The Selenica Co-operative

 

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The Selenica Co-operative is a network of merchants who have agreed to work together to stay in business and protect themselves and their goods. As the name suggests, the group is centred on Selenica in eastern Darokin and as such is on a crossroads between various nations including Karameikos, the Five Shires, Ylaruam and Rockhome. The merchants are all travelling traders, moving goods and money around between cities and countries, and generally do not maintain static shops, though they often trade with those that do. 

The four main functions of the cooperative are

1. Mutual defence. Members of the co-operative will often band together into large and well-guarded caravans when travelling to the same destination, or at least travelling the same road for a distance. Given how dangerous some of the mountain passes and hills can be, this is a sensible precaution. Bandits and monsters are less likely to raid a large caravan than a sole trader. 
2. Trade and financial information. There is a general understanding in the co-operative that news about trade and economics is important for finding the best deals and avoiding difficulties. As such members of the cooperative will tell each other about the ebb and flow of commodities, the activities of rivals who might compete with the cooperative, and laws and taxes in the places the cooperative might do business.
3. Avoiding competing with each other. Merchants don't like cutting prices simply because somebody else is selling similar wares cheaper. Although there is some disagreement and arguing within the co-operative, it is considered a safe place to sort out potential rivalry and help merchants find alternative markets. 
4. Loans at reasonable rates of interest. Admitedly what counts as reasonable can be subjective, but as long as both lender and borrower are in agreement, this has kept various merchants solvent and in business when they might otherwise have been ruined by the ups and downs of life as a travelling merchant.

Darokin is a land famous for its merchants including the great merchant houses that employ dozens or even hundreds of workers, and a head of the house overseeing all of its business, with junior merchants often acting under instruction. The Selenica Co-operative is far less hierarchical, and all members are at least in principle equals (though richer members are more equal than others). Each merchant in the co-operative is considered an independent trader looking after their own business and making their own deals. Most members are from Darokin but in the fifty years since it started in Selenica, more merchants from other places have joined, including:

• Ylaruam. This includes Parsa and Ylaruam City. The co-operative avoids Abbashan as they have had bad experiences with the theocracy there. In Cinsa-Men-Noo there is Maerell Dhambor, who is not a member but has had friendly dealings with the co-operative. 
• Karameikos, including Specularum, Kelvin and Penhaligon. Specularum is also a trading port for members who wish to trade further across the sea. In Penhaligon there are two members - Beltorphix and Maddrasso.  
• Rockhome. Though there are great opportunities to trade between Darokin and Rockhome, currently the only safe route through the mountains is into Ylaruam’s Parsa and then north through the Ust-Urt valley and through Karrak Castle. Nonetheless, merchants of the co-operative consider this long way round to still be worthwhile and in Greenston there is Meribidus Silverbrow   
• Athenos in the south of Darokin is the nation’s main port, and as such many merchants will either sell to foreign merchants here or else hire ships to trade overseas. 
• Corunglain in the north of Darokin is both a large city of customers and also the jumping off point for merchant caravans braving the dangerous routes to Glantri and Ethengar. There are several members of the co-operative based here. The mutual defense clause of membership is frequently invoked and the co-operative makes sure that caravans heading north into the Broken Lands are as well protected as they can afford to be. 
• Ierendi City. Note that the members are quite cautious about trading here - the city itself may be safe but the surrounding seas are patrolled by pirates from Vlaad. No sane member of the co-operative will trade actually in one of Ierendi’s pirate ports. 
• Thyatis City and Kerendas. The Empire of Thyatis is a great opportunity for trade, and the co-operative has several merchants based there. Goods will often be loaded onto a ship at Specularum and make the short trip past Minrothad. 
• No direct trade with Minrothad City occurs, primarily because of the Minrothad Guilds’ policies and insistence on maintaining a near-monopoly in their homeland. But sometimes Minrothad merchants will trade with members of the co-operative either in Kerendas or Specularum. 

The Selenica Co-operative is quite open-minded about its membership. A certain level of trustworthiness is required, so no theft from or assaulting other members is tolerated. Fraud and getting into trouble with law enforcement is likewise frowned on, and slandering other merchants (especially those within the co-operative) is discouraged. These basic rules mean that most of the cooperative are Lawful or Neutral in alignment - Chaotic types tend not to fit into the co-operative’s ethos. However, a range of races and nationalities are represented, and female merchants are welcome as well. This is primarily a matter of professionalism - the ability to do business and make money is the most respected attribute. 

Although not hierarchical, the co-operative does have leadership of sorts in the form of the Board of Directors, who are the 9 most senior or wealthy merchants in the co-operative who are asked to set the rules, welcome or expel members and deal with disputes between members. Although there is a certain amount of political manoeuvring both by those on the board and those seeking to ascend to the board, it does generally work fairly well, partly because of the ever present competition of the big merchant houses.  Those on the board who are particularly selfish, incompetent or greedy will find themselves outvoted on decisions and possibly voted off the board if the other eight directors would rather have someone different. Nonetheless, the board has run into trouble when one or more directors have been magically influenced (usually involving Charm or Suggestion spells) and there was one period when a rival major merchant houses was using a mage to scry on the board of directors meetings. 

The Subversion of Clan Rungorth

Of the seven great clans of Rockhome, Clan Hurwarf is the most isolationist, distrusting other nations and non-dwarves. Most of the time this is kept in check by the rest of dwarven society welcoming foreign traders and diplomats, but every now and then it can spiral out of control into paranoid madness.  

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Clan Rungorth is a minor clan that has split off from Clan Hurwarf because Clan Hurwarf was not being isolationist enough.  It was always on the periphery of dwarven society, with its stronghold (Torrag Ikkorn)  in the southern mountains, but in the last fifty years it has fallen under the sway of an evil dwarf cleric who has fallen from grace and is now in league with the powers of Chaos. This dwarf, Multheid the Pure, has whipped Clan Rungorth into a frenzy of paranoia, and has denounced the rest of dwarven society as being corrupt and decadent as a result of prolonged contact with such wicked and despicable races such as humans, halflings, gnomes and worst of all, elves. Now the clan is hostile to any non-dwarf, and even other dwarves from outside the clan are treated with deep suspicion.  

Multheid's most loyal followers call themselves The Protectors of the Pure, and wear black cloaks and tabards, and have shaved their heads (though not their beards). These Protectors of the Pure are believed to number about 20 and include a number of very dangerous and experienced dwarf warriors. They act as Multheid's enforcers within the clan. The Protectors of the Pure trust Multheid absolutely and think that Rockhome as a society and nation is going to collapse and Rungorth will be the last bastion of true dwarves. Draxor Tunnelwalker is the leader of the Protectors of the Pure and is Multheid’s right-hand dwarf - he is both fanatically loyal and a brutal killer. 

However, there are others in the clan who have their doubts, but they have learned to their bitter cost to keep quiet and keep their heads down, as the most outspoken skeptics have been executed on Multheid’s orders. There is a small network who call themselves the Unbelievers but they are in no position to make any effective change, but should outsiders challenge Multheid’s grip on Rungorth, there will be some who will help. To compound the situation the clan leader, Gurnor Ironhammer, believes Multheid and has all but ceded rulership to the chaotic cleric. This seems to be more a lack of leadership and backbone rather than deliberate handing over of authority.  

Clan Rungorth has one major stronghold, Torrag Ikkorn, with 230 dwarves, and several smaller outposts with about 50 dwarves in each, for a total of 450 dwarves. They strive fervently to be self-sufficient in everything and assume anything from the outside world (traded, given or even stolen) is somehow tainted. This has resulted in food shortages and even some cases of malnutrition in the clan, but any food from outside, especially from those weird Wyrwarf clan farmers, is assumed to be poisoned or drugged or diseased. 

