Where There's Smoke... - A Therran 3.0 ed D&D scenario

Where There's Smoke...
A Therran 3rd Edition Scenario
For 4-8 Characters of Level 1

Summary:

The party must stop a scheme by House Commus to gain a foothold in the lucrative trade with the Ice People. The party stumbles upon the plan, which involves setting loose ash rats into the warehouses of Dwillingir.

Assumptions:

The party is in the service of House Riverine and one of them is awaiting the arrival of a trunk from the Imperial Heartland.

Location:

The Far Coast near the border with Thaneer.

Historical Date:

21 N.S. (5535 A.D.), Late Spring

Introduction:

The houses of the Imperial merchants are constantly scheming against each other to gain trading advantages. This is one such scheme.

The Ice People trade is probably the most lucrative market to hit the Imperium for quite some time. Due to the fame of one of the Heroes of the Gem, Queequeg, Ice People items have become en vogue in the Imperial Heartland, including ivory, whale fat, whale oil, and ambergris.

Until recently, House Riverine has, due to its singular presence in the Far Coast, dominated this trade, but other houses, such as House Mercur and House Usur, have begun to exploit the trade as well, providing budding competition for House Riverine as these three and the other houses begin to vie for the limited routes and access to these goods. Certainly, the flow of goods cannot support all twelve houses, so this period of initial placement and struggle is quite important to all of the houses.

House Commus is far behind the others in establishing access to the Ice People goods. The house has been generally concerned with the southern trade routes with the Morakki and with trying to dominate trade in the Heynosht and with Onlor and Girorium. As such, it has been late in recognizing the potential of the Ice People goods and in establishing a presence in the Far Coast.

With the realization that they are likely to be squeezed out of the market forever, the house has embarked on a bold plan to catch up and surpass the other houses and, at the least, establish itself as a player in the competition for the Ice People goods.

The Commus scheme is simple. It is known that the Ice People do not trade during the harsh winters. Instead, during the spring and summer the Ice People harvest their goods, first hoarding enough to survive the winter, with any surplus left over available to trade. Thus, trade with the Ice People occurs in a huge rush of goods in the spring, as the Ice People trade their winter leftovers to the northern Thaneeri and they then trade south to the clans that are friendly with the Imperium, such as the Cilligh and Menelon Clans or rootless Thaneeri such as the Vardekii.

As a result, the houses that seek to trade with the Thaneeri for Ice People goods tend to stockpile such goods demanded by the Thaneeri all winter long so that they have a stash ready in the late spring to trade with the Thaneeri in ex change for their Ice People goods.

Once this initial rush of trading is over, the flow of Ice People goods tends to taper off until the next spring, with only a trickle coming south from desperate Thaneeri in need of Imperial items.

House Commus seeks to disrupt the other houses' ability to conduct this initial trade with the Thaneeri for Ice People goods. They know that, currently, the warehouses of Dwillingir are stuffed full of trade goods for the Thaneeri. If House Commus can somehow destroy those warehouses and the goods within, then they would be in a position to use their own secret store of trade goods to move in and trade with the Thaneeri for the choicest of Ice People goods while the other houses scramble to gather and ship to the north new trade goods. Presumably, not only would House Commus make a killing this year, but they would be able to forge new trade agreements with the Thaneeri that would secure its place in the Ice People trade and drive a few other houses out of the running.

To this end, House Commus has engaged in two actions within the walls of Dwillingir. The first is to buy up several groups of adjacent buildings and to renovate them secretly so that they form a large warehouse. Trade goods have been brought into the town secretly and stored in the surreptitious warehouse. While there is certainly nothing illegal about House Commus forming a warehouse in the town, they are doing it secretly so that the other houses do not react to this new trade threat and because the second part of the Commus scheme is not legal at all.

The second part involves burning the warehouses to the ground, but to do it in such a way that House Commus is not directly implicated. To this end, House Commus has procured twelve ash rats from secret sources within the Imperial Heartland. These rats have been trained to attack a certain type of creature and Commus will use the powers of a grimalkin to lead the ash rats to the warehouses and, hopefully, immolate the warehouses and all the goods within.

However, the procurement of ash rats took longer than expected and House Commus is now worried that they will not be able to enact their scheme before the spring trade begins. As such, they have had to resort to sending four ash rats in this last shipment. Unfortunately, the crates they have designed to ship the rats secretly were only tested with two rats, and the heat generated by stuffing four of the rats into one crate is too much, to the detriment of House Commus' plans…

Part One - The Heat is On

One of the party members is expecting a trunk to arrive from the Imperial Heartland. He is most eager to receive this trunk, it having been long lost in transit. Whether the trunk actually arrives is not important, but the player character is at the caravansary outside of Dwillingir looking at the latest shipments from the group of caravans that have just arrived from the Heartland.

While walking around watching the caravaners offload the crates, the party member will notice one of the caravaners touch a metal crate and suddenly screech and shake his hand and put his fingers into his mouth. The drover watching nearby will tell the man to take care with that crate, as it has been getting hotter and hotter during the long journey north and even made scorch marks along the wooden floor of his wagon.

The caravaners will nod and ask for thick leather and wool gloves, whereby he will shove the crate over onto the ground with a thud!

The crate will land near the player characters. The PC will notice instantly that small blades of grass on the ground touching the crate curl and wilt as if burned. In addition, the heat and the rough handling of the crate have caused a shipping label's glue to melt, and the top left third of the label has curled off of the crate, revealing another label underneath. Even a casual look will reveal that the label beneath bears the symbol of House Commus (a sheaf of wheat pierced by a gladius).

Any PC with any sort of local knowledge or who has been involved in the politics of House Riverine will know that House Commus is one of the twelve great merchant houses of the Imperium. What will be strange, however, is the fact that House Commus is not know to have any outposts in Dwillingir and, indeed, only a few in southern Far Coast at all.

Should the player character touch the crate, it will be very hot. Anyone touching the crate in a bodily way will suffer 1-2 points of fire damage per round of contact. Merely touching it for an instant with one's hand will not cause even a point of damage but will be painful.

