As your group travels along the road to Kuvera, you notice a small stone structure ahead of you, abutting a tower three stories high. Four soldiers in white tabards casually walk into the center of the road and wait for your group to approach.
One soldier, a burly human man, holds out a hand and says, "Hail and well met. Welcome to Kuvera. What manner of business brings such an interesting pack of travelers across our borders?" A large sign posted near the road's edge reads:
On the second floor of the tower, a man sits by an open window and seems to be enjoying some fresh air. He looks down at you and waves, and you notice a wand casually resting in his other hand. Perhaps answering the soldier's question would be a smart idea.
Stone outposts similar to this building are located just inside the border along all of the roads leading into Kuvera. Each outpost is staffed by ten Templars.
Templars, hm F2 (10): AC 5 (chain); MV 12; hp 12 each; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1d8 (long sword) or 1d6 (flight arrow); SZ M; ML steady (12); Int average (11); AL any good; XP 65 each. Equipment: chain mail, long sword, short bow with 20 flight arrows.
The burly man who runs this post is Sergeant Stone, a veteran Templar. He is a simple man, a conscientious soldier who never fails to inform every stranger of the laws of the land "just so there will be no misunderstandings." He has a deep love for Kuvera and is well liked by his men.
Sergeant Stone, hm F7: AC 3 (chain mail +2); MV 12; hp 40; THAC0 14 (13 with Str, 12 with long sword +1); #AT 3/2; Dmg 1d8+2 (long sword +1); SZ M; ML steady (12); AL LG; XP 650.S 17, D 12, Co 17, I 12, W 16, C 13 Personality: professional, fair, combat-experienced Equipment: long sword +1, chain mail +2.
The fellow with the wand is Torin Mudd, a War Wizard. Although he is a loyal servant of the crown, Torvis is bored and occasionally frustrated by being assigned to border garrison duty. Most of the time, he sits by a tower window and poses intellectual questions to himself.
Torin Mudd, hm M6: AC 1 (bracers AC5, Dex bonus); MV 12; hp 15; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (staff); SZ M; ML steady (12); AL LG; XP 975. S 7, D 18, Co 15, I 18, W 17, C 14 Personality: inquisitive, snobbish Special Equipment: bracers of defense AC5, wand of fire, war wizard cloak (see "Magical Items," page 126). Spellbook (4/2/2): 1st - alarm, charm person*, comprehend languages, detect magic*, light, message, shield*, sleep*, wizard mark; 2nd - detect evil*, detect invisibility, ESP, web*; 3rd - dispel magic, hold person*, spectral force, suggestion*.
Although all the Templar border outposts in Kuvera are not built in precisely the same style, most of them conform to the basic design shown in Map 1 (see the inside front cover of this book), which can be used, with slight modifications, at any Kuveran border crossing.
General information: All locked doors inside the building, including trap doors, can only be opened by using master keys that are in the possession of Sergeant Stone and Torin Mudd. Other doors are kept closed and unlocked, but can be locked with keys that are carried by all the soldiers stationed at the garrison.
Six or seven of the ten regular soldiers stationed here are on duty at any time. Off-duty soldiers spend their free time relaxing in the common room or sleeping in the barracks; they will generally not be wearing their armor, but will be carrying their swords unless they are asleep.
All persons entering Kuvera are required to sign in at one of the border garrisons. The commander and the resident War Wizard both keep records of individuals who pass through their jurisdiction. In addition, any mage or specialist wizard of 5th level or higher must register with the resident War Wizard. The mage's name, sigil, where abouts, and current abode or destination must be made known at all times upon the request of any member of the Templars or the War Wizards; this information is recorded and continually updated in the library of Vangerdahast, the Royal Magician and head of the War Wizards.
Foreign currency is accepted at many places of business in Kuvera's larger cities, but not in smaller municipalities. The larger cities have currency exchanges; until the PCs visit one of these places, they may have trouble paying for lodging, food, or equipment with anything other than gems or jewelry. Objects being kept or stored at a border outpost (including food, clothing, and other essentials) are never made available for purchase by those who are entering the kingdom-everything in the place is the property of the Crown.
Adventurers do not receive charters from border garrisons; those documents are only obtainable at Trollgate, in Athri, or in Kuv City. A charter costs 1,000 Kuveran gold lions (Kuvs), and grants the registered members of the group the right to go about without having their weapons peace-bonded; it does not give those individuals the right to conduct themselves aggressively or in an uncivilized fashion when in the presence of Kuveran citizens. (Soldiers at the garrison will provide this information if asked, and will give directions to the nearest of the three locations where a charter can be obtained.)
