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 the author. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 system license, please visit 
  www.wizards.com/d20 
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, GREYHAWK and RPGA are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  LIVING GREYHAWK is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This scenario is intended 
  for tournament use only and may not be reproduced without approval of the RPGA Network.  
   
  PAL5-06 
   
   
   
   
   
  My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  A One-Round D&D LIVING GREYHAWK® 
  Theocracy of the Pale Regional Adventure 
  Version 1.0 
  by Brian Moseley and Jason Clark 
  Triad Reviewer: Donovan Hicks 
   
   
  Gold has been discovered in the mountains of Landrigard Prelacy, and every able-bodied man is rushing to stake a 
  claim. Never mind that the peaks are haunted and miners are disappearing – there are fortunes to be made! 
  Recommended for adventurers of APLs 2-8 who love the natural world in all its forms. 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 1 
  Introduction 
  This is an RPGA® Network scenario for the Dungeons & 
  Dragons® game. A four-hour time block has been 
  allocated for each round of this scenario, but the actual 
  playing time will be closer to three and a half hours. The 
  rest of the time is spent in preparation before game play, 
  and scoring after the game. The following guidelines are 
  here to help you with both the preparation and voting 
  segment of the game. Read this page carefully so that you 
  know and can communicate to your players the special 
  aspects of playing an RPGA scenario.  
  Preparation  
   
   
   
   
  First you should print this scenario. This scenario was 
  created to support double-sided printing, but printing it 
  single sided will work as well. There is enough room 
  along the inside margin to bind the adventure, if you 
  desire.  
   
  Read this entire adventure at least once before you 
  run your game. Be sure to familiarize yourself with any 
  special rules, spells, or equipment presented in the 
  adventure. It may help to highlight particularly 
  important passages.  
   
  When you run an RPGA D&D adventure we assume 
  that you have access to the following books: the Player’s 
  Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the Monster 
  Manual. We also assume that you have a set of dice (at 
  least one d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20), some scrap paper, 
  a pencil, an RPGA scoring packet, and your sense of fun. 
  It is also a good idea to have a way to track movement 
  during combat. This can be as simple as a pad of graph 
  paper and a pencil, as handy as a vinyl grid map and chits, 
  or as elaborate as resin dungeon walls and miniatures. 
   
  Keep in mind that you must have at least four 
  players (not counting the DM), for the game session to be 
  a sanctioned RPGA event. As well, you cannot have more 
  than six players participating in the game. 
  Playing the Game 
   
   
   
   
   
  Instruct the players either to prepare their characters 
  to participate in the adventure before the session begins, 
  or wait until you read the introduction, depending on the 
  requirements of the scenario as described in the 
  introduction. 
   
  Once you are ready to play, it is handy to instruct 
  each player to place a nametag in front of him or her. The 
  tag should have the player’s name at the bottom, and the 
  character’s name, race, and gender at the top. This makes 
  it easier for the players (and the DM) to keep track of 
  who is playing which character. 
   
  The players are free to use the game rules to learn 
  about equipment and weapons their characters are 
  carrying. That said, you as the DM can bar the use of even 
  core rulebooks during certain times of play. For example, 
  the players are not free to consult the Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide when confronted with a trap or hazard, or the 
  Monster Manual when confronted with a monster.  
   
  Some of the text in this scenario is written so that 
  you may present it as written to the players, while other 
  text is for your eyes only. Text for the players will be in 
  bold italics. It’s strongly recommended that you 
  paraphrase the player text instead of reading it aloud. 
  Some of this text is general and must be adapted to the 
  specific situation or to actions of the player characters. 
  Tracking 
   
   
   
   
   
  After the players have completed the scenario or the time 
  allotted to run the scenario has run out, the players and 
  DM fill out the RPGA Tracking Sheet. The DM should 
  complete the top of the form and list his name and RPGA 
  number. The players should each list their name and 
  RPGA number. After the form is filled out it should be 
  given to the Event Coordinator. 
  Living Greyhawk 
   
   
   
   
  This is a LIVING GREYHAWK Adventure. As a LIVING 
  adventure it is expected that players bring their own 
  characters with them. If players do not have a LIVING 
  GREYHAWK character generated, get a copy of the 
  current LIVING GREYHAWK character generation 
  guidelines, and a character sheet from your convention 
  coordinator or the RPGA Web site, and then have any 
  players without a character create one. Once all players 
  have a LIVING GREYHAWK character, play can begin. 
   
  Along with the other materials discussed in the 
  Preparation section above that you are assumed to have in 
  order to run a D&D game, it is also recommended that 
  you have a copy of the LIVING GREYHAWK Gazetteer. 
  Living Greyhawk Levels of Play 
   
   
  Because players bring their own characters to LIVING 
  GREYHAWK games, this adventure’s challenges are 
  proportioned to the average character level of the PCs 
  participating in the adventure. To determine the Average 
  Party Level (APL): 
  1. 
  Determine the character level for each of the PCs 
  participating in the adventure. 
  2. 
  If PCs bring animals that have been trained for 
  combat (most likely being war horses, dogs trained 
  for war), other than those brought by virtue of a class 
  ability (i.e. animal companions, familiars paladin’s 
  mounts, etc.) use the sidebar chart to determine the 
  number of levels you add to the sum above. 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. 
  Nevertheless, if a character has the Mounted 
  Combat feat, he may bring a single warhorse, light or 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 2 
  # 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 
  heavy, with him in the adventure and it will not 
  count toward the APL calculation. 
  3. 
  Sum the results of 1 and 2, and divide by the number 
  of characters playing in the adventure. Round to the 
  nearest whole number. 
  4. 
  If you are running a table of six PCs, add one to that 
  average. 
  By following these four steps, you will have determined 
  the APL. Throughout this adventure, APLs categorize the 
  level of challenge the PCs will 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 may 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 will receive only 
  one-half of the experience points 
  for the adventure. Further, if the 
  PC is three character levels or 
  more lower than the APL at 
  which this adventure is being 
  played, that PC will receive one-
  half gold for the adventure as 
  well. This simulates the fact that 
  either the PC was not challenged 
  as much as normal or relied on 
  help by higher-level characters to 
  reach the objectives. 
   
  Further, a PC who is four or 
  more levels higher than the 
  highest APL supported by the 
  adventure may not play the 
  scenario unless the highest APL 
  supported by the adventure is APL 12. 
   
  Note: 
  LIVING 
  GREYHAWK 
  adventures 
  are 
  designed for APL 2 and higher. Four or five 1st-level 
  characters may find difficulty with the challenges in a 
  LIVING GREYHAWK adventure. If a group is APL 1 
  there are two things that the group can do to help even 
  the score. 
  1. 
  Attempt to create a table of six 1st-level characters, or 
  try to enlist higher-level characters to play at that 
  table. 
  2. 
  Advise characters to buy riding dogs to help protect 
  them, and fight for them. All riding dogs are 
  considered trained to attack. PCs who want their 
  dogs to attack must succeed at a Handle Animal or 
  Charisma check (DC 10). Failure indicates that the 
  animal will not attack that round. This is a free 
  action (spoken command) that may be attempted 
  each round. If an animal loses half or more hp in a 
  single round it flees, unless another check is 
  successful. 
  Time Units and Upkeep 
   
   
   
  This is a standard one-round Regional adventure, set in 
  the Theocracy of the Pale. Characters native to the 
  Theocracy of the Pale pay one Time Unit per round, all 
  others pay two Time Units per round. Adventurer’s 
  Standard Upkeep costs 12gp per Time Unit. Rich 
  Upkeep costs 50gp per Time Unit. Luxury Upkeep costs 
  100gp per Time Unit. 
  Pale Holy Day  
   
   
   
   
  Some player characters may wish to give or attend 
  services in-game on Pholtan holy days. For adventures set 
  in the Theocracy of the Pale, a member of the Church of 
  the One True Path may ask the judge at the beginning of 
  an Adventure to determine how 
  many days it is until the next 
  Pholtan 
  Holy 
  day. 
  This 
  is 
  accomplished by rolling a d8, 
  rerolling if the result is 8. If a 7 is 
  rolled, the first day of the adventure 
  is a Pholtan Holy Day. Otherwise, 
  the die result indicates the number 
  of days until the next Pholtan Holy 
  Day. Due to the special nature of the 
  Theocracy of the Pale, on Holy 
  Days, Judges are encouraged (but 
  not required) to work-in a brief 
  scene involving Pholtan worship, 
  possibly including a brief 1-2 
  minute sermon by a PC if his or her 
  level is at least fifth level and the 
  judge believes that there is time 
  available. 
  Special Rules for the Pale 
   
   
   
  It is illegal for adventurers to display a human holy 
  symbol other than that of Pholtus in the Pale as of 
  September 1, 2005. 
   
  PCs displaying the holy symbol of any human deity 
  other than that of Pholtus should be fined 200 gp and 
  their holy symbol should be confiscated for destruction 
  by the Palish authorities. This action should take place as 
  soon as any Palish authorities notice the holy symbol. 
  This may leave a non-Pholtan cleric without his holy 
  symbol for the adventure, as non-Pholtan holy symbols 
  may not be purchased in the Pale without a Gather 
  Information check DC 25 to locate a merchant who can 
  sell him one. 
   
  Non-human PCs are exempt from this law when 
  displaying their racial deities’ holy symbol(s). Non-
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 3 
  humans are heathens beyond redemption and do not 
  matter in the greater scheme of Pholtus. If they can be 
  brought to the light of Pholtus, this is good and perhaps 
  they can be redeemed, but if they do not, it is of no 
  consequence. Non-humans wearing the holy symbols of a 
  human deity are treated the same as a human wearing a 
  non-Pholtan holy symbol. 
  Adventure Background 
  A thousand and more years ago, a cult of Demogorgon, 
  Demon Prince of the Abyss, arose in the northern lands 
  of what would become the Great Kingdom. Even during 
  the centuries of Aerdy rule it has survived, albeit in 
  hiding. Lately, someone has engaged several agents of the 
  demon lord to scour these lands, which they still regard 
  as their own, for a lost artifact of terrible power. One 
  group of cultists, degenerate descendants of the original 
  Flan tribes of the Northern provinces, is based deep 
  within the Troll Fens. At their shrine they perform 
  loathsome breeding experiments with trolls and other 
  swamp denizens, creating truly bizarre forms of life to 
  further glorify their patron. From this pit of evil, several 
  servants have been plucked to search the Pale for the 
  missing item. 
   
  Aodhan, a necromantic priest of the Fens cult, was 
  assigned to search the central Rakers. Seeking help from 
  one who knew the region well, he seduced an aspirant 
  druid named Bran Mac Colm (son of Colm) with 
  promises of power and revenge, playing on the man’s 
  jealousy and low self-image. The young druid, serving a 
  venerable and cranky Keeper of the Flan named Eiolon 
  (first seen in the Pale interactive Unnatural Law), tended 
  a swath of mountains dotted by a few disparate 
  settlements and the homesteads of hardy Flan settlers. 
  Bran dreaded his critical and capricious master and was 
  extremely jealous of his handsome and successful older 
  brother, Taran, a squire for the well-loved Sir Andros of 
  Tobinsford. The young man bitterly chose to undergo the 
  suicidal Ritual of Crucimigration and trade life for 
  undeath. The two unhappy creatures immediately began 
  plotting their search; Bran was particularly drawn to an 
  area of the mountains that had long been shunned as a 
  haunted place of fell spirits. 
   
  Around the same time, a lucky miner discovered 
  gold in those same mountains. Over the next several 
  weeks, hundreds of fortune seekers descended upon the 
  tiny riverside village of Tobinsford in the extreme eastern 
  end of the Landrigard Prelacy. The bolder among them 
  quickly struck out into the mountains to stake individual 
  claims. 
   
  This was a lucky break for the cultists. Their lord 
  Demogorgon is especially fond of souls sacrificed to his 
  glory and often rewards the practitioners of such rites 
  with demonic favors. The priest Aodhan was quick to 
  realize that lone miners make wonderful sacrifices and, 
  afterward, even better undead servitors. He and Bran 
  began to kidnap, murder, and offer to their lord soul after 
  unlucky soul. 
   
  Into this downward spiral of murder and betrayal 
  rode Bran’s brother, Taran Mac Colm, making a holiday 
  visit to his father’s homestead in the mountains above 
  Tobinsford. Bran and Aodhan lay in wait for the squire 
  and captured him, but they decided to save his sacrifice 
  until a moment when their lord’s favor was especially 
  required. Taran’s pride and defiance enraged Bran, 
  though, and the druid began hatching a plan to pay back 
  their father for a lifetime of insults and disappointment. 
   
  Just yesterday, word reached Clive Orbison at his 
  Tobinsford office that his partner, one Darrow Ennis, was 
  missing from their shared gold claim. Orbison had pulled 
  himself together after the disastrous events of Unnatural 
  Law and joined forces with the veteran miner to get a 
  mine up and running, with Ennis overseeing the onsite 
  operations (i.e. panning) and Orbison providing the 
  financing, greasing palms, and buying up surrounding 
  claims. Ennis’s disappearance threatens Orbison’s return 
  to wealth and power; he can’t have that, so this morning 
  he is out looking for adventurers who might have come 
  to town to go up to his claim, figure out what happened 
  to his partner, and deal with any “monster trouble”. 
  Cast of Characters 
  NPCs with whom the PCs will not interact directly in 
  this scenario yet whose behind-the-scenes actions affect 
  the story are listed below. Most other NPCs appear in the 
  body of the scenario. 
  � Sir Andros of Tobinsford: LG male human paladin 
  of Pholtus and Lord of the Gloaming. 
   
  Sir Andros is a well-loved champion of Pholtus and 
  secretly a long-time member of the Lords of the 
  Gloaming. He hails from an old, well-regarded family in 
  the Tobinsford district of the Prelacy of Landrigard. As a 
  Captain of the Pholtan Knights Valorous, Order of Luna, 
  he led a detachment of knights westward to Furyondy in 
  the Great Crusade against Iuz, returning home years later 
  to a hero’s welcome. Soon after, he was secretly 
  approached by the Lords, who sought a member with 
  access to the secrets of the Order of Luna. After a journey 
  to Matinsmore (the Lords’ secret fortress) and several 
  nights of prayer and meditation, Andros accepted their 
  offer and took up a new war, scouring the northeastern 
  Flanaess of fiends and their dark cults. He has squired 
  several young men from better families across the Pale, 
  though only a few did he deem worthy of trust and the 
  occasional visit to Matinsmore. Now at forty-five years, 
  Andros is considering retirement, marriage, and rearing 
  sons and horses, but he has not yet found a suitable 
  Knight of Luna to replace him as the Lords’ eyes and ears. 
   
  Personality: Quick to laughter and slow to anger is 
  how many have described Sir Andros. His natural 
  ebullience wins him friends wherever he goes. He is a 
  man of hearty appetites where food, wine and women are 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 4 
  concerned. These passions extend as well to his life’s 
  work: the fulfillment of the Seven Oaths of the Pholtan 
  Knights Valorous, and the protection of his people 
  against the depredations of evil. 
   
  Description: Ruddy-faced and thickly built, Andros is 
  a “man’s man.” He looks like he could bench-press a cow. 
  He wears his prematurely white hair cut low on his neck 
  and is surprisingly vain about his drooping moustaches. 
  His purple-enameled breastplate engraved with the 
  Order of Luna silver moon is the envy of many rivals. 
  Organization: The Lords of the Gloaming 
  [The Lords of the Gloaming were mentioned in an article 
  by Gary Holian in Dungeon/Polyhedron 104, November 
  2003.] 
   
  This secretive order of Pholtan knights and priests 
  fights an unending war against incursions from the 
  Lower Planes. The Lords’ headquarters is known as 
  Matinsmore, “a mountaintop stronghold thought to be 
  located somewhere in the peaks of the Rakers or the Griff 
  Mountains.” 
   
  The Lords are not directly affiliated with the Pale; 
  although their most famous member, St. Ceril the 
  Relentless, helped found the nation, the order prefers to 
  remain detached from the Pale’s political and theological 
  conservatism, and their members hail from a wide variety 
  of regions. Still, it is rumored that the Lords invisibly 
  guided and aided the Church of the One True Path (and 
  through it, many Palish adventurers) in dealing with the 
  fiends that escaped from the gates called the Scars of 
  Nerull, and eventually in resealing them. 
   
  While the existence of the Lords is known to 
  scholars and many within the Church hierarchy (indeed, 
  the Council of Nine have formal relations with the 
  order), the general public is not aware of them. 
  Knowledge (religion or history) checks (DC 25) are 
  necessary for PCs and most NPCs to have access to the 
  above information.  
  � Darrow Ennis: CG male human miner (deceased). 
   
  Darrow was an experienced miner, having worked in 
  the Theocrat’s diamond mines farther south in the 
  Rakers. After being sacked and remanded to a New Dawn 
  Camp for minor theft, he wandered north and settled 
  into a life of unrepentant alcoholism in Landrigard, 
  supported only by the charity of the Prelate’s poorhouses. 
  Several months ago, his path crossed Clive Orbison’s in a 
  poker game at a dirty tavern in the poorest district of the 
  city, and the two fell in as a dynamic duo of petty crime 
  and general ineptitude. They were some of the first to 
  hear the rumors of gold and immediately hatched a plan 
  to revive their respective fortunes. Ennis didn’t expect to 
  meet his end at the blade of an insane undead cultist of 
  Demogorgon. 
   
  Personality: Slimy and unctuous, Darrow was not a 
  marquee example of humanity. His primary talent was 
  making people sorry for him. He thought he was 
  extremely clever, but it usually turned out that someone 
  was using him. Not a bad guy, just foolish and very 
  impressionable. 
   
  Description: Slight, of obscure heritage, with bug eyes 
  and a greasy comb-over, yet with a hardy constitution 
  that helped him survive illness, crowded mines, and 
  unbelievable alcohol abuse. Typically clad in dirty 
  overalls and fully stained shirt, he is now merely a pile of 
  remains (minus a few organs) several miles away from his 
  mine. 
  � Eiolon: N male human druid of the Old Faith and 
  Keeper of the Flan. 
   
  This middle-aged Tenha man was in the prime of life 
  when the Fists of Stonehold poured through Rockegg 
  Pass at the start of what would become the Greyhawk 
  Wars. An heir to the Old Faith traditions of the Tenhas, 
  he fought the good fight and was one of the last to escape 
  the homeland. While many of his order scattered south 
  to Nyrond, the Urnst states, the Phostwood, and the 
  Gamboge, he and a few others crossed the Pale to lick 
  their wounds and hide away from civilization, high 
  among the Rakers. 
   
  A mountain man by nature, originally hailing from 
  the Griffs, Eiolon was pleased to find small communities 
  of hardy Old Faith frontier folk in the lower reaches of 
  the Rakers. He never settled in one place but constantly 
  roamed, from the valleys east of Landrigard to the high 
  ramparts. His territory bordered that of Grumbtheen [a 
  wood elf druid, introduced in early Pale scenarios, now 
  dead], and the two men were on speaking terms, though 
  neither would have characterized it as a friendship. 
  During this time Eiolon chanced to encounter a powerful 
  mountain-spirit, which claimed to guard a secret, 
  entrusted to him by Oerth-Mother Beory herself. Eiolon 
  spread the story that the range where the spirit dwells 
  was haunted, knowing the superstitious frontiersmen 
  would believe him and stay away. 
   
  As he aged, Eiolon felt the need to pass on his 
  knowledge to a successor. Unfortunately, the only person 
  even remotely interested was young Bran Mac Colm, 
  who proved to be an obedient yet spiritless apprentice. 
  The boy’s attitude began to suit the older man after a 
  while, though, as Bran showed no interest in leaving the 
  mountains (and his people) behind. 
   
  When word finally reached Eiolon of the return of 
  Duke Ehyeh to Redspan, he immediately abandoned all 
  of his works, turning them over to Bran. Eiolon informed 
  the young man he was no longer an apprentice, but, 
  rather, a full-fledged Keeper in his own right, possessed 
  of the old lore and tasked to watch over his people and 
  the mountains. Eiolon then headed west, back to his 
  homeland, and has not returned since. 
   
  The PCs can also meet Taran Mac Colm—alive or not. 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 5 
  � Taran Mac Colm: LG male human squire of the 
  Gloaming. 
   
  Oldest child of the settler Colm, this eager young 
  man had from an early age all of the interest in large-scale 
  society that his father lacked. He constantly begged to 
  see a real town until his father relented and allowed 
  Taran to venture to Tobinsford and on to Landrigard with 
  a neighboring trapper. The trip happened to coincide 
  with the procession of Knights Valorous from Landrigard 
  to Wintershiven to observe the yearly obeisance to the 
  Theocrat; and the boy’s fate was sealed. He eventually ran 
  away from home and made his way to Tobinsford, where 
  he used his natural charm to befriend Sir Andros and 
  eventually worm his way into the knight’s service as a 
  squire. Though he is in his mid-twenties and would 
  normally already be a full knight, Taran got a late start 
  and still has a lot to learn. Still, old Sir Andros is 
  impressed with him and is quite fond of what he believes 
  will be his last squire. Taran occasionally visits his father, 
  who still does not approve but is too proud (and chair-
  ridden) to do anything about it. 
   
  Personality: Inquisitive, eager, and not at all shy, he’s 
  had a tumble or three in the hay with half the girls in 
  Tobinsford, a pastime of which Sir Andros heartily 
  approves. Taran loves his entire family, including all of 
  his siblings, his father’s wives, and even his brother Bran. 
  He recognizes Bran’s sullenness but doesn’t appreciate 
  the real extent of his brother’s problems. He hasn’t been 
  home in a few months and doesn’t know about Bran’s 
  recent disappearance (when he went to the Troll Fens for 
  the Ritual of Crucimigration). 
   
  Description: Taran doesn’t take after his father in the 
  slightest way; he is tall, lean, and muscular, smooth 
  shaven, with long flowing locks - a regular Prince 
  Charming. Naïveté is written all over his face. It is clear 
  he has yet to be seriously damaged by life and, while Sir 
  Andros tells some good yarns about fiends, Taran has 
  never faced true evil before. That’s all about to change. 
   
  Additionally, here are the descriptions for the villains 
  Bran and Aodhan. The PCs will meet them, but their 
  descriptions would add to an already crowded final 
  combat. 
  � Bran Mac Colm: NE male undead druid of 
  Demogorgon. 
   
