The Great Flanaess River Adventure Chapter 8: Veluna 8 - Veluna.pdf · The Great Flanaess River Adventure Chapter 8: Veluna By The Oliver Brothers A CAMPAIGN ADVENTURE TAKING CHARACTERS

The Great Flanaess River Adventure

Chapter 8: Veluna By The Oliver Brothers

A CAMPAIGN ADVENTURE TAKING CHARACTERS FROM LEVELS 1-10+

As the adventuring party paddles their way down the Velverdyva River from Highfolk, they pass through plains teeming with monsters. Crossing paths with a bulette, portage around the dam of a giant beaver, and the attack of the centaurs are just some of the dangers the player characters will face as they travel through the plains of Veluna. It is at the inexplicable Circle of Hands, however, that the party will face it’s most serious challenge in the River Campaign. Will they unlock the secrets of the Vale of the Dinosaur? Will they find the lost artifact that is the Mantle of Rao? Find out in Chapter 8 of the Great Flanaess River Adventure!

Get ready to return to the greatest world in all of modern role playing for some old school, classic, First edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

RC8

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Chapter 8 - Veluna

“Ply the oars! away! away! In each dew−drop of the morning Lies the promise of a day.”

-Henry David Thoreau, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

Introduction

Veluna

The Archclericy of Veluna is situated on the open plains south of both the Yatil Mountains and the Vesve Forest and north of the Lortmil Mountains and the Gnarley Forest. Because the moon of Luna held special significance for the original Flan tribes in the area, the region is sometimes known as the "Vale of Luna," or more simply, "The Vale."1

As the great sage has noted, “The Archclericy of Veluna has long been a shining example of the better side of humankind in the Flanaess.”2 There, both humans and demi-humans, including elves and haflings, live in harmony.3 Since most of the citizens of Veluna are farmers they have built their culture around the land. It has been noted that those who work the arable land find out of necessity the need to build a common culture founded on the three tenets of peace, reason, and serenity. So it is with Veluna.

While the people of Veluna worship many of the popular deities including Saint Cuthbert, Heironeous, as well as the Oeridian agricultural gods, Fharlanghn, Zilchus, and the Seldarine, one deity is worshipped over all others, and that is the lawful good Rao. The Archclericy itself is governed by a theocracy devoted to Rao and each of the eight dioceses is, in part, ruled by a Bishop of Rao. It is Rao, the Flan god, upon which the three tenets of the people of Veluna build their faith: peace, reason, and serenity.

The Ververdyva River, which flows south through the open plains is actually the political dividing line between Veluna and the Kindgom of Furyondy, but the land that exists between the Velverdyva and

the Att River is little contested and serves mostly as farmland. The Falls River, which joins the Velverdyva River in the northeastern portion of the country, also serves as an approximate political dividing line of the Archclericy to the north. A few small towns have risen along the Velverdyva, including Caronis just south of where the Falls River joins the mighty river, and Shiro, a small water-side town, just west of the Dapple Wood. Despite the presence of these unmapped towns along the river and farms out on the open plains, the Ververdyva River through Veluna is still a largely wild, open country.

Adventure Background

Canoeing south along the Velverdyva River brings with it many challenges for the adventuring party for the river itself features numerous waterfalls between Highfolk and where the Falls River joins the Velverdyva. The waterfalls themselves pose a threat to the party and they would be advised to portage around many of them. At one of the grand waterfalls, however, they will find themselves attacked by centaurs thus revealing the two secret labyrinths behind the waterfalls. One of the labyrinth is by water, ultimately leading to the lair of a morkoth, while the other labyrinth cuts through the underground and leads to the lair of a minotaur.

In addition to threats on the river, the player characters will also find Veluna to be a hostile land as well. Threats they will face coming from off the river will include wild bands of hobgoblins, bandits, and harginn which are but some of the human-like threats, while the inhuman threats come from giant wasps, a bulette, and a wyvern, among others. In one encounter, things may not be as they appear for the wild band that attacks the peaceful cattle drive crossing the river, may not truly be what it seems, for a thieving group of kenku have stolen the cattle, while the wild band turns out to be military soldiers of Veluna. There will also be friends met and made when late one night the player characters will face a savage attack coming from a band of werewolves who are presently being chased by Radulfo, a cleric of Rao.

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When the Velverdyva River turns due south, the player characters will come to the renown, but little understood, Circle of Hands. There, three sets of three monolithic stones set upright in a circle formation. Assuming the player characters have captured the letter and gems Lolth has dispatched to the drow cleric Anarundell (see Chapter 7), this will be an item of curiosity for the player characters. At the Circle of Hands, they will find that on top of each monolithic stone is a small recess, the size of the gemstones provided by Lolth. If all 9 gemstones are places in all nine monolithic stones, the player characters will experience a brilliant flash of light, but nothing else. Little do they know, they have just opened the portal to a demi-plane whose entrance lies on the river just south of the Circle of Hands.

As the player characters continue their journey south, they will suddenly plummet down a great waterfall and crash into a deep river basin. Whether it is the volcano flaming in the distance, the sudden attack of the pterodactyl, or the giant Allosaurus trying to eat them for lunch, they will certainly realize they are no longer in Veluna or on the Velverdyva River. They are in fact in the Vale of the Dinosaurs. It is there, hidden in a cave complex, they may find the companion artifact to the Crook of Rao, the legendary Mantle of Rao.

The Mantle of Rao was first brought to Oerth, along with the Crook of Rao, by the deva Incarum who employed both to banish the minions of Tharzidun. The two artifacts were then lost until 9 CY. At that time, they were located on the site where the City of Mitrik would one day be built. The two artifacts were taken as spoils of war in 355 and it was at that time they were separated. The crook was seen as having all the power, and the mantle was tossed aside by the Keoish rulers. A Keoish cleric, recognizing its power, kept the mantle for himself, but was killed instantly when he tried to wear it. The secret, along with the mantle, was buried with him, but not for long. The tomb of the cleric was robbed and the mantle taken, but because of the numerous deaths it was causing it found its way into the hands of a cleric of Mitrik who realized its import and took possession of it. He then went to the circle of hands and prayed to Rao to help him find a

place to hide the mantle and the demi-plane was revealed. After accessing it, he hid it away, and then closed up the access, but taking 9 gems from the cave complex that would serve as the key to gain reentry. The story of the mantle was all but forgotten.

In recent times, Iuz, searching for further means to enhance his power, learned of Iggwilv’s desire to secure the Mantle of Rao and that access was through the Circle of Hands, located in Veluna, by using the power of a special set of 9 gems. Iuz had a party of adventurers sent to seek out the whereabouts of those gems. They eventually found them and were bringing them back to Iuz when Lolth’s spies encountered the party, killed them, and took possession of the gems and the instructions for their use. Lolth then ordered her drow leaders in Highfolk to dispatch a party of drow to retrieve the Mantle of Rao

In the Vale of the Dinosaurs, the player characters will meet a race of hair covered apes, another race of cave men, and a race of lizard men, all who constantly war with each other. In the center of the valley itself, there is an ancient plaza just off of the river where the ruins feature three cave entrances that lead into an underground land of horror.

Located in the ancient plaza, among the ruins, is another set of 9 monolithic stones set in circles of 3. Inside the cave complex the player characters will find gem stones that are similar to the ones they used to open the portal. These can be used to exit the Vale of the Dinosaur. If 9 gemstones are placed in the tops of the 9 stones, the southernmost waterfall in the Vale of the Dinosaur will flow up rather than down, thus allowing for them to escape the demi-plane. They will need to carry with them another set of 9 gemstones if they are to ever return to the Vale.

If the player characters reach the southern end of Veluna, just before the Velverdyva River enters the Dapple Wood, they will find a small river community at a crossroads known as Shiro, where a small population of haflings will welcome them into the Bare Bones bar. Shiro is a safehaven for the player characters before they enter the Dapple Wood (continued in Chapter 9).

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Key to Veluna

Hex52 (X4-88)

“We had smooth but swift water for a considerable distance, where we glided along, scaring up ducks and kingfishers. But, as usual, our smooth progress ere long come to an end, and we were obliged to carry canoe and all about half a mile down the right bank around some rapids or falls.”

-Henry David Thoreau, Journal

1. SUNRISE

The sun, having seemingly risen early this morning for the open plains leave nothing to obstruct its rise, begins to warm the land, giving great promise to a new day.

The nights on the open plains will be cool, and with little in the way of trees, there is not much other than shrubs with which to make a fire with. This is fine for cooking, but provides little in the way of warmth or long term fuel for the fire. The early sunrises on the open plains will be welcomed after the chilly nights.

2. SMOOTH & SWIFT WATER

The river, cutting a deep trough through the open plains, is smooth as glass on the surface, but conceals a deceptively fast current.

The Velverdyva River will be swift and smooth until after the Falls River joins it in Hex 57. This is primarily becomes of the elevation change which is itself deceptive. The lands appear to be flat, but there is an elevation drop descending downward over the next 5 hexes.

3. DUCKS & KINGFISHERS

As you glide along the river, your presence on the river scares up ducks and the small, but brightly colored kingfishers. The flora and fauna along the river shores is evidently abundantly teeming with life.

Continue to describe the non-threatening wildlife, as well as the flora and fauna along the shore, for when it does become threatening, the descriptions will not necessarily tip off the players.

4. RAPIDS OR FALLS

Although you have been making good progress traveling along the river, the all too familiar sound of rushing water greets you, and from your attuned ears to the level of noise it means either rapids or falls.

The water will initially move into rapids because of the swiftness of the water, although the depth of the river negates any threat of striking rocks. The rapids will continue for ½ mile before reaching the falls. While the waterfall drop appears to be only 10’, because the debris that has floated down the river has piled up, there is no means of easily getting through. The player characters would have to pull the canoes up over the debris and then drop them 10’ into the churning river below. It would be easier to portage.

5. PUTTING IN THE CANOES

As you put the canoes back into the river and move to step into the canoes, an excessively large and hideous creature comes up out of the depths of the water below the falls. The creature is an enormous fish with large scales and its sides are colored a mixture of dark brown and mottled green. It is, however, the large needle-like teeth that give you the most pause.

The area below the waterfalls is the home of a verme who has found that various creatures often come to this area below the waterfalls for water and if it lies long enough in wait, it will be able to eat its next meal. The player characters may very well be that next meal. The verme can swallow any creature not more than 12’ tall whole.

Verme: AC 3 head/5 body; MV 18”; HD 18+18; hp 83; #AT 1; Dmg 7-28; SA: On any hit, a creature is

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swallowed whole for 3d8+4 hit points of damage and each round after they will suffer 2-16 hit points of damage for 6 rounds, at which point they will have been dissolved; SD: edged weapons cause only 1 hit point of damage, while fire-based attacks cause only ½ damage (unless inside the verme which then causes an extra +1 per die).

6. CHUTE!

In the distance you hear the sound of rushing water. As you draw closer, there is some debris piled close to both shores, but there is a chute of water that drops 5’ in the center.

This is an old beaver dam that was abandoned. It is relatively safe to go through the chute of water. There is only a 5% chance that canoes will be tipped over in the process, and because the depth of the water on the other side is 10’ deep and there are no obstructions, the player characters will take no damage.

7. SUNSET

While the sun rose early, it also appears to be setting early as well. Due to the height of the Yatil Mountains behind you, the sun is setting more rapidly, so it is probably time to establish camp.

The sun sets behind the Yatil Mountains in the very early evening, casting the land it darkness. However, within an hour, the planets, stars, and moon will begin to shine, casting the plains in a quasi-day light.

Make sure the player characters walk through their routine for establishing camp, making sure you also know which side of the shore they choose to establish their camp.

8. WILD BOAR

Several hours after the sun has set, you hear a snorting sound in the distance.

A small sounder of wild boar, coming from the west, are heading to the river for water. If the player characters set up camp on the eastern shore, they will not be bothered. If they established their camp on the western shore, they will be in the way. If the player characters do not attack, there is a 50% chance the wild boar will begin uprooting the camp site and attack. If the player characters do attack, the wild boar will fight. However, even if the player characters are on the opposite shore, they

may see this as an opportunity to supply themselves with food.

Wild boar: AC 7; MV 15”; HD 3+3; hp 24; #AT 1; Dmg 3-12; SD: the boar will fight for 2-5 melee rounds after reaching 0 to -6 hit points, but dies at -7 or greater.

Sows (4): AC 7; MV 15”; HD 3; hp 15, 14, 12, 11; Dmg 2-8.

Hex53 (W4-88)

“I could not distinguish the outlet till we were almost in it, and heard the water falling over the dam there. Here was a considerable fall.”

-Henry David Thoreau, Canoeing in the Wilderness

9. LANDSHARK!

About mid-morning, as you are paddling your canoes, you see something enormously large in the distance moving south toward the river. It appears to have come out of the Vesve Forest to the north and is moving across your path. The creature must be nearly 10’ in height, over that in length, and it has plates and scales covering its entire body.

The creature is the landshark, otherwise known as the bulette. Seldom are these creatures seen, but this particular bulette lives in the southeastern portion of the Vesve Forest. If the player characters immediately turn and paddle back upstream, the bulette will not notice them, but if they choose any other course of action, the bulette, which is always hungry, will catch their scent. It is currently moving to the river for water, but a mid-morning meal would be satisfactory as well.

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Bulette: AC -2/4/6; MV 14” (3”); HD 9; hp 42; #AT 3; Dmg 4-48/3-18/3-18; SA: 8’ jump when cornered or seriously wounded striking with all four claws.

10. ORCHIDS

The flora and fauna on the banks of the river begins to change in this area, giving rise to more flowers of varying sizes. There are some water lilies close to the banks where the water is not moving as fast, but it is the orchids of varying color, even within the same plant, that are the most eye-catching. The fragrance of the flowers fills the air.

The three colored orchids are actually quite valuable. If they can be transported alive to a town they would fetch 25 gp each due to their rarity. If dried, their colors remain brilliant, but their value decreases to 3 gp each.

11. THE SOUND OF RUSHING WATER

The peace of the prairie and smooth river ride once again gives way to the sound of rushing water. As you look downriver, you see the river is getting wider.

The beavers that used to live further upstream (See area #6) moved their home downstream which is where the sound of white water is coming from. The river has backed up because of the dam, hence the reason for its widening. They have captured debris floating down the river and they have brought wood from the Vesve Forest to this location.

12. DAM!

Just downstream, where the sound of rushing water is coming from, you see another pile of debris. This pile is larger than the previous one you passed the day before, and it stretches from bank to bank. Although you hear the sound of water pouring, it is hard to tell exactly where the outlet is located.

It is difficult to tell because there is no chute through this dam. The water is rushing through a portion of the dam, not over the dam. If the canoes try to maneuver to go through where the water is spilling away, they will not make it through. Because of the height of the dam, the drop off to the river on the

other side is 20’. If the player characters get stuck on the beaver dam, the giant beavers will exit their lair and attack. If they portage around the obstacle, they will be ignored; however, as soon as the canoes are put into the river on the southside of the dam, the splashing sound will attract the giant beavers. They will see the canoes as potential material for the dam and they will move to secure the large pieces of wood.

The giant beaver hides are worth 1,000 gp each. The hides of the kits are 50 gp each. The kits can be easily captured and they can be sold on the market for 600 gp each.

Beavers, giant (4): AC 6; MV 6”/12”; HD 4; hp 32, 27, 21, 19; #AT 1; Dmg 4-16.

Beavers, giant kits (6): AC 6; MV 6”/12”; HD 1; hp 6 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4.

Treasure: 5,200 cp (each of which depicts a hand), 1 yellow topaz valued at 300 gp, and 1 quartz topaz valued at 100 gp.

13. DAY IS DONE

Once again, the sun begins to disappear behind the Yatil Mountains bringing a fast end to the day.

The evening and night will be uneventful and once again, after the stars and the bright moon come out, it will light up the night while casting strange shadows about the campsite.

Hex54 (X4-89)

“While making this portage I saw many splendid specimens of the great purple fringed orchids, three feet high.”

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14. WHITEWATER

Mid-morning you hear the sound of rushing water in the distance and you notice the canoe is beginning to pull a little. It is the familiar sound of white water.

Through this section of the Velverdyva the river begins to turn due south and the elevation starts to drop. This often creates white water or water falls, which will plague the player characters for this hex and the next several hexes. In this case the whitewater will last for one mile before returning to a calm river. There is no need to portage and no chance of spilling in this section.

15. WATERFALL #1

Several miles after the last stretch of whitewater rapids, you hear the sound of more coming in the distance.

This stretch of white water travels for ¼ mile before abruptly coming to a waterfall that has a drop off of 15’. It is possible to navigate the whitewater, but there is a 50% chance (1-3 on a roll of 1-6) that if the player characters try to go over the falls it will cause them and their equipment to spill out and they will take 1-6 hit points of damage from the fall. If they try to stop and paddle to the shore when they realize there is a waterfall, there is a 1 in 6 chance they won’t make it and will still go over the falls. If they do make it out, the portage around the waterfall is only 100’ before they can put their canoes back into the water. If they portage they will pass by a number of purple orchids that line the shore down to the water’s edge by the fall.

16. CRY FOR HELP

Several miles past the last waterfall, you hear the sound of rushing distinctly sounds like a waterfall. Because of the way the river is bending back to the southwest, you can see the eastern edge of the waterfall in the distance. Suddenly, you hear something other than the sound of rushing water. It sounds like a female crying out for help.

There is a waterfall coming up that has a 10’ drop. The cry of help is coming from the base of the waterfall, but it is not a female. Rather, it is a pair of leucrotta that are mimicking the cry of a female in order to bait the player characters.

17. WATERFALL #2

You are almost upon the waterfall it looks like it has a short drop, but you can see rocks along the eastern shore. You hear the cries of a little girl coming from the base of the falls.

There are some rocks that would be detrimental to the canoes and the player characters, but they are all on the eastern shore. If they stay in the center or western side of the river, they may be able to take the drop, but there is a 1-3 chance out of 6 that their canoes will spill. If they spill, the two leucrotta will attack. If they decide to portage, as they drop down the sides of the grassy plains to the river, the leucrotta will attack. Also, while they portage, they will note that the areas close to the waterfall are lined with purple orchids.

Leucrotta (2): AC 4; MV 18”; HD 6+1; hp 22, 21; #AT 1; Dmg 3-18; SD: when retreating they can kick backwards for 1-6 hit points of damage for each hoof that hits.

Treasure: located in a small lair near the base of the waterfall on the western shore the player characters will find 4,300 gp and 8 diamonds, each worth 100 gp.

18. WATERFALL #3

Mid-afternoon, you hear, once again, the sounds of a waterfall. The way the terrain drops in the distance this may be the highest waterfall yet.

It is, for the waterfall drops 22’ and there are rocks at the base of the waterfall. There is clear indication that others have portaged around this particular waterfall as there are worn paths on either side.

As the player characters portage, they will see more purple orchids around the portage site and along the waterfalls. On both sides of the river, mixed into the purple orchids is a very large plant

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that is a mantrap. As the player characters portage the waterfall, they will be caught in its continuous release of pollen.

When the player characters put their canoes back into the water, there is a 50% chance that they will notice the area around the base of the water is filled with algae. The base of the waterfall is the lair of 5 algoids who roam this portion of the river. They will follow the player characters canoes under the river until they are all gathered and attack (See area #19).

Mantrap (2): AC 6; MV nil; HD 5; hp 23 (western shore), 19 (eastern shore); #AT 1; Dmg see below; SA: during the day the mantrap releases a pollen that travels for 60’, each player character must saver versus poison or become fascinated with the odor, following it to the plant. They will then climb into the mantrap and it will shut its leaves, permanently trapping the victim. Acid secretions will cause damage to the victim based on their armor class; items must save once per turn or be destroyed, and metal receives a +2 bonus. The victim cannot be pulled free until the mantrap is killed. The effects of the odor will last for 24-hours or until the plant is burned.

19. AH GEE, ALGAE

As you float down the river late in the day, you notice that the river has turned rather green with algae, and the shores are lined with it. There is also algae floating by your canoes. What you are not expecting is a hand of algae to reach up out of the water for your canoes.

A party of algoid roam this portion of the river and claim it as their own. Their lair is at the base of the previous waterfall (See area #18). They don’t like intruders passing through their home. The ones at the base of the waterfall will follow the canoes downstream, underwater, until they meet up with the other algoids before attacking. They do so by first reaching up and trying to tip over the canoes for which there is a 1-4 out of 6 chance they will be able to do so. They will then try to tear the player characters apart under water by pummeling them with their massive fists.

Algoid (5): AC 5; MV 6”; HD 5; hp 26, 21 (x2), 16, 15; #AT 2; Dmg 1-10/1-10; SA: can use one psionic mind blast each day; SD: Immune to edge weapons of less than +2 bonus; immune to fire and lightning spells, but vulnerable to such spells as part water or lower water which will cause 1-6 hit points of damage.

20. SUNSET

As the river begins to straighten back out, you find the sun is quickly setting behind the Yatil Mountains. It is time to make camp.

As the player characters establish camp, if they do take the precautions of sending out patrols, they will catch a patrol of hobgoblins spying on them off in the distance, northeast of their position. They came out of the Vesve Forest and were heading south some distance east of the Velverdyva River. They caught sight of the player characters at the last waterfall (See area #18). They have watched them from a distance and developed a plan of attack. Suspecting that the player characters will continue to head south in the boats the next day, in the middle of the night, they plan to move south of their position about a mile or two and camouflage themselves on the shore. When the player characters paddle through, they will initiate a surprise attack (See area #21).

Hex55 (X4-90)

“I observe that ferns grow especially where there is an abrupt or broken bank, as where sand has been anciently dug out of a hillside to make a dam with and the semicircular scar has been covered with a sod and shrubs again. The shelter and steepness are favorable when there is shade and moisture.”


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21. HOBGOBLIN’S ATTACK!

After paddling peacefully for two miles, that peace is broken by a guttural sound as numerous mounds of prairie grass seemingly rise along the shore. Hobgoblins!

If the player characters conducted a patrol in the area the night before, they may be more alert to this possibility, if they have not already dispatched these hobgoblins. Assuming they have not, if the player characters are actively scanning the shore, the players should be afforded an opportunity to determine whether or not they were surprised. Otherwise, these hobgoblins will have the drop on the player characters.

These are a remnant band of the hobgoblin tribe The Rippers. They are, or were, famous for using their morning stars heavily ladened with spikes and ripping the entrails out of their enemies. The Rippers ventured into the Vesve Forest and met their most hated enemy, the elves, who proceeded to slaughter the tribe. Out of over 200 hobgoblins, only about 30 survived, and they fractured into bands. This band is led by Sharnad. He is a worthy opponent, but this is his first test as a leader of the ragtag band, so he knows he has to be successful in order to earn the right to be their new leader.

The band will first fire the arrows from their composite bows at the player characters of which they only have three each as they spent most of their arrows fighting the elves. They will then rush into the river to try and destroy the party with their morning stars. A special reminder, not only do hobgoblins hate elves, but because their tribe was recently all but destroyed by the elves, they have a special bitterness right now. If there is an elf in the party, they will be the focus of every hobgoblin’s attack, despite the best efforts of Sharnad to focus on killing the entire party.

Sharnad, Hobgoblin: AC 5; MV 9”; (fights as) HD 3; hp 16; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 or by weapon type; S 18; armed with a +1 morning star, a composite bow, and three arrows.

