Pelvurian Conquest Campaign Table of Contents Player's Handbook Supplement...... 1 Introduction...... 1 Races...... 2 Sub-Races of the Realms...... 2 Humans...... 2 Dwarves...... 2 Elves...... 2 Gnomes...... 3 Halflings...... 3 New Races...... 3 Centaur...... 3 Half-Orc...... 4 New Classes...... 4 Monk...... 5 Alleviator (Specialist Priest of Ilmater)...... 6 New Rules...... 6 Martial Arts ...... 6 Arctic Endurance Rating...... 9 New Equipment...... 10 Barding...... 10 Outdoors Equipment...... 10 Introduction to the Bloodstone Lands...... 12 Player Introduction...... 16

Introduction This handout is intended to introduce players to the setting, rules and source­material for the Pelvurian Conquest Campaign. It is broken into three sections. The first section is a guide to character creation for this campaign, which will begin with characters at 5th level. This section explains everything that the player's need to know about creating characters for the campaign, and contains all of the relevant rules except those found in the player's handbook for AD&D 2nd Edition, which may be found online at http://www.purpleworm.org/rules/ The second section is the introduction to the Bloodstone Lands, providing players region­specific information on the area of the world in which the campaign will take place. The third section of this handout is the introductory material for the adventure that will kick­off the campaign. If you have decided to skip reading some of this material, at the very least, you must read the third section, since gameplay will begin right where that section leaves off. The information in the Player's Handbook Supplemenet's introduction will explain how to go­about creating a character for this campaign, but the rest of that section is supplemental material that is not necessary unless you are interested in it. The second section should be read to be well­informed about the region of the world, but you can glance it over if you aren't willing to read the whole thing.

Player's Handbook Supplement

Introduction The following information is intended as a supplement to the Player's Handbook, for the Pelvurian Conquest campaign. Players may use material found solely in the Player's Handbook and this supplement for the purpose of character creation. The information in this supplement has been collected from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Complete Book of Humanoids, Complete Fighter's Handbook, Arms & Equipment, Warriors & Priests of the Realms, Skills & Powers, The Bloodstone Lands, Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog and The Great Glacier. Although these books have been used to compile this appendix, all other materials (including all kits) from those supplements are unavailable during character creation.

Player­Characters begin at 5th level in this campaign, so create your characters accordingly. Attributes will be rolled as a group. Players will roll 3d6 six times, and assign their attributes as they please. Players may choose to reroll up­to two times (for a total of 3 sets of attribute­rolls), but must take the most­recent set of rolls (meaning that, after the second reroll, you are stuck with your third set of attributes). Hit­points will be rolled as­normal, with players taking the maximum roll for their first level of hit­points. Beginning spells for wizards will be detect magic, read magic, and one spell for each available spell­slot at level 5. Bards will begin with one spell for each available spell slot at level 5, without the benefit of detect and read magic as free spells. To account for the party being level 5, players will begin with their maximum possible roll for starting gold, times five. All players may purchase a +1 bonus to a weapon, shield or piece of armor for 500 gold more than the original cost of the item.

Races

Sub-Races of the Realms The Player Races from the Player's Handbook are available in Forgotten Realms. Below is a condensed explanation of the role of each in Forgotten Realms, along with a description of sub­races where those differ from the sub­races found in the Player's Handbook (most­notably for the Elves and Dwarves). This information is condensed from information provided in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.

Humans Humans of every normally­found ethnicity exist in the realms, and function in the same roles that they do elsewhere. They are the most­prominent species in the Realms.

Dwarves There exist four sub­races of dwarves in the Realms: Mountain, Hill, Wild and Deep Dwarves. The Mountain, or Shield Dwarves, are the most­commonly encountered, living and working in their mountain homes, sometimes integrating into larger human societies. Hill, or Gold Dwarves are a race more aloof from others, proud and haughty. The Wild Dwarves hail from the jungles of Chult and are believed to be vicious savages. Deep Dwarves, or Duergar, are an evil race that lives within the Underdark (and are unavailable as player­characters).

