Quest 13: Prison of Khinn

Act II 2 Encounters Requires: After From the Wreckage (Quest 9) or Saradyn in Flames (Quest 10)

Quest 13: Prison of Khinn

Introduction

Beyond the camp of the enemy stands the ancient dungeon of Khinn. The mystery of this prison is entirely lost to time, or perhaps no loremaster alive is willing to share his knowledge of its past. Its depths are unfathomed, its architecture is alien, and its guardians were established amidst a darker age. Worst of all, you believe it is being used as Eliza's mainstay.

If there is anywhere to gather information about Eliza's plans, it will be there.

The camp of your enemy is all but abandoned; the men and beasts that resided here now roam throughout the valley. You move stealthily through the many abandoned tents, but never see another. The dungeon beyond is not so empty, however. Its towers hold watchmen and its gates remain shut. If you wish to enter the prison, you will have to do so through the back entrance.

You scale the cliff and slip into the hidden ravine. It winds and twists deeper into the mountain, but eventually opens up into a clearing. Worn remnants of the fortress jut out from the rock, overshadowing a small graveyard. A few steps in front of you stands a haunting figure. You move to cut her down before she can sound the alarm, but she does not recoil. Instead, her jaw drops and she bellows an unheard scream. The effects wash over you in an unseen wave. Exhaustion and confusion cloud your mind. You strike out at the creature and it disappears, freeing you from its throes. Although not directly opposed to your entrance, you will need to be wary of these guardians lest they leave you lying here forever, neither living nor dead.

Monsters

Zombies
Cave spiders
1 open group

Setup

Place the zombies on the Graveyard. Place the cave spiders on the Spider Den. Place the open monster group on the Entrance tile.

Place 8 villager tokens on the map as indicated. These tokens are specters—the ancient guardians of the prison.

The heroes place their figures in any empty spaces on the Entrance tile.

Special Rules

The Specters

The specters (villager tokens) are ethereal guardians bound to the prison of Khinn. Specters are not treated as figures; they are considered terrain elements with the following properties:

Specters block movement. A figure may not move into or through a space occupied by a specter.
Specters block line of sight for any figure more than 3 spaces away from the specter. A figure within 3 spaces of a specter may ignore its line-of-sight blocking effect.
If a hero begins his turn within 3 spaces of a specter, the hero must test [Willpower] (1 gray die). If he fails, the hero is stunned. If he passes, there is no effect.
A hero within 3 spaces of a specter at the end of his turn must test [Awareness]. If he fails, he suffers 1 [damage] and 1 [Stamina] as the specter's silent scream washes over him. If he passes, there is no effect.

Specters cannot be attacked, damaged, or affected by any hero abilities or conditions.

As an action, a hero adjacent to a specter may attempt to dispel it by testing [Willpower] (2 gray dice). If he passes, remove the specter token from the map. If he fails, the hero suffers 1 [damage] and is stunned.

Zombie Climb

Zombies can climb from the Exit to the Graveyard as a move action. When a zombie is on the Exit tile and performs a move action, it may move to any empty space on the Graveyard tile as if the tiles were adjacent. This represents zombies scaling the cliff walls of the hidden ravine.

Reinforcements

At the start of each Overlord turn, he may place 1 zombie on the Exit or the Graveyard, respecting group limits.

At the start of each Overlord turn, he may place 1 cave spider on any empty space on the Spider Den, respecting group limits.

Victory

Hero Victory

If all heroes exit the map through the hidden entrance to the prison (the Exit), read the following aloud:

You slip through the narrow fissure in the rock, leaving the silent screams of the specters behind. The hidden entrance deposits you into a cold, dark corridor deep within the prison of Khinn. The true mission begins now.

The heroes win this encounter!

Count how many hero turns elapsed before all heroes exited. For each hero who took more than 4 turns to exit, the Overlord receives 1 straggler token to use in Encounter 2.

Record the number of straggler tokens: ___

Overlord Victory

If the Overlord accumulates 6 fatigue tokens in his play area, read the following aloud:

The specters' silent screams wear you down. One by one, you collapse, trapped in a waking nightmare. When you finally shake off the effects, you find yourselves dragged deeper into the prison. You are not dead—but you are prisoners now.

The Overlord wins this encounter!

For the purposes of Encounter 2, treat this as if the heroes entered the prison but with significant disadvantage. The Overlord receives 3 stragler tokens to use in Encounter 2.

Introduction

The room that you enter is quiet, as is the rest of this level. Perhaps you will be able to gather what you are looking for without anyone realizing you are here. Then you hear moans and the shuffling of feet; several zombies peer at you through barred windows. Well, perhaps no one else will notice...

Monsters

Setup

Heroes place their figures in any empty spaces along the map edge designated as the heroes' entry point.

Place the zombies spread among the cells and corridors as indicated on the map. Place the cave spiders on any tiles containing webbed or natural terrain as the Overlord prefers.

Place Splig, Belthir, and Baron Zachareth as indicated on the map, or as close as possible to the central chamber area.

Place the 3 open monster groups in the following locations:

1 open group on the outer guard rooms
1 open group on the lower corridors
1 open group on the upper level

The Overlord is not required to place these open groups together. They may be split among their assigned areas.

Place the white objective token faceup in the central archives chamber as indicated. This is the missive—a sealed letter of critical intelligence about Eliza's plans.

Place the blue objective token faceup in a side chamber or study as indicated. This is the Shadow Rune, a token of immense power that Eliza has hidden here.

Place 4 green objective tokens facedown in the chambers and corridors as indicated. These are ambush tokens representing hidden threats or traps set by Eliza's forces.

If the Overlord received any straggler tokens from Encounter 1, he may immediately activate 1 monster per straggler token to perform 1 free move action before the first hero turn.

