TEXT: THE TREASURE OF SOCANTRI, PAGE 1
  Copyright © 1981, Simulations Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., 10010
  I.
  Introduction
  The DragonQuest game module, The
  Treasure of Socantri, is meant to be played in
  about 12 hours by four to six characters of
  adventurer level. It is designed to be presented
  as a single adventure, but can be easily
  incorporated into an ongoing campaign.
  Before beginning the adventure, the
  GM should read and thoroughly familiarize
  himself with the background, layout and
  details of the stronghold, and the possible
  situations which may arise. He should compare
  the details of the occurrences within the
  stronghold with the maps so the story becomes
  firmly fixed in his mind.
  This 
  adventure 
  can 
  prove
  particularly deadly if the characters are
  mentally and physically unprepared. If the GM
  feels the characters are not ready for this
  challenge, he may wish to vary the abilities of
  the monsters or reduce their Fatigue and
  Endurance Characteristics to balance the
  encounters. If more than six characters
  participate or their abilities are too strong, the
  GM should add an extra monster or two.
  II. 
  How To Read
  the Maps
  Six maps are provided with this
  adventure.  Four are detailed maps of
  Socantri’s cliff stronghold, done at the scale of
  1 hex equals 5 feet. The fifth shows the area
  surrounding the location of the possible land
  entrances to the stronghold, done at a scale of
  1 hex equals 100 feet. The sixth map shows a
  cross section of the stronghold at a scale of 1
  square equals 20 feet. The details of the
  overland journey are left up to the GM and
  should not substantially affect the adventure.
  Note: Due to the dangers inherent within the
  stronghold, the GM should not allow any
  encounters during the overland journey to
  weaken the party.
  The four maps of the stronghold
  divide those floors into rooms and areas with
  each having it’s own distinct ID number. The
  text of the room and area descriptions (see
  Section VI) is keyed to these ID numbers.
  If the GM wishes to locate the
  stronghold on the Frontiers of Alusia map, it
  would be found in hex 41-207 along the coast.
  The characters would embark on their journey
  from either Regar’s Keep (hex 18-036) or
  possibly Westgate (hex 35-067).
  III.
  Briefings for
  Players
  There are actually two briefings the
  GM may use to entice the players to partake of
  the adventure, and both follow.  They may be
  used separately or together in any manner the
  GM desires.  One suggested method is to start
  the players off with Briefing #1 and then have
  Briefing #2 occur while the characters are on
  their overland journey to the stronghold.
  It is not recommended that the GM
  read these briefings aloud to his players, but
  rather paraphrase them and represent them in
  his own style.  These briefings are to be treated
  as outlines for the GM and should be expanded
  and fleshed out prior to presenting them to the
  players.
  Briefing #1: The characters are
  approached by a member of the local
  Adventurers’ Guild with a proposal. A
  sponsor, a wealthy merchant (who shall remain
  nameless), is offering a large sum of money to
  any group of mercenaries who will assault,
  clean out and despoil a pirate stronghold
  approximately 200 miles west of the town. It
  seems these pirates have inherited a cave
  structure in a cliff face of a peninsula around
  which all of the sponsor’s ships must sail while
  on the homeward leg of their journeys.
  For many years the pirate, named
  Socantri, had an unwritten agreement that he
  would not steal from the sponsor’s ships, but
  recently 
  he 
  broke 
  that 
  agreement 
  and
  ransacked the sponsor’s richest vessel.  The
  sponsor knows through his sources that the
  stronghold has only 15-20 ruffians of meagre
  skills manning it while the ships are out to sea.
  If the mercenaries attack within three weeks,
  the ships will be gone and the stronghold will
  be easy pickings for a stealthy, skilful party.
  His payments are as follows: 10
  True-silver Guineas (T.G.) to each adventurer
  who goes and returns with proof of the
  stronghold’s demise. Five additional T.G.’s
  will be awarded to each member if they can
  recover a small (18" tall) gold statuette of the
  sponsor’s daughter (it is then described to
  them) which was taken on his last raid. The
  mercenaries may also keep any treasure they
  find for themselves. The representative will
  await an answer by tomorrow, else he will seek
  others more enthusiastic.
  If they accept, he will give directions
  to the stronghold, tell of only the main cliff
  entrance (see Section V) which he will claim
  he does not know how to open, and give them
  sketchy 
  information 
  about 
  the 
  cliff-top
  entrance (to room 13). He will recommend
  they enter that way.  At this time there are no
  boats available to make the journey, so he
  recommends they travel by land.
  Briefing #2: As the characters are
  travelling along a path one day, they hear
  moans off to one side in the bush. If they
  investigate, they will discover a male dwarf
  near death from many wounds. If they
  approach him, he will mutter something about
  “...no, no, not any more, please leave me
  alone...” until he sees that these
  people are not out to harm him. He will then
  explain how he was waylaid by a large band of
  Hobgoblins who were attempting to steal his
  ring. They could not find it since he had
  hidden it magically on his clothing. They
  wanted it so they could access Socantri’s
  treasure since they are outfitting for some
  uprising and need the money for arms and
  armour; they knew the ring was a key to get
  inside the pirate’s hold.
  The dwarf managed to convince
  them he did not have it and tells the characters
  to keep it safe so that none may steal the
  treasure. It is a treasure beyond your dreams,
  he will claim, and should not be allowed to fall
  into evil hands. He will then expire, and if the
  characters search his clothing, they will find
  the ring in his undergarments along with a very
  sketchy map of the general location of the
  stronghold (no entrances will be shown). It is
  up to them to proceed from there.
  These briefings may be altered by
  the GM so as to make them fit more coherently
  with his world.
  IV. 
