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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pro-Paladin" data-source="post: 5221908" data-attributes="member: 90000">Winter's GraspA fantasy adventure for 3-5 players.When I look at a solitary oak I think: the patriarch of the woods. It will outlive my forgotten age As it outlived that of my grandfathers'.-PushkinSummaryA Druid serving the Old Gods is determined to protect nature by stopping humanity's progress toward civilization. The PCs are sent to stop him, but to do so they must face the full wrath of both nature and fallen mankind.BackgroundThis adventure is intended for a party of low level characters (level 3-5) who have few if any magical items. Having at least one character with wilderness survival skills will be helpful, but is not necessary. SettingThis adventure takes place in a land called Vanag. This area is noted for its bitterly cold winters, muddy spring and fall and mild summers. Massive forests, mighty rivers and towering mountain ranges isolate it from the rest of the world. Hundreds of years ago the land was united under a single powerful ruler. Civilization thrived and great cities sprung up along the many rivers. The old superstitions of worshiping the many Gods of nature were abandoned in favor of the Monotheistic and highly organized worship of Perkans, the Sun God. The golden age proved short-lived, however. In time the ruling bloodline grew complacent and greedy. Finally, the Kingdom fragmented into many tiny slivers, fighting for control...or survival.Today in Vanag tyranny, starvation, enslavement, roaming monsters and senseless wars are common. Life is short and miserable and people are seen as little more than expendable resources by the warlords that rise to power. Ignorance and superstition are rife. Magic has all but disappeared and is only kept alive by the extreme, some would say mad, devotion of a few toward the Gods. In one small community, however, there is a ray of hope.ObrenThe city of Obren was little different from any of the other small settlements that dot the land, until recently. The current Prince (all rulers in Vanag claim to be descendants of the Old Kingdom), Boris IX, showed very little promise in the first days of his rule and it seemed likely he would fall to the usurpers seeking control of his very modest principality.Then, he suddenly became the most capable ruler that Vanag has seen in literally centuries. The usurpers were defeated, outside enemies and monsters were driven back and Obren began to rapidly expand, taking larges bites out of the surrounding forests in the process as the lumber fueled the growth of the city's structures and the newly cleared areas were converted to farmland.One key to the expansion was granting the right of property to the serfs, who are treated as little more than property themselves elsewhere. This encouraged the development of the settlement and has also attracted refugees who had been enslaved elsewhere. There has even been talk of eventually allowing the common person to elect representatives to act as advisers to the Prince. As the city grows to truly earn the name "city" nature has been beaten back and tamed to suit the needs of this new awakening. This has not gone unnoticed.  Obren is currently in the grip of several weeks of extreme cold, despite it being late spring. When the city was hit with a blizzard on the day of the Summer Festival many began to suspect this strange weather pattern might not be completely natural. People are starting to worry.The PartyIdeally the PCs should have been using Obren as a base of operations for at least a little while, allowing them to witness the changes in the community and build their own reputation here. Otherwise, "just passing through" will work, the PCs will need to seek shelter from the latest blizzard. The Party should be Good aligned. Their reputation as great heroes of amazing power (4th Level!) and goodness will lead to an invitation to meet with the Prince and discuss the current crisis. If desired, the Party has a little time to check out the rumors around town before the meeting. The following bits of information are available. If the party has been based in Obren this information should already be  known to them, otherwise a few rolls and more role-playing is in order.- The winter weather at this time of year is extremely unusual.- Obren has many enemies among the other settlements of Vanag.- The forest is a dangerous place.- The peasants are happy with the freedoms they have been granted.- Most people approve of Prince Boris.- The people here mostly serve Perkans, but some still worship the Old Gods.- Followers of the Old Gods blame the "falling away" from their worship for the problems in Vanag.When the party meets the Prince in the city's small and very modestly furnished castle they will be escorted into a back room. Here they will be told the secret of the community.Gleaning from the CubeAlone with just the Prince and his personal servant, it will be the servant that steps forward to address the heroes. "If I am to bargain with you in good faith, you must see me as I truly am." With that, the servant removes the illusion. The Party is standing in front of a Gelatinous Cube.This Cube is the result of an appeal performed by a half-mad hermit. This hermit was deeply devoted to Perkans and hoped to awaken "the innate goodness" in all things. The Cube living in the cave where he performed his meditations proved to be the first test subject. The Sun God allowed this miracle to occur for his devoted servant and the monster became self-aware and