The Search for the Forest Dwarves

This follows on directly from The Elven Village

If the adventurers have lent Gerion an object they found in Azak-Rakar, the Hold of the forest dwarves, he will have had it enchanted, and can tell more of its last owner.

He calls the party to join him in the bar/cafe.  He is really pleased - because he has discovered that at least one of the dwarves is still alive.  

He shows them what the enchantment has achieved.  He drops the object the party gave him from a height of about five feet, a couple of times.

They should quickly grasp that the object no longer falls vertically downwards, but will veer consistently to one side.  If it is a wooden coin, or children's book, then the object will always fall with the top pointing in the same direction. So the head of the dwarf on the coin, or the title of a book will always point the same way.  The ironwood dagger will always fall with its blade pointing in the same direction.

"You see?  It is indicating where its last owner is.  And for the enchantment to work, they must be alive, and on Orn."

And from what they can tell, and their sketchy maps, it isn't pointing to the dwarf hold, Azak-Rakar.

Depending upon how strong the relationship was between the previous owner and the object, the enchantment will last between four and ten days.  (So, the enchantment on a coin might only last four days, but on a book or the dagger will last longer).

Gerion is very keen for the adventurers to go and try to find the owner; he is sure this an item from forest dwarves of the Hold.  They should make contact, and try to encourage the dwarf to return with them to Bar-Alda.

Bolsano turns down the offer.  He wants to create a new, helpful business in the village, while waiting for news of travellers from Ixixion.

If the player characters agree to undertake the task, the elves will organise supplies and give advice on the route.

The Search

A few elves will travel by boat with the party to the guard post at the far end of the Blackbird Lake.  There, the adventurers can use the enchanted object to set a direction.  They can use it on the journey to ensure they don't wander off course in the mist.

The elves prepare a simple sketch map of the nearby area (not to scale).

They point out that the direct route indicated by the enchanted object would lead the party through an edge of the Wyldwoods.  These are highly dangerous, witch-infested, and usually avoided by the elves.

They suggest the characters take an initial path leftwards of the route indicated by the enchanted object, angling away from the dangerous forest, to avoid that risk.

The characters may also work out that such a tactic could enable them to triangulate the readings, and gain a sense of how far away their objective is.

Assuming they do give a wide berth to the Wyldwoods, they will travel through the mists to a damp land of long, low hills.

Given the limited visibility, the hilly terrain, and the need to regularly check they are still on track, their progress will be slower than normal - well under three miles an hour.

They will pass a few scraggly copses, but see nothing of the great woods to their right.

The First Encounter

They may travel with the woods out of sight, but the hags of the wood do roam beyond its eaves.  

After around five hours of walking, the characters will see two dark creatures flying towards them, at a height of about forty feet.  These are two apprentice witches from the coven of the Wyldwood.

Apprentice Witch of the Wyldwood.   General description and behaviour.

Hit points            35, 33                    

The witches will use spells to try and incapacitate the adventurers before closing on them.  They will not fight to the death, but will make good an escape, fleeing to the forest if they are losing.

(Note: as an option, the referee can have Nigel come galloping up on Ruby just after the battle has finished if she likes.  He will say he 'thought they might need some help'.  Or indeed he can provide some help if they are losing badly.  However, he will return to the Elven Village after ensuring all are OK).

Assuming the characters survive the encounter and continue their quest, they will be able to perform a rough triangulation after about twelve to fifteen miles of travel (say six hours).  At that point, they will calculate they are roughly half way to their target.

This is likely to prompt them to camp out, and take a rest, before they arrive at their destination.

As the journey continues, the hills become slightly more rugged, and the grass and bushes become somewhat scrawnier.

Other potential  encounters en route (referee's discretion):

• Two Deinonychus attack from the mist (medium Dinosaur, unaligned) - see 5e VGM.  If one of the characters is wearing the Ring of Lesser Dinosaur Control from the Goblin's treasure, they may use this to protect themselves, and potentially get the dinosaurs to work for them in some way.
• Overhead, the mist seems to curdle, and great, silent shape seems to glide over them.  (NB, this is a Skyshark, see the Trip to the Ironwood for further details).  It passes over, and does not investigate them.
• The party encounter a toppled statue of a middle-aged human female, covered in ivy.  This, they discover, is non-magical and non-threatening. 

