TEXT: Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed 
  by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. 
   
  This game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without permission of Wizards of the 
  Coast. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 SYSTEM license, please visit www.wizards.com/d20. 
   
  This is an official RPGA® play document. To find out more about the RPGA and to learn more on how you can sanction and run DUNGEONS & 
  DRAGONS game events of all sizes, visit our website at www.rpga.com. 
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, GREYHAWK, LIVING GREYHAWK, D&D REWARDS, RPGA, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and 
  Monster Manual are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc, in the US and other countries. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the 
  United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written 
  permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely 
  coincidental. © 2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc and the adventure author or authors. 
   
  Visit the LIVING GREYHAWK website at www.rpga.com. 
  For questions specific to this document and your region please e-mail your Metaregional point of contact (POC) at scon40@aol.com.  For LIVING 
  GREYHAWK campaign questions email rpgahq@wizards.com. 
  SHE5-06 
   
   
   
   
  A Study in Contrasts 
  A One-Round D&D® LIVING GREYHAWKTM  
  Sheldomar Valley Metaregional Adventure 
  Version 1.4 
   
  by Steven Hess 
  Reviewer: Michael Moore, Sheldomar Valley Triads 
  Circle Reviewer: Steven Conforti 
   
   
   
  In the borderlands of the great mountains that form the western limit of the Sheldomar Valley, the distance from the 
  centers of power and the close proximity to all that is wild and free makes claims tenuous at best and irrelevant at worst. 
  How will those who prize the wilderness react when the word rings out far and near: ”Gold!  Gold in the vale of 
  Baransford, lying all about free for the taking!”  A Sheldomar Valley metaregional adventure for APLs 4-10. 
   
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 1 
  RPGA SANCTIONED PLAY 
  Most likely you ordered this adventure as part of an 
  RPGA even from the RPGA website, or you received it 
  from your senior gamemaster. To play this adventure as 
  part of the LIVING GREYHAWK campaign—a worldwide, 
  ongoing D&D campaign set in the GREYHAWK setting—
  you must sanction it as part of an RPGA event. This event 
  could be as elaborate as a big convention, or as simple as a 
  group of friends meeting at the DM’s house.  
   
  To sanction an RPGA event, you must be at least a 
  HERALD-LEVEL gamemaster. The person who sanctions 
  the event is called the senior gamemaster, and is in 
  charge of making sure the event is sanctioned before 
  play, runs smoothly on the date sanctioned, and then 
  reported back to the RPGA in a timely manner. The 
  person who runs the game is called the table Dungeon 
  Master (or usually just DM). Sometimes (and almost all 
  the time in the cases of home events) the senior 
  gamemaster is also the table DM. You don’t have to be a 
  HERALD-LEVEL GM to run this adventure if you are not 
  the senior GM.  
   
  By sanctioning and reporting this adventure you 
  accomplish a couple of things. First it is an official game, 
  and you can use the AR to advance your LIVING 
  GREYHAWK character. Second player and DMs gain 
  rewards for sanctioned RPGA play if they are members of 
  the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS REWARDS program. Playing 
  this adventure is worth two (2) points.  
   
  This adventure retires from RPGA-sanctioned play 
  on December 31, 2006.  
   
  To learn more about the LIVING GREYHAWK 
  character creation and development, RPGA event 
  sanctioning, and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS REWARDS, visit 
  the RPGA website at www.rpga.com. 
  PLAYERS READ NO FARTHER 
  If you are planning on playing this adventure, stop 
  reading now. The rest of the information in this 
  adventure is for the DM only. If you read farther than 
  this section, you’ll know too much about its challenges, 
  which kills the fun. Also, if you’re playing this adventure 
  as part of an RPGA-sanctioned event, reading beyond this 
  point makes you ineligible to do so. 
  PREPARING FOR PLAY 
  To get the most out of this adventure, you need copies of 
  the following D&D books: Player’s Handbook, Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual.  
  Throughout this adventure, text in bold italics provides 
  player information for you to paraphrase or read aloud 
  when 
  appropriate. 
  Sidebars 
  contain 
  important 
  information for you, including special instruction on 
  running the adventure. Information on nonplayer 
  characters (NPCs) and monsters appear in abbreviated 
  form in the adventure text. Full information on NPCs 
  and monsters are given in the Appendices.  
  Along with this adventure you’ll find a RPGA Table 
  Tracking sheet. If you’re playing this adventure as part of 
  an RPGA-sanctioned event, complete and turn in this 
  sheet to your senior GM directly after play. You’ll also 
  find a LIVING GREYHAWK Adventure Record (AR).  
  LIVING GREYHAWK LEVELS 
  OF PLAY 
  Because players bring their own characters to LIVING 
  GREYHAWK games, this adventure’s challenges are 
  proportionate to the modified average character level of 
  the PCs participating in the adventure. To determine this 
  modified Average Party Level (APL) follow the steps 
  below: 
  1. 
  Determine the character level for each of the PCs 
  participating in the adventure. 
  2. 
  If PCs bring animals that have been trained for 
  combat (most likely dogs trained for war), other than 
  those brought by virtue of a class ability (such as 
  animal companions, familiars paladin’s mounts) or 
  the warhorse of a character with the Mounted 
  Combat feat, use the sidebar chart to determine the 
  number of levels you add to the sum of step one. Add 
  each character’s animals separately. A single PC may 
  only bring four or fewer animals of this type, and 
  animals with different CRs are added separately.  
  3. 
  Sum the results of step 1 and 2, and divide by the 
  number of characters playing in the adventure. 
  Round to the nearest whole number. 
  4. 
  If you are running a table of six PCs, add one to that 
  average. 
  Throughout this adventure, APLs categorize the level of 
  challenge the PCs face. APLS are given in even-
  numbered increments. If the APL of your group falls on 
  an odd number, ask them before the adventure begins 
  whether they would like to play a harder or easier 
  adventure. Based on their choice, use either the higher or 
  the lower adjacent APL. 
   
  APL also affects the amount of experience and gold a 
  PC can gain at the end of the adventure. If a player 
  character is three character levels or more either higher 
  or lower than the APL at which this adventure is being 
  played, that character receives only one-half of the 
  experience points and gold for the adventure. This 
  simulates the fact that either the PC was not challenged 
  as much as normal or relied on help by higher-level 
  characters to reach the objectives.  
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 2 
   
  Furthermore, a PC who is four or more levels higher 
  than the highest APL supported by the adventure may 
  not play the adventure. 
   
   
  LIVING GREYHAWK adventures are designed for APL 
  2 and higher. Four or five 1st-level characters may find the 
  challenge of an APL 2 adventure difficult. Suggest the 
  following to these groups to help increase their chances 
  of success:  
  1. 
  Enlist a sixth player. 
  2. 
  Advise characters to buy riding dogs to help protect 
  them, and fight for them. 
  TIME UNITS AND UPKEEP 
  This is a standard one-round Metaregional adventure, set 
  in the Sheldomar Valley.  Characters native to the 
  Sheldomar Valley pay one Time Unit per round, all 
  others pay two Time Units per round. 
   
  Adventurer’s Standard Upkeep costs 12 gp per Time 
  Unit.  Rich Upkeep costs 50 gp per Time Unit.  Luxury 
  Upkeep costs 100 gp per Time Unit. Characters that fail 
  to pay at least Standard Upkeep will retain temporary 
  ability damage until the next adventure, must buy new 
  spell component pouches and healer’s kits, and may 
  suffer other in-game penalties (or possibly gain in-game 
  benefits) as may be detailed in this adventure. 
   
  A character who does not pay for at least Standard 
  Upkeep may also avoid the above-described penalties by 
  living off the wild.  If the character possesses four or 
  more ranks in the Survival skill and succeeds at a Survival 
  check (DC 20), the character will heal temporary ability 
  damage as if he or she paid for Standard Upkeep, may 
  refill spell component pouches and healer’s kits, and may 
  restock up to 20 arrows or bolts if the character has at 
  least four ranks in Craft (bowmaking).  The player is 
  allowed to Take 10 on this roll. 
   
  More information about Lifestyle and Upkeep can 
  be found in the “Lifestyle and Upkeep” section of 
  Chapter 3 of the LIVING GREYHAWK Campaign Sourcebook. 
  ADVENTURE BACKGROUND 
  In CY 588, with giant and evil humanoid incursions 
  threatening the stability of his western border, Count 
  Ignaz Manz of Keoland’s County of Cryllor dispatched an 
  army of his personal guard backed by numerous 
  mercenaries across the Javan River into territory on the 
  Sterich-Yeomanry border.  This move was largely 
  unopposed except by a few locals due to the “giant 
  problems” that occupied both realms.  Cartographers all 
  over the Sheldomar Valley shifted the borders of Keoland 
  all the way west to the Jotens in that area, and larger 
  issues forced this little land-grab out of the public eye. 
   
  Seven years have passed since the Keoish takeover, 
  and not everyone has adjusted to the change.  Farmers, 
  herdsfolk, and fisher families who once paid only a 
  nominal annual duty to either a local council or to a 
  minor noble now turn over the tithe to the County of 
  Cryllor.  New settlers, Keoish citizens looking for 
  opportunities along with refugees from Sterich and 
  Geoff, have streamed to the west bank of the Javan River. 
   In places where Count Ignaz has decided to concentrate 
  his interests in trans-Javan Cryllor and fortify them 
  against all threat, sleepy villages have become bustling 
  frontier towns nearly overnight. 
   
  Welcome to Baransford, smudged and flawed jewel 
  in the scepter of Cryllor.  What was once a village of 500 
  souls, mostly fisher-folk on the Javan, is today a fast-
  growing town of 2500 with many problems both large 
  and small.  The Originals, as the human residents who 
  recall the days before the coming of the Keoish are called, 
  resent the tax burden and the privileges enjoyed by the 
  recent immigrants.  The Countymen (“Counties” is a 
  derogatory term favored by many Originals) pretend to 
  control the place, but their reach exceeds their grasp by 
  far.  The Smalls, as the halfling and gnome community is 
  known, work for compromise but just as often must flex 
  their considerable economic clout to maintain the peace. 
   Refugees from the north and west enjoy little overt 
  influence but are courted in all things by Originals and 
  Countymen both. 
   
  The town of Baransford is on the west bank of the 
  Javan River on a line between the city of Cryllor in 
  Keoland and the Yeomanry city of Longspear.  It’s a bit 
  closer to Cryllor than to Longspear, on the section of 
  river that flows north-to-south.  Baransford is just south 
  of the dividing line between the Jotens and the Little 
  Hills if that line were to be drawn to the river. 
   
  Baransford is part of Keoland insofar as the County 
  Guard can enforce the law in broad daylight and in the 
  better neighborhoods of Hilltop, Trader’s Gate, and 
  Stranger’s Gate.  In Downside (the Smalls neighborhood) 
  or in Riverside down by the docks, Baransford is far less a 
  # of Animals 
  Mundane 
  Animals Effect on 
  APL 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  1/4 & 1/6 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  1 
  1/3 & 1/2 
  0 
  0 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  6 
  7 
  8 
  5 
  5 
  7 
  8 
  9 
  6 
  6 
  8 
  9 
  10 
  CR of Animal 
  7 
  7 
  9 
  10 
  11 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 3 
  traditional Keoish town…and during the long dark 
  watches of the night, beings of less civilized intent have 
  been known to wander the darkened streets.  All in all, 
  Baransford is an interesting, dangerous place, a boom-
  town on the fringes of the wild with a world of 
  opportunities for the adventuring classes. 
  ADVENTURE SUMMARY 
  “There’s GOLD in them thar hills!”  Yes, it’s true.  The 
  conversation on the road to Baransford has tipped off the 
  PCs that someone has discovered gold in the Bound 
  Brook, a swift stream that flows out of the Jotens 
  northwest of town.  The Lord Mayor, Sir Trellish Brym, 
  dispatched a large prospecting party in secret a few weeks 
  ago, but word has leaked out, and gold fever is running 
  through the town.  The PCs arrive in Baransford just in 
  time to be caught up in the hysteria.  They get a strong 
  sense that the town is stretched to its limits by recent 
  immigration: sanitation is poor, prices for most goods and 
  services are double normal, and lawlessness seems to be 
  on the rise. 
   
  A summons from one of the town’s leaders spurs the 
  PCs into action.  Disaster has befallen the Lord Mayor’s 
  expedition, and tensions in the town may well explode 
  into violence if the truth behind its loss is not discovered. 
   The PCs are tasked to recover the expedition’s leader, 
  who is known to still be alive.  They travel inland towards 
  the Jotens through farms and fields recently overrun by 
  greedy prospectors, and they meet an Original farm 
  family with a rather poor opinion of those “fool city folk”. 
   It is hoped that no PC overreacts to that first poorly-
  aimed crossbow bolt…because if the PCs manage to deal 
  with the farmers on peaceable terms, they’ll learn of the 
  goblinoids that lurk in the nearby hills. 
   
  Shortly after leaving the farm family, the PCs run 
  into the aftermath of a battle between two war-parties of 
  goblins led by bugbears in the sharp, steep foothills of the 
  Jotens. The victorious party has just finished slaughtering 
  the weaker party to a goblin.  The goblinoids turn on the 
  PCs with great enthusiasm.   
   
  Once the PCs deal with the goblinoids, they hear a 
  pair of silly little voices.  These are pixies, fey who are 
  quite concerned with the recent incursions of “all those 
  big stomping smelly hoomins” into their pristine 
  homeland.  The PCs have to endure pranks, riddles, 
  insults, and the most atrocious puns imaginable as the 
  pixies test their greed and their sense of humor.  There 
  are rewards, both in-game and AR-based, for anyone who 
  passes these tests. 
   
  Perhaps aided by the pixies, the PCs now approach 
  the headwaters of Bound Brook.  A marshy lake fills the 
  eastern end of this narrow valley stabbing into the snow-
  capped ranks of the Jotens; a crumbling glacier fills the 
  western end perhaps two miles away.  Hints have been 
  dropped here and there to indicate that there may well be 
  a white dragon waiting for our intrepid heroes, and the 
  glacier is a reasonable lair for such a monster.  Imagine 
  their surprise when a brace of black dragons explode out 
  of the lake and attack!  Mere youngsters, these drakes are 
  neither clever nor subtle. 
   
  Once the battle with the dragons is over, clear signs 
  indicate that at least a few members of the lost Baransford 
  expedition entered the crooked crevasses of the glacier.  
  The unstable glacier is home to an undead abomination, a 
  brain in a jar, a thing without a body, just a mind full of 
  malice and madness.  There are prisoners to free and 
  insidious mental assaults to defeat.  A collapse of the 
  glacier even as the PCs flee for their lives destroys all that 
  remains of this pre-Cataclysms temple of Beltar and 
  necromancer’s lair. 
   
  PCs return to Baransford with crucial information 
  and, hopefully, the survivors of the expedition.  The 
  punch line, which becomes apparent to the PCs late in 
  the game, is this: There is no mother-lode of gold, at least 
  not here at the headwaters of Bound Brook.  The black 
  dragons shredded gold coins and jewelry from their little 
  hoard and seeded the creek-bed to attract an easy meal or 
  two. 
  PREPARATION FOR PLAY 
  You should be familiar with Keoland and the Yeomanry 
  as realms at peace with each other and yet rivals; they 
  should be up on the latest goings-on in the war against 
  the giants in Sterich and Geoff.  Record each PC’s choice 
  of lifestyle at the start of the adventure, as the actual costs 
  vary widely depending on PC actions. 
  INTRODUCTION 
  There are metals more durable, more useful in both 
  peace and war…but the discovery of gold has a way 
  of bringing out a certain predictable enthusiasm in 
  people of all races and creeds.  The once-sleepy 
  fishing town of Baransford had already grown 
  significantly since it was seized by Keoland during 
  the Greyhawk Wars; now, with a gold rush in full 
  swing, the town is a hotbed of opportunists, 
  dreamers, schemers, and those who seek to profit 
  from the situation regardless of ethics or morality.  
  Surely there will be ample demand for the spells, 
  swords, and subtlety of adventurers in such a place! 
  ENCOUNTER 1: THE ROAD TO 
  BARANSFORD 
  There are three possible approaches to the town for 
  persons arriving via mundane means…and no PCs can 
  teleport to get there since they do not know the place!  
  Assign the PCs an arrival route based on the majority 
  national origin of the table: 
  National Origin 
  Arrival Route 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 4 
  The Yeomanry 
  Southern 
  Bissel, Gran 
  March, Geoff 
  Northern 
  All Others 
  River 
   
  THE NORTHERN ARRIVAL ROUTE 
   
  The road to Baransford from the north has led 
  through the Downlands, into which many displaced 
  Gyruff are moving, and the continuing depredations 
  of the giants in both Geoff and Sterich have dogged 
  your steps.  As you passed into territory claimed by 
  Keoland, small settlements along the west bank of 
  the Javan River have become larger and more 
  numerous; always the sharp young peaks of the 
  Jotens rose to your right, growing closer and closer.  
  Finally the land became more settled, with meadows 
  of heather and clumps of small evergreens giving 
  way to tended fields of wheat and neat orchards.  It 
  is growing towards the warmth of mid-day when the 
  smoke of a large town perched on and around a low 
  hill becomes visible in the distance, seemingly lit as 
  much by the sun’s reflection off of the Javan as by 
  the sun itself.  Farm houses and barns are all around 
  you, and the land shows signs of having been tamed 
  by civilization for centuries. 
   
  A small figure sits upon a neatly-cut tree-stump 
  at the side of the road and hails you as you approach. 
   “Ye be adventurers by the look of ye.”  The elderly, 
  weather-beaten halfling addresses you with a critical 
  eye and then pauses for a moment to contemplate 
  the pewter pipe clenched between his teeth.  “Well, 
  ain’t gonna be no shortage o’ work for yer kind 
  ‘round these parts, to be sure.”  He laughs abruptly 
  and extends his hand.  “The name’s Mishandrius, 
  Misha to friends and customers alike.  This here’s 
  my land, and Cryllor’s mark is on the paper.”  He 
  winks as he says the name of the county; it’s difficult 
  to discern his attitude towards the Keoish.  “All 
  kinds o’ big uglies what’ll need slayin’ now that 
  they’re all runnin’ off lookin’ fer that fool’s gold.” 
  � ‘Misha’ Mishandrius, male halfling Exp7: hp 
  31, Bluff +16. 
   
  Allow the PCs to react to this and roll Sense Motive 
  checks if they desire.  Mishandrius is a high-level Expert 
  and as wealthy an NPC as one is likely to find in this area; 
  he is not overly impressed by the adventuring classes, but 
  he does enjoy telling a story to an appreciative audience.  
  PCs can choose to roll Sense Motive checks (DC 36) can 
  determine with a successful check that he enjoys keeping 
  people guessing, but he’s no troublemaker. 
   
  “Me, I heard ‘bout it more’n a week ago, but I 
  kept it to meself.  My gold is the heart o’ the wheat 
  and the yolk o’ the egg, if you receive my 
  meaning…and these new folk are bringing so much 
  hard coin to town that I’m getting’ double the goin’ 
  rate for my eggs down at Baransford’s market 
  square.  Yep…I’ll settle fer getting’ my gold without 
  so much fuss an’ bother.” 
   