  One of Colm’s many sons, this young man has 
  nursed bitterness toward all others since an early age. He 
  is overcome with jealousy for his successful older brother 
  Taran, belittled by the authority figures in his life (Colm 
  and Eiolon), and generally lacks any self-esteem. When 
  the older druid left him to oversee the area, removing any 
  sort of balancing influence, Bran began to act out some of 
  his darker fantasies, using his abilities to torture and 
  destroy rather than nurture and build. This behavior 
  attracted Aodhan like a fly to dung, and it was easy for the 
  cultist to tempt him with promises of power, retribution, 
  and revenge. 
   
  Personality: Bran enjoys ensnaring beasts much 
  smaller than him, beating or burning them to death, and 
  otherwise using the powers taught to him by the elder 
  Eiolon to frustrate, discomfort, or outright harm his 
  father, brothers, mothers, neighbors, and animals. Eiolon, 
  being more of a results-oriented master, didn’t keep a 
  close eye on him, so Bran did not have a difficult time 
  concealing his sadism. He had not graduated to murder 
  until Aodhan came along and hung him from a cross, but 
  now he delights in murdering innocent miners and 
  burning or consuming their organs in sacrifice to dark 
  powers. 
   
  Description: 
  Once 
  a 
  short, 
  glowering, 
  dark-
  complexioned Flan man with a long ponytail, Bran 
  emerged from the Ritual of Crucimigration as literally a 
  pale version of his old self. His skin is dry, withered, and 
  powdery, his limbs gnarled and twisted. His most 
  striking features are his eyes: so blue they are almost 
  white, as if drained of color and life. No longer feeling 
  the cold of the mountains he roams, he barely notices the 
  crudely cured leathers and tattered fur cloak that have 
  covered him since he descended from the cross. 
   
  � Aodhan: CE male half-troll cleric of Demogorgon. 
  [Note: Current Living Greyhawk rules prohibit demon 
  lords granting powers directly to clerics. As a half-troll, 
  Aodhan is considered to obtain his powers from Vaprak, 
  the chaotic evil god of trolls.]  
   
  This truly wicked soul is a product of foul breeding 
  pits deep within the Troll Fens. There the cult of 
  Demogorgon creates servitors and practices sacrifice in 
  return for the tiniest tastes of his demonic power. 
  Aodhan performed the rite that granted Bran the “gift” of 
  undeath and has brought him along on his search for the 
  lost artifact, utilizing Bran’s druidic knowledge of the 
  area to supplement his undead guard-slaves. 
   
  Personality: Aodhan loves nothing more than 
  inflicting torture upon living things. To perform a living 
  sacrifice to his Abyssal lord is the pinnacle of existence. 
  Often he lingers over his ministrations simply to enjoy 
  the whimpers of a slowly flensed being whom he then 
  raises into undeath. 
   
  Description: Truly a fearsome specimen, Aodhan’s 
  bronze skin and black hair betray his Flan swamp-folk 
  heritage, but the skin is covered in large patches of rough 
  and knobby green growths, and his greasy hair clumps 
  into long fuzzy locks. He towers over most humans, and 
  his elongated and extremely muscled limbs tipped with 
  long, filthy claws give him the appearance of a feral beast. 
  He is armored in thick leather and swathed in furs, and 
  wears heavy boots. 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 6 
  Adventure Summary 
  Introduction: The PCs have been attracted to the 
  hamlet of Tobinsford in the far eastern end of the 
  Landrigard Prelacy by rumors of the discovery of gold in 
  the mountains. They find a once-sleepy riverside village 
  booming with treasure hunters. 
  Encounter 1: The PCs are hired by Clive Orbison to find 
  his missing partner, Darrow Ennis. They gain basic 
  information about the gold rush here as well. They may 
  also gather information around town, thus finding out 
  about other missing miners, the reputation of the so-
  called haunted mountains, and Colm, a tough old 
  frontiersman with a homestead near the claims, who is 
  certain to have more information on what is happening. 
  Exceptionally successful PCs may learn that Colm is 
  more amiable to guests that bring a gift or two. A tracker 
  named Dack is available for hire. 
  Encounter 2: The PCs journey to Colm’s homestead. 
  Here they can become educated in the happenings of the 
  mountains. Diplomacy (possibly aided by gifts), 
  intimidation, or magic may loosen the old man’s tongue, 
  revealing that Colm’s sons Taran and Bran (and several 
  goats) are missing, that the old druid Eiolon warned 
  against travel in the haunted valleys to the north and east 
  (where foolish prospectors are now staking claims), and 
  that Eiolon headed west almost a year ago, leaving Bran 
  to take over his watch in the central Rakers. 
  Encounter 3: During the PCs’ interview with Colm, 
  Bran angrily sends a tough denizen of the hills against 
  the homestead. If the PCs defend Colm’s home 
  successfully, they gain the old man’s hospitality and 
  favor, although damage to his property earns his disfavor 
  and dismissal from the premises. If the PCs chose to 
  bypass Colm’s homestead, the creature catches up to 
  them during the night after destroying the settlement 
  and murdering the inhabitants. In either event, Bran 
  observes from a distance and returns to his minions with 
  some knowledge about the PCs’ abilities. 
  Encounter 4: The PCs pursue Ennis’s path through the 
  mountains; along the way they encounter Old Spooner, a 
  drunkard from Tobinsford who seeks their aid and 
  informs them that several cloaked figures attacked a 
  prospector farther up the trail. The PCs soon arrive at 
  Orbison’s claim site to find that it is abandoned. There is 
  clear evidence of a one-man panning operation, but a 
  careful Search of the area yields more ominous results: a 
  ransacked campsite with gold nuggets left in plain sight 
  and, nearby, remains from a human sacrifice. The PCs 
  should now understand what has happened to the 
  miners. 
  Encounter 5: The PCs follow the mysterious tracks 
  higher into the rugged mountain country. The lush 
  valley soon becomes a festering bog before rising steeply 
  into the peaks to the east. The tracks become haphazard, 
  but the PCs must march hard all day just to gain a little 
  ground on their quarry. Eventually the trail leads to a 
  deep gorge riddled with caves. Inside one of the caves 
  they come across the remains of a fresh sacrifice. Beyond, 
  a tunnel extends into the mountain. Though they may 
  not even know whom they are following at this point, 
  Bran’s trail is still fresh, and it leads down. 
  Encounter 6: The tunnel winds deeper beneath the 
  peaks, eventually opening onto a high ledge overlooking 
  a river of magma in a deep chasm. Markings on the wall 
  indicate that the ledge has been used as a highway by 
  denizens of the Underdark. Bran’s trail continues along 
  the ledge, away from what is probably a city of derro. In 
  doing so, they discover a fiery lake (the source of the 
  magma) and also intrude upon some of the area’s 
  skirmishing inhabitants. 
  Encounter 7: The PCs follow the tunnel from the fiery 
  lake for a few more hours before it abruptly falls away 
  before another large cavern. The unique rock formations 
  identify the location as a shrine to the cave-goddess 
  Beltar. Two huge portals on the far side of the chamber 
  are covered with powerful wards to prevent passage or 
  even divination. An unusual rock formation provides a 
  bridge over a field of sharp stalagmites to the promontory 
  where Bran, Aodhan, and their zombie servants prepare 
  to sacrifice Taran to gain the power they believe will 
  allow them to bypass the wards and penetrate beyond the 
  doors. The PC who deals the killing blow to Bran is 
  afflicted by a powerful curse called down with his dying 
  breath. 
  Encounter 8: The PCs investigate the cavern, finding a 
  pool of Oerthblood (a potent elemental substance). Those 
  who drink from the pool have a vision in which they 
  communicate with an elder spirit of the land, the 
  protector of the lost artifact that Aodhan and Bran 
  sought. The spirit can clue them in to some of the 
  activities of the cult of Demogorgon, but it will probably 
  also leave them with many more unanswered questions. 
  Conclusion: The PCs return to Tobinsford and collect 
  their reward from Clive Orbison, if applicable. If they 
  rescued Taran from sacrifice, they receive the favor of Sir 
  Andros and others around town.  Finally, one of the PCs 
  has most likely gained a very frustrating curse, which he 
  or she will certainly want to find out how to lift.  
  Preparation for Play 
  Successful tracking plays a paramount role in this 
  scenario; DMs are encouraged to emphasize the rugged, 
  unexplored wilderness outside Tobinsford as often as 
  possible in Encounter One and also to not let players 
  overestimate their own resources, especially if no 
  Rangers are in the party. You should also ask players to 
  preroll 2 or 3 Listen and Spot checks before play. Finally, 
  light sources will be an important issue during 
  Encounter Seven, so you should keep track of who is 
  holding them and how much light they provide. 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 7 
   
  A suggested timeline to fit the scenario into a four-
  hour time slot is as follows: 
  • 
  Intro/Gathering info in Tobinsford: 45 minutes 
  • 
  Interaction/Combat at Colm’s: 45 minutes 
  • 
  Split Rock Valley: 30 minutes 
  • 
  Underdark/Magma Lake: 45 minutes 
  • 
  Combat with Bran/finding Taran: 45 minutes 
  • 
  Fuilmere: 15 minutes 
  • 
  Conclusion/ARs: 15 minutes 
  Introduction 
  Nearly a year has passed since the Pale’s reclamation 
  of Tenh; during these months the Theocracy has 
  achieved equilibrium unseen since the onset of the 
  Greyhawk Wars. In such relative serenity, one might 
  expect news of any kind to spread quickly across the 
  land, but even echoes from the land of dust are few 
  and infrequent; the tranquility seemed to be a 
  lasting one. However, as with the former Duchy, the 
  land cannot hold its breath forever. The silence is 
  soon broken as you and many others are attracted to 
  the hamlet of Tobinsford in the far eastern end of 
  the Prelacy of Landrigard—attracted by rumors of 
  the discovery of gold in the mountains. 
   
  Tobinsford embodies the very essence of a 
  frontier town; here there are no paved streets, no 
  teeming marketplace, no monster-filled sewers, no 
  dark alleys where assassins might lurk, and 
  certainly no awe-inspiring cathedrals dedicated to 
  Pholtus. Indeed, the village’s chief feature is rustic 
  simplicity. With a population of perhaps 100, the 
  needs of its residents are more clearly defined here 
  than in the Pale’s large metropolises. Despite its 
  size, the presence of wealth in Tobinsford is 
  evidenced by an intricately carved stone bridge over 
  the swift Velk River east of the village; a carved 
  plaque on the bridge indicates it was built less than 
  a year ago. Among the mostly wood and thatched 
  roof dwellings can be seen a general store, a two-
  storied wooden structure (obviously an inn or 
  tavern), and a new building under construction just 
  across the road from the inn. Additionally, an 
  impressive tower stands on a hill in the near 
  distance that also looks newly built and quite 
  sturdy. The town, founded by a trapper shortly after 
  the founding of the Pale itself, is situated far enough 
  from Landrigard to enjoy considerable freedom, yet 
  far enough from the Rakers and the wild that its 
  inhabitants still feel safe. People walk the streets 
  securely despite the absence of soldiers or city 
  guards. Pigs, chickens, and goats feed lazily in the 
  summer sun—late to come this year and probably 
  short to stay, but blessedly welcome for the 
  moment. Grubby Flan children tumble among the 
  small blue and yellow flowers coming into bloom 
  amid the green grasses. For some people, Tobinsford 
  may well represent that last stop on a journey across 
  the Pale, even a place to settle down; for others, 
  though, the journey has just begun. 
   
  This once-sleepy outpost has become a veritable 
  hive of activity, as professional prospectors, other 
  adventurers, and self-described treasure hunters 
  have turned the riverside village into a hub for 
  forays into the Rakers and to riches untold. A new 
  visitor can scarcely avoid the nearby Rakers peering 
  down ominously and the nagging suspicion that 
  perhaps the mountains themselves are still holding 
  their breath with one more secret left to divulge. 
  Entering Tobinsford around noon, the PCs quickly 
  realize that this tiny hamlet has been nearly overrun by 
  an influx of miners, both professional and otherwise. If 
  the rumors of gold in the hills are true, this could be the 
  calm before the storm. In such a small town, the most 
  obvious place to go for information is typically the local 
  tavern, and Tobinsford proves no exception to the rule. 
  PCs identify the local inn, the Bounding Stag, with little 
  effort.  
  Local Tensions 
   
   
   
   
  As PCs move toward the center of town, read or 
  paraphrase the following: 
  Mules and ponies, laden with mining equipment, 
  provisions, and colored and numbered wooden 
  stakes, surround the small inn. The animals are 
  attended to (or perhaps unnerved) with chaotic 
  abandon by a dozen ruggedly dressed men and one 
  woman, who are securing bundles with rope, 
  consulting wrinkled maps, and otherwise boasting 
  to one another as to who will unearth the biggest 
  lode.  Their frenzy either gives credence to the 
  rumors of gold or suggests an amusing and 
  elaborate hoax. 
   
  As you take in the scene, harsh voices erupt 
  from just beyond the inn; soon, four men appear. 
  Three of them—dressed like the others outside the 
  inn—are arguing with the fourth, a Flan male 
  wearing weathered leather armor and small furs and 
  bearing two swords at his waist. He carries a pair of 
  broken wooden markers and is followed by a small 
  gray-and-black badger. 
  This scene unfolds at whatever distance necessary to 
  prevent the PCs from interrupting. 
  A spokesman for the three hustles to catch up with 
  the Flan man and calls to him as they reach the 
  partially constructed building, “Hey! Listen to me! 
  You can’t go interferin’ with our claim like that! We 
  got rights!!”  
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
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  The Flan man stops in mid-stride and whirls on 
  his heel, his voice a raspy growl: “Rights?!? You 
  blasted adventurers and your precious gold!! You 
  trample over my snares, scare off whatever game is 
  nearby, leave your campfire unattended—twice—
  stake your claim on the only patch of belladonna 
  around for miles and then have the gall to whine 
  about ‘rights’? You have no respect for the land! Just 
  stay off the mountain!!” With that he turns and 
  continues moving away.  
   
  With a nervous tremor in his voice, the 
  spokesman for the three continues, “H-hey…you 
  can’t do this…we got a claim note from the Church 
  of the One True P--,” but before he can finish his 
  sentence the Flan man spins back once more, lets 
  the wooden stakes clatter to the street, and reaches 
  for his swords. He does not need to draw them, 
  however, as the three men are quickly cowed by a 
  frothy snarl from the badger. They retreat into the 
  safety of the inn. The Flan male squats, coos in the 
  badger’s ear, picks up the stakes, and continues 
  toward the south side of town with a grim 
  expression on his face. The badger scuttles along 
  behind. 
  The Flan man is named Dack Splintheel; if the PCs wish 
  to talk with him, his starting attitude is Unfriendly, as he 
  wants nothing to do with anyone who looks remotely 
  like an adventurer. A –2 circumstance penalty is applied 
  to a Diplomacy check for each obviously Pholtan PC 
  (holy symbols, etc), as Dack has strong feelings against 
  the Church of the One True Path. PCs managing to sway 
  his attitude to Friendly can get him to agree to speak with 
  them shortly as he has an errand to run first. He can meet 
  them at the inn in 30 minutes. He introduces himself 
  (anyone in town can confirm his name) and quickly 
  continues on his errand. 
   
  If PCs don’t fare so well in their Diplomacy and only 
  manage to make him Indifferent, he ignores them and 
  continues on his way; if they fail miserably and he 
  remains Hostile, allow each PC a Knowledge (local – 
  Nyrond and her environs) or Wisdom check (DC 10) to 
  recall that public brawling and fighting in the streets are 
  punishable offenses in any Pale city. 
  � Dack Splintheel: male human (Flan) Rgr4; Craft 
  (alchemy) +5, Diplomacy –2, Heal +5, Intimidate +6, 
  Profession (trapper) +8, Spot +7, Survival +9. 
  Once PCs have reached the inn, read or paraphrase the 
  following: 
  A wooden post stuck into the ground at the 
  construction site across from the inn has nailed to it 
  an official request to erect an establishment offering 
  “unique entertainments” including gambling and 
  female companionship. 
  While the PCs read this sign, the townsfolk scowl and 
  grumble to each other about the place as they walk by. 
  The owner and/or proprietor of the new establishment, 
  begrudgingly identified by locals as one A. Fynch, 
  apparently has yet to arrive in town. 
  Encounter One: Fools Rush In 
  As the PCs watch Dack stride away, they are greeted from 
  behind by a male voice. Turning, they see a very lean, 
  middle-aged, mostly Flan male of medium height with 
  wide eyes that seem to appraise the PCs rather than 
  welcome them to Tobinsford. He is dressed in 
  fashionable clothes, marking him as an outsider in this 
  tiny hamlet, and sports a ridiculous ranching hat that 
  looks as out-of-place with his clothes as he does in 
  Tobinsford. Behind his back, two prospectors begin to 
  prance and cavort in mockery. 
   
  The man introduces himself as Clive Orbison, a 
  “businessman from Eltison” and the senior partner in a 
  new mining claim. (PCs may have encountered him 
  previously in PAL4S-02 Unnatural Law.) He notes the PCs’ 
  (probable) absence of mining gear and asks with a 
  supercilious air if they are in fact adventurers. He has 
  something of a problem, he says, and has tried recruiting 
  adventurers all morning with no success. Everyone else 
  seems to be interested in finding gold, while he is 
  offerring to pay gold if they can find a person: his missing 
  mining partner. If the PCs would hear more, he invites 
  them to lunch—on him, of course.  
  � Clive Orbison: NE male human entrepreneur.  
   
  Orbison is a wealthy merchant and ex-rancher who 
  recently lost his home and family (thanks to the harsh 
  but just druid Eiolon, in fact: see PAL4S-02 Unnatural 
  Law). The man is nothing if not resilient, though, and he 
  has bounced back with a new get-rich scheme: gold 
  mining. Of course, he has never done an honest day’s 
  work in his life, so he has partnered with Darrow Ennis, a 
  more experienced miner. Orbison provides the finances 
  and “handles the business end”, while Ennis oversees the 
  operation of the mine. That was the plan anyway, until 
  Ennis went missing. Now Orbison wants to fix any 
  “monster problems” there might be up at his claim, and 
  find a new partner he can make do the dirty work. 
   
  Personality: Orbison is one of the greediest, 
  shallowest, and most venal men the PCs will ever meet. 
  He is also incredibly well connected in the eastern Pale, 
  with many black market contacts and even some high-
  placed friends in the Church and the civil service, whose 
  favor he curries with gifts and flattery. Orbison’s 
  selfishness and condescension know no bounds. To his 
  peers, the man is known as a cheating swindler, but most 
  of them continue to do business with him, as he seems to 
  have an incredible ability to make money for himself and 
  everybody around him—when he’s not stabbing them in 
  the back. 
   
  Description: Orbison is a very lean man of mostly Flan 
  stock, of medium height, with a slightly receding hairline 
  and staring, even captivating eyes. Although he dresses 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 9 
  fashionably in quality clothes, his buffoonish affectation 
  is a “stylish” ranching hat (which generates mocking 
  remarks behind his back). 
  The Bounding Stag 
  Read or paraphrase the following once PCs enter the inn: 
  The interior of the two-storied tavern is warm and 
  cozy. Most of what might constitute a lunchtime 
  crowd in this small village was likely the collection 
  of prospectors seen outside moments ago; the tavern 
  is now nearly devoid of patrons. There are seven 
  tables and 12 more stools at the L-shaped bar. 
  Behind the bar stands a brawny man of perhaps 
  forty winters with mixed Oeridian features. Moving 
  from table to table clearing dishes is a young raven-
  haired girl not much past twenty. The three men 
  seen arguing with the Flan man earlier occupy one 
  table, three teenage girls lazily eating stew occupy 
  another table, and a third table seats four men 
  resembling the frenzied people loading their mules 
  outside. These four men are shoveling food into 
  their mouths as if in a hurry to get somewhere. The 
  other four tables and all seats at the bar are open. 
  The Oeridian girl, Lorna, soon approaches and takes 
  everyone’s order. She smiles at the PCs but raises her 
  eyebrow at Orbison as he removes his hat, exposing a 
  receding hairline, and continues with his explanation:  
  • 
  He and his erstwhile partner, one Darrow Ennis, 
  staked a claim one week ago. Orbison describes 
  himself as the “executive director” of the claim, 
  while Ennis is its “operational director”. Several 
  times in the past two weeks, a man or a team of men 
  went into the hills without leaving a representative 
  in town to manage affairs, and disputes over the 
  validity of claims were the typical result. Orbison’s 
  plan was to remain here and monitor claims from 
  newcomers while Ennis personally secured their 
  own. 
  • 
  Ennis was supposed to stake the claim and report 
  back to Tobinsford two days ago, so they could 
  validate the registration. No one has seen Ennis 
  since he left town. (He took two days getting to the 
  claim via Colm’s place, spent the third day staking 
  and partially working the claim, and was supposed to 
  travel back that night; however, he struck gold and 
  spent the third and fourth day working the claim; he 
  was then attacked on the fifth day, which is today; 
  PCs will learn more about his disappearance during 
  Encounter Four.)  
  • 
  Orbison does not know what happened to Ennis. 
  Indeed, he does not even know where the claim is, 
  having trusted Ennis to such “minor details”. He 
  knows Ennis was headed up toward “Colm’s place” in 
  the hills. He suggests PCs ask some of these other 
  “dirt merchants” if they know anything about where 
  the claims are. He wants to hire the PCs to 
  investigate Ennis’s disappearance, find him (or his 
  remains), report on the condition of the claim, 
  secure it from any claim-jumpers, and “deal with” 
  any “monster trouble” that may threaten it. Orbison 
  is vague on this last point, presuming that “you 
  adventuring types” have “your own monster-lingo” 
  for such situations.  
  • 
  Finally, Orbison explains in a condescending tone 
  that “time is money,” and that if the PCs accept his 
  offer, he would like them to get started immediately 
  rather than waiting for a fresh start in the morning.  
  He offers to pay in gold, of course (see “Treasure” at the 
  end of this encounter for his maximum offer). If the PCs 
  accept, he thanks them with an obsequious flourish, 
  urges them to finish lunch, and invites them to meet him 
  at his office, the Circle K, in an hour. He will prepare the 
  claim documentation for them in that hour. He provides 
  directions, then rises to depart, actually leaving PCs to 
  pay the tab. 
   
