THE GROUNDS 15A FOYER.

15A FOYER.  This room is amply supplied with hat racks, boot scrapes, and umbrella stands.  Two portrait paintings are here, one on the east wall and one on the west.

There are many umbrellas and bowler hats, but only one pair of high-laced ladies’ boots.  The east portrait is of Huvvard Triskelion.  She is a tall elderly woman with white hair and black-rimmed glasses with thick lenses.  The west portrait is of a Socko, a red and white spotted hound dog.  Both portraits are labeled with the subject’s name and both are signed by Patrizio Triskelion.

The locked door at the north end of the room has a tremendous brass knocker in the shape of a grotesque face.  If anyone tries to open the door, the knocker will animate and ask them to state their business.  This is mostly a formality, as it will unlock the door and let just about anyone in unless they attack it or they declare a criminal objective.  If it is attacked or if there is an attempt to forcefully bypass the door it will defend the house, screaming “help, help!” loudly.

The Knocker (AC 6; MV 0”; HD 5; hp 24; #AT 1 eye beam; D 1-8; XP 210)

If the knocker does scream for help, there is a 50% chance that Socko (see Room 15H) will respond in 1d4 rounds to help rebuff intruders.  The knocker will have to open the door to let Socko through.

THE GROUNDS 15 SHOE HOUSE.

15 SHOE HOUSE. This large brown right shoe is about forty feet long, fifteen feet high, and twenty feet tall at its highest point (at least from the outside). The shoe is made of leather, with large fabric laces and a shingled roof instead of a hole where the ankle goes. Small windows (the largest are about a foot in greatest dimension) are placed here and there at irregular intervals. A wooden door is present on the southern aspect.

This shoe is a magical building, much larger on the inside than on the outside. It is the home to a tribe of grubby and decadent halflings and the old woman who takes care of them.

Many years ago, Huvvard Triskelion made friends with a group of cobbler elves, who constructed this house for her. Years passed and she dwelt here happily. Eventually, she became lonely, despite the companionship of her dog Socko. She came to desire children of her own, but she was well past the age of child birth. About three years ago a gang of halfling thieves broke into her home. As a powerful magic-user, she easily stopped them, but the nearsighted (and slightly senile) Huvvard mistook them for human children instead of adult halflings. On learning of her misunderstanding, the halflings have exploited Huvvard to live here in luxury and leisure, pretending to be children all the while. Huvvard's once vast fortune has been drastically reduced as she procured food for the wanton and gluttonous halflings.

All the halflings in the Shoe House are degenerate beyond the limit of normal halfling society. They love good food and drink but are not industrious, preferring to live off Mother Huvvard and do no work of their own. They are given to strong drink, gambling, rowdiness, excessive smoking, and all sorts of bad behaviors. Treat the halflings as members of an organized crime family with a neutral evil alignment, except where otherwise specified. They generally stay here, but at night they sometimes go out looking for trouble or food and have occasionally ambushed vegetable men from Area 6 to add to a stew. In adventurers intervene in their daily lives they will not tend to violence unless they think the party are easy marks. If they are attacked, they will try to get Mother Huvvard to help them, feeding her delusion that they are children to their own advantage. There is no trick so dirty that they would not stoop to it.

The Ground Floor halflings are led by Mr Heel, who is the toughest and the most rotten of the group. He is a shrewd customer, however, and capable of exploiting circumstances to his own advantage. His former right hand man is a psychotic halfling named Screwjob. Dissatisfied with Mr Heel's leadership, Screwjob led a bloody revolt and established a second faction of halfling thieves on the Upper Floor.

In the Shoe House, use the following altered Encounter Table for random encounters. Check for encounters once per turn in this crowded house, with a 1-3 on a d6 indicating an encounter.

Shoe Encounter Table

1d12	Description
1-5	1d4+1 Halflings
6-8	1d4 Giant rats
9	Mr Heel
10	Screwjob
11	Ms Vamp
12	Mother Huvvard (50%) or Socko (50%)

Halflings

This will be a group of no good halfling thieves.

