Hello all!
Ok, I figured since I wrote this place up I may as well share it with all. My group finished out the Three Faces of Evil but took their sweet time getting out of the dungeon. The emergence of the Aspect of Evil and the waves of pure vileness it gave off caused a mine riot and the place cleared out. Smenk, who was having the place watched, decided that the players were either unsuccessful (in which case the cults were probably weakened enough to be vulnerable) or had succeeded and were likewise weakened and vulnerable. So, he set an ambush for them outside the mine and waited. Sure enough, the party emerged and Smenk (being a clever fellow) was nice enough to confront the party and to hand over all paper trail linking him with the cult. This was a very tense encounter, but the party eventually gave over (Smenk "generously" let them keep all the loot they cound in the temple) and Smenk departed with the evidence and Ragnolin Dourstone in tow (Smenk intended to turn Dourstone over to the authorities, but not until he gather some quick cash so he coud buy Ragnolin's former holdings).
So, to make a long story short, the party conspired with another Mine Manager to deal with Smenk, and after telling said manager about Smenk's involvement with the cult it was decided that they must regain the evidence they lost and free Ragnolin Dourstone. To do this the Mine Manager called a 'Manager's Meeting' in Blackstone to discuss the situation in Diamond Lake, which the other mine managers eventually agreed to. Smenk couldn't resist a chance to gloat over his rivals and was only too happy to attend.
This left his Estate relatively unguarded, or so the party thought...
10. Balabar Smenk’s Estate
Balabar knows he’s a man of many enemies and the precautions and condition of his home reflects this. In a rough-and-tumble town like Diamond Lake you need to make sure you can take care of yourself, thus he has put a significant amount of time, effort, and resources into making his residence as ‘thief proof’ as possible. This does not mean he put the majority of his resources into keeping thieves out (he knows that is well neigh impossible for an estate as large as his), he has only taken reasonable precautions to prevent unwanted entry. Instead he has put his resources into making sure any would-be thieves do not escape his residence alive. This serves the dual purposes of eliminated an enemy while also leaving his gear to be collected off his corpse.
Balabar Smenk’s residence uses the Inn Map from the adventure The Assassin’s Knot. I am no cartographer (one of my acknowledged weaknesses) so I use what I’ve got. Hopefully you can find said map on your own or bum a copy off some friends. The map was modified in several ways:
§ A 15’ tall stone wall was drawn around the entire estate with only one gate granting entrance.
§ All those pesky secret trap doors in the floor were eliminated.
§ Almost all the windows were boarded up (this particularly applies Balabar’s Bedroom, Kitchen, or the Secretary’s office, which are bricked up and then boarded over. The vault room has no window).
§ I expanded the basement level beneath the Inn enormously, adding a large room to the north that has a secret door on north eastern wall. That secret door leads to a 40’ long hall laden with traps that turns to the south and runs another 40’. Yep, more traps in there too (add the ones you like, I used whirling saw blades trap, the pit trap, the spear trap, the wyvern poison arrow trap, and the collapsing ceiling trap). 25’ down the southern turn there is a secret door in the west wall, which leads to a 20’20 room where Balabar’s real hoard rested. I put said wealth in three enchanted iron chests that were bolted to the floor. The chests were magical items in their own right (they go well beyond merely being ‘trapped’ each having several defenses from blasting multiple living creatures with spells to summoning guardians) and proved impossible to get into – this was intentional on my part, seeing some angst on player’s faces was good and they’ll always be curious as to what was in them! This room also had the evidence linking Balabar to the Ebon Triad set out on a large desk (as well as several items of mean value) that the party made off with and turned over to the militia. This completed the adventure, though they got quite a tongue-lashing from the militia captain for ‘going vigilante’ and violating personal property.
The way I write adventures for my campaign is to put down as many thoughts as I feel I need to remember and then I free form as I go, adding detail where I feel appropriate. Having done this for 20 years or so I find this works well for me, so you may find more than a few details missing from this write-up. My suggestion: copy it onto a word processing document and edit it as you see fit. Consider this my permission to use this in any way you wish/
General Description of Smenk’s Estate
Smenk’s is large but aging badly, the buildings within looking shabby and weathered and poorly cared for. A 15’ wall of new (but poor) construction surrounds the whole of the estate, which is made up of a one-story manor house, a barn, a coral, a weed-filled garden, an outdoor privy, and a very shabby wooden shack for the long-departed gardener. A single double gage made of rusting iron allows entry into and out of the estate. It is always kept open, fulfilling a promise Smenk once made “to always be available to his miners.” A variety of trees and un-trimmed bushes dot the grounds of the estate and long, sickly-looking grass grows everywhere. Balabar evidently feels his money is better spend on other things than property upkeep or landscaping.
Three (who bunk in area 17) thugs patrol the streets and exterior of the Smenk’s estate, warning anyone they see to go away with a sneer and the brandishing of a lead pipe. The walls of the estate are rough and extremely easy to climb (DC 10).
