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Summary:
The party must rescue the blind lover of a dryad from a band of kobolds in order to secure some drops of her blood.
Assumptions:
The party is in the service of House Riverine and one of them is a wizard under the tutelage of Curinax the Transmuter.
Location:
The far Coast near the border with Thaneer.
Historical Date:
21 N.S. (5535 A.D.), Late Spring
Introduction:
The crotchety old wizard Curinax, house wizard of Riverine in Dwillingir, intends to aid his young protégée (a wizard party member) by crafting for him a wand of Sleep. However, in order to do so he needs a rare ingredient…a few drops of the blood of a creature of fey.
The only fey for miles is a dryad who inhabits the centre of the Dun Woods. The dryad is difficult to locate, as she is reclusive and her woods have been ravaged by woodcutters, but she has a problem of her own and would be willing to part with the blood if the party helps her out.
Locating the Fey:
The wizard does not personally know of any fey in the region of the northern Far Coast, but the party can certainly inquire around town.
Inquiries should be relatively easy to make. A Gather Information check (DC 5) should turn up folk who recollect that a bard was singing a tale of a forest spirit somewhere nearby in one of the taverns of Dwillingir.
The tavern in question is a middle of the road establishment, called the Rusty Mage. Within, the bard Redondo can be heard to perform several songs for the crowd. One such is called "The Lady of Dunwood" and its lyrics are as follows:
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Whither art thou oh man of
devotion O Lady of Dunwood, mistress
of trees For to love the daughter of
river and soil Whither art thou oh man of
devotion But the mortal man's fickleness
he denies And after a year and a day
without sight And pledge his undying love
to his prize Whither art thou oh man of
devotion |
If the bard is questioned (and he will be more pliable if given a tip and something to drink), he will say that he heard the tale from a blind beggar down in Spiralle and though he doubts the truth of the tale, he will say that the man told the tale with such a yearning in his breast that it inspired the bard to put the tale to song. The bard can also state that the heard the man's tale some 6 months ago.
The song should lead the party to the Dun Woods, which is about two and a half day's travel straight across country from Dwillingir.
The Journey:
Other than, perhaps, the weather, the journey is uneventful. The land is somewhat wild with game trails and small paths to follow over hill and across stream. But here and there are small steads and farms and cultivated fields.
If the DM intends to run the scenario "Witness Protection", he can foreshadow that scenario by having the party run across a sacked caravan near Hosfel Orchard. This would have taken the rutted tracks from the Imperial road running from Dwillingir to Wayward to Hosfel Orchard and the caravan will be just a bit off to the side of the tracks, out of sight of the actual roadway but visible from the party's cross-country vantage.
What will be found is an overturned wagon with a smashed wheel, some blood, some torn large sacks, a smashed chest, and a few broken arrows. The ransacking looks to be about 2-3 days old.
Tracks lead off to the southwest, but since the highway gang that perpetrated the attack is reserved for "Witness Protection", the trail should run cold.
The DM can also provide any encounters he wishes during the journey, though these should probably be innocuous for the most part.
The party should probably stop at Urnstead for the night, though they may proceed directly into the woods in the pitch black of darkness if they are so inclined.
The folk of Urnstead, originally a stead that grew up into a village, are rustic and provincial, being lumberers for the most part, and they regard folk from Dwillingir with some suspicion. Nonetheless, should the party prove their generousity or good intentions, the folk will warm up to them (and their coin).
The townsfolk can tell of tales of a witch of the Dun Woods who is said to inhabit the centre of the woods and who, it is said, periodically attacks the townsfolk and even sometimes steals babes right out of their cribs. Most of the folk will not travel through the centre of the woods.
The folk can also tell that the Dun Woods used to be much bigger in ancient times, but lumbering with the coming of the Imperium has caused the forest to dwindle to its present status.
The folk here mostly worship Erinhoru and placate the Dun River.
The Dun Woods:
The Dun Woods are indeed ancient, the heart of a forest that, during Thaneeri times was called the Dun Forest. What is left is its heart, and although the spirits of the woods remaining are indeed spiteful of humans and have been diminished by them, the woods are not evil by any means.