The clan leader of Hurwarf (Lord Duric) wants to reestablish contact with Clan Rungorth, and hopefully ascertain the situation. He insists that any party doing so should be entirely composed of dwarves - he believes non-dwarves would worsen the situation. He would like any problems to be resolved as diplomatically as possible, without bloodshed. However, he is worried about a hostile reception as one messenger he sent has not returned and he fears dark forces may be at work. 

Multheid the Pure has some sort of end-game but it is not clear what it is. Perhaps he just wants rulership over a clan. It is possible that he wants to establish a long-term cult of chaos among the dwarves of Rockhome though some would say there are better candidates, particularly among the Underside of Dengar city, and better ideologies (the greed for gold and the militarism in other clans could easily be taken too far).  It is also possible that he genuinely believes what he is preaching, but if he is worried about what is happening to dwarven society, then allying with the forces of Chaos is a mad way of countering this. And this may be the truth of the matter - Multheid is mad, and is preaching his insanity to Clan Rungorth, many members of whom were already nearly as paranoid as him. His fall into the clutches of Chaos may be because lawful and neutral immortals would not accept someone so divisive and hateful as their servant and representative among mortals, but to the darker powers of Chaos that thrive on fear, hostility and madness Multheid is a useful tool. 

Multheid has had an underground extension to Torrag Ikkorn excavated, where he now resides and works, creating an army of undead (mostly reanimated dwarf corpses but any suitable humanoid body will suffice). Other dwarves, even the leader Gurnor Ironhammer, are not permitted here and it seems he has done a good job of hiding his true loyalties from Clan Rungorth. It is possible that exposing Multheid’s Chaos worship and his desecration of dwarf corpses will shock enough clan members that a sizeable rebellion against Multheid will rise up. Of course, his fanatical dwarf followers, particularly the Protectors of the Pure, will rationalise and excuse these revelations, saying that it is all necessary to protect the clan and that strange alliances (even with the forces of Chaos) are sometimes needed when the enemy (everybody else in Rockhome) is overwhelming. Which way the clan leader Ironhammer will swing could prove crucial: for him, the reanimation of dwarf bodies as zombies would be the breaking point. And if the clan chief turns against Multheid, other dwarves may do likewise, perhaps out of traditional loyalty to the clan leader or perhaps they will reconsider what is really going on in the clan. 

Just to complicate matters, the Rusty Razor tribe of goblins is causing trouble in the area, and taking advantage of Clan Rungorth's internal problems to seize territory, establish hideouts and raid caravans and small settlements. Multheid claims that these goblins are being hired and encouraged by the corrupt and decadent dwarves of Dengar, who are too cowardly and coniving to confront Clan Rungorth directly. 

A little further away is another minor clan, Clan Dursten, who are allied with Clan Everast. These dwarves are a lot more sane and reasonable, and have seen more of Rungorth's descent into madness than most other outsiders. Indeed, until about a year ago there was still some trade and military cooperation between Dursten and Rungorth but relations deteriorated when Clan Dursten's leader, Sargenford the Gnollslicer, denounced Multheid and his vile views on the rest of Rockhome's dwarves. At this point all friendly contact between Dursten and Rungorth ceased, and Clan Dursten has had to deal with a resurgent goblin menace (particularly the Rusty Razor tribe) on their own. Sargenford will listen to those sent to deal with Clan Rungorth, particularly if they are polite and reasonable. He hates and despises Multheid and would like to see him removed, but he does not want bloodshed of other dwarves - he feels that Clan Rungorth has fallen under the evil cleric’s spell and that if Multheid is removed the rest of the clan will come to their senses. 

Notable NPCs

Multheid the Pure

Str 14, Int 14, Wis 16, Dex 10, Con 16, Cha 15
AC 2, HD DwC7, hp 40, Move 60ft, THAC0 15, Att 1 mace for 1d6+2 or 1 spell, Save C7, Ml 11, Align C,
Equipment: Plate Mail, Shield, Mace +1, unholy symbol, potion of invisibility, potion of gaseous form 
Spells: (3/2/2) Cure Light Wounds, Darkness, Rage, Aura of Shadows, Bless, Cause Disease, Paranoia

Gurnor Ironhammer

Str 16, Int 8, Wis 8, Dex 12, Con 14, Cha 13

AC 1, HD Dw7, hp 41, Move 60ft, THAC0 11, Att 1 axe for 1d6+4,  Save Dw7, Ml 10, Align N 

Equipment: Banded Armour +1, Shield +1, Hand Axe +2 +4 vs giants, trolls & ogres, potion of extra-healing

Draxor Tunnelwalker

Str 16, Int 9, Wis 10, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 15

AC 2, HD Dw6, hp 27, Move 60ft, THAC0 13, Att 1 battleaxe for 1d8+3, Save Dw6, Ml 12, Align C

Equipment: Plate Mail +1, Battleaxe +1, 3 daggers

Sargenford the Gnollslicer

Str 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 16

AC 1, HD Dw7, hp 46, Move 60ft, THAC0 12, Att 1 battleaxe for 1d8+3, save Dw7, Ml 10, Align L

Equipment: Plate Mail +2, Battleaxe +2, Amulet of Lie Detection. 

The Dwarf Stronghold of Torrak Veig

 

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This dwarven settlement is in the southwest quarter of Rockhome, on the hills to the west of the Larodar river. Like other dwarven strongholds it is a combination of fortification and habitation, with some industry and trade as well. 

From the southwest Rockhome entry:

Torrak Veig: This dwarf stronghold is home to the Grayquartz family who have specialised in both mining coal (very useful for smelting metals as well as cooking food and keeping homes warm) and brewing malt beer. The stronghold has 160 members and all are loyal to Syrklist Clan.

The Leadership Crisis

The most important matter that this summary does not cover is the tension over the clan leadership. The current clan chief, Drogmoor Grayquartz, is not well at all - since a run-in with a strange undead creature three years ago Drogmoor has been suffering from bouts of insanity, and clerics are baffled as to how to cure it. Drogmoor has a young son, Thilgon, who has not reached an age where he can be considered a clan chief. Thus when Drogmoor is beset by insanity and Thilgon the heir is still a dwarven child, there are three competing authorities as regent;  Vanthi (wife of Drogmoor and mother of Thilgon), Graldi (brother of Drogmoor and uncle of Thilgon) and Ordoin, younger brother of Drogmoor and another uncle of Thilgon.

 Yet half the time Drogmoor has his wits about him and rules well enough. While he is compos mentis he asserts his authority over his family and all seems to be well for several weeks or even several months. But nobody can tell when the insanity returns - last time it happened was in the middle of a feast to honour neighbouring clan chiefs. It was a terrible embarrassment for the clan and although two of the visiting stronghold chiefs took Drogmoor's rantings and ravings as insults, the other three realised their fellow chief had suddenly lost his mind. They also noted by the reactions of Grayquartz family members that this was not the first time either. 

Clerical magic has proven ineffective (although a Cure Insanity spell will stop the current episode, the insanity will return later) and there is a strong suspicion that rather than being a natural insanity, that fateful encounter with the undead creature resulted in a powerful curse being placed on Drogmoor.  

Different dwarves have different ideas about how to handle this. Vanthi reckons Drogmoor should remain the official chief and while sane should rule as such, and authority only temporarily passing to her while her husband is unable to make sane decisions. 

