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. 
  Visit the LIVING GREYHAWK website at www.rpga.com. 
  For questions specific to this document and your region, visit the Verbobonc website at 
  www.verbobonc.net and  e-mail your triad point of contact (POC). For LIVING GREYHAWK campaign 
  questions email rpgahq@wizards.com 
   
  VER7-09 
   
   
   
  Jinxed 
   
  A One-Round Dungeons & Dragons
  ® Living Greyhawk™  
  Verbobonc Regional Adventure 
  by Ron Lundeen  
  Circle Reviewer: Tim Sech 
  Reviewers: Greg Hanigan and Vernon L. Vincent 
  Playtesters: Stuart Basden, Gregg Homerding, Mike Peacock, Kerrie Peacock, Sam Shyamani 
   
  One day, years from now, you’ll be talking with friends about unlucky times. “I once had a very unlucky day,” you’ll tell 
  them. “It started right away, first thing in the morning. It might have seemed lucky at first. It certainly did to me. But 
  bad luck comes in many guises.”  “Well, then,” your friends will say, “Tell us all about it.”  A one-round investigative 
  Verbobonc regional adventure for character levels 1-8 (APLs 2-6). 
  Metaorganizational Focus: Church of Trithereon, the Family, Gentlemen of the Watch 
   
  .
  
  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, 2008.  
   
  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 rule 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 PCs 
  (NPCs) and monsters appear in abbreviated form in the 
  adventure text. Full information on NPCs and monsters 
  are given in Appendix 1. For your convenience, that 
  appendix is split by APL 
   
  Along with this adventure you’ll find a RPGA 
  Session 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 PCs 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. 
  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.  
  # 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 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 2 
  
  Sum the results of step 1 and 2, and divide by the number 
  of PCs playing in the adventure. Round to the 
  nearest whole number. 
  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 PCs 
  to reach the objectives. 
   
  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 PCs 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 PCs to buy riding dogs to help protect 
  them and fight for them. 
  TIME UNITS AND UPKEEP 
  This is a standard one-round Verbobonc regional 
  adventure. All PCs native to Verbobonc pay 1 Time Units 
  per round; all others pay 2 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. PCs 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 that 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 DC 20 
  Survival check, 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 
  The Gruff Group was a band of thugs, bullies and tomb 
  robbers—in short, adventurers. Led by the charismatic 
  halfling Griffo Gruff, the group banded together a few 
  years ago to seek fame and fortune in the Gnarley Forest. 
  In fact, some PCs playing in this scenario may have 
  encountered the Gruff Group on their boar-hunting 
  adventure in VERIntro3-02 A Hunting We Will Go. 
  Apart from receiving a thumping from the PCs in that 
  adventure, the Gruff Group has been fairly successful. 
  After a harrowing adventure in which they liberated 
  tremendous loot from some Kron Hills gnomes, the 
  Gruff Group formally disbanded. Before they did, 
  however, each of the members of the Gruff Group got 
  matching tattoos (across the back and over the right 
  shoulder) of snake with a wide-open mouth, bristling 
  with teeth. 
  All members retired to Verbobonc City to open various 
  businesses or pursue certain dreams with their hard-
  earned loot. The Gruff Group has not really stayed in 
  touch with each other in the last few months. 
  The members of the Gruff Group were as follows. Most 
  members of the Gruff Group were evil, but not in the 
  summon-dark-gods-to-eat-the-young way, more in the 
  bully-people-and-take-what-they-want way. 
  • 
  Griffo Gruff: a wiry halfling bard and leader of 
  the group. Griffo has a shifty look but a friendly 
  eye, and his whistle can bolster anyone’s spirits. 
  Griffo used his share of the group’s treasure to 
  open up a seedy tavern called the Grinning 
  Viper. At the Grinning Viper, Griffo and the rest 
  of the Gruff Group were hailed as heroes (and 
  enjoyed free drinks) whenever they entered. It 
  was Griffo’s idea to get the snake tattoos; Griffo 
  thinks a toothy-grinning snake is a good mascot. 
  • 
  Robin Sackville: a skilled archer and brave 
  fighter. 
  Robin 
  chafed 
  under 
  Griffo’s 
  disorganized leadership style, and he joined the 
  Gentlemen of the Watch in Verbobonc City as 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 3 
  
  soon as the group disbanded. His share of the 
  loot was spent buying a comfortable position as 
  Watch Captain in that organization. 
  • 
  Perin: a skilled ranger favoring two short 
  swords. Perin honed his skills as a thief and 
  joined the Family even before the Gruff Group 
  had formally disbanded. Since then he’s been 
  able to devote his attention “full-time” to Family 
  pursuits. Perin has done remarkably well in the 
  Family’s Collections and Recovery division. His 
  share of the Gruff Group loot is invested in 
  several shady mercantile ventures. In the 
  Family, Perin is known by his nickname, 
  “Hunter.” 
  • 
  Gorik Half-Tusk: not an original member of 
  the Gruff Group (and he didn’t appear in 
  VERIntro3-02 A Hunting We Will Go). This 
  loudmouthed braggart joined up shortly 
  thereafter. Gorik is a foul-mouthed half-orc 
  known for bowling over his opponents and then 
  killing them with his falchion. Gorik drank and 
  gambled his earnings away in record time. 
  Fortunately for him, hired muscle can always 
  earn their keep in Verbobonc City. 
  • 
  Dimberaid: a resourceful yet cowardly female 
  half-elf sorcerer. Dimberaid fell in with the 
  Gruff 
  Group 
  by 
  accident, 
  and 
  wasn’t 
  comfortable with their cruel ways. Unlike the 
  other members of the Gruff Group, Dimberaid 
  is Neutral. Dimberaid tried to leave the Gruff 
  Group a couple of times, but events always 
  conspired to keep her around. Dimberaid was 
  relieved when the Gruff Group formally 
  disbanded, for she was not only able to leave the 
  group but also free to follow her dream and set 
  up a clothing store. Unfortunately, her shop, the 
  “Gentle Mirror,” has suffered a series of 
  accidents—from 
  vermin 
  infestation 
  to 
  aggressive business competition. Dimberaid is 
  beginning to think she’s cursed with bad luck. 
  She’s right. 
  Enter the Necromancer 
  Nudd is a dwarf raised in the slave pits of the Pomarj. 
  Nudd mastered some rudimentary magic and escaped 
  years ago, but his body and mind were already ruined. 
  Nudd made his way to Verbobonc several years ago. His 
  repulsive appearance (his frame is twisted and broken) 
  and his sick fascination with necromancy have left Nudd 
  friendless in his new land. Nudd attempted to join the 
  Gruff Group shortly after he arrived in Verbobonc. 
  Although Griffo was initially welcoming of the hideous 
  necromancer, it was all a cruel jest. Griffo soon tired of 
  Nudd’s depraved manner and rejected him with taunts 
  and insults. The Gruff Group never really thought of 
  Nudd as a member, but Nudd considered the Gruff 
  Group the only friends he had ever had—and they had 
  turned him away. For this, Nudd vowed, they would all 
  pay with their lives. 
  Since that time, Nudd has occasionally attached himself 
  to various adventuring groups in order to amass wealth 
  and further his magical power. Nudd’s experiences 
  throughout Verbobonc put him into contact with many 
  dark creatures. In one recent expedition, Nudd 
  encountered a powerful wraith, the shade of a half-
  fiendish barbarian. Nudd ensorcelled the wraith with a 
  timely command undead spell and has kept the wraith 
  bound to his will since. As an intelligent undead creature, 
  the wraith chafes under Nudd’s control. 
  With a wraith at his command, Nudd knew that his time 
  for vengeance on the Gruff Group was at hand. Also a 
  scholar of the heavens, Nudd knew that an eclipse would 
  soon shroud the noontime sun over Verbobonc City. 
  Nudd hastened to the capitol to enact his revenge. 
  In his absence, however, the Gruff Group had grown rich 
  and disbanded. At first, Nudd considered this a setback. 
  Soon Nudd realized that he could track down and kill 
  each member of the Gruff Group individually, before 
  they could connect the murders to the twisted 
  degenerate they had rejected years ago. Control over a 
  wraith also provides indirect control over the wraith’s 
  spawn, so in the course of his vengeful murders Nudd 
  plans to amass an army of wraiths. 
  Nudd is by now completely unhinged and thoroughly 
  evil. He does not care how many innocents stand 
  between him and his revenge. What Nudd may do with 
  an army of wraiths at his command is a question best left 
  unresolved, for the PCs will confront Nudd before he is 
  able to bring his terrible plans to fruition. 
  ADVENTURE SUMMARY 
  Introduction: The PCs enjoy well-earned private rooms 
  in the Bronze Unicorn Inn in Verbobonc City. 
  Encounter One: A Lucky Morning: The PCs descend 
  from their rooms at the Bronze Unicorn to find a 
  common room filled with corpses and search the inn for 
  clues. 
  Encounter Two: The Trithereon Distraction: If the PCs 
  investigate the dead Trithereonite, they may discover a 
  hidden shrine to Trithereon and participate in some 
  underground education. 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 4 
  
  Encounter Three: Gift of the Veth: If the PCs investigate 
  the dead Rhennee men at the docks, they may receive a 
  gift from the wise-woman of their tribe. 
  Encounter Four: The Grinning Viper: Two of the 
  corpses point to this low-class tavern, where clues as to 
  the victims are available to keen-eyed or silver-tongued 
  PCs.  
  Encounter Five: The Question of the Arrest: For their 
  presence at the scene of the mysterious murders, the PCs 
  are taken in by Verbobonc City’s watch. 
  Encounter Six: The Family Outing: While they travel 
  with the Gentlemen of the Watch, the PCs have an 
  opportunity to slip away into the hands of the Family, 
  which may split the party. 
  Encounter Seven: More Deaths: Whether the PCs are in 
  the hands of the Family or in the custody of the 
  Gentlemen of the Watch—or both—they discover more 
  murders like those in the Bronze Unicorn. 
  Encounter Eight: Ray of Sunshine: Once the PCs 
  regroup, they notice a strange figure in a covered 
  marketplace. Before the PCs can pursue the figure, a 
  wraith rises up in the marketplace with malicious intent. 
  The powerful wraith can be driven away by removing the 
  covering over the marketplace.  
  Encounter Nine: Had to See It Coming: The PCs receive 
  a trapped note containing a clue to the whereabouts of 
  the final surviving member of the Gruff Group, 
  Dimberaid. 
  Encounter Ten: The Survivor: On the roof of 
  Dimberaid’s shop, the PCs witness an army of wraiths 
  rising in the streets. Although momentarily powerless, 
  the wraiths await an eclipse that will allow them to 
  assault the city with abandon. The PCs must race the 
  eclipse to stop the wraiths’ master, the necromancer 
  Nudd. 
  Conclusion: A fatal bit of bad luck finishes off the final 
  surviving member of the Gruff Group. 
  PREPARATION FOR PLAY 
  PCs that are members of certain meta-organizations 
  should be identified before play. 
  • 
  Church of Trithereon: Identify PCs that are 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Church 
  of 
  Trithereon 
  metaorganization, as this membership allows 
  them easier access to the secret church building 
  in Encounter Two.  
  • 
  Gentlemen 
  of 
  the 
  Watch/Mounted 
  Borderers/Noble House Guard: Note whether 
  any of the PCs are lawmen, as they are likely 
  recognized by Peacekeeper Myra in Encounter 
  Five. Furthermore, PCs that are obviously 
  members of a law enforcement organization 
  may elicit positive or negative reactions 
  throughout this scenario (such as from the 
  Trithereons in Encounter Two). 
  • 
  The Family: Identify PCs that are members of 
  the 
  Family 
  metaorganization, 
  as 
  this 
  membership allows them to recognize signals 
  from the gnome Oscar in Encounter Six. 
  • 
  Played VERIntro3-02 A Hunting We Will 
  Go: Find out whether any PCs have played the 
  Verbobonc regional introductory adventure 
  VERIntro3-02 A Hunting We Will Go. PCs who 
  played in that adventure have met the Gruff 
  Group before, although it’s unlikely that the 
  character (or the player) remembers a great deal 
  about them. 
    A NOTE TO DMS 
  This is a difficult adventure to run. This is an 
  investigative adventure which requires a great deal of 
  improvisation and quick thinking on the DM’s part to tell 
  an enjoyable story. 
  Although the Encounters of this adventure are laid out in 
  the order many groups will experience them, the DM 
  should be prepared if the PCs miss a few clues and have 
  to double back for them later on. Don’t feel like the PCs 
  must hit each scene just as described, and feel free to 
  invent new encounters as appropriate. Shift the timing of 
  events, read-aloud text or event adventure locations as 
  needed to fit the story. 
  Many groups may steer their investigations outside the 
  course of this adventure, which is expected from time to 
  time. Rather than “breaking character” to let the players 
  know that they are on the wrong track, don’t be afraid to 
  ad-lib a few invented-on-the-spot NPCs to guide the party 
  back into the adventure. 
  With that said, this adventure provides troubleshooting 
  advice, where possible, to give the DM all the help you 
  need to tell this story. At its most basic, the key events of 
  this adventure are these: 
  • 
  Nudd the necromancer is using a commanded 
  wraith to kill off each member of the 
  adventuring group that spurned him, the Gruff 
  Group. 
  • 
  The PCs discover dead people in their inn, 
  including two members of the Gruff Group, in 
  the morning. 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 5 
  
  • 
  The PCs later find themselves behind a locked 
  door (either in a watch station, a thief’s hideout, 
  or both), when two other members of the Gruff 
  Group are killed. 
  • 
  The PCs learn the identity and location of 
  Dimberaid, the last surviving member of the 
  Gruff Group. 
  • 
  The PCs face Nudd and his wraiths (now grown 
  to quite an army) at Dimberaids clothing shop at 
  noon, and must race an eclipse to defeat Nudd. 
  The rest of the adventure is “connective tissue” between 
  these key events. The DM should feel free to connect 
  them in any way that seems natural and enjoyable at the 
  gaming table. 
  As a final note, the PCs may be required to gather 
  information at several points in this adventure. Because 
  the entire adventure takes place from dawn until just past 
  noon, the usual time required for Gather Information 
  checks (each check requires 1d4+1 hours) should be 
  reduced. Because the PCs are gathering straightforward 
  information in a busy city, the time required for each 
  Gather Information check is only a half hour or so.  
  INTRODUCTION 
  Each of you awakens, at whatever time of the 
  morning is usual for you, in one of the luxurious 
  rooms of the Bronze Unicorn Inn in Verbobonc City. 
  [To players with elven PCs, read: Your mind comes 
  slowly back to the present as you rouse from your 
  nightly reverie.] 
  The noise of the city coming awake in the morning 
  rolls in from the windows outside. Your keen senses 
  bring you to full awareness as you realize that there is 
  no noise coming from the inn below you. You expect, 
  but do not hear, the sounds of the poorer guests 
  stirring in the common room or the servants 
  preparing breakfast. The inn around you seems silent 
  as the grave. 
  The PCs each have their own room in the Bronze 
  Unicorn in Verbobonc City (see Map 1 and Map 2). 
  Explain to the players that the PCs spent yesterday doing 
  something which paid unexpectedly well, and they had 
  earned enough to live well for a time. As a result, all PCs 
  participating in this adventure enjoy Rich lifestyle unless 
  they pay for a higher lifestyle instead. You should tailor 
  the lucrative events to the PCs. For example: 
  • 
  Woodsman-type PCs returned with a pair of 
  logging merchants to Verbobonc City after 
  negotiating certain lumber rights with the 
  Gnarley Druids near Eglath. Because the 
  negotiations were very successful, the happy 
  merchants paid the PCs generously 
  • 
  Out-of-region PCs have come from their home 
  region with wealthy pilgrims on their way to 
  the Temple of St. Cuthbert. 
  • 
  Mercenary PCs escorted some tithes from Kron 
  to the Temple of Zilchus, for which the church 
  was grateful. 
  • 
  “Bookish” PCs have just delivered a literary find 
  to Betham the Sage. The tome turned out to be 
  worth substantially more than the PCs thought, 
  and Betham insisted on paying full value. 
  • 
  “Do-gooder” 
  PCs 
  escorted 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  commoners from Rhynehurst, only to find that 
  one of the commoners was a famous bard in 
  disguise, who insisted on recompensing the 
  heroes for their kindness. 
  Eventually, the eerie silence should encourage the PCs to 
  go downstairs to the Bronze Unicorn’s common room. 
  When they do, go to Encounter One. 
  ENCOUNTER ONE: 
  A LUCKY MORNING 
  At some point, at least one of the PCs is going to descend 
  into the common room of the Bronze Unicorn Inn. 
  When they do, read or paraphrase: 
  As you descend the stairs into the ground floor 
  common room, you notice a faint unpleasant smell. 
  As you gaze into the common room below, you see 
  several corpses strewn around the room. A few fat 
  flies circle in the warm morning air. 
  There is no danger to the PCs here, but they don’t know 
  that. Draw out Map 1: The Bronze Unicorn Common 
  Room, for the players. Place seven bodies (one alone and 
  three pairs) in the common room as well. Drawing out 
  this map helps in two ways. Most importantly, the 
  players can easily identify who is looking for clues in 
  which location. Also, it keeps the players on their toes, as 
  players expect combat whenever their figures are on a 
  map. 
  Several clues here as to what happened while the PCs 
  were sleeping are here. Investigations here set the 
  scenario in motion. Use the following information to 
  guide the PCs’ investigation: 
  The Rest of the Inn 
  PCs that search the rest of the inn find it empty of 
  people, living or dead. There is a small kitchen and 
  pantry on the ground floor, a back room for the owners, 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 6 
  
  and private rooms upstairs. The only occupied private 
  rooms are the ones the PCs were in. If the PCs search the 
  back room, a DC 20 Search check reveals a hidden safe. A 
  DC 30 Open Lock check gets the safe open, or Coldon 
  (see below) has the key on his person. Unfortunately for 
  would-be safecrackers, the safe contains only boring 
  ledgers. PCs determined to loot the Bronze Unicorn find 
  few valuables and only basic stores of perishables (bread, 
  vegetables and ale of fairly good quality). 
  The Common Room 
  The common room is filled with sturdy tables, benches 
  and chairs. There are also seven bodies here, which are all 
  detailed below. The shutters of the common room are all 
  closed, despite the fact that it is warm in the common 
  room and getting warmer (a DC 10 Survival check reveals 
  that it is going to be a bright, hot day). The room is lit by 
  only a few scattered shafts of sunlight between the closed 
  shutters, although this light sufficiently illuminates the 
  room.  
  Tables and Benches 
  In many inns, the tables and benches of the common 
  room are pushed aside at night (usually fairly late at 
  night, if custom is good) and patrons sleep stretched out 
  on the floor or the benches. The tables and benches in 
  this room, though, have not been pushed back. This is a 
  clue (on a DC 10 Wisdom or Profession (innkeeper) 
  check) that the attacks must have happened late last 
  night while the patrons were still awake. 
  The Front Door 
  The front door to the Bronze Unicorn is closed but is 
  unlocked and unbarred. However, the door is very 
  difficult to open. This is due to an arcane lock spell Nudd 
  placed on the doors before the attack. If the PCs cannot 
  get the front door open, they can always leave by 
  breaking out a window. 
   
