NNNNooootttt AAAAllllllll IIIIttttssss CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkeeeeddddUUUUpppp ttttoooo BBBBeeee

AAAA OOOOnnnneeee----RRRRoooouuuunnnndddd DDDD&&&&DDDD 3333rrrrdddd EEEEddddiiiittttiiiioooonnnn LLLLiiiivvvviiiinnnngggg GGGGrrrreeeeyyyyhhhhaaaawwwwkkkkAAAAddddvvvveeeennnnttttuuuurrrreeee

bbbbyyyy DDDDaaaannnniiiieeeellll aaaannnndddd KKKKiiiieeeerrrraaaannnn TTTThhhhaaaattttcccchhhheeeerrrr

King Belvor IV has proclaimed all adventuring in and around the reclaimed city of Crockport tax-free! Come and helpthe Kingdom clear out whatever Old Wicked left behind. An adventure for tiers 1-3.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, ALTERNITY, GREYHAWK, and RPGA are registered trademarks of Wizards of theCoast, Inc. LIVING GREYHAWK is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Scenario detail copyright 2000 byWizards of the Coast, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This scenario is intended for tournament use only and may notbe reproduced without approval of the RPGA Network.

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 2

Th i s i s a RP GA N et wo rk a d ven tu r e ga m e. A f o ur -ho u r t im eb l oc k ha s b ee n a ll o ca t ed f o r p l ay in g t he ga m e ( o r t hi sro u nd o f t he ga m e) , b u t t he a ct u al p l ay in g t im e w il l b ea b o ut t hre e ho u rs .

I t i s a go o d i d ea t o a sk ea ch p l ay er t o p u t a na m e t ag i nf ro nt o f hi m o r he r. Th e t ag sh o ul d ha v e t he p l ay er' s na m ea t t he b o tt o m , a nd t he ch a ra ct er' s na m e, ra ce , a nd ge nd er a tt he t o p. Th i s m ak e s i t ea si er f o r t he p l ay ers t o k ee p t ra ck o f w ho i s p l ay in g w hi ch ch a ra ct er.

SSSS ccccoooo rrrriiii nnnngggg tttt hhhheeee ggggaaaa mmmm eeee ffff oooo rrrr RRRRPPPP GGGGAAAA pppp oooo iiiinnnn tttt ssss: Th e RP GA ha st hre e w ay s t o sc or e t hi s ga m e. C on su l t yo u r co n ven ti o nco o rd i na t o r t o d et erm i ne w hi ch m et ho d t o u se: 1. N o -vo t e sc or in g: Th e p l ay ers w rit e t hei r na m es a nd

nu m b ers o n t he sc or in g p a ck et gr id , yo u f il l i n t he t o po f t he gr id . Th a t i s a ll . N o o ne i s ra t ed . Th i s m et ho d i su sed f o r p eo p l e w ho a re j u st p l ay in g f o r f u n.

2. P a rt ia l sc or in g: Th e p l ay ers ra t e t he ga m e m as te r a nd t he sc ena ri o o n t hei r p l ay er vo t i ng sh eet , a nd p ro vi d ep ers o na l i nf o rm at i o n, b u t d o n t vo t e f o r o t her p l ay ers. Th e ga m e m as te r ra t es t he sc ena ri o a nd co m p le te sp ers o na l a nd ev ent i nf o rm at i o n, b u t d o es no t ra t e t hep l ay ers a s a t ea m o r vo t e f o r p l ay ers. Th i s m et ho d i su sed w hen t her e i s no co m p et it i o n, b u t t heco n ven ti o n co o rd i na t o r w an ts i nf o rm at i o n a s t o ho w t he ga m e m as te rs a re p erf o rm i ng, o r t he ga m e m as te rw an ts f eed b a ck o n hi s o r he r o wn p erf o rm a nce .

3. V ot i ng : P l ay ers a nd ga m e m as te rs co m p le te t he en ti re p a ck et , i ncl u d i ng vo t i ng f o r b est p l ay er. I f t hi sm et ho d i s u sed , b e su re t o a ll o w a b o ut 15 -20 m in u te sf o r t he p l ay ers t o b ri ef ly d esc ri b e t hei r ch a ra ct ers t o t he o t her p l ay ers, a nd a b o ut 5-1 0 m in u te s f o r vo t i ng.Th i s m et ho d i s u sed w hen t he p l ay ers w an t t o k no w w ho p l ay ed t he b est a mo n gst t hem , o r w hen t hea d ven tu r e i s ru n i n t o ur na m ent f o rma t w it h w in ner sa nd p ri z es. M u lt i -ro u nd a d ven tu r es u su a ll y re qu i re da d va nc in g a sm a ll er nu m b er o f p l ay ers t ha n p l a yed t hef ir st ro u nd , so vo t i ng i s re qu i re d f o r m u lt i -ro u nd a d ven tu r es.When using Voting, rank the players in order of

your voting choice while they are completing theirforms, so that you are not influenced by their commentson your abilities.

Th e p l ay er s a re f ree t o u se t he ga m e ru l es t o l ea rn a b o ut eq u i p me nt a nd w ea p on s t hei r ch a ra ct ers a re ca rr yi ng.

S o me o f t he t ext i n t hi s sc ena ri o i s w rit t en so t ha t yo u m ay p res ent i t a s w rit t en t o t he p l ay ers, w hi le o t her t ext i sf o r yo u r ey es o nl y. Te xt f o r t he p l ay ers w il l b e i n bbbb oooo lllldddd iiii ttttaaaa llll iiiicccc ssss. I t i s st ro ng ly re co mm en d ed t ha t yo u p a ra p hra se t hep l ay er t ext , i nst ea d o f re ad i ng i t a lo u d , a s so m e o f t he t ext i sge ner al a nd m u st b e a d ap t ed t o t he sp ec if i c si t ua t i on o r t o a ct io n s o f t he p l ay er ch a ra ct ers.

LLLLIIIIVVVVIIIINNNNGGGG GGGGRRRREEEEYYYYHHHHAAAAWWWWKKKK TTTTiiiieeeerrrrSSSSttttrrrruuuuccccttttuuuurrrreeee

To d et erm i ne t he t ie r, a d d t he ch a ra ct er l eve ls o f a ll t hech a ra ct ers. I n a d d it i on , a d d t he l eve ls o f a ny he nc hm en o ra ni m al s a cco r di n g t o t he va l u es o n t hei r ce rt if i ca te s.C om p a re t he t o ta l t o t he ch a rt b el o w t o f in d t he t ie r.

4 pla yers 5 players 6 players 7 players Lvl CapT1: 4-12 5-13 6-14 7-15 4nd

T2: 13-22 14-24 15-26 16-28 6th

T3: 23-32 25-35 27-38 29-41 8th

The level cap indicated the highest level of characterallowed to play this adventure. Characters of levelshigher than the highest level shown for the highest tiercannot be played.

LLLLiiiiffffeeeessssttttyyyylllleeeeAt the beginning of every scenario , each PC is required topay upkeep costs matching the level of lifestyle they wishto maintain. The cost of each lifestyle will be indicated atthe beginning of the sssscccceeeennnnaaaarrrriiiioooo . The lifestyles, and theeffects that each has on play, are:

DDDDeeeessssttttiiiittttuuuutttteeee You have no living space, and must carry allyour gear everywhere. You eat poor qualityfood. You wear a peasant outfit, your onlychange of clothes.

PPPPoooooooorrrr You sleep in poor accommodations, and eatpoor quality food. You wear a peasant outfit,and have two sets of clothing.

CCCCoooommmmmmmmoooonnnn You have common lodgings, and eatcommon quality food. You have normalclothing for your profession (adventuring) ;nothing fancy. You probably have two orthree sets of clothing.

HHHHiiiigggghhhh You stay in good quality lodgings, and eatgood quality food. You wear anything invalue up to courtiers outfits, and generallybuy a new set of clothing every two weeks.

LLLLuuuuxxxxuuuurrrryyyy You have luxurious accommodations (twicethe cost of good accommodations), and youeat excellent foods. You can throw abanquet for your friends every day, andfrequently do. You wear clothing up to thevalue of nobles outfit, and buy a new set ofclothes every week.

Lifestyles come with bonuses or penalties to Diplomacy,Intimidate, Disguise, and Bluff skill checks. Thesepenalties, shown below, should be applied at the DMsdiscretion, and can sometimes backfirefor example, aPC with a poor lifestyle would not have a penalty whentalking to a beggar, but would when talking to a cityofficial. A PC with a high lifestyle should have a penalty

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 3

when dealing with a group of street thugs, where a PCwith a destitute lifestyle might not.

DMs are encouraged to role-play these reactionswhenever possible.

LLLLiiiiffffeeeessssttttyyyylllleeee CCCCoooosssstttt SSSSkkkkiiiillllllll MMMMooooddddiiiiffffiiiieeeerrrrDestitute 14 sp -2Poor 43 sp -1Common 12 gp 0High 250 gp +1Luxury 500 gp +2

AAAAddddvvvveeeennnnttttuuuurrrreeee SSSSuuuummmmmmmmaaaarrrryyyy aaaannnnddddBBBBaaaacccckkkkggggrrrroooouuuunnnndddd

Crockport suffered for several years under the control ofIuz the Evil, before it was reclaimed two years ago duringthe Great Northern Crusade. The occupation wasdevastating to the city and the violent re-taking was moreso. Today Crockport is little more than an abandonedshell of a city. Little has been rebuilt, as Furyondy is stillshort on cash, and the Noble Council does not like theexpense of rebuilding, especially rebuilding followingthe grand new plans that King Belvor IV has drawn up.

One problem that has been lingering is the remnantsof Old Wickeds armies. A work crew set out forCrockport six months ago to survey the buildings andtake the first steps toward rebuilding. Unfortunately, theyfound themselves set upon by a hungry owlbear that hadtaken up residence on nearby Rockegg Isle thatwandered across the water during the low autumn tide.The garrison dispatched the monster, but the workerswere scared off, afraid of what might be wandering thearea.

Unknown to the garrison troops, there are morecreatures living on the island. Rockegg has become hometo a small clutch of Kazgund orcs, especially intelligentand vicious orcs that ride huge, bison-like stulgaz mounts.Caught on the island when Crockport was retaken, theKazgund orcs have waited two years for some word fromIuz. Iuz has sent it in the form of a Shadowclaw gnome,Benekar. But Benekar has not yet made it to the island,and so the orcsonly five now, plus some hobgoblinsthat the Kazgund bullied into serving themare stillwaiting.

Meanwhile, the owlbear incident on Rockeggresulted in a recent royal proclamation. King Belvordecided that paying his troops to clear out the remnantcreatures of Iuzs army would be too expensive. Instead,he has decided to entice adventurers to do so. The PCshave come to Crockport for this reason. So have someother adventuring types, some good, some bad

The DM should be sure to read Appendix B, whichrelates the story of Spugnoir the wizard, and his reasonsfor being in Crockport.

CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrttttBefore the wars, Crockport was a prosperous town of9,000 folk. During the wars, Crockport fell to the forces ofIuz, and it was not until the conclusion of the GreatNorthern Crusade that the city was freed from the OldOnes clutches.Today, Crockport is in ruins. The city sufferedtremendous losses during the war, and even more whenit was retaken. True to the character of Furyondy, thecommon folk refuse to surrender and have begun anew.Plans are underway to rebuild the city. For now though,the city is mainly uninhabited, and a number of thebuildings are collapsed.

PPPPllllaaaayyyyeeeerrrrssss IIIInnnnttttrrrroooodddduuuuccccttttiiiioooonnnnKKKKiiiinnnngggg BBBBeeeellllvvvvoooorrrr IIIIVVVV,,,, rrrruuuulllleeeerrrr ooooffff FFFFuuuurrrryyyyoooonnnnddddyyyy,,,, hhhhaaaassss mmmmaaaaddddeeee aaaa bbbboooollllddddpppprrrrooooccccllllaaaammmmaaaattttiiiioooonnnn:::: AAAAnnnnyyyy ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrreeee oooobbbbttttaaaaiiiinnnneeeedddd wwwwhhhhiiiilllleeee cccclllleeeeaaaarrrriiiinnnngggg oooouuuuttttccccrrrreeeeaaaattttuuuurrrreeeessss iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee ddddeeeecccciiiimmmmaaaatttteeeedddd cccciiiittttyyyy ooooffff CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt oooorrrr iiiittttssssssssuuuurrrrrrrroooouuuunnnnddddiiiinnnngggg ccccoooouuuunnnnttttrrrryyyyssssiiiiddddeeee iiiissss ttttaaaaxxxx----ffffrrrreeeeeeee!!!! HHHHaaaavvvviiiinnnngggg hhhheeeeaaaarrrrdddd tttthhhheeeepppprrrrooooccccllllaaaammmmaaaattttiiiioooonnnn,,,, yyyyoooouuuu eeeeaaaacccchhhh sssseeee tttt oooouuuutttt ttttoooo tttthhhheeee cccciiiittttyyyy ooooffff CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt iiiinnnnsssseeeeaaaarrrrcccchhhh ooooffff aaaaddddvvvveeeennnnttttuuuurrrreeee....