  If the PCs inquire about the timeline of the gold 
  rush, Misha answers: 
   
  “The word in town is, a couple o’ prospectors 
  tried to pay their bar-tab at the Inn of the Valley 
  with a bag o’ gold dust; this were maybe three weeks 
  back.  Now, ol’ Eivers, he’s as decent a biggun as 
  you’ll find, but he’s a good friend to the Countymen, 
  as we call the bigguns from Cryllor who took over 
  seven year back…so right off he demands to see the 
  Lord Mayor, Sir Trellish Brym hisself.  Next thing ye 
  know, the prospectors are taken right into the Lord 
  Mayor’s manor and they’re not seen for days…and 
  then they go off in the middle o’ the night with a 
  party of the County Guard and Brym’s own 
  gamekeeper, Orwin Tracker.  Orwin, he’s an 
  Original…they’re the bigguns what were here before 
  the Keoish came; some of ‘em don’t care much for 
  Keoland…he’s an Original, as I said, but he’s been 
  the chief ranger in these parts for a decade, and I 
  guess he’s the best to lead the expedition.” 
   
  If the PCs inquire as to the geography of the gold 
  rush, the halfling points south towards the town and 
  then sweeps his arm to the right, to the west and then the 
  northwest, towards the swiftly-rising hills and jagged 
  peaks in the distance. 
   
  “Baransford there…is surrounded by a marsh 
  fed by the Bound Brook…which flows out o’ the 
  Jotens way up thataway.  Been called ‘Bound Brook’ 
  fer as long as anyone remembers, as it’s dammed off 
  into pools for the upland farms and flocks more’n a 
  dozen times.  Well, it’s said that them prospectors 
  were near the headwaters of the Bound Brook when 
  they noticed that the stream-bed was all a-glitter 
  with gold, dust, and nuggets too.”  The halfling rubs 
  his chin in thought.  “Come to think, the brook’s 
  flow’s been mighty strong for a year or two; that 
  mighta disturbed the mother-lode in the mountains. 
   Anyway, now that the word’s out, they’re a-comin’ 
  into Baransford to buy supplies and a-goin’ 
  upstream as fast as they can.  I’ve lost nigh half my 
  tenants to the fever of it, all of ‘em runnin’ off full o’ 
  dreams.  O’course, not a one of ‘em knows precisely 
  where the mother-lode might be…because the 
  Bound Brook’s got lots of little feeder-streams, and 
  there’s at least seven of ‘em what reach deep into the 
  Jotens.” 
   
  If the PCs inquire as to the extent of Misha’s 
  property, Misha replies: 
   
  “Well…the family’s been in this valley since 
  Baransford was naught more than a dozen shacks on 
  the riverside; my grand-dad served with the military 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 5 
  in Sterich, brought himself home a fair chunk of 
  treasure, and bought out the interests of lots of 
  older folk what had no heirs at the time.  I figure 
  that my holding works out t’ around nine hundred 
  acres and about a thousand chickens.” 
   
  If the PCs have been polite and maybe even a bit 
  deferential during the conversation, Misha offers: 
   
  “You folks hungry?”  He gestures towards the 
  low, large home about fifty yards off of the road.  
  “Might as well get a decent meal in ye before those 
  innkeepers gouge ye for every coin ye’ve got.”  Lunch 
  is served amid a crowd of halfling relatives and 
  hired hands and, it should be noted, exceeds all 
  expectations in terms of quantity, quality, and 
  pleasant conversation at the table. 
   
  Development: The PCs who speak with Misha will 
  meet him again shortly; their attitude towards him will 
  impact their lifestyle costs and other AR-related matters 
  at the conclusion of the adventure. 
  THE SOUTHERN ARRIVAL ROUTE 
   
  The road up north to Baransford from the 
  Yeomanry is neither long nor difficult; still, it has 
  its odd moments.  Half a day’s ride out of the 
  Yeoman town of Singleton you see in the distance a 
  military patrol bearing the colors of the County of 
  Cryllor in Keoland; by that night, you’ve seen 
  naught but wild animals for hours.  The land 
  becomes more settled the next day. Meadows of 
  heather and clumps of small evergreens give way to 
  tended fields of wheat, neat orchards, and farm 
  houses by the next afternoon.   The shadows of the 
  Little Hills to your left are growing long when the 
  smoke of a large town perched on and around a low 
  hill becomes visible in the distance, seemingly lit as 
  much by the sun’s reflection off of the Javan River as 
  by the sun itself.  Farm houses and barns are all 
  around you, and the land shows signs of having 
  been tamed by civilization for centuries. 
   
  At a wide, grassy spot apparently used often as a 
  stopping point, a large and comfortable carriage is 
  parked.  Its horses stand hobbled, placidly 
  contemplating their feed-bags a short distance away. 
    Four armored riders, two humans and two elves, 
  with long lances surround the carriage; they nod 
  attentively yet politely at you.  The lone occupant in 
  the carriage, a male human dressed in black and gray 
  finery, steps out and calls to you as you pass, “You 
  are adventurers by the look of you. Will you invest a 
  moment in conversation to our mutual profit?”     
   
  He is of mostly Oeridian stock, no longer young, 
  and was never physically imposing even at the peak 
  of youth: He stands well short of six feet, is a bit 
  thick around the middle, and possesses only the 
  most abbreviated stubble of hair upon his balding 
  head.  His only adornment is a golden symbol on a 
  golden chain around his neck, fashioned with great 
  artistry to resemble a tiny pair of hands clutching a 
  tiny bag.  When he speaks, you sense enormous self-
  confidence coupled with a seemingly-genuine 
  interest in your well-being. 
   
  A DC 15 Knowledge (religion) check indicates he is 
  a cleric of Zilchus. 
  � Fastau of Zilchus, male human Clr9 of 
  Zilchus: hp 57, Bluff +9. 
   
  Anyone who makes a successful Sense Motive check 
  (DC 19) senses that this man is quite sincere…but he 
  could sell ‘ugly’ to a troll and probably get the poor thing 
  to pay extra for undercoating and the extended warranty. 
   
  “I am Fastau, of the faith of Zilchus.  You are on 
  your way to Baransford, yes?  I have lived there for 
  some years now, and am happy to see persons with 
  skills such as yours going that way.  The potential 
  for greater prosperity is ever at odds with the 
  mischief, both inside and outside the law, that 
  prosperity inspires… and the fever for gold does 
  bring out the worst in some people.  It is all that I 
  can do to counsel the town’s leaders to treat fairly 
  with the immigrants and prospectors and to offer 
  aid to the innocents left without support by the 
  unscrupulous and the foolish.” 
   
  If the PCs inquire about the timeline of the gold 
  rush, Fastau answers: 
   
  “Since it is all public knowledge now, it cannot 
  hurt to tell you.  A few weeks back some humans and 
  dwarves who had been prospecting up the Bound 
  Brook came back to town with bags of gold dust.  
  The Lord Mayor, Sir Trellish Brym of Cryllor, took 
  the men into his home and quickly organized an 
  expedition to check out their story; they left 
  Baransford almost two weeks ago along with Orwin 
  Tracker, the Mayor’s own gamekeeper.  Orwin is 
  what the locals call an ‘Original’, one of the 
  residents that lived here before the Keoish came. 
  There’s no love lost between them and the 
  ‘Countymen’, as the Keoish are known.  Still, Orwin 
  is a ranger concerned first and foremost with the 
  safety of the town, so he was a natural choice to lead 
  the party.” 
   
  If the PCs inquire as to the geography of the gold 
  rush, the cleric points northeast towards the town and 
  then sweeps his arm to the left, to the northwest and the 
  swiftly-rising hills and jagged peaks in the distance: 
   
  “Baransford is surrounded by a marsh fed by the 
  Bound Brook…which flows out of the Jotens up 
  there.  The locals long ago began damming the creek 
  for irrigation and flood control; hence the name 
  ‘Bound Brook’.  It’s said that the prospectors were 
  near its headwaters when they noticed gold in the 
  streambed.  Of course, anyone who looks at a map 
  can see that the Bound Brook is fed by at least seven 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 6 
  small streams, so only those first prospectors know 
  where to look for sure.”   
   
  The man thinks for a moment.  “Local farmers 
  have mentioned that the brook’s flow has been very 
  strong for a year or two; that might have disturbed 
  the mother lode in the mountains.”  He refocuses on 
  the here and now with a sad shake of his head.  “In 
  any event, rumors started flying around town only a 
  few days after the mayor’s expedition left, and now 
  folk from all over the Sheldomar are coming into 
  Baransford, buying up supplies and leaving again as 
  fast as they can.  Businesses are showing 
  tremendous profits but are also losing skilled 
  workers to the rush; families are being abandoned 
  by their bread-winners on the slim chance that one 
  might find the wealth of the ages just lying there for 
  the taking.  We have a saying in the faith, meaning 
  no disrespect, of course: ‘Better Zilchus your boss 
  than Norebo’, meaning that business sense, and not 
  just luck, should guide one’s decisions.” 
   
  If the PCs inquire as to Fastau’s allegiance or 
  personal history, he replies: 
   
  “I was born in what used to be called the Great 
  Kingdom and came into my maturity when 
  everything that my partners in faith had built up for 
  generations was being destroyed by the insanity of 
  that realm’s rulers.  I have fought all my life for the 
  right to profit for all; a decent day’s wage for a 
  decent day’s work at the very least, and the proper 
  custodianship of capital by those whose wealth rules 
  nations at the very most.  It is true that Count Ignaz 
  Manz of Cryllor is a devotee of Zilchus, but then, so 
  are many honest, hard-working commoners, and I 
  am here to minister to one and all.” 
   
  If, and only if, the PCs have been polite and maybe 
  even a bit deferential during the conversation, Fastau 
  offers: 
   
  “We are still some hours from Baransford, and 
  the day grows late.  Will you join me in a bit of 
  dinner and a comfortable camp in this pleasant 
  country?  You have heard my story, and I wish to 
  hear each of yours.”  It turns out that clerics of 
  Zilchus, or at least this cleric of Zilchus, travel with 
  an amazing array of gourmet foods and fine wines, 
  which explains why this one moderately-sized man 
  needs such a very large carriage. 
   
  Development: The PCs who speak with Fastau will 
  meet him again shortly; their attitude towards him will 
  impact their lifestyle costs and other AR-related matters 
  at the conclusion of the adventure. 
  THE RIVER ARRIVAL ROUTE 
   
  Overland across Keoland or from realms far 
  distant, most routes to Baransford involve the Javan 
  River.  Boat traffic is very busy in the vicinity of the 
  town; many barges and small sailboats appear to be 
  making their way upriver and downriver and across 
  the mile-wide river towards the town, but relatively 
  few are leaving.  The town itself remains shrouded 
  in the mist of hundreds of coal and wood fires, what 
  many would call the inevitable result of growth and 
  progress.  As your vessel comes within a few 
  hundred yards of the wharves that jut out all along 
  Baransford’s busy waterfront, you are hailed from a 
  longboat that moves to come alongside. 
   
  “By the laws of the County of Cryllor and in 
  accordance with the port regulations of the town of 
  Baransford, you must be guided to dock by a 
  licensed pilot at the boat captain’s expense.  Prepare 
  to be boarded and accept your pilot.”  The voice, 
  amplified by a bullhorn, sounds terribly bored and 
  horribly inconvenienced by the whole process; the 
  words are rife with contempt and are delivered as if 
  the speaker thinks very little of his job or his 
  audience. 
   
  One of your fellow passengers, a large blocky 
  human man dressed in a large blocky workman’s 
  tunic and breeches, steps to the rail and shouts back 
  to the approaching longboat with a booming voice 
  that definitely needs no further amplification.  “I’ve 
  warned you about dat tone, Philmot…you keep dat 
  up and I’ll have you on chummin’ duty for a month!” 
   The shouting human is of typical Keoish stock, a 
  mixture of Oeridian, Suel, Flan, and who knows 
  what else.  His absence of neck and broad shoulders 
  suggest that there’s more than a little orc in his 
  ancestry. 
   
  The speaker in the longboat, a slight man 
  (apparently with a slight attitude problem), blurts 
  out “Um…Sorry, sir, but…”  He then realizes that he 
  should probably be using the bullhorn, but raises it 
  without looking, bashes himself in the eye with the 
  thing, loses his balance, and falls face-first with a 
  resounding splash into the Javan River, which, this 
  close to a large and fast-growing town, isn’t exactly 
  the cleanest body of water in the Flanaess.  The large 
  blocky human who had so badly scared this man 
  claps his palm against his steeply-sloped forehead in 
  disgust; you get the idea that he probably does this a 
  lot. 
   
  The man shakes his head sadly and turns to you. 
   “How you doin’?  The name’s Meklir Dockman; I’m 
  head o’ da Teamster’s Guild over in Baransford.”  He 
  shakes hands all around, taking care not to crush 
  the hands of any females present and gestures with 
  his oversized cranium towards the town, “Ya step 
  away from da job for one day and things fall apart.  
  Can’t find no good help these last few weeks 
  anyhow, what with everybody and their cousin 
  runnin’ off ta find that gold.”  He looks your group 
  up and down, and you sense that there’s a lot more 
  smarts behind Meklir’s tiny, piggy eyes than most 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 7 
  people give him credit for.  “’Course, you ain’t here 
  for no gold…not the kind ya gotta dig up, anyway.  
  Nice ta see some adventurers, some real heavy 
  hitters, comin’ ta town.  Bound to be troubles that 
  the County Guard can’t handle sooner or later.” 
  � Meklir Dockman, male human Ftr4/Rog2: hp 
  40, Bluff +5. 
   
  If anyone tries a Sense Motive check, it is found that 
  this man is quite sincere.  If the PCs inquire about the 
  timeline of the gold rush, Meklir responds with the 
  following: 
   
  “Two weeks ago dis stuff all goes down: Da Lord 
  Mayor, Sir Trellish Brym, y’know, he’s Count Ignaz’s 
  mouthpiece on the west bank?  A couple a humans 
  an’ dwarves go to him an’ say ‘Hey, we’s found gold 
  up da Bound Brook, y’know?  So da mayor, he sends 
  Orwin Tracker, his personal gamekeeper, back wit 
  ‘em an’ a buncha the County Guard to check things 
  out all secret-like.  Orwin’s one o’dose Originals, 
  humans dat was here before we Keoish moved in on 
  Baransford, but he’s a stand-up guy, a real good guy 
  to have on your side in a scrape.  Anyway, people 
  with th’ inside scoop, they talked, y’know, they said 
  things…y’know, things…and whaddaya know, all of 
  a sudden everybody’s running out to get their share. 
   Buncha stooges, if ya ask me, runnin’ after a rumor 
  and leavin’ all the real work for the likes o’ him.”  
  Meklir gestures towards the slight man being pulled 
  out of the water into the longboat right next to your 
  vessel. 
   
  If the PCs inquire as to the geography of the gold 
  rush, Meklir nods in the direction of Baransford: 
   
  “You can’t see the Jotens from here…too much 
  haze lately…but they’re out there, an’ th’ Bound 
  Brook runs up into ‘em to the northwest.  Got to 
  split into at least seven little creeks before it gets to 
  the mountains, and only those original prospectors 
  know for sure which one leads to th’ gold.  So all 
  these numbskulls are runnin’ off and they don’t 
  even know where they’re goin’!”  He raises his voice 
  to a shout at the last, and the oarsmen in the 
  longboat all find different directions in which to 
  look.  He returns to a more relaxed tone as he 
  continues.  “Ya got folk comin’ from all over the 
  Sheldomar Valley buyin’ up supplies an’ runnin’ for 
  th’ hills fast as they can.  They’re bringin’ coin in by 
  the bushel, but they’re not the most peaceful kind of 
  people, know what I mean?  Ya gotta like the money, 
  though, I guess.”  
   
  If the PCs inquire as to Meklir’s allegiance or 
  personal history, Meklir puffs up with obvious pride: 
   
  “I was born in the biggest city in Keoland, in 
  Gradsul, an’ I been on the docks one way or another 
  all my life.  I can usually get people ta do what I say 
  when I say they should do it, and that’s a valuable 
  talent to the Lord Mayor.  I came here to ferry troops 
  across the river on the Count’s coin back in eighty-
  eight when Cryllor moved in, and I guess I’ve been 
  lucky.” 
   
  If, and only if, the PCs have been polite and maybe 
  even a bit deferential during the conversation, Meklir 
  offers: 
   
  “You’re good people, you know that?  Tell you 
  what: I got this little place, the River Rest, got the 
  best food and the cleanest beds in the whole 
  Riverside district.  You guys come stay at my place 
  an’ I’ll take care o’ you good.”   
   
  It turns out that the River Rest is actually quite 
  a large, pleasant establishment, with a surprisingly 
  sophisticated menu and several large and very 
  comfortable rooms: Who would have figured? 
   
  Development: The PCs who speak with Meklir will 
  meet him again shortly; their attitude towards him will 
  impact their lifestyle costs and other AR-related matters 
  at the conclusion of the adventure. 
  ENCOUNTER 2: A 
  COMMUNITY IN NEED 
  Baransford is as it was described, the best and the 
  worst of it.  All day and long into the night, scenes of 
  hope and despair combine as transient and local 
  both organize into prospecting parties at the Market 
  Square by Trader’s Gate in the north.  Elderly 
  parents bid their offspring a tearful farewell; young 
  children look on in bewilderment as their parents 
  leave them with relatives and prepare to find their 
  fortune.  Through it all, the vendors hawking every 
  conceivable supply item scream out their prices, 
  which seem to inflate by the hour.  There is a 
  desperate smell to the air, the adrenaline-charged 
  perspiration of people and panicky pack-animals 
  mingling with the sulfurous stench of improvised 
  cook-fires.  Parties of three or four mounted soldiers 
  each, the Guard of the County of Cryllor, move 
  through the crowds but do little to calm the 
  situation; they seem mostly interested in keeping 
  the mob away from the better residences on the 
  hilltop. 
  � Baransford (Large Town): Nonstandard; AL LN, 
  LG, CG; 3,000 gp limit; Assets 375,000 gp; Population 
  2,500; Mixed (human 37%, gnome 20%, halfling 18%, 
  dwarf 10%, elf 7%, half-elf 5%, half-orc 3%).  See DM 
  Aid: Map #1. 
   
  Let the PCs spend some money if they want, subject 
  to these restrictions: Prices for all mundane goods are 
  currently double the Player’s Handbook standard unless 
  the PC succeeds at a DC 20 Appraise, Diplomacy, or 
  Intimidate check, in which case normal prices apply.  
  Prices for all available magic items and cast spells are at 
  +10% unless the PC succeeds at a check as described 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 8 
  above.  With gold fever in the air, everyone in 
  Baransford, the alchemists, the barbers, and even the 
  dung-haulers, are out to get their share.  Once the PCs 
  have satisfied the urge to spend their coin, the party can 
  meet at the Red Tower, a tavern and gambling 
  establishment on the main road of Baransford. 
   