Eventually, the adventurers will come to a dry land, of rocks and sand, with few plants or trees.  Their enchanted item leads them directly into this barren environment.

After another hour or two of travelling over rough terrain, they see a building in the distance.

The Ziggurat

Referees' notes:

This ruined ziggurat that was originally built as a homage to the mighty Gith emperor Bryþnor.

This Mausoleum is well over 150 years old.  However, the Ziggurat was covered by the shifting lands of Orn for many years, and its very existence forgotten by all but a few.   It has reappeared only since the recent Major Great Winter.

The forest dwarves, whose abandoned Hold the characters will have encountered in the adventure of the Goblin Heist, were rescued by Giant Mole Taupi in the early part of the Great Winter, and went with him to hibernate in his lair.  This explains the collapsed earthworks they discovered in the Hold, as the dwarves followed Taupi through his subterranean tunnel.  

He has, however overslept, which is not unusual in a mole so old.  And it was after all a Major Great Winter which just passed.   Thus, the enchanted object device will lead them to Taupi’s nest beneath the Ziggurat, where all are sleeping.  

A few days before the party enter the shrine, a group of Kenku entered, and have set up a camp on one of the lower levels.  They were being tracked by Jarred the wererat and Ziza the tabaxi.  These two had briefly formed an alliance of convenience, and entered the Ziggurat to explore it a day ago.  Jarred has now been trapped by Ziza in a defensive move - she began to suspect his true nature.  It would of course, also ensure she would be the person to get any treasure. He is now eager for revenge; but his first goal is to escape from confinement.

The Building

Above ground, the building is 80’ on each side, and the levels rise 12, 10 and 8 feet high respectively, from the bottom tier upwards.  The roof, as shown, has collapsed, leaving impassable rubble, and the only entrance that remains is the black, gaping doorway in the side. 

Should the adventurers explore beyond the ruined structure, they may discover that their enchanted object is pointing towards the Ziggurat, but perhaps slightly off to one side.  But there is nothing there.  Perhaps their goal is below?

Whilst carrying out such explorations, they may encounter a Giant Scorpion (see 5e MM).  If disturbed, the beast will attack the party, attempting to drive them away.

The entranceway in the side of the Ziggurat leads to a wide passage descending into the ground, and eventually to the multi-level tomb complex below.

The diagram above depicts all of the multiple levels below the Ziggurat.  Note that level 1 is drawn to a different scale from the other, more extensive spaces.  The various areas are described level-by-level below.

The walls and floors of the ancient mausoleum are made from dressed marble flagstones 3’ on a side.  The workmanship was of high quality and it was built to last.  Unsurprisingly, however, in the 150 years since the death of the king and construction of this memorial, some significant degradation has occurred.

It was designed to cater for the many visitors it was anticipated would want to show their respects to the dead Lord.

This diagram provides a vertical representation of the floors of the mausoleum and the tunnels below.

As the characters descend, the mist becomes thinner, and by Level 4 has disappeared almost entirely.

Level by level descriptions

Level 1

(Note:  Arrows on stairs and slopes point upwards).

