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EDIT FROM THE JUDGES: Please read this information about playtesting these encounters. We've also added hyperlinks from the encounter's short stat blocks to the full stat blocks in the PRD so you have the information you need to run the encounter.

The Hungry Mountain Dragon

High above Lake Raiteso in central Ustalav a distant roar can sometimes be heard echoing off the cliffs and mountainsides of the Hungry Mountains during the night. The few hardy souls who live in the towering mountains make the gesture of warding evil when they hear the roars or smell the acidic stench wafting in on the capricious winds. Sometimes they raise their fist and curse the day that the scion of the family VonTeado returned to their chalet high atop Mount Azdaj, then slink back into their homes before night falls and evil rises.

Atop this particularly remote fastness is the Chalet de VonTeado. Built of basalt found throughout the Hungry Mountains during the reign of the Whispering Tyrant, the chalet was little more than a fortified cabin to retreat to should the VonTeado family be forced to flee the capital. Hull VonTeado has been ordered to turn the chalet into an alchemical laboratory for the gnomish technicians and uses the chalet as safe house for his wicked obsessions. Every few months he travels to the town of Chateau Douleurs to hunt for and kidnap women who resemble his only true love, the vampire mistress Dame Qora.

Hull VonTeado, driven insane by his unrequited love for the vampire who spawned him and the raging thirst for blood that he has not satisfied arrives at the chalet a half hour before the pursuing player characters. Since knowledge of his vampire status will soon be exposed, Hull will flee on his possession, the alchemical dragon, Draco Noir.

The Dragon Rises (CR 6 or 9)
==========
Encounter 2a.
This tiny chalet is full of the clutter of a mad scientist illuminated by the carmine rays of the setting sun. All of the exterior windows have been bricked up and most of the interior walls have been knocked out. Everywhere there are barrels, boxes, beakers and burners. Directly outside the back door of the chalet Hull VonTeado stands up from crouching, arms akimbo and laughing maniacally. A deep roar and the harsh smell of acid emits from somewhere below your line of vision.

“You thought you could catch me! But you’ve failed!” He turns and dashes down some wooden steps and out of sight. Barely discernible above the roar you can hear him bellow, “Cast off you fools!”

Low Tier CR 6: Move to Encounter 2b.

High Tier CR 9: This room contains a spectre, Froard VonTeado, whose resemblance to Hull is uncanny.

Encounter 2b.
A colossal airship, at least 75 feet long, is moored at the end of the descending ramp. It has been crafted to look like a giant dragon, long, lean, and black, with tremendous wings spread behind it in a raptor’s dive pose. Tears in the wings and several holes in the hull, however, suggest a minimum has been spent on its upkeep. The ramp leads to a large door in the side of the alchemical dragon just before the tail. Inside the beast, Hull’s canine teeth grow longer as he screams at someone to, “just go! Don’t worry about the mooring line!”

The Draco Noir was once a proud airship, but times and its current owner have been tough on it and it shows. Hastily patched tears adorn the wing membranes, scratches and dents on the sides of the vessel show where an pilot displayed more eagerness than skill in guide the vessel to berth. Even one of the horns on its prow had been shorn off.

The inside of the vessel mirrors the outer, with the added stink of unwashed bodies wafting through its drafty hold. Near the bow (front), a large steering wheel like those found on sailing ships guides the craft in front of a tall stool with a harness bolted to the deck. In the middle of the vessel sits the dark heart of the beast. The alchemical engine somehow uses concentrated acid to power the flight of the craft. Five gnomes occupy the tall stools surrounding the engine from every side. Each stool sits before a panel of gears, switches, levers and other mechanical triggers that must be constantly used to keep the craft in the air.

In the very back (aft) of the vessel is a 10’ by 10’ area with 10 large backpacks (parachutes) hanging on pegs on the wall. There are two backpacks in the bow as well. One backpack lies on the floor with nothing but layers of silk or some other light material stuffed within. Small 5’ trapdoors can be found at each end of the vessel, allowing for an easy way to jump off.

Craft Alchemy 10 / Knowledge (Engineering) 10 - The casks of acid are not secured and could slide around if the pilot isn’t careful.

Knowledge (Engineering) 15 - The massive alchemical engine and the stools are a single unit set on a steel plate. The plate itself cannot be damaged by acid, but the deck below has been exposed and is slowly rotting away.

Knowledge (Engineering) 15 / Fly 10 – The massive wings of the vessel look like they can expand out, probably as an emergency measure to glide should the engine fail.