Graldi reckons Drogmoor should abdicate and Graldi should be regent until Thilgon is old enough to rule. As far is he is concerned the clan needs strong, unequivocal leadership now and the uncertainty caused by the current chief’s bouts of insanity is unacceptable. 

Ordoin realises that although he might be influential, he does not have a real chance of family leadership. Instead his proposal is that Drogmoor should abdicate, and Vanthi should be regent until  Thilgon can assume the role of chief, with him (Ordoin) in an advising and supporting role.  

When Drogmoor is not trying to cast spells like a Glantrian mage and complaining about kobolds hiding under his bed , he is trying to find a permanent solution to his insanity. When it first started after his encounter with the undead thing, he was confident he could rule most of the time, only stepping down when clearly incapable. Now he is starting to doubt his fitness to govern even when he is lucid, and the idea of abdicating in favour of either Graldi or Vanthi is a serious option. 

Other aspects of Torrak Veig

• The stronghold may have 160 members inside its gates, but there are another 200 or so dwarves dotted around the neighbourhood of the stronghold in the mountains and river valley who consider it to be the hub of their community. 
• In times of war or other emergency the stronghold can muster up to 80 dwarf warriors (mostly 1st level but some with more experience). They are all infantry, though about half of these can bring crossbows to the fight. 
• There is a small shrine in the stronghold manned by a dwarf cleric (Berred Grayquartz) and his two acolytes
• The coal mine mentioned in the previous post is an extension of the stronghold, going down in a southwest direction. The coal seam is extensive and so are the mine tunnels. Regular patrols to drive out vermin and giant rats are necessary. 
• The brewery is in the surface structure, and the dwarves buy the hops and barley from the local farmers in nearby valleys. However, a series of ankheg attacks have now put the hops supply in jeopardy - one farmer was killed, several farm workers were injured and two whole fields of hops were destroyed by acid. 
• The main route connecting Torrak Veig to the rest of Rockhome is a path that follows the river past Dangtheign's Post. Dwarves are distrustful of boats and river travel and tend to leave that to humans. 
• Coal is typically transported by donkey or mule cart along the riverside path with an escort of two dwarf warriors per cart. So far this has proved sufficent in protecting trade to Dangtheign's Post and nearby strongholds. 

The Tomb of the Graven Ancestors

This catacomb is dug into a mountainside about eight miles from Torrak Veig. The upper two levels are relatively peaceful and is where Grayquartz family members have been traditionally laid to rest. Below in the third and fourth levels things become more dangerous. It is believed that deep in these lower levels Drogmoor encountered something that caused his insanity. This nameless creature, according to Drogmoor, appeared to be an undead chaotic dwarven cleric. Yet what has happened to Drogmoor does not register with any known clerical magic. This undead thing is also able to animate dead bodies, thus desecrating the dwarven dead laid to rest in the Tomb. It has been suggested that destroying this undead dwarf cleric might remove Drogmoor’s curse, but this is speculation.  

There is a helm in the depths of the Tomb that belonged to Huggorn Grayquartz, a renowned leader of the Grayquartz tribe and led them from Dengar to Torrak Veig. This helm is believed to imbue the wearer with influence and leadership, and wearing it would be seen as a symbol of authority.  The helm ended up in the tomb after acting as an unofficial crown for Torrak Veig when during a heated leadership struggle where neither side behaved with dignity or honour an angry dwarf cleric decided that neither side deserved the helm and took it back down into the Tomb to lay on the sarcophagus of its original owner. Both Graldi and Ordoin are aware of the helm’s existence and both seek to claim it to gain support their respective proposed solutions.  

Other locations near Torrak Veig

• Scalefoot Chasm: This is a deep chasm open to the weather between two mountains. The most notable inhabitants are the Scalefoot goblins that have become very adept at climbing, and giant spiders they have domesticated which now serve as precipice-climbing steeds. Down in the chasm there are entrances into goblin warrens. There is a single well-defended set of stone stairs carved into the chasm walls but most of the time the goblins will use spiders or rope ladders to get in and out. The goblins and dwarves have skirmished but there has not yet been all-out war.  
• The Ruined Chapel of Kagyar: This small chapel to the patron immortal of dwarves is partly on the surface, with a small church-like structure set against the mountainside, partly underground with passages going deep. Nobody at Torrak Veig knows what the tunnels lead to. Was it a mine?  An underground settlement? A subterranean place of worship? It should be investigated. 
• Dangtheign’s Post. This surface settlement is on the west bank of the Larodar river where it turns from north-east to northwest. This is now a fortified village of 60 people, including 30 dwarves, 10 gnomes, 15 humans and strangely 5 kobolds, representatives of the Glitterbug Tribe. Traders from Torrak Veig, Torrak Sorros and Torrak Halastoron will all visit here, and occasionally merchants from further afield. As well as trade, Dangtheign’s Post is also seen as a neutral meeting ground when disputes need to be resolved peacefully. 
• Glitterbug Tribe: This tribe of 120 kobolds seems surprisingly non-aggressive. Many dwarves simply do not trust them but the fact that they leave dwarves alone and even occasionally try trading at Dangtheign’s Post is seen as very odd. Some dwarf sages would like to investigate the Glitterbug tribe. Are they just faking it to gain the trust of naive dwarves? Or are they fundamentally different in outlook from other kobolds? The tribal lair is entirely underground, with the entrance hidden in a boulder field at the base of a steep slope. The kobolds often wear copper items and malachite jewelery, and may offer to trade these. 
• Vunstein's Tower: This ruined tower on a hilly outcrop was an outpost for the dwarves but now has fallen into goblin hands and is a forward post for the goblins of Zugguth Peak. It sits about half way between Zugguth Peak and Torrak Veig. Recapturing it on behalf of the dwarves would be appreciated, but the goblins have hired bugbear mercenaries to defend the tower. 

Ragnadir Hawkhelm’s Air Transport Company

art by Brom

Ragnadir Hawkhelm is a dwarf entrepreneur who has put together some talented gnomes and brave dwarves for an almost unprecedented idea - airborne dwarves! This has been made possible by Ragnadir finding enough money to buy some skyships from an Alphatian wizard who didn’t want these ones any more - the wizard's master was very keen on building and flying skyships and passed them down to his apprentice, who was not so keen and preferred teleporting anyway. The dwarves provide the money and the security, while the gnomes provide the magi-tech know-how to run and maintain the skyships. 

These ships are usually hired on a day-by-day basis, typically at the rate of 500gp per day, rounded up. All of them can take either cargo or passengers with varying levels of comfort. Once they build up speed these skyships can travel 60-64 miles per day (so about 8 x 8 mile hexes per day or 2.5 x 24 mile hexes)

Many dwarves and some humans do not like or trust these skyships at all. What is to stop them crashing to earth at any moment? Some dwarves say it is not right at all - proper dwarves have no business flying like stupid birds! Ragnadir has found out the hard way that suggesting these skeptics might have a fear of flying is not a good idea. Some dwarves asked Ragnadir why he didn’t use rockships using oil of darkness from a dwarven Forge of Power. Ragnadir pointed out that, while undeniably more traditional and dwarven in aesthetic, such stone ships were not so good when crossing water or travelling long distances, where the ability to see where you are going is advantageous. Besides travelling underground in a rockship for days on end can make non-dwarves feel a little claustrophobic. Nonetheless there are other dwarves who see the practical uses of such vessels. Trade, military expeditions and meeting with distant relatives are all within Ragnadir’s business plan. He has even allowed adventurers to jump onboard to get to some dangerous lair or ancient ruin that might be inaccessible by traditional means, though in such cases payment upfront is non-negotiable. 

