TEXT: Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
  ® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and the new DUNGEONS &
  DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.
  This game product contains no Open Game Content.  No portion of this work may be reproduced in any
  form without permission of the author.  To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20
  system license, please visit www.wizards.com/d20
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, GREYHAWK and RPGA are registered trademarks of Wizards of the
  Coast, Inc. LIVING GREYHAWK is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  This scenario is intended for tournament use only and may not be reproduced without approval of the
  RPGA Network.
  PAL5I-02
  Force of Habit
  A Two-Round D&D LIVING GREYHAWK®
  Theocracy of the Pale Introductory Adventure
  Version 1.1 - January 2006
  by jason clark
  Triad Reviewer: Derek Schubert
  A new inn has opened in Eltison but public reception seems less than enthusiastic. Dare you penetrate
  the windowless interior of this peculiar, unnamed establishment? That depends on how far you trust the
  opinion of the majority. A two-round, roleplay-intensive introductory scenario for first-level characters who
  know how to use their resources and can appreciate the value of a good reputation.
  NOTE: This scenario contains situations and themes that may trouble some players, especially parents
  and young players. Players and judges should work together to ensure a positive experience for
  everyone at the table.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 1
  Introduction
  This is an RPGA® Network scenario for the
  Dungeons & Dragons® game. A four-hour time
  block has been allocated for each round of this
  scenario, but the actual playing time will be closer to
  three and a half hours. The rest of the time is spent
  in preparation before game play, and scoring after
  the game. The following guidelines are here to help
  you with both the preparation and voting segment of
  the game. Read this page carefully so that you
  know and can communicate to your players the
  special aspects of playing an RPGA scenario.
  Preparation                                              
  First you should print this scenario. This scenario
  was created to support double-sided printing, but
  printing it single sided will work as well. There is
  enough room along the inside margin to bind the
  adventure, if you desire.
  Read this entire adventure at least once before
  you run your game. Be sure to familiarize yourself
  with any special rules, spells, or equipment
  presented in the adventure. It may help to highlight
  particularly important passages.
  When you run an RPGA D&D adventure we
  assume that you have access to the following
  books: the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon
  Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual. We also
  assume that you have a set of dice (at least one d4,
  d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20), some scrap paper, a
  pencil, an RPGA scoring packet, and your sense of
  fun. It is also a good idea to have a way to track
  movement during combat. This can be as simple as
  a pad of graph paper and a pencil, as handy as a
  vinyl grid map and chits, or as elaborate as resin
  dungeon walls and miniatures.
  Keep in mind that you must have at least four
  players (not counting the DM), for the game session
  to be a sanctioned RPGA event. As well, you
  cannot have more than six players participating in
  the game.
  Playing the Game                                    
  Instruct the players either to prepare their
  characters to participate in the adventure before the
  session begins, or wait until you read the
  introduction, depending on the requirements of the
  scenario as described in the introduction.
  Once you are ready to play, it is handy to
  instruct each player to place a nametag in front of
  him or her. The tag should have the player’s name
  at the bottom, and the character’s name, race, and
  gender at the top. This makes it easier for the
  players (and the DM) to keep track of who is playing
  which character.
  The players are free to use the game rules to
  learn 
  about 
  equipment 
  and 
  weapons 
  their
  characters are carrying. That said, you as the DM
  can bar the use of even core rulebooks during
  certain times of play. For example, the players are
  not free to consult the Dungeon Master’s Guide
  when confronted with a trap or hazard, or the
  Monster Manual when confronted with a monster.
  Some of the text in this scenario is written so
  that you may present it as written to the players,
  while other text is for your eyes only. Text for the
  players will be in bold italics. It’s strongly
  recommended that you paraphrase the player text
  instead of reading it aloud. Some of this text is
  general and must be adapted to the specific
  situation or to actions of the player characters.
  Tracking                                                   
  After the players have completed the scenario or
  the time allotted to run the scenario has run out,
  the players and DM fill out the RPGA Tracking
  Sheet.  The DM should complete the top of the
  form and list his name and RPGA number.  The
  players should each list their name and RPGA
  number.  After the form is filled out it should be
  given to the Event Coordinator.
  Living Greyhawk                                     
  This is a LIVING GREYHAWK Adventure.  As a
  LIVING adventure it is expected that players bring
  their own characters with them.  If players do not
  have a LIVING GREYHAWK character generated,
  get a copy of the current LIVING GREYHAWK
  character generation guidelines, and a character
  sheet from your convention coordinator or the
  RPGA Web site, and then have any players
  without a character create one.  Once all players
  have a LIVING GREYHAWK character, play can
  begin.
  Along with the other materials discussed in the
  Preparation section above that you are assumed
  to have in order to run a D&D game, it is also
  recommended that you have a copy of the LIVING
  GREYHAWK Gazetteer.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
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  Living Greyhawk Levels of Play            
  Because players bring their own characters to
  LIVING GREYHAWK games, this adventure’s
  challenges are proportioned to the average
  character level of the PCs participating in the
  adventure, also called the Average Party Level
  (APL).
  This is an introductory scenario, so only 1st-
  level PCs may participate. The challenges are
  scaled to be appropriate for a party of four to six
  1st-level PCs.
  The characters may buy riding dogs to help
  protect them, and fight for them; this is especially
  helpful in standard scenarios where APL 2 is the
  lowest level of challenge. All riding dogs are
  considered trained to attack. PCs who want their
  dogs to attack must succeed at a Handle Animal
  or Charisma check (DC 10). Failure indicates that
  the animal will not attack that round. This is a free
  action (spoken command) that may be attempted
  each round. If an animal loses half or more hp in a
  single round it flees, unless another check is
  successful.
  Time Units and Upkeep                          
  This is a standard two-round Regional introductory
  adventure, set in the Theocracy of the Pale. 
  Characters native to the Theocracy of the Pale
  pay one Time Unit per round, all others pay two
  Time Units per round.  Adventurer’s Standard
  Upkeep costs 12gp per Time Unit.  Rich Upkeep
  costs 50gp per Time Unit.  Luxury Upkeep costs
  100gp per Time Unit.
  Pale Holy Day                                          
  Some player characters may wish to give or attend
  services in-game on Pholtan holy days. For
  adventures set in the Theocracy of the Pale, a
  member of the Church of the One True Path may
  ask the judge at the beginning of an Adventure to
  determine how many days it is until the next
  Pholtan Holy day. This is accomplished by rolling
  a d8, rerolling if the result is 8. If a 7 is rolled, the
  first day of the adventure is a Pholtan Holy Day.
  Otherwise, the die result indicates the number of
  days until the next Pholtan Holy Day. Due to the
  special nature of the Theocracy of the Pale, on
  Holy Days, Judges are encouraged (but not
  required) to work-in a brief scene involving
  Pholtan worship.
  Special Rules for the Pale                     
  It is illegal for adventurers to display a human holy
  symbol other than that of Pholtus in the Pale.
  Normally, PCs displaying the holy symbol of any
  human deity other than that of Pholtus should be
  fined 200 gp and their holy symbol should be
  confiscated 
  for 
  destruction 
  by 
  the 
  Palish
  authorities, but because this is an introductory
  scenario, you should merely inform the players
  about the law but not enforce it.
  Non-human PCs are exempt from this law
  when displaying their racial deities’ holy symbol(s).
  Non-humans are heathens beyond redemption
  and do not matter in the greater scheme of
  Pholtus. If they can be brought to the light of
  Pholtus, this is good and perhaps they can be
  redeemed, but if they do not, it is of no
  consequence. Non-humans wearing the holy
  symbols of a human deity are treated the same as
  a human wearing a non-Pholtan holy symbol.
  Acknowledgements
  The author thanks his cousin Syd (for helping
  flesh out the Sisters and their dogma), the Pale
  Triad 
  (for 
  their 
  patience), 
  Craig 
  Petrovich
  (unofficial Pale librarian), Helen Mirren, the Go-
  Gos and Marilyn Manson; a tip of the hat is also
  humbly extended to Pale authors David Baker,
  Ron Levy, Bart Scott and Joe Streeper for ideas
  shamelessly stolen from their work in past Pale
  scenarios.
     Adventure
  Background
  The Abbey of Montaire used to be the foremost
  institution for the training, edification and welfare
  of young women dedicated to a life in the service
  of Pholtus. For generations it had stood at the foot
  of the Rakers near the city of Eltison; among its
  graduates were many notable female monks,
  paladins and priestesses, including current (CY
  595) Prelate Zacktinerim. Under the focused
  tutelage of the nuns, even aimless or destitute
  girls were given support, encouragement and a
  sense of responsibility, transforming them into
  devout upholders of Pholtan principles. Armed
  with lawful ideals and an ethical poise, these iron–
  willed women emerged as if from a cocoon to
  dazzle and challenge their male counterparts in
  representing and defending the Theocracy of the
  Pale.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
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  However, 
  Montaire’s 
  reputation 
  became
  tarnished in recent years. The mental and physical
  demands of the Abbey were too much for some
  women to endure, so they left. Lacking any sort of
  professional training or vocational skills, many
  became barmaids or hapless adventurers, or
  turned to far less reputable professions. Vicious
  rumors quickly spread.  As the years passed,
  fewer women applied to the Abbey, as whispered
  public opinion held it to be little more than an elitist
  brothel-academy, guiding young Palish women
  down a path of corruption. [Note: When you judge
  this scenario, use caution when mentioning
  prostitution or other adult subject matter if there
  are children at the table, in accordance with the
  RPGA Standards of Content.]
  The Abbey had never developed a strong
  relationship with the community in nearby Eltison
  and the Sisters were innocently ignorant of how
  they were perceived. Unaware of the rumors, the
  Sisters could not deny them. This slander quickly
  spread to other Pale cities and, before long, the
  demand for Abbey graduates faded to a shadow of
  its former brilliance. Once Iuz had been driven
  back from Atherstone in CY 587, praise went to
  the predominantly male Knights of Pholtus who
  had been instrumental in the victory. Few
  remembered the former glory of the Abbey; the
  Theocrat was raised from the dead, factional lines
  of religion were drawn around Wintershiven, and
  Montaire was all but forgotten.
  The most exciting yet tragic week in the
  Abbey’s history occurred two decades before that,
  though, in late CY 570, during one of the Pale’s
  harshest winters.  In Sunsebb, the Abbey received
  a visitor: an enigmatic gray elf wizard named
  Faranon, who had tried to take a shortcut from
  Landrigard to the Library in Ogburg. A snowstorm
  descended abruptly, though, and he soon became
  lost. He found the Abbey and asked for shelter
  until the storm abated.
  The nuns (all humans) were understandably
  flustered; not only were demi-humans rare or even
  unwelcome in the Pale, but he was also a solitary
  male in a garrison full of women. The Abbess then
  was a stern but sensible woman and, despite
  orthodoxy, wasn’t about to allow a traveler to die in
  the wilderness. He was allowed to stay on two
  conditions: he must “trance” away from the nuns
  (who should have been asleep at that hour
  anyway); secondly, he was forbidden to practice
  his arcane arts openly without the consent of the
  Abbess, excluding of course a few minor feats of
  legerdemain after the evening meal to entertain
  young acolytes.
  Faranon made quite an impression during his
  seven days there. The Sisters found him to be an
  engaging, intelligent, charming and (dare they say
  it?) handsome guest. He conducted himself with
  dignity and obeyed the Abbess’s guidelines until
  the evening of the third day, when an initiate
  named Virienne approached him privately. Though
  unimpeachable in her reverence and peerless in
  her devotion to Pholtus, she was dazzled by
  Faranon’s 
  personality 
  and 
  found 
  herself
  enraptured by his prowess with wizardry. They
  had a brief but passionate affair during his stay,
  meeting in secrecy each night thereafter in the
  unused lower dungeons, built when Montaire was
  first founded as a fortress.
  Virienne had been raised by the Sisters as an
  orphan and had never met anyone like him.
  Faranon found her to be an extraordinary example
  of human femininity, possessing none of that
  race’s flaws yet several of its strengths: curiosity,
  honesty, and humility. Smitten, he spent the nights
  thrilling her with tales of his (comparatively) long
  life and his arcane powers. Young Virienne asked
  to learn magic herself, and proved an eager pupil.
  When the storm clouds parted on the seventh
  day, she dreaded the thought of his departure.
  The Abbess was so impressed with his apparent
  good conduct, though, that she let him stay one
  extra night, hoping more snow would melt to make
  the roads and trails easier to traverse. Faranon
  and Virienne were quietly ecstatic; their union was
  still a secret. They agreed to meet in the dungeons
  that night for the last time. But it was not to be.
  In order to keep midnight vigils with Faranon,
  Virienne had begun taking short, secretive naps
  late in the afternoon, which the sisters were
  supposed to spend in solitary meditation in
  worship of Pholtus. Virienne rationalized it as a
  shifting of time and vowed (to herself) to make up
  for it once Faranon had gone. However, her
  sleepless nights caught up with her that afternoon
  and she dozed well past dinner. When she awoke,
  horrified and ashamed, she rushed to the dining
  hall frantically thinking of an excuse, but the other
  Sisters hadn’t even noticed her absence: there
  had been a minor earthquake while she was
  asleep!  Small portions of the exterior wall had
  crumbled and some girls reported boulders
  tumbling down the Rakers, but none of the Sisters
  had been hurt, and while that was a blessing to be
  sure, 
  Virienne 
  was 
  focused 
  on 
  her 
  own
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 4
  negligence; she was hastily grateful to Pholtus for
  the “distraction.”
  Virienne went to meet Faranon, planning to
  surprise him by arriving in the dungeon early; as a
  parting gift, she had made a symbol of Pholtus out
  of carefully cut and folded paper, which opened to
  reveal a drawing of the two of them standing
  together beneath Oerth’s twin moons. But fate had
  also been busy: when Virienne reached the
  dungeons, she discovered Faranon’s lifeless
  figure beneath a large stone slab, dislodged
  during the earthquake. Her heart shattered. He
  had come down early to surprise her as well, and
  he clutched his parting gift to her: a new spellbook.
  In his nearby traveling pack, she found several
  scrolls and a letter expressing his love and
  devotion.
  She was devastated, presuming her deity had
  punished them both for her lapse in piety. Worse,
  she feared humiliation or expulsion if her affair
  were discovered. Thus, she set about preserving
  his memory and their secret: she borrowed a small
  trowel from the Abbey’s gardener (on the pretense
  of planting some forget-me-nots) and made a
  shallow grave in a corner of the dungeon. She
  then spoke the most solemn and repentant prayer
  of her young career and, with the help of a scroll of
  bull’s strength, lifted the stone and buried
  Faranon. His elven kin would likely be offended by
  this secret burial, but she reasoned they would be
  more ashamed if they knew of the affair.
  In the morning, when the nuns came to bid
  Faranon farewell, Virienne—exhausted and grief-
  stricken—stood quietly at the rear of the crowd
  and 
  fought 
  back 
  tears 
  when 
  her 
  Sisters
  speculated why the elf was not present. They
  concluded that he had already left; some excused
  him for typical elven capriciousness, while others
  blamed his premature departure on rudeness.
  When the guards swore to the Abbess that they
  had not seen anyone leave the Abbey all night,
  Virienne smartly suggested that he had used his
  arcane talents to leave undetected, to spare his
  new friends the sorrow of his departure. This
  placated the nuns but the Abbess took special
  note of the wisdom in Virienne’s words.
  Virienne, however, did not continue normally:
  she secretly advanced her prowess as a wizard in
  memory of her lover while maintaining her
  standing as a lesser priestess of Pholtus. She
  slept little during the first few weeks after his
  death, hoping to atone for that one long, costly
  nap. She became terse and withdrawn, focusing
  on her faith and her studies. Five months later, her
  suspicions were confirmed as she found she was
  pregnant with Faranon’s child, another “gift” from
  Pholtus to test or perhaps torment her. This, too,
  she could not make public; she used arcane
  magic to disguise the pregnancy, though it pained
  her to deceive her Sisters.
  When the time came, she told them she was
  taking a contemplative stroll, then ventured to a
  secluded spot outside the Abbey and delivered the
  baby girl on her own, again enduring the pain and
  loneliness as part of her atonement. She returned
  hours later, claiming to have discovered the child
  crying in the nearby hills, most likely abandoned
  by poor or uncaring parents. Virienne’s reputation
  was impeccable and no one thought to suspect
  her of any misdeeds. The nuns interpreted it as a
  sign from Pholtus and the bitter irony was not lost
  on Virienne. She pleaded with the Abbess to let
  the nuns keep the girl, using her own history as an
  orphan as precedent. The Abbess consented, and
  with her approval, Virienne named the girl Aradi
  (“AR-ah-die”).
  Two decades passed without further incident
  and indeed most of the nuns completely forgot
  Faranon. Virienne’s diligence and devotion were
  rewarded when she was promoted to Abbess in
  CY 589. She silently watched her half-elven
  daughter grow into a fearless, dynamic, and—
  some might say—reckless paladin of the order,
  though one completely unaware of her true
  parentage. Virienne honed her skills as a
  bookbinder and was instrumental in developing
  the Abbey’s library of Pholtan hymns and religious
  texts. As its custodian, she was able to maintain a
  private collection of tomes and materials to aid in
  her clandestine study of the arcane, but such a
  collection cannot go unnoticed for long.
  The earthquake that had killed Faranon also
  brought about unseen effects beneath the Rakers,
  opening new passages for those uncomfortable
  with travel on the surface. After twenty years had
  passed, one such denizen of the underground, an
  aranea, entered the abandoned dungeons where
  Faranon lay buried. It quickly escaped to the
  Abbey’s upper levels through a combination of
  stealth and patience (Virienne having long ago
  locked and restricted access to the dungeons for
  “safety”), and it blended into the population
  through the use of its shapechanging ability,
  masquerading as a new acolyte. It passed freely
  among the nuns, discreetly using detect thoughts
  to learn all it could about the Abbey; of the
  Abbess’s three lieutenants—a cleric, a monk, and
  the paladin Aradi—only Aradi proved resistant to
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
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  this magic. It soon learned the Abbey hierarchy
  and monitored the Abbess’s movements by using
  its disguise self spell to masquerade as her cleric-
  lieutenant and confidante, Sister Cythica; in this
  guise the aranea learned of Virienne’s secret
  talents as a wizard and of the private arcane
  library hidden in her chambers.
  Two weeks ago, impersonating Sister Cythica,
  the aranea confronted Virienne and ordered her to
  relinquish her arcane collection, but the Abbess
  refused, so the aranea physically attacked her,
  poisoning and webbing her in the private library,
  then assuming her place. Successfully disguised
  as Virienne via daily disguise self spells and the
  successful Bluff that its voice was suffering due to
  fatigue imposed by a demanding work order, it
  was able to gently control the monk and cleric
  lieutenants, using their authority over the other
  nuns and Aradi to limit access to the “Abbess”
  while it searched for Virienne’s arcane hoard.
  Though the library itself was easy enough to
  locate, it was filled with thousands of scrolls,
  tomes and manuscripts. Detect magic spells
  proved useless in identifying them, because of
  Virienne’s use of Nystul’s magic aura. That
  protection, though, has nearly expired. The
  Aranea keeps the Abbess alive in the hope—vain,
  so far—that her willpower might fail.
  The aranea grows more agitated each day,
  fruitlessly searching through thousands of books,
  scrolls, and manuscripts, for The Sisters are still
  none the wiser to the imposter in their midst. This
  is the situation facing the PCs when they arrive at
  the Abbey.
  Adventure Summary
  Introduction/Encounter One: The PCs begin
  outside a new, unnamed tavern in Eltison. Three
  escapees from a nearby New Dawn Camp try to
  steal a weapon from the PCs to help their flight
  from justice. City guards arrive shortly after the
  fight ends to thank the PCs; a monetary reward is
  also due them for detaining the escapees.
  Inside the new tavern, PCs encounter the
  sibling-proprietors as well as two of its satisfied
  patrons. A bulletin board offers several job
  opportunities. While the PCs peruse the listings, a
  bookseller enters and asks for a few well-muscled
  and mentally capable folk willing to earn a tidy
  sum for a small amount of labor. His offer seems
  far less challenging than those on the bulletin
  board and aims to lure PCs from the tavern.
  Encounter Two: While the PCs help the
  bookseller unload and restock a shipment of
  books, they may converse with him and learn of
  his trade relationship with the nearby Abbey, as
  well as the current unprecedented absence of its
  regular courier. When he finds that he lacks the
  money to pay them, he humbly asks the PCs to
  wait for him at the tavern while he fetches the
  balance. Suspicious PCs may follow him but must
  eventually go back to the tavern to wait.
  Encounter Three: Whether PCs have helped the
  bookseller or not, four girls come to the tavern;
  they have been accepted into the Abbey but lack
  an escort due to the absence of its regular courier.
  They implore patrons of the tavern before asking
  the PCs, appearing vulnerable and desperate; if
  the PCs do not bite the hook after this encounter,
  the adventure is over, since their hearts are clearly
  too cold to make a difference later.
  Encounters Four and Five: The PCs may spend
  some time verifying the girls’ story and conducting
  research at the local temple of Pholtus; they also
  have a chance to buy supplies and speak to some
  Eltison residents with rather polarized opinions on
  the Abbey. When ready, PCs may depart on the
  journey to the Abbey.
  Encounter Six: Four days into the journey, the
  PCs may determine that a blizzard will soon
  descend upon the area; they must decide to
  proceed or turn back, though the girls urge
  continuing. If they press on, the blizzard descends
  midmorning on the sixth day. If they turn back to
  Eltison, then the adventure ends here for the PCs.
  Encounter Seven: Emerging from the blizzard,
  the PCs discover the tracks of an enigmatic half-
  red dragon, named Scarlett, who does not
  immediately attack them. How they react to her
  will affect their progress later in the adventure. The
  party has three choices: attack her, leave her to
  the elements, or persuade her to accompany them
  to the Abbey for more proper interrogation.
  Encounter Eight: If they survive the blizzard and
  half-dragon, the PCs reach the Abbey at sundown
  on the sixth day. They are welcomed by the
  inhabitants 
  and 
  meet 
  the 
  Abbess’s 
  three
  lieutenants. The PCs also meet three visiting male
  Prelatal Army members, demonstrating combat
  tactics to the Abbey’s paladins. PCs have a
  chance to witness an act of indiscretion by one of
  these men that foreshadows later events. The PCs
  are also invited to join the sisters for dinner, where
  the aranea-Abbess blesses the meal briefly. Once
  she departs, the PCs may freely roleplay with the
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 6
  nuns 
  and 
  acolytes, 
  learning 
  about 
  the
  personalities of the more eclectic and senior nuns
  (including the popular half-elf Aradi), the Abbey
  hierarchy, and the current disposition of the
  Abbess. The PCs are the height of conversation
  during this encounter; in gratitude for their efforts
  with supplies and the initiates, the PCs are offered
  lodging for the night.
  Encounter Nine: The Abbey is described here in
  full, including the interaction with the ghost of
  Faranon in the dungeons. The PCs probably won’t
  explore extensively until the first night or the
  second day, but you need to know your way
  around.
  Encounter Ten: Various NPCs in the Abbey have
  their own plans for the first night. Before you let
  the PCs pass the time, you should know what else
  will be happening.
  Encounter Eleven: After dinner, the PCs are
  assigned sleeping quarters for the night, males
  separated from females. This division helps and
  hinders both genders: females have a better
  chance at gathering information from the nuns
  while males have an opportunity to skulk the
  Abbey grounds undetected, though the moans of
  its supernatural occupant might deter them.
  Sneaking around might affect events the following
  day.
  Encounter Twelve: On the following morning, the
  PCs may compare any discoveries made during
  the night, further interact with Sisters, and witness
  the daily routine of the Abbey. A surprise room-
  inspection by the aranea-Abbess may catch the
  PCs off guard; they are informed that she has
  given them permission to remain as guests until
  the weather improves. They are granted an
  audience with her, if they desire.
  Encounter Thirteen: During their brief interview
  with the aranea-Abbess, the PCs may uncover
  further proof that she is an impostor, but will likely
  not have time to act upon it, a combat-training
  exercise is about to start. Alternatively, the PCs
  may observe the half-dragon (if present) being
  questioned by the senior cleric.
  Encounters Fourteen, Fifteen and Sixteen: PCs
  watch a combat-training exercise conducted by
  the Prelatal Army men. This pivotal episode in the
  adventure allows the PCs and all assembled nuns
  to witness the collision of two clandestine plans.
  The first involves Aradi’s retribution against her
  transgressor from the previous day: she disguises
  herself as one of the men in order to punish the
  offender. The Sisters are shocked when the ruse
  is exposed, but horrified when the man is later
  found unconscious (poisoned) in the wine cellar.
  The aranea-Abbess expels Aradi, and the PCs
  might also be dismissed from the Abbey.
  Encounter Seventeen: At dusk, the half-elf
  departs amid tears and disbelief; the PCs have no
  hope of swaying the aranea-Abbess’s decision, as
  she is trying to provoke them as part of her plan. If
  they persist in defending Aradi, they will be
  banished as well, but the adventure is far from
  over. From this point, the PCs will have three
  hours (until sundown) to gather information, piece
  together 
  the 
  myriad 
  clues, 
  prove 
  Aradi’s
  innocence, confront the aranea, discover the real
  Abbess, and rush out to save Aradi before she
  dies from exposure in the frozen wilderness.
  Encounter Eighteen: The PCs follow Aradi’s trail
  into the snowy wilderness, hoping to find her
  before she freezes to death.
  Encounter Nineteen: If the PCs save Aradi and
  bring her back to the Abbey, this encounter is
  designed to show loyalty, leadership, and self-
  sacrifice among the Sisterhood, as the PCs and
  the Sisters fight a troll just outside the Abbey.
  Conclusion: If all has gone well, the PCs have
  broken the aranea’s hold over the Abbey of
  Montaire, learned the truth about the Abbey’s
  honorable purpose, and can help restore its good
  name among the population of the Pale. The PCs
  are lauded as heroes for rescuing Aradi and the
  Abbess; a feast ensues and Virienne reveals the
  truth about her past.
  Preparation for Play
  Metagaming
  Too often in the Living Greyhawk campaign
  players engage in “metagaming,” substituting
  player knowledge for character knowledge. One of
  the more egregious examples is the mantra (a
  tiresome one, to this author) “Don’t split the party!”
  This scenario seeks to subvert the dominant
  paradigm by rewarding players who pay attention
  and respond to situations authentically, not
  dictated by artificial gaming-custom. As the DM,
  you should prepare for the unexpected. Going
  against habit can, for example, negotiate a non-
  violent end to a combat encounter; a split party
  herein also allows for greater roleplay opportunity
  and information gathering, leading to clues pivotal
  to the successful end of the scenario.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 7
  Suggested Timing
  Most of this scenario consists of unscripted
  roleplaying. To help you keep the scenario on
  pace to finish in eight hours, the following
  timetable is suggested.
  Round One
  Eltison, beginning (Introduction through Enc. Two):
  0:00-1:00
  Eltison, continued (Enc. Three, Four, and Five):
  1:00-2:00
  Snowstorm (Enc. Six and Seven): 2:00-2:45
  Arrival (Enc. Eight): 2:45-3:45 (break)
  [Exploring (Enc. Nine) occurs during various
  encounters but may have to be closely controlled.]
  Round Two
  Night (Enc. Ten and Eleven): 0:00-1:00
  Breakfast (Enc. Twelve): 1:00-1:30
  Interview with the “Abbess” (Enc. Thirteen): 1:30-
  1:45
  Training and Scheming (Enc. Fourteen and
  Fifteen): 1:45-2:00
  Investigation (Enc. Sixteen): 2:00-2:30
  Confrontation (Enc. Seventeen): 2:30-3:00
  Tracking (Enc. Eighteen): 3:00-3:15
  Final Battle (Enc. Nineteen): 3:15-3:45
  Conclusion: 3:45-4:00
  Further Notes
  This scenario contains many female NPCs; DMs
  are not expected to hone razor-perfect roleplaying
  voices for all of them. Instead, give PCs a sample
  of each NPC and allow them to bond with a few.
  Finally, the PCs may garner many Diplomacy and
  Gather 
  Information 
  bonuses 
  and 
  penalties
  throughout the first half of this scenario; these may
  aid (or hinder) their critical information-gathering
  encounter toward the end. You are encouraged to
  maintain a small chart, tracking the accrued
  modifiers for each PC.
  A Warning to Judges
  This scenario contains situations and themes that
  may trouble you or your players, especially
  parents and young players. The encounters with
  the teenage girls (far from home and away from
  their parents) or with the young prostitute, for
  example, may remind some people of painful real-
  life experiences. As the judge, you have the
  authority (and responsibility) to change or omit
  anything in the situations or characters that makes
  you or your players uncomfortable.
  If you or your players would like to give an
  opinion about this scenario, please email the Pale
  Triad at poc@theocracyofthepale.com.
  Introduction
  The adventure begins in the city of Eltison (see
  Appendix Two for more information about the city).
  The month is Sunsebb and a superlative Palish
  winter is fast approaching, with 2-3 inches of snow
  on the ground and more on the way. The PCs
  arrive mid-morning and find themselves on the
  threshold of a nameless and windowless new
  tavern, which has recently opened in friendly
  competition to the ubiquitous (some might say
  ‘oppressive’) Pious Pilgrims.
  Winter has granted a brief respite from its
  restless, icy clutch. Relaxing its grip as if to
  imperiously examine the fragile, mortal trinkets
  in its weathered palm, it allows the bleak gray
  clouds to dissipate for the first time in nearly a
  week to reveal clear blue skies and welcome
  sunlight and to provide a slight spike in the
  otherwise 
  frigid 
  temperature. 
  As 
  the
  constricting digits uncurl, you find yourself in
  the city of Eltison, located in the Theocracy’s
  conservative eastern recesses equidistant
  between Ogburg and Landrigard. Nestling
  contentedly at the feet of the Rakers, Eltison
  appears to thrive in this climate, drawing
  strength from their cold, unforgiving proximity.
  Before you stands a new, two-storied
  tavern, still bedecked with the trappings of its
  grand opening. Eltison residents, however,
  seem to prefer the familiar confines of the
  Pious Pilgrim. No patrons are rushing to seek
  warmth in this place, and from inside no sound
  can 
  be 
  heard 
  above 
  the 
  rumbling 
  of
  adventure’s gullet.
  Eltison: large city; see Appendix Two.
  A cleric of the bigoted deity Wastri and his two
  trusted henchmen—one fighter and one rogue—
  have just escaped a nearby New Dawn Camp.
  The rogue has managed to Sleight of Hand a
  dagger from the local blacksmith. When he sees
  the PCs, whom he takes to be amateurs, he tries
  to Slight of Hand another weapon to give to his
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 8
  companion; non-human PCs are favored as
  targets over human ones. As the PCs are standing
  in the street looking at the new tavern, have them
  make Spot checks to notice the theft.
  APL 2 (EL 2)
  Cadris: male human Rog1; hp 6; see Appendix
  One.
  Hahner: male human Ftr1; hp 10; see Appendix
  One.
  Thopkarr the Venomous: male human Clr1
  (Wastri); hp 9; see Appendix One.
  Once all three escapees are in initiative, allow PCs
  two more Spot checks (DC 15 and DC 18
  respectively) to note that these three are more
  than average thugs. The first check allows PCs to
  notice not only that these three are unarmored, but
  also that each wears beneath their stolen peasant
  cloaks an orange-tinged robe. Knowledge (local -
  Nyrond and her Environs, DC 10) confirms that
  these robes identify them as New Dawn Camp
  internees. The second Spot check, along with a
  DC 15 Knowledge (local - Nyrond and her
  Environs) check allows PCs to recognize Thopkarr
  (from his wanted posters and subsequent crime
  spree and capture some weeks ago) as an
  infamous heretic from the southern Pale whose
  specific crimes include proselytizing for the
  Hopping Prophet and ruthlessly assaulting elves
  from the Gamboge Forest.
  Tactics: No map is provided for this encounter. If
  the rogue is successful, he lifts any weapon
  readily usable by a fighter. As the escapees try to
  casually get away, a random Eltison resident spots
  the theft and calls out to the PCs. This gives the
  escapees a surprise round; sensing that they will
  have to fight to get away, the fighter moves
  alongside the rogue, then the rogue passes him
  the stolen weapon. The priest moves from his
  hiding place around the corner into full view of the
  PCs. Everyone should roll initiative. These three
  bear no specific malice toward the PCs, but if the
  PCs hinder their escape (especially non-human
  PCs), then the Wastrians do not hold back.
  If the rogue is unsuccessful, everyone should
  immediately roll initiative. The fighter and rogue
  attempt to flank and disable as many opponents
  as possible until the PCs back off and let them
  flee. The priest spends the first round summoning
  a small fiendish monstrous scorpion, then tries to
  convert the PCs by intimidation. If this tactic fails,
  he casts cause fear then enters melee.
  Development: Once the combat is finished and
  the Wastrians have either escaped or been
  subdued (or killed) by the PCs, a contingent of city
  guards rush onto the scene to congratulate (or
  console) the PCs. If the party was unsuccessful,
  the guards are sympathetic, casting a discerning
  eye toward the obviously inexperienced party. The
  guards recommend they visit the Pious Pilgrim
  and wash away the bitter taste of defeat with ale.
  If the PCs were successful, people on the
  street cheer for them as the guards run onto the
  scene. The Wastrians are either manacled
  together or carried away on a cart to face Palish
  justice. Guards thank the PCs profusely, further
  recommending that the PCs visit the Pious Pilgrim
  tavern to enjoy a stiff ale, as a monetary reward
  will soon be coming their way for detaining (or
  killing) the escapees. The PCs are advised to
  remain in town until noon until their reward can be
  processed; the reward can be picked up at the
  offices of the city guard at the end of Encounter
  Five before PCs leave town.
  Once the guards disperse, PCs are free to do
  what they will. One curious thing: the new tavern
  in front of them is not the Pious Pilgrim; indeed,
  anyone on the street can tell them that the Pilgrim
  is all the way across town. PCs may wonder why
  the guards did not recommend this new tavern,
  which is literally within spitting distance.
  If PCs do not take the bait here and instead
  travel all the way across town to the Pious Pilgrim,
  they miss Encounters Two and Three. When PCs
  go to collect their reward (if applicable), the city
  guards thank them again and mention something
  that has developed since the attack: something
  about some girls needing to be escorted
  somewhere and that the Church is paying. If the
  PCs want to make some additional money,
  perhaps they could investigate at the Church
  (proceed to Encounter Four).
  If PCs failed to stop the Wastrians AND ignore
  the bait of the new tavern, the adventure ends
  here.
  Encounter One: Barhopping
  If the PCs enter the new tavern, read or
  paraphrase the following:
  The interior of this new establishment exists in
  wondrous contrast to that of the Pious Pilgrim.
  Rather than a four-walled homage to the four
  aspects of Pholtus, this place seems to
  embrace the geography of the Pale: each wall
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 9
  is a clearly magical, painted three-dimensional
  mural representing the dominant topography
  of the region. The north wall shows the deadly
  Troll 
  Fens, 
  with 
  its 
  fearsome 
  denizens
  lumbering out of the muck toward patrons; the
  east wall shows the Rakers looming ever
  skyward, with occasional avalanches and
  rockslides to engage those at nearby tables;
  the south wall, where the door is located, is
  dedicated to the Gamboge Forest, with myriad
  pairs of eyes peering from dense foliage to spy
  on tavern-goers, while dark silhouettes flit
  throughout the background; and the west wall,
  which is devoid of any patrons, is painted to
  represent the infamous Phostwood, with its
  eerie green luminescence spilling from the
  deeper shadows onto nearby tables. In the
  center of the tavern is a full bar, behind which
  stands a young Flan man in black and purple
  silks, quietly sketching you. Next to the door
  hangs a small bulletin board with several
  postings. The only other occupants are two
  robed men at the corner table where the south
  and west walls converge, and a strikingly
  attractive Flan woman who is restringing a
  harp near the bar.
  The man behind the
  bar is the owner and
  proprietor, Rheloth. He
  politely nods to PCs as
  they enter but does not
  otherwise 
  cease 
  his
  sketching. The woman
  is his sister, Cambria,
  who 
  smiles 
  and
  gestures for you to be
  seated, but does not
  speak.
  The tavern is roughly 60 feet by 60 feet and lit
  by skylights overhead; there are eighteen tables
  and a set of double doors on the north wall.
  Rheloth: Male human (Flan) Brd2/Ari2/Exp1.
  • 
  Description and Personality: Rheloth is
  an independently wealthy Flan in his early
  30s; he does not detect as evil and has
  several decorative facial tattoos. He
  dresses in purple and black finery (too
  fancy for a bartender) and is exceptionally
  well-mannered. His dark, shoulder-length
  hair is worn in intricate braids. He has
  used his wealth to both erect the tavern
  and commission the enchanted walls from
  the wizard-artist Bahira of Ogburg; players
  may be familiar with her work from PAL2-
  01 Drawing From Life or PAL3-04 Full
  Circle. Rheloth himself is an accomplished
  sketch artist and spends his idle moments
  silently studying patrons; this observation
  and the fact that he will not part with his
  sketches 
  may 
  make 
  some 
  PCs
  uncomfortable. If PCs think to ask, he
  admits that he quickly sketched their
  combat with the Wastrians and is thinking
  of hanging it over the bar. In conversation
  he is polite and forthcoming, yet careful
  not to reveal the source of his wealth. He
  claims to hail from Keoland and has been
  in the Pale for just over a month.
  • 
  Motivation: Rheloth wants to incite a
  friendly rivalry with the owner(s) of the
  Pious Pilgrim franchise by offering a less
  pious (yet not blasphemous) alternative to
  drinking, dining, and lodging. He has a
  good feeling that business will pick up
  soon and he will need extra employees.
  [The PCs might pick up on this hint when
  they meet Tharine in Encounter Four-B.]
  The Church is suspicious of him but has
  yet to find any reason to shut him down:
  he is lawfully registered as an arcane
  caster and has not broken any (existing)
  laws.
  • 
  Development: He recommends that PCs
  peruse the postings if they are looking for
  work; he can describe who posted each
  note on the bulletin board. Food and
  drink costs are triple standard PHB costs.
  If asked about the lack of a tavern name,
  he mentions that there is a contest to
  name it, inviting PCs to participate (see
  sidebar).
  Cambria: Female human (Flan) Brd2/Ari1
  • 
  Description: Rheloth’s sister, Cambria is
  an incredibly attractive Flan woman of
  about thirty years. Her raven-hued hair is
  cut uncharacteristically short, just below
  the nape of her neck, with the lower two
  inches dyed bright blonde; she has long,
  exquisite bangs and two visible facial
  tattoos: one in a delicate geometric
  pattern around her left eye and the other a
  vine-like marking winding its way from her
  neck up to her left ear. Despite being Flan,
  she bears an uncanny resemblance in
  both 
  face 
  and 
  figure 
  to 
  Prelate
  Zacktinerim. She speaks only when
  The Name of the Inn
  The inn has no name yet,
  so the players can suggest
  one. 
  Forward 
  your
  suggestions to the author
  using the e-mail address
  provided at the end of the
  scenario. 
  The 
  winning
  name will be chosen in
  January 2006 and the
  winner will receive a small
  in-game benefit.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 10
  spoken to and somehow never asks a
  question.
  • 
  Motivation: She and Rheloth own this
  tavern. She complements his unique
  scenery with her performances but has no
  hidden agenda. If PCs request it, she will
  demonstrate once she finishes restringing
  her harp.
  The bulletin board holds the following postings,
  each dated within the past week:
  • 
  Winged orc-like humanoids are reportedly
  terrorizing a local farm at night using long,
  bladed weapons to attack and steal
  livestock. These sightings have not been
  confirmed by Pale authorities. Posted by a
  local farmer.
  • 
  A huge reptilian footprint has been
  discovered in the fields north of town; the
  Arcanist Guild is offering an unspecified
  sum for any information on the creature
  that left it. Posted by an Arcanist Guild
  member. This posting has a line drawn
  through 
  it 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  marked
  “complete.”
  • 
  Dark, incorporeal shapes have been
  sighted near the abandoned church on the
  south road 4 miles outside of town. This
  posting has been nearly scratched and
  marked “complete” in a very feminine
  hand. Posted by a patron.
  • 
  A traveling carnival from the Duchy of
  Urnst will be passing through Stradsett in
  two weeks’ time and is looking for a few
  laborers to help handle its wild animal
  exhibit. This posting has also been
  marked “complete,” but in a different hand.
  Posted by a carnival member.
  • 
  The new Prelate of Ogburg, the paladin-
  priestess Sental Tekis, is requesting
  volunteers to work alongside New Dawn
  Camp internees clearing snow from roads
  within 5 miles of town; interested parties
  are advised to sign for orange vests at the
  Church of the One True Path.
  PCs should feel overwhelmed by most of the
  postings; DMs should take care to keep them in
  the tavern so they can help the girls in Encounter
  Three and not go rushing to their deaths.
  The two robed figures at the corner table are
  traveling wizards from Ratik who have utilized
  Eagle Crag Pass to journey from Marner through
  the Pale to their final destination in Rel Mord.
  Erint and Melloy: Male human Wizs; AL N.
  • 
  Description: Neither of these mixed-
  blooded Oeridians is a specialist wizard
  but both possess familiars: Erint has a
  toad named Wartorn, and Melloy has a
  raven called NotMe perching on the back
  of his chair. Both men are in their mid-
  twenties and are relieved to find an
  establishment where religious dogma is
  not shoved down their throats like so
  much leftover stew.
  • 
  What They Know: Both spent last
  evening at the tavern and swear they
  enjoyed the most relaxing, uninterrupted
  sleep of their lives. They are highly
  impressed by both the interior scenery
  and the diligent housekeeping and feel
  they have been treated like royalty thus
  far, justifying the cost. They are spending
  the night here then heading south to visit
  the library in Ogburg. Neither has seen
  anyone post anything on the bulletin board
  and both believe that the “footprint” listing
  is an adolescent prank.
  After 
  ten 
  to 
  fifteen 
  minutes 
  of 
  reading,
  introductions, ordering food, and chatting with the
  tavern’s occupants, the following bookseller
  arrives (he approaches PCs on the street if they
  have not entered).
  The tavern door opens to admit a middle-aged
  man, balding and bespectacled and carrying a
  thick sheaf of papers. He quickly surveys the
  room 
  and 
  speaks: 
  “Good 
  morning, 
  uh,
  everyone. I manage a humble bookstore just
  around the corner. I’ve just received a rather
  large 
  shipment 
  from 
  Ogburg 
  and 
  was
  wondering if I could perhaps hire some of you
  to help me unload and stock it?” After a
  moment of awkward silence he adds “I can pay
  you in advance, if you prefer.”
  This is Neglis Amador, a book merchant from just
  around the corner. His offer is valid and PCs will
  be paid at least partially in advance.
  Neglis 
  Amador: 
  Male 
  human 
  (Oeridian)
  Exp3/Wiz2. AL NG. Skills (partial list): Appraise
  +12, Diplomacy +7, Profession (merchant) +9.
  • 
  Description: 
  Pudgy 
  beneath 
  white-
  trimmed brown robes, he shows signs of
  failing vision (squinting at PCs despite
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 11
  wearing glasses) and poor posture. He is
  registered with the Arcanist Guild and
  considers himself a devout Pholtan but
  prizes his books and trade above all else.
  The pièce de résistance at his shop is a
  first-edition copy of Pholtan Battle Hymns
  autographed by the late Theocrat, Ogon
  Tillit.
  • 
  Motivation: 
  Very 
  excitable 
  and
  overprotective of his merchandise, he
  typically unloads and stocks the books
  himself but has never before received a
  shipment this large and fears it will take
  him until dark to do it alone. He will pay
  PCs 10 gp each to help him.
  Development: If they accept his offer, proceed to
  Encounter Two; if they decline, he leaves
  dejectedly and the PCs do not gain the rewards
  from Encounter Two, but the girls from Encounter
  Three arrive after twenty minutes.
  Encounter Two: Never Judge
  a Book by its Cover
  When PCs reach the bookstore, they find a
  covered wagon with a snowy owl perched atop it.
  Neglis introduces the owl as his familiar, Dog-ear;
  the wagon contains the books that need to be
  unloaded and stocked. He estimates (accurately)
  that this will take about two hours, as long as at
  least three PCs help. The crates of books within
  the wagon are covered with a foul-smelling, grimy
  residue that a Knowledge (nature) check of DC 15
  will identify as dragon dung (DC 25: green
  dragon). Neglis pays them 25 sp each up front
  and promises the rest upon completion. The PCs
  will be unloading, categorizing, and shelving
  books within his very overstocked two-story shop.
  Each phase requires a minimum Intelligence
  score, respectively listed as 10, 14, and 12. PCs
  with an Int of less than 10 will quickly find
  themselves overwhelmed by Neglis’s rigorous
  insistence on proper categorization.  He hangs the
  “Closed” sign while the PCs are at work. While
  helping Neglis, the PCs may engage in casual
  conversation and learn the following:
  • 
  He has been in business here for over ten
  years without incident.
  • 
  Among the titles PCs may come across
  during their task include Feeding and Care
  of Marmots, What’s That Bulge in My
  Haversack?, Bards in Combat, Annotated
  History of the Ether Threat: Volumes I and
  II, Flank This!, How to Handle a Confused
  Mount, When to Take Point, The Early
  Bard 
  Get’s 
  the 
  Wyrm 
  [sic], 
  Why
  Everything Happens on the Middle Watch,
  Pholtus and Me, Famous Pagans, The
  Encyclopedia of Known Demons and
  Devils (four hidden copies) and the
  merchant’s most popular title, How to
  Recognize a Heretic. A Knowledge (local -
  Nyrond and Her Environs) check of DC 15
  recognizes that the Encyclopedia is in fact
  a banned book within the Theocracy.
  Neglis begs the PCs not to turn him in, as
  it is a recent best-seller. He is willing to
  eat the loss in profit in exchange (20 gp
  for each copy), allowing PCs to burn three
  copies, leaving him with one. This book
  does not actually grant a bonus to
  Knowledge (the planes), as most of its
  contents 
  turn 
  out 
  to 
  be 
  fanciful
  superstition.
  • 
  He conducts a regular trade with the
  headmistress 
  of 
  a 
  local 
  Abbey; 
  in
  exchange for her bookbinding services on
  new manuscripts and folios, he provides
  her 
  with 
  new 
  books, 
  publishing
  information, 
  and 
  any 
  excess 
  profits
  generated from the sale of her work.
  • 
  The Abbess’s skill in bookbindery is the
  finest he’s ever seen. Tomes she binds
  routinely sell for three to four times the
  going market rate. He shows an example
  of her work: a small, illustrated tome on
  the indigenous flowers of the eastern
  Pale. The unique and meticulous detail of
  its binding is astounding; its embossed
  surface resembles the leaves of a rose.
  Neglis holds the excess profits until she
  sends her couriers to town once each
  month. He has never met her, nor does he
  know what is done with the excess profits,
  but he trusts her and enjoys their
  professional relationship.
  • 
  The couriers (usually two women, lightly
  armored nuns from the Abbey) pick up
  new orders from the bookseller, deliver
  finished goods from the Abbess and
  purchase supplies from local merchants.
  • 
  The couriers were due yesterday and
  have not yet arrived, nor has any word
  reached Eltison regarding a change or
  delay in schedule. He finds this extremely
  disconcerting, as it is without precedent in
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 12
  their three years of trade together, but he
  speculates that it is due to the weather.
  The Abbey is very obscure: once the PCs hear it
  mentioned (here or in Encounters Three or Four),
  allow them either a Knowledge (local-Nyrond and
  her environs) check (DC 25), a Knowledge
  (history) check (DC 20), or a Bardic knowledge
  check (DC 20) to have heard of the Abbey of
  Montaire. An exceptional Bardic knowledge check
  (DC 21+) allows that PC to have heard of the
  Abbey’s history (see EncounterThree) and of how
  it was named for a peak in the Rakers where a
  nearby valley is said to carry no echo.
  Once the PCs finish their tasks, he goes to his
  register to pay them but discovers that he is short
  of funds. He mutters apologetically that how he
  didn’t expect to find so many helpers so easily. He
  entreats them to meet back at the tavern in thirty
  minutes, as he plans to run home and collect the
  balance. The PCs have two basic options:
  • 
  Take him at his word and return to the
  tavern; he arrives as promised and pays
  them.
  • 
  Accompany (or even tail) him to his home,
  where he retrieves the money and returns
  to the tavern.
  • 
  Wait here at the shop and have an
  improvised city-encounter.
  Treasure: First part of Neglis’s payment.
  L: 0 gp; C: 5 gp; M: 0 gp.
  Encounter Three: Inn
  Through the Outdoors
  Whether the PCs help the bookseller and return
  here after three hours of work, or choose to skip
  that encounter entirely, the door to the tavern
  eventually opens again to admit four human
  females. They are all in their late teens, dressed in
  very plain clothes and seem quite humble; one is
  holding (Spot DC 15) an official document. They
  proceed from table to table, speaking with the
  patrons there (the tavern has by now filled
  somewhat), turning away each time with dejected
  expressions. Soon they reach the PCs.
  Niiri, Lissa, Fiona, and Raine: female human
  girls.
  • 
  Descriptions: More diverse than the
  overall Pale populace, the group includes
  four distinct racial subtypes.
  o 
  Niiri is Rhennee, age 16, and the
  shortest of the four. She has long dark
  hair and dark eyes, is terrified of water
  (anything larger than a puddle), and
  delights in leaping from object to
  object, such as from table to chair to
  bar, etc. Play her as fidgety and easily
  scared.
  o 
  Lissa is Oeridian, 16, and the tallest.
  She wears her brown hair in a
  ponytail, has inquisitive green eyes
  and is the most eager of the four to
  become a nun. She quickly warms to
  any female PC, asking incessant
  questions 
  about 
  religion 
  and
  adulthood. She should be played as
  naïve and innocent.
  o 
  Fiona is Flan, 17, and the most
  charismatic of the group. She has
  bleached her long, wavy hair blonde
  (a deliberate affront to Raine) and has
  a curvaceous figure. She is also the
  most forward of the four, attempting to
  bond with the highest-Charisma male
  PC (minimum 13—she has some
  standards). Her flirtation is bold but
  unrefined and makes the other girls
  jealous.
  o 
  Raine is Suloise, 17, oldest of the four
  and their de facto leader. It is she who
  holds the writ from the Church and
  initially approaches the PCs. Raine
  has pale blue eyes and waist-length,
  straight blonde hair. She has been
  home-schooled her entire life and
  taught to hate the Baklunish. Play her
  as nervous but mature.
  Motivation: The girls hail from farms south or
  west of Eltison, and have been accepted into the
  local Abbey of Montaire as initiate nuns. (See the
  sidebar.) The Abbey was supposed to see to their
  care and transport; they expected an escort to
  arrive yesterday afternoon (the bookseller Neglis’s
  contact) and they spent the night in the local
  temple as an emergency, but must now find
  somewhere else to stay or find an alternate means
  of getting to the Abbey. No one they have spoken
  to seems to know (or even care) when an envoy
  from the Abbey will arrive. They are desperate,
  have 
  little 
  money, 
  and 
  have 
  never 
  seen
  “adventurers” before. No one seems to want to
  help and it has shaken their faith in human (or
  demihuman) kindness.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 13
  The PCs Get Involved
  Raine’s document is a promissory writ from the
  Church of the One True Path
  entitling the bearer(s) to payment
  in exchange for escorting these
  four 
  girls 
  to 
  the 
  Abbey 
  of
  Montaire; it requires the signature
  of the Abbess for verification.
  Almost anyone in Eltison can
  give directions to the Abbey
  (grudgingly) and all agree that it
  would take roughly six days to
  walk there.
  Upon seeing the writ and
  realizing its import, PCs may
  think of several immediate tasks,
  such as researching the Abbey at
  the local temple of 
  Pholtus
  (Encounter Four) or gathering
  information from Eltison residents
  (Encounter Five).
  If they agree to help, the girls
  are jubilant; if they refuse, the
  girls 
  break 
  into 
  tears. 
  PCs
  refusing may collect any balance owed from the
  bookseller and some roleplay xp, but the
  adventure is otherwise over.
  Converting the Girls
  One or more PCs might have an aversion to the
  Church of Pholtus or its dogma. Strife between
  characters will almost certainly result, but rather
  than impair play with a debate on religion, this
  scenario allows the PCs to campaign either for or
  against the Church. During the adventure, each
  PC gets one chance per girl (read: four chances
  per PC; you should privately inform any obviously
  anti-Pholtan PCs of their opportunity) to sway their
  opinions concerning the Church and convince
  them that a better life exists outside the Abbey.
  Each attempt to sway one of the girls is
  treated as a Diplomacy check. Since they have
  been together for a few days, the girls have forged
  a fragile bond of femininity and thus PC success
  or failure has consequences. It does not matter
  which PC attempts conversion first, nor upon
  which girl conversion is attempted. The initial DC
  for any first attempt (per character; that is, they all
  start with the same base) is 18, with each
  subsequent check increasing by two thereafter
  (20, 22, 24). It is a difficult progression, but the
  PCs will be trying to alter the course of a young
  girl’s life, not merely haggling over ale. Any
  success grants a +2 bonus (cumulative) on
  subsequent checks, which translates as the girls’
  listening to what the PC has to say and rethinking
  her career. Failure on any check,
  though, results in a –1 penalty
  (cumulative) on each subsequent
  check.
  Note that ALL attempts must
  be made IN CHARACTER; a
  player simply rolling the die
  automatically fails.
  Players may not assist each
  other on these checks but might
  hinder each other. If a check is
  made in the presence of a
  character of an opposing view
  (such as a CN wild elf druid
  making 
  the 
  attempt 
  in 
  the
  presence of a LG Pholtan monk),
  then 
  the 
  opposing 
  PC 
  may
  interpose his or her Diplomacy
  score 
  (much 
  like 
  a 
  bard’s
  Countersong) to influence the girl.
  Finally, for every girl that is
  swayed away from the Church, the swaying PC is
  convicted of proselytizing and must serve time in a
  New Dawn Camp. A PC who manages to sway
  three or more girls earns the disfavor of the
  Church. These penalties are noted on the AR.
  [Editor’s Note: If you (as judge) or your
  players would prefer not to allow the PCs to
  intervene in the girls’ lives like this, then simply
  omit this option. In this case, the girls will honor
  their parents’ decision to enroll them at the Abbey,
  resisting all arguments and pressures to the
  contrary. Even if you allow the “conversion”, a
  girl’s parents should know what their daughter has
  chosen over study at the Abbey, and the parents
  must approve of it, at your discretion.]
  Development: Once the PCs go to gather
  supplies for their trek, question the populace, or
  visit the temple for information and/or payment
  arrangements, they will be seen with the four girls,
  who are by now known to everyone near the
  temple and tavern as nun-initiates and are thus
  tainted with rumor. If PCs go to the temple,
  proceed to Encounter Four; if any PCs do not,
  those PCs automatically trigger Encounter Five. If
  all PCs visit the temple, then the party goes
  through Encounter Four as a unit after leaving
  Encounter Three.
  When PCs are ready to depart Eltison, a
  random local resident looks them over and says
  Joining the Abbey
  Except in cases of orphans of the
  Pale, a girl’s parents “decide”
  that their daughter should go into
  the service of Pholtus; the teen
  has little say in the matter.
  Parents then contact the Abbey
  and pay a moderate, one-time
  fee (a tithe, essentially), which
  then 
  forces 
  the 
  Abbey 
  to
  “commit” to accepting the girls. A
  meeting town is decided upon—
  Eltison, in the case of the four
  girls in this scenario—and the
  couriers 
  are 
  sent. 
  Contact
  between the Abbey and the
  public is minimal, while contact
  between the Abbey and the
  Church is even less. A year or
  two passes before initiate nuns
  see their families again. The
  Abbey allows visitors, but they
  are few.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 14
  that buying cold weather gear is a wise idea, as
  winter in the Rakers is unforgiving.
  Treasure: The balance from Neglis.
  L: 0 gp; C: 5 gp; M: 0 gp
  Encounter Four: One True
  Pathos
  The temple of Pholtus and its adjacent buildings
  are home to several dozen clerics and include the
  offices of Prelate Zacktinerim. The PCs will not
  encounter her in this scenario, but may find clues
  to her upbringing and possible source of her
  infamous temperament. The PCs meet a minor
  cleric of Pholtus named Beryn who functions as
  their font of information for this encounter.
  Beryn: Male human (Oeridian) Clr3 (Pholtus).
  AL LN. Skills (partial list): Sense Motive +6.
  • 
  Description: He is 24, wears his brown
  hair cut close in the style of a scholar, and
  has brown eyes behind wide-rimmed
  spectacles. He is romantically involved
  with a monk of Pholtus and is considering
  pursuing a level in that class to impress
  her. His small, wiry frame will likely be an
  obstacle but he still boasts of his
  intentions to lesser-ranking clerics. He
  should be played as slightly conceited for
  his position.
  Beryn will answer any questions concerning the
  writ. He authorized it, in fact: the girls have already
  met him but found him standoffish. If asked why
  the girls cannot have an escort from the Army or
  Pale Patrol, he will curtly inform PCs that no
  troops can be spared for so trivial an errand. If
  asked about the absence of the Abbey courier, he
  offers no explanation and seems unconcerned. A
  Sense Motive check (DC 10) reveals his weak
  effort at masking his distaste for the Abbey. A
  Diplomacy check (DC 15) gets him to reveal his
  true feelings once the girls cannot overhear: that
  the Abbey is little more than a glorified brothel
  corrupting young women and that the Church has
  had minimal contact with it in five years—a
  situation he and other priests have no desire to
  modify. He has never been there however, nor
  met the Abbess.
  He offers PCs half the fee (300 gp total) now
  in order to afford supplies for the trip; the other half
  will be here upon their return with the Abbess’s
  signature. Once he has paid the PCs, Beryn
  declares that the girls are now their responsibility:
  they must either find lodging outside the temple or
  leave immediately. Beryn can verify that the Abbey
  lies three days away on foot and that a trail exists
  between Eltison and the Abbey. He provides them
  with a crude map to the Abbey and is willing to sell
  them scrolls of endure elements (25 gp each),
  should they think to ask.
  If PCs are curious about the Abbey beyond
  what Beryn has told them, he indifferently
  suggests they take advantage of the Church’s
  library. This takes one hour. Any PC doing so may
  learn the following:
  • 
  Approximate population: 130 as of the last
  official census in Reaping, CY 593 (These
  figures are old: the population is closer to
  80).
  • 
  Classes trained: Cleric, Monk and Paladin.
  A few are Experts who spend most of their
  lives in the Abbey, using their skills and
  wisdom to educate and guide young
  women on the One True Path.
  • 
  Average duration of tutelage: 2-4 years.
  • 
  Matriarch: Abbess Virienne, cleric of
  Pholtus. [Actually, Abbess Virienne has
  advanced beyond the Church’s knowledge
  and without their consent.]
  • 
  History of the Abbey as a garrison and
  prison. The garrison was decommissioned
  and converted to its more peaceful use in
  the mid-400s.
  If the PCs Search the Library and get a DC of 22
  (ten minutes per check or three hours to take 20),
  they locate a small, dusty tome, meticulously
  bound in fine goatskin, entitled Abbey Dogma. It is
  tucked away behind a shelf cluttered with a
  fourteen-volume set of books detailing the burning
  of heretics. Give them Player Handout #1.
  Development: After satisfying their research, PCs
  may depart for the Abbey. If they stop to buy
  supplies, any merchant notes the merits of cold
  weather gear at this time of year.
  They further suggest (if the PCs say where
  they are going) buying supplies for the Abbey;
  PCs may also think of this themselves. The
  regular Abbey couriers spend between 50-200 gp
  on supplies each month. This should seem like a
  great deal of money and in truth it is, but the
  vendors will provide a receipt for the PCs’
  purchases and reassure them that the Abbey will
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 15
  reimbursed the PCs, as the Abbey is a reliable
  customer. If the PCs use their gp advance to buy
  supplies for the Abbey, they receive (secretly) a
  +1 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy and Gather
  Information checks while there. 
  Treasure: Advance payment from the Church.
  All APLs: L: 0 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 0 gp.
  Encounter Five: Mean Streets
  The following complementary encounters should
  be run separately, ideally several hundred feet
  from each other. PCs will not be approached en
  route to the temple but once they are seen leaving
  or walking through the streets with the four initiate
  girls, two Eltison residents will see the PCs’ new
  companions. Allow a Listen check (DC 15,
  Encounter Five-A); if the check is failed, skip Five-
  A and allow a Spot (DC 15, Encounter Five-B). If
  both fail, go to Encounter Six.
  Note: Since 
  this 
  encounter 
  deals 
  with
  prostitution and its stigma, you should gloss over
  the topics if there are children at the table. You
  may also wish to ask adults if they would be
  uncomfortable with the topic. Dropouts from the
  Abbey could be described as beggars rather than
  prostitutes.
  Encounter Five-A: Red Light
  The PCs hear a middle-aged Oeridian woman
  curse them under her breath as she passes,
  calling them “Sin’s Apprentices” or something
  similar. If PCs do nothing, she turns to shoot them
  a harsh glance and keeps moving down the street.
  If PCs address the woman, she chides them for
  leading four helpless young girls into a life of
  decadence and corruption. Her initial attitude is
  “unfriendly.” If the PCs are able to use Diplomacy
  to make her “indifferent,” they influence her
  attitude sufficiently that she explains herself (while
  she is talking, allow a Spot check of DC 15; if the
  check is successful, PCs may proceed to
  encounter 5B).
  Marinesse: Female human (Oeridian) Com1.
  • 
  She has lived in Eltison her entire life.
  During that time she has seen countless
  young women “corrupted” by the Abbey.
  (She believes it to be True.)
  • 
  She and many others in Eltison consider it
  to be an academy of sin, churning out
  women of ill repute who linger in Eltison’s
  proud streets and tarnish both the
  character of the Pale and Pholtus with
  their malignant presence. Any references
  PCs may have heard concerning “Nuns of
  Pholtus” are lies: they are all prostitutes,
  unofficially sanctioned by the Church out
  of 
  pity 
  for 
  victims 
  of 
  the 
  Abbey’s
  unorthodox practices. (False: the Abbey
  educates girls in the ways of Pholtus, with
  the support of the Church. Dropouts who
  pursue these unsavory occupations are
  ignored by the Church, at best. About 80
  percent of residents believe that the
  Abbey actively trains the girls for it.)
  • 
  She has witnessed half a dozen girls
  within the last year returning from the
  Abbey after less than a month to work on
  street corners and in less wholesome
  taverns. (True)
  • 
  Few citizens would dare approach the
  Abbey in protest themselves, as the trek
  there through the untamed wilderness is
  rumored 
  to 
  be 
  both 
  arduous 
  and
  dangerous. (True)
  • 
  If asked for the physical description of one
  of these returnees, Marinesse responds
  snidely, “You’ll know corruption when you
  see it.”
  Marinesse’s viewpoint is skewed by assumptions:
  in truth she has witnessed women returning from
  the Abbey who eventually resort to prostitution in
  order to survive; however, they are not trained to
  become prostitutes by the Abbey. Rather, they
  have failed the training program and possess no
  other employment options and little vocational
  skills. Her opinions would be undone by a simple
  trip to the Abbey, but it is easier to label and
  alienate the downtrodden women than to advise or
  help them. As a result, most in Eltison think that
  the Abbey has its own interpretation of Pholtus’s
  will and exists independent of the Church.
  Encounter Five-B: Blue Light
  This encounter should occur while PCs are
  speaking with Marinesse or just after they’ve
  passed her. Any PC who makes the DC 15 Spot
  check notices a young, mildly attractive Flan
  female standing on the corner outside a closed
  shop; a Sense Motive check (DC 10) indicates
  that she seems to be entreating the PC with the
  highest Spot score. If that PC approaches alone
  she reveals her intent; otherwise, she solicits the
  PC in her professional capacity as a prostitute.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 16
  She works alone, for herself; prostitution is legal in
  the Pale, but Church officials heavily regulate the
  working girls to keep them from becoming an
  affront to common decency on the streets. It is in
  fact illegal to openly proposition clients on the
  streets of the Pale, so the girl is careful to draw as
  little attention as possible. (A DC 20 Knowledge
  (local - NMR) or Knowledge (religion) check
  reveals this to the PCs.) The PCs may turn the girl
  in for soliciting “clients” on the street, and she will
  be fined and released after an overnight stay in a
  New Dawn Camp.
  If the PC is successfully lured to her, alone,
  have him (or her) make a Diplomacy check (DC
  10 for male PCs, DC 15 for females: she trusts
  men more than women due to her recent
  experience at the Abbey). If the check is
  successful, she confesses—ruefully—that she is
  reliving the past through the PCs.
  Tharine: Female human (Flan) Com1.
  • 
  She is nineteen and hails from Stradsett.
  (True)
  • 
  She was once a “young, naïve and pretty”
  girl like the four accompanying the PCs.
  Lacking any direction in life, she applied to
  the Abbey and tried to become a nun of
  Pholtus.
  • 
  She was accepted into the Abbey three
  weeks ago but was forced to quit after
  only ten days due to the rigorous physical
  and mental demands of their training
  program. (True)
  • 
  Most of the nuns were compassionate but
  several 
  were 
  quite 
  standoffish 
  and
  irritable. (True: The standoffishness of
  certain nuns is simply a facet of their
  personality, but the aranea is to blame for
  their irritability.)
  • 
  Three Prelatal Army men arrived at the
  Abbey the morning she left, but she knows
  not why.
  • 
  She has been working as a prostitute for
  the last week; she admits that while it is
  shameful, the greater shame would be in
  returning to Stradsett and allowing her
  parents to learn of her failure after they
  saved money for so long to send her
  there. She is living a lie.
  If the PC succeeds at a second Diplomacy check
  here (DC 15 for males, DC 18 for females),
  Tharine reveals the following:
  • 
  “Tharine” is her “street name.” Her real
  name is Arah; she changed it in order to
  help her believe that she was “someone
  else” while she was working.
  • 
  She has had two separate “clients” within
  the last week that surprised her by asking
  if she used to be a nun at the Abbey,
  leading her to believe that perhaps her
  situation is not so unique. When she said
  she was, one of them asked her to wear
  her nun’s habit for him; she was again
  surprised that the “client” knew the Abbey
  had let her keep the habit as a memento.
  • 
  She left in part because of the severe
  headaches that began after her fifth day
  there. She was doing poorly in the training
  program anyway and did not wish to
  further 
  burden 
  anyone 
  with 
  her
  complaints, so she kept the headaches a
  secret. Since her return to Eltison, the
  headaches 
  have 
  ceased. 
  [The
  ‘headaches’ were occasions when the
  aranea was using detect thoughts on her,
  but she doesn’t know this.]
  • 
  Something unnerved her the second-to-
  last night she spent there. Her headaches
  had been keeping her awake anyway, so
  she was staying up and listening to the
  nocturnal sounds in the Abbey. Just after
  midnight, she swears that she heard a
  low, mournful moan from deep within the
  bowels of the place. She does not know
  what it was, but this sound made up her
  mind to leave. [The moaning was that of
  Faranon’s ghost, but again, she doesn’t
  know this.]
  The PCs might think to find a job for Tharine in the
  new tavern. Such an arrangement would help both
  Tharine and Rheloth, and it earns the PCs their
  favor, as noted on the AR.
  Development: Once PCs have finished speaking
  with Tharine, they may get supplies and leave for
  the Abbey. Any PC making a Survival check to
  predict the weather during the next 48 hours (first
  day DC 15, second day DC 20) forecasts gray
  skies, light snow, and cold. With a DC 25 check,
  they figure that a blizzard will arrive the morning of
  the second day of travel.
  The PCs should be able to finish their
  information gathering, claim their reward for
  defeating the Wastrians (if applicable), and pick up
  any needed supplies by roughly 1pm.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
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  Troubleshooting: If the PCs don’t want to leave
  in the middle of the afternoon, the four girls try to
  talk them into leaving right away. If the PCs still
  don’t go, they may spend the rest of the day and
  night in Eltison and depart in the morning, but they
  will miss Encounters Eight to Thirteen and will
  arrive at the Abbey just in time to witness the
  combat training exercise in Encounter Fourteen.
  They lose xp for all missed encounters and will
  have to struggle to comprehend what is going on
  at the Abbey.
  Further Troubleshooting (Tracking): If the PCs
  are skeptical about their ability to successfully
  follow the supply trail to the Abbey, especially with
  snow on the ground, a tracker may be hired in
  Eltison for 5 gp per day. She does not fight for the
  PCs.
        Ceylene Cahill (“C.C.”): female human (Flan)
  Rgr2; Skills (partial list): Survival +7.
  Treasure: 
  Reward 
  for 
  apprehending 
  the
  Wastrians.
  L: 0 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 0 gp.
  Encounter Six: Cold Feet
  The Abbey lies roughly fifty miles north-northeast
  of Eltison; overland movement will reduce the
  PCs’ progress by half, to roughly nine miles per
  day, for a total of six days of travel. However,
  weather on the sixth day will interfere with a swift
  and direct trek, as noted below. Once the blizzard
  strikes (see “Snowblind” below), movement will be
  halved again. Even if PCs have mounts to travel
  more swiftly, the entire trip will still take the better
  part of six days. The first five days of travel are
  uneventful; PCs will be following the vestiges of an
  established yet seldom-traveled supply trail and
  shouldn’t have trouble staying true to it (see below
  for details); weather during the first four days
  remains cold, gray and ominous. No encounters
  occur at night during the trek but DMs are
  encouraged to terrorize players with unnecessary
  Track, Spot and Listen checks. Ask for a party
  marching order, which will be relevant in
  Encounter 
  Seven 
  (meeting 
  the 
  half-dragon,
  Scarlett).
  The PCs may attempt Survival rolls to predict
  the weather; on the morning of the fifth day the
  forecast is dire: temperatures (already near 0oF at
  night) are dropping drastically and the skies bear
  the signs of a blizzard that will arrive within 48
  hours. A successful Knowledge (local - Nyrond
  and Her Environs) check of DC 18, Knowledge
  (history) DC 15, or Bardic Knowledge of DC 15
  allows PCs to recall stories of the Great Blizzard of
  CY 570 which blanketed the entire valley east of
  Eltison as far south as Ogburg. Successful
  Survival rolls indicate that Nature appears to be
  making an attempt to surpass her previous record
  for accumulated snowfall and low temperatures.
  Players must make a decision here: press on
  to the Abbey or turn back. If the PCs are leaning
  toward turning back, the girls urge them to
  continue: they believe they are no longer welcome
  in Eltison, and they say that they trust the PCs to
  see them through safely.
  If they press on, proceed to “Snowblind”
  below; if they turn back to Eltison and wait for the
  blizzard to pass, the adventure is over, as events
  in the Abbey will unfold without them.
  Snowblind
  Snow begins falling just after sunrise on the third
  day; by noon the winter storm will escalate to a
  blizzard which will last for roughly 48 hours as it
  passes southeast out of the Rakers and moves
  through the PCs’ path.
  APL 1 (EL 1): Snowstorm
  DMs should consult pages 93-94 of the DMG,
  including table 3-24 regarding Wind Effects (DC
  20 Fortitude save to avoid having movement
  checked or being knocked prone); the wind
  generated by the blizzard is equivalent to d20+30
  mph and imposes a –4 penalty on ranged attack
  rolls (which may apply in Encounter Seven with
  Scarlett) as well as automatically extinguishing
  any open flames.
  In addition, DMs should consult page 302 of
  the DMG concerning Cold Dangers. The most
  severe effects of the blizzard will last for one half-
  hour: during this period of time, the temperature is
  considered “severe cold,” requiring a Fortitude
  save from each PC (and each initiate) every 10
  minutes (3 checks in total, DC 15+1 per previous
  check), with a PC taking 1d6 points of nonlethal
  damage on each failed save. PCs wearing cold
  weather gear need to make this check only once.
  Assume that the four girls have Fort saves of +0
  and 3 hp each. A PC who takes any nonlethal
  damage from the blizzard is considered to be
  fatigued (see the DMG p.301). A PC with the
  Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving
  throw and apply the bonus to other PCs (see the
  Survival skill description on page 83 of the PHB).
  The girls, especially, might need help enduring the
  cold.
  
