Special Encounters Part 2 - 12-21

General Encounter Chart

1-8      NPC
9-16    Mundane Encounter
17-19  Dangerous Encounter
20       Special Encounter

Special Encounters Part 2 (12-21)

I may add stats for the creatures encountered, or I may simply add them to the Appendix: New Creatures. None of the Spectres who appear as Special Encounters are associated with the Spectre who haunts the Mountains or the Spectre of King Hargeth.

Roll 3d10

12. Old Whitebeard

A gruff voice muttering curses and self-loathing is heard some distance away. After a 2-5 rounds, a small man with the longest, most tangled white beard ever seen limpes into view.  The small man wears a pointed green hat and carries a long staff.

This is Old Whitebeard, a faerie creature who occasionally roams the Highlands. He challenges the most powerful looking warrior to an single combat with staves. The stakes are simple: the loser must serve the winner for one day. The rules are simple, the loser is the one who is knocked down three times.

The problem is also simple, Old Whitebeard cheats. He uses magic to imbalance his opponents when he fights them. For purposes of the contest, Old Whitebeard fights as a 10th level fighter, but every round his opponent must make a Dexterity check (Dex or lower on 4d6) to remain balanced. Imbalanced opponents attack at a 3 point penalty and suffer a 2 point penalty to Armor Class.

If Old Whitebeard loses the contest, he will be true to his word and will serve the vicor for exactly 24 hours, disappearing at that exact moment with an echoing laugh and "Thou art worthy."

If Old Whitebeard wins  the contest, he will first demand his bested opponent comb his beard. After several rounds of enjoying the humiliation of his opponent, he will clap his hands together and laugh with glee. Jumping up he will say, "I know! I want you to get the Eye of the Moon from the King Under the Water! Bring me the Eye of the Moon!"  Old Whitebeard can give the bested opponent directions to the King Under the Water and can describe the Eye of the Moon, he can even teleport the opponent to the gate of the King Under the Water (and the opponent's friends, if asked before he teleports the bested opponent), but he will not otherwise aid the task.  If the PC is already in possession of the Eye of the Moon or if the bested opponent is able to gain the Eye from the King Under the Water, Old Whitebeard will look despondent for a moment, but then try to snatch it away and disappear. Once Old Whitebeard has the Eye of the Moon, he will release his opponent from any further service. If the Eye is not surrendered, Old Whitebeard will throw a fit and disappear, but the opponent will suffer the same effects as if he or she refused to serve Old Whitebeard.

Old Whitebeard has no actual power to compel a creature to serve him. However, if he bests a warrior in the contest and the loser refuses to serve Old Whitebeard, the little man will sneer at the bested opponent for a moment and then disappear, placing a curse on the unwilling servant - save vs. spells or be cursed with bad luck until remove curse is cast. (In game terms, bad luck means that anytime the player has to roll dice, he or she rolls two dice, or two sets of dice, and takes the least advantageous of those rolls).

An opponent who willingly serves Old Whitebeard until released will receive a wink and a thanks from the little man and a blessing of good luck. (In game terms, good luck means that anytime the plaer has to roll dice, he or she rolls two dice or two sets of dice, and takes the most advantageous of those rolls).

13. The Fairy Box

This encounter begins with a tiny girl (about 4" tall) in a green felt hat and a red dress waving to make her presence known. If addressed, she will make her plea: her sisters, sprites all, are trapped in this area, far away from home (their home in the Faerie Realm, she will reveal if asked). The way back home is locked in a box that none of her sisters can open. Could anyone help them get back home?

The tiny girl, who has no name but will identify herself as Sprite if pressed, leads any who are willing to help to a stone chest resting among the weeds at the base of a tree. The chest is indeed locked, and trapped (it is also magical, if detected). The obvious lock on the front of the lid is a false lock, and the trigger for the first trap which, if triggered, shoots out a small, barbed brass hook that catches the hand of the one manipulating the false lock for 1 hp damage (save vs. paralysis to avoid). If the trap is successfully sprung, the locking mechanism of the box clicks and the chest is now unlocked (the "key" to unlock the box is a drop of mortal blood). If the chest opened, it appears empty. Immediately, 107 tiny women will swarm out of hiding and begin leaping into the box.

Anything placed in the box for the first 30 minutes after it is opened immedately disappears (including the tiny women). If a drop of mortal blood unlocks the box, it becomes a gate to the Dark Faerie Realm, teleporting anything placed therein to the Court of the Night Queen.

The tiny women are not sprites, but are Night Fairies, selfish and often malevolent spirits who faithfully serve the Night Queen.

If the box is destroyed, if the tiny woman is ignored or attacked, if she is offended in any way, all 108 Night Fairies will swarm the offender. They attack as 1 HD creatures and do 1 hp damage, as well as special magical abilities.

14. Hooded Wanderer

When encountered, this creature always tries to stay in shadeor shadows. Whenever locals have encoutnered her, they always have a sense of dread.  She appears as a little girl wearing a deep blue velvet hooded cloak. Every time the Hooded Wanderer appears, she looks slightly different, though always with the blue velvet cloak (hair, eye and skin color varies widely in the stories). The most disturbing feature of the Hooded Wanderer is that her legs face the wrong way, or her head is on backwards. No one has ever seen her arms.

The Hooded Wanderer moves in and out of this reality on her quest to serve justice. She seeks out the worst criminals (murderers, rapists, etc) and will follow them around, loudly weeping and sobbing. If confronted by a criminal, the true nature of this creature becomes immediately apparent: she opens the hooded cloak and within is a monstrous appearance - teeth and tentacles which viciously attack the criminal and eat him or her.

If encountered randomly, the Hooded Wanderer is searching for a murderer named "Alaric." She will ask (from deep inside the hood, hiding her appearance), "I seek Alaric of Newtown. Can you show him to me?"