Halfling Thieves (AC 10; MV 9”; T1; #AT 1; D Short sword; SA +3 with bow or sling; XP 28 +2/hp)

Thief skills: PP 35%, OL 30% F/RT 25% MS 25% HS 25% HN 15% CW 70% RL –

Each halfling has 3-18 (3d6) silver spanners. There is 40% chance that they have 1d4 pet giant rats with them.

Giant Rats (AC 7; MV 12"//6"; HD 1-4 hit points; #AT 1 bite; D 1-3; SA Disease; XP 7 + 1/hp, 8)

Giant Rats

These giant rats will be feral, having run away from their halfling owners because they were going to be eaten by the hungry demihumans.

Giant Rats (AC 7; MV 12"//6"; HD 1-4 hit points; #AT 1 bite; D 1-3; SA Disease; XP 7 + 1/hp, 8)

Mr Heel

See Room 15V. Mr Heel normally travels with Mr Welt and Mr Moustache as enforcers and henchmen. If he is encountered on the Upper Floor he will be leading a raid and will have an additional 1d4+1 first level halfling thieves with him.

Screwjob

See Room 15JJ. Screwjob normally travels with Brenda and Bronden as enforcers and henchmen. If he is encountered on the Ground Floor he will be leading a raid and will have an additional 1d4+1 first level halfling thieves with him.

Ms Vamp

See Room 15O.

Mother Huvvard

Mother Huvvard will be carrying a large sack of food to distribute to her hungry 'children'. See her statistics in Room 15MM.

Socko

See Room 15H.

THE GROUNDS 14C UPPER LEVEL.

14C  UPPER LEVEL.  The stairs from Room 14A ascend about fifteen feet.  The ceiling in this room rises to a peak of about ten feet at its highest.  Three large metal devices are placed against the west, the north, and the south walls.  Heavy metal wires extend from each of the devices towards the peaked ceiling.  The spaces on the walls above them are transparent from this side only.  From the outside of the building they look like gray stone.  The flattened body of a man lies upon the floor near the south metal device.

The metallic devices are actually magical control panels used to affect the weather in the Grounds. They are decorated with green and red knobs, levers, and switches.  They are also marked by colorful pictograms and strange characters.  These devices were designed by a powerful druid and a wizard skilled in the elemental arts working together.  Each has some amount of precious metals worked into the surface display, necessary for its proper function.  The characters used can be read by any druid or an ranger who is capable of using druid spells.  Some sages who have studied druidical magic may also be able to operate the mechanisms.  A read languages spell will also allow safe operation.

The west control panel is used for controlling humidity.  From this site a user can send instructions the local clouds causing them to release water or to dissipate, see the cleric spell control weather for guidelines.  This has no effect on the Magic Cloud at Area 34 and the weather effects are limited to The Grounds, they will not greatly affect either the Castle or the Forest Perilous.  If the controls are used without understanding the pictograms, roll a 2d20 and add the user's intelligence score when checking on the following table:

Humidity Device Operation Table

2d20 + intelligence	Effect
up to 10	Critical malfunction, shocks user with 3d6 electricity damage
11-20	Power fluctuation deals 1d6 damage in electric feedback
21-30	Improper command subroutine confuses device.  It refuses to operate for 1d10 hours as it reboots.
31 and above	See Weather Change Subtable below

Weather Change Subtable

1d20	Weather
1-8	Very clear
9-10	Light clouds or hazy
11-13	Cloudy
14	Deep clouds
15	Fog
16-17	Mist/Light rain
18	Sleet
19	Heavy rain
20	Driving rain storm with lightning

Any weather effects created, either on purpose or by accident, will remain in effect for 1d6+6 hours unless the controls on the machine are changed.  This control panel is decorated with silver and platinum wires and knobs.  If these are pried off they will be worth about 650 gold crescents in total but will also make the device inoperable.  If any person attempts to remove this valuable material they must roll a 1 on a 1d6 or receive an electric shock for 1d6+3 damage.  This assumes a normal adventurer taking their time.  If a thief attempts the job they may substitute their pick pocket or remove traps skill instead.

