Ghoul Caves

They had moved silently into the house on the cliff, quietly slipping open a poorly secured window.  Once inside they smelled her out.  There was no guard, only a servant girl who was silenced forever.  Creeping up the stairs and past the rooms of the males they came to the door of the sleeping woman.  They tested the door, and found it unlocked.  It was painful to enter, with the gourd lamp burning away, and the silver holy symbol resting on her chest, over the blanket. 

Tossing a discarded shirt over the holy symbol one of them ripped it away while another wrapped its claw around her face, muffling her cry before the paralysis kicked in.  They wrapped her in the sheet, and bound her with the curtain pulls just in case, and carried her from the room.  Half way down the stairs they heard the manservant before he spoke out.

“Tara?  Is that you?” He whispered down the stairs toward the dark form before he realized what they were.  Then he screamed, and ran down the hall, away from the stairs.

Two of the five chased after him.  The others ran for the door.  Not caring for stealth, they smashed through the lock and ran along the cliff toward the old well.  They were halfway down when the 3 males came out the door after them. 

I’ve wanted to write something up for this picture for a while now, and I thought that it might link up nicely with the bone pipes I posted back on the 21^st.  So I wrote up the bone pipes with the plan to link it to this picture, and then I couldn’t figure out what to write about for this picture, aside from the story.  Is it an adventure hook?  Sort of.  A new monster?  No, same old ghouls.  No magic items, no nothing really.  But where are the ghouls taking their victim?  Now that I can answer!  

 

Maps not shown to any scale. 

Jack O’ Lantern

“Take this” Marketh offered “and may it light your way.”  In his hand he held a hollowed out turnip with a face carved into it, and the stump of a candle flickering inside it. 

Allianora humbly took the turnip and thanked the wild haired man.  After presenting him with a few silver coins, and the group continued on, deeper into the woods. 

A short bit later, once the gift giver was out of sight Nimble spoke up “Really, a turnip?”  he asked, exasperated. 

“You don’t turn down the offer when someone gives you the gift of light.” 

“For a handful of silver?!?” Nimble pointed out.

“What of it?”  She asked him.  “For a few silver Marketh can treat his family to a small feast this harvest, while we share in the beauty of this lantern.”   

3 days later the candle finally burned itself out after watching over the party for several nights of peaceful slumber in the deep dark woods.  Nimble grumbled about the lost silver anyway. 

A jack o’ lantern is a familiar item of hedge magic.  When properly enchanted, this item will reduce the likelihood of random wilderness encounters.  During the day roll a d12 instead of a d6, and at night roll a d20 instead of a d12.  The jack o’ lantern will continue to burn for 1d6 days.

Gourdghost

“I hate this time of year” Rathgar complained as yet another flaming gourd exploded on his shield.

“If we can figure out how to close the gate permanently, we won’t ever have to worry about these things again.” Feris reminded him. 

“Yeah, what are the chances of that?” Nimble asked “These things have been plaguing the area at the end of harvest time for as long as anyone can remember.  Even the elves!”

The mocking laughter of the grinning pumpkins echoed across the field as yet another salvo of the burning gourds rained down upon the adventurers.

Allianora swung her mace at one of the incoming missiles, sending it back to land in the middle of the group of the ghosts.  It exploded, scattering the ghosts from the now burning hay bale fort. 

“Nice swing!” Rathgar cheered.

 

Gourdghost

Armor Class: 4

Hit Dice: 3* (M)

Move: 120' (40')

Attacks: 2 claw or 1 missile

Damage: 1d6/ld6 or 2d4

No. Appearing 1d6 (0)

Save As: F3

Morale: 12

Treasure Type: Nil

Intelligence: 7

Alignment: Chaotic

XP Value: 40

Monster Type: Planar Monster, Enchanted (Uncommon).

Gourdghosts, aka Pumpkinspirits are an elemental spirit that gains access to the material plane at the end of harvest time, and remain until the first hard frost when they are again banished to wherever it is they originally come from. 

