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Summary:
The PCs must defeat an evil hag and her magical hut before her evil plan can be brought to full fruition.
Assumptions:
The PCs are dwelling in the Fortress of Eixtenizti.
Location:
Aladur
Historical Date:
Late Winter 706 A.C.
DM's Introduction:
Note: This scenario is more of an extended encounter than a full-fledged scenario. It can be used as a prelude to the scenario Rifts. The scenario is loosely based on Baba Yaga and her dancing hut. It also takes significant elements from Hungry Jack from the World of Glorantha and Runequest.
The Hag and the Hut:
Trincomali was the lover of an ancient trickster spirit of Aladur named Garivmindul who became corrupted and fled the land for the Elemental Planes. Trincomali could not or would not accompany her lover, but ever did she serve as his eyes and ears on the Material Plane and as the trickster descended into evil, so too did Trincomali.
The killorens of Aladur know of Trincomali. She is the bogeyman of the area...an entity feared and often spoken of in tales by flickering moonbug light on autumn nights. But she is also rarely seen, for the killorens have, according to their old tales, defeated her many times in the past, though always she barely escaped each time. Because of her many close calls, she has become far more circumspect in her evil, content to lurk on the fringes of killoren lands, causing whatever petty mischief she can and providing information to her lover.
Any killoren can tell the PCs tales of Trincomali. She is reputed to be a powerful wielder of nature magic and her dancing hut is legendary amongst the killorens. But few, if any, have actually seen her or been involved with her past depredations, so that many younger killorens believe she is merely a legend designed to scare them.
They could not be more wrong. Trincomali does exist, and over the centuries her power has grown, nurtured by her own isolation and the power of her lover.
The Situation:
Trincomali has spent the better part of the last century gathering the materials for epic magic she has devised...the creation of a corrupting jack. A corrupting jack is a natural construct that is imbued with evil essences and spirits from the netherworld. The device is designed to corrupt the natural world around it, slowly converting the animal and plant life in the region into parodies of the natural order and abominations of what is right. Furthermore, the device feeds on the corruption is imparts, and this causes its influence to spread further and further until its influence can eventually encompass entire lands and regions.
Trincomali has activated her corrupting jack, and she hopes that she has activated it remotely enough so that by the time the killorens have learned of its presence, it will have influenced so large an area that she will have a ready made army to oppose them. However, she does not want the device so remote from Aladur so as to not affect the killoren directly.
And so, the corrupting jack has been activated not too far from the PCs' stronghold. Trincomali, so absorbed in the creation of the device until recently, was unaware of the PCs' presence and it never occurred to her to check on the ruined fortress that had previously stood untouched and shunned by the killorens for centuries. As such, the PCs will become alerted to the influence of the corrupting jack well before Trincomali is ready, and they can attempt to destroy the device and, perhaps, even Trincomali and her hut as well.
Part One - Unnatural Influences
Summary: The PCs observe the corruption of animal life and track the corruption to its source.
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The PCs will first be alerted to the growing danger by the killoren druidess Ezramdruindil (F, NG, Killoren Druid 2). She normally resides at Farbera's grove just outside of Eixtenizti Fortress and she spends much of her day speaking with and playing with animals who come to the grove to seek her companionship or healing. Ezramdruindil has been speaking to a group of birds who have told her of strange things happening in the jungle near the Gelbamthimbir River. The frog song normally heard this time of year is a strange one that the birds have never heard before and they have seen other animals acting strangely...squirrels swarming over an ocelot and devouring it, a spider monkey tossing its baby from a high tree onto the ground, ants tearing their queens apart.
Ezramdruindil will urge the PCs to head to that area to determine what is happening there. She, being a peaceful and non-adventurous druid, will not accompany the PCs. If the PCs linger at their stronghold for too long, the DM should start having other animals visit the druid grove and relate their tales. Should the PCs entirely ignore the situation, it is up to the DM to determine what will eventually happen (see Part Three below).
The journey to the area should not take too long for high level PCs, nor should it be difficult. Nothing appears amiss until the PCs reach the verges of the Coatlizin Jungle where the Gelbamthimbir River emerges and winds its way towards the marshes around Lake Sumpir. The jungle here is swampy and wet, with frequent pools and muddy expanses.
Inquiries of animals outside of the Coatlizin Jungle will turn up only more confirmation of the tales already told to Ezramdruindil. Speaking with plants will reveal nothing. Once in the jungle proper within about 30 miles of the southernmost point of the Gelbamthinbir River on the map, the tales of the animals will become more personal. They will tell of members of their groups (herds, packs, etc.) wandering off in the night and not coming back, sometimes devouring or brutally slaying their young before doing so. The plants here can also tell of some sort of lingering corruption in the earth.
