Nightmare Over Ragged Hollow

The Veil's Goal

At the start of the adventure, the Dolorous Ichor has one goal: escape from the Temple and spread its murdering nightmares. This is only possible if the Golden Veil drops, when all 36 occupants of the Temple, along with the paladin Lady Constance and her squire are dead. However, it takes seven days for the Ichor to assimilate the Crown of Dreams’ powers and use the nightmares to kill people. During this time, the prisoners are stuck in time loops, fighting dream creatures that are essentially harmless (see Time in the Temple, page 55).

The Angel's Plan

Halcyon witnesses the situation from his divine realm, but as an angel of Law, direct intervention is forbidden to him. So he uses the blessed bell in the Temple to slowly weaken the Golden Veil enough for inspired heroes (or greedy ne’er-do-wells) to come in and solve the problem.

Seven Days of Fright

During the first week of the Temple’s nightmare siege, the bell tolls 36 times each midnight (the number of villagers and priests trapped inside). As it tolls, anyone observing the Temple notices the dome of the Golden Veil shrinking by a few inches. At the end of the week, the Veil has constricted enough for the characters to reach the roof of the belltower and, dismantling its roof tiles, get inside. (See Into the Temple, page 54.)

It begins

On the eighth day, the nightmare creatures are real enough to kill, and the countdown starts. On this night, and every night thereafter, roll 1d4 to find out how many people die in the temple. Then roll d66 on the table opposite to see who dies Use 1d6 or 1d8 to make the adventure harder and more stressful! (selecting the next entry if they are already dead). Describe the rooms in the temple accordingly, and do not forget to record the deaths occurring during the characters’ explorations of the Temple. At this stage, the angel Halcyon has lost control of the bell: it keeps tolling once for each survivor every midnight. The chilling sound can be heard for miles. At this grim signal, the howling ghosts of the deceased haunt the streets of Ragged Hollow until dawn (see Night Events in Ragged Hollow, page 19). As time passes and people die, nightmares and fear make their way into Ragged Hollow. Things get worse when the bell starts ringing its dreadful countdown (and thus of survivors):

Tolling Bell

• 36 (first week): The villagers are worried and perplexed. The problem is beyond their comprehension, and they're counting on the priests to find a solution. (Night Events happen on 1-3 – see p.19.)
• 35-25: The village's nights are increasingly troubled by apparitions of phantoms of their loved ones and other horrors. A rumor spreads: "The bell that tolls every night is a countdown! Something terrible will happen when it comes to an end!" (Night Events happen on 1-5.)
• 24-14: Panic sweeps through Ragged Hollow. No one goes out at night. Some talk of leaving, while most refuse to leave the prisoners to their fate. (Night Events happen automatically.)
• 13-1: Fear is everywhere. No one can sleep, waiting for the death knell and its cortège of ghosts.
• 0: Doomsday! The veil collapses. Fortified by the light of her angel, Lady Constance succumbs only when the last villager dies. As the blades of the Stained Glass Angels strike her down (in area 28 of the Temple, page 68), the veil collapses and the living nightmares swarm out... (see Ending the Adventure, page 76.)

Villagers trapped inside the temple

Roll d66 Dead?

The Priests

11 Sister Ruth, old gardener (#6) 12 Brother Adam, teacher (#19) 13 Sister Debra, teacher (#21) 14 Brother Paul, teacher (#22) 15 Sister Andrea, cook (#32) 16 Brother Barnaby, librarian knowledgeable about many topics (#28) 21 Sister Prudence, bookkeeper (#28) 22 Brother Gerard, handyman (#28) - Brother Filius, chaplain (#34)

Visitors

23 Squire Felicity (#26) - Lady Constance (#28) 24 Doran, artist (#33) 25 Alba, artist (#33)

Villagers (adult):

26 Alexander, small and weasel-like (#28) 31 Doris (Tailor Laban’s missing wife) (#28) - Benjamin (Bell Tower) 32 Cecilia, loudmouthed but brave (#28) 33 Florette, can talk to dead people for 5 minutes once per day (#32) 34 Flutine, in shock: constantly muttering prayers (#28) 35 Isabel, flirty with women (#18) - Tibert (#35) 36 Jesse, experienced brawler (THAC0 17 [+2], 1d8) (#9) - Margaux (#35) Tick a box on this track each time a death occurs in the temple. This is the number of knocks the temple will sound at midnight. 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 People already dead at the start of the adventure: 41 Nina, bonesetter (can heal half damage of your last wound) (#32) 42 Sebastian, chatterbox, noisy (#28)

Villagers (teen & children)

43 Hannah, teen, stubborn (#21) 44 Amelia, teen. Faithful devotee: can cast Remove Curse once a week. (#22) 45 Charlotte, teen. Owns a dagger +1 (#22) 46 Mathys, teen. Dangerously reckless when Charlotte is around (#22) 51 Will (Omar’s son) (#19) 52 Tam (Omar’s son) (#19) 53 Sigg is capable of supernatural tantrums (1d6 psychic damage per round to anyone who touches him during his seizures) (#18) 54 Regg (#19) 55 Luca (#3) 56 Rose, good at riddles (#28) 61 Diana good with her sling (THAC0: 16 [+3], 1d6) (#19) 62 Mason, whining all the time (loudly) (#8) 63 Mina, redhead, pointy ears, and golden eye (changeling: can cast invisiblity once a day). (#19)

In the Cellar

64 Noah, a thief (#42) 65 Heather, a heretic (#43) 66 Gavin, troubled teen (#47) - Martin, the janitor, infested (#44) - Brother Seth, infested (Cellar) - Tobias, infested (#48) 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Doomsday!

STARTING

THE ADVENTURE

The sun is about to set when you finally see the first houses of Ragged Hollow. You walk through tidy lanes between the quaint cottages and blossoming gardens... which seem surprisingly deserted. But as you approach the west end of the town, you hear a muffled rumor, then shouts and exclamations: all the inhabitants are gathered in front of the elegant white Temple of Halcyon. To everyone’s amazement, the high building is now awash in waves of golden light, forming an impenetrable dome.

Veil. A murky golden dome encloses

the temple and gardens. No sounds escape. It pushes back like a magnetic field. Nothing can break it.

Crowd.

• Villagers batter on the veil using axes and poles, to no avail. They are desperate to rescue their children and friends trapped inside. - Adventurers can meet their relatives or old acquaintances here and may learn the following:
• 1: Just before noon, a terrible thundercrack and flash of golden light erupted from the Temple of Halcyon. Everyone in town rushed toward the temple as a strange golden glow came from that direction.
• 2: No one can get in or out of the temple. Scholars and schoolchildren are trapped inside. Please help them!
• 3: The Temple is full of rare books, valuable religious art, and magic items. Their loss would be a tragedy.
• 4: As the priests are all sealed inside the temple, no one is in charge of the town. Everyone is afraid or angry. No one knows what to do.
• 5: A witness! Young acolyte Justin (who was out fetching milk) reported that two women in arms arrived at the temple last night and that everyone seemed under pressure. It is unusual and unexpected. Last time we saw Justin he was going to the Lost Ox Inn (#6 page 16).
• 6: A reward! Alchemist Omar (#4, page 16) says his sons Will and Tam were at school in the temple when the Golden Veil appeared. Omar pays 300 GP for their safe return. After a while The consensus is that there is nothing that can be done at this time. Hopefully the clerics trapped inside will find a solution! Most of the villagers remain distraught, scattering and returning to their tasks. At midnight The temple bells toll 36 times, the number of survivors inside its walls (see page 8). Rumors! Each player should roll 1d20 for rumors (opposite). Use your roleplayed conversations with the villagers to give them out, or just ask everyone to roll at the same time for a rumor they gathered in the morning.

