Exemplars of Evil

FEATURES OF THE AREA
The area has the following features.
Illumination: Sconces along the walls hold torches that
provide bright illumination throughout this area.
Trophies: The room is littered with the banners of foes
defeated by the Black Wolves, signs and miscellaneous goods
from sacked towns, and broken weapons and armor from
battlefields. The largest banner is a 4-foot-by-6-foot flag of
the Black Wolves, which hangs behind the altar and can be
pulled down with a DC 5 Strength check. With the exception
of the two masterwork daggers, the weapons and armor piled
here are useless.
Sarcophagus: The alcove area contains a stone sarcophagus
with a lid engraved with an image of a human warrior in
armor. The sarcophagus has been opened, and the bottom
has been broken out to reveal a second coffin hidden inside
the bier—the wight’s burial place. On the lid of the coffin
is an inscription in an ancient language. A PC who succeeds
on a DC 40 Knowledge check can read the inscription, which
says simply, “Betrayer.”
Pews: Eight stone pews are arranged in two rows. Characters
must spend 2 squares of movement to enter a square containing
a pew. Those who climb onto a pew gain a +1 circumstance
bonus on attack rolls against creatures on lower ground.
Altar: A low altar stands at the front of the room. The
altar is empty and bears no sign of whatever deity used to
be worshiped here. The altar provides cover for those
crouched behind it (granting a +4 bonus to Armor Class
and a +2 bonus on saves).
Small Room: This chamber is devoid of features. The
floor has collapsed into a sinkhole that is inhabited by the
gray ooze.
ENCOUNTER 2-1
Wight Spawn CR 3
hp 18 (4 HD); other statistics as for wight (MM 255)
2 Gnoll Mercenaries CR 1
hp 11 each (2 HD); MM 130
Orc Captain CR 2
hp 11 (2 HD); see page 39
9 Orc Soldiers CR 1/2
hp 5 each (1 HD); see page 39
Once the gray ooze is released, the wight makes every effort
to avoid it, but the undead creature will not stop coming after
the PCs. If the wight succeeds in grappling with a character,
it tries to throw him into the ooze.
If any of the orcs escape, they immediately ring the nearest
brass bell, putting the manor on alert. However, the trophy
room is not an assigned defensive position, so it takes at least
10 rounds for ten orc guards to arrive.
If none of the orcs makes it out of the trophy room,
the commotion of the battle might draw the attention
of the gnoll mercenaries resting in their quarters (area
7). After 5 rounds of combat, there is a 20% chance per
round that two gnolls arrive to investigate. Upon seeing
the wight and ooze, one of the gnolls attempts to shut and
hold the door to the trophy room, while the other rings
a brass bell and runs for reinforcements. It takes at least
10 rounds for a band of ten orc guards (one captain and
nine soldiers) to arrive.
CONCLUSION
After combat ends, the PCs can sort through the trophy
room’s piles of junk. Although most of it is useless, diligent
examination (Search DC 25) uncovers two masterwork
daggers and a small painting of a seascape that is worth 400
gp to the right collector. There is also an amethyst necklace
(35 gp) around the wight’s neck, and its coffin contains
various loose gems and pieces of jewelry worth a total of
1,000 gp.
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