                            Revenge
                                
Setup: A group of goblins, led by a hobgoblin chief and his bodyguard, are waging a bandit war
upon the hapless travelers near their lair.  Kurg, the hobgoblin chief, and his bodyguard Lorth
both hate humanity with a passion, as a group of human adventurers calling themselves the
Swords of Justice recently wiped out their entire tribe.  Kurg and Lorth barely escaped with their
lives, and wandered for nearly two months before happening upon a small goblin tribe.  They
quickly bullied their way in, killing the goblin chief and taking over the leadership of the tribe. 
Kurg and Lorth both burn for revenge upon the humans who destroyed their tribe, and so they
have ordered their new goblin subjects to begin attacking unwary travelers on the road which
runs near their lair.  
     The PCs come into all this by happening upon a goblin attack in progress upon a family
of four (father, mother, teen son, young daughter), who are traveling to the next town to start a
new life.   During this encounter, the goblins will attempt to kill everyone, save the little girl,
whom they will bring back to Kurg, along with what little booty the family has, as tribute to their
new chief.  It is assumed that the PCs will either stop this raid and follow the tracks of the
goblins back to their lair to exterminate such an evil, or the goblins will escape with the girl, and
the PCs will attempt to rescue her.

Traps: Kurg and his bodyguard are exceptionally intelligent hobgoblins (both Int 10) and have
taken steps to protect their lair.  The forest surrounding the riverbank in which their cave is
located is littered with traps of varying sorts, all meant to cause harm to unwelcome visitors. 
The types of traps are listed below, by name and map designation, their description and damage
potential listed after.

Pit (P): This is a simple pit trap, 5' wide and 10' deep.  It is obscured by a lattice of tree branches,
dirt, and leaves, which camouflages it from wary eyes.  The bottoms of these pits are filled with
sharpened wooden stakes.  A falling PC may attempt an Aim check with a -2 penalty.  Success
of this check indicates the PC caught the edge of the pit, and did not fall.  Falling into this pit
causes 1d6 falling damage, plus 1d4 spike damage. 

Tree Spike (T): This nasty trap consists of a tree limb, tied in a hanging position from a tree,
with sharpened wooden stakes attached to one end.  Stretched between two trees, about six
inches from the ground is a trip-rope, obscured by forest debris.  If this rope is disturbed, the tree
limb hanging above is released, and will swing down and impale the individual who set of the
trap.  There is a 1 on 1d4 chance per PC passing through an area trapped in this way to set off
the tree-spike.  If it is tripped, a successful Balance check must be made (indicating the PC
dodged the spike) or the PC takes 2d4 damage from the spike impaling him.

Ground Spike (G): This is a variant of the tree spike, except that instead of hanging from the
trees, this trap is lashed to the ground and camouflaged with forest debris.  When the trip wire is
triggered, a wooden rack with 6 forward-pointing strikes with rise up with great speed to stab the
individual setting off the trap.  Again, a successful Balance must be made to avoid the damage of
this trap.  If the check is unsuccessful, the individual will be struck by 1d3 of the spikes, each
cause 1d4 points of damage.

     The day has been overcast and gloomy since the early morning hours, continually threatening
to rain.  A distant roll of thunder approaches from the west, and flashes of cloud lightning can be
seen dancing about the towering thunder heads.  You have been traveling this road for a while
now, having entered a fairly forested region a few hours ago.  The trees have been thick with the
sound of birds and insects...until now.  As the thunder rumbles through the sky, a piercing
scream of raw terror and pain suddenly echoes from up ahead!
     As you round a curve in the road, you see a disturbing sight.  An ox-cart lies on its side in the
road, the oxen who pulled it collapsed in a heap, bristling with bolts.  A pair of human males,
one perhaps middle-aged, the other in his middle teens, both wearing the simple clothing of
peasants, are trying to ward away a pack of little yellow-skinned humanoids, with flat faces and
pointy ears.  They are obviously in trouble, as they are outnumbered 2 to 1, and the older male is
staggering a bit, a crossbow bolt jutting from his shoulder.
     As you take the sight in, another piercing scream erupts, coming from the wagon, and there
you see two more figures.  A little girl with long flowing golden hair, no more than 6 years old
perhaps, is tugging on the arm of an older woman, her mother apparently.  The woman is trapped
beneath the overturned wagon, slowly being crushed to death.

