Monday, December 16, 2013

OUTER WARD FIRST FLOOR 7 GREEN ROOM.

7 GREEN ROOM.  This room is overwhelmingly green. It is an assault on the senses. It is obscenely green with countless shades of olive, emerald, jade, lime, cyan, moss, verdigris, and every other green imaginable. Even the doors, ceiling, and floor are marked by greens. There are four windows and the glass of each has been painted green, causing green light to bathe the room during daytime. A green slime clings to the door to Room 8.

Green Slime (AC 8; MV 0"; HD 2; hp 8; #AT 1 (drip); D Turn to slime in 1d4 rounds; SA Corrosive properties; XP 626)

It is virtually indistinguishable from the other greens of the room, except that it has a somewhat wet appearance which will not be noticed unless someone says they are looking for it. Anyone attempting to use the door to Room 8 will contact it, as will those who listen at the door. Remember that anyone listening at a door must remove their helmet or other head protection.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

OUTER WARD FIRST FLOOR 6 THE MALIGNANT MURAL.

6 THE MALIGNANT MURAL. The west wall is completely occupied by a huge mural of a scene out of the Abyss. Two windows are to the south and the stairs lead up to Room 34 of the Second Floor.

Within the mural, there are four manes demons burning in flames. As the characters watch, the demons come to life and step out of the mural to attack.

4 Manes Demons (AC 7; MV 3”; HD 1; hp 7, 5, 5, 4; #AT 2 claws, 1 bite; D 1-2/1-2/1-4; SD Magic, cold-forged iron, or black iron weapon needed to hit, limited spell immunity; XP 25, 23, 23, 22)

Every manes that is defeated is one than will not reappear in the mural if the party leaves the room and returns later. For every party member that the manes kill, there will be an additional manes demon in the mural if the party returns at a later date.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

OUTER WARD FIRST FLOOR 5 GUARDROOM.

5 GUARDROOM. The first time the characters enter this room it will appear to have been recently occupied. This room contains a card table and two simple wooden stools. A white basin holding steaming hot water is in the northeast corner, and two plain white towels are folded on an end table. Four windows of plain glass look out over the ruined stables below.

A deck of normal cards are on the table, placed as if in the middle of a game. A hot glass of cider is on the table in front of one of the stools, while in front of the other is a still smoking meerschaum pipe (decorated with the head of a hare and valued at 2 gold crescents).

Friday, December 13, 2013

OUTER WARD FIRST FLOOR 4 BLUE ROOM.

4 BLUE ROOM. A large table holding a chest is against the north wall. A large wardrobe is against the east wall. This room has plaster walls and ceiling. The walls are painted light blue, the ceiling is dark blue, and the room has a yellow hardwood floor. Eight plain glass hinged windows are here.

The table is very large and sturdy. It has been made of wood and painted blue. The chest is locked; it contains four glass jars. The first two contain honey. The third contains holy water. The last contains twelve blue beetles (each about two inches long), which appear to be dead. If the last jar is opened, the beetles will fly out and attack.

12 Blue Beetles (AC 10; MV 12”; HD 1 hit point; hp 1 each; #AT 1 bite; D 1; XP 6 each)

Anyone who takes damage from one of the beetles will have a rash over the site of the wound for the next week. Over the next 1-6 rounds they will experience a bitter taste in their mouth that will last for the next hour. After that it will resolve. These effects are disturbing, but not otherwise harmful.

The wardrobe has been painted blue. It holds four sets of blue padded armor with special spherical mesh helmets. These suits were once used by apiarists working in the Enchanted Garden (Room 56).

Thursday, December 12, 2013

OUTER WARD FIRST FLOOR 3 GRAND GARDEN ENTRANCE.

3 GRAND GARDEN ENTRANCE. The west wall is made entirely of glass and hugely overgrown boxwood hedge can be clearly seen through the wall. Sunlight will be visible coming from the garden. This floor is tiled in black and white in a checkerboard pattern. Large broadleaf potted plants (algaonema), still in bloom, are in each corner. The denizens of the Enchanted Garden (Room 56) make sure they stay alive.

The double door in the west is also made of glass, showing a cobblestone path heading into the garden. If this door is opened, the adventurers will hear the tinkling of tiny bells, although they will see nothing.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

OUTER WARD FIRST FLOOR 2 TAPESTRIES.

