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From mhassman@zephyr.cair.du.edu Tue Jun 4 12:00:05 1991 From: mhassman@zephyr.cair.du.edu (Mark Hassman) Newsgroups: rec.games.frp Subject: Complete Grasslands of Merakai Summary: very LONG,total file Date: 4 Jun 91 15:00:53 GMT Organization: University of Denver This is the complete Grasslands of Merakai file to date. Its damn long. This information is being archived on eklektik and one other system which I can't remember for the life of me. Boudewijn Wayers gets a big round of applause for pulling all this disjuncted info into one file that makes some kind of sense. My thanks to him for all his labors. Thanks to the people who are archiving the information. Enjoy! --Mark Hassman -----------------------cut here---------------------------------------- From: mhassman@zephyr.cair.du.edu (Mark Hassman) Edited by: wsbusr1@urc.tue.nl (Boudewijn Wayers) Subject: Cities of Merakai & Geography Contents: Chapter 1: The Geography of the Grasslands of Merakai Chapter 2: Cities and Towns of the Grasslands of Merakai 1. Lierchmon A. Description B. Encouters for Lierchmon I. The Cook 2. Fedell A. Description B. Encouters for Fedell I. Ants II. The Raid 3. Arfeld A. Description B. Encouters for Arfeld I. The Wayward Inn II. The Great Cliff 4. Dresan A. Description I. Mid-City II. The Western Sector III. The Eastern Sector IV. Interaction between Sectors V. General Other Information B. The Sewers and Underground Systems beneath Dresan I. Mid-City II. The Eastern and Western Sector C. Ironarm's I. The Tavern/Inn II. The Warehouse III. Miscellaneous Information D. The Library of Dresan I. The Library of Magic and Mages II. The Library of Alchemy III. The Library of Wars, Warriors, and Tactics * IV. The Library of Politics * V. The Library of Music * VI. The Library of History * VII. The Library of Religions * E. Encouters for Dresan I. Ironarm's II. The Lost Mage III. Heldo Braggart 5. Marple A. Description B. Encouters for Marple I. Burrowing Owls... 6. Korton A. Description B. Encouters for Korton I. Werebears II. Seriphilia III. Goblins and Orcs Chapter 3: The Northeast Region 1. Quick Geography of the Area 2. Scenarios for the Northeast Region A. Night Wagon Chapter 4: The Great Cliff 1. Scenarios for the Great Cliff A. The Cave B. The Gnomes Chapter 5: The Barrier Mountains 1. Scenarios for the Barrier Mountains A. The Stronghold I. Description II. Adventure B. Glade Of The Giants C. The Citadel I. Location II. Current Conditions III. Adventure * These paragraphs are still in draft. Chapter 1: **** The Geography of the Grasslands of Merakai **** The Grasslands of Merakai are a large set of plains which cover the central portion of a small continent. They are similar to the Great Plains of the US. Upon these plains are six settled towns or villages. Other than the areas immediately around the towns, the Grasslands are relatively wild and dangerous. The Grasslands cover an area of 400 mi by 400 mi. Only one major river enters the grasslands and that is near the capital city of Dresan. Various small streams appear on the plains either from the mountains to the north or from the aquifer under the grasslands. To the north of the Grasslands is a large chain of mountains which arise between the northern coast of the continent and the northern border of the Grasslands of Merakai. West of the grasslands, the land changes into a brushy scrub with a canyons and an increase in woody vegetation (scrub oak, junipers etc.). East of the Grasslands is a cold desert dominated by sagebrush, creosote bush, and pinon pines. Below the grasslands is Korton forest. The Thornbrush River is the largest river on the continent and is formed from its two forks on the western side of the Grasslands. At the fork sits the capital city, Dresan. The river is navigable by river boat all the way from Dresan to the coastal city Martillan. Rough Map of the Area: | Northern Barrier Mountains | ------------+-----------------------------+ | | Scrub Plains Cold Desert | Grasslands | | of | | Merakai +--------------------- ------------+---+---------------+---------+ | Korton Forest | | | +---------------+ Chapter 2: **** Cities and Towns of the Grasslands of Merakai **** The six town areas of the grasslands are all located within the plains system. Here is a rough description of each of them along with a short encounter for some of them. The Map: <1> x <2> x x x x xxxxxxxx<3> <4>xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx 1. Lierchmon x 2. Fedell x 3. Arfeld <5> 4. Dresan x 5. Marple <6> 6. Korton The x's represent trails between the various town areas. 1. Lierchmon A. Description This small village has about 35-40 buildings. Most items can be purchased here but everything is 125-150% of the book cost. The trail to Dresan is well used and is usable by wagons and carts. Most of the populus is human though other demi-humans are scattered within the population. B. Encounters for Lierchmon I. The Cook Lierchmon is a pretty small village with quite a few problems. To begin with, there have been several murders right in the village. No one knows what has happened but several citizens have disappeared and several areas showed signs of a struggle. This stems from the group of Troglodytes living in the basement of an abandoned inn called the Foaming Mug. They wander late at night ambushing unwary citizens. Secondly, several visiting clerics have been poisoned. Many clerics have fallen ill after about 2 days in Lierchmon. They all have the same symptoms but nothing ties them together. Actually, the cook at the Golden Grain Inn has been slipping poison into their food which takes 1-2 days for the affect to occur. The poison can kill but it usually just incapacitates the cleric for 1-8 days. The cook, Snivel Graltar, is a 3rd level assassin who despises clerics. He will attempt to poison any cleric who travels through Lierchmon and stays at the Golden Grain. Also, once he has poisoned the cleric, he will sneak into the cleric's room and rob him blind while the cleric is still delirious >from the poison. 