  Solid Wooden Door: 2 in. thick; hardness 5; hp 20; 
  AC 5; Break DC 28 (due to arcane lock). 
  Once the PCs get out of the Bronze Unicorn, they may 
  notice the parchment that Nudd tacked to the front door 
  after he left—give the players Player Handout 2. 
  Signs of a Struggle 
  Some of the tables and chairs have been knocked aside 
  and a few tankards have tipped over. There are some 
  signs of a struggle, but not many. A DC 12 Intelligence 
  check identifies that the murders here occurred very 
  quickly (within no more than a minute or so). 
  Tracks 
  PCs looking for tracks in the common room can identify, 
  on a DC 12 Survival check that many people have come 
  and gone in this room (it is an inn, after all). If the 
  Survival check exceeds a DC of 30, a tracker can identify 
  that a single small person left by the front door once the 
  scuffle was over. 
  The Bodies 
  All of the bodies look gaunt, pale and desiccated. Their 
  eyes are open and stare wide with horror. All bear 
  terrible, livid bruises as well (this is due to the 
  Constitution drain and physical damage inflicted by the 
  wraith’s incorporeal touch attack). A DC 15 Heal check 
  identifies this as evidence of Constitution drain. A DC 15 
  Knowledge 
  (religion) 
  check 
  reveals 
  that 
  some 
  incorporeal undead creatures, such as wraiths, have this 
  kind of attack. A DC 16 Knowledge (arcana) check 
  reveals that certain rare spells might have this kind of 
  effect as well. 
  If the PCs have the means to speak with any of these 
  people, they are willing to talk. Unfortunately, they 
  know little other than sudden silence and the attack of a 
  terrifying shadow. Many of these people were taken by 
  surprise, some fought back, and some tried to run. All 
  were killed with one or two life-sucking touches from a 
  terrible shadowy creature wielding a greataxe. 
  None of these victims can be raised from the dead, as 
  they have all returned as wraiths under their slayer’s 
  control.  
  As the PCs examine specific bodies, note the following: 
  The Spy 
  In a back corner, slumped over a table, is a female half-elf 
  in a voluminous brown cloak. This woman arrived from 
  Ostverk late last night and intended to rendezvous with 
  the city’s cult of Trithereon in Verbobonc today. She was 
  an innocent bystander when the wraith attacked and was 
  killed before she could even draw her weapon. 
  Investigations of her body reveal the following: 
  • 
  A DC 10 Search check reveals a belt pouch with 
  several dozen gold coins and a well-used, but 
  well cared-for, masterwork shortspear. Also, 
  under the cloak, the woman wears studded 
  leather armor and a traveler’s outfit that is finely 
  made but nondescript. 
  • 
  A DC 15 Knowledge (local: VTF) check reveals 
  that the style of her clothes indicates that she 
  was from the town of Ostverk. 
  • 
  A DC 12 Search check reveals that the woman is 
  not strong, but her hands are well-calloused, 
  indicating a life of hard work despite having the 
  coin and accoutrements of someone that is well-
  off (as a cleric of Trithereon, this woman often 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
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  helped the common people with their work 
  when she could). 
  • 
  A DC 17 Search or Survival check identifies the 
  mud and road-dust that indicates the woman 
  very recently traveled a long way. 
  • 
  A DC 20 Search check reveals a hidden pocket 
  behind her belt pouch. In the belt pouch is a 
  holy symbol of Trithereon (a three-armed rune).  
  The Dockworkers 
  Near one table are two Rhennee men who appear to be 
  twins. They are well-muscled and hairy. Each has a single 
  bushy eyebrow over deep-set black eyes opened wide in 
  terror. These men have only a few copper coins between 
  them and no armor.  
  These two men, Anton and Stepan, are actually two of a 
  set of triplets who work down on the riverfront. 
  However, you should refer to these men as “the twins” in 
  this encounter, as the PCs don’t know any better. 
  Yesterday, Anton and Stepan found a small cache of silver 
  coins while shirking their duties. Telling no one, they ran 
  off to drink away their find and “live it up” at a tavern far 
  from their usual haunts (Rhennee are not common in the 
  Bronze Unicorn).  
  Investigations of their bodies reveal: 
  • 
  A DC 10 Knowledge (local: VTF) check reveals 
  that the Rhennee of the city generally inhabit 
  the docks along the Velverdyva River. They are 
  a close-knit community. 
  • 
  A DC 12 Heal check reveals that these two men 
  were quite drunk when killed. 
  • 
  A DC 12 Search check reveals that these two 
  men are likely very poor, their hands calloused 
  from a lifetime of hard work. Although strong, 
  these men were laborers, not warriors. 
  • 
  A DC 14 Search check uncovers a small shell 
  necklace worn by each of the Rhennee men. 
  Each shell has bright spots of paint in strange 
  patterns and, like the men, the two necklaces 
  are virtually indistinguishable. These shell 
  necklaces are nonmagical and apparently 
  worthless. A DC 20 Knowledge (arcana) or 
  Knowledge (local: VTF) check reveals that some 
  Rhennee receive talismanic “lucky charms” like 
  this from their tribe’s veth, or wise-woman. The 
  DC of this information is only 10 for Rhennee 
  PCs. 
  The Strange Pair 
  At a table, next to each other, are the desiccated bodies of 
  a halfling and a huge half-orc. They had time to draw 
  their weapons, as the halfling grips a masterwork rapier 
  and the half-orc has a jagged masterwork falchion in his 
  hands. The halfling wears exceptionally fine and flashy 
  clothes and bears a pouch with several gold pieces. The 
  orc wears a solid, battered breastplate under a cloak 
  stained from months of use. The orc does not carry any 
  money and appears shabby. 
  These two are Griffo Gruff and Gorik Half-Tusk. They are 
  the true targets of tonight’s murders. Although they put 
  up a fight against the wraith, they had no magical 
  weapons to use. Worse, Griffo could not use any of his 
  spells in the silenced area.  
  Investigations of their bodies reveal: 
  • 
  PCs searching the half-orc automatically find 
  Players Handout 1, a permanent “free drink 
  coupon” that is Gorik’s most prized possession. 
  • 
  A DC 10 Search check on either body reveals a 
  large, distinctive tattoo. Both the halfling and 
  the 
  half-orc, 
  despite 
  the 
  differences 
  in 
  appearance, bear very similar tattoos. 
  This livid green tattoo stretches up the 
  corpse’s back and onto the right shoulder. 
  The tattoo depicts a fat serpent coiling up the 
  body. The mouth opens on the right 
  shoulder, as though to swallow the neck. The 
  serpent has a mouth full of shark-like teeth 
  and appears to be smiling. 
  Allow any PCs viewing a tattoo to make a DC 10 
  Knowledge (local: VTF) check. If successful, the 
  character remembers seeing a shop in the city 
  with a sign similar to the tattoo, although the 
  PC does not remember where. If the 
  Knowledge (local: VTF) check exceeds a DC 20 , 
  or if the character connects the tattoo to the 
  Grinning Viper in Gorik’s note, then the 
  character remembers that the place is a tavern 
  called the Grinning Viper, and the character 
  remembers where it is.  
  • 
  A DC 12 Heal check reveals that these two men 
  were reasonably drunk when killed. 
  • 
  A DC 12 Search check reveals a spell 
  component pouch on the halfling. A DC 15 
  Knowledge (arcana) check reveals that the 
  halfling is probably a bard, but he carries no 
  instrument (Griffo is a whistler). 
  The Innkeepers 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
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  Slumped against the door are two men that appear 
  related. The older man is a tall human who looks as 
  though he may have made a good blacksmith in his day, 
  although he is well past his prime and most of his weight 
  is in fat, not muscle. The younger man is a half-elf about 
  18 years old who inherited his father’s large, muscular 
  frame. Both are dressed simply. The younger man has a 
  club gripped in his hand. 
  This is the innkeeper Coldon and his son, Unwal. Coldon 
  and Unwal have operated the Bronze Unicorn Inn for 
  years. Coldon’s wife, Earwen, has been out of town 
  visiting relatives in Celene for many weeks. Both Coldon 
  and Unwal live in the back room on the ground floor. 
  Investigation of their bodies reveals little else, although 
  you should let the PCs know that they remember Coldon 
  and Unwal as the proprietors who let them their rooms 
  and served them food the previous night. 
  • 
  A DC 15 Search check on Unwal reveals the key 
  to the lock on the inn’s front door (which is not 
  needed, as the door is not actually locked). 
  • 
  A DC 15 Search check on Coldon reveals two 
  keys: one to the inn’s front door and one to the 
  safe in the private room. 
  Treasure: Loot the corpses in the Bronze Unicorn. 
   
  All APLs: L: 94 gp; C: 31 gp; M: 0 gp. 
  What Happened Here? 
  This was the first of Nudd’s attacks on the Gruff Group. 
  Last night, Griffo received a mysterious summons to the 
  Bronze Unicorn. As the halfling is no fool, he brought 
  Gorik along for protection. 
  At first, it seemed that the mysterious contact would not 
  show up. Griffo and Gorik passed the evening 
  reminiscing. Then very late, Nudd showed up. Of course, 
  Griffo remembered Nudd; he had refused the twisted 
  necromancer entry into the Gruff Group several times 
  over. But Nudd did not come to beg. Instead, Nudd 
  warned Griffo that he would soon have his revenge on 
  the entire Gruff Group. Gorik wanted to take the dwarf’s 
  head off, but Griffo let the necromancer leave peaceably 
  (as Griffo still did not see Nudd as anything other than a 
  lunatic, bumbling apprentice). 
  Once Nudd left the Bronze Unicorn, he immediately put 
  his plan into motion. Nudd commanded the wraith to 
  kill everyone in the inn. Nudd then cast arcane lock on 
  the door, used his wand of invisibility and his ring of 
  silent spells on himself, then re-entered the inn. 
  The wraith appeared moments later, floating through the 
  stairs and killing the Trithereonite spy before she could 
  react. The two Rhennee men barely noticed the sudden 
  silence and the menacing shade, but Griffo and Gorik 
  knew the danger. Unwal rushed to fight the creature but 
  his father Coldon intervened, pantomiming that they 
  should flee. However, they could not get the inn door 
  open due to the arcane lock. 
  By that time, the wraith had slain Gorik and Griffo; Griffo 
  was unable to cast any of his spells due to the silence. 
  Coldon and Unwal fell to the creature before they could 
  get the door open, and the drunk Rhennee men (still 
  incredibly confused) died last. 
  The wraith prepared to rise through the ceiling and kill 
  the sleeping PCs. Nudd had seen the wraith appearing 
  through the stairs and assumed that the wraith had 
  already killed everyone upstairs while Nudd was casting 
  his spells outside. This was not the case—the wraith was 
  investigating the back rooms first. 
  Nudd ordered the wraith to flee the scene and succeeded 
  at the opposed Charisma check necessary to force his will 
  on the wraith (with his poor Charisma, Nudd only 
  succeeds at such checks rarely). So, with the wraith’s 
  equivalent of a shrug, the wraith did as his master 
  commanded and left the Bronze Unicorn. 
  Nudd, cackling with glee, left the Bronze Unicorn Inn 
  and tacked his hand-made “Closed” sign to the door. 
  Then he began to plot his revenge against the rest of the 
  Gruff Group. 
  Where Next? 
  If the PCs choose to follow up on the half-elf woman 
  bearing the hidden holy symbol of Trithereon, go to 
  Encounter Two. If the PCs follow up on the Rhennee 
  men, to go Encounter Three. If the PCs seek out the 
  Grinning Viper, go to Encounter Four. If the PCs wait 
  around for the Gentlemen of the Watch to arrive (or if 
  they fetch the Watch), then go to Encounter Five. 
  ENCOUNTER TWO: THE 
  TRITHEREON DISTRACTION 
  Run this Encounter if the PCs choose to follow up on the 
  disguised half-elf agent of Trithereon. 
  If the PCs did not discover her holy symbol of 
  Trithereon, there is not anything to follow up on at all: 
  she has no other particularly distinguishing marks or 
  possessions. 
  This woman was an undercover member of the Church 
  of Trithereon in Verbobonc (an Avenger of Trithereon) 
  from Ostverk. She had never been to Verbobonc before 
  last night. The Church of Trithereon is a decentralized 
  institution. The woman’s superiors elected to send her to 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 9 
  
  Verbobonc City to exploit the chaotic wake of the 
  Viscount’s disappearance. The clerics in Verbobonc City's 
  shrine to Trithereon knew this woman was coming, but 
  they do not know anything else (such as which day she 
  was to arrive or even her name). Only if the PCs think to 
  ask local Trithereonites about the woman can they learn 
  anything at all, and even then they cannot learn much. 
  The shrine of Trithereon in Verbobonc City is hidden. 
  The shrine is located in a warehouse near the Church 
  District. This warehouse is often the home of illicit 
  boxing 
  matches, 
  self-defense 
  classes, 
  lockpicking 
  instruction, and other similar underground education 
  designed to train rebels and anarchists. The trappings of 
  the shrine can be quickly dismantled and hidden, and the 
  clergy can vanish into boltholes, if the law comes poking 
  around. 
  Finding the location of the shrine likely requires some 
  word-of-mouth investigation, unless one of the PCs is a 
  divine caster of Trithereon or a member of the Church of 
  Trithereon meta-org (such PCs already know the location 
  of the shrine). Finding the shrine by asking around 
  requires a DC 20 Gather Information. Give a penalty of as 
  much as -4 to this roll if PCs doing the asking are 
  obviously lawmen of some kind (Mounted Borderers, 
  noble house guard, etc.). Give the PCs up to a +4 bonus if 
  they roleplay particularly circumspect inquiries. 
  Other clever methods to locate the shrine, such as the use 
  of locate object to find a holy symbol of Trithereon, may 
  also locate the shrine, at your discretion. 
  If the PCs discover the shrine's location and head that 
  way, read or paraphrase: 
  This medium-sized warehouse looks abandoned. It is 
  incredibly unremarkable, and you likely wouldn't 
  have given it a second glance if you weren't clued in 
  to its importance. Two men exit a side door of the 
  warehouse, laughing and clapping each other on the 
  back. One is bleeding from the corner of his mouth, 
  and it looks like he has lost a few teeth. 
  These two men are common citizens from the area and 
  secret followers of Trithereon. They have been learning a 
  few self-defense skills from the clerics and are in good 
  spirits, even though one of them has taken a solid hit to 
  the jaw during the lesson (the clerics elected not to heal 
  the minor injury to drive the lesson home). Their names 
  are Torvent Dassert (a cobbler) and Anders Gloen (a 
  baker). 
  All APLs 
   
  Torvent and Anders: male human Commoner 2; hp 
  9 each; Sense Motive +2, Spot +2; AL CG 
  If the PCs have a clear interest in the "secret" warehouse, 
  Torvent and Anders are suspicious. If there are obvious 
  lawmen in the party, the men suspect a raid and shout to 
  warn the clerics in the building. In this case, the shrine is 
  disassembled and the inhabitants of the warehouse are 
  gone within three rounds. 
  If approached peaceably, the two commoners are hesitant 
  to reveal their secret association but otherwise not hostile 
  to the party. They have a starting attitude of indifferent. 
  If made friendly, they admit that the warehouse is a 
  secret shrine to Trithereon and that there are six priests 
  inside. 
  The door to the warehouse is locked, but a knock is 
  answered by a small window (no more than two inches 
  square) being opened in the door. From within, a cleric 
  asks what the PCs want. The man is expecting about a 
  dozen lay members to come by for some "anarchy 
  training," but he knows all of the expected attendees by 
  sight and knows that the PCs are not them. 
   