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  The blizzard descends abruptly, with all
  requisite sound and fury, dumping one full foot of
  snow during the thirty-minute window it shares
  with the PCs before moving off to the southeast.
  Once PCs have recovered from the blizzard and
  are re-establishing their bearings, allow them to
  cure any nonlethal damage sustained and note
  that the worst of the storm seems to have passed,
  although snow continues to fall steadily, cutting
  both vision and movement in half (see the DMG p.
  94). Unless PCs have some way of discerning true
  north, they may become lost (see the DMG p.86),
  as the supply trail is completely buried. Have PCs
  make a single Survival check (DC 15) to find the
  proper course. If they get lost, Encounter Seven
  can be modified to occur anywhere, but PCs risk
  the dangers of further exposure in this frigid
  environment. Furthermore, they are now much
  closer to the Abbey than they are to Eltison. Once
  PCs have traveled for two more hours in the
  proper direction, initiate Encounter Seven.  
  Development: If PCs become hopelessly lost or
  are bested in Encounter Seven, the adventure is
  not necessarily over. Have them be rescued by a
  roving Pale Patrol unit and delivered to the Abbey,
  where they will awaken in the infirmary (Area 22),
  perhaps to the amusement of the DM or players.
  Their wounds and environmental damage will be
  healed but some of their mundane possessions
  may be gone—taken by the half-dragon Scarlett
  from Encounter Seven, just before she dies in the
  blizzard.
  Encounter Seven: Scarlett
  In this encounter, the PCs meet a mysterious and
  mute half-dragon, who will die in the blizzard
  without the PCs’ help.
  After traveling for two hours allow PCs a Spot
  check (DC 15, or whatever the highest check was
  if no PC achieves 15) to note a single pair of
  “vague, medium-sized, humanoid tracks” in the
  snow ahead. A successful Track check (DC 10)
  yields more information: they essentially appear
  out of nowhere, are less than two hours old (since
  the blizzard has not completely covered them),
  meander in the same general direction the PCs
  are traveling and are rapidly vanishing in the
  falling snow. Thirty minutes from this point
  (probably about a mile for the PCs) visibility
  improves and PCs will see the foothills of the
  Rakers ahead; at this distance, PCs should reach
  their destination before sundown.
  However, with this glimpse of the foothills they
  are allowed another Spot check to notice a figure
  ahead, hunched over in the snow with its back to
  the party: the source of the tracks. This Spot
  check determines the encounter distance. The
  PCs start 60 feet away from the figure and can
  see her on a DC 16 check (remember to impose –
  4 for the falling snow). For every point below 16 of
  the highest PC Spot check, the PCs move 10 feet
  closer. At DC 10, they are right next to her.
  Paladins or spellcasters with detection-spells
  might register her presence (see below) even if
  they fail the Spot check. Once the figure is spotted
  by at least one PC, read or paraphrase the
  following:
  The figure appears to be hindered somehow,
  as if struggling under a great weight. It is as
  large as a human, carries no visible gear,
  weapons, or armor, and is clothed only in
  hooded red robes.
  (Allow a Survival check, DC 10, to realize that the
  robe is not sufficient to keep one warm in the
  intense cold of the snowstorm.) The figure has
  apparently not noticed the PCs at this point, but it
  does radiate both faint evil and strong magic
  (Conjuration, from a lingering teleportation effect).
  It remains hunched over, allowing snow to
  accumulate on its body until (a) the PCs attack it
  with spells or ranged weapons (at which time DMs
  should proceed to “Combat” below) or (b) a PC
  approaches and puts a hand on the figure to get
  its attention. It does not respond to vocalization of
  any sort. Once a PC approaches and touches the
  figure, it jumps up, startled, at which point the wind
  blows back the cowl to reveal a young, female
  humanoid with pale skin, sharp teeth and claws,
  crimson scales on her face, and a pair of pointed
  horns protruding from her temples. The other
  object of note on her person is an intricate
  platinum necklace (worth 900 gp), which spells out
  the word “Scarlett” in two interlocking languages:
  Ancient 
  Suloise 
  and 
  Draconic. 
  Knowledge
  (arcana) of DC 11 correctly identifies her as a half-
  dragon; DC 16 lets PCs know that she is immune
  to fire and vulnerable to cold; DC 21 clues them in
  to the threat of her fiery breath weapon.
  APL 2 (EL 3)
  Scarlett: Female half-red dragon human (Suel)
  Sor1; hp 7; see Appendix One.
  This young woman has total amnesia and her
  tongue has been cut out. The former is the result
  of memory-robbing pixie arrows—DC 15 Heal
  check to locate tiny puncture wounds along the
  