  Orbison does radiate faint evil, which may influence 
  the PCs’ dealings with him if they detect it. Remember 
  that radiating evil is not a crime; the PCs may be 
  justifiably suspicious but have no grounds to arrest or 
  fight Orbison. 
  Development:  Time is important, in theory, since 
  Aodhan and Bran are planning to sacrifice Taran and the 
  PCs should try to stop it as early as they can. But since the 
  PCs don’t know about that part of the plot yet, you should 
  allow the timeline to be flexible. Let the PCs can spend as 
  much time in Tobinsford as the players want. 
  Inhabitants of the Bounding Stag 
  PCs may now finish lunch and try to Gather Information 
  on their situation; the current occupants of the inn and 
  what they know is summarized below: 
  � Greddis: male human (Oeridian) Exp4 (Cook); 
  Diplomacy +8, Profession (cook) +10. 
  • 
  Description and Personality: A 44-year-old 
  veteran of the Greyhawk Wars who relocated to the 
  Pale from Nyrond to raise his daughter after the 
  death of his wife. He is a stout, barrel-chested man 
  with a deep, hearty laugh who prides himself on 
  feeding guests until they are full. He is a skilled cook 
  and more skilled drinker, who keeps an impressive 
  collection of alcohol in his cellar in case the PCs ask 
  for something exotic. 
  • 
  What He Knows: A lucky miner discovered gold in 
  the Rakers a month ago. Since then, dozens of 
  fortune seekers have descended on tiny Tobinsford. 
  Most of these men have formed teams and struck 
  out into the mountains to stake their claims. A few 
  diehards even ventured off alone. Tobinsford’s 
  parish priest, a Pholtan acolyte named Eamon (“AY-
  mohn”), has been tasked by the Church to oversee all 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 10 
  claims. He usually comes in for lunch but hasn’t 
  been in today. The town constable is Marlin 
  Spurlock, a member of the Pale Patrol who comes 
  through about once a month. Greddis describes both 
  men for the PCs and provides directions to their 
  offices if asked. Spurlock is a dead end. 
  With a successful Gather Information check, Greddis 
  reveals the following. (Note: if PCs explicitly ask 
  questions about a listed topic, no die roll is required.) 
  • 
  DC 5: There was a report of two orcs sighted in the 
  foothills just over a week ago but no one in town has 
  taken it seriously, as it was reported by Old Spooner, 
  Tobinsford’s eldest resident and its most infamous 
  drunkard. 
  • 
  DC 10: An old frontiersman named Colm lives up in 
  the hills about 20 miles southeast of Tobinsford. He 
  might know something about the disappearances, as 
  his place lies in the same direction that the miners 
  have been heading. Greddis can give PCs directions 
  to Colm’s property if asked; if the PCs left now, they 
  could probably reach Colm’s place by sundown, but 
  they could also rest along the way or wait until 
  morning to leave. 
  • 
  DC 12: Clive Orbison arrived from Landrigard about 
  three weeks ago. He spends most of his time 
  shuffling between his seedy office and Eamon’s 
  cottage. He has been in and out of here all morning 
  bothering prospectors and other adventurers. 
  • 
  DC 14: Most of the claims are, he believes, located 
  near a long valley, well up into the mountains. He 
  recalls that one area of the surrounding hills is 
  reputed to be haunted; this story, vague as it is, has 
  persisted for as long as he can remember. 
  • 
  DC 16: There are rumors of miners disappearing in 
  the mountains; he isn’t sure how many. The miners, 
  a superstitious lot, refuse to talk about it. Greddis 
  asks PCs not to tell his daughter Lorna (the dark-
  haired serving-girl) about the disappearances, as he 
  does not want to frighten her unduly. 
  • 
  DC 18: Those hills beyond Colm’s place are pretty 
  rugged; he suggests the PCs make sure they can 
  Track. If not, he reluctantly recommends a local 
  trapper, Dack Splintheel, who is as charismatic as a 
  dungheap but talented nonetheless. Dack often 
  comes down to Tobinsford to sell pelts and pick up 
  supplies. (Dack was the surly man outside with the 
  badger companion.)  
  • 
  DC 20: He recalls tales about an old druid who lived 
  up in the hills. Greddis does not know if this is truth 
  or rumor, or if there is still a druid up there, 
  especially after “those trials two years ago”. (The 
  Church put several druids on trial for concealing the 
  evil Scars of Nerull.) 
  • 
  DC 22: He has heard that “visiting” with old Colm is 
  more difficult than it sounds, and the PCs might 
  consider bringing him a gift as a show of respect. 
  Greddis has not seen the old man in years but 
  remembers that he used to like Dawnwood Ale. He 
  has two small kegs of the ale in the cellar if the PCs 
  wish to purchase one or both of them (20 gp each). 
   
  � Lorna: female human (Oeridian) Com2; Diplomacy 
  +7. 
  • 
  Description and Personality: The daughter of 
  Greddis, she is 22 years old with curly black locks 
  and an angular face. She inherited the charm of her 
  father’s laugh and has adapted well to the increase in 
  patrons over the last few weeks.  
  • 
  What She Knows: Lorna knows the basic 
  information offered by her father, but he has not 
  told her of the disappearances so as not to frighten 
  her. If PCs mention Brother Eamon, she starts, 
  suddenly remembering that he came over earlier and 
  asked for his lunch to be delivered to his office, but 
  she forgot to do it. She looks worriedly at the patrons 
  still eating lunch and implores the PCs to deliver 
  Brother Eamon’s lunch for her. If the PCs agree, she 
  wraps up his lunch of hot stew and thanks them 
  profusely. 
   
  The three teenage girls range in age from 16-19 and are 
  all daughters of local farmers. All they can talk about is 
  someone called Taran, but they do so by way of not-too-
  secretive glances and loud comparisons toward all male 
  PCs: which PCs looks most like Taran, which has his 
  build, hair, eyes, etc. If any male PC is clearly a paladin by 
  virtue of heavy armor and a Pholtan holy symbol, the 
  girls warm to him and readily discuss the following: 
  • 
  That man the PCs were having lunch with (Orbison) 
  is “nasty”, “bald”, and “gross”. They hope the PCs 
  aren’t his friends. 
  • 
  Taran, over whom they gush effusively, is a squire to 
  Sir Andros; a DC 10 Knowledge (nobility and 
  royalty) or DC 15 Knowledge (local - Nyrond and 
  her environs) check confirms Andros’s standing in 
  the community. 
  • 
  Taran is being groomed for something special. 
  • 
  Taran passed through here just yesterday; he said he 
  was on his way to visit his father for the first time in 
  two years. 
  • 
  “Taran is so cute when he talks in his sleep.” 
  The girl who utters this last comment provokes the 
  surprised wrath of the other two. The three immediately 
  erupt into a scathing catfight that is broken up by 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 11 
  Greddis, who hauls them outside in a bundle and fetches 
  their parents. 
  Visiting Brother Eamon 
   
   
   
  If the PCs have agreed to deliver lunch to Brother 
  Eamon, Lorna directs them to a small cottage down the 
  road a bit. (Greddis can provide the same directions.) A 
  knock at the door or verbal solicitation is met with a 
  shout of “Come in!” Once PCs enter, read or paraphrase 
  the following: 
  The tiny cottage is strewn with stacks of paperwork: 
  on the floor, on the windowsill, on chairs and on the 
  small oaken desk, behind which sits a young man in 
  the robes of the Pholtan clergy. His desk is 
  completely covered by paperwork at precarious 
  angles, as if one more page or a small breeze would 
  send the pile tumbling to the floor. Stacked in the 
  corner behind him are small bundles of wooden 
  stakes and five jars of paint. A huge ledger is opened 
  on his lap.  
  He does not rise to greet the PCs, but thanks them 
  profusely for bringing his lunch (if they did), which he 
  asks them to set on the corner of his desk after clearing 
  away a very small area of it. 
  � Parish Priest Eamon (“AY-mohn”): male human 
  Clr3 (Pholtus) 
  • 
  Description and Personality: He is young for his 
  position, scarcely 20. He didn’t expect to wrestle 
  with this much paperwork, but he is working hard 
  and sleeping little. Of mostly Oeridian ancestry, he 
  has unkempt, light brown hair and bags under his 
  eyes. His fingers are almost completely black with 
  ink and paint. When he speaks, it is with the jittery 
  quickness of sleep deprivation. He is genuinely 
  thankful for the PCs bringing his lunch, but once 
  they start asking questions, he shifts his mountain of 
  paperwork to help the PCs and promptly misplaces 
  his lunch. 
  • 
  What He Knows: There is indeed gold in the hills. 
  Over thirty claims have been registered thus far, 
  with over half of those coming in the past six days. 
  Most have yielded a measurable amount of gold in 
  nugget and flake form. He is overwhelmed by the 
  paperwork. Eamon hasn’t been able to report to his 
  superior in Landrigard, as he has scarcely slept in the 
  last 48 hours, much less been able to prepare spells 
  or send word to Landrigard. He swears it is Lorna 
  who is keeping him alive, and she alone should get 
  all of the gold from the Rakers. He laments the 
  insensitivity 
  and 
  avarice 
  (very 
  non-Pholtan 
  attributes) of the miners and prospectors. Miners 
  have been waking him at all hours demanding to 
  register a claim, and interrupting his meals, his 
  prayers, his sanity. He wishes he had an assistant. If 
  asked about the missing miners, he cannot confirm 
  that anyone is missing, but his very efficient ledger 
  indicates that 14 claims are unverified. Specifically, 
  he refers to the process: a claim is registered, colored 
  and numbered wooden stakes are given to mark the 
  claimant’s area, the claim is marked, then the 
  registering parties report back (under a zone of truth) 
  to verify that they marked it. Thus, those 14 parties 
  have yet to report back for whatever reason. He 
  cynically speculates that the miners have been 
  attacking one another for their claims. He resists the 
  idea that “monsters” are involved or that the hills are 
  haunted. Finally, though he does not know where 
  any specific claim is located until it is reported back 
  to him, he will confirm for PCs succeeding on a DC 
  10 Diplomacy check that the stakes belonging to the 
  Orbison/Ennis claim are painted blue. 
  Sealing the Deal and Stocking Up  
   
  Once PCs finish with Eamon, they may go to Orbison’s 
  office to collect the necessary claim paperwork; he gives 
  PCs a physical description of Ennis at this time and pays 
  them half of their agreed-upon fee. There is also a well-
  stocked general store in town if PCs need supplies. Prices 
  are marked up 10% more of book value. The PCs may 
  depart at any time. 
  Hiring Dack to Track 
   
   
   
  A final meeting here may take place with Dack. If the 
  PCs require his services, he is willing to Track for a fee 
  (10gp per day, the first day payable immediately, the rest 
  upon returning to Tobinsford) as well as an equal share of 
  any loot and a percentage of the claim. He will not 
  participate in combat with anything other than normal 
  beasts, and then only to save his own life. The PCs are 
  hiring a tracker, not a martyr. 
   
  If Dack is hired, his starting attitude is Indifferent. 
  Along the way to Colm’s place, he walks about 15 feet 
  ahead of the party with his badger and does not speak 
  unless spoken to. If questioned as to his favored enemy as 
  a ranger, his curt response is “employers who break 
  promises and do not pay”. PCs may note his curious habit 
  of stopping to examine and collect small samples of a 
  variety of flora on the trail, but about this he offers no 
  explanation. PCs utilizing Diplomacy to improve his foul 
  attitude may learn the following: 
  • 
  Friendly: His badger’s name is Weasley. Dack advises 
  PCs to let him know immediately if they somehow 
  manage to get poisoned, as he has some skill in its 
  remedies. He reminds PCs that he can’t get paid if 
  they die. There used to be a human druid who 
  guarded this part of the mountains, but he left for 
  parts unknown about a year ago—Dack actually 
  seems pleased about this. 
  • 
  Helpful: Dack’s parents were brutally slain by the 
  alien plant-creatures, the Rex Aartuk. He blames the 
  Church of the One True Path for failing to anticipate 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 12 
  and stop the creatures, so Dack is bitter toward both 
  the Church and plants in general. The druid 
  (mentioned 
  under 
  “Friendly” 
  above) 
  briefly 
  entertained an apprentice, also human, but Dack has 
  not seen him in months. He presumes the 
  apprentice to be either dead or gone, as he doubts 
  any nature priest would tolerate the influx of 
  careless miners to the area. 
  Treasure: 
  Advance payment from Clive Orbison. 
  APL 2: L: 0 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 0 gp 
  APL 4: L: 0 gp; C: 75 gp; M: 0 gp 
  APL 6: L: 0 gp; C: 100 gp; M: 0 gp 
  APL 8: L: 0 gp; C: 156 gp; M: 0 gp 
  Encounter Two: A Vigorous 
  Ascent 
  No roads lead east from Tobinsford, but a well-worn 
  path winds its way toward the rugged mountains 
  that squat in front of the horizon. Hawks circle in 
  the sky, occasionally diving suddenly for prey 
  attempting to hide in the tall grasses. Bushes rustle 
  in the wind and with the movements of smaller 
  animals. 
   
  The rough path climbs, twists, and dips 
  repeatedly for a score of miles or more, each hill 
  higher than the last, finally approaching the first 
  few true peaks. It guides you up a steep slope and 
  between two crags into a secluded canyon 
  dominated by a long, thin lake stretching far to the 
  northwest and southeast, fog clinging low to its 
  shores. Streams flow into the lake from ravines in 
  the lower western ridge and tumble out of hanging 
  valleys atop the high eastern cliffs. Where the lake 
  bends out of sight to the north, a few buildings 
  cluster above its far shore; a trail of smoke rising 
  from the chimney of the largest indicates the valley 
  is inhabited. Above the eastern end of the valley, 
  massive angular peaks thrust into the sky, their 
  misty, tree-covered slopes threatening to disgorge 
  hordes of orcs, gnolls, or worse. 
   
  At this latitude, the Rakers form a mighty 
  rampart hundreds of miles wide, and no human or 
  dwarf known in the Pale or Ratik has ever found 
  passage all the way through. For those seeking 
  refuge from the long arm of the Church, this is 
  about as remote as it gets. Anyone living this far 
  from the regular patrol routes must certainly be able 
  to take care of himself. 
  Halfway to Colm’s place, Dack (if present) pauses to note 
  something curious on the trail (this should otherwise be 
  a DC 20 Spot check): a heavy boot print in the dirt. The 
  print clearly indicates someone or something wearing 
  mail boots and/or carrying a heavy load (this was the 
  squire Taran, on his way to his father’s place shortly 
  before being attacked). 
   
  The valley is 2,500 feet above sea level; the crests 
  directly east of it rise to 6,000 feet. Even higher peaks are 
  visible beyond. In early autumn, the weather in the valley 
  is generally mild, with cool daytime temperatures 
  dropping to near freezing at night. The winter snows 
  should not arrive for another couple of months, but 
  rainfall is frequent and mists tend to settle in the valley 
  beginning in the late afternoon. 
   
  Colm’s homestead includes a main building, a high 
  barn, a covered forge, an outhouse, and a storage shed, all 
  made of logs with sod roofs and dirt floors. Small fields 
  and a vegetable garden lie behind the main house. The 
  area around the buildings is extremely muddy. Hogs and 
  chickens, rather than being penned, have the run of the 
  place. The homestead is built near the lake, above the 
  seasonal high-water level. (PCs with relevant Knowledge 
  skills know that the level of the lake rises several feet 
  each spring due to runoff from the surrounding 
  mountains.) A canoe is tied up at a small dock; the boys 
  take it out on the lake and up the navigable streams to 
  fish. 
   
  The main house sports a huge stone fireplace and 
  chimney halfway down one side, in which a generous 
  blaze is maintained at all times, causing smoke to hang 
  throughout the poorly ventilated interior. The roof slopes 
  from the higher western wall down to the east. There are 
  no interior walls, although a log ramp along the wall 
  opposite the fireplace runs up to a loft where Colm and 
  his chosen bedmate for the evening sleep in huge piles of 
  animal furs. The dirt floor is strewn with pine needles 
  and bed materials for the rest of the family; a filthy canvas 
  pegged to the wall on either side of the single entrance is 
  the only shelter from the elements. There is no door. 
   
  During the day, Colm’s sons (four of them, ranging 
  in age from six to 16) are fishing from the dock and 
  tending the fields, while his daughters and wives (15 
  altogether!) work in the garden, spin and weave inside 
  the house, and take care of other chores. Colm himself 
  sits on a great wooden chair at the back of the house with 
  a wooden tankard of home brew. He never leaves his 
  chair during the day except to stagger to the outhouse or 
  grab and paw the nearest wife. 
   
  At night most of the household sleeps (Colm and a 
  wife or two in the loft, the rest on bundles of straw on the 
  floor), though there is almost always at least one person 
  awake tending the fire or otherwise active. 
  Creatures: Aside from a half-dozen dogs and some 
  livestock, Colm and his family are the only inhabitants of 
  the homestead. 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 13 
  All APLs 
  � Colm: male Flan human Rgr3; AL CN, Craft 
  (blacksmithing) +6, Sense Motive +7, Profession 
  (trapper) +6, Survival +7. 
  � Colm’s Family Members: Com1 and Exp1 (all 
  basic homesteading skills represented). 
  � Colm: CN male human Rgr3 frontier settler. 
   
  Fed up with the myriad restrictions of life in the 
  Pale, Colm long ago established a homestead in the wild 
  mountains above Tobinsford where he believes himself 
  to be outside the Theocrat’s jurisdiction. (Untrue; charges 
  of tax evasion were filed against Colm a few years ago, but 
  the understaffed Pale Patrol simply has not followed up.) 
  This solitary lodging over the years became the social 
  center for a far-flung group of individuals and families 
  who shared his desire to live outside the law. Colm now 
  has eight wives of varying ages, four sons and more 
  daughters, and a sizable number of goats and chickens 
  and as many pigs as wives. He is the undisputed headman 
  of the mountain folk, although he gives proper deference 
  to Eiolon and is secretly proud of Bran for showing an 
  interest in the druid’s craft (though he knows nothing of 
  Bran’s unsavory appetites). Colm is much less pleased at 
  the chosen profession of his eldest son Taran and does 
  not (yet) respect the young man’s growing prowess and 
  nobility. 
   
  Personality: This bear of a man is grouchy, 
  inhospitable, and uncaring of the plight of anybody in 
  the world outside of the couple dozen folk who live 
  within ten miles of his homestead. If people offer him 
  enough gifts and butter him up for a while, though, and 
  maybe do him a favor or two, he lets them sleep on his 
  dry dirt floor overnight before chucking them out at 
  daybreak. Colm is difficult to befriend, but once someone 
  has done so, he will forever be at his or her side. 
   
  Description: Colm’s signature item is his shaggy 
  unkempt hair and beard. He is never seen without several 
  layers of animal hides and furs and heavy boots. These 
  days he rarely stirs from the great wooden chair at the 
  head of his hall, depending on his children and wives to 
  care for the animals, gardens, and household, and his 
  bloated belly shows it. 
  Development: If Dack is with the party, he excuses 
  himself before they reach Colm’s place, citing 
  philosophical differences with the old man. Dack tells 
  PCs that he is going to forage in the woods for supper and 
  check some traps and will be back before dawn. “Don’t 
  get yourselves killed before I return.” 
   
  If PCs approach the homestead during the day 
  without concealing themselves, they are quickly spotted 
  and Colm warned of approaching strangers. The boys’ 
  reactions range from excited to curious to irritated, while 
  the girls and women stay quiet and try to avoid notice, 
  having often been disciplined by Colm for interfering in 
  men’s business. In general, all family members begin 
  with Indifferent attitudes, but Colm’s starting attitude is 
  Unfriendly. He dislikes strangers. 
   
  If the PCs sneak up on the homestead or otherwise 
  don’t let the inhabitants know of their approach well in 
  advance, all attitudes are shifted one rank toward Hostile. 
   
  PCs will have to stand at the entrance to the house 
  and use social skills, magic, or other appropriate means to 
  make Colm friendly enough to invite them inside for 
  conversation. If Colm notices anyone that he associates 
  with “the law” (A PC visibly affiliated with the Church of 
  the One True Path, the Prelatal Army, etc.), they suffer a 
  –4 circumstance penalty to Diplomacy and Intimidate 
  checks as he assumes they are here to hassle him. If PCs 
  offer a gift of some sort, they receive a +4 circumstance 
  bonus to the same checks. (As the DM, you also have 
  liberty to apply other circumstance modifiers as you 
  wish.) DM note: Roleplay with Colm and this 
  accompanying Diplomacy check should not come down 
  to a simple die roll. The PCs have the chance here to 
  interact with someone living on the fringes of the Pale 
  who has strong opinions on freedom and The Law. If PCs 
  are belligerent and territorial, then certainly let the die 
  roll decide their fate; but if PCs genuinely try to roleplay 
  with Colm, feel free to feed them at least some of the 
  below information, grudgingly, even if poor rolling 
  might otherwise dictate a swift kick in the rear. 
   
