Chaos Scar - [Lvl 1] - Den of the Slavetakers.pdf - Przygody - IlMOD

A Chaos Scar Adventure

By Rob Heinsoo

illustrations by Drew Baker ✦ cartography by Sean Macdonald

“Den of the Slavetakers” is a short adventure for five 1st level

characters that takes place in the Chaos Scar. A slavetaking

operation run by a one-armed gnoll turns out to have a

truly sinister purpose: victim-gathering for death rituals

performed by an underground cult of Torog. The priest of

the temple on the far side of the cavern, a female half ling

named Morgana, uses a small shard of the meteor to draw

mutated homunculus servants out of the valley’s rock. Not

content with homunculus servants, she is now using gnoll

magic borrowed from her henchman to turn half ling victims

into f lawed but deadly witherlings. In the mushroom-choked

depths of the central chamber, myconids prepare for an

assault on the temple to take the meteorite from whoever is

left standing after the PCs interrupt the cultists’ rituals.

For details on the Chaos Scar and its environs, read th e

Chaos Scar introduction and check out the map of the

entire valley.

October 2009 | DUNGEON 171

The pivotal figure in the secret Torog cult is a female

half ling magician who took the name Morgana when

she entered Torog’s service. Having come into posses-

sion of a shard from the meteor, Morgana took over a

previously occupied underground lair and set it up as

a well-defended underground temple where she could

pursue experiments to learn the extent of the shard’s

powers.

Morgana has two main lieutenants: a human tor-

turer named Scalpel and a one-armed elderly gnoll

known as the Hand of Torog. Scalpel, a heavily mus-

cled and tattooed degenerate who sleeps hanging from

hooks in his cell in the temple, gets his name from his

favorite tool. The Hand of Torog f led a chief ’s challenge

in his pack instead of fighting to the death. Faith in

Torog gave him new purpose, and Morgana gave him

a home on the front line of her defenses. The Hand

doesn’t have the social perspective to understand that

his name is more sardonic wit than an honorific.

As the adventure begins, the Hand of Torog and

cultist accomplices have succeeded in taking six new

slaves, two male humans and four half lings, two male

and two female. Seven human Torog worshipers have

preceded the PCs into the area, arriving for a ritual in

which Morgana has promised great pain, great plea-

sure, and magic that draws on the power of the Chaos

Shard to create more homunculus and undead servi-

tors for the temple.

Beneath the temple in a great mushroom chamber,

a circle of myconids drawn toward the Chaos Shard’s

energies are secretly creating a great fungal tower that

will enable them to climb to the top of the cavern and

take Morgana’s shard as their own. Although unaware

of the myconid’s plans, Morgana is a dedicated

survivor with an elaborate escape plan. The PCs may

end up facing the myconids even if Morgana escapes

with the shard.

It’s said that a cult devoted to Torog operates some-

where in the valley near the King’s Wall. A nearby

temple of Avandra has never been able to cope with

the worst problems presented by the Chaos Scar,

but it certainly understands how to deal with Torog.

The temple announces that it will pay anyone who

can find and eliminate the temple 300 gp. As a start,

Avandra’s followers point the heroes toward the area

in which the Hand of Torog operates.

Quest XP: 50 XP for finding the temple, another

250 XP for erasing the temple from existence, and

200 XP for making sure that none of its priests or ser-

vants escape.

“Den of the Slavetakers” takes place in the Chaos

Scar. Use one of the hooks below to get the PCs into

the valley and on the slavetakers’ trail. These hooks

also come with a minor quest that can provide the

PCs with some extra experience.

Four members of Jangi Blackstream’s family were kid-

napped last week, in two separate incidents. Jangi, a

half ling trader who operates near the valley, is desper-

ate to recover his kin: Nebin, Wayan, Shaena, and Lani.

Survivors of one of the kidnappings, which turned into

a short and almost lethal brawl, reported that the Black-

stream cousins were taken by f lying blue demons and a

one-armed gnoll. Jangi has no solid information on what

has happened to his relatives, but he has a nasty hunch.

Some years ago, another family member discarded her

old name (Nedda Blackstream), renamed herself Mor-

gana, and moved into the Chaos Scar, if such a thing can

be believed. Jangi thinks that Nedda/Morgana’s vindic-

tive streak might explain an otherwise inexplicable

assault on the Blackstream family, and he knows she is

somewhere in the area of the valley that contains the

temple. Jangi will pay 50 gp and provide a 25% discount

on two 1st- through 5th-level magic items if the PCs can

follow-up on his hunch.

Quest XP: 100 XP for finding Morgana, 100 XP

for finding the missing Blackstreams, and another

300 XP for rescuing one or more half lings alive.

Den of the Slaves uses the treasure parcel system

described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The PCs

should gain a total of four treasure parcels in this

adventure, though parcel 3 below is deliberately

small. Listed below are the most likely places to find

parcels and what those treasure parcels might consist

of. The magic weapon should come from the players’

wish lists.