1	The entrance is plain and unadorned, and leads after a few feet to a slope heading downwards.  The corridor is 10’ wide and 9’ high.  At the point where the slope begins, there is a stone beam in the ceiling, with the capitalised word BRYÞNOR carved deeply upon it.  When built, this single name was enough to indicate whose life was being remembered by the tomb. Descending the steep slope that dives beneath the ziggurat, the characters will come to the first level, the original entrance hall, twenty feet below ground level.
2	This was the busy visitor reception area, with introductory material about the great hero and a place to leave belongings.  Here the ceiling rises to 12’.  In the centre of the space there is a pile of stone rubble, above which is a blocked hole in the ceiling, which is all that remains of the elegant spiral staircase that in happier times led upwards to the roof terraces and refreshment halls.  On the far wall, as the characters enter, there is a further pile of old detritus and broken wood, with two obvious doors. The secret door that leads to area 7 is only found after careful searching at that point (DC 17).  It is not trapped.  This was of old an entrance to the behind-the-scenes staff areas.
3	Originally these were the toilets and washrooms.  Now, however, there is a scene of rubble in each room and the wall between them has partly collapsed.  A stream of water flows along the back and into a hole at the base of the right-hand wall.
4	Store room.  Wedged and bolted from the outside.  Contains broken pieces of wood and scraps of cloth which were once brightly coloured.  Inside resides Jarred the Wererat (see NPCs from the Ziggurat adventure).  If he hears the party outside, he will take human form and cry for help.  If released he will explain he was exploring with ‘the catwoman’ when he was attacked from behind and bundled into the store room.  He will offer to help the party and claim some skills as a lock-pick. Jarred is dressed as a human adventurer in dark grey clothes with an explorer’s pack.  He carries a few shreds of food in a pouch and single dose of a potion of flying in a small phial. Jarred is not a native of Orn, and knows little of the places outside the Dry Lands, although he has seen Bodhi from a short distance away.  If he survives the adventure, he will return towards Bodhi, in the hope of preying on small game.  Eventually, however, he is likely to make his way to Bar-Alda.
5	Store room.  Scraps of wood and sacking scattered across the floor.
6	At this point the water that streams through room 3 trickles down a vertical shaft to Level 4. In the vertical shaft there lives an Aquatic Ghoul. (see 5e PotA)  Mostly dormant, it will investigate any noise or action on Level 4.  Its only exit is on the lower Level, as described there (see Level 4(3)). On the intermediate levels, an ear pressed to the wall in the right place will hear the trickling waterfall and possibly the movement of the ghoul.
7	Old staff rest room.  Remains of a couch and table, much debilitated.  This has been chosen by Ziza the Tabaxi thief as a safe place from which to raid the complex.    For details of Tabaxi see 5e VGM.  For Ziza see NPCs from the Ziggurat adventure.  Ziza has spotted something untrustworthy about Jarred and suspects he is a lycanthrope.  She has therefore imprisoned him while she works out what - if anything - to do with him.  She is using this room as a safe base for the exploration of the shrine.  She will not make herself known to the party, but will attempt to watch their endeavours.  She will follow them at a distance if and when they leave.   If they discover the secret door, she will back away, and exit through the door on Level 2.  This will allow her to continue to keep an eye on the adventurers, unseen. So far, she has avoided Level 4 as she senses evil there.  She has worked out that the giant turtle is occupied by the Kenku (see Level 2), and is pondering what, if anything, to do about it.

 

 

Level 2

This level is usually reached from Level 1 by ramps and steep steps.  It is 30’ below level 1.

1

Viewing gallery.  This is the upper gallery of those which look out over the great Hall of the Shrine.   There is a 4’ high stone parapet topped by a stained brass rail, beyond which can be seen the remnants of the great armoured War Turtle, Maþak that was defeated by Bryþnor. On a plaque, on the wall, is carved the name of the War Turtle in capitals, MAÞAK, with beneath it the line: Bryʒt Bryþnor tuk hys myʒty swerd This is a line from the once-famous ‘Lai of Bryþnor’ which tells how he halted the depredations of the rebel Githyanki by taking up arms and personally slaying their chief war turtle. (For a discussion of the orthography and language used in Bryþnor's time, see The Language of Empire). The turtle is covered in armour of brass and leather, with a steel headpiece. Looking down, there is a sense of a red glow far below (see Level 4).  Looking up, the roof is 25’ above the floor level of the gallery. If investigated carefully, the adventurers will spy a long, slender rope dropping 20’ from the centre of the brass rail, with a hook on the end. The secret door, which leads to the staff stairs up and down, is only found after careful searching (DC 18).

2

The great war turtle, Maþak.    This great model is made from a steel frame, over which the preserved skin and shell of the turtle were placed.  The eyes are large blue topazes.  The whole is hollow, and suspended on strong wires which have stretched a little over the intervening years.  The turtle cants slightly to the right, and is overall around 5’ lower than when originally installed. It measures just over 200’ from nose to tip of the tail, and 140’ from claw to claw across.  A flock of six Kenku have made camp inside the huge beast.  They get across to it using the ropes from the viewing gallery, and leave by jumping to the stump of bridge at Level 3 (1) or using the rope at Level 3 (2).   They are working up the courage to approach the shrine on Level 4. Kenku for details see 5e MM. The flock are led by <Clatter of Tin Can Being Kicked>, who has trained as a thief. For details, see Orn NPCs from the Ziggurat adventure.  The flock has six silver-tipped arrows between them. The Kenku will try to keep quiet and not be noticed.  If challenged, they will talk, repeating back phrases the adventurers use.  This is likely to be very annoying.  Eventually, the players may realise that the Kenku are somewhat selective about the words and phrases they repeat when they are trying to convey meaning.

