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Legion Publishing - Critical Hits

Volume 8 No 4 - EL 8

L E G 1 0 3 2

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Greetings traveler and welcome to Critical Hits – a

series of electronic publications from Legion Publishing.

Each Critical Hit is a complete encounter that can be

dropped into any fantasy campaign with very little prepa-

ration needed by the DM. The encounters are little gems

of ideas built around a single situation, person, location,

creature or object that the players stumble across in their

travels. Each Critical Hit provides all the DM needs to use

the encounter. Whether used as a disposable diversion or

the springboard for adventure, Critical Hits give the over-

worked DM a break and the players some memorable

encounters that encourage creative role-playing.

V o l u m e 8 N o 4 - E n c o u n t e r L e v e l 8

WAR IN MIDWINTER

Published by

In War in Midwinter, the characters find themselves

embroiled in the climactic part of the struggle for the future of

the remote town of Midwinter. The party find themselves forced

to marshal the town’s scanty defenses against an almost over-

whelming force of bandits, who lust after the town’s riches.

If the party have played through the first part of the

story (Critical Hit #31 – Fear in Midwinter), there is

little required for the set-up of the adventure, otherwise

you will need to establish how the characters arrive at

the little town high in the snowy mountains. However

they find themselves in Midwinter, the weather in the

mountain town has closed in and the party, temporarily

fulfilling the duties of the sheriff is trapped in the town

until the weather clears and the sheriff and militia

return. The first part of the story saw the party appre-

hend four villainous spell casters who hoped to take

advantage of the wealthy townsfolk by masquerading as

fortunetellers and plaguing the town with their devilry.

Any of these miscreants still alive should be languishing in

the town jail (see map below). However, players being

what they are, it is quite possible that they slaughtered

the Red Talons in a bloody showdown in the gang’s cave

outside the town limits. If this is the case (or if you have

not played the first part of the story), the party has a

tough time ahead of them with none but the townsfolk to

aid in the defense of the isolated settlement. Perhaps

this harsh lesson will teach them to be merciful in

future… perhaps not! Text inside a border should be

read aloud to the players (unless you have modified the

setting, in which case you’re on your own!).

www.legionpublishing.co.uk

First Published December 2003

C R E D I T S &

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

Written by

Simon Lucas

Editor

Simon Lucas

Illustrations & Maps

Robin Elliott

Typesetting

Kirsty Crabb

Graphic design by Wildstar Digital Arts

Contact - info@wildstardigitalarts.co.uk

Author courtesy of Snake Eyes Studio

Contact - info@snakeeyesstudio.co.uk

Legion Publishing, Critical Hits, the Legion Publishing logo, Legionnaire,

and all related characters and elements are trademarks of Legion

Publishing.

Wildstar Digital Arts and its logo are trademarks of Wildstar Digital Arts.

Snake Eyes Studio and its logo are trademarks of Snake Eyes Studio.

'd20 System' and the 'd20 System' logo are trademarks of Wizards of

the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used according to

the terms of the d20 System License version 4.0. A copy of this License

can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.

Designation of Product Identity

All material, other than material already considered Open Gaming

Content is considered Product Identity as described in Section 1(e) of

the Open Gaming License v1.0a. This includes but is not limited to

Critical Hits and all significant characters, names, creatures, spells,

events, plots, logos, trade dress, product names, product lines, places,

Reserved, except where otherwise noted. The use of another company's

trademark should not be construed as a challenge to that trademark.

Reproduction of non-Open Game Content from this work by any means

without the express written consent of Legion Publishing is prohibited.

THE MESSENGER

The characters are enjoying their status as the saviors

of the town and being treated as the heroes they no doubt

Legion Publishing - Critical Hits

Volume 8 No 4 - EL 8

are. Things are thrown into crisis one morning when they

are awakened early by desperate voices at their door.

were put to the sword in the short but brutal assault.

The caravan was no match for the determination of the

brigands. They did not kill all at once, however. Some

were spared and taken to the bandit encampment,

where they suffered greatly at the hands of their

captors. The bandits tortured and questioned their

hapless captives for many days, learning all they could

about the caravans and the cargo they carried. Recalling

the brutality he suffered before his escape was too much

for the poor soul and he succumbed to his injuries before

we could discover the whereabouts of the camp.