Lawful Good. It was educated by its creator, but when the hermit was slain in a surprise attack by bandits the bizarre creature was forced to venture into the world.The monster possesses psionic abilities and used them to disguise its appearance and gain influence within the court of Obren. When the usurpers threatened, it was the guidance and psychic abilities of the creature that prevented disaster. Since then it has encouraged the reform of Obren and the new rights of the peasantry. In some ways this monster has become an Avatar of the Sun God, although not nearly as powerful.The Cube will speak telepathically to the PCs. It will introduce itself as "Zhela" and will explain its background if asked. If the characters attempt to become aggressive the Cube can use a calming aura to stop any violence. This ability only functions on characters who are Good-aligned and/or worshipers of Perkans. Zhela will then inform the characters about the current crisis. Word has reached the true ruler of Obren that a murderous Druid named Makar is behind the lingering winter weather. The Druid is determined to destroy Obren before it can threaten the natural balance and has been in contact with local warlords and bandit leaders. Zhela will explain that the PCs cannot hope to defeat the Druid with their present resources. "His skin is like the bark of an oak!" Instead they will need to use "the magic of the Old Ones against them!" He has received word that an evil Fighter and warlord named Vasily has such a magic item, a ring that packs the fury of charging mountain ram! Ideally the meeting should end with the PCs agreeing to battle the Druid and being directed to the small settlement ruled by Vasily to gain the power needed for that battle. If the party decides to go after the Druid directly, let them try and fail (or succeed, with a lot of skill and luck!). The survivors should want to regroup and go after Vasily's magic item. If they earn a victory against the odds allow the adventure to continue, but the final battle to save Obren might prove very hard to win.If the PCs decline the mission the final attack on Obren mentioned later occurs, only this time it is led by the Druid Makar and further reinforced by summoned animals. "Don't get killed" would count as a victory in this case.The ColdThroughout the rest of the adventure the winter weather should serve as an additional adversary to the PCs, one they can endure but not defeat. Snow will fall and obscure vision, thick snow on the ground slows travel, patches of ice could lead to falls and exposed flesh will quickly suffer from exposure. Careful preparation and magic will certainly help but the bitter winter is relentless.  In a few cases the cold should become a more serious problem. The characters might need to cross a frozen river, find shelter from an especially violent blizzard or help an ally whose warm coat was damaged in combat. Hope someone took "sewing" as a skill! Don't overuse these situations, but save them for when the party starts taking the setting for granted.MakarThe Druid has faithfully served the Old Gods for most of his nearly seventy winters and has been granted powers to strangle civilization's revival while it's still in the crib. These largely forgotten Gods see mankind's current misery as an opportunity to reassert their authority and restore their rightful place in the Universe. If it leads to more human misery, so be it, as long as they are honored once again.Makar lives in a magical hut four miles north of Obren. From here he plans to use his magic to destroy the community: casting "Control Weather" to prolong the winter, "Plant Growth" to rebuild the damage to the forest, "Animal Summoning" and "Call Lightning" to kill the peasants, etc. He also plans to use the local warlords for his purposes and has already brought Vasily to his side by offering magical aid to the villain.Makar is True Neutral. To achieve his ends of protecting the natural world he will engage in activities many would say are evil, but to his beliefs this is merely the necessary equalizing of the world's extremes and the preservation of the natural order. When he kills it is with the dispassion of a predator taking the prey.  The Old Gods have given Makar a great deal of power to achieve their goals. In addition to the usual Druid abilities he is protected by a powerful divinely-bestowed Barkskin that makes him immune to all non-magical weapons (he is old and somewhat frail and has few hit points otherwise). Reflecting his role as a servant of the Winter Spirits he is immune to cold and takes minimum possible damage from fire. Summoned animals and animals befriended with "Animal Friendship" will always accompany him.The Evil FighterVasily rules a small community about ten miles east of Obren. Of course the trip is half the fun and the danger of the bitter cold should be played up as much as possible. If the DM wishes to run a short encounter, an ambush or straight-up fight against some of Vasily's raiders would be ideal. It's still early in the adventure, though, so the fight should go the PCs' way after some initial difficulty (The brigands assumed the PCs were ordinary travelers and will retreat once the tide turns. No profit in dying!). Vasily has enslaved a small community. The peasants are forced to grow Sornak, a tough leafy plant that can survive the bitter winters of Vanag. It is then used to make rope, the main commodity the slave city produces. It is traded for weapons to arm the bandit-soldiers of the evil Fighter. The peasants are poorly fed and clothed and many are diseased. Death is common, but more