Official Game Adventure

The Bloodstone Warsby Michael Dobson and Douglas Niles

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 1: The Barons Treasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Chapter 2: Return of the Assassins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Chapter 3: Battles of Bloodstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Chapter 4: The Assassins Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Appendix: Dramatis Personae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Appendix: Pregenerated Player Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Maps

The Assassins Run: Overhead View . . . . . Inside Front CoverThe Assassins Run: Cutaway View . . . . . . . Inside Back CoverBloodstone Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Outer GatefoldThe Town of Bloodstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inner GatefoldThe Kingdoms of Damara and Valls . . . . . . . . . Fold-Out MapThe Mines of Bloodstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Battle Flowchart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15BATTLESYSTEM Scenario 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17BATTLESYSTEM Scenario 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18BATTLESYSTEM Scenario 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19BATTLESYSTEM Scenario 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20BATTLESYSTEM Scenario 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

CREDITS Distributed to the book trade in the United States by Random House, Inc., andEditing: Douglas Niles and Michael DobsonCover Art: Larry ElmoreCartography: David C. Sutherland IIITypography: Betty ElmoreKeyline: Stephanie Tabat

in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobbytrade by regional distributors. Distributed in the United Kingdom by TSR UKLtd. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, BATTLESYSTEM,F O R G O T T E N R E A L M S , D R A G O N L A N C E , P R O D U C T S O F Y O U RIMAGINATION, and the TSR logo are trademarks of TSR Inc.This adventure is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of Amer-ica. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork con-tained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR Inc.

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INTRODUCTION

Notes for theDungeon Master

The four-module BLOODSTONE PASScampaign series (of which this is part three)explores what is, for the authors, one of themost interesting aspects of the AD&D®game: becoming a ruler.

Although the Dungeon Masters Guide(DMG) provides that a character of suffic-ient level can build a castle, hire an army,and set himself (or herself) up as a propermedieval ruler, the rules given therein arenot sufficient to allow ruling and role-playing to go together. Instead, high-level characters who become rulers arenormally considered to be retired fromadventuring. Perhaps from time to timethese old warhorses in your campaign gettrotted out for a particularly tough chal-lenge, leaving their seneschals behind toadminister their dominions for a while.But mostly the campaign moves on toyounger, newer characters.

More often, players avoid the burdens ofrulership, preferring to maintain theirhigh-level characters as free-lance adventur-ers, ready to move on to the next dungeon,carrying their treasure in their backpacks, or

in the saddlebags of their mount, or in aconvenient magical chest that avoids theissue of encumbrance altogether.

Its been our feeling that there is awhole lot more that can be done withcharacters who become rulers. TheBLOODSTONE PASS saga is our attemptto show that high-level AD&D® gameplay can be qualitatively, as well as quan-titatively, different from low- andmedium-level playand just as exciting.

In the first two parts of the series, H1,Bloodstone Pass, and H2, The Mines ofBloodstone, the PCs have defeated a ban-dit army and learned of a secret plot

involving Orcus, Prince of the Undead.In the process, they have managed to reo-pen the bloodstone mines, from whichthe Pass took its name, thus providing theBarony of Bloodstone with a continuingstream of revenue that will lift its peopleout of the mire of poverty. The charactersnow have the opportunity to builddefenses, develop economic infrastruc-ture, and build an army to withstand thethreats that are building elsewhere in therealms of Damara and Vaasa.

In H3, The Bloodstone Wars , theplayer characters must face a new chal-lenge of rulershipmilitary leadershipin the face of superior enemy forces. Acombination of role-playing challengesand BATTLESYSTEM game miniaturesscenarios (with optional resolution forthose who arent into miniatures war-gaming) deals with the storm clouds ofwar that even now are forming over thebaronies and dukedoms of southernDamara. These conflicts inevitably leadto war with the mysterious Witch-King ofVaasa, and his chief ally, the Grandfatherof Assassins, in his mountain fortressdeep in the Galena Mountains.

Pregenerated characters from H1 andH2 are provided for your use (increased inlevel, of course) if the players do not havecharacters of sufficient level to handle thechallenges provided here. Althoughthese characters were used by us to bal-ance the adventure, an experiencedDungeon Master should have no problemin making any characters of appropriatelevel work in this adventure. All the char-acters have been designed with appropri-ate proficiencies, using the latest rulesfrom Unearthed Arcana (UA), Dun-geoneers Survival Guide (DSG), andWilderness Survival Guide (WSG). Ifyou are not using these newer rules,ignoring them will not make a major dif-

ference. Wherever possible, we have pro-vided options that use the newer rulesand systems in the ever-expandingAD&D® game system, but those of youwho use exclusively core rules or home-made variants should have little difficul-ty. The authors will be pleased to answerquestions when accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope, mailed tous using the address on the back cover.

The primary authors would like to givespecial thanks to Ed Elminster Green-wood, sage of the Forgotten Realms, forallowing us to adapt his adventure setting,The Assassins Run, from DRAGON®Magazine #64, as part of the lair of theGrandfather of Assassins. He reminds usthat the primary Assassins Run is located inthe great city of Waterdeep, many hun-dreds of leagues to the west of Vaasa andDamara. Of course, more than one Assas-sins Guild exists in the various countries ofthe Forgotten Realms, and a good set ofarchitectural blueprints, we felt, was likelyto have made the rounds.

We should also point out that the BLOODSTONE PASS saga takes place inthe FORGOTTEN REALMS FantasyGame Setting, new from TSR, Inc. A cer-tain amount of retrofitting was needed tointegrate this series into our new officialgame world, and our thanks go to JeffGrubb, chief translator and scribe, and tothe aforementioned Mr. Greenwood,whose many years of research, develop-ment, and late-night sessions withElminster led to the creation of this won-derfully complex and detailed world.

High-level modules are inherently open-ended, because of the vast range of optionsavailable to powerful characters. It takesskill and a firm hand to run such adventuressuccessfully, and to handle the unforseen inthe context of the evolving campaign.Good luck, and good adventuring!

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What Has GoneBefore....

Players whose characters adventured inH1 and H2 should be familiar with thebackground information that is summa-rized here. Players who are new to theBLOODSTONE PASS campaign need tobe given the general background; it maynot hurt to refresh the memory of theother players. Certain deep back-ground information (about the plot ofOrcus, in particular) is given for the use ofthe Dungeon Master only; the playerswill find out the truth soon enough. . .

For generations, the cold northernwastes of Vaasa supported a scant popula-tion of hunters, trappers, and poorfarmers. These hardy souls scrabbled ameagre living from the stony soil, andbarely endured the long, dark winters.But that was before the coming of theWitch-King, Zhengyi, who formed theKingdom of Vaasa and built an evil castleatop a lonely crag, from which his sinistershadow crept across the land. Some saidthat Zhengyi had enlisted the aid of pow-erful demons, or was a demon himself,and something of this must have beentrue, for the Kingdom of Vaasa soonraised an army of human, nonhuman,and undead warriors far more that thepoor northern lands could possibly sup-port. And with this army, Vaasa became apower to be reckoned with in the Forgot-ten Realms.

The Witch-King and his secret ally, theGrandfather of Assassins (whose mysteri-ous mountain citadel is reputed to besomewhere in the Galena Mountains),moved quickly to consolidate his victory.In a single night, the most loyal and pow-erful nobles of Damara were slain bysword and by poison, leaving only thecraven, the incompetent, and the disloyalto sue for peace.

The Witch-King took the rich north-ern provinces for his own, then granted athin independence to the southern lords. . . as long as they paid tribute andacknowledged the Witch- Kings power.This was a shrewd political move, for eachpetty noble conspired against the othersfor scraps of power and wealth, throwingthe entire south into chaos. A steadystream of refugees moved into the south,searching for an ever-elusive safety andpeace.

Hardship and poverty were no stran-gers to the Barony of Bloodstone, situ-ated in a narrow pass that was once themajor trade route through the GalenaMountains to the north and west, includ-ing Zhentil Keep and the Moonsea. Oncea prosperous province of Damara, theverdant valley of the Bloodstone Pass washome to humans, dwarves, centaurs, andhalflings. In addition to good farmlandand the income from maintaining a lead-ing trade route, the famous mines wereone of the leading sources of the deep-green chalcedony flecked with red jasper,known as bloodstones.

In the year 1137, the Witch-Kinginvaded the peaceful k ingdom ofDamara, to the south, striking withoutwarning. In spite of the surprise of theinitial attack, the Damarans were nopushovers; the war lasted for ten long,bloody years. In the summer of 1147,King Virdin of Damara faced the Witch-Kings cohorts at the Ford of Goliad inwhat would be the final engagement ofthe long war. Some say it was the treach-ery of the Kings chief lieutenant, Felix(who was rumored to be a secret memberof the Guild of Assassins, in league withthe enemy), who betrayed the youngking to his death, and his army into utterdefeat.

But at approximately the same time asthe Witch-Kings ascent to power inVaasa, a series of disasters befell the Bar-ony of Bloodstone.

First was the loss of the mines. Humanand dwarven workers, toiling deepbeneath the earth, awakened a namelessevil, and death stalked the mines. In asingle night, the major source of wealthvanished. Next came the dread WolfWinter of 1137, when a poor harvest fol-lowed by a long and terrible wintercaused mass starvation, and dire wolvesfrom the Galenas preyed on whateverthey could find. And then the armies ofthe Witch-King closed the northern passout of the Galenas, and trade ceased.

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Poverty settled in the valley, and Blood-stone ceased to communicate with theoutside world.

Within months of the death of KingVirdin at the Ford of Goliad, the Grand-father of Assassins reached out to orga-nize the bandits and creatures of theGalenas into an army in league withVaasa. They demanded tribute fromBloodstone in the form of gold, food,and finally slaves.

Baron Tranth, fifth Baron of Blood-stone, realized he needed powerful help.But where to turn? There was no treasurewith which to buy a mercenary army. Hecould only beg. So he sent two young vil-lagers, Garlen and Garvin, to seek the aidof powerful adventurers.