Elves The five common varieties of Elf found in the Realms are the Gold, Moon, Wild, Aquatic and Dark Elves. The Gold Elves, also known as Sunrise Elves or High Elves, are an aloof race who have mostly retreated to the fabled island of Evermeet. They have bronze skin and black, golden or copper hair with like­colored eyes. Moon elves, also known as Silver or Gray Elves, are the most cosmopolitan species of elf. They have pale or white skin with blue features, and silvery, white, black or blue hair (although occasionally having human­colored hair, as well) and blue, gold or green eyes. Known variously as Wild, Green, Forest or Wood elves, these reclusive people have copper­ish skin with green hues and hair and eyes matching woodland colors. Wood elves are the least­organized elves and have no nations or cities of their own. Sea Elves, or Aquatic or Water Elves, can be found in the major seas and oceans, often off the coast of major cities where they will have their own enclaves. Sea elves have skin, eyes and hair in blue and greenish tones, with paler skin and more vibrant colors in their hair. Dark elves, also known as the Drow or Night Elves, are a black­skinned, evil race of elves living in the Underdark (and are unavailable as player­characters). It is important to note that there are no sizable Elf populations within the Bloodstone Lands. Any elves or half­ elves are likely to have arrived from else­where.

Gnomes Though common throughout the realms, Gnomes have no history or place within them. They have no civilizations or even a written language, and are a common­sense people integrated into broader communities.

Halflings The halflings are divided into the typical Hair­Feet, Stout and Tall­Fellow sub­races found on other worlds. Halflings of the realms tend to be well­adapted to human civilizations, and are often merchants and farmers, with small communities near larger human settlements.

New Races In addition to the races available in the Player's Handbook, Centaur and Half­Orcs are available Race selections for characters hailing from the Bloodstone Lands. The following entries are from the Complete Book of Humanoids, with racial background information from The Bloodstone Lands.

Centaur Ability Score Adjustments: The initial ability scores are modified by a +1 bonus to Constitution and Wisdom, and a ­2 penalty to Dexterity. Ability Score Range Ability Min Max Strength 11 18 Dexterity 3 16 Constitution 11 18 Intelligence 3 16 Wisdom 4 18 Charisma 3 18 Class Maximum Level Fighter 12 Ranger 10 Mage 12 Druid 14 Bard 12 Hit Dice: Player character centaurs receive hit dice by class. In addition they receive 4 bonus hit points at first level. Alignment: Centaurs tend toward neutral or chaotic good. PC centaurs may be any alignment, but are usually neutral or chaotic good. Natural Armor Class: 5. Special Advantages: Centaurs can make three melee attacks in a round: once with their weapons and twice with their front hooves. Hooves cause 1­6 points of damage each. Centaurs armed with lances can charge for double damage, but cannot attack with their hooves in that same round. Special Disadvantages: Centaurs take damage as large creatures. They have difficulty negotiating underground settings and cannot climb as bipedals are able to. Because of their particular body­shape, Centaur cannot wear normal armor, and must purchase both animal barding and humanoid armor. Because humanoid armor need only cover the top­half of their body, armors that include a lower half (such as full plate) may be purchased at 80% of the normal cost. Barding must be purchased at full coast, as for a mount. The Centaur receives a 50% bonus from the total of all pieces of armor, rounding up (so armor granting a bonus of 1 provides no protection, but if both the humanoid and barding armor each provided a bonus of 1, the centaur has a total bonus of 2, granting a 50% bonus of 1). This 50% modifier affects both barding and humanoid armor so, to receive bonuses from full plate, for instance, a centaur must have a suit of humanoid full plate as well as a suit of full plate barding. Background: Centaurs are not normally thought of as one of the goodly races, usually being relegated to a description as “monsters.” The centaurs of Damara have nevertheless played an important role in the recent events of the region, though their numbers are few. Fast and stealthy, the centaurs of Bloodstone Valley provided the Bloodstone army with field communication runners and an effective contingent of archers. This centaur group is presently led by Kiros, Chief of the Council of Elders, and cannot be taken lightly when examining the delicate balance of affairs in this region. The centaurs have the allegiance of the halflings living in the Warren below them, and of the dwarves who control the Bloodstone Mines. A second group of centaurs inhabits the edge of Rawlinswood, just beyond the fields of Tellerth in the province of Polten. They are led by the Prancer. The Prancer has a reputation as an unpredictable, and some say dangerous, centaur with a definite distaste for the humans who have come to the edges of his domain. He exhibits tolerance only for the druids of Rawlinswood. Languages: Centaur, elvish, common.