  Wooden Warehouse Door: 2 in. thick; hardness 5; 
  hp 20; AC 5; Break DC 23; good lock (DC 30 Open Lock). 
  The priest is initially very suspicious, but if the PCs are 
  smooth talkers or seem very honest, he lets them in. 
  Note, however: 
  • 
  If any of the PCs are lawmen (such as Mounted 
  Borderers, 
  noble 
  house 
  guardsmen, 
  or 
  Gentlemen of the Watch) or obvious followers 
  of St. Cuthbert, he instead closes the window 
  and warns the other clerics, who scatter and are 
  gone in three rounds. 
  • 
  If any of the PCs are divine casters of Trithereon 
  or members of the Church of Trithereon meta-
  org, he recognizes them and lets the PCs in. 
  Inside, read or paraphrase: 
  The interior of the warehouse looks like some kind of 
  cross between a gymnasium and a locksmith's shop. 
  Mats are spread out on the floor, and tables hold 
  chains, locks and keys of all shapes and sizes. There 
  are a total of six people here, all busying themselves 
  with the equipment. A large blue banner hangs from a 
  rafter, emblazoned with a three-armed symbol as tall 
  as a man. Each of the men bears the same symbol on a 
  necklace. 
  The symbol is the rune of pursuit, Trithereon's holy 
  symbol. The same symbol is on the woman's holy symbol 
  the PCs discovered earlier. All six of these people (four 
  men and two women) are clerics of Trithereon. 
  All APLs (EL 8) 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 10 
  
   
  Clerics of Trithereon (6): Male and female human 
  Cleric 3; hp 21 each; Appendix 1 
  If the PCs explain the murder scene, the clerics 
  immediately guess that the victim was their Ostverk 
  contact. The clerics also know that they don't have a lot of 
  information to help the PCs. 
  However, the Trithereonites are not fools. They realize 
  they could probably use the PCs in the morning's lesson. 
  The priests offer to tell the PCs everything they know 
  about the woman if one or more of the PCs provide no 
  more than a few minutes of assistance to them (note that 
  this offer is genuine, although the clerics do not reveal 
  that they do not know very much about the woman). 
  If the PCs are willing, the priests explain that they expect 
  a small group of Verbobonc citizens to come by within 
  the next ten or twenty minutes. These citizens are sort of 
  a class, coming by to learn "a few key life skills useful in 
  these troubled times." The PCs can help by teaching one 
  (or more) of the three lessons that the priests plan to 
  offer: 
  • 
  Brawling lesson. One PC will fight three 
  clerics at once in a brawling match. The priests 
  use this lesson to teach how to fight as a team 
  and how to fight when outnumbered. 
  • 
  Locks lesson. One or more PCs must open a 
  series of three locks (other PCs may assist). The 
  priests use this lesson to teach how to open 
  locks, a good skill for any rebel to have. 
  • 
  Prisoner lesson. One PC is tied with ropes and 
  manacled, and must escape (other PCs may 
  assist). The clerics use this lesson to teach how 
  to escape from confinement. It is assumed, but 
  never explicitly stated, that the students will use 
  these skills if captured by the law. 
  As long as one or more PCs agree to help teach one or 
  more lessons, the next 15 minutes pass uneventfully. A 
  dozen humans, elves and gnomes show up in groups of 
  two or three for the class. None are surprised to see 
  "guest lecturers," as the priests occasionally elicit help to 
  teach their lessons. 
  The priests provide a short prayer to the Summoner to 
  express gratitude, beseech protection, and ask that the 
  corrupt leaders of the current hierarchy be swiftly 
  overthrown. The priests also pass out flavorful biscuits to 
  the class. 
  The mechanics for each of the lessons are as follows: 
  • 
  Brawling lesson. The PC must remove any 
  armor heavier than light armor and fight three 
  of the clerics at once in a nonlethal fight (using 
  unarmed strikes only). Assistance from other 
  PCs is not permitted. No magic is permitted, as 
  the point is to show commoners how to fight. 
  As soon as the PC goes down (or if the character 
  drops all three of his opponents), the fight is 
  over. Throughout, the other three priests 
  provide running commentary and instruction 
  such as "ah, a classic flanking position. Look 
  how (character name) has to divide his attention 
  and leaves himself open." 
  • 
  Locks lesson. The PC is tasked to open three 
  locks in increasing order of difficulty, in front 
  of the class. They are DC 20, DC 25, and DC 30, 
  respectively. Assistance from other PCs is 
  permitted. Although quick work at the locks is 
  praised, the teachers are happier if the PCs "take 
  20", as this gives time for the priests to explain 
  technique to the class. 
  • 
  Prisoner lesson. The PC is tied up with ropes 
  and with masterwork manacles. The character 
  must succeed at a DC 20 Escape Artist check to 
  slip the ropes and a DC 30 Escape Artist check 
  to slip the manacles. Assistance from other PCs 
  is permitted (because learning how to free your 
  friends from bonds is also a useful skill). Again, 
  the priests are happier if the PCs "take 20". 
  Once the lessons are over, the priests live up to their 
  bargain, but admit they know little: 
  "I'm afraid that we may have…misled you. We know 
  that the woman you found is a member of our church, 
  on her way from Ostverk to Verbobonc City to aid 
  some of our brethren in the good fight against the 
  oppressors here. But that's all we know. We didn't 
  even know precisely when she was coming, what 
  exactly she was here to do, or even what her name is. 
  As far as we can guess, she was just an unlucky 
  bystander last night. We're sorry we can't help you 
  further." 
  Development: Lessons Learned. For participating in 
  any of the lessons, all PCs earn an Influence Point with 
  the Church of Trithereon. If at least one PC participated 
  in the locks lesson, all PCs gain a +1 competence bonus to 
  Open Lock checks for the rest of this adventure 
  (although this does not permit the skill to be used 
  untrained). If at least one PC participated in the prisoner 
  lesson, all PCs gain a +1 competence bonus to Escape 
  Artist checks for the rest of this adventure. 
  Development: The Ruse. The PCs may decide to 
  approach this Encounter with guile, by masquerading as 
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  the out-of-town Trithereonite. This ruse is likely to work, 
  as the priests know virtually nothing about the woman. 
  However, because the priests are not privy to the 
  woman's mission or contact in the city, they cannot 
  provide much help. 
  Where Next? 
  If the PCs follow up on the Rhennee men, go to 
  Encounter Three. If the PCs seek out the Grinning Viper, 
  go to Encounter Four. If they go back to the Bronze 
  Unicorn, go to Encounter Five. 
  ENCOUNTER THREE:  
  GIFT OF THE VETH   
  Run this Encounter if the PCs follow up on the dead 
  Rhennee twins. These two men, Anton and Stepan, are 
  actually two of a set of triplets. These triplets are well-
  known among the riverfolk of Verbobonc City. They all 
  look identical: thick-muscled hairy Rhennee men with a 
  single bushy eyebrow shadowing deep-set black eyes. 
  The obvious place to follow up on these dead men is the 
  Riverfront, down by the Velverdyva River. Rhennee PCs 
  know this area well and, so long as they speak in Rhopan 
  (the native language of the Rhennee), Rhennee PCs 
  automatically succeed at all Diplomacy checks in this 
  Encounter. 
  If the PCs ask about the twins down at the dock, the 
  riverfolk (mostly Rhennee, but some low-class members 
  of other races work the docks as well) may direct them to 
  a long dock where a barge with bags of grain is being 
  unloaded. This requires a DC 20 Diplomacy check (or 
  another appropriate check, such as Bluff or Intimidate). 
  For each 10 gp the PCs offer as a bribe, lower the DC by 1. 
  If the PCs fail the check by at least 10, the person they 
  asked maliciously sends them off on a wild goose chase to 
  the other end of the docks (and conveniently disappears 
  thereafter). When the PCs are set on the right track, read: 
  Your directions lead you to a long barge groaning 
  under the weight of several sacks. A single dark-
  complexioned bear of a man hefts several sacks and 
  hauls them to a lone cart waiting on the dock. 
  Donkeys hitched to the front of the cart wait 
  patiently, shifting from hoof to hoof on the ancient 
  stone dock. The man is thickly muscled and has a 
  single hairy eyebrow stretching across his forehead 
  like a bristly hedge. By all appearances, this is one of 
  the Rhennee twins you found dead this morning. 
  Have the PCs make a DC 15 Sense Motive check. To 
  those that succeed, read: 
  The laborer occasionally glances back toward town, as 
  though expecting someone to appear to help with his 
  work, but his eyes look past you. None of you are the 
  person he’s looking for.  
  Alexei is the only surviving member of the Rhennee 
  triplets who work this dock. Alexei expects his brothers 
  to be here to help him, and he is irritated that they have 
  left him to do all the work. 
  If the PCs speak to Alexei, he does not know Common 
  well. Use your best Gypsy or eastern European accent, 
  bearing in mind that Alexei is not particularly smart. If 
  the PCs let Alexei know his brothers are dead, he offers 
  to take them to his tribe’s veth, the wise-woman Yren. 
  Yren lives in a small shack on a barge near the dock 
  where Alexei, Anton and Stepan work. Although it is a 
  bright morning, the interior of the shack is dark and 
  smells strongly of herbs and candle-wax. Wrapped in 
  shawls, the ancient wise-woman Yren crouches over a 
  simmering cauldron looking like a storybook witch. 
  Alexei respectfully explains to Yren, in Rhopan, that the 
  PCs have come to bring dire news of Anton and Stepan. 
  Yren motions the PCs into the shack, where there is 
  barely enough room for them to fit. Alexei waits outside. 
  Yren makes a complicated gesture toward the PCs. A DC 
  10 Knowledge (arcana) check reveals this to be an ancient 
  gesture to ward off evil spirits. 
  Yren is initially suspicious of the PCs as they are not 
  Rhennee. Yren waits patiently to hear what the PCs have 
  to say. Yren’s grasp of Common is as weak as Alexei’s, but 
  Yren is much more intelligent. 
  If the PCs ask Yren’s about the killings, have them make a 
  DC 15 Diplomacy check to overcome her distrust. If the 
  PCs have been particularly polite and deferential to Yren, 
  award a +4 bonus. 
  Failure! 
  If the PCs fail this check, Yren wants nothing to do with 
  them. She says, “You bring bad news to us, but Anton 
  and Stepan should not have behaved so badly among 
  outsiders. The reason for their murder is a mystery to 
  us as it is to you.”  Yren says no more about the matter to 
  the PCs and they can learn nothing further here. 
  Success! 
  If the PCs succeed at the Diplomacy check, Yren is more 
  forthcoming to the character that made the successful 
  check. Read: 
  With a wave of her hand, the old woman sweeps 
  herbs and a gutted fish from a cutting board. She 
  produces a chipped mug and dexterously prepares tea 
  for you. 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 12 
  
  Once the PC has finished his or her tea, Yren reads the 
  leaves remaining in the bottom of the mug. She says: 
  “I see the form of the killer. It is the winged shadow 
  of a man with a big axe. Its kills join it in unlife, as its 
  slaves. But this master is as a slave to another, a man 
  with a black heart. You have a great advantage that 
  you must not forget: in the light of the sun, shadow 
  has no power. Shadows always seek to flee from the 
  sun. 
  “Alas, my Anton and Stepan are innocent victims. 
  They knew not the shadow before it rose over them. 
  You seek the sign of the serpent.” 
  With this cryptic pronouncement, Yren has provided all 
  of the aid she can. 
  Where Next? 
  If the PCs follow up on the Trithereonite, go to 
  Encounter Two. If they seek out the Grinning Viper, go 
  to Encounter Four. If they go back to the Bronze 
  Unicorn, go to Encounter Five. 
  ENCOUNTER FOUR: THE 
  GRINNING VIPER 
  Run this Encounter whenever the PCs go to the 
  Grinning Viper. They are probably following up on the 
  wide-mouthed snake tattoo found on Gorik Half-Tusk’s 
  body and Griffo Gruff’s body in Encounter One. 
  If the PCs do not recall the tavern’s precise location, they 
  can learn it with a DC 13 Gather Information check or a 
  DC 10 Knowledge (local: VTF). 
  The PCs may go to the Grinning Viper multiple times, 
  and this Encounter should be a little different each time. 
  The first time the PCs go to the Grinning Viper (which is 
  located in the northeast side of Verbobonc City at 
  location 9 on Map 2), describe the building as follows: 
  This dingy den sports a large sign out front, depicting 
  a snake with a wide, fang-filled smile. 
  When the PCs enter, add: 
  The interior of this tavern seems quite large, but thin 
  wooden walls, each about five feet high, break up the 
  tavern into several cramped seating areas. Stained and 
  scratched tables squat atop a sawdust-covered floor. A 
  thin blue smoke circles around the ceiling. The walls 
  are covered with mismatched wallpaper which, upon 
  closer inspection, appears to be papers and notices of 
  all kinds. Many are “Wanted” posters, bar bills, 
  portrait sketches, and public notices. Some of the 
  papers appear to be pages torn from tomes or even 
  sheet music. For such an early hour, there are many 
  patrons here, all glaring at you as though to make 
  sure you know you aren’t welcome. A dour halfling 
  behind a low bar writes in a ledger, ignoring you. 
  If the PCs come back, you can refresh their recollection 
  of this place with something like: 
  The tattered papers covering the walls of the 
  Grinning Viper flutter as you enter, and the patrons 
  again glare at you through the blue haze. 
  The Grinning Viper was founded a few years ago by 
  Griffo Gruff with his earnings when the Gruff Group 
  disbanded. Griffo declared that the Gruff Group would 
  always be able to drink here free of charge, and all 
  members of the erstwhile Gruff Group were highly 
  regarded by the rough-and-tumble regulars of the 
  Grinning Viper. 
  Griffo’s cousin, Gerald Gruff, tends bar and sees to the 
  accounting. Under his watchful eye, the Grinning Viper 
  does remarkably well. Gerald bears a passing family 
  resemblance to Griffo, which the PCs can notice on a DC 
  16 Spot or Sense Motive check. 
  Although it looks like all kinds of shady under-the-table 
  dealings go on here, in fact Gerald and Griffo have 
  practically nothing to do with the Family (other than 
  Perin, who sometimes hangs out here), and therefore 
  very little illegal activity actually occurs here. 
  The papers are an idiosyncrasy of Griffo’s. He thinks a 
  smattering of different texts lends a pleasant atmosphere 
  to the place. Regulars of the place often tack up items of 
  their own (“wanted” posters with their faces, crude 
  fiction they’ve penned, drawings they’ve sketched, or 
  bills they intend to one day pay). 
  The most attractive piece is a well-done oil portrait of the 
  Gruff Group commissioned just before the group 
  disbanded. The portrait shows Griffo, Robin Sackville, 
  Gorik Half-Tusk, Perin and Dimberaid in a sitting pose 
  wearing fashionable clothing. This portrait is an 
  important clue, but it isn’t immediately obvious among 
  the other wall-mounted papers. You shouldn’t draw any 
  attention to this picture unless the PCs happen to notice 
  it among the miscellaneous wall hangings (requiring a 
  DC 25 Spot check) or until the PCs ask about the 
  members of the Gruff Group. If they do, Gerald (or any 
  patron) can point it out to them. 
  Any patron of the Grinning Viper can provide the names 
  of the five people in the picture: the halfling bard Griffo 
  Gruff, the half-orc barbarian Gorik Half-Tusk, the human 
  archer Robin Sackville, the human ranger Perin, and the 
  half-elf sorceress Dimberaid. Of the five, only Griffo and 
  Gorik come by with any regularity. Robin is rarely seen, 
  as he has “got respectable” (although no one in the bar 
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  knows how). Perin also makes appearances only rarely, 
  and always seems to be in a rush. No one has seen 
  Dimberaid in many months, but it was rumored that she 
  opened some kind of store somewhere in the city. None 
  of the patrons know where to find Robin, Perin, or 
  Dimberaid. 
  If you need to invent a patron or two in the Grinning 
  Viper, think of the sorts of PCs that would hang out in a 
  lowbrow saloon or a seedy biker bar. 
  Development: The events taking place in the Grinning 
  Viper vary, depending on when the PCs arrive, as follows: 
  First Thing 
  If the PCs came straight here from Encounter One, no 
  one yet knows that members of the Gruff Group have 
  been killed. The PCs are rudely treated by all the patrons, 
  even Gerald, and must make a DC 20 Bluff, Diplomacy, or 
  Intimidate check to get anyone to even speak to them. 
  If the PCs announce that people fitting Griffo and Gorik’s 
  descriptions were found dead at the Bronze Unicorn, the 
  patrons open up a little bit and ask what the PCs know 
  about it. It’s clear that all the regulars here know the duo. 
  If the PCs are forthcoming, the patrons of the Grinning 
  Viper show them grudging respect and thanks. Gerald 
  arranges for someone to fetch the bodies. 
  If the PCs ask Gerald or the patrons what Griffo and 
  Gorik were doing at the Bronze Unicorn, none of the 
  patrons are really sure (although they might hazard a 
  wild and incorrect guess). Gerald thinks they were going 
  to meet somebody, but he didn’t know who. 
  Upon hearing that the halfling and the half-orc were 
  meeting someone, allow all of the PCs to make a DC 12 
  Intelligence check. PCs that succeed remember the 
  halfling and the half-orc talking to a robed dwarf last 
  night. He was a short, stunted creature with a simpering 
  demeanor. (This was Nudd, who lured Griffo and Gorik 
  to the Bronze Unicorn under false pretenses to get his 
  revenge.)  Neither Gerald nor any of the patrons know 
  who this dwarf is, as they’ve never seen Nudd. 
  Later On 
  If the PCs come here (or come back here) after any 
  Encounter other than directly after Encounter One, 
  Gerald has already arranged for Griffo’s and Gorik’s 
  bodies to be laid out here. A wake is being held for the 
  two departed “heroes.”  There are many more people here 
  at this time (nearly all are regulars who’ve come by for 
  the wake), and most are drunk. The patrons are far more 
  open to the PCs now that they’ve had several drinks, and 
  are more forthcoming with information (the DC to get 
  them to talk is only 10). 
  The halfling Griffo is laid out on a table, with a bottle of 
  wine and a few lit candles at his head and feet. Next to 
  the table, a few benches have been pulled together and 
  Gorik has been laid on those. As the massive half-orc is as 
  tall as the benches are long, a lit candle and a flagon of 
  beer have been placed on his forehead and his booted 
  feet. Some of the patrons sing songs—badly—that Griffo 
  taught them. 
  If any PC asks about the tattoos, they get a lecture about 
  the bravest adventuring group ever known—the Gruff 
  Group, led by the generous and talented Griffo Gruff—
  and how they retired a few months back, when Griffo 
  took his earnings to found a tavern named after their 
  mascot, a grinning snake. 
  The patrons then proudly point out the oil portrait on the 
  wall to show the whole Gruff Group at their finest. Few 
  know what’s become of the other members of the Gruff 
  Group; they come around from time to time (except 
  Dimberaid, who never comes in at all), but they keep 
  pretty tightlipped about their new, non-adventuring 
  lives. Gerald knows that Perin works in the Family, and 
  the rumor is that Robin Sackville “got respectable,” but 
  that’s all anyone knows. 
  If the PCs ask what Griffo and Gorik were doing at the 
  Bronze Unicorn the night before, answer as described 
  under First Thing, above. 
  Where Next? 
  If the PCs follow up on the Trithereonite, go to 
  Encounter Two. If they follow up on the Rhennee twins, 
  go to Encounter Three. If they go back to the Bronze 
  Unicorn, go to Encounter Five. 
  ENCOUNTER FIVE: THE 
  QUESTION OF THE ARREST 
  Getting Here: This Encounter occurs at the Bronze 
  Unicorn. The PCs can get into this Encounter in one of 
  four ways: 
  • 
  The PCs return to the Bronze Unicorn after 
  Encounters Two, Three, or Four (or after more 
  than one of these). 
  • 
  The PCs never left the Bronze Unicorn in 
  Encounter One before the Gentlemen of the 
  Watch arrived (which takes about an hour after 
  Encounter One begins). 
  • 
  If the PCs called for the Gentlemen of the 
  Watch after they found the bodies in Encounter 
  One. 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 14 
  
