Midnight Adventure Runner Up - Gen Con 2005
Signs in Shadow
By Jarl Irgens
Adventure Background
The insurgent agent Adan, a spy in Alvedara, came across
plans for an upcoming assault on Bodrun, the largest remain-
ing dwarven clanhold in the South. Though the dwarves were
unknown to him, this Sarcosan rebel decided that he must do
his best to get word to these allies in the mountains. He stole
the plans and abandoned his cover identity, fleeing east along
the Eren and hoping to find succor in the Forest of the Sahi
before his trek into the Kaladruns.
He didn’t make it that far.
A legate spyhunter was on his tail within hours of his depar-
ture, and with his stronger mount and divinatory magic, was
sure to run him to ground on the Horse Plains of Erenhead.
Adan hoped to throw off the scent of his tracker in the town
of Malima, where he had contacts and might be able to wait
out the legate in a safehouse. Unfortunately, the situation is
Malima had worsened since Adan had last been there, and it
had become a place of exile for Alvedarans with the plague.
It was a question of choosing the lesser of two evils: plague
and possible death in Malima, or torture, betrayal, and certain
death at the hands of the legate.
Adan chose to hide in Malima, but contracted the plague
while hiding from his pursuers. Though unable to contact the
outside world, Adan sent his familiar, a raven, eastward in the
hopes that it would reach a dwarven settlement that could
send agents to aid him. The raven made it to the Hagaran
Observatory in the Forest of the Sahi, where the PCs have
been assisting the sages of the observatory.
The adventure is intended for three to six 3rd-level charac-
ters.
Adventure Summary
The PCs must infiltrate the town of Malima and attempt to
save Adan, or at least recover the information he carried. The
first step of their journey is simply getting into Malima. This
will require controlling their heroic instincts, as they watch
innocents being brutalized or are themselves beaten by orcs.
Once inside, they must follow Adan’s trail, which leads into
the plague quarters of the village (an isolated island in the
middle of the Eren). They must deal with fell on their way in
and out, and finally will have to evade or face the legate that
has waited patiently for Adan or his information to leave the
fell-ridden island.
Signs in Shadow
Introduction
You had been hiding out with the sages of the Haragin
Observatory in the forest of the Sahi for several weeks,
recuperating from your last adventure, when an opportuni-
ty came for you to earn your keep. Your hosts had been look-
ing for a way to prove their goodwill toward the remaining
dwarven clanholds of the southern Kaladruns, when a mys-
terious message arrived via a white bird. It carried a note
that identified the bird as a familiar of an insurgent from
Alvedara with urgent news regarding the security of
Bodrun. He is supposedly hiding out in the town of Malima.
But why didn’t the familiar simply carry the information
itself? The possibility that this was an elaborate trap has
dawned on you, but the Sahi believe that it is worth check-
ing out.
That was a week ago. Disguised as guards and handlers,
you are sent out with a small supply caravan headed for
Alvedara. Your travel has this far been uneventful. One
week of travel through the Horse Plains of Erenhead have
yielded no orc encounters and only a few easily warded-off
fell and monsters.
Now that you’ve reached the outskirts of Malima, you get
the feeling that the easy life is about to get scarce.
Approaching Malima
The caravan is composed of five wagons and seven caravan
handlers, and guarded by a group of six footmen in addition
to the PCs (who are posing as guards or slaves). The rest of
the caravan has been bribed not to ask too many questions,
but it is up to the DM, and the characters’ Bluff and Sense
Motive checks, whether or not they can be trusted. There is
not much talk between the different groups in the caravan –
the guards, the caravan handlers, and the PCs – as chatting is
in nobody’s best interest.
Ask the PCs if they intend to try to Bluff their way past the
town guards along with the caravan, or if they wish to sepa-
rate from the caravan as they approach the town and get in by
themselves.
The town of Malima lies on the southern bank of the Eren
River, a day’s journey east of Alvedara, capital of Erenland.
The following information is for you, the DM, to run the
encounter, but Knowledge (local) and Lorebook checks may
be made by the players to know some of this info as well.
1
Nearly one-fifth of the town’s population and buildings exist
on an island in the middle of the Eren. Before the Last Age,
Malima was a popular crossing point for those who did not
wish to cross the Eren at Alvedara, whether because they
were smuggling goods or simply because they wished to
avoid the heavier tithes necessary to cross the bridges there.
Instead, Malima used a series of barges pulled across the
river with ropes, the strong-points for which were embedded
in the many sandbars and islands along this wide, slow-
moving section of the river.
In more recent times, given the stricter control of river-
crossing points enforced by the Shadow, Malima’s useful-
ness has all but dried up. It has since become a far more
morbid place: a refuge/exile point for the unwanted and
dangerous of Alvedara, most notably plague victims. While
the mainland section of the town is filled with Shadow
forces, physicians, and the less severe plague victims, those
who are extremely contagious or extremely bad off are
exiled to the islands. Unsurprisingly, many of these die
quickly with no one to care for them, and the islands of
Malima have rapidly become overwhelmed by their risen
corpses, the fell.