The tales of babies being snatched in Urnstead has nothing to do with the spirits of the woods. In actuality, a band of kobolds has come down from the Aynayjor Mountains, having been run out of their lair by dwarves, and have taken up residence in the woods for the last 5 years or so. Sobered by their experience with the dwarves, the kobolds are smart enough to raid Urnstead only occasionally. They have, in actuality, robbed an Urnstead cradle twice in 5 years, but the losses have been blown out of proportion in Urnstead such that one might think a babe goes missing every month or so.
Woodcutters have also gone missing in the woods, and indeed on some occasions the dryad and her minions have done this, to attempt to stop the cutting down of the vestiges of their demesne. Such woodcutters are usually attacked by animals serving the dryad and then eaten by the forest denizens. A few woodcutters, however, have actually fallen prey to the kobolds.
Finding the Dryad:
As the party makes its way to the heart of the woods, the animals become more and more hostile. At first, at the wood's edge, they skitter and run away like normal animals. Later, deeper into the woods, the animals will often observe the party for a time before stamping a hoof angrily or shaking an antlered head and bounding off. Finally, in the very heart of the woods, the animals will attack.
The first attack will come from a group of male stags, which will leap to attack from the underbrush. While not particularly stealthy, they are not so noisy that they cannot possibly gain surprise on the party.
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* Stags (3): CR 1/4; Medium-sized animal; HD 2D8+2; hp 13, 12, 16; Init +2; Spd 40 ft; AC 14 (touch 12, flat-footed 12); Atk +1/-4 melee (1D3+1 [x2], hooves; 1D4+1, antlers); SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +1; Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 4. Length 5 ft. Skills and Feats: Balance +4, Jump +5, Listen +7, Spot +7. Special Qualities: Scent (Ex): Detect opponents within 30 ft by sense of smell, 60 ft upwind and 15 ft downwind, detect strong scents at double range and overpowering scents at triple range, pinpoint source of scent when within 5 ft; track by smell using Wis check with a DC of 10 and a +2 to DC for each hour the trail is cold. |
Sometime later a boar will attack. This will be heard rumbling through the undergrowth, so the party will not be surprised, but it will not actually squeal until it emerges from the bushes some 25 ft from the party and then squeals as it charges to the attack.
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* Boar: CR 2; Medium-size animal; HD 3D8+9; hp 25; Init +0; Spd 40 ft; AC 16 (touch 10, flat-footed 16); Atk +4 melee (1D8+3, gore); SA ferocity; SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +2; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 4. Length 4 ft 6 in. Skills and Feats: Listen +7, Spot +5. Special Abilities: Ferocity (Ex): Fights without penalty when disabled or dying. Special Qualities: Scent (Ex): Detect opponents within 30 ft by sense of smell, 60 ft upwind and 15 ft downwind, detect strong scents at double range and overpowering scents at triple range, pinpoint source of scent when within 5 ft; track by smell using Wis check with a DC of 10 and a +2 to DC for each hour the trail is cold. |
The third attack will be from a wolverine. This is a very serious attack and likely to test the party's mettle. Fortunately, wolverines are very ferocious and generally howl and growl as they charge, meaning the party will certainly not be surprised and may make a Spot check to determine how far away the wolverine is when it is first seen. Roll a Spot check and then apply double the standard modifier for distance (doubled due to forest terrain) until a DC of 5 is obtained. That will determine the sighting distance.
Example:
Kelliene has a Spot skill of+4. She rolls a Spot check of 12 with a +4 giving her a final result of 16. This will allow her to Spot at DC to a range of 50 ft (since she suffers a -2 for every 10 ft).
