Rival Parties: The Cudgelmen

 A group of bounty hunters, the Cudgelmen are happy to track outlaws, monsters, debtors, or thieves and bring them back alive. They pride themselves on being smart, surgical, and stealthy. They have hardly made a stir in the dungeon as they have explored it.

They are hunting Kelno the Grim, a wizard who has settled deep in the 4th level. He escaped them a few days back, and they will lose both face and a 2,000gp bounty if he is not arrested again soon.

The Cudgelmen are over-cautious; they move slowly through the dungeon, forever searching for traps and testing items. They draw elaborate maps and journals to keep track of what they have found (which they will refuse to share.) They often reset traps they have disarmed in order to ensure that they leave less trace of their passing.

Tyaa Hammerhead

An exile from a nearby dwarven stronghold, Tyaa was forgotten by a negligent grandmother and left in a deep cavern for weeks, surviving on lichen and hiding from the denizens. She was ill-treated by her family on return, as her grandmother said she had run away, and claimed that she thought had seen her hanging out with the low-castes after her disappearance. It left Tyaa both traumatized and bitter. She hoards food and supplies greedily, and steals small trinkets.

Eventually her behaviour got her cast out of her stronghold. Her sticky fingers, quiet feet, and penchant to beat anyone who mistreats her with relentless fury eventually drew the attention of an assassin's guild that has trained her and placed her among bounty hunters in case they need a fugitive silenced.

Tyaa (C Dwarf  Assassin-3): AC: 5 [14] (studded leather & shield); HD: 3d6+3* (14hp), Att: truncehon (1d6+1) or short sword (1d6+1), ThAC0:19 [+0], MV: 120’ (40’), SV D13 (+4) W14 (+4) P13 B15 S16 (+4), ML: 7, AL: Chaotic, XP: 100; NA 1, TT: -; Str 15 Int 13 Wis 8 Dex 15 Con 16 Cha 5

• Infravision 60'
• Detection: detects construction tricks or room traps on 1-2 on 1d6
  
• Assassinate: If Tyaa attacks a human, demihuman target, or a humanoid monster of 4+1 HD or less unawares from behind she gains a +4 to hit and they must Save vs. Death or die. If they succeed they take normal damage
  
• Thievery: CS 91 HN 1-3 HS 20 MS 30     
  

•  Gear: truncheon, short sword, shortbow, 12 arrows, quiver, studded leather armour, small shield, manacles, lantern, flint & steel, 6 flasks of oil, 8 vials of poison, backpack, 50' of rope, grappling hook, 2 sets of manacles, lock & key, thieves' tools, tripwire, iron spikes, hammer, 14 days rations, 3 waterskins

Lunk the Principled

A scar-faced hulking brute, Lunk grew up in a bandit camp and lived a life of brutality in his youth. When he was 9, his parents were hunted down by bounty hunters who put him in an orphanage. Lunk was treated as a bad seen by the master of the orphanage, but a nun of Lansal, Hermine, saw the potential to make a better man of him. She taught him tales of heroes who used wits and words to overcome their enemies, of chivalrous knights, clever negotiators, and peacemakers.

While Lunk never completely gave up his rough and wild nature, he saw that as long as you acted as if violence was a serious thing to be avoided, often your opponents would pick up on it. Even if they still chose a fight, if he set terms and rules, often his enemies would, too. Lunk is quick to call for parlay, surrender, and single combat when it serves his purpose. But he is just as quick to put down any foe who decided not to play by the rules with unrelenting savagery.

Lunk (N human fighter-3): AC: 6 [13] (studded leather & shield); HD: 3d10+3* (20hp), Att: truncehon (+2 to hit, 1d6+2), ThAC0:19 [+0], MV: 120’ (40’), SV D13 W14 P13 B15 S16, ML: 10, AL: Neutral, XP: 50; NA 1, TT: -; Str 16 Int 11 Wis 11 Dex 14 Con 15 Cha 12

• Gear: truncheon, battleaxe, heavy crossbow, 10 bolts, 6 torches, flint & steel, 50' rope, 2 waterskins, 6 days rations, manacles

Clever Yili

A gnome with an obsession for testing his wit, cunning, and ability to improvise against dangerous and desperate odds, Yili doesn't speak of his past - not because it is tragic, but rather because he finds it entertaining to see others speculate. He is really a gnome who has taken the idea of being a prankster who outwits foes much bigger than him to an extreme.

Yili can be charming at first. He talks constantly and has a lot of strange and amusing ideas. It quickly becomes clear however that he has an odd personality prone to obsessions and manias. He is as happy chatting with himself as others.

Yili (C Gnome Thief-2/Illusionist-2): AC: 9 [10]; HD: 2d3+2d2** (7hp), Att: bolos (+1 to hit, tangle) or dart (+1 to hit, 1d3), ThAC0:19 [+0], MV: 120’ (40’), SV D13 W14 (+3) P13 B16 S15 (+3), ML: 7, AL: Chaotic, XP: 45; NA 1, TT: -; Str 7 Int 14 Wis 11 Dex 13 Con 13 Cha 14

• Infravision 60'
• +2 AC when under attack by creatures larger than man-sized
  
• Detection: detects construction tricks on 1-2 on 1d6
• Speaks with burrowing mammals
  
• Thievery: CS 87 TR 10 HN 1-2 HS 10 MS 20 OL 15 PP 20
•  Spells: Sleep, Colour Spray
• Gear: 4 bolos, 6 darts, thieves' tools, hooded lantern containing continual light, 2 bags caltrops, small pot of grease, hand drill, 6 iron spikes, hammer, 3 tripwires, bag of powdered charcoal, flint and steel, carrion crawler extract, 2 flasks of holy water, vial of acid, 50' silk rope, backpack, collapsible lantern stand, bell

Yerin Bones

Member of a dying druid cult that came with the prince at the founding of the city, then moved further into the wilderness, Yerin has little love for or interest in Thrommel's Green; he cares only about the hunt, and sees much of life in terms of predator and prey. Finding a way to hunt dangerous monsters and men and profit by it - without all the legal entanglements, is a joy to hum.

Yerin is grim and serious when first encountered, but if you engage him about what he loves, beer, hunting, wrestling, and archery, he will warm up pretty quickly. He likes competitions of any kind, but shooting and hunting contests are a great way to part him from his treasure.

Yerin (N human Druid-2): AC: 5 [14] (hide & shield); HD: 2* (13hp), Att: magic shortbow (+2 to hit, 1d6+2), ThAC0:19 [+0], MV: 90’ (30’), SV D11 W12 P14 B16 S15, ML: 8, AL: Neutral, XP: 25; NA 1, TT: -; Str 11 Int 10 Wis 15 Dex 13 Con 12 Cha 8

• Save Bonus: +2 vs. fire & lightning
• Spells: goodberry, cure light wounds
• Gear: 10ft. pole; backpack, holly, mistletoe, silver sickle, chalk, 6 torches, 2 waterskins, 8 days of rations, 50 ft. of rope