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Dungeons and Dragons adventure module Witchstone

Designer: Carl Smith

8.5” x 11” (no binding, 8 pages including covers)

Edition reviewed: Polyhedron Issue #21, 1984

Number of characters: 5-7

Character level: 8-12

 

Player summary: The small town of Bywater is under siege by giants, and you’ve been sent by the king to help restore peace between the giants and the human settlement. Most residents have already fled, fearing for their safety. The town itself is bruised and battered; there are randomly smashed buildings and several breaches in the outer walls. A small detachment of battle-weary soldiers stands guard for the upcoming night attack. Long ago, Garvin Iron-hand wielded a mighty giant-slaying sword named Fersil. The giants could not defeat the sword’s magic. Ultimately, Garvin established peace with the hill giant’s chieftain. The peace agreement lasted long after Garvin’s death, but there is peace no longer, and the giants attack the city on a nightly basis. They are led by a massive witch giant. She commands the hill giants to attack Bywater. The captain of the guard says you’ll need to find Garvin’s magic blade, Fersil, if you wish to defeat her. It’s buried with him in the Ragged Woods. But there is a powerful protection spell upon his tomb, and removing the blade from his grasp may be impossible.

 

Dungeon Master information: The witch giant is named Maezera. She and her son – a giant troll – plotted against the hill giant chieftain and killed him in order to take control of the tribe. She is not a true witch, and the only magic she possesses is a magic carpet which she uses to flee whenever impending danger looms. However, she has fooled the hill giant tribe into believing she has powerful magic. She accomplished this through various tricks and deceits. She has a personal guard of 40 ogres that protect and patrol her cave complex. She has no interest in making peace with the residents of Bywater. She wants the lands returned to the hill giants. She will offer peace talks, however, if it means she can lure unsuspecting humans into her lair where she will attempt to destroy them.

 

The town of Bywater: Supplies are running short. Maezera and her son dammed the White River which effectively blocked all trade into the city. Attempts have been made to bring supplies into town by land, but have been stopped by the hill giants. Thus, food is rationed and in short supply.

 

Three options for the party: The players can choose between helping defend against the next night’s siege, leaving the city in search of Garvin Iron-hand’s magic sword Fersil located in his tomb in the Ragged Woods, or to launch a direct attack on Maezera’s lair. If the players decide to help defend against the nightly siege, there is plenty of information available to assist the DM in overseeing the attack which will be made by Maezera’s personal guard – the ogres, along with a detachment of hill giants.

 

Should the players decide to make the trek to the Ragged Forest in search of Garvin's tomb, they will discover it rather quickly. The tomb itself has several obstacles which could prove quite dangerous to reckless characters. The acquisition of the magic sword Fersil is easier than would-be expected. However, should the players take the wrong approach, the encounter could prove deadly to one or more characters.

 

If the players choose to march directly to Maezera’s Lair to confront her, they will find Garvin’s Tomb along the way. Between Bywater and Maezera’s Lair, there are 8 total encounter areas, and Garvin’s tomb is encounter area 2. Although a rather large terrain map is provided, the approach to Maezera’s Lair is linear in nature. Between Bywater and Maezera’s Lair, the party members will have to contend with Hill Giants, Worgs, Tiger Flies, an angry mummy, and various wilderness traps. Several of these encounters can produce instant death.

 

Once the party reaches Maezera’s Lair, they’ll have to contend with roaming ogre patrols, and then they'll need to survive another 5 encounter areas. They’ll be given an opportunity to undamm the White River and allow fresh water to flow to Bywater once again. Within Maezera’s Lair are several quite valuable magic items to be discovered. When they finally reach the mean old witch, they will learn she and her minions are a force to be reckoned with. She won’t be defeated easily.

 

Upon the death of Maezera, the old chieftain’s son (also a hill giant) will assume command of the hill giants and will immediately cease hostilities against Bywater. He will eagerly negotiate a lasting peace with the humans.

 

Witchstone is definitely not for beginners. There are quite a few encounters which can cause instant death or produce significant damage that could take considerable time to heal. Although the entire adventure is only 8 pages in length (8.5” x 11”), there is quite a bit of information for the DM and players to consume and surmount. In my opinion, this is definitely old school AD&D. There’s no fluff, and the players face potential death at almost every turn. In the hands of an unforgiving DM, Witchstone will produce a deadly adventure full of surprises with powerful magic items as rewards for any characters that actually survive.