Act Three: Inside the Forest
Scene One: The Mighty Clang
After dealing with Clang's prank, the
heroes meet the copper dragon herself.
Overview
The Master has asked Clang to question the group about their reasons for
seeking the Tower and to put them
through their paces. The dragon, who
loves riddles and pranks, was only too
happy to comply.
Getting Started
It might be helpful to review the section on Clang's personality in Chapter
One, as well as the section on dragons
from Chapter Six in the Book of the
Fifth Age, before playing this scene.
First Impressions
Mud and grit cover just about every
square inch of your bodies. You might
never be clean again.
"Aww, c'mon. Don't be such sticks in
the mud," booms a voice from behind
the trees. A massive, coppery head with
a blunt snout and a mouth full of teeth
the size of broad swords pops into view,
followed by a copper-clad body longer
than a merchant caravan. The massive
creature eyes your group. "Say, you look
rather nice-in an earthy sort of way," it
says, unfurling a pair of leathery wings
larger than most temple roofs.
The dragon speaks with a gravelly
rumble. "Yep," it says. "Here's a band of
heroes headed tor the lower. Heroes,
that is, except for ONE of you!" The
creature glares and points a curved
talon longer than your leg at Trenna.
"You are different, aren't you?" It does
not wait for an answer. "Well, come and
wash off that muck. While you're at it,
you heroes might tell me just why you seek the Tower. Your friend here can tag
along, of course."
The Story Continues
Assuming the heroes wish to clean up,
Clang leads them to a stream where
they can get rid of most of the mud.
The dragon watches them the whole
time, but always remains half hidden;
the full force of her presence would
surely inspire dragonawe among the
group members.
If they think to ask why Trenna is
"different," Clang brushes off the question. "It doesn't really matter," she says.
"What does matter is that she knows
that I know she's different." If the
heroes ask Trenna what the dragon
means, the woman just shrugs.
When the heroes finish washing,
Clang asks them their names and their
reasons for seeking the Tower. Everyone
must say something about why he has
come here. There are no right or wrong
answers - Clang just wants to know.
Once she's heard from all the
heroes. Clang grunts:
"Well, that's just the most pathetic
bunch of reasons tor visiting the Tower
I've ever heard! But no matter, it's what
you've got inside that counts, understand? To reach the Tower, one must
have a generous heart, a little loyalty,
and some brains. So it you want to go
on from here, you've got until the
moon rises to bring me a well-warmed
heart, an eve that has been used with
precision, and a vessel filled with
uncomprimising spirit. Now, a warm
hear! can he useful anytime, but a precise eye sometimes makes it a whole lot
easier to he uncompromising, spirit-wise. Got it? Good!
"Now your lady friend is gonna wait
right here, because I've got a little job
for her. The rest of you, just take a walk
down that path and see what you can
find for me."
The dragon wants the heroes to
have a reasonable chance of passing
the tests she has created for them, so
she'll repeat her instructions if the
heroes ask. (The players can write
them down.)
If the heroes seem inclined to leave
the forest. Clang objects. "Not so fast!
Do you think I'm gonna waste a perfectly good set of brain teasers by letting you just walk out of here? By
Paladine, I don't think so!" Should the
heroes persist in trying to leave,
another mud pit opens in front of
them.
Assuming the heroes agree to
undertake Clang's tests, they must walk
down the path she indicated. Several
paces away, the heroes find a signpost
with three arrows pointing in different
directions. Each arrow bears an
inscription, as follows: "A Well-Warmed Heart," "A Precise Eye," and
"A Vessel of Uncompromising Spirit."
If the heroes have suffered any
wounds. Clang allows them to rest
until they are fully healed before
undertaking her challenges.
Atmosphere
Narrators cannot overemphasize
Clang's physical presence. Measured
nose to tail, she's almost as long as a
football field, and her wingspan is
wider than a football field. Though
capable of humanlike speech, she can
speak with a voice louder and deeper
than a foghorn. Clang is not a being to
be trifled with.
A deep gloom has gathered under
the trees of Wayreth Forest surrounding the heroes. To enhance this spooky
mood, the Narrator might describe a
light breeze that stirs the leaves and fills
the air with an indistinct, unsettling
murmur. Perhaps a hulking beast -
could it be a bear? - lumbers through
the shadows as well to frighten the
group.
Actions
If the players are having trouble figuring out Clang's instructions, the heroes'
leader can attempt a challenging Reason
action. If it succeeds, the Narrator can
tell players that it's best to undergo the
test of reason (retrieving an eye used
with precision) before attempting the
test of loyalty (retrieving a vessel of
uncompromising spirit). It makes no
difference when the heroes undertake
the test of kindness (retrieving a well-warmed heart).
Characters
Clang's full description appears in
Chapter One.
Outcome
If the heroes accept Clang's tests, the
Narrator should ask them which arrow
they will follow.
- "A Well-Warmed Heart" leads to
Scene Two.
- "A Precise Eye" takes the adventure
to Scene Three.
- "A Vessel of Uncompromising
Spirit" leads to Scene Four.
- If the heroes attempt to fight Clang,
the adventure ends with them
ejected from the wood. In the
unlikely event that they slay the
dragon first, they will never again be
allowed to enter the forest.
Clang's Tests
All three tests are hallucinations Clang creates using mentalism. (Her spell does
not fail.) For all intents and purposes, these hallucinatory environments are real
in every way - at least, while the heroes remain within them. Just about everything looks, tastes, smells, sounds, and feels just as it should; any exceptions are
noted. Spells and items of magic usually function normally, but many of the
creatures the heroes meet remain unaffected by magic in any way.
Each test lasts only as long as the heroes try to solve the problem that it presents. If they give up or attempt to convince themselves that what they're experiencing isn't real, the test ends immediately. Clang regards exiting the test in this
manner as poor sportsmanship.
The heroes can attempt each of the dragon's challenges only once. Every time
they complete a test - whether they pass or fail - they return to the signpost
from Scene One, the corresponding arrows having disappeared.
