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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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