  The evening finds you together again at the Red 
  Tower, a gambling establishment that stands on the 
  River-walk, the main north-south road and the 
  dividing line between the Riverside district and the 
  rest of the town.  The Red Tower boasts an 
  impressive 
  wine 
  list 
  and 
  all 
  manner 
  of 
  entertainments; the pair of halfling cousins that run 
  the place seem to have struck a comfortable balance 
  between ‘classy’ and ‘tawdry’.  Everyone’s attention is 
  on the minstrels, or to be more specific, the 
  minstrel’s dancers, when a well-dressed male dwarf 
  with the tightly-braided beard of a metalsmith 
  approaches your table. 
   
  “Your pardon, my lords?  I am Balazar of the 
  Stonerunner clan, late of Sterich but now relocated 
  to this excellent land.”  He nods his chin to his chest 
  and holds it there for a moment. 
  � Balazar, male dwarf Rgr2/Ftr4: hp 49, Bluff -1, 
  Diplomacy -1. 
   
  A DC 15 Diplomacy check indicates this is a gesture 
  of genuine respect among his kind. 
   
  He lifts his head and continues.  “If I may 
  interrupt your revels for a short time, some learned 
  associates of mine wish to speak with you.  I am told 
  that you have already met one of them on your 
  journey here, an honorable person by the name of 
  (insert NPC from Encounter 1 here).  This way, if you 
  please?”  He gestures for you to follow and moves 
  off, weaving through the tables that litter the main 
  floor towards one of the broad stairways that climb 
  to the gaming suites on the second and third levels. 
   
  If the PCs refuse to follow by the mention of the 
  NPC with whom they passed a few pleasant hours the 
  previous day, the adventure ends here.  Do what you can 
  to have the PCs follow, but, if the PCs refuse to follow the 
  dwarf at any time, the adventure is over. 
   
  The dwarf leads your group to a closed door and 
  knocks twice, and twice again.  The door opens to 
  reveal a dimly lit 10 ft. deep by 20 ft. wide chamber 
  with a few comfortable chairs, a fireplace, and a 
  round table at one end with five chairs.  Four 
  persons stand near the table. You recognize (NPC 
  Fastau, Misha, or Meklir); the others are an elderly 
  gnome and (either “two humans” or “another human 
  and a halfling”). 
   
  The gnome steps forward; he is dressed in 
  clerical vestments.  He extends a fist towards the 
  dwarf, who touches it lightly with his own fist.  The 
  dwarf then mumbles something softly and leaves 
  the room, closing the door as he goes. 
   
  A DC 15 Knowledge (religion) check indicates the 
  gnome serves Garl Glittergold.  If anyone in the room 
  speaks Dwarven, they know that the mumbled salutation 
  roughly translates into Common as “Races of stone, yo.” 
   
  The gnome speaks; he seems unusually serious. 
  “My name is Wizen Highmoor; I speak for the 
  gnomes of Baransford in the tradition of my people. 
   We elect speakers rather than waiting for them to 
  be born from just the right bloodline; we’re silly like 
  that.  I am led to understand by one of my friends 
  here…”  He gestures, and (insert known NPC here) 
  nods his head knowingly.  “…that you might just be 
  persons capable of aiding us in our hour of need?”  
  The gnome gives you an appraising look, his grey-
  tufted scalp tilting to the side in what might be 
  honest curiosity, or just plain skepticism. 
  � Wizen Highmoor, male gnome Clr7 of Garl 
  Glittergold: hp 45, Bluff +8, Diplomacy +9. 
   
  Allow the PCs to chime in with five or six variations 
  on “Yup, we’re your guys” or ”If we can’t do it nobody 
  can!” or “Up the Empire!” or “Lemme at ‘em!” or 
  “Freeeeedom!” 
   
  Wizen speaks again with a sad tone.  “We’ve all 
  seen Baransford at its worst these past few weeks, 
  and tensions between the Originals and the Keoish 
  have never been greater.  The Lord Mayor has 
  dispatched most of his troops to the Yeoman border 
  to try to keep their people away from ‘his’ gold, and 
  the Smalls have been hard-pressed to keep order in 
  their streets after dark…and now we have a 
  simmering crisis on our hands, one that might bring 
  open war between Keoland and the Yeomanry if it 
  comes to a boil.”  He gestures towards the far end of 
  the room.  “See the table?  Five chairs, three man-size 
  and two smaller?  There’s five of us that meet here 
  once a week for a friendly game of cards; no big 
  wagers, just pleasant conversation…and the five of 
  us, each a leader in the community and each of us 
  trusted by the Lord Mayor, have kept the bloody 
  peace in this town for goin’ on six bloody years.  
  Nobody knows about this, naturally…we all have 
  appearances to keep up.  Now, though, we have a 
  problem: You’ve probably noticed that there were 
  only four of us here when you came in.” 
   
  The gnome steps over to one of the large seats.  
  As he pulls it out from the table, you can plainly see 
  that the top of it is carved in a simple design, the 
  three-pronged rune of ‘pursuit’.   
   
  A DC 15 Knowledge (religion) check indicates this is 
  the symbol of Trithereon, CG god of retribution and a 
  popular deity among the more independent-minded 
  Yeomen. 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 9 
   
  “This is the seat of Orwin Tracker, who spoke … 
  who speaks for the Originals at our discussions.  He 
  went off with the Lord Mayor’s expedition, and … 
  Fastau?”   Wizen pauses, seemingly at a most 
  unnatural loss for words. 
   
  If the PCs came to town by way of the Southern 
  Arrival Route and have already met Fastau, skip the 
  following read aloud text and continue with the next: 
   
  One of the humans, a portly man of middle age 
  with long hair pulled back in a pony-tail, steps up to 
  Wizen’s side.  “My name is Fastau; I am a cleric of 
  Zilchus and a foreigner in these parts.  The Lord 
  Mayor trusts me as a neutral arbiter, and by meeting 
  with these worthies I help to guide the town 
  towards the profit of all.” 
   
  Continue reading from here: 
   
  Fastau raises his arm to show his left hand; the 
  least finger is adorned by a plain gold band.  “This is 
  a ring of friend shield.  It is one of a pair; they allow 
  one bearer to share the pains and injuries of the 
  body with the bearer of the other.” 
   
  A DC 17 Knowledge (arcana) check indicates that 
  the bearer of one of a mated set of rings of friend shield can 
  cast shield other on the other bearer at any time with no 
  range limitation. 
   
  Fastau continues.  “Orwin has the other ring 
  and knows to use it only in dire peril.  Earlier today I 
  began to feel his pain; since the afternoon I have 
  healed myself of easily twice the bodily harm it 
  would take to kill him.  I know he has potions of 
  healing with him, but…”  He suddenly stops and 
  winces as if hit.  The color fades from his face, and 
  he breaks out in a cold sweat.  “It has happened 
  again.”  He sits heavily in the closest chair; luckily 
  for his dignity it is one sized for humans. 
   
  “They’re torturin’ the poor guy, that’s what 
  they’re doin’,” the other human speaks up with a 
  cold tone.  “Every once in a while, maybe every few 
  minutes or so, Fastau takes another hit, just a tiny 
  twinge o’ pain… somebody’s torturin’ Orwin, 
  dammit!” 
   
  Fastau reaches out to grab hold of the man’s 
  arm.  “It does us no good to rant, Meklir.  That’s why 
  we’re bringing in the experts.” 
   
  The halfling has remained quiet until now, but 
  he steps forward to address you as Meklir continues 
  to mutter under his breath, “You know I’ve never 
  been the adventurous kind meself… m’ grand-dad 
  got his share and more and lived to tell th’ tale as 
  well…but we need ye now.  The town needs ye now.  
  Hells, the peace of two realms needs ye now!  If 
  Orwin turns up dead, he’ll have died surrounded by 
  th’ Count of Cryllor’s guard and on the orders of the 
  Lord Mayor…and the Originals’ll tear this town 
  apart.  They’ll step away from everything we’ve built 
  together an’ call down their cousins ‘n’ folk from th’ 
  Little Hills, and the Lord Mayor will do his duty and 
  call up th’ militia, and it won’t be the goblins ‘r the 
  giants ‘r anything else unnatural destroyin’ this 
  place…it’ll be ourselves.” 
   
  Meklir appears to have composed himself; he is 
  enraged but icy cold now.  “We know pretty much 
  where deys went, dose poor guys. People on the 
  inside gave us some info, and my friends here have 
  done some mumbo-jumbo magic stuff.  We can get 
  you goin’ in the right direction.” 
   
  Fastau leans forward.  “We’ve performed 
  divinations that indicate that matters are at a very 
  delicate stage, a turning point of sorts.  We know 
  that there are evils at work that seek to destroy the 
  forces of civilization, and that there are also evils 
  that seek to lure us out into their wilderness 
  home…and we know that you will find hidden allies 
  along the road, ones who can show you the true path 
  if you are prepared to pay their price.”  He extends 
  his ring-hand towards your group.  “Who among you 
  will take this?  It will help you find him.  The magic 
  of it is special, different: You will know when you 
  are within a few miles of the other bearer, know 
  when you come closer, and know him on sight 
  within some dozens of yards.  It will mean taking on 
  the burden of his pain, casting the shield other spell 
  as soon as you put it on to keep Orwin alive…but 
  you are heroes, are you not?” 
   
  If the PCs refuse, the adventure ends here.  If the 
  characters accept this mission, continue with the 
  following: 
   
  Fastau passes the ring to the volunteer and 
  closes his hand around that person’s.  “The laws of 
  Keoland regarding the discoveries of adventurers 
  rule here.  Keep whatever you plunder from the 
  hands of the unlawful, the aggressor, and the 
  monstrous; you are obligated to return only 
  whatever property can be proven to have been stolen 
  from others.  Bring Orwin back to us, alive or dead: 
  A great tragedy and a greater disaster will be averted 
  if you accomplish this.  The Trader’s Gate will know 
  to let you pass regardless of the lateness of the 
  hour.” 
  ENCOUNTER 3: DOWN ON 
  THE FARM 
  Hours have passed since you left the Traders Gate of 
  Baransford in the dead of night.  The rising dawn 
  makes your travel easier, but also reveals some ugly 
  truths.  In the half-light out of the cloudy east you 
  first see how the hysteria of the gold rush has 
  damaged both the area around the town and its 
  residents, and scenes of panic, greed, and looting 
  grow more and more obvious as the day progresses.  
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 10 
  Fields are trampled flat; animal pens, coops, and 
  corrals are broken open, and livestock of all kinds 
  wander free.  Over the rolling hills to the west, 
  columns of smoke rise here and there that are far 
  too large to be just burning rubbish.  A few farmers 
  can be seen in the distance repairing or reinforcing 
  fences and chasing after their animals; they all seem 
  to avoid any kind of contact with strangers. 
   
  Once during this trek, about two hours after you set 
  out, the person who volunteered to wear the ring of friend 
  shield felt a twinge of pain from it.  While not enough to 
  actually cause you injury, it did deliver a message: Orwin 
  Tracker is still alive. 
   
  Anyone who succeeds on a DC 17 Knowledge 
  (arcana) check followed by a DC 15 Heal check realizes 
  that the ring did not damage its bearer … but it did 
  transmit pain.  This can only mean that Orwin was 
  damaged only very slightly (in actuality, he took a single 
  point of damage, which cannot be shared, so the PC only 
  felt the pain of the damage – the same happens anytime 
  throughout the adventure the PC feels pain from the ring 
  but takes no damage). 
   
  If the PCs attempt to make contact with any of the 
  farmers they’ve seen, the farmers make visual contact at 
  100 yards or more, then either duck back inside their 
  houses or ride off into the distance on draft horses.  If the 
  PCs actually take the time to pursue one of these farmers, 
  role-play a terrified Com1 facing what he is convinced is 
  a party of bandits coming to rob and kill his family.  
  These people have been inconvenienced by goblin 
  raiders lately, but they now live in fear of unscrupulous 
  folk searching for gold, and not a few of them have been 
  burned out of house and home by persons convinced that 
  the locals are hiding information. 
  � Male Human Com1: hp 4, see Appendix 5. 
   
  The road ahead curves to the north and enters a 
  low spot between steep hills covered with apple 
  trees.  A smaller, less-traveled fork splits off of the 
  main path to the left, leading steeply upward.  
   
  A DC 18 Spot check indicates that up above the PCs 
  to the right, a well-concealed human figure crouches 
  behind a tree-stump.  Anyone who succeeds at the Spot 
  check gets to roll for initiative and participate during the 
  first round. 
   
  There is little warning as a crossbow bolt leaps 
  out of the trees to your right and sticks quivering in 
  a fence-post on the left side of the road. 
   
  A DC 20 Spot check (any PC currently carrying a 
  crossbow gets a +6 circumstance bonus on this check) 
  reveals that the bolt the human figure is now loading into 
  his light crossbow is at least six inches too long for the 
  weapon.  It’s a heavy bolt, and apparently you’re looking 
  at someone who is not terribly proficient with crossbows. 
   
  A voice from above you and to the right yells 
  out, “Trespassers again, paw!  Don’t worry none, I got 
  a bead on ‘em!” 
  � Male Human Com1 (2): hp 4 each, see Appendix 
  5. 
   
  If the PCs overreact and harm any farmfolk, they go 
  into the next encounter without any warning.  If they 
  show restraint, they’ll gain valuable intelligence and 
  valuable friends.  If the PCs do lethal damage to the 
  young man, then treat this as just another encounter with 
  frightened farmers as described above.  Skip the rest of 
  this encounter and move on to Encounter 4, PCs Abused 
  the Farmers section. 
  PCS SHOW RESTRAINT 
   
  If the PCs settle the kid down and talk him out of 
  taking another pot-shot or deal with him in a non-lethal 
  manner and then treat him with respect, he calls out 
  again to his father, who emerges from the orchard on the 
  other side of the road.  The younger man appears to be 
  around 15, the older at least 60. 
   
  The farmer is as old and gnarled as his apple 
  trees; he spits bitterly and speaks with venom in his 
  voice.  “I’m glad t’see ye aren’t ruffians like most of 
  the lot through here the past few weeks.  Durned 
  near stripped m’trees bare and ran off with a couple 
  of m’sheep, they done.  The name’s Wooler, Mart 
  Wooler, and that’s m’boy Kemble.”  Genuine 
  affection manages to sneak through the farmer’s 
  anger as he speaks.  “Managed to scare off the last set 
  o’tramps comin’ through day afore yesterday with 
  that crossbow, and he figgers he’s all tough now ‘r 
  somethin’.”    Mart fishes a small, flat ceramic bottle 
  out of a pocket in his patched, oversized tunic and 
  takes a sip from the contents.  “Got my four boys 
  watchin’ th’ bounds of m’land closest to the roads, 
  tryin’ t’protect what’s ours.  Where’s m’manners?  
  Any o’ you gentlefolk like a touch?  Dwarf-spirits, 
  durned good fer them cold nights up here in the 
  hills.”  He offers the bottle around. 
   
  “Dunno what’s worse, th’ durned goblins ‘r the 
  durned fool prospectors.  Lost as many sheep ‘n’ 
  goats to one as to the other, I reckon, not to mention 
  fences torn down and cabbages trampled.  Near two 
  weeks this’s been goin’ on, an’ it’ll get worse afore it 
  gets better.” 
   
  There’s very little that the PCs can do for the farmer 
  except offer to compensate him for his damages, which 
  amount to around 200 gp.  Make a note if this is done, 
  and in whose name such compensation is given.  The 
  locals will remember with kindness whatever authority 
  helps them in their time of need. 
   
  As long as the farmer and his son appear to be having 
  a civilized, polite conversation with the PCs, they are 
  interrupted after a few minutes by another young man, 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 11 
  clearly another, older son of the family.  Any PC who 
  succeeds at a DC 20 Listen check notices the arrival of 
  this man before he can be seen, as he shouts from the 
  distance. 
   
  A figure comes over the low hill from the 
  northwest, shouting and running.  He’s carrying a 
  longbow and wearing a handaxe tucked into his belt, 
  but it looks like all of the arrows have bounced out 
  of his quiver during his run.  “Paw!  Kemble!  
  Goblins!  I seen ‘em! Goblins fightin’ each other at 
  Table Rock!” 
   
  The young man is unhurt but clearly winded after 
  his run.  He is somewhat taken aback by the presence of 
  the PCs, but, if he senses that his father and brother are 
  comfortable with the situation, he goes into greater 
  detail. 
   
  “Afternoon, sirs…I’m Sagus Wooler, an’ this 
  many goblins is a bit out o’ my scope.  There’s two 
  groups of ‘em what’s fightin’ up on Table Rock, 
  that’s about two miles northwest from here.  I seen a 
  couple of ‘em throw others off o’ the cliff, and…I 
  know this sounds durned strange…but I swear that 
  some of ‘em had…wings!” 
  � Sagus Wooler, male human War3: hp 13. 
   
  Proceed to Encounter 4, PCs Befriended the Farmers 
  section. 
  ENCOUNTER 4: LEARNING TO 
  FLY 
  See DM Aid: Map #2. 
  PCS BEFRIENDED THE FARMERS 
   
  Sagus Wooler leads the PCs to where he saw the 
  goblins.  The foothills of the Jotens begin to rise abruptly 
  some ten miles from the actual border of the mountains; 
  from the east, Table Rock is a jutting hill facing the 
  Sheldomar Valley with a hundred-foot shale cliff.  Sagus 
  leads the PCs on a trail that winds under the shadow of 
  the cliff and up a steep but sheltered slope to the south 
  side.  A DC 12 Survival or Knowledge (nature) check 
  reveals that this path is quite hidden from view to anyone 
  on top of the cliffs. 
   
  As the group nears the top, Sagus describes what he 
  saw and takes his leave. 
   
  “There was a war-party o’ goblins, maybe a dozen 
  of ‘em with ratty leathers and spiked clubs between 
  ‘em, an’ I seen ‘em setting up camp at the crest where 
  the cliffs are highest.”  Sagus gestures to emphasize 
  the location.  “Then outta nowhere, a different 
  bunch of goblins, these armed mostly with bows and 
  led by one o’ them big bugbears, they jumped the 
  first bunch.  Y’all might think I’m crazy, but I knows 
  I seen a couple o’ the little goblins sprout wings and 
  fly so’s they could shoot the others from above.  And 
  another thing: All the new goblins, the ones as could 
  fly?  They were all wearin’ white!  White armor, 
  chain shirts I think, and white rags tied ‘round their 
  heads an’ arms…I even think they were puttin’ 
  white paint on their faces an’ hair.” 
   
  Sagus can offer no further information and resists 
  any request to come further with the party.  Sure, he’s got 
  a couple of warrior levels, but he knows that he’s not the 
  real fighting talent here.  He leaves by the same path 
  even as the party moves forward onto the crest of the hill. 
   
  The PCs may pre-cast spells at this point, but the 
  hiding place of the goblins requires time to locate, and 
  ‘rounds per level’ and ‘minutes per level’ spells would be 
  wasted. 
   
  Call for Listen and Spot checks: 
   
  Listen 
  DC 
  Spot 
  DC 
  APL 4 
  14 
  10 
  APL 6 
  16 
  12 
  APL 8 
  18 
  14 
  APL 10 
  20 
  16 
   
   
  If a PC succeeds at either check, that PC gets one 
  round to cast spells, attack, or move into position before 
  the monsters react.  Place the appropriate minis for the 
  goblins and bugbears in the center of the battle-map no 
  more than 40 ft. from the cliff-edge, which faces east; 
  allow the players to place their minis anywhere on the 
  south side of the map no closer than 60 ft. from the 
  goblinoids. 
   