Encounter 1: The Gate
Adjust the text below depending on the PCs’ method of
approach.
The landward part of Malima is surrounded by a pallisade
wall, dry, greyish-brown stakes driven into the ground side
by side up to the river bed. The single dirt-trail that is its
main road ends in a wooden gate. The gate is open, and
several orcs linger about it, standing in the shadow of the
wall and shielding eyes shielded against the light of the
setting sun. A bitter wind blows from the sea, whipping up
small clouds of dust and sending twigs skittering along the
dry ground. Your pitiful line of carts draws closer, and you
can feel the members of the caravan tensing up. You catch
yourself doing the same. One wrong word, one wrong
move, and the orcs are likely to kill or maim you all.
To avoid any unfortunate circumstances, all the player’s ille-
gal gear has been hidden in one of the crates, which is
equipped with a false bottom. All martial weapons, armor,
and other illegal goods will to be found there. Here in the
south, the forces of the Shadow do not begrudge citizens car-
rying clubs, padded armor, and slings to ward off fell or
plains bandits, but anything more advanced will be confiscat-
ed and will subject the PCs to lashings.
The orcs are not as aggressive or attentive as could be
feared. Rotated off the front lines of the central Kaladruns,
they are on what for them is seen as vacation. Besides, they
can’t imagine that anyone would want to sneak INTO a
plague village . . . they are here more to keep people leaving
than to keep them from entering. If the PCs attempt to enter
town with the caravan, call for skill checks as appropriate to
2 Signs in Shadow
get past the guards without calling attention to themselves.
The character with the highest bonus to social skills can make
the checks for everyone. If they enter town on their own, such
as by sneaking over the wall, the skill checks should be sig-
nificantly more difficult and each PC should make them indi-
vidually.
Encounter 2: Safetown
The following encounters should be presented as the PCs
make their way from the walls to the edge of ‘Safetown,’
which is what the locals call the part of town on the river-
bank. The islands that make up the rest of Malima are called,
appropriately, ‘Plaguetown.”
Avoiding Detection
As the PCs skulk about Malima, they run a
chance of attracting unwanted attention. The town is
tightly controlled, but the large population drop dur-
ing the last 100 years and especially in recent years
has left large parts of the town empty. As a result,
Malima is somewhere in between tightly and loose-
ly controlled. The DC on Hide checks to avoid
being detected or attempting to blend in is 15. At
night, the DC to avoid detection drops to 11, as all
the townsfolk are under curfew, and the orcs mostly
focus on guarding the perimeter of the town, as well
as the newly erected barriers now facing the nearly
dried-out river. The DC to blend in rises to 20,
though. PCs venturing near those areas should take
much greater care, and be forced to roll both Hide
and Move Silently to avoid detection. Being detect-
ed in the town would not be very gainful to the story
at large, so if any of the PCs actually fail the DC 11
Hide checks at night, give them ample opportunities
to evade capture. Should they decide to stand and
fight, give them hell. Also, lights are easy to detect
at night. Should any of the players decide to use a
light source outside, remind him of this fact. Should
he still opt to use the light, increase the DC of his
Hide checks to avoid detection to 23, and in any
other situation, the light will always betray his posi-
tion (Spot DC 0 to detect him).
Encounter 2A: We Don’t Need Another
Hero
As you travel through the rubbish of the streets and alleys
of Malima, you hear a crash from very close by, then the
unmistakable sound of steel rasping out from a leather
scabbard. You notice that a street vendor appears to have
run into an orc soldier that has just exited a tent. While the
vendor’s wares are on the street and likely ruined, this is not
enough for the orc, which has drawn its vardatch and
appears to be on the cusp of slaughtering the man.
Let the PCs respond. If they move to the vendor’s defense,
the orc gives them a chance to back down, releasing a feral
snarl and grunting in fluent Colonial, “Back down, or I will
kill you all for resisting the authorities.”
Let the PCs attempt various strategies, if they wish, to save
the vendor. They could talk the orc down, attack him, distract
him, present themselves as alternate targets, and so on. The
orc has the stats of an orc trooper, from pg. 391 of M2E.
Creature: Orc trooper, 17 hp.
If the PCs do nothing, read the following.
The orc turns again to his victim, who is feebly attempting
to pull himself to his feet, arms clinging to the side of his
cart. The orc once again lifts his cleaver, and a small whim-
per escapes the doomed man, just before the vardatch
impacts with his head. There is a sickening, wet “crack!”
sound followed by a dull thump, before the orc drags the
now-limp body off, probably to his food pot.
