55. Hunting Cottage

To the south of and perhaps a thousand feet into the forest line is a depilated cottage and a barn. A steady stream of smoke plumes from the chimney. The cottage and barn sits by the ford of a winding stream at the base of a steep hill. The woods leading here are light and easy to navigate; in fact, a wide, often trafficked path (arguably a road given the well-worn wagon ruts) is cut through the forest here.

The Hunting cottage is a vital logistical node for the operations of the Temple of Elemental Evil. Located south of Nulb and near the Imeryd's Run, this unassuming log structure masks a sinister purpose: it serves as a supply depot, a slave-handling station, and a gateway into the Temple itself. Hidden deep within the Gnarley Forest, it is a place of grim purpose and dark machinations, overseen by loyal agents of the Greater Temple and guarded by Gefreid's bandit guards.

The Compound

The Hunting Cottage

• Exterior: A log structure of aged timber, repaired with scavenged stone and iron. A thin trail of smoke curls from its chimney at all hours.
• Interior: Reinforced with iron bars and bolted shutters, the cottage includes a war room (with field maps), sleeping bunks for 8–12 Temple bandits, a message alcove for encrypted missives from Lucius Graeme, and Gefreid’s command chamber.
• Function: Command post and triage zone for inbound cargo, personnel, and intelligence.

The Barn

• Structure: An expanded field barn, mostly intact.
• Contents: Barrels, slave cages, weapon crates, haylofts, and false panels concealing Temple insignia.
• Use: Temporary prisoner holding, cargo re-packing, and horse stalls for messenger couriers and inbound brigands.

The Secret Tunnel

• Location: 200 feet behind the barn, camouflaged at the base of a rocky ridge.
• Entrance: Natural limestone cave worked into a 6-ft-wide passage reinforced with shoring beams and stone.
• Length: Approx. 300 feet descending to the Broken Tower access point of the Greater Temple’s lower levels.
• Security:
• Two bandit guards rotate in pairs.
• Rune-marked stones at three locations along the tunnel are magical alarms (Temple-only magic).
• The door at the Temple end is triple-locked and guarded by elite Greater Temple warriors.

Operational Logistics

Hunting Cottage Overview

Located one mile south of the village of Nulb, the Hunting Cottage sits nestled in a dense pocket of the Gnarley Forest where the southern reaches of the Kron Hills begin to rise. The terrain is rugged and cloaked in thick underbrush and old-growth trees, making the site naturally defensible and nearly impossible to find without guidance.

Once a rustic outpost for hunters from Nulb, the cottage now serves a far darker purpose. Under Gefreid Patris’s command, the site has become the primary field hub for the Greater Temple’s supply chain.

The facility includes:

• The Cottage Interior – Now reinforced with barred windows and steel bracing, it functions as a bunkhouse and command post. Gefreid and his Temple bandit unit (8–12 hardened men) maintain watch rotations, secure maps and orders, and rest here between supply runs.
• The Barn – Used to store incoming crates, sacks, and bound captives awaiting transfer. Armaments, cult relics, and Temple-marked goods are hidden behind false walls. Some lower stalls have been converted into temporary holding pens.
• Hidden Tunnel Access – Roughly 200 feet behind the cottage, past a screen of brambles and tree cover, lies a natural cave entrance at the base of a short limestone ridge. This feature is carefully disguised with forest camouflage, but clearly guarded.

The Secret Tunnel

• Entrance: A 6-foot-high limestone cave mouth, initially natural but worked over time by Temple masons to serve as a logistical artery.
• Tunnel Length: Roughly 300 feet long, sloping downward beneath the hills and toward the ruins of the Temple of Elemental Evil.
• Destination: The Greater Temple's lower levels, where supplies, slaves, and reinforcements bypass surface detection entirely.
• Security Measures:
• Two armed sentries stationed at all times at the entrance.
• Rune-marked boulders for signaling safe passage or danger.
• Logbooks of every shipment maintained by Gefreid or his sergeant.
• Primary Use Cases:
• Receive prisoners from Madame Selentis’s bandits and Lorveth's slave contacts.
• Collect supply crates offloaded in Nulb and carried by trusted brigands.
• Dispatch trained recruits from Lareth’s Moathouse or surrounding regions.
• Allow Temple operatives to move unseen between the surface and dungeon depths.