2. Fedell A. Description Fedell is a wild town of 50-60 buildings. It is a very rough city with many thieves and adventurer types. Most of the business charge 175% book cost for supplies and various items. The proximity of Fedell to the barrier mountains makes the area very difficult to civilise. B. Encounters for Fedell I. Ants One of the few poor farmers in the area has had a terrible misfortune. His wheat field has been invaded by a hill of giant ants. These ants wander about the area eating all the vegetation which is beginning to cause a food shortage in the town. The council of merchants has offered a reward to any group of adventurers who will destroy the ant-hill. The reward is about 500 GP for the body of the queen ant. Follow the guidelines for the ant population printed in the Monstrous Compendium. Run several encounters of worker ants in the field and then a few warrior ant encounters as the PC's make their way toward the hill. Eventually, the PC's will need to fight their way inside the ant-hill and kill the queen. This ends the scenario--except for getting the large queen's body back to the city. Remember if the PC's destroy the body of the queen (i.e. by fire) no reward will be given. II. The Raid The PC's are hanging out in one of the several inns/taverns in Fedell when a group of wandering bandits hit the town. A portion of the bandit group will bust into the tavern with swords drawn. They intend to rob the bar and make off with the expensive alcohol not to mention any women who may be in there (PC women can be subject to this). If the PC's destroy the first group of bandits another set will show up to find out where the first is. Or the PC's may enter into the street where the bandits will attempt to run them down. Throw a few NPC's into the bandit group and have them escape--this gives the PC's someone to chase down. My PC's followed a couple of NPC's clear into a cavern system in the mountains!! 3. Arfeld A. Description Arfeld is an outpost of civilisation lying only a few miles within the bounds of the Grasslands of Merakai. Arfeld is a very small town (15-20 buildings); the basis of life here are a few farmers, an inn, a general store, a blacksmith, and few other odd merchants. B. Encounters for Arfeld I. The Wayward Inn The foremost rumour within the town are of the towns Dadta and Marku to the west (into the scrub area). The rumours say that anyone who travels to these areas never returns. There is a small trail leading west out of Arfeld which is very overgrown due to lack of use. It leads to the Wayward Inn. The inn is the last stand of the humans who used to dwell in the area. Very recently, a large force of hobgoblins descended from the mountains and swept over Dadta and Marku. They have taken over both towns and are living off the stores of food and other supplies the fleeing humans left. Many of the settlers who remained in the towns are now dead or have been enslaved. Let rumours slowly trickle into the PC's. Enough rumours will make them journey into the area. All told, there are about 500 hobgoblins divided between the two towns and wandering about the surrounding areas. Killing hobgoblins should keep the PC's busy for a couple of weeks. Eventually, after enough hobgoblins are slain, they will retreat to the mountains. Of course, other NPC's will be in the area competing for the treasure (and gratitude of the old settlers). I used this situation to expose my players to several NPC enemies (a few of whom have been harassing them through several levels of experience). II. The Great Cliff The second scenario which I have prepared to spawn from Arfeld is the introduction of the Great Cliff. Many years ago, an earthquake caused a section of the scrub area to sink about 350'. This caused a great cliff of limestone to be exposed. Weathering has since opened a variety of caves up and carved ledges from the soft stone. Utilising these caves for lairs, many different encounters can be set up. The cliff varies >from 200-500' tall and averages 350'. It runs almost 40 miles and is potted by numerous caves. One idea for the Great Cliff is to have the PC's climbing along trying to reach a large cave opening about 50' above them. The cave is actually the lair for a wyvern who just happens to come home while the PC's are on a very thin ledge, say 1.5'. This will make the player's scream as the wyvern repeatedly dives, knocking PC's off the ledge and letting them plummet a couple hundred feet. To make the climbing even more difficult, a had a nice spring thunderstorm roll into the area. It rained quite a while, dropping 1" of precipitation. Try adding a little hail with the rain! :) At ground level of the Great Cliff, a nice tribe of minotaurs make their home. This is a great encounter since the minotaurs love to appear at various levels from cave openings and drop rocks & debris on the players. 4. Dresan A. Description Dresan is the capital of the Grasslands of Merakai. It holds the king of this province, the head of the royal church and the school of the mages. It is a very large city with over 500 buildings encompassed within its walls. Most everything can be purchased in Dresan at approximately book price. Dresan is by far the largest city of the Grasslands and is home to the majority of the people in the area. It is positioned on the East and West Fork of the Thornbrush River where they come together. The city is spread across all three natural divisions and the culture of each section is separated from the others by the size of the river. \\\\\\\\\ ///////// \\\\\\\\\ Mid- ///////// \\\\\\\\\ City ///////// \\\\\\\\\ ///////// \\\\\\\\\ ///////// \\\\\\\\\\|||////////// Western \\\\\\\\|||||//////// Eastern Sector \\\\\|||||||||///// Sector ||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||| The middle sector is the old city. This portion is completely surrounded by 40' tall wall. Access is permitted only during the day and visitors without night passes from the various organisations are escorted out of Mid-City at dusk. The royal family, the royal church, the high magus: all reside in Mid-City. The left bank of the western fork is home to the humanoids who are not "civilised" races. Yes, that's right, you can find everything, from goblins to orcs to hobgoblins to ogres to half-ogres to even a few hill giants in that sector of the city. These chaotic races control the western bank so it is understandable that it is dangerous for humans and demi-humans to visit that sector, especially at night. The right bank is the home to the civilised races. They try to keep the other races on the western bank. Here is the area where most PC's will visit and reside when they are not out adventuring. I. Mid-City Dresan is still a very chaotic city where things unknown to civilised races take place commonly. The only region that is under control of the law abiding portion of the population is Mid-City. It is not really in control of the city but is instead a fortress of law within an otherwise chaotic hell. The Mid-city residents believe in protecting themselves in order to advance the laws. They do not allow any non-resident into Mid-city with out a pass. The pass is only obtainable within Mid-city unless it is applied for in writing which can take up to 8 weeks to process. Many lawful mages have made homes within Mid-city and the larger temples all have buildings there also. These "law abiders" are currently trying to impose their beliefs upon the other sectors of Dresan but have not been very successful. II. The Western Sector The western portion of the capital city is by far the roughest area within the city borders. Humanoids of all races are commonplace here with hobgoblins and goblins running rampant in the streets. The only law here is survival of the fittest. Only PC's with substantial power (or a death wish) go here. The Western Sector is home to corruption and the outright influences of chaos. The area is extremely dangerous during the day but