Wine Harvest

Set Up

* The PCs are approached in the city of Greyhawk by Burrbarr Drenn, a wine merchant and vintner. Burrbarr offers the PCs 50 gp each to return with him to his vineyard and stop the creature (or creatures) that have recently been dam aging his vines.

* PCs in search of employment are of fered 20 gp, board. and lodgings to assist with the grape harvest at Burrbarr Drenn's vineyard.

The Lair

Burrbarr Drenn 's vineyard is located in the Cairn Hills northeast of the city of Greyhawk, although it could just as easily be located in any hilly area not too far from civilization. Drenn's vineyard sweeps across the south-facing slopes of a broad and lightly forested valley. The vineyard is quite remote, the nearest human settlements being a good six hours ride away.

For five successive nights now, vines in the eastern portion of the vineyard, heavy with ripening and ripened grapes, have been trampled and badly damaged. Great swaths of destruction lead from the eastern wall of the vineyard and randomly up and down the terraced slope. Also in the southeastern comer of the vineyard, down by the river, the vines have systematically been stripped of their fruit.

At first Burrbarr sent his hired hands out to patrol the eastern portion of the vineyard, but they now refuse to leave the bunkhouse after dark, reporting that the vines themselves snaked out to snare them, strangely colored lights darted to and fro at the edge of their torchlight, snatches of eerie music wafted on the night breeze, and frenzied screams and shouts could be heard somewhere out there in the dark.

Burrbarr's bunch and are convinced that some dreadful band of spirit creatures has come to claim the vineyard. So far the incidents have happened reasonably far from the farm buildings, so they haven't got scared enough to pack their bags and leave, but they do make sure they are off the vine terraces and firmly barricaded into their bunkhouse well before sunset.

The real cause of the disturbances is actually more bizarre. The valley to the east of Burrbarr's vineyard is seldom visited by human settlers. The terrain is rugged and heavily forested. A small clan of goblins has dwelt for several years in a deep cave in the valley only a mile or so from the vineyard's eastern boundary. These goblins have been living a quiet peaceable existence; hunting is plentiful in the valley and so long as they avoid attracting the attention of their human neighbors, they can just get on with their lives in peace and guard the great sacred stone of their ancestors.

All was fine until a few weeks ago when a faerie dragon named Tummbutt and a merry band of leprechauns wandered into the valley. Not only did they discover vines laden with fruit, but they also encountered the band of goblins that was determined to be left alone. Five nights ago Tummbutt used telekinesis to steal the goblin's sacred ancestor stone and, pursued by the clan of screaming and frantic goblins, rolled the stone down the valley and into the vineyard.

When the spell expired, the goblins got their stone back, but they were harassed all the way back to their cave by the leprechauns and faerie dragon with an awesome array of pranks and practical jokes. In fact, the night was such fun that Tummbutt and the leprechauns have played the same trick every subsequent night and will probably continue doing so for many more to come. In turn, the poor old goblins, with no defense against such elaborate trickery, fear the setting of the sun and the inevitable chasing of the stone down the valley.

Terrain: Hills

Total Party Levels: 6 (Average 1st)

Total gp: Variable

Monster XP: 5,430

Getting Started

The PCs should arrive at the vineyard in the early afternoon with enough time to make a few cursory investigations of the scene of the disturbances. If the PCs question the men, their answers are extremely vague. There is considerable confusion as to the actual sequence of events during the night they spent out there, but it seems as if the whole vineyard practically came alive (and, of course, their accounts are considerably embellished to make them seem more courageous in the eyes of the PCs than they actually were). The DM should give their varied accounts a strong impression of the supernatural-the hired hands are, after all, convinced that some strange and malignant force lurks out there in the eastern part of the vineyard.

lf the PCs visit the southeastern part of the vineyard where the vines are reported to have been stripped of their fruit, they find small piles of grapes freshly picked from the vines. They also get the impression of small movements and rustling m the surrounding vegetation, but they cannot pinpoint the source. (The leprechauns and Tummbutt spend the day here lying by the river and feasting on the grapes. They are careful, however, and have guards posted who warn of any approach. If alerted by their guards they all tum invisible and hide themselves from prying eyes.)

In the eastern portion of the vineyard where the vines have been trampled and flattened, the PCs discover that the seemingly random trails of destruction all emanate from the same point on the east ern boundary wall. The wall itself is only about four feet high and made from loose stones piled on top of one another.

The wall serves to mark the boundary, not to keep any creatures in or out.

Beyond the wall numerous game trails crisscross the slopes and lead into the denser woodland further up the valley. Rangers investigating the destruction in the vineyard or the trails beyond the eastern wall discover a large number of small humanoid tracks. The sheer number of prints (and the fact that the goblins were running back and forth and up and down and here and there, all accompanied by screaming and frenzied activity) means that no definite trail can be followed away from the vineyard.

The PCs may decide to search the valley away from the vineyard, in which case the DM should feel free to include a minor encounter with some of the varied game animals that frequent the valley, and maybe even discover a few crude traps and snares (set by the goblins), but the PCs should not be allowed to find the goblins cave at this stage.

The PCs will probably decide to stage an ambush at the crossing point on the eastern boundary wall as night falls. Tum mbutt and his leprechaun cronies once agam taunt the goblins out of their cave and lead them the usual merry chase down the valley and into the vineyard. Both Tummbutt and the leprechauns are invisible so PCs waiting in ambush see only a huge wheel-shaped stone (six feet in diameter), carved with crude runes, come hurtling out of the undergrowth pursued by 16 screaming goblins.

If the PCs are in ambush positions, Tummbutt rolls the stone directly at one of the concealed characters unless that PC Jumps immediately out of the way, he must roll a successful Dexterity check to avoid being hit by the stone fora glancing blow of 1d4 points of damage. The moment the PCs break cover, the goblins come to a sudden halt and the stone crashes on down the hillside. The goblins have no wish to fight and tum and flee.

The faerie dragon and his gang view this turn of events as a welcome source of further amusement and the whole scene quickly degenerates into chaos. The lep rechauns cast pyrotechnics spells to liven things up, Tummbutt casts his polymorph other spells on PCs to tum them into goblins. The faerie dragon and the leprechauns have no desire to see any violence take place and thus if the PCs pursue the goblins with obvious hostile intent, the pranksters cast entangle spells to immobilize the PCs.

Subsequent events are largely dependent on the PCs. Tummbutt and the leprechauns have completely forgotten, for the time being anyway, about the stone and the goblins, having found something new (the PCs) to entertain them. They now head off to plan some spectacular pranks involving the PCs.

The goblins in tum are furious at having lost their sacred stone and are preparing to attack the vineyard the next night.

The PCs are in a tricky situation. Apart from the fact that two of their number may now be goblins, to all intents and purposes, they must still find some way of stopping further damage to the vineyard.

Negotiation is really the key to the suc cessful completion of this adventure. The PCs must persuade Tummbutt and the leprechauns to leave the goblins alone and tum their compamons back into hu mans again. Tlus 1s gomg to take excep tional flattery and good humor on the PCs' part as they are subjected to partic ularly intense practical joking while they attempt the negotiations.

The goblins are going to take a bit more pacifying. Ideally, the PCs should persuade Tummbutt to return the stone and apologize, but the goblins still demand a guarantee to be left in peace in the future. If the PCs fail to reach a compromise, then the goblms will march on the vineyard the next evening, first to retrieve their sacred stone and second to destroy the farm and eliminate all those who now know of their presence in the vineyard.

Goblins (15): AC 6; MV 6; HD 1; hp 5 each: THAC0 19: # AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (short sword or spiked club Int Low; AL LN(E SZ S; XP 15 each

Goblin Leader: AC 4: MV 6: HD 2; hp 16: THAC0 18; #AT 1: Dmg 1d6 + 1 (mace + 1 Int Average; AL LN(E): SZ S: XP 35

The goblins' treasure is kept in two locked chests hidden behind some rocks at the end of their cave. The treasure amounts to 230 gp, 500 sp, and 1,200 cp. There is also one piece of jewelry worth 750 gp, a hat of disguise, and four pieces of incense of meditation.

Tummbutt. Faerie Dragon: AC 5 (1 when invisible): MV 6, Sw 24; HD 9-10 hp; hp 10; THAC0 17; #AT 1 ; Dmg 1d2; SA breath weapon, spell use; SD invisibility; MR 60%; Int High; AL CG; SZ S; XP 3.000.

Typical spells: Wizard: dancing lights ( x 2). sleep, unseen servant, forget, pyrotechnics ( x 3), phantasmal force, slow ( x 2), polymorph other ( x 2), telekinesis; Priest: entangle ( x 2), faerie fire ( x 2). charm person or mammal, obscurement, trip, warp wood, plant growth ( x 3), call woodland beings.

Tummbutl 's treasure is buried in a bag of holding in the river bank where the boundary wall joins the river. This consists of six gems (one worth 50 gp, the other five worth only 10 gp-they just looked pretty), a philter of love, a decanter of endless water, and a portable hole. The latter items Tummbutt hasn't decided what to do with just yet, but they are bound to come in useful sometime.

Leprechauns (8): AC 8: MV 15; HD 1/2 + l; hp 3 each; #AT 0; Dmg 0: SA spells; SD special; MR 80%: Int Exceptional; AL N; SZ S; XP 270 each. Spells: create illusion, invisibility, polymorph nonliving object, ventriloquism.