Into the Mistmarsh

The adventure begins at Peculiar Manor (any place between Fordkeep and One Ford can be substituted). The PCs are hired by a merchant of Hardby, Marsham Keldren, to recover property stolen from his barge (or wagons) by thieves, who drugged his bodyguards and stole his goods in the night. He offers 500 gp for recovery of three bales of silk, 500 gp each for the recovery of two locked boxes, and 1,000 gp for the recovery of a locked coffer which he says contains promissory notes.

Marsham gives a contact address in Greyhawk's High Quarter where the goods can be returned. He may not know the PCs, but his own men are still comatose, and hiring anyone he can find is better than doing nothing. Marsham knows that the thieves were seen rid ing horses eastward at dawn, and has also ascer tained that the horses were stolen from the town and were almost spent, so the thieves will soon have to continue on foot.

The PCs won't be able to get fresh horses at Peculiar Manor, although they can get a pony if a dwarf is among their number (otherwise, the dwarf will slow them down too much). Marsham will pay for the hire of the pony (which its owner wants back!). A basic description of the thieves is available; there were approximately eight of them, most wore leather jerkins and carried short swords, one was wholly bald.

Pursuing the thieves comprises a number of steps, each with its own encounters. For Tracking checks, assume the thieves have four hours headstart over the PCs.

The Plains: The thieves are headed for the Mistmarsh, to hide out and work their way north to the Cairn Hills. They abandon their exhausted horses 10 miles east of Peculiar Manor, then take the most direct route to the fringe of the Mistmarsh. The PCs now must track them across the plains. They can do this if they make at least one of two standard Tracking checks successfully. They encounter a group of herders (with cattle) who tell them that they saw a group matching the PCs' description forced-marching east (assuming the PCs give even a basic description—the bald man is the key; the farmers remember him).

Second Day: Around noon this day, the thieves leave the plains, enter the fringe of the Mistmarsh (within 1 hex of its edge), and move north under cover. This makes them easier to track, but harder to see from any distance. To follow them, the PCs must make a Tracking check at the edge of the Mistmarsh (treat as swampy ground for the check they can make three attempts at this, and they need only one success, so they should be able to stay on the trail.

The first encounter during this day is with militiamen from Marsh Keep. The PCs should show respect for the law and explain their purpose clearly; the militia will ask where they come from, their names, and suchlike. An XP award of up to 50 XPs is suitable for a PC who role-plays this encounter to save time while being open, honest, and polite.

The militia have not seen the thieves, and will not join the PCs; they have their own job to do. They will tell the PCs where Marsh Keep is, in case the PCs get into trouble and must flee the marsh.

The second encounter of the day is a combat encounter. The PCs come across the body of one of the thieves (not stripped of equipment; he has 20 gp and mundane equipment as the DM deems fit) lying beside a heavily reed-fringed shallow pond. As they approach to investigate (if they do), the PCs are attacked by four swamp lampreys (use standard lamprey stats.).

Lastly, at the end of the day, the PCs come across three dumped bales of silk; the weight was slowing the thieves down too much. The silk is muddy and wet underneath, but is well wrapped. These bales are worth 350 gp each in Greyhawk if sold there (Encumbrance value 150 each). The PCs may choose to steal the silk or take it back to the merchant and accept this reward alone.

As a side-encounter, in the late afternoon, a farm boy rushes toward the PCs and begs for help for his father, who has suffered a very bad leg wound from a scythe. The farm is two miles away to the northwest (away from where the PCs are going).

Assuming the PCs can do something (they have healing spells or a healing-proficient member), award 50 XPs to the PC who suggests that the skilled member of the party should deal with this while the others continue east (so as not to lose time). That PC can take the pony (not so smart unless he's a dwarf) or he can borrow a horse from the farm to catch up with the group later (award 25 XPs to a PC if he's smart enough to ask whether the farm has one which can be borrowed for this).

If a good-aligned priest who can help refuses to do so, penalize that PC by 100 XPs.

The PCs should force-march (Player's Handbook Chapter 14) this day, since the thieves will; if the players don't, the next day's Tracking checks must be made with a - 2 penalty modifier. If the PCs are following the edge of a river, add a combat encounter with two small water beetles (3HD, Dmg Id6 + 1).

Third Day: Life now gets complicated. The PCs can follow the thieves' trail, and after an hour, they find the sword-hacked bodies of two lizard men on the trail. Shortly after, they are ambushed by a group of four lizard men hiding in vegetation (+ 1 to their surprise roll unless a PC ranger is present). If at least two of the lizard men are slain, the other two will drop their weapons and beg for mercy. If they aren't killed, one of them knows a smattering of Common, and with extra hand gestures, can manage simple conversation with the PCs. Allow up to 50 XPs for a PC handling this encounter well (simple questions, straight to the point, etc.).

The lizard men captured the thieves this morning, and they have taken them to their village. They have done this because the "dead that walk and eat flesh" might accept the thieves as sacrifice and leave them alone. They wanted to capture the PCs for the same reason.

The lizard men are clearly afraid, and if released, run off into the marsh. If the PCs offer help, they are promised they will not be harmed and taken to the village. If the PCs kill these lizard men out of hand, the village encounter below will have to be handled differently, using standard encounter/reaction rules. The PCs might stage a daring raid with distractions and decoys to grab the thieves and goods, scare the lizard men away, or walk up and try to talk. Be prepared for whatever they may plan!