Scene Two: The Test of Kindness
This scene occurs when the heroes follow the arrow on the signpost in Scene
One labeled "A Well-Warmed Heart."
Overview
To succeed in this test, the heroes must
do something kind for someone else.
Getting Started
The Narrator should review the sidebar
below, "Clang's Tests," before starting to
play this scene.
First Impressions
The trail beyond the signpost leads you
down a hillside. The rays of the setting
sun here turn the leaves overhead into
molten sparks, glowing white and red.
The trail ends in a lovely meadow where
butterflies flit among a profusion of wild-flowers. Directly opposite you stands a
magnificent while stag, its noble head
crowned with velvety antlers. The creature lifts its head from grazing and fixes
you with a wide-eyed stare as you emerge
from the wood. As it raises a foreleg to
bound away, a shaft of sunlight strikes its
fleecy breast in a patch of golden fire.
The Story Continues
Heroes who keep watching the stag see it
leap away with a great bound to disappear into the forest beyond the meadow.
If the stag escapes from the glade,
the heroes can track it easily, as its leaps
through the woods have left a clearly
visible trail. However, the group will
have a difficult time catching up with it
once it gets into the woods.
While pursuing the stag, the heroes
break into another meadow, where
Elsa, an elderly woman, has just finished picking a basket of wild strawberries. Elsa is so startled to see the heroes
burst into the glade that she spills her
berries, which promptly vanish in the
tall grass. The sun is setting and the
shadows are growing long. The stag's
tracks disappear into the brush.
In dismay, the old woman falls to
her hands and knees. Her ancient
hands claw through the grass as she
weeps quietly. She'll never recover the
spilled berries before dark, not with her
tired old eyes.
If the party speaks to her, she does
not have anything nice to say in return.
She might respond with one of the following statements:
- "I don't know why you're chasing
that beautiful stag. I remember a
time when only those blessed by
Paladine saw him. Now, all manner
of ruffians chase him, frightening
poor old women!"
- "Oh, I suppose his heart will be well
warmed from all the exercise if you
keep chasing him!"
- "Off with you now! I must pick up
the berries you made me drop
before some bear ambles out of the
wood and has my dry old bones for
a snack."
If the party doesn't pursue the stag,
Elsa comes walking along after a few
minutes, carrying her berries. She's
startled at the sight of the heroes in the
wood, however, and drops her basket of
berries anyway.
Should the heroes help pick up her
berries, her whole demeanor changes.
She acts very grateful, clapping her
hands together and smiling. "Oh, thank
you so much! I'm just so silly, jumping
at shadows like that. Your kindness
warms my heart." Elsa gives each hero a
handful of berries, which feel curiously
warm. Each berry is shaped like a tiny
heart.
Atmosphere
In portraying Elsa, the Narrator should
speak in a voice that crackles like dry
leaves on a cold autumn day.
Actions
Any attempt to follow the stag's trail
automatically succeeds. However, when
the party begins its pursuit, the Narrator should not reveal the difficulty of
chase. Neither should he indicate the
the difficulty of attacking it with missile weapons or mention that the animal is invulnerable to spells.
When the heroes fail to catch up to
the stag or can't land an arrow, the Narrator might hint that their efforts fell
just short of success - the idea is to
make the decision to help Elsa a tough
choice for them.
Gathering all of Elsa's dropped
berries requires three successful average
Perception actions from the group.
The Battle
When the heroes first see the stag, they
have one chance to attack it (note that
the creature is invulnerable to spell
attacks). The stag appears at far missile
range. After the first minute, the stag
bounds into the woods and automatically increases the encounter distance
to artillery range. If the heroes pursue,
they can occasionally see the stag in the
distance, but cannot launch any effective attacks unless they successfully
close to at least far missile range.
Because of the stag's swiftness, no
attempt to change range is trump.
Physical attacks against the stag are
resolved normally. However, attacking
the stag or Elsa ends this test; the body
is stone-cold when the heroes reach it.
Characters
Elsa, the epitome of the poor peasant
woman, seems thin and frail and wears
threadbare clothing.
Elsa: Human elder female, fastidious
demeanor, Unknown, Co 4, Ph 3, In 5,
Es 5, Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def -0 (common clothing).
White stag: Animal, Co 24, Ph 12, In 2,
Es 2, Dmg +8, Def -4, also immune to spells and magical effects.
Outcome
At the end of the test - regardless of
whether they passed or not - the
heroes find themselves back at the signpost from Scene One. They can then
proceed to another test; if they've
already taken the other two, the signpost bears no more arrows and the
adventure continues with Scene Five.
- If the heroes gather Elsa's berries
and receive the heart-shaped ones in
return, they pass the test. If even one
hero stays behind to help recover
the berries, the group still passes.
- Groups that don't recover Elsa's
berries wander for several hours and
eventually return to the signpost,
somewhat more dirty and
disheveled than before.
Scene Three: The Test of Wisdom
The heroes get to this scene by following the arrow marked "A Precise Eye"
on the signpost from Scene One.
Overview
To succeed in this challenge, the heroes
must unravel a cryptic clue; the eye
used with precision, which Clang has
asked them to find, is not necessarily
the most obvious one in the scene.
Getting Started
The "Clang's Tests" sidebar on page 78
explains some important background
information for this scene.
The heroes might become involved in
a difficult battle here. In the test, all
injuries the heroes suffer are real. The
advanced combat rules from Heroes of
Steel (see Night and Day, Chapter
Three) might improve their chances in
the fight.
First Impressions
Passing the signpost, you make your way
through a dense, thorny hedge. Beyond,
you find a well-manicured lawn with a
flagstone path leading up to the door of
a dainty little cottage. Actually, a second
look reveals that the cottage isn't so
dainty, and it's hardly little. The building
resembles a one-room peasant cottage,
but with gargantuan proportions. It is
easily as large as a minor fortress.
A normal-sized elf clad in a homespun dress sits before the entrance,
working a spinning wheel. Hundreds os
skeins of yarn and thread lie in untidy
heaps next to her. Nearby, you can see
at least a dozen clay vats containing
colored liquid giving oft an acrid smell.