If the PCs cast a spell like commune with nature, the general location of the corruption can be determined. Commune with nature can reveal the following facts (remember, only 3 are revealed with a single casting) if the area of corruption is within range of the spell's effect:
The ground or terrain = normal jungle terrain, with some swampy areas.
Plants = jacaranda trees, cypress trees, ferns, reeds, bamboo, many corrupted by something.
Minerals = nothing exceptional.
Bodies of water = only small jungle pools and small lakes.
People = no settlements of any size or large groups of people
General animal population = snakes, wolves, jungle birds, ocelots, jaguars, lizards, frogs (including giant or dire versions of all), many corrupted by something.
Presence of woodland creatures = none
Presence of powerful unnatural creatures = yes if within range of the site of the corrupting jack; some powerful unnatural presence resides about 35 miles upriver from where the Gelbamthinbir River emerges from the jungle.
The general state of the natural setting = some unnatural corruption has taken hold of the very land itself, including the plants and animals.
Assuming the PCs have not waited too long and allowed the corrupting jack's influence to grow too much, a few miles after entering the jungle (or reaching to within 30 miles of the point where the Gelbamthinbir River leaves the map to the south) the corruption will begin to become evident. For the next few miles the corruption will only be apparent to those learned in the ways of nature. Animal calls sound slightly off-key. Plants grow in a slightly strange manner, perhaps displaying colours that are of a slightly strange hue. A DC 25 Knowledge (nature) check will reveal the fact that something is amiss, and this will decrease by 5 for each further 2 miles travelled, until it becomes apparent to all. When the DC becomes 0 (at 20 miles from the corrupting jac site), the corruption will become fully evident.
Here, trees are twisted and warped, with blackened bark bearing seeping cracks from which a thick blood red sap flows. Leaves are wrinkled and leathery and, if examined closely, seem to have vague designs of screaming faces contained within their subtle colourations.
Animals are also corrupted. Some bear pustulant sores and others have strange, tumor-like growths sprouting from them. Herbivores can be seen devouring insects and smaller animals, and insects that are normally solitary can be found in swarms.
The Corrupted Jungle
The jungle should be treated as medium forest. Normal travel rate would be at 1/4 rate if not travelling along the river valley, or 1/2 rate if doing so. The jungle canopy, always blocking enoough sunlight to make the jungle floor a bit dim, now seems to radiate shadows, casting the entire jungle floor into shadowy conditions (20% miss chance due to concealment) even at high noon.
Various corrupted animals and plants may be encountered by the PCs that are worthy of their attention and/or combat. Examples are presented below, and the DM should feel free to use these as he deems fit, to properly give the players the feeling of the corrupted atmosphere. Many of these encounters are not designed to truly challenge a party the level of the PCs, but merely to better display the corruption of the jungle. Some of these encounters can be repeated if desired.
All animals brought into the corrupted jungle will be eager to leave. A DC 20 Handle Animal check is required each hour to keep them from fleeing. While within the confines of the jungle, animals will be considered shaken.
Additionally, upon exposure to the jungle, any animal or vermin must make a DC 15 Will save or come under the sway of the corruption (even though vermin are immune to mind-affecting effects, they can be affected by this. Such an animal will immediately attempt to travel to the corrupting jack and will react hostilely to any attempt to hinder them. Animal companions are subject to this effect (although they can receive their devotion bonus), but familiars are not. Once an animal makes a save, it cannot be subject to this effect until 24 hours have passed. A protection from evil spell will prevent this compulsion from being exercised for the duration of the spell.
As the PCs travel deeper into the jungle, they may observe uncorrupted animals moving towards the corrupted jack as if in a trance, oblivious to the PCs. Some normally skittish creatures like deer may simply stride right past the PCs.
Encounter #1 - Evil Tree (EL 14)
Some trees have been twisted into umbral banyans. These will usually be found at the heart of very warped and twisted areas of thick jungle. Since these banyans are not technically of the Plane of Shadow, but a result of the corruption of the corrupting jack, its plane shift ability is modified to forest shift as indicated below. Additionally, because of the corruption of the surrounding jungle, the DC to notice the umbral banyan (refer to its camouflage ability below) is raised by 5.
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Encounter #2 - Corrupted Cats (EL 14)
Three corrupted dire jaguars (same as leopards stat-wise) lurk in the trees, waiting to pounce on prey.
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Encounter #3 - Creeping Doom (EL 13)
Animals can be seen fleeing past the PCs, away from the direction the PCs are headed. Soon, a carpet of wriggling centipedes will approach the PCs. If a DC 25 Listen check is made the PCs will have a round warning due to the sound of the swarms making thousands of minute clicking sounds as they travel across wood and leaves.
There are a total of 20 centipede swarms, arrayed in a single contiguous mass and they will veer to follow any living creatures, seeking to consume them whole. A DC 15 Knowledge (nature) check will reveal that such a large swarm of centipedes is almost unheard of.