§ Thugs (warrior 2): Use stats for Militia 2 from Age of Worms Overload.
The Manor House
The manor house’s condition is rapidly moving from ‘rough’ to ‘dilapidated.’ Few windows have glass in them and those that don’t are boarded up. Stone can be seen crumbling here and there off the building and the effects of long term water damage is evident throughout the structure. The manor has two entrances, a main entrance and a rear entrance for servants and deliveries.
A trio of dire apes prowl the interior of Smenk’s manor house. These savage beasts have been trained to keep anyone not reeking of Smenk’s personal cologne (a rare and dreadful extract obtained from needlefolk). The beasts have been trained to not leave the manor interior for any reason (though fire or dreadful injury will overcome this training). These savage beasts have the run of the house (with the exception of rooms 9-12). If the apes notice intruders or attacked they howl, shriek, and make a terrible racket easily noticeable by the thug guards nearby.
§ Dire Apes (3),
Ruined Rooms: Doors broken off hinges for rooms 1-7 & 11
This room is a filthy ruin. Bits of animal dung, half-eaten meat and bones, broken glass, dust, and ripped draperies are spread throughout. It looks like only animals have spent any time occupying this room for several years.
There is nothing of value in any of these rooms, though characters breaking into one of them (or searching around in them) are sure to attract the attention of Balabar’s guardian apes. The rooms are each in their own special state of ruin with so much detritus and unmentionable material spread throughout that they are considered Difficult Terrain for purposes of movement. This does not hinder the apes’ movement due to their four-appendage mode of movement. There is no treasure to be had within these rooms.
Room 9: Secretary’s Office:
This room is very much unlike the majority of the house: it is tidy and relatively free of dust. The room contains a roll top desk, a wooden 2-drawer filing cabinet, three chairs, a table, several oil lamps, and an overpowering smell reminiscent of bloody cow urine (characters who have spent significant time around Balabar can make a DC 12 Intelligence check to recognize this as a smell that always accompanies Balbar – it is in fact his personal calogne).
A search of the office turns up the following: 3 ink wells, a dozen quills, 50 sheets of paper, a magnifying glass, a forgery kit with 6 uses remaining, and a jar of Balabar’s cologne with a dozen applications. Within the filing cabinet are records Balabar’s mining transactions: wages, equipment purchases, sales figures, transport costs, etc. There is nothing else of value within this room.
Room 10: Secure Room (CR 6)
This room is built like a vault: it has solid (2’ thick) concrete walls faced with stone in all directions except the roof, which is still concrete but is covered with tiles. The only way in is the locked iron door.
The door to this room is made of iron and is securely locked.
§ Locked Iron Door (Hardness 10, HP 60, Break 28, Open Lock 28). Balabar has the only key.
§ Glyph of Warding (Blast): CR 6; triggers from attempt to open door or failure to pick lock; no reset; spell effect (glyph of warding [blast], 16th-level cleric, 8d8 sonic, DC 20 Reflex save half damage); multiple targets (all targets within 5 ft.); Search DC 28; Disable Device DC 28. Cost: 680 gp to hire NPC spellcaster.
The iron door opens into a bare 10’x10’ chamber. A large 3-drawer metal filing cabined rests against the eastern wall. A flight of stone stars descends into darkness below.
The filing cabinet is made of steel reinforced with stone (to prevent the papers within from burning in case of a fire). The cabinet’s locked and reinforced drawers have the following statistics (Hardness 13, HP 20, Break 30, Open Lock 30). Balabar has the cabinet’s only key. Within the cabinet are the following:
§ Velvet bag containing 100 pp
§ 2 potions of Cure Serious Wounds (5th)
§ 2 Potions of Invisibility (3rd)
§ Bottle of Wyvern Poison (2 applications: DC 17 Fortitude save resists, 2d6 Con/2d6 Con)
§ Accounting books detailing assets, debts, and monthly and yearly sales and profit figures for Balabar’s mining operations. Going over this information takes a great amount of time, though after suitable reading and comparison it can be found that Balabar’s current assets equal 56,750 gold pieces against debts of 64,860 gold pieces – primarily due to Balabar having borrowed funds to purchase mines and to bribe local and Greyhawk City officials into giving him his way.
Room 12: Balabar’s Quarters
This chamber is secured by a locked iron-bound oaken door.
§ Locked Iron-Bound Oaken Door (Hardness 8, HP 40, Break 22, Open Lock 28).
Gaudy opulence and the overpowering stench of bad cologne assails your senses the moment you open the door to this large chamber. Dominating the northeastern corner is a four-poster bed with purple curtains and coverlet. Piles of pillows with frills are heaped high upon the bed’s overstuffed mattress. Opposite the bed on the west wall is a vast mahogany wardrobe and at the bed’s foot is a large roanwood chest. Next to the bed is a marble nightstand upon which sits an empty wineglass. The chamber’s floor is covered by an ornate but worn rug. A half dozen oil lamps are set around the walls of the room, two of which flank a vast mirror that dominates the southern wall.
