This old bag (of bones)

A Pit of Bones (#11/30, #315/365)

"This cave appears to be little more than a mossy sinkhole, whose bottom level is choked with the bones of creatures who have fallen down here and died. Sunlight streams from a hole far overhead, picking out a spot around two metres in diameter, in the middle of the bone pile."

Contents: Searching through the bones activates 1-3 old BAG O'BONES which form from the bones into strange humanoid forms and attack immediately, cackling insanely all the while. Curiously they cannot venture into the sunlight; anyone who stands within it will not be attacked by the Undead monsters.

The bones are mainly those of sheep and goats that have fallen into the sinkhole while wandering the slopes of Mount Gulugu, but mixed among them are a few other remains, such as from a human shepherd, an Orc mercenary and a Gnoll tribesman. 

Salvageable gear includes 1-6SP, 1-6GP, a gold ring (10GP), a rusty sword, a small shield in useable condition, and a large sack. The sack is home to a POISONOUS SNAKE (SKILL 5 STAMINA 2, Small Bite, Light Armour, venomous bite causes 4 STAMINA damage) that bites whoever opens the sack, but is otherwise empty.

Stats:

1-3 BAG O' BONES, SKILL 7 STAMINA 8, SMALL CLAW. Edged and pointed weapons only do 1 point of STAMINA damage per hit; blunt smashing weapons do regular damage.

A high mountain glade...

Among the Cacti (#10/30, #314/365)

"The trail meanders up the mountainside, through a shallow dell full of green spiny plants, apparently growing here thanks to the faintest trickle of runoff water, splashing down from the rocks. Suddenly a mist descends upon the slopes, and you hear screams and yells all around you!"

Contents: The mist and noise are illusions created by a SPIKED FLESH-EATING KAKTI (see The Titan Herbal, p. 63), that grows at the centre of the cacti glade. It will use the illusions to make fearful victims run further into the glade and impale themselves upon its spines.

Other cacti in the glade comprise the following:

• 1 Hurscht cactus (see The Titan Herbal, pp. 40-41)
  
• 5 Barbthorn cacti (see The Titan Herbal, p. 21)
• 8 Green Spikeball cacti (see The Titan Herbal, p. 38)
• 4 Xhoss cacti: This is a large segmented, lobe-shaped cacti with pink or purple flowers. Sand Stalkers extract fluid from this cacti to create the sleeping venom for their weapons. Anyone who eats a Xhoss cacti must Test their Luck or fall asleep for 1-6 hours.

Stats:

SPIKED FLESH-EATING KAKTI, SKILL 0 STAMINA 8, Spines (as per Large Claw), Light Armour. Anyone caught in the illusion must Test their Luck or run screaming on the spines of the Kakti. These cause Large Claw damage every Attack Round, unless the victim kills the plant or has someone help them remove themselves from the plant's vicious spikes. If anyone caught in the illusion is Lucky, they see the Kakti for what it is.

Among the bones of victims at the base of the Kakti can be found 1-6SP, a rusty sword, a necklace of teeth, and a bottle of red wine (rough but ready flavour, restores 1-3 STAMINA points, drinking the entire jug in one sitting causes the reduction of -1 to Attack Strength for 1-3 hours).

Whistling up the Wind God...

Shrine to Pangara (#9/30, #313/365)

"This cave, high on the mountain, has a glorious view, all the way down the valley of the river Murab to the city of Pellod. Wind whistles through holes in the cave walls to create a continuous humming drone, as if the cave was having a low murmured conversation with itself. At the back of the cave is a low stone altar upon which rests a battered brass statue of what looks like the Wind God, with bulging cheeks blowing gouts of wind."

Contents: This is a shrine to Pangara the Wind God. Devotees of this god who pray here get a +1 Devotion bonus to all their Priestly Powers for the rest of the day. In addition, anyone attempting to Commune with Pangara within this shrine gains a +2 Devotion bonus for their attempts.

Damaging or desecrating the shrine in anyway, such as searching the altar for treasure, moving the statue about, and so on, causes the arrival of 2 Whirlwinds from outside, who attack all within the shrine.

Hidden in a hole covered by dried mud in the cave wall is a bottle of Holy Water and a Medicinal Potion (for both see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p.105); these will be revealed by a successful Commune Power if the Priest has requested assistance from Pangara. They can also be discovered by a successful Awareness Special Skill test; as they are not an actual part of the shrine but a separate secret cache, retrieving these items will not incur the wrath of the god and the summoning of the Whirlwinds.

Stats:

2 WHIRLWINDS, SKILL 7 STAMINA 7, Wind Blast (as per Sling), all hits only cause 1 STAMINA damage to the WHIRLWIND. Can execute a charge attack once per battle; opponent must Test for SKILL or be sucked into the whirlwind and get battered about, losing 2 STAMINA and be knocked unconscious for 10-60 minutes.

Where the Rasaurs roam...

