AD&D Greyhawk Adventures: The Temple of Elemental Evil

Game Master Anselth

The human priest looks at Ostler Gundigoot and smiles his thanks for the information on Jozan's horse and equipment.

"I have had little use for traders. Can someone sell this for us and barter for goods we may use? It would not seem prudent for one of us to ride high while the others are such lesser targets. As for Podo and Gnobby walking, I would rather be by their side. Horses in battle can be capricious indeed, unless specially trained. Of course you may have a better suggestion."

Galavaine has spent the time coming down and at breakfast thinking on Sallandrya's plan but does not speak one way or the other, instead grasping for the words of Tarmin to give more time to decide his opinion.

"Yes, let us see this druid of the Old Faith and receive his blessing. Perhaps Jozan or Zert is known to him?"

When everyone decides to leave the Inn Sir Galavaine is armed with his warhammer and protected by shield and armour. He looks ready for battle.

Ostler Gundigoot offers to purchase the horse and kit from you for 150 gold. The horse is in good condition, a heavy destrier trained for war. He is obviously worth more than what the innkeeper offers, but the price is still fair.

Sallandrya does not have any rights in regards to the fate of the horse, but if it is given/sold to Ostler she will ask that the good Inn keeper not re sell or use horse for a few days, just in case Jozan/Zert's allies may be keeping tabs, best wait until we have seen to who Jozan was reporting to.

In order to keep up appearances, Sallandrya will not join the party at the Druid's Grove but will inconspicuously trail the party to the right and faaar behind of the group, keeping note if anyone else is doing likewise or paying close watch of the party.

Gnobby walks along and hands Podo a whole pie, then proceeds to grab another pie for himself. "I bought one of them, can't remember which one."

"Well it's better to take two then". "Wouldn't want to cheat yourself out of our hard earned money".

Whew! I'm glad they decided to sell that monster. A person could get killed falling from that high.

"If you guys need someone to hold onto the money until we find somewhere safe to keep it, I'd be willing to do so".

Podo then wolfs down his pie like he stole it.

The box text for the beginning of the adventure makes reference to riding in, but as pure first level characters, nobody really has the funds to own a mount. I've kind of forgotten about the horses to be honest. They haven't turned into burgers overnight, so they are available to ride.

"Podo, I often pay for most of my stuff now that I'm rehabilitated. I found a stolen pie used to taste better than a purchased pie. Now I pay for some and steal one. Then I mix them up, so every pie or apple I eat may be a stolen pie. It makes things taste so good again. Then after I eat them, I go back and pay for them."

Tarmin, Sallandrya, Andre, Galavaine, Gnobby and Podo get 25 gold each from Ostler Gundigoot unless someone has a better system?

Galavaine introduces himself to Jaroo and mentions the problems with Jozan and Zert to see if he recognises the names and who "L" may be. The priest is all business with a member of the Old Faith.

Jaroo shakes his head. "No, I don't know this Jozan, nor have I heard the name Zert before. The letter you found, though, is troubling. I doubt it came from the Temple itself, it is more likely from the moathouse, which means that there may be more than a smattering of bandits there. I would proceed with care."

"We are grateful for your blessing and wisdom, Jaroo. We will keep you appraised of anything we discover.

As the group make ready to depart the grove, Tarmin walks to the garden altar, kneels and says a soft prayer in Elvish; then rises and rejoins the group.

Podo looks around the Druid's grove for anything interesting, and doesn't pay much attention to what they are talking about.

Wow! What a boring place to live. He's got nothing but leaves, and flowers, and some semi-pretty rocks. I wonder if someone else is keeping all his good stuff for him.

As the group is turning to leave..."If'n you need somebody to find all your lost stuff, just let me know and I'll be glad to help".

Once it is obvious that the group is ready to move on, Jaroo rises to stand before them. "Please bow your heads. I will ask the mother to aid you in your travels." He begins chanting quietly, and a stillness fills the grove. In fact, Tarmin could swear that not a wisp of wind passed through the grove, and not a fly buzzed. His chanting reaches a quiet crescendo, and the group members felt the soles of their feet lighten.

"I have asked the plants to hide your passage. It will not last long, but none should be able to follow you for some distance outside the town. I regret that this is all the aid I may provide. May the mother protect you on your journey."