  Briefing for
  the GM
  Notes on #1. All that was told to
  the characters was the truth (so far as the
  sponsor knows it) but it was not the whole
  story. The identity of the of the sponsor should
  not be too difficult to determine if the
  characters desire, and should be some very
  prominent merchant from the GM’s world. He
  should value discretion in this matter because
  the abrogation of the agreement between
  Socantri and him (which was more than just
  unwritten and also involved the exchange of
  stolen goods) was due to a quarrel over the
  sponsor’s daughter. Socantri was in love with
  
  THE TREASURE OF SOCANTRI, PAGE 2
  Copyright © 1981, Simulations Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., 10010
  her, but the sponsor would not allow the
  marriage; so Socantri broke the agreement.
  The sponsor wishes the attack to occur while
  the ships are away because killing Socantri
  (who would surely be out with his ship) would
  surely break his daughter’s heart, and it is
  enough to simply wreck the operation.
  Notes on #2. Again all was true,
  but the dwarf actually did not know that much.
  His wild stories about a treasure (of which
  there actually is a great deal) are based on
  rumours he had heard. Prior to his demise, he
  was a fairly skilful thief who was headed to the
  stronghold on his own, having stolen the ring
  from the hand of a wealthy merchant’s
  daughter. The map was obtained from a
  different source and the rumours of “treasure
  beyond your dreams” actually refers to
  Socantri’s fairly considerable art collection,
  which was recently removed to another
  location (another adventure perhaps?). The
  band of Hobgoblins actually do exist and may,
  if the characters dawdle, arrive at the
  stronghold sometime during the adventure.
  The original concept was that the just the
  threat of them would put the pressure on the
  characters to act quickly; they never arrived
  and were never planned to arrive.
  When the characters arrive at the
  stronghold, they will not find what they expect
  (a small group of ill trained pirates).  They will
  find the place fairly ransacked, and here is
  what has occurred:  Socantri was an Adept of
  Greater Summoning who often called upon
  Samigina (the Marquis of Dead Souls) for
  advice and favours. Samigina tired of this, but
  Socantri was very skilled and Samigina never
  had the opportunity to retaliate. He was
  summoned by another adept in the area, it
  backfired, and Samigina saw his chance to get
  revenge. With a group of skeletons, he entered
  through the grotto (room 34) and wreaked his
  vengeance. Then wishing the pirates’ vessel
  for some fell voyage (obviously the sponsors
  information about the where-abouts of the
  pirates and their ship was erroneous, he has
  spent the time prepping the ship for the trip
  (again, another adventure?).
  The 
  pirate 
  band 
  inherited 
  this
  structure from it’s previous tenant, a Beast
  Master specializing in Fantastical Avians.
  They have done extensive work on the interior
  and were continuing to do so when Samigina
  attacked. They were having problems as the
  cliff was laced with underground streams,
  which they were constantly uncovering with
  their construction. They were always having to
  stop up leaks, and pools of water on the floor
  were a constant source of annoyance.
  The pirates were unaware the spider
  had taken up residence in room 20 since they
  hardly went into it and their move had been
  recent. The same holds true for the Wyvern
  (who was an old friend of the Beast Master)
  and the gorilla. These creatures had all found
  entrances used by the Beast Master and not
  now used by the pirates. They were using these
  locations as shelter and had no idea of preying
  on the pirates (with the exception of the spider)
  since they were able to exit out of the cliff top
  and hunt.
  The attack on the stronghold by
  Samigina took place two days prior to the
  arrival of the party.
  V.
  The Entrances to
  the Stronghold
  When the characters arrive at the
  general location of the stronghold, they must
  find a way in. The "front door" (the main cliff
  face entrance) can only be found from the level
  of the door in front of the cliff. In other words,
  the characters must get beyond the cliff top out
  over the water to see this entrance.  This may
  be done by either magic or mechanical means.
  Once out there in the right location, it will be
  easy to see.
  Map A. (Cross Section of Stronghold)
  1 Square = 20 feet
  The spiders entrance (room 21) must
  be found in the same manner, but it will be
  much harder to find, the spider having hidden
  his lair well.  The gorilla’s entrance (room 1)
  can not be found.  The Wyvern’s entrance
  (room 13) will be easy to see if the characters
  look in the right place (the directions of the
  sponsor in Briefing #1 will lead them there).
  The grotto entrance presents a
  problem.  If the characters have access to a
  vessel and use it to get into the stronghold,
  they will have only a (Navigator’s Rank x 2%)
  chance of negotiating the treacherous rocks
  which guard the entrance to the grotto.  If they
  manage the feat, the pirate ship will not be
  there (Samigina will have taken it out for a
  trial run), but will be there when the characters
  return from any exploring they may do.  All
  else remains the same.  If the characters
  attempt to enter the grotto from above, they
  should be dissuaded by either the danger of the
  climb or the sounds of a ship being prepared
  for sea coming from the opening.
  The front door entrance is a bronze
  door which is locked (Rank 10).  If the
  characters have the ring from the dwarf, they
  will be able to place it into an indentation in
  the door which will open it.
  VI.
  THE LEVELS OF
  THE STRONGHOLD
  Each room is described in the
  following manner: first the room number is
  given, then the ceiling height, then the status of
  the main entrance into the room (open, closed,
  etc.), then a visual description for the
  characters, 
  and 
  then 
  comments 
  with
  information found on the maps such as door
  lock rank, furniture, etc.
  If any monsters are present, their
  characteristics are described followed by their
  weapons and spells.   The weapon information
  is 
  presented 
  as 
  Initiative 
  Value/Strike
  
  THE TREASURE OF SOCANTRI, PAGE 3
  Copyright © 1981, Simulations Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., 10010
  Chance/Damage. The spell information is
  Rank/Cast chance.
  1.
  LEVEL 1
  Room 1.  Ceiling Height: 20 feet.
  Description: This rocky chamber is a rough-
  hewn cave filled with various garbage,
  driftwood, pelts, bright trinkets, roots, grass,
  etc. In the southwest corner, the party sees two
  gleaming eyes staring out at them, followed by
  two smaller eyes appearing below the first
  pair.
  Comments: This is the lair of a Mountain
  Gorilla and her young child; she will viciously
  defend 
  her 
  young 
  to 
  the 
  death. 
