Scourge of the Slave Lords
Chapter One of Nine

Concluding with the PCs’ arrival in Highport, 
preparatory to the 1st Edition adventure
A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity

Product Number: 9167
Year Published:  1986

Converted from 1st Edition to 3rd Edition D&D 
by S.H. Jones (sholdenj@uwo.ca)

May 29, 2001

	This is the first of nine conversions covering the adventure book Scourge of the Slave Lords (written originally in nine chapters, four of which comprise the four ‘A’-series modules). In the beginning I included much of the original boxed-text descriptions for encounters and events and other information that is probably unnecessary for conversion purposes, and I include it here only because there is no sense in deleting all that hard work. I have done so less in the continuing conversions. I have not included any maps, of course, and some sections of the original did not require any conversion and so have been left out; I hope that readers will still find this material interesting and useful  if not, I can just keep using my scribbled notes and avoid typing a lot of this stuff up…

Summary of Conversion: This module has been re-scaled to 3E for any four characters of 7th level (the original is slated for characters from levels 7-11, as opposed to the earlier module A1, which was for levels 4-7).  Many NPCs, creatures, and key encounters have been modified in levels or in number of creatures appearing to accommodate this challenge rating.  As well, I have reduced many treasures to 3E standards and have often turned them into what I hope are more believable and/or interesting forms (i.e., goods and unusual objects rather than the usual vast piles of coins & gems). Other incidental details or explanations do appear throughout  of course, feel free to adjust or dismiss anything that doesn’t work in your campaign.

Chapter 1: The Road to Highport

The Invitation
Note: This introduction assumes that the characters have just completed The Temple of Elemental Evil and are currently residing, at least temporarily, in the Village of Hommlet. Italicized portions of the boxed text below are directly related to that setting and should be modified or excluded by campaign as the DM sees fit. Certainly, it would help to set this adventure up if the PCs had just finished a quest or series of adventures that essentially saved some local populace from grave danger, resulting in their status as heroes and the spreading of their good names.

The winter snows are finally receding. Here in Hommlet, crocuses crack through the crust of old snow. Pale pink and white blossoms push up at the bases of bare-branched trees. In the warm sun, sap creaks through the oaks and elms. Birds sing in the morning and the forlorn calls of owls fill the night.
	Since your stay here, you have seen the villagers change. The braumeister and his nephew have proven fine companions over the winter nights, and you have tipped many a flagon in their fine company. Gundigoot the Innkeeper plays a fine game of draughts: indeed, he’s a bit of a sharper at it, and has taken you for a few clever wagers. That fine looking spinster from the farm by the pond has paid a few calls. You’ve even managed to get a few civil words out of Black Jay and have enjoyed a good meal at the homes of some of the local folk. Ah, yes, it’s beginning to feel like home.
	As you stretch out on the bench before the inn to warm yourself in the sun, you spot a stranger striding down the lane. The ostler, leaning out his front door, nods in that direction and says, “Now, what d’ye make o’ that, fine folks? ‘Tis a man wrapped in the colours of some laird, strolling through our hamlet, bustlin’ like he’s on some grand business. Mayhaps I’ll have me same laird’s party stayin’ for the night.” With a shrug, he goes inside, calling for his family.
	Looking more closely, you can make out the glint of flaxen hair tumbling out from beneath the nearing liveried cape. From the way this stranger moves, you’d safely guess him to be a her. Now what business would a lord’s woman have in such a sleepy little place as this? 
	Assuming a sleepy pose, you continue to watch her through half-closed eyes. With a purposeful stride, she crosses the inn yard and passes your bench. A mingled scent of perfume and horse sweat follows her.  Soon there are muffled voices inside.
	Suddenly, she steps back out and tosses back the hood of her cloak. “Good people,” she says with a graceful curtsy, “I bear a message for you from the Most Worthy Dame Gold of Safeton.” She is, as you guessed, a young woman, endowed with a dignified and subdued beauty. She thrusts a heavy buff envelope into your hands. “To the Saviours of Hommlet” is written boldly across the front. The back is closed with a large blob of golden wax pressed with a seal. The young woman turns and walks away.
	The message reads:
To those Brave and Worthy;
	May it never be said that the courageous undertake valour for the hope of reward, nor the righteous seek purity, and thus may aspersions of ill-seeming never fall upon thy name. But, as ye know too well, the rewards of virtue can be painful and cold.
	Our advisors, through wisdom and sagacity, have proclaimed thy actions good and virtuous, done for the wealth of the people of Hommlet. Those so noble as yourselves will grace and ornament the presence of any gathering. We beseech you to kindly honour us with your presence during the Feasts of Edoira at Windy Crag in the town of Safeton.
							Dame Gold

The messenger, Alessandra, in the service of Dame Gold, is the proud handler of a pegasus which currently waits on the outskirts of the village at the edge of the nearby woods. If PCs request it, she will take a response from them to Dame Gold. Alessandra is friendly, though businesslike, and not secretive, and thus will answer general questions about her mistress. She does not care whether the PCs attend or not, but will give glowing accounts of previous balls given by her mistress. 
If the characters are suspicious and check up on the Most Worthy Dame Gold, they learn that the invitation is genuine. If they still hesitate, DMs may wish to point out that many famous and influential people attend such events; characters with futures in campaign politics (religious, temporal, guild) could well profit from such a gathering. Otherwise, players may need further prodding as to the wisdom of attending the Feast of Edoira (good clerics should be easy targets for guilt-inducing DMs).
Alessandra, female human Ftr2/Exp3: CR 4; SZ Medium (5’7”); HD 2d10+3d6; hp 20; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 17 (+2 Dex, +5 amulet); Atk +7 melee (1d6+3, 19-20/x2 crit, +2 shortsword) or +8 melee (1d8+3, 19-20/x2, +2 longsword); AL CG; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +5; Str 12, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 16. 
Skills: Animal Empathy +8, Diplomacy +11, Knowledge (geography) +7, Knowledge (nobility) +8, Listen +8, Profession (messenger) +7, Ride +10, Sense Motive +6, Spot +8. Feats: Alertness, Fly-By Attack, Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword).
Possessions: +5 amulet of natural armour, +2 shortsword, +2 longsword (on pegasus), ring of spell storing (feather fall, cure serious wounds, word of recall), ring of sustenance, saddlebags with travelling gear (on pegasus).
Pegasus: CR 3; SZ Large magical beast; HD 4d10+12; hp 35; Init +2; Spd 60 ft, fly 120 ft (average); AC 14 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural); Atk: 2 hooves +7 melee (1d6+4), and bite +2 melee (1d3+2); Face 5 ft x 10 ft; SQ scent, spell-like abilities; AL CG; SV Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +4; Str 18, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 13. 
Skills: Listen +12, Sense Motive +7, Spot +12, Wilderness Lore +3. Feats: Iron Will.
Scent (Ex): Detects opponents by scent within 30 feet; 60 feet if opponent is upwind, and 15 feet if downwind (double these ranges if odour is strong; triple if overpowering scents).  May track by scent with a Wilderness Lore check (max DC 10).
Spell-like abilities: at will  detect good or detect evil in 60-yard radius.
Skills: Pegasi receive a +4 racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks (included above).

The Tinker
	In no time at all, it seems that everyone in town knows of your message. Of course, trying to keep such an event secret in a small town is almost impossible. The locals regard you with even more curious interest than before. The next morning, as you sit in the inn, a weather-beaten halfling approaches you.
	“Greetings to you all,” he says. “My name is Revv Aair.” The small form in his tiny leather smock pauses for a moment as if expecting recognition. “Ahem. Oh well. It is said you are travelling east toward the coast, to attend the feasts of Dame Gold.” He pauses again, briefly. “It is hard to keep such things to yourselves in a place this size. And it is useful for a tinker to keep his ears open. But about Dame Gold’s party: I wish to bring some small samples of my work. You see, my family once worked for her, and it was she that prevailed upon a local smith to take me as his apprentice in my ’tweens… But the wagon and the road are such that I hesitate to travel without an escort.” He sighs. “Would you, could you travel with me? I set a fine table and am a willing cook. Gladly would I split the cost of all provisions with you.”
Revv Aair is just what he seems, a humble tinker with no thought of treachery or malice. Revv has no intention of travelling alone on the road; if the characters refuse his offer, he will try again after first fixing them a sumptuous meal. By doing so, he hopes to convince them of his value as a travelling companion. Further, several of the most reliable villagers will provide good reports of the little halfling.
	The season is late spring, and the weather looks to be fine for travelling. The trip will take an estimated five to six days by horse, or twice that with wagons. There are good roads between Hommlet and Safeton. While the Kron Hills are always considered safe, and the northern parts of the Gnarley Forest and the Welkwood are generally free of trouble or banditry, the Wild Coast area is fraught with danger; it is this part of the journey that concerns the tinker.
	If the PCs agree to travel with Revv Aair, he also brings along his nephew, Bellod, as a helper. If trouble arises, both will do their best to avoid danger or harm. If possible, they will help and will try to save the wagon in the process. What little help Revv can offer he will provide through his wit; while not cowardly or disloyal, he knows that there is little he can do against armed force or dangerous creatures and, as such, is not particularly brave.
Revv Aair, male halfling Com5: CR 2; SZ Small humanoid (2’9”); HD 5d4; hp 9; Init +2; Spd 20 ft.; AC 14 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +1 shield); Atk: +2 melee (1d6-1, 19-20/x2 crit, shortsword); SQ halfling traits; AL LG; SV Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +2; Str 8, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 12. 
Skills: Appraise +4, Climb +4, Craft (coppersmithing) +7, Hide +10, Listen +6, Move Silently +5, Profession (cook) +6, Spot +3, Wilderness Lore +2. Feats: Alertness, Martial Weapon (shortsword).
Possessions: small wooden shield, shortsword, travelling gear.
Bellod Aair, male halfling Com2: CR 1; SZ Small humanoid (2’10”); HD 2d4+2; hp 7; Init +1; Spd 20 ft; AC 13 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +1 shield); Atk +2 melee (1d6, 19-20/x2 crit, shortsword), or +4 ranged (1d4, 50 ft, sling); SQ halfling traits; AL LG; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10. 
Skills: Appraise +1, Climb +2, Hide +10, Jump +2, Listen +2, Move Silently +6, Profession (driver) +3. Feats: Martial Weapon (shortsword).
Possessions: shortsword, sling, 10 bullets, small wooden shield, travelling gear.

The Con Men (EL 6)
	Use this encounter when the party is travelling through the Kron Hills area or in that vicinity. 
As you wind your way along the road, you spot a pair of men slogging along slowly in your direction. When they get closer, you can see that are the victims of a recent attack: scratched, bruised, tattered and slashed, one of them sports a black eye. Glancing up as you approach, the closest feebly raises a hand in greeting and seems anxious to speak to you.
	These two men have just escaped a group of irate gnomes whom they successfully bilked out of a considerable sum of money. Armed with cunning, insight, and nerve, these con men make their living off unsuspecting passersby who take them at their word. If the PCs stop to talk, the scoundrels keep their distance, ready to flee if necessary. Any PC may attempt a Sense Motive check (opposed to the con men’s Bluff check result  roll once for both) to determine that the two are up to no good. Of course, a detect evil or discern lie will do as much or more to uncover their natures, though obvious spell-casting from the PCs will cause the two to flee.
	The two men try to convince the PCs that they are Highfolk nobility who have been robbed of all their money, mounts, and valuables. They act quite panicked, though again a PC can see through this act (i.e., Perform check) with a successful opposed Sense Motive check. They hint vaguely at an ambush down the road, mentioning magic and hideous events. They then ask for a small amount of generosity from the party to tide them through the rest of their “journey.” They will continue with their begging until they are paid or it becomes obvious that they will receive nothing.
	To all questions they will lie or tell half-truths: false names, false businesses, and false tales as necessary. Again, any PC may attempt Sense Motive checks opposed to the con men’s Bluff checks to see through these lies. They are clever enough, though, to know when to tell the truth. If the PCs give them money, they accept with overflowing gratitude and many promises to repay the “loan” at some future date. Then, they spin a fantastic tale of ambush just down the road. Central to this tale is a vivid description of a band of corrupt and evil gnomes who have come out of the hills and are ravaging the countryside. They hint that theses gnomes’ behaviour is odd, and that they may be possessed. 
	Later in the day, just before the PCs make camp, they spot a large group of gnomes travelling toward them. They seem quite angry and upset, armed with shortswords and apparently ready for trouble. The gnomes suspect at first that the PCs may be harbouring the con men, and surround the wagon (or camp). Give the players a chance to do something rash before having the gnome leader speak up. After this, however, if the PCs keep their wits sharp (and their blades in their sheaths), the gnomes explain angrily that they are looking for a pair of “sharpers and deceits” for the express purpose of delivering to them the justice “that they so well deserve.” The PCs will likely notice that several of the gnomes carry ropes and buckets of tar with brushes. 
	Otherwise, the gnomes have little interest in the characters; if they later learn that the PCs have deceived them, they may well be looking for new people to “visit justice upon.”
Con men, male human Exp2 (2): CR ½; SZ Medium; HD 2d6; hp 6, 4; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 10; Atk: +1 melee (1d4, 19-20/x2, dagger); AL NE; SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +3; Str 10, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 12. 
Languages: Common, Gnome, Halfling.
Skills: Appraise +5, Bluff +8, Forgery +5, Hide +4, Perform +6, Read Lips +5, Sense Motive +5. Feats: Skill Focus (Bluff).
Possessions: dagger, travelling gear, 50+3d4 gp each.
	Note that I have reduced the number of gnomes chasing the Con Men down from 100-300 (!) to only 50 (plus leaders), as per the “band” listing in the MM. To save space and avoid further overkill, I have also reduced the numbers and levels of the gnome leaders to reflect the fact that they come from a relatively small and normally peaceful settlement.
Gnomes (50): CR ½; SZ Small humanoid; HD 1d8+1; hp 5; Init +0; Spd 20 ft; AC 16 (+1 size, +4 chain shirt, +1 small shield); Atk +2 melee (1d6-1, 19-20/x2 crit, shortsword), or +2 ranged (1d8, 80 ft, 19-20/x2 crit, light crossbow); SA spells; SQ low-light vision, gnome traits, speak with animals; AL NG; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 8, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 11. 
Skills: Alchemy +2, Hide +4, Listen +4, Spot +2. Feats: Weapon Focus (shortsword).
Spells (Su): 1/day each (as a sorcerer of same level)  dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation.
Sergeants, male gnome War3 (5): CR 2; SZ Small humanoid; HD 3d8+3; hp 16; Init +0; Spd 20 ft; AC 16 (+1 size, +4 chain shirt, +1 small shield); Atk +4 (1d6-1, 19-20/x2 crit, shortsword), or +3 ranged (1d8, 80 ft, 19-20/x2 crit, light crossbow); SA racial spells; SQ low-light vision, gnome traits, speak with animals; AL NG; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +1; Str 9, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 11. 
Skills: Alchemy +2, Hide +6, Listen +6, Search +2, Spot +6. Feats: Alertness, Weapon Focus (shortsword).	
Spells (Su): 1/day each (as a sorcerer of same level)  dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation.
Leader, male gnome Ftr2/Ill5: CR 7; SZ Small humanoid; HD 2d10+4+5d4+10; hp 36; Init +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Imp Init); Spd 20 ft; AC 18 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +5 bracers, +1 small shield); Atk +6 melee (1d6, 19-20/x2 crit, shortsword), or +6 ranged (1d8, 80 ft, 19-20/x2 crit, light crossbow); SA spells; SQ summon familiar, low-light vision, gnome traits, speak with animals; AL NG; SV Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +5; Str 11, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 12. 
Skills: Alchemy +6, Concentration +9, Craft (gemcutting) +10, Handle Animal +11, Hide +6, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Listen +5, Spellcraft +8, Spot +3. Feats: Alertness, Expertise, Extend Spell, Improved Initiative, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (illusion), Weapon Focus (shortsword).
Illusionist Spells (4+1 / 4+1 / 3+1 / 1+1) [DC 12 + spell level]: 0 – dancing lights, detect magic, flare, mage hand, resistance; 1st – animate rope, color spray, silent image, sleep, ventriloquism; 2nd – hypnotic pattern, invisibility, minor image, mirror image; 3rd  detect thoughts (Extended), invisibility sphere. 
Racial spells (Su): 1/day each (as a sorcerer of same level)  dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation.