Ragnadir currently has a fleet of 4 skyships and about 100 crew, including captains, navigators, chief engineers (nearly always a gnome) and other important roles.  The ships are:

• The Incredulous: Powered by usual skyship propulsion, this is the oldest in Hawkhelm’s fleet, having been bought 22 years ago (although it was probably constructed and launched about 100 years ago). It gained its name after most dwarves’ reactions to Ragnadir Hawkhelm putting forward his proposal for this enterprise. Its name also sums up the reactions of many dwarves when they saw this ship afloat. The Incredulous also has a large cargo hold and a large deck hatch and onboard winch, so it is the favoured ship of the fleet for trade expeditions. 
• Length: 90ft, Beam 25ft
• Crew: 21
• Floatation: Alphatian Enchantment 
• Propulsion: Traditional Sails + Alphatian Enchantment
• Passenger berths: 10 proper, + up to another 30 hammocks on lower decks
• Cargo Capacity: 30 tonnes
• Cruising speed: 56 miles/day (7 * 8 mile hexes)
• Docking: Water or skydock
  
  
• Hawkhelm’s Honour: This is Ragnadir’s personal flagship, and he will take this one when he wishes to travel far. The captain’s cabin and guest quarters are quite luxurious. It has also been used on diplomatic missions and the transport of dwarven royalty and nobility. Hawkhelm’s Honour is kept afloat by typical Alphatian skyship enchantments but is also believed to have Avenite crystals below deck as a backup. 
• Length: 75ft, Beam 20ft
• Crew: 18
• Floatation: Alphatian Enchantment + Avenite Crystal
• Propulsion: Alphatian Enchantment
• Passenger Berths: 6 first class + 10 second class + up to 20 hammocks on lower deck
• Cargo Capacity: 12 tonnes
• Cruising Speed: 64 miles/day (8 * 8 mile hexes)
• Docking: Skids/skis on underside allow ground landing or skydock
  
  
• The Stormbraver: So-called because of its apparent resilience to bad weather. However, some gnomes onboard reckon the Stormbraver is not inherently protected, it has simply been lucky so far. Like the Incredulous the Stormbraver uses enchanted Avenite to stay in the air. The Stormbraver has one remarkable fixture: a Spelljamming helm. Although it has only been above Mystara’s atmosphere twice, it has come back with all the crew intact and breathing, proving it is not just airworthy but void-worthy as well. There are suggestions by dwarf academics of hiring the Stormbraver for an expedition to Mystara’s moon, Myoshima. Author’s note: although diverging Mystara/BECMI canon, in this campaign skyships cannot venture beyond the Skyshield without a spelljammer helm. The helm both generates the air bubble that stops the crew from suffocating and also propulsion in the void without any atmosphere to push against or catch the sails.  
• Length: 80ft, Beam 25ft
• Crew: 20
• Floatation: Avenite Crystal + Spelljammer Helm
• Propulsion: Spelljammer Helm
• Passenger Berths: 12 proper + 25 hammocks on lower deck
• Cargo Capacity: 16 tonnes
• Cruising Speed: 56 miles/day (7 * 8 mile hexes)
• Docking: Water or skydock
  
  
• The Griffonwatcher: This vessel is more than just a transport vessel - it is equipped with two deck-mounted ballistae and a deck-mounted catapult. It has been used by both the Rockhome royal army and the chiefs of the major dwarf clans for moving dwarf warriors to where they are urgently needed. Generally speaking the Griffonwatcher can carry up to 50 armoured dwarves as well as its usual crew of 20. At one point Ragnadir suggested the dwarves might try parachuting off the skyship into action. The response from the captain of the transported troops is not fit for printing. The Griffonwatcher was vital to the relief of the Steelpick Stronghold that had come under sudden attack by a force of orcs backed up by troll mercenaries wielding tree trunks as battering rams. While the Steelpicks held the front gate against furious assault, the Griffonwatcher delivered a company of 40 elite dwarf warriors (from Mithril-Helm Defences) to the orcs’ rear. A surprise attack by this relief force combined with a sally from Steelpick stronghold drove off the orcs and trolls. The catapult and ballistae throwing flaming tar-balls was effective against the trolls - quite literal fire support. 
• Length: 90ft, Beam 30ft
• Crew: 20
• Floatation: Alphatian Enchantment
• Propulsion: Alphatian Enchantment + traditional sails
• Passenger Berths: 5 first class + 46 hammocks
• Cargo Capacity: 10 tonnes
• Cruising Speed: 64 miles/day (8 * 8 mile hexes)
• Docking: Skids/skis on underside allow ground landing or skydock

Hawkhelm’s Roost is the company’s base of operations, and is a large stone tower in the Denwarf Spur in Rockhome, north of Dengar and near the source of the Everast River. The tower is unusually tall (10 storeys) and at the top there are four skydocks, protruding wooden platforms at the same level as the flat roof of the tower where skyships can moor for loading, embarking and the like. The lower levels of the tower include administrative offices, crew quarters, store rooms for provisions and ship materials and the like. There is a large stone spiral staircase running up the centre of the tower right up to the flat roof.

Notable NPCs of the Company

Ragnadir Hawkhelm: Company owner. 

10th level Dwarf Warrior, male, align N,
Str 11, Int 15,  Wis 13, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 14
Equipment: Chain Mail +2, Hand Axe +2,  Boots of Featherfalling
Ragnadir is surprisingly imaginative for a dwarf and is always willing to experiment and try out new ideas. Thus he is the perfect manager for such an unusual enterprise. Ragnadir is a businessman, and although he enjoys adventure and excitement, he still expects to make a reasonable profit (or at least not lose money) on any project he embarks on. Ragnadir initially made his money from reclaiming a silver mine in Rockhome from troglodytes and kobolds (with the help of some adventuring buddies) and getting it working again. He wanted to export the mined silver to the Isle of Dawn and Ochalea but simply getting the silver from Rockhome to a seaport was quite risky. This is when he had his idea of getting ships to fly the silver out of Rockhome. He already had business contacts in the Isle of Dawn who came from Alphatia, so asking about skyships for sale was relatively straightforward. Using the money from the silver mine he bought these secondhand skyships.  

Dilberon Crankwrench: Chief Engineer

10th level gnome tinker, male, align L,
Str 9, Int 16, Wis 12, Dex 16, Con 14, Cha 10
Equipment: Leather Armour/Apron +2, Ring of Protection +4 (“forcefield generator”), Dagger +2 (actually Swiss-army-style multitool)
Dilberon is Ragnadir's right-hand gnome, and is responsible for keeping the skyships afloat and airworthy. He has a team of gnomish magi-tech engineers who have come from all over the Known World, including Highforge in Karameikos, Rockhome and even the flying city of Serraine. 

Orrinor Whitebeard: Captain of the Griffonwatcher

9th level dwarf warrior, female, align L,
Str 16, Int 13, Wis 15, Dex 10, Con 16, Cha 14
Equipment: Mithril Chain Mail +2, Warhammer +2 +4 vs giants, trolls & ogres,  Shield +1,
Orrinor is an experienced commander of dwarf troops, and as such was hired to be the captain of the Griffonwatcher, the skyship most likely to find itself in combat. However, this is her first job commanding a vessel, either sea or air, and she is still getting used to it. Orrinor has spent time with the Mithril-Helm Defences company and still maintains good relations with its commanders and company directors. 

