55. Hunting Cabin - off map

To the south of Nulb and perhaps a thousand feet into the forest line is a log hunting cabin. A steady stream of smoke plumes from the chimney. The cabin sits by the ford of a winding stream at the base of a steep hill. The woods leading here are light and easy to navigate; in fact, a wide, often trafficked path (arguably a road given the well-worn wagon ruts) is cut through the forest here.

The Hunting Cabin is a vital logistical node for the operations of the Temple of Elemental Evil. Located south of Nulb and near the Imeryd's Run, this unassuming log structure masks a sinister purpose: it serves as a supply depot, a slave-handling station, and a gateway into the Temple itself. Hidden deep within the Gnarley Forest, it is a place of grim purpose and dark machinations, overseen by loyal agents of the Greater Temple and guarded by gnolls, their savage pets, and cunning leaders.

The Cabin

• Structure: A rustic log hunting cabin with a simple but sturdy construction, sitting near the ford of a meandering stream.
• Chimney: A constant plume of smoke rises from its stone chimney, a sign of activity within.
• Surroundings: Dense woods encircle the cabin, though a wide, well-worn path leads directly to it, bearing wagon ruts from regular supply deliveries.
• Defenses: The area around the cabin is trapped with magical snares, ensuring intruders pay a high price for their curiosity.

"Don’t mistake the smell of the hyenas for weakness. They’re hungrier than I am, and twice as mean."

Key Characters

Gefreid Patris

Overseer of the Hunting Cabin and its operations.

• Personality: Gruff, efficient, and wholly devoted to the Temple.
• Motivations: Ensuring the steady flow of goods and prisoners to the Temple while maintaining order among his gnoll guards.
• Relationships:
• Reports to Feldrin, Commander of the Temple Guards.
• Coordinates with Lareth's lieutenant, Gattas Void, for deliveries from the Moathouse.

Gnongrin (Gnoll Shaman)

A gnoll druid empowered by a magical Hat of Difference.

• Personality: Ambitious and cunning, with dreams of becoming a warlord over the Viscounty.
• Motivations: Serving the Temple to grow his power while secretly plotting to usurp its influence.
• Abilities: 7th-level druidic powers derived from the hat, making him a formidable adversary.
• Relationships: Commands the gnolls and hyenas guarding the cabin.
• Loyal to Gefreid but harbors long-term plans to dominate the Temple forces.

Defenses and Inhabitants

"The gnolls? They’re loyal enough when fed. But make no mistake—I'll put them down if they cross me."

Guard Forces

• Gnolls (5): Fierce warriors, often armed with glaives or axes.
• Hyenas (3) & Giant Hyena (1): Savage, trained beasts that patrol the grounds.

Defenses

• Magical Snares: Invisible and nearly undetectable, scattered around the cabin's perimeter.
• Tunnel Guards: Constantly watched by armed gnolls to prevent unauthorized access.

"Think you’re clever, sneaking around my cabin? The snares will find you before I do."

Role in the Temple’s Operations

Supply Chain

• Primary Function: Serves as the primary transfer point for goods and slaves en route to the Greater Temple.
• Lareth's Bandits: Deliver goods and prisoners from the Moathouse to Trevil’s Fens Cottage.
• Temple Couriers: Pass orders and intelligence between the cabin and the Greater Temple.

Key Figures in the Chain

• Gattas Void: Lieutenant to Lareth, who sends wagons from the Moathouse to the cabin.
• Lucius Graeme: High Temple courier who visits periodically to pass on directives.

Life Around the Cabin

Daily Activities

• Sorting and repackaging supplies for shipment to the Greater Temple.
• Holding slaves in crude pens before they are marched through the tunnel.
• Regular inspections by Temple agents to ensure operations run smoothly.

Relationships

• Lady Nysera's Iron Talons: The Men of the Baroness:  Some deliveries from her forces include bandit-captured loot and slaves.
• Commander Feldrin's Bandits: Receive supplies from the secret temple from within the Temple.
• The River Pirates: Occasionally utilize the cabin as a waypoint for smuggled goods.

DM-Only Secrets

Show spoiler

Hidden Tunnel Operations

The tunnel connects directly to the Greater Temple's Broken Tower. Most of the traffic includes essential goods, weapons, and slaves, ensuring the Temple remains stocked without raising suspicion in Nulb.