WWWWhhhheeeennnn yyyyoooouuuu aaaarrrrrrrriiiivvvveeeedddd iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee cccciiiittttyyyy llllaaaatttteeee tttthhhhiiiissss aaaafffftttteeeerrrrnnnnoooooooonnnn,,,, iiiittttbbbbeeeeccccaaaammmmeeee iiiimmmmmmmmeeeeddddiiiiaaaatttteeeellllyyyy oooobbbbvvvviiiioooouuuussss tttthhhhaaaatttt mmmmuuuucccchhhh hhhheeeellllpppp iiiissss nnnneeeeeeeeddddeeeedddd iiiifffftttthhhheeee bbbbrrrraaaavvvveeee kkkkiiiinnnngggg wwwwiiiisssshhhheeeessss ffffoooorrrr CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt ttttoooo bbbbeeee rrrreeeettttuuuurrrrnnnneeeedddd ttttoooo iiiittttssssffffoooorrrrmmmmeeeerrrr gggglllloooorrrryyyy.... TTTThhhheeeerrrreeee aaaarrrreeee ffffeeeewwww ppppllllaaaacccceeeessss iiiinnnn CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt tttthhhhaaaatttt hhhhaaaavvvveeeennnnooootttt ffffaaaalllllllleeeennnn iiiinnnnttttoooo ddddiiiissssrrrreeeeppppaaaaiiiirrrr.... TTTThhhheeee llllaaaarrrrggggeeeesssstttt ooooffff tttthhhheeeesssseeee iiiissss aaaa ssssmmmmaaaallllllllssssttttoooonnnneeee ccccoooonnnnssssttttrrrruuuucccctttteeeedddd ffffoooorrrrttttrrrreeeessssssss hhhhoooouuuussssiiiinnnngggg aaaa ggggaaaarrrrrrrriiiissssoooonnnn ooooffff FFFFuuuurrrryyyyoooonnnnddddyyyyttttrrrrooooooooppppssss.... TTTThhhheeee ffffoooorrrrttttrrrreeeessssssss aaaallllssssoooo hhhhoooouuuusssseeeessss aaaa ssssmmmmaaaallllllll tttteeeemmmmpppplllleeee ttttooooTTTTrrrriiiitttthhhheeeerrrreeeeoooonnnn,,,, ccccoooonnnnssssiiiiddddeeeerrrreeeedddd bbbbyyyy mmmmaaaannnnyyyy tttthhhheeee ppppaaaattttrrrroooonnnn ggggoooodddd ooooffff tttthhhheeeecccciiiittttyyyy ssssiiiinnnncccceeee iiiittttssss rrrreeeeccccllllaaaammmmaaaattttiiiioooonnnn....

DDDDiiiirrrreeeeccccttttllllyyyy ttttoooo tttthhhheeee ssssoooouuuutttthhhheeeeaaaasssstttt ooooffff tttthhhheeee ffffoooorrrrttttrrrreeeessssssss iiiissss aaaa mmmmaaaakkkkeeeesssshhhhiiiiffffttttooooppppeeeennnn----aaaaiiiirrrr mmmmaaaarrrrkkkkeeeettttppppllllaaaacccceeee ffffiiiilllllllleeeedddd wwwwiiiitttthhhh aaaa vvvvaaaarrrriiiieeeettttyyyy ooooffff vvvveeeennnnddddoooorrrrssss wwwwhhhhoooohhhhaaaavvvveeee ccccoooommmmeeee ttttoooo sssseeeellllllll tttthhhheeeeiiiirrrr wwwwaaaarrrreeeessss ttttoooo aaaannnnyyyy wwwwhhhhoooo wwwwoooouuuullllddddbbbbuuuuyyyymmmmaaaaiiiinnnnllllyyyy tttthhhheeee ssssoooollllddddiiiieeeerrrrssss aaaannnndddd tttthhhheeee wwwwoooorrrrkkkkeeeerrrrssss ccccoooommmmiiiinnnngggg ttttoooorrrreeeebbbbuuuuiiiilllldddd tttthhhheeee cccciiiittttyyyy.... TTTThhhhoooosssseeee wwww oooorrrrkkkkeeeerrrrssss ccccuuuurrrrrrrreeeennnnttttllllyyyy lllliiiivvvveeee iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee ssssmmmmaaaallllllllsssshhhhaaaacccckkkk ttttoooowwwwnnnn ttttoooo tttthhhheeee ssssoooouuuutttthhhh ooooffff tttthhhheeee mmmmaaaarrrrkkkkeeeettttppppllllaaaacccceeee,,,, wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh sssseeeerrrrvvvveeeessssaaaassss tttteeeemmmmppppoooorrrraaaarrrryyyy hhhhoooouuuussssiiiinnnngggg uuuunnnnttttiiiillll tttthhhheeee rrrreeeebbbbuuuuiiiillllddddiiiinnnngggg iiiissss ccccoooommmmpppplllleeeetttteeee....

FFFFiiiinnnnaaaallllllllyyyy tttthhhheeeerrrreeee iiiissss tttthhhheeee CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppooootttt IIIInnnnnnnn.... AAAAtttt ffffiiiirrrrsssstttt ggggllllaaaannnncccceeee,,,, oooonnnneeeemmmmiiiigggghhhhtttt aaaassssssssuuuummmmeeee tttthhhheeee ssssiiiiggggnnnn oooouuuuttttssssiiiiddddeeee ttttoooo hhhhaaaavvvveeee jjjjuuuusssstttt bbbbeeeeeeeennnn aaaammmmiiiissssssssppppeeeelllllllliiiinnnngggg,,,, bbbbuuuutttt tttthhhheeee aaaarrrroooommmmaaaattttiiiicccc ssssmmmmeeeellllllll ooooffff ccccooooooookkkkiiiinnnngggg sssstttteeeewwww ffffrrrroooommmmoooonnnneeee ooooffff tttthhhheeee ccccaaaauuuullllddddrrrroooonnnnssss hhhhaaaannnnggggiiiinnnngggg iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee ffffiiiirrrreeeeppppllllaaaacccceeee ggggiiiivvvveeeessss tttthhhheeeeiiiinnnnnnnn aaaannnn aaaaiiiirrrr wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh ffffiiiittttssss tttthhhheeee nnnnaaaammmmeeee wwwweeeellllllll.... TTTThhhheeeerrrreeee aaaarrrreeee tttthhhhrrrreeeeeeee llllaaaarrrrggggeeeeccccrrrroooocccckkkk ppppoooottttssss eeeemmmmbbbbeeeeddddddddeeeedddd iiiinnnnttttoooo tttthhhheeee ffffiiiirrrreeeeppppllllaaaacccceeee oooonnnn aaaa lllloooonnnngggg mmmmeeeettttaaaallllppppoooolllleeee,,,, ffffrrrroooommmm wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh BBBBuuuuxxxxeeeeaaaa,,,, tttthhhheeee bbbbaaaa rrrrmmmmaaaaiiiidddd,,,, ddddiiiissssppppeeeennnnsssseeeessss llllaaaarrrrggggeeeebbbboooowwwwllllssss ooooffff sssstttteeeewwww ttttoooo tttthhhheeee cccclllliiiieeeennnntttteeeelllleeee.... AAAAssss BBBBuuuuxxxxeeeeaaaa iiiinnnnffffoooorrrrmmmmeeeedddd yyyyoooouuuuwwwwhhhheeeennnn yyyyoooouuuu aaaarrrrrrrriiiivvvveeeedddd,,,, tttthhhheeeerrrreeee iiiissss aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssss sssstttteeeewwww aaaa----bbbbrrrreeeewwwwiiiinnnn iiiinnnn tttthhhheeeeccccrrrroooocccckkkk ppppooootttt ooooffff tttthhhheeee CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppooootttt IIIInnnnnnnn....

TTTThhhheeee IIIInnnnnnnn iiiissss aaaa ttttwwwwoooo----ssssttttoooorrrryyyy bbbbuuuuiiiillllddddiiiinnnngggg ccccoooonnnnssssttttrrrruuuucccctttteeeedddd wwwwiiiitttthhhhllllaaaarrrrggggeeee ccccoooobbbbbbbblllleeeessssttttoooonnnneeeessss aaaannnndddd wwwwoooooooodddd mmmmoooorrrrttttaaaarrrreeeedddd ttttoooo ggggeeeetttthhhheeeerrrr.... TTTThhhheeeeiiiinnnntttteeeerrrriiiioooorrrr wwwwaaaallllllllssss aaaarrrreeee mmmmaaaaddddeeee ffffrrrroooommmm lllliiiigggghhhhttttllllyyyy vvvvaaaarrrrnnnniiiisssshhhheeeedddd wwwwhhhhiiiitttteeee ppppiiiinnnneeee,,,,aaaannnndddd tttthhhheeee eeeexxxxtttteeeerrrriiiioooorrrr wwwwaaaallllllllssss aaaarrrreeee mmmmaaaaddddeeee ooooffff vvvvaaaarrrriiiioooouuuussss ttttyyyyppppeeeessss ooooffff ggggrrrraaaannnniiiitttteeee,,,,jjjjaaaassssppppeeeerrrr,,,, ddddoooolllloooommmmiiiitttteeee aaaannnndddd ssssaaaannnnddddssssttttoooonnnneeee.... TTTThhhheeee ffffuuuurrrrnnnniiiittttuuuurrrreeee iiiissss bbbbuuuuiiiillllttttffffrrrroooommmm ssssttttuuuurrrrddddyyyy ppppiiiinnnneeee ppppllllaaaannnnkkkkssss,,,, ssssmmmmooooooootttthhhh aaaannnndddd sssslllliiiigggghhhhttttllllyyyy cccchhhhiiiippppppppeeeeddddffffrrrroooommmm wwwweeeeaaaarrrr.... TTTThhhheeee ccccoooommmmmmmmoooonnnn rrrroooooooommmm iiiissss ssssmmmmaaaallllllll,,,, aaaannnndddd yyyyoooouuuu ffffiiiinnnnddddyyyyoooouuuurrrrsssseeeellllffff sssshhhhaaaarrrriiiinnnngggg aaaa ttttaaaabbbblllleeee iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee mmmmiiiiddddddddlllleeee ooooffff tttthhhhiiiissss rrrruuuussssttttiiiicccc iiiinnnnnnnnwwwwiiiitttthhhh ooootttthhhheeeerrrr aaaaddddvvvveeeennnnttttuuuurrrreeeerrrr ttttyyyyppppeeeessss....

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 4

Have players introduce themselves and give backgroundsat this point in time. When they are finished, continueon with description.

TTTThhhheeee ccccoooommmmmmmmoooonnnn rrrroooooooommmm iiiinnnn wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh yyyyoooouuuu aaaallllllll ssssiiiitttt iiiissss eeeexxxxcccceeeeppppttttiiiioooonnnnaaaalllloooonnnnllllyyyy iiiinnnn iiiittttssss ppppllllaaaaiiiinnnnnnnneeeessssssss.... TTTThhhheeee oooonnnnllllyyyy ddddeeeeccccoooorrrraaaattttiiiioooonnnnssss aaaarrrreeee aaaa ppppllllaaaaqqqquuuueeeewwwwiiiitttthhhh aaaa ccccaaaarrrrvvvveeeedddd ccccrrrroooocccckkkk ppppooootttt oooonnnn oooonnnneeee wwwwaaaallllllll,,,, ooooppppppppoooossssiiiitttteeee tttthhhheeeeeeeennnnttttrrrryyyywwwwaaaayyyy;;;; aaaa ssssppppeeeecccckkkklllleeeedddd bbbbaaaassssssss aaaabbbboooovvvveeee tttthhhheeee bbbbaaaarrrr,,,, iiiimmmmpppprrrreeeessssssssiiiivvvveeee iiiinnnn iiiittttssssssssiiiizzzzeeee bbbbuuuutttt ffffaaaaddddeeeedddd aaaannnndddd dddduuuussssttttyyyy;;;; aaaannnndddd aaaa sssshhhhiiiinnnnyyyy sssscccciiiimmmmiiiittttaaaarrrr hhhhuuuunnnngggg oooovvvveeeerrrrtttthhhheeee mmmmaaaannnnttttlllleeee ooooffff tttthhhheeee ffffiiiirrrreeeeppppllllaaaacccceeee tttthhhhaaaatttt gggglllloooowwwwssss wwwwiiiitttthhhh aaaa ssssttttrrrraaaannnnggggeeee bbbblllluuuueeeelllliiiigggghhhhtttt....

TTTThhhheeee iiiinnnnnnnnkkkkeeeeeeeeppppeeeerrrr iiiissss aaaa wwwwiiiirrrryyyy ffffeeeelllllllloooowwww wwwwiiiitttthhhh lllloooonnnngggg bbbbllllaaaacccckkkk hhhhaaaaiiiirrrraaaannnndddd bbbbrrrroooowwwwnnnn hhhhaaaazzzzeeeellll eeeeyyyyeeeessss.... HHHHeeee iiiissss bbbbuuuussssyyyy ddddiiiissssppppeeeennnnssssiiiinnnngggg aaaalllleeee aaaatttt tttthhhheeee bbbbaaaarrrrttttoooo tttthhhheeee llllooooccccaaaallll ooooffffffff----dddduuuuttttyyyy gggguuuuaaaarrrrddddssssmmmmeeeennnn....