  After the PCs enjoy the fruits of their surprise round, 
  we can roll initiative and let the carnage begin!  Proceed 
  to The Fight below. 
  PCS ABUSED THE FARMERS 
   
  It is now mid-afternoon, and you have passed 
  from farmlands into wilderness.  Ahead of you is a 
  series of steeply-rising hills, many of which face you, 
  face the east, with steep cliff-faces; beyond them, the 
  majestic Jotens rise in earnest.  You find a trail that 
  makes its way up the north side of the largest, 
  widest, and most impressive of these hills. 
   
  A DC 13 Survival check by someone with the Track 
  feat indicates that several parties of 4 to 6 human-sized 
  creatures with pack animals passed this way around 24 to 
  48 hours ago.   
   
  Take out and draw the battle-map as described above 
  and have the PCs place themselves anywhere in the 
  center 1/3 of the map; the trail has climbed the hill and 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 12 
  turned to the southwest.  Then call for Listen and Spot 
  checks: 
   
  Listen 
  DC 
  Spot 
  DC 
  APL 4 
  18 
  16 
  APL 6 
  20 
  18 
  APL 8 
  22 
  20 
  APL 10 
  24 
  22 
   
   
  Any PC who succeeds at either check may 
  participate in the surprise round.  Roll initiative and 
  proceed to The Fight below. 
  THE FIGHT 
   
  These are no ordinary goblinoid raiders before 
  you.  The bugbear appears to have decorated itself 
  with quicklime or whitewash, so that the tips of his 
  copious body-hair are all frosted white, and his 
  armor and even his face are similarly painted.  The 
  goblins are even more unusual: They share the same 
  white 
  markings, 
  but 
  they 
  also 
  have 
  wings…reptilian, scaly blue-white wings that lift 
  them easily into the sky and shine like fresh snow in 
  the afternoon sunshine. 
  APL 4 (EL 6) 
  � Bugbear Bbn1: hp 33, see Appendix 1. 
  � Winged Goblins War1 (6): hp 7 each, see 
  Appendix 1. 
  APL 6 (EL 8) 
  � Bugbear Bbn1/Ftr2: hp 51, see Appendix 2. 
  � Winged Goblins War3 (6): hp 21 each, see 
  Appendix 2. 
  APL 8 (EL 10) 
  � Bugbear Bbn1/Ftr4: hp 69, see Appendix 3. 
  � Winged Goblins Rog2/Ftr2 (4): hp 30 each, see 
  Appendix 3. 
  APL 10 (EL 12) 
  � Half Dragon (White) Bugbear Bbn1/Ftr4: hp 
  80, see Appendix 4. 
  � Winged Goblins Rog2/Ftr4 (4): hp 48 each, see 
  Appendix 4. 
   
  Tactics: The bugbear rages at first opportunity and 
  charges as often as he can, using Power Attack to the 
  fullest when he has the advantage of charging and rage.  
  The flying goblins use Flyby Attack to stay out of reach; 
  they target spellcasters or obvious threats to the bugbear. 
   Half of them might hold their action to disrupt casting 
  while the others soften up the bugbear’s opponents. 
  AFTER THE FIGHT 
   
  Hopefully the PCs will have acquitted themselves 
  nobly and rid the Oerth of these goblinoid nuisances.  A 
  search of the area and all the bodies reveals that Sagus 
  was right. There are a dozen dead goblins scattered 
  around the hilltop and at the bottom of the cliff, all of 
  whom wear the filthy, ill-kept armor typical of their 
  species.  The goblinoids defeated by the PCs, however, 
  are as previously described.  (At APL 10, the bugbear’s 
  markings are actually part of its half-dragon body and not 
  mere make-up or decoration.) 
   
  As the PCs are healing up and finishing their 
  searches and the players are cleaning up from the 
  encounter, erasing consumables, marking off used spells, 
  and perhaps partaking of a salty snack, call for a Listen 
  check (DC 10).  If the checks are successful, read the 
  following: 
   
  You hear two distinct voices, high-pitched and 
  pleasant, almost the voices of children, light and 
  tinkling with laughter, totally out of place in the 
  aftermath of combat.  One speaks a giggling 
  question, and the other sings out an answer that 
  both seem to find hilarious: 
   
  “Flail-wielding bugbears and goblins with 
  wings?” 
   
  “These are a few of my favorite things!” 
   
  Both voices then guffaw uncontrollably and the 
  sound of them grows more and more quiet, as if the 
  unseen speakers had flown off to the west, deeper 
  into the wild and growing hills.  “Wheeeeeeeee!” 
   
  Allow a Spot check (DC 38, or DC 18 if the PC 
  making the check can see invisible creatures) if anyone 
  asks for it.  If so, and the check is successful, that PC sees 
  two small, brightly-clothed humanoid creatures with 
  bright butterfly wings whizzing away to the west.  A PC 
  who cannot see invisible things but somehow makes the 
  Spot check notes a disturbance in some branches to the 
  west, as if a slight breeze had brushed them. 
  ENCOUNTER 5: SEEING 
  THROUGH THE JOKES 
   
  You are being called upon to give voice to a pair of 
  pixies, notorious pranksters and punsters and jokers 
  extraordinaire: Sure, they’re Neutral Good, almost 
  achingly, palpably Neutral Good in alignment, but they 
  have genuine concerns with which the PCs will have to 
  deal.  There are tests here, as there are in many seemingly 
  ordinary situations for persons who wish to be proved of 
  good heart and true … 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 13 
   
  Put two otherwise-ordinary dice on the battle-mat 
  close at hand with at least six squares on either side of 
  ‘em; do this unobtrusively, without fanfare.  Each time a 
  PC does or says something that might upset the pixies 
  (makes unfounded accusations, demonstrates cruelty, 
  mocks them without any redeeming humor, gross 
  impoliteness in an unfunny way) move one of the dice 
  one step to the right. 
   
  If the PCs manage to endure the pixies’ sense of 
  humor and demonstrate humor on their own part, then 
  the dice should be very close together at the end of the 
  encounter … and the adventure may well have a happy 
  ending.  If the dice are 5 or more squares apart by the end 
  of the encounter (as noted below) then the pixies will not 
  help the PCs except to offer directions, and the end of the 
  adventure will be far more complex and difficult. 
  � Pixies (2): hp 5 each; see Monster Manual, page 
  236. 
  DETECTING EVIL 
   
  First off, the pixies use detect evil to determine if any 
  of the PCs radiate evil.  If any do, then the pixies first ask 
  for explanations, as they’ve heard of curses and other 
  things that can make a decent, moral person radiate a 
  palpable aura of nastiness.  They also use detect thoughts 
  (DC 15 Will save) at the same time to determine the 
  veracity of any PC’s story. 
   
  Lying at this point, and then failing the Bluff check 
  or the Will save, will get that die moved a square to the 
  right. 
   
  Ask anyone whose PC detects as evil to raise his or 
  her hand.  If no one raises his or her hand, then skip to 
  the next section.  If any player raises his or her hand, 
  their PC is lightly tapped on the shoulder. 
   
  “Excuse me, big stomping smelly person?”  The 
  voice seems polite enough, but it fades into the 
  middle distance before the second word is spoken.  
  You get the impression that it’s a little afraid of you. 
   “Why are you evil?  You don’t look evil, and you 
  don’t smell any more evil than your friends, and 
  you’re not dressed like an evil person: no black 
  cloak, no big moustache to twirl as you laugh 
  maniacally at the hero’s feeble attempts to foil your 
  plans or nothin’ … so why are you evil?”  The voice 
  drops to a shocked whisper.  “Does your mommy 
  know you’re evil?”  The voice grows loud again.  “Do 
  your friends over there know that you’re evil?  Oops, 
  I guess they know now, if they didn’t know before … 
  Sorry!”   
   
  Allow the player to tell his sad tale.  These pixies 
  have a Sense Motive +6; roll for both of them if a PC 
  attempts to Bluff.  They want to believe that the PCs are 
  decent people, and if the truth is told, they’ll believe it.  
  Continue with the next section. 
  WHY ARE YOU HERE? 
   
  The pixies have a serious concern, one that they’ll 
  bring up from the start in their typically non-serious way, 
  addressing the largest person in the group, preferably a 
  human. 
   
  The largest person among your group suddenly 
  feels a breeze blow past their head.  “Excuse me, 
  mister big smelly stomping person?”  The voice 
  seems polite enough, as if the speaker truly believes 
  that describing you in such a fashion is a simple 
  statement of obvious fact.  “Why are all you big 
  stomping smelly people coming to our home?  It’s so 
  much nicer without ALL of you visiting at once.  I 
  mean, a few hoomins or elfs or dwarfs or gnomies or 
  halfsies…you know, half-elfs and half-orcs and half-
  lings…a few at a time is kinda FUN and all, ‘cause 
  we get to have fun and almost every single one of 
  you survives and some of you even laugh along and 
  we really really really like the ones who do, but ick!  
  Every one of you in the whole wide world must be 
  marching through our home all at the same time!” 
   
  Allow the PCs to answer, each in their own way.  The 
  specific answers given are not terribly important, as these 
  pixies will probably forget this conversation as 
  unimportant in a few hours, but the attitude of the PCs is 
  paramount. 
   
  Note: Shift that die if anyone gets belligerent with 
  the pixies.  Do this each time the PCs get belligerent. 
   
  After each PC has had a chance to respond, call for 
  Will saves (DC 15) from everyone.  Anyone making a DC 
  16 Knowledge (nature) check already knows that these 
  are pixies.  Another Knowledge (nature) check (DC 21) 
  reminds the PCs that pixies can cast detect thoughts as a 
  spell-like ability … and of course, any PC may choose to 
  purposefully fail the save versus the detect thoughts ability 
  in order to completely convince the pixies of their noble 
  intentions. 
  FOLLOW US 
   
  Note: Remember to shift that die if anyone gets 
  belligerent with the pixies.  Do this each time the PCs get 
  belligerent. 
   
  There are a few minutes of quiet after your 
  explanations are completed … a few minutes of 
  sweet, blessed quiet … and then, once again right in 
  amongst you, the voices return.  “I think we 
  understand.  We know that most hoomins and other 
  big stomping smellies are all greedy and stuff, but 
  we’ve talked about it, and we don’t think you’re here 
  after all that pretty, shiny gold. Y’know, that’s a 
  funny thing, and I don’t mean funny as in ‘ha-ha’, I 
  mean WEIRD funny…we’ve lived up here for like 
  years and years and years and years and years and 
  years and years and years and years and years…”  The 
  voice gets weaker and weaker and then takes an 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 14 
  enormous inhalation.  “…And years and years, and 
  we’ve never ever seen gold in any of the creeks or 
  brooks or rivers ‘round here.  Lucky for you, we’re 
  pretty sure we know how you can find your friends.  
  Follow us!” 
   
  Regardless of the capacity of the PCs to see invisible 
  creatures, the pixies fly off at top speed, becoming well 
  and truly invisible after they fly past the first few trees. 
   
  Nothing happens.  For a few more seconds, 
  nothing happens.  Then, in the distance, you hear 
  the two voices quibbling and growing closer.  “How 
  can you forget that you’re invisible?”  “How could I 
  forget?  Hey, you forgot too!”  Suddenly, hovering in 
  the air just above your heads, two small forms 
  appear: Each resembles a very small elf, around 2 1/2 
  feet tall and perhaps 30 pounds, with longer ears 
  and gossamer wings.  They’re both dressed in bright 
  clothing that includes a cap and shoes with long 
  curled toes; each is armed with a small longbow and 
  a tiny dagger.  One is male, the other female. 
   
  If the PCs inquire as to their nature, even with as 
  little as a ‘Huh?’ at the previous description: 
   
  “We’re pixies, of course!  Don’t you big stomping 
  smelly people know pixies when you don’t see ‘em?  
  Wheeeeeee!”  The male pixie executes a few loops in 
  the air for emphasis as the female pixie chimes in.  
  “I’m Windflower, and that’s Nettle.  I’m the smart 
  one.”  Nettle appears to take umbrage at this 
  statement.  “No, you’re not!  I’M the …” He flies into 
  a tree-branch with a crash and wraps himself 
  completely around it … twice.   Nettle’s mood, 
  however, seems none the worse for wear. “Oh, wait 
  … that’s right, you’re the smart one,” he says with a 
  lopsided smile.  “I’m the cute one!”  At this, 
  Windflower laughs.  “Cute?  Like that matters.  The 
  big stomping smelly ones can’t tell any of us apart, 
  and besides, we’re like all invisible!” 
   
  The trail on which they lead you winds uphill, 
  deeper into the last foothills of the Jotens, and the 
  pixies 
  occasionally 
  remind 
  you 
  of 
  their 
  presence…just in case you might have forgotten 
  that you’re being led around by gossamer-winged 
  fairies.  Nettle pipes up: “You guys really beat up 
  those nasty goblins.  Boy, were they ever dumb.  
  Were they wearing white for protection because 
  they heard that only dark colors bleed?  Get it?  Get 
  it?  BLEED!  I made a laundry funny!  Wheeeeeee!”  
   
  This goes on for what seems like an eternity, but 
  the sun is not yet past noon when you approach a 
  curious obstacle: A narrow stream, raging with icy-
  cold water from out of the mountains, blocks your 
  path; right in front of you it is bridged by not one, 
  not two, but three five foot wide, thirty foot long 
  stone arches.  Each has a set of runes carved into its 
  foundation at your end; the runes are the same, but 
  are in a different sequence on each bridge.  As you 
  inspect the situation, you cannot help but notice the 
  quiet that has descended on the area: Apparently the 
  pixies have flown off. 
   
  Feel free to sketch out the situation for the PCs.  If 
  anyone in the party speaks Gnome, he or she knows 
  automatically that the runes are the first three letters in 
  the Dwarven alphabet as modified and used by the 
  gnomes.  A PC who speaks Dwarven is allowed a DC 12 
  Int or Knowledge (arcana) check to identify these as well. 
   The bridges are labeled as follows: 
   
  Left 
   
  CAB 
   
  Center  
  BCA 
   
  Right 
   
  ABC 
   
  If no PC speaks any of the languages listed, a 
  Knowledge (arcana) or Bardic Knowledge check (DC 20) 
  reveals the information shown above.  If this fails, then 
  the PCs must choose a bridge at random or cross using 
  separate bridges.  This entire area radiates strong 
  abjuration magic, and magical flight or teleportation of any 
  kind from one side of the bridges to the other is 
  completely prevented.  The PCs must either risk the 
  crossing of a rough cold stream or choose a bridge and 
  walk. 
   
  Only one bridge, the one labeled “ABC”, is safe to 
  use.  Anyone using one of the others finds that the center 
  20 feet of the span simply ceases to exist when they reach 
  the center point.  They fall into the 3-foot deep, fast-
  moving frigid water.  A DC 15 Fort save is required for 
  every round of immersion; the PC takes 1d6 nonlethal 
  cold damage per failure and is fatigued until that damage 
  is healed.  A DC 15 Swim check as a full-round action 
  allows a PC to exit the stream on the side of his or her 
  choice; the DC drops by 3 each round until success is 
  automatic.  Once the creek has been crossed (with either 
  dry or wet feet), the pixies return and pop into visibility 
  again. 
   
  “I’m sorry…we should have warned you.”  
  Windflower smiles apologetically.  “This place was 
  built by the gnomes way way way way long ago, and 
  wouldn’t you figure that they’d include some pretty 
  bad jokes in their defenses?” 
   
  Some players may have figured out the joke already.  
  If so, the pixies’ respect for the PCs climbs to unheard-of 
  heights.  You may feel free to move the die a bit to the left 
  in this event.  Otherwise, choose the appropriate 
  explanation: 
   
  If one or more PCs fell into the water: 
   
  “I guess you couldn’t read the signs.  It says that 
  those first two bridges there are ‘out of order.’  Get 
  it?  ‘Out of order!’  Wheeeeeeeeee!” 
   
  If the PCs managed to get across without all the cold 
  and the wet and the sniffles, the pixies exclaim: 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 15 
   
  “We were afraid that you big stomping smelly 
  types would get wet here, but you guys are clever!  
  You figured out that those other two bridges are ‘out 
  of order!’  Get it?  ‘Out of order!’  Wheeeeeeeeee!” 
   
  The trail climbs a steep round hill in a spiral 
  path.  All around are stone blocks that are clearly not 
  of natural origin; they show evidence of ancient 
  stonework.  At the top of the hill, a ring of paving-
  stones some twenty feet wide crowns the flattened 
  peak.  The stones are rough and uneven beneath 
  your feet. 
   
  A DC 15 Knowledge (architecture and engineering) 
  check (or automatically for anyone with Stonecunning) 
  reveals that given the size and spacing of the stones, this 
  is a gnome-hold … but it’s been out of business for longer 
  than recorded history times two at the very least.  Only 
  thousands of years of weathering, of hot summers and 
  brutal winters, could have caused this kind of decay. 
  WHERE IS THE DIE? 
   
  Have the PCs managed to keep the pixies amused, or 
  at least, not too offended at their big stomping smelly 
  manners, or did they mess up big-time? 
   
  Development: If the PCs managed to endure the 
  humorous tortures of the pixies, they have a chance to 
  rescue Orwin Tracker alive.  If they did not gain the 
  assistance of the pixies in traveling to the next encounter 
  instantly, then Orwin will be dead by the time they find 
  him.  There are different endings in the Conclusion to 
  cover either eventuality. 
  Alienated the Pixies 
   
  If the PCs alienated the pixies, Windflower becomes 
  visible to you again; she seems as sad as you can imagine a 
  pixie being: 
   
  “You can see the place from here.”  She points to 
  the west, towards a sparkling waterfall that tumbles 
  out of the mountains about three miles distant.  
  “That’s the place where those other big stomping 
  smelly ones went and then left so quickly; that’s 
  where they came back to a couple of days ago with 
  all their guards and such.  We haven’t seen any of 
  them come out again.  I’m really sorry that we 
  couldn’t help you more, but we have to leave if all 
  you big stomping smelly people are gonna leave 
  your footprints all over our homes looking for that 
  gold, and…and that means we can’t help you more.”  
  She vanishes from sight.  You know in your hearts 
  that you will never see her again. 
   
  The PCs have earned the Fey Foe effect on their 
  Adventure Record.  Go to Encounter 6, Arrival by Foot 
  section. 
  Stayed on Good Terms 
   
  If the PCs have managed to stay on good terms with 
  the pixies, Windflower becomes visible to you again; she 
  has a mischievous smile on her ever-so-sweet little face: 
   
  “You can see the place from here.”  She points to 
  the west, towards a sparkling waterfall that tumbles 
  out of the mountains about three miles distant.  
  “That’s the place where those other big stomping 
  smelly ones went and then left so quickly; that’s 
  where they came back to a couple of days ago with 
  all their guards and such.  We haven’t seen any of 
  them come out again.”  She waves her hand, and the 
  stones on which you stand change and shift in 
  subtle ways. 
   