  • 
  If the PCs are asked to go back to the Bronze 
  Unicorn due to your direction. If, after 
  exhausting all avenues of investigation in 
  Encounters Two, Three, and Four, the players 
  are completely clueless as to where to go or 
  what to do next, you should steer them back to 
  the Bronze Unicorn. You may have to have a 
  helpful NPC suggest that they help the Watch 
  gather more information back at the Bronze 
  Unicorn. For example, if the PCs decide to 
  consult the Temple of St. Cuthbert for magical 
  divinations, you may have the cleric say 
  something like, “You mean you left before the 
  Watch arrived?  Compliance with the law is 
  paramount!  Return to the inn, summon the 
  Watch, and tell them what you know. We 
  won’t squander the Cudgeller’s magic on 
  those who won’t help themselves.”  Or, if the 
  PCs check in to see if their contacts in the 
  Family know anything, you might have a 
  trusted NPC suggest, “By now the Watch must 
  have thoroughly trampled the scene. You 
  might head back and, if the Gentlemen are 
  there, pump them for information by playing 
  the do-gooder.” 
  When the PCs finally return to the Bronze Unicorn, read 
  or paraphrase: 
  A half-dozen men and women mill about the Bronze 
  Unicorn in the hot sun. Most sweat under leather 
  armor and the heavy tabards of the Cobwalkers, the 
  lowest ranked of the Gentlemen of the Watch. One 
  wide-faced woman, a higher-ranked Peacekeeper, 
  looks your way. She sizes you up with a glance, and 
  her face sprouts a grin. 
  “My lucky stars!” she cries. “Just the people we were 
  hoping to meet. I hear you may be able to help us 
  understand what went on here.”  The woman jerks a 
  thick thumb toward the inn. “We’re pretty well 
  stumped about what could’ve killed all those folks.” 
  All APLs 
   
  Peacekeeper Myra, female human Swashbuckler 
  3/Rogue 3: LG; Diplomacy +7, Listen +10, Sense Motive 
  +10, Spot +10. 
  Note that if the PCs waited at the Bronze Unicorn for the 
  watch to arrive, you may have to modify the text above. 
  You also may have to modify Peacekeeper Myra’s 
  greeting if the PCs sneak up to the Bronze Unicorn or if 
  they return in disguise. In such a case, Myra still asks for 
  their help. 
  It may seem foolish for Myra to trust the PCs. After all, 
  she’s already discovered that people meeting the party’s 
  description were at the scene of a peculiar mass murder. 
  However, Myra is no fool. She knows that some sort of 
  monster is probably behind these murders, and trigger-
  happy heroes might be just what are needed to flush out 
  and defeat the monster. Myra wants to take the PCs in to 
  the nearest Watch station, find out what they know, and 
  see whether they can be useful. Plus, taking the PCs into 
  custody is a good idea if it turns out they are responsible. 
  Peacekeeper Myra is friendly and professional, with a 
  sturdy, handsome face. She is insistent, but not 
  threatening or rude, and she’s well-liked among the 
  Gentlemen of the Watch. PCs may remember Myra as a 
  Cobwalker at the city gates in VER4-09 Wicked Three. 
  If the PCs seem at all helpful, Myra asks them to 
  accompany her to the local Watch station, only a few 
  blocks away. Myra reveals that she thinks the PCs can 
  probably help. However, she explains—and she’s a little 
  embarrassed but must insist—that the PCs first spend a 
  little time in a holding cell there until she can clear a few 
  things with her superiors. 
  If the PCs are unhelpful or downright resistant, she tries 
  to intimidate them. She orders the Cobwalkers to 
  surround the PCs and insist that the PCs come along 
  peacefully. In this case, Myra starts to suspect that the 
  PCs may somehow be involved after all. 
  If the PCs still won’t go along quietly, Myra tries to 
  reason with them: “Look, be reasonable. You don’t 
  want the entire Watch against you. You couldn’t stay 
  in Verbobonc City, and once you left you couldn’t 
  ever come back. None of us want that. Come along 
  with us, and as long as you don’t have any connection 
  to these murders, we won’t take more than a few 
  hours out of your day. You can even keep your gear 
  on you.” 
  If the PCs get violent, the Cobwalkers scatter for help. A 
  few hang far back, keeping an eye on the PCs’ 
  movements. None of the Watch want to engage the PCs 
  in open combat. This is their city, and they know they 
  can easily get a lot of backup. After fifteen minutes, 
  several dozen members of the Gentlemen of the Watch 
  (Warriors and Fighters of 1st to 6th level; use statistics 
  from the DMG if necessary) return, and begin a manhunt 
  to drag the PCs into custody. Hopefully, the PCs are well 
  into the next Encounter by that time. 
  Development: You’re a Lawman! If one of the PCs is a 
  Gentleman of the Watch or a Mounted Borderer, then 
  Myra greets the character by name, as she knows the 
  character (if a Gentleman of the Watch) or has heard of 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 15 
  
  the character (if a Mounted Borderer). Myra is 
  understandably much more open to such PCs. She pulls 
  the lawman character aside and explains the whole 
  situation: that she really thinks the party might be able to 
  help, but that she’d get in trouble with her superiors if 
  she didn’t at least go through the formality of locking up 
  the party until she reports to her superiors that the party 
  clearly isn’t responsible for the peculiar deaths. Then she 
  can get the party to help. 
  Lawman-type PCs know that Myra speaks the truth, and 
  she’s likely to get in trouble if she had the culprits at 
  hand but didn’t bring them in right away. 
  Lawman-type PCs also know that they can’t expect any 
  kind of benefit due to their station when a murder 
  investigation is afoot: they’ll have to spend the time in 
  lock-up with their companions. 
  Where Next? 
  When the PCs leave the Bronze Unicorn again (likely in 
  the custody of Peacekeeper Myra, but not necessarily), go 
  on to Encounter Six. 
   
  ENCOUNTER SIX: THE 
  FAMILY OUTING 
  Getting Here: This Encounter may happen as the PCs 
  leave Encounter Five in the custody of the Watch (you 
  can run this Encounter even if the PCs aren’t in the 
  custody of the Watch by adjusting this Encounter 
  slightly). Skip this Encounter entirely if: 
  • 
  There are no Family members in the party and 
  at least one PC has Infamy with the Family 
   
  - or - 
  • 
  There are no Family members in the party and 
  at least one PC is a member of a lawful meta-org 
  such as the Mounted Borderers, the Gentlemen 
  of the Watch, or the Church of St. Cuthbert. 
  You should give each player a sheet of scratch paper, 
  which they’ll need later in this Encounter (but don’t tell 
  them what they’ll need it for yet). 
  In this Encounter, members of the Family try to liberate 
  at least one or two of the PCs from the custody of the 
  Gentlemen of the Watch. 
  As the PCs walk down a busy street, Cobwalkers escort 
  the PCs several feet ahead and behind them. Myra takes 
  the lead. Read: 
  The streets of Verbobonc City are crowded on this 
  bright, hot day. Ahead and to your left, you see a 
  cooper’s shop with its wares out on display. Barrels 
  stacked twelve feet high provide some welcome 
  shade. You hear a deliberate cough, and you notice a 
  figure in the alley to your left. 
  Next to the cooper’s shop is a small, abandoned 
  building. A section of the wall has swung outward to 
  reveal a narrow passage. A gnome in dark leathers 
  motions subtly to you and nods to his left and right. 
  PCs that are members of the Family meta-organization 
  recognize the gnome and the two men as members of the 
  same organization. Furthermore, Family members can 
  make an immediate Sense Motive check to get some 
  additional information that the gnome is indicating with 
  secret, subtle signs: 
  • 
  DC 5: “Come with me.” 
  • 
  DC 10: “Come with me. You are in danger.” 
  • 
  DC 15: “You are in danger. Come with me to be 
  safe. We want to ask you a few questions.” 
  Continue immediately with: 
  To the gnome’s left, a leather-clad man leans on the 
  stack of empty barrels, ready to crash them onto the 
  Cobwalkers ahead of you. To the gnome’s right, 
  another man is poised to roll a laden cart between you 
  and the Cobwalkers behind you. The gnome points to 
  the shadowy opening behind him, steps slightly to 
  the side. He holds up three fingers, then two, then… 
  Don’t let the PCs tell you out loud what they do. Have 
  each player write his or her PCs next action on the piece 
  of scratch paper and hand it to you. This is the equivalent 
  of a surprise round, in which only the gnome, the two 
  leather-clad men, and the PCs may act.  
  On his or her scratch paper, each player should identify 
  an action no more lengthy than a move action or standard 
  action. Then resolve the actions in the next few, critical 
  seconds according to what the player wrote on the note 
  to you. Generally, there is no need to establish an 
  initiative order, as all actions happen essentially 
  simultaneously. Keep the following in mind: 
  • 
  If certain character actions seem mutually 
  exclusive (for example, if one character wants to 
  move into the passage but another casts web on 
  the passage), have those PCs roll initiative in 
  order to determine who acts first). 
  • 
  If the player wrote a longer action, such as 
  casting a full-round spell, then the character is 
  only able to begin—and isn’t able to complete—
  the action. 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 16 
  
  • 
  If a player writes down a string of actions, such 
  as, “I go over and grab the gnome,” then the 
  character is only able to get through the first 
  action listed (in this case, moving over to the 
  gnome). 
  • 
  If one character waits to see what another 
  character 
  does, 
  determine 
  whether 
  the 
  character is intending to ready an action 
  (usually an “if, then” statement, such as “if the 
  barrels fall over, then I duck into the passage” or 
  “if the gnome casts a spell, I throw my axe at 
  him”) or intending to delay (“I just want to wait 
  and see what the rest of my party does”). This is 
  an important distinction for when the gnome 
  acts. 
  • 
  If the entire party delays, deride them for their 
  excess of caution and ask the character with the 
  lowest initiative modifier for an action (as other 
  PCs can delay longer than this character can). 
  The NPCs in this scene act as follows: 
  • 
  The Gentlemen of the Watch do not make any 
  actions. They have not noticed anything amiss 
  and are completely surprised by these events. 
  • 
  The man by the barrels pushes them over onto 
  Myra and the lead Cobwalkers. This doesn’t 
  hurt them, but knocks them all prone. 
  • 
  The man with the cart pushes it into the street 
  between the PCs and the trailing Cobwalkers. 
  The wagon has a large notch cut out of one 
  wheel, so as soon as the wagon gets to the 
  middle of the street it tips over in the direction 
  of the Cobwalkers, dumping fragile pottery all 
  over the street. The pottery shatters in the area 
  where the rear Cobwalkers are standing (treat as 
  caltrops). 
  • 
  The gnome has a readied action to step back 
  into the passage (a five foot step) and close the 
  door as soon as it is reasonably clear which PCs 
  are going to come into the passage and which 
  PCs aren’t. That is, PCs that want to move into 
  the passage, or PCs that have triggered ready 
  actions to move into the passage if something 
  happens, get to go before the gnome and move 
  into the passage. PCs that have delayed to see 
  what other people will do are not able to act 
  before the gnome shuts the secret panel, sealing 
  off the passage. In other words, the gnome’s 
  readied action occurs before a delaying 
  character’s action. 
  All APLs 
   
  Oscar: male gnome Rogue 6; hp 44; Listen +10, 
  Sense Motive +8, Spot +10; AL CN 
   
  Family Assistants: male human Rogue 1; hp 7 each; 
  Spot +4; AL N 
  Once closed, the secret panel is virtually impossible to 
  immediately reopen. Several metal bars fall into place 
  (each a separate mechanism for the purposes of the 
  knock spell) and the now-reinforced panel requires a DC 
  28 Strength check to burst open. From the inside, the 
  panel requires three full-round actions to reopen. 
   
  Secret Panel: 2 in. of wood and 1 in. of steel; 
  hardness 5 (wood) and 10 (steel); hp 20 (wood) plus 30 
  (steel); AC 5; Break DC 28. 
  It is likely that the party is split up by their actions in this 
  Encounter. This is fine, as the next Encounter details 
  how to handle a party that has been split up. Some 
  players may be upset by this, as it violates one of the core 
  mantras of the game. However, you should reassure such 
  players that the adventure authors expected that this 
  might occur, and to trust you as a DM. 
   Where Next? 
  Regardless of whether the party has been split up or not, 
  proceed to the next Encounter.  
  ENCOUNTER SEVEN: MORE 
  DEATHS 
  This Encounter is designed for you run a party split into 
  two groups: one group in the custody of the Gentlemen 
  of the Watch and one group accompanying the Family. If 
  the PCs did not split up in Encounter Six (of if you never 
  ran Encounter Six at all), just skip over parts of this 
  Encounter that are not applicable. 
  You should not have to isolate players from each other 
  during this Encounter. Instead, encourage the PCs that 
  aren’t present to sit quietly and not provide advice. By 
  switching back and forth between the two groups, you 
  can keep everyone engaged.  
  WITH THE FAMILY 
  These PCs earn an Influence Point with the Family, but 
  do not gain the Influence Point with the Gentlemen of 
  the Watch. 
  The gnome lights a sunrod and looks over the group 
  of you that ducked into the secret passage with him. 
  “Sorry about the theatrics,” he chuckles, “but I never 
  thought that would actually work. They call me 
  Oscar, and I know who you are. If you come with me, 
  I think some of my ‘cousins’ can answer a lot of your 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 17 
  
  questions.”  The gnome squeezes past you to a spiral 
  staircase leading down. 
  Oscar (which is not his real name) is a low-level operative 
  in the Family. Oscar is a gregarious, friendly gnome who 
  likes his position in the Family. 
  If the PCs want to exit the passage or get their friends, 
  Oscar tries to talk them out of it. “You know the 
  Cobwalkers are waiting out there for the door to 
  open. Don’t be foolish. Your friends made their 
  choice. If you want to unravel your little mystery, 
  you’d best come with me right now.” If the PCs fiddle 
  with the secret panel anyway, Oscar flees down the stairs 
  and is soon lost in the sewers below. 
  Oscar’s superior is a man known as Hunter. Hunter told 
  Oscar to collect the PCs, keep them someplace safe, and 
  go get Hunter so that Hunter can ask the PCs a few 
  questions. Hunter let something slip about this 
  morning’s murders at the Bronze Unicorn, and Oscar 
  thinks Hunter knows quite a bit about them. Oscar does 
  not know any more than this, but he is happy to impart 
  this to the PCs while they travel.  
  What Oscar does not know is this: “Hunter” is actually 
  Perin, the ranger from the Gruff Group. When Perin 
  heard about the murders this morning, the paranoid 
  ranger pulled all the strings he had to find the PCs. 
  Oscar’s ruse is only one of several designed to bring in 
  the PCs so that Perin can question them about Griffo and 
  Gorik’s deaths. 
  Oscar leads the PCs down into the warren of catacombs 
  that act as Verbobonc’s sewer. The smell is incredibly bad 
  and waste is everywhere, but Oscar takes it in good stride, 
  chatting like a tour guide: 
  “You may not know this, but Verbobonc’s got sewers 
  much bigger and more extensive than other cities its 
  size. Ingenious system, really. Every few days, sluices 
  upriver are opened so that the waters of the 
  Velverdyva River flow through and wash the 
  accumulated muck away. These passageways aren’t 
  passable when the sluices are open, but they’ll be 
  much more pleasant this time tomorrow, when the 
  sluices are turned off. I think it’s brilliant. Designed 
  and built by gnomes, as you might guess.” The gnome 
  gives a wink. “So, the sluices ought to be opening any 
  time now—yep, hear that rumbling? That’s a 
  thousand tons of water rushing this way. Oh, and 
  here we are!” 
  Oscar opens a stone door and hurries the PCs inside, 
  although there is more than a minute until the 
  Velverdyva waters rush through this way. Oscar shuts the 
  stone door tightly once everyone is inside. 
  Contrary to Oscar’s opinion, the sewers are not 
  completely impassable while they are being purged. 
  However, the steady rumble from the other side of the 
  stone door and the water leaking slowly in around its 
  edges should discourage the PCs from leaving this way. 
  The room on the other side of the door is a cellar about 
  twenty feet square. Racks of wine and boxes of who-
  knows-what line the walls. There is only one other door, 
  which is made of sturdy wood. Beside the door is a metal 
  pipe about eight inches wide leading directly into the 
  wall a few inches from floor level. 
  Oscar spends a few minutes searching for a particular 
  bottle while the PCs get the feel of the room (the boxes 
  contain whatever not-particularly-valuable items you care 
  to invent). Oscar is looking for a potion of reduce person 
  he stashed here some time ago. When he finds it, he 
  turns back to the PCs: 
  “Through that door is Hunter’s chambers. He’ll come 
  through there to talk to you once he’s ready. You’re 
  well-protected here, trust me. That door is not only 
  locked, but it has the most fiendishly complicated 
  trap on it that I’ve ever seen. Nobody I know has 
  figured out how to disarm it, except for Hunter. And 
  he’s not telling. 
  “Fortunately,” adds the gnome as he downs the 
  contents of the flask he found, “I don’t have to use it.” 
  Oscar shrinks rapidly. In a few seconds, he is no more 
  than sixteen inches tall. “I’ll let Hunter know you’re 
  here, and he’ll be in to see you shortly. Ha! Shortly!” 
  Oscar scrambles into the pipe and is gone. 
  For now, the PCs have little to do but wait. Cut to the PCs 
  with the Gentlemen of the Watch for now.  
  WITH THE WATCH 
  These PCs earn an Influence Point with the Gentlemen 
  of the Watch, but do not gain the Influence Point with 
  the Family. 
  Myra and the Cobwalkers collect themselves after the 
  carefully rigged distraction. They immediately confirm 
  that no bystanders were injured. The two men who aided 
  in the distractions—both 1st-level rogues—slip into the 
  crowd and flee. Even if captured, they only know that 
  they do as a gnome named Oscar instructs. 
  If the PCs attacked the rogues, assisted the Cobwalkers, 
  or otherwise showed they were on Myra’s “side,” she is 
  grateful. 
  “That’s good, what you did,” Myra says, putting a hand 
  on your shoulders, “but I’ve got to do my duty, and 
  that means taking you with us.” 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 18 
  