2 TAPESTRIES.  In the daytime seven giant bats cling to the ceiling beams.

7 Giant Bats (AC 8; MV 3"/18"; HD 1; hp 4, 5, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1; #AT 1 bite; D 1d4; SA Disease; XP 14, 15, 15, 13, 12, 11, 11)

This large room is of simple stone. Fourteen tapestries depicting battle scenes run along the west wall. There are ten glass windows, four of which suffer from broken panes. Two are on the south wall and eight are to the east. The floor is dusty and dirty with bat droppings.

Due to the weathering, each of the tapestries is worth only between 1d10 gold crescents. Each of the tapestries weighs between 801 and 900 gp weight (d100+800).

Each of the windows has right sided hinges to allow them to be opened and six of them are partially or fully open, allowing the bats to exit at will.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

OUTER WARD FIRST FLOOR 1 RED WOOD PANELED ROOM.

1 RED WOOD PANELED ROOM. The walls and floors are decorated in attractive red paneling. The wood gives the room a pleasant smell. The stairs lead down to Room 3 of the Ground Level and up to Room 1 of the Second Floor. There are six intact windows of plain glass, four in the north wall and two to the east.

ROOMS 1 TO 16 NORTHEAST.

ROOMS 1 TO 16 NORTHEAST. Normal rolls for wandering monsters are used.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Outer Ward First Floor Wandering Monsters

Roll for random encounters using 1d6 once every six 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

1d10
Description
1
1d4+1 dementings
2
1d4+1 giant rats
3
1 huge spider
4
1d2 large spiders
5
1d2 talon goblin zombies
6-7
Place creature from nearby room
8
Place creature from distant room
9
Place creature from adjacent level
10
Dungeon Dressing

Dementing
Dementings (AC 8; MV 12"; HD 1-4 hit points; #AT 1; D 1-3; SD Immune to sight-based attacks; XP 7 +1/hp)

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

Huge Spider
Huge Spider (AC 6; MV 18"; HD 2+2; #AT 1 bite; D 1-6; SA Poison, leap, surprise on 1-5; XP 145 +3/hp)

Large Spider
Large Spiders (AC 8; MV 6"*15"; HD 1+1; #AT 1 bite; D 1; SA Poison; XP 65 +2/hp)

Talon Goblin Zombie
Up to seven talon goblin zombies can be encountered wandering through areas 1 through 16 and 21 through 35.

7 Talon Goblin Zombies (AC 7; MV 6"; HD 2; hp 4, 10, 11, 12, 4, 7, 12#AT 1; D 1-8; SA Always lose initiative; SD Limited spell immunity; XP 28, 40, 42, 44, 28, 34, 44)

Dungeon Dressing

1d10
Description
1
Infestation of thousands of normal-sized cockroaches
2
A single right leather boot, fitting to a gnome male foot
3
Dank, moldy smell
4
Smell of rank manure
5
Whispering sound
6
Small silver bell (worth 2 gold crescents)
7
Broken crossbow bolt
8
Leaves and twigs on floor, placed in strange geometric patterns
9
Blue smoke obscures area
10
Normal bee lazily flying by


Encounter Key: Outer Ward First Floor

The First Floor of the Outer Ward holds a garden in a central enclosed area. Also of note is a lair of a witch and the main portion of the Inn of the Grinning Bear with its population of talon goblins.

Like the ground level, the majority of the rooms are of dressed stone, with wooden beams supporting the ceilings. Ceiling height is generally sixteen feet. Many rooms have cressets for torches. Individual water closets are scattered over this level and several others. They look like this:


The First Floor directly connects to the Second Floor and the Ground Level.

The talon goblins on the level, at least the living ones, belong to the faction led by Ulixes the Mage (Second Floor Room 39). Most are only loyal as long as it is convenient and they largely run their own affairs. In a crisis, Ulixes or his lieutenant and bully boy Scevelo can whip them into a fighting unit.

If faced with repeated invasions by hostile adventuring parties, Ulixes will erect a plausible defense, organizing goblins into larger groups to better handle the enemy. If left alone or attacked sporadically only, the goblins will not maintain a vigilant defense, however. The goblins can be negotiated with, but will have their own demands as part of any treaty. Full details of their position are described with Ulixes in the Second Floor document.

Three other powers that can be considered "minifactions" are the witch Malphaim Hedzel (Rooms 17 to 20), the evil clerics temporarily occupying Room 28, and the sprites and their allies in the Enchanted Garden (Room 56).

OUTER WARD GROUND LEVEL 68 BRIDGE.