Half­Orc Ability Score Adjustments: +1 Str, +1 Con; ­2 Cha Ability Score Range Ability Min Max Strength 6 18 Dexterity 3 17 Constitution 13 19 Intelligence 3 17 Wisdom 3 14 Charisma 3 12 Minimum Class Maximum Level Figher 10 Cleric 4 Thief 8 Hit Dice: Player character orcs and half­orcs receive hit dice by class. Alignment: Half­orcs tend toward true neutral. PC half­orcs may be of any alignment. Natural Armor Class: Half­orcs have natural armor classes of 10. Special Advantages: 60' infravision. Special Disadvantages: Monstrous Appearance. Background: Half­orcs fare better and are more plentiful in the Bloodstone Lands than in most areas of the Forgotten Realms. Though not especially favored by the people of the region—certainly the men and dwarves here have no love for orcs!—half­orcs are generally tolerated as a fact of life in every province and every city. In mountain settlements such as Tomrav and Sudrav, half­orcs live among the humans and act as gobetweens. Their efforts smooth humans’ relations with the goblinoids of the surrounding mountains. Without the efforts of these half­breeds, these settlements might not have survived. The breed has evolved one step further, with half­orc marrying half­orc. Thus, they are developing a culture independent of conventional orcish heritage. In the blasted ruins of the Vaasan city of Palishchuk, half­orcs are carving out their own independent community, and they live in harmony with their neighbors in Damara. Amazingly, these civilized half­orcs carry on good relations with the dwarves across the Galenas in Ironspur. Languages: Orc, goblin, hobgoblin, ogre, common. Half­orcs speak orc and receive common as a bonus language.

New Classes Two additional Priest classes are available in the Bloodstone Lands: Monk and Alleviator. The Monastic Order of the Yellow Rose trains martial priest, while the Alleviator is the specialized Priest of Ilmater (the locally most­ prominent deity). The Monk Class is from Player's Option: Skills & Powers, while the Alleviator is from Warriors & Priests of the Realms.

Monk Ability Requirements: Wisdom 15 Intelligence 14 Constitution 13 Prime Requisites: Wisdom, Intelligence Races Allowed: Human The monk is a priest who belongs to a cloistered or monastic order, where he withdraws from the everyday affairs of the world around him to contemplate his faith. Powers of philosophy, thought, and scholarship are commonly represented by monks, as well as any deity that is not normally worshiped by the common people of an area. Monks must be lawful in alignment, although they can be lawful good or lawful neutral Monks believe that rigorous training of body, mind, and spirit leads to enlightenment. Consequently, a character must have high Intelligence and Constitution scores to qualify for this class. Wisdom and Intelligence are the prime requisites of the monk, and a monk with scores of 16 or better in these two abilities gains a 10% bonus to the experience points he earns. Monks also advance in level as clerics do. While monks do not attempt to minister to the masses or gather followers for their patron deity, they believe in demonstrating the qualities of their faith by example. A monastery or abbey is a place of learning and strength that is open to any person who requires shelter, advice, or assistance. Other monks choose to leave the abbey and travel widely, setting an example among the people they meet and help. Monasteries devoted to evil powers are sinister places where knowledge and wealth are hoarded for the use of the order, regardless of whom may need it. The monk brings a variety of skills to the adventuring party. He is somewhat like the bard in that he is a jack of all trades and master of none. A monk is not a front­rank warrior, but he can be a very capable infiltrator and skirmisher. The monk’s selection of spells allows access to some of the most unusual and versatile priest spells, even if his spells tend to be short on sheer combat power. Like other priest characters, the monk’s principle role is to support and guide the party. Monks do not wear armor, since the training of the body requires quickness, agility, and discipline; monks see armor and other ironmongery as crutches for a person of weak spirit. To compensate, monks are trained to avoid blows through misdirection and positioning, and their base Armor Class improves by one point at every even level (AC 9 at 2nd level, AC 8 at 4th level, AC 7 at 6th level, and so on) to a maximum base Armor Class of 2 at 16th level. Note that a monk must see the attack coming in order to use this benefit—backstabs, ambushes, or missile attacks from behind the monk will strike him as if he were unarmored. Monks may employ any Type B weapon, just like the cleric, but they have exceptional skill in unarmed combat. When a monk makes an unarmed attack against an armed opponent, he disregards the Weapons in Defense rule, since he is trained in dealing with armed enemies. (Normally, this rule allows the armed character to attack first with a +4 on attack and damage rolls when another character makes an unarmed attack against him.) In addition, a monk begins play with a free weapon proficiency which may be used to specialize in unarmed combat. Monks may not use magical items that simulate armor, such as bracers of defense, but they are allowed to wear cloaks or rings. Otherwise, they may use any magical item normally usable by priests. Monks have a nonweapon proficiency crossover with all other classes and may learn any proficiency listed at no additional cost. Monks enjoy major access to the spheres of all, divination, guardian, numbers, and thought. They have minor access to combat, healing, necromantic, and time. Monks cannot turn undead. Beginning at 5th level, monks are entitled to a saving throw vs. spell to block detection, scrying, or mind­reading through magical or psionic means— see the 3rd­level wizard spell nondetection. At 7th level, monks gain the special granted power of free action, which duplicates the effects of the 4th­level priest spell. Monks never gain followers, but at 9th level a monk may receive permission to establish a monastery as an outpost of his order; if he does so, 10 to 40 monks of lower level will come to his monastery and take up their studies there, recognizing the PC monk as the head of their abbey. Background: Only one order of monks exists in the Bloodstone Lands, the disciples of St. Sollars. High up in the Earthspurs, the Monastery of the Yellow Rose is a massive fortress housing as many as 750 monks. The brothers of this monastery receive the greatest respect wherever they travel, even among the Nars in Narfell. They are known to all as loyal allies and deadly enemies. Delicate matters are routine to the monks. A contingent of brothers from the monastery traveled to Carmathan to examine the authenticity of Helmont the 15th’s claims of royal lineage. Even those with no love for the monastery are careful to keep clandestine any activities directed against the monks, and thus, Helmont had no choice but to accept them with a facade of cooperation. Generally, the monks of the Bloodstone Lands do not try to force their beliefs on anyone. In this, they are like the clerics and paladins of the region, going about their business secure in their faith. Wandering monks traveling in the region will usually receive the same high respect given to the Order of the Yellow Rose. That is, unless they act in a way un­befitting one of their station! Evil monks have never been a factor here. The Grandfather of Assassins would nevertheless be delighted to get someone in his court who could infiltrate the Monastery of the Yellow Rose!

