest a restless night,

All well aware of future plight,They steeled themselves for coming ght,Then set out at early light, Their lives might be ill-fated,They hoped to return, one and all,But each one knew the mighty fall,Theres no escape deaths siren call, But not til vengeance sated,

Through a morning mist and bleak,Muted hooves and saddle creaks,Proudly riding, never meek,

But several days before the peak, And then the climb toward evil,The sun did rise, they told some tales,They rode along the hunters trails,A few embellished some details, Through forest vast, primeval,

Once the days sunlight did fade,They chanced upon a ready glade,Then settled in a camp they made,But even as their heads were laid, The Dwarf on watch did notice,

Waving lanterns through the trees,Bobbing, weaving, with the breeze,Quite unshaken in his ease, As if partaking lotus,

He wandered from the sleeping group,His heavy lids began to droop,As on ridge he stopped to stoop,Suddenly became a dupe, The trap was quickly sprung,Feeling a nudge just from behind,Over the edge through vines entwined,Drawing axe, regained his mind, Dangling now he swung,

What had assailed him? Spheres aglow,A Will-O-Wisp, a crafty foe,Over a chasm, death below,Scot realized he was alone, He swept his axe quite nimbly,Luckily the creature shied,From opponents with such pride,Once it ed then out he climbed, And back to camp went quickly.

One of the more common modes of drawing attention

is for the creature to mimic torchlight, bobbing in the

distance to arrouse suspicion or curiosity. This can be

accentuated by the creature circling around to come upfrom behind and give the impression the group is being

followed.

The Will-O-Wisp need not take chances if the whole

group is alerted or lays an ambush; the creature has time

on its side. It can continue like this each night, for many

days, until its best chance to draw off one or two of the

group is realized. The Will-O-Wisp is a patient hunter.

If it can cull a victim from the herd, it will lure them

toward some natural pit like a sinkhole or even an aban-

doned outpost with weakened oorboards, either likely

having debris or spikey vegetation below that can cause

addition injury should someone plummet. Wounded

victims then give the creature the chance to go in for a

killing blow.

If the Will-O-Wisp is cornered, it can often simply go

dark and y away. If only slightly injured, it might use

that state to further entice potential victims to follow it to

their undoing. Will-O-Wisps can work in concert with

one another but prefer to hunt alone rather than share the

life force of their dying prey. If working together, they

will often split up and try to divide a group in hopes thatthe portion they draw off will be more vulnerable than

the whole.

Stats/Notes/Etc.

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The Highlands The Old Fort

Beyond the forested lands when striking out from

Gamington toward The Fire Peak, one will eventually

reach the Highlands. This treacherous region on the

skirt of the Fellstone Mountains is sparsely wooded

with many outcroppings and caves. Travel in the area is

dangerous for those without the proper equipment even

if the indigenous fauna and predators slip by unnoticed.

Typically encountered in the region are wolves, bears

(grizzly and cave bears included), as well as great horned

rams who can be just as territorial as the carnivores. Agroup in sufcient numbers is likely to be avoided by

most non-monstrous creatures though a pack of wolves

will often harry even larger groups hoping to seperate

slower or weaker members if a group panics and ees.

Although it has been hundreds of years since The Fire

Peak has erupted, seismic activity is fairly frequent.

This adds to the usual hazards of climbing through rocky

terrain since rock slides, natural deadfalls, and sinkholes

can happen anywhere on the slopes.

As one approaches the rising foothills below the moun-

tain range, about two days travel from Gamington to thenortheast, the forest thins. On a grassy hillock that over-

looks the trees and has a decent view of The Fire Peak,

the ruins of an old fort stand. This relic of the times of

war was held by various factions that once battled over

this region, and changed hands often.

The exterior stone walls are semi-intact but the wooden

interior collapsed inward and is greatly decayed. There

is a cellar into which much of the timber lies. The fort

might draw local creatures to it if used as a campsite.

While this is out of range of Will-O-Wisp(s), it can

be surveyed from above by the Hellhound or also beswarmed by the Fire Bats (both detailed later) but more

likely will be visited by an Ettin.

From the old fort there is a clear view of The Fire Peak.

That is not to say that the entrances to the mines are

obvious from this vantage point. They arent. But the

whole of the peak, its slopes, and even where wisps of

smoke continually rising from the caldera can be seen

from the fort. So, too, the outline of the Fire Giants

Great Hall, built near the top by the rim of the volcano,

can be spotted from the old fort by keen eyes.

Living sometimes within the ruin but often in the nearby

suroundings is an Ettin, though technically this creature

is a two-headed (mutated) Fire Giant runt that was

born into the Fire Peak clan nearly six decades ago, not

long before to their demise. As an aberration, it was left

on the lower slopes, exposed in the ancient tradition, to

die soon after its birth. It moves around quite frequently

in the edge of the forest below to avoid being attacked

by Will-O-Wisps but in truth can defend itself against

them if necessary with its great strength.

This creature survived abandonment because it had

been found and adopted as a sort of mascot by a migrant

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Fighting Fire!

Part IV - Trek to the Mountain (cont.)

