OUTER WARD THIRD FLOOR 3 TAPESTRY STORAGE.

3 TAPESTRY STORAGE. This room contains rolled tapestries. Fourteen tapestries are ruined by wet and mold, seven tapestries are low quality (1 to 20 gold crescent value) and thirteen tapestries are of good quality (101 to 200 gold crescent value). Each is heavy at 400 to 700 (1d4+3 X100) gp weight. There are eight large glass windows.

OUTER WARD THIRD FLOOR 2 STATUE STORAGE.

2 STATUE STORAGE. This room is dominated by five statues. Three are Triskelion statues (laughing, crying, scowling). One of the statues is a coy nymph and the last is a satyr playing pipes. The laughing Triskelion statue (southernmost) is lying on its side rather than standing upright. There are three large glass windows.

If anyone moves the fallen statue, it will disturb the egg sac of a giant cinnamon spider. The sac will burst with a 'pop' and a fine dust smelling like the spice will fill the room. Everyone in the room must save vs poison or suffer 1-4 points of damage from the toxic but fragrant contents as they choke and gag.

OUTER WARD THIRD FLOOR 1 RED NAILS.

1 RED NAILS. There are six small glass windows in this room, four to the north and two to the east. There are sixteen small wooden kegs holding five different kinds of slightly rusty iron nails. They are still quite serviceable.

Outer Ward Third Floor Wandering Monsters

This level is much smaller and fragmented and random encounters will occur much less frequently. Roll for random encounters using 1d6 once every fifteen turns. On a 1, there is an encounter. Double the odds if the group is making a lot of noise or in similar situations.

Random Encounters

1-2   Place creature from nearby room

3      Place creature from a nearby room in the Second Floor of the Outer Ward

4      Dungeon Dressing

Dungeon Dressing

1      Wailing sound heard, coming from outside the building!

2      Muddy footprints run for ten feet, then disappear

3      Dead vulture, just skin and bones

4      Plain wooden hair comb, decorated with Triskelion “radiating legs” design

5      Pool of water on floor, evaporates mysteriously as you watch

6      Left hand of a stone statue, broken at the wrist

Encounter Key: Outer Ward Third Floor

The Third Floor of the Outer Ward is divided into four towers. The northeast tower is also known as the Bell Tower. It is the home of the Triskelion family member known only as the bellman. The northwest tower is the domain of a doppelganger who has assumed the persona of the chief falconer. The southwest tower is the former quarters of Ruggero Triskelion and his family and it is also known as the Captain's Tower. It is now inhabited by wererats. The southeast tower is a prison. It has been taken over by hobgoblins.

Like the lower floors, the majority of the rooms are of dressed stone, with wooden beams supporting the ceilings. Floors are made of wood planks, except as noted elsewhere. Ceiling height is twelve feet, unless otherwise noted. Many rooms have cressets for torches.

The Third Floor connects to the Second Floor only.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 43 DRUNKEN GNOLL'S ROOM.

43 DRUNKEN GNOLL'S ROOM. The door to this room features the face of a wolf, in relief, done in iron. The door is capable of being locked, but is not. This is the home of an alcoholic gnoll who occasionally serves as a bodyguard to Ulixes.

Blutog the Gnoll (hp 12, bastard sword, 5 gold crescents, 7 silver spanners, 14 copper pieces)

He is currently only slightly inebriated. The room is a wreck with torn clothing and bedding scattered about. Fourteen bottles of whiskey are here and eleven of these are empty or mostly so.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 42 YOU WEREN'T GOING TO READ THEM, ANYWAY.

42 YOU WEREN'T GOING TO READ THEM, ANYWAY. The door to this room features the face of a elk, in relief, done in iron. The door is capable of being locked, but is not. Three talon goblins are burning books on a small metal brazier. You know, for fun.

Talon Goblin (hp 5, scimitar, 20 silver spanners, 13 copper pieces)

Talon Goblin (hp 6, footman's mace, 16 silver spanners, 21 copper pieces)

Talon Goblin (hp 8, short sword, 4 silver spanners)

The books are all works of philosophy or mathematics. There are five left and they are each worth between 1 and 6 copper pieces.