  Her
  characteristics are as follows:
  PS: 35
  MD: 20
  AG: 14
  MA: 0
  EN: 28 FT:   33 WP: 8
  PC: 16
  PB: 4
  TMR: 7 NA: 3 DP
  Bite: 26 / 50% / -2
  Rend: 26 / 70% / +6 (only in Close Combat)
  The gorilla has collected a group of
  bright baubles with which to amuse her child -
  one of which is a rough diamond, worth 3,000
  silver pennies. To find it, the characters must
  actively search through the garbage. If a Beast
  Master 
  specializing 
  in 
  Common 
  Land
  Mammals is in the party, her attack instinct
  may be mollified to a neutral reaction by
  rolling less than or equal to 5 times the Beast
  Master’s Rank (he is trying to calm her down).
  Room 2.  Ceiling Height: 15 feet.
  Description: A simple carved out hallway
  with small pools of water in potholes in the
  rough-hewn floor as indicated. It slopes
  slightly down; approximately 1 inch in 20
  inches (a 5% gradient).  There is a wooden
  door at the eastern end of the chamber with a
  large “S” carved into the metal banding.
  Comments: Above the door is carved in very
  small letters into the stone “Here lies the
  Stronghold of Socantri the Snake: Beware!”
  The language is up to the GM.
  Room 3.  Ceiling Height: 20 feet.  Door:
  Locked.
  Description: The western wall is the only
  wall which is not paneled with wooden timber,
  thus giving the entire space a certain warmth.
  However this is belied by the fact that a corpse
  with a plumed hat on his head is resting
  comfortably at the table. In front of him is a
  parchment with writing on it in the same
  tongue as on the door; it describes a shipment
  arriving from a southern island for Socantri,
  and when that shipment will arrive.  Payment
  was to be in the form of lotus plants. The door
  on the northern wall is ajar.
  Comments: The chests (locked with a Rank
  0 lock) on the south wall are booby-trapped;
  each will release a paralyzing gas created by a
  Rank 5 Alchemist) once opened; inside each
  are half a dozen, small, potted  lotus plants
  which were to be used as payment. The pools
  in this room are slightly acidic; they will
  discolor the footwear of anything which steps
  in them. The Pirate at the table appears
  undamaged when viewed from the front but if
  examined from the rear, his heart has been torn
  out through his back.
  Room 4.  Ceiling Height: 30 feet.
  Description: The hallway is lined with hooks
  on the walls.  The torch holders all contain
  burnt-out torches.
  Comments: The secret door in the western
  wall (leading to area 4a) can only be opened
  and found by a thief. Behind that door is a
  short hall which has a covered pit near it’s end;
  a perception roll (Difficulty Factor  of 3) is
  required to avoid falling in for the first
  character to encounter it.  The pit is 20 feet
  deep.  The chests at the end of the chamber
  each contain a tin of dried up paint. If the
  paints are taken and returned to any Scholar, it
  will be revealed that these are pigments of a
  great, long dead artist who lived 1,000 years
  ago. They will be incredibly valuable, and the
  individual who found them will be treated as a
  hero by the academic community. The hooks
  on the walls of area 4 were used to hang
  pictures.  Socantri loved that artist and used to
  display his works regularly. All of the
  paintings are gone from the walls.
  Room 5.  Ceiling Height: 30 feet.
  Description: A large gallery, with floor
  covered with dried blood and grime.  There are
  many torch holders along the walls and two
  closed doors on the south wall.
  Comments: Inhabiting this room are one
  dozen Rats which will come out of the
  concealed opening in the northwest corner
  once the party is inside the room.  Their
  characteristics are:
  PS: 5
  MD: 20
  AG: 20
  MA: 0
  EN: 2 
  FT:   3
  WP: 16
  PC: 20
  PB: 5
  TMR: 2 NA: 0
  Bite: 40 / 95% / -5 (only in Close Combat)
  There is an additional 20% chance of
  infection from a rat bite and a 10% chance of
  disease.  The pools in this room are acidic as in
  room 3, and if a character has stepped in both
  pools (the GM must keep track of who has
  stepped in which), the footwear will begin to
  deteriorate.  The rats come in from the hall
  which runs alongside this room.  If the
  characters actually go back there, they will be
  attacked by 100 rats (dumb, dumb!).  The door
  on the south wall is unlocked but closed, as is
  the door at the end of the hallway.
  Room 6.  Ceiling Height: 10 feet.
  Description: Simply a downward sloping
  hall (1 inch in 10 inches or a 10% gradient)
  which is very slippery (rat excrement,
  dampness, dried blood, etc.); each character
  must make a one-time roll versus 2 times
  Agility to avoid falling as he moves down this
  hall.
  Room 7.  Ceiling Height: 25 feet. Door:
  Closed and Locked.
  Description: A room which might have once
  been a library.  It is very dusty, as if it has been
  boarded up for a long time. There is a fireplace
  in the northwest corner and cabinets on the
  east and west walls. In the cabinets, scattered
  around, are some pens and pieces of
  parchment.
  Comments: There is a very strong high-
  mana “aura” about this room; the entire party,
  especially any Adepts, will be aware of it.
  Any means of detecting the mana will register
  low mana. The discrepancy is disturbing, as
  well it should be. The wizard Valdek (an
  enemy of Socantri’s) was killed in this room.
  He cursed this room when he died and anyone
  who enters it will lose 10% of his hearing;
  every day thereafter he will 10% more until he
  is totally deaf. Only a remove curse will cure
  this malediction. For every 20% of hearing
  lost, the character will also lose 1 point of
  Perception.
  Room 8.  Ceiling Height: 30 feet. Door:
  Closed and Locked.
  Description: The wine cellar.  The walls of
  this room are very clean and the entire area
  appears almost spotless.  The southern section
  chairs and tables are stored with various other
  accoutrements for the entertaining of guests.
  The racks are filled with bottles of wine.
  There are pools of water surrounding the
  staircase in the northwest corner.  The floor
  there is very rough and the water has settled.