At some point the agents of House Commus will come for the crate. Although they have special gloves for the handling of the ash rats, they are not aware that the crate is hot. At first, they will be spotted talking to the caravan master, showing him their papers, and paying him some coins. The caravan master will point them in the direction of the crate and they will begin to make their way through the maze of offloaded goods towards the crate.

The PC should probably hide now or at least move away from the crate. If the PC does not have enough sense to do so, have the agents sneer at him and tell him to back away from their goods lest they call the watch and report a thief in the caravansary. If the PC tries to engage them in conversation, the agents will tell him to mind his own business and they will resort to threats if necessary.

The agents will touch the crate, curse, and then don heavy gloves. They will then complain that the gloves won't last long enough and each will take out a small vial of liquid and swallow it. These are Potions of Endure Elements (fire) and will provide protection from the heat for 24 hours (so it is important for the DM to remember this if the agents are confronted within 24 hours of this scene). Once that is done, they will put their gloves back and lift the crate and take it to a cart drawn by a single mule. One of the agents will then drive the cart while the other walks and they will make their way into the town and to the safehouse (known affectionately by the agents of House Commus as the "hothouse").

Part Two - The Safehouse

The most likely way for the party to deal with this strange crate is for the PC who was at the caravansary to follow the cart. The agents are not expecting any trouble or anyone to follow them, so they will not be alert or looking around them. Only if the PC at the caravansary gave the agents a lot of suspicion or trouble will they be on the lookout. In this case, if they spot a PC following them, one of the agents will likely veer off, head to the secret warehouse (see Part Three) and get a gang of toughs to try to eliminate the PC.

The PC at the caravansary could also return to the Riverine House and gather his fellows, but if he has not already tracked the wagon to the proper place, then the party will have to wander around the town until they come upon a cart and much like the one the agent was driving. If they look into the cart's bed they can see a rectangular scorch mark confirming that this was, indeed, the cart carrying the heated crate.

The Hothouse is located in a small two-story building on Coral Street, near the docks. The wagon is parked in the back of the building and the mule is kept in a small wooden stable next to the building.

None of the neighbours know of the use of the hothouse. They can merely say that some men have taken up residence in the building a couple of months ago and that they have a cart and a mule and have been seen taking metal crates into the house from time to time.

The hothouse is a wooden structure for the most part with paint that was once white but is now chipping off from the salty sea air and which paint remaining is grey from soot and dirt. A foundation of stone runs about 3' high at ground level.

All windows are of thick glass (3 inches thick) that is translucent but not transparent and there are drapes that can be drawn at every window except the stable (Room G) which has wooden shutters on the inside of the window that can be closed. Windows are 2 ft wide and 3 ft tall.

Each story is 8 ft tall. All doors are wooden unless stated otherwise. The ceiling of the first storey is also the floor of the second storey and is of wood. Some creaking can be heard on the first storey if people move around on the second storey without being very careful. Doors are also not perfectly maintained and creak somewhat.

All beds have chamber pots under them.

Refer to the Safehouse map for more details.

Other Buildings:

The other buildings on the Safehouse map that surround the Safehouse are not detailed in this scenario. The DM can either refer to the Guide to Dwillingir or simply make up the purpose and residents of each location. However, a code has been provided for each building using the same codes as presented in the Guide to Dwillingir.

The code has three characters. The first tells the number of above ground stories. Most buildings in Dwillingir that have more than 1 storey also tend to have a basement or cellar of some type. Some of the larger 1 storey buildings also have a small cellar.

The second character tells what the building is made of. S is stone, W is wood, and M is mixed, meaning usually a stone foundation of from 3 ft to the entire first floor with the remainder of the stories being of wood.

The last character tells how the roof is constructed. S means sloped, usually sharply and usually with wooden tiles, while F means flat, usually with wood or even ceramic or glazed stone tiles. Flat roofs will have gutters and drainage to allow water to runoff but they need to be shoveled in the winter and so almost always have access via a trap door from within (these trapdoors pull downward so as not to be blocked by ice or snow).

This code is also used for the neighbouring buildings surrounding the Secret Warehouse (presented later in this scenario).

A. Foyer

The double doors to this place that open out on Coral Street are made of stout oak reinforced with iron and are locked from the inside with an iron latch that opens from without via a key lock. Each agent within the house has an iron key that opens this lock. These doors are locked at all times except when in direct use.

The foyer is generally lit by two oil lamps hung high on the west and east walls. A cheap throw rug covers most of the floor, exposing the stone floor only at its edges.

The door to the north is a good wooden door and leads to Room B.

B. Warm Hallway

So called because a hearth is in the middle of the hallway, along the north wall, and it is usually burning, at least with stoked embers and often with a blazing fire to keep Room A and Room F warm.

The doors to Rooms A, C and F are good wooden doors and have no locks. The secret door to room G is maneuvered from this side by twisting a stone on the hearth, which opens the secret door for 10 seconds before counter weights close it again.

At the far east end of the hallway, an opening in the north wall leads to a set of stone stairs that ascends to the second storey.

C. Rear Hallway

This hallway looks out over Coral Plaza. The doors to Rooms B, D, and E are good wooden doors, none of which have locks. The door outside to the Coral Plaza is a strong wooden door reinforced with iron bands and is always kept locked by the same iron key that opens the double doors to Room A. All agents in the house possess such a key.

D. Closet

This simple closet bears pegs for cloaks, a rack for boots, and other amenities. Several quarterstaffs lean against the far wall and there are four cloaks and four pairs of boots here, which should clue the party as to how many agents are within the safehouse.

E. Meeting Room

This room has a single good wooden door that leads to Room C. The door has no lock. Within is a hearth that is usually out when the room is not in use. Several oil lamps hang from chains around the room, though these are usually not lit.

A wooden table and four chairs of plain design are here, and rolled up on the table are several maps of the town of Dwillingir, One of which is unmarked, another of which has dotted paths to the warehouses at the docks and words or names for each path as well as a creature name, and another of which shows the location of the secret warehouse (though this is not named) and which bears the following script written in its margin:

3 then 2 then 4
never the east

The first line of the script tells the knock sequence needed to gain access to the secret warehouse. The second line tells that the western of the double doors is the one that must be knocked upon.