Murrandir Brightforge: Captain of the Stormbraver

8th level dwarf cleric, male, align L,
Str 12, Int 15, Wis 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 13
Equipment: Banded Armour +2, Warhammer +2, Shield +2, Holy Symbol
Murrandir is a dwarf cleric who is interested in many aspects of academic study and is something of an explorer, having been part of an adventuring party in his youth and travelling to various places including Norwold, the Great Waste west of Sind and the Serpent Peninsula, mostly to study things. He has been given command of the Stormbraver and although he takes the usual commisions of shipping passengers and cargo, he is particularly interested in expeditions into the unknown. He has great respect for the Alphatian captain Haldemmar who wrote about the Voyages of the Princess Ark and he would like to do something similar. He was delighted when the gnomes fitted a spelljamming helm to the Stormbraver, and he led the first Rockhome Dwarf mission to space. 

Jolgruul the Corruptor and other Chaos Cults

Jolgruul the Corruptor 

One of the more subtle and insidious Chaos Princes , Jolgruul prefers temptation over confrontation. Although he and his followers are quite capable of violence, he prefers to inveigle the foolish and unwary into his machinations. He will often use the seven deadly sins, particularly Avarice, Pride and Lust, to lure mortals into his grasp. Although most chaotic creatures do not consider contracts to be worth the paper they are written on, Jolgruul is much more likely to use contracts with mortals, with the end results never being in the mortals' favour. Such contracts are both cunningly written as if by a master lawyer and also magically enforced, and breaking the contract will bring terrible curses or other consequences on the reneger. Unusually for a paragon of Chaos, Jolgruul himself will also stick to his side of the contract, even if it is not in his favour. Whether he is concerned about practical consequences or he has some strange sense of obligation around these deals is not known.

Jolgruul's cultists may well have entered into contracts with him, or else been ensnared and corrupted and then found that their only option was to go along with him. They are typically sneaky, deceptive and occasionally quite charismatic, making everything they do and encourage others to do seem quite acceptable and reasonable. Jolgruul's followers are most often found in and around Thyatis, particularly the large cities, though there are rumours cult cells have made it to Specularum in Karameikos and also the pirate port of Vlaad in the Kingdom of Ierendi. Although not active in Darokin, Jolgruul is impressed with some chaos cults in Darokin City, particularly the Black Rabbits and the Lords in Scarlet and has encouraged his clerics to consider some sort of alliance with them. 

Although most of Jolgruul's followers are humans, there are a few monstrous creatures that are interested in his approach, including some that can shift into human form. Devil swine, mujina and doppelgangers have all been known to be part of Jolgruul's cult. But Jolgruul generally ignores those who cannot be subtle and deceptive. Centipede Demons are also found assisting these cultists - whether the cultists are powerful enough to summon and bind these fiends themselves or whether Jolgruul sent them as a boon to his followers is not clear.  

The Snake Cult of Jaboor

Art by Conceptopolis, source

Underneath the Ylari port of Jaboor there are a network of tunnels that lead down to the caverns that contain the sunken river bed of what was the river Nithia. This is now home to a colony of serpent people and some of their monstrous allies. However, in the last five years they have human allies in the town above as well. The human townsfolk are all expected to follow the official religion of Ylaruam, The Eternal Truth, and the vast majority comply, with many being true believers. But there are a few who resent such dogma and orthodoxy, and seek a different sort of immortal patronage. The serpent people have made contact with these, initially using magical disguises, and introduced these renegade humans to the worship of Apep the Snake God, the bane of ancient Nithia.  Although the cult now has human followers, the serpent people are definitely the ones in charge, though they very rarely emerge onto the surface. Most of the time it is the human followers who go down into the caverns, using an old cave entrance among a cluster of boulders to the west of town. 

Out of the town population of 4500 people, only about 20 are true followers of Apep while another 50 or so are hired by the cult as guards, mages and the like. As with many of these cults they are very selective and careful about who they try to recruit and convert. Some of these cultists want some sort of power and prestige that they cannot gain legitimately, including forbidden magic of ancient Nithia, while others join as angry, blasphemous defiance against what they see as the overbearing and smothering monotheism of the Eternal Truth that holds sway over Ylaruam. For the previous 5 years they were just establishing the cult, gathering trustworthy members, money and information, but now they are getting bolder.  Recently the cult has kidnapped several citizens of Jaboor. Two have already been sacrificed to Apep but another two are being held for the next ceremony, including a visiting cleric of the Eternal Truth. 

The Ravenous Maw

source

This cult is quite unlike the previous two and makes no attempt at subtlety. It is established in various humanoid tribes along the Black Peaks, Altan Tepes and into southern Rockhome, particularly among ogres, gnolls, trolls and hill giants. It is focused on hunting and eating, and since all of its worshippers are naturally carnivorous, this fits in with their primary concerns - finding and killing prey and eating their carcasses.  This cult has relatively few human members, but these are often the worst sort of degenerate cannibals. Even among the humanoid cult members, eating each other is not unknown, though for the sake of cult cohesion and combat strength the shamans only sanction eating other cult members when they have died from other causes such as battle against enemies of the cult. Of course, some of the more hungry members will ignore this rule - they are chaotic after all. 

The Ravenous Maw does not seem to have a coherent personality that the members worship but merely the concept of predation and carnivory. Having said that, shamans will often conflate the Ravenous Maw with chaos princes and minor immortals linked to their race - Yeenoghu for gnolls, Vaprak for ogres and trolls, and Baphomet for minotaurs, all of whom encourage their followers to hunt, kill and eat humans. It is believed from captured members that Maglubiyet the Immortal patron of goblins and hobgoblins holds the Ravenous Maw in contempt, considering it animalistic, disorganised and short-sighted, thus few of those races are found in this cult. 

The Ravenous Maw is quite open minded about who or what can join their ranks - as long as the new member is suitably vicious and hungry but controllable, it will be considered. Ettins, athaches, frost giants and thouls have all been found among them. Predatory beasts are sometimes used as mounts or war beasts, including cave bears, sabertooth cats and giant hyenas. 

The Ravenous Maw is not yet powerful enough to threaten major towns or castles but it has certainly attacked human villages in northern Karameikos, northern Thyatis and southern Darokin around Selenica, devouring villagers, livestock and pets. The dwarves of Rockhome have been threatened but so far have fended off attacks on their strongholds. The folks of Ylaruam have not yet been attacked but they could still be next on the menu. 

The Scuttling Scourge

Developing from a much smaller cult of scorpion-worshippers of Ylaruam who followed a Chaos Prince that had been a manscorpion (referred to as The Scorpion King), the Scuttling Scourge holds vertebrates in contempt and eight-legged arthropods in great respect. Spiders, scorpions, whip-scorpions and rhagodessas are all considered a higher form of life. This cult has spread from its homeland of Ylaruam and now has members dotted across the Known World including Davania, Yavdlom and Sind. Araneas are considered allies, although they are not religious and will not join in the ceremonies. 

Unlike the Snake Cult of Jaboor where human worshippers respect snakes and serpent people but do not expect to become one, the human worshippers of the Scuttling Scourge aspire to transform from a feeble four-limbed mammal into a much better form - an eight-legged predator protected by chitinous armour and armed with deadly venom. It is not known how this happens or even if it does happen (are the human cultists being fooled and just used as edible pawns?) but it is what the most fervent cultists desire. There are some manscorpions associated with the cult in its homeland of Ylaruam and on the eastern edges of the Great Waste bordering Sind who encourage this belief and it is possible that they have a way of transforming humans into manscorpions but this has not been confirmed.

Those familiar with a wide range of chaos cultists know that the Scuttling Scourge is not the only cult with an affinity for spiders - certain Arvorians of Norwold follow a spider-like entity called Mohosskith, though it is unlikely to be involved in this cult. 