In H1, Bloodstone Pass, Garlen andGarvin approached a party of brave andpowerful adventurers. Although theycould offer a fee of only five silver piecesper day, the adventurers agreed to help.Operating under a cloak of secrecy andaided by powerful magic, the village pre-pared for battle. A series of skirmisheshelped whittle down the size of the ban-dit army in preparation for the last battle,but the cost was high. In a night of hor-ror, a priest of Orcus conjured the dead ofthe Bloodstone graveyard to life, andcorpses shambled the streets. But thatevil, too, was defeated, and finally thepower of the Grandfather of Assassinswas broken.

The beautiful daughter and heiress ofBaron Tranth, Lady Christine, fell in lovewith one of the adventurers, a bravefighter, and planned a marriage. Itseemed that with powerful patrons, theBarony of Bloodstone might once againhave a bright future.

In H2, The Mines of Bloodstone, an ear-ly winter settled in, and the villagers beganto fear a repeat of the Wolf Winter. Themilitary successes of the past few monthshave not solved all the problems of Blood-stone, and the adventurers are once againcalled into action. But as they begin toinvestigate the food situation, and come togrips with the problem of the dire wolves, anew night of horror descends on the village.At a home near the Abbey of St. Sollers, apeasant family has been foully massacredby worgs, and there is evidence of a vam-

pires participation in the atrocity. And,painted on the wall in the blood of the vic-tims, is a goats headthe sigil of Orcus,Prince of the Undead.

All signs in the investigation lead tothe long-closed bloodstone mines, and itis there the heroes go. The abandonedmine shafts are redolent with evil, and atthe bottom, demons and succubi awaitnew victims eagerly.

On defeating the demons, the heroesrescued two svirfneblin gnomes, whoreveal the existence of a huge cavern cityof duergar beneath the mines. Once thecity was occupied by the svirfneblin, andthe duergar led mean and squalid livesoutside the cavern network. Over manyyears , the duergar preyed on thesvirfneblin, but never achieved militarysuccess. Until one night, a duergar creptinto the svirfneblin realm to steal foodand perhaps murder a few gnomes.Sneaking through an infrequently usedtunnel, he found an open mine shaft.Curious, he crawled inside, and foundthere a pool of mercury, glistening coldly.He felt a calling from it, a sense ofimplacable evil that thrilled him. Hestretched out his hand, touched the mer-

cury, and was instantly transformed into afigure of transcendent horroran avatarof Orcus, Prince of the Undead. The spir-it of Orcus ravaged the city of thesvirfneblin, driving them from theirhomes and destroying their civilization,then stalked the mineshafts and broughtdeath to all who lived there. Then it dissi-pated, leaving the strange pool of mercu-ry gleaming with an evil blue light.

The duergar were quick to exploit thedestruction of the svirfneblin, and tookthe city for their own. Clerics of theduergar found the glowing pool, andlearned its deadly secret: it was a gate tothe lower planes of the Abyss, andthrough it Orcus might one day enter thePrime Material Plane and claim it for hisown. The duergar built a huge Temple ofOrcus, with the pool of mercury at itscenter. Guards, wards, and fiendish trapswere built to keep anyone from penetrat-ing its secrets. The svirfneblin, shatteredremnants of their former glory, lurked insmall caves outside the city, hoping oneday to return.

Escaping through the duergar city andinto the catacombs outside, the adven-turers located the Gnome King, Rugge-

do. The King realized that destiny hadgiven him an opportunity to restore hist h r o n e , a n d s u g g e s t e d t h a t t h esvirfneblin military attack while theadventurers penetrated the Temple ofOrcus to destroy the evil at its center.

Passing through the eight Tests ofOrcus, the adventurers finally discoveredthe Pool of Orcus in the Dark Sanctuaryat the very heart of the temple, and theremanaged to disrupt a ceremony of sum-moning at the last instant. . . before Orcuspenetrated the Prime Material Plane!

With the rupture of the ceremony,Orcus retreated into the Abyss, and theduergar were routed from the city. Thegrateful King Ruggedo swore a treaty ofeternal friendship, and the mines ofBloodstone were restored.

And it was thus that Baron Tranthoffered the hand of his daughter, LadyChristine, in marriage, and on the firstday of spring, a great wedding was held.And as a dowry, Baron Tranth gave thebarony itself to his new son-in-law, retir-ing to become an adviser to the realm.

Yet the dark cloud of Vaasa still hangsover all the provinces of Damara, and it isclear that this battle has not yet ended. . .

PROLOGUE

Set-Up #1: On the Road Again...Use this section if you have not played

the earlier modules in this series.In order to set up the adventure for

new characters, you must arrange for themto visit the ex-Kingdom of Damara. Sum-marize the history of the Vaasan War andDamaras defeat, emphasizing the chaosin the southern provinces. The roads arechoked with refugees, giving you lots ofopportunities to have a refugee tell thePCs about events in the region. Plant arumor or two about the amazing blood-stone mines in the Galena Mountains,and suggest that great wealth might beobtained there. Or have them learnabout Bloodstone Pass and realize thatthere might be opportunities for military

command and heroism. That should beenough to get most adventuring partieson the right track. Be creativemostgroups are just looking for an excuse to goadventuring.

If you are starting a new campaign withthis adventure, your players can eithercreate their own 17th-level characters, oruse the pregenerated characters providedin the appendix. The characters wouldnaturally know the history of the war, ifnot necessarily that of Bloodstone Pass,and might even be refugees. Arrange tointroduce the characters to one another,then off you go!

To get characters from the southernprovinces of Damara to Bloodstone Pass,

they must go into the Galena Mountains.Module H1 has a route map and someencounters; alternatively, REF3, TheBook of Lairs, and REF4, The Book ofLairs II, contain many short adventuresthat can be placed along the route. Nomap is necessary.

Once in the village, the PCs can stay atthe Inn of the Clowns, and Stephan theInnkeeper (always on the lookout forbrave adventurers to join the forces ofBloodstone) can tell them about recentevents in Bloodstone and introduce themto the Baron. They will be hired as cara-van leaders, and go directly to ChapterOne.

Set-Up #2: Bloodstone ReduxIf you are continuing the campaign

begun in H1 and H2, use this set-up.If the PCs did not manage to keep

Orcus from entering the Prime MaterialPlane, or were not able to defeat him if hedid, they must somehow defeat his PrimeMaterial presence in order to continue thesaga. Of course, destroying Orcus PrimeMaterial presence does not defeat the trueOrcus in the Abyss, but it does slow himdown a little. . . Once Orcus emerges, theduergar in the mines form an army, andbegin invading the surface world. Orcusremains in the caverns below, directingthe forces from his temple. Dont givethe PCs any breaksOrcus is one of theworst opponents any party can possiblyface. If they succeed, the duergar arerouted and the situation begins as laidout in Chapter One. If not, then theadventure is over before it starts.

On the other hand, if Orcus neverentered the Prime Material, or wasdefeated by the PCs, the duergar weredefeated and the svirfneblin reinstated asthe lawful rulers of that section of theUnderdark, as provided in the previoussection. The PCs returned to Bloodstoneto cheering crowds, and the Baronoffered to his daughters hand in mar-riage to the PC fighter with the highestcharisma (subject to the players consentand proper attitude).

With Orcus defeated, the terrible win-ter seemed to subside, and although acertain amount of rationing was necessaryto make the meagre food stocks last, thevillagers survived the winter, The threatof the dire wolves subsided, and hunterswere able to bring fresh meat to the peo-ple.

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And on the first day of spring, a lovelyand sunny day, the wedding of LadyChristine to a PC took place, followingwhich came the Barons surpr iseannouncement that he was steppingdown in favor of his son-in- law. Officialtitles were provided to all the PCsCourtWizard, Master of the Hunt, Bard Laure-ate (dont let anyone feel left out).

About six months have passed sincethe end of H2; enough time for characterswho earned enough experience points totrain for level advancement. The minesare back in full swing, and a steadily-increasing supply of bloodstones is build-ing up. Role-play everyday life inBloodstone Pass until you feel ennui issetting in, then move quickly into Chap-ter One.

The Lusty Monthof May

Chapter One: THE BARONS TREASURE

Hi, Ho, Its Off toWork We Go

time; most of them can occur repeatedly.Use them as needed to spice up your cam-paign.

The terrible winter is over, and thefirst blooms of spring have appeared inthe green grass. Farmers plow theirfields, no longer afraid of maraudingbandits, dire wolves, or demons.Deep beneath the earth, hill dwarvesand svirfneblin gnomes work side-by-side in the mines, searching for thesmall, glistening gems known asbloodstones. Newly-built homes andbusinesses, their whitewash gleamingin the sunlight, illustrate a newspirita spirit of hope.

The DSG, pages 48-55, providesdetailed rules and options for miningoperations in the AD&D® game. TheMines of Bloodstone are tunnel mines,long since developed. The gnomes anddwarves have been working the mines forabout eight months (32 weeks), and newtunnels have been extended from thosemarked on the H2 map, using the Exca-vating a Tunnel Mine rules in the DSG.Use the map on page 7 for all activitiesinvolving the mines.

A full week of celebration followedthe marriage of Lady Christine and thenew Baron of Bloodstone. The cen-taurs, dwarves and halflings of the val-ley came to swear fealty, and stayed todance with their human brothers andsisters. Now they have returned totheir homes, but with a spirit ofrenewed friendship.

This is a particularly rich mine com-plex, equivalent to bloodstone x3 onDSG Table 32. It has an unusually longduration, as well: 5d100 man-years.

1. Flooding: While excavating a newtunnel, the miners accidentally breakthrough into a large lake (part of the bodyof water that begins in area 3 and runsdown into the pool in area 16). A hugeflood begins to fill 1 square per meleeround, flowing down into the mines.This should take place when the PCs arevisiting the mining operation. The PCsmust rescue dwarves and gnomes, battleupstream against rapids, and dam theflow of water. Use the Flowing Waterrules in the DSG, pages 44-45. A floodshuts down the mines for 1d20 days, withattendant production loss.

