Fiends of Tethyr
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Author: David Howery
Homepage:
System: D&D Forgotten Realms
Type: Scenario
Category: Fantasy
Requirements: 5-7 PCs of levels 6-8

Graphic: DM's Map
Graphic: The Lair

David writes: This adventure is the result of a strange argument several years ago, about whether dinosaurs could beat fiends in battle. I argued in favor of the dinosaurs.

"Fiends of Tethyr" is an AD&Dr adventure for 5-7 PCs of levels 6-8 (about 42 total levels). It is set in the FORGOTTEN REALMSr nation of Tethyr, but could easily be placed in other game worlds. The adventure is best suited for good-aligned PCs. The information in FR3: Empires of the Sands is useful for the adventure, but it is not required.

Players Introduction
The PCs are either in the Tethyrian city of Velen or another sea port in the area. Regardless of where they start, the adventure begins with the PCs noticing a written sign posted in the town square. It reads as follows:

"Notice! Brave adventurers are needed in the city of Velen. Foul Tanar'ri from the Abyss are threatening the safety of our citizens and must be hunted down and destroyed. Report to the council hall of Velen for instructions. Substantial reward offered."

If the PCs wish to answer the notice, they must present themselves to the city council of Velen. If they are not in Velen, the PCs must sail there first, but this is easily done, since many trade routes pass through the city.

Velen is a town of 13,000 residents, located on the northwestern edge of the Tethyr peninsula. It is lashed by severe storms in the winter, but the people are superb sailors and make a good living on the ocean. Since the fall of Tethyr's last king, the town has ruled itself through an elected council, chosen from the various districts of the city. Velen has a large militia and a small navy, both of which have experience battling raiding pirates.

The PCs must explain their purpose to the guards at the council hall, and they are then led into the large chamber where the counsellors have gathered. The room has two large tables with chairs set around them. One table is occupied by five men and four women (the counsellors of Velen). The PCs should note that all but one of the counsellors look worried and even scared. The one counsellor who is not afraid, a white-haired scholarly looking man, appears eager and excited. A tall and deeply tanned man rises and introduces himself as Milon, spokesman for the council. He invites the PCs to sit at the other table. Milon starts by saying:

"Thank you for answering our plea for help. Frankly, the situation is beyond us, and we need help from experienced adventurers, such as yourselves. The threat to our town is great, but you should be able to handle it." "Over the past four months, a dozen farms outside our patrol areas have been attacked and destroyed. All were so isolated that there were no witnesses or survivors. Everyone and everything was slain: the farmers, their families, their livestock, even their dogs. Worst of all, the bodies appear to have been devoured." "Naturally, the surviving farmers are terrified. They abandoned their farms and have flocked to Velen for protection. In addition to the burden of feeding these refugees, we are not receiving the food from the untended farms, compounding our food problems." "Our patrols found no signs of the attackers, save for one fortunate encounter. While returning to port, one of our patrol ships saw a beached cog on the shore, 20 miles south of here. When they landed to investigate, the sailors found that the ship was the Tritons' Folly, a notorious pirate vessel commanded by Ostro Redsea. Well, Ostro's plundering days are over, because he and his crew were found dead and devoured, just like the farmers." "Fortunately, counselor Tobal," Milon says, nodding toward an elderly man, "visited the wreckage. By examining the area around the pirate cog, he was able to determine the identity of the attackers."

At this point, Milon's voice sinks almost to a whisper, and he trembles slightly. "Friends, we are facing nothing less than a pack of tanar'ri, fiends out of the Abyss. Tobal has determined that the fiends are a breed called vrock, horrible vulturelike things with men's arms. They are known to devour men and delight in wanton destruction.

"To put it bluntly, we cannot handle such foes, and need you to destroy them. We have a good idea of who is responsible for this horror. East of here, near the forest, there is the hut of an old hermit named Strabon. He has long been rumored to have sorcerous powers and-is said-to traffic with fiends. He has never been troublesome before, but if he is responsible for these attacks, he has gone too far. If you accept this job, your first task will be to go to Strabon's hut and see if he is responsible; if so, you are to destroy his equipment so that no more vrocks can be summoned. "Of course, we will pay you for your efforts. Our sailors recovered a small fortune in loot from Ostro's ship-a fortune which will transfer to you when the menace is ended. I'm sure Ostro's spirit is happy knowing that his treasure is going to a worthy cause." Milon grins ironically at this remark. "Our scribes say that the chest holds 800 gold coins and gems estimated at another 2,000 gold pieces. Surely, that is a sufficient reward for such a task. What do you say to this offer?"

