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

The Citadel was once an important administrative center for Baron Bakholis, Invidia's previous lord. Bakholis resided
primarily in Loupet, and the castle and town were administered by his chief steward, Manfred Taige. When news of
Bakholis's murder reached Karina, the garrison revolted against the steward. During the uprising, Taige and his supporters
were cornered in the great hall. Rather than fighting the steward any longer, the revolutionaries sealed all the exits and set
fire to the hall. The fire spread to engulf the entire north wing of the castle. Over the years, attempts have been made to
renovate the north wing, but a number of strange and deadly accidents (caused by the ghost of Taige) quickly stops all
progress.
The south wing of the castle currently houses the barracks and offices for the wall watch, administered by Captain Johannes
Van Deusen, a cherry-cheeked, bulbnosed drunkard and buffoon (and a 3rd-level fighter). The castle rarely houses more
than 20 offduty guards (1st-level warriors). Less than a dozen watch the gates and patrol the castle walls. The guards
carefully avoid the North Wing.
Most of the castle towers serve as storerooms, containing provisions in the event of a siege, but the towers along the north
wing have been converted into a prison. By day, the prisoners are guarded by a pair of soldiers, but none of the guards dare
to watch over the prisoners at night. The prison towers contain over 30 inmates, most serving sentences for some sort of
violent crime. The seven worst offenders (murderers, mostly) are scheduled to be hanged at the end of the Carnival, but the
condemned are envied by the remaining prisoners, for they at least leave the prison.
Those who remain must still hear the tortured screams and pleadings that echo through the north wing, and endure glimpses
of flame-ravaged specters. Not surprisingly, few of the inmates have a firm hold on their sanity.
The heroes are unlikely to visit the citadel, unless they commit a crime. Even if they are incarcerated, the heroes can be
ransomed if they provide a suitable bribe to Van Deusen. The warden, however, makes certain that prisoners experience the
terrors of the North Wing for at least one night before approaching them for a bribe; he has found that the prisoners are more
amenable to negotiation after listening to the chilling screams.
Rumors. The citadel has a nasty reputation in town, and its warden is known to be a drunken fool who dotes on bribes. The
prisoners are rumored to be tortured to the point of insanity, but this results more from the haunting than any actions taken
by the guards. There are also stories that the citadel's old treasury was located in the haunted North Wing, but foolhardy
adventurers who have managed to bribe the warden for a search permit (and a cut of the loot) have fled the castle dungeons
screaming, their sanity quite shattered. Still, legends about the treasure persist, and this Carnival will find its share of fools
willing to risk their lives for it.
The prisoners are well aware of the ghastly spirits haunting the North Wing. Many landed in jail as a result of the "Witch of
Loupet" and are guilty of crimes of passion committed while under the influence of her evil eye.
West Karina
West of Tower Road lies Karina's most dangerous neighborhoods, including the Maze, the Falkovnian Quarter, and the
Warehouse District. These areas are noted for their dirty, narrow streets, poorhouses, dilapidated buildings, and locked
storage buildings. After dark, townspeople stay indoors in West Karina, for madmen, murderers, cruel Falkovnian soldiers,
and more twisted beings slink through the clammy, dark streets.
8. The Maze