Raiders! (EL 11)
	A group of bandits led by the crafty half-orc Dergrenche have made camp on the other side of the same meadow chosen by the PCs. Once the party has settled into camp, either Revv or Bellod will come running up from the nearby stream, buckets empty, talking hurriedly of having sighted an orc standing down by the water. If the party is not travelling with the two halflings, have one of them roll a Spot check instead (DC 25 with low-light vision or DC 30 otherwise) to see the orc standing 70 to 80 feet away. Also have the orc roll a Spot or Listen check to see or hear a PC (DC 20, or DC 25 + Hide or Move Silently skill if the PC is careful). It will have heard the halfling fleeing whether it saw him at first or not; in that case, or if it manages to notice a PC, it runs back toward its camp and the PCs soon hear grunting and shouting from the other side of the clearing several hundred yards away. 
	If the orc did not spot a PC, the party may have a potential tactical advantage, and have several options at this point. They might wish to avoid the raiders, simply packing up quietly and leaving for safer areas; they might investigate, running the risk of being spotted by the raiders’ guards (who, with dogs, patrol the outer reaches of their encampment); or they might wish to immediately start off for the raiders’ encampment for any number of reasons (ambush, parley, theft, full-out attack, etc.).
	The sun is low in the west when the first orc is sighted, and thus the wall of trees around the meadow creates a great deal of shadow (highly suitable for hiding). The bugbears and orcs, if they are alerted and until they charge, will have full cover from anyone in the meadow as they hide in the woods among dense foliage awaiting their respective signals. 
	The raiders’ camp is to the north of the PCs’ camp. If the alarm is raised, the raiders begin moving almost immediately through the woods (to the positions marked on the Raiders! map in the module) to outflank the PCs. Fearing they have been discovered by hostile soldiers, Dergrenche splits his own forces into five groups (as detailed below). Group 1 (the goblins) reach their position first, after about one-and-a-half minutes, and immediately begin peppering the PCs with arrows from half-cover in the woods (+4 AC, +2 Ref saves), intending to keep them pinned down. Groups 2 and 3 (bugbears and dogs) reach their positions second, but remain hidden until they hear two blasts from Dergrenche’s horn. The orcs will arrive in position last, and await the single horn-blast that is their signal to attack. 
	Once he has given his orders, Dergrenche and his ettin bodyguard move to a position from which they can see the ensuing battle, but which offers three-quarters cover to Dergrenche (+7 AC, +3 Ref) and half-cover to the ettin (+4 AC, +2 Ref saves). Dergrenche will not risk himself unduly  that is what his minions are for. About three minutes after giving the orders sending his troops to position, Dergrenche blows a single blast on his horn; unless something unforeseen has occurred in the meantime, this signals Groups 4 and 5 (the orcs) to charge. Two rounds later, he blows two blasts, signalling Groups 2 and 3 (the bugbears) to attack. 
	Of course, there is always the chance that Dergrenche’s forces do not fall into place smoothly, and he cannot control the tide of battle or his followers’ morale. When he first sounds his horn, have the orcs make a collective Will save (DC 10) to be properly in place to hear and react to the horn (roll once for each group, i.e., 4 and 5). If they fail, 1d6 rounds pass before they arrive on the battlefield, and the PCs hear them clearly, so that they can maneuver freely to receive the orcs’ charge. Follow the same procedure for the bugbear groups. 
	Further, the first time any attacking group suffers a casualty, its members must make a collective Will save (DC = 10 + total number of casualties among raiders  Dergrenche himself counts as '5' for this purpose and the ettin as '3') or rout. Each group must make a similar check when 50% of its number has been killed or disabled or when another group routs. When 75% or more of a group has been eliminated by the PCs, the remainder of that group routs automatically. 
	Note: I have reduced Dergrenche’s level and the numbers of his followers to make this encounter somewhat more in line with the EL guidelines of 3E  but this is still going to be a very tough encounter for the PCs if they think with their swords first, guaranteed. Dergrenche and his band will capture the PCs if possible and sell them to the slavers, thus bumping the adventure ahead to "A Fate Worse Than Death."
Dergrenche, male half-orc Ftr6/Clr4 (Hextor): CR 10; SZ Medium humanoid (6 ft tall); HD 6d10+6+4d8+4; hp 63; Init +0; Spd 20 ft in chainmail; AC 18 (+6 chainmail, +2 large shield); Atk +15/+10 melee (1d8+5, 17-20/x2, +1 longsword); SA smite, spells; SQ half-orc traits, darkvision 60 ft, rebuke undead, spontaneous casting; AL LE; SV Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +9; Str 15, Dex 11, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 14, Chr 15.
Skills: Climb +4(+8), Concentration +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +4, Handle Animal +3, Jump +3(+7), Knowledge (religion) +3, Listen +3, Ride +1, Spot +3. Feats: Cleave, Combat Casting, Improved Critical (longsword), Leadership, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword).
Smite (Su): 1/day  one melee attack at +4 to hit and +4 damage.
Cleric Spells (5 / 4+1 / 3+1) [DC 12 + spell level]: 0 – cure minor wounds, detect magic, guidance (x2), resistance; 1st – command, cure light wounds (x2), shield of faith; 2nd – cure moderate wounds, hold person, silence; Domain spells (Destruction, Evil): 1st – protection from good; 2nd – shatter.  
Possessions: +1 chainmail, large steel shield, jewelled gold & silver unholy symbol (Hextor, 200 gp), +1 longsword, jewelled horn (100 gp), potion of cure serious wounds, potion of heroism, key to treasure chest (found in pavilion, see below).
Ettin (1) (Bric & Brac, Dergrenche’s bodyguard): CR 5; SZ Large giant; HD 10d8+20; hp 70; Init +3; Spd 40 ft; AC 18 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +7 natural, +3 hide); Atk +12/+12/+7/+7 melee (1d10+6, 2 greatclubs), or +5/+5/+0/+0 ranged (1d8+6, 30 ft, 2 longspears); SA superior two-weapon fighting; SQ darkvision 90 ft; AL CE; SV Fort +9, Ref +2, Will +3; Str 23, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 10, Chr 11. 
Skills: Listen +10, Spot +10. Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Power Attack.
Attack group #1:
Goblins (12): CR 1/4; SZ Small humanoid (goblinoid); HD 1d8; hp 4; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 15 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +3 studded leather); Atk +1 melee (1d6-1, 19-20/x2 crit, shortsword), or +3 ranged (1d6, 60 ft, x3 crit, shortbow); SQ darkvision 60 ft; AL NE; SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +0; Str 8, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 11, Chr 8. 
Skills: Hide +6, Listen +3, Move Silently +4, Spot +3. Feats: Alertness.
Attack groups #2 & #3 (each as below):
Bugbears (3): CR 2; SZ Medium humanoid (goblinoid); HD 3d8+3; hp 16; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 16 (+1 Dex, +3 natural, +2 leather); Atk +4 melee (2d6+3, 19-20/x2 crit, greatsword); SQ darkvision 60 ft; AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1; Str 15, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Chr 9. 
Skills: Climb +2, Hide +3, Listen +3, Move Silently +6, Spot +3. Feats: Alertness.
War dogs (3): CR 1; SZ Medium animal; HD 2d8+4; hp 13; Init +2; Spd 40 ft; AC 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural); Atk bite +4 melee (1d6+3); SQ low-light vision; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1; Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Chr 6. 
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +5, Swim +5, Wilderness Lore +1 (+9 when tracking by scent). 
Attack groups #4 & #5 (each as below):
Orcs (12): CR ½; SZ Medium humanoid; HD 1d8; hp 4; Init +0; Spd 20 ft; AC 14 (+4 scale mail); Atk +3 melee (1d8+3, x3 crit, shortspear), or +1 ranged (1d6+2, 20 ft, halfspear); SQ darkvision 60 ft, light sensitivity (-1 penalty to attack in bright sunlight or daylight spell); AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will -1; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10, Chr 8. 
Skills: Listen +2, Search +2, Spot +3. Feats: Alertness.
Tactics: See above and, for more detail, the adventure module (pp. 6-8).
Treasure: If the raiders’ camp is taken, the following things can be found among the 4 covered wagons (pulled by 2 draft horses each), the numerous makeshift shelters, and Dergrenche’s large greyish canvas pavilion (itself usable but exceptionally smelly since he shares it with the ettin) with the given Search check results:
Among the wagons:
•	N/a  8 draft horses
•	DC 5  several weeks worth of edible but horrible-tasting dry rations. 
•	DC 5  hundreds of bolts of good cloth stolen from a caravan (price will vary)
•	DC 6  2 breached barrels of wine (starting to sour).
•	DC 7  several full sacks of good-quality iron ore.
•	DC 12  a small unopened keg of spirits (30 lbs; 50 gp) hidden cleverly under a tarp.
Among the crude tents and lean-tos:
•	DC 5  various simple weapons and tools of orcish and goblin manufacture.
•	DC 10  6d6 gp, 10d10 sp, 10d20 cp.
•	DC 20  a golden holy symbol of Pelor (100 gp), stolen for its cash value, that has been stashed in a bundle of rags.
In the pavilion:
•	DC 8  a small, locked chest [Hardness 5, hp 15, Break DC 23; Open Lock DC 30] holding 212 gp, 446 sp, and 1070 cp.
•	DC 9  a giant-sized, bright orange sun umbrella (the ettin has fair skin…).
•	DC 12  a case holding several maps (variously accurate) of the Wild Coast and environs.
•	DC 14  a good pamphlet on battle tactics written in common and published in the Pomarj.
•	DC 18  a masterwork longspear leaning in a corner (looks like a tent-pole at first glance).
•	DC 20  a large pouch with 6 cloth-wrapped pearls (50 gp each) and 100 gp hidden in a hole dug under Dergrenche’s bedroll; a player specifically searching the ground here gains a +2 insight bonus to his or her Search check.

Welcome to Safeton

Use No Magic Here!
So reads a sign on the outskirts of this small walled town of about 1,000 inhabitants. The watch seems active on the walls and towers surrounding the town, but the gate stands open. A sea breeze freshens the air with a sting of salt. There is an open friendliness about the town, making it seem a good and cheerful place to live.
	As you enter the town, the guardsmen give a cursory inspection and charge you a silver piece to enter (a tax, they explain, for the guilds of Safeton). One tough looking, bearded old fellow looks you over more carefully than the others. “There be law in this fine town  good law made by good people. Remember that, boyos, and thou shalt profit from good advice. Mock my words and thou shalt see what a cold, wet gaol we can fix for thee.” He mutters to the others as he walks away: “Aye, these whelps look troublesome to mine eyes.”

Safeton (small town): Conventional; AL LG; 1200-gp limit; Assets 59,200 gp; Population 987; Mixed (human 65%, halfling 12%, half-elf 9%, dwarf 7%, gnome 4%, elf 2%, other 1%).
Authority Figures: His Honour, Sir Adrian Azrud IV, male human Ari3/Ftr5 (Safeton’s Lord Chancellor and High General); His Excellency, Derish, High Cleric of Safeton, male human Clr13 (Pelor).  
Important Characters: Ablor Broadrift, male dwarf Ftr8 (sheriff, chief of town watch); Hammish of Drone, male half-elf Wiz5/Lor7 (sage); Lady Katrina (a.k.a. “Burly Katrina”) of Battersea, female human Ari4/Ftr10; “The Mad One,” male elf Rog4/Sor4 (slaver spy); “Jack Knob,” male dwarf Exp8 (master locksmith and crafter of 'home safety devices'); Uma Silverlock, female half-elf War4/Wiz3 (watch captain); Bruthas Badennson, male human Exp4 (wealthy merchant); Joseph of the Light, male human Adp17 (mystic and self-proclaimed prophet); Thaddeus of Leukish, male human Ari3/Rog13 (playboy and thrill-seeker (unproven reputation as dangerous thief)).
Others: Ftr3 [x3]; Ftr1 [x12]; War3 [x5]; War2 [x9]; War1 [x35]; Clr1-4 (various good-aligned faiths) [x14]; Clr 5 [x4]; Clr 7; Clr 9; Wiz1-8 [x8]; Exp1-6 [x18]; Com1-4 [x866].

	Safeton is a quiet and settled town, which has gained its name and its reputation from its emphasis on law and order within the town walls. It generally harbours a wide variety of races and alignment-types, driving off only those known for their bad blood (i.e., evil and monstrous humanoids, usually including half-orcs and the like). Thus, there is a higher-than-normal percentage of demi-humans in the town. Likewise, although there are few wholly evil folk in the town, there are many with shadowy or dubious reputations. Most of these folk are in transit between other points along the Coast and the more civilized lands to the north.
	When the PCs first enter Safeton, they are most likely on their way to Dame Gold’s manor. They have little difficulty finding directions. The manor is just a few hours’ travel south along the coast. Later events may require them to return to the town, and their welcome will of course depend on their behaviour during previous visits. 
	Some typical reaction to character inquiries on subsequent visits are as follows:
Investigate the Manor Raid: The PCs can learn little of value from the townsfolk. Anyone who makes a successful Gather Information check (DC 13) uncovers a few old-timers who hazard a guess that it sounds like the work of pirates or slavers  “but don’t worry, ’cause they never come this far north.” If the PCs mention purple sails, the old-timers instantly know that this is the work of the slave lords, an organization of which they speak in hushed voices with great fear and awe. 
Hire a Ship: Safeton is a minor trading port, so PCs will have little difficulty finding a ship willing to take passengers. Unfortunately, however, most are too slow for the PCs’ purposes, being ungainly shallow water craft. A successful Gather Information check (DC 18) will locate a smuggling ship’s captain, Jurgen Wolffe, whose ship, the Ewe, is one of the fastest sea-going vessels of the Wild Coast. Captain Wolffe will charge about 5 times the usual rate of passage to Elredd (100 gp per person), sensing the PCs’ urgency and also to balance the losses he will incur for lack of cargo; he charges even more outrageously high fees for passage to Highport (at least 500 gp per person) for similar reasons and also due to the manifest danger of that journey. He demands full payment in advance for the expected voyage.
Outfitting: Though most shopkeepers will shake their heads doubtfully at preparations for any overland voyage, they will gladly sell goods to the PCs at 10 to 30% markup. If they hear of the PCs’ intended destination they urge them to abandon their plans, which can only come to disaster, or else hire a ship.

The Spy of Safeton
The slave lords of the Pomarj keep a very close eye on the various independent towns of the Wild Coast, maintaining a network of spies and informants. Safeton and the surrounding area (including Windy Crag) is under the careful watch of a renegade elf generally known as “The Mad One.” Whenever the PCs are in Safeton, the Mad One makes a point of accosting one of them at random, spouting bad poetry, limericks, and random nouns while employing a detect thoughts spell that he has previously cast. His gibberish includes key words (“pirate,” “ocean,” “fire,” etc.) which, with luck, will elicit surface thoughts in the character relating to the slavers. 
	He is a careful agent, and his main goal is to remain safe while investigating: he holds the information he gathers until his contact, a travelling peddler, arrives at the end of each week. Any such information is not acted upon for at least two weeks; DMs should take note of what he has learned, though, as it may influence slavers’ actions in future encounters with the PCs. In the unlikely event that the Mad One is detected, captured, and/or interrogated, he is quite willing to exchange his life for information about the slave lords. Unfortunately, what he tells is about as incomprehensible as his normal conversation. His statements will tend to be filled with hyperbolic clues about the importance of his duties, his place in the scheme of things, and the skewed import of past and future events. 
	If the PCs decide to take ship from Safeton, the Mad One arranges to have an agent slip on board and communicates this information southward (see “The End of the Road: Seaborne Arrival”). If they opt to travel overland, he tries to identify their intended route to enable an interception by other agents (see “Companions!”).
“The Mad One” (Lathellas Moonrose), male elf Rog4/Sor4: CR 8; SZ Medium (5 ft); HD 4d6+4+4d4+4; hp 29; Init +3; Spd 30 ft; AC 13 (+3 Dex); Atk +8 melee (1d4, 19-20/x2 crit, dagger); SA sneak attack +2d6, spells; SQ evasion, uncanny dodge, elf abilities, low-light vision; AL CN; SV Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +3; Str 11, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 6, Chr 16.
Skills: Bluff +10, Concentration +6, Escape Artist +10, Gather Information +14, Hide +10, Listen +7, Move Silently +10, Search +11, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +13, Spot +10. Feats: Run, Still Spell, Weapon Finesse (dagger).
Sorcerer Spells (6/7/4) [DC 13 + spell level]: 0 – daze, detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic; 1st – expeditious retreat, hypnotism, shield; 2nd – detect thoughts.  
Possessions: dagger, amulet versus detection and location (does not itself detect as magical, except through true sight or similar magic).