If anyone encountered is actually a terrible criminal (murderer, etc), she will try to draw close to that person and then attack.

15. Wandering Jack
A middle-aged bearded man heavily laden with packs and bags, wearing a sword and carrying a staff, Wandering Jack is well known to and well loved by the local people.  Jack is a champion of the helpless and the downtrodden. When encountered, there is a 30% chance that he is hurredly moving to someone's rescue (a peasant hunter being attacked by a wild boar). Otherwise, he is jovial, open, and friendly, welcoming strangers to the region.

Wandering Jack is a font of information about the region: he knows all the common knowledge, has a 70% chance to know whether a rumor is true or not, he knows where nearly all of the important locations are in the region and many of the unimportant locations as well. He may accompany the party for a time, but because of his chaotic nature, he will not remain long, and he will always help someone in dire straits.

16. Dorcan The Man Collector

Every six months (give or take a few weeks) this Giant Ogre appears in the region and terrorizes the people of the region for about a week before mysteriously disappearing again.

Dorcan is bearing four dead peasants (woodsmen) on his spear and is walking back to his camp when encountered. He has never been bested in the Highlands, so he is over-confident in his ability to collect the bodies of those encountered.

Dorcan wears a moose skin tunic and a billowing leather cape. He fights with his great spear which is currently laden with his kills. His first action in combat will be to fling teh corpses draped across his spear at anyone who is unarmored, knowing that a flying body hurled from his spear has been enough to kill the average peasant. Treat corpse missiles as a ballista shot at point blank range (adding Dorcan's Hill Giant equvalent strength bonuses). Though the Giant Ogre is not terribly intelligent, he is very clever. He can be outsmarted, but he will not fall for obvious traps or tricks. He will use anything he can to his advantage (he will kick dirt into the face of an opponent, for example, and use the very long reach of his spear to every advantage).  If brought to less than half his hit points, he will try to flee in disgrace, leaving the region altogether.  However, he will return after two weeks with his two brothers, Galbron and Kirant, searching for those who humiliated him to exact his revenge. The three brothers will attempt to set up an ambush, possibly pushing their prey toward one of the other encounter areas (for example, they might be encountered outside of the Gnome King's Hall, hoping their quary will entrap themselves in that place as they flee the three brothers' attack, or they might be encountered near the Ettercaps' lair).

17. Ugly Karras

This hunchbacked man has been outcast from his village and clan because he has done wicked things. Ugly Karras denies any wrongdoing, in fact his story is one of long being misunderstood because of his deformities and his slurred speech. His story is, however, completely false (though he absolutely believes it himself). He is deformed because he made a pact with a demon and tried to manipulate that agreement in a way that angered the demon. If discovered, he will say he was sold into bondage to the demon and will beg to be released from the curse (see below).

Karras carries a book with him at all times, usually in his satchel though he takes it out from time to time to admire it. He knows that it is magical, but he has no idea what it might be. He would be willing to trade the book (a Manual of Quickness of Action).

Karras is a man who has been imbued with two special abilities (which have come with a price). The first is he can read people's minds (ESP) as long as he is looking into their eyes. The second special ability is the ability to pass through walls (as per the spell passwall). He desired these abilities to enhance his own abilties as a thief. The price was high to begin with, he must cause a gallon of human or demihuman blood to be spilled onto the bare ground every year. When he sought to cheat the demon by gutting a corpse every week and spilling the blood of the already dead, the demon cursed him with these deformities and demanded that Karras spill a gallon of living human or demihuman blood every week. Since, Karras has been seeking to be released from his agreement. He will do almost anything, say almost anything to be released. To be released, he has to have the following spells cast on him: bless, remover curse, restoration. Doing so has a 5% cumulative chance per spell to attract the attention of the Type 5 demon who currently owns Karras' soul.  Releasing him from his bondage will not release him from his won selfish and wicked ways, however.

Once encountered, Ugly Karras should show up every so often, begging to be released, offering to serve, anything to stave off the torment of the demon. He guards his special abilities, but might slip up and use them if he believes he can get away with it.

Karras generally only carries a knife with which he is very proficient.

          Ugly Karras: T6, hp 19, #ATT 1 knife (dagger), Special: thief abilities, ESP, passwall, AL NE.

18. Pitch Wanderer

This undead creature is the animated corpse of a girl who was murdered by drowning her in one of the Tar Pits in area ______. The Pitch Wanderer is a tormented soul, seeking revenge on all men for the injustice done to her in life. Everywhere she goes, she leaves a trail of tarry footprints and globs of smoking pitch (the trail disappears after 6 hours).

The Pitch Wanderer violently attacks men on sight, hurling balls of flaming pitch at them, or grabbing them with her hands (also flaming pitch). She will not fight women. If attacked by a woman she will pause in whatever she is doing, look quizzically at the woman, then continue on with whatever she was doing, as if the attack from the woman never happened. No matter how many times she is attacked by a woman, she will not respond in kind. However, for every hit landed by a woman, there is a 10% cumulative chance that the Pitch Wanderer will flee. She fights men to the death.

19. Finn the Tiny

A spirit from the Faerie realms, Finn the Tiny is a benevolent spirit known and beloved by the people of the Highlands. He is only about 3 inches tall, so he is easily overlooked. When Finn encounters good or neutral aligned beings, he is friendly and welcoming. Evil beings are best avoided in Finn's opinion, but his natural curiosity sometimes draws him to see what even the most wicked of creatures is doing.

Finn's favorite pasttime is hunting dragonflies which he cooks and eats. He knows a great deal about the highlands and can be a source of information about many of the major encounters found in this region.

