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(1) ..... m.++####. .......... ..... . .+.-##+. m [B].. ...... [A] -+- O O ......... .m - o Entrance This is a an introductory adventure for 5-7 character levels total that can be placed anywhere in your campaign's wilderness, it is a series of old bandit caves at the base of a hill. The caves are long-since abandoned, and are now inhabited by various creatures as well as a small contingent of goblins. This is written for S&W White Box, but will of course work with most old-school games with minor adjustments. It would help to arrange for the PCs to find or be given a map to the caves with a clue on how to pass the crumbler guardians - the hint "Enter as friends and pass unseen" could be in chaotic script or thief's cant, but note there are two other ways to enter the caves (the hidden tunnel off of the ledge and the concealed goblin cave). You may also want to add hints of a large treasure of the bandit captain Cyrus Blacknail, who ran a small band of miscreants out of these caves years ago. Entrance, lookout ledge and hilltop: The faint path through the woods leads to a clearing and a tall, flat hill. Straight ahead is a dark cave entrance, about five feet in height. In front of the cave are three piles of rock, each several feet tall. There are many smaller rocks laying about. To the right, leaning against the cave entrance is a seated skeleton. Its skull appears crushed. To the left, a long row of dense, prickly brush runs along the hill's base. [A] Concealed entrance cave: Dense, prickly undergrowth conceals a low cave entrance about three feet in height. A small pile of rocks just to the right of the entrance hides a brass skeleton key that opens the door within, but also hides a nest of 2-7 giant centipedes. The goblins do not know of the key. Note that if the goblins are within the cave (see area 8, below), they may hear the PCs near the entrance, but choose to hide and ambush any trying to enter the cave, especially during the day. Giant centipedes: HD 1d2hp AC 9[10] ATK bite lethal poison (+4) MV 13 SAV 18 XP 30 [B] Entrance and stone guardians: The three piles of rock are actually inanimate crumblers. Bandits paid a mage to create these guardians, they only animate and attack those who have weapons drawn or readied. A skeleton of some unfortunate adventurer lays near the entrance, his skull crushed in. A rusted handaxe and bits of rotted leather lay near. Crumblers: HD 1 AC 4[15] ATK fist/thrown rock 1d4 MV 0 XP 30 [C] Ledge: PCs can see a faint path to a rocky ledge halfway up hill. This was used as a lookout by the bandits. An old crossbow with broken strings and 8 quarrels lay on the ledge, which is about 4 feet at its widest. Near one end of the ledge is a small opening (not visible from the ground) to a rocky chimney which eventually descends beyond the arrow trap (area 3). Only one man-sized creature at a time can enter and descend. [D] Hilltop: Atop the hill, PCs will find a copse of fir trees and a deep, rock-lined pool of water. It may have been used as a campsite in the recent past, as a small fire ring is evident next to the pool and the undergrowth is cleared around it. The pool itself is clear and about 10 feet deep in the center. PCs looking closely will see a bone scroll case at the bottom, wedged under a rock. It is sealed with wax and this has kept the contents dry, a clerical scroll of cure light wounds. Caves: 1. Yellow mold: This is a damp cave, with water dripping from the walls, and a muddy floor. Straw is scattered about the floor, along with a rusted lantern, and some broken crates covered with yellow mold Yellow mold: HD - AC - ATK 1d6+spores XP 60 2. Meeting cave: Mud gradually thins out on the down-slope leading to this cave, the floor and walls are dry within. There is a leaning wooden table with a broken leg, and six stumps near it used as seats. Melted candle wax is on table, and a few loose coins and three bone dice are on the floor next to it. A dagger is secured to the underside of the table with a bit of twine and tacks, it is not magical, however. 3. Arrow trap: There are two broken crossbow quarrels on the tunnel floor here that serve as a clue to watchful adventurers. The bandits forced a Dwarven captive to build an arrow trap for them, but his heart was not in it and the trigger mechanism only has a 3 in 6 chance of firing for each person that walks over it. The bolts fire from small slits in both walls and attack as a L3 fighter twice (one each side), for 1d6 damage each. The trap resets itself after one turn, and can fire four times in total. A Dwarf who examines the walls closely will note the prior work done to conceal the trap mechanisms, and may also note the floor trigger. 