The Old Tunnel
Plot points/Scenes
A narrow tunnel runs from the cellar beneath the keep to the bank of the stream (area 2). The tunnel is wide enough to allow warriors to pass through it in single file. In the keep, the tunnel is sealed with a locked ironbound door, and the stream exit is covered with a locked iron grate made to look like a sewer outlet. The tunnel’s main function was as a secret means of collecting water from the stream during a siege, but it can double as a sally port. Since the keep has never been besieged, the old tunnel has never been used. Barrels and crates are piled in front of the door. The keys for the locks are on the ring that Escobert carries with him everywhere.
At some point, Escobert recommends the tunnel as a means of sneaking townsfolk into the keep without running the gauntlet of attackers watching the gates.
Locks. Characters can clear the cellar door with a few minutes’ work. The lock is stiff but opens with the key; without the key, the character can open the lock with a successful DC 10 Dexterity check and a set of thieves’ tools. The disused tunnel is choked with webs but is otherwise clear. A few yards inside the stream end is a nest of two swarms of rats. The rats attack when disturbed, and the surviving rats flee when half their number die.
Years of exposure and neglect have corroded the lock on the exit grate. Even with the key, a successful DC 10 Dexterity check is needed to open the lock. Without the key, the DC increases to 20. If the roll misses by 5 or more, the key or thieves’ tools break off in the lock so that unlocking it becomes impossible. Then only a successful DC 15 Strength check can force the grate open.
Foes. A group of cultists is searching the stream banks for hiding townsfolk when the characters emerge from the tunnel. If characters open the lock with the key or with thieves’ tools, the first one to exit notices the raiders approaching without being spotted in return; the characters can keep out of sight in the tunnel or try to ambush the raiders after they pass. If the check fails, the raiders spot the character; roll initiative and proceed with combat. If the grate had to be broken open with a Strength check, the raiders hear the noise and find cover; they wait for the characters to exit the tunnel, then gain a surprise round. The raiders’ group consists of two cultists and six kobolds. If any cultists are still alive at the beginning of the fourth round of the fight, one of them runs to fetch help. Ten minutes later, two cultists, ten kobolds, and one ambush drake arrive to guard the tunnel.
Wandering Encounters
The streets of Greenest are overrun by forces consisting of cultists and acolytes accompanied by monstrous allies: kobolds with ambush drakes and giant lizards. These raiders move through town without fear, pillaging as they go. As characters travel through the embattled village, they can run into raiders and townsfolk. Use these guidelines to determine if characters have an encounter.
If characters use cover and stealth to avoid encounters, have each character attempt a DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) check. For every two individual checks that fail, the characters have one encounter on the way to their destination. Roll a d8 on the Episode 1 Encounters table to determine each encounter. If characters use the stream bed for cover for most of the trip, these characters have advantage on their Dexterity checks.
If characters don’t use cover and stealth to avoid encounters, roll a d8 for every 100 feet they move in town. If the roll is 4 or lower, they didn’t attract attention with that move. If the roll is 5 or higher, they run into something; roll a d8 again and check the Episode 1 Encounters table to see what the characters meet.
Episode 1 Encounters
1d8
1d6
| d8 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | 6 kobolds |
| 2 | 3 kobolds and 1 ambush drake (see appendix B) |
| 3 | 6 cultists |
| 4 | 4 cultists and 1 guard |
| 5 | 2 cultists and 1 acolyte* |
| 6 | 3 guards and 1 acolyte* |
| 7 | 1d6 townsfolk being hunted by raiders (roll a d6 to determine the raiding group) |
| 8 | 1d6 townsfolk hiding |
Rewards. Award standard XP for defeated foes. Aside from that, the chief reward for this mission is the tunnel itself. As long as it remains secret, characters can use it to enter and exit the keep safely. Each time they use the tunnel exit, roll a d6 1d6 . On a roll of 1, raiders see and attack the characters (use the Episode 1 Encounters table). On a roll of 2, they are seen but not attacked. Instead, the raiders set an ambush and attack the next time the characters return to the tunnel exit.
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