Finn is very unpredicable, flitting from one interest to another without warning. He might spend an hour fascinated by a rock, then chase after a butterfly for ten seconds then be mesmerized by a cloud. The only thing that is guaranteed to hold his attention are dragonflies. His big dream is to hunt and kill a giant dragonfly.

20. Fritz and His Friends

Fritz is considered a crazy man by the people of the Highlands. He travels around the highlands with quite a menagerie: a donkey (Asson), a brown bear (Cubby) and a mouse (Dan). He talks to his three friends as if they are people and the animals are very tame in his presence. The animals are also very protective of Fritz if he is threatened.

When encountered, Fritz has discovered a wooden box bound in iron bands (floating on a stream or river if one is nearby, otherwise, simply on the ground). He will be talking to Dan (the mouse) about how to open the box as Asson and Cubby sit watching. Fritz speaks in a halting way as if language doesn't come easy (his laugh should sound like a donkey's bray) and moves in an awkward way, if frightened he will drop to all fours and kick hard with his feet.

Fritz and his friends are not exactly what they seem to be. Three men were beating their donkey when the Witch of the West Wind came to investigate, took pity on the donkey, and polymorphed the whole lot of them. Fritz into a human, the three men into each of the animals. As part of the curse, none of them can remember being anything other than what they are, though the animals all have uncanny intelligence for their kind.

The box Fritz is puzzling over is locked with an iron lock. Inside are traveling clothes of a distant nobleman (worth about 100 gp total).

21. Bearskin

Bearskin is a gruff and unpleasant man. When encountered in his human form, he will be standoffish and unkind. In his bear form, Bearskin is actually friendly and gentle when appraoched in a non-hostile way.

Bearskin is a Werebear. He prowls the region as a protector and friend of the forest. He is well acquainted with the Brothers Five (Treants in hex _________) and the Forestmaster (hex____). If anyone says his name three times, there is a 50% chance he will appear within a minute. If summoned, the summoner had better have a good reason for calling him, or be in dire need, or Bearskin will react in a hostile, possibly violent, way.

Once encountered, Bearskin will keep tabs on those who have encountered him. If they prove to be friends of the forest, he may come to their aid at a particularly important moment. If they prove to be destructive to the forest or creatures therein, he will send dangerous animals after them. Every animal encounter will be with a dangerous animal (see Mundane Encounters, Animal Table, Potential Dangerous Animals Subtable).

Hex 11

11. Mountain Stream (Eastern Hex):  There is a 50% chance that 1-4 Cave Bears are fishing in this mountain stream. If approached within 100’, they will attack aggressively and pursue relentlessly. The bears’ caves are in the Western part of the hex.

11. Cave Bear Caves (Western Hex): A dozen and a half small and medium-sized caves dot the mountain side here. There is a 50% chance that 1-4 Cave Bears are in some of these caves. The other caves are mostly empty.

Cave Bear (total of 9 Cave Bears in the area): AC 6; MV 120’; HD 6+6; hp 37 each; THAC0 13; #AT 3; D 1-8/1-8/1-12; SA Hug (2-16); SZ L; Int Semi; AL N; XP 771 each. (MM)

One of the bear caves has 2 gp and 6 sp among the bones and bits of carcass. High above the bear caves, one of the uninhabited caves is actually a grave, containing the mummified body of some ancient and long-forgotten hermit or ascetic. In his dried-out hand he clutches a parchment on which is drawn a map and a long paragraph is written in a long dead language. The DM is free to use this as he or she sees fit.

Hex 10

10. Chapel In the Woods

This hex is very wild, the undergrowth is dense and the trees are overgrown with moss. Travel in this hex is reduced to ¼ normal rate. The chance of encounters here is also cut in half. 100 yards west of where the stream meets the river in this hex is a small shrine that the locals, with hushed voices and uncertain looks, call the Chapel in the Woods. Few locals have ever been to the Chapel in the Woods and almost no one living has ever been inside, but it is known and somewhat legendary among the people of the region as the source of both the greatest evil and the greatest good.

The chapel itself seems a fairly small structure, though very ornamented. Made of white marble, it is covered in grime and moss and vines.

The doorway to the chapel is obvious – what is not obvious is how to open the smooth marble door. There is no mechanism, no lock, no runes. At the foot of the door is a tiny ornamental doorway (about 8” high) and in front of that is a slight depression in the floor. The depression is discolored somewhat.  If blood (at least a cupful) is poured into the depression (it doesn’t matter where the blood comes from), rumbling sounds will be heard from within the Chapel, then very loud growls. The ground will shake slightly and the tiny ornamental door will appear to open (illusion, can be disbelieved) and out will pour dozens of tiny, horrific misshapen spectral creatures (appearing to be a cross between zombie rats and bloated pigs with vaguely humanish heads – the creatures are not an illusion) which swarm over one another, lap up the blood, swarm back into the door which appears to close behind them. The tiny creatures are have 2 hp each, AC 9, they do not attack and if killed, they will simply vanish.  Two rounds later, after the blood is consumed and the spectral creatures disappear, the smooth marble door silently swings inward. Inside, the door has an iron bar and what appears to be a marble handles to open and lock the portal from the inside.

Inside, the Chapel is very small, just 10’ across. Opposite the door is a small altar table fixed to the wall on which is laid fresh fruit, a dagger and two golden candlesticks. In the right alcove is a marble statue of a young boy, looking sad, reaching out toward the center of the room. In the left alcove is a marble statue of an old man, looking upward as if in pain, reaching both hands up as if reaching for something. The ceiling is painted as a sky filled with dark, winged – possibly demonic – creatures.

The altar table is magical. Anything laid on the table will be preserved forever (functions to permanently stop time for everything that touches the table). A dead body, for example, laid on the table will never decay, wood will never rot, food (obviously) will never spoil.  The fruit lying on the table has been here for 154 years. The dagger is not magical, but is extremely sharp (and will remain so forever) and well balanced (worth 20 gp). The candlesticks are gold plated brass and only worth 100 sp for the pair.