All of the members of the group present at the grove are now under the effects of Pass Without Trace. The spell will hide footprints, prevent the breaking of twigs and branches, and otherwise obscure your trail for the first quarter mile outside of town, assuming you leave now. The longer you remain in town, the shorter distance the spell will work over, as it is based on time.

"Our thanks, Jaroo" Tarmin says to the Druid with a slight bow. To the others,"This magic will allow you to move through the wilderness as I and Podo are able. I suggest we take advantage of it by moving south through the trees and brush and come out east of the castle, thereby avoiding any prying eyes. After that, I propose I go ahead some distance and scout our path to the moat house.

"Let's move." Gnobby finishes his pie and gets his 'Game face' on.

"Let us make haste," Andre says, checking the buckles on his armor and strap upon his scabbard. "If there are those within Hommlet that seek to do harm to this bastion of Good, then time is of the essence."

Andre sets a relaxed pace while they leave Hommlet - once the village is well behind them, however, he sets a brisk march towards the Moathouse, careful to make sure the shorter folk can keep up.

As the group moves through the trees, Tarmin whistles a few notes of birdsong, but otherwise leads them quietly and stealthily to the edge of the treeline. They exit some 400 feet southeast of the castle, and are out of sight of the laborers before any of the commoners toiling at the construction notice. Only one pair of eyes tracks the movement of the group once they leave the treeline.

Hearing birdsong not native to the area, Sallandrya turns her eyes south from the road, and notes the passage of the party. Knowing now that they are on their way, she returns to her vigil, watching for any who might be trying to observe the group leaving town. Her watch proves fruitless, however, as she is unable to spot anyone who looks like they may be trying tokeep tabs on the party. Satisfied there is noone coming, she makes her way through the woods, catching up with the group approximately a half mile east of town.

Reunited, the troupe makes good speed along the road, through pastures and stands of timber. Soon, however, a scrub of thorns, thistles, weeds, and shrubs begins to grow thickly along the edge of the track which leads into the wilderness. Even the track itself is mostly overgrown and cluttered with fallen branches and trees. Here and there it is washed out, in other places a mire.

Some game evidently still follows the pathway, for after a mile or so faint traces can be seen. But even considering this, going is slow. It takes about four hours to travel this distance, as much hacking and clearing must be performed. After about a mile and a half, Sallandrya, Tarmin, and Podo all put their hands up at the same time, urging the others to be quiet. Creeping over a hillock, the party observes a small herd of deer. After two miles, as the track turns more northerly, the land begins to sink and become boggy. Tall marsh plants grow thickly where cattails and tamaracks do not. Off to the left can be seen the jagged silhouette of the moathouse.

The small ruined keep stands in the middle of the bog and is surrounded by a dank, algae filled moat The rotting timbers and rusted chins of an ancient drawbridge rest upon the soggy ground entrance into the main courtyard.

A side path, banked high to cross over the wetland to either side, just north to the entrance of the ruin. The track here is only about 15 feet wide or so, with crumbling embankments making travel near the edge dangerous. The bogs stink. The vegetation appears dense and prolific, but somehow sickly and unhealthy, creepers and vines throwing their strangling loops over the skeletons of dead saplings and living bushes alike. The rushes and cattails rustle and bend even to a slight zephyr, and weird bird calls, croaking and other unwholesome sounds come faintly across the fen.

The afternoon sunlight filters through the moss-covered merlons atop the crenelated moathouse walls, casting the bog in eerie, yellowish light and shadow.

"Charming..." Tarmin mutters, motioning her comrades back into cover "We should exercise caution, there are many vantage points from, which a vigilant enemy could see our approach."

You want me to sneak around the back, and see if there is another way in?

"Maybe we should have rangers and other clever perceptive fellows make sure the area is clear. Split into two scout teams, Tarmin and I, and Podo and the new girl. We will circle around in two different directions only observing and report back in a half an hour."

"You others can wait and see if we scare up any evildoers."

"That sounds wise, Gnobby. If you are discovered, do not engage - try to lead your pursuers back here, so we might catch them unawares. Once we know their strength, we can make our move."

OK, I need to know who's going in which direction, how close you plan to approach, etc. You're basically looking at the building from the perspective of the picture in the campaign tab.