 

Level 3

This Level, 30’ below Level 2, is reached by steep steps.  

Originally this led to a delicate bridge which ran beneath the carcass of Maþak and above the tomb of Bryþnor.  The architect called it the ‘Bridge of Balance.’  This has since collapsed, making it difficult to reach the tomb below.

1	Similar to the gallery above, but the parapet is pierced with an opening that originally led to the bridge.
2	The other end of the bridge led to a second mezzanine viewing gallery similar to this one, but with a different arrangement of stairs.  This is indicated on the map. The Kenku have attached a slender rope from the turtle’s tail to the brass rail of this gallery.

 

Level 4

This level is sixty feet below the galleries of Level 3.  Sensitive characters will notice a feeling of foreboding and possible evil.

1	Entrance Stairs. The stairs from Level 3 (2) were originally the entrance to the tomb level.  They ended in a path, picked out in dimly-glowing red lights on the floor, leading to the Tomb.  A pair of those lights remain working, after all this time.
2	The Tomb of Bryþnor. This has a copper covered stone base with inward slanting walls, topped by a pyramid of solid gold.   Great brass double doors face the stairs, they stand half open.  A gentle red glow comes from within (a continuation of the pathway). It is clear that when the bridge fell, some damage was done to the tomb.  The pyramid is crushed and askew, and one of the doors is half off its hinges.  Stone and glass debris lies all round.   On the lintel above the doorway is carved “Bryʒt Bryþnor.” Characters entering the building will see, in the centre of the sepulchre, a statue of the great Gith, in gold, sitting upon his throne on a raised dias.   He is wearing hunter’s clothes and holds a sceptre in one hand. He has a bow across his knees.  A stone has fallen from the roof and has badly bent the bow.  The sceptre has at its head a large ruby, this is a magic Gem of Bravery.  Beyond the dias, embedded in the ground is his tomb.  His name, again, is etched on the stone lid of the sarcophagus.  Beside this is the tomb of the love of his life, the witty and clever Kellþon. Originally, his two oldest servants, Khevan and Kobo, were buried with him, in raised sarcophagi on stone plinths on either side of his throne.  However, the collapsing bridge has resulted in disruption and both have broken open.  Their disturbed souls now haunt the tomb as wights. (See 5e MM ) - apart from weaponry. Attacks: Sword  +4 to hit reach 5ft, 1d8+2 damage or Life draining touch +4 to hit reach 5’ hit 1d6+2, necrotic.  DC 13 save vs Con.  or the victim's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.                                 HP 45, 48  The wights will move to attack anyone who enters the tomb, and once disturbed Kobo will move around most of Level 4, avoiding the hole, for the following week.  Khevan will remain in the Tomb as a defender unless Kobo is destroyed, in which case he will move as freely across Level 4 as Kobo.  They will not attempt to leave the Level, either via the stairs or the hole, nor will they walk across the pool of water. If the Kenku witness the characters in battle with the wights, <Clatter of Tin Can Being Kicked> may try to help with a sneak attack from above, using his bow and a silver arrow. The wights are currently disturbed, as a Kenku thief explored the tomb a few hours earlier.  Her dead body lies on the floor of Level 4.  See 6, below.   Therefore, for the coming week, the wights will be active.
3	Pool fed by the water trickling down from Level 1.  Here the floor has buckled and forms a shallow basin, and there is a hole in the wall, beneath the surface of the water. If there are sounds on Level 4, eg caused by combat or characters talking, the aquatic ghoul will investigate, and will attack warm-blooded creatures opportunistically.  Aquatic Ghoul.  Medium undead, chaotic evil.  Behaviour, actions and stats as in 5e PotA. If a character is successfully paralysed, the ghoul will attempt to drag it into the pool, and into the vertical shaft, where it will be consumed.
4.	Collapsed floor and deep hole. The hole opens to a shaft 80’ deep with rocky sides, and ends in a slope of rubble at its foot.  This rubble has blocked one route through the Mole’s lair, and only the deeply sloping tunnel described at 5 below can be navigated.
5	Mole’s tunnel This slopes sharply downwards, through heavily compacted soil and rock.   Point (a) marks where this tunnel joins the plan of Level 6.
6	At this point lies the body of a dead Kenku thief, <Sound of Sword Being Sheathed>.   While investigating the brass doors of the tomb, she was killed by life draining touch, by the wight of Kobo.  Within the next 20 hours, her corpse will reanimate as a Kenku zombie unless the wight is destroyed. Kenku Zombie. Medium undead. Neutral evil.    Detailed appearance, stats and behaviour as Zombie MM 5e apart from weaponry. Attacks: Kenku Sword +4 to hit reach 5ft Hit 5 (1d6+3) piercing damage   CR 1/4       70 XP