If the PCs’ actions anger the orc more than distract him, if
they give him any reason to think that they may attack him,
or if they create any noise beyond a few scuffles, other orc
patrols will be alerted.
Encounter 2B: Astirax to Grind
There is a particularly evil-looking and persistent dog in
Safetown that hears, sees, or otherwise smells something
unusual about the PCs. It begins to tail them as soon as they
get through the gate, and the PCs will occasionally spot it as
they trek through town. It is, in fact, nothing more than a dog,
but the blood red of its eyes (a side-effect of the plague) and
its determined following of the PCs may make the party think
it is an astirax.
Attacking and slaughtering the dog (which is a riding dog, but
since it is so starving and cautious uses the stats for a normal
dog) will accomplish little but drawing the attention of an orc
patrol, particularly if the PCs use illegal weapons to do so.
Encounter 2C: Signs, Signs, Everywhere
Signs
While journeying through town, any PC will with a success-
ful DC 18 Spot check notice a crude carving in the wood of
the corner of a warehouse. Any who are literate in courtier or
who make a successful DC 15 Knowledge (southern
Erenland) check will realize that this symbol represents one
of the gods of the Riding Host. As both writing and the wor-
ship of the Riding Host are illegal, someone would have to be
desperate to put such a symbol on a public face.
If the PCs look around for other, similar markings, they will
find them throughout the town, all representing various gods
Signs in Shadow
of the Riding Host. Any PC of Sarcosan descent will also
know that the gods of the Riding Host are most often seen or
visualized in the night sky as constellations.
If the players ask if there is a pattern to the symbols, tell them
that, indeed, the symbols seem to be laid out around the town
as if the town itself were the night sky, each symbol matching
up to the placement of the constellation with which it is asso-
ciated. Furthermore, it will dawn on the PCs that Adan, the
name of the man they are looking for, is also the name of one
of those gods of the Riding Host: Dal Adan, also known as
the Observer. Using the placement of the symbols throughout
town, and matching them up with the constellations as they
are this time of year, places the constellation of Dal Adan
beyond the river’s edge . . . on one of the islands of
Plaguetown.
Encounter 2D: Sittin’ on the Dock of the
Bay
If the PCs head toward the river, they will find Guldin, a sim-
ple clam-digger that wades in the reeds just offshore and digs
for mussels, bottom-feeding fish, and any scraps he can find
washed ashore. If the PCs ask about the islands, they will be
rewarded by the following paragraph:
“I’ns? Foul ‘aces. M’mate Maddon used ta live ‘ere. Started
it all. Poor sod. First, his wife dies of the plague while he’s
out working the barges. By t’ time he got home at night, he
finds ‘t she kilt ‘r daught’r. Imagine. Come home t’ find ’r
wife et ‘r kid. Or’ble. ‘Ust out o’ ‘is ‘ed atter ‘at. Ne’er
‘ound out how ‘e ‘ot out. ‘At was jes t’ b’nin’ o’ t’ plag.
‘Boot four, five arcs ‘go. Orcs ‘ealed ‘em off, now. An’t no
‘un ‘live over der, n’more. Not e’en orcs. Lucky. Wind’s
sout’ t’night, else y’d smell’t.
Further inquiries will quickly reveal more detailed informa-
tion. The island quarters of the town fell to some disease sev-
eral arcs ago, and the orcs have sealed off the area to prevent
the disease from spreading. The only people that go there
now are those who have proceeded too far with the plague to
be deemed curable. They are rowed out and dumped over-
board within swimming distance of one of the islands, and
left there to die. Now, everyone on the “other side” is
believed to be dead or undead, and the occational night-time
skirmish between the orc guards and fell drifting across on
flotsam verify this belief. They don’t seem to have learned to
walk across on the river bottom yet, thankfully.
If the PCs ask the clam-digger about a Sarcosan man that
would have gone across about a week ago, he will remember
that his cousin mentioned a strange Sarcosan going across
about a week ago. The cousin will have this to say: Yah, ‘e
was particular bad wit’ the plague sores. ‘E volunteered
himself to go across, which is particular rare; most try to
hide their sores. Not a one comes on ‘is own. This ‘un
must’ve known that death was coming for him, though. I
could see it, it was a white bird that hovered about near ‘im!
3
Swooping down and attackin’ ‘im about the head during
the boat ride. Most people think dark birds are omens o’
death, but nossir, this time it was a white bird.
It might come as a shock to some of the players, but the
townsfolk at large are thankful the orcs are present, otherwise
the double threat of the plague and the fell would have spilled
over into the rest of the town long ago. It does not occur to
any one of them that had the shadow never been there in the
first place, the disease might have been avoided alltogether or
at least prevented. Such talk merely scares the poor common-
ers, and they will stop talking to the PCs. Continued badger-
ing from the PCs side will trigger an angered response and
likely an informing of them to the orc guards.