If the PCs accept the job, the counselors look very relieved. They answer any questions the PCs have, although they can add little to the story already told. By no means will the treasure be paid up front; it will be given to them only if the PCs defeat the menace and return to Velen.

Milon:
AL NG; AC 8; MV 12; 0-lvl; 4 hp; THAC0 20; #AT 0, unarmed.

Tobal:
AL NG; AC 10; MV 12; 0-lvl; 3 hp; THAC0 20; #AT 0, unarmed; expert on fiends.

If the PCs have never encountered vrocks before, Tobal can supply some information. He knows that vrocks are 8-tall humanoid tanar'ri with the heads, feet, and wings of vultures. They fly well, are incredibly quick in melee, and make multiple attacks with beaks, feet, and weapons. Like all tanar'ri, they are vulnerable to magical weapons and weapons of cold-forged iron. They have innate spell powers and are resistant to spells cast by mortals.

The counselors can provide any normal items the PCs request, such as mounts, packs, or provisions. If the PCs request it, cold-forged iron weapons can be made for them. The counselors do what they can to make sure that the PCs are prepared to face the tanar'ri.

Tobal seeks out the PCs in the midst of their preparations and lends them a special magical item. It is an iron flask; a jar with silver runes and a brass stopper (see the DUNGEON MASTERr Guide, page 173). He explains how it is used and asks the PCs to try to capture a vrock, saying he has never seen one up close (actually, he has never seen one at all).

The directions to Strabon's hut are simple: it lies directly east of Velen, on the edge of the forest.

Adventure Background
The menace to Velen does not involve vrocks, tanar'ri, or any other supernatural foe. The marauders are merely animals, although rare and unusual ones.

Years ago, a sage of Waterdeep was visiting colleagues in Port Castigliar, on the coast of Chult. While there, a native brought in a basket full of large eggs of an unknown species. The sages decided to hatch them to see what they were. When the visiting sage needed to return to Waterdeep, his colleagues sent six of the eggs with him, bundled securely in an incubator. The sage's ship had barely gotten underway when the eggs hatched. The sage recognized them as a type of carnivore that Chult has in abundance, but he didn't know what species they were. The young were active in minutes and grew quickly on a diet of salt pork and rats.

When the ship passed through Asavir's Channel, off the west end of the Tethyr Peninsula, a sudden storm caught the ship and drove it onto the rocks near the shore. The ship broke up and began to sink. The hatchlings, carried in a wooden cage, were taken by the sage, placed in one of the lifeboats, and lowered over the side. Before the sage could be lowered into the boat, a heavy wave smashed the ship, throwing the crew off of their feet and the sailors out of the lifeboat. Unmanned, the boat drifted to shore as the humans fought a losing battle to save their lives on the floundering ship. The hatchlings were uneasy at the lightning and thunder, and they burst out of the cage and leaped onto the beach. Instinct drove them to seek shelter in the nearby forest.

The hatchlings were a species of carnivorous dinosaurs called Utahraptor. They look much like the deinonychus (MONSTROUS MANUALx, page 54) but are 75% larger. The younger raptors flourished in the wilderness of the Tethyr Forest and thrived on a diet of local game animals. Within a year, the raptors grew to maturity and began breeding. The pack has devoured all the game around their lair and have been forced to seek prey further away. This resulted in their coming into contact with the farms near Velen. The helpless penned livestock and feeble humans were easy prey for the raptors, and they have hunted in the area more and more frequently. The raptors' speed and ferocity has doomed every farm attacked, and none have escaped.

