In Brichtwood's magical splendor, there are few things to directly threaten the casual wayfarer. Yet there remains an element of inenace in the woods: an indefinable sensation that one is not wanted in the forest. The longer one stays, the greater this feeling becomes, until it feels as if the whole forest is conspiring against the intruder. Unless the invader of the verdant woodland proves himself a friend of the forest, the feeling of ill- welcome becomes too much to bear. The truth about the forest is that it acts as an extension of the will of Bran ap Seamus, its unicorn protector. His equine body is snow white and his horn is of the purest ivory. He works tirelessly to make sure that no evil force desecrates his precious forest-he has seen what happened to the Gauntlin Forest. He wants only to ensure that no "twolegs" destroy his forest or turn it into an armed camp. To this end, he nurtures the trees' latent distaste for the twolegs into something nearly tangible. Thus, only those who can somehow demonstrate to the trees that they are no threat can immunize themselves to this magic. Brichtwood also harbors a tribe of centaurs (see page 32). Although they are not openly antagonistic to those who impose on their sylvan lifestyle, they do not welcome interruptions. If someone harms any of their brood, or if Seamus asks it, they will hunt offenders tirelessly-unless the intruder flees the confines of Brichtwood, he is in mortal peril. The trees themselves will aid the centaurs in a quest for revenge if Seamus asks them to do so. There is a small group of harpies in a cave in the northwestern wall of Brichtwood that has escaped extinction at Seamus's horn only because their cave is easily defensible. They must fly from Brichtwood to hunt because the trees themselves would tear the harpies limb from limb. The harpies base themselves in the Brichtwood area because they know that few creatures are willing to pass through the domain of Seamus for petty revenge. Sometimes monsters from the Great Grasslands and Grakken Wood wander into Brichtwood. Seamus strongly discourages these incursions and deals harshly with the unnatural invaders. He tries very hard to maintain the purity of his sylvan paradise and, in his eyes, evil wandering monsters sully its beauty.
"Fools venture lightly into Grakken Wood"-or so the saying goes. Its denizens generally are larger and more dangerous than those in any other region in Thunder Rift. Passers-by have often seen the shapes of huge creatures lurking within the murky woods, but few have ever stepped inside the border of Grakken Wood with one of these shapes in sight. All reports indicate that ogres are the dominant monster in Grakken Wood, their number probably well exceeding 20. The sundered boulders and splintered trees attest to the ferocity of these creatures. They seem more than willing to vent their aggressiveness on those who trespass within the boundaries of Grakken Wood. Strangely, the ogres have never emerged from the forest in the memory of anyone living in Thunder Rift. No one seems to know the cause of this, but it is a fact that they have not yet devastated the surrounding lands. Some rumors say that the ogres do not guard against intrusion into their forest, but that they protect against something leaving. The legends, alas, are strangely quiet about the nature of this menace. Other creatures roam Grakken Wood as well. Most prevalent among these are the fierce owlbears, the creations of a mad or evil wizard. Whatever their origin, they remain very dangerous to heedless travelers. Their rending beak and claws can reduce a grown man to shreds of flesh in minutes, and they are constantly on the prowl for food. They, unlike the ogres, have no compunction about leaving the forest. For this reason, no farmer is so foolish as to establish a homestead nearby. The owlbears and the ogres do not coexist peacefully. The sounds of their battles often pierce the night air; shrieks, howls, and roars destroy any semblance of peace the forest might provide. Since both roam throughout the forest freely, these clashes occur with alarming frequency. Anyone who walked into the middle of one these fights could well expect to suffer a rapid and painful death.
