TEXT: Festival Knight
  A One-Round D&D 3rd Edition LIVING GREYHAWK™ Adventure
  by Brian P. Hudson
  It’s the Festival of the Fallen Knights! There’ll be games, food, drink, and a morbid parade as the Flanaess
  remembers those who died to save it. Keep an eye out, though…you never know which monsters are simply
  wearing masks, and which are all too real. This is an adaptable scenario for Tiers 1-3.
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, GREYHAWK, ROLE PLAYING GAMES ASSOCIATION and RPGA are registered trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast,
  Inc. LIVING GREYHAWK and the D20 system log are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All Wizards’ characters, character names, and the
  disteintive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by Wizards’ of the Coast, Inc. Any reproductions or unauthorized use of material or artwork
  contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  This scenario is intended for organized play use
  only and may not be reproduced without approval of the RPGA Network. 
  © 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. 
  Visit our Webiste at:
  www.wizards.com/rpga
  ADP1-02
  
  GETTING STARTED
  Festival Knight
  1
  T
  his 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 clos-
  er to three 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 you can
  communicate to your players, the special aspects of playing an
  RPGA scenario. 
  Preparation
  First you should print this scenario. Just about any home comput-
  er printer should do, but if for some reason yours doesn’t, see if you
  can borrow a friends printer, or visit a copy center that has com-
  puter access. 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
  equipement presented in the adventure. It may help to highlight
  particularly improtant 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. Some LIVING™
  campaigns may assume that you have access to other books as
  well (see the next page). 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. Lastly, you will need a place where you, and up to
  seven other players, will be able to play, and a table at which to
  play. 
  Instruct the players either to prepare their characters now, or
  wait until you read the introduction, depending on the require-
  ments of the scenario as described in the introduction. 
  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 seven players partici-
  pating in the game.
  Once you are ready to play, it is handy to instuct 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.
  TPlayers are free to use the game rules to learn about equip-
  ment and weapons their characters are carrying. That said, you as
  the DM can bar the use of even core rule books 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 gray boxes. 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.
  Scoring
  After the players have completed the scenario or the time allot-
  ted to run the scenario has run out, the players and DM score the
  game. The RPGA has three ways to score its games. Consult your
  convention coordinator to determine which method to use for
  this scenario:
  1-No-vote scoring: The players write their names and RPGA 
  numbers on the scoring packet grid. You fill in the top of the
  grid. That is all. No one is rated. This method is used for 
  people who are just playing for fun.
  2-Partial scoring: The players rate the game master and the 
  scenario on their player voting sheet, and provide personal 
  information, but don’t vote for other players. The game 
  master rates the scenario and completes personal and event 
  information, but does not rate the players as a team or vote for
  players. This method is used when there is no competition, 
  but the event coordinator wants information on how 
  the game masters are performing, or the game master wants 
  feedback on his or her own performance.
  3-Voting: Players and game masters complete the entire packet, 
  including voting for best player. If this method is used, be 
  sure to allow about 15-20 minutes for the players to briefly 
  describe their characters to the other players, and about 5-10
  minutes for voting. This method is used when the players 
  want to know who played the “best” amongst the group, or 
  when the adventure is run in tournament format with 
  winners and prizes. 
  When using Voting, rank the players in order of your voting
  choice while they are completing their forms, so that you are not
  influenced by their comments on your abilities. It’s a good idea to
  have the players vote while you determine treasure and experi-
  ence awards for the scenario. 
  After voting, give the Voting Packet to your event coordina-
  tor.
  
  GETTING STARTED
  Festival Knight
  2
  T
  his is a LIVING GREYHAWK Adventure. As a LIVING adventure,
  it is expected that players will bring their already generated
  characters with them. If characters do not have a LIVING
  GREYHAWK character generated, either get a copy of the current
  LIVING GREYHAWK character generation guidelines, a character
  sheet, and a LIVING GREYHAWK log 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 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 Tier Structure
  Because players bring their own characters to LIVING GREYHAWK
  campaigns, this adventure is tiered. Basically, the challenges in this
  adventure are proportioned to the average character level of the
  character’s participating in the adventure. To determine the tier
  that you will use to run this adventure, add the character levels of
  all the characters. In addition, add the levels of any cohorts or ani-
  mals according to the values on their certificates. Cross-reference
  the total and the number of players participating in the game
  using the chart below to determine the tier used for this adven-
  ture.
  4 players
  5 players
  6 players
  7 players
  Lvl Cap
  T1:
  4-12
  5-13
  6-14
  7-15
  4nd
  T2:
  13-22
  14-24
  15-26
  16-28
  6th
  The level cap indicated is the highest level of character allowed
  to play this adventure. Characters of levels higher than the
  highest level shown for the highest tier cannot be played.
  Lifestyle
  At the beginning of every scenario, each PC is required to
  pay upkeep costs matching the level of lifestyle they wish to
  maintain. The lifestyles, and the effects that each has on play,
  are:
  Destitute
  You have no living space, and must carry all your
  gear everywhere. You eat poor quality food. You
  wear a peasant outfit, your only change of clothes.
  Poor
  You sleep in poor accommodations, and eat poor
  quality food. You wear a peasant outfit, and have
  two sets of clothing.
  Common
  You have common lodgings, and eat common
  quality food. You have normal clothing for your
  profession (adventuring); nothing fancy. You prob-
  ably have two or three sets of clothing.
  High
  You stay in good quality lodgings, and eat good
  quality food. You wear anything in value up to
  courtier’s outfits, and generally buy a new set of
  clothing every two weeks.
  Luxury
  You have luxurious accommodations (twice the
  cost of good accommodations), and you eat excel-
  lent foods. You can throw a banquet for your
  friends every day, and frequently do. You wear
  clothing up to the value of noble’s outfit, and buy
  a new set of clothes every week. 
  Lifestyles come with bonuses or penalties to Diplomacy,
  Intimidate, Disguise, and Bluff skill checks. These penalties,
  shown below, should be applied at the DM’s discretion, and can
  sometimes backfire—for example, a PC with a poor lifestyle
  would not have a penalty when talking to a beggar, but would
  when talking to a city official. A PC with a high lifestyle should
  have a penalty when dealing with a group of street thugs, where
  a PC with a destitute lifestyle might not.
  DMs are encouraged to role-play these reactions whenever
  possible.
  Lifestyle
  Cost
  Skill Modifier
  Destitute
  14 sp
  -2
  Poor
  43 sp
  -1
  Common
  12 gp
  0
  High
  250 gp
  +1
  Luxury
  500 gp
  +2
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  3
  Adventure Summary and
  Background
  A tradition has arisen throughout the Flanaess in the years since
  the Greyhawk War’s end. Called by some the Festival of Fallen
  Knights, others the Festival of Dead Knights, and sometime even
  Old Wicked’s Evening, the festival is a morbid carnival remem-
  bering the horrors of Iuz and his War against the Flanaess, and all
  who died defeating him. The Festival of Fallen Knights is a
  strange combination of carnival and memorial, where the real,
  ever-present threat of Iuz has been demonized into a grotesque
  bogeyman, the vilified jester of the day who is burned in effigy
  on roaring bonfires across the continent. 
  The center of the Festival is a giant bonfire, which burns for
  three days once it is lit. The bonfire is started on the first day of
  the Festival. At larger celebrations, a large wicker knight, called
  the Fallen Knight, helps feed the bonfire. The Fallen Knight rep-
  resents the memory of those who died in the Wars, and its burn-
  ing symbolizes their sacrifice for the Flanaess. The Fallen Knight
  at this year’s Festival will march through the streets of the town
  before burning—it is a giant, articulated wicker puppet con-
  trolled by six masked puppeteers, the invention of a skilled toy-
  maker from the City of Greyhawk.
  Iuz, whom to this day feels that the War is not over, is per-
  sonally insulted by the fast-spreading tradition of the Festival of
  Fallen Knights. He is particularly angered by the almost conde-
  scending way the people of the Flanaess treat him like an idle
  threat, a monster to scare children to bed. He has decided it is
  time to remind them of the true terror of Iuz.
  To this end Iuz has sent an agent to the Festival this year to
  remind the people of the fear they felt during the Wars. He has
  chosen a large town with a large festival, and has ordered his
  agent to wreak havoc. The agent is a wizard named Markun, who
  also happens to be a werewolf. Markun eagerly accepted Iuz’s
  charge. He sought out others like himself—lycanthropes sympa-
  thetic to Iuz who would be interested in causing a little chaos.
  Markun’s plan is this: on the first night of the Festival, he
  shall secret a spell pouch inside the wicker body of the Fallen
  Knight. When the Knight burns at the end of the Festival parade
  the spell will trigger, sending a scare spell rippling through the
  crowd. Markun and his lycanthropic agents will then transform
  into their hideous hybrid shapes, and begin slaughtering inno-
  cents in the name of Iuz. He hopes this deed will strike such fear
  into the hearts of the populace that they will forego future
  Festivals.
  Markun has an archenemy, a werewolf slayer named Altrigan
  Werebane. Altrigan and Markun have alternately hunted and
  avoided one another for nearly three years. Currently, Altrigan is
  the hunter, and Markun the prey. Markun plans to change all
  that—Altrigan has tracked Markun to the Festival, but Markun
  plans to make sure the hunter is out of the way before the Fallen
  Knight burns.
  Notes for adapting this scenario
  This is an adaptable LIVING GREYHAWK scenario. Contact
  your Regional Triad (contact information available at www.liv-
  inggreyhawk.com) for specific information on how to adapt this
  adventure to your home region. Your triad will provide you with
  an Adaptation Sheet, which will dictate needed changes to make
  this adventure playable in your Home Region. 
  Some adventures simply are not appropriate for all regions.
  It’s possible that your Regional Triad will not wish to adapt this
  adventure to your region. In that case, or in case you cannot or do
  not contact your Regional Triad, you may run this adventure as a
  “Default Core” adventure set in an unassigned or wild region. In
  this case, run the adventure essentially “as written.” Do not
  attempt to “change history” in a nation that is not an assigned
  Triad region. 
  An Adaptable Scenario played as a “Default Core” scenario
  costs 2 Time Units. An Adaptable Scenario played as a regional
  event per the Triad’s Adaptation Sheet costs 1 time unit for native
  characters, and 2 time units for visitors.
  This scenario is designed so that it can be inserted into any
  medium or large town within a given region. It contains several
  elements that can be adapted to provide local flavor, including:
  •
  Names. In this scenario, the PCs visit the Festival of Fallen
  Knights and use the nickname “Old Wicked” to refer to Iuz
  the Evil. The Adventure Background gives some ideas for
  traditional variances throughout different regions; feel free
  to use any of the Festival names, or Iuz nicknames of local
  flavor, in adapting the scenario to your region. 
  •
  Melick’s Pub: If the town in which you set Festival Knight has a
  popular named establishment, feel free to replace Melick’s
  Pub, but keeping intact the crowds, the high prices, and
  such.
  •
  The identity of the minor noble serving as Master of Revels. Darbac
  Gros is not a pre-existing or significant NPC, and a given
  region might prefer to insert a known or popular local figure
  in his place.
  •
  The identity, abilities, and authority of the guardsmen on duty. The
  guardsmen presented herein are typical soldier-types; feel
  free to flavor them to reflect the ruling body of a given
  region.
