The search for the stronghold of the Ebon Blade will take the party through the wilder lands of eastern Cauthax. Largely unexplored because there are no usable passes through the southern DragonMist mountains to Drakkatu or Nosk, nor is there any trade between Cauthax and those dark lands. There are both monsters and friends to be found in this wilderness.

A large number of bugbears have been gathering in the hills just east of Theodoptra, planning to stage raids into the caravan trade heading north and west of the city. Their leader, Mogaf, is a very large bugbear (AC 5; MV 9; HD 5+1; hp 39; THAC0 17; #Att 1; Dmg (battle axe) 1d8+4; Ml 11-13; XP 190) with a particularly good grasp of tactics and a commanding presence among his warriors. His two sub-chiefs, Nugek and Kodeg, (AC 5; MV 9; HD 4+1; hp 27, 28; THAC0 17; #Att 1; Dmg (battle axe) 1d8+3; Ml 11-13; XP 175) are equally skilled at organizing and raiding and will be able to assemble a significant defense of their cave. There are 32 warriors (AC 5; MV 9; HD 3+1; THAC0 17; #Att 1; Dmg 2d4 or by weapon; Ml 11-13; XP 120), 20 females (AC 5; MV 9; HD 1+1; THAC0 19; #Att 1; Dmg weapon; Ml 11-12; XP 35), and 12 young (AC 10; MV 6; HD 1d4 hp; THAC0 20; #Att 1; Dmg weapon; Ml 8-10; XP 12) in the camp.  The females will fight if pressed, but their training will lead them to gather the young and form a single unit consisting of double rank of (longbow) archers.  They are highly skilled with their longbows (THACO 17) and will concentrate fire on what they assume to be the most dangerous targets.
 

The bugbears live in an organized ring of 12 heavy waterproofed canvas tents (5-6 bugbears per tent) surrounding a simple rough timber and sod feasting hall in a small clearing.  They keep at least eight sentries (one in each cardinal direction) armed with longbows and signal horns.  Because of the brutal penalty for falling asleep during watch, all guards will be alert and watchful.

Buried beneath the hearthstone in their feasting hall, the bugbears have accumulated the following treasure: 2321cp, 1445gp, 6 gems (2 X 50gp, 2 X 100gp, 1 X 500gp, 1 X 1000gp), 2 art objects (copper bowl: 48gp, ancient black marble knife: 849gp), 2 magic items (Oil of Fumbling, Bag of Holding (weighs: 15 lbs., holds 500 lbs., 70 cu.ft.)).  The Bag of Holding is currently filled with the coins and the two art objects.  The gems are in their own small leather pouch, and the potion flask is by itself, wrapped in soft cloth.

There is a considerable lifting of the somewhat oppressive nature of the forest for some distance surrounding this peaceful grove. In the center of the clearing is a circular pool of clear water. In the middle of the pool is a small domed island from which rises a small altar carved from a highly polished slab of a petrified tree trunk. The growth rings still visible in the wood show it to have been an ancient tree before its demise and petrification.

Just within the tree line is a number of small cottages with sod walls and thatched roofs. Small forest animals such as rabbits and squirrels scamper about and a small herd of deer will be found drinking from the pool. If the characters look carefully, they will see a large black bear watching them from the woods. If they do no harm, the bear will wander off and the resident of this pleasant grove will make herself known.
 

Naeha    S:9 D:14 C:13 I:15 W:17 R:16    10th Level Druid    Alignment: Neutral    Armor Class: 8 (leather armor)    Movement: 12    Level/Hit Dice: (9 x 1d8)+2    Hit Points: 42    THAC0: 14    No. of Attacks: 1    Damage/attack: 1d6 (staff)

Naeha is a 10th level Druid, and watching over this section of the wilderness is her responsibility. She appears to be an attractive young woman, no more than twenty-five, who wears well-made robes of rich green fabrics and carries a stout oaken staff. She has dark skin, long wavy black hair, and deeply green eyes.   She knows about the gathering of Bugbears to the west, but has decided not to take any action, yet.   She also knows that the Ebon Blade maintains a stronghold to the east.  However, as Naeha is only a lone Druid (with a few Elven friends), and as the denizens of the stronghold rarely make any mischief in her forest, she sees no reason to antagonize them.   In addition to her spell abilities, Naeha has the following granted powers: she gains a +2 to all saving throws against fire and electrical attacks, she identifies plants, animals, and pure water with 100% accuracy, she passes through overgrown areas without leaving a trail, she speaks the numerous languages of woodland creatures, she is immune to the charm abilities of woodland creatures, and she can shapechange up to three times per day from a creatures as small as a bull frog to as large as a black bear. She cannot turn undead.

