[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.