Story Award: 2800
Land Angler Shadow Steeds
Silver Hooves Camp Troglodyte Cave
Wereboar
Lintoli Mountains
Lintoli City
See Horse Plains Encounter Chart
A horse hair garbed nomad from the horse plains is in lintoli looking for some adventurers. His name is Lantan and he is accompanied by his war dog, Rogth. He explains he is a member of the silver hooves clan. Recently their best horse, Sarnai, a powerful stud, was stolen in a raid by the shadow steeds clan. They also stole the golden, gem studded bridle, a magic bridle, the only one that can control Sarnai. The Silver Hooves will pay 3000gp for his return, with the bridle. Sarnai is easily identified, he is pure white.
The Silver Hooves - The silver hooves are in a state of disarray after the devastating shadow steeds raid. Wagons are wrecked and burnt and their are many freshly dug graves. Lantan suggests the PCs take "Horse Oath" from their cleric Modnoh. Modnoh is short, balding, gruff but wise.
The silver hooves are unsure exactly where the shadow steeds are, but 3 pathways lead out into the plains. One leads north to a land angler, one north east to the shadow steeds and one south east to a wereboar.
The Land Angler - The land angler (hp: 18) lays buried with only the tip of its tongue sticking out. As the PCs approach, a black bear comes from the west, attracted by the smell of honey. If the PCs get too close to the land anglers exposed tongue, the black bear attacks. (p.17, hp: 16) The Land Angler has the following treasure in its lair: 524gp and a +1 long sword that won't come out of its sheath (the sheath must be cut away).
The Wereboar - This path leads to a rough cabin. It is old and in much disrepair. When the PCs approach within 100 feet, a squat, stocky, shirtless, hairy unkempt person will yell at them to get off his land. He will be uncooperative, hostile and insulting. He will even attack if the PCs get too close. He is a wereboar, hp: 14, p. 235. The house contains 232 gp and a rose pearl (561gp).
The Shadow Steeds - 200 feet outside the encampment of the shadow steeds, 2 of their number approach the party. They'll demand money, or threaten to get the rest of their clan and attack. The shadow steeds are all level 1 fighters with scimitars, shields and leather armour. In addition to these 2, they are 30 more in the camp. If the PCs don't pay, a fight starts and in 1 turn the rest of the camp will be alerted. If the party pays these two clansmen a good sum (at least 40gp each) they will be invited into the camp for drinks (They aren't being friendly, they just want to get the PCs drunk and steal the rest of their stuff).
The lost horse is easy to spot, it is tied with many ropes and the bridle is not with it. The bridle is in the tent of Ninnorn, a cleric of Loromu. He is level 3. Stats: AL:CE, AC:8 (leather), Move: 12, HD:3, hp: 17, THAC0: 19, #AT:1, dmg: d6+2, Morale: 13, xp: 120. Spells memorized: L1: Cure light wonds, curse. L2: Silence, 15' radius. He also uses a +1 magic mace. Ninnorn is 6' tall, muscular and mean. His tent also contains 300gp, a cleric scroll of animate dead, as well as fine rugs and cushions.
The PCs will need the bridle to control Sarnai the horse, if they set him free without putting it on him, he'll flee. If the PCs create a stir while getting the bridle, Sarnai will become excited, tear away from his ropes and flee. If he flees, he'll end up captured in the troglodyte cave. If the PCs capture him, they have won the adventure. If you still want them to go to the troglodyte cave, they can be ambushed by troglodytes on their way back to the silver hooves and the horse can be kidnapped.
The Troglodyte Cave - This cave is in a deep depression, the sides can only be climbed by Sarnai, other horses can't. Any person climbing up or down must make a dexterity check or fall and take d4 hp. All the troglodytes here use spears.
1. Just inside the entrance on the left wall of the cave is a worked slab of stone. Ae the PCs pass, the 2 troglodytes (p.348 , hp: 12,11) behind it push it down, doing d6+2 hp to anyone who fails a saving throw vs. petrification. PCs get -3 on their surprise roll.
2. Here is a large cavern with several large boulders scattered around. Behind one are 2 more troglodytes, and when they attack a 3rd troglodyte hidden behind a further rock attacks with his 2 javelins. Hp: 9,6,9
3. Behind the locked door (lock quality wretched, +30) in this room is a chest. It has a poison needle, victims must save vs poison or be unconscious 1 hour and lose all feeling in their limbs for d4 hours, giving them a -4 penalty on all d20 rolls. The chest contains; 332gp and a deep blue spinel gem (496 gp).
