Our story takes us north of the Thousand Lakes, to the great ice sheet which covers the Cursed Mountains. These enormous spires lie frozen under vast glaciers, summits periodically exposed by magical fire events, deliberate excavation, or natural geologic activity. The melted peaks draw explorers to the extraordinarily hostile frozen wasteland in search of the ancient treasures concealed therein. As magic and science advance, so to do adventurers into the frozen north, drawing ever closer to the heart of the ice.
THE PUKWUDGIE POTENTATE
Under the Monarchy, the Pukwudgies’ affinity for torture, stealth and magic made them natural secret policemen. While the Old King didn’t trust the imaginative little sadists with fine detail work, they proved indispensable in spreading terror and crushing rebellions. They loved him for letting them do what they did best and will never forgive humanity for killing him, or the Orcs and Halflings for their role in it.
The collapse of the Monarchy, combined with relaxed government controls on the teaching and practice of magic, has removed the Pukwudgie’s protection and placed them on equal footing with humans and demihumans. The Pukwudgie Potentate Nectanebo and his four commandos are holdouts, fighting a guerilla war against all comers from their hideout in a volcanic vent in the Cursed Mountains. As far as they’re concerned, nothing has changed. Even if the Hanged King never comes back, they’ll keep doing what they love.
20% chance all 5 Pukwudgies are out raiding.
20% chance all 5 Pukwudgies are torturing captives in 12
Otherwise they are placed according to their key entries. If the alarm is raised they turn invisible and converge on intruders, stalking for the right moment to strike.
The collapse of the Monarchy, combined with relaxed government controls on the teaching and practice of magic, has removed the Pukwudgie’s protection and placed them on equal footing with humans and demihumans. The Pukwudgie Potentate Nectanebo and his four commandos are holdouts, fighting a guerilla war against all comers from their hideout in a volcanic vent in the Cursed Mountains. As far as they’re concerned, nothing has changed. Even if the Hanged King never comes back, they’ll keep doing what they love.
20% chance all 5 Pukwudgies are out raiding.
20% chance all 5 Pukwudgies are torturing captives in 12
Otherwise they are placed according to their key entries. If the alarm is raised they turn invisible and converge on intruders, stalking for the right moment to strike.
THE VOLCANIC VENT
When the Cursed Mountains aren’t cloaked in endless arctic night, smoke rising from the Volcanic Vent is visible miles away. In the dark season the black thread can still be picked out amid the stars and moons and smears of colored light decorating the horizon.
Closer up, two openings are visible. A small, circular vent belching a column of black smoke, and a larger sinkhole venting clouds of steam. A small river of glacial snowmelt flows down from the packed ice into the sinkhole, forming a waterfall.
Temperatures on the surface are low. Explorers need heavy arctic gear, Endure Elements or some form of portable heat to avoid freezing.
Below the surface is a Cave Elf bath complex, itself built atop an older structure and a series of natural caves. Things warm up as you descend.
MAP AND KEY
1: Vertical shaft choked with smog leads through the bedrock and ice to surface. Smoke and heat make climbing fatal without fire resistance, weather magic to clear the air… Sloped passage leads down to 6, steep tunnel to 7.
2: Ice passage strung with chimes. Bone and salvaged metal rattle loudly with careless passage, alerting Spider Gorillas.
3: Narrow icy ledge goes around sinkhole. Very narrow ledge behind waterfall. West side has handholds used by Spider Gorillas on surface expeditions. 11 ARCTIC BATS roost here at night, may panic bite intruders if disturbed.
Light visible from east tunnel into ice. Invisible PUKWUDGIE guard is supposed to alert the others to intruders but prioritizes pushing unaware victims off the slippery ledge.
4: Pukwudgie House in ice cave. Platforms connected by ladders, animal furs and soft cloth. Room lit and warmed by magical fire that burns without smoke or fuel. 2 Pukwudgies here sleeping or fussing over equipment/magic items. 5,100 GP in coins and jewelry plus arrows, jug of Pukwudgie poison, Bangles of First Blood (wearer always appears unharmed) looted from Cave Elf bath complex, the first of many minor magic items.