Supply Chain Routing

• Nulb → Madame Selentis → Hunting Cottage → Tunnel
• Moathouse → Gattas Void’s Raiders → Hunting Cottage → Tunnel
• River Shipments → Vesrek’s Pirates → Lorveth → Selentis → Hunting Cottage → Tunnel

Cabin and Barn Defenses: Snares

The perimeter surrounding the Hunting Cabin and Barn is laced with concealed snares—crude yet deadly traps set by Gefreid’s bandits and occasionally improved by bugbear scouts. Crafted from tension-wrapped wire, camouflaged noose loops, and ground-pit toggles, these snares are designed to catch careless intruders before they ever reach the door.

They are not visible to the casual traveler and are meant to delay, injure, or capture trespassers for interrogation—or disposal.

"Think you’re clever, sneaking around my cabin? The snares will find you before I do."

Iron Claw Bugbear Tunnel Guard (Greater Temple Extension Force)

Recruited from the Iron Claw Clan of the Southern Gnarley Forest, this squad of bugbears serves as Commander Feldrin’s elite subterranean security force. They are stationed at the secret tunnel entrance behind the Hunting Cottage to ensure no passage in or out occurs without Temple approval. This unit operates autonomously from the main cottage bandits, under strict orders to enforce Temple secrecy with deadly force.

Position & Duties

• Guard Post: Located inside the first 60 feet of the tunnel, where the natural cave gives way to worked stone.
• Barracks Niche: A hollowed-out side chamber (approx. 20’ x 30’) with bedrolls, weapon racks, a cooking pit, and a crude idol of Grankhul, bugbear god of alertness and ambush.
• Rotations: Always 4 on guard; 2 stationed at the entrance, 2 deeper inside near the locking gates.
• Command Link: Report directly to Commander Feldrin via runner or Lucius Graeme.

Monster Companions

The Iron Claw Bugbears are known for using brutal, semi-trained beast-companions captured from the Gnarley’s darkest hollows. Commander Feldrin has authorized their use here to supplement tunnel defenses.

Recommended Monster Companions:

1. Giant Rats: Common in the lower tunnel edges. Swarms act as early-warning systems.
2. Goblins: 5–6 enslaved goblins serve as scouts, errand-runners, and early-warning fodder.
3. Carrion Crawlers: One or two reside in a pit chamber off the main route; released when sabotage is suspected.
4. Death Dogs: Favored by bugbears for their disease-ridden bites and twin heads. Chained to posts near the tunnel entrance.

Tunnel Guard Roster

Tactical Defense Plan

• Phase 1: Tripwire alerts and rats swarm entrance; bugbears move into ambush.
• Phase 2: Death dogs are unleashed and attack intruders in the main chamber.
• Phase 3: Bugbears retreat into tunnel and trigger spiked barricade to block exit; Carrion Crawler released if breach continues.
• Emergency Protocol: Druk Marrgut flees to warn Gefreid, who then seals the tunnel at the Greater Temple side.

DM Notes & Hooks

• Temple Orders: Bugbears are not loyal to Gefreid—they serve Feldrin directly. This breeds tension between the human bandits and the monstrous guards.
• Inter-Faction Conflict: Selentis's men are warned never to enter the tunnel without a Temple seal. Any unsanctioned movement is met with lethal force.
• PC Opportunity: PCs disguised as cultists may face a DC 17 Deception or Religion check to pass the bugbears unchallenged.

The Secret Tunnel Complex

Temple Access Tunnel beneath the Hunting Cottage, 579 CY

A critical asset of the Greater Temple, this hidden tunnel serves as the primary supply and infiltration route to the lower levels of the Temple of Elemental Evil. Located just south of Nulb within the Kron Hills-Gnarley Forest border, it allows Temple agents to move supplies, prisoners, and warbands undetected. Commanded by Gefreid Patris, the tunnel is guarded and maintained by a dedicated force of Iron Claw Clan Bugbears, their enslaved Goblin raiders, and monstrous cave-dwelling allies.

