the Griffon Hunt

Set Up

* The PCs learn from an animal trainer that griffons nest in the hills ringing the Bright Desert , and their eggs are highly valuable- 2,000 gp each!

* The PCs hear rumors of a ruined city in the Bright Desert, which the Flan nomads might speak of for a price. It is rumored to contain emeralds beyond price (this is all lies, but it gets the PCs into the area of the adventure).

The Lair

The nests of the griffons are in the hills surrounding the Bright Desert. It is possible to get to them by traveling through the Nariss Pass and across some 40 miles of desert. The griff ons nest within a small cave complex on a plateau aerie, as the map shows. However, the PCs are in for some excitement before they get there.

The DM should use the Wilderness Survival Guide rules for desert travel. If this volume isn't available, rule that PCs cannot wear anything bulkier than chain mail in the desert without frying (and chain must be worn under a robe , and even then can only be tolerated if the PC has a mount and does not have to suffer the exertion of walking), Inflict exhaustion, heatstroke, coma, and death on any PC who tries marching through a desert in plate mail!

The Shark Fishermen

The PCs see a strange boat gliding along the sand toward them. It has ski-like runners that enable it to glide along the sand, a huge sail (which radiates magic if checked for), and-at the rear of the small, longship-like vessel - a very hefty fishing rod with wire-like line trailing a dead jackal behind the boat. The vessel stops suddenly and the men inside greet the PCs cheerfully.

The younger, fair-haired man aboard the vessel introduces himself (to a paladin PC, or the highest-Charisma PC or the most obviously refined-looking) as Sir Jesper Colquhoun of Veluna, and he is very proud of his magical skimmer (as he calls his vessel). Sir Jesper is out doing a bit of landshark fishing. He was assured that the bottle of gunk he poured over the jackal bait was irresistible to landsharks.

Sir Jesper is a typical Velunese Knight- a ninny. No, he hasn't been landshark fishing before- it isn't really that dangerous is it? Fortunately the darker, middle-aged Flan nomad with him, Muhari Haraddin, is a more practical and sensible man. He quietly picks up conversation with a thief (or similar) PC out of earshot.

"It's all right. He's a complete twerp, but his gold is good, and everybody knows there aren't any landsharks around here." Obvious cue for landshark to arrive. The massive thing just bursts through the sand (its prospective victims suffer a + 4 penalty to their surprise roll). It attacks the PCs as Sir Jesper and Muhari leap back in their boat.

Landshark: AC -2/4/6; MV 14, Br 3; HD 9; THAC0 11; #AT 3; Dmg 4d12/ 3d6/3d6; SA 8' jump attack with all 4 feet for 3d6 each (but no bite int Animal; AL N; SZ L; XP 2,000

When the sand settles. Sir Jesper and Muhari make sheepish noises and leave quickly; their vessel travels at 48 so they evade any pursuing PCs. The PCs can chop up the landshark looking for treasure if they wish, but it has none: its stomach was empty.

Approaching the Lair

When the PCs get within ten miles of the lair, they receive a visit from a pair of aarakocra (birdmen). The birdmen are nervous about approaching the PCs and circle the party outside spell range to gauge their reactions. If the PCs seem peaceful the birdmen land and ask the PCs for help. They say that griffons attack and kill their people for food, and they want the PCs to track down the griffons and put a stop to this.

The aarakocra can offer useful information in return for the PCs agreeing to dispose of some griffons. They know where the leaders of the griffons live, especially dominant and aggressive males who bully the other griffons about. If asked, the aarakocra affirm that these males have most of the females with them (and therefore most of the eggs, of course).

The aarakocra show the PCs to the caves of the griffons. They can bring 12 aarakocra to help the PCs in combat if desired, but the birdmen are no match for griffons and this should be allowed only if the PC party is weak. However, an aarakocra shaman can be made available to cast cure light wounds spells for PCs after the combat is over.

Approaching the hilltop lair of the dominant griffons is not difficult, but for the final 200 yards or so progress can only be made along a fairly clearly defined ascending path with little rock cover. Anyone on this path Is obviously visible to the two griffons on the aerie nest and the griffon in the cave mouth unless the cover of invisibility of some form is available. Even if invisibility is used. movement rate is reduced to 6 here, and each round the griffons have a 10% chance of noticing the sound of a large stone falling off the path as the PCs march along, or scenting the approach of the PCs.