There are two beds and a pile of blankets on the floor. Sleeping under one of the blankets is a giant fire beetle (hp 6). The goblins have no idea it is there.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 41 GOBLIN MAGE'S STASH.

41 GOBLIN MAGE'S STASH. The door to this room features the face of a owl, in relief, done in iron. It is locked. The room is in a pristine state, with two beds, two footlockers and two large glass windows in the west wall. One of the footlockers holds Ulixes spellbook:

First Level Magic User Spells:

Magic Missile, Push, Read Magic, Shield 

Second Level Magic User Spells:

Audible Glamer

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 40 PIG PEN.

40 PIG PEN. The door to this room is broken open and its locked smashed. It features a iron lion face. Inside the furniture has been removed and six normal pigs are in an enclosure. A feeding trough and four buckets of slop are against the north wall. A large cask holds water. The floor is covered with straw.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 39 GOBLIN MAGE'S ROOM.

39 GOBLIN MAGE'S ROOM. The door to this room features the face of a bull, in relief, done in iron. The door is capable of being locked, but is not. It is the home of the talon goblin mage and his pet war dog (hp 8).

Ulixes, third level male talon goblin CE magic user (AC 5 hp 11 S 12 I 16 W 11 D 10 C 12 CH 10)

First Level Magic user Spells:

Magic Missile, Shield

Second Level Magic User Spells:

Audible Glamer

Ulixes carries a silver dagger, the key to his room (graced with a bull head design), the key to room 41 (owl head design), and two pouches. The first contains contains 33 gold crescents and topaz worth 100 gold crescents. The second holds three packets of powdered brass used for the Push spell and two lumps of red wax used for the Audible Glamer spell. He wears purple robes and ring of protection +1.

Ulixes is the nominal leader of the goblins in the inn, although he is not as popular as he hopes to be. If given the opportunity, he may ally with the party, although he is deceitful and treacherous. His main goal is to defeat his rival Straglietti (Outer Ward Ground Floor Room 61) and unite the talon goblins himself. Of course, given the fractious nature of talon goblins, such a plan is most likely doomed to failure.

The room is decorated in purple with drapes and bolts of purple cloth haphazardly scattered about the place. There are five large glass windows. The bed has purple bedsheets, blankets and pillow case. A nightstand holds an ornate clear crystal lens in a silver band (valued at 15 gold crescents) which can be used for the Read Magic spell.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 38 BRIDAL SUITE.

38 BRIDAL SUITE. The door to this room features the face of a boar, in relief, done in iron. The door is capable of being locked, but is not. Two talon goblin women are taking their ease here, drinking from wine glasses of fruit juice spiked with bathtub moonshine. They are dressed as brides.

Female Talon Goblin (AC 7 hp 5, scimitar, copper comb worth 4 silver spanners and a gold chain necklace worth 2 gold crescents)

Female Talon Goblin (AC 7 hp 2, dagger, 1 giant ancient gold coin, with a hole punched in it, used as a necklace with an iron chain, valued at 6 gold crescents)

There are three large glass windows. There are two neatly made beds and a wardrobe filled with clothing made for human women.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 37 CONFERENCE ROOM.

37 CONFERENCE ROOM. This room was once used by guests for private parties, but has been turned into a storage area by the goblins. A long mahogany table has been pushed against the east wall and fourteen chairs have been piled next it. There are several barrels and kegs pressed against the table and there are four large glass windows on the north wall.

The talon goblins keep a pet large spider (hp 6) who lives under the table (at least they think of it as a pet). It is hard to see because of the barrels. If anyone moves or investigates the barrels or kegs, the spider will strike, surprising on a 1-4 in 6 as it scuttles out.

In all, there are seven barrels of salt pork and eight kegs of small beer. Moving them will reveal two bottles of whiskey and four large cheese wheels wrapped in red wax.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 36 LANDING.