  A DC 15 Spellcraft check reveals that she has just 
  dismissed an illusion that was concealing the true nature 
  of the paving-stones beneath your feet. 
   
  The twenty-foot wide ring of paving-stones on 
  which you stand is revealed to have relief images 
  carved all around its outside edge, and a large 
  inscription in the center.  Windflower reads the 
  inscription, as can anyone who speaks Gnome.  “It 
  says, ‘The doorway to the needful place is always 
  open to those that know how they will walk through 
  that door’: That’s what it says.  Now, I know that you 
  big stomping smellies are in a hurry, but I must pay 
  homage to the genius of this design: Can any of you, 
  knowing how gnomes think, figure out how to 
  activate the magic you need?” 
   
  Around the outside edge of the circle are relief 
  images of…farm animals?  Yup…there’s a billy-goat, 
  and a ram, and a rooster, and a stallion, and a cow, 
  and a boar, and a bull.  That’s all there is, those 
  images and the inscription in the circle’s center. 
   
  Any use of detect magic reveals two separate auras; a 
  DC 18 Spellcraft check reveals a moderate Divination 
  aura, and a separate DC 22 Spellcraft check reveals a 
  strong aura of Conjuration. 
   
  Give the players Player Handout #1.  Let the players 
  sit on this one for a moment.  After they’ve pondered the 
  silliness of it all, let them get to the skill checks. 
   
  A DC 10 Knowledge (nature), Profession (farmer), or 
  Bardic Knowledge check reveals that all of the animals 
  shown are clearly male, except for the cow. 
   
  If anyone succeeds on the above check, a subsequent 
  DC 16 Knowledge (nature), Profession (farmer), or Bardic 
  Knowledge check indicates that the cow seems to need 
  milking very badly. 
   
  By this time, Windflower is laughing so hard 
  that she’s flashing uncontrollably between visibility 
  and invisibility.  Songbirds by the dozens are 
  joining her in twittering and flying about, and every 
  flower within a fifty-foot radius is bending its 
  bloom towards her merriment.  “Do you get it?  Oh, 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 16 
  the sheer genius of it…it absolutely outshines any 
  silly little practical joke I ever thought of…it’s so 
  very brilliant it its simplicity!  Do you get it?” 
   
  Nettle appears, pounding his palms on a 
  standing stone at blinding speed and giggling like a 
  lunatic.  Suddenly other pixies, dozens and 
  hundreds and who-knows-how-many more pixies, 
  begin to become visible all around you, all of them 
  laughing like mad and pounding the stones. 
   
  Above the din, Windflower screeches out, “How 
  will you walk though that door?”  She waves her 
  hand, and the assembled pixies go instantly quiet: 
  You are surrounded by an ocean of gossamer-winged 
  fey, all grinning and quivering with intense, nigh-
  insane excitement, and all absolutely silent. 
   
  Choose a PC at this point.  Preferably, it’s the PC 
  who was most pixie-like in their behavior during this 
  encounter, the one who displayed a genuine sense of 
  humor and played along and had a good time.  You can 
  also choose the most uptight one: That’s always good for a 
  laugh. 
   
  Windflower swoops down and delicately lands 
  in front you.  She smiles up and takes your hand and 
  leads you to the cow.  “How will you walk through 
  that door?  Just put one foot…in front of…the 
  udder!”  There is a collective “Wheeeeeeeee!” the 
  likes of which you will most probably never hear 
  again as the assembled pixies explode away from 
  you in all directions, screeching with laughter. 
   
  As soon as a PC puts one foot in front of the cow 
  relief with the intent of activating the doorway, the world 
  spins and goes black, but only for an instant. 
   
  The PCs have earned the Pixie Pal effect on their 
  Adventure Record.  Proceed to Encounter 6, Arrival by 
  Teleportation section 
  ENCOUNTER 6: SHARPER 
  THAN A SERPENT’S TOOTH 
  ARRIVAL BY FOOT 
   
  The trip to the waterfall is uneventful but 
  lengthy; it is late in the afternoon when you arrive.  
  The sun is already gone behind the mountains to the 
  west, and the deeper ravines and valleys are already 
  as black as night.  The waterfall itself is spectacular, 
  at least a hundred feet wide and twice as high, a 
  thundering violence of water coming down out of 
  the Jotens, sometimes falling vertically and 
  sometimes crashing down the steep slope.   
   
  Anyone succeeding at a DC 18 Search check as the 
  PCs move up the last tributary of the Bound Brook 
  notices shining flecks of gold scattered in the streambed. 
   
  The climb to the top is not as difficult as it 
  looks.  All the while as you climb, the bearer of the 
  ring of friend shield has sensed that Orwin Tracker 
  is getting closer.  Clearly, you are on the right track. 
   
  A DC 15 Knowledge (nature) or DC 20 Bardic 
  Knowledge check indicates that the rocks in the center 
  third of the steeply-angled flow are heavily eroded, but 
  the rocks in the outer thirds are still jagged and barely 
  affected by the water.  This stream, as was intimated 
  earlier, has indeed greatly increased its flow very 
  recently. 
   
  The view from the top takes in a much larger 
  view to both the east and the west.  In the dying 
  light you can actually make out the haze of 
  Baransford in the distance to the east some fifteen 
  miles off, up against the tiny ribbon of silver that is 
  the Javan River.  The view to the west is even more 
  amazing, though.  A long, narrow lake that feeds the 
  waterfall fills much of the narrow valley floor before 
  you, resembling from this angle a broad darkened 
  dagger stabbing into the gap between the looming 
  mountains.  Boulders rise up out of the lake at 
  irregular intervals.  Some two miles distant from 
  you, a ribbon of dirty white, almost glowing against 
  the dark rocks, chokes the far end of the valley; 
  those of you who have traveled in the mountains 
  recognize this as the crumbling end of a glacier.  
  Above it all, the peaks to the west push up against 
  the sky with a palpable belligerence.  It is no wonder 
  that one of the most ancient Flan words for ‘giant’ 
  names this range. 
   
  A DC 15 Knowledge (nature) or DC 20 Bardic 
  Knowledge check indicates that the boulders in the lake 
  and on shore are smooth and almost polished in 
  appearance; they are undoubtedly ‘orphans’, rocks carried 
  down-slope by the glacier and left in place by its retreat.  
  If the PCs made a DC 18 Knowledge (nature) or DC 23 
  Bardic Knowledge, they also learn that the lower slopes 
  of the mountains that frame this valley are covered with 
  thick stands of evergreen trees, but the last hundred feet 
  or so down to the lake’s edge support only meadow-
  grasses and the smallest of saplings.  Apparently, the 
  glacier once filled this entire valley to a significant depth, 
  but very recently melted away.  In a place like the 
  Flanaess, who knows what treasures abandoned, sealed 
  away for thousands of years beneath dead ice might be 
  revealed by that ice’s sudden retreat … what treasures, 
  and what horrors? 
   
  If anyone comes into contact with the lake-water, a 
  DC 12 Knowledge (nature) or Survival check reveals that 
  its temperature is significantly warmer than one would 
  expect for a high-mountain, glacial-fed lake … much, 
  much warmer. 
   
  At this point, the black dragons that dwell in the lake 
  become aware of the PCs’ presence.  They are using the 
  orphans to hide themselves and are waiting for the party 
  to come close.  Using DM Aid: Map #3 as a guide, draw a 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 17 
  line on the battle-map dividing 1/4 of it from the rest; 
  describe the smaller portion as the lake.  Scatter ten dice 
  or markers as shown to represent orphan rocks that fill 
  the square in which they rest and rise to a rounded 
  height of 10 feet.  The lightly-shaded water area is only 
  ankle-deep, and counts as difficult terrain; the darker-
  shaded water area drops to 5 ft. in depth. 
   
  Call for Spot checks (DC = 12 + APL).  Anyone who 
  succeeds gets to act during the surprise round as a brace 
  of immature black dragons springs out of the water at the 
  far edge of the battle-map and attacks. 
  ARRIVAL BY TELEPORTATION 
   
  In the blink of an eye, you are gone from the 
  hilltop and reappear elsewhere.  The bearer of the 
  Ring of Friend Shield immediately senses that 
  Orwin Tracker is close at hand.  The party is 
  standing alongside the top of a large waterfall, with 
  spectacular views to both the east and west in the 
  afternoon sunshine. 
   
  Anyone succeeding at a DC 18 Search check as the 
  PCs stand here at the source of the Bound Brook notices 
  shining flecks of gold scattered in the lake-bed. 
   
  A DC 15 Knowledge (nature) or DC 20 Bardic 
  Knowledge check indicates that the rocks in the center 
  third of the steeply-angled flow are heavily eroded, but 
  the rocks in the outer thirds are still jagged and barely 
  affected by the water.  This stream, as was intimated 
  earlier, has indeed greatly increased its flow very 
  recently. 
   
  You can actually make out the haze of 
  Baransford in the distance to the east some fifteen 
  miles off, up against the tiny ribbon of silver that is 
  the Javan River.  The view to the west is even more 
  amazing, though.  A long, narrow lake that feeds the 
  waterfall fills much of the narrow valley floor before 
  you, resembling from this angle a broad darkened 
  dagger stabbing into the gap between the looming 
  mountains.  Smooth, rounded boulders rise up out 
  of the lake and its shores at irregular intervals.  
  Some two miles distant from you, a ribbon of dirty 
  white, almost glowing against the dark rocks, 
  chokes the far end of the valley; those of you who 
  have traveled in the mountains recognize this as the 
  crumbling end of a glacier.  Above it all, the peaks to 
  the west push up against the sky with a palpable 
  belligerence.  It is no wonder that one of the most 
  ancient Flan words for ‘giant’ names this range. 
   
  A DC 15 Knowledge (nature) or DC 20 Bardic 
  Knowledge check indicates that the boulders in the lake 
  and on shore are smooth and almost polished in 
  appearance; they are undoubtedly ‘orphans’, rocks carried 
  down-slope by the glacier and left in place by its retreat.  
  If the PCs made a DC 18 Knowledge (nature) or DC 23 
  Bardic Knowledge, they also learn that the lower slopes 
  of the mountains that frame this valley are covered with 
  thick stands of evergreen trees, but the last hundred feet 
  or so down to the lake’s edge support only meadow-
  grasses and the smallest of saplings.  Apparently, the 
  glacier once filled this entire valley to a significant depth, 
  but very recently melted away.  In a place like the 
  Flanaess, who knows what treasures abandoned, sealed 
  away for thousands of years beneath dead ice might be 
  revealed by that ice’s sudden retreat … what treasures, 
  and what horrors? 
   
  If anyone comes into contact with the lake-water, a 
  DC 12 Knowledge (nature) or Survival check reveals that 
  its temperature is significantly warmer than one would 
  expect for a high-mountain, glacial-fed lake … much, 
  much warmer. 
   
  At this point, the black dragons that dwell in the lake 
  become aware of the PCs’ presence.  They are using the 
  orphans to hide themselves and are waiting for the party 
  to come close.  Using DM Aid: Map #3 as a guide, draw a 
  line on the battle-map dividing 1/4 of it from the rest; 
  describe the smaller portion as the lake.  Scatter ten dice 
  or markers as shown to represent orphan rocks that fill 
  the square in which they rest and rise to a rounded 
  height of 10 feet.  The lightly-shaded water area is only 
  ankle-deep, and counts as difficult terrain; the darker-
  shaded water area drops to 5 ft. in depth. 
   
  Call for Spot checks (DC = 10 + APL).  Anyone who 
  succeeds gets a free round to act as they notice movement 
  in their direction under the water.   After that round, call 
  for initiative as a brace of immature black dragons springs 
  out of the water at the far edge of the battle-map and 
  attacks. 
  THE BATTLE 
  APL 4 (EL 6) 
  � Black Dragons, Very Young (2): hp 69 each, see 
  Appendix 1. 
  APL 6 (EL 8) 
  � Black Dragons, Very Young (4): hp 69 each, see 
  Appendix 2. 
  APL 8 (EL 10) 
  � Black Dragons, Elite Juvenile (2): hp 156 each, 
  see Appendix 3. 
  APL 10 (EL 12) 
  � Black Dragons, Elite Juvenile (4): hp 156 each, 
  see Appendix 4. 
   
  Tactics: These beasties aren’t too bright, and they 
  aren’t too subtle.  One or two will melee with a strong-
  looking opponent while the other one or two use their 
  breath weapon on that same opponent, knowing that 
  their sibling or siblings will think that the acid line 
  tickles. 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 18 
  AFTER THE BATTLE 
   
  If the PCs feel a proper sense of urgency regarding 
  the rescue of Orwin Tracker, they will skip the treasure-
  search process; fortunately for the party, they can come 
  back to this area after the rescue and still find whatever 
  treasure was here. 
   
  As you collect yourselves following the fray with 
  the dragons, you notice that one of the boulders out 
  perhaps a hundred feet into the lake has split in 
  half, leaving a table-like surface some 3 feet above 
  the water … and the whole thing is curiously veined 
  with glittering gold. 
   
  A DC 10 Craft (any kind of metalworking) check or a 
  DC 10 Search check by a PC with Stonecunning reveals 
  that those aren’t natural veins of gold … it’s as if someone 
  melted gold on the top of the rock, and it ran down the 
  sides. 
   
  The lake is less than a foot deep all the way out 
  to the rock from this shore; it grows suddenly 
  deeper just past this odd boulder.  A closer 
  inspection shows that a small number of gold coins 
  and broken bits of gold jewelry are scattered across 
  the top of the rock; all have been damaged at the 
  least or shredded completely at the worst.  Both the 
  gold and the rock’s surface have been pitted and 
  scorched.  You are able to gather some small amount 
  of gold from what remains. 
   
  A DC 12 Knowledge (arcana) check reveals that the 
  damage to the gold was undoubtedly caused by a 
  combination of black dragon teeth, black dragon claws, 
  and black dragon acid.  The end result, tiny flecks and 
  lumps of gold, looks very much like what prospectors 
  might hope to find in a stream.  However, amongst the 
  gold bits, the PCs will also find a few intact items of value 
  (see the Treasure Summary for what quantity of gold and 
  other valuables the PCs find). 
  ENCOUNTER 7: NOBODY TO 
  FEAR 
  The ring of friend shield tugs at you; you know that 
  the closer you come to the glacier at the far end of 
  the lake, the closer you come to Orwin Tracker.  As 
  you approach, more details become visible. The 
  glacier is shattered and rent, split by countless 
  crevasses as if by the repeated blows of a gargantuan 
  axe; its ice is filthy and pitted, and even as you 
  watch, the face of it visibly shifts downward a foot or 
  more as a huge slab calves off the front and collapses 
  into splinters, shards, and yes, even cubes in the 
  turbulent waters of the lake.  Most interestingly, 
  there is a very great volume of water rushing out 
  from beneath the glacier, water that quickly melts 
  whatever ice breaks free of the main body.  Coming 
  closer, you can actually feel the heat of the water 
  surging out from beneath the ice.  Somewhere up 
  the slope a hot spring is eating away at the glacier, 
  and you don’t imagine that it will remain at all 
  stable for very much longer. 
   
  The PCs don’t have to search for their path; the ring 
  of friend shield indicates that the way to Orwin Tracker lies 
  up the slope along the right, or northern edge, of the 
  glacier.  (Of course, the ring is only sensing the proximity 
  of its companion band: Orwin may already be dead at this 
  point in time.)  Sure enough, after only a few minutes 
  climbing, an unusual opening appears in the ice. 
   
  There is an arched stone entrance with a tunnel 
  leading down into the body of the glacier before you. 
   It looks like the opening was once crafted to 
  resemble the gaping maw of some predatory 
  creature, complete with huge canine fangs…but the 
  mouth is now skewed and crooked, with a badly 
  broken jaw.  An unlit passage angles down and to 
  the west past the entryway. 
   
  Since the entry is so badly distorted by the action of 
  the ice over the ages, a DC 18 Knowledge (religion) 
  check is needed to recognize the imagery as that of a 
  gaping, fanged maw, the holy symbol of Beltar, Suel 
  goddess of malice, pits, and caves. 
   
  The passage is difficult to maneuver through 
  but passable: It was once an arched passage around 
  10 feet wide and 15 feet high, but it has been twisted 
  by the action of the ice so that the PCs start out 
  walking on the floor, spend some time walking on 
  the walls, and then walk on the ceiling for a short 
  while before it rights itself once more.  The first fifty 
  feet or so are fashioned from deep gray basalt blocks, 
  but after that, the passage is formed from a rich 
  white marble with black veins.  The passage 
  descends steeply and makes shallow turns to the 
  right three times and then ends at a twisted and 
  shattered set of stone doors, through which a pallid 
  light shines weakly.  The bearer of the ring of friend 
  shield knows that Orwin Tracker is very, very close. 
   
  See DM Aid: Map #4 for a sketch of this encounter. 
   
  The room is a rectangle with three alcoves.  Each 
  alcove has a four-foot-high platform bearing a statue 
  perhaps ten feet high: To the left of the entrance is a 
  spherical creature with a large central eye and many 
  smaller eyes on stalks; to the right, a dragon rearing 
  up on its hind legs, and on the far side of the room, a 
  woman with many arms and the lower body of a 
  serpent.  The statues are fashioned of the same 
  black-veined white marble from which the entire 
  room is crafted.  A fourth platform sits in the center 
  of the room, inscribed with large flowing script 
  letters all around its base: A trio of humanoid forms 
  lie unmoving on top of it. 
  • 
  Left platform (C): A beholder (DC 11 Knowledge 
  (dungeoneering) to identify). 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 19 
  • 
  Right platform (A): Prominent neck frill, spiky 
  osseous growths at the front and rear of the jaw … a 
  red dragon (DC 15 Knowledge (arcana) to identify). 
  • 
  Far platform (B): A marilith demon (DC 19 
  Knowledge (the planes) to identify). 
   
  The inscription is in Ancient Suel: “This is the 
  womb of the Dark Mother, in which the true 
  believer may find the path to true power.” 
   
  Allow a DC 16 Knowledge (religion) check if no one 
  recognized the entrance as symbolic of Beltar.  The three 
  monster statues reflect the three forms in which Beltar is 
  normally worshipped. 
   
  The humanoid forms lying on the center dais are 
  Orwin Tracker and two of the County Guard from 
  Baransford.  They’re alive and stable at -1 hp ONLY if the 
  pixies brought the PCs to this valley via teleportation, 
  and tragically dead otherwise; they are clad in their 
  weapons and armor but appear to be frost-bitten.  Spells 
  that cause damage over a large area might cause these 
  helpless persons to be killed before they can be rescued. 
   
  Anyone using detect evil is impacted by an 
  overwhelming aura of evil: On the first round, the caster 
  senses the presence of evil, and on the second round, if 
  the caster is of good alignment and of 10th level or less, 
  they are stunned for 1 round and the spell ends. 
   
  Anyone using detect magic senses an overwhelming 
  magical aura on the platform in the center of the room.  A 
  DC 25 Spellcraft check is required to identify each aura; 
  one is Necromancy, and the other Transmutation. 
   
  The corners of the room are heaped horribly 
  with desiccated, mummified corpses, all naked or 
  clad in only the merest rags.  Many are orcs and 
  goblinoids, but a few are human or smaller than 
  human and several are large enough to be giants of 
  some sort or another.  At the walls they all merge 
  into dust, fragments of bone, and clumps of hair. 
   