Hobgoblin (17): AC 5; MV 9”; HD 1+1; hp 6 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 or by weapon type. Each carries a composite bow, 3 arrows, and a morning star.

Treasure: Sharnad carries a satchel with 120 gp, one garnet worth 25 gp and one ruby worth 150 gp a potion of plant control and a potion of climbing. Every other hobgoblin has a pouch with 18 cp and 3 gp. Eight of the hobgoblin arrows are also silver tipped, each worth 10 gp each.

22. WHACKO BIRD

It is about noon and something is heading very fast toward you on the western shore. About every 10 seconds it seems to stop, run around in circles, and then continues its furious run north toward your position. As it draws nearer, you see it is an apparently flightless bird, running on two strongly built legs with a long neck that ends in a very heavy and sharp looking beak.

This whacko bird is a crazed axe beak that is old and losing its mind. It will continue moving in circles and running off in tangents, but ultimately heading north toward the player characters. In two rounds, it will reach the player characters position at which point, seeing the player characters, it will run straight into the river and attack.

Axe beak: AC 6; MV 18”; HD 3; hp 19; #AT 3; Dmg 1-3/1-3/2-8.

23. WHITEWATER/WATERFALLS

The current begins to pull stronger and up ahead in the distance, once again, you hear the sound of rushing water.

The whitewater will last for the next three miles and there is a series of three waterfalls, each dropping 5’. There are no obstructions, so there should be little difficulty in navigating through this section of the river. However, there is always a 1 in 6 chance the canoes will tip over going over each waterfall. If they do spill, there is no damage, only the necessity of gathering up anything that isn’t tied down.

24. ASSASSIN BUGS

It is mid-afternoon and you hear a sound coming from a southerly direction. This time it is not the sound of rushing water. It is more of a droning or humming noise. Peering in the distance you see

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two objects flying over the river heading north in your direction.

It is the mating season and these two assassin bugs are looking for a host. Their favorite host is a human. When they come into combat range, the male (colored bright blue) will select a human target and attack. The male always strikes first, and once struck with the paralyzing saliva, the female (colored a pale blue) will move in to lay her eggs.

Assassin bug (2): AC 5; MV 6”/18”; HD 1+1; hp 9 (male), 4 (female); #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; SA: paralyzing bite unless saved versus poison at +2, at which point the female will then ‘attack’ the affected area and if successful, she will lay her eggs, at which point the female will die. The eggs will hatch in 13-24 hours, producing 7-12 larvae. Each larvae will then cause 1 hit point of damage each hour for two weeks as it eats the host’s internal organs.

25. SOD HOUSES ON THE SHORE

As the sun begins to set behind the Yatil Mountains, you come upon a series of holes in the side of the river bank on the western side of the river. The holes are large enough for a human to enter, and beyond them, on the prairie you see small mounds rising up.

These are sod houses built into the side of the river. Each of the entryways leading into a one-room sod house that measure between 3’ to 4’ wide and 5’ to 6’ tall. There are a total of 9 such sod houses stretched over a ¼ mile distance. They are dirt floored and dirt roofed with no shoring, but otherwise they are in good shape. If the player characters chose to stay overnight in the sod houses, they provide protection from the elements. The rooms are large enough to sleep a good sized party, but may become overly crowded if they try to drag their canoes with them.

Overnight, all manner of creatures that live in the earth will be crawling through the dirt and one of the downsides of living in a sod house is the unexpected visitors in the middle of the night. Roll on the following table to see who they might encounter:

Dice Roll Outcome

1 - 20 no visitors

21 – 40 1-6 Earthworms drop on the sleeping player characters

41 – 60 1-6 non-poisonous snakes drop on the sleeping player characters.

61 – 80 1-6 poisonous snakes drop on the sleeping player characters

81-100 2-24 giant centipedes drop on the sleeping player characters.

Earthworm: AC 10; MV 3”; HD 1 hit point; hp 1 each; #AT 0; Dmg nil.

Snake, non-poisonous: AC 10; MV 15”; HD 1; hp 4 each; #AT 0; Dmg nil.

Snake, poisonous: AC 5; MV 15”; HD 4+2; hp 18 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3; SA: poison.

Centipede, giant: AC 9; MV 15”; HD ¼; hp 2 each; #AT 1; Dmg nil; SA: poison.

Hex56 (X4-91)

“Shortly after this I overtook it at the edge of some burnt land, which extended three or four miles at least . . . this burnt land was an exceedingly wild and desolate region.”

-Henry David Thoreau, Canoeing in the Wilderness.

26. THE EDGE OF SOME BURNT LAND

While paddling on the river has been peaceful this morning, not long after noon-time you notice a

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change in the scenery on the shore. Along the western shore you have come to the edge of a burnt land, for something has set fire to the prairie. The fire continues to smolder and the trail of burnt land extends south as far as the eye can see.

There are many evil people who have, by design, begun looking for the mantle of rao, as well as the crook of rao, both which are believed to be hidden somewhere in Veluna. Lolth is not the only one seeking these artifacts (See Chapter 7), for so too is Iuz the Evil. To this end, he has summoned to the prime material plane elemental grues. In the case of the burnt lands, it is a team of harginn. They appeared on the western bank of the Velverdyva River and have begun heading south.

27. COLUMN OF FIRE

Since first spotting the burnt trail heading south, you have followed it for nearly three miles. The burnt trail of land is about 10’ wide and continues to smolder. In the distance, about another mile or two downriver, you see the source of the fire – a column of fire burns along the shore and it looks as if it is continuing to move.

The column of fire is the harginn moving south. There are three of them with one walking in front and the other two back and flanking the lead harginn. The column of fire is 8’ in height and they are burning a swath of land 10’ wide.

28. THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE

As you draw near the source of the fire, you see a column of fire 8’ high and nearly 10’ wide burning the prairie grass on the western shore. The fire keeps morphing and changing, but begins to take shape, the shape of a human on fire. Three of these forms take a more definitive shape and then stop, and turn toward you.

The three harginn are charged with destroying everything in their wake and to find the crook and mantle of rao. The harginn will attack the player characters if they get close or even just try to pass the column of fire. They will use their gout of flame and blink ability to destroy the party.

Harginn (3): AC 3; MV 15”; HD 4+4; hp 25, 24, 20, 16; #AT 1; Dmg 5-8; SA: gout of flame from fingertips that expands to 3’ wide and 6’ in length; SD: blink ability and immune to all fire spells.

29. RED SKY AT NIGHT

As the sun begins to set behind the Yatil Mountains, you are treated to a spectacular view, a red sunset. Not only does the sun appear to be blood red in the sky, but so too the Yatils and the grassy prairie.

The sunset is red, but so too will be the sunrise. Given the old sailor’s ditty, “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning,” it forecasts a dangerous day. However, the player characters are about to also have a dangerous night. Iuz, knowing that his harginn have been destroyed, has decided to summon three chaggrin. They will come ambling into the player characters’ campsite in their hedgehog form after Midnight, and once in their midst, they will shape change to their larger man-hedgehog form. Iuz is not happy.

Chaggrin (3): AC 4; MV 12” (3”); HD 5+5; hp 24, 23, 19; #AT 2; Dmg 3-6/3-6; SA: if both claws strike, the chaggrin will cling to the victim causing an additional 7-12 hit points of damage, plus if any skin is unprotected by armor, they will suffer another 1-4 hit points of damage from their quills; SD: immune to earth based spells.

Hex57 (X4-92)

“For seven or eight miles below that succession of ‘Grand’ falls the aspect of the banks as well as the character of the stream was changed. After passing a tributary from the northwest we had swift smooth water.”

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30. RED SKY IN MORNING

As the sun breaks the eastern horizon early in the morning, you are once again treated to a blood red sun as it rises, bathing the land in an eerie red glow.

Rain is on the way. By the time the player characters have put in their canoes, the sky will open up. It is going to be a soggy day. No more sun.

31. WHITE WATER

Because of the rain, you see it before you hear it –white water.

The player characters have paddled not more than a mile before hitting the white water. The river is about to drop over the next 8 miles, which will include a series of falls.

32. WATERFALL

In the distance you see a waterfall. The drop does not look too far down and you see no obstructions.

The drop is only 5 feet and the player characters can try to go over the falls. There is a 1 in 6 chance their canoes will spill, but because of the fact there are no obstructions there is only a 1 in 6 chance that in their spill, the canoe or something in the canoe will strike them for 1-6 hit points of damage.

33. ANOTHER WATERFALL

Once again, in the distance, you see another waterfall similar to the last one.

Again, the drop is only 5 feet and the player characters can try to go over the falls. There is a 1 in 6 chance their canoes will spill, but because of the fact there are no obstructions there is only a 1 in 6 chance that in their spill, the canoe or something in the canoe will strike them for 1-6 hit points of damage.

34. AND STILL ANOTHER

There is yet another waterfall in the distance, but the drop off looks to be much higher than the last two.

The drop off in this case is 10’ and while the player characters could try to take this one by water, there

is a 1-4 in 6 chance they will spill, and if they spill, they will take 1-6 hit points of damage.

The waterfall is actually the least of their problems. If they take the canoes over the waterfall, as they surface, they will see the wyvern coming for them from the sky. If they portage, as they get the canoes out of the water and begin the process, the wyvern will come at them from the sky. Because the skies are dark, the wyvern blends in well with the sky, and assumedly, the player characters are focused on navigating the waterfall. If any player notifies the dungeon master they look around or more specifically they look to the sky, they will not be taken unawares. Regardless, however, the wyvern will not get a surprise attack due to the distance it must travel when diving for its morning meal.

The wyvern is hungry and will attack from the sky, trying to clutch on to one of the player characters for a meal. It will bite and try to sting one or two opponents. If it bites, it will also try to latch on to the victim to fly away with its meal. If the wyvern is unsuccessful on the first or second pass, it will fly high above the party, circle, and follow them downriver, looking for another opportunity to strike.

Wyvern: AC 3; MV 6”/24”; HD 7+7; hp 34; #AT 2; Dmg 2-16/1-6; SA: poison.

35. YET ONE MORE WATERFALL

Once again, in the distance, you see another waterfall similar to the first two.

If the wyvern is still tracking the party, this is clearly an opportunity for it to attack. If the player characters portage, they are vulnerable, and if they take the waterfall in their canoes and spill, they will also become vulnerable.

The drop is only 5 feet and if the player characters try to go over the falls, there is a 1 in 6 chance their canoes will spill. If they do spill, there is only a 1 in 6 chance that the canoe or something in the canoe will strike them for 1-6 hit points of damage.

36. THE GRAND WATERFALL

Despite the continuous rain coming down, this time you hear the sound of a waterfall downstream over the raindrops striking the river. It must be a high waterfall.

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This waterfall is a 25’ drop and there is no way that the player characters would be able to ride this waterfall out. If the wyvern is still in pursuit, the fact that they will need to portage makes this all the more dangerous a proposition. This also gets more complicated too, for half-way through the portage they will be attacked by two centaurs, guardians of the Minotaur.

37. PORTAGE

The sides of the river bank both have clear animal trails that descend down past the waterfall to the river. Because of the rain, the paths have turned to mud and they look slippery. The only other option appears to be walking down the steep slopes through the tall prairie grass.

If the player characters portage down the animal trail, there is a 1-5 in 6 chance of slipping. If they chose to walk down the steep slope through the prairie grass there is a 1-3 in 6 chance of slipping.

In addition to the possibility of the wyvern still being in position to attack if not defeated by this point, the player characters will also face the two centaurs. They, in a strange alliance, are servants of the minotaur that resides in a small labyrinth behind the waterfalls.4

Long ago, a band of centaurs were driven out of their home by humans and forced to wander the plains. This roving band of centaurs wandered the lands of Furyondy and Veluna looking for a new home when they came across the waterfall. They realized the waterfall had a hidden labyrinth, in somewhat of a glen, with rich grass in the area, and running water. It was perfect. Until they came across the minotaur. They decided to fight for the rights to the labyrinth and nearly every centaur was slaughtered. Two of the young centaurs were spared by the minotaur. They were then raised and taught how to fight and hunt for him. They became servants and guardians of the minotaur.

The centaurs observe creatures coming to the river (or those that are on the river) as possible prey to feed the minotaur. As player characters come down the slope, they will exit from behind the waterfalls and attack. Their goal is to bring fresh kill to the minotaur. However, if things go poorly for them, they will retreat to warn the minotaur of the dangers. The centaurs, like the minotaur, also know the location of all of the secret doors, secret

passages, and traps throughout the labyrinth and will use those to their advantage to sneak up upon their prey and attack.

Centaur (2): AC 5; MV 18”; HD 4; hp 32 each; #AT 2; Dmg 1-6/1-6; SA: can use human weapons, in which case first attack is by weapon type. These centaurs each carry +1 longbows and 30 arrows for ranged fighting, along with an oaken clubs equal to morning stars for melee combat.

38. HIDDEN PATH

Hidden behind the waterfall, lies a wide-mouth cavern 30’ in width, hidden behind the waterfall. Water from the base of the waterfall is back-feeding into the cavern, cutting a 10’ wide path through the center of the cavern. On either side is a small shelf that widens into a 10’ passage leading into the dark.

The shelf is only a few feet wide at first, but expands to a 10’ passage that trails along the river. The path rises to be a few feet above the river before finally turning away from the river into the hillside behind the waterfall.

39. RED RIVER

The 10’ wide river that travels further into the cavern is blood red in color and something in the water makes it sparkle. Up ahead, the river looks like it disappears into a round tunnel.

When the player characters reach the point where the passageways turn away from the river, the river itself enters a round circular opening that has an interesting spiral patter about it cut into the stone. Anyone peering down the circular tunnel will see that it has a spiral pattern and must save versus spell or be hypnotized by the spiral effect. Any player character failing their save will have a strong desire to jump into the river and enter the tunnel.

40. LAMPREY ATTACK

As you wade into the circular tunnel, you realize the depth of the water is only about 5’ deep, but the current is fairly strong as the tunnel begins to angle slightly downward. Something brushes across your leg under the water.

Two giant lampreys have made their way into this portion of the red river, looking to feed on any creature with blood. They are both very hungry and will attack after a quick probe.

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Lamprey (2): AC 6; MV 9”; HD 5; hp 28, 16; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA: blood drain, once attached, the lamprey will automatically drain the victim’s blood causing 10 hit points of damage each round.

41. THE LABYRINTH OF THE MORKOTH

The tunnel suddenly changes directions and plunges you downward into the depths of the earth. The spiral pattern carved into the tunnel’s walls appears to be spinning which may explain why the water is constantly turning you over.

The spiral pattern is to blame, but it is not actually spinning. There are 6 segments in this spiraling tunnel, each of which descends downward 10’ over a 50’ expanse. When a player character enters the labyrinth, they must make a save versus spells at -4 on the die or otherwise they will be charmed by the morkoth who awaits its next meal in the cave at the end of the tunnels (See area #42).

42. LAIR OF THE MORKOTH

The end of the six spillways deposits you in a cavern filled with water. It feels large, possibly a pond or small lake in size, although it is too dark to tell.

The cavern is dark, but there is plenty of air in the cave. The ceiling of the cave is 20’ high and the depth of the lake is 15’. The water drains away at the bottom of the cave and travels back into the Velverdyva River. The area in which the water drains away is not passable unless you are an averaged sized fish.

The six spiral tunnels have dropped the player characters 60’ down into the depths of the earth and into an underground lake. There, the morkoth (a “Jenny Haniver”) waits in the middle of the lake under the water, for any hypnotized creatures to become its next meal. It is not often that it gets a victim, so it will move to consume its victim quickly out of hunger.

Any player character that fell under the charm of the morkoth will passively float in the lake awaiting their fate. Any player character that was not charmed will sense something moving under the water and coming toward them.

Morkoth: AC 3; MV 18”; HD 7; hp 35; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10; SA: hypnosis; SD: spell reflection.

Treasure: located at the bottom of the lake are 42,450 gp, 1,725 pp, a star ruby (worth 5,000 gp), a jacinth gem (worth 5,000 gp), a amethyst gem (wroth 100 gp), a red garnet (worth 100 gp), a clear rock crystal (worth 50 gp), a green chrysoberyl (worth 100 gp), a black sapphire (worth 5,000 gp),a star rose quartz (worth 50 gp), a diamond (worth 5,000 gp), +1 lance, ring of feather falling, helm of underwater action, potion of healing, and one scroll tube (water tight) containing a scroll of protection – petrification.

43. THE LABYRINTH OF THE MINOTAUR

The shelf along the underground river behind the falls turns sharply into an underground tunnel made of worked stone. The tunnel is spacious enough, for it stands 10’ wide and 10’ high.

The tunnels through the labyrinth are largely the same, remaining 10’ wide and 10’ tall, and made of worked stone, although it is rough cut.

44. TRAP & PIT

At this intersection is a weight sensitive trap. As soon as more than 50 lbs. of weight steps on the trapdoor, it will give way. The trap reveals a 10’ deep pit and any player character falling into the pit will take 1-6 hit points of damage. The purpose of this trap is simply for the noise it will make, allowing the centaurs the opportunity to respond to an intruder.

45. SECRET DOOR

There are numerous secret doors throughout the labyrinth. The minotaur and both of the centaurs know each of the secret doors’ locations and they use them to their advantage whenever prey enter the labyrinth. The doors have a fine line cut into the stone which is difficult to detect as the secret door is almost as large as the passageways, measuring 9 ½’ by 9 ½’. They also make little noise opening and closing.

46. TRAP, PIT, & SPIKES

The location of this trap door is just prior to entering the lairs of the two centaurs. This particular trap is weight sensitive for as soon as 50 lbs. of weight steps on the trapdoor, it will give way. The pit is 10’ deep and any player character falling into the pit will suffer 1-6 hit points of damage. In addition, because they are weary of anyone getting past this pit, they have placed a dozen spikes at the bottom.

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Any player character falling to the bottom of the pit will have the potential for striking 1-6 spikes for an additional 1-6 hit points of damage per spike.

47. LAIR OF THE CENTAUR #1

This 20’ by 30’ room features a bed of hay in the southwestern corner and in the center of the room are various sticks in various stages of carving, Lying next to them is a sharp looking knife.

This is the lair of one of the centaurs. This centaur was responsible for crafting the arrows for their bows. The lair is relatively sparse, as the minotaur never allowed the centaurs to own much. There is no treasure, other than the knife. There is a secret door in the southern wall which is a passage leading to the other centaur’s lair in area #48.

48. LAIR OF THE CENTAUR #2

The corridor opens into a 20’ by 30’ room which features a bed of hay in the northwestern corner. In the center of the room are several large oaken branches in various stages of carving. There is a large knife imbedded into one of the branches.

This is the lair of one of the centaurs. This centaur was responsible for crafting the oaken clubs the centaurs carry. The lair is relatively sparse and, other than the sharp carving knife, there is no treasure in the room. There are secret doors located in the southeastern and southwestern portions of the room.

49. PITS OVER TROUBLED WATER

There are two passages in the labyrinth that cross over the underground river. Both of the pits are weight sensitive and will give way when any weight is applied to the flooring in their 10’ by 10’ area. When the trap door gives way, it will drop anyone failing to grab onto the edge of the pit into the underground river below that leads to the morkoth’s lair (See area #42). The first pit drops the player characters approximately 40’ into the underground river for 2-12 hits points of damage (the water helps to break their fall), while the second pit trap drops them 55’ into the underground river for 3-18 hit points of damage (again, the water helping to break their fall). Once in the underground river, they will have to save against the hypnotic effect of the labyrinth (see

area #41) and they will be swept into the lair of the morkoth (See area #42).

50. COSHEE

The corridor expands to 20’ and stretches back into the darkness from which emits a growling sound.

The last victims of the minotaur and centaurs was a small elven party of three. One of the elves had a cooshee, an elven dog, which fought to defend them, was injured, and retreated into the labyrinth. It managed to avoid the monsters and eventually found its way into this 20’ corridor/room. The cooshee will be paranoid of any creature that is not of elven-kind and will attack if approached. However, it is wounded and still has an arrow sticking out of its side. If there is an elf or even a half-elf in the party, there is a chance that it can be befriended. The cooshee is a very large dog, weighing about 225 lbs., and has a green coat with brown spots,

Cooshee (elven dog): AC 5; MV 15”/Spring 21”; HD 3+3; hp 6 (normally 26); #AT 1; Dmg 7-10; SA: overbearing, using two front paws to knock 2-footed creatures of human size or smaller over then biting them; SD: camouflage.

51. OCHRE JELLY

The corridor along this portion of the labyrinth has side alcoves 10’ by 10’ and at the end of the hallway looks to open up into a room.

The room is the current location of an ochre jelly that moves about the labyrinth seeking out any flesh or cellulose to devour. The centaurs spend time staving off the attacks of the ochre jelly on the bulls (rothe) located in area #52.

Ochre jelly: AC 8; MV 3”; HD 6; hp 27; #AT 1; Dmg 3-12; SD: striking with lightning bolts divides the creature (cold and fire have normal effects).

52. BULL!

The corridor opens up into a large chamber measuring 70’ by 50.’ The room still has worked stones, like the rest of the labyrinth, but this particular room’s ceiling features stalactites from which water drips ono the floor. Most of the room

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stands in several inches of water. Occupying the room are small ox-like creatures.

The room is full of rothé, a herd of 18. They are kept here as a food source of the minotaur and tended to by the centaurs. Because of the location of this particular room, water seeps through the ceiling and forms the stalactites. The water on the ground and the lichen and moss that form, provide the perfect food source for the rothé. Therefore, the only tending they really need is when the minotaur desires one to be butchered for a meal. They are shy and skittish and despise bright lights, which may cause the whole herd to move or flee the light.

Rothé (18): AC 7; MV 9”; HD 2; hp 8 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-8.

53. MINOTAUR TRAP #1

This is the first of four traps around the lair of the minotaur. The minotaur uses these traps to the greatest effect possible. In the case of this particular trap, he has two ways of employing the trap. The first is he will enter the western secret door, making sure he is seen. Then he will rapidly move through the eastern secret door, pulling it behind him, and avoiding the trap. He will then hide around the corner (north or south) and wait for a creature to fall into the trap. The second manner in which he uses this trap is to simply wait in the secret corridor until the trap is sprung. He then has the advantage to finish off his prey.

The trap is 10’ deep and causes 1-6 hit points of damage. There are also 12 spikes at the bottom of the pit, and a player character has the potential of striking 1-6 for another 1-6 hit points of damage for each spike.


This is the second of four traps around the lair of the minotaur. The minotaur likes to use this one by being seen and running through the secret door, pulling it shut behind him (there is a cord). He leaps over the pit trap, then opens the secret door to the south, and hides behind it until the trap door is sprung. He then opens the secret door and attacks his prey from his vantage point.



This is the third trap of four traps around the lair of the minotaur. This one is set to spring only if the secret door on the southern wall of the hallway is opened. As soon as it opens, the mechanism causes the floor to give way and anyone opening the secret door or standing in the 10’ by 10’ area will drop into the pit.

The trap is 10’ deep and causes 1-6 hit points of damage. There are also 12 spikes at the bottom of the pit, and a player character has the potential of being struck by 1-6 for another 1-6 hit points of damage for each spike.