The orcs are nearly as thick on the river’s edge as they are at
the walls of town, because their major duty is making sure no
fell or plague-bearers get across the river and into the town
proper. They are particularly attentive at night, which is when
the fell tend to emerge to try to sneak across the river.
Encounter 3: River’s Edge
There are several ways for the PCs to get across the river. The
orcs are so relaxed during the day that they can probably just
slip into the water. By the time they’re noticed, the orcs will
lob several javelins at them (1d4 targeting each character per
round, for 5 rounds) then simply let them go. After all,
nobody said anything about keeping folks from going TOO
the island. The PCs will probably die there, anyway.
Alternatively, the PCs can wait until dark. If they do, their
patience will be rewarded when, at a little after Midnight, a
gang of fell wash ashore on an old log. The orc guards are all
summoned to deal with the immediate threat, and as such suf-
fer a -20 penalty on their Listen checks to hear the PCs cross-
ing the river. By being slow and careful, and taking 10 on
their Move Silently checks, the PCs should have no problem
sneaking over to the first island.
Finally, the PCs can attempt to create a distraction. This could
include starting a fight, lighting a fire, or even summoning
monsters to attack the orc guards. So long as the plan is well
thought-out and the PCs have the resources they need, this
should work.
If the PCs interpreted the signs left for them by Adan, they
should be able to determine which island he is on. If they did
not, they will have to scout the islands one at a time. Adan is
on the largest island (Island C), which is the third closest
from the riverbank.
Encounter 4: Things To Do in
Malima When You’re Dead
Island A: This small island bears a few ramshackle huts and
overturned boats. The fell here have all decomposed or
washed away . . . except for one.
4 Signs in Shadow
He was one of the last living people on the isle. He had
almost escaped, and was splashing through the shallow
waters of the riverbank, when his foot was caught in a hole.
He tripped, hit his head, was knocked unconscious, and
drowned. Then, of course, he rose as fell. In the week since
then, he has kept trying to drag himself forward, He has made
no more than two feet or so of progress, since his foot is still
stuck in the trap. The only thing he’s really managed is to pull
and dig all of himself below the water. He is faengral, and
hungry. Once the PCs begin wading up toward the island,
read out the following.
Suddenly a hand bursts out of a puddle by your feet. A body
and a face follow it, emitting a low, panicked moan as it
grabs for your legs. It’s wide, half-rotten eyes are shot
through with fear...and hunger.
Faengral Would-be Escapist (Medium augmented
erenlander commoner 1): CR 1 1/2; HD 1d12; 12 hp; Init
–1; Spd 0 ft. (trapped); AC 12 (–1 Dex, +3 natural); Base
Atk +0; Grp +6; Atk claw +2 melee (1d4+1); Full Atk 2
claws +2 melee (1d4+1) and bite +0 melee (1d6+2);
Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SQ Degenerative hunger, regenera-
tive hunger, undead traits; SV Fort +0, Ref –1, Will +0; Str
14, Dex 8, Con —, Int 7, Wis 8, Cha 6.
Feats: Improved Grapple, Toughness, Improved
Unarmed Strike.
Development: The fell man will grasp and claw at the near-
est PC, trying to pull himself out of the water while eating as
much of him as he can. He still wants to save himself from
the water, but at the same time has succumbed to fell hunger.
Treat his action as a grapple. He cannot get up because of his
trapped foot, and is prone. As soon as any fighting breaks out,
the orc sentries get to make Listen checks (DC 10) to hear the
struggle. As soon as they hear something, they will fire flam-
ing arrows at bonfires on the shore of the island that they had
prepared nearest the sound, and then proceed to shoot with
shortbows (with a -8 due to range) anything they can see.
Island B: This island, while larger than Island A, is nothing
but a vast sandbar. A waystation 15 ft. wide and 30 ft. long
that housed barge workers is the only building here, and no
sound can be heard from within. The door to the building is
closed, and it has no windows, but the wood has dried and
rotted to the point that there are gaps between the boards
comprising the walls.
If a PC peers through one of the gaps, he is rewarded with a
grapple attempt from one of the maelgral waiting inside. The
creature’s hand latches around the PC’s throat with a suc-
cessful attack, cutting off his air supply and subjecting him to
drowning rules (which are extremely deadly, and will lead to
the character’s death within a few rounds unless something is
done). The PC may make a Reflex save (DC equal to the
maelgral’s grapple check) to get a gulp of air in before being
choked; if he succeeds, he may hold his breath for a number
of rounds equal to half his Constitution modifier. If he fails, pattering of her feet.
he drops to 0 hp on his next action, and -1 hp on the follow-
This should suffice to freak the player out, at least a little.
ing turn, and dies on the third turn.