RAGGED

HOLLOW

A quiet town overlooking the river Rime, its low slate roofs nestled under the white-walled Temple of Halcyon. It is home to pious, hard-working folk who like to wear light green and grey-blue homespun tunics and intricately carved beechwood clogs. LOCATIONS Depending on their origin, the adventurers may be familiar with these locations. If not, they are easily found by asking around or reading signs.

1. The Temple (outside)

Curving white towers nestle on a lovely green lawn. Soaring stained glass windows, greenhouse roofs, and bronze doors gleam behind a wavering veil of golden light. Several people stand near the doors, arguing, praying, lamenting.

• Windows: Images of angels teaching, ancient scrolls, arcane books. Vague shadowy figures move about inside.
• Veil: A murky golden dome encloses the temple and gardens. No sounds escape. It pushes back like a magnetic field. Nothing can break it.
• Bell tower: In the northern corner. 50 feet tall, the top of the weathervane is just barely poking above the magic veil. This is the only way into the temple, but not before the Veil has shrunk enough for the roof to emerge out of it (see page 8.)
• Ragdolls: (see page 20) The gang is often found here looking for a way inside or making trouble. Referee Note The Veil is a magical security shield created by the paladin Constance inside. The Veil can only be removed by a prayer from a 6th level or greater paladin who serves the angel Halcyon or Gideon. It collapses if Lady Constance dies. There are no tall ladders or climbing gear in town. The nearest house is 80 feet away from the bell tower. Three items can help: Orla’s Chain (p36), Windler Boots (p25), Arvid’s Claw (p43)

2. Split Anvil Smithy

• Outside: Billowing dry heat, ringing hammer.
• Smith: Joanna, 30, redhead, muscular, grumpy.
• Sells basic metal tools: shovels, crowbars, hammers, etc. Says Tobias came to get his axe sharpened on his way to open the Old Dwarf Tomb on Mount Mourn (page 41).

RAGGED

HOLLOW

A quiet town overlooking the river Rime, its low slate roofs nestled under the white-walled Temple of Halcyon. It is home to pious, hard-working folk who like to wear light green and grey-blue homespun tunics and intricately carved beechwood clogs. LOCATIONS Depending on their origin, the adventurers may be familiar with these locations. If not, they are easily found by asking around or reading signs.

THE RAGDOLLS There are three local youths in Ragged Hollow who call themselves the Rag-

• dolls: They want respect and wealth, both of which are hard to find here.

Severine. 23, athletic, spiky black

hair, fish-hook piercings. Skilled archer. Intelligent, angry. Hates the temple and authority figures. Wants these boring villagers to admit that she is smarter than them. Which she is.

Lyla. 21, muscular, curly red hair, crude

tattoos of snakes. Skilled wrestler. Always bored. Hates regular jobs. Enjoys violence and pain.

Betty. 18, petite, long blonde hair, black

veil, filthy black dress. Skilled butcher. Sensitive, poetic, obsessed with death. Wants to build an ornate gothic temple to Death, or steal someone else’s temple and give it a makeover.

• Referee Options: The Ragdolls wander around town, bullying people, demanding high pay for interesting work. Eager for extermination jobs. Vandals. The Ragdolls hate the temple, and try to deface and/or rob it. Foolish. The Ragdolls might try to ally with the hag in the Gloam Wood (page 26). Dangerous. The Ragdolls might try to join or takeover the bandit cigar operation in the Wailing Hills. Offer. They may hire the PCs to help them for a cut of the treasure. The Ragdolls might challenge the characters to a (non-lethal) fight to prove who deserves the most respect. The Ragdolls have a soft spot for the old wizard Radomir (page 16). They protect him. The Ragdolls may briefly ally with the heroes, but only to their own benefit. If a player character dies, then they may wish to use one of the Ragdolls as their replacement character. This could further implicate the youths into the party’s affairs. SEVERINE/LYLA/BETTY: AC 7 [12], HD 1 (4/6/3 hp), Att 1 × shortbow (1d6 or by weapon)/ 1 x brawling (1d6 or by weapon) / 1 x stick (1d6 or by weapon), THAC0 19 [+0], MV 120’ (40’), SV D14 W15 P16 B17 S18, ML 7, AL Neutral, XP 10
• Trained nuisance: each of them get +2 to hit when using their favorite weapon (shortbow/brawling/stick). LOOT! Not much. BOGDAN’S CREW Bogdan is a bandit leader from a far away city in the Kingdom, accompanied by his lieutenants Castor (fighter) and Jethra (wizard). Why they’re here. Bogdan has come to buy 1,000 GP of cigars (1,000 units) from Fergus’ gang (see page 48). They wait at the inn (page 16) for a message from Fergus that their cargo is ready.

Castor

• What they do: They only leave their with a shaved head and a rooms for meals. In the evenings they back of a face similar to his own. stay by the fire in the common room his neck, a scar that could have been left and play cards for a while, sometimes by the hangman’s noose. Wears three looking at a map of the Wailing Hills. silver bracelets in the shape of a snake.
• What they say: Not much. “We’re Drinks unreasonably. Likes to bet on travellers. Mind your own business, my anything and everything. Likes kittens. friend”, is all the innkeeper has been able Stammers. Obeys Bogdan like a dog. to get out of them so far. Actually a nice guy if given the chance.
• The veil: “What happens to the rubes in this podunk is none of our business.” Discreetly follow the adventurers if they head to the Wailing Hills or if they seem to be onto something juicy.

Bogdan. Small, stocky man in black

chainmail with a distinguished manner. Thick black brush mustache, wears a blond wig so as not to be recognized (there is a 500 GP bounty on his head in the Kingdom). Wears a hollow gold Jethra like head, constantly alert. Red stringy signet ring with two rubies inside the hair, an ill-fitting glass eye, always looking letter B on it, and containing a dose of poison (to be mixed with a drink; save vs in the wrong direction. Speaks in a dry, high-pitched voice, always in short senpoison or sleep for 1d4 hours). Always tences. A worn green travel dress with carries a small strongbox containing 4 small gold bars. Sometimes takes a walk many secret pockets containing 27 various gems. Doesn’t like anyone. in the village in the late afternoon. Bogdan is very aggressive and confident, but also intelligent. He tries to overpower an enemy, but always makes a deal rather than die or lose.

AC 5 [14], HD 4 (18 hp), Att 1 × greatsword (1d10 ), THAC0 16 [+3], MV 90’ (30’), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14, ML 9, AL Chaotic, XP 75

• Greatsword of speed: +1 (not considered as slow weapon), potion of Giant Strength.

• LOOT! Signet ring (150GP); 4 gold bars

(4 x 250GP); black velvet purse shouting “Thief, thief!” in case of a pickpocket containing 127GP and 2 black ovoid gems (2 x 50 GP). . A hulking man in black chainmail tattoo on his Around

AC 4 [15], HD 3 (14 hp), Att 1 × Mace (1d6) THAC0 17 [+2], MV 120’ (40’), SV D13 W14 P13 B16 S15, ML 8, AL Chaotic, XP 35

• Shield bash: on a successful attack roll of 18-20, in addition to damage, target falls and loses their next action. • Eyes in the back: no modifiers when attacking him in the back.
• LOOT! 3 silver bracelets (35 GP each), 33 GP. . A scrawny woman with a bird-

AC 8 [9], HD 3 (6 hp), Att 1 × dagger (1d4 ) or 1 x blowpipe (1d2 + poison), THAC0 19 [+0], MV 120’ (40’), SV D13 W14 P13 B16 S15, ML 9, AL Chaotic, XP 35

• Arcane magic: cast spells like a 3rd level magic user • Spellbook: (1) Floating disc, read magic, magic missile, (2) knock, levitate.
• Ring of protection +1, • Vampiric dagger +1 (recover 1hp per hit). • Poisoned dart (20): save vs poison or stay groggy for 1d6 turns (-4 to all d20 roll)

• LOOT! 27 multicolored gems (150GP

total); ring of protection +1; potion of healing; magic glass eye (detect magic once a day), magic scroll able to restore a person to their original form. (22 GP, see Hook #6).