The Feast at Dame Gold’s
When you reach the manor, servants meet you at the entrance. In the doorway appears a tall woman of middling age, well dressed and radiant. As she speaks to you, it becomes plain that she is a gracious and erudite lady. 
	“Greetings, wayfarers. Welcome to my hearth and home. Most guests will not arrive for another day, but some have come before you. I am Dame Gold, and I welcome you warmly to Windy Crag. If you are weary of the long road, perhaps you’d wish a hot bath? Of course!” She claps her hands and more servants appear. “You heroes have two rooms among you  Windy Crag will be crowded this week  and these servants can show you the way. Be well!” The Dame Gold then turns and hurries away, busied with preparations.
The Most Worthy Dame Gold is a renowned philanthropist, patroness of the arts, religious academic, and socialite. The Feast of Edoira, which she hosts every year, is a week-long event. Many things could (and should) happen to the PCs during this time. Key personalities from the Safeton entry above and some others are listed, along with brief descriptions, below. Of course, DMs should alter things as necessary to fit their campaigns.
Dame Gold, female aasimar aristocrat 8 / cleric (no devotion) 2: CR 3; SZ Medium outsider (5’9”); HD 8d8+2d8; hp 36; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Atk pacifist; SA light, spells; SQ darkvision 60 ft, acid, cold, and electricity resistance 5; AL NG; SV Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +13; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 15, Chr 14.
Skills: Concentration +5, Diplomacy +12, Gather Information +6, Handle Animal +4, Heal +7, Knowledge (art) +8, Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (nobility) +8, Knowledge (religion) +14, Listen +5, Ride +3, Sense Motive +6, Spot +5. Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Iron Will.
Languages: Common, Celestial, Dwarven, Elven.
Cleric spells (4 / 3+1) [DC 12 + spell level]: 0 – guidance (x2), mending, purify food & drink; 1st – comprehend languages, detect chaos, detect evil. Domain spells (Good, Knowledge): 1st – protection from evil.
Light (Sp): 1/day  Dame Gold can use light as a sorcerer of 10th level.
Skills: Aasimars receive a +2 racial bonus to Listen and Spot.

Windy Crag Servants
•	Chamberlain: Aefird, male human Exp4  Once tall and handsome, loyal Aefird has been Windy Crag’s Chamberlain since Dame Gold was a girl. Of common descent, he is well loved by all of the other servants and by those well-known to the family for both his kindness and his fair-mindedness. A local historian of note.
•	Herald: Alexander Wolfsson, male human Exp5  Alexander is a native of Onnwal, but became friends with Dame Gold in her youth; she respects his quick mind and virtuous manner. He can be hasty and is somewhat opinionated, but these are relatively small faults in a man of his worth. 
•	Court Bard: Jayl of the Gnarley, male human Brd5  Born in the country but raised and educated in Greyhawk, Jayl is an extraordinary tale-teller and socialite.
•	Chief Cook: Kale, male human Com4  A native Wild Coaster, Kale is a Master Chef specializing in gourmet seafood dishes.
•	Head Forester and Chief Huntsman: Christopher of the Wood, male half-elf War3/Exp3
•	Master of the Stables: Ernst Carpenter, male human Com3 
•	Pageboys: Duroc, male half-elf Ari1, and David, male human Ari1
•	Gardeners: Wilheim, male human Com3, and Wilheimsson, male human Com2
•	Scullery Maids: Maida, Natale, Yvonne, female human Com1
•	Household Servants: Shane and Meara Bannan, Ludwig, Amelia, and Wolfgang (male and female humans, Com1-2)
•	Grooms: Laramas and Terrence, male human Com1
•	Spitboy: ‘Cup,’ male human Com1
In addition to these servants, Dame Gold makes use of a large number of serfs to accommodate her guests. They know nothing of import and must generally be carefully instructed.

The Guests (a partial list)
•	His Honour, Sir Adrian Azrud IV, male human Ari3/Ftr5: The Right Honourable Lord Chancellor and High General of Safeton, Sir Adrian is a childless widower well known and loved by the inhabitants of Safeton for his natural charm and generous grace. He is a respected figure throughout the Wild Coast (to those of good heart, at least) and has travelled extensively: he speaks most human dialects from throughout the Flanaess, including Nyrondese, Old Flan, and even Fruzti. It is rumoured that he loves and desires the hand of no less a person than the Dame Gold herself.
•	Sir Bernaldo Bravos, male human Pal13: Sir Bernaldo is a Knight Protector of the Hart of Veluna and servant of Heironeous, famous for his exploits both at the Battle of Emridy Meadows and in combat against the forces of the Foe (Iuz) in the Shield Lands. Now over 60, he has retired from the field, though he would return to battle against any great evil. Sir Bernaldo's squire, Dorian (Pal3), attends him.
•	Hammish of Drone, male half-elf Wiz5/Lor7: Formerly of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy in the far east, the ancient Hammish came to Safeton over 40 years ago (when he was already quite old), sickened by the corruption and dissipation of his homeland. He is a sage of ancient lore, particularly that of the Suel-Bakluni wars and their long-reaching magical effects. Though he sometimes affects the appearance of a doddering old fool given to pessimistic musings, those who know him closely love him well and respect his towering intellect and fundamentally cheerful nature.
•	Lady Katrina of Battersea (a.k.a. “Burly Katrina”), female human Ari4/Ftr10: A matronly-seeming but brutal warrior, Lady Katrina is fast approaching middle-age, but that does not slow her down one bit. Despite her regal appearance, Lady Kate can swap curses and filthy tales with the best. She is a native of Sunndi, where she learned the arts of war from her renowned father (she was his only child) while fighting against Aerdi forces. She is accompanied by her trusted friend and handmaid, Mita (Ari4). 
•	Randallson the Neat, male human Wiz12: Despite his abilities as a mage, Randallson is prone to bouts of severe anxiety and often bites his nails when he isn’t busy devouring some sweet. A patron of the arts, he is revered for his gentle manner and quiet sincerity. He, like Lady Katrina, hails from Sunndi, though he is of common birth.
•	Thaddeus of Leukish, male human Ari1/Rog13: The fourth son of a wealthy spice merchant of House Laern in the capital of Urnst, long expatriated, Thaddeus is a bachelor without peer. He is well-travelled and exceedingly charming, a master of several languages, and it is widely (but quietly) suspected, though never proved, that he is actually “Zephyr,” a notorious and exceptionally dangerous thief of the Wild Coast region.
•	His Excellency, Lord Derish, High Cleric of Safeton, male human Clr13 (Pelor): A devout servant of the Shining One, Derish is somewhat parochial in outlook; his homilies are generally long-winded, simple, conservative, and utterly sincere. He is of common descent and country upbringing, born and raised in a small farming community south of Safeton. Two of Lord Derish's brethren attend him at almost all hours of the day: Brother Bornean (Clr7), his trusted advisor and secretary; and Brother Danyul (Ftr3/Clr3), his loyal appointed guard.
•	Bruthas Badennson, male human Exp4: A widely known and respected merchant, Bruthas is very wealthy. Hailing from Keoland, he is a good man, though somewhat self-serving and materialistic  and very successful because of it. He is not a religious man, and is one of Derish’s favourite targets for censure. Bruthas never leaves home without his trusted henchman and bodyguard, Sarnan (Ftr6). 
•	Black Kerr, female human witch 16: Kerandia (a.k.a. “Black Kerr”) is over 150 years old, a native of the fair city of Highport before it fell to the foul hordes of the Pomarj many decades ago. Notoriously eccentric and retiring, she is widely known (and feared and respected) for her magical abilities, and is unsurpassed by any on the Wild Coast in her knowledge and mastery of Alchemy. Aside from the fact that she rarely speaks, wears only black and red, and continually gathers bizarre ingredients and components, her habit of conversing with unseen speakers (often plainly heard by all around her) is quite unsettling. She has little use for the clergy and can sometimes be found in heated conversations with Derish of Safeton or Joseph (“Jack”) of the Light. She has been invited by Dame Gold for reasons other than mere hospitality (see “The Mission” below).
•	“Jack Knob,” male dwarf Exp8: The unusually jovial and charming (for a dwarf) Dundur, son of Droin, is, like Lady Katrina and Randallson the Mage, a native of Sunndi. He long ago severed his ties to his clan there, however, being unable to justify his people’s mercenary dealings with non-dwarven peoples. The populace of Safeton affectionately know him as Jack Knob. He is a master locksmith and “protections installer,” and owns a large, very well-protected home in Safeton.
•	Arianrhod de Turiss, female human Ari2: A young, charming beauty, Arianrhod is noble and pure. She can be petty occasionally when she feels slighted, but has a good heart. Her father is an influential (but not particularly wealthy) baron whose estate lies near the town of Fax. She travels with her chaperone, Mistress Rutha (Com4), and her two ladies-in-waiting, Lyn and Srina (Ari1). 
•	Ko, Revered Master of the Silver Brotherhood, male human Mnk14: Master of a school of ascetics near Hardby, Ko is certainly one of the most influential monks in this part of the world. A native of Ekbir, he relocated to the Wild Coast several years ago to open a school here. He teaches passivity in all circumstances save life-or-death, and has been described as “gentle as a newborn lamb.”
•	Joseph of the Light, male human Adp17: A self-proclaimed prophet and seer, Joseph is both intensely earnest and slightly delusional. He claims to have been “called by the gods of light” to Windy Crag, and has been granted extended hospitality by Dame Gold both out of curiosity and because of her endless reverence for all things holy. Joseph has truly caught glimpses of a dark future for those at Windy Crag, but he attributes his vision wrongly to a purging by the (good) gods.
•	Mitgan Wealdyne, male gnome Exp8: A widely admired artist, Mitgan has been under the patronage of Dame Gold  for six years now. Most of the larger works in the manor, those of stone, metals, wood, and plaster, are of his hand. 
As well, a number of other famous and powerful people of the Wild Coast and surrounding areas, largely good-aligned, are present for the evening of the Grand Ball.  

Events during the Feasts
Several possible interactions between PCs and NPC guests are given in the adventure book: romance, conflict, jealousy (tied to “romance”), friendship, financial interest, and information.  I have not expanded on these, as they are entirely role-playing elements, and do not require any rules-conversion.

The Feast of Edoira
The Feats of Edoira is a week-long affair, celebrating a religious leader of ancient times. Edoira is said to have achieved the unification of several religions, such that those of good faiths can work and live in relative harmony. He is honoured and revered by many sects, temples, and churches, although the exact practices celebrating his achievements vary. Dame Gold has chosen to honour him by holding an elaborate series of banquets and entertainments. In this case, the Feast of Edoira is as much a holiday in the modern sense as it is a religious festival. 
	Again, there is much information contained in the module about events of the week-long celebration and of role-playing opportunities therein, which I will not recount here. After the last day of the Feast, Dame Gold invites the PCs to a private audience.

The Mission
Late in the evening, after most of the guests have retired, the Most Worthy Dame Gold comes to your table. “May I sit with you?” she wearily asks. Certainly having more manners than to blatantly offend your hostess, you assent. Gratefully, she sits, obviously drained by the efforts of the past week and the effects of coordinating such a large household.
	After a restful silence, she turns to you. “Brave adventurers, perhaps you wonder what prompted your invitation. You seem unused to these functions, and I would not do my duty as a hostess if I did not explain. All that was said in my invitation was true: I do deem it wise and just to reward the valiant and the true. Often I have invited those worthy to my manor. 
	“But this time, I am ashamed to admit that I had another motive as well. I have need of brave souls such as yours. If you would hear me, then come to my chambers just before dawn. Now, you must excuse me  my other guests need attending.”
This mission is explained fully in the module, p.11, but the essence of it is this: Dame Gold wants the PCs to journey by ship to a small village in Hepmonaland (Greyhawk map, hex J2-112) to deliver a potion to her long-lost brother, who suffers from a strange magical disease that has only one potential cure  the potion the PCs will carry, brewed for Dame Gold at great expense by Black Kerr. The delicate magical balance of this potion will remain potent for only about 40 days, necessitating speed from the PCs. Further, she does not own a ship fast enough to make this journey, so the PCs will have to hire such a craft  and the nearest likely place to do so is the town of Elredd (though see the “Hire a Ship” entry under “Welcome to Safeton”). The PCs are offered 5000 gp upon their return and Dame Gold’s undying gratitude if they perform this task. 
	Just before they depart, assuming they agree (which any good PCs should…), Dame Gold meets them again to give them the potion. It is in a small lead bottle, tightly stopped and sealed with lead and wax. She explains carefully that the formula is very sensitive. The enchanted lead bottle should protect it from most magical energies, but powerful transportation-type spells such as teleport may damage the substance of the potion nonetheless. No one knows the certainty of this theory, but of course no one will take any chances (…will they!). From this day on, the characters have 40 days to deliver the potion, and not one day more: the time limit is absolute. 
	**NOTE** Of course, the DM knows that this mission is not the heart of the adventure that awaits the PCs. The goal, in fact, is for them to never complete this mission, but rather to be forced into dealing with the slave lords of the Pomarj. But it will add greatly to the game if the players believe that Dame Gold’s mission is their focus. You want them to feel that they are under difficult time constraints and that any diversion will be very costly. 

Alas, Disaster, Alas!
Before you have passed the 7 mile waymark out of Safeton, you see a mounted figure moving quickly toward you along the road to the rear. 

Whatever the PCs’ reactions, the following occurs after about one minute.
At a tired but newly frenzied gallop approaches one in the livery of Dame Gold’s servants, gesturing frantically. Suddenly the horse falters and pitches, and the ungainly rider pitches to the ground. Scrambling weakly to his feet, he runs toward the party, gasping out cries for help. You realize it is Cup, the spitboy from the manor.
	“Sirs! Sirs! Disaster, o, alas! Disaster! Me mistress, me workmates, all gone, all gone away! Taken! Burned! Me beautiful house, all pulled down… disaster, sirs, disaster!” Stumbling into your group, he gasps for breath and continues. “Men come… in ships… they came in ships. Burned everything… stole… o, alas…”
	The spitboy, though saddlesore, bruised, and exhausted, is uninjured. The PCs quickly glean that raiders landed on the beach near Windy Crag and sacked the manor, taking prisoner Dame Gold and most of the remaining guests as they departed. Cup managed to escape by taking to horse immediately, and has been on the road ever since. The horse, improperly ridden and cooled down, has died. Calming him from his state of shock enough to get more information, however, will require a successful Diplomacy check (DC 20); PCs will gain a +1 competence bonus to this check for each hour that passes. 
	Once young Cup has been calmed, he can reveal that two ships participated in the raid, “a big ship with black skulls on its flags, and a smaller one with purple sails.” As concerns numbers of attackers, he is terribly vague, “many” and “lots” being his most accurate descriptive terms. Now, with the manor destroyed, all he wants is to go home to his native village a few miles away.
	The PCs face a decision: to return, and delay their mission, or to carry on toward Elredd. There is no right or wrong choice, but PCs’ consciences may suffer if they do not go back to Windy Crag to at least search for survivors. In fact, DMs may require those of LN, NG, or LG alignments (or any character who has demonstrated a strong conscience in previous campaign play) who do not return to the manor to make a Will save (DC 13) or suffer a –1 morale penalty to all saves and combat rolls until they atone (as required by religion, i.e., by the DM).