Before he or any of the others have a chance to keep going
The hand continues to grasp at the PC’s throat even if it is with anything else than “aaah!”, “nooo!” and “we’re gonna
hacked off. It has an effective grapple check of +12. If PCs die!” just smile and keep going.
open to the door to the waystation in the hopes of getting
From out of the previously creaking door the little girl
inside and destroying the culprit maelgral that way, they will
appears. She is wearing a tattered brown dress. She must
see that it is not alone. In addition to the strangling maelgral,
have been a pretty little lass once, all nine years. Now, she
there are 7 other maelgral standing stock-still in the building,
is dead. Her skin – where it still clings to her rotting flesh
all of which flood toward the door as soon as it is opened.
– is a pale, sickly green. Her eyes, nostrils and mouth are
Maelgral Townsfolk (8) (Medium augmented erenlan- rimmed by yellowy dry pus, and her body sports several
der commoner 1): CR 1/2; HD 2d12; 15 hp; Init –1; Spd 0 burst boils, all covered with the same sickly substance.
ft. (trapped); AC 11 (–1 Dex, +2 natural); Base Atk +0; Grp
Ungral girl (Small augmented erenlander commoner
+2; Atk slam +2 melee (1d6+1); Full Atk slam +2 melee
1): CR 1; HD 1/2 1d12; 4 hp; Init +1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 14 (+1
(1d6+1); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SQ Single actions only,
Dex, +2 natural, +1 size); Base Atk +0; Grp –6; Atk bite –1
damage reduction 5/slashing, darkvision 60 ft., undead
melee (1d4–2); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SQ Degenerative
traits; SV Fort +0, Ref –1, Will +0; Str 14, Dex 8, Con —,
hunger, regenerative hunger, undead traits; SV Fort +0, Ref
Int 3, Wis 5, Cha 4.
+1, Will –2; Str 6, Dex 12, Con —, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 11.
Feats: Toughness.
Let them kill the poor little creature. Let them kill her easily.
Island C: As you climb out of the mud, salt, sand and filthy Let them turn some terror into rage and vent it on the weak.
puddles of the river bed, you find yourself standing amidst Then retaliate. There are more undead.
the braches of tall, dried-out bushes. In the gray night in
As the girl falls apart under your onslaught, her body col-
front of you lie several decrepit and abandoned wood and
lapsing into a heap of rotten flesh and bones, you can see
stone buildings. Somewhere in the distance, an unsecured
more of the shambling dead close in on you. Somewhere
window or door batters in the slight wind, accompanying
beyond them is the weaver’s shop.
the whisper of the wind throug the dry, crips shrubs.
Keep the old initiative scores, and let them duke it out with
The PCs have now entered a true land of the dead. This
the dead.
island, the largest of the group, is nearly a mile long and half
as wide. Disease and undead hunger has been the bane of Maelgral Townsfolk (6) (Medium augmented erenlan-
every here. The fell hide in the houses during the day, avoid- der commoner 1): CR 1/2; HD 2d12; 15 hp; Init –1; Spd 0
ing the light, but at night, they crawl out from their hiding ft. (trapped); AC 11 (–1 Dex, +2 natural); Base Atk +0; Grp
spots, seeking warm flesh. Most of them have been dead for +2; Atk slam +2 melee (1d6+1); Full Atk slam +2 melee
two weeks or more and are utterly craven. (1d6+1); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SQ Single actions only,
damage reduction 5/slashing, darkvision 60 ft., undead
The PCs will have to attempt to pick up the trail left behind
traits; SV Fort +0, Ref –1, Will +0; Str 14, Dex 8, Con —,
by Adan on this side of the river. Their first clue that this is
Int 3, Wis 5, Cha 4.
the right place is another sign, this one the symbol for Dal
Adan, on an old dock pillar. If there was any doubt as to the Feats: Toughness.
author of these signs, this one confirms it with another clue:
Tactics: The maelgral are essentially zombies. They will
a bright white feather is shoved into a crack in the wooden
close with the closest enemy and attempt to bludgeon him to
pillar, matching the coloring of the bird that delivered the
death, then feast on his corpse.
message to the observatory. Scrawled underneath the symbol,
in Colonial rather than Courtier, is the word for “Weaver.” Development: Once the fell have been dispatched, the PCs
This is the final clue, signifying Adan’s location in the town: should move quickly. The fight has also aroused more of the
the weaver’s shop. dead, who imediately set about on closing in on the food.
While some PCs scout ahead and find the least-fell-ridden
You sneak along a road into town, you finally find the
route to their target, the combat-oriented PCs should have
source of the clattering noise. An open door stands swaying
their hands full fighting the fell. Whenever one falls, another
in the wind, creaking and banging with an irregular
will take its place. Present them with a semi-continous stream
rhythm. Then you hear a high-pitched, hoarse giggling. As
of fell to hack at, and whenever they pass a side street or cor-
you turn to face the sound, you stare into the face of a small
ner, let them see more coming from that direction. Keep them
girl, peering out of the cracks of a shut window only a few
falling back after the scouts. If they do not, tell them they will
feet away from where you stand. She sees you watching her,
surely be surrounded. There are nearly 200 maelgral in total.
and disappears behind the wall. You can still hear the slow

Signs in Shadow 5

Disease
In Midnight, disease is not something to be
trifled with. The plague might very well spell the
doom of a character just as certainly as a vardatch.