Close examination of the map with the dotted paths shows that there are twelve lines leading to the eight dock warehouses. The lines are appended as follows:

Line 1 = Runner - badger
Line 2 = Climber - monkey
Line 3 = Spitter - weasel
Line 4 = Hissy - cat
Line 5 = Biter - dog
Line 6 = Belcher - centipede
Line 7 = Tantrum - beetle
Line 8 = Circler - spider
Line 9 = Trevor - fox
Line 10 = Smelly - skunk
Line 11 = Sleepy - rat
Line 12 = Vicious - hare

Each line represents the path of an ash rat. Each ash rat has been trained to follow a different type of animal. The names are the names of the individual ash rats while the animal name is the type of animal that the grimalkin in Room L will mimic in order to lead each ash rat to its proper location.

F. Gantor's Bedroom

This is the chamber of Gantor, one of the agents of House Commus. The door to this room from Room B is a good wooden door with no lock, while the door to Room H is also a good wooden door with no lock.

Gantor's bedroom is situated next to the door to the basement so that Gantor can effectively guard the approach to the basement at all times, even when he is sleeping.

The room contains a plain feather bed and linens and a wooden footlocker that is locked, with the key on Gantor. This contains some personal effects and clothing, a pouch with 14 cp, 34 sp, and 10 gp, and a masterwork dagger with a 50 gp garnet in its pommel.

Set in the southeast corner of the room is a coal brazier and an oil lamp and several tallow candles and a candle holder.

G. Stable

The door to Coral Plaza is a strong wooden door reinforced with iron bands. It leads to the stable, a single room with hay spread on the floor that houses the safehouse's mule. The mule bears no brand and is typical for its species. To the northeast is a lit hearth to provide warmth for the mule, this hearth being cleared of hay and blocked by an iron grate so that the mule does not get burnt.

A feeding trough and water trough are here, along with a barrel full of mule dung and a pair of shovels. Several crates are stacked up along the southwest wall, and several of these are metal crates with insulation in them and two compartments with air holes that seem to be designed to hold two small creatures.

Hanging above the crates are two long iron tongs of the kind a blacksmith might employ and four sets of thick gloves are nearby, again the kind a glassblower or smith might employ.

The secret doors to the west and south open when stones nearby are pressed in. These stay open for 10 seconds and then counterweights shut the doors automatically. The stone that is pushed in on the south wall of this room is the same stone that pulls out on the north wall of Room H.

* Mule: CR 1; Large animal; HD 3D8+9; hp 22; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 13 (touch 10, flat-footed 12); Atk +4 melee (1D4+3 [x2], hoof); AL N; SV Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +1; Str 16, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 6. Length 8 ft.

Skills and Feats: Listen +6, Spot +6.

H. Secret Room

This room is not entirely secret, since it can be accessed by way of normal doors via Room F. The secret door to the north, which leads to Room G, opens by way of a stone on the wall nearby which pulls out. The door then opens for 10 seconds before counter weights close the door again. The stone that pulls out here is the same stone that pushes in on the southern wall of Room G.

This room doubles as a kitchen, and the hearth to the southeast has an iron rack and grill set within it and from the rack hangs a cauldron for stews and soups. Several bowls and mugs and utensils are heaped on a small table with several chairs nearby, along with a hooded lantern. Some small barrels here hold wine, beer, ale, and water. A wooden tub used to wash dishes sits filled with soapy water near the hearth.

I. Dining Chamber

This chamber is used to take meals. A hearth is usually lit all the time here, though it is often at embers when the agents are sleeping.

A large wooden table dominates the room, surrounded by six chairs. There are place settings for six persons here, though only four show much use.

The door to Room J is a good wooden door with no lock. The stairway to the northeast leads down to the first storey. The hidden arrow slit on the wall high above the stairway can be found by a Spot check (DC 25) of someone actively looking up from the stairway. It can be easily found with a Search check (DC 5) if someone can get high enough to actually search the wall.

J. Hallway

This unlit hallway is unremarkable and unadorned. The doors to Rooms I, K, L, and N are all good wooden doors. The doors to Rooms L and N are locked by a simple key lock. The key to Room L is on the person of Alacon while the key to Room N is on the person of Meskaerd.

K. Doverim's Bedroom

This is the bedroom for Doverim. The door to Room J is a good wooden door and is unlocked.

A hearth to the northeast provides warmth and light and is usually lit, though flagging while Doverim is asleep. A plain feather bed with linens is here along with a locked footlocker (key is on Doverim) that holds personal effects, clothing, a pouch with 24 cp, 45 sp, 10 gp, and 13 pp, and a bottle of fine vintage wine worth 25 gp to the right party.

L. Alacon's Common

This room serves as Alacon's living room. The door to Room J is a good wooden door that is locked, with the key in Alacon's possession, while the door to room M is also a good wooden door but there is no lock on the door.

There is a cheap carpet covering most of the wooden floor, along with a second-hand couch that has seen better days and a plain chair.

Next to the chair is a brazier, usually hot with coals. Curled up under the brazier can usually be found the grimalkin, often with a morsel of food nearby on the floor.

One wall of this room overlooks the stairs heading down to the first storey from Room I. There is a secret arrow slit built into this wooden wall and it can be quickly opened or closed by pulling a cord near the slit. This slit can be used to observe someone coming up or down the stairs and to shoot at someone on the stairs. In addition, there are 3 flasks of acid and 2 flasks of oil with a small firebox on a ledge next to the slit. The firebox is made of metal and holds hot coals. A set of small tongs attached to the box can be used to pick up the coals and drop them.

If the agents are aware that they are under assault, Alacon will man the slit and use the box to light oil he has dumped down onto the stairs. He will also use the acid to harry intruders as well. Although the stairs are made of stone, the walls of most of the stairway are of wood, so Alacon will try to dump oil on the 5 ft square right below his slit, which would allow the oil to burn where the walls of the first storey are stone and hopefully not catch the building on fire.