The slender woman notes your
arrival with some amazement, and her
spinning wheel coasts to a stop as she
gapes at you. The wheel remains still
only a moment before she begins furiously spinning once again.
A voice booms forth from the
depths of the cottage. "Umami! Why
have you stopped? You'd better not be
falling behind!" The elf woman cringes
and her wheel whirs still faster, until
the thread breaks with an audible snap!
Unami picks up the broken end and
gazes at it sorrowfully, then busies herself at rethreading the wheel.
The Story Continues
Unami, a Kagonesti elf, was busily spinning thread for her mistress, a cyclops,
who remains inside the cottage sewing
a tapestry. The elf pays little attention
to the heroes at first. Her efforts to
resume the rhythm of her spinning
consume her concentration.
Once she gets the wheel going
smoothly again, however, she's willing
to exchange a few brief words with the
heroes, including the following:
- "Nice meeting you all, but you'd
best move along before my mistress
hears you out here. She doesn't see
too well, but she keeps her eye on
everything, so to speak."
- "I make the thread, and she sews the
tapestry. She's quite precise in her
needlework. "
Before the group can converse with
the elf at any length, the booming voice
from within the cottage interrupts:
"Unami! Bring me a hank of emerald
green!" The elf smiles and tells you, "It
would he ever so helpful it you'd carry
in that thread for me, so I can catch up
from my momentary lapse at your
appearance." She nods toward a pile ol
shimmering green thread.
When the heroes try to pick up the
thread, they discover that the hank is
quite huge. The more they pick up, the
more there seems to be, as though the
skein were miles long. It takes all the
heroes to move the mass inside, and
they must drape it over their shoulders
and around their necks to keep it from
dragging on the ground. Unami spins away as they struggle with the thread,
evidently oblivious to their plight.
Should the heroes remind Unami
that she told them to move along, the
elf assures them that her mistress is
blind as a bat and will never notice that
she's not the one carrying the thread,
provided they take it in right away.
Inside the cottage, the heroes find a
room large enough to serve as a banquet hall for the mightiest human
palace. Before them stands a heavy
table loaded with multicolored bits of
thread, several pincushions stuffed with
giant needles and pins, a huge pair of
shears, thimbles the size of ale mugs,
and a measuring stick longer than the
heroes are tall.
A massive tapestry covers all the
walls, draped and folded endlessly
upon itself. Only one section of tapestry lies flat against its wall - the portion presently under construction.
This section depicts a forest scene with
hardwood trees and rolling hills, not
unlike the forest through which the
heroes have been traveling. A
monstrous one-eyed giantess busily
plies her enormous needle there.
As the heroes enter, the giantess ties
off a stitch and breaks the thread she's
using with her teeth. "Well it's about
time!" she bellows. "Give me that
thread, Unami!" She casts the thread
remnant onto the table to join the pile
already there, thrusts the needle into
her apron, and holds out her hand.
The cyclops's needle is actually the
object of this test; the blind seamstress
uses its "eye" with much more precision
than her own! At this point, the heroes
have an excellent chance to snatch the
needle from the giantess's apron and
flee. They also can pass the test of wisdom by snatching a needle from one of
the pincushions on the table.
Atmosphere
Narrators can imitate the hum of
Unami's spinning wheel by humming
at varying pitches, depending upon the
speed of the wheel. (Unami spins faster with increasing nervousness.)
The giantess's voice booms like
summer thunder; the heroes can feel
the ground tremble beneath their feet
whenever she utters even a word. Narrators should make their voices low
and loud when the cyclops speaks.
If the heroes seem unable to make
the "eye" of the needle connection, have
the giantess thread another needle as
they watch, to plant the suggestion.
Actions
Snatching the needle from the cyclops's
apron requires an average Dexterity
(Agility) action. Taking one from the
table calls for an opening of the range,
then an average Dexterity action.
The Battle
The heroes begin at melee range from
the giantess and can automatically
close to personal range, as she expects
them to hand her the thread. Those
who retreat to the far corners of the
room find themselves at near missile
range from the giantess. One can't get
farther from the cyclops than near missile range without exiting the cottage.
Characters
The giantess is indeed blind, but in this
scene she suffers no combat penalties.
Cyclops: Hostile nonhuman, Co 4, Ph 21,
In 3, Es 3, Dmg +10, Def -4, also
immune to spells and magical effects.
Unami: Kagonesti adult female, artistic
demeanor, Rabble, Co 5, Ph 5, In 5, Es 5,
Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def -0 (common clothing).
Outcome
The heroes succeed in this test if they
retrieve any needle from the cottage.
However, the test ends immediately if
they attack Unami. In either case, they
find themselves back at the signpost
from Scene One, where they must either
proceed to another test or to Scene Five
if they have taken the other two.
Scene Four: The Test of Loyalty
The heroes arrive at this scene by following the signpost arrow marked "A
Vessel of Uncompromising Spirit."
Overview
The group passes the test of loyalty by
risking themselves on behalf of their
companion, Trenna.
Getting Started
This scene, like the previous two tests,
is constructed as described in the
"Clang's Tests" sidebar on page 78.
If the heroes have already undertaken the test of wisdom (Scene Three),
any battle wounds are fully healed as
this scene opens. Heroes who were
killed return to life with one card (they
cannot benefit from first aid, though).
Clever players might surmise, therefore, that they face no danger of death
in this test - this is the conclusion
Clang hinted at in Scene One when she
said that a precise eye could make it
easier to be uncompromising in spirit.
First Impressions
The path from the signpost turns into a
cobblestone street through a grimy little
town. It looks like the filthiest place
you've ever visited, outside of a gully
dwarf hole. Indescribable piles of refuse
lie everywhere, and a foul smell rises
from the gutters in the summer heat. The
stores are closed and shuttered, though
the streets seem full of folks scurrying
toward the center of town. Couples walk
hand-in-hand, carrying picnic baskets
and folded blankets, with children in tow.