 

Naeha can cast (1st-4, 2nd-4, 3rd-3, 4th-3, 5th-2) the following spells :    First Level    Analyze Balance (Div.), Animal Friendship (Ani.), Bless/Curse (All), Combine(C) (All), Create Water/Destroy Water (Ele.), Cure Light Wounds/Cause Light Wounds (Hea.), Detect Evil/Detect Good (All), Detect Magic (Div.), Detect Poison (Div.), Detect Snares & Pits (Div.), Entangle (Pla.), Faerie Fire (Wea.), Invisibility to Animals (Ani.), Locate Animals or Plants (Ani.), Locate Animals or Plants (Div.), Locate Animals or Plants (Pla.), Log of Everburning (Ele.), Log of Everburning (Pla.), Pass Without Trace (Pla.), Purify Food & Drink/Putrefy Food & Drink (All), Shillelagh (Pla.)     Second Level    Augury (Div.), Barkskin (Pla.), Charm Person or Mammal (Ani.), Detect Charm/Undetectable Charm (Div.), Dust Devil (Ele.), Find Traps (Div.), Fire Trap (Ele.), Flame Blade (Ele.), Goodberry/Badberry (Pla.), Heat Metal/Chill Metal (Ele.), Know Alignment/Undetectable Alignment (Div.), Messenger (Ani.), Obscurement (Wea.), Produce Flame (Ele.), Sanctify/Defile(C) (All), Slow Poison (Hea.), Snake Charm (Ani.), Speak With Animals (Ani.), Speak With Animals (Div.), Trip (Pla.), Warp Wood/Straighten Wood (Pla.)     Third Level    Call Lightning (Wea.), Extradimensional Detection (Div.), Flame Walk (Ele.), Hold Animal (Ani.), Locate Object/Obscure Object (Div.), Meld Into Stone (Ele.), Plant Growth (Pla.), Protection From Fire (Ele.), Pyrotechnics (Ele.), Slow Rot (Pla.), Snare (Pla.), Speak With Dead (Div.), Spike Growth (Pla.), Stone Shape (Ele.), Summon Insects (Ani.), Tree (Pla.), Water Breathing/Air Breathing (Ele.), Water Walk (Ele.)     Fourth Level    Animal Summoning I (Ani.), Call Woodland Beings (Ani.), Control Temperature, 10' Radius (Wea.), Cure Serious Wounds/Cause Serious Wounds (Hea.), Focus(C) (All), Fortify(C) (Hea.), Giant Insects/Shrink Insect (Ani.), Hallucinatory Forest/Revealed Wood (Pla.), Hold Plant (Pla.), Lower Water/Raise Water (Ele.), Neutralize Poison/Poison (Hea.), Plant Door (Pla.), Produce Fire/Quench Fire (Ele.), Protection From Lightning (Wea.), Repel Insects (Ani.), Speak With Plants (Pla.), Sticks to Snakes/Snakes to Sticks (Pla.), Weather Stasis (Wea.)     Fifth Level    Air Walk (Ele.), Animal Growth/Animal Reduction (Ani.), Animal Summoning II (Ani.), Anti-Plant Shell (Pla.), Atonement (All), Cloud of Purification (Ele.), Conjure Fire Elemental/Dismiss Fire Elemental (Ele.), Control Winds (Wea.), Cure Critical Wounds/Cause Critical Wounds (Hea.), Elemental Forbiddance (Ele.), Pass Plant (Pla.), Rainbow (Wea.), Spike Stones (Ele.), Transmute Rock to Mud/Transmute Mud to Rock (Ele.), Uplift(C) (All), Wall of Fire (Ele.)

She will be well disposed to the characters provided they do not take any hostile actions towards her forest or, especially, her grove. Naeha will cast healing and protection magic upon the characters in return for monetary payment or the promise to come to her aid when she calls.

Living with Naeha is a small tribe of Sylvaranethani, displaced by recent raids by the Ebon Blade. Two linked families totaling 15 individuals comprise this close-knit tribe. They are led by Salanais'tara Gethanaerathenian. Salanais is a 10th level BladeDancer and a highly skilled wilderness warrior. Three other Elfmen of the Gethanaerathenian family are also warriors, expert (read:specialized) 5th level archers, and one of their Elfwomen is a 5th level mage. The other Elven family, Yorelingrenaleranien, is comprised largely of craftsmen including one highly skilled bowyer/fletcher and an equally skilled woodworker.  They would like to found a larger Elven community here, but they lack the skilled LifeShapers necessary to begin 'Shaping the trees into homes.
  

The hills of this area have become the home of a tribe of ogres. They occasionally launch extended raids into the eastern lands of Cauthax sacking tiny hamlets, raiding trade caravans, and carrying off prisoners as slaves and food.

With the nearby ogres to guard the entrance to their canyon lair, a group of Hill Giants has made their home in this remote area.  Their cavern lair is also guarded by a small pack of dire wolves. They occasionally join with the ogres to stage a raid. 

Far south of his mighty sire's domain, a very young red dragon has made his home. He has gone out of his way to make the area surrounding his lair look particularly blasted and burned in the efforts of scaring away potential enemies. Unless an expert in dragon lore is present, the signs will most likely (90%) be taken for the depredations of a much larger and older dragon. In addition, he constantly raids the Ogres and the Hill Giants for treasure he can fly off with.