After over a decade of hardship andsuffering, Bloodstone Pass has beenreborn!

If you have been playing the campaignseries, discuss improvements aroundtown (especially new fortifications anddefenses) with the players, and collabo-rate with them in modifying the villagemap in H2.

As the adventure opens, your charac-ters are once again participating in every-day l i fe in Bloodstone . This i s atraditional way to begin a new install-ment of a continuing series. One or twoplaying sessions of peace and tranquilitylet the PCs get to know many of theminor characters in this saga (see theappendix, Dramatis Personae of Blood-stone) and help create the illusion of real-ity for this community. A field trip or twoto the outlying non-human communities(also described more fully in H2) is also agood idea.

The peace and tranquility playingsessions can be spiced up by having thecharacters visit the bloodstone mines.

Approximately 100 dwarves andsvirfneblin work in the mines, yielding600-6000 (600 x 1d10) bloodstones perweek, with an average value of 20+10d6gp. In the eight months the mines havebeen in operation, the miners have exca-vated approximately 96,000 stones with abase value of 5 gp unfinished, or 480,000gp total. A group of 20 gnomish anddwarvish gemcutters have been working

2. Cave-In: A cave-in can be an acci-dent, a result of excavation, or caused bysabotage, as described in DSG, pages 38-40. Accidental cave-ins can occur any-where in the mines; excavation cave-instake place in areas of new construction.Cave-ins caused by sabotage are by assas-sins trying to destroy Bloodstone; seeChapter Two. Cave-ins can happen eitherwhen the PCs are visiting the mines, orthe PCs can arrive on the scene to conductrescue operations. Accidental or excava-tion cave-ins shut down the mines for1d10 days and reduce production by 50%for 1d20 days; sabotage (if not foiled bythe PCs) shuts down the mines for 1d100days.

3. Air Supply Disasters: Use the DSGrules, pages 36-38. Fires, smoke, poison-ous and noxious gases, or cave-in col-lapses can cause problems with air supplyThese can happen with or without thePCs, and can cause mine shutdowns rang-ing from 1d6 days to 1d100 days,

to cut and polish stones; they have man-aged to finish 6,400 stones worth an aver-age of 50 gp apiece, or 320,000 gp. Onehundred exceptional stones have beenfound, worth an average of 2,500 gpapiece (total 250,000 gp); these have allbeen finished. Thus far, the mines haveproduced gems with a market value of918,000 gp. Subtract expenses of 64,000gp for operations (see below) and 10%tariff for the svirfneblin (91,800 gp) asrequired by treaty (see H2 for details), for790,000 gp net income for the treasury of depending on severity and cause.Bloodstone. We emphasize that this 4. Monsters: Monsters can burrow intowealth belongs to the Barony. . . not to the the mines at any time, shutting downindividual PCs. production until they are hunted down

and destroyed. Ankhegs, umber hulks,bullettes, stone eaters (see H2), carrionRandom Mine

Encounterscrawlers, gelatinous cubes, green slime(and all the other slimes, puddings, jel-lies, molds, and powders), and any other

Mining is a hazardous occupation, and type of underground monster you desirea number of things can go wrong. The can show up. The tables in Monster Man-following situations can occur at any ual II (MMII) are useful here. Some really

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n a s t y m o n s t e r s , i n c l u d i n g m i n o rdemons, beholders , and powerfulundead (including Aldric the Vampire)might be sent as part of Orcuss continu-ing interest in Bloodstone Pass.

Further MiningOperations

The Galena Mountains are a richsource of mineral wealth, not merelybloodstones. If accompanied by the PCs,dwarf and svirfneblin mining parties willsearch out new mining locations. (Themountains are so dangerous that they willnot explore without strong protectorspresent.) It takes approximately onemonth of game time to explore one hexon the enclosed map, both above andunderground. A liberal assortment ofmonsters should plague any miningexpedition, including stone and frostgiants, various types of dragons, the fullrange of dungeon carrion, and any crea-tures that live in mountainous and/ orcold regions. In addition, feel free to trig-ger avalanches, flooding, cave-ins, andother natural hazardsthe WSG is filledwith nasty ideas you can put to work.

When a new mine is discovered, usethe DSG tables to determine products,quality, and duration.

There are substantial costs involved inmining operations. Exploring costs 5,000gp per hex for equipment, personnel,and supplies. Starting a mining opera-tion costs 10,000 gp + 2,500 gp per hexdistant from Bloodstone for road-building, site preparation, initial excava-tion, and testingthis money must bespent before rolling for quality, output,and duration. A smelter for ore costs5,000 gp to build. The mine costs 200 gpper week per employee to operatethispays for food, shelter, salaries, miningequipment, etc. Transportation back toBloodstone costs 1,000 per week per hexof distancethis pays for guards, roadmaintenance, and occasional losses frombanditry and monster predation. Youshould assess additional costs as needed,such as treaties and share splits with theraces of the Underdark, costs of defend-ing a claim against aggressors, and what-

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ever else seems appropriate.

To Market We GoThe Council of Bloodstone consists of

Tranth, Lady Christine, Quillan the Sage,Tokan of the Dwarves, Kiros of the Cen-taurs, Mayor William of the Halflings,King Ruggedo of the Gnomes, and, ofcourse, the PCs.

Hmmm . . . lets see now, saysQuillan the Sage, his quill pen scratch-ing on the parchment scroll. Thats790,000 gold pieces worth of blood-stones and approximately 800,000g o l d p i e c e s f r o m t h e d u e r g a rtreasury thats our share, of course,since most of that wealth was stolenfrom our friends the svirfneblin,which totals 1,590,000 gold pieces,less a commission of 10% split amongour brave heroes, thats 159,000 goldpieces, and that leaves. . .lets see now-. . .carry the one. . . no, thats not right,nine from zero leaves one, take awayone from nine. . .ah! Ive got it. Thats1,331,000 gold pieces for the treasury!Added to whats in the treasury now,we have a total wealth of 1,332,000gold pieces! Were rich! I can buildthat greenhouse for exotic plants Ivealways wanted. . .and get some booksfor the library, and. . .

Not so fast, says Tranth. First,we need to figure out how to get thismaterial to market, and then we canworry how to spend it.

If the PCs adventured in H2, theyshould keep the wealth they found dur-ing the adventure except for the contentsof the duergar treasury (area 49). Thesvirfneblin paid 10% of that treasury toBloodstone Pass for services rendered inrestoring their kingdom, and are spend-ing the rest in restoring their ancient glo-ry. The Barony has granted a 10% rewardto the PCs for reopening the mines.Divide 159,000 gp among the PCs. If thePCs did not adventure in H2, they getnothing.

Gems, no matter how beautiful, areworth nothing unless they are taken to

market and sold. The players should dis-cuss how they want to proceed. The twopossible trading routes are north and westto Zhentil Keep and the Moonsea, acrosslands occupied by the Vaasan Army(clearly a dangerous journey), or east tothe Free City of Heliogabalus, a majortrading city on the route to Thay and theeastern Moonsea (see insert map). To getto Heliogabalus, the PCs must passthrough the Duchy of Arcata and the oth-er minor provincesnot without risk,but better than trying to go throughVaasa.

The players should divide up the1,332,000 gp into the following catego-ries: hard currency to keep in the Blood-stone Treasury, wealth to be distributeddirectly to the citizens in the form of coins(there are 1,000 humans, 600 svirfneblin,400 dwarves, 400 centaurs, and 300 half-lings), and gems and gold to be taken tomarket. The gems are easiest to transport.Each gem weighs 1d4 gp (average 2 gp).Calculate the total weight to be carried.

In addition, the PCs may have surplusmagic items to sell or trade. Many itemscan be given to the residents of Blood-stone Pass, increasing their loyalty andreaction adjustments, and making themmore useful as henchmen and hirelings.But evil-aligned weapons may not be veryuseful, and can be taken along and sold.

The traditional way to transport goodsto market is by caravan. Tranth and Quil-lan suggest that a well-guarded caravan isthe right way to go. It may occur to thePCs that their magic might allow them tofly to their destination in minimum timeand with minimum trouble. Force theplayers to calculate weight and the carry-ing ability of their magic. If they can han-dle the goods (or choose to make multipletrips), they can avoid most of the groundencounters given here. Dont suggest thisapproach; let them think of it them-selves.

If the PCs go along with the caravanidea, a draft horse can carry 4,000 gpunencumbered, or 8,000 gp encumbered(speed 1/2). Two horses can pull a wagonweighing up to 16,000 gp (the unloadedwagon weighs 4,000 gp), at the encum-bered movement rate. In addition togoods for the market, the caravan must

8

carry 200 gp weight of food per personper week (there and back, although sup-plies for the return trip can be purchasedin Heliogabalus), plus 400 gp weight oftents, extra weapons, and personalgoods. (These can be carried by individ-ual personnel or by wagons.) Draft horsescost 30 gp apiece, and wagons cost 150 gpapiece.

How many people should accompanythe caravan? A unit of 100 soldiers mightbe a good idea. That costs 2,000 gp toequip, 125 gp per week in salary, plus 800gp per week in rations, equipment, andsupplies.

The caravan can move through twohexes per day on a normal road. This canbe increased to 3 hexes per day on aKings Road, and is lowered to 1 hex perday over the grasslands. The caravan can-not enter rough or mountain hexes,except to follow a road through a pass.

When the caravan has been outfitted,it starts out on the road to Heliogabalus.

Encounters onthe Road

1. Tolls and Tariffs: Whenever the car-avan crosses a border on a road, there is aguard post consisting of 100 1st-level sol-diers commanded by a 3rd-level sergeant,with 2 clerks who handle the business ofborder crossings. The standard toll andtariff for crossing a border is 1 gp per per-son plus 10% of the value of all goodscarried. When the tariff is paid, the clerksissue a visa to the caravan, which is usedto resolve any encounters with guardpatrols inside the border. There is a 10%chance per day of meeting a guard patrolwhile on the road inside a province. If aguard patrol is attacked, and anyoneescapes to raise a hue and cry, an army of500 soldiers arrives each day until the car-avan is defeated or escapes the province.This is considered automatic cause for warbetween that province and Bloodstone.