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* Wolverine: CR 2; Medium-size animal; HD 3D8+12; hp 27; Init +2; Spd 30 ft, burrow 10 ft, climb 10 ft; AC 14 (touch 12, flat-footed 12); Atk +4/-1 melee (1D4+2 [x2], claws; 1D6+1, bite); SA rage; SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2; Str 14, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 10. Length 4 ft. Skills and Feats: Climb +15, Listen +6, Spot +6. Special Abilities: Rage (Ex): During rage has the following statistics instead of those given above: hp 29; AC 12 (touch 10, flat-footed 10); Atk +6/+1 melee (1D4+4 [x2], claws; 1D6+3, bite); SV Fort +9, Will +4; Str 18, Con 23. Skills: Climb, Jump, and Swim increase by +2. The rage begins when the wolverine takes damage in combat and ends when the wolverine or its opponents are dead. Special Qualities: Scent (Ex): Detect opponents within 30 ft by sense of smell, 60 ft upwind and 15 ft downwind, detect strong scents at double range and overpowering scents at triple range, pinpoint source of scent when within 5 ft; track by smell using Wis check with a DC of 10 and a +2 to DC for each hour the trail is cold. |
Eventually, the party will make its way to a large grove in the very centre of the woods, atop a small knoll. Within the grove is a massive spruce, its needles a foot long and its trunk stretching straight up over 100' into the sky. This is the dryad's tree.
The dryad will certainly use some of her magic to try to hinder or scare away the party. She will not risk her animal companions unless the party presses her severely. However, if the party is determined to remain and shows no sign of attacking her and tries to plead its case, the dryad will eventually agree to listen to what they have to say, bursting into a fit of tears and proclaiming:
| O! How can I make war on the kin of he whom I adore? How alike you are to him…youthful and with the spark of life and so brave! |
Note: The dryad and her animal companions are powerful enough to easily destroy the entire party. DMs should understand that D'Anastra is interested only in driving the party away, not slaying them all, and the party should be able to convince her to stop even her harassing attacks. Only a party that is blood thirsty and intent on a fight to the finish should be subject to her full wrath.
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* D'Anastra, the Lady of Dunwood: Female dryad Druid 5; CR 6; Medium-size fey; HD 2D6 plus 5D8; hp 27; Init +6; Spd 30 ft; AC 12 (touch 12, flat-footed 10); Atk +4 melee (1D4, dagger); SA spell-like abilities; SQ nature sense, woodland stride, trackless step, resist nature's lure, wild shape 1/day, symbiosis, low light vision; AL CN, SV Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +9; Str 10, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 18. Height 4 ft. 9 in. Skills and Feats: Animal Empathy +9, Climb +5, Concentration +6, Escape Artist +7, Heal +8, Hide +9, Knowledge (nature) +12, Listen +9, Move Silently +9, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +7, Spot +9, Swim +6, Wilderness Lore +7; Alertness, Dodge, Expertise, Improved Initiative, Mobility. Special Abilities: Spell-like abilities: speak with plants at will, dimension door at will to her home tree as a 7th level sorcerer when stepping inside of any tree, charm person 3/day (DC 15) with a duration of 4 hours. Special Qualities: Nature Sense: Identify plants and animals with perfect accuracy and detect whether water is safe or dangerous to drink. Woodland Stride: May move through thorns, briars, overgrowth without impairment or damage at normal speed unless such growth is enchanted. Trackless Step: Leaves no trail in natural surroundings and may not be tracked. Resist Nature's Lure: +4 bonus to saves against the spell-like abilities of feys. Wild Shape: 1/day may polymorph self into a Small or Medium-sized animal and back again; only one form may be adopted each time and the druid is healed as if having rested for a day. Symbiosis (Su): The dryad is bound to her pine tree and must never stray more than 300 yards from it. If she does she becomes ill and dies within 4D6 hours. Possessions: petrified wood dagger, robes of woven flax, mistletoe Spells Prepared (5/4/3/2): 0 - detect magic, fire eyes, resistance, dawn, flare; 1 - entangle, summon nature's ally I, endure elements, camouflage; 2 - summon swarm, creeping cold, regenerate moderate wounds; 3 - quillfire, infestation of maggots; Base DC = 13 + spell level. |
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* Animal Companion, Black Bear: CR 2 (included in its master's CR); Medium-size animal; HD 3D8+6; hp 23; Init +1; Spd 40 ft; AC 13 (touch 11, flat-footed 12); Atk +6/+1 melee (1D4+4 [x2], claws; 1D6+2, bite); SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +2; Str 19, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6. Length 5 ft. Skills and Feats: Climb +6, Listen +4, Spot +7, Swim +8. Special Qualities: Scent (Ex): Detect opponents within 30 ft by sense of smell, 60 ft upwind and 15 ft downwind, detect strong scents at double range and overpowering scents at triple range, pinpoint source of scent when within 5 ft; track by smell using Wis check with a DC of 10 and a +2 to DC for each hour the trail is cold. |