Gnongrin’s Ambitions

Gnongrin harbors secret plans to use the Hat of Difference to dominate the region. His loyalty to the Temple is conditional and will waver if he sees an opportunity to strike out on his own.

Lucius Graeme’s Orders

Lucius Graeme uses this cabin as a staging point to meet with covert agents of the Temple. He is aware of Gnongrin’s ambitions but keeps this knowledge to himself for now, viewing the gnoll as a useful pawn.

Adventure Hooks

• Sabotage the Supply Line: The adventurers are tasked with disrupting the flow of goods and slaves to the Greater Temple, starting with the Hunting Cabin.
• Expose Gnongrin: The players discover Gnongrin’s ambitions and must decide whether to exploit or eliminate him.
• Find the Tunnel: The party learns of the hidden tunnel and attempts to infiltrate the Temple via this route.
• Free the Slaves: A daring rescue mission to liberate the prisoners held at the cabin before they are sent to the Temple.

This location offers rich opportunities for infiltration, sabotage, and morally complex decisions in the unfolding campaign!

Gnongrin: The Ambitious Shaman

Show spoiler

Gnongrin is a dangerous and cunning creature, a gnoll shaman who has elevated himself to prominence through ruthless determination and an unrelenting hunger for power. Standing apart from his kin due to his intellect and druidic abilities, Gnongrin is far more than just another gnoll warrior. He has become a figure of both fear and reverence among his tribe, wielding his unique powers with terrifying precision.

The Black Arming Cap: Source of Power

• Origins of the Hat: Gnongrin's rise to power began five years ago when he looted a black arming cap from the corpse of a merchant slain by his raiding party. Unknown to the merchant’s killers, the cap was imbued with druidic magic. Once worn, it granted Gnongrin the abilities of a 1st-level druid. Over time, as he gained experience, the cap allowed him to increase his druidic powers, now making him the equivalent of a 7th-level druid.
• Secrecy and Control: Gnongrin has jealously guarded the secret of the cap’s power. None among his tribe know its true origin or significance. To them, he is simply a divinely blessed shaman whose wisdom and strength outstrip all others.
• Future Ambitions: While Gnongrin began his journey envisioning himself as the chieftain of his tribe, his ambitions have since outgrown such modest goals. He now dreams of becoming a warlord capable of uniting the gnoll tribes of the Viscounty under his rule, turning them into a formidable force.

Relationship with the Temple of Elemental Evil

• Strategic Alliance: Gnongrin serves the Greater Temple not out of loyalty, but as a means to an end. He sees the Temple as a powerful entity that he can use to grow his influence and secure resources. In time, however, Gnongrin envisions a reversal of roles where the Temple’s forces serve his ambitions.
• Reputation Among the Temple’s Leadership: While his cunning and capabilities are respected, the leaders of the Temple remain wary of Gnongrin’s independent streak. They see him as a useful but potentially dangerous ally, someone who might one day need to be dealt with if his ambitions conflict with their own.

Role Among the Gnolls

• Respected Shaman: Gnongrin’s tribe views him as a prophet-like figure. His ability to summon insects, control the weather, and command wild beasts has solidified his position as a figure of immense power.
• Ruthless Leadership: While his druidic powers have earned him respect, his cruelty and merciless enforcement of discipline have ensured obedience. Any gnoll who dares to challenge Gnongrin is met with swift and often brutal punishment.
• Plans for Expansion: Gnongrin has begun sending emissaries to nearby gnoll tribes, spreading word of his “divine blessings” and urging them to join his cause. He carefully crafts his reputation, intending to unify the fractured gnoll tribes under his leadership.