  Comments: Located at random throughout
  the many old bottles of wine are two special
  bottles - rare southern vino which would fetch
  2,000 silver pennies on the open market.  In
  addition to the two good bottles, there are forty
  others which are full.  The water will do no
  harm to anyone except that the water is slimy
  and stagnant, and if it gets into any wound, it
  will increase the chance of infection by 20%.
  The water is running down the stairs.
  2.
  LEVEL 2
  Room 9. Ceiling Height: 15 feet.
  Description: Just an empty chamber with
  some stagnant water in the southern corner.
  Comments: The secret door in the southeast
  wall cannot be seen without the skills of a
  Thief. The water is running down the stairs
  from above.
  Room 10. Ceiling Height: 15 feet. Door:
  Open.
  Description: There are three tables in this
  dining room, with a meal prepared and served
  on the tables. The food is cold. Sitting at
  
  THE TREASURE OF SOCANTRI, PAGE 4
  Copyright © 1981, Simulations Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., 10010
  various chairs are five pirates, each dead and
  having a look of great terror on his face. Some
  of the plates on the tables and in the cabinet on
  the south wall are broken.
  Comments: 
  Each 
  character 
  should 
  be
  allowed one roll versus 3 x PC to discern that
  the corner of the southern table near the door
  has scratch marks on it, as if something with
  five sharp points had been dragged across it for
  a short distance. (It was the hand of a man
  trying to hang on and not be dragged away.)
  Room 11. Ceiling Height: 8 feet. Door:
  Closed but unlocked.
  Description: A rough-hewn room full of
  barrels. There is a very musky smell in here.
  One of the barrels has leaked (it has cracked)
  and water is leaking out. There appears to be
  some signs of a struggle in this room.
  Comments: In amongst the barrels is an
  Asp. Its characteristics are as follows:
  PS: 3
  MD: 0
  AG: 19
  MA: 0
  EN: 2 
  FT:   4
  WP: 18
  PC: 17
  PB: 8
  TMR: 3 NA: 0
  Bite: 36 / 65% / D-3 (any effective damage
  introduces poison; 2DP per pulse until dead or
  antidote applied).
  Any investigation by the characters
  will cause the asp to be disturbed, and it will
  attack the closest character and then disappear
  back into the shadows.
  Room 12. Ceiling Height: 10 feet. Door:
  Locked.
  Description: By all appearances a bedroom
  belonging to Socantri’s second in command.
  The west wall has a  mural of a sea combat
  between a pirate ship and a sea serpent. There
  are two beds, a stool, a chest of drawers, and a
  fireplace on the southern wall.
  Comments: Nothing here of interest.
  Room 13. Ceiling Height: 18 feet.
  Description: A rough-hewn cave, with
  wooden pillars along the northern wall to hold
  it up. It looks tenuous. The floor is filled with
  very small bones and dung.
  Comments: This is the lair of a Wyvern,
  whose characteristics are:
  PS: 25
  MD: 11
  AG: 14
  MA: 9
  EN: 30 FT:   35 WP: 13
  PC: 20
  PB: 4
  TMR: 1/3
  NA: 8 DP
  Tail: 34 / 56% / 4 DP per pulse for D5 pulses
  Bite: 34 / 51% / +4 (Melee or Close Combat;
  Shield Attack with Tail)
  The Wyvern will be curious to see
  what the party has in store; if the party runs
  away, he will follow them while they explore
  the stronghold. If anyone can communicate
  with him, he will be glad to assist the party. If
  attacked by anyone, he will viciously defend
  himself. The secret door in the northwest wall
  requires a 2 x PC roll to be discovered from
  this side if the character is not a Thief. The
  rock pile in the southeast corner can be moved
  and then climbed, allowing egress into the
  other chamber (which is plain) and leads to
  room 15. That door is locked and ranked as
  indicated.
  Room 14. Ceiling Height: 15 feet. Door:
  Open.
  Description: An office by appearances. A
  wood panelled room, filled with fairly clean
  furniture, a nice desk, chairs, etc. Against the
  western wall is a pedestal for a statue, but with
  no statue there. Pulling aside the curtain on the
  east side will reveal the rest of the room.
  Comments: This is Socantri’s personal
  room, and the desk is filled with various papers
  detailing his pirating in the last few months,
  including an account of his encounter with the
  sponsor’s ship (language up to the GM’s
  discretion). The secret door is locked and
  ranked as indicated. There is no indication at
  all in this room that Socantri is an Adept.
  Room 15. Ceiling Height: 10 feet. Door:
  Locked.
  Description: This is plainly a weapons
  storeroom. The walls are roughly hewn and
  covered with weapons racks. The weapons are
  all neatly arranged.
  Comments: Every kind of weapon listed in
  the Weapons Chart is here. Also included are
  one of each type, crafted in a superior fasion
  (doing +1 damage, +3 to Base Chance, worth
  10 times the price of a normal weapon). Every
  character has a chance, if he carefully searches,
  to find one of these weapons equal to 10 times
  his Rank with that weapon. Each character gets
  one roll only, and it should be done by the
  GM. The “secret” door is visible to anyone
  who rolls less than or equal to 5 times his
  Perception, or is obvious if the area is
  examined. It is not locked from this side.
  Room 16. Ceiling Height: 10 feet. Door:
  Open.
  Description: A bedroom, and a very opulent
  one at that. There is a dead, naked human
  female with a terrified expression lying on the
  bed. She is not wounded. She lies as though
  petrified, staring blankly at the doorway. The
  door is wide open. The curtain in the northeast
  corner is rent.
  Comments: This is where Samagina found
  Socantri, in a compromising position, and
  dragged him screaming and slightly bloodied
  from here to room 25. There is some coinage
  scattered on the floor behind the curtain, which
  conceals a safe that has been smashed open.
  Outside in the hallway, there are marks along
  the floor headed west and around the corner.
  Room 17. Ceiling Height: 18 feet. Door:
  Locked.
  Description: There are six pillars, each fluted
  with alternating bands of red, green and blue.
