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96Area 9: Midden PitThis hole is where the castle inhabitants dumpedtheir refuse; the dragon now uses it for the samepurpose.When the PCs draw near, read:This great hole in the ground is surrounded by a stoneledge, perhaps 2 feet in height. Even from yards away, youcan smell the hideous tang of old garbage and rotting meat.The hole narrows to only a few feet in width, curvesthroughout the hillside, and opens up about 10 feetoff the ground on the northwest side of the hill.If a PC enters the pit, roll an attack, +5 vs. Fortitude.If the attack succeeds, nausea imposes a –2 penalty tothe character’s attack rolls and checks (save ends).Optional: Bugs!Level 4 Encounter (XP 950)✦ 2 carrion crawlers (level 7 controller)✦ 1 rat scarab swarm (level 8 soldier)If the PCs poke around inside the hole, they disturbthe pit’s inhabitants.Area 10: Spire of Ice (Level 5)Here, in the northeast tower, the dragon makes hishome.As the PCs approach the tower, read:From outside, this tower appears very much like the others.It is run down, crumbling in a few spots and open to the airin others, but still structurally sound overall.In most respects (except for the encounter and thelack of a door into the courtyard), this tower is identicalto the one in area 3.As soon as a PC enters the tower, the tacticalencounter triggers.Tactical Encounter: “Tower of Murderous Ice,”page 100.Khekolak is not alone when the PCs confronthim. In addition to the iron defender that serves ashis constant guardian while he is home, the dragonis currently playing host to Vruhk, an emissaryfrom the Frozen Skull tribe of orcs. Though still notstrong enough to take on the town again, the orcshave been in contact with the new lord of Castle Korvald,hoping to negotiate permission to hunt in histerritory.Secret Door: A secret trapdoor in the floor leadsto a narrow underground passage that connects areas3, 10, and 11 to the open pit in area 12. (The passagesare not shown on the map.) See the “Tower of MurderousIce” encounter for details.CHAPTER 3 | Dragon LairsTreasure: Khekolak keeps his treasure directlybeneath the trapdoor. The hoard includes roughly500 gp in various coinage; a chipped ruby withbroken bits of silver twisted around it (probablywrenched from a larger piece of jewelry), worth100 gp; an ivory-and-mahogany model of a galleoninside a small crystal bottle, worth 250 gp; and anold pair of wavestrider boots pulled off the body of awould-be dragonslayer. In addition, Khekolak keepsa potion of healing on him at all times; if he doesn’t useit during the battle, the PCs can acquire it from him.(This, plus the sword in the forge, accounts for halfthe magic items, half the gold, and one-third of thepotions that PCs can expect to find as they advancethrough 3rd level.)Area 11: Empty TowerThis tower has no inhabitants and no door leadingout into the courtyard, but otherwise it is functionallysimilar to the tower in area 3.Area 12: The Crumbling KeepThe central keep was formerly the beating heart ofCastle Korvald—its military center and last line ofdefense. Now it’s even more of a ruin than the rest ofthe castle.As the PCs approach the keep, read:A few dilapidated walls and piles of rubble are all thatremain of a once-mighty building. Given the thickness of thewalls and the arrow slits fitted carefully between the stones,you might assume that this used to be the central keep.At the ruin’s northern end, a rough hole almost 10 feetin diameter extends down into darkness.The hole descends 15 feet to the intersection of fourunderground passages. Three lead to areas 3, 10, and11. A fourth leads toward area 7, but it ends about athird of the way to that tower, filled in with rubbleand collapsed earth.Optional: There’s Always Room for . . .Level 3 Encounter (XP 800)✦ 2 gelatinous cubes (level 5 elite brute)Khekolak herded two gelatinous cubes up from thedepths of the midden pit and deposited them here.They know enough to stay out of his way, but theyattack anything else in the tunnels.Area 13: Ramping UpThese ramps provide access to the tops of the walls.The ramps qualify as difficult terrain to those movingup, but not to those moving down. Rough and broken,the tops of the walls are difficult terrain.JASON A. ENGLE