M. Alacon's Bedroom

The door to Room L is a good wooden door and has no lock. Within is the bed chamber of Alacon, the head of the safehouse. A warm hearth to the northeast gives heat and light to the room, and a plain feather bed with linens occupies the southeast corner. At its foot is a locked footlocker (the key is on Alacon) that holds personal effects and clothing as well as a pouch with 20 cp, 10 sp, 40 gp, and 24 pp, and a scroll in a leather scroll tube that reads as follows:

The last rats should arrive within the week. We had to rush the timetable so they will arrive four in this crate. Your orders are to release the rats on the new moon [DM's note: or some period of time within 7 days of this date]. Once the grey one has led the last rat, this house is to be abandoned and fired so as to remove all evidence. Report to the secret warehouse and make sure you are not followed or observed.

Included with these orders you will find six more potions that will allow you to endure heat for a day. Use them wisely and do not waste them as they are adding more costs to an already costly venture.

Do not fail! If you are compromised, release the rats at once and flee.

Barrathon of House Commus

To the southwest sits a desk and chair. Upon the desk are an oil lamp and several candles in candleholders. A wooden rack holds four Potions of Endure Elements (fire) at 1st level. Hung around the oil lamp is a golden medallion with the sigil of House Commus engraved upon it.

An open journal is on the desk as well, with a blotter, a bottle of ink, and a quill pen nearby. The journal is in Alacon's hand and a close read will show that ash rats have been shipped in by twos for several months now, and that with the last shipment the total number of rats is at twelve. There are references to his hopes that the rats are well trained and will follow "Grimmy" and some mathematical calculations that seem to involve how much time it will take for "Grimmy" to lead a rat to a warehouse, return, and lead another until all twelve have been so led.

There are doubts expressed in the journal as well, such as whether a rat will be spotted coming from the safe house and whether they can get to the secret warehouse undetected (this latter includes a description of the warehouse exterior and the location thereof). The final entry reads:

Hauling four rats in one crate was very risky and might have exposed our plans damnit! How I hope this plan works and I can return to the south. My hands are blistered from working with those damnable rats despite the potions.

But if Commus can use this to get its foot into the Ice goods market, then it will all be worth it and perhaps I can get my promotion despite that bastard Evergin and his plotting against me!

N. Meskaerd's Bedroom

The door to Room J is a good wooden door that is locked by a key lock, the key being in the possession of Meskaerd. In addition, Meskaerd has trapped the doorway so that when the door is opened, a curved set of knives set in a row flips down from the ceiling and into the doorway to a height of about 3 ft.

* Curved Knife Trap: CR 1; mechanical; location trigger; manual reset; Reflex save (DC 20) avoids; Atk +4 melee (2D4+2, knives); Search (DC 24); Disable Device (DC 20).

The device can be easily disabled from the inside. From without, Meskaerd opens the door partway, holds a cord above the doorway with one hand while he enters, and then closes the door. This is a full round action. If he is in a hurry he can simply open the door and duck under the 3 ft height of the knives.

Within the chamber is a warm hearth in the southeast corner, a plain feather bed with linens in the northeast corner, a locked footlocker which key is in Meskaerd's possession and holds personal effects, clothing, a disguise kit (with 7 uses remaining), a set of masterwork thieves' tools, and a pouch containing 4 pearls worth 75 gp each, 14 cp, 10 sp, 4 gp, and 7 pp.

A desk to the northwest looks relatively unused but does contain some tallow candles in holders, some flint and steel, a small steel mirror, and a spyglass.

O. Basement

This room serves as storage and larder for the safehouse. Stairs lead up from Room H from here. There is a small hearth in the southeast corner that keeps the place warm and in flickering light at all times. In addition, a metal bin to the north also emits a ruddy glow and is filled with glowing coals. A set of iron tongs hangs nearby.

In the northeast corner are 3 large casks filled with water. In addition, lined against the walls are various foodstuffs, including dried fish, cheeses from Spiralle including Spiralle Yellow and Spiralle Star, several barrels of ale and beer, a some wooden bins full of roots and tubers.

The double doors to the west are made of iron and are barred from this side with a single iron bar. A single small window can be opened in each door at a man's eye level and a small hatch at the bottom of each door, some 2 inches tall and 6 inches wide, can be opened as well. The double doors are warm to the touch.

To the left of the door, twelve chains emerge from the wall and converge onto an iron hook set into the wall. The chains then dangle past the hook for another foot or so. At the end of each dangling chain is a wooden tag with a name on it:

Runner
Climber
Spitter
Hissy
Biter
Belcher
Tantrum
Circler
Trevor
Smelly
Sleepy
Vicious

Each chain can be removed from the hook and pulled. Doing so will open the corresponding cage door in Room P of the ash rat who is named on the wooden tag at the end of the chain.

On the floor near the double doors are four pairs of thick leather gloves filled with wool.

The agents have trapped the floor near the doors to Room P so that if they are discovered, the intruders who blunder down here will release the rats, presumably thereby burning down the safehouse and destroying all of the evidence and then dispersing the rats in the town.

The trap involves a tripwire set across the entire room at 1 ft height some 5 ft east of the double doors. The wire is painted to match the colour of the door and walls to the west.

If this tripwire is stepped upon or tugged in any way, the bar on the double doors will pop out with a clatter and the double doors will swing open. Hooks depending from the double doors on the Room P side will lock into iron rings in the wall so that the double doors, once opened, cannot easily be re-closed (requires a full round action to close each of the double doors). Meanwhile, the hook holding the twelve chains will fall through the wall back into Room P, taking all twelve chains with it and effectively raising all twelve of the ash rat cage doors. The cage doors, once so raised, latch open and cannot be shut without working a small latch on each cage. The net effect will be that the doors will be held open and the cages opened and the rats will be freed.

The wires operating this trap also work if the double doors are opened or unbarred without first engaging a small iron catch near the lintel of the right-hand door.

* Tripwire Trap: CR 2; mechanical; location trigger; repair reset; Search (DC 20); Disable Device (DC 23).

* Door Trap: CR 2; mechanical; location trigger; repair reset; hidden switch bypass (Search [DC 24]); Search (DC 24); Disable Device (DC 23).

P. Rat Room

This room houses the ash rats. The double doors to Room O are iron and usually barred from the other side.