The following day they traveled on,

And though they asked where he had gone,Scot refrained and remained wan,Not one for words, a Dwarf of brawn, No need for explanation,Toward end of day they found a fort,A scout was sent with some support,Hoping for a fair report, To stay through nights duration

Far out ahead, Leo did move,From his broad back his bow removed,Spread out were Smaej and Tanner too,

Quietly they went to prove, The site was safe for resting,Abandoned though the fort seemed be,Crumbled walls, rubble, debris,The man of Dale at once did see, Within something was nesting,

Behind the rubble, tufts of hair,Above two heads, not passing fair,Upon one set of shoulders bare,Knotted muscles, huge, aware, A stare that chilled the bones,

Two-headed creatures are alert,One brain rests while twin is girt,Now both worked in threat concert, It leaped over the stones,

Two bowstrings sung repeatedly,But the bowmen heatedly,Chose targets unstrategically,Both shot left immediately, The creature unabated,Within huge hands a blade was borne,Once amongst them down it shorn,Though Smaejs bright breastplate was torn, The elf it underrated,

The ettins fury now unleashed,But Smaej ducked swiftly underneath,Through pain of combat clenched his teeth,His own sword up through spine, defeat, The creature nished readily,They slept that night then traveled forth,Just one more day to west and north,They made good haste to evil thwart, The peak was nearing steadily.

band of orcs. They raised it as a curiosity and abused

it greatly until one day it was strong enough to ght its

way free, killing many of the orcs in the process. Now it

lives on small game, mostly, and lame animals it man-

ages to drive into gullies or the ruin where they become

injured and are easily caught.

Because the orc band kept tabs on the Fire Giant clan,

the ettin is generally aware of what befell them, though

not the treachery behind it. It knows where the clans

halls are and if forced to do so, has no real compunction

about giving out that information despite a hope to one

day return and take over the former clan halls as its own,

an ambitious goal. Unless killed quickly, the creature is

not above pleading for its life in exchange for the infor-

mation. He has learned to ght two-handed with huge

great axe, one head grunting with the effort while theother hurls insults in the common tongue.

Stats/Notes/Etc.

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The Lower MineJust within the upper bounds of the tree-

line lies the lower mine entrance. The

earthquakes of the last six decades have

obscured the cleft which once acted as a

natural approach to the mine entrance. The

tunnel opening, itself, is free from rubble

or debris. Anyone climbing the slope

could easily pass within a dozen yards of

the cleft and not realize it is there.

However, across from the entrance, rising

up from a lower portion of the slope of the

Fire Peak, there is a great tor, an outcrop-

ping with a at top. Due to its naturalstone crenulations, the Undaunted clan re-

ferred to as The Crown. It was often used as an outpost

to keep an eye on the peak and the wilderness below.

The Crown is a very defensible position from attack by

any creatures that walk on two legs or four. As such,

it might well be attractive to adventurers in the area as

a campsite or merely a lookout point. If anyone is on

The Crown at night, they are in danger of being attacked

by the swarms of Fire Bats that venture forth after dark

from the mouth of the lower mine.

When night falls, dozens upon dozens of Fire Bats yout to prey upon the animals of the forest below. In their

frenzy, these creatures will naturally set many small res

merely from coming into contact with any dry brush

or trees. Fortunately, the forest is quite lush and can

withstand some wildres and this side of the Fellstone

Mountains sees a great deal of rainfall. Furthermore, the

swarms often y about the mountains themselves above

the tree line or to the other side of the peak, leaving the

forested wilderness below untouched.

It is also possible that anyone nding the cleft and dis-

turbing the mouth of the lower mine will attract the Fire

Bats, even causing them to swarm early at dusk or just

before dawn. The high walls of the cleft and angle of the

mountains cast great shadows to fall over the cleft in the

early evening and at rst light it can also be quite shady.

While the swarm is made up of many sizes and ages ofFire Bats, easily one hundred are of the oldest and most

aggressive variety. Each can be as deadly as any other

giant bat but the added licks of ame that accompany

each attack can do a signicant extra damage to the as-

sailed. In winter, these creatures remain dormant within

the mine entrance but they will assault any creatures who

enter or attempt to lair within the mine.

Stats/Notes/Etc.

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Fighting Fire!

Part V - Bats, Bridge, and Brood

In view of peak they camped once more,

Atop a crenulated tor,One last rest, some sleep before,The next day then to settle scores, They champed upon the bit and,Theyd need their strength for nal push,Those opposing soon to crush,But before dawn there came a rush, The blackened sky had thickened,

Up in the darkness sparks did y,Winged torches up on high,Then in bunches down would dive,

Swirling chaos, screeching cries, Like bats engulfed in ames,The party formed a ghting square,Strong protecting those more spare,But now and then some clothes would are, Despite protectors aims,

Ernesto was the rst to act,He called on magicks, words exact,An icy blast of force unpacked,The sky was lled as night was cracked, With bitter, gales of snow,

So, too, did Kasak send his rage,A rain of missiles stormed in stages,Fiercely Kasak war did wage, Into the bats aglow.

The wizards two had thinned the lot,And for the others time was bought,They raised their weapons, bravely fought,And bat by bat reduced to naught, The enemy on the wing,They made short work of what was left,Some were brutal, some were deft,Then from their vantage saw the cleft, A way to lead them in.

From crenulated tor they spied,An entrance to the mountainside,As dawn did break and sun did shine,Twas the hidden Lower Mines, Now, at last, revealed,Down the tor then up the slope,Using piton, hook, and rope,Everyone with rising hope, The entrance unconcealed,

Funnel

Beyond the entryway, the tunnel tapers off into a natu-

ral funnel heading northeasterly which the Dwarves ofold used as the starting point for their mining operation.

The funnel has a ten degree downward slope which has

been attened and laid with two side-by-side tracks. The

remnants of the dual track run down the tunnel to points

below. In entry cavern, which is quite large, there is so

much guano as to completely obscure any signs of the

timber or iron rails. They will not be discernable until

several dozen feet into the funnel and then only sporadi-

cally since much of the upper end has fallen rock, dirt,

and debris covering much of the track.