becomes the pits of hell during the night hours. Assassins walk the streets looking for people with a few gold to steal. For every 10 minutes on the street at night, there is a 20% chance that someone is pick pocketed. During the day, this chance is only 10%. Killing and murder is a normality. A murder occurs about once every five minutes in this sector. III. The Eastern Sector The eastern part of Dresan is intermediate between Mid-city and the western third. It is home to the majority of the middle class and to the larger share of the wharfs and shipping industry. People who do not share the beliefs of the Mid-city residents but want to remain fairly secure in their homes tend to settle here. Small temples abound in this section with deities of every origin. If the god has been mentioned in history, there is probably some place of worship within this sector. Crime is at a much lower rate here. This decline is mostly due to the faction of red-robed mages who have a guild here. They tend to keep things pretty much under control so they can continue their research in relative peace. Irregular patrols are also part of the eastern section with the chance of seeing one at about 25% per hour. However, the patrols have no formal routes and areas of patrol are completely random. The middle class business men abound here also. Most of the supply shops for adventurers lie in this area including armourers, weaponsmiths, alchemist, general goods and almost anything else the average person would need. In addition, the "head offices" of the Dresan thief's guild are in the Eastern Sector. Various fronts are actually outlets of the guilds and contacts are fairly easy to obtain. The Eastern Sector is truly the commerce portion of Dresan and is the common place for PC groups to base from. A variety of inns and taverns are available. IV. Interaction between Sectors Movement between the various sections of Dresan is relatively easy. There are numerous ferry operators along the shores of the Thornbrush River. The charge is generally 2 silvers per person and 5 per horse to travel between the Eastern and Western Sector. If one wants to go from a lower portion of Dresan up to Mid-city, the price ranges up to 2000% of normal rates. Only a few ferrymen operate from the shores of Mid-city and they also charge outrageous prices to take people from Mid-city to the lower shores. Unfortunately, there are currently no bridges between the various sectors of Dresan due to the size of the Thornbrush (however, the gnomes are working on a "hugesuspensionbridgetogoacrossthebigriver"). Within each sector, walking or riding are the most common modes of transportation, although in the Eastern Sector and in Mid-city, carriages are available for special travel circumstances. Trade is a popular business within Dresan's lower two sections. Commerce of all kinds takes place between these two potions of the city. Mid-city rarely imports anything and when they do it comes from the eastern half of Dresan. Mid-city has never been reported to export anything to the lower class residents of the town. Western Dresan is the entry point for raw materials. Miners and such bring their goods to Dresan from the Barrier mountains and usually stop in the Western Sector for a drink. Bars frequently trade credit for the materials and then sell these supplies to the craftsmen of the Eastern Section. Eastern Dresan trades finished goods to the folk on the western bank and usually is the importer of the food stuffs from the farmers on the plains. This food is then distributed with the low quality produce ending up in cheap inns on the western side. V. General Other Information Most of the buildings in Dresan are made of wood as it is less expensive to have transported the great distances to Dresan from the source. More expensive buildings (eg Mid-city) are made of stone but these are rare occasions. To build a stone structure in Dresan requires that the rock be carted all the way from the Barrier Mountains. This is at least a 3 day journey one way and the Grasslands are no place for those weak souls to be traveling. However, some stone is always available and more foolish merchants are gathering it all the time. The streets of Dresan are narrow and wind around quite a bit. Most of the streets in the lower sections of Dresan are unpaved (not cobbled) except for some of the more major travel paths and the open market squares. The streets of Mid-City are all cobbled and are quickly repaired if any damage occurs. The Mid-city streets are fairly straight and more organised. Mid-city is of newer construction and was planned instead of just growing haphazardly. All of the standard races can be found in Dresan though some are very rare indeed. Most races that are generally looked down upon face the same fate except in the Western sector where anything and anyone are tolerated. Even the humanoid races are allowed within the western section. B. The Sewers and Underground Systems beneath Dresan As mentioned before, the only sector which has a well developed sewer/runoff system is Mid-City. The other two portions of the city have incomplete portions of waste drainage. The Mid-city system is a nicely ordered network of tunnels which have been etched into the earth below that connect and which eventually end up in the Thornbrush river. Luckily with Dresan being so close to the river, there is bedrock within a reasonable distance below the surface (i.e. about 10-20 feet). The Eastern and Western Sector's drainage system is a chaotic mass of tunnels which can connect and other times do not. Whereas the Mid-city system was constructed for the transportation of water, many of the tunnels in the other two sectors were designed and built for individuals, most of which was to move from point A to B without being seen. I. Mid-City The drainage system in this sector is roughly two different systems. There is the early system which is complimentary to the Eastern and Western Sector's current systems. It is pretty much blocked off or limited in its pathways now as the newer system took precedence over the old jumbled lot of tunnels. The New System (NS) was designed by the Mid-city Drainage Authority on Waste Water and Materials Removal. It was thoroughly planned and evaluated and reevaluated before it was put into effect. The tunnels are of uniform size and generally do not vary much from tunnel to tunnel. All tunnels run parallel to streets making a wonderfully geometric matrix. NS uses Drainage Shafts (DS's) to lower the water >from street level down to the Carrying Pipes (CP's) which are in the bedrock. The CP's are eight feet in diameter while the DS's are 2.5' in diameter. DS's appear at every street corner on opposite diagonal sides (two per intersection). The CP's carry the wastes down to the river where they open into Outlet Grates (OG's). The grates are 12' x 8' and are composed of a grid of bars space twelve inches apart both horizontally and vertically. The system is also equipped with a Flush Function which can