This is the fourth trap of four traps around the lair of the minotaur. This one is set to spring only if the secret door on the eastern wall at the end of the hallway is opened. As soon as it opens, the mechanism causes the floor to give way and anyone opening the secret door or standing in the 10’ by 10’ pit will drop into the pit.


57. LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR

The secret door opens to reveal a long 60’ room which is 30’ wide, from which emits the putrid smell of some foul carrion. The room is ornate and plush. There is a 10’ wide carpet running down the center of the room and situated on the eastern wall is an ornate throne. In the northeastern corner is a bedding area made of numerous carpets, blankets, and silk sheets. In the southeastern corner is a pile of treasure. In the southwestern corner of the room are the half eaten corpses of three sylvan elves.

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If the minotaur has not been slain and has remained in his lair or has returned to his lair, add the line that a great minotaur sits upon the throne.

In addition to the two traps before the secret doors (See areas #55 & #56), the minotaur also has two traps ready to spring on any creature entering his lair. There is a loop set into the floor beside the secret doors and a loop set in the wall over the doorway. If the minotaur uses his greataxe, he can cut the rope and drop the netting filled with rocks onto any player character in the 10’ by 10’ area. The rocks will cause 4-24 hit points of damage (half damage if the player character saves).

The red carpet is rather large and heavy and worn with time, but otherwise could be cleaned and would be worth 300 gp.

The bedding in the northeastern corner was probably worth a handsome figure at some point in time, but they are so soiled now as to be worthless.

The three cadavers in the southwestern corner are those of three sylvan elves who were captured by the centaurs and brought to the minotaur for feeding. The elves had a coshee which was wounded, but managed to escape and hide from the centaurs. It then entered the labyrinth looking for its master, but was again harassed by the centaurs. It ended up hiding in a dark corridor in the labyrinth (See area #50).

While the throne looks rich and ornate and highly valuable, it is gold leafed and much of the gold leaf is falling off. All told, the gold collected from the throne chair would amount to 300 gp.

The minotaur, if alerted by the centaurs, will move into the labyrinth and hunt his prey, toy with the prey, or maneuver in advance of the prey to catch them in one of the traps, preferably the ones that drop into pits, so as to be able to recover the carcass. The minotaur will use its battleaxe as its primary weapon, but will also ram an opponent or bite them as well. If the minotaur is injured, it will return to its lair for healing and to await any human foolish enough to come into its lair. There it will either hope to catch the prey in the pit traps in front of the two secret doors to its lair (See areas #55 & #56) or it will cut the ropes inside the lair that will

drop a ton of rocks on any trespasser. Once any player characters have entered the lair itself, the minotaur will fight ferociously in combat, but always reserving the opportunity to seek out a potion of healing in its treasure pile. The treasure is actually the combined treasure of the minotaur and centaurs.

Minotaur: AC 3; MV 12”; HD 6+3; hp 50; #AT 2; Dmg 2-8 for head butt (opponent 6’+) or 1-4 for bite (opponents under 6’) and by weapon type; SD: Surprised only on a 1 out of 6. The minotaur wears bracers of armor +3 and wields a battle axe +3.

Treasure: 13,543 cp, 4,150 sp, 8,057 ep, 5,010 gp, 8,023 pp, 3 rubies each worth 100 gp, 8 diamonds each worth 50 gp, 1 bloodstone worth 500 gp; 1 silver necklace that features 10 one inch width strands that ends in a silver phoenix worth 2,500 gp, staff of striking, potion of healing, potion of extra-healing, lance +1, dagger +1 and +2 versus creatures smaller than man-sized, rod of alertness, scroll of reverse gravity, scroll globe of invulnerability, scroll delayed blast fireball, scroll of leomund’s trap, 2 pairs of boots of elvenkind, +1 bow, staff of thunder and lightning, and a cloak of elvenkind,

58. LITTLE FALLS

As you continue your journey south you find the rain continues to fall. Not too far distance from the last grand waterfall, you see a series of small waterfalls that drop in height the equivalent of a stair step.

This section of the river will last for several miles, with another small drop here and there, approximately every 300-500’. The drops pose no danger.

59. RIVERS MERGE

Up ahead in the distance, you see another river coming from the west merging with your river. The other river looks almost as large and wide as yours.

The other river is the Fals River which originates out of the southernmost section of the Yatil Mountains. As it winds its way through Veluna, it passes near the capital city of Mitrik, before eventually merging with the Velverdyva River. The Fals River is aptly names as there are many waterfalls located on that

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river and the river itself marks the northernmost boundary of Veluna. When the waters merge together, it creates for a powerful river, but the merger of the two is very calm and peaceful. The only difference that the player characters may notice is that the water coming from the Fals River is much colder in temperature than the Velverdyva, because the water originates from higher elevations in the Yatil Mountains.

Hex58 (X4-93)

“Praise a man for attacking singly an ordinary band of thieves or murderers.”


60. RAIN ENDS

While the night proved to be rather soggy, the rain lets up just after dawn. As the sun rises, it looks like it will be a beautiful day.

While the day may prove beautiful, it may also prove deadly.

61. INSECTS

The combination of rain and the mid-morning sun, has begun to heat things up making it rather humid. The insects begin to swarm around your canoes and buzz you and bite you periodically as they become more active.

The worst of this will be the mosquitos, but the wasps and other various insects will make a nuisance of themselves as well.

62. COLONIAL INSECT-FORMED ARTIFICIAL LIFE

The swarms of insects are getting more ferocious and the drone of a swarm of mosquitoes is now a constant. Several insect swarms start to form together in front of your canoes and they appear to be almost taking shape – the shape of a very large human.

The insects are forming into a CIFAL, a Colonial Insect-Formed Artificial Life. The mass is human shaped and will be able to walk on water, however, it does not technically fly. The unique thing about the CIFAL is that while it is a 10 hit die monster, when two of its hit die are reduced to zero, the entire mass of insects will break up and fly away.

CIFAL: AC 6; MV 6”; HD 8 or 10; hp 38 (when reduced to 30, it breaks up); #AT 1; Dmg 1-12 (agglomeration of insect bites); SD: edged weapon only cause 1 hit point of damage, all others normal.

63. WIND FROM THE NORTH

When the sun is at its highest point in the sky, suddenly a rush of wind comes blasting at your backs and the area around your canoes is filled with a misty fog. Out of that fog, tentacles lash out at you.

Iuz, being unhappy, has called forth an Ildriss from the Elemental Plane of Air to attack the party which he believes is spoiling his search for the artifact the Mantle of Rao. It is not good to upset Iuz.

Ildriss: AC 2; MV 3” as fog/24”; HD 4; hp 16; #AT 1; Dmg 3-12; SA: have a 4 in 6 chance of surprise and always attack first in any round; SD: +2 weapon or better to hit, immune to all air-based spells.

64. GREEN WATER FROM THE RIVER

No sooner have you dealt with the strange fog creature with tentacles, than a green patch of water begins to form into a gross jelly-like blob with odd protrusions pointed toward you. The protrusions suddenly rear back and explode with a force.

Iuz also sent a varrdig from the Elemental Plane of Water to attack the party.

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Varrdig: AC 5; MV 6”/18”; HD 6+6; hp 33; #AT 2; Dmg 1-4/1-4; SA: 1 in 6 chance of blinding victim for 1-4 rounds; SD: +1 magical items or better to hit, immune to all water-based spells.

65. THE LUMBERING REPTILE

Looking downriver you see some movement on the eastern shore. There is a large creature that is moving though the grasslands heading toward the river. As you draw a bit closer and it slowly lumbers out of the grass, you see it is a large reptilian creature with eight legs.

Basilisk! If the player characters figure out what the creature is, their best bet is to either back paddle or pull to the shore and wait. However, the basilisk is a rather slow creature, so it is going to take an hour for it to make its way down to the river, another hour to cross, and an hour to move off into the grasslands on the western shore before it is safe to avoid the creature’s deadly gaze. This will, however, set them back three hours and they will either have to set up camp in the dark or make less than 30 miles on this day. The alternative, of course, is that the player characters could find themselves immortalized in stone.

Basilisk: AC 4; MV 6”; HD 6+1; hp 27; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10; SA: gaze turns to stone.

66. EELS

As the sun begins to set, you can see in the twilight, way off in the distance, what looks to be some kind of civilization, a small town perhaps. Suddenly, your eye catches movement in the water. Something in the water just shot by your canoe and is heading south.

This entry, obviously assumes that the player characters waited for the basilisk to pass before continuing their journey so that they will be behind in making 30 miles for the day. However, just before the sun sets, they will see the small town of Caronis off in the distance on the western shore.

If the player characters continue to observe the water, they will occasionally see another object shoot past their canoes. These are young eels called elvers heading downstream. It is almost time

for the Growfest Eel Run “when vast numbers of elvers swim downriver from Lake [Quag] to grow and spawn in the Nyr Dyv.”5 This is a big event in the town of Caronis which is just ahead on the river.

67. YOU LOOK LIKE AN EEL!

As you near the small oasis of civilization amidst the grassy plains up ahead of you is a forked stone bridge with the town situated on the western shore. On that side of the riverbank, down by the water, you see three bulls-eye lantern lights pointed in your direction. You hear voices talking. As you float closer you hear one voice say, “Oh, praise Rao! The eels are the size of monsters this year!” Then you hear another, more gruff voice say, “Shut up you drunk fool, those aren’t gigantic eels, those are canoes!” Then you here a smack and a loud, ”Ouch!”

This entry, obviously assumes that the player characters waited for the basilisk to pass before continuing their journey so that they will be arriving in town after sunset. The three men with bulls-eye lanterns are Moses, Louis, and Jerome. The gruff voice speaking is Moses who is the more serious of the three. Louis, the one thinking the canoes were giant eels, is not exactly the brightest individual. While the last, Jerome, is a rather big oaf. The job they have been assigned is to watch for the first eels to come swimming by in the river as it is time for the Growfest Eel Run, an annual celebration that starts a week of eel catching, eating, and beer drinking that lasts for a week. For this they will each receive a gold piece. Have fun with the three non-player characters meeting the player characters and for inspiration watch a movie or short featuring you know who.

Moses (human, male): AC 10; MV 12”; HD 1; hp 5; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6: SA: eye-gouge.

Louis (human, male): AC 10; MV 12”; HD 1; hp 4; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA: slap.

Jerome (human, male): AC 10; MV 12”; HD 1; hp 6; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA: fist spin.

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68. CARONIS (SAFEHAVEN)

Caronis is really a small village that is trying to grow into a town. It is mostly a farming town, although in the portion of the town near the river, there are a half-dozen drinking establishments. The people of Caronis work hard, but they like to play hard as well. Caronis has a relatively new bridge and a road leading in a westerly direction that travels to Mitrick the Capital of Veluna. There are only about 1,000 souls in the town and surrounding areas, much of which is farmland. There are docks down by the river and lodging available in town. The player characters can stay overnight in Caronis or they could stay for the week-long festival. Caronis serves as a safehaven for the player characters in this adventure.

If the player characters did not obtain the crystals to the Circle of Hands in Highfolk (See Chapter 7) and they have not encountered the drow party travelling to the Circle of Hands, this would be a good time to drop in conversation that a strange party of elves moved through Carnois just a few days ago. They were inquiring as to the location and the distance to the Circle of Hands.

There are also rumors circulating around that many of the workers from Caronis who have been working secretly in the woods have not returned. More supplies were allegedly sent to them, but those who delivered the supplies have also come up missing. No one is sure of which forest this is referring to or what is actually being built there.

Hex59 (W4-93)

“He observed a much larger track near the same place . . . .’Well, what is it?’ I asked. Stepping and

laying his hand in it, he answered with a mysterious air, and in a half-whisper, “Devil.”


69. A LARGE TRACK

As you prepare to put in the canoes to continue your journey, you see an older man near the docks looking in the mud along the shore near the river bank. He stands up and looks downstream. He then looks back at the mud. Curious.

If the player characters go over and ask him what he sees, he will reach down to the mud where there are many tracks, but one much larger track. He will spread his fingers and place his hand inside the large track. He will then turn toward the player characters and half-whisper, “Devil.” He will then stand, looking down river.

The town or Caronis was lucky. A styx devil just appeared on the Velverdyva River and began heading south. The devil is visiting the river, its favorite location, in order to destroy humans, its favorite pastime. The player characters may not be so lucky, as they will eventually catch up to the devil.

Assuming the player characters put in their canoes in the early morning hours, as the sun begins to rise, because the direction of the river is now due east, they will have the sun directly in their eyes until mid-morning, which will make it hard to look for signs of a devil.

70. STYX DEVIL

As you paddle south late in the morning, you see up ahead in the distance a humanoid figure in robes walking (floating?) alongside the river. Its head is oddly shaped for it is oversized and it appears to have something protruding from its back. It stops and turns in your direction.

This is a styx devil vising the material plane to simply destroy all humans it meets. The player characters fit the bill. They better be well rested.

Styx Devil: AC -1; MV 6”/15”; HD 6+6; hp 23; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8; SA: touch has a 50% chance of inflicting imprisonment (no save); SD: +1 or better magical

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weapons to hit. As this devil just arrived in the material plane and has not taken a soul, if reduced to less than 10 hit points, it will use its wings to fly away to seek out less combative souls.

Treasure: Inside a bag of holding (150 cubic feet) carried on the belt of the devil’s robe are the following items: an Aquamarine gem worth 500 gp, a smoky quartz gem worth 50 gp, a topaz gem worth 1,000 gp, a tourmaline gem worth 100 gp, 7,342 gp, 4,067 pp, two pearl earrings worth 350 gp, a gold bangle worth 100 gp, a silver pocket mirror with the image of a boatman crossing a river worth 250 gp, and gold vase worth 500 gp.

Hex60 (V4-92)

“He describes one, the largest of which we have any account . . . had a total length of 11 feet 3 inches, meaning panthers, which haunt ledges of rocks called ‘panther ledges.’ There is no well-authenticated account of their having attacked a man.”

-Henry David Thoreau, Journal 71. “MEANING PANTHERS”

The morning has been a peaceful paddle downriver with only a limited amount of wildlife seen. A little after high noon, however, you see in the distance a rocky outcropping and some creature sitting on the ledge.

As the player characters draw closer, they will see it looks to be a black panther, 11 feet 3 inches in length. It will await the party drawing close before attacking. When it does, it will immediately and visibly split from one panther into nine panthers. The creature is a nonafel, otherwise known as a “Cat

O’Nine Tails.” The creature, as it has been noted, will always attack a party of adventurers.

Nonafel: AC 5 parent/6 children; MV 9” parent/12” children; HD 9; hp 49; #AT 1; Dmg 2-20 parent/1-8 children; SD: the child can be reassociated with the parent at the end of any melee round and will do so if wounded or if the parent is wounded and needs to regenerate for reassociation of an unharmed child regenerates parent 9 hit points. Note: parent fights as a 9 HD monster, while children fight as 2 HD.

Treasure: skin of the nonafel is worth 1,500 gp (reduce accordingly for any damage to the skin).

72. DRAGON! (FLY)

It is late in the day and the air has turned very humid. Somewhere in the distance you hear a sound that you have not heard before. It is a fast paced droning sound that is getting louder. In a short-time, you see what is causing the sound. Flying over the river, heading in your direction, are four large winged insect creatures with enormous eyes and long tails. As they draw closer, their sound becomes deafening.

The four creatures are giant dragonflies and they are dangerous predators with enormous appetites and they do prey on humans.

Dragonfly, giant (4): AC 3; MV 1”/36”; HD 7; hp 30, 22, 19, 16; #AT 1; Dmg 3-12; SA: +2 on initiative; SD: if they gain initiative, hand-held weapons are useless against them, and missile attacks are at a -4, while if they do not win initiative, they can be hit normally with hand-held weapons, but missiles are at a -2 penalty, magical resistance is as if a 16th level magic-user.

Treasure: Each dragonfly has 6 square feet of skin and each square foot is worth 600 gp.

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Hex61 (U4-92)

“If you read the oldest of books, describing a very primitive people and conditions of things, you hear in their prayers of a still older, more primitive and aboriginal race in their midst and roundabout, warring on them and seizing their flocks and herds, infesting their pastures. Thus is it in another sense in all communities, and hence the prisons and police.”

-Henry David Thoreau, Journal 73. CATTLE DRIVE

A weak cold front moved in overnight, dropping the temperatures and making it a bit cooler and less humid. As the sun came up, it warmed things up and it has turned into a beautiful day for paddling. Since the early morning, the river has been arcing slowly, flowing from an easterly direction to due south. Late in the afternoon, about the point where you are heading due south, you see in the distance a large mass moving west to east across the river.

As the player characters draw closer, read this:

As your canoes are within one mile of the river crossing, you see that it is a cattle drive. There appear to be eight humans in robes on horseback, driving a herd of over 250 cattle across the river. But something else catches your attention, a rogue-looking band of humans on horseback, perhaps a dozen or so, are riding hard from the west as if trying to catch the cattle drive. You also see them starting to draw their bows and swords. They are readying their attack.

Not everything is as it appears. While it should look like a peaceful cattle drive about to be attacked by a rag-tag looking band of thieves, it is actually just the opposite.

The human looking robed cattle drivers are kenku who stole the herd two nights ago and are driving them to Fuyondy to sell them on the black market. Since kenku have a well-developed disguise ability, they can pass off as human with only a 50% chance of detection, and this is only applied up close. From a distance, they look fully human. They look like innocent cattlemen.

The rag-tag band is a special unit of light infantry of Veluna’s Royal Army who are in pursuit. They are a small special force that are not obligated to wear a particular uniform or carry specific weapons, so they look more like a band of thieves than a band of soldiers. Since the theft of the cattle herd, they have been in pursuit and in the saddle for just over 24-hours, having to catch up to the cattle herd by following their tracks. They have finally reached the herd as they are crossing the river.

Initially, the party will see the cattle drivers split on both sides of the river. The kenku cattle drivers who are on the west side of the river, upon seeing the advance of the military, will immediately cross the river, abandoning half of the cattle herd. It should appear as if they are fleeing for their lives. They will then group together and counter-attack as the military unit attempts to cross the river on the north side of the cattle. As the kenku can communicate with each other telepathically, they fight as a unit, not as individuals. It is at this point that the player characters will arrive by canoe at the cattle crossing.

Who will the player characters side with? The kenku who look like innocent cattle drivers being attacked? Or, the military group which looks like a roving band of thieves? Even if the military soldiers say they are military, that is a difficult statement to prove. The adventuring party, depending upon what they chose, may gain some allies in Veluna, or, the party they save may be the ones who turn upon them. And what is the price for killing some of Veluna’s finest soldiers? The player characters may find themselves the hunted. Also, remember, there

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is always the chance that the cattle herd will get spooked and stampede, causing even more havoc.

Kenku supreme leader: AC 5; MV 6”/18”; HD 5; hp 35; #AT 3 or 1; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-6 or by weapon type; SA: magical abilities, can cast magic missile, shocking grasp, and web, turn invisible at will, and cast call lighting at will as if a 3rd level druid, shape change once in every 30 days (currently human); SD: disguise ability with only 50% chance of detection, magical resistance 30%. This kenku is armed with a +2 samurai sword.

Kenku leaders (2): AC 5; MV 6”/18”; HD 4; hp 25, 24; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-6 or by weapon type; SA: magical abilities, can cast magic missile and shocking grasp, turn invisible at will, shape change once in every 30 days (currently human); SD: disguise ability with only 50% chance of detection, magical resistance 30%. Each of these kenkus are armed with a +1 quarterstaff.

Kenku (5): AC 5; MV 6”/18”; HD 3; hp 18 each; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-6 or by weapon type; SA: magical abilities, can cast magic missile, shape change once in every 30 days (currently human); SD: disguise ability with only 50% chance of detection, magical resistance 30%. Each kenku is armed with a quarterstaff.

Horses (8): AC 7; MV 24”; HD 2; hp 10 each; #AT 2; Dmg 1-4/1-4.

Cattle (276): AC 7; MV 15”; HD 1-4; hp 4-32; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; SA: stampede.

Treasure: In addition to the supreme leader’s +2 samurai sword and the two leader’s +1 quarterstaffs, the supreme leader has a potion of giant strength (Storm giant) (which he will use in combat), while one of the leaders has a scroll with the following spells: jump, mirror image, lightning bolt, and wall of ice (which he will also use to effect); collectively they have 8,247 ep between them.

Military Unit Commander (Marspicko): AC 3; MV 12”; HD 5; hp 35; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type; S 16, I 15, W 12, D 11, C 12, C 9. Wears studded leather and furs, wields a +1 long sword, carries two

daggers, 50’ of rope, a bone case with maps, two garlic buds, one torch, 2 sprigs of wolvesbane, a gem of seeing, and a small pouch with 25 gp and 3 pp. Maspicko is a total warrior and fights while leading.

Military lieutenant, black team leader (Gromly): AC 4; MV 12”; HD 4; hp 22; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type; S 15, I 10, W 10, D 12, C 13, C 9. Wears a mixture of padded leather and studded leather, wields a +1 short sword, carries a short bow with a quiver of 25 arrows, carries a hand-axe on his belt, a bulls-eye lantern, a mirror, two water skins, a saddle blanket, and a small pouch with 17 gp. Gromly is the innovative, always prepared, fighter.

Military lieutenant, silver team leader (Murph): AC 4; MV 12”; HD 4; hp 18; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type; S 14, I 10, W 9, D 13, C14, C 10. Wears leather armor, carries a shield, a +1 trident, 50’ rope, a net of entrapment, gauntlets of swimming and climbing, flask of oil, holy symbol of Rao, small sack with thieves’ picks and tools, a jester’s hat, and a small stuffed bird (parrot), and a small pouch with 12 gp. Murph, a former fisherman, is somewhat a comedian, likes telling jokes and playing pranks.

Military sergeant, black team (Woolyard): AC 5; MV 12”; HD 3; hp 12; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type; S 13, I 9, W 8, D 12, C 12, C 7. Wears leather armor, wields a sling with bullets, a hand-axe, two daggers, and a horseman’s mace, carries a small first aid kit, 2 potions of heal, 1 potion of extra-healing, candles, flint and steel, several torches, 50’ of rope, and a small pouch containing 10 gp. Woolyard is a sergeant who always looks out for his soldiers.

Military sergeant, silver team (Yaw): AC 5; MV 12”; HD 3; hp 15; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type; S 18, I 13, W 8, D 11, C 16, C 7. Yaw wears leather armor, a girdle of frost giant strength, and wields a club. He carries with him a blanket and a small pouch with 3 gp. He likes to travel light and get into close melee combat. He is not a good sergeant, but an excellent combatant.

Military soldiers (6, 3 per team): AC 6; MV 12”; HD 3; hp 12 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type. Ability scores all nines. Each carries a light crossbow

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with 25 quarrels, a short sword, and a dagger. They have basic supplies and each has a pouch with 6 gp.

Horses (11): AC 7; MV 24”; HD 2; hp 15 each; #AT 2; Dmg 1-4/1-4.

Hex62 (U4-94)

“Sometimes, as through a dim haze, we see objects in their eternal relations; and they stand like Stonehenge and the Pyramids, and we wonder who set them up and what for.”


74. THE CIRCLE OF HANDS

Around high noon, you see several large objects downstream on the western shore. As you draw closer, you see that there are nine monolithic stones set upright in 3 circles of 3. The stones are at least 50’ tall in height and they appear to be standing watch, but over what cannot be determined.