  If the PCs try to get through the secret panel after it has 
  closed, they quickly learn how stout it is. Exploration of 
  the deserted building and the cooper’s shop reveals that 
  the secret passage is actually between the two buildings 
  and not connected to either. However, Myra is unlikely 
  to stand for such extensive exploration. 
  The Gentlemen of the Watch hurry the PCs along to a 
  stout building on a busy street with the shield of 
  Verbobonc emblazoned above the door. This is the local 
  watch headquarters and one of many similar buildings in 
  key locations throughout the city. Myra escorts the PCs 
  inside. Inside, a handful of other Gentlemen of the 
  Watch are working (processing criminals, filling out 
  paperwork, and the like—picture a fairly busy police 
  station). The windows in this building are small and 
  barred, so this room is lit by several everburning torches, 
  even though it is bright daylight outside.  
  Myra leads the PCs through a door and down a couple of 
  short halls to a heavy wooden door near the back of the 
  building. A low table sits in the hall outside the door. 
  Myra offers, “Isn’t this your lucky day! You’re the only 
  ones in holding today, so you don’t have to share the 
  room with smelly drunks or gibbering cultists. 
  Weapons on the table, please. Rules are rules. And in 
  you go.” 
  Myra assures the PCs that they only have to stay in the 
  holding room long enough for her to contact the Watch 
  Captain (the Watch Captain is Robin Sackville, but Myra 
  only refers to him as “Captain” or “the Watch Captain”). 
  Myra assures the PCs that the Watch Captain will let 
  them go once they’ve answered a few questions. 
  Myra expects the PCs to leave their weapons on the table, 
  but she also realizes that they won’t be able to hurt 
  anyone in the holding room except each other. 
  Therefore, a DC 15 Diplomacy check is sufficient to let a 
  PC keep his weapons on his person in the holding room. 
  The holding room is about fifteen feet square with several 
  wooden benches and straw pallets. A basin of water and a 
  chamberpot are the only other items in the room. Two 
  small barred windows look out onto the bustling mid-
  morning streets. The door to the holding cell has a small 
  barred window as well, but it only looks into the short 
  hall. The rest of the watch station cannot be seen from 
  the small window in the holding room’s door. 
  Myra closes the door to the holding cell and locks it from 
  the outside. The PCs have little to do but wait.  
  INTERLUDE 
  While the PCs are stuck waiting in one room or another, 
  Nudd is very busy. First, he sends his wraiths into the 
  watch station and kills all of the people there. This 
  includes Myra and Robin Sackville, Nudd’s true target, 
  who just returned from Watch business.  
  After that, Nudd’s wraiths assault Hunter’s hideout and 
  kill everyone there, including Oscar and Hunter (Perin). 
  In both cases, the wraith’s opponents can’t effectively 
  fight back, and each fight is over in less than half a 
  minute. Other than a few cries of surprise, the battles 
  occur in near silence. Although there are only a couple of 
  doors between the PCs and the battle, a DC 30 Listen 
  check is required to hear anything amiss and the PCs are 
  not likely to be able to react in time. 
  The PCs should not experience or witness either battle. It 
  is much creepier for them to instead experience the 
  aftermath. 
  Let both groups of PCs know that they wait. And wait. 
  And wait. In both cases, the PCs expect to only wait a 
  short while, but fifteen minutes passes, then a half an 
  hour, then an hour. If the PCs shout, there is no answer, 
  because anyone that could hear them is dead.  
  Ask each group of PCs how long they wait before doing 
  something to escape the room they are in. Run the 
  applicable part below for the first group that decides to 
  break free (Back with the Family or Back with the 
  Watch), then run the other part (if applicable). 
  BACK WITH THE FAMILY 
  The PCs are likely to consider how to get through the 
  wooden door or through the pipe. 
  The pipe is probably not a good option. There are no 
  more potions of reduce person in the wine racks, only 
  fair to poor wine. Medium PCs cannot fit through the 
  pipe at all, Small PCs can do so with a DC 30 Escape 
  Artist check, and Tiny creatures can fit through with a 
  DC 20 Escape Artist check. Only familiars are likely to be 
  able to fit through the pipe, which emerges in Hunter’s 
  chambers two doors away. 
  The door is not actually trapped. It has a Leomund’s trap 
  spell on it, along with a Nystul’s magic aura to render it 
  undetectable by magic. Therefore, it appears to be 
  trapped but does not detect as magical. Perin paid a 
  traveling wizard a hefty fee to enchant this door many 
  months ago, in order to have the prestige of owning an 
  “unbeatable” trap he alone could open. Eventually, the 
  PCs should realize that the door is not trapped at all. The 
  door is, however, locked. 
   
  Solid Wooden Door: 2 in. thick; hardness 5; hp 20; 
  AC 5; Break DC 23; average lock (DC 25 Open Lock); 
  appears trapped (Leomund’s trap) but does not detect as 
  magical (Nystul’s magic aura). 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 19 
  
  If the PCs in the room have absolutely no way of opening 
  this door, you may decide that one of the boxes contains 
  vials of alchemist’s fire or acid, or that an axe is stashed 
  away behind one of the wine racks, in order to provide 
  the PCs with a way out of this room. 
  Past the doors are short hall sloping upward and another 
  closed and locked door that is not trapped. 
   
  Solid Wooden Door: 1 in. thick; hardness 5; hp 10; 
  AC 5; Break DC 18; average lock (DC 25 Open Lock). 
  Beyond this second door is a comfortable carpeted sitting 
  room in the basement of an abandoned tavern. This area 
  is Hunter’s hideout. 
  Six people lie dead here, all sapped of vitality like the 
  patrons of the Bronze Unicorn (they have died from 
  Constitution drain). One is Oscar. Three are male human 
  members of the Family dressed in leather armor and with 
  short swords gripped in their lifeless hands. Another 
  body is a fat, balding Oeridian man—PCs who have 
  played VER4-06 Fool’s Errand or VER5-04 Fool’s Gold 
  recognize the man as Uncle Krot, a high-ranking 
  member of the Family (Krot wears no armor but carries a 
  spell component pouch, as he was a rogue/wizard).  
  The sixth body is Perin, aka Hunter. This sixth person is a 
  finely dressed human with masterwork twin short 
  swords and a fine set of masterwork thieves’ tools. Perin 
  has the smiling viper tattoo on his neck and shoulder 
  and, folded up in a pocket, he has Players Handout 3 
  (which he received several hours ago and, deducing it 
  was a threat, immediately sequestered himself in his 
  hideout). 
  Treasure: Loot the corpses in Hunter’s hideout. 
   
  All APLs: L: 71 gp; C: 11 gp; M: 0 gp. 
  There is another door leading out of this room and into 
  the abandoned tavern. The PCs can easily exit the 
  abandoned tavern above without drawing attention to 
  themselves. 
  Run Back with the Watch if appropriate or, if not, move 
  on to the next Encounter. 
  BACK WITH THE WATCH 
  The PCs are likely to consider how to get out of the 
  holding cell or shouting for help. 
  Shouting for help is probably not a good option. 
  Passersby are used to raving from those imprisoned in 
  the watch station. They generally do not answer and 
  hurry along. 
  The door is a solidly built cell door with a small, barred 
  window. The window is eight inches square and has two-
  inch gaps between the iron bars. The door’s lock is not 
  accessible from inside the room, which is accounted for it 
  its Open Lock DC. The PCs might also burst the door. 
  The benches in the room can be used as a makeshift 
  battering ram for this purpose. 
   
  Reinforced Solid Wooden Door: 2 in. thick; 
  hardness 5; hp 20; AC 5; Break DC 25; good lock (DC 35 
  Open Lock). 
  If the PCs have absolutely no way out of this room, you 
  may decide that someone visits the watch station (a local 
  tradesman and drunkard named Everett) and sees the 
  carnage. Everett runs out into the street shouting for 
  help, but the locals know to ignore the man. The PCs 
  clearly 
  hear 
  him 
  shouting, 
  however, 
  and 
  can 
  communicate with Everett through their exterior barred 
  windows. Everett explains the scene in the watch station 
  in gruesome terms. The PCs might be able to get Everett 
  to re-enter the watch station, find the key on Myra’s 
  body, and set them loose. 
  Past the holding cell door are several short halls and 
  closed (but not locked) doors. In the main room of the 
  watch station are nine dead people. All eight have been 
  sapped of vitality like the patrons of the Bronze Unicorn 
  (they have died from Constitution drain). One is Myra, 
  two are criminals that were being processed as the PCs 
  came in, and four are Cobwalkers. Myra and the 
  Cobwalkers all have swords drawn and clutched in their 
  lifeless hands. The criminals are hidden under desks and 
  were slain while they huddled there. 
  The only person here that the PCs do not recognize as 
  having been present when they were led through this 
  room a short time previously is a stout, reasonably 
  handsome man wearing the tabard of a Watch Captain. 
  This is Robin Sackville. Robin had time to draw his 
  masterwork bow, but not fire it, before he was killed. 
  Robin Sackville has the smiling viper tattoo on his neck 
  and shoulder and a folded note—Player Handout 4—in 
  his pocket. Robin received this note earlier today, but 
  could not guess at its meaning. 
  Treasure: Loot the corpses in the watch station. 
   
  All APLs: L: 102 gp; C: 2 gp; M: 0 gp. 
  The door leading out to the street is closed, but the PCs 
  can easily exit the Watch Station without drawing 
  attention to themselves. They may want to get other 
  help—such as from other Watch Stations or the Knights 
  of the Faithful Defender. They PCs should realize that 
  this is likely to increase the suspicion on them even 
  further (as they have been present for two mysterious 
  mass murders). If the PCs insist on reporting this 
  anyway, they are distracted by the events of the next 
  Encounter. 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 20 
  
  Run Back with the Family if appropriate or, if not, move 
  on to the next Encounter.  
  ENCOUNTER EIGHT: RAY OF 
  SUNSHINE 
  By lucky coincidence, the abandoned tavern over 
  Hunter’s hideout is just down the street from the watch 
  station (both are near number 33 on Map 2). Between the 
  two is an empty lot often used as an open-air market. On 
  rainy or hot days, a large canvas awning is erected over 
  the lot. 
  Today, the canvas is up and the market is busy. Several 
  people mill about the stalls, shopping. Fortunately for the 
  PCs, Nudd is among them. Nudd thinks he knows which 
  clothing shop in town belongs to Dimberaid, but to be 
  sure he is confirming with clothing merchants who set 
  up their wares in the covered marketplace. Nudd has 
  already confirmed that Dimberaid runs a shop in the 
  central section of the city called the Gentle Mirror by the 
  time this Encounter begins. 
  Nudd’s public presence gives the PCs a good chance to 
  spot him, however. 
  MEETING UP 
  Once both groups have extricated themselves from the 
  building they are in, they are likely to meet up near the 
  market. Linking the PCs back together becomes more 
  problematic if one group escapes substantially before the 
  other (if, for example, the group trapped in Hunter’s 
  cellar escapes after ten minutes, but the PCs in the 
  holding room waited at least an hour). If part of the party 
  gets out much earlier than the other, they may try to 
  rendezvous at a different meeting spot (such as the 
  Bronze Unicorn or the cooper’s shop). You may have to 
  “move” the location of the open-air market, for the 
  purposes of this Encounter, to be near the location where 
  the PCs meet up with each other. As the market 
  occasionally sets up in other parts of Verbobonc City, 
  moving the location of this Encounter is not 
  unreasonable. 
  After the PCs are back together, let them catch up on 
  what they have learned. Then ask all of the PCs for Spot 
  checks (or those PCs with line of sight to the open-air 
  market, wherever you have decided to place it). To all 
  PCs, read: 
  Your eyes pass over a bustling open-air market with 
  stalls of many kinds of goods. The entire market is 
  shaded by a large sheet of canvas tied at all four 
  corners to nearby buildings.  
  To anyone that exceeds a DC 19 Spot check, read: 
  With a start, you realize that someone in the market is 
  looking right at you. The stunted, twisted dwarf is 
  dressed in a dirty robe and a cowering, simpering 
  demeanor. 
  PCs that see Nudd and succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence 
  check remember the dwarf talking to the halfling and the 
  half-orc in the Bronze Unicorn common room the 
  previous night. 
  As long as at least some of the PCs are recognizable (that 
  is, so long as they aren’t all in disguise or invisible), add: 
  The dwarf seems to recognize your group from across 
  the market, because he suddenly turns and flees. The 
  elven merchant near the man shouts after him. 
  Nudd is approximately 90 feet from the PCs when he 
  sees them, and he flees behind a tall display of Baklunish 
  rugs to be out of sight of the PCs. 
  Have all of the players roll initiative at this point, 
  assuming that the character(s) that spotted Nudd alerts 
  the others (if not, have only those PCs aware of Nudd roll 
  initiative). Also roll initiative for Nudd and his wraith 
  lurking just under the market. 
  Nudd does not want to confront the PCs, so his only 
  actions are to cast invisibility and levitate on himself and 
  flee.  
  On its action, the wraith rises from the ground in the 
  middle of the market and starts attacking people 
  indiscriminately. 
  If 
  Nudd 
  saw 
  the 
  PCs, 
  Nudd 
  commanded the wraith to rise to cover his escape. If 
  Nudd has not noticed the PCs (because, for example, they 
  are disguised), then the wraith rises anyway, unbidden by 
  Nudd, to feed. As the wraith rises, read: 
  An inky spot rises from the center of the covered 
  market and grows into the shadowy shape of a large 
  winged man. A chill creeps through you despite the 
  bright, hot morning. The ragged shadow has broad, 
  black wings and wields a massive shadowy greataxe. 
  The shade swings its greataxe through the elven 
  merchant like vapor. The elf’s frame immediately 
  shrivels and he collapses to the ground, dead, eyes 
  wide with terror. 
  The wraith’s appearance and weaponry are based on its 
  form in life—that of a half-fiendish barbarian—but its 
  statistics are as set forth below (that is, its attack is 
  visually with a greataxe but mechanically it is a melee 
  touch attack, just as with any wraith). The wraith’s 
  distinctive appearance allows the PCs to more readily 
  identify it in Encounter Ten. 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 21 
  
  The merchants and shoppers in the covered market flee 
  as best they can, but generally just get in each other’s way. 
  No one but the PCs dares to confront the wraith. 
  APL 2 (EL 5) 
   
  Wraith: hp 32; see Monster Manual. 
  APL 4 (EL 7) 
   
  Advanced Wraith Ephemeral Exemplar 1: hp 64; 
  see Appendix 1. 
  APL 6 (EL 9) 
   