Any time a character comes in prolonged contact
with one of the fell or diseased, he risks contagion.
If a character ever takes 5 or more points of damage
from a single attack by a fell, he must make a
Fortitude save (DC 14) or contract the plague. The
plague has an onset time of 1d3 days before it starts
working, and deals 1d3 Con damage each day that it
persists. Those suffering from the plague have visi-
ble sores that ooze puss, and any within 5 feet of a
character for more than 1 minute may contract the
plague. While this scenario in itself is too short for
the plague to matter, if you wish to use it as a start-
ing point or part of an ongoing campaign, the dan-
gers of the plague should be taken into accord.
Encounter 5: Weaver’s House
The weaver’s shop is hard to miss, given that it has a sign
with a needle and thread etched in the wood. Adan barred the
door from the inside, but it is a decrepit and pitiful door; a
successfull Strength check (DC 15) will force it down.
Alternatively, it can be hacked apart. It has a hardness of 2
and 10 hp. Once inside, a large table as well as an armoire
provide ample means of closing up the doorway. It should be
a struggle to move those items, though, and it will take at
least two PCs and two rounds to move the items. In the mean-
time, someone will have to hold the undead at bay in the
doorway. Once they have managed to seal out the undead,
some light would be good. Once any PC is able to really see
his surroundings, read the following paragraph.
The living dead keep thumping against the now-blocked
doorway. Their anguished groans and hissing seems very
distant to you as you stand in the darkness of the building,
your hearts beating wildly, dampening all other sound. The
building you have sealed yourselves into looks as if it was
both workshop and home to the weaver. A large loom dom-
inates the room, while a small fireplace, cooking pot and
two benches stand well off to the side. Several bolts of cloth
lie scattered about the room. A corridor continues back into
the darkness, and at its end you can gimpse two doors.
In the common room there are ten bolts of undyed cloth, as
well as a cooking pot, four wooden bowls, a large ladle, a pair
of rugs on the benches, and a small knife used to cut loose
threads (simple melee weapon, 1d2 dmg, crit x2).
Bedroom: The door to the left leads into a bedroom. Read the
following paragraph to the one who opens the bedroom door.
6 Signs in Shadow
With a slight push, the door slides silently to the side. You
look into a bedroom. A single, broad bed and a chest is the
only furnishing in the room. Your attention though, is
immediately drawn elsewhere. At the floor, near your feet, a
horrific creature crawls toward you. His skin is pale and
blistering with yellow boils. As he reaches toward you, one
of them bursts, releasing a flow of pus down his arm. He
tries to get up, while a hollow groan escapes his throat.
This is not, in fact, a fell. It’s just a very, very sick man. Don’t
be surprised if the player attacks him, however; after what
he’s just been through, It woudn’t be surprising. Give the vic-
tim an AC of 8 and 0 hp. Remember that the PC gets a +4
bonus to attacks against prone targets. Once he’s hit and
injured the man, read the following.
Your weapon bites into the man’s flesh, and thick, semi-
coagulated blood imediately starts oozing out of the wound.
The man burbles for a second, looks up at you in a hazed
confusion, and collapses to the ground. His blood keeps
spreading out onto the planks.
It is fully possible that some of the PCs, realizing the horrible
mistake that has just been made, will try to use a Heal check
to attempt to stabilize the now-dying weaver. Remind them
that contact with the diseased will quite probably result in
being infected. If they still wish to help, make them roll a
Fortitude save. Though he is stable, the weaver willl most
likely never recover from his wound, and coupled with the
disease, it is a true death sentence. In truth, he never had a
chance anyway, as hunger, thirst and sickness had already
brought him to death’s door. There is no way the PCs can
hope to help the weaver – bringing him with them or staying
and caring for him – and still hope to fulfill their mission.
If the PC didn’t imediately attack the man, let him identify
him as a still-living human being on the brink of death. They
can spend time helping him, feeding him and giving him
water. A little water and a Heal check (DC 15) will render him
truly conscious for a short period of time. Enough time for
him to recognize the PCs as insurgents. Read the following
out loud to the players.
The man is still weak, but as he stares you in the eyes, you
can see that he has – for the time being – snapped out of his
haze. “You’re insurgents,” he rasps out. He stops for a
moment, and seems to loose his focus. Then he finds it
again. “He’s in the basement. The key’s hanging on the
wall”. He raises an emaciated arm and points to the wall
behind the open door. Then he passes out.
Even if the weaver is killed, the players stand a good chance
of finding the key. All they have to do is choose to investigate
the room. It turns up nothng else than the bedsheets and the
key, though.