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* Animal Companion, Wolves (2): CR 1 (included in its master's CR); Medium-size animal; HD 2D8+4; hp 14; Init +2; Spd 50 ft; AC 14 (touch 12, flat-footed 12); Atk +3 melee (1D6+1, bite); SA trip; SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1; Str 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6. Length 4 ft. Skills and Feats: Hide +3, Listen +6, Move Silently +4, Spot +4, Wilderness Lore +1 (+5 when tracking by scent). Special Abilities: Trip (Ex): A wolf that hits with its bite attack may attempt to trip its opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails the victim cannot react to trip the wolf. Special Qualities: Scent (Ex): Detect opponents within 30 ft by sense of smell, 60 ft upwind and 15 ft downwind, detect strong scents at double range and overpowering scents at triple range, pinpoint source of scent when within 5 ft; track by smell using Wis check with a DC of 10 and a +2 to DC for each hour the trail is cold. |
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* Animal Companion, Dire Badger: CR 2 (included in its master's CR); Medium-size animal; HD 3D8+12; hp 23; Init +2; Spd 30 ft, burrow 10 ft; AC 16 (touch 13, flat-footed 13); Atk +4/-1 melee (1D4+2 [x2], claws; 1D6+1, bite); SA rage; SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +4; Str 14, Dex 17, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10. Length 6 ft. Skills and Feats: Listen +6, Spot +6. Special Abilities: Rage (Ex): During rage has the following statistics instead of those given above: hp 25; AC 14 (touch 11, flat-footed 11); Atk +6/+1 melee (1D4+4 [x2], claws; 1D6+3, bite); SV Fort +9, Will +6; Str 18, Con 23. Skills: Climb, Jump, and Swim increase by +2. The rage begins when the badger takes damage in combat and ends when the badger or its opponents are dead. Special Qualities: Scent (Ex): Detect opponents within 30 ft by sense of smell, 60 ft upwind and 15 ft downwind, detect strong scents at double range and overpowering scents at triple range, pinpoint source of scent when within 5 ft; track by smell using Wis check with a DC of 10 and a +2 to DC for each hour the trail is cold. |
The dryad will explain the plight of her woods, its history, and why the beasts of the place are hostile to humans.
She will also explain her outburst, that she is trothed to love a mortal man, but that the law of her parents (the spirit of the Dun River and the essence of the Dun Forest) require that any mortal who dares to love her in return prove his devotion by agreeing to give up his sight for the rest of his life. Indeed, because in the throes of passion a mortal might agree to such a thing, the law requires that the mortal must remain blind for a year and a day and flee the woods until that time is finished. If, after a year and a day the mortal has tasted blindness and still wishes to love the fey, then he must return within a week of the final day and proclaim his love before his beloved.
On the other hand, if he decides not to endure blindness for the sake of his love, then he simply does not return to his fey and after a year and eight days his sight returns.
The Dryad's Predicament:
The dryad will agree to give up drops of her blood only if the part will help her. Her beloved has not returned and the year and eight days are almost finished (today is the sixth day). She is sure the mortal's love for her was pure and true and she is sure he should have returned by now, for he pledged to her that he would return on the first day after his travail.
The dryad is worried that, in his blind condition, he has somehow been injured and is even now wounded or dying somewhere in her woods. She begs the party to search the woods and find her lover. Her animals have searched the woods, to no avail, but one animal said he smelt a fresh human smell at a place to the northwest but when he tried to follow it he was shot at with arrows and fled.
The dryad has had reports of trouble and danger coming from that area of the forest for 5 winters now, but she does not know what is causing this.
The dryad, should the party agree, will provide a boar as a guide to lead them to the place where the arrows were fired.
Finding the Blind:
The dryad's paramour indeed had tried to return to her. He even managed to hire a ranger to guide him to the heart of the forest. However, by misfortune the two ran straight into the territory of the kobold group. Seeing a single ranger with a blind man in tow was too much for the kobolds to resist, and so they set a trap, using the blind man to hamper the ranger's acuity, and managed to take both prisoner.