Within the room, which walls are covered in soot and scorch marks, are twelve metal cages, each cage made of solid metal so that no portion of the rat is visible from without. Small vent like breathing holes are located at the top of each cage, which are all 3' tall. Smoke issues from the vents and wafts up a hole in the ceiling that leads to the hearth in Room E. Still, the ceiling of this chamber is wreathed in a cloud of smoky vapour.

The entire room is hot, with the heat emanating from the cages. Metal chains are attached to each cage door and then slip through a large iron ring on the ceiling before then plunging into twelve small holes in the wall to the south of the double doors.

Pulling on these chains will open one or more of the cages (see Room O for more details).

Within each cage is an ash rat. These are vicious little creatures whose only conditioning has been to follow a certain type of animal. Without such an animal in sight, these rats will attack anything and everything they can in order to burn it to the ground and feed on the heat. They will certainly attack any humanoids that threaten them, but otherwise, if set free they will scamper out of the basement and through the safehouse burning things before finally making their way into the town streets and burning a few more buildings before scampering into the sewers and hidey holes and becoming a permanent threat to Dwillingir. It is likely that the ash rats will only directly attack individuals if the individuals threaten or block them.

The Defense of the House:

All of the agents are aware of Alacon's orders to release the rats if they are compromised. Thus, they will attempt to get one of their number to Room O if possible to spring the trap. They can also send the grimalkin to spring the trap, which he can do in monkey form. Thereafter, the agents will likely try to escape in the confusion, while the intruders deal with the ask rats. The agents will attempt to escape to the secret warehouse to warn the Commus merchants there that the jig is up.

The grimalkin is loyal to Alacon and will certainly fight on behalf of the agents, though it will not fight to the death if their defense seems futile. However, it will certainly also try to speak to the PCs when it first is spotted by them in order to read their emotions. Even while hiding the grimalkin will use its empathy ability to try to determine the motives of the PCs.

Fires!:

There is a great likelihood that fires will start here during the combat. This comes mainly from the ash rats should they be released, but also could come from party actions or the oil wielded by Alacon. The rest of this section, however, assumes it is the ash rats at work.

When a fire effect has a chance of catching something in the square alight, the DM should roll a catch check (an unmodified check with a DC of 5). If the check succeeds, then the item in the square is alight. When a portion of the place comes alight, the DM should mark the 5 ft square with a flame counter or marker. This indicates that the flames have caught on something in that square and are starting to burn.

Every 5 rounds (including the round the flame caught) in initiative count 1, the DM should roll a spread check for each flame marker. On an unmodified spread check of DC 10 the flame spreads into a blaze. The DM should now mark the square with a blaze marker. A blaze means the entire square is engulfed. Anyone in the square when it is blazing takes damage 1D6 damage per round (on his turn) and must roll to see if hair or clothing catches on fire as per the DMG page 86.

Furthermore, every 5 rounds (excluding the round in which a given blaze was created) in initiative count 1 the DM should roll a spread check for each square adjacent to the blazing square that does not already have a flamed or blaze marker in it to see if the fire spreads. The DM is a base DC of 10 with a +5 to the DC if there is nothing particularly flammable in the square. If the blaze spreads, place a flame marker in the new square. If a square is subject to a +5 DC modifier and still results in a spread, then the DM should start a flame in the nearest square with flammable materials, up to a maximum range of 4 squares.

Note that the spread rules provide a means for fires to spread to other buildings depending upon their construction.

If any 4 consecutive squares are in blaze, the DM can assume, as appropriate, that a structural collapse (usually the wall or roof falling) will occur on a check each 5 rounds in initiative 1 at DC 10.

* Gantor: Male human Fighter 1; CR 1; Medium-sized humanoid (human); HD 1D10+2; hp 12; Init +5; Spd 30 ft; AC 16 (touch 12, flat-footed 14); Atk +4 melee (1D8+2, longsword) or +4 ranged (1D4+2, dagger); AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +0; Str 15, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8. Height 6 ft 2 in.

Skills and Feats: Climb +5, Handle Animal +1, Jump +5, Listen +1, Swim +4; Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Focus (longsword).

Possessions: longsword, dagger (3), chain shirt, belt pouch, artisan's outfit, iron key to his footlocker.

* Doverim: Male human Ranger 1; CR 1; Medium-sized humanoid (human); HD 1D10+1; hp 11; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 14 (touch 11, flat-footed 13); Atk +0 melee (1D6+1, scimitar) and +0 melee (1D4, dagger) or +2 ranged (1D8, light crossbow); SQ two-weapon fighting, favoured enemy (humans +1); AL LE; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +1; Str 13, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10. Height 5 ft 11 in.

Skills and Feats: Climb +6, Handle Animal +2, Heal +3, Hide +3, Jump +3, Listen +4, Move Silently +3, Spot +4, Swim +2, Use Rope +3, Wilderness Lore +4; Alertness, Lightning Reflexes, Track.

Possessions: studded leather, dagger (3), scimitar, traveler's outfit, belt pouch, light crossbow, 20 crossbow bolts, iron key to his footlocker.

* Meskaerd: Male human Rogue 2; CR 2; Medium-sized humanoid (human); HD 2D6; hp 12; Init +3; Spd 30 ft; AC 15 (touch 13, flat-footed 12); Atk +4 melee (1D6, rapier) or +4 ranged (1D4, dagger); SQ sneak attack (+1D6), evasion; AL CN; SV Fort +0, Ref +6, Will +2; Str 10, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 10. Height 5 ft 9 in.

Skills and Feats: Appraise +3, Balance +4, Bluff +5, Climb +5, Craft (trapmaking) +7, Disable Device +6, Disguise +5, Escape Artist +4, Forgery +3, Gather Information +3, Intimidate +3, Jump +5, Listen +5, Move Silently +4, Open Lock +5, Search +3, Sense Motive +3, Spot +5, Swim +2, Tumble +5, Use Rope +4; Dodge, Weapon Finesse (rapier).

Possessions: potion of cure light wounds at 1st level, leather, rapier, dagger (4), belt pouch, artisan's outfit, iron key to his footlocker.