  Colm knows the following, though his concept of 
  time and numbers is often blurry: 
  • 
  About a dozen men of varying dispositions have 
  come through the valley in the past few weeks, 
  singularly or in pairs, on their way to stake gold 
  claims. Some have been friendly, while others 
  have ignored the homestead altogether. 
  • 
  Almost all of the prospectors headed south, but 
  one of them, a fellow named Ennis, went north 
  to Split Rock Valley. 
  • 
  Ennis was a likeable enough fellow. He brought 
  a case of whiskey as a gift for Colm, showing the 
  proper respect that has eluded some of the 
  others. 
  • 
  Colm advised Ennis against prospecting in the 
  haunted valley to the north, but the man was 
  determined to work in an area that had not yet 
  attracted fortune seekers. 
  • 
  Split Rock Valley is known to be haunted. 
  Eiolon, the old druid who befriended Colm 
  when he first settled here, warned him often 
  enough about the ravenous nature spirits up 
  there that love nothing more than to suck on 
  human bones. Colm remembers the druid 
  mentioning something about unseelie, but he 
  doesn’t know what that means. [“Unseelie” 
  describes vicious or unfriendly fey.] 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 14 
  • 
  Eiolon apparently exerted some sort of 
  influence to keep the spirits from entering 
  Colm’s valley. Colm doesn’t know what bargain 
  Eiolon had to strike, but he was grateful enough 
  to offer one of his sons (Bran) as an apprentice 
  to the druid when he began to talk about 
  looking for a successor. Bran is about twenty 
  years old. 
  • 
  Since beginning his apprenticeship, Bran 
  spends a lot of time away from the homestead. 
  On those rare occasions where he does visit 
  home, he seems withdrawn and close-lipped. 
  Colm expects that carrying the burden of 
  knowledge of the Old Lore does that to you. 
  Eiolon also seemed distant and very sad the last 
  time he was here. 
  • 
  A year or so ago, Eiolon visited the homestead to 
  tell Colm he was going away to the west and 
  Bran would be taking over his watch on the 
  central Rakers. Colm asked why he was leaving, 
  but the druid just said, “dust returns to dust”. 
  • 
  Colm’s eldest son, Taran, ran away about two 
  years ago. He apparently did not appreciate the 
  freedom the family has by staying outside the 
  reach of the law. In fact, the fool boy went and 
  weaseled his way into the service of some high-
  falutin’ knight down in Tobinsford. Taran is 
  three years older than Bran. 
  • 
  Taran sometimes hires one of the trappers 
  around Tobinsford to take a message up to 
  Colm. The last one arrived a few weeks ago, 
  saying that Taran was planning to come home to 
  “have a talk” with his father. About what, Colm 
  doesn’t know. 
  • 
  Colm expected the boy to show up by now. He 
  expects Taran probably had to follow his knight 
  around “stealing taxes from honest regular 
  folks”. (A DC 15 Sense Motive check reveals 
  that Colm is actually quite disappointed that his 
  son hasn’t yet arrived, despite his sarcasm.) 
  Once the PCs have obtained the available information, 
  move on to Encounter Three A. 
  A Second Chance: Colm’s Son 
   
  If the PCs are unable to make Colm friendly, they 
  may still be able to convince one of the boys working 
  outside the house to talk to them. Randal is the oldest of 
  Colm’s remaining sons, at sixteen years. If the PCs make 
  him Friendly, he can provide all of the above 
  information, although his recounting shows his hero 
  worship of his older brother Taran. If they can make him 
  Helpful, and if they ask specific questions about Bran, 
  Randal can also recount a story of coming upon Bran 
  some months ago in the woods at the other end of the 
  lake. Bran had come upon an injured doe and, rather than 
  healing her, was throwing stones at her that exploded in 
  fire when they hit her. This terrified Randal, who hid and 
  then ran off without being noticed. He never mentioned 
  the incident to anybody, and Bran never confronted him, 
  so he is pretty sure nobody else knows about it. 
  Development: In the event Colm invites PCs into his 
  home, the next encounter is Three A. Use Encounter 
  Three B instead if the PCs have to question Randal, or if 
  they avoid the homestead altogether. 
  Encounter Three A: Attack On 
  The Homestead 
  The PCs might get advance warning about this attack, so 
  adjust the description of the approaching monster(s) as 
  needed. 
   
  Use this text for APLs 2 and 4. 
  Your parley comes to an abrupt halt as the tarp 
  covering the entrance to Colm’s home is ripped 
  aside. Snarling and slavering, an immense black-
  furred wolf as big as a horse charges into the 
  building, knocking over a brazier and sending coals 
  flying in all directions. Jaws snap and eyes flash as 
  the beast sizes up its prey. Colm’s wives scream and 
  run for his loft as the old man rises from his chair, 
  croaking, “Old Rendfang! Eiolon said he’d convinced 
  him not to hunt in my valley! Boys, light up torches 
  and grab my axe!” 
  At APL 4, Old Rendfang’s mate (only slightly smaller) is 
  right on his heels. 
   
  Use this text for APLs 6 and 8: 
  Your parley comes to an abrupt halt as the front wall 
  of Colm’s home explodes in a shower of splinters. 
  Ropy arms flail about a looming mass of leaves and 
  vines oozing with a disgustingly dark and viscous 
  sap. The nightmarish creature drags itself into the 
  building on stumpy legs as thick and wooden as tree 
  trunks. Colm’s wives scream and run for his loft as 
  the old man rises from his chair, croaking, “Old Man 
  Gloombog! Eiolon said he’d never leave the fens! 
  Boys, light up torches and grab my axe!” 
  Eiolon had negotiated a truce on behalf of Colm with this 
  fearsome creature from Split Rock Valley/Wolf Lake, 
  with each agreeing never to enter the other’s territory. 
  Bran has now gone and disturbed that peace. Angered at 
  his brother’s defiance, the fallen druid used his abilities 
  to convince the wolf (or shambling mound) that the 
  prospectors invading his valley/hunting grounds were 
  there because of Colm. Whipped into frenzy, the 
  creature(s) made its way to the homestead. Bran either 
  lurks nearby using a combination of his Druidic 
  Woodland Stride ability and pass without trace/obscuring 
  mist which resembles lake fog (at APLs 2 and 4) or circles 
  over the homestead in hawk form (APLs 6 and 8), 
  anticipating the coming carnage with wicked glee. 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 15 
  Creatures: At APL 2, the beast in question is Old 
  Rendfang, terror of wolf packs for leagues around. At 
  APL 4, his mate joins him for the killing spree. At APLs 6 
  and 8, Bran goes for the big-time player instead, coaxing 
  Old Man Gloombog out of the slough in the hills where 
  he normally dwells. 
  APL 2 (EL 3) 
  � Old Rendfang: dire wolf; hp 45; see Monster Manual 
  page 65. 
  APL 4 (EL 5) 
  � Old Rendfang and mate: dire wolf (2); hp 54, 45; 
  see Monster Manual page 65. 
  APL 6 (EL 7) 
  � Old Man Gloombog: shambling mound; hp 72; see 
  Monster Manual page 222. 
  APL 8 (EL 9) 
  � Old Man Gloombog: advanced shambling mound; 
  hp 156; see Combat Appendix – APL 8. 
  Tactics:  
  At APL 2-4, the wolves try to move to the house unheard, 
  bursting in to catch the humans within unawares. The 
  PCs may make Listen checks to hear the sound outside 
  just before the tarp is torn away; these checks are opposed 
  by the wolves’ Move Silently checks (+4). Once the 
  wolves are engaged, they are unsubtle combatants, 
  choosing the nearest opponent (or the first that rushes 
  them). If both wolves are present, they team up on a foe, 
  flanking when possible (even provoking attacks of 
  opportunity to get the flank). The wolves do not continue 
  savaging an opponent once it stops fighting back; they 
  recognize that there are many foes in the area, and they 
  are attempting to drive away rivals, not hunt. Add Colm, 
  Randal, and a few other NPCs to the battlefield, so the 
  PCs are not the only targets. A wolf will flee when it is 
  reduced to 10 or fewer hit points. 
   
  At APL 6-8, the shambler also attempts to approach 
  the house unheard. PCs again may make Listen checks 
  opposed by the shambler’s Move Silently check (+8 or 
  +10) to avoid being surprised. It chooses its opponents 
  exactly as the wolves above. If the shambler gets its 
  Improved Grab, it will use its full Grapple bonus until it 
  is wounded by another opponent, at which time it will 
  begin taking –20 on its Grapple checks so it can attack 
  the other opponent with its second slam. If its Improved 
  Grab ever fails to establish a hold, the next attack on that 
  opponent will be an Awesome Blow. It uses Power Attack 
  only on PCs without visible armor. It is canny enough to 
  know it can’t outrun its enemies, so it fights to the death. 
   
  Colm’s boys run to the hearth to light brands, and 
  one fetches a battleaxe from the far corner of the building 
  for his father. They then stay back from the fight, hoping 
  that their feeble fires will keep the monsters away from 
  them, or at least that their bloated old sire can lift his axe. 
  Colm will not intervene in the fight until all of the PCs 
  are down. However, he will offer comments on the PCs’ 
  abilities 
  during 
  the 
  fight, 
  only 
  grudgingly 
  complimenting the most stupendous feats. 
  Development: If the PCs successfully defend Colm’s 
  home, the frontiersman’s opinion of them improves 
  dramatically. His attitude changes to Friendly, and he 
  offers the PCs his hospitality for the night – this means a 
  bowl of rabbit stew and a place to sleep on the floor. 
  (Normally the boys fight over positions near the fire, but 
  tonight he shoos them away in favor of his guests.) 
  Randal looks for an opportunity to catch a PC away from 
  the family in order to tell his story about Bran, but does 
  not press the issue if there isn’t a good time for it. 
   
  However, should any PC cause damage to Colm’s 
  property or harm to one of his family members in the 
  course of the fight, Colm becomes/remains Unfriendly 
  when it is over, refusing to converse further and ordering 
  them out of the homestead immediately. Colm has no 
  time for ruffians who do not respect his property. Even if 
  only one PC offended him, all must go. 
   
  If the attackers manage to drop all of the PCs, Colm 
  and his boys eventually drive them away and stabilize any 
  PCs who cling to life, at the cost of one son’s life (Randal, 
  whom the monsters were specifically told to kill). Colm 
  will be devastated at the loss of kin but still offers his 
  hospitality to those who fought on his behalf and answers 
  questions to the extent of his knowledge as described in 
  the previous encounter. 
   
  After observing the fight, Bran lingers briefly to get a 
  sense of these people who spoiled his revenge. He then 
  flies/walks northeast to rejoin his gang. The PCs might 
  discover that one of the hawks circling in the sky (a 
  common sight in the mountains) is actually a wild-
  shaped undead druid—involving a difficult Spot check 
  and a Knowledge (nature) check, at your discretion—or, 
  at lower APLs, make the DC 21 Spellcraft check to notice 
  the obscuring mist and realize that they are being observed. 
  If the PCs notice Bran, they might try to force a fight; 
  don’t let it happen, as killing Bran here will ruin the 
  narrative of this scenario, and it will also deprive them of 
  two important favors in the Conclusion.   
   
  If Dack accompanied the party, he returns roughly 
  one hour after the fight and is immediately furious that 
  he did not get to help dispatch the monster(s) (especially 
  the shambler, since Dack hates plants). 
  Encounter Three B: Wandering 
  Monster? 
  This encounter is only used when the PCs did not 
  successfully engage Colm. 
  • 
  If PCs spoke with Randal instead of Colm, then 
  Bran spotted them and waited until they left 
  
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  before sending his beast. They kill Colm, 
  Randal, and a few others before the other 
  humans flee. Bran then releases the monster to 
  travel back to its lair, and flies north to rejoin 
  his comrades. 
  • 
  If the PCs avoid the homestead altogether, the 
  homestead is destroyed as above, but Bran does 
  not become aware of their presence in the 
  valley. 
  In either case, the PCs encounter the creatures from 
  Encounter Three A at some point during their 
  exploration in Split Rock Valley. The general tactics are 
  the same. The creatures may have bloody muzzles/limbs, 
  after the carnage at Colm’s place. 
  Encounter Four: Grim Prospects 
  The entrance to Split Rock Valley is a few miles north of 
  Colm’s homestead, branching off the thin game trail that 
  leads up to Wolf Lake. A moderate Track check (DC 15) 
  locates this trail and its branch even if the party has not 
  befriended Colm and his family. If they have, however, 
  his oldest boys inform the PCs that they tend to walk the 
  extra distance to the lake in order to hunt, not wanting to 
  tempt any spirits out of Split Rock Valley. Even if Dack is 
  not with the party, they will still be able to follow the 
  path left by Darrow Ennis once it branches off the main 
  trail, as the ground is soft but his prints are five days old.  
  Development: As mentioned in Encounter One, 
  Tracking is important, since Bran and his minions have 
  abducted Taran and plan to sacrifice him (in Encounter 
  Seven). It is up to the PCs to save Taran. Rather than 
  requiring you to record how many hours the PCs spend 
  tracking or moving, simply describe the passage of time 
  or distance with more or less urgency. 
  Old Spooner  
   
   
   
   
  After leaving the trail toward Split Rock Valley, the party 
  travels east for roughly four miles through the thinning 
  high forest before something happens. If Dack is here, he 
  stops mid-stride, eyes the ground, and then quickly draws 
  his swords. The badger Weasley growls and charges into 
  the underbrush. A high-pitched yelp is soon heard as 
  Weasley chases a grubby old man out of the trees.  If 
  Dack is not present, the PCs are hailed by a cry of “Help!” 
  from the underbrush. 
  � Old Spooner: male human (retired rogue). 
   
  The man that emerges is a decrepit old coot with 
  long, scraggly gray hair, and wide brown eyes. He keeps 
  smacking his lips as he speaks. He is dressed in torn and 
  dirty commoner’s clothes and identifies himself as Old 
  Spooner (“I don’t know why people call me that, 
  though”). He is afraid of Dack and tries to hide 
  (unsuccessfully) if the ranger is present. Old Spooner is 
  in trouble; he got gold fever and came up by himself to 
  prospect. Knowing he would have to pass by Colm’s 
  place, he brought along a jug of cheap wine to appease 
  the frontiersman but Spooner’s alcoholism got the best of 
  him; he drank the offering before he reached Colm. In 
  desperation, he filled the empty bottle with stream water 
  and hoped Colm would not notice. Bad idea. Colm leapt 
  to his feet and chased Spooner into the woods. Spooner 
  was so scared and disoriented that he quickly became 
  lost. He spent the last 36 hours up here and is freezing 
  cold at this altitude; he lost most of his prospecting gear 
  and has been eating berries since yesterday. He still has a 
  small flask of rotgut hidden on his person, though, which 
  he sips from before going to sleep. He wants to go home 
  but understands if the PCs don’t want to waste any time 
  escorting him.  
   
  He gratefully accepts any rations PCs are willing to 
  donate. He begs to just travel in safety with them for a 
  while and possibly spend the night by their campfire; 
  then he’ll be on his way back to town, if they could just 
  show him the way. 
   
  If PCs agree, Old Spooner tells them about 
  something very strange he saw yesterday afternoon about 
  a mile up the trail:  
  • 
  He was napping in a pile of leaves when he heard 
  loud voices. Looking up from hiding, he saw a group 
  of…well, he doesn’t rightly know what they were, 
  but they were man-sized, dressed in rags and hooded 
  cloaks, and wrestling another prospector to the 
  ground, groaning all the while in some gibberish. 
  There were half a dozen of them and two of them 
  were also dragging a motionless, well-dressed young 
  man behind them. The overwhelmed prospector 
  soon stopped moving. Old Spooner was terrified. He 
  held his breath and waited for them to go away, but 
  the one who seemed to be directing it all suddenly 
  looked right at him! This person had pale skin under 
  what looked like ratty homespun clothes and 
  leathers and a tattered fur cloak, but the most 
  striking feature was his eyes, so blue they looked 
  almost white, as if drained of all color and life. 
  Spooner thought he was done for, but the figure 
  abruptly turned away and helped drag the 
  motionless prospector up the trail. Since then, 
  Spooner has been trying to move in the opposite 
  direction, wherever it leads. He is just very 
  distraught, lost, and most of all “thirsty”. 
  Orbison’s Claim Site  
   
   
   
  After following the trail east for one more mile, the PCs 
  come upon Ennis and Orbison’s claim site. Read or 
  paraphrase the following: 
  The faint path has climbed steadily since leaving 
  Colm’s homestead and branching off the main trail. 
  Dense trees have thinned and given way to 
  outcroppings of rock dotted with pale green, star-
  shaped lichen. After cresting a small rise in the hill, 
  
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  Page 17 
  the path spills into a large vale winding ever 
  eastward, farther away from the relative safety of the 
  Pale’s borders along the feet of peaks that rise 
  progressively higher in the summer sky. Less than 
  two hundred yards in the distance is an immense 
  boulder, at least 30 feet high and half as wide, neatly 
  hewn in two as if from the axe of a giant. This is 
  unquestionably Split Rock Valley. However, there is 
  no sign of Darrow Ennis or any campsite 
  hereabouts; the entire area is conspicuously quiet.  
  If the party descends into the valley, read or paraphrase 
  the following: 
  Beyond the boulder, the sound of rushing liquid can 
  be heard in the distance, amplified by the sheer 
  peaks on either side of the valley. The grassy, rubble-
  strewn floor stretches away for several miles. Just up 
  ahead the source of the sound is revealed: a stream 
  bisects the valley almost perfectly. It is from this 
  valley and its adjacent peaks that the Velk River 
  must descend into Tobinsford. Along the edge of the 
  stream’s muddy banks is a clear set of footprints 
  leading deeper into the valley.  
  PCs can easily follow the footprints east as they parallel 
  the stream deeper into the valley. Once PCs have traveled 
  roughly 2 miles, read or paraphrase the following: 
  The footprints end at what looks like a makeshift 
  panning operation. Scattered about the bank of the 
  stream are mining pans, a sieve, two small trowels, 
  and a waterskin. This part of the valley is situated in 
  a very narrow gully where the rock walls are steep 
  and sheer and tower overhead on either side. If this 
  is indeed Darrow Ennis’s intended claim, its 
  treasures might yet remain untouched. 
  A successful Survival check here (DC 15) accurately 
  calculates the party’s elevation at 3,000 feet. Allow them 
  to Search the area if they wish. If Old Spooner is here, he 
  cowers near the pans, drinks from the stream, and lets 
  PCs go about their business. If Dack is here, he quickly 
  moves ahead about 100 yards and scouts the area, 
  searching for a better vantage point. Successful Search 
  checks yield the following (Dack will not aid PCs here, 
  asserting that he is “keeping his paycheck alive”): 
  • 
  DC 15: Evidence of mining activity on both sides of 
  the gully: the rock walls have been worked with a 
  high-quality pick. 
  • 
  DC 20: The remains of a campsite, including a 
  collapsed tent, a fire pit (now cold), a half-eaten 
  rabbit on the ground, eight blue numbered wooden 
  stakes set out around the clearing (all knocked flat), a 
  crude map of this area with the staked area 
  delineated, more mining pans, a bloody boot, a light 
  pick, a rumpled miner’s hat and, most curious of all, 
  a rusty bucket containing a handful of gold nuggets. 
  Several 
  barefooted, 
  Medium-sized, 
  humanoid 
  footprints are also visible here. PCs may correctly 
  deduce that whoever was here (Ennis) fled and was 
  attacked back down the trail, as witnessed by Old 
  Spooner. 
  • 
  DC 25: About 120 yards farther east (not far from 
  where Dack would be searching) from the campsite, 
  the PCs find a gruesome cache: a pile of entrails, plus 
  six rotting noses, swarming with flies. (Be less 
  explicit about this if there are children at the table or 
  the players object.) A successful Heal check here 
  (DC 15) determines not only that the entrails are 
  human, but that specific organs are missing, most 
  notably the heart and spleen. A Knowledge (arcana) 
  or (religion) check (both at DC 20) identifies the 
  missing organs, the entrails present and especially 
  their arrangement on the rocks here as indicative of 
  unspecified sacrificial rites. 
  Development: PCs may “take 20” on the above Search 
  checks if they roll poorly on their first try, but you should 
  reinforce a sense of urgency as time burns away. 
   
  PCs should be able to deduce a theory on what has 
  happened to the miners, or at least to one of them. PCs 
  should be reminded that Colm said only Ennis was set on 
  exploring Split Rock Valley despite its legend as a 
  haunted area; PCs will have to decide for themselves 
  whether or not miners heading in the opposite direction 
  from Colm’s place could be falling victim to similar 
  activity. Dack swears he has never seen anything like this 
  in these hills before, but also admits that he has never 
  been this far into Split Rock Valley. 
   
  When Dack scouts around (or the PCs succeed on a 
  DC 16 Track check: firm ground and the tracks are one 
  day old), he eventually finds three sets of bare footprints 
  like those found near the gold nuggets leading further 
  into the valley. He reminds PCs of the specifics of their 
  deal; if these are the remains of Ennis, they may want to 
  consider renegotiating his contract, as human sacrifice 
  was not part of the bargain. In any event, since they have 
  no idea how far they need to travel, he recommends 
  camping at some point, if only to rest up and dispatch 
  Old Spooner in the morning.  
   
  Once the PCs do rest (they may rest here or further 
  along), the night passes uneventfully.  
   
  If the session is getting too intense and needs some 
  comic relief, you can show the players how Old Spooner 
  got his name: one random PC wakes up with the old man 
  lying cozily and drunkenly at her/his back. For some 
  reason, Old Spooner sleepwalks into other people’s beds, 
  has no idea that he does it, and certainly does not mean 
  any harm or amorous intent toward anyone. 
  Development: Although they have found out what 
  happened to Ennis and may want to return to Tobinsford 
  for payment, the PCs should remember that Clive 
  Orbison also hired them to deal with “monster trouble”. 
  If they continue now (by following the tracks or by 
  blindly pushing on up the valley), proceed to Encounter 
  
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  Page 18 
  Five. Even if they return to Tobinsford and Orbison has 
  to browbeat them into getting back up into the 
  mountains to secure his claim, proceed to Encounter 
  Five, but Taran will certainly be dead when the PCs reach 
  Encounter Seven. If the PCs truly want to stop, then go 
  to the Conclusion. 
  Encounter Five: Where Angels 
  Fear to Tread 
  The read-aloud text below presumes that PCs found the 
  tracks at the campsite and continued east into the valley; 
  if they did not find the tracks and chose to continue 
  anyway, paraphrase the following with a careful omission 
  of any “footprint-related” descriptions. 
   
  Additionally, the PCs are following a natural ley 
  line—a directed flow of Oerthly energy—which will lead 
  them to their ultimate destination. At some point during 
  this encounter, allow PCs to make Spellcraft check (DC 
  20), or Knowledge (nature) at the same DC for 
  geomancers and members of the Natural Order or a 
  similar metagame organization, to sense the elemental 
  energy surging beneath their feet. Members of the 
  Natural Order who succeed on the check can identify 
  this ley line as the Path of Grievous Ascension, which 
  runs northeast/southwest and intersects deeper in the 
  mountains with the Path of the Earth’s Spine (both ley 
  lines were named and mapped by the Natural Order and 
  are taught as part of the Order’s lore). Once the PCs 
  discover the ley line, they can use Spellcraft (or 
  Knowledge (nature)) instead of Survival to find the path 
  through the wilderness. 
  The footprints leading away from the gully become 
  progressively—and inexplicably—easier to follow, 
  as they meander in what seems to be a haphazard 
  manner east through Split Rock Valley. After a mile 
  the stream ceases to be a landmark. Its source can be 
  seen snaking its way down from the higher peaks 
  before pooling in this shallower part of the valley 
  where the stream begins. The valley and the tracks 
  continue to the east.  
   