After one hundred fty feet, the funnel evens out into asquare passageway, well worked and braced by the min-

ers, and thus very little debris obscures the oor or rails.

This continues downward at the same ten degree slope,

weaving its way around more difcult granite deposits

and occasionally taking advantage of natural ssures. It

does, however, maintain a primarily northeast direction.

After traversing roughly a quarter of a mile and declin-

ing a couple hundred feet, with many side passages

and mines, some natural and some of Dwarven design,

the tracks lead to signicant, open cavern. In the last

hundred feet of tunnel, much of the railing of the tracks

has been removed, in places it appears to have been

wrenched free. The cavern is one hundred feet high

and several dozen feet wide, that runs one hundred and

seventy-ve feet into the distance. The center section

of the cavern is split by a mile-deep crevasse from one

side of the cavern to the other and fty feet across. The

chasm is spanned by a heavy Dwarven-made bridge that

has decayed but been roughly repaied with ties and rails

but they protrude from the bridge in oddly skewed direc-

tions like the twisted spikes of an aged porcupine.

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Ash Zombies

No one can look upon the aforementioned bridge and

think it very sturdy. In fact, much of it is safe but

several small sections of it are not. If these questionable

patches of the bridge are crossed, not only will they fallaway but they will also create a cascade effect, tearing

away further sections of the bridge or at least making

them unstable. If someone with bridge-building or other

engineering skills can be given enough light and time,

the worrisome areas can be identied and avoided.

Finding the time might be difcult, as there is a horde of

Ash Zombies hidden on the far side among boulders and

cavern cracks. Numbering several dozen, these creatures

are the animated corpses of a band of Dwarves who once

attempted to reclaim the mines three decades ago. A

Fire Mage (described later) captured and enslaved them,

then forced them to labor for him in the lower depths of

the volcano. When they were of no further use, he put

them to the re then raised their bodies, bidding them to

guard this cavern should anyone enter the complex by

this route. Between the creatures and the bridge, the Fire

Mage feels this tunnel is secure. He hasnt bothered to

destroy the bridge, since he knows of its aws and thinks

it is amusing to tempt those who might try to assail the

Fire Peak in this way. In further humor, he hung a re

protection amulet on their former Dwarven leader.

Like most zombies, Ash Zombies are somewhat slow

and awkward. What makes them problematic to dis-

patch is the cloud of ash that surrounds them, billowing

as they move but settling when stationary for a a few

minutes. This cloud can make them difcult to identify

them, particularly when they move in a group. Each in-dividual emits a cloud in a seven to eight foot radius that

sight can penetrate only to about ve feet. Bright light

allows for shadowy gures to be seen within the cloud.

Because of the ash, divine means of destroying these

creatures has only half a chance of working. The Ash

Zombies will not activate unless someone crosses at

least halfway on the bridge. They can cause a collapse.

Stats/Notes/Etc.

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19/34


The Upper MineThe entrance to the upper mines is much more promi-

nent than the lower entrance and a half century older.

The portal timbers are still in place and were used for a

number of cranes which once served to raise large stones

and barrels of ore from the mines below. All of the

timbers are heavily singed though not so much that they

have become structurally unsound. So the upper mine

can be accessed by the vertical tunnel entrance as well as

a horizontal entrance higher up which cuts down into the

tunnel about fty feet in from the lower entrance. The

higher access is gained via a path that winds through the

boulders beyond the lower opening.

Although the apparatus of the cranes for the horizontal

tunnel is still in place, the pulleys and ropes are non-

functioning and unsalvagable. A half dozen of the posts

and crossbeams stand like gravemarkers around the

irregularly-shaped forty-foot opening. Much of the pit

is carved from the surrounding stone but in many places

the elements have worn away the edges and in places it

is prone to crumble underfoot. It drops down to a wide

gallery where stones were once carved and fashioned

into more manageable pieces before being lifted out for

transport.

Stats/Notes/Etc.

Dwarven RunesFurther up the slope from the entrance to the lower

mines, along a path that cannot be seen from below butstems from the lower mines toward the upper entrance,

there is a ersatz shrine. The miners were not a very reli-

gious lot but did hold their deities in some regard. Those

who would bring them supplies or make inspections of

the mines would have been appalled if the miners did not

have some sort of shrine or temple for worship. To that

end, the leaders of the tribes who worked the mines ac-

quiesced to their culture and erected a small park along

the trail for those who might wish to pray or leave offer-

ings. It was, however, unlike any other shrine known to

Dwarves .

The area cleared for this shrine was only about thirty

foot square and now is greatly overgrown. The tops

of still visible markers, three in all, stand above some

rubble, heavy weeds, and brambles. If one were to clear

away the debris, one would nd several smooth stones

that lack any real shaping but which are carved with

Dwarven runes. The language is in a style that some-

what mimics the ancient Dwarven tongue but in an

irreverant and comical manner. It was believed by the

Dwarf that carved the runes that most who might stop

here would not be able to read the carvings and thus he

took some liberties with the language. If someone un-derstands modern the Dwaven language, they might well

gure the stones are carved with an expression of modest

religious belief for enough of the words translate to the

modern tongue in such a way. Someone versed in the

ancient version of Dwarven will pick up the subtle sar-

casm. They might also realize the Dwarf who fashioned

this shrine did not take the job seriously and had a deep-

seated disgust for religion. There is no direct translation

from ancient Dwarven to the common tongue, so the

words are not rendered here in that form but it can be un-

derstood as a scathing indictment of Dwarven religion.

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Fighting Fire!