The PCs can: a) pay the legitimate tariffand get their visa, in which case they willnot be harrassed by soldiers inside the prov-ince, b) bribe the clerks and guards to issuea visa, at a rate of 5% chance of success forevery 100 gp offered, with a 50% less 5%

per 100 gp offered chance they betray thedeal and tip off guards inside the province,c) sneak across the border off the roads,with a 10% chance of being detected incrossing and a 35% chance of beingstopped by guards en route and asked for avisa, d) use magic to charm or otherwiseneutralize clerks and guards wheneverencountered, at normal chances of successbased on the magic used, e) fight the bor-der guards using BATTLESYSTEM gamerules, with a 100% chance of beingattacked by 500 soldiers within 2 days if anyguards escape and a 50% chance of beingattacked if no one escapes (this option mayalso affect character alignment), f) fly over-head using magic, automatic successdepending on method used, g) lie aboutthe worth of goods carried and pay lessertoll, with a 50% chance of having the clerkssearch the caravan and find out the truth,h) do something radically different,resolved by the rules and liberal doses ofcommon sense.

2. Wandering Monsters: There is a 10%chance per day of encountering wanderingmonsters on the road, and a 25% chanceper day of encountering wandering mon-sters off the road. On-road encounters willbe with 1d100 bandits or brigands, mer-chants, pilgrims or refugees (sometimesbandits or brigands disguised as one of theother groups). Off-road encounters includebandits and brigands, and monsters thatinhabit temperate forests and wilderness(per MMII). The two Book of Lairs volumesalso provide many useful and entertainingencounters for use here.

HeliogabalusThe Free City of Heliogabalus has

about 25,000 residents, and is a bustlingmarketplace where almost anything can

be obtained. . . for a price. Prices for every-day items (including everything in thePH) are four times listed prices. Unfin-ished gems can be sold at 10% of theirfinished worth (this has been pre-calculated); finished gems at full price.However, the actual price should be bar-gained with local merchants. You can runthe haggling if you and your players enjoyit, or use the Encounter Reaction tablein the DMG, page 63 (with modifiers onpages 36 and 37), with the bargaineragainst the PC. The winner of theencounter (the one with the highestadjusted die roll) gets the price adjustedby 1d10% from base price in his or herfavor. Assume that a good merchant has acharisma bonus of 10% when bargain-ing. If a price is ultimately unsatisfactoryto the PCs, they are free to seek anothermerchant.

Magic items can be sold at 50% of thelisted value in the DMG, and there is a20% chance that a desired magic itemcan be purchased for 200% of its listedvalue in the DMG.

There is a 1% tariff on all trade goodsto enter the city, plus a fee of 1 gp per per-son entering the town gate. Treat this inthe same manner as the border tolls.

Heliogabalus is an expensive city inevery respect. Excellent hotel rooms run20-100 gp per night; billet housing forsoldiers runs 2 gp per night. (Soldiers cancamp outside of town, but a campingpermit for 100 soldiers costs 10 gp pernight.) A good meal can run 20-40 gp atone of the better inns.

There is a 20% chance per day that a5th level thief will attempt to pickpocketone of the PCs chosen at random (50%chance of success). Select a small butvaluable item from the PCs characterrecord sheet if this occurs.

Characters who flash their wealth

9

around run a 20% chance of beingmugged and rolled by a 5th level thiefwho begins with a backstab attempt.Those who associate with shady orimmoral characters run the same risk.

There are many interesting citiesdescribed in TSR modules that can serveas a model for Heliogabalus. You areencouraged to create encounters for yourcharacters in this interesting city.

Buying ForBloodstone

The PCs may decide to buy variousresources to take back to Bloodstone Pass.

Mercenaries: One of the most impor-tant things to buy is additional mercenarytroops. Have the PCs decide on the typeof mercenary units they want, then havethem figure out the monthly cost usingthe tables in the DMG, pages 28-34.There is a 100% chance that there are twomercenary units of the PCs choice availa-ble for hire, and a 10% lower chance foreach subsequent unit (of any type). Rollas long as the PCs are searching for merce-naries until a dice roll is failed. A merce-nary unit will demand a years salary inadvance, and will serve loyally until theiremployer is utterly defeated or until theunit routs off the battlefield or is deci-mated. In addition to salary, the PCsmust pay to equip all soldiers withdesired armor and weapons, plus payupkeep costs, including rations, as for thecaravan guard unit described above.

Standard or Expert Hirelings: Again,as per the DMG, pages 28-34.

Henchmen: The PCs can look forhenchmen per the DMG, pages 34-37.

Anything Else: Almost anything isavailable, at standard (outrageous)Heliogabalus prices.

Chapter Two:

Return FromHeliogabalus

The return trek from Heliogabalusshould be simpler than the original jour-ney, since the bulk of gems and gold has(presumably) been turned into merchan-dise and mercenaries. However, the sametolls and tariffs apply.

More importantly, Heliogabalus is acity of rumors and gossip. A group ofadventurers with a caravan filled with thelargest assortment of bloodstones sincethe close of the mines some years ago iscertainly a cause for gossip. Merchantsand traders ask where the party is from. Ifthe party tells the truth, the word imme-diately leaks: the Bloodstone Pass minesare reopened. If the party lies, then thenews leaks out other waysfrom the sol-diers who accompany the caravan, forexample.

The word travels like wildfiregemsand gold can be had for the asking inBloodstone Pass! The thousands of refu-gees in Heliogabalus and neighboringprovinces hear the word; so do the pettyprinces, dukes, and barons of what wasonce southern Damara. The mysteriousGrandfather of Assassins hears the wordin his mountain fastness. And the Witch-King of Vaasa has known all along. . .eversince the defeat of the Priests of Orcus inH2.

At the inn where the PCs are stayingthere comes a regular procession ofadventurers, traders, beautiful women,and con men of all sorts, trying to sepa-rate the PCs from some of their wealth.This can be developed into a series ofrole-playing encounters, if the PCs areenjoying their stay in Heliogabalus.Many of those who seek an audience withthe PCs are ( re lat ively) honestskilled tradesmen, miners, builders,carpentersall thrown out of work by thedevastation wrought by war. An equalnumber are dishonest, and the problembecomes how to determine which arewhich. The PCs may choose to employthe best people they meet, since therebuilding and repopulation of Blood-stone Pass will take a lot of work, Unless

RETURN OF THE ASSASSINS

the PCs use magical means, such as detectlie and know alignment, assume that10% of the people they select turn onthem in the event of crisis, or at least stealand con as much as they can get awaywith. A selection of magic-users, clerics,rangers, paladins, and other charactertypes is also availableno characterslocated in this manner are greater than3rd level.

Even if the PCs do use know alignmentspells, the Grandfather of Assassins man-ages to sneak 1d20 assassins into thegroup heading back to Bloodstone Pass.

On the return journey, the PCs shouldencounter groups of refugees heading forBloodstone Pass where the streets arepaved with gems! They can either dis-courage the refugees or let them comealong. The valley could easily take 5,000settlers (up to 10,000 more withoutstraining resources to the breakingpoint), and for every 1,000 settlers thatarrive, the PCs can later draft a unit of200 1st-level soldiers. The PCs canincrease loyalty of the new settlers byoffering five acres and a mule to everyfamily (or a similar bounty). If the PCsdont think of this themselves, have oneof the Bloodstone NPCs suggest it.

In addition, the PCs should have sev-eral encounters with bandits trying to geta share of the wealth for themselves, orpossibly even with the militia of one ofthe petty realms trying to get a much larg-er share of the tax revenue. (The greedyruler of the Duchy of Arcata, Duke Wil-liam the Lazy, eighth of his line, is themost likely candidate for this.) Thisattack depends on how many mercenaryunits accompany the PCsif there aremore than a thousand soldiers total, noone dares attack. If there are only 900 sol-diers with the PCs, there is a 10% chanceof an enemy attack, with an additional10% chance for every hundred soldiersfewer. If an attack comes, the Arcatansfield half the army described in the Orderof Battle on page 17. This should betreated as an act of war.

If the PCs avoided ground movementon the way to Heliogabalus, and did allthe trading with relative secrecy, the wordgets out as soon as the mercenaries are

1 0

hired (if, indeed, mercenaries are hired),and the refugees come anyway. If themercenaries travel to Bloodstone on theground, there is the same chance ofattack, but if they are transported bymagic, the success is automatic (depend-ing on method used).

Population ExplosionIts a good thing for Bloodstone Pass to

acquire additional population itincreases the size of the workforce andincreases the size of the able-bodied pop-ulation available to fight in the army.

There is some resentment on the partof the citizens of Bloodstone Pass to theimmigrants, which can also serve as thefocal point for some role-playingencounters. The best solution is to let thesize of Bloodstone Town increase to, say,2,000 people, and settle some new smalltowns of around 500 people apiecethroughout the valley. Create names forthe small towns and add them to the mapof Bloodstone Pass.

An immediate use for the new citizens,in addition to cultivating farmland,building new towns, and drilling as sol-diers (see later in this chapter), is to helpbuild new fortifications at either end ofBloodstone Pass. Some detailed rules forfortifications are presented in moduleH1, and additional BATTLESYSTEMgame rules for sieges and similar opera-tions are presented in several of theDRAGONLANCE® game modules,notably DL8. The simplest way to adjudi-cate fortifications is to assign coverbonuses to armor class for defenders, andvarious movement penalties to attackers,depending on the types of obstacles pre-sented. Such fortifications will make amajor difference in the defense of Blood-stone Pass.

These people, as well as the soldiers ofthe Bloodstone Army, can be enlisted tobuild fortifications at any time during thegame. However, such work will requirethe presence of one PC for each work par-ty. A work party can number up to 240people.

A work party, spending 1 week at a

task, can accomplish one of the followingpieces of construction:

*Dig 200 of ditch, 10 wide by 10deep.