be used if rainfall is short and the wastes begin the stagnate below the city streets. All this amounts to is that water is diverted from the river to a large basin. This water is then released into the center of the system and flushes the wastes into the river. II. The Eastern and Western Sector The underground of these two sectors are just the opposite of the Mid-city system. They are a mis-match of every size and combination of drainage types in the known world. Since there is no government authority to build the system in these two portions of Dresan, the only ones that are built are by private citizens for their own use or purpose. "Get it out of my backyard" or "I need to get to point B without being seen" are two of the most common reasons for underground systems in the Eastern and Western Sectors. The size of the systems ranges from one or two tunnels to a massive complex beneath an inn or merchant's place which is actually a cover for some guild's operations. Nothing is specific about the underground in these two areas, it changes as quickly as the setting above it and is modified to suit the present owners needs. The tunnels and networks are laced with secret doors, secret stairs, secret traps, secret surface entrances, and other various secret passage ways. There are many residents that operate solely from these networks. Use your imagination with this area. Put a network in place to enhance some mission, then, if the PC's insist on going back but you don't want to deal with it, say the entrance has been sealed by some unknown person. C. Ironarm's Ironarm's is set in the Western Sector, in a very rough neighbourhood. Ironarm's is a tavern/inn/arena. The place consists of two wooden buildings. The first is your standard tavern with rooms above it. The second appears to be a very large warehouse. The buildings are located across the street, opposite eachother. The warehouse is only open for arena combats a few nights a week. I. The Tavern/Inn This is the main place for partying action in the Western Sector. Everyone is invited to Ironarm's as long as they are tough enough to survive. Ironarm himself is a full-blooded ogre, though he is a tid brighter than the average ogre. He also has three to ten other ogres in the bar with him at all times. The ogre band are heavy drinkers and their favourite drunk sport is halfling tossing (kind of like shot putting). Ironarm runs the bar without many problems. Fights erupt frequently but he doesn't care as long as you pay for what you break and take it outside. He also arranges arena duels for the other half of his business. He can usually set up any type of duel for PC's within 3-5 days. Ironarm also runs the betting end of the deal but he extracts a health 15% commission off of any winnings over 100 GP. The bar will hold up to 75 people fully packed and there is sleeping room for 25 in the common room and for 24 in 12 private rooms with two beds a piece. There are also four elite suites which are rarely occupied. II. The Warehouse The warehouse looks like an indoor stadium. It is three stories high with seating and bars on all three levels. The bottom level is composed of tiers of bleachers around the "cage". The "cage" is 150' long, 65' wide, and 30' tall. It is made of solid iron bars, one inch in diameter, with bars every seven inches and cross bars every foot. It has a huge door with a big lock and several bars to fasten it shut. The second story is where most of the bets are handled. Six clerk-type windows adorn the back wall where the bets are taken. The third floor is where friends of Ironarm sit to watch the duels. It is lushly furnished with a fully stocked bar. III. Miscellaneous Information In order to get on good terms with Ironarm, PC's must first prove their abilities in an arena combat. If PC's make Ironarm an enemy, their first combat will be their last. Combats at the warehouse are relatively infrequent with only one per week. Ironarm is called so because he wears two iron forearm protectors with spikes on them. He specialises in brawling and boxing. He generally does not wear any armour but has been seen in it once or twice. D. The Library of Dresan The library of Dresan is located in Mid-city. It is housed in a relatively small complex within the larger frame of Mid-city. It lies almost directly in the center of that sector. The library is actually not just one building but is a small walled complex. It has seven buildings all of which are stone. The walls around the complex are 25' tall with battlements. Armed guards walk the walls 24 hours a day. The gate is doubly reinforced by both armed guards and mages and is composed of a portuclis and a banded wooden gate. Only persons of high authority within Mid-city can access the library or give limited time passes to use it. The Seven Factions The seven buildings each house a different area of material. The buildings range in size according to the importance of the material, how much there is, and similar criteria. The Orders are: I. The Library of Magic and Mages II. The Library of Alchemy III. The Library of Wars, Warriors, and Tactics IV. The Library of Politics V. The Library of Music VI. The Library of History VII. The Library of Religions Side note: the libraries do not contain specific information directly important to PC's, i.e. the library of magic does not have spellbooks lying around. Instead it has tomes describing a mage, his feats, and his abilities. There are some exceptions to this rule but this holds true for most of the areas. Specific clues can be found in the library but due to the volume of information contained in many different languages and forms, it could take a month to find a single bit of information on something. I. The Library of Magic and Mages This is a primary faction of the complex. The building is 3 stories high and also has a basement. The basement is an archive area where copying of almost illegible records takes place. Indexing of the materials is also a main function here as is cleaning of records. The basement is off limits to everyone but library staff. The first level is where the indexes of materials sits and the most commonly used materials. The indexes are complete but the system is very complicated. To find a particular item usually requires the assistance of a librarian and the cost of their time is very high. The second floor contains materials which fall into the category of bound tomes and works. There are no loose-leaf type materials on this floor. Those type of information sources are all on the third floor. The materials contained in this library are specific in nature. They tend to focus on what, how, or who. That is works are usually on one person and what he was, how he became that, and what his specialities were. Item materials contain information on who made it, what it did, and if it is still available. Spell descriptions are just that-- they describe the spell, the effect, the components needed and who invented the spell. However, there are very few references