Alleviator (Specialist Priest of Ilmater) Bonus Proficiencies: Endurance Overview: Ilmater, the crying god, represents suffering, endurance, and martyrdom. The priestly order of alleviators was started not by Ilmater but by the priests themselves. Rather than passively accept the pain of others, this new faction within Ilmater’s church chose to teach people how to cope with pain and suffering. Description: The alleviators live very simply, and most of them are commonly clad in simple gray robes with a length of rope for a belt. Each wrist has a leather thong tied around it, in honor of Ilmater, although the priest’s wrists are not tied together. Alleviators shun armor and shields, and can only use a staff as a weapon. Role­Playing: The important thing to remember is that alleviators are not responsible for removing people’s suffering; they help people endure their sufferings. The alleviators are aware that there is much evil and suffering the world, so they emphasize that coping with it makes a person stronger than opposing the pain and losing. There are alleviators, however, who will try to alleviate suffering where it is found, or be an advocate for the rights of the common man. This group of alleviators are viewed as radicals within the church. Special Abilities: Due to their abilities to withstand suffering, alleviators can remain active until they reach a negative hit point total equal to their base hit point total. They can only use this ability in melee if they are protecting someone else from getting hurt. Thus, an alleviator with 23 hit points will not drop until he is reduced to ­24 hit points. When a melee encounter concludes, the alleviator must be brought to at least 1 hit point within two rounds or he will die. Special Disadvantages: Alleviators must give 70% of their treasure to the church of Ilmater. Also, they cannot turn undead.

New Rules The Martial Arts ability is available as a weapon proficiency and specialization for Monks and Single­Class fighters. It is taught by the Order of the Yellow Rose in Damara and, while not a common fighting style throughout the Realms, is common to the region (From the Complete Fighter's Handbook). Arctic Endurance Rating is a rule introduced in the Great Glacier setting for Forgotten Realms, which accounts for over­land travel in freezing conditions.

Martial Arts The Martial Arts described in this section aren't any real­world fighting style; they're a combination of "generic" martial­arts maneuvers in the tradition of martial­arts movies. These Martial Arts are only available in a campaign if the DM decides that the art is available for characters to learn. He must first decide if he wants characters to be able to use these maneuvers in his campaign, which will tend to give the campaign a more oriental flavor; then, if he wishes to use them, he needs to establish a history for these combat abilities. Customarily, they've been developed by some distant civilization, and recent trade with that culture has brought some practitioners and teachers of the art to the player­characters' society. To learn Martial Arts at its basic level, the character spends one Weapon Proficiency slot on Martial Arts. Once he has spent that slot, he can use Martial Arts in the same way that other people use Punching and Wrestling, as we'll describe immediately below. Martial Arts Results At its basic level, Martial Arts skill is used just like Punching and Wrestling. Martial Arts combat occurs when a character attacks with his bare hands, feet, and even head. No weapons are used. (A character can hold a weapon in one hand and nothing in the other, attacking with his weapon one round and with his Martial Arts skill in the next.) As with Punching, damage from Martial Arts is handled in a slightly different fashion. The damage from any bare­handed Martial Arts attack is broken into two parts: 25% of the damage from the attack is normal damage, while the remaining 75% is "temporary" damage. The Player's Handbook page 98, discusses this temporary damage, as does this chapter, in the section on "Recovery," below. When attacking with Martial Arts skill, the character makes a normal attack roll against the normal Armor Class of the target. If he hits, he does the damage listed from the maneuver plus any bonus from his Strength score. If the attack roll is successful, the attacker consults the table below for the result of the attack. If, for instance, the character rolls a 13 on his attack roll, the result is a Body­Punch, doing 1 point of damage (plus the attacker's Strength bonus for damage). Martial Arts Results Table Attack Martial Arts % Roll Maneuver Dmg KO 20+ Head Punch 3 15 19 High Kick 2 10 18 Vitals­Kick 2 8 17 Vitals­Punch 2 5 16 Head Bash 2 5 15 Side Kick 1 3 14 Elbow Shot 1 1 13 Body­Punch 1 2 12 Low Kick 1 1 11 Graze 0 1 10 Body­Punch 1 2 9 Low Kick 1 1 8 Body­Punch 1 2 7 Knee­Shot 1 3 6 Side Kick 1 5 5 Head Bash 2 10 4 Vitals­Punch 2 10 3 Vitals­Kick 2 15 2 High Kick 2 20 1* Head Punch 3 30 • Or less