*Erect 240 of a 3 high stone wall.Each foot added to the walls height halvesthe length.

It is necessary to provide an income toworkers, at least as much as provided inthe DMG. With a lower wage, all forcesrecruited from the new populace have a-2 ML rating. With a wage at least twicethe DMG base, all such forces have a +1ML rating.

Acts of WarThe PCs in command of Bloodstone

will be following one of two very generalcourses of action: they will be mobilizingfor war, or they will not be mobilizing forwar.

If they are mobilizingbuilding forti-fications, hiring mercenaries, trainingtroops, etc. (information on all theseoptions is given later in this chapter)the fact does not go unnoticed. TheGrandfather of Assassins and the Witch-King of Vaasa are both continually awareof activities in Bloodstone Pass (especiallyif Jamison the Fletcher is still aliveseeDRAMATIS PERSONAE, page 28).Duke William of Arcata and the Arcatanruling council, under the thumb ofVaasa, as are virtually all the rulers of thesouthern provinces, is urged to takeaction. Duke William sees this as anopportunity to increase his own powerwhile licking the boots of his evil masters.

If they are not mobilizing, but insteadare concentrating on exploration andexpansion of the mines, development ofeconomic wealth, increasing population,and stockpiling gems and gold, this, too,comes to the attention of the same nastypeople. But this time its seen as weaknessrather than aggression.

Either way, the Duke of Arcata sends aseries of stiff diplomatic notes to the newbaron of Bloodstone Pass, complainingabout refugees crossing his borders toenter Bloodstone Pass, complaining

about use of his roads to transport Blood-stone goods to market without adequatecompensation, lack of fealty to his superi-or in the hierarchy of nobility, etc. Hisdemands are basically unreasonable25% of all wealth earned by Bloodstone,an oath of fealty sworn to him by the newBaron, the Arcatans to take over all mili-tary functions of the Barony. In theunlikely event that the PCs try to meetthe demands, the Duke, taking this as asign of weakness, simply increases hisdemands. If the PCs reject the demandsat any point, the Duke considers this anact of war, and begins to mobilize.

Midnight AttackThe Grandfather of Assassins, safe in

his fortress high in the Galena Moun-tains, is the chief agent of the Witch-King of Vaasa in the south, and the rise ofBloodstone is his greatest failure. Notonly was he unable to keep collectingtribute from it, but the secret emergenceof Orcus into the Prime Material Planewas foiled, and the dratted bloodstonemines were reopened, He takes the defeatof Bloodstone Pass quite seriously, anddoes not want to simply rely on theincompetence and venality of Duke Wil-liam.

Therefore, he must take matters intohis own hands. The Assassins must not bed e f e a t e d !

The Grandfather calls his Chief Assas-sin, known only as the Fist, and ordershim to take his ten finest Senior Assassinsand leave none of the adventurers alive.

The Fist, Chief Assassin (12th level):AC 0 (bracers of defense AC 2), MV24 (potion of speed), hp 48, #AT 1,Dmg 1-8 +3 (sword of life stealing+2), SD has protection of a scroll of

protection vs. magic, AL LE, Str 17, Int15, Wi 10, Dex 18, Con 15, Ch 8, Com5, PP 90%, OL 82%, F/RT 70%, MS88%, HS 73%, HN 30%, CW 99%,RL 50%

Senior Assassins (10) (11th level): AC5 (leather and ring of protection +3,MV 12, hp 35 ea., #AT 2, Dmg 1-4

11

+1 (dagger of venom), AL LE, Str 12,Int 14, Wi 10, Dex 17, Con 15, Ch 8,Com 4, PP 70%, OL 67%, F/RT 55%,MS 67%, HS 54%, HN 25%, CW96%, RL 40%

All the assassins use their disguise abil-ity to come into town, thoroughly casethe situation, and work out as nearly aspossible a foolproof plan to assassinatethe PCs. To properly demoralize the pop-ulace, its not enough to slip poison intothe food, but they need to make thedeaths as dramatic as possible. Ask thePCs about their daily schedules and theprecautions they take. It should not beimpossible for the assassins to get a good,strong attack in. They favor burningdown inns with all the people inside,leaving bits of their victims strewnabout. . .whatever has the most powerfulpsychological effect on everybody con-cerned. Fortunately, they concentrate onthe PCs, not on vulnerable henchmen.

Make the attack count.

AssassinationAftermathThe Bloodstone NPCs react as appropri-ate to the outcome of the assassinationattempt. Thus, if it was entirely unsuc-cessful, the people are angry, ready toseek vengeance. If the attack was very suc-cessful, they are afraid and uncertain. Aresult somewhere between these extremescauses conflicting reactions among thepopulace. These are spirited people,however, and they have recently won awar, so it takes a major setback to com-pletely break their spirit.

Regardless of the outcome of theattempt, the retired baron is shocked andangry at the audacity of Bloodstones ene-mies. Alert characters may also noticethat the baron is worried; this shouldbecome visible through roleplaying.

If the PCs do not figure out the sourceof the attacks, then the baron suggeststhat the assassins were most likely sent bythe Duke of Arcata. The baron willinglysupplies information about a number ofother facts, should the PCs seek his

advice. These facts include:

* The reopening of the Bloodstonemines makes the barony a very temptingtarget for other lands in the Damaran andVaasan region. Precautions, such as bor-der patrols, and increased military pre-partion should be taken to the extentpossible. If the baron is asked for addi-tional preparatory steps, he may suggestthat the PCs attempt to hire one or morespies to keep them posted on activities inneighboring lands.

* Beware of Vaasa to the north! Thatevil kingdom is the strongest nation inthe area, and jealously protects its inter-ests. Extra caution is warranted in theevent of warthe Vaasans would be morethan likely to capitalize on the distrac-tions to the south.

In particular, Sunderland is a solidVaasan puppet, and any move against itwould be considered a move againstVaasa itself, certain to provoke retribu-tion.

* Do not allow the Damaran duchiesto unite against Bloodstone. While yourforces will have a chance against the indi-vidual lands if you can fight them one at atime, you will be overwhelmed if they areallowed to marshal their combinedstrength.

* Try to prepare the forces of Bloodstonefor war. Consider hiring additional com-panies of mercenaries (if the PCs have notdone so). If asked to suggest a type of unit,the baron can suggest cavalrythe lack ofwhich creates one of the baronys mostpressing military weaknesses.

The results of training can be deter-mined from the description of the forcesof Bloodstone. Player characters have toperform the training themselves, how-ever, so this precludes those charactersalso performing involved scouting andspying missions.

* If Bloodstone should be forced intowar, the tiny barony will have no hope ofwinning a protracted campaignthegreater food and population resources ofArcata and the other duchies give themtoo much of an advantage. If Bloodstonewere to win such a war, it would have to

do so through speed and surprise, seizingthe initiative before the enemies have achance to gather their strength and react.

* The key to the old Damaran king-dom is the Free City of Heliogabalus.This was the capital of Damara, and iscurrently the center of the trade for theduchies and barony that the kingdom hassplintered into.

The Army ofBloodstone

The veteran units of the Bloodstonearmy make up two brigadesthe sametwo brigades that fought so tenaciously todefend their village against the Grandfa-thers tribute collectors. These brigadeswill quite likely be augmented byanother brigade of demihuman allies,assuming that the PCs havent done any-thing to alienate the centaur, dwarven,and halfling communities in the valley,and perhaps several more units of merce-naries, should the PCs act to hire them.

The human troops of Bloodstoneinclude fairly well-trained regulars, anumber of poorly-trained militia, and aband of woodsman who offer unique

skills with the bow and arrowa veryimportant arm of an army of the Forgot-ten Realms.

Among the stats listed for each unit is anumber of unit commanders availablefrom the fighters of the land. These canhelp determine how many individualunits can be formed from the brigade. APC can always elect to serve as a unit com-mander, thus increasing the number ofthe units in the brigade. Any PC, or theex-baron, Tranth, can serve as Brigade orArmy commanders. Likewise, any PCmay step in as a deputy unit commander.To serve as a deputy brigade or army com-mander, however, the PC (or Tranth)must be designated as such.

Regular Troops

# Troops: 400# Commanders: 3AC: 7HD/Level: 1

1 2

Race/ Class: Human fightersMovement: 12Size: MMagic Res: na

PPD: 14P/P: 15RSW: 16BW: 17SP: 17

Attack Rtg: 20Morale: 12Discipline: 13Weapons and Damage: Spears (d6),Longswords (d8)

These troops are the backbone of theBloodstone forces. Most of them are sea-soned veterans, and they have all hadtraining in the use of the sword and spear.Their unit commanders commanded dur-ing the war against the assassins, andthere is a great deal of trust between thetroops and their officers.

Militia Troops

# Troops: 600# Commanders: 3AC: 8HD/Level: 1 HD/0 levelRace/Class: Human fightersMovement: 12Size: MMagic Res: na

PPD: 16P/P: 17RSW: 18BW: 20SP: 19

Attack Rtg: 21Morale: 10Discipline: 10Weapons and Damage: Spears (d6)

The men and women of the militia areuntrained but enthusiastic fighters fromthe village and its surrounding farm-lands. Their ratings can be improvedthrough training.

The militia brigade will perhaps servebest as a defensive formation, left homewhen the army of Bloodstone goes on theroad. Because the militia is made up of theyoungest and oldest soldiers, losses fromthe militia have an adverse effect on themorale of the Bloodstone regular brigade.

The Huntsmen

# Troops: 180# Commanders: 1AC: 7HD/Level: 1 HDRace/Class: Human fightersMovement: 12Size: MMagic Res: na

PPD: 14P/P: 15RSW: 16BW: 17SP: 17

Attack Rtg: 17Morale: 11Discipline: 10Weapons and Damage:

Longbow (d6); Range 7/14/21

These hunters have developed theirskills with the longbow to an extremedegree, accounting for their superiorAttack Rating. While fairly vulnerable toa melee attack, these archers can inflictserious losses on an enemy force that isnot allowed to close with them.