If the player characters did not obtain the box and letter from lolth in the previous chapter, and if they have not yet encountered any drow with the box and letter, now is a good time for them to face the team of drow. They could potentially be climbing each of the monolithic stones with one of the gems in their hands. This is an important part of this scenario and they need the set of nine gems.

However they secured the gems, now is the time to use them. An inspection of the circle of hand stones at the base will yield no evidence of a location to insert the gems. If a player character climbs to the top, which is slightly wider than the base, they will find there is a small hole in the

middle of the top of each stone where one of the gems will fit. Once all 9 gems are in place, there will be a flash of light, simultaneously within each circle of 3 stones, then nothing. That is all they will see, a flash of light and then nothing. What the player characters do not know is that they have just opened a portal into a demi-plane, a small pocket dimension. The portal, is located just slightly downriver from the circle of hands, so once they give up and begin paddling south, they will suddenly find themselves transported through the portal into the Vale of the Dinosaurs.

75. VALE OF THE DINOSAURS

As you resume paddling on the Velverdyva heading due south you suddenly find yourself overwhelmed with vertigo. You are surrounded by mountains and your canoes feeling like they are falling. You realize your canoes are plunging downward over top of a massive waterfall. As your canoes fall away from beneath you, you realize you are plummeting downward toward a large lake.

The player characters passed through the portal they opened via the gems placed in the tops of the monolithic stones at the Circle of Hands (See area #74). They will immediately find themselves surrounded by incredibly high mountains, far taller than any they saw in the Yatils. They have entered the Vale of the Dinosaurs, a demi-plane which is 30 miles wide and 30 miles long. The river runs through the vale to the other side, where there is yet another waterfall.

The way the vale works is that anyone heading into the mountains to the east will come out of the mountains from the west, continuing to head east (and vice versa). The same occurs to anyone heading into the mountains to the north or south. They will find themselves reentering the vale from the opposite end. The only way out of the vale is to find 9 similar gems in the cave complex located in the ruins where there stands yet another Circle of Hands. If the gems are placed in the tops of the monolithic stones, the river will reverse directions and the waterfalls will flow up, allowing the player characters to exit the demi-plane. The only way to regain access to the demi-plane is if they player characters take an additional 9 gems out of the

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pocket universe and place them into the 9 stones at the Circle of Hands.

76. SPLASH DOWN

As you reach the enormous lake, you hit the water hard. You must have fallen over 100’ and you plunge beneath the water for at least another 50’. When you break the surface and breathe in some much needed oxygen you quickly see that you are in a jungle-filled valley, surrounded by mountains. There are some enormously large birds circling around in the sky, but you only see these momentarily, for you are now distracted by the fact there is something rising up out of the water beneath you.

Welcome to the Vale of the Dinosaurs! The fall was actually 120’, but because of the fact the water in the lake is so deep, they will take no damage from the fall. There is, however, a 1 in 6 chance that the player characters will land wrong, taking 1-6 hit points of damage, and an additional 1 in 6 chance that they will strike another player character or their equipment or that something might strike them, causing an additional 1-6 hit points of damage.

The player characters now have a dilemma. They have a plesiosaurus rising up out of the water underneath them. They have four giant pterosaurs flying overhead that will either try to fish them out of the water (as long as the plesiosaurus is not nearby) or when they reach the shore. They also have their equipment starting to float southward on the lake toward the river that heads south (although direction is somewhat irrelevant in the vale, directions will be maintained for perspective). The plesiosaurus is a plant eater, but can be violent for the purpose of protecting its territory.

Pterosaur, giant (4): AC 5; MV 3”/12”; HD 6+6; hp 36, 29, 28, 25; #AT 1; Dmg 3-12; SA: diving attack surprises 3 in 6.

Plesiosaurus: AC 7; MV 15”; HD 20; hp 60; #AT 1; Dmg 5-20.

77. LAKE SHORE (WEST)

You reach the lake shore and realize that to the west of the lake are dusty hills that reach up to the

mountains to the north. To the south, the hills give way to a deep green and highly vegetated jungle. As you climb up out of the lake and on to the shore you see some very small creatures about one foot long come ambling and stumbling along the shore. They are small brown reptile looking creatures with frills that extend over their back and they have what looks like an upper and lower beak.

There are 6 infant protoceratops, recently hatched, coming to the lake for water. Although the babies are harmless, danger lurks over the first hill with the mother protoceratops who is 10’ long and very protective. Trailing her and her babies are a pack of velociraptors that have come up out of the jungle looking for a meal and have picked up her scent. Any meal will do.

The babies will approach the player characters oblivious to any danger. Then, shortly after that, the mother will appear and attack any player character on shore. She will not enter the water. If the protoceratops mother enters into combat or makes any sound, the velociraptors will see this as an opportunity to strike. They will enter the water, but only up to 1’ deep. Any deeper and they will return to shore.

Protoceratops: AC 4; MV 9”; HD 8; hp 40; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8.

Protoceratops, infant (6): AC 5; MV 6”; HD 1; hp 6 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-2.

Velociraptor (8): AC 4; MV 18”; HD 3+1; hp 18 each; #AT 3: Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-4; SA: if the two front claws hit then the velociraptor has successfully grappled its opponent and it will use its two rear claws for an additional 1-2/1-2 hits points of damage. It will remain in a grapple and if still alive the next round, it automatically hits with all four claws and has the opportunity to bite.

78. LAKE SHORE (EAST)

As you make your way to the eastern side of the lake, ambling north along the shore is a massive lizard at least 30’ in length. Its entire back is armor plated and it has a long tail that ends in a massive club.

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The creature is an ankylosaurus that is eating the plant vegetation along the shore and drinking the water. It is an herbivore and will not attack unless provoked in any manner or if a player character comes within 30’ of the creature.

Ankylosaurs: AC 0; MV 6”; HD 9; hp 43; #AT 1; Dmg 3-18.

79. NEANDERTHAL LAIRS

Just above the hills, as you begin to ascend up into the mountains, you see a ledge that overlooks the valley. Beyond the ledge is the entrance to a cave.

Each of these caves has 12 normal Neanderthals and a leader. While the average Neanderthal is 6’ to 7’ tall, the leader is at least 10’ tall. They monitor activity in the Vale of the Dinosaurs from their perches and retreat into their caves when creatures attack. If they see any of the flying pterosaurs circling, as in area #76 upon the player characters arrival, they will suspect prey and may respond to investigate. They are aware that from time to time creatures not indigenous to the vale will appear in the north lake and they will go to investigate by either traveling across the hills to area #76, or traveling along the trail that cuts through the jungle (See area #83) in order to attack anything floating downstream at the juncture of the trail and river (See area #84). Their vantage point allows them to see if creatures move to the lake shore and take to their feet or if they travel down the river.

Each of the caves will consist of one large room and 2-3 smaller rooms, one of which is always reserved for the leader. The main room will have a fire pit and there will always be a Neanderthal assigned to tend to the fire. The cave is usually filled with bones, furs, various skins, and crudely painted pictures on the walls mostly stick figures hunting various beasts.

Neanderthal, leader (equivalent to a hill giant): AC 4; MV 12”; HD 8 +1-2; hp ; hp 34; #AT 1; Dmg 2-16. The leader inflicts the 2-16 with its club or fists, but does not throw rocks like a hill giant.

Neanderthal (12): AC 8; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 9 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6+1 or by weapon type +1. Neanderthals carry clubs (morning star) and spears.

The Neanderthal tending the fire can use a flaming club (used to tend the fire) which will cause an extra 1-6 hit points of fire damage.

Treasure: Each Neanderthal will have 1-6 pearls and the leaders will have 20-25. Each of the pearls is worth 500 gp. They collect them from the clams, oysters, and mussels that live in the lakes and estuaries of the river. They collect them, trade them, and play various games with them to pass the time.

80. A NARROW DEPRESSION

In the hills in this area lies a cut in the earth that leads downward into the mountains. There is no discernible trail down, but it is unlike any of the surrounding terrain. It disappears into the mountain side and the ground is made of piles of what look like black shale.

This is a large rift in the Vale of the Dinosaurs that begins in this location and heads west into the mountains. If any player character descends into the rift, they will find movement to be slow because their feet will sink into the black shale from 1’ to 2’, making it very difficult passage for halflings, dwarves, and gnomes. As they head west into the rift, they soon learn something unique about this demi-plane. They will find themselves descending further into the rift, but they will be leaving the mountains, rather than entering them (See area #89). If any creature heads into the mountains on either side of the vale, they will find themselves heading in the same direction, but on the opposite side of the vale.

81. LAKE

You come to a mile wide lake that does not appear to be fed by any rivers or streams. There are at least a half-dozen trails leading away from the lake and around the shore are numerous human-like footprints. They are all large, but some are downright enormous.

This lake is spring fed, hence the reason there are no rivers or streams feeding into the lake. This is the main water source for the Neanderthals and their leaders (See area #80). Clams, oysters, and mollusks live in this lake along the shores, in and

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amongst a green seaweed-like plant that grows in the first 5’ of the lakeshore. The plant is edible.

There is a 50% chance that at least a party of three Neanderthals will be located somewhere along the lakeshore, and a 10% chance that it will be one of the leaders. They will fight if attacked, but if they are not in close range and see the player characters across the lake, they will return to their caves to summon the rest of their clan. They will return and attack. They are not beyond eating human flesh.

82. TRAILS OVER THE HILLS

There are multiple trails leading through the hills that appear to travel from caves in the sides of the mountains to a mile wide lake.

The player characters will be able to see the lake and the caves in this area as long as they are out of the jungle. The trails will have numerous human and animal footprints traveling along the trail or intersecting the trails. These are really nothing more than worn paths in the barren hills located in this area of the Vale.

For each mile of trail in this area, there is a 50% chance they will either encounter a party of 3 Neanderthals from one of the caves (See area #80) or they will encounter a pack of deinonychus out hunting. The Neanderthals will most likely retreat in order to alert members of their clan. The deinonychus pack will fight to near utter destruction for the sake of a meal.

Deinonychus (6): AC 4; MV 21”; HD 4+1; hp 18 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/2-8; SA: a jumping rear talon attack with a +1” jump, +2 to hit, and causes 2-12 hit points of damage.

83. TRAIL THROUGH THE JUNGLE

The jungle is thick and blots out most of the light, but there is a worn path that appears to travel through the jungle.

This path is used by a wide array of creatures, to include the Neanderthals is area #80. There is a megalosaurus that likes to count the trail as its territory, there are wild boars, which the

Neanderthals and megalosaurus both hunt as a food source, and there are large python snakes that lair in the jungle canopy and will drop on unsuspecting prey. For each mile through the jungle on this path there is a 50% chance of encountering something. Roll 1-4 on the following table:

1 = Neanderthal hunting party

2 = megalosaurus

3 = wild boars

4 = snake, constrictor

Neanderthal (12): AC 8; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 9 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6+1 or by weapon type +1. Neanderthals carry clubs (morning star) and spears.

Megalosaurus: AC 5; MV 12”; HD 12; hp 86; #AT 1; Dmg 3-18.

Boars, wild (2): AC 7; MV 15”; HD 3+3; hp 25, 8; #AT 1; Dmg 3-12. The boar with 8 hit points had a run-in with the megalosaurus.

Snake, constrictor: AC 5; MV 9”; HD 6+1; hp 37; #AT 2; Dmg 1-4/2-8; SA:

84. RIVER & TRAIL INTERSECTION

As you paddle south through the dense jungle, you see in the distance what appear to be two tunnels entering the jungleland, one on either side of the river. Clearly, they are trails leading off into the dense vegetation. Suddenly, from the western side of the river, you are greeted by a hail of rocks.

Many of the Neanderthals from areas #79 saw the player characters enter the Vale of the Dinosaur when they came down the waterfall in area #76. They take to the trail through the jungle in area #83 to reach the intersection of the river and trail. They then await to attack any humanoids passing by on the river. They will attack with rocks and spears. If unsuccessful in their attack, they will move along the trails to the other trail and river intersection to the south and try again. The Neanderthals are not swimmers, so they fear getting out in the depths of the river. They hope to kill the player characters

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and then follow their canoes until they drift close to shore.

Neanderthal (24): AC 8; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 9 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6+1 or by weapon type +1. These Neanderthals carry spears and rocks.

Treasure: Each Neanderthal will have 1-6 pearls, each being worth 500 gp.

85. TRAIL INTERSECTION

The trail through the jungle suddenly ends, spilling out into some barren hills. There is still a worn pathway leading in all directions, north, south, and east into the hills. Ambling down the trail from the north and headed in your direction is a very large creature with its head, neck, and back covered in bony plates and spikes and its tail ends in a giant club.

The ankylosaurus, normally a docile plant eater, was eating a plant just north of the intersection that had a psychotropic effect on the creature, thus enraging it. The ankylosaurus will attack the party. However, it can easily be distracted in its state, so if the party does something to lure it away, it will follow.

Ankylosaurus: AC 0; MV 6”; HD 9; hp 35; #AT 1; Dmg 3-18.

86. TREE BRIDGE

Spanning the rift in this location is the largest fallen tree you have ever seen. It clearly had to have been ½ mile in height in order to cover the expanse. There are no trees like this anywhere nearby or for as far as the eye can see. The gigantic tree has no leaves and only a few branches remain, mostly it is a round and smooth log.

Because of the fact it is round and smooth, if the player characters do not take the proper precautions, there is a 1 in 6 chance they will slip and fall. If they do not save themselves, they will fall in the rift where they will find themselves falling continually for the remainder of their natural lives.

87. THE RIFT

There is a large opening in the earth, which at its greatest expanse is a mile wide. It is difficult to tell how deep the rift is for the bottom is shrouded in darkness.

The depth of the rift is infinite. If one enters they will continue to descend downward. The bottom is lined with loose black shale 1’ to 2’ deep, making movement in the rift slow and difficult. After one mile, it will become dark as night. After that, for each mile, something else will occur as if a spell was cast. They are cumulative and occur in the following order: fog cloud, darkness, slow, silence, confusion, fear, and cloudkill. Once entering the rift, the only way to get out of the rift is to turn around and head back the way they came, otherwise they will continue to descend into the rift forever.

88. VOLCANO

As you move along the trail, you can plainly see the smoking volcano in the distance to the east. Beside the trail is a very large, perhaps 35’ long, creature on all fours, eating some of the low lying plant scrub brush. Protruding from its snout and extending past its head for several feet is what looks like a giant snorkel. The noises emanating from the creatures snout is a deep, resonating hollow sound.

The creature is a parasaurolophus, a plant-eating dinosaur. It will only attack if provoked.

Parasaurolophus: AC 7; MV 9”; HD 7; hp 29; #AT 2; Dmg 1-3/1-3.

89. THE RIFT INTO THE MOUNTAINSIDE

The rift in the earth becomes narrow at this point. If one heads west, the rift becomes wider and a person could descend down into the rift. If one were to travel east, the rift enters the mountains. Looking down into the rift, it appears to be lined with loose black shale and the further it descends, the darker it becomes.

The rift enters the mountainside at this location, but if a person were to follow the rift, they would soon discover that rather than entering the mountains

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they would be leaving the mountains as they will find themselves in area #80 still heading east. This is a result of the small demi-plane. Any creature heading into the mountains will find themselves coming out of the opposite side of the Vale.

90. TRAIL THROUGH THE DESERT TERRAIN

The trail through the sandy terrain becomes difficult to follow at times as you move through the desert dunes. Transgressing the loosely pack soil, suddenly, the ground gives way underneath you.

The player characters have just walked into what is essentially a minefield of dustdiggers. This grouping of creatures have dug their holes, covered themselves with sand, and then inflated their bodies so as to be level with the terrain. The player characters have just walked into the middle of a minefield of these creatures that covers an area in a 100’ radius. There is a 50% chance that each of the player characters will be dropped into one of the creatures and another 50% for every 10’ of movement.

Dustdigger (20): AC 4 back side/7 front side; MV 3”; HD 4; hp 16 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8+AC of victim.

91. ROCKY TERRAIN

The terrain shifts from a very sandy soil to one that is very rocky. The rocks range in size from small pebbles to large boulders. The trail is more pronounced then it was through the sandy soil and it leads up toward the mountains. In the far distance, you see the trail leads to the mouth of a cave. With a rush of clicking noises, a swarm of small bi-pedal creatures emerge from hiding and swarm over the boulders and rocks, their sharp talons making the clicking noises on the rocks. They are barely over 3’ long, but there are so many of them.

These little bipedal dinosaurs are eoraptors. They have sharp claws and serrated teeth, and they use their power of numbers to attack an enemy. They have a surprise ability and will attack the lead player character with 4-16 attacking at the same time.

Eoraptor (47): AC 7; MV 12”; HD 1-1; hp 4 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-6; SA: surprises on 1-3 out of 6; has swarming capability so 4-16 will attack the same creature until it is defeated.

92. LAIR OF THE HUMAN-DINOSAURS

As you come to the end of the trail, a makeshift staircase rises up a rocky crag to a plateau that overlooks the entire vale. There, situated above you is a wide-mouthed cave.

The cave entrance extends back 15’ before opening into a large, one-room cavern. Littered on the floor are all manner of bones and on the back wall is a small pile of treasure. It is the three creatures in the center of the room that are the most disturbing. They appear to be humanoid but with the heads of dinosaurs, in particularly a tyrannosaurus rex, a triceratops, and a pteranodon head (similar to Yuan-ti). Their bodies are covered in a thick leathery hide and they each have tails associated with their dinosaur species, but beyond that, they are humanoids, having arms and legs, hands and feet.

They are busily munching on a small collection of eoraptors, and they do not take kindly to intrusions. The three creatures roam the vale as pariahs, realizing they do not fit in amongst the humanoid creatures nor the dinosaurs themselves. As a result, they keep to themselves most often, but they do have a penchant for collecting up humanoid baubles, most of which they have no idea what to do with. These they store at the back of the cave.

Tyranosaurus Rex-humanoid: AC 5; MV 12”; HD 9; hp 52; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-10.

Triceratops-humanoid: AC 6; MV 12”; HD 9; hp 43; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-8/1-8.

Pteranodon-humanoid: AC 7; MV 12”; HD 9; hp 36; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8.

Treasure: 8,462 cp, 3,300 sp, 2,100 ep, one gold necklace worth 100 gp, one tiger-eye broach worth 250 gp, large disk earrings studded with turquoise worth 350 gp, a gold nose ring loop worth 150 gp, a necklace of pearls worth 15,000 gp, one blue-green emerald worth 300 gp, a dinosaur gembone worth

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10,000 gp, two potions of heal, and a wand of fire (47 charges).

93. LAIR OF THE KOPRU

The hillsides slope downward to what appears to be a large lake, one mile in diameter. The lake’s surface, however, is bubbling and the water consists of a dark brown mud.

The lake is a mixture of the rain water collected in a depression that is also fueled by underground volcanic activity, creating a large mud-pot geyser basin. It is also the lair of a small group of kopru (See THE ISLE OF DREAD MODUEL X1). These creatures are amphibians with large eyes, a tentacle and sphinctered mouth, with a human torso and arms ending in webbed, clawed hands, and having three fluke-like tails for their lower extremities. They have long held the goal of creating a kingdom in the vale, but they are limited in their mobility because they need the hot, wet environment to survive. They will first try to use their charm ability to lure the player characters into the lake. If that fails, they will physically attack. If they are reduced to less than 10 hit points, they will return to the bottom of the lake to regenerate.

Any player character falling into the lake of boiling water will take 1-8 hit points of damage each round.

Kopru (3): AC 3; MV 10”/50”; HD 8+4; hp 49, 44, 38; #AT 2; Dmg 1-4/3-18; SA: in lieu of a physical attack they can use their natural spell-like ability to charm person, anyone within 30’, which makes the charmed person totally committed to the interests of the kopru; the spell can be broken by a saving throw against death ray and, if failing, additional attempts at the beginning of each game month or by a dispel magic spell; SD: +2 on their saving throws against magic.

Treasure: At the bottom of the one mile wide lake, 30’ down at the bottom of the boiling water, is a treasure chest, that lies opened, revealing 1,567 pp., 14 rough cut diamonds each worth 1,000 gp, and a necklace of adaptation.

94. THREADING THE MUDPOT BASINS

The trail through the surrounding hills comes over a rise and descends downward, traveling over a narrow strip of land that passes between two large lakes. The lakes are brown in color and steam emits from large brown bubbles as they break the surface.

The narrow strip of land that divides the lake in half is approximately 3’ in width, and it stretches for one mile to the far shore. The lake is derived from a mixture of rain water and water from an underground volcanic geyser that mixes with the dirty hillside to create a very large mudpot. Any player character falling into the lake will sustain 1-8 hit points of damage each round from the boiling water.

Half-way across the lakes, underneath the strip of land is the lair of two kopru. Their lair has an underwater tunnel that passes between the two lakes. They will attempt to charm any creature on the trail and, if that fails, they will physically attack them.

Kopru (2): AC 3; MV 10”/50”; HD 8+4; hp 46, 37; #AT 2; Dmg 1-4/3-18; SA: in lieu of a physical attack they can use their natural spell-like ability to charm person, anyone within 30’, which makes the charmed person totally committed to the interests of the kopru; the spell can be broken by a saving throw against death ray and, if failing, additional attempts at the beginning of each game month or by a dispel magic spell; SD: +2 on their saving throws against magic.

Treasure: Located in their lair, underneath the trail, under 10’ of the boiling water, is a small pile of 1,398 pp., 18 rough cut diamonds worth 1,000 gp each and a +3 trident.

95. THE MESA OF THE GIANT PTEROSAUR

You come to the base of a giant mesa that is approximately 3 miles in diameter. The mesa ascends vertically 150’ in a rough-cut fashion and it is possible to ascend without climbing gear by chimney climbing between cuts in the mesa. Its height would assuredly give commanding views of the valley.

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The top of the mesa is a large, flat rock and is home to a giant pterosaur which nests in a small depression near the middle of the mesa. There is a 20% chance the creature will not be present, another 20% chance it will be flying to or from the mesa, and a 60% chance it will be in its nest. It is very territorial and will not let any creature climb or remain on top of the mesa.

Pterosaur, giant: AC 5; MV 3”/12”; HD 6+6; hp 24; #AT 1; Dmg 3-12; SA: Diving attack surprises 3 in 6, giving it a +4 to hit and double the damage. It weighs 75 lbs and can carry prey 4 times that amount, often flying upward and dropping it from a great height onto the mesa, killing it so as to feast on the carcass.

96. TRAILS INTO THE JUNGLE

Situated on either side of the river, are what look like tunnels entering the jungle. These are clearly well traveled foot paths through the jungle.

Both two legged and four legged creatures use these footpaths to pass through the jungle in the vale.

97. A MASSIVE BOG

You exit the jungle into a massive bog that stretches for miles all around. There are small patches of green land and old gnarled trees protruding from the stagnant morass, but through it all there does appear to still be a river cutting through it as the water continues to flow.

98. TRAIL THROUGH A CLEARING

You come to area where to the west the land rises up out of the bog. The land is cleared grassland that passes through the dense jungle that surrounds it. Through the clearing lies a footpath.

This footpath is used by the ape men that dwell in area #99 and serves as their main access to water. There is a 50% chance an ape man will be on the path, but there is only a 1 in 6 chance that they will be seen. They have good vision and excellent camouflage skills. In either case, whether they are spotted or not, they will return to area #99 to warn the tribe.