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Part Two - The Hag and the Hut (EL 17)
The PCs will eventually come to a point on the Gelbamthinbir River about 35 miles upriver from the jungle edge, right where the map of Aladur ends. There, Trincomali and her dancing hut keep watch over the corrupting jack.
If the PCs are within 120 ft of
the corrupting jack, they will hear strange drone emanating
from the thing. It is difficult to tell if this drone is in the
minds of the PCs or an actual sound, or both, but the effect is
distracting, requiring any spellcasters to succeed on a Concentration
check equal to DC 10 + spell level to successfully cast the spell.
Failure means the spell is wasted. Trincomali is immune to this
effect.
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Within sound of the river is a patch of particularly twisted jungle. Dominating the place is what can best be described as a massive, warped, and melted jack-o-lantern. The thing is roughly 20 ft tall and about 30 ft in diameter. It has no visible stem, and its mottled orange skin droops towards the ground as if made of wax and partially melted. Clearly visible amongst the folds of orange skin is a sinister looking face, comprised of cresent moon-shaped eyes, a narrow triangle for a nose, and a toothy mouth that is set into a sinister looking grin. The thing is surrounded by the bodies of dead animals of all types, most twisted and corrupted horribly. Near the thing, perhaps 50 ft away, is a structure. The small, windowless log cabin is hexagonal in shape, with a decorated wooden roof. It is fifteen feet wide and stands nearly twelve feet high at the peak of the roof, with a small chimney on top. A pair of twelve-foot-long chicken legs extend from the bottom, upon which the hut begins to dance. |
Should an animal touch the corrupting jack, then it must make a final DC 30 Will save or succumb fully to it. If the save is successful, the animal is immune to corrupting jack's influence for 24 hours. If the save is failed, the animal must immediately make a DC 15 Fortitude save. Failure means the animal has been absorbed into the corrupting jack and is forever gone. If the Fortitude save is successul, the animal is now under a permanant dominate monster effect under the control fo Trincomali. This effect cannot be dispelled. Furthermore, the animal will gain the corrupted creature template (Book of Vile Darkness page 186) in 1d3 days. This effect cannot be stopped except by mens of a wish or miracle spell. Refer to Chapter Three for more details on corrupting jack.
Creatures: This clearing is dominated by the malign entity Trincomali and her magical dancing hut. While Trincomali has all of the statistics and abilities of a green hag, she is a one-of-a-kind entity in Sazhansiir with characteristics similar to a green hag. Similarly, while she has druidic abilties, she is in many ways the antithesis of a druid, corrupting rather than preserving nature. Any druid who observes her spellcasting can tell, by means of the verbal and somatic components, that rather than weave magic in harmony with nature, her power comes from dominating it to her will and twisting it to form her desires.
She appears like a normal green hag, but bedecked in a white chicken feather cloak and bearing a crooked staff that is covered in burnt runes. A black metal diadem with a triangular black scale at its fore sits on her brow.
Trincomali's snake companion is usually near her, sometimes wrapped around the hut. On occasion she will ride the snake. The snake is immune to the effects of the corrupting jack due to Trincomali's influence.
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FEATS: Practiced Spellcaster (CA p82) - CL +4 up to total HD. MAGIC ITEMS: shadowy diadem (dweomered dragons scales) (DrM p103) - as swift action 3/day gains concealment from darkness and immune to energy drain for 10 rounds or until 3rd level or higher light spell is entered. |
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Trincomali always casts a liveoak spell every 19 days. This means there is a treant at her service at all times. Assume a 1 in 20 chance on any given day that she has cast her spell that day and so is down a 6th level spell. This will be instead of her antilife shell. The liveoak will be on the other flank of the corrupting jack, about 130 ft from the hut. The liveoak is smart enough to recongize intruders and will attack, moaning a woody alert as it does so.
Additionally, Trincomali can use her changestaff spell to change her staff into a treant.
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The dancing hut is a remarkable construct created by Trincomali with the help of her lover, Garivmindul. The hut obeys her commands infallibly, but should she be slain, the hut will fall to pieces. The hut is entirely attuned to her and cannot be wielded by any other being.
The hut is larger on the inside than without, being about 50 ft in diameter and 30 ft tall with three levels and containing a variety of rooms, including a bedroom, pantry, kitchen, dining hall, trophy room, laboratory, and storage loft. Nothing of value is contained within except for the single small chest mentioned in Treasure below.
The hut's door will not open for anyone except at Trincomali's
command (opening or shutting is a move action), and the door cannot
be forced unless an opposed Strength check is successful against
the hut. Since the hut is not an object, but a living construct,
spells like knock will not work on it. The hut can communicate
telepathically with Trincomali when she is within 100 ft of it
(and vice versa).