as to the spell itself (language, intonation, movements, etc.). PC's could find out who had the spell and some obscure references to where it might be found but nothing as to the specifics. Also remember finding anything in the library is difficult at best. II. The Library of Alchemy This Section of the library is much like the first. It gives a lot of who did what and when but not a lot of how. However, there are more direct references to methods in this book for basic procedures such as the concoction of low strength herbal healing potions. Herbalism overall is a large topic in this field. E. Encounters for Dresan I. Ironarm's There is a bar in the western sector of Dresan which is run by a full blooded ogre (see also the above description of this bar). A variety of female "companions" can be purchased for an evenings entertainment. The ogre is especially mean and will watch strange customers. If he notices that they have quite a lot of money, he will set up an ambush. First he will contact a few of his ogre buddies and they will follow the PC's. After about five blocks, Ironarm (he wears spiked metal forearm protectors) will spring from an alleyway and the other ogres will close >from behind. The ogres use two-handed swords when attacking. Don't forget to use that 18/00 strength and the plus to strike from behind. II. The Lost Mage A mage from Mid-City has lost a book in the Thornbrush river and would like to recover it. A reward of 500 GP is offered for the books return. He knows the basic location where the text is from a few scrying spells. He also offers free potions of water breathing to those adventurers looking for the book. The book is wrapped in seal skin (waterproof) which is dyed black. It is lying in the cabin of a riverboat which sank several years ago. The text is actually a 4th level spell book. I used this scenario to introduce a few fresh water monsters. The fresh water scrag (listed under troll in Monster Compendium) is an excellent choice for a set encounter. Other than that, a few wandering monsters from the fresh-water encounter table will easily provide a good session. Do not forget that metal armour does not function underwater too well and of course all attacks are made at half speed as is normal movement. Duration times for the potions is also critical (you can't drink a potion while your submerged). Before using this scenario re-read the DMG section on underwater spell use and underwater combat. III. Heldo Braggart The last scenario involves a merchant. Heldo Braggart is an "alchemist" who specialises in magical oils. He readily tells customers that he can make any type of magical oil. Heldo actually believes that he can but in actuality, Heldo has only discovered a segment of the refining process which divides crude oil into several different layers of fine/good quality oil. They are not magical and do not confer any bonuses but stop all rusting of weapons or armour. One of the oils is actually greek fire but Heldo does not know this and happens to sell that one as oil of fiery burning. Make up types of oils from anything. Even give a few "bonuses" here and there but most of all, charge exorbitant prices and unload the treasure from those gullible PC's. 5. Marple A. Description This is a small town of 60-70 buildings. All supplies are 150-175% of the original cost. Rare items will be 200% or more. Marku is a relatively calm town. It sits along a major trade road which ends at Korton 25 mi to the south. The road leads north then west and eventually ends in Dresan. B. Encounters for Marple I. Burrowing Owls... One well-to-do farmer has had a few problems lately. He has been discovering places in his fields where something has been burrowing. This is really cutting into his profit margin so he is hiring adventurers to solve the problem. His explanation to the people is that burrowing owls have invaded his farm. Burrowing owls are, in fact, in one field but are a minor problem. The major problem is that the farmer has started farming over the field of an ancient battle. The 100th anniversary of the battle is drawing close and the undead are restless literally. The type of undead should be decided according to the party level but make it a strong encounter with a mixture of at least three types of undead. I used ghouls, ghasts, and some 4HD zombies. If you would like to get really nasty, try throwing in an evil cleric who has coated the zombies claws with poison (not deadly, but damage causing w/ or w/o a save. 6. Korton A. Description Korton has been fairly well covered in the Korton Forest posts (see below). Korton has 50-60 buildings and supplies are 150% normal cost. The scenarios for spawning from Korton should lead the PC's into Korton Forest for the set encounters (again, see below). Other than that, Korton sits on the forest-plains transition. It is a small town but one that can protect its owns. Most of the populus distrust halflings because two years ago a group of 30 of the little buggers wandered into town and didn't leave for a week. When they did leave, so did half of the citizens material possessions. Therefore, no halflings are allowed in the bars or most stores for that matter. However, they can get food delivered to them in the street for 300% the normal cost. B. Encounters for Korton I. Werebears This encounter is placed in a small forest called the Korton Forest just south of a large grassland (The grasslands of Merakai). It is one of several encounters which can occur in the woods. Place this encounter on one side of the woods as there is are other encounters. As the PC's are strolling through some fairly uncivilised woods, they come across a small cabin in a nice open glade. The glade has obviously been expanded by the work of some humanoid. Along with the cabin stands a small barn with an attached corral. On one side of the cabin is a stack of logs. The corral holds two draft horses which are feeding on some hay. An extra supply of feed for the horses is stacked along the outside of the corral. In the barn is a wagon which the "lumber jack" uses to haul his logs to a small town north of the woods. A barely visible wagon track leads out of the glade in a north-westerly direction (a ranger or other tracking-type PC would immediately notice it but it is otherwise undetectable to the untrained eye). >From behind the cabin, the PC's hear the distinct sound of someone chopping wood. This is about 100 yards into the forest directly behind the cabin. It's source is the "lumberjack". He is splitting firewood for his own use. If the PC's approach in a friendly manner, he will greet them and offer to let them camp that night within his glade which he assures the PC's is absolutely safe. He also feeds the PC's a hearty stew for supper of lamb, carrots and potatoes. The "lumberjack" is not openly hostile but will be extremely offended if the PC's do not eat his meal or if they post a watch at night. Any slight opposition to his hospitality will offend the "lumberjack" and he will attack the PC's at