TEXT: This adventure is to be played with the 3.5 version of the Dungeons And Dragon rules by Wizards of the 
  Coast. 
  ADP-9-06 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Madness at the Mutilated Oak 
  An adventure for our Home Greyhawk Campaign  
  Set in the Duchy of Ulek 
  By Ken Hart 
   
  The Axewood is known as a faerie wood, largely untouched by the Suel and Oeridian invasions. But 
  not all faeries are good, as the small village of Cillabar in the Duchy of Ulek is about to find out. 
  A one round adventure set in the Duchy of Ulek for characters levels 3-9 (APL 6)
  
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  Background 
  Several hundred years ago, a band of evil 
  fey – members of the “Unseelie Court” – entered 
  the Known Realms through a shadowy gateway 
  at the bottom of a well. This portal led to a dark 
  dimension where creatures such as themselves 
  thrived. Once they arrived here, they attacked 
  and manipulated innocents, especially children, 
  driving them to commit tragic acts. 
  Powerful druids banded together to defeat 
  this threat. The angry fey retreated, but they 
  swore they would return and cursed the land 
  around them. The druids’ victory was thus 
  tainted, 
  as 
  the 
  natural 
  landscape 
  was 
  transformed by the fey oath into a bizarre mix of 
  forest, dust, and volcanic rock. The druids 
  sealed the well with the creation of a magical 
  oak above it. As long as the oak lives, the 
  gateway to the dark domain cannot be 
  reopened. 
  Unable to “heal” the landscape, the band of 
  druids grew despondent. Trusting to good-
  aligned fey to watch over the great oak, they 
  soon retreated from memory. The decades 
  passed, and much of this history was lost, 
  although some tales of the fey’s influence in this 
  region remain. 
  Lucia Saralonde, an evil druid, believes that 
  she is a direct descendant of fey and is 
  obsessed with gathering fey knowledge and 
  power. She recently discovered a magical staff, 
  the switch of the unseelie, and she has traced its 
  origins to this region. She believes that a hoard 
  of druidic or fey treasure lies within the great 
  oak. 
  With her allies – a satyr ranger named Kalan 
  and a trio of bugbears she has anointed “the 
  Greenstab Tribe” – Lucia arrived at the great 
  oak, captured Tangle, the dryad assigned as its 
  protector, and has since been torturing the dryad 
  in a futile attempt to uncover the source and 
  nature of the treasure. To further torment 
  Tangle, Lucia has inflicted great damage on the 
  oak itself. In a rage, she cast blight, which would 
  have killed the tree if not for its magical nature. 
  The power of the oak is such that the nearby 
  trees are also feeling its pain, and an inhuman 
  “shriek” of agony is reaching from the forest to 
  the town of Cillamar. Frustrated by her failure, 
  Lucia entered the town two nights ago, hoping to 
  gain more information about the region’s history. 
  She met and charmed herbalist Stefan Barclay, 
  who introduced her to local bard (and part-time 
  sheepherder) Phinneas Muddey. Phinneas, 
  never wasting a chance to impress an attractive 
  woman, regaled her with tales of his adventures. 
  After Lucia described her interest in the great 
  oak, Phinneas said the forest is supposedly 
  haunted or bewitched. Then, tapping into his 
  bardic knowledge, he whispered he’s heard 
  rumors that the tree is a portal. This certainly 
  attracted Lucia’s interest. She used the staff to 
  charm Phinneas, telling him that she needs his 
  help to convince the oak’s evil guardian to reveal 
  its dark secrets for everyone’s sake. Based on 
  what she learned from Stefan and Phinneas, 
  she also charmed the irascible dwarf Arvik 
  Duerlagg and the farmers Kelvin and Ambrose 
  Wickworth – all were good with an axe, so they 
  could serve dual roles as defenders and oak 
  “persuaders” if necessary. 
  Lucia knows that her actions are born of 
  desperation: Not only is she rapidly using up the 
  staff’s charges, but the disappearances will 
  certainly provoke a response from the town. Yet 
  she must know the truth. Ghostly images of 
  bizarre creatures trying to step through the 
  weakened portal have her pulse racing. She has 
  warned the three bugbears and Kalan to prepare 
  for an attack. 
  Since then, the shrieking from the forest has 
  redoubled, but Lucia is no further to learning the 
  truth, even with Phinneas pleading with the 
  dryad in her own language. Tangle knows 
  Phinneas and the others are enchanted, so she 
  has remained silent. Just before dawn, while the 
  townspeople still slept, a furious Lucia ordered 
  Kalan to chop off one of Tangle’s legs. She then 
  used modify memory on Phinneas, Arvik, and 
  the Wickworths to implant the memory that the 
  “evil dryad” briefly escaped and murdered their 
  friend Stefan (now useless to Lucia) inside the 
  tree before the dryad was brutally recaptured by 
  Kalan. 
  Introduction 
  The adventure begins in Cillamar, a small 
  village in the Duchy of Ulek on the edge of the 
  Axewood: 
  Ranz Mentzer of Cillamar, a small village 
  in the Duchy of Ulek is seeking adventurers 
  to deal with the source of a “disturbance”. 
  Creatures are fleeing the Axewood, where 
  occasionally an unearthly shrieking can be 
  heard. 
  Let the PCs introduce themselves to each 
  other. 
  
