Baia a Olen?) beso VOEX, Y mene i Ne‘ADVENTURES FOR TSR ROLE-PLAYING GAMES COVER: Tony Diferlizzi graces our cover with a fantastic image of Umbra. “OQ CANADA” When I was little I thought that Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was some make-believe world in Warner Brothers cartoons (it ranked, right up there with Walla Walla, Washington), Of course now 1 know that Saskatchewan and Canada are actual places, and that the best view of Niagara Falls is from the Canadian side. But that's not the only cool thing about our northern neighbors. Canada has given us “The Kids in the Hall” ("Buddy” does a won: derfal sketch about Canada), “Second City TV." and the overused: and-now-out-of-date phrase, “Take off, ch” Some other famous Canadian exports include Joni Mitchel, William Gibson, Keanu Reeves, Margaret Atwood, Sarah MeLachlan, and William Shatner. That puts this issue's contributors in good company. With that in mind I'd like to introduce you to our Canadian issue of DUNGEON Adventures. It’s just a coincidence, but three of our four authors in this issue—Chris Perkins, Lisa Smedman, and Steve Loken-live in Canada. And to maintain our Canadian theme, we've made Ron Poirer an honorary Canadian (but only because he lives so close to the border). We wanted to include a large red maple leaf with each issue, so we drove 10 hours to the Canadian border, the trunk filled with enormous trash bags. No sooner had we started filling our bags with leaves when we were ‘apprehended by Sergeant Preston and his faithful dog, King, They asked us to return to our own country while politely escorting us back to the border. And they confiscated all our maple leaves, "To address another point, we love getting mail here at DUNGEON, but we're extremely jealous of the bulging DRAGON" Magazine ‘mailbag. We're not psychic, and we want to hear from you. To make voicing your opinion easy, we've included a survey on page £69. Please fill t out and drop it in the mail. We are very interested in your opinions, concerns, and comments (and besides, we figure this is an easy way for us to get more mail. If you think that there's anything else we should know, include that information with the survey. We at DUNGEON Adventures are lonely for groovy posteards and neat stamps {collect ther) ‘Just don’t send us maple leaves, or anything else that Canadian customs will confiscate. Mechelle Veelovieln Vol. X, No. 1 ART DIRECTOR: Larry W. Smith ‘CARTOGRAPHER: PUBLISHER: TSR ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Brian Thomsen EDITOR: Dave Gross Michael Seott ASSOCIATE EDITOR: ‘TYPESETTING: Tracey Isler Wolfgang Baur SUBSCRIPTIONS: ASSISTANT EDITOR: ‘Michelle Vuckovieh Sanet L. Winters ADVERTISING: Cindy Rick Printed in USA, ISSUE #55 ‘SEPTEMBERIOCTOBER 1995 Ron Poirier SAVAGE BEAST (AD&D® adventure, character levels ; 10 total levels) This mom gives new meaning to the term “leftovers”... eo) Christopher UMBRA Perkins (PLANESCAPE™ adventure, levels 6-9; 36 total levels) A custody battle in the Cage becomes a job for the PCs. tose veeeses IB Steve Loken TULIPS OF THE SILVER MOON (AD&D adventure, levels 5-7, 30 total levels) When the citizens of ‘Tangreen say, “Don't pick the flowers,” they mean it. ... 48 SEA WOLF (RAVENLOFT® adventure, levels 4-6, 18 total levels) A pleasant little sea voyage turns deadly. ...........28 Lisa Smedman It is not down on any map; true places never are. Herman Melville, Moby DickLETTERS Which adventure in this issue do you like best? What do you like about it? What did you not like about the issue? Drop us a line to let us know. ‘We can’t print all leters we receive, but each one is important to us. Write to Let. ters, DUNGEON® Adventures, 201 Sheridan ‘Springs Road, Lake Geneva W1 53147 U.S.A. You can also contact us by sending electronic mail to ter mage@genie geis.com. We will not publish your address (regular or email) unless you specifically ask us to do. Downloading Dunceon Tve been playing the AD&D® game for the last 15 years, and until yester- day [had never bought a copy of DUNGEON Adventures. It always seemed ‘too expensive, and as a teenager I had time to write my own adventures any: way. However, I think Tam right in saying that the UK price is still the sme as it was five years ago, so now the magazine looks decidedly cheap. After buying issue #53, I was back in the shop within the hour to pick up #51 and #52. As a DM disturbed by the sheer mass of AD&D material to wade through, itis a welcome relief to find so ‘many good adventures under one roof. 1) Could you send me a copy of your writers’ guidelines? 2) Are you interested in adventure outlines? The scenarios I've read so far ‘seem to be very detailed. Do you think saders would go for “bare bones” ver- ns of larger scenarios that include background, maps, key NPCs, impor- tant monsters, motives, plots, and 30 forth, but leave out a bit of the descrip- tive “fluff” and the number-crunching monster state? 8) Will it be possible in the near future for readers to download single scenarios that appear in DUNGEON Adventures on the Internet? This means that people ‘would pay only for adventures that they want. However, the main benefit of such a service would be the ability to download ‘old material that is out of print. Peter Regan [email protected] We're always glad to send out writers’ guidelines. Ifyou want an electronic copy, just send us your request via email. Tyou want a paper copy, you must send tus a legal sized SASE. We've received a few letters from people who requested ‘uidelines or submitted proposals, yet didn’t receive a response. Unfortunately, wwe simply can't afford to provide the postage and envelopes forthe many, many requests we receive. Always re- member the SASE! ‘And we're always interested in ad- venture outlines or proposals. In fact, ive much prefer seeing them to seeing full manuscripts. Receiving the pro- osals first saves us a great deal of fame, and it helps us point out which ideas we think will become the best adventures. you send us a proposal dnd we ask forthe full manuscript, You'll receive a response much more ‘quickly than if you simply send us @ full module without a proposal. As for ‘whether readers will go for “bare bones” adventures... What do the rest of you say? Very soon, select portions of each issue, including one adventure, will be availa: ble from the soRware libraries on ‘America Online and GEnie. We aren't ‘available anywhere else—yet—but both DRAGON? Magazine and DUNGEON ‘Adventures are moving steadily into the electronic world. Short Features In issue #54, you asked for any short adventure-related features we might think of. See how this grabs you: A short description of the best trick or trap that DMs had devised. You would need to ‘make sure no one accidentally plagia rized works such as Grimtooth's Traps, but I am certain there are hundreds of {g00d ideas. Good tricks are the very building blocks of good adventures. For example, use any method to force the party into single file, with some spacing between them, such as with an ancient rope bridge. In the center, place glyph of warding. Just before the «glyph, but 2 magie mouth with the in- Struction to say, “Beware Zik,” when ‘anyone but a mage passes. Each charac. ter that passes hears the warning, and the glyph does not go off because its ‘name has just been spoken. But when ‘the mage passes, the magic mouth is silent, and BANG! Daniel P. Smith [email protected] What do you say, everyone? A one-page tricks and traps feature sounds pretty cool to us. Would you like to see some- thing like that in these pages? Favorite Settings | just want to say think your maga zine is the best, But one day while look ing at another magezine, [realized it ‘would be really ool if you had a seasonal special issue, maybe ineluding an AD&D game CD-ROM, a bonus DM sereen, or {orice the pages for adventures. Tove RAVENLOFT® and PLANESCAPE® adventures, Please print more ‘Josh Marquis Northwood, NHI stn rors Paynes hold ty sc se miny eres made pane ‘he ero, cs robe hang ica ie Pay ‘yuan vl Mesa or sh cr Send aabucription order hymen STS ar sak omcn MA Ota Te ne of caption cach i ptuon he maing Mbt reach berry oe agave. Chango tere fe the Tires pent tenet mene ero the eet te change, ner eam nitride ek rds sede ac eth marine re vale the FSR al Order Hey Soy. 201 Sberian Springs Ron, Lake Genoa WE SOLAT, USA Fern copy the cere santrdor ong wat he oe tren Susceons firmateral pice w DUNGEON become the eciive propery fh abr, ple mci aang th cnr ey ae made pit polation, DUNGEON aden cern waera nd areeh owen tape ox ach absent tarred yh pale ny evn, Ay temo apa Speanp ected tocnuye ont se nike turned enna pbb Pane wre occur rer” ries renin oul wend + modem, unpeltacap oe a preter to Made Gadclines DUNGEON TSR ne 91 Shards Spins Rod Lake Gene WI S167, USA *cGrining’ For rae supa avrtscreis DUNGEON a fr ru car Contac Aesig Corso, Tne 381 Saran Spring Red Lake Conn W1S91¢, ust TSaSSiae eA hip Revel Prise eee 03.4 ATTEN chase charac ser sod the dine enemes hernare dear ved by TSE. lo. SLR Ts Alc a Late Geneve Wi USA nd addumel mang tees Potro Sen adres hangsto DUNGEON, co 73, le 01 Sherden Spring oud, Lake 6 Issue No. 55.LETTERS ———_—————— Thave been an avid gamer and reader of your magazine for some time. Along the way, I have noticed something disturbing. Maybe itis just me, but it looks like the popularity of the DRAGONLANCE® campaign setting has been diminishing rapidly. I have also noticed that DUNGEON has not pub- lished a DRAGONLANCE module for a while. I am still a loyal fan of the world of Krynn and all contained withi John Sampson 14511 Dogwood Place Plattsmouth, NE 68048 Your wish is our .. you know the rest, You'll find not only an incredible PLANESCAPE adventure in this iseue (the Tongest adventure we've ever published, ‘and we think you'll agree itis worth ‘every bit ofthe extra space), but also an ‘excellent RAVENLOFT adventure origin: ally written for the recent “Chilling Tales” adventure, We've received quite @ few requests for more RAVENLOFT adventures lately, but rnot as many for the DRAGONLANCE world. More importantly, we've received plenty of good submissions set in the Demiplane of Dread, but very few set on Krynn. ‘Sill, it seems that many readers want 10 s0e mostly non-world-specific AD&D ‘game adventures, What worlds would ‘you most like to see here? Fill out our ‘survey and make your opinion count. Responses to Issue #54 Feedback as requested on DUNGEON Adventures #54. "Are you through running Shakespeare “adaptations”? When I nally decided f would read through "Dark Thane Mac- Beth,’ Iwas le with two conclusions. One is a question: “Is there any reason Michael Seinker’ wonario wouldn't have stood on its own merta? I cart find any ‘reason. My second conclusion is, “Talk about making more work forthe DM? ‘Touse this thing, Pd have to make a summary ofthe historical background. Ta have to make a separate summary of the immediate background. There's ‘gite abit of information in this mate Tal, and there's nota bt of it that ‘wouldn't fit well enough into my own {ame world, But those necessary sum- maries would have to be in sentences simplistic enough to pick out any one needed fact at a glance. Td have to make who's wholwhich's which lists, equally simplified to sean. ‘And then I'd have to put the whole thing back on an ADED basis by looking up or making up drow and elvish names. “Dark Thane MacBeth” doesn't need to ride on the coattails of the Bard. It needs to be re-written in a form a DM can use instead of dumping it in with regrets that it’s a good story, but too much work for the time I have—especially when there's a whole magazine full of others, ready-to- ‘use, right here! ‘The fogwarden is a delightful find? Apologies for sending more criticism than praise. I deleted well pleased com- ‘ments on each of the other scenarios in #54 to save space. Allinall, this is a very ‘usable, exceptionally entertaining issue. Regarding McRey Moyer's suggestion in a previous issue that DUNGEON Adventures publish brief ideas which DMs could develop into scenarios: May I alao recommend the ‘Adventure Starters” feature in Re:Quests!, the newszine of Mensa’s role-playing games Special Interest Group? EJ. (“Jo”) Philagios Denison, TX 1 just finished reading the modules in issue #54, and once again I'm impressed with every one of them. It's one of those rare issues in which all of the contribut- ing authors have appeared previously in DUNGEON Adventures’ pages. Usually there's one or more new authors intro- duced in every issue. "The maps are much improved, al: ‘though the square grids are too dark and “slightly off,” and you can tell Michael he needs to work on his doors, ( thought his artwork for “Redcap's Rampage” was terrific, by the way.) Also on the subject of maps, will you be doing more computer-generated cartog- raphy once the Mace are up and run- ning? Seems to me the current software is up to the challenge. Chris Perkins Ontario, Canada From the letters we've received so far, most readers enjoyed issue 454, includ. ing “Dark Thane MacBeth.” Jo's are the first comments we've heard about the difficulty of converting the adventure to ‘home campaign. (Here, we rather like the Shakespearean setting and wouldn't even try to convert it) ‘No apologies necessary for criticism, Jol We want your opinion, and we value ‘well-considered complaints as much as we do praise. We won't likely generate our maps on the computer, but who knows? As we slowly but surely upgrade our hardware, ‘anything can happen. We like both the crisp lines of computer generated maps ‘and the more organic flow of hand- drawn maps. Tough Creepers! Last week Iran my weekly AD&D ‘game, which took the PCs through the adventure “Shades of Darkness” (issue #47). The party included a 5th-level, ranger, Sth-level fighter (berserker), 6th-level thief (swashbuckler), 5th-level ‘wizard (witeh), 4th-level fighter (noble warrior), and Sth-level priest of the sun. Thad read through the adventure three times, re-read all the FIEND Fouto® ‘game information on dark creepers and stalkers. To make a long story short, the ‘well-equipped party made two forays inst the foul creatures and were badly routed each time. Two PCs lost, ‘magical rings (with their fingers still attached), the mage’s light stones were stolen (twice), and the dark creepers ‘more or less ran amok, backstabbing, pick-pocketing, and wreaking havoc as the PCs stumbled about in total dark- ness, unable to communicate (due to the shriekers) It was an ignomious day for the PCs, and they suffered their most severe setback since getting ground to a pulp by the cultists from "Goblin Fever” (issue #46). I'm wondering just ‘what tacties the playtesters and other players used to complete this adventure successfully? Perhaps other DMs who ran this adventure could share their experiences. I found this particular adventure to be much harder on the players than it first appeared, and the level suggestion a bit low. I look for- ward to hearing from you and the read. ers (and perhaps the author. ‘Tony Ross 2745 29th Street NW #400 ‘Washington, DC 20008 [email protected] Continued on page 17 DUNGEON 7BY RON POIRER A little dinner music Amon by Terry Dykstra Ron writes: “I was 16 or 16 when I sent in my first proposal to DUNGBON® Adven- tures. It featured a werebat, a monster that I sincerely believed I had invented ‘myself. I was disappointed to find that there were already at least two versions of the werebat flitting about the AD&D® universe. Although “Lair of the Were: bat” was never published, I learned a lot from my experiences of writing and rewriting it, which helped make ‘The Savage Beast’ a better manuscript.” “Savage Beast” is a short AD&D adven- ture designed for a group of 4-6 charac: ters of levels 1-3 (about 10 total levels). A good mix of classes is best, although the presence of a ranger or bard would be especially helpful. It is essential that one of the characters have the tracking profi ciency, or that the party possess some ‘other means of following a trail in the wilderness. Finally, characters with some knowledge of elven myths and lore may kknow something about the nature of the Dhaergalas, Silvermane and Bloodelaw (Gee bhaergala sidebar). Such knowledge ‘could prove invaluable to the party dealing with these monsters (although this is largely left up to the DM. ‘Most of the adventure takes place in a forest, off the road between the village ‘of Gumption and the town of Harper's Gamble. Although the road is fairly well-traveled, the forest that the party ‘must enter to conclude the adventure is, not, Therefore, the DM may wish to brush up on rules concerning tracking ‘and getting lost in wilderness settings, ‘especially if the party is inexperienced. ‘The Complete Bard's Handbook (CBH) may be useful in running this adventure, Adventure Background ‘The town of Harper's Gamble houses the ancient Greenbriar Keep, home to one of the largest bard colleges in the land. A PC bard should already know this, and the DM may arrange to have the party find itzelf in the town because said bard wishes to join Greenbriar College. Oficial Greenbriar meetings are held on the first half'moon night of every month, although ‘anyone entering Greenbriar Keep (which was supposedly built by a great bard lord) finds a handful of experienced musicians ‘and other performers to talk to. The en- tire college is housed in the keep, which resembles a small Scottish castle. Legend has it that the keep is older than the ——— B issue No. 55‘SAVAGE BEAST — town, but the facts of the keep’s construc. tion remain shrouded in mystery. Located ‘on the edge of Harper's Gamble, Greenbriar Keep was purchased from the ‘king nearly two centuries ago by # group ‘of bards who wished to create a cultural ‘mecca. They succeeded in their miseion. Although the keep presenta an exterior of ‘crumbling majesty, itis infact a sturdy structure, having survived a number of disasters over the centuries (including an attack by an old red dragon). The interior of the keep holds rooms for visiting apeak- crs, performers, and college members, along with a gallery of rare paintings, a fairly extensive library, and a large audi- torium, among other things. Ifa BC bard seeks membership to the college, the DM should devise @ system of acceptance and cost for membership, as well as membership benefits. Greenbriar should be expen: sive and difficult to join, but with benefits—only the best ‘members there. It is suggested that for 250 gp a year, a bard may become a full member, entitling him to exclu- sive seminars at the college and free room and board in various co- operating inns and private houses throughout the kingdom (assume 60% chance per community of finding free room and board for the college mem: ber only). In addition, the bard gains jecess to the Greenbriar Keep re- earch library, which contains ample information on music, legends, and magic from many cultures (the library could be used to research bard spells), ‘The new college member receives both scroll with a wax seal and a silver thorn pin as proof of his membership. Presentation of the seal and pin in- variably aid the bard in bookings for most performance houses. Being ac- id into the college should increase rd’ fame by at least two point optional rules are used (see CBE, page 115). Regardless of why the PCs are in town, they soon meet a dwarf named Duncan Telly. A surprisingly jolly young dwarf with an eyepatch, Duncan isa Skald and a high-ranking member of Greenbriar College. He lives in Greenbriar Keep and performs many important duties there, including book- ing famous or exotic performers to give private seminars. His latest guest, the famed elven minstrel, Kilkieran Aubrey, was due in town two days ago, and his workshop was scheduled for tomorrow evening. Duncan is quite distressed, because many Greenbriar bards have come to the keep for the sole purpose of catching a glimpse of the secrets of the popular who casts spells through his mi Duncan is afraid that the college will ‘be embarrassed for promising a per- former who never arrived. He has man- aged to postpone the workshop until two nights from now, but in the mean- time he is getting more and more ner- vous about the minstrel’s whereabouts. Silvermane ‘Unknown to Duncan and the rest of the guild, Kilkieran Aubrey left Gumption for Harper's Gamble two days ago. He planned on arriving only ‘one day behind schedule, after having been detained by the attentions of a young halfelven maiden named Galliara, While walking alone on the ‘wooded road between the two com: Kilkieran was attacked by a , the minstrel tried to ‘by convincing the vicious, man. eating predator to hold off | ‘and allow him to play 0 his lute (as he knew of bhaergalas and their love of music, and he figured he could secretly cast a spell on the mon- ster while playing a song for her). However, Silvermane realized Kilkieran’s trick when she nearly succumbed to his hypnotism spell. The bhaergala decided that the elfs musi- cal instrument must be magical and leapt from her perch in the bough of a ‘tree to attack. Kilkieran was knocked to the ground and didn’t even have time to draw his sword before the fell creature finished him. Silvermane, who had recently given birth to a litter of cubs, brought Kilkieran’s body back to her lair to share with her offepring and her mate, Bloodclaw. Elves are considered a deli- cacy by bhaergalas, and Silvermane was quite pleased with her catch— especially when she noticed the en- graved platinum ring around his finger. She remembered an elven song about a ring just like it, that could regenerate damaged flesh and even bring the dead back to life! ‘Although Silvermane and her denma- tes do not have fingers and cannot use the regenerative properties of Kiliioran’s ring for themseives, the DDhaergala was clever enough to see another use for the magical item. She decided to test the ring to see i it wes, in fac, the one she had heard about froma bard several years ago Gust be fore Silvermane ate her). ‘Ordering her mate and cubs not to eat more than half ofthe elf all of the choiee cuts) she dragged the mangled ‘minstrels body to the back of the tem- ir she and Bloodelaw had dug ir litter Placing him among her ‘of musial instruments gleaned from past kills (including Kilkieran’s “magical” lute), the bhnergala waited a day before checking the elf and noticing with gle that his body had started to mend itself Silver: rane and Bloodelaw agreed to wait tuntl the elfs body was almost com- pletely healed to feast once again on his Selectable flesh, The bhaergalas plan to keep Kilkieran's regenerating body around indefinitely asa source of fine quality elven meat. Beginning the Adventure Ifthe party has come to Harper's Gamble to obtain membership for one or more PC bards, then the hook to this adventure is easy. On arrival at the college, the PCs are brought to Duncan's office, where he is busy carving the necessary parts to fashion a new set of bagpipes (his old set ‘was stalen during a local performance two ‘weeks ago, something he is still very angry about). Duncan immediately sees the PC bard as a possible solution to his present problem regarding Aubrey, with- ‘out making public his lack of control over the situation, Duncan listens to the PC's request for membership, nodding and whittling all the while. Then he pauses, looks up, and asks to see a short perform ance, The DM should have the bard make ‘a Charisma check to see how well this performance goes, unless another statistic ‘seems more appropriate. For example, a bard with the blade kit might make a Dexterity check instead. Duncan is a good Judge of performers, and he can see if a ‘bard has true talent—unless he botches hhis performance roll terribly. ‘After the performance, Duncan grins (revealing a gold tooth), applauds the bard's efforts, and immediately offers his sponsorship—if the PCs can help hhim out in a minor matter regarding a missing fellow entertainer, due to give a DUNGEON 9‘SAVAGE BEAST SAVE BE workshop in two days “on the ‘connections between music and magic.” Even if the bard fails his performance roll, Duncan attempts to string him along by saying he will have to think about the request further, then suggest- ing that the bard and his friends can help him locate Aubrey. ‘Ifthe party does not include a bard seeking membership with the college, Dunean hires a crier to run about town giving the message that Duncan Tolly of. Greenbriar College requires ‘a traveler cor group of travelers” for help in “es- corting an important entertainer to the town of Harper's Gamble.” He delibe ately instructs the erier not to give his ‘message near the areas that visiting bards frequent, for he does not want the college members to know that he is not certain whether there will be a work- shop two days hence. ‘Whichever way the party becomes involved with the search for Aubrey, Duncan insists that the mission be kept fa secret from the other bards. He tells the PCs that he has recieved informa- tion from one of his friends at Green- briar (a gnomish Jongleur by the name of Frieban Neevil) that Kilkieran was seen in the nearby village of Gumption, where he has a romantic interest in an attractive young half-elven barmaid ‘named Galliara Fiskenoc. Duncan hopes that Kilkieran has ‘merely allowed his feelings for the gir! to outweigh his sense of punctuality, and he is willing to pay the party 20 gp simply to travel to Gumption (about a day's walk), locate Kilkieran, and escort him back to Harper's Gamble. He agrees to pay the party “more” if they run into trouble or complications along the way, so long as those setbacks occur while retrieving Kilkieran and bringing him to Harper's Gamble in time for hi ‘workshop. How much more they get depends on the hardships they face—it ‘up for negotiation after the PCs deliv- er Kilkieran, if their mission turns out to be more than a simple reminder and escort. In addition, Duncan offers to let the entire party attend Kilkieran’ private seminar and performance for free, Although Duncan has met the min- strel before, he has no portrait of him to ive to the PCs. He instead describes, Kilkieran as a richly dressed, somewhat ‘bored-looking young elf, with violet eyes and silver hair, carrying a fancy lute. Duncan knows that Kilkieran is part grey elf, but he does not say this specifi- cally, figuring that the eyes and hair should be enough of a clue for those who would understand the distinction in the firet place (Kilkieran is somewhat touchy about his mixed heritage, and ‘Dunean does not mean to offend him by spreading this information around). The dwarf also takes care to note that Kilkieran is never without his wide- brimmed, green hat, which is always graced with a new, colored plume. Lurker in the Trees About halfway between Harper's Gamble and Gumption, the party en- counters Silvermane, who is out hunt- ing for more food for her cubs while her ‘mate stays behind to guard them. While Kilkieran’s flesh is slowly advancing ‘back over his bones, the bhaergala family must find other food to eat, and the crafty female would prefer bipedal ‘meat if she can get it. Silvermane (ohaergala): INT average: ALN; AC 5; MV 15; HD 4 +4; hp 2 ‘THACO 16; PAT 3; Dmg. 1-6/1-6/1-8; SA ‘pounce; SD poison resistance, spell turn ing; SZ L (long; ML 14; XP 650; FORGOTTEN REALMS® MC Appendix 1 Silvermane is a sleek, graceful mem. ber of her species (1 to her AC because of her high agility), Her powerful frame is graced by a small mane, which is a very light, steely gray in color, looking almost silver against the grayish fur of her pelt. For a bhaergala, Silvermane is very knowledgeable about civilized society, ‘mostly through songs she has heard from wandering bards. She knows that the more she learns of humans, elves, ‘and the others, the easier it will be to catch them in the future. Her mother ‘used to sing to her that the best hunter learns all she can about her prey. Al- ‘though she loves the music that civ lized creatures produce, she is indignant at their prejudices regarding the intel- lect of anything not bipedal. She re- ‘members well the song of how her grandfather was killed by a hunter for his pelt, which was brutally carved off and worn as clothing by a furleas hu- man, Although she is not an evil or cruel being, Silvermane considers hu- ‘mans and demi-humans as treacherous ‘and untrust-worthy as they would con- der her, and feels no remorse at killing them for food. Silvermane is also on the road to gather information about (and from) the local bipeda. When she first spots the PCa, she is waiting over 20' above them on the wide bough of a tall oak tree that spreads across the road. She quickly up the party and decides that they are too strong for her to attack alone. However, she also decides that all might not be lost with this encounter, as she ‘may be able to speak with the PCs and learn something about the goings-on of the nearby towns. As the PCs approach the oak in which Silvermane is hiding, read the following: Tehas been about two hours since you entered the forest that stretches ‘out on either side of the road. Com- prised mostly of oak, elm, and maple frees, it looks like the sort of place a druid would enjoy patroling. You can't help but feel nervous, however, that