The caves in the Melinir Hills are home to a remarkable number of beings. The large map sheet included with this adventure accessory shows the location of only the most notable of these caves, but there are many, many more. The old mines are home to a group of brigands26 The denizens of the Rift humans and others who could not make an honest living. Instead, they have chosen to prey on those who would not support them voluntarily. Their leader, Nicholas Maybrush (see page 22), keeps a home in Melinir, for the townsfolk have not penetrated his disguise of business legitimacy. Maybrush's underlings, who live in the mines, will venture no further into the caves than they must. They believe that the vengeful spirits of human and dwarven miners lurk in the depths, waiting to pounce on the despoilers of the hills. For this reason, the brigands never travel in groups smaller than three while in the caves. Since he does not live in the mines with his underlings, Nicholas discounts their superstitious beliefs. He periodically sends search parties deep into the hills to seek out more treasure. Unknown to him, they travel only until their lantern light can no longer be seen from the main caves and then wait there for several hours. When they return, they report no luck. Nicholas suspects nothing yet. The brigands hold control of their caves by setting up wind chimes within the tunnels. The wind that blows through the shafts jangles the chimes together. The mournful, eerie clattering of the chimes frightens most curious seekers from the area. The brigands have accumulated a vast quantity of treasure. They intercept the barges that float down the river from Kleine, molest travelers, and liberate them from the burdens of heavy purses. They have become quite a nuisance to all wayfarers in the area, but few can do anything about them, due to their sheer numbers. The villagers of Melinir and the merchants of Kleine have placed a reward on the head of the bandit leader. Since no one knows that Nicholas Maybrush is the brigand chief, his capture is not a likely event. With some detective work, however, the PCs might discover who he really is, but they had better be prepared to back up their claim with some evidence!
The original halfling community grew near Torlynn, with comfortable burrows by the river. When the humans arrived, many halflings moved into houses in Torlynn, to take advantage of the humans' protection. Those halflings who remained in the burrows outside the village were found dead one winter morning. Tracks of goblins, kobolds, and dire wolves were found in the bloodied snow. Even worse, there were tracks of some larger, unidentified beast. A permanent bounty has been offered for 27 the heads of goblins, kobolds, and dire wolves. Aside from the typical goblins, kobolds, and orcs in the area, there is evidence that some sort of rat creature now occupies the upper reaches of the hills near Torlynn. As described in the D&D® module, Quest for the Silver Sword, a wererat and his ratling followers commandeered a dead mage's tower. Also, strange feline sorts of humanoids have recently taken up residence in the area. These beings, calling themselves "rakasta," have not yet threatened the villagers. They seem to be a nomadic tribe of creatures, but they apparently have found the area near Torlynn to their liking. (Their story can be found in the upcoming D&D adventure, Rage of the Cat Men.)
Marshwood is home to numerous swamp creatures. The dominant power in the area is that of the lizard men, who have made their home in an abandoned fort. From here they initiate forays into the surrounding area, making their living from the land and other peoples. Unfortunately for them, their supremacy in the swampy forest is challenged by the corpses of those whose bodies lie in the wood. The bodies, which arise from true death as ghouls, challenge the stronghold of the lizard the denizens of the Rift men nightly. These ghouls are unusual in that they retain the abilities and most of the intelligence they held in life. This makes them unnaturally fierce opponents. Their leader is a wight, formerly a 5th-level fighter whose name was Uchard Tonsha. His knowledge of combat tactics makes him a dangerous foe, and his touch drains a level of experience or a Hit Die from his victim. The lizard men are in danger of becoming extinct in this part of the Rift, leaving the ghouls dominant. Uchard Tonsha (Hit Dice 4, Wight): AC 5; hp 20; MV 90' (30'); #AT 1; THAC0 17; Dmg energy drain; ML 12; AL Chaotic; XP 75 If the ghouls win the war with their lizard man enemies, they will spread like plague. Few things in the Rift could directly stop a ghoulish war, so the indirect method of halting them before they become powerful enough to be a threat is necessary. Since their numbers are replenished whenever a humanoid dies in Marshwood, the ghouls are in little danger of extinction. The ghouls can be killed in the fens, but the surest way to be rid of them is to lure them from Marshwood where their powers seem to diminish. Perhaps there is some sort of magical influence throughout Marshwoodthat causes the dead to rise, or maybe Uchard Tonsha is the key. Whatever the answer, someone needs to eliminate the ghouls before they grow to uncontrollable numbers and sweep through the Rift. On the other hand, if the lizard men are victorious, they will resume a life of licentious banditry. No matter what path adventurers choose, trouble will result.
continued/.