  •
  The creek. In Festival Knight, the PCs discover six bodies near a
  small, unnamed creek. This creek could easily be replaced
  with a named creek, stream, or river from your home region,
  or even a wet, swampy area.
  Adventure Synopsis
  A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT TIME: Events happen in Festival
  Knights at certain times, regardless of the location or situation of
  the PCs. The PCs could visit any or all of the locales indicated,
  and the Dungeon Master must be familiar with all of the poten-
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  4
  tial encounters before beginning play. 
  The scenario opens as the PCs arrive at the Festival of Fallen
  Knights (Encounter One). Very soon after they arrive, an assassi-
  nation attempt against Altrigan Werebane occurs, and the assas-
  sin, a Shadowclaw agent named Astin, tries to make his escape
  (Encounter Two). This event occurs regardless of the PCs’ loca-
  tion. Less than two hours after the assassination attempt, the
  Festival parade is scheduled to begin (Encounter Seven), and fif-
  teen minutes after the parade begins the Fallen Knight reaches
  the bonfire, triggering the spell pouch and the slaughter of com-
  moners (Encounter Eight). Those in charge are reluctant to can-
  cel the parade, and so the PCs have only a brief amount of time to
  follow Markun’s trail and discover his plot (Encounters Three,
  Four, Five, and Six).
  The DM may adjust these events slightly for dramatic effect,
  to assure an interesting scenario. But in general, this timeline
  and sequence of events needs to be kept. 
  Player’s Introduction
  A tradition has risen in the Flanaess in the years since the
  Greyhawk Wars—the Festival of Fallen Knights. This festival is a
  morbid carnival remembering the horrors of Iuz and his War
  against the Flanaess, and all who died defeating him. 
  You have arrived at this year’s festival chasing the promise of a
  good time. Even given the rather solemn and macabre theme of
  the Festival, it has grown into quite a revel. While similar cele-
  brations have occurred for several years now, this Festival marks
  the first such highly organized event, and the word across the
  countryside is that it will be a memorable event. 
  Just after sundown you arrive at the festival square, a large
  field surrounded by buildings and illuminated with many festive
  lanterns. Costumed men, women, and children dance around
  you, wearing the bright colors of knights, or masks imitating the
  monstrous armies of Iuz. Bards play solemn songs remembering
  the dead and merry jigs mocking Old Wicked or cheering on the
  armies of goodness. Lanterns line the streets, colored in shades of
  red and orange, lending an eerie glow to the proceedings. All
  around, there is celebration 
  The real, ever-present threat of Iuz has been demonized into
  a grotesque bogeyman, the vilified jester of the day who is
  burned in effigy on bonfires across the Flanaess. Half the revel-
  ers around you wear an Iuz mask, with a wart-infested and hawk-
  ish nose, a generous brow, and a mouthful of crooked, yellowed
  teeth surrounded by a straggly beard. 
  There is a popular song, sung by bards, chanted by children,
  and shouted by men and women throughout the Festival: 
  “Say a prayer for the Fallen Knight,
  Before Old Wicked chokes him.
  A sacrifice on the Festival night,
  A bonfire built to smoke him.
  Burn him in a tub of tar, 
  Burn him like St. Cuthbert’s star! 
  Burn his body from his head, 
  Alas, alas! The knights are dead.”
  The song refers to a quickly spreading festival tradition. Later in
  the night, a giant wicker man, the Fallen Knight, will be burned
  in a symbolic gesture of the sacrifices made in the Wars. Even
  now, a roaring bonfire dominates the center of the festival square,
  ready to accept the wicker Knight later in the evening; its flames
  reach hungrily toward the sky beneath a whirlwind of embers
  and smoke.
  While there are crowds everywhere, it is obvious that there
  are a few centers of activity. There is a tavern on the edge of the
  square, with patrons overflowing its door; a young crier just out-
  side its doors proclaims it as “Melick’s Pub.” A two-wheeled cart
  parked on the opposite side of a bonfire is doing similarly well;
  four tapped kegs are lined up atop it, and revelers happily fill
  their mugs. The bonfire in the center of the square seems to be
  the center of much attention, is a wooden stage nearby. There is a
  small, cheering crowd in the north end of the square, illuminat-
  ed from behind by flashing, dancing lights. 
  Finally, there is an even larger crowd, peering intently at
  something at their center. You hear the snap of a crossbow string,
  and the thud of something striking an object. The large crowd
  lets out a sudden hoot and holler, applauding at whatever lies
  beyond.
  Encounter One: The Festival
  The Festival of Fallen Knights is being held in the large town-
  square, and along the streets nearby. The crowds are generally
  costumed, festive, and slightly drunk. Below are the locales of
  interest.
  A. The Archery Range. The cheering crowd the PCs note in the
  Introduction is located here. This location is described in
  Encounter Two.
  B. Venito’s Costume Cart. Venito (male human Exp3; Cha 13)
  operates this wooden cart. Venito is a tailor who has turned his
  talents to crafting masks for the Festival. 
  His most popular ware is the “Old Wicked” mask, the leering
  mask of Iuz as an old man that the PCs have already seen
  throughout the Festival. Venito has two Old Wicked masks avail-
  able: a paper-mâché mask, which costs 1 silver, or a higher quali-
  ty, better looking leather mask, which costs 3 silver. Both masks
  cover the entire face, and tie on with a leather string. 
  If the PCs arrive here after Encounter Three, asking ques-
  tions, they quickly find that Venito knows nothing. He has sold a
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  5
  lot of masks during the Festival, and remembers few faces.
  C. The bonfire. A large bonfire has been built in the center of
  the town-square, and it is obviously the center of the Festival.
  Costumed, carousing people are crowded around the bonfire,
  both enjoying its warmth, and guaranteeing themselves a good
  view later on when the Fallen Knight burns.
  Several straw-and-cloth effigies of Iuz are stacked around the
  fire. They are occasionally tossed into the bonfire to riotous cho-
  ruses of cheers, and the reciting of angry and bawdy poems and
  songs.
  D. The Master of Revels. Sitting as Master of this year’s Festival
  is Darbac Gros (male human Ast2; Cha 13), a minor noble and
  known Epicurean of the land. This is his “throne,” a tapped keg of
  ale put up on a tall, decorated dais standing near the bonfire.
  Darbac is a portly older man with a thin beard and no moustache.
  He is wearing a finely tailored, brightly-colored tunic and a feath-
  ered cap, and he totes a large mug of ale, which he constantly fills
  from the keg beneath him. Darbac is, needless to say, drunk.
  After the events in Encounter Three, Captain Doran will dis-
  patch Lieutenant Eamon to Darbac, to inform the Master of
  Revels about the assassination attempt. Darbac knows nothing
  other than what Eaton relates to him. He cares little about events
  as they have transpired so far; he is having far too good a time to
  concern himself with matters that he feels his guardsmen can
  handle quietly.
  E. Keg Cart. Near the Master of Revels is a two-wheeled horse
  cart that has been parked, propped up, and opened for business.
  Four kegs are lined up on the edge of the cart, all of them full of
  ale. Ale is 1 sp per mug-full; buyers must bring their own mugs.
  The ale is of passable quality. 
  Caroff (male human Com2; Cha 14), whose inn, the Worn
  Boot, is some two streets over—far enough from the festivities to
  affect his sales—runs this cart. The portly innkeeper, ever-mind-
  ful of the value of a gold piece, left his wife in charge of the Boot
  and hauled these kegs to the bonfire to assure himself a piece of
  the action. Melick (see Area G) resents his presence, but there is
  little the pub owner can do about it.
  If the PCs arrive here after Encounter Three, they discover
  that Caroff knows nothing about Markun or Altrigan. He is sim-
  ply here to sell ale, and has sold drinks to far too many people to
  remember a particular face.
  F. The Magician. An illusionist delights several children here
  with dancing lights and other magical treats. He is covered in
  Encounter Four.
  G. Melick’s Pub. This building is not really an inn, though there
  are four small rooms for rent in the back (4 gp per night during
  the Festival, or 5 sp per hour). Melick’s Pub is the only drinking
  establishment fronting the town-square, making it a very popular
  place during the Festival. All the tables are full, as is the bar, and
  several of the corners are filled with drinking revelers. Drinks are
  currently triple the costs listed in the Player’s Handbook (“a simple
  case of supply and demand,” Melick will cheerfully claim if any-
  one complains). There is food to be had all at triple the Player’s
  Handbook prices. Four overworked barmaids weave their way
  through the crowds. A young bard sits on a stool near the bar,
  playing tunes on a lute. He has been playing most of the day, and
  gladly takes a break if a PC wants to play for the crowd (Ebby,
  male human Brd1; Cha 14; Perform +4).
  Two nondescript human men and a dwarven male occupy
  one of the tables in the pub, all wearing brown robes and carry-
  ing leather Iuz masks. They all nurse drinks and mutter amongst
  themselves. These three are evil, and are all members of Markun’s
  band; their names are Naghol (the dwarf), Strietch, and Trodley.
  Their stats can be found in full in Encounter Nine. Unless some-
  thing happens to draw them away (see Encounter Four for one
  possible scenario), these three will stay in this location until a
  half hour before the parade, at which point they don their Iuz
  masks and make their way to the Fallen Knight.
  If the PCs arrive here after Encounter Three and begin asking
  questions, they will find no useful information. Most of the peo-
  ple here have been drinking and carousing the whole afternoon,
  and are in no mood for inquiries. The three agents of Markun are
  taciturn if questioned, and they will tell any PC who pressures
  them to answer to “shove off.” They are under orders to avoid
  drawing attention to themselves, and so they will not pick a fight. 
  H. Guard’s Tent. In response to the anticipated crowds at this
  year’s Festival, the local rulers have paid a number of guards to
  patrol the town-square and the surrounding area. This tent, set on
  the very edge of the town-square, is their temporary headquar-
  ters. Stationed here at all times, unless there is an emergency, is
  Captain Doran, a gruff and wizened old guardsman who lacks a
  sense of humor. Doran does not like the Festival of Fallen
  Knights. Also present is Lieutenant Eamon, Doran’s reliable and
  soft-spoken second-in-command. There are a dozen guardsmen
  patrolling the Festival grounds. Two of them will be at the tent at
  any given time; the rest are patrolling the Festival, and all of them
  will come if Doran gives a holler. 
  Captain Doran, male human Ftr5: CR 5; Medium-Size
  Humanoid; HD 5d10+5; hp 35; Init +0; Spd 30; AC 18 (+5 breast-
  plate, +2 large metal shield, +1 Dex); Atks +8 melee (1d8+4 [crit
  19-20], longsword) or +5 ranged (1d8 [crit 19-20], light crossbow);
  AL LG; SV Fort+, Ref +, Will +.
  Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 10; Wis 13; Cha 12.
  Skills: Handle Animal +7, Intimidate (cc) +5, Jump +5, Ride
  +6, Swim +4; Feats: Cleave, Expertise, Great Cleave, Power Attack,
  Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword).
  Possessions: longsword, crossbow, 14 bolts, breastplate armor,
  money pouch with 32 gp, 4 sp.
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  6
  Lieutenant Eamon, male human Ftr4: CR 4; Medium-Size
  Humanoid; HD 4d10; hp 26; Init +; Spd 30; AC 19 (+5 chainmail,
  +2 large metal shield, +2 Dex); Atks +5 melee (1d8+1 [crit 19-20],
  longsword) or +7 ranged (1d8 [crit 19-20], light crossbow); AL
  LN; SV Fort Ref Will.