night in his werebear form. Otherwise, he will just leave his cabin for his nightly hunt (check to see if any of the PC's notice) in his werebear form. The lumberjack is actually a werebear taken from the 2ed Monster Compendium. If a stronger encounter is desired, add a wife for the lumberjack or possibly a second lumberjack. Werebears are Chaotic Good (I believe) and will cooperate. This one is just easily offended. Inside the cabin are rustic, yet comfortable living materials. The table is massive with four huge legs. Each leg is hollow, and detachable. Any treasure the werebear has acquired is hidden in one of these four legs. In a nicely crafted china closet, are two potions next to some dishes. They are obscured from view by a large bronze platter. Partly buried in a corner of the cabin is a large cask of Dwarven ale. An empty mug sits on top of the cask. II. Seriphilia. This is another encounter/scenario which occurs in Korton Forest. Korton Forest lies south of a large grassland (Grasslands of Merakai). The small village, Korton, is on the northern forest-plains transition zone. The PC's should travel into this small town of about 50-60 buildings. Most common items are readily available at 150% of the normal cost. The most interesting aspect of this village is the common rumour of a middle-aged lady and her beautiful daughter who live in the western part of Korton Forest. The lady, Seriphilia, makes potions of healing and sells them to adventurers at low prices. Her husband, a mage, was killed by a group of marauding orcs a few years ago but his magic saved his wife and daughter. The small hut where the lady lives is very old and in disrepair. Her daughter is not at home--she travelled to the capital of the Grasslands of Merakai for supplies. The lady, however, is here and is very comely. She is in fact an annis and uses her polymorph/change self ability to appear as a half-elf/human woman. She is very beautiful and offers the PC's healing potions for a small price. If anyone in the party is injured, she will give that person a potion--it causes sleep not healing. The potion will make the person fall into a coma for 1-10 days if a save vs. poison is failed.** If successful, the imbiber is still led to believe it was a healing potion but no effect occurs. After the lady sells potions to the PC's (hoping they will drink them and fall asleep) she offers any PC's remaining awake a meal or drink as they prefer. She explains that the healing potions have a sedative effect and that is why the sleeping PC's fell asleep. Any food or beverage she provides is laced with the same sleeping poison. All saves vs. the sleep poison are at a -2. Seriphilia will wait until the odds are in her favour and will then attack the remaining PC's. Her strength and HP make her a very tough opponent. Treasure should be given on an equal level to the monster. At this point, Seriphilia is looking for halfling toes, hairs from a dwarven beard (preferably female), and the ears of a gnome to complete a potion she is working on. All information on the annis is taken from the 2ed Monster Compendium. Selection of the particular type is annis is left up to the DM according to the party strength. In order to increase the difficulty of the encounter, allow Seriphilia's daughter to be present also. In my campaign, the daughter was actually human and did not know of her mother's true heritage. The Daughter is a mage (5-6th level) and will hire assassins to track down her mother's killers. The hut contains various furniture 2d8+6 potions of sleep, 2d4 other potions, 1d3 miscellaneous magic items and various coinage. III. Goblins and Orcs. The PC's should be bumbling along looking for something to do when they hear a large commotion up ahead. Acting as most PC's do, they will sneak up and see what's going on. When they get close, they will see two groups of humanoids in a major battle. This encounter works best at night when PC's cannot determine what race they are. Anyway, the groups are one of goblins and one of orcs (or it could be hobgoblins and bugbears). They are scouting/hunting parties which ran across each other in the woods. As soon as the PC's get within sight of the battle at least one member of each group will spot them. At that point, both groups decide to attack the PC party since they hate humans, dwarves, etc. much more than they hate each other. In order to complicate this a little, the DM should allow the PC's time to decide if they want to fight on either side, leave, or just watch the fight. If they choose to leave or to watch, have them get spotted immediately. If they jump in the fight on either side, continue the battle for a couple of rounds before both groups center their efforts on the PC party. For a variation on theme and a more difficult encounter use owlbears and trolls, ogres and trolls, or other high level monsters. Of course, a third group of some humanoid monster arriving in the midst of combat really leaves the PC's in a bind. Chapter 3: **** The Northeast Region **** This region is very wild and rough. Recently, Hobgoblins have been streaming out of the east end of the Barrier Mountains and have been raping and pillaging ever since (see scenario I for Arfeld). Current conditions show the hobgoblins are on top but are not very organised. Treat the area as unpatrolled/non-civilised on encounter tables. A Brief Map: 1. Marku <1> 2. Harillen x 3. Dadta x 4. Arfeld x xxxxxxxxxx<2> xxxx <3>xxx ...... <4>.................. }}}}{{{{}{}}} xxxxx = open trail ..... = overgrown trail }}{{} = Great Cliff 1. Quick Geography of the area Arfeld, as you know, lies right inside the transition of the grasslands to the scrub area. Marku, Harillen, and Dadta are in the scrub plains area. There are more bushes and dwarf trees in this area due to its closer proximity to the coast. As a matter of fact, Harillen is only 2-3 miles from the coast line and lies on a semi-navigable river. Only small boats and river boats can make it upstream from the ocean. However, most of the boats that existed have been destroyed by the hobgoblins. South of Harillen is Great Cliff (see below). The hobgoblins have not yet traveled this far south and probably will not. Further south of Great Cliff, is the beginning of the Cardas Mountains. The Cardas Mountains follow the eastern coastline of this island continent except for one area of shallow warm sea that creates the Olkivan Swamp. The Fact is..... The surviving residents of the area have fled the towns and are currently occupying an inn on the crossroads. The Wayward Inn is built at the crossroads to serve customers travelling either way. It was built from stone and strategically placed so defending it would be easier. After the hobgoblin attacks, about 75 people fled to the safety of the inn and supplies are dwindling. A group of about 35 hobgoblins will attack 2 hours after the PC's arrive at the inn. The people in the inn are suspicious of stranges especially those that travel in these dangerous times. If the PC's help defend the inn, they are given free room and board. Rumours abound in the inn of Great Cliff, the destruction of the towns, and of various minor monsters in the mountains. Since this region has never been tamed it should have lots of wandering monsters. I roll 3-ten sided and if a 1 and/or a 2 come up on two different dice there is an encounter (i.e. a 1 & 2, or 2 & 2, or 1 & 1, or 1-1-2; 2-2-2, etc.). Encounters are generally strong no ones on HD for HP and I usually make the monsters HP at least 75% of its maximum. The area is very wild and should be played that way. The following is an adventure for the Northeast Region. 