  Our prime mover in this adventure, a brain-in-a-jar, 
  dwells in serene contemplation of the will of Beltar 
  within this unholy space.  Its “jar” is the beholder statue, 
  in which it can fly around at will: This unusual container 
  is already figured into the creature’s AC, and the lack of 
  an obvious target is also figured into the EL of the 
  encounter. It will not converse to any useful end with the 
  PCs, using its telepathy only to mock their feeble efforts 
  by endlessly repeating the text of the inscription on the 
  central dais. 
  APL 4 (EL 6) 
  � Brain in a Jar: hp 27, see Appendix 1. 
  APL 6 (EL 8) 
  � Brain in a Jar, Elite Advanced: hp 63, see 
  Appendix 2. 
  APL 8 (EL 10) 
  � Brain in a Jar TombWarden2, Advanced: hp 
  84, see Appendix 3. 
  APL 10 (EL 12) 
  � Brain in a Jar TombWarden3, Advanced 
  Spellstitched: hp 93, see Appendix 4. 
   
  Tactics: The brain begins its assaults on the PCs 
  subtly, trying to use suggestion to disarm dangerous-
  looking PCs.  It might use dominate person to cause a 
  fighter-type to assault his fellows, and its mental blast can 
  cover most of the room.  Only if its hiding place is in 
  danger of being discovered will it reveal itself by flying to 
  safety and using more overt powers.  The brain is both 
  confident and insane; it does nothing rash but it stays on 
  the offensive until destroyed.  It has no concept of the 
  outside world, and neither knows nor cares that the 
  mausoleum under its care and supervision is on the verge 
  of being destroyed by the death of the glacier that has 
  been its protection for uncounted millennia. 
   
  Note: This structure is very, very unstable.  If 
  anyone uses spells that cause fire damage (even our 
  ‘brainy’ little monster), describe how the structure shifts 
  and groans and blocks of ice fall in through suddenly-
  widening cracks in the ceiling.  Upon the death of the 
  brain-in-a-jar, ice-falls and quakes and the shrieks of 
  shredding stone grows exponentially: Any PC who is still 
  in the room five rounds after this starts is killed by the 
  collapse of the glacier; irrevocably if the PCs don’t possess 
  magical means of recovering the body from under tons of 
  glacial ice. 
  CONCLUSION 
  ORWIN IS ALIVE 
   
  With a shrieking, shattering roar, the unstable 
  glacier collapses into itself and smashes downhill 
  into the lake, carried on a stampede of watery 
  violence.  From your safe perch on the mountain 
  slope above the chaos, the majesty of the scene is 
  breathtaking.  Nothing of the ancient, bone-white 
  temple remains intact; its black-veined marble and 
  its countless corpses alike are ground into so much 
  insignificance beneath nature’s uncaring onslaught. 
   
  Detect magic used at this point reveals the previous 
  auras (overwhelming Necromancy and Transmutation) 
  are fading quickly and dispersing over a wide area as fast-
  flowing ice tears the temple to meaningless, irregular 
  blocks and shards.  Likewise, detect evil no longer stuns 
  most casters and shows a fast-fading aura. 
   
  If the PCs have not yet made an attempt to revive 
  Orwin Tracker or any of his companions that they 
  managed to evacuate, they notice now that he has a 
  bandolier that holds a number of potions, each clearly 
  labeled cure light wounds, equal to the number of 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 20 
  evacuated captives plus one.  It is assumed that, for ease 
  of transport, reviving the men will be the sensible course 
  of action. 
   
  Orwin Tracker expresses his heartfelt thanks to 
  the entire group of rescuers, but speaks most on the 
  trip back towards Baransford to the bearer of the 
  ring of friend shield that matches his.  “I assume you 
  fought those black dragons by the lake, eh?  They 
  took out most of my men and forced us to flee.  They 
  wouldn’t come close to the glacier, though, so we 
  went up the hill looking for a way out of and around 
  this valley…and that’s the last thing I remember.” 
   
  The journey back to Baransford is uneventful, 
  the precise opposite of your trip into the mountains. 
   With Orwin by your side, the farm families of the 
  uplands are much more friendly, and healthy, hearty 
  meals and warm comfortable beds are offered to you 
  for the night you must spend on the road.  On your 
  return to town, you are asked to make a report to the 
  Lord Mayor’s personal secretary and lorist, Plorin. 
   
  If time permits, allow one or more PCs to describe 
  their own version of events, including theories as to the 
  nature of the gold rush and their theories behind the 
  glacier-temple.  If time is short, then just keep reading. 
   
  Plorin promises to make a full report to the 
  Lord Mayor; he thanks you for rescuing whomever 
  you managed to bring back to Baransford and 
  requests that you wait around town another day or 
  two should ”any other authorities” ask to speak to 
  them.  You stay at the River Rest as the guests of 
  Meklir Dockman during this time; Fastau of Zilchus 
  picks up every copper of your considerable expenses 
  for a few very pleasant days.  On the evening of the 
  second day, you attend a sumptuous private party at 
  the Red Tower, and the first citizens of the town 
  toast your heroism over and over.  You have earned 
  the deep gratitude of these very influential persons 
  and brought together a community on the brink of 
  tearing itself apart.  The contrasts remain, but the 
  deeper truths that bind them all are stronger for 
  your actions. 
   
  PCs that reach this conclusion gain the Greater 
  Gratitude of Baransford AR effect.  Cross out the 
  Lesser Gratitude of Baransford and Enmity of 
  Baransford AR effects. 
  ORWIN IS DEAD BUT RECOVERED 
   
  With a shrieking, shattering roar, the unstable 
  glacier collapses into itself and smashes downhill 
  into the lake, carried on a stampede of watery 
  violence.  From your safe perch on the mountain 
  slope above the chaos, the majesty of the scene is 
  breathtaking.  Nothing of the ancient, bone-white 
  temple remains intact; its black-veined marble and 
  its countless corpses alike are ground into so much 
  insignificance beneath nature’s onslaught. 
   
  Detect magic used at this point reveals the previous 
  auras (overwhelming Necromancy and Transmutation) 
  are fading quickly and dispersing over a wide area as fast-
  flowing ice tears the temple to meaningless, irregular 
  blocks and shards.  Likewise, detect evil no longer stuns 
  most casters and shows a fast-fading aura. 
   
  If the PCs managed to evacuate anyone but Orwin 
  Tracker alive from the collapsing temple, that person is 
  revealed as a Keolander, a native of the County of Cryllor 
  and a member of the County Guard.  He has no 
  meaningful information to reveal and will not aid the 
  party greatly on their return to town.   
   
  The journey back to Baransford is uneventful, 
  the precise opposite of your trip into the mountains. 
   Orwin’s body is a burden, but the farm families of 
  the uplands seem to have heard of your plight and 
  they are willing to aid you…albeit without any great 
  enthusiasm.  A drafty barn is made available for the 
  night you must spend on the road, and an offer of 
  some bread and cheese as well.  On your return to 
  town, you are asked to make a report to the Lord 
  Mayor’s personal secretary and lorist, Plorin. 
   
  If time permits, allow one or more PCs to describe 
  their own version of events, including theories as to the 
  nature of the gold rush and their theories behind the 
  glacier-temple.  If time is short, then just keep reading. 
   
  Plorin promises to make a full report to the 
  Lord Mayor; he requests that you wait around town 
  another day or two should “any other authorities” 
  ask to speak to them.  You stay at whatever 
  establishment will have you, as the town is still very 
  crowded with immigrants.  On the evening of the 
  second day, you attend a small private party at the 
  Red Tower, and the first citizens of the town salute 
  you for your heroism; Orwin Tracker is in 
  attendance, looking tired from the (quite literally) 
  harrowing ordeal of having been raised from the 
  dead.  You have earned the gratitude of several 
  influential persons, and you have managed to bring 
  together a community on the brink of tearing itself 
  apart.  The contrasts remain, but the deeper truths 
  that bind them all prevailed because of your actions. 
   
  PCs that reach this conclusion gain the Lesser 
  Gratitude of Baransford AR effect.  Cross out the 
  Greater Gratitude of Baransford and Enmity of 
  Baransford AR effects. 
  ORWIN IS DEAD AND UNRECOVERABLE 
   
  With a shrieking, shattering roar, the unstable 
  glacier collapses into itself and smashes downhill 
  into the lake, carried on a stampede of watery 
  violence.  From your safe perch on the mountain 
  slope above the chaos, the majesty of the scene is 
  breathtaking.  Nothing of the ancient, bone-white 
  temple remains intact; its black-veined marble and 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 21 
  its countless corpses alike are ground into so much 
  insignificance beneath nature’s onslaught. 
   
  Detect 
  magic 
  reveals 
  the 
  previous 
  auras 
  (overwhelming Necromancy and Transmutation) are 
  fading quickly and dispersing over a wide area as fast-
  flowing ice tears the temple to meaningless, irregular 
  blocks and shards.  Likewise, detect evil no longer stuns 
  most casters and shows a fast-fading aura. 
   
  If the PCs managed to evacuate anyone but Orwin 
  Tracker alive from the collapsing temple, that person is 
  revealed as a Keolander, a native of the County of Cryllor 
  and a member of the County Guard.  He has no 
  meaningful information to reveal and will not aid the 
  party greatly on their return to town.   
   
  The journey back to Baransford is uneventful, 
  the precise opposite of your trip into the mountains. 
   The farm families of the uplands all seem to have 
  heard of your passing, and they avoid contact with 
  you, even going so far as to flee their homes to avoid 
  you.  The night you must spend on the road is 
  uncomfortable yet unremarkable.  On your return to 
  town, you are asked to make a report to the Lord 
  Mayor’s personal secretary and lorist, Plorin. 
   
  If time permits, allow one or more PCs to describe 
  their own version of events, including theories as to the 
  nature of the gold rush and their theories behind the 
  glacier-temple.  If time is short, then just keep reading. 
   
  Plorin promises to make a full report to the 
  Lord Mayor; he requests that you wait around town 
  another day or two should “any other authorities” 
  ask to speak to them.  You stay at whatever 
  establishment will have you, as the town is still very 
  crowded with immigrants.  On the evening of the 
  second day, you are visited at your inn by Fastau of 
  Zilchus; he seems to compulsively finger and twirl 
  the now-useless ring of friend shield around his 
  finger.   “I am sorry that things did not work out 
  better, but we thank you for your efforts 
  nevertheless,” he says with a sad tone.  “My friends 
  and myself are now faced with a town on the brink 
  of tearing itself apart, and only time and the gods 
  know where the recriminations and mounting 
  violence will end.  I can only surmise that the 
  contrasts between so many nations, so many races, 
  and so many ideals were too great to bend to the 
  deeper truth of community.  It might be best if you 
  avoided Baransford for the time being.” 
   
  PCs that reach this conclusion gain the Enmity of 
  Baransford AR effect.  Cross out the Greater Gratitude 
  of Baransford and Lesser Gratitude of Baransford AR 
  effects. 
   
   
  The End 
   
  EXPERIENCE POINT 
  SUMMARY 
  To award experience for this adventure, add up the values 
  for the objectives accomplished. Then assign the 
  experience award.  Award the total value (objectives plus 
  roleplaying) to each character. 
  Encounter 4 
  Defeat the goblinoids or force them to flee. 
   
  APL 4: 180 xp. 
   
  APL 6: 240 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 300 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 360 xp. 
  Encounter 6 
  Defeat the dragons or force them to flee. 
   
  APL 4: 180 xp. 
   
  APL 6: 240 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 300 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 360 xp. 
  Encounter 7 
  Defeat the brain-in-a-jar. 
   
  APL 4: 180 xp. 
   
  APL 6: 240 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 300 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 360 xp. 
  Story Award 
  PCs are invited to dine with the NPC (Encounter 1). 
   
  APL 4: 35 xp. 
   
  APL 6: 45 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 55 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 65 xp. 
  PCs do not harm or use nonlethal methods on the 
  farmers (Encounter 3). 
   
  APL 4: 35 xp. 
   
  APL 6: 45 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 55 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 65 xp. 
  PCs do not alienate the pixies (Encounter 5). 
   
  APL 4: 35 xp. 
   
  APL 6: 45 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 55 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 65 xp. 
  Discretionary Roleplaying Award 
   
  APL 4: 30 xp. 
   
  APL 6: 45 xp. 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 22 
   
  APL 8: 60 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 75 xp. 
  Total possible experience 
   
  APL 4: 675 xp. 
   
  APL 6: 900 xp. 
   
  APL 8: 1,125 xp. 
   
  APL 10: 1,350 xp. 
  TREASURE SUMMARY 
  During an adventure, characters encounter treasure, 
  usually finding it in the possession of their foes.  Every 
  encounter that features treasure has a “treasure” section 
  within the encounter description, giving information 
  about the loot, coins, and magic items that make up the 
  encounter’s treasure. 
   
  The loot total is the number of gold pieces each 
  character gains if the foes are plundered of all their earthly 
  possessions.  Looting the bodies takes at least 10 minutes 
  per every 5 enemies, and if the characters cannot take the 
  time to loot the bodies, they do not gain this gold.  If you 
  feel it is reasonable that characters can go back to loot the 
  bodies, and those bodies are there (i.e., not carted off by 
  dungeon scavengers, removed from the scene by the local 
  watch, and so on), characters may return to retrieve loot.  If 
  the characters do not loot the body, the gold piece value for 
  the loot is subtracted from the encounter totals given 
  below. 
   
  The coin total is the number of gold pieces each 
  character gains if they take the coin available.  A normal 
  adventuring party can usually gather this wealth in a round 
  or so.  If for some reason, they pass up this treasure, the 
  coin total is subtracted from the encounter totals given 
  below. 
   
  Next, the magic items are listed.  Magic item treasure 
  is the hardest to adjudicate, because they are varied and 
  because characters may want to use them during the 
  adventure.  Many times characters must cast identify, analyze 
  dweomer or similar spell to determine what the item does 
  and how to activate it.  Other times they may attempt to 
  use the item blindly.  If the magic item is consumable (a 
  potion, scroll, magic bolts, etc.) and the item is used before 
  the end of the adventure, its total is subtracted from the 
  adventure totals below. 
   
  Once you have subtracted the value for unclaimed 
  treasure from each encounter add it up and that is the 
  number of gold pieces a characters total and coin value 
  increase at the end of the adventure.  Write the total in the 
  GP Gained field of the adventure certificate.  Because this is 
  a Regional adventure, characters may spend additional 
  Time Units to practice professions or create items 
  immediately after the adventure so this total may be 
  modified by other circumstances. 
   
  L = Looted gear from enemy; C = Coin, Gems, Jewelry, 
  and other valuables; M = Magic Items. 
  Encounter 4: 
  APL 4: L: 365 gp, C: 0 gp, M: ring of jumping (208 gp), 
  6 potions of cat’s grace (25 gp each). 
  APL 6: L: 93 gp, C: 0 gp, M: ring of jumping (208 gp), 
  +1 chain shirt (104 gp), +1 heavy flail (193 gp), 6 potions 
  of cat’s grace (25 gp each), 6 +1 composite shortbows (+1 
  Str bonus) (204 gp each). 
  APL 8: L: 3 gp, C: 0 gp, M: ring of jumping (208 gp), +2 
  chain shirt (354 gp), +1 heavy flail (193 gp), gauntlets of 
  ogre power (333 gp), 4 potions of cat’s grace (25 gp each), 
  4 mithral chain shirts (92 gp each), 4 +1 composite 
  shortbows (+1 Str bonus) (204 gp each). 
  APL 10: L: 3 gp, C: 0 gp, M: ring of jumping (208 gp), 
  +2 chain shirt (354 gp), +1 heavy flail (693 gp), gauntlets 
  of ogre power (333 gp), 4 potions of cat’s grace (25 gp 
  each), 4 potions of shield of faith +5 (75 gp each), 4 +1 
  mithral chain shirts (175 gp each), 4 +1 composite 
  shortbows (+1 Str bonus) (204 gp each). 
  Encounter 6: 
  APL 4: L: 0 gp, C: 35 gp, M: pearl of power – 1st level 
  spell (83 gp), brooch of shielding (125 gp). 
  APL 6: L: 0 gp, C: 50 gp, M: golembane scarab (208 gp), 
  pearl of power – 2nd level spell (333 gp), pearl of power – 1st 
  level spell (83 gp), brooch of shielding (125 gp). 
  APL 8: L: 0 gp, C: 65 gp, M: ioun stone – clear spindle 
  (333 gp), ioun stone – dusty rose prism (417 gp), 
  golembane scarab (208 gp), pearl of power – 2nd level spell 
  (333 gp), pearl of power – 1st level spell (83 gp), brooch of 
  shielding (125 gp). 
  APL 10: L: 0 gp, C: 80 gp, M: periapt of health (617 gp), 
  pearl of power – 3rd level spell (750 gp), ioun stone – clear 
  spindle (333 gp), ioun stone – dusty rose prism (417 gp), 
  golembane scarab (208 gp), pearl of power – 2nd level spell 
  (333 gp), pearl of power – 1st level spell (83 gp), brooch of 
  shielding (125 gp). 
  Total Possible Treasure (Maximum Reward 
  Allowed) 
  APL 4: L: 365 gp, C: 35 gp, M: 566 gp – Total: 966 gp 
  (650 gp). 
  APL 6: L: 93 gp, C: 50 gp, M: 2,628 gp – Total: 2,771 
  gp (900 gp). 
  APL 8: L: 3 gp, C: 65 gp, M: 3,871 gp – Total: 3,939 gp 
  (1,300 gp). 
  APL 10: L: 3 gp, C: 80 gp, M: 6,370 gp – Total: 6,453 
  gp (2,300 gp). 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 23 
  ITEMS FOR THE ADVENTURE 
  RECORD 
  Special 
  � Greater Gratitude of Baransford: You have 
  performed a mighty service for the citizens of Baransford, 
  who have arranged to reward you well. Your lifestyle 
  costs for this adventure are zero for standard lifestyle and 
  halved for rich or luxury lifestyle, since the first citizens 
  of the town pick up most of your ordinary expenses. 
   
  In addition, you may expend this Gratitude to gain 
  the same lifestyle cost reduction benefit on this PC’s next 
  two adventures in the Sheldomar Valley metaregion after 
  the Gratitude is expended.  Those two adventures also 
  cost 1 less TU (minimum 1 TU cost), as contacts with 
  local guilds speed your passage and provide for your 
  needs.  This Gratitude must be spent within 1 calendar 
  year of the date on this AR.  Mark this Gratitude as USED 
  when it is expended. 
  � Lesser Gratitude of Baransford: You have 
  performed a mighty service for the citizens of Baransford, 
  who have arranged to reward you in kind. Your lifestyle 
  costs for this adventure are normal, as donations from the 
  locals offset the inflated prices found during the gold 
  rush. 
   