  The floor and walls are masoned stone, painted
  flat black. At the south end there is an altar
  made out of white marble, stained ever so
  slightly a dull pink. Behind the altar is a gutter
  and a drain, showing the signs of bloodletting.
  Comments: There is an aura of high mana in
  this room. This is a temple where Socantri
  often performed sacrifices to the various
  demons he summoned. The GM should play
  this one up big, and hope to use it as a time
  waster.
  Room 18. Ceiling Height: 10 feet. Door:
  Open.
  Description: This is a bedroom , stone
  walled, with three beds and one chest. All the
  furniture is totally torn apart and destroyed;
  there is a great deal of splattered blood lying
  around, matted with the hair of a mule, which a
  Beast Master has a (10 x Rank) chance of
  identifying.
  Comments: Samigina was in this room,
  taking the occupants and disposing of them
  downstairs. One of the pirates was rather
  plucky and managed to engage the demon.
  Under one of the mattresses is a silver short
  sword.
  Room 19. Ceiling Height: 10 feet. Door:
  Open.
  Description: A large bedroom, with three
  beds and one divan. The small desk on the
  south wall has some parchment in the drawers,
  with some quills and inkwells (filled). There is
  a rack in front of the curtain which has three
  spears in it. The curtain is drawn back,
  revealing the secret door which is slightly ajar.
  There are some human bones lying about in
  pools of flesh, brains, and blood. Also
  scattered on the floor are some sabres.
  Comments: Samigina was here, along with
  some skeletons. There was a melee in this
  room, and one of the pirates attempted to
  escape through the secret door.
  Room 20. Ceiling Height: 6 feet. Door:
  Open.
  Description: A rough-hewn room with 16
  chests overturned and the coinage inside
  spilled all over the floor. Also spilled over the
  floor are the remains of a pirate female,
  wearing leather armor, armed with a sabre, and
  holding a small sack in her hand. The body is
  face down, with it’s back burned and charred.
  There are great scorch marks on the walls.
  Comments: The coinage on the floor
  amounts to 141 silver pennies, 67 gold
  shillings, 7 true-silver guineas, and 546 copper
  farthings. The face of the female is contorted
  in fear. The sack contains three potion bottles:
  one Healing (10 damage points healed); one
  Walk Unseen (duration 2 hours; and one
  
  THE TREASURE OF SOCANTRI, PAGE 5
  Copyright © 1981, Simulations Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., 10010
  Armor of Earth (1 hour, - 18%). The sabre is
  enchanted to Rank 3.
  Room 21. Ceiling Height: 4 feet. Door:
  Locked.
  Description: This room is very odd. Even
  though the door to this room is normal size, the
  ceiling is only 4 feet high. There is a strong,
  foul reek in the air, and a slight breeze strikes
  the face of any character who stands in the
  doorway. There are some tables and chairs
  stored in the northeast corner, which is in the
  shadows, even in direct torchlight. There are
  racks on the south wall.
  Comments: If any character ventures into the
  room, he will be attacked by the Giant
  Spider (see Section VII) who will not be seen
  because it is using one of its spells. The spider
  will attack any size party and will fight to the
  death, using its spells to its best advantage. Its
  lair is in the tunnel, and in there the party will
  find two spider eggs worth 200 silver pennies
  on the open market. The spider will attempt to
  force the encounter in the cramped room,
  where any character except a halfling fights at
  a -25 due to the ceiling height. If the situation
  is impossible, it will take the fight to the group
  (which may happen anyway due to the fact the
  party member who ran into the thing may have
  run away from the thing in fright) and use it’s
  area spells to tie up as many characters as
  possible. If it reaches a point where it can carry
  one member off into the lair, it will do so to
  devour him at it’s leisure. The GM should
  chose the characteristics and spells of the
  spider based on the strength of the party.
  Room 22. Ceiling Height: 10 feet. Door:
  Locked.
  Description: A bedroom, with two beds, two
  small chests and two torch holders. The beds
  are untouched and clean.
  Comments: Nothing of interest here.
  Room 23. Ceiling Height: 10 feet. Door:
  Open.
  Description: A rough-hewn room, with a
  heavy curtain running along the west wall. The
  floor is very rough,  and the water covers three
  fourths of it. Partially obscured by the water is
  a small statue lying along the south wall. The
  water does not reach the curtain.
  Comments: There are two pits which allow
  the water generated by a spring at the east end
  of the exterior hallway to drain to the ocean.
  The wall there has been partially destroyed
  recently. Any character falling into these pits
  with any armor heavier that leather must make
  a roll versus the average of PS and AG
  (difficulty factor applied by the GM depending
  on weight carried, etc.), or slowly sink. Pulling
  back the curtain will reveal the staircase, with
  bloodstains heading downward. The statue is
  that of the sponsor’s daughter in Briefing #1.
  Room 24. Ceiling Height: 30 feet. Door:
  Locked.
  Description: A carpenter’s workshop, filled
  with woods, tools, etc. Very clean and well
  kept. It contains tools for working and
  repairing ships.
  Comments: A Mechanician should be able to
  construct a dam for the water in the hall to
  prevent if from filling room 23, thus slowly
  revealing the drains.
  Room 25. Ceiling Height: 25 feet. Door:
  Ajar.
  Description: The door to this room is bronze.
  There are the props of summoning on the table
  against the west wall (silvered broadsword,
  cap, miter, girdle of lion’s skin, etc.). A
  pentacle and triangle are drawn in coloured
  chalks on the floor.
  Comments: This was Socantri’s summoning
  room. One of Socantri’s fellow pirates was an
  adept of lesser summoning, so the door is
  warded against any unauthorized human
  intrusions with a Spell of Summoning
  Summonable (Rank 15). In three minutes, a
  Hellhound will arrive at the door, and attack
  the party. It has the following characteristics:
  PS: 16
  MD: 21
  AG: 22
  MA: 20
  EN: 11 FT:   22 WP: 19
  PC: 30
  PB: 4
  TMR: 9 NA: 6 DP
  Bite: 52 / 86% / +6 (Close Combat only)
  Breath: 20 feet by 10 feet; D+8
  Magic: Sorceries of the Mind
  S-1 (Spell of Mental Attack) 10/75%
  S-8 (Spell of Invisibility) 5/35%
  This is the room where Samigina
  dragged Socantri after he was discovered, and
  there are blood stains inside this room and in
  the hallway outside.