WINDLER

HOUSE

The mossy gray house sits alone, surrounded by overgrown gardens and untended paths. From inside you hear glass tinkling and metallic ticking. A tasselled rope hangs by the front door.

• Rope: Door bell. Rings a complex series of bells and chimes for 1 solid minute, all dented and out of tune now. Summons the ghost butler Andrew (see Enter anywhere).
• Windows: Look in at dusty furniture, spiderwebs.
• Exterior doors: Front (locked), back (unlocked).
• Enter anywhere: The ghost butler Andrew appears, a polite floating skeleton in a tidy gray suit. Bad memory, can’t answer any questions, but follows the party around, desperate to help and please. The Windler family treated him poorly, never thanked or paid for his service. - Freeing: Offer him thanks, praise, or a single gold coin to let him find eternal rest. - Danger: When criticized or insulted too much, Andrew screams (d3 damage from psychic energy) and vanishes for 1 hour.

Ashen beards of moss hang from crooked branches. Crows cry out in the distance. Thick spongy lichen carpets the uneven forest floor, forming a narrow twisting path forking to the east and the west.

• East path: After one hour of walking, the trail ends at a small stone cottage.
• West path: After six hours of walking, the trail ends at a dark barrow mound. Leaving the path? People get lost in Gloam Wood all the time. If the party decides to go off-trail into the woods, roll BARROW 3Hr THE SUNNY ISLAND 1Hr CROSS ROADS 3Hr 1Hr To Ragged

›

Hollow 1d6. After 1d4+4 hours, the PCs reach (1) the Cottage, or (2) the barrow, or (3) the Goblin Market, or (4) sunny island, or (5) the dam. On (6), they remain lost for a further 1d4+4 hours (and you roll again for the location). THE DAM 1Hr 1Hr 1Hr GOBLIN MARKET 3Hr COTTAGE Map by Rob Matthews Every 3 hours of travel, roll 1d20 on the table below. Note that you should roll for reaction even when the attitude of a monster is indicated, if only to determine how violent the encounter may get. An oily puddle lies across the path. The 1 creatures by masquerading as a puddle. It attacks anyone stepping in it. 1d6 stirges roost in the trees above. They swoop down to feed on any one 2 adventurer who is in darkness. They flee from bright light and naked flame. 1d6 goblins push a laden cart toward the Goblin Market. They try to either steal the party’s items or sell some worthless old shoes as 3 “enchanted slippers” that allow a person in danger to run twice as fast. The Ragdolls (see page 20) emerge from the trees. They are looking for the witch, hoping to recruit her for their gang. They try to bully the party into 4 helping them or into giving them a bribe to go away. An intact snake skeleton coiled in a patch of colorless slime. Recently 5 digested meal of an iridescent ooze, which is now farther up the path. A spatter of fresh blood (goblin) in the path. 1d6 stirges recently fed here. They roost in the trees nearby (1 hour searching: 1-in-6 per person to find 6 the nest. Contains 8 eggs. 20 GP each to an arcanist or alchemist. There is 3-in-6 chance 1d3 stirges attack when close to the nest). Cartwheel ruts in the path lead to a recently doused campfire. 7 Small footprints (goblin). Shreds of cloth, curls of whittled wood. One severed goblin nose (from a violent disagreement). A tree freshly hacked apart in brutal strokes. Crude anatomical designs 8 carved into broken limbs. A spot riddled with arrow punctures, and one stuck arrow. The Ragdolls spent the day here, practicing their violent skills. A harmless glowing will-o'-the-wisp attempts to lead the party back to the 9-10 banks of the Rime River in sight of the town. 11-13 An awakened shrub shuffles past and re-plants itself nearby. 14-16 A tortoise lies on its back, wobbling and flailing slowly. 17-18 An owl hoots mournfully and follows the party for 1d6 hours. 19-20 A dead branch crashes to the ground right behind the characters. OOZE, IRIDESCENT: AC 9 [10], HD 2* (9 hp), Att MV 10’ (3’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 12, AL

• Rainbow tendril: rusts metal armor, -1AC for each hit • the ooze, check DEX or the weapon slips away 20 feet. • STIRGE: AC 7 [12], HD 1* (4 hp), Att 1 × beak (1d3 + blood sucking), MV 30’ (10’) / 180’ (60’) flying, SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16,
• Dive attack: +2 to hit on first attack. • Blood sucking: drain victim’s blood: 1d3 automatic damage per round. • GOBLIN: AC 6 [13], HD 1-1 (3 hp), Att 1 × weapon (1d6 or by weapon), MV 60’ (20’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 7, AL
• LOOT! 1 GP (3-in-6: fake, made of lead and pyrite dust.) iridescent ooze ambushes small 1 × rainbow tendril (1d8), THAC0 18 [+1], Neutral, XP 25 Lubricate object: when a weapon hits Immunity: Acid and fire. THAC0 19 [0], ML 9, AL Neutral, XP 13 Upon a successful attack, attaches and Detach: If stirge or victim dies. THAC0 19 [0], Chaotic, XP 5 A tidy log house leans against a massive oak tree surrounded by a fence of thorns. The smell of freshly baked cookies wafts on the breeze. A woman’s voice mutters quietly inside. Thorns. A small goblin “Rask” is caught in the fence, trying to quietly escape. “She’s a crazy old witch! And her cookies are poison!” If freed, he runs away north (to the market). He has a wooden ring (worthless). Woman. A frail, bent, unsteady granny named Beatrix. Mostly blind, very forgetful. Kind, but scatter-brained. She wears a large Ruby Ring. Healing. For 1 GP, Beatrix can cure blindness, deafness, poison, and disease. Broom. An animated broom “Swiffy” with little wooden arms bustles around the room, cleaning and helping. She says...

› Temple? She only knows that the cler-

ics use the Golden Veil to keep evil from getting in…or out.

› Tobias? He came to Beatrix for advice

about opening the Old Dwarf Tomb on Mount Mourn. She told him not to, because Dwarves tend to dig up things they shouldn’t. Tobias said he wasn’t afraid.

› Danger? A gray hag in a barrow far to

the west is known to hunt down and eat those who become lost. Beatrix protects the village from her by hanging bags of ground bone and lavender, a plant sacred to the angel Gideon, from trees along the river, preventing the hag from crossing over.

› Goblins? “They’re always trying to steal

my cookies! Naughty things! I’d give my precious Swiffy to anyone who could make them leave me alone.”