The crowds pay you no notice,
jostling past you and sweeping you
along with them, until the throng empties into the town square. There, the
people settle down with their blankets
and picnic baskets, and all eyes turn
toward a raised platform.
On the platform stands a huge
wooden block streaked with rusty, dark
stains. A terrified-looking young woman
with long auburn hair kneels before the
block, her hands tied behind her back.
Beside her looms a broad-shouldered,
bare-chested mail wearing a black hood.
He holds a great axe with a crescent blade
casually in one hand. A dumpy man
stands nearby, completing the tableau.
His silken hose and close-fitting tabard
show every bulge in his corpulent body.
The tat man reads trom a scroll in
his hand: "Mistress Trenna," he proclaims. "Since no one speaks in your
defense, you have been found guilty of
crimes against the common good." The
crowd cheers. "You are sentenced to
death by beheading before these assembled witnesses!" Trenna looks terrified
and struggles with her bonds, but the
hooded man restrains her.
The Story Continues
Unless the heroes intervene, the crowd
murmurs its approval as a quaking
Trenna lays her head on the block. The
headsman takes his time getting into
position and raising his axe for the blow,
heightening the tension. The heroes
might hear the following snatches of
conversation before the blow falls:
- "Too bad she was alone-multiple
executions are much more festive."
- "Hey, didn't I see one of those guys
with her out in the woods?"
- "Who does she think she is, coming
here and saying we're untidy?"
- "I knew she was a troublemaker the
minute I saw her. All that red hair!"
If the heroes don't try to break up the
execution, someone in the crowd stands
up and shouts, "Stop! Those people are
her friends!" The angry man points
accusingly at the heroes, and the crowd
turns as one to face them. The bailiff -
the pudgy man on the platform - pins
the heroes' leader with a suspicious glare
and says, "How say you? Is that true?"
Denying the claim means the execution
proceeds. The test ends in failure.
If the heroes admit they know
Trenna, the bailiff makes them an offer.
If one of them agrees to undergo an
ordeal, he will spare the sorceress. Of
course, anyone failing the ordeal faces
execution alongside her.
Once a hero assents to the ordeal, he
learns that it requires him to reach into
the bottom of a pot of boiling water and
retrieve a rock without being burned.
If no hero agrees to undertake the
ordeal, the execution proceeds and the
test ends in failure. Assuming even one
hero agrees, the townsfolk produce a
large cauldron of boiling water, and the
hero is invited to reach in and fetch a
rock from its bottom. Should he fail to
grab the rock without being burned,
another hero may undertake the same
ordeal to save Trenna and his comrade.
Atmosphere
Narrators should move the heroes
quickly into the town square. Everyone
wants to go see the execution, so the
townsfolk aren't interested in talking to
them along the way, and all the businesses are closed. If the heroes pause,
the crush of the moving crowd carries
them to the town square anyway.
Actions
An average Dexterity action lets a hero
retrieve the rock and an impossible
Endurance action means he avoids a 10-point burn. He can use spells, but they
must have an instantaneous invocation
time or the crowd notices the magical
aid and calls the ordeal a failure.
After failing the ordeal, the hero
automatically appears on the platform,
kneeling and bound before his own
chopping block with his own headsman behind him.
The Battle
The heroes can intervene at any time. To
stop the execution, they must fight their
way through the crowd, scale the platform, and defeat the headsman. Fighting through the crowd requires three challenging Strength (Strength) actions from
each hero, while scaling the platform
calls for a challenging Agility action.
The crowd turns into an unruly
mob long before the heroes can
approach the platform. Each minute
any hero spends in the crowd, he suffers five melee counterattacks. It makes
no difference how many townspeople
the heroes slay or incapacitate, there are
always more to take their place.
Characters
Clang made the hallucinatory headsman and bailiff stronger, smarter, and
tougher than such figures ordinarily
would be, as an extra challenge to the
heroes. If the bailiff is killed, a new one
immediately takes his place. The execution is the most exciting thing the
bloodthirsty townsfolk have seen in a
long time - they regard the beheading
as public entertainment.
Headsman: Human adult male, murderous demeanor, Rabble, Co 10, Ph 10,
In 10, Es 10, Dmg +10, Def -1.
Bailiff: Human middle-aged male, cruel
demeanor, Unknown, Co 10, Ph 10, In 10,
Es 10, Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def -0 (common clothing), also immune to spells
and magical effects.
Countless townsfolk: Humans of varied
race and demeanors, Unknowns, Co 5,
Ph 5, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +0 (unarmed),
Def -0 (common clothing), also
immune to spells and magical effects.
Outcome
The heroes pass the test if they rescue
Trenna or if they all end up on the platform facing execution - they themselves become vessels of
uncompromising spirit. If they passed,
any who were wounded or killed in this
scene return unharmed in Scene Five.
- If the heroes have a test left to take,
they wind up at the signpost from
Scene One. When they arrive, however, Trenna has vanished.
- Heroes who have taken the other
two tests may go to Scene Five.
Scene Five: Clang Evaluates
After the heroes have taken all three
tests, the copper dragon Clang reappears and considers how they fared.
Overview
The heroes never really left Clang's
presence during their tests - actually
just magical hallucinations the dragon
created with mentalism. Any hero
killed in Scene Three's test of wisdom
begins this scene very much alive, but
with only a single card in his hand.
Anyone wounded in that test recovers
all lost cards as this scene opens.
Finally, those wounded or killed in
Scene Four, the loyalty test, begin this
scene unharmed (unless they suffered
injury in another scene).
The heroes now find themselves
united once again with Trenna. She
appears just as she did when the heroes
last saw her, not as the youthful character from Scene Four.
Getting Started
Chapter Six in the Book of the Fifth Age
describes dragon behavior and combat.
The course of this scene depends on
how the heroes did during their three
tests. Below is a review of what they
needed to accomplish to pass each test:
- The Test of Kindness (Scene Two).
The heroes should have helped Elsa
recover her dropped strawberries.