  Room 26. Ceiling Height: 10 feet. Door:
  Locked.
  Description: A rough-hewn room with a
  number of fairly large boulders strewn about
  on the floor; there is also some sort of slime
  which covers the floor.
  Comments: None, a time waster. The pirates
  were planning to clear out this chamber at
  some future date but had not gotten around to
  it. Now they never will.
  3.
  LEVEL 3
  Room 27. Ceiling Height: 15 feet. Door:
  Open.
  Description: A fifteen-foot wide corridor
  with a staircase at the western end. If the party
  is not using a torch, they will notice a very
  slight blue-green glow coming up the stairs
  (also they will hear the sounds of a ship being
  prepared for departure. The hall has stone
  walls and torch holders running it’s length.
  The floor is clean and not dusty, but there does
  seem to be a dark stain which runs the length
  of the floor leading from one staircase to the
  other. The doors on either side are open.
  Comments: The stain is where Samigina had
  his skeletons drag some bodies downstairs.
  Room 28. Ceiling Height: 10 feet. Door:
  Closed but not locked.
  Description: A rough-hewn chamber with
  many boxes strewn about, some half-opened,
  others totally closed. One would get the
  impression that someone or thing went through
  all the boxes here in a hasty search. The boxes
  contain foodstuffs, clothing, supplies and the
  like.
  Comments: There is essentially nothing of
  interest in here, except behind the curtain on
  the north wall. If the party pulls it open, they
  will find hanging in a clothes closet a dead
  human, eyes wide with fear (possibly died of
  heart failure).
  Room 29. Ceiling Height: 7 feet. Door:
  Locked.
  Description: This rough-hewn room is filled
  with barrels of many shapes and sizes,
  including casks of liquid. Towards the western
  end of the room is a high pile of rocks in front
  of a floor to ceiling curtain.
  Comments: Inside the barrels are such things
  as wax, muslin, woods, of various sorts,
  dried fruits, camel’s hair, wool, rope, wire, felt,
  fertilizers, matting, paper, lace, blubber, etc.
  The GM should be very creative as to the
  contents, so long as he is sure to mention the
  two items  in bold print, since they may prove
  important. Behind the curtain (the distance
  between is 2 ½ feet) is a wall with a door
  which is slightly ajar.
  Room 30. Ceiling Height: 25 feet. Door:
  Ajar.
  Description: The room is a rough-hewn
  chamber. A literal pile of gems and coinage
  lies in the extreme southwest corner. There is a
  slight mist in the air (which should clearly be
  attributed by the GM to the party’s torch if
  they have one). On the floor in the middle of
  the room is a dead pirate, lying face down on
  the floor, 20 feet from the door. He is holding
  something in his hand; it is a very small item.
  He appears to have been heading towards the
  door when he fell.
  Comments: The pirate came here to get a
  ring which he knew to be stored in this treasure
  trove room; it has two charges of the Special
  knowledge 
  Counterspell 
  of 
  Greater
  Summoning at Rank 0. It takes a character
  with an  MA of 17 or over to use it.
  Once any living being moves over
  the threshold of the room, the mist will slowly
  begin to congeal (the GM should immediately
  go to the Tactical Display upon anyone voicing
  the desire to enter). It takes the Mist Demon
  (see Section VII) three Pulses (including the
  Pulse in which someone crossed the threshold)
  
  THE TREASURE OF SOCANTRI, PAGE 6
  Copyright © 1981, Simulations Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., 10010
  to congeal, which it will do as close to living
  beings as possible. It will attack until either
  destroyed, dispelled or all living beings are
  dead or have left. It will attempt to maneuver
  itself between anyone in the room and the
  door, attacking all the while. A magical wind-
  based attack done while it is in it’s mist form
  will delay the congealing by two Pulses. The
  GM should chose the characteristics of the
  demon based on the strength of the party.
  If a paraffin torch is constructed by
  using the wax, muslin and wood from room
  29, it will take 10 Pulses to build, have a BC of
  60% and do 2D damage.
  The treasure contained in the trove
  includes the following: 1,987 gold shillings;
  936 
  true-silver 
  guineas; 
  73,859 
  copper
  farthings; 743 silver pennies; seven random
  gems (a Black Star Beryl, a Jacynth, a Ruby, a
  Olivine, Jet, a Rubellite Tourmaline); and a
  wolf-skin cloak with a bone clasp (possibly a
  magical item; GM’s discretion).
  4.
  LEVEL 4
  Room 31. Ceiling Height: 25 feet.
  Description: This is an empty, sand filled
  chamber with 3 chests in the extreme northern
  end. There are 12 human bodies lying on the
  sand in the area south of the covered pit. All of
  these bodies are garbed in leather armor and
  the clothing of pirates. Some bodies are naked,
  and all have had their weapons taken away.
  None of the bodies are located north of the
  covered pit. There is a blue-green glow coming
  from the opening to the west.
  Comments: The covered pit is a trap which
  is covered with leaves and sand to fool the
  unwary. It was set there by the pirates to guard
  their treasure until it was transported upstairs.
  Along the western edge there is a slight cliff
  which enables anyone to go over to the chests
  without disturbing the trap. If the trap is
  stepped on, characters must attempt to roll
  equal to or less than 3 times their Agility or
  else they fall in to it, dropping 20 or so feet.
  There will be enough leaves and fronds to
  allow any character to climb out once fallen in,
  but it will take at least ten Pulses (disregarding
  any time spent trying to recover from stun if
  that occurs). The GM should fill the chests
  with as much treasure as he sees fit.
  Room 32. Ceiling Height: 25 feet. Door:
  Open.
