Just north of the Shadow Woods, but south of the Greywater is an area known as the Riven Moor. The area is home to many of the crypts and barrows of the Storm King tribes. It is a high flat place, nearly 100 miles wide, and approximately 30 miles north to south, with the Greywater along the northern edge, and clumps of forest marking the beginning of the Shadow Woods along the southern edge. There are no permanent habitations up here, but occasionally bands of traveling Storm King tribesmen will be encountered. They almost always travel through the area well armed, and in groups consisting mainly of fighting men, because of the number of Fell-Beasts in the area.
The Fell-Beast appears as a very large wolf (approximately the size of a forest elephant), but is much more dangerous. The beings are supernatural in origin, and come from the underworld realm of the Black Chieftain. In the pantheon of the Storm King, the enemy of the Storm King himself is their barbarian god of death and the underworld, known as the Black Chieftain. He dwells in a domain known as the Dark Shore, and it is pictured to be a cold, forested island, in the middle of a bleak icy sea, under a sunless sky. The island is populated by foul beasts of all sorts, who hunt the lost souls through the forest night after night. One of the types of creatures are the Fell-Beasts.
One of the reasons there are so many Fell-Beasts in our realm, especially on the Riven Moor, is because of the magical protections put on the barrows there, and the fact that so many barrows become plundered and robbed. Many of the protections and curses used by priests of the Storm King tribes consist of curses based on beings and magic from the Dark Shore, so when a barrow is violated, the arrival of a being from the cursed realm is the result. This being then usually hunts down the offending party, and exacts revenge. The number of barrows, and the strength of the magic on the Riven Moor means that some of these beings remain in our world, savagely and viciously hunting the living.
Num Appearing: 1-2
Alignment: neutral-evil
Movement: 90'
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 8d (48h.p.)
Attacks: 3 (claw, claw, bite) plus special (if bite is successful)
Damage: 1d4+1; 1d4+1; 2d8
Save: F8
Morale:8
Special Attack: Level Draining Bite - whenever a Fell Beast makes a successful Bite attack, there is also a 20% chance that the Fell-Beast will attempt to drain a level from the character that was bitten. This can be avoided by a successful save vs. Petrification.
The Fell-Beast is an undead being, and so a cleric would have a chance to turn one. It appears as a large, black wolf (the size of a small elephant), with hollow ghostly eyes and blood and ichor matting its fur around its horribly large fanged mouth. The Fell-Beast can howl a dreadful howl that will cause all beings below 3rd level within 100' to save vs. magic, or flee in terror.
If encountered (or worse, if one is cursed to be hunted by a Fell-Beast) other than fighting the creature with means both physical and magical, one would have to worry about the ability of the Fell-Beast to be able to summon to its side death birds from the Dark Shore. These death birds are described below, but the Fell-Beast can summon 1d12 of these beings, twice a day.
Num Appearing 1-12
Alignment: neutral-evil
Movement: 120'
Armor Class:6
Hit Dice: 2d (9h.p.)
Attacks:1, plus shriek
Damage: 1d4
Save: F2
Morale:9
The Death-Birds are also undead beings, so a cleric would have a chance of turning them (2HD undead beings). These appear as undead ravens, with red eyes and blood stained beaks and talons. They appear to be quite dead, with feathers missing here and there, and sometimes chunks of flesh torn from their bodies. They exude a horrid stench of decaying flesh.
Whenever one is in combat with death birds (whether 1 or a dozen), the constant shrieking (the Storm King tribesmen call it "crying for the dead") of the birds will cause one to make a saving throw vs. magic at the beginning of the combat round. If the save is failed, then the character may not move during that round - it may still attack or defend, but it may not move. Magic User spells are also not allowed if this saving throw is failed, however Clerics of a good alignment may still cast spells.
Encounter: The players are moving across the Riven Moor for some reason, when they hear the horribly howl of a Fell-Beast in the distance. Should they move to see what is afoot, they will encounter the Fell-Beast and a cloud of Death Birds feasting on the remains of a (now) deceased grave robber. The nearby open barrow mound attests to the reason for the attack, and there are bags of treasure spilled about on the ground near the body. If they Fell-Beast or the Barrow Mound is approached in any way, then both the great undead wolf and the flock of birds (eleven) will attack the players instantly.
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