Goblin Traps of Zugguth Peak

The goblins of Zugguth Peak are master trap-makers - the underhand, treacherous nature of their mechanical malevolent marvels have earned them a notoriety both across southern Rockhome and also other goblin and humanoid tribes beyond, even as far as the Broken Lands. They even have a demigod of traps and trickery,  Choroth Brogg.

Although there are numerous permutations and varieties of booby-traps built by these goblins, they tend to approach the design from a fairly standard methodology. The main trap types include:

• Pits
• Hidden/covered pit
• Pits with spikes & blades
• Pits with hostile creatures
• Pits with unpleasant substances - lava, acid etc. 
• Blade & Spear traps
• Tripwire activated
• Pressure plate activated
• Door activated
• Scythe traps
• From the walls
• Or from the floor or ceiling
• Crossbow & Dart Traps
• Tripwire activated
• Pressure plate activated
• Door activated
• Poisonous? Other injected chemicals?
• One-shot or automatic reloading?
• Deadfalls
• Ceiling Blocks
• Boulders
• Unpleasant substances - lava or acid
• Trapped Items
• Poison
• Static electricity
• magical curse
• Connected to trap mechanism
• Gasses
• Lethal
• Paralyzing
• Sleeping
• Nauseating
• Unusual magical/alchemical effects
• Misdirection and containment
• Chutes
• Rotating rooms
• One-way doors
• Elevator rooms

The Lure: Goblin traps often prey on human emotions, using human behaviour to encourage their victims to walk into the trap. These include:

• Greed: A big pile of treasure or a locked chest
• Ego: Something that could prove the target is the best
• Fear: Avoiding one danger but stumbling into a worse one
• Compassion: Trying to help another person, either another party member or something that appears to be an NPC
• Anger: Insults, taunts and nuisances
• Laziness: Not bothering with hard work or due diligence

One important factor that most goblins consider is that they don't want to fall victim to their own traps (a few goblins forget this, while others are crazy enough not to care). Thus many traps will either have a secret way around them or else a way of temporarily disabling them. This is particularly important if the trap is in a crowded goblin lair. Often the lure described above will help differentiate between goblins who know what the lure actually is or does, and intruding humans who don't. 

Example Traps

Sideswiper

This is a fairly simple one - there is an open or poorly hidden pit with spikes in the floor of the passageway. Anyone falling in takes 1d6 falling and 2d6 impaling damge. However, it does not take up the whole width of the passage - there is a 2ft wide path on one side against the wall. This way around the pit is not as safe as it may appear - anyone taking this route will step on the pressureplate that then triggers the spear trap in the wall. Anyone who triggers this must make two dexterity checks - the first one is to avoid the emerging spears - failure results in 2d6 impaling damage. The second dexterity check is to stay on the path and not fall into the pit. It is possible for a person to fail both - getting stabbed by the spears which also push them into the pit for 5d6 damage (2d6 for wall spears, 1d6 for falling, 2d6 for spikes at the bottom of the pit). The goblins have a simple way around this trap - they have a large plank of wood that acts as a bridge over the pit while avoiding the pressureplate. 

Stepping Stones

This trap involves a large pool of water at least 10ft deep. Across this pool there are a row of what seem to be stepping stones. Poking the first one or two reveals they seem to be stable - they are held in place by metal rods and can hold the weight of a person. However, the central  ones are made of painted wood and held in place by dark-coloured twine - they are definitely not stable. If a character crossing the pool insists on poking each stepping stone then they will safely realise the next stone is not stable enough to step on. Anyone who assumes that because the first one was okay they can just walk across carefree will almost certainly fall into the pool as the wooden stepping stone completely gives way. Goblins being goblins, drowning the enemy is not enough, and the chances are that the pool contains some hungry aquatic monster. Giant octopi are quite popular in these sorts of traps, though piranhas, electric eels and giant crayfish are all acceptable substitutes. Of course, drowning is still a risk, and encumbrance and armour weight suddenly become very important. Tying a rope around a character can help, at least in terms of drowning, but anyone entering the pool (such as avoiding the stones and swimming across) can attract the attention of the monstrous inhabitant. 

The Sword in the Stone

This one plays to the ego of intruders which goblins find hilarious. The trap is set in a room with a boulder on the floor. Stuck in this boulder is the upper half of a magnificent sword. Next to the boulder is a sign in Common that reads "Whomsoever pulleth the sword from the stone shall be worthy!" though it does not say worthy of what. Careful studying the ceiling will reveal a slightly different rectangle  shape about 6ft x 8ft,  immediately above the sword. The sword's hilt glistens. If a character attempts to pull the sword out, ask if they are firstly wearing gloves/gauntlets or are barehanded and secondly whether they use one hand or both. The glistening of the sword hilt is not magic or polish but a strong adhesive (goblin superglue!) and anyone grasping the sword hilt will find themselves stuck. Furthermore the sword is attached to a trigger mechanism. Pulling it (either to free the sword, or just to free their hands from the sticky hilt) opens up the trapdoor immediately above the sword, dropping a swarm of angry black widow spiders (or similar, such as scorpions or centipedes) onto whoever is grasping the sword. The party will find themselves fighting for their lives, possibly with their strongest warrior stuck to the sword hilt. Strong alcohol will dissolve the adhesive in 1 turn (but not quick enough in the middle of combat with spiders). If the character grasping the sword was wearing gloves or gauntlets, the hand-wear can be left in place while hands are safely withdrawn.  Note that the sword is actually worthless - its blade has been drilled through to attach wires that link to the ceiling trapdoor. 

The Tilting Room

This involves a rectangular room with doors at either end. Close to each door (to the side or above) there is a lever. This does not trigger the trap but disables it for 1 turn by activating a lock that holds the floor in place. If this lever is not pulled the trap will be active. The first half of the room seems normal but once the characters reach halfway they step over the fulcrum. At this point dexterity checks are required. Although complex calculations involving who weighs what and where they are on the floor could be carried out, a simpler rule of thumb would be that anyone who makes a dex check gets back to the first half of the room. However, if more party members fail than succeed, then the room floor tilts and this is irrevocable as characters slide down to the exit half of the floor, tilting the floor further. Thus even those who have successfully retreated to the starting side of the room are rolled down into whatever awaits - a spiked pit is a common favourite (1d6 falling damage + 2d6 piercing damage). And once the intruders are all in, the floor tilts back to its horizontal position - good luck getting out of that! Goblins just remember to pull the lever to lock the floor. 

Companies of Rockhome

source

 "Family is of course always family, but business is business!"

Dwarf companies are primarily business ventures. Many are unconnected to the seven great clans of Rockhome, though of the seven, Syrklist clan is the one most likely to be associated with these companies with its tradition of trading and craftsmanship.

They cover a range of sectors and business types, from manufacturing to warfare to food to finances. Some of the dwarves in these companies will have levels in Darokin Merchant class (from Gaz11: Republic of Darokin), and there is considerable exchange of ideas and practices between the two nations, though there is also some rivalry and certainly business competition.  

The number of employees and staff in each can vary greatly from small local outfits to what are known in Rockhome as Great Enterprises (what we would call corporations). 

Muldennir & Sons

• Field: Architecture, Engineering & Construction
• Staff: 210 (not including casual labour)
• Based: Dengar
• Notes: Muldennir & Sons provide advice, expertise & plans for construction projects especially fortifications and stronghold defenses. They usually hire labourers locally for each job. Although they draw talent from all across Rockhome there is a disproportionate number of dwarves from Skarrad clan in the company. They are often invited to dwarf strongholds to give assessments on improvements that could be made to keep the place better - safer, but also more productive and perhaps neater and more impressive.If their suggestions are accepted, then several members will stay and oversee the work, usually by stronghold residents. 