Special Rules

Stealth Mechanics

The heroes are infiltrating the prison silently. At the start of the encounter, the alarm level is 0.

Monsters that have not yet detected the heroes behave according to patrol patterns. A monster that has line of sight to a hero becomes alerted and may activate normally from that point forward. A monster that has not yet detected the heroes remains in its starting position and does not activate.

Heroes may attempt to sneak past un-alerted monsters. To sneak, a hero moving within 3 spaces of an un-alerted monster must test [Agility] (1 gray die). If he passes, the monster does not become alerted. If he fails, the monster becomes alerted. The monster may immediately make 1 free attack against the hero. Then combat proceeds normally.

A hero may also attempt to create a distraction to draw monsters away. As an action, a hero may test [Awareness] (1 gray die). If he passes, choose 1 un-alerted monster within 5 spaces. Move that monster 2 spaces directly toward the distraction point (the hero's choice of empty space within his line of sight). If he fails, the monster becomes alerted normally.

The Missive

The missive (white objective token) is a sealed letter. As an action, a hero adjacent to the missive may pick it up (place it on his Hero sheet). A hero carrying the missive may pass it to an adjacent hero as an action.

When a hero picks up the missive, read the following aloud:

The seal on the letter bears the crest of the Farrow family—a broken crown. The parchment within crackles with dried blood. You dare not read it here; you must escape and deliver this to the monastery's surviving scholars.

The Shadow Rune

The Shadow Rune (blue objective token) is a relic of dark power. A hero adjacent to the Shadow Rune may attempt to seize it by testing [Willpower] (2 gray dice). If he passes, place the Shadow Rune on his Hero sheet. That hero may now use the Shadow Rune's power: once per encounter, the hero may re-roll any 1 attack or attribute test.

If the hero fails the [Willpower] test, the Shadow Rune pulses with dark energy. The hero suffers 2 [damage], the alarm level increases by 1, and the Shadow Rune remains in place. The hero may not attempt to seize the Shadow Rune again this turn.

A hero cannot carry both the missive and the Shadow Rune.

Ambush Tokens

The green objective tokens are ambush tokens. When a hero moves into a space adjacent to a facedown green objective token, or when any hero ends his turn on the same tile as a facedown green objective token, flip the token faceup and resolve it:

On a result of 1-3 (read from a d6 rolled by the Overlord): A hidden monster springs the trap. Place 1 monster from any of the Overlord's open groups on that space (or the closest available empty space). That monster may immediately perform 1 free attack. The alarm level increases by 1.
On a result of 4-6: The trap was hastily set and malfunctions. Nothing happens. The token is discarded.

Raise the Alarm

The alarm level tracks how much attention the heroes have drawn. It starts at 0 and has a maximum of 5.

The alarm level increases by 1 each time:

A hero fails a sneak test
A hero fails to seize the Shadow Rune
An ambush token triggers (result 1-3)
A hero is defeated
The Overlord spends 2 fatigue tokens at the start of his turn (may be done once per turn)

The alarm level determines the severity of enemy response:

Alarm Level	Effect
1	At the start of each Overlord turn, he may activate 1 un-alerted monster anywhere on the map
2	Zombie reinforcements increase: the Overlord may place 2 zombies instead of 1 when reinforcing
3	Splig and Belthir become alerted and activate aggressively
4	Baron Zachareth becomes alerted and enters the hunt
5	Maximum alarm. At the start of each Overlord turn, the Overlord may place 1 monster from each of his groups on any Entrance tile

When the alarm level reaches 4, read the following aloud:

Horns blare throughout the prison. Torches flare to life in every corridor. The entire garrison is mobilizing. Your cover is blown—now you must fight your way out.

Reinforcements

At the start of each Overlord turn, he may place monsters on the map according to the alarm level (see Raise the Alarm table). At alarm level 0, no reinforcements arrive (the prison is quiet).

Reinforcements may be placed on any Entrance tile on the map.

Victory

Hero Victory

If a hero carrying the missive exits the map through the heroes' original entry point (the Exit), read the following aloud:

You burst from the prison into the cold night air, clutching the missive. Behind you, the prison erupts in chaos. You do not stop running until you are miles away, deep in the forest. By torchlight, you crack the seal and read Eliza's letter. What you learn chills your blood: her true plan is far worse than you ever imagined. But now you know. And knowledge is power.

The letter reveals the location of her next major operation and the identity of the ally she has been seeking all along. Lady Eliza Farrow has been assembling more than an army—she has been preparing a ritual. And you have just stolen the key to stopping it.

The heroes win this encounter! The heroes receive the missive, revealing critical intelligence for the campaign.

Proceed to Rite of the Red Dawn or Shadowfall Mountain.

Overlord Victory

If the alarm level reaches 6 (or if the Overlord triggers the victory condition by accumulating fatigue at alarm level 5), read the following aloud:

The prison locks down. Iron gates slam shut, sealing every exit. Torchlight floods every corridor. You are trapped. Splig's cackle echoes through the halls as dozens of goblins swarm from every direction. Baron Zachareth appears before you, his shadow rune blazing. "You should not have come here," he says. "But I'm glad you did. Eliza will be most pleased with this gift."

The Overlord wins this encounter!

Rewards

Win or lose, each player receives 1 XP.

If the heroes win, they read the missive and gain vital intelligence. This may affect the narrative of the next quests chosen.

If the Overlord wins, the heroes are captured and must escape—proceed to the next quest with the heroes at a narrative disadvantage.

Map Tiles

Encounter 1:

Graveyard
Spider Den
Entrance
Exit

Encounter 2:

Prison chambers (multiple tiles as indicated on the quest map)
Guard rooms
Corridors
Central archives
Entrance
Exit