› Opportunity? At night, in the glen due

north is the goblin market. “Be careful! They have clever magics, but they like to play games.” BEATRIX: AC 9 [10], HD 1 (4 hp), Att 1 × weapon THAC0 19 [0], MV 60’ (20’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 10, AL Lawful, XP 5

• Protected: anyone attacking Beatrix is immediately cursed (d6): 1. Tongue turns into a toad, 2. Eyes become white and can only see in pitch black darkness, 3. Skin abundantly sweats vinegar, 4. Normal food is toxic, must subsist on dry dung, 5. Each hair becomes a buzzing fly’s wing, 6. Must sleep one turn every hour to function.
• LOOT! Ruby ring; a silver chain with an agate cameo representing two little twin girls, one is smiling, one is crying (45 GP). RUBY RING SWIFFY THE BROOM Allows the wearer This magical servant can clean to cast Remove and do simple chores, including Curse once per cooking. Does not speak but day. It smells of knows Common. Always has a moth balls and peppy professional attitude. ointment. Hates dirt! Fears fire! Three hours’ walk north from Beatrix, day or night: The trees part to reveal a perfect circle of soft green grass ringed in tall gray stones, with a silvery brook babbling along one side. And only at night: Six crooked carts sit in the ring, where twenty-odd wares. Leaning against a tall stone, strumming a lute, is a Stones. Over 10 feet tall, centuries old, covered in weathered pictographs in Goblin, all graffiti telling fart jokes about humans. Goblins. Vicious little folk in tattered vests and corsets, garishly rattling with rings, bracelets, and glasses. No weapons, all business. Rat Goblin? The market goblins are desperate for wealth and respect, to be included in human society. They cast out anyone who makes them look bad. Recently exiled a small group who were cursed by the hag Orla Graylocks (page 34) to become rat-goblins (nesting in Windler House, page 22). GOBLIN: AC 6 [13], HD 1-1 (3 hp), Att 1 × weapon (1d6 or by weapon), THAC0 19 [0], MV 60’ (20’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 7, AL Chaotic, XP 5

• LOOT! A fake nose made of battered

copper (blocks all odors as well as harmful gases for 1 minute), 7 glass diamonds, a living earthworm called Hardy. Goblin names: Brik, Crok, Derk, Lenk, Nisk, Pyrk, Senk, Posk, Cusk, Yusk, Rilk, Gark.

• Wares: The vendors are all similarly shrewd, eager to sell and willing to haggle (see opposite). They do anything to make a sale, and tell ridiculous and contradictory lies.
• Satyr, Master Neven: With a twinkle in his eye and a mere wisp of silver hair on his bald pate, the cloaked little goatgoblins are selling their satyr. man smiles and strums his lute dreamily. He offers secrets, for a price:
• For a weapon, he tells the adventurers that Tobias went into the Old Dwarf Tomb (page 42) and was infected with a dark evil.
• For a love song, he says marvellous fruits grow on the Sunny Island.
• For a delicious meal, he tells the PCs that the clerics raised the Golden Veil to trap hideous monsters born from actual nightmares inside.
• For casting a funny spell on each other, he tells the heroes that the only way to save the temple is to “Remove the golden circle of dreams”.
• For physically attacking each other, he tells the characters that there is a dangerous hag nearby with several useful magical items, and provides directions to the barrow.
• For a freshly baked cookie, he tells the party that he no longer likes cookies and won’t send the goblins to steal from Beatrix anymore. MASTER NEVEN, SATYR: AC 5 [14], HD 5* (22 hp), Att 1 × horns (2d4), THAC0 15 [+4], MV 180’ (60’), SV D6 W7 P8 B8 S10, ML 9, AL Neutral, XP 300
• Surprise: Only on a 1. • Hide: 90% undetectable when hiding in woods. • Magic lute: All within 60' must save vs spells or fall asleep for 4d4 turns.
• LOOT! Silvered lute (only magical for faerie folk, worth 300 GP), moonstone bracelet (gives infravision, at the cost of hearing for non-fae), 14 gold acorns (10 GP each).

FOR SALE!

Dolls. 19 GP each. Strangely life-like, woven from grass, occasionally giggle at the adventurers. Socks. 42 GP per pair. Fuzzy, striped, woolen. Grants resistance to cold. If the wearer ever sings, then the socks make them dance. Apples. 7 GP each. Take a bite and roll 1d6: 1) Heal 3 HP 2) Fall asleep 3) Belch green fire 4) Hair turns green 5) 9 GP fills the PC’s pocket 6) Learn Goblin language Apples stay fresh for a year. Magic vanishes from the apple after the first bite. A clever character who bakes an apple into a pie or strudel has the equivalent of a random potion (8 slices, lasts 1d4 days). Gambling! Referee rolls 1d10 to get the target number. The player rolls 3d6 and must add or subtract their 3 numbers in any order to try to equal the target number. If they can’t do it, lose 20 GP If they use 1 die, win nothing If they use 2 dice, win 20 GP If they use 3 dice, win 40 GP

Special Prices

At your discretion, a goblin can request one of the following instead of gold for an item they are selling:

• 1) A child’s first tooth: 2) The whiskers of a white rat. morning’s first dew. 5) A crow’s shadow. 6) Bowls. 151 GP each. Garishly painted wooden bowls. Once per day, place any tiny lifeless thing in the bowl and it turns into delicious food. Roll 1d6: 1) Porridge with hazelnuts and raisins 2) Moonfish pie with finger-carrots 3) Shroom steak with horseradish sauce 4) Squirrel sausage, roasted crabapple 5) Hognose pâté and bark bread 6) Stout beer stew (made with real Stout halfling meat!) Potions. 27 GP each. Smell of burnt cabbage and rotting berries. Drink one and roll 1d6 for an effect: 1) Gain 10 temporary HP 2) Haste, 10 minutes 3) Slow, 10 minutes 4) Gain darkvision, 1 hour 5) Shrink one size, 1 hour 6) Grow one size, 1 hour
• 3) A fish’s tears of joy: 4) The The moon’s reflection. Bathed by the sun's rays breaking through the clouds, a small, eggshaped island lies in the middle of the tumultuous the grass and reeds cluttering the shoreline, one can see a carefully tended orchard with brightly colored fruit. On the bank, traces of passage indicate a ford to the island.
• Sun: Whatever the season or the weather, the island is always sunny and never knows worse than a refreshing drizzle. No one knows why.
• Stream: About 30 feet wide, tumultuous. Check STR (with -4 for nonleather armor) to swim across, or get swept a hundred yards downstream (1d4 damage).
• Ford: The reeds have been cleared away and various footprints (goblins, among others) are visible in the mud. A human crossing here has water up to the waist. Speed is halved, and on 2-in-6, Yemoja the giant blackfish attacks the first person crossing.
• Yemoja: Ten-foot, strong fish with gleaming black scales who speaks Common in a deep, slow voice. Yemoja is always hungry but doesn’t like fighting; she bargains for passage if a good quantity of fresh meat is offered (goblin meat is acceptable). If the characters are sympathetic to her or seem strong enough, she can ask for a favor: if they destroy the dam which blocks the river upstream, she will give them some "shiny things that won’t rust" left underwater by some of her past meals.

YEMOJA THE GIANT BLACKFISH: AC 6 [13], HD 5* (22 hp), Att 1 × bite (1d8), THAC0 14 [+5], MV 150’ (50’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 7, AL Neutral, XP 300

• Catch: on 18-20 on a successful hit, target must check STR or be pulled into the high water and drown in 6 rounds (one check per round allowed). stream. Through Shiny things. Scales shield (save at +3 vs breath), master thieves tools (+10% to Open Locks), iron vial (potion of diminution), circlet of alien metal (a wizard can memorize one random 1st level spell from their spellbook every day), 143 GP. Orchard. A dozen venerable peach, plum, and pear trees form a circle around a flowery lawn in the middle of which a sign bears the following message: “Help yourself ! No more than one fruit per person and per day. (Beware!)”. - Peach: 6 temporary HP for 6 hours - Plum: +2 to saves for 6 hours - Pear: +2 to STR for 6 hours - Take more than one piece of fruit: an angry “Boo!” booms from above, the sun is veiled for a moment, the culprit is henceforth cursed. Roll 1d3. 1 : Shamed! Grow a pig tail and nose 2 : Doomed! Roll 2 dice and keep the worst result for all d20 rolls 3: Limited! Prime requisite ability reduced to 9 - A piece of fruit can be kept for a week A chaotic pile of tree trunks and branches forms a 6-foot-high dam that lets out a narrow stream from between two wooden pillars. At the top, 3 rotting corpses are impaled on stakes. On the other side a small lake has formed, on the banks of which a gigantic albino beaver is cutting down trees while humming a Narrow stream. The weak point of the dam. Bringing down one of two pillars will make the whole thing collapse: 30 points of damage needed (AC 3 [16]) and save vs breath to avoid being swept 100 yards away (1d4 damage). 3-in-6 chance per round: Doya the giant albino beaver attacks. Three rotting corpses. Dead maybe weeks ago. “Those feckin’ lunatics were trying to destroy my bleedin’ dam! People, I swear!” says Doya if asked about his decoration style. Doya the giant albino beaver. Tenfoot, three-ton beaver with dazzling white fur, who speaks Common in a skittering, frantic voice. Always busy, Doya doesn't particularly like fighting and can try to reason with the saboteurs before they accomplish their task. If the characters are sympathetic to him or seem strong enough, he can ask for a song. favor: if they kill or chase away the giant blackfish downstream who regularly tries to destroy his dam, he will give them some peculiar items he found on the dead saboteurs. DOYA THE GIANT ALBINO BEAVER:

AC 6 [13], HD 5* (22 hp), Att 1 × bite (1d8), tail slap, THAC0 14 [+5], MV 150’ (50’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 7, AL Neutral, XP 300

• Tail slap: may swing at all targets in its rear for 1d8 damage. Peculiar items. Silver knife (on the command word “Biggus!”, becomes a long silver sword +1 for 10 rounds, once per day); iron flask (potion of Growth); orichalcum skull (a character who can turn undead counts as one level higher); 157 GP. Song. For musical referees, it’s Johnny Cash’s Lumberjack. A small wooden bridge crosses a turbulent stream. On the eastern bank, a trail overgrown by brambles follows the stream northwards. Some 10 yards down the trail, a decomposing Corpse. The body is lacerated, scratched on all sides, the eyes gouged out – utterly unidentifiable. It wears a chain shirt, a nice pair of boots, and its hands are still grasping a longsword. A satchel contains about ten pounds of rotten fruit and a purse (17 GP). Boots. Magic! Black, thin leather, well-polished whatever the conditions. Move silently like a thief of the same level. BARROW A mound of malodorous muck rises like a cyst from the forest floor. A dark tunnel gapes on one side where gnawed ground. Raggedy scrolls are nailed to the nearby trees, rustling in the wind. A small goblin sits snoring by the tunnel mouth. This is the home of the people-eating hag, Orla Graylocks. Tunnel. Narrow and pitch black. Silent. Smells of decaying vegetation. Bones. Deer, rabbits, and small humanoids (goblins). Scrolls. Scrawled in blood: “Welcome! Come inside! Food and presents for all! This way! NOW!” Goblin. Little “Flik” wakes up, wipes his drool, and desperately invites the PCs to go into the tunnel. He promises food and riches, free for the taking! On closer inspection, he is starvingly thin… and there’s a chain (see sidebar) around his ankle. He needs to trick someone into going inside soon or he’ll be eaten next! If the PCs go in: The narrow tunnel angles down to a black cave carpeted in crushed bones. The hag is waiting, corpse sits against a tree. Brambles. If one lingers to inspect the body, there is a 3-in-6 chance that the brambles come to life and attack anyone within 15'. Save vs breath or 1d4 damage per round. Stop after 30 damage is dealt (non-cutting weapons deal half damage, fire deals double). bones litter the disguised as a sweet old woman. She claims to have treats and invites the PCs to come closer. And then she attacks! If the PCs wait: At night, the hag emerges (in disguise as a beautiful maiden) to nail a fresh scroll to a tree. She sings a beguiling song in an ancient language (sounds sweet, actually describes the act of eating humans alive) as she takes a short walk through the woods, hoping to attract lost people. After 1 hour, she returns to her lair. If the PCs call out: The hag calls back in a sad voice, “Please come in! I have meats and breads and tasty treats for you! Very nice! Very sweet!” Treasure in the barrow (in a hole under a red painted stone): 348 GP; 1 garnet ring (50 GP); 1 pearl-handled dagger (35 GP); 1 bottle of snake venom (may be coated on weapons. Save vs poison or +1d6 damage. 5 doses); 2 broken eyeglasses (worthless, except perhaps at the Goblin Market, page 30); 8 cast-off snake skins (as above); 13 rabbit skeletons (as above). ORLA GRAYLOCKS (MINOR HAG) :

AC 7 [12], HD 4* (18 hp), Att 2 × claws (1d6 +2), 1 x bite (1d6) THAC0 16 [+3], MV 150’ (50’), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14, ML 9, AL Chaotic, XP 5

• Grapple: If a victim is hit by all three of the hag’s attacks in the same round, they are seized and suffer automatic damage (3d6+4) each subsequent round.
• Spellcasting (illusionist spells): phantasmal force, glamour, spook once per day.
• Hates the sun: -4 to saves and attack rolls in full daylight.

• LOOT! A doll made of mud and rags rep-

resenting an old woman in an orange dress (Sister Ruth, see page 60) with 3 runed bone needles stuck in her back; a silver chain with an agate cameo representing two little twin girls, one is smiling (her eyes have been furiously scratched, almost erased), one is crying (45 GP); a tattered green scarf spattered with old blood (see sidebar); a scratched wooden bracelet (idem); a long rusty chain (idem). ORLA’S SCARF Allows the wearer to imitate any voice they have heard before. It is covered in dried blood stains. ORLA’S BANGLE This crude wooden bracelet resembles a snake eating its tail. When worn, this cursed item constricts the wearer's wrist so tightly that they cannot hold any item in their trembling purple hand. ORLA’S CHAIN A 60-foot magical chain that can move, tie, and untie itself on command.

THE BLEAK

MOUNTAINS

Few ever venture past the first slopes which gradually rise about an hour's walk west of Ragged Hollow into bleak, austere mountains covered with silent pines and black, gleaming boulders. In the distance shines the icy whiteness of the highest peak: Mount Mourn. Two trails lose themselves in the mountains, each as uninviting as the other… 3Hr 3Hr MOUNT MOURN 3Hr 3Hr OLIAS' HUT PERILOUS PATH 1Hr 6Hr

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To Ragged Hollow 6Hr Map by Rob Matthews Every 3 hours of travel, roll 1d20 on the table below. Note that you should roll for reaction even when the attitude of a monster is indicated, if only to determine how violent the encounter may get. In a narrow gully the characters spot a worryingly lifelike and half-broken 1 statue of a scared woman. A basilisk The characters stumble into a nest of crushed charcoal, and 2d6 2 crawl out! A three-eyed goat lunges from behind a boulder to knock a character off a high 3 ledge, and then scampers away. Boulders break loose and tumble down the mountain toward the party at 4 great speed. Save vs paralysis or take 1d8 damage. Four stone statues of dwarves. Ancient, weathered, broken. 5 Scared expressions, poised as if running. The basilisk above did this. A scorched harpy carcass lies on blackened grass and stone. Fire beetles fed 6 here a few days ago. A three-eyed goat stares at the PCs from atop a distant boulder. 7 Just stares. Hard. 8 A human skeleton lies crushed under a boulder. Anica Black (hunter) is field dressing a three-eyed goat carcass. She never 9 goes to the Dwarf Ruins because “it smells unnatural up there”. Two harpies circle high in the distance, taunting the characters because they 10-12 cannot fly. A sudden sleet storm coats the characters’ clothing and the ground in 13-16 treacherous blue ice. 17-18 A frigid wind blasts the PCs off balance.

• 19-20 Thunder growls in the distance: Storm coming.