AAAA hhhhaaaallllffff----oooorrrrcccc wwwwhhhhoooosssseeee llllaaaarrrrggggeeee jjjjoooowwwwllllssss ffffrrrraaaammmmeeee hhhhiiiissss ffffrrrroooowwwwnnnn ssssttttaaaannnnddddsssssssslllliiiigggghhhhttttllllyyyy iiiinnnn ffffrrrroooonnnntttt ooooffff tttthhhheeee ffffiiiirrrreeeeppppllllaaaacccceeee wwwwiiiitttthhhh hhhhiiiissss aaaarrrrmmmmssss ccccrrrroooosssssssseeeedddd,,,, bbbbuuuuttttnnnnoooo vvvviiiissssiiiibbbblllleeee wwwweeeeaaaappppoooonnnnssss aaaatttt hhhhiiiissss bbbbeeeelllltttt....

AAAAtttt tttthhhheeee aaaannnnooootttthhhheeeerrrr ttttaaaabbbblllleeeessss iiiissss aaaa ggggnnnnoooommmmeeee,,,, ssssiiiittttttttiiiinnnngggg bbbbyyyy hhhhiiiimmmmsssseeeellllffff ttttoooooooonnnneeee ssssiiiiddddeeee ooooffff tttthhhheeee bbbbaaaarrrr.... TTTThhhheeeerrrreeee aaaarrrreeee aaaa hhhhaaaallllffff ddddoooozzzzeeeennnn gggguuuuaaaarrrrddddssss wwwwhhhhoooosssseeeeeeeemmmm ttttoooo bbbbeeee rrrreeeellllaaaaxxxxiiiinnnngggg iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee ffffaaaarrrr ccccoooorrrrnnnneeeerrrr aaaatttt tttthhhheeeeiiiirrrr oooowwwwnnnn ttttaaaabbbblllleeeettttaaaallllkkkkiiiinnnngggg iiiinnnn lllloooowwww bbbbuuuutttt rrrreeeellllaaaaxxxxeeeedddd ttttoooonnnneeeessss.... AAAAnnnndddd ffffiiiinnnnaaaallllllllyyyy,,,, tttthhhheeeerrrreeee iiiissss aaaasssslllliiiigggghhhhttttllllyyyy oooollllddddeeeerrrr ggggeeeennnnttttlllleeeemmmmaaaannnn wwwwhhhhoooo ssssiiiittttssss nnnneeeeaaaarrrr tttthhhheeee ddddoooooooorrrrwwwwaaaayyyy.... HHHHeeeesssseeeeeeeemmmmssss ttttoooo bbbbeeee kkkkeeeeeeeeppppiiiinnnngggg aaaannnn eeeeyyyyeeee oooonnnn yyyyoooouuuu wwwwiiiitttthhhh hhhhiiiissss ppppiiiieeeerrrrcccciiiinnnngggg bbbblllluuuueeeeeeeeyyyyeeeessss....

EEEEnnnnccccoooouuuunnnntttteeeerrrr OOOOnnnneeee::::TTTThhhheeee CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppooootttt IIIInnnnnnnn

The Innkeepers name is Belgros (male human Rog 5;Cha15). He is in his late twenties, with a slick and greedyair about him. He seems the type of fellow who wouldwheel and deal with Iuz himself if there was a profit to behad. He has long black hair and a dark shadow of amustache. His hazel eyes absorb everything, but giveaway nothing.

If Belgros is asked about the scimitar he simply says:

TTTTaaaallllkkkk ttttoooo WWWWyyyyddddeeeehhhheeee ccccllllaaaaiiiimmmmssss gggguuuuaaaarrrrddddiiiiaaaannnnsssshhhhiiiipppp ooooffff iiiitttt....

Buxea the barwench (female human Com1; Cha 14) is avoluptuous middle-aged barmaid who has seen the riseand fall of Crockport, many a bar brawl, and still managesto look at life with a humorous gleam in her eye. She hasstraight golden hair, merry green eyes and a deep throatylaugh. She has the menu written out on her servingplatter, and she will read it off upon request. She looksquizzically at any one who wants a written menu.

TTTThhhheeee CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooottttssss MMMMeeeennnnuuuu Noodles, tomatoes and sausage: 5 copper commons. Mutton stew, mixed with morel mushrooms,

potatoes, peas and carrots: 1 silver sheridan. Beef stew, mixed with morel mushrooms, potatoes,

peas and carrots: 1 silver sheridan. Spices for any of the stews are 1 copper common

extra.

Holey Wheat Bread (with way too many holes), _loaf: 5 copper commons

Drinks: Dark Brown Ale, Crock Ale (Very Bitter): 3 copper

commons Pale Ale, Belgros Best (Pretty good, but very pricey):

1 silver sheridan

Lodging: Rooms are 1 gold wheatsheaf per person, or three

persons to one room for 2 gold wheatsheaves. A bucket of water is 1copper common extra . Soap is 1 copper common extra. A washcloth is one copper common extra. Sheets for the mattresses are 1 silver sheridan extra. One pillow is 1 silver sheridan. A key to lock the door is one silver sheridan extra,

with a security deposit of 1 platinum paladin. A mirror is 1 silver sheridandont break it or you

buy it! A candle is 1 copper common extra.

All three stews get thinner in consistency as the day goeson, as water is added to them to keep the pots full (hence,the extra charge for spices, which come into moredemand as the day progresses). Food is to be eaten in thedining area only. The management is not responsible forany articles left unattended. No rations can be eaten inthe room. If the PCs complain about the food quality, orthe prices, Belgros calmly reminds them that they can eator sleep outside.If the PCs ask Buxea about the scimitar, she responds:

PPPPrrrreeeettttttttyyyy,,,, iiiissssnnnntttt iiiitttt???? HHHHaaaannnnggggssss lllliiiikkkkeeee iiiitttt wwwwaaaassss mmmmeeeeaaaannnntttt ttttoooo bbbbeeee tttthhhheeeerrrreeee.... IIIIttttggggiiiivvvveeeessss tttthhhheeee ppppllllaaaacccceeee aaaa ttttoooouuuucccchhhh ooooffff tttthhhhaaaatttt wwwwaaaarrrrmmmm,,,, mmmmaaaaggggiiiiccccaaaallll gggglllloooowwww,,,,ddddoooonnnnttttcccchhhhaaaa tttthhhhiiiinnnnkkkk????

The guardsmen in the inn are off duty, and not in themood to speak to anyone unless a round of Belgros best(1 sp per mug) is bought for all six of them. They are gruffand slightly intoxicated. Once a round has beenpurchased, they respond to questions about the scimitarwith,

IIIIttttssss aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssss bbbbeeeeeeeennnn hhhhaaaannnnggggiiiinnnngggg tttthhhheeeerrrreeee,,,, bbbbuuuutttt nnnnoooonnnneeee ooooffff uuuussss wwwwiiiisssshhhh ttttoooottttoooouuuucccchhhh tttthhhheeee sssswwwweeeeaaaattttyyyy ppppaaaallllmmmmssss ooooffff aaaa hhhhaaaallllffff----oooorrrrcccc ttttoooo ttttrrrryyyy aaaannnndddd ggggeeeetttt iiiitttt.... WWWWhhhhoooowwwwoooouuuulllldddd wwwwaaaannnntttt ttttoooo????

The guardsmen continue to talk with any PC who buysthem a round, and an important piece of informationcomes out. The guards recognize the adventurous natureof typical PCs, and they shall ask the PCs if they havegotten a permit to adventure in Crockport. While KingBelvor IV has declared adventuring tax-free, the BaronessJeleneth, ruler of Kalinstren, wants to avoid all-outbanditry of the city, so she requires adventuring parties to

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 5

have a 50 gold wheatsheaf adventuring permit toadventure in the area. Permits can be bought at thefortress.The guards know nothing else of value, although theywill tell the story of the wild owlbear if the PC remain forawhile (see Adventure Background above).

While there are a few people at the bar the PCs maywish to engage in conversation, they do not get muchmore of a chance to do so. The gnome sitting by himselfis named Benekar and soon after they arrive he quicklysteps up and introduces himself in a soft voice.

EEEEnnnnccccoooouuuunnnntttteeeerrrr TTTTwwwwoooo:::: BBBBeeeennnneeeekkkkaaaarrrrGGGGrrrreeeeeeeettttiiiinnnnggggssss nnnneeeewwwwccccoooommmmeeeerrrrssss.... WWWWeeeellllccccoooommmmeeee ttttoooo CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt.... TTTThhhhiiiissss cccciiiittttyyyy,,,,oooorrrr wwwwhhhhaaaatttt iiiissss lllleeeefffftttt ooooffff iiiitttt,,,, ccccaaaannnn bbbbeeee aaaa ddddaaaannnnggggeeeerrrroooouuuussss ppppllllaaaacccceeee.... TTTThhhheeeerrrreeee aaaarrrreeeebbbbaaaannnnddddiiiittttssss aaaabbbboooouuuutttt,,,, aaaannnndddd mmmmoooonnnnsssstttteeeerrrrssss aaaassss wwwweeeellllllll.... MMMMyyyy aaaaddddvvvviiiicccceeee iiiissss tttthhhhaaaatttt yyyyoooouuuukkkkeeeeeeeepppp yyyyoooouuuurrrr sssswwwwoooorrrrddddssss rrrreeeeaaaaddddyyyy aaaannnndddd yyyyoooouuuurrrr ccccooooiiiinnnn ppppuuuurrrrsssseeee cccclllloooosssseeee ttttoooo yyyyoooouuuurrrrhhhheeeeaaaarrrrtttt....

BBBBeeeennnneeeekkkkaaaarrrr,,,, MMMMaaaalllleeee GGGGnnnnoooommmmeeee RRRRoooogggg6666:::: CR 6; Small-SizedHumanoid (3'4" tall); HD 6d6; hp 26; Init +3 (Dex); Spd20; AC16 (+1 size, +2 leather, +3 Dex); Atks +5 melee (1d6[crit 19-20], shortsword); SA Rogue sneak attack 2d6; SQRogue evasion; AL CE; SV Fort +2 Ref +5 Wil+2.

Str 10 Dex 16 Con 10 Int 11 Wis 11 Cha16.Skills: Balance +8, Bluff +14, Climb +5, Disable

Device +10, Escape Artist +9, Forgery +6, Hide +11, IntuitDirection +3, Move Silently +11, Open Locks +10, PickPockets +8, Use Rope +6; Feats: Dodge, Run, Skill Focus(Bluff added).

Possessions; leather armor, shortsword, 5 paladins, 11sheridans, 8 knights, 3 commons, one brass armband (seebelow for description)

Benekar is a low-ranking Shadowclaw agent. He is agnome with auburn hair of medium length, and shiftygreen eyes. He appears to be in his fifties. He has novisible facial hair and he has a small pug nose. His left earis partially ripped off at the bottom lobe. If asked abouthis ear he simply replies, "you know, adventuring andstuff." (His ear was injured when one of his superiorsdecided they wanted a magical earring he wore).

Benekar has been assigned by some of hisShadowclaw superiors to find the remnants of theKazgund orcs on Rockegg Isle. Originally, he was given amap of Rockegg, but he has since lost it. Benekar ismildly insanehe believes that the only way to reachRockegg Isle is to destroy the Furyondy element inCrockport, basically the fortress and the garrison inside.He believes that the best way to do that is to convinceother innocents that the fortress is actually a banditheadquarters, and then get them to attack it. If he can sellsome gullible band of adventurers (the PCs) this BanditFortress theory, he will be able to complete his mission.Benekar is not smart enough to realize the futility of thisplan, and he highly enjoys the potential chaos thatconvincing the PCs to attack the fortress could produce.

Benekar is a talented liar (Bluff +14) making it verydifficult for the PCs to sense his true motives.

Benekar does not immediately try to sell the PCs onthis plan, though. After his initial introduction, Benekarinstead attempts to convince one of the PCs to challengeWyde, the half-orc, to an arm wrestling match. He willpay 5 platinum paladins to anyone who would do so.Benekar wants to win the glowing scimitar above themantle, but he has already tried to beat Wyde and hasfailed. Benekar is more than interested in the scimitar; inthe days since he arrived in Crockport, he has come tocovet it. He does his utmost to get a party member to armwrestle the half-orc on his behalf.

Benekar is willing to haggle with the arm-wrestlingPC for the blade and his is willing to toss in his largebrass armband to sweeten the deal, if the 5 paladins donot convince any PC to challenge Wyde. The armband isa finely crafted item with oak leaves and knot workinscribed upon it, worth 75 gold wheatsheaves (see thecertificates at the end of this adventure).

The half-orc with the jowls is named Wyde. He isthe Crockpots bouncer. He has a large muscular frameand a mop of rodent-brown, stringy hair. His complexionis pale with a slight tinge of sickly green inherited fromhis orcish parent. His nose is alarmingly large and widewith swinish nostrils. He has large imposing jowls, whichjiggle when he talks.

WWWWyyyyddddeeee,,,, MMMMaaaalllleeee HHHHaaaallllffff----oooorrrrcccc FFFFttttrrrr3333:::: CR3; Medium-Size Humanoid(63 tall); HD 3d10+9; hp 31; Init +1 (dex); Spd 30; AC 13(+1 dex, +2 leather); Atks +7 melee (1d3+4, fist); AL CN;SV Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +1.