there might be something hid- ing behind the trees off in the dis tance. Twice already, you have heard the light anapping of a twig or rush of ferns behind you, but when you turned, there was nothing there. ‘You are beginning to feel that the forests truly what it appears tobe a vibrant, living place safe and pleasant despite the biting insects— ‘when a gentle breeze wafts by and brings with it @ curious odor. It smells as though someone were bak ing bread nearby. You scan the area, Tooking for signs ofa fellow traveler or woodland creature who might be responsible for the lovely smell, but s0e no one. ‘The smell is coming from Silvermane and is a characteristic odor of all ‘bhaergala, The PCs will probably take a ‘moment to scan the area, though none will find anything unless they look up. After one round, Siivermane is satisfied with her assessment of the party, and she chooses to reveal herself to talk with them. ‘You hear a slight cough from above your heads. Looking up, you see a large creature resting some 20’ off the ground, in the bough of a mas sive oak that stretches across the road. The beast looks like a sleek, ‘powerful cross between a wolf and a lion, with greyish fur and a silvery ‘mane about its neck. It waves its tufted tail and flexes its clawed paws, calmly regarding you, 10 Issue No. 55‘The PCs have a number of choices here. They might attack Silvermane immediately, which is something she ‘has come to expect from humans and is, prepared to deal with. She leape from the branch she is on to a branch in wnother tree some 10’ off the road, then climbe down out of that tree and begins running off into the forest, growling, “Stupid humana! Leave it to them to attack anything that moves!” If the PCs ‘cease firing and apologize immediately, Silvermane pauses and walks back to ‘them, climbing back to the oaken bough ‘to clean her wounds while she talks. If the PCs speak to Silvermane, she responds and attempts to engage them in small talk to find out where they are from, where they are headed, and what they are doing on the road. If they seem wary of her obviously predatory nature, she makes light of their fear by grin- ning at them and saying, “Listen—I can count a lot more of you than I can count of me, and I see that you're all decked out in swords and armor. You don't have to worry. Just because I don’t have ‘thumbs doesn't mean I'm stupid, you ‘Just to ease the PCs’ suspicions even. further, she claims that she is half wild cooshee, or elven dog, and wouldn't dream of attacking innocent travelers. ‘She has found this to be an effective ‘ruse in the past when dealing with ‘humans, but elves are frequently able to see through her lie (bhaergala do not really look much like cooshee), 60 she does not make this claim if there is an elf with the party. She claims not to ‘know her other lineage, explaining that she was raised by her cooshee mother, ‘who refused to speak of her father. ‘Some PCs will think to ask Silvermane if she has seen Kilkieran on the road, or mention that they are going to Gump- tion to look for him. Even the mention that the PCs are searching for a minstrel causes Silvermane’s ears to perk up, as a devious plan begins to hatch in her head. ‘While washing her paws with her tongue, she claims to have seen a mit strel passing through, and she gives a brief description of Kilkieran to the party. This description fits that given by ‘Dunean. ‘When the PCs ask Silvermane for ‘more information, she finishes washing her paws and then stops to think a ‘moment before going on with her tale. In truth, she is running over the story sshe will give the PCs in her hea ‘SAVAGE BEAST EE Gammon, See Sil scanning for inconsistencies and other flaws. When she is satisfied that she hhas a good tale, she tells it. “Well now, I met this elven friend of yours about two days ago, in this ‘Very tree. Seems he had # magic lute of some kind—I know because he told ‘me about it while he was playing it. Td just caught a deer and offered to share it with him if he'd play a little music for me. I'll tell you, he was quite a musician. “Anyway, he told me he was afraid he was being followed by someone who wanted to steal his instrument, and that he was going to make the rest of his trip in the woods. I told him it wasn’t safe to go in there, ‘because there's a bunch of goblins that just moved in and have laced it, with pits and nets and who knows what else, but he insisted. Well, the next morning, he headed out. I couldn’t just let him go running off by himself and get killed, so I fol- lowed him from a short distance, just to keep an eye out. Sure enough, he ‘stepped into one of the goblin nets ‘and wound up dangling from a tree. Ivermane © C Rook River: Twas going to go in and see if I could get him out, but the goblins must have been waiting for him, because all of a sudden about twenty of the little things jumped out from the bushes and started hollering and dancing around. I'd thought I had ‘smelled something rotten in the ‘woods that day” “Ordinarily, I would have gone in to fight the little vermin, but there were just too many of them’ Almost the ‘whole clan was there. As I said, I'm not stupid, so instead of charging in T followed them back to their caves, where [found out that they were going to keep him for ransom instead of ‘eating him. I was hoping someone would come along to pay the ransom, but I didn’t think the word from the goblins would get out s0 soon. They're new around these parts and wouldn't know who to contact yet, I'd expect.” Forest Led Silvermane’s plan is simple. She offers to lead the party to the goblin camp (which is a complete fabrication—there DUNGEON 14SAVAGE BEAST Bhaergala Philosophy Bhaergala are described in the Forcorren REALMS MC Appendix I; all {information fund therein pple o of this adventure, as teal In elton, he following ilo ‘mation should give the DM a better {feel for the personalities of Silvermane, Bloodclaw, and their cubs. ‘The bhaergala is a large predator resembling a cross between a lion and ‘wolf, Their heads are quite wolf- like, while their bodies are leonine with the exception of fur coloration. Bhaergala fur is short and typically ‘gray, although many shades of gray fare possible. Both male and female Dbhaergala sport small manes about the head and neck. These manes are ‘usually (but not always) darker than the rest of the bhaergala’s fur and ‘always match the tuft of long fur found atthe end ofthe tal. All bbhaergala have powerful jaws and Jong, sharp, nonretractable claws ‘useful for both combat and climbing, are no such goblins) in order to rescue Kilkieran and drive off or kill the goblin, with whom she claims she doesnot wish to share the forest (“You never know when the little cowards will spring a trap ‘on youl”) She tells the party that the {goblins are no more than a day’s travel from where they are right nov. ‘Although itis too late to reach them before nightfall, i the party sets out now they should arrive before dark tomorrow, “when most of the goblins willbe asleep?” If the PCs grumble about this mission not being worth the money they will be paid to doit, Silvermane suggests that the minstrel would undoubtedly be grateful for his rescue and would sing tales in ‘their honor for years to come. “Besides,” she claims, “if is treasure you're after, those goblins have quite abit of it them. selves, heard them talking, and I think the reason they left their home is because they stole the treasure hoard of « goblin king and had to run off with it” ‘After leading the PCs around the forest forthe rest of the day, meander. ing in wide loops to ‘avoid the areas trapped by goblins,” Silvermane plans toattack the party while they sleep. Clover PCs may notice a few things about Silvermane's story that may put them on their toes in dealing with her. For example, she does not actually know Kilkieran’s name, and she waits for a PC to mention it before using it herself. If directly questioned before she learns his ‘name, Sivermane claims that she never did catch the minstrels name (which should put the PCs on their guard, since she claimed to have eaten dinner with him). Similarly, PCs familiar with the area may not be able to recall goblins living in its woods for many years, al: though this suspicion may be somewhat allayed by Silverman's claim that the goblins are recent arrivals. Perhaps the most telling cue to the PGs that they might be dealing with a lesethan-friendly creature might come from an elf PC or a PC familiar with elven lore. At the DM's discretion, such fa character might know something of the bhaergala, such as the fact that they smell like baked bread, love music (and may be put to sleep by it o sleep in trees. In addition, the PC might know about the more dangerous side of the bhaergala; perhaps that they can reflect spells o are very hard to sur prise, o are known to eat humans and tlves (nearly all ofthis information can be gleaned from what the PC knows of elven songs about the bhaergala). Ifthe PCs accuse Silvermane of being @ Dheergala, she shrugs her muscular shoulders and admits to the possibility of being half bhaergala, but she claims never to have met any, 0 she cannot be Ifthe DM feels that the PCs are be- ing too suspicious of Silvermane, he should feel free to have the party en- counter a group of goblins, which she attacks with the PCs. The goblins use little imagination in their attack, hav- ing been surprised while on the move. After throwing their spears, they no- tice the ferocious Silvermane and be- gin running away as fast as they can. ‘These goblins are indeed new arrivs to the area, but Silvermane knew noth. ing of their prescence when she invent. ed her story. She is quite surprised to see them, although this is not obvious to the PCs. After killing the goblins or driving them off, Silvermane makes an effort to use the goblin attack as “proof” of her sincerity in dealing with the party. Goblins (12: INT low; AL LE; AC 6 (10); MV 6; HD 1-1; hp'3 each; THACO 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 (spear or short sword); ML 10; XP 15 each; MM/163. ‘While traveling through the forest with the PCs, Silvermane begins singing an elven hunting song, which she learned from her mother long ago. Her voice is quite good, as is her elven accent, 12 Issue No. 55If the PCs rofuse to follow Silvermane into the forest, she leaves, only to stalk them from the woods and attack them when they make camp on the road. ‘Night Attack Ifthe PCs have been traveling with Silvermane for the past few hours, she claims that they are at the edge of the territory the goblins normally patrol after night falls and that it would be ‘safer to camp here than further on. Silvermane affers to take one watch herself. “Nothing ever sneaks up on me,” she insists. The PCs will probably want at least one of their number on watch with the huge beast, in which case Silvermane opts to watch with whomever she deems the least able to harm her (remember, she has been walking with the party for some time and has discreetly attempted to gather ‘as much information as possible regard. ing the relative strengths and weak- nesses of party members) ilvermane reacts kindly to any PCs who offer her food after setting up ‘camp. She honestly does not expect such kkind treatment at the hands of humans, and she makes a mental note not to attack the character who feeds her tonight—or his mount, if possible. Silvermane waits in the bough of a nearby tree until most of the party has gone to sleep, singing very restful elven Tullabyes that she learned from her mother when she was a cub. When she is gure the PCs are sleeping, she makes ‘a surprise attack on one of the party ‘mounts by leaping out of the tree. She attempts to land on the mount with her claws, getting no bite attack but receiv. ing a bonus of +2 to hit and inflicting ‘maximum damage (6 points) with each claw. She then spends another round ending the hapless mount to make sure it is dead, then she bounds off into the woods. She attacks a PC mount if at all possible, since there is more meat on a horse or pony, and she knows that the PCs will be much more willing to leat own. Ifno mount is at stead targets a sleeping PC, trying to chooge the most massive character with the least combat ability. After spending several rounds running into the woods, she makes a wide circle back to the PC ‘camp. She hopes that the PCs all wan- der off into the woods after her, enabling her to wolf down a quick meal and drag the rest of the dead mount back to her lair to feed her cubs while the party fleils about in the brambles. Ifthe PCs do not chase after Silvermane, she waits patiently in the ‘woods until they leave, then drags the ‘mount back to her Inir Ifthe party splits ‘up, with some PCs chasing Silvermane and others waiting behind, the wily pred ‘ator makes a surprise attack from the ‘bushes on the remaining party members, if she thinks she can prevail. If the PCs decide to leave Silver. mane alone and head on to Gumption, have one of them notice something in the bushes on the way back to the road—Kilkieran’s hat, with dried blood on the rim and feather. This should alert them to the fact that Kilkieran was attacked by Silvermane ‘and is not in Gumption, and the PCs will (one hopes) head back in an at- ‘tempt to track her back to her lair. ‘Tracking ‘At some point, the PCs may chase Silvermane into the woods. She is far too fast and agile to be outrun in the forest, as even obstacles such as thick brambles or marshy ground pose little hindrance to her (she can climb trees and jump from tree to tree). It is possi ble to track her, however, using the rrules for tracking given in the Player's Handbook, page 86, as long as at least ‘one of the characters has the tracking proficiency. Certain divination spells, might prove useful, as well. ‘The path that Silvermane takes is a wide loop out from and back to the PC camp, requiring one successful tracking roll to follow, It takes enough time for the PCs to follow this section of track for Silvermane to make it back to the camp, feat, and move on with food for her cubs. ‘Afler returning to the camp, Silvermane’s trail goes on for about a half-mile, requiring an additional track- ing check with either a +4 bonus (if Silvermane is dragging a PC mount) or @ +2 bonus (if she is dragging a dead PC), ‘on top of any others. The trail then ‘crosses a shallow, sandy stream, about 2° deep and 5 wide, which requires another tracking roll with a ~10 penalty, on top of all others, as the crafty bhaergala ‘bounds upstream for several yards with her prize in an attempt to foil would-be trackers. After this the