Mithril-Helm Defenses

• Field: Mercenaries & Security
• Staff: 440 (4 squadrons of 100 each + 40 as headquarters)
• Based: Stahl
• Notes: All members are at least 3rd level dwarf fighters. They tend to take defensive contracts and prefer to operate within Rockhome, so usually end up defending fellow dwarves. Each squadron has its own dwarf cleric and scout and can deploy as a self-contained fighting force. As mercenaries they charge a weekly fee, so they are usually hired when a stronghold or town is expecting trouble or is already under attack.If they are hired to attack a target, they only accept jobs against humanoid lairs, never dwarf or human controlled locations. 

Deeplake Transport

• Field: Waterborne Transport
• Staff: 60 + 10 boats
• Based: Kurdal (+ Stahl)
• Notes: Deeplake Transport provides ferries for both passengers and trade goods across both Lake Klintest & Lake Stahl. Their head office is in Kurdal but also have a branch office in Stahl. Although most of the company is law-abiding, there are rumours that some members are skilled at smuggling, usually taxable goods rather than outright banned items. 

Stormstrikers

• Field: Treasure Hunting
• Staff: 63
• Based: Evemur
• Notes: The Stormstrikers are essentially an oversized band of adventurers who go after treasure in monster lairs, ancient tombs and abandoned strongholds. They don't have traditional customers, only targets. They are currently considering Tarrag Duun as their next major project. They are open-minded about who would prove useful and will hire human thieves and mages as required. The Stormstrikers are wide-ranging in what they will go after, both geographically and in types of target, but they are always careful not to become bandits and robbers - no active human or dwarf locations are even considered. For large ruins they can deploy their whole force but for single tombs or smaller monstrous lairs they will deploy smaller teams of 5 to 10 members (rather like a classic adventuring party, but with a disproportionate number of dwarves). 

Belgaard Traders

• Field: Wholesale & retail of various trade goods
• Staff: 2,300
• Based: Dengar
• Notes: This is one of Rockhome's Great Enterprises, and has outlets in every town and city. They buy, transport & sell goods to & from small strongholds & big cities acting as the middleman. They generally use their own transport and security, and have very well-organized caravans. Although they normally operate within Rockhome they have recently started venturing into Soderfjord, Vestland and Ylaruam. They buy and sell a wide range of items, including weapons, clothing, food, tools and books. Most recently they have set up outlets in rougher borderland towns that sell adventuring equipment, weapons and armour, and will buy gems and jewelry at a reasonable rate. 

Eddilnor & Edga's Specialist Foods

• Field: Luxury & exotic food & drink
• Staff: 350
• Based: Dengar
• Notes: Most strongholds are self sufficient for basic food stuffs (bread, beer etc). Eddilnor and Edga buy and sell luxury food (usually ready to eat, not just ingredients) both within Rockhome and further afield, including chocolate, tea, mead, cheese, jam, pickles, fine wines, dried fruit & salted meats, from Ierendi, Thyatis, Sind, Five Shires and even Norwold. They have teamed up with some human mages (not Glantrians!) to use spells that preserve food for weeks longer than normal, although some dwarf customers are suspicious of this new preserved food. Eddilnor & Edga send out traders across the Known World and they will sometimes hire guards and adventurers to look out for them if venturing into dangerous realms. 

Dorrian Greeb Financial Services

• Field: Accounting and Moneylending
• Staff: 110
• Based: Stahl
• Notes: Dorrian Greeb are called in when dwarves get into financial trouble. Firstly they assess the problem including assets, debts, income and costs, If there are no solutions, Dorrian Greeb act as insolvency agents. If the situation is salvageble, Dorrian Greeb will lend money (with interest appropriate to the situation). They have a bad reputation as being avaricious vultures preying on vulnerable citizens - this is not entirely undeserved, as some staff and managers are cynical and  ruthless, earning the nickname "Greeby bastards".   Nonetheless, they are (grudgingly) credited with saving various dwarf businesses from mismanagement or bad luck, and their assessment of business situations is widely trusted. Although Dorrian Greeb is a money-making business in itself, the management knows that it depends heavily on a reputation of sticking to the rules and not making bad situations worse.  

image by artdeepmind, source

Logos Locations #2: The Abandoned Shrine of Hurothain

Thanks to Dyson Logos' generosity, he has made a large number of his high quality maps available for use. I have decided (with his approval) to incorporate these into locations within Mystara. I hope this will be an ongoing series within this blog.

Background to The Abandoned Shrine of Hurothain

This place is situated on an underground river about a mile from Torrag Halstoron in south-west Rockhome.  Three centuries ago this was the home of a powerful dwarven cleric and mystic called Hurothain who regularly communed with his patron, Kagyar, the god of the dwarves. He also maintained it as a waystation for dwarves travelling by boat up and down the subterranean river (there were mines of silver and gold further along and miners and prospectors would regularly stop here).  When Hurothain died, his followers all received dreams where they were instructed by Kagyar to build a shrine here on top of Hurothain's tomb. This would increase the likelihood of Hurothain becoming a saint. They also created eleven large hexagonal pillars reaching up into the ceiling of the cavern, with each side depicting scenes from both Hurothain's life and work and also scenes from the stories of Kagyar. Until fifty years ago this was a popular place for dwarf clerics to visit. But then Torrag Halstoron fell to chaos-worshipping dwarves and this shrine was sacked and defiled at the same time, and the slain inhabitants cursed to remain as undead.

This mini-adventure is aimed at characters of levels 4-7. The player characters' involvement in this could be one of several options: 

• Reclaiming the shrine: Dwarf leaders and clerics ask that the PCs destroy any hostile monsters and undead in the location so that dwarf clerics can safely move back in.
• Retrieving the bones of Saint Hurothain: If reclaiming the whole site seems difficult then retrieving the mortal remains of Hurothain is the next best thing - they are located in area 6a. 
• Just Passing Through: The PCs are simply travelling along the subterranean river when they come across the site with its grand pillars. 

Map and key to the Abandoned Shrine of Hurothain

Cartography by Dyson Logos, source

1) The Subterranean River. This river is relatively calm, flowing steadily from east to west (from right to left on the map). It is about 20ft wide and 10ft deep in the middle of the stream, and can be navigated by small boats, dingies and canoes. Along the bank are the eleven hexagonal pillars described above. 

1a) This is the lair of a giant octopus that will not attack boats but will go after anyone wading or swimming in the river. AC 7, HD 8 (hp 45), Mv 90ft/Swim 120ft, THAC0 12, Att 8 tentacles/1 bite for 1d3 x 8/1d6, Save F4, Ml 7, Align N, XP 650
Once a tentacle hits in combat it will entangle an opponent and reduce their to hit rolls by 1 (to maximum of -8). A character may try to sever a tentacle and will succeed when any single hit with an edged weapon does 6 or more damage.  Once a day the octopus can release a squirt of black ink which is a non-magical form of darkness 10' radius for 2d4 rounds which it will use to escape if it is seriously hurt or fails a morale check. 