BASILISK. AC 4 [15], HD 6+1** (28 hp), Att 1 × bite (1d10 + petrification), 1 x gaze (petrification) THAC0 13 [+6], MV 60’ (20’), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14, ML 9,

• Surprise: Surprised characters meet its gaze. • Petrification FIRE BEETLE. AC 4 [15], HD 1+2 (6 hp), Att 1 × bite (2d4) W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 7, AL Neutral, XP 15
• Glowing nodules (3): cast light in a 10’ radius, keep glowing for 1d6 days if removed. DOOM GOAT. A shaggy grazing animal with twisted horns and three rectangular eyes. Moves silently. Rams creatures off cliffs or into ravines. Uncanny, merciless.

AC 7 [12], HD 1* (4 hp), Att 1 × ram (1d6), stare B15 S16, ML 10, AL Chaotic, XP 13

• Ensnaring Stare. Save vs spells or be enthralled by the goat. You are physically unable to look away, but can otherwise move and act normally. For the next hour, you must always face in the direction of the goat (even if it is out of sight and far away), and all actions are impaired. ANICA BLACK. See appendix 2 is basking on a nearby flat stone. fire beetles AL Neutral, XP 950 : save vs petrify or turned into stone . THAC0 18 [+1], MV 120’ (40’), SV D12 THAC0 19 [0], MV 240’ (00’), SV D12 W13 P14 A little off the path, at the bottom of a depression, a rudimentary hut made of stones and logs leans against a cliff of black rock. A mumbling voice is heard through a door of stretched goat hide. Adjacent to the hut, a lean-to shelters a fat pig wallowing in the mud of its pen. Pig. Jolly domesticated wild sow. 2-in- 6 chance of noticing a human foot eaten to the bone in the muck. Voice. Olias the mad trapper mumbling unintelligibly to himself. Olias the mad trapper. A gaunt man dressed in animal skins, beard and matted hair falling to his waist, and a hallucinated gaze. He mumbles erratically as if scolding unseen people around him. Local characters have a 2-in-6 chance to know about him: Olias has lived alone in the mountains most of his life and no one has seen him for years. He drops what he's doing when someone enters and asks fervently: “Are you guests? Are you guests or are you ghosts? Tell me, tell me!”. - “Ghosts”: “Busy! I’m busy! Leave me alone, I’ll come to see you later. Later!” - “Guests”: “New guests! Funderbark! We’re so lucky, we’re so happy! Welcome brothers and sisters, come here and have a sit”. And he invites them to come inside and share his stew. OLIAS: AC 6 [13], HD 4 (18 hp), Att 1 × long knife (1d6 + skinning) or sharp fingernails (1d4) THAC0 16 [+3], MV 90’ (30’), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14, ML 8, AL Chaotic, XP 75
• LOOT! Long Skining Knife (-1 to hit, targets lose 1hp per round after a successful attack until the wound is bound). - Who are you? “The host! We’re the host of the valley!” - Who are you talking to? “The guests!” - Mount Mourn? “We don’t go there! Nothing good on that mountain.” - Dwarvish ruins? “Dwarfs make for bad guests. We don’t like them. Bathe them in acid, I say.” - Tobias? “We remember this one! Dreadfully rude and ill-mannered. He refused to be a guest and ran off after eating our good stew!” - The veil? “Vas? We never even heard of such a thing!” Unseen people. A cleric or other character versed in necromancy can sense the presence of many ghosts in and around the hut, mostly inoffensive and depressed. Inside. A mess of pots, crates, and boxes containing tools, dried food, smoked meat, etc. (about six weeks’ worth of rations). A narrow table on which is a bearskin that Olias was curing with a flint scraper. A heavy wooden door, closed by three padlocks, in the back wall (the cliff face against which the hut leans). Stew. Bear meat, garlic, and sweet potato stew bubbling in the rudimentary fireplace. “Mushrooms! We’ll add good tasty mushrooms”. The mushrooms are a powerful drug. Save vs poison or sleep for 1d6 hours. PCs who fall asleep have their throats cut and later join the guests in the circular cave. Olias attacks the PCs who don’t fall asleep if there are no more than two. Otherwise, he just chatters away nervously. Wooden door. Closed by three padlocks (rusty and difficult to pick). A key is around Olias' neck, another on a pot above the fireplace, and the third one under the straw mattress that serves as his bed. Olias stubbornly refuses to open the door or to say what is inside: “They rest, they rest. Leave them alone!” It opens onto a tunnel with carved steps leading into a circular cave some 60 feet below. Circular cave. 60 feet wide, lit by candles and small lamps scattered here and there in the crevices of the rock. Some animals (bear, fox, goat, groundhog...) and a dozen human beings are here, motionless. They are all stuffed and set in elaborate poses: sitting around a table having tea, playing a musical instrument, dancing, reading a book in an armchair, playing a chess game. These are Olias' collection of guests. A local adventurer may recognize some people from Ragged Hollow who disappeared months or years ago. LOOT! On the stuffed guests: three gold wedding rings (100 GP each), a silver brooch adorned with three beautiful amethysts (80 GP), a copper diadem bearing an opaline (120 GP), a decorated dagger with a dragon wing guard (90 GP), a tiepin with a blue pearl (75 GP), a pair of multicolored snake skin boots (30 GP), a silk stole embroidered with silver (60 GP), a gold monocle (55 GP), a bracelet of twisted platinum and iridium threads (190 GP), an ivory pipe engraved with a whale fishing scene (30 GP). The worn path into this valley quickly descends into a narrow defile below a sheer cliff. Atop the edge of the cliff, a boulder as big as a cottage stands precariously balanced above the path. A faint the cliff near the boulder. To the east, a gentle the cliff, eventually leading back to the path a few miles ahead. Options: 1. Take the worn path under the boulder. Two bugbears, very pleased with their trap, are hiding behind it. They are ready to use levers, tipping the rock onto anyone passing below (6d6 damage, save vs breath for half damage). 2. Take the goat track up the cliff. It requires some climbing skills or gear when one cannot grasp a pine branch or protruding rock. 3-in-6 chance of being noticed by the bugbears (amend the chance depending on stealth or lack thereof) who throw rocks, javelins, and insults at the climbers. Unnoticed characters reach a ledge above the bugbears and can ambush the ambushers. The goat track keeps climbing to the bugbears’ cave. goat track leads up to the top of green slope curves far around 3. Take the green slope detour. This adds 3 hours to the journey, and the spectacle of two bugbears, booing and insulting them, showing off buttocks and genitals, from their vantage point across the valley. Bugbears. The siblings Korgle and Gorkle. They live in a cave higher on the cliff. A tad smarter than the average bugbear but also much more cowardly. Quick to run away as soon as things turn sour. Bugbear Cave. About a hundred yards above the path, opening onto the drop, smelling of wild beasts and rotten meat. A half-eaten carcass (a halfling or gnome) above a dying fire. In a corner, the siblings' treasure in a pile: a half-empty barrel of rancid beer, a leather bag of silver cutlery (40 GP), a quiver of 9 poisoned arrows (save or feel sick for a day, -2 to attack rolls), a scimitar with a glowing crystal sphere for a pommel (35 GP), a box containing 100 GP in various gems, rusted weapons and pieces of armor. KORGLE AND GORKLE: AC 5 [14], HD 3+1 (14 hp), Att 1 × weapon (2d4 or by weapon) THAC0 16 [+3], MV 90’ (30’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 5, AL Chaotic, XP 50

• LOOT! Pendant made of a mummified

hand with a tattooed ring of dwarven runes (like ring of protection +1); leather purse containing 22 gold nuggets (22 GP); earrings made of dried bat wings (50 GP to a specialized collector). Ancient slopes of black rock rise in ragged tiers toward a distant icy peak. A third of the way from the base, a red flame

• Flame: Four hours from the bottom: On a flat ledge, red flames burn on a rock chimney. To the right, a roof rests on four rock pillars. To the left, a mound of black rock stands with a jagged entrance covered in runes.
• Runes: Dwarven: “Here lies Arvid, master delver.” Chimney. This 10-foot rock tower smells of natural gas. Red flames dance at the top, and an opening on one side resembles a small stone stove. Blackened goat bones lie nearby. Pillars This simple roofed structure protects a stone stair leading underground (see next page) Small canine foot prints cover the earth.
• Prints: Kobolds, 1 day old. Mound. Inside, a small skeleton lies in a pit, with iron-gray bones and three foot-long braids of copper wires near the skull, grasping a bronze short sword (+1) with a spherical socket in the handle. Gold glints under the bones in a shining black puddle.
• Gold: A fist-sized nugget, a Dwarven gallstone. (200 GP) dances in the wind. died over 100
• Socket: Eye-sized. If Jethra’s magical glass eye (see p. 21) is inserted into it, the sword becomes sentient.

