Vote for the Goat

Set Up

* The PCs have been hired by representatives of the Marvelous Talking Goat Party to provide security at their political rallies and escort their candidate for the forthcoming council elections as he tours the district.

* The PCs are walking through the streets in the evening when they pass what would seem to be a well-attended public meeting in a large building. All of a sudden there is a tremendous commotion within and a distressed young man with artificial goat horns strapped to his head bursts out of the building and cries out: "Help! Help! Hector's been kidnapped!"

The DM should choose a location for this adventure on the map of the Free City. The adventure is best suited to take place in the River, Artisans', or Thieves' Quarter.

Council Elections in Greyhawk

The Directing Oligarchy, in its infinite wisdom, recently passed an edict allowing for the election of local councillors to represent each of the city's quarters at the council meetings in the City Hall. While this experimental scheme is not popular with the city's guilds (who fear a dilution of their power), the scheme has been warmly received by the general population, even though such power as the councillors will wield is to be severely limited. At least the general populace will have some say in the government of the Free City.

The announcement of free elections in the city naturally attracted all the "crazies." Leading the polls in the quarter where this adventure takes place is the Marvelous Talking Goat Party (MTGP) with its candidate, Hector the Goat. Hector was once a man, but was polymorphed into a goat several years ago. Strangely enough, Hector retained the power of speech (although this is not common knowledge; he does not speak in public, despite the name of his political party) and has found that he quite enjoys being a goat. Hector enjoys massive popular support and will no doubt win the election.

However, elections are a new phenomenon in the Free City, and Hector's rivals are likely to stop at nothing to win the election for themselves .

Hector Kidnapped!

If the PCs are hired by the MTGP, they are expected to provide security (crowd control) at the public meetings that Hector attends. The speakers here are Hector's close circle of advisors (the only people to whom Hector speaks) . The PCs have been performing various run of-the-mill tasks, such as escorting Hector around the streets and in taverns and the like, and they end up at a massive rally in the evening.

The PCs are busy trying to remove the supporters of a rival candidate who have come to heckle Hector's speakers when all of a sudden, a group of 18 tasloi swings down from the rafters, snatches Hector, and makes a run for the stairs leading up from the back of the stage.

If the PCs are passing by in the street, they are informed as they enter that the kidnappers ("little monkey-things") went up the stairs at the back. In either case, the tasloi are relatively slow going up the stairs and the PCs should be able to close the distance between them.

At the top of the stairs, however, a window opens out onto the rooftops and the tasloi are more in their element. The tasloi bound off across the roofs, one group of eight detaching itself from the main band and taking up positions behind the chimneys at the peak of a nearby roof (100 feet from the meeting hall) where they use their slings to attack and slow down pursuers.

Approaching the entrenched tasloi is hazardous, and the tasloi receive a - 4 bonus to their AC for being in this cover. The DM should use the rules for climbing in the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide and should assume the rooftops are nonslippery, rough ledges for the purpose of calculating movement rates. If the DM is working directly from the maps of the Free City, he may wish to create a more detailed tactical scenario, but if the PCs move at their full movement rate, then they do not gain Dexterity bonuses to their AC; they do retain this bonus if they move at only half speed and make the most of available cover.

Once the PCs close to melee distance, the tasloi abandon their slings and fight with short spears ( + 1 bonus to attack rolls for fighting downslope, while the PCs suffer a -1 penalty). When only two tasloi remain, they try to escape, once again bounding off across the rooftops with the PCs in hot pursuit.

The DM may create additional obstacles for the PCs: unsafe roofs, running jumps to clear alleyways, and the like, but they should be allowed to follow the tasloi back to their lair. This is a circular stone tower that rises some 25 feet above the surrounding rooftops. The tasloi climb the wall of the tower to a small arched window 15 feet up and disappear from view.

Terrain: City of Greyhawk

Total Party Levels: 18 (Average 3rd)

Total gp: 0

Monster XP: 5,270

The Tower

See the accompanying map. PC thieves can climb the walls up to the window without assistance, but the other PCs may need a rope or some similar contrivance. PCs in the window are attacked by missile fire from the remaining tasloi who lurk in the rafters of the tower's roof.