Those who did so have a handful of
heart-shaped berries to show for it.
- The Test of Wisdom (Scene Three).
The heroes should have recovered a
needle from the giantess's cottage. If
they did, one hero has it now.
- The Test of Loyalty (Scene Four).
The heroes must have either prevented Trenna's execution or been
sentenced to execution themselves
for failing an ordeal. Either way, the
group has nothing tangible to show for its efforts.
First Impressions
You get a brief glimpse of the signpost,
now bearing no arrows at all, as you
emerge from your final trial. In the
blink of an eye, your surroundings dissolve into the glade where you last saw
your huge, coppery inquisitor. The
dragon - and your companion,
Trenna - stand before you now. Twilight has fallen, and Krynn's single gray
moon is just peeping over the treetops.
"So, feeling a bit worse for the wear
are we?" booms a familiar voice. "Well,
don't - you've gotten off lightly." The
dragon flexes a foreclaw broader than
any of you are tall. "Have you brought
me what I sent you to fetch?"
The Story Continues
Clang expects everyone to give an
account of themselves. Of course, she
knows exactly what they did during
each test, but she wants to hear what
the heroes have to say.
They can please Clang simply by
handing over the items they've recovered. Unfortunately, they didn't bring
anything back from the Test of Loyalty,
even if they passed the test.
Clang first demands a heart, well-warmed. If the heroes present her with
a chunk of meat from an animal, she
wrinkles her snout. "Metaphor seems
to be lost on you," she snorts. "Tell me,
didn't you encounter anything, or anyone, who might have supplied you with
what I sought?" If anyone realizes that
they should have recovered Elsa's berries. Clang nods sagely. "You failed,"
she says. "But perhaps you learned
something."
The heroes can satisfy the dragon
with any needle they brought from the
Cyclops's cottage. They might even get
away with presenting her with any old
needle. However, Clang shakes her
huge head sadly if they present her
with the giantess's head or some other
gory trophy. Offering her the spinning
wheel from Scene Three or some portion of the wheel leads Clang to admit
that they've come close. "Nice try," she
says. "But I was expecting something a
little more precise."
The heroes might have a tougher
time figuring out how to present the
dragon with a vessel of uncompromising spirit. If they passed the test of loyalty, they simply present themselves.
Clang will accept only a hero who actually intervened on Trenna's behalf -
and even then not without an
argument. "What?" she says. "You?
What makes you so special?" Of course,
the hero need only explain that he
helped save Trenna.
Atmosphere
Clang seems very pleased with herself
during this scene, though her general
demeanor depends on how the heroes
act. If they seem annoyed by her antics,
the dragon takes on a high-and-mighty
attitude. As far as she's concerned, the
heroes should consider themselves privileged to have matched wits with her.
On the other hand, should the
heroes seem entertained or impressed
by the tests. Clangs beams with pleasure. The whole process has been quite
a romp for her.
Actions
Heroes who eat Elsa's strawberries find
them particularly sweet and delectable.
Passing off any old needle as one
from the cottage requires an average
Presence (Spirit) action. Clang knows
the needle didn't come from the cottage, but she appreciates the wit and
the nerve it took to present her with a
substitute.
The Battle
The heroes can attack Clang at any
time during this scene. If they do, the
dragon unleashes her full fury, attacking to kill and offering no quarter.
When attacked, the dragon breathes
a shaft of raw energy on the heroes,
then follows up with melee counterattacks. Ultimately, she tries to swallow
the heroes' leader whole, repeatedly
assailing him until she succeeds.
Characters
No matter how well the heroes handled
themselves during the tests. Clang
enjoyed watching them struggle with
the problems she had set before them.
A description of this dragon, along
with her game information, appears in
Chapter One.
Outcome
No matter what the outcome of the
three tests, any items the heroes
acquired during them vanish when
they leave Clang's presence.
- If the group passed all three tests,
Clang tells them to climb aboard - she'll fly them to the Tower. The
Narrator may turn to Scene Seven.
- Assuming the heroes failed only one
or two tests. Clang points to a path
through the forest and tells them to
follow it to the Tower. The adventure continues with Scene Six.
- If the heroes failed all three tests, the
dragon tells them sternly that they
can't visit the Tower. She attacks if
the group doesn't withdraw.
Should the heroes withdraw, they
see Trenna hang back, then rush
back to Clang's glade. The last they
see of the sorceress is Clang's claw
closing over her.
In any case, the adventure comes
to an end here for the heroes.
Scene Six: Gully Dwarves
The heroes failed one or two of Clang's
tests - not a great showing. The path
the dragon indicated leads them to the
ruins of Mann, an abandoned dwarven
fortress now home to gully dwarves.
Overview
The dragon inspired the gully dwarves
to lay some clever traps.
Getting Started
Secrets of the Tower, Chapter Two, offers
a brief history of Mann. These ruins
consist of miles and miles of looping
tunnels originally built to allow the
dwarf garrison to reach any part of the
complex quickly. After centuries of
cave-ins and erosion, accurate navigation through the tunnels has become
impossible for newcomers.
Narrators should use the flow chart
on the opposite page to track the heroes'
progress through the tunnels of Mann.
Each area represents a feature, obstacle,
or creature the heroes encounter. When
they leave an area, their leader makes a
random draw from the Fate Deck. The
card's aura (or in one case, its face value)
indicates where on the flow chart the
party goes next. If the player does not
draw one of the colors indicated for the
area, he should just draw again.
First Impressions
You make good progress down the path
for a few days until it leads you out of
the trees and begins a torturous climb
up a mountainside. It must be several
thousand feet to the summit.
Behind and below you lies Wayreth
Forest, spread out like a verdant blanket. You can't really make out any distinctive landmarks except the Kharolis
Mountains many leagues to the east. In
any case, you sure don't see the Tower
of High Sorcery from here.
The Story Continues
No matter which direction the heroes
decide to travel, they enter a cavern,
courtesy of the Tower's manipulations
of spatial perceptions. One moment
the group members are outside, and
the next moment they're underground.
