TSR 9291 - DLC1 - Dr.. - Free

The heroes make a long day’s march
and are at the Sla-Mori at nightfall.
Today, also, the Dragonarmy
marches out of Pax Tharkas toward
Qualinesti.
Dawn is just beginning to color the
sky as Gilthanas leads the way
through the aspenwood of
Qualinesti. The trail descends
gradually to the south. Soon the
whisper of a rushing stream rises
from nearby, as the path begins to
follow a clear brook. The route
grows steeper and steeper, and the
water deepens and roars as it tumbles
toward the sea with increasing
force.
The aspens of Qualinesti blend
with the tall pines of the lowlands,
and by the time the sun is high,
there are no signs of the silvery
trees of the plateau. Dark and
looming, the evergreens crowd
the trail, making the brightly
sunny day seem closed and dusky.
The stream still roars, but the
sound has become threatening,
like some unspeakable thing in
tireless pursuit.
Suddenly, the pines spread to
reveal a clearing about 150 feet
across. The grass has been
churned into mud by a furious
combat. The bodies of both men
and hobgoblins lie grotesquely in
the places where death claimed
them.
A groan sounds from the center
of this carnage, and a battered human
warrior rises from a pile of hobgoblins.
His eyes appear glazed and
unfocused as he turns his head
about, finally looking at the trail
where it enters the clearing. He
struggles to stay on his feet, but
gives up with another groan.
Suddenly a look of surprise
crosses his face, and he points to
the dense pine forest. “Look out!
Dragon . . .” The effort proves too
much, and he topples onto his
back again.
92. Ambush
Immediately after this statement, 12
Baaz draconians rush from the pines
to attack the party from all sides. If
the heroes heed the wounded warrior’s
warning, they are not surprised
by the ambush; otherwise, check
normally with a 1d6.
The draconians attack savagely,
fighting to the death. If the battle
seems to be going in the heroes’ favor,
the wounded man climbs to his
feet, joins the melee, and strikes a
Baaz from behind after most of the
draconians have been killed.
The wounded man is Eben Shatterstone
(see Supplementary PC
cards, page 114, 115). Eben wears
clothes that once were very fine, but
a lot of rough wear has tattered them
somewhat. He has straight, jet-black
hair, cut fairly short, and his face is
ruggedly handsome. A faded red
cape hangs from his shoulders, and
his fine chain mail is rather tarnished.
He also wears a scarlet hat.
Eben is completely self-serving,
willing to do anything to win favor
with those whom he sees as in power.
Right now, this is the Dragon
Highlord Verminaard, who has sent
Eben to infiltrate the party and try to
direct them to Pax Tharkas, where he
is to betray them. Eben is not evil,
nor will he risk his life for the Dragon
Highlord, so if he does not have a
chance to betray the party safely, he
will not do so. If at all possible,
Eben’s mission should not be discovered.
If it is, however, and the PCs
turn on him, see to it that Eben
meets an obscure death—that his
body is lost.
Eben has blood upon his legs and
arms. He graciously denies that he
needs any magical healing and suggests
that the magic should be saved
for a later time. In fact, he is not
wounded at all: he has staged the entire
encounter so that he might join
50