The north control panel is for controlling temperature.  From this site a user can alter the local temperature of The Grounds.  As with the previous panel, if the controls are used without understanding the pictograms, roll a 2d20 and add the user's intelligence score when checking on the following table:

Temperature Device Operation Table

2d20 + intelligence	Effect
up to 10	Meltdown causes 2d6 heat damage (50%) or the unit freezes up causing 2d6 cold damage (50%)
11-20	1d4+2 small fires spring up spontaneously in the room, sprinklers engage from the ceiling spitting hail causing 0-3 (1d4-1) points of damage to everyone in the room
21-30	Machine overheats (50%) or freezes up (50%) and won't operate for another 1d6 hours.
31 and above	See Temperature Change Subtable below

Temperature Change Subtable

1d20	Temperature
1	Sweltering heat
2-3	Hot weather
4-10	Warm weather
11-17	Cool weather
18-19	Cold weather
20	Arctic cold

Any temperature effects created, either on purpose or by accident, will remain in effect for 1d6+6 hours unless the controls on the machine are changed.  This control panel is decorated with gold and electrum wires and knobs.  If these are pried off they will be worth about 750 gold crescents in total but will also make the device inoperable.  Use the same chances of success when trying to remove metal from this panel as with the west panel.  If failure occurs the victim will suffer 1d6 damage from intense cold (50%) or burning heat (50%).

The south control panel was used for controlling pressure and wind velocity.  A band of thieves entered here and removed the valuable metal from this device but one of their number made a mistake and was crushed under extreme localized pressure.  The device is currently inoperable.

Characters can get a reasonably good view of the nearby portions of The Grounds from this site.  If they attempt to map, the Dungeon Master should take into account the extra perspective gained from the height.  For example, they should be able to see the lake at Area 20 and the exit from the hedge maze to the west.

THE GROUNDS 14B UNDERGROUND LEVEL.

14B UNDERGROUND LEVEL. The stairs from Room 14A descend for about fifteen feet. This room is lit by the green glow coming off of three large cables running from the floor to the ceiling (the three green squares on the map). About twenty metallic keeper's bodies (unanimated) are lined up against the west and south walls, along with normal gardening tools (clippers, shovels, hoes, rakes, etc.) Three metal doors are in the north wall.

The cables hold green goo and pump it up and down from the pool of the keepers in Room 14A to a storage reservoir when it is restocked with nutrients. If the cables are damaged, 2d6 keepers will activate in Room 14A and come down to investigate. They are willing to attack in order to maintain the cables' integrity.

Keepers (AC 6; MV 12"; hp 5 each; #AT 1 fist; D 1-4; SA Possession; XP 15 each)

Each of the metal doors in the north wall is about 4'x4' and five feet off the floor.

Door 1 holds large amounts of horse manure that the keepers have been storing as fertilizer. They haven't handled it properly so it will pour out on whoever opens the door.

Door 2 holds bags of seed corn, wheat, rice, etc.. A giant rat has been gorging on it and has grown to an unusual size.

Giant Rat (AC 7; MV 9"//3"; HD 2; hp 10; #AT 1 bite; D 1-6; SA Disease; XP 48)

Door 3 holds a Spade of Colossal Excavation.

THE GROUNDS 14A GROUND LEVEL.

14A GROUND LEVEL. This level is open to the surrounding courtyard. A green glow emanates from a ten foot diameter pool near the center of the room. The lip of this pool is four feet high and clustered about it are about a dozen keeper's working bodies, resembling skeletons made from metal with a box-like head. Each body is facing away from the pool, with its back pressed against the side of the pool. Stairs lead up to Area 14C and down to Area 14B.

Swimming within the pool of green semi-solid material are about three hundred keepers in their natural form. These are artificial life forms created by Triskelion mage-scientists to maintain The Grounds with gardening, landscaping, and tidying up.

