TSR 9291 - DLC1 - Dr.. - Free

Begin this section when the heroes
reach the pass in the mountains just
east of Solace.
The scene bears no resemblance
to the lofty forest that was here
only a week ago. The beautiful
and legendary vallenwood trees
have been hacked, uprooted, and
burned. Only a few of the mighty
trees still stand among a vast ruin
of blackened branches and low,
thick stumps.
The elegant tree-city of Solace
is now only a few ramshackle huts
on the ground amidst the wreckage.
South of the city, strange
creatures are building a tall pole
fence. Apparently they intend to
fence in the ravaged community.
In a central square cleared of
scorched branches and smashed
homes, many blackened stakes
have been driven into the ground,
like a dark parody of some ancient
temple of the True Gods.
Unlike Que-Kiri, however, Solace
is not a ghost town. A few
lights twinkle in the windows of
some of the buildings, and humans,
dwarves, and elves can all
be seen aiding in the construction
of the fence. They seem to be taking
orders from a number of whipwielding
dragonmen. Many other
bands of dragonmen are visible
poking through the brush of the
fallen trees. These bands are heavily
armed, and seem to be organized
into patrols.
As darkness falls, lights begin to
flicker in a number of buildings in
town. If the PCs ask, tell them that
the guard patrols seem to be casual
and unorganized. It seems as though
slipping by the patrol and into town
would be fairly easy.
In fact, the PCs can get to the Inn of
the Last Home without incident, unless
they are downright belligerent
toward the draconian guards. In this
case, use the Random Encounter table
for an encounter with Kapak draconians.
Once the PCs are in the town, they
can see the remains of the inn, once
lodged in the branches of a vallenwood
tree, sitting somewhat awkwardly
on the ground. Not only half
remains, but makeshift walls and a
kitchen enable it to be open for business.
Many other buildings sprawl on
the ground, most of them smashed
beyond recognition. Fires smolder
here and there amid the wreckage,
and survivors scratch through the
rubble in search of a few former possessions.
Moans of pain and the cries
of babies carry through the town.
Very few healthy men remain in
town; those who survived the invasion
now work the mines of Pax
Tharkas. Most of the inhabitants are
too old to fight, or are the widows
and children of soldiers killed in the
war.
The only business other than the
inn that have survived are a large
blacksmith shop, which was always
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