Adventure Background

4

Adventure Overview

4

Timeline of Events

5

Expanding the Adventure

5

FAQ / Troubleshooter

5

Part 1: Prologue

6

Part 2: The Arriving at
Thirst

7

Part 3: The Tribute

8

Part 4: The Keep

9

Part 5: The Return

15

Part 6: Conclusion

17

Appendix A: Adventurer Backgrounds

18

Appendix B: NPCs and Monsters PF2E

19

Appendix C: Maps

21

Village of Thirst (pop. 50, mostly human and a few half-elves)

• The village sits on the edge of a gulch which is all that remains of a long dried up river that has lost not only it’s water but also, its name.
• Vegetable farms, crude adobe huts alongside a deep gulch, rain-catching devices on all buildings.
• Everyone speaks in a dreaded whisper, as if afraid someone is trying to listen in. Travelers are warned to hush. “The reavers will hear you, and we’ll all pay for it.”
• Everyone has a version of a story where Nox talked aloud of fighting back, and the reavers showed up soon after and took him away. His wife said a runner should seek help, and they showed up and took her as well. Now, no one dares speak louder than a whisper.
• No warriors, no weapons, no shops or inns. Visitors can stay in Gar’s shaded kank pen with the kank.
• Some hunt for wild kank honey and meat by laying snare traps.
• Trade gone, nothing new thanks to halflings vanishing. Locals call halflings “the People” and were used to them trading meat and pelts.
• All know reavers showed up after and took their people. They keep 4 children hostage and demand food and water tribute weekly.
• Everyone knows the ancient keep and believe it cursed by the evil of those who lived in it long ago. Those who stay within its walls too long will soon find death.
• Keep 25 miles away, 2-day journey if you follow the gulch, will tear feet up if crossing rocky terrain.
• Villagers are broken and will not fight, even if hostages return.

Personalities:

• The Elders – Lyra, Sa-rea, Romila. Sun-weathered, wrinkled, decision-makers. Distrust bravado and promises. Lone travelers are targets for reavers. Junal, a visiting red haired bravo of a man who foolishly paid coin to people for rumors of “monster eggs” in the area, vanished after talking too loudly. They just want outsiders to leave, for everyone’s sake.
• Gar, kank farmer. Responsible for bringing tribute on back of his domesticated kank to the “green patch” outside town (a hill with scraggly trees and many patches of grass). Doesn’t know origin, but childhood rhyme in Thirst is: “Don’t play on the green / or you’ll never be seen.”
• Pura, mother of a child hostage. Will sneak the party water if offering to rescue. Doesn’t believe the keep is cursed, just dangerous because it is falling apart.
• Ribold, oldest man in village. “Older than the dirt we farm in” he claims. Escaped slave, gave the slavers the name “reavers,” a slang he used back in Urik. Figures there’s not enough people in Thirst or the region to sustain a slave operation, so something else is afoot. He suspects (partly true) they must’ve found something in the keep itself. He also complains of his achy knees and that a dust storm must be moving in soon.

Blood Grass

Bloodgrass appears to be a normal patch of dark green grass with long blades, often growing in conjunction with other grasses. The blades of bloodgrass have light veins that darken when the bloodgrass has recently been fed, which it does by wrapping tendrils around intruders and piercing their flesh to inject poison and drain blood. Luckily, bloodgrass is immobile, and once spotted, can usually be avoided without difficulty.

Patches of bloodgrass do not activate immediately, awaiting their prey to fully enter. When prey is in the bloodgrass the plant will attempt ensnare its victim with its tendrils. As well, tendrils that hit inject a paralyzing poison into the victim each round, the poison has a cumulative effect.

Once the victim is drained, the tendrils release the husk to lie where it fell. If another potential victim happens by later, he might recognize what has occurred and can avoid being trapped. A successful check reveals the nature of the bloodgrass, and that it is wise to avoid.

Reaver Garison

The keep has a current total garrison of 6 human tribal warriors, 6 human athasian bandits, 2 leaders (bandits) named Yrsa (leads tribal warriors faction) and Farryn, (leads bandits faction), the wilder psion Rigat (loyal to city of Balic), his dominated 2 zhackals, and 2 agony beetles that will attack anything except Rigat.