  Str 12, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 9.
  Skills: Climb +3, Craft (pottery) +3, Handle Animal +4, Hide
  +5; Feats: Dodge, Far Shot, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Weapon
  Focus (crossbow).
  Possessions: longsword, crossbow, 14 bolts, chainmail armor,
  money pouch with 15 gp.
  Guardsman (12), male human War2: CR 2; Medium
  Humanoid; HD 2d8+2; hp 15; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30; AC 17 (+4
  scale mail, +1 Dex, +2 large wooden shield); Atks +4 melee
  (1d8+1/crit 19-20, longsowrd) or +3 ranged (1d8/crit 19-20, light
  crossbow); AL LG; Sv Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +0.
  Str 12, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 9.
  Skills: Climb +1, Handle Animal +2, Intimidate +2; Feats: Great
  Fortitude, Weapon Focus (longsword).
  Possessions: longsword, crossbow, 14 bolts, scale armor, small
  shield.
  I. Temple of Rao. This largish building houses a temple to Rao,
  as well as a library. Two clerics also live here: Kennik (male
  human Clr7; Wis 16, Cha 12) and his assistant, Caertim (male
  human Clr2; Wis 15, Cha 13). Neither is particularly interested in
  the Festival of Fallen Knights, and so they can be found in the
  temple all night.
  Encounter Two: The Assassin
  A large crowd stands before an archery range here. Five hay bales
  have been stacked side-to-side, and each has been affixed with a
  paper bulls-eye. The center target has been pulled back, and it
  stands nearly double the distance from the crowd as the rest.
  Three crossbow bolts are stuck in its target—one on the outer
  circle, and two, side-by-side, in the red bulls-eye.
  A large man is aiming for the center target, a light crossbow
  balanced expertly against his left forearm, his right hand tensing
  the trigger. He fires, landing a third bolt in the red bulls-eye. The
  crowd around him cheers, and the fruit of may wagers change
  hands. 
  “There!” the large man shouts. “Who’ll be the next to try their
  luck? I’ve five gold for the person who can beat Altrigan
  Werebane!”
  The shooter is Altrigan Werebane, a ranger and hunter who
  specializes in tracking and slaying lycanthropes.
  Altrigan Werebane, male human Rgr6: CR 6; Medium-Size
  Humanoid; HD 6d10+6; hp 46; Init +6; Spd 30; AC 15 (+2 leather,
  +1 small wooden shield, +2 Dex); Atks +8/+3 melee (1d8+2 [crit
  19-20] longsword), +8/+3 melee (1d6+2 [crit 19-20], shortsword)
  or +9/+4 ranged (1d8 [crit 19-20], light crossbow); SA Favored
  enemies shapechangers, vermin; AL CG; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will
  +3. 
  Str 15, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 11.
  Skills: Animal Empathy +8, Hide +5, Listen +8, Search +1, Spot
  +4, Wilderness Lore +10; Feats: Alertness, Point Blank Shot,
  Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (crossbow).
  Equipment: Leather armor, longsword, dagger, light crossbow,
  quiver with 14 crossbow bolts, and 10 silver-tipped bolts.
  Spells (1): 1st-level—summon nature’s ally I.
  Altrigan is a barrel-chested and meaty man who does not fit the
  standard conception of a ranger. He is loud and jovial, with deep-
  set brows and long, greasy black hair. 
  As soon as Altrigan issues his challenge, a young man with
  dirty blonde hair pushes his way through the crowd, shouting
  that he’ll take the challenge. If a PC also steps forward, let the PC
  challenge Altrigan first. The target is 40 ft away; the outer circle
  is AC 15, the inner circle is AC 18, and the bullseye is AC 22. The
  higher modified attack roll indicates which bolt lands closer to
  the target. Should a PC best Altrigan, he gladly pays them the 5
  gold, acknowledging the winner but insists light-heatedly that
  the PC was “very, very lucky.”
  The challenger from the crowd is Astin. His full stats can be
  found in Encounter Three. When his turn to challenge Altrigan
  comes, read the following.
  Altrigan takes aim, and fires off a bolt. It flies wide, and
  strikes the edge of the bulls-eye. Several excited cheers roll
  through the crowd
  The challenger steps up, and carefully aims his crossbow. His
  finger tightens on the trigger…just before he turns and fires off
  the bolt, point-blank, at Altrigan! 
  Astin has a +1 to his attack at point-blank range. Altrigan, sur-
  prised, flat-footed, and lacking his shield, dropping his AC to 12.
  The DM can roll the attack, but for dramatic purposes, declare
  that the arrow pierces Altrigan in the shoulder. The bolt is laced
  with the venom of a purple worm, particularly nasty and capable
  of incapacitating even a man like Altrigan.
  Purple Worm Poison: Injury DC 24; Primary 1d6 Str;
  Secondary 1d6 Str.
  Immediately after Astin fires his bolt, combat initiates. Assume
  the first round is a surprise round for all but Astin.
  Tier One (EL 1)
  Astin, male human Rog1: CR 1; Medium-Size Humanoid; HD
  1d6+2; hp 8; Init +7 (Improved Initiative, Dex); Spd 30; AC 13
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  7
  (+3 Dex); Atks +0 melee (1d6 [crit 19-20], shortsword) or +4
  ranged (1d8 [crit 19-20], light crossbow); SA Rog sneak attack
  +1d6; AL NE; SV Fort +1, Ref +5, Will -1.
  Str 11; Dex 17; Con 12; Int 11; Wis 8; Cha 11.
  Skills: Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Listen +3, Move Silently +7,
  Open Lock +7, Pick Pockets +7, Spot +3, Search +4, Sense
  Motive +3; Feats: Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot.
  Possessions: Two poison-tipped arrows, light crossbow, a short-
  sword, an Iuz mask, a money pouch with 20 gp and 1 pp.
  Tier Two (EL 3)
  Astin, male human Rog3: CR 3; Medium-Size Humanoid; HD
  3d6+6; hp 20; Init +3 (Dex); Spd 30; AC 13 (+3 Dex); Atks +3
  melee (1d6+1 [crit 19-20], shortsword) or +6 ranged (1d8 [crit
  19-20], light crossbow); SA Rog sneak attack +2d6; SQ Evasion,
  uncanny dodge; AL NE; SV Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +0.
  Str 12; Dex 17; Con 14; Int 11; Wis 8; Cha 11.
  Skills: Escape Artist +8, Hide +9, Jump +4, Listen +5, Move
  Silently +7, Open Lock +9, Pick Pockets +8, Read Lips +5, Spot
  +4, Search +4, Sense Motive +3; Feats: Improved Initiative, Point
  Blank Shot, Precise Shot.
  Possessions: Two poison-tipped arrows, light crossbow, a short-
  sword, an Iuz mask, a money pouch with 20 gp and 1 pp.
  Tier Three (EL 5)
  Astin, male human Rog5: CR 5; Medium-Size Humanoid; HD
  5d6+10; hp 32; Init +7 (Improved Initiative, Dex); Spd 30; AC 14
  (+4 Dex); Atks +5 melee (1d6+2 [crit 19-20], shortsword) or +8
  ranged (1d8 [crit 19-20], light crossbow); SA Rog sneak attack
  +3d6; SQ Evasion, uncanny dodge; AL NE; SV Fort +2, Ref +8,
  Will +0.
  Str 14; Dex 18; Con 12; Int 11; Wis 8; Cha 11.
  Skills: Bluff +3, Climb +2, Escape Artist +11, Hide +11, Jump
  +4, Listen +5, Move Silently +11, Open Lock +11, Pick Pockets
  +11, Read Lips +6, Spot +5, Search +5, Sense Motive +4; Feats:
  Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot.
  Possessions: Two poison-tipped arrows, light crossbow, a short-
  sword, an Iuz mask, a money pouch with 20 gp and 1 pp.
  Astin is an agent of the Shadowclaw, a lackey in the employ of the
  were-mage Markun. He will attempt to flee immediately after fir-
  ing the shot, , and will attempt to blend into the crowd. Several
  people in the crowd begin to shout, but none of them are brave
  enough to try to stop him. If cornered Astin will turn and attack,
  but he is no fool—if five or six PCs with swords and spells attack
  him, he will not stand and fight. To aid in his escape, Astin has
  two more arrows tipped with the same purple worm poison; in a
  pinch, he will shoot a pursuing PC in an attempt to buy himself
  some time.
  If Astin is captured, he says nothing to the PCs. He will not
  answer questions out of fear—not fear of the PCs, but of Markun
  and Iuz. He is eventually hauled to the local guardhouse. He will
  be found dead the next morning, the victim of a poisoned bolt
  much like the one he fired at Altrigan.
  At the same time, Altrigan is succumbing to the poison. The
  purple worm poison is strong, but not automatically lethal, and
  can be treated magically as normal. If any PC stops to help
  Altrigan, he smiles at them gratefully, then delivers the speech
  below as they tend to his wounds. Otherwise, he speaks at the
  first opportunity once the assassin has fled or been dispatched. 
  “Please, you look like folk of good character and an adventurous
  spirit. Listen, quickly, as I feel weak. 
  “I’ve come to the Festival for a purpose. I seek a foul minion
  of Iuz the Evil, an agent who’s up to something at the Festival—I
  know not what, but I have been hunting him long enough to
  know it cannot be good. His name is Markun; he is a werewolf,
  and a wizard of no small skill. He’s a tallish man, human, with a
  shock of dark brown hair and a scar that cuts across the bridge of
  his nose—I gave him that scar, when last we confronted one
  another. He remembers me well, and it is probably he who sent
  that foul friend of Iuz to kill me.”  
  Altrigan removes a bundle of ten crossbow bolts, tied with a
  leather string, from his quiver. In the flickering light, you can see
  that each is tipped with silver.
  “I feel weak. I fear that even if I survive this poison, I’ll have
  not the strength to stop him tonight. Please, find him. Stop what-
  ever he’s up to. Use these, if you can.” 
  The DM may wish to have the treasure certificate for the silver-
  tipped crossbow bolts on hand, so that he may track their usage
  throughout the module (If PCs shoot a bolt there is a 50% chance
  it is either broken or lost). Bolts used by the PCs over the course
  of the scenario are spent, and not rewarded at the end of the mod-
  ule.
  The commotion also summons the guards from the nearby
  tent, including Captain Doran. Doran takes charge quickly. He
  tells his guards to begin questioning the assembled crowd, and
  insists on bringing Altrigan to the nearby Temple of Rao (or a
  more aappropriate temple based on the Region in question)
  regardless of whatever healing the PCs have given. Two guards-
  men go off for a litter and return in five minutes to carry Altrigan
  off; Altrigan rests the remainder of the night, and will not be able
  to assist the PCs in their search for Markun. If any PC is suffering
  from the effects of the poison, they, too, are taken to the temple,
  where Kennik tends to them. Kennik can cast neutralize poison,
  and will do so for a very moderate donation to the Temple (25 gp
  x Tier).
  Meanwhile, Captain Doran begins to demand information
  (Doran is not the type to “ask” when a crime has been commit-
  ted). If Astin has been killed or apprehended, Doran wants to
  know who the responsible party is. The crowd around the
  archery range will quickly identify any PC who captured or
  killed Astin. Doran is not interested in arresting the PCs if Astin
  is dead, since the crowd will also quickly identify Astin as the
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  8
  assassin. 