Return to the Manor
The manor where you so recently stayed is now a blackened ruin. The stone walls stand, though badly cracked by the raging blaze. Tendrils of smoke drift upward from still smoldering piles of coals. The roof is entirely collapsed and the building is little more than a hollow shell. You are horrified to see a few bodies lying about, as if forgotten toys carelessly scattered by a giant boy. 
The dead are those few who resisted the onslaught; here and there one grips a blood-stained sword or spear. PCs may be able to identify some of these as either guests or their or the manor’s servants (the DM should decide who these are  perhaps Revv Aair and/or his nephew are among them?). No bodies of enemies are found easily: a successful Search check (DC 15) uncovers the body of a raider, a tattooed sailor pinned under a fallen beam. A charred sack of loot lies nearby; thus perished the evil soul, by the cupidity of his own greed. The tattoo on his right forearm is a brilliantly coloured blue and orange fish. Close to his breast is a small journal (Search DC 13). It has been burnt, but a few cryptic passages remain:
•	[Dated 10 days previous]: lv. pt. good wynds
•	[Dated 5 days previous]: water at Alrad, must stay abd.
•	[Dated the previous day]: rd. tewday, cpt. Say fyve day tew water, fyve day tew port. Say few swords.
The three entries properly read (i) “Leave port, good winds,” (ii) “Water at Elredd, must stay aboard,” and (iii) “Raid today. Captain says five days to water, five days to port. Says there are few swords.” The PCs must puzzle these meanings out for themselves, of course. 
	The journal notes the movement of the slavers’ ship from Highport to Elredd to Safeton, and the last entry describes the usual return route. Any PC may attempt to make a Knowledge: geography or a Profession: sailor check (DC 20) to recall that Elredd is about 5 days’ travel by ship from Safeton  and thus that “Alrad” and Elredd are probably one and the same place. A second Knowledge: geography or Profession: sailor check (DC 25) will determine that Highport is about five days’ travel by water from Elredd (or ten to eleven days’ from Safeton). 
	Elredd is about 270 miles from Safeton by land and 210 miles by sea. If the characters travel by land, they arrive there after the slavers leave; travelling by ship allows them to arrive in time to catch the raiders’ ship in port there  unfortunately, however, the purple-sailed slaver ship has sailed directly to Highport. 

The Road to Elredd
Below are several encounters that should occur, in order, as the PCs travel south by land toward the town of Elredd.

1. The Thief in the Hamlet (EL 3):
During an overnight stop in a small hamlet, a brave but inexperienced young thief tries to pilfer some small change or item from one of the characters in the dead of night.
Darian, female human Rog3: CR 3; SZ Medium (5’4”); HD 3d6; hp 12; Init +3; Spd 30 ft; AC 13 (+3 Dex); Atk +6 melee (1d4+1, 19-20/x2 crit, +1 dagger); SA sneak attack +2d6, evasion, uncanny dodge; AL N; SV Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +1; Str 10, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 13, Wis 10, Chr 11.
Skills: Appraise +7, Climb +6, Disable Device +4, Hide +9, Jump +6, Listen +5, Move Silently +9, Open Lock +9, Pick Pocket +9, Search +4, Sense Motive +3, Spot +5, Use Rope +6. Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Weapon Finesse (dagger).
Possessions: +1 dagger, 11 sp.

2. Roving Orc Warband (EL 2 or 12)*:
This encounter occurs at night, as the PCs camp alongside the road. Any characters on watch may make a Listen check (DC 15) to hear a small party of orcs moving nearby; allow the orcs Spot checks (DC 20 + visibility modifiers (see DMG 59-60)) to notice the PCs as well, but give the orcs a +5 circumstance bonus if the PCs have a fire and keep in mind their 60-foot darkvision.  
Orcs (5): CR ½; SZ Medium humanoid; HD 1d8; hp 4; Init +0; Spd 20 ft in scale mail; AC 15 (+4 scale mail, +1 shield); Atk +3 melee (1d6+2, x3 crit, handaxe), or +1 ranged (1d6, 70 ft, x3 crit, composite shortbow); SQ darkvision 60 ft, light sensitivity (+1 penalty to attack in bright sunlight or daylight spell); AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will -1; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10, Chr 8. 
Skills: Listen +2, Search +2, Spot +3. Feats: Alertness.
	These five are an advance scouting team for a large raiding force of about 100 orcs of the Bright Talon tribe, which follows about one mile behind. If the PCs attack, the orcs will attempt to assess their strength before fleeing back to the main body of their force. If any escape, they will warn the warband, shouting as they run back. Allow one Listen check (DC varies by volume of noise) for the entire warband each round in which any loud noise, such as combat or shouting, occurs. If the warband is alerted, they are warned and will take action; otherwise, they will travel on along the road, unaware of the PCs’ presence.
	If the column is warned, they will split into squads of ten and advance cautiously along the road, sweeping the woods to either side. They will converge on any point of resistance in an attempt to surround and kill or capture. 
Bright Talon orcs (40): CR ½; SZ Med humanoid; HD 1d8; hp 4; Init +0; Spd 20 ft in scale mail; AC 15 (+4 scale mail, +1 small shield); Atk +3 (1d6+2, x3 crit, halfspear or handaxe), or +1 ranged (1d6, 70 ft, x3 crit, composite shortbow); SQ darkvision 60 ft, light sensitivity (+1 penalty to attack in bright sunlight or daylight spell); AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will -1; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 8, Chr 8. 
Skills: Listen +2, Spot +2. Feats: Alertness.
Sergeants, male orc War3 (6): CR 2; SZ Med humanoid; HD 3d8+3; hp 16; Init +0; Spd 20 ft in chainmail; AC 16 (+5 chainmail, +1 small shield); Atk +5 melee (1d8+2, x3 crit, battleaxe), or +3 ranged (1d6, 70 ft, x3 crit, composite shortbow); SQ darkvision 60 ft, light sensitivity (+1 penalty to attack in bright sunlight or daylight spell); SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +0; AL CE; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 9, Cha 8. 
Skills: Jump +2, Listen +3, Search +2, Spot +3. Feats: Alertness, Toughness.	
Leader, male orc War5: CR 3; SZ Med humanoid; HD 5d8+10; hp 38; Init +1; Spd 20 ft in chainmail; AC 17 (+5 chainmail, +2 large shield); Atk +10 melee (1d8+4, +1 battleaxe); SQ darkvision 60 ft, light sensitivity (+1 penalty to attack in bright sunlight or daylight spell); SV Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +0; AL CE; Str 16, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 7. 
Skills: Jump +7, Listen +4, Search +4, Spot +4. Feats: Alertness, Toughness.	
If by chance the PCs and the scouts miss each other entirely, the approach of the warband itself should be heard easily by any PCs on watch and thus easily avoided.

3. Burned Hamlet: Just off the road is a small village, burned to the ground. A Search check (DC 10) uncovers the largely skeletal remains of both humans and orcs. A character with the Track feat can make a Wilderness Lore check to determine that a large orc warband attacked and razed the village just under three weeks ago. There is no sign of any survivors, and the orcs went northeast. 
Note: A ranger may add his favoured enemy bonus to the above Wilderness Lore check if “orc” is a favoured enemy. 

4. Companions! (EL 10): The party meets a group of three travellers along the road: Agnar Ruvik, a dwarf; Targil the Red, a human; and Bornthien, a halfling. Targil does most of the talking, and tells a tale of their being retired adventurers who lived in a nearby hamlet that was sacked and burned by raiders several weeks ago. Most of the villagers were taken prisoner. Their skills and good fortune saved them, but, alas, members of their families were not so lucky. Now they seek their families and revenge, and are travelling south to investigate rumours of a slave-trade there. 
	In truth, two of this trio, Agnar and Targil, are willing slaver agents, ordered to watch the road heading south toward Elredd. PCs may make Sense Motive checks against Targil’s Bluff check to determine that he is lying. They receive reports from the Mad One of Safeton and pass his information along to contacts on the road. They make a point of meeting travellers along the way south, subtly questioning them where possible and often feeding them false information. 
	If the characters somehow avoided detection in Safeton, the trio do not have information about them and thus do not immediately consider them any great threat; otherwise, or if the PCs give away dangerous intentions in conversing with Targil, they will remain sociable and suggest, very discreetly, that perhaps they should accompany the party southward (to Elredd  where they will set the PCs up in an ambush at the Broken Rudder Inn). If the PCs should attack the trio (or at least Agnar and Targil), the two slaver agents fight to the best of their ability, but retreat when necessary. It is more important for them to survive (of course) and report their information than to defeat the PCs.
	Agnar is not an overly clever fellow, relying on his animal instincts to see him through most situations. He has a natural savagery that comes to the fore in combat; the rest of the time, he lets Targil or his brother Ragnar do the thinking. 
	*Note: I have lowered Agnar’s level slightly from that listed in the adventure to reduce the EL of this encounter. 
Agnar Ruvik (a.k.a. “Agnar Ock”), male dwarf Ftr9: CR 9; SZ Med humanoid (4’7”); HD 9d10+36; hp 89; Init +0; Spd 15 ft in plate; AC 22 (+9 full plate, +3 large shield); Atk +16/+11 melee (1d8+8, 17-20/x2 crit, +2 longsword); SQ darkvision 60 ft, dwarf qualities; AL LE; SV Fort +12, Ref +3, Will +4; Str 18, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 9, Wis 8, Chr 7.
Skills: Climb +4(+9), Craft (armoursmithing) +3, Craft (weaponsmithing) +3. Feats: Blind-Fight, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (longsword), Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword).
Possessions: +1 full plate, +1 large steel shield, +2 longsword (quite short, and broad-bladed), Keoghtam’s ointment (2 uses), garnet (100 gp), 32 gp, 10 sp.
	Targil, once a wizard’s apprentice, gave up that life because he found the discipline required to be unendurable. He still generally poses as a wizard, wearing red robes and carrying his wand prominently (though he is loath to use it, given the few charges remaining). His excellent Bluff skill has more than once allowed him to catch an opponent off-guard with rapier or dagger when they expected him to cast a spell instead. He is a political radical of sorts, working for the slavers because they are hastening the collapse of many of the city-states of the Wild Coast.	
Targil the Red, male human Wiz1/Rog7: CR 8; SZ Medium (5’8”); HD 1d4+2+7d6+14; hp 44; Init +4; Spd 30 ft; AC 19 (+4 Dex, +5 bracers); Atk +8 melee (1d6+2, 18-20/x2, mw rapier) or +9 melee (1d4+4, 19-20/x2 crit, +2 dagger); SA sneak attack +4d6, evasion, uncanny dodge; AL NE; SV Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +3; Str 14, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 17, Wis 8, Chr 13.
Skills: Appraise +10, Bluff +11, Concentration +7, Decipher Script +7, Diplomacy +8, Gather Information +8, Hide +11, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Listen +8, Move Silently +11, Perform +8, Search +10, Sense Motive +6, Spellcraft +13, Spot +8. Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Mobility, Quick Draw.
Wizard Spells (3/2) [DC 13 + spell level]: 0 – daze (x2), prestidigitation; 1st – alarm, expeditious retreat.  
Possessions: wizard’s robes, +5 bracers of armour, masterwork rapier, +2 dagger, wand of magic missile (3 charges at 9th-level), spellbook, spell component pouch, 50 gp.
Targil’s spellbook: 0  all; 1st  alarm, change self, expeditious retreat, feather fall, jump, spider climb, unseen servant, ventriloquism.
	Bornthien was a simple farmer until he and his family were captured by slavers during a raid last year. Threatened with the death of his entire family if he fails to cooperate, he has worked with the slavers ever since, providing them with a legitimate cover for Targil’s “peaceful villagers” tale. He was told that he would be scried upon at random intervals, and thus has obeyed orders to the letter. The evil he has been forced to perform is beginning to make him despair, however, and he is a nearly broken little man. If he learns of the PCs’ plans, he finally sees an opportunity to rebel against his enslavement. 
	He surreptitiously makes every possible attempt to talk secretly with the characters, or to slip them a message telling them of his plight. He asks, however, that the PCs make no actions against Agnar and Targil immediately, as he does not want his role as informant discovered. If the PCs promise to free his family, he will try to arrange aid for them in the future (DM’s discretion as to what form this aid might take at some point in the future  there are those within the slave lord network who may be willing to help him, and the PCs, for various reasons. Further, don’t forget to include his family, or at least news of them, at some point in the overall slavers adventure). 
Bornthien Hoetoe, male halfling Com2: CR 1; SZ Small humanoid; HD 2d4+4; hp 10; Init +3; Spd 20 ft; AC 14 (+1 size, +3 Dex); Atk +4 melee (1d6+3, club); SQ halfling racial abilities; AL LG; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +5; Str 15, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 16. 
Skills: Climb +6, Handle Animal +7, Hide +7, Jump +4, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (religion) +4, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Profession (farmer) +9, Sense Motive +6, Spot +6, Wilderness Lore +4. Feats: Skill Focus (farming).
Possessions: club, travelling gear.

5. Rangers (EL 14)
To be fair, allow the PCs and their companions (if present) to make Listen checks (DC 30) to perceive the approach of these stalkers and not be flat-footed in the first round.
You are plodding through the cool morning fog, hoping to make good time before the sun burns away the mist and  begins another boiling, humid day. Suddenly, out of the misty brush, come silent shadows, tall figures armed with bows and swords and spears. Half swallowed in the fog, they line the road to either side. As you move, their already nocked arrows creak ominously back.
	The travellers face a band of eight suspicious rangers. Recently the area has been overrun by bands of humanoids and slavers, so much so that these watchful folk have gathered together to work as a team. They aid those they consider good and do what harm they can to those of evil disposition; one or more of them have detect evil active periodically, and, if Agnar and Targil are with the party or if by chance any PC is evil, they have been drawn here as a result. Otherwise, they simply found the PCs’ trail and are “checking them out.”
	These grim, grey-clad folk are not sure of the party’s allegiances, and so will not approach too closely (but remember that, in this dense fog, things are visible only to about 50 feet). They stand silent while one of their number scans the group with an already-cast detect evil. If they are hailed or approached, they say nothing. Unless the PCs react violently, the rangers simply fade into the fog after a few moments. However, if anyone in the party was evil, the rangers trail them silently from a distance for the next 48 hours or until they reach a town or large settlement, remaining nearby to monitor their activity. Any overtly evil act in that time will bring their wrath upon the PCs’ party.
	The presence of the rangers provokes a reaction from the trio of companions if they are with the party, as they have heard rumours and descriptions of this powerful ranger band. A PC who makes a Spot check (DC 14) or who is not flat-footed and makes a point of observing their companions notes that Agnar grimaces and fingers his weapons the whole time the rangers are visible, and for some time afterward. A second Spot check (DC 20) allows a PC to see that, when the rangers first appear, Targil is shocked and frightened and mutters something  a following Read Lips check (DC 15) would determine the same information as a successful Listen check, below  but that he instantly conceals this reaction. Anyone close to Targil may also make a Listen check (DC 15) to hear him utter a low, vicious oath to a dark god (DM’s choice as to which one). After this, he acts in accordance with PC reactions. The halfling tenses and sweats profusely, flinching visibly; a successful Spot check (DC 30) will enable a PC to see this, and, with a subsequent Sense Motive check (DC 20), to intuit that he seems to be both drawn to and terrified by the rangers. 
	Use the stats from the DMG (49-58), for this group of human and half-elf rangers; there are eight of them present, one of each level from 5th to 12th. (No wonder they make Agnar and Targil uncomfortable…!)

The End of the Road  Elredd
	The end of the first leg of the PCs’ journey is complete and Elredd stands before them.

Elredd (large village): Nonstandard; AL N(E); 300-gp limit; Assets 11,900 gp; Population 794; Mixed (human 80%, half-orc 13%, other 7%).
Authority Figures: Ragnar Ruvik, male dwarf Ftr7/Rog3 (minor slave lord); Benson Harcourt, male human Ari3 (town magistrate); Jaylen Barze, male half-orc War6 (sheriff).  
Important Characters: Carn Magean, male human War8 (Broken Rudder Inn’s proprietor, slaver agent); Hazzard, male human Exp3/Wiz8 (slaver agent, Ragnar Ruvik’s assistant); Miles Sodden (“Knocker”), male human Rog5 (freelance thief); Gabrielle of Dyvers, female human Wiz6 (alchemist and artificer). 
Others: War1-3 [x33]; Clr1-4 (mostly neutral-aligned) [x6]; Rog1-10 [x24]; Wiz1-3 [x4]; Exp1-4 [x4]; Com1-3 [x716]. 