Medhanit is out scouting with her own force. Her bandits faction is loyal, guaranteed full payment after the venture, and also expecting profit from the slave sales. Those scouting with her know she is a templar; those at the keep do not. Each carries 1d6 cp.

The tribal warrior faction is mercenaries, expecting to be paid mostly from the slave sales at the end of the week. Each carries 2d6 cp.

The reavers will try to take characters captive (in Area 5, pens) rather than killing them, securing their gear with Rigat (Area 4) until Medhanit can decide what to do with them. Rigat will attempt interrogations of fighter types, removing them to area 4 under heavy restraint and guard (6 of any type) (daze repeatedly).

Reavers rotate positions approximately every 6 hours, leaving holes in defenses as they awaken, eat, relieve themselves, and go to new positions. The wall is always manned.

Keep Reactions

If a guard alerts, Yrsa orders 2 tribal warriors from Area 2 to reinforce the area of breach. She does not leave Area 2 unless a fight is obvious and her presence necessary.

Farryn orders 2 awake athasian bandits from Area 3 to search and wakes the rest. Sleeping tribal warriors join Yrsa at Area 2 (gates). Farryn personally notifies the psion Rigat (who is either 50% at his room in Area 4 or 50% near the Area 5 slave pens, immediately goes to Area 4 if any trouble), then double checks the slaves at Area 5 before returning to Area 3 to check on the search. Rigat stays in Area 4 and directs his 2 athasian bandit guards to watch the door and ladder, barring the door to Area 3, unless there is obvious battle in Area 3 for his guards to attend to. He psionically orders the zhackals from Area 5 (slave pens) to search for non-reavers, unless it is night at which time they are out hunting.

The reavers will not leave the keep nor chase anyone who runs away, preferring to shoot from a distance if foes linger.

The captives at Area 5 wait until Farryn leaves before taking any actions. If conflict occurs near their pen, two survivors attempt to grapple any enemy in reach. If they can hear conflict continuing after Farryn goes, and the zhackals are gone, they will use a sharp piece of flint secreted away by Simret to saw through the thick ropes in 1 minute. All scavenge for weapons from dead enemies or grab boards to use as clubs but only Simret, Opoguk, and Junal will fight. The rest flee at the hint of conflict.

See Area 4: all survivors are Commoner "Gamemastery Guide impeded by fatigue, enfeebled 2, slowed 1, and half Hit Points, except as below.

• Simret, commoner, 5 Hit Points, 5 temporary hit points and +2 to hit reavers due to rage, ends once she takes a rest of any kind.
• Opoguk, tarek commoner, 15 Hit Points, wild psionic talent Telekintic Projectile
• Junal, human trader commoner, 4 Hit points, innate psionic talent figment.
• What if the players retreat and long rest? The keep occupants know Medhanit will return soon and are loathe to pursue. If players attempt a “hit and run” then “long rest” strategy, remember the terrain outside the keep is unsuitable for rests, dropping to near-freezing at night and sweltering hot during the day. Also, optionally, some monsters have begun to fill the void of the halfling tribe absence, including a pair of anakore and a lone <i?belgoi, that could harass characters or even the enemy if in the wilderness.
• Note: If a player character goes down in battle and can not be restored, the DM can give the player control of all three helpful commoners. Alternately, a captive could be a PC class, perhaps recently captured and without exhaustion levels.
• Note: Failing to climb walls and falling can be fatal to 1st level groups, especially without access to a wide variety of healing options. DM’s should allow a Acrobatics or Reflex save to grab an edge.