Centaurs

# Troops: 160# Commanders: 1AC: 5HD/Level: 4Race/Class: Centaur cavalryMovement: 18Size: LMagic Res: na

PPD: 13P/P: 14RSW: 15BW: 16SP: 16

Attack Rtg: 15Morale: 13Discipline: 12Weapons and Damage: Clubs (d8),Hooves (2d6)

The centaurs of Bloodstone Valley owetheir freedom, perhaps even their contin-ued survival, to the PCs who helped driveoff the bandit army. Still, these wilder-ness creatures will not slavishly follow thehumans to war. They will certainly fight

to resist an invasion of the pass, but willonly accompany the army into the otherDamaran kingdoms if the centaurs arereceiving a cut of the Bloodstone minesor if they are promised such a cut in thefuture.

Dwarves

# Troops: 320# Commanders: 2AC: 4HD/Level: 2Race/Class: Dwarven fightersMovement: 6Size: MMagic Res: na

PPD: 13P/P: 14RSW: 15BW: 16SP: 16

Attack Rtg: 20Morale: 14Discipline: 15Weapons and Damage: Battle Axe (d8)Specials: -4 to AC vs. ogres, trolls, andgiants; Hate orcs, goblins, and hobgob-lins

These dwarves can serve as a solid back-bone to the army of Bloodstone. They arenot the most mobile troops in the world,but their high morale and hit dice makethem a stalwart block in the path of anyenemy advance. They will be allied withthe Bloodstone forces throughout thecampaign, assuming that the dwarveshave been involved with the BloodstoneMines, and have received a fair share ofthe profits.

Halfling Archers

# Troops: 200# Commanders: 1AC: 7HD/Level: 1Race/Class: Halfling fightersMovement: 9Size: SMagic Res: na

PPD: 13P/P: 14RSW: 15BW: 16

SP: 16Attack Rtg: 17 (bows), or 20 (swords)Morale: 13Discipline: 14Weapons and Damage: Shortswords(D6), Shortbows (D6)

Like the centaurs, the halflings owe adebt to the PCs. They will certainly fightto resist an invasion of Bloodstone Pass.They will only accompany the army for anoffensive mission, however, if offered sig-nificant incentive by the Baron. Incen-tives can include such things as a share inthe Bloodstone mines, farming rights inconquered territories (of course accompa-nied by cash grants to get started) or otherexpensive propositions. The halflings willdrive a hard bargain, but will serve loyallyif they enlist.

Training the TroopsUnder PC supervision, the abilities of

these troops can be improved somewhatthrough pre-battle training. To qualify,the unit must train for 1 week, with theunit commander and a PC present. A sin-gle PC can supervise the training of up totwo units at a time. However, neither thePC nor the unit can perform any otheractivities during that week. If a call tobattle should arise before the week oftraining is completed, the unit receivesno benefit for the training.

For each week of training that is suc-cessfully concluded, the players can electto provide the unit with one of the fol-lowing improvements. A single unit canreceive a given benefit only once, butadditional training can still provide a dif-ferent benefit, after a second week.

The benefits of training are:

* The unit can improve its AC by 1.* The unit can gain a new weapons

proficiency; i.e. learn to use a weapon oth-er than one that is listed for it above.

* If the unit is militia, it can become aRegular unit.

* Improve its AR by 1; thus, an AR of20 would become 19, for example.

13

The Bloodstone WarThe Bloodstone War (or whatever the PCschoose to call it) begins with the mobili-zation of the the Duchy of Arcata, andthe subsequent invasion by that duchy ofthe Barony of Bloodstone. This muchremains standard for nearly every versionof this campaign. From here, however,the war can progress in a number of dif-ferent directions.

If you are playing the Bloodstone Passsaga, and plan to conclude with H4 atsome point, then the war should end withthe PC army facing the hordes of Vaasa,in a stand-off. In this situation, eacharmy has a strong defensive position, sothat whichever army attacks first will suffer almost automatic defeat. Thus, thecombatants will probably conclude thatsome other solution than a victory on thebattlefield will be necessary to successful-ly conclude the war. This is the dungeonadventure that will be presented in H4,providing the PCs with the opportunityto eliminate the threat of Orcus for onceand for all.

If you do not intend to play out theentire saga, then this adventure can beended quite satisfactorily with the con-clusion of the Bloodstone War and thecrowning of a new king, uniting theDamaran provinces once more under asingle, hopefully enlightened, rule.

In either case, however, the PCs willhave to win the war in order to proceed tobigger and better things. And the win-ning of this war is going to be a challenge,even for the most astute of generals. Seethe Epilogue for details.

The BLOODSTONE WAR FLOWCHART on page 15 provides you with anumber of possible occurances during thewar, without creating a rigid sequence ofevents. The flow chart is built around aseries of battles that are presented as BAT-TLESYSTEM game scenarios. The forcesthat the player take into each battle, how-ever, depend upon the results of the pre-vious battle. In fact, very successful PCs willbe able to avoid one or two of the battlesentirely, where as those that drag their feetmight find themselves facing a greatly rein-forced and entrenched foe.

The flow chart allows the PCs to makesignificant decisions between battles thatcan still influence the outcome of the war.It provides you with a framework for theroleplaying adventures that will flesh outthe military campaign as a game. In addi-tion, the flow chart will help you controlthe pacing of the game, regulating thetime between battles and allowing theplayers to make meaningful decisions.

Some players and DMs, of course, willnot be interested in the miniatures bat-tles, while in other campaigns the PCsmight decide not to pursue the war. Forthe former, each battle can be bypassedeasily through one of several options. Youmay wish to allow the PCs to resolve thebattle through heroic combat with theleaders of the enemy forces. In this case,make certain that the enemy leaders aresuitable matches for the player charac-ters. Increase or decrease the NPCspower and equipment as necessary to bal-ance the encounters. Alternately, you canallow the PCs and some of their troops tofight a decisive portion of the battle witha small, powerful contingent of the ene-my force, perhaps using the scenario mapto choose a significant part of the battle-field. You can quite logically rule that theoutcome of this skirmish will determinethe outcome of the entire battle, and usethe flow chart appropriately.

For those players who do not prosecutethe war, and who do not want to add amilitary theme to the campaign, you canignore the Arcatan mobilization entirely.Simply continue the adventure with theGrandfather of Assassins as the primaryantagonist. One or more additional assas-sination attempts will be made againstthe PCs and their loved ones. Perhaps theenemy performs a kidnapping for variety;see Chapter Four: The Assassins Run.

Because this is essentially a roleplayingadventure, however, there is no easy wayto insure that the players remain withinthe constraints of the flow chart. Youmight tell them that the enemy is in rapidretreat from a battle, for example, andask if they want to pursue, or to hold upand try to recoup their losses. The playersmight surprise you with a statement suchas Neither. We want to invade this

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country over here.You can often modify the events of the

flow chart to channel the PCs back to theplot. Perhaps you decide to move thenext battle, dropping it in front of thecharacters as they travel. Or else you canuse the flow chart to determine that, evenas the PCs investigate some point of inter-est, the armies of their enemies are mass-ing against them.

Use the large map of the Vaasa/Damara area to create the settings as thePCs move around. Add random encount-ers with monsters and NPCs if you like.Most importantly, keep track of gametimeas the war progresses, the speedwith which the PCs are willing and able tomove their army will become of para-mount concern.

The more flexible and creative you canbe in adjudicating player decisions, thebetter. If the PCs decide that a battle isgoing badly for them, but they dontwish to flee all the way back to Blood-stone, perhaps they could withdraw fromthe field, finding some favorable terrain afew miles away. You will have to judgethis, using the large map as a guideeven though there is no scenario in themodule designed for that nearby battle-field, you should not have too much dif-ficulty mocking something up andallowing the fight to progress.

The Mechanics of WarProcedures for resolving the battles of

the Bloodstone War are covered in theBATTLESYSTEM Mass Combat Rulesfor the AD&D® game. Some rules gov-erning the movement of troops from bat-t le to bat t le , and the making andbreaking of alliances, are detailed here.

Use the large map included in themodule to regulate troop movements anddetermine the location of battles. Themap displays several types of terrain:

Grasslands are expanses of plains,either flat or rolling very slightly. Manystreams cut across these plains, but thosenot shown on the map are shallow andeasily fordable.

Rough Terrain primarily representsrocky, barren hills, These are rounded

(BOX A): Anticipate Arcatan Invasion(BOX B): Surprised by Arcatan Attack(BOX C): Meen Arcatan Army; scenario #1(BOX D): Win battle; Arcatans run from field(BOX E): Lose battle; fall back to Bloodstone(BOX F): Regroup, recover losses, fight Arcatans again at Valls; scenario #2(BOX G): Pursue Arcatans aggressively(BOX H): Lose battle, fall back to Bloodstone(BOX I): Win battle, Arcata surrenders, PCs chooses new duke(BOX J): Consolidate forces; do not initiate hostile action; Duchy of Carmathan attacks(BOX K): Invade Carmathan(BOX L): Fight Carmathan army; scenario #3(BOX M): Lose battle, Carmathans keep up pressure until Bloodstone destroyed or counterattacks(BOX N): Win battle, Duchy of Carmathan conquered; PCs can appoint new duke(BOX O): Bloodstone Army rests, minor baronies attack(BOX P): Attack minor baronies(BOX Q): Fight minor baronies; scenario #4(BOX R): Lose battle; war continues(BOX S): Win battle; conquer minor baronies; titles awarded and new kingdom formed; Vaasa mobilizes; scenario #5

enough to allow troops to pass acrossthem, but can provide strong defensivepositions.

Mountains marked on the map aresheer, craggy, and buried under snow atall times. They are virtually impassable toall but a dwarven army.

Glaciers are impassable to all armies,except for the frost giants serving with theVaasan forces.

Rivers of two types are shown on themap. Units cannot cross major rivers,except where crossings are shown on themap. Units can cross minor rivers atmarked crossings, or a unit can spend anentire day crossing a minor river at a pointwhere no crossing is marked.

