Advanced Dungeons & Dragons - Free

spells and head for either the other
pirate ship or a safe-looking PC
ship, arriving down in the hold.
The pirate clerics save their spells
for opportunity, using hold person
against formidable opponents (i.e.
the PCs), silence on obvious spell
casters, dispel magic on PCgenerated
effects, and sanctuary if
they are spotted. If engaged, the
command to sleep may come in handy.
They use cure light wounds spells on
themselves, the pirate magic-users,
and any pirate officers as needed.
None of the pirate spell casters
puts up a fight if cornered. They
surrender immediately if given a
chance.
The pirate ships contain a total of
2,400 gp in coins. The biggest
treasure lies in the magic-users'
spell books (value 15,000 gp each).
PART 3 - THE POWERS THAT BE
This part of the adventure begins
two weeks after the PCs have
returned to the capital city. The
king commands their presence and
informs them that a magical doorway
has appeared in the obelisk. The
king blames the characters for this
new problem and orders them to enter
the obelisk to find out what's wrong
with it.
The obelisk is a transportation
device which sends those who enter
it to a moon of the characters'
world. There, the characters meet
the local residents, a nation of
powerful and intelligent phase
spiders, who are quite pleased to
see them. The spiders have an
interplanar trade empire and are
eager to begin trade relations with
the humans. However, their last
customers on the planet, a nation of
froglike beings, fell to squabbling
among themselves. The spiders
believe that this was caused by an
innate lack of worthiness on the
part of the frog race. The spiders
agree to open the trade route if the
human and demihuman ambassadors (the
characters) pass a simple test of
courage.
Just as human nature varies÷good,
neutral, and evil÷so does the nature
of the spider race. And it seems
that the bad guys have kidnapped the
good spider princess and are holding
her for ransom. She is being guarded
by a dragon, of course. To prove
their mettle, in the grand tradition
of storybook fantasy, the heroes
must rescue the princess and slay
the dragon.
If the characters refuse, they are
returned safely to their home, but
the trade route is not opened. If
they cooperate and successfully
rescue the princess, the characters
return home with the goodwill of the
spiders, bringing the benefits of
trade. The most interesting trade
goods offered are a strong new metal
(silicon-steel) and a new weapon
that throws deadly beams of light
(lightwand). By opening the trade
route, the characters receive a
percentage of all the profits and a
few free samples besides.
Before starting play, be sure to
review all the creatures used in
this scenario. Detailed descriptions
may be found on page. See also page
for details on calculating the
specifics of the Chak trade
agreement with the PCs.
When you are ready, read the
following to the players:
Your voyage home after the pirate
attack was boringly uneventful. When
you arrived at the capital city, the
obelisk was laboriously towed to
Royal Square where a magnificent
pedestal had been built for it. In
another great operation, the obelisk
was raised and safely mounted in its
new location. The king was extremely
pleased. He grandly bestowed useless
titles on all of you, accompanied by
very useful cash (another 5,000 gp
each).
It is now two weeks after your
triumphant return. Though first
hailed (and pestered) as heroes, you
have now been nearly forgotten by
the cityfolk and the king, and are
basking in the luxury of anonymity
once again.