• Palisades are 10 ft. high, giving +1 to attack with ranged weapons against those below.
• 2 ruffian bully tribal warriors (Forel, and Draka ) who hate hard work, spend time seeing who can tell the worst jokes and gambling with dice. They are poorly-equipped and unprofessional, outcasts drawn from nearby areas or recruited from potential captives. One has 12cp (big winner).
• 1 leader bandit, mul bandit Yrsa, (Mul Ferocity; Reaction, when reduced to 1 hit points, remains at 1 hit point, once per day), the only professional in her mind around here, heavy handed disciplinarian and mercenary, hates the bandits faction and can be bribed if things going badly for Medhanit and her forces. She keeps her crossbow close to hand and her mace on a thong to her belt, and is quick to slap one of her underlings if they do not behave. She smacks her mace into her other hand while speaking, ready to brawl if needed. Has 2 cp (big loser in gambling) and wears a bone ring (5 cp value) signifying her as a winner in an arena bout in Urik.
• At night, Yrsa goes to Area 4 exterior area to sleep.
• Exit to Area 1 (keep surrounds) by gate
• Exit to Area 1 (keep walls) by climbing rubble
• Exit to Area 3 (keep courtyard)

Terrain: Difficult outside. Stakes deal 1d6 piercing damage if forced onto one. Walls here easy to climb.

Tactical: 8 extra spears, call for aid immediately. Will not pursue outside the palisade and use it for cover (75% if duck behind). At night, one carries a torch.

Roleplay: Know faces, cannot be bluffed and throw spears before extended parlay. Yrsa finds excuses to hold back forces, lets bandits faction absorb losses. If the party has taken out the psion Rigat or the leader Farryn, she might accept a bribe (50cp, 30cp at worst) and looting rights to pack up any remaining tribal warriors and leave. Will not leave or make any act to abandon if Medhanit is present, and will not attack reavers for coin.

Development: Same reactions for Day 4 as Area 1 (cover faces and hunker down during dust storm).

• Wooden structures (Doors, stairs, platforms, planks) are all creaky.
• 2 nervous but lucky athasian bandits (Mukul and Ikshay), glad to have a spot in the exterior where they find shade, if conflict immediately see if Rigat needs them. At night, they are asleep.
• 1 wilder psion, Rigat, who is here 50% of time and 50% at the Area 5 slave pens. Keeps small agafari-wood box tied to belt (10 cp), holds 2 agony beetles. At night, asleep here. Attempts to detect magic here may detect that Rigat has an aura as a psychic.
• At night, interior room lit by two oil lamps.
• Loose stone next to a pallet under exterior stairs hides 12 cp.
• 150 days of rations in barrels and boxes in exterior.
• Under rug is a very cleverly placed stone plug (DC 20 to lift, 2 medium creatures can try), hiding a 10’ drop down to a 10’x10’ chamber with a single fountain, described in Area 4A: Fountain.
• Exit to Area 1 (walls) by ladder.
• Exit to Area 1 (walls) by wooden platform.
• Exit to Area 3 (courtyard) by wooden door with interior bar.
• Exit to Area 6 (Medhanit office) by wooden door.
• If combat in this area occurs during day 5 or 6, it is likely to alarm Medhanit in her office (25% chance), giving her a chance to arm herself and ready for confrontation.

Tactical: Rigat loathes slaves and promises them horrors. Hides behind guards, then as an Action throws the agony beetles from his box in the direction of foes (no hit required, any square within 10’). Because the beetles are tiny, they can land in a character’s space. The beetles act on their own initiative and fly towards the nearest target, preferring targets with psionic powers. They will attack nearby reavers, except Rigat, who has a unique affinity to them. Rigat prefers to use telekinetic projectile on the largest armed target

• A dwarf trained to read ancient dwarven might recognize these as phrases paying homage to “[unknown term] of water and earth” and praising “[unknown term] of change,” magic reveals the unknown term as, phonetically, “gawds.” Remember, literacy is outlawed in Athas, though some dwarven settlements such as Kled secretly preserve and study this runic language.
• Water normally would splash from each hammer head, but now it is barely a trickle. The trickles fall in drops, and each drop falls slowly, like a feather. The basin is full, with a 1’ deep water that seems to gleam with a faint sheen of silver.
• The wall carvings depict an intact keep and the gulch having some odd version of silt skimmers floating atop it, loaded with harvested stone. The area is depicted as far lusher, with many trees alongside the gulch. A sharp-eyed viewer will notice people atop the keep, and while all appear to be dwarves, one of them is carved so as to appear bearded (disgustingly so to a dwarf).