The dryad's boar will guide the party to the location of the arrow fire, some 5 miles to the west by northwest of the dryad's grove. During this time, no animals will confront the party.
Eventually the boar will become nervous, then agitated, and finally will go no further, pawing the ground and digging its snout into the ground. It will do this for about two minutes and then dash back towards the dryad's grove.
The party is now in kobold territory. The kobolds will soon catch wind of the party, for they have scouts in the trees, and the DM can certainly have the party check to see if they spot any of the kobold scouts. There is a scout at each compass point about 100 yards out from the lair. If intruders are sighted, the scout will rush to alert the lair and then run off to alert the other scouts. It takes 4 rounds for a scout to run back to the lair, another round to alert the lair, and then another 10 rounds to gather up the remaining three scouts, so assuming the party assaults the lair, the 4 scouts will arrive 14 rounds after the party is first sighted.
The kobolds are cowards to be sure, but they like their new home and are, quite frankly, a bit full of themselves having just captured a ranger and another human with little or no trouble. Thus, they will attempt to prepare a defense of their lair, though they are smart enough to know that they must also capture or slay all of the new intruders, lest the location of their lair become known to the woodsmen of Urnstead and the village folk come in force to wipe them out.
The Kobold Lair:
Refer to the Kobold Lair map for details.
The following are the statistics for the denizens found within the Kobold Lair:
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* Male Kobolds (16): CR 1/6; Small humanoid (reptilian); HD 1/2D8; hp 3 ea; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 13 (touch 12, flat-footed 11); Atk -1 melee (1D6-2, halfspear), +2 ranged (1D8, light crossbow bolt); SQ darkvision 60 ft, light sensitivity; AL LE; SV Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +2; Str 6, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10. Height 3 ft. Skills and Feats: Craft (trapmaking) +2, Hide +8, Listen +2, Move Silently +4, Profession (mining) +2, Search +2, Spot +2; Alertness. Special Qualities: Light Sensitivity (Ex): Suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a Daylight spell. Possessions: light crossbow, halfspear, belt pouch. |
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* Lead Kobold: Male kobold Sorcerer 3; CR 3; Small humanoid (reptilian); HD 3D4+3; hp 13; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 15 (touch 12, flat-footed 14); Atk -1 melee (1D6-2, halfspear), +3 ranged (1D8, light crossbow bolt); SQ darkvision 60 ft, light sensitivity; AL LE, SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +3; Str 6, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 13. Height 3 ft 2 in. Skills and Feats: Concentration +7, Craft (trapmaking) +3, Hide +8, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Listen +2, Move Silently +4, Profession (mining) +2, Search +3, Spellcraft +7, Spot +2; Alertness, Combat Casting, Blind-Fight. Special Qualities: Light Sensitivity (Ex): Suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a Daylight spell. Possessions: light crossbow, halfspear, belt pouch, spell component pouch, deer fur cloak with an antlered hood. Spells Known (cast 6/6): 0 - acid splash, electric jolt, resistance, ray of frost, detect magic; 1 - sleep, burning hands, magic missile; Base DC = 11 + spell level. |
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* Adept Kobold: Male kobold Adept 2; CR 1; Small humanoid (reptilian); HD 2D6; hp 7; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 15 (touch 12, flat-footed 12); Atk -1 melee (1D6-2, halfspear), +2 ranged (1D8, light crossbow bolt); SQ darkvision 60 ft, light sensitivity; AL LE, SV Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +4; Str 6, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10. Height 3 ft 1 in. Skills and Feats: Concentration +4, Craft (trapmaking) +2, Hide +8, Listen +2, Move Silently +4, Profession (mining) +2, Search +2, Spellcraft +2, Spot +2, Wilderness Lore +5; Alertness, Dodge. Special Qualities: Light Sensitivity (Ex): Suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a Daylight spell. Possessions: light crossbow, halfspear, belt pouch, spell component pouch, ornamental jewelry made from various animal body parts. Spells Prepared (cast 3/2): 0 - ghost sound, guidance, cure minor wound; 1 - cause fear, obscuring mist; Base DC = 11 + spell level |
