All Quiet on the Perrenland Front: Through the Forest

The tracks from the slain men lead through the woods. Ranger or Druid PCs will note how eerily quiet the forest is. After 20 minutes of travel, the party will emerge on the other side of the small woods. Before them, at the edge of the treeline, is a two-storey house that has fallen into disrepair.

     If the characters have not delayed, it will still be early in the day. Therefore, the goblins - ten in all - will be asleep in the cellar of the abandoned farmhouse. In plain view are three men. One is armored in a fashion similar to one of the slain fellows near the road. The other two are wearing tunics, breeches and are clapped in irons. All three men have been tied to a tree. They are in a seated position, with a long length of rope wound around them and the tree.

Birds of a Feather
     Perched in a nearby tree are two more of the hideous vulture-esque birds encountered on the other side of the woods. If the bird from the first encounter managed to escape, it will be present here. Upon sighting the party, the birds will start squawking loudly. The birds are hoping to feast upon the eventual corpses of the men below and are loathe to let their potential meal escape.

Iuz Carrion Bird; Armor Class: 7, Hit Dice: 2+2, Hit Points: 14, THAC0: 19, No. of Attacks: 1, Damage: 1-4 (beak), Alignment: Neutral, Move: 3/24 flight, XP Value: 120

     The next few rounds may be very tense. The birds can be driven off with a hail of effective missile fire. Effective, of course, is a relative term. If the carrion birds are not driven off, they will drop to the ground, spread their wings and  advance upon the party in a threatening manner. Their cries will rouse the goblins in the house's cellar.

Shhh! Don't Wake the Goblins
     Should the goblins awake, one bleary-eyed humanoid will climb up from the cellar to investigate. Squinting into the bright light, he will try to divine the source of the noise. He, too, will begin gibbering and wailing. Like the birds, he can be driven off with a hail of missile fire. If he is unharmed, he will call to the others and they will spill out of the cellar to keep their captives from being freed. (The goblins will fight at a -1 due to the sunlight.)      The ensuing melee may be chaotic, indeed, as PCs, goblins and carrion birds squabble and clash. Collectively, the goblins have a meager 25 gold pieces in the cellar.      If any goblins survive and are questioned, they will reveal that they traveled west through the Sepia Uplands from the Vesve Forest. They were part of a much larger warband comprised of various humanoids that were harassed by humans and elves. The warband splintered into many smaller groups. The carrion birds shadowed the warband, hoping to feast upon any carnage the group might produce. 

Goblins (10); Armor Class: 6, Hit Dice: 1-1, Hit Points: 4, THAC0: 20, No. of Attacks: 1, Damage: 1-6 (short sword or hand ax), Alignment: Lawful Evil, Move: 6, XP Value: 15

The Captives      The armored fellow is Hayden, a constable from the nearby town of village of Piketon. He was transporting three prisoners to the town of Traft to the north when the group was attacked by the goblins. The two surviving prisoners were convicted of drunken brutality and are sentenced to one year hard labor.       Hayden will request that the group escort he and the prisoners back to Piketon. He is alarmed at the presence of the goblins and vicious carrion birds. It would seem that the Greyhawk Wars - or their aftermath at least - have arrived on their door. 
Miniatures
     For goblins I prefer the melon-headed freaks from the Pathfinder Battles series. They are rather expensive for their size, but I do like them. The trees are Woodland Scenics that I based on 2" x 2" pieces of balsa that I textured with craft sand and then painted. The ruined house is from Miniatures Building Authority. 

All Quiet on the Perrenland Front: Morning Interrupted

It is the Common Year 585 and the ruinous Greyhawk Wars have been over for one year. We begin along the eastern shore of Lake Quag in Perrenland, a region that was untouched during the raging conflict. It is spring and the characters are travelling south, optimistic about their fortunes on such a promising day.

     Ahead, the intrepid explorers see a wagon and draft horse. Lying nearby are two slain men. It appears that carrion birds have already descended upon the corpses, given the chunks of flesh ripped from their bodies.

     Such a macabre sight definitely mars a rather beautiful spring morning.

Putrescence on Wings
     If the party approaches, their advance will be halted by the sudden appearance of a huge, hideous bird that leaps from a nearby tree. Similar to a vulture, it has an elongated neck and an overall unflattering appearance. Its plumage and skin is a sickly purple. The avian's eyes burn with fury as it is keen on protecting its meal.

     The bird has no interest in protracted melee, but it will lash out with its sharp beak in an attempt to deter the PCs from getting too close to the bodies. If hostilities do erupt and it is wounded, the bird will fly away and return when the pesky PCs are gone.

     A character with the Animal Lore nonweapon proficiency (NWP) can diffuse the situation by shooing away the beast with a successful check. If the player asks what his character knows about the terrifying bird, call for another Animal Lore check, but this time apply a -2 penalty.  If the roll is successful, the character will have heard of nightmarish vultures flying south from cursed Iuz. During the Greyhawk Wars, vultures native to Iuz grew to freakish proportions from feasting on the mountains of rotting flesh created during titanic battles. The bird flapping wildly before the group must be one of the Iuz-spawned vultures.

Iuz Carrion Bird; Armor Class: 7, Hit Dice: 2+2, Hit Points: 14, THAC0: 19, No. of Attacks: 1, Damage: 1-4 (beak), Alignment: Neutral, Move: 3/24 flight, XP Value: 120

Inspecting the Dead

     When the party finally gains access to the bodies, they will note that the first man is wearing chainmail and that his longsword is still in its sheath. There are three arrows in his remains. If a character rolls under their Intelligence on a 1d20, he will note that the arrows are crudely made and typical of those used by orcs or goblins. The man's beltpouch is empty, but a set of keys are nearby. 

     The second man is wearing a filthy tunic and breeches. His feet and hands are bound with manacles. (The nearby keys fit the locks on the manacles.) He, too, appears to have been slain by arrows. 

A Promising Lead

     It does not require the Tracking NWP to note that multiple tracks lead off into the woods away from the wagon. A Ranger with goblin as his favored enemy will immediately realize that his hated foe has left many of the footprints. 

     If the party wishes to follow the trail, the Tracking NWP will have to be used. (Please see the PHB for more details. Also note that Rangers have this ability as part of their class benefits.) An additional, successful Tracking check will reveal that the group that left the tracks is comprised of 10-12 goblins and three humans.

Miniatures
     To model the carrion bird, I suggest the Lamia Kuchrima, which is #17 in the Rise of the Runelords series from Pathfinder Battles. The slain men can be represented by the Inhabited Corpse from the Savage Encounters expansion of D&D Miniatures.

     In the next installment the goblins and their captives will be detailed.