Part VI - Upper Mines

The other eight with heavy hearts,

Knew that all must play their parts,Two entryways remained to parse,Though of the complex none had charts, Did entrances connect?They determined as they climbed,That they would split a second time,Two groups of four, up mountain side, With haste they rose unchecked,

A silent tear for brother shed,Heidala climbed with three she led,So by her side J. Alphonse tread,

With them Kasak and Tanner sped, The quartet breached the darkness,The Upper Mines a crumbled wreck,The jagged rocks kept them in check,They picked their way along the trek, And stumbled through the starkness,

Quickly becoming cut and bruised,The Upper Mines were long disused,By any creature wearing shoes,But seeing light they were enthused, A ickering further inward,

The light before them danced and swayed,It beckoned them, they made their way,Through rough terrain not long at bay, Though cleverness unhindered,

Then leaping at them from the rocks,From alcoves in attempts to box,Them in, And now the ways were blocked,Trapping them like wizard locks, The ery beings surrounded,The four formed up defensively,But Alphonse saw their density,So out he stepped with levity, The others were astounded,

The Warden drew forth a device,That looked just like a pair of dice,He shook his hand not once but twice,The elementals paid the price, As J Alphonse revealed them,The mechanism cast forth light,And drew the creatures with its might,It sent them off far out of sight, Another plane had claimed them,

Arsons ThreeThree Large Fire Elementals make their home in the Up-

per Mines. The paths beyond the stone-carving galleryare crumbling away in many places into deep ssures.

The elementals are light and fast enough to jump from

shelf to shelf, and between outcroppings, such that they

are not hindered by the lack of solid purchase. Many of

the places they step would fall away under the weight

of even a small animal leaving this place devoid of

other life. Not even the Fire Bats bother with the Upper

Mines. Any creatures that nd their way in are tortured

and killed for sport by the malevolent Fire Elementals.

The lives of the Fire Elementals are simple. They ght

and play with one another, enjoying their time on thisplane where they are in little danger and relatively unop-

posed. Once in a while, they are summoned by the Fire

Mage and sent on a mission. One such sojourn was

down into Gamington to destroy the tower of Ernesto.

Since then, they have remained within the tunnels,

beyond the large gallery, on orders from the Fire Mage

not to draw attention to themselves though their sense of

mischief may bring them to the entryway. Noise from

climbers nearby will put them on their guard.

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Empty NestAt the top of the Fire Peak, near the rim of the great cal-

dera, stands the near-abandoned home of the Fire Giants.Tales and rumors of their exploits over the past century

are well-known to the citizens of Gamington. Given the

nature of the attack on Ernestos tower, being burned

down in a quickly-spreading re, the Fire Giants are

likely suspects. Their legend will have been put forth

by many folk despite no one in town having seen a Fire

Giant in decades. It is possible that some woodsmen

may have glimpsed a great Hellhound on the slopes and

such beasts were known confederates of the Fire Giantsof old. It is also possible that someone wandering near

the slopes of the Fire Peak in the forest below is aware

of the pseudo-Ettin, the malformed Fire Giant that has

outlived most of his kin. But there is only one true Fire

Giant left alive in the area and he is quite mad and rarely

ventures down from his hermitage within the foyer of the

ancient Fire Giant stronghold. There are other dangers

within the stronghold but some backstory is necessary to

fully understand what explorers might nd if they make

their way to their fortress-turned-tomb.

Centuries ago, a super-clan of Fire Giants ruled thelength and breadth of the Fellstone Mountains, their

power base being The Fire Peak, a great but inactive vol-

cano. They numbered

in the hundreds and

none could stand against

them. But that sort

of greatness can only

last so long. Inght-

ing among the various

thanes, all previously

united by one chieftain,

ignored rulings from thetop and settled private

scores amongst them-

selves. Eventually, civil

war erupted between the

sub-clans and the thanes

all vying for supremacy.

Sometimes the super-

clan was even divided

into three, four, or ve

factions.

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Fighting Fire!

Part VII - Giant Fortress

Meanwhile Lucor led his group,

Through the scree upon the slope,Up to the Fortress with the troupe,With plans for justice to recoup, The debt would be repaid,The stronghold doors were battered down,But there a giant and his hound,Would make this place a battleground, For entrance he forbade,

For this task Eneg drew his axe,And Lucor sword in hand attacks,They stopped the giants in his tracks,

Smaej Wiles then slipped round the backs, Of wolf and giant both,The hound fell to the arrow shafts,Of Leo, then with mighty laugh,The giant, Eneg cleaved in half, Upon his lips an oath,

Once past the foyer in the hall,The sight astonished one and all,Undead creatures, fearsome, tall,The remnants of the clan were sprawled, And strewn around their tomb,

The warriors dove in heedless then,Of life or limb they hadnt ken,The blood ew as each foe was rent, Until they cleared the room,

The Great Hall bore the carnage well,But it took time this force to quell,The dead had risen and were felled,Then victors searched the other cells, To seek a way below,At the far side of the fort,They found a portal of a sort,A massive trapdoor in the oor, Their progress further slowed,

The chains that once allowed access,By lifting mighty timbers for egress,Had seen their share of time and stress,They had to move it nonetheless, And so the four contended,Against the mechanism tensed,The door was strained from hole and whence,They peered below to nd that thence, A winding stair descended,

In time, it was Hrothnor the Fierce who came to claim

the Pumice Throne as King of the Fire Giants. He man-

aged this in large part because he had two brothers aid-

ing him, both of which were awarded major thaneships.