36 LANDING. The two talon goblins in this room are playing an impromptu game by throwing their daggers at a portrait of a pompous looking young man in a blue wig.

Scevelo, an oversized talon goblin (AC 5 HD 2 hp 11, footman's flail, dagger, 8 gold crescents, 21 silver spanners, gold nose-ring worth 2 gold crescents)

Gippo, a talon goblin flunky (hp 4, short sword, dagger, 7 silver spanners, 1 copper piece)

The portrait is labeled “Absolon Triskelion” and is signed “Patrizio Triskelion”. It is very damaged.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR ROOMS 36 TO 43 INN OF THE GRINNING BEAR.

ROOMS 36 TO 43 INN OF THE GRINNING BEAR. Any wandering monsters encountered in this area will either be one of the occupants of these rooms or will be from Rooms 36 to 51 of the First Floor.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 35 CROSSBOW WORKSHOP.

35 CROSSBOW WORKSHOP. Three hobgoblins are inspecting this room.

Hobgoblin (hp 9, black iron trident, 3 gold crescents, 8 silver spanners, 12 copper pieces)

Hobgoblin (hp 3, black iron footman's mace, 2 gold crescents, 12 silver spanners, 7 copper pieces)

Hobgoblin (hp 4, black iron broadsword, 3 gold crescents, 1 silver spanner, 4 copper pieces)

They all wear black Triskelion livery over their armor. They are part of the group that works for Vicenne Triskelion (Inner Ward Ground Level Room 47). They have not picked up any of the crossbows yet (see below), but are certainly savvy enough to do so if the adventurers give them the chance to engage in missile combat.

This room was used for building and repairing crossbows. There are four heavy wooden tables and several weapons racks. There are four large glass windows, two the the north and two to the southeast.

The four large worktables contain shaped wood and string necessary to build five heavy crossbows and materials to complete twenty seven heavy bolts.

The weapon racks hold seven heavy crossbows, four light crossbows, fifty nine heavy bolts and fifty seven light bolts.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 34 EMPTY ROOM.

34 EMPTY ROOM. Stairs lead down to Room 6 of the First Floor and up to Room 24 of the Third Floor.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 33 WASH ROOM.

33 WASH ROOM. This room holds a basin for water, now empty, and a pipe with a faucet, but the system does not work. The door to Room 32 is painted pink and is open. The water closet to the south is unremarkable with a small window located high near the ceiling.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 32 PINK ROOM.

32 PINK ROOM. When approached, both doors to this room will be open. This room is painted entirely in pink, including the floorboards and ceiling. When all the characters have entered, both doors will slam shut and pink silhouettes of the characters will begin peeling themselves off the wall.

Creepy Pink Silhouettes (AC 9, HD 2, hp 13 each, attack as a level 2 fighter once per round with razor sharp edges for 1-8, xp 46 each)

The silhouettes are nearly two-dimensional, having a thickness of only a few millimeters. After the silhouettes have peeled off, there will be dirty gray areas in the shape of the silhouettes. Once every silhouette has been defeated, the doors will reopen by themselves. There are no windows, but the pink surfaces give off a weird light. Once defeated by the party, the silhouettes will not reappear for the next week and the room can be traversed safely until then.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 31 GUARD ROOM.

31 GUARD ROOM. This homely room holds a modest table and two chairs. A small pile of ashes is on the floor, as if someone has recently burned incense or has made a small fire out of paper. Three glass windows are present in the south wall. The door to Room 32 is painted pink and is wide open, invitingly.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 30 BEDROOM.

30 BEDROOM. This room was once a barracks for six of the captain's picked men. The inhabitants remain as skeletons (hp 8, 7, 7, 5, 5, 4). They use short swords and wear tattered Triskelion uniforms. The weakest wears a gold bracelet worth 35 gold crescents. Their bunks and footlockers are here but everything of real value is missing. Six small glass windows, each with an unusual crescent shape, are present in the north wall. Sunlight streams in from the enchanted garden.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 29 BEDROOM.