* Alacon: Male human Expert 1/Warrior 1; CR 1; Medium-sized humanoid (human); HD 1D6+1 plus 1D8+1; hp 13; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 13 (touch 11, flat-footed 12); Atk +2 melee (1D6+1, shortsword) or +3 ranged (1D8, light crossbow); AL LE; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +4; Str 13, Con 12, Dex 15, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 13. Height 5 ft 8 in.

Skills and Feats: Alchemy +3, Appraise +5, Balance +4, Climb +3, Diplomacy +5, Gather Information +5, Handle Animal +3, Intimidate +5, Jump +3, Listen +8, Profession (merchant) +4, Spot +8; Alertness, Magical Training.

Possessions: leather, shortsword, light crossbow, 20 crossbow bolts, belt pouch, artisan's outfit, tanglefoot bag, thunderstone, iron key to his footlocker.

Spells Known (Cast 1 each per day): 0 - dancing lights, daze, mage hand. Base DC = 11+ spell level

* Grimalkin: CR 2; Medium-sized shapechanger; HD 4D8; hp 21; Init +5; Spd 40 ft; AC 12 (touch 11, flat-footed 11); Atk +2 melee (1D4-1 [x2], claw) and -3 melee (1D6-1, bite); SQ darkvision 60 ft, empathy, polymorph; AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +5; Str 9, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 12. Length 4 ft.

Skills and Feats: Climb +6, Hide +3, Jump +6, Listen +3, Move Silently +8, Spot +3; Improved Initiative.

Special Qualities: Polymorph (Su): As a free action the grimalkin may polymorph self into any Medium-size or smaller animal, beast, or vermin but does not gain any hit points when changing form.

Empathy (Ex): Can detect the surface emotions of any creature within 50 ft that it can see. The grimalkin can sense basic needs, drives, and emotions but not thoughts. A successful Will save (DC 13) allows a target to avoid being sensed in this way by this grimalkin for 24 hours.

* Ash Rats (12): CR 1; Small magical beast (fire); HD 1D10; hp 5 each; Init +8; Spd 40 ft, climb 20 ft; AC 16 (touch 15, flat-footed 12); Atk +0 melee (1D4-2, bite) or +6 ranged (1D4, spit fire); SA flame spit, heat; SQ darkvision 60 ft, fire heal, fire subtype, low-light vision, smoky hide; AL CN; SV Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; Str 6, Dex 18, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 3. Length 2 ft.

Skills and Feats: Climb +14, Hide +9 (+17 in smoky or foggy areas), Move Silently +5; Improved Initiative.

Special Abilities: Flame Spit (Su): Once per round the ash rat can spit flames at one target up to 10 ft away.

Heat (Ex): Ash rat's body deals 1D2 points of fire damage to each creature that touches it. Any flammable item in contact with an ash rat must make a successful Reflex save (DC 10) or catch fire. When an ash rat dies its body burns away completely in 1 round.

Special Qualities: Smoky Hide (Ex): Continually sheds smoke from its body. Grants the ash rat one-half concealment (20% miss chance) and makes hiding easier.

Fire Heal (Ex): Fire and heat heal an ash rat's wounds. For every round that the creature is exposed to flame or heat intense enough to deal at least 1 point of damage, the ash rat instead gains the benefit of a cure minor wounds spell. Two or more ash rats touching each other provide enough heat for fire healing.

Part Three - Fanning the Flames

Assuming the party busts up the safe house, they will have basically thwarted House Commus' plans and saved the warehouses from trouble. There is, of course, the matter of the secret warehouse, and assuming the party has recovered the maps in Room E or the journal in Room M, then no doubt Barnabus or whomever employs the party will want to deal with that. The PCs can report back to their master, who will send them on a raid to set ablaze the secret warehouse.

The DM can either use the actual guards of the Riverine House or he can use the same statistics as given for the House Guards in the warehouse below.

The Secret Warehouse:

House Commus has purchased, anonymously over the last several months, two adjoining structures. They have then removed most of the interior walls between the structures to form an ad hoc warehouse in which to store the trade goods needed to gain Ice goods once the trading season arrives.

Aware of the dangers of having a warehouse burned down, both buildings are of stone, with sloped ceramic tiled roofs (with a layer of wooden planking underneath). As such, they are virtually fireproof from the outside. Windows are all of thin glass (1 inch thick) which has been blacked-out with black paint so that no one can see into the buildings. The buildings are 2 stories tall (plus an attic). Each storey is 10 ft tall and there are (or were) two sub levels, consisting of a cellar and a basement. This latter has been expanded a bit.

The ceiling/floor between the ground level and second storey is of thick wood, reinforced heavily by crossbeams and by wooden beams set vertically from the floor of Room C to the ceiling of same to support the weight of the goods being stored in Room E. The floor is solid enough that people walking on the upper storey do not make creaks that can be heard below.

The ceiling/floor between the second storey and attic is made of stone.

Wagons and mules brought the goods in storage to the warehouse, but these are now camped with drovers in the nearby woods and hills to the west of the town. There is not enough room in the secret warehouse to store the wagons and mules and to house the drovers, but the goods could not be stored out in the wilderness with the wagons and mules due to exposure to the elements and risk of Thaneeri raids. This encampment, should the party somehow track it down, will claim to be unaligned to any merchant house…perhaps posing as merchants whose goods have been robbed.

The encampment, just in case it is encountered, is some 5 miles out of town and consists of 12 large wagons and 24 sturdy mules. There are a dozen drovers and half a dozen guards. Assume the drovers are level 1 Experts and the guards are level 1 Warriors.

The DM can choose a suitable location for the warehouse. In Dwillingir, the warehouse was located at the southern end of Erinhoru Lane, the last two buildings on the eastern side of the lane.

A close examination of the area outside of the warehouse will reveal dog dung. A very knowledgeable animal-oriented person may even be able to determine that half a dozen dogs have been using the area for defecation and for marking territory with urine.

Refer to the Secret Warehouse Map for details.