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  nape of her neck—and (mercifully) she does not
  remember the latter event. She knows nothing
  about who she is, where she is, or even that she
  detects as evil. The PCs are her first reconnection
  to the world; how they act will be pivotal in
  solidifying her mindset. She is a first-level
  sorceress with the Silent Spell feat, so she can at
  least cast her 0-level spells silently. She cannot
  talk, but she understands Common, Draconic, and
  Ancient Suloise.
  What happens next is up to the PCs:
  • 
  Combat: If PCs act hostile or threatening,
  attack with ranged weapons or spells, or
  provoke her with melee weapons, Scarlett
  responds in kind. Though she is weak
  from exposure to the cold, the PCs should
  find her a sufficient challenge. Since she
  does detect as evil, many PCs (especially
  paladins or rangers with Dragons as their
  favored enemy) may feel compelled to
  attack her, but resisting force of habit here
  yields two other possibilities (see below).
  Scarlett fights chiefly with claws and teeth.
  Since her breath weapon could kill the
  whole party, use it only against the PC(s)
  that attacked her first (you can figure that
  she doesn’t remember exactly how it
  works so she singles out those PCs). She
  will not intentionally kill PCs except for the
  worst aggressors: her immediate, primitive
  goal is to survive the blizzard. To that end,
  she may take a downed PC’s cold
  weather gear, rations, or healing potions,
  but will first try to stabilize that PC. You
  should take note of any PC who attacks
  Scarlett without provocation: though she is
  evil by past actions, she does not
  remember them and will not initiate
  combat. PCs who attack first, though they
  have not seen her behave evilly will be
  penalized (see Conclusion). Judges may
  also wish to remind players that being evil
  is not against the law in the Pale, and they
  may be charged for unprovoked attacks
  against the half-dragon as well.
  • 
  Indifference: If the PCs neither provoke
  her nor try to communicate with her
  (whether out of fear, apathy, or some
  other motive), Scarlett regards them coldly
  but will not attack. This is likely for
  neutrally aligned parties. Should this
  occur, Scarlet dies from exposure six
  hours after they leave. Fear is one thing;
  intentionally abandoning her to die is
  another. DMs should note alignments
  here, as no self-proclaimed good PC
  should be so callous.
  • 
  Diplomacy: This is the best course of
  action and can benefit the PCs later.
  Parleying with Scarlett, however, will
  prove more difficult than they might
  expect. 
  Scarlett’s 
  initial 
  attitude 
  is
  Indifferent, but remember that she cannot
  talk and does not know who she is.
  “Scarlett” is just the word on her necklace.
  If the PCs succeed in convincing her that
  they 
  are 
  not 
  hostile—(Perform 
  and
  Diplomacy 
  are 
  appropriate 
  skills 
  to
  accomplish this, with respective DCs of 10
  and 
  15—she 
  will 
  accompany 
  them
  anywhere (even at sword-point) to get out
  of the cold. The PCs will have to be clever
  and resourceful in order to convey this;
  the four girls will be watching closely.
  Development: Scarlett’s origins and means of
  arrival in the Pale are not central to the storyline.
  All that the PCs need to know now is that she is
  here, has no identity, and is essentially a blank
  slate upon which they may draw their own
  conclusions. Once she has been killed, left
  behind, or incorporated into the party, the PCs
  may proceed to the Abbey. Snow continues to
  lightly fall for the rest of the afternoon but the PCs
  will reach the Abbey just before sundown without
  further incident. If she is killed, the PCs may take
  her ornate platinum necklace; it is non-magical but
  may be sold.
  If Scarlett defeats all the PCs, those who
  stabilize might still be rescued by the Pale Patrol,
  as described at the end of Encounter Six.
  Treasure: Scarlett’s necklace.
  L: 0 gp; C: 150 gp; M: 0 gp.
  Encounter Eight: Abbey
  Road
  Upon reaching the Abbey and approaching within
  60 feet of the main gate, with or without Scarlett,
  nun-paladins standing guard on the exterior wall
  scan PCs for evil, as dogs are heard barking from
  behind the walls.
  PCs 
  without 
  Scarlett: 
  the 
  PCs 
  are
  enthusiastically welcomed by nuns and acolytes
  who thank them profusely (praise Pholtus!) for
  braving the wilderness to deliver the four initiates.
  PCs are then quickly brought inside as the nuns
  
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  on hand help them unload their packs and mounts
  (if any) and cast any healing spells they might
  need.
  PCs with Scarlett (captive or otherwise); The
  nun-paladins detect Scarlett’s evil, ring a bell in
  alarm, and order PCs to halt and wait to be
  questioned. PCs who do not halt are given one
  warning shot and are then fired upon by the wall
  guards if they refuse to comply.
  Sister Baeshalle, a monk, soon emerges to ask
  the PCs why they are with an evil creature. Any
  reasonable explanation will satisfy her, so she
  looks toward the horizon and the cold winter
  evening, ordering that the gates be opened and
  that “it” be confined to a holding cell and placed
  under guard pending further investigation by the
  Abbess. As the gates are opened, all Abbey
  inhabitants gawk in horror and the Army men will
  draw their weapons (figuring her to be a sort of
  Trojan Horse). Before the PCs have a chance to
  defend Scarlett by word or action, a female figure
  wearing a broad black sash—Sister Cythica, a
  cleric—appears atop the wall commanding the
  men to sheath their weapons. They hesitate but
  she repeats her order, emphasizing that Scarlett,
  the initiates, and the PCs are under the protection
  of the Sisters of Montaire and that her orders are
  not subject to Prelatal authority. The men comply
  but their sergeant (see below) is clearly rankled by
  the order. Scarlett is then whisked away to her
  cell.
  Several key figures are here, including the
  Abbess’s three lieutenants (the first three listed):
  • 
  Sister Baeshalle: female Oeridian Mnk3.
  Feared and respected by all, she barks
  orders and directs traffic, speaking to PCs
  only as necessary, curtly eschewing idle
  chitchat.
  • 
  Sister Cythica: female Flan Clr4, dressed
  in white robes with a broad black sash;
  senior nun and second-in-command.  She
  does not speak to or even look at the PCs
  except to note any males. She is the most
  powerful divine caster here, so she swiftly
  suborns two acolytes to lead the initiates
  off for indoctrination.
  • 
  Sister Aradi: female half-elf Pal2/Rog2
  (but her rogue levels are a secret); helps
  PCs unload, keeps a keen eye on gate
  guards for laziness.
  • 
  Sgt. Kirandis (Ftr3), Cpl. Ranel (Ftr1),
  and Pvt. Elias (War2): male human
  Prelatal Army regulars here at Abbess’s
  request to instruct the nun-paladins in
  combat training.
  • 
  Sister Wyndy: female human Clr1/Pal1;
  enthusiastic, see Encounter Eleven-C for
  details.
  After greeting the PCs, the three men help them
  unload and chat up all males in the party. They
  were supposed to be here only one day but the
  heavy snow has kept them here a week. As Sister
  Aradi emerges from the main gate to aid the PCs,
  allow them a Spot check (DC 15) to notice
  Kirandis playfully slap Sister Aradi on the behind,
  at which point she whirls around with rage in her
  eyes but quickly restrains herself. PCs who speak
  Elven may attempt a Listen check (DC 18) to hear
  her mutter something akin to “reprisal” under her
  breath. She continues working for a few moments,
  then storms off in silence. No one else sees the
  transgression, but its ramifications will unfold on
  the following day.
  Dinner at the Abbey
  Though the PCs may have questions, one of the
  nuns eagerly informs them that they’ve arrived just
  in time for the evening meal; she and a few other
  highly inquisitive Sisters hurry the party toward the
  dining hall (note that no animals, mounts, or
  familiars are allowed inside the dining hall). Read
  or paraphrase the following:
  The Sisters scuttle across a courtyard paved
  with carved and decorated stones to the
  central structure of the Abbey: an imposing
  gray stone building fifty feet high with many
  windows and rigid corners. The stone itself is
  at least one hundred years old but bears none
  of the wear or structural damage commonly
  seen in other such structures on the fringes of
  the Pale; it would seem that violence seldom
  visits this loneliest of outposts. The nuns
  escort you through large darkwood double
  doors into a small foyer; carved into the stone
  floor here is the Abbey Crest.
  The Sisters scarcely pause while turning
  left and proceeding down a short corridor into
  a grand dining hall. This room is immense and
  dimly lit; three long tables form a U-shaped
  central dining area. At the far end of the room
  is a fourth elevated table bearing a small altar
  to Pholtus. On the left side of the hall, facing
  west, are four tall stained-glass windows
  depicting the traditional domains of Pholtus by
  way 
  of 
  feminine 
  figures 
  in 
  spiritual
  
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  contemplation. Along the other three walls,
  above the paneling of lustrous darkwood and
  stretching to the ceiling twenty feet overhead,
  are dozens of portraits depicting what must be
  former residents of the Abbey who have
  moved on to serve the Pale in other areas.
  From the two doors to the north pour
  numerous nuns, delivering steaming tureens
  of food to the assembled population. The room
  quickly fills with perhaps fifty other nuns. The
  Sisters beseech you to join them, gesturing to
  one of the tables.
  As PCs are being seated, they see three figures
  enter the dining hall behind them; two of these are
  Sisters Baeshalle and Cythica, while the third is
  the Abbess (actually the disguised aranea). As
  she walks to the elevated table, the room falls
  silent; each nun stands, bows her head, and joins
  hands with the person next to her. The PCs are of
  course expected to do the same and will be gently
  nudged by the nuns until they do. Once all hands
  are joined, the Abbess delivers a prayer to Pholtus
  and blesses the evening meal. After the prayer,
  she leans over and whispers to Sister Cythica,
  then departs the dining hall with Sister Baeshalle.
  Cythica moves to Sister Aradi’s table (see below)
  and whispers in her ear, and then exits to the
  north (the kitchen). A Knowledge (religion) check
  at DC 15 reveals that Pholtan liturgy includes a
  prayer to bless traveling strangers in service to
  Pholtus; it is old and seldom used in the cities, but
  one would expect it to be a standard offering of
  thanks out here. This is a clue that something is
  amiss, as the Abbess-impostor failed its own
  Knowledge (religion) check.
  Additionally, a Spot check of DC 20 notes that
  one of the portraits depicts Prelate Zacktinerim.
  What follows is a formless roleplaying
  encounter, through which the PCs may attempt to
  familiarize themselves with the Abbey and its
  inhabitants. As first-time visitors, the PCs will be
  posed endless questions by the Sisters, including
  their 
  class 
  or 
  profession, 
  exploits, 
  future
  destinations, and of course religious inclination;
  PCs may correctly assume that the nuns worship
  Pholtus, but the nuns are not so naïve as to
  assume that everyone else does. Demihumans
  and especially male humans will receive the most
  focused attention; any male human PC with a
  Charisma of 16 or more will scarcely get a
  moment to himself!
  A note about non-Pholtans: PCs displaying
  non-Pholtan holy symbols or proselytizing will be
  beset by Sisters trying to convince them of the
  shortcomings of other religions; the nuns express
  varying degrees of pity (in contrast to the stern
  rebukes or fines to be expected in the cities). The
  Sisters will not confront a PC who defiantly
  denounces Pholtus, but they will report it to the
  three lieutenants, who will in turn inform the
  Abbess. All Sisters thereafter will be less than
  amiable to that particular PC (automatic failure on
  all Charisma-based checks); due to events
  detailed in PAL2-05 The Heretic and the
  Champion of the Pale series (Year Three),
  Pelorites and Cuthbertines will be scorned by all.
  Protracted ill-mannered and unrepentant behavior
  will result in expulsion from the Abbey once the
  blizzard has passed (see Encounter Sixteen).
  Talking with the Sisters
  There is much for the PCs to learn here; how
  much they uncover affects the outcome of the
  adventure. Additionally, information below may be
  obtained from any Sister, but certain nuns know
  more or less on certain subjects and are detailed
  below.
  Gather Information is the key skill here, with
  the following situational modifiers (and they stack):
  • 
  Displaying a holy symbol of Pholtus: +2.
  • 
  Merely claiming to worship Pholtus: +1
  (the nuns will not Sense Motive, preferring
  to treat PCs as honored guests).
  • 
  Being a demihuman: +1.
  • 
  Being male: +1.
  • 
  Having Cha 16 or higher: +1 (even though
  Gather Information is already Cha-based).
  • 
  Displaying a holy symbol other than that of
  Pholtus: -4.
  PCs can learn many things about the Abbey from
  simply talking openly with the nuns (no roll
  necessary), including the following:
  • 
  The Abbey: Was a garrison in the early
  days of the Pale and is named after a
  nearby peak in the Rakers at whose base
  is rumored to exist a valley that carries no
  echo.
  • 
  Hierarchy: The Abbess maintains order
  via three lieutenants, all of whom the nuns
  obey without question, with each class of
  nun (paladin, cleric, monk) reporting
  directly to her respective lieutenant. Nuns
  with NPC classes (such as the dog
  handler, Sister Ignatia) and initiates report
  
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  directly 
  to 
  any 
  immediate 
  acolyte
  priestess, as cleric is the class here given
  the most respect (note that no clerics
  serve guard duty). Seniority is loosely
  defined: nuns who have been here the
  longest are all Experts who hold no official
  authority, but are respected by the rest of
  the Sisters and acolytes. These Experts
  report to the Abbess. To help simplify any
  PC confusion, the title of “nun” or Sister
  refers to all female Abbey residents; a
  Sister can be both a nun and a paladin
  (such as Sister Aradi).
  • 
  Population: 79 total. 18 clerics (12
  acolytes, 
  6 
  senior), 
  23 
  monks 
  (11
  acolytes, 12 senior), 25 paladins (11
  acolytes, 
  14 
  senior), 
  9 
  experts, 
  3
  lieutenants, and the Abbess. All are
  human females, with the exception of the
  visiting Prelatal Army training unit (three
  male 
  humans) 
  and 
  the 
  half-elven
  lieutenant, Aradi. Because of this, male
  PCs are variously regarded with a mixture
  of curiosity and contempt.
  • 
  Age: From eighteen to sixty; astute PCs
  may correctly surmise that some of the
  older Sisters know more about the Abbey
  than the younger ones do.
  • 
  Dress: Varies by order. The inhabitants of
  certain monasteries and convents are
  allowed to deviate from the usual Pholtan
  raiment (white) because of traditions from
  the abbey’s founding days. Paladins are
  the least orthodox, typically seen in light
  armor (without helmets) and dark purple
  capes. Monks are slightly more formal,
  wearing hoodless, full-length gray robes
  with black piping. Clerics represent what
  might be called more traditional dress,
  wearing full nun habits: hooded, full-length
  white robes with broad black sashes and
  silver piping. Non-classed nuns wear grey
  hooded 
  robes 
  with 
  silver 
  piping;
  lieutenants and the Abbess wear more
  elegantly embroidered versions of their
  class habit. Acolytes and initiates wear
  black robes, indicating they lack of
  knowledge in the ways of Pholtus.
  • 
  Chastity: The Sisters of Montaire have
  not taken vows of lifetime celibacy, but
  they are chaste until marriage. Any
  sexually suggestive PC behavior gets him
  locked in Area 41 for the duration of the
  adventure 
  or 
  until 
  their 
  colleagues
  succeed on a DC 25 Diplomacy check. 
  More importantly, Abbess Virienne has
  intentionally kept them unaware of the
  public perception that nuns are prostitutes.
  Should any PC let it slip or say so on
  purpose, all nuns will eventually flock to
  Sister Cythica asking “is it true? Is it true?”
  in hopes that she will intrude on the
  Abbess for guidance. Either way, if the
  truth comes out as a result of PC
  behavior, they suffer a–4 circumstance
  penalty on all Charisma-related skills in
  the Abbey until the real Abbess is
  rescued.
  • 
  Sister Aradi: The half-elf paladin is far
  and away the Abbey’s most popular and
  charismatic resident: everyone rushes to
  sit near her at dinner, younger girls look
  up to her, older women wish they could
  relive their youth through her. In short, she
  is the “Big Woman On Campus” and
  carries 
  herself 
  with 
  confidence 
  and
  compassion. After Cythica, Baeshalle, and
  the Abbess leave the dining hall, Aradi
  moves from her place at the elevated
  table to join her “common” Sisters below.
  If the PCs approach her during this
  encounter, she invites them to sit at her
  table as she energetically peppers them
  with questions about their experience as
  adventurers. She has an insatiable thirst
  for it, having spent her entire life in the
  Abbey and knowing little of the outside
  world. PCs should find her amiable,
  charming, and without ego. If they mention
  the look of rage on her face just before
  dinner, she responds with something
  dismissive such as “boys will be boys,” but
  a successful Sense Motive (opposed by
  her Bluff) reveals that she feels and
  means otherwise.
  • 
  Abbess Virienne: She is adored and
  respected by all Sisters. Far from being a
  stern taskmaster, Virienne is an inspiration
  to the nuns. Most of them have no idea
  what a “conservative” prelate could be
  like. However, PCs attempting to speak
  with her this evening are told by Sister
  Baeshalle (once she comes back) that the
  Abbess has taken dinner in her chambers
  and retired for the evening. Perhaps they
  might call upon her in the morning after
  prayer (10 am).
  