  After another mile, the lush valley gives way to 
  boggier terrain, low vegetation, and large, gnarled 
  trees laden with eerie, greenish-brown moss that 
  hangs to the ground. Movement through this area is 
  cut in half; the humid air feels like molasses, the 
  soft ground is dotted with long-fingered grass and 
  pools of mud and standing water. The muck 
  occasionally belches foul-smelling gasses and 
  pierces the silence with its ignominious cant, as if 
  warning the mountains of your approach. 
   
  The disorganized progress of the tracks belies 
  the methodical violence of the entrails back at the 
  gully. There is evidence of feet being dragged and 
  leaving long, easily followed furrows in the mud, of 
  reckless passage through low, broken tree branches, 
  and of bizarre movement among boulders followed 
  by awkward doubling back. 
   
  The third mile mirrors the second, but with a 
  marked increase in elevation as the valley begins to 
  slope steeply upward. Movement is slow again, as if 
  nature itself were testing human and demihuman 
  resolve. The mountains beyond, which signal the 
  extreme eastern end of Split Rock Valley, appear 
  forbidding, gloomy and impenetrable. As if to 
  underscore this point, the peaks beyond them to the 
  north and east are still capped with snow even in 
  high summer. 
  Allow the PCs a Track check (DC 15)—or Spot if Dack is 
  tracking—to note a new type of footprint among the 
  ones they are following. This new set of tracks indicates a 
  larger humanoid, definitely heavier than most men, and 
  wearing metal-soled boots. (These belong to the half-troll 
  Aodhan, who has come down to meet Bran and his gang; 
  if a clever PC casts speak with plants they can learn that the 
  tracks belong to a “big, green two-leg thing”.) These 
  tracks continue on for one final mile. 
  The ground grows firm once again as Split Rock 
  Valley recedes below; only the hardiest of travelers 
  could still be gaining ground after such an arduous 
  trek. The pebble-stubbled, low grasses of the valley’s 
  eastern slope merge seamlessly with the rocky path 
  ahead that disappears around the side of a peak. 
  If the PCs left Colm’s at dawn then they have likely 
  traveled for the better part of the day, after a brief 
  exploration of the gully and abandoned campsite. If Dack 
  is here, he suggests (in an uncharacteristic display of 
  humility) that this would be an acceptable place to camp. 
  If the PCs wish to press on, he will not argue—they 
  might find a cave ahead in which to shelter themselves—
  but he insists that Old Spooner be given some food and a 
  sense of direction and sent back to Tobinsford. He argues 
  that Old Spooner will likely become a liability to the 
  party. An empty cave is easily found with a DC 15 
  Survival check.  
   
  After the PCs camp or continue on, read or 
  paraphrase the following: 
  The rocky trail climbs resolutely around the peak 
  ahead, then over the shoulder of another, and then 
  another. Are you even making progress? Is your 
  quarry any closer? After three to four hours of 
  penetration into the peaks on narrow ledges and 
  windswept outcroppings, at this altitude the view 
  back toward the plains of Landrigard Prelacy is 
  completely blocked; even Split Rock Valley is little 
  more than a green swatch far below and behind. The 
  air feels much thinner up here and breathing is 
  more difficult. 
  A successful Survival check here (DC 15) correctly 
  estimates the altitude at 6,000 feet. A second check (DC 
  20) allows the PC making it to confidently speculate that 
  a further day of travel like this one could push the party 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 19 
  into the next elevation band and very close to the tree 
  line. This might heighten tensions in the party and make 
  them question whom or what they are pursuing. Dack 
  uses sarcasm to lighten the mood by grumbling quips 
  like, “I’ve always wanted to go to Ratik.” When the PCs 
  continue, read or paraphrase the following: 
  After several more hours of climbing, into air ever 
  thinner and cooler, the trail finally empties into a 
  deep gorge several hundred yards long and riddled 
  with dozens of caves of various sizes. The entire area 
  is conspicuously devoid of any vegetation. Even the 
  ubiquitous weedy vines clinging to rock faces along 
  the last day of travel have apparently shied away 
  from this place, as if nature had completely forsaken 
  it. 
  The gorge itself is little more than a jagged slash between 
  two high peaks, most likely formed by ancient glacial 
  activity; a Knowledge (nature) check (DC 20) confirms 
  this. Rocks are embedded in the cliff faces. A further 
  Track check is required here in order to pinpoint which 
  cave their quarry accessed (DC 20, hard ground). 
  Eventually either Dack or the party’s tracker comes 
  across another pile of warm entrails outside one of the 
  larger cave mouths at the far end of the gorge. This one is 
  fresher than the last one, maybe only a few hours old, 
  suggesting that perhaps there may be other victims still 
  alive. If PCs enter the cave, read or paraphrase the 
  following: 
  The interior of the cave is warm and humid; there is 
  no evidence of any immediate occupant but a 
  cursory examination of its roughly 50-foot interior 
  reveals a tunnel leading deeper into the mountain.  
  If Dack is still with the PCs, his Track check indicates 
  that the group they are pursuing indeed went down this 
  tunnel; however, as he divulges this he appears to catch 
  something on the ground out of the corner of his eye. 
  After squatting down to examine it (by torchlight or 
  whatever light the PCs have), he stands and his 
  expression is ashen. No amount of Diplomacy will get 
  him to say anything further; he picks up Weasley and 
  tucks him in his backpack then urges the party forward. 
  If PCs have the ability to use detect thoughts and Dack fails 
  his Will save (+3), they learn that Dack has discovered 
  illithid tracks; his mind holds a clear picture of a slimy, 
  tentacle-mouthed horror. 
   
  A Spot check (DC20, or the best in the party if all are 
  below 20) allows a PC to notice crude chalk markings on 
  the wall at the rear of the cave where the tunnel begins. 
  These markings take the form of jagged vertical lines, like 
  several letter v’s strung together and pointing down. No 
  Knowledge roll will be able to confirm this but the PCs 
  may be able to reason that the marks indicate the 
  direction of descent. They were made by Aodhan and 
  refer to his destination: a natural shrine known in the 
  Underdark as Beltar’s Maw (see Encounter Eight). 
   
  A Track check (DC 20) reveals the passage of several 
  types of footprints along this passage: some Medium-
  sized like the ones they’ve been following but some 
  much larger and clearly not human. No other nearby 
  caves contain these markings, which should be a 
  convincing clue for the PCs. 
   
  The tunnel makes a hairpin turn at a slight 
  downgrade and descends abruptly, into the dark depths. 
  If PCs continue, proceed to Encounter Six. In the 
  unlikely event that they have not already done so since 
  leaving Encounter Three, DMs should remind or 
  encourage PCs to camp/rest for the night before 
  proceeding. The depths of the earth are not for the tired. 
  Encounter Six: The Lost Tomb of 
  Dugnaumanthur 
  The tunnel winds downward into the subterranean 
  darkness of the mountains for several hundred 
  yards before opening onto a ledge overlooking a 
  deep chasm. At the bottom of the chasm, hundreds 
  of feet below and illuminating the depths with its 
  fiery stain, slowly flows a river of magma. The ledge 
  itself is easily wide enough for two men to pass 
  abreast. Upon the wall where it intersects the tunnel 
  are words carved into the rock in a strange and 
  beautiful language, using the Elven script. Many 
  small dots are also carved beneath the words on each 
  face of the wall. The ledge extends to the left and 
  right as far as the eye can see. 
  If any PC can read a language that uses Elven characters, 
  reveal the following: 
  On the south face of the ledge is carved “Che’el 
  Garsegzuul,” while the northeast face reads “Jejik 
  d’lil Elg’caress.” 
  Although Bran and his minions passed through here 
  mere hours ago, the hard surface of the ledge, the sheer 
  volume of prints, and the intense heat wafting up from 
  below make tracking extremely difficult for all but the 
  most experienced rangers and spelunkers (Track DC 25). 
  Instead, encourage PCs to look around by describing the 
  scene. The ledge runs south-by-northeast and is wide 
  enough for them to stand on without danger of falling 
  ever the edge. Even those with darkvision cannot see the 
  far side of the chasm, as the magma glow does not extend 
  up this high. The cliff face directly below them is sheer, 
  with no handholds. PCs may of course utilize flight, spider 
  climb, and other methods of travel and/or illumination, 
  but what they should be doing is looking for clues in a 
  form other than tracks. The carvings are the best place to 
  start. 
   
  The carvings are written in Undercommon. If the 
  PCs speak it or employ magic to do so, they learn that the 
  carvings are a kind of road sign, indicating this ledge to 
  be a highway (current or former) through the Underdark. 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 20 
  Once the carvings have been successfully read, PCs may 
  go about deciphering their meaning. 
   
  “Che’el” translates as “city.” A DC 20 Knowledge 
  (history) or bardic knowledge check (DC 20), or a DC 25 
  Knowledge (local – Nyrond and her environs) check 
  (dwarves get a +4 bonus), identifies Garsegzuul as the site 
  of a war fought centuries ago between a dwarven clan and 
  a tribe of derro, newly arrived from the West. If it’s true 
  that the winners write the history books (or the highway 
  signs), then the derro must have won. 
   
  “Jejik d’lil Elg’caress” translates literally as “maw of 
  the Hag”—not the lair of an annis or a literal hag, but 
  Hag with a capital H: the Suloise goddess Beltar 
  (Knowledge (religion) check, DC 20). The directional 
  indicator may then be correctly translated as “Beltar’s 
  Maw”. Who or what this is can only be determined by 
  following that branch of the highway. 
   
  A successful DC 10 Intelligence check determines 
  that the small dots are distance markers; what measure of 
  distance is unknown but there are about four times as 
  many dots associated with the city of Garsegzuul than 
  with Beltar’s Maw. Going to Garsegzuul would be a 
  tremendous waste of time for the PCs and is not in the 
  scope of this scenario. 
   
  PCs succeeding on a Spot check of DC 15 (or DC 10 
  if they noticed the markings back in the cave) note crude 
  chalk markings on the wall roughly 20 feet down the 
  northeastern fork, toward the Beltar’s Maw. These 
  markings mirror those in the cave: a series of letter v’s 
  strung together, saying that Bran and his minions went 
  this way. 
   
  Once the PCs have elected to follow it to the 
  northeast toward Beltar’s Maw, read or paraphrase the 
  following. Dwarven PCs will detect a slight downgrade in 
  the highway, though it is against the flow of the magma 
  river: 
  The highway follows the winding path of the magma 
  upriver for several miles, but no new chalk 
  markings or carvings are evident along the way. 
  After many miles of travel, the temperature 
  increases dramatically, as does the intensity of the 
  red-orange glow that has been lighting the way. The 
  highway has descended roughly half the height of 
  the chasm. The highway now opens into a huge 
  cavern, easily half a mile in diameter with a 
  stalactite-laced ceiling high overhead. Dominating 
  this chamber, however, is a breathtaking lake of 
  magma in the distance, the obvious source of the 
  river, from whose burning depths now sporadically 
  spew jets of molten earth. The heat is intense and 
  the air is thick with the stinging stench of sulfur 
  and steam issuing from natural vents on the 
  cavern’s floor roughly 100 feet below. 
   
  A carved flight of stairs descends from the road 
  to the bottom of the cavern. The ground there seems 
  solid and stable and affords passage around the 
  south side of the lake, perhaps 200 yards away. Even 
  at this distance, a series of fiery flashes can be seen 
  at the lake’s southern edge, accompanied by the 
  sound of frenzied laughter. 
  The PCs have just entered the antechamber of an ancient 
  Dwarven tomb. Fifteen hundred years ago, the Deep 
  Dwarves of Clan Embermaul in Garsegzuul sought to 
  construct a tomb to inter, honor, and protect their fallen 
  patriarch, Dugnaumanthur. The dwarves were skilled 
  enough to construct a tomb that offered both magical 
  protection and the threat of insidiously designed traps for 
  natural denizens and potential graverobbers, but this 
  chamber and its lake of magma offered a further benefit. 
  While the Rakers are not a volcanic range, magma has 
  bubbled up beneath its peaks for millennia due to a weak 
  boundary (deep below the lake) between this cavern and 
  the Elemental Plane of Fire. Through this boundary come 
  airflows that shriek through the cavern’s nooks and 
  crannies to create a wailing cacophony. The tomb itself 
  was built deep within the rocky ceiling and is not a part 
  of this scenario. 
   
  The latest generation of derro has infiltrated the 
  cavern for reasons of their own. Though the dwarves are 
  long gone, other elemental denizens have surfaced as 
  obstacles to the derro plunderers. It is into such a 
  confrontation that the PCs have stumbled. Once they 
  descend the stairs and move toward the flashes on the 
  south side of the lake, read or paraphrase the following: 
  Several small, winged creatures—some wreathed in 
  flame, some made of glowing stone that drip lava, 
  one with pale skin who exudes wisps of steam, and 
  all eerily illuminated by the infernal orange glow 
  from the lake—are viciously badgering a mass of 
  lava that has somehow separated itself from the 
  lake. Suddenly, fiery white-orange pseudopods lash 
  out from the patch of lava, striking one of the 
  creatures wreathed in flame and sending it spiraling 
  lifelessly into the lake! The patch of lava—easily 10 
  feet across—then surges forward, leaving a glassy 
  trail behind it and flailing at the flying creatures, all 
  of which cackle maniacally and fly out of range. The 
  pale, wispy one begins shrieking at the others before 
  flying in to belch a cloud of steam on the patch of 
  lava. Beyond these combatants can be seen several 
  small, smoldering humanoid husks. Scattered near 
  them on the ground are many small, shiny objects. 
  As you absorb the scene, the pale winged creature 
  swings around for another pass at the patch of lava 
  and notices your party; it immediately halts its 
  progress, shrieks something to its allies and charges 
  forward. 
  Creatures: A gang of mephits, visitors from the Plane of 
  Fire, cavorts on the steamy bank of the magma lake 
  roughly 100 feet away. At APLs 2 and 4 they are picking 
  through the remains of a blasted lava ooze. At APLs 6 and 
  8 the ooze is wounded but still alive, and the mephits 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 21 
  bounce and flit around it, teasing it as it lashes out with 
  fiery pseudopods. 
   
  A DC 13 Knowledge (the Planes) check correctly 
  identifies the flying creatures as mephits—fire, magma, 
  and 
  steam 
  (respectively); 
  a 
  DC 
  18 
  Knowledge 
  (dungeoneering) check is needed to identify the lava 
  ooze. The humanoid husks are the remains of derro, who 
  came trying to unlock the dwarven tomb but the lava 
  ooze killed them quickly. Before the ooze could finish 
  feeding on their armor and gems, the gang of mephits in 
  turn attacked it. The mephits are having just as much fun 
  taunting the ooze as attacking it, but the steam mephit 
  who leads them recognizes the PCs as the more serious 
  threat, both to his gang’s survival and their acquisition of 
  the derro gemstones. 
   
  The steam mephit is the greedy, paranoid boss of this 
  little gang (at lower APLs some or all of the gang are 
  somewhere out of earshot and do not enter combat). 
  Upon detecting the PCs he charges into combat 
  screeching “Thieves!” in Ignan, then “Go away!” in 
  Common if the PCs don’t appear to understand him. He 
  hopes for the rest of the gang to hear him and come to his 
  rescue, with varying success by APL. 
   
  At APLs 6 and 8, the ooze also attacks immediately, 
  sensing new, nutrient-rich prey that might not be able to 
  fly out of its reach. 
  APL 2 (EL 3)  
  � Ssassimon: steam mephit; hp 18; see Monster 
  Manual page 185 
  APL 4 (EL 5) 
  � Ssassimon: steam mephit; hp 18; see Monster 
  Manual page 185  
  � Magma mephit: hp 18; see Monster Manual page 
  182 
  APL 6 (EL 7)  
  � Ssassimon: steam mephit; hp 18; see Monster 
  Manual page 185 
  � Magma mephit: hp 18; see Monster Manual page 
  182 
  � Lava ooze: hp 107; see New rules Appendix  
  APL 8 (EL 9)  
  � Ssassimon: steam mephit; hp 18; see Monster 
  Manual page 185  
  � Magma mephit (2): hp 18 each; see Monster Manual 
  page 182  
  � Fire mephit: hp 18; see Monster Manual page 182 
  � Lava ooze, advanced: hp 195; see New rules 
  Appendix 
  Tactics/Negotiation: 
  The 
  steam 
  mephit, 
  while 
  impetuous, is not foolish and may be persuaded that the 
  PCs are not here to steal “his” gems. PCs electing to 
  exercise Diplomacy and who succeed at making him 
  Indifferent (he is initially Hostile) can get him to stop 
  fighting and order his friends to do the same. They will 
  be wary, however, and attack again at the first insult or 
  suspicious move. They will not help against the ooze, 
  allowing PCs to prove their intentions, but the steam 
  mephit will admire the PC who fights best against the 
  ooze. A bribe of gems and/or precious metals (50 gp per 
  APL, minimum) is enough to then make them Friendly. 
   
  If Friendly, the steam mephit orders the gang to turn 
  their attacks on the ooze and, when the fight is over, 
  relaxes and chats animatedly with the PCs. The mephits 
  observed Bran’s party pass just a couple hours before but 
  did not engage them, as they were numerous and well 
  armed (and there was no loot lying on the floor to defend 
  at that time). They have but a vague impression of Beltar’s 
  Maw, having only briefly scouted this area after entering 
  the cavern through a planar fissure. If the PCs bring it up, 
  the mephits agree to split the ooze’s loot with them. 
   
  If the steam mephit becomes Helpful, he acts as 
  above and can be convinced that helping the party scout 
  Beltar’s Maw would be a fun adventure. When they get a 
  view of Bran’s full force, however, and sense the strength 
  of the evil power being invoked (see Encounter Seven 
  below), the mephits think the better of their adventure 
  and return to safer environs. 
   
  If the steam mephit’s attitude cannot be changed 
  from Hostile, he uses his limited cunning to tactical 
  advantage, directing his minions to try and corner the 
  PCs between the lake, the ooze and them. If at least one 
  mephit is killed before suitable negotiations can be 
  completed, the remaining mephits’ attitudes cannot be 
  changed from Hostile. 
  Development: Once PCs deal with the mephits and the 
  ooze, they may explore the cavern. Only one other tunnel 
  leads out of the cavern and is located in the extreme 
  southeastern corner of the cavern. The wall there is 
  marked with chalk, similar to those seen earlier 
  describing Beltar’s Maw. PCs will note with a Spot check 
  (DC 20 or just the highest in the party) that there are far 
  fewer distance-marking dots than there were when they 
  first entered the Underdark, indicating that they should 
  be close to their mysterious destination. 
  Treasure:  
  Gems from the cavern. 
  APL 2: L: 0 gp; C: 120 gp; M: 0 gp 
  APL 4: L: 0 gp; C: 180 gp; M: 0 gp 
  APL 6: L: 0 gp; C: 240 gp; M: 0 gp 
  APL 8: L: 0 gp; C: 375 gp; M: 0 gp 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 22 
  Encounter Seven: Master and 
  Servant 
  The tunnel leading from the magma lake continues 
  at a slight descent for just over a mile before 
  arriving at a fork complete with the now-familiar 
  directional markers carved in the walls. The “Maw of 
  the Hag” follows the left fork; to the right at a steep 
  descent and roughly ten times farther is something 
  called “niar’haanin d’nau yutsu”. 
  PCs should follow the left passage, where Bran and his 
  minions have gone. The tunnel to the right (“River of No 
  Return” in Undercommon) leads to a honeycomb of 
  dead-end passages with but one way out: a half-mile drop 
  over a vast and ancient underground lake upon whose 
  southern shores are found the headwaters to the fabled 
  River Svartjet. Exceptional Knowledge (geography) or 
  bardic knowledge checks would reveal this. 
   
  Once the PCs are ready to proceed into the left 
  passage toward Beltar’s Maw, read or paraphrase the 
  following: 
  The 
  tunnel 
  steadily 
  descends over the next 
  few miles before opening 
  into a large cavern. A 
  narrow bridge, scarcely 
  wide 
  enough 
  for 
  one 
  person to stand on, slopes 
  gently down beyond the 
  limit of vision. A low, 
  guttural chant can be 
  heard in the distance. 
  If the PCs have taken an 
  unusually long time to get 
  here (your call), Aodhan has 
  already completed his ritual 
  and Taran has become a 
  zombie (see below).  
  Setup/Map: The bridge is 
  90 feet long, crossing a field 
  of jagged stalagmites. It is 5 
  feet wide for most of its 
  length, but widens at either 
  end to 10 and then 15 feet 
  where it touches solid rock. 
  It takes more than normal 
  darkvision or light sources to see the end of the bridge 90 
  feet away, but any light immediately alerts Bran. 
   
  The far end of the bridge is a flat area 80 feet long 
  and 160 feet wide. Aodhan is chanting at the back of this 
  area, 80 feet away. The zombies are in front of him and 
  Bran is to one side, as described below. 
   
  A pool (a 10-foot square) and two big stalagmites (5 
  feet across at their base and 12 feet high) are 50 feet away 
  from where the bridge ends. 
   
  There are no exits from this chamber. 
   
  Once the PCs can see 100 feet from where they 
  started, continue with the following: 
  The bridge gently descends from the tunnel opening 
  to a bare, open area roughly 80 feet across by 160 feet 
  wide. A swarm of stalactites hangs over the bare area 
  as if to ensure reverence. Near the center of the bare 
  area are two grand stalagmites, each twice a man’s 
  height; chained between them, six feet off the 
  ground, is a young man, gagged and struggling 
  against his bonds. Hanging above him from the 
  ceiling, sixty feet overhead, are two even larger 
  stalactites, like fangs, from whose keen tips drips a 
  dark, mysterious ichor that collects in a large pool 
  below the man. Surely this is the phenomenon 
  known as Beltar’s Maw.  
   
  Between you and this helpless man is a group of 
  ragged humanoids moving toward you; their 
  lifeless, pale skin is adorned with vicious scars and 
  runes that pulsate with an eerie blue-black glow.  
   
  Off to the side of the 
  chamber is another humanoid 
  with pale skin and fiery white 
  eyes watching the ceremony with 
  frenzied intent as he finishes 
  casting a spell.  
  The PCs probably cannot see the 
  source of the chanting yet, but that 
  is Aodhan, the half-troll cleric of 
  Demogorgon. He is four rounds 
  from finishing a ritual to sacrifice 
  Taran (the man chained to the 
  stalagmites) to his Abyssal Lord. He 
  stands at the rear of the chamber, 
  beyond the pool and stalagmites; 
  from the moment the PCs step onto 
  the bridge, the clock will be ticking 
  on Taran. 
   
