![[Castle Line]](../images/castle.gif){kind=small}
The adventurers will have their mounts returned in excellent condition, well-cared for by Lord Rowanwood's groom, and they will find a week's worth of feed and rations in their saddle bags.
Unknown to the characters, Terellian Wellsmaine is actually a priest of Salsmen named Saarthos who has been sent by his masters from nearby Nosk. The priesthood has been investigating ways to make advances into the regions of Cauthax which are largely controlled by the city of Theodoptra. They have the support of the Ebon Blade, a group dedicated to the worship of Salsmen, which operates in Theodoptra and the backing of several lords from Nosk. They view the Rowanwood estates as prime real estate for the development of a new temple to Salsmen; the existence of the standing stones only heightens the value of the property. Saarthos will do nothing to betray his true nature to the adventurers.
Saarthos is greatly pleased that the incursion into the barrow has brought about the death of the rightful lord and saved the priest the effort of killing Ehrnas himself. All that remains for successful completion of his mission is to eliminate the heirs to the Rowanwood estate and, of course, any witnesses who might be able to associate him with the assassination.
The journey should take three days with the party arriving at least within sight of a farming hamlet (Briaridge, Heatherveldt, and Heathmont) at evening time each night.
On each of the first three days, in addition to any random encounters, the following three encounters will take place:
The two 'assistants', Lorac and Jerrod, are 5th level thieves (bandits) with AC 4, hp 25, 27, armed with short swords and daggers and 2-weapon fighting style, THAC0 17.
The two hostage takers, Sethis and Merlac, are 3rd level thieves (bandits) with AC 6, hp 16, 15, armed with daggers, THAC0 19.
And, the four archers are 4th level thieves (bandits) with AC 5, hp 13, 14, 16, 18, armed with long bows (sheaf arrows) and short swords, THACO 18. If the fighting goes poorly for the bandits, these archers will take what shots they can before disappearing into the woods.
If hard pressed, only Sethis is ruthless enough to kill his victim (the one holding the wife). Merlac will throw down his knife and run for the woods. If caught he will beg for his life claiming he was forced to join the bandits and only wants to return to his village in peace (he is lying).
Aside from their weapons, which are of good quality though not exceptional, the bandits are carrying 124gp, and 236sp. Lorac is also wearing a gold armband worth 120gp.
Second Day's Encounter
Near evening, before coming in sight of Heatherveldt,
the characters will come upon a small circle of five gypsy wagons under
attack by a small number of shaggy beast-like humanoids. A number of gypsy
men and women will be struggling with the creatures which seem largely
unaffected by the blows they are obviously striking with fair skill. Only
one furry body lays on the ground, at the feet of a gypsy woman fighting
with a machete-like sword which glows faintly red. The five remaining attackers
are a family of werewolves (AC 5; MV 15; HD 4+3;
hp 18, 30, 27, 29; THAC0 15; #Att 1; Dmg 2d4; SA Lycanthropy disease; SD
silver or +1 weapon to hit; Ml 14; XP 420), who had hoped to stealthily
attack and infect a few of the gypsies to further spread their curse. However,
the gypsies were more alert that they werewolves expected and fought back
both valiantly and violently. Only their resistance to non-magical weapons
has turned the battle in their favor. The werewolves are suitably enraged
by the foiling of their plans and have altered the goals from simply attacking
and infecting, to slaying all. The leader of the gypsies is the young woman,
Lorroli, and her husband, Taurnu. They will offer the characters to stay
with them for the night, providing excellent food and wines. Also, the
camp wise woman, Hepetha, will offer to tell their futures. She will tell
them the usual tales of greatness, but will also see a 'dark sword' hanging
over their heads.