The keepers slide into the back of the metal humanoid bodies at intervals known only to themselves, performing a six hour shift in The Grounds. Most monsters ignore them since they are non-threatening and don't taste good.

If any person touches the material in the pool, there is a 75% chance that a keeper will mistake them its regular body and try to inhabit their mind. Treat this as a magic jar attack. The keepr's intelligence will be 5-7 (1d3+4) and its wisdom will be 2-8 (2d4). In addition it has a +4 bonus as it is well-rested.

Each turn spent here, there is a 1 in 6 chance that a 1d4 keepers will possess some of the metallic bodies adjacent to the pool. When they do so, they will go down the stairs to Room 14B, retrieve tools, and go then about their usual business of gardening.

There is also a 1 in 6 chance per turn that 1d4 keepers will return from their work to this area.

Keepers (AC 6; MV 12"; hp 5 each; #AT 1 fist; D 1-4; SA Possession; XP 15 each)

NEW MONSTER: KEEPER

KEEPER

FREQUENCY: Very rare

NO. APPEARING: 1-4

ARMOR CLASS: 6

MOVE: 12”

HIT DICE: 1 (5 hit points each)

% IN LAIR: 50%

TREASURE TYPE: Nil

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ ATTACK: 1-4

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Possession

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

SAVE: Fighter 1

INTELLIGENCE: Low

MORALE: See below

ALIGNMENT: Neutral

SIZE: M (working form) or S (natural form)

PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

LEVEL/ X.P. VALUE: I/ 15

Keepers are artificial organic life forms created by the Triskelion family to do menial work, specifically gardening and groundskeeping in The Grounds portion of Castle Triskelion.

While working, keepers inhabit humanoid bodies made of rust proof metal alloys. The bodies have almost a skeletal appearance, with the head being box-like. These metallic frame bodies are not particularly sturdy and can sustain only five hit points of damage.

Keepers are created in order to do gardening, planting, trimming, and they excel at such tasks. In self defence they are capable of striking out for 1-4 points of damage but they will never attack of their own volition and they are completely incapable of harming members of the Triskelion family under any circumstances.

In their natural form, they are amorphous green bundles of plasm a few inches in diameter. They float in a pool of similarly colored semisolid material which provides them with nourishment. They assume their metal working form by sliding into the bodies through a connecting link in the back. They may remain away from their pool for up to six hours, when they must return to replenish their life force. If they remain away from their pool for longer than six hours they will perish.

In certain circumstances a keeper is capable of attempting to possess a living body. If a keeper has been in its working form for six hours and has been prevented from returning to its pool, it will try to come into physical contact with a creature in order to “ride” its body and return to its pool. Treat this as a magic jar attack, with the keeper having an intelligence score of between 5 and 7 and a wisdom score of between 2 and 8. After the keeper returns to its pool the host will be no worse for wear.

Similarly, if a being touches the green stuff of the pool of a batch of keepers, there is a 75% chance that a particularly stupid or distracted keeper will mistake the body for that of its normal host and perform a magic jar attack. In this case, the keeper is fortified and gets a +4 bonus to its attack. If it succeeds in possessing a host it will go about its normal duties for six hours before returning to its pool.

THE GROUNDS 14 KEEPER'S TOWER.

14 KEEPER'S TOWER. From afar, this gray tower is the twin to the one at Area 10, twenty five feet tall and having a pyramidal peaked top. It is in an open courtyard instead of being surrounded by bushes. It is connected to the main castle by a sixteen foot tall gray wall. At night a faint green glow emanates from the base of tower because of the pool in Area 14A.

There are three large openings in the west, north , and south walls of the ground floor of the tower, so that the points at these vertices of the tower are more like pillars than walls.

There is a 1 in 6 chance that 1d4 keepers will be in the vicinity at any time.

Keepers (AC 6; MV 12"; hp 5 each; #AT 1 fist; D 1-4; SA Possession; XP 15 each)

Keepers are non-violent gardeners, looking a bit robot-like with metal bodies and box heads. They will be carried hoes, rakes, and shears. Normally they will ignore people and avoid physical contact.