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  The following requires a successful Gather
  Information check (from any Sister) at the
  specified DCs. Each PC must check individually,
  without assists; anyone can roll a 20, after all, and
  impress the nuns despite all odds.
  • 
  DC 5: There is a combat-training exercise
  in the yard tomorrow morning. The nuns
  enthusiastically encourage them to attend,
  as it is rare for the Abbey to have two sets
  of visitors.
  • 
  DC 10: A few nuns, though they have no
  official authority, have risen to an unofficial
  plateau above the other classed Sisters
  and acolytes because of their skills and
  patience. This group includes Sisters
  Wyndy, Botilda, Jillaia, and Evilyn (see
  below).
  • 
  DC 12: The handsome Prelatal Army men
  are here to teach combat training; it was
  supposed to last three days but the
  blizzard 
  has 
  stranded 
  them 
  here
  temporarily, just like the PCs. (Behind the
  scenes: the real Abbess requested the
  Army men over a month ago but they
  arrived only last week; her paladins
  already have their own regimen, but she
  felt that official instruction would help
  reintegrate the Abbey back into Palish
  society. The aranea has left the men
  alone, since they distract the nuns from
  the aranea’s plots. Unbeknownst to the
  Sisters, 
  Sgt. 
  Kirandis 
  is 
  guilty 
  of
  impropriety.)
  • 
  DC 14: There used to be a time allotted
  for private meditation, usually 1-2 hours in
  the late afternoon just before dinner,
  where the Abbess used to visit each Sister
  and offer counsel and advice, but lately
  she has ceased doing it. (Behind the
  scenes: The tragedy of Faranon made
  Abbess 
  Virienne 
  undertake 
  this
  responsibility herself to instruct nuns on
  the importance of their individual bonds
  with Pholtus; she was very committed and
  the nuns miss it, but they all assume she
  is; in truth, the aranea doesn’t know about
  the meditation.)
  • 
  DC 16: Why was the regular envoy not
  sent to Eltison? Most nuns believe that the
  Abbess divined the blizzard and chose not
  to send the envoy—this is no weather in
  which to be traveling. (Behind the
  scenes: the nuns have no idea why the
  envoy wasn’t sent. Abbess Virienne is in
  charge of that particular duty but was
  incapacitated by the aranea, who cannot
  detect the Abbess’s thoughts and thus did
  not know to send the normal envoy. But
  no one should second-guess the Abbess
  in any event.)
  • 
  DC 20: Several nuns complain about
  persistent headaches in the last 7-10
  days. 
  (Behind 
  the 
  scenes: 
  The
  headaches are the result of the aranea
  using detect thoughts on random nuns.
  Thus far Sister Aradi has proven the most
  resistant: she is irritable and cannot sleep;
  see Encounter Eleven for details.)
  • 
  DC 22: The nuns agree that the Abbess’s
  behavior 
  has 
  been 
  erratic 
  of 
  late;
  symptoms 
  include 
  a 
  curt 
  manner,
  superfluous 
  chores, 
  and 
  absent-
  mindedness (such as forgetting the names
  of nuns who’ve been here for years,
  bungling the watch schedules, and failing
  to rotate the daily prayers properly). Most
  attribute this to the cold winter and deeper
  isolation, along with her relentless work
  habits: she has recently spent entire days
  in her chambers, emerging only at meals
  in the company of Sisters Baeshalle
  and/or Cythica.
  Specific Sisters and their “Bad Habits”
  Throughout the meal and questioning, the PCs will
  meet several quirky Sisters. Contrary to what the
  PCs may have heard in Eltison, the Sisters and
  even the acolytes are pious and humble and will
  express shock if informed of the public’s opinion
  about nuns and the prostitution rate among Abbey
  washouts. However, each of the four Sisters
  below possesses a habitual eccentricity (playing
  into 
  the 
  title 
  theme; 
  see 
  below); 
  zealous
  roleplayers could try to liberate each Sister from
  the bonds of her respective habit.
  Sister Wyndy: Clr1/Pal1. She is 22 and of mixed
  Oeridian descent with long, dark blonde hair and
  green eyes and speaks with a pronounced lisp.
  She is highly analytical, charismatic, and almost
  overly energetic. She has a short attention span,
  as her multiclassing hints at. Wyndy’s primary duty
  is that of Indoctrination: she is the acolyte-
  wrangler and has been put in charge of the four
  Eltison initiates. She excels at painting and has
  even painted her battle armor lavender. She wants
  to paint a portrait of everyone she meets. She has
  painted all of the nuns, so she turns to the PCs.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
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  She asks the most repulsive or charismatic PC (a
  visual extreme) to pose for her, ideally a male.
  She also suffers from poor directional sense at
  times and provides directions while facing PCs
  which, while precise, are incorrect; although she
  always catches herself before someone has gone
  the wrong way (usually to her right instead of the
  PC’s right: “Your OTHER RIGHT!” she shouts,
  then smiles innocently). Her habit involves wrongly
  guessing where others want to go and trying to
  give directions anyway. Breaking her of this habit
  should involve getting her to let people choose
  their own path.
  Sister Botilda: Flan/Oeridian Clr2. She is 25, has
  luxurious brown hair and dark eyes, and wears
  eyeglass-frames without lenses (the reason is
  hers to know and the PCs’ to speculate). She is
  compassionate, sensitive, and attentive, but is
  also a gossip queen. Her primary duty at the
  Abbey is that of Confessor: she hears confessions
  from everyone except the three lieutenants and
  the Abbess. She often exhibits her trademark
  poise by walking around the Abbey with random
  objects balanced on her head.  She reports
  information told to her in confidence by saying that
  “an anonymous person” told her.
  Sister Jillaia (“zhil-AY-eh”): Oeridian Mnk2. She
  is 27 and bald (shaved head) with large, deep-set
  brown eyes. She has taken a vow of silence, to
  help her focus spiritually, but in truth her vow
  keeps others distanced from her, more than it
  helps her. Furthermore, she has found what she
  calls “Divine Guidance” in a stray cat that she has
  adopted and refuses to let anyone else touch. The
  other Sisters call the cat “Sharona,” since Jillaia
  does not speak to it. Jillaia’s primary duty is that of
  Librarian; she is the Abbess’s assistant.  Breaking
  her of her silent habit should involve getting her to
  be more open to people. A Perform check (DC 10-
  15 depending on complexity) is the only non-
  verbal 
  means 
  at 
  the 
  party’s 
  disposal 
  for
  communicating with Jillaia.
  Sister Evilyn: Suel/Olman Pal2. She is 24, has
  bone-white, shoulder-length hair with long bangs,
  and mismatched eyes: one violet, one black. Her
  once-bronze skin has paled after years spent at
  the Abbey, but new girls still find her exotic looks
  intimidating. She is the Abbey’s most infamous
  resident, perpetually prowling the corridors and
  glaring cryptically at everyone. She looks fierce
  and has some esoteric interests (including
  herbalism and hydraulics, for she devised the
  shower-system in Area 25) but she is of unfailing
  honor.  Her primary duty is that of Quartermaster:
  she is in charge of receiving, stocking, and
  inventorying whatever comes to the Abbey. She
  never smiles and will not speak to the PCs unless
  spoken to first. Evilyn further believes women to
  be the superior gender and seethes when males
  appear competent. Her habits are distrust,
  pessimism, and sexism, which can only be cured
  by offering a reason to be more optimistic; hers
  should present the most difficult challenge.
  Preparing for the Night
  After dinner, before evening prayer, the PCs will
  be assigned to their sleeping quarters; devout
  Pholtans (or anyone else) may attend prayers in
  the chapel. Sister Baeshalle appears and tells the
  party that the Army men are occupying the only
  available room far enough from the women to be
  considered “safe”. If the PCs are either all male or
  all female, then the following sections should be
  adjusted appropriately. Baeshalle (with Wyndy
  looking on) assigns PCs to sleeping quarters as
  follows:
  • 
  One male Pholtan cleric may share the
  room with the Army men. If there is more
  than one such PC, they will have to decide
  or draw straws, as there is only room
  enough for one.
  • 
  One female Pholtan cleric may share a
  room with Sister Cythica (Area 40).
  • 
  All other females (and the four initiates)
  will share a common room with some of
  the newer acolytes and Sister Wyndy
  (Area 36b).
  • 
  All other males will be housed in the only
  other sheltered area far enough from the
  women to ensure that no mischief occurs:
  the kennel. They will not be immediately
  told of this, however, merely led away by
  Baeshalle once the other groups have
  gone.
  The end of this encounter marks the unofficial
  halfway 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  scenario 
  and 
  the
  recommended break between “rounds”. In order to
  help you prepare for Encounter Twelve, which is
  really several separate encounters, maybe even
  happening at the same time, the following “tour”
  dynamic brings the round to a close.
  The PCs will likely be curious about the
  interior of the Abbey; if they do not think to
  mention it themselves, Sister Wyndy recommends
  a tour. Sister Baeshalle quickly insists it is a bad
  idea, as the Sisters have evening duties, to which
  
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  Wyndy counters with a keen insight: wouldn’t it be
  better if each PC knew where the others were
  sleeping? Baeshalle reluctantly relents. PCs must
  now attempt a Diplomacy check (one check,
  others may assist) to determine who their tour
  guide will be. With a higher score, the guide is
  more amiable and revealing. Note that if male PCs
  are present, all guards call a warning when
  approaching the shower area; also, none of the
  guides enters the second floor north wing (where
  Scarlett is being kept) nor approaches within 50
  feet of the Abbess’s chamber, as they do not wish
  to disturb her in hopes that she is sleeping and not
  working all night. Each Sister has a perk
  associated with being the PCs’ guide:
  • 
  DC 10 or less: Sister Evilyn. Sparse
  commentary but thorough tour, especially
  of the first floor where her duties are
  centered.
  • 
  DC 11-15: Sister Botilda. Limitless idle
  gossip (DMs may reveal any tidbit listed
  elsewhere of DC 15 or less) but thorough
  tour, especially of the chapel, with special
  attention paid to the confessionals, “just in
  case.”
  • 
  DC 16-20: Sister Wyndy. Unstoppable,
  absent-minded chatterbox; thorough tour,
  especially of the second floor (but not the
  north wing) where PCs may witness
  monks and clerics in evening prayer and
  meditation.
  • 
  DC 21+: Sister Aradi. The PCs are lucky,
  as Aradi has a set of keys that can take
  them places only lieutenants can go. She
  happily opens any locked door to satisfy
  PC curiosity except Area 21 (the access
  room to the cellar and dungeon), which
  she describes in all seriousness as “off-
  limits.” She is fond of visiting the kitchen
  area and the laundry room, where the
  slaving acolytes delight in her company.
  Aradi has lived here her entire life and can
  tell the PCs a great deal about the Abbey.
  Give the players copies of the four maps, so they
  may familiarize themselves with the room numbers
  and locations. You can give the “tour” verbally in
  any order they desire. Once it is complete, the
  PCs should return to the dining hall and be
  assigned sleeping quarters.
  A complete description of the abbey follows
  (Encounter Nine), then the intended actions of
  NPCs during the first night (Encounter Ten), and
  then the divided scenes for the PCs’ first night
  (Encounter Eleven). Females and possibly one
  male Pholtan PC are led away by Sister Wyndy
  (proceed to Encounters 11A, B and C); the
  remaining males—and anyone not liking the other
  assignments—are instructed to follow Sister
  Baeshalle (Encounter 11D).
  Encounter Nine: The Abbey
  A key to the Abbey and its environs is provided
  below.
  External Security
  The main gate, walls, and courtyard of the Abbey
  are patrolled at all times by the senior paladins
  under the command of Sister Aradi. These guards
  always move in pairs; there are three pairs on
  watch at night (two 6-hour shifts, dusk to dawn: 1
  pair at the main gate, 1 pair circuiting the wall and
  towers, 1 pair roving the grounds inside the wall).
  If a PC moves within 30 feet of the main gate or
  any wall, allow the guards a Spot or Listen check
  (as applicable) to notice them. To determine
  where the roving patrol is at any given time, roll a
  d6 and consult the following table: 1=kennels;
  2=stables; 
  3=front 
  door; 
  4=storage 
  sheds;
  5=gardens; 6=exercise yard. The number rolled
  determines where the patrol is; it takes them one
  minute to move from one area to the next (in that
  order). The interior courtyard is not lit, so PCs may
  use shadows to their advantage.
  External Security: Female human Pal2; hp 16
  (Listen +3, Sense Motive +3, Spot +3); see
  Appendix One.
  The walls and doors of the Abbey have the
  following statistics unless otherwise noted:
  Wooden Doors: 3 inches thick; hardness 5;
  hp 30; AC 5; Break DC 18.
  Stone Walls: 9 inches thick; hardness 8; hp
  135; AC 5; Break DC 35.
  Abbey Exterior
  See Map #1 for these areas.
  Area 1: Main Gate. These 8-foot-high heavy
  wooden doors are barred from the inside and
  manned at all times by two paladins. They open
  the gate for anyone who does not detect as evil.
        Heavy 
  Wooden 
  Gate: 
  8 
  inches 
  thick;
  hardness 5; hp 80; Break DC 25.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
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  Area 2: Exterior Wall. The five-section stone wall
  uses the Rakers as a brace. The wall is twelve
  feet high with four towers and a walkway over the
  main gate. PCs succeeding at a Spot check (DC
  20) note small portions of the wall that look newer
  than the rest; they were patched twenty years ago
  after the earthquake, but only Sisters Cythica (in
  Encounter 10-B), Lily (see area 7), Eloise (see
  Area 28), or the true Abbess Virienne can provide
  this information.
         Superior Stone Wall: 12 inches thick;
  hardness 8; hp 180; Break DC 35.
  Area 3: Outer Courtyard. This area is paved with
  gray and off-white flagstones in a decorative motif
  designed to mirror the eclipsing twin moons of the
  Pale. The area is surprisingly clean, given how
  many people live in the Abbey; acolytes spend the
  daylight hours sweeping and scrubbing the
  flagstones to keep them looking pristine.
  Area 4: Stables. Four senior paladins, Sister
  Cythica, and Sister Eloise the cook have mounts
  here: seven healthy light warhorses, used to make
  the monthly supply trek to Eltison. The PCs’
  mounts 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  stabled 
  here, 
  too.
  Additionally, any PC casting speak with animals
  may learn about the moan (perhaps before being
  exposed to it at midnight) and also that the Abbess
  used to groom them daily but has recently stopped
  visiting.
  Area 5: Kennels. These are tended to by Sister
  Ignatia and currently house seven dogs; the
  proximity to the Abbey kitchen ensures that they
  are (secretly) overfed. See encounter 10-D for
  more on the dogs.
  Area 6: Storage Sheds. These two small wooden
  buildings 
  contain 
  gardening 
  tools, 
  brooms,
  shovels, two carts, tack and food for the horses,
  three 
  armored 
  practice 
  dummies 
  and 
  four
  composite (+2 Str bonus) longbows along with 80
  masterwork arrows in four quivers. A stealthy PC
  who manages to Search these sheds (DC 20)
  finds a dusty, moth-eaten, rolled-up flag. This is
  the Standard of Montaire, which Abbess Virienne
  has kept from being flown since CY 590 due to the
  rumors surrounding the Abbey (she is aware of
  true public sentiment, but does not tell the younger
  Sisters, to preserve morale).
  Area 7: Gardens. The nuns maintain humble
  vegetable and herb gardens under the guidance of
  the aged Sister Lily. What they cannot grow is
  bought in Eltison with the Abbess’s bookbinding
  profits.
  Sister Lily: Female human Clr1/Drd2/Exp5
  (gardener); Knowledge (nature) +12.
  Area 8: Exercise Yard. Here the Sisters exercise
  and practice combat maneuvers. By day, one can
  usually hear the clash of steel as the paladins
  engage one another while monks demonstrate
  leaps from the wall or race one another around the
  Abbey.
  Area 9: The Rakers. The Abbey was originally
  built as a garrison with holding cells for prisoners.
  It was thought only a fool would attempt escape
  given the obstacles of guards, the climate, and the
  Rakers. The steep mountains abutting the Abbey
  are almost impassable without magic. As a result,
  the Abbey is nearly invulnerable to an exterior
  assault, although the earthquake twenty years ago
  created other entrances. Note the presence of a
  concealed archway (Search DC 20) at the
  northwest corner of the wall; it is through this
  natural rock passage that Sister Aradi (and Sister
  Wyndy, each unaware of the other) secretly
  ventures outside the Abbey. PCs passing through
  here and succeeding on a DC 15 Search check
  locate some vines with stimulant berries; collecting
  some of the remaining berries is easy but the PCs
  must do this before the middle of the first night or
  the vines will have been picked clean.
  Internal Security
  Monks (led by Sister Baeshalle) patrol the inside
  of the Abbey during the night. These guards
  always travel alone. There are three on watch at
  all times between sunset and sunrise (one on
  each floor). While the paladins guard against
  external threats, the monks attempt to ensure
  discipline and curfew among initiates and acolytes
  who may be having trouble “adjusting” to life as a
  nun. There is a 1-in-4 chance that a monk guard is
  in the same wing as a skulking PC; this check
  should be made each time a PC enters a new
  wing. If no guard is present based on the die roll,
  then “the coast is clear” for some time, subject to
  your discretion. Continual flame torches are
  placed in the halls during the night at 90-foot
  intervals (and stored in Area 17 each day); PCs
  may use the shadows to their advantage. Upon
  any hint of disturbance, guards immediately
  question the offender(s). Unless a PC Bluff beats
  the guard’s Sense Motive, the PC(s) will be
  instructed to return to their room(s). If PCs resist
  instructions, a guard will rush to Sister Baeshalle’s
  room (see Map 3, Area 33), who moves to subdue
  the PC(s). Most rooms are unlocked unless noted
  otherwise.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 27
  Internal Security: Female human Mnk2; hp 15
  (Listen +5, Sense Motive +3, Spot +3); see
  Appendix One.
  Abbey Interior: Ground Floor
  See Map #2 for these areas.
  Area 10: Foyer. The floor here is of polished white
  marble and bears the crest of Montaire. A door in
  the north wall leads to the inner sanctuary. The
  front door is never locked. The halls are of
  polished stone and bear torch-holders every thirty
  feet. Hallways on all floors are lighted by torchlight
  from 6-11pm, then extinguished by monk guards.
  Area 11: Stairs. Two sets of stone steps lead up
  to the second and third floors.
  Area 
  12: 
  Sanctuary. 
  This 
  area 
  contains
  manicured shrubbery, small trees, darkwood
  benches, a cozy rectangle of grass, and a
  reflecting pond with fish. The nuns use it as a
  place to meditate, sketch, relax and eat lunch. The
  rooms surrounding this sanctuary all have
  windows overlooking it; the sky is visible
  overhead.
  Area 13: Abbey Offices. These four rooms are
  where the day-to-day business of the Abbey is
  conducted. The offices of Sisters Aradi (a) and
  Baeshalle (b) are on the west side of the foyer,
  while the offices of Sister Cythica (d) and her
  assistant (c) are to the east. By day, there is a
  50% chance that any lieutenant is in her office; the
  cleric’s assistant is always there. The files in each
  office contain personnel records of all nuns in the
  Abbey, applications under review, guard rosters,
  prayer revisions and the like. At night the doors to
  these rooms are locked (Open Locks DC 20). A
  resourceful PC could rummage through files to
  determine (after one hour) that Sister Wyndy’s
  mysterious “Nun X” (the aranea’s humanoid
  disguise: see Encounter 18) does not exist, giving
  the party a vital clue. Note that this must be done
  secretly, as Sister Cythica would never allow PCs
  to read the confidential files she keeps on each
  Sister.
  Area 14: Visitors’ Lounge. This room is used to
  entertain visiting dignitaries, such as Church
  officials or parents of prospective applicants. The
  room is cleaned regularly and kept free of dust but
  a Spot check (DC 15) indicates that the four chairs
  and two upholstered divans in here show little
  evidence of use (the Abbey has not had visitors in
  over a year).
  Area 15: Indoctrination Room. This is where
  groups of initiates are first brought and lectured on
  the Abbey’s ground rules; it contains a dozen
  chairs and writing desks along with a podium.
  Area 16: Privy. These two small toilets funnel to a
  very deep pit (eighty feet) that is home to an
  extremely old, large, yet very content gray ooze.
  Area 17: Dry Storage. This large room holds dry
  food stores for the Abbey as well as other bulky
  items too awkward to be stored elsewhere—
  buckets, torches, lanterns and oil, habits, spare
  beds or cots, linen, etc. Also piled here are the
  everburning torches that are set out to light the
  halls each night (see “Internal Security” above).
  The room is always unlocked. PCs investigating
  here at any time who succeed on a Knowledge
  (nature) or Intelligence check of DC 15 or a
  Search check of DC 20 will recognize that such a
  room should attract no end of rodents, but no trace
  of any is to be found. [The Aranea has been
  feeding on the mice and rats that usually infest this
  room. Her tracks are mingled with those of many
  other Sisters.]
  Area 18: Dojo. Senior monks use this room to
  train and practice their physical disciplines.
  Talking is forbidden in here as part of the training;
  any PC doing so is pointed toward the door.
  Area 19: Armory. This room is stocked with all
  manner of swords, shields, polearms, and suits of
  medium and heavy armor. It is never guarded and
  locked only at night; a logbook is used by the
  Sisters to check out weapons and armor. All items
  in this room are of average quality; only Sister
  Aradi carries a masterwork weapon.
  Area 20: Meditation Chambers. These individual
  cells are used by the Sisters to meditate privately;
  each room has a desk, two chairs, writing
  material, and two windows looking out onto the
  sanctuary.
  Area 
  21: 
  Access 
  Room. 
  This 
  unlocked,
  windowless room (and all rooms along the north
  wall) is built into the Rakers themselves. Inside is
  a locked stone door (Open Locks DC 25). Only
  Sister Aradi and the Abbess have keys; the door
  leads to the lower dungeons and the wine cellar
  (see below). Though the lock can be bypassed,
  the penalty for getting caught “taking 20” here
  should be severe (imprisonment in an Abbey cell,
  at least).
  Area 22: Infirmary. This room contains eight beds
  and is managed by Sister Felicity. She is here at
  all times, sleeping little while she is caring for
  
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  patients. Three acolytes are patients here, two
  suffering from “headaches” [failed aranea detect
  thoughts] and one recovering from a broken leg
  after “falling off a wall” (a white lie, as this sister
  was trying to copy Sister Aradi’s acrobatics: see
  Encounter Eleven-C). Sister Felicity professes to
  be very busy searching for a cause of the
  headaches and entertains a maximum of three
  questions from PCs (but do not tell them this in
  advance). If a PC makes a DC 20 Diplomacy
  check (assists are allowed), she says that several
  nuns have had similar complaints within the last
  two weeks, and bed rest has been the only cure. If
  the PCs are injured, she has two cure light
  wounds spells available each day.
  Sister Felicity: Female human Clr1 (Pholtus).
  Area 23: Laundry. This room contains three large
  kettles over fires for washing the Abbey laundry.
  Acolytes and initiates work here, assigned by
  Sister Baeshalle. They cannot provide PCs with
  any useful information, but any male PC who
  succeeds at a DC 15 Diplomacy check can
  “borrow” a nun’s habit or two, should the PCs wish
  to disguise themselves.
  Area 24: Well Room. This room contains a stone
  well with a rope and 5-gallon bucket on a pulley,
  along with the sound of rushing water. The Sisters
  obtain fresh water here from an underground
  stream located forty feet down the well. The room
  is unmanned and unlocked.
  Abbess Virienne’s toad familiar, Penance, is
  stuck at the bottom of the well. He fell in two
  weeks ago but the Sisters have not heard him
  over the rush of water. Hearing his croaks takes a
  Listen check (DC 18, as the stream is rather loud).
  The slippery well walls are Climb DC 25. The bar
  supports only thirty pounds, and there is no place
  to tie off a rope, so a second PC will probably
  have to stay above to hold it. If a PC falls, he lands
  in the cold stream and gets one Reflex save at DC
  15 to grab hold of a rocky ledge, or else must
  swim back to the ledge (two Swim checks, DC 15,
  no retries). Failing the save and the Swim checks
  sends a PC rushing downstream and out of the
  adventure. He emerges at an isolated pond and
  can return to civilization 1 TU later.
  PCs that descend successfully find a very
  cold, hungry, and lonely toad. A Sense Motive
  check (DC 15) gives PCs the feeling that this toad
  is uncannily intelligent (Int 7). Through his
  empathic link with Virienne, he senses that she is
  in danger but cannot understand the complexity of
  “impostor.” Thus, he interprets her feelings as “two
  Abbesses” and tries to communicate this to the
  PCs by croaking in bursts of two. If the PCs can
  talk with him, they learn his name (Penance) and
  that he is Abbess Virienne’s familiar (though no
  Sister knows that she is a wizard and has a
  familiar). Penance is grateful to the PCs for
  rescuing him and accompanies them if they wish.
  If he sees the aranea-Abbess, he croaks
  meaningfully and flees, knowing it to be an
  imposter. Be prepared to adapt.
  Area 25: Showers. This large room is where the
  Sisters bathe. It contains an elaborate shower
  system (designed by Sister Evilyn) involving a
  series of darkwood sluices strung overhead.
  Drains chiseled into the floor connect with natural
  fissures in the floor, allowing used water to trickle
  back down to the underground stream (see Area
  24). This room is strictly off-limits to males; if any
  PCs are male, an Interior Guard is posted in the
  hallway during scheduled shower hours, 6-9pm.
  Area 26: Kitchen Storeroom. This room contains
  plates, pots, pans, cutlery and table linens. It has
  windows overlooking the sanctuary but no external
  doors.
  Area 27: Scullery. As with the laundry room, this
  area is managed exclusively by acolytes and
  initiates supervised by the cook, Sister Eloise (see
  below). All acolytes consider this the worst
  assignment at the Abbey.
  Area 28: Kitchen. These two bustling areas are
  the purview of the Abbey cook, Sister Eloise.
  Sister Eloise: Female human Clr2/Exp5.
  Twelve acolytes (in rotation) assist her in
  preparing three daily meals for all in the Abbey.
  The northern kitchen area is designated for cold
  storage and preparation; the southern chamber
  contains the ovens. Alone among the Sisters,
  Eloise reports directly to the Abbess, not to a
  lieutenant. It is rarely necessary, however, as
  Sister Eloise is the epitome of machinelike
  efficiency: acolytes fear her temper, which has in
  fact prevented her from advancing as a cleric (she
  spends more time in Confession than any other
  Sister). As she alternates her time between the
  kitchen, scullery, storeroom, and dining hall, there
  is only a 20% chance that she is here when PCs
  enter; if she is, she irritably shoos them away,
  stating that the kitchen is no place for visitors.
  If a PC offers to help, she skeptically allows
  them to stay; this removes the PC from play for
  that day but allows the PC to gain her confidence,
  so she says that Sister Aradi has been confiding in
  
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  her and tends toward anger and rebelliousness.
  Eloise has thus far only listened and not advised a
  course of action.
  Alternatively, if no PC wishes to volunteer their
  time and if Eloise is not here, they may attempt a
  Diplomacy check on the acolytes (DC 18);
  success gets them to reveal that Aradi has been
  meeting with Eloise here in the kitchen late at
  night for the last week.
  Area 29: Dining Hall. See Encounter Ten for its
  description.
  Abbey Interior: Second Floor
  See Map #3 for these areas.
  Area 30: Stairs. The stone stairs here lead down
  to the first floor and also continue up to the third.
  Area 31: Empty Rooms. Due to the decline in
  Abbey enrollment, these eight rooms remain
  unoccupied; female PCs may be allowed to use
  one after the first night based on their behavior,
  but males will never be allowed to sleep this close
  to the nuns’ rooms. Each room is unlocked and
  contains one window. Clever PCs may hide here.
  Area 32: Senior Monk Quarters. Sisters who
  have gained Monk levels stay here, two to a room;
  all are members of the Interior watch. Sister
  Baeshalle’s tutelage focuses on looking inward for
  peace and strength; so acolytes begin in rooms
  that face the interior of the Abbey but are later
  transferred to this outer wing.
  Area 32a: Sister Jillaia’s room. A small hatch
  built into the door allows her cat to come and go at
  its whim.
  Area 33: Sister Baeshalle’s Room. This Spartan
  room contains little more than a thin mat on the
  floor, a wooden practice dummy, and one window.
  Should the PCs wish to speak with her, they will
  need to succeed on a DC 25 Diplomacy check:
  Baeshalle does not trust the PCs yet. She is
  cordial at best, answering general questions about
  the Abbey and providing directions if necessary. A
  Sense Motive check (DC 15) clues PCs in to her
  feelings.
  Should the PCs succeed on the Diplomacy
  check, she reveals the truth about Aradi’s
  impending demotion, her unease at the Abbess’s
  recent work habits, her suspicion that something is
  not “right” with the Army men, and her conviction
  that grappling is completely overrated. PCs who
  dispute this last bit are invited to defend their belief
  in the dojo tomorrow morning.
  Area 34: Monk Acolyte Rooms. Three to four
  girls occupy these rooms; each contains four mats
  and a window overlooking the sanctuary.
  Area 35: Paladin Acolyte Rooms. Paladin is the
  most popular class at the Abbey, due to the
  charismatic allure of Sister Aradi. Three to four
  girls occupy each room; unlike in other wings,
  doors here are usually open, as the girls are close
  and tend to do things together. The ranks here are
  not as divided as Sister Baeshalle’s wing. Each
  room contains two bunk beds and a window.
  Area 36: Senior Paladin Rooms. Sisters who
  have gained Paladin levels stay here, three to a
  room; all are members of the Exterior watch. Each
  room contains a cot, a bunk bed, a desk and a
  window.
  Area 36a: Sister Evilyn’s Room. With
  Wyndy’s and Aradi’s permission, the exotic
  Evilyn has painted her private room a deep
  shade of purple (more suitable to Tharizdun
  than Pholtus and the Pale, but this is just
  coincidence). 
  The 
  room 
  contains 
  many
  flowers, as Evilyn is an amateur horticulturist
  as well as an amateur alchemist (DC 15 Spot
  check 
  to 
  note, 
  hidden 
  among 
  flowers,
  alchemical gear and plants related to natural
  poisons and antitoxins).
  Area 36b: Sister Wyndy’s Room. Ordinarily
  crowded 
  enough 
  with 
  Wyndy’s 
  painting
  materials, this whole room is considered very
  difficult terrain after four bunk beds are moved
  in to accommodate the four new initiates, two
  acolytes and any PCs. The effect should seem
  claustrophobic to all but Wyndy, clearly
  relishing her role as Den Mother.
  Area 37: Sister Aradi’s Room. When in her
  room, 
  Aradi 
  is 
  usually 
  planning 
  watches,
  scheduling drills, reading watch reports, and
  counseling her acolytes. Her door is always open
  during the day. Her current hobby is painting,
  thanks to Sister Wyndy, but the unfinished
  canvasses here show her irritation at the apparent
  absent-mindedness of the aranea-Abbess and
  also to her diminishing ties to the Church of
  Pholtus, 
  which 
  she 
  keeps 
  secret. 
  Her
  individualism, she has found, is not compatible
  with Church doctrine; she longs to discuss it with
  Abbess Virienne, but the Abbess’s erratic behavior
  has made Aradi reconsider and delay her
  confession. No one knows of Aradi’s heresy or
  even of her levels as a rogue (though her tumbling
  skills are suspicious).
  