A. Entryhall

The double doors that lead into this room from the outside are strong wooden doors that are usually barred from the inside with a strong wooden bar. The occupants in Room B can hear knocking on these doors but cannot observe who is doing the knocking unless they look out the window in Room D. If they hear someone knock in the prescribed pattern (refer to the Safehouse Room E) they won't even bother to look but will simply unbar the door and open it, thinking one of the Safehouse agents has arrived.

The double doors to Room C are good wooden doors and are unlocked. The door to Room B is a good wooden door and is unlocked.

Just opposite the entry double doors, stone steps ascend to the second storey. Meanwhile, to the far east of the hall, a set of stone stairs goes under the stairs that lead up. These descend a ways, then turn back around, and then switchback once again before emerging into Room F.

B. Guard Room

The door from this room to Room A is a good wooden door with no lock.

Within the room are a table and three chairs. In the northeast corner sits a coal brazier providing heat for the occupants. Several oil lamps hang from the wall and are alight at all times due to the blackout on the windows that keep the room dark even during daylight hours.

Three guards are always present in the room, on guard duty. They rotate with three others who spend approximately eight hours a day sleeping in the attic and four hours a day off duty relaxing. Food for the guards is provided from the larder down in the basement, which probably will not need to be restocked anytime soon.

C. Main Warehouse

This is the main storage area for goods on this level. In actuality, House Commus has ripped up the wooden floor here and stone steps lead from the good wooden double doors from Room A down to the floor of what was once the cellar of this building. This means this room is actually 20 ft tall from floor to ceiling. The windows shown on the map are all at ground level, which means approximately 14 ft above the floor of the room.

The room is, for the most part, filled with trade goods. While these are not indicated directly on the map, the room actually consists of a small maze of aisle ways between stacked boxes and crates and barrels, most reaching from 2' to 7' below the ceiling. The DM, if running combat in this room, should indicate the great piles of goods on the player's map and provide lots of small paths between them.

To the south of the room, a 10 ft square area is clear of goods. The floor is wooden and thick iron chains run from the platform through the wooden ceiling, to pulleys on the stone ceiling of Room E, and then over to the south wall of the place and down once again to a large iron crank with a ratcheted locking mechanism that sprouts from the southeastern corner of Room C. This crank can be used to lower or raise the wooden platform. The platform can ascend to Room E or descend to Room F and is used to haul goods. It takes a Strength check (DC 5) each round to turn the crank and it takes 5 successful rounds of turning to ascend or descend a full level.

Almost exclusively, the platform is to be found in Room C at floor level.

To the west several large ladders (rising up to 15 ft) have been leaned against the wall.

Two guard dogs patrol this level at all times, and in the southwest corner of the room are two wooden bowls with scraps of food in them and another large wooden pail filled with water for the dogs.

D. Antechamber

This chamber is accessed via the stairway that ascends from Room A. The room here is barren except for several sputtering oil lamps set in niches in the walls. Good wooden double doors to the west are unlocked and lead to Room E.

The roof of this room is comprised of a sloped wooden roof covered by ceramic tiles. The slope descends to the east and is some 10' high at its western end and 6' at its eastern end.

E. Upper Storage

This room is accessed either via unlocked good wooden double doors that lead to Room D or via the platform that ascends from Room C.

The room is stuffed full of bags and barrels and crates and trade goods such that the entire room is filled with columns of such items that generally reach near to the ceiling. Small pathways and runways dodge beneath these piles. A couple of ladders (6 ft tall) lean against the northwest wall.

To the southeast, wooden steps lead up to the attic.

Two guard dogs patrol this level at all times, and in the southwest corner of the room are two wooden bowls with scraps of food in them and another large wooden pail filled with water for the dogs.

F. Basement

This room looks to have been recently constructed. The northwest portion is of worked stone and was probably of original construction, but the remainder is newly dug or quarried and shored up with wooden beams both vertical and crosspiece.

To the northeast, stone stairs lead up to Room A after making two switchbacks, and the platform from Room C can descend here.

The place is filled with more trade goods, most of which stretching from floor to ceiling, though with plenty of small pathways in between.

To the southeast is an area reserved for the provisions of the guard, including jerked meats, roots, many barrels of fresh water, watered down ale, several large bottles of lamp oil, etc.

Two guard dogs patrol this level at all times, and in the southwest corner of the room are two wooden bowls with scraps of food in them and another large wooden pail filled with water for the dogs. From iron hooks set into the wall near the food and water are six 10 ft lengths of rope that can be used to leash the dogs. Six leather muzzles sit in a pile nearby.

G. Attic Way

Wooden steps lead up from Room E to this small hallway. The attic is under the eaves of a sloped roof, and as such comes to a height of 6 ft at its edges, rising to 10 ft at its center. This hallway bears two hooded lanterns placed on the floor to provide light. All of the doors on this level are good wooden doors that can be barred from the inside by a stout wooden bar. These are only barred if occupied.

H. Sleeping Quarters

The door to this room from Room G is a good wooden door, barred from this inside by a stout wooden bar only if occupants are sleeping within.

The room boasts a bunk bed, a cheap wardrobe filled with mundane clothing, and a fairly unused writing desk and chair. A large footlocker near the bunk is unlocked and holds a few personal effects (flint and steel, whetstones, etc.). A couple of coal braziers provide warmth and several oil lamps hanging from chains provide light.

I. Jatern's Quarters

The door to this room from Room G is a good wooden door, barred from this inside by a stout wooden bar only if occupants are sleeping within.

The room boasts a single bed and furnishings that are similar to those in Room H but are of somewhat finer make. The clothing in the wardrobe is not quite as shabby and the desk shows signs of use and includes a large ledger and quill pen and ink. The ledger details a complete inventory of the place and well as the location of the encampment outside of town and how many wagons and drovers are present in the encampment.

The footlocker here is locked, with a key on Jatern, and is warded by a poison needle trap.

* Poison Needle Trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; repair reset; lock bypass (Open Lock [DC 20]); Atk +17 melee (1 plus poison, needle); poison (bloodroot, Fort save [DC 12] resists, 0/1D4 Con + 1D3 Wis); Search (DC 22); Disable Device (DC 17).

Within are a scroll of Shelgarn's Persistent Blade at 4th level, a scroll of Net of Shadows at 1st level, a suit of masterwork leather armour, and a pouch with 62 cp, 44 sp, 11 gp, and 3 pp.