VEINSEEKER. Short sword +1, +3 vs Arvid the Dwarf undead. Lawful. Ego 7, INT 9 (communicates by empathy). Detects magic, evil & good, metals.

• Puddle: The Dolorous Ichor! When it or the gold is touched, this tiny black ooze screams and attacks!

DOLOROUS ICHOR BLOB: AC 9 [10], HD 1 (5 hp), Att 1 × foul tendrils (1d6 + infection), dolorous wail, THAC0 19 [0], MV 10’ (3’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16, ML 7, AL Chaotic, XP 50

• Infection: save vs death or roll 1d6 for effect. (1-2) one arm becomes bloated and useless for 1 hour, (3-4) one leg becomes bloated and useless for 1 hour, (5) mind is filled with Chaotic nightmares for 1 hour, a danger to everyone, (6) full possession*, spend 1 day transforming into a bloated raging undead horror! (3-in-6 chance for a dwarf or historian to remember this.)
• Dolorous wail: 10 ft radius, save vs spells or 1d6 psychic damage.
• Dolorous Ichor: If this ooze reduces a crea- LORE!years ago. He was an outcast from his clan, and had no contact with the people in Ragged Hollow. ture to zero HP, it can crawl inside the dead body to reanimate it and slowly mutate it into a tentacled undead horror.
• Immunity: Unharmed by all attacks except acid. * This is what happened to poor Tobias.

THE WAILING

Petrified shrubs, twisted and bone-white, dot these low bleak

HILLS

moors. The wind blows eerily through the cracks in the dead brambles. A wide dirt track meanders southward. A small gray tower stands on a distant hill to the south-east. To Gloam Wood

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To the Bleak

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Mountains RAGGED HOLLOW 6Hr OGRE DEN 1Hr RAVINE To the Kingdom WINDLER

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HOUSE COOMB 1Hr BANDIT TOWER Map by Rob Matthews From the Tower: Through the trap door, you descend an ancient stone stair into the undercroft below the tower. Down the vaulted stone corridor, a crossroads is dimly lit by a hanging clay lamp. From the Coomb: You follow a low ceiling tunnel from the coomb for 300 feet avoiding the prickly roots protruding from the ceiling to finish before a heavy wooden door. To the Coomb To the Tower

INTO THE

TEMPLE

Surrounded by green lawn, the temple sits beneath a 50-foot high dome of shimmering golden light. Behind it, you can still see high walls and white towers with narrow stained glass windows and bronze doors. One week after the arrival of the adventurers and the raising of the Golden Veil, when the bell starts tolling (see page 8): The pointed roof of the belltower is emerging from the Golden Veil. If only there was a way to get up there… The temple is protected by the Golden Veil, a divine force-field that cannot be penetrated or climbed. It shrinks by a few inches every time the bell tolls, but only after it has rung for seven nights is it possible to access the roof of the belltower. Taking off the roof tiles is easy enough, and dropping down at the top of the tower gives the party a way in. As long as they can make their way up there! Characters may build some sort of scaffold or system of ladders to reach the bell tower. The structure needs to be 50 feet tall to enter the tower. They can also try to throw or shoot a rope into the tower. As the referee, adjudicate how realistic these attempts are, whether they have limitations, and ask for a chances-in-6 or ability roll if you think it is needed. As said on page 14, there are no tall ladders or climbing gear in town. Finding enough materials (timber, rope, nails, etc.) would also be challenging and/or expensive. Note: Be aware that the temple has 50 rooms and many dangerous challenges, so the party may want to enter and retreat several times. There are three items scattered around the area that can help. The clockwork boots in the Windler House (page 22), the magic chain in the hag barrow in the Gloam Wood (page 34), and the Dwarven grappling hook in the caves on Mount Mourn (page 42). Windows. All the windows are stuck and considered as stuck doors. If one ventures through a window to reach the outside, one of the following events happens on 1-in-6 (and optionally, a roll of 2 can indicate a ‘wall encounter’ that is nearby, visible but not immediately threatening—like, gargoyles killing a pigeon, imps swarming in the air, flytraps singing horrible nursery songs, bleeding stones etc.): 1-2: the grotesque little statues at the gable end of the facade come to life and immediately attack (1d3 hollow gargoyles, page 57) 3-4: the air seems to crackle and a swarm of evil imps attack immediately by cackling wickedly (1 swarm of imps, page 69) 5-6: the ivy that covers the facade seems to quiver while 1d3 flytraps emerge and attack (see page 58) You hear the occasional scream or roar below you. A large bronze above a spiral stair, its frayed rope dangling in the center. A bloody sprawls on the steps. Violet crystals grow from the stone walls, pearlescent snails crawl up the steps, and pale blue

• Corpse: Benjamin (villager), his skin lacerated with micro cuts.
• Bell: Ringing the bell shatters the crystals (save vs breath or 1d4).
• Crystals: Look closely. They are slowly growing like glittering tumors.
• Snails: They are eating the crystals, making glistening trails of acid that slowly corrodes any material except glass. ROOFTOP (L4) The smells of ripening fruits, blossoming flowers, and richly fertilized earth flood your nostrils. Leaves rustle loudly.

ENDING THE

ADVENTURE

If the Crown of Dreams is

removed from Tobias... The nightmares end and Constance drops the Veil. The survivors can leave the temple. Life returns to normal!

Rewards and Consequences

If Laban’s wife Doris survives, Laban provides each PC with one specially tailored outfit worth 90 GP. If Omar’s sons Will and Tam survive, Omar provides each character with 1,000 GP worth of alchemical mixtures and components. Once. Plus a 10% discount on all future alchemical purchases throughout the Kingdom. If the temple priests see that the heroes have taken any relics or treasure items from the temple or the crypt, they demand their return. Constance and Felicity support the priests, violently if need be. A future loan of one or more relics for a specific purpose is agreeable though. If Lady Constance or Squire Felicity survive, and they approve of the characters’ actions, they provide a Writ of Law that allows the PCs to enjoy free shelter in any temple to a Lawful patron. If most of the children survive, they quickly make crude costumes of the PCs and put on an awkward school play to celebrate the victory. If the bandits in the Wailing Hills have not been confronted, they arrive in town one day after the Veil is dropped. They hope to take over the town as gangsters, believing that the clerics must surely all be dead, leaving a power vacuum in the community.

If the characters fail to

remove the Crown of

Dreams (or decide not to)... Here are some ideas for events in the region starting at Doomsday (page 8).