Str 18 Dex 13 Con 16 Int 8 Wis 11 Cha 6Skills: Climb +2, Jump +2, Swim +2; Feats: Improved

Unarmed Strike; Ambidexterity; Two Weapon FightingPossesions; leather armor, pouch with 7

wheatsheaves

If Wyde is approached about the scimitar he says onlythis:

YYYYoooouuuu iiiinnnntttteeeerrrreeeesssstttteeeedddd iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee sssscccciiiimmmmiiiittttaaaarrrr???? WWWWeeeellllllll,,,, tttthhhheeee oooonnnnllllyyyy wwwwaaaayyyy ttttoooo ggggeeeettttiiiitttt iiiissss ttttoooo aaaarrrrmmmm----wwwwrrrreeeessssttttlllleeee mmmmeeee.... AAAAnnnndddd aaaassss eeeevvvveeeerrrryyyyoooonnnneeee aaaarrrroooouuuunnnndddd hhhheeeerrrreeeekkkknnnnoooowwwwssss,,,, tttthhhhaaaatttt sssscccciiiimmmmiiiittttaaaarrrr hhhhaaaassss ssssttttaaaayyyyeeeedddd uuuuppppoooonnnn tttthhhhaaaatttt mmmmaaaannnnttttlllleeee ssssiiiinnnncccceeee iiiittttwwwwaaaassss ppppllllaaaacccceeeedddd tttthhhheeeerrrreeee....

If the PCs engage Wyde in an arm-wrestling contest, havethe PC make an opposed Strength check versus Wyde.Whoever wins the check gains a +2 on the next (and onlythe next) opposed Strength check, due to their superiorleverage. These opposed Strength checks continue untileither Wyde or the PC wins two consecutive Strengthchecks in a row, thus pinning the loser. Wyde will onlyarm wrestle each PC once per day.

Wyde will not discuss any other issue, including hisown name, and gives blank stares to all other questions.He is prevented from telling more of his tale because heis affected by a geas.

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 6

Wyde is the subject of a geas spell placed upon himby the wizard Cryennik. Wyde must arm-wrestle anyonewho shows an interest in the scimitar (and he cannotpurposely lose). Wyde can only allow someone to takethe scimitar if they win the arm-wrestling match.

The scimitar has a razor-like, diamond edge, and thehilt is platinum with a large blue aquamarine at its base.This gem cannot be removed from the scimitar.

The evil wizard Cryennik, a minion of Iuz, placed itabove the mantle during the occupation. Cryennik knewthe sword was cursed and could think of nothing to dowith it, so he used a telekinesis spell and put it above themantle of his favorite inn as a gift and a tip to Belgros.Belgros believes that the scimitar is highly magical andvaluable, as do all of the other NPCs in the inn.

The scimitar is a cursed berserking sword (+2). AnyPC who wins the blade and lifts it from the mantelpiecewill be unable to draw any other weapon while thescimitar is in his or her possession. If drawn in a hostilesituation, the wielder will be unable to stop attackinguntil all creatures within 60 feet are slain or a removecurse is cast upon him or her. Although the enchantmenton the weapon is easily detectable, the true nature of theblade is not detectable by the PCs.

In addition to its berserking nature, the scimitar hasa special property: it cannot leave the boundaries ofCrockport. If anyone attempts to leave the city with theblade it teleports back to the mantle. It cannot travel toRockegg Isle. If the PCs get a hold of it, leavingCrockport is the best way to get rid of it, short of aremove curse . This scimitar also has the unique propertyof allowing its user to fight until they collapse at 10 hitpoints. If this occurs, the users name is inscribed uponthe blade and their soul is trapped within the bladeforeverno resurrection is possible ....

Those PCs smart enough to look before they try totouch the blade (Wyde does not let them touch it beforethey arm-wrestle him), notices that there are runes uponthe blade near the hilt. The runes are written in thearcane language and require a read magic or similar spellor skill (Decipher Script, DC 22) to decipher. The runesread Sida the Halfling, Manx the Mangler, and RegiusPhlabun. These are the names of three servants of Iuzwho already lost their lives to the blade, and thus whosesouls are trapped inside of it.IIIIffff tttthhhheeee PPPPCCCC wwwwiiiinnnnssss tttthhhheeee mmmmaaaattttcccchhhh:::: Benekar begins to eagerly leapfor the sword. So deep is his desire to hold the sword,Benekar insists on taking it from the wall. If a PC refusesto lift him to the blade, he drags a chair over to themantle and attempts to climb up to it. If the winning PCrefuses to give Benekar the sword, Benekar complainsloudly and bitterly, claiming he was robbed and askingthe off-duty guards to do something! The guards areindifferent; they saw the PC defeat Wyde, not Benekar.

Once Wyde is defeated, he gives a visible sigh ofrelief and will thank the person who beat him, but hewill not be specific as to why. He smiles profusely fromthat point on. He has a profound respect for the person

who defeated him, and will only answer specificquestions about himself if the victor is the one askingthem. The reason he is now able to speak is that the geaswill have reached its limit. The terms of the geas were forWyde to arm-wrestle until four people who try to claimthe blade defeat him. Once four have done so (the PCwould be the fourth) then the geas is completed, and nolonger in effect. Until the geas is lifted, Wyde does notrealize that he is under a spell. He believes that he wastesting the honor of those that might be worthy for theblade and was asked to do so by Cryennik.

EEEEnnnnccccoooouuuunnnntttteeeerrrr TTTThhhhrrrreeeeeeee:::: SSSSppppuuuuggggnnnnooooiiiirrrrThe last patron of the bar of interest to the PCs is themiddle aged man who has been eyeing the party. Ifapproached, Spugnoir tries to give this speech to theparty as a whole. Otherwise, he waits until the PCs are alldone interacting with Benekar, and the rest of theclientele (hes sizing them up), then approaches theirtable.

YYYYoooouuuu bbbbuuuunnnncccchhhh llllooooooookkkk lllliiiikkkkeeee aaaa ffffiiiinnnneeee ggggrrrroooouuuupppp ooooffff aaaaddddvvvveeeennnnttttuuuurrrreeeerrrrssss.... AAAArrrreeee yyyyoooouuuuiiiinnnntttteeeerrrreeeesssstttteeeedddd iiiinnnn oooobbbbttttaaaaiiiinnnniiiinnnngggg aaaa ggggrrrraaaannnndddd ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrreeee???? IIIIffff yyyyoooouuuu aaaarrrreeee,,,, tttthhhheeeennnnlllleeeetttt mmmmeeee aaaassssssssuuuurrrreeee yyyyoooouuuu IIII kkkknnnnoooowwww ooooffff aaaa ggggrrrraaaannnndddd ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrreeee,,,, aaaannnndddd iiiittttssssllllooooccccaaaattttiiiioooonnnn.... HHHHoooowwwweeeevvvveeeerrrr,,,, IIII aaaammmm oooonnnnllllyyyy oooonnnneeee mmmmaaaannnn,,,, aaaannnndddd IIII aaaammmm nnnnooootttt aaaabbbblllleeeettttoooo pppprrrrooooccccuuuurrrreeee iiiitttt aaaalllloooonnnneeee.... WWWWoooouuuulllldddd yyyyoooouuuu llllooootttt bbbbeeee iiiinnnntttteeeerrrreeeesssstttteeeedddd iiiinnnnjjjjooooiiiinnnniiiinnnngggg mmmmeeee ttttoooo ffffiiiinnnndddd iiiitttt???? FFFFoooorrrr eeeeqqqquuuuaaaallll sssshhhhaaaarrrreeeessss,,,, ooooffff ccccoooouuuurrrrsssseeee!!!!

This is Spugnoir (male human Wiz7 ; see Appendix B forfull information). Spugnoir, despite what the PCs mightassume, is not here chasing Belvors proclamation,though he does know of a grand treasure. If the PCsshow interest, then Spunoir tells them the following. Ifthe PCs wish to interrupt or interact with Spugnoir thenlet them do so, but try to get all the information out inthe process.

FFFFiiiirrrrsssstttt ooooffff aaaallllllll,,,, yyyyoooouuuu wwwwoooouuuullllddddnnnntttt bbbbeeee wwwwiiiilllllllliiiinnnngggg ttttoooo bbbbuuuuyyyy mmmmeeee aaaannnn aaaalllleeee,,,,wwwwoooouuuulllldddd yyyyoooouuuu???? IIII hhhhaaaavvvveeee bbbbeeeeeeeennnn ttttrrrraaaavvvveeeelllliiiinnnngggg aaaallllllll ddddaaaayyyy aaaannnndddd IIII aaaammmmeeeexxxxttttrrrreeeemmmmeeeellllyyyy ppppaaaarrrrcccchhhheeeedddd....

LLLLeeeetttt mmmmeeee iiiinnnnttttrrrroooodddduuuucccceeee mmmmyyyysssseeeellllffff ;;;; IIII aaaammmm SSSSppppuuuuggggnnnnooooiiiirrrr,,,, aaaannnndddd IIII aaaammmmhhhheeeerrrreeee iiiinnnn CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt ffffoooorrrr tttthhhheeee ssssaaaammmmeeee rrrreeeeaaaassssoooonnnnssss tttthhhhaaaatttt IIII aaaassssssssuuuummmmeeee yyyyoooouuuuaaaarrrreeeettttoooo ffffiiiinnnndddd ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrreeee.... IIII kkkknnnnoooowwww ooooffff ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrreeee ttttoooo bbbbeeee hhhhaaaadddd,,,, bbbbuuuutttt iiiittttmmmmiiiigggghhhhtttt ttttaaaakkkkeeee aaaa lllliiiittttttttlllleeee bbbbiiiitttt ooooffff ddddooooiiiinnnngggg ttttoooo ggggeeeetttt aaaatttt iiiitttt.... IIII kkkknnnnoooowwww ffffrrrroooommmmtttthhhheeee rrrreeeesssseeeeaaaarrrrcccchhhh IIII hhhhaaaavvvveeee ddddoooonnnneeee tttthhhhaaaatttt tttthhhheeeerrrreeee iiiissss tttthhhhiiiissss lllliiiittttttttlllleeee iiiisssslllleeee,,,,ccccaaaalllllllleeeedddd RRRRoooocccckkkkeeeegggggggg,,,, wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh lllliiiieeeessss jjjjuuuusssstttt nnnnoooorrrrtttthhhh ooooffff CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt,,,,aaaaccccrrrroooossssssss tttthhhheeee ffffiiiisssshhhhiiiinnnngggg hhhhaaaarrrrbbbboooorrrr.... TTTThhhhiiiissss ssssmmmmaaaallllllll iiiisssslllleeee hhhhaaaassss yyyyeeeetttt ttttoooo bbbbeeeeeeeexxxxpppplllloooorrrreeeedddd ssssiiiinnnncccceeee CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt wwwwaaaassss rrrreeeeccccllllaaaaiiiimmmmeeeedddd.... NNNNoooowwww,,,, iiiitttt oooonnnnllllyyyysssseeeeeeeemmmmssss llllooooggggiiiiccccaaaallll tttthhhhaaaatttt iiiiffff OOOOlllldddd WWWWiiiicccckkkkeeeeddddssss mmmmiiiinnnniiiioooonnnnssss bbbbeeeeaaaatttt aaaa hhhhaaaassssttttyyyyrrrreeeettttrrrreeeeaaaatttt dddduuuurrrriiiinnnngggg tttthhhheeee CCCCrrrruuuussssaaaaddddeeee,,,, tttthhhheeeeyyyy pppprrrroooobbbbaaaabbbbllllyyyy ddddiiiidddd nnnnooootttt hhhhaaaavvvveeeettttiiiimmmmeeee ttttoooo ppppiiiicccckkkk uuuupppp aaaallllllll ooooffff tttthhhheeeeiiiirrrr tttthhhhiiiinnnnggggssss.... IIIInnnnddddeeeeeeeedddd,,,, iiiitttt hhhhaaaassss lllloooonnnnggggbbbbeeeeeeeennnn ssssuuuussssppppeeeecccctttteeeedddd tttthhhhaaaatttt aaaa ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrryyyy ooooffff ssssoooommmmeeee kkkkiiiinnnndddd oooonnnncccceeee eeeexxxxiiiisssstttteeeeddddiiiinnnn CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt.... IIIIffff tttthhhheeeeyyyy wwwweeeerrrreeee iiiinnnn ssssuuuucccchhhh aaaa hhhhuuuurrrrrrrryyyy,,,, wwwwoooouuuulllldddd tttthhhheeeeyyyyhhhhaaaavvvveeee hhhhaaaadddd ttttiiiimmmmeeee ttttoooo ttttaaaakkkkeeee iiiitttt aaaallllllll???? AAAAnnnndddd iiiiffff nnnnooootttt,,,, wwwwhhhheeeerrrreeee wwwwoooouuuulllldddd tttthhhheeeeyyyyhhhhaaaavvvveeee ppppuuuutttt iiiitttt???? IIII aaaammmm wwwwiiiilllllllliiiinnnngggg ttttoooo bbbbeeeetttt tttthhhhaaaatttt RRRRoooocccckkkkeeeegggggggg IIIIsssslllleeee wwwwoooouuuullllddddmmmmaaaakkkkeeee aaaa ggggoooooooodddd hhhhiiiiddddiiiinnnngggg ppppllllaaaacccceeee....