  If any PC looted Astin’s body, and especially if they took the
  poisoned crossbow bolts, Doran finds out from the assembled
  crowd, and asks the PC to return any and all looted items. Not
  only does Doran consider the bolts and anything else on Astin
  save coinage, as evidence, but poison-tipped weapons are illegal
  within the town, and any PC who takes them away to use later
  may face an arrest, if the bolt is discovered. 
  Whether Altrigan succumbs to the poison, falls unconscious,
  or survives the PCs will have his request to deal with.
  Furthermore, Captain Doran knows much of Altrigan’s story;
  Altrigan spoke to Doran earlier that day, and related everything,
  including the description of Markun. If the PCs tried to stop the
  assassin, or tried to save Altrigan, but seems reluctant to track
  down Markun at his request, Captain Doran himself asks them to
  help:
  “Altrigan came to me earlier with his story. I didn’t believe him
  then; I am more inclined to, now. You’ve done a good service
  here, for both he and myself, and for that I thank you. Perhaps, if
  you are so inclined, you could do more. 
  “I’ll put the word out to my men that this monster is about. If
  my men see anything, they will be sure to act, but this sounds
  like something beyond their abilities. If you can find this mon-
  ster, if you can bring him in, I would be most grateful. I ask only
  that you keep your weapons sheathed unless absolutely neces-
  sary, and that you be discreet in your inquiries—I don’t want to
  disrupt this crowd anymore than this attack already has.”
  Doran cannot promise any reward, and makes no mention of it,
  unless the PCs ask. If he must, he will use as leverage the fact that
  certain PCs have themselves committed murder, if they slew
  Astin; even the killing of a known assassin is murder, after all. 
  He will want to leave soon after so that he can coordinate his
  men, though he can stay to answer a few more questions. Under
  no circumstances can Doran be persuaded to shut down the
  Festival. He does not, technically, have the authority to do so, and
  the man who does, Master of Revels Darbac Gros, is too drunk to
  consider such a thing.
  DM Note: If the PCs do not approach the archery range
  within a short time of the adventure’s opening, this encounter
  occurs anyway, and the PCs are likely to be drawn by the hue and
  cry raised by the crowd. They may still be able to apprehend or
  kill Astin as he flees the scene. In this instance, the request for
  assistance will come from Doran himself to any PC who assists,
  as the PCs will likely not have an opportunity to speak to
  Altrigan.
  Encounter Three: The Villain
  Unbeknownst to the PCs, Captain Doran, or Altrigan Werebane,
  the very topic of their conversations is on the edges of the
  archery range crowd, watching events as they develop. Markun
  Darkenclaw is walking the Festival disguised as the Fawkes-like
  bogeyman Iuz, an anonymous reveler amongst a thousand. 
  Markun’s mask is identical to those worn by half the revelers
  at the Festival, and it will be very difficult for the PCs to notice
  him without arcane means (Markun gains a +10 for any PC to
  make note of a particular masked man within the crowd trailing
  them). Markun’s full statistics can be found in the Appendix.
  Markun watches the developments of the assassination with
  interest. When the PCs leave the archery range he trails them,
  curious about this new development. He tries to listen in on any
  conversations the PCs have, shifting into hybrid form beneath
  his mask to improve his Listen skill (Listen +17 as wolf or
  hybrid). If the PCs split, he follows whichever group appears to
  be heading toward either Noblish’s shop (Encounter Five) or the
  creek where the bodies are hidden (Encounter Six).
  If Astin escapes Markun makes his way to the staging
  grounds as soon as the PCs leave the archery range. He has
  arranged to meet the assassin after the attempt (see Encounter
  Six for the possible consequences of their meeting). The meeting
  takes about fifteen minutes; afterwards, Markun returns to the
  Festival, finds the PCs, and once again begins trailing them. 
  If the PCs discover the bodies (Encounter Six), or if at any
  time he deems they are too close to discovering the truth of his
  plot, Markun decides to act. He leaves the PCs and gathers
  Naghol, Strietch, and Trodley from Melick’s Pub, and orders
  them to attack the PCs if the opportunity arises. He orders them
  to follow the PCs at a distance, and take the first opportunity to
  attack either a lone PC, or a pair of PCs. Under no circumstances,
  he notes, are they to attack the entire party. The stats for Naghol,
  Strietch, and Trodley can be found in Encounter Eight.
  If Markun is somehow discovered before the burning of
  the Fallen Knight, he flees. He will shift into wolf form and
  head for the nearby woods, where his superior speed (50 ft.) and
  skills (Hide +3, Move Silently +4, Listen +17, Spot +17) may help
  him elude capture. He attempts to rejoin the crowd at the festival
  as soon as he has eluded pursuit, killing an anonymous com-
  moner if need be to obtain a new mask and outfit. If this happens,
  Markun immediately sends Naghol, Strietch, and Trodley after
  the PCs, delivering the orders detailed above.
  If the PCs discover the spell pouch before it burns, there-
  by foiling Markun’s plans, he gathers all of his agents together
  and attacks the PCs in the street (see Encounter Eight for the vil-
  lains, their statistics, and their tactics). In this instance, the attack
  is one of vengeance, and all of the villains—lycanthropes and
  Shadowclaw agents alike—will attack the PCs. 
  Markun will not begin killing innocents in this instance.
  Regardless, the appearance of lycanthropes in the middle of the
  crowd, as well as the dangers of being too close to a sword fight,
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  9
  will send much of the crowd into a panic. This will incapacitate
  the patrolling guardsmen, whose duty is first and foremost to
  control the panicked crowd. They will not be able assist the PCs
  in their battle.
  Encounter Four: The Wizard
  A thin man in red and blue robes performs here for a crowd of
  onlookers, mostly children. He balances some brightly colored
  balls of light in one hand, and in the other he manipulates the
  image of a dancing knight. The wizard is skinny and tanned, with
  a shock of dark hair and a prominent jaw. A dull red scar stretch-
  es across the bridge of his nose and down his left cheek.
  Eldubrais Feylight, male half-elf Brd1/Wiz3 (Illusionist):
  CR 4; Medium-Size Humanoid; HD 3d4+1d6; hp 13; Init +1
  (Dex); Spd 30; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Atks +1 melee (1d3-1, unarmed
  strike); SQ Cannot cast Divination or Necromancy spells, as half-
  elf; AL LN; SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +7.
  Str 9, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 11.
  Skills: Concentration +3, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Perform +4,
  Profession (herbalist) +6, Ride +4, Spellcraft +8; Feats: Iron Will,
  Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (Illusion).
  Possessions: A well-tailored Festival costume, a pouch of spell
  components, a money pouch with 12 sp.
  Spells Prepared (Wiz 4+1/3+1/2+1): 0-level—dancing lights (x3),
  ghost sound, mage hand. 1st-level—change self, silent image (x2), ven-
  triloquism. 2nd-level—minor image (x3).
  Spells Known (Brd 4): 0-level—prestidigitation (x4). 
  Eldubrais Feylight is an illusionist. He has dreams of being an
  entertainer, but he has no skill with instruments and a weak
  voice that does not carry. What he does have are illusions, and he
  is quite good at making them enjoyable. When the PCs approach,
  he is entertaining the audience with prestidigitation. 
  The PCs may quickly note that Eldubrais looks like the
  description Altrigan gave them, straight down to the scar cutting
  across his nose. Eldubrais is not the man Altrigan is hunting,
  however much he superficially matches the description. The scar
  and the dark hair are actually one of his illusions; part of a change
  self spell he cast on himself for the Festival. Beneath the illusion
  Eldubrais is older, with gray along the temples of light brown
  hair, and he has no scar.
  Eldubrais’ resemblance to the mage sought by Altrigan is not
  coincidence. The results of Eldubrais’ change self spell are based
  on an encounter with the Markun, the weremage—a gruff
  stranger with a shock of black hair and a ripping scar across his
  nose and cheek that questioned Eldubrais’ about certain magical
  components. His story is related in full below.
  “You’re looking for someone who looks like me? Then you’re
  looking for the man I met yesterday. He came to my home, and
  started questioning me about spell components. Heard I was an
  accomplished illusionist, he said. Well, I’m not slouch in that
  department, but I had no clue what he was talking about. He was
  asking about scrolls and triggers and such that I’ve never studied,
  never worked with. I told him that Noblish, the old tallow-maker
  down the way, knew more about the kinds of things he was talk-
  ing about. A useful little creature that Noblish.
  “Anyway, when I couldn’t answer his questions, he mocked
  my “meager skills,” then asked if I had any of the things he was
  asking about. Well, I wasn’t going to just ignore the insult and sell
  him my stuff. I told him to shove off! Only, this morning, I found
  that the things he was asking about were missing from my shop.
  Stolen, I’ll bet! 
  “He creeped me out, and that’s why I look like this tonight.
  He stole my things, so I stole his look!”
  The items stolen from Eldubrais include some common spell
  components (all of them used for illusion spells, Eldubrais’ spe-
  cialty) and a scroll of minor image. Eldubrais can direct the PCs to
  the home of Noblish the tallow-maker. He cannot remember any
  other details of his encounter with Markun, and has no other
  useful information.
  The PCs at this point may ask to make a Spellcraft check
  based on the information Eldubrais has given them. Eldubrais’
  information is incomplete enough that determining much of
  anything will be difficult. 
  •
  1-25: The PC can think of nothing relevant.
  •
  25+: The components being sought are unusual enough that
  whatever Markun is planning, it is not a standard spell or
  magic item.
  Encounter Five: The Goblin
  Noblish’s shop is located just off the main road that will be used
  as a parade route. The carved placard that hangs outside the
  door—a candle in a brass candleholder—easily identifies it.
  When you arrive outside the shop, you notice that the inside is
  dark. The door is ajar. 
  If the PCs knock, they receive no response. Pushing open the
  door and shining a light inside (or using darkvision or low-light
  vision) reveals the following.
  Inside the shop is a stuffy mess of jars, pots, bowls, and bundles
  of herbs. A strong, earthy odor hangs in the air. There are places
  in the front of the shop where lanterns and candles once sat for
  sale; most of these have been sold, and the shelves are nearly bare.
  On the floor are several spilled jars of dried leaves and pow-
  ders. Some of the jars are broken, and potsherds are scattered
  across the floor.
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  10
  Any PC with a Profession (herbalist) examining the spilled
  herbs and powders is allowed a Skill check (DC 15) to identify
  the spilled herbs: whig plant, red clover, and aconite. All three
  jars were tossed to the ground as Markun searched the shop. 
  PCs spending time to Search the front room will find (DC
  15) a still damp and muddy footprint near the main door.
  Caught in the footprint is a bit of leaf; a successful Wilderness
  Lore or Knowledge (nature) check (DC 20) will identify it as a
  piece of water reed, common near lakes, streams, and rivers. 
  The back room is full of the tools of Noblish’s various
  trades—chunks of wax, balls of string, herbs and spell compo-
  nents of every variety, and a small stone fireplace with a cooking
  pot. 
  In the center of the room, a small, warty form with yellowed
  skin, pointy ears, and a brown robe lies face down on the wood-
  en floor.  The back of its head sports a large welt, from which a
  small amount of blood has trickled. As you enter the room, the
  form begins to stir.
  The form on the floor is Noblish the Tallow-Maker.
  Noblish, male goblin Wiz3: Small-Size Humanoid (2’11” Tall);
  HD 3d4; hp 10; Init +1; Spd 30; AC 12 (+1 Size, +1 Dex); Atks +1
  melee (1d4-1/crit 19-20, dagger); SQ Darkvision; AL N; SV Fort
  +0, Ref +1. Will +3.