	Overland Arrival: The road twists through some badly managed fields to the gate of Elredd, which stands wide open. A few guards lounge around, not particularly concerned about who leaves or enters. Inside, the place has all the charm of an impoverished trade centre. Half-orcs mingle freely with humans, drunkards roam the streets, and the watch is none too visible. A powerful odour of salt and old fish blows up from the docks. 
	If the characters have travelled with Targil and his companions, he now advises them to use great caution in Elredd: the town is entirely under slaver control, and the authorities are under their sway; further, most in the town make a living either directly or indirectly from the slavers’ business (this is all largely true). The characters should make their way to the seediest district, and find the seediest of the taverns there: The Broken Rudder. There they will be beneath the slaver agents’ notice. Because they may be recognized by their enemies here, Targil and his companions will now go into hiding and must depart from the PCs. 
	Of course, most of this is untruthful (or half-truth); the Broken Rudder is actually the slavers’ headquarters here in Elredd. Allow a PC to make a Sense Motive check (against Targil’s Bluff) to be suspicious of Targil’s information. He and his companions are also heading to the Broken Rudder, but by a different and quicker route, in order to warn the slaver agents there of the PCs’ approach. 
	Seaborne Arrival: The port of Elredd is a dark and reeking place. Garbage and dead fish float on the surface of the brackish harbour. A battered fleet of fishing smacks are lashed to the moorings, and a few broken-down cogs lumber at anchor. Ramshackle huts and buildings lean precipitously over the stone quay. Captain Wolffe (if he is their captain) bids the party farewell, able to spare just a few words of caution given the tremendous profit he has made from them: “ ’Tis a wicked place, I tell ye. Aye, a leaking bilge o’ rat-water, or me Ewe’s nae the swiftest o’ this coast.” 
	For all its decay, the port pulses with activity. But as the Ewe maneuvers up to a dock for unloading, no purple sails can be seen. A crowd of grimy stevedores gathers as the mooring lines are thrown out. Most quickly disperse when the Ewe produces little cargo. Some of the crew, evidently released for shore-leave, scramble onto the dock and away into the town. One sailor in particular hurries away, but amidst a hail of curses from the first mate, ending with “Yer a son o’ the bottomside of a goose-necked barnacle, desertin’ inna first port we enter!” he throws a broken block at the retreating sailor, who breaks into a run. The mate stumps away from the rail. A PC who makes a Listen check (DC 15) hears him mutter further, “No good runt got passage fer work, and nae much good o’ that too.”
	The sailor is Barek, a spy who has been put on board the Ewe by The Mad One at Safeton. Barek quickly melts into the crowd if possible; within minutes, he has made contact with a slave lord agent at the Broken Rudder. His new orders thereafter are to contact the PCs and bring them to the inn. When they leave the ship or about ten minutes after the escapade above, he pops up nearby.
“ ‘Scuse me mighty folks,” he says. “It ‘curs to me that we might have some chattin’ to do. Can I have a minute? I didn’t reckon at first what we might have common b’tween us, great persons, but it now ‘curs to me that we’s here doin’ the same game, the very same, uh? Y’see, I ‘ad folks north o’ Fax, but they got nabbed, see? Slavers took ‘em, took ‘em away, an now I’m here lookin’, same as you, I’d bet.
	The sailor pauses. “But I betcha I heard sumthin’ you hain’t. Y’see, Fax folk know all ‘bout the Elredd crowd, and they’s in the pockets o’ the slavers, see? So I figur’d, I figured you’d better know too. I gots the name o’ folks here who don’t like it, see? The place’s here, writ on this piece o’ paper. But, see, I cain’t read it, so’s I figur’d you bein’ smart folk that you could read this fer me.” 
	He shoves a grimy scrap of paper toward you. It looks to have been torn from a holy scroll or writ; penned sloppily upon it is the phrase Innkeeper at the Broken Rudder. He then says, “Just gotta go here and find the man, see, find the man, and he’ll tell me a bunch.”
	Barek insists that the PCs tell him the name on the paper and then, thanking them repeatedly, departs in haste. If he is followed, he does not return to the Broken Rudder  and he spends considerably more than a common sailor could be expected to have. 
	If a PC makes a successful Sense Motive check (opposed to Barek’s Bluff check), he or she discerns that he is plainly lying throughout most of his story. If he is interrogated, either here or after having been followed, he blusters and denies every suspicion. Again, make a Bluff check against the interrogating PC’s Sense Motive check, but this time give Barek a 2 morale penalty to his roll. A little roughing up (1 point or more of any kind of damage) makes him promptly break down and tell the truth. He knows little of the slavers here aside from the name of his contact at the Broken Rudder (a minor agent named Oltan).
Barek, male human Com1: CR ½; SZ Medium; HD 1d4; hp 3; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 10; Atk: +0 melee (1d3, unarmed); AL NE; SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will -1; Str 11, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 10. 
Skills: Bluff +3, Innuendo +2, Listen +3, Profession (sailor) +1, Spot +3. Feats: Alertness, Dodge.

Life in Elredd
	The waterfront of Elredd is a lively and seamy place. If the PCs ask around about the slave lords, they get a chilly reception. Although Elredd trades with the slave lords, its citizens turn a blind eye and are not keen on discussing the relationship. Thus, direct questions about them are met with stony silence. However, they can gain information through more discreet questioning. If the PCs avoid actually mentioning the words “slave” or “slaver”  or any derivative thereof  in role-playing encounters, they can eventually find out about the Broken Rudder.
	In game / skill-check terms, a character who wants to gather information about the slave lords must first make a successful Diplomacy check (DC 15) before any Gather Information check attempts can be made; they will otherwise always fail. Once a PC has made this Diplomacy check, a Gather Information check (DC 20) by that same character will reveal the Broken Rudder as the slavers’ headquarters in Elredd. 

Special Encounters in Elredd
Listed below are some general encounters to use as the PCs roam the streets of Elredd. There are no random encounter rolls required: just apply the encounters as appropriate.

1. The Splash and Grab (EL 6): A PC is the target of a pick-pocket: the filcher’s young apprentice dumps a chamber-pot on the character’s head to provide ample distraction for his mentor.  If the accomplice hits a most likely flat-footed PC with a ranged touch attack (i.e., with the sewage), the pick-pocket gains a +4 circumstance bonus to his Pick Pocket attempt in the same round. 
Marcus Osgood, male human Rog6: CR 6; SZ Medium (5’7”); HD 6d6; hp 21; Init +7; Spd 30 ft; AC 13 (+3 Dex); Atk +4 melee (1d4, 19-20/x2 crit, dagger); SA sneak attack +3d6, evasion, uncanny dodge; AL N; SV Fort +2, Ref +8, Will +3; Str 11, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 11, Wis 13, Chr 11.
Skills: Appraise +8, Balance +10, Bluff +9, Escape Artist +12, Gather Information +7, Hide +12, Listen +8, Pick Pocket +12, Profession (herdsman) +3, Search +7, Spot +8. Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Run.
Possessions: dagger, 7 sp.
Dain, male human Rog1: CR 1; SZ Medium (5’5”); HD 1d6; hp 3; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Atk–1 melee (1d4-1, 19-20/x2 crit, dagger), or +2 ranged; SA sneak attack +1d6; AL N; SV Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +0; Str 8, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 10, Chr 10.
Skills: Appraise +5, Bluff +4, Escape Artist +4, Gather Information +4, Hide +6, Listen +4, Pick Pocket +6, Search +5, Spot +4, Swim +2. Feats: Dodge, Run.
Possessions: dagger, 23 sp.

2. Family Reunion (EL 6): A large, drunken foreigner accosts a party member, thinking him or her to be a long-lost sibling or cousin. If the PC should deny this relationship, the volatile warrior will be angered. He currently suffers a –2 competence penalty to all actions due to his state of intoxication.
Arnold, male human Bbn7: CR 7; SZ Medium (6’3”); HD 7d12+14; hp 72; Init +1; Spd 40 ft, 30 ft in chainmail; AC 16 (+1 Dex, +5 chainmail); Atk +10/+5 melee (1d3+3, gauntlet) or +10/+5 melee (1d12+4, x3 crit, greataxe); SV Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2; SA rage (2/day); SQ uncanny dodge; AL N; Str 17, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 11. 
Skills: Climb +5(+10), Handle Animal +2, Intimidate +5, Intuit Direction +3, Jump +4(+9), Listen +7, Ride +4, Wilderness Lore +7. Feats: Endurance, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Toughness.	

3. The Event (EL 2): A well-dressed gentleman offers to sell the PCs tokens (tickets) to an illegal underground gladiatorial blood-match, explaining that he has been called away to court and will be unable attend. Allow any PC to make a Sense Motive check against the “gentleman’s” Bluff check to sense that something is amiss. If the PC fails, the gentleman will offer the tokens at a cost that will vary based on his assessment of the group  have him make an Appraise check against a character’s Charisma check to let him determine what an affordable but costly price might be for that PC (DM’s discretion  at least 5 gp). If his check fails, he asks for 5 gp per character. He gives the location of the match as a certain old warehouse in the dock area; if the party goes to the match, they find that Aidan was a fraud. 
Aidan of Newcastle, male human Com1/Rog1: CR 1; SZ Med (5½ ft); HD 1d4+1d6; hp 5; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Atk +0 melee (1d4, 19-20/x2 crit, dagger); SA sneak attack +1d6; AL N; SV Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +0; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 10, Chr 14.
Skills: Appraise +6, Bluff +9, Gather Information +6, Hide +5, Listen +4, Pick Pocket +5, Search +5, Spot +4. Feats: Skill Focus (Bluff), Run.
Possessions: dagger, 12 sp.

The Broken Rudder (EL 11)
	Note: I have lowered Ragnar’s class and level and altered Hazzard’s class-levels slightly to reduce the EL of this encounter; the presence of Knocker further lowers it to the current EL (it’s still a potential killer for almost any four 7th-level characters who come unprepared, however).
	The clientele of The Broken Rudder are generally lower class labourers with a sprinkling of bad-luck adventurers: most are unaware of the inn’s ownership and true character. The local baron is aware that some pro-slaver individuals occasionally come to the inn, but is unaware that the inn is actually in slaver hands; his appointed magistrate, Benson Harcourt, is in fact a thoroughly corrupt slaver agent and keeps his liege ignorant of the goings-on here. 
	The Broken Rudder is owned (semi-)secretly by the slave lords, and is run by its former owner, retired mercenary-adventurer Carn Magean. Carn had a few bad gambling debts that eventually came into the hands of their organization; when these were finally called in, it cost him his ownership of the Inn. The new owners, though, having no interest in tavern management, kept Carn on as proprietor. He has come to enjoy this arrangement, having become a senior slaver agent, and he is finally on the winning side of the crooked games run in the back room. In return, he oversees the several slaver agents based out of the inn.
	Carn is an elderly fighter who has seen one too many adventures. Now all he desires is a comfortable, exciting, but not physically dangerous lifestyle. He is aware of all slaver operations going on in the inn; if questioned he refrains from talking, but may be swayed by an arrangement that would result in his regaining ownership of the inn without incurring the wrath of the slave lords. All of his adventuring gear from the past has been hawked to cover his gambling debts over the years. 
Carn Magean, male human War8: CR 7; SZ Medium (6 ft); HD 8d8+16; hp 51; Init +3; Spd 30 ft; AC 13 (+3 Dex); Atk +11/+6 melee (1d3+3, unarmed) or +12/+7 melee (1d8+3, 19-20/x2, longsword); SV Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +1; AL N(E); Str 16, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 8, Cha 8. 
Skills: Gather Information +1, Innuendo +4, Jump +9, Listen +1, Profession (innkeeper) +4, Ride +12, Spot +3, Swim +4. Feats: Endurance, Great Fortitude, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword).
	Ragnar is the brother of Agnar Ruvik (who the PCs have likely already encountered) and the ringleader of the slave lord operation here in Elredd. He is also the paymaster of their local spy ring. These duties, well performed, have earned him the rank of Minor Lord among the slave lords. He is often confused with his brother Agnar, the two being nearly identical in appearance. It is also bitingly said of the two by those that know them that Ragnar stole all the wit of his brother and gave him nothing in return: Ragnar has all the strengths of his brother  a wicked sense of battle tactics and a powerful frame  and an ample amount of intellect and cunning. He is intelligent, well-read, and adaptable. 
	Ragnar is an extremely dangerous enemy who makes liberal use of tricks, deceptions, and traps, preferring to strike only when the odds are clearly in his favour. He almost always has a clear plan of operation, with several default plans in reserve should the first go awry; he will flee without shame if necessary. His only qualm about abandoning others (even his brother) is the loss of potential resources this entails. As such, he is perfectly suited to the slave lords and has been rising quickly through their ranks for the past six years, since he entered the organization. If a combat situation becomes extremely dire, Ragnar will attempt to use Greaser’s teleport ability to escape to safety  either within Elredd or to a location in Highport. 
Ragnar Ruvik, male dwarf Ftr7/Rog3: CR 10; SZ Med (4’7” tall); HD 7d10+21+3d6+9; hp 79; Init +5; Spd 20 ft, 15 ft in plate; AC 23 (+1 Dex, +9 full plate, +3 large shield); Atk +16/+11 melee (1d8+8, 17-20/x2, +3 longsword); SA sneak attack +2d6, evasion, uncanny dodge; SQ darkvision 60 ft, dwarf qualities; AL LE; SV Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +7; Str 17, Dex 12, Con 17, Int 14, Wis 18, Chr 13.
Skills: Appraise +6, Bluff +13, Climb +10 (+15), Craft (armoursmithing) +8, Craft (weaponsmithing) +8, Forgery +8, Jump +10 (+15), Listen +7, Search +4, Sense Motive +10, Spot +7. Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Expertise, Improved Critical (longsword), Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword).
Possessions: +1 full plate, +1 large steel shield, +3 longsword (“Greaser”; relatively short and broad-bladed  wielder immune to magic missile; detect good at will, 10’ radius; wielder may teleport 1/week; communicates telepathically; AL LE; Ego 9, Int 17), potion of flying, potion of haste, potion of water breathing, potion of neutralize poison, potion of cure serious wounds, emerald (700 gp), 20 gp, 20 sp.
	Hazzard is nearing late middle age. Ragnar’s right-hand-man, he keeps the books and examines all reports for missed or questionable facts. He is well known to regular patrons of the inn as a wizard, although he rarely dresses the part, who at times drinks too heavily; when drunk, he tends to show off with minor spells. Sober, he is an effective if not overly brave combatant. He always stays alert and often holds his initiative for spells or items being used, in order to attempt to negate/counterspell them with his wand. He quite sensibly avoids close combat, and has learned the Point Blank Shot feat partly out of this consideration. In an emergency he will attempt to dimension door to his room for his spellbooks and other items (see below) before assuming gaseous form or polymorphing to escape out of the barred window there. 
Hazzard, male human Exp3/Wiz8: CR 9; SZ Medium (5’8”); HD 3d6+9+8d4+24; hp 54; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 17 (+2 Dex, +5 bracers); Atk +6/+1 melee (1d4-1, 19-20/x2 crit, mw dagger) or +8* ranged (1d8*, 80 ft, 19-20/x2 crit, light crossbow); SA spells; AL NE; SV Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +10; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 17, Wis 12, Chr 14.
Skills: Alchemy +8, Appraise +9, Bluff +8, Concentration +17, Craft (gemcutting) +8, Knowledge (arcana) +16, Knowledge (geography) +8, Knowledge (history) +10, Knowledge (slave trade) +10, Profession (bookkeeper) +8, Scry +10, Search +7, Spellcraft +16, Spot +4. Feats: Brew Potion, Craft Wand, Heighten Spell, Point Blank Shot*, Run, Scribe Scroll, Spell Mastery (daze, dispel magic, magic missile).
Wizard Spells (4/5/4/4/2) [DC 13 + spell level]: 0 – daze, detect poison, mage hand, prestidigitation; 1st – burning hands, hold portal, magic missile, unseen servant, ventriloquism; 2nd  bull’s strength, hypnotic pattern, invisibility, Tasha’s hideous laughter; 3rd  daze (Heightened), gaseous form, haste, suggestion; 4th  dimension door, polymorph self. 
Possessions: +5 bracers of armour, masterwork dagger, light crossbow, 12 bolts, ring of freedom of movement, wand of dispel magic (35 charges at 8th-level spell use), potion of protection from fire, spell component pouch, 3 rubies (200 gp each), 30 gp.
Hazzard’s spellbook #1 (fire trap: 1d4+8 points in 5 foot radius, Reflex halves (DC 17); Search DC 29; Disable Device DC 29): 0  all cantrips; 1st  alarm, burning hands, comprehend languages, endure elements, erase, feather fall, hold portal, identify, magic missile, magic weapon, protection from good, protection from law, shield, unseen servant, ventriloquism; 2nd  arcane lock, bull’s strength, continual flame, daylight, hypnotic pattern, invisibility, Leomund’s trap, protection from arrows, pyrotechnics, resist elements, see invisibility, spectral hand, Tasha’s hideous laughter. 
Hazzard’s spellbook #2 (fire trap: 1d4+8 points in 5 foot radius, Reflex halves (DC 17); Search DC 29; Disable Device DC 29): 3rd  blink, dispel magic, gaseous form, greater magic weapon, haste, phantom steed, protection from elements, stinking cloud, suggestion, tongues. 
Hazzard’s spellbook #3 (fire trap: 1d4+8 points in 5 foot radius, Reflex halves (DC 17); Search DC 29; Disable Device DC 29): 4th  confusion, dimension door, fire trap, locate creature, polymorph self, scrying, shout.
	In addition to these major agents, there are usually assorted customers who come and go at all hours of day and night. Most of these, however, do not have anything to do with the slavers. As the centre of the slavers’ spy network in Elredd, though, the inn usually houses from 1 to 4 minor agents at any given time. 
Slaver agents, male or female human Rog3 (1d4): CR 3; SZ Medium; HD 3d6; hp 10; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Atk +2 melee (1d6, 19-20/x2 crit, shortsword) or (1d4, 19-20/x2 crit, dagger); SA sneak attack +2d6, evasion, uncanny dodge; AL N; SV Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +1; Str 11, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 11, Wis 10, Chr 10.
Skills: Bluff +3, Climb +6, Hide +7, Jump +5, Listen +3, Move Silently +7, Spot +5. Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Mobility.
Possessions: shortsword (50% likely), dagger, 2d4 sp.
However, the PCs do potentially have an ally close by. “Knocker” is a small-time thief, now a renegade from the slaver-allied local thieves’ guild. Although not particularly good or virtuous, his sense of propriety has been wounded by their activities and he is no friend to the slavers. He now makes a poor living in and around the Broken Rudder, fully aware that it is slaver-operated and guild-sanctioned. Fortunately, early in his career he gained local notoriety and popularity by stealing the brass knocker from the magistrate’s council-room door, completing the audacious theft by selling the knocker back to the town council for a pretty penny. He thus has many non-guild contacts willing to give him shelter and assistance. So far he has been mostly unnoticed by his former guild, though he has had a couple of visits from its members, questioning him and roughing him up a little. 
Knocker, perhaps unwisely, has aspirations of staging a coup against the guild, replacing it with his own organization not exclusively built of thieves and scoundrels. To this end, he is always on the lookout for new friends and contacts. He will secretly aid in any plan that will hurt the slavers and may pass on information (if PCs request it) about the activities of Ragnar and Hazzard. He might even make arrangements for a safe house for the PCs through a third party, if the reward or the need is great enough. 
In the extreme case that the PCs become involved in combat with the slavers in the Broken Rudder, he may aid them  if he thinks he can get away with it. If he can safely do so from hiding, he will aid the PCs with a few well-timed throwing knives aimed at the slavers, upsetting a planned ambush or protecting the PCs’ backs (probably without their seeing it). DMs should not forget that he can effectively sneak attack with his throwing knives from within 30 feet if his target is flat-footed with respect to him, making him an extremely helpful device for the DM if things look bad for the PCs. Knocker would prefer to remain hidden even from the PCs if at all possible should a fight break out, aiding where he can and then leaving as unannounced as he arrived. He will not fight under orders from the PCs and will not take prisoners. 
Knocker (Miles Sodden), male human Rog5: CR 5; SZ Med (5’10”); HD 5d6+15; hp 37; Init +4 (Dex); Spd 30 ft; AC 16 (+4 Dex, +2 leather); Atk +3 melee (1d6, 19-20/x2 crit, shortsword), or +8 ranged (1d4, 15 ft, mw throwing knife); SA sneak attack +3d6, evasion, uncanny dodge; AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +1; Str 10, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 10, Chr 9.
Skills: Appraise +6, Balance +9, Climb +8, Disable Device +10, Disguise +4, Gather Information +4, Hide +12, Innuendo +2, Jump +5, Listen +3, Move Silently +12, Open Lock +12, Search +10, Sense Motive +5, Spot +3, Use Rope +7. Feats: Dodge, Run, Weapon Focus (throwing knife).
Possessions: leather armour, shortsword, dagger, 6 mw throwing knives, 9 sp.