5: Pukwudgie storage in ice cave. Heaped cloth, furniture, nude statue of Cave Elf from bath complex below glows blue for illumination. 23,000 GP in coins and gems. The treasure sparkles with blue energy, discharges Lightning Bolt trap if touched.
6: Den cave. 1D4-1 Spider Gorillas lay on sleeping mats, smoke meat over pit, or work on handicrafts (others are out hunting in the arctic wastes).
7: Trash pile. Gorillas drop unwanted items down hole in roof of old massage room. Dingoneks swarm when trash is dumped, unable to reach hole. 902 GP in dropped treasure plus X Ray Monocle (lets wearer see the skeleton of any creature).
8: Old Cave Elf bath complex. Big pool fed by waterfall. Nude statues of Elves brandishing weapons. Water cascades out of pool into volcanic vent sending up huge steam clouds. Four DINGONEKS frolic here, unable to reach barricaded Spider Gorilla dens or Pukwudgie hideout. Statues have 5,000 GP in jeweled eyes and decorations. Pool holds 39,000 GP in gold and jewelry plus Darts of Silence (deal no damage but stop target making sound or casting spells).
9: Balcony with Jumping Spider statue. Scorch marks on marble floor in groups of eight. Statue lasers non Cave Elves who approach door. Pukwudgies turn invisible so light passes harmlessly through them. Each spider eye worth 500 for a total of 4,000 GP.
10: Webbed corridor. Webs magically extruded by artificial cribella in walls, slowly regenerate if cleared. Concealed Ventriloquism trap sounds alarm in 4 when triggered.
11: Meditation room lit by soft crystal lantern that slowly changes color. Cave Elves carved it to channel thought energy and achieve inner peace, allowing them to recharge spells without sleeping just like their surface world counterparts. The Pukwudgie Potentate Nectanebo meditates here to regain spells, wearing looted Cave Elf Gloves of Authority (anyone slapped must test morale). Crystal Lantern fittings worth 5,000 GP but fragile. Ring of Disguise Scent lost in gap between floor tiles.
12: Wizard lab converted to torture chamber. Floor lighting from glowing runes. Tables, racks and crosses for binding prisoners. 1 Pukwudgie normally here idly flipping through books or maintaining equipment. If Pukwudgies have captives all 5 are here indulging their sadistic impulses, distracted.
Shelves hold water damaged books, Druidic and Clerical trinkets the Pukwudgies can’t use: Rod of Resurrection, Scrolls of (protection from plants and animals, summon animals, water breathing, invisibility to animals, control weather, striking, continual light, continual light, sticks to snakes, dispel evil). Old jugs and bottles, antidote to Pukwudgie poison in unmarked jar notably free of dust/cobwebs.
Secret door behind shelf leads to 10.
13: Gorilla storage cave. Hides, food, woven cloth, raw materials like bone and stone. 900 GP in assorted coinage, Cloaker Leather Coat (hide in darkness even vs darkvision and infravision, doesn’t fit Gorillas).
14: Sloped passage. Spider Gorillas stacked objects behind doors to keep Dingoneks out of den.
15: Linen closet. Barrels and shelves. +1 Dagger and Cave Elf Codpiece of Holding discarded here.
16: Holding pen for bath attendants. Furniture stripped, old stains. Ring of the Masochist concealed behind crumbling baseboard of wall (wearer cannot be incapacitated by pain. addictive).
17: Geothermal vent. Towering mineral deposits belch black smoke. Terrestrial tubeworms filled with chemosynthetic bacteria feed on minerals. Smoke and heat kill quickly without protection. 5,020 GP in dropped treasure slurped up by Stinking Piles which ooze along the floor, plus the Broach of the Tippler (prevents wearer from passing out due to intoxication).
18: Precarious handholds and ladder over pit allow access to geothermal vents.
