Post date: Mar 3, 2008 4:14:03 AM
You have made it to Rebelton. Hurley's news of Zenda's death prompted a raucous celebration of her life. Fortunately, the vigilance of Alric prevented anyone from falling prey to ghouls lurking in the alley outside the tavern.
The next order of business is to hunt these ghouls down and find out if Manty has actually been in Rebelton recently.
Realizing that Manty is probably in the area and that he sent his family to Rebelton, it is decided that they travel there to find out if he has been there in search of his family.
They set out with their guide the mysterious, cloaked elf of Moonstraddle's acquaintance.
Antagonist(s)
Orcs
Ksirb Emitae, Male patriarch elven vampire lord wizard 21/archmage 5/elven high mage 10
A druid circle
Protagonist(s)
Alric Talorcan, Male human cleric of Visaria 2
Char MacStride, Female human wizard 2
Hurley, Male halfling bard 2
Moonstraddle, Female satyr duskblade 1
Tanglewood
After obliterating a company of orcs with the assistance of Ksirb Emitae, the group finds a secure place to spend the night. They sleep very deeply and Hurley, Char and Alric awake to the bright suns shining down on them through the canopy of the forest.
Tacked to a nearby tree is a note from Moonstraddle indicating that she fears that the elven vampire is a danger to the group and the area and has decided to draw it into the wilderness. She has taken the masterwork chain shirt recovered from one of the orcs, but left her masterwork studded leather and 300 gp.
The characters travel what is left of the day following the edge of the crater. Shortly after crossing the unmaintained Zuomystos Road that once left Walton's Thieves' Quarter, the group sets up camp for the night.
They are closely watched by a Druids' Circle throughout the night and are confronted by them as they pack up to keep traveling. The Circle advises them to take the Zuomystos Road out of Tanglewood and travel north around the forest until they reach the old King's Road to Rebelton.
After two more days travel, the group arrives in Rebelton. Hurley contacts the halfling community there and informs them that Zenda had been killed in Troll's Bridge. This prompts a raucous “wake” in her honor.
During this wake, ghouls wander into the ally behind the tavern where the event is taking place.
The ghouls are chased off before they can do any harm, but it is obvious that they must be hunted down. They apparently have taken up residence in the local graveyard. A small mausoleum is their current lair.
Ghoul (2) CR 1
CE Medium undead
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +2, Spot +7
AC 14 (Dex +2, natural +2), touch 12, flat-footed 12
hp 13 (2 HD)
Resist turn resistance +2
Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +5
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee bite +2 (1d6+1 plus paralysis) and 2 claws +0/+0 (1d3 plus paralysis)
Base Atk +1; Grp +2
Atk Options ghoul fever
Abilities Str 13, Dex 15, Con —, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 12
SQ undead traits
Feats Multiattack
Skills Balance +6, Climb +5, Hide +6, Jump +5, Move Silently +6, Spot +7
Treasure oil paint portrait (1,500 gp), carved bone statuette (90 gp), gold bracer (1,000 gp), 100 pp
Ghoul Fever (Su) Disease—bite, Fortitude DC 12, incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex. The save DC is Charisma-based.
An afflicted humanoid who dies of ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid who becomes a ghoul in this way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is not under the control of any other ghouls, but it hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a normal ghoul in all respects. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice or more rises as a ghast, not a ghoul.
Paralysis (Ex) Those hit by a ghoul’s bite or claw attack must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds. Elves have immunity to this paralysis. The save DC is Charisma-based.
The ghouls are destroyed with some surprise assistance. Alora Talorcan, Alric's sister, has been looking for members of her family that may have survived the fall of Walton. She has traveled to Rebelton from Hamlet Arcana. The ghouls are two of her companions who died from ghoul fever after being attacked by a ghoul since leaving The Castle of the Canyon Guardian.
Also, once the halflings recover from their hangovers, Hurley gets all kinds of stories about Manty's latest visit to Rebelton. The general consensus is that he was making his way to Troll's Bridge, but before he left there was a strange storm that hit the east side of town where he was staying and there was no sign of him after that.