68 BRIDGE. This area is a cobbled stone bridge to the Ground Level of the Inner Ward. It is open to the sky and affords a view of the steep drop to the south. It traverses a rushing river which flows from north to south and has a depth of about ten feet. The river emerges from a series of arches in the wall to the north and before reaching this point it is underground beneath the mountainside. The river becomes a steep waterfall just a few feet south of the castle, plunging down about 40 feet and emptying into a small lake before continuing as a river to the south.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

OUTER WARD GROUND LEVEL 67 TRAINING ROOM.

67 TRAINING ROOM. If the characters have not been to Room 43, they will be able to see and hear the 3 hobgoblins with their prisoner, because there is an arcade in the north and any noises made in the long hall (Room 43) are easily heard in Rooms 35 and 67. Furthermore, much of Room 35 can be viewed from this room.

This room was used by the guards and other worthies of the outer ward to practice. Wooden weapons and shields, training dummies, and such items are present. The walls are stone and the floor is wood. A huge fireplace is in the southwest corner. The staircase leads up to Room 33 on the First Floor.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

NEW MONSTER: CARVER BUG

CARVER BUG

FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 12”
HIT DICE: 2
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ ATTACK: 2-9/2-9
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
SAVE: As non-intelligent monster
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
LEVEL/ X.P. VALUE: II/ 28 + 2/hp

The carver bug is a huge round-bodied insect predator, although it also consumes carrion. It scuttles forward on four of its legs, while the first two are large and maneuverable, with scythe-like blades. These limbs attack with +1 “to hit”, and they have the effects of swords of sharpness.

Description: Carver bugs have dark brown shells, decorated with black circles and other markings. Their scythe fore-arms are bone white. Eyes are blue-green and iridescent.

OUTER WARD GROUND LEVEL 66 TAXIDERMY.

66 TAXIDERMY.  This is a very large room filled with excellent examples of the taxidermist's art. Two carver bugs are here. They are attempting to make a meal of a stuffed bear.

2 Carver Bugs (AC 5; MV 12"; HD 2; hp 12, 9; #AT 2 claws; D 2-9/2-9; SA +1 to hit, attacks as sword of sharpness; XP 52, 46)

Among the larger mounted animals there are an elk, two bears, five wolves, a lion, a hippogriff, a giant skunk, and three eagles (on well-made wooden perches resembling tree limbs). In addition there are scores of waterfowl, weasels, smaller cats, foxes, rabbits and similar creatures. Many of these animals are missing limbs and scarps of fur lie in testament to the many other trophies that were here at one time. Massive numbers of antlers and deer heads also line the walls.

A grand fireplace graces the east wall. Above the mantle is a portrait of Sergi Triskelion, the famous big game hunter. He appears as an overweight but vigorous middle aged man with a heavy beard and long black hair.

There are three other paintings. Two are portraits hanging on the north wall. One is of Luciana Triskelion, a girl of about 10 years old. She has straight black hair and very dark eyes. The next portrait is of her sister, Salvatrice. She appears to be about 8 years old and has curly blond hair and light green eyes. Like Sergi's portrait, these are labeled and signed by Patrizio Triskelion.

The final painting hangs on the south wall. It is labeled "The Hunt" and shows Sergi in chainmail and mounted on a large brown horse. He is charging a seven headed hydra, but each hydra's head has been replaced with the head of a rooster.

The walls are paneled in dark wood. The floor is likewise wood. The place is massively cobwebbed and the whole area has a musty smell.

Friday, December 6, 2013

OUTER WARD GROUND LEVEL 65 SUITE BATH.

65 SUITE BATH.  As in Room 62, the walls and floor are tiled in white. Here, however, a massive quantity of purple fungus is growing in the cracks between the tiles. Three dirty stained glass windows are in the south wall. There is a blue porcelain toilet and a huge brass bathtub. A white cabinet is against the west wall.

The fungus has a strange effect do to the spores it produces. Anyone staying in this room for more than 2 rounds must save versus poison or experience occasional auditory hallucinations for the next twenty four hours. Check every 30 minutes or so, roll 1d6, on a 1 or 2 the character experiences a believable auditory hallucination appearing to come from a random direction. Consult the following table:


1d12
Hallucination Description
1
Baby crying
2
Frog croaking
3
Whistling
4
A very loud heartbeat
5
Cackling laughter
6
Chanting
7
Sounds coming from the behind the wall
8
Water dripping
9
A young girl crying for help
10
A harsh voice saying the character's name
11
A door slamming shut
12
Footsteps

The bathtub is equipped with hot and cold water faucets, but will not function.