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  PCs may note (Spot DC 15) her weapon
  propped in the corner: a finely crafted bastard
  sword. They may also note (Spot DC 20) the
  marked absence of a Pholtan holy symbol. She
  happily accepts PCs as visitors but is irked at any
  questions about the Abbess, as she doesn’t
  understand the growing distance between her and
  the Abbess. She is happy, though, to explain her
  history at the Abbey: Abbess (then merely Sister)
  Virienne found her abandoned in the woods
  outside the Abbey twenty-five years ago and the
  Sisters raised her. If asked whether she will attend
  the combat exercise tomorrow, her answer is
  “unquestionably.” PCs who inquire about her
  paintings elicit a pronounced excitement, as her
  secret nighttime walks have allowed her to train
  her artist’s eye on aspects of nature and thus
  convey them to canvas, but she will quickly check
  herself and claim that the works are “inspired.”
  PCs with Knowledge (geography) or Knowledge
  (nature) who succeed at DC 15 recognize in one
  painting an outcropping just east of the Abbey, but
  she will not admit to sneaking out to observe it.
  Although paladins do not lie, Aradi has
  forsaken the class and is thus capable of lying to
  suit her needs.
  Area 38: Cleric Acolyte Rooms. Two girls
  occupy these rooms, each of which contains two
  bunk beds, a window and two desks.
  Area 39: Senior Cleric Rooms. Sisters who have
  gained Cleric levels dwell here, two to a room.
  Each contains two cots, two desks, a window, and
  a portable shrine to Pholtus.
  Area 39a: Sister Botilda’s Room. Nothing
  here is suspicious, but Botilda will somehow
  learn of any break-in. When next she
  encounters the PC(s) in question, she
  proclaims that “an anonymous person” broke
  into her room, and if anyone has anything to
  confess, she will be available later in the
  evening.
  Area 39b: Experts’ Room. This room is
  empty when the PCs first arrive (and when
  they take their tour) but Sisters Eloise and Lily
  will be moving in together on the first night
  (since the younger nuns’ headaches prompted
  both to exercise sensitivity and relocate). Lily
  planned to tell the Abbess at dinner but forgot;
  thus, the room change is undocumented. If the
  PCs sneak around and try to hide in this room
  (shown empty during the tour), Lily and Eloise
  will be asleep here and the PC will have to
  Move Silently or devise a hasty, plausible
  excuse.
  Area 40: Sister Cythica’s Room. This is the
  finest room in the Abbey, even more serenely
  appointed than the Abbess’s. A PC who sleeps
  here during Encounter Eleven might develop a
  lifelong taste for Luxury Lifestyle. Cythica is the
  archetypal Pholtan priestess (though atypical for a
  priest in the Pale): pious, lawful and sympathetic.
  She will be the Sister most affected by the crisis in
  the scenario: her faith should be tried and she
  should emerge as a leader to her Sisters. Her
  impressive room faces east, allowing her to begin
  each day with a prayer as sunlight floods her room
  with the warmth of Pholtus. She is also directly
  beneath the chapel, so the singing and chanting of
  the Sisters act as a soothing influence when her
  mind and spirit are troubled. The room contains a
  large single bed, a permanent shrine to Pholtus,
  two bookcases, a writing desk and a private
  washbasin.
  See Encounter Eleven-B for more information
  about Sister Cythica.
  Area 41: Holding Cells. These were originally
  designed as prison cells when the Abbey was first
  a garrison. Nowadays, the Sisters scarcely visit
  them at all and no Sister has been held here
  during the merciful Virienne’s tenure. Each
  contains a bench, washbasin, cot and (on the
  inward side of the passage) a barred window
  overlooking the sanctuary. Each door has a barred
  window (six inches square); each door can be
  locked only from the outside. The Abbess and
  Sister Aradi possess the only keys (Open Lock DC
  20).
  Area 42: Scarlett. If she made it to the Abbey, the
  half-dragon is here, sleeping and recuperating
  until 4am; Sister Aradi and the Abbess have the
  only keys (Open Lock DC 20). Scarlett can see
  and hear what is going on in the hallway outside
  the cell and her senses are keener than most here
  would suspect. To speak privately with her, a
  daring PC must accomplish three things: first,
  separate himself from the party (with a believable
  excuse for the watchful nuns); next, avoid the
  roving monk patrols by day (at night it is easier);
  third, work around Scarlett’s inability to talk. PCs
  should realize that Scarlett is “under observation”
  by edict of the aranea-Abbess since she radiated
  evil and is therefore, technically, a prisoner of the
  Abbey: PCs caught in conversation with her (or
  helping her escape) will be arrested for obstruction
  of justice and locked in a cell for the duration of
  
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  the adventure. The rest of the party will have to
  intercede and prove absence of malice.
  Area 43: Guard Rooms. These two rooms were
  originally designed as watch stations to monitor
  the holding cells. The aranea-Abbess has allowed
  the visiting Prelatal Army men to sleep in the
  eastern room (43b). They are close to the cleric
  wing (to heal any wounds from training);
  additionally, Sisters Cythica and Botilda are both
  nearby should the men wish to pray or confess
  (predictably, they have not).
  The three are also charged with sharing guard
  duty on Scarlett with Sister Baeshalle’s monks:
  while roving patrols check in on her during the
  day, the three men watch her at night.  They would
  prefer to have Scarlett killed before she causes
  trouble; but they don’t think her much of a threat
  now (little do they know about half-dragons) and
  they do not take the guard duty seriously (see
  “First Night’s Events” below).
  The morally corrupt male guards have found
  another use for the unoccupied interior cells:
  spying on Sisters whose windows face the
  sanctuary (using a spyglass lifted from Area 45).
  PCs who catch the men in this act may tell the
  Sisters; all three lieutenants converge with a
  furious Cythica leading the way, casting zone of
  truth on the move. However, it is Aradi who holds
  her Sister back, suspiciously saying “Let Pholtus
  judge them.” Cythica grudgingly relents, but PCs
  may Sense Motive (DC 19) on the tone of Aradi’s
  voice to detect an ulterior motive (see “First
  Night’s Events,” below). The lieutenants will go to
  seek the Abbess’s guidance, but the frustrated
  aranea will brush them off with a promise to pray
  to Pholtus for guidance. The guards will be
  allowed to continue their watch and answer PC
  accusations in the morning.
  Abbey Interior: Third Floor
  See Map #4 for these areas.
  Area 44: Stairs. These lead down to the lower two
  floors; there is no internal access to the roof.
  Area 45: Lookout Room. Senior monks are here
  during 
  the 
  day. 
  The 
  room 
  contains 
  two
  spyglasses, two windows, two chairs, a single cot,
  and two heavy crossbows with sixty bolts.
  There is also a dusty roll of canvas under one
  of the cots (Spot DC 15), which contains a long
  metal pole (a flagpole). The monk-guards have
  never noticed it; indeed, none can remember a
  flag ever being flown at the Abbey. There is also a
  coiled rope and grappling hook near the window,
  which a uses once per month to climb onto the
  roof and inspect for leaks. They will not allow PCs
  onto the roof (for safety), but a PC managing to
  climb up unnoticed and succeeding on a DC 15
  Search check discover a concealed depression
  where a flagpole would fit.
  Finally, if a PC succeeds on a DC 15 Gather
  Information check, the monks reveal that one of
  their spyglasses has recently gone missing. [Sgt.
  Kirandis is using it to peep at the Sisters from the
  holding cells.]
  Area 46: Bookbinding Workshops. Between
  daily chores and religious obligations, many
  Sisters and acolytes work here scribing scrolls,
  copying hymns and liturgy into folios, and assisting
  the Abbess in her bookbinding trade, which
  actually brings in almost as much money as the
  Abbey’s grants from the Church. Nuns here say
  that the Abbess has been secluded in her
  chamber for the last week working on some large
  project; they feel that she is working herself too
  hard but also trust that she knows what she is
  doing and that it must surely benefit the Abbey.
  They are all proud of her accomplishments and
  her training, as the additional funds buy better
  fabric, a wider variety in their diet, and extra
  religious and artistic supplies.
  Area 47: Supply Storage. This room holds
  materials for bookbinding and scroll-scribing:
  including 
  quills, 
  ink, 
  parchment, 
  vellum,
  bookbinding paste, etc. This room is locked (DC
  20); the Abbess and Sister Cythica have keys.
  Area 48: Chapel. This large room has been
  modified to serve Montaire as a place of worship.
  Paneled entirely in darkwood, the chapel has
  exceptional acoustics; there is no formal choir at
  the Abbey but acolytes often sing hymns here.
  There are two sets of double doors on the west
  wall and four stained glass windows facing east,
  similar to those in the dining hall (Area 29). The
  chapel is always unlocked. There are also two
  confessionals. In addition, there is a secret stone
  panel in the north wall behind the altar (Search,
  DC 25) that leads to the library (Area 49).
  Curiously, no one at the Abbey knows of its
  existence but a successful Craft (stonemasonry)
  check (DC 10) identifies it as older than any of the
  Abbey’s current residents. Should the PCs find it
  and pass through, there is a 50% chance that a
  nun will be on the other side perusing library
  books.
  
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  Area 49: Library. PCs are not permitted in here
  without a nun escort. Although dwarfed in size and
  scope by the Library at Ogburg, Abbess Virienne’s
  library (locked at night) should leave PCs amazed
  at the immaculate condition of its tomes, scrolls,
  and folios. Here is the evidence of a woman so
  dedicated to the preservation of Pholtan literature
  as to make other librarians seem like mere clerks.
  The collection was originally housed on the
  southern side of the north wing but Abbess
  Virienne’s tireless production and eager staff
  forced her to expand it two years ago. Now, newer
  and more common works are in the southern half
  (which has two doors and three windows) while
  older and rarer holdings reside in the northern half
  (which has two normal doors and two secret doors
  and permits no natural light to filter inside). Sisters
  Cythica, Jillaia, and the Abbess possess keys to
  these two areas.
  Area 50: Abbess Virienne’s Chambers. See
  Encounter Thirteen for details on this room. The
  aranea’s unique humanoid form is medium-sized
  and androgynous; in this guise it passed
  unnoticed into the Abbey before assuming Abbess
  Virienne’s form via disguise self (it can do this up
  to 9 times a day if it uses all of its 1st- and 2nd-
  level slots). The unique humanoid form is
  hereafter referred to as “Nun X.”
  Should the PCs manage to enter this room
  before Encounter Thirteen, it will likely result in
  combat.
  Area 51: Abbess Virienne’s Library. This natural
  chamber in the cliff wall is accessed by a secret
  door in the northwest corner of Area 50 and is not
  detailed on any map. From the door, crudely
  carved stone steps lead down 15 feet to a cold,
  cramped, high-ceilinged chamber (10 feet by 25
  feet, with the ceiling 25 feet high) lined with
  bookshelves and ladders, with a stone table in the
  middle. Virienne hides her private arcane library
  here: tomes, folios, and scrolls, some about divine
  topics and more about arcane ones (including
  Faranon’s two old spellbooks), along with all of the
  Abbey’s reserve finances—thousands of gold
  glories overall—in two large, oak chests. Also
  stored here are books Virienne has bound herself
  but deemed (with pride unbecoming a priestess of
  Pholtus) too elegant to be displayed in the Library.
  The magical portion of this hoard is what the
  aranea seeks, but Virienne’s many Nystul’s magic
  auras have foiled it. They will expire the day after
  the PCs arrive at the Abbey. No one but the
  Abbess and the aranea knows this room exists.
  Dungeon Level
  No map is provided for this Area; stairs
  descending from the door in Area 21 lead
  northward another 20 feet to a landing, where they
  fork to west and north.
  DM Note: Spending a long time down here
  between 6am and 10pm may arouse suspicion.
  Taking 20 on Search checks (at two minutes per
  square) for example, could add up to a lot of time.
  If a PC spends more than twenty minutes in
  the dungeon during the day, then someone
  upstairs has noticed their absence. Feel free to
  use any Sister you like to confront the PC(s) when
  they go back upstairs. This nun will politely escort
  the PC(s) to Sister Cythica’s chamber (Area 40);
  the senior cleric frowns and asks the PC where
  they’ve been. If more than one PCs is caught,
  Cythica selects a random one to question
  (determine randomly—don’t let the party rely on
  the PC with the best Bluff score) while all other
  PCs wait in the dining hall.
  The PC may either tell the truth or Bluff. If truth
  is chosen, be prepared to improvise Cythica’s
  reactions; “there’s a ghost!” or similar outbursts
  might net the PC some quiet time in the infirmary,
  while tangible evidence of strange activity could
  radically alter the course of the scenario. If a Bluff
  is attempted (such as “I wasn’t in the dungeon,
  your holiness”) and is successful, Cythica takes
  them at their word. If a Bluff is attempted and
  failed, though, Cythica calls the bluff, casts zone of
  truth, and asks as many questions as she can in
  four minutes. She does not know whether the PC
  saves. If the PC saves, then use the opposed Bluff
  and Sense Motive checks again until the PC
  convinces her. If the PC fails, however, then he
  must admit the transgression; he and any others
  under suspicion are locked in holding cells
  pending formal questioning by the Abbess (which
  will, of course, never occur). If all the PCs
  somehow manage to get locked up, Cythica
  comes to release them once the nuns discover
  that the “Abbess” has fled (Encounter Seventeen,
  after Aradi has been banished).
  West Fork
  The stairs descend another 15 feet to a landing
  then hook downward northwest for a further 10
  feet where they end at an unlocked door. Behind it
  is the Abbey wine cellar, a modest room 30 feet
  square with a low 6-foot ceiling reinforced with
  wooden beams (it was formerly a repository for the
  brewing of Alchemist’s Fire) and otherwise notable
  
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  for two things. One, there are many old vintages
  dating back to CY 566; Abbess Virienne’s
  predecessor ceased the winemaking due to
  drunken acolyte “choir sessions”. Now, the Sisters
  imbibe only with their evening meal. Secondly,
  there is a nearly full case (10 of 12 bottles) of
  Assassin Wine. Last available in the Pale at the
  Rakervale Pious Pilgrim in CY 592, this case could
  be the last batch in the region. Only the older
  Sisters know what its effects are, but the Aranea
  has also discovered it while exploring down here
  (see “First Night’s Events” below).
  North Fork
  This stairwell descends steeply for thirty feet to a
  small landing; the cobwebs here are thick but a
  successful Spot check (DC 18) notes that some
  strands have been disrupted and hang limply amid
  newly made webs; clearly, someone passed
  through recently, despite the area’s being off-
  limits. From here, the stairs continue down another
  forty feet to a larger landing (15’x15’) and
  reinforced wooden door.
  Reinforced Wooden Door: 5 inches thick;
  hardness 5; hp 50; AC 5; Break DC 23.
  The door is unlocked but stuck shut. Beyond, the
  stairwell continues down into a very large chamber
  (DM discretion when drawing this but make it at
  least 60x80 feet). It emerges at the southwestern
  corner, twenty feet above the floor with no handrail
  on the stairs. This was clearly a multipurpose
  chamber in the past. PCs can easily note the
  following:
  • 
  Manacles: along the natural stone walls of
  the room are many sets of manacles.
  • 
  Wine vat: proof of the Abbey’s former
  winemaking capability, it dominates the
  eastern side of the chamber.
  • 
  Slab: at the bottom of the stairs is an
  enormous chunk of granite, seemingly
  dislodged from the ceiling. It is roughly six
  feet in each dimension. [This is what
  crushed the elf Faranon.]
  • 
  Atmosphere: 
  it 
  is 
  silent, 
  dark, 
  and
  unnaturally cold (because of the ghost’s
  presence).
  Have PCs make appropriate skill checks at the top
  of the stairs and again as they explore the room:
  • 
  Spot (DC 15): There is clearly a passage
  to the west that the boulder is now
  blocking; it leads to a row of empty holding
  cells. The PCs cannot move the boulder. If
  a PC tries, Faranon appears.
  • 
  Spot (DC 20): On the far side of the
  boulder is a small, shallow depression in
  the dirt; PCs who note this and succeed at
  an Intelligence check of DC 12 will realize
  that the boulder was moved about three
  feet from its original point of impact.
  Additionally, PCs find a small strip of
  green cloth pinned beneath the boulder.
  • 
  Spot (DC 20) or Search (DC 10 if the PC
  is 20 feet up the wall): In the northeast
  corner of the room, 20 feet off the floor
  where the wall meets the ceiling, is an
  oblong crawlspace measuring 7x3 feet.
  The opening contains a sticky mass of
  hanging webs. The space beyond twists
  off into darkness, winding four miles into
  the Rakers before opening into a natural
  cave but the PCs will discover that the
  tunnel has collapsed after roughly 150
  yards.
  • 
  Search (DC 20): In the southeastern
  corner behind the vat, the PCs find a small
  plot of raised dirt. A Wisdom check (DC
  12) correctly identifies it as a grave, dug
  with an implement smaller than a typical
  shovel. PCs who disturb it discover a
  skeleton. Buried along with it is a small,
  elaborately folded, yet half-rotted holy
  symbol of Pholtus made of paper.The
  skeleton’s chest and skull are clearly
  crushed. With a DC 10 Heal check, it is
  identified as an elf’s skeleton, though it is
  a crude burial for an elf.
  • 
  Knowledge (architecture and engineering)
  (DC 15): The room shows evidence of an
  earthquake within the last fifty years.
  Knowledge (local - Nyrond and Her
  Environs) (DC 15) confirms this. The PC
  making this check doesn’t feel they will be
  in danger while exploring down here, but
  thinks that a very loud noise might have
  detrimental results.
  The Ghost Appears
  Once the PCs have been here for two minutes (or
  tried to disturb the slab) the restless spirit haunting
  the dungeon will sense their presence and
  manifest. (Since this encounter is tied to the
  location, it was not given its own separately
  numbered encounter):
  
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  The coldness of the chamber suddenly
  intensifies as a spectral figure emerges from
  the far western side of the boulder. This
  apparition floats mere inches off the ground, is
  dressed in the robes of a scholar, and appears
  to be a male of elven descent.
  This is the ghost of Faranon, Abbess Virienne’s
  former lover and the father of Sister Aradi. If there
  is a female human PC in the party here, especially
  a Pholtan priestess, continue with the following:
  The apparition hesitates for a moment and
  then floats swiftly toward [insert female PC’s
  name], looks at her imploringly, and then
  bows…
  If no female PCs are here, read the following:
  The apparition hesitates then emits a moan
  whose mournful strains can only be rooted in
  deepest suffering. It gazes at you imploringly…
  Have the PCs roll initiative and allow one action
  apiece; Faranon is not hostile and seeks their aid
  in putting his spirit to rest. However, the ghost
  cannot speak, as the secrecy its mortal affair has
  carried over into the afterlife, binding it to silence
  (excluding its moan) and to this dungeon, so PCs
  must find a way to communicate with it, much like
  attempting to communicate with Sister Jillaia or
  Scarlett. Perform (acting/miming, DC 15) and Spot
  (DC 20 to read lips, PHB p 83; roll in secret for the
  PC, and also note that Faranon speaks in Elven).
  Faranon cannot speak but he is highly
  intelligent and can shake or nod his head, as well
  as put his finger to his lips to indicate the nature of
  his affair and his bond to this place. Faranon is
  unaware that he has a daughter (Sister Aradi).
  If the PCs seem to be trying to honestly
  communicate, Faranon first floats to its grave to
  give them one clue, then to the opening, and then
  up to the door with arms outstretched before
  imploring the PCs with his gaze.
  To put Faranon’s disquieted spirit to rest, the
  aranea must be exposed and the Abbess rescued.
  Faranon confronted the aranea as it emerged from
  the opening but the creature hit him with a disrupt
  undead, then forced its way through the upper
  door and slammed it shut. It hid in the wine cellar
  until a nun came down to fetch some wine for the
  evening meal. The aranea then quietly crept out
  on the ceiling into Area 21 and quickly blended
  into the population via its shapechanging ability.
  As he is bound to this place, Faranon
  intuitively knows that Abbess Virienne is in danger
  and is being impersonated but he cannot pursue
  the aranea.
  If PCs are hostile and attempt to damage or turn
  him, Faranon unleashes his grief upon them by
  way of his frightful moan and telekinesis abilities,
  trying to get them to flee or shunting them out of
  the dungeon. He is hereafter hostile to them,
  which could be detrimental, as he can provide
  crucial clues to what is going on in the Abbey.
  APL 2 (EL 7, but EL 3 because of nonlethal
  spell selection)
  Faranon: male elf ghost Wiz5; hp 32; see
  Appendix One.
  Encounter Ten: No Rest for
  the Wicked
  Specific events occur during the PCs’ first evening
  at the Abbey that they may or may not witness
  based on where and if they sleep. These events
  occur in order as follows:
  Curfew: Abbey curfew is 10 pm; all Sisters not on
  watch are expected to be in (or near) their
  quarters by then. It is after this hour that PCs will
  arouse suspicion if discovered. Lieutenants and
  the Abbess are exempt. Additionally, each
  lieutenant is responsible for the security of select
  rooms (normally locked) and each possesses a
  set of keys to them, as noted below:
  • 
  Cythica: Areas 22, 38-40, 47 and 49.
  • 
  Baeshalle: Areas 13a-d, 18, and 32-34.
  • 
  Aradi: Areas 19, 21, 35-37, 41, 42 and 43.
  • 
  The aranea currently possesses Abbess
  Virienne’s keys, which access all areas
  above.
  Irresponsible Guards: PCs visiting the north wing
  of the second floor from 10-11pm (Sgt. Kirandis’s
  watch) note the conspicuous absence of a guard
  outside Scarlett’s cell (Area 42). The Army men do
  not take this task seriously and Kirandis has taken
  up the detestable hobby of spying on Sisters in
  their rooms from the unoccupied cells with
  windows on the inner sanctuary, using a spyglass
  stolen from Area 45. PCs can catch him in the act
  with little effort (see Area 43b for details on the
  guard rotation). PCs may assume the moral high
  ground and reproach him or pass by to visit
  Scarlett undetected.
  
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  Should PCs visit between 11pm and 3am
  (Ranel’s watch), he will also not be at his post, as
  Scarlett scares him so much that he sneaks away
  to sleep though his watch in the adjacent cell.
  Listen and Move Silently modifiers still apply for
  the PCs.
  Sister Aradi: Infuriated by the butt-slap from
  Sergeant Kirandis (Encounter Eight), Aradi has
  been plotting her revenge all day. As is her
  custom, she secretly leaves the grounds via the
  secret door at Area 9 and spends the first few
  hours after curfew strolling and meditating outside
  (the PCs might encounter her in Encounter 11-D).
  She plans to subdue the man on third watch
  (Elias, since his watch is the most convenient to
  intercept and he has a similar build to Aradi’s),
  hide his unconscious body in a nearby cell,
  assume his place at the combat training exercise
  (Encounter Fourteen) and dispense her very non-
  Pholtan retribution upon Kirandis. The breakdown
  of her movements is as follows:
  • 
  8pm-midnight: Walks and thinks out the
  plan; potentially interacting with PCs.
  Around 10:30, she sneaks out via Area 9
  and practices her attacks for the morning;
  PCs in Area 5 at this time might note her
  passing by. If a PC questions why she is
  up, she blithely responds that she cannot
  sleep. 
  (True: 
  she 
  has 
  temporary
  insomnia.)
  • 
  midnight-4am: Sleeps in her room.
  • 
  4-7am: Subdues Elias, hides his body in a
  nearby cell, dons his armor and stands
  watch outside Area 42. (Once she does
  this, Aradi loses her special paladin
  abilities.) The aranea sees her do this.
  The 
  monk-guards 
  do 
  not 
  suspect
  anything, as they avoid contact with the
  men anyway.
  • 
  7-8am: Places note on door to her room
  indicating that she has a headache and is
  sleeping in until it wears off; allows all in
  Area 43b to sleep in until 8am; wakes
  them then moves, still in disguise, to Area
  9 and slips outside the Abbey to practice
  her 
  combat 
  routine 
  for 
  Encounter
  Fourteen.
  • 
  9:45am: 
  Reappears 
  in 
  Encounter
  Fourteen.
  Sister Wyndy: Just after 10pm, once the acolytes,
  initiates and any PCs have gone to sleep, Wyndy
  excuses herself on the premise of going to the
  privy. She does this, so as not to be caught in a
  lie, but she then sneaks out to Area 9 to gather the
  stimulant berries. She takes 10 on her Hide and
  Move Silently checks. She is back in bed by 11pm.
  The Moan: At midnight, the ghost Faranon utters
  a haunting moan, and the PCs might hear it. PCs
  are free to act, but tracing it back to the dungeons
  may be difficult. Despite what they may have
  heard, this noise is not the wind; a Knowledge
  (religion) check (DC 15) determines that the moan
  belongs to an undead spirit.
  The Aranea, phase I: It steps up its search now
  that the PCs have arrived, so it is up most of the
  night searching Areas 50 and 51 (see Map #4) via
  darkvision. Between 4-5am it gets frustrated and
  strolls the floors to clear its mind while attempting
  to probe the thoughts of anyone it encounters;
  while so prowling the Aranea assumes humanoid
  form (“Nun X”), in case it is spotted by monk
  patrols, and keeps to the shadows. It eventually
  stumbles upon Sister Aradi attacking Elias and
  withdraws to watch the scene unfold. It then
  returns to area 50 to plot Aradi’s downfall (see
  Encounter Fourteen). The PCs could run into it in
  the halls (it Bluffs a convenient excuse and scares
  them into going back to bed)or even hear it
  rummaging around in the secret library if they
  sneak past the Abbess’s room. If the PCs break
  into the Abbess’s chamber, the aranea shuts itself
  inside the library and waits for them to go away,
  preferring to avoid combat until it has the hoard
  and even using ventriloquism to scare them out of
  the chamber.
  Scarlett: Weak from her exposure to the
  elements, she spends the first evening sleeping
  but is awake and restless by 4am. While pacing
  her cell, she overhears Sister Aradi subduing Elias
  and moves to the door for a look; her keen senses
  alert her to a second presence in the hallway (the
  aranea), but she cannot identify what this is. She
  can impart this to the PCs if they ask (and can
  understand 
  her), 
  but 
  her 
  willingness 
  to
  communicate depends on how she arrived. If the
  PCs exercised Diplomacy in Encounter Seven,
  she reveals the following willingly. If the PCs
  brought her here by force, they must succeed at a
  Diplomacy check (DC 20; PCs may assist one
  another). Note that the information below is time-
  sensitive: they cannot learn it before it happens.
  The ideal time to visit is during Encounter
  Seventeen.
  • 
  Through her exterior window she saw light
  spilling into the sanctuary from this wing
  (Kirandis peeping from a nearby cell).
  