Third Day's Encounter
While passing a field, the adventurers will see a farmer
desperately running after a pair of harnessed horses who seem to have broken
the traces of their plow and are bolting from the field. If the characters
catch the horses and return them, the farmer, Hopus, will reward them with
the best that he has; a well-cooked meal, a cask of excellent mead, and
a comfortable night in the loft of his barn. Thanks to eldritch runes carved
into the wooden planks and beams of the barn, it is blissfully free of
vermin of any kind. When the characters awake, the will find their clothes
and belongings completely free of any sort of pest they may have picked
up over the last few nights of travel.
There is only one inn in Lanthen's Crossing, the Blue Gate, a sturdy, three story stone structure built behind a low wall in the middle of which is, of course, a blue gate. Separate stables behind the main building provide comfortable housing for horses and temraakh at cost of a silver a night for horses and twice that for temraakh. Rooms in the Blue Gate cost 10sp a night which includes breakfast, but not dinner. The Blue Gate is owned by a Human family and very safe from thieves.
Like most trading post towns, Lanthen's Crossing has more than its share of taverns and gaming halls; five taverns (the Singing Wizard, the Caravan Master, Ketha's End of the Dusty Trail, Eno's Place, and the Dive) and three dedicated gaming halls (Your Lucky Knight, the Wizard's Dice, and Laerth's Place). Alcohol is, of course, also served in the gaming halls. All of the taverns and gaming halls have at least two bouncers who are 5th-6th level fighters with Wrestling or Pummeling fighting style specialization. Other notable buildings include an adventurers' shop, a livery, a clothier, a leather worker, and two blacksmiths.
Though there is no actual Wizards' Guild building, Lanthen's Crossing does have a town wizard; Huran Silverstaff, a 9th level Neutral Good Human mage of the 2nd Circle able to cast 4/3/3/2/1. Huran is a friendly man and will be glad to swap a spell or two with adventuring spellcasters. He also sells spell components. Although he will help with item identification, he will not buy, sell, or trade in any magic items. His numerous spell books contain the following spells: First Level: Mending (Alt.: 1 page), Shield (Inv.: 3 pages), Comprehend Languages/Confuse Languages (Alt.: 1 page), Phantasmal Force (Ill.: 6 pages), Dancing Lights (Alt.: 6 pages), Chill Touch (Nec.: 2 pages), Detect Undead (Nec.: 5 pages), Identify (Div.: 2 pages). Second Level: Shatter (Alt.: 2 pages), Melf's Acid Arrow (Con.: 7 pages), Forget (Enc.: 4 pages), Hypnotic Pattern (Ill.: 6 pages), Mirror Image (Ill.: 2 pages), Ray of Enfeeblement (Enc.: 6 pages), Rope Trick (Alt.: 3 pages). Third Level: Lightning Bolt (Inv.: 3 pages), Protection From Evil, 10' Radius/Protection From Good, 10' Radius (Abj.: 3 pages), Delude (Alt.: 5 pages), Squaring the Circle (Alt.: 4 pages), Phantom Steed (Con.: 5 pages), Melf's Minute Meteors (Alt.: 3 pages), Fly (Alt.: 6 pages), Clairvoyance (Div.: 5 pages), Lorloveim's Creeping Shadow (Ill.: 8 pages), Wizard Sight (Div.: 7 pages), Invisibility, 10' Radius (Ill.: 5 pages), Secret Page (Alt.: 3 pages), Vampiric Touch (Nec.: 6 pages), Spirit Armor (Nec.: 4 pages). Fourth Level: Rary's Mnemonic Enhancer (Alt.: 4 pages), Locate Creature (Div.: 9 pages), Fear (Ill.: 4 pages), Far Reaching II (Alt.: 6 pages), Fire Trap (Abj.: 7 pages), Unluck (Inv.: 5 pages), Leomund's Secure Shelter (Alt.: 7 pages), Vacancy (Ill.: 5 pages), Mordenkainen's Celerity (Inv.: 5 pages), Illusionary Wall (Ill.: 6 pages), Hallucinatory Terrain (Ill.: 6 pages), Improved Invisibility (Ill.: 7 pages). Fifth Level: Shadow Magic (Ill.: 7 pages), Animate Dead (Nec.: 6 pages), Distance Distortion (Alt.: 9 pages), Anti-Magic Shell (Abj.: 10 pages).