2. Scenarios for the Northeast Region A. Night Wagon The adventure takes place on what used to be a major road between Arfeld and Dadta; this is now just an overgrown trail. History About 125 years ago, a wandering mage came across a group of young human clerics camped along the road midway to Dadta from Arfeld. Here joined them at there campsite and entertained them with minor magical acts. The next morning, the mage left. Then a young girl stepped forward and claimed the mage had forced himself on her. This was not true but rather the mage refused the young girls advances. Well to make it short, the clerics brought this news to the knights of the area who immediately searched the mage out and hung him. After his death, the mage became a ghost and all of the women who caused his untimely downfall have also become constrained to him in death. Now each night, the ghost comes along in his cart with the banshees (Groaning Spirits) singing their deadly song. The Details This encounter can take place along any road (preferably an old one). This is a very strong encounter and can easily decimate lower level groups. Thoroughly read the description of ghosts and banshees before attempting this scenario. The song of the women can/will cause death at a distance and the creatures will viciously attack all living creatures. Since the banshees are singing, the PC's will not be totally surprised at the approach of the cart but they may be surprised at the sight of the occupants. Once the PC's can clearly hear they may all make their saves vs. the song of the banshees. Chapter 4: **** The Great Cliff **** The Great Cliff is located east of the Grasslands of Merakai about 65 miles southeast of Arfeld. A few adventures for Great Cliff can be found with the city of Arfeld. Following in this chapter are some further scenarios for the Great Cliff and the surrounding area. 1. Scenarios for the Great Cliff A. The Cave Along with the ideas for wyvern and the minotaurs, here is another Great Cliff lair. Almost clear to the top of the cliff is a very small cave entrance. It is about 4' tall and has small footprints leading into it. The occupant of the cave is a halfling who has a slightly insane streak in his personality. The halfling is a Mu/Th of medium levels but has retired to this cave due to his dislike of most people. He is relatively wealthy but almost everything of value is some heavy art object. Bigley (the halfling) got these objects into his cave using a winch with 600' of silk rope attached to it. This rope is cached under a pile of rock debris near the entrance to the cave. Bigley uses the winch for other purposes also. If PC's drop ropes from the top of the cliff, Bigley attaches the rope to the winch and begins to tighten it. Due to the leverage the winch adds, Bigley can break almost any rope this way. Roll percent dice to determine where the rope breaks. His next action will be to determine where the PC's are coming from. If there is more than one rope descending from the cliff top, He will cast a Grease spell to cover as many ropes as possible. If the PC's are climbing up the cliff, he will grease the ledges and cliff face thereby making it difficult to climb. After that, he will retrieve several flasks of oil from the cave and attempt to drop them on the PC's as they climb up. Treat PC's as unarmoured for this because he is just trying to coat them. Also, any Dexterity bonus is negated due to the circumstances. If oiled PC's are still climbing, Bigley will cast burning hands on one of them in order to light them on fire. The cave has three rooms: a bedroom with a locked and trapped chest which has coinage in it, a study with a desk that has spellbooks and several scrolls in it, and a cooking/living area. The art objects are scattered throughout all three rooms. If Bigley did not use the winch to break ropes, it will still be hidden in the alcove behind the debris. Most of the Art Objects are to heavy or to bulky for the PC's to even think about carrying down. The bedroom has the chest with some coinage (not much, Bigley spends all his wealth on Art). Remember the insane streak: Bigley used a Fireball spell when the PC's reached the cave mouth. It expanded within the cave, frying two PC's, himself and 2/3 of the art. B. The Gnomes To the far eastern edge of the Great Cliff there was once a clan of gnomes who lived mid-way in the cliff in a large number of inter- connected caves. Here is their tale of woe and the scenario. The PC's should be traveling along the top of the cliff looking at the edge for some excitement. Well, they see what appears to be some kind of wooden structure which hangs over the side of the cliff. As they get closer, they discover a wooden platform which supports a huge iron pot. A rope (very thick) is attached to the handle of this great pot and then it goes through a pulley and is finally tied off on a handle attached to the pots side. This is actually a lift and the only access to the gnome's lair. Each gnome has a personal mini-winch which attaches to the pots handle and is used to lower or raise the pot. Unfortunately, the PC's don't have a winch. A PC can successfully use the pot for transportation if his strength is high enough for him to be able to lift his weight, his equipment's weight, and the 400 pound pot. The rope attached to pot is long enough for the PC to lower it to the gnomes platform 150' below just by moving hand over hand on the rope. If a PC who is not strong enough to do this unties the rope from the handle, the pot will plummet downward. There is a 50% chance that the gnomes "safety mechanism" will catch the PC & pot. This is a net which has not been perfected yet. Anyway, there is a similar platform 150' down the cliff which sits at the opening of a cave. Upon landing here, the PC's will immediately smell sickness, decay and death. Inside the cave are 23 gnome's in various chambers all of them appear very sick. All of them have been stricken by the plague. There is a 10% chance the PC's will contract the disease per round cumulative up to 80%. The gnomes are wealthy as they have a mine which is deep in the cliff (electrum mine). If the PC's have a cleric who can heal the disease, the gnomes will give each party member two -10 pound bars of electrum. If the party cannot heal the gnomes, they just ask the PC's to stay long enough to bury the dead. If the PC's agree, the last