29 BEDROOM. The door to this room is capable of being locked, but is not. This was once the home of two promising well-born young warriors, brothers and good friends of the captain. They are now ghouls (hp 14, 12).

This spacious room, once elegant, has fallen into decay. The three windows in the north wall are tightly shuttered to keep away the sunlight. The stench is stifling. Two bunks are overturned and nests have been made out of clothing and bones. The dresser is pushed against the wall and the wardrobe is lying on its side. This room contains the brothers' old chain armor, shields, and longswords. None of the items are magic and they are in poor repair. A diligent search through the rubbish of the room will uncover the mostly-eaten corpse of a gnome. It wears shredded studded leather armor and carries a purse of 3 electrum lugdushes and 35 copper ganes.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 28 COMMON ROOM.

28 COMMON ROOM. This was the common room for the men who lived in Rooms 29 and 30, Ruggero's personal guards and retainers. It contains three windows in the east wall. Twelve chairs and three wooden tables are scattered irregularly around the room. The whole place is dusty and cobwebbed. The claw-like tracks of the ghouls who reside in Room 29 can be seen coming and going, if looked for.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 27 WIDE HALL.

27 WIDE HALL. This hall is decorated with seven normal shields bearing the Triskelion design. Three stained glass windows to the south are decorated with the sun, a tree, and a tower. Stairs lead down to Room 33 of the First Floor and up to a corridor on the Third Floor. The long passage that connects this room to Room 31 is crenelated and open to the sky.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 26 TREASURE ROOM.

26 TREASURE ROOM. Ruggero kept his most valuable items hidden here. There is a large locked iron-bound wooden chest, a sword and a spear propped against the south wall, and a small iron box.

The iron-bound chest holds 342 gold crescents in loose coins and a bag of 83 silver spanners.

The sword is a longsword +1, +3 vs. lycanthropes & shape changers and the spear is a spear +1.

The iron box is locked and armed with two traps. The first releases a cloud of choking dust which is annoying but not harmful. This trap is intentionally easy to find, allow a +10% on a detect traps roll. The second trap is a needle trap, difficult to find (-5% on the roll), which contains poison. Once lethal, this poison will now merely blind those who fail their save vs poison for 1d4+2 days. The box contains a map which describes a cave outpost of a band of outlaws led by Alighieri the Bold.

This lair is six miles to the north. What the party will not realize is that the cave is now the den of a pair of owlbears (hp 31, 24). They killed off the bandits years ago but the bandit treasure remains: 387 gold crescents, 512 silver spanners, and 834 copper pieces in three massive chests. Buried three feet below them is a fourth small wood chest containing two potions of fire resistance (white with a minty taste) and a rope of climbing.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 25 SANCTUARY.

25 SANCTUARY. When the party enters this room, they will be attacked by Ruggero Triskelion, a lemure, and his two skeletal war dogs. Each dog wears a black leather collar with bronze spikes.

Ruggero Triskelion, Lemure (AC 7; MV 3”; HD 3; hp 17; #AT 1; D 1-3; SD Regenerate 1 hit point each round, limited spell immunity; XP 116)

2 Skeletal War Dogs (AC 7; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 10 each; #AT 1 bite; D 2-7; SD Sharp weapons score half damage only, limited spell immunity; XP 48 each)

The walls are dressed stone and the floors are sturdy wooden planks. There is a large ornate blue and red rug and three tapestries line the walls. Three large plain glass windows are to the west. There are two small but comfortable armchairs and table with a bottle of fine red wine and two glasses. A cot is in the northeast corner. A small bookcase is near the windows.

