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

Pushing through the Carnival crowds, you have seen countless entertainers, from the Fabulous Fire-Eaters of Mortigny to
the bizarre Fred with his Singing Salmon.
"Come one, come all, to the terrifying House of Mists!" A barker's cry suddenly rises above the festival clamor. "Test your
courage and skill of arms!"
At the side of the street, a man stands on a short wine cask in front of a 7' tall black wooden box. A nervous green parrot
paces atop the tall box, muttering to itself, echoing the barker ("Monsters of the Mists, wraagh!"), The barker's weathered
face is creased by a inviting smile, and a gold earring glitters at an ear. His dark pants and shirt are accented by a fancy
red and black satin vest.
The barker is now looking directly at you. The roar of the crowd drops away, so that you hear his voice alone.
"Welcome to the House of Mists! Come brave the ghosts of your past!"
"Ghost from the past, wraagh!" The green parrot fixes you with a knowing gaze.
The barker introduces himself as Vincenzo, his parrot as Lolita, and the tall wooden box as the fabulous, incomparable
House of Mists. He invites the heroes to step into the box and battle the fearsome creatures of the Mists. Vincenzo assures
them that it is utterly safe. For the "thrill of their lives" he charges a "pittance" of 5 gp. Each. (Of course, the price is subject
to negotiation; he names a price that the heroes can just barely afford and lowers the price until they seem interested).
If the heroes ignore the barker, that's fine as well. The Dungeon Master can arrange a future encounter with the House of
Mists after the heroes have spent an additional night or two in town and been subject to Leyla's renewed haunting (see
"Ghost from the Past," below). If, after several attempts, the heroes still refuse to try the House of Mists, Raul himself
volunteers to enter the House of Mists so that he can face the "ghost from his past."
Although he is a powerful Zarovan, Vincenzo plays the part of a mundane barker and a carnival illusionist. Lolita chimes in
occasionally from her lofty perch to accent Vincenzo's important assertions about the attraction's safety ("Perfectly safe,
wraagh!") and to poke fun at the heroes. Vincenzo will not admit he is Vistani, although he shares a few words of welcome
with Raul in patterna (the Vistani language). Neither Vistani will elaborate further on the nature of the House of Mists. The
heroes may enter the House only one at a time.
The House of Mists is a seven foot tall black box with a square base less than three feet wide. It is fitted with an accordion
door of dark, supple leather. Inside, there is seemingly infinite space to maneuver, all of it shrouded in thick mist. The
Dungeon Master may choose to place rocks and other natural terrain in the area as well.
Moments after entering, the hero hears the howl of a wolf, and then a huge, bear-sized wolf charges out of the mist. The
creature looks identical to Nathan Timothy in werewolf form (see Chapter Two). If the hero failed a fear check during the
previous encounter with Timothy, then another such check may be called for in the House of Mists.
For the purposes of the carnival game, the phantom wolf creature has the same THACO and AC as the hero. Furthermore,
successful attacks do not score damage, only "hits." The wolf creature attacks once per round. Five hits inflicted upon either
adversary ends the simulation, and no experience points are earned. However, if the wolf creature is defeated, its prone
corpse transforms into the body of one of the heroes (assuming that one of them was infected with lycanthropy by Timothy
during Chapter Two; if none of the characters was infected, then the wolf corpse transforms into Nathan Timothy).