  Once any PCs cross the bridge 
  and reach the bare area, the zombies 
  attack to kill. They are under orders 
  not to attack until someone sets foot 
  on the promontory.  
  APL 2 (EL 5)  
  � Human Miner Zombie (4): 
  hp 16 each; see Monster Manual page 266. 
  � Bran Mac Colm: male necropolitan human Drd2; 
  hp 16; see Combat Appendix. 
  APL 4 (EL 7) 
  � Human Miner Hunter Zombie (4): hp 16 each; 
  see Combat Appendix.  
  The Bridge and Beltar’s Teeth 
   
  PCs moving at half speed across the
  bridge are in no danger; but PCs moving
  faster must succeed at a DC 15 Balance check
  or risk falling 8 feet onto a field of small,
  jagged stalagmites below. The stalagmites are
  a naturally occurring phenomenon, which
  function similar to the spike stones spell: 
   
  Beltar’s Teeth:
  CR 1; mechanical; 
  location trigger; automatic reset; DC 15
  Balance check avoids; 8 ft. deep (no damage
  from fall); multiple targets (all); stalagmites
  (Atk +8 melee, 2d4 stalagmites per target for
  1d4+1 each); Search DC 25; Disable Device
  n/a. 
   
  PCs who fall onto Beltar’s Teeth and take
  any damage are restricted to half movement 
  due to injury until all of the stalagmite
  damage is healed. Climbing back onto the
  bridge is a move action. Alternatively, PCs
  may continue moving at one-quarter speed 
  (very difficult terrain) through the Teeth
  until they reach the bare area. 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 23 
  � Bran Mac Colm: male necropolitan human Drd4; 
  hp 26; see Combat Appendix 
  APL 6 (EL 9)  
  � Human Miner Fast Zombie (4): hp 16 each; see 
  Combat Appendix. 
  � Minotaur Zombie: hp 81; see Monster Manual page 
  267. 
  � Bran Mac Colm: male necropolitan human Drd7; 
  hp 45; see Combat Appendix. 
  APL 8 (EL 11)  
  � Human Miner Zombie (4): hp 20 each; see 
  Monster Manual page 266.  
  � Human Miner Hunter Zombie (2): hp 20 each; 
  see Combat Appendix.  
  � Human Miner Fast Zombie (2): hp 20 each; see 
  Combat Appendix. 
  � Gray Render Fast Hunting Zombie: hp 173; see 
  Combat Appendix. 
  � Bran Mac Colm: male necropolitan human Drd9; 
  hp 58; see Combat Appendix.  
  And, if the PCs failed to rescue Taran, he is already a 
  zombie: 
  All APLs:  
  � Taran Mac Colm: human ex-paladin zombie; hp 20; 
  see Combat Appendix. 
   
  Tactics: Aodhan and Taran 
  Once PCs spot Aodhan, read or paraphrase the following: 
   
  Leading the ritual is a massive and repulsive 
  humanoid. He towers over most humans and has 
  bronze skin covered with unsightly patches of 
  mottled green, knobby growths. Stringy black hair 
  hangs to his neck, around which is a bizarre amulet 
  depicting two clawed tentacles. He slouches forward 
  in a trance, chanting and then raising and lowering 
  his muscled limbs in a kind of ritualistic 
  gesticulation. He wears greasy, gore-smeared, black 
  leather armor and patchy furs. 
  A DC 16 Knowledge (nature) check correctly identifies 
  Aodhan as a half-troll, half-human (Flan). In order to save 
  Taran, the PCs will need to interrupt the ritual within 
  four rounds. At the end of the fourth round, Aodhan 
  steps forward and slays Taran. Any of the following 
  options will successfully disrupt the ritual (the PCs must 
  figure these things out for themselves): 
  • 
  Doing any damage to Aodhan (AC 25). 
  • 
  Engaging Bran in melee combat; since Aodhan 
  “created” him, they share a fragile bond that affects 
  Aodhan’s Concentration. 
  • 
  Freeing Taran from his bonds (this is the most 
  difficult and takes a full round). 
  At all APLs, Aodhan is an untiered NPC (CR 12 or so, no 
  stats provided) but not a combatant unless the PCs 
  choose to get in his way. (Assume enough hit points to 
  absorb whatever the PCs throw at him before the quasit 
  arrives to extricate him.) He remains in the background 
  attempting to complete the sacrifice on Taran and 
  callously abandons Bran when his demonic master 
  arrives. 
   
  Aodhan wants to stick around as long as possible to 
  strengthen his minions by his presence, but he should 
  not stay long enough to become a combatant. 
   
  Aodhan 
  Departs: 
  Another 
  servant 
  of 
  Demogorgon—a powerful quasit cleric—will arrive to 
  whisk Aodhan away at an opportune time. Use your 
  discretion; suggested quasit-triggers are if a PC engages 
  Aodhan in melee or targets him with a save-or-die spell, if 
  Bran is killed or turned, or if 75% of the zombie minions 
  are either turned or destroyed. If a PC or PCs manage to 
  get next to Aodhan or if the ritual is interrupted (or 
  finished, and Taran freshly slain), Aodhan moves to 
  engage the PCs but makes no attacks. Immediately after 
  this happens, the quasit-priest appears. It is identifiable as 
  a quasit on a DC 13 Knowledge (the Planes) check, but it 
  is a high-level cleric, sent to retrieve Aodhan and punish 
  him for spending too much time with his creation (Bran) 
  and neglecting his search for “the item”. The quasit cleric 
  says this to Aodhan in Abyssal, which the PCs can 
  overhear. The sight of the quasit should clue the PCs in to 
  two pertinent facts: something larger is going on here, 
  and it must be very large if tiny outsiders are 
  admonishing a giant half-troll. The quasit immediately 
  plane shifts away with a penitent Aodhan. 
   
  Taran Already Undead: As mentioned above, if the 
  PCs took unreasonably long to get here, then Taran is 
  already (un)dead. If this is the case, DMs should allow the 
  four-round “ritual counter” to keep ticking. The “young 
  man” struggling at his bonds on the stalagmites is still 
  there, but this is a zombie-Taran. Once the four rounds 
  expire, Taran the zombie manages to tear himself from 
  the stalagmites by ripping one arm out of its socket 
  (again, spare the gore if there are children playing or if 
  the players don’t want to hear it). He then lowers himself 
  to the ground and attacks the party. The aforementioned 
  quasit arrival occurs immediately after Taran attacks. 
  Tactics: The Intended Fight 
  At all APLs, the zombies benefit from Aodhan’s 
  Necromantic Presence feat and gain +4 to their turn 
  resistance when within 60 feet of him. They stand 40 feet 
  back from the bridge (and thus 35-40 feet from Aodhan) 
  and have been instructed to attack any living creature 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 24 
  stepping off the bridge toward Taran and the pool. At all 
  APLs, the human zombies are the missing miners and are 
  dressed as such. 
   
  At APL2, Bran casts shillelagh on his club after 
  spotting the PCs; he will also cast produce flame and lob 
  one or two shots before closing for melee. 
   
  At APL4, Aodhan’s undead minions are Hunting 
  Zombie variants. Bran’s first action is to cast summon 
  swarm (bats, since this area is sacred to Beltar) and deposit 
  it in the middle of the party, preferably while any PCs are 
  still on the bridge. He uses the zombies as cover in order 
  to summon other creatures or to cast flaming sphere or gust 
  of wind (to extinguish torches or lanterns). Before closing 
  for melee, he casts shillelagh. 
   
  At APL6, the zombies are more powerful because of 
  Aodhan’s necromantic feats. At this APL, Bran again 
  begins by summoning a bat swarm, then follows it with a 
  spontaneous summon nature’s ally III to call forth an 
  augmented thoqqua. If any PCs fly over the bridge and 
  Beltar’s Teeth, he casts dispel magic on one (or in the area) 
  to inflict falling damage as well as damage from the 
  Teeth. Finally, he attempts to Wild Shape (undead brown 
  bear or tiger) when most advantageous, hoping to strike 
  terror into the party when they see an undead druid. 
   
  At APL8, all of Aodhan’s minions benefit from his 
  necromantic feats. Bran begins by summoning a thoqqua, 
  then casts freedom of movement and stoneskin on himself. 
  Finally, he attempts to Wild Shape when most 
  advantageous, hoping to strike terror into the party when 
  they see an undead druid. Bran’s scrolls—warp wood, 
  useful against bows or poelarms, and flaming sphere—have 
  low save DCs, so he does not count on them. Unlike 
  APLs 2-6, he will use his meld into stone in an attempt to 
  escape (if pressed) and track Aodhan in order to dispense 
  vengeance on his “mentor”. 
  Bran’s Dying Curse  
   
   
   
   
  Note that the PC who deals the killing blow to Bran 
  (be it by spell or weapon) is afflicted by a powerful curse 
  called down with his dying breath, the Mark of 
  Demogorgon.  
  “One lash for every pulse of your accursed heart! 
  Your successes will become blood in your mouth, 
  leaving you awash … in misery…” 
  This curse imposes an invisible mark and terribly bad 
  luck on the victim. In future planned scenarios, it will 
  lead the PCs to the Troll Fens in search of a cure. See the 
  Conclusion for details. 
  Treasure:        
  Note that Bran’s armor, amulet, and cloak are so foul and 
  tainted with evil as to be worthless in the markets of the 
  Pale or its neighbors. They do not add to the value of 
  treasure gained. 
  APL 2: L: 150 gp; C: 30 gp; M: 0 gp   APL 4: L: 246 gp; C: 
  24 gp; M: 0 gp 
  APL 6: L: 271 gp; C: 39 gp; M: 50 gp –potion of inflict light 
  wounds  (2) (4 gp each)   
  APL 8: L: 312 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 200 gp—potion of inflict light 
  wounds (2) (4 gp each), divine scroll of flaming sphere (CL 3rd) 
  (12 gp each), divine scroll of warp wood (CL 3rd) (12 gp each)  
  Encounter Eight: Fuilmere 
  After the dust settles and the PCs have freed Taran (if he 
  is still alive), they will likely be curious about the strange 
  pool before them. It is roughly 10 feet in diameter and 
  very dark. The pool is actually a vent to a massive 
  underground lake. The water is suffused with the Oerth’s 
  power – it is the physical manifestation of an earth node 
  (see the New Rules Appendix for more information on 
  earth nodes). The lake, Fuilmere (pr. fwill-meer), lies at the 
  nexus of two ley lines: the Path of Grievous Ascension, 
  which Bran and the PCs have followed from the plains 
  below, and the Path of the Earth’s Spine, which generally 
  follows the north/south axis of the Rakers. 
   
  The lake is a Class 7 earth node with a DC of 40. It is 
  ancient and extremely potent, although only those with 
  specialized knowledge (one with the Node Spellcasting 
  feat from Underdark—i.e. no character in Living 
  Greyhawk) may harness the greater part of its power. The 
  node is composed of layers, the outermost of which is a 
  Class 1 node in its own right, with each layer increasing 
  in class and decreasing in size, to the innermost Class 7 
  node in the center/bottom of the lake that is 
  approximately 25 feet in diameter. 
   
  Within Fuilmere dwells a powerful spirit as old as 
  the land whose awareness stretches through every part of 
  these mountains. This spirit (which calls itself by no 
  name) has observed and taken an interest in the progress 
  of both Bran’s group and the PCs along the Path of 
  Grievous Ascension. The PCs and Aodhan are the first 
  living visitors to the pool, as the nearby derro fear and 
  mistakenly venerate the spirit as an avatar of Beltar 
  (hence their name for the place). Indeed, the existence of 
  the spirit is part of the secret lore of the Natural Order; 
  several of the Oerth Mother’s servants (including Eiolon) 
  have sought her wisdom through her bond with the land 
  but not even Eiolon has dared to venture to this place. 
  The spirit is restless, based upon sensing Aodhan’s 
  impure intentions, and it wishes to communicate. 
   
  PCs approaching within 10 feet of the pool may 
  make a DC 20 Intelligence check to realize that it is a 
  source of earth power. Geomancers and members of the 
  Natural Order or a similar nature or earth-focused meta-
  organization may make a DC 20 Knowledge (nature) 
  check to the same end. 
  Creatures: The spirit that dwells within Fuilmere is an 
  avatar of Beory, channeling a fragment of her 
  consciousness on the Material Plane. It is an invisible and 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 25 
  intangible force of great power (CR 23+) that would 
  overwhelm all but the most puissant of Oerth’s 
  personages. For that reason, its stats are not included in 
  this scenario. See Monster Manual II for more information 
  on spirits of the land.  
  Interacting with the Pool 
  The surface of the pool is opaque and completely still. 
  The liquid appears to be slightly more viscous than water. 
  Those who touch the water feel a gentle ongoing buzz. 
  Submerged creatures find that the water is crystal clear 
  beneath the surface, though they will be disoriented and 
  lose all sense of direction. 
   
  Those who taste the water experience a sudden rush 
  of blood to the head and become extremely dizzy. The 
  water is like liquid fire burning its way through every 
  blood vessel, causing every limb and muscle to feel as if it 
  has burst into flame. These characters will smell ozone 
  for weeks. They have just been purified by the 
  Oerthblood and gain access to the corresponding entry 
  on the Adventure Record. PCs who try to take a sample of 
  the liquid (in a waterskin, for example) may do so 
  without harm, but the substance burns through leather 
  in minutes and is rendered utterly inert once it is 
  removed from this chamber. 
  Vision - for the Drinker 
   
  For its own reasons, the earth spirit chooses to 
  communicate only when a person drinks the Oerthblood, 
  and then only to the first such brave soul. It does so by 
  telepathically projecting images and sensations into the 
  PC’s mind. The images, created by a fey consciousness, 
  are fuzzy and slightly caricatured. This may cause players 
  to believe the character is hallucinating. The judge 
  should neither confirm nor deny this hypothesis. Only 
  with appropriate investigation (i.e. detect thoughts cast 
  within 60’ of the center/bottom of the pool, commune or 
  divination, etc.) should PCs realize that a living being is 
  present here. 
   
  Read the following for the first character who drinks 
  the Oerthblood: 
  For long moments your only experience is burning, 
  but eventually your head clears enough that you 
  begin to perceive the world around you once again. 
  You seem to float in the air, although your body is 
  nowhere to be seen. Moss dangles around your 
  nonexistent head from the gnarled branches of 
  stooped trees whose roots are hidden beneath the 
  stinking stagnant muck of a forgotten swamp. A 
  slightly orange glow between the trees is the only 
  hint of daylight. Ahead, on a muddy mound rising 
  out of the mire, a muttering mob of hooded, black-
  robed figures shuffles around another, who hangs 
  upon a wooden pole smeared with blood and filth. 
  The voices of trolls, lizardfolk, and humans resolve 
  into a deep meandering chant. As the victim’s head 
  wearily rises to stare directly into your eyes, you 
  recognize the face of Bran Mac Colm. His dying 
  breath rattles in your ears, and an almost human 
  figure wearing a writhing, snakelike headdress steps 
  forward out of the crowd. Invoking the Prince of 
  Demons, the Lord of All That Swims in Darkness, it 
  raises two arms in supplication while two others 
  impale the druid with a spear. All is silent for a 
  moment. Then Bran’s head once again rises from his 
  chest. His face has withered and cracked, and his 
  open eyes are drained of all color. His lips pull back 
  into a deadly grin, and the world explodes around 
  you. Thrown to the ground, you slowly regain 
  consciousness on the shore of the strange pool 
  where you destroyed the creature whose birth you 
  just witnessed.  
  The player who witnessed this vision gains the item 
  “Vision of the Oerth Mother” on the Adventure Record. 
   
  PCs may make a Knowledge (the Planes) check (DC 
  15) to identify the invoked being as Demogorgon. 
  Knowledge (religion) does not suffice.  They may also 
  make a Knowledge (the planes) check (DC 24) to 
  recognize the ritual as the Ritual of Crucimigration, a 
  method by which mortals call upon divine beings to 
  harness negative energy to transform a mortal into an 
  undead being. 
  Vision - for All 
  Even if no PC is curious enough to taste the Oerthblood, 
  the spirit is serving a purpose here by guarding the lost 
  artifact and wishes to make the PCs aware of this, so they 
  know they are in a place where good is dominant over 
  evil. To this end, the spirit projects an image on the still 
  surface of the liquid. As the dark ichor slowly drips from 
  the “fangs” into the pool, the PCs discern the image of an 
  armored man standing by this very pool. His face cannot 
  be discerned clearly, but he wears a white and gold 
  tabard, and the shield on his back shows the two-moon 
  symbol of Pholtus, albeit in a style from about 300 years 
  ago. As the man in the image steps forward, the still 
  surface of the pool begins to ripple. He draws forth a 
  majestic-looking sword and begins lowering it into the 
  pool. Before he does so, though, the rippling surface of 
  the pool churns violently and then the sword dissolves 
  into thin air. Once this happens, the turbulence ceases, 
  the image fades, and the surface of the pool becomes 
  calm and still once more. The Spirit leaves the PCs in 
  silence. 
   
  On a successful Knowledge (history) or bardic 
  knowledge check (DC 25), a PC may correctly conclude 
  that the man in the vision was St. Ceril the Relentless, 
  first Theocrat of the Pale. 
  Conclusion 
  The journey home will be mostly uneventful. 
   
  The PCs should return to Tobinsford with Taran (or 
  his remains) as well as Bran’s remains as evidence for 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 26 
  Colm and Sir Andros, whom they will meet upon their 
  return. If Taran and Colm are both still alive, a joyous 
  reunion occurs, as Colm’s disgust with the Pale is 
  overwhelmed by his pride in seeing his son alive and 
  well.   
   
  The PCs should report to Clive Orbison at once; he 
  pays them their balance if conclusive proof of Ennis’s 
  death is provided. Clive actually has the power to see the 
  mark on the face of the PC that killed Bran; he will make 
  special note of this PC (without revealing what he 
  noticed). Regardless, if the PCs were successful, they are 
  entitled to Clive’s favor on the Adventure Record.  
   
  Finally, if the PCs did rescue Taran, then Sir Andros 
  invites them to dinner and personally thanks them for 
  solving the disappearances and thwarting the cultists by 
  extending them his favor. If a PC has been cursed and 
  shares this fact with Sir Andros, he promises to write to 
  his Church contacts to see what can be done 
  (unfortunately nothing, for the scope of this scenario). As 
  heroes of Tobinsford, the PCs are allowed to stake their 
  own gold claim. 
   
  If the PCs killed Bran but failed to save Taran, then 
  the mood in Tobinsford is grim. Sir Andros still thanks 
  the PCs for solving the disappearances and he invites 
  them to dinner to hear their stories, but they do not gain 
  his favor. 
  Treasure: 
   
  Second half of payment from Clive Orbison. 
  APL 2: L: 0 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 0 gp 
  APL 4: L: 0 gp; C: 75 gp; M: 0 gp 
  APL 6: L: 0 gp; C: 100 gp; M: 0 gp 
  APL 8: L: 0 gp; C: 156 gp; M: 0 gp 
   
  The End 
   
  Critical Events Summary 
  Answers to the following questions will provide valuable 
  insight to the authors; DMs, please take a moment to 
  send the answers to eteignoir@yahoo.com . 
  1. 
  Did Bran get away? 
  2. 
  Did Aodhan get away? 
  3. 
  Did PCs befriend the mephits? 
  4. 
  Did any PCs descend into the Underdark Lake? 
  5. 
  Did Taran survive? 
  6. 
  Was a PC plane shifted by Aodhan’s masters? 
  7. 
  Did a PC drink of the Oerthblood? 
  8.  Did a PC receive the Mark of Demogorgon and did 
  Clive Orbison note it? 
  Experience Point Summary 
  To award experience for this adventure, add up the values 
  for the objectives accomplished. Then assign the 
  experience award. Award the total value (objectives plus 
  roleplaying) to each character. 
  Encounter Three 
  Defeat the homestead predators 
   
  APL2 90 xp 
   
  APL4 150 xp 
   
  APL6 210 xp 
   
  APL8 270 xp 
  Encounter Six 
  Defeat/befriend the mephits and/or destroy the lava ooze 
   
  APL2 90 xp 
   
  APL4 150 xp 
   
  APL6 210 xp 
   
  APL8 270 xp 
  Encounter Seven 
  Negotiate Beltar’s Teeth 
   
  All APLs 30 xp 
  Encounter Seven 
  Defeat Bran and the zombie minions: 
   
  APL2 150 xp 
   
  APL4 210 xp 
   
  APL6 270 xp 
   
  APL8 330 xp 
  Encounter Eight 
  Successfully communing with the Oerth Spirit 
   
  APL2 30 xp 
   
  APL4 45 xp 
   
  APL6 60 xp 
   
  APL8 75 xp  
  Conclusion 
  Returning miner corpses to town for burial 
   
  APL2 30 xp 
   
  APL4 45 xp 
   
  APL6 60 xp 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 27 
   
  APL8 75 xp 
  Discretionary roleplaying award 
   
  APL2 30 xp 
   
  APL4 45 xp 
   
  APL6 60 xp 
   
  APL8 75 xp 
  Total possible experience: 
   
  APL2 450 xp 
   
  APL4 675 xp 
   
  APL6 900 xp 
   
  APL8 1125 xp 
   
  Treasure Summary 
  During an adventure, characters encounter treasure, 
  usually finding it in the possession of their foes. Every 
  encounter that features treasure has a “treasure” section 
  within the encounter description, giving information 
  about the loot, coins, and magic items that make up the 
  encounter’s treasure. 
   
  The loot total is the number of gold pieces each 
  character gains if the foes are plundered of all their 
  earthly possessions. Looting the bodies takes at least 10 
  minutes per every 5 enemies, and if the characters cannot 
  take the time to loot the bodies, they do not gain this 
  gold. If you feel it is reasonable that characters can go 
  back to loot the bodies, and those bodies are there (i.e., 
  not carted off by dungeon scavengers, removed from the 
  scene by the local watch, and so on), characters may 
  return to retrieve loot. If the characters do not loot the 
  body, the gold piece value for the loot is subtracted from 
  the encounter totals given below. 
   
  The coin total is the number of gold pieces each 
  character gains if they take the coin available. A normal 
  adventuring party can usually gather this wealth in a 
  round or so. If for some reason, they pass up this treasure, 
  the coin total is subtracted from the encounter totals 
  given below. 
   