The statues are magical. The statue of the young man bestows a one-time per person blessing of complete healing (restoring all hit points, cure disease, remove curse, regenerate lost limbs, etc.) simply at a touch, without any request or desire on the part of the recipient.  The statue of the old man bestows a withering curse, reducing hit points to 5% of total, causing disease in the person, twisting a random limb (roll d4) to become useless, reducing DEX by 1-3 (save vs. spells to reduce all effects by half – that is reducing to half hit points, no disease, twisted limb reducing DEX by 1) simply at touch. Again, this could easily happen simply exploring the room. The magic of the statue of the old man is unlimited, can affect the same person multiple times.

The magic of the statues and the altar is tied to the Chapel and if removed from the Chapel, the magic will be destroyed.

The Chapel is dedicated to the Old Gods. The monks of St. Albaran’s monastery would be happy to see the Chapel destroyed (as the Way of the Master does not approve of the Old Gods) and the abbot might be willing to offer a reward for evidence of its destruction. 

TO FINISH: Image, map?

Hex 13

13. Garis Man (Central Hex)

A 90’ tall, vaguely (headless) human-shaped stone stands not far from the edge of the forest here. A troop of goblins is camped around the base of the stone.

27 goblins and two bugbears are camped at the base of the Garis Stone led by a goblin sub-chief (of the Shaman faction).

Goblins (27): AC 6, MV 60'; HD 1-1; hp 4 each; THAC0 20; #AT 1; D 1-6 or by wpn; SZ S; Int Low~Avg; AL LE; XP 14 each (MM)

Bugbears (2): AC 5; MV 90’; HD 3+1; hp 16, 19; THAC0 16; #AT 1; D 2-8 or by wpn; SA surprise on a 1-3; SD Darkvision 60’; SZ M; Int Low~Avg; AL CE; XP 149, 161. (MM)

Goblin Sub-chief: AC 5, MV 60'; HD 1+1; hp 8; THAC0 18; #AT 1; D 1-8 or by wpn; SZ S; Int Low~Avg; AL LE; XP 36 (MM)

Every time a thunder storm passes through the area, lightning strikes the Garis Man once or twice without seeming to damage the stone itself. The goblin shaman has discovered that these lightning strikes are not simply a random freak of nature but they are magical in nature. Wands, staves and rods placed on the top of Garis Man and struck by lightning gain 0-3 (d4-1) charges per “natural” lightning strike (that is, magically created or summoned lightning will not recharge such items. Additionally, there is a 5% chance that each strike will neutralize the items, rendering them useless forever.

The goblin sub-chief has been dispatched by the shaman from the Chantry (Hex 42) to recharge a Wand of Earth and Stone (which is rechargeable if a storm comes through) and a Rod of Smiting (which is spent and unable to be recharged). These are the only items of worth the goblins and their allies have. They have not yet figured out a way to climb to the top of Garis Man, though they have hundreds of feet of rope and some grappling hooks and are standing around arguing how to get to the top. The sub-chief will not climb, but he doesn’t really trust any of the others with the valuable magic items, either.

TO FINISH: Which Sub-chief? Image

Hex 41

41. Wisdom Falls (Northern Hex)

            

The Whitewater River, which begins in the mountains to the north, falls precipitously 120’ here to a deep pool before roaring downstream toward the forest to the west. The place is frequented by shaggy mountain goats and occasionally the Griffons who dwell in hex 26 hunt here.

While the falls are very difficult to access, Shiralla (from Hope Cross to the West), Geryon (Hex 7, before he became ensorcelled) and the Abbot of the Monastery of St. Albaran (Hex 28) occasionally make a pilgrimage to the pool of the falls to seek out answers to deep, perplexing questions.

The “magic” of Wisdom Falls works thusly: on the night before a new moon, one must come to the pool and make a suitable sacrifice. The sacrifice simply has to be valuable to the petitioner (monetary value is secondary). The sacrifice is thrown into the pool at the base of the waterfall. The petitioner waits vigil through that night and throughout the next night (the new moon). Sometime during the night of the new moon, Pylarian (see below) will slip into the pool and retrieve the sacrifice/offering.

Pylarian, a Fristborn Exile (see new creatures for full description) is able to answer questions per Contact Higher Plane spell based on the value he perceives in the offering/sacrifice made (DM discretion) or he may choose to not answer at all. The answers, if any, come as a haunting voice that howls across the pool at dawn the morning after the new moon.

Behind the waterfall, 80’ above the pool, is a deep cave where Pylarian lairs. Like most of the Firstborn, long ago Pylarian withdrew from the world, entered into a state of eternal slumber in his hidden water palace. When Hargeth attempted to settle this region, however, his court wizard stumbled upon Pylarian’s lair and attempted to enslave the Firstborn to draw on his power. Part of the plan worked, in that Pylarian was greatly weakened by the mage, blinding him (permanently) and impeding a number of his other abilities. Even in such a weakened state, however, Pylarian easily dispatched the mage which, in a very real way, sealed the doom of Hargeth’s fledgling kingdom as the mage could not help defend the kingdom against the ravages of the goblin invasion.  Pylarian feels that he cost the lives of thousands of innocent people in the goblin invasion that decimated Hargeth’s kingdom and uses his wisdom and knowledge and ability to “see far” to make eternal atonement for his failure in the past.

41.1    Entry: Two Caryatid Columns guard the entrance to Pylarian’s lair who will attack anyone not accompanied by the Firstborn, even invisible creatures. The 12’ tall door is locked and Wizard Locked (dispel at 14th level), the password for the Wizard Lock is Kuzmarian. The 12” thick doors are bronze and depict in bas relief angelic beings locked in struggle with demonic beings on nine separate panels, and at the top (which is arched) is a stylized sun.