  Str 8, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 12.
  Skills: Alchemy +5, Craft (candle-making) +8, Knowledge
  (arcana) +8, Knowledge (nature) +5, Profession (herbalist) +6;
  Feats: Brew Potion, Craft Wondrous Item, Scribe Scroll.
  Possessions: A dagger.
  Spells Prepared (4/3/2): 0-level—detect poison, mage hand,
  mending, arcane mark. 1st-level—alarm, identify, message. 2nd-
  level—arcane lock, Leomund’s trap.
  Noblish is a skilled candle-maker, as well as a herbalist and a
  hedge wizard. He is also a goblin, albeit one whose cheery per-
  sonality and complete innocuousness has allowed him to live
  mostly unmolested amongst the humans of the town. He is very
  self-conscious of his racial heritage, and sensitive to any hostili-
  ty.
  Noblish is providing a unique service to the Festival—
  unique lanterns, colorfully decorated, that generate minor magi-
  cal effects. To light them, Noblish makes a special lantern tallow,
  a short, fat candle with a slight enchantment and special mix-
  ture that burns for an extra-long period of time without spend-
  ing itself.  
  Noblish is also an accomplished herbalist, but when
  Markun came to him earlier this day, the goblin was unable to
  provide him with all of the components he needed, as the gob-
  lin was busy creating enchanted lanterns and other items for
  the Festival. Markun, unhappy with Noblish, reacted violently.
  Below is Noblish’s full recounting.
  “Yes, I met the nasty man. Busy day, today was, and I was making
  lanterns for the Festival—enchanted lanterns, you see? Lots of
  ingredients, lots of charms. And he comes in, and he wanted tal-
  low, he did, and the last of my shallow root. Tallow and shallow!
  Both of them I need, to make my lanterns. 
  “But that’s not all! Asked me even for nightshade, he did.
  Nightshade! I’ve no clue where to get a poison so nasty, and if
  even I did, I still would not have any!
  “So he accosted me! He threatened hurt, until I gave him
  what he wanted. And he warned that if I shouted for help, I’d ‘pay
  for it handsomely.’ His words, not mine—‘handsomely,’ he said.
  “So I didn’t call for help, but hit me anyway, he did. Hit me
  back, and I hit my head, and out I went until you came.”
  Noblish’s story is true. Markun was seeking “tallow and shallow”
  for the spell packet, to help it burn, along with a few other ingre-
  dients. He wanted the nightshade to kill Altrigan, just in case the
  purple worm venom did not do the trick. 
  Noblish will willingly answer any other questions the PCs
  have, though he has little other useful information. The “shallow
  root” Markun sought is a dry, flammable root that, when pow-
  dered, helps tallow to burn brighter and faster. If the PCs ask
  Noblish about the shallow root, he will think to look for the jar
  he keeps it in. It is missing, taken by Markun. If the PCs ask
  about the muddy footprint, Noblish tells them that it has not
  rained for several days. The only muddy places nearby would be
  along the small creek that runs near the town. 
  At this point, PCs who wish to make a Spellcraft check based
  on the items they know Markun has collected may do so. Their
  information is incomplete, however, and the results of a roll
  (based on having both Eldubrais’ information, and Noblish’s
  information) is listed below:
  •
  1-19: The PC can think of nothing relevant.
  •
  20-25: The components being sought are unusual enough
  that whatever Markun is planning, it is not a standard spell
  or magic item.
  •
  26+: The components are of a type common to spells in both
  the Illusion and Necromantic schools. The missing shallow
  root implies that fire might be involved.
  So long as the PCs are civil to Noblish, and do not accost him or
  sneer at his race, read the text below as the PCs are about to leave. 
  “If you’re looking for him, a lantern you’ll need to light your way.
  Here, take this to protect you; long it will burn, even into the
  night, and maybe save you from harm. Borrow it, you may; return
  it to me when you are done.”
  Noblish hands the PCs a small lantern is decorated with colorful
  panes of glass. This is a festival lantern, one of several special
  lanterns that Noblish has crafted for the Festival. While most of
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  11
  the lanterns lighting the town square are simply enchanted with
  light spells, this lantern carries with it the benefits of a protection
  from evil spell to the carrier for as long as the candle is lit. The
  candle inside is specially crafted lantern tallow that will burn for
  the rest of the night.
  Noblish will only give the lantern to a party who treats him
  nicely. As a goblin, he faces enough meanness everyday; he will
  not reward a party who does the same. 
  Encounter Six: The Bodies
  The muddy footprint in Noblish’s shop came from the banks of
  the small creek just outside of town.
  Even in the relatively dry weather of recent weeks, the banks of
  the creek are wet and muddy, filled with water reeds and long
  grass. The creek flows past the town to the southwest, very near
  to a field where, even now, you can hear the assembled commo-
  tion of revelers and performers, and several voices shouting
  orders.
  The commotion the PCs hear comes from the Festival parade
  staging grounds, where assembled performers await their cue to
  begin. The staging grounds are described in Encounter Seven.  
  There are six bodies to be found in the reeds near the staging
  grounds, but the ease or difficulty of finding them will vary. PCs
  searching the muddy banks must slog through muck and dirt, as
  well as puddles of stagnant water. It will take a successful Search
  roll at DC 25 to find what is hidden here quickly, or a careful
  “take 20” Search. The DM is advised to keep careful track of time
  at this point, as the start of the parade is likely close.
  The bodies before you are probably a day old, at most. They have
  been tossed, pell-mell, into a stand of water reeds, and lie vari-
  ously on their sides, backs, and stomachs. Their faces have been
  mutilated, to prevent quick identification, and they have been
  stripped of all but the barest of undergarments. There are six of
  them altogether. 
  If Astin, the assassin from Encounter Three, escaped the PCs, but
  Altrigan survived the attempt, the PCs find Astin’s body nearby
  (Spot, DC 10, for anyone standing over the six bodies). Astin’s
  throat has been cut, apparently by a dagger blade. PCs examining
  the wound will also find bruises around his throat, where he was
  either grabbed or choked just prior to death.
  Markun killed Astin once Astin made good his escape, and
  after Markun realized Astin has fouled up the assassination
  (Markun does not tolerate failure). The murder took place ere in
  the woods, where Astin was to meet Markun to receive his pay-
  ment. Astin’s body has not been looted, and the PCs will find 20
  gp and a platinum coin on the body.
  Encounter Seven: 
  The Parade
  The Festival parade is both the highlight of the evening’s festivi-
  ties, and the focal point of Markun’s plans. The clues leading the
  PCs to the parade are subtle, but PCs who have collected all the
  pertinent information should be directed toward the parade
  and/or the bonfire, if not the Fallen Knight itself. 
  The parade staging grounds, located in the southwest part of
  town very near the place where the bodies have been hidden, are
  a riot of activity in the hours prior to the parade itself. All of the
  parade participants listed below rush about the field, dressing up,
  acting up, and polishing up their performances. The parade
  leader, Brevis, is trying to get them into some semblance of order. 
  At this time, the Fallen Knight lays on its side at the far edge
  of the field, surrounded by the six Shadowclaw agents who will
  be carrying it in the parade (their statistics appear in Encounter
  Eight). They chase away anyone who tries to examine the Fallen
  Knight closely, claiming that it is delicate, and cannot be
  touched. If these agents are questioned before the parade begins
  they plead ignorance, pretending to be nothing more than mem-
  bers of the parade. If accosted before the beginning of the parade
  they do not fight back, but call the guards and demand the arrest
  of the PCs.
  If the PCs reach the staging grounds after the parade has
  begun, all they find is a dark, littered, and trampled area. They
  hear the sounds of the parade in the distance, as it heads toward
  the bonfire.
  The following descriptions are written to anticipate the PCs
  wishing to examine any or all of the parade, as it occurs. The DM
  can use these descriptions to play staging ground encounters, as
  well. 
  The Festival parade takes approximately twenty minutes to
  walk from the staging ground to the bonfire. 
  The leader of the parade is Iuz himself. The parade leader is wear-
  ing a particularly realistic visage of Old Wicked, an animated ver-
  sion of the popular mask that alternately sneers, grins, and growls
  at the assembled revelers. In one hand, this “Iuz” holds a wooden
  staff topped with a cow’s skull. He gestures wildly to the crowd,
  scaring the children and drawing hoots and cries from the adults.
  Six masked monstrosities resembling ogres, zombies, and
  skeletons attend “Iuz.” They shamble along behind their leader,
  growling at the crowds and waving swords and daggers.
  The parade leader’s name is Brevis (male human Wiz2; AL CG;
  Cha 14). His “face” is an illusion, a change self spell cast just prior
  to the parade (Spellcraft, DC 12 to identify). Brevis, if accosted,
  will shout for the guards. Under no circumstances will he con-
  sider halting the parade. Brevis realizes that there are a lot of
  excited and drunken revelers who have been waiting all evening
  for the parade, and especially the burning of the Fallen Knight,
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  12
  and he is not about to risk drunken disturbances if they do not
  get what they want.
  The six “monstrosities” are all costumed, 1st-level commoners.
  They know nothing about Markun. 
  Seven maidens make their way along the parade route. Their
  hair is strung with black and red ribbons, and each carries a wick-
  er basket from which they toss nuts to the crowd. Several of the
  maidens wear paste-and-paint scars across their foreheads and
  cheeks, and all of them have paled out their skin with white pow-
  der.
  These maidens are all 1st-level commoners. They scream loud-
  ly if accosted, summoning nearby guards. They know nothing
  about Markun. 
  Following the maidens are a score of knights wearing paper mail
  and swinging wooden swords. A gang of monstrous minions of
  Iuz, all ragged clothes and green, sickly skin, is setting upon
  them. The knights fight valiantly as they march along, but it
  seems the minions of Iuz are gaining the upper hand.
  These revelers are all simple commoners (Com1; hp 3). They are
  re-enacting a battle from the Wars. The “minions of Iuz” are wear-
  ing green and brown face paste to give themselves scaly skin. The
  knights and minions flee if accosted and return with some
  guards in four rounds. 
  Next are two men leading a large brown bear on a collar and
  chain. The bear is muzzled and docile. One of the two men is
  dressed as Iuz, complete with an Iuz mask, and carries a leather
  strap on a long, ribbon-decorated truncheon that he occasionally
  whacks the bear with. When he whacks the bear it stops for the
  crowd and performs a trick, standing on its front paws and wav-
  ing its rear legs high in the air. The crowd applauds, delighted,
  and the bear and its handlers continue down the route.
  If any PC cast detect evil they discover that the man with the lash
  is neutral evil. He is not one of the villains the PCs seek. Evil
  comes in all shapes and sizes, and this man is simply a cruel and
  self-serving entertainer. He knows nothing about Markun.
  If the PCs attempt to accost the trainer, whose name is
  Krobid, he hits them with his lash, and begins to cry out for the
  guards. His assistant, Castcot (male human Com2; Cha 10; AL N),
  does not fight, but tries to drag the bear away from any fighting
  for fear of the bear getting excited. He has little to fear; the bear
  is so docile from years of training and poor treatment that it has
  no propensity for violence. It could not survive by itself in the
  wild.