In time, a Fire Mage wormed his way to the side of the

king as an advisor. Carefully, he manipulated Hrothnorto believing his most trusted thanes, his two brothers,

were scheming against him. This paranoia festered in

Hrothnors heart until eventually he felt quite alone.

That was when the Fire Mage convinced him to take

drastic steps that would lead to the collapse of power

for the Fire Giants. The Fire Mage supplied Hrothnor

with a potent poison and suggested he call for a great

celebration of their success. At the feast, the poison was

intruced to the mead and food killing every Fire Giant in

the hall except the king. After all of Hrothnors suspect-

ed enemies were eliminated, the Fire Mage broke King

Hrothnor spirit and left him mad, his only companion atoothless Hellhound named Soot.

Since then, Hrothnor has not entered the halls of the Fire

Giant clan, fearful of what now lurks within. He skulks

in the entryway of his former seat of power, too paranoid

to go further inside but also afraid to venture forth into

the world. He only continues to live because Soot hunts

the mountainside bringing back food of which Hrothnor

eats barely enough to stay alive. The former king is now

a thinning, feeble excuse for a Fire Giant but still dan-

gerous enough to smaller beings who might dare explore

the upper reaches of the Fire Peak.

When running this adventure, treat Hrothnor and Soot

as, originally, the most powerful specimens of their kind,

but then halve all of their current damage and bonuses.

With time, if running this as a campaign and they live, it

is possible for Hrothgor and Soot to regain some of their

strength but they are still very old.

Stats/Notes/Etc.

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Clan RemnantsThe halls of the Fire Giant clan are now cold and dark.

With the king being the only living clansman left, andsince he guards the great doorway that enters the halls,

no living soul has tread within for ve decades. There

are, however, inhabitants.

The former home of the clan consists of a great hall and

many side chambers for sleeping. The great hall was the

common room for all, like a Viking long house in many

respects. The entryway had a second oor but it is now

impassably ruined. The shards of a collapsed table run

half the length of the great hall, constructed from huge

timbers and a massive slab of onyx.

In the great hall are the remnants of the former clan,

bodies strewn around the table, having fallen where they

succumbed to the poison of the chief. But there was one

visitor after the event, the Fire Mage, and he performed

two foul rituals. The rst was to animate all but two ofthe fallen as zombies, though he left them where they

lie with orders to attack any who violate the halls. The

second ritual was to enchant the esh of the two broth-

ers who had challenged the Fire Giant king, turning

them into Flesh Golems with the same orders. For those

who may enter, there is little way to tell the difference

between and the golems will blend in with the zombies.

See the sidebar below before deciding the strengths of

these creatures and their actual numbers.

Stats/Notes/Etc.

Adjusting the Bar

Giant Zombies should be more

difcult to destroy or turn, per-

haps by two or three categories,

depending on your system of

choice, and as tough as several

of them. But given this encounter

includes two Flesh Golems and

up to 22 Giant Zombies, it might

prove too tough for some groups.

If this encounter feels too difcult,

some of the Giant Zombies can be

less mobile, arms or legs rotted

off or crushed by the collapsed

table, The Giant Zombies and

the Golems might even see one

another as intruders and brawl.

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Fighting Fire!

Part VIII - Cavern of Fire

All had struggled on their routes,

But which would make the nal bout,The Cavern of Flames each group would scout,To obstacles and re spouts, By various paths they journeyed,The rst arriving to the cave,The Lower Mines and bridge did brave,Ernestos band avoided grave, To battle now they hurried,

Ash zombies had been thwarted then,Across the bridge they searched til when,They found a split, three paths ahead,

The mazelike mines could not contend, With magic spells they utilized,And long they searched til they had found,A passage through the underground,Their ire up and most profound, The evil must be neutralized,

So Kasak cast a potent spell,To light the cavern, darkness quell,And to their eyes there came a hell,A dragon, red, in there did dwell, Upon its back Sulfurious,

It ew about with cackling mage,But this served only to enrage,The four that stood before the cave, Recalling deeds injurious,

The spread out nding cover in,The cavern lest the mage begin,To catch them all to their chagrin,Bunched up within the opening, They all had plans and tactics,The Fire Mage swooped down on mount,Flames burst forth in great amount,From the mage and re spouts, The onslaught was fanatic,

Scot of Fellstone then charged forth,He hurled his ax, to bring to earth,The dragon but it fell and belched,In fearsome rage, a ery breath, Fuedane and Marv were laid low,Ernesto then evaluated,How best he retaliated,The mage had not yet calculated, Ernesto as a great foe,

The Giants HoardAside from the enormous onyx slab, there are a number

of treasures and useful items still available within the

halls as well as on the guardians. Soot the Hellhound

has nothing of note but has burried a handful of the

smaller gems that Hrothnor has let drop from the decay-

ing pouch that still hangs from his belt. Those can be

found secreted away under some obvious rubble near

the entrance. A simple search outside the main doors

will turn those up. Hrothnar carries a magical (aming)

great sword that might be used as a two-handed blade by

someone of human stature.

The Fire Mage has little need of wealth in terms of coins

or objects of value. As such, the pouches and chests of

the Fire Giant clan were never plundered by him after

the poisoning incident. For each of their numbers, it

would not be unusual to nd a few dozen large coins,

which they would have kept handy for gambling. There

are hundreds in the rubble in the sleeping chambers.

There also are Dwarven and human-made, gold and

silver objects taken from caravans during the Fire Giantraiding days. Several of the Fire Giants possesed magi-

cal great-axes which they used one-handed but which

would be useable by regular humanoids as two-handed

weapons. A few amulets, rings, and other bobbles that

bestow various protections and resistances are among the

coins, too small for the Fire Giants to use effectively.