The cabinet contains three sealed glass canisters. The first contains grain alcohol. The second contains witch hazel. The third contains cotton puffs. Hidden inside the cotton is a moonstone worth 75 gold crescents.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

OUTER WARD GROUND LEVEL 64 SUITE BEDROOM.

64 SUITE BEDROOM.  A carrion crawler occupies this room. The talon goblins occasionally put prisoners in here for the sake of amusement.

Carrion Crawler (AC 3/7; MV 12"; HD 3+1; hp 14; #AT 8 tentacles; D Paralysis; XP 636)

There is a fireplace in the south wall. The walls have the same red wallpaper as that in Room 63. The bed is large and comfortable. There are four plain glass windows which open on hinges. There is an alcove in the southeast.

Beneath the bed is an overlooked foot locker containing a bottle of vinegar labeled "potion of healing", a pair of boots of elvenkind, a small red felt bag containing 17 silver spanners, and a marble statue of a cockatrice worth 35 gold crescents.

The alcove in the southeast contains a shrine to an ancient evil god of unknown provenance. This portion of the room is unnaturally cold and will detect as Neutral Evil if a detection spell or device is used. The shrine itself is a marble platform with dozens of black candles and a small idol of an malformed humanoid figure. The idol is made of some strange green metal and appears slightly melted with runny features. It is cursed. Anyone who touches the idol must save versus spells or suffer -1 on "to hit" and saving throws for the next 1-4 days.

If anyone actually takes the idol out of the room, it will become heavier and heavier until they are unable to carry it. If the character states he or she wishes to return the idol to its shrine, they will be able to move it again, though it will still feel abnormally heavy until it is returned. If the idol is returned to the shrine, no further evil will occur. If the idol is not returned, but merely left somewhere, the offender will suffer a further curse, causing a loss of 2-5 strength points (to a minimum of 3) over the next 1-4 days. This effect will be permanent, until the idol is returned to its place or a heal, restoration, remove curse, wish, or alter reality is used.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

OUTER WARD GROUND LEVEL 63 SUITE ANTECHAMBER.

63 SUITE ANTECHAMBER.  The two talon goblins stationed here are smoking a strange blue-green leaf from meerschaum pipes. They are somewhat apprehensive about the monster in Room 64 and are thus slightly easier to surprise by people entering from the hallway (extra 1 in 6 chance). If they have been warned by the goblins in Room 50 they will have normal chances of being surprised.

Talon Goblin 1 (AC 6; MV 6"; HD 1; hp 6; #AT 1; D Short sword; XP 16) 6 silver spanners, 1 copper piece

Talon Goblin 2 (AC 6; MV 6"; HD 1; hp 5; #AT 1; D Hand axe; XP 15) no wealth

The door to Room 64 is roughly barricaded by two of the couches and three wooden chairs (apparently brought from another room). The red and gray furniture is largely intact and the walls are papered in red. There is a dining table, a coffee table, a desk, two padded chairs, a bookcase, and several couches. A fireplace is in the east wall.

A coffee table holds two more meerschaum pipes and a small pouch of the same blue-green leaf. Each pipe is worth between 3 to 8 (1d6+2) gold crescents to a tobacco shop. The pipes the goblins are smoking are decorated with a bear and a unicorn. The pipes on the table are decorated with an old man's face and a devil face. The leaf is highly addictive. If sold it could fetch as much as 10 gold crescents to the right buyer.

Over the fireplace hangs a portrait of Vittorino Triskelion the alchemist, a bald elderly man with a kindly smile. It is labeled with his name and signed by the artist Patrizio Triskelion.

The small room in the south wall is a walk-in closet holding an old gray cloak decorated with fish and birds in blue and green (cloak of protection +2).

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

OUTER WARD GROUND LEVEL 62 MASTER SUITE BATH.

62 MASTER SUITE BATH. This room is lavishly decorated. The walls and floor are adorned with white tile. Two stained glass windows depicting bathing blue skinned nymphs are present. There is a white porcelain toilet and a large ornamental brass bathtub. A white cabinet is against the east wall.

This room suffers from the same water shortage seen elsewhere in the outer ward but some water still drips from the bathtub faucets. The goblins have placed a teapot to catch the water. Only the master goblin and his wives use it as a restroom and as a rule they do not bathe.

The cabinet contains scented soaps, fragrant candles, and white towels. The front of the cabinet is decorated by a mermaid carrying a jug. A secret door connects the back of the cabinet to Room 52. It is operated by twisting the mermaid's jug, causing the false back of the cabinet (behind the shelves) to swing open.