Tasloi (18 less previous casualties): AC 6; MV 9, Cl 15; HD 1; hp 7 each; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (spear) or 1d4 (sling stone): SA +4 penalty to opponents' surprise roll; Int Low to Average; AL CE; SZ S; XP 35 each

To combat the tasloi the PCs are going to have to climb up into the rafters or suffer continuous missile attacks from the tasloi's slings. Unless the PCs take precautions, fighting up here on the two foot-wide rafters is exceedingly dangerous.

The DM should use the rules from the Wilderness Survival Guide for fighting while precariously balanced, pages 84 85, summarized as follows: PCs who miss with an attack, or who suffer damage equal to 10% of their total hit points while in melee must make a successful Dexterity check (roll Dex or less on 1d20) to avoid falling. If the PC in question fails the check, and the player states that the PC is trying to grab the rafter as he falls (dropping whatever items he held in his hands), he should be allowed a second check to see if he prevents himself from falling all the way to the ground.

A PC who falls suffers 2d6 points of falling damage. A PC who manages to grab hold of the rafter as he falls can drop off carefully in a subsequent round for no damage, or he can try to climb back on the rafter. However, if that PC is being attacked, he automatically loses initiative, cannot attack that round, and receives no Dexterity bonus to his AC. A PC who survives a fall to the floor and lands within ten feet of the trap door in the center of the room have further complications to deal with (see below).

From the window ledge there is a 15 foot drop to the floor. In the center of the floor there is a closed trap door (beneath which a ladder leads to the laboratory below). Standing beside the trap door is one man-sized stone statue-a stone golem, named Agahr, whose instructions are to attack anything that approaches within ten feet of the trap door (the tasloi know this, and they also know that the instructions exclude anyone who is wearing the ring of protection from Agahr, which is in the chamber below).

Agahr, Stone Golem: AC 5; MV 6; HD 14; hp 60; THAC0 7; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 + 2; SA slow one opponent every second round; SD immune to most spells and to weapons of less than + 2 enchant ment; Int Non-; Al N; SZ L: XP special

The party is not expected to defeat Agahr-and if the PCs are prudent, they won't even try to do so. If everyone stays at least ten feet from the trap door, Agahr will not attack. Examining the golem closely will reveal that the letters A G-A-H-R are carved into its forehead. It will respond to simple one-word commands preceded by its name (such as "Agahr. stop!"). but it will not leave the room it is in. Solving this puzzle is worth 5,000 XP. Destroying the golem will not earn PCs any XP, but they may have to take this option if they don't figure out how to control it.

The trap door opens to reveal a ladder that leads down into a darkened room. Shutters have been closed over the two windows in the chamber and the only illumination comes from a single candelabra on a long, low workbench. Pacing up and down the center of the room is Hector, the goat. Hector takes one look at the PCs, snorts, and then berates the PCs for their tardiness: "Well, you certainly took your time, didn't you? I could have been curried or roasted on a spit by now! Oh, and if you're looking for the arch mage (snort of derision) behind all this, he's over there in the closet."

True enough, the culprit is cowering in the closet on the other side of the room. The "archmage" is none other than Turbon, an apprentice mage (0 level), whose master, Darred Hebbren, is currently out of the city on business. Turbon devised the scheme to earn himself a bit of extra gold. He intended to hold Hector for ransom (either for the MTGP to release him, or for his political rivals to pay for him to be kept out of the way till after the election). His master's charmed tasloi had been instructed to obey Turbon in his absence. Turbon pleads with the PCs not to harm him or turn him over to the Watch and offers the PCs the following magical items if they just take Hector and leave: a potion of climbing, a scroll containing the spells haste, slow, and charm monster, a wand of secret door and trap location, and a pair of bracers of defense AC 4.

Obviously, the PCs could still hand Turbon over. If not, then Turbon will pack his bags and beat a hasty retreat out of the city. Darred, his master, is going to be none too pleased when he returns to find some of his tasloi dead and his magical items stolen!