Tragedies and Consequences

Doomsday. The Veil collapses. All of the trapped people are dead. At sunset, the Nightmare creatures swarm out of the temple to devour the villagers. Half of the villagers die. Doomsday + 1. The surviving half of the villagers flee, abandoning Ragged Hollow. The Ragdolls and the Cigar Bandits venture inside the temple. None of them return. Doomsday + 15. A regiment of soldiers from Kalahar arrives to investigate and restore order. They find the region grotesquely transformed into corpse-like structures. When night falls, the Nightmares wipe out the regiment. Doomsday + 30. Ragged Hollow is declared Unholy and Ruled by Chaos, and forbidden to all. Doomsday + 100. Foolhardy adventurers from distant lands begin to explore the boundaries of Ragged Hollow, now mostly surrounded by a forest of bones. Many enter, but few escape. Doomsday + 666. Her Undying Highness Constance Regina, the Night Terror Paladin, reveals her dominion over the horrors of Ragged Hollow, and declares war on the Lawful lands of mortal folk. Appendix 1 New Magic Items ARVID'S CLAW (Mount Mourn, #5) This bronze grappling hook automatically takes hold of any target within 75 feet when thrown, and it releases its grip when gently shaken. ARVID'S RING (Mount Mourn, #5) At dawn, this magical golden ring drips forth an identical mundane golden ring, which disintegrates at sunset. BEATRIX’S RUBY RING (Cottage) Allows the wearer to cast Remove Curse once per day. It smells of moth balls and ointment. BIRD HEAD WOODEN WHISTLE (Narisse) Its birdsong is understood as a one-word message by all allies. BIGGUS THE SILVER KNIFE (Dam) On the command word “Biggus!”, becomes a long silver sword + 1 for 10 rounds, once per day. CHAMELEON SKIN BOOTS (Fergus) 2-in-6 chance of hiding in the wilderness. CIRCLET OF MEMORY (Sunny Island) A wizard can memorize one random 1st level spell from their spellbook every day. CROWN OF DREAMS (Temple, #48) This simple golden circlet makes the wearer resistant to psychic damage and ensures a restful sleep with only pleasant dreams. Also, the wearer is immune to being frightened or charmed. GLASS EYE OF DETECTION (Jethra) Always ill-fitted. Detect magic once a day. When placed in a bronze item socket, the item it is placed in becomes magical (referee's discretion). KINGFISHER PENDANT A thumb-sized lapis lazuli cabochon with a longbeaked bird engraved on one side, hanging from an extra fine silver chain. Each day at dusk, this holy talisman cures its wearer: 1 hp per level. LADY’S LEATHER ARMOR (Narisse) +1, magically coordinates with any outfit. LIBRARIAN'S RING (Temple, #52) This bronze ring features an engraved eye. The wearer can read any written language. ORICHALCUM SKULL (Dam) A character who can turn undead counts as one level higher. ORLA’S BANGLE (Barrow) This crude wooden bracelet resembles a snake eating its tail. When worn, this cursed item constricts the wearer's wrist so tightly that they cannot hold any item in their trembling purple hand. ORLA’S CHAIN A 60-foot magical chain that can move, tie, and untie itself on command. ORLA’S SCARF (Barrow) Allows the wearer to imitate any voice they have heard before. It is covered in dried blood stains. PROFESSOR'S RING (Temple, #53) This bronze ring features an engraved shield. The wearer cannot be frightened or poisoned by any creature smaller than the wearer. PURSE OF TRANQUILITY (Bogdan) Black velvet purse shouting “help!” in case of a pickpocket. RING OF HONEYED VOICE (Fergus) All persons within 15’ must save vs spells or refuse to attack the wearer for 1d4 rounds or until attacked themselves. Once per day. RUNE BELLS (Temple, #33) Chaotic creature must check morale or will flee from the wielder of the bell at maximum speed for 6 rounds. SCALES SHIELD (Sunny Island) Save at +3 versus dragon breath. SCRIBE'S RING (Temple, #51) This bronze ring features an engraved hand. The wearer can create (forge) any official document of a type they have seen before. STAFF OF HALCYON (Temple, #54) This bronze staff has three charges, which it regains each day at dawn. Burn one charge to create 30 feet of torchlight for 1 minute, which causes magic objects and effects within its radius to glow. Burn three charges to create 60 feet of sunlight for 1 minute, which causes invisible creatures within its radius to glow. SWIFFY THE BROOM (Cottage) This magical servant can clean and do simple chores, including cooking. Does not speak but knows Common. Always has a peppy professional attitude. Hates dirt! Fears fire! VEINSEEKER (Mount Mourn). Short sword +1, +3 vs undead. Lawful. Ego 7, INT 9 (communicates by empathy). Detects magic, evil & good, metals. WINDLER BOOTS (Windler House, #8) Once per day, click the heels of these self-winding clockwork boots to jump 60' up or 60' forward. Appendix 2 Potential Retainers or replacement characters Roll on page 43 of KNOCK! #3 so each character has one piece of interesting equipment.

Partimonius - Squinting, lisping, always

smiling. In Ragged Hollow to consult some scriptures in the temple’s library. st 1 level Cleric STR 12, INT 13, WIS 14, DEX 5, CON 9, CHA 12 HP 6, AC 7 [12], THAC0 19 [0], AL L

• Equipment: leather armor, mace, holy

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symbol (onyx one-eyed elephant head), holy water (1 vial), iron spike (12), rations (7), tinder box, torches (3), 9GP.

Connor - Always acting like a young

happy puppy. Looking for his swordmaster. Camps by the river. st 1 level Fighter STR 12, INT 6, WIS 8, DEX 10, CON 12, CHA 11 HP 5, AC 5 [14], THAC0: 19 [0], AL L

• Equipment: chainmail, shield,

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scimitar, javelin (3), crowbar, rations (7), torches (6), rope (50’), 13 GP.

Jessa (local) - Snarky and suspicious.

Just returned from her Halloo, needs adventure, watched over by her future husband, the blacksmith's apprentice. st 1 level Thief STR 8, INT 11, WIS 16, DEX 17, CON 11, CHA 9 HP 3, AC 12 [7], THAC0 19 [0], AL N

• Equipment: leather armor, shortbow,

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arrows (40), dagger, small hammer, tinderbox, thieves’ tools, lantern, oil (3 doses), iron wire (9’), 7 GP.

Anica Black (local) - Stubborn, chatty,

albino. Recently decided that flax wasn't an industry for her and started a boar hunting small business. st 1 level Fighter STR 10, INT 12, WIS 6, DEX 15, CON 13, CHA 10 HP 6, AC 7[12], THAC0 19 [0], AL N

• Equipment: Leather armor, short

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sword, dagger, longbow (10 arrows), torches (6), matches (20), beartrap, grappling hook, flint and steel, 12 GP.

Mermedike (local) - Timid, overly polite,

pig nose and tail. Formerly Radomir's apprentice (see p. 16). Fired after screwing around with potions. Lives in a hut at the edge of Ragged Hollow. st 1 level Magic user STR 7, INT 12, WIS 9, DEX 14, CON 10, CHA 9 HP 2, AC 8 [11], THAC0 19 [0], AL N

• Equipment: dagger, darts (6), torches (6),

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matches (20), scissors, incense sticks (12), spellbook (charm person, floating disc, read languages), candles (4), silver hand mirror, 13 GP.

Bilbur - Secretive, gruff, wooden leg,

red-bearded, green hood. Arvid direct descendant. Searching for his legacy. st 1 level Dwarf STR 16, INT 10, WIS 9, DEX 8, CON 15, CHA 11 HP 6, AC 5 [14], THAC0 19 [0], AL N

• Equipment: chainmail, shield, cross-

›

bow (40 quarrels), handaxe, hammer, flint and steel, lantern, oil (6 flasks), silver whistle, 17 GP.

Gilbur - Loyal, cheerful, white-bearded,

blue hood. Bilbur's cousin. Arachnophobic. st 1 level Dwarf STR 8, INT 8, WIS 11, DEX 17, CON 14, CHA 14 HP 7, AC 14 [5], THAC0 19 [0], AL L

• Equipment: leather armor, shortbow,

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arrows (40), shortsword, tinder box, hunting horn, torches (6), garlic, grappling hook, 19 GP.