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Sheep’s Clothing is an adventure for four 11th-level char- acters (PCs), though it can be modified for higher- or lower-level play if desired (see the Scaling the Adventure sidebar). You can incorporate this adventure into any campaign where there is a court environment—be it a royal court, a ducal court, or even a merchant council’s SHEEP’S court. The exact location is not relevant to the adven- ture, though there must be a manor house somewhere CLOTHING near the place where court is held. Adapt the material as you see fit to make it fit into your campaign. A Short Adventure for Four In the FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Setting, this 11th-Level Player Characters adventure works in almost any country. Cormyr and Sembia are particularly good choices, but Mulhorand, Thay, Amn, Silverymoon, and Westgate are also CREDITS possible. The scenario is not appropriate for places such Design: Robert Wiese as the dwarven citadels of the North or for settlements in the Vast, on the plains of the Shaar, or in the jungles Editing: Penny Williams of Chult. Typesetting: Nancy Walker In the world of Greyhawk, this adventure works best Cartography: Rob Lazzaretti in the courts of countries outside the Free City of Web Production: Julia Martin Greyhawk itself. Nations such as Verbobonc, the Web Development: Mark A. Jindra County or Duchy of Urnst, Nyrond, Keoland, and Ket Graphic Design: Sean Glenn, Cynthia Fliege are good choices. The adventure is not appropriate for Veluna, since a vampire there would be discovered too Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game by E. quickly, or for the lands of Iuz, since there would be no Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and on the new edition of the need for an evil creature to infiltrate the seat of govern- DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, ment there. Nor is it feasible for Onnwall, unless your Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, and Peter Adkison. SamplePCs are in Scantfile interacting with the Scarlet D&D, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and DUNGEON MASTER are registered trademarks owned Brotherhood rulers on peaceful terms. The wilder areas by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The d20 logo is a trademark owned by Wizards of the (such as Highfolk, the lands of the Tiger and Wolf Coast, Inc. All Wizards characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Nomads, the various barbarian states, the Theocracy of This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United the Pale, and the Bright Desert) are also inappropriate States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the settings. material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. PREPARATION ©2003 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. You (the DM) need the D&D core rulebooks, includ- All rights reserved. Made in the U.S.A. ing the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, This product is a work of fiction. and the Monster Manual. This adventure utilizes the Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, v.3.5 rules, but it can easily be used with the 3.0 rules or events is purely coincidental. as well. This Wizards of the Coast game product contains no Open Game Content. To get started, print out this adventure (including No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License the maps). Sheep’s Clothing uses the Haunted House and the d20 System License, map from the Map-a-Week web column please visit www.wizards.com/d20. (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/mapofweek For more DUNGEONS & DRAGONS articles, adventures, and information, visit www.wizards.com/dnd /HauntedHouse.jpg). A copy of this map is included with the adventure. Read through the scenario at least once to familiarize yourself with the situation, threats, and major NPCs (particularly their motivations). In addition, be sure you 1 are familiar with the lycanthrope and vampire templates Most of Raidath’s dominated slaves executed his and the treant description from the Monster Manual. orders with remarkable efficiency. Those few who Text that appears in shaded boxes is player informa- proved unable to carry out his plans mysteriously disap- tion that you can read aloud or paraphrase for the peared. By eliminating the incompetents and those players at the proper times. Unshaded boxes contain who directly opposed him, he gradually made the court important information for you. both stronger overall and more aligned to his will. This adventure introduces many minor NPCs, includ- Based primarily on the recommendations of his slaves, ing a king and his court. Feel free to substitute other Raidath was awarded positions of ever-increasing rulers and courtiers that already exist in the setting you authority by the king. have chosen, or make up your own if you wish. At present, Raidath is one of a small group of trusted advisors to Ceral. The vampire is positioning himself to ADVENTURE remove the other members of this inner circle and ensure that his trusted associates (or dominated slaves) BACKGROUND take their places. The court of a ruler attracts intrigue the same way it Unbeknownst to Raidath, one of the other inner attracts peasants looking for justice. Courtiers vie for posi- circle advisors has noticed a disturbing pattern of disap- tion and favor with the ruler, and enemies plot to oust pearances and changes in allegiance. Nesta (LG female favorites and install themselves—or at least someone aristocrat 10) does not know who is responsible, but she more friendly to their own interests—in their places. A realizes that retaining her own position (and perhaps veneer of civility covers this chesslike game, masking its her life) depends on discovering the source of these harsh purpose and sometimes deadly import. Indeed, a strange incidents. Thus, she is currently seeking some modicum of pleasantry is essential, since rapidly shifting reliable but disposable aid. loyalties can turn enemies into allies and allies into enemies in the span of an hour. Open hostility could ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS easily destroy any possibility of future alliances with The player characters have recently gained the notice of today’s enemies, so it is always better to hedge one’s bets. King Ceral, or someone important in his court. Thus, It is said that the real rulers of a nation rule from they have access to the rarefied world of the king’s court behind the throne. While this assertion may not be true on a limited basis. But unless they strive to be courtiers in all cases, it is certain that when a ruler is not strong- Sample filethemselves and have earned the right of entry through willed, some crafty advisor almost always makes the real title, birth, or deeds, they are not regular members of decisions. Such a courtier has infiltrated the court of the court. This situation makes them perfect choices as King Ceral, and he has begun taking steps to ensure disposable investigators. that he and he alone holds the true power. While at court, they begin investigating the oddly Two years ago, a man calling himself Raidath shifting opinions and the pattern of recent disappear- Veranan gained entry into the court of King Ceral. ances. After several unusual incidents, they are attacked Clearly seeking this sort of power, he immediately twice by werewolves. At least one of these two inci- sought to put himself in an advantageous position for dents can be linked to Raidath. influencing the king. Because he was a vampire of some Once Raidath has been implicated, he lures the PCs power, Raidath could have brought Ceral under his out to his estate, where he intends to dispose of them. direct control with relative ease. But to keep his true The characters must fight the vampire and his minions nature a secret, he needed to remain “behind the on their own turf. scenes” and avoid too much scrutiny. Raidath quickly learned the ways of the court and the exact place (and amount of influence) that each of ADVENTURE HOOKS the major courtiers held with the ruler. When he was As DM, you know best how to involve your players and ready to make his move, he began using his dominate their characters in an adventure. You can use the power to bring key courtiers under his sway. Whenever following adventure hooks to spur your imagination, possible, he took care to exert his influence through modifying them as necessary to make them appropriate others, so that whatever he wanted to do appeared to be for the characters’ interests. someone else’s idea. 2 BEGINNING WITHIN THE COURT werewolf lord or some other such creature. Allow the players to draw their own conclusions as to the sort of • The PCs have some contact with a courtier who can adversary they face. Once the PCs have identified recommend them to Nesta. She contacts the PCs and Raidath as the instigator of the odd events at court, sets up a secret meeting with them in some out-of- continue with encounter G, the last in this section. the-way place. The details of the court have been left for you to • Raidath himself contacts the PCs and asks them to develop, since they must fit in with your campaign investigate the strange events at court. Explaining world or the specific area of Faerûn or Greyhawk that that he thinks Reynard Mifil (an innocent if some- you have selected. what gullible courtier) is responsible, he produces at least one dominated slave who testifies to Mifil’s RAIDATH AND HIS COURT TACTICS involvement.

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