slaves can always be acquired by force.The best course of action is to infiltrate, use social skills to win over the suffering peasants and use the information gained (Vasily keeps the ring in a chest near his bed when he sleeps) to steal the ring. A direct attack on Vasily, hopefully when he's alone (maybe have the peasants create a diversion?), could also work. Perhaps the clothes of the bandits killed earlier could be used as a disguise? Careful players should be successful, reckless players are going to struggle here. The Druid's MazeArmed with a weapon capable of dealing with the Druid (hopefully!) the party must now journey into the heart of the forest where Makar rules his savage subjects. The attacks will begin soon after the party leaves Obren and will become more deadly as they get closer. The first encounter might be with a murder of ravens trying to peck the characters, then a lone wolf, then a wolf pack, then a bear, etc. Each of these encounters should reward tactical play. For example, the wolf pack is best dealt with by going "back to the wall" with some natural barrier so that the wolves can not encircle, flank and attack from behind. Exposed flame will also be the party's friend, both for keeping aggressive animals at bay and for warmth against the bone-chilling cold that becomes more severe as the party gets closer to the Druid. From an overlooking hill the Characters can see the snow-covered hut of the Druid, but also a massive natural obstacle of bushes, evergreens, leaf-less oaks and many other plants held in the half-alive stasis of the unnatural winter.The heroes eventually will reach a point where the forest is so overgrown that further advancement seems impossible. Careful investigation will reveal small passages that allow progress. The Characters must now navigate a confusing maze of frost-covered plant-life whose branches often blot out the weak sun in the overcast sky above. Treat this section as a dungeon, except in some cases the PCs can cut through the "walls" (hope someone brought an axe!). Several keyed encounters can be placed with killer wildlife, but more effort should be made to play up the claustrophobia of the maze. Animals will be heard moving about, rustling frozen limbs, but nothing can be seen. A mournful wolf howling breaks the tension of silence, while adding new tension on top of it. A few of the plants have been animated to attack and this should be a nasty and unexpected surprise when it happens. Characters will suddenly be enveloped by a cloud of snow spraying from the moving limbs that tear and crush! A Hut with Eagle FeetIf the party survives the attacks in the maze they will reach the center grove where the home of the Druid shifts about on four giant, taloned legs. This bizarre structure will attempt to kill the PCs, by attacking with a single huge talon while the other legs balance. Within the doorless square hut on top of the giant avian legs Makar will bide his time, revealing himself only if necessary.The Ring of the Ram will help immensely. Attacking the hut itself (a little knock on the "door") will quickly smash it to splinters, revealing Makar. PCs might also try to trip the hut by using the ring against the eagle legs. More conventional tripping attacks with rope or perhaps rolling logs (takes some time to set up that one!) might also be attempted. It's possible to hurt the legs by attacking them with weapons of spells, but they are resistant to damage. When forced from his hut Makar will begin summoning animals to slay the characters. While he chants prayers to the Old Gods the frozen limbs surrounding the characters will begin to shake violently as the summoned creatures rush through the maze to answer the call. Quick action will stop the Druid, but it will be tougher the longer the fight goes. Again, the best bet is to use the Ring of the Ram on the old man, as it bypasses all his defenses. Two or three full strength hits should finish him, maybe less if he can be knocked off the hut (a twenty foot fall). When Makar dies the legs of the hut will dissolve and the summoned animals will leave, so targeting the Druid while the other characters hold off his summoned reinforcements is the best course of action.  The Druid is fanatically sure of his eventual victory and will fight to the death. As he dies the snowfall ceases and the sun peaks from behind a cloud.The Walls of ObrenThe PCs return home victorious and should have some time to recover from their harrowing experiences in Makar's forest. However, the danger has not passed. On the morning of the third or forth day, just as the snow is melting away to expose patches of grass beneath, the Evil Warlord Vasily sends his armies against the city. Vasily, or his equally ambitious successor if he was killed by the characters earlier, is here for revenge. Having his ring stolen has greatly weakened his authority over semi-loyal fellow bandits. To get that loyalty back he plans to lead them to victory against the city that has been hurting his efforts to enslave and dominate. In the case of the successor, he is chasing glory and power while ostensibly revenging his slain predecessor.Behind the wooden walls of Obren morale is high ("come and do your worst!"), until the secret weapon of the raiders is revealed. Slowly advancing from the shadows of the forest is what appears to be a twenty foot tall man. As it comes closer, it's clear that this is no human.Constructed of tightly pulled rope from the slave-grown Sornak plant this giant Golem resembles a man who has been flayed of his skin, revealing taught tendons. Huge hands open and close, as if