  Next, the magic items are listed. Magic item treasure 
  is the hardest to adjudicate, because they are varied and 
  because characters may want to use them during the 
  adventure. Many times characters must cast identify, 
  analyze dweomer or similar spell to determine what the 
  item does and how to activate it. Other times they may 
  attempt to use the item blindly. If the magic item is 
  consumable (a potion, scroll, magic bolts, etc.) and the 
  item is used before the end of the adventure, its total is 
  subtracted from the adventure totals below. 
   
  Once you have subtracted the value for unclaimed 
  treasure from each encounter add it up and that is the 
  number of gold pieces a character’s total and coin value 
  increase at the end of the adventure. Write the total in 
  the GP Gained field of the adventure certificate. Because 
  this is a Regional scenario, characters may spend 
  additional Time Units to practice professions or create 
  items immediately after the adventure so this total may 
  be modified by other circumstances. 
   
  L = Looted gear from enemy; C = Coin, Gems, 
  Jewelry, and other valuables; M = Magic Items. 
  Encounter One: Advance from Orbison 
   
  APL 2: L: 0 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 0 gp 
   
  APL 4: L: 0 gp; C: 75 gp; M: 0 gp 
   
  APL 6: L: 0 gp; C: 100 gp; M: 0 gp 
   
  APL 8: L: 0 gp; C: 156 gp; M: 0 gp 
  Encounter Six: The Lost Tomb of… 
   
  APL 2: L: 0 gp; C: 120 gp; M: 0 gp   
   
  APL 4: L: 0 gp; C: 180 gp; M: 0 gp  
   
  APL 6: L: 0 gp; C: 240 gp; M: 0 gp  
   
  APL 8: L: 0 gp; C: 375 gp; M: 0 gp  
  Encounter Seven: Master and Servant 
   
  APL 2: L: 150 gp; C: 30 gp; M: gp   
   
  APL 4: L: 246 gp; C: 24 gp; M: gp  
   
  APL 6: L: 271 gp; C: 39 gp; M: 50 gp – potion of inflict 
  light wounds (2) (4 gp each per potion) 
   
  APL 8: L: 312 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 200 gp – potion of inflict 
  light wounds (2) (4 gp each), divine scroll of flaming sphere 
  (CL 3rd) (12 gp each), divine scroll of warp wood (CL 3rd) 
  (12 gp each).  
  Conclusion: Balance from Orbison 
   
  APL 2: L: 0 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 0 gp 
   
  APL 4: L: 0 gp; C: 75 gp; M: 0 gp 
   
  APL 6: L: 0 gp; C: 100 gp; M: 0 gp 
   
  APL 8: L: 0 gp; C: 156 gp; M: 0 gp 
   
  Total Possible Treasure 
  APL 2: L: 150 gp; C: 250 gp; M: 0 gp - Total: 400 gp 
  APL 4: L: 246 gp; C: 354 gp; M: 0 gp - Total: 600 gp 
  APL 6: L: 271 gp; C: 479 gp; M: 50 gp - Total: 800 gp 
  APL D: L: 312 gp; C: 737 gp; M: 200 gp - Total: 1249 
  gp 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 28 
  Items for the Adventure Record 
  Item Access 
  No item access is provided. The favors unlock various 
  items. 
   
  Favor of Sir Andros: This favor is awarded to characters 
  that successfully rescued Taran from sacrifice. Sir Andros 
  offers a reward from his storehouses. All characters gain 
  access (Adventure) to Angel Radiance, Moonblood, 
  Storm Tears, and Incense of Consecration. No limit on 
  quantity. (All items are from the Book of Exalted Deeds.) 
  Existing members of the Church of the One True Path 
  and others whose patron deity is Pholtus may instead 
  select one of the following after any Pale regional 
  scenario:  
  • 
  Access to one Ring of Vengeance. 
  • 
  Upgrade one shield or suit of armor with the Sacred 
  special ability at the standard price. 
  • 
  Upgrade one weapon with the Banishing, Blessed or 
  Righteous special ability at the standard price. 
  This favor may also be useful in a future scenario; should 
  it be redeemed here, mark it as used. 
  Touched by the Earth Mother: This PC has drunk 
  deeply from Fuilmere and been cleansed by Oerthblood, 
  gaining a permanent +4 divine bonus to saving throws 
  against disease and death effects as well as telepathic 
  access to a vision of the Earth Spirit who dwells there. In 
  this vision the PC witnesses the death and unholy rebirth 
  of Bran Mac Colm at the hands of the Cult of 
  Demogorgon. The PC feels a tie to both the ritual and the 
  Troll Fens themselves. Further aspects of this insight will 
  be revealed anon. 
  Mark of Demogorgon: This PC dealt the killing blow to 
  the sadistic, undead murderer Bran Mac Colm, but not 
  before Bran called down a powerful and unnatural curse: 
  from this point forward all natural 20s rolled by the PC 
  are treated as 1s. Additionally, the PC is marked with 
  lash-like bruises and scars on his face and neck that are 
  visible only to worshippers of Demogorgon and those 
  with the ability to see invisibility, true seeing and similar 
  effects. The marks do not radiate magic, evil, or any other 
  aura. This curse cannot be removed by any known means, 
  other than wish or miracle. 
  Favor of Eamon: If you spend 2 TUs helping Brother 
  Eamon organize his pile of mining claims, you receive 
  one Favor of Pholtus. 
  Favor of Clive Orbison: This favor is awarded to 
  characters 
  that 
  solve 
  the 
  mystery 
  of 
  Ennis’s 
  disappearance. Clive uses his connections to obtain 
  regulated or otherwise hard-to-find items. Characters 
  gain access (Regional) to the following alchemical items 
  from the A&EG: Acid Bullet, Flame Bullet, Priest’s Bullet, 
  Defoliator, Fleetfoot, Ghostoil, Gravebane, Hawk’s 
  Ointment, Polar Skin, Sparkstone, Stonebreaker Acid, 
  Verminbane, and Vicious Bleeder. No limit on quantity. 
  Staking a Claim: PCs who successfully rescued Taran 
  and returned with news of Ennis are welcomed back as 
  true heroes and are allowed to stake an official gold claim 
  in the hills. If the PC stakes a claim, the following rules 
  apply: maintaining the claim (an underground mine) 
  costs an additional 1 TU (no extra lifestyle cost) for every 
  Pale regional scenario played. After each Pale regional 
  scenario, roll a d20 and consult the following table: 
  1: Cave-in: spend 1 more TU to reopen mine or else lose 
  the claim. 
  2-3: Beltar’s Revenge: your recently unearthed vein is 
  devoured by a black pudding that takes a shine to the 
  area. Lose 100 gp hiring “ooze hunters” to kill it or else 
  lose the claim. 
  4-7: Claim jumpers: some equipment stolen; pay 50gp to 
  replace it or else lose the claim. 
  8-12: Minor vein: gain 50 gp. 
  13: Xorns: Some xorns take an interest in your recent 
  lode. They are willing to “negotiate”. Roll off with a d20 
  against the DM (who represents the xorns). If you win, 
  multiply the difference in the die dolls by 30 and gain 
  that amount in gp. If you lose, multiply the difference by 
  30, but pay this amount in gp to placate the xorns, or else 
  you lose the claim. If a tie, no gain/loss, but get +5 to your 
  next check, as the xorns will help you find “the good 
  stuff”. 
  14-19: Major vein: gain 100 gp. 
  20+: Mother Lode: gain 300 gp but spend 1 more TU 
  carting gold down the mountain. 
   
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 29 
  Combat Appendix – APL 2 and all APLs
  Encounter Seven 
   
   
   
   
  Bran Mac Colm: male necropolitan human Drd2; CR 
  2; Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid); HD 
  2d12; hp 16; Init +2; Speed 30 ft.; AC 15 (touch 12, flat-
  footed 13); BAB/Grp: +1/+3; Atk/Full Atk +4 melee 
  (1d6+2, masterwork club [1d6+3 using two hands]); SA 
  spells, undead traits; SQ darkvision 60 ft., nature sense, 
  resist control, turn resistance +2, unnatural resilience, 
  wild empathy +4, woodland stride; AL NE; SV Fort +3, 
  Ref +2, Will +5; Str 14, Dex 14, Con -, Int 10, Wis 14, 
  Cha 14. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +5, Knowledge 
  (nature) +7, Listen +5, Spellcraft +2, Spot +5, Survival 
  +4; Augment Summoning, Spell Focus (Conjuration). 
   
  Resist Control (Ex): Necropolitans have a +2 
  profane bonus on their Will saving throws to resist the 
  effect of a control undead spell. 
   
  Turn Resistance (Ex): A Necropolitan has +2 
  turn resistance. 
   
  Unnatural 
  Resilience: 
  Necropolitans 
  automatically heal hit point damage and ability damage 
  at the same rate as a living creature. The Heal skill has 
  no effect on Necropolitans; however, negative energy 
  (such as an inflict spell) heals them. 
   
  Druid Spells Prepared: 0—flare (DC 12), guidance (2), 
  resistance; 1st—longstrider, produce flame (+3 ranged 
  touch), shillelagh.  
   
  Possessions: Masterwork club, dagger, +1 leather 
  armor. 
   
  Use the following stat block at all APLs if Taran has 
  been animated as a zombie: 
  Taran Mac Colm (as Zombie): CR ½ ; Medium 
  Undead; HD 2d12+7; hp 20; Init –1; Speed 30 ft.; AC 11 
  (touch 9, flat-footed 11); BAB/Grp: +1/+4; Atk/Full Atk 
  +4 melee (1d6+3, slam); SA —; SQ DR 5/slashing, 
  darkvision 60 ft., single actions only, undead traits; AL 
  NE; SV Fort +0, Ref –1, Will +3; Str 16, Dex 8, Con —, 
  Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Toughness. 
   
  Note: Taran’s Strength and hit points are increased 
  because of Aodhan’s Corpsecrafter feat. 
   
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 30 
  Combat Appendix – APL 4 
  Encounter Seven 
   
   
   
   
  Human Miner Hunting Zombie: CR 1; Medium 
  Undead; HD 2d12+3; hp 16; Init –1; Speed 30 ft.; AC 11 
  (touch 9, flat-footed 11); BAB/Grp: +1/+2; Atk/Full Atk 
  +2 melee (1d6+1/x4, heavy pick) or +2 melee (1d6+1, 
  slam); SA —; SQ Single actions only, DR 5/slashing, 
  darkvision 60 ft., scent, undead traits; AL NE; SV Fort 
  +0, Ref –1, Will +5; Str 12, Dex 8, Con -, Int -, Wis 14, 
  Cha 1. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Listen +6, Spot +6; Toughness, 
  Track. 
   
  Power up Suite (within 60 feet of Aodhan): +2 to 
  attacks and saves, +4 to turn resistance. 
   
  Possessions: Heavy pick. 
  Bran Mac Colm: male necropolitan human Drd4; CR 
  4; Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid); HD 
  4d12; hp 26; Init +2; Speed 30 ft.; AC 16 (touch 12, flat-
  footed 14); BAB/Grp: +3/+5; Atk/Full Atk +6 melee 
  (1d6+2, masterwork club [1d6+3 using two hands]); SA 
  spells, undead traits; SQ darkvision 60 ft., nature sense, 
  resist control, resist nature’s lure, trackless step, turn 
  resistance +2, unnatural resilience, wild empathy +6, 
  woodland stride; AL NE; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +6; 
  Str 14, Dex 14, Con -, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 14. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +7, Handle Animal 
  +4, Knowledge (nature) +9, Listen +7, Spellcraft +4, 
  Spot +7, Survival +6; Augment Summoning, Spell 
  Focus (Conjuration), Track. 
   
  Resist Control (Ex): Necropolitans have a +2 
  profane bonus on their Will saving throws to resist the 
  effect of a control undead spell. 
   
  Turn Resistance (Ex): A Necropolitan has +2 
  turn resistance. 
   
  Unnatural 
  Resilience: 
  Necropolitans 
  automatically heal hit point damage and ability damage 
  at the same rate as a living creature. The Heal skill has 
  no effect on Necropolitans; however, negative energy 
  (such as an inflict spell) heals them. 
   
  Druid Spells Prepared: 0—create water, flare (DC 12), 
  guidance (2), resistance; 1st—calm animals, longstrider, 
  produce flame (+5 ranged touch), shillelagh; 2nd—flaming 
  sphere (DC 14), gust of wind (DC 14), summon swarm.  
   
  Possessions: Masterwork club, dagger, +1 leather armor, 
  amulet of natural armor +1. 
   
   
   
   
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 31 
  Combat Appendix – APL 6 
  Encounter Six 
   
   
   
   
  Lava Ooze: CR 5; Large Ooze (Fire); HD 8d10+56; hp 
  107; Init –5; Speed 10 ft., climb 10 ft.; AC 4 (-1 size, -5 
  Dex), touch 4, flat-footed 4; BAB/Grp: +6/+14; Atk/Full 
  Atk +9 melee (1d6+6 plus 2d6 fire, slam); Space/Reach: 
  10 ft./5 ft.; SA burn, constrict 1d6+6 plus 2d6 fire, 
  improved grab; SQ blindsight 60 ft., immunity to fire, 
  ooze traits, vulnerability to cold; AL N; SV Fort +9, Ref 
  –3, Will –3; Str 19, Dex 1, Con 24, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Climb +12. 
   
  Burn (Ex): A lava ooze’s body has the temperature 
  and consistency of thick lava. With a successful slam 
  attack, the ooze leaves behind some of its substance 
  and might set flesh and clothing aflame. A struck 
  creature must make a DC 21 Reflex save or catch on 
  fire. The flames burn for 1d4 rounds. See Catching on 
  Fire, page 303 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The save 
  DC is Constitution-based. 
   
  Constrict (Ex): A lava ooze deals automatic slam 
  and fire damage with a successful grapple check. 
   
  Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a lava 
  ooze must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt 
  to start a grapple as a free action without provoking 
  attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it 
  establishes a hold and can constrict. A creature 
  grappled by the ooze automatically takes fire damage 
  each round, even if it avoids taking slam damage. 
   
  Skills: A lava ooze receives a +8 racial bonus on 
  Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on 
  Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. 
  Encounter Seven 
   
   
   
   
  Human Miner Fast Zombie: CR 1; Medium Undead; 
  HD 2d12+7; hp 20; Init –1; Speed 60 ft.; AC 13 (touch 
  11, flat-footed 13); BAB/Grp: +1/+4; Atk/Full Atk +4 
  melee (1d6+3/x4, heavy pick) or +4 melee (1d6+3, 
  slam); SA —; SQ DR 5/slashing, darkvision 60 ft., 
  scent, undead traits; AL NE; SV Fort +0, Ref –1, Will 
  +3; Str 16, Dex 8, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Toughness. 
   
  Possessions: Heavy pick. 
   
  Power up Suite (within 60 feet of Aodhan): +2 to 
  attacks and saves, +4 to turn resistance. 
   
  Note: These zombies’ Strength and hit points are 
  increased because of Aodhan’s Corpsecrafter feat. 
   
  Bran Mac Colm: male necropolitan human Drd7; CR 
  7; Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid); HD 
  7d12; hp 45; Init +2; Speed 30 ft.; AC 17 (touch 12, flat-
  footed 15); BAB/Grp: +5/+7; Atk/Full Atk +7 melee 
  (1d6+2, masterwork club [1d6+3 using two hands]); SA 
  spells, undead traits; SQ darkvision 60 ft., nature sense, 
  resist control, resist nature’s lure, trackless step, turn 
  resistance +2, unnatural resilience, wild empathy +11, 
  wild shape 3/day, woodland stride; AL NE; SV Fort +5, 
  Ref +4, Will +7; Str 14, Dex 14, Con -, Int 10, Wis 15, 
  Cha 14. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +10, Handle Animal 
  +7, Knowledge (nature) +12, Listen +9, Spellcraft +6, 
  Spot +9, Survival +6; Augment Summoning, Corrupted 
  Wild Shape, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Track. 
   
  Resist Control (Ex): Necropolitans have a +2 
  profane bonus on their Will saving throws to resist the 
  effect of a control undead spell. 
   
  Turn Resistance (Ex): A Necropolitan has +2 
  turn resistance. 
   
  Unnatural 
  Resilience: 
  Necropolitans 
  automatically heal hit point damage and ability damage 
  at the same rate as a living creature. The Heal skill has 
  no effect on Necropolitans; however, negative energy 
  (such as an inflict spell) heals them. 
   
  Druid Spells Prepared: 0—create water (2), flare (DC 
  12), guidance (2), resistance; 1st—calm animals, longstrider, 
  produce flame (+7 ranged touch) (2), shillelagh; 2nd—
  barkskin, flaming sphere (DC 14), gust of wind (DC 14), 
  summon swarm; 3rd—poison (+7 touch, DC 15), 
  protection from energy; 4th—dispel magic. 
   
  Possessions: Masterwork club, dagger, +2 leather 
  armor, amulet of natural armor +1, tanglefoot bag, potion 
  of inflict light wounds (2). 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 32 
  Combat Appendix – APL 8 
  Encounter Three 
   
   
   
   
  Old Gloombog: advanced shambling mound; CR 9; 
  Huge Plant; HD 14d8+70; hp 136; Init -1; Speed 20 ft., 
  swim 20 ft.; AC 21 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +14 natural), touch 8, 
  flat-footed 21; BAB/Grp: +10/+27; Atk: +18 melee 
  (3d6+13, slam); Full Atk: +18 melee (3d6+13, 2 slams); 
  Space/Reach 15 ft./15 ft.; SA improved grab, constrict 
  3d6+13; SQ darkvision 60 ft., immunity to electricity, 
  low-light vision, plant traits, resistance to fire 10; AL N; 
  SV Fort +11, Ref +3, Will +4; Str 29, Dex 8, Con 21, Int 
  7, Wis 10, Cha 9. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Hide +4*, Listen +10, Move 
  Silently +9; Awesome Blow, Improved Bull Rush, Iron 
  Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (slam). 
   
  Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, Old 
  Gloombog must hit with both slam attacks. It can then 
  attempt to start a grapple as a free action without 
  provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the 
  grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict. 
   
  Constrict (Ex): Old Gloombog deals 3d6+13 
  points of damage with a successful grapple check. 
   
  Immunity to Electricity (Ex): Old Gloombog 
  takes no damage from electricity. Instead, any 
  electricity attack (such as shocking grasp or lightning bolt) 
  used against it temporarily grants it 1d4 points of 
  Constitution. The shambler loses these points at the 
  rate of 1 per hour. 
   
  Skills: Shamblers have a +4 racial bonus on Hide, 
  Listen, and Move Silently checks. *They have a +12 
  racial bonus on Hide checks when in a swampy or 
  forested area. 
  Encounter Six 
   
   
   
   
  Advanced Lava Ooze: CR 7; Huge Ooze (fire); HD 
  14d10+126; hp 195; Init –5; Speed 10 ft., climb 10 ft.; 
  AC 3 (-2 size, -5 Dex), touch 3, flat-footed 3; BAB/Grp: 
  +10/+26; Atk/Full Atk +16 melee (1d8+12 plus 2d6 fire, 
  slam); Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.; SA burn, constrict 
  1d8+12 plus 2d6 fire, improved grab; SQ blindsight 60 
  ft., immunity to fire, ooze traits, vulnerability to cold; 
  AL N; SV Fort +13, Ref -1, Will -1; Str 27, Dex 1, Con 
  28, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Climb +16. 
   
  Burn (Ex): A lava ooze’s body has the temperature 
  and consistency of thick lava. With a successful slam 
  attack, the ooze leaves behind some of its substance 
  and might set flesh and clothing aflame. A struck 
  creature must make a DC 26 Reflex save or catch on 
  fire. The flames burn for 1d4 rounds. See Catching on 
  Fire, page 303 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The save 
  DC is Constitution-based. 
   
  Constrict (Ex): A lava ooze deals automatic slam 
  and fire damage with a successful grapple check. 
   
  Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a lava 
  ooze must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt 
  to start a grapple as a free action without provoking 
  attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it 
  establishes a hold and can constrict. A creature 
  grappled by the ooze automatically takes fire damage 
  each round, even if it avoids taking slam damage. 
   
  Skills: A lava ooze receives a +8 racial bonus on 
  Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on 
  Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. 
  Encounter Seven 
   
   
   
   
  Human Miner Zombie: CR 1; Medium Undead; HD 
  2d12+7; hp 20; Init –1; Speed 30 ft.; AC 11 (touch 9, 
  flat-footed 11); BAB/Grp: +1/+4; Atk/Full Atk +4 melee 
  (1d6+3/x4, heavy pick) or +4 melee (1d6+3, slam); SA 
  —; SQ DR 5/slashing, darkvision 60 ft., undead traits; 
  AL NE; SV Fort +0, Ref –1, Will +3; Str 16, Dex 8, Con 
  —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Toughness. 
   
  Possessions: Heavy pick. 
   
  Power up Suite (within 60 feet of Aodhan): +2 to 
  attacks and saves, +4 to turn resistance. 
   
  Note: These zombies’ Strength and hit points are 
  increased because of Aodhan’s Corpsecrafter feat. 
   
  Human Miner Hunting Zombie: CR 1; Medium 
  Undead; HD 2d12+7; hp 20; Init –1; Speed 30 ft.; AC 11 
  (touch 9, flat-footed 11); BAB/Grp: +1/+4; Atk/Full Atk 
  +4 melee (1d6+3/x4, heavy pick) or +4 melee (1d6+3, 
  slam); SA —; SQ single actions only, DR 5/slashing, 
  darkvision 60 ft., scent, undead traits; AL NE; SV Fort 
  +0, Ref –1, Will +5; Str 16, Dex 8, Con —, Int —, Wis 
  14, Cha 1. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Listen +6, Spot +6; Toughness, 
  Track. 
   
  Possessions: Heavy pick. 
   
  Power up Suite (within 60 feet of Aodhan): +2 to 
  attacks and saves, +4 to turn resistance. 
   
  Note: These zombies’ Strength and hit points are 
  increased because of Aodhan’s Corpsecrafter feat. 
   
  Human Miner Fast Zombie: CR 1; Medium Undead; 
  HD 2d12+7; hp 20; Init –1; Speed 60 ft.; AC 13 (touch 
  11, flat-footed 13); BAB/Grp: +1/+4; Atk/Full Atk +4 
  melee (1d6+3/x4, heavy pick) or +4 melee (1d6+3, 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 33 
  slam); SQ DR 5/slashing, darkvision 60 ft., undead 
  traits; AL NE; SV Fort +0, Ref –1, Will +3; Str 16, Dex 8, 
  Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Toughness. 
   