Boarding the dragon:
Once Players have slain the spectre, they have 4 rounds to get to the air vessel before it pulls away from the chalet. Even as the dragon dives away, PCs have one round to grab the mooring line and climb onto the dragon in flight (Climb DC 10).

In Flight
Once in flight, the dragon weaves and dodges in an attempt to throw the PCs to the deck and the unsecured acid casks spill acid onto the deck (see Hazard 2), causing smaller holes at first, then larger holes, then finally whole gaps. Within 20 rounds of flight, the areas of acid saturation will eat entirely through the deck. Gusts of air will start tearing the dragon apart and the engine will stop. The dragon will then fall for 10 rounds and crash. Any creature still on the dragon when it crashes takes 20d6 falling damage. Also, the alchemical engine explodes doing an additional 10d10 of fire damage to all within 60 feet of the engine.

Exit the dragon:
If the PCs end the fight soon enough with the gnomes unharmed they can fly the disintegrating ship back to the chalet.

If the PCs are on the ship after 20 rounds inb flight, or any one or more of the gnomes are incapacitated, the players have the option of using the parachutes to exit the dragon.

Falling
Without the parachutes or other methods of slowing/halting a fall, creatures that fall take 20d6 damage when they hit the ground.

Creatures:
Both Tiers
Gnomish Pilot (1) and Technicians (5) (CR 1) LINK
Gnome Fighter figure
XP 100 each
hp 8, Alignment CE

– Strapped in their five-point stools, the gnomish pilot and technicians spend all of their time keeping the dragon in the air. If any one of the gnomes become incapacitated, the vessel is no longer in control and will begin a sharp spiral towards the ground, ending is a fiery crash in 10 rounds.

Low Tier (CR 6):
Hull VonTeado, Vampire Spawn (CR 4) LINK
XP 1200
hp: 26 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 271)

High Tier (CR 9):
Hull VonTeado, Torturer Vampire (CR 7) LINK
XP 3200
hp: 42 (GameMastery Guide 270, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 271)

Froard VonTeado, Spectre (CR 7) LINK
XP 3200
hp: 52 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 256)

Hazard: Once the dragon is underway, the following hazards are in play:

Hazard 1- Moving Deck (CR 1): On the first and every successive round, each PC and Hull must make a DC 15 Reflex save or move 10’ in a random direction and fall prone. This falling effect does not cause attacks of opportunity (but standing up next to Hull will). Remedy: prone creatures or creatures that use a standard action each round to brace themselves may ignore this hazard.

Hazard 2 – Acid Casks (CR 3): On the first round the barrels of concentrated acid (2 forward, 4 aft) roll around the ship shooting streams of liquid acid and spewing noxious vapors. On the second round, and each successive round, all creatures in the vessel take 1d6 acid damage and must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or take 1 point of Constitution damage. Remedy: creatures may move out of the areas marked on the map to ignore this hazard.

Development: Returning to and searching the chalet yields a note written to Hull VonTeado from Dame Qora commanding him to take the dragon and meet her at a small homlet in the mountains of Virlych to “…begin the next phase of our plan.”

Twisted into large effigies of the elves that died to stop Treerazer, these horrid willow trees wander the Tanglebriar seeking a way for their master to escape its exile.

Witchbole Willow CR 7
XP 3,200
CE Large Plant
Init -1 Senses low-light vision, Perception +9

----- Defense -----
AC 21, touch 9, flat-footed 21 ( -1 Dex, +12 natural)
hp 85 (10d8+40); fast healing 5
Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +7
Defensive Abilities camouflage DR 10/slashing Immune plant traits
Weaknesses vulnerability to fire

----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 slams +14 (1d6+8/19-20 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7)
3/day-dimension door

----- Statistics -----
Str 26, Dex 8, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 8
Base Atk +7; CMB +16 (+20 to grapple); CMD 25
Feats Alertness, Improved Critical (slam), Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills Perception +9, Stealth +1 (+15 in forests) Racial Modifiers +14 Stealth in forests
Languages Common, Sylvan (cannot speak)
SQ thornburst

----- Ecology -----
Environment any forest
Organization solitary or grove (2 – 7)
Treasure standard

----- Special Abilities -----
Camouflage (Ex) Since the witchbole willow appears as any other willow tree when it is still, a DC 18 Perception check is required to notice the plant before it attack. Anyone with ranks in Survival or Knowledge (nature) can use either of those skills to notice the plant.

Thornburst (Ex) Once per week the plant can emit a burst of thorns coated with a toxic sap in a 30’ radius. Any foes within the radius must make a DC 19 Fort save or suffer the exhausted condition. This ability does not affect plants.