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 7

HHHHoooowwwweeeevvvveeeerrrr,,,, IIII aaaammmm ssssoooommmmeeeewwwwhhhhaaaatttt wwwwaaaarrrryyyy,,,, ffffoooorrrr IIII hhhheeeeaaaarrrrdddd ooooffff aaaannnnoooowwwwllllbbbbeeeeaaaarrrr tttthhhhaaaatttt ccccaaaammmmeeee aaaaccccrrrroooossssssss ffffrrrroooommmm tttthhhhaaaatttt iiiisssslllleeee iiiinnnnttttoooo CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrttttaaaannnndddd wwwwaaaassss ssssllllaaaaiiiinnnn hhhheeeerrrreeeeaaaabbbboooouuuuttttssss.... NNNNoooowwww,,,, oooowwwwllllbbbbeeeeaaaarrrrssss tttthhhheeeemmmmsssseeeellllvvvveeeessss tttteeeennnnddddttttoooo ppppiiiicccckkkk uuuupppp ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrreeee,,,, aaaannnndddd ssssiiiinnnncccceeee nnnnoooo oooonnnneeee eeeellllsssseeee hhhhaaaassss ttttrrrriiiieeeedddd ttttoooo ggggeeeettttttttoooo RRRRoooocccckkkkeeeegggggggg ssssiiiinnnncccceeee tttthhhheeeennnn,,,, aaaallllllll wwwweeee hhhhaaaavvvveeee ttttoooo ddddoooo iiiissss ggggeeeetttt ttttoooo tttthhhheeeeiiiissssllllaaaannnndddd aaaannnndddd ffffiiiinnnndddd iiiittttssss nnnneeeesssstttt.... BBBBeeeessssiiiiddddeeeessss,,,, iiiiffff OOOOlllldddd WWWWiiiicccckkkkeeeeddddssss mmmmiiiinnnniiiioooonnnnsssswwwweeeerrrreeee ttttoooo hhhhiiiiddddeeee aaaa ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrryyyy iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee aaaarrrreeeeaaaa,,,, wwwwhhhhaaaatttt bbbbeeeetttttttteeeerrrr ppppllllaaaacccceeee ttttoooohhhhiiiiddddeeee iiiitttt tttthhhhaaaannnn oooonnnneeee wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh hhhhaaaadddd aaaatttt lllleeeeaaaasssstttt oooonnnneeee oooowwwwllllbbbbeeeeaaaarrrr gggguuuuaaaarrrrddddiiiinnnnggggiiiitttt,,,, aaaannnndddd ppppeeeerrrrhhhhaaaappppssss ooootttthhhheeeerrrr tttthhhhiiiinnnnggggssss aaaassss wwwweeeellllllll???? IIIItttt sssseeeeeeeemmmmssss oooonnnnllllyyyy llllooooggggiiiiccccaaaallll,,,,rrrriiiigggghhhhtttt???? AAAAnnnndddd wwwwhhhhoooo bbbbeeeetttttttteeeerrrr ttttoooo ffffiiiinnnndddd iiiitttt tttthhhhaaaannnn aaaa hhhheeeeaaaarrrrttttyyyy ggggrrrroooouuuupppp ssssuuuucccchhhhaaaassss oooouuuurrrrsssseeeellllvvvveeeessss????

Allow the PCs to come to their own conclusions. If theywish to use the Sense Motive skill (DC 20), they feel thatSpugnoir is hiding something, but bears no malicetoward the PCs. There was no treasury in Crockportwhen Iuz was in control, though Spugnoir is notlyingthere are rumors of one. Spugnoir does believethat a hidden treasury on Rockegg is possible. He alsoknows of something that, to him, is a valuabletreasurethe knowledge and spellbooks of his friend,Ephimus the mage (see Spugnoirs story, in Appendix B).Specifically, Spugnoir is hoping that, by rescuing hisfriend Ephemus, he can acquire two arcane scrolls:Bigbys feeling fingers and Bigbys bookworm bane .Spells written by the reknown archmage Bigby are a raretreasure, indeed.

For more on roleplaying Spugnoir, and the story ofhow he arrived here, see his NPC description inAppendix B.

If the PCs have helped Benekar get the scimitar, hehangs around their table, and hears Spugnoirs story. Ifthe PCs did not help him, or claimed the scimitar forthemselves, he is listening anyway, and comes over to thetable once Spugnoir has finished his story. Once Benekarhears Spugnoirs story of a grand treasure he tries to jointhe party, on the notion that he knows of another grandtreasure within the city limits. Benekar tries to sell thePCs on the idea that his treasure is not on some remoteisle, but is in the middle of the city and much easier toget to. He gives few details, but insists that if the PCs wanttreasure, they should come with him.

Benekar is actually trying to goad the PCs into hisplan, to convince them that the garrison troops are reallybandits. This lie is the first step in convincing the PCsthat bandits exist in Crockport (see the above, andEncounter #5, for details). For Benekar, Spugnoirsaddition to the party is no big dealone more fool tolead to the slaughter.

IIIIffff tttthhhheeee ppppaaaa rrrrttttyyyy lllleeeeaaaavvvveeeessss tttthhhheeee iiiinnnnnnnn iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee ssssoooolllleeee ccccoooommmmppppaaaannnnyyyy ooooffffSSSSppppuuuuggggnnnnooooiiiirrrr, Benekar leaves to go and set up his ambush ofthe party.

IIIIffff tttthhhheeee ppppaaaarrrrttttyyyy lllleeeeaaaavvvveeeessss tttthhhheeee IIIInnnnnnnn iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee ssssoooolllleeee ccccoooommmmppppaaaannnnyyyy ooooffffBBBBeeeennnneeeekkkkaaaarrrr, Benekar leads them straight to the bandits(Encounter #5). If this happens, and the PCs come backlater to find Spugnoir, they find him still at the inn,

awaiting the arrival of another adventuring party.Spugnoir gladly re-extends his offer to the PCs.

IIIIffff tttthhhheeee ppppaaaarrrrttttyyyy lllleeeeaaaavvvveeeessss tttthhhheeee IIIInnnnnnnn iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee ccccoooommmmppppaaaannnnyyyy ooooffff bbbbooootttthhhhSSSSppppuuuuggggnnnnooooiiiirrrr aaaannnndddd BBBBeeeennnneeeekkkkaaaarrrr, Spugnoir is adamant that theymust go to the marketplace first (Encounter Four), whileBenekar wants to lead the PCs straight to the bandits hehas set up (Encounter #5). It is up to the PCs to make thedecision on what to do next.

IIIIffff tttthhhheeee PPPPCCCCssss ttttrrrryyyy ttttoooo ddddeeeellllaaaayyyy uuuunnnnttttiiiillll mmmmoooorrrrnnnniiiinnnngggg,,,, both Spugnoir andBenekar are insistent that they do not, but for differentreasons. Benekar is simply impatient, and wants to see allhis plans come to fruition. Spugnoir is concerned for thesafety of his friend, Ephimus; every minute wasted is aminute Ephimus life could be in danger. They bothargue that there are a couple hours of light left, and insistthe party begin today.

When leaving the inn, Spugnoir first looks up at therooftop of the inn, to see where the red-tailed hawk isperched, and in what direction her beak points (seeSpugnoirs history, Appendix B). Since she is pointing inthe direction of the marketplace, Spugnoir wishes to gothere first to provision ourselves. PCs can make a Spotcheck to notice Spugnoir looking at the hawk (DC 20).

EEEEnnnnccccoooouuuunnnntttteeeerrrr FFFFoooouuuurrrr::::TTTThhhheeee MMMMaaaarrrrkkkkeeeettttppppllllaaaacccceeee

TTTThhhhiiiissss ooooppppeeeennnn----aaaaiiiirrrreeeedddd mmmmaaaarrrrkkkkeeeettttppppllllaaaacccceeee iiiissss wwwwiiiinnnnddddiiiinnnngggg ddddoooowwwwnnnn ffffoooorrrr tttthhhheeee ddddaaaayyyyaaaassss tttthhhheeee ssssuuuunnnn ddddiiiissssaaaappppppppeeeeaaaarrrrssss bbbbeeeehhhhiiiinnnndddd tttthhhheeee hhhhoooorrrriiiizzzzoooonnnn.... SSSSttttaaaallllllllssss lllliiiinnnneeee tttthhhheeeessssttttrrrreeeeeeeetttt,,,, sssseeeelllllllliiiinnnngggg aaaa vvvvaaaarrrriiiieeeettttyyyy ooooffff wwwwaaaarrrreeeessss,,,, mmmmoooosssstttt ooooffff tttthhhheeeemmmm aaaatttt hhhhiiiigggghhhh,,,, bbbbuuuuttttnnnneeeeggggoooottttiiiiaaaabbbblllleeee,,,, pppprrrriiiicccceeeessss.... SSSSoooommmmeeee vvvveeeennnnddddoooorrrrssss aaaarrrreeee aaaallllrrrreeeeaaaaddddyyyy ssssttttaaaarrrrttttiiiinnnngggg ttttoooocccclllloooosssseeee uuuupppp tttthhhheeeeiiiirrrr bbbbooooooootttthhhhssss....

If the PCs come here in the morning, make this an activemarketplace. This is a typical marketplace, where anyitem normally listed in the Players Handbook can bebought. Prices for all goods are 150% the normal price,but vendors are willing to haggle down to 20% over theHandbook price with successful Diplomacy skills (DC15).

There is one vendor that the PCs may take notice to,a vendor that Spugnoir, following the hawk, leads themto as soon as they arrive.

TTTThhhheeee bbbbooooooootttthhhh SSSSppppuuuuggggnnnnooooiiiirrrr lllleeeeaaaaddddssss yyyyoooouuuu ttttoooo iiiissss aaaa ssssttttrrrraaaannnnggggeeee ssssiiiigggghhhhtttt;;;; iiiitttt iiiisssseeeennnnttttiiiirrrreeeellllyyyy mmmmaaaaddddeeee oooouuuutttt ooooffff rrrreeeeeeeeddddssss,,,, aaaannnndddd llllooooooookkkkssss lllliiiikkkkeeee aaaa ggggiiiiaaaannnntttt,,,, ssssiiiixxxx ffffoooooooottttrrrroooouuuunnnndddd wwwwiiiicccckkkkeeeerrrr bbbbaaaasssskkkkeeeetttt wwwwiiiitttthhhh aaaa ddddoooooooorrrr iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee ssssiiiiddddeeee.... TTTThhhheeee vvvveeeennnnddddoooorrrriiiissss aaaa hhhhaaaallllfffflllliiiinnnngggg.... HHHHeeee hhhhaaaassss aaaa ttttaaaannnn aaaannnndddd rrrroooossssyyyy ccccoooommmmpppplllleeeexxxxiiiioooonnnn wwwwiiiitttthhhh hhhhaaaaiiiirrrrtttthhhheeee ccccoooolllloooorrrr ooooffff aaaa rrrriiiippppeeee wwwwaaaallllnnnnuuuutttt.... HHHHiiiissss ggggrrrraaaacccceeeeffffuuuullll hhhhaaaannnnddddssss aaaannnnddddmmmmuuuussssccccuuuullllaaaarrrr aaaarrrrmmmmssss bbbbeeeeaaaarrrr tttteeeessssttttaaaammmmeeeennnntttt ttttoooo tttthhhheeee wwwwaaaarrrreeeessss hhhheeee iiiisssssssseeeelllllllliiiinnnnggggppppooootttttttteeeerrrryyyy.... CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkeeeerrrryyyy ooooffff aaaallllllll ssssoooorrrrttttssss aaaannnndddd ssssiiiizzzzeeeessss hhhhaaaannnnggggssss ooooffffffffooooffff tttthhhheeee ssssiiiiddddeeee ooooffff hhhhiiiissss bbbbooooooootttthhhh,,,, aaaannnndddd aaaarrrroooouuuunnnndddd aaaa wwwwooooooooddddeeeennnn sssshhhheeeellllffffcccciiiirrrrcccclllliiiinnnngggg hhhhiiiissss bbbbooooooootttthhhh.... HHHHeeee llllooooooookkkkssss uuuupppp aaaatttt yyyyoooouuuu aaaassss hhhheeee ssssmmmmiiiilllleeeessss aaaannnnddddssssaaaayyyyssss,,,, GGGGrrrreeeeeeeettttiiiinnnnggggssss,,,, ffffeeeelllllllloooowwww ggggeeeennnnttttlllleeee----ppppeeeerrrrssssoooonnnnssss!!!! FFFFeeeeeeeellll ffffrrrreeeeeeee ttttoooo ppppeeeerrrruuuusssseeeemmmmyyyy aaaassssssssoooorrrrttttmmmmeeeennnntttt ooooffff ffffiiiinnnneeeellllyyyy ccccrrrraaaafffftttteeeedddd wwwwaaaarrrreeeessss....

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 8

If PCs ask Spugnoir why are they here Spugnoir justkeeps looking toward the sky (for the hawk) and says:

WWWWeeeellllllll,,,, ddddoooo wwwweeee aaaallllllll hhhhaaaavvvveeee tttthhhheeee pppprrrroooovvvviiiissssiiiioooonnnnssss wwwweeee nnnneeeeeeeedddd ttttoooo ggggeeeetttt ttttoooo tttthhhheeeeIIIIssssllllaaaannnndddd????