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* Dire Weasel: CR 2; Medium-size animal; HD 3D8; hp 16; Init +4; Spd 40 ft; AC 16 (touch 14, flat-footed 12); Atk +6 melee (1D6+3, bite); SA attach, drain blood; SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +4; Str 14, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 11. Length 6 ft. Skills and Feats: Hide +9, Move Silently +10, Spot +5; Weapon Finesse (bite). Special Abilities: Attach (Ex): If the bite attack hits, the weasel latches onto its opponent with its jaws. An attached weasel loses its Dex bonus to AC. Blood Drain (Ex): A dire weasel drains blood for 2D4 points of temporary Con damage each round it remains attached. Special Qualities: Scent (Ex): Detect opponents within 30 ft by sense of smell, 60 ft upwind and 15 ft downwind, detect strong scents at double range and overpowering scents at triple range, pinpoint source of scent when within 5 ft; track by smell using Wis check with a DC of 10 and a +2 to DC for each hour the trail is cold. |
| * Female Kobolds (12): non-combatant. |
| * Child and Egg Kobolds (2 and 1): non-combatant. |
Unless otherwise stated, there are not light sources in the lair. All passageways are 5' tall, forcing human sized characters to stoop and suffer a -1 circumstance penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, and Reflex saves as well as any skill checks that the DM deems appropriate.
All chambers are 6'-7' tall unless otherwise stated and humans suffer no penalties in such areas.
All furnishings mentioned in the lair are kobold made and sized unless otherwise noted.
Logs and crude crossbeams shore up the tunnels and rooms at regular intervals, though in the rooms the vertical logs are generally against the walls and out of the way. Knocking out any of the supports allows a 5% chance that a collapse will take place in the area. Adjudication of such an event is left to the discretion of the DM.
1. Entryway:
The entrance to the lair is formed from a bunch of large boulders strewn at the edge of the large earthen mound that is covered with grass, bushes, and a few trees. The mound ends in a small 6' cliff that forms one side of a narrow gully where a creek or stream once flowed. There is a small path in between the boulders that leads to a hole in the side of the cliff face of the mound.
In the 5 ft square in the exact centre of the entryway (the square with the numeral "1" in it) the kobolds have dug a deadfall.
| * Camouflaged Pit Trap: CR 1; mechanical; location trigger; repair reset; Reflex save (DC 20) avoids; 10 ft deep (1D6, fall); Search (DC 24); Disable Device (DC 20). |
The pit is covered with a lattice of woven branches covered in leaves and topped with mud which blends well with the earthen floor of the entryway. The cover will break away when anything over 5 pounds is placed upon it. The trap may be bypassed by simply skirting the edges of the area. A kobold may traverse these edges easily, while a large creature may simply cling to a boulder and step across the edge.
2. First Cave:
A foul stench wafts its way out of this cave towards the Entryway. This small cave has many tunnels emanating from it. Several skeletons of small forest animals, along with dung and other refuse are tossed into a small pit in the centre of the chamber. The pit is some 5' wide and 20' deep and is about half filled with offal.
3. Spy Cavern:
The north end of this cave has a spyhole that peeks out into the gully near the entrance to the lair. At all times two kobold males are stationed here, watching for danger. There are several crude pelt pallets here along with a crude wooden table and chairs and several small animal skeletons.
4. Peep Hole:
Like the Spy Cavern (area 3), this small cave's northern end has a spyhole that looks out over the entrance to the lair. A single male kobold is always here watching for trouble. There is a single ratty pallet here and a bit of refuse.
5. Female Quarters:
This cave is home to the females of the group. There are 12 of them and they are smaller than the males and non-combatant. Kobold males regard females as a resource, not even worthy of claims as chattel or personal property, and they are shared by all members of the group. Two of the females are pregnant with eggs. The females will run from trouble, seeking to find males to protect them. They will not make any effort to protect their offspring.
There are also 2 small kobold whelps here and in the eastern corner a largish green egg sits in a nest of rodent bones and tufts of fur.
Several shiny polished stones are arranged in patterns around the room, though whether this is decoration or some sort of game being played is difficult to discern.
