1101 Houndmistress Mound
HexDolmenwood Campaign Book · p.308
Open source p.308Tangled, twisted trees press in close, their shades of green and brown almost painfully vivid.
Tangled, twisted trees press in close, their shades of green and brown almost painfully vivid.
- Terrain: Tangled forest (3), Nagwood
- Lost/encounters: 2-in. Encounters are 2-in likely to be with labourers and 1 guard (Level 1 fighter— DMB) from the expedition based in hex 1201, surveying the exterior of the Houndmistress Mound.
Fentifey Bridge
A wonky, decaying bridge spans Quaking Creek at a narrow point beside a swirling pool.
Crossing: People and mounts can cross the bridge safely. Vehicles have a 3-in chance of collapsing it.
Houndmistress Mound
A burial mound sits in a large clearing at the south-eastern edge of hex, in the shadow of gloomy, windswept hills of the Table Downs.
Appearance: The mound is 60′ in diameter, composed of dirt and stone, and covered in a black ivy that has a peculiar, oily sheen. It has a single stone entrance, partially obscured by the ivy, above which is carved the snarling visage of a bear—PCs versed in Wood God lore recognise it as that of Orsath (p39), the ancient guardian of the dead. The entrance is extremely narrow and requires characters to turn side-on to enter the Reception Chamber.
Dogs become restless: As the party approaches the mound, any dogs or wolves accompanying the PCs begin to act strangely: sniffing, whining, and ignoring commands.
History: The mound is one of several created by prehistoric inhabitants of the Table Downs (see also hexes 1201 and 1202). This one, a tomb of one of their chieftains, has been corrupted by the energies of the Nagwood.
Reception Chamber
The mound entrance leads to a reception chamber with walls of stone. The chamber takes up half of the mound.
Dog carvings: The walls are covered with carved images of dogs leaping up at a nighttime sky. Some dogs appear to be tearing away chunks of the sky in their jaws, while others bury the chunks, which seem to bleed starlight.
Burial chamber door: A tall, smooth stone blocks the entrance to the Burial Chamber.
Opening the door: Requires a combined Strength of 30 or more. As soon as the stone is dislodged, any dogs or wolves accompanying the party suddenly become berserk and attack the PCs for Rounds.
Skeletal Dogs
Small Undead—Mindless—Neutral
Level 1 AC 12 HP (4) Saves R13 H14 B15 S16 Att Bite (, ) Speed 60 Morale 12 XP 10
Undead: Silent before attacking. Immune to biological effects (e.g. disease, poison) and mind-affecting spells (e.g. Vapours of Dream, Paralysation, Dominate).
Burial Chamber
The burial chamber takes up the other half of the mound.
Burial slab: At the chamber’s centre is a stone slab; carved on either side of it are images of two hounds, facing one another and baying.
Corpses: On the slab lies a partially mummified corpse clad in the rich robes of a noblewoman. In its right hand, the corpse clutches a whip, set with thorns. Curled near the foot of the slab are the skeletons of several large dogs.
Entering the chamber: The corpse rises as a wight (DMB) wielding the thorny whip ( damage, 10′ range) and the dog skeletons rise as 4 skeletal dogs. They attack the tomb’s defilers and pursue any who flee up to the edge of the hex.
Treasures: Placed about the chamber are 12 bronze shortswords (negligible worth), 12 silver dishes (50gp each), and 12 gold bowls (100gp each), all engraved with images of hounds and crowns. In a sealed earthen jar is a copper Ring of Control (Animals, p410), engraved with wolf-like eyes.