Chapter Four: The Fugitives of Monster Land
After your last heroes banquet, you discover a fat Halfling has left a treasure map entitled “Monster Land” in your possession. You think nothing of it and stash it away in your packs for when you’re bored and extremely low on cash which probably won’t be for some time now, considering the massive amount of loot you brought back on your last adventure.
Unfortunately, news soon gets out to the king of the land of Sileeria that you’ve killed his son, the prince, who the king didn’t know was evil. This sets him into a mad rage and he sends squads of death knights after you. It appears you’ll need to lie low for awhile or perhaps go give the king a licking.
If the PCs choose to fight the Death Knights they come in infinite squads of 10 in as many groups as you wish. Death Knight Squad: RR 18 HP 30 Damage 1d6+8 Speed: 4 Gold: 100 XP: 1,000 for all ten. Once per day a Death Knight can shoot a dark beam bolt which deals 1d6 damage automatically to any character. They usually use this as their lead off attack.
If the PCs decide to confront the king, see below. If they check out their treasure map, they find it leads to an unknown land where no one will be able to find them, full of monsters and suchlike.
The King
The King’s castle is heavily defended by magic, guards, and catapults. They must defeat at least 10 battalions of 1,000 troops to confront him. Troops RR 30 HP 100 Damage 10d6 Speed: 3 Gold: 1,000 XP: 1,000.
The King himself is only hp 1 RR 10 and carries a sword. If he’s killed his advisors take his place and so on and so forth. He tells the PCs if they can find proof his son was evil such as the abused princess, the giant demon skull, or a magical recording; then he’ll take the bounty off their heads.
The Map
Through rumors and suchlike the PCs learn there is a bounty on their head set by the king and to prove their innocence they must find either the Giant Demon skull or the Princess who the Prince, Death Ray, was to marry.
The Princess’ Hovel
It appears the princess was living in a mud hovel. She was a farmer. Her father cries and pats one of his pigs on the back. “They’ve taken her, my poor, poor, Susan.”
After some brow beating the PCs can learn that the ‘who’ is a band of trolls, goblins, and pixies out of Monster Land who go by the name of “The Brady Bunch”.
The Giant Demon Skull
Some cursory excavations reveal that someone’s dug up and stole the Giant Demon Skull. This is very unfortunate and also begs the question “What the heck for?” You do manage to dig up a bag of pearls worth at least 20,000 gold coins, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time after all.
Monster Land
You should doodle the whole 10 areas of monster land on your made up map however you like. The terrain is roughly barren desert filled with wandering monsters and if the PCs choose to confront any of these monsters they generally blindly attack, drink booze, snarl, and otherwise ignore the PCs and their questions. They have no treasure but they fight viciously. Monster RR 15 HP 13 Damage 1d6 Gold: 0 XP: 100.
Area 1
You see smoke trailing up into the sky and over the next hill wafts the scent of salted pork and mutton being roasted over fire. You can see below you several miniature hide tents and about a hundred goblins generally living it up and partying. They’ve captured a group of 12 humans who they’ve stripped of everything of value and are amusing themselves by poking the humans with long sticks.
10 Goblins RR 13 HP 15 Damage 1d8 Speed: 2 XP: 300. Gold: 10
The goblin chief wears a huge headdress of millions of multicolored feathers and each feather gives him a magical curse he can fling on any PC who fails his RR 16 challenge (otherwise stats as 10 goblins). Apart from his magic feathers he also carries a potion which cures 20 hp, an antidote, and a ring which transforms the owner into an eagle and back at will.
If freed the leader of the naked human men says:
“Thank you, noble sirs, for saving us. We would have been dead within the night. Those sticks sure hurt.” He hands you a piece of parchment with a pained expression. It bears a remarkable picture of your band of heroes and the words “Reward: freakin’ lots of gp for these felons dead or alive. They killed my son. Signed: The King.”
“Tough luck mates,” the man says.
If questioned further he tells the PCs he saw a band of trolls, pixies, and goblins all wearing red scarves and bandana’s heading north with a young woman in a wedding dress and carrying a huge demon skull with a magical sledge. He’s also heard rumors that there’s a great treasure buried somewhere in monsterland.
Area 2
You enter a huge magical enchanted forest and see a lot of deer and small fluffy rabbits. You get a very bad feeling about this.
RR 14 wilderness lore or become lost. RR 15 Monty Python Rabbit hp 15 Damage 1d6+10 Speed: 7 Gold: 0 xp: 2,000
The forest is swarming with nymphs, dryads, sirens, harpies, and really buff centaurs. If the PCs don’t roll at least one 17 Social diplomacy or similar check the women seduce them all and lead them to their dooms (mental save to escape alive with 1 hp and nothing but rags of clothes).
A woman with an apple pie and 7 dwarves also attack the PCs. Dwarf: RR 10 HP 1 Gold: 100 Damage 1d6 Speed: 2 XP: 500.
Woman with Apple Pie: RR 17 or sings and summons killer animals Damage 3d6 subdual (knock out) HP 24 Gold: 1,000 speed: 3 XP: 2,000. If captured she steals all the PCs money and sweet magic stuff, gives him a magic pie and a kiss, and kicks him out of the forest. She summons 7 new dwarf bodyguards within 24 hours.
Area 3
You see a sign marked “Monster Ville” and soon enter a huge village of all kinds of monsters. None of them seem interested in fighting you. They have slave markets of humans, restaurants with unspeakable dishes, and plenty of weapons and black markets out in the open.
The PCs can shop around, yell at the monsters who yell back, pick a fight with dragons, ogres, demons or whatever they feel like. Or just generally make a mess of things. A RR 15 rumor gather or equivalent lets the PCs discover that the Brady Bunch of pixies, goblins, and trolls headed east here.
Freeing all the slaves causes a large ruckus and it’s quite possible the PCs might burn down monsterville and make themselves fugitives with bounties on their heads in two lands.
Area 4
This part of your map appears to have drool on it. As you’re cleaning it, a bounty hunter jumps out at you from behind and screams a deadly war cry.
The bounty hunter is dressed in green camo and has a crossbow, a dagger, and a sword. Bounty Hunter HP 24 RR 17 Damage 3d6 Speed: 3 Gold: 500 XP: 3,000 His crossbow is enchanted to shoot magma arrows which ignore all normal armors, and his dagger returns to his hand when thrown. His sword has an annoying Japanese accent, but is otherwise unhelpful.
The Bounty Hunter is named Jed and explains about the reward on the PCs heads. They must either find a giant demon skull or the princess to proclaim their innocence. Unfortunately the Brady Bunch seems to have beat them to both.
Anyone who rolls a perception check RR 16 or Tracking RR 10 spots a trail of footprints which leads to a giant x marked on the ground. Digging down reveals a huge treasure chest full of swag which was formerly owned by some band of pirates or other. The PCs can find just about any kind of treasure they want or can carry in the chest, but it’s far too big and heavy to bring with them. There’s roughly 100,000 gp worth of loot. Among the magical treasures are: a cloak of invisibility (as per the power), wand of fireballs, crystal ball, light saber, machine gun (1 clip), and a magical statue of a fish which turns into a flying killer fish which obeys the master A. +2 Damage 1d10 HP 24 Speed: 4 fly
Area 5
A huge ocean of water. Must make a boat Construction RR 15 or swim RR 20 to get across to the other side.
Area 6
You enter a vast warren of caves and smelly dirt piles with mounds of dung atop them. It appears you’ve found the land of the orcs.
The orcs g
enerally run around screaming, and burn and pillage the nearby villages of the goblins and various other monsters of your own creation. Questioning of anyone in the area reveals the orcs stole the giant demon skull from the Brady Bunch of pixies, trolls, and goblins who still have the princess. If the PCs can get the Demon Skull they can prove their innocence to the king.
Band of 10 Orcs RR 16 HP 15 Damage 2d6 Speed: 3 Gold: 5 XP: 200
The orc chief guards the demon skull which is his newest and most prized possession. He has a huge axe about as big as an ox-pulled-cart and his muscles are so huge he can actually wield it. Orc Chief RR 18 HP 35 Damage 3d6 Speed: 3 Gold: 500 XP: 2,000
His axe deals +1d6 damage on a hit but requires a physical strength score of at least +10 to wield properly. The Demon Skull is huge and without the magical sledge of the Brady Bunch it may be impossible for the PCs to bring it back to Sileeria. Also, there’s still the princess who needs saving.
Area 7 Goblin Lands
The lands of the goblins are a sorry bunch of run-down buildings with holes in the walls, sewage in the streets, and a general lack of hygiene and clothes other than loincloths. Before you know it about 10,000 goblins are staring evilly down at you. You’re amazed they managed to find you so fast, but since it’s been a week since you’ve last eaten you’re kind of hungry too.
The goblins worship the PCs as gods and lavish all manner of things on them. Money, food, servants, whatever. The Goblins hardly have anything good but they expect their new ‘masters’ to provide them with a better way of life and lead them to victory. When the PCs leave the goblins think they’re going on a great pilgrimage and follow after them to annoy them and generally cause problems.
Area 8
You enter a frozen tundra and nearly freeze to death, but after a week of travel the ice fades away to be replaced by strange magical pools of water of various colors bubbling scintillatingly.
Anyone who bathes in the magical pools or drinks of the water is struck with one or more of the below magical effects:
Super Strength +2 damage +5 Strength based checks, Invulnerability (1 day), turned into a toad (1/2 hp and ribbits), magical x-ray and telescopic vision, ability to fly, totally drugged out (1 day), or turned to stone (1 minute).
Area 9
This lush tropical jungle appears to be an ideal promised land for goblins. If the PCs have any with them they joyously settle into their new home. The trail of the Brady Bunch leads here and through a last stack of vines and misty jungle fumes the PCs come upon a small campfire around which a single troll, a goblin, and 2 pixies crouch eating meat. The princess is nowhere in sight.
The Brady Bunch is psychotic and attacks anyone and anything on sight.
Bob “The Troll” RR 20 HP 60 Regeneration 2d6 per round Damage 2d6 claw or bite Speed: 4 Gold: 1,000 and potion of regeneration 2d6 for 10 rounds. XP: 4,000. Fire or Acid makes Bob the Troll ferociously strong and enraged giving him +5 damage and +2 RR but any frost attack deals x4 damage to him and causes him to whimper in pain (and bypasses his regeneration). He informs any he battles, “I’m going to eat you, Peasant.”
Dixie “The Goblin” This female goblin wears a little pink dress. She wields two daggers in battle and shrieks in a high whiny voice. RR 17 HP 17 Damage: 1d6+2 dagger and 1d6+2 second dagger. If she flanks anyone she deals an extra +3 damage to them automatically each round. She has 2 free dodges of any attack per day. Speed: 2 Gold: 2,000 and love potion mental save to resist. She screams, “Die, die, die!” in battle. XP: 2,000
Mike and Pig “Pixies.” Both of these flying little pixies are RR 15 HP 15 Damage 1d6+2 Speed: 6 fly Gold: 1 and a tiny diamond worth 100 gp. They have a strange magical bond that keeps one alive while the other remains. Any damage dealt to one takes no effect on it until equal damage is dealt to the other at which point they both take the damage. First line in battle when hit, “Yeah, that’s right invincible, pigs!” XP 1,000 each.
If the PCs defeat them all and roll at least RR 15 intimidate or equivalent the Brady Bunch tells them they were hijacked by orcs who stole their Demon Skull and a Blue Dragon came and took their Princess and the magical sledge they use to haul their loot.
They can provide directions to the Dragon’s Cave at Area 10
Area 10 Blue Dragon’s Cave
Deeper within the jungle you find a huge volcano with a gigantic hole in the side. A giant’s skeleton is suspended on a chain over the entry. Written into the giant’s skull are the words “Go away or end up like me.”
A short dark tunnel leads to the dragon who is sitting on his hoard with the princess in her badly beaten-up wedding dress behind him tied to a stake in the ground. The dragon’s sitting on a huge pile of gold, jewels, and plenty of magical items.
The Blue dragon is wiling to negotiate and trade the Princess for the buried pirate treasure in its entirety which the dragon’s heard about but never found. Otherwise he’ll have to be fought if the Princess is to be free. Dragon hide is also the strongest armor available in the game if anyone can manage to make some.
Blue Dragon RR 20 HP 60 Damage 2d6 to all PCs or 3d6 to one. Electrical or fire breath weapon, dragon’s choice. Speed: 24 fly 12 land Gold: 100,000 gp hoard XP: 6,000.
See invisible, saves 95%, grab +10 opposed by escape artist or Reflex save, free action eat whole for 1d6+8 damage.
If the PCs are victorious they get the girl, grab a load of treasure, and clear their names.
The dragon hoard has a load of mundane loot and the following magical items: Potions of healing 1d6 (full round to drink) x20, Staff of Magic 1 reuse of a spell per adventure, Animated Lock Picks +4 to pick lock attempts, Oil of immaterial (1 minute of insubstantial and can walk through walls), 10 Teleport tablets (can anchor to 1 area and teleport there when tablet smashed as a full round action) break another to get back, and a set of bag pipes which controls the weather. Lightning 1d6 attack when playing in a storm.
Victory!
The farmer is so pleased when you bring his daughter home that he sheds a tear and pays you 1 copper coin. “Thank you so much, fine sirs. My daughter, Susan, means everything to me.”
The PCs earn 10,000 bonus xp each for successfully completing the adventure and the king takes the bounty off their heads. For torching the monsters the King also grants each of the PCs the title of Lord of Sileeria and their very own castle strongholds to defend and administer to. See: High Level Characters Strongholds in the full Challenger book.