Descriptions of the Maneuvers Body­Punch: This is a straightforward punch into the target's stomach or chest. Elbow Shot: With this maneuver, the attacker plants his elbow into the target's chest, side, or stomach. Graze: This could have started out as any sort of maneuver, but it merely grazed the target; it wasn't landed firmly. Low Kick: The attacker kicks the target in the leg or thigh. Head Bash: The attacker slams his forehead into the target's face, which is a stout maneuver. Head Punch: This is a good, strong blow with the fist to the enemy's head, particularly his jaw. High Kick: The attacker kicks the target in the upper body somewhere: Stomach, chest, back, or shoulder. Knee­Shot: The attacker brings his knee up into the target's stomach or thigh. Side Kick: With this maneuver, the attacker has time to prepare and launch a very powerful sideways kick (which may be at the end of a cinematic leap). Vitals­Kick: The attacker kicks his target at some vulnerable point: Groin, kidney, neck, solar plexus, etc. Vitals­Punch: The attacker puts his fist into one of the vulnerable points mentioned immediately above. Specializing in Martial Arts The same Specializing rules apply to Martial Arts: Once the character has Proficiency in Martial Arts (by spending one Weapon Proficiency slot), he can Specialize in it (by spending another). When the character becomes a Martial Arts Specialist, he gains the following benefits: He gains a +1 bonus to all his attack rolls with Martial Arts; He gains a +1 bonus to all damage with Martial Arts; He gains a +1 chart bonus with all Martial Arts attacks; He gains one additional Martial Arts attack per combat round (both hands must be free, holding nothing, for the character to gain this benefit); and He may pull his attack just as Punching and Wrestling characters do, and when he pulls his attack, he can also refuse to do the +1 damage that Specialization gives him. So if he rolls a 15 to attack, and the attack hits, he has performed a Side Kick. If he uses his +1 chart bonus, he can change that into an Elbow Shot or a Head Bash. He'll probably choose to change it to a Head Bash for the improved damage and improved chance of knockout. It is possible for a Monk to continue to improve his Martial Arts abilities: See "Continuing Specialization," below. Continuing Specialization If the Monk continues to devote Weapon Proficiency slots to an unarmed combat style after he is already specializing in it, he gets the following benefits. At third level, when he receives another slot, he may devote it then to improve his Specialization. For each additional slot devoted to his art: He gains a +1 bonus to all his attack rolls with his combat style; He gains a +1 bonus to all damage with his combat style; and He gains a +1 chart bonus with all attacks in that combat style. With chart bonuses of +2 or more, the character can choose any maneuver within the range of maneuvers covered by his chart bonus (the bonus provides a range of selection on the chart, so a bonus of +2 allows the player to choose any maneuver within two slots of the rolled maneuver, so a roll of 15 allows a choice of moves between 13 and 17).

Arctic Endurance Rating In the freezing temperatures encountered in Pelvuria, new rules regarding the weather come in to play. These are taken from the Great Glacier supplement. Freezing: Not surprisingly, the frigid temperatures of the Great Glacier present the most insidious threat to travelers. Thanks to their unique physiology and survival techniques, Ulutiuns rarely suffer from exposure. But visitors to the region may freeze to death any time and anywhere; the bitter winds of upper Nakvaligach can freeze a man solid in mid­step. A character’s Constitution helps some, common sense measures such as wearing the right clothing help a lot, but ultimately, travelers are at the mercy of the thermometer’s whims.