Substance is potable, fountain and water radiate magic. If consumed, the player rolls 1d12 and receives a random effect of which they are aware:

1. Polymorph into a random terrain-appropriate 0 level / -1 level monster, cannot change out of form until form reduced to 0 hit points, retain mental faculties, lasting 4 hours.
2. As above, but 1st level monster.
3. Skin becomes hue of stone, resistance 3 to piercing damage, weakness 3 to slashing/bludgeoning, lasting 4 hours.
4. As above, resistance 3 to slashing damage, weakness 3 to piercing/bludgeoning, lasting 4 hours.
5. As above, resistance 3 to bludgeoning damage, weakness 3 to piercing/slashing, lasting 4 hours.
6. Immune to fear / frightened condition and 5 temporary hit points, cannot receive beneficial effects that improve d20 rolls, such as bless, lasting 4 hours.
7. Grow a long beard, or current beard become lustrous. Grows back within minutes if removed, lasting 1 week.
8. +2 status bonus on saving throws against charms and compulsions, -2 status penalty on saving throws against fear, lasting 4 hours.
9. Gain +2 damage if striking with any type of hammer weapon, lasting 4 hours.

From the courtyard, there is a small enclosed area (on the left) that currently holds fourteen captives in dark, cramped quarters. Simret and the other thirteen are a diverse lot of mixed humanoid races, including a taciturn tarek by the name of Opoguk (hiding his identity as a priest of elemental earth), a dwarven merchant (noble) named Ragguth, a down on his luck trader named Junal, and a variety of farmers and tradesfolk.

The door to the captives’ cage is made of wooden bars lashed together with rope. If they’re aware that intruders are present, several of the captives, including Simret, try to reach out through the bars to grab any of their captors.

• 2 tamed zhackals rest outside the pen, not minding the smell, allowed to feed on emotions of the dying and dissuading any slaves from approaching the door. At night, they are let loose to hunt in the wild.
• 50% during day of Rigat (Area 4).
• 14 dispirited and exhausted (half hit points, enfeebled 2, fatigued, and slowed 1) captives:
  • 4 human children from Thirst, all below age 10.
  • 2 adult human men from Thirst, commoners.
  • 3 human travelers, commoners.
  • 1 tribeless elf trader, commoner, caught sleeping and embarrassed to be here.
  • Simret, half-elf, survivor, see Sidebar: keep reactions.
  • Opoguk, tarek, survivor, see Sidebar: keep reactions.
  • Junal, human, survivor, see Sidebar: keep reactions.
  • Ragguth, dwarven noble merchant, commoner with maximum hit points, will ransom himself if he can return to Celik for 20cp, was focused on bringing back a relic from Celik to his home of Tyr.
• Door is challenging to break open DC 20, secured by a rope mechanism that connects to an outside hook-knot. The rope resists slashing, must be sawed (takes 1 minute with a slashing device).
• If zhackals are gone and a rescue appears imminent, captives will grab at foes adjacent to the door, acting last in the round with a combined +4 Strength (Athletics).
• See Sidebar: keep reactions for escape attempts. Only Simret, Opoguk, and Junal will risk escape if death is a possibility. If free, the other 11 will want to flee immediately, each looting 2 days of supplies and heading for the gulch. All but the elf can be convinced to stay at the keep, if the characters stay. All are terrified of Rigat.

Development: Day 4 storm, Rigat will be inside

• If Medhanit is here, she has 2 athasian bandits (Dodai and Tungge) with her at all times (traveling with her when scouting). Seeks to parlay while using enthrall (captives have advantage on this saving throw, 2E +4 save), preferring more captives. See Part 5: the Return, for more combat strategies.
• If attacked here, Medhanit uses the desk for cover.
• Ceiling and walls are about 10 feet high, made of mortared stone with old wooden beams bracing them from beneath.
• Firm wooden desk, padded chair, papyrus ledger, ink pot.
• On desk, roughly sketched scout maps of keep area and a route to Balic with depictions of oases and a hook claw symbol, universal for a hazard of some kind.
• On desk, brass oil lantern (lit when Medhanit here).
• On desk, incense burner with pagafa tree sticks.
• Desk drawer, contains small locked traveling chest that contains 43 cp, 2 sp, and a ledger, illegible to most Athasians who cannot read. Records sales and ransoms with all slave sales to a Balican captain named Athtius Gandhas, transactions are routine so that the next one would be expected around Days 5-7.
• Two hard-carved chairs and two stools next to desk.
• Long, narrow bed, gauzy curtain around it.
• Personal chest, same lock as traveling chest, by bed. Vial of tamarisk scented (mellow) perfume (12 cp), extra incense sticks (4 cp), small silver amulet with embossed image of regal woman (sorcerer-queen Abalach-Re of Raam, 25 cp)
• Wardrobe by bed, two sets of fine robes/shawls, sized for a person over 6’ tall (30 cp).
• Window that looks west out onto the courtyard, too small for even a halfling to squeeze through.