Tunnel Entrances

1. The Natural Cave Mouth (Primary Access)

• Location: 200 feet behind the Hunting Cottage, concealed by forest growth and brush along a limestone ridge.
• Purpose: Main ingress/egress for wagons, prisoners, large Temple parties.
• Concealment:
• Dense screen of hanging vines and brambles (DC 15 Perception to spot from 30 ft).
• Covered with netting camouflaged in moss and leaves (DC 17 Investigation to detect opening).
• Surveillance:
• Two bugbear sentries posted in a dugout blind 20 ft uphill overlooking the cave.
• A pair of goblin runners posted further uptrail with a horn to alert the interior guards.

2. The Hidden Water Well (Secondary Access)

• Location: Old, cracked stone well hidden behind the barn near the cottage.
• Purpose: A narrow vertical shaft (2 ft diameter) leads down into the upper level of the tunnel.
• Hazards:
• Swarming Giant Rats lair in this section.
• Slippery stones, 30-ft vertical descent (DC 14 Athletics to climb down silently).
• Gameplay Note:
• This entrance is unguarded by bugbears, making it ideal for stealthy PCs but dangerous due to terrain and rats.

Tunnel Layout and Structure

• Total Length: Approx. 300 feet.
• Construction: Begins as a natural cave (20 ft wide), transitioning to worked stone.
• Features:
• Iron torch sconces (magical continual flame) every 30 ft.
• Drainage grooves cut into the floor to handle blood and runoff.
• Two reinforced steel doors (locked, watched) leading to Temple access zone.

Side Caverns (Functional Rooms)

1. Bugbear Barracks
2. 4 bedrolls, a stone fire pit, and war trophies on the walls.
3. Guard rotation chart and crude temple iconography.
4. Goblin Slave Den
5. Filthy nesting space. 5–6 enslaved goblins sleep here, armed with shortbows and scimitars.
6. Serve as scouts, errand-runners, and early-warning fodder.
7. Overseen by Rult Bonegnasher, bugbear beastmaster.
8. Carrion Pit
9. A partially collapsed side tunnel sealed with a grated portcullis.
10. Home to 1–2 Carrion Crawlers, fed scraps and sacrificial victims.
11. Bugs released if invaders breach the tunnel.
12. Storage Grotto
13. Stacked crates, Temple-marked barrels, and tarpaulin-covered weapon caches.
14. Logged by the bugbears using pictograph scratch tallies.

Forces & Leadership

Iron Claw Bugbear Guard

• Recruited by Commander Feldrin directly from Gorvash the Cruel’s tribe.
• Loyal only to Feldrin and the Temple hierarchy—not Gefreid or Selentis.
• Commanded by Druk Marrgut, a grizzled bugbear captain and brutal tactician.
• Operate in fire teams of 2–4; rarely sleep simultaneously.

Goblin Slave Raiders

• Captured from minor forest tribes; serve as tools and expendable scouts.
• Tasks:
• Watch trail approaches.
• Sound alarms.
• Assist with hauling supplies through the cave.
• Dissuade enemy scouts via false paths and decoys.

Defensive Tactics

1. First Contact: Goblin whistle signals, bugbear archers reposition into cave killzones.
2. Bugbear Intercept: Heavy infantry blocks entrance or pushes intruders into the Carrion Pit.
3. Collapse Protocol: Druk Marrgut can trigger an intentional mini cave-in using prepared supports, sealing the central passage if the tunnel is compromised.
4. Escape Tunnel: Secret passage behind Carrion Pit allows 1-way escape to a distant game trail, known only to Feldrin’s command agents.

Encounter Suggestions for DMs

• Goblins Flee with Warnings: A single goblin escapes and alerts the bugbears. The party must move fast or face reinforced defenders.
• Slaves Awaiting Transport: A group of captives from Nulb are being prepped in the tunnel for final passage into the Temple.
• Carrion Crawler Loose: Something has triggered the beast early—both bugbears and PCs must survive.
• Feldrin’s Agent Arrives: Lucius or another courier arrives mid-scene, creating roleplay tension and chaos.