The hawk flies away as soon as Spugnoir heads for thisbooth, so the PCs have little chance of spotting it (DC25).

The proprietor is Heldenor Polnoro (male halflingCom3; Cha 13; Craft [Pottery] +10; Skill Focus [Craft]).

He is a master potter, proud of the artistry andelegance of his wares. He was often commissioned toproduce special works by townsfolk and minornoblemen alike before the Greyhawk Wars, and has sincereturned to Crockport to renew his business. He willdiscuss his craft for hours if anyone shows an interest. Hehas been selling some of his unique wares in an attemptto earn funds to rebuild his shop, which has beenradically damaged. He is an elegant halfling with arefined elegant manner of speaking. It is clear that he isexceptionally proud of his artistry. While refined in hismanners, he gives anyone a venomous tongue-lashing ifthey insult the quality of his wares. He gestures a lot withhis arms when agitated.

Heldenor tries to sell the PCs on two particularitems; expensive wares that he tries to sell to anyone wholooks as if they have a few coins. The crockery artHeldenor first tries to sell the party is a small bowl with amap of Furyondy carved out on the inside. He starts hishaggling for the bowl at 80 gold wheatsheafs, and hislowest offer is 50 (this is a certified item). If the party buysthe pot then read on:

AAAAssss yyyyoooouuuu ppppeeeerrrruuuusssseeee tttthhhheeee sssshhhhoooopppp yyyyoooouuuu nnnnoooottttiiiicccceeee aaaallllllll ooooffff HHHHeeeellllddddeeeennnnoooorrrrssss wwwwaaaarrrreeeessssaaaarrrreeee mmmmaaaaddddeeee ffffrrrroooommmm ccccllllaaaayyyy ssssaaaavvvveeee oooonnnneeee,,,, wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh sssseeeeeeeemmmmssss ttttoooo bbbbeeee aaaa bbbboooowwwwllllmmmmaaaaddddeeee ffffrrrroooommmm aaaa ssssttttrrrraaaannnnggggeeee oooobbbblllloooonnnngggg sssshhhhaaaappppeeeedddd rrrroooocccckkkk.... TTTThhhheeee ssssttttrrrraaaannnnggggeeeerrrroooocccckkkk iiiissss aaaa ggggrrrraaaayyyy ssssaaaattttiiiinnnn ccccoooolllloooorrrr,,,, wwwwiiiitttthhhh aaaa mmmmeeeettttaaaalllllllliiiicccc sssshhhheeeeeeeennnn.... TTTThhhheeeeiiiinnnnssssiiiiddddeeee ooooffff tttthhhheeee bbbboooowwwwllll hhhhaaaassss ssssttttrrrraaaannnnggggeeee ccccaaaarrrrvvvviiiinnnnggggssss uuuuppppoooonnnn iiiitttt....

At this time, the DM should take the Players Handout #1and place it in front of them. Play out the role ofHeldenor, trying to sell the party on this fine piece ofcrock, but do not let them simply take it, or get a goodlook at it; Heldenor must know they are interested inbuying it before he will let them hold it.

Heldenor freely tells the party that a sage contractedhim before Furyondy retook Crockport in the crusade tocarve this piece of strange rock into this shape. He tellsthem that he does not know why the sage wanted it donefrom this particular rock or what its purpose is. Heldenoris willing to let anyone sketch the inside of the bowl (forhe likes admirers of his art). Otherwise, if the party justwants to pay for the bowl, Heldenor will sell it for 100gold whetsheaves (No haggling on that price).

Spugnoir is interested once he hears that a sagecommissioned the bowl. Spugnoir can draw the handoutif asked to do so, but would rather buy it, as he feels it

might have some connection to his friend, the sageEphimus. Unfortunately, Spugnoir does not have thefunds to purchase the bowl without the PCs help.

If Benekar is with the PCs, he does not want the PCsto buy the bowl (or sketch it out), since he immediatelyrecognizes the map on the inside of the bowl. He wantsno one heading over to Rockegg before he can completehis mission. In trying to gain the PCs trust he puts 5wheatsheafs into party funds to purchase the bowl. Hewants to hold onto the bowl if it is purchased; if the PCsgive it to him he admires it, then accidentally drop it.Let any PC roll an opposed Dexterity check if thishappens, to see if they are quicker than the gnome.Otherwise, the bowl breaks into several pieces and isuseless. If this happens, do not give the party membersthe handout unless they find a way to repair the bowl.Mending works, and if Spugnoir is with the party he caststhe spell if prompted to do so.

If PCs are adamant about Benekar not getting thebowl, then Benekar tries to get his little hands on itanother way. When the PCs are once again distracted andnot looking, Benekar tries to Pick Pockets the bowl (DC20), at a 6 penalty, since the bowl is obviously heavy andthe PC carrying it would more easily notice it beinglifted. If PCs discover Benekar in the act he claims he isadmiring the bowl and go on about its wonderfulcraftsmanship and then try and drop the bowl as before.

EEEEnnnnccccoooouuuunnnntttteeeerrrr FFFFiiiivvvveeee::::TTTThhhheeee BBBBaaaannnnddddiiiittttssss????

If the PCs willingly follow Benekar from the inn he leadsthem to this encounter. If the PCs are with Spugnoir inthe market place, Benekar tries to slip away after meetingthe pottery maker. This encounter takes place on themain road through Crockport, just past the gates, sounless the PCs take an unusual route around the city,Benekar catches them in his trap.

TTTThhhheeee ssssttttiiiillllllllnnnneeeessssssss aaaannnndddd eeeemmmmppppttttiiiinnnneeeessssssss ooooffff tttthhhheeee ddddeeeesssseeeerrrrtttteeeedddd aaaarrrreeeeaaaassss ooooffffCCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt mmmmaaaakkkkeeee iiiitttt sssseeeeeeeemmmm aaaa gggghhhhoooosssstttt ttttoooowwwwnnnn.... NNNNooootttt aaaallllllll tttthhhheeeebbbbuuuuiiiillllddddiiiinnnnggggssss aaaarrrreeee iiiinnnn ccccoooommmmpppplllleeeetttteeee rrrruuuuiiiinnnn,,,, bbbbuuuutttt aaaallllmmmmoooosssstttt eeeevvvveeeerrrryyyy ooootttthhhheeeerrrroooonnnneeee aaaappppppppeeeeaaaarrrrssss bbbbuuuurrrrnnnntttt oooouuuutttt,,,, oooorrrr bbbbaaaaddddllllyyyy iiiinnnn nnnneeeeeeeedddd ooooffff rrrreeeeppppaaaaiiiirrrr....

AAAAssss yyyyoooouuuu rrrroooouuuunnnndddd aaaa ccccoooorrrrnnnneeeerrrr ssssuuuuddddddddeeeennnnllllyyyy yyyyoooouuuu hhhheeeerrrreeee aaaa ssssmmmmaaaallllllllssssqqqquuuueeeeaaaakkkkiiiinnnngggg ccccrrrryyyyBBBBaaaannnnddddiiiittttssss!!!! TTTThhhheeee ccccrrrryyyy hhhhaaaassss ccccoooommmmeeee ffffrrrroooommmm tttthhhheeeeggggnnnnoooommmmeeee BBBBeeeennnneeeekkkkaaaarrrr.... TTTThhhheeee ggggnnnnoooommmmeeee ssssiiiittttssss uuuuppppoooonnnn aaaa ssssttttaaaacccckkkk ooooffff oooollllddddwwwwooooooooddddeeeennnn ccccrrrraaaatttteeeessss.... HHHHeeee iiiissss wwwwaaaaiiiivvvviiiinnnngggg hhhhiiiissss sssswwwwoooorrrrdddd iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee aaaaiiiirrrr....

Benekar has convinced some local common folk thatthere are bandits looting what remains of their city, andthe common folk, intolerable of bandits, are patrollingthe streets looking for them. The PCs, in his scenario, arethe bandits, though his shout is meant to confuse themas well. He wants the PCs to think that the commonersare bandits, and that the gnome is asking for their help.When he shouts, the commoners come out from theinsides of nearby buildings, where they have been lying

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 9

in wait (a plan suggested to them by Benekar). They try tosurround the party.

AAAAllllllll TTTTiiiieeeerrrrssss ((((EEEELLLL 7777))))CCCCoooommmmmmmmoooonnnneeeerrrrssss ((((11113333)))),,,, hhhhuuuummmmaaaannnn CCCCoooommmm1111:::: CR 1/2 Medium-SizeHumanoids (55 tall); HD 1d6; hp 3 each; Init +4(Improved Initiative); Spd 30 ; AC 10; Atks +0 melee (1d6,club) or +0 ranged (1d3/crit, thrown rock); AL LG; SVFort +2, Ref +0, Will +0.

Str 10, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 8, Wis 7, Chr 9Skills : Craft (various) +4, Swim +2, Rope Use +2;

Feats: Iron Will, Improved Initiative.

As the commoners attack, they start yelling things like"robbing thieves! Filthy bandits!" They all begin bytossing stones at the PCs, before engaging them withwooden clubs.

Benekar does nothing in this fight but watch thechaos ensue, and enjoy the debacle. Remember if anyonehas drawn the scimitar, they fall under its effects andbegin a berserk rage! They will be unable to stop fightinguntil all creatures within 60 are dead (including friendlyPCs and NPCs). The commoners are enraged, and theydo not flee unless they see more than half their numbercut down (8 commoners).

If all of the commoners are killed and Benekar iswith the party, he starts in on his Bandit Fortress theory(See Encounter #2 for more details). He attempts to getthe PCs to mount an assault on the fortress, making upfacts as he goes along to convince them that the fortress isreally a hideout for bandits. See the Fortress below.

After 8 rounds of combat have passed, or just afterany party/commoner negotiation, a party of Furyondytroops (obviously from their standards and emblems)show up, drawn by the shouts of the commoners and anysounds of combat.

DDDDoooorrrrnnnnaaaabbbb,,,, mmmmaaaalllleeee hhhhuuuummmmaaaannnn FFFFttttrrrr6666:::: Medium-Size Humanoid (59tall); HD 6d10+6; hp 44; Init +5 (Improved Initiative,Dex); Spd 30; AC 17 (+5 chainmail, +1 wooden shield, +1Dex); Atks +7/+2 melee (1d8+1 [crit 19-20], longsword);AL LG; SV Fort +9 Ref +3 Will +3.

Str 16, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 12, Chr 13Skills : Ride +11, Handle Animal +11, Swim +10;

Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Mounted Combat,Dodge, Power Attack, Cleave, Great Fortitude, QuickDraw.

Equipment: chainmail, wooden shield, longsword.

GGGGuuuuaaaarrrrddddssss ((((6666)))),,,, mmmmaaaalllleeee hhhhuuuummmmaaaannnn FFFFttttrrrr3333:::: Medium Humanoids 55-6tall); HD 3d10+3; hp 25; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30; AC 17 (+5chainmail, +1 wooden shield; +1 Dex); Atks +4 melee(1d8+1 [crit 19-20], longsword) or +4 ranged (1d8 [crit 19-20], light crossbow); AL LG;

Str 14, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 11, Wis 12, Chr 11Skills : Ride +8, Handle Animal +6, Swim +7; Feats:

Alertness, Point Blank Shot, Dodge, Power Attack, GreatFortitude

Equipment: chainmail, wooden shield, longsword,light crossbow, 10 bolts.

The guards reaction depends upon whether or not thePCs saw through Benekars scheme, if they slaughteredthe commoners, and if Benekar is still free. Benekar willbe pushing the garrison as bandits theory if he is stillfree and with the party. He tries to convince the PCs thatthe troops are disguised imposters. If the PCs attack theguards, one of them immediately runs to the fortress andbrings a larger contingent of troops (twice the previouspatrol). If the PCs killed any citizens, the offending PC isarrested and executed for their crimes, unless they canprove their innocence. Simply blaming the sword orBenekar will not excuse the PCs from the responsibilityof their actions.

Assuming the PCs have discovered Benekar orchased him off, they can talk to the guards and try toexplain what has happened. Unless innocent lives weretaken, the guards are really only interested in whether ornot the PCs have an adventuring permit. If the party iswith Spugnoir then he shows the guards his adventuringpermit and tries to help explain what happened, ifneeded. If they do not have a permit, the guards escortthem to the fortress where they must purchase one for 50gold wheatsheaves.

If the PCs have Benekar (or his body), this is anopportune time to turn him in. The guards take Benekar(or his body) and tell the PCs to come to the fortress thenext day. If they do so, they will receive a reward forBenekar. The PCs receive 100 gold wheatsheaf if Benekaris dead, 200 gold wheatsheaf if he is alive.

TTTThhhheeee FFFFoooorrrrttttrrrreeeessssssssIf any party falls for Benekars story long enough toattempt an assault on the fortress and the garrison inside,allow them to try, but DMs should understand from thebeginning that the PCs will most likely be slaughteredonce the fighting begins. They are arrested, tried, andexecuted by priests of Trithereon who live in the fortress.

The garrison consists of some 65 troops, all with thestats for the guardsmen listed above, as well as half-dozencommanders with stats identical to Donab, above. Thefortress also houses seven clerics of Trithereon whomaintain a temple to their god here; the clerics are 3rd , 4th ,5th , 5th , 5th , 6th , and 8th -level. Any attack on the fortressquickly raises an alarm that draws all of the troops, and allthe clerics.