  In addition, you may expend this Gratitude to gain 
  free standard lifestyle on this PC’s next adventure in the 
  Sheldomar Valley metaregion after the Gratitude is 
  expended.  This next adventure also costs 1 less TU 
  (minimum 1 TU cost), as contacts with local guilds speed 
  your passage and provide for your needs.  This Gratitude 
  must be spent within 1 calendar year of the date on this 
  AR.  Mark this Gratitude as USED when it is expended. 
  � Enmity of Baransford: You have failed the first 
  citizens of Baransford in their time of need, and this 
  failure will not soon be forgotten.  Your lifestyle costs for 
  this adventure are doubled as you suffer the full effects of 
  the town’s inflated prices.  In addition, your lifestyle costs 
  for your next two adventures in the Sheldomar Valley 
  metaregion are also doubled, and you must spend 1 
  additional TU on these adventures, as persons who know 
  the real story behind the Baransford situation interfere 
  with your travel. 
  � Pixie Pal: The pixies of the Joten foothills have taken 
  a liking to you, and they pop up to ‘help’ you at the oddest 
  times.  At the beginning of any adventure set in the 
  Sheldomar Valley metaregion your DM rolls a d20—on a 
  roll of 1-2 or 19-20, a pixie has decided to visit you for the 
  duration of the adventure (1-2 is a male, 19-20 is a 
  female).  The pixie has no practical effect on any combat 
  situation in the adventure, but its presence will give this 
  PC a +2 bonus (as if assisting) on Bluff and Sense Motive 
  checks.  It thinks you’re ever so cute; it will make the 
  occasional pun and giggle at odd moments, all at the 
  whim of the DM.  These visits will end 1 calendar year 
  after the date on this AR, as the pixies eventually become 
  bored and move on. 
   
  In addition, a 7th level PC with the Leadership feat 
  and a Leadership Score of 7 may choose to take a pixie 
  (one without Otto’s irresistible dance) as a cohort.  This 
  pixie cohort is created using the rules in the LGCS and 
  the information for a pixie in the Monster Manual (page 
  236).  It starts play at least as a standard pixie, can advance 
  by HD or as a sorcerer only, and may enter play already 
  advanced, as long as its Cohort Level/ECL (HD + sorcerer 
  levels + 4) is within the limits in the Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide (page 106). 
  � Fey Foe: The pixies of the Joten foothills have decided 
  that you’re a poopie-head, and they show up to mock you 
  at the oddest times.  At the beginning of any adventure 
  set in the Sheldomar Valley metaregion your DM rolls a 
  d20—on a roll of 1-2 or 19-20, a pixie has decided to visit 
  you for the duration of the adventure (1-2 is a male, 19-20 
  is a female).  The pixie has no practical effect on any 
  combat situation in the adventure, but its presence will 
  result in a -2 penalty to your Bluff and Sense Motive 
  checks. It will make an occasional pun and loud 
  imitations of bodily noises at inappropriate times, all at 
  the whim of the DM.  These visits will end 1 calendar 
  year after the date on this AR, as the pixies eventually 
  become bored and move on. 
  Item Access 
  APL 4: 
  • 
  Brooch of Shielding (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s Guide) 
  • 
  Pearl of Power, 1st Level Spell (Adventure; Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide) 
  • 
  Ring of Jumping (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s Guide) 
  • 
  Rings of Friend Shield (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide) 
   
  APL 6 (all of APL 4 plus the following): 
  • 
  Pearl of Power, 2nd Level Spell (Adventure; Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide) 
  • 
  Scarab, Golembane (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s Guide) 
   
  APL 8 (all of APLs 4, 6 plus the following): 
  • 
  +2 Chain Shirt (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s Guide) 
  • 
  Ioun Stone, Clear Spindle (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide) 
  • 
  Ioun Stone, Dusty Rose Prism (Adventure; Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide) 
  • 
  Mithral Chain Shirt (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide) 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 24 
   
  APL 10 (all of APLs 4, 6, 8 plus the following): 
  • 
  +1 Mithral Chain Shirt (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide) 
  • 
  +2 Heavy Flail (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s Guide) 
  • 
  Pearl of Power, 3rd Level Spell (Adventure; Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide) 
  • 
  Periapt of Health (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s Guide) 
  • 
  Potion of Shield of Faith +5 (Adventure; Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide) 
   
   
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 25 
  APPENDIX 1 – APL 4 
   
  ENCOUNTER 4 
   
   
   
   
  Bugbear Bbn1: CR 3; Medium humanoid (goblinoid); 
  HD 3d8+1d12+8; hp 33; Init +4; Spd 40 ft.; AC 21, touch 
  14, flat-footed 17 (+4 Dex, +4 armor, +3 natural); Base Atk 
  +3; Grp +8; Atk +10 melee (1d10+7/19-20, masterwork 
  heavy flail); Full Atk +10 melee (1d10+7/19-20, 
  masterwork heavy flail); SA rage 1/day; SQ darkvision 60 
  ft., fast movement; AL NE; SV Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +2; Str 
  21, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 6.  
   
  Skills and Feats: Hide +5, Jump +21, Listen +3, Move 
  Silently +8; Power Attack, Weapon Focus (heavy flail). 
   
  Languages: Common, Goblin. 
   
  Possessions: masterwork chain shirt, masterwork 
  heavy flail, ring of jumping. 
  Winged Goblin War1: CR 1, Small humanoid 
  (goblinoid); HD 1d8+1; hp 9; Init +5; Spd 30 ft., fly 50 ft. 
  (perfect); AC 19, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+5 Dex, +1 size, 
  +3 armor); Base Atk +1; Grp -2; Atk +8 ranged (1d4+1/x3, 
  masterwork composite shortbow) or +3 melee (1d4+1, 
  short sword); Full Atk +8 ranged (1d4+1/x3, masterwork 
  composite shortbow) or +3 melee (1d4+1, short sword); 
  SA —; SQ darkvision 60 ft., flight; AL NE; SV Fort +3, Ref 
  +5, Will +2; Str 12, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6.  
   
  Skills and Feats: Hide +13, Move Silently +13; Flyby 
  Attack.  
   
  Languages: Goblin. 
   
  Possessions: short sword, masterwork composite 
  shortbow (+1 Str bonus), masterwork studded leather 
  armor, potion of cat’s grace. 
  ENCOUNTER 6 
   
   
   
   
  Black Dragon, Very Young: Small Dragon (Water); CR 
  4; HD 7d12+7; hp 69; Init +0; Spd 60 ft., fly 100 ft. 
  (average), swim 60 ft.; AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+1 
  size, +6 natural); Base Atk/Grp: +7/+4; Atk +9 melee 
  (1d6+1, bite) or +9 melee (1d4+1, claw); Full Atk +9 melee 
  (1d6+1, bite) and +7 melee (1d4, 2 claws); SA breath 
  weapon; SQ immunity to acid, immunity to sleep and 
  paralysis 
  effects, 
  blindsense, 
  keen 
  senses, 
  water 
  breathing; AL CE; SV Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +5; Str 13, Dex 
  10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Hide +14, Listen +10, Move Silently 
  +10, Search +9, Spot +10; Flyby Attack, Multiattack, 
  Wingover. 
   
  Breath Weapon (Su): 40 ft. line of acid, 4d4 acid 
  damage, DC 14 Reflex half, save DC is Con-based. 
   
  Water Breathing (Ex): A black dragon can breathe 
  underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath 
  weapon, spells, and other abilities while submerged. 
   
  Languages: Draconic. 
  ENCOUNTER 7 
   
   
   
   
  Brain in a Jar: Tiny Undead; CR 5; HD 3d12; hp 27; Init 
  +2; Spd fly 30 ft. (good); AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 17 
  (+2 Dex, +1 deflection, +2 size, +4 armor); Base Atk/Grp: 
  —/—; Atk —; Full Atk —; SA mind thrust, psionics, 
  rebuke undead 6/day (+5, 2d6+6, 3rd); SQ blindsight 60 ft., 
  darkvision 60 ft., madness, telepathy, undead traits, +4 
  turn resistance; AL NE; SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +6; Str —
  , Dex 14, Con —, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 16.  Libris Mortis, 
  page 90. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Bluff +9, Diplomacy +9, Knowledge 
  (arcana) +9, Knowledge (history) +9, Knowledge 
  (religion) +9, Listen +9, Spot +9; Alertness, Iron Will. 
   
  Mind Thrust (Su): A brain in a jar can spend a 
  standard action to deliver a massive assault on the 
  thought pathways of any one creature within 60 ft., 
  undermining its intellect.  This mind thrust deals 2d10 
  points of damage to any target creature that fails a DC 14 
  Will save.  The save DC is Cha-based. 
   
  Psionics (Sp): 3/day—suggestion (DC 16), telekinesis 
  (DC 18); 1/day—dominate person (DC 18).  Manifester 
  level 10th.  The save DCs are Cha-based. 
   
  Rebuke Undead (Su): A brain in a jar can rebuke or 
  command undead as a cleric of the same level as the 
  brain’s HD. 
   
  Madness (Su): Anyone targeting a brain in a jar 
  with a thought detection, mind control, or any sort of 
  telepathic or psionic ability that makes direct contact 
  with its tortured mind takes 1d4 points of Wis damage. 
   
  Telepathy (Su): A brain in a jar can speak 
  telepathically to any creature within 100 feet that has a 
  language. 
   
  Description: Something gray and shriveled sloshes within a 
  grimy glass canister – a disembodied brain afloat in alchemical 
  preservatives.  The brain in a jar is a masterpiece of 
  preservation – but where alchemical preservatives leave 
  off, necromancy picks up.  An animate brain in a jar is, in 
  truth, an undead creature.  Additionally, possibly because 
  it is free of the need to worry about controlling and 
  animating an entire body, a brain in a jar possesses potent 
  mental powers.  Of course, merely removing the brain of 
  a zombie or some other undead creature and storing it in 
  alchemical preservatives is not enough to create an 
  undead brain with psionic ability.  The ritual of 
  extraction, the spells of formulation, and the alchemical 
  recipes of preservation are closely guarded secrets held 
  by only a few master necromancers.  The creation of a 
  brain in a jar is difficult and fraught with danger, because 
  once its mental powers are fully developed, this undead 
  creature is adept at controlling the thoughts and minds of 
  other creatures, especially living creatures.  It is not 
  unknown for a brain in a jar to take control over the 
  necromancer who created it.  A brain in a jar weighs 
  about 25 pounds, which includes the weight of the glass 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 26 
  canister and the preservative fluids.  Combat: A brain in 
  a jar prefers control to direct combat, since brains in 
  fragile glass jars can’t stand too much jostling.  However, 
  when it can’t stay completely clear of combat, it seeks to 
  put off aggressors with its mind thrust ability. 
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 27 
  APPENDIX 2 – APL 6 
   
  ENCOUNTER 4 
   
   
   
   
  Bugbear Bbn1/Ftr2: CR 5; Medium humanoid 
  (goblinoid); HD 3d8+1d12+2d10+12; hp 51; Init +8; Spd 
  40 ft.; AC 22, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+4 Dex, +5 armor, 
  +3 natural); Base Atk +5; Grp +10; Atk +12 melee 
  (1d10+8/19-20, +1 heavy flail); Full Atk +12 melee 
  (1d10+8/19-20, +1 heavy flail); SA rage 1/day; SQ 
  darkvision 60 ft., fast movement; AL NE; SV Fort +8, Ref 
  +7, Will +2; Str 21, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 6.  
   
  Skills and Feats: Hide +5, Jump +23, Listen +3, Move 
  Silently +8; Combat ReflexesB, Improved Bull Rush, 
  Improved InitiativeB, Power Attack, Weapon Focus 
  (heavy flail). 
   
  Languages: Common, Goblin. 
   
  Possessions: +1 chain shirt, +1 heavy flail, ring of jumping. 
  Winged Goblin War3: CR 2, Small humanoid 
  (goblinoid); HD 3d8+3; hp 21; Init +5; Spd 30 ft., fly 50 ft. 
  (perfect); AC 19, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+5 Dex, +1 size, 
  +3 armor); Base Atk +3; Grp +0; Atk +10 ranged 
  (1d4+2/x3, +1 composite shortbow) or +5 melee (1d4+1, 
  short sword); Full Atk +10 ranged (1d4+2/x3, +1 composite 
  shortbow) or +5 melee (1d4+1, short sword); SA —; SQ 
  darkvision 60 ft., flight; AL NE; SV Fort +4, Ref +6, Will 
  +3; Str 12, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6.  
   
  Skills and Feats: Hide +15, Move Silently +15; Flyby 
  Attack, Point Blank Shot.  
   
  Languages: Goblin. 
   
  Possessions: short sword, +1 composite shortbow (+1 Str 
  bonus), masterwork studded leather armor, potion of cat’s 
  grace. 
  ENCOUNTER 6 
   
   
   
   
  Black Dragon, Very Young: Small Dragon (Water); CR 
  4; HD 7d12+7; hp 69; Init +0; Spd 60 ft., fly 100 ft. 
  (average), swim 60 ft.; AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+1 
  size, +6 natural); Base Atk/Grp: +7/+4; Atk +9 melee 
  (1d6+1, bite) or +9 melee (1d4+1, claw); Full Atk +9 melee 
  (1d6+1, bite) and +7 melee (1d4, 2 claws); SA breath 
  weapon; SQ immunity to acid, immunity to sleep and 
  paralysis 
  effects, 
  blindsense, 
  keen 
  senses, 
  water 
  breathing; AL CE; SV Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +5; Str 13, Dex 
  10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Hide +14, Listen +10, Move Silently 
  +10, Search +9, Spot +10; Flyby Attack, Multiattack, 
  Wingover. 
   
  Breath Weapon (Su): 40 ft. line of acid, 4d4 acid 
  damage, DC 14 Reflex half, save DC is Con-based. 
   
  Water Breathing (Ex): A black dragon can breathe 
  underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath 
  weapon, spells, and other abilities while submerged. 
   
  Languages: Draconic. 
  ENCOUNTER 7 
   
   
   
   
  Brain in a Jar, Elite Advanced: Tiny Undead; CR 7; HD 
  7d12; hp 63; Init +3; Spd fly 30 ft. (good); AC 20, touch 16, 
  flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +1 deflection, +2 size, +4 armor); 
  Base Atk/Grp: —/—; Atk —; Full Atk —; SA mind 
  thrust, psionics, rebuke undead 9/day (+9, 2d6+13, 7th); 
  SQ blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., madness, telepathy, 
  undead traits, +8 turn resistance; AL NE; SV Fort +4, Ref 
  +5, Will +8; Str —, Dex 16, Con —, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 
  23.  Libris Mortis, page 90. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Bluff +16, Diplomacy +18, Disguise +6 
  (+8 acting), Hide +16, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (arcana) 
  +14, Knowledge (history) +14, Knowledge (religion) +14, 
  Listen +15, Spot +15; Alertness, Great Fortitude, 
  Improved Turn ResistanceLM.  LMLibris Mortis. 
   
  Mind Thrust (Su): A brain in a jar can spend a 
  standard action to deliver a massive assault on the 
  thought pathways of any one creature within 60 ft., 
  undermining its intellect.  This mind thrust deals 2d10 
  points of damage to any target creature that fails a DC 19 
  Will save.  The save DC is Cha-based. 
   
  Psionics (Sp): 3/day—suggestion (DC 19), telekinesis 
  (DC 21); 1/day—dominate person (DC 21).  Manifester 
  level 10th.  The save DCs are Cha-based. 
   
  Rebuke Undead (Su): A brain in a jar can rebuke or 
  command undead as a cleric of the same level as the 
  brain’s HD. 
   
  Madness (Su): Anyone targeting a brain in a jar 
  with a thought detection, mind control, or any sort of 
  telepathic or psionic ability that makes direct contact 
  with its tortured mind takes 1d4 points of Wis damage. 
   
  Telepathy (Su): A brain in a jar can speak 
  telepathically to any creature within 100 feet that has a 
  language. 
   
  Description: Something gray and shriveled sloshes within a 
  grimy glass canister – a disembodied brain afloat in alchemical 
  preservatives.  The brain in a jar is a masterpiece of 
  preservation – but where alchemical preservatives leave 
  off, necromancy picks up.  An animate brain in a jar is, in 
  truth, an undead creature.  Additionally, possibly because 
  it is free of the need to worry about controlling and 
  animating an entire body, a brain in a jar possesses potent 
  mental powers.  Of course, merely removing the brain of 
  a zombie or some other undead creature and storing it in 
  alchemical preservatives is not enough to create an 
  undead brain with psionic ability.  The ritual of 
  extraction, the spells of formulation, and the alchemical 
  recipes of preservation are closely guarded secrets held 
  by only a few master necromancers.  The creation of a 
  brain in a jar is difficult and fraught with danger, because 
  once its mental powers are fully developed, this undead 
  creature is adept at controlling the thoughts and minds of 
  other creatures, especially living creatures.  It is not 
  unknown for a brain in a jar to take control over the 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 28 
  necromancer who created it.  A brain in a jar weighs 
  about 25 pounds, which includes the weight of the glass 
  canister and the preservative fluids.  Combat: A brain in 
  a jar prefers control to direct combat, since brains in 
  fragile glass jars can’t stand too much jostling.  However, 
  when it can’t stay completely clear of combat, it seeks to 
  put off aggressors with its mind thrust ability. 
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 29 
  APPENDIX 3 – APL 8 
   
  ENCOUNTER 4 
   
   
   
   
  Bugbear Bbn1/Ftr4: CR 7; Medium humanoid 
  (goblinoid); HD 3d8+1d12+4d10+16; hp 69; Init +8; Spd 
  40 ft.; AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 19 (+4 Dex, +6 armor, 
  +3 natural); Base Atk +7; Grp +14; Atk +16 melee 
  (1d10+13/19-20, +1 heavy flail); Full Atk +16/+11 melee 
  (1d10+13/19-20, +1 heavy flail); SA rage 1/day; SQ 
  darkvision 60 ft., fast movement; AL NE; SV Fort +9, Ref 
  +8, Will +3; Str 22 (24), Dex 18, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 
  6.  
   
  Skills and Feats: Hide +5, Jump +27, Listen +3, Move 
  Silently +8; Combat ReflexesB, Improved Bull Rush, 
  Improved InitiativeB, Power Attack, Weapon Focus 
  (heavy flail), Weapon SpecializationB (heavy flail). 
   
  Languages: Common, Goblin. 
   
  Possessions: +2 chain shirt, +1 heavy flail, ring of jumping, 
  gauntlets of ogre power. 
  Winged Goblin Rog2/Ftr2: CR 5, Small humanoid 
  (goblinoid); HD 2d6+2d10+8; hp 30; Init +6; Spd 30 ft., fly 
  50 ft. (perfect); AC 21, touch 17, flat-footed 15 (+6 Dex, +1 
  size, +4 armor); Base Atk +3; Grp +0; Atk +11 ranged 
  (1d4+2/x3, +1 composite shortbow) or +5 melee (1d4+1, 
  short sword); Full Atk +11 ranged (1d4+2/x3, +1 composite 
  shortbow) or +5 melee (1d4+1, short sword); SA sneak 
  attack +1d6; SQ darkvision 60 ft., flight, evasion, 
  trapfinding; AL NE; SV Fort +5, Ref +9, Will +2; Str 12, 
  Dex 23, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6.  
   