The first (north) tapestry depicts an angry-looking man with brown hair (Ruggero) hunting and killing a unicorn. The second (east) is a massive battle prominently showing Ruggero dispatching an opposing knight in red and gold. The third (south) is a combat between a giant and Ruggero mounted on a nightmare. In each tapestry, Ruggero's two war dogs are each given a prominent position. Because they each wear a black leather collar with bronze spikes, the characters may realize that the skeletal dogs in the room are the same as the ones in the tapestries. Each tapestry has a value of between 251 and 350 gold crescents (1d100+250) and they each weigh about 700 gp weight. The secret door to room 26 is behind the south tapestry. It is operated by pulling on a stone which sticks out from the wall a little more than the others.

The books in the bookcase are educational literature on weapons, armor, riding, war strategy, sailing, and hunting.

The water closet is simple with a gray tiled floor and a small window high in the wall. Hot and cold running water was once available from two faucets and a basin is here to catch the water, but the system is now dry.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 24 CAPTAIN'S ANTECHAMBER.

24 CAPTAIN'S ANTECHAMBER. The door to this room is locked. The doorway is trapped with a mechanical swinging blade that causes 10 hit points of damage, 5 if a save vs petrification is made. It will activate when someone attempts to open the door. The trap has not been activated in a long time, so there are no telltale blood-spills to warn of its existence, however, close inspection of the door-frame will reveal a thin slit where the blade exits. There is also an oil stain from the oil used to keep the blade swinging efficiently.

The room was the office of Ruggero Triskelion, the captain of the Outer Ward. There is a huge wooden desk facing the door to Room 23. The large wooden padded chair behind the desk is massive. Four smaller chairs are placed before the desk. The east wall holds three large stained glass windows.

A desk contains dated correspondence, death warrants, and requisitions for money, armor, and weapons. The are inkwells and quills on the top of the desk and there are five drawers. Two are empty, one contains miscellaneous worthless items (scraps of paper, iron nails, a candle) and the captain's personal wax seal (three daggers radiating from a central point) with wax and necessary effects. The next drawer contains a small bag of 15 gold crescents and the last drawer holds a silver and sapphire bracelet (200 gold crescents) and a brooch of shielding (looks like an silver brooch in the shape of a swan worth about 30 gold crescents).

Ruggero's large chair is almost a throne and his crest (the three radiating daggers) is inscribed above the headrest.

Each stained glass window features a Triskelion face. The scowling man is in the center while the laughing man is to his right and the crying man is to the left.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 23 WAITING ROOM.

23 WAITING ROOM. Those desiring to call upon the captain of the Outer Ward often waited for him here before being allowed a visit. A desk is in the southwest corner. A plain but comfortable chair and several green and white striped couches are arranged about the room. Three small tables are also present.

NEW MAGIC ITEM: LOFNAR'S SWORD

This shortsword is rumored to have belonged to the fabled hero Lofnar. It is fashioned from a strange bluish purple metal. The grip is black leather and the pommel features the face of a lion. Written in black letters on the blade is the word “Lofnar”. It has the following characteristics:

• Intelligence of 12 and ego of 7, neutral good

• +1 sword, but in the hands of a neutral good person it is always +3 to hit as well

• It can communicate through a strange form of telepathy (if it chooses) and sounds like a young child, though it can only “talk” when being held by the grip

• The user may also detect magic in a 1” radius for one turn, twice a day

• Anyone holding the sword is also capable of talking with Lofnar's dragon

• Unlike many other magic swords, it does not shed light

XP VALUE: 900

GP VALUE: 4,000

NEW MONSTER: TRIGINTIPEDE

TRIGINTIPEDE

FREQUENCY: Rare

NO. APPEARING: 2-8

ARMOR CLASS: 7

MOVE: 15”

HIT DICE: 2

% IN LAIR: Nil

TREASURE TYPE: Nil

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ ATTACK: 2-5

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Weakness

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

SAVE: As non-intelligent monster

INTELLIGENCE: Non-

ALIGNMENT: Neutral

SIZE: M (5' long by 1½ ' wide)

PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

LEVEL/ X.P. VALUE: III/ 65 + 2/hp

These thirty legged myriapods enjoy feeding on cellulose and cloth, as well as on fresh meat or carrion. They are extremely aggressive and will bite without provocation. Their bite causes weakness if a saving throw vs poison is not successful. Victims will lose 50% of their strength, with a 3 being the minimum. Treat those with 18% strength as 18 for this effect. The effect is not cumulative, so those bitten by the trigintipede twice need not fear further strength reduction. Strength will recover at the rate of 1 point per turn.