     There are 10 goblins  attacking the family of four.  They are all armed with short swords, and
4 of them also carry light crossbows.  The father of the family is wielding an old broadsword,
while the teenage son is using a pitchfork.
     Delia, the woman trapped under the wagon, will die on the third round after the PCs happen
upon the goblin attack unless the wagon is removed from her.  This requires a combined Muscle
of 32.
     Unknown to the PCs, two other goblins are attempting to stealthily approach the wagon so
that they can snatch the little girl.  PCs near the wagon will notice them automatically if they are
attending to the woman or the girl.  Otherwise, the goblins have a 60% chance to snatch the girl
while the battle still rages.
     The goblins will attempt to retreat if more than half their numbers are killed or incapacitated. 


Goblins (12): Int 7; AL LE; AC 6; MV 6; HD 1-1; Hp 4 each; Th 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (short
sword) or 1d6+1 (lt. crossbow); SA nil; SD nil; MR nil; Size S (4' tall); MOR 10; XP 15 each.

Cael - father (LG hmf1); AC 10; MV 12; Hp 8 (3); Th 20 (19); #AT 1; Dmg 2d4+1 (+1
broadsword); SA nil; SD nil; MR nil; Size M (6' tall); XP nil

Aeric - son (NG hmf0); AC 8 (Dex 16); MV 12; Hp 6; Th 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6; SA nil; SD nil;
MR nil; Size M (6' tall); XP nil

Delia - mother (NG hf0); AC 10 (helpless); MV 0; Hp 1 (4); Th nil; #AT nil; Dmg nil; SA nil;
SD nil; MR nil; Size M (5' tall); XP nil

Althaea - daughter (NG hf0); AC 10; MV 6; Hp 2; Th 20; #AT 1; Dmg nil; SA nil; SD nil; MR
nil; Size S (3' tall); XP nil

     If the PCs give chase to any fleeing goblins, the goblins will attempt to lead them into one of
the various traps littering the forest.  
     The goblins' trail back to their lair can be followed by a Ranger or another character with the
Tracking proficiency.
The Lair

1.  Entrance:  The goblin lair is located in a cave complex, which opens in the side of a
riverbank cliff.  The river is not much more than a shallow stream at this time of year, although
each side is bordered by a 15' high cliff.  On the cliff directly above the cave opening, two
goblins are stationed in the trees with light crossbows, watching for intruders from the north. 
Directly across from them, two more archers watch for intruders from the south.  There are also
two more guards stationed at the cave mouth itself, armed with short swords.
     More than likely, the PCs will be approaching from the south.  The goblins stationed there
will fire upon any PC as soon as they spot then, letting out a piercing whistle at the same time to
notify their fellow guards that company has arrived.  One of the guards at the cave mouth will
rush inside to call for the goblin guards in the Communal Fire Pit (area 2), who will take 1 round
to arm up and move to the cave mouth.  The goblins on the north side of the river will also fire
upon an PCs breaking from the tree line.
 
Goblins (6): Int 7; AC 6 (3 for those in trees, due to cover); MV 6; HD 1-1; Hp 4 each; TH 20;
#AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (short sword) or 1d6+1 (lt. crossbow); SA nil; SD nil; MR nil; Size S (4' tall);
MOR 10; XP 15 each.

2.  Communal Fire Pit: This is where the majority of the goblins live and sleep.  It is a large
chamber, perhaps 40 feet across, with a 15' tall ceiling.  Normally, there are 4 armed males here
at all times, watching over the 16 unarmed females and 8 children.  These four goblins will
respond to the look-out's warning whistle by shouting a warning to the elite guards in area 5 and
then move outside to fight off any intruders while the females and children will hide in the
tunnel leading to the cess pit.  The females have the same stats as the males, although they are
unarmed, and will only attack should their children be threatened.  The children are non-
combative.

Goblins (4): Int 7; AL LE; AC 6; MV 6; HD 1-1; Hp 4 each; Th 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (short
sword) or 1d6+1 (lt crossbow); SA nil; SD nil; MR nil; Size S (4' tall); MOR 10; XP 15 each.

3.  Cess Pit: A side tunnel on the east side of the Communal Fire Pit room leads to this area,
which reeks something awful.  This area is a natural sinkhole, leading down about 30' to an
underground river, and is used by the goblins as a convenient garbage dump.  The area at the
edge of the pit is quickly slippery with nasty detritus, and anyone standing within 2' of the edge
of the pit must make a Balance check or slip and fall in. PCs falling into the fast-moving
underground current will take 2d6 damage from the fall into the chilly water, and will be swept
along helplessly.  The river eventually empties into a nearby small lake, after a round-about
course of nearly 3 miles.