Balabar keeps little of real value in his bedroom, knowing that any who wished to raid his home would likely make this one of their first targets. His bed and its trappings are bulky and quite normal. The contents of his wardrobe are also of little interest (clothing tailored to fit his large frame and three bottles – with a dozen applications each – of his odious cologne). The chest is only item of real interest within the room:
§ Locked and Trapped Wooden Chest: (Hardness 8, HP 35, Break 20, Open Lock 28)
§ Burnt Othur Vapor Trap: CR 7; mechanical; location trigger; repair reset; gas; multiple targets (all targets in a 10-ft.-by-10-ft. room); never miss; onset delay (3 rounds); poison (burnt othur fumes, DC 18 Fortitude save resists, 1 Con drain/3d6 Con); Search DC 21; Disable Device DC 21. Market Price: 17,500 gp.
§ Contents:
o 1,200 sp.
o Emerald worth 600 gp.
o Amulet of Protection from Arrows (grants DR 10/- against ranged weapons). Cursed! This amulet actually attracts arrows, and the wearer suffers a –15 penalty to AC vs. ranged weapons while wearing the amulet. Can only be removed by having a remove curse spell cast on it by a 10th level or higher caster.
Room 13: False Vault/Prisoner Storage
The door to this stairway descends deep under the earth and ends where a hallway made of carved stone begins. The hallway’s only feature is a locked iron door set into the wall.
This door is locked tight with three locks.
§ Locked Iron Door (Hardness 10, HP 60, Break 28, Open Lock 28). Balabar has the only key.
The door opens into a smallish stone chamber lit by an everburning torch set into the southern wall. Two iron chests, bolted to the floor, are set against the western wall. Laying on the floor near the northeastern corner is the crumpled figure of Ragnolin Dourstone, stripped to nothing but a loin cloth and secured by a chain attached to a ring on the northern wall. Ragnolin is the picture of misery and barely blinks as you study him.
Ragnolin is in rough shape. He hasn’t been abused particularly by Balabar or his men, but his spirit has been crushed with the realization of what he’s done (aiding the Ebon Triad) and the fact that Balabar has made it very clear he’s ruined and that he’ll soon be stripped of all his holdings, which Smenk is currently working on buying for a pittance. Ragnolin sees no way out and only wishes to die quickly and on his feet: he fears dying in prison after a long and brutal term above all else. The fact that he was magically compelled (in part) to aid the Ebon Triad won’t save him: Balabar is gleefully seeing to that. He honestly sees no way out. The chains securing him are held with a good quality locks (Open Locks DC 24).
He knows nothing of what’s in the chests or where Balabar is keeping records of his dealings with the Ebon Triad or recent events in the Dourstone Mine.
§ Locked Iron Chest #1 (Hardness 10, HP 90, Break 30, Open Lock 30). Balabar has the only key.
o 3,500 Silver Pieces
o 10 gold ingots worth 25 gp each.
o Stone of Weight (Loadstone) – Identifies as a Stone of Good Luck
§ Locked Iron Chest #2 (Hardness 10, HP 90, Break 30, Open Lock 30). Balabar has the only key.
o 2,500 gold-plated lead pieces
o Potion (labeled Haste) of Poison. The imbiber must make a DC 16 Fortitude save or take 1d10 points of Constitution damage. A minute later he must save again (DC 16) or take 1d10 points of Constitution damage.
o Ivory-Hilted Dagger +1
Room 14: Guardian Chamber
The secret door to this chamber has a Search DC of 25.
This chamber is entirely lightless.
A continual darkness spell (caster level 10th) keep all light out of this near-empty 15’x15’ stone chamber. Within is a Flesh Golem programmed to attack anyone who does not say the phrase “Mine’s mine” immediately after opening the secret door.
§ Flesh Golem.
If anyone wants to take the time to improve/smooth/fix this little encounter than feel free. My party consists of 6 5th-level characters and this little foray proved to be quite a challenge to them (a dire ape double hitting - one a critical hit- and rending the gnomish wizard is BAD).
Hopefully this proves useful to some of you!
Cheers,
-B
What are you useing for a map? Can you give a suggestion?
One I might suggest is from the Dungeon Unlimited
http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/dungeonsunlimited/main.html
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Great stuff, Xaene. Might I suggest that you submit it to the Age of Worms DM resource site for the sake of centralizing. If you have a map associated with the room key, you can upload it there as well. Keep up the good work!
I used Dromdal Manor from "Shut In" Dungeon 128 when my players visited Balabar's domicile. It fits well with the brief description given in the Diamond Lake backdrop article and is fully described. Just drop some trained apes in and it's ready to go.