  Advanced Wraith Ephemeral Exemplar 3: hp 76; 
  see Appendix 1. 
  The market area is crowded, but not packed. Movement 
  is at half speed and no combatant can charge or run. Due 
  to the stalls of goods and people, all combatants in the 
  market have cover. The wraith’s attacks ignore this cover, 
  however.  
  Tactics: The wraith attacks as many people as it can each 
  turn, whether the PCs or NPCs. At APL 6, it positions 
  itself as best as it can to use its Whirlwind Attack feat 
  against as many living beings as possible. Generally, the 
  wraith likes to spread out its attacks as much as possible. 
  The wraith avoids any areas of sunlight and flees if it 
  cannot fight in shadow. 
  The wraith also flees if reduced below one-third of its hit 
  points. 
  Treasure: The wraith has no treasure. 
  Development: Fighting the Wraith: Particularly at APL 
  2, the PCs are unlikely to have the magical means to fight 
  such a powerful foe. Straightforward combat against the 
  wraith, but is not the best way to defeat this foe. Wraiths 
  are powerless in direct sunlight (which the PCs may have 
  learned from the Veth in Encounter 3 or may remember 
  with a DC 20 Knowledge (religion) check). This wraith 
  does not venture out into the sunlight at all. 
  The canvas covering the marketplace is all that keeps the 
  sunlight from streaming directly onto the wraith, 
  rendering it powerless. The best methods of removing 
  the canvas are: 
  • 
  Attack the canvas: Each 5-foot square of canvas 
  has a hardness of 2 and 6 hit points. The canvas 
  is immune to damage from bludgeoning 
  weapons and takes one-quarter damage from 
  piercing weapons. It is also 15 feet above the 
  ground, putting it out of reach of most melee 
  attacks (although PCs can jump or climb up 
  onto tables and displays that are 5 feet high). 
  The wraith does not enter any area beneath a 
  section of canvas that is destroyed, which 
  constrains the area in which it can fight. 
  • 
  Burn the canvas: The canvas is treated so it will 
  not burn quickly, so its hardness of 2 counts 
  against fire damage as well. If this resistance is 
  overcome, however, the canvas burns quickly. 
  Each round, every square of canvas adjacent to 
  the burned square has a fifty percent chance to 
  catch fire as well, taking as much fire damage as 
  the adjacent square. This “domino” effect can 
  cause the entire canvas to burn away in only a 
  few rounds. The wraith does not enter any area 
  beneath a section of canvas that is destroyed, 
  which constrains the area in which it can fight. 
  • 
  Untie the canvas: The canvas canopy is tied 
  down at all four corners with sturdy rope. This 
  rope can be cut (hardness 1, 3 hit points, 
  immune to bludgeoning weapons and one-
  quarter damage from piercing weapons) or 
  untied (DC 15 Use Rope or Disable Device). 
  However, the rope is tied off 20 feet above the 
  ground. The buildings or poles to which the 
  canvas is anchored can be climbed with a DC 20 
  Climb check. As each corner is cut loose, it 
  constrains the area in which the wraith can 
  fight. Three corners of the canvas must be cut 
  loose in order to bring down the canvas 
  covering.  
  Development: The Sun! It Burns! Once the wraith has 
  no more area to fight from, it retreats into the ground and 
  does not return. 
  Where Next? 
  The PCs should be able to confirm that the murderer 
  they have been investigating is a wraith. However, 
  assuming that Nudd escaped, they do not have any 
  immediate leads. The PCs may wish to return to one of 
  the areas of their earlier investigations (such as the 
  Grinning Viper), or go to a temple in order to get any 
  Constitution drain healed (this costs 380 gp for a 
  restoration spell, lesser restoration does not cure ability 
  score drain). As the PCs move from place to place within 
  Verbobonc City, go to the next Encounter. 
  If the PCs have the good sense to ask around as to what 
  Nudd was doing in the market, a DC 10 Gather 
  Information check reveals that he was asking around 
  several vendors selling clothing. If the Gather 
  Information beats a DC of 20, the PCs can find one of 
  these clothing merchants. The merchant explains that 
  Nudd was asking about someone named Dimberaid, a 
  half-elf woman who owns a clothing store called the 
  Gentle Mirror in the central section of the city. 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 22 
  
  ENCOUNTER NINE: HAD TO 
  SEE IT COMING 
  Within a few minutes after Nudd realizes that the PCs 
  may be after him—or even if the paranoid necromancer 
  thinks the PCs might be after him—Nudd prepares a trap 
  to kill (or at least discourage) them. He writes a message 
  on a piece of parchment, and then casts explosive runes 
  and Nystul’s magic aura on the parchment (to make it 
  appear nonmagical). He then pays a street urchin to find 
  and deliver this letter bomb to the PCs. Read: 
  As you travel the streets of Verbobonc City, a lone 
  black cat darts across the street ahead of you. “Good 
  gentlefolk!” calls a voice from behind you. One of the 
  city’s street urchins approaches you at a trot, waving a 
  roll of parchment. “I gots a message for a right 
  generous group like you!” 
  The urchin wants to deliver the message to the biggest, 
  toughest-looking member of the group, per Nudd’s 
  description (but he doesn’t care if another character takes 
  it). The urchin expects a tip of some sort, and is delighted 
  with anything the PCs give him. 
  If the PCs question the lad, he explains that a fat half-
  elven man near the Temple Gate (Nudd under the effects 
  of a disguise self spell, actually) gave him the note and 
  described the PCs (as Nudd saw them at the market). He 
  gave the urchin a gold coin and said to give the PCs this 
  note “for their noble actions at the market today, and to 
  edumacate them further.” The urchin thinks it is foolish 
  to pay a whole gold piece to deliver a thank-you note, 
  which is what he assumes it is, but he is not one to 
  complain when money is available. 
  If the PCs read the note, fold up Player Handout 5 and 
  give it to the players. When it is clear that the player 
  reading the note has finished reading the note’s last line 
  (either because the player read it out loud, or due to facial 
  expression), ask all of the PCs within 10 feet to make 
  Reflex saving throws. Unless the PCs prearranged a 
  marching order in which they were spaced away from 
  one another, assume that the blast catches all of the PCs 
  (and a few innocent NPCs as well). 
  APL 2 (EL 2)  
   
  Explosive Runes Trap: CR 2; magic spell (does not 
  detect as magical due to Nystul’s magic aura spell); 
  reading trigger; no reset; spell effect (explosive runes 
  spell, 5th-level wizard; 3d6 force damage to all within 10 
  feet; DC 16 Reflex half, but the reader gets no saving 
  throw); Search DC 28; Disable Device DC 28. The 
  subsequent casting of Nystul’s magic aura on this note 
  sapped some of the potency of the explosive runes spell, 
  resulting in the lower damage. 
  APL 4 (EL 4)  
   
  Explosive Runes Trap: CR 4; magic spell (does not 
  detect as magical due to Nystul’s magic aura spell); 
  reading trigger; no reset; spell effect (explosive runes 
  spell, 7th-level wizard; 6d6 force damage to all within 10 
  feet; DC 17 Reflex half, but the reader gets no saving 
  throw); Search DC 28; Disable Device DC 28. 
  APL 6 (EL 6)  
   
  Empowered Explosive Runes Trap: CR 6; magic 
  spell (does not detect as magical due to Nystul’s magic 
  aura spell); reading trigger; no reset; spell effect 
  (empowered explosive runes spell, 9th-level wizard; 6d6 x 
  1.5 force damage to all within 10 feet; DC 18 Reflex half, 
  but the reader gets no saving throw); Search DC 28; 
  Disable Device DC 28. 
  Nudd’s explosive note contains an important clue. The 
  “last one” implies that there is one remaining member of 
  the group he is killing off. The PCs may know by now 
  that this is the last surviving member of the Gruff Group, 
  Dimberaid the sorcerer. The note also provides the time 
  of his attack: noon. 
  Where Next? 
  The PCs may need to follow up on other clues in order to 
  identify the Gentle Mirror clothing store as the location 
  of the murderer’s final attack. The note reveals that the 
  PCs do not have much time before their last chance to 
  catch the murderer in the act. 
  ENCOUNTER TEN: THE 
  SURVIVOR 
  This final encounter requires that the PCs learn that 
  Nudd’s last target is Dimberaid, proprietor of the Gentle 
  Mirror clothing shop. There are three ways the PCs 
  might learn the identity of Nudd’s final victim: 
  • 
  They might guess it from the portrait in the 
  Grinning Viper. A DC 15 Gather Information 
  check identifies Dimberaid as proprietor of the 
  Gentle Mirror clothing store. 
  • 
  They might remember a final member of the 
  Gruff Group from play of VERIntro3-02 A 
  Hunting We Will Go. 
  • 
  They might have learned that Nudd was asking 
  about Dimberaid while speaking to the clothing 
  merchants in the open-air market in Encounter 
  Eight. 
  When the PCs arrive here, read or paraphrase: 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 23 
  
  This tall, narrow building faces the gate to the 
  Church District. The shop has window displays 
  featuring shabby mannequins in a variety of tasteful 
  outfits and a sturdy door that appears slightly ajar. A 
  tattered awning in the front of the building provides 
  deep shade. Printed upon the awning are the words 
  “Gentle Mirror.” 
  The Gentle Mirror is two stories tall. The bottom floor 
  contains the storefront and fitting rooms. The upper floor 
  contains Dimberaid’s private room, workrooms, and 
  storage. Atop the building is Dimberaid’s garden, 
  accessible via a sturdy stairway along the side of the 
  building (it is not accessible from inside the shop). A 10-
  foot ladder leading up against the side of the shop is not 
  tall enough to reach the roof, but used to perform minor 
  repairs to the building. 
  If the PCs scout around the building, they see the 
  staircase going up and may hear (DC 20 Listen check) 
  Dimberaid working atop the building. However, most 
  parties will simply enter the Gentle Mirror clothing 
  shop. To those that do, read or paraphrase: 
  You push open the sturdy door and feel it catch on 
  something. A piece of clothing causes a mannequin to 
  swivel, tip, and collide with a full-length mirror, 
  causing the mirror to crack into several jagged pieces. 
  As this is not technically a trap, but rather coincidental 
  and inconvenient placement of the mannequin and 
  mirror. The PCs may not detect this “trap” before the 
  mirror is broken. Breaking the mirror has no effect other 
  than to set the mood of this adventure.  
  There is no one in the shop at present (as Dimberaid is 
  tending to her garden). If the PCs call out or make any 
  sort of noise (such as breaking the mirror), Dimberaid 
  calls down to them: 
  “Hello? I’m up on the roof at present. There is a 
  staircase to the side of the building, please come on 
  up!” 
  If the PCs do as Dimberaid asks, they climb up the stairs 
  and pass under the ladder leaning against the side of the 
  building (again, there is no effect other than to establish 
  mood, as passing under a ladder is generally considered 
  bad luck). 
  Once the PCs arrive at the top of the building, read: 
  The top of the Gentle Mirror is awash in green. Plants 
  of every variety grow atop this rooftop garden. The 
  plans seem to be basking in the bright sun. In one of 
  the neat rows a lovely half-elf woman kneels in a sun 
  dress, looking your direction. “I’m Dimberaid,” she 
  says, looking you over, “and I expect that you’ve not 
  come for new jackets and trousers. Can I help you?” 
  Dimberaid is full of information about the Gruff Group 
  and its exploits. She knows about each member, and has a 
  reasonably good sense of what each member is up to 
  recently (that is, she knows that Robin is a Watch 
  Captain and Perin works for the Family). It should be 
  clear from her conversation that she finds the other 
  members of the Gruff Group distasteful and she is glad to 
  be free of them (however, she does still have her grinning 
  snake tattoo). 
  The sorceress even remembers the pathetic necromancer 
  Nudd, his attempts to join the Gruff Group years ago, and 
  the cruel way the other members (especially Griffo) 
  teased and rebuffed him. Dimberaid was also mean to the 
  dwarf, because she found him repulsive. 
  Dimberaid does not know that she is now the only 
  surviving member of the Gruff Group. If the PCs 
  describe the attacks and the twisted dwarf, she is quick to 
  realize that Nudd is slowly working some kind of terrible 
  revenge. She begs the PCs to help her and to save her 
  from the necromancer. 
  ALL APLS 
   
  Dimberaid: Female half-elf sorcerer 3/expert 3; hp 
  28; AL N 
  As noon approaches, Nudd’s army of wraiths make their 
  appearance. As the conversation with Dimberaid is 
  winding down, read or paraphrase the following: 
  A chill courses through you as a shadow rises through 
  the street in front of the Gentle Mirror. The winged 
  wraith raises its greataxe, and dozens of other forms 
  rise from the street. You recognize the forms of the 
  innkeeper and his son, the halfling, the half-orc, the 
  elven merchant from the marketplace, and all of the 
  people killed by this wraith this morning. The 
  wraiths all do as the winged wraith commands, 
  spreading out in a circle around the clothing shop. 
  However, the wraiths seem faint in the bright 
  daylight. Although clearly pained by the sun, the 
  wraiths stand in their silent vigil, powerless. Even the 
  winged wraith cowers in the sunlight, bound by a will 
  that is not its own. 
  If the PCs try to interact with the wraiths at all, the 
  undead do not resist. If threatened, they simply step 
  down into the ground, only to rise up again once the 
  coast is clear. The party should get the sense that they are 
  outmatched by the army of wraiths, even though the 
  wraiths are—for the moment—powerless. The sunny top 
  of the building should feel like a safe place. 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 24 
  
  After the wraiths have been present long enough to put a 
  scare into the PCs, continue with: 
  From the empty air near the rooftop comes a 
  simpering voice, “Just one more! This is the end of 
  the Gruff Group and the rise of Nudd the 
  Wraithmaster! Get her, friends! And kill her 
  protectors!” 
  This command to the powerless wraiths seems 
  ludicrous in broad daylight. Then the daylight begins 
  to dim. A quick look toward the sun reveals a small 
  curved chunk darkening the sun and spreading across 
  its face. At this rate, the noon sun will be eclipsed in 
  less than a minute and the wraiths will have free 
  reign. 
  The total eclipse is the core of Nudd’s final plan to kill 
  Dimberaid in the middle of the day. Although a night-
  time attack is probably more intelligent, Nudd is both 
  impatient and melodramatic. Unfortunately for Nudd, 
  his wraiths despise daylight and are unwilling to stand 
  around in the sunlight. Nudd had to succeed at the 
  opposed Charisma check against the master wraith to 
  force him into the sunlight with his minions; the wraiths 
  would far rather flee. If Nudd is killed while the wraiths 
  are still rendered powerless by the sun, they immediately 
  sink into the ground and flee. 
  The eclipse completely covers the sun in ten rounds (this 
  is readily apparent to the PCs, if they ask). Once the sun 
  is covered, the wraiths have ten rounds in which to freely 
  operate. After that time, the sun comes back out and 
  again renders them powerless. By that time, however, it is 
  likely they will have killed Dimberaid and any remaining 
  PCs. 
  The key to success here is to defeat Nudd in the ten 
  rounds before totality. 
  Of course, Nudd does not make this easy. He is well 
  prepared for this fight and prepared to show no mercy to 
  the PCs.  
  Nudd plans to finish off Dimberaid’s protectors before 
  the eclipse’s totality. At that point, he plans to command 
  his wraiths (via the master wraith he controls with 
  command undead) to kill any remaining PCs and then 
  kill Dimberaid. Nudd does not intend to kill Dimberaid 
  himself, as he prefers that she be spawned as a wraith. 
  APL 2 (EL 5) 
   
  Nudd: male dwarf Wizard (necromancer) 5; hp 42; 
  see Appendix 1. 
  APL 4 (EL 7) 
   
  Nudd: male dwarf Wizard (necromancer) 7; hp 59; 
  see Appendix 1. 
  APL 6 (EL 9) 
   
  Nudd: male dwarf Wizard (necromancer) 9; hp 71; 
  see Appendix 1. 
  Tactics: Nudd prefers to launch spells from a position of 
  safety. At all APLs, he enjoys the benefit of several pre-
  cast spells and defensive magic items. Nudd opens by 
  summoning powerful, durable undead (such as large 
  zombies) directly into melee with the PCs. Generally, 
  summon undead has a 1 round cast time, but with his 
  Rapid Spell feat, Nudd is able to summon undead with a 
  full-round action instead.  
  At APL 2, Nudd levitates well out of reach of the roof 
  while invisible. Summoning undead does not cause him 
  to break his invisibility. Nudd breaks his invisibility in 
  order to target significant threats with glitterdust or ray 
  of enfeeblement.  
  At APL 4, Nudd remains invisible, thanks to his greater 
  invisibility, even when launching direct attacks against 
  the PCs. After summoning a comfortable number of ogre 
  zombies, Nudd uses empowered ray of enfeeblement and 
  glitterdust to shut down effective PCs. 
  At APL 6, Nudd has greater mobility (as he is flying, not 
  levitating) and defenses (such as displacement). Nudd 
  remains invisible, thanks to his greater invisibility, even 
  when launching direct attacks against the PCs. After 
  summoning several ogre zombies, Nudd uses wrack 
  against mages, empowered ray of enfeeblement against 
  warriors, and empowered vampiric touch (through his 
  spectral hand) on others. 
  Treasure: Loot Nudd. 
   
  APL 2: L: 3 gp; C: 0 gp; M: 767; cloak of elemental 
  protection, 83 gp per character; eternal wand of summon 
  undead II, 368 gp per character; ring of silent spells, 166 
  gp per character; wand of invisibility (4 charges), 30 gp 
  per character; wand of knock (6 charges), 45 gp per 
  character; wand of protection from arrows (6 charges), 45 
  gp per character; wand of levitate (4 charges), 30 gp per 
  character. 
   
  APL 4: L: 3 gp; C: 0 gp; M: 1,433; cloak of elemental 
  protection, 83 gp per character; eternal wand of summon 
  undead II, 368 gp per character; headband of intellect +2, 
  333 gp per character; ring of silent spells, 166 gp per 
  character; ring of counterspells, 333 gp per character; 
  wand of invisibility (4 charges), 30 gp per character; wand 
  of knock (6 charges), 45 gp per character; wand of 
  protection from arrows (6 charges), 45 gp per character; 
  wand of levitate (4 charges), 30 gp per character. 
   