Ancient skylights cut through the
rock above admit some light. Through
the gloom, the heroes can see a stone
wall ahead, topped by battlements.
Three massive arches with portcullises
pierce the wall. Small, glittering piles lie
here and there near its base.
Atmosphere
The "Characters" section offers some
background to help Narrators portray
the always-entertaining gully dwarves.
Whenever the two clans living together
in the ruins here mix, arguments
undoubtedly erupt. Anyone who has
ever seen the Three Stooges on television has a good idea of how the gully
dwarves act toward each other.
Actions
The heroes begin their trek through the
tunnels at the top of the flow chart in
the space marked "Start/Wall." Should
they approach the wall, the Narrator
should refer to the "Wall" section below.
If they poke around the cavern, they discover several tunnels but no obvious
way out. Exploring a tunnel takes them
to either the "Treasure," "Trap," or
"Prison" spaces on the flow chart, also
described below. Each space on the chart
is connected by a length of tunnel.
The Wall
This wall before the heroes once served
as one of Mann's inner defenses. The
piles of glittering objects are X-shaped
mounds of golden coins and rock crystals (the latter might look just like diamonds to the heroes). If a hero
rummages in a pile, a gully dwarf up on
the battlement tugs on a rope and drops
a ton of debris from a net.
Avoiding this trap requires an average Agility action from everyone within
melee range of the hero who touched
the pile. Failure results in 5 damage
points (armor and shields don't apply).
A mishap results in 10 damage points.
Heroes who survive the trap hear gales
of laughter.
If the heroes don't touch the gold,
they hear a scuffle from above. "Stupid
Thim, told you it not work."
"Who you call stupid?" comes the reply. "I not have dumb name like
'Mann!'"
Two gully dwarves watch the heroes
from the battlement. To pass beyond the
wall, the heroes must give a password.
The trouble is, the guards don't remember what it is. This causes another scuffle, which ends when one of the guards
points to the heroes and announces,
"They must give!" Anything the heroes
say will do. After they give a password,
the guards lift a portcullis and they may
proceed through the tunnel.
Heroes can scale the wall with a challenging Agility action. The effort takes
three minutes, and the guards hurl
weapons and stones at the climbers the
whole time. Before the climbers reach
the battlements, however, the two gully
dwarves flee. If all the party members
reach the battlements, they can proceed
from there but still must play a card to
see where they go next.
Treasure
The treasure chamber at the end of the
tunnel once served as a storeroom for a temple within the fortress. Among the
wrecked furniture, the heroes can find
several golden chalices and a sleeping
gully dwarf, easily captured. The fellow,
whose name is Veek, wrings his hands
and warns the heroes not to take any
"shiny things," or the "old dwarf" will
get mad. The old dwarf lives in a big
room nearby, he says.
If ordered to lead the heroes out of
the complex, the gully dwarf will lead
them to the crypt, where he can escape
while its resident wight attacks the
group. Otherwise, the heroes' leader
plays a card to see where they go from
the treasure room.
Trap
Entering a long corridor, the heroes
travel a few feet, then find shards of
broken glass and wine stains on the
floor. They can either continue or turn
back. If they continue, their footfalls
dislodge wine bottles attached to the
ceiling with ropes. The bottles swing
down and strike any heroes who fail at
an average Agility action. Injured heroes incur 8 damage points, or 16
points in the event of a mishap.
Prison
The gully dwarves keep a Kapak draconian imprisoned in the ruins, in a cell
under what looks like a drain grate. The
draconian lies quietly, waiting for someone to step on the grate. After achieving
surprise, it grabs the scout's leg. Avoiding surprise in this instance is a challenging Perception action for the party,
because the kapak can lie very still.
The draconian won't let go of its victim's leg until it gets some water or
until the heroes pry it loose. Getting
loose is an average Strength (Strength)
action. The scout attempts the action,
but another hero can help by adding
half his Strength score to the action
score. If the heroes give the Kapak some
water, it asks for food, too. Once fed, it
offers to show the group the way out.
Assuming the draconian can't grab
anyone, it begs the group for food and
water. Opening the grate to comply
requires a challenging Strength or Dexterity action. If released, the kapak
keeps its word: It leads the group to the
Armory, then outside. No card play is
necessary when the draconian leads.
Crypt
An ancient dwarf wight lives in a crypt
within the ruins - it's the "old dwarf"
the gully dwarf in the treasure room
mentioned. The wight launches itself
first at anyone carrying an item from
the treasure room.
If the heroes have captured Veek, he
wiggles free at that moment and vanishes into a side tunnel unless the hero
guarding him succeeds in a challenging
Perception (Reason) action. If Veek can't
escape, he leads the party to the Chute.
Armory
A rubble-choked room at the end of a
tunnel once served as the central
armory for the fortress. Amid the
debris, the heroes can find any medium
or heavy weapon, armor, or shield they desire (see the Book of the Fifth Age,
Appendix Two). If the draconian from
the Prison led the heroes here, he grabs
a sword and shield and urges the others
to follow him to the exit.
No matter how the heroes came here,
they can each grab three items from the
pile safely. The moment anyone grabs a
fourth item, the chamber collapses.
In the event of a collapse, everyone
inside the Armory must attempt a challenging Agility section. Failure results in
15 damage points and forces the hero
to drop the last thing he grabbed.
Should the hero suffer a mishap, he
incurs 30 damage points and drops
everything he grabbed.
Heroes can draw one card from the
Fate Deck for every item they carry out
of the Armory. Anyone who draws a
Moons card has found an item of distinction (an enchanted item with a +2
magical bonus). A Dragons card causes
the item to break the first time it's used.
Chute
An underground river flows out of a
wall at a point in the tunnel and
plunges hundreds of feet into a chasm.
Crossing this area safely requires a challenging Agility action from each hero. If
they rope themselves together or take
other precautions, the action becomes
automatically trump. Failure results in a
fall that inflicts 10 damage points. A
mishap here causes a hero to lose all his
cards as he plunges into the chasm.