19: Ledge over pit, used for waste disposal from 21. Revolving Beasts use this escape route if beaten at 20, climbing icy walls with ease.
20: Prehistoric altar to Bloodfeast, Primordial God of Sacrifice (later worshiped by the Cave Elves in his male aspect as the Headsman and his female aspect as the Weaver). Hallucinogenic fumes rise from glowing sacrificial hole in floor. Six REVOLVING BEASTS dance in the mist, clattering as they whirl and transform from shape to shape. Dingoneks won't enter for fear of Revolving Beast bone slap attack. Door north to 12 impregnated with Fireball trap by Pukwudgies, inadvertently rendering it scalding hot.
21: Old temple slave quarters. Revolving Beasts have piled shiny objects here. 1,700 GP in jewelry and coins plus Tin Mirror (bearer casts no shadow, does not appear in reflective surfaces, is invisible to scrying).
THE SPIDER GORILLA TROOP
There are three Gorillas in the troop. They don’t have names and they don’t have a leader, but they reach group decisions quickly. They wear coats made from arctic animals to survive in the harsh conditions of the Cursed Mountains. They have a truce with the Pukwudgies, whose ire is reserved for humans, Orcs and Halflings. They are afraid of the Dingoneks but know how to carefully avoid the Arctic Bats. They light their homes with simple lanterns made from bones filled with Cave Penguin fat.
The Gorillas aren’t at home in the frozen wasteland, they were chased out of the cave system where they lived and have struggled to survive ever since. They attack only in defense of their cave or if adventurers look weak enough to kill and eat. They can be bribed with food, but would take a lot of persuading to fight the Pukwudgies. Because they called a truce, and because they’re scary. If they could be convinced, their strong senses of smell and hearing would be invaluable at detecting invisible ambushes. They could be enlisted as mercenaries by someone who fed them lots of meat and led them to a more hospitable climate.
One Gorilla carries the +1 Sentient Sword Naranja. The blade only speaks Elf and the Lawful Good alignment language. It can detect traps, metals, good or evil, and can cast Teleport once per day. Since it can’t communicate with the Gorillas they can’t activate its powers. When it encounters adventurers it shouts a greeting in both languages. If they can understand it asks them to please take it with them, though not to massacre the innocent apes.
The Gorillas aren’t at home in the frozen wasteland, they were chased out of the cave system where they lived and have struggled to survive ever since. They attack only in defense of their cave or if adventurers look weak enough to kill and eat. They can be bribed with food, but would take a lot of persuading to fight the Pukwudgies. Because they called a truce, and because they’re scary. If they could be convinced, their strong senses of smell and hearing would be invaluable at detecting invisible ambushes. They could be enlisted as mercenaries by someone who fed them lots of meat and led them to a more hospitable climate.
One Gorilla carries the +1 Sentient Sword Naranja. The blade only speaks Elf and the Lawful Good alignment language. It can detect traps, metals, good or evil, and can cast Teleport once per day. Since it can’t communicate with the Gorillas they can’t activate its powers. When it encounters adventurers it shouts a greeting in both languages. If they can understand it asks them to please take it with them, though not to massacre the innocent apes.
CAPTIVES
If the Pukwudgies have captives in the fort, use this surveying party. They were looking for a good route through the mountains, toward the legendary Heart of Ice. They were equipped to deal with wild animals but the Pukwudgies took them off guard, casting disabling spells from invisibility.
- Level 3 Chaotic Barbarian w/ chain armor and staff
- Level 1 Chaotic Fighter w/ chain armor, shield and longsword
- Level 2 Lawful Gnome, spells color spray, spook
- Level 3 Neutral Druid, spells invisibility to animals, fairy fire, slow poisoson
- Level 2 Neutral Gnome, spells chromatic orb, chromatic orb
WHY ARE YOU HERE?
…And what are you going to do about it?