trail goes on for another half-mile (additional tracking rolb, when it reaches an area very close SAVAGE BEAST to the lair of Silvermane and her family. Near the lair, further tracking becomes impossible because of the plethora of bhaergala tracks. ‘At some point during the tracking, one of the PCs discovers a shred of green fabric with dried blood on it, still bearing a silver thorn pin (worth 5 gp) with the initials "K.A,” written in celvish. This is part of Kilkieran ‘Aubrey’s cloak, which was torn from his body as he was dragged by Silvermane to her lair. The thorn pin is his member- ship pin from Greenbriar college. Ifthe trail is lost, the PCs must either ‘use magic to find it again or head back, defeated, The DM may wish to intro- ‘duce some character with superior tracking ability to aid them in their pursuit, Perhaps a lone mist wolf ap- pears mysteriously to lead the party to the lair of the bhaergala (whom it has been watching and plotting against for the past few weeks). This creature de- sires to see Silvermane destroyed be- ‘cause her eating habits spread fear of. ‘wolves among the civilized races, much to the chagrin of the mist wolves. In this situation, the party may attack the ‘well-meaning creature, simply because of its appearance (although intelligent, it resembles @ normal wolf, and cannot talk). Mist Wolf: INT average; AL LG; AC 6; MV 18; HD 3+9; hp 18; THACO 17, 4AT 1; Dg 3-6; SD breath weapon oud of mist); MR 10%; ML 14; (GREYHAWK® Adventures MC Appendix. Ambush Just before the party arrives at the area where the bhaergala’s tracks become too numerous to follow, they are am- bushed by Silvermane and Bloodelaw, who have had time to finish their meal and watch their cubs eat, Bloodclaw, who was stretching his legs in the forest while Silvermane rested with the cubs, has heard the PCs approaching, and he returned to the lair to warn his mate. ‘The two bhaergala are now waiting in a tall, sturdy oak, which they know hangs over the trail that the PCs will be fol lowing. They plan to leap down to sur- prise the party when they pass ‘underneath (gaining the same benefits as described above in Night Attack). Without the help of magic, a familiar, or ‘an animal companion with keen senses, the PCs have scant chance of detecting the ambush, suffering a ~5 penalty to 7 DUNGEON 13SAVAGE BEAST SAVE BSS their surprise rolls. PCs who are not surprised catch a whiff of the now: familiar baked bread smell a few sec. onds before the bhaergala pounce. ‘These PCs can react in the round that the monsters make their attack. Bloodclaw (bhaergala): INT average; ALN; AC 6; MV 15; HD 4+4; hp 30; ‘THACO 14; #AT 3; Dmg 2-7/2-72-9, SA pounce: SD poison resistance, spell turning; SZ L; ML 13; XP 975. Bloodclaw, Silvermane’s current ‘very large and powerful bhaergala (+1 damage on all attacks). ‘Asa male, his mane is thicker than Silvermane’s, and it is quite dark, al ‘most black. Bloodclaw is a hunter, a true survivor, and he does not share Silvermane’s fascination for the civ lized world. Bloodclaw considers hu. ‘mans and their ilk to be dangerous, and he feels that they should be left alone as ‘much as possible (although he has no compunctions about picking off the foolish individual who wanders off into the wilderness alone). Bloodclaw is not quite as cunning as his mate when it comes to talk and treachery (he does not even speak common), but he is an ex- pert at stalking, pouncing, and killing prey. Although he is the more physi- cally powerful of the two, Silvermane is much more aggressive and tends to call the shots on what her family will do. He is content to allow her to do this, so long as he is able to teach his children to hunt, which he feels is the quintessen- tial meaning of bhaergala life. In the last few days, Bloodclaw has spent almost no time hunting at all be- cause he has been busy watching the cuba. It is customary for fomale bhaergala todo all the hunting after their cubs are weaned, as the males are responsible for ssuch work from mating until that time. ‘Unknown to Silvermane, Bloodclaw has been nibbling at Kilkieran's corpse while she is away, slowing its regeneration. Although he is a superb hunter and brave fighter, he has a fairly strong slothful, selfish atreak, and he is secretly enjoying his time off from having to hunt. As he site about watching the cubs play at catching rabbits, the smell of elven flesh calls out to him, and he has a hard time resisting, “The two adult bhaergala know that if they fal to drive the intruders out of their area, their cubs will be in danger of dis- ‘covery, so they fight at, +1 to hit and damage in defense of their lair. Both Silvermane and Bloodclaw can reflect magic spells cast at them. They do so if at all poasible, although Bloodclaw prefers to attack enemy spelleasters in an attempt ‘to ruin their spells altogether. During combat, Silvermane shouts at the PCs to leave immediately, promising not to chase them if they go away. This is nota trick—she allows the party to with- draw, unless she feels confident that she and Bloodclaw are able to defeat them. Her main objective is the safety of her cubs, Ifthe PCs choose to fight, Silver- ‘mane stands her ground and continues combat to the death. Bloodclaw, on the other hand, is some- what less loyal to his cubs, and he is primarily interested in his own surviv. al. If brought below 8 hp, he attempts to bound off into the forest, pausing to warn his cubs of the marauding humans only if he feels that he has time and will not be pursued. Inside the Lair Ifthe PCs defeat or drive off Silvermane ‘and Bloodclaw, they still have to locate their lair in order to rescue Kilkieran ‘The party can either use magic to di vine the location of the lair or search through the area themselves. Ifthe PCs ‘choose to search, it takes them hours to find the lair (allow a roll to search for secret doors every hour). A hunting dog or other animal with superior olfactory powers can lead the PCs to the bhaer- gala lair within a turn, if it is trained in such matters, ‘The lair itself is not a very complex structure. Well-hidden by a cluster of wild blackberry bushes, the entrance is somewhat low, about 3" high and 4’ wide. Roots sprout from the ceiling of the 6" long entrance tunnel before it ‘widens into a small den some 10’ wide ‘and 15’ long. The aroma of baked bread is very strong at the entrance to the Tair, and it grows stronger the further ‘one progresses. The den is devoid of any bones of other refuse, as bhaerg very clean creatures. At the fo ‘the burrow is @ small aleove contains Silvermane's collection of mu- sical instruments and the mangled body of Kilkieran Aubrey. Unless Bloodclaw escaped and had enough time to warn his cubs before fleeing the area altogether, they are here, as well. Even if they were warned, there is a good chance (80%) that the ccubs are still in the lair, scared and ‘confused about what they should do. If they did leave the lair, the cubs are not encountered by the PCs unless they stay in the area for longer than four hours, at which time the cubs return to ‘0 whether the PCs are gone. Bloodclaw and Silvermane have three ccubs, who have just been weaned and fare growing more and more comfortable ‘with solid food. The litter is a small one by bhaergala standards (there were originally four, but the runt died very ‘early on), enabling the cubs to receive much more individual attention from their parents than is normally possible. ‘Pouneer (young bhaergala): AL N; ‘ACT, MV 12; HD 11; hp 8; THACO 20; #AT 8; Dmg 1/1/1-3; SD poison re sistance; ML 7; XP 66. ‘Pouncer, the largest cub, isthe pride and joy of his father. He enjoys rough-and- tumble fighting with his siblings and has recently begun to attempt stalking birds and rabbits (although he isa long way fom catching anything himsel. He is a very attractive specimen, just like his father, and will grow up ia be a beefy Ihunter with a deep baritone. He shares @ special bond with Bloodelaw and isthe nly cub thatthe adult male tussles with. Pouncer is slate gray, with a dark mane ike his father’. Riverthroat (young bhaergala: AL N; AC 7% MV 12; HD 11; hp 5; noncombat- ‘ant; SD poison resistance; ML 5; XP 68. RRiverthroat is another male cub, moder. at in size and lacking much of his brother's aggressive enthusiasm. He is, however, the finest singer ofthe three cabs, and Silvermane has encouraged him to develop his talents for the purpose af luring civilized bipeds to their doom. Riverthroat, however, is interested in singing because he likes it, even more than the average bhaergala. He will grow tobe an introspective, emotional dreamer, eventually considering himself superior to all other Bhaergala because of his vocal talents. Riverthroat isa very light gray, almost silver, and his mane is the same color as his hide, ‘Lazy Fish (young thaergala? AL } ACT; MV 12; HD 1+1; hp 3; noncombat- ant; SD poison resistance; ML. 3; XP 65. ‘Lary Fish, the only female cub in the litter, inherited her mother’s curiosity and smeakiness along with most of her father's selfserving streak. She also loves the ‘water and swims better than any of her siblings—hence, her name. Lazy Fish has recently eaught her father picking at Kilkieran’s body and threatened to tell ‘her mother unless she, too, was allowed S_—_——— ‘TA issue No. 55fan occasional nibble. Bloodclaw has al: lowed her this concession, and she is quite proud of herself for her manipulation. She In alo adept at stoking the fires of eal ‘oury between her two brothers for her ‘own benefit, such aa getting them to fight ‘over who eats first and then wolfing down all the meat she ean while they tussle. Lazy Fish is amaller and thinner than her brothers, with dark gray fur and a stra. sly black mane Riverthreat and Lazy Fish are noncom- Datanta, terrified ofthe PCs and willing todo whatever they say in order to sur vive. Pouncer, on the other hand, does his best to protect himself and his siblings by leaping onto the first. PC to enter the lair entrance tunnel, springing at them from the darkened side ofthe lair in an effort to gain surprise. Although brave, the young bhacrgala is far from fully grown, and he is just as scared ofthe PCs fs his aiblings are. Pouncer breaks off his attack if but one biow is landed on him (even if t causes no damage) and cowers fat the end ofthe lair with his brother and sister. ‘All of the young bhaergala speak their species language and enough common to ‘bawl out pleas for their lives (Lazy Fish is ‘the most fluent in common, although Riverthroat knows a good deal of elvish, as wel), Besides Pounce's inital out ‘burst, the cubs do not even think of defy {ng the cruel monsters who have invaded their home and answer any questions they are asked tothe best of their know!- ege. They donot venture any more infor- ration than they are asked, however, for fear of annoying their captors Tn reality, the cubs know little, other than the information that Kilkieran is not really dead but is being healed by his ing. They alo know that removing the ing will il the elf, as they have been strictly instructed by their parents never to do so for this very reason. Anyone taking the time to ask the cubs about Kilkieran finds Lazy Fish the most likely to blurt out the story of why he isin their lai, in hopes that she will be left alive for ‘being so helpful. None of the cubs are aware of the powers of any of Silvermane® instruments although Lazy Fish and Riverthroat have heard her refer to them a8 “magical” and all of the ‘cuba were told never to touch them, be- cause they were to “dangerous” "The instruments contained inthe a: cove with Kilkieran are almost all ‘magical, the exception being Kilkieran's lute, which Silvermane mistakenly believed to be magical. The others are instruments that she had either seen used or had used against her, by travelers that she had attacked throughout the years. ‘Having reluctantly accepted long ago that she would never be able to play any biped’s instrument properly, Silvermane also felt that it would be a shame to de- stroy such wondrous things simply be- cause one could not use them, and so took. to collecting and preserving them. In ‘addition to Kilkieran’s lute, the alcove in ‘which Killieran rests contains a horn of blasting, a harp of charming, and a magic azoo which enables its player (if he makes a successful proficiency check) to ‘cast Tasha’s uncontrollable hideous laugh ter oF taunt, once per day each. The horn hhas been sounded several times in the post, and there is now a 20% chance that it explodes after being blown, plus 1% per time after that. "Those examining Kilkieran’s body may note that it appears freshly killed, as there are no signs of decay. Al of his equipment and most of his clothing have been shredded and buried by the bhaerga- Ta. Only his ring and his lute remain in the lair, Although his heart is not beating ‘and he is not breathing, Kilkieran is still ‘SAVAGE BEAST alive as long as he wears his ring of re ‘generation, and a numberof spells may reveal his condition, such as detect life, speak with dead (which does not work, since he is not dead), divination, etc. If his ring is removed, his body spasms for a moment and he gasps as his eyes roll ‘back in true death. Return to Harper's Gamble ‘A number of loose ends remain to be tied up (or botched) by the PCs after they defeat Silvermane and Bloodclaw. Per hhaps the most obvious of these is what to do with their cubs. The three young cres- tures are unable to hunt for themselves and remain so for a number of months (even Pouncer needs time to grow and perfect his stalking technique). In the ‘meantime, they are completely terrified of, and obedient to, the PCs (and any ‘other humans they may meet). Kind-hearted PCs or those desiring vicious “animal” companions may wish to have the cubs travel with them until they grow older. Others may sell the cubs in a nearby town or city (The DM may deter ‘mine what price a young bhaergala might fetch, and whether or not such a sale ‘would even be legal according to local —— DUNGEON 15‘SAVAGE BEAST rules and customs.) Neither ofthese ideas is likely to work out very well, as the fear that holds such power over the cubs even tually turns to anger and hatred as they grow larger and more powerful. Both Riverthroat and Lazy Fish are untrust worthy around humans, and they almost certainly attempt to desert at first oppor- ‘tunity after growing larger and more confident of their abilities, probably at- tempting to turn on their “masters” be. forehand if they feel that they can ‘succeed. Pouncer turns out the same, although if he is taken in by a powerful ‘warrior (one who could best him in com- bat) who