4. This room is concealed behind a secret door. There is also a tripwire trap, victims must save vs. spell or take 2d6 hp from falling blocks of stone. Inside, there are 567gp, 2 golden yellow topaz and a potion of rainbow hues (p.144).
5. This is a large cave, dominated by a huge statue (50 feet tall) of a troglodyte sitting cross legged. It is covered by flames and has two glowing red gems for eyes. The eyes are large crimson corals, worth 350gp each. Sitting on the statues lap is Sarnai the horse, if it hasn't already been returned to the silver hooves. The horse is unharmed by the flames, but can't leave the statue without getting burnt. Anyone touching the statue takes 2d6 hp per round from the flames. The only way to stop the flames is to shoot out the eyes (AC 4, 3hp) or pry them out (difficult because of the flames). After the gems are disabled, the flames stop but the statue starts vibrating madly, however nothing else seems to happen.
Guarding the statue and horse are 4 troglodytes (hp: 12,10,9,8) and a troglodyte shaman (3 HD, hp: 14, THAC0: 17 xp: 650, Spells: L1: cure light wounds, protection from good. L2: Silence, 15'). The shaman is wearing a ring of jumping (p.148) and has a plus 1 magic mace. His scales are painted a metallic red.
Back to the Silver Hooves - The clansmen are very glad to get Sarnai back. As an additonal reward each PC gets their choice of warhorse, each of which is a charger and is either a leaper or knows a trick.(see horse traits, p. 36) The silver hooves have a giant feast for the heros, slaughtering many of their sheep. Everything goes well until the next morning.
The Explosion and Fire - The troglodyte statue started vibrating after the eyes were removed or destroyed. This gets worse and worse, until just before dawn of the next day it dies in a fiery explosion which can be seen and heard all through the horse plains. It starts a huge grass fire that rushes towards the silver hooves encampment. All the clansmen rush off to help fight off the flames. It takes 11 grueling hours to stop the fire, but each hour there is a 25% chance that a 4HD hell hound (p.187) will attack. The clansmen would be grateful if the PCs would fight them off. The wereboar, assuming he wasn't slain, can also be seen fighting the flames. After the fire is vanquished, huge clouds of ash will remain in the area. There are several skull danglers in them, who will attack the clansmen and possibly the PCs. In order to slay all the skulldanglers, the PCs will need to get to the clouds. If they have no way of doing this on their own, Modnoh the silver hooves cleric will suggest trying to get a pegasus from the top of the lintoli mountains.
The Lintoli Mountains - The mountains are mostly populated with dwarves, although there are other creatures as well. The dwarves have been living here so long that they have slain most of the dangerous creatures. The northern suburbs of lintoli stretch into these mountains, mostly located inside the mountains. The PCs can get halfway up the mountain using stairways. This takes a full day. In the upper chambers, the inhabitants are few, and the PCs have a 30% chance of being attacked by d4+1 dwarven thieves, level 1, leather armor and shortswords. If the PC's climb the outside, it takes d4+2 days to get halfway up. The top half of the mountain is steeper and will take 2d4+4 days.
The Peak - Snow covered even in summer, the peak offers a breathtaking view of lintoli stretching into the distance. As the PCs arrive, they see 2d6+1 pegasi foals being attacked by a hippogriff. (p.190, hp: 20) d4+2 adult pegasi arrive in a turn + d6 rounds, and if the PCs have slain the hippogriff the pegasi will allow themselves to be flown.
The Ash Clouds - d4+1 skull danglers will be in the ash clouds over the horse plains, distributed symetrically about a warp in space that leads to the plain of ash. The warp is 3 feet by 6 feet. It looks into a plain covered in ashes, with the burnt out remains of a city in the distance. The warp is guarded by the ash imp. AL:CE:, AC: 4, Move: 12, HD:5, hp:17, THAC0: 15, #AT:2, dmg: d6+2/d6+2, SD: Half damage from non-bludgeoning weapons, SA: Once per day can blow a 2x2x2 cloud of ash. None but he can see within it and anyone failing a saving throw vs. poison is helpless for d4 rounds. MR:30%, Size: M, Morale: 12, xp: 975. The ash imp is 6 feet tall, humanoid with glistening obsidian claws and large, pointed ears. It is made of a billowing cloud of ash, which is why non-bludgeoning weapons do but half damage.
When the imp is slain, the portal closes slowly over 1 turn. PCs can go through, but once it closes they're trapped in the plane of ash. Also, the imps eyes once he is slain will turn into Ash Eyes.