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  • 
  Someone was attacked in the hallway
  east of here; she heard a brief scuffle
  followed by something being dragged and
  a nearby door being closed and locked (4-
  5am).
  • 
  While listening to this, she sensed another
  presence, but could not see or hear
  anything specific; she had the sense that
  she was being watched.
  • 
  Roughly two hours later a nearby door
  was opened and a robed, hooded nun
  dragged something down the hall to the
  East (9-10am).
  The Aranea, phase II: The aranea has been
  waiting for Aradi to slip up, and now it frames her
  for a worse crime than what she actually
  committed. Once the entire population is awake by
  at 8:30am, the aranea-Abbess tells Sisters
  Baeshalle and Cythica that she will be conducting
  a surprise room inspection and that no one is
  permitted inside the Abbey during this period.
  Cythica then tells Sgt. Kirandis and Ranel that the
  “Abbess” will use Elias to help police the halls and
  lift things during the room inspection, so they do
  not miss him. 
  The announcement will occur while the Sisters
  (and PCs) are at breakfast, so that no Sisters will
  be able to sneak back to their rooms to tidy up
  (resourceful PCs are another matter). The Abbey
  interior will be restricted from 9-10am; no amount
  of Diplomacy will persuade Baeshalle or her
  monks to allow the PCs inside. Sisters and PCs
  are encouraged by Sister Cythica to enjoy a
  leisurely breakfast, take a walk, help acolytes
  shovel snow, meditate on the glory of Pholtus, etc.
  From 9-10am, the aranea uses the Abbess’s
  keys 
  to 
  unlock 
  a 
  cell 
  and 
  move 
  Elias’s
  unconscious body down to the wine cellar. Other
  than the Abbess, only Aradi possesses keys to
  both the holding cells and the wine cellar. To
  ensure Elias doesn’t interfere, the Aranea poisons
  him with its bite, reducing his Strength to zero and
  rendering him comatose. It then empties several
  bottles of wine (including, unknowingly, four
  bottles of assassin wine) around the cellar and
  onto Elias, then partially undresses him, hoping to
  incriminate Aradi further. It leaves him here, locks
  the door to Area 21 and returns to Sisters Cythica
  and Baeshalle to report that the inspection was a
  resounding 
  success. 
  Baeshalle, 
  however,
  becomes suspicious at the “surprise” of the
  inspection and may be able to aid the PCs in
  Encounter Seventeen.
  Encounter Eleven: Nocturne
  This encounter deals with the PCs’ actions on the
  first night. It includes four main scenes, intended
  to force a splitting of the party based on PC
  gender, religion, and paranoia level. To reinforce
  the separation, you might even choose to isolate
  the players from each other, asking some to leave
  the table while you handle another group’s scene.
  If this cannot be done, players should write down
  their intentions and pass them to you in secret to
  prevent “metagaming” 
  as 
  explained 
  at 
  the
  beginning of this scenario.
  Each scene is designed to last all night but
  has different benefits and hindrances. PCs should
  be tired after their six-day trek (and maybe a fight
  with Scarlett), but some PCs may elect to engage
  in late-night reconnaissance. Rules for it are
  provided below. Multiple groups of PCs might
  even stumble into each other as they are skulking
  about the Abbey—if a PC is going to go exploring,
  stop that scene and move on to the next, and then
  run all explorations simultaneously at the end.
  (Otherwise, you would not know whether the PCs
  from the first scenes would meet any PCs from the
  later scenes.)
  If any PC is seen skulking around and fails to
  convince the guards that they aren’t up to some
  nefarious purpose, he or she will be taken to a cell
  for the evening (see Encounter 11-F) and reported
  to the Abbess at dawn. Refusal or resistance
  results in all guards overwhelming the PC, who will
  be locked up and guarded until dawn, then
  remanded to Kirandis for transfer to the New
  Dawn Camp at Eltison for at least 2 TUs (or more
  if the PC attacked for lethal damage).
  If all PCs merely sleep, the night passes
  uneventfully (though other events take place, as
  noted in Encounter Ten) and they are woken at
  dawn (in which case proceed directly to Encounter
  Twelve).
  Note: Two variant encounters (11-E and F)
  may be employed if the PCs refuse the imposed
  sleeping arrangement.
  The following rules apply:
  • 
  The Abbey is patrolled all night; monks
  quietly cover the interior, while paladins
  patrol the grounds and walls. Clerics are
  the pride of the Abbey and do not stand
  watch, ever.
  • 
  Each group (Encounters 11A-D) should
  take no more than 15 minutes of real time
  
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  to conduct their “side missions”. The PCs
  may sneak out and explore on their own,
  as noted below. You must be diligent
  about enforcing the 15-minute window to
  prevent the encounter from running long.
  You might find it useful to run all these
  explorations together, so the PCs can run
  into each other.
  • 
  PCs may ask questions of the others in
  their room, since each knows a little of
  what’s going on behind the scenes in the
  Abbey. To engage in any information-
  gathering, one PC (and one only) must
  attempt a DC 10 Diplomacy check to
  determine whether or not their roommates
  are willing to stay up and talk. If this check
  is successful, each PC may make one
  additional Diplomacy check to glean some
  information. If the initial Diplomacy check
  fails, then the roommates turn in, leaving
  resourceful (and stealthy) PCs to their
  own devices.
  • 
  Finally, Faranon’s ghost, the lynchpin in
  this adventure, will moan mournfully at
  precisely midnight. Depending on their
  location, the PCs may hear it and choose
  to investigate.
  Encounter Eleven-A: Bad Boys
  One male PC cleric of Pholtus may share a room
  with the visiting Prelatal Army men. It is in an
  unused wing of the Abbey and contains four beds,
  a chamber pot and no windows (see Map #3,
  room 43b). The men are eager to talk to another
  male, even a cleric whom they outrank, and they
  talk with crude arrogance.
  Kirandis, their sergeant, is actually on watch
  “guarding” Scarlett from 7-11pm (i.e.: during this
  interview), but he chats with the PC while
  occasionally strolling down to her cell at Area 42.
  A DC 10 Sense Motive check confirms that he isn’t
  taking the “Scarlett Assignment” seriously at all.
  He explains that they are here to teach basic
  combat exercises to the Abbey’s nun-paladins so
  that they might better serve the Theocrat’s Army.
  There is a demonstration tomorrow (the PCs are
  invited); it illustrates the dangers of being flanked.
  The three of them joke about who will be the
  “flankee” until Ranel says they will take turns. At
  this, the sexist Kirandis says he wouldn’t mind
  “flanking” one of the new initiates (Raine) or one of
  the female PCs (if there are any). A second Sense
  Motive check here (DC 10) notes that Private Elias
  is visibly uncomfortable when his Sergeant refers
  to women in this manner, though he says nothing.
  Other things the men admit freely include these:
  • 
  Their watch rotation on the half-dragon:
  Sister Baeshalle has assigned them the
  evening watch while her monks guard
  during the day. Each man takes a four-
  hour shift (Kirandis 7-11pm, Ranel 11pm-
  3am, and Elias 3-7am). If the PC offers to
  help, the men politely decline on the
  grounds that Baeshalle and Aradi are in
  charge of security and they are following
  orders. A successful Sense Motive here
  (DC 15) reveals that there is more to this
  statement (see below).
  • 
  The Abbey has an armory, from which the
  men equip themselves for the exercises.
  • 
  They believe the rumor that the Abbess
  didn’t send the usual envoy to Eltison due
  to the weather; this is the worst winter
  they’ve ever seen.
  • 
  The blizzard keeps them from leaving,
  though they are eager to do so. They feel
  like glorified babysitters here.
  To learn more requires a successful Diplomacy
  check; DCs and results are summarized below:
  • 
  DC 12: None of them have experienced
  headaches during their stay (if the PC
  mentions it). They relish being the only
  men among the population of Pholtan
  “breeders,” as they derisively refer to the
  nuns. They assert that the Abbey needs a
  stronger (male) authority figure.
  • 
  DC 15: The Abbess has rarely been seen
  during their stay; Sisters Baeshalle and
  Aradi take care of all their needs (meals,
  room, 
  duty 
  roster, 
  training 
  exercise
  scheduling).
  • 
  DC 18: The reason a PC cannot guard
  Scarlett is that Baeshalle still suspects she
  is part of some PC plot to infiltrate the
  Abbey. Until she learns more about them,
  Baeshalle does not want PCs involved in
  official Abbey duties. Also, Kirandis feels
  that Sister Aradi is an efficient lieutenant
  and the most competent warrior here, but
  he hasn’t been able to establish a friendly
  rapport with her. If the PC mentions
  seeing Kirandis slap Aradi at the gate, he
  flashes a crude smirk and mutters
  
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  something 
  dismissive 
  like 
  “Pholtus
  provided.”
  The PC may try to sneak out (Move Silently vs
  their Listen (+2, or -8 while sleeping)); the man on
  watch will not be at his post in the hall but there
  are still roving patrols (see Encounter Ten). If
  discovered, the PC must think of a plausible
  excuse. The monks will be very suspicious and
  send him back to bed with a warning; if caught a
  second time, he will be thrown in a holding cell
  (Encounter 11-F) and reported to the Abbess.
  The Listen check in this room to hear the
  ghost moan is DC 18.
  The rest of the night passes uneventfully; the
  PC is woken at 8 am by “Elias” (Aradi in disguise)
  slamming the door.
  Encounter Eleven-B: Hopelessly
  Devoted
  One female PC cleric of Pholtus may share the
  private room of Sister Cythica (see Map 3, area
  40) It is comfortable, with an extra cot, washbasin,
  polar-bearskin rug, and an ornate personal shrine
  to Pholtus. Her window faces southeast and thus
  the rising winter sun. The PC will note that she
  removes two simple platinum rings (Spellcraft, DC
  17: material foci for shield other) before praying
  and going to sleep. In conversation she is both
  aloof and concise, never volunteering more
  information than was asked for nor inquiring into
  the PCs affairs. The PC can freely learn the
  following:
  • 
  She is second in command after the
  Abbess, being the senior of lieutenant and
  an Abbey resident for four years; she is 26
  and of Oeridian descent, with short brown
  hair and intense, hazel eyes. Her parents
  live in the town of Spiral, northwest of
  Wintershiven.
  • 
  She has great admiration and respect for
  the Abbess, after whom she patterns
  herself. She praises the Abbess’s tireless
  dedication to Pholtus and her bookbinding
  artistry.
  • 
  She has an extensive knowledge of many
  religions, thanks to the Abbess, and is
  willing to discuss them if the PC is
  interested.
  • 
  She is proud to serve alongside Sister
  Baeshalle, whose discipline is impeccable,
  but is “disappointed” in Sister Aradi, whom
  she loves dearly yet sees as a “rebel” who
  has lately strayed from the One True Path.
  There are clues in what she doesn’t say; for
  instance, she does not express any interest
  whatsoever in Scarlett because she is troubled by
  the Abbess’s (aranea’s) decision to allow the
  creature to remain here (in truth the aranea hopes
  to exploit Scarlett’s obvious arcane heritage).
  Moreover, she is further dismayed by the Abbess’s
  recent terseness: Virienne treated her like a
  younger sister but during the last week that
  rapport has dissipated and she knows not why. An
  especially persuasive PC may learn the following
  with a successful Diplomacy check:
  • 
  DC 15: The presence of the Army men
  (and male PCs) is bad for discipline,
  distracting her Sisters from their duties.
  She asks the PC to persuade her male
  comrades to depart the Abbey as soon as
  the weather allows. She does not intend to
  seem rude when asking this and does so
  solely for the sake of order.
  • 
  DC 18: Aradi will soon be demoted, since
  she has recently been skipping services
  and has also been seen taking nocturnal
  walks outside the Abbey.
  • 
  DC 20: The Abbess recently confided to
  her that there was an earthquake here
  twenty years ago, which is why the lower
  dungeons are off-limits (for safety). [This
  was the real Abbess, not the aranea.]
  The PC may try to sneak out during the night
  (Move Silently vs. her Listen (+2)) but if caught
  she must either tell the truth (and she is asked to
  return to the room) or lie (not appropriate for a
  Pholtan!); failure to succeed on a Bluff (vs.
  Cythica’s or a monk’s Sense Motive) gets the PC
  locked in a holding cell (Encounter 11-F) and
  reported to the Abbess in the morning.
  The Listen check in this room to hear the
  ghost moan is DC 16.
  Encounter Eleven-C: Pillow Talk
  All female PCs who are not part of Encounter 11-B
  will share a crowded room with the four girls from
  Eltison, two acolytes (Tylene and Eshaya) and
  Sister Wyndy (see Map 3, Area 36b).
  Before they get a chance to chat, PCs in this
  encounter witness one of the reasons why Sister
  Aradi is so popular. Her room is just down the hall
  and the opposite room is intentionally vacant;
  
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  cheers erupt from the hall and Wyndy grabs two
  nearby scroll cases and drags the PC(s) out there.
  She casts silence down the hall where Aradi
  demonstrates her trademark maneuver: wearing
  only her mithral shirt (a.k.a. “adventurer pajamas”,
  since one may sleep in light armor without fatigue)
  and armed with her bastard sword, she fends off
  two subordinates in a mock combat, tumbles
  between them into the opposite room, sunders a
  random piece of furniture and then tumbles out the
  second floor window into the sanctuary below.
  Thunderous applause and cheers are muted and
  PCs can enter any nearby room to see Aradi bow
  from below and use a set of keys to sneak from
  the sanctuary into the foyer. If PCs ask about the
  silence, they are informed that Sister Cythica
  would most definitely not approve of this behavior.
  Wyndy then produces a make whole scroll and
  repairs any broken furniture. Aradi returns
  moments later and, winking at the PCs, presses a
  finger to her lips and smiles playfully. This is the
  closest thing to entertainment the Sisters ever see
  and although it is very expensive (two scrolls of
  2nd-level spells!), they adore it and its sense of
  sorority.
  Back in Wyndy’s room, the girls are insatiably
  curious about the adventuring life, especially
  fighting monsters (including Scarlett), meeting
  nobility, or venturing outside the Pale; they are
  less restrained than they were at dinner, since
  some Sisters there frown upon this sort of thing.
  They ask naïve questions such as “Is there a
  place in the Pale for me?” and “What does it really
  mean to be a ‘pagan’?”  Finally, they insist the
  PCs accompany them to the combat exercise the
  following morning: they derive more than just
  combat prowess from watching the Army men
  skirmish with each other.
  The above information may be learned with
  little effort, as the three residents are very chatty
  and seldom get the chance to talk with visitors, but
  if PCs wish to learn more it will require a
  successful Diplomacy check. Unlike Encounters
  11-A and B, there is no limit here as to the number
  of times a PC may attempt a Diplomacy check;
  however, each attempt keeps the PC up for an
  hour. (Even on a failed check, they lose the hour
  in idle chat.) The PCs will have to weigh the risks
  of losing sleep, not having rest to re-prepare
  spells, and being fatigued the following day:
  • 
  DC 14: They 
  are 
  curious 
  about 
  the
  Prelatal Army 
  members, 
  but 
  Tylene
  expresses marked interest in any single
  male PC with a Charisma of 14 or better.
  The initiate Fiona is jealous.
  • 
  DC 18: Sister Aradi used to be fun,
  engaging and outgoing (unlike the stuffy
  Sisters Baeshalle and Cythica and unlike
  what they expected of nuns), but lately
  she 
  has 
  become 
  short-tempered,
  distracted, and withdrawn. The girls know
  not why.
  • 
  DC 22: The 
  Abbess 
  has 
  become
  exceptionally remote of late; she rarely
  leaves her chambers beyond prayers and
  meals, and even then she is brusque and
  in a hurry to get back to work. The girls
  speculate that she must be struggling to
  fill a huge book order to spend so much
  time in her chambers.
  The Listen check to hear the moan at midnight is
  DC 22. If successful, PCs may make one further
  Diplomacy check:
  • 
  DC 20: Wyndy, Tylene and Eshaya have
  not heard the moan themselves but have
  heard 
  rumors. 
  When 
  this 
  topic 
  is
  mentioned they all become very serious.
  Wyndy quickly says that the Abbess [the
  real one] says it’s just the wind whistling
  through the old Abbey. Tylene readily
  agrees with her, but then Eshaya (the
  romantic acolyte) speaks up: “I think it’s a
  ghost!” At this, the others fall silent until
  Wyndy says shakily “It’s the wind,” at
  which time they all go to sleep.
  PCs may also try to sneak out (Move Silently vs
  multiple Listen checks (assume a typical +1) and
  explore on their own, which requires appropriate
  Hide and Bluff checks to avoid or satisfy roving
  patrols of monks.
  Encounter Eleven-D: You’re the Man
  Now, Dog
  After Sister Wyndy leads the PCs destined for
  encounters 11-A-B-C to their sleeping quarters,
  Sister Baeshalle sternly tells the others to follow
  her. She leads them back outside, across the
  courtyard, and around to the far west corner of the
  Abbey (Map 1, Area 5). Along the way, the PCs
  note the evening shift of paladin guards taking
  positions on the exterior wall. Baeshalle soon
  comes to a halt before the kennel. This is where
  they are to spend the night.
  
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  Any PC horror or indignation is quickly
  interrupted by a female voice within the kennel, as
  Sister Ignatia, the resident handler and trainer of
  dogs, emerges to greet them. If any PC still
  complains, Baeshalle smirks and calmly says that
  a private room can be arranged. If the PC agrees,
  remove him/her/them from the party and proceed
  to Encounter 11-F.
  Otherwise, Baeshalle bids them goodnight
  and departs. Sister Ignatia provides handmade
  pillows and blankets for the PCs that prove to be
  warm and comfortable. (She invites PCs to keep
  them as souvenirs of their visit.) She then explains
  her role as kennel mistress: the Abbey trains dogs
  to serve as combat companions to the paladin
  corps. The animals trained here have been raised
  around only females, so they are curious about all
  male PCs. The kennel currently houses six big
  mountain-dogs (four males, two females) between
  three and six years of age; one of the females, a
  black mutt named “Tessa,” is the companion of
  Sister Aradi. In addition, a seventh dog here, a
  large white male named Bela, is the alpha of the
  group, despite looking paler and weaker than the
  rest. The others move to let him pass, let him eat
  first, etc. He was killed in battle defending his
  mistress, a paladin, and raised from the dead at
  the cost of one Hit Die. Harming or mistreating
  Bela is considered an evil act for a PC and
  punishable by 2 TU in jail (warn the player first,
  then note the act on the AR if the player goes
  through with it).
  Sister Ignatia says goodnight and returns to
  her chambers within the Abbey, leaving PCs with
  the dogs, the vigilant paladins, and the night.
  While there may be no roleplay opportunities with
  NPCs, the PCs might sneak out for some
  nocturnal reconnaissance. The dogs sense them
  leaving, 
  though, 
  and 
  immediately 
  awaken.
  Escaping the kennel quietly requires a successful
  DC 15 Wild Empathy check. Failure results in the
  dogs barking, which draws a pair of paladin
  guards in three rounds, followed by Sister Aradi
  one minute later. Aradi quells the dogs instantly,
  but PCs may make a DC 15 Spot check to notice
  that while she is in her nightclothes, she does not
  appear sleepy and must not have been inside the
  Abbey to arrive so quickly. [Indeed, she was out
  for a walk, plotting revenge against Sergeant
  Kirandis] She tells her paladins to return to their
  posts as Sister Ignatia arrives. Ignatia suggests
  that the dogs are simply uneasy around strange
  males; Aradi, however, glares suspiciously at the
  PCs before telling them to go back to sleep,
  petting Tessa, and returning to the Abbey. Ignatia
  gives the dogs jerky-treats, bids the PCs
  goodnight once more, then returns to the Abbey
  as well.
  If the PCs sneak out successfully, let them
  explore as they wish. However, there is one
  arguable benefit to sleeping in the kennel: the
  Listen check to hear the ghost moan at midnight is
  DC 15. The dogs have heard this noise each night
  for the last week and do not panic, but they still sit
  up and looking around hesitantly. If any PC casts
  speak with animals, they may learn how long the
  sound has gone on but no more (they could
  attempt this earlier and thus anticipate the moan).
  Encounter Eleven-E: Dogma
  This 
  variant 
  encounter 
  is 
  designed 
  to
  accommodate parties who are too paranoid to be
  separated 
  by 
  Sister 
  Baeshalle’s 
  sleeping
  assignments. In this case, all PCs are placed in
  the kennel (as in Encounter 11-D). However, for
  their brazen disrespect of the Abbey rules, the
  PCs forfeit all Diplomacy-related bonuses as the
  Sisters now view them as disrespectful outsiders.
  The PCs suffer an additional –1 penalty to all
  Charisma-related checks relating to the Sisters.
  Encounter Eleven-F: Wag the Dog
  This variant encounter is designed for impertinent
  PCs (most likely from Encounter 11-D) who refuse
  to sleep in the kennel. Sister Baeshalle takes the
  PC(s) up to the Abbey’s holding cells in the north
  wing (see Map 3, Area 41). Each PC is placed in a
  separate cell, given additional food, water,
  blankets and pillows, and then locked in for the
  night. No amount of Diplomacy will reverse her
  decision, as she is in charge of Internal Security
  and takes offense at the PC’s ingratitude.
  Some PCs may see this as a setback, but a
  clever one (perhaps with the insight to get locked
  in here on purpose) may be rewarded with further
  intrigue during the night. In any event, Baeshalle
  departs, 
  instructing 
  her 
  roving 
  patrols 
  to
  periodically check on the PC and “the other one”
  (Scarlett). Proceed to the explorations.
  Encounter Twelve: The
  Morning After
  From this point, the adventure assumes a more
  structured progression. The following timeline
  outlines events of the second day:
  
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  • 
  8-9am: all PCs woken; breakfast served;
  room inspection announcement made by
  8:30am; PCs have until 9 to get outside or
  be creative.
  • 
  9-10:15am: “room inspection” (aranea, in
  Nun X disguise, poisons and moves
  Elias’s body to the wine cellar; PCs pass
  time or boldly explore).
  • 
  10:15-10:45: 
  PCs 
  allowed 
  to 
  either
  interview “the Abbess” or observe Cythica
  questioning Scarlett (if she is here).
  • 
  11-11:30am: Combat training exercise
  and revelation of Aradi’s secret.
  • 
  11:30am-1pm: Searching for Elias’s body.
  • 
  1-2pm: “the Abbess” devises the pretext
  for Aradi’s dismissal; nuns are confined to
  their rooms and PCs are confined to the
  dining hall for “silent meditation on the
  morning’s lawless actions”. Eloise delivers
  light lunches to PCs and nuns in their
  chambers (and secretly spreads the news
  about Elias).
  • 
  2-2:30pm: Aradi sentenced and banished.
  • 
  2:30pm-??: PCs interview nuns, expose
  the Aranea and race to rescue Aradi
  before dark.
  Successful Survival checks tell that there could be
  a break in the clouds as early as two days hence:
  no storms are imminent but the cold, gray clouds
  are ever-present. Depending on where the PCs
  slept in Encounter Eleven they may be woken
  earlier than desired: the Army men (11-A) sleep
  until 8am when “Elias” (Aradi in disguise) wakes
  them; Cythica  (11-B) wakes promptly at 6am and
  prays silently for an hour; the initiates and Wyndy
  (11-C) are woken at 7am; finally, PCs in the
  kennel (11-D) may sleep in as long as they like:
  Sister Ignatia feeds the dogs at 7:45am but does
  not otherwise disturb PCs. Once awake, the PCs
  are told that breakfast is served at 8am; breakfast
  takes 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  hour 
  for 
  eating 
  and
  conversation. Shortly after breakfast begins, Sister
  Baeshalle enters the dining hall to announce that
  the (aranea-)Abbess is conducting a surprise
  room inspection and that the Abbey interior will be
  off-limits from 9-10 am. Usually Sister Aradi gives
  earlier warning of the inspections that the Abbess
  occasionally conducts, so the Sisters view this
  morning’s 
  events 
  as 
  unexpected 
  but 
  not
  suspicious.
  The PCs are free to do what they like until
  then:
  • 
  Inspection: This one-hour window allows
  the Aranea to move and poison Elias; PCs
  are not allowed inside the Abbey but may
  try to sneak in on their own. If caught, they
  will be held by monk guards and
  remanded to the aranea-Abbess at 10am,
  when she will have them locked in a cell
  (see “Phase III” below) until shortly after
  Encounter Fourteen). But if they do sneak
  in, they might catch the Aranea red-
  handed in its “Nun X” guise: this can only
  occur if PC(s) visit area 10 or the wine
  cellar from 9-9:15am, as the Aranea will
  be swift. Should this happen, you should
  be prepared to improvise, as the aranea is
  not about to have its cover exposed and
  plans foiled: it will fight the intruding PC(s)
  with the intent of subduing, poisoning, and
  locking them in the wine cellar as well.
  Such is the price for PC curiosity. You
  should try to salvage Encounters Thirteen
  and Fourteen.
  • 
  Compare Notes: This is an easy way to
  pass time until the room inspection is
  over. The PCs may be surprised at what
  they learn from one another (especially if
  you 
  separated 
  the 
  players): 
  most
  importantly, whether anyone heard the
  moan. Based on this knowledge and if
  they have not already done so, the PCs
  may begin scheming to sneak into Area
  21 and the dungeon level.
  • 
  Interview with the Abbess: As noted in
  Encounter Eight, PCs who wish an
  audience with the Abbess may visit her
  chambers (see Map#4, Area 50) at any
  time after 10am (the Sisters advise waiting
  a bit after 10am for the room inspection
  results to be processed). PCs who wish
  an audience with the Abbess should
  proceed to Encounter Thirteen.
  • 
  Secondary Interviews: Based on the
  events of the first night, the PCs may wish
  to 
  re-interview 
  certain 
  Sisters; 
  this
  provides another convenient way of
  passing time until 10am.
  • 
  Sister Aradi: PCs wishing to speak with
  her are informed of a note on her door (in
  her handwriting) indicating that she is
  sleeping off a painful headache. Aradi is
  actually outside the Abbey scheming; the
  
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  aranea suspects something but does not
  spoil the ruse.
  • 
  Ritual de l’Habitual: As guests, PCs may
  watch or engage in daily chores with the
  Sisters in an effort to be helpful or useful.
  Volunteering to do so earns another +1
  circumstance bonus to Diplomacy checks
  afterward.
  • 
  The Moan: If the PCs mention having
  heard this, the Sisters respond with
  something akin to “Bah! There is no
  ghost!” The acolytes believe the Abbess’s
  explanation that it’s the wind.
  • 
  Sisters Cythica and Baeshalle: They are
  omnipresent 
  during 
  the 
  inspection,
  overseeing the nuns. Baeshalle is the
  more skeptical of PC behavior and keeps
  an eye on them. Both saw the note on
  Aradi’s door and accept it at face value. A
  successful Sense Motive check (DC 15)
  on Cythica reveals that she seems very
  distracted.  Using Diplomacy on her (DC
  15) with an offer of help gets her to admit
  that she too has a splitting headache,
  which could be a potential clue for PCs.
  Encounter Thirteen:
  Impersonation
  This encounter describes an audience with the
  Abbess. Any PC who was kept in a cell (Encounter
  11-F) may not participate in this one, as they are
  deemed to have earned the Abbess’ disfavor.
  Sister Baeshalle escorts PCs wishing an audience
  with the Abbess to Area 50.
  PCs not detained in 11-F who do not want to
  interview the Abbess may attempt a DC 15
  Diplomacy check (assists are allowed, but only
  from PCs who are not interviewing the Abbess) to
  accompany Sister Cythica as she questions
  Scarlett (if present). See Encounter Thirteen-A
  below.
  After knocking and waiting a moment in
  respect, she ushers them in, closes the door
  behind them, and departs. PCs are then left alone
  with the aranea, who is disguised as the Abbess
  via a disguise self spell (and the interview is
  cleverly planned to last no longer than the spell’s
  40-minute duration). It knows they have never
  seen Abbess Virienne and must accept its
  disguise as the Abbess’s true form; thus, the PCs
  are allowed a Will save against the illusion ONLY
  if they manage to surreptitiously cast detect magic
  during this interview.
  Read or paraphrase the following:
  This large, L-shaped room exists in stark
  contrast to other rooms in the Abbey: herein
  rules of order have deteriorated. The floor is
  like a labyrinth, formed by uneven stacks of
  books and manuscripts taller than most
  halflings. Amid makeshift aisles are dying
  plants in need of water, bookbinding supplies,
  trays 
  of 
  uneaten 
  bread, 
  loose 
  scrolls,
  parchment, quills, and all manner of minutiae.
  Tall bookshelves replete with immaculately
  bound tomes of all shape and size mask the
  walls; behind a large desk in the far corner and
  illuminated by hazy light filtering through a
  tablecloth-covered window sits who can only
  be Abbess Virienne. She appears to be in her
  mid-forties, with strong Oeridian features but
  Suloise coloring: long, unkempt white-blonde
  hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. She wears a
  small but ornate holy symbol. As she stands to
  greet you the disheveled appearance of her
  dusty habit complements both the room and
  the sleepless look on her face.
  The aranea has honed its masquerade in the past
  ten days. With disguise self and ventriloquism and
  the convincing Bluff that its voice sounds
  “different” due to the fatigue imposed by working
  on the “special project,” it has been able to
  maintain control of the Abbey and limit its own
  exposure to the populace.
  It is prepared to fight the PCs if they blow its
  cover, but it is feeling particularly confident after
  discovering Aradi’s bizarre plan and does not
  expect to be exposed here. It knows that the
  tunnel it entered by is now impassable (see
  Dungeons, North Fork), so it plans to climb onto
  the roof via the Abbess’s northwest window and
  escape to the Rakers if its identity is exposed and
  defeat or capture seem imminent.
  Most of what the creature knows concerning
  the Abbey has been gleaned by repeatedly casting
  detect thoughts on Sister Cythica (who now
  secretly suffers ”headaches”), using her position
  and experience as the shaky foundation of its
  minimal Abbey knowledge. The PCs should get
  the sense they are being told only what they need
  to hear.
  If any PC casts a spell in here without
  warning, the aranea-Abbess calls for guards.
  Sister Baeshalle, who does not trust the PCs (or
  
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  the Abbess, for that matter), is secretly standing
  just outside the door. She escorts the offending
  PCs to holding cells where they will stay until just
  after Encounter Fifteen.
  In this guise it is willing to address the
  following topics:
  • 
  The Weather: The “Abbess” thanks the
  PCs for braving the elements to deliver
  the initiates. She notes that the weather is
  still not ideal for travel and invites the PCs
  to remain at the Abbey until the weather
  improves. (In truth: the Aranea cannot
  predict the weather but is using this
  subject as part of its trap for the PCs,
  whom it also wants gone. It hopes to use
  Aradi’s great popularity to force PCs from
  the Abbey along with her).
  • 
  The Combat Exercise: The “Abbess”
  notes that the Army men run these
  functions, under the loose supervision of
  Sister Aradi. One is scheduled for later
  this morning but the Aranea has no idea of
  its specific focus. (In truth: this subject is
  the aranea’s weak point. The real Abbess
  requested the men to provide specific
  training, but the aranea does not know
  what. If the PCs appear to become
  suspicious, the aranea Bluffs that it is tired
  and simply hasn’t had time to think about
  the program—and that she trusts Aradi to
  deal with such external issues. This half-
  truth adds +5 to the Bluff check. PCs may
  still see through this; if so, DMs should be
  prepared for combat (thus abbreviating
  the scenario), but try to avoid it.) Should
  combat erupt anyway, consult the special
  rules for this chamber found in Encounter
  Seventeen.
  • 
  The “Project”: The real Abbess Virienne
  was not working on any major project
  when the aranea attacked. Most of the
  room’s mess is a result of the aranea’s
  frustrated searches. Before they broach
  the subject with her, the PCs should be
  aware of two things: first, she is a high-
  ranking personage of the Theocracy;
  second, 
  as 
  nuns 
  throughout 
  this
  adventure have said, the Abbess’s word is
  never questioned. That said, the aranea’s
  response is akin to “It’s confidential.” It
  might grasp at straws, using one of the
  few relevant terms it knows by adding, “It’s
  a project for the Prelate.” (It has no idea
  who the Prelates are and will agree with
  the first one mentioned by the PCs, which
  may actually compound the confusion.) As
  it says this, it closes the tome it is
  currently searching and then, curiously,
  the book sticks to natural webbing in its
  hand. The PCs may be shocked, but the
  nervous Aranea quickly recovers with
  “damned adhesive,” and removes the
  book from its hand. There is indeed a
  small pot of bookbinding adhesive on the
  desk, but the real secondary clue is the
  spoken blasphemy. PCs should ultimately
  attempt a Sense Motive check (DC 15) to
  determine that the Abbess is, at best,
  indulging them, and would rather they
  depart so that she can get back to work.
  • 
  Infractions: PCs may plead for clemency
  for any PC locked in a holding cell. The
  aranea’s sense of right and wrong is
  inhuman, and while it technically has no
  idea what constitutes a “serious” offense
  at the Abbey, it wants the PCs gone and is
  intelligent enough to bait them with an
  implacable attitude. Thus, it will drone on
  about how jailed PCs have undone the
  very fabric of the Abbey with their lawless
  behavior, or words to that effect. It wants
  to incite the PCs into committing crimes
  that 
  will 
  provide 
  grounds 
  for 
  their
  dismissal. If the PCs persist, it stalls by
  promising to consider the issue and
  advising them to ask again before dinner.
  • 
  The Dungeons and the Moan: It calmly
  but sternly forbids the PCs to enter the
  dungeons due to structural instability. It
  dismisses the moan as nothing more than
  the wind through the cracks and crevices
  of this old building (her wording is eerily
  similar to what Sister Cythica may have
  told the PCs). Given the abundance of
  clerics and paladins here, there is little
  chance of any undead being able to move
  about undetected. Again, it hopes that the
  PCs will defy its order and explore
  anyway, either getting caught or being
  killed by the ghost (which confronted her
  when she arrived). It does not suspect the
  ghost to function as an ally for the PCs. It
  is using reverse psychology, spurring
  them to defy this order and get caught.
  At some point during the interview, allow each PC
  a Spot check (DC 15, or DC 20 for those actually
  asking questions) to notice something peculiar
  
