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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Enkhidu" data-source="post: 1365678" data-attributes="member: 351">You want it - you got it. Complete with new nickname.Winter Iron DM 2004 TourneyRound One – Fourth Match-Up:Enkhi-“frickin’”-du vs “Nice Try” NoskovThe Ingredients: Foggy MoorsVenerable PaladinHobgoblin War PartyBlinding SnowHangman TreeBurned CorpseThe Adventure:Frost on the Moors Adventure Notes: This adventure is a short sidetrek, and is meant for characters of 4th to 6th level. It is best placed during PC “downtime,” either between adventures, or while traveling from one place to another. In any case, the adventure will begin in or near the village of Darromoor, and the whole of the adventure will take place within a few leagues.BackgroundLife in Darromoor is – for lack of a better term – moist. On the nights it doesn’t actually rain, the village is blanketed in a mist so thick that the moorfolk call going out for a midnight errand as “going out for a swim.” Appropriately, the people of Darromoor are a somber and melancholy people used to dealing with their clammy lives with a longsuffering air.However, things are not well in Darromoor. Over the past few months, several of the outlying farms have had sheep go missing. At first, the shepherds thought it was simply a wolfpack, but when a handful of frightened and wounded stragglers made their way back into the village one misty morning with tales of raiders, they knew it to be much worse. Many of the farthest farms were abandoned, and the drovers moved their herds closer to the village and began competing for sparse pasture. Even then, whole herds of sheep have turned up missing, shepherds and all.Worse, the weather has grown considerable colder over the past few weeks – unnaturally colder, some villagers say. Some say they have seen it snow, something that hasn’t happened in 15 years. NPCs and Items of InterestAmaranth: Venerable Paladin (Paladin 9)Amaranth is one of the elder members of the Knights of the Vault, a loose organization concerned mainly with finding, sealing, and serving as the caretakers for objects they deem too dangerous for mortal man. It includes wizards, bards, and paladins who would like nothing more than to find and seal away all manner of evil magic – permanently if possible. (Aside: if you have ever seen Friday the 13th, the Series, you have a fairly good idea of what the Knights of the Vault do).As a senior member of the order, Amaranth “manages” one of the safeholds of the Knights (one located only a week’s travel from Darromoor in the dungeons of Amaranth’s ancestral keep) while more junior members attend to the business of obtaining these dangerous items. Recently, another of his order offered to transfer an item – the Riming Stone – into Amaranth’s care. Amaranth accepted and sent a small group of competent retainers to serve as the courier for the transfer. When they did not return, Amaranth conferred with this counterpart, found that the item had been retrieved, and immediately set about finding them, leaving the relative comfort of his keep.Advanced age has taken a toll on Amaranth, and his combat skills have suffered because of it – while Amaranth is higher level than the PCs, his strength, dexterity, and constitution have been significantly reduced (how reduced is up to the DM, but Amaranth should have significant ability penalties to overcome if he ends up in combat for some reason). His non combat abilities are still quite potent.Stehk: Hobgoblin Fighter 6Stehk leads a renegade Hobgoblin War Party. This tightly knit group of hobgoblins is well trained, well outfitted, and well commanded (in fact, if the DM has access to the Miniatures Handbook, Stehk is a Marshall 6). Stehk has multiple lieutenants, including a Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Cleric, all of 3rd to 5th level (the rest of his War Party is made of Warriors). Stehk has his eye on Darromoor, and would like nothing more than to take it for himself (as a stepping stone to greater things). He is aware of Amaranth’s keep, and the livery of its soldiers, but has given it wide berth so far. However, when he saw a handful of men in Amaranth’s livery, he took a chance and ambushed them. To his surprise, he ended up with the Riming Stone.Since Stehk has found the Riming Stone, he has grown bolder in his attacks. He plans on stepping up attacks on the outlying farms to congregate the villagers and take them all in one fell swoop.The Riming Stone: (Possibly intelligent and definitely malignant Stone of Weather Control) The Riming Stone is a stark white fist sized stone encircled with childish sounding, yet mildly disturbing, rhymes and limericks about cold, ice, frost, and the like. While in the possession of an Evil character, it automatically begins to affect the weather around it, gradually making its surroundings colder and colder (this effect is similar to control weather, but it happens far more gradually, covers a 20 mile radius circle, and cannot be directly controlled by the bearer). Additionally, it provides both Energy Resistance (Cold) and the ability to “freeze” a number of victims (identical to mass hold person) once per day. Finally, the Stone is capable of a very localized version of control weather that can provide a blizzard effect at one tenth of its normal range and duration.The Riming Stone may have other properties (at DM’s discretion), but they are not necessary in this adventure.The Hangman Tree: CR7 Hangman TreeThis creature sits in a copse of trees atop a hillock on the moors. Because of the chill caused by the Riming Stone it has gone dormant.Adventure HooksPCs can get involved with the Riming Stone in a number of ways:  -Darromoor might be one of the PCs hometowns, a base of operations, or the like. This hook works best if the adventure is scaled downwards in level and it is an adventure that kicks off a campaign.