respects him, treats him well, and roughouses with him from time to time, the young bhaergala proves amena- ble to human society. Oddly enough, the most aggressive and violent of the cubs is the only one with any real aptitude for “tame” living. ‘The DM must use his own discretion in determining the ultimate fate of any Dhaergala cubs raised outside the party. For example, Lazy Fish or Riverthroat ‘might grow attached to a human surro: gate parent if that parent were genuinely interested in befriending the young crea: ture and made a strong effort to help the bhaergala overcome his or her prejudices towards humans. If the cubs know or discover that the PCs are responsible for their parents’ deaths, they never feel anything but hatred for them, even if they are taken in and successfully raised by other bipeds. Furthermore, none of the cubs is ever comfortable in an entirely urban setting. Regardless of how well they are treated, they run off to the wil: derness a first opportunity if forced to stay within an entirely civilized area, ‘The DM should give bonus experience awards to players who come up with @ clever solution to the problem of deter: ining the best future for the cubs, per. ‘haps as much as 1,000 XP. Examples of this might be freely giving the cubs to a high-level ranger (who may find a special bond with Pouncer and take him in as a companionfollower), druid, or Meister- singer (a special sort of ard who lives in the wilderness and has a mystic connee- tion with animals and other woodland beings—a very good choice for ‘Riverthroat). The appropriate surrogate parent would have to be located, of course. Examples of solutions that would ‘not warrant a bonus experience point award would include killing the cubs, abandoning them in the wilderness to fend for themselves, or selling them to ‘uncaring or unscrupulous buyers such as ‘a high-level wizard interested in creating ‘magicreflective garments out of their hides). Further Adventures Future adventures involving the cubs depend on how the young bhaergala are treated by the PCs. They may return to haunt (or hunt!) the PCs. If left with inappropriate “wards,” the cubs might escape after having become fully grown, Although natural loners, they may decide to stick together for long enough to get their revenge on the PCs. Alternately, the PCs may unwittingly sell the trio to an evil bard or wizard who controls them with charm spells, and come into conflict, with the party at a later date. (Of more immediate importance to the PCs (and Duncan Toly) is the condition of Kilkieran Aubrey at the end of the adven: ture. If they learn of his magic ring before removing it and bring his body back to Harper's Gamble, he should fully recover from his bout of near-death in about a ‘month. Although this is far too late for the minstrel to give his seminar at the bard college, it is truly more than Duncan could have hoped for from the PCs, and he happily offers 500 gp as a reward for the party's brave deeds. Additionally, the party's suocess should result in a substan. tial experience reward for the PCs, per- hhaps as much as 1,000 XP, divided evenly among party members. Ifthe PCs are still around when Kilkieran is fully healed, o ithe ever meets up with them again, he desires to learn all he ean of their exploits ‘to reward their bravery in song and epic ballad, Kilkieran likely learns many ‘things that may be of interest to the party in his future travels, and future meetings with the minstrel may prove excellent sources of information and adventure hooks. Ifone of the PCs is a bard seeking ac- ceptance into Greenbriar College, he can certainly find it aRer successfully com pleting this adventure. In this case, the college might prove a valuable source for future adventure hooks. Many bards frequent Greenbriar, with stories of hid- den treasure, marauding dragons, and political unrest from many nearby king: doms. Perhaps a secret entrance to a forgotten section of Greenbriar Keep is, discovered in the near future, releasing an ancient spirit that haunts the college's library. Duncan may call on the PCs to help him out once more. U the PCs inadvertantly killed Kilkieran by removing his ring, they have at least gained a powerful magical item, although they have not succeeded in their mission and receive no bonus experi- ence award, At the DM's option, the ring ‘may become haunted by the spirit of Kilkieran (treat asa haunt, which is bound tothe ring rather than a place of death), who strives to complete some goal that the elf sot for himself before he died ‘The exact nature ofthe goal may be any- thing the DM desires, from playing in a certain well regarded inn to recovering a lost musical artifact erested by an elven mage of old. ‘Ifthe party simply gives up or loses Silvermane’ tral, they receive no exper- ence award, and Duncan remains at a loss over what to do about Kilkieran’s "upcoming scheduled seminar. I the party includes a bard who has suitably im pressed Duncan, he may be willing to risk Presenting the character as a replacement for the lost minstrel, but only ifthe PC hhas exhibited truly remarkable talent to the dwart Such a performance may make or break a PC bard’ career Kilkieran, in the meantime, is doomed never to awaken again, a rather grisly fend for the talented musician. Ifthe DM Wishes to give the minstrel a second chance, he may have the party hired out by another nearby town or village in future weeks, as exterminatars sent to rid the roadways of a mysterious beast that has been preying on lone travelers. Per haps this time they succeed in tracking the bhaergala back to her lai, although by now her cubs may have grown to the point where they are can fend for them: selves and attack intruders alongside their parents. a ENR ac — Bo 16 Issue No. 55BY CHRIS PERKINS (HEAR Y@U'VE BEEN SAYING some NAS+Y THINGS aseut+ US. THA+'S RAFHER .. . UNHARM@NIOUS OF YO — DURKAYLE @F #HE HARMO@NIUM, ‘Artwotk by Tony Diez +@ A BUBBER IN CUSF@DY Chris writes: “A free piece of advice to layers of this adventure: Learning the chant about ‘Umbra’ is simple, cutter Success hinges on a slew of tenuous alliances. There are many shades of evil in Sigil. Clueless primes like you must learn Inimigle’s First Rule of Survwwal in the Cage: Sometimes a fiend is a basher’s best friend.” Sigil ain't such a bad place, cutter. It's not Who you know or What you know or even Where you are that counts. Any leatherhead can trip his way into Sigil and make a decent living sweeping streets, turning stag, or landing people in the dead-book. The trick to Surviving is knowing that you're not the toughest basher that wali The Cage. You gotta ‘know who to garnish, how to peel, and when to keep your bone-box shut, ‘What's that? You say you've got the hardheads on your case? Oh well. It was nice knowin’ ya, berk! “Umbra is an AD&D® PLANESCAPE" adventure set in the city of Sigil, usually called The Cage by its residents. The ‘module is best for 4-6 PCs of levels 6-9 {about 96 total levels) and assumes the PCs are at least familiar with Sigil and its many factions. PCs may be planars (natives of the Planes) or clueless Outsid- ers who are just starting to get the chant of Sigil’s ways. This module works best if none of the PCs belong to factions, partic ularly the Harmonium. DMs may consult the “Faction Reaction” sidebar on page 20 for a list of suggested PC factions. DMs and players are encouraged to read up on the factions, customs and language of The Cage as detailed in The Factol's Manifesto and the PLANESCAPE boxed set. This module also features several monsters described in the PLANESCAPE MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM? Appendix (PMC). Additional monsters are taken from the PLANESCAPE and Planes of Law boxed sets. DMs looking for a way to introduce their players to Sigil are invited to read the short ad- venture “For the Price of a Rose" on pages 89-91 of the Sigil and Beyond booklet in the PLANESCAPE boxed set. ‘The Harmonium Way ‘The Harmonium is always right. Just ask any member of the Harmonium. He'll tell you that Enlightenment comes from living in perfect harmony with all others, and any basher who's got a 18 Issue No. 55ES 'UMBRA Leen TEESE problem with that better find another tase far away from the Cage, ‘cause the hardheads want it their way or no way. Factol Sarin’s got a city full of hardhead Doshers just waitin’ to scrag some Anarchist leatherhesd or crack some ‘barmy's skull. IF you ain't with the order, you're against the order, and anyone who breaks the law ain't nothin’ but Mereykiller meat. The hardheads ain't known for their tolerance, either. Ifyou have a gripe with their laws, cutter, you'd better get used to living in ‘bird cage. Bringing order tothe universe ain't an easy job. That's why Factol Sarin's got the Movers. Movers are ranked from One to Five like army generals, There are two Mover Fives, one of which (Tonat Shar) commands the Barracks in Sigil. The other (Killeen Caine) operates ‘outside the Cage. The factol himself determines which of his Movers are fit for promotion. Enter Durkayle, an am- bitious Mover Four. Durkayle moved through the ranks of the Harmonium quickly, muscling his way into the upper echelons through sheer force of conviction. Durkayle is looking forward to assuring Tonat Shar's post when Tonat “steps down.” He's alto determined to replace Sarin as factol someday, vowing to lead the Harmonium in bold new directions. Factol Sarin and Tonat Shar are quite aware of Durkayle's strengths, both as a leader and as a warrior, but his exceed- ingly heavy-handed approach to achiev ing Harmony (not to mention his evil alignment) has not won their trust. ‘Accustomed to steady career advance: ment, Durkayle has grown frustrated ‘waiting for Sarin to promote him. From his grim tower in The Lady's Ward, Durkayle looks out over the sprawling cityscape toward the Harmonium ber- racks, convinced that he, not Tonat, bears the heavy task of keeping order in ‘The Cage Durkayle's ambition someday to be- come factol of the Harmonium is hin dered by his adherence and dedication to ‘the Harmonium philosophy a philoso- phy which relegates him to certain du- tes and prevents him from engaging in acta of betrayal. (This includes eonapir- ing against his superiors or disobeying their lawful edict). Despite his disdain {for Sarin’ “political maneuverings,” a lifetime of military training forbids Durkayle from using his authority for some underhanded power play. In order to win Sarin’s favor, Durkayle recently embarked on a dar ing mission to bring order to the chaotic Outland spraw! known as Bedlam—an ambitious task considering that Bedlam lies near the gateway to Pandemonium, arguably the moat chaotic of the outer planes, The Harmonium would like to ‘ee this portal sealed or, at the very least, regulated so that residents of Pandemonium cannot simply appear “at their convenience” to spread chaos throughout Sigil and the Outlands! ‘Unknown to Durkayle, Fate has dealt him a nasty hand. His ill-conceived attempt to bring order to Bedlam proves ‘to be a dismal failure. This botched ‘excursion may not only ruin his chance for promotion but also cost him the ‘thing he values almost as much a ‘career—his daughter, Umbra, Durkayle’s Daughter ‘The ambitious Durkayle never wanted ‘a family, despite Factol Sarin’s belief that harmony and family were synony- ‘mous, (arin himself has nine children.) ‘Durkayle was focused entirely on hi ‘own career, but it’s funny how things ‘turned out. It started almost nine months ago, when Durkayle visited the town of Curst (a twisted burg on the edge of Carceri) hoping to scrag a barmy Anarchist accused of breaking the law in Sigil. It was there that Durkayle encountered a wily succubus named Karylin and was charmed by her. She feigned interest in the Harmonium's sense of order and embraced Durkayl laws in exchange for protection and ‘companionship. She also helped Durkayle locate his felonious quarry. However, what she really wanted ws child—an irresistible desire which maternal succubi refer to as "The Urge." Within six months, Durkayle had fathered an aluciend daughter named Umbra. Parental Discretion Factol Sarin was pleased with neither Durkayle’s choice of a mate nor the birth of such an unlawful creature, none ‘of which bothered the succubus. Karylin quickly tired of the Harmonium's lawful ways and cut loose just weeks after giving birth. The chaotic evil succubus had no qualms about leaving Umbra in Durkayle's custody. However, through informed sources she learned that alu- fiends were greatly prized in the Abyssal plane of Phurnis, a dark and dismal dominion ruled by a bitter old balor named Kalphazor. Karylin Tearned of Kalphazor’s insatiable desire for alu-fiend slaves. The balor was also ‘known for awarding vast chunks of his unruly dominion to tanar'ri who lured alufiends to Phurnis for his pleasure. Seizing this opportunity to rule her own small domain, Karylin returned to the Abyss, taking Umbra with her. Freed of Karylin’s charm, Durkayle hired a powerful wizard to find the child and deliver her back into his custody. Karylin was moments avay from sur- rendering Umbra to Kalphazor when the child suddenly vanished from her clutches, Fearing the balor's angry wrath, Karylin tried to kidnap Umbra a second time but was driven away by powerful magie placed upon Durkayle's tower. Satisfied but not entirely reas. sured by the wizard’s magic, Durkayle laced Umbra in the care of two capabli ‘nannies,’ neither of whom were partic: ularly fond of the child but who were bound to their task upon pain of death, Although they regard Umbra with disdain, they would surely suffer harm befell the child, ‘Durkayle hopes his daughter will ma- ‘ture into a fearsome warrior and join the ranks of the Harmonium. However, he is unwilling to devote the time needed to curb her tanar'ric instincts. He keeps ‘Umbra confined to his tower, away from prying eyes and out of harm's reach, for fear that Factol Sarin or Tonat Shar ‘might learn of the child's chaotic ways and demand that she be ‘sent away” ‘When Durkayle is busy enforcing Sigil’s laws ie. the Harmonium’s laws), he centrusts Umbra’s safe keeping to his ‘guards and nannies. ‘any ‘The Zactar Prophecy Unknown to both her parents, Umbra is more than just an alufiend child. An ancient prophecy foretells that Umbra will revive a long-forgotten faction ‘known as the Zactars, a faction which believed that everything in the universe ‘was created for the benefit of an ultra: powerful entity known as the One True Being. Strangely enough, believed that this One True Being ‘would take the material form of a half- tanar'ri