Parcel 1: The Hand’s Arsenal

One level 4

magic weapon

(not a battleaxe)

Parcel 2: Cultist’s Bodies

20 gp

Parcel 3: Treasure Heap

220 gp and 800 sp

Parcel 4: Morgana’s Desk

Two 100-gp gems

and alchemical

formulae (see below)

October 2009 | DUNGEON 171

GETTING STARTED

Regardless of the hook used to get the PCs into the

Chaos Scar, read or paraphrase the following when

they reach the vicinity of the slavetaker’s lair.

A depression in the valley ﬂoor leads to a wide cavern that

slopes gently downward. You don’t have to be a tracker to

tell that many people have walked in and out of this cavern

recently, following a single-ﬁle trail—tracks from boots and

tracks from small feet, likely children or halﬂings. The

cavern slopes gently down, turning into a wide corridor.

If the PCs obtained the Chaos Shard, will they

destroy it or keep it to find out if they can use it later

on? A DC 12 Arcana check reveals that the meteor

shard might have properties that would make it useful

later on, when the PCs have more power and are con-

fronting other beings possessing shards. But the same

check also reveals that the shard could be pounded

into dust and destroyed with no ill side effects, and

that the world would probably be a better place.

Does the mushroom forest’s trail lead to a myconid

stronghold, or some weirder cavern?

If the Hand of Torog escapes, there’s no telling

where he’ll turn up next.

And if Morgana escapes, she is likely to join a band

of murderous half lings who infest a cave nearby in

the valley.

October 2009 | DUNGEON 171

"# $

The keys to running this encounter are:

✦

Flit the clay scouts between the arrow slits and

then out of sight as they use their mind touch

attack from behind the arrow slit’s superior

cover.

2 Clay Scouts (C) Level 2 Lurker

Small elemental animate (construct, homunculus)

XP 125

Initiative +7

Senses Perception +6;

darkvision

HP 31; Bloodied 15

AC 16; Fortitude 13, Reflex 14, Will 15

Immune disease, poison

Speed 6, fly 3 (clumsy)

Bite (standard; at-will) ✦ Poison

+3 vs. AC; 1d6 + 3 damage, and the homunculus makes

a secondary attack against the same target. Secondary

Attack: +2 vs. Fortitude; the target is slowed (save ends)

Mind Touch (standard; at-will) ✦ Psychic

Ranged 10; +5 vs. Reflex; 1d6 + 3 psychic damage, and the

target is dazed (save ends)

Guard Object

The clay scout gains a +4 bonus to attack rolls against

targets adjacent to or carrying its guarded object.

Limited Invisibility ✦ Illusion

The clay scout is invisible to dazed creatures.

Redirect (immediate interrupt, when targeted by a melee or

ranged attack; at-will)

The clay scout makes an attack against the attacker: +4 vs.

Will; the triggering attack targets a creature adjacent to

the clay scout instead (as chosen by the clay scout).

Alignment Unaligned

Encounter Level 1 (550 XP)

2 clay scouts (C)

Hand of Torog (H)

Mutant arbalester (M)

✦

Remember to let PCs roll an Acrobatics or

Perception check to treat the rubble-strewn entry

room as clear terrain that round, rather than as

difficult terrain.

✦

Choose a dramatic moment for the Hand of

Torog to get the inner door open to provide the

chained-up mutant arbalester with a clear shot

into the entryway.

The area marked as the entryway is the end of a

tunnel that runs for another hundred feet or so to the

cavern at the surface. Light filters in from the surface

and from holes in the ceiling.

Two of the arrow slits (marked in red on the

map on page 25) looking out into the entryway are

guarded by clay scout homunculi created by Morga-

na’s meteor-twisted rituals. The homunculi don’t stir

or attack until someone comes within 3 squares of the

door.

As indicated in the tactics notes, the mutant

arbalester is chained up beside the inner door and is

unable to move. Meanwhile the Hand of Torog is out

of position, running across from the other side of the

rope bridge.

When the PCs approach the outer door and trig-

ger the clay scouts, read:

You see a ﬂash of motion from the arrow slit and a probe of

psychic energy erupts in your mind as a misshapen winged

creature made of blue stone tries to catch your eyes and pry

into your mind.

Languages —

When the PCs first get a good look at the clay

scouts, read:

There’s something wrong with these homunculi. They’ve

been altered by weird magic—they glow with blue light and

their parts don’t ﬁt together properly.

Skills Stealth +8

Str 10 (+1)

Dex 15 (+3)

Wis 10 (+1)

Con 13 (+2)

Int 10 (+1)

Cha 16 (+4)

When the inner door opens and the PCs can see

the mutant arbalester chained to the wall ahead

of them, read:

(Read the first sentence only if the Hand opens the

door.)

A gnoll opens the door at the end of the chamber and

dodges aside. Behind him, you see a twisted construct made

of glowing blue rock. It looks like a giant crossbow on wheels

and it seems to be screaming as it looses a bolt.