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  among the clutter: a gardener’s trowel in the
  southwestern corner behind some dusty tomes. It
  is encrusted with old dirt, as Virienne’s souvenir of
  a sorrowful grave.
  Once the interview has lasted roughly 35
  minutes, Sister Baeshalle knocks at the door and
  then enters. The “Abbess” apologizes and invites
  PCs to continue the interview after lunch, following
  the combat training exercise. She stands and tells
  the PCs she must go and prepare to supervise.
  Encounter Thirteen-A: Questioning
  Scarlett
  This variant encounter exists to aid parties who
  possess no cleric, arcane caster, or linguist
  (understanding Draconic or Ancient Suloise). PCs
  who succeed on a DC 15 Diplomacy check and
  who have not been previously incarcerated at the
  Abbey may accompany Sister Cythica as she
  attempts to learn more about Scarlett. Cythica
  casts 
  a 
  few 
  spells 
  and 
  reveals 
  pertinent
  information about the half-dragon: she is faintly
  evil, understands Draconic and Ancient Suloise,
  and has no idea who she is, where she is, or from
  where she came. Scarlett has also formed
  opinions of the party based on her treatment in
  Encounter Seven. Cythica lets PCs ask up to three
  questions of Scarlett while her zone of truth is in
  effect; this is their best chance to do so, when no
  guards or the aranea are around to distract them.
  Cythica is curious, as the evil aura does not seem
  to match Scarlett’s actions. She plans to report
  these findings to the Abbess later in the afternoon
  and let the Abbess question Scarlett.
  Encounter Fourteen: A Dish
  Best Served Cold
  The PCs will see Sister Aradi’s vengeful plan
  achieve limited success. At 10:45am, bells prompt
  Sister Baeshalle to interrupt Encounter Thirteen
  and escort the Abbess to the combat exercise.
  PCs choosing to attend are told to follow
  Baeshalle to either the southern portion of Area 8
  or atop the eastern wall (Area 2), whichever they
  prefer; if the PCs decline they will be asked to
  follow Baeshalle anyway, who instead leads them
  to Area 1 or Area 29 (their choice). Almost
  everyone 
  will 
  watch 
  this 
  exercise 
  from
  somewhere, Baeshalle says; only those on watch
  and Sister Eloise (preparing lunch but mistakenly
  dismissed by Baeshalle as a pacifist) will be
  otherwise occupied during the encounter.
  For PCs choosing not to attend and choosing
  Area 1 in which to wait, the encounter simply
  passes and they hear the details later from a nun
  of their choice. If they wait in Area 29 they may
  chat with Sister Eloise if they have not done so
  already. The PCs may slip away from Area 29 to
  explore.
  PC choosing to watch from Area 2 witness the
  encounter as noted below. PCs who choose Area
  8 will be standing amid the crowd of nuns and will
  have a chance to slip away unnoticed (Hide vs a
  flat Spot modifier of +3) if they desire. Vision will
  not be restricted from either vantage point.
  Once the nuns are assembled it is apparent
  that these exercises have become quite popular:
  paladins, for whom they are designed, form a 40-
  foot-diameter ring around Area 8; all monks
  observe from the wall at Area 2, clerics crowd into
  the second floor rooms (Areas 38-39) to watch;
  the “Abbess” and Sister Cythica watch from Area
  40; initiates, experts and all other non-classed
  Sisters crowd behind the paladins. When the PCs
  are ready, paraphrase the following:
  In the center of the ring stand Ranel and
  Kirandis, outfitted with breastplates, longswords
  and small shields; Kirandis gives a brief discourse
  on the topic (flanking an opponent to gain an
  advantage in combat) before introducing the
  morning’s designated flankee, “the one and only
  Private Elias” (Aradi in disguise), who is wearing a
  chain shirt and full helmet and pretending to shiver
  under a huge, heavy cloak. (The PCs may notice
  her slender build with a DC 15 Spot check but they
  won’t have time to act on it.) “Elias” holds up a
  gauntleted hand to the gentle laughing and
  applause of the Sisters. Her weapon is not visible.
  Kirandis 
  instructs 
  “you 
  ladies”
  (condescendingly) to “watch closely,” as he and
  Ranel draw their swords and move to flank Elias.
  Elias was supposed to stand there and try not to
  get flanked, but Aradi (as Elias) surprises both of
  them: she throws off her cloak, exposing a fine
  bastard sword that she grips with two hands, and
  trips Ranel. From this point the three are in
  initiative: Aradi 18, Kirandis 12, Ranel 7. The nuns
  will initially think it’s part of the show, but Kirandis
  knows otherwise, because he knows Elias is not
  this talented or assertive.
  The PCs may join in initiative, too, but the
  crowd of nuns should hinder them from joining the
  fray or shooting into it. A possible sequence of
  events follows, which you may improvise: Aradi
  again acts first, disarming the flat-footed Kirandis;
  
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  Kirandis delays; Ranel tries to stand but is
  knocked out by Aradi’s nonlethal attack of
  opportunity. Kirandis knows he is dealing with an
  impostor, so he picks up his sword and strikes for
  lethal damage, shouting, “drop your weapon!”
  Aradi whirls in a rage and counters, also for lethal
  damage. After exchanging blows for three rounds,
  the Sisters cheering wildly for both, Kirandis drops
  his shield and connects with a two-handed power
  attack, knocking Aradi’s helmet off and sending
  her staggering. The nuns gasp, shocked, as
  Cythica orders both combatants to halt and drop
  their weapons; both comply. She demands to
  know where the real Private Elias is; Aradi reveals
  where she left him, and some clerical acolytes
  look there but report that the cell is empty (since
  the aranea has moved the body). Aradi looks
  dumbfounded. Allow the PCs a Spot check (DC
  15) to spot the Abbess withdraw into Area 40 and
  allow Cythica to assume command of the
  situation. Cythica orders Sister Baeshalle to
  confine Kirandis and Aradi to their quarters and
  bring Ranel to the infirmary. All senior nuns and
  the PCs are ordered to the dining hall.
  Encounter Fifteen:
  Investigation
  Aradi’s ploy in Encounter Fourteen perfectly fits
  the aranea’s plan to get rid of her for good. It
  knows that only the Abbess and Aradi have keys
  to the wine cellar; it therefore requests that all
  senior nuns look for Elias, knowing full well that
  Aradi will be implicated when the body is found. It
  has Baeshalle confiscate Aradi’s keys and gives
  them to the trustworthy paladin Sister Evilyn. It
  then gives instructions to Cythica and goes up to
  the chapel to “pray for guidance.”
  Cythica returns to the dining hall and
  dispatches the senior nuns to search; the aranea
  figured that the PCs would want to help search
  and therefore told Cythica to allow them to
  accompany Evilyn (who looks nonplussed about
  having PCs follow her around), which will keep the
  PCs occupied, far from Area 50.
  Elias is discovered in the wine cellar after
  ninety minutes of searching, with or without PC
  aid. Evilyn wants him rushed to the Infirmary, so
  the PCs may perform only a cursory examination
  of the body: a successful Heal check (DC 15)
  determines that he is alive but unconscious and
  very weak, with minor abrasions on his head (from
  Aradi subduing him). A successful Search check
  (DC 20; PCs may assist one another but may not
  take 20) pinpoints two small bite marks on his
  neck. Detect poison yields a positive indication.
  Encounter Sixteen:
  Expulsion
  Baeshalle and her monks are sent by the aranea
  to assemble everyone in the dining hall, where
  Cythica announces that the Abbess is in her
  chambers deciding what to do with Aradi. During
  the hour-long deliberation, all nuns (excluding
  guards) and the Army men are confined to their
  quarters and the PCs are confined to the dining
  hall (Area 29) for “silent meditation on the
  morning’s lawless actions.” If the PCs refuse,
  Baeshalle locks them in Area 41 until after
  Encounter Seventeen. Sister Eloise distributes
  light lunches (and quietly spreads the revelation
  about Elias being found poisoned and partially
  undressed but alive in the wine cellar) to nuns and
  PCs. Baeshalle guards the PCs from a discreet
  distance during this period, knowing they will
  confer amongst themselves. Give the players ten
  minutes to discuss the situation (but only if their
  PCs are together).
  In this hour, conveniently for the aranea, the
  magical protections on the Abbess’s library expire,
  so it hopes to distract the PCs with Aradi’s
  banishment while it quickly packs what it can carry
  and prepares to leave before nightfall.
  At 2pm everyone is summoned to the
  sanctuary (Area 12); as this is official business,
  PCs must watch and listen with Eloise from Area
  26. The “Abbess” appears and looks down from
  the southern wing of Area 49; “she” then curiously
  takes a half-step back into the shadows of the
  Library and makes the following proclamation:
  “Sergeant Kirandis, for your lack of mercy
  toward a nun of Pholtus, your actions will be
  reported to the offices of the Prelate in Eltison
  once the roads are passable; until then, you
  and your men are confined to your quarters
  except during meals and may not roam the
  Abbey grounds without an escort.”
  This declaration elicits nods and comments of
  approval, especially from the monks and paladins;
  Kirandis looks furious, muttering “I’ve been
  wronged,” until the aranea-Abbess continues:
  “Sister Aradi, your indecent meeting with
  Private Elias, your duplicitous display of pride,
  and your petty act of revenge against a
  member of the Prelatal Army sets a bad
  
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  example 
  for 
  other 
  Sisters. 
  Aggression,
  retribution, and self-will are not in keeping with
  the tenets of Pholtus and they will not be
  tolerated while I am headmistress of this
  Abbey. After troubling moments contemplating
  your actions, I have received insight from
  Pholtus. Your popularity here is a hindrance to
  discipline: no punishment I can think of seems
  stern enough when I consider how many
  Sisters look to you as a role model… thus, for
  scandalous 
  fraternization, 
  insubordination,
  conduct unbecoming a Paladin, and disrespect
  for the One True Path, you are hereby
  banished from Montaire, effective immediately.
  Gather your belongings and report to the main
  gate.”
  If the PCs talked with the aranea-Abbess in
  Encounter Thirteen, they notice that this voice (a
  ventriloquism spell, matching the real Abbess’s
  voice) doesn’t sound like the voice of the Abbess
  from the interview (the aranea’s voice). They get a
  Will save (DC 15) to recognize that this voice is an
  illusion; if they succeed, they may attempt a
  Spellcraft check (DC 21) to identify the effect
  specifically as ventriloquism. The few Sisters that
  make their Will saves choose to overlook the
  inconsistency, as they trust the Abbess and are
  too distracted by the proceedings. The Aranea
  knows that the PCs might recognize the ruse but it
  is too rushed to care.
  The aranea-Abbess closes the window,
  ending the proceedings (it returns to Area 50).
  PCs in Area 26 see expressions of stunned
  disbelief. 
  Monks escort Kirandis back to his room;
  Baeshalle and Cythica lead Aradi to her room; as
  they pass, Cythica and Aradi look imploringly at
  the PCs with as if their whole system of belief had
  been turned upside down. PCs are free to do what
  they like but the Sisters are too shocked to
  entertain questioning.
  Fifteen minutes later, all the Sisters assemble
  at Area 1. To the last woman, they are stricken
  with grief. Aradi bears only her chain shirt, bastard
  sword, winter blanket, and backpack.
  Sister Cythica addresses the crowd to
  discourage anyone from intervening, including by
  casting spells on her (such as endure elements) or
  giving her items:
  “The Abbess has spoken and she is the voice
  of this Abbey. As we send away our former
  Sister, however sadly, let no one place her own
  will above the will of Pholtus. We will send
  only our thoughts with her.”
  Aradi kisses her dog Tessa goodbye, takes one
  last look around, and then walks out of the Abbey
  in tears as light snow begins to fall.
  The aranea-Abbess returns and watches this
  from Area 45, hoping that the PCs speak up in
  protest, as this fits its plan. If they do speak up, the
  aranea 
  accuses 
  them 
  of 
  being 
  Aradi’s
  accomplices and threatens their dismissal as well
  (along with any PCs still locked in Area 41 for prior
  infractions) if they persist in defending Aradi
  despite the ample proof against her. If, instead,
  the PCs leave to follow Aradi, the Aranea brands
  them accomplices and bans them from re-entering
  the Abbey. (The nuns discourage the PCs from
  either speaking out or leaving, since the Abbess
  holds the ultimate authority; if all the PCs are sent
  out of the Abbey, proceed to “Conclusion: Failure”
  below. They could keep Aradi from dying in the
  cold, but they will not stop the aranea.)
  Clues: PCs may catch two clues that something is
  grossly amiss, both realized with a DC 15 Wisdom
  check if the players do not think of them on their
  own:
  • 
  First, the Abbess referred to the “Prelate
  of Eltison” by title rather than by name,
  despite evidence in Area 29 (her portrait)
  and in Encounter Five that Zacktinerim
  and 
  Virienne 
  were 
  Abbey 
  residents
  together.
  • 
  Second, when Kirandis muttered that he
  had “been wronged,” it was true: the
  Abbess accused him of attacking a nun of
  Pholtus, but he didn’t know who it was
  until he knocked Aradi’s helmet off. Thus,
  the “Abbess” must have known that it was
  Aradi!
  The gates close and the nuns disperse; this scene
  should end with the PCs feeling pity, curiosity,
  indignation and suspicion.
  Encounter Seventeen:
  Confrontation
  It is now up to the PCs to expose the aranea,
  prove Aradi’s innocence, and then rescue her as
  quickly 
  as 
  possible. 
  Alone 
  in 
  the 
  Eltison
  wilderness in winter and with no Survival skills,
  she will die from exposure before nightfall (a
  Survival check of DC 15 confirms this). The PCs
  must work together to piece together the clues to
  
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  identify the aranea as the culprit. The PCs must
  confront the Abbess directly but not until they have
  definitive proof, as no Sister will question the
  Abbess’s decision without it (PCs should be aware
  that questioning a Pholtan superior is tantamount
  to heresy). This is where the Force of Habit
  dynamic manifests: PCs should realize that
  splitting up to talk to individual Sisters is the most
  efficient way to get information.
  The in-game timeline for rescuing Aradi is as
  follows:
  • 
  Interviews with the Sisters take from 30
  minutes to an unspecified maximum if
  “dead end” nuns sidetrack the PCs.
  • 
  Combat with the aranea and preparing to
  go rescue Aradi takes 30 minutes.
  • 
  Thus, Aradi will have at least a one-hour
  head start.
  Gathering Clues
  There are nine Sisters who can offer valuable
  information relevant to the current situation. The
  PCs should realize that they have roughly three
  hours before dark and that every minute sends
  Aradi farther away and covers her trail with more
  snow.
  PCs locked in Area 41 cannot participate in
  this encounter unless they escape their cells and
  make a Bluff check (versus a flat +5 Sense Motive
  for all nuns) to lie about their freedom. If this bluff
  fails, then the nuns refuse to talk with any PCs.
  The PCs then have two options: confront the
  “Abbess” directly if their suspicion is strong
  enough, or go rescue Aradi. (The fight against the
  troll in Encounter Nineteen still occurs normally.) If
  they choose to go save Aradi, the Aranea escapes
  but PCs can find and save the real Abbess.
  Let the players decide how to interview the
  Sisters—don’t suggest splitting up and don’t say
  how long an interview will take. As it turns out,
  learning all of a Sister’s information will take 30
  minutes, whether the PCs talk to her alone or in a
  group, so splitting up allows the PCs to learn the
  most in the shortest time. The nine Sisters, what
  they know, and how PCs might think to question
  them (in parentheses) are summarized below; due
  to the (aranea-)Abbess’s statement of disapproval
  of the PCs, a DC 10 Diplomacy check (all bonuses
  or penalties earned thus far apply) is required in
  each case:
  Sister Felicity
  (Resident healer, may have insight on condition of
  Elias.)
  She informs the PCs that a man who was merely
  drunk and unconscious could be revived via
  simple spells and care. Her Heal checks indicate
  that Elias has been poisoned and suffered ability
  damage, most likely Strength or Constitution. He
  even has small puncture wounds on his neck, the
  likely point for an injury poison to enter.
  Sister Evilyn
  (Observant efficiency expert, paladin, amateur
  alchemist; her room provides line of sight to those
  of Aradi and Elias.)
  She affirms as a paladin that Aradi does not drink.
  If asked about the poison, she can spend half an
  hour in study to confirm that the poison in Elias’s
  blood is Strength-based and not found in plants.
  Sister Wyndy
  (Aradi’s friend, social butterfly, fellow paladin.)
  She prides herself on her good memory but recalls
  something troubling from a week ago, when she
  witnessed a young acolyte whom she had not
  seen before and hasn’t seen since—the Aranea in
  its “Nun X” guise. Acolytes come and go and she
  can’t be expected to remember everyone, but
  when she described the acolyte to a few of her
  fellow Sisters, they all recall seeing this girl, but
  yet no one can remember her leaving.
  Wyndy also tells the PCs that she was outside
  late last night gathering some of the pep-berries
  via the secret passage at Area 9 when she heard
  the passage open; she hid and watched Aradi
  came through. Wyndy is confident Aradi does not
  know someone else has discovered this passage;
  she watched as Aradi paced in the dim light and
  swung her sword using the flat of her blade. She
  was cursing under her breath in Elven, enraged,
  muttering things like “how dare he.” Wyndy was
  going 
  to 
  confess 
  what 
  she 
  sensed 
  was
  premeditated violence but held her tongue; she is
  deeply troubled for the first time in her life, not
  knowing which Path to take: should she show duty
  toward Pholtus and report the incident or show
  loyalty to her friend by keeping silent?
  Sister Jillaia
  (Observant assistant Librarian.)
  Three days ago, she was up late (violating curfew)
  reading in the Library’s southern wing when she
  
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  heard the western door quietly open. When no
  one appeared, she presumed one of her monk
  underlings was playing games with her perception,
  but when she went to return her book to its shelf,
  two adjacent tomes (which were there earlier)
  were missing. (The aranea crept into the library on
  the ceiling and borrowed the books it needed.)
  The PCs also note that her cat is meowing in
  hunger; if PCs speak with it as well, it confirms
  Jillaia’s speculation that the Abbey has somehow
  been rid of vermin.
  Sister Botilda
  (Confessor; may know something relevant she
  hasn’t revealed.)
  “An anonymous person” (Aradi, but she won’t
  divulge this) confessed yesterday just before
  dinner (a common time allotted for confessions) to
  a plan of premeditated retribution. This individual
  felt herself drifting away—though without shame—
  from the rigidity of the One True Path and no
  longer knew where to seek guidance or support.
  Sister Eloise
  (Aradi’s 
  confidante; 
  older 
  nun; 
  may 
  know
  something relevant from the past that younger
  nuns do not.)
  She and Virienne have been Abbey residents
  since they were teenagers. In all of those years,
  Eloise has never seen such outrageous behavior
  from the Abbess. Her heartless dismissal of
  Aradi—the Abbess’s favorite—is utterly out of
  character for her. The Virienne that she knows
  could never be so harsh; she can’t believe Pholtus
  “guided” the Abbess to dismiss Aradi.
  Sister Lily
  (Oldest nun in the Abbey; must know something
  from the past.)
  The gardener admits a curious thing: though she
  is horrified at the decision over Aradi, it has made
  her recall an event from roughly twenty years ago,
  when young Virienne (then just an acolyte) came
  to her in an agitated state and asked to borrow a
  trowel to plant some forget-me-nots. Lily gave her
  the trowel but can’t ever recall seeing where the
  flowers were planted. Now that she thinks about it,
  she doesn’t remember Virienne returning the
  trowel either.
  Sister Baeshalle
  (Tight-lipped lieutenant with obvious disdain for
  PCs.)
  Though they might only turn to her as a last resort,
  Baeshalle provides one of the most important
  clues, as her silence and blind loyalty to the
  Abbess’ position is shattered with the dismissal of
  Aradi. Baeshalle proves to be surprisingly open to
  the PCs, informing them with adamantine surety
  that in Baeshalle’s three years at Montaire, the
  Abbess has never done anything in secret:
  Virienne has always prided herself on openness
  and honesty. The “surprise” room inspection feels
  like a sham to her. She urges the PCs to take
  action.
  Scarlett
  (Keen senses may have detected something; she
  is the wild card encounter.)
  See Encounter Ten for details on what Scarlett
  knows.
  Kirandis
  Kirandis, while upset at his own sentence,
  supports Aradi’s banishment and requires hard
  evidence to be convinced of her innocence.
  Other Sisters
  Any Sister not listed above is considered a dead
  end: PCs lose one half hour of interview time for
  each unlisted nun they visit and they learn nothing.
  They may interview as many Sisters as they like,
  but the “Abbess” is an exception: if they go to
  question Abbess Virienne, the Aranea attacks as
  detailed below. This actually benefits PCs, as they
  can more quickly pursue Aradi should they defeat
  the creature.
  Confronting the Aranea
  Once the PCs are confident the Abbess is an
  impostor they may proceed to Area 50 to confront
  it. No Sisters will support them, however, and may
  even try to stop them if PCs are bold enough to
  announce their intent. The PCs should know that
  they are taking a huge risk.
  The Aranea, having successfully discovered
  Virienne’s arcane hoard due to the expiration of
  her Nystul’s magic aura, is in hybrid form hastily
  packing its cache in the dark and preparing to
  sneak out the window, onto the roof and from
  there to the Rakers. Infuriated at the meddlesome
  PCs, it attacks on sight (allow a DC 18 Spot check
  to note its fangs):
  
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  APL 1 (EL 5)
  Aranea Sor1: hp 28; see Appendix One. Begins
  in hybrid form.
  Setup: The PCs will likely have a light source if
  they approach at night or even in late afternoon.
  The aranea plans to climb out the northwestern
  window in Area 50. The aranea begins 15 feet
  away from the window. It looks out briefly,
  betraying its intent.
  Area 50 counts as difficult terrain due to the
  maze of stacked books and manuscripts. Steep,
  carved stone stairs descend roughly 15 feet to
  Area 51.
  Tactics: The aranea’s first action is to web the
  nearest PC and pick up its backpack of stolen
  arcana. If no PCs interpose themselves between
  the aranea and the window, it escapes onto the
  roof on its next turn and gets away. (The aranea
  gets up the wall in one round, onto the roof in the
  second, and then takes a full run/jump to the
  Rakers. The PCs probably cannot match her
  speed climbing, and the snowy roof will prevent
  the PCs from catching her.) If a PC avoids the web
  and moves between the aranea and the window,
  they will have prevented the creature from
  escaping: it tries to retreat into the secret library
  (Area 51, already open) where it uses its speed
  and the natural rock ceiling to climb and defend
  itself. It climbs onto the library ceiling and webs
  PCs as they enter; following this it casts magic
  missile and attempts to move past PCs back to
  Area 50 and its window. It is not evil and seeks no
  glory in killing each PC. A DC 13 Knowledge
  (arcana) check notes that this is an aranea; DC 18
  confirms that they are afraid of fire, but a DC 10 Int
  check also notes that any fire started in Areas 50
  or 51 (including casting fire-based spells) will
  damage and/or destroy many valuable works; if
  this happens, their reward for saving the Abbess
  will be greatly reduced to cover the damaged and
  irreplaceable items.
  Development: If the creature manages to
  incapacitate all the PCs, the adventure is over: the
  Aranea gets away, Aradi dies in the wilderness,
  and the PCs (if they stabilize or are merely
  incapacitated, not killed) are rescued and revived
  by one of the nuns. Proceed to “Conclusion:
  Failure” below.
  If PCs manage to defeat the aranea, they can
  easily locate the true Abbess webbed to the ceiling
  in Area 51. She is conscious but weak; if the PCs
  explain the situation with Aradi, Virienne admits
  that she is her mother and offers her diary (hidden
  here) as proof. Once they show this evidence to
  Cythica and/or Baeshalle, the PCs will be lauded
  as heroes and begged by all nuns and Virienne to
  go rescue Sister Aradi.
  Abbess 
  Virienne: 
  Female 
  human
  (Suel/Oeridian) Clr5/Wiz3; Strength currently 2
  due to poison.
  Treasure: Treasure from the aranea.
  L: 0 gp; C: 300 gp; M: 0 gp.
  Virienne Back in Charge
  Virienne should appear as a strong, intelligent,
  and efficient authority figure, in contrast to
  Sergeant Kirandis’s skepticism in encounter 11-A
  (if a male Pholtan priest was there to hear him).
  She is quickly briefed by Wyndy on the Abbey
  state of affairs and orders the immediate release
  of Scarlett; Virienne does not tolerate anyone
  being locked up without just cause.
  In the PCs’ absence, she will use lesser
  restoration scrolls to restore her lost Strength, as
  well as sleep and pray for spells. Scarlett is
  allowed to mix with the populace, but under guard.
  Encounter Eighteen:
  Tracking Aradi
  Everyone knows that Sister Cythica has been
  disappointed in Aradi’s rebellious behavior, so
  they are shocked when she dons cold-weather
  gear demands to accompany the PCs on their
  search. Abbess Virienne relents and designates
  Sisters 
  Evilyn 
  and 
  Wyndy 
  as 
  temporary
  lieutenants, along with Sister Baeshalle.
  To find Aradi, PCs must Track her; the DC
  depends on how long they spent questioning the
  Sisters in Encounter Seventeen. Even if the PCs
  leave when she does (willingly or not), the rest of
  the party will still need to locate them. The fresh
  snow outside is considered “very soft ground”, but
  the afternoon light is quickly fading and, most
  importantly, the snow is covering Aradi’s tracks.
  The gate-guards can tell the PCs that Aradi
  went 
  southwest, 
  toward 
  Eltison. 
  The 
  area
  immediately around the Abbey was cleared of
  snow this morning but the wilderness is still
  snowbound; thus, Aradi moves at a speed of 15
  feet (base 30 feet but halved due to snow), i.e. 1½
  miles per hour. She will walk for three hours (4½
  miles) before stopping, exhausted and miserable.
  She will die of exposure three hours later (six
  
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  hours after leaving the Abbey) unless the PCs
  save her.
  To catch her, PCs will need to move fast, but
  this might be hard. While tracking, the PCs move
  at half speed (i.e. one-quarter speed in the snow),
  but they may take a -5 penalty to the Survival
  check to track at full speed (i.e. one-half speed in
  the snow). The PCs may hustle (at double speed,
  i.e. normal speed in the snow) only if they can
  make the Survival check with a -20 penalty: not
  likely for 1st-level PCs.
  The base DC to follow Aradi’s tracks using the
  Survival skill for one mile is 5; for each 30 minutes
  that pass, the DC increases by 1 due to the falling
  snow, to a maximum DC 15 (total snow cover,
  +10). While the DC is 10 or lower, the PCs do not
  need the Track feat; taking 10 is perfectly
  acceptable; if they fail a check, they can retry in
  one hour (see the PHB, page 101).
  If the PCs think to request Aradi’s dog, Tessa,
  they receive a +5 circumstance bonus to the
  check, as Tessa races headlong into the snow to
  find her mistress. This bonus would offset the -5
  penalty for tracking at full speed, which the PCs
  might need to do.
  Example: The PCs spend 90 minutes interviewing
  the Sisters and 30 minutes fighting the aranea-
  Abbess before leaving. Aradi’s lead is 120
  minutes, or 3 miles. Since 120 minutes’ worth of
  snow have fallen on her tracks when the PCs
  start, the Survival DC to track her is base 5+4 (120
  minutes at +1 per 30 minutes) = DC 9, still low
  enough to follow without the Track feat. If the PCs
  follow at full speed (-5 to their check) and have a
  normal speed of 30 feet, then they keep pace with
  Aradi, the Survival DC stays at 9, and they reach
  Aradi after three hours of tracking (5 hours after
  she left). If, however, they go slower or leave later,
  then there is more snow on her tracks and the DC
  may become too high for them to follow without a
  trained tracker.
  Development: Once the PCs rescue Aradi, Sister
  Cythica embraces her, reveals truth about the
  Aranea (if it was discovered), cures her nonlethal
  cold damage, casts endure elements from a scroll,
  and helps her up for the walk back to the abbey.
  If Aradi dies, though, skip Encounter Nineteen
  and proceed instead to “Conclusion: Failure”
  below.
  Encounter Nineteen: Sisters-
  In-Arms
  This encounter is designed to show unity among
  the Sisterhood of Montaire, to demonstrate Aradi’s
  integral role as a leader to her underlings and to
  allow the PCs to play the part of heroes.
  Upon returning to the Abbey at sundown or 1-
  2 hours thereafter, the PCs are hailed with joyous
  cheers from the exterior guards, who have placed
  dozens of lighted torches on poles within 60 feet of
  the main gate so the PCs can find the Abbey.
  However, once they are within one hundred forty
  feet of the gate, a guard shrieks and points off in
  the distance: emerging from its hiding place in the
  snow is a troll.
  It is clearly not a typical troll, however, as it
  carries a large backpack and several belt
  pouches; it is also too far south to be a simple
  wanderer. The troll is an advance scout for the
  Troll King. It has been told (wrongly) that the
  Abbey is filled with “soft, weak females” who offer
  little resistance and no arcane threat. It has made
  a field decision and plans to snatch one of the
  guards off the wall to take back to the Troll King as
  proof of the Abbey’s defenses. It will have begun
  moving toward the gate when the PCs spot it.
  APL 1 (EL 5, but EL 4 with NPC assistance)
  Troll: hp 63; see Monster Manual p247.
  Setup: The gate, the troll, and the PCs form an
  equilateral triangle—each is 140 feet from the
  other two.
  The area around the Abbey gate has been
  cleared of snow while the PCs were away; thus,
  there is no movement penalty for this combat. 
  Tactics: Keep track of initiative for not only the
  troll but also the archer-guards, Cythica, Aradi,
  and Baeshalle. The first few rounds proceed as
  follows:
  • 
  Round 1: Aradi yells at the gate guards to
  wake everyone, draws her sword and
  prepares to move. Cythica stops her,
  removes one of her platinum rings and
  places it on Aradi; the two exchange a
  grim, determined look. The troll moves 60
  feet toward the Abbey. Two gate guards
  fire one shot each at the troll.
  • 
  Round 2: Aradi waits for Cythica to cast
  shield other and then moves (with Tessa
  at her heels, if the dog is here) 30 feet
  
