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The party will encounter a small, heavily armed hunting party from a nearby village. The hunters will tell them that there are many monsters plaguing the area in recent weeks.
Finally, a village - and it's friendly. Language is a little more complex. They talk of the Rain King's protection - they think of him as a god king. They will show the group the best route to the mountains - which avoids the center of the Rain King's domain.
It's four days to the next village, so on the fourth day, the group will find a marker blocking the road: A large “X” of wood with a bear hide and a red hand print (a left hand made to look like an outstretched right hand - the sign of “stop”).
Beyond the barrier, they will find a dead village. The first sign of trouble will be a fenced-in area near the road going into the village. All the fence posts have been pulled up and broken in two. Every one! Traveling around the fence area is a small disturbed area perhaps three feet across.
Two weeks ago, the Rain King traveled to this village to offer them better weather. In reality, he needed a place to test his staff, since the magic had changed and he knew he might be in trouble. He brought with him a large contingent of loyal guards, all armored and armed for trouble. The village was chosen because it was remote and small - only a few dozen people.
Instead of summoning clouds, the staff brought forth a copious amount of shadow! The shadow formed into several elementals and the staff couldn't control them effectively. One swooped down on the king, causing panic among the villagers. The elemental (with his limited understanding) saw the staff as the cause of his arrival in this dangerous and strange land. So, he took the staff from the king's hand, snapped it in two, and kept the metal head (which is where the magic is).
This kind of blasphemy could not be tolerated! The guards attacked and were able to destroy two of the elementals, but the one that had taken the staff fled. When the battle was over, several villagers and some of the guards were dead or wounded - and the remaining villagers were in a panic. The king, realizing these people knew he was powerless, ordered his guards to kill the remaining villagers.
Once the king and his entourage were done, they left the village and the elemental that took the staff returned. Since then, he has systematically broken every stick he could find - in a futile attempt to end his suffering in this inhospitable land.
Now, all the housing has been flattened and there are bodies strewn around. A *careful* examination of the various debris will reveal the handle to the Rain King's staff (though it is unlikely the party will know that). When they encounter the elemental, they will be able to see the head of the staff floating inside the creature's body. If killed, this object can be retrieved.
After the excitement is over, Roderick will spot a young woman sitting on a log near the ruins of one of the huts. When he approaches her, she will look up and say clearly in his native tongue, “Will you help us?”. Then, she will look away suddenly, as if she sees something terrible. Roderick will instinctively follow her gaze, but will see nothing. When he looks back, she will be gone. Use the secret message on the next page.
You see a young woman sitting on a log near the ruins of one of the huts. She appears to be mending a small garment. As you approach her, she looks up and says, “Will you help us?” - in your native tongue!
Then, she looks away, toward the center of the village, as if she sees something terrible. You instinctively turn to follow her gaze, but see nothing. When you turn back, she is gone - and you're not entirely sure that she was ever there.
However, on the log where she sat, is a misshapen knot that is clearly in the shape of a step pyramid.
Note: This is very early in the campaign. We were still running D&D 3.0 and I did not have a deep understanding of the rules. As a result, the stats for this monster may not make much sense. In fact, it was not until the very end of this campaign that I rewrote the stats for the Shadow Elementals to match the game mechanics better.
Medium Shadow Elemental, 36 hp HD: 4d8+12 (30 hp) Init: +3 (Dex) Speed: 40 feet AC: 16 (+0 Size, +3 Dex, +3 Natural) Attacks: Slam +6 melee Damage: 1d8+4 Special Attacks: Shadow mastery Everything else: Same as Medium Water Elemental The staff inside the elemental gives him regeneration 5.