All of the weapons should be adjusted in magical

strength to whatever level of power is most suitable

to the campaign being run. Magical items might be

swapped at the discretion of the GM as well.

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Seeing Red in the Cavern of FlamesWith four entryways, successful explorers can discover

the Cavern of Flames. It is at an elevation about mid-way between the Lower and Upper Mines, and thus well

below the Fire Giant Fortress. The fourth entrance is

through the caldera about 1,000 feet below the rim. The

cavern is hot year round, roughly 120 degrees Farenheit,

with geysers that randomly belch steam from boiling

pockets of collected runoff.

To access the Cavern of Flames from the Fire Giants

defunct stronghold, one need only head to the back of

the great hall where a large antechamber features a huge,

round, iron trapdoor. This portal is massive and even the

Fire Giants used a pulley system rigged with great, ironchains to lift it. The system is still functional but would

require several strong humans to utilize it. Underneath

the trapdoor, a great chimney leads nearly straight down

to the Cavern of Flames. Long ago, it was carved with a

winding, stone staircase so the Fire Giants could access

the cavern which served as their forge and workshop.

From the Upper Mines, crumbling though they are, the

Cavern of Flames can be accessed by any of several fun-

nel-chutes, once chimneys for the forges, that corkscrewtheir way down into the ceiling of the cavern. They open

anywhere from forty to fty feet above the cavern oor.

These are difcult to spot from the cavern due to the nu-

merous stalactites. The funnels can be negotiated by any-

one with a fair amount of strength or climbing ability as

they are rough with many hand and footholds and wind

around without many straight drops until the bottom.

Only one of the honeycomb of tunnels leading from

the split beyond the bridge in the Lower Mines reaches

the Cavern of Flames. Most of the tunnels rise and fall

sporadically, twisting and turning, often resulting indeadends or gaps so narrow that passing would be im-

possible for anything larger than a mouse. The labrynth

is hot, most being 85 degrees Farenheit or higher, but the

center tunnel from the split which eventually leads to the

Cavern of Flames gets increasingly hot and rises steadily

possibly giving some clue to its destination. The use of

this passage by Dwarves is what led to their demise.

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Fighting Fire!

Part VIII - Cavern of Fire (cont.)

But at this time from caverns top,

Descending ropes, they quickly dropped,Heidalas band had not been stopped,And now to aid they joined the mob, Amid the ames and ghting,The Fire Mage wheeled around the drake,This was but his rst mistake,For Scot ran up, a forceful strike, The dragon wrath inciting,

Its wings now rendered useless it,Tried again to re spit,But Kasak magically muzzled it,

With hand of force taking a grip, Sulfurious dismounted,The Fire Mage dashed toward the rear,Escape was planned, he ran in fear,But danger there was getting near, Lucor and company countered,

They had arrived by winding stair,And blocked the exit from the lair,The four spread out and with a glare,To Fire Mage they offered dare, Their weapons poised for action,

Then with some tricks still up his sleeve,He blasted ames gained some reprieve,But as the mage then tried to leave, He found he had no traction,

Clever Ernesto had arrived,Behind the mage and then contrived,An ancient trick he had revived,On wits it was Ernesto thrived, The ground he greased below him,Going nowhere, foe did howl,Then turning back and with a scowl,He raised his hands to cast most foul, A spell he now was chanting,

But Lucor saw his chance to act,He ran up to the mages back,He swung his blade high to attack,Clean through his arms the sword did hack, And left Sulfurious limbless,The blood then ran quite unabated,It was long the heroes waited,Sulfurious was thusly fated, He died amid the grimness,

The Cavern of Flames is an irregular oval, two hundred

feet long, sixty feet wide, and forty to fty high. The

oor is packed stone rubble but also with dozens of ob-

stacles including boulders as large as elephants that pro-

trude upward as well as stalgmites, many of which have

been broken and crumbled leaving unstable rock piles.The oor is further punctuated by a dozen ame geysers

which erupt at irregular intervals, their expulsions hot

enough to roast a person alive in a matter of moments.

These spouts were tted as forges for the Fire Giants.

At the eastern, narrow end there is an opening to a pas-

sage that winds down toward the chasm bridge. At the

western narrow end is the spiral stair that leads up to the

Fire Giant Halls. Toward the western end of the ceiling,

an irregular tunnel leads out to the caldera. The Red

Dragon uses this to come and go. It is hidden on the cal-

dera end by an overhang making it nearly impossible tospot from the upper rim. Half a dozen tunnel-chutes lead

out of the cavern ceiling to the Upper Mines and some-

times rubble will fall from them to the oor below.

While the Fire Mage is often here, and certainly will be

if the region is alerted to intruders, the primary occupant

of the Cavern of Flames is a huge, Red Dragon. This

creature is male and fully capable of breathing ames. It

has, however, been somewhat domesticated by the Fire

Mage, in that he long ago convinced the creature to wear

a cursed ring, enfeebling its mind, and making it more

susceptive to charm spells which the Fire Mage rou-

tinely casts to ensure its servitude. If alone, the dragon

will always attack and never negotiate. It is allowed to

maintain a modest hoard of treasure, though much of it

is copper and iron, the dragon having been conned by the

Fire Mage into believing that these metals are more vaul-

able in the region than silver, gold, or platinum. There

is some magic buried in the treasure pile that the Red

Dragon has managed to secret away from the Fire Mage.

Stats/Notes/Etc.