Over a year after the raptors first landed, the Triton's Folly was damaged in battle with a Calim merchant vessel, and Ostro ordered it beached for repairs. As a group went into the forest to cut down trees, they encountered the raptors. One man escaped and fled back to the ship, with the raptors in hot pursuit. The raptors caught and killed the fleeing pirate, but also sighted the ship. They burst out of the forest and sprinted to the ship. The horrified pirates clamored onto the main deck, thinking the raptors wouldn't be able to climb up to them, but the dinosaurs' leaping ability carried them onto the ship. After rampaging up and down every deck and smashing every door, the raptors killed and devoured every pirate.

The identification of the raiders as vrocks is a result of wishful thinking, not real knowledge. The sage Tobal has studied reports of the fiends of the outer planes his whole life, but he has never seen a tanar'ri. Having studied other people's reports of encounters with them, Tobal desperately wants to see a tanar'ri of any breed. After all, what use is such a scholarly pursuit without first-hand knowledge? When searching the beach near the wreckage of the pirate ship, Tobal found huge birdlike tracks, the only sign left by the raptors. The tracks, combined with the wanton destruction and devoured bodies, made Tobal think of vrocks, a natural assumption for one of his school of study. Tobal is secretly excited at the thought of real tanar'ri in his hometown, and this is the reason he gave the iron flask to the PCs: he merely wants to see one. Thus, the PCs are likely to be very prepared to take on fiends (if one can ever really be ready for it), but not expecting to encounter dinosaurs.

Milon recommends that the PCs go to the hut of Strabon, as he is the main suspect in unleashing the vrocks on Velen. The PCs may want to check out the pirate ship for clues first, but there are no clues to be had around Velen, and the PCs will have to go to Strabon's hut sooner or later.

The Forest of Tethyr
The forest near Velen is part of the Forest of Tethyr, which runs into the Tethyr Peninsula. It is thinly inhabited at the edges, and few roam the forest depths. The forest is home to many natural animals, from squirrels to great stags. The PCs might notice that the large game animals are nearly gone, particularly if there is a wilderness-oriented PC in the party; this is due to the raptors' depredations. The soil here is hard and rocky, and the vegetation is thin, for a forest. Rain is heavy and frequent, so the forest is always damp, and moss grows thick on the trees. Due to the raptors' hunting, there will be no random encounters of consequence. Because the forest is so open, travel through it is easy, even with pack animals.

A. The Triton's Folly. The pirate ship is drawn up on the beach, nearly out of the water. A salvage crew from Velen has righted the ship and is busy repairing the damage. The cog is a bonus to Velen's fleet. The crew has cleaned the ship and burned the pirates' remains. The tracks that Tobal found earlier have long since been erased by the weather. There are no clues to be found here any more.

B. Strabon's Hut. The home of the hermit is a wooden hut 25' high and 40' long. The house is in shambles and has obviously been attacked. The door hangs ajar and broken, and boards have been pulled from the wall. Inside, there are few comforts: a cot, a broken chair, a small table, and a small bookcase. The center of the house has been cleared, and two large circles are drawn on the floor. Each circle contains strange symbols, but parts of each have been smeared, ruining the perfect round shapes. In one circle, a horrid, severed, inhuman hand lies on the floor. Dried blood is everywhere, and there is no sign of the hermit.

Strabon was more than a grouchy hermit. He was an exiled Red Wizard of Thay; driven out by his enemies. He settled here in hopes his foes would never think to look in this isolated spot. Strabon did indeed traffic with tanar'ri, but only for information. The wizard summoned fiends to tell him what his enemies in Thay were doing. Strabon hoped to return to Thay when his enemies were dead.

The two circles on the floor were for summoning tanar'ri-one to protect Strabon, and one to enclose the fiend. Two days ago, Strabon summoned his most powerful servant, a massive nalfeshnee named Malev. The loud chanting of the mage and the booming voice of the tanar'ri attracted the attention of a group of hunting utahraptors who were nearby. Strabon had barely completed the summoning when the raptors burst through the door and walls. Strabon tried to gather components to cast a spell, but the raptors got hold of him, and his stoneskin spell was overcome in one round. The nalfeshnee watched in glee (fiends hate being at the beck and call of mortals) as the raptors attacked Strabon. As the raptors devoured the mage, one accidentally stepped on the circle enclosing the fiend, thus freeing it. The tanar'ri was overjoyed, thinking it was free to rampage on the world of mortals for a while, before returning to the Abyss, and it raised its arms and howled in pure bloodlust.