Events at the Broken Rudder

Ambush
	If Ragnar and his associates learn of the PCs through the Mad One, Targil and Agnar, or Barek and consider them to be a real threat, they arrange a “reception” for them. When the PCs arrive, Carn spots them and passes word along to the others. Hazzard sits at a table near the back door, Ragnar waits in the shadows of the kitchen door, and 10 minor agents (stats as above) are scattered about the common room in groups of two and three. All will ignore the party and behave naturally for about 20 to 30 minutes while the PCs sit at a table; a successful Spot check (DC 20) will enable a PC to notice something “funny” going on among some of the other “patrons”  pointed looks, sheaths being loosened, etc. 
	Carn slips a poison (concocted alchemically by Hazzard) in the party’s drinks, which they can notice only with a successful Spot check (DC 25). 
Giant wasp poison extract: Ingested (rather than Injury); Fort DC 18; 1d6 Dex / 1d6 Dex.
Once the poison has set in, a PC will notice its effects with a successful Concentration check (DC 10). In any case, several minutes after the drinks have been served  allowing the poison enough time to work on the characters  Hazzard stands up and moves toward the kitchen (and Ragnar): this is the agents’ signal to attack. One group of three agents casually approaches the PCs and then attacks suddenly, distracting the party so that the others can then attempt sneak attacks. If all goes well, Ragnar and Hazzard will not need to interfere, which they both prefer. Otherwise, Hazzard helps the agents with spells as necessary. Ragnar only becomes involved in extreme cases. Although their goal is to destroy the party, they will take prisoners for resale should the opportunity present itself.

Character Assault
	If the PCs become suspicious of the Broken Rudder for any reason, they may opt to assault it directly. In this case, Ragnar, Carn, and Hazzard are present along with the usual 1 to 4 minor agents. They are unprepared  i.e., unarmoured and unequipped  but fight as best they can. Note, though, that Ragnar is pretty much always prepared, at least mentally; unless he can be firmly identified by the PCs, he pretends to be an innocent bystander and flees the inn (like all the other innocent bystanders) at the first sign of real trouble.

The Rudder’s Rewards
	There are numerous incriminating documents in well-hidden and ingenious hiding places in both Ragnar’s and Hazzard’s chambers on the third floor of the inn. Both will attempt to destroy these if it becomes necessary and if they have the opportunity. Details for this eventuality are contained in the module, so I won’t repeat them here. DMs should feel free to include fiendish traps if the combat went too easily for the PCs (though this should be unlikely).
	If the NPCs are slain (congrats to the PCs…!), their belongings will be on their persons or in their chambers, depending on whether they were expecting attack. Ragnar, as paymaster, always has about 1,500 gp worth of small gems and fairly cheap jewellery and objects, as well as 500 gp in assorted coins, in a locked and trapped chest in his chambers [Hardness 6, hp 25, Break DC 23; Open Locks DC 35]. 
Poison needle trap: CR 4; +10 melee (1, plus deathblade poison (DMG 80): Fort DC 20, 1d6 Con / 2d6 Con); Search DC 24; Disable Device DC 24.
He keeps the majority of his funds, however, both personal and business, secreted away in a safe location elsewhere in Elredd (DMs can expand on this if they desire).  
	Hazzard also has a ring of swimming stashed in an especially inaccessible spot in his room (Search DC 30; Disable Device DC 30 to open); if he has time, he will try to take this as well as his spellbooks and papers when fleeing.

Utter Failure
	Again, the possibility that the PCs totally blow their chances to get information here is covered in the adventure, and doesn’t require any conversion.

Leaving Town
	Having finished their business in Elredd one way or another, the PCs should be ready to head for Highport. They can once again rent a ship or travel overland; again, as in Safeton, the overland option is very much slower and potentially dangerous, so they should consider their options carefully.

Travelling by Land: 
	The road south to Highport is reputed to be extremely dangerous. It is common for travellers intending to make that journey to assemble at Elredd’s south gate each morning and form an impromptu caravan. These normally include one or two smaller caravans and up to ten other assorted travellers. It is also common practice for travellers to avoid asking another’s business in Highport, for obvious reasons. Whether the PCs intend to join such a caravan or not, they end up meeting one along the road and are asked to join for mutual benefit; the 16 mules of the caravan are loaded with bars of pig iron to be sold at Highport. There are no slaves in the caravan, but questions confirm that Highport is the place to go for such things. 
	Unknown to the characters, however, the Caravan Master, Hergrimm, is another agent of the slave lords returning home from the north with supplies for his masters. He has been warned of the PCs and knows that they will be dealt with at some point along the way. If the PC party refuses to travel with the caravan for whatever reason, Hergrimm simply shrugs his shoulders and moves on. He shortly dispatches two men to ride ahead and warn ambushers of the PCs’ approach. 
Caravan Master Hergrimm, male human Ftr8: CR 8; SZ Medium (5’11”); HD 8d10+16; hp 66; Init +1; Spd 20 ft in chainmail; AC 20 (+1 Dex, +7 chainmail, +2 large shield); Atk +13/+8 (1d3+4, unarmed) or +14/+9 melee (1d8+5, 19-20/x2, +1 longsword); AL CN; SV Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +5; Str 19, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 13, Chr 13.
Skills: Craft (blacksmithing) +2, Handle Animal +6, Jump +5(+9), Listen +4, Profession (teamster) +5, Ride +10, Spot +4. Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Endurance, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword).
Possessions: +2 chainmail, large steel shield, +1 longsword, potion of heroism, figurines of wondrous power (2 golden lions), garnet (100 gp), 32 gp, 10 sp.
Caravan Guards, male or female human War2 (20): CR 1; SZ Med; HD 2d8; hp 15; Init +1; Spd 20 ft; AC 16 (+1 Dex, +5 chainmail); Atk +4 melee (1d8+2, 19-20/x2 crit, longsword) or +3 ranged (1d6, x3 crit, 70 ft, composite shortbow); SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0; AL N; Str 15, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10. 
Skills: Handle Animal +2, Ride +2, Spot +2, Wilderness Lore +2. Feats: Toughness (x2). 
Possessions: chainmail, longsword, composite shortbow, 12 arrows, 2d6 sp.
Drivers & servants, male or female human Com1 (9): CR ½; SZ Med; HD 1d4; hp 5; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 12 (+2 leather); Atk +0 melee (1d6, 19-20/x2 crit, shortsword); SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +0; AL N; Str 11, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10. 
Skills: Listen +2, Profession (driver/porter) +3, Spot +2. Feats: Martial Weapon (shortsword), Toughness. 
Possessions: leather armour, shortsword, 1d4 sp.
Hergrimm’s warhorse: CR 1; SZ Large animal; HD 3d8+9; hp 23; Init +1; Spd 60 ft; AC 14 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural); Atk: 2 hooves +4 melee (1d4+3), bite –1 melee (1d3+1); Face 5 ft x 10 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +2; Str 16, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Chr 6.  
Skills: Listen +7, Spot +7.
Scent (Ex): Detects opponents by scent within 30 feet — 60 feet if opponent is upwind, and 15 feet if downwind (double these ranges if odour is strong; triple if overpowering).  
Guards’ horses (24): CR 1; SZ Large animal; HD 3d8+6; hp 19; Init +1; Spd 60 ft.; AC 14 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural); Atk: 2 hooves +4 melee (1d4+3), bite –1 melee (1d3+1); Face 5 ft x 10 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +2; Str 13, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Chr 6.  
Skills: Listen +6, Spot +6.
Scent (Ex): Detects opponents by scent within 30 feet — 60 feet if opponent is upwind, and 15 feet if downwind (double these ranges if odour is strong; triple if overpowering).  

Encounters on the Road

Orcs (EL 8): Ten of these foul folk approach under the white flag of truce, but do so only as a ruse, realizing that humans fall for their trick most of the time. Once they are within charging range, they attack with vigour  the rest hang back for the first round to shower the party with arrows before the first wave of the charge hits, and themselves charge in the next round.
Orcs (40): CR ½; SZ Medium humanoid; HD 1d8; hp 4; Init +0; Spd 20 ft in armour; AC 15 (+4 scale mail, +1 shield); Atk +3 melee (1d6+2, light mace, shortsword, or handaxe), or +1 ranged (1d6, 70 ft, x3 crit, composite shortbow); SQ darkvision 60 ft, light sensitivity (+1 penalty to attack in bright sunlight or daylight spell); AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will -1; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 8, Chr 8. 
Skills: Listen +2, Spot +2. Feats: Alertness.

Gigantic Wasps (EL 8): This encounter replaces the Giant Tick encounter from the module, since there are no stats for giant ticks in 3E (that I’m aware of) and I wanted to use some vermin from the new MM that would be a challenge to PCs. So I have used 7 HD giant wasps instead. This encounter occurs only if the party is not in the company of Hergrimm’s caravan.
Giant Wasps (3): CR 5; SZ Large vermin; HD 7d8+14; hp 45; Init +1; Spd 20 ft, fly 60 ft (good); AC 14 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural); Atk sting +8 melee (1d3+6 and poison); Face 5 ft x 10 ft; SA poison; SQ vermin; AL N; SV Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int , Wis 13, Chr 11. 
Skills: Intuit Direction +7, Spot +9. 
Poison (Ex): Fort DC 18; 1d6 Dex / 1d6 Dex.
Vermin: Immune to mind-influencing effects; all vermin have blindsight. 
Note: Characters should get 1.2x the usual experience for defeating these creatures.

Ankhegs (EL 7): This encounter occurs only if the PCs journey alone and only when the party is travelling through clear terrain. Any PC may make a Spot check (DC 15) to notice unusual furrows criss-crossing the field they are entering. A subsequent Wilderness Lore check (DC 10) [or common sense] will determine that these furrows are the result of a large creature burrowing near the surface, and a further Wilderness Lore check (DC 20) will allow the character to assert that they were made by ankhegs. Characters may skirt the fields, but this will result in much backtracking and the loss of just over half a day’s travel. 
	If the PCs do cross (which takes about an hour), there is a 20% chance each minute that the ground will collapse under a random character (or rank of characters if they have spread out into small groups, for example): a Reflex save (DC 15) will allow a character to avoid falling into the pit which opens up beneath him or her. If this save fails, the character half-plummets/half-slides down in a torrent of loose earth; Small characters suffer 3d6 points of subdual damage from the fall and the buffeting, Medium characters suffer 1d8+1 points, and Large, 1d6. There is a further 50% chance that the character(s) are sealed off from the surface. 
	PCs who do fall find themselves in a series of earthen tunnels about 6 to 7 feet in diameter. Attempts to tunnel in or out result in a collapse in a (1d6+4)-foot radius, as detailed above; characters inside the tunnel in the cave-in area when it occurs are buried under 3 to 6 (1d4+2) feet of dirt and take real damage (as opposed to subdual damage) if they fail the Reflex save (DC 15). Trapped characters must make a Strength or an Escape Artist check (in either case, DC 15 + 1 per foot of dirt) or else must be rescued before they suffocate (see DMG 85). A free character may dig a comrade out at a rate of 2 feet per minute, without tools, or 5 feet per minute with shovels, plus one foot more or less by Strength modifier (eg., a 16 Str character digs 5 feet per minute unequipped, or 8 feet equipped; a 7 Str character digs 1 foot unequipped (the minimum) or 3 equipped). Any collapse will totally block a passage. 
	The tunnels form a confusing and random network of passages and intersections with only a few linking to the surface. For every 60 feet that characters move in the tunnels, roll 1d10 on the chart below to see what the tunnel does. Note to DM: Because of the random design, there are liable to be inconsistencies in mapping  assume that some tunnels go over or under others where an intersection should not occur. 