Centrally located amid the warehouse and caravan fields is a small temple to Bikk, run by a pair of 9th level Human priests Gerrick and Rhannus. Their primary interest is in maintaining the growth of the town and settling contract disputes between caravan masters and other merchants and importers. Their solidly built temple is also a financial counting house which doubles as a bank. Accounts can be opened and WIC's can be purchased at the standard rates. Assisting them with legal issues and contracts is Palanus, a 5th level priest of Mykke. The temple/counting house is privately guarded by six 5th level fighters in chain mail, armed with short swords, battle axes, and light crossbows. In addition, two Theodoptran knights (5th level Fighters w/cavalier kit) are also stationed here day and night.
On the ourskirts of the town is a modest temple to Tollondhra, run by a lone 9th level half-Elven priestess named Alarani. Although her primary interest is in seeing that the local harvest goes well, as well as looking after the harvests of the more northern towns, she can easily be convinced to cast a spell or two for adventurers at more reasonable prices than is likely from the two priests of Bikk.
When the characters inquire about the whereabouts of Lady Rowanwood and her children, several townsfolk (namely the innkeeper and his family) will be tell them that she had been in town four days ago. After waiting a whole day for the adventurers - who, of course, didn't show up - she left. Lady Rowanwood and her children headed south to Theodoptra and were accompanied by a Theodoptran knight named Herolas; who is part of the garrison of Lanthen's Crossing. The trip to the city takes from a day and a half to two days, and the innkeeper will speculate that the Lady is probably enjoying a relaxing bath in one of Theodoptra's expensive hotels.
The characters will probably get the feeling that something is wrong, because Terrelian told them that a message had just been dispatched to Lady Rowanwood. If that was true, she wouldn't have been waiting for them, almost three days early! However, it will be evening and their mounts will be tired so they will probably have to spend the night. Besides, they will be reassured several times by the people they talk with that Herolas will be taking good care of them.
Key to Lanthen's Crossing
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Once surrounded, the young man will leap from the horse and quickly draw his sword, a slender rapier of marvelous craftsmanship. The leader of the riders will call out to the man, "Put up your blade, Paulas. The child is ours! You cannot keep him from his destiny!"
The woman screams, "No! He is my son!!"
The lead rider will gesture to one of his men who will dismount and rush forward with his black long sword held high; something glistens a sickly blackish-purple along the blade of the warrior's black sword. Before the warrior can attack, the leader calls out, "Kill him quickly, but don't hurt The Chosen!"
The battle with the rider is furious, but brief, as it is soon becomes clear that the young man is a superb swordsman. He is slender but well-muscled and seems to possess a superior sense of balance. His slender blade repeatedly turns aside the heavier long sword before, seeing an opening, the young man steps forward and runs his blade through the black rider's chest. The man will collapse at his feet, gushing blood from a mortal heart wound.
The leader will sneer, "Nicely done, Paulas, but it will take more than your Mavac blade tricks to save you!" Then, he will add, "We will have the child! His destiny will not be denied. He is The Chosen! He Who Has Returned!"
The other riders will then begin to dismount and draw their swords. Paulas is a good fighter, but it is unlikely he can prevail against twelve armed and armored riders. Before they can attack, the desperate young woman will cast a Magic Missile at the leader of the group. The pair of missiles thud unerringly into his iron breastplate, heating it uncomfortably and momentarily knocking him backwards, but doing little obvious damage.
