```col-mdflexGrow=2.5===# OutlineThe headquarters for the house of Erihn's evil campaign is a phenomenally huge tree, with a trunk measuring 180 feet in diameter at the base (see cross-section, at right). The tree, most likely related to the sycamore family, is made of relatively soft wood. Large sections of the inside of the trunk have been hollowed out to form rooms and passages, but the tree is so massive that these cavities have not weakened it structurally. The tree is alive; it is nourished by a wide, shallow river that passes within a few hundred feet to the south of the trunk, and in addition it is being continually fertilized by a procedure devised by the drow which is carried out through the efforts of several dozen slaves.On the north side of the tree, opposite the river, are two semicircular trenches, each 15 feet wide and 10 feet deep and separated by a 50-foot-wide walkway. These trenches are always kept at least half full of fertilizer, which consists of decaying organic matter gathered from the surrounding forest as well as a compost-like mixture that is manufactured inside the tree. For most of every day, all except for the darkest hours of the night, slaves are kept busy gathering raw materials from the forest, hauling water in buckets from the river to inside the tree, and bringing out buckets of sludge to deposit in the fertilizer trenches.If a party approaches the fortress by way of any of the foraging trails, there is a 10% chance every 3 turns, cumulative, of encountering a group of 3-6 slaves. The slaves will be supervised by 1 bugbear, if there are 3 or 4 slaves in the group, or by 2 bugbears if 5 or 6 slaves are working together. (For detailed descriptions of these creature types, see the notes following the Fortress Encounter Table below.) The bugbears are not especially bright, and not overly anxious to engage in combat. They will probably (60%) believe any plausible reason for the party being in the vicinity of the tree, and in that event they will be willing to let a party advance toward the fortress unopposed.The chance of a random encounter within the tree is a roll of 1 on d6, with checks made every turn after the party gets inside. If an encounter is indicated, refer to the table at right and notes below to determine the creature type involved: Quaggoth groups encountered inside the tree will be unarmed. These creatures are servants of the drow whose main purpose is to shepherd and supervise slaves working inside the fortress.Drow random encounters inside the tree will be with groups of 2-4 plus a leader, with a 30% chance that each character in a group is a female. The non-leader types are all 2nd level fighters (AC 2, MV 12" or 15", HP 11 each, #AT 2, D sword 1-6, dagger 1-4). The leader of a party who is male will be a 3rd level fighter/magic-user (AC 2, HP 13) who can cast burning hands, shield, and mirror image in addition to the innate magic ability possessed by all dark elves. The leader of a party who is female will be a 3rd level fighter/cleric (AC 2, HP 20, D mace 2-7) with the ability to cast cure light wounds, remove fear, and chant in addition to the innate spell abilities possessed by all female dark elves. Any drow encountered inside the tree, randomly or otherwise, will be using the special drow weaponry and armor.Slaves are various human, demi-human, and humanoid creatures who have been captured and put to work maintaining the fertilizer system, serving food, and doing other sorts of maintenance. Slaves encountered randomly inside the fortress will not be working on the fertilizer pit (see the descriptions of area 6 and area 7 in the first level), but will be engaged in other sorts of activities. Slaves are all AC 10. MV 9", HD 1-1, HP 3, and unarmed (usually carrying buckets or sacks, if anything) and connected at the waist by 5-foot-long chains. A group of 4 or fewer will be guarded by an unarmed quaggoth; a group of 5 or more will be guarded by a single bugbear with a wooden club.Bugbears will only be encountered on the first level (ground level) of the fortress; for random encounters on the other levels or in the passageways between levels, roll d8 instead of d1O to determine the creature type. Each bugbear in a random encounter will be armed with a long sword or a mace (50% chance for each).There are no stationary light sources inside the fortress. Servants and slaves will carry lanterns or torches for illumination when such equipment is necessary. The fortress has no stairs as such; chambers located at different elevations are connected by rough-hewn, sloping passageways.``````col-md![[table-of-contents]]---![[images/tree-cross-section.jpg]]------**Completion Date:** <br>**Parent Plot:** **Related Characters:****Related Organizations:****Related Locations:**---**<center>Fortress Encounters</center>**| d10 roll | Creature Type | Number ||---|---|---|| 1-2 | Quaggoth | 2-8 || 3-5 | Drow | 2-4 +leader || 6-8 | Slaves | 2-8 +guard || 9-10 | Bugbears | 2-8 |---### World Anvil Metadata**Id:** c6fb087a-ed8e-498e-8fd8-75a06ac6e34b<br>**Entity Type:** Article / plot<br>**Category:** <br>**Tags:** FoD-plot```