  Tier One (EL 1)
  Krobid, male human Exp2: CR 1; Medium-Size Humanoid;
  HD 2d6+5; hp 15; Init +0; Spd 30; AC 10; Atks +3 melee (1d6+2,
  lash); AL NE; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +2.
  Str 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 9, Will 9, Cha 10.
  Skills: Handle Animal +5, Intimidate +4, Perform +4, Pick
  Pockets +4, Ride +4, Wilderness Lore +3; Feats: Great Fortitude,
  Toughness.
  Possessions: Leather Iuz mask, a ribboned lash, pouch with 4
  gp.
  Tier Two (EL 3)
  Krobid, male human Exp4: CR 3; (Medium Humanoid; HD
  4d6+7; hp 25; Init +0; Spd 30; AC 10; Atks +5 melee (1d6+2,
  lash); AL NE; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +3.
  Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 9, Will 9, Cha 10.
  Skills: Climb +4, Handle Animal +7, Intimidate +7, Perform
  +4, Pick Pockets +7, Ride +4, Wilderness Lore +3; Feats: Great
  Fortitude, Run, Toughness.
  Possessions: Leather Iuz mask, a ribboned lash, pouch with 4
  gp.
  Tier Three (EL 5)
  Krobid, male human Exp6: CR 5; (Medium Humanoid; HD
  6d6+9; hp 35; Init +0; Spd 30; AC 10; Atks +7 melee (1d6+3, lash);
  AL NE; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +4.
  Str 16, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 9, Will 9, Cha 10.
  Skills: Climb +4, Handle Animal +8, Intimidate +8, Perform
  +5, Pick Pockets +8, Ride +4, Speak Language (dwarvish) +4,
  Wilderness Lore +5; Feats: Great Fortitude, Run, Toughness.
  Possessions: Leather Iuz mask, ribboned lash, pouch with 4
  gp.
  A small group of bards dance down the parade route, playing a
  merry tune on lute, pipe, harp, and drum. They are all dressed in
  the colors of the day—red, orange, and black. The spry, white-
  haired flutist seems to be leading them.
  The lute player (male half-elf Exp3; Perform +5), harpist
  (female half-elf Exp4; Perform +8), and drummer (male human
  Exp2; Perform +5) are all non-adventuring musicians. The leader
  of this troupe is Gheldon (male half-elf Brd4; Cha 17; Perfrom
  +10; Spells Prepared (3/3/1): 0-level—daze, mending, read magic.
  1st-level—sleep (x2), summon monster I. 2nd-level—scare). Gheldon
  casts his sleep and scare spells on anyone who tries to accost his
  troupe. He is not interested in stopping the parade, as he and his
  troupe are looking to earn a lot of coin from the generous crowds.
  He knows nothing about Markun.
  Another troupe of knights follows the musicians, along with
  more minions of Iuz. Here, though, the faux knights seem to be
  driving the monsters back, as if clearing a path for what follows.
  These are all commoners, and react exactly as those described
  above. Behind this group, lumbering down the parade route, is
  the highlight of the evening: the Fallen Knight. 
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  13
  Encounter Eight: The Knight
  A giant wicker puppet lumbers down the parade route, towering
  above the crowd. This is the center of the parade, and of the
  evening—the Fallen Knight. Six robed men, their faces hidden
  beneath monstrous masks, “walk” the Fallen Knight down the
  street, manipulating arms and legs to make it stride toward the
  waiting bonfire. The highlight of the night will be when the
  Fallen Knight falls into the bonfire, a brilliant reminder of the
  sacrifices made against Iuz.
  The Fallen Knight is a 15-foot-tall wicker figure, articulated
  by 6 handlers using long poles attached to its waist, legs, and
  arms. The six men handling the Fallen Knight are all loyal to Iuz;
  they are minor Shadowclaw agents—wicked men who seek the
  favor of Iuz.
  PCs specifically examining the Fallen Knight as it lumbers
  down the street have a chance to spot the spell package that
  Markun has secreted there. The pouch is lashed to the wicker
  around the Knight’s midriff, hidden in the darkness and the
  shadows. It can be found on a Spot or Search check, DC 25.
  The Shadowclaw agents have one mission: get the Fallen
  Knight to the fire. If the PCs try to stop them during the parade,
  Markun’s agents step from the crowd and confront them while
  the Shadowclaw agents try to rush the Knight to the fire. As a last
  resort, the Shadowclaw agents drop the Fallen Knight and grab
  for several of the torches that are lining the parade route; they
  attempt to light the Fallen Knight in the street to trigger the spell
  pouch.
  The real threat to both the PCs and the Festival are in the
  crowd, where Markun and his band are stalking, awaiting the
  parade to end. The moment the spell pouch within the Knight is
  triggered, Markun’s men have orders to transform themselves
  and attack the revelers at the Festival. The transformation is
  important; Iuz wants to mar the Festival as much as possible, and
  the shape-shifted lycanthropes will be much more terrifying
  than men with swords will. Any attempt by the PCs to halt the
  Fallen Knight’s progress toward its destination draws Markun
  and his lycanthropic agents from the crowd to distract the PCs
  while the Shadowclaw agents attempt to burn the Knight.
  If the PCs do not discover the plot and remove the spell pack-
  age from the wicker knight, its burning spews forth gobs of
  thick, unnatural purple smoke. A unique spell is triggered—a
  combination of minor image and scare spells. The minor image trig-
  gers first, sending dancing, ghostly faces swirling out of the mist.
  These images are appealing, and catch the attention of the crowd
  assembled around the bonfire. One round after the minor image
  triggers, the scare triggers, affecting any viewer who is watching
  the minor image. In that second round, the ghostly faces produced
  by the minor image turn hideous and frightening, and it is that
  change which triggers the scare—the scare is tied to the illusion,
  and does not affect those who deliberately look away. The scare is
  particularly strong, and requires a Will save (DC 18) to negate its
  effects. Markun has ordered his agents to look away once the
  Knight hits the bonfire, and to only look back once the scream-
  ing starts (a sure sign that the scare has triggered). 
  There are at least 200 revelers crowding the area around the
  fire, as well as those in the parade. The DM can determine how
  many of these revelers are affected by the scare by rolling 8 Will
  saves (DC 18), with a +0 bonus (the average for a human, 1st-level
  Commoner), and assuming that each represents roughly 25 rev-
  elers. The more revelers affected by the scare, the more chaotic the
  ensuing battle becomes, as frightened revelers frantically rush
  about. Regardless, the crowd at this point is panicked especially
  when Markun’s lycanthropes begin their attacks. 
  The crowd situation will have one other important effect: it
  will remove Captain Doran and his guards from the coming con-
  frontation. Doran’s interest is in the safety of the crowd first and
  foremost, and he will set his guards (those, at least, who were not
  affected by the scare spell) to the task of evacuating and control-
  ling the crowd in the square.
  Tactics: The minute the scare spell triggers, the lycanthropes
  transform to their hybrid form and attack. Their first and pre-
  ferred targets are common revelers; once the scare has taken
  effect, they will not directly attack the PCs unless confronted.
  The Shadowclaw agents are not part of the slaughter, and they
  gladly step forward and engage the PCs in the name of Iuz, to buy
  the lycanthropes some time. They wear their armor and carry
  their swords under their loose fitting robes.  
  Markun will change as well, but he will remain hidden, pre-
  ferring instead to cast spells in the shadows, bolstering the power
  of his men and preserving his own life. That doesn’t mean that he
  will not fight if confronted; he simply will not choose to engage
  combat. If Naghol, Strietch, and Trodley are all taken down,
  Markun will attempt to flee.
  Tier One (EL 4)
  Note: Where information is listed with a slash, information
  before/after the slash indicates stats for the human/hybrid or
  animal forms.
  Naghol, male wererat: Medium-Size Humanoid; HD 1d8+2;
  hp 10; Init +0/+3; Spd 20/30; AC 12 (+2 natural)/16 (+3 Dex, +3
  natural); Atks +2 melee (1d6+2, rapier) as human/+3 melee
  (1d6+2, rapier) or +1 melee (1d4, bite) as hybrid/+4 melee (1d4,
  bite) as rat; SA Curse of lycanthropy; SQ Rat empathy/scent,
  damage reduction 15 (silver); AL LE; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +4.
  Str 15, Dex 11/17, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8/10.
  Skills: None/Climb +11, Hide +11, Move Silently +6; Feats:
  Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (bite) as rat, Weapon Finesse (rapi-
  er) as hybrid. 
  Naghol is a short and hairy dwarf with black wiry hair and
  brooding eyes. Like all wererats, Naghol can take both a hybrid
  and an animal form. As a hybrid, Naghol retains his dwarvish
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  14
  stature. 
  Strietch, male wererat: Medium-Size Humanoid; HD 1d8+1;
  hp 8; Init +1/+3; Spd 30/40; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural)/16 (+3
  Dex, +3 natural); Atks +0 melee (1d6+2 [crit. 18-20], rapier) as
  human/+3 melee (1d6+2 [crit. 18-20], rapier) or +1 melee (1d4,
  bite) as hybrid/+4 melee (1d4, bite) as rat; SA Curse of lycan-
  thropy; SQ Rat empathy/scent, damage reduction 15 (silver); AL
  LE; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +4.
  Str 10, Dex 13/17, Con 10/12, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 10.
  Skills: None/Climb +11, Hide +11, Move Silently +6; Feats:
  Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (bite) as rat, Weapon Finesse (rapi-
  er) as hybrid. 
  Possessions: Rapier, dagger, leather Iuz mask, money pouch
  with 25 gp.
  Strietch truly looks the part of a wererat, even in human form—
  large front teeth, big ears that stick out from his head, and wiry
  brown hair. Strietch is cocky and overconfident. Like all wer-
  erats, he has both a hybrid and an animal form.
  Trodley, male wererat: Medium-Size Humanoid; HD 1d8+1;
  hp 8; Init +0/+3; Spd 30/40; AC 12 (+2 natural)/16 (+3 Dex, +3
  natural); Atks +2 melee (1d6+2 [crit. 18-20], rapier) as human/+3
  melee (1d6+2 [crit. 18-19], rapier) or +1 melee (1d4, bite) as
  hybrid/+4 melee (1d4, bite) as rat; SA Curse of lycanthropy; SQ
  Rat empathy/scent, damage reduction 15 (silver); AL LE; SV
  Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +4.
  Str 14, Dex 10/17, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10.
  Skills: None/Climb +11, Hide +11, Move Silently +6; Feats:
  Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (bite) as rat, Weapon Finesse (rapi-
  er) as hybrid. 
  Possessions: Rapier, dagger, leather Iuz mask, money pouch
  with 15 gp.
  Trodley is short-limbed and nearly hairless in human form, with
  a bald head and a large, hawkish nose that tends to twitch. Like
  all wererats, Strietch has both a hybrid and an animal form.
  Trodley fights with an intricately decorated rapier that will
  be very noticeable to his opponents. The rapier was looted from
  one of the wererat’s victims.
  Shadowclaw agent (6), male human War1: CR 1/2; Medium-
  Size Humanoid; HD 1d8; hp 8; Init +1; Spd 30; AC 14 (+3 stud-
  ded leather armor, +1 Dex); Atks +3 melee (1d6+2 [crit 19-20],
  shortsword); AL NE; SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +0.
  Str 14, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 10.
  Skills: Climb +4, Listen +2, Spot +2, Swim +4; Feats: Alertness,
  Dodge.
  Possessions: Paper Iuz mask, dagger, and money pouch with
  12 cp.