  Skills and Feats: Escape Artist +11, Hide +15, Listen 
  +7, Move Silently +15, Search +5, Spot +7, Tumble +13; 
  Flyby Attack, Point Blank Shot, Precise ShotB, Weapon 
  FocusB (longbow).  
   
  Languages: Goblin. 
   
  Possessions: short sword, +1 composite shortbow (+1 Str 
  bonus), mithral chain shirt, potion of cat’s grace. 
  ENCOUNTER 6 
   
   
   
   
  Black Dragon, Elite Juvenile: Medium Dragon (Water); 
  CR 7; HD 13d12+52; hp 156; Init +1; Spd 60 ft., fly 150 ft. 
  (poor), swim 60 ft.; AC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 22 (+12 
  natural, +1 Dex); Base Atk/Grp: +13/+19; Atk +19 melee 
  (2d6+6, bite) or +19 melee (1d6+6, claw) or +19 (1d4+6, 
  wing); Full Atk +19 melee (2d6+6, bite) and +17 melee 
  (1d6+3, 2 claws) and +17 (1d4+3, 2 wings); SA breath 
  weapon, spell-like abilities; SQ immunity to acid, 
  immunity to sleep and paralysis effects, blindsense, keen 
  senses, water breathing; AL CE; SV Fort +12, Ref +9, Will 
  +9; Str 22, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Hide +18, Listen +18, Move Silently 
  +18, Search +17, Sense Motive +18, Spot +18; Ability 
  Focus (breath weapon), Flyby Attack, Improved Natural 
  Attack (bite), Multiattack, Wingover. 
   
  Spell-like Abilities: 3/day—darkness.  CL 4th; save 
  DC is Cha-based. 
   
  Breath Weapon (Su): 60 ft. line of acid, 8d4 acid 
  damage, DC 22 Reflex half, save DC is Con-based. 
   
  Water Breathing (Ex): A black dragon can breathe 
  underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath 
  weapon, spells, and other abilities while submerged. 
   
  Languages: Draconic. 
  ENCOUNTER 7 
   
   
   
   
  Brain in a Jar TombWarden2, Advanced: Tiny 
  Undead; CR 9; HD 9d12+3; hp 84; Init +3; Spd fly 30 ft. 
  (good); AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +1 
  deflection, +2 size, +4 armor); Base Atk/Grp: —/—; Atk 
  —; Full Atk —; SA mind thrust, psionics, rebuke undead 
  10/day (+11, 2d6+16, 9th); SQ blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 
  60 ft., madness, telepathy, undead traits, +4 turn 
  resistance, turn immunity, tomb sense; AL NE; SV Fort 
  +7, Ref +5, Will +8; Str —, Dex 16, Con —, Int 18, Wis 16, 
  Cha 24.  Libris Mortis, pages 57 and 90. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Bluff +19, Diplomacy +21, Disguise +7 
  (+9 acting), Hide +17, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (arcana) 
  +16, Knowledge (history) +16, Knowledge (religion) +16, 
  Listen +17, Spot +17; Alertness, Great Fortitude, Profane 
  LifeleechLM, Toughness.  LMLibris Mortis. 
   
  Turn Immunity (Ex): As long as it is within the 
  tomb, graveyard, or similar resting place it protects, a 
  tomb warden is immune to turning or rebuking attempts. 
   It can still be bolstered as normal. 
   
  Tomb Sense (Su): While it is within its tomb, 
  graveyard, or similar resting place it protects, a tomb 
  warden of 2nd level or higher automatically knows the 
  precise location of all intruders within that tomb.  This 
  ability is similar to blindsense, except that it functions 
  without regard to line of effect and its effect extends to 
  every portion of the tomb. 
   
  Mind Thrust (Su): A brain in a jar can spend a 
  standard action to deliver a massive assault on the 
  thought pathways of any one creature within 60 ft., 
  undermining its intellect.  This mind thrust deals 2d10 
  points of damage to any target creature that fails a DC 20 
  Will save.  The save DC is Cha-based. 
   
  Psionics (Sp): 3/day—suggestion (DC 20), telekinesis 
  (DC 22); 1/day—dominate person (DC 22).  Manifester 
  level 10th.  The save DCs are Cha-based. 
   
  Rebuke Undead (Su): A brain in a jar can rebuke or 
  command undead as a cleric of the same level as the 
  brain’s HD. 
   
  Madness (Su): Anyone targeting a brain in a jar 
  with a thought detection, mind control, or any sort of 
  telepathic or psionic ability that makes direct contact 
  with its tortured mind takes 1d4 points of Wis damage. 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 30 
   
  Telepathy (Su): A brain in a jar can speak 
  telepathically to any creature within 100 feet that has a 
  language. 
   
  Description: Something gray and shriveled sloshes within a 
  grimy glass canister – a disembodied brain afloat in alchemical 
  preservatives.  The brain in a jar is a masterpiece of 
  preservation – but where alchemical preservatives leave 
  off, necromancy picks up.  An animate brain in a jar is, in 
  truth, an undead creature.  Additionally, possibly because 
  it is free of the need to worry about controlling and 
  animating an entire body, a brain in a jar possesses potent 
  mental powers.  Of course, merely removing the brain of 
  a zombie or some other undead creature and storing it in 
  alchemical preservatives is not enough to create an 
  undead brain with psionic ability.  The ritual of 
  extraction, the spells of formulation, and the alchemical 
  recipes of preservation are closely guarded secrets held 
  by only a few master necromancers.  The creation of a 
  brain in a jar is difficult and fraught with danger, because 
  once its mental powers are fully developed, this undead 
  creature is adept at controlling the thoughts and minds of 
  other creatures, especially living creatures.  It is not 
  unknown for a brain in a jar to take control over the 
  necromancer who created it.  A brain in a jar weighs 
  about 25 pounds, which includes the weight of the glass 
  canister and the preservative fluids.  Combat: A brain in 
  a jar prefers control to direct combat, since brains in 
  fragile glass jars can’t stand too much jostling.  However, 
  when it can’t stay completely clear of combat, it seeks to 
  put off aggressors with its mind thrust ability. 
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 31 
  APPENDIX 4 – APL 10 
   
  ENCOUNTER 4 
   
   
   
   
  Half Dragon (White) Bugbear Bbn1/Ftr4: CR 9; 
  Medium dragon; HD 3d10+1d12+4d10+24; hp 80; Init +8; 
  Spd 40 ft.; AC 27, touch 14, flat-footed 23 (+4 Dex, +6 
  armor, +7 natural); Base Atk +7; Grp +18; Atk +21 melee 
  (1d10+20/19-20, +2 heavy flail) or +18 melee (1d6+11, bite) 
  or +18 melee (1d4+11, claw); Full Atk +21/+16 melee 
  (1d10+20/19-20, +2 heavy flail) and +13 melee (1d6+5, 
  bite) or +18 melee (1d4+11, 2 claws) and +13 melee 
  (1d6+5, bite); SA rage 1/day; SQ darkvision 60 ft., low 
  light vision, fast movement, immunity to sleep and 
  paralysis effects, immunity to cold; AL NE; SV Fort +10, 
  Ref +8, Will +3; Str 30 (32), Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 
  12, Cha 8.  
   
  Skills and Feats: Climb +17, Hide +6, Jump +26, Listen 
  +7, Move Silently +14, Search +6, Spot +7; Combat 
  ReflexesB, Improved Bull Rush, Improved InitiativeB, 
  Power Attack, Weapon Focus (heavy flail), Weapon 
  SpecializationB (heavy flail). 
   
  Breath Weapon (Su): 30 ft. cone of cold, 6d8 cold 
  damage, DC 14 Reflex half, DC is Con-based. 
   
  Languages: Common, Goblin. 
   
  Possessions: +2 chain shirt, +2 heavy flail, ring of jumping, 
  gauntlets of ogre power. 
  Winged Goblin Rog2/Ftr4: CR 7, Small humanoid 
  (goblinoid); HD 2d6+4d10+12; hp 48; Init +6; Spd 30 ft., 
  fly 50 ft. (perfect); AC 22, touch 17, flat-footed 16 (+6 Dex, 
  +1 size, +5 armor); Base Atk +5; Grp +1; Atk +13 ranged 
  (1d4+4/x3, +1 composite shortbow) or +6 melee (1d4+1, 
  short sword); Full Atk +13 ranged (1d4+4/x3, +1 composite 
  shortbow) or +11/+11 ranged (1d4+4/x3, +1 composite 
  shortbow) or +6 melee (1d4+1, short sword); SA sneak 
  attack +1d6; SQ darkvision 60 ft., flight, evasion, 
  trapfinding; AL NE; SV Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +3; Str 12, 
  Dex 23, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Escape Artist +11, Hide +15, Listen 
  +7, Move Silently +15, Search +5, Spot +7, Tumble +15; 
  Flyby Attack, Point Blank Shot, Precise ShotB, Rapid 
  Shot, Weapon FocusB (longbow), Weapon SpecializationB 
  (longbow). 
   
  Languages: Goblin. 
   
  Possessions: short sword, +1 composite shortbow (+1 Str 
  bonus), +1 mithral chain shirt, potion of cat’s grace, potion of 
  shield of faith +5. 
  ENCOUNTER 6 
   
   
   
   
  Black Dragon, Elite Juvenile: Medium Dragon (Water); 
  CR 7; HD 13d12+52; hp 156; Init +1; Spd 60 ft., fly 150 ft. 
  (poor), swim 60 ft.; AC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 22 (+12 
  natural, +1 Dex); Base Atk/Grp: +13/+19; Atk +19 melee 
  (2d6+6, bite) or +19 melee (1d6+6, claw) or +19 (1d4+6, 
  wing); Full Atk +19 melee (2d6+6, bite) and +17 melee 
  (1d6+3, 2 claws) and +17 (1d4+3, 2 wings); SA breath 
  weapon, spell-like abilities; SQ immunity to acid, 
  immunity to sleep and paralysis effects, blindsense, keen 
  senses, water breathing; AL CE; SV Fort +12, Ref +9, Will 
  +9; Str 22, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Hide +18, Listen +18, Move Silently 
  +18, Search +17, Sense Motive +18, Spot +18; Ability 
  Focus (breath weapon), Flyby Attack, Improved Natural 
  Attack (bite), Multiattack, Wingover. 
   
  Spell-like Abilities: 3/day—darkness.  CL 4th; save 
  DC is Cha-based. 
   
  Breath Weapon (Su): 60 ft. line of acid, 8d4 acid 
  damage, DC 22 Reflex half, save DC is Con-based. 
   
  Water Breathing (Ex): A black dragon can breathe 
  underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath 
  weapon, spells, and other abilities while submerged. 
   
  Languages: Draconic. 
  ENCOUNTER 7 
   
   
   
   
  Brain 
  in 
  a 
  Jar 
  TombWarden3, 
  Advanced 
  Spellstitched: Tiny Undead; CR 11; HD 10d12+3; hp 93; 
  Init +3; Spd fly 30 ft. (good); AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 
  17 (+3 Dex, +1 deflection, +2 size, +4 armor); Base 
  Atk/Grp: —/—; Atk —; Full Atk —; SA mind thrust, 
  psionics, rebuke undead 10/day (+12, 2d6+17, 10th), spell-
  like abilities; SQ blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 
  madness, telepathy, undead traits, +6 turn resistance, turn 
  immunity, tomb sense, power of the dead, +2 profane 
  bonus to saves, DR 5/magic silver, SR 22 (15 + Cha 
  modifier); AL NE; SV Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +11; Str —, 
  Dex 16, Con —, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 24.  Libris Mortis, 
  pages 57 and 90; Monster Manual II, page 215. 
   
  Skills & Feats: Bluff +20, Diplomacy +22, Disguise +7 
  (+9 acting), Hide +17, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (arcana) 
  +17, Knowledge (history) +17, Knowledge (religion) +17, 
  Listen +18, Spot +18; Alertness, Great Fortitude, Profane 
  LifeleechLM, Toughness.  LMLibris Mortis. 
   
  Turn Immunity (Ex): As long as it is within the 
  tomb, graveyard, or similar resting place it protects, a 
  tomb warden is immune to turning or rebuking attempts. 
   It can still be bolstered as normal. 
   
  Tomb Sense (Su): While it is within its tomb, 
  graveyard, or similar resting place it protects, a tomb 
  warden of 2nd level or higher automatically knows the 
  precise location of all intruders within that tomb.  This 
  ability is similar to blindsense, except that it functions 
  without regard to line of effect and its effect extends to 
  every portion of the tomb. 
   
  Power of the Dead (Su): While it is within its tomb, 
  graveyard, or similar resting place it protects, a tomb 
  warden of 3rd level can call upon the spirits of the dead to 
  gain insight from them.  This ability requires only a free 
  action to activate, and grants the tomb warden an insight 
  bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws 
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 32 
  equal to its Cha-modifier (minimum +1).  A tomb warden 
  can use this ability once per day, and its effects last for 10 
  minutes. 
   
  Mind Thrust (Su): A brain in a jar can spend a 
  standard action to deliver a massive assault on the 
  thought pathways of any one creature within 60 ft., 
  undermining its intellect.  This mind thrust deals 2d10 
  points of damage to any target creature that fails a DC 20 
  Will save.  The save DC is Cha-based. 
   
  Psionics (Sp): 3/day—suggestion (DC 20), telekinesis 
  (DC 22); 1/day—dominate person (DC 22).  Manifester 
  level 10th.  Save DCs are Cha-based. 
   
  Spell-like Abilities: 2/day—magic missile, Melf’s acid 
  arrow (+11 ranged touch attack), ray of enfeeblement (+11 
  ranged touch attack), scorching ray (+11 ranged touch 
  attack); 1/day— enervation (+11 ranged touch attack), 
  fireball (DC 20), lightning bolt (DC 20), solid fog.  Caster 
  level 10th.  Save DCs are Cha-based. 
   
  Rebuke Undead (Su): A brain in a jar can rebuke or 
  command undead as a cleric of the same level as the 
  brain’s HD. 
   
  Madness (Su): Anyone targeting a brain in a jar 
  with a thought detection, mind control, or any sort of 
  telepathic or psionic ability that makes direct contact 
  with its tortured mind takes 1d4 points of Wis damage. 
   
  Telepathy (Su): A brain in a jar can speak 
  telepathically to any creature within 100 feet that has a 
  language. 
   
  Description: Something gray and shriveled sloshes within a 
  grimy glass canister – a disembodied brain afloat in alchemical 
  preservatives.  The brain in a jar is a masterpiece of 
  preservation – but where alchemical preservatives leave 
  off, necromancy picks up.  An animate brain in a jar is, in 
  truth, an undead creature.  Additionally, possibly because 
  it is free of the need to worry about controlling and 
  animating an entire body, a brain in a jar possesses potent 
  mental powers.  Of course, merely removing the brain of 
  a zombie or some other undead creature and storing it in 
  alchemical preservatives is not enough to create an 
  undead brain with psionic ability.  The ritual of 
  extraction, the spells of formulation, and the alchemical 
  recipes of preservation are closely guarded secrets held 
  by only a few master necromancers.  The creation of a 
  brain in a jar is difficult and fraught with danger, because 
  once its mental powers are fully developed, this undead 
  creature is adept at controlling the thoughts and minds of 
  other creatures, especially living creatures.  It is not 
  unknown for a brain in a jar to take control over the 
  necromancer who created it.  A brain in a jar weighs 
  about 25 pounds, which includes the weight of the glass 
  canister and the preservative fluids.  Combat: A brain in 
  a jar prefers control to direct combat, since brains in 
  fragile glass jars can’t stand too much jostling.  However, 
  when it can’t stay completely clear of combat, it seeks to 
  put off aggressors with its mind thrust ability. 
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 33 
  APPENDIX 5 – ALL APLS 
   
  ENCOUNTER 3 
   
   
   
   
  Male Human Com1: CR ½; Medium humanoid 
  (human); HD 1d4+1; hp 4; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14, 
  touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+1 Dex, +3 armor); BA/Grp 
  +0/+0; Atk/Full Atk: +0 melee (1d4, dagger) or -3 ranged 
  (1d8/19-20, light crossbow); SA —; SQ —; AL LN; SV 
  Fort +1, Ref +1, Will -1; Str 11, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, 
  Wis 9, Cha 8.  
   
  Skills and Feats: Handle Animal +6, Profession 
  (farmer) +6, Ride +5; Skill Focus (Profession (farmer)), 
  Skill Focus (Handle Animal). 
   
  Possessions: dagger, light crossbow, studded leather 
  armor. 
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 34 
  DM AID: MAP #1 – BARANSFORD 
   
   
   
  Map © 2005 Steven Hess; reprinted with permission. 
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 35 
  DM AID: MAP #2 – TABLE ROCK 
   
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 36 
  DM AID: MAP #3 – THE DRAGON’S DEN 
   
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 37 
  DM AID: MAP #4 – THE WOMB OF BELTAR 
   
   
  Key: 
  A – Statue of a red dragon rearing up. 
  B – Statue of a marilith demon brandishing weapons. 
  C – Statue of a beholder on a 5’ high pedestal 
  D – Empty platform with an inscription in Ancient Suel: “This is the Womb of Beltar, in which the true believer may 
  find the path to true power.” 
  E – Entrance, with doors torn loose from their hinges 
   
  The four lettered 10 ft. x 10 ft. squares are platforms raised 4’ off of the floor.  The shaded spaces near the corners are 
  difficult terrain filled with hundreds of heaped mummified corpses. 
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 38 
  DM AID: NEW RULES 
  NEW FEATS 
  Improved Turn Resistance (Libris Mortis) 
   
  You have a better than normal chance to resist turning. 
   
  Prerequisite: Undead type. 
   
  Benefit: You are less easily affected by clerics or paladins than you normally would be (see Turn or Rebuke 
  Undead, page 159 of the Player’s Handbook).  When resolving a turn, rebuke, command, or bolster attempt, add +4 to 
  your character level (monster HD plus class levels) to determine your HD for turn, rebuke, command, and bolster 
  attempts.  For example, a 4 HD wight with this feat is treated as an 8 HD undead for the purpose of turn, rebuke, 
  command, and bolster attempts, even though it is a 4 HD creature for any other purpose.  A vampire that already has a 
  +4 turn resistance adds an additional +4 with this feat, for a total of +8. 
  Profane Lifeleech (Libris Mortis) 
   
  You can channel negative energy to draw the life force from nearby living creatures. 
   
  Prerequisite: Ability to rebuke undead. 
   
  Benefit: As a standard action, you can spend two of your rebuke attempts to deal 1d6 points of damage to all living 
  creatures within a 30-foot burst.  This effect can’t reduce any creature’s current hp to less than 0.  You are healed an 
  amount of damage equal to the total amount of hp that you drain from affected creatures, but this healing does not allow 
  you to exceed your full normal hp total. 
   
  Special: This feat deals no damage to constructs or undead. 
   
   
  
  SHE5-06 A Study in Contrasts 
   
  Page 39 
  PLAYER HANDOUT #1 – DOORWAY TO THE NEEDFUL PLACE 
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Living Greyhawk/Modules/Meta-Region Sheldomar Valley/595/Normal Scenarios/SHE5-06 - A Study in Contrasts (APL 4-10)/SHE5-06 - A Study in Contrasts.pdf