41.2    Grand Hall: The doors from the entry swing inward to a balcony overlooking a huge hall, 200’ in length, 80’ in width. Mortal beings who step through the doors have to save vs. spells (bonus +1 per WIS over 12) or be awed by the sight of the Grand Hall. Awed characters will stand dumbfounded, staring, eternally unless forced out of the room. 

The ceiling rises 20’ above, the floor drops 30’ below with steps spiraling downward from the balcony to the floor below. The walls are covered in long, luxurious tapestries depicting the same eternal angelic/demonic struggle as the panels of the door. The ceiling appears to be painted (if daytime) as a sky with a bright sun in the center (or if nighttime) as a star-filled sky with a full moon in the center. The floor is carpeted, though there is little furniture scattered about, mostly soft chairs and couches, but so little that the floor really looks empty.  The far wall has a smaller door at each corner and a large double door at the center atop a raised dais.

There is only a 10% chance that Pylarian will be in the Grand Hall.

The ceiling here is not painted, but is actually the sky above the Water Palace (without depicting the weather, however) whatever time of day a person enters the Grand Hall. The carpets, tapestries and furniture in this hall are ancient and invaluable; however they are under an enchantment that has preserved them for the past 3,500 years. Removing them from the Water Palace will hasten their demise, causing them to begin to rot within hours of their removal and within one month of their removal from the Water Palace they will become worthless piles of moldered fibers.

Those who step on the carpets unaccompanied by Pylarian find the carpet transforms into a carpet version of quicksand after traveling 20’ from the spiral staircases. Characters caught by the carpet quicksand must make a DEX check (dexterity of lower on d20) each round or sink 1’ into the carpet. Those who make their save do not sink, but cannot rise higher without assistance from off the carpet somehow (flying characters, somehow grappling the balcony, grasping furniture perhaps). Once submerged, characters lose 1d8 CON points per round. When CON reaches 0, they die. Triggering the carpet quicksand is 70% likely to draw Pylarian to the chamber. With a word Pylarian can command the carpet in every way – to pause, to sink faster, to return to carpet instantly.

The smaller doors at the corners of the room are not locked and open easily. The central double doors atop the dais are locked and Wizard Locked at 14th level (the password for the Wizard Lock is Kuzmalian). The dais contains three overstuffed chairs and a plain wooden chair. If Pylarian “holds court” in this room, he will indicate that three of his guests should sit in the overstuffed chairs and he will sit in the plain wooden chair.

41.3    Pylarian’s Chamber: The simple wooden door swings outward revealing a small bed chamber filled with a random collection of items. Pylarian is 90% likely to be in this chamber at any given time (and if not in the Grand Hall, he will be here). Pylarian keeps the sacrifices that people make to him here in this chamber, occasionally holding them, reliving the petitioner’s need.

The room contains very little furniture: a small cot, a three legged table, a wooden chair and a small chest.  But shelves line the walls and the shelves are heavy with a motley assortment of items including: A scroll case holding ship captain's navigational charts cluttered with hand-written notes, a water-damaged sheet of parchment inscribed with the name and address of a hostel in Daamasport, a bow richly engraved with a motif of ravens and bare branches, the pointed half of a broken knife, a tiny (2’ long) oak coffin, thankfully empty, an ages-old 8-by-12-foot tapestry depicting the burial of St. Garalias, and likely of some value (300 sp), a golden key marked with odd magister's symbols, an ancient axe with a pommel in the shape of a wolf's head, a bit of bone inscribed with the image of a sword and shield, a bronze talisman marked with the image of Halasham the Righteous, a 4-foot iron torch staff with a fistful of charcoal in the cage, a human skull wrapped in pigskin strips onto which have been inscribed, in exacting hand, passages from 'The Book of the Righteous Pilgrim’, a quarter staff wrapped with leather into which a collection of wolves' and bears' teeth have been embedded, 13 sp stuck to the bottom of a filthy rawhide pouch, a massive, uncut ruby on a hemp cord necklace. It must be exceedingly valuable (worth 5,000 gp), an unreliable map of the Old World in a waterproof bone scroll tube, a wooden reliquary box holding the skull of Gallian the Fair, who defended his village's shrine against a clan of 60 goblins and almost succeeded. The box has a worn leather handle for ease of carrying, a broadsword and scabbard, a soldier's identification papers in a bronze tube, a half-pound jar etched with the image of a raven, full of beeswax, a white wool shirt with a fashionable wide buttoned-back collar, a small golden box richly engraved with a motif of skulls and roses (worth 40 sp) inside, set in deep red velvet, are several sticks of gold sealing wax, a pouch of gold dust (worth 10 sp), and a gold signet ring bearing the seal of none other than the King of Hamlin himself (worth 100 sp for the gold, but invaluable to the Kingdom of Hamlin and worth thousands to forgers and other less scrupulous people), a lead pot, a 10-gallon cask with a pig’s head painted in red on the side full of good ale, a folded page of parchment on which is written a notice that all freight and personal trappings will be thoroughly inspected at the gates which is inscribed with the Caranta city seal (this parchment, however, is twenty years old), a leather sack containing a hunter's bow, leather wrist-guards, a flask of wood oils and bowstrings, and a quiver with 20 arrows, including a pouch of extra feathers and needle and thread for repairing arrows, a serrated dagger engraved with a sacred oath in a leather sheath, an officer's sword etched with the Kingdom of Hamlin coat of arms, with a fine pigskin scabbard festooned with blessed prayer ribbons, a rusty iron key embossed with the Harrian city seal, a quarter staff festooned with colorful ribbons, a warm, wolf-hide cloak, and a set of oak cooking utensils, a longsword (Gyrashian, a sword +3 which legends say was once used by the king of the Netherworld to assail the Heavens in his bid to sit on the Throne of Life – it bears runes of Cause Light Wounds 2x/day and Confusion 2x/day and is usable by Chaotic beings – when grasped the first time, save vs. spells or become evil), a plumed helmet (the Visor of the Heavens – a helmet that allows the wearer to see in darkness as if in full sunlight, also cast Light 2x/day).