Development: Medhanit does not return to the Keep until the morning of Day 5 (see Part 5: the Return). If all appeared in order, she would resume running operations from her office, touring the Keep and slave pens once a day.

Medhanit:

Rewards

Experience

Each character gains a level at the conclusion of the adventure.

Reaver Hunter

Background

Agony Beetle, Young

CREATURE -1

TINY

ANIMAL

+8; darkvision, lifesense 30 feet

Athletics +4, Stealth +8

+1+4+3-5+1-5

Camouflage The agony beetle can Hide in natural environments even if it doesn't have cover.

14 +5 +8 +2

10

5 feet, climb 5 feet, fly 15

barbed leg +7 (finesse), attach

Attach When an agony beetle hits a target larger than itself, its barbed legs attach it to that creature. Doing so is like Grabbing the creature (Escape DC 15), but the agony beetle moves with that creature rather than holding it in place. The agony beetle is off-guard while attached. If the beetle is killed or pushed away while attached to a creature, that creature takes 1 persistent bleed damage. Escaping the attached agony beetle or removing the beetle in other ways doesn't cause bleed damage.

Agonize The agony beetle is attached to a creature; The agony beetle inserts its feeding tendril into the creature’s spine causing immense pain to the creature it's attached to. This deals 1d4 mental damage, and the agony beetle gains temporary Hit Points equal to the damage dealt. A creature that has been agonized by an agony beetle is stupefied 2 until it receives healing (of any kind or amount).

Bandit

CREATURE -1

MEDIUM

HUMANOID

+8

Common, any one language

Athletics +5, Intimidation +4

+3+2+3-1+0+1

mace, light crossbow, 20 bolts, hide armor

14 (15 with shield raised) +5 +2 +0

8

Shield Block

25 feet

mace +8 (shove), 1d6+3 bludgeoning

crossbow +6 (range increment 120 feet),
1d8 piercing

Bloodgrass

HAZARD 1

SIMPLE

ENVIRONMENTAL

PLANT

DC 17 (trained)

Bloodgrass is a blood-drinking plant that manages to appear quite mundane, fooling its prey until the last possible moment. It possesses a set of wiry tendrils that twine around its prey, paralyzing the target and allowing the bloodgrass to drain the fluid it needs in order to feed itself

Thievery or Survival DC 17 to clip the wiry tendrils before any harm is done

13 +10 +4

024; fire 5, slashing 5

Grassping Tendril A creature touches the bloodgrass, either by moving through it or by attacking it with a natural attack or a melee weapon without reach. The bloodgrass's wiry tendril attempts to entangle its prey, making a tendril Strike against the triggering creature.

tendril +13, consume

Consume The target is trapped by the bloodgrass's wiry tendrils, gaining the grabbed condition until it Escapes (DC 17). Additionally, it is exposed to the bloodgrass poison from the hundreds of tiny spines that line the outside of its vines. If the bloodgrass’s grasping tendril Strike was a critical success, the target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to its saving throws against this poison. At the end of each of the target’s turns that it remains grabbed, the target takes 1d6 piercing damage.

Bloodgrass poison (poison) DC 17 Fortitude; 4 rounds; 1d6 poison damage (1 round); 1d6 poison damage, clumsy 1, and off-guard (1 round); 1d6 poison damage, clumsy 1, and off-guard (1 round); 2d6 poison and paralyzed (1 round).

Bloodgrass which has been clipped regrows in a week. Bloodgrass that is destroyed with damage does not regrow and never resets. Triggering bloodgrass does not disable the hazard and it does not need to be reset after being triggered.