IN THE OGRE CHIEF'S GRASP

In the Ogre Chief's

Grasp
A Swords & Wizardry Quick-Play Adventure
Rescuing a halfling community from an ogreish overlord.
TROUBLE IN HILLSHIRE
illshire is a tiny halfling community located !" miles south-
west of Aran. #his isolated community was granted
inde$endent status many years ago as a reward to the
halfling inha%itants of the time in return for some long
forgotten favor. &ue to its location hidden dee$ within the
hills' as well as man(s notoriously short memory' time has
mostly erased the knowledge of illshire(s e)istence
*e)cluding the folk of Aran' who sometimes make their way
through the hills to visit the community+.
,ne month ago an ogre chief' along with - of his kin and a
%and of orcs' descended u$on illshire from the north. #he
ogres and orcs .uickly took the halfling village. After
esta%lishing their rule over the community' the ogres claimed
the old a%andoned kee$ known as illfort which overlooks
the halfling village' while the orcs were left in the village
$ro$er to maintain violent order.
HILLFORT, THE OGRE'S KEEP
illfort was esta%lished at the same time as illshire. #he
kee$ was %uilt %y a minor Aranian no%le and friend of the
halflings' to $rotect the small village from the monstrous
inha%itants of the hills and mountains to the north. While the
aranian no%leman lived' he and his men manned and
occu$ied the kee$. With the no%leman(s $assing after many
years of $eaceful watch' the kee$ known as illfort .uickly
%ecame a%andoned' the illshire folk occasionally using it for
certain festivities.
When the ogres and orcs overtook the village' the ogre chief
and his kin took the old kee$ for themselves.
CALL FOR AI
/e it through a halfling ac.uaintance' or a sym$athetic
Aranian' word of illsire(s $light will reach the P0s. #he
sheriff of illshire' /irill 1ong-Pi$e' has let it %e known that
rich rewards await any %rave $arty willing to take on the
ogres residing in illfort. With the ogres tied u$ in illfort'
/irill will use the o$$ortunity to mount an assault on the orcs
within the village' free from any retaliation from the ogres in
the kee$.
THI!BLE HAIRFOOT"
HALFLING#OGRE
What no one in illshire sus$ects is that the ogre chief who
suddenly a$$eared in their midst is in fact one of their own
*as demonstrated %y the fact that the chief had three halfling
favorites2 $i$e-weed' ale' and $udding' confiscated and
%rought to the kee$ for his en3oyment+. #he illshireling in
.uestion' one #him%le airfoot' a disagreea%le' nasty halfling
cast out of illshire 4" years hence' has now returned under
a new guise.
After having %een cast out from the village for some offense'
the unscru$ulous airfoot took u$ with a %and of unsavory
adventurers. &uring his travels' #him%le ac.uired a magic
$endant which $olymor$hed the halfling into an ogre.
With a new' $owerful form and 4" years of accumulated hate
for the community that cast him out' #him%le assem%led a
%and of ogres and orcs and $roceeded to dis$ense dark
retri%ution u$on the halfling community.
THE KEEP
#he 56 may $lace the ogre chief(s - su%ordinates anywhere
in rooms 7 through -. #he 56 may have them wander room
to room' or may decide to have the P0s encounter the ogres
singly or in grou$s' de$ending on the $arty(s strength. 8f the
56 uses the ogres in multi$le grou$s or in - singular
encounters' remem%er that the sound of a %attle %eing fought
might very well alert and attract one grou$ of ogres to
another *7-9 on d:+.
Room 1 (Mess
Hall): #his is
where #him%le(s
ogres dine on
whatever the
$atrolling orcs from
the village %ring.
0hicken %ones'
mutton carcasses'
and $orcine left-
overs' as well as
small humanoid
remains' are
strewn across the
room. Any ogre*s+
found within this
room will most
likely %e gorging
on ha$less halfling
livestock *if not on
ha$less halflings+.
A single wooden
door leads to this
room from the
west. #hree ta%les
take u$ most of the area' occu$ying half the room(s surface
which s$ans !"(;-"(.
Room 2 (Storage): #his !"(;-"( room contains the $ilfered
$i$e-weed' $udding' and ale that was %rought from the
village.
Rooms 3 & 4 (Sleeping Quarters): <ach slee$ing .uarter
s$ans 9"(;-"( and contain two %ed-frames u$on which foul-
smelling' molding straw has %een hea$ed to conform to
ogreish $reference. #here will %e a 7-4 on d: chance that
any ogres found here will %e slee$ing *in lazy ogre fashion+.