  Possessions: Heavy pick. 
   
  Power up Suite (within 60 feet of Aodhan): +2 to 
  attacks and saves, +4 to turn resistance. 
   
  Note: These zombies’ Strength and hit points are 
  increased because of Aodhan’s Corpsecrafter feat. 
   
  Gray Render Fast Hunting Zombie: CR 7; Large 
  Undead; HD 20d12+43; hp 173; Init -1; Speed 60 ft.; AC 
  23 (touch 10, flat-footed 23); BAB/Grp: +10/+23; 
  Atk/Full Atk: +18 melee (2d6+9, bite) or +18 melee 
  (1d8+12, slam); Space/Reach 10 ft./10 ft.; SA —; SQ 
  darkvision 60 ft., scent, undead traits; AL NE; SV Fort 
  +6, Ref +5, Will +14; Str 29, Dex 8, Con —, Int —, Wis 
  14, Cha 1. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Listen +6, Spot +6; Toughness, 
  Track. 
   
  Power up Suite (within 60 feet of Aodhan): +2 to 
  attacks and saves, +4 to turn resistance. 
   
  Note: This zombie’s Strength and hit points are 
  increased because of Aodhan’s Corpsecrafter feat. 
   
  Bran Mac Colm: male necropolitan human Drd9; CR 
  9; Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid); HD 
  9d12; hp 58; Init +2; Speed 30 ft.; AC 17 (touch 12, flat-
  footed 15); BAB/Grp: +6/+8; Atk +9 melee (1d6+2, 
  masterwork club [1d6+3 using two hands]); Full Atk 
  +9/+4 melee (1d6+2, masterwork club [1d6+3 using 
  two hands]); SA spells, undead traits; SQ darkvision 60 
  ft., nature sense, resist control, resist nature’s lure, 
  trackless step, turn resistance +2, unnatural resilience, 
  venom immunity, wild empathy +13, wild shape 3/day 
  (Large), woodland stride; AL NE; SV Fort +7, Ref +6, 
  Will +10; Str 14, Dex 14, Con —, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 
  14. 
   
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +12, Handle Animal 
  +9, Knowledge (nature) +14, Listen +12, Spellcraft +7, 
  Spot 
  +11, 
  Survival 
  +7; 
  Augment 
  Summoning, 
  Corrupted Wild Shape, Natural Spell, Spell Focus 
  (Conjuration), Track. 
   
  Resist Control (Ex): Necropolitans have a +2 
  profane bonus on their Will saving throws to resist the 
  effect of a control undead spell. 
   
  Turn Resistance (Ex): A Necropolitan has +2 
  turn resistance. 
   
  Unnatural 
  Resilience: 
  Necropolitans 
  automatically heal hit point damage and ability damage 
  at the same rate as a living creature. The Heal skill has 
  no effect on Necropolitans; however, negative energy 
  (such as an inflict spell) heals them. 
   
  Druid Spells Prepared: 0—create water (2), flare (DC 
  13), guidance (2), resistance; 1st—calm animals, longstrider, 
  produce flame (+8 ranged touch), shillelagh; 2nd—barkskin, 
  bull’s strength, flaming sphere (DC 15), gust of wind (DC 
  15), summon swarm; 3rd—call lightning (DC 16), meld 
  into stone, poison (+8 touch, DC 16), protection from energy; 
  4th—dispel magic, freedom of movement; 5th—stoneskin. 
   
  Possessions: Masterwork club, dagger, +2 leather 
  armor, amulet of natural armor +1, cloak of resistance +1, 
  potion of inflict light wounds (2), divine scroll of warp wood, 
  divine scroll of flaming sphere, tanglefoot bag (2), 250 gp 
  in diamond dust (component for stoneskin).  
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 34 
  New Rules Appendix 
  New Monsters 
   
   
   
   
  Lava Ooze 
  Sandstorm p.178 
  Large Ooze (Fire) 
  Hit Dice: 8d10+84 (128 hp) 
  Initiative: -5 
  Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), climb 10 ft. 
  Armor Class: 4 (-1 size, -5 Dex), touch 4, flat-footed 4 
  Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+14 
  Attack: Slam +9 melee (1d6+6 plus 2d6 fire) 
  Full Attack: Slam +9 melee (1d6+6 plus 2d6 fire) 
  Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft. 
  Special Attacks: Burn, constrict 1d6+6 plus 2d6 fire, 
  improved grab 
  Special Qualities: Blindsight 0 ft., immunity to fire, 
  ooze traits, vulnerability to cold 
  Saves: Fort +9, Ref –3, Will –3 
  Abilities: Str 19, Dex 1, Con 24, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1 
  Skills: Climb +12 
  Feats: - 
  Environment: Underground 
  Organization: Solitary 
  Challenge Rating: 5 
  Treasure: No coins; 50% goods (gems only); no items 
  Alignment: Always neutral 
  Advancement: 9-12 HD (Large); 13-24 HD (Huge) 
  Level Adjustment: - 
  A fiery mass of lava surges forward, pseudopods of white-orange 
  stretching out before it. A flamestorm surrounds it, and its trail 
  is a hot, glassy channel through the sand. 
  A lava ooze favors hot underground caves and lava 
  tubes formed over still-hot magma. It consumes stone 
  and metallic items. As it feeds, its body becomes filled 
  with “indigestible” gems. 
   
  A typical lava ooze is 5 to 10 feet across and 1 foot 
  thick. It weighs about 2000 pounds. 
  Combat 
  A lava ooze flows through tunnels, melting and 
  consuming stone and metal that it engulfs. It is able to 
  detect high concentrations of nutritious minerals, and 
  characters wearing heavy armor are at risk of becoming 
  a meal. (The ooze does not mind ingesting organic 
  material along with the metal.) 
   
  Burn (Ex): A lava ooze’s body has the temperature 
  and consistency of thick lava. With a successful slam 
  attack, the ooze leaves behind some of its substance 
  and might set flesh and clothing aflame. A struck 
  creature must make a DC 21 Reflex save or catch on 
  fire. The flames burn for 1d4 rounds. See Catching on 
  Fire, page 303 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The save 
  DC is Constitution-based. 
   
  Creatures that strike a lava ooze with a natural 
  weapon or an unarmed attack take 2d6 points of fire 
  damage and catch on fire unless they succeed on a 
  Reflex save. 
   
  Constrict (Ex): A lava ooze deals automatic slam 
  and fire damage with a successful grapple check. 
   
  Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a lava 
  ooze must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt 
  to start a grapple as a free action without provoking 
  attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it 
  establishes a hold and can constrict. A creature 
  grappled by the ooze automatically takes fire damage 
  each round, even if it avoids taking slam damage. 
   
  Skills: A lava ooze receives a +8 racial bonus on 
  Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on 
  Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. 
  [Author’s note: I think there is an error in the monster 
  description, which says HD 8d10+84. With a Con of 
  24, it should get +7 per HD or 8d10+56. Either the HD 
  or bonus hit points are wrong. When using the lava 
  oozes at APL 6, I chose to correct the bonus hit points 
  and keep the listed HD.] 
   
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 35 
  New Feats 
   
   
   
   
   
  Corpsecrafter [General] 
  Undead you raise or create are tougher than normal. 
   
  Benefit: Each undead you raise or create with any 
  necromancy spell gains a +4 enhancement bonus to 
  Strength and +2 hit points per Hit Die. 
  Libris Mortis p.25 
   
  Corrupted Wild Shape [Monstrous] 
  You have learned to use the necromantic energy that 
  powers your undead form to overcome the inability of 
  undead creatures to wild shape. You can assume the 
  form of an undead, rotten creature with the use of your 
  wild shape ability. 
   
  Prerequisites: Undead type, wild shape class 
  feature. 
   
  Benefits: You can use your wild shape ability 
  even though you are undead. The ability functions just 
  as if you were a living creature using the ability, with 
  the following exceptions. 
   
  You do not gain a Constitution score in the new 
  form, and you retain all the immunities of the undead 
  type while in your new form. The form you assume 
  looks half-decayed, with missing patches of fur and 
  rotted, worm-eaten flesh. While you are in this form, 
  the rank odor of death hangs around you. 
   
  Normal: Since it is based on the polymorph spell, 
  wild shape works only on living creatures. 
  Libris Mortis p.25 
   
  Necromantic Might [General] 
  Undead you control gain benefits when they are near 
  you. 
   
  Prerequisite: Necromantic Presence. 
   
  Benefit: Whenever undead you control are 
  within 60 feet of you, they are physically inspired by 
  your necromantic aura and gain a +2 enhancement 
  bonus on their attack rolls and saving throws. 
  Libris Mortis p.28 
   
  Necromantic Presence [General] 
  Undead you control are harder to turn when they are 
  near you. 
   
  Benefit: Whenever undead you control are 
  within 60 feet of you, they gain a +4 bonus to their turn 
  resistance. 
  Libris Mortis p.28 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 36 
   
   
  New Monster Variants 
  Fast Zombie 
  Slow zombies are funny. They’re easy to escape on foot 
  and can’t run at all. After an encounter with fast 
  zombies, the characters won’t be laughing. 
   
  Speed: Add 30 feet to base land speed, up to a 
  maximum of twice the zombie’s normal base land 
  speed. Fast zombies can run normally. 
   
  Armor Class: The fast zombie gains a +2 dodge 
  bonus to AC. 
   
  Special Qualities: The fast zombie is not 
  restricted to taking single actions only. However, it 
  still cannot attack more than once per round. 
   
  CR Adjustment: +1/2 
  Libris Mortis p. 173 
  Hunting Zombie 
  It’s pretty easy to hide from a normal zombie, but 
  hunter zombies can follow and find enemies with the 
  power of scent. 
   
  Special Qualities: Hunter zombies have the 
  scent ability. 
   
  Feats: Hunter zombies gain Track as a bonus feat. 
   
  Saves: The hunter zombie’s Will save bonus 
  increases by 2 thanks to its improved Wisdom score. 
   
  Abilities: Hunter zombies have a Wisdom of 14. 
   
  Skills: Listen +6*, Spot +6*. Includes a +4 racial 
  bonus. 
   
  CR Adjustment: +1/2 
  Libris Mortis p. 173 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 37 
  New Monster  
   
   
   
  Necropolitan 
  Necropolitans are humanoids who renounce life and 
  embrace undeath in a special ritual called the Ritual of 
  Crucimigration (see below). 
   
  A necropolitan’s skin is dry, withered, and powder. 
  Its eyes are as pale as driven snow, and as lifeless. It 
  continues to dress in the fashion it preferred while 
  living. Necropolitans are considered citizens of the 
  little-known city of Nocturnus, but if their nature is 
  revealed elsewhere, they are feared and hunted like 
  common monsters. 
  Creating A Necropolitan 
  “Necropolitan” is an acquired template that can be 
  added to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid 
  (referred to hereafter as the base creature). 
   
  A necropolitan speaks any languages it knew in 
  life, and it has all the base creature’s statistics and 
  special abilities except as noted here. 
   
  Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to 
  undead, and it gains the augmented subtype. Do not 
  recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size 
  is unchanged. 
   
  Hit Dice: Increase to d12. 
   
  Special Qualities: A necropolitan retains all the 
  special qualities of the base creature and gains those 
  described below. 
   
  Resist Control (Ex): Necropolitans have a +2 profane 
  bonus on their Will saving throws to resist the effect of 
  a control undead spell. 
   
  Turn Resistance (Ex): A necropolitan has +2 turn 
  resistance. 
   
  Unnatural 
  Resilience 
  (Ex): 
  Necropolitans 
  automatically heal hit point damage and ability damage 
  at the same rate as a living creature. The Heal skill has 
  no effect on necropolitans; however, negative energy 
  (such as an inflict spell) heals them. 
   
  Abilities: Same as the base creature, except that as 
  undead creatures, necropolitans have no Constitution 
  score. 
   
  Advancement: By character class. 
   
  Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature. 
  (Becoming a necropolitan involves losing a level – see 
  Ritual of Crucimigration below) – so the advantages of 
  the undead type cancel out what would otherwise be a 
  larger adjustment.) 
  Ritual of Crucimigration 
  Any living humanoid or monstrous humanoid can 
  petition for consideration to undergo the Ritual of 
  Crucimigration, which (if successful) enables the 
  creature to become a necropolitan. The petition for 
  consideration requires a fee of 3,000 gp and a written 
  plea. 
   
  The Ritual: The first part of the ritual requires the 
  placement of the petitioner on a standing pole. Cursed 
  nails are used to affix the petitioner, and then the pole 
  is lifted into place. The resultant excruciating pain that 
  shoots like molten metal through the petitioner’s 
  fingers and up the arms is not what finally ends the 
  petitioner’s mortal life, however, since death usually 
  comes from asphyxiation and heart failure. As 
  petitioners feel death’s chill enter their bodies, many 
  have second thoughts, but it is far too late to go back – 
  the cursed nails and chanting of the ritual ensures that 
  the Crucimigration is completed. 
   
  The ceremony lasts for 24 hours – the usual time it 
  takes for the petitioner to perish. During this period, 
  two or three zombie servitors keep up a chant initiated 
  by the ritual leader when the petitioner is first placed 
  into position. Upon hearing the petitioner’s last breath, 
  the ritual leader calls forth the names of evil powers 
  and gods to forge a link with the Negative Energy 
  Plane, and then impales the petitioner. Dying, the 
  petitioner is reborn as a necropolitan, dead but 
  animate. 
   
  Game Effect: Immediately upon opening its 
  undead eyes, a new necropolitan loses a level as if the 
  spell raise dead had been used on it and it was alive 
  instead of animate. (If the subject has no levels to lose, 
  it is simply destroyed.) It then also loses an additional 
  1,000 XP. If the loss of this much XP forces the 
  necropolitan to lose another level, then it loses another 
  level. No spell, not even restoration, can restore the lost 
  XP. Petitioners may not spend experience points they 
  don’t have – if the level loss and the 1,000 XP cost 
  drains a creature to 0 XP or less, it is destroyed, turned 
  to dust, and can never be raised or revived again by 
  using any means. If the ritual is interrupted before it is 
  completed, the petitioner is merely dead. 
  Libris Mortis pp.114-15 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 38 
   
  New Magical Effect 
  Node Magic  
  Underdark (Forgotten Realms sourcebook) pp. 49-52  
  [Although you do not need to know the following 
  information to run the scenario, it is provided for the 
  interest of you and/or the players.] 
  Node magic taps the natural pools and streams of 
  power that collect and run below the earth. This power 
  is not visible to the unpracticed eye, but those with the 
  appropriate sensitivity know that collection points 
  called earth nodes are awash with power that can 
  increase the effects of spells and produce 
  other magical effects. Earth nodes are rare 
  and cherished points in the Underdark, and 
  their 
  discoverers 
  jealously 
  guard 
  the 
  knowledge of them. However, many earth 
  nodes that possess no natural outlet to the 
  greater tunnel systems of the Underdark 
  remain undiscovered, and others are simply 
  unappreciated by the Underdark creatures that live in 
  or near them.  
  Detecting Earth Nodes  
  The boundaries of an earth node are not visible to the 
  naked eye, but they can be detected. Any creature that 
  comes within 30 feet of the outermost layer of an earth 
  node is entitled to a DC 20 Intelligence check, or a DC 
  20 Spellcraft check if she has the Node Spellcasting 
  feat. A successful check of either sort reveals the source 
  and direction of a concentration of earth power. 
  Characters with the Node Spellcasting feat recognize 
  this power as an earth node, though they cannot 
  determine its extent, shape, or class without physically 
  mapping it.  
   
  Earth nodes do not respect tunnel boundaries, 
  mineral deposits, open space, or solid rock. Some lie 
  entirely within cavernous hollows, while others are 
  completely merged with solid earth and stone. One 
  portion of an earth node may lie within a tunnel or 
  cave, while other portions stretch into stone and earth. 
  Some earth nodes extend partially or even fully into 
  the surface world.  
  Earth Node Class and Size  
  The strength of an earth node is indicated by its class, a 
  number usually between 1 and 5. The higher the 
  number, the more powerful the earth node. Weak 
  earth nodes are far more common than strong ones; 
  half of all earth nodes are Class 1, one-quarter are class 
  2, and most of the rest are Class or Class 4.  
   
  An earth node of Class 2 or higher actually 
  consists of a nested set of shells, or layers, equal in 
  number to its class. For example, a Class 1 earth node 
  has one layer, while a Class 4 node has four layers. Each 
  layer of a node has its own class rating. The innermost 
  shell has the highest rating, equal to that of the entire 
  earth node. Each additional layer has a class rating 1 
  point lower than the layer it encases. For example, in a 
  Class 4 node, the innermost Class 4 layer is encased in 
  a Class 3 shell of larger size, which is in turn 
  surrounded by a Class 2 layer, which is surrounded by 
  a Class 1 layer. See Diagram 4-1 on p. 49 of Underdark 
  for an example of a Class 3 earth node.  
   
  The size of an earth node is often, but not always, 
  related to its class, as shown on the following table:  
  Table: Earth Nodes  
   
  Node DC: This value is the base DC for checks made 
  to harness the node's power (see Earth Node Powers, 
  below).  
  Layer Width: This value describes the thickness of 
  each layer in the node. For example, a typical Class 3 
  node might consist of 3 layers, each 50 feet wide.  
  Node Diameter: This numerical range represents the 
  overall diameter of the node, from one outermost edge 
  of its Class 1 shell to the exact opposite edge of the 
  same shell. For example, the Class 3 node mentioned 
  above could be 300 feet in diameter.  
  Earth Node Powers  
  An earth node's overall class and the class values of its 
  onionlike layers have various implications. Except for 
  the bonus an earth node grants to effective caster level 
  (see below), these powers are available only to a 
  character with the Node Spellcasting feat. A character 
  must be aware of the earth node in order to use any of 
  its powers. 
   
  [For the purposes of this scenario, discussion of 
  powers available to characters with the Node 
  Spellcasting feat is simplified, as no characters should 
  have the feat.]  
   
  Bonus to Effective Caster Level: Any spellcaster 
  can take advantage of this most basic feature of the 
  earth node. A spellcaster standing within an earth node 
  layer can attempt to add its class to the effective caster 
  level of any spell he casts. To succeed, he must make a 
  successful Intelligence check (DC = node's base DC + 
  spell level) while casting the spell. (Making this 
  Class 
  Node DC 
  Layer Width 
  Node Diameter 
  1 
  10 
  5 to 30 feet 
  10 to 60 feet 
  2 
  15 
  10 to 40 feet 
  40 to 160 feet 
  3 
  20 
  20 to 80 feet 
  120 to 480 feet 
  4 
  25 
  30 to 120 feet 
  240 to 960 feet 
  5 
  30 
  40 to 160 feet 
  400 to 1,600 feet 
  6+ 
  35+ 
  50 to 200 feet 
  600 to 2,400 feet 
  
  PAL5-06 My Brother’s Keeper 
   
  Page 39 
  attempt does not change the spell's casting time.) If the 
  check fails, there is no ill effect - the spell is simply cast 
  at the character's normal caster level. If the check 
  succeeds, the spellcaster adds the layer's class to his 
  caster level for that spell.  
   
  A spellcaster may choose to use less of the node's 
  power than is available in order to lower the DC for the 
  check. For example, a spellcaster might choose to add 
  only 2 levels to his effective caster level in the center of 
  a Class 4 node, thereby lowering the DC from 25 + 
  spell level to 15 + spell level.  
   
  A bonus to effective caster level strengthens spells 
  - some more than others. All effects dependent on 
  caster level (such as caster level checks, damage dice, 
  duration, range, and the like) are calculated according 
  to the new caster level. For instance, if a 5th-level 
  wizard successfully uses node magic to enhance a 
  fireball in the center of a Class 3 node, the spell deals 
  8d6 points of damage because the spellcaster has an 
  effective caster level of 8th (5th-level wizard + Class 3 
  node). The bonus to effective caster level does not 
  allow spellcasters to exceed stated damage caps or 
  other spell maximums.  
   
  A spellcaster using an earth node in this way must 
  make a separate check for each spell so modified. 
   
  Granted Spells: Earth nodes resonate with 
  certain spells and can make their power available to 
  those who are sensitive to node magic. Each earth node 
  can grant a number of spells equal to its class, with a 
  maximum spell level equal to its class. For instance, a 
  Class 3 earth node can grant three spells of 3rd level or 
  below. A character with the Node Spellcasting feat can 
  access any of a node's granted spells that he is high 
  enough in level to cast normally.  
   
  See Underdark p. 50 for more details on granted 
  spells.  
   
  Cache: A character with the Node Spellcasting 
  feat can store items into an earth node so that they are 
  not readily visible, even to those inside the node. A 
  node can accommodate a number of items equal to its 
  earth node class, and no single item may be larger than 
  10 cubic feet times its earth node class.  
   
  Stored items disappear, taken up within the earth 
  energy of the node. While stored in this manner, the 
  objects simply cease to exist. If an earth node has 
  reached its storage limit, no one can store new items 
  there. A character attempting to store an item instantly 
  knows whether the earth node is full, although she 
  does not know what items are stored there if she is not 
  the owner. Living or intelligent creatures can't be 
  stored this way.  
   
  A character who has stored items in an earth node 
  can retrieve them from *any* earth node (not just the 
  one she stored them in) by making a Spellcraft check.  
   
  A spellcaster other than the stored item's owner 
  may also attempt to retrieve it, but only within the 
  earth node where the item was originally cached. To 
  retrieve an item stored by another character, the 
  salvager must make a Spellcraft check. Success 
  indicates that one of the original owner's items cached 
  there (determined randomly) appears next to the 
  salvager.  
   
  See Underdark p. 51 for more details on caching 
  items in earth nodes.  
  Mining and other Modifications  
  Characters capable of using node magic can modify 
  earth nodes in a variety of ways. For example, such a 
  character could customize a living space, or create a 
  temple to a particular deity (or ideal, or fiend), or open 
  up an earth node that is completely coexistent with 
  solid rock, or make any other physical modification of 
  the node's space.  
   
  See Underdark p. 51 for more details on modifying 
  earth nodes.  
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/3rd Edition (3.x)/RPGA/Living Greyhawk/Nyrond and Her Environs/Theocracy of the Pale/PAL5-06 - My Brother's Keeper.pdf