If the heroes have their gully dwarf
prisoner, Veek, at this point, he tries to
escape again (see "Crypt").
Throne Room
The heroes open a door and step into a
vast chamber where two outlandishly
dressed gully dwarves - Highmanns
Smed and Highthim Klesch, the clan
leaders in This Place - are having an
argument. If the heroes act politely, the
leaders treat them to a feast (a dubious
honor) and lead them out of the ruins.
Should the heroes attack or behave
rudely, the clan leaders escort them all back to the "Start/Wall" area, where
they become subjected to several volleys of debris from another overhead
trap. The leaders escape in the confusion, and the heroes must thread their
way back through the complex again.
Out
Finally, the heroes find a passage that
leads outside, which allows them to
proceed to the next scene.
Characters
The draconian prisoner in this scene
has been stuck in his cell since the
Dragon Purge. The gully dwarves have
come to think of this Kapak as a sort of
dangerous pet. It's always hungry and
desperate to escape.
The wight in the Crypt, the remnant
of a dwarf priest from the Age of Might,
remains possessive of the items in the
fortress's ruined chapel (treasure room).
Gully Dwarves
Gully dwarves are slovenly creatures
who can't even count to three. Their
language is a patios of words created
and forgotten in the space of a week.
For all that, gully dwarves can be
cunning. They value survival and
would rather grovel before an enemy
than fight, though they prefer retreating to groveling.
The gully dwarves in this scene come
from two rival clans. The Mannses, the
more numerous group, came to This
Place (as they sometimes call their
home) during the Time of Light and eventually adopted the name of the
fortress as their clan name. Their leader,
Highmanns Smed, is a great admirer of
the copper dragon Clang, who not long
ago drove out a force of draconians that
had enslaved the gully dwarves. Smed
believes the gully dwarves can stay safe
by being clever, like Clang.
The less numerous Thim clan arrived
during the War of the Lance. The Thims
included groups from several clans displaced by the war. The Mannses, resenting the newcomers'jokes about their
clan name, began referring to the new
arrivals with scorn as "Them." Owing to
the variability of gully dwarf language,
"Them" became "Thim," and the name
stuck. The Thims' ruler, Highthim
Klesch, supposedly shares authority with
Smed. In practice, though, few gully
dwarves obey either leader.
Gully dwarves dress in whatever
rags they can get their hands on. They
carry an odd assortment of bludgeons,
axes, and daggers that they can throw
or use in melee combat. The two clan
rulers, Highmanns Smed and Highthim
Klesch, array themselves in salvaged finery. Both resemble filthy little mannequins clothed by a drunkard in a dark
room.
The Mannses and the Thims: Gully
dwarves, varied demeanors, Rabble, Co 8,
Ph 6, In 2, Es 5, Dmg +1, Def -1, also
thrown weapons.
Clan leaders Smed and Klesch: Gully
dwarves, stubborn demeanors, Novices,
Co S, Ph 6, In 3, Es 5, Dmg +1, Def -1,
also thrown weapons.
A Kapak: Draconian, motivated
demeanor, Adventurer, Co S, Ph 6, In 5,
Es 7, Dmg +2, Def -3, also can glide,
paralyze with its bite, dissolves into acid
on its death.
A wight: An undead creature, Co 6, Ph 12,
In 5, Es 7, Dmg +4, Def -2, also Presence drain.
Outcome
When the heroes finally exit the ruins
of Mann, the adventure continues with
Scene Seven.
Scene Seven: The Tower at Last
The heroes enter the Tower of High
Sorcery and meets one of the residents.
Overview
The sorcerer who meets the heroes
seems grumpy and tells them to come
back tomorrow - he represents one
final obstacle for the group.
Getting Started
Chapter Three of Secrets of the Tower
contains descriptions of the Tower's
courtyard and foretower. Floor plans of
these areas, as well as an illustration of
the Tower complex, appear on the
poster map.
The sorcerer who meets the heroes
in the foretower, an old man named
Grevasse, is detailed in Chapter One.
First Impressions
If Clang carries the heroes here from
Scene Five, she drops them off at the
gate and tells them to enter and go
directly to the front door. Assuming the
heroes passed through Mann on their
way here, they step out of the woods and
find themselves at the front gate, too.
You stand before the Tower at last, and
you see that it is, in fact, many towers,
not just one. Two great conical columns
soar up almost into the clouds. Between
them rise two smaller central spires. A
wall in the shape of a triangle surrounds,
the four central towers; the small tower
at each corner makes seven in all.
The whole edifice seems made from
one unbroken piece of obsidian polished to a mirror shine. Though mostly
smooth, the walls bear thousands of
inscribed magical runes, testaments to
the arcane power of a bygone age.
Some runes seem no larger than those
you might find on a written page, but
others are as tall as houses.
The glossy walls shine brilliantly in
the sunlight, despite their blackness, the
main towers seem a little crooked at the
top, but you can't be sure - perhaps it's a
trick of the light. All the towers and walls
have smoothy curved tops. The place
has no battlements; but then, would a
bastion of magic even need them?
A pair of closed gold and silver gates
as delicate as spiderwebs rises over you.
Beyond lies an empty courtyard paved
with gray stones, and past that, in one
of the small central towers, stands a
plain wooden door.
The Story Continues
The heroes need only push open the
gates (which close behind them) and
walk across the courtyard. When they
approach the wooden door, it opens by
itself.
Once inside, they find a few hard
chairs to sit on and see two other doors
that won't open. A well-thumbed book
lies open on a stand next to the door
where they entered. Before the heroes
can get into trouble (by breaking down
a door or stealing the book), they meet
Grevasse, the doorkeeper today - and
most days.
The old sorcerer knows the heroes
wouldn't be here if they weren't welcome, but he doesn't know them so he's
not about the let them past the entry
room unchallenged. He considers this a
matter of etiquette - first-time visitors
to the Tower should have to display
graciousness before entering.