99. TREE HOUSES OF THE APE MEN

You come to a wide clearing in the jungle that is eerily quiet. It stretches back approximately one mile and is three miles long. Spread throughout the clearing, are gigantic trees whose base circumference alone must be hundreds of feet round. The trees reach upward of 100’ and the canopies spread out over the height of the surrounding jungle. Just under the canopies are wooden platforms that look to serve as some form of treehouse. Vines hang down from wooden structures providing a difficult means for ascent. Other than the swaying of the vines, nothing in the clearing is moving.

This area is the home to a shrewdness of ape men, and these ape men are shrewd. They have a number of means of surviving in the vale and one is to sound a warning, vacate their tree houses, and to flee into the jungle. There, they will watch any intruders entering the area and will wait to see what they do. If the intruders climb a tree house, they will wait until the majority have climbed to attack as they have the advantage of climbing and fighting at that height. They can climb the trunk of the tree or the vines. If the intruders leave the treehouses alone and enter the jungle, they have the ability to attack from the concealment of the jungle. These ape men are semi-intelligent and will not attack unless they feel that they or their homes are threatened.

There are 16 trees and tree houses spread throughout the clearing, but when retreating into the jungle, all of the ape men will move to a central location in the jungle, near the trail that enters to the west of the treehouses. Each tree has anywhere from 1 to 4 ape men for a total of 44 ape men. They have the outward characteristics of carnivorous apes, but they have facial features that are more human in nature.

Ape men (44): AC 6; MV 12”; HD 5; hp 22 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-8; SA: rendering, if it strikes with both claws it deals an additional 1-8 hit points of rendering damage; SD: Only a 1 in 6 chance of surprising.

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Treasure: Each of the treehouses (16 in all) has food-stores which include nuts, berries, and fresh fruit. Each tree house also has between 1-6 diamonds worth 1,000 gp each and 1-6 chunks of gold worth 100 to 600 gp each. One of the treehouses has a rope of climbing instead of a vine, while another has a jewel of flawlessness mixed in with the diamonds.

100. PIT TRAPS

The neanderthals from area #79, have set up pit traps along the trails in the jungle in the hopes of catching wild boar. They are well concealed, 10’ deep pits, with two dozen punji stakes at the bottom. Any player character falling into one of these pit traps will take 1-6 hit points of falling damage and will impale themselves on 1-6 stakes for an additional 1-6 hit points of damage for each stake.

101. TRAIL INTO THE MOUNTAIN SIDE

The trail here climbs up out of the hills and enters a narrow mountain pass.

The trail cuts through a mountain pass at this location and if entering on the eastern side, the player characters will exit on the western side, while if they enter on the western side of the vale, they will exit on the eastern side. This is a phenomenon caused by the pocket dimension of the Vale of the Dinosaurs.

102. GIANT CRAYFISH

Suddenly, without warning, some large crustaceous creature rises up out of the river and upsets your canoes.

The creature is a giant crayfish waiting for prey to pass by. It will rise up out of the water, upsetting the canoes, and spilling the occupants in the water. The creature surprises on 1-3 out of 6, and if it surprises there is a 5 in 6 chance it will upset the canoes. If the crayfish does not surprise, then there is a 1-3 in 6 chance of upsetting the canoes.

Crayfish, giant: AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 4+4; hp 16; #AT 2; Dmg 2-12/2-12.

103. BABBLING BABBLERS

As you paddle your canoes through the marsh, you hear a low rumbling sound coming from up ahead in the distance. It sounds vaguely like a person with a deep voice babbling like a child.

The babbling sound is coming from four babblers. These babblers used to live in the underground city (See area #107), but they are a weird mutation of the lizard men and were eventually banished from the complex as they grew, becoming significantly larger and seemingly incoherent. They have taken to living in the marshlands. They communicate by a babbling sound, hence the sound the player characters hear. However, they are fast and stealthy creatures that can slither on their stomachs through the morass. They are moving into position to attack, two on either side of the river, but there is only a 25% chance they will be detected. They will launch themselves from the shore and attack by standing erect.

Each couple of babblers maintains a lair in the swampland, so one is north and one is south of the river. Their lairs are easy to find if the player characters track soon after defeating the creatures for all they have to do is follow the slither tracks.

Babbler (4): AC 6; MV 6” erect/12” slithering; HD 5; hp 32, 30, 21, 20: #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-8; SA: if undetected it can attack from behind like a 4th level thief, gaining +4 to hit and dealing double damage; SD: 25% chance of detection.

Treasure: The north lair contains 2,135 sp, 4 diamonds worth 100, 300, 500, and 1,000 gp. The south lair contains 2,367 cp, 3,589 sp, 2,067 ep, 2,678 gp.

104. THE APATOSAURUS OBSTRUCTION

As you continue to paddle downriver, you see in the distance, through the marshy vegetation, something obstructing the river. A large massive gray rock is blocking the river and water is spilling over the banks and into the marshland. As you watch the obstruction, you see it is moving.

An Apatosaurus has begun to cross the river, but found some vegetation to its liking and has stopped

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in the river. The incredibly large creature is a plant eater and will not harm the player characters, but if they do get too close, it will become curious about the creatures like a puppy dog. Its neck and tail are incredibly long, so getting within 25’ is very dangerous. The player characters can wait for it to move (about four hours) or they can portage around the creature, but again, they will need to go way around, otherwise it will become curious and move toward them. Also, it should be noted, the marshland is very difficult terrain to cross and very unstable.

Apatosaurus: AC 5; MV 6”; HD 30; hp 117; #AT 1; Dmg 3-18; SA: if the Apatosaurus steps on anything it will deal 4-40 hit points of damage.

105. THE JUNGLE PATH

The low lying marshlands give way to the dense jungle once more, but just prior to entering the dense foliage is another beaten path made by some man or beast.

The path was made (and still maintained) by a gigantic allosaurus that dwells in the old plaza (See area #106). It follows this path to the river seeking out prey who also come to the river for water.

106. THE OVERGROWN PLAZA

As your canoes clear a jutting jungle-clad point and swing in toward the in-curving shore, you see before you the ancient ruins of a long lost city. Weeds and rank river grass grow between the stones of broken piers and shattered paves that had once been streets and spacious plazas and broad courts. From all sides except that toward the river, the jungle has crept in, masking fallen columns and crumbling mounds with poisonous green. Here and there, stone monoliths stretch upward toward the sky, which you realize are set in a familiar pattern: three circles of three.

The plaza is very important for it stretches one mile in all directions. Closest to the river are the three monolithic black stones set in the same pattern as the circle of hands – three sets of three. If the player characters climb to the top, they will discover a recess for a gemstone. This set of circles is key for the player characters to find their way out

of the Vale of the Dinosaurs. For if 9 clear gemstones are placed one each in the stone recesses, it will reverse the flow of the river allowing the player characters to paddle down the river, up the falls, and back onto the Velverdyva River, where their passage through will cause the portal to close (See area #120). If they bring along additional gemstones, they will be able to reopen the vale at a later date by way of the circle of hands.

There are, however, two problems.

The first, is that the only known source of the gemstones is from the underground complex (See area #146). They will have to cross the plaza to get to the underground complex and find the mining area for the clear gemstones. They must obtain at least nine of them in order for the gate to the material world to open.

The second problem is that there is an allosaurus that considers the plaza near the river to be its home and it is fiercely territorial. It can also reach nearly to the top of the monolithic stones, but anyone on the very top is safe. Still further, on the open terrain of the stone plaza, it can gain nearly double its normal speed.

Allosaurus: AC 5; MV 15”; HD 15; hp 98; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/6-24.

107. UNDERGROUND CITY

On the far side of the plaza, after traveling through many a buckling tower that appear to reel drunkenly against the sky, and broken pillars jutting up everywhere among the decaying walls, you come to a long, low lying building. There are three black spaces evenly spaced some distance apart which look to be nothing more than crude cave entrances.

The three black spaces are indeed crude cave entrances, each descending downward into the earth. The low lying building only stretches backward 30’ and provides a 10’ stone awning over the three entrances.

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108. QUICKSAND

Suddenly, the ground feels as if it has given way and you find yourself sinking into the earth. Quicksand!

There is a 1 in 6 chance that the player characters may be able to react quick enough to avoid the quicksand. Anyone failing this will face sinking into the quicksand. Any player character with swimming proficiency, assuming they are not overly encumbered, can swim 1” each round toward shore. Any player character without swimming proficiency can tread water for half as long as they can stay afloat in water. After that, they must make a strength check once per round or go under. A player character can hold their breath, but they will then be required to make Constitution Checks. See WILDERNESS SURVIVAL GUIDE at p. 83.

109. BLUE FRESH WATER LAKE

Nestled in the hills is a large lake that stretches for about a mile in every direction. The water looks to be a brilliant blue.

The brilliant blue comes from the lack of algae in the spring-fed lake, there are certain iron ores at the bottom that help make the water appear blue, and it is a very deep lake, 120’ at the center depth. The water is safe to drink. Anyone swimming downward will surface (you read that correctly) in an underground lake located in area #153. Anyone swimming downward in that lake, will surface at this location.

110. T-REX

The trail that cuts through the dense jungle is both a wide and tall path. The path is marked with many footprints and numerous large puddles of stagnant water.

The large puddles of water are actually the very large impressions of the tyrannosaurs rex that roams these trails in all directions. The dinosaur is always roaming along these trails as many smaller creatures travel the paths making for easy prey. Roll a 1-8 and 1-2 the t-rex will be to the north of the intersection, 3-4 south, 5-6 west, and 7-8 east. The tyrannosaurus rex will occasionally step into some of

the traps in area #108, but they are not large enough to even capture the tyrannosaurus’s foot. Player characters entering a section of the trails where the tyrannosaurus rex is present will attract the creature due to its highly developed olfactory senses.

Tyrannosaurus rex: AC 5; MV 15”; HD 18; hp 64; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/5-40; SA: engulfs man-sized creature on a natural roll of 18 or better.

111. MEGAPIRANHA SHOAL IN THE SHOAL

The river opens up into a wide lake with rocky shoals, where the water is more shallow. The current of the river still navigates through the shoals, but it appears to take a more circuitous route.

The canoes will naturally follow the current with only the occasional danger of running into one of the rocks that jut up out of the lake/river. Since the current is not moving that fast, the player characters can easily push off of the rocks with their paddles to prevent any collisions. What is most dangerous about the shoals, however, are the megapiranhas that lurk in the water and will form into its own shoal and attack the canoes. The megapiranhas are over 3’ in length and can batter a canoe or bite the canoe in an attempt to spill its occupants.

Megapiranha (32): AC 6; MV 3” land/12” water; HD 3; hp 12 each; #AT 1; Dmg 2-12; SA: can attack the boats in an attempt to spill its occupants, for each hit, 1 in 6 chance the canoe will be tipped, once a victim is in the water up to 6 megapiranha may attack simultaneously, roll 1-6 to determine the number each round.

112. TRAILS & TRICERATOPS

The trail leading through the rough sandy terrain moves along the base of the large mesa. As you come over a small rise, the trail splits, one path heading east toward the mesa, while the other heads due south. At the intersection, clearly agitated, is a large creature 30’ in length with three horns protruding from its head.

The triceratops, although a plant eater, is much like a rhinoceros in attitude. Simply put, it has a bad

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attitude. It lives along this trail which has little vegetation, so it is always hungry and sees anything on the trail as a threat to its food source. It drinks its water from the lake located in area #114. It will charge any creatures along its trail.

Triceratops: AC 2 head/6 body; MV 9”; HD 16; hp 59; #AT 3; Dmg 1-8/1-12/1-12; SA: smaller creatures may be trampled by the triceratops if it charges causing 2-24 hit points of damage.

113. THE SKY CITY

The trail that comes to the base of the large mesa stops abruptly at a very large boulder. While most of the sides of the mesa have been smooth, behind the large boulder is a strange rocky outcropping that extends all the way to the top.

The strange rocky outcropping is really a series of switchback stairs built into the rock face in this location and it leads to the top of the mesa. There is a guard stationed at the very top who will alert all of the villagers of intruders if anyone begins to climb the staircase. The top of the mesa is home to a group of adobe dwellers that call the place the “sky city” by way of a gesture to the sky and a hand that cuts across left to right. There are 49 males in the village, 19 females, and 12 children.

When the player characters reach the top, they will be greeted by 12 males armed with multiple spears and their bodies painted in white. They will be positioned in a semi-circle 25’ from the staircase. These 12 warriors are the sky city runners, their fiercest warriors and fastest runners (important in a land of dinosaurs). The first volley they throw will be short of the player characters with the goal of scaring them off. If the player characters retreat, they will be left alone. If they freeze and do nothing, the tribal leader and his shaman will be summoned. If they attack, the warriors will fight back.

The tribe is the most advanced collection of humans in the Vale of the Dinosaurs and they have survived by building their homes on top of the mesa. They have small huts made of adobe, they drink and bathe in water collected mostly from rain water, and they primarily eat nuts and berries that grow widely on top of the mesa. The sky city runners

will make forays to the ground for water in times of drought (from area #114) and occasionally they will hunt for food, conducting hunts for some type of meat. They are always on the lookout for attacks from their chief antagonist, the cavemen that live in area #115, hence the guard at the top of the stone staircase, but also from aerial attacks by pteranodons.

They are a hostile tribe toward outsiders, but that is primarily out of survival instincts. Amoca is the tribal leader, the “war captain,” and he is one of the oldest in the village at age 35. If the player characters do not exhibit hostility toward the runners (and they do not retreat), he will be summoned to try and “talk” with the strangers. The communication is so primitive most of the villagers speak in a crude form of sign language.

The right-hand man of Amoca is a shaman by the name of Sol. He is the religious leader of the people and worships the sun. He is a 3rd level illusionist. All decisions are made through a consultation between the war captain and the religious leader, before Amoca issues the final decisions. Their crude government system requires them to both agree before they can act.

All of the men in the village will defend the village, but the women and children will not fight. The male children are not taught to fight until they reach ten years of age through a process that lasts for two years. The strongest and fastest of these will be selected to serve as a sky city runner.

There are many ways to win the cooperation of the village, the biggest being the slaying of the triceratops (See area #112) that is a lead reason for the sky city runners. Other ways to endear the villagers are to provide some type of meat or interesting objects. The most difficult to appease is the shaman sol, but a gift of something that is magical will immediately win him over.

In addition to the adobe huts, there is one large adobe hall where small gatherings can take place, several ponds of rain water, and a sacred burial ground to the far eastern portion of the mesa. As the top of the mesa is mostly rock, the burial ground is very small, with only one section consisting of a

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place where the ground is suitable for burial. The ritual is a drawn out, all day affair, to try and appease the sun god, encouraging him to take the body of the deceased along with their worldly treasures. It seems to work, for the next day the body and belongings are gone. This is actually because underneath the burial site is a small catacomb where lairs a wight who takes both the body to feast upon and the belongings into the lair. There is a magical circle of protection etched into the stone that surrounds the burial site, keeping the wight contained.

Amoca (war captain): AC 1; MV 15”; F5 (+3 bonus); hp 55; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type. Amoca carries a club and 2 +2 spears.

Sol (religious leader): AC 3; MV 15”; I5 (+1 bonus); hp 50; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type. Sol has the following spells: 1st level: audible glamer, detect illusion, hypnotism, phantasmal force, 2nd level: hypnotic pattern, blur, ventriloquism,3rd level: hallucinatory terrain. Sol carries a blowgun with 12 +1 darts. The shaman also carries a compartmentalized bag of gemstones from the underground city that number 12 in all, 3 red, 2 green, 2 blue, and 3 yellow (See Appendix 1 for description of the gemstone abilities).

Sky city runners (12): AC 4; MV 18”; F4 (+2 bonus); hp 44 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type. Each is armed with 2 spears and an obsidian knife which acts as a +3 dagger (which they steal from the lizard men in the underground city – a rite of passage for a sky city runner).

Village men (35): AC 5; MV 12”; F2 (+1 bonus); hp 22 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type. Each is armed with 2 spears and a club.

Village women (19): AC 8; MV 12”; level 0; hp 8 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 or by weapon type.

Village children (12): AC 10; MV 12” level 0; hp 6 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 or by weapon type.

Wight: AC 5; MV 12”; HD 4+3; hp 29; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; SA: energy drain; SD: immune against sleep, charm, hold, or cold-based spells, as well as paralyzation and poison; SD: silver or magic weapons to hit.

Treasure: In addition to the items listed above, the tribal leader has 12 diamonds, each worth 100 gp; the shaman has 18 diamonds, each worth 100 gp; while the wight has in its lair, several dozen spears and clubs, 2 +3 spears, 3 blowguns with 14 +1 darts, 1,650 gp, and 22 diamonds each worth 100 gp.

114. FRESHWATER LAKE

You come to the largest body of water you have seen in the valley so far. It stretches for several miles and looks to be a freshwater lake. There are numerous footprints along the shore, ranging from small animal, to human-like, to reptilian, the latter being enormous in size.

The lake is the main water source for many creatures in the southeastern portion of the Vale, to include the cavemen that live in area #115. Venturing along the shore, there is a 1 in 6 chance each mile of shoreline that a mamenchisaurus will stick its head out of the water making biting and sucking sounds. This dinosaur is non-aggressive. It’s a plant eater that uses a sucking action to sweep up vegetation. There is also a 3 in 6 chance that a nothosaurus will come up on land and attack. They are aggressive marine dinosaurs and very territorial.

Mamenchisaurus: AC 7; MV 6”; HD 18; hp 89; #AT 1; Dmg 2-16.

Nothosaurus: AC 6; MV 3”/18”; HD 14; hp 68; #AT 1 (or 2); Dmg 5-30 (or 3-12/3-12).

115. HUNGRY, HUNGRY CAVEMEN

Set into the mountainsides are several outcroppings which appear to cover over the entrance to a cave.

Each of these caves serves as the home to a clan of cavemen. They are a hungry bunch and as soon as someone sets foot even close to the cave, they will all come screaming out of the cave and attack. They lose what limited sense they have when they go into these hunger tirades and will fight to the death. They are not fond of the jungle and seldom enter it unless they are forced to hunt there. Their primary hunting ground is the lake (See area #114). There is the possibility that a battle with one clan of cavemen will alert another clan. If that occurs, the

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other clan will wait until the first clan is mostly defeated and will enter the battle only if the potential meal is badly wounded.

All of the cavemen are armed with only the basic of weapons: dinosaur bones (clubs) and rocks.

Use the following statistics for each of the five caves:

Caveman leader, 5th level: AC 7; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 37; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type with damage bonus +2.

Caveman subleader (3), 4th level: AC 7; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 29, 24, 21; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type with damage bonus +2.

Caveman fighter (3), 3rd level: AC 7; MV 12”; HD 2; hp 23, 21, 17; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type with damage bonus +1.

Caveman (30): AC 8; MV 12”; HD 1; hp 8 each; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type.

Caveman, women and children (10): non-combatants.

Treasure: each cave will have 2-12 diamonds, each valued at 100 gp, and 20-80 gold nuggets, worth 5 gp each.

116. TAR PITS

As you paddle south along the river, a sound breaks out over the noise of the jungle. It is a high pitched squeal over top of a low guttural screech. It sounds as if two creatures are engaged in mortal combat. As the jungle gives way, you see a large lake, at least a mile wide, where the water is made up of some type of thick black substance. You see struggling in the thick black mud two reptiles, one a 6’ long reptile with curved teeth and sharp claws engaged in a death struggle with an equally long reptile with a small neck frill and a pointed beak.

The death struggle is between a velociraptor and a protoceratops, both of which are trapped in the tar pit. The tar pit is an asphalt lake where subterranean bitumen has leaked to the surface. Regardless of which dinosaur wins the fight, they will both die trapped in the tar pit.

Velocioraptor: AC 4; MV 21”; HD 4; hp 21; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/2-8; SA: if striking with both claws, the velocioraptor can use its rear claws for an additional 1-2/1-2 hit points of damage.

Protoceratops: AC 5; MV 15”; HD 3; hp 17; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8.

117. REALM OF THE KECH

The area between the two river/trail crossings north and south of the tar pits (See area #116) and the location where the two trails intersect, is home to a very large band of kech. These creatures live in the jungle canopy and use the jungle foliage and vines to move about, set snares, and otherwise capture unwary animals, including the two legged kind. They will move along the trails, on the ground and overhead, and try to capture a member of the party’s foot in a vine noose laid out on the trail, or try to drop a vine noose around one of the player character’s head and pull them up, or to do the same while the party canoes along the river. They target one creature in the party, usually the one at the very back of the pack. They have highly camouflaged bodies, so they are difficult to see, they move silently, so they are difficult to hear, and they can move rapidly through the jungle by swinging on vines. When the player characters enter this area, the kech should be constantly harassing the party. Perhaps capturing the last member in the canoe party, then when the others move to investigate, capturing the first member in the canoe party due to the fact with all heads turned, that character is now last. They can also mimic the sounds of others, as long as they hear what they sound like, hence the can feign the distress call of their prey in order to lure the adventuring party into a trap.

Kech (16): AC 4; MV 15”; HD 5; hp 30 each; #AT 3; Dmg 2-5/2-5/1-6; SA: surprise prey 5 in 6; SD: 50% unlikely the can be tracked, 50% chance of moving silently, moving through the jungle via vines they can travel 60’ per round.

Treasure: if their canopy high lair, located in the center of the jungle triangle, can be located, there will be found: 7,345 cp, 2,457 gp, and 32 diamonds valued at 100 gp each.

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118. MIST MARSH

The trail ends where the jungle gives way to a vastly different landscape. The trail dips downward into a strange low lying fog that covers the entire landscape in front of you. There are old jungle trees that appear to have died long ago for they no longer bear any foliage and they are twisted and gnarled. The heavy mist stifles the air, blocks out the sun, obscures the ground before you, and conceals the distant mountains.

The mist marsh covers a large portion of the southwestern land in the Vale. The fog on the ground is only several feet deep, and while the land underneath is water logged, it is passable. The mist, however, is difficult to breathe and it creates the sensation of moving through water. The mist is also poisonous. It will cause nausea in the first 1-6 rounds, but thereafter, any player character remaining in the mist marsh will need to save versus poison at a +4 to their saving throw, reduced by one point for each additional round they remain in the mist marsh.

The mist marsh is also home to an invisible stalker which accidentally became trapped in the pocket dimension while moving between the planes. It has remained in the mist marsh, finding the atmosphere more conducive to its liking, but it can venture out of the mist marsh. Anyone entering the mist marsh will disturb the air, thus alerting the invisible stalker. The stalker will then begin to track the player characters in the hopes of finding a way out of the Vale. If the invisible stalker believes the player characters have found a means to leave the Vale, it will attack with the goal of ensuring its ability to leave.

Invisible stalker: AC 3; MV 12”; HD 8; hp 42; #AT 1; Dmg 4-16; SA: surprise on a 1-5; SD: Invisibility (although when in the mist marsh, because of the dense air, an outline of the stalker may be seen); 30% resistant to magic.

119. NOTHOSAURUS

The jungle gives way suddenly to a mile wide lake that was hidden from your view. You can see to the south the source of the lake water for it is being fed by a river of water moving down from the

mountains. The river water pouring into the lake is evidently creating a backflow as you can feel the current start to move against you in the river, as if trying to slow you down.