What it forgot was that a pack of hungry raptors were in the room. Normal animals are afraid of fiends, but raptors are fearless by nature and genetically driven to attack creatures larger than themselves. Thus, the 20'-tall fiend was nothing to flee from, and the howl drew their attention to it. The raptors looked up from their meal of the mage and attacked the tanar'ri. In seconds, the fiend was bleeding from numerous bites and claw wounds, and its huge gut was disembowelled as the raptors swarmed over it. The nalfeshnee lost no time in returning to the Abyss, minus one hand bitten off. The raptors found that fiends taste awful and left the hand where it lay. Once the mage was devoured, the raptors left the house and returned to their lair.

The PCs find little sign of all this other than the severed hand. Strabon had little of value, except for his books. One is his journal that tells his life story; the PCs won't have much use for it, but the book could be sold to the Red Wizards for 100 gp (they will be glad to hear that Strabon is dead). Another tome is Strabon's spellbook, which contains the following spells:

read magic, alarm, jump, magic missile, shield, sleep; bind, continual light, ESP, invisibility, web; blink, fly, haste, item, tongues; confusion, dig, fear, ice storm, stoneskin; animate dead, chaos, dream, passwall, sending; death spell, geas, veil; banishment, forcecage, vanish; binding, maze, trap the soul; gate.

The other four books are worth 1-10 gp each to collectors. They are tomes on science, philosophy, the theories of magic, and edible wild plants.

Outside the house are tracks leading to the southeast. The tracks are very birdlike, but much larger than those of ordinary birds. The rain has obscured much, but the trail can be seen leading directly toward a range of low, rugged hills, just visible on the horizon.

C. The Lair. The trail of footprints leads through meadows, stands of trees, and across rocky soil. The trail ends at the hills. The PCs emerge from the forest and see a rugged group of broken cliffs. A large tunnel can be seen leading into one of the cliffs. No sign of life appears in the area. A huge pile of tailings lies beside the tunnel entrance. The rock around the tunnel looks very weathered, giving it the appearance of a very ancient mine.

Indeed, the tunnel is a mine, dug by dwarves in the ancient days, before there was a Tethyr. The dwarves were searching for iron ore, and this mine was exploratory. The dwarves found a few pockets of ore and built a smelter to refine it. When the ore was gone, the dwarves abandoned the mine. The mine has not been reopened, but hunters and explorers have run across it many times and used it for shelter.

The utahraptors discovered the mine when they were still young and immediately made it their lair. Eventually the raptors matured and raised their own young. With the lair as a base, they have hunted farther and farther afield and eventually ran into the farms around Velen. The Raptor's Lair

Unless noted otherwise, the rooms and tunnels are 15' high. For convenience, use the statistics below for all utahraptors encountered. The full description for these animals appears at the end of the module.

Adult raptor:
AL N; AC 5; MV 19; HD 7+3; hp 38; THAC0 13; #AT 5; Dmg 1-6/1-6/2-8/2-8/1-10; SA: jump, grasping claws; ML 19; XP 975.

Young raptor:
as above, except; HD 4+1; hp 21; THAC0 17; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-6/1-6/1-8; XP 270.

Hatchling:
as above, except; HD 1'1; hp 4; THAC0 20; Dmg 1/1/1-2/1-2/1-3; XP 35.

While the raptors have only animal intelligence, they are extremely cunning in devising ambushes and during melee. They know every inch of their lair, and their usual tactic is to attack from more than one direction. If the PCs are fighting in a corridor or a room with more than one entrance, the raptors will split up and attack from two or more directions. The DM should use the best tactics available for the raptors, rather than simple mob attacks.

The mines have several levels, with ladders and sunken shafts. The map shows the locations of downshafts; pits that are 50' deep, with no handholds or rungs. The pits were exploratory mines that were abandoned when no trace of ore was found. Some of the rooms have separate levels, shown on the map with ladders leading up or down. These levels have a height difference of 15'.

The dwarves used continual light spells cast on iron spikes hammered into the ceiling to illuminate the mine. There is one in every room and several in the corridors; for game purposes, the mine has sufficient light throughout all of it for the PCs to see clearly.