anticipating the violence they will deal. As if that wasn't bad enough, the monster is covered with a layer of ice!This Rope Golem, constructed of the only suitable raw material readily available in the slave encampment, was a final gift to Vasily from Makar and has enough intelligence to follow rather detailed instructions. This time, it's been ordered to lead the attack on Obren and act as a ladder. Frozen RopeThe golem will approach the walls with a slow, almost casual gait while javelins, arrows and even flaming arrows bounce harmlessly off its icy armor. When it reaches the wall the Golem drops to one knee as if praying, forming stairs with its hand, knee and bowed head. While special assault troops climb its body by sinking metal mountaineering hooks into its icy skin for balance it swats at defenders on the wall with its free hand. A hail of arrows supports this attack on the wall. As groans of despair rise from the city's defenders, the PCs are taken away from the walls by a royal guard who has urgent orders for them. The time has come for Zhela, the Gelatinous Cube, to appear in his true form for one last stand against the forces of evil and chaos. Zhela quickly communicates the plan telepathically as it is guided toward the gate of the city by soldiers (they have been told Zhela is a trained monster). The cube will create as much havoc as possible by attacking Vasily's raiders, while the PCs will take out the Golem.Zhela will create at least a temporary panic in the attackers with his appearance, before being hacked apart. This is the PCs chance to hit the Rope Golem. While covered in frost the Golem can only be hurt by bludgeoning weapons (use that ring, again!) and it takes half damage from fire. After losing a third of its hit points to such damage the frost layer has been smashed or melted off and the Golem can now be damaged by slashing weapons (bludgeoning it does no further damage) and it takes double damage from fire. When the Golem is defeated the attackers panic and flee. As the battle turns in the defenders favor (hopefully!) allow the characters to order the defending army: "Shoot flaming arrows at it! Now!" or "Out the gates, smash them!" The defenders might still do these actions, but it's far more fulfilling if they do so under orders from the characters.As the brigands flee, the scattered remains of the cube slowly melt into the earth, joining the snow and shed blood. AftermathAssuming the battle is won, the characters become the heroes of Obren and will be taken into the full confidence of Prince Boris and can become the power behind his rule if they wish to do so. The Prince is not a strong ruler and it might be best if one of the characters eventually replaces him, perhaps when the party's Fighter or Paladin reaches "name level."Alternately, the PCs can choose to simply leave, having "put things right." Obren's future is uncertain, but a major blow has been dealt to her enemies and for the time being there is reason for optimism. Besides, another adventure awaits, perhaps on the other side of that mountain range...Other OptionsIt is possible that the Druid appeals to the PCs for their aid rather than immediately attacking. For now the threat to the natural world is minimal, but who knows what the future holds if the human settlements continue to grow? If the characters are won over they may find themselves leading the attack on Obren rather than defending it.If the characters fail to defend Obren, but survive its fall the campaign should continue. Now the PCs will have to work from the shadows, freeing slaves, defeating bandits and trying to restore what was lost. It's likely that Vasily or his successor will not remain permanently loyal to the Druid, in which case this chaos might be used to defeat them both. Ingredient ReviewGelatinous Cube: The Cube in this adventure has gained self-awareness and serves as a bizarre servant of the Sun God and true ruler of Obren. Like Obren itself, it is a symbol of Good showing up in an unlikely place, against all odds. At the same time, its abilities as a Ooze are fully deployed in the final battle.Topiary Maze: The PCs must make their way through the maze of the Druid before confronting him. In this case the maze is trimmed and formed through magic and is designed to keep intruders from reaching the Druid's Grove.Selfless Pretender: Zhela, the Gelatinous Cube, pretends to be an ordinary monster so he can sacrifice himself in the final battle. He also masquerades as a servant to the Prince. The Prince himself also fills this rule, pretending to rule while he selflessly allows Zhela, who is far more capable, to rule in his place. Entitlement: On one hand the granting of entitlements in the form of rights for the serfs has led to the growth and strength of Obren, which will fuel the conflict. On the other, the Old Gods feel entitled to humanity's worship and will win it back by force if necessary.Ring of the Ram: This magic ring is the weapon the PCs need to defeat the Druid and later the Rope Golem. The power of the ring can "knock on the door" of the doorless hut of Makar and then it can bypass his numerous resistances. It is also ideal for turning the Frozen Rope Golem into an ordinary, easily set alight Rope monster. Finally, the theft/acquisition by violence of this item sets up the final conflict.Rope Ladder: The Rope Golem itself fills this roll in the final battle. Unlike ordinary ladders or siege engines its special magical construction makes it very hard to destroy...except for the resourceful PCs, of course.</blockquote>

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