The riders will slowly begin to close the circle. Each of the rider is a 4th level fighter, AC 4, hp 43, specialized with the long sword (+3 to damage with spec. and STR bonuses), THACO 15. The blades of the black riders are coated with a poison manufactured by priests of Vllnn which causes any wounds made by the sword to burn painfully, reducing DEX by one if a successful save vs. poison at -3 is not made. If a character's DEX is reduced to 1, they will be unable to fight and will collapse in agonizing convulsions. The painful effects of the poison wear off naturally, restoring one point of DEX per hour with the first point restored immediately after the battle. Bathing poisoned wounds in fresh water can triple the return of DEX points. Each black rider bears a black runic marking at their temples; this mark has the effect of removing normal fear and raising their morale to Fearless (19-20). Additionally, the runes gives them a +4 save to all fear-related spells.
The leader of the black riders, who does not bear the runic marking, will not engage in combat with Paulas or the adventurers. Instead, he will bark commands to his troops from the rear of the battle and will continue to stay out of harm's way. If the battle goes poorly for his riders, or he is attacked directly, he will immediately flee the scene of the battle -- vowing revenge upon Paulas and the adventurers. If the characters pursue, he will activate the magic of his horse's Horseshoes of the Zephyr, and will quickly outdistance them heading south towards Theodoptra.
The riders carry no treasure. Their weapons and armor radiate a strong sense of evil, though no magic.
Several days after taking office, his wife Elena gave birth to their first child; a healthy baby boy. On that same day, at the same exact time, the leader of the Ebon Blade, Verinaath Elsmore - a venerable mage of extensive evil, if not power - died. The members of the Ebon Blade immediately scoured the city looking for a child born at the time of his death, firmly believing in his prophesy that he would be reborn upon his death. Unfortunately for Paulas and his wife, their newborn son was declared The Chosen and He Who Has Returned by the Ebon Blade. Though politics certainly played a large part in the selection of his son, it is also a matter of poor timing for Paulas and his wife, Erlathena, and their child.
Of course, Paulas refused to hand his son over to the Ebon Blade to be raised as a tool of evil. However, the Ebon Blade refused to take no for an answer. They attacked his home several times, killing or wounding most of his house guard and almost reaching the nursery. In desperation, he decided to take his wife to his family's estate where she would be safer and guarded by more - and, more highly-skilled - warriors, priests, and wizards. His departure was, unfortunately, detected by the wizards of the Ebon Blade and they dispatched their black riders to retrieve his son.
He will answer any and all questions the characters have. Then, he will ask to retain the adventurer's services to accompany him to his family estate. He will promise them a reward for their heroic actions and will also mention that his family employs the service of a fine healer if one seems necessary. He will also point out that there is bound to be more than one company of black riders out looking for him and his family.
If the characters tell him about their mission, he will also assure the characters that the Lady Rowanwood will be perfectly safe in Theodoptra for a day or two, especially if it is mentioned that she was being escorted be Herolus whom Paulas personally knows to be an honorable and courageous knight of considerable skill.
Journeying to the estates of Paulas' family, the party will see a second company of black riders, but at too great a distance to matter. The estates of the Loderra family are extensive; gardens, orchards, fields, a lake, animal pens, numerous servants quarters, several barracks and training areas, a wizard's tower, and an impressive castle of white marble (very common in the hills of this area). The characters will be treated like heroes and Paulas will entertain them with a great feast complete with chamber orchestra.
After the feast, he will give the party a small platinum medallion engraved with his family seal, a rearing unicorn over three horizontal lines. He will tell them that if they ever need something which is in his power to give, he will help them. Further, as a reward for their bravery, he will offer each character a choice of a 150gp gem from his treasury.
The characters will get rooms for the night, on Paulas' private floor, sumptuously decorated in expensive silks. Each will be assigned a friendly and helpful young servant (male or female, as they wish) to look after their needs until they retire for the evening. They are free to wander the vast estate, but they will be accompanied everywhere they go by their assigned servant. On any given evening, there are at least three dances being held somewhere on the estate as well as several games of chance and numerous sparring and jousting matches.