The lake is generated by the overflow of water caused by the waterfall (See area #120) that pours into the Vale from the mountains. As this river water clashes with the water flowing downstream from the north, it overflows and creates the lake. In addition, there are a series of caves and caverns beneath the lake that carry the water further into the Vale.

A nothosaurus lives on the south end of the lake in the vicinity of where the river spills into the lake. Any creatures coming close to the area will be attacked by this very aggressive and territorial marine reptile, which has the ability for limited movement on land. It normally attacks with a bite, but can strike with both flippers.

Nothosaurus: AC 6; MV 3”/18”; HD 14; hp 93; #AT 1 (and 2); Dmg 5-30 (3-12/3-12).

120. FALLS LAKE

As you climb through the hills, following the river up toward the mountains, you reach the crest of the hills to find a spectacular landscape. Before you is a majestic lake of blue water, being fed by a waterfall that spills over a rocky shelf and falls 120’ into the lake. The crash of the water sends up a mist that captures the sunlight creating a rainbow effect across the sky. Several reptilian creatures fly through the air, while many others drink at the water’s edge.

The hills somewhat conceal the lake, as does the mountainside on the southern end. From any vantage point, other than up in the mountains, the lake is concealed. It is a primary source of water for many of the reptiles that live in the southern portion of the Vale. Currently there are many dinosaurs flying and drinking at the water, but only the suchominimus, a crocodile-like dinosaurs on the eastern side of the lake, and the baryonyx, a large 30’ long meat water on the western side of the lake, pose any threat. The other dinosaurs are either plant eaters, docile, or not interested. If the player characters canoe across the lake, they will

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be safe. If they travel along the shores, depending on which shore, they will be attacked by either the suchominimus or the baryonyx.

The waterfall flows into the lake unless the circle of hands (See area #106) has gemstones placed in all 9 stone monoliths. If that occurs, the water will reverse flow and the water will travel up the falls and into the mountains. Any player character in the water or in their canoes will flow up the waterfall, into the mountain caverns, and out of the Vale of the Dinosaur. They will find themselves once again on the Velverdyva River floating downstream heading due south. Once the player characters exit the Vale of the Dinosaurs, they will not be able to reenter unless they have 9 of the clear gemstones and they set them into the 9 stone monoliths that make up the Circle of Hands (See area #74). Also, the player characters will find that time has stopped for them while they were inside the Vale, hence they will still have most of a day’s paddle to complete Hex62, which will, thankfully, prove uneventful.

Saurolophus: AC 7; MV 9”; HD 8; hp 37; #AT 3; Dmg 3-18/1-6/1-6. Large duck-billed dinosaur.

Ouranosaurus: AC 2; MV 9”; HD 10; hp 63; #AT 1; Dmg 4-16. Large sail backed dinosaur.

Avimimus: AC 7; MV 15”; HD 6; hp 28; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/2-8. Small bird-like dinosaur with limited flight.

Suchominimus: AC 4; MV 15”; HD 10; hp 57; #AT 3; Dmg 3-18/1-4/1-4. Large crocodile-headed dinosaur.

Baryonyx: AC 5; MV 15”; HD 10; hp 64; #AT 3; Dmg 2-12/1-6/1-6. Large, 30’ long dinosaur with many teeth and razor sharp claws.

Massospondylus: AC 6; MV 6”; HD 8; hp 58; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4. Medium sized plant eating dinosaur.

Archaeopteryx (2): AC 7; MV 3”/15”; HD 3; hp 17, 12; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6. Two small flying reptiles.

Leaellynasaura (7): AC 5; MV 10”; HD 1+1; hp 7 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3. Small bird-like dinosaurs without flight ability.

121. LEFT CAVE ENTRANCE

The left cave entrance is 10’ wide and 15’ high. The cave tunnel moves straight into the rock structure and despite the bright sun you can see no more than 10’ down the passageway.

The tunnel is very dark and light sources will be needed for those without dark vision.

122. POSTED GUARDS

As you progress down the tunnel you hear a sound in the distance. It sounds like hissing. This is followed by a shuffling noise. Something is moving in your direction.

These are the 5 lizard men who guard the left cave from intruders. They have a keen sense of smell, especially when they stick their tongues out into the air, allowing them to pick up scent particles and which causes their hissing sound.

The lizard men do not like artificial light sources and they will try to extinguish them or target any player characters holding them. If there is a light source, torch or better, within 5’ of a lizard man, they will take a -1 on their “to hit” ability.

The lizard men will first attack with their crossbows, then close the gap and enter melee combat with their daggers. Each lizard man carries a remarkable knife with the blade being made of obsidian, a darksome glasslike volcanic rock, and the edge rivals a razor in cutting qualities. The handle is a leather throng wrapped around and around the upper end of the obsidian shaft. These knives should be treated as +1 short swords. Their crossbow bolts are made of the same material so they will receive a +1 damage bonus.

The lizard men also have at their disposal a leather saddle bag they wear over their shoulder in which they carry on an outside pocket their crossbow bolts and on the inside, in separate pouches, 8 colored gems: 2 red, 2 yellow, 2 green, and 2 blue, which, when combined, have the following capabilities (See also Appendix 1 for DM handout):

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Color Combinations Causes Effects 2 like colors explosion 2-12 hit points

of damage red/green bright light blinded for 1-4

rounds

red/yellow delayed 1-4 round explosion delay for 2-12

hit points of damage

blue/green temporary 20’ radius for

force field 1-4 rounds

blue/red shock 1-8 hit points of damage

blue/yellow hallucinations confusion for 1-4 rounds

green/yellow nausea nausea for 1-4 rounds.

The gems are worth 100 gp each.

If the lizard men are being defeated in combat, they will make a hissing sound and put off a chemical scent that will alert the currently dormant lizard men located in area #123. These lizard men will then awaken and come to the aid of the posted guards.

Lizard man (5): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which include crossbow with 12 obsidian bolts (treated as +1 bolts), obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).

123. DORMANT LIZARD MAN LAIR #1

You enter a circular cavern that measures approximately 40’ in diameter. Crudely spaced 10’ apart are 9 dark recesses in the cavern wall.

Each of these recesses is the sleeping lair of a lizard man. When these lizard men are not working, they enter the recesses, face outward, and immediately go to sleep in their standing position. They can be

awakened by noise or the danger scent put off by other lizard men. If the scent was put off by the lizard men in area #122, these lizard men will awaken and respond.



The cave widens to a 20’ corridor along which are 12 dark recesses in the cavern wall.

Each of these recesses is the sleeping lair of a lizard man. When these lizard men are not working, they enter the recesses, face outward, and immediately go to sleep in their standing position. They can be awakened by noise or the danger scent put off by other lizard men. Any creature walking down the cavern corridor will awaken the closest lizard man which can then set off a chain reaction if they use their lizard scent.


125. MUD POTS

You enter a large open cavern that reaches widths up to 40’. Centrally located in this chamber are four recesses in the ground, each measuring 10 to 15’ in diameter. Inside these recesses are huge mounds of dark brown oozing and bubbling mud.

There are four mud pot exposures in this particular cave. Any player character coming within 20’ of these recesses in the ground has, for every 10’ square, a 50% chance of a mud pot exploding, and

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being struck by it (attacking as a 2 hit die creature) causing 2-12 hit points of damage.

Any lizard man passing through this chamber is, in a sense, immune to the mud pots, as they have learned to sense when one is about to explode and have the necessary forewarning to avoid being struck by one, assuming they are unimpeded.


You enter a cavern corridor that widens to roughly 20’ in width, along which are set at crude intervals, recesses in the cavern wall.

Each of these recesses is the sleeping lair of a lizard man. When these lizard men are not working, they enter the recesses, face outward, and immediately go to sleep in their standing position. They can be awakened by noise or the danger scent put off by other lizard men. Any creature walking down the cavern corridor will awaken the closest lizard man which can then set off a chain reaction if they use their lizard scent.


127. FISSURE

The cavern passage widens to approximately 30’ in width. The central feature of this cavern is the elongated recess in the cavern floor that reaches down to a oozing and bubbling mass of mud. It appears the mass of mud is moving southward.

The heated morass opened up a fissure in this cavern that is up to 15’ wide and 50’ long. Any player character coming within 20’ of these recesses in the ground has, for every 10’ square, a 50% chance of a mud pot exploding, and being struck by it (attacking as a 2 hit die creature) causing 2-12 hit points of damage.


128. LAIR OF THE LIZARDS #1

The cavern passage opens up on the south end to a 20’ wide dark recess. Something is moving in the dark.

This is the lair of two subterranean lizards. They are used by the lizard men for various purposes, ranging from a sort of pet, to guardians, to pack animals. The lizards are very aggressive, but obey the commands of the lizard men. They will attack any creature that is not a lizard man or accompanied by one.

Lizard, subterranean (2): AC 5; MV 12”; HD 6; hp 29, 16; #AT 1; Dmg 2-12; SA: can move along the cavern walls and ceiling due to suction cup like feet, on a natural score of 20, it will clamp its jaws firmly causing double damage.

Treasure: 2,198 cp, 3,457 sp, 1,134 ep, and 4 red gems, 3 green gems, and 1 yellow gem (See Appendix 1 for gem effects).

129. LAIR OF THE LIZARDS #2

The cavern passage opens up on the south end to a 20’ wide dark recess. Something is moving in the dark.

This is the lair of three subterranean lizards. They are used by the lizard men for various purposes, ranging from a sort of pet, to guardians, to pack animals. The lizards are very aggressive, but obey the commands of the lizard men. They will attack any creature that is not a lizard man or accompanied by one.

Lizard, subterranean (3): AC 5; MV 12”; HD 6; hp 31, 22, 18; #AT 1; Dmg 2-12; SA: can move along the cavern walls and ceiling due to suction cup like feet, on a natural score of 20, it will clamp its jaws firmly causing double damage.

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Treasure: 8,763 sp, and 6 red gems, 4 green gems, 3 yellow gems, and 1 blue gem (See Appendix 1 for gem effects).

130. MUD POT POOLS

You enter a large open cavern that is at least 40’ in diameter. Centrally located in this chamber are two recesses in the ground, each measuring 10 to 15’ in diameter. Inside these recesses are huge mounds of dark brown oozing and bubbling mud.

There are four open mud pot exposures in this particular cave. Any player character coming within 20’ of these recesses in the ground has, for every 10’ square, a 50% chance of a mud pot exploding, and being struck by it (attacking as a 2 hit die creature) causing 2-12 hit points of damage.


131. LAIR OF THE FIRE LIZARD

The cavern passage opens up into a 10’ to 30’ wide cavern that is well over 60’ in length. There is an open fissure in the ground that is approximately 50’ long, running north to south, in which oozes a dark brown bubbling mass of mud.

The heated morass opened up a fissure in this cavern that is up to 15’ wide and 50’ long. Any player character coming within 10’ of these recesses in the ground has, for every 10’ square, a 50% chance of a mud pot exploding, and being struck by it (attacking as a 2 hit die creature) causing 2-12 hit points of damage.

The lizard men from the mining areas (See areas #133 to #138) will often bring rock debris from the mining operations and dump it into this fissure. Any lizard man passing through this chamber is, in a sense, immune to the mud pots, as they have learned to sense when one is about to explode and have the necessary forewarning to avoid being stuck by one, assuming they are unimpeded.

In the northern recess of this cavern lair’s a fire lizard. The fire lizard leaves the lizard men alone and has no real contact or association with them. It sleeps most of the time, but any creature entering the lair will awaken the fire lizard. It will, however, only attack if threatened.

Lizard, fire: AC 3; MV 9”; HD 10; hp 45; #AT 3; Dmg 1-8/1-8/2-16; SA: fire breath for 2-12 hit points of damage (half if saving throw is made).

Treasure: 2,567 cp, 2,946 ep; 6 red gems, 5 blue gems, 7 yellow gems, and 2 green gems (See area #122 for effects), potion of longevity, potion of extra-healing, potion of poison (+4 on saving throw), potion of flying, oil of slipperiness, scroll with the following spells: minor globe of invulnerability, shield, death spell, haste, animate dead, stone shape; scroll protection from elementals (x2); scroll of protection from lycanthropes; scroll of protection from undead; and a scroll of protection from magic.

132. USED MINING EQUIPMENT

The cavern passage widens to 20’ in width and upon both sides of the corridor are strewn all manner of debris, some of it wood, black obsidian, and rope. There is one of the lizard creatures in this chamber apparently fixing the wheel on a mine cart.

This corridor chamber is a dumping ground for broken mining equipment. The area is often raided for repair parts for mining equipment that breaks. A lizard man is repairing a mining cart’s wheel and will stop and attack any intruders while hissing an auditory signal and emitting a chemical signal to alert the lizard men in area #133 about the intruders.

Lizard man: AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which include crossbow with 12 obsidian bolts (treated as +1 bolts), obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).

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133. MINING OPERATION

You enter a large 50’ diameter cavern that has 5 passages leading away from it, two to the north, and one each to the south, east and west. There are multiple mine carts, numerous wooden beams, mine picks and rope strewn about the area. There are four mine carts at the end of the passage, one with oilcloths and three with rocks and debris.

The 6 lizard men located in this cavern are working on the mining equipment for the mining of the gems in areas #134, #135, #136, and #137. If they have not joined a fight in areas #132 or #138 already, they will attack the intruders now.


134. RED GEMS

You enter a 30’ wide passageway which travels in a westward direction. You notice the walls of the cavern are pockmarked and there is activity at the end of the corridor. There, 6 of the lizard creatures are using picks and their daggers to dig out from the cavern wall red gems that put off a very soft glow in the dark.

This area is where the red gems are mined. It is a delicate operation and one that is painstakingly slow. The gems must not be destroyed as they are dug out of the wall, and they cannot be tossed together, otherwise they will explode. They are individually mined, then wrapped in oilcloth and placed in the mine carts. A player character innovative enough could use the gems from the mine carts to toss them together at the lizard men or just use one and toss it at the wall. The lizard men, however, already know this is a possibility, yet, they are also aware how unstable that may make the mine, so they will be more cautious.

Lizard man (6): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type,

which include crossbow with 12 obsidian bolts (treated as +1 bolts), obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).

Treasure: 32 red gems in the mine cart, plus thee extra being wrapped by the lizard men. There are also hundreds in the wall, but to properly dig them out of the wall yields only 3 -4 per hour. The gems are worth 100 gp each.

135. YELLOW GEMS

Proceeding down a short 20’ wide corridor, you come to an open cave measuring approximately 50’ along the back wall. You notice the walls of the corridor are pockmarked and that there is activity along the back wall. There, 6 of the lizard creatures are using picks and their daggers to dig out of the wall hundreds of yellow gems, each of which put off a very soft glow in the dark. There are thee mine carts at the end of the passage, one with oilcloths and two with rocks and debris.

This area is where the yellow gems are mined. It is a delicate operation and one that is painstakingly slow. The gems must not be destroyed as they are dug out of the cavern wall, and they cannot be tossed together, otherwise they will explode. They are individually mined, then wrapped in oilcloth and placed in the mine carts. A player character innovative enough could use the gems from the mine carts to toss them together at the lizard men or just use one and toss it at the wall. The lizard men, however, already know this is a possibility, yet, they are also aware how unstable that may make the mine, so they will be more cautious.


Treasure: 67 yellow gems in the mine cart, plus two being wrapped by the lizard men. There are also

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hundreds in the wall, but to properly dig them out of the wall yields only 3-4 per hour. The gems are worth 100 gp each.

136. BLUE GEMS

As you proceed down a 20’wide corridor, you hear the sound of digging coming from up ahead in the distance. You notice that the cavern walls are pockmarked. At the end of the passage, there are 7 of the lizard creatures using both picks and daggers to dig out blue gems from the cavern wall. The gems each put off a soft blue glow. There are two mine carts at the end of the passage, one with oilcloths and one filled with rocks and debris.

This area is where the blue gems are mined. It is a delicate operation and one that is painstakingly slow. The gems must not be destroyed as they are dug out of the wall, and they cannot be tossed together, otherwise they will explode. They are individually mined, then wrapped in oilcloth and placed in the mine carts. A player character innovative enough could use the gems from the mine carts to toss them together at the lizard men or just use one and toss it at the wall. The lizard men, however, already know this is a possibility, yet, they are also aware how unstable that may make the mine, so they will be more cautious.


Treasure: 19 blue gems in the mine cart, plus four being wrapped by the lizard men. There are also hundreds in the wall, but to properly dig them out of the wall yields only 3-4 per hour. The gems are worth 100 gp each.

137. GREEN GEMS

You proceed down a 20’ wide cave tunnel that stretches back into the dark where you hear the repeating sound of some tool chipping away at rock. The walls are all pock marked and whatever

was mined was spent. As you turn north, you see in the distance 6 of the lizard men digging out hundreds of green gems imbedded in the cavern wall. The gems put off a soft green glow. There are four mine carts at the end of the passage, one with oilcloths, two with rocks and debris, and one that looks empty.

This area is where the green gems are mined. It is a delicate operation and one that is painstakingly slow. The gems must not be destroyed as they are dug out of the cavern wall, and they cannot be tossed together, otherwise they will explode. They are individually mined, then wrapped in oilcloth and placed in the mine carts. A player character innovative enough could use the gems from the mine carts to toss them together at the lizard men or just use one and toss it at the wall. The lizard men, however, already know this is a possibility, yet, they are also aware how unstable that may make the mine, so they will be more cautious.


Treasure: There are 79 green gems in the mine cart, plus one is being wrapped by the lizard men. There are also hundreds in the wall, but to properly dig them out of the wall yields only 3 -4 per hour. The gems are worth 100 gp each.

138. LIZARD KING

You enter a cavern that is 40’ in diameter and bears an exit tunnel at all four of the cardinal points. There are six mine carts in the cavern, two that are piled high with oilcloths and four piled high with rocks. There is a rock mound located on the southern end of the cavern where there is situated a small recess.

This is the operations center for all mining activity. A lizard king and his 5 lizard men guards, coordinate the mining operation. They oversee the working lizard men until after several days at which point

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they trade them out for the dormant lizard men found in areas #123, #124, and #126. All rock debris is dumped into the mud pits in area #131, and eventually the mine carts are taken into the center cave complex and dispersed accordingly.

If any battle occurs in area #133, the lizard king and his guards will respond. He will then call upon the mining lizard men to attack, as well as his guards. Further, he has the ability to summon any and all lizard men in the complex, assuming they are not deceased, to include those currently dormant.

Lizard king: AC 3; MV 15”/12”; HD 8; hp 54; #AT 1; Dmg 5-20; SA: skewering, if the to hit is 5 or more points needed “to hit” then it will do double damage at a minimum of 15 hit points of damage. The lizard king wields a deadly trident that in the hands of any other creature is a normal trident. The lizard king also carries a net of entrapment.


Treasure: In one of the carts there are 100 blue gems, while in the other there are 100 red gems. Each of the gems is wrapped in oilcloth. They are worth 100 gp each.

139. CENTER CAVE ENTRANCE

The center cave entrance is a 20’ wide archway leading back into the darkness. Just on the edge of darkness and written on the cavern wall in white capital lettering, are the words, “BEWARE THE LIZARD MEN.”

The “X” on the map marks where the white capital lettering can be found on the cavern wall. One poor adventurer trapped in the Vale of the Dinosaur searched endlessly for a way to escape the pocket dimension. He thought he had found it in the center cave complex and he wanted to leave a warning to future people trapped in this hellish world.

140. GUARD CAVE

You reach an intersection where the passageways move both west and east and a cavern mouth stands before you. You hear the sound of slithering and heavy footsteps emanating in that direction.

There are a dozen lizard men guards posted here. They occasionally have an intruder into the cavern complex, but it is usually of the dinosaur type, not the human. They will use their crossbows first as they close the distance, then they will employ their basalt daggers in melee combat. Depending on how the fight is going, they may use the gems in their saddlebags and/or their chemical scent to alert the lizard men in areas #141 and #154.

Lizard man (12): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which include 12 crossbows of speed with 12 obsidian bolts (treated as +1 bolts), obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).

Treasure: if any of the gems have not been used, they are worth 100 gp each.

141. LIZARD MAN LAIR #1

You enter a large cavern that is 50’ wide and at least that length long for it extends far beyond your light source. Cut into the cavern walls at various intervals are crude alcoves.

If the lizard men in area #140 used their chemical scent to send out an alert for the intruders, the 10 lizard men that remain dormant in these alcoves will respond. Otherwise, they will be found in their alcoves. However, if any intruders in the cavern get within 10’ of one, it will awaken and alert the others.

Lizard man (12): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which include 12 crossbows of speed with 12 obsidian bolts (treated as +1 bolts), obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance

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which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).


142. FOG

The passageway here is filled with a dense white fog. You can feel the coolness of the fog emanating from the passage, as well as the moisture that it bears.

The dashed line depicts where the thick fog can be found. Once inside the dashed lines, visibility is reduced to less than 1’. The fog features high humidity, so within seconds of entering, the player characters will have a sheen of water on their equipment and any cloth material will grow damp with moisture.

The “X” marks the spot where on the cavern wall, in white capital block letters is written the following: “FOR SAFE PASSAGE, STAY TO THE RIGHT.”

The lizard men are afraid of the fog, and will not enter this area of the cavern complex. They go around.

143. FOG PIT

The fog in this cavern has become so dense that visibility is reduced to mere inches, and the water hangs heavy in the air.

The player characters are entering what is essentially a cloud, rather than a fogbank. In the Vale of the Dinosaurs, there are many doorways in the dimension that lead back into the same pocket dimension. In this case, if anyone falls into the pit, they will find themselves falling out of the sky from the clouds that hang over top of the plaza ruins where the three cave entrances are situated (See area #106). The fall is well over a half-mile and bound to cause certain death. If the player characters are cautious and move slowly, or use some device to test the ground, they should be able to manage the cavern by finding the rock shelf that allows passage through the cavern. Or, if they find the writing on the wall in area #142, and follow its advice to stay to the right, again, they

should be able to navigate the room. If they move forward simply testing with their steps, when they reach the edge of the pit, there is a 1 in 6 chance they will fall into the pit.

The lizard men will not enter the fog, so there is no possibility the player characters will be harassed by the lizard men as they navigate this cavern.

144. THE TEMPLE OF SEMUANYA

You enter an enormous cavern, one that features an open area with four columns that is overlooked by four tiered levels, each standing 10’ tall with numerous alcoves. To either side of these levels are two sets of natural stone staircases that lead from the highest tier down to the cavern floor. This cavern appears to be some sort of old temple that fell into disuse centuries ago. The cavern, however, still finds some use for the stillness of the air is broken by the slavering sound of some horde of beasts.

This is the old temple of the lizard men, established long ago to honor their god Semuanya. As the lizard men’s god deemed worship to be a useless practice for it offered no contribution to the survival and propagation of the species, the temple was abandoned for the purpose of worship and only became a tiered set of alcoves for dormant lizard men. There are currently 75 lizard men in the temple area alcoves with 15 lizard men dormant in the alcoves.

The lizard men located in this temple area neither have crossbows, nor the saddlebags that the other lizard men have been carrying with gems. These lizard men only have their basalt daggers.

Any combat in this area will be heard by the lizard king and lizard men located in area #145 and #146. The lizard king will enter this area and begin directing the battle.

Lizard man (75): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, solely an obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).