  Tier Two (EL 6)
  Note: Where information is listed with a slash, information
  before/after the slash indicates stats for the human/hybrid or
  animal forms.
  Naghol, male were-wolverine: CR 4; Medium-Size Humanoid;
  HD 3d8+12; hp 25; Init +1; Spd 20/40, burrow 10; AC 13 (+2 nat-
  ural, +1 Dex)/18 (+4 Dex, +4 natural); Atks +7/+7 melee (1d6+2,
  claws) or +2 melee (1d4+5, bite); SA Wolverine empathy, curse of
  lycanthropy/rage; SQ Alternate form (wolverine)/ scent, damage
  reduction 15 (silver); AL CE; SV Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +4.
  Str 15/20, Dex 13/19, Con 15/19, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8/10.
  Skills: Climb+15, Listen +7, Spot +7 as wolverine.
  SA: Rage (Ex)—If Naghol takes damage while in wolverine
  form, he flies into a berserk rage, clawing and biting madly at the
  attacker until either he or the opponent is dead. He gains +2 Str,
  +2 Con, and –2 AC while enraged.
  Naghol is a short and hairy dwarf with black wiry hair and brood-
  ing eyes. He is quick to anger. Unlike most dwarves, Naghol
  keeps his beard short, and neatly trimmed. Naghol has only one
  alternate form—a larger-than-normal wolverine.
  Strietch, male wererat Rog2: CR 2; Medium-Size Humanoid;
  HD 2d6+1d8+1; hp 18; Init +1/+3; Spd 30/40; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2
  natural)/16 (+3 Dex, +3 natural); Atks +1 melee (1d6+2 [crit 18-
  20], rapier) as human/+4 melee (1d6+2 [crit 18-20], rapier) or +2
  melee (1d4, bite) as hybrid/+5 melee (1d4, bite) as rat; SA Rog
  sneak attack +1d6/curse of lycanthropy; SQ Evasion, rat empa-
  thy/scent, damage reduction 15 (silver); AL LE; SV Fort +5, Ref
  +8, Will +4.
  Str 10, Dex 13/17, Con 10/12, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 10.
  Skills: Balance +6, Disable Device +6, Escape Artist +5, Hide
  +6, Listen +3, Move Silently +5, Read Lips +3, Tumble +6/Climb
  +11, Hide +11, Move Silently +6; Feats: Dodge, Multiattack,
  Weapon Finesse (bite) as rat, Weapon Finesse (rapier) as hybrid. 
  Possessions: Rapier, dagger, leather Iuz mask, money pouch
  with 25 gp.
  Strietch truly looks the part of a wererat, even in human form—
  large front teeth, big ears that stick out from his head, and wiry
  brown hair. Strietch is cocky and overconfident. Like all wer-
  erats, he has both a hybrid and an animal form.
  Trodley, male wererat Rog 3: CR 3 Medium-Size Humanoid;
  HD 3d6+1d8+1; hp 22; Init +4/+7; Spd 30/40; AC 14 (+2 Dex, +2
  natural)/16 (+3 Dex, +3 natural); Atks +4 melee (1d6+2 [crit 18-
  20], rapier) as human/+5 melee (1d6+2 [crit 18-20], rapier) or +3
  melee (1d4, bite) as hybrid/+6 melee (1d4, bite) as rat; SA Rog
  sneak attack +2d6, curse of lycanthropy; SQ Evasion, uncanny
  dodge, rat empathy/scent, damage reduction 15 (silver); AL LE;
  SV Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +5.
  Str 14, Dex 12/17, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10.
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  15
  Skills: Appraise +5, Balance +7, Bluff +5, Disable Device +6,
  Hide +7, Move Silently +7, Open Locks +6, Pick Pockets +6, Spot
  +5 /Climb +11, Hide +11, Move Silently +6; Feats: Improved
  Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Weapon Finesse
  (bite) as rat, Weapon Finesse (rapier) as hybrid.
  Possessions: Rapier, dagger, leather Iuz mask, money pouch
  with 15 gp.
  Trodley is short-limbed and nearly hairless in human form, with
  a bald head and a large, hawkish nose that tends to twitch. Like
  all wererats, Strietch has both a hybrid and an animal form.
  Trodley fights with an intricately decorated rapier that will be
  very noticeable to his opponents. The rapier was looted from one
  of the wererat’s victims.
  Shadowclaw agent (6), male human War3: CR 2; Medium
  Humanoid; HD 3d8+3; hp 20; Init +1; Spd 30; AC 14 (+3 studded
  leather armor, +2 Dex); Atks +5 melee (1d6+2 [crit. 19-20], short-
  sword); AL NE; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +1.
  Str 14, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 10.
  Skills: Climb +4, Jump +4, Listen +2, Spot +2, Swim +4; Feats:
  Alertness, Dodge, Toughness.
  Possessions: Paper Iuz mask, dagger, and money pouch with
  12 cp.
  Tier Three (EL 8)
  Note: Where information is listed with a slash, information
  before/after the slash indicates stats for the human/hybrid or
  animal forms.
  Naghol, male were-wolverine: CR 6; Medium Humanoid; HD
  5d8+18; hp 45; Init +1; Spd 20/40, burrow 10; AC 13 (+2 natural,
  +1 Dex)/18 (+4 Dex, +4 natural); Atks +8/+8 melee (1d6+2, claws)
  or +3 melee (1d4+5, bite); SA Wolverine empathy/rage, curse of
  lycanthropy; SQ Alternate form (wolverine)/scent, damage
  reduction 15 (silver); AL CE; SV Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +4.
  Str 15/20, Dex 13/19, Con 15/19, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8/10.
  Skills: Climb+15, Listen +7, Spot +7 as wolverine.
  SA: Rage (Ex)—If Naghol takes damage while in wolverine
  form, he flies into a berserk rage, clawing and biting madly at the
  attacker until either he or the opponent is dead. He gains +2 Str,
  +2 Con, and –2 AC while enraged.
  Naghol is a short and hairy dwarf with black wiry hair and brood-
  ing eyes. He is quick to anger. Unlike most dwarves, Naghol
  keeps his beard short, and neatly trimmed. Naghol has only one
  alternate form: a larger-than-normal wolverine.
  Strietch, male wererat Rog3: CR 3; Medium-Size Humanoid;
  HD 3d6+1d8+1; hp 22; Init +1/+3; Spd 30/40; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2
  natural)/16 (+3 Dex, +3 natural); Atks +2 melee (1d6+2 [crit. 18-
  20], rapier) as human/+5 melee (1d6+2 [crit. 18-20], rapier) or +3
  melee (1d4, bite) as hybrid/+6 melee (1d4, bite) as rat; SA Rog
  sneak attack +2d6/curse of lycanthropy; SQ Evasion, uncanny
  dodge, rat empathy/scent, damage reduction 15 (silver); AL LE;
  SV Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5.
  Str 10, Dex 13/17, Con 10/12, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 10.
  Skills: Balance +7, Disable Device +7, Escape Artist +6, Hide
  +7, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Read Lips +4, Spot +2, Tumble
  +6/Climb +11, Hide +11, Move Silently +6; Feats: Alertness,
  Dodge, Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (bite) as rat, Weapon
  Finesse (rapier) as hybrid. 
  Possessions: Rapier, dagger, leather Iuz mask, money pouch
  with 25 gp.
  Strietch truly looks the part of a wererat, even in human form—
  large front teeth, big ears that stick out from his head, and wiry
  brown hair. Strietch is cocky and overconfident. Like all wer-
  erats, he has both a hybrid and an animal form.
  Trodley, male wererat Rog5: CR 5; Medium Humanoid; HD
  5d6+1d8+1; hp 30; Init +0/+3; Spd 30/40; AC 15 (+3 Dex, +2 nat-
  ural)/16 (+3 Dex, +3 natural); Atks +6 melee (1d6+2 [crit 18-20],
  rapier) as human/+7 melee (1d6+2 [crit. 18-19], rapier) or +5
  melee (1d4, bite) as hybrid/+8 melee (1d4, bite) as rat; SA Rog
  sneak attack +3d6, curse of lycanthropy; SQ Evasion, uncanny
  dodge, rat empathy/scent, damage reduction 15 (silver); AL LE;
  SV Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +5.
  Str 14, Dex 14/17, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10.
  Skills: Appraise +7, Balance +9, Bluff +7, Disable Device +8,
  Hide +9, Move Silently +9, Open Locks +8, Pick Pockets +8, Spot
  +5 /Climb +11, Hide +11, Move Silently +6; Feats: Improved
  Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Weapon Finesse
  (bite) as rat, Weapon Finesse (rapier) as hybrid.
  Possessions: Rapier, dagger, leather Iuz mask, money pouch
  with 15 gp.
  Trodley is short-limbed and nearly hairless in human form, with
  a bald head and a large, hawkish nose that tends to twitch. Like
  all wererats, Trodley has both a hybrid and an animal form.
  Trodley fights with an intricately decorated rapier that will
  be very noticeable to his opponents. The rapier was looted from
  one of the wererat’s victims.
  Shadowclaw agent (6), male human War5: CR 5; Medium
  Humanoid; HD 5d8+3; hp 28; Init +1; Spd 30; AC 14 (+3 stud-
  ded leather armor, +1 Dex); Atks +7 melee (1d6+2 [crit. 19-20],
  shortsword); AL NE; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1.
  Str 14, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 10.
  Skills: Climb +5, Jump +4, Listen +2, Spot +2, Swim +5; Feats:
  Alertness, Dodge, Toughness.
  Possessions: Paper Iuz mask, dagger, and money pouch with
  12 cp.
  
  THE ADVENTURE
  Festival Knight
  16
  The Conclusion
  By the time the battle is over, Captain Doran has gained suffi-
  cient control of the crowd. While there are still frightened and
  panicked villagers about, the majority of the revelers have fled
  the area. Within a few minutes of the battle’s end, Doran leaves
  the crowd in the capable hands of his lieutenant and approaches
  you, offering his congratulations. He offers to take the wounded
  to the Temple of Rao, where they can be tended to for free, as a
  sign of gratitude from the city. 
  Doran also carries a message, and a gift, from Altrigan
  Werebane. Altrigan bids you to keep whatever silver-tipped
  crossbow bolts remain from the bundle he provided you. He has
  also sent for your group a well-crafted dagger veined with silver,
  as a reward for saving his life and doing the job he had come to
  the Festival to do. 
  The bodies of the villains are particularly sparse. None of the
  items stolen from Eldubrais or Noblish will be found, as all of
  them went into the making of the spell pouch. The only things
  of value on the villains are coins, a few pieces of equipment, and
  the intricately scrolled rapier wielded by Trodley. On Markun,
  the PCs also discover a small, travelling spellbook (Markun’s pri-
  mary spellbook is secreted away, and cannot be found). The book
  contains the common spells daze, ray of frost, enlarge, and blur, as
  well as the unique spell ripclaw.
  If the spell pouch was not burned, then Eldubrais, the illu-
  sionist, will request it for study—he is very interested in how
  Markun put his minor image scroll to use. To thank the PCs for
  tracking down the thief, even if his stolen property was unre-
  coverable, Eldubrais will gratefully copy the unique spell (rip-
  claw) found on Markun, if the weremage is captured, as well as
  taking a copy for himself. He also offers the PCs a rare spell from
  his own spellbook: resist lycanthropy.