Sudden pounding at your door drags you from your

peaceful sleep. The fire has died to embers in the

hearth, the sticky long-burning resin with which the

Midwinter townsfolk baste their logs has burnt away

and the cold morning air has chilled the room leaving

you reluctant to emerge from beneath the heavy furs

and blankets. Urgent voices from without leave you

with little option, however. “Come quickly sirs, there

is word of the militia. You must wake and come at

once, a survivor is here!” Thoughts of a long sleep ban-

ished from your head, you prepare to face the bright

white landscape and new trouble that you sense awaits

in the bitter cold.

“We continued for almost a week and found further

evidence of the cruel raiders. Several abandoned sites

confirmed to us that they moved camp regularly to

avoid discovery. We found many burned and looted

homesteads and the devastation they left hardened

our resolve to hunt them to their deaths. But it was we

who were hunted. We did not know it but the bandits

dogged our tracks ad sprung an ambush one night,

stealing from us many of our supplies and taking the

two guards prisoner. Throughout the night, we heard

their screams, but we could not find them in the dark-

ness. When morning came, we discovered the corpses. I

cannot relate what had been done to them.

Outside, many townsfolk have gathered on the edge of

the town square, beyond the many stalls of the market-

place and the throng is eagerly busying around a prone

figure.

As you approach the crowd parts allowing you to pass,

so you can make your way to the middle. At the center

of the mass of people, lying on a heap of furs and

badly wounded is a young man with a thick beard, his

face lined with weariness and pain.

“We turned to our task with renewed determination

and pursued the scum single-mindedly for the next two

days, gaining ground on our quarry. Then it became

apparent where the evil band were heading. They had

turned toward Midwinter. They must have learned of

the value of the starwood and the wealth of the town;

our homes and families were under threat. We had one

hope to cut off the enemy’s path. Knowing the reputa-

tion of the forest of Remin, the bandits skirted it to

the north. The sheriff chose to brave the forest,

getting ahead of the evil horde and blocking their

route east. Well-founded is that place’s evil reputa-

tion, for our time in the dark groves of Remin haunts

me still and I would never venture into that place

again. Our numbers were depleted in that evil forest

so that, as we emerged we were poorly prepared to

meet our foe. Four others and I were sent to warn the

town, that some defense may be marshaled. I stole a

last glance at the militia as I left. The sheriff stood at

the fore, silhouetted against the darkening sky, and

stirring the men with a rousing speech. They stood in

good order preparing to meet the bandits as I lost

sight of them. The sound of battle reached me soon

after and I hurried on my way. We messengers split up,

traveling by different paths in the hope that one may

succeed. I know now that I am the first and so I dis-

charge my duty. The bandits are coming! Make ready

the defense of the town.”

The man is Bartein Ramloc, a sergeant in the town

militia and one of the few survivors of the party that set

out from Midwinter all that time ago. Though badly

wounded, he is alive and, with care, will live. He can

recount the tragedy that befell the party and the sheriff

who led it.

BARTEIN’S TALE

As soon as he is aware that the PCs are in charge,

Bartein demands to speak to them. His tale is lengthy and

every now and then, he is overcome with pain or fatigue

and lapses into gasping. Read the tale aloud (or hand it

to one of the players and have them read it to the rest of

the group).

“Barely three days from here we came across the

remains of one of our caravans. Two survivors left for

dead, lost and dying of the cold. We were unable to do

anything for them, but to make their passing less bitter.

Before the end, one told us what had happened. The

caravan was ambushed between the Tura pass and the

ford at Benriven. The attack was well planned and coor-

dinated with magic, archers and fearsome beasts killing

many of the guards before the bandits attacked in con-

solidated force. They fell upon the wagons and many

Legion Publishing - Critical Hits

Volume 8 No 4 - EL 8

In their original attack the bandits were surprised to

find the caravan so laden with riches and tortured the

survivors brutally to discover what it had been carrying

and where it was bound. Learning that the wealthy town

routinely had large sums of gold stored in the guild house,

the bandits resolved to pay the place a visit. When they

came across the militia unit and took prisoners the fiends

were delighted when, under the agony of torture, the

captives revealed the militia band were from Midwinter

and constituted the only real military in the place.

the year, the town is all but cut off. Rules for the

extreme inclement weather are presented at the end of

this encounter. Despite its remoteness and modest size,

the little town is very prosperous, standing as it does on

the edge of one of the great starwood forests. This

extremely hard wood is prized as a building material and

the beautiful glittering speckled pattern of the grain

that gives the timber its name. As a result, starwood is

the material of choice for hardwearing decorative furni-

ture and commands a high price. The fact that it only

grows high in the snowy uplands makes it an even rarer

commodity and so a more expensive luxury.