J. Sleeping Quarters

The door to this room from Room G is a good wooden door, barred from this inside by a stout wooden bar only if occupants are sleeping within.

K. Sleeping Quarters

The door to this room from Room G is a good wooden door, barred from this inside by a stout wooden bar only if occupants are sleeping within.

* Warehouse Guards (6): Male human Warrior 1; CR ½; Medium-sized humanoid (human); HD 1D8+1; hp 9 each; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 14 (touch 10, flat-footed 14); Atk +2 melee (1D6+1, handaxe) or +1 ranged (1D8, light crossbow); AL LN; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 13, Con 12, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10. Height 5 ft 10 in.

Skills and Feats: Climb +3, Handle Animal +1, Intimidate +3, Jump +2, Listen +3, Spot +3, Swim +2; Alertness, Power Attack.

Possessions: handaxe, dagger, light crossbow, 20 crossbow bolts, studded leather, small wooden shield, belt pouch, artisan's outfit, D10 cp, D8 sp, D3 gp.

These guards are hired mercenaries and not members of House Commus. They are being paid well to do boring duty and really are not in on the plot. They know nothing about the ash rats and are basically the type who ask no questions as long as they are being paid and don't have to perform any heinous acts. They will not throw their lives away just to guard this warehouse, but they do have reputations to uphold and are not above a good fight to try to dispatch their duties. The guards are not all from the same band, though a few may have hired on in pairs.

Assume any guards not encountered in Room B will be encountered randomly in Rooms H, J or K.

* Jatern: Male human Rogue 1/Warrior 1/Expert 1; CR 2; Medium-sized humanoid (human); HD 1D6 plus 1D8 plus 1D6; hp 16; Init +3; Spd 30 ft; AC 13 (touch 13, flat-footed 10); Atk +5 melee (1D4+1, dagger) or +4 ranged (1D4+1, dart); AL LN; SV Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2; Str 12, Con 10, Dex 17, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 12. Height 5 ft 9 in.

Skills and Feats: Appraise +5, Balance +4, Bluff +4, Climb +6, Craft (trapmaking) +5, Diplomacy +3, Forgery +3, Hide +5, Jump +6, Listen +3, Move Silently +5, Profession (accounting) +2, Search +4, Sense Motive +2, Spot +5, Tumble +10, Use Magic Device +7; Weapon Finesse (dagger), Weapon Focus (dagger).

Possessions: dagger (4), bandolier, dart (6), belt pouch, House Commus silver medallion (worth 15 gp), potion of Shield at 1st level, thieves' tools, iron key to his footlocker.

Jatern was a street thug and a gang member as a youth who was recruited by House Commus out of Far Dereth years ago. He proved exceptionally bright and patient and with a good head for numbers as well as a tough guy, a combination valued by Commus. He now heads up the warehouse section of the House Commus scheme.

Jatern is a ruthless foe, though not evil by any means. He is kind to his friends, loyal to his employers, and ruthless to his enemies. This does not mean he will not take prisoners, but in combat he is emotionless and very business-like and, as such, has the makings of a good assassin one day.

Jatern will use his skills to best effect, especially his Jump and Tumble skills to outmaneuver opponents.

Usually, Jatern will be in the warehouse, either in his room sleeping or keeping the books or in the storage rooms taking inventory. If trouble erupts and he has time, he will don his masterwork leather armour and take the two scrolls from his footlocker to use in battle.

* Guard Dogs: CR 1; Medium-sized animal; HD 2D8+4; hp 13 each; Init +2; Spd 40 ft; AC 16 (touch 12, flat-footed 14); Atk +3 melee (1D6+3, bite); SQ scent, trip; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1; Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6. Length 3 ft 6 in.

Skills and Feats: Listen +5, Spot +5, Swim +5, Wilderness Lore +1 (+4 bonus when tracking by scent).

Special Qualities: Trip (Ex): A dog that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the dog.

These guard dogs are all pinschers with leather collars. They are well-trained and are loyal to Jatern, though they know and will not be disturbed by any of the warehouse guards (whom they know by scent). They also know the agents from the Safehouse.

These dogs will attack anyone whose scent they do not recognize. They are trained to follow basic commands and will always mind Jatern, though they will only listen to a warehouse guard who makes a successful Handle Animal (DC 10) or Intimidate check (DC 12). Retries may be made each round.

The dogs are trained not to be distracted by food, but being dumb animals they can be fooled easily by other creative means, such as having an illusionary rabbit hop in sight and bound away.

The dogs are also trained not leave their patrol area unless they sight intruders. So sounds of fighting in one area will not bring the other dogs. However, Jatern or the other guards can call for the dogs by name and they will (or may in the case of the guards) come. When the dogs sight an intruder they will bark loudly.

In case it matters, the dogs' names are: Arrow, Bosco, Carver, Harrier, Hornet and Leer.

Firing the Warehouse:

Since the outside of the warehouse won't burn, the party will essentially have to break inside, defeat the guards and dogs, and then set fire to the place. Liberal use of the lamp oil in Room F would help get the blaze going. Because of the construction of the building, fires started inside will be very unlikely to spread to other nearby buildings.

Part Four - Embers

Assuming the party has at least disrupted the Safehouse, House Commus' plan will fail. This will likely earn the party the enmity of House Commus, with possible later ramifications, but the PCs will have saved House Riverine's trade goods (and the other houses as well).

Barnabus is unlikely to want to reveal the plot to the other houses. He would rather have such information in reserve as a potential means of blackmail against House Commus. Any documentation that the party could supply would be invaluable to that effort.

If the party fires the warehouse, House Commus will be extremely wroth with House Riverine in general and the party in particular, for not only did they thwart their scheme, but they now destroyed many gold pieces worth of trade goods. Barnabus will not wish to take the Commus trade goods. He would rather burn them as a gesture of contempt towards House Commus.

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 slays or captures all of the ash rats and none escape: +25 XP
· The party recovers the documents from Room E and/or Room M of the Safehouse: +25 XP
· The party fires the Secret Warehouse: +25 XP

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