female. (For details on the Zactar faction, its mysterious disappear ‘ance, and its belief in the One True | DUNGEON 19UMBRA Faction Reactions. ‘With the exception of the Harmonium, few of Sigil’s planar factions have any stake in the fate of Durkayle’s alufiend child. They do, of course, have their own opinions about what's best for the child and may share their views with the PCs ‘approached. if Although this adventure works best if ‘the PCs are not associated with any fac- tion, the DM can run the adventure using POs of various factions. The following factions are the most suitable for PCs: the strive for: they have no role in society, they are not readily accepted by the fac- tions because of their half-breed origins, and conformity seems to run counter to ‘The Athar havo no interest whatsoever in the alusiend child. ‘The Bleak Cabal views Umbra as ‘nothing but « debased creature, unworthy of their attention. Her existence is mean- Ingless, and whatever happens to her is ‘unimportant. ‘The Godsmen (Believers ofthe Source) ‘are convinced that even a halftanar'ri hhalfchild has the potential to achieve ‘some greater glory, provided she's given a ‘chance. They believe Umbra’s destiny ‘may be of great significance—that she ‘may ascend to become a powerful figure if ‘someone were to help her along. they strongly oppose the notion of Umbra resurrecting the “dead” Zactar faction. ‘Turia, Inimigle’s tiefling henchman, belongs to this faction. ‘The Dustmen have no interest in ‘Umbra. ‘The Fated (the Takers) are completely ‘without compassion for the alufiend child. If sho survives, so be it. If ho doesnt, no ‘great los. Teslar Phul (see Chapter 11) is 0 Their inclination would be vo award custody ofthe child to her father, given his taunch adherence o Sigs laws. ‘The Free League (Indeps) believe that ‘Umbra should be allowed to make her ‘own decisions. They would like to see ‘Umbra freed from her parents’ self- serving, narrow-minded tyranny so that. she may discover the truth for herself. ‘Umbra can be taught to live in harmony. with other beings. Clearly the alufiend child should remain with her father, for conly he can curb her chaotic tendencies. ‘The child must not be raised in the custo- dy of her chaotic mother, and the ‘Harmonium will do everything short of breaking the law to make sure this never happens. ‘Mercykillers (the Red Death) have little interest in Umbra’s upbringing. However, ‘they will happily punish anyone caught ‘trying to steal the child from her father. ‘The Sign of One (Signers) upholds the rights of the individual, and this places ‘them in conflict with the Harmonium's ‘thrust toward uniformity. The Signers regard Umbra as a unique creature ‘whose freedom has been suppressed by ‘Signers are so preoccupied with Self that ‘they haven't time to worry about one alusiend child. ‘Sensates (Society of Sensation) have little) interest in the polities eurrounding the alu- fend child. Sensates only value what ean. ther's clutches, not because it's the right ‘thing to do but because i's something to do. They would do so without delibera- tion, trusting only their instincts. Kaositects| ‘This doesn't imply that Xaositects feel ‘bound to play an active role in freeing ‘Umbra, Ifthe multiverse is as chaotic 03 ‘most Xaositects believe, thore’s nothing Prefect Durkayle or anyone else can do to ‘keep his daughter from being “unleashed.” ‘The Zactars (the Waiting Ones) believe} that Umbra isa great being sent from. their god. Members of this long-forgotten faction seek to protect and serve the alu: fiend. This faction figures prominently in the cimax ofthe adventure (ace Chapters Being, see Chapters 9 and 10.) Like most hardheads who think they know the chant, Durkayle presumes the Zactars were destroyed for spreading chaos and false beliefs throughout the planes. He would never accept that his ill-begotten daughter, Umbra, is des. tined to revive the vanished faction. However, on the palm of her left hand is, a birthmark shaped like the symbol of Zactar. No one who has seen the birth: mark recognizes its significance. Never. theless, there is at least one blood residing in Sigil who knows enough Zactar lore to realize that Umbra may indeed be the One True Being wor: shiped by the Zactar faction. This in formed individual has heard through the “razorvine” that an alu-fiend child is being held in Durkayle’s tower, and this individual has sent spies to The Lady's Ward to confirm the chil whereabouts .. A Little Knowledge Although she cannot enter Durkayle's tower, Karylin the succubus is deter. mined to regain that which is hers. She has asked an old ally, a yagnoloth named Inimigle (i-NIM-i-gull), to re trieve Umbra by any means short of personal sacrifice—for some bargain to be negotiated later. Inimigle is the night watchman of an interdimensional Bortal located inside the Zactar Cath ‘a not-so-happening place in Sigil’s lene Went Gen eee lial against his will by the Fated, the fac: tion which inherited the deed to the cathedral after the Zactars mysteriously vanished. The yagnoloth resents being the guardian of the Zactar portal and hhas been searching for some way to free himself from his duties. So far as he can tell, there is only one possible escay ‘Somehow he must find a way to dispel or collapse the Zactar portal perma: rently. ‘What began as a mind-dulling investi gation of the Zactar Cathedral turned up some interesting information regard: ing the Zactar faction. Inimigle inadver- tently stumbled across a tome which detailed, in full, the Zactar philosophy and the Prophecy of the One True Being. To whittle away the dark hours, Inimigle delved deeply into the volum and learned all there was to know about this so-called Great Being, not that there was much to tell (certainly noth. ing that would free Inimigle from his enslavement). Suffice it to say, Karylin’s 20 Issue No. 55‘UMBRA sudden offer came as quite a surprise. Indeed, Karylin’s daughter may be the key to restoring the Zactar faction! And ifthe Zactar prophecy holds true, the ‘One True Being’s arrival should be ‘enough to seal the Zactar portal forever. (Gee Chapter 10.) The collapse of the portal should free Inimigle from the shackles of servitude. (In any event, the appreciative Zactars—should they re- turn to greet the One True Being—will no doubt wish to express their gratitude by freeing Inimigle of any binding obligations!) Ever the opportunist, Inimigle he decided to “help” Karylin by hiring a party to retrieve the alu-iend child. He already has a few unwary sods in mind. All he has to do is motivate them, ‘The Dark of Things ‘The adventure begins in Sigil’s Lower Ward. The PCs are approached by cambion who works for Inimigle the yagnoloth, The PCs are invited to meet ‘with Inimigle at the Black Sail tavern where he tries to coerce the party into retrieving the ‘child of prophecy” from Durkayle’s clutches. Although honor- able by yugoloth standards, Inimigle deliberately hides the fact that Umbra is an alu-iend so as not to alarm the PCs, ‘To help the PCs retrieve Umbra from Durkayle's stronghold, Inimigle sends them to The Screaming Tower to meet the dread annie Zaraga. In exchange for 1a magical gate-key to Gehenna (which Inimigle gives the party), Zaraga agrees to help the PCs break into Durkayle tower. Once she has the gate-key in her possession, the annis commands her gargoyle henchmen to deliver the PCs safely to their destination and to create ‘a distraction guaranteed to keep Durkayle’s hardheads from noticing the party's intrusion, ‘As the PCs explore Durkayle’s tower, they encounter Umbra’s nannies— ‘Tagon the wizard and Emalica the ‘erinyes—both of whom are deeply re- sentful of the alufiend child. Neither guardian poses much of a threat to the PCs; in fact, Emalica secretly aids the PCs in their kidnapping attempt! ‘Umbra tries to escape the party using her newly-discovered magical talents, and tension mounts as Umbra’s father \ddenly returns from his failed ‘mission in the Outlands. If the PCs escape Durkayle’s clutches, they are ‘the Harmonium gle’ allies and returned to Sigil's Lower Ward. Before the PCs can deliver Umbra to the Zactar Cathedral, they are con- fronted by Karylin the succubus, who tries to reclaim her daughter by force. If the PCs successfully repel the succu- bus’ attack, they may continue their trek to the cathedral and confront Tnimigle. As payment for bringing ‘Umbra to the cathedral, Inimigle promises the PCs free use of the Zactar portal, (An empty promise, since he intends to collapse it.) Complications arise when Durkayle and Karylin each show up to reclaim their daught While Umbra’s parents vie for custody of the alu-child, Inimigle tries to lure Umbra into the portal. If the yagnoloth is successful, the portal collapses and he is freed from his duty. (He teleports away in a fit of laughter) The portal’s collapse also “awakens” three Zactar priestesses who were turned to stone to await the One True Being’s arriv found her sanctuary, Umbra decides to remain with the priestesses in the cathedral, leaving the PCs to deal with her over-possessive parents. Chapter 4: Lost and Foundry ‘The adventure begins with the PCs lost in the streets of Sigil's Lower Ward. How the PCs end up there is for the DM to decide, (Perhaps they are deposited there after deliberately or unintentionally passing through one of Sigil’s many por- tals.) Read or paraphrase the following: ‘There are dozens of dark places in Sigil where a careless berk can ‘wind up as a page in the dead-book, and you're lost in one of them. The city’s Lower Ward surrounds you. Its buildings, bereft of charm blackened by soot, seem awkwardly narrow. They slant forward menac: ingly. The ground shivers underfoot with the grumbling of the nearby Foundry—a towering edifice of blackened stone capped by dozens of belching chimneys. The air is choked with soot and sulfur, though few pedestrians seem to mind. A horned fiend trudges past, pulling a onful of weapons. Three heavily-armed Harmonium soldiers watch the jously from nearby street corner. er DUNGEON 24UMBRA AC+UALLY. (mM aN ELF, | JUS+ L@@K Like THIs AF+ER A HARD DAY. — SARCAS#IC REMARK FROM +HE CAMBION DIRNGRIN, SHOR#LY AFFER REVEALING HIS +RUE FORM ‘The Foundry is one of the Lower Ward's great landmarks. The PCs may stop a passer-by and ask for directions if they wish, The fend pushing the wagon is mezzoloth named Nuurp (pro- nounced NOO-erp) who becomes annoyed if the PCs bother him. Nuurp is delivering weapons to the Doomguard at the Armory and has no patience for clueless berks who ask for directions. If the PCs continue to pester him after one ‘warning, Nuurp tries to frighten them ‘away by attacking them with his claws or spells. ‘Nuurp (mezzoloth}: INT low; AL NE; AC +1; MV 15; HD 10-20; hp 63; ‘THACO 11 (oase) #AT 2 or 1; Dmg +6 ar by weapon type +6; SA spells; SD +2 weapons needed to bit; immune to poison, paralysis, sug- gestion and charm spells, MR 50%; SZ ‘M; ML 14; XP 21,000, PMC/123 (yugo, loth, lesser). Speli-like abilities (at 10th levely alter self animate dead, burning hands, cause disease, couse serious twounds, charm person, cloudkill (once! day), darkness 18° radius, detect invist- bility (always active), detect magic, dispel magic (twicelday), flame strike (once/day), hold person, improved phan- tasmal force, infravision, mirror image, produce flame, sleep, teleport without error trip. Nuurp cannot gate additional ‘yugolothe while in Sigil "As the PCs pass by the Foundry, they are confronted and attacked by three bar-igura who have disguised them- selves (using change self spells) as the three Harmonium soldiers standing on the street corner. (Even PCs who belong to the Harmonium are confronted and bullied. The bar-igura simply pretend to bbe Mesoures of higher station.) The bar Tgura are henchmen of a night hag named Virini (oe Chapter 3) and are ‘working in tandem with a eambion ‘named Dirngrin, whom the PCs will ‘meet shortly. Their orders are to ap- proach the PCs and start pushing them around like good Harmonium soldiers. Casting a know alignment spell on the bar-Igura reveals their chaotic alignment—evidence that they are not really law-abiding hardhead soldiers! Ifthe PCs comply with the bar-iguras’ every whim (not likely, but possible given the Harmonium's reputation and influence in Sigil), the brutish tanar'ri call them all sorte of derogatory names, hoping to provoke a skirmish, Brutus, Rukubee, and Moroz (bar. Igura): INT average; AL CE; AC 0; MV 9, climb 15; HD'6 +6; hp 49, 44, 38; THACO 15; #AT 3 or 1; Dmg 146/ 146/246 or by weapon +3; SA spring attack; SD camouflage, spells; MR. ‘30%; SZ M; ML 13; XP 8,000; PMC/97 (tanar'ri, lesser). Spell-like abilities: ‘change self (twicelday), detect invisi- bility, dispel magic, entangle, fear (by touch), invisibility (twicelday), plant growth, spectral force (twice! day), telekinesis, darkness 15° radius, infravision, teleport without error. Ifthe bar-igura provoke the PCs into drawing their weapons, the tanar'ri drop their halberds, assume their true forms, and attack with their teeth and claws until two or more are wounded. Although the streets are lined with ‘curious spectators, no one helps the PCs for fear of the bar-iguras’ wrath. Before the fight turns lethal, Dirngrin the ‘cambion ¢eleports into the fray to “help” the PCs (see below). The bar-Igura, pretending to be startled by Dirngrin’s sudden arrival, turn invisible and flee into Sigil’s alleys. Ifthe PCs insist on pursuing the bar-igura, the evil tanar’ri ir plant growth ability to cover scape by filling the alleys with Read or paraphrase the following when ‘Dirngrin teleports into the fray: ‘A vortex of swirling black smoke erupts from the ground not five feet ahead of you, dissipating almost as suddenly. A dark figure emerges from the smoky haze, startling your brutish assailants. Caught off guard by this new arrival, the fearsome orangutan-like fiends vanish from ‘your sight. The dark figure stands ‘before you—a slender elfin man decked out in tight-fitting black leather armor with spiked metal shoulder plates and knee-high, studded leather boots. His skin is dark, his ears pointed. Secured to his belt is a gleaming silver dagger. Dirngrin has been shadowing the PCs, crawling from rooftop to rooftop and studying the party's movements closely, attempting to ascertain whether or not they are worthy. He appears on the scene once he is satisfied that the PCs are “ideal candidates” for the task ahead (by the way in which they handle the bar-gura). Dirngrin is not hostile. He has orders to guide the PCs safely to the Black Sail tavern where Inimigie, the scheming yagnoloth, is waiting