@Anselth/the party

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Sallandrya asks her newfound allies, "Should we wait for the cover of darkness? Best not alert the 'tenants' of our visit. And we can remain here to see if we can detect actiivity inside, perhap's lay an ambush for any patrols or raiding parties that come forth into the open, that would decidedly weaken the enemy force as a whole.

Sallandrya will scout ahead with Tarmin whenever the group decides is best to push forward.

Whether doing the scouting presently or later in the evening, before she departs Sallandrya will utter a prayer to the Great Hunter for herself and her allies in Elven then quietly switch to Common and say: "May we strike swift and our aim hold true."

Sallandrya will draw a single arrow, steel her bow arm and head in the most favorable direction for scouting the base of the moat house, never within range of crossbows or longbows, nowhere near any obvious points of entry (for surely those will be guarded) and keeping her body and silhouette low as only slightly built Elven Ranger can.

Edit: just saw the picture, thank you.

"Sallandrya it would be better if we mixed up the teams as Gnobby suggested. Why not take Podo with you.?"

"My only concern is what will happen if either group gets into trouble? Half an hour is a long time but I respect your talents and trust your judgement. I am no scout but Andre is right, we will wait for you here. Be careful." Galavaine keeps watch on the drawbridge way.

"Gnobby, let's go. We'll keep to the longer brush in order to conceal our movement... stay close." Tarmin says to Gnobby as the strings her bow and loosens the stays on her sword.

Gnobby and Tarmin go right, Podo and Sallandrya left. Thirty minutes to inspect and listen at the outside of the walls, not to go in. The plan is the two scouting parties cross paths (after fifteen minutes) and continue past each other meeting back with the others. 30 minutes to make a complete circuits should allow some cautious movement.

Plus rangers were the hardest to surprise in old school D&D. We have two rangers and two thieves, might as well use them.

I of course did NOT mean to exclude our fellow demi human stealth users!! I was just typing along and forgot to add the names of the smaller members of our fellowship. They are truly masters of stealth because they made me forget they were here! : ) So we are not waiting for the cover of darkness then?

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After a few paces away from the group, Sallandrya asks, "So brave Podo, do you know any good Dwarf jokes?"

Elf and halfling start heading left (West?) of the party towards the moat house, either presently or later if we wait for dusk time.

With our human contingent we are probably a daylight party.

As the two groups spilt up, Pettry watches Podo's group for a minute after they're out of sight, then sits down and pulls his spellbook out of his backpack. "I wish I could go with them." He mutters, then starts flipping through. "I hope I picked right for today. I've never been in a fight before. This should be exciting."

The two groups travel uneventfully the rest of the way around, passing each other silently north of the moathouse. As they come around, and back towards the vantage where Andre, Sir Galavaine, and Pettry wait, a chill wind rises, raising the hairs on the back of everyone's neck. Nothing is encountered, however, and the groups arrive within a few minutes of eachother. Pettry brightens when they get back, asking, "So what did you see? Are there bandits?"

Sitting down on an rock outcropping, Tarmin grabs a stick and begins scraping the stinking mud from her boots "We saw naught much more than mud, grass and insects, though Gnobby did notice some movement through one of the arrow slits on the north side; whether it was something alive or merely a piece of the keep falling into further ruin, we could not tell."

"Did you see another way in?" Galavaine points aat the drawbridge, "that way could be a nasty ambush."

Indeed, Galavaine. There was a portion of wall that has collapsed on the west side of the keep, we may be able to enter there. Tarmin says, rising , finally having removed most of the mud from her boots.

"That's likely our best way in, Tarmin - I did note some movement in the courtyard, so the Moathouse is indeed occupied. We'll wait for Podo and Sallandrya to be certain, but I would favor a westerly approach. We wait for sunset, so Pelor's light would be at our backs, making it harder for scouts to notice our approach. And then, once inside..."

Andre grips the hilt of his sword with steely resolve. "Once inside, we begin our holy work."

"I can not vouch for the stability of the stonework on the West side of the keep, nor if the defenders have laid any traps or trip wires to alert them of any intrusion, but by the main gate has the largest Anura I have ever seen, easily the size of a hound, whether it was set there as a guard, or it decided to make its home there and the occupants of the keep do not know how to rid themselves of the beast, I can not say.'"