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Tactics: Trincomali's goal is to defend the corrupting jack. However, she will not give up her life to do so. If things go bad she will escape, preferrably with the hut using its dimension shift ability. Given the hut's immunity to divination, it should not be too difficult for her to escape. If the hut is somehow prevented from escaping (e.g. dimensional anchor), then Trincomali wll reluctantly abandon it and use her transport via plants to escape. Her word of recall spell is set to take her back to the dancing hut.
If she has time to prepare, Trincomali will cast her defensive magic, including barkskin and resist energy (fire), saving her second resist energy and her protection from energy until she notes which energy type her foes prefer to use. She will also use her potions of mage armour, shield, and shield of faith, and will quaff her potion of protection from good if summoned creatures are used against her. She will not use her potion of blur, instead calling upon her shadowy diadem as a swift action at the first sign of combat.
Once battle is joined, one of her first actions will be to cast giant vermin on two spiders in the area. These gargantuan spiders will have statistics as follows:
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When casting summon nature's ally, she will prefer evil creatures whenever possible (e.g. salamanders). However, given that she has herself, two treants, her giant constrictor snake, and the hut, as well as two gargantuan giant spiders, she will likely use her spells as is rather than converting them to summon nature's ally spells.
Trincomali will use her changestaff spell to change her staff into a treant, but only after having cast her finger of death spell out of the staff from a spellstaff spell, which she always has cast (the spell is permanent until discharged). She will only cast stoneskin in extremis, as the material component cost is excessive.
Developments: Should corrupting jack be destroyed, Trincomali will flee immediately, as there will be no further reason for her to remain in conflict with the PCs. She will, however, vow revenge.
Tresure: A small chest in the hut holds 5 diamonds worth 5,000 gp each, 4 emeralds worth 4,000 gp each, 6 rubies worth 5,000 gp each, and a human skull studded with tourmaline teeth and amethyst eyes and etched with runes. This latter item is a rare epic relic of power that can be used in place of gold and experience points to craft epic magic pertaining to necromancy. This will not be apparent without extensive research, although a DC 30 Knowledge (arcana) check can tell it has some significance to necromancy and a DC 40 check will reveal it pertains to epic magic somehow. The precise amount of gold pieces and experience points it will provide is left to the DM.
Part Three - Corrupting Jack
Corrupting jack is described above. It radiates overwhelming evil and overwhelming enchantment and transmutation magic.
The device has 360 hit points and a hardness of 5 (the hardness of wood). It repairs 12 points of damage to any of its locations each round. For purposes of saves its CL is 20 and so it gets a save bonus of +12. Breaching the device will open a 10 ft square hole in its skin and allow access to the interior. Within are structures similar to what one would find inside a normal pumpkin...stringy ganglia like structures and large seedlike pods. The droning sound seems to come from vibrations of the stringy structures and they can be seen to quiver as if being plucked by some unseen hand.
Destroying the device involves damaging the interior. The interior has 600 hit points and no hardness. The insides do not repair. Fire and acid do 150% damage to the interior (with no halving for fire). Once the interior is destroyed, the device will quiver and deflate into a stinking and already rotting mass of putrescence. This mess will slowly dissipate over the next few weeks, and the corruption of the jungle will end, with corrupted animals and plants dying and their bodies rotting away quickly.
The seeds of corrupting jack can be eaten. There are 36 such seeds within, each the size of a large watermelon. Peeling a seed will reveal a smaller meaty nut within, about the size of a loaf of bread. Consuming this meaty nut raw will require a DC 35 Fortitude save. If successful, the consumer will gain a +1 inherent bonus to Charisma. If the save is failed, the consumer will lose 1 point of Charisma. This loss cannot be reversed or restored by any means (although Charisma can later be raised by noral means). A given person can only be affected (for better or worse) by a seed once in his lifetime. Eating further seeds has no effect. Anyone immune to poison cannot benefit from or be penalized by eating a seed (although save bonuses against poison will apply). The seeds will rot away in a couple of weeks.
When the corrupting jack consumes an animal, it heals hit points equal to the hit dice of the animal. This is the only way the interior of corrupting jack can be repaired. If an animal is consumed and the corrupting jack is not damaged, it can use the animal's essence to extend its range of influence. The exact details of this are beyond the scope of this scenario, but eventually the corrupting jack's influence could reach over the entire land of Aladur and perhaps even beyond.
Experience Points:
In addition to normal experience (which in Therra is half of that recommended in the DMG), each party member should be rewarded as follows:
If the PCs destroy the corrupting jack, they should be awarded XP equal to half of what they would receive for defeating Trincomali and the hut. If they also actually defeat her (i.e. drive her away before corrupting jack is destroyed or slaying her) or the hut, then they would also receive full XP for those foes.