The mandatory peace-bonding of weapons is generally performed by the commander of a garrison, but can be done by any member of the Templars. This act consists of tying one or more lengths of cord around a weapon so as to fasten it in place and prevent it from being immediately brought into use. The cords are tied in a special knot known only to Templars and War Wizards-any of whom can recognize an improperly tied cord and has the authority to confiscate any weapons that are not properly peace-bonded.
1. Common room. All foot traffic into and out of the building must pass through this chamber. The stout oak exterior door can be locked and bolted from the inside. A fireplace, a large wooden table, and twelve chairs are the only permanent features of the room. Travelers coming into Kuvera are ushered into this room in order to undergo the registration process. Going through the process takes one hour for a group of six people. Under normal circumstances, no "foreigners" are allowed anywhere in the complex beyond the common room (except for VIPs, often escorted into room #7).
2. Barracks. This simply appointed room is the quarters for the ten regular soldiers stationed here. It contains ten cots, ten trunks (each soldier has a key to his own trunk), a couple of small tables, and a fireplace.
3. Kitchen. This room is outfitted with a hearth, tables for food preparation, dishes and utensils, and a larder. Cooking duty is rotated between the ten soldiers. Two men, unarmed and wearing no armor but with their swords close at hand, will be found working in here during the hour before each of the three daily meals is to be served.
4. Armory. On shelves and racks along the walls of this room are long swords, short bows, daggers, spears, and halberds-20 of each weapon when the armory is fully stocked. Also stored here are 400 flight arrows, 200 sheaf arrows, and five sets of chain mail armor.
5. Holding cell. Criminals, unregistered visitors, and other malefactors are kept here while awaiting transport to the nearest city for trial. The door is solid iron, and a guard is always posted in the corridor outside the room if anyone is being held. The room contains eight 5'-by-10' cells, each of which can accommodate as many as four prisoners (although each individual cell has only one cot). A five-foot-wide corridor runs down the center of the room from west to east.
6. Storage. This room contains miscellaneous dry goods (spare clothing and bedding, writing implements, extra chairs, nonperishable foodstuffs, and so forth). It is also the place where any goods confiscated from would-be smugglers are stored. All confiscated items are wizard marked by the garrison's resident mage and cannot be removed from the room without the consent of the commander.
7. Meeting room. This room is much more pleasantly appointed than the common room, featuring a soft carpet; braziers for warmth, comfortable chairs, a cabinet holding a carafe of wine and six goblets, and a long, polished table with six matching chairs. The commander holds planning meetings here, and noble and/or influential travelers get processed in this room instead of in the common room. A ladder on the north wall goes up to a trap door in the ceiling. The passage leads to the wizard's workroom (room #9).
8. Commander's quarters. This spacious but spartan room contains a bed, a desk, a fireplace, a personal locker, and a large locked steel chest. The chest contains the legal documents and paperwork recording the passage of all persons who have come through the checkpoint.
9. Wizard's workroom. This chamber is illuminated by a globe of continual Eight, which can be covered when the light is not needed. It contains the usual items found in a wizard's laboratory (spell components, measuring devices, spell books and other reading material, miscellaneous furniture). The wizard also has duplicates of all the paperwork found in the commander's quarters. Only on extremely rare occasions is anyone other than the garrison's resident mage permitted to enter this room. A ladder on the north wall goes up to a trap door in the ceiling, which leads to the wizard's quarters.
10. Wizard's quarters. This secluded room contains an expensive carpet, tasteful tapestries on the walls, a very comfortable bed, a fireplace, and a desk. No important equipment or materials are stored here; all such items are in the wizard's workroom. A ladder on the north wall goes up to a trap door in the ceiling, which leads to the roof.
11. Roof. An iron framework in the middle of the roof holds a red crystal globe with a continual light spell cast upon it. A heavy black tarpaulin is draped over the crystal. If the garrison is in distress, one soldier will obtain a master key (needed to get through the trap doors) from either Sergeant Stone or Torin Mudd and will immediately head for the roof to take the cover off the globe. When the covering is removed, the red signal light can be seen for miles in all directions. There is a cumulative 10% chance per hour that the signal will be seen by a Templar roving patrol. At full gallop, they will arrive at the outpost in 2d6+2 minutes.
12. Stable. A dozen light warhorses are stabled here, watched over by two soldiers. Harnesses, saddles, and other types of gear are suspended from hooks in the walls of