First, Grevasse demands to know
how the heroes got in and why they've
come. However, he hurriedly cuts them
off before they can even answer -
everyone's busy, he says: Come back
tomorrow.
If Clang brought the heroes to the
Tower and the heroes tell Grevasse so,
the sorcerer does a double-take, then
stalks over to the book on the stand. He
flips several pages, then declares that
arriving on dragonback merits a meeting with the Master. Otherwise, the
heroes must somehow convince the sorcerer that they have important business
here. If all else fails, a demonstration of
magic from Trenna gets Grevasse's
attention. "Yep, demonstrations of High
Sorcery merit an audience with the
Master," he says, after consulting the
book.
Atmosphere
The windowless room where this scene
takes place seems cavelike and gloomy
after the group's trip through the forest. The heroes' shadows loom large on
the room's black walls, amorphous
spots of deeper blackness.
Grevasse works hard to make the
heroes feel awkward. While the heroes
attempt to make their case for visiting
the Tower, the Narrator should mention that the old sorcerer produces a
rag and makes a show of polishing one
of the room's bronze torch holders. He
pretends to forget about the heroes
while he works, and when he "notices"
them again he demands to know why
they haven't left yet. If the heroes have been speaking, they have to repeat what they've said.
Actions
Convincing Grevasse to let the heroes
stay requires several minutes of explanation and an easy Presence action.
Characters
Full information on Grevasse appears
in Chapter One.
Outcome
This scene has several potential outcomes:
- Should the heroes agree to leave and
return the next day, they must play
through a variant of this scene again.
- If they attack Grevasse, they find
themselves instantly in the Tower
dungeons (see Chapter Two).
- Assuming they convince Grevasse to
let them stay, the adventure pro-
ceeds to Scene Eight.
Scene Eight: The Master
When the heroes finally convince
Grevasse they've come to the Tower for
a good reason, the old man consults the
book in the foretower and through its
magic speaks briefly with the Master
(see the foretower's description in
Secrets of the Tower, Chapter Three).
Overview
The Master has recognized Trenna as
Ventyr, the artifact that almost
destroyed the Tower in the Fourth Age,
and has resolved to deal with her forthwith. He has a vague idea of why the
heroes have come, courtesy of his ability to detect people's desires to find the
Tower, but he wants to speak with them
about their trip and learn the details.
Getting Started
Chapter Three of Secrets of the Tower
contains descriptions of the Master's
study and the hallway leading to it;
both areas also appear on the poster
map. The items of magic described in
the "Outcome" section are detailed in
Chapter Four of Secrets of the Tower.
The Master himself is described in
Chapter One of this book (as are
Grevasse and Trenna), with additional
information on his powers in Chapter
Three of Secrets of the Tower.
First Impressions
Grevasse says the Master wants to see
all the heroes, the old man closes the
book and leads them to a study on the
second floor of one of the tall towers.
The crazy old man leads out a door and
up a curving staircase. There are no
windows and hardly any light penetrates from the foyer. Surprisingly, you
find you have some difficulty keeping
up with the old geezer as he pads
steadily up the stairs.
At the second landing, your guide
veers left and heads down a shadowy
hall. A narrow window at the far end
sheds some light, but little reaches you.
The old man stops before a door
many paces short of the window and
gives a curt knock. As the door opens,
your guide announces your names.
The Story Ends
Grevasse knows the heroes' names,
even if they didn't introduce themselves - the magical guest book in the
foretower revealed them.
The Master is sitting at his desk
when the heroes enter. Grevasse slips in
behind them, quietly closes the door,
and goes to stand next to the fireplace.
The heroes find a comfortable armchair for each of them arranged in a
semicircle before the desk. Once they
have seated themselves, the Master
passes around a plate of warm cookies.
This dark, robed man welcomes the
heroes to the Tower, but furrows his
brow at Trenna. A quick (instantaneous) spell from him transforms her
to gauntlet form, which Grevasse
quickly scoops from the chair.
If the heroes object, the Master
explains that their companion was no
woman, but a powerful artifact that
once caused him a lot of trouble. (He
has inadvertently given the heroes a
clue to his true identity, since he wasn't
around when Ventyr "caused trouble.")
Any heroes who start a fight find
themselves in separate cells in the
dungeon (see Chapter Two). After an
hour or so, each captive receives a mental message from the Master, asking
whether he has gotten his violent
impulses out of his system and now
feels ready for a civilized conversation.
The Master asks the heroes for an
account of their trek to the Tower. Two
details pique his interest: the Dark
Knights' appearance and the involvement
of the dwarves of Thoradin. He murmurs
something about seeing that Knights do
not wander so far afield again. (He realizes he transported them inadvertently.)
Ventyr was entrusted to the dwarves
of Thorbardin in the Fourth Age, the
Master notes. He wonders aloud whether
Severus Stonehand, recently crowned
High Thane of Thoradin, had leave to
take the gauntlet from Thorbardin with
him. He congratulates the heroes on
solving a case of apparent theft - though
not the theft they had heard about.
Atmosphere
The Master goes out of his way to seem
cheerful in this scene, and his study is
very homey, with a fire burning in the
hearth and sun streaming through the
windows. Before sending belligerent
heroes to the dungeon, he does what he
can to soothe their tempers or fears.
Even Grevasse tries to make the
group feel at home. He drops his bluster and tries to lighten the atmosphere
with a joke here or amusing quip there.
Actions
The scene should require no unusual actions from the heroes.
Characters
The three characters in this scene are
fully described in Chapter One.
Outcome
Assuming the heroes don't antagonize
the Master, he happily presents them
with a protection scroll of their
choice, and five pinches of dust of
appearance, both drawn from the
Tower's stores.
If they gave a particularly good
account of their trip (Narrator's decision), he also offers them Sunglory, a
broad sword of renown (+4 magical
bonus) that glows like a lantern at its
wielder's command.
The Master also invites qualifying
heroes to undertake a Test of High Sorcery (see Chapter Three).
After the heroes' chat with the
Master of the Tower, the Narrator
should turn to the Afterword in the
Epilogue (page 96).
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