Trigintipede body segments have alternating coloring in yellow, red, and black. The head is always red with beady black eyes.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 22 POLYPEDAL PERIL.

22 POLYPEDAL PERIL. Five trigintipedes (11, 6, 9, 9, 8) will attack when either door is opened.

In addition to the above, there are three dead triginitipedes and two dead adventurers. In fact, the party will disturb the myripaods as they feed on the dead. Large quantities of wooden planks were also being stored here, perhaps they were placed here in anticipation of making an addition to the castle. There are six large glass windows to the west, giving a view of the rushing river and the Inner Ward.

The first dead adventurer is a human female in chain armor. She had a footman's mace +2 and wore a backpack which contains a crude wooden holy symbol of a sort unfamiliar to the characters, 45' of rope, flint and steel, 3 torches, 2 weeks iron rations, and 33 silver spanners.

The second dead adventurer is a male dwarf in leather armor. He had Lofnar's sword and also wore a backpack with thieves' tools, a tiny shovel, a pair of fine leather gloves, 3 weeks standard rations, and 2 torches. He wore a moneybelt with 17 gold crescents, 2 silver spanners, and 8 copper pieces.

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS: GRIFFIN VS MANTICORE

Well, the time has come for another Friday Night Fights. This time we will pit some flying monsters against each other. Now I certainly intend on doing some aerial combat at some point, but for now I am going to assume that our combatants are meeting on the ground. In aerial combat the griffons could choose to either use their bite or claws, while the manticores could only use claws (and spikes).

First up we have the griffons. Let's say this is a mated pair (Peter and Lois).

NO. APPEARING: 2-12

ARMOR CLASS: 3

MOVE: 12”/30”

MANEUVERABILITY CLASS: C (D when mounted)

HIT DICE: 7

NO. OF ATTACKS: 3

DAMAGE/ ATTACK: 1-4/1-4/2-16

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

SAVE: Fighter 7

INTELLIGENCE: Semi-

ALIGNMENT: Neutral

SIZE: L

HIT POINTS: 34, 33

They don't really have any special attacks, but never back down when defending the nest. Griffins need a '9' to hit an AC 4 manticore.

Next we have two manticores. Let's say these are two male adults out looking for trouble. Let's call them Manny and Monty.

NO. APPEARING: 1-4

ARMOR CLASS: 4

MOVE: 12”/18”

MANEUVERABILITY CLASS: E

HIT DICE: 6+3

NO. OF ATTACKS: 3

DAMAGE/ ATTACK: 1-3/1-3/1-8

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Tail spikes

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

SAVE: Fighter 7

INTELLIGENCE: Low

MORALE: 78%

ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil

SIZE: L

HIT POINTS: 27, 34

Can fire up to 4 volleys of tail spikes (18' range as a light crossbow, 1-6 hit points of damage per hit). They need an '10' to hit an AC 3 griffin.

This fight will take place in the great outdoors. Each monster is searching for its favorite meal. The griffins are searching for horses, while the manticores are looking for men. But the manticores come too close to the griffin's nest, and the monsters fight.

Let's see about surprise and encounter distance. The griffins roll a 1 and the manticores also roll a 1, so both are surprised, but the effect is canceled because they have the same value. Now we look at encounter distance. Outdoors is 6”-24” and I roll a 13, so factoring in the -1 for surprise, we get 12” distance.

Next we declare intentions. The manticores will fire their spikes and the griffins will close to attack. Now roll for initiative. Griffins roll a 2 and manticores roll a 3.

The first manticore fires its spikes at griffin 2 and the second manticore fires them at griffin 1, but they roll a 6 and 7, so both miss. Now the griffins have closed the distance by the end of the round and we are in melee.