  Noblish the Tallow-maker’s gift may already be in the hands
  of the PCs—the festival lantern. If it is not, he will reward the PCs
  with it, at the personal behest of Captain Doran, later in the
  night. 
  The End
  
  EXPERIENCE & TREASURE
  Festival Knight
  17
  Experience Point Summary
  To award experience for this adventure, add up the values for
  the objectives accomplished. Then assign the discretionary role-
  playing experience award. The roleplaying award should be
  given for consistent character portrayal and contribution to the
  fun of the game. You can award different roleplaying amounts to
  different characters.
  Award the total value (objectives plus roleplaying) to each
  character.
  Encounter Two
  Defeating Astin
  20 xp
  Saving Altrigan 
  10 xp
  Encounter Four
  Speaking with Eldubrais
  10 xp
  Encounter Five
  Speaking with Noblish
  10 xp
  Encounter Six
  Discovering the bodies
  30 xp
  Encounter Eight
  Defeating Markun
  75 xp
  Defeating Naghol
  50 xp
  Defeating Strietch
  50 xp
  Defeating Trodley
  50 xp
  Defeating Shadowclaw Agents
  50 xp
  Preventing the Knight from burning
  75 xp
  Total experience for objectives
  410 xp
  Discretionary roleplaying award
  0-50 xp
  Total possible experience
  460 xp
  Treasure Summary
  Player characters may keep items from the scenario that are list-
  ed on the treasure list below or which meet the following condi-
  tions: 
  1. The item must be non-magical and specifically listed in the
  text of the adventure (e.g armor on foes). If it is not listed in the
  text, the characters cannot keep it. Items of this nature can be
  sold for 50% of book value, or recorded on a log sheet. 
  2. Animals, followers, monsters, henchmen, and so forth (any
  living being, basically) may not be kept from a scenario for any
  reason unless the treasure summary lists the being specifically.
  It is okay for the player characters to form relationships with
  NPCs, but these will not be certed and cannot bring material
  benefit to the character. Contacts (sources of extra information)
  must be specifically certed.
  3. Theft is against the law, but may be practiced by some player
  characters. Items which are worth more than [insert campaign
  value] that are of personal significance to the owner (including
  family heirlooms), and all magical items, will be discovered in
  the possession of the character by one means or another. The
  character must return the item and pay a fine equal to three
  times the value of the item stolen. In addition, the PC caught
  receives campaign-decided penalties for being known as a thief,
  such as Infamy. For other stolen items which meet the criteria
  in #1 above, use your judgment and the circumstances within
  the game to determine whether a PC thief gets away with the
  theft or not. 
  Any item retained according to these rules, which does not have
  a certificate, will not ever have a certificate issued for it. 
  The campaign staff reserves the right to take away any item
  or gold acquired for things it later finds unreasonable but which
  were allowed at the time.
  Encounter Two:
  • 20gp, 1pp
  • 10 silver-tipped crossbow bolts [certed]
  Encounter Five
  • A festival lantern [certed].
  Encounter Eight:
  • 90 gp, 12 sp. 12 cp.
  • 2 rapiers, 10 gp each
  • 2 leather Iuz masks
  • 8 paper iuz masks
  • 2 daggers, 1 gp each
  • 1 decorated rapier [certed].
  • 6 suits of studded leather armor, 10 gp each
  • 6 shortswords, 5 gp each
  Conclusion
  • Masterwork silver dagger [certed]
  • Arcane Scroll, resist lycanthropy [certed]
  • Arcane Scroll, ripclaw [certed]
  
  APPENDIX 
  Festival Knight
  18
  Appendix: 
  Markun the Weremage
  The cunning, evil Markun may be encountered throughout this
  scenario, and so his statistics are presented here, for easy refer-
  ence during play.
  Tier One (EL 5)
  Markun, male werewolf Wiz2: CR 5; Medium Humanoid; HD
  2d8+2d4+6; hp 22; Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30/50; AC 14/16 (+2 natu-
  ral, +2 Dex)/(+4 natural, +2 Dex); Atks +2 melee (1d4+1/crit 19-
  20, dagger)/+4 melee (1d6+1, bite); SA None/trip, curse of lycan-
  thropy; SQ Wolf empathy/scent, damage reduction 15/silver as
  wolf or hybrid; AL CE; SV Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +6.
  Str 12/13, Dex 15, Con 12/15, Int 18, Wis 13, Cha 14/10.
  Skills: Alchemy +5, Concentration +5, Hide +2, Intimidate +2,
  Knowledge (arcana) +4, Scry +4, Spellcraft +4/Hide +3, Listen
  +17, Move Silently +4, Spot +17; Feats: Craft Wondrous Item,
  Scribe Scroll/Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
  (bite). 
  Spells (4/3): 0-level–daze, flare, ray of frost, resistance; 1st-
  level–enlarge, ray of enfeeblement, shocking grasp.
  Possessions: 2 daggers, a leather Iuz mask, a pouchful of spell
  components, a money pouch with 50 gp, 20 sp, and a travelling
  spellbook with the following spells: daze, ray of frost, enlarge,
  blur, ripclaw.
  Tier Two (EL 7)
  Markun, male werewolf Wiz4: CR 7; Medium Humanoid; HD
  2d8+4d4+8; hp 33; Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30/50; AC 14/16 (+2 natu-
  ral, +2 Dex)/(+2 Dex, +4 natural); Atks +3 melee (1d4+1/crit 19-
  20, dagger)/+5 melee (1d6+1, bite); SA None/trip, curse of lycan-
  thropy; SQ Wolf empathy/scent, damage reduction 15/silver as
  wolf or hybrid; AL CE; SV Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +7.
  Str 12/13, Dex 15, Con 12/15, Int 19, Wis 13, Cha 14/10.
  Skills: Alchemy +5, Concentration +6, Hide +4, Intimidate +3,
  Knowledge (arcana) +6, Move Silently +2, Scry +4, Spellcraft
  +6/Hide +3, Listen +17, Move Silently +4, Spot +17; Feats:
  Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, Scribe Scroll/ Blind-
  Fight, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse (bite). 
  Spells (4/4/3): 0-level–daze, flare, ray of frost, resistance. 1st-
  level–enlarge, ray of enfeeblement, shocking grasp, true strike.  2nd-
  level–blur, ripclaw, Tasha’s hideous laughter.
  Possessions: 2 daggers, a leather Iuz mask, a pouchful of spell
  components, a money pouch with 50 gp, 20 sp, and a travelling
  spellbook with the following spells: daze, ray of frost, enlarge,
  blur, ripclaw.
  Tier Three (EL 9)
  Markun, male werewolf Wiz6: CR 9; Medium Humanoid; HD
  2d8+6d4+10; hp 40; Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30/50; AC 14/16 (+2 natu-
  ral, +2 Dex)/(+2 Dex, +4 natural); Atks +4 melee (1d4+1/crit 19-
  20, dagger)/+6 melee (1d6+1, bite); SA None/trip, curse of lycan-
  thropy; SQ Wolf empathy/scent, damage reduction 15 (silver) as
  wolf or hybrid; AL CE; SV Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +8.
  Str 13, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 19, Wis 13, Cha 14/10.
  Skills: Alchemy +5, Concentration +6, Hid +4, Intimidate +3,
  Knowledge (arcana) +6, Move Silently +2., Scry +4, Spellcraft +6/
  Hide +3, Listen +17, Move Silently +4, Spot +17; Feats: Combat
  Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus:
  Transmutation / Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative, Weapon
  Finesse (bite). 
  Spells (4/4/4/3): 0-level–daze, flare, ray of frost, resistance. 1st-
  level–enlarge*, ray of enfeeblement, shocking grasp*, true strike. 2nd-
  level–blur, ripclaw (x2)*, Tasha’s hideous laughter.  3rd-level–dispel
  magic, haste*, hold person, slow*.
  * Focused spells
  Possessions: 2 daggers, a leather Iuz mask, a pouchful of spell
  components, a money pouch with 50 gp, 20 sp, and a travelling
  spellbook with the following spells: daze, ray of frost, enlarge,
  blur, ripclaw.
  Markun Darkenclaw, werewolf and wizard, is a singularly evil
  creature who delights in cruelty in malice. He has little patience
  for fools, and even less for failure. He was born a werewolf, and
  he delights in what he is. He prefers the company of his own to
  all others, and sees normal humans as a step below himself and
  his brethren.
  Born in the Kingdom of Nyrond before the War years,
  Markun found himself attracted to the evil power of Iuz very
  early in life. He sided with the demigod long before the
  Greyhawk Wars broke out, and was a valued agent of Iuz during
  those years. He spent most of the War years in Furyondy, sub-
  verting the morale of the military and ripping the throats out of
  men and women dangerous to Iuz’s cause. When Iuz agreed to
  the Treaty of Greyhawk, withdrawing his troops and effectively
  ending open hostilities, Markun was sorely disappointed.  He
  has funneled his disappointment into his activities, and has
  found some measure of satisfaction in the quiet, subversive activ-
  ities of the post-War years. 
  Combat: As a weremage Markun is practiced in casting spells in
  both human and hybrid form.  Casting in hybrid form affords
  him the best advantages, and so he will normally take that form
  before entering a combat.
  Alternate form (Su)—like all werewolves, Markun can take
  on the form of a human, a wolf, or a shaggy, monstrous human-
  wolf hybrid.  Assuming any one shape is a standard action.
  Trip (Ex)—If Markun makes a successful bite attack can
  attempt to trip his opponent as a free action, without making a
  separate attack roll.
  
  APPENDIX 
  Festival Knight
  19
  New spell from the spellbook
  of Markun Darkenclaw
  Ripclaw
  Transmutation
  Level: Sor/Wiz 2
  Range: Touch
  Components: V, S, M
  Duration: 1 round per caster level
  Casting time: One action
  Target: One creature
  Saving Throw: None
  Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
  Ripclaw hardens and sharpens the claws or nails of the affected
  creature, making them like razor-sharp blades and increasing the
  amount damage dealt.  For Medium creatures with pre-existing
  claw attacks, ripclaw increases attack damage by one die type per
  claw, per hit, for the duration of the spell. For example a creature
  with a claw attack of 1d6 would increase to 1d8, on that has a claw
  attack of 1d8, would improve to a 1d10, and so in as similar pro-
  gression. This spell can be cast on humanoid hands as well, grant-
  ing the affected humanoid a claw attack, but with only 1d4 dam-
  age per hit.  
  The material component for this spell is a bit of steel or iron.
  Resist Lycanthropy
  Transmutation
  Level: Sor/Wiz 2, Brd 2
  Range: Touch
  Components: V, S
  Duration: 1 minute/caster level
  Casting time: One action
  Target: One creature
  Saving Throw: None
  Spell Resistance: Yes
  Resist lycanthropy grants resistance to lycanthropic infection from
  claw or bite attacks. Every time the subject of this spell’s effect
  must roll for lycanthropic infection, he or she gains a +5 magical
  bonus to his Fortitude saving throw. Humanoids afflicted with
  lycanthropy gain no benefits from this spell.  
  The spell focus of this spell is a silver necklace, broach, or
  ring, upon which the spell is actually centered. This is not a mate-
  rial component, and is not consumed during casting
  
  MAPS
  Festival Knight
  20
  Map One: The Festival Area and Parade Route
  Note that this map lays out the Festival area only, and does not represent to whole of the town or city where the Festival is located.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/D&D 3rd Edition/3.0 Adventures/Festival Knight.pdf