  APL 6: L: 3 gp; C: 0 gp; M: 2,433; cloak of elemental 
  protection, 83 gp per character; eternal wand of summon 
  undead II, 368 gp per character; headband of intellect +4, 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 25 
  
  1,333 gp per character; ring of silent spells, 166 gp per 
  character; ring of counterspells, 333 gp per character; 
  wand of invisibility (4 charges), 30 gp per character; wand 
  of knock (6 charges), 45 gp per character; wand of 
  protection from arrows (6 charges), 45 gp per character; 
  wand of levitate (4 charges), 30 gp per character. 
  Development: Wraithkillers. If the PCs defeated the 
  winged wraith in Encounter Eight, then the description 
  above should be modified as the winged wraith is not 
  present. Instead, an ordinary wraith is the master of the 
  others and subject to Nudd’s will by a command undead 
  spell he cast earlier this morning from a scroll. 
  Development: Death of the Wraithmaster. If Nudd is 
  killed while the wraiths are still rendered powerless by 
  the sun, they immediately sink into the ground and flee. 
  If the PCs are able to defeat the master wraith, all the 
  other wraiths are uncontrolled and immediately flee. 
  CONCLUSION 
  Once the PCs have defeated Nudd, his commanded 
  wraiths immediately depart. Even though an eclipse 
  provides them a few moments of freedom in the middle 
  of the day, wraiths do not enjoy the daytime and retreat 
  to lurk deep underground. 
  If Dimberaid still lives, then fate has one final bit of bad 
  luck to impart to her. 
  As eclipse passes, bright sunshine again washes over 
  Verbobonc City and the roof of the Gentle Mirror. 
  Dimberaid the half-elf pushes her hair back out of her 
  eyes and looks at your group with unabashed 
  gratitude. “My heroes!” she cries, “Without your help 
  today, I might have…” 
  With a sudden lurch, Dimberaid’s foot slips on a roof 
  tile. Arms windmilling, the half-elf tumbles over the 
  side of her shop.  
  Dimberaid tries to cast feather fall as she goes over the 
  edge, but fails to successfully cast the spell. In fact, her 
  miscast spell counters any feather fall spell or effect the 
  PCs might try to use to save her.  Dimberaid is ‘jinxed’ 
  and thus she is destined to die.   
  With a crunch, Dimberaid hits the cobblestones 
  below, her neck twisted at a plainly fatal angle. With 
  this final spot of bad luck, so ends the last of Griffo 
  Gruff’s adventuring group. 
  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. 
  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 One: A Lucky Morning  
  The PCs discover the grinning viper tattoos:  
   
  APL 2 
    30 XP 
   
  APL 4 
    45 XP   
   
  APL 6 
    60 XP  
  Encounter Eight: Ray of Sunshine 
  Defeat or drive off the wraith:  
   
  APL 2 
  150 XP 
   
  APL 4 
  210 XP   
   
  APL 6 
  270 XP 
  Encounter Nine: Had to See It Coming 
  Survive, disable or bypass the explosive runes trap:  
   
  APL 2 
     60 XP 
   
  APL 4 
  120 XP   
   
  APL 6 
  180 XP 
  Encounter Ten: The Survivor  
  Defeat Nudd:  
   
  APL 2 
  150 XP 
   
  APL 4 
  210 XP   
   
  APL 6 
  270 XP 
  Story Awards 
  The PCs determined that the Gruff Group is Nudd’s 
  target before arriving at Dimberaid’s clothing store: 
   
  APL 2 
    30 XP 
   
  APL 4 
    45 XP   
   
  APL 6 
    60 XP  
  The players enjoyed themselves and roleplayed well: 
   
  APL 2 
    30 XP 
   
  APL 4 
    45 XP   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 26 
  
   
  APL 6 
    60 XP  
  Total Possible Experience  
   
  APL 2 
  450 XP 
    
  APL 4 
  675 XP 
   
  APL 6 
  900 XP 
  TREASURE SUMMARY 
  During an adventure, PCs 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 PCs cannot take 
  the time to loot the bodies, they do not gain this gold. If 
  you feel it is reasonable that PCs 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), PCs may return to retrieve loot. If 
  the PCs 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 PCs may want to use them during the adventure. 
  Many times PCs 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 PCs total and coin value increase 
  at the end of the adventure. Write the total in the GP 
  Gained field of the adventure certificate.  
   
  Loot = Looted gear from enemy; Coin = Coin, Gems, 
  Jewelry, and other valuables; Magic = Magic Items.  
  Encounter One: A Lucky Morning 
  Loot the corpses in the Bronze Unicorn. 
   
  All APLs: L: 94 gp; C: 31 gp; M: 0. 
  Encounter Seven: More Deaths 
  Loot the corpses in Hunter’s hideout. 
   
  All APLs: L: 71 gp; C: 11 gp; M: 0. 
  Loot the corpses in the watch station. 
   
  All APLs: L: 102 gp; C: 2 gp; M: 0. 
  Encounter Ten: The Survivor 
  Loot Nudd. 
   
  APL 2: L: 3 gp; C: 0 gp; M: 767; cloak of elemental 
  protection, 83 gp per character; eternal wand of summon 
  undead II, 368 gp per character; ring of silent spells, 166 
  gp per character; wand of invisibility (4 charges), 30 gp 
  per character; wand of knock (6 charges), 45 gp per 
  character; wand of protection from arrows (6 charges), 45 
  gp per character; wand of levitate (4 charges), 30 gp per 
  character. 
   
  APL 4: L: 3 gp; C: 0 gp; M: 1,433; cloak of elemental 
  protection, 83 gp per character; eternal wand of summon 
  undead II, 368 gp per character; headband of intellect +2, 
  333 gp per character; ring of silent spells, 166 gp per 
  character; ring of counterspells, 333 gp per character; 
  wand of invisibility (4 charges), wand of knock (6 
  charges), 45 gp per character; wand of protection from 
  arrows (6 charges), 45 gp per character; wand of levitate 
  (4 charges), 30 gp per character. 
   
  APL 6: L: 3 gp; C: 0 gp; M: 2,433; cloak of elemental 
  protection, 83 gp per character; eternal wand of summon 
  undead II, 368 gp per character; headband of intellect +4, 
  1,333 gp per character; ring of silent spells, 166 gp per 
  character; ring of counterspells, 333 gp per character; 
  wand of invisibility (4 charges), wand of knock (6 
  charges), 45 gp per character; wand of protection from 
  arrows (6 charges), 45 gp per character; wand of levitate 
  (4 charges), 30 gp per character. 
  Maximum Possible Treasure 
     
  APL 2: 450 gp  
   
  APL 4: 650 gp 
   
  APL 6: 900 gp 
  Special 
  Touched by Luck: At the beginning of every adventure, 
  you have the option to roll 1d6 on the following table. If 
  you choose to roll, you must take the result indicated. No 
  effect allows you to reroll a result on this table. 
  1: Once during the adventure, you may reroll one roll 
  that you have just made before the DM declares whether 
  the roll results in success or failure. You must take the 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 27 
  
  result of the reroll, even if it is worse than the original 
  roll. 
  2-5: You may use the spell ruin delver’s fortune (SC) once 
  during the adventure as a spell-like ability at a caster level 
  equal to your character level. For the purposes of this 
  ability, your Charisma bonus has a minimum of +0, even 
  if your Charisma score normally has a lower modifier 
  than this. 
  6: All critical threats rolled against you in the adventure 
  automatically confirm without the need for a critical 
  confirmation roll. 
  Influence Point with the Church of Trithereon 
  Influence Point with the Gentlemen of the Watch 
  Influence Point with the Family 
   
  ITEMS FOR THE ADVENTURE 
  RECORD 
  Metaorganizational Access: Members of the following 
  meta-organizations may upgrade any one item below 
  from Adventure frequency to Regional frequency (circle 
  the option now): Church of Trithereon, the Family, or 
  Gentlemen of the Watch. 
  Item Access 
  APL 2  
  � Cloak of elemental protection (Adventure, MIC, 
  1,000 gp) 
  � Eternal wand of summon undead II (Adventure, 
  MIC, 4,420 gp) 
  � Ring of silent spells (Adventure, MIC, 2,000 gp) 
  � Wand of invisibility (4 charges) (Adventure, 
  DMG, 1,080 gp)  
  � Wand of knock (6 charges) (Adventure, DMG, 
  1,080 gp)  
  � Wand of protection from arrows (6 charges) 
  (Adventure, DMG, 540 gp)  
  � Wand of levitate (4 charges) (Adventure, DMG, 
  360 gp)  
  APL 4 (as APL 2 plus the following) 
  � Ring of counterspells (Adventure, DMG, 4,000 
  gp) 
   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
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  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 29 
  APPENDIX 1: 
  ALL APLS
  ENCOUNTER TWO: THE TRITHEREON 
  DISTRACTION 
  P R I E S T  O F  T R I T H E R E O N 
  CR  3 
  Male and female human cleric 3 
  CG Medium humanoid (human) 
  Init +1; Senses Listen +2, Spot +2 
  Languages Common  
  AC 15, touch 9, flat-footed 15 
   (-1 Dex, +4 armor, +2 shield) 
  hp 21 (3 HD) 
  Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +5  
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee unarmed +4 (1d3+2 nonlethal) or shortspear +4 
  (1d6+2) 
  Ranged shortspear +1 (1d6+2) 
  Base Atk +2; Grp +4 
  Atk Options feat of strength 1/day (+3 to Str for 1 
  round), turn undead 4/day 
  Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 3rd): 
   
  2nd—calm emotions (DC 14), shatter* (DC 14), 
  silent obscuring mist  
   
  1st—enlarge 
  person*, 
  protection 
  from 
  law, 
  sanctuary (DC 13), shield of faith  
   
  0—detect magic, detect poison, light, mending 
  * Domain spell. Domains: Chaos (cast chaos spells at 
  +1 caster level), Strength (feat of strength 1/day) 
  Abilities Str 14, Dex 8, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 13  
  Feats Improved Unarmed Combat, Quick Draw, Silent 
  Spell  
  Skills  Escape Artist +0, Heal +6, Open Lock +4 
  Possessions masterwork chain shirt, masterwork heavy 
  wooden shield, shortspear, spell component pouch, 
  holy symbol of Trithereon, masterwork thieves’ tools 
   
  ENCOUNTER FIVE: THE QUESTION OF 
  THE ARREST 
  V E R B O B O N C  C I TY  C O B W AL K E R 
  CR  1 
  Male human warrior 2 
  LN Medium humanoid (human) 
  Init +0; Senses Listen +1, Spot +1 
  Languages Common 
  AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 16 
   (+5 armor, +1 shield) 
  hp 14 (2 HD) 
  Fort +4, Ref +0, Will -1 
  Speed 20 ft. in chainmail (4 squares), base speed 30 ft. 
  Melee longsword +3 (1d8+1/19-20) 
  Ranged club +2 (1d6+1) or tanglefoot bag +2 
  (entangled) 
  Base Atk +2; Grp +3 
  Combat Gear tanglefoot bag 
  Abilities Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8  
  Feats Alertness, Toughness 
  Skills Handle Animal +4, Intimidate +4, Listen +1, Spot 
  +1, Swim +0 
  Possessions combat gear plus chainmail, light wooden 
  shield, club, longsword, signal whistle, badge, tabard 
  of the Gentlemen of the Watch 
   
  P E AC E K E E P E R  M Y R A 
  CR  6 
  Female human Swashbuckler 3/rogue 3 
  LG Medium humanoid (human) 
  Init +3; Senses Listen +10, Spot +10 
  Languages Common  
  AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 
   (+3 Dex, +4 armor); +1 dodge bonus 
  hp 40 (6 HD) 
  Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +5; evasion 
  Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) 
  Melee masterwork rapier +10 (1d6+1/18-20) 
  Ranged dagger +8 (1d4+1/19-20)  or tanglefoot bag +8 
  (entangled) 
  Base Atk +5; Grp +6 
  Attack Options sneak attack +2d6 
  Combat Gear tanglefoot bag 
  Abilities Str 13, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 12  
  SQ trapfinding, trap sense +1 
  Feats Iron Will, Leadership, Negotiator, Weapon 
  Finesse, Weapon Focus (rapier)  
  Skills  Balance +6, Bluff +9, Diplomacy +7, Intimidate 
  +3, Jump +7, Listen +10, Sense Motive +10, Spot 
  +10, Tumble +12 
  Possessions combat gear plus masterwork chain shirt, 
  masterwork rapier, dagger, manacles, signal whistle, 
  badge, tabard of the Gentlemen of the Watch  
  Dodge Bonus (Ex) A swashbuckler is trained at 
  focusing her defenses on a single opponent in melee. 
  During her action, she may designate an opponent 
  and receive a +1 dodge bonus to her armor class 
  against melee attacks from that opponent. She can 
  select a new opponent on any action. A swashbuckler 
  loses this bonus when wearing medium or heavy 
  armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load. 
  
  APL 2 
  ENCOUNTER TEN: THE SURVIVOR 
  N UDD 
  CR  5 
  Male dwarf wizard (necromancer) 5 
  CE Medium humanoid (dwarf) 
  Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Listen +3, Spot +3 
  Languages Common, Dwarf, Giant, Infernal, Orc  
  AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 19 
   (+1 Dex, +4 armor, +4 shield) 
  hp 42 (5 HD, includes temporary hit points from false 
  life); DR 10/magic vs. ranged attacks 
  Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +5; +2 to saves vs. poison, spells, 
  and spell-like effects  
  Speed 20 ft. (4 squares); levitating 
  Melee silver dagger +2 (1d4/19-20) 
  Ranged silver dagger +3 (1d4) 
  Base Atk +2; Grp +2 
  Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 5th): 
   
  3rd—explosive runes (DC 16), rapid summon 
  undead III, rapid summon undead III*  
   
  2nd—arcane lock, false life, glitterdust (DC 16), 
  rapid summon undead II*  
   
  1st—disguise self, mage armor, Nystul’s magic 
  aura, ray of enfeeblement, shield  
   
  0—acid splash, disrupt undead, detect magic, 
  prestidigitation, message  
  Spells in Effect (incorporated in statistics above as 
  applicable) invisibility, false life, mage armor, shield, 
  protection from arrows (30 points), levitate 
  Abilities Str 10, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 6  
  SQ dwarf traits, weasel familiar 
  Feats Metamagic School Focus* (conjuration)B, Rapid 
  Spell*, Spell Focus (Conjuration)  
  Skills  Appraise (stone or metal) +5, Concentration +11, 
  Craft (stone or metal) +5, Hide +5, Knowledge (local: 
  VTF) +11, Knowledge (religion) +11, Listen +3, 
  Spellcraft +11, Spot +3 
  Possessions 
  silver 
  dagger, 
  cloak 
  of 
  elemental 
  protection*, wand of invisibility (4 charges), wand of 
  protection from arrows (6 charges), wand of knock (6 
  charges), wand of levitate (4 charges), eternal wand 
  of summon undead II*, ring of silent spells* (used 
  today), two spell component pouches, dirty robes 
  * see Appendix 2: New Rules Items 
   
   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 30 
  
  APL 4 
  ENCOUNTER EIGHT: RAY OF SUNSHINE 
  AD V AN C E D  W RAI TH E P H E M E R AL  E X E M P L AR*  1
   
  CR  7 
  LE Medium undead (incorporeal) 
  Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +18, Spot +18 
  Languages Common, Dwarf, Flan, Infernal  
  AC 21, touch 21, flat-footed 15 
   (+6 Dex, +5 deflection); Dodge, Mobility 
  hp 64 (10 HD) 
  Weakness daylight powerlessness 
  Fort +3, Ref +9, Will +11  
  Speed fly 60 ft. (good) (12 squares) 
  Melee incorporeal touch +10 (1d4 plus 1d6 Constitution 
  drain, Fort DC 18 negates Constitution drain) 
  Base Atk +4; Grp — 
  Atk Options Combat Expertise, Spring Attack 
  Abilities Str —, Dex 22, Con —, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 18  
  SQ improved deflection, incorporeal traits, +3 turn 
  resistance, undead traits, unnatural aura 
  Feats AlertnessB, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Improved 
  InitiativeB, Mobility, Spring Attack  
  Skills Diplomacy +9, Hide +19, Intimidate +16, Listen 
  +18, Search +16, Sense Motive +15, Spot +18, 
  Survival +15 
  * see Appendix 2: New Rules Items 
   
  ENCOUNTER TEN: THE SURVIVOR 
  N UDD 
  CR  7 
  Male dwarf wizard (necromancer) 7 
  CE Medium humanoid (dwarf) 
  Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see invisibility; Listen 
  +3, Spot +3 
  Languages Common, Dwarf, Giant, Infernal, Orc  
  AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 19 
   (+1 Dex, +4 armor, +4 shield); +2 deflection bonus vs. 
  good opponents 
  hp 59 (7 HD, includes temporary hit points from 
  empowered false life); DR 10/magic vs. ranged 
  attacks 
  Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +6; +2 to saves vs. poison, spells, 
  and spell-like effects, +2 resistance bonus vs. good 
  opponents 
  Speed 20 ft. (4 squares); levitating 
  Melee silver dagger +3 (1d4/19-20) 
  Ranged silver dagger +4 (1d4) 
  Base Atk +3; Grp +3 
  Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 7th): 
   
  4th—empowered false life, greater invisibility, rapid 
  summon undead IV* 
   
  3rd—explosive runes  (DC 17), empowered ray of 
  enfeeblement, rapid summon undead III, rapid 
  summon undead III*  
   
  2nd—arcane lock, blindness/deafness (DC 16), 
  glitterdust (DC 17), glitterdust (DC 17), see invisibility  
   
  1st—disguise self, mage armor, Nystul’s magic 
  aura, protection from good, ray of enfeeblement, 
  shield  
   