Arctic Endurance Rating (AER): A character’s base AER is 100%, modified as follows: Prevailing temperature, including effects of wind chill (apply one of the following): Very cold (30 to 0 degrees) No modifier Bitterly cold (­ 1 to ­ 30 degrees) ­20 Intensely cold (­ 31 degrees and below) ­50 Character’s protection (apply one of the following): Well­protected (wearing thick furs or bulky woolen clothes, insulated boots and gloves sheltered in a warm cave or insulated building) +25 Moderately protected (wearing typical winter clothes but taking no exceptional precautions; sheltered in a drafty cave or poorly constructed building) ­20 Poorly protected (thick garments, but no special precautions for frigid weather; no protective shelter) ­40 Character’s Constitution (apply one of the following): Each point of Constitution above 14 +5 Each point of Constitution below 11 ­5 Character’s activity level (apply one of the following): Stationary or inactive (sleeping) +10 Normal activity 0 Strenuous activity (brisk hiking, no rest) ­10 Fatigued, but not at rest ­20 Character is wet ­20 No AER can be less than 5. An AER above 100 is treated as 100. For every two hours that a character is exposed to temperatures of 30 degrees or less, an AER check should be made by rolling percentile dice. If the roll is less than or equal to the AER, the character suffers no damage. If the roll is greater than the AER, the character suffers 1­4 points of damage from exposure. Characters with AERs of 100 or more aren’t required to make checks. Note that these aren’t rigid rules but general suggestions, and the DM is encouraged to modify them as she wishes. For instance, she may require AER rolls only a couple of times per day, and may double or triple the amount of damage to account for the fewer number of checks. She may increase the amount of damage or the frequency of checks in especially harsh weather, or do away with them temporarily if the weather is nice and the characters are prudent. Characters recover from exposure damage a bit differently from normal damage (presuming, of course, that the character hasn’t yet died from exposure). If such a character rests in an area where the temperature is above 30 degrees (such as beside a fire inside an insulated building, or in a land south of the Great Glacier with a warmer climate), he recovers hit points lost to exposure at a rate of one point per hour. Otherwise, he recovers damage normally. Frostbite: If a character suffers at least 6 points of damage from exposure to the cold, he also risks frostbite, a condition where the flesh actually freezes. Ordinarily, only areas of exposed flesh are susceptible to frostbite, such as the face or wrists (when there’s a gap between gloves and coat), though feet and hands can become frostbitten if snow gets inside and melts. After suffering 6 points or more of exposure damage, the affected character must make a normal Constitution check whenever he’s required to make an AES check. Regardless of whether his AES check is successful, a failed Constitution check means he’s frostbitten, and suffers an additional 1­2 points of damage. This damage should be counted as additional exposure damage. When the character’s exposure damage total falls below 6 points, he no longer has to check for frostbite. Frostbite damage heals like exposure damage. Contrary to popular belief, rubbing snow on a frostbitten area doesn’t help in the least; in fact, friction may actually worsen the damage (at the discretion of the DM, a character rubbing snow on a frostbitten area or applying any other type of friction increases the amount of damage by 1 point).

New Equipment

Barding Barding is important for Centaur, who require this specialized mount­armor to receive the full benefit of armor. This information is taken from Arms & Equipment. It is important to note that barding cannot be equipped by a centaur without assistance. Barding Ac Wt Cost Leather 1 60 150 Padded 1 60 150 Scale 2 75 1,000 Brigandine 2 70 1,000 Ring 2 80 800 Studded Leather 2 80 800 Chain 3 70 500 Banded 4 85 1,750 Splint 4 85 1,750 Plate 5 85 2,000 Field Plate 6 90 5,000 Full Plate 7 90 8­20,000