When the sheriff cut off their path to Midwinter, he

felt the full savagery of the bandit raiders’ attack. His

brave stand bought time enough for the messengers to

reach the town, but he and those brave souls that stood

with him were all killed. Those that turned and fled were,

for the most part overtaken and killed by the advancing

bandits. Now, their heads full of greedy visions of a

defenseless town heaving with gold, the war band

marches on Midwinter, intent on laying waste to the town

and pillaging its finery.

The town is trading and logging outpost and is not

built for defense. The wall encircling the town is little

over three feet high and is built to prevent snowdrifts

sweeping through the town rather than to keep out

intruders. In addition, there are no gates for the

1 – Market Square

The large market square is normally the bustling

heart of the town but, with the recent news of approach-

ing disaster spreading like wildfire through Midwinter,

the frightened townsfolk have closed the stalls and

packed up their wares, retreating to their homes to wait

for instructions from the PCs or impending disaster.

THE RETURN OF THE MILITIA

Later that same day, the party receives further news

as, one after another, five survivors from the militia

struggle in from the cold. All are suffering badly from

their wounds and exposure to the elements and all are

near death. They can add a little to the party’s under-

standing of events and the danger the town faces.

2 – The Twisted Gable

The most sumptuous inn in the town is the Gable, a

well-furnished inn, where the PCs are likely to be

staying. The clientele at the Gable tend to be traders and

merchants rather than loggers. The rougher patrons tend

to frequent the Buckled Strumpet (location 7), where the

atmosphere is somewhat more colorful.

“They weren’t all human, the bandits. Some half-orcs

and the leader – a brute, half-orc, maybe orc. They

had magic and archers to soften us up first then great

dogs, or wolves – or some hideous half-breed of the

two attacked our flanks at nightfall. They hit and

then melted away. After two or three hours of this,

sorcery began and we were hit by a great and over-

whelming dread. The sheriff held firm and we rallied

to him. When the attack started it was nearing dawn

and we fought bitterly as the red sunrise presaged the

blood that was to be spilt. The heat of the battle

thawed the snow, and rivers of red streamed from the

battlefield. As the day fully broke, so did our nerve

and many of us fled. I am ashamed to say that I was

one of the first to flee. The sheriff tried valiantly to

avert the rout, but the enemy was too strong and my

fear too great. I left that brave man on the field of

battle and my honor with him.” He bows his head and

sobs wrack his frail, wounded body.

3 – Loggers’ Guild

This grand tall building is one of the few structures in

town to feature an upper floor, the whole of which is

given over to a grand function room. The lower floor com-

prises offices and the strongroom, in which the immense

wealth of the town is stored. It is this building that the

bandits are intent on reaching and they know much about

the layout of the town, the whereabouts of this building,

and even details of the strongroom. This information was

extracted with nauseating violence from the captive mer-

chants and militia the bandits tortured.

THE TOWN OF MIDWINTER

4 – Midwinter Jail

The weather in Midwinter fluctuates from cold and

snowy to freezing and icy, meaning that, at some times of

The only stone building in Midwinter, the jail is a

sturdy place to make the headquarters for marshaling the

Legion Publishing - Critical Hits

Volume 8 No 4 - EL 8

defense of the town. Unless the Red Talons are incarcer-

ated here, the jail has little practical value except as a

last retreat for the PCs if things go wrong.

This may be better than nothing, however as the townsfolk

themselves do not carry weapons and the best they can

muster is a motley assortment of farm implements, which

are treated as shortspears for the purposes of this battle.

5 – Peter Black – Smithy

6 – Temple of Haloon

The smithy is the industrial center of the town and

Peter Black the burly smith keeps the forges raging to

produce the rudimentary weapons the players may

request. He is no weaponsmith, however, and any weapons

he crafts at short notice suffer a –2 the their attack rolls.

The temple, like most of the buildings in the town is a

simple low wooden building and is dedicated to the worship

of the nature spirit Haloon. Allias Franburn is the senior

priest in the temple, which, as with most rural communities

d20 Legion Publishing Critical Hits 32 - War in Midwinter.pdf

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