  0—acid splash, disrupt undead, detect magic, 
  prestidigitation, message 
  Spells in Effect (incorporated in statistics above as 
  applicable) greater invisibility, empowered false life, 
  see invisibility, mage armor, protection from good, 
  shield, protection from arrows (30 points), levitate 
  Abilities Str 10, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 6  
  SQ dwarf traits, weasel familiar 
  Feats Empower Spell, Metamagic School Focus* 
  (conjuration)B, 
  Rapid 
  Spell*, 
  Spell 
  Focus 
  (Conjuration)  
  Skills  Appraise (stone or metal) +6, Concentration +13, 
  Craft (stone or metal) +6, Hide +6, Knowledge (local: 
  VTF) +14, Knowledge (religion) +14, Listen +3, 
  Spellcraft +14, Spot +3 
  Possessions 
  silver 
  dagger, 
  cloak 
  of 
  elemental 
  protection*, wand of invisibility (4 charges), wand of 
  knock (6 charges), wand of protection from arrows (6 
  charges), wand of levitate (4 charges), eternal wand 
  of summon undead II*, ring of counterspells 
  (glitterdust), ring of silent spells* (used today), 
  headband of intellect +2, two spell component 
  pouches, dirty robes 
  * 
  see 
  Appendix 
  2: 
  New 
  Rules 
  Items
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 31 
  
  APL 6 
  ENCOUNTER EIGHT: RAY OF SUNSHINE 
  AD V AN C E D  W RAI TH E P H E M E R AL  E X E M P L AR*  3
   
  CR  9 
  LE Medium undead (incorporeal) 
  Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +21, Spot +21 
  Languages Common, Dwarf, Flan, Infernal  
  AC 23, touch 23, flat-footed 17 
   (+6 Dex, +7 deflection); Dodge, Mobility 
  hp 76 (12 HD) 
  Weakness daylight powerlessness 
  Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +13  
  Speed fly 60 ft. (good) (12 squares) 
  Melee incorporeal touch +11 (1d4 plus 1d6 Constitution 
  drain, Fort DC 18 negates Constitution drain) 
  Base Atk +5; Grp — 
  Atk 
  Options 
  Combat 
  Expertise, 
  Spring 
  Attack, 
  Whirlwind Attack 
  Abilities Str —, Dex 22, Con —, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 18  
  SQ enhanced spawn, improved deflection, incorporeal 
  traits, +5 turn resistance, undead traits, unnatural 
  aura 
  Feats AlertnessB, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Improved 
  InitiativeB, Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack  
  Skills Diplomacy +15, Hide +21, Intimidate +16, Listen 
  +21, Search +18, Sense Motive +16, Spot +21, 
  Survival +16 
  * see Appendix 2: New Rules Items 
   
  ENCOUNTER TEN: THE SURVIVOR 
  N UDD 
  CR  9 
  Male dwarf wizard (necromancer) 9 
  CE Medium humanoid (dwarf) 
  Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see invisibility; Listen 
  +3, Spot +3 
  Languages Common, Dwarf, Giant, Infernal, Orc  
  AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 20 
   (+2 Dex, +4 armor, +4 shield); +2 deflection bonus vs. 
  good opponents 
  hp 71 (9 HD, includes temporary hit points from 
  empowered false life); DR 10/magic vs. ranged 
  attacks 
  Miss chance 50% (displacement) 
  Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +7; +2 to saves vs. poison, spells, 
  and spell-like effects, +2 resistance bonus vs. good 
  opponents 
  Speed 20 ft. (4 squares); fly 60 ft. (good) 
  Melee silver dagger +4 (1d4/19-20) 
  Ranged silver dagger +6 (1d4) 
  Base Atk +4; Grp +4 
  Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 9th): 
   
  5th—empowered explosive runes (DC 18), rapid 
  summon undead V*, wrack* (DC 20) 
   
  4th—empowered vampiric touch, greater invisibility, 
  rapid summon undead IV*, rapid summon undead IV 
   
  3rd— displacement, empowered false life, fly, 
  summon undead III*, vampiric touch  
   
  2nd—arcane lock, empowered ray of enfeeblement, 
  glitterdust (DC 18), see invisibility, spectral hand, 
  spectral hand 
   
  1st—disguise self, mage armor, Nystul’s magic 
  aura, protection from good, ray of enfeeblement, ray 
  of enfeeblement, shield  
   
  0—acid splash, disrupt undead, detect magic, 
  prestidigitation, message 
  Spells in Effect (incorporated in statistics above as 
  applicable) greater invisibility, displacement, fly, 
  empowered false life, see invisibility, spectral hand, 
  mage armor, protection from good, shield, protection 
  from arrows (30 points) 
  Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 6  
  SQ dwarf traits, weasel familiar 
  Feats Empower Spell, Metamagic School Focus* 
  (conjuration)B, 
  Metamagic 
  School 
  Focus* 
  (necromancy), 
  Rapid 
  Spell*, 
  Spell 
  Focus 
  (Conjuration)  
  Skills  Appraise (stone or metal) +7, Concentration +15, 
  Craft (stone or metal) +6, Hide +8, Knowledge (local: 
  VTF) +17, Knowledge (religion) +17, Listen +3, 
  Spellcraft +17, Spot +3 
  Possessions 
  silver 
  dagger, 
  cloak 
  of 
  elemental 
  protection*, wand of invisibility (4 charges), wand of 
  knock (6 charges), wand of protection from arrows (6 
  charges), wand of levitate (4 charges), eternal wand 
  of summon undead II*, ring of silent spells* (used 
  today), ring of counterspells (dispel magic), headband 
  of intellect +4, two spell component pouches, dirty 
  robes 
  * 
  see 
  Appendix 
  2: 
  New 
  Rules 
  Items
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 32 
  
  APPENDIX 2: 
  NEW RULES ITEMS 
   
  NEW PRESTIGE CLASS 
  Ephemeral Exemplar (from Libris Mortis) 
  Ephemeral exemplars are paragons of incorporealness. 
  They gain greater resistance to attacks and turning, and 
  eventually gain the ability to manipulate solid objects as 
  easily as corporeal beings can. 
   
  Most ephemeral exemplars are ghosts, specters, or 
  dread wraiths. Some advanced allips, shadows, and 
  wraiths can also qualify for this class. 
   
  NPC ephemeral exemplars often serve as leaders of 
  weaker undead creatures, particularly those it can 
  spawn. They typically lair in dark, haunted places, 
  waiting for unsuspecting victims to pass by. 
   
  Hit Die: d12 
  Requirements 
   
  To qualify to become an ephemeral exemplar, a 
  character must fulfill all the following criteria. 
   
  Type: Undead (incorporeal subtype). 
   
  Base Attack Bonus: +3. 
   
  Base Save Bonus: Will +5. 
   
  Class Skills 
   
  The ephemeral exemplar’s class skills (and the key 
  ability for each skill) are Hide (Dex), Listen (Wis), Search 
  (Int), and Spot (Wis). 
   
  Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier. 
  Class Features 
  All of the following are class features of the ephemeral 
  exemplar prestige class. 
   
  Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Ephemeral 
  exemplars gain no proficiency with any weapons, armor 
  or shields. 
   
  Improved Deflection (Su): An ephemeral exemplar 
  adds its class level to its deflection bonus to AC. 
   
  Turn Resistance (Ex): An ephemeral exemplar adds 
  its class level to its turn resistance. 
   
  Enhanced Spawn (Su): Any spawn created by an 
  ephemeral exemplar of 2nd
   level or higher gains a +4 
  enhancement bonus to its Dexterity score. If the 
  exemplar is destroyed, the spawn loses this bonus. 
   
  Ghostly Grasp: At 3
  rd level, an ephemeral exemplar 
  gains Ghostly Grasp (see below) as a bonus feat, even if it 
  doesn’t meet the prerequisite. 
   
   
   
   
  Level 
  Base 
  Attack 
  Bonus 
   
  Fort 
  Save 
   
  Ref 
  Save 
   
  Will 
  Save 
   
   
  Special 
  1st 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0 
  +2 
  Improved deflection, turn resistance 
  2nd 
  +1 
  +0 
  +0 
  +3 
  Enhanced spawn 
  3rd 
  +1 
  +1 
  +1 
  +3 
  Ghostly grasp 
   
  NEW FEATS 
  Ghostly Grasp [Monstrous] 
  You can handle corporeal objects even while 
  incorporeal. 
   
  Prerequisites: Cha 15, incorporeal subtype. 
   
  Benefit: You can wear, wield, and otherwise use 
  corporeal items as though you were not incorporeal. 
   
  Special: Without this feat, an incorporeal creature 
  can only wear or wield items that have the ghost touch 
  special ability. 
   
  Source: Libris Mortis 
  Metamagic School Focus 
  You are unusually skilled at modifying the effects of a 
  particular school of magic. 
   
  Prerequisites: Spell Focus (chosen school) or 
  specialist wizard in chosen school. 
   
  Benefit: Choose a school of magic for which you 
  have the Spell Focus feat, or the school in which you 
  have specialized. Three times per day, you can reduce by 
  one level the cost of a metamagic feat applied to a spell of 
  the chosen school. If you prepare spells, you can have 
  only up to three such reduced-cost spells prepared at any 
  time. 
   
  Special: A wizard can select this feat as a wizard 
  bonus feat. This feat can be taken more than once. Each 
  time you take it, it applies to a different school of magic. 
   
  Source: Complete Mage 
   
  Rapid Spell [Metamagic] 
  You can cast spells with long casting times more quickly. 
   
  Benefit: Only spells with a casting time greater than 
  1 standard action can be made rapid. A rapid spell with a 
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 33 
  
  casting time of 1 full round can be cast as a standard 
  action. A rapid spell with a casting time measured in 
  rounds can be cast in 1 full round. Rapid spells with 
  casting times measured in minutes can be cast in 1 
  minute, and rapid spells with casting time measured in 
  hours can be cast in 1 hour. A rapid spell uses up a spell 
  slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level. 
   
  Special: A spell can be made rapid and quickened 
  only if it’s original casting time was 1 full round. This 
  feat can be applied to a spell cast spontaneously as long 
  as its original casting time was longer than 1 full round. 
   
  Source: Complete Divine 
   
  NEW MAGIC ITEMS 
  Cloak of Elemental Protection  
   
  When you activate a cloak of elemental protection 
  (as an immediate action), you gain resistance 10 against 
  a single energy type of your choice (acid, cold, 
  electricity, fire or sonic). This protection lasts until the 
  start of your next turn. 
   
  A cloak of elemental protection functions once per 
  day. You must wear a cloak of elemental protection for 
  24 hours before you can access its abilities. If it is taken 
  off, it becomes inactive until worn for an additional 24 
  hours. 
   
  Faint (DC 16) abjuration; CL 3
  rd; Craft Wondrous 
  Item, resist energy; Price 1,000 gp; Weight 1 lb. 
   
  Source: Magic Item Compendium 
  Eternal Wand  
   
  An eternal wand holds a single arcane spell of 3
  rd 
  level or lower, determined during creation. Any 
  character who can cast arcane spells can activate the 
  want to use the spell contained in it (as a standard 
  action), regardless of whether the spell appears on his 
  class spell list. 
   
  An eternal wand functions two times per day. 
   
  For an eternal wand of summon undead II: Faint 
  (DC 16) conjuration; CL 3
  rd; Craft Wand, Craft 
  Wondrous Item, summon undead II; Price 4,420 gp; 
  Weight —. 
   
  Source: Magic Item Compendium 
  Ring of Silent Spells  
   
  When you activate a ring of silent spells (a swift 
  action), it creates a silence effect, as the spell, centered 
  on you. While this effect lasts, you can cast up to three 
  spells of 3
  rd level or lower without verbal components 
  (as though using the Silent Spell feat, except that the 
  spells do not require a higher level spell slot or 
  increased casting time). 
   
  This ability functions once per day. 
   
  Faint (DC 17) illusion; CL 5
  th; Forge Ring, Silent 
  Spell, silence; Price 2,000 gp; Weight —. 
   
  Source: Magic Item Compendium 
   
  NEW SPELLS 
  Summon Undead I  
  Conjuration (Summoning) [Evil] 
  Level: 
  Blackguard 1, cleric 1, sorcerer/wizard 1 
  Components: V, S, F/DF 
  Casting Time: 1 round 
  Range: Close (25 ft., + 5ft./2 levels) 
  Effect: One summoned creature 
  Duration: 1 round/level 
  Saving Throw: None 
  Spell Resistance: No 
   
   
  The undead you summon appear in a burst of smoke 
  and fog. The vapor swiftly dissipates, but you can’t shake 
  the impression of screaming faces in the cloud’s tendrils. 
   
  This spell functions like summon monster I (PH 
  285), except that you summon an undead creature. 
   
  Summon undead I conjures one of the creatures 
  from the 1st-level list in the accompanying sidebar. You 
  choose which creature to summon, and you can change 
  that choice each time you cast the spell. Summoned 
  undead do not count toward the total Hit Dice of undead 
  that you can control with animate dead or the other 
  command undead abilities. No undead creature you 
  summon can have more Hit Dice than your caster level 
  +1. 
   
  Focus: A tiny bag, a small (not lit) candle, and a 
  carved bone from any humanoid. 
   
  Source: Spell Compendium 
  Summon Undead II  
  Conjuration (Summoning) [Evil] 
  Level: Blackguard 2, cleric 2, sorcerer/wizard 2 
  Effect: One or more summoned creature, no two of 
  which can be more than 30 ft. apart 
   
   
  This spell functions like summon undead I, except 
  that you can summon one undead from the 2nd-level list 
  or two undead of the same kind from the 1st-level list. 
   
  Source: Spell Compendium 
  Summon Undead III  
  Conjuration (Summoning) [Evil] 
  Level: Blackguard 3, cleric 3, sorcerer/wizard 3 
  Effect: One or more summoned creature, no two of 
  which can be more than 30 ft. apart 
   
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  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
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  This spell functions like summon undead I, except 
  that you can summon one undead from the 3rd-level 
  list, two undead of the same kind from the 2nd-level list 
  or four undead of the same kind from the 1st-level list. 
   
  Source: Spell Compendium 
  Summon Undead IV  
  Conjuration (Summoning) [Evil] 
  Level: Blackguard 4, cleric 4, sorcerer/wizard 4 
  Effect: One or more summoned creature, no two of 
  which can be more than 30 ft. apart 
   
   
  This spell functions like summon undead I, except 
  that you can summon one undead from the 4th-level 
  list, two undead of the same kind from the 3rd-level list 
  or four undead of the same kind from a lower-level list. 
   
  Source: Spell Compendium 
  Summon Undead V  
  Conjuration (Summoning) [Evil] 
  Level: Blackguard 5, cleric 5, sorcerer/wizard 5 
  Effect: One or more summoned creature, no two of 
  which can be more than 30 ft. apart 
   
  This spell functions like summon undead I, except that 
  you can summon one undead from the 5th-level list, two 
  undead of the same kind from the 4th-level list or four 
  undead of the same kind from a lower-level list. 
   
  Source: Spell Compendium 
   
  Summon Undead Lists 
  1st Level: Human warrior skeleton (MM 226), kobold 
  zombie (MM 266). 
  2nd Level: Owlbear skeleton (MM 226), bugbear 
  zombie (MM 267). 
  3rd Level: Ghoul (MM 118), troll skeleton (MM 227), 
  ogre zombie (MM 267). 
  4th Level: Allip (MM 10), ghast (MM 119), wyvern 
  zombie (MM 267). 
  5th Level: Mummy (MM 190), shadow (MM 221), 
  vampire spawn (MM 253), wight (MM 255). 
  Wrack 
  Necromancy [Evil] 
  Level: Cleric 4, sorcerer/wizard 5 
  Components: V, S 
  Casting Time: 1 standard action 
  Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) 
  Target: One humanoid 
  Duration: 1 round/level + 3d10 minutes; see text 
  Saving Throw: Fortitude negates 
  Spell Resistance: Yes 
   
   
  With the final word of the spell, your chosen foe is 
  wracked with such pain that it doubles over and 
  collapses. Its face and hands blister and drip fluid, and its 
  eyes cloud with blood, rendering it blind. 
   
   
  Your touch causes your target to experience 
  excruciating pain. For the duration of the spell, the 
  subject falls prone and is blinded and helpless. Even 
  when the spell ends, the subject is still shaken for 3d10 
  minutes 
   
  Source: Spell Compendium 
   
  
  MAP 1: 
  MAP OF VERBOBONC CITY 
   
   
   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 36 
  
   
  MAP 2: 
  LOCAL MAP 
  On this map, #4 is the Bronze Unicorn, #9 is the Grinning Viper, the space south of #33 is one possible location for the 
  open-air market, and #30 is the Gentle Mirror. 
   
   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 37 
  
   
  MAP 3: 
  THE BRONZE UNICORN COMMON ROOM 
  This map shows the layout of the common room of the Bronze Unicorn. 
   
   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 38 
  
   
  MAP 4: 
  MAP OF THE GENTLE MIRROR 
  This map shows the layout of the rooftop of the Gentle Mirror, Dimberaid’s clothing store. 
   
   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 39 
  
   
  PLAYER HANDOUT 1: 
  NOTE ON THE HALF−ORC 
   
   
    
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 40 
  
   
  PLAYER HANDOUT 2: 
  NOTE ON THE BRONZE UNICORN DOOR 
   
   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
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  PLAYER HANDOUT 3: 
  NOTE ON “HUNTER” 
   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
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  PLAYER HANDOUT 4: 
  NOTE ON THE CONSTABLE 
   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
  Page 43 
  
   
  PLAYER HANDOUT 5: 
  A HAND−DELIVERED NOTE 
   
  VER7-09 Jinxed 
   
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Living Greyhawk/Modules/Verbobonc/597/Normal Scenarios/VER7-09 - Jinxed  (APL 2-6)/VER7-09 - Jinxed.pdf