After the characters retire, sometime during the night they will be awakened by a sudden chill breeze. When they open their eyes, they will see a shadow on the wall beside their beds; the chill breeze seems to be emanating from the shadow which will begin to look more like a hole into the marble than a true shadow.
The shadow resembles a tall, spindly humanoid with exceptionally large hands and a horned, elongated skull. No creature is in the room to cast the shadow, however. As soon as it is spotted, the shadow will begin to move stretching out from the wall and reaching for the character with black talons. It will take 1d4 rounds for the creature to fully emerge from the wall and will be unaffected by physical or magical attacks while still in the wall.
Once free from the wall, the creatures will seem to solidify and will begin to attack with their talons. While attacking, it will be affected by both magical and non-magical attacks. The creatures (AC 3; MV 18; HD 4+4; hp 30; THAC0 16; #Att 2; Dmg 1d6/1d6; SA Magic Missile (1d2 missiles) every three rounds; SD ½ damage from non-magical slashing/piercing weapons; XP420) will attack swiftly and seek to kill as fast as possible. When killed, the creatures immediately harden into something which looks like a statue of charcoal. Shattering the statue will reveal a large black gem embedded in the skull of each monster. The gems are worth 250gp, but radiate slight magic and a strong sense of evil.
The characters will hear screaming coming from down the hallway, where three of the creatures are attacking Paulas and his wife and two more are attacking the women in the nursery (which is directly adjacent to Paulas' bedroom). When any adventurer reaches the nursery, they will find one of the creatures ripping at a governess, standing over her fallen companion, who is valiantly trying to fight it off with what remains of a broom handle. She is sorely injured, but still fighting. The other governess has been reduced to -3 hit points and will die if she does not get some medical attention in the next seven rounds.
The second creature will be carrying the baby and heading for the window. If it reaches the window, it will slide down the wall and hurry off through the fields heading back towards Theodoptra with its prize. Under no circumstances will it harm the child, even to the point of shielding the baby with its own body if attacked.
When all of the beasts are dead, Paulas will explain that they are called Black Slayers and are a tool of the Ebon Blade. He will explain that, right now, somewhere in one of the many hidden strongholds of the Ebon Blade, the priests who gave their essences to animate these stealthy nighttime killers were lying dead amid their black candles, magical books, and thaumaturgical symbols. Concealed in the body of one of the Black Slayers who attacked at Paulas directly is a scroll case. Within the case is a parchment with a simple message 'His Destiny will not be denied.'
Paulas will summon some servants to clean up the mess and renew his offer to the characters to help them when they need it. He will thank the gods, Sharra particularly, that they adventurers were there. He will also explain that the effort of creating Black Slayers, especially in such numbers, would be draining to the might of the Ebon Blade and that his family would be safe from such attacks for some time while the mages and priests rebuild their strength. In that time, he hopes, the family mages will be able to increase the magical defenses of the estate.
In the morning, following a sumptuous breakfast, the characters will be free to head back to Lanthen's Crossing for some more investigation or head straight on to Theodoptra in hopes of finding Lady Rowanwood and her children there. From the Loderra estate, it will take roughly one day of riding east for the adventurers to reach Lanthen's Crossing or two days southeast to Theodoptra.
Anyone entering Theodoptra from the road must register with the city guard, stating their business in the city, and register all weapons more dangerous than a knife or dagger. Swords and axes must be wired into their sheaths with a numbered, tagged wire. Crossbows and bows must be rendered inoperative with similar wire. Polearms and any other weapon larger than a sword or which does not have a sheath must be given over to the guardsmen who will tag it and store it in a secure locker.
The wire can be cut, but it is resistant to magic and spells such as Mending will not affect it. The penalty for breaking the wire (or drawing a large weapon in public) is a 500gp fine and immediate expulsion from the city and banishment for at least a week.