New intentions and we have both sides melee-ing. Roll for initiative. Griffins roll 3 and manticores 4, so the manticores get to go first again. Manticore 1 rolls an 8, 15 and 18 and aims for griffin 1. It hits for 9 points of damage ( I rolled an '8' for the bite attack). Manticore 2 rolls 4, 10, and 11, and hits griffin 2 for 4 points of damage.

Griffin 1 rolls 17, 9, and 2 and hits manticore 1 for 5 points of damage. Griffin 2 rolls 14, 8 and 9 and hits manticore 1 for 9 points of damage.

End of round 2.

Peter Griffin - 25 hp

Lois Griffin - 29 hp

Manny Manticore - 13 hp

Monty Manticore - 34 hp

Next round, new intentions. They continue to melee. Roll for initiative. Griffins roll 1 and manticores roll 3. Manny rolls 1, 16, 13 and hits Peter Griffin for 10 points (I rolled another '8' for the bite attack!) Monty rolls 9, 5, and 10 so it hits once for 7 points, also on Peter. I'm deciding targets randomly.

Peter Griffin rolls 4,7,4! All misses. Lois rolls 4,1, 12 and hits once with the high damage attack, doing only 2 (I rolled 2 '1's) points to Manny. Weird dice rolls are strangely favoring the manticores.

End of round 3.

Peter Griffin - 8 hp

Lois Griffin - 29 hp

Manny Manticore - 11 hp

Monty Manticore - 34 hp

New round, the combatants still are going all out on melee attacks. Initiative roll: griffins roll a 6 and manticores roll a 6, so simultaneous combat occurs.

Peter Griffin rolls a 1, 11, 13 and hits Monty for 6 points. Lois Griffin rolls 10, 4, 12 and hits Manny for a total of 12 points. This will be enough to reduce him to -1 and he is killed (or starts bleeding out).

Manny rolls 19, 10, 1 and hits Lois for 4 points. Monty rolls 17, 1, 14 and hits Peter for 5 points.

End of round 4.

Peter Griffin - 3 hp, looking in trouble

Lois Griffin - 25 hp

Manny Manticore - dead

Monty Manticore - 28 hp

Now Monty must roll for morale. His morale is 78%, which is computed based on hit dice. It is base 50% +5% for each hit die over 1, and +1% for each +1 added to hit points. For a 6+3 hit die monster, that is 50 + 5 X 5 + 3 = 78. The roll will be at +15% for losing half of the fighting force and another +10% for taking casualties without inflicting any (DMG p 67). I roll a 15, so that is modified to 40, still not enough to cause the manticore to back down.

They continue to melee. The griffins roll a 5 and the manticore rolls a 1.

Peter rolls a 7, 16, 16 and does 8 points. Lois rolls 17, 20, 7 and does 3 points. Monty rolls 2, 14, 19 and does 4 points to Peter, killing him.

End of round 5.

Peter Griffin - dead

Lois Griffin - 25 hp

Manny Manticore - dead

Monty Manticore - 17 hp

New round requires new intentions, and they continue to claw and bite. Lois rolls a 1 for initiative, but Monty rolls a 5 and gets to go first. He rolls 8, 11, 20, and does a total of 5 points of damage to her. Lois rolls 17, 20, 4 and does 8 points of damage.

End of round 6.

Lois Griffin - 20 hp

Monty Manticore - 9 hp

This doesn't look good for Monty and I rule he has to face another morale check. His roll is still at +15% for losing half the force (and more than half his hp), but he has killed a griffin, so we don't add the extra +10% on. I roll a 86, which gets increased to 101, and his morale fails. 101-78 = 23 so the manticore will “disengage-retreat”

The griffin gets a free set of attacks as against a stunned opponent, which means +4 and she only needs a 5 to hit. She rolls 1, 18, 19 and hits for 11 points, killing the fleeing manticore.

The griffins probably should have been favored here. They had slightly better AC and potential for much better damage, but otherwise they were similar and I could have seen this going either way.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 21 SECRET PASSAGE.