Benekar will try and convince the party to act ontheir own in attacking the fortress, since he wants to usethe chaos to try and get to Rockegg Isle unnoticed.Benekar cannot be persuaded to participate in any raid onthe fortress under any circumstances.

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 10

EEEEnnnnccccoooouuuunnnntttteeeerrrr SSSSiiiixxxx::::FFFFiiiisssshhhhiiiinnnngggg HHHHaaaarrrrbbbboooorrrr

Assuming the PCs negotiate the encounter with thecommoners carefully and have their adventuring permit,they make it to the northern part of Crockport, and thefishing harbor there. Adjust the description if the partycomes here by daylight.

YYYYoooouuuu rrrreeeeaaaacccchhhh tttthhhheeee ffffiiiisssshhhhiiiinnnngggg hhhhaaaarrrrbbbboooorrrr aaaatttt nnnniiiigggghhhhttttffffaaaallllllll.... AAAAllllllll ooooffff tttthhhheeee ddddoooocccckkkksssstttthhhhaaaatttt uuuusssseeeedddd ttttoooo mmmmaaaakkkkeeee uuuupppp tttthhhheeee ffffiiiisssshhhhiiiinnnngggg hhhhaaaarrrrbbbboooorrrr ooooffff CCCCrrrroooocccckkkkppppoooorrrrtttt lllliiiieeeebbbbrrrrooookkkkeeeennnn,,,, iiiinnnn bbbbaaaa dddd nnnneeeeeeeedddd ooooffff rrrreeeeppppaaaaiiiirrrr.... TTTThhhheeee hhhhaaaarrrrbbbboooorrrr iiiittttsssseeeellllffff iiiissss qqqquuuuiiiieeeettttaaaannnndddd ppppeeeeaaaacccceeeeffffuuuullll,,,, wwwwiiiitttthhhh oooonnnnllllyyyy aaaa ggggeeeennnnttttlllleeee bbbbrrrreeeeeeeezzzzeeee tttteeeeaaaassssiiiinnnngggg tttthhhheeee wwwwaaaatttteeeerrrr....YYYYoooouuuu ccccaaaannnn hhhheeeeaaaarrrr tttthhhheeee ssssoooouuuunnnnddddssss ooooffff tttthhhheeee llllaaaakkkkeeee ggggeeeennnnttttllllyyyy wwwwaaaasssshhhhiiiinnnnggggaaaasssshhhhoooorrrreeee.... WWWWiiiitttthhhh tttthhhheeee ffffaaaalllllllliiiinnnngggg ttttwwwwiiiilllliiiigggghhhhtttt yyyyoooouuuu ccccaaaannnn mmmmaaaakkkkeeee oooouuuutttt wwwwhhhhaaaattttmmmmuuuusssstttt bbbbeeee RRRRoooocccckkkkeeeegggggggg IIIIsssslllleeee oooonnnn tttthhhheeee ooooppppppppoooossssiiiitttteeee ssssiiiiddddeeee ooooffff tttthhhheeee hhhhaaaarrrrbbbboooorrrrbbbbaaaayyyy....

The party may try several things to cross to Rockegg Isle.They may craft a raft out of wood, swim (though theyquickly find out that the harbor is not deep enough forswimming), or find another way. There is a brokendinghy roped to one of the busted docks with a large holein the bottom, but if the party is capable of repairing it(Craft [woodworking], DC25), it can hold up to fourmedium humanoids or six small humanoids.The easiest way to reach Rockegg is to simply wadeacross. The ent ire harbor is currently waist deep to anaverage human (about 3 feet deep). The PCs can easilywade across. If any of the PCs heard the owlbear storyfrom the guards earlier, they may remember it here andattempt to wade across. Small PCs have to Swim (DC13)or get on the shoulders of bigger PCs.

Halfway to Rockegg Isle, the berserking swordvanishes if a PC is still carrying it, teleporting back to theCrockpots mantle with a blue flash. There is no way toprevent this from happening, as the sword cannot leavethe city of Crockport.

Once the PCs get close to shore, read the following:

AAAAssss yyyyoooouuuu aaaapppppppprrrrooooaaaacccchhhh tttthhhheeee iiiissssllllaaaannnndddd,,,, yyyyoooouuuu mmmmaaaakkkkeeee oooouuuutttt tttthhhheeee ffffiiiigggguuuurrrreeee ooooffff aaaaffffuuuurrrrrrrryyyy bbbbeeeeaaaasssstttt oooonnnn tttthhhheeee sssshhhhoooorrrreeeelllliiiinnnneeee.... IIIItttt aaaappppppppeeeeaaaarrrrssss ttttoooo bbbbeeee aaaa bbbbeeeeaaaarrrr wwwwiiiitttthhhh aaaallllaaaarrrrggggeeee oooowwwwllllssss bbbbeeeeaaaakkkk,,,, aaaannnndddd ppppooooiiiinnnnttttyyyy,,,, ffffuuuurrrrrrrryyyy pppprrrroooottttrrrruuuussssiiiioooonnnnssss ssssttttiiiicccckkkkiiiinnnnggggoooouuuutttt ooooffff iiiittttssss hhhheeeeaaaadddd.... IIIInnnn ttttrrrruuuueeee bbbbeeeeaaaarrrr lllliiiikkkkeeee ffffaaaasssshhhhiiiioooonnnn iiiitttt iiiissss wwwwaaaaddddiiiinnnngggg iiiinnnntttthhhheeee wwwwaaaatttteeeerrrr,,,, uuuussssiiiinnnngggg iiiittttssss ccccllllaaaawwwwssss ttttoooo ffffiiiisssshhhh nnnneeeeaaaarrrr tttthhhheeee sssshhhhoooorrrreeeelllliiiinnnneeee....

This owlbear is the mate of the owlbear that waded acrossthe harbor last autumn. Unless the PCs are making a lotof noise splashing in the water the owlbear does notimmediately notice them. If the PCs maintain theirdistance, they can avoid the creature, though it standsdirectly in front of the section of beach that holdsEphimus hut (Encounter #5). DMs should note that thiscreature possess a keen scent ability that allows it to trackby smell, thus making it very difficult for the PCs tosneak by.

TTTTiiiieeeerrrr OOOOnnnneeee ((((EEEELLLL 3333))))YYYYoooouuuunnnngggg OOOOwwwwllllbbbbeeeeaaaarrrr:::: Medium-Size Beast (6 tall); CR 3, HD3d10+9; hp 25; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30; AC 15 (+1 Dex, +4natural); Atks +4/+4 melee (1d6+4, claw) or +1 melee(1d8+2, bite); SA Improved Grab; SQ Scent; AL CE; SVFort +6, Ref +3, Will +1.

Str 19, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 10.Skills: Listen +5, Spot +4.SA: Improved Grab (Ex)the owlbear must hit with

a claw attack; it can then grapple as per the PlayersHandbook.

TTTTiiiieeeerrrr TTTTwwwwoooo ((((EEEELLLL 5555))))OOOOwwwwllllbbbbeeeeaaaarrrr:::: Large Beast (7 tall); CR 5; HD 5d10+20; hp 47;Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30; AC 15 (-1 size, +1 Dex , +5 natural);Atks +7/+7 melee (1d6+5, claw) or +2 melee (1d8+2, bite);SA Improved Grab; SQ Scent; AL CE; SV Fort +8, Ref +5,Will +2.

Str 21, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 10.Skills: Listen +8, Spot +7.SA: Improved Grab (Ex)the owlbear must hit with

a claw attack; it can then grapple as per the PlayersHandbook.

TTTTiiiieeeerrrr TTTThhhhrrrreeeeeeee ((((EEEELLLL 7777))))OOOOwwwwllllbbbbeeeeaaaarrrr:::: Large Beast (7 tall); CR 7; HD 7d10+28; hp 60;Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30; AC 15 (-1 size, +1 Dex , +5 natural);Atks +8/+8 melee (1d6+5, claw) or +3 melee (1d8+2, bite);SA Improved Grab; SQ Scent; AL CE; SV Fort +8, Ref +5,Will +2.

Str 21, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 10.Skills: Listen +8, Spot +7.SA: Improved Grab (Ex)the owlbear must hit with

a claw attack; it can then grapple as per the PlayersHandbook.

If the Owlbear is killed, it lets off a dying shriek with thekilling blow. This alerts the rest of the island, whether itis day or night. The owlbears screech has two important,immediate effects:First, the screech automatically alerts (or awakens) thehobgoblins (Encounter Eight). The hobgoblins will movethe cave mouth, wait until the PCs are in bow range, andopen fire.

Secondly, the owlbears screech alerts Tronig, theleader of the Kazgund orcs. During the day, he ispatrolling the island, while his mount alerts him duringthe nighttime. The chieftain comes to the beach in eithercase, using Hide and Move Silently, and starts followingthe PCs. Once he picks up their trail he trails the partyuntil he decides it is to his advantage to ambush the party(Encounter Ten).

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 11

EEEEnnnnccccoooouuuunnnntttteeeerrrr SSSSeeeevvvveeeennnn:::: OOOOnnnn tttthhhheeee BBBBeeeeaaaacccchhhh

YYYYoooouuuu ssssttttaaaannnndddd oooonnnn tttthhhheeee bbbbeeeeaaaacccchhhh ooooffff RRRRoooocccckkkkeeeegggggggg IIIIsssslllleeee.... TTTThhhheeee ssssaaaannnnddddssss ooooffffRRRRoooocccckkkkeeeegggggggg IIIIsssslllleeee hhhhaaaavvvveeee aaaa ssssttttrrrraaaannnnggggeeee tttteeeexxxxttttuuuurrrreeee aaaannnndddd ffffeeeeeeeellll,,,, ffffoooorrrr tttthhhheeeeyyyy aaaarrrreeeetttthhhheeee ppppoooowwwwddddeeeerrrryyyy wwwwhhhhiiiitttteeee rrrreeeemmmmnnnnaaaannnnttttssss ooooffff aaaabbbbrrrraaaaddddeeeedddd lllliiiimmmmeeeessssttttoooonnnneeee.... TTTThhhheeeewwwwhhhhiiiitttteeee,,,, ppppoooowwwwddddeeeerrrryyyy bbbbeeeeaaaacccchhhh ssssttttrrrreeeettttcccchhhheeeessss ttttoooo eeeeiiiitttthhhheeeerrrr ssssiiiiddddeeee ooooffff yyyyoooouuuu,,,,pppprrrreeeessssuuuummmmaaaabbbbllllyyyy eeeennnncccciiiirrrrcccclllliiiinnnngggg tttthhhheeee iiiissssllllaaaannnndddd.... TTTThhhheeee bbbbeeeeaaaacccchhhh iiiissss lllliiiitttttttteeeerrrreeeeddddwwwwiiiitttthhhh bbbbrrrrooookkkkeeeennnn ppppiiiieeeecccceeeessss ooooffff aaaa ssssttttrrrraaaannnnggggeeee rrrroooocccckkkk,,,, dddduuuullllllll ggggrrrraaaayyyy aaaannnndddd wwwwiiiitttthhhh aaaammmmeeeettttaaaalllllllliiiicccc sssshhhheeeeeeeennnn....

The islands beaches are about 20 feet in width from thelake shoreline to the scrub and trees that cover the rest ofthe island. The metallic rocks are the eggshells of Horga,or stone-eaters, which once lived on Rockegg Isle. If anyPC pulls out the bowl map that Heldenor Polnoro carved,they quickly recognize that the two materials are thesame. Most of the Horga egg shells on the beach slowlybreak up and crumble if picked up, due to age andweathering; only a few pieces are still as solid as theeggshell used to carve the bowl. PCs with WildernessLore can roll against DC 20 to recognize these stones asthe eggs of the silicon-based Horga (see Appendix A forinformation on the Horga).

The top of the island is a mass of grasses, bushes, andhardy trees. Patches of juniper bushes are littered allacross the island, along with more scattered Horga eggs.There is enough cover that a creature gains a +2 to Hidechecks within it.

In the caves on the southern side of the beach live anumber of hobgoblins, remnants of Iuzs forces currentlyserving under Tronig, the Kazgund chieftain. They livein the entryway, where they serve as lookouts and guardsfor the Kazgund.

If the owlbear awakened the hobgoblins, they areready for the PCs. Once the party is in range of shortbows the hobgoblins begin firing their bows. Theycontinue to fire until the PCs engage them in melee orrun out of arrows. The Hobgoblins have a total of 20silver sheridans and 12 gold wheatsheafs between them.See Encounter Eight for hobgoblin statistics.