4.  Danger: A pit trap is located here, the top of which is covered with a piece of cloth which has
been stretched across, and then covered with dirt.  The goblins know the dimensions of the pit,
and can easily walk around it.  Anyone stepping into this area will fall 10' into a pile of glass
shards and bits of rusted metal, unless a successful Balance check is made.  Damage from this
fall is 2d6 points.

5.  Guard Post: Stationed here are 6 goblin warriors.  They watch the corridor ahead for
intruders, and will open fire upon any unfamiliar intruders with their crossbows.  PCs who may
be attempting to help a fallen comrade from the pit are easy targets for the goblins, who will
have a +2 bonus to hit such targets with their crossbows.

Goblins (6); Int 7; AL LE; AC 6; MV 6; HD 1-1; Hp 5 each; Th 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (short
sword) or 1d6+1 (lt crossbow); SA nil; SD nil; MR nil; Size S (4' tall); MOR 10; XP 15 each.

6.  The Chieftain's Chamber: This is the chamber from which Kurg and his bodyguard Lorth
rule.  More than likely, Kurg and Lorth will know of the PCs approach, and will have responded
accordingly.  5 elite goblin warriors and Lorth will be stationed at the entrance to the cavern, a
large wooden table over-turned and blocking the way in, serving as cover for them, and fire upon
the PCs with their crossbows.  Kurg will hang back, awaiting the outcome of the fight.  If the
PCs should defeat his soldiers and gain entry to the chamber, he will attack them furiously with
his bastard sword (if he doesn't have a hostage), or hold his sword at the throat of his hostage
and threaten her life if he isn't allowed to go (if he has a hostage).
     If he fights, he will fight furiously, until he is reduced to 10 hit points or less, and then he will
attempt to escape through the tunnel at the north end of his cavern, and collapse it behind him (it
is rigged to do so).  If he succeeds, he will follow the tunnel, which heads west for nearly a mile
and then exits in the forest, and make his escape, perhaps returning at a later date to harass the
PCs.  

Goblin Elite (5): Int 8; AL LE; AC 5 (chain mail); MV 9; Th 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1d8 (long sword)
or 1d6 +1 (lt crossbow); SA nil; SD nil; MR nil; Size M (5' tall); MOR 12; XP 35 each.
Lorth - Hobgoblin sergeant: Int 9; AL LE; AC 4 (banded mail); MV 9; HD 1+1; Hp 9; TH 20;
#AT 1; Dmg 1d8 (longsword) or 1d6+1 (lt crossbow); SA nil; SD nil; MR nil; Size M (6 1/2'
tall); MOR 12; XP 35.

Kurg - Hobgoblin sub-chief: Int 11; AL LE; AC 3 (plate mail); MV 9; HD 2; hp 16; Th 17; #AT
1; Dmg 1d8+2 (longsword) or 1d4+3 (+1 dagger); SA nil; SD nil; MR nil; Size M (6' 9" tall);
MOR 14; XP 65.

Treasure

Kurg has amassed a fair amount of stolen booty with the help of his goblin subjects, all of which
is stored in the northern tunnel of his chamber.  If he succeeds in collapsing this chamber, he
will take the gemstones and a handful of gold coins (35), and leave the rest.  The characters will
have to dig for at least a week to recover the treasure.  
The treasure is stored mostly in lock boxes, which only Kurg has the keys to, and includes:  
Box 1:  983 silver pieces, 124 electrum pieces, 568 gold pieces
Box 2:  4 small eye agates (10 gp each), 3 yellow topaz (500 gp each), and a single black opal
(actually a luckstone, otherwise worth 1000 gp).
Box 3: a thin gold chain with a locket containing a tiny painted portrait of a woman (50 gp), 4
plain silver rings (10 gp each), a gold ring set with a small diamond (150 gp), several bolts of
fine cloth (each weighs 30# and is worth 50 gp).
     Also scattered about are numerous weapons and pieces of armor: 4 short swords, 5 long
swords, 4 light cross bows, 8 daggers, a broadsword, 2 bastard swords, the breast plate from a
suit of full plate armor (dwarf-sized),and  a suit of chain mail (human-sized).
 