Cellar: The door to the right, underneath the staircase, is
locked (Pick Lock DC 16, burst DC 15, hardness 4, hp 10).
Behind the door there turns out to be a staircase leading
down. In your dim light, you can make out its bottom some
ten feet lower than you. As you make your way down the
stairs, the combined smells of earth and urine wash against
you. Still, you move downwards, driven on by the thought
that here, finally, is what you are seeking. The staircase
spills out into a low-ceilinged earth cellar. In the roof, you
can see the floor of the common room. A quick scan of the
room reveals the signs of habitation. A bedroll lies rolled out
to one side, and on a small box, a half-burned candle stands
next to the moldy remains of the heel of a bread. A backpack
lies stashed away in one corner, together with an open and
empty waterskin. Your attention however, is quickly drawn
towards the small hole dug in the western wall. A hole bare-
ly wide enough for a man to crawl through. Outside the
hole’s opening is pile a rather large mound of earth.
As you peer into the hole, you see the soles of two feet not
more than a yard in from the opening. Pulling them out of
the tunnel reveals the body of Adan. Emaciated and shriv-
eled, he probably died while trying to dig his way to free-
dom. His eyes are glazed, and a thin layer of sand and dust
cover them, as well as the rest of him. His face is contorted
in panic and rage, his cold muscles cramped, and maggots
have started consuming his flesh. In his right hand, he
clutches a crude, rusty shovel. He looks he must have thirst-
ed to death while trapped in this cellar.
What the PCs are looking for can be found in Adan’s back-
pack, along with a dagger, a tattered cloak and a pair of flint
and steel: A green, engraved leather scroll case, sealed with
bronze caps and locked with a metal pin. Opening it reveals
several heavy sheets of canvas (too heavy for the familiar to
carry) with maps of the Kaladruns, Shadow army placement,
and troop movements on them).
Encounter 6: Into the Light
Getting out again will also prove to be a problem. Throughout
the night, the fell keep thumping against the shut openings
into the house. There is no possibility for the PCs to get out
as long as the fell are besieging their fort. At dawn though, the
undead will retreat, seeking shelter from even the palest,
grayest rays of the sun. Let the players glimpse a little hope.
Let the pale rays of the morning sun shine on their faces for
a brief moment while they slink out of the miserable building
they’ve been holed up in all night. Let them stretch their legs
and attempt a feeble smile.
From your position in the street, you can see the sun rising
behind the houses, its pale morning light smiling on your
ragged, dirty features. The orcs across the river have with-
drawn from their positions, seeking shelter from the warm-
ng rays. Everything seems so peaceful, compared to yester-
day. Still, memories of what happened still remain. Those
that fell still litter the street. There is no sense of peace ema-
nating from them in the bleak light, only death and decay.
Signs in Shadow
The sky is overcast as always, and promises acidic rain later
in the day. However, you are alive, and you have found what
you seeked.
The wisest course of action is to cross the river to the north,
where it is fairly unguarded. Let them reach the shore (either
by swimming or using a dilapidated boat). Then read the fol-
lowing.
As you reach the shoreline, you hear a horn blowing from
across the river. Your eyes move to gaze southwards. Upon
the barricade, a horse and rider are blotting out the sun,
and you know you’ve been spotted. For a moment you won-
der what you could have to fear from this threat, separated
as you are by the river, but then the horse maneuvers down
from the barricade and begins to trot across the river as if it
were solid earth. As the trot increases to a charge, your
heart sinks. As you consider your options, a dark cloud
seems to rise from the island you just departed, and with a
horrendous cacophony of high-pitched squeaks, sweeps
toward you.
The rider is the soldier legate Halbion, and he has been hunt-
ing for Adan for some time. Once he found out the spy had
been pinned down in Malima, he simply left him there. His
plan was to use the pinned spy and his information to draw
out more resistance members, and he has succeeded brilliant-
ly. His informants warned within half a day of any unsched-
uled newcomers entering town, and despite the PCs’ best
efforts the caravan drew his attention. He then used his asti-
rax, which has possessed a swarm of bats, to watch the island
and warn him if any outsiders ventured onto it. Now, he has
come to reap his reward.
Luckily for the PCs, the legate must face them alone, as the
orcs will not be able to cross the river in time. Unluckily for
them, Halbion has uncovered a ritual that allows his astirax to
possess not just a single animal, but an entire swarm of them.
In this case, they have possessed a swarm of bats.
Halbion, Witch Taker Legate (Male Sarcosan Legate
6): CR 6; HD 7d8+14; 45 hp; Init +5; Spd 20 ft.; AC 17 (+1
Dex, +5 masterwork breastplate w. magic vestment); Base
Atk +5; Grp +7; Atk masterwork longsword +9 melee
(1d8+3/19–20) [+10/1d8+4 from horseback]; Space/Reach 5
ft./5 ft.; AL LE; SQ Plains sarcosan; spellcasting, temple
dependency; SA Spellcasting; SV Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +8;
Str 14, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 14.