Each female has a torn fur pallet on which to sleep. Several hollowed trunks sit on the floor and hold water.
A tiny passageway leads from this chamber to the Storeroom (area 6). The passage is 1' in diameter and a kobold can crawl through it at half speed while only a Halfling or very thin gnome could wiggle through with great difficulty.
6. Storeroom:
This chamber contains the group's provisions, for times when hunting is lean (especially during winter). There are several small animal carcasses hanging from crude hooks hammered into the walls or tied by cord from the support beams across the ceiling. These corpses are of badgers and rats, rabbits and baby deer. Also, crude barrels fashioned from hollowed tree stumps and covered by wooden disks hold water, nuts, berries, and fruits, some of the latter already getting moldy.
In addition to the food, piles of fur and pelts are here, as well as lots of twine and cording made from woven hemp fibres.
A tiny passageway leads from this chamber to the Female Quarters (area 5). The passage is 1' in diameter and a kobold can crawl through it at half speed while only a Halfling or very thin gnome could wiggle through with great difficulty.
7. Common Chamber:
This chamber is used for gatherings of the group. There is a 5 ft diameter fire ring in the centre of the chamber, and the ceiling vaults to a height of 10 ft where a small hole allows smoke from the fire to vent up and out of the mound. Although there are signs of recent fires, the kobolds prefer the darkness and so usually the fire is doused.
Stacks of firewood stand nearby along with copious amounts of flint and tinder and small pieces of steel to strike the flint.
8. Trapped Room:
Thin cords of sinew coated with dirt run across the length of the room at various points. These are attached to two wooden lattices that hinge on the ceiling in the very centre of the chamber. When one of the cords is broken, the supports holding the lattices break away and the two lattices snap down like a great bear trap hanging from the ceiling. Each lattice is 10' long and 8' deep and made of thick branches and thin logs and the outer edge of each is weighted down with more logs and stones so that each lattice is quite heavy and will slam down hard. The face of each lattice is studded with fire hardened wooden spikes. The whole is contained within a small indentation in the ceiling such that casual observation of the ceiling from the entrances to the chamber will not reveal the trap (though it may reveal the indentation).
| * Snapping Spiked Lattice Trap: CR 1; mechanical, location trigger; repair reset; Atk +10 melee (2D6, spikes); multiple targets (affects all within a 10 ft by 15' area); Search (DC 15); Disable Device (DC 15). |
The trap is easily bypassed by either skirting around the edge of the room or by jumping over the wires. The kobolds are well versed at doing either. The trap is positioned as shown on the map, and kobolds defending their lair from intruders will certainly run through the chamber, avoiding the wires but attempting to make it appear as if they simply ran through the chamber, disguising their hops to avoid the tripwires. The kobolds can use a Bluff check if necessary against a Sense Motive check, though no check should be allowed if the party is chasing kobolds at full steam and has not expressed any wariness.
9. Male Quarters:
The males of the group lair here. There are usually 8 males here, sleeping on fur pallets or sitting and eating on crude wooden tables and chairs. Several rodents are caged in wooden cages here or tied to little leashes and kept as slaves/pets.
10. Adept's Quarters:
This cave is where the adept lairs. His pet, the dire weasel, also dwells here.
The cave has a fur pallet on a small stone shelf serving as a bed area. On the floor beneath it is a large "nest" of bones, tufts of fur, and leaves that serves as bedding for the dire weasel.
The walls of this place are decorated with crude drawings, in dried blood, of a demonic looking kobold figure spearing various animals and humanoid stick figures. To the south of the chamber, on another stone shelf, is a crude altar of piled stones, all stained with blood. A sharp bone dagger sits nearby. A wooden table holds vivisected rodents of all sorts, missing various body parts.
11. Leader's Quarters:
The kobold leader dwells here, on a plush fur pallet that likely once belonged to a black bear. A table and chairs are here as well, the table holding a thin piece of bark upon which has been gouged a crude map of the woods and Urnstead and nearby terrain features.
Tied up and gagged and blindfolded (yes, Harrin the blind man is indeed blindfolded!) are two humans. These are the ranger Aristole, and the dryad's paramour Harrin. Both are cut and bruised but still have their wits about them.