21 SECRET PASSAGE. The passage (built into the wall) between Room 20 and the Inner Ward only allows single file.

The covered pit trap will always allow the first person to cross. Each person after that has a 3 in 6 chance of setting off the trap. It will drop them into a twenty foot deep pit. Anyone in the pit will be able to hear rushing water from the river directly below them. The cover will reset by itself in six hours.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 20 CORNER ROOM.

20 CORNER ROOM. The windows, three to the northwest and two to the south, are broken, letting in a breeze which can sometimes make this room cold. A mounted Triskelion shield is on the west wall. A standing set on antique man-sized black iron platemail is in the southeast corner, holding a black iron halberd. Both are in good condition and can be used, but the mail has the Triskelion design on its breastplate.

The Triskelion shield features three white legs radiating from a central point on a black field. Turning the Triskelion legs like a wheel (either direction) will release the catch and a secret door will slide open of its own volition. It leads to Room 2 of the Second Floor of The Inner Ward. The door can also be opened from the secret corridor, a simple handle serving that purpose.

The long passage that connects this room to Room 22 is crenelated and open to the sky.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 19 PARLOR.

19 PARLOR. Three gralkin are drinking here, each is dressed as a footman. They are not hostile and will invite the characters to drink with them.

Black Swan (hp 6, longsword)

Crow (hp 5, longsword)

Red-headed Woodpecker (hp 6, military fork)

This room is well lit by four large glass windows in the south wall. Four small tables and six comfortable padded chairs are here. A serving table is against the east wall holding a battered teapot and twelve chipped teacups. The teapot doesn't hold tea, however, instead it is high quality brandy.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 18 STATUES.

18 STATUES. Three Triskelion statues are present in this room. The northern-most is the scowling Triskelion statue and it holds a nine tailed whip. The middle statue is laughing and holds a sword. The southern is crying and holds a staff in its right hand, but it has had its left hand violently removed, as if by some great force. Each statue is back-lit by a small glass window.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 17 CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT.

17 CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT. This room is filled with raw materials and tools for carpentry and masonry, such as beams, saws, hammers, etc. Stairs go up to Room 11 on the Third Floor and down to Room 25 on the First Floor.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 16 STUDIO.

16 STUDIO. In the center of the room sits an easel with a bizarre unfinished painting of a bird-faced man on it. As the adventurers enter the room, they will hear a sickening wet noise, as the painting comes to life and crawls out of the canvas. It has the body of a man and the head of a bird, but is terribly incomplete. The skin is absent, displaying exposed bone and muscle. The right arm and leg are just stumps, but the left hand is instead a bird-like claw. The thing will shuffle forward to attack, screeching horribly.

Animated birdman painting (AC 10, HD 4, MV 3”, hp 19, attacks with claw for 2-9 and bite for 2-5, Size M, xp 136)

As it strikes characters, its exposed veins and arteries will burst, leaving red smears on their bodies, that will later prove to be made of red paint. If it is killed it will dissolve into a colorful smear on the floor.

A palette with dried paint lies on the floor and a stool stands before the easel. A table along the east wall holds pigments, brushes, mortars and pestles. Although some of the paraphernalia is usable, all of the inks and pigments have gone dry. The walls are made of irregularly shaped stones fitted together and the floor is yellowed wood. Two large glass windows are here, overlooking the first floor garden, and sunlight pours in.

OUTER WARD SECOND FLOOR 15 GALLERY.

15 GALLERY. The walls are white and smooth and the floor is carpeted in dark red. The white tiled ceiling sheds light. There are six large paintings. No windows are present.

The white walls are made from a firm hard substance of a type never encountered before by the characters.

The light-emitting ceiling is not magical and will not detect as such, it is actually a strange luminescent paint.

The paintings are of men, women and children engaging in activities of daily life, traveling, feasting, etc. What is disturbing is that all of the people in the paintings have bird heads.  Each painting is signed "Patrizio Triskelion".