Podo translates for the non Elven speakers, "She means FROG, but you should see the size of this THING! I bet Gnobby could ride it!"

"Yes ... F r o g, I have heard tales of foul creatures who make temples to these large Anuras in the Dark Places beneath the world," Sallandrya visibly pales at the memory of unpleasant childhood tales.

Andre nods approvingly to Sallandrya. "Even more of a reason to avoid a frontal assault, though it might appeal to my sense of heroism. Let us retreat until twilight, unless there are other preparations we might make?"

Gnobby nods at Andre's words but then shakes his head.

"Sir Andre, it seems strange that I, the subtle one, would argue for a daylight frontal assault. But in this case it is warranted. I would not want to sneak in the side leaving these frogs to deal with later. If we can engage them from the open at range and draw them out of the gate, it is much better than worrying about them later when we leave the moathouse and possibly on their ground. At the moment we know where our enemy is and he not us. Later that may be reversed. Let our hunters bring the frogs down with surprise."

"Can we kill the frogs then enter via that west keep? My expectation is that that drawbridge will collapse under my weight and armour." Galavaine stares at the marshy entranceway and shakes his head a little.

"Hmmmm...Gnobby, your plan has merit. " Tarmin says, turning to Sallandrya, "Do you fancy some target practice?" she says with a smile. Then turning to the others "What say you on this plan"

Either way is good with me...but they're just frogs...no matter how giant they are they're just frogs". "Maybe if we just sneak by, and don't bother them, they won't bother us".

"A good point, Gnobby, but I don't think stealth is mine or Sir Galavaine's strong suit. Perhaps if we fed them, they'd be less interested in feeding on us. If we could bring down a deer, they might feast upon that meat instead of the live and kicking kind."

Gnobby's plan is to approach the main gate and have the rangers fire at the frogs with the frontliners ready to deal with the frogs when they sally forth. Gnobby plans to be hidden as close to the main gate as possible for some good old backstabbing.

Gnobby takes out a longsword and dagger. "Ready for action, let's get this done in the light of day. You humans aren't good at sneaking around in dim light."

As the group quietly debates the merits of various plans of attack, the wind comes up again, raising the hairs on everyone's neck. The afternoon sun passes behind a cloud, the shade provided giving the area an even more eerie feel. The croaking from around the moathouse falls slightly with the wind, though the silence allows the group to notice noises in the forest around and behind them...

"Podo imagine a frog large enough to bite you in two and maybe you should take care."

Galavaine listens to Andre and starts to shake his head. "This would be a good test of own strength in a battle of our making. If we cannot defeat giant frogs perchance we should not risk further into the moathouse. I intend to remain at the centre of Gnobby's plan able to fight and heal where needed. My knowledge of the Craft or Magik is slim at best but that may prove of use too."

Galavaine gets up and draws his mace, making final preparations for combat.

"Where should I be? I can throw a bolt of force at someone, but I can only do that once. I could stay back and help when they come to us?" Pettry taps his staff with one hand, apparently offering to help bludgeon the frog.

Current Map is now up in the campaign tab. Check there for updates. Looks like tinypic is not going to be where I host these, as the image is way too small to be terribly useful once actual combat begins.

"Petry, I think you can stay behind Sir Galavaine. You can finish off one of the wounded with your magic bolt and hit any with your staff that get by our warriors."

Gnobby takes advantage of the cloud and waves to Podo and rushes forward to hide outside the gatehouse.

Intent is to take any that come out stealthily from behind.

Tarmin follows Gnobby through the brush, getting to within 50ft of the location of the frogs ( to avoid minus 2 to hit ) , and knocks an arrow in readiness, alert to any movement from the water; ready to let fly if any creature threatens Gnobby.

Podo loosens his sling from around his waist and makes to follow Gnobby, mumbling under his breath.

"I'm not a cricket". "I'm not going to end up frog food".

Seeing the new frogs, Tarmin quietly turns back towards Sallandrya and using common hunting hand signals indicates the newly discovered creatures. She then turns back and calmly half draws her bow, ready to skewer any frog that attacks Gnobby or Podo.

Gnobby is looking for a hiding place to jump out from. Being next to Tarmin when she fires arrows is not his idea of a good hiding place. He thinks the source of arrows would be the first place they would look. If there is no good hiding place, he will wait behind Tarmin.