		Ankheg Tunnels (Roll 1d10)
Die Roll 	Result
1.	Straight, no intersections
2.	Gradual curve (50/50 left or right), no intersections
3.	Y-intersection
4.	Straight with 20-foot-deep shaft (50/50 up or down) leading to other tunnels
5.	(1d6+1)-way intersection
6.	Dead end
7.	Gradual curve (50/50 left or right) with Y- intersection
8.	Straight with steep incline or decline (50/50)
9.	T-intersection
10.	Choose one of the above, or Exit to surface

Furthermore, there are four ankhegs living in the tunnels. There is a 20% chance each round that one will appear and attack; during any combat, there is a 50% chance per round that another will appear until all four have arrived. 
Ankhegs (4): CR 3; SZ Large beast; HD 3d10+9; hp 33, 29, 25, 20; Init +0; Spd 30 ft., burrow 20 ft; AC 18 (-1 size, +9 natural); Atk: bite +6 melee (2d6+7); Face 5 ft x 10 ft; Reach 5 ft; SA improved grab, acid, spit acid; SQ tremorsense; AL N; SV Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +2; Str 21, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 1, Wis 13, Chr 6. 
Skills: Listen +4. 
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the ankheg must hit with its bite attack. If it get a hold, it deals automatic bite damage each round the hold is maintained. If the ankheg is damaged after grabbing its prey, it retreats backward down its tunnel at burrowing speed, dragging its victim with it.
Acid (Ex): The ankheg automatically deals 1d4 acid damage to held opponents in addition to its bite damage due to dripping acidic enzymes.
Spit acid (Ex): Stream 5 ft high, 5 ft wide, and 30 ft long, once every 6 hours; damage 4d4, Reflex halves (DC 14). One such attack depletes acid supply for 4 hours, negating acid damage to opponents bitten and held during that time. Ankhegs do not use this attack unless desparate or frustrated (i.e., when reduced to half hit points or after missing an opponent).
Tremorsense (Ex): Ankhegs can automatically detect the presence of anything within 60 feet that is in contact with the ground.
Treasure: There is a 10% chance per round that a character moves through the tunnels that he or she will stumble across an item of treasure left lying on a tunnel floor by the ankhegs’ previous victims, as described below (roll 1d6). :
1.	[Spot DC 15]: A large emerald (600 gp) lies partially buried in the tunnel floor.
2.	[Spot DC 13]: A tarnished silver pendant (150 gp) with a missing stone dangles from a root.
3.	A broken human (?) skeleton lies twisted in a heap near the moldered ruin of a large ankheg carcass. The former warrior wears a dirty but excellent suit of +2 scale mail and a Search check (DC 16) will recover a masterwork shortsword lying nearby as well.
4.	[Spot DC 16]: An old leather pouch lies concealed in the muck of the tunnel floor. In it are 3 semi-precious gems (30 gp each), a gold ring (140 gp), and 3 gold trade-bars (50 gp each).
5.	[Spot DC 14]: Part of a humanoid (?) ribcage protrudes from the wall near the level of the floor. A successful Search check (DC 15) uncovers a backpack, inside which is a felt pouch containing a pair of eyes of minute seeing. However, there is a 20% chance that digging the backpack out of the wall results in a cave-in, as described above; a Reflex save (DC 23) will allow the character to avoid the cave-in and pull the backpack out as well, if a he or she wishes to attempt it. 
6.	An old but serviceable shovel lies half-buried in the dirt floor (this may not seem like treasure, but wait until a PC gets buried in a cave-in and needs to be dug out!).

Bushwhacked! (EL 13)
	If the PCs are travelling cross-country, their movements are known to the slave lords and their agents. If they are with the caravan, their capture is easy. While following the road through the woods, the characters walk into a prepared ambush. The trees closest to the road, about 30 feet away, are actually 40 warriors (20 per side) concealed by a major image. As soon as the PCs are in their midst, the slaver clerics cast their silence spells over the party and the caravan guards and concealed warriors all turn their weapons on the PCs, demanding surrender. The clerics hold initiative and await PC spell-casting, so that they can attempt to counterspell with dispel magic (they have coordinated ahead of time who will counter which PC’s spells) or use their hold person spells on fighter-types. Once the characters surrender or are subdued, the soldiers securely bind and gag them all, keeping the PCs under close surveillance at all times and knocking out any known spell-casters.
	If the PCs are not with the caravan, the ambush is staged as above, but with two additions: silence spells have been cast on the road in advance, and a 10-foot-deep and 15-foot wide trench has been dug across the width of the road ahead of the characters and covered by an illusion. 
	The slavers’ goal is to capture the PCs, but if any are so foolish as to force their captors’ hands, they will be killed. 
Soldiers, male and female human War1 (40): CR ½; SZ Medium; HD 1d8; hp 7; Init +1; Spd 20 ft; AC 16 (+5 chainmail, +1 small shield); Atk +3 melee (1d8+1, 19-20/x2 crit, longsword), or +1 ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2, 80 ft, light crossbow); SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0; AL LE; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10. 
Skills: Listen +2, Spot +2. Feats: Toughness, Weapon Focus (longsword). 
Possessions: chainmail, longsword, small steel shield, light crossbow, 12 bolts, 2d4 sp.
Leaders, male and female human Clr5 (3): CR 5; SZ Medium; HD 5d8; hp 25, 23, 20; Init +0; Spd 20 ft; AC 19 (+7 half-plate, +2 shield); Atk +5 melee (1d8+1, 19-20/x2 crit, mw longsword) or +3 ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2, 80 ft, light crossbow); SA spells; SQ rebuke undead, spontaneous casting; AL LE; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +6; Str 12, Dex 11, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 15, Chr 11.  
Skills: Bluff +2, Concentration +6, Knowledge (religion) +4, Listen +2, Spellcraft +4, Spot +2. Feats: Combat Casting, Martial Weapon (longsword), Silent Spell.
Cleric Spells (5 / 4+1 / 3+1 / 1+1): 0 – guidance (x2), light, resistance (x2); 1st – bane, bless, cause fear, cure light wounds; 2nd – find traps, hold person, silence; 3rd – dispel magic; Domain spells (Death, Trickery): 1st – cause fear; 2nd – invisibility; 3rd – animate dead.
Possessions: half-plate armour, large steel shield, unholy symbol, masterwork longsword, light crossbow, 20 bolts, black vestments, 3d4 gp.

Travelling by Sea: 
	Unknown to the PCs, the small, fast ship they finally take a cabin upon has been infiltrated by agents of the slavers. The captain has been coerced (handsomely bribed and subtly threatened) into making a rendezvous with a slaver ship, the Ghoul, several days into the voyage. With assurances that he and his ship will be unharmed, he has been well-paid to stay silent and offered more upon his return; not surprisingly, has agreed to the arrangement. He suspects the deal has something to do with his new passengers and so does not mention a thing to them. He is an Exp3 (10 hp) and his crew are all Com1-3 (1-6 hp), and all are neutral in alignment. 

Encounter on the Waves

Giant octopus: Again, I have changed this encounter slightly  instead of 3 giant octopi, I have made it one tough giant octopus (so as to remain a challenging encounter), as they are normally solitary creatures anyway. Note that body of the octopus is under the ship and that only the tentacles can be attacked with melee weapons. Any character entering the water will be attacked by 2 tentacles and then brought in for bite attacks while constricted. 
Giant octopus: CR 9; SZ Large animal (aquatic); HD 12d8+12; hp 74; Init +2; Spd 20 ft, swim 30 ft; AC 18 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +7 natural); Atk: 8 tentacle rakes +14 (1d4+5), bite +9 melee (1d8+2); Face 5 ft x 5 ft; Reach 15 ft; SA improved grab, constrict; SQ ink cloud, jet; AL N; SV Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +3; Str 20, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Chr 3. 
Skills: Hide +11, Listen +4, Spot +4. 
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the octopus must hit a Medium-sized or smaller creature with a tentacle rake attack. If it gets hold, it can constrict.
Constrict (Ex): A giant octopus deals 2d8+6 points of damage with a successful grapple check against Medium-sized or smaller creatures.
Ink cloud (Ex): Once per minute, a giant octopus can emit a cloud of jet-black ink roughly 20 feet in each dimension as a free action. This cloud provides total concealment (as total darkness), which the creature normally uses to escape a losing battle.
Jet (Ex): A giant octopus can jet backwards once per round as a double move action, at a speed of 200 feet.
Skills: A giant octopus can change colours, giving it a +4 racial bonus to Hide checks.
Note: Characters should get 1.5x the usual experience for defeating this creature.

Shanghaied!
	If the PCs are travelling aboard the ship they hired in Elredd (i.e., the one described under “Travelling by Sea,” above), the captain keeps his rendezvous. Well after 1 p.m. he lays up off a particular spit of land as per his instructions. A light fog rolls in (perhaps the work of Captain Girana on the Ghoul  see below), shrouding objects in the distance. 
	Girana has scried the ship, and knows where the PCs are located (any PC with Int 12 or better who is awake gets a Scry check (DC 20) to discern that he or she is being scried); he then sends out a small team of three special agents, Ognan, Fallon, and Mulko, who have been brought along specifically to capture the PCs. They bring a boat up along the stern of the PCs’ ship in the fog (Spot DC 40) under cover of a silence spell that has been cast upon Ognan. 
	After furtively climbing the side of the ship, the fighter and the monk hide by the PCs’ door while Fallon sneaks up to the porthole of the their cabin and pours a vial of noxious liquid through (Spot DC 25 for any character on watch inside). The liquid is a powerful, odourless anaesthetic that quickly evaporates into the air of the enclosed cabin (see Fallon’s possessions for its effects, below); those affected will be unconscious for 1d3+1 hours. 
	After doing this, the three move onto the deck to surprise and capture any characters who were not in their cabin. They are very experienced at this sort of team-work, each with his or her own specialties, and are well aware of the capabilities of and advantages conferred by their equipment. Unless a PC is being very watchful, cautious, and attentive, and is also very lucky, the slavers should have very little difficulty succeeding. Once all the PCs are captured (or killed, if necessary), they are stripped of all belongings, bound with ropes of entanglement, and, with the help of their own ship’s crew, brought on board the Ghoul. 
	If the PCs did no more than would be expected to help the ship (and themselves) earlier in the day against the giant octopus, their captain does nothing to assist them. However, if they fought valiantly against the octopus, he feels some remorse at his actions, coerced though he was. Once the slavers have already stripped the PCs, he arranges to have a few small items put onto them, which should not be noticed by the slavers unless the characters are very clumsy or foolish with them:
A small knife (1d2 points of damage as a weapon);
a potion of cure light wounds (1d8+5);
10 gp; 
a ruby (250 gp);
a slip of paper with the words “Hardoquin of The Swinging Man  see him” written on it;
a tinderbox;
a rusty old lock-pick (-2 enhancement penalty to Open Lock).

Ognan the Hunter, male human Ftr8: CR 8; SZ Medium (6’2”); HD 8d10+16; hp 68; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 21 (+2 Dex, +9 chainmail); Atk +15/+10 (1d3+6, x2 crit, +4 gauntlet) or +12/+7 melee (1d8+5, 19-20/x2, +1 longsword), or +12/+7 ranged (net of entrapment (new item: see Appendix 2)); AL NE; SV Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3; Str 15, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 13, Chr 10.
Skills: Climb +8(+9), Escape Artist +6(+7), Jump +12(+13), Move Silently +6(+7), Spot +6, Swim +3(+9), Tumble +6(+7). Feats: Blind-Fight, Exotic Weapon (net), Improved Unarmed Strike, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Stunning Fist, Sunder, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Focus (gauntlet).
Possessions: +4 mithral chainmail (light armour; +4 Dex bonus to AC allowed; -1 check penalty; Spd 30 ft; +4 gauntlets inc.), +1 longsword, net of entrapment. 
Fallon, female human Rog7: CR 7; SZ Medium (5’7”); HD 7d6+7; hp 27; Init +4; Spd 30 ft; AC 16 (+4 Dex, +2 leather); Atk +7 melee (1d6+1, 18-20/x2, mw rapier) or +15 ranged (rope of entanglement (DMG 226)); SA sneak attack +4d6; SQ uncanny dodge, evasion; SV Fort +3, Ref +9, Will +2; AL NE; Str 13, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 14.
Skills: Balance +11, Climb +11, Disable Device +6, Escape Artist +13, Hide +10, Jump +8, Listen +5, Move Silently +14, Open Lock +8, Search +11, Spot +5, Swim +7, Tumble +14, Use Rope +9. Feats: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack.
Possessions: leather armour, rope of entanglement, masterwork rapier, 2 daggers (in boots),  potion of human control, vial of sleep-poison gas (Fort DC 18; 2d6 Dex / unconscious).
Mulko, male human Mnk6: CR 6; SZ Medium (5’7”); HD 6d8+6; hp 35; Init +7; Spd 50 ft; AC 17 (+3 Dex, +3 Wis, +1 monk); Atk +7/+4 melee (1d8+2, unarmed) or +7 ranged; SA stunning attack, flurry of blows; SQ evasion, still mind, slow fall 30 ft, purity of body; SV Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +10; AL LE; Str 15, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 12.
Skills: Balance +9, Climb +11, Escape Artist +12, Jump +11, Listen +7, Move Silently +12, Swim +6, Tumble +7. Feats: Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, Weapon Focus (unarmed).
Possessions: +2 stone of good luck (applies to all saves & luck-based rolls).

Fates Worse Than Death
	After they are captured, the PCs are manacled and cuffed; (known or suspected) spell-users are muzzled with an iron gag, have their fingers bound, and are given no more than one hour’s rest at a time to prevent them from accessing their magic. Of course, Silent Spell and Still Spell feats may overcome some of these obstacles, but the slavers do have experience with captured wizards and the like, and will generally kill them if they prove too troublesome. If they were captured at sea, they find themselves chained into the rowing banks of a ship when they awake. Standing over the PCs at nearly all times is an overseer, whip in hand. They have been stripped to their common clothing and all bits of finery are missing.
	If the PCs are captured on land, they are stripped to common clothing, bound and gagged, and force-marched to the coast by the shortest possible route. Nothing of interest happens during the trip, except that the PCs are very cruelly treated, especially spell-users. If they are clever and look for opportunities, they may find a chance to find something useful: a successful Hide check (DC 20) will allow a character to surreptitiously pick up and hide a sharp stone, a wiry twig, some tinder, etc., in pants, boots, or elsewhere. Once aboard the Ghoul they are manacled and gagged as described above. 
	Once all of the PCs are conscious aboard the Ghoul, they are brought on deck under heavy guard. The Ghoul is a tightly run ship with a single mast and two banks of oars below decks worked by slaves. Captain Girana maintains contact with his superiors by means of a mirror of mental prowess located in his cabin. He has arranged a little demonstration of his power and the PCs’ powerlessness, which is described in the module (pp. 19-20) and which requires no conversion to 3E. 

In the Depths of the Ghoul
	Slave treatment, rumours, slave personalities, and other conditions on the Ghoul are largely described in terms that need no conversion to 3E (Scourge 21-23). The few things that do need rules-conversion, I have detailed below.

Storms
Any time the Ghoul is in danger of sinking, 2-12 slaves (by need) are unshackled from the oars to man the bilge pumps and buckets. No others are unshackled even if the ship sinks. Due to the hasty nature of such actions, PCs may make an Escape Artist check (DC 15) while they or another slave are unhooked, to result in having their hands free until such a time as an overseer might notice (with a Spot check opposed to that character’s Hide check). Further, when they are latched back into their spots after the danger has passed, a successful Disable Device check (DC 20) will allow a character to rig his or her manacles to come off with a twist at an opportune moment. Finally, each PC will suffer 1d3 points of temporary Con damage as a result of such heavy exertion by the end of the storm, whether from bilge pumping or rowing.

