The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

then, the tracks are numerous and deep. A Survival
check (DC 13) and the Track feat are needed to find and
follow each of these trails:
• The tracks of multiple humanoid creatures lead
south out of Ommersdale. There were around 25
creatures, heading hurriedly south, including some
child-sized creatures. These are the tracks left by
Ommersdale’s women and children, who were sent
south to the next town, Scarsby. It is 30 miles away
over rough, cold ground, but by the time the Player
Characters arrive on the scene they have already
arrived in safety.
• Heading into the town from due north are the
tracks of around six Large creatures wearing boots,
accompanied by a Huge quadruped, possibly an
elephant or mammoth. These are the tracks left by
the wreckers as they descended upon Ommersdale.
• Heading northeast out of the town are the tracks
of approximately five Large booted creatures and
two Huge bipeds with footprints like those of the
quadruped from the north. There are some chunks
of frozen blood further down in the snow and a
few scattered oats. These are the tracks left by the
wreckers as they headed away with their spoils,
with some of the band in hybrid form. The Player
Characters can follow these to the wreckers’ lair.
Buildings: None of the buildings are left intact. A
large, central building that seems to have been a supply
depot is completely gutted, with marks left behind
where barrels and sacks used to be. Oats are spilled
over the floor from a burst sack. There is still a large
stockpile of furs here, which is unusual for a raiding
party to leave behind. Either the raiders did not need
furs to keep the cold off, or they were not intending to
steal anything but foodstuffs.
A Strange Lament: As the Player Characters explore
the ruins, the Games Master should have them make
Listen checks. The Player Character with the best result
(irrespective of what the result is) hears a mournful
sound from the northwest, like a simple and doleful
melody played on a gigantic pipe organ. It is as if the
wind is singing. If the Player Characters choose to
investigate, they can follow the sound to the windshaper
hills (see page 123).
Event: The Kings in Darkness
This event can be included at any point after the Player
Characters leave Ommersdale. A group of three
chattermen (see below) who have gone wandering,
following the desecration of their graves, pick up on the
Player Characters’ trail and start to follow them.
Introduce the chattermen as distant figures glimpsed
during a snowfall, too far off to see clearly. They
lope along behind the Player Characters, keeping their
distance. If the Player Characters camp for the night,
then they use the time to catch up, though they will not
attack until they have watched them for several days,
if possible. They follow the Player Characters into the
Great Tunnel or over the mountains if necessary. When
they finally do attack, it should come as a shock.
Background: Some months ago, Bastirak learned of a
burial ground not far from Ommersdale where several
tribal chieftains had been interred. The graves dated
from a time when the earliest human colonists came to
the land, before the elves built their sea-portals to span
the ocean with magic. Curious to know what might have
been buried with them, he sent his minions to dig up the
mounds and fetch any treasure that might be there.
The minions broke the mounds open and ransacked the
contents. The dead within, outraged by the desecration,
arose as chattermen (see Unusual Creatures of the Cold
Waste, page 157) and now prowl the wastes seeking
living creatures to drain of heat.
There are three undead chieftains hunting together.
They work as a team, stalking the Player Characters
from a distance, pacing after them with tireless patience.
If their initial attempt to devour the Player Characters’
body heat fails, they fall back rather than fighting on.
The chattermen are intelligent and see in the Player
Characters a possible means to recover their stolen
grave-goods.
From this point on, they follow the Player Characters,
not to attack them but to show them the truth. They
try to lead them towards their burial ground, so that the
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