Rooms 5 (Thimbles Sleeping Quarters): #him%le(s
slee$ing .uarters s$an !"(;4"(. A %ed is $ressed against the
south-western corner of the room' with a desk and
$
IN THE OGRE CHIEF'S GRASP
accom$anying chair *massively reinforced to accommodate
#him%le(s $olymor$hed girth+ resting along the northern wall.
A search of the ogre-chief(s %ed will turn u$ a set of key
which o$en the chests found in Room :. Searching the desk
will tun u$ ink and .uills' $archment $a$er' as well as
#him%le(s 3ournal which will relate the $olymo$hed halfling(s
e)$eriences since leaving illshire' his ac.uisition of the
magic $endant and its $owers' as well as his $lans for
revenge u$on the community of illshire.
Room ! (Treasure Room): A successful search for secret
doors *7 on 7d: or 7-4 on 7d: for elves+ will reveal the kee$(s
hidden treasure room. 0ontained within are the ogres(
hoarded treasures *e.ual to each ogre(s ;P value times 4 or
9' at the 56(s descretion+ all in a $ile to the right. #o the left
of the treasure $ile' two locked chests contain gold and
valua%les $ilfered from the halflings of illshire *the 56
should use his 3udgment as to the total amount. A minor
magic item or two might also %e included+. #he keys to
unlock the chests can %e found under the mattress in Room
!.
Room " (#u$ien%e &hamber): #his room was used in times
$ast as the Aradan no%leman(s audience cham%er. ere' the
no%leman would receive halflings and aradanians who would
come to call.
#he room s$ans !"(;:"(' with a 4"(;-"( raised area at the
northern end of the room u$on which rests a throne-like
chair. Wooden dou%le doors lead into the room from the
south' with a single wooden door within the audience
cham%er leading westwards. A secret door hidden within the
eastern wall leads to the #reasure Room.
=$on the raised $latform' sitting as %est he can u$on the
human-sized chair' rests the ogre chief' long stemmed $i$e
clas$ed %etween huge' shar$ teeth. A gargantuan clu% rests
close at hand. Around his neck the mighty ogre wears a
slightly shimmering %lue $endant.
8t should .uickly %ecome a$$arent to the $layers that this
$articular ogre is far more intelligent than his allied %rethren.
8n fact' his mastery of the 0ommon tongue' used to taunt the
intruding $arty' is uncanny.
Should the $arty kill the ogre chief' they will witness his
amazing transformation from mighty ogre to mundane
halfling *see Pendant of Polymorphing' %elow+.
THE AFTER!ATH
#he halflings' under the command of the Sheriff /irill 1ong-
Pi$e' and without the menace of ogreish retri%ution' will
eventually overcome the orcish occu$iers' sending those still
standing %ack to the hills.
5reat festivities will %e held in the P0(s honor with eating'
drinking' dancing' and merry-making lasting late into the
night.
#he halflings swear oaths of friendshi$ towards the $arty'
who have thus ac.uired de$enda%le allies.
ANTAGONISTS
'gres (4): & ->72 h$ 7?' 44' 4@' 9"2 A0 !A7-B2 Atk 7
wea$on *7d7">7+2 6ove C2 Save 792 01D;P -D74".
Thimble Hair(oot: & ->72 h$ 992 A0 !A7-B2 Atk 7 wea$on
*7d7">7+2 6ove C2 Save 792 01D;P -D74".
EoteF the $olymor$hed halfling retains his intelligence even in
ogre form. As such' #him%le should %e $layed in a more
intelligent and devious manner than his true-ogre allies.
SPOILS OF %ICTOR&
#he $arty may kee$ the ogres( hoard from Room :. What
they do with the halflings( valua%les' found within the chests
in Room :' is u$ to the $layers. Any reward %estowed u$on
the $layers for their aid with the ogres will come from these
chests.
)en$ant o( )ol*morphing: #his $endant affects the wearer
with a $olymor$h s$ell. #he form the wearer assumes will %e
the original form of the last wearer. Gor e)am$le' anyone
$utting on the $endant after defeating #him%le will %e
$olymor$hed into a halfling.
,nce $ut on' the $endant(s chain will enlarge or retract
enough to fit snugly around the wearer(s neck' yet tight
enough that it may not %e removed. #he chain is
indestructi%le and im$ervious to harm. ,nly with the death of
the wearer may the $endant %e removed. #he death of the
wearer will also see him revert %ack to his true form.
Players may discover the $endant(s $ower %y sli$$ing it on
*and %eing stuck with it+ or %y reading a%out it in #him%le(s
3ournal found in Room !.
'