41.4 Empty Chamber: The wooden right door is unlocked and opens into a dusty, empty room. A single candle perpetually burns on a small shelf here.

41.5 False Treasure Chamber: The locked central doors open to a long hallway. The hallway stretches back 80’ and opens to a large room beyond and smells of carrion. The room beyond is filled with illusory treasure: gold and gems piled to the ceiling. 40’ down the corridor, the floor is illusory. The first character stepping on the “floor” falls 100’, to a small natural cave littered with bones and the bloated bodies of a dozen goblins who got caught in the quicksand carpet a week ago. Falling into the pit breaks the illusion of the floor. The gap in the floor is 35’.

Entering the “treasure chamber” (crossing the threshold of the room) destroys the illusion of the treasure and causes a massive stone block to fall and block the corridor, sealing it off. 

Pylarian (the Blind Seer)
STATS?

TO FINISH: Map, Image

Special Encounters Part 1 - 3-11

General Encounter Chart

1-8      NPC
9-16    Mundane Encounter
17-19  Dangerous Encounter
20       Special Encounter

Special Encounters Part 1 (3-11)
I may add stats for the creatures encountered, or I may simply add them to the Appendix: New Creatures. None of the Spectres who appear as Special Encounters are associated with the Spectre who haunts the Mountains or the Spectre of King Hargeth.

Roll 3d10

3. The Hermit, The Woman and The Baby

A man and a woman (holding a baby) walk determinedly along the path/road/whatever. The man is talking and gesturing wildly, not paying any attention to his surroundings. The man is old, with a long white beard, wearing some kind of hair coat and carrying a large pack on his back. The woman wears a long blue dress with a hood covering her head. The baby is unclothed.

The woman is The Prophetess of Nanias, the man is The Forerunner of Faith, and the baby is The Oracle of the Blue Circle, These spirits appear and disappear in the Highlands sometimes singly or in pairs. This is the first time in human memory that all three have appeared at the same time. They emanate an aura of awe which causes those of 3 or lesser Hit Dice/Levels to fall prostrate in awe (save to resist if desired, locals willingly submit to the aura of awe). Those of greater than 3 Hit Dice/Levels sense the power of these Spirits, but will not feel compelled to fall prostrate.

The Prophetess speaks a prophecy every sixth hour (at 6 minutes and 6 seonds after the hour, to be precise). Half of these prophecies are benign (noon and midnight), half of the prophecies will be malevolent (6 AM and 6 PM). The prophecies can be as pinpoint specific as predicting the future of a person standing in front of her or as obscure as speaking the fate of a farmer who has not yet even been born. The accuracy of the prophecies is desputable.

The Forerunner speaks for the natural world. He decries the encroachment of human beings into the wilds, as roads and cities cut through the forest and trees are cleared for farmland. Druids who listen to the Forerunner for an hour will gain 1 bonus first level spell.

The Oracle can answer a single yes or no question. When asked the question, a laugh is a yes, if the baby cries the answer is no. The Oracle is not omnipotent, but will generally be correct in its answers.

4. Peasant Cart

This only occurs on a road. A peasant driving a small empty cart approaches. The peasant will stop the cart and ask for a drink of water. Anyone who gives the peasant a drink of water will find that their waterskin will forever be 3/4ths full (it will never be more or than 3/4ths full no matter how much a person tries to put in it or drinks from it). If the peasant is given a drink, he will offer as many as 6 people a ride in the cart, whatever direction they are going. The cart goes very slowly, however, half a party's walking rate. When the party stops for the night, the peasant will make camp with them but sometime during the night the peasant, cart and ox will disappear. 

If the peasant is ignored, he simply moves on, though that night the party will be visited by a very loud ox that will tramp through their camp or butt its head against the door or wall of any structure they are in.

If the peasant is insulted, he will call down a mild curse on any insulting group. The insulted peasant will say, "May your salty tongue never be satisfied." He will then kick up the ox which will travel unnaturally quickly away from the insulting group. Those who hear the curse must save vs. spells or have insatiable thirst for the next 3d12 hours.

If the peasant is attacked, he, the cart and the ox become an incorporeal cloud of red mist, with the effect of the spell stinking cloud, lasting 20 rounds. The appearance of the red cloud also doubles the chances for a dangerous encounter during the duration of the effect.

5. The White Lady and the Black Avenger

A woman dressed all in white riding a pure white (almost glowing) horse is riding next to a figure dressed in black platemail riding a jet black horse.

The woman is The White Lady and the man is The Black Avenger. The White Lady is the spirit of one of the Virgin Princesses of Urtan, killed on her wedding night by the Huntman of the Queen of the Night. When the White Lady appears, the locals say, misery follows. 

The White Lady is a Spectre caught in unlife by the power of the injustice of her life and death. She will question any living being she encounters asking questions like, "Hast thou sought truth always?" or "Hast thou brought divine justice?" "Hast thou been a defender of the weak?" "Hast thou brought betterment to mankind?" and on. She will ask 1d4+2 questions, seeking to catch the living beings in a lie. If anyone lies to her, she commands the Avenger to attack while she will watch from the side. The Black Avenger is Zealous Defender, a new type of undead, caught in eternal unlife by a vow taken to forever protect his lady. He will fight to the death unless his opponents flee (he will not pursue). He can use the sword's powers to find hidden opponents or to blink to gain an advantage.