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  Word on the Street 
  The PCs can speak with Ranz Mentzer. 
  Ranz advises that a number of people are 
  missing from Cillamar. These people are: 
  • 
  Phinneas Muddey. 
  • 
  Arvik Duerlagg. 
  • 
  Stefan Barclay the herbalist. 
  • 
  Kelvin Wickworth. 
  • 
  Ambrose Wickworth. 
  Phineas, Arvik and Stefan were all last seen 
  at the local tavern, the Infamous Oath. Kelvin 
  and Ambrose were last seen at their farm. The 
  PCs can investigate both sites. Use the 
  adventure prelude section to determine the 
  results of these investigations. 
  The Adaptation 
  Don’t use the wandering monsters section of 
  this adventure. Also be aware of the odd mix of 
  geographic features the PCs will encounter once 
  they enter the Axewood which may not be what 
  they expect. Then run the encounters as written. 
  Conclusion 
  Use the wrapping up section to ensure the 
  conclusion seems neat and tidy. 
  AR Rewards 
  This section should detail how the PCs can 
  earn or lose any favor or access found on the 
  AR.  
  • 
  If the PCs purchase the switch of the 
  unseelie they gain the “Switch of the 
  Unseelie” AR reward. 
  • 
  If the PCs saved Tangle the dryad, they 
  receive the “Thanks of the Seelie” AR 
  reward. 
  Experience Points 
  Each encounter should earn the PCs a 
  number of experience points. The PCs earn a 
  number xp equal to the sum of the challenges 
  they overcame.  
  Encounters grant 30xp per EL faced. 
  Adventures should always grant at least 60% of 
  its xp through combat. 
  Only include encounters that grant the PCs 
  experience. 
  1­1: A Rocky Start 
  For encountering/bypassing the rolling rock 
  trap and defeating the bugbears 
  APL6 
  210xp 
  1­2: The Bloodied Grove 
  For defeating Kalan and the dire weasels 
  APL6 
  210xp 
  1­3: Death from Above 
  For defeating the giant wasps 
  APL6 
  180xp 
  1­4: The Mutilated Oak 
  For defeating Lucia and the charmed 
  humans 
  APL6 
  240xp 
  Total XP allowed per TU 
  Below are the maximum XP that can be 
  awarded per TU spent.  
  Some adventures may penalize PCs with an 
  extra TU cost (for example, getting thrown in 
  jail). Those TUs do NOT give the PC any extra 
  xp. 
  APL6 
  840xp 
  Treasure 
  At the end of every adventure, all the 
  treasure found in the adventure is pawned off 
  and sold off in exchange for gold.  
  Add the cost of the loot found in each 
  encounter and divide it by 12. The result is how 
  much each PC’s share is.  
  Some adventures may penalize PCs with an 
  extra TU cost (for example, getting thrown in 
  jail). Those TUs do NOT give the PC any extra 
  gp. 
  Any gold left beyond the maximum allowable 
  (aka “overcap”) can be used ONLY to obtain 
  NPC spellcasting. 
  Total 
  GP 
  allowed 
  for 
  this 
  adventure 
  Below are the maximum XP that can be 
  awarded per TU spent. A PC may spend an 
  extra TU to obtain 20% more by making a 
  successful Craft, Perform Profession or Sleight 
  of Hand, DC= 10+APL. 
  APL6 
  840gp 
  Special Rewards 
  List here any special favors or enmities the 
  PCs may have earned.  
  Do NOT give any favor that grant a 
  permanent bonus that mimics another class’s 
  
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  abilities permanently (no free smite for life if you 
  are not a cleric or paladin). Any such favors 
  should have a limited number of uses (1, 3 or 5). 
  If not mentioned, assume you can use  once. 
  Thanks of the Seelie: You saved the dryad 
  Tangle and showed mercy to the charmed 
  townsfolk. For this you have received the thanks 
  of the seelie. Tangle rewards you with a wooden 
  amulet bearing the image of the great oak – this 
  is an amulet of health +2. 
  Switch of the Unseelie: This short staff 
  resembles a wooden riding crop with a long, 
  whip-like extension. Its blood-red leather handle 
  is encrusted with several rubies and pieces of 
  quartz. First created by fey spellcasters, it allows 
  use of the following spells to toy with people’s 
  perceptions and allegiances: 
  Modify memory (3 charges) 
  Charm person (1 charge) 
  Misdirection (1 charge) 
  Ventriloquism (1 charge) 
  If created by a fey, the staff’s spells are 
  subject to modifiers that apply to the spell-like 
  abilities of fey, such as the druid’s resist nature’s 
  lure ability. 
  Moderate enchantment; CL 8th; Craft Staff, 
  charm person, misdirection, modify memory, 
  ventriloquism; Price 28,000 gp (fully charged); 
  5,600 gp (at start of final encounter in this 
  adventure with 10 charges). 
  Item Access 
  Do not put the price of any item in the DMG.  
  APL 6: 
  • 
  +1 elf bane arrow (Adventure; DMG) 
  • 
  Switch of the Unseelie (Adventure; See 
  above; 5,600gp)
  
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Living Greyhawk/Modules/Adaptables/599/ADP9-06 - Madness at the Mutilated Oak (APL 6)/ADP9-06 - Madness at the Mutilated Oak.pdf