Philosophy and Vision

• Balance of Power: Gnongrin respects nature’s power but twists its principles to justify his dominion. To him, the strong should rule the weak, just as predators rule prey in the natural world.
• Dominion Over the Viscounty: Gnongrin dreams of the day when his gnoll warbands will dominate the lands surrounding Nulb. He imagines himself standing atop a pile of human and demi-human corpses, his enemies broken, and his name whispered in fear.
• Expanded Abilities with the Hat
• Growth of Power: The black arming cap is enchanted to adapt to the wearer’s experience. For each level Gnongrin gains in experience, the hat amplifies his druidic abilities, unlocking spells and powers that far surpass those of a typical gnoll.
• Weakness of the Hat: The cap’s powers are bound to the wearer’s will and presence. If the hat were removed, Gnongrin would lose all of his druidic abilities, reducing him to a standard gnoll.
• Plans to Enhance the Hat: Gnongrin has recently begun exploring the possibility of enhancing the cap further, either by allying with powerful spellcasters or through dark rituals that draw upon the Temple’s corruptive energies.

Gnongrin’s Relationship with Others

• Gefreid Patris: Gnongrin considers Gefreid a useful but expendable ally. He respects Gefreid’s ability to manage the bandits and slaves at the Hunting Cabin but looks down on him for lacking vision.
• Temple Leadership: Gnongrin secretly despises the Temple leaders, believing them to be arrogant and shortsighted. While he serves them for now, he constantly schemes to undermine their authority.

Dungeon Master Notes: Secrets and Hooks

• The Hat’s True Nature: The black arming cap is an artifact of mysterious origin. It was created by a druid long ago who sought to empower those with no natural talent for magic. If studied, the hat could reveal clues about its creator or the location of other such artifacts.
• Gnongrin’s Ultimate Plan: Gnongrin’s loyalty to the Temple is fragile. A cunning party could exploit this to turn him against the Temple or even create a power vacuum within the gnoll ranks by exposing the truth about the hat.
• Potential Allies: Gnolls who suspect the truth about Gnongrin’s powers may seek the party’s help in challenging him, offering a chance to disrupt his plans and weaken the Temple’s support base.

Hunting Lodge

Gefreid Patris by 3orcs

Gefreid (Bandit Leader)

Overseer of the Hunting Cabin and its operations.
Fighter level 4

• AC: 5 (scale, shield) | HP: 27 
• ATK: Longsword (+0, 1d8) or Longbow (+0, 1d6/1d6) | AL: CE
• Stats: S 12, I 8, W 8, D 9, Con 12, Ch 7
• Items: 16 gp, 20 ep, 15 sp, 24 arrows

Gnongrin (Gnoll Shaman) by 3orcs

Gnongrin (Gnoll Shaman)

Gnoll druid empowered by a magical Hat of Difference.

• AC: 5, HP: 16
• #AT: (+2) 1; D: 2d4+2 (glaive-guisarme +2)
• AL: CE
• Special Abilities: 7th-level druid powers, including:
• Identify plants, animals, and pure water.
• Pass through overgrown areas without penalty.
• Immunity to woodland charm spells.
• Change form (reptile, bird, mammal) 3/day.

Spells

• 1st Level: Animal Friendship, Entangle, Faerie Fire, Pass Without Trace.
• 2nd Level: Barkskin, Charm Person or Mammal, Heat Metal, Obscurement.
• 3rd Level: Poison, Snare, Summon Insects.
• 4th Level: Control Temperature, 10' Radius.

Items: 28 gp, 42 sp, 9 cp, silver sickle, greater & lesser mistletoe.

Guard Forces

• Gnolls (5): HP 12, 9, 9, 5, 8; AC 5; D 2d4 or by weapon.
• Fierce warriors armed with glaives or axes.
• Hyenas (3): HP 15, 15, 12; AC 7; D 2d4.
• Savage, trained beasts that patrol the grounds.
• Giant Hyena: HP 29; AC 7; D 3d4 (Charmed by Charm Mammal).
• A massive, charmed predator guarding the area.

Names and weapons

1. Grekks: twohanded sword
2. Mudboot: longbow
3. Finguss: battle axe
4. Vim: longbow

These gnolls have long, dark cloaks. They try to stay hidden under the hoods whenever they’re outside, and they always default to letting Wade speak for them should strangers arrive. They each have 1d6 + 10 silver pieces.

Type

Lodge, Cabin

Parent Location

Nulb

Owner

Gefreid Patris

Characters in Location

• Gefreid Patris

"This cabin is just a hunting lodge, nothing more. You’d best turn back before you see something you shouldn’t."

Cave Bandit Camp by Mike Shea

Secret Bandit caves

Hunting Cabin by 3orcs