for them. (Allowing the barlgura to attack the PCs was the cambion’s idea, not Inimigle’s, Dirngrin has a broad sadistic streak and likes exceeding his orders.) ‘The devious cambion has polymorphed himself into a slim, dark-skinned tief- ing to avoid drawing too much open hostility from local baatezu. Dirngrin (rho is actually quite hulking) apolo- izes for not appearing sooner. He ad- mits to shadowing the PCs, but he denies his association with the ill ‘mannered bar-Igura, claiming that he prefers “intelligent company" The cam- bion need not speak all at once, but here's the gist of what he has to “The Cage ain't a place for the clue- less, cutter. It make a basher go barmy before you can say, ‘Pike it, primescum! “I've been keeping track of you eut- ters. Thought you might need a hand fending off the bar-Igura. Lucky for thom they're easily startled” “Thave a dea! for you, if you're ‘game. Anything's better than a one- way ticket to the Deadhouse, if you catch my meaning. There's a blood at the Black Sail tavern who wants to 22 Issue No. 5‘UMBRA see you. He's sort of a high-up man. ‘Name's Inimigle. Out here, he's the closest thing you cutters got to a friend.” “T ain't peelin’ you, cutter. Those bar- Igura weren't just lookin’ for easy pickings. They're thugs working for a night hag named Virinis. She owns a shanty called the Worm's Guts. The chant is she wants you on the next menu. Her clients are picky about ‘what they eat, and you cutters seem to bea seasoned lot. Sigil’ filled with ‘bar-igura all lookin’ to beat the fire outta you. That's just a rumor, but ‘rumors have more truth than Truth around here. Inimigle knows the chant. He's got the ticket if you want a safe way outta here. Can't hurt to hear what he has to say” Dirngrin is not lying. Even his story about the night hag is true. However, ‘what he neglects to mention is that the night hag, Virinis, is actually Inimigle's ally. She takes sadistic pleasure in mak- ing sure the PCs do what Inimigle ex- pects of them, and she uses her horde of bar Igura henchmen (allied with Dirngrin) to ensure the PCs “follow through.” Once Inimigle has finished with the PCs, Virinis delights in deal- ing with the PCs on her own terms. Her restaurant, the Worm's Guts, features, some grisly delicacies and caters to variety of outer planar fiends. Yes, Inimigle is known to dine there from time to time! If the PCs attack Dirngrin, he defends himself with his dagger or teleports to a nearby rooftop. (He does not revert to his true form, preferring to keep his identity a mystery. If another skirmish erupts, four real Harmonium guards arrive on the scene, having been sum- ‘moned by concerned passers-by. They arrest the PCs for their disruptive be- havior and, possibly, for their unpro- ‘voked assault on the “tiefling” Three rounds later, another four Harmonium guards show up with two hamatula stezu who work aa hardhead enfore- ers in the Lower Ward. (Dirngrin, who does not get along so well with baatezu, tries to leave before the hamatula ar rive.) Ifthe PCs attack the guards, the guards use their charm person ability to ‘coax the PCs into surrendering peace- fully, (See The Factol’s Manifesto for details on the hardheads’ charm ability.) Ifthe PCs are unaffected by the charm, DIDI TELL vou +e S+@P GROVELLING? — INIMIGLE +© +HE LAS# CLUELESS WH® +@@K HIS FAVORIF+@ CHAIR the Harmonium soldiers defend themselves. Ifthe PCs somehow man- ‘age to shake the hardheads, the soldiers send the hamatula to track them down. ‘Of course, the cambion might seize thi ‘opportunity to provide the PCs with a safe haven, if they're willing to hear ‘what Inimigle has to say. Dirngrin (polymorphed cambion): AL (CE; AC 3; MV 15; HD 4; hp 31; THACO 16 (14 with dagger), #AT 1; Dmg by ‘weapon type +1 (strength); S17 (+1/ +1),D 17, C 16,114, W 7, Ch 5; SA cause fear by touch, thief abilities; SD never surprised; MR 30%; SZ M; ML 13; XP 4,000; PMC/98 (tanar'ri, lesser), studded leather armor +1, gloves of missile snaring, doom dagger +2 (see below. ‘Spells: darkness 15' radius, infra- vision, teleport without error, detect ‘magic, levitate (7 timesiday), polymorph self(8 timesiday). Dirngrin’s silver doom dagger +2 inflicts damage as a short sword and is infused with negative energy which drains one level of experience from its whenever a natural 20 is rolled (no save). Restoration or wish spells are required to restore lost level ‘Harmonium soldiers (4) INT aver- age; AL LE; AC 3; MV 9; F4, F3 (x3), hp 80, 24 (3), THACO 17 ot 18; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; SA charm person oncelday; ML 14; XP 176, 120(%3), plate mail, mancatcher (60%), fauchard- fork (30%), or footman’s mace (20%), helmet, Hardheads armed with maces also carry shields (AC improves to 2). Dreadfang and Gaulfagor (hamatula: INT very; AL LE; AC 1; MV 12; HD 7; hp 41, 37; THACO 13; #AT'3; Dmg 244/244) 844; SA first attack causes fear, spell-like abilities, hug: SD +1 weapons to hit; MR 30%; SZ'M (7 tally ML 19; XP 6,000; PMC/24 (baatezu, lesser Spells (usable at will advanced illu sion, animate dead, charm person, infra ‘sion, know alignment (always active), suggestion, teleport without error fet normal fires, hold person, produce flame, pyrotechnics. Chapter 2: The Black Sail ‘When he’s not guarding the old Zactar Cathedral (located in the Lower Ward), Inimigle the yagnoloth hangs out at the Black Sail with a few of his, planar friends. The Black Sail tavern ‘was firat introduced in the adventui The Eternal Boundary, 60 it’s possible that PCs may be familiar with this low-key establishment. If Dirngrin was killed in the opening ‘encounter, Inimigle sends some other agent (such as the tiefling Turia—see below) to locate a party of worthy ad- venturers. Ifthe PCs still refuse to meet with Inimigle, the yagnoloth kindly asks Virinis to send more bar-Igura henchmen after the party. Dirngrin assures the PCs that Virinis will not trouble them at the tavern, claiming that she fears Virinis and Inimigle are on. terms, See Chapter 3 for Vi ties and Chapter 1 for typical bar-igura statistics.) Ifthe PCs agree to follow Dirngrin, the cambion takes them directly to the tavern. When the PCs approach the tavern for the first time, read or para- phrase the following: Fused to the tavern is the hull of an ancient galleon. A soot-stained sail hangs above the ship's gargoylish figurehead. Inside the ill-kept estab- lishmer th a ribeage of dark rafters, is with curtained alcoves. The tavern's DUNGEON 23UMBRA The Black Sail Tavern fone square =5' first floor | alley | KEY 5. Water Closet 1. Common Room 6. Bath 2. Bar 7. Sitting Room | 3. Kitchen 8. Innkeeper's 4, Guest Room Quarters ‘sordid patrons congregate at tables placed in the middle of the room, ‘while muffled voices can be heard behind the thick curtains which enclose the alcoves. The local riff: raff pays little attention to your arrival, and a young serving maid to ignore you. You might ken her for an elf were it not for the small black horns pro. truding from her copper-tinged forehead, ‘The Black Sail can be a dangerous place for anyone looking to start trouble. Usually the patrons mind their own business, but PCs who in- vite discord will find a dozen or more bashers eager to accommodate them. Hidden behind the curtain of one alcove is the yagnoloth, Inimigle, who can't be bothered using magic to dis- guise his huge presence or toothy grin, The yagnoloth is joined by his “consort,” Tur |ing with the personality of razorvine). Read or paraphrase the following when the PCs see the yagnoloth for the first, time: Crunched at the back af one cor] tained aeere wamicestrove bebe, | ‘moth with scaly red skin, great | imuscion wing ike earsend abroad, | toothy grin His arma are dapropertionate-his right arm be. | ingexceanively large, his left unnat- | rally small ta hie geegantuan right | Rand beclutchesamemmoth ala | ttcin, Squoered in beside this hulk- | Ing fiend is lender tieling dreamed inblueatained plate mall. She ou contemplate approach- ‘The yagnoloth is very friendly, offer ing to buy the PCs a “tanar'rie aperitif” ‘made from scrumptious spinagon ichor. Ifthe PCs accept tha!) they are served by Salja, the charming tiefling waitress. (At the DM's discretion, the house aperi tif may have some strange effects on non planar drinkers.) The brooding. Turia doesn't utter a word during the whole encounter. Dirngrin the eambion, if alive, stands outside the aleove to make sure the PCs and Inimigle are not disturbed. Tnimigle has quite an imagination, ‘moreso than most yugoloths. He fancies himself something of a Sigilian godfa: ther, keeping informed on all aspects of life in The Cage. He doesn’t speak often about his job serving as night watch: man at the Zactar Cathedral, a forsaken structure currently owned by a faction called The Fated. He was bound there by a powerful wizard of The Fated and sets rather irked when forced to discuss his indignity in detail. Given the choice, he prefers the term “custodian” to “night watchman.” Sulice it to say, he's always looking for an out and a way to get even with his summoner without inviting the wrath of the entire Fated faction. (Hiring assassins to eliminate his summoner would be too risky and, as he pute it, “in poor taste.”) Inimigle wastes no time in making his request to the PCs: “Tve heard through the razorvine that Virinis has her eye on you. I suggest you stay away from her. Be warned that she has powerful friends in Sigil, Her cuisine has won the affection of at least three pit fiends, not mentioning any names. This is where I can help you, 24 Issue No. 55UMBRA, Inside the Zactar Cathedral ia a portel leading to other planes, in- Cluding the Prime Material plane. As ithappens, Ihave free access to this portal. Tan offer you safe passage from Sigil in exchange for one small service. Oh, the service is not for me! ‘After ail, you don’t exactly trust me, do you? “Perhaps you are familiar with the Waiting Ones? No, of course not ‘That faction disappeared a long, long time ago under—shall we say ‘mysterious circumstances. “The Waiting Ones believed that everything in the universe existed for the benefit of the One True Being, an ultra-powerful entity ere ated by the gods themselves. The leader ofthis faction, Zactar, believed that the True Being would take the form of a child whom the faction would raise and whose powers could be nurtured. It is written that the child would be recognized by a ring shaped birthmark on the palm of her left hand. As Custodian of the Zactar Cathedral, Thave become something ofan expert in ancient Zactar lore, ‘and I believe Zactar's prophecy holds true. My spies inform me that a child bearing the Mark of Zactar has been seen in The Lady's Ward, held in the custody ofthe Harmonium. “Very little about the Zactar fac- tion is known, but the hardheads obviously view the Zactar philosophy ‘with distrust or contempt; otherwise ‘they would not prevent the child from fulfilling her destiny. It i my Wish to see the Zactar faction revived land their cathedral restored to its former glory. The child must be set free, and for that I require your assistance. ““Durkayle i a high-up Mover in the Harmonium. His ambition and brutal ity are known and feared throughout Sigil and the Outlands. The child of prophecy is being held inside his tower not far from the Harmonium barracks. My spies tell me Durkayle has placed the child in the hands of his baatezu minions, Anyone who's ever worked ‘with bastezu knows how horribly they corrupt the innocent Ifyou rescue the child from Durkayle’s tower and bring her to the Zactar Cathedral, I wil give you free use of the Zactar portal and anything elae within my means” YOU SAY s@me+HING? — FIRS+ AND @NLY WORDS SPOKEN BY TURIA +@ +HE POOR BERK IMPALED ON HER SWORD Spells such as detect lie and zone of {truth reveal that Inimigle is telling the truth, although he has serious doubts about the “ultra-powerfulness” of the creature referred to as the One True Being. He does indeed possess several keys to the portal in the Zactar Cathe- dral, and his offer is genuine. Due to powerful incantations cast by his sum- ‘moner, however, Inimigle is unable to use the keys himself (although he ean ‘and will “lend” them to others). The yagnoloth doesn’t keep the keys on his pperson; if the PCs ask to see one, he sighs and complains about not being able to remove them from the portal chamber. (A little white lie!) ‘The yagnoloth doesn't know for certain that Umbra is the ‘‘child of prophecy” but assumes as much. Inimigle does not speak of Umbra’s parents and says nothing of the child’s halftanar'ric origins. If the PCs i quire about the whereabouts of the child’s parents, Inimigle replies that, the child is probably an orphan. He knows that Durkayle is Umbra’s fa ther, but he doesn’t want to deter the PCs from kidnapping the alu-child. Ifthe PCs suspect treachery and ask ‘what's in it for the yagnoloth, Inimigle stares at them aghast and replies: “Tam simply fulfilling my role as a ‘good samaritan. It isnot my intention to deceive. After all, ‘Benevolence’ is ‘my middle name! Ah, but Ican tell from your expressions that you doubt my sincerity. Do not judge me so harshly, my mortal friends. Ihave no interest in profit. I would never inflict hharm upon an innocent child, as much ‘as that might surprise you. “If you simply must know, Iwas summnoned to guard the Zactar portal ‘until the return of the Waiting Ones— ‘an event which, I must say, has been @ long time coming. The One True ‘Boing’s presence in the cathedral will signal the completion of Zactar's prophecy and herald the faction’s re- ‘turn, Onoe the Zactar faction is re- stored to its former glory, my services will no longer be required, and I shall bbe free to return to my domain in Gehenna, Ah, how I miss Gehenna in all its flaming glory!” Inimigle is again telling the truth, He likes sulfur saunas and lava baths and is eager to return to his magma citadel in Mungoth, Gehenna’s third layer. If the PCs refuse to help, the yagnoloth plays on their sympathies: “Your decision disappoints me. And I thought éanar'ri were cruel and un- giving! Oh well, at least I tried.” “T loathe to imagine what Durkayle will do to that poor, inno- cent child. Doubtless he rupt her—transform her ‘emistary of evil. Assuming, of ‘course, she survives the captivity. "Tis a shame, really, that she should find herself held in baatezu clutches. Now I fear the Zactar faction will never return to Sigil. ‘That this child may never fulfill her destiny grieves me! And as for ‘you, I hope you like making mies. [hear Virinis is preparing a special surprise for next month's menu. She does treat her