Outdoors Equipment The following outdoors­man's equipment is popular in the frigid climates of Damara, Vassa and the Great Glacier. This equipment is taken from Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog. Hatchet 3gp 1d4+1/1d4+1, Wt 3, St S, Tp S, Spd 4. The hatchet is a small axe intended for wood­cutting. Body Sleigh 8gp A durable canvas sleigh with leather straps that cross the chest and sholders of the bearer. Weighing 8 pounds when folded in a rucksack, it can be brought out to wrap a fallen comrade or hunting trophy. Can carry up to L creatures. The user may haul 10 times their Str at 3/4 their movement rate, 20 time Str at 1/2 movement rate, and 25 time Str at 1/4 movement. Can pull the sleigh for a number of rounds equal to Con before exhaustion. Equipment Frame 10gp A backpack frame that centers weight on the hips, rather than the shoulders, and can have other containers attached to it. Shifts encumbrance down one category when used (e.g. From severe to heavy). Not useful for Centaurs. Climbing Gear* Ascenders 15gp Carabiniers 10gp Descenders 15gp Harness 20gp Ice Axe 10gp This climbing gear, when purchased together, forms a complete, individual set. A character climbing with the proper gear cannot fall from their rope even when failing a climb roll. When climbing with ascenders, carabiniers and harness, a climber cannot fall along the path of an already placed rope. With descenders, carabiners and harness, a character cannot fall when descending an already­placed rope. With pitons, caribinier and harness, a character cannot fall beneath his last piton, when leading a climb. Ice Axes allow climbers to climb icy surfaces without suffering a negative modifier. Horse Blanket and Hood 3gp A horse blanket with a buttoning hood to fully cover a horse in cold climates. +20 AER (arctic endurance rating). Introduction to the Bloodstone Lands The Cold Lands are a forbidding, remote region of the Forgotten Realms. Occupying the North­Eastern corner of most maps of Faerun (the continent containing the Forgotten Realms), these frozen hinterlands border the Great Glacier that forms the Northern boundary of the known world.

This full map of the continent of Faerun should give players an idea of the location of Vassa and Damara within the known world. Also noted are Nerverwinter and Waterdeep, two of the Realms' best­known lcoales, along with a scale to indicate just how far from most of the Realms' action the remote Bloodstone Lands are. The great glacier can be seen at the very top of the map, above Vassa, and covers everything North of this world­map's Northern border.

Damara, a relatively young nation not­yet three centuries old, rose to power on the export of its mineral wealth. In particular, Damara possesses rich deposits of a variety of chalcedony, also known as bloodstone, which lends its name to the region. Damara quickly became a powerful mercantile empire, and its bloodstone bars were a common currency worth 25gp a piece.

The region consists of high­altitude grass­lands, tundras and magnificent, imposing, nearly­impassible mountains. Only passages to the West exist from Damara. The overland route, takes travelers through one of the few known passes in the Galena mountains, via Bloodstone Valley, where the land's richest mines are located. The only other passage West detoured thousands of miles to the South, over­sea and across countless small countries. Map of Damara and Vassa.

Since the establishment of Damara, Vassa had never been more than a backwater occupied by greenskins, half­ orcs and a few bands of fool­hearty humans and dwarves. The area is a boggy tundra occupied by yetis, giants, wolves and trolls, and has never been settled. The only folk traveling through the area were those taking the high­ road from Damara, through Bloodstone Valley, and no one ever tarried long to enjoy Vassa's cold comforts.

For centuries, Damara prospered, Vassa was quiet and, while dangerous, nonthreatening towards its neighbors who were smart enough to stay on the Damaran side of Bloodstone Valley. In FR1137, the peace and prosperity of Damara was shattered when the Witch­King Zhengyi brought Castle Perilous forth from the ground in a single night. From this bastion of evil, Zhengyi claimed total dominion over Vassa. Winning goblin­ and giant­kind to his banner, the Witch­King descended on Damara during the worst Wolf­Winter in living memory, laying waste to the the Galenas mountains and pushing forth to conquer most of Damara.

The people of Damara banded together and fought back against the Witch­King in a war that lasted ten years. The Witch­King finally launched an assassination campaign against the rulers of Damara, using his ally the Grandfather of Assassings to coordinate the assault. With the rulers of Damara dead, the Witch­King conquered the country, dividing it into seven baronies and duchies. Political map of Damara, showing its subdivision into dutchies and baronies.

Baron Tranth of Bloodstone Valley, refusing to lay down before the bandit armies the Witch­King sent to ensure the conqueror's peace in the region, rallied an army in the Bloodstone Valley composed of humans, halflings, dwarves, centaur and even half­orcs. A hero named Gareth Dragonsbane rose from the ranks of this army and lead a bitter campaign against Zhengyi, eventually traveling to the lower planes where Gareth and a group of heroes assaulted the source of the Witch­King's power—the powerful fiend Orcus. Upon destroying the wand of Orcus, Zhengyi's power was broken, Castle Perilous crumbled to ruin, and the Witch­King's armies were driven back into Vassa.

In the year since these events, relative­peace has returned to Damara. However, the country is now divided. Gareth Dragonsbane has married the daughter of the former Baron Tranth, and Dragonsbane has now taken­up the title of Baron in Bloodstone valley. In Damara's other six territories, the new dukes and barons are loathe to give up their new­found positions of power, and the nobles of the nation are engaged in a bitter dispute over whether and who should assume kingship of Damara. The two strongest contenders are Baron Dragonsbane and Baron Dimian Ree, who rules the Barony of Morov and the city of Heliogabalus—Damara's former capital.