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True PowerThe evil behind the attack on the tower, and the one who

controls most of what goes on in and around the FirePeak, is Sulfurious the Fire Mage. He is a Dark Elf with

considerable magical powers. He is also the chamber-

lain and advisor to a foreign ruler bent on upsetting the

balance in and around Gamington with hopes of break-

ing the treaties and bringing chaos to the region.

His efforts are threefold. Firstly, he made a deal with

some Dark Dwarves to ensure the Dwarves of Fellstone

would be pushed out of their mining operations around

the Fire Peak. This he accomplished decades ago with

the assistance of the Fire Giants. Secondly, he has a pact

with some Stone Giants to the southwest in the moun-tain range and promised them he would break the Fire

Giants, after using them to deal with the Dwarves, allow-

ing the Stone Giants to spread further northeast toward

the Fire Peak. This has mostly been accomplished in

the last twenty years and little of the Fire Giants exis-

tence remains. Thirdly, he wished to disrupt the peace in

Gamington. To that end, he has enlisted the Fire El-

ementals to torch the tower of Ernesto. Once the peace

has been broken, he hopes to get the factions of the area

to get back to the business of war thus leaving factions

closer to his home kingdom easy prey, no longer part of

a larger group of allies. The tower attack was meant todraw out whatever heroes might be left in Gamington

and defeat them on his ersatz home turf, the Fire Peak.

The Fire Mage has managed to juggle a number of evil

allies and malevolent creatures to his ends. He has no

real loyalty to any of them and the third part of his afore-

mentioned plans is the only one he truly needs to accom-

plish for his own kingdoms ruling family. The various

undead, the Fire Bats, the Fire Elementals, the golems,

the Fire Giant Chief, and his hound, are all expendable

for the Fire Mage. Sulfurious does have some interest in

maintaining his control over the Red Dragon but if it is

killed or driven off, the loss would not be insufferable.

He does fear losing control over the Red Dragon, lest it

turn on him, but his hope is to utilize it to return home

when his work is complete.

GMs should outt Sulfurious to be a very difcult op-

ponent. He has re-related spells, some talent for mind-

controling effects, as well as the ability to animate the

dead. In systems where this doesnt get handled through

means of spells, add in some magic items to compensate.

Stats/Notes/Etc.

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Fighting Fire!

Part IX - Journey Home

Heidala healed the fallen friends,

None had died nor met their ends,Their spirits raised, their wounds were cleansed,Theyd make the journey home again, With songs sung unreserved,So down the slope they climbed once more,They marched across the forest oor,Happy to have settled score, Justice had been served,

The folks of Gamington did cheer,The heroes now had vanquished fear,Theyd celebrate with wine and beer,

It nearly lasted all the year, Entire town rejoicing,Songs were written of their deeds,To far and wide the bards proceeded,Spreading word, planting seeds, And banners there were hoisted,

The tournaments would come again,Avoiding conicts among the men,And Dwarves and Elves, and other kin,Peace throughout the lands for when, Disputes arose between them,

For never would there be a need,To take up arms in hate or greed,All would cleave to solemn creed, And war once more condemned

Notes and TreasureMany of the creatures herein will have direct analogs in

most any Medieval Fantasy game system. Some, how-ever, will require some adjustment or tweaking to make

them t better or keep them challenging for whatever

level of play the GM intends. While some systems will

have no exact way to make this happen, GMs should use

their best judgment and keep the spirit of the adventures

themes in mind while preparing for play.

With those caveats in mind, look on each encounter

area as a discrete challenge and determine if the player

characters will have at least one way to overcome it. It

is preferable that there are several avenues toward vic-

tory in any situation but the make up of the adventureas a whole is such that there are multiple approaches to

reaching the Fire Mage, so if one of the ways becomes

too difcult a different line of attack might be tried. Of

course, if the player characters are underpowered, some

assistance might be proffered in town to boost them up.

Regarding treasure overall, some rulesets will have rea-

sonable facsimilies or analogs for the items specically

cited in the pages of this adventure but GMs are encour-

aged to be creative. Feel free to give them aspects that

speak to the nature of ongoing gameplay, adding touches

that lead to planned future adventures or give clues to as-pects of personal campaigns to help tie this scenario into

the whole. If this adventure is being run as a stand-alone

or one-off, such considerations are less important.

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Dramatis Personae

Ernesto MagnificoI nd inspiration in my lineage.

Scot of FellstoneIve been through far worse.

Lucor TrueswordOn foot or steed, I am the warrior you seek!

Son of the famed Poppagax the Original, and one of many sib-

lings, Ernesto has held court in the Cultural Halls as well as the

drinking halls of Gamington for many years. Much of his magic

and knowledge of gaming strategy was learned at the side of his

father. However, as a powerful wizard in his own right, he has

ventured far and wide in search of ancient knowledge and arti-

facts. His collection of fascinated tomes and strategy games was

once said to rival even the great libraries and gaming halls in

many major cities. Now, sadly, the vast majority of that collection

has gone up in flames and many of the unique items are lost to the

world. It would be hard to estimate what is gone. With time, hemight be able to rebuild his life and collection.

As a veteran of many battles, Scot knows that it is often the enemy

that cannot be seen which is the most dangerous. During his time in

Gamington, he has billeted in Ernestos tower, thus many of his belong-

ings were destroyed by the attack. Fortunately, much of his collec-

tion of Battle Tomes are held in the archives of the Cultural Halls of

Wargaming as reference material for the participants. As part of theUndaunted Clan of Dwarves, Scot hails from the Fellstone Mountains

to the northwest of Gamington. When the treaties put an end to the

fighting and wars locally, Scot hired himself out as a mercenary captain

in foreign lands of Racinia. It is only by hard luck that he was a guest

of Ernesto when the attack came on that fateful night.