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  toward the Troll (she must stay within 35
  feet of Cythica). The guards fire 4 shots at
  the troll each round (but at -4 to hit if a PC
  is in melee with it). The troll moves 60 feet
  toward the Abbey.
  • 
  Round 3: The PCs hear shouts as the
  Abbey population stirs. Sister Baeshalle
  appears atop the gate and jumps down
  (20 feet from the troll); she and Aradi
  exchange a nod. Cythica moves next to
  Aradi. Aradi moves to within 20 feet of the
  troll. The troll readies an attack on anyone
  coming close. Scarlett, who was observing
  the guards from the courtyard and
  stretching her legs after 36 hours in a
  small cell, arrives on the wall. PCs
  succeeding on a DC 15 Knowledge
  (nature) check recognize the advantage of
  fire against a troll.
  • 
  Round 4: Dozens of nuns appear atop the
  wall and shriek at the sight of the Troll;
  Aradi delays for Baeshalle; Baeshalle 
  tumbles in and readies to attack when
  Aradi gets into flanking position; Aradi also
  tumbles 
  into 
  a 
  flank 
  and 
  attacks
  (Baeshalle is surprised at any sneak-
  attack damage). The troll full-attacks
  Baeshalle—a killing rend is likely, and
  should teach the PCs never to end their
  move next to a troll! Scarlett, if properly
  entreated, jumps down from the wall and
  plans to use her breath weapon once she
  has a clear shot (Aradi and Baeshalle
  have evasion but friendly-fire is a bad
  thing to encourage in players).
  • 
  Round 5: Aradi and Baeshalle (if she still
  lives) withdraw. Scarlett breathes fire and
  moves away too. No NPC is foolish
  enough to be full-attacked by the troll
  again, and they advise the PCs to follow
  suit. The troll moves to attack the nearest
  target. The Abbess appears atop the wall,
  assisted by Sisters Evilyn and Wyndy.
  Again, the primary goal of this encounter is to get
  players to rethink their knee-jerk reactions to
  combat encounters by splitting the party: it may be
  best if one PC focuses on healing Cythica (who
  takes half of Aradi’s damage and screams in pain
  at each hit) and others focus on attacking the Troll,
  probably with missile weapons, even thrown
  torches.
  The troll attacks Baeshalle or Aradi each
  round until both of them are dropped, at which
  time it picks up Aradi (the better example of the
  fortress’s defenses) and tries to escape into the
  night. The PCs should make a DC 10 Intelligence
  check to realize that the troll cannot rend while it is
  carrying her and that this is their chance to press
  the attack.
  If both Baeshalle and Aradi drop, Abbess
  Virienne exposes her arcane side and casts
  flaming sphere from a scroll at the Troll (DC 15) to
  aid the PCs. If the Troll is reduced to 10 or fewer
  hit points, it drops Aradi (if it holds her) and flees
  to the North. Once it is slain or driven off, the
  Sisters rejoice, welcoming Aradi and the PCs with
  open arms.
  Treasure: The troll carries some gold and gems
  stolen along the way from the Troll Fens.
  L: 0 gp; C: 200 gp; M: 0 gp
  Conclusion
  Success!
  Once the troll is dispatched, Aradi is embraced by
  her mother and told the whole tragic story of her
  upbringing; the Abbess confesses her arcane
  secret to all nuns, breaking years of silence and
  secrecy.
  The PCs are lauded as heroes and a huge
  feast ensues; two days later, the skies clear and
  Sergeant Kirandis departs with his men (including
  a weak but walking Elias).
  The Abbess insists on keeping Scarlett at the
  Abbey and training her for her valor (if applicable).
  for her part, Scarlett, if the PCs saved her and
  showed her kindness, offers them her platinum
  necklace as a token of her gratitude and
  friendship. It is non-magical but it is made of
  platinum and will fetch a handsome price in
  Eltison; it is also the sole remaining shred of
  evidence connecting her to her past. For the
  kindness shown by the PCs, she willingly parts
  with it and embraces her new future with the
  Sisters.
  Faranon’s spirit is put to rest and Virienne’s
  toad Penance is rescued (see Area 24).
  Aradi, if alive, is asked to atone for her non-
  paladin-like behavior and agrees. She does not,
  however, return to Pholtus, choosing instead to
  serve the ideal of Goodness.
  Finally, Abbess Virienne asks the PCs not to
  reveal her talents as an arcane caster to anyone
  outside the Abbey, especially the Church, until she
  
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  does so herself. She will register herself as an
  arcane caster and endure any penalties imposed
  by the Church for not revealing her studies earlier.
  If the PCs agree, they gain her gratitude (see
  below).
  Sister Wyndy would also like to paint the
  portrait of two PCs. Pick the PCs with the highest
  and the lowest Charisma. If they agree, and spend
  1 TU sitting for the portrait, they earn her favor. If a
  PC refuses, Wyndy asks the PC with the next-
  highest (or next-lowest) Charisma, and so on, until
  two PCs have agreed or all have refused.
  Treasure: Second part of payment from Church,
  miscellaneous rewards.
  L: 0 gp; C: 60 gp; M: 0 gp
  Failure!
  If the aranea incapacitated all PCs and/or if Sister
  Aradi was slain by the Troll, then the PCs lose
  access to all special Abbey favors listed below.
  The End
  Critical Events Summary
  Please relate your results to the author at
  eteignoir@yahoo.com, including any noteworthy
  events that took place.
  1.
  Was Neglis the bookseller turned in for
  carrying banned texts?
  2.
  Was the Abbey flag found in Area 7?
  3.
  Did the aranea escape?
  4.
  Did the troll scout escape? Did it escape with
  Aradi as a captive?
  5.
  Did Aradi survive?
  6.
  Did the PCs swear to keep silent about
  Virienne’s secret library in Area 51?
  7.
  Were any of the four initiates were converted
  away from Pholtus? Which?
  Experience Point Summary
  To award experience for this adventure, add up
  the values for the objectives accomplished. Then
  assign the experience award.  Award the total
  value (objectives plus roleplaying) to each
  character.
  Introduction
  Defeat the escaped Wastrians: 60 xp
  Encounter Six: Cold Feet
  Endure the blizzard: 30 xp
  Encounter Seven: Scarlett
  Escort Scarlett to Abbey: 90 xp
  OR Defeat Scarlett in combat: 45 xp
  OR Leave Scarlett to die in Wilderness: 0 xp
  Encounter Nine: The Abbey
  Successfully interact with Faranon: 120 xp
  OR Attacking Faranon: 0 xp
  Encounter Seventeen: Confrontation
  Exposing and defeat the aranea: 150 xp
  Encounter Nineteen: Sisters-in-Arms
  Defeat the troll: 120 xp
  Story Award
  Rescue Virienne’s toad, Penance: 30 xp
  Discretionary roleplaying award
  0-150 xp
  Total possible experience:
  750 xp
  Treasure Summary
  During 
  an 
  adventure, 
  characters 
  encounter
  treasure, usually finding it in the possession of their
  foes.  Every encounter that features treasure has a
  “treasure” section within the encounter description,
  giving information about the loot, coins, and magic
  items that make up the encounter’s treasure.
  The loot total is the number of gold pieces each
  character gains if the foes are plundered of all their
  earthly possessions.  Looting the bodies takes at
  least 10 minutes per every 5 enemies, and if the
  characters cannot take the time to loot the bodies,
  they do not gain this gold.  If you feel it is
  reasonable that characters can go back to loot the
  bodies, and those bodies are there (i.e., not carted
  off by dungeon scavengers, removed from the
  scene by the local watch, and so on), characters
  may return to retrieve loot.  If the characters do not
  loot the body, the gold piece value for the loot is
  subtracted from the encounter totals given below.
  The coin total is the number of gold pieces each
  character gains if they take the coin available.  A
  
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  normal adventuring party can usually gather this
  wealth in a round or so.  If for some reason, they
  pass up this treasure, the coin total is subtracted
  from the encounter totals given below.
  Next, the magic items are listed.  Magic item
  treasure is the hardest to adjudicate, because they
  are varied and because characters may want to use
  them during the adventure.  Many times characters
  must cast identify, analyze dweomer or similar spell
  to determine what the item does and how to
  activate it.  Other times they may attempt to use the
  item blindly.  If the magic item is consumable (a
  potion, scroll, magic bolts, etc.) and the item is used
  before the end of the adventure, its total is
  subtracted from the adventure totals below.
  Once you have subtracted the value for
  unclaimed treasure from each encounter add it up
  and that is the number of gold pieces a characters
  total and coin value increase at the end of the
  adventure.  Write the total in the GP Gained field of
  the adventure certificate.  Because this is a
  Regional scenario, characters may spend additional
  Time Units to practice professions or create items
  immediately after the adventure so this total may be
  modified by other circumstances.
  L = Looted gear from enemy; C = Coin, Gems,
  Jewelry, and other valuables; M = Magic Items.
  Introduction/Encounter Six
  Reward for stopping Wastrians.
  L: 0 gp; C: 100 gp; M: 0 gp
  Encounter One:  Never Judge A Book…
  First part of Neglis’s payment.
  L: 0 gp; C: 5 gp; M: 0 gp
   Encounter Two:  Inn Through the Out…
  Second part of Neglis’s payment.
  L: 0 gp; C: 5 gp; M: 0 gp
   Encounter Four: One True Pathos
  First part of payment from Church.
  L: 0 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 0 gp
   Encounter Five: Mean Streets
  Reward for capturing Wastrians.
  L: 0 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 0 gp
  Encounter Seventeen: Confrontation
  Treasure from aranea.
  L: 0 gp; C: 300 gp; M: 0 gp
  Encounter Nineteen: Sisters-in-Arms
  Treasure from troll.
  L: 0 gp; C: 200 gp; M: 0 gp
  Conclusion:
  Scarlett’s necklace.
  L: 0 gp; C: 150 gp; M: 0 gp
  Second part of payment from Church.
  L: 0 gp; C: 50 gp; M: 0 gp
  Total Possible Treasure
  L: 0 gp; C: 810 gp; M: 0 gp  - Total: 810 gp
  Special
  Favor of Tharine and Rheloth: For getting
  Tharine a job at Rheloth’s inn, you have made
  both of them grateful. You may benefit from free
  Standard lifestyle costs for one round of any future
  Pale scenario.
  Favor of the Sisterhood of Montaire: For the
  PC’s heroic efforts in defending the Abbey,
  rescuing Aradi, and uncovering the Abbess’s
  impostor, the Sisters offer to train one of the four
  initiates brought from Eltison to serve as your
  cohort when you are more renowned. If you take
  the Leadership feat and spend 2 TUs, you may
  select the initiate of your choice (Niiri the
  Rhennee, Lissa the Oeridian, Fiona the Flan, or
  Raine the Suel), who will have been trained
  according to your preference.  The cohort must be
  lawful (so this favor is unusable by chaotic PCs)
  and her first level must be either monk, paladin, or
  cleric (of Pholtus).
  Disfavor of the Church (Bad Influence): For
  successfully persuading innocent girls from taking
  their first steps on the One True Path, this PC is
  officially charged with proselytizing and earns the
  disfavor of the Church of the One True Path. The
  PC must serve 1 TU in a New Dawn Camp for
  each successful persuasion. If the PC succeeded
  on three or four girls, he suffers a permanent -2
  penalty on Charisma-based checks (such as
  Diplomacy and Bluff) relating to NPCs in the
  Church of the One True Path. This penalty may be
  removed by spending a further 4 TU per girl (that
  is, 12 or 16 TU) in service to the Church.
  
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  Items for the Adventure
  Record
  Item Access
  Since this is an introductory scenario, there is no
  item access.
  
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  Appendix One: NPC Stats
  Introduction                                             
  Cadris: Male human Rog1; CR 1; medium
  humanoid (human); HD 1d6+1; hp 6; Init +7;
  Spd 30 ft.; AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10 [+3
  Dex]; Base Atk/Grp: +0/+1; Atk or Full Atk +1
  melee (1d4+1/19-20, dagger); SA sneak attack
  +1d6; SQ —; AL LE; SV Fort +1, Ref +5, Will -1;
  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 9, Cha 8.
  Skills and Feats: Appraise +4, Balance +7,
  Bluff +3, Climb +4, Disable Device +4, Escape
  Artist +7, Hide +7, Knowledge (local - Nyrond
  and Her Environs) +5, Listen +2, Move Silently
  +6, Open Lock +7, Sleight of Hand +7, Search
  +3, Spot +2, Tumble +7; Combat Reflexes,
  Improved Initiative.
  Languages: 
  Common, 
  Nyrondese, 
  Old
  Oeridian.
  Possessions: 
  New 
  Dawn 
  Camp 
  robe,
  dagger.
  Hahner: Male human Ftr1; CR 1; medium
  humanoid (human); HD 1d10+2; hp 10; Init +5;
  Spd 30 ft.; AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10 [+1
  Dex]; Base Atk/Grp: +1/+3; Atk or Full Atk +3
  melee (1d3+2 nonlethal, unarmed strike) or +3
  melee (by weapon type +2, weapon-dependent);
  SA —; SQ —; AL LE; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will
  +0; Str 15, Dex12, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha
  8.
  Skills and Feats: Balance +5, Climb +6,
  Handle Animal +1, Intimidate +2, Jump +6, Ride
  +3, Swim +3; Combat Expertise, Improved
  Disarm, Improved Initiative.
  Languages: Common, Old Oeridian.
  Possessions: New Dawn Camp robe.
  Thopkarr the Venomous: Male human Clr1
  (Wastri); CR 1; medium humanoid (human); HD
  1d8+2; hp 9; Init +4; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10, touch 10,
  flat-footed 10 [+0 Dex]; Base Atk/Grp: +0/+1; Atk
  or Full Atk +1 melee (1d6+1, quarterstaff); SA
  spells, rebuke undead 4/day; SQ —; AL LE; SV
  Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +4; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 14,
  Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 12.
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +6, Heal +4,
  Knowledge (nature) +2, Knowledge (religion) +3,
  Spellcraft +1; Eschew Materials, Improved
  Initiative.
  Languages: Common, Old Oeridian.
  Cleric 
  Spells 
  Prepared 
  (3/2+1): 
  0—
  guidance, purify food and drink, resistance;
  1st—cause fear (DC 13), protection from chaos*
  (CL 2nd), summon monster I.
  *Domain spell. Deity: Wastri. Domains: Animal
  (speak with animals 1/day as a spell-like ability,
  Knowledge (nature) is a class skill); Law (cast
  law spells at +1 caster level).
  Possessions: New Dawn Camp robe.
  Encounter Seven                                    
  Scarlett: Female half-red dragon human (Suel)
  Sor1; 
  CR 
  3 
  (normally); 
  Medium 
  Dragon
  (Augmented Humanoid); HD 1d4+3; hp 7; Init
  +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 14
  [+2 Dex, +4 natural]; Base Atk/Grp: +0/+4; Atk
  +4 melee (1d4+4, claw); Full Atk +4/+4 melee
  (1d4+4, 2 claws) and -1 melee (1d6+2, bite); SA
  breath weapon; SQ darkvision 60 ft., immunity to
  fire, sleep, and paralysis, low-light vision; AL CE;
  SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 19, Dex 14, Con
  16, Int 15, Wis 11, Cha 15.
  Skills 
  and 
  Feats: 
  Concentration 
  +7,
  Diplomacy 
  +3, 
  Intimidate 
  +4, 
  Knowledge
  (arcana) +6, Spellcraft +6, Tumble +3; Blind-
  Fight, Silent Spell.
  Languages: Common, Draconic, Ancient
  Suloise.
  Breath Weapon (Su): 30-foot cone, once per
  day, damage 6d8 fire, Reflex DC 13 half. Note:
  to simulate Scarlett’s amnesia, do not try to
  catch all the PCs in the breath weapon. Use it
  only against the PC(s) that attacked her
  unprovoked.
  Sorcerer Spells Known (5/3 per day); 0—
  acid splash (+2 ranged touch), daze (DC 12),
  detect magic, touch of fatigue (+4 touch); 1st—
  burning hands (DC 13), shield.
  Note: Since she cannot talk, Scarlett can
  cast 
  only 
  silent 
  zero-level 
  spells. 
  As 
  a
  spontaneous metamagic spell, each takes a full-
  round action.
  Possessions: Red robe, platinum necklace.
  
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  Encounter Eleven                                   
  External Security: Female human Pal2; CR 2;
  medium humanoid (human); HD 2d10; hp 16;
  Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed
  14 [+2 Dex, +4 chain shirt]; Base Atk/Grp: +2/+3;
  Atk or Full Atk +3 melee (1d6+1, quarterstaff) or
  +4 ranged (1d8/x3, longbow); SA smite evil; SQ
  aura of courage, detect evil, divine grace, lay on
  hands; AL LG; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +3; Str
  13, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 14.
  Skills and Feats: Craft (bookbinding) +1,
  Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +4, Knowledge
  (religion) +2, Listen +3, Ride +3, Sense Motive
  +3, Spot +3; Power Attack, Weapon Focus
  (longbow).
  Languages: Common.
  Possessions: 
  Chain 
  shirt, 
  quarterstaff,
  longbow, quiver with 20 arrows, dagger, wooden
  holy symbol.
  Internal Security: Female human Mnk2; CR 2;
  medium humanoid (human); HD 2d8+2; hp 15;
  Init +5; Spd 30 ft.; AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed
  13 [+1 Dex, +2 Wis]; Base Atk/Grp: +1/+2 (+6
  with feat); Atk +2 melee (1d6+1, unarmed
  strike); Full Atk +2 or +0/+0 melee (1d6+1,
  unarmed strike); SA flurry of blows, stunning fist
  2/day (DC 13); SQ evasion; AL LN; SV Fort +4,
  Ref +4, Will +5; Str 12, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10,
  Wis 14, Cha 11.
  Skills and Feats: Balance +3, Climb +4,
  Craft (bookbinding) +2, Diplomacy +2, Escape
  Artist +4, Hide +4, Listen +5, Move Silently +4,
  Sense Motive +3, Spot +3, Tumble +4; Deflect
  ArrowsB, Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative,
  Improved Unarmed StrikeB, Stunning FistB.
  Languages: Common.
  Possessions: Dagger, monk’s outfit.
  Faranon: Male elf ghost Wiz5; CR 7; medium
  undead (augmented humanoid) (incorporeal);
  HD 5d12; hp 32; Init +4; Spd: fly 30 ft. (perfect);
  AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed14 [+4 Dex, +4
  deflection]; Base Atk/Grp: +2/+2; Atk --; Full Atk
  --; SA frightful moan, manifestation, telekinesis
  (DC 16 for each); SQ darkvision 60 ft.,
  rejuvenation, turn resistance +4; AL N; SV Fort
  +1, Ref +5, Will +4; Str 11, Dex 18, Con --, Int
  16, Wis 11, Cha 18.
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +8 (+12
  defensively), Decipher Script +11, Hide +12,
  Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge (religion)
  +4 , Listen +8 , Search +11, Spellcraft +13, Spot
  +8; Combat Casting, Extend SpellB, Scribe
  ScrollB, Silent Spell.
  Languages: Common, Elven, Draconic,
  Giant.
  See the Monster Manual (“Ghost”) for
  descriptions of his special abilities.
  Wizard Spells Prepared (4/4/3/2): 0—no
  spells prepared; 1st—silent mage hand, silent
  open/close, silent resistance (2); 2nd—silent
  alarm, silent cause fear (DC 14), silent ray of
  enfeeblement (+6 ranged touch); 3rd—silent
  scare (DC 15), extended silent cause fear (DC
  14).
  Encounter Seventeen
  Aranea Sor1 (effectively Sor4): CR 5; medium
  magical 
  beast 
  (shapechanger); 
  HD
  3d10+1d4+8; hp 28; Init +8; Spd 50 ft., climb 25
  ft.; AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 11 [+4 Dex, +1
  natural]; Base Atk/Grp: +3/+2; Atk or Full Atk +7
  melee (1d6 plus poison, bite); SA poison, spells,
  web; SQ change shape, darkvision 60 ft., low-
  light vision; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +7;
  Str 10, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 18.
  Skills and Feats: Bluff +6, Climb +14,
  Concentration +9, Escape Artist +7, Jump +12,
  Knowledge (arcana) +4, Listen +9, Spellcraft +4,
  Spot +9; Improved Initiative, Iron WillB, Weapon
  Finesse (bite).
  Languages: 
  Common, 
  Sylvan,
  Undercommon.
  Sorcerer Spells Known (6/7/4 per day
  normally, but only 4/1/2 remain when it is
  encountered; CL 4th): 0—daze (DC 14), detect
  magic, 
  detect 
  poison, 
  disrupt 
  undead,
  open/close, read magic; 1st—disguise self (DC
  15), magic missile (2 missiles), ventriloquism
  (DC 15); 2nd—detect thoughts (DC 16).
  Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 13, initial
  damage 1d6 Str, secondary damage 2d6 Str.
  The save DC is Constitution-based.
  Web (Ex): In spider or hybrid form (see
  below), an aranea can throw a web up to six
  times per day. This is similar to an attack with a
  net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a
  range increment of 10 feet, and is effective
  against targets of up to Large size. The web
  
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  anchors the target in place, allowing no
  movement.
  An entangled creature can escape with a
  DC 13 Escape Artist check or burst the web with
  a DC 17 Strength check. The check DCs are
  Constitution-based and the Strength check
  includes a +4 racial bonus. The web has 6 hit
  points and hardness 0, and takes double
  damage from fire.
  Change Shape (Su): An aranea’s natural
  form is that of a Medium monstrous spider. It
  can assume two other forms. The first is a
  unique Small or 
  Medium 
  humanoid 
  [this
  aranea’s is Medium]; an aranea in its humanoid
  form always assumes the same appearance and
  traits, much as a lycanthrope would. In
  humanoid form, an aranea cannot use its bite
  attack, webs, or poison.
  The second form is a Medium spider-
  humanoid hybrid. In hybrid form, an aranea
  looks like a Medium humanoid at first glance,
  but a DC 18 Spot check reveals the creature’s
  fangs and spinnerets. The aranea retains its bite
  attack, webs, and poison in this form, and can
  also wield weapons or wear armor. When in
  hybrid form, an aranea’s speed is 30 feet (6
  squares).
  An aranea remains in one form until it
  chooses to assume a new one. A change in
  form cannot be dispelled, nor does an aranea
  revert to its natural form when killed. A true
  seeing spell, however, reveals it natural form if it
  is in humanoid or hybrid form.
  Possessions: 
  Abbess’s 
  clothing, 
  stolen
  Under-Oerth jewelry worth a total of 1800 gp.
  Encounter Nineteen
  Sister Aradi: Female half-elf ex-Pal2/Rog2; CR
  4; medium humanoid (elf); HD 2d10+2d6+4; hp
  28; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 15, touch 11, flat-
  footed 14 [+1 Dex, +4 chain shirt]; Base Atk/Grp:
  +3/+4; Atk or Full Atk +7 melee (1d10+3/19-20,
  masterwork bastard sword, two-handed); SA
  sneak attack +1d6; SQ evasion, half-elf traits,
  low-light vision; AL LG; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will
  +2; Str 14, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha
  14.
  Skills and Feats: Bluff +9, Diplomacy +11,
  Gather Information +4, Handle Animal +7, Heal
  +2, Jump +5, Knowledge (local - Nyrond and
  Her Environs) +2, Knowledge (religion) +2,
  Listen +1, Search +3, Sense Motive +1, Spot +1,
  Tumble +8, Use Rope +2; Iron Will, Weapon
  Focus (bastard sword).
  Languages: Common, Elven, Old Oeridian.
  Possessions: Mithral chain shirt (but wears
  a normal chain shirt while disguised as Elias),
  masterwork bastard sword, dagger.
  Physical Description: Aradi bears only a
  slight trace of her elven lineage in the form of
  delicately pointed ears, which are seldom seen
  behind her luxurious, shoulder-length black hair,
  and 
  her 
  uncommonly 
  green 
  eyes. 
  Her
  complexion is fair; she stands 5’2” high and
  weighs 111 lbs. Her slightly curvaceous form is
  powerfully built from years of practice with the
  bastard sword. She favors her left hand but
  always attacks with two hands.
  Note that Aradi’s dishonorable actions
  during this scenario make her lose her paladin
  abilities (detect evil, smite evil 1/day, divine
  grace, and lay on hands). She does not have
  them in the final combat.
  Sister Baeshalle: Female human Mnk3; CR 3;
  medium humanoid (human); HD 3d8+3; hp 20;
  Init +6; Spd 40 ft.; AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed
  12 [+2 Dex, +2 Wis]; Base Atk/Grp: +2/+4 (+8
  with feat); Atk +4 melee (1d6+2, unarmed
  strike); Full Atk +4 or +2/+2 melee (1d6+2,
  unarmed strike); SA flurry of blows, stunning fist
  3/day (DC 13); SQ evasion, still mind; AL LN;
  SV Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +5 (+7 vs.
  enchantment); Str 14, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12,
  Wis 14, Cha 10.
  Skills and Feats: Balance +8, Climb +4,
  Craft (bookbinding) +3, Diplomacy +2, Escape
  Artist +4, Hide +4, Jump +4, Listen +6, Move
  Silently +4, Sense Motive +3, Spot +6, Tumble
  +8; Deflect ArrowsB, Dodge, Improved Initiative,
  Improved Unarmed StrikeB, Mobility, Stunning
  FistB.
  Languages: Common, Old Oeridian.
  Possessions: Dagger, monk’s outfit.
  Sister Cythica: Female human Clr4 (Pholtus);
  CR 4; medium humanoid (human); HD 4d8+8;
  hp 30; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10, touch 10, flat-
  footed 14 [+0 Dex]; Base Atk/Grp: +3/+3; Atk or
  Full Atk +3 melee (1d6, quarterstaff); SA turn
  
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  undead 5/day (+2 synergy bonus); SQ —; AL
  LG; SV Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +9; Str 10, Dex 11,
  Con 14, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 14.
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +4, Craft
  (bookbinding) +6, Diplomacy +8, Heal +9,
  Knowledge (religion) +10, Spellcraft +3; Iron
  Will, Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (Knowledge
  [religion]).
  Languages: Common, Old Oeridian.
  Cleric Spells Prepared (5/4+1/3+1): 0—
  detect 
  magic, 
  detect 
  poison, 
  mending,
  resistance, virtue; 1st—bless, endure elements,
  protection from evil*, sanctuary (DC 13), shield
  of faith; 2nd—aid*, shield other, status, zone of
  truth (DC 14).
  *Domain spell. Deity: Pholtus. Domains:
  Good (cast good spells at +1 caster level),
  Knowledge (cast Divination spells at +1 caster
  level, all Knowledge skills are class skills).
  Possessions: Quarterstaff, wooden holy
  symbol.
  
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  Appendix Two: Eltison
  Eltison (large city): Nonstandard; AL LN; item limit 40,000gp; Assets: 36,800,000 gp; Population 18,400;
  Mixed (Human 16,560, Half-elves 920, Halflings 552, Dwarves 368).
  Authority Figures: Zacktinerim, Prelate of Eltison, is a small woman, even ordinary looking, but with
  long lustrous black hair and very dark brown eyes. Her skin is sunburnt from many hours of walking
  outdoors. At 5' 1" tall and a mere 110 pounds, Zacktinerim might look a trifle weak compared to the grand
  company of the other prelates, but her forceful personality makes her more than their match. She rules
  her Prelacy with the highest regard for the worship of Pholtus as the one true god of Oerth. Originally
  from Wintershiven, the richest diocese in the Pale, Zacktinerim got into one too many fights with her
  fellow priests and was sent to Eltison. Through a lucky series of coincidences, she moved smoothly into
  the position of prelate just before the Greyhawk Wars. Despite her disposition, she has done a very
  credible job of running the diocese and the prisons. Zacktinerim believes several people are plotting to
  overthrow the Church from within, and she even believes these people to be responsible for sending her
  to Eltison. She expends great energy and other resources in her drive to reveal these suspects.
  Notes: Eltison is the capital of the Prelacy of Eltison. The city is located in the east central region of
  the Theocracy of the Pale, at the crossroads between Landrigard, Stradsett, and Ogburg. Despite its
  great size, Eltison still feels more like an overgrown provincial town. One of the newest cities of the Pale,
  it grew from an earlier farming town and reached city status only about a century ago. The residents of
  Eltison are very conservative in their outlook, derived from their own opinions and reinforced by the views
  of Prelate Zacktinerim. Although the city incorporates older and less ordered districts at the periphery, the
  center is organized on a grid, originating at the Temple Square. Eltison's fine Temple of the Blinding Light
  is the highest church of the prelacy. The temple actually consists of a main church building and three
  other structures.  Directly behind the church, to the east, is the Eltison headquarters of the Church
  Militant. North of the Church Militant Headquarters are the apartments of the lesser attendants and
  priests, while the apartments to the south house the prelate and higher-ranking attendants and priests of
  the temple. The city is constructed primarily of stone from the Rakers to the north and east, but a few
  buildings do use wood as their primary material. A 30-foot-tall stone wall surrounds the city.
  The headquarters of the Pale’s prison system are also found in Eltison, since Zacktinerim serves as
  its chief administrator. The administrative offices of the prison system are located in a small keep within
  the walls of the city, near the temple.
  Also inside the walls is an Arcanist Guildhall. A small contingent of guild brothers stays at the Prelatal
  Army Garrison at all times, to serve as Magic Corpsmen.
  The most striking feature of Eltison is the large array of cattle-yards adjacent to the city, where the
  Pale Riders bring their cattle to market most often. The Pale Riders maintain a large guild house here, to
  provide lodging for members between cattle drives and to welcome prospective members.
  The city has large numbers of farms located around it as can be imagined for one of the cities of the
  Pale located on the huge open plain of central Pale. The farms are dedicated to hardy wheat grasses and
  other vegetables during the Pale’s short growing season, but most of the farmers always plant back up
  crops of potatoes and onions which almost always grow in the Pale growing season. There are also large
  numbers of cattle ranches around Eltison hinted at by the large cattle yards adjacent to the city proper.
  Eltison is home of the Prelatal Army’s Ninth Dawn Command. They maintain a large keep outside the
  city as well as a small outpost inside the city proper. This keep also houses the Eltison Pale Patrol units.
  The Pale Patrol covers the internal borders of the Pale around Eltison. These troops number around
  500, as they maintain one of the largest patrol areas between Eltison and Holdworthy.  The Pholtan
  Knights Valorous also maintains a presence in Eltison and share the Prelatal Army keep as well.
  The Church Militant maintains a large contingent in Eltison as well. Their complex is located adjacent
  to the Temple of the Blinding Light, as mentioned above.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
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  Player Handout #1: Doctrine of the Sisterhood of Montaire
   This parchment was discovered in the library of the Church of the One True Path in Eltison; an individual
  called “Abbess Virienne” is the apparent author. It is dated Reaping, CY 590.
  Purpose: The purpose of the Abbey is fourfold:
  To provide a haven for the guidance, training and edification of young women seeking to
  serve Pholtus and the Pale.
  To defend the borders of the Pale from all threats.
  To safeguard and complement the citizenry of the Pale.
  To set an example of virtuous femininity through understanding and compassion.
  Philosophy/Creed: “Piety, Honesty, Chastity.”
  Piety:
  Spiritual serenity illuminates the One True Path
  Honesty:
  Lies poison the bond of Sisterhood and threaten the safety of the Path
  Chastity:
  Sexuality impairs judgment and is a distraction best delayed;
  Intersections branching off the Path, while inviting, lead nowhere
  The Four Traditional Domains of Pholtus: Good/Knowledge/Law/Sun
  Of these, we hold Knowledge to be the most important: with knowledge comes power
  not merely to destroy and suppress but to create and nurture. Tolerance is thus seen not
  as a sign of weakness but as a form of patience; one must understand in order to
  effectively guide. Spiritual development is eclipsed by an idle mind.
  Sisterhood: A Sister of Montaire is not a common object, accessory or crudely designed tool—
  she is a weapon: sophisticated, unique and destined for one purpose above all others: to
  efficiently serve Pholtus in the eternal struggle against evil.
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 61
  Map #1: Abbey Exterior
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 62
  Map #2: First Floor
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 63
  Map #3: Second Floor
  
  PAL5I-02 Force of Habit - v1.1 (Jan 2006)
  Page 64
  Map #4: Third Floor
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Living Greyhawk/Modules/Theocracy of the Pale/595/Intro mods/PAL5I-02 Force Of Habit/PAL5I-02 Force Of Habit.pdf