1. Main Tunnel. This large shaft is the center of the mine, and was the main road used by the dwarves. The tunnel was widened to allow carts to move back and forth between the smelter and the ore pockets.

2. Smelter. The dwarves built a simple furnace to smelt down the iron ore, but the only thing left is the chimney. The young males of the pack have taken this room as the "bachelor lair,'' and there are always 4-7 present. If the PCs enter the room through one tunnel, two of the raptors run out the other entrance, circle around through the corridors, and try attacking the PCs from behind. The shrieking roars of the raptors alert the west half of the lair, and the raptors in room 7 move toward the disturbance, arriving two rounds after combat begins.

3. Ore Pocket. The dwarves found a small pocket of iron ore here and dug down to extract it, leaving behind a room with three levels. An adult female raptor spends much time in this room, on the middle level (B). The raptor's attention is drawn to anyone entering the room on the top level (A), and it waits silently in the dark. If anyone looks over the edge, down onto level B, the raptor leaps up directly at him and attacks; note that the raptor can leap easily from level to level, and if reduced to 10 hp or less, it leaps to level A and flees out the door. The ladder between levels A and B is crumbling. A PC weighing more than 50 lbs. who tries to use the ladder causes it to break, dropping the climber onto level B. The fall causes no damage, but the waiting raptor immediately attacks the prone PC.

Level C is the raptor's feeding ground, where she carries small prey to devour. The level has bones scattered over the floor, from small creatures such as sheep, dogs, and swine to adult humans. Some of the bones belonged to a halfling hunter killed by the raptor, and his possessions are scattered among the skeletons; a pouch with 20 sp, a backpack with clothing and rope, and a sheathed dagger +1.

4. Nursery. This chamber was another ore pocket excavated by the dwarves, but the levels climb up into the rock here. The lower level (A) is where the raptor hatchlings are guarded by two adult females. One female is on level A, with one foot on a sheep carcass, holding it down so the hatchlings can feed on it. The other female is on level B. If the PCs enter this room, the females immediately attack; they never check morale in here, as they are defending their young. The raptor on level B leaps down on one PC. The impact knocks the PC prone and, unless a successful Dexterity check is made, any fallen PC must spend one round getting to his feet. The hatchlings cower in a corner as far away from the PCs as possible, chirping loudly in distress. However, if any PC falls to the ground, unconscious or dead, the hatchlings swarm over the body to feed on it. They retreat only if another PC spends one round to shoo them away and stands guard over the body. If the PCs openly attack the hatchlings, their high-pitched shrieks echo through the mine, drawing all surviving raptors from rooms 2, 3, 7, 10, and 12 to their rescue.

5. Dry Storage. This chamber's entrance is 15' above the floor of the corridor and cannot be seen unless the players say their PCs are looking up as they pass by. The chamber was built high to serve as storage for perishables, since water and vermin could not get into the room. There was once a ladder to the room, but it was broken up for firewood by a hunter who spent a night in the mines. Currently, the chamber is home to three young male raptors. Unless the party is magically hidden, the raptors hear and smell them as they pass by, and they see any light sources. The raptors silently move to the entrance and leap down upon random PCs. If the PCs have not seen the entrance, there is a 50% chance that the raptors surprise them. If the raptors' initial attacks hit the PCs, the PCs must make Dexterity checks; failure means they are knocked prone and lose one round getting back on their feet. The battle in the corridor attracts the attention of the raptors in room 7, who arrive one round after combat begins.

6. Shrine. This chamber holds a small shrine dedicated to Dumathoin, the dwarven god of treasure. The only feature in this spartan chamber is a 6' tall statue of Dumathoin, a stout dwarf with a pickaxe, set on a block of stone. The statue has one latent magical power: any time a dwarf enters the room, the statue glows with a soft light and emits a low pounding noise, like a pick striking stone. This magic was created for religious reasons, and if a dwarf PC enters the room, the noise attracts the raptors in rooms 5 and 7.

7. Main Lair. This large chamber was another pocket of ore mined out by the dwarves. The room has two levels; the back of the chamber (level B) lies 15' below level A. This chamber is home to the bulk of the pack. There are eight adult females, and 12 young raptors resting in here. Again, if the PCs enter through one tunnel, half of the pack goes out the other tunnel, circles around, and attacks the PCs from behind. The pack fights fearlessly and doesn't check morale unless all the adults are slain.

Level B is filled with the bones of the raptors' prey: livestock, farmers, deer, boar, moose, bears, dogs, and many other forest creatures. There is nothing of value in the mess.

8. Quarters. This rough chamber served as the quarters of the dwarven miners, and the crumbling remains of several wooden bed frames are still here, but all the bedding is gone. There is nothing of value here.

9. Forge. This room was where the dwarves forged weapons and tools out of the smelted ore. The only things remaining are the chimney of the firepit and a low block of dense stone. The latter once was the mount for an anvil. The stone block is heavy but can be moved by a total combined Strength of 40. Beneath the stone is a cache containing several dwarf-crafted items. The cache was stocked by a dwarf smith, but he was later killed in a mine cave-in, taking his secret to the grave. The smith feared that goblins (numerous on the Tethyr Peninsula in those ancient days) would assault the mine, and he wished to have an emergency supply of gear on hand. The cache holds ten short swords, six warhammers, four battle axes, 50 heavy crossbow bolts, and five daggers. The items are of superb dwarven make and, due to the dry conditions of the mine, remain in excellent condition. They can be sold to any weapons dealer for 150% of the normal value.

10. Common Room. This was the meeting and dining room and once held a large table, which has since crumbled into near dust. The room is home to four adult male raptors. The raptors are able to hear any disturbances in rooms 12 and 13, and they quickly respond to any threats.

11. Records Room. This was once the storage chamber for the dwarves' records and ledgers, but they took everything with them when they left. The floor of the room has the bones of a man and a large raptor scattered on it. The man was Federigo, a notorious outlaw wanted for heinous crimes in Amn and Tethyr. Federigo entered the mine seeking shelter from a storm and was attacked by the raptors. Cut off from the entrance, he ran deeper into the mine and was eventually cornered here. Federigo fought to the bitter end, killing one raptor, but the others killed and devoured him. Among the tangle of cloth and bones are Federigo's bastard sword +2, dagger, small shield, and belt pouch. The latter item holds 4 gp, 8 sp, and four sheets of parchment. The papers are all bounty notices, offering rewards for Federigo's capture or killing. The notices also give a description of Federigo and list his crimes (numerous and horrible; the DM is free to use his imagination here). Tethyr is offering 100 gp for Federigo or proof of his death. Federigo collected the bounty notices out of a sense of twisted pride for his crimes. The notices also describe Federigo's sword (the very one the PCs find here), with its pommel shaped like a bear's head. If the PCs present the sword to the councilmen of Velen, they receive the 100 gp reward.

12. Stable. This large room was where the dwarves kept their ore carts, and two disintegrating hitching posts for ponies are still here. This room is a favorite playground for young raptors, and there are at least seven of them in here at all times. If attacked, their shrieks attract the adults in rooms 10 and 7, who come to their rescue. Note that the young fight as fiercely as the adults.

13. Egg Chamber. This huge chamber was the largest pocket of ore mined out by the dwarfs, and it has three levels; levels B and C each stand 15' higher than level A. It is now the nesting chamber of the raptors. There are four dirt nests, each holding six eggs. Twelve hatchlings are playing and running around the nests. There is only one adult female raptor in here, but she is the pack leader and a huge member of her species. She has 58 hp and a +1 bonus to all attack and damage rolls. Note that the chamber has a ceiling 40' high.

The pack leader watches over the room from level C, where she can guard both entrances. If the PCs enter this room, she leaps down upon one of them, bellowing loudly in rage. Her cry echoes through the mine, and every adult and young raptor surviving runs here at top speed. Note that there are two entrances to this room, and the raptors split up and use both of them, hoping to come up on the PCs from two directions. All raptors have a bonus of +1 to attack and damage rolls in this room.

While the raptors fight fiercely against the PCs, there is an interruption. Three rounds after melee begins, a cloud of foul black smoke appears at the area marked with an X on the map. When the smoke clears, there are three horrid beings standing there. One is Malev, the one-armed nalfeshnee tanar'ri that was mangled by the raptors at Strabon's house. He has come back for revenge, after being healed in the Abyss, and has brought two servants to help him. One is an ugly rutterkin named Huggre, and the other is an apish bar-lgura called Simutan.

The nalfeshnee is a 20' tall humanoid tanar'ri with an apish head, boar's muzzle, and stunted wings. His huge body is accented by his bloated gut. The fiend's missing hand is severed at the wrist and is capped with a steel cap. The fiend still has long scars over its chest and gut. It wields a short, serrated spear that is a +2 weapon, +4 vs. dinosaurs. Three times per day, the nalfeshnee can unleash a color spray in every direction, affecting everyone within 60', except the dull-witted raptors. Victims must save vs. spells or take 15 hp damage; a successful save vs. spells means that only 8 hp damage is suffered.

Regardless of whether the first saving throw succeeds or fails, a second save at '2 must be rolled. Failure means that the victim wanders in a trance for 1-10 rounds. The nalfeshnee also has these spell-like powers: alter self, bind, call lightning, chill touch, detect invisibility, distance distortion, ESP, feeblemind, forget, giant insect, invisibility, know alignment, mirror image, protection from good, raise dead, slow, web.

Malev, (Nalfeshnee):
AL CE; AC '8; MV 12, nil 5D; HD 11; hp 55; THAC0 9; #AT 3; Dmg 1/4/1-4/2-8; SA spells; SD never surprised, +2 or better weapon
to hit, vulnerable to cold-wrought iron weapons; MR 70%; ML 17; XP 17,000;
MONSTROUS COMPENDIUMr Outer Planes Appendix (MC8) or the PLANESCAPEx
MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM (PS MC), page 107.

The rutterkin looks like a terrible maimed human with a hairless pointed head and long talons. It is carrying a short polearm with two crescent heads (Dmg 1-10/1-8). It has the following powers: fear by touch, fly, telekinesis 3/day.

Huggre, (Rutterkin):
AL CE; AC 0; MV 12; HD 4; hp 20; THAC0 17; #AT 1 or
2; Dmg by weapon or 2-7/2d-7; MR 10%; ML 12; XP 2,000; MC8 or PS MC/108.

The bar-lgura looks like a fat orangutan with an evil glare and huge claws. It carries no weapons, but has the following powers: change self 2/day, detect invisibility, dispel magic, entangle, fear by touch, invisibility 2/day, plant growth, spectral force 2/day, telekinesis. The bar-lgura can spring up to 40' and attack in the same round.

Simutan, (Bar-lgura):
AL CE; AC 0; MV 9, Cl 15; HD 6+6; hp 36; THAC0 15;
#AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/2-12; MR 30%; ML 13; XP 8,000; MC8 or PS MC/97.

All tanar'ri have these powers: darkness 15' radius, infravision, teleport without error. None of these tanar'ri gate in other fiends, as the nalfeshnee is here against orders from his superiors; he snuck away to carry out his revenge. The nalfeshnee did not expect the presence of the PCs, and the raptors will stare in outraged anger at the huge violators of their lair. The raptors immediately abandon their attack on the PCs and leap on the fiends. The nalfeshnee plans to battle the raptors and bellows out promises to the PCs that, in return for their aid against the raptors, he will pay them a huge reward. Of course, the fiend has no intention of keeping his promise, and Malev plans to turn on the PCs once the raptors are slain. However, his plan is ruined by the bar-lgura. This tanar'ri was once slain on the Prime Material Plane by adventurers and so has a severe hatred of them. Thus, he screams in rage and attacks the PCs, ignoring the raptors; once the raptors see this, they ignore the bar-lgura in return.

The battle is an amazing sight. The nalfeshnee bellows in anger, stabbing with his spear into the hides of the raptors. The raptors swarm over the huge fiend, leaping onto his shoulders and using their arm claws to hang onto the fiend's limbs and gut, slashing with their sickle-clawed feet. The rutterkin fights valiantly for two rounds but is overwhelmed by the raptors; the rutterkin gates back to the Abyss three rounds after combat begins. The bar-lgura goes after the PCs, fighting in rage to the death. Once the bar-lgura is dealt with, the PCs can either take a side in the battle or simply watch to see who wins. Regardless of the eventual victor, the winning side turns on the PCs. The raptors attack the PCs as intruders in their precious egg chamber. The nalfeshnee fights until reduced to 10 hp or less before returning to the Abyss. The raptors do not retreat unless the pack leader and every adult is slain; the surviving young and hatchling raptors then flee the lair.

If the PCs are victorious over the fiends and raptors, the eggs are theirs for the taking. If smashed, the menace to Velen is ended, unless the young and hatchling raptors escape the lair. The eggs can be sold to sages or collectors for 50 gp each. If the PCs let the eggs alone, or leave the young and hatchling raptors loose in the wild, they hatch and mature, leaving a new batch of raptors to plague Tethyr in the future.

Concluding The Adventure

If the PCs return to Velen, Tobal will be very disappointed that there were no vrocks involved in the raiding. However, if the PCs used his iron flask to capture one of the tanar'ri, Tobal is pleased with the substitute. The council of Velen asks the PCs about their encounters and sends a militia squad to investigate; if everything checks out, the reward is paid over to the PCs. Although Tobal's reputation will be a little damaged by the misidentified raptors, the council is impressed by the PCs' performance (if successful), and may hire them for other jobs in the future. ' (this information is presented on a Monstrous Compendium page)

Utahraptor
Climate/terrain: Any tropical
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Pack
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: Animal (1)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
Number Appearing: 5-20 adults
Armor Class: 5
Movement: 19
Hit Dice: 7+3
THAC0: 13
Number of Attacks: 5
Damage/Attack: 1-6/1-6/2-8/2-8/1-10
Special Attacks: Jump, grasping claws
Special Defenses: Coloration
Magic Resistance: Standard
Size: L (20' long)
Morale: Fearless (19)
XP Value: 975

The utahraptor is a carnivorous dinosaur related to the deinonychus, only it is much larger. The utahraptor is 20' long, stands 15' high, and weighs around 1,500 lbs. It stands upright on two stout legs, with its tail held stiffly out behind for balance, and has powerful "arms" with 10' claws. The raptor also has a 12'-long curved sickle claw on each foot; a horrible weapon used for gutting large prey. Their brown and green coloration blends well with trees in the forests.

Combat: Utahraptors attack with their arms first, clawing at the target in hopes of getting a firm grasp. If both claw attacks succeed, the next two attacks (the sickle-clawed feet) are at +2 to attack rolls. The final attack is with the creature's powerful jaws. One weakness of the raptor is that its multiple attacks can be used only against a single target. Utahraptors are quick and agile and can leap at prey out of ambush; the leap is considered a charge, giving it a +2 to attack rolls the first round.

The raptor's coloring allows them to hide well in foliage. If hiding in ambush, the raptors are 75% likely to be unseen, (effectively invisible) and can be located only by magic. They are able to leap 15' high from a standing start; at least 40' if running. They can leap 25' high and 50' forward and can drop down 25' without damage.

Utahraptors are intelligent for dinosaurs, but still rather stupid. This makes them utterly fearless. They do not check morale unless all adults in the pack are slain (the morale rating is for young and hatchling raptors). Utahraptors are genetically driven to attack creatures much larger than themselves and are immune to magical fear.

Habitat/Society: Utahraptors live in packs, much like lions. However, the leader is the largest female, not a male. The raptors are cooperative animals, coordinating hunts to set up cunning ambushes. Each pack has a clearly defined territory, which may expand as more food is needed when the pack increases in number. The raptors prefer dense forests and brush habitat. A pack is roughly divided between males and females. There are also plenty of young, not fully grown (equal to deinonychus from the MONSTROUS MANUALx). The pack includes a number of these young equal to 150% of the adults. There are also several hatchlings, equal in number to 200% of the adults; these have 1-4 hp and a damage of 1/1/1-2/1-2/1-4. Adult raptors become enraged if their young or eggs are threatened, and they gain +1 to attack and damage rolls when fighting these intruders.

Ecology: Utahraptors are pure carnivores. They attack prey of any size and do not hesitate to tackle creatures much larger than themselves. They are on top of the food chain and have no enemies save for other utahraptor packs.

Historical Note: Utahraptor is a recently discovered species, found and named in 1992. The remains were found, obviously, in eastern Utah, and the name of utahraptor is not official yet, however fitting.