-The PCs might be either members of, or affiliated with, the Knights of the Vault. In this case, Amaranth’s colleague in the Knights asked them to search for the missing courier (though whether they are told of the Stone or not would be determined by how close they are to the Knights). Conversely, the Knights might be a rival organization to the PCs and actively oppose them – in fact they may be in Darromoor to take the Stone from the Knights and the hobgoblins beat them to it.-The PC’s might be following the Hobgoblin War Party. If this is the case, they will meet Amaranth if they stop through Darromoor, or failing that, as a “random encounter” while traveling through the fog covered moors. -Of course, if the DM desires, this adventure can use less mundane and more campaign specific methods to hook the PCs. This is the suggested method.About Combat in the MoorsFighting in the peat bog ridden and Foggy Moors surrounding Darromoor is difficult at best. The thick fog covers the land so completely that the DM is encouraged to use the recommended circumstance penalties for visibility (from the SRD/DMG). In addition, there are patches of fog so thick that they have an effect identical to fog cloud. In addition, the DM is encouraged to add numerous patches of both shallow and deep bog to most combat areas. Some of the shallower bogs might freeze over (and some cruel DMs might place seemingly safe but really thin patches of ice over deeper bogs…).The hobgoblins are by now familiar with the safe trails in the moors. As such, they choose advantageous terrain whenever possible – feel free to put the PCs at a significant terrain disadvantage at the beginning of any combat the hobgoblins can prepare for.In addition, this adventure includes a magically induced blizzard. As with the foggy moor, the DM is encouraged to use the full array of circumstance modifiers to skill checks and ranged attacks during this time.EventsEvents described below assume that the PCs arrive in Darromoor approximately two weeks after the first attack on the village’s outlying farm, about three weeks after Stehk captures the Riming Stone, and less than a week after Amaranth leaves his keep to search for the missing couriers.-In DarromoorHow Amaranth approaches the PCs for help depends largely on how the PCs have been hooked into the adventure; however, Amaranth will definitely attempt to contact the PCs at some time if they come through Darromoor. He will be cautious of strangers, and will use his ability to detect evil on the PCs before asking them to accompany him. In any case, if the PCs come to Darromoor, while they are there they will receive news that another one of the outlying farms – this one not so outlying – has just been attacked, and at least one of the raiders was seen wearing the Amaranth’s livery. At this, Amaranth will want to leave immediately and, if alone, will do just that. If he can, he will bring the PCs with him, but will leave alone if he must. -The Not-So-Outlying FarmThe fog will be thick around the farmstead, and if the PCs investigate they will find it ransacked and empty, but basically intact. Upon inspection, the PCs can see (with the appropriate skill checks) evidence of a combat that ended with the farmsteaders being lead/carried/dragged off into the fog. If the PCs investigate the trail, it will lead them to the raiders encampment, atop a tor that peeks out over the fog. The raiders are led by one of Stehk’s lieutenants (the Ranger), and are adept at hit and run tactics. They will fight until about half strength and then cut their losses and run, using pathways with which they are familiar. Once the hobgoblins become aware of the PCs, they will attempt to fight them from within the fog (the fog banks here fall into the fog cloud category if thickness). Assuming the PCs win and investigate the hobgoblin’s camp, they will find the survivors of the farmstead raid, along with a number of wrapped corpses that are stacked like game. At least one of the survivors will have picked up enough from the hobgoblin’s conversation to know that this group was supposed to meet “the butcher” near a copse of trees to the west – those familiar with the area (most certainly Amaranth, and possibly homegrown PCs) will know where this is. The copse is less than a league away, over boggy ground. -The Hanging TreesThe copse of trees rests on a lone hillock that rises above the moor. Camped among and right outside the copse are a group of hobgoblins – those that aren’t actively on watch are involved in helping the “Butcher” at his work, eating, sleeping, etc. The “Butcher” (the hobgoblin cleric) has recently (two days ago) secured this copse of trees to serve as a base of operations for the raids that Stehk is planning. He has regular patrol and a handful of camouflaged