clients well.” ‘The yagnoloth has no craving for combat, but he defends himself if at- tacked. He is simply performing a serv- ice for Karylin the succubus (and, more DUNGEON 25a UMBRA importantly, himself and has no wish to involve himself in any conflict with the PCs or the Harmonium. Nevertheless, PCs who refuse his request will be beset by Virinis’ bar-igura and possibly the night hag herself, if she's not too busy (DMs discretion. Tnimigle (yagnoloth}: INT very, ALN AC +4: MV 18; HD 10+20; hp 82; THACO 11; #AT 2; Dmg 1412+ 10/0y weapon type; SA acid breath, devour life force requires five round), shocking ‘grasp (usable 3 times/day; 148+ 10 hp damage) SD +1 or better weapons to hit; MR 40%; SZ.L (12' tall; ML 14; XP 20,000; PMC/127 (yugolth, lesser). Spells cast at Lith level (usable at will: alter ‘eff, animate dead, cause disease, charm ‘person, improved phantasmal force, ‘produce flame, teleport without error Tnimigle once commanded a large expanse in Gehenna but was greatly despised by his fellow yugoloths. So hnated is he that he cannot gate other yugoloths. Instead, he relies on the help of his fellow outcasts Turia and Dirngrin and other hired lowlifes. He still considers himself a prince despite earning the derision of other, equally powerful yugolt “Turia (iefling fighter: AL NE; AC 0; MV 12; F6; hp 49; THACO 14 (13 with Tong sword), #AT 8/2 or 2; Dmg by weap an type +1 (strength), +2 (specialize tion}; $ 16, D 16, € 19,112, W 8, Ch 10; SA poison; SD +2 to save vs. electricity, fire and poison; half damage from cold; ML 14; XP 2,000; PMC/112; slender long sword +1, shortsword +1 (coated with Type E poison, good for two sue- cessful attacks), plate mail +1 (stained deep blue), ring of mind shielding, boots of striding and springing, three erystal ‘ial (each containing one application of aily, Type E poison). Like all tieflings, Turia is ambidextrous and uses two weapons simultaneously without penalty. “Turia is dangerous creature who keeps her thoughts to herself unless provoked. Inimigle does not pay Turia for her loyalty and doesn't know she's @ Doomguard spy sent to keep an eye on him. Turia does not interfere with Taimigle’s petty tortures and sees them as furthering the Doomguard cause. ‘Salja tiefling serving maid: AL N; ACT (Dexterity); MV 12; HD 4-43; hp 19; THACO 15; FAT 1 or 2; Dmg 1 +3 rake) oF by weapon (1d4 with stilettos), $13, D17,C 14,112, W 16, Ch 10; SA poison; SD as Turia above; ML 11; XP 650; PMC/112, Salja keeps her twin stilettos in scabbards lined with Type O poison, Salja hails from the Outland burg of Ribeage. She keeps her ears and eyes ‘open to alll things which happen at the tavern and is willing to share rumors for a hefty price (100-400 gp for each tidbit of information). If the PCs inquire about Inimigle, the tavern, or strange happenings in Sigil, she offers the fol- owing advice free of charge: “You want the chant, you pay the jink. Nothing in Sigil’ free, berk— nothing and no one.” Salja can verify that Inimigle is the “custodian” ofthe Zactar Cathedral and ‘that he has a reputation for honoring his ‘agreements. She also knows that e is out of favor with other yugoloths, although ‘one of Inimigle's associates seems to know why: Sala knows that Dizngrin is really a cambion in disguise and has seen ‘Turia speaking with agents of the Doom ‘guard. Saja is very streetwise and pos- Sesces the usual tiefling temper. She is als flirtatious and will sometimes make playful advances toward young male adventurers with @16 or higher Cha- riama. She plays a peripheral part in Chapter 8. Assuming she survives, DMs can tse Saja asa contact for future ad- ventures set in The Cage. "PCs reserving rooms inthe Black Seil ‘must pay 10 gp per night, or more ifthe innkeeper thinks they're loaded with jink. ‘The tavern containg ite of value, al- though the innkeeper (a breeding thief named Zaren) koope a sack of 160 gp in his private quarters. The second floor ‘guest room nearest the stairs is currently taken by Dizngrin. The trunk in Dirn- sgrin's room is locked (+ 15% to thieves! ‘open locks rolls) and contains a collapsible metal halberd +1 and an amulet of nega: tive plane protection functions as the Srd- level priests spell af the same name and protetis the wearer against energy raining attacks) Reaching an Agreement Ifthe PCs agree to help Inimigle retrieve the child from Durkayle's clutches, the yagnoloth smiles broadly He then hands ‘one ofthe PCs (the party leader, if there is fone) a 6" black basalt disk engraved with ‘an arcanaloth’s visage (a gate key to the plane of Gehenna, stolen by Dirngrin and hha barAgura thuge) and gives the party these instructions: “Only fools would smash their way into Durkayle’s stronghold. The chant is he’s got more than two hun- dred hardheads stationed there. But do not let the numbers deter you. You must travel to The Lady's Ward and seek out Zaraga, mistress of the Screaming Tower. To enter her lair, ‘you must show its guardians that talisman and recite the following oath to the Lady of Pain. Repeat after me: ewear this oath to Si Lord of all She gazes; pledge my life to Her, the one ‘Who spares us from the Mazes. ““A catchy little rhyme—just make sure you get it right. Once inside the Screaming Tower, you will meet Zaraga. Don't be alarmed by her ‘appearance. She's as dear a wornan fas any fiend could ever set eyes upon! Give her the talisman and she will help you. Do not give the talisman to anyone but Zaraga, or you won't live to regret your mistake.” i's guard: Inimigle repeats The Lady's Oath if] PC wishes to write it down. Ifthe play- ces forget parts of it, the PCs will find themselves in serious trouble! As for Zaraga, the yagnoloth does not describe her in any more detail, claiming she likes to use magic to alter her appear- ance from time to time, ‘Chapter 3: To the Lady's Ward Getting from the Black Sail to The Lady's Ward takes several hours of walking. The Lady's Ward is the most orderly and well-kept district in Sigil, far removed from the gloom and grime of the Lower Ward. Whether the party opts tofy or travel by foot, read or paraphrase the following description a the PCs make their way toward the Screaming Tower: For all its bizarre majesty, The Lady's Ward is a cold and lifeless place cluttered with dark, twisted architecture, Inside towers of peril- ous height lurk some of the most powerful, gluttonous, and vile beings imaginable. The maze-like streets are patrolled by stone faced Harmonium soldiers, all looking to scrag some poor sod or hang some lowlife bubber from the leafless tree. 26 Issue No. 55Even the tanar'ri and baatezu give the faction a generous berth, taking their skirmishes to the rooftops to avoid confrontation. ‘The PCs are generally safe so long. they remain in wide-open places and nothing to draw attention to them- selves. Foolish or heroie acts will not tolerated by the Harmonium. The DM, should stage one or both of the followin ‘encounters as the party makes its way through this part of Sigil Between a Hag and a Hardhead ‘As you round the next corner, you ‘come face to face with four armored soldiers, their breastplates adorned with the blue sword-crest of the Harmonium. The squad's leader ‘comes to an abrupt halt, narrowly avoiding a collision with your party, and glares at you with cold blue eyes. He says, “Ho, there! Sheath your ‘weapons and state your business!” ‘The PCs are confronted by four sol: diers of the Harmonium. The leader of this patrol is a human paladin named Kellinor. He and his company are ‘searching for a “wanted felon” who's been accused of selling false gate keys ‘to Mount Celestia (known to many clueless primes as the Seven Heavens, haven for all that is lawful and good). Kellinor has a personal stake in seeing this culprit brought to justice, since Mount Celestia is where most paladins whittle away their afterlives, The PCs have never met the wanted felon, though they'll have a tough time con- vineing the paladin that they know nothing. “I know a liar when I see one and you—you are a liar!” is one of his favorite replies. Kellinor's quarry has made himself searce, but the paladin refuses to quit searching. He interrogates the PCs thor- oughly, providing them with an obscure description of the culprit (tall, gaunt, Dlue-skinned, dressed in gold regalia, probably an Anarchist”) and asking them ‘again and again whether or not they've seen or made contact with this “unseru- ppulous cross-trader” Ifthe PCs fail to wwince Kellinor that they know noth: ing, or if they tell the paladin, “Pike it, bberk!” he arrests them. Attempts to bribe the paladin are met with terrible scowls and compounded charges. to locate more Hirrionium soldiers! Ifthe PCs find themselves in troubled waters, one of Inimigle’s allies arrives fon the scene to bail them out. The ally is Virinis, a polymorphed night hag, and she's been asked to watch for the PCs and ensure their safe passage through The Lady's Ward. While the hardheads are busy question- ing or arresting the PCs, Virinis (in the ‘guise of a old peddler) saunters past. She has left her restaurant in capable hands ‘and is pushing a cart loaded with fat, ing larvae. Suddenly, one of the ‘art's wheels falls off and the larvae are ‘et loose upon the street! While the Harmonium soldiers help Virinis recap- ‘tre the larvae, the PCs are given a ‘chance to escape. (Ifthe PCs hang around, the hag discretely “shoos” them away.) Preferably when the PCs are out of range (beyond 20’), Virinis casts her forget spell on the befuddled Harmonium soldiers. Ifthe soldiers fail their saving throw, they completely forget about their encounter with the PCs. If the hardheads save against the speli, Virinis provides them with infor- ‘mation they need to track down the enigmatic “gate-key pusher” Since this is Kellinor’s number-one priority, he does not waste time chasing the PCs through Sigil’s dark alleys but instead tries to validate Virinis’ claims. PCs in the range of Virinis’ forget spell must also make a saving throw or lose all, memory of the last seven rounds. Kellinor (human paladin): AL LG; AC 1; MV 12; Pa; hp 45; THACO 14; 4AT 1; Dmg by weapon type +1 (Strength); SA charm person oncelday; SD lay on hands (heal 12 hp/day), immune to disease, cure disease once! week, +2 to saving throws; S 16 (+0/ +1), D 13, C13, 110, W 16, Ch 17; ML 15; plate mail +2, broad sword +2. Kellinor is just a glorified (but well: quipped) Harmonium stooge. Harmonium notaries (3): AL LG; AC ; F3: hp 24 each; see Chapter 1 for complete statistics, They wear plate ail and are equipped with man. -atchers and long swords. Virinis (polymorphed night hag): IT exceptional; AL NE; AC 0; MV 9; _/ MAD 8; hp 87; THACO 13; #AT 1; Dmg 248; SA cause disease; SD spell immu. nity, cannot be held (due to magical ring), +3 weapons to hit; MR 65%; SZ M; ML 8; XP 12,000; PMC/60. Spells: know alignment, magic missile (4 mis siles; usable 5 times/day), polymorph self, ray of enfeeblement, sleep (affects evil individuals only). Virinis wears a hood of obscured alignment, making it impossible for others to detect her evil ‘thoughts when the cowl is drawn, She also carries a mage's scroll (forget, sstoneskin, and Mordenkainen’s sword cast at 18th level) and wears a ring of free action. If attacked, Virinis relies on her good armor class, her invulnerability to most ‘weapons, and her magic resistance for protection. If she sustains damage, she casts the stoneskin spell from her scroll, rendering her impervious to the next 1d4 +9 attacks. Larvae (4): INT semi; AL NE; AC 7; MV 3; HD 1+1; hp 5 each; THACO 20; #AT I; Dmg 1d4+1; SA wounding, cause disease; SZ M; ML 4; XP 35; PMCI62. ‘The Barghest Wagon ‘A large black wagon rolls down the street, pulled slowly by a monstrous black bull armored in metallic lates. Pedestrians give the wagon a ide berth, staying clear of its spiked ‘wheels and the bull's green, gaseous breath. The frightful wagon is lined ‘with thick iron bars and holds nearly ‘a dozen prisoners, most of them dressed like vagrants or thieves. Seated at the reins are two large, bblue-skinned goblinoids with menac- ing scowls and cruel, barbed whips. ‘They are shouting disparaging re- marks to pedestrians in their own ugly language, probably warning them to stay out of the wagon’s path. ‘The black bull is a gorgon, and the goblinoids are barghests working for TTT UNSEON 27UMBRA Durkayle and the Harmonium. The Dargheats, Kras and Scamang, are deliv. ering ten prisoners to The Courts for judgment. (The prisoners will be sen- tenced by the Guvners and then taken to ‘The Prison and let in the clutches ofthe Mercykillera.) The prisoners are mosty agers who were caught looting a tem- ple in The Lady's Ward. These lowlifes Will almost certainly be incarcerated, expelled to some terrible plane, or dan fled from the “leafless tree" (the gal- Iows). One ofthe prisoners is a young ‘mage named Heleta Vazgarth. Heleta is ‘an initiate ofthe Sign of One, a faction ‘which believes the Individual is the center of the universe, She was in the ‘wrong place atthe wrong time and was scragged by the barghests along with the nine looters. She has been beaten and reduced to 4 hp, but she still has a few spells memorized. When she spots the ‘well-equipped PCs in the crowd, she casts her ESP spell on them. If the spell Succeeds, he learns about their quest for the “child of prophecy” Heleta then eries aut to them for help, using this new- found knowledge to get their attention: From the mournful sorrows of the prisoners comes a frightened ery for help. A young woman in torn robes reaches out to you through the bars ‘of the wagon and says, “Help me! I ‘know you've come for the child—the child of the prophecy. Ican help you! Please, don't let them take me!” Heleta knows zilch about the Zactar faction and Umbra. Until she joined the Signers three weeks ago, she was a clueless Outsider who knew nothing of Sigil’s ways. She is still a lost lamb ‘when it comes to knowing the dark of ‘things. Ifrescued, she doesn't even pretend to know her way around Sigil, admitting that she used magic to trick the party into freeing her. If the party ignores her pleas, Heleta casts her taunt spell on the PCs to provoke them into attacking the wagon. If er spell works, the barghests mistake the party's inten tion to attack Heleta as an assault ‘against them and retaliate accordingly. Heleta Vazgarth (human mage): AL CG; AC 8; MV 12; W4; hp 13 (currently 4; THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg by spell or ‘weapon type; 88, D 16, C 11,116, W 9, (Ch 12; ML 8. Spells memorized: detect ‘magic, taunt, ESP Heleta wears a bronze

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