October 2009 | DUNGEON 171

The Hand of Torog (H)

Level 3 Brute

When the clay scouts see a hero approach within 3

squares of the door, one of the scouts attacks the PCs

with mind touch while the other f lies to ring the alarm

bell (marked “b” on the map) and rings it (a standard

action). On its next turn, that clay scout returns to an

arrow slit, where it has superior cover against attacks

from outside, joining its comrade and attacking the

intruders with mind touch .

The clay scouts aren’t smart enough to execute a

perfect defense. They stall enemies by dazing them

with mind touch and use redirect whenever possible.

The clay scouts are assigned to guard the Hand of

Torog. If he shows himself through the inner door, the

surviving clay scouts f ly to his side, so long as they can

do so without taking attacks of opportunity.

Penetrating the cave’s defenses would be much

harder for the PCs if the Hand of Torog hadn’t aban-

doned his post to bask in the sounds and smells of

worship. The one-armed gnoll’s assigned role during

the ceremonies is to guard the entryway alongside the

clay scouts and the mutant arbalester. Going by the

book, he’s supposed to lead the fight against any

intruders or hapless travelers, while sending one of

the clay scouts to the temple to warn Morgana. But

because the Hand was lurking with his ears pressed

to the temple wall, he runs for the entryway upon

hearing the alarm bell without revealing his derelic-

tion by warning those within the temple.

The Hand enters initiative the round after the

alarm bell is rung (most likely to be round 2 of

combat). His first order of business is to reach the

mutant arbalester. The arbalester remains chained to

the wall, but undoing the locks that bind the arbales-

ter’s firing mechanism requires a standard action on

the Hand’s part, consuming his actions in the second

round of the fight.

Cursing loud enough to be heard through the thin

doors, the Hand uses his next turn to throw open the

inner door, hoping to give the mutant arbalester an

enemy target. If there are no enemies in the entry

room yet, the Hand leaves the door open so the arbal-

ester has an open field of fire and dodges back toward

his quarters out of the arbalester’s sight while it deals

with enemies.

Unlike savage gnolls addicted to the frenzy of the

pack, the Hand is a survivor first. When bloodied, he

tries to escape. If he still has over 25% of his hit points

when he gets clear, he runs back through the open

doors into the main cavern and across the bridge,

where he gathers the forces from the second encoun-

ter by running to the door of the temple, before the

PCs have a chance to take a short rest or fully search

that side of the cavern. If he is already below 25% hit

points when he runs, the Hand abandons all thoughts

of continuing the fight, runs south past the double

doors leading to the rope bridge, and plunges through

the curtain of dried mushrooms (marked “e” on the

main map, page 25) leading to his privy/bolthole

(marked “f ” on the map, page 25). After diving

through, he tries to take his chances cutting away

from the cavern along the strip of mushroom forest,

but see the notes on the privy below.

Medium natural humanoid, gnoll

XP 150

Initiative +2

Sense s Perception +4; low-light vision

HP 52; Bloodied 26

AC 14; Fortitude 15, Reflex 12, Will 12

Speed 6

Battleaxe (standard; at-will) ✦ Weapon

+7 vs. AC; 1d8 + 5 damage, or 1d8+8 while bloodied.

Quick Bite (at-will; free, when gnoll marauder hits a bloodied

enemy with a melee attack)

The Hand of Torog makes a bite attack against the same

target; +4 vs. AC; 1d6 + 1 damage, or 1d6+4 damage

while bloodied.

Desperate Loner

The Hand of Torog deals 5 extra damage on melee attacks

when 2 or more enemies are adjacent to it.

Alignment Chaotic Evil Languages Abyssal, Common

Skills Endurance +7, Intimidate +5

Str 18 (+5)

Dex 12 (+2)

Wis 12 (+2)

Con 12 (+2)

Int 7 (–1)

Cha 5 (–2)

Equipment leather armor, battleaxe

Mutant Arbalester (M) Level 3 Artillery

Medium immortal humanoid (construct, homunculus)XP 150

Initiative +4

Sense s Perception +8;

darkvision

HP 36; Bloodied 18

AC 15; Fortitude 14, Reflex 13, Will 14

Immune disease, poison (and push, pull, slide when chained)

Speed 6 (0 when chained)

Slam (standard; at-will)

+10 vs. AC; 1d6 + 3 damage

Bolt (standard; at-will)

Ranged 20/40; +10 vs. AC; 1d10 + 3 damage

Perverse Double Shot (standard; recharge )

The arbalester makes two bolt attacks, each against a

different target. The targets must be within 5 squares of

each other. If an ally of the mutant arbalester is within 5

squares of its first target, there is a 50% chance that it will

target that ally with its second shot.

Guard Self

At the start of the arbalester’s turn, if an enemy is within 2

squares, the arbalester recharges its double shot power.

Alignment Unaligned

Languages —

Str 14 (+3)

Dex 17 (+4)

Wis 14 (+3)

Con 12 (+2)

Int 4 (–2)

Cha 7 (–1)

October 2009 | DUNGEON 171

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