gnome alive will reveal the hidden cache of 56--10 pound electrum bars. If the PC's kill any gnomes or do not agree the gnomes will not tell anything even under torture. The disease causes a delirious state which gets worse if pain is inflicted. The electrum is actually deep in the gnome's lair. It is hidden behind a series of 3 secret shifting walls. It is not in chests but just rests in stacks in a large room behind the consecutive hidden walls. Chapter 5: **** The Barrier Mountains **** Like most barrier mountain chains, this one is north of the Grasslands of Merakai. They are very high and also very steep. However, the mountains are not in the northern wastes but they start about 50 miles inland and continue to the very edge of the coast. The mountain chain continues along the length of the northern coast and gradually fades into the grasslands along its southern face. The closest village to the mountains is Lierchmon (about 35 miles from the base of the mountains). A. The Stronghold I. Description Deep in the barrier mountains is a large keep which is extremely well defended and in a very strategic setting. It is the home of a monastery of sorts. The keep is the last stronghold of the followers of an evil god (any CE god will work). The keep is home to a brotherhood of 42 knights which are actually anti-paladins. Each knight holds a rank and the upper level knights are very powerful. The Grandmaster Knight has a +5 Unholy Avenger and +5 Full Plate Armour with +5 shield. Other than him the ranks work slowly downward with magic according to their level. Along with the circle of knights, are 64 clerics of the god in the congregation (similar levels along with ranks). Besides these, there are various magic users, monks, and other followers who base out of the keep. The knights are bonded during the knighting ceremony and any loss of life to a single knight will be felt by all the other knights. A group of followers will immediately be sent out to seek out the person who slew the knight and inflict revenge. II. Adventure I currently have a PC who is playing one of the knights of the circle but other than that, I would have the PC party meet one of the lower level knights along with a mage, a cleric and a monk follower. If the PC's kill the knight, then you can continualy run them into stronger groups from the Keep. This will build into an antagonist thereby forcing the PC's to try and eliminate the problem when they are higher levels. B. Glade Of The Giants This glade is very large and is located in a valley with mountains on three sides. The glade opens to the south but also has exits to the northeast and northwest. The mountains are very rocky and difficult to climb. The forest is similar to the Englemann Spruce/Sub-Alpine Fir forests of today. Buried in the forest in the sides of the mountains are numerous cave entrances. These caves have been widened to allow access for the large occupants. The glade is home to about 35 mountain giants. (If these giants are converted to 2ed AD&D like the other giants add 4HD to the original listing in Fiend Folio. I believe that makes them 16HD.) This is a very difficult encounter for even high level parties. The PC's are traveling through the mountains and a "wandering monster" happens. Two Mountain Giants attack the PC's. The giants were about 4 miles from the glade hunting when they found the PC party. These giants should be lower hp monsters to lure the PC's into the glade. An obvious trail leads to the glade. When the PC's arrive at the glade 1-8 giants will be frolicking in the central region while the remainder of the giants are in or near their cave homes. As the battle heats up, more giants will appear each round (1d4) until it is obvious the PC's are outnumbered and about to lose terribly. Remember mountain giants do a wonderful 4-40 HP of damage per attack and a 16 HD monster has a THAC0 of 5. Note: If anyone does not have Fiend Folio and would like the stats for Mountain Giants, e-mail me (at mhassman@zephyr.cair.du.edu) and I will forward them to you. C. The Citadel I. Location North of Fedell at the transition zone between the foothills and the mountains. The citadel sits in a valley between two mountains. At a distance, the citadel looks like a normal keep set in a mountain valley. Something however appears very strange. The keep appears to be sitting slightly above the normal height of the ground. In actuality, the keep was once a stronghold for a powerful evil warlord but he has long (stress long) since been defeated. During the battle, the combined strength of the good and neutral mages utilised powerful magical spells to lift the keep from its normal resting place. Needless to say, this disorganised the enemy and drastically lowered the moral of his army. Being lifted from the ground, keep and all, tends to unnerve even the best soldiers. Anyway, as the PC's approach they should begin to get the feeling that the keep is not quite normal. At > 100 yards, the PC's will be able to determine that the keep has been lifted from the earth. Many buildings have been toppled and others are leaning at such angles that they could collapse at any time. II. Current Conditions The present occupants of the keep are a mage and a cleric both very evil. They are combining their abilities in order to create an army of undead warriors. They are still in the early stages of development. The outlay of keep is just a small keep with two structurally sound towers. One houses the mage and his apprentices and the other is home to the cleric and his acolytes and other associates. The main building of the keep is where the army is being created in what was once the great hall of the king's dwelling. Various other outbuildings are in use as barracks for the undead or for equipping the army. The mage has three charmed dwarven metalsmiths currently making armour and weapons for the army. The "Generals" have not made any outward attacks on society yet but humans in the area have reported "masses" of undead in the woods heavily armed and directly controlled by some "god". The undead were in fact in the woods but the cleric was just out practicing control of a small legion. Altogether the number of undead should be designed for the level of your party then add 15% to the strength. (DM's always underestimate :) ) III. Adventure The PC's can be assigned the keep as a mission or they can just run into it while out adventuring in the mountains. My PC's flee anything that looks like a tough adventure so I let them inside the keep and then had them get blocked off by a band of undead. They immediately fled deeper into the keep and did right well barring two small PC deaths. Rumours of the keep are flying about Fedell but haven't really penetrated to Dresan yet but they keep moving and getting exaggerated. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | Mark Hassman Creator of the Grasslands of Merakai | | mhassman@zephyr.cair.du.edu mhassman@orion.cair.du.edu | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --