Lords of the Cruth Lowlands - Vaults of Pandius

The Ruins of Achelos
mantlets and rubble. Use the Enclave
map 13 for this area.
The Iron Ring leader of the slaving
operation in the area, Master Haxmal (MU
8, C) has almost completely evacuated the
enclave, in response to the Karameikan
settlement. He knows the government will
crack down on the operation as soon as
they get the Slums and River Fort under
control, so he is slowly moving out the
slaves as well as the equipment and
personnel.
The area is more populated than others, as
the Iron Ring patrols keep predatory
monsters from taking over. Goblinoid slave
traders can be encountered with some
frequency, and the Iron Ring maintains
contacts with other evil organizations,
such as the Dark Triad.
Wandering monsters (1d8):
1. Giant Rats (3d4).
2. Broken Hammer Orcs: 2d4 Orcs, 1
Orc Sergeant (Orc 3). This party of
Orcs is going to buy a few slaves
from the Iron Ring. They know that
a precious item is going to be sold
in the next fair at the Hidden
Market. They do not know where
the Hidden Market is, as this
information is a closely guarded
secret of the Broken Hammer
traders.
3. Cruth Ogres: 1d4 Ogres. These
Ogres have captured an Elf hunter,
Trilinel, and want to sell him to the
Iron Ring. They would sell the Elf to
the PCs, if asked, for 12 cronas in
trade goods, or 2 royals in coins.
4. Iron Ring patrol: 2d4 Hounds and 1
Reaver (F5, C).
5. Achelos Outlaws spy (T4, N). This
Traladaran woodsman is a spy from
the Achelos Outlaws. If undetected,
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he follows the PCs, trying to
understand their strength and
whether they are friends or foes. If
the party is composed of ethnic
Thyatians and the PCs are involved
in a difficult fight, the spy will
attack isolated PCs with a short
bow. If detected, he will make up a
story justifying his presence -- he
may tell the PCs he is an
adventurer, the only survivor of a
party, and direct the PCs towards
the Iron Ring Enclave.
6. Iron Ring slavers: 1 Reaver (F5, C),
1d4 Hounds, 2d4 Goblins and 1d6
slaves. These slavers are
transferring slaves to another
camp. They do not fight except to
defend themselves.
7. Dark Triad Priest: 1 Cleric (C4, C),
with 1d4+1 bodyguards (mix of F2
and Orc 1). This evil cleric will react
to the PCs depending on the party
strength. If clearly outnumbered,
he will try to escape, using an hold
person spell to delay pursuit. If the
Dark Triad cultists outnumber the
PCs, on the other hand, they will
try to capture them. If they seem
closely matched, the priest will
parley. He knows about the Hidden
Market, and will reveal this
information to a party that is not
obviously good aligned (e.g.,
displaying holy symbols of the
Church of Traladara or the Church
of Karameikos, the coat of arms of
the Order of the Griffon, etc.)
8. Stirges: 2d4 Stirges hunting in the
area. These monsters nest along
the river, but range up to the city in
their hunting.
The Iron Ring Enclave
This walled area has been held for years
by the Iron Ring. The NPCs and monsters
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