1b) This is the lair of 2 giant eels (borrowed from AD&D) AC 6, HD 5 (hp 23), Mv Swim 90ft, THAC0 15, Att 1 bite for 3d6, Save F3, Ml 10, Align N, XP 175

2) The south bank is composed of gravel and shingle, and is the lair of a cluster of 6 giant toads: AC 7, HD 2+2 (9 hp each), Mv 90ft, Swim 90ft, THAC0 17, Att 1 bite for 1d4+1, Save F1, Ml 6, Align N, XP 25 each. Camouflage:giant toads will surprise opponents on 1-3 on d6. Sticky tongue: A giant toad can shoot its tongue out to 15ft and drag dwarf-sized or smaller creatures into its mouth. Swallow whole: on a hit roll of 20 a giant toad may swallow a dwarf-sized or smaller opponent whole, the opponent taking 1d6 damage per round until dead or freed.

3) The Fungal Meadow: This area is covered in a variety of fungi (marked as green dots on the map). As well as many non-dangerous fungi, there are also 2 shriekers and 4 tiger beetles that are attracted to any shrieking.
Shrieker: AC 7, HD 3 (hp 8, 16), Mv 9ft, THAC0 N/A, Att none, Save F1, Ml 12, Align N, XP 35 each. Shrieking will start if there is light within 60ft or movement within 30ft, and has  a chance to attract wandering monsters, or in this case attract the tiger beetles
Tiger Beetle: AC 3, HD 3+1 (hp 7, 11, 12, 17), Mv 150ft, THAC0 16, Att 1 bite for 2d6, Save F2, Ml 9, XP 50 each

4) The Fungal Garden: Similar to area 3 but without any monsters, and the fungi are a little shorter. 

5) The Shrine: This room is dominated by a statue on a plinth of two figures, a dwarf in armour kneeling (Hurothain) and a larger dwarf blessing him (Kagyar). However, this area has been defiled and there is an aura of Chaos. Lurking behind the statue is a dwarf-shaped wraith (AC 3, HD 4** (hp 20), Mv 120ft fly 240ft, Att 1 touch for 1d6+ energy drain, Save F4, Ml 12, Align C, XP 175). Wraiths are immune to normal weapons and silver weapons only do half damage. Each hit from a wraith will drain 1 level from a character. 

6) Clerics' Quarters: This room is the lair of a dwarven wight (previously a priest at the shrine). Although compelled to attack mortals, at the same time he begs for them to destroy his monstrous form and set his soul free. Wight: AC 5, HD 3* (hp 16), Mv 90ft, Att 1 touch for 1 energy level drain, Save F3, Ml 12, Align C, XP 65. Wights are immune to normal weapons but can be hit by silver or magic weapons.

6a) This is both the living quarters of the previous clerics, and also the resting place of the mortal remains of Hurothain: There is a table with a 2ft x 2ft casket holding the bones and skull of the revered dwarf. Underneath this table is another casket, holding the shrine wealth of 1600gp, 50pp, 5 gems (deep red garnets) worth 100gp each and a silver and azurite holy symbol of Kagyar on a silver chain, worth 650gp (it still functions as a cleric's holy symbol), as well as 2 scrolls of clerical spells. One has Cure Disease, Speak with Animals and Hold Person, the other has Cure Light Wounds x2 and Transfusion.  

7) This dark pool is over 30ft deep. However, it contain neither monsters nor treasure. 

7a) This is a stream about 7ft wide and about 3ft deep, with lots of boulders and rocks making it unnavigable by boat. However, it can be waded (assuming human size - dwarves, halflings and gnomes may struggle to keep their heads above water). The banks of this stream within the main cavern are home to a small swarm of 10 cave locusts (AC 4, HD 2, hp 7 each, Mv 60ft fly 180ft, THAC0 18, Att 1 bite for 1d2 or 1 bump for 1d4 or 1 spit (special), Save F2, Ml 5, Align N, XP 20, immune to poisons, spit causes target to be rendered helpless for 1 turn, see description in rules for full details).  

8) Traders Quarters: This room in the lair of a Tarantella spider (AC 5, HD 4* (hp 22), Mv 120ft, Att 1 bite for 1d8 + poison, Save F2, Ml 8, Align N, XP 125. Dancing poison: anyone bitten by a tarantella must save vs poison or start dancing. Anyone seeing the initial target dancing must also save vs spells or start dancing in the same way. Dancing characters suffer -4 to hit and +4 penalty to AC. The poison lasts for 2d6 turns but dancers will drop from exhaustion after 5 turns and they will be helpless on the ground). In the small side room to the south there is the traders' wealth: 5100sp, 440gp, 6 rolls of fine silk worth 50gp each, 4 packets of rare cooking spices (50gp each) and 17 bundles of incense (worth 30gp each)

9) The tavern: This place has become dilapidated and apparently abandoned. However, it is still haunted by the former dwarf landlord, now a wight: Wight: AC 5, HD 3* (hp 12), Mv 90ft, Att 1 touch for 1 energy level drain, Save F3, Ml 12, Align C, XP 65 Wights are immune to normal weapons but can be hit by silver or magic weapons.

10) Murder hole passage: Anyone passing through here will be shot at by the crossbow zombies in areas 11 & 12

11) Guard quarters: Here are 4 dwarf zombies - two are equipped with crossbows and will fire a bolt each at characters in area 10, the other 2 are equipped with dwarf-sized banded armour. 2 Crossbow zombies: AC 8, HD 2 (hp 9 each), Mv 120ft, Att 1 weapon or 1 crossbow (range 120ft) for 1d8 or 1d6, Save F1, Ml 12, Align C, XP 20, equipment: sword, crossbow, 5 bolts.
2 Armoured zombies: AC 3, HD 2 (hp 9 each), Mv 60ft, Att 1 weapon for 1d8, Save F1, Ml 12, Align C, XP 20, equipment: banded armour, sword

12) Sergeants quarters: Here are 3 dwarf zombies all armed with crossbows who will shoot at anyone in area 10. They will reload by the time anyone enters this area . Lying on the bed is the dwarf sergeant, apparently a dessicated corpse. It has turned into a Coffer Corpse (borrowed from AD&D). 
3 Crossbow zombies: AC 8, HD 2 (hp 9 each), Mv 120ft, Att 1 weapon or 1 crossbow (range 120ft) for 1d8 or 1d6, Save F1, Ml 12, Align C, XP 20, equipment: sword, crossbow, 5 bolts.
Coffer corpse: AC 8, HD 2** (hp 10),  Mv 60ft, THAC0 18, Att 1 claw for 1d8, Save F2, Ml 12, Align Chaotic, XP 30, Normal weapons only appear to do damage, and if struck by a normal weapon for more than 6hp damage, the coffer corpse will collapse, apparently defeated. However, it will rise up the next round and all involved in melee against it must save vs spells or flee in fear for 1d4 rounds. This coffer corpse attacks with its bare hands, and if it hits it has locked its grasp onto its target's throat doing 1d6 damage per round (automatically hitting) thereafter until defeated. 

13) Dinng room: Empty apart from table and chairs

14) Captains Quarters: The dwarf captain has now become a wraith (AC 3, HD 4** (hp 20), Mv 120ft fly 240ft, Att 1 touch for 1d6+ energy drain, Save F4, Ml 12, Align C, XP 175). Wraiths are immune to normal weapons and silver weapons only do half damage. Each hit from a wraith will drain 1 level from a character. The captain is still vaguely aware of what has happened and apologizes even as he attacks, saying that he is compelled to by the curse. Destroying the wraith will set the captain's soul free. 
The captain still has his treasure here: 9700sp, 2000gp, 200pp & a large opal gem worth 1000gp. 

15) Barracks: This room contains 6 Armoured zombies: AC 3, HD 2 (hp 9 each), Mv 60ft, Att 1 weapon for 1d8, Save F1, Ml 12, Align C, XP 20, equipment: banded armour, sword