If lhe PCs are noticed, the three griffons take to the air clutching rocks and drop these on the PCs (1d6 pomts of damage. with a -4 penalty to the attack roll while the PCs stay invisible. if they are so) for 2d8 pomts of damage. A griffon can land. pick up a rock, take to the air, and be ready for another dump in a total of two rounds.

Meantime, the other males inside the cave complex move to the entrance and emerge one per round, using the same rock-dropping strategy, leaving only one male behind. If a griffon rolls a natural 20, the rock strikes a PC for automatic full damage and the PC must roll a successful Dexterity check or slither 10d6 feet down the slope beside the path, suffering ld6 points of additional damage for every 20 feet of sliding (round up). One griffon will break off the rock-dropping to pursue and attack such an isolated PC.

The rock-dropping strategy lasts until the PCs get within 60 feet of the cave entrance; at this point, the griffons land to attack and fight fiercely. They retreat back into the caves after three or more have been killed by the PCs (unless the PCs have also suffered severe damage or casuaJties).

Griffon Males (6): AC 3: MV 12, Fl 30 (C HD 7; hp 52. 50. 44, 43, 42. 37; THAC0 13; #AT 3; Dmg 1d4/1d4/2d8; Int Semi-; AL N; SZ L; XP 420 each

Note that one of these males does not come out to fight and remains in the caves at all times.

Terrain: Desert , Mountains

Total Party Levels: 42 (Average 7th)

Total gp: Variable

Monster XP:4,520

The Griffon Caves

The plateau aerie is an old nest. not used, and contains no eggs, although It does have a scattering of coins (13 pp, 72 gp, 30 ep, 40 sp, 100 cp) among the feathers and twigs.

Inside the caves. the griffons are distributed (initially) as follows: one male guarding the entrance to Area 1 ; two males in Area 2; one male in Area 3. There are also two females in Area 2 and one female in Area 3. The female griffons have the same stats as the males, but with 35, 32 and 37 hp, respectively.

When the griffons retreat to the caves after a PC attack, they divide equally between Areas 2 and 3. Given the placement of these two areas, the PCs will find it very difficult to avoid fighting on two fronts. The PCs may well make a tactical retreat, but if they do this the griffons follow, save for the young and the single female in Area 3.

The young of the gnffons are in Area 3 with a single female who protects them jealously. There is a month-old fledgling (2 HD. 12 hp, no effective attacks) and two eggs, and something no one could have expected a skinny, filthy little girl, who cowers from the PCs, clinging to the breast feathers of the female griffon. The female fights with a +4 bonus to its attack and damage rolls if the PCs attack the fledgling or steal the eggs here.

If the PCs do not attempt to take the eggs or fledgling. but try to talk to the child, she Is very nervous but at some stage will converse with them. The griffons killed a small nomad group she was with when she was brought here, where the "Mummy bird" has protected her. Little Hanru doesn't much care for raw meat-hence her emaciated state-and would like to return to human society. But she does not want "Mummy bird" hurt, nor does she want to see the fledgling or the eggs taken.

Good-aligned PCs should be shamed by this into leaving the female griffon and her young alone. if they have killed off the predatory and aarakocra-slaying males. If they do, Hanni cautiously moves along the cave to the point marked on the map and rolls back a rock to reveal a gap in the wall, where treasure has been hidden (because it appeared pretty to the griffons, not because they had any idea of its value). The female backs away from the PCs. seemingly indicating that she doesn't care if the PCs take the treasure as long as they leave she and the fledgling and eggs unharmed.

This treasure is so well concealed that the PCs otherwise have but one-half the usual chances for finding secret doors for locating it.

The collected treasure here is a bag of holding (250 lb. capacity) from which spills some of its total of 720 pp, two potions of rainbow hues in superb crystal vials worth 60 gp each, and a pouch of gems (5 X 100 gp, 1 X 1,000 gp, 8 X 10 gp). This should be enough to recompense the PCs for forgoing eggs.

Little Hanni can be placed with an orphanage, or adopt a mummy or daddy within the PC group and refuse to be sent away without crying piteously.