tsr09497 - AD&D - Ra.. - Property Is Theft!

during Carnival. People have been crushed while unloading or transporting cargo. If their memory is properly lubricated,
one man whispers that he saw a "boy in black" that frightened him so much that he made a sign against the evil eye.
Event: The Boy in Black
Having long since enthralled his guardians and explored the dreary reaches of Cliff House, the adolescent Malocchio has
decided to investigate the Carnival for himself. After teleporting into town," he is wreaking mischief with his evil eye. For
now, the Dukkar limits his targets to animals and children.
"LOOK OUT!" a man shouts above the frenzied whinnying of panicked horses. An ale cart, laden with heavy wooden casks,
teeters precariously as the bay draft horses rears back, ears folded in terror. As the driver works furiously to control the two
horses, one of the casks rolls off back of the cart onto a pair of children playing by the street. With a scream, one boy
disappears beneath the cask with a sickening crunch, while his playmate still stares at the cart, paralyzed with terror.
Unless the heroes act immediately, the rest of the casks will soon tumble off the cart, killing both children. With some
decisive action, they should be able to drag both children to safety; the child beneath the fallen cask only has a broken leg.
Play up the drama and suspense of the scene by threatening the heroes with falling casks from the wine cart; each inflicts
1d6 points of damage. While the children are being dragged to safety, the cordage holding down the casks breaks, showering
down 2d10 casks on rescuing heroes with a THACO of 17.
Now that the cart is lighter, the horses suddenly bolt down the street, knocking the driver off his seat into the back of the
cart. (Unless the heroes can somehow stop the horses (either by slaying or magically controlling them) they will stampede
down the along docks, eventually hurling themselves off the docks and drowning.
Award individual experience point awards (up to 400 XP per character) to heroes that participate in the encounter.
Regardless of their actions, however, the heroes are not thanked for any courageous endeavors. The parents scoop of their
children with a hostile glare and a spanking, while pedestrians rapidly resume their former activities as if nothing unusual
has happened. The shattered casks remain on the street until the town watch arrives to clean up the mess (no questions are
asked). The heroes might notice some of the townspeople glaring at them making strange signs with their left hand. Those
who accompanied Captain Timothy may have learned these gestures are meant to ward off the evil eye.
Before the heroes resume their earlier activities, they spot Malocchio watching them. He is not at all pleased if they have
disturbed his entertainment:
You notice a boy in the crowd, no more than 10 years old, dressed entirely in black velvet with a wide lace collar. He wears
dark leather gloves and pointed slippers. The boy is simply standing there, regarding you with a stern, mirthless gaze that
stands out starkly against the backdrop of Carnival. A group of revelers rush past him, obscuring the boy in black for a
second, and then he is gone.
Malocchio will return to deal with the heroes later. You can foreshadow his return, or remind the heroes of this encounter
simply by having them encounter horse-drawn carriages throughout town. Play up the clatter of approaching hoof beats
through the crowd, of have them wake up at night to the neighs of horses below their window. If nothing else, these constant