Standing a gaunt 7 feet tall, with shadowy stick like bodies, and a grinning pumpkin (or other appropriate local gourd) for a head, they are vicious though rarely deadly creatures.  They delight in torment, taking sadistic pleasure from their cruel tricks.  When forced into physical confrontation they will rake with their claws or throw burning gourds (10/20/40) which explode on impact.  Targets of the thrown gourds can save for half damage. 

Gourdghosts are never encountered during daylight hours or in dungeons. As they are not undead, they are immune to turning.  They are immunities to sleep, hold, and charm spells. 

Cauldron of Souls

“Witch!  Open your door!  Help us!”

Looking through the barred portal she spied two Children of the Gorgon supporting a third who was bloodied, bruised, and broken.

“Bring him in!  Quickly!”  The Witch waved the Children of the Gorgon into her home. 

“We found Atsu and some others.  He is near death… can you help him?”

The Witch began examining the barely breathing serpent-man.  “Who did this?”  She asked.

“Humans.” One hissed.  “Can you help?” 

“Perhaps.”  She turned to the fireplace, and the large black cauldron that was near boiling.  She tossed a few logs under it, and stoked the fire.  From the mantle she began to add various herbs to the cauldron.  “Tell me, does Sesska know you have come to me?”

“No.  I will pay the price for Atsu’s healing.  There was no time to consult.” 

“Very well, I will do what I can.  Put him into the cauldron.  Quickly now.”

Lifting their companion between them, they carried him across the room and lifted him gently into the cauldron. 

“Good, now sleep.”  The Children of the Gorgon turned to look at the Witch, their eyes widening as they saw her pointing a wand at them before they slumped to the ground.  Atsu, who had been held up by his companions slipped below the surface.  A minute later the Cauldron glowed green briefly before Atsu’s skeleton, now devoid of flesh stood up.  “Put that one in next” the Witch ordered. 

The Cauldron of Souls is a powerful, if unwieldy magical item.  In form it is a large black iron cauldron, with 3 clawed feet, and a highly decorated surface.  When a noxious mixture of magical reagents is brought to a boil and a dying body is immersed in it, the victim’s soul is released and absorbed into the cauldron.  From the boiling mixture the victim’s skeleton rises out under the command of the cauldron’s owner.  The skeleton’s bones are highly polished, and tinted a greenish yellow and it will have maximum hit points.

The Cauldron of Souls has a second power.  When a different combination of magical reagents is added to the first, and the owner immerses themselves into the Cauldron, it provides restorative magics.  For every soul absorbed into the cauldron, the following powers may be used:

Cure Disease

Cure Blindness

Cure Serious Wounds

Neutralize Poison

The use of 2 souls can provide the following powers:

Cureall

Restore

Don't forget to suggest something for November's Monthly Audience Participation!

15 Games

Who hasn't done this one at this point?

15 most meaningful games

1. HeroQuest - It got me started in fantasy gaming and miniature painting.

2. Rules Cyclopedia D&D - My first RPG

3. Civilizations II - Strategy computer gaming

4. Kings Quest III

5. AD&D 2E - I played this all through high school

6. Magic The Gathering

7. Nobilis - gaming without dice, and I'm a god?!?  Awesome!

8. Vampire LARP

9. Battlefleet Gothic - I can play with fleets of spaceships?  Cool!

10. Warhammer 40K - Blood for the Blood God!

11. Lord of the Rings SBG - such great minis and a fun skirmish rules set.

12. D&D 3.x - Brought me back to RPGs, liked it a lot until the splat book avalanche.

13. Galactic Civ - just like civilizations, but IN SPACE!

14. Alternity - first sci-fi RPG

15. Rules Cyclopedia D&D - Yup, this gets listed twice.  It's that important!

Looking for a chart

Ok everyone.  Somewhere out there there is a chart that you roll on to see how you know other member of the party.  I think they also made a silly hat chart.  But I can't find it!  Help me Oblogger One Kenobi!  You're my only hope!

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Also, give me a suggestions for my Monthly Audience Participation Post!

Monthly Audience Patricipation for November

50 followers, 90 Google subscribers (there is probably some overlap), and some of you must have something you'd like me to write about!  This is your chance!  That topic you want another opinion about, or the one you don't want to write about yourself. 

Leave a comment!  Let me know!