Moving Armies. An army can movethrough two hexes per day at a normalmarching speed. A player can push hisforce into three hexes a day (forced march),but each unit must make a morale check orsuffer a -1 penalty to its morale. A unitcan even be force marched through fourhexes per day, but it then must make aMorale check with its Morale Ratingreduced to 1/2 (rounded up); failure meansthat it suffers a -1 penalty to its ML rating.

A unit can restore its morale by 1 if itspends two days without moving or fight-ing, and then passes a morale check.

Units moving through rough hexes canonly enter 1 hex per day. They can force

march, moving 2 hexes, but must make a1/2 ML check or suffer as described above.Except as mentioned, units cannot entermountain or glacier hexes.

Using Forces of Conquered NationsWhen the Bloodstone forces subjugate aduchy or barony, the PCs can add theforces of the conquered nation to theirarmy for future campaigns, with the fol-lowing conditions:

* The conquered nations forces can-not recover their losses from the last bat-tle of the campaign; thus, only thosefigures that survive the battle can be usedby the PCs.

* The morale rating of all conqueredunits is lowered by 2 for all purposes,until a united kingdom is declared. Oncethis occurs, the morale of these unitsreturns to normal, since they will onceagain be fighting for their own nation.

Arcata MovesThe Duchy of Arcata begins mobiliz-

ing troops as soon as the assassinationattempt is resolved. The force gather atValls in three weeks, and cross the borderinto Bloodstone one week later.

If the PCs take steps to keep informedof activities in Arcata, they see indica-tions of the mobilization. Several ways

this might be acccomplished are the hir-ing of spies (somewhat unreliable) or theuse of the PCs themselves to perform theinvestigations. If the PCs take no steps tolearn about activities in Arcata, then theywill learn about the invading force whenit reaches Bloodstones border, four weeksafter the assassination attempt.

In Valls, the call for mobilization isspread. Messengers travel to all of thetowns in the Duchy of Arcata, announc-ing that the able-bodied men are toreport to Valls for military service. For aweek, youths and men arrive at the town,camping in the surrounding fields. Slow-ly, the army gathers.

After a week, the fighting men of Arcatawill have all gathered. The next two weeksare spent in training and manuevers, as themen are formed into units and taught tomarch and fight together. Most of Arcatasexperienced veterans did not survive theVaasan war and the dissolution of the King-dom of Damara. This fact is visible to any-one who studies the manuevers for a fewhours.

After the training period, the armymoves out along the remnants of the oldKings Road, toward Bloodstone. Thearmy moves slowly, but after a week ofmarching, it arrives at the borders of thebarony of Bloodstone. Here, dependingon the actions and preparedness of thePCs, battle may be joined.

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Chapter Three: BATTLES OF BLOODSTONE

Scenario #1: TheArcatans Are Coming!The Arcatan army includes:

800 Infantry600 Cavalry240 Archers

Arcatan Army Infantry Cavalry Archers

# Troops: 800 600 240# Commanders: 5 4 1# AC: 6 7 9

1 2 1Race/Class: Human fightersMovement: 12 24 12Size: MediumMagic Res: noneAttack Rtg: 20 19 19Morale: 12 11 11Discipline: 12 11 10Damage: 1d8 2d6 1d6

Setup: Place the Bloodstone units within12 of the maps west edge. Units can beplaced farther from the mapedge if they

are on the high ground.The Arcatan Army can set up anywhere

within 18 of the east mapedge.

The Arcatans march to the border ofthe Barony of Bloodstone arrayed for war.The cavalry forces protect the front andflank of the army against any unexpectedattack.

If the PCs have anticipated this attack,they may deploy any and all forces at theirdisposal on the table at the start off thescenario. If the attack comes as a surprise,however, then the players can place only 3units, with a maximum of 72 figures, onthe table at the start of the scenario. ThePCs can bring on one additional unit eachturn of the battle.

The Arcatans fight until 1/2 of theirfigures have been routed or eliminated.The PCs, of course, can fight as long asthey want to. If the PCs retreat, the Arca-tans follow them all the way to the villageof Bloodstone; use the village map to cre-ate a battle scenario if you need to. Be

sure to add any fortifications that the PCshave had erected during the adventure.

If the Bloodstone Army wins, the Arca-tans will fall back to their capital of Valls.Their flight will be confused and chaoticas panic spreads through the force.

If the PCs elect to force the Bloodstonearmy into a rapid pursuit, they com-pletely rout the demoralized Arcatans,arriving at Valls to accept the surrender ofthe duchy. This effect is automatic if thePCs elect to pursuethe nearness of theBloodstone army will completely shatterthe morale of the Arcatan survivors. TheBarony of Bloodstone has made its firstconquest!

If, however, the PCs stay to recovertheir wounded from the battle, and thenmarch toward Valls at a normal, insteadof a forced march, pace, the enemy willhave regrouped before the BloodstoneArmy arrives. In this case, the PCs willhave to win the battle of Valls (Scenario#2) before the duchy can be conquered.

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Scenario #2: Backsto the VallsThe following forces are added to all unitsof the Duchy of Arcata that survived sce-nario #1:

220 Mercenary Infantry160 Ducal Guard Infantry

Arcatan Mercenaries DucalReinforcements Guard

# Troops:# Commanders:AC:HD /Level:Race/ Class:Movement:

Magic Res:Attack Rtg:Morale:Discipline:Damage:

1601 16 41 3

12 9

none20 1812 1412 14

1d8 1d8

Setup: All Bloodstone units must beplaced within 12 of the north mapedge,and 36 of the west edge.

Arcatan units can be set up anywheresouth or east of the stream and pond;they cannot be placed farther west thanthe west end of the pond at the start ofthe scenario.

If space allows (in the form of a verywide table), add more playing area to thesouth of the pond. While not necessary,this increases the Bloodstone playersoptions.

The Bloodstone Army encounters theremnants of the Arcatan Force deployedbefore the low walls of their city, standingat a bridge over a low, fordable stream,and along the stone wall of a farmersfield. In order to win the battle, an entireunit of the Bloodstone Army must marchoff the table along the road to Valls.When this is accomplished, the Arcatanswill throw in the towel.

As before, the PCs can elect to with-draw at any time. If they do so, Arcatanpursuit will be slow, allowing the Blood-stone army to retreat as far as the playerswish before fighting another battle. Ifthis should occur, the Arcatans will march

to wherever the Bloodstone Army is, andmake another attack.

If the Bloodstone Army wins this bat-tle, the Duke of Arcata will personallysurrender his forces, pledging fealty tothe Baron of Bloodstone. The baron may,at his option, crown himself or another ofhis choosing as the Duke or Duchess ofArcata.

The forces of Carmathan will mean-while have begun to mobilize, as a resultof the war to the west. If the PCs make amove toward Carmathan within a week ofthis victory, they will meet a depleted anduncertain foe at the border between Arca-ta and Carmathan. If the PCs wait morethan a week, but less than 4 weeks tomove, they will meet the full strength ofCarmathans army at the border. If thePCs do not move to attack within 4weeks, the forces of Carmathan will drivetoward Arcata. The PCs will learn of thisattack, and must determine where andwhen they wish to meet it.

The next battle, whether the PCs areattacking or defending, will be describedunder scenario #3.

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Scenario #3: Clash ofS t e e lThe Carmathan Army includes:

600 Infantry360 Elite Infantry440 Cavalry300 Archers60 Mercenary Trollsplus3 Ballistae1 Wizard (lvl 17)1 Cleric (lvl 13)

Setup: Place all Bloodstone forces within30 of the west mapedge. Carmathanunits can be placed on any high groundon the eastern half of the playing area.

This large battle will test the mettle ofthe Bloodstone Army far more seriouslythan did the Arcatans. The PCs may wellbe using Arcatan units as part of theirarmy, however, which can help balancethe strength of Carmathan.

Depending on the situation at the startof the battle, one of these forces will have

Carmathan Army

# Troops:# Commanders:AC:HD/Level:Race/Class:Movement:Size:Magic Res:Attack Rtg:Morale:Discipline:Damage:

Infantry

600461

12

201112

1d8

Cavalry

440462

Human fighters18

Mediumnone

191111

3d6

Archers

300281

12

Trolls

60147

Trolls12

Large

19 18 1811 13 1310 11 13

1d6 2 d 6 + 2 d 4 + 8 1d8

Elite Inf

360343

Hu Ftr9

Medium

the burden of attacking the other. If thePCs moved fast, Carmathan is not yet atfull strength. In this case, halve the num-ber of infantry and elite infantry used byCarmathan, and eliminate the ballistae.

The Duke of Carmathan is concentrat-ing his entire army for this single battle.Thus, if the PCs win, they will have con-quered another duchy, for nothing willstand between them and Carmathanscapital. The army of Carmathan will fightuntil half of its figures have been elimi-

nated or routed, and the entire eliteinfantry brigade is included in this cate-gory. In other words, as long as one unitof the elite infantry brigade remains inthe fight, Carmathan remains in thefight.

If the PCs conquer Carmathan, thethree small baronies around Heliogabalusare the only portions of the old kingdomof Damara remaining out of the fold.These baronies will mobilize and attackin 14 days, if the PCs do not do so first.

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Scenario #4: BeatingUp the BaroniesThe Army of the minor baroniesincludes:

1,000 Infantry260 Archers400 Elite Infantry600 Cavalry20 Chariotsplus3 Wizards, lvls 12, 14, 15

Setup: Place all Bloodstone units within12 of the western mapedge; place theunits of the Baronies within 12 of theeastern edge.

The minor baronies of Ostel, Morov,and Polten will unite to face the threat totheir independence. In reality, each isruled by a baron appointed as a puppet tothe Vaasan regime to the north, and eachfears for his way of life, should the Blood-stone army reclaim the baronies in thename of Damara, or whatever.

With the news of war in Arcata andCarmathan, the baronies prepared tomobilize, and arranged a temporary alli-ance. This will enable them to put anarmy in the field, seeking out the Blood-stone army, within 14 days of the fall ofCarmathan.