No individual embodies the title of Paladin more than Lucor.He maintains a fitness of body and mind that is nearly superhu-

man. Having trained for combat since a young age with lance,

sword, and shield, on foot and horseback, Lucor is a veritable

fighting machine. Yet he has also studied with some of the

great philosophers and sages of Gamington and the surrounding

region, learning to use his might only when no other path to his

goals is available. He has particpated extensively in the skir-

mishes in the West while enforcing the Treaties of Gamington,

Lucor has collected many prizes including a long sword that

points toward enemies and speaks to him of danger.

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Kasak TimeditorWords are your greatest ally.

Marvelous PremlawWe can draw a future from the past.

Leo of the DaleDont disrespect the Dale!

Hailing from the southeastern lands of Ginia, where the forests are

vast and a seasoned woodsman can always find work for his bow,Leo makes sure to regularly keep in contact with his old traveling

companion Lucor. Their combat styles of ranged and melee compli-

ment one another and are a lethal combination. Leo carries a horn

that can call allies to his aid for miles around. As part of his oath

to his brother-in-arms, and in keeping with Lucors family legacy,

Leo has helped bring much of the southeast under the Treaties of

Gamington. However, his extensive travels and duties do not come

without a great personal sacrifice. For many years, Leo has held true

to the elf maiden, Amandalanian Zeidlerious, and it breaks his heart

when he must be away from her for too long.

Marvs skills are many and varied but he often falls back on his old

ways when in a jam. He is one of the more clever individuals of the fel-

lowship, devising ways to outwit even the brightest of wizards. He car-

ries with him a number of inks and quills, specially enchanted to enhance

his ability to draw and to bring those images into reality. He can depict a

common object on at surface then reach over and take an actual three-

dimensional object from the two-dimensional image. He can illustrate

doors, windows, stairs and holes in the ground. He has even sketched

food on occasion but it has proven bland though textured. Although intheory he could draw animals or people, he has yet to make the attempt

for fear of some catostrophic result. Because he knows the process takes

a requires a little of his own essence, he fears that if he drew a living be-

ing some part of his own life might be lost forever.

Kasak comes from a school of wizardry that reveres the spoken and

written word. He is known throughout arcane circles as a master crafts-man of spells but is just as well-regarded for his military history tomes.

While many wizards jealously guard their secrets and work in isolation,

Kasak famously mentors younger mages, assisting in their crafting of

spells and incantations, adding a sentence or phrase here and there to

make them more precise and powerful. So, too, those who seek to pen

their own recollections of battles and wars from days gone by are well-

advised to allow Kasak a first reading of their finished work before

publication. His expansive knowledge and extensive library has saved

many a writer from foisting inaccurate books onto the public.

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Heidala of the IslesThe Healing Power of the Isles is within you.

J. Alphonse WardenThere are alternate worlds to explore.

Kafmerz TannerLets get back to basics.

Far to the west of Gentle Lake, across a vast expanse of water, are the Isles of Heal-

ing. There Heidala, sister of Ernesto, makes her home. The Isles are lush withvegetation and have numerous mountains with volcanic activity. The plants and

animals are quite different than around Gentle Lake but she was drawn to them and

swears she could now live no other place. From time to time she revisits the place

of her birth to spend time with family. When she does, she brings herbs and ingre-

dients for Leesee to use in her many healing potions and unguents. Heidala is also

a skilled healer in her own right, her strength derived from within in combination

with a higher power. Besides her healing skills, she has other magical spells at her

disposal and is a formidable warrior. She tends to shun all but the lightest of armor

and prefers weapons that can be used to subdue rather than kill.

One of the more experimental creators of game rules and scenarios in

Gamington is J. Alphonse. He has posited that often those who have dis-

putes are too close to the conflict to properly understand all sides. Thus

by inventing alternate worlds in which to set scenarios, the part ies in-

volved can gain some distance and find more reasonable solutions. Some

of his creations are truly alien in nature but often enough have some ties

to the real world so that the scenarios feel grounded. Some of the tech-

nology that he has theorized might come into being some day in the future

seem to be a combination of magic and mechnical elements. He has

postulated the possble creation of fierce weaponry and flying machines, as

well as portals that might lead to other worlds.

Kafmerz is often credited with taking the rules employed on the

tables in Gamington and simplifying them for scenarios used to

handle diplomatic and dueling disputes. There was a time when theearly rules were thought to be incomplete and what followed was a

push toward creating ways to cover absolutely anything that could

come up during play. Kafmerz decided to go a different route and

streamline the additions and subsystems into a tighter, faster play-

ing ruleset. While there were many who preferred the more complex

systems, it seems there were just as many proponents of the simpler

rules. As long as the participants agreed in advance as to which sys-

tem was being used, the treaties made no bones about which could

be applied to enforce the various sections of the treaties. Kafmerz

keeps his armor light and prefers to use his bow for combat.

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Smaej WilesWhatever the challenge, I shall volunteer.

Eneg of DrebbintonGet ready for a Drebbin!

Whommat FeudaneIm your engineer!

No one steps up quicker to a challenge than the elven warrior

Smaej Wiles. As a running buddy of Eneg of Drebbinton, he hasscouted and brought much of the southwest under the existing

treaties of Gamington. Together the two have also joined forces

with Lucor and Leo on many adventures, scouring ancient ruins

and tombs to seek out evil in the dark places of the world and

bring such beings to their demise.

Fighting Fire - Ernie Gygax Benefit Adventure

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