The village has 22 lizard men and the captured party of seven surviving thieves, bound and tied. The tribal leader tells the PCs through the "interpreter" (assuming the PCs have been brought here—if they haven't, another lizard man can play this role) of the walking dead: they are like humans, they smell bad, they can touch lizard men and then the lizard men cannot move, and they eat flesh. They raid by night, at unpredictable times.

If the PCs want the thieves, the lizard men want the PCs to help them destroy the walking dead. The lizard men will also wish to keep one of the three boxes the thieves had for them selves; they have not yet been opened. That's the basic deal.

If a PC with high Charisma and a great bluffing skill can talk the lizard men into a better deal, give him some extra XPs, but the bottom line is this: the PCs must help kill the walking dead, or the lizard men keep the boxes. Of course, the PCs may still try to sneak off at night with the goodies. Lizard man guards will be posted near the treasure at night. The lizard men are smart enough to keep guards on the hut in which the PCs are allowed to sleep.

The walking dead are a pack of eight ghouls that will raid just before dawn. Half of them attack in the region of the PCs, and half attack other camp areas where the lizard men are. Thus, the PCs must overcome four ghouls (at least).

Make a check against one-half Intelligence for each PC; those who make it see a crouched lizard man in the darkness, observing the scene. If one or more PCs wish to give chase, this is tough: make a single Tracking check with a -4 modifier and an extra -3 unless the PC has infravision. If the lizard man is slain and the tribe is shown the body, they point excitedly to a patch of purple skin on its neck and start waving weap ons and spears and getting very worked up. A tribal conflict is about to break loose.

This is the cue for the PCs to take their captives and the boxes and leave the village; if the PCs are very swift and construct a quick, smart plan (e.g., the most charismatic PC blathers to the chief and interpreter while the other PCs shove all three boxes under blankets and into packs and then they say goodbye promptly), let them get away with it, or make an appropriate check (e.g., against average lizard man Intelligence) to see if they are detected. Otherwise, they can simply have two of the three items (two boxes, one smaller coffer) as they choose. If the boxes were opened earlier (which the lizard men won't do unless the PCs demand it), the lizard men will keep the most valuable.

The PCs now have at least two boxes (one contains 250 pp; the other contains 200 pp and sealed vials of Hepmonaland fragrant oils worth 400 gp total; the coffer contains 3,000 gp in gems). They may also have the thieves. If they do, the thieves try to negotiate. Their leader, the bald man, is Curtly Prisamen, a 4th-level thief (the others are all 1st level). Curtly tries pleading with the PCs. He tells them that Marsham obtained the goods by cheating Curtly's brother, who was bankrupted and is in jail in Hardby as a result.

Curtly resorted to thievery because Marsham has enough money to bribe his way to Greyhawk and sell the goods, and it would be very hard for the theft to be proven, anyway. Curtly warns the PCs that Marsham is an evil, cheating black guard and almost breaks down with frustration and anger during his speech.

Curtly is telling the truth. Spells such as know alignment (the group are all Neutral) or ESP (suggesting that Curtly is indeed being truthful) may be useful to PCs here. The PCs now have two choices.

This adventure is suitable for PCs of levels 1- 3, total party strength of 10-14 levels (but a party of smart 1st-level PCs can succeed too). The group should have reasonable combat strengths. A priest with access to healing spells is important. A ranger will be highly useful, since Tracking proficiency checks are used. If nonweapon proficiency rules are not used, substitute Wisdom checks with a base -6 penalty modifier.

* Head for Greyhawk to return the goods to Marsham, who will pay them half of what he promised and tell them to like it (unless the PCs take careful precautions against being cheated; if so, award a 100 XP party bonus. Curtly has warned them what Marsham is like, after all).

* Head for Hardby to return the goods to Curtly's brother Iran (this will get him out of jail).

The PCs must face complications whatever they do. If they abandon or free the thieves, Curtly and his men will return before the PCs get home and stage the best ambush they can (their weapons were taken by the lizard men, but they can raid a farmhouse en route and pick up some shovels, daggers, and suchlike).

If the PCs take the thieves to Greyhawk with the goods, allow the thieves a 15% chance each night for slipping their bonds and trying to escape (improvise details as necessary; for example, all the thieves might do this, one may run off as a decoy and the rest suddenly rise up and ambush the PCs from behind as best they can). Of course, the smart thing to do is to take the thieves to Marsh Keep and have the militia there return them to Hardby to face charges of theft (award 200 XPs to the PC party if they do so).

If the PCs return the goods to Iran, Marsham will take actions against them, setting thugs and muggers on them if they return to Greyhawk. However, Curtly will reward the PCs by providing them with information about a camp in the Cairn Hills. Here, a bandit group has stashed property taken from raided merchants. Curtly suggests a joint venture to raid the bandits. Good-aligned PCs should gain 100 XPs each for returning the goods to their rightful owner (Iran neutrals should gain one-half this bonus.

Other spin-offs include investigating the tribal conflict of the Lizard Men, trying to prove that Marsham cheated Iran out of the goods the PCs have recovered, being rewarded by the Greyhawk authorities for capturing thieves (Marsham has the money and influence to make sure the charge sticks) with a possible invitation to join the Greyhawk militia, and much else.

Additional encounters could include: a combat encounter while leaving the Mistmarsh (use Random Encounter Tables a meeting with a Mountaineer Militia skypilot heading to Blackwall Keep; a meeting with other adventurers exploring one of the Mistmarsh rumors (see Atlas assisting a herder to control unruly sheep (his dog is sick and the man has been lamed by a snare; award XPs for animals recaptured! and—if heading for Greyhawk—the legendary second string job of escorting Farmer Giles' prize butternut squash to the Guild Day (see FFF, p.65).