Rasaur Lair (#8/30, #312/365)

"This part of the mountain has levelled off, resulting in a flat, mini-plateau of sand and spiky weeds, where the winds create dust-devils that dance off across the gravel-beds. At the far end of the vacant expanse, where it abuts the cliff-wall of the mountain proper, you spy what looks like the mouth of a cave."

Contents: The cave leads to a long tunnel connecting to the lair of a pair of RASAURS. One of them will attack anyone within the tunnel (which is single file), but retreat back to the lair if wounded. The Rasaurs will defend their lair to the death.

In the lair, among the bones of goats, baboons, jackals and wild dogs, is a nest containing 3 Rasaur eggs, currently incubating on a bed of thorns. These count as one Provision each, but alternatively they can be sold to any trapper or animal dealer for up to 25GP per egg. 

EGG RULES: Anyone carrying an egg in their backpack must roll a die everytime they fall down or over. On a roll of 1-5 the egg they were carrying breaks, and is now worthless. If the carrier is in combat, the egg may break on a roll of 1 on one die; roll after the combat is over to check if the egg is broken. In addition, anyone carrying an Egg must also roll a die every day; on a roll of 1, the egg has hatched into a baby creature of its type.

Stats:

2 RASAURS, SKILL 8 STAMINA 9, 2 Attacks, Large Bite, Light Armour. When a Rasaur wins an Attack Round, roll a die; on a 4-6 its poison-tipped tongue causes 1 extra STAMINA point of damage.

Primate chaos!

A Baboon Den (#7/30, #311/365)

"You have strayed into enemy territory. This canyon of jagged crags and spires is home to a troop of vicious baboons, who are angered by your presence! They begin hurling rocks and stones in your direction, hooting with anger and defiance."

Contents: The Baboons will attack any Heroes venturing into the canyon, hurling rocks mainly, but also defending themselves if attacked. They will flee screaming if over half their number are slain.

At the end of the canyon is a small fresh-water spring, and a large thicket of Firebush (see The Titan Herbal, p. 32). Behind the thicket is a shallow cave containing the Baboon Chief's treasure: a leather sack with 2-12SP, a Diamond (worth 50GP), and half a bottle of Red Wine (rough but ready flavour, restores 1-3 STAMINA points, drinking the bottle in one sitting causes the reduction of -1 to Attack Strength for an hour).

At the back of the cave is a tunnel leading further into Mount Gulugu.

Stats:

3-18 BABOONS, SKILL 6 STAMINA 6, Rock or Large Bite

BABOON CHIEF, SKILL 8 STAMINA 7, Rock or Large Bite

Cave of blinding light...

Cavern of Moss (#6/365, #310/365)

"The walls of this cavern are overgrown with mounds of pallid moss, that gives off a faintly luminescent glow. Several tunnels exit the cavern leading in various directions."

Contents: The moss is Blinding Moss (see The Titan Herbal, p. 23). This can be used as a source of illumination. A clump of Blinding Moss placed inside a glass jar or other similar receptacle is the equivalent of a candle, except that the light it provides lasts for 6 hours. In addition, if the moss is disturbed in its natural habitat, such as a failed Herb Lore skill test to acquire it, or the jar containing a sample of Blinding Moss is shaken vigorously, it will instantly flare with blinding brilliance. This is equivalent to a Flash! spell (see Advanced Fighting Fantasy, p. 73).

Clumps of Blinding Moss can be sold to the herbalist in Pellod for 5SP a jar; there are enough mounds of moss in this cave to fill 3-36 jars, assuming the Heroes have enough receptacles to harvest it all.

Stats:

Buried under one mound of moss is the skeleton of a Gremlin. Clutched in their bony fingers is a small leather bag containing 2-12SP and a Brass Key, stamped with the number #5.

A buzzing hive of doom...

HIVE OF THE NEEDLEFLIES (#5/30, #309/365)

"You enter a chapel-like cavern, all high ceilings and looming stalactites, and filled with the most noisy, drone-like din. The air is full of gigantic flying insects, each about a metre across, that look like a cross between a carrion fly and a hornet, with a long-spined stinger. So intent are they on congregating in a large hive in the ceiling, they don't appear to have noticed you, yet."

Contents: This is the lair of a swarm of giant NEEDLEFLIES, flying carnivorous insects with hornet-like stingers. They will attack anyone in their hive-chamber, but can be driven out with fire and, especially, torches made from Jheera leaves (The Titan Herbal, p. 43).

On the floor of the cavern are the bodies of larger victims flown back to the cave for further consumption. There is a nearly dead GNOLL warrior here (with 1 STAMINA, a dagger and no armour) who will beg the Heroes to return him to the safety of the Tusk-Gnasher tribal lair. Unfortunately he is infested with 3-18 FLESH GRUBS that will kill him within 10-60 minutes, and then spread to the Heroes themselves.

Stats:

4-24 NEEDLEFLIES, SKILL 6 STAMINA 6, Sting (as Large Claw), Light Armour, Can Fly.

1 GNOLL, SKILL 8 STAMINA 1, Dagger. Infested with 3-18 FLESH GRUBS, SKILL 1 STAMINA 1, 1 Damage.