If the White Lady is attacked, she will fight fiercely. 

If the Avenger is killed, the Horse and armor will evaporate into black smoke, leaving behind a magical sword: Avenger's Wrath (sword +1, +2 vs. humans, -2 vs. undead, detect living three times per day, allows the user to become blink (per the spell, at 8th level) once per week, a LN sword). If the White Lady is killed, she and her horse evaporate in a cloud of white smoke, leaving behind a crown of starflower blossoms. This is the Virgin's Crown, imbuing the wearer with ESP , the ability to regenerate 1 hp per turn as a vampirc touch and it acts in all ways as a ring of protection +2. This is a LE item.

6. The “Monks” of the Fallen Fire

Encountered on the road in the wood, these four members of the Green King’s court have disguised

themselves as monks in order to travel the region unmolested. Unfortunately, they are not terribly religious men and their disguise can be seen through fairly quickly by a suspicious, devout follower of the Way of the Master. They use some of the right phrases (“It is the Master’s will.” “The will of the Way.” “Light shine upon you.”) but they also swear when surprised or angered (a true monk would not allow himself such a worldly action) and they conceal weapons in their robes (though they try to explain this away by speaking of bandits and monsters). Most telling would be if a character actually engaged them in a matter of faith (confession, theological discussion, etc) as these men are woefully unequipped for such a task. They will speak of being followers of St. Arius of the Fallen Fire, though no such saint or sect exists. They will only fight if attacked, preferring to lie, bribe or intimidate their way out of a fight. Failing such tactics, they will try to run.

These men gather intelligence for the Green King, for his remaining illegal ventures throughout the Highlands. If captured, they will trade information for their lives, then flee the region, never to return. If one or more of the “Monks” betrays the Green King, he will put a price on their heads, dead or alive.

Brother Garath (MU 5, wand of wonder, dagger)

Brother Michen (F 6, short sword +1)

Brother Angus (Th 6, short sword)

Brother Fraklan (Th 5, short sword)

7. Mother Sacren and Her Hovel

A strange creature, Mother Sacren. As far as anyone knows, she has always lived in a tiny stone hovel deep in the Highlands, though no one seems to know exactly where it is. As long as anyone can remember, Mother Sacren has been old, ancient even. She has a deep interest in things magical and when wondrous items are found, she seems to turn up, asking to examine the item, sometimes offering to buy or trade for the item, sometimes offering an obscure warning about the item. 

If encountered randomly, Mother Sacren will nose about the possessions of those encountered, evaluating any magical items she discovers.

If her hovel is sought out, she is always home, always welcomes visitors with, “Patience, younglings, the world continues apace whether you rush or whether you wait.” Or something similar. She is never in a hurry, always subtly complaining about how much of a hurry everyone seems to be in these days. She will not talk about her past or future, but may drop veiled hints about her visitor’s futures, if she can divine such. She genuinely wants to be helpful, but is most interested in maintaining a balance (leaning toward good) in the world. Those who obtain extremely powerful items will find Mother Sacren or one of her minions (see below) seeking the item to “remove if to a safe place, away from the tempting hands of this world.” What, exactly, that means she will not divulge, only that some items “are not meant for mortals to meddle with, for their own good.”

There are those who seek Mother Sacren for her potions and trinkets. She seems able to procure nearly any item of a magical nature, or at least the has knowledge about nearly every item of magical nature ever found, lost or hinted at in myth and legend. She will not sell or trade an item to a person she deems unworthy (for whatever reason). She has been known to send those who seek her services on grand quests, either as payment for an item or service rendered, or as a way of answering the petitioner’s own questions, to find an item they seek for themselves.

In game terms, Mother Sacren is an Exile, one of the Firstborn. She has little interest in the affairs of the “lesser races” but pays attention to the magical currents of the world, attempting to remove ultra-powerful items from the hands of those she considers “children” and unable to manage such items. She whisks such items off to an extradimensional space (the Edge of Heaven) where they are guarded by powerful angelic beings. When encountered in her hovel to engage in trade, she will strike her deal, then excuse herself to the back room where from which she will disappear. If followed, the back room is simple, and empty (a small bed, a small table, a single chair, candles, a locked box containing her travel clothes – if anything is stolen, she will track down the thief and demand her items back). From the back room, Mother Sacren teleports to different places, wherever whatever item she needs can be procured. She has (for game purposes) limitless resources, but she is very powerful, so not an entity to be trifled with. This is the closest thing to a “magic shop” available in the Highlands. While Mother Sacren is able to procure nearly any item, she may not be willing, depending on the “buyer’s” need, disposition, respect, ability to offer her something of value in return and so on.

Mother Sacren

(Exile)

AC 0

HD 14

Hp 68

#Attacks 2 + spells

Damage 1d6/1d6

AL: CN

Mother Sacren can cast ESP and Detect Good and Detect Evil at will. If attacked, she can cast Lightning Bolt 3x/day as a 12th level caster and can Teleport Without Error 3x/day. She always appears as a wizened old lady, often smoking a pipe, with a walking stick (actually a magical wand which allows the wielder to cast Identify 8x/day).

8. The Boy Who Dug Fifteen Graves

A boy with a shovel stands over 15 sticks poking up out of the ground, each with a straw hat dangling

on it. The ground around each of the sticks is disturbed.

The boy is a Grave Demon, an apparition who sometimes appears when bodies go unburied. The Grave Demon buries each of the unburied bodies in an unholy ritual which animates the bodies as Grave Zombies. The boy will smile at anyone encountered, gesturing as if tipping his hat toward those encountered. If the gesture is returned, the boy will try to saunter off in the opposite direction of those encountered. If the gesture is not returned, the Grave Demon will give those encountered an angry look, then turn in a full circle with the shovel held at shoulder height. As he does so, the hats on the sticks begin to quiver and the next round 15 Grave Zombies claw their way to the surface and attack. The Grave Demon fights with the shovel and his innate abilities.