Armies of the Baronies

# Troops:# Commanders:AC:HD/Level:Race/Class:Movement:Size:Magic Res:Attack Rtg:Morale:Discipline:Damage:

Infantry Cavalry Archers Elite Inf Chariots

1000 600 260 400 208 4 2 26 7 9

24 3

1 2 1 5 2Human fighters

12 24 12 9 18Medium Special

none20 19 19 20 1912 11 11 14 1212 11 11 14 12

1d8 3d6 1d6 1d10 6d6

Unless the PCs have been extremelyruthless in the conquest of the two duch-ies, a number of the citizens of thosenations will regard them as liberators,more than conquerors. Thus, the popu-lace will eagerly report to the PCs regard-ing troop movements on the borders, orsuspicious activities in neighboringrealms.

The army of the baronies will attemptto strike the Bloodstone army as quicklyas possible, but the PCs will probablyreceive word of the enemy movements.Thus, this is another scenario whereeither side might be the attacker.

Once the battle is joined, the baronieswill fight until at least 2/3 of their forceshave been eliminated or routed. If thisshould occur, all three baronies will

capitulate. With the subjugation of thesebaronies, the old kingdom of Damara isreunited. The PCs may, if they choose,declare a new king.

If the Bloodstone army loses the battle,however, or the PCs elect to withdraw,you will need to make a morale check foreach non-Bloodstone unit serving underthe PCs. Each unit that fails its check willdesert from the army.

Whether or not the PCs win the battlewith the baronies, the Witch-King Zhen-gyi decides that enough is enough. Itstime for the Vaasa army to show theimpudent dukes and barons to the southwhos the boss. Thus, the Vaasan FieldArmy will mobilize and move south,bringing us to scenario #5.

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Scenario #5: GoliadRevisitedThe Vaasan Army in the Field includesthe following troops:

80 Frost Giants480 Zombies200 Ghouls120 Ogres660 Human Fighters320 Goblin/worg Cavalry360 Skeleton Archersplus1 Wizard (level 16)

# Troops:# Commanders:AC:HD/Level:Race/Class:Movement:Size:Magic Res:Attack Rtg:Morale:Discipline:Damage:

10 2 2 4As described above

12 6 9 9L M M L

none20 19 1913 12 13 1212 n a 10 10

2d3+1d6 1d10

80 480 200 1202 4 2 24 8 6 5

4d6 1d8

2 Clerics (levels 13, 15)

Setup: Bloodstone units must be placed Bloodstone completes its final conquestssouth of the stream; Vaasan units must be (or loses its last battle, as the case mayplaced north of it. be).Special Terrain Note: The stream divid-ing the armies is crossable by humansized and smaller creatures only at theford. Figures moving at all through theford must halve their movement allow-ance for that Game Round. Giants,horses, ogres, and worgs can cross thestream along its entire length. Treat theriver as the ford to determine its move-ment effects on the giants. Horses, ogres,and worgs only move 2 per GameRound spent in the river.

Immediately thereafter, the Army ofVaasa will start marching south at a paceof one hex per day. Unless the PCs havetaken specific steps to keep abreast of thesituation to the north, they will not learnof the invasion until 1d4+2 days afterthe Vaasan Army marches.

This force will gather at the town ofHelmsdale (hex 1221) as the Army of

The Vaasans will march directly fromHelmsdale to the Ford of Goliad, scene ofthe kingdoms mightiest military victory.If the Bloodstone (or now, perhaps,Damaran) Army moves swiftly, it canmeet the enemy at the ford.

treacherous hands of the the assassins.

Vaasan Army Fst Giants Zombies Ghouls Ogres Fighters Cavalry Archers

660 320 3604 2 37 6 71 3 1

12 18 12M L M

11 12 1111 10 na

1d8 2d4+1d6 1d6

The Vaasan Army is, in effect, practic-ing a gigantic bluff. While it is indeed amenacing force, it suffers from a seriousweakness: the undead members of thearmy cannot move too far from their baseof power in Vaasa, for it is the Witch-Kings (and Orcuss) might there thatanimates them. For purposes of thegame, the undead forces cannot enter ahex south of the 1900 hexrow.

The Vaasan plan is to draw the Blood-stone Army into an engagement north ofthis line. Failing in this, they will attemptto fight the Bloodstone Army to a stale-mate, without the undead troops if nec-essary, and win the campaign through the

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Chapter Four: THE ASSASSINS RUN

Skulk and RunThis chapter, in which the adventurers

deal finally with the menace of the assas-sins, takes place during the military cam-paign at a time of your choosing. Inaddition to the initial assassins attack onBloodstone in Chapter Two, there areassassins working for each of the armiesthat are faced in the course of the militarycampaign. They should prey on com-manders and allies of the Bloodstoneforces continually, and become a majornuisance. That should inflame the desireof the PCs to end this menace once andfor all.

The PCs may already have captured anassassin, or decided to try and do so, inwhich case modify the encounter below.Otherwise, an assassin ends up in theirhands anyway. . .

The late-night strategy conferencehas gone on for many hours, and atlast you feel the plans for the upcom-ing battle are completed. Heres ourmarching plan for tomorrow, you say,pointing at the parchment map. Ourintelligence reports say that the enemywill be at. . .

A messenger bursts into the tentwhere the conference of war is beingconducted. Excuse me, general, butweve just taken a prisoner and theGuard Commander thinks you oughtto see him right away!

The prisoner is being held under tightguard in the interrogation tent. He is athin-faced man dressed entirely in black.His beady, shining eyes stare fearfully athis captors, yet he refuses to answer ques-tions. Peaceful persuasion or threats areineffective; the only methods of gaininginformation are torture or ensorcellment.Of course, the prisoner will attempt toescape if given any opportunity.

Prisoner (8th-level Assassin): AC 8(leather), MV 12) hp 30, #AT 2, Dmg1-4 + poison (dagger) or special (back-stab for triple damage, or attack on theAssassination Table if surprise), AL LE,Str 15, Int 11, Wi 12, Dex 16, Con 15,

Ch 5, Com 5, PP 65%, OL 62%, F/RT50%, MS 57%, HS 47%, HN 20%,CW 92%, RL 30%

If the PCs elect to use torture, or havetheir guards torture the prisoner forthem, this will pose alignment problems,especially for paladins and other lawfulgoods. It would be appropriate to givesuch characters the full involuntaryalignment change penalties for suchaction. The word will get out if the char-acters practice torture, which lowers therespect and rulership ability that theyhave. Treat this as an effective -1 to Cha-risma, with command bonuses and radiichanged as well. The effectiveness of tor-ture is determined by having the victimmake a 1d20 Constitution Check for eve-ry hour of torture, with a -1 penalty tothe check cumulative each hour. Also,make a System Shock check after fourhours and every hour thereafter at fullnormal Constitution; failure means thevictim wills himself to death. Once thetorture victim breaks, he answers ques-tions to the best of his ability.

Var ious spel ls , inc luding charmperson, friends, and ESP can also beeffective in obtaining information. Theassassin has been trained to resist suchmethods, and saves at +3. Speak withdead or raise dead spells are effective inthe event the assassin dies under tortureor otherwise.

What the Assassin Knows (told only inresponse to direct questions): My nameis Cavil. I am an Executioner in the serviceof the Grandfather of Assassins, may helive forever. My orders are to assassinatethe enemies of my Order. These enemiesconsist of all commanders and officials ofthe Barony of Bloodstone Pass and thosetraitorous rulers who ally with them.Tonight, I have been sent to eliminate thegenerals of this army, so as to ensure victo-ry for the opposing forces. The Grandfa-ther of Assassins is the most powerfulruler in the northern Realms, and allkings and petty nobles take orders fromhim. He has lived one thousand years,and will live one thousand years more, allpower and honor to him.

The Great Guildhall of the Grandfa-ther of Assassins is located in a high

mountain pass in the Galenas, accessibleonly through a guarded, secret path. It isimpregnable to mass attack, for only asingle cave entrance leads into its interior.Yes, there are rumors of secret passages,but I know not of them. The stone giantsand frost giants of the Galenas are in serv-ice to the Grandfather, and help guardthe routes.

Strategy ConferenceThese assassins must be dealt with,

and decisively! says Tranth, pound-ing his fist on the table for emphasis.Weve finally captured someone whoknows the location of the Grandfa-thers lair. Now we can destroy it!

Now wait a minute, Tranth, saysQuillan the Sage. This is too easy. Ithink were being led into a trap.Those assassins are too careful and toosmart to be caught like this.

Tranth smiles coldly. Of course itsa trap. But I believe the Grandfatherhas underestimated the opposi-tion. . . and that mistake is going to costhim. Now heres what I suggest. . .

What Tranth is about to suggest is thatthe PCs pose as assassins and use Cavil tohelp them infiltrate the Grandfatherslair. Once there, they are powerfulenough to destroy it, no matter what.

The PCs should discuss the matterthoroughly, and work out their own plan.Direct military action is nearly impos-sible, since only a very small frontagecould attack the powerfully defendedentrance to the Great Guildhall. If theychoose this course anyway, the narrowmountain route will be filled with oppo-nents who whittle down the army, andthen they will face hundreds of assassinsguarding the entrance to the caverns. Inspite of Cavils claims, there are manysecret passages, and if the battle goesagainst the assassins, they simply escapeout the back. The Grandfather is certainto escape this way.

The PCs can ignore the assassins andpursue the military campaign. The conse-quence of this strategy is that the com-

2 2

manders and rulers of the Bloodstoneforces continue to be plagued by assassinattacks. Henchmen and loved onesespecially Lady Christineare subject toassassination attacks. If you want to moti-vate the PCs into direct action against theassassins, you can have Lady Christinekidnapped and taken to the Grandfa-thers lair.

They might choose to le t Cavi lescape and follow him to locate theentrance to the Great Guildhall, andthen plan an attack. That would work,using either a rangers ability and/ormagic to ensure the effect