4. Crevasse - This crevasse is about 15 feet deep and 20 feet wide, and is filled with a heavy grayish mist that swirls about and reveals the rocky floor every so often. The mist is harmless, and PCs can climb down and up the other side fairly easily, but it conceals several stirge nests on the southwest cliff face, there are six stirges in total. They will attack anyone entering the crevasse. Stirge: HD 1+1 AC 7[12] ATK sting 1d3+blood drain MV 3/18 SAV 17 XP 15 5. Chimney up: PCs will notice a hole in the wall if they look up, it is 15 feet overhead and large enough for one man to climb into. Past the alcove, the chimney zig-zags up, flattens out and leads to the lookout ledge. Halfway up the chimney is a small rocky alcove with a leather pouch containing 11 50gp gems and a set of thief's tools. 6. Giant toad: A giant toad lives in the water here, and will surprise on a 3 in 6 anyone nearing the pool, which is about five feet deep. A large, flat-topped rock on a small earthen island in center of the pool conceals a large chest. It is trapped with poison gas (close inspection notes 12 small brass wires hooked to the outside front of the chest along the lid, if they are all unhooked the trap is disarmed) that deals 1d6 damage for two rounds to all on the island, with a save for half damage each round. Giant toad: HD 3 AC 6[13] ATK bite 1d6 MV 6 (hop 3") SAV 14 XP 60 It contains the bandit's treasure hoard: 408sp, 833gp, 6 silver candle holders (20gp each), 23 mixed gems and jewels (10-60gp each), a potion of haste, a silvered dagger with amber hilt in an ornate, jeweled scabbard worth 200gp on its own - but has a special property that thrice per day, if thrown, it strikes its target unerringly. Otherwise it functions as a +1 weapon. The bandits did not think it magical. 7. Piercer cave: Six pairs of rusted chains with shackles line the walls here, and a few rusted buckets lay near the walls. If players look up, they will note 20 or so stalactites 2" overhead. Eight of them are piercers. The bandits used this cave to hold prisoners for ransom, the piercers discouraged escape, but one could avoid them by keeping close the walls. Anyone walking through the cavern will have a piercer drop on them 50% of the time. The door into the Goblin cave is locked. A tunnel to the west leads down a rough stone staircase into area 9. Piercer: HD 1 AC 3[16] ATK drop 1d6 MV 1 SAV 17 XP 15 8. Goblins: A raiding party camps here, at any given time 2-7 will be present, but during daylight hours they will have a 2 in 6 chance of being asleep. They wear poorly maintained leather armor and carry short swords. Half will carry crossbows which they will use to ambush noisy intruders. They have not been able to open the locked door, and are afraid to break it down, so they have left it locked. The iron-bound, locked door blocks the way north. The door can be broken down, opened with the key noted above, or the lock can be picked. Note it is locked on both sides, and once it shuts it locks automatically. It opens to the north, into the piercer cave. Goblin: HD 1-1 AC 7[12] ATK weapon MV 9 SAV 18 XP 10 (-1 to all attacks in sunlight) 9. Bat cave: Many dozens of bats line the ceiling 20 feet overhead in this long, foul-smelling cavern. Guano covers the floor completely (all but the topmost layer is hardened), serving as food for two giant beetles three feet in length, who will attempt to feed on any intruders. If the PCs choose to dig through the guano, they will find a random item from the below table every turn, but whoever is doing the digging will then smell so bad they will cause the party to lose the advantage of surprise until they clean themselves off. 1. Random small animal bones or parts from a human skeleton 2. 1-6 silver coins 3. 1-4 gold coins 4. Roach nest, 1d100x3 roaches in a writhing ball, not harmful 5. Piece of jewelry worth 1d10x3gp (find once only) 6. Rotted piece of clothing or leather strap 7. Silver dagger worth 20gp (find once only) 8. Nothing Giant beetle: HD 3 AC 4[15] ATK mandible bite MV 3 SAV 15 XP 100 10. Storage: Natural stone ledges lead up about five feet to this cave, where old crates and barrels line the walls. Most of them are broken but a few barrels still hold soured wine. 11. Cyrus' Quarters: A pit trap (10' deep, triggered 1-2 in 6, 1d6 damage) awaits the unwary in the tunnel leading this cave. At the bottom of the pit is the desiccated corpse of the last poor victim to have fallen and snapped his neck, adorned in rusted mail, wooden holy symbol and next to a serviceable mace and spent torch. A backpack on his back holds rotted rations, 3 flasks of oil (still usable), a lantern, 2 vials of holy water, and a healing potion. It is possible to walk around the pit and not trigger it. Cyrus himself used this cave as his living quarters. A bearskin rug lines the floor, with bed against the east wall and a small desk and chair against the north. Small niches in the walls hold melted candle stubs. Under the desk in a false bottom is a ledger detailing, among routine notes of raids and clan deaths, the location of the treasure chest in area 6 (without noting the poison gas trap). .