Monday, December 2, 2013

DWARVEN CURRENCY

In addition to human currency, some demi-humans also mint their own forms of money.  Dwarves make five kinds of minted coins:

The platinum coin is known as the zamukkarbhu.  The head aspect shows the face of the dwarf king in whose reign the coin was minted.  The tail show a hammer awash in flame.

The gold coin is known as the maban.  The head shows a stylized gemstone in relief while the tail shows a pick.

Dwarves are the only race known to make coins in electrum.  This coin is called the lugdush.  The head shows a tower while the tail depicts crossed swords.

The silver coin is called the khuram.  The head shows a door and an axe is on the back.

The copper coin is known as the gane.  The head is graced by an eye and the tail shows a torch.

All dwarven coins are twice as heavy as normal coins, but worth five times as much, due to the exquisite detail and workmanship.  Thus a platinum zamukkarbhu is worth 25 Sarcoy gold crescents, or 5 gold mabans, and has a value of 5000 Sarcoy copper pieces.  Like many other coins used by humans, they are reeded or milled, so they can accepted in confidence.

OUTER WARD GROUND LEVEL 61 MASTER SUITE BEDROOM.

61 MASTER SUITE BEDROOM. The master goblin and his three wives are here. Each of the wives wears human female clothing.

Straglietti, the master goblin (AC 4; MV 6"; HD 3; hp 14; #AT 1; D Bastard sword or dagger +1 to damage due to strength; XP 77) 14 gold crescents, 24 silver spanners, golden nose ring worth 8 gold crescents, key to Room 59, key to locked iron box under bed

3 Female Talon Goblins (AC 7; MV 6"; HD 1-1; hp 2, 4, 3; #AT 1; D Dagger; XP 12, 14, 13)

The first wife has a copper ankle bracelet worth 2 gold crescents and a pearl hairpin worth 1 gold crescent. The second wife has a silver necklace worth 5 gold crescents. The third wife wears a single silver earring worth 2 gold crescents.

If the characters are willing, they will find Straglietti to be more interested in peaceful negotiations than in being killed. However, should the characters somehow form an alliance with Straglietti, they will find him a graceless friend. Straglietti is not particularly bright, but he is also not stupid. He will attempt to feel out the party and assess strengths and weaknesses. If an alliance is made between him and the party, he will demand that they accept one of his wives as a peace offering (Janice, the 4 hit point wife), as she is a shrew and he is aching to be rid of her. He has the following goals:

1. He will first attempt to convince them to kill the Dragenbok (Room41, this level) as he and the other talon goblins have an deep fear of this monster.

2. He will next try to get them to kill the talon goblin mage Ulixes (Second Floor Room 39).

3. If possible and he is working from a position of strength, he will attempt to extort money from the adventurers.

In return he can offer little. He would be willing to release the prisoners in Room 59 and allow the party safe passage through this floor whenever they like. Under no condition will he give up treasure or allow conscription of goblin troops. If placed under extreme duress, or if the Dungeon Master finds it convenient, he may be willing to offer a talon goblin as a guide.

If the party has aided him, Straglietti will feel no loyalty. If he senses weakness (such as the party has visible wounds or fewer members) he will not hesitate to betray them, preferably when they are off-guard.

A beautiful four poster bed, now with stained and ripped bedding, is here. There is a lit fireplace in the south wall. An armoire and wardrobe are present. Once beautiful paintings graced the walls, but these have been slashed and discarded and crude drawings made from charcoal now decorate the walls. Two lovely stained glass windows featuring mountains with snowy tops are present.

Under the bed, the master goblin keeps his treasure:

Iron box with a lock on it
  • Gem (chrysoberyl, 100 gold crescents)
  • Triskelion signet ring (worth 1 gold crescent)
  • Elaborate jade snuff box (worth 38 gold crescents)
  • Elaborate cherrywood snuff box (worth 25 gold crescents)
  • 181 copper pieces
  • 16 silver spanners
  • 8 gold crescents
  • 4 gold mabans (dwarvish currency)

Long but shallow wooden box, not locked
  • Wand of illumination (84 charges)
  • Potion of super-heroism (orange color, tastes buttery)
  • Scimitar wrapped in leather
  • Ivory carving of an elephant (worth 600 gold crescents)
  • Knife sheath (worth 3 copper pieces)
  • 2806 copper pieces
  • 891 silver spanners
  • 104 gold crescents

There is also a barrel of pickled fish and Barca's equipment: chainmail, shield (crest is a green griffon), and long sword.