EEEEnnnnccccoooouuuunnnntttteeeerrrr EEEEiiiigggghhhhtttt::::EEEEpppphhhheeeemmmmuuuussss'''' HHHHuuuutttt

Regardless of whether the PCs kill the owlbear, or if theyengage the hobgoblins, Spugnoir insists that they searchthe island hoping to find Ephemus. When they reach thehut, use the following description:

TTTThhhheeee hhhhuuuutttt bbbbeeeeffffoooorrrreeee yyyyoooouuuu iiiissss aaaa wwwweeeellllllll----ddddeeeessssiiiiggggnnnneeeedddd ssssttttrrrruuuuccccttttuuuurrrreeee mmmmaaaaddddeeeeffffrrrroooommmm ssssaaaannnnddddssssttttoooonnnneeee,,,, ppppoooolllliiiisssshhhheeeedddd wwwweeeellllllll ffffrrrroooommmm wwwwaaaavvvveeee aaaaccccttttiiiioooonnnn....EEEEnnnncccciiiirrrrcccclllliiiinnnngggg tttthhhheeee mmmmiiiiddddsssseeeeccccttttiiiioooonnnn ooooffff tttthhhheeee hhhhuuuutttt iiiissss aaaa rrrriiiinnnngggg ooooffffssssttttrrrraaaatttteeeeggggiiiiccccaaaallllllllyyyy ppppllllaaaacccceeeedddd ffffoooossssssssiiiillll ssss,,,, ffffiiiinnnniiiisssshhhheeeedddd aaaannnndddd ppppoooolllliiiisssshhhheeeedddd.... AAAA hhhhaaaallllffff----bbbbrrrrooookkkkeeeennnn bbbbeeeeeeee hhhhoooouuuusssseeee iiiissss ppppllllaaaacccceeeedddd iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee cccceeeennnntttteeeerrrr ooooffff aaaa vvvveeeerrrryyyyttttrrrraaaammmmpppplllleeeedddd aaaarrrreeeeaaaa,,,, wwwwhhhhiiiicccchhhh aaaatttt oooonnnneeee ttttiiiimmmmeeee mmmmuuuusssstttt hhhhaaaavvvveeee sssseeeerrrrvvvveeeedddd aaaassss aaaa

ggggaaaarrrrddddeeeennnn.... TTTThhhheeee hhhhoooonnnneeeeyyyyccccoooommmmbbbbssss aaaarrrreeee ddddrrrryyyy aaaannnndddd tttthhhheeee bbbbeeeeeeeessss lllloooonnnnggggaaaabbbbsssseeeennnntttt.... TTTThhhheeee ddddoooooooorrrr ttttoooo tttthhhheeee hhhhuuuutttt iiiissss bbbbrrrrooookkkkeeeennnn aaaawwwwaaaayyyy ffffrrrroooommmm tttthhhheeeeffffrrrraaaammmmeeee aaaannnndddd hhhhaaaannnnggggssss oooonnnnllllyyyy bbbbyyyy tttthhhheeee ttttoooopppp hhhhiiiinnnnggggeeee,,,, aaaannnndddd ooooffffffff ttttoooo tttthhhheeeessssiiiiddddeeee....

Before the PCs have time to search, however, Spugnoiracts:

SSSSppppuuuuggggnnnnooooiiiirrrr rrrruuuusssshhhheeeessss tttthhhhrrrroooouuuugggghhhh tttthhhheeee ooooppppeeeennnn ddddoooooooorrrr ttttoooo tttthhhheeee hhhhuuuutttt.... HHHHeeeebbbbeeeeggggiiiinnnnssss ccccaaaalllllllliiiinnnngggg oooouuuutttt ffffrrrraaaannnnttttiiiiccccaaaallllllllyyyy,,,, """"EEEEpppphhhheeeemmmmuuuussss???? AAAArrrreeee yyyyoooouuuu hhhheeeerrrreeee????EEEEpppphhhheeeemmmmuuuussss ???? WWWWhhhheeeerrrreeee aaaarrrreeee yyyyoooouuuu???? EEEEpppphhhheeeemmmmuuuussss ????!!!!

The inside of the hut is a shambles. The hut is about 30 ft.in diameter, and was once lined with shelves containingbooks, scroll, and curiosities. Books have been torn off ofwooden shelves and destroyed, pottery has beensmashed, and furniture has been ruined. Not a singlesalvageable thing can be found here of any value.

Spugnoir is distraught at this point, and if the PCsquestion him he tells them his story. He reveals thedetails about why he is in Crockport, and admits that hisideas about treasure were more a hunch than a fact(though he insists that Ephemus and his knowledge areworthwhile treasure, or would have been if not for theobvious destruction). He explains the mysterious red-tailed hawk that led him to Crockport, and all about hissearch for Ephemus. See Spugnoirs entry in Appendix Bfor his story, and relate it fully to the PCs. Once Spugnoirhas told them everything, he finishes:

IIII rrrreeeeaaaallllllllyyyy ddddiiiidddd nnnnooootttt mmmmeeeeaaaannnn ttttoooo mmmmiiiisssslllleeeeaaaadddd aaaannnnyyyy ooooffff yyyyoooouuuu.... IIII ddddiiiidddd nnnnooootttttttthhhhiiiinnnnkkkk tttthhhhaaaatttt aaaannnnyyyyoooonnnneeee mmmmiiiigggghhhhtttt bbbbeeee wwwwiiiilllllllliiiinnnngggg ttttoooo hhhheeeellllpppp mmmmeeee ttttrrrryyyy ttttoooo ssssaaaavvvveeeemmmmyyyy ffffrrrriiiieeeennnndddd.... IIII tttthhhhoooouuuugggghhhhtttt yyyyoooouuuu wwwweeeerrrreeee aaaallllllll hhhheeeerrrreeee sssseeeeeeeekkkkiiiinnnngggg ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrreeee!!!! YYYYoooouuuu kkkknnnnoooowwww,,,, hhhheeee iiiissss aaaa ggggrrrraaaannnndddd ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrreeee,,,, aaaa ttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrreeee ooooffff kkkknnnnoooowwwwlllleeeeddddggggeeee....HHHHeeee ssssaaaayyyyssss tttthhhhaaaatttt hhhheeee eeeevvvveeeennnn kkkknnnnoooowwwwssss wwwwhhhheeeerrrreeee RRRRoooocccckkkkeeeegggggggg iiiisssslllleeee ggggooootttt iiiittttssssnnnnaaaammmmeeee.... HHHHeeee wwwwaaaassss ggggooooiiiinnnngggg ttttoooo ggggiiiivvvveeee mmmmeeee ssssoooommmmeeee ooooffff hhhhiiiissssttttrrrreeeeaaaassssuuuurrrreeeettttwwwwoooo vvvveeeerrrryyyy rrrraaaarrrreeee ssssppppeeeellllllllssss.... IIIIffff hhhheeee ssssttttiiiillllllll hhhhaaaassss tttthhhheeeemmmm,,,, IIIIiiiinnnntttteeeennnndddd ttttoooo sssshhhhaaaarrrreeee tttthhhheeeemmmm wwwwiiiitttthhhh yyyyoooouuuu;;;; tttthhhheeeeyyyyrrrreeee vvvveeeerrrryyyy ssssppppeeeecccciiiiaaaallll aaaannnndddduuuunnnniiiiqqqquuuueeee.... IIII bbbbeeeelllliiiieeeevvvveeee tttthhhheeeeyyyy wwwweeeerrrreeee ppppeeeennnnnnnneeeedddd bbbbyyyy oooonnnneeee ooooffff tttthhhheeee CCCCiiiirrrrcccclllleeeeooooffff EEEEiiiigggghhhhtttt.... OOOOhhhh,,,, bbbbuuuutttt tttthhhheeeeyyyyrrrreeee pppprrrroooobbbbaaaabbbbllllyyyy rrrruuuuiiiinnnneeeedddd!!!! RRRRuuuuiiiinnnneeeedddd!!!! AAAAnnnnddddwwwwhhhhaaaatttt hhhhaaaappppppppeeeennnneeeedddd ttttoooo ppppoooooooorrrr EEEEpppphhhheeeemmmmuuuussss

It has been a long time since the Khazgund tookEphemus away, and there are no tracks leading directlyfrom the hut to the caves, though a PC with Track (DC20) can find some definite humanoid footprints scatteredabout.

Ephemus was taken away bodily by the Kazgundsoon after the retaking of Crockport. He is not dead,however, but instead is being held captive. The PCs maynot know this, but there are still several things that maydraw them to the caves: the promise of treasure and thepossibility that the very special spells are still out there.If the PCs do not think of the caves, Spugnoir suggeststhey search these areas for signs of Ephemus and thetreasure.

Not All its Crocked Up to Be Page 12

EEEEnnnnccccoooouuuunnnntttteeeerrrr NNNNiiiinnnneeee:::: TTTThhhheeee CCCCaaaavvvveeeessssThe cave the PCs are most likely to approach is the oneon the south side of the island, where Tronigshobgoblins lie in wait. Should the PCs enter the cavesfrom the west, they enter a short tunnel that leads intoArea C.

If the PCs actually do not kill the owlbear, or if theysilence its shriek, during the daytime all the hobgoblinsare asleep, save one. That one wakes the others if he spotsthe PCs on the beach (DMs should use their judgmentand the situation for Spot checks, based on location, timeof day, etc). The hobgoblins attack immediately, as theyhave been ordered to eliminate any and all intrudersfrom the mainland.

TTTTiiiieeeerrrr OOOOnnnneeee ((((EEEELLLL 3333))))HHHHoooobbbbggggoooobbbblllliiiinnnnssss (4): CR 1; Medium-Size Humanoid (65 tall);HD 1d8+1; hp 5 each; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30; AC 15 (+3studded leather, +1 Dex , +1 small shield); Atks +0 melee(1d8, morningstar) or +1 ranged (1d6 [crit x3], short bow);AL LE; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0.

Str 11 Dex 13 Con 13 Int 10 Wis 10 Cha 10.Skills: Hide +1, Listen +4, Spot +4; Feats: AlertnessPossessions: Each has a morningstar, a short bow, and

12 arrows, and each wears studded leather armor.

TTTTiiiieeeerrrr TTTTwwwwoooo ((((EEEELLLL 4444))))HHHHoooobbbbggggoooobbbblllliiiinnnnssss (6): CR 1; Medium-Size Humanoid (65 tall);HD 1d8+1; hp 5 each; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30; AC 15 (+3studded leather, +1 Dex , +1 small shield); Atks +0 melee(1d8, morningstar) or +1 ranged (1d6 [crit x3], short bow);AL LE; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0.

Str 11 Dex 13 Con 13 Int 10 Wis 10 Cha 10.Skills: Hide +1, Listen +4, Spot +4; Feats: AlertnessPossessions: Each has a morningstar, a short bow, and

12 arrows, and each wears studded leather armor.

TTTTiiiieeeerrrr TTTThhhhrrrreeeeeeee ((((EEEELLLL 5555))))HHHHoooobbbbggggoooobbbblllliiiinnnnssss (8): CR 1; Medium-Size Humanoid (65 tall);HD 1d8+1; hp 5 each; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30; AC 15 (+3studded leather, +1 Dex , +1 small shield); Atks +0 melee(1d8, morningstar) or +1 ranged (1d6 [crit x3], short bow);AL LE; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0.

Str 11 Dex 13 Con 13 Int 10 Wis 10 Cha 10.Skills: Hide +1, Listen +4, Spot +4; Feats: AlertnessPossessions: Each has a morningstar, a short bow, and

12 arrows, and each wears studded leather armor.

Immediately inside the cave the hobgoblins have dirtystraw pallets set up along with a small fire pit. Dirtyscrawling, basically hobgoblin graffiti, mar the cave wallshere. The graffiti ends about 20 ft. into the caves, wherethey begin to descend into the earth.

Anyone examining the walls of these caves seesnothing but natural cave formations, albeit unusually

large ones. The caves were actually formed long ago bythe same Horga who laid the eggs scattered along thesurface of Rockegg Isle. There are no eggshells withinthe caves. PCs with Wilderness Lore may recognize thesecaverns as Horga creations with a successful skill roll atDC 25.

AAAA BBBBaaaarrrrrrrraaaacccckkkkssss RRRRoooooooommmmTwo Kazgund orcs sleep here during the day (thoughthere is mattress padding for five). They are sleeping intheir armor, but their great axes are against the wall, nextto the door. Unless the PCs make an undue amount ofnoise entering the room, they do not awaken.

TTTTiiiieeeerrrr OOOOnnnneeee ((((EEEELLLL 2222))))KKKKaaaazzzzgggguuuunnnndddd OOOOrrrrccccssss,,,, mmmmaaaalllleeee FFFFttttrrrr1111 (2): CR1; Medium-SizeHumanoid (6 tall); HD 1d10+1; hp 11; Init +5; Spd 30; AC15 (+1 Dex, +4 scale mail); Atks +4 melee (1d12+3 [crit x3],greataxe); SQ Darkvision, light sensitivity; AL CE: SVFort +2, Ref +1, Will 2.

Str 16, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 8Skills: Climb +4, Listen +4, Spot +3; Feats: Alertness,

Improved InitiativePosessions: Scale mail, greataxe.

TTTTiiiieeeerrrr TTTTwwwwoooo ((((EEEELLLL 4444))))KKKKaaaazzzzgggguuuunnnndddd OOOOrrrrcccc,,,, mmmmaaaalllleeee FFFFttttrrrr3333 (2): CR 3; Medium-SizeHumanoid (6 tall); HD 3d10+3; hp 25; Init +5; Spd 30; AC15 (+1 Dex, +4 scale mail); Atks +7 melee (1d12+3 [crit x3],greataxe); SQ Darkvision, light sensitivity; AL CE: SVFort +4, Ref +2, Will 1.

Str 16, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 8Skills: Climb +4, Handle Animal +2, Listen +4, Spot

+3 ; Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, MountedCombat, Weapon Focus: