[D20cember] Y and Z are for Young Witches and Zombies!

Young Witches and Zombies: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
People hereabouts are claiming that three young witches are responsible for the dead rising in the Deep Forest and need to be stopped, by whatever means necessary.

Get Set:
The PCs are wandering the Deep Forest and come across a small hamlet up in arms. It seems that three local sisters, claimed to be witches by the villagers, are responsible for the dead rising. The PCs come just as the three girls are being given a "fair trial" and just before they're to be burned.

Go!:
The PCs enter a scene of chaos, a group of villagers watch and cheer as the headman pronounces a sentence of death on three young girls. The girls, Giza, Machaf and Migogo, proclaim their innocence loudly, while their captors try to shut them up. Only the PCs can stop the carnage and come to the truth.

The villagers don't start a fight with the PCs but will talk (and yell) at them, only drawing steel if they're attacked. They will let the PCs take the prisoners but not free them from their bonds. If pressed, the villagers will exclaim that one of their recent dead, farmer Turner, ended up "zombified by those demons yer protectin'!" and they'll show the PCs the dead  farmer that's an even more recently dead zombie, laid out on a funeral pyre (a pyre they were planning to throw the three witches on).

At that point, zombies attack the village. They seem intent on getting a small statue in the town square and fight anyone in their way (since the PCs and the villagers are in their way, it's a melee). As soon as two zombies get ahold of the statue, they'll continue fighting for two more rounds, then retreat with their prize, killing any who attempt to stop them.

If the PCs manage to get the statue first and make a run for it, the zombies will follow, allowing the villagers to snipe at them. Hopefully between the villagers and the PCs, the zombies can be all killed.

The villagers agree that the witches weren't responsible as the statue had some sort of hold on the zombies but no one remembers where it came from. An ancient villager, however, remembers that some heroes left it in the square about 70 years ago, when he was just a boy. The heroes found it in a treasure trove after defeating a monster up in the hills and said it had some magical powers but didn't know what it did. It always brought luck to the village, though.

Since the zombies were after it, the villagers are worried that more will come for it and that their dead aren't safely dead. They gladly give it to the PCs for either destruction or study. What the statue actually does is up to the GM but the PCs should be plagued with people (and undead) trying to steal it until they find out.

Notable NPCs:
Giza, Machaf and Migogo (Darkness, Chaos and Conflict), three young witches; Human, Witch, Level 1; Alignment: Neutral; Abilities: Strength 9, Dexterity 14, Constitution 12, Intelligence 16, Wisdom 14, Charisma 14. Armor Class: 8 (-1 Dex); Hit Dice: 1d4, Hit Points: 4, 3, 3. Attacks: dagger (1d4). Languages: Common, Demonic; Special Abilities: Spells (Charm Person*, Sleep*, Curse; * denotes prepared spell), herbal remedies and potions. Morale: 6.

Villagers (16 Normal Men); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8, 7, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2; Attacks: longbow (1d8), dagger (1d4); Save: NM; Morale: 5.

Zombies (10); Alignment: Chaotic;  Armor Class: 8; Hit Dice: 2d8, Hit Points: 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6; Attacks: club or rusty longsword (1d8); Save: F1; Morale: 12.

[Atomic Thursday] DEFCON-4

One of the better movies of the 1980s.

[D20cember] X is for X Marks the Spot

X Marks the Spot: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
Everyone loves a treasure map, especially a treasure map that looks to be the real deal.

Get Set:
The PCs come into possession of a treasure map, either from a bunch of loot in an earlier adventure or a fellow who's provided them with good intel before.

Go!:
The map leads them to a small, abandoned shrine in the hills (Tradetown or Clifton are appropriate locations). The shrine is built into a hillside and overgrown with brambles so that it is completely concealed. It has a straight layout plan with an atrium (courtyard), followed by a narthex (vestibule), a central nave, and finally a bema (altar room).

The vestibule floor is weak across it's 8 foot span, which drops down 10 feet into the old catacombs. The central nave has loose bricks in the ceiling which will fall on anyone who makes even the least bit of noise walking across it (a Silence spell would prevent this from happening). A Green Slime is on the roof of the bema, right above the archway. It will drop on anyone in the doorway, to horrifying results.

The treasure is hidden in the altar, at the base on the left side. The GM should choose a treasure that is appropriate to the campaign. When the treasure is disturbed or if someone fall into the catacombs, the guardian spirit animates some of the skeletons in the graves and they attack.

Notable NPCs:
Vestibule Pit Trap: 10 feet deep (1d6 damage).

Bricks from Ceiling: Each character in a 10 foot radius must save vs. petrify or suffer 2d6 damage.

Green Slime (1); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: NA; Hit Dice: 2d8; Hit Points: 12; Attacks: special; Save: F1; morale: 12; Special abilities: touch digests clothing and armor in 6 rounds, turns flesh into more green slime in 1d4 rounds.

Skeletons (3); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3; Attacks: short sword (1d6) or club (1d6); Save: F1; Morale: 12.

[D20cember] W is for Warband!

Warband!: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
A small warband of humanoids and renegade humans, cutting a swath through the small hamlets of the Ashford Valley, are on a collision course with our heroes!

Get Set:
The PCs are traveling through the Valley when they smell and see smoke over the next hill. A quick investigation reveals a burned farm and slaughtered livestock. There are no bodies of the farmers, though.

Go!:
The PCs have an opportunity to track the warband and put a stop to it, possibly finding survivors from their raids.

The warband consists of a human leader, Curran, his "Local Boys" (a group of human mercenaries), a couple of Bugbears and Gnolls, and a half-dozen Orcs. Curran keeps them in loot and they've been lucky the past few farms to gather a number of slaves that some of the humanoid tribes will pay well to get. So far they've got about 6 slaves in chains that they're dragging around.

Notable NPCs:
Curran (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 4 (chain & shield); Hit Dice: 3d8, Hit Points: 23; Attacks: longsword (1d8), short bow (1d6); Save: F3; Morale: 8.

Bugbears (3); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 5; Hit Dice: 3d8+1, Hit Points: 22, 20, 15; Attacks: longsword (1d8+1), longbow (1d8+1); Save: F3; Morale: 9; 50% chance to surprise enemies.

The "Local Boys" (8 Normal Men); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 6 (leather armor & shield); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3; Attacks: longsword (1d8), short bow (1d6); Save: NM; Morale: 6.

Gnolls (2); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 5; Hit Dice: 2d8, Hit Points: 12 each; Attacks: longsword (1d8+1), longbow (1d8+1); Save: F2; Morale: 8.

Orcs (6); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 6; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3; Attacks: short sword (1d6), short bow (1d6); Save: F1; Morale: 5.

[D20cember] V is for Veritas

Veritas: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
"In three things is a man revealed: in his wine goblet, in his purse, and in his wrath."

Get Set:
The PCs are in Clifton on business, trading news about their travels in the Ashford Valley to one or another of the information merchants around town or taking a well- deserved rest after a hard adventure.

An old and bitter man, filled with hate and willing to do anything to protect what he perceives as his, has made deals that he can't keep with powers he's not prepared to face. The PCs will be drawn into his sorry tale in order to protect the innocent.

Go!:
The PCs witness an argument between an old man named Leir and his daughter's paramour, Alban, which results in Alban being beaten by Leir. If the PCs intervene, they manage to stop the beating before Alban is hurt too badly.

Leir proclaims to the crowd that he will fight and kill any who try to take what is his from him and leaves, but not before giving the PCs a deathly glare, warning them to not interfere.

Later that night, Alban is attacked and disappears and all the evidence points to Leir being involved. Leir's land is a day's ride away, near the old standing stones along the Cliff edge, and Alban's family fear for him.

The PCs arrive at Leir's house as night falls, after riding hard all day. A large bonfire is lit in the middle of the standing stones. Leir is next to the altar stone, with Alban stretched upon it as Leir's daughter Liren watches helplessly on. As the PCs approach, a score of undead skeletons, armed with scythes, step from the
darkness around the stones, to block their path.

During the fighting, Leir cackles madly, waiting for the moon to reach the right point in the sky so he can sacrifice Alban to his Dark Master. He believes that if he sacrifices his daughter's love, then he will escape the doom he has brought upon himself meddling with foul evil and instead Alban will suffer the fate to which he sold his soul.

If the PCs manage to stop the ritual, destroy the undead and kill Leir before he can kill Alban, then, as Leir dies, a Darkness darker than anything the PCs have ever seen surrounds him and drags him, screaming, into the bonfire.

Notable NPCs:
Leir the Madman (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 4 (-3 Dex, leather armor); Hit Dice: 2d8, Hit Points: 15; Attacks: scythe (+3 to hit, 1d10+3), dagger (+3 to hit, 1d4+3); Save: F2; Special abilities: Strength 18, Dexterity 18 (granted by his Dark Master); Morale: 12.

Skeletons (20); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1; Attacks: scythe (1d10); Save: F1; Morale: 12.

[D20cember] U is for Under a Full (Fool) Moon

Under a Full (Fool) Moon: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
A city wererat named Janus is in love with Kima, a country girl from the Rolling Hils above Tradetown. Star-crossed lovers, their very different worlds, not to mention the whole lycanthrope thing, stand between these two. Unfortunately for Kima, Janus' twin brother Tanus has plans for the girl and they don't include just love and marriage. Her family, the Greggs, are more of a hillbilly country clan and have ideas of their own.

Get Set:
The PCs are wandering around Tradetown and the hills above, either because they're prospecting or visiting friends.

Janus love Kima but can't bring himself to make her a wererat, knowing that it will change her, irreversibly, into a creature of evil. So their relationship is truely chaste.

Kima doesn't understand why Janus is behaving the way he is, though he has explained that he's "being polite" because he care so much about her. She thinks that's city-talk for foolishness and so pressures him for the love she knows he has for her.

Tanus, thinking Janus is a fool and weak, plans to turn the whole Greggs clan, Kima first if necessary, into lycanthropes and use them as shock troops to control the Rolling Hils. He has started talking with the Greggs clan leader Markov about adding strength to their family.

Markov is a crazy son of a bitch. He survived a infection a few years ago that kills most folk and it affected his brain. He's mean and willing to do anything to gain the power he wants. Tanus he sees as a city boy, easily duped and disposed of, after he's done his deal.

Go!:
The PCs meet Kima in the Rolling Hils. If friendly, she's as friendly back and tells them her beau, Janus, is set to meet her soon. Then the Greggs show up and the tone of the day changes - The Greggs lay claim (whether it's theirs or not) to the land the PCs are on and try to force them to move along, threatening action first then only going so far as to draw (but not use unless attacked) weapons.

If the PCs back down and leave, then they spot several Greggs following them at a distance. However, if the PCs thrash the Greggs, then they've earned an enemy clan for life and pushed them towards Tanus and his evil plan.

Later, the PCs run into Kima and Janus. Janus tells them that the Greggs are really angry and wanting revenge. Kima sides with her family even while admitting that the Greggs started all the trouble. Janus warns the PCs that they should go away and take Kima with them, for her own safety. Kima refuses to go and the pair depart.

A few days later, Janus brings Kima to the PCs, hotly pursued by Markov and Tanus, with a couple of the Greggs in the mix. Janus explains to the PCs that he's a wererat and that Tanus, his twin brother, bit Kima and she needs help if she's to be cured of the disease. Wolvesbane will cure her (and any newly bit character) but only if it is administered within an hour (or maybe less) of the bite. He voices his fear that her beautiful soul will be destroyed by the lycanthrope. The PCs have very little time to help Kima while still fighting off the combined forces of Markov (now a wererat), Tanus and the Greggs. However, the party has Janus on their side.

If the PCs manage to escape with Kima, save her from the curse of lycanthrope and stop Tanus' plan and finish Markov's desire for revenge, the couple disappear later in the night, seeking a cure for Janus.

Notable NPCs:
Janus and Tanus the Wererats (2); Alignment: Chaotic (Janus is Neutral leaning); Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 3d8, Hit Points: 19 each; Attacks: bite (1d4), short sword (1d6); Save: F3; Morale: 8; Special Abilities: Lycanthropy disease may be passed on.

Markov Greggs (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 7; Attacks: rusty short sword (1d6); Save: NM; Morale: 8.

Markov Greggs the Wererat (1); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 3d8, Hit Points: 24; Attacks: bite (1d4), rusty short sword (1d6); Save: F3; Morale: 9; Special Abilities: Lycanthropy disease may be passed on.

Kima Greggs (1 Normal Woman); Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 9; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 3; Attacks: knife (1d3); Save: NM; Morale: 6 (8 when defending Janus).

The Greggs Clan (15 Normal Men); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8, 7, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2; Attacks: club (1d6) or dagger (1d4); Save: NM; Morale: 5.

Giant Rats (12); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 1d4, Hit Points: 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1; Attacks: bite (1d3+disease, each bite a 1 in 20 chance of catching a disease, save vs. poison or die in 1d6 days, otherwise bedridden for 3d10 days with 1 in 4 chance of death); Save: F1, Morale: 8.

Happy Holidays

Charles Dickens is awesome. While I enjoy A Christmas Carol, I like The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby more.

More than a few years ago during the holidays, I read A Christmas Carol and I read it again during following holiday season. It's not quite a tradition for me but a something I do every now and then. This year, maybe I'll have the time to pick it up and give it a go (or re-read David Sedaris' Holidays on Ice instead).

It's a classic tale and has many commendable themes, the least of which is the importance of family and community.

So whatever you believe or don't believe this holiday season, whether it's Christmas or Hanukkah or Eid ul-Adha or Kwanzaa or Yule or Festivus, I hope that you and yours have a safe and fun holiday, filled with good family and good celebration.

[D20cember] T is for Tradetown Rumble

Tradetown Rumble: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
Two merchant houses in Tradetown are in the middle of a feud - one is the Halfling House Clough (symbol: a black bird) and the other is the Dwarvish House Rhuln (symbol: a Dwarvish rune of luck).

Get Set:
The PCs are in Tradetown for the annual mining celebration and Sir Hoel has pulled out all the stops - jugglers, musicians, stalls filled with fruit pastries and sweets and flowers, dancing bears, and taverns over-flowing with patrons singing loud songs and drinking copious amounts of beer fill the town.

In the midst of this celebration, two merchant houses come to blows over a contract that hasn't been fulfilled.

Go!:
The PCs are enjoying the festival in Tradetown when they wander into the middle of an argument between a group of dwarves and a group of halflings. Both sides are to the point of brawling when the PCs find themselves accosted by them, demanding that the "tall folk choose sides or step aside!"

Fists fly and the halflings give as good as they get. No one draws steel unless someone else does (like the PCs) and when the watch arrives, everyone is arrested (including the PCs) unless they manage to hoof it before then.

Throughout the rest of the festival, the PCs are marked as being members of the other faction and the whole town has taken sides, along racial lines. Halflings don't deal with "damn dwarf-lovers" and dwarves refuse business with those "tall friends of the short humans."

If the PCs try to find out what's going on, the only buzz they get is that the two houses had a deal and one (or the other) backed out of it. Visiting each House leader (Rhuln Goldsmither and Thomas Clough) reveals very little, except that the deal has been broken and there won't be peace until the offending parties make amends.

It even gets more uncomfortable for the PCs when they're called before Sir Hoel to explain their part in all this. He doesn't take their excuses of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and charges them to solve the problem before someone gets killed or be banned from Tradetown forever!

The PCs finally get a break when someone casually mentions that most contracts are registered at the Hall of Records. Getting in to see the contract, however, requires some finesse, as the Halfling Clerk and the Dwarven Librarian are none-too-friendly to them.

The contract, when they manage to find it, outlines the deal agreed to by House Clough and House Rhuln and each side hasn't completed one part of it (so they're both wrong - but too proud to admit it). What those requirements are is up to the GM (but they should be hard enough for the PCs to sweat a whole lot).

Should the contract details be met, both Houses declare victory and the trouble is over, with the PCs in good standing with both of them. This should give the PCs additional adventures (sometimes at cross purposes to the Houses) for future game sessions.

Notable NPCs:
Rhuln Goldsmither (1 Dwarf); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 4; Hit Dice: 3d8, Hit Points: 16; Attacks: hammer (1d6) and heavy crossbow (1d8); Save: D3; morale: 9, Special abilities: mining.

House Rhuln Dwarves (7 Dwarf); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 4; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 6 each; Attacks: hammer (1d6) and heavy crossbow (1d8); Save: D1; morale: 8, Special abilities: mining.

Thomas Clough (1 Halfling); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 2d8, Hit Points: 12; Attacks: short sword (1d6) and short bow (1d6); Save: H2; morale: 8.

House Clough Halflings (10 Halflings); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 1d8-1, Hit Points: 5 each; Attacks: short sword (1d6) and short bow (1d6); Save: H1; morale: 7.

[Atomic THursday] The Day After

I remember watching this movie when I was a kid.

[D20cember] S is for Sooton Switch

Sooton Switch: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
Sooton has a bad reputation (mostly deserved), but this takes the bad and makes it worse. A doppleganger has moved into town and wants to switch out a powerful man with itself. If it isn't stopped, then who knows what will happen next?

Get Set:
The PCs are in Sooton visiting friends or on business. Maybe they're delivering a package to a merchant house or buying a new sword or even trying out a new tavern.

Go!:
The PCs are around town when they see someone they know - and that person should be dead (after all, the PCs did him in and rightly so because he was a right awful bastard). The GM could use one of the previous enemies from the earlier D20cember episodes or even a baddie from the Switching to Guns 'zine issues.

The PCs, obviously interested, follow their old, dead "friend" to a rundown warehouse and see him meeting with some unsavory types. If the PCs attack, he escapes in the confusion of combat. A few of the thugs are willing to give some info for their lives and say that the baddie was interested in a rich merchant in town.

The merchant is suspicious of the PCs when they come to inform him of the plot against him. At that moment, the Doppleganger strikes from within the merchant's courtiers. In the midst of the chaos, can the PCs save the day or will they be accused of murderous crimes by the faux-merchant?

Notable NPCs:
Doppleganger (1); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 5; Hit Dice: 4d8; Hit Points: 28; Attacks: 1 (1d10) ; Save: F10; morale: 10; Special abilities: shapechange.

Thugs (10 Normal Men); Alignment: Neutral Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8, 7, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3; Attacks: shortsword or club (1d6), dagger (1d4); Save: NM; Morale: 6.

[D20cember] R is for Raptor Rescue

Raptor Rescue: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
The return of Edith the Witch! A nobleman's favorite hawk has been captured by a man bent on revenge and plans to use the hawk as part of it.

Get Set:
The action takes place along the High Bridge Road, between Ashford town and Tradetown. The PCs could be trying to find Edith again after their encounter with her in the Adventure of the Missing Caravans or (if they've never met Edith) they are seeking a witch that is famous for her interesting potions on behalf of a rich patron.

Melseth is a brigand who recently stole three hawks from a Tradetown nobleman - one Lord Fernok - a nobleman who cheated him out of a fortune and ravished his sister, as well. Melseth has managed to feed the hawks a special potion, one that he got from Edith that causes permanent gigantism in animals (unfortunately, that was the only gigantism potion that Edith had and she doesn't remember how she made it).

Now he's training them to attack people in preparation to killing Fernok and guess who's riding down the road?

Go!:
The PCs are riding down the High Bridge Road when they see a man on a hill nearby with several giant hawks on his arm. Throwing the birds into the air, he calls out "get them, my Pretties! Be my instrument of revenge against Lord Fernok!"

The birds will attack a few of the characters until they are wounded and then they will fly off. If the man is attacked, he'll retreat, calling for the hawks.

If the PCs manage to find Edith and tell her the story, she'll tell them that a strange man named Melseth came to her for a special potion and showed her the hawks he stole from Lord Fernok. He paid his money and, because she's not really interested in the goings on of revenge against lords or crazy people, she gave him the potion. Did the PCs bring her any Dwarven metal toy figures?

After seeing Edith, the PCs will find themselves under seige. Over the next few days while the PCs are on the road, they will be attacked by the man and his giant hawks and hear the man calling for the hawks to "be my instrument of revenge against Lord Fernok!" At no point will any of the hawks fight to the death.

How the adventure ends is up to the PCs. These poor hawks are being exploited to kill people and, while dangerous, are just trained animals. The hawks can be captured and then set free after Melseth is taken care of, at which point they'll fly off to form the basis for the Ashford Valley's first giant hawk population. Maybe they'll meet the PCs later in their adventures.

As for the nobleman, if he learns the PCs didn't recover his property, he may cause them trouble in the future. After all, he's not really a nice man.

Notable NPCs:
Edith the Witch (1 Harpy Witch); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 3d8; Hit Points: 16; Attacks: two claws (1d4) and dagger (1d4); Save: F3; Morale: 7; Special abilities: Magical song (treat as Charm Person spell), magical resistance (+2 saving throw on all saving rolls), magical moving cabin.

Malseth the Hawk Thief (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 4 (chain & shield); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8; Attacks: longsword (1d8), longbow (1d8); Save: NM; Morale: 8.

Giant Hawks (3); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 6; Hit Dice: 3d8+3, Hit Points: 25 each; Attacks: bite (1d6); Save: F2; Morale: 8.

[D20cember] Q is for Quiet as the Grave

Quiet as the Grave: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
The cemeteries and graveyards in the Ashford Valley are becoming more and more dangerous as the rogue Necromancer plies his evil trade.

Get Set:
The PCs are in a graveyard, possibly to visit the graves of their relatives or a long since past-on mentor or even a more recently deceased companion.

Go!:
When the PCs are in the graveyard, the graves around them erupt with the dead! In the midst of this attack, their loved ones grave also has a rising - but this one is fighting with them! Side by side, the PCs and their old mentor fight against the rising tide of undead.

All through the fight, their mentor is instructing them on attacks, defenses and rules to live by, repeating many of their lessons from happier times, even in the midst of the horror.

When the last skeleton falls, their undead mentor turns to them, smiles sardonically and, without a word, collapses into dust, leaving behind his prized sword for them to claim as an inheritance.

Notable NPCs:
Skeletons (20); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, ,4 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1; Attacks: short sword (1d6) or club (1d6); Save: F1; Morale: 12.

Old Undead Mentor (1); Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 2d8, Hit Points: 16; Attacks: longsword (1d8); Save: F2; Morale: 12.

[D20cember] P is for Pie Thief

Pie Thief: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
A local girl missing! Two pies lost at the same time. Some hungry ogres and some slapstick comedy!

Get Set:
The PCs are traveling through the Ashford Valley when they come upon the scene of a crime - two pies have been stolen from a wayside tavern. Also, the pie maker, a young girl named Freia, has disappeared. The tavern-master believes the girl stole the pies and ran off with a young man. Her mother, instead, believes the fairies came to take her because her pies were so delicious and she was so beautiful.

Go!:
The stop at that wayside tavern was only to take an hour or so, but before long the PCs are told about the pie theft and the missing girl. Her mother isn't worried, after all the fairies need pies, too (it's obvious that this woman is simple). But her local beau, Martin, doesn't believe it - he's convinced that something bad happened and begs the PCs to help.

Freia has been stolen away (as well as the pies), not by the faeries, but by two Ogre brothers named Fafner and Fasolt. One of the brothers stole a pie last year and fell in love with the dish, so they hatched this hairbrained scheme - steal the pie maker and they could have pies all the time! They don't plan to eat her, they just want her to make them her wonderful pies.

By the time the PCs catch up with them at their lair, the original two pies are long eaten and Freia is making them more. The combat should be humorous, with the mix of cooked pies, Ogres, barking dogs, a screaming woman in a full kitchen and flying pies to round out the mess. (If a non-violent solution is presented, the Ogres could be convinced to not harm humans in the area in exchange for a reasonable pie tribute.)

Notable NPCs:
Freia (1 Normal Woman); Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 9; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 4; Attacks: knife (1d3); Save: NM; Morale: 6.

Tartin (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 5; Attacks: longbow (1d8), dagger (1d4); Save: NM; Morale: 10.

Fafner and Fasolt (2 Ogres); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 5; Hit Dice: 4d8+1, Hit Points: 26, 24; Attacks: club (1d10+3); Save: F4; Morale: 10.

Barking Dogs (3); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 6, 5, 5; Attacks: bite (1d4); Save: F1; Morale: 4.

[D20cember] O is for Open Fire!

Open Fire!: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
Faced with an increasingly hard winter, the poorest of the poor in the Ashford Valley look to a little poaching to supplement their meager diet. But the local knight, Sir Maurice, takes a dim view of that.

Get Set:
The PCs are somewhere in the Ashford Valley, probably closer to Sooton or Tradetown than Ashford town, in a small and exceedingly poor community called Mykal's Rest. The land may be simply bad for growing crops or there may have been a blight in the summer crops yielding a bad harvest. When a local lad gets "caught" poaching a deer on the knight's land, it could lead to a peasants revolt!

Mykal's Rest is a poor hamlet and the PCs have trouble finding rooms for shelter out of the snow. Most likely, they'll be in someone's barn for the night. A tavern of sorts, in the basement of the largest house, serves watered beer and little else but is warm and snug.

Go!:
While the PCs are in the "tavern," a servant from the knight's manor comes with news. Albert, the mayor's son, has been caught poaching. He's set to be tried in the morning and if guilty (which is the way it looks), promptly hung.

This is surprising because, of all the villagers, Albert is the most honest of the lot, kind and charitable as well as handsome and pious. He'd never break the law, especially poaching - at least not for a very good reason. It's also worrisome because, of all the villagers, he's close to Sir Maurice's son, Scott.

The news spreads quickly and before long, a group of men, armed with longbows, have gathered, with talk of "going up to the manor and sorting this out, once and for all." The PCs are eyed suspiciously all throughout this before the largest man, a big brute of a man named Harry, approaches them aggressively and demands to know who they are and why they're here - all but accusing them of being in the pay of Sir Maurice and "those folks that tax us to death and leave us to starve."

Violence is not a way out, in this case, or at least not one that the PCs should follow. The villagers will bluster, especially Harry, but they won't draw steel or arrow unless the party does first. If the PCs instead offer to come with (or go in the place of) the villagers, and are reasonably persuasive (an ability check vs. Charisma could go a long way to convince them), then they'll accept the help (although Harry will watch them suspiciously).

Since it's already dark, the group heads towards the manor. If any of the players have any indication that this is a bad idea (armed men, with torches, approaching a knight's manor under cover of darkness), that should add to the tension. (If none of them catch a hint, a cruel GM could have the villagers increasingly become belligerent and request an ability check vs. Intelligence to figure out that this could go wrong in so many ways.)

At the manor, the knight, his son and his men-at-arms await the villagers (warned by a snitch). They are all armed and the soldiers are more than willing to defend their lord and themselves from this peasant rabble. Sir Maurice calls for the PCs and the villagers to disperse and return to their homes or be declared rebels. And the yelling on both sides will be fierce, with men on both sides fingering their weapons nervously. (A cruel GM could have one of the more nervous villagers or armsmen accidentally shoot one of the PCs to see if a rumble ensues amidst the calls of "Cease fire!" from Sir Maurice and the more calm villagers.)

If the PCs interject, as outsiders, and politely request to Sir Maurice that they interview Albert and see the evidence against him, he'll relent if the villagers agree to disperse. Harry gives them a dark look as they walk away.

Talking to Albert, he tells the PCs that he was in his barn all day but no one saw him and he knew nothing about this until Sergeant FitzWarin came to arrest him.

Then the PCs are shown the evidence, which consist of a dead deer with an arrow in it (which both Scott and Albert have confirmed was Albert's arrow). An elf or a fighter will notice that the arrow wasn't shot from a bow, but pushed into the body at a weird angle. Further instigation shows that the deer was dead from a broken neck.

If the PCs point these things out to Sir Maurice, he'll be surprised and tell the PCs that there is a witness: Sergeant FitzWarin saw Albert shoot the deer and then ran off when the armsman gave chase.

When summoned to Sir Maurice, Sergeant FitzWarin defends himself but it's obvious that he's lying. FitzWarin, knowing he'll be arrested, grabs either Scott or Albert by swordpoint and tries to bargain his way out - a brace of horses or he kills! The two man-at-arms join him!

All the while, FitzWarin will cackle his evil plan - first Albert had to be hung, which would have driven Scott into a "suicidal" depression (FitzWarin had a plan for that, too). Then one day, Sir Maurice would have an "accident." FitzWarin would seize the lands and become a knight and be rich and have beautiful women, like he deserves!

The PCs have a choice, take him and the traitorous men-at-arms down and (possibly) lose the hostage or promise him the horses and spring a trap. They should know that if they give him the horses, the hostage will never be seen alive again.

If the outcome is good, the hostage is safe (even if wounded), and FitzWarin and the men-at-arms are either killed or captured, Sir Maurice and the villagers of Mykal's Rest will welcome the PCs back any time (and probably have more troubles for them to solve).

Notable NPCs:
Albert (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 7; Attacks: longbow (1d8), dagger (1d4); Save: NM; Morale: 9.

Harry (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 4 (-3 Dex, leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 11; Attacks: longbow (+3 to hit, 1d8+3), rusty longsword (+3 to hit, 1d8+3); Save: NM; Special abilities: Strength 18, Constitution 18, Dexterity 18; Morale: 9.

Farmers (14 Normal Men); Alignment: Neutral Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8, 7, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3; Attacks: longbow (1d8), dagger (1d4); Save: NM; Morale: 7.

Sir Maurice; Human, Fighter, Level 3; Alignment: Lawful; Abilities: Strength 12, Dexterity 11,Constitution 12, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 10, Charisma 10; Armor Class: 4 (chain & shield); Hit Dice: 3d8, Hit Points: 14; Attacks: longsword (1d8); Save: F3; Morale: 8.

Scott (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 4 (chain & shield); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 6; Attacks: longsword (1d8); Save: NM; Morale: 8.

Sergeant FitzWarin; Human, Fighter, Level 3; Alignment: Chaotic; Abilities: Strength 17, Dexterity 17, Constitution 12, Intelligence 13, Wisdom 8, Charisma 13; Armor Class: 2 (-2 Dex, chain & shield); Hit Dice: 3d8, Hit Points: 21; Attacks: longsword (+2 to hit, 1d8+2); Save: F3; Morale: 8.

Men-at-arms (2 Normal Men); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 6 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 4, 3; Attacks: crossbow (1d8) and dagger (1d4) or halberd (1d10); Save: NM; Morale: 5.

If Sergeant FitzWarin and the men-at-arms escape, they'll come back again in the PCs lives, either working with the Necromancer or possibly joining up with one of the other enemies of the PCs.

[D20cember] N is for Nomadic Gypsies

Nomadic Gypsies: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
A group of travelers comes to town and several events occur, including a range of entertainments, the escape of performing bear, a fight in the dark, a host of flying creatures and the theft of a priceless jewel.

Get Set:
The PCs are in either Ashford town or Tradetown when the gypsies come to town. They can get involved because of the entertainments (fire jugglers, fortune tellers, bear dancers, horse masters, etc.) or they're there to collect a debt from one of the local merchant houses.

Go!:
The adventure begins in the gypsy camp at night during the entertainments: Jugglers and acrobats wander amongst the crowd showing unrivaled skill, a bear is dancing with a gypsy, an old woman is telling fortunes, a beautiful young woman dances on a tabletop while a knife-thrower tosses knives at her showing his skill as she kicks up her heels, and a magician performs tricks to the delight of the audience.

This gives the players an opportunity to do a bit of roleplaying before the main action begins later on in the evening. Around midnight, while the party is still in full swing, a group of giant bats decide to raid the camp for some snacks. The bats fly around, taking a swipe here and there at the PCs and the gypsies while the crowd run around in panic. Amidst the chaos of the fighting, the bear makes a break for it and disappears into the darkness.

After the fighting ends, the gypsies thank the PCs for helping out and one of them returns a purse "that fell on the ground earlier." If the PCs killed most of the bats then the gypsies declare their undying friendship (and suggest friends help friends - especially find the bear).

In the morning, the local constabulary show up at the PCs tavern, looking for them. During the night (exactly when the fight went on), a valuable jewel was stolen and a clue points to the gypsies and the PCs. The watch is mum about the particular clue but the implication is that the PCs and the gypsies are working together.

Since the PCs know one of the watchmen, the information they get is not good. The evidence points to one of the characters, in the form of a token that the PC had in the past but has been missing for at least a week.

If the PCs decide to investigate the scene of the crime, the house is surrounded by woods and is only a mile or so from the gypsy camp, as the crow flies. The jewel was stolen from the second floor and there is no evidence that the thief climbed the walls or used the front door (it was barred that night) and the first floor has bars on the windows.

Searching through the woods, the PCs encounter the performing bear. It can be captured if one of the PCs is willing to dance with it (like the gypsy did the night before) or they play some music to sooth the savage beast. In the midst of all of this, one of the PCs spots a giant raven flying through the trees with a silver coin in it's mouth. Could the thief be that big black bird? Oh, yes. In a tree on the edge of the wood, the raven has a nest. It takes either a ability check vs. Dexterity or a thieves' climbing ability to reach the nest, which is filled with a range of junk, from bits of shiny metal trash to the missing jewel (GMs choice of what else is in the nest). The raven will defend his nest but will not fight to the death.

Notable NPCs:
Gypsies (12 Normal Men); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1; Attacks: short sword (1d6) or club (1d6); Save: NM; Morale: 6.

Performing Bear (1); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 6; Hit Dice: 4d8, Hit Points: 21; Attacks: 3 (claw 1d3, claw 1d3, bite 1d6); Save: F2; Special abilities: if the bear succeeds in both claw attacks on the same target, he grabs the target and does an additional 2d8 in a bear hug; Morale: 7.

Giant Bats (5); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 6; Hit Dice: 2d8, Hit Points: 13, 13, 12, 11, 10; Attacks: bite (1d4); Save: F1; Morale: 8.

Thieving Giant Raven (1); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 6; Hit Dice: 2d8+1, Hit Points: 13; Attacks: beak (1d4); Save: F1; Morale: 8.

[Atomic Thursday] H-Bomb Test, The First One

I love the announcer!

[D20cember] M is for Merchant of Ashford

Merchant of Ashford: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
A merchant, his beautiful daughter, and some ruffians, former employees, who want to rob and kill him and carry off his daughter. Sounds like a hero is needed!

Get Set:
The PCs are in Sooton, about to leave town for Ashford when they are accosted by a beautiful woman and her aged father, a merchant, begging for help.

As Sooton is a haven for thieves, cut-throats and beggars, the PCs will be noticeably cautious but the story is too true to be some con.

The merchant, a Thomas Heyes by name, and his daughter Portia were in Sooton on business and had hired guards to protect them from the dangers of the city. But the guards have turned on them and they barely escaped with their lives. Seeking remedy from the Lord of Sooton did no good - the thieves had skipped town and could not be found. Thomas and Portia believe that their former employees are awaiting the pair, to further rob them and do despicable things to Portia.

Unfortunately, the Heyes have very few funds to pay for new guards and are seeking trustworthy adventurers who are willing to defend them from the thieves and possibly recover their fortunes.

Go!:
The PCs escort the Heyes back to Ashford and along the way are waylaid by the bandits, much to their distress, I am sure.

Notable NPCs:
Thomas Heyes (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 9; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 3; Attacks: dagger (1d4); Save: NM; Morale: 6.

Portia (1 Beautiful Woman); Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 9; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 4; Attacks: dagger (1d4); Save: NM; Morale: 6.

Brigands (8 Normal Men); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 4 (chain & shield); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3; Attacks: longsword (1d8), short bow (1d6); Save: NM; Morale: 8.

[D20cember] L is for Lost Camel

Lost Camel: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
A camel visiting the big town of Clifton. What sights will she see? What neat people will she meet? Ah, to be young and a camel in the city of the Twisted Road!

Get Set:
The PCs are in Clifton when an old friend named Vicuna comes to them with a problem. His new camel, Petunia, slipped it's halter and is wandering around the town. Vicuna needs the camel back because she's the centerpiece of his traveling circus. Can they help him out?

Go!:
Petunia proves to be very difficult to find, leading the PCs to encounter a variety of people and situations. Roll 1d8 several times and consult the results below:

1. A spoiled nobleman spotted Petunia this morning and sent his men to get her. (who cares that she has an owner, I'm a nobleman!)

Liveried Servants (3 Normal Men); No. Encountered: 3; Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7 (leather); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 6, 5, 5; Attacks: short sword (1d6), dagger (1d4); Save: N0; morale: 7.

2. A child approaches the PCs and asks them to help his pet pig. The pig is named Phillip and was hurt by a passing cart. If the PCs help, the child tells them that Petunia and Phillip are friends and has Phillip lead the PCs straight to Petunia. If the PCs don’t help the child, the child cries and runs off.

3. The PCs are accosted by a drunk man, who asks them for help. If they talk with the man, he tells them he’s got to stop drinking because he saw a weird shaped horse this morning. He can point out where the weird shaped horse was easily and then seeks out a priest for help with his addiction.

4. A Ranger for hire. This ranger is looking for work. He'll find Petunia for you, but it'll cost some!

Ranger (Normal Man); No. Encountered: 1; Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 7; Attacks: longsword (1d8) and longbow (1d8); Save: F1; morale: 9, Special abilities: tracking.

5. The PCs spot Petunia being chased by some men. The men are more of the spoiled nobles retinue.

Liveried Servants (3 Normal Men); No. Encountered: 3; Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7 (leather); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 6, 5, 5; Attacks: short sword (1d6), dagger (1d4); Save: N0; morale: 7.

6. The PCs see Petunia run down the street, with several groups of people chasing after her. She’s got a line of washing curled around her and the laundress is after her, as well as children and dogs and more of those spoiled nobleman's servants. Tripping, a brawl and general mayhem occur during the whole chase.

7. The watch. A group of the town watch is following the PCs. If they are acting suspiciously (and the odds are that they are), the watch will stop them "for vagrancy" and subtly demand a bribe or off to the slammer!

The Town Watch (3 Normal Men); No. Encountered: 3; Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 6 (leather & shield); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 7 each; Attacks: spear (1d6), dagger (1d4); Save: F1; morale: 8.

8. Two brothers accost the PCs, demanding that they take sides in their argument about a women they both love. The PCs are treated as old friends of the both of them and discussion turns to a duel, with choice of swords, seconds and time hotly debated. If the two are kept apart and the PCs manage to calm them down, their lady love walks by on the arm of another man, prompting both to become completely despondent. If the party help the brothers duel, an old woman (their mother) interrupts the duel with a broom and beats all present, including the PCs!

Rodrigo and Felipe (2 Normal Men); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7(leather); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8 each; Attacks: longsword (1d8); Save: F1; morale: 12 (they are in love!).

Whatever the outcome, the PCs have found fast friends in the brothers (and cruel GMs should have them appear on many occasions to add trouble and drama to the PCs lives).

Notable NPCs:
Petunia the Camel (1); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 2d8, Hit Points: 10; Attacks: 2 (bite 1, kick 1d4); Save: F1; Special abilities: spit attack - if Petunia manages to bite and kick the same target successfully, she also lobs a big gob of spit into the target's eyes, blinding him for 2 rounds; Morale: 7.

[D20cember] K is for Kit Cat

Kit Cat: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
Cats, some people say, are the best hunters in the world. And, unless you're quick, you're lunch.

Get Set:
The PCs are in the Rolling Hils above Tradetown, either prospecting a bit (hey, if Clem found gold up here, we certainly can) or seeking a fabled weapon thought lost in the hills years ago. Along the way, a mountain lion starts stalking them. Since everyone is afoot, we'll see how this plays out, shall we?

Go!:
The mountain lion will stalk the PCs for several days, taking it's time to catch individuals unaware. An ability check vs. Intelligence or an elf has a 1-2 on 1d6 of detecting that something hidden is watching the group. This gives the GM plenty of opportunity to give the players some paranoia. The cat, however, is content to take one of them at a time, so will look for an obvious ambush site (near a pool of water or while someone is gathering firewood). Only the screams of the victim will alert the rest of the group that their friend is in peril.

If the PCs track the cat back to his den, they'll find the very old remains of an unfortunate adventurer, decades at least. Some of his equipment is still intact, including a magical and sentient sword known as The Sword of the Valley. It's a valuable find for any adventurer as it has knowledge about the history and peoples of the Valley but has the annoying tendency to talk during battles (a nervous habit) and is interested in no other part of the world except for the Ashford Valley.

Notable NPCs:
Mountain Lion (1); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 6; Hit Dice 3d8+2, Hit Points: 20; Attacks: 3 (claw 1d3, claw 1d3, bite 1d6); Save: F2; Special abilities: leap attack - if the lion gets surprise, it will leap on one victim with a +2 to all attacks; Morale: 8.

The Sword of the Valley; +1 Luck Blade (no wishes remaining), +1 to saving throws; Sapient (Intelligence 11, Psyche 1, Willpower 12; Alignment: Lawful or Neutral (switches to match it's owner, cannot be used by someone Chaotic, inflicting 2d6 damage each round it is held); motivation: stay in the Valley and learn more about it's peoples and history; Verbal Communication, Read Magic; Detect: Hidden or Invisible 20' range and Secret Doors 10' range; Skills: extensive knowledge of the Ashford Valley history and peoples, including some individuals still alive; Languages: Common (all Valley dialects, including extinct), Elvish, Dwarfish, Bugbear, Orc and Dragonic; Personality: annoying tendency to talk during combat and speaks with a proper British accent. Cruel GMs could ignore the plus to attack until the owner is used to the sword's distracting blather, maybe 4 or so battles worth).

[D20cember] J is for Just a Couple of Bugbears

Just a Couple of Bugbears: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
A band of really tough Bugbears is threatening the trade route between Ashford and Tradetown. At least that's the common knowledge. Actually, it's a pair of rather cowardly but ingenious Bugbears that have scared off their victims before even fighting has occurred, then taken the loot.

Get Set:
The PCs are either in Ashford town or Tradetown when they hear that a strong band of Bugbears are wandering the High Bridge Road, robbing caravans and killing people. So far no one has managed to stop them.

If the PCs ask around, they meet several merchants and travelers that were robbed but can find no one that was actually killed except by friend of a friend anecdotes. When pressed, the victims admit that they fled the scene, leaving behind valuables in the hopes the ’bears would be more interested in that then their lives.

The latest victim said that the sound of marching Bugbear feet was heard in the woods to the east of the road as a flight of arrows came from the west. He fled, leaving his cart, before they burst through the bushes and killed him. He even shows the PCs a Bugbear arrow (it is indeed that) that lodged in his horse's saddle.

Go!:
How the PCs encounter the ’bears is up to the GM. If they want to investigate the scenes of the crime, they find no clues on the road itself but in the bushes along the road they find a set of wheel tracks on each side, staggered along the road.

The Bugbears, Sash and Tash, are weaker than usual ’bears and got sick of being pushed around at the bottom of the heap. Between the two of them, they're pretty mechanically inclined so they build their own tribe of ’bears, complete with Sturm und Drang.

They built two machines, one that makes the sound of many large and heavy (hence ’bear) feet marching and the other uses a spring-board to shoot a sheaf of arrows at the target. These machines are very crude but effective. The boot machine does no damage (unless trapped amidst the boots - 2d4 damage per round) while the spring-board arrow flinger attacks as a Level 5 Fighter with 20 arrows, affecting a 20 by 20 foot area (divide the arrows among the targets and roll to hit, 1d8+1 damage per hit). The arrow machine takes 2 rounds to reload if there is a loaded arrow magazine (the ’bears have one extra) and much, much longer if there isn't.

Sash is in charge of the boot machine and Tash works the arrow machine. When they set up their ambush, they make sure they are not in each others' line of fire. After Tash sets off the arrow machine, he quickly reloads (2 rounds) with the extra arrow magazine and repositions as necessary (1 round) for trouble, firing on any targets that don't flee. Sash, meanwhile, is running the boot machine to scare off their prey.

If the PCs charge the bushes, the two will fight back long enough for Tash to reload and fire, while Sash (a weak Bugbear is still stronger than a normal human) will grab one of his attackers and throw him in the boot machine. Both machines come with a "self-destruct button" in the form of an easily-smashed lantern, which will set both machines instantly ablaze, adding 1d10 damage per round for anyone trapped in the boot machine. (Cruel GMs may require PCs trapped in the boot machine to make two successful ability checks vs. Dexterity in a row to escape the machine.)

Notable NPCs:
Bugbears; No. Encountered: 2; Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 5; Hit Dice: 3d8+1, Hit Points: 9, 9; Attacks: longsword (1d8+1), longbow (1d8+1); Save: F3; Special abilities: craft wonderful machines, boot machine, arrow machine; Morale: 6; 50% chance to surprise enemies.

Whether the Bugbears make good their escape, I leave it to the GM to determine if the PCs have an opportunity to find the plans for these wonderful machines (and the problem with translating Bugbear engineering jargon into Common).

[D20cember] I is for Inclement Weather

Inclement Weather: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
Travel in the Ashford Valley can be difficult and dangerous. And that's only from the dangers on two- or four-legs. The weather can also drive the story and in this one it does.

Get Set:
The PCs are traveling between Sooton and Clifton, but not along the Deep Forest Road. Perhaps they chose the overland route to visit old friends along the way or were looking for the entrance of an old mine or sought after a famed swordmaker who disappeared in the region a decade ago. However they chose the path, the path takes them into a raging Nature!

Go!:
As night is falling, the weather turns severe. The PCs have to find shelter or lose their lives when massive hail stones the size of your fist come raining down!

Hailstorm! Each character in the open must save versus petrify or suffer 1d4 damage per round until shelter is found. Possible shelters include stands of trees, rock outcroppings, an old barn or other farm structure, or nearby caves, all of which require an ability check vs. Intelligence or an elf's ability to detect hidden doorways (1-2 on 1d6) to spot and between 1-3 rounds to reach safety. (A cruel GM may require three ability checks vs. Dexterity to reach the shelter, with the total number of successes subtracted from 4 rounds to determine how fast the PC makes it to safety - 1 round for a complete success and 4 for complete failure, with each round taking more damage!)

While waiting out the hailstorm, the PCs hear hammering, like a hammer hitting an anvil, a way off. It's methodical and steady. After a while, it stops, then starts up again. It doesn't take long for the PCs to determine the direction.

The hailstorm stops about an hour later and then a steady deluge of rainfall fills the rest of the night. It's miserable, even if they made shelter in the old barn (the roof leaks) or the cave (the water starts pouring into the down-sloped entrance), and it's even worse under the stand of trees or the rock outcropping.

If the PCs decide to search for the person making the noise instead of waiting out the night, it at least keeps them warm with all the moving about. Their search leads them to an old mine entrance, with a ruddy orange glow coming from it.

The mine is home to a half-dozen or so Bugbears, with a single captive, Wylane the Smith. Wylane is an excellent swordsmith, famous all throughout the Ashford Valley. About 10 years ago, he left Ashford to set up a forge away from distractions. He found a likely place in the wilds between Sooton and Clifton and spent his time forging swords and selling them here or there.

About a year ago, the Bugbears captured him and forced him to forge them weapons while teaching him how to make Bugbear Longswords, which are prized swords in the Ashford Valley because of their fine quality and damage abilities (1d8+1). The longswords that Wylane has made are even finer quality and do greater damage (1d8+2).

The Bugbears are lead by a ’bear named Ash. He rules with a brutal hand and the other ’bears (B’dash, B’gash, Blash, Brash, and B’zash, all brothers) are in mortal fear of him. Ash has dreams of using Wylane as the means to start a humanoid arms merchant house, providing excellent weapons to the lesser monsters for lots of gold, so he isn't as harsh to Wylane but a slave is still a slave.

If the PCs start a fight with the ’bears, Wylane with come to their aid, picking up a longsword (1d8+2 plus 3 for his great strength) and attacking the ’bears, too. As a slave, he knows that this may be his only chance to escape so his morale is high.

If the PCs manage to free Wylane, they've earned a friend for life. Part of the loot in the cave includes a dozen Bugbear longswords (1d8+1) and the seven Wylane longswords (1d8+2) that Wylane and the Bugbears are using.

Notable NPCs:
Wylane the Smith (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8; Attacks: longsword (1d8+2+3); Save: NM; Special abilities: master swordsmith, Strength 18; Morale: 12.

Bugbears; No. Encountered: 1d3+3; Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 5; Hit Dice: 3d8+1, Hit Points: 18, 15, 14, 13, 10, 9; Attacks: longsword (1d8+2), longbow (1d8+1); Save: F3; Morale: 9 - it drops to 5 if Ash (HP 18) is killed; 50% chance to surprise enemies.

[D20cember] H is for Here Doggie, Doggie

Here Doggie, Doggie: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
The winter is harsh, more so than in previous years. The wolves of the Ashford Valley are hungry!

Get Set:
The PCs are traveling down the river road from Tradetown to Sooton during the winter. They may be on a mission from Sir Hoel, dwarf-lord of Tradetown, or delivering some important packages from one of the halfling trade companies, or even just getting out of Tradetown because they're avoiding an annoying love interest (their interest, not the PC in question).

Go!:
Along the way down river, the wind picks up and the temperature drops, driving the PCs to seek some sort of shelter. On the way to finding said shelter, a pack of wolves picks up their scent and starts stalking them as night comes closer.

The PCs have two problems, finding shelter before they freeze and either force the wolves away or placate them with another meal.

Notable NPCs:
Wolves; No. Encountered: 1d6+3; Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 2d8+2; Hit Points: 18, 17, 16, 12, 10, 10, 8, 8, 5; Attacks: bite (1d6); Save: F1; morale: 8 - drops to 5 if the largest wolf, the Alpha (HP 18), is killed or the Omega wolf (HP 5) is killed.

[Atomic Thursday] Baker, Underwater

Boom!

[D20cember] G is for Greed

Greed: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
Acts of charity, with two con-men, fueled by greed, in the middle of it all.

Get Set:
The PCs are in Clifton, seeing a friend get married or traveling with a rich merchant as caravan guards or some other reason that sounds good. They are approached by an unlikely pair, seeking funds to help a poor widow.

The two are a dwarf named Sodihi Oathtraker and an elf named Nimvan ("deep forest"). Both are con-men, working a charity scam and the PCs are a few more marks. They've found a poor woman named Beatrice with too many children. Her husband has died recently, leaving her in a sorry state. Distraught and despairing, this woman takes the two thieves' word that she'll get the help she needs.

Go!:
While wandering around Clifton, the PCs encounter Sodihi and Nimvan collecting alms for Beatrice. The two grifters approach them with the sad story of Beatrice's life, her many debts and the whole giant shoe filled with children, all that she has to care for since her husband has died.

After talking with the PCs, the two will have some indication which is the stupidest of the characters and attempt to cull that person from the party, so that Nimvan can cast a Charm spell on him while Sodihi keeps the others busy with some tale or other.

Once they have an in on the party, they'll convince their new "friend" that there are ruffians that have been following them over the past couple of weeks to steal the cash saved up for Beatrice. They hope to use the PCs as brute force against a rival gang of thieves and steal the PCs cash in the process. How they do that is up to the GM but getting their new friends to put their cash all in one place (say, a bag) then pulling a bait and switch while the ruffians accost the group is probably the easiest to pull.

Then they pull up stakes and head somewhere else, after telling Beatrice that the PCs have her cash!

Notable NPCs:
Sodihi Oathtraker (1 Dwarf); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 4; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8; Attacks: short sword (1d6) or heavy crossbow (1d8); Save: D1; morale: 8, Special abilities: mining.

Nimvan (1 Elf); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 4; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 7; Attacks: longsword (1d8) or longbow (1d8); Save: E1; morale: 8, Special abilities: elf abilities, Spells (Sleep, Charm Person*, Ventriloquism, * denotes prepared spell).

"Ruffians" (8 Normal Men); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7 (leather armor); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3,2, 1; Attacks: short sword (1d6) or club (1d6); Save: NM; Morale: 5.

[D20cember] F is for Falling Rocks

Falling Rocks: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
Rocks fall, everybody dies.

Get Set:
The PCs are in the hills close to the Valley walls for one reason or the other. Maybe they're looking for a fugitive from justice, or perhaps trying to find a lost Dwarven mine, or even just trying to get away from it all and take a break from adventuring.

Go!:
The PCs have set up camp on the slopes in what they believe is a safe area. Suddenly they hear a loud "BOOM" and the area of land their campsite is on starts to slowly slide downhill. With only a scant few moments to gather their gear and themselves before the land becomes a landslide, they'll each have to decide what four things they grab and where to go before it's too late! (Cruel GMs could require an ability check vs. Dexterity for the PC to grab each of the four items.)

Landslide! Each character in the camp must save versus petrify or suffer 2d6 damage per round until shelter is found. Possible shelters include tall trees, rock outcroppings or nearby caves (which could result in being buried alive), all of which require an ability check vs. Dexterity or thieves climbing training to reach safety.

Those PCs that survive the moving earth and aren't buried are then stuck with scant supplies in a wilderness and a mystery of why the land started moving. Farther up the hills and several harsh days of survival later (with each night punctuated by further loud "BOOMS", they come across a trio of dwarfs using a primitive explosive (1 charge left, no matter when the PCs arrive) to blow up a hillside for gold!

When the party comes into the dwarfs' camp, dirty, starving and with little gear to speak of, whether the dwarfs help them or not depends greatly on a variety of things - including whether the dwarfs had just uncovered a valuable vein of gold! (GMs choice.)

Plus there's the problem of the fugitive from justice skulking about!

Notable NPCs:
Alain the Bandit (1 Normal Man); Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 4 (chain & shield); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8; Attacks: longsword (1d8), short bow (1d6); Save: NM; Morale: 8.

"Copper," "Lead" and "Tin" (3 Dwarfs); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 4; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 7, 7, 6; Attacks: hammer (1d6) or heavy crossbow (1d8); Save: D1; Morale: 8, Special abilities: mining, 1 charge of primitive explosive (5d10).

[D20cember] E is for Evil Bones

Evil Bones: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
A broken Witch Ball spells trouble for some farmers when the dead rise to attack the living.

Get Set:
The PCs traveling through the farming area around Clifton learn of this danger when the farm they are staying at is attacked.

In the Ashford Valley, commoners often use glass Witch Balls to trap evil spirits. Few actually have power to protect their owners but one maker of witch balls somehow has the right formula - and the destruction of one of them is trouble!

Go!:
The PCs are staying the night at a cluster of farmhouses when the skeletons attack! The buildings are attacked by 2 more skeletons than there are PCs. There's lots of screaming as the farmers, their wives and families, and farm hands alternate between ineffectively fighting and just as ineffectively fleeing the undead menace. There are plenty of opportunity for the PCs to perform acts of daring-do, with the skeletons threatening young children, a biting and bucking mule, a burning barn (got to put that out or all the buildings will burn) and more.

After the skeletons are dealt with, the farm buildings made safe and the mule calmed down, a trail leads through the fields to an old Runestone, where the shattered remains of the glass Witch Ball, with their erstwhile owner, are guarded by the rest of the skeletons.

The owner of the witch ball, a young girl, is unharmed but the skeletons will not allow her to leave the protection of the runestone and they cannot approach it so she is trapped. The skeletons will fight to the death!

The young girl is named Clarie (a daughter of one of the farmers the PCs are staying with) and she broke the witch ball in a fit of pique, not knowing that the spirits trapped within would be "activated" by the old Runestone, bringing to unlife the skeletons buried nearby. She's been trapped for most of the night, afraid to leave the protection of the stone. An investigation of the broken witch ball produces a maker's mark, which the PCs can use to track down the glassblower.

Notable NPCs:
Skeletons; No. Encountered: 2d6+3; Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8, 8, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1; Attacks: rusted and pitted longsword (1d8-1, minimum 1); Save: F1; Morale: 12.

Kicking and Biting Mule; No. Encountered: 1; Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 7; Hit Dice: 2, Hit Points: 15; Attacks: bite (1d3) or kick (1d4); Save: NM; Morale: 8.

[D20cember] D is for Doorways

Doorways: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
A young and poor knight is in love with a young woman who's family is rich and influential. He doesn't have a chance!

Get Set:
The PCs find themselves in Ashford town and encounter a rude young knight, drunk and depressed. He lashes out at the PCs and in the process knocks himself out, right into one of the PCs arms. As he passes out, he blurts "her family will never accept me so I might as well die!"

Go!:
The PCs now have a drunk knight and a problem. What to do with this sop? The GM could spice the pot by making the knight's love's family a personal enemy of a PC (and getting his daughter married to someone "below his station" would be a perfect revenge, while at the same time gaining an ally in the knight and lady).

However it's done, the PCs learn all about the problem: the knight, Richard of the Lea, is unlanded and has few prospects. His lady love is Elenaor, daughter of the rich and powerful Lord Jonathan de Haan. Jonathan wants someone worthy of his daughter (and politically advantageous to him) but is currently unaware of Sir Richards affections (and his daughter Elenaor's return of said affections).

In order to impress the in-laws, Richard needs a retinue of warriors and advisors, some land to call his own and at least the appearance of wealth, if not a few coins to wave around.

As for the retinue, the PCs fit the bill. For a few silver, they can get a set of decent livery for each character. As for the land, a nearby abandoned manor is just open for the taking (provided the PCs can get in to see the Lord of the Ashford Valley, Sir Raphel, to get Richard to apply for it).

Then comes the clearing out of said abandoned manor (those pesky Morlocks have been living in the basement for a while now), peopling the land with some peasants and livestock and cleaning the place up.

Finally, there comes the impressing the folks. Inviting the Lord and Lady de Haan, as well as daughter Elenaor, and a select few nobles and notables to the manor for a nice dinner. Who'll do the cooking? And serving? Well, the PCs will figure it out.

While the GM can throw in a few small hitches here and there, the major one is that Lord de Haan is trying to get another knight, Sir Reno, to marry his daughter. That knight is going to be trouble as he's a cruel and brutish man and he also comes to dinner. If the PCs make trouble, then a fight is sure to ensue!

Or maybe some Morlocks have snuck back in during dinner and attack, giving Richard an opportunity to save Lord de Haan! And in the midst of the battle, perhaps Sir Reno will take the opportunity to steal Lady Elenaor away!

Notable NPCs:
Sir Richard of the Lea; Human, Fighter, Level 3; Alignment: Lawful; Abilities: Strength 16, Dexterity 14,Constitution 10, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 11, Charisma 14. Armor Class: 3 (chain and shield, -1 Dex); Hit Dice: 3d8, Hit Points: 20. Attacks: longsword (1d8+2), dagger (1d4+2).

Lady Elenaor de Haan; Human; Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 9; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 3; Attacks: knife (1d3) or short bow (1d6); Save: NM; Morale: 8.

Lord Jonathan de Haan; Human, Fighter, Level 2; Alignment: Neutral; Abilities: Strength 13, Dexterity 13,Constitution 11, Intelligence 13, Wisdom 12, Charisma 16. Armor Class: 3 (chain and shield, -1 Dex); Hit Dice: 2d8, Hit Points: 12. Attacks: longsword (1d8+1), dagger (1d4+1).

Sir Reno the Brutal; Human, Fighter, Level 5; Alignment: Neutral (leaning towards Chaotic; Abilities: Strength 18, Dexterity 16,Constitution 14, Intelligence 8, Wisdom 9, Charisma 9. Armor Class: 2 (chain and shield, -2 Dex); Hit Dice: 5d8, Hit Points: 40. Attacks: longsword (1d8+3), dagger (1d4+3).

Morlocks; No. Encountered: 2d6+3; Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 8; Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 8, 8, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1; Attacks: short sword (1d6); Save: F1; morale: 9; Special abilities: 90' infravision.

[D20cember] C is for Caves and Cave Bears

Caves and Cave Bears: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready:
A cave bear recently found a cave once occupied by humanoids and moved in. There's plenty of trash to root through so he's pretty happy. Unfortunately for the PCs, that is.

Get Set:
While wandering through the countryside, the PCs find humanoid tracks that lead them to a cave. The cave has signs of recent occupation and plenty of rotten orcs or goblins or bugbears still in residence. Loot!

Go!:
The bear isn't a dummy and will fight quite well in it's new cave, using the walls to hem the PCs in and forcing them to attack him one at a time. He'll let them into his den before attacking, roaring all the time. And he'll pursue any fleeing PCs at least to the cave opening.

After the bear is dealt with, whether there is any loot to be found is up to the GM.

Notable NPCs:
Cave Bear; Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 5; Hit Dice: 7d8, Hit Points: 30; Attacks: 3 (claw 1d3, claw 1d3, bite 1d6); Save: F3; Special abilties: if the bear succeeds in both claw attacks on the same target, he grabs the target and does an additional 2d8 in a bear hug. Morale: 9.