bogs to trap intruders, as well as a few rockfall traps that can be easily triggered to rain stony death on PCs unlucky enough to be in the way. One of the “Butcher’s” main tasks is to stockpile supplies collected from the raids. Thus the trees hang heavily with curing and drying carcasses (in various states of dressing), and while some of those carcasses are sheep, a few are human. A close inspection will reveal that the human carcasses look to have been cooked and charred, and when the PC’s arrive, the butcher will be have dressed some of the Burned Corpses.Unbeknownst to the butcher, the copse of trees is also the home of a Hangman Tree. Because of the cold weather, the tree had gone into dormancy, and as such was indistinguishable from a normal vine covered tree. However, with the number of fires and bodies around the copse, the tree is awakening.If combat results (as it probably will), the Butcher will support his troops with spells as best he can, drawing the PCs into the trees. If the PCs enter the copse of trees, he will set fire to several he has coated with pitch in order to trap them there and then flee if the battle goes against him. He has no compunction about leaving his troops behind (and indeed, his troops are likely to fight to the death once engaged). If necessary, he will use his scroll of animate dead (cast at 10th level) to animate as many zombies from the fallen as possible before he runs.If the trees are fired, the Hangman Tree will awaken and attack everything in sight as it moves (very slowly) away from the fire. The Hangman Tree will not be one of the pitched trees. If any of the raiders from the previous encounter survived and escaped, they will likely have gotten to the Butcher before the PCs. If this is the case, the hobgoblins will attempt to hide in a ravine and the PCs will find an empty but intact campsite. If the PC’s enter the copse, fire arrows will be used by the hobgoblins to light the trees, the Hangman Tree will awaken, and zombies (some likely still hung from tree branches) will animate and attack. The hobgoblins will charge to flush the PCs into the trees if possible.-A Final ConfrontationIf the PCs escape from or defeat the hobgoblins, they have a variety of ways to find Stehk’s headquarters (such as interrogation, tracking, etc). Stehk’s camp lies in a small valley; it is a tented encampment and has a number of fortifications (halfwalls, wooden spikes, etc). This will be the largest force of hobgoblins the PCs have faced so far, and this battle should be the toughest they have to fight. The hobgoblins’ chief, if any hobgoblins escaped from either of the two battles, is expecting the PCs. If not, the PCs will end up running into at least one patrol before they find Stehk himself, as Stehk has seen the fire from the copse and is on alert. In either case, if Stehk knows the PCs are coming he will be ready for them.If Stehk has a chance, when the PCs begin their attack, he will call down a Blinding Snow on them in the form a blizzard using the power of the Riming Stone. Thus, ten rounds after the PCs begin an assault (or are spotted) they will be in the middle of a blizzard (see the SRD/DMG for modifiers caused by such a storm) that will last for another ten rounds. During this time, the hobgoblins will hunker down behind the stone walls built specifically for this occasion, lessening the effect of the storm, and cast spells, heal if possible, and generally make ready for a counter assault. Stehk will attempt to command from safety (this is especially true if he is a Marshall) if possible, and when the PCs are in range he will hit them with a mass hold person from the Stone (freezing them in their tracks, so to speak). These hobgoblins will fight to the death or attempt to retreat. They will not surrender.AftermathIf the PCs recover the Riming Stone, Amaranth (or, if Amaranth dies, the Knights of the Vault) will want it returned. Depending on the way the PCs handle this situation, they could end up with either an ally or an enemy. In either case, the PCs will quickly realize that the Riming Stone is thoroughly Evil and growing in power (though if the Stone does not have an evil bearer, then the artificial winter it was creating will quickly abate).Moreover, those familiar with hobgoblins will wonder why an apparently renegade band was in the moors – could it be part of a larger force? Scaling the AdventureWhile this adventure was written with PCs of 4th to 6th level in mind, the adventure can be easily scaled upwards (by increasing both the level and number of the hobgoblins and either advancing the Hangman Tree or having multiple such creatures in the copse). However, since this adventure is also suitable as a springboard for a campaign, it can also be scaled downward. Simply lower the numbers and levels of the hobgoblins, lower the number of total HD animated by the animate dead scroll.********Quick Ingredient Recap: Foggy Moors: The countryside around DarromoorVenerable Paladin: Amaranth, Knight of the VaultHobgoblin War Party: Stehk’s band of hobgoblins.Blinding Snow: The blizzard caused by Riming StoneHangman Tree: A dormant creature awakened by fire in a copse of trees hung with corpsesBurned Corpse: The aforementioned corpses, possibly animated as hanging zombies as part of a hobgoblin trap</blockquote>

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