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145. THE LIBRARY

You enter a large cavern where the walls have been crudely worked into a 50’ by 40’ room. In the center of the room is a large stone table with 100 small recesses each bearing one of the colored gems. Along the walls are more stone tables featuring an array of various items. One features a crystal skull, flanked by two crystal eggs. Another has a headless bust adorned with a blue and white mantle. Still, another feature three bottles, while another two scrolls. The last two have two smaller items, one, a solitary ring, and the other, a solitary white gem. There is also a 12’ wide passage leading into another chamber to the east.

This is the library of the lizard men and it is the primary domicile of a lizard king. The lizard king has two assistants and three guards located in this room. If there is any confrontation in the old temple (See area #144), they will respond. The assistant and guards will protect the lizard king while he directs the battle against the intruders.

The library is really a room that houses old artifacts for which the lizard king and his lizard men know little about. Mostly they monitor the center table with the many colored gems, and occasionally the lizard king will communicate with the crystal skull. Beyond that, they leave the other items alone. Each of the stone tables and their items follow with their corresponding letter identified on the map.

A - The center stone table has 100 recesses in which various colored gems are placed. The gems are laid out in a 10 x 10 pattern and there appears to be no rhyme or reason for the color pattern employed. The lizard king merely replaces any gem that begins to dim with one of the same color. By doing this, the weather pattern in the Vale of the Dinosaur remains consistent. Any removal of a gem, mixing the positions of the gems, etc., will result in meteorological disturbances in the Vale (to be determined by the DM, although consider everything from hurricane winds, to torrential downpours, and perhaps even a snowstorm). The player characters will not know of the changes being inside the cavern complex, unless an earthquake strikes, otherwise, they will not find out until they go to exit the cavern complex. If all of the

gems are removed, the entire Vale will grow dark and the river will cease to flow.

B - This stone table displays a crystal skull flanked by the two crystal eggs. All three are artifacts. The two eggs are a crystal egg of desire and a crystal egg of shattering. The crystal skull acts as a gem of insight but it can also communicate and tell vague stories of the creation of the Vale by a powerful mage or that Semuanya, the god of the lizard men, rules the Vale. The skull can also speak to the items in the room, giving some insights into what they are and what they do and when they were brought into the Vale. When it speaks, however, it talks in lofty language that is vague at best.

C – The three vials on this table are an elixir of life, elixir of health, and an elixir of youth.

D - The two scrolls on this stone table consist of the following spells: Scroll #1, protection from fire, protection from gas, and protection from electricity. Scroll #2, protection from paralyzation and protection from poison.

E - This stone table features a headless bust wearing a blue and white mantle. This is the ancient artifact, the mantle of Rao (See Appendix 2).

F - The lone ring on this stone table is a ring of chameleon power.

G - This stone table has a sole white gem on it, which is the prison of a bodak. Anyone looking closely at the gem, will see some small humanoid creature staring at them (Note: the death gaze of the bodak does not work while it is a prisoner in the gem). It has an elongated head, a distorted face, and large vertical oval eyes that are milky white. Any creature touching the gem will release the bodak who will immediately attack anyone in its presence.

Lizard king: AC 3; MV 15”/12”; HD 8; hp 60; #AT 1; Dmg 5-20; SA: skewering, if the to hit is 5 or more points needed “to hit” then it will do double damage at a minimum of 15 hit points of damage. The lizard king wields a deadly trident that in the hands of any other creature is a normal trident. The lizard king also carries a net of entrapment and an

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extra-large leather saddlebag with 16 gems (R,R,R,R,G,G,G,G,B,B,B,B,Y,Y,Y,Y).


Bodak: AC 5; MV 6”; HD 9+9; hp 41; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8 or by weapon type; SA: death gaze (save vs. death magic); SD: can only be struck with +1 or better weapons or cold-wrought iron weapons, immune to charm, hold, sleep, and slow spells, as well as poison, has ultravision and infravision. This bodak wields a +1 military pick.

146. CLEAR GEM MINING

A short passage leads into an oval-shaped cavern that is 55’ in diameter at its widest point. In the center of the room is a table and work bench that features all manner of tools from large picks down to small brushes. There is a small, closed chest at the center of the table. The room is dimly lit by a soft white glow coming off the cavern wall.

This is the only known mining area for the clear gemstones which help power the magical properties of the “circle of hands,” and opens the portals into the Vale of the Dinosaurs. The equipment on the table is for mining the gemstones which can take a full week or two just to mine one of them. They are very fragile and cannot be broken in the process of mining them, otherwise they become useless.

The small chest in the center of the table is unlocked and when opened, it reveals 9 nesting locations for the clear gemstones, for which 7 of them currently contain a gem. There is one more on the table that was apparently being worked on, but still requires several hours of scraping and dusting. There are also 2 particular gemstones that are sticking out of the cavern wall where the area around them has been cleared, only the backside

of where they are fastened to the wall needs to be worked in order to free them.

Inserting 9 clear gemstones in the 9 monolithic stones in the plaza (See area #106), will cause the waterfalls to reverse, and anyone entering the waterfalls (See areas #75 & 120), will be sucked up the waterfalls, sent through the portal, and will appear back on the Velverdyva River.

Each of the gemstones, if sold on the market, would fetch 5,000 gp each. However, once used to open the portal their value drops to 50 gp each.

147. MINOTAUR LIZARD

The passage bends around a corner, but the bend itself is a large 30’ diameter cavern. From the far depths of the cavern comes an incredibly large reptile with several protrusions on its head.

The creature is a minotaur lizard, kept as somewhat akin to a pet by the lizard men. Its lair is at the back of the cave.

Minotaur lizard: AC 5; MV 6”; HD 8; hp 36; #AT 3; Dmg 2-12/2-12/3-18; SA: a natural 20 means it has snatched any 7’ or less/300 lb. or less creature in its jaws, allowing the lizard to automatically hit with its jaws on the next round.

Treasure: 10 cp, 8 sp, 6 ep, 4 gp, 5 pp, 1 blue gem worth 100 gp, 6 +2 crossbow bolts, and a ring of fire resistance.

148. WRITING ON THE WALL

You enter a cavern in which a smooth cavern wall stands before you with two side openings from which bellow a white mist. There is writing on the center of the wall in all white capital letters, which reads, “THE WAY OUT IS THROUGH THE MIST, BUT WALK THE MIDDLE LINE.”

The words refer to one poor soul’s belief that the exit from the Vale of the Dinosaurs lay in this direction. Sadly, he was mistaken. The statement about walking the middle line refers to the narrow pathway between the two pits in area #149 from which the white mist emanates.

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149. CARNIVOROUS PIT

As you pass into the white mist, visibility is reduced to almost nothing for you cannot see your hands stretched out before you.

There are two smooth wall slabs at the entrance to the cavern, the first upon which is the writing on the wall (See area #148). The second is also a smooth wall as well. Beyond that are two short and jagged rock walls, that if one passes between them, they will direct the player characters straight across the footpath between the two bubbling mud pot pits. It is these pits that are the source of the thick white mist. Because of the mist, lizard men will not enter this cavern.

The footpath between the two pits is actually a bridge, for the two pits are connected underneath the footpath. The drop into the pits is only 5’, but the damage from the heat of the mud pots is 1-6 hit points of damage for every round in the pit. It should also be noted that if a player character falls into the pit, it will be difficult for them to see how to get out of the pit because of the heavy white mist. This will also be complicated by the creature that lives in these pits, a para-elemental magma. The creature generally waits for its prey to fall into the pits, but if someone attempts to walk across the bridge, it will rise up and pull them into the magma.

Magma: AC 8; MV 6”; HD 8; hp 22; #AT 1; Dmg 4-24; SA: heat of the magma acts as a druidic heat metal spell; SD: +1 or better weapons to hit.

150. TUNNEL

As the mist begins to dissipate, you find yourself in a cavern tunnel, rounded like a tube. At crude intervals there are recesses in the wall, but they are partially obscured by spider’s webs. The tunnel, after straightening out, travels far off into the distance.

Located in each of these recesses is a dormant lizard man. They are in a deep hibernation, but can be awakened if there is a threat or if they are summoned by the chemical scent these creatures can exude from the body at will.

Use the following statistics for each lizard man:

Lizard man: AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which consists of a solitary obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).

151. SIX MILE TREK

The tunnel continues to travel straight for some distance with the recesses containing these lizard creatures at about one every 10’.

The hash marks on the map indicate the missing six miles of tunnels. On the Vale of the Dinosaur map, the player characters will be moving through ancient underground lava tubes taking them from area #107 toward the lake located in area #109. All along the tunnel are hibernating lizard men in their recesses. Again, they will not awaken if the player characters do not disturb their slumber.

However, when the player characters pass the last set of lizard men in the recesses prior to reaching the pond in area #153, these last lizard men will awaken. They will wait for the last player character to pass by then they will move slowly into the tunnel and emit their chemical scent to awaken the other lizard men. The player characters will have plenty of time to make it to the pond and explore the remains of the poor soul who thought this was the way out of the Vale of the Dinosaur, before finding that well over 6,000 lizard men are coming their way.

Lizard man (6,336): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which consists of a solitary obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).

152. THE SKELETON

The tunnel travels past a small pond of water on your right and then dead ends at a small cave. At the back of the cave, lying against the back wall is a human skeleton wearing only tattered bits of cloth and clutches a worn leather satchel.

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Here lies the poor soul who was trapped in the Vale long ago and thought he was going in the right direction in order to leave the vale. As he passed the last set of dormant lizard men, they awakened, and followed him. He was trapped in this cave and he dared not dive into the pond for he could not swim. The lizard men stabbed him to death with their daggers.

In the well-worn leather satchel is a well-worn diary that is all but destroyed. A few words on the last page can be read, but it is a strange language. If anyone is proficient at languages or has a spell, they will read “ . . . there is no exit . . . I was a fool to believe . . . they are coming for me. I can hear their slathering noises. There are so many it is deafening . . . They have entered the cavern, this . . .” And so ends the journal of the skeleton.

153. THE POND

The tunnel leads to a large cavern that is filled with water about the size of a typical pond. There is some batches of moss along the shore, and there is a 1’ drop off into the water. The water appears to be dark, but then there is little light available in the dark cavern.

As the player characters inspect the pond, they will begin hearing the sounds of the lizard men awakening and moving in their direction. If the player characters jump feet first in the water, they will then bob to the surface of the pond. If, however, they dive into the water, they will then find themselves surfacing in the large one mile lake located in area #109. This is part of the strange nature of the pocket dimension. If a player character dives down in one, they surface in the other.

The lizard men will not follow the player characters into the water. Rather, they will amass themselves along the shore, waiting for them to exit.

If only the poor soul in area #152 had known how to swim.


You step into a large cave that is 70’ deep, and 30’ wide and features two entry tunnels. Along the

cavern walls, erratically spaced, are numerous dark recesses.

The cavern is the home to 9 lizard men who stand dormant in the recesses of the cave. If summoned by the lizard men guards in area #140, the recesses will be empty. If they were not summoned, one lizard man will be found in each of the recesses. They will not awaken and attack if left alone, but as soon as a player character enters the recess, the lizard man will attack while at the same time emitting a chemical scent that will cause the others to waken from their dormant state.

Lizard man (9): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which include 9 crossbows of speed with 3 obsidian bolts each (treated as +1 bolts), obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).

Treasure: if the gems have not been used, each gem is worth 100 gp.


You find yourself in another open cavern, circular in shape, with more recesses in the wall. Three more recesses are also situated across from the entryway. There are two passages leading into and out of the cave.

There are 7 dormant lizard men in the main cavern and 3 more behind the entryway for a total of 10 lizard men. Again, all are standing dormant in their niches, but will awaken if disturbed or if another lizard man puts off the chemical scent that summons their kind.


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Treasure: if the gems have not been used, each gem is worth 100 gp.

156. MUD POTS

You enter a large cavern that features a large pit filled with thick bubbling mud. There is a shelf that skirts the mud pit. As you watch the bubbles, they appear to be growing larger.

When the player characters reach the bend in the shelf that moves around the mud pit, a xill will rise up out of the mud and launch an attack. The xill arrived in the Vale of the Dinosaur through the dimension portal located in area #158. Unable to get back home, it ventured through the caverns, found the mud pit, and made a new home there. Due to the nature of the Vale of the Dinosaur, the xill has lost its innate ability to turn ethereal by shifting between planes. If the xill successfully grapples a player character and manages to paralyze it, the xill will, on the next turn, throw the player character into the mud and then attack another player character. It sees this as a means of collecting as many victims as possible. Any player character in the mud pit will take 1-6 hit points of damage each round. If the xill is reduced to less than 10 hit points, it will move back into the mud and dive to safety.

Xill: AC 0; MV 15”; HD 5; hp 28; #AT 4; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-4/1-4 or by weapon type; SA: will attempt to grapple with two hands in order to inject paralyzing fluid into the victim’s blood stream; SD: 70% immune to magic. The xill carries two +1 broadswords.

157. BONES

The passageway opens up into a 25’ diameter side cavern in which the floor is strewn with all manner of bones. Some are various dinosaur bones, others are clearly the bones of the lizard creatures, but a few appear to be human. Mixed in with the bones are several of the obsidian daggers that the lizard creatures wield, as well as a half-dozen of their bags.

The cave ceiling here is exceptionally high, but it is deceiving because until one steps further into the cavern, the ceiling appears to be only 15’ high. The way the cavern ceiling begins to arc downward,

hides the last 20’ of the cave’s ceiling, where it reaches 50’ in height. Levitating toward the top of the 50’ ceiling is a grell. The grell was brought into the Vale of the Dinosaur through the dimension portal and it has been unable to return to its own dimension (See area #158). It has found the cave works well for making a meal of lost, wandering, and curious beasts.

Grell: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 5; hp 25; #AT 10 x 1-4/1-6; SA: paralyzation; SD: immune to lightning.

Treasure: 3 obsidian daggers, 5 leather pouches each with a full complement of 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y). The gemstones are worth 100 gp each.

158. DIMENSION PORTAL

You enter a large cavern that measures approximately 50’ in diameter and is highlighted by a large polished rock formation near the back wall that appears to be the frame for a strange series of flashing images. There is no rock in the center of the formation, only a mist, but the mist continues to shift change, showing different images, all of which are some manner of beast. There is a small stone table before the rock formation and its strange mist, and it features 12 of the various colored gemstones.

This is a dimension portal that is fixated on six specific locations and it flashes their images clearly for two seconds, then over the next four seconds it fades and begins to focus on the next image. The first image shows a pasture where a white horse with a single horn is running; the second image is of a snowstorm through which moves a gigantic white haired beast; the third image is a river surrounded by jungle and it shows a large fat beast wading in the water; the fourth image is of a four armed creature with two strange protrusions from their heads as they wade through a steaming and bubbling lake; the fifth image is of a winged horse flying through the clouds, but it has strange front claws and the beak of a fierce bird; and the sixth image is of a large over-sized headed creature with a beak and 10 tentacles. These creatures are, in order: unicorn, yeti, hippopotamus, xill, hippogriff, and a grell.

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If the player characters touch the stones on the table, the images will fade away and the face of a lizard man will appear. Once the player characters stop touching the stones, the mist will return to the six shifting images. If the gemstones are entirely removed from the table, the images will fade to black and the mist will disappear.

If the screen itself is touched, a one-way portal will open, and the creature that is visible will enter the Vale of the Dinosaur through the misty screen. Depending on which creature arrives will depend on whether it attacks or not. More than one creature of each kind can be summoned into the cavern if the mist screen is touched each time the creature’s image is displayed clearly for the two seconds. If the player characters touch the screen while it depicts the lizard man, nothing will happen.

The dimension door used to be a two-way portal and another means by which to travel to and from the Vale. However, It began malfunctioning and was ultimately abandoned and left as it appears. Occasionally, a stray creature or two have been let into the Vale by some unsuspecting visitor, such as the xill in area #156 and the grell in area #157.

Unicorn: AC 2; MV 24”; HD 4+4; hp 20; #AT 3; 1-6/1-6/1-12; SA: Charge with horn strike only gains a +2 to hit and causes 2-12 hit points of damage; SD: move silently, surprise on a 1-5 out. Note: In the vale, the unicorn cannot dimension door. The unicorn will initially attack, but can be reasoned with.

Yeti: AC 6; MV 15”; HD 4+4; hp 20; #AT 2; Dmg 1-6/1-6; a natural 20 is a grab and squeeze for an extra 2-16 hit points of damage; SD: impervious to cold. The Yeti will attack and fight to the death.

Hippopotamus: AC 6; MV 9”/12”; HD 8; hp 32; #AT 1; Dmg 2-12. The hippo will attack, but only as long as it feels threatened.

Xill: AC 0; MV 15”; HD 5; hp 25; #AT 4; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-4/1-4 or by weapon type; SA: will attempt to grapple with two hands in order to inject paralyzing fluid into the victim’s blood stream; SD: 70% immune to magic. The xill carries two short swords. The xill will fight until it is reduced to less than 10 hit points,

at which point it will try to find a way to extricate itself from the fight.

Hippogriff: AC 5; MV 18”/36” HD 3+3; hp 21; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-10. The hippogriff will only fight as long as it feels threatened.

Grell: AC 4; MV 12”; HD 5; hp 20; #AT 10 x 1-4/1-6; SA: paralyzation; SD: immune to lightning. The grell will attack until it is reduced to less than 10 hit points, then it will levitate toward the ceiling and try to escape.

159. RIGHT CAVE ENTRANCE

The cave to the right side of the plaza enters a wide, but very dark passageway.

The passageway is just over 10’ wide. As player characters move further back into the cave complex, their movement will alert the guards in area #160.

160. GUARDS

As you progress along the dark passageway, you hear a slithering and shuffling sound ahead of you. Somethings lurks in the dark ahead and they are moving in your direction.

There are a dozen lizard men set as guards for this complex and they will fight with a strong tenacity, immediately releasing their chemical to warn the dormant lizard men in areas #161 and #164. They in turn will alert the dormant lizard men in areas #162 and #165, who will in turn alert those in areas #163 and #166. The player characters are entering the location where the lizard men are bred and they see protecting the eggs as nothing less than the survival of their species.

The guards will do everything they can to prevent the player characters from moving further into the cave complex. They will use their crossbows from a distance, and once they close in melee combat, they will use their obsidian daggers. At any point if the gemstones can be used to their advantage, they will employ them as well.

Lizard man (12): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which include 12 crossbows of speed with 12

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obsidian bolts (treated as +1 bolts), obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).


161. LAIR OF THE LIZARD MEN #1

You enter a 20’ diameter cave with many recesses in the cavern wall.

This is the lair of 11 lizard men who remain dormant until summoned or threatened.

Lizard man (11): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which include crossbows with 3 obsidian bolts each (treated as +1 bolts), obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).








You enter a 40’ long by 15’ wide cave with many recesses in the cavern wall.












Lizard man (10): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which include crossbows with 3 obsidian bolts each (treated as +1 bolts), obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by

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chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).







167. OLD TEMPLE OF SEMUANYA

From the cavern passage, you enter a very large room of worked stone. The room is 50’ wide and 70’ deep, with a ceiling at least 50’ in height. There are columns spaced at 10’ intervals on both sides of the room, but the central feature is the large stone statute depicting a lizard creature in full armor wielding a spiked club. The room looks to be disused other than as a means of egress to a cavern passage on the far side of the room.

This was a nearly completed temple to the lizard man god semuanya. As semuanya sees the worship of him as a waste of time, time that could be spent propagating the species, its use as a temple was discontinued. All that remains are the columns, the statute, and the subterranean lizard currently watching the player characters from the ceiling behind one of the last columns. As the player characters approach the statute, it will attack. It makes its nest in a pile of rubble in the corner of the room.

Lizard, subterranean: AC 5; MV 12”; HD 6; hp 32; #AT 1; Dmg 2-12; SA: can move along the cavern

walls and ceiling due to suction cup like feet, on a natural score of 20, it will clamp its jaws firmly causing double damage.

Treasure: 3,201 sp, 1,098 ep, and 6 red gems, 3 blue gems, and 2 yellow gem (See area #122 for gem effects).

168. THE MIST PITS

You enter a cavern that is 50’ wide and 60’ deep. There are four large pits in the room with only a 3’ wide narrow land bridge crisscrossing the room. What lies in the pits is difficult to tell because there is a mist coming from the four pits. Hung by a chain over each of the pits is a large cage. Currently, the one to the near right has a small lizard creature in it, while the one to the far left has an oversized lizard creature. The one closest to you is moving rapidly in the cage make a squeaking noise, while the creature across the room continues to make a babbling sound.

The cages are captured prey of the lizard men. They hunt at night for creatures and capture them alive. They are then kept in the cages until several newborn lizard men hatch. The creature is then lowered into the pit, and the cage door is unlocked. In order for a newborn lizard man to be accepted into the lizard clan, it must hunt, kill, and then eat its first prey. Failing to do so means the newborn will either be killed by the prey or by the lizard men for showing weakness. The player characters would make good prey for the newly hatched.

The creature closest to the player characters is a compsognathus, while the creature across the cave is a babbler.

The four pits are really just one giant cave that is underneath the current cavern (See area #170). It is 30’ down to the cavern floor. Anyone falling into the pits, will take 3-18 hit points of damage.

On the far side of the room are two cave passages leading into the hatchery (See area #169). In each tunnel are two lizard men posted as guards. They will use their crossbows and gems to the best effect for causing any intruders to fall into the pit. They will also emit their chemical to alert the lizard men

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located in the feeding area (again, See area #169).

Babbler: AC 6; MV 6”/12”; HD 5; hp 16; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-8; SA: if undetected it can strike as a 4th level thief.

Compsognathus: AC 5; MV 10”; HD 1 minus 1; hp 2; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3; SA: surprise on a 1-3.

Lizard man (4): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which include crossbows of speed with 6 obsidian bolts each (treated as +1 bolts), obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).


169. HATCHING AREA

You enter a vast cavern that is 60’ wide and 70’ deep. There are seven entrances into the cave, three along the cavern wall from which you have entered the room, and then two on either side of the cavern walls. Between the side exits, on both sides of the cave, are what look like animal troughs, made of stone, stuffed with moss, upon which sit two over-sized eggs. You count at least 12 troughs with 24 eggs. On the far side of the cave is a similar trough, but it features only one smaller, solitary egg, and the egg is shiny and black, perhaps made of the same material as the lizard creature’s daggers. There are four of the lizard creatures tending to the eggs, and another lizard creature, taller than the others, by the black egg. It carries a trident and a net on its belt.

This room is the hatching area for the lizard men. It is overseen by a lizard king, the taller lizard man by the black egg. That particular egg is made of obsidian and is an orb of the lizards (see below). The other eggs are all of a white to yellowish color and are at different stages of development. There are 14 troughs and 28 eggs in total. It should be noted that while it is difficult to tell male and female lizard creatures apart, the creatures tending to the

eggs are all males. The female lizard creatures lay the eggs and then leave, while it is the males of the species that tend to the eggs and protect them.

The lizard king will immediately order the four lizard men to attack in order to protect the hatchery, then it will summon the lizard men from areas #171 and #172, and then it too will join in melee combat.