9. The Welwa
The wind picks up, doubling in velocity for about 5 minutes, then stops completely. All sounds of nature stop.The Welwa always blinks into existence directly behind its prey (randomly choose a PC if the Welwa encounters them). The creature which glows with an unearthly greenish light uses its tail to good effect and normally attacks its prey with two massive claws, attempting to draw its prey in close for a viscious bite. While this Faerie monster has a broad rack of horns, it typically uses these defensively, brandishing them menacingly to any who threaten the creature.

The motives of the Welwa are inscrutable. It will focus only on a single prey and can be driven off if serously injured.  Normally, the Welwa breaks off its attack and blinks out of existence again once it has managed to bite a chunk of flesh from its prey.

The Welwa makes two attacks with its claws. If both attacks hit, the Welwa draws its prey in to bite off a large piece of flesh - the Welwa will try to bite a very fleshy part of its prey. The creature uses its tail to entrap its prey, wrapping the tail around the legs of the creature the Welwa is attacking. (Thus, 2 or 3 attacks plus special - tail plus special - horns). The Welwa lashes out with its horns at any non-prey who attacks the creature or otherwise tries to interfere with its attack on its prey.

The Welwa only exists in this reality for the briefest of times, seeking to sate its supernatural hunger with a bit of mortal flesh. The wound of the Welwa bite never truly heals (-1 maximum hit point until something like a Restor spell is cast) and daily a greenish, slimy substance will ooze from the wound. If this greenish slime were collected, it can be used to coat items making them anathema to Faerie Creatures for 1d4 days of use (adding an ability to hit Faerie creatures to weapons, giving a 1 point bonus to armor class for armor or shields coated). Each day the wound will ooze enough to coat two small blades (knives, daggers, short swords), one medium weapon (sword, axe, etc), ten arrow heads. It would take three days to collect enough to coat a shield and a week for a suit of armor.

10. Bearfriend

Crunching through the forest comes a Cave Bear lumbering slowly. On the bear's back is a girl wearing simple, typical peasant clothing and carrying a sack.

When encountered, the bear is hungry and, consequently, grumpy. It will be somewhat aggressive unless offered food.

The girl atop the bear knows why the bear acts unpleasantly, but sits silently atop her mount with a slightly bemused look on her face, evaluating reactions to the bear.

If the bear is consoled somehow (probably food, but there could be other creative approaches), the girl will smile and introduce herself as Camala Bearfriend. If treated well, she offers the party a magical charm if they will do something for her. She needs the pointed teeth of six goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears or trolls. If the party gathers what she requests, they need simply speak her name three times aloud, and she will appear presently with their gift: a charm of protection against animals (the charm is made primarily of claws and teeth of various animals: wolves, foxes, bobcats, etc. - notably absent are any items from bears). The charm gives a 3 point bonus to reactions with all animals except bears, on which the charm has no effect. Camala wants the teeth for a new charm, protection from goblinoids.

Camala Bearfriend can give general directions to the Chantry, the Hall of the Gnome King and the King Under the Water, for those who might be interested in her offer.

If attacked, the bear will defend Camala to the death, and will be accompanied by 1d2 Cave Bears every third round until the attackers are killed or driven off, or Camala is killed. If Camala is killed, all subsequent encounters with bears are immediately hostile.

If Camala and her bear are simply ignored, they will lumber off through the forest peacefully.

11. The Mad Hermit
A Mad Hermit wanders in this region. He carries a staff and wears no shoes (even in the winter), only coverd by a bearskin tunic, an unkept bushy beard and little else. He is always immaculately clean. The Mad Hermit is immune to the effects of heat and cold (even magical fire or magical cold). He speaks of himself in the third person (calling himself "The Wanderer") and he never uses pronouns or contractions. "The Wanderer greets the fine men and women before the Wanderer."

The Mad Hermit lives half of his life in a dreamworld where he is surrounded by talking animals (or singing mushrooms or dancing fairies). He spends most of his time conversing with (or singing, or dancing) these invisible creatures. When he does talk and address reality, he has a fair amount of insight into the goings on of the Highlands.

If attacked, the Hermit will not defend himself, but within 1d4 rounds 1d10 animals (roll on the Animal Encounter Table) will come to his defense.

Hex 31

31. Mad Agatha

           

A woman blew into the area a decade ago to prospect for gold. She said her name was Lady Agatha and she came from Ostaven. She announced that she was going to prospect for gold, bought supplies and marched off into the mountains. Periodically, she will show up in one of the villages or even the Abbey of St. Albaran to trade gold for supplies, then disappear again for months or even years. She digs a small (secret) mine up in the mountain here in this hex and lives in her mine with her four dogs. The DM is free to locate the mine anywhere in the hex he or she chooses and create a mine map, but know that it’s a very small affair (even after a decade of digging). Agatha unearths 2d20 gp worth of gold per month from her little mine (it contains a total of 9220 gp in gold remaining). She has, hidden behind a loose rock in her bedchamber, 82 gp worth of gold. Agatha is a “normal human” with no special abilities. It amazes people that she has survived this long in the wilderness. She fights with a dagger and a shortsword if she is forced to fight.

Mad Agatha: AC 9, MV 120’, NM, hp 6, THAC0 20; #AT 1, D by wpn; S11, I 10, W 16, D 9, C 17, Ch 12; AL CN; XP 16

Wild Dog: AC 7; MV 150’; HD 1+1; hp 2-9; THAC0 18; #AT 1; D 1-4; SZ S; Int Semi; AL N; XP 20+2/hp.