The first thing the characters will see upon entering this beautiful city of white marble buildings and tall towers will be a large sign board with a painted map of the city and a message area. Displayed prominently on the board, next to the map, is a number of Wanted posters. Most offer small (less than 50gp) rewards for the capture or information leading to the capture of various burglars, muggers, and cutpurses. However, most noticeable to the adventurers will be the posters bearing surprisingly good likenesses of themselves! Each notice will mention a 1,000 gold piece reward for the capture of the fugitives, naming them as the foul murderers of Lady Rowanwood and her children.
The characters will probably want to beat a hasty retreat, but the guards will have already identified them and alerted the main contingent of the watch. As they back away from the message board, they will be surrounded by at least twenty guardsmen, all armed with thrusters. Their leader, dressed in dark robes and obviously a wizard of some sort, will step forward and demand their surrender. Whether or not they give it, he will point his staff at them and they will be knocked unconscious by a sudden flash of green light. Characters affected by the light of the staff may continue to act but must make a saving throw each round until they fail at which time they will fall unconscious.
The characters will be stripped of every weapon, item, piece of jewelry, and spell component. Wizard and priest characters will find a pair of bracers locked firmly around their wrists which seem to have a strange anti-magic property. If a wizard or priest attempts to cast a spell, the bracers will deliver a painful shock equal to 1d6 per spell level of the attempted spell and spoiling the spell. The strongest characters will have their arms shackled behind their backs, wrist over wrist, with a second chain forcing their elbows to bend and securing their wrists to a collar locked about their necks.
Occasionally, they will hear the screams and pleading coming from the inquisitor's chamber at the far end of the dungeon hallway but they will be largely alone. Meals, bread and water or thin stew, will be brought to them twice a day by a guardsman. He will taunt them, telling them about the fine gallows of Theodoptra which await them for their foul crime.
Sometime during the fourth day, a young man will be ushered into the dungeon. He will bring a stool and be seated in front of the cell. He will inform them that his name is Arrel Hathenmaine and that he is their court appointed defender. He will relate to them the strength of the case against them; several witnesses described the adventurers exactly, even down to several pieces of the equipment they were carrying.
He will ask them if they have anything they can add to their defense. Hopefully, they will remember the farmer they probably rescued from the bandits, the gypsies, and the farmer with the runaway horses who can all place them positively away from the scene of the crime. If not, Arrel will drop hints indicating that he is fishing for an alibi.
Their connection to Paulas will not be honored, as even Arrel will not believe that they know the mayor of the city. The medallion, of course, will have been confiscated by the guardsmen. Even so, the crime was supposedly committed several days before the adventurers met with Paulas and his wife and he would only be able to testify as a character witness.
The characters will be chained together and marched into the courtroom under heavy guard. They will be placed in a steel cage and will hear the charges against them.
The prosecutor will call his witnesses who will positively identify the characters as Lady Rowanwood's assassins.
One by one, the defender will call the witnesses for the defense. The first farmer, the female gypsy warrior, and the second farmer. Much to the astonishment of both the characters and the defender, the witnesses will nervously claim to have never seen the characters before. They cannot be coerced by the defender to tell the truth. Throughout their testimony, the witnesses will make nervous, furtive glances out into the court theater as if looking for someone or something. The gypsy woman will be the most obviously discomforted by this, and will silently mouth the words, "I'm sorry." to the characters as she steps down from the witness stand.
When the last witness steps down, the judge will immediately find the characters guilty of murdering Lady Rowanwood and her children and will sentence the characters to death by hanging in the morning. Whereupon they will be returned to their cells.
Baked into the roll is a platinum medallion very much like the one originally given to the adventurers by Paulas. This one, however, is somewhat larger and actually a locket. Concealed within the locket is a piece of parchment folded and wound around a lockpick. The pick is too small for the large, heavy lock of the cell door, and there are far too many guards in the rooms above to even contemplate escaping in this manner. However, the pick fits the shackles and bracers perfectly.