To make matters worse for the recent­hero and would­be king, Dragonsbane's band of heroes has never conquered the armies of Vassa, who still lurk in the mountains and tundra West of Bloodstone Valley. Though Gareth has corrected the massive fortress known as Vassa Gate, threats from the West grow more­imminent, as flights of dragons have been sighted around the ruins of Castle Perilous. Add to this the internal conflict over who should ascend to the thrown of Damara, and the nation finds itself in a dangerous, precarious position.

The players are likely to be veterans of this war, having fought on the side of Bloodstone Valley against the hoards of the Witch­King. Although it is up to the players to determine their own backgrounds and how they came to these lands, all characters have spent enough time in the area to recognize that Gareth Dragonsbane is certainly the most­benevolent contender for Damara's thrown, while Dimian Ree and his allies are little more than power­ hungry, former puppets of the Witch King. Bloodstone Valley itself is the current center of civilization in Damara, and likely the area most familiar to the player­characters, if they are veterans of the winning side of the war. Map of Bloodstone Valley Player Introduction <>

What are you doing here? The walls are so rotten that the wind howls right through them. The ale’s so foul that it tastes like it was dipped from a mud puddle. Surely the Frozen Finger must be the most dismal inn in all the Realms, though it’s perfectly suited, you admit, for this dismal village. Who in their right mind would live in a place like Ishe, only a few miles from the Great Glacier? You shiver against the bitter cold and glance at the low­lifes around you. At one end of the main room, a motley collection of grizzled trappers and drunken derelicts place bets on which of the dozen icicles hanging from the ceiling will fall first. Get me out of here, you think. I want to go home. And then you remember why you came. A few weeks ago, you received the terrible news that Jervin Wesselitt, a minor noble of Damara, cousin to and supporter of Baron Dragonsbane, had fallen victim to a rare strain of fever plague. His doctors could do nothing but make him comfortable. The prognosis is bad, they said, shaking their heads. He hasn’t much longer, maybe a year if he’s lucky. For the next month, you scoured the countryside, vainly searching for a remedy, until at last you found an elderly wizard in Bloodstone Village who said, yes, he’d heard of the plague, and yes, he thought he could cure it, but he’d need some kupuk eggs. Kupuk eggs? The wizard explained that the kupuk is a monstrous beast found only in the Great Glacier. It resembles a cross between a dog and a walrus and lays golden eggs. The wizard had never actually seen one; a colleague, now long dead, told him about the creature. The wizard said that an explorer named Kahil Brogman might be able to help you find a kupuk. Kahil lives in Ishe, he said, a tiny village near the border of the Great Glacier. “He was an assistant to the great Palus Frohm. You have heard of him?” Who hadn’t? Palus Frohm was one of the greatest explorers who’d ever lived, the author of the legendary arctic survival guide Blood and Ice. If Kahil Brogman was half as knowledgeable as Frohm, you’d never find a better guide. Last night, you arrived in Ishe and headed directly to the Frozen Finger, the village’s only inn. Yes, Brogman lives here, said the innkeeper, but no, he’s not around today. Out trapping, he said, back tomorrow. “I’ll get the word to him. He’ll meet you here in the morning.” Morning has since come and gone, and your patience is wearing thin. As you contemplate making the trip into the Great Glacier alone, the door swings open. In steps a stocky man about 50 years old, clean shaven and steelyeyed, with ruddy cheeks and a broad grin. He wears a bulky parka made of dirty polar bear fur, and carries a half­dozen dead weasels under his arm. The man tosses the weasels on the bar. “Here you go, Vurl,” he says to the innkeeper. “Skin ‘em up and keep a couple for your trouble.” The innkeeper nods in your direction. “So them’s the great explorers?” snorts the man. “Kinda scrawny, don’t ya think? Looks like a stiff wind might blow ‘em away.” The man roars with laughter, then makes his way to your table. “Nothin’ personal, pals,” he says, pulling up a seat. “Laughin’ keeps you warm.” He calls back to the innkeeper. “Vurl, fry up one of them weasels and bring it over here for my pals.” He turns back to you. “Name’s Kahil Brogman. What can I do for ya?” Kahil listens carefully to the party’s story. When you have finished, he says, “You did the right thing by coming to me. I think I know where we can find you some kupuk eggs.” Pausing, he contines “Kupuk: they’re as big as horses, as mean as dragons. Nasty critters.” “Alright, I'll take ya. 100 gold pieces and not a penny less. How's that sound, friends?” <>

Kahil's Map, given to the players shortly.