Story Award: 1400
Entrance to the Lintoli Woods
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1 day
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Bandits---3 days---|---1 day---|---2 days---Swamp
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4 days
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Exit
See Lintoli Forest Encounter Chart
Glimthed Coingrabber the halfing is having more problems with his business. He recently sent 2 caravans through the Lintoli Woods and expected to hear back from them by now, however they seem to have gone missing. He will pay 1000gp for the return of both caravans and their crews, and less than that if the PCs don't succeed fully. At the very least he'll want to know what happened, and proof would be good too.
He'll describe the caravan leaders: Wulf, the one eyed dwarf, and Hangu, a tall blond human. Each caravan has 3 wagons, 3 drivers and a leader each. He'll also tell the PCs that once they embark on the south road through the Lintoli woods, they must turn east at the first intersection, because west leads to a bandits lair. After that, turning south at the next intersection gets you out of the woods, while keeping east takes you to an impassable swamp. He also mentions that it rained just after the caravans left and has been dry since, so the tracks should be easy to follow. (In the forest, tracks lead west to the bandits, another east to the swamp and a final set by a third, unrelated caravan heads south.)
The Bandit Path
When the PCs are one day westwards towards the bandits, an intelligence check reveals 3 thieves hiding in a tree spying on them. They are each level 1, AL: CE, AC: 8 (leather), Mov: 12, HD: 1. hp: 5,4,4, THACO: 20, #AT: 1, Dmg: d6 (short swords) or d4(slings), Morale: 8, xp: 15. If spotted, they will flee west. If not, they will let the party pass and ambush them from behind. The PCs get a -2 on their surprise roll.
The Second Day -
- A small tripwire set across the path causes a log to fall on the victim, they must save vs. death magic or take 2d4 hp.
The Third Day -
- The PCs are ambushed by 4 theives (stats as above, hp: 4,3,2,2) and Wulf, the one-eyed dwarf caravan leader. The PCs get -3 on the surpirse roll. Wulf is actually a member of Gap Toothed Grin, and wears his tooth earring. Wulf purposely led his caravan here into an ambush, aided the thieves in slaying the other wagon drivers and plans to sell the caravan goods himself. Stats for Wulf: AL:CE, AC: 6 (magic leather +2), Mov: 12, HD: 4, hp: 12, THAC0: 18, #AT: 1, Dmg: d8 (long sword), Morale: 13, xp: 120.
All 3 bodies of the caravan drivers are buried in shallow graves, a fourth grave holds not a body but the thieves loot. 296gp, 12pp and 412ep plus an olive green peridot wirth 416gp. If the PCs search the area, there is a 35% chance each turn they'll find the missing caravan wagons. They contain foodstuffs, clothing and some hand tools.
The West/South/East Intersection
The other caravan lead by Hangu would have tried to go via the south road, however when they were attacked by a herd of muckdwellers at the intersection (p. 259) and they were forced to go east. Fearful of another attack (the first killed one driver) Hangu continued east, hoping to find another road, until he became lost in the swamp and was captured by bullywugs. This was the plan all along of the bullywugs who had bribed the muckdwellers. The muckdwellers dragged the body of the driver they had killed into the woods south west of the intersection. If the wind is blowing from the right direction (3 in 8 chance) the PCs will smell what little was left of his body. The muckdwellers live in a pool that is 100 feet across. The first 30 are knee deep, the next 30 waist deep and the 40 foot diameter circle in the middle is chest deep. In the center is a submerged stump. Under this is the muckdwellers treasure cache. It contains a pink coral gem (82gp), 4pp, and 17gp. There are 10 muckdwellers. Hp: 4,3,3,3,4,3,3,3,4,4.
The South Road
1 day south on the south road the PCs come on the following scene: from a distance they hear yelling and monkey screeching. A 5 wagon caravan, heading north, is stopped because the lead wagon is missing a wheel. 50 feet up a tree beside the road are 4 Hsing-sing (p. 241, hp: 8, 10, 8, 11), one of whom is holding the stolen wagon wheel. If the PCs get the wheel back, the caravan leader (a swarthy elf) is grateful and gives them a potion of fire breath (p.142). The caravan leader has seen no sign of any other caravan and they themselves made the tracks going south just a few days ago.
The Swamp
The wagon tracks go through progressively deeper mud, and shortly after the wagons themselves can be seen, sitting wheel deep in swamp water. They are all empty. Four bullwugs (p. 34, hp: 6,4,3,2) lie in wait, camoflagued (-2 to surprise roll). They all use spears. These bullwugs are guarding the entrance to a cave.
The Cave
The floor of the cave is slurping mud covered by a foot of water. It negates dexterity AC bonus, and modifies the to hit roll by -1. The inhabitants of this cave are immune to these effects. Every round a PC stays in place they sink further into the mud increasing their to hit roll penalty by -1 per round, sinking 1 foot each round. If a PC has sunk more than half his height into the muck, he will need to be pulled out by others. All the bullywugs in this cave use spears.
1. Four bullwugs. Hp: 3,6,6,8.
2. In this small room is the loot from the caravan. There are crates of dried fruit, a dozen hand axes, a sack with 131 gp, 2 dozen torches (soaked into uselessness) and fourteen pairs of boots. An open doors roll is required to pull each crate from the sucking mud.
3. A pool of murky water is here. This is where the bullwugs throw their trash: bones, broken tools, dead bullwugs, etc. There are 2 lamprey (p.117, hp: 7,7). Anyone diving to the pools bottom (15 feet deep) can search through the junk by feel alone. (the water is too murky to see) Every round they look they have a 30% chance of finding a ring of clumsiness (p.147). It's secondary function is swimming.
4. This is a long corridor leading to room 5. A trip wire (under the water) causes a large rock to fall, victims must save vs. death magic or take 2d6 hp.
5. Here wait 4 bullywugs (hp: 8,2,1,5) and a bullwug shaman: AL:CE, AC: 4 (leather), Move: 9, HD: 2, hp: 10, THAC0: 18, #AT:1, dmg: d6+1, Morale: 11, xp: 120. Spells: Curse, Cure Light Wounds. He uses a Spear of the Sea.
6. Here waits a giant leech. (p.219, 2 HD, hp: 10) The water is shallow enough that a victim is aware of the attack on an intelligence check.
7. In a ledge in this cave just beyond the giant leech are the caravan leader Hangu and the two surviving drivers. They are tied with moldy ropes and are overjoyed to see the party.