The parchment is a small hand drawn map with the word Sewers at the top; a broad twisting line with many finer lines branching off and ending a short distance away from the main line. A short distance down the main line is a red X and a hastily scribbled note 'Look up here'. At the bottom of the map, beneath what appears to be a set of lines or bars, are the words 'LEFT RIGHT LEFT LEFT'.
The sewers are nearly eight feet wide, and at least ten feet in height. Unfortunately, the lower two to three feet will be filled with slowly flowing water, refuse, and raw sewage, making the trek unpleasant at the very least. In several areas, the narrow tube-like tunnels open into large collection areas and storm drain basins, but the way should be fairly clear for the characters. They will encounter little more but normal rats and the occasional feral cat if the stick to the path marked on the map.
If the characters take the advice of the map and look up at the appropriate place, several hundred feet down the corridor from where they began, they will see a iron rung ladder leading up a narrow shaft to another grate. The grating appears to have once been locked, but still-bright metal indicates where such a lock was recently sheared away. The unlocked grating is still a bit rusty, but can be forced open by any strong (STR 16 or higher) character.
The room above is a storage area for the belongings of prisoners. Being the only prisoners at this time, only the adventurers' equipment will be carelessly stored here. All of their weapons and equipment, including spell books and magical items, will still be here in various piles. However, all money and gems and obviously non-magical jewelry will be gone.
Soon after the characters are outfitted, again, and return to the sewers, they will hear angry cries and splashing sounds echoing down the corridor from behind them. If they follow the map and take no wrong turns, they will arrive at the outflow gates fifteen rounds ahead of any pursuit. If they stray off course or deliberately go the wrong way, they very well may get lost in the sewers and will eventually be found by the guard. All guardsmen are armed with thrusters and will shoot to kill.
The outflow gate is at the end of a wide, long room the floor of which is covered by cylindrical metal posts. A few inches of each post extends above the surface of the water, which flows around them heading towards the outflow gate. The posts are set a few feet apart and all radiate magic. The characters may notice that the water pouring through the grate is far cleaner than the water coming into the room. The metal posts are actually enchanted with permanent Purify Water spells and clean the sewer water before dumping it into the harbor.
The outflow gate itself is fifteen feet wide, made of steel bars too thick for even the strongest character to bend and seems solidly mounted into the stone. By looking at the map, the characters will see that there are as many lines on the bottom of the page as there are bars on the gates. 'LEFT RIGHT LEFT LEFT' refers to the method for opening the gate. Both the left-most and right-most bars of the gate are slightly loose at the bottom and are actually connected to the release mechanism. Pulling first on the left, then the right, then twice more on the left will unlock the gate and allow it to swing out on hidden hinges.
It opens into a broad stone spillway which leads out into the Theodoptran harbor, just outside the city walls to the east. There are sea cliffs here, but they are extremely easy to climb and seem to have been almost worked into stairs. It will be night, but enough light is reflected from the white marble walls of Theodoptra to illuminate the stairs for even clumsy characters.
If the characters remember to shut the outflow gate it will effectively stop the guardsmen as they do not know the secret of opening it. The guardsmen will believe the characters to be somewhere else in the sewers and will continue looking until morning.
Only members of Theodoptra's 'legitimate' guild of rogues, the Evening Fog, know the secret of the outflow gate (and several other, similar such gates around the city) as they arranged the replacement of the original fixed outflow gate with the secretly locked one and certain Dwarven thieves and locksmiths built them. As Mayor of the city, Paulas Loderra has some informants in the guild and even deals with the Guildmaster on occasion as beggars and thieves often know more about what is going on in a city than do its city watch.
The eastern road out of Theodoptra will be heavily guarded, the northern road less so. One of the only safe havens will be Paulas Loderra's estate, because he arranged the escape from the dungeon and the gallows. From there, and with his help, they can begin to piece together the information they will need to clear their names of the crimes.
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