Both men's possessions are spread out on a fur pallet on the opposite side of the chamber (away from their reach).
To the south, a passageway runs some 150 ft before emerging on the other side of the mound in some bushes; an escape path.
Both men will fight for the party if released and given weapons. Aristole will request his possessions. If questioned as to whom he is, he will state that he was hired as a guide by Harrin to escort the blind man into the heart of the woods. Harrin has no idea why the man wishes to come to the woods. If questioned further, Harrin will seem curt and evasive. He is actually quite embarrassed since he is a ranger whose favoured enemy is kobolds and he was captured by this band.
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* Aristole: Male human Ranger 2; CR 2; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 2D10+2; hp 18; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 13 (touch 11, flat-footed 12); Atk +2/+2 melee (1D8+2, longsword; 1D4+1, dagger), +3 ranged (1D8, longbow arrow); SQ two-weapon fighting, favoured enemy (kobolds +1); AL NG, SV Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +1; Str 14, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 11. Height 6 ft. 1 in. Skills and Feats: Animal Empathy +2, Climb +4, Handle Animal +2, Heal +4, Hide +5, Intuit Direction +3, Jump +4, Knowledge (nature) +3, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Wilderness Lore +3; Alertness, Track, Weapon Focus (longbow). Possessions: leather, longsword, dagger, longbow, 12 arrows, explorer's outfit, belt pouch, potion of Cure Light Wounds at 1st level, potion of Endure Elements at 1st level, potion of Change Self at 3rd level. |
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* Harrin: Male human Commoner 2; CR 1; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 2D4+2; hp 9; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 12 (touch 10, flat-footed 12); Atk +1 melee (1D6, quarterstaff); AL N, SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will -1; Str 11, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 16. Height 5 ft. 10 in. Skills and Feats: Climb +2, Handle Animal +5, Jump +2, Listen +2, Profession (woodcutter) +1, Spot +2, Swim +2, Use Rope +2; Blind-Fight, Endurance. Possessions: leather, quarterstaff, peasant's outfit, belt pouch, backpack, bedroll. |
Kobold Defense:
The kobolds are full of themselves and determined to make a good stand of it, but they aren't stupid. They will attempt to use the winding maze of tunnels they have constructed to ambush party members, but none are really eager to engage in hand-to-hand combat with 6 ft tall giants! The kobolds will likely engage in small group hit and run tactics, meaning the party will not have to face the entirety of the force at once as a group. The leader and adept (and his pet dire weasel) will likely stay out of the fight unless it seems their forces are flagging, in which case they will appear to bolster the defense. If things go badly, the kobolds will certainly abandon the field and flee down the escape passage in area 11.
Finishing Up:
The ranger, if he is rescued, is a bit embarrassed about being captured by kobolds, especially since they are his favoured enemy. Nonetheless, he is grateful at being aided and will offer the party one of his magic items and half of his gold should the party recover them. Of course, the party can take everything, but then he will be unfriendly to the party and less inclined to aid them later. Otherwise, however, the party will have a friend who dwells near Feyintar Hamlet in the Feyndir Forest and they can seek him out at the Inn of the Ghostly Trees in Feyintar or leave word for him there, as he comes into town about once a month.
The dryad's paramour will be very grateful if the party would guide him to his beloved. There he will pledge his undying love for the dryad and vow unto Erinhoru to forego his sight forever. As he and the dryad embrace, a spring will suddenly bubble up from the ground under their feet. The man, guided by some impulse, will splash the water over his face and suddenly his sight will be restored! He has passed the test of loyalty and, because of his true heart, Erinhoru has restored his sight.
The dryad will be very grateful to the party, and she will take a pine needle and prick her forefinger, allowing the party to collect 20 drops of her blood, which is enough to craft the wand (with a few drops left over).
The party can then return the blood to Curinax, who will then fashion a wand of Sleep at 1st level for the party wizard.
Experience:
In addition to normal experience (which in Therra is half of that recommended in the DMG), each party member should be rewarded as follows:
· The party does not slay
any animals of the woods: +25 XP
· The ranger is rescued: +25 XP
· The blind paramour is rescued: +25 XP
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