  Description: This is a long, narrow passage
  filled with various tools and accouterments of
  sailing and ship maintenance. All of the things
  in here are of no interest to the party, with one
  exception: a small mule which is bending over
  the body of a man who appears to be as dead
  as the others in this area (it is Socantri, who is
  dead). This mule is located in one of the hexes
  next to the oars on the southern wall. There is a
  great amount of gems and jewelry lying in
  open sacks at the feet of this mule (which was
  gathered from various chests from around the
  stronghold).
  Comments: This mule is not what he appears
  to be, he is Samigina, the Marquis of Dead
  Souls, a demon. His characteristics are:
  PS: 25
  MD: 5
  AG: 20
  MA: 30
  EN: 30 FT:   40 WP: 30
  PC: 32
  PB: 10
  TMR: 7 NA: 4 DP
  Bite: 62 / 95% / +2 (Close Combat)
  Hooves: 62 / 95% / +4 (Close Combat)
  Hooves: 62 / 85% / +4 (Close Combat)
  Magic: Necromantic Conjurations, Rank 20
  G-1 (Darkness) 99%
  G-4 (Fire & Brimstone) 85%
  G-7 (Noxious Vapors) 75%
  S-3 (Wall of Bones) 95%
  S-5 (Mass Fear) 75%
  S-7 (Animate dead) 85%
  S-10 (Hand of death) 70%
  Samigina is here to procure this
  vessel for a trip across the seas. He has raised
  an army of skeletons and attacked this pirate
  hideout, wiping out the entire force, and is now
  readying his vessel. If attacked by a party he
  will first pick out the leader and cast a Hand of
  Death for just one Pulse in an effort to scare
  them off. If that does not work, he will animate
  the 23 dead pirate corpses as Zombies and
  have them attack the party while he is casting
  spells such as Mass Fear and Fire and
  Brimstone. If the party appears to be winning,
  he will then pull the Skeletons in room 34 off
  the ship and have them attack the party.
  Samigina does not wish to get
  involved in a Melee of any sort and will move
  quickly to avoid the possibility. Samigina in
  the mule form is able to loose a spell without
  preparing it and does not have to make any of
  the hand motions normally associated with
  spells of his College. Thus, the GM should
  strive to maintain the illusion that the mule is
  not performing the magic, since there are no
  outward signs at all (no vocals, etc.). Only if
  Samigina uses the Fire and Brimstone will they
  directly notice anything since the flames will
  emanate from the mule’s eyes.
  If 
  any 
  attempt 
  to 
  mentally
  communicate with the mule is successful, the
  GM will have to play the mule as a super
  intelligent being and hope the players catch on
  that this is no ordinary animal. He will attempt
  to convince the party to leave and go back up
  stairs since he wishes to kill no more than he
  has to, but he will willingly oblige them if they
  persist 
  in 
  being 
  aggressive. 
  The 
  only
  communication possible will be telepathic, as
  are all animal/human communications.
  If things are going badly, Samigina
  will attempt to leave via the stairs. He can be
  banished 
  by 
  casting 
  the 
  appropriate
  counterspell. The real trick of this battle for the
  players is to realize that this animal is not what
  he appears to be and the GM must play the
  Demon to the hilt for it to be effective.
  Room 33. Ceiling Height: 25 feet.
  Description: This area is filled with 10 dead
  human bodies all with leather armor and the
  clothing of pirates. Some of the bodies are
  naked, but all are bereft of their weapons. This
  area is covered with sand, and the blood spilt
  by the dead men stains the pearly white beach.
  Comments: All of these men and the men in
  room 31 (scattered randomly about; GM's
  discretion as to their placement) may be
  animated as Zombies by Samigina if the
  party does not heed his warning to leave. Their
  characteristics are as follows:
  PS: 16
  MD: 10
  AG: 8
  MA: 0
  EN: 22 FT:   25 WP: 25
  PC: 8
  PB: 2
  TMR: 3 NA: 4 (due to the leather)
  Hands: 16 / 21% / D-2
  Room 34. Ceiling Height: 25 feet.
  Description: A large grotto which is filled
  with an eerie, fell, blue-green light. There is a
  wharf with a small ship docked. It is in the
  process of being prepared for sea, with the
  entire crew bedecked as if pirates. There is one
  major difference between the sailors and what
  the characters would expect, however, as these
  are all Skeletons. The ship has two masts and
  rigging, etc., and the Skeletons fill out her
  entire crew. The inlet looks quite deep.
  Comments: The entire crew has been
  animated by Samigina as he prepares for his
  voyage. The 25 Skeletons have the following
  characteristics:
  PS: 16
  MD: 18
  AG: 16
  MA: 0
  EN: 12 FT:   10 WP: 25
  PC: 14
  PB: 2
  TMR: 3 NA: 0
  Sabre: 30 / 78% / +3
  They will not be used to attack the
  party unless things are going badly in the
  melee, as Samigina needs them to finish their
  tasks and believes the Zombies can finish the
  party off.
  The walls are covered with a lichen-
  type plant which gives off the very strange
  iridescent light. The inlet is 40 feet deep. The
  ship is quite sea-worthy, which any character
  with Navigator skill would know. There is no
  form of treasure on board the vessel.
  VII.
  NEW MONSTERS
  There are two monsters presented in
  the adventure which will not be found in the
  DragonQuest rules. They are detailed below:
  5. 
  GIANT SPIDER
  NATURAL HABITAT: Caves, Crypts, Ruins
  FREQUENCY: Very Rare      NUMBER: 1-2 (1)
  
  THE TREASURE OF SOCANTRI, PAGE 7
  Copyright © 1981, Simulations Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., 10010
  DESCRIPTION: A large, man-sized spider with
  a thick coating of long, greasy hair. The hair
  and the fetid skin beneath are mottled shades
  of green and brown. Their eyes are large and
  fly-like and bespeak of hidden intelligence.
  They are one-hex monsters.
  TALENTS, 
  SKILLS 
  AND 
  MAGIC: These
  creatures are masters of Earth Magics, having
  ranks with their various spells (of both General
  and Special Knowledge) and talents not
  exceeding 15.