 

Levels 5 and 6

Levels five and six show a very few of the tunnels of Taupi. These have walls of compacted earth and rock, and seem moderately safe. 

1

Reached via junction a The Mole’s Stores.  This is a chamber which was once packed full of foodstuff – notably paralysed giant worms and woodlice.  However, few of these remain, as they have been consumed by Taupi when waking irregularly and briefly during his hibernation.

2

Nest (Level 6) Finally, in this small nest can be found Taupi and twenty-five forest dwarves, all still sleeping through the Major Great Winter. Taupi, Giant Mole, see NPCs from the Ziggurat adventure.  Taupi is a brave and generous friend, who cares for those who care for others. But, as a creature who has lived for so long, he has little attention span for the immediate or the pressing; his short-term memory is patchy at best (he may, indeed, forget his new-found friends). A typical encounter with Taupi, by those who know him well, begins with them reminding him who they are. This deep and complex network of tunnels includes his private Library (which he will not show the characters), and many of his home comforts.   He will tell the adventurers that he personally remembers the great gith (or giþ as they spelt their name all that time ago) who is buried in the Tomb complex, and who led a unified nation of Githyanki and Githzerai for many years on Orn, creating a realm of toleration, peace and plenty.   However, after his departure, the gith of Orn schismed once again, and in the last years only one small outpost of gith were known of, living high on Bodhi.   Taupi calls the Bodhi by the name of ‘The Tree of Peace’.  Upon the discovery of the dwarves, the enchantment put upon the dwarven object by the Elven Master fades and disappears.

 Having found Taupi (or, indeed, τπ) and the dwarves, the characters have several options available to them.

1)      The forest dwarves are exceptionally weak and tired, after suffering the winter, journey and long sleep.  They need food and rest to recover.

If they can be nourished, within a day or so they will begin planning a return to the Hold of Azak-Rakar to begin the task of rebuilding and refurbishment.  

Taupi may scavenge for food underground.

However, the dwarves will not wish to return to Bar-Alda with the characters.  They are keen to return to their home.  In this situation, the adventurers (plus any additional people they have befriended during the adventure) will be asked to go across country to the elven village, and let them know that the dwarves have returned and that a discussion by emissary would be most welcome.  

If the characters agree to this then the dwarves will craft a small token from a scrap of cherry wood that one of them is carrying.  This depicts an acorn and is surrounded by the four letters A-R-B-A for their respective societies.

The characters may also  hear of the calm Great Tree Bodhi from Taupi, and they may wish to make the journey to see it.

The dwarves have weapons and their most valued treasures with them, and they will be grateful to Taupi and the adventurers.  

They will not ask for the return of the object the characters were using to find the dwarves, and as a further token of gratitude the dwarven lord Kalabaxi will offer the characters a magic sword which is the companion to the +1 dagger in the dwarf hold (which they may already have).  

Kalabaxi Forest Dwarf, see NPCs from the Ziggurat adventure

The Return

As explained, having found the Forest Dwarves, there are a series of possible options available to the party.

The Next Day or So.