- The Lakemen’s Camp at the edge of Ishizaka’s Land, the furthest permanent settlement in the Cursed Mountains, has suffered a series of raids and kidnappings. The Men of Lake are always quick to blame any misfortune on the evil magic of tiny invisible spirits, but this time they may actually have a point. Someone needs to go out to the Volcanic Vent, rescue any captives still alive, and put a stop to the Pukwudgies’ depredations.
- Arctic Bat venom is an invaluable alchemical reagent for its ability to freeze a solution of salt water at human body temperature in a matter of minutes. Go harvest some in this death pit we found.
- The Cave Elves figured out this whole Magical Industrial Revolution thing before it was cool on the surface. Yes they were slave trading, torture obsessed religious fanatics, but they successfully incorporated labor saving magical devices into every aspect of their lives. Go into the bath complex over the vent and bring back some trinkets for our wizards to reverse engineer.
- For the Momios, an order of revenge-obsessed cargo cultists that sprang up after the fall of the Monarchy, the war never ended. They still offer a bounty on Pukwudgie skulls. It’s gory, incredibly dangerous work, but such is the life of adventure.
- Remember in the first bullet, where I said some people got captured by Pukwudgies? That someone is you. Start the game in room 12, about to be tortured to death, when something interrupts the festivities. Maybe the Dingoneks got through the door, maybe a Revolving Beast knocked something delicate over and started a magical fire... Whatever it is, now's your chance to escape.
THE MAKING OF
This dungeon was created for FATAL and Friends to showcase the CC1 Creature Compendium. Posters in the thread chose
- Arctic Ice Bats
- Dingoneks
- Giant Spider Gorillas
- Pukwudgies
- Revolving Beasts
- Stinking Piles
What levels is our dungeon intended for? The Creature Compendium doesn’t include stocking or encounter tables for any of its monsters, so we don’t know what dungeon level they would normally spawn on. I wouldn’t want to tangle with anything in the book until the Cleric had Neutralize Poison castable, which ballparks us at Level 6. That also gets our Magic User up to the same level as the Pukwudgies, opening up spells like Invisibility 10’ Radius that put the players on more even footing. But they’d still lack the raw firepower of five enemy casters. The first generation of modules were written to be played with a larger number of player characters than what’s now standard. The G series modules recommend a party of 9 to 10 characters for good odds of success. You can make up the difference with henchmen, but there’s an upper limit of how many idiots you can cram onto a narrow ice walkway when going up against enemy mages armed with Fireballs. Unless you melt your own tunnel through the glacier, or carve new steps in the ice, or rig up an elevator with rope and pulleys…
Let’s say four Level 6 characters are the lower bound of who can survive in the Volcanic Vent of the Pukwudgie Potentate.
Pukwudgies cast as Level 6 Magic Users, which means they get two spells each of 1st, 2nd and 3rd level. We can assign spells two ways.
- Assume the Pukwudgies are a military unit of experienced commandos and have selected and memorized an optimal spell loadout. That means most of them will be packing Sleep at Level 1, utilities like Levitate (for vertical movement around the big pit) or Phantasmal Force for crowd control at Level 2, then Hold Person and a direct damage spell (Fireball or Lightning Bolt) at Level 3. Swap one of the Level 3 spells out for Haste on one guy, since in the Basic game it buffs the entire party.
- Assume that Pukwudgies are nonhuman fairy creatures who don't (or can't) pick spells according to any rational scheme we would understand. In that case we can use the OSE spells memorized generator to quickly equip each one with a random selection of spells. It might seem more complicated for each monster to have its own random selection of spells, but in practice only a couple are actually going to be useful in a given encounter, so you've actually shortened the list of monster tactics that have to be tracked.
On the other hand, the slow acting but lethal poison arrows are useless for personal defense but make a good attritional weapon, fired from a distance by invisible bastards to wear down an opposing force. One really nasty use is to tag someone with a poison arrow, then ambush the party as they evacuate the casualty for a mad dash to the nearest Cleric who has Neutralize Poison castable. Firing arrows might just be something for the Pukwudgies to do with their second action when Hasted, since if you’re playing with the Basic rules you can’t cast two spells in a single turn.
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