  They do not possess any ritual knowledge.
  When they perform their magic, they do not
  need to make any gestures or vocalize the
  words (the preparation is done in total silence).
  They are not web-spinners but create their lairs
  in caves. Their eggs are worth 200-2,000 silver
  pennies on the open market, depending on size.
  MOVEMENT RATES: Running 250
  PS: 14-23
  MD: 10-14   AG: 30-34
  MA: 15-20
  EN: 7-16     FT: 13-22
  WP: 20-24
  PC: 9-13     PB: 1-5
  TMR: 5
  NA: Hair absorbs 3 DP
  WEAPONS: A giant spider can attack only via
  its bite in either Close or Melee Combat, with
  a Base Chance of 55% and damage of +2. Its
  bite is not poisonous.
  COMMENTS: A Giant Spider belongs to the
  Insects and Spiders family (Section 69).
  6.
  MIST DEMON
  NATURAL HABITAT: Other Planes
  FREQUENCY: Very Rare      NUMBER: 1
  DESCRIPTION: A mist demon is a misshapen,
  malformed, degenerate Air Elemental which
  only appears on this plane in the form of a
  light mist which has the color and consistency
  of smoke. When provoked to attack, it will
  congeal to form a semi-solid, slowly revolving
  whirlwind. It will appear to have a number of
  faces equal to the number of creatures it is
  attacking. It is a three-hex monster.
  TALENTS, SKILLS AND MAGIC: Mist demons
  have no special magical talents, and no other
  abilities except their multiple attacks as
  detailed below.
  MOVEMENT RATES: Running 150
  PS: 42-51
  MD: 0       AG: 33-42
  MA: 0
  EN: 25-34     FT: 20-29
  WP: 10-14
  PC: 10-14     PB: 0
  TMR: 3
  NA: 0
  WEAPONS: 
  Mist 
  demons 
  attack 
  by
  strangulation (Base Chance of 70%, +7
  damage) and may attack in either Melee or
  Close Combat. Each surrounding hex may be
  attacked into (all are treated as front hexsides)
  and up to six figures may be attacked in one
  pulse with no penalty.
  COMMENTS: This creature belongs to the
  summonables family (Section 73). It can be
  dispelled by a Special knowledge Counterspell
  of Lesser Summoning.
  VIII. Designer’s Notes
  The Treasure of Socantri is an
  adventure which was designed to test not only
  the abilities of the characters, but also the
  knowledge (of DragonQuest) the players
  themselves had. Since most of the people who
  play DQ have either played the game since its
  release or know the existing rules fairly well, I
  wanted to send the characters on an adventure
  which 
  they 
  would 
  assume 
  to 
  be
  straightforward and transparent, and then find
  themselves in situations with which they are
  not familiar while encountering creatures
  which are not in their rules books. Because of
  this, the performance of the characters will
  widely vary from having no trouble with the
  adventure at all being totally wiped out (both
  situations occurred in play through during
  testing).
  At the 1981 WinterCon (and also at
  small convention in Chicago over the New
  Year’s Holiday) we had some groups tell us
  this adventure was too easy; others complained
  that DragonQuest adventures should not be so
  dangerous because that reminded them too
  much of the bad things about D&D.
  Obviously, the adventure is not quite the
  culprit, but rather the player’s own abilities
  and knowledge.
  I 
  chose 
  Samigina 
  specifically
  because he/she/it does not look like a demon;
  someone like Aim, for example, would have
  been too easy for the players to recognize and
  react to. It is important to emphasize that the
  GM should not play Samigina as a mindless
  killing automation, but rather as a being who
  sees choices and reacts intelligently to them.
  The demon will not be worried about the
  characters’ intrusion unless they begin to
  threaten his operation; in that case, he will
  attempt to kill as many of the party as he can
  then animate them for his own purposes.
  In my 
  campaign, 
  one of 
  the
  characters (Whis’par) was killed by Samigina
  almost immediately after hostilities broke out.
  She was then animated by Samigina and
  proceeded to attack Arlo with her saber. The
  reaction of the players to this sudden turn of
  events was priceless; the image of a burned-to-
  a-crisp (from Hellfire) Whis’par mindlessly
  flailing away at Arlo turned the stomach on
  even the most battle-hardened veteran of my
  campaign. Do not get the wrong idea; I
  normally do not enjoy upsetting the digestive
  systems of my players. However, a GM must
  keep his players on their toes.
  A reminder about demons in general
  is in order: They may be banished back to their
  own dimension by a successful cast of a
  Special Knowledge Counterspell of Greater
  Summoning. Thus, if one of the characters has
  this spell, then all it takes to defeat Samigina is
  the realization that he/she/it is a demon and the
  casting of the counterspell.  Samigina will
  passively resist this attempt; after all, he does
  have ideas of his own for the future of this
  plane.
  DESIGN CREDITS:
  Adventure Design and Development:
  Gerry Klug
  Physical Systems and Graphics:
  Redmond A. Simonsen
  Adventure Testing and Advice:
  Robert Kern, John Butterfield, Greg
  Gerold, Cindy Bitowf, Tom Harmon,
  Stephan Gray, Greg Gordon, Dean
  Martelle, Dean Carter, Ken Newman,
  John Kutchta and all the players at
  WinterCon ‘81.
  Dramatis Personae:
  Karak (Bob Kern), Arlokazian Arbulink
  (John 
  Butterfield), 
  Whis’par* 
  (Cindy
  Bitowf), Faramir Banelson* (Greg Gerold),
  Alaric* (Steve Gray), Duke Smith* (Tom
  Harmon), Mahaur* (NPC).
  * = Killed in action
  Production:
  Ted Koller, Manfred F.Mikuhn, Michael
  Moore, Bob Ryer, Ken Stec
  
  THE TREASURE OF SOCANTRI, PAGE 8
  Copyright © 1981, Simulations Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., 10010
  
  THE TREASURE OF SOCANTRI, PAGE 9
  Copyright © 1981, Simulations Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., 10010
  
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