Lizard king: AC 3; MV 15”/12”; HD 8; hp 57; #AT 1; Dmg 5-20; SA: skewering, if the to hit is 5 or more points needed “to hit” then it will do double damage at a minimum of 15 hit points of damage. The lizard king wields a deadly trident, that in the hands of any other creature is a normal trident. The lizard king also carries a net of entrapment.

Lizard man (4): AC 4; MV 6”/12”; HD 2+1; hp 17 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/1-8 or by weapon type, which include an obsidian dagger (treated as a +1 short sword), and a leather saddlebag with 8 gems (R,R,G,G,B,B,Y,Y); SA: communication by chemically emitted substance which causes nausea for 1-4 rounds (save vs. poison).

Treasure: If any of the gems the lizard men carry have not been used, each is worth 100 gp. The Orb of the lizards is an artifact that was fashioned by the lizard men’s god Semuanya to promote the propagation of the species, so it is believed to have special powers of fertility and helps to promote the development of the eggs. The possessor of the orb will add a +2 to their armor class, can control lizards (not lizard men) of 6 or less hit dice, can breathe underwater on command, and, if holding the orb, can naturally cast tongues. The drawbacks to possessing the orb is their skin begins to grow lizard scales (hence the +2 to AC), they develop very bad body odor, and in 5 to 20 days they will develop a taste for human flesh. The value of the orb is 20,000 gp (note: the item brings no experience points).

170. FEEDING AREA

The center passage descends immediately downward and a mist fills the passageway.

This passageway descends 30’ down into a large, 70’ to 90’ diameter cavern (marked by dashed lines on the map) that is mist filled. The mist is a

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byproduct of the moisture on the walls and the heat of an active lava tube flowing underneath the cavern’s floor. The temperature in the room is hot and humid.

Because of the mist they are difficult to see, but there are four openings in the ceiling, each 20’ to 30’ in diameter and they are the four pits in area #168. Despite the poor visibility, there is actually nothing in the cavern at the time. This is the cavern in which the prey in cages are lowered from area #168 whenever there is a newly hatched lizard man from area #169. The newborn must hunt, kill, and eat the creature in order to remain alive and become a part of the lizard men. If the lizard men capture the player characters, they will be placed in the cages and they will not have to wait long for a newborn to hatch and to become its first prey.

171. LIZARD MEN POST #1

This elongated cavern looks to be the lair of some of the lizard creatures.

The lizard king will summon these 8 lizard men to the hatchery, area #169, when the player characters enter the room.


172. LIZARD MEN POST #2

This elongated cavern looks to be the lair of some of the lizard creatures.

The lizard king will summon these 12 lizard men to the hatchery, area #169, when the player characters enter the room. While 11 of the lizard men in this cavern are normal lizard men, one is not. One of the lizard men is semuanya himself (See LEGENDS & LORE). He will appear as a normal lizard man and engage in combat in the same manner, but he is much stronger than the others, and faster of mind and body, not to mention armor class and hit points. He uses an obsidian knife like the others,

but he strikes for 2-20 hit points of damage. His entire goal is to protect the eggs. If the player characters retreat, semuanya will not follow, expecting his followers to dispatch the troublesome party. If any player character gets close to the eggs or attempts to touch one, all of his efforts will be directed toward that individual. Otherwise, semuanya will try to punish each of the intruders equally. If the player characters touch or grab the orb, the lizard king will go berserk, but semuanya could care less about the orb. All he cares about is protecting the eggs.

Semuanya: AC -4; MV 12”/24”; HD 211 hps; hp 211; #AT 1; Dmg 2-20 +11; SA: can normally summon 3-18 minotaur lizards, but due to the nature of the Vale, he can only summon those already in the Vale which is one in Area #147 if it has not already been killed; SD: regeneration 5 hit points per round, +2 magical weapons or better to hit, magic resistance 78%; fights as 16 HD monster; S 23 (+5, +11); I 20; W 19; D 20; C 22; CH 7 (25 toward lizard men).


173. BACK ON THE VELVERDYVA

Flying up the water fall, you crest the top and splash down into a wide and peaceful river. The terrain all around you is level with grass plains reaching as far as your eyes can see. You are back on the Velverdyva River, heading due south.

This occurs when the player characters exit the Vale of the Dinosaurs. Regardless of which waterfall in the Vale they navigate up, it will deposit them back on the Velverdyva River just south of the location whereupon they had entered the Vale. The time of day will be the exact same time as they left the Velverdyva and entered the Vale of the Dinosaurs, so it should be sometime in the afternoon, depending on how long they stayed at the Circle

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of Hands. The remainder of Hex 62 will be uneventful.

Hex63 (U4-94)

“It was the most wild and desolate region we had camped in, where, if anywhere, one might expect to meet with befitting inhabitants, but I heard only the squeak of a nighthawk flitting over.”


174. SQUEAK OF A NIGHTHAWK

As you retire for the night, you hear a squeaking noise break the silence of this desolate region. Something flitters overhead of you, dark as the night sky. Descending out of the sky comes a boil of hawks all black as night.

The boil of hawks, a collection of hawks spiraling downward, consists of 15 blood hawks. These hawks appear as normal nighthawks, but they have razor sharp beaks, strong talons, and a fondness for human flesh. They will fight until destroyed.

Blood hawk (15): AC 7; MV 24”; HD 1+1; hp 5 each; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-6.

Hex64 (U4-95)

“When he ran down from his mound, and attacked the wolves, they tore him to pieces. Now I think if he had spoken two words and barked only one, he would have been wiser still and never fallen into the clutches of the wolves.”


175. WEREWOLVES BY NIGHT After a peaceful days paddling through the grass plains of Veluna and a good meal, you settle down into your campsite. In the distance, to the west, you hear the sounds of howling wolves. You pay closer attention tonight, for after the nighthawks attack on the previous night, strange sounds may spell trouble. The howling of the wolves continues but it sounds as if it is drawing near. In no time you hear the sound of footpads and heavy breathing, it is clear there is more than one.

There are in fact three werewolves about to pass through the player characters’ camp. They are traveling southeast, heading for the Iron Wood Forest (See Chapter 10). They will attack while on the move and if the player characters attempt to strike them, they will engage in combat. Otherwise, if the player characters simply stand aside, the three werewolves will continue their charge right on through the camp and disappear into the night (not a likely scenario).

Once the werewolves are engaged in melee combat, they will fight to destroy the player characters, with full intention of biting them to turn them into lycanthropes.

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Following close behind the three werewolves and pursuing them is the good Cleric of St. Cuthbert, Radulfo of Mitrik. The werewolves were discovered in Mitrik, having preyed on several people along the wharfs of the Fals River and turning them into lycanthropes. When Radulfo investigated, he discovered the werewolves operating out of the wharfs, but when he flushed them out, they fled the city. He grabbed the closest horse he could find, a medium horse that is nearly spent because he has been in pursuit of them ever since.

When he arrives on scene, he will scream at the player characters not to kill them. He will explain that he wants them alive. To the player characters, this should sound as if he is trying to protect them or is some type of cleric who does not believe in killing. In reality, Radulfo believes there is something deeper going on and he has decided to pursue the werewolves to see where they are heading. If the three werewolves are killed, he will not be able to discover where they are heading. If captured, it will give him a chance to recover from his pursuit – 3 days, non-stop, covering nearly 200 miles. He is exhausted and could use the rest. His plan, however, is to release them after he has rested in order to continue the pursuit.

Radulfo is a good person (lawful good to be exact) who is still somewhat impulsive, being in his early 30’s. He is dedicated to St. Cuthbert and believes that he is doing a service to his fellow man and god but pursuing the werewolves. However, he realizes this is his calling, not that of any other, so he does not request assistance or help in his pursuits.

If the player characters can assist in capturing the werewolves, he will be very thankful and then explain everything. If the werewolves are killed, he will be upset, but will understand, and after resting, will decide to continue moving in the direction the werewolves were heading in order to see if he can discover where it was they were heading. In either case, Radulfo will offer his services to the party as a Cleric before he departs.

What Radulfo and the player characters do not know is that the werewolves have begun to orchestrate a calling of all lycanthropes in the Flanaess to converge on the Iron Wood by the next full moon. For too long, they believe, lycanthropes

have been marginalized and their plan is to organize, rise up, and rule the world. Radulfo will continue his pursuit of the werewolves’ destination and enter the Iron Wood, only to find himself outnumbered and a prisoner of the lycanthropes. The player characters may have the chance to rescue Radulfo or become his fellow prisoners in Chapter 10 – Iron Wood.

Radulfo (6th level Cleric, LG human): AC 2; MV 12”; HD 6; hp 30; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type. Radulfo wears +1 plate mail, carries a +2 mace, and a scroll of cure serious wounds. He has the following spells: 1st level, bless, cure light wounds, light; 2nd level: know alignment, silence 15’ radius, slow poison; 3rd level: create food and water, cure disease. He has the following ability scores: S 13, I 9, W 18, D 15, C 10, Ch 16.

Horse, medium: AC 7; MV 18”; HD 2+2; hp 15; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-3.

Werewolf (3): AC 5; MV 15”; HD 4+3; hp 34, 32, 27; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8; SA: Surprise on 1-3, any humanoid creature bitten for damage equal to or greater than 50% of its total potential is infected with lycanthropy; SD: silver or +1 or better magic weapons to hit.

Hex65 (U4-96)

“An inverted cone eight or nine [feet] by seven or eight. I found no hornets buzzing about it. Its entrance appeared to have been enlarged; so I concluded it had been deserted, but looking nearer I discovered two or three dead hornets, men of war, in the entryway . . .Within were the six-sided cells in three stories . . . and in what may be called the attic garret of the structure were two live hornets.”


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176. BEND IN THE RIVER

After only a few miles of paddling, you notice the river begins to bend to the east. You soon find yourself traveling in a southeasterly direction.

The Velverdyva River bends southwest here as it heads toward the Dapple Wood.

177. HORNET’S NEST

In the midafternoon, as you continue to paddle down river, you see on the east embankment an inverted cone, about eight or nine feet wide by seven or eight feet tall. The entrance to the cone appears to have been enlarged by some creature.

If the player characters investigate, read the following:

As you look through the entrance, you discover the remains of what look to be two or three dead hornets of exceptional size lying on the ground. It is hard to tell as there are two heads, three thoraxes, and two abdomens, with a dozen or so wings and legs. The inside of the nest is six-sided cells in three stories and, as you look up in the attic garret of this strange structure, you see two live hornets.

The night before, four giant salamanders made their way into the hive destroying the entrance, in order to eat the larvae, and were attacked by the three giant wasp occupants. As they died, they released a pheromone to cause other hornets to attack. The salamanders ate the larvae than moved on. These two hornets caught the scent of the pheromone and came to attack. Seeing no predators, they flew into the attic garret of the cone, and waited to attack any returning predators.

Hornet, giant (2): AC 2 in flight/4 when settled; MV 24”; HD 5; hp 27, 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; SA: 5-30 poison damage (save negates), incapacitation for 2-12 hours (save negates).

178. THE LIGHT SHOW

As you prepare to retire for the night, you notice a flashing light in the sky. It does not look, smell, or feel like rain, and there is no crack of lighting or

peels of thunder. The light flashes again and is joined by several more. Soon, there is an entire light show in the sky with what you count to be four flashing lights. They move around your campsite and overhead, but never in a threatening manner.

The four lights are four firefriends, otherwise known as giant fireflies. They are friendly and curious about the humans camping alongside the river. They wish to talk to them and to hear stories of who they are, where they come from, and where they are going. They are also curious to hear of any adventures they might have had or stories they might share. They are still fairly young by firefly standards, being 3 to 4 years of age (they live to 10), which is why they are so curious, but their ability to speak common is fairly well perfected, as long as the words are simple.

Firefriends (giant firefly) (4): AC 4; MV 3”/15”; HD 1+4; hp 9 each; #AT 1; Dmg 1-2; SA: can fire a beam of greenish light which causes 5-20 hit points of damage; SD: immune to electrical and fire attacks.

Hex66 (T4-96)

“Those new shire-like pastures are covered or dotted with bunches of indigo, still in bloom, more numerously than anywhere that I remember.”


179. SHIRO, A SAFE HAVEN

By early afternoon, as you continue your journey heading southeast, you can see far off in the distance a forest cropping up before you. About a mile prior to entering the woods, you see a small,

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poorly hand painted sign that reads, “Welcome to Shiro.” Just past the sign you see there is a small inlet on both sides of the river that you can paddle your canoes into and there appears to be enough room to turn them around in each. The river itself clearly divides this little community in half. You also see that in each inlet there are various hollows cut into the river embankment with more crude signs above the hollows. Most appear to be on the west side of the river, and some of the signs read Doc’s bank, Reid and Lou’s General Store, Post Office, and the Cupbay Church. On the eastern inlet, the one sign visible reads, the Bare Bones Bar. It seems to be aptly names as there is a skeleton just outside the hollow doorway. Up above both inlets, on the prairie itself, are large copses of pecan trees which provide abundant shade for the little community, and beyond the trees are several small gardens. All around the shire-like pastures, the land is covered or dotted with bunches of indigo, in bloom everywhere.

Shiro is a friendly community and safe haven for the player characters.6

The community was settled by several halflings who felt that Kisail to the east had gotten to be too big of a city, having at least 200 people. So, they moved three miles west and settled on the river. They had to dig out the embankments and tunnel into the banks to make their homes and stores, but eventually the hard work paid off, and now they are a small, really small community of 21 souls. All of them are halflings and most of them “run” a business.

On the east side, which is considered “the other side of the river,” is the Bare Bones Bar. It is named that because the owner, Coramin, puts a Halfling skeleton outside of the hollow’s doorway to let people know when he is open (times vary greatly). The skeleton is very real, but no one knows who the skeleton originally belonged to, when living that is. The specialty of the Bare Bones Bar is a Pecan Harvest Ale. He also makes what he calls Coramin’s Coriander Cream Ale. Although Coramin is looked down upon by most of the citizens of Shiro because he runs a bar on the east side of the river, everyone in Shiro spends a lot of their time visiting the Bare Bones Bar. When they do visit, they make sure to complain about it very loudly while they are there so that everyone will hear.

The majority of establishments are on the west side of the river, which is often referred to as the “right side” of the river. One of the signs reads Cupbay Church. It is run by the pastor Jory. When they went to establish the church, they had a long debate over which deity to dedicate it to. As Halflings have so many, they decided to name it for all of them. So, Cupbay is actually an acronym for Cyrrollalee, Urogalan, Sheela Peryoyl, Brandobaris, Arvoreen, and Yondalla. Most of the Halflings spend more of their time at the Bare Bones Bar, than the Cupbay Church, including Jory.

Then there is the aptly named, “Post Office,” run by Frances Mayfield. Everyone makes fun of her because she took such a highfalutin name, but she thought she was worthy of it being the person in charge of the Post Office. It is not, however, a very difficult job, as she never receives mail.

The only two that really work in the Shiro, at least at their business, is Reid and Lou, the Halfling brothers who run the general store called, “Reid and Lou’s General Store.” They have a large hollow and have on hand most basic supplies for sale, however, most everything is fitted for Halflings. They may have a few items that are in larger sizes, but only about a 20% chance.

There is the sign for the “Shiro Bank,” run by the oldest Halfling in the community, Doc. Doc is not really a doctor of anything, nor is he much of a banker, as no one keeps any money in the bank. No one really has much in the way of money anyway, so there isn’t really anything for anyone to keep in the bank, even if they wanted to. Doc actually spends more time acting as a doctor and treating various ailments and injuries. He is, after all, called “Doc.”

One hollow has a sign which reads, “Shiro Advertiser.” It is run by E.W. No one knows what E.W. stands for, including E.W. He runs the community newspaper and puts it out once every month or so. No one actually advertises in the paper, so the cost is born solely by purchased copies. As the newspaper is nothing more than collected gossip about various members of Shiro, the paper sells quite well; or, at least 20 copies per issue.

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Another sign reads “Volunteer Fire Department,” and there is a small boat sitting in front of this hollow. The boat has a handcrank and a hose. All one has to do is position the boat by the fire, turn the hand crank, and aim the hose at the fire. The water is drawn from the inlet. Rare is the fire in Shiro, so often the volunteers break it out as a practical joke to spray some fellow halfling down on his birthday or what have you.

Still, another sign reads, “Shiro feed and fertilizer – we specialize in poop,” which just about says it all. The halfling Gory runs the store and provides the fertilizer for the personal gardens most citizens of Shiro have up on the prairie.

The citizens of Shiro, again, are a friendly lot and will be as helpful as helpful can be, within their limited capacity. They have a hollow where the player characters can rest and either peg their canoes on the outside of the embankment’ entrance, or pull the canoes inside. They are rather roomy, although they have very low ceilings, not much over 4’ tall. They are rather insulated from the world where they are located. They never venture into the Dapple Wood and, praying to Cupbay, nothing will ever venture out of it either. They do occasionally get various boats that pass by and often the merchant boats will trade with them, but they have little interest in the outside world, so they cannot offer much in the way of intelligence or information beyond the Shiro. And of that, they can talk your ears off!

Conclusion

The stay in Shiro, a safe haven for the adventuring party, ends Chapter 8 of the River Campaign. As Chapter 9 covers the Dapple Wood and for the fact the Dapple Wood lies partially in Hex66, Chapter 9 will commence with Hex 66 continued, as the player characters enter the forest.

Random Encounters

As previously mentioned, this campaign includes all encounters for the party within each chapter. However, if DMs feel that there should be additional random encounters, the following random

encounter tables are provide for Veluna and inside the Vale of the Dinosaur:

Veluna:

Dice Roll Encounter____________________

01-05 Boar, wild

06-10 Weasel, giant

11-15 Raven, giant

16-20 Porcupine, giant

21-25 Dragonflies, giant

26-30 Wasps, gians

31-35 Blood hawks

36-40 Hobgoblins

41-45 Kenku

46-50 Orcs

51-60 Men, Bandits

61-65 Men, Patrol heavy

66-70 Men, Patrol light

71-80 Men, merchants

81-90 Men, Pilgrims

91-00 Men, Nomads

Vale of the Dinosaurs:

Dice Roll Encounter____________________

01-05 Lizard man (2-5) 06-10 Babbler 11-15 Caveman (4-6) 16-20 Neanderthal (3-6) 21-25 Ape men (2-12) 26-27 Anatosaurus 28-29 Ankisaurus 29-30 Ankylosaurus 31-32 Apatosaurus 33-34 Brachiosaurus 35-36 Camarasaurus 37-38 Camptosaurus

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39-40 Certaorsaurus 41-42 Compsognathus 43-44 Dacentrurus 45-46 Deinonychus 47-48 Dilophosaurus 49-50 Dimetrodon 51-52 Diplodocus 53-54 Elasamosaurus 55-56 Euparkeria 57-58 Gorgosaurus 59-60 Kentrosaurus 61-62 Iguanodon 63-64 Lambeosaurus 65-66 Mamenchisaurus 67-68 Massopondylus 69-70 Megalosaurus 71-72 Monoclonius 73-74 Mosasaurus 75-76 Nothosaurus 77-78 Ornitholestes 79-80 Pentaceratops 81-82 Plesiosaurus 83-84 Pterandodon 85-86 Pterosaur, giant 87-88 Protoceratops 89-90 Stegosaurus 91-92 Struthiomimus 93-94 Styracosaurus 95-96 Tanystropheus 97-98 Teratorsaurus 99 Triceratops 00 Tyranosaurus Rex

Endnotes

1 Greywiki 2 Hammack, Allen. (1983). The World of Greyhawk Gazetteer. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR. 3 Gygax, Gary. (1983). A Glossography For the Guide to the World of Greyhawk. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR. 4 The first to associate the minotaur with the centaurs was Dante in his Inferno. The minotaur and centaurs show when the seventh Circle of hell is entered, and the centaurs guard the Flegetonte – the “River of Blood.” William Blake’s artwork of the minotaur , drawing on Dante, shows a minotaur and centaur combination. 5 Sargent, Carl. (1993). The Marklands. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, p. 30. 6 This is for you James; Your favorite town!

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Appendix 1 – Gem Combination Chart for DM Color Combinations Causes Effects 2 like colors explosion 2-12 hit points

of damage red/green bright light blinded for 1-4

rounds

red/yellow delayed 1-4 round explosion delay for 2-12 hit points of damage

blue/green temporary 20’ radius for

force field 1-4 rounds

blue/red shock 1-8 hit points of damage

blue/yellow hallucinations confusion for

1-4 rounds

green/yellow nausea nausea for 1-4 rounds

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Appendix 2 – The Mantle of Rao

The Mantle of Rao was first brought to Oerth, along with the Crook of Rao, by the deva Incarum who employed both to banish the minions of Tharzidun. The two artifacts were then lost until 9 CY. At that time, they were located on the site where the City of Mitrik would one day be built. The two artifacts were taken as spoils of war in 355 and it was then they became separated. The crook was seen as having all the power, and the mantle was tossed aside by the Keoish rulers. A Keoish cleric, recognizing its power, kept the mantle for himself, but was killed instantly when he tried to wear it. The secret, along with the mantle, was buried with him, but not for long. The tomb of the cleric was robbed and the mantle taken, but because of the numerous deaths it was causing it found its way into the hands of a cleric of Mitrik who realized its import and took possession of it. He then went to the circle of hands and prayed to Rao to help him find a place to hide the mantle and the demi-plane was revealed. After accessing it, he hid it away, and then closed up the access, but taking 9 gems from the cave complex that would serve as the key to gain reentry. The story of the mantle was all but forgotten.

In recent times, Iuz, searching for others means to enhance his power, learned of Iggwilv’s desire to secure the Mantle of Rao and that access could be achieved through the circle of hands, located in Veluna, by using the power of a special set of 9 gems. Iuz sent a party of adventurers to seek out the whereabouts of those gems. They eventually found them and were bringing them back to Iuz when Lolth’s spies encountered the party, killed them, and took possession of the gems and the instructions for their use. Lolth then ordered her drow leaders in Highfolk to dispatch a party of drow to retrieve the Mantle of Rao (See Chapter 7).

The Mantle of Rao is a blue and white colored shepherd’s mantle. It is lawful good in alignment. Anyone who is not of lawful good alignment will suffer the penalties and drawbacks detailed below. In addition to these penalties, anyone of evil alignment will sustain 20 points of damage every time (or for every round) they deliberately touch any portion of the headpiece.

The person wearing the Mantle of Rao will not age while wearing it, is immune to any aging spells, and will comprehend all languages. The mantle also provides comfort to its wearer for they will not grow hot or cold out in the elements and it will serve to keep them dry in a storm. There are two pockets in the mantle, one serving as a pocket of sustenance, food and water for one person for a day, and the other acts as a bag of holding up to 250 pounds.

The mantle adds +3 to AC, +3 to hit, and +3 to damage, and provides an additional 50% magical resistance to the preexisting percentage the wearer already maintains.

Any priest, ranger, or paladin cannot receive spells from other deities while within 100 yards of the Mantle of Rao. To the wearer of the Mantle, however, it will allow them to have an effective intelligence of his normal intelligence plus his level, to a maximum of 19. It will also allow the wearer to cast the following spells once per day: commune, word of recall, and holy word (18th caster level). Anyone wearing the Mantle of Rao will find himself held to a near-divine expectation of perfection. As this high standard of perfection is difficult for a mortal to maintain, frequent demonstration of atonement to Rao are required. Eventually, this strain will become too much to bear and the person will be forced to give up ownership.

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