The witchbole willow is a foul plant that uses the corrupted bones of elven heroes to stalk the lands. Sent to test the wards and guards used to prevent Treerazer’s escape from its containment, the plants roam the Tanglebriar and attack all that cross their paths. Although primarily found in the southern forests of Kyonin, the willows have begun to spread out farther afield for some purpose.

As the living fortress shambles through the forest, the bones of long dead elves rain down to the forest carpet. These bones, steeped in the foul influence of Treerazer and the dead elves’ own link to the Sovyrian Stone, draw the trees around them, greatly accelerating the growth of the foliage. Within a week, a faintly humanoid, albeit large, shape can be discerned. Within two weeks, the willow begins to move and looks like a horribly warped effigy of an elf.

Most troublesome to the warders of Kyonin is the witchbole willow’s ability to dimension door, giving Treerazer a possible mechanism for escape from the elves' cordon. This ability seems to tie to the elves’ affinity with the ancient artifact that allowed the elves passage to their mysterious retreat Sovyrian.

While the plants neither care for nor collect treasure, the bones that make up their dark cores are the remains of the some of the elves’ mightiest champions during the terrible times of Treerazer’s rampage. The bones themselves are valuable to certain alchemists and crafters on the black market, though possession of them for any other purpose than delivering them to a temple for purification carries heavy civil penalties. There is also a chance some bit of treasure is embedded deep in the bole of the tree. When determining treasure, roll normally. Any results other than magic items or treasure that would typically be worn (such as jewelry) is the approximate reward for returning the bones to a temple or government agency.

The Foulgrip Rangers
Alignment: CE
Headquarters: Ndele Gap, Nex
Leader: Bebtu Gig
Structure Frontier Outlaw Band
Scope: National
Resources: Small keep in nortwest hills and livestock

The Foulgrip Rangers wander the western wastes of Nex, hunting the strange creatures that roam the area and the occasional caravan as well. The Foulgrip Rangers, now composed of around fifty gnoll rangers and gunslingers, are led by Bebtu Gig and her pack of leucrotta. Nothing survives once the Foulgrip Rangers track it down. A fusillade of bullets, the yipping charge of a score of gnolls and the powerful bites of the pack of leucrotta make short work of their prey.

Structure and Leadership
The Foulgrip Gnoll Tribe was slowly dying away, eaten piece by piece from starvation and the strange and horrible abominations that wander the wasted land. At the behest of their last dying shaman, the tribe sacrificed the last of their captured food to Lamashtu and awaited death. Two days later Bebtu Gig and her three consorts arrived at their small border keep. Bebtu taught the remaining warriors how to lure and track monsters for food. Under her iron grip the tribe has flourished, hunting prey for gold and charging a protection fee to any travelers through the Ndele Gap.

Goals
Although unknown to the gnolls in the tribe, Bebtu was not sent by Lamashtu to save them. Bebtu is convinced that the secret of the power behind the fleshforges of Nex is the missing fourth Hide of Lawm, an ancient and terrible rite that harnesses the power and fertility of Lamashtu. Her plan is to plumb the secrets at the Well of Lies, a powerful scrying pool. At the moment she and her Rangers are too weak to assault the powerful guardians of the well. But one day the rangers will make their move.

Public Perception
All that travel through the wastelands of Nex are warned of the Foulgrip Rangers. Many who had thought to purchase their protection have never been heard from again. Although the council in Quantium is concerned, they do have to acknowledge that the Rangers help keep the population of the wasteland monsters down.

CHIMAERIC MANTLE
Aura strong abjuration; CL 17th
Slot neck; Price 128,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
This high collar offers continual magical protection in the form of a deflection bonus of +3. Once per day, the wearer may activate the collar to prevent all alignment-based or racial based bonuses to attack, damage or other effects from affecting the wearer for five consecutive rounds. This applies to the additional damage and effects such as bane, anarchic, axiomatic, and other enchantments, class abilities such as favored enemy bonuses or a paladin’s smite ability, and racial traits such as the gnomish Hatred bonus vs. reptilian and goblinoid subtypes. The collar will not prevent bonuses from any non-alignment or non-race specific damage or effects from affecting the wearer as normal. So a +1 goblin-bane longsword would still be treated as a +1 longsword, but would not receive the +2 to attack and +2d6 damage bonuses when attacking a goblin wearing and activating this collar.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, forbiddance, shield of faith; Cost 64,000 gp