Firstly, it will probably take the dwarves a couple of days to recover from their hibernation and regain their strength.  

If they decide to wait for them to recover properly, the adventurers may wish to fully explore the Ziggurat, if there are areas they have previously missed.

Alternatively, they may decide  to spend a day or two exploring the Dry Lands, or even trekking to see the great Tree in their centre, Bodhi.  One or two of the characters they encounter in the Mausoleum may have discussed this with them.

This will involve a difficult journey across rocky, dry lands through the mists, There is little running water.  There are scrawny shrubs and the odd olive or fig tree.  And desert creatures may be spotted.  Bodhi is another Great Tree, but without roots above ground.  It is a pale brown bole, heading up to the sky, with a diameter of about a mile.  Only the hardiest plants grow on its sheer surfaces.

Of all earthly trees, Bodhi most resembles a desert Joshua Tree, with few branches below the cloud cover and dark green, bayonet-shaped leaves.   

Within 200 yards of the Trunk, and for a height of a mile, there is a Zone of Peace.  Any creature approaching within this zone will feel an overwhelming sense of serenity and calm.  They will feel at peace with all around them.  Any living creature or intelligent automata which wishes to attack or otherwise engage combat with another being in this zone must make a successful Wisdom DC 22 save, or feel too much at peace to do so.  

Creatures attacked in this zone can defend themselves, and that defence can include striking their opponent with weapons or spells.  But once the attack ends they cannot retaliate.  Because of this, Bodhi has in the past been a place of pilgrimage, with a reputation for contemplation and spirituality; visitors come looking for wisdom or enlightenment.

Taupi can indicate the route to Bodhi, but apart from that, navigation will be down to the players.  Here is a sketch from his instructions:-

Creatures  of the Bodhi and the Dry Lands

There are fewer creatures in the areas around Bodhi, and the struggle for existence is harsher.  

In the Dry Lands, there is little water and only scrubby, desert-adapted vegetation.  Creatures include:

Giant Scorpions

Stirges

A nest of sidewinder snakes             

A large, ancient olive tree, with a Dryad.  She will be defensive and unhelpful.

 Giant Vultures

On the lower heights of Bodhi a few thrawn trees cling upon shelves and in narrow crevices.  Possible encounters include:

Giant Eagles

A Couatl

A Chimera

Giant Eagles

Giant Vultures

A Skyshark nest 

If the characters have obtained one of the witches brooms, and discovered the command word, one of their number may decide to fly up the trunk for a few hundred feet, exploring the lower parts of the trunk.

The Dwarves

The Forest Dwarves will want to stick together, and return to their Hold. They won't be tempted by an initial visit to Bar-Alda.  They say they will 'send envoys in due course' - once their old Hold has been made sound.

This may mean that the adventurers will instead decide to set off back to Bar-Alda immediately, without waiting for the Dwarves to recover.  Alternatively, they may wait until the Dwarves are fully fit before leaving.

Back to Bar-Alda

How will the party find the way back?  If they were clever, before they left they could have asked Gerion for an enchanted  token belonging to one of the elves from the village, which they could then use to help return; using the token to find its elvish owner.  Or Gerion could have proposed this device.  

That is probably the most straightforward way.  Otherwise, there may be difficulties setting and sticking to the correct route.  If they lose their route, the journey could take significantly longer.

Taupi will probably accompany the dwarves back to their Hold above ground.  He could do with some open air.  In which case, the Dwarves can make half of the journey together with the adventurers, and the Great Mole has a strong sense of direction.  So they might travel a good few miles in the right direction before striking out on their own.

If the adventurers can reach the Taiga, they should be able to find their way to the village.

Again, the party should avoid the Wyldwood, and take a slightly more circuitous route, or there could be another encounter with the witches.

There may of course be other mechanisms for navigating back to Bar-Alda, which the characters can devise.

Possible occurrences on the journey might be taken from A Series of Unlikely Incidents.

Upon Return to Bar-Alda

Gerion will be exceptionally pleased to hear of the survival of the Forest Dwarves, although may appear slightly less happy to hear of Taupi (whom he always found to be difficult, and has history with).

He considers sending an envoy to the Dwarf Hold soon.

The Next Adventure is the Trip to the Ironwood.