Skills: Concentration +12 [+16 on horseback], Handle
Animal +6, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (central Erenland)
+5, Knowledge (Shadow) +11, Knowledge (Spirits) +11,
Survival +9, Ride +10 (5 ranks).
Feats: Combat Casting, Improved Initiative, Mounted
Combat, Track, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon
Proficiency (longsword).
Languages: Black Tongue, Colonial, Courtier*,
7
Erenlander*, Trader’s Tongue. Wounding (Ex): Any living creature damaged by a bat
swarm continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round.
Spells Prepared: (5/4+1/4+1/3+1; base DC 13 + spell
Multiple wounds do not result in cumulative bloeeding loss.
level; domains: seeker and war): 0—cure minor wounds x2,
The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 Heal check or the
detect magic, guidance, light; 1st—bane, command, cure
application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.
light wounds, shield of faith, magic weapon*; 2nd—bull’s
strength*, cure moderate wounds, hold person, shatter, Drain Spell Energy (Su): Any living creature that has
sound burst; 3rd—blindness/ deafness, magic vestment* , spell energy and is damaged by this swarm loses 1d4 points
water walk (on horse), wind wall. of spell energy.
* Indicates a domain spell; -------- Indicates a pre-cast Tactics: Halbion has pre-cast magic vestment on himself and
spell. and water walk on his mount, and will be a quite difficult
combatant if allowed to close to melee. As his horse travels at
Possessions: Mw blackened full plate, mw longsword,
a full run across the water, he will attempt to cast buff spells
black sarcosan light warhorse, dagger, military saddle, bit
on himself (Concentration DC 15 + spell level). The PCs
and bridle, black legate’s robes, black cloak
have three rounds before he is upon them, and their best
Description: A tall, powerful, and grim sarcosan, option is to attempt to shoot the horse out from under him. If
Hablion grew up in Alvedara as the son of a traitor knight, Halbion fears they will succeed in doing so, he will cast wind
and has never known any other king than the dark lord wall between himself and the PCs, preferably somewhere just
Jazhir. All his young life, he has looked upon as a pillar of before the shoreline. The goal of the bats is to surround and
strength, and idolized him. When he was taken to Theros distract the PCs, particularly spellcasters, to prevent them
Obsidia for legate training, he chose the path of the soldier from doing so.
legate early on, and has followed it fervently ever since.
Hablion is a fierce, energetic and aggressive man. His time
in the Order has taught him to value patience, but he is still
a man of action.
Conclusion
The PC must now make their way back to the Forest of the
Light Sarcosan-Bred Warhorse: CR 2; HD 3d8+6; 30
Sahi without drawing the Shadow down upon their allies.
hp; Init +1; Spd 45 ft.; AC 15 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural);
They are responsible for the death of a legate, and have been
Base Atk +2; Grp +9; Atk hoof +4 melee (1d4+3); Full atk 2
spotted by an entire town’s garrison, so the journey should
hooves +4 melee (1d4+3) and bite –1 melee (1d3+1); Space/
not be easy; they will be dodging goblin sniffers and legates
Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; AL N; SQ Tracker quirk; SV Fort +5 (+3
bent on revenge throughout their journey. Additionally, the
vs. sickening or nauseating effects), Ref +5, Will +2; Str 16,
PCs have little in the way of supplies or food. The most obvi-
Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6.
ous allies are the river gnomes, but can they be trusted? Or
Skills: +5 Jump, Listen +4, Spot +4, Survival +5. perhaps the PCs can find safety among the halflings rumored
to live within Wogren Moor, but how will they contact them?
Feats: Endurance, Run, Track.
Needless to say, the journey back should be exciting, and may
Bat Swarm (possessed by astirax): CR 4; HD 3d8; 13 constitute several separate adventures in their own right.
hp; Init +2; Spd 5 ft., fly 40 ft. (good); AC 16 (+4 size, +2
Dex); Base Atk +2; Grp —; Atk swarm (1d6); Space/Reach
10 ft./0 ft.; SA Distraction, drain spell energy, horrid visage,
wounding; SQ Blindsense 20 ft., half damage from slashing
and piercing, low-light vision, silver vulnerability, swarm
traits; SV Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +6; Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10,
Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 15.
Skills: Hide +16, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (arcana
+7), Knowledge (southern Erenland) +7, Knowledge
(Shadow) +9, Listen +7, Move Silently +8, Search +9,
Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +7, Spot +7, Survival +7.
Feats: Iron Will, Track.
Astirax Traits: HD 3d8+6; 19 hp
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its
turn with a swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 11
Fort save or be nauseated for 1 round.

8 Signs in Shadow