Escape and Stalman Klim
	The slave lords have every intention of keeping the PCs as slaves until they die, but the highest of their order, Stalman Klim, has other plans for the characters. He wishes them to escape for his own reasons, but only at the right time and place. After the PCs have been prisoners for some time (long enough for news of their capture to fade away  at least ), he slyly arranges for their guards to be suitably lax when the ship is at Highport. Half of the slaves (including all of the PCs, incidentally) are unhooked from the oars to help unload cargo. There are 5 overseers supervising the slaves, but each has been plied with liquor by an agent of Klim and thus suffers a –4 competence penalty to all rolls. Due to the chaos on the docks and the fact that the captain and his officers are busied with a sudden flood of paperwork (again thanks to Klim), the PCs should fairly easily be able to make a break for freedom into the streets of Highport.
	A day or so after they escape, Klim arranges for an unmarked package to appear in their rooms. It contains some of their previous belongings (though no magical items), including some of the wizards’ spellbooks. DMs should decide which spellbooks have survived. 

The Crew
	In addition to the three special agents described above under “Shanghaied!” (who are passengers on the Ghoul for this particular voyage and depart when the ship first returns to Highport), the ship has the following captain and crew. 
Captain Girana, male elf Ftr4/Wiz8: CR 12; SZ Med (5’1”); HD 4d10+4+8d4+8; hp 51; Init +6; Spd 30 ft; AC 20 (+2 Dex, +8 bracers); Atk: +11/+6 (1d8+3+1d6 fire, 19-20/x2 crit, +1 longsword), or +11/+6 (1d8+2, x3 crit, 110 ft, mw composite longbow); SA spells; SQ low-light vision, elf traits; AL LE; SV Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +8; Str 14, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 19, Wis 12, Chr 13.
Skills: Climb +5, Concentration +13, Craft (weaponsmithing) +10, Handle Animal +2, Jump +6, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge (nature/seas) +10, Listen +4, Profession (sailor) +8, Ride +8, Scry +10, Spellcraft +16, Spot +4, Swim +4. Feats: Combat Casting, Craft Magic Arms & Armour, Dodge, Enlarge Spell, Expertise, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Scribe Scroll, Shot on the Run, Spring Attack.
Wizard Spells (4/5/4/4/3) [DC 14 + spell level]: 0 – dancing lights, daze, mage hand, resistance; 1st – enlarge, expeditious retreat, magic missile (x2), shield; 2nd  cat’s grace, pyrotechnics, rope trick, see invisibility; 3rd  fly, hold person, stinking cloud, suggestion; 4th  fear, stinking cloud (Enlarged), wall of fire. 
Possessions: +8 bracers of armour, +1 longsword (flametongue), masterwork mighty composite longbow (+2 Str), 20 arrows, scroll of scare, spell component pouch, 40 gp.
Girana’s spellbook #1: 0  all cantrips; 1st  alarm, animate rope, cause fear, colour spray, comprehend languages, enlarge, expeditious retreat, identify, magic missile, magic weapon, message, protection from chaos, protection from good, shield, spider climb, true strike; 
Girana’s spellbook #2: 2nd  arcane lock, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, darkvision, flaming sphere, fog cloud, knock, levitate, melf’s acid arrow, misdirection, pyrotechnics, resist elements, rope trick, scare, see invisibility, whispering wind; 
Girana’s spellbook #3: 3rd  displacement, fireball, flame arrow, fly, greater magic weapon, gust of wind, hold person, magic circle against good, phantom steed, protection from elements, sleet storm, stinking cloud, suggestion, water breathing, wind wall; 
Girana’s spellbook #4: 4th  fear, hallucinatory terrain, ice storm, scrying, solid fog, wall of fire.
First Mate (Derg), male human Ftr5: CR 5; SZ Medium (6 ft); HD 5d10+5; hp 34; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 17 (+2 Dex, +5 chain shirt); Atk +6 melee (1d3+1, unarmed) or +8 melee (1d6+3, 18-20/x2, cutlass); SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +1; AL LE; Str 13, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 10. 
Skills: Climb +6(+7), Knowledge (nature/seas) +3, Listen +2, Profession (sailor) +5, Spot +3, Use Rope +4. Feats: Alertness, Improved Unarmed Strike, Power Attack, Skill Focus (sailor), Weapon Focus (cutlass), Weapon Specialization (cutlass).	
Possessions: +1 chain shirt, masterwork cutlass, scroll  protection from demons, 15 gp.
Second Mate (Evv), male human War5: CR 3; SZ Medium (6 ft); HD 5d8; hp 28; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 16 (+1 Dex, +5 chain shirt); Atk +8 melee (1d3+3, unarmed) or +8 melee (1d6+3, 18-20/x2, cutlass), or +8 ranged (javelin of lightning); SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +2; AL LE; Str 16, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 10. 
Skills: Climb +4(+5), Knowledge (nature/seas) +2, Profession (sailor) +3, Spot +1, Use Rope +4. Feats: Power Attack, Toughness (x2).	
Possessions: +1 chain shirt, cutlass, 3 javelins of lightning, 12 gp.
Pilot (Brendon), male human War5: CR 3; SZ Medium (6 ft); HD 5d8; hp 26; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 17 (+2 Dex, +5 chain); Atk +5 melee (1d3, unarmed) or +6 melee (1d6, 18-20/x2, cutlass); SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +1; AL LE; Str 11, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 10. 
Skills: Climb +3(+4), Knowledge (nature/seas) +3, Profession (sailor) +4, Use Rope +5. Feats: Toughness (x2), Weapon Focus (cutlass).	
Possessions: +1 chain shirt, masterwork cutlass, potion of gold dragon control, 12 gp.
Marines/Guards/Overseers, male human or half-orc War2 (20): CR 1; SZ Medium; HD 2d8; hp 14; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2 leather); Atk +3 (1d3+1, unarmed) or +3 melee (1d6+1, 18-20/x2, cutlass), or +3 ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2, 80 ft, light crossbow); SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +0; AL any evil; Str 13, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10. 
Skills: Climb +3, Listen +2, Profession (sailor) +3, Spot +3, Use Rope +2. Feats: Toughness (humans x2). 
Possessions: leather armour, cutlass, light crossbow, 12 bolts, 2d6 sp.
Sailors, male human or half-orc War1 (10): CR ½; SZ Medium; HD 1d8; hp 7; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Atk +1 melee (1d3, unarmed) or +1 melee (1d6+1, 18-20/x2, cutlass); SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +0; AL N or NE; Str 11, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10. 
Skills: Climb +2, Profession (sailor) +2. Feats: Toughness (humans x2). 
Possessions: chainmail, longsword, small steel shield, light crossbow, 12 bolts, 2d4 sp.

Appendix 1: Pregenerated Characters

Notes on conversion: I have added pseudonyms, family names, and/or nicknames in some cases, primarily for interest’s sake. All bonuses from stats and race are already incorporated below, but I have left skills and feats up to the player to decide. Also, I left the gods/devotions of the two clerics open, though players should keep in mind the clerics’ alignments (and races) when making this choice. Character levels have been altered to bring the total to 7th for each, which required some class levels to be raised or lowered accordingly. A couple of items not found in 3E were altered (such as Delgath’s wand of fire, which became a staff of fire), and I gave each character an extra potion of some degree of healing, since 3E gives out a lot more magic than the characters had listed. Finally, I have made Dread Delgath a sorcerer (I switched his Intelligence and Charisma, both of which were high anyway, to accommodate this), and left Phanstern as a wizard; in the original module, Delgath was a magic-user and Phanstern was an illusionist, so I felt that some differentiation was still in order  maybe Delgath’s “dread” could be at least in part the result of his now very high Charisma.

Elwita Goldblossom, female dwarf fighter 7
SZ Medium-size (4’6”; 164 lbs); HD 7d10+28; hp 77; Init +0; Spd 20 ft, 15 ft in armour; AC 20 (+7 half-plate, +3 large shield); Atk: +10/+5 melee, or +7/+2 ranged; SQ darkvision 60 ft, dwarf traits; AL LG; SV Fort +9, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 17, Dex 11, Con 19, Int 12, Wis 8, Chr 15.
Skills: 30 skill levels. Feats: 3 (level) + 4 (fighter).
Possessions: masterwork half-plate, +1 large steel shield, +2 warhammer, dagger, heavy crossbow, potion of cure serious wounds, standard equipment (max 200 gp worth).

“Ogre” (Byron Mulch), male human fighter 7
SZ Medium-size (6’7”; 265 lbs); HD 7d10+28; hp 70; Init +1; Spd 30 ft, 20 ft in armour; AC 20 (+8 splint mail, +2 large shield); Atk: base +11/+6 melee, or base +8/+3 ranged; AL NG; SV Fort +9, Ref +3, Will +1; Str 19, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 9, Chr 6.
Skills: 20 skill levels. Feats: 1 (human) + 3 (level) + 4 (fighter).
Possessions: +2 splint mail, large steel shield, +1 longsword, composite shortbow, potion of cure moderate wounds, standard equipment (max 200 gp worth).

Freda Olaksdötter, female human ranger 7
SZ Medium-size (5’4”; 128 lbs); HD 7d10+21; hp 65; Init +3; Spd 30 ft; AC 20 (+3 Dex, +7 chain shirt); Atk: base +9/+4 melee, or base +10/+5 ranged; SA two-weapon fighting, favoured enemies (choose 2), spells; AL CG; SV Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +4; Str 15, Dex 17, Con 17, Int 13, Wis 15, Chr 14.
Skills: 60 skill levels. Feats: Track + 1 (human) + 3 (level).
Ranger spells (2) [DC 12 + spell level]: choose from ranger spell lists.
Possessions: +3 chain shirt, holy symbol, longsword, masterwork dagger, halfspear, longbow, +2 arrows (x8), potion of cure critical wounds, standard equipment (max 200 gp worth).

Essac Karraway, male human cleric (choose devotion) 7
SZ Medium-size (5’9”; 158 lbs); HD 7d8+21; hp 55; Init +2; Spd 30 ft, 20 ft in armour; AC 20 (+1 Dex, +8 full plate, +1 small shield); Atk: base +5 melee, base +7 ranged; SA spells; SQ turn undead, spontaneous casting; AL LG; SV Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +8; Str 10, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 16, Chr 13.
Skills: 40 skill levels. Feats: 1 (human) + 3 (level).
Cleric spells (6 / 5+1 / 4+1 / 3+1 / 1+1) [DC 13 + spell level]: Domains – choose two for devotion or from those allowed by god.
Possessions: full plate, small steel shield, holy symbol, masterwork heavy mace, light crossbow, potion of cure serious wounds, potion of clairaudience, scroll (raise dead), scroll (cure moderate wounds (x3)), standard equipment (max 200 gp).

Blodgett Longbottom, male halfling rogue 7
SZ Small (2’8”; 38 lbs); HD 7d6+21; hp 48; Init +4; Spd 20 ft; AC 17 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +2 leather); Atk: base +5 melee, base +10 ranged; SA sneak attack +4d6; SQ halfling traits, evasion, uncanny dodge; AL NG; SV Fort +7, Ref +11, Will +4; Str 8, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Chr 6.
Skills: 80 skill levels. Feats: 3 (level).
Possessions: leather armour, shortsword, dagger, sling, +1 ring of resistance, boots of elvenkind, potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of cat’s grace, standard equipment (max 200 gp worth).

Dread Delgath, male human sorcerer 7
SZ Medium-size (5’11”; 196 lbs); HD 7d4+21; hp 47; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 14 (+4 bracers); Atk: base +2 melee, base +3 ranged; SA spells; SQ summon familiar; AL CG; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +6; Str 8, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 12, Chr 18.
Skills: 50 skill levels. Feats: 1 (human) + 3 (level).
Sorcerer spells (6/7/7/5) [DC 14 + spell level]: 0  7; 1st – 5; 2nd – 3; 3rd – 2.
Possessions: +4 bracers of armour, staff of fire (4 charges), dagger, light crossbow, potion of cure serious wounds, spell component pouch, standard equipment (max 200 gp).

Phanstern Kiljoy, male human wizard 7
SZ Medium-size (5’6”; 138 lbs); HD 7d4+21; hp 42; Init +4; Spd 30 ft; AC 14 (+4 Dex); Atk: base +2 melee, base +7 ranged; SA spells; SQ summon familiar; AL NG; SV Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +6; Str 8, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 12, Chr 9.
Skills: 70 skill levels. Feats: Scribe Scroll + 1 (human) + 3 (level) + 1 (wizard).
Wizard spells (4/5/4/3/2) [DC 14 + spell level]: 0 all; 1st, 12; 2nd, 7; 3rd, 6; 4th, 4.
Possessions: silver dagger, light crossbow, potion of cure serious wounds (x2), scroll (blindness, blur), 2 spellbooks, spell component pouch, standard equipment (max 200 gp).

Eljayess Silverbrow, female half-elf fighter 3 / cleric (choose devotion) 4
SZ Medium-size (5’3”; 109 lbs); HD 3d10+9+4d8+12; hp 60; Init +1; Spd 30 ft, 20 ft in armour; AC 21 (+1 Dex, +8 full plate, +2 shield); Atk: base +9/+4 melee, base +7/+2 ranged; SA spells; SQ half-elf traits, turn undead, spontaneous casting; AL CG; SV Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +8; Str 16, Dex 12, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 16, Chr 13.
Skills: 12 (fighter) + 8 (cleric) skill levels. Feats: 3 (level) + 2 (fighter).
Cleric spells (5 / 4+1 / 3+1): [DC 13 + spell level]: Domains – choose two for devotion or from those allowed by god.
Possessions: full plate, large steel shield, holy symbol, longsword,+1 longspear, composite longbow, potion of haste, potion of cure light wounds, standard equipment (max 200 gp).

Kayen Telva, male elf fighter 3 / wizard 4
SZ Medium-size (5’1”; 103 lbs); HD 3d10+6+4d4+8; hp 48; Init +3; Spd 30 ft; AC 18 (+3 Dex, +4 chain shirt, +1 shield); Atk: base +8 melee, base +8 ranged; SA spells; SQ elf traits, summon familiar; AL CG; SV Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +5; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 17, Wis 10, Chr 9.
Skills: 30 (fighter) + 20 (wizard) skill levels. Feats: Scribe Scroll + 3 (level) + 2 (fighter).
Wizard spells (4/4/3) [DC 13 + spell level]: 0 all; 1st, 9; 2nd, 4.
Possessions: chain shirt, small steel shield, longsword, handaxe, silver dagger, composite longbow, 2 javelins of piercing, potion of haste, potion of cure light wounds, spell component pouch, spellbook, standard equipment (max 200 gp).

Appendix 2: New Magic Items

Net of entrapment: This potent item looks just like any other net that might appear in a gladiatorial arena, weighted and barbed. A character who is not proficient with Exotic Weapon (net) gains no extra benefit from this item. One who is proficient with net gains a +2 enhancement bonus to hit with it, and need not fold the net before throwing: its enchantment causes the net to return to the user's hand ready for the next throw. Further, in the hands of such a character the net has a range of 15 feet, with no associated penalties for long range. It is effective only against opponents between Tiny and Large size, inclusive. If the net hits, the target is entangled. 
	A creature entangled by the net of entrapment suffers a –4 on attack rolls and a –6 penalty to effective Dexterity. It can move only one-quarter speed and cannot charge or run. In addition, the wielder gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength checks for the purposes of holding targets within the net (see "Net," PH 102). An entangled creature attempting to cast a spell must succeed with a Concentration check (DC 20) or be unable to cast the spell. The entangled creature can escape with a successful Escape Artist check (DC 30) as a full round action. 
	The net of entanglement cannot be burst; it must be escaped or cut with an edged weapon. The net has a Hardness of 10 and damage resistance 5/+2 (i.e., a weapon of +1 or lesser enchantment subtracts the first 15 points of damage, and any other weapon subtracts the first 10 points); it has 30 hp, and is destroyed if reduced to 0 hp. Damage to the net repairs itself at a rate of 1 point per 5 minutes as long as it has at least 1 hp remaining. Rumours of ‘ghost touch’ versions of this item do exist. 
	Caster Level: 12th. 
	Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, animate objects, hold person. 
	Market Price: 24,000 gp.
	Weight: 10 lbs.