The Slimy Burrow

Hex 40.10. This hot, dank burrow of CRAWLBADS is packed with the strange, monstrous beasts that pinch and crush their prey to slurp out the insides like soup. Avoided by the folks in the Nackadonkee Hamlets, the Slimy Burrow has grown unchecked over the years. The number of CRAWLBADS in the area has tripled, and now the critters are spreading across the land.

rumors

• A rascal named Big Darla went to search for a missing Nackadonkee Hamlet teen in the Slimy Burrow, but no one has heard from her since.
• The Slimy Burrow is home to CRAWLBADS and the worst of them is a giant albino one called Old Ivory.

AREA 1: THE ENTRANCE

A chimney-like stack of mud stands 6 feet high out of the ground, leading down into the lair.

• A twenty foot, muddy climb down into the burrow.
• At the bottom, 3 CRAWLBADS (L5-G) fight over a GELK carcass, tearing at its hide with their massive claws. One of them turns to attack the PCs, while the others devour the animal.

AREA 2: THE DRIPPING TUNNELS

Gross slime that the CRAWLBADS seem to excrete, coats the walls of the burrow. The tunnels twist and turn and branch off in a dizzying array of directions.

• The first tunnel matrix is a RANDOM MAZE. The slime makes exploring the tunnels difficult. All Movement Checks suffer Disadvantage.
• After exiting the RANDOM MAZE, there are 4 more tunnels. In each tunnel a CRAWLBAD (L5-G) sentry patrols the darkness.
• Tunnel 1: Leads to an area that's been partially blocked off by globs of mud.
• Clearing away the mud leads to a cave full of BLINKING CAVE-INCHERS. They are crawling over the carcasses of two CRAWLBADS, slowly devouring them.
• Gold Coins (1 pouch worth) glisten in the decaying remains of one of the CRAWLBADS.
• Tunnel 2: Leads to a dead end cave full of bones; mostly critters like GELK, ROODO BIRDS, and even a HIPPOGRUFF or two. Noticeably, the remains of folk also lie scattered among the bones.
• There is an Old Hoard (+1) here.
• One skeleton, still partially clothed in a green tunic, is that of Branson Miceburger, a young man from the Nackadonkee Hamlets (see quest The Deadly Dare p205).
• Tunnel 3: Leads to the Burrow (Area 3).
• Tunnel 4: Leads to the River Tunnel (Area 4).

AREA 3: THE BURROW

A long, wide cavernous tunnel full of countless CRAWLBADS, most of them sleeping.

Only 1d12 CRAWLBADS are awake, while the others are piled on top of each other or buried in the mud.

• Shedded shells and pinchers cover the muddy floor.
• These CRAWLBAD shells can be woven into suits of Crawlbad Armor (Heavy, -1 Defense, 2 Block).
• At the far end, several CRAWLBADS sort dozens of Mundane items including weapons, armor, clothes, and other trinkets into nests.

AREA 4: THE RIVER TUNNEL

Murky six foot deep water fills the tunnel, with just a few inches to breath near the ceiling.

• A CRAWLBAD (L6-B) covered in river barnacles lies on the floor, taking up much of the entrance to the tunnel. If stepped on, it wakes up and attacks.
• The tunnel exits into the Nackadonkee river where clutches of innumerable CRAWLBAD eggs wait to hatch.

AREA 5: OLD IVORY'S DEN

Mud-covered bones and shattered CRAWLBAD shells form a mound in the center of the cave where a massive albino CRAWLBAD sleeps. Beneath its massive white claw is a boggart woman half-buried in mud who seems resigned to her fate.

• Old Ivory (L9-C, Huge) is the largest CRAWLBAD in River Country, having been forced to fight and feed to her enormous size due to getting picked on for her pale, white shell. Now, no other CRAWLBAD dares tangle with her mighty claws.
• A Rascal called Big Darla has been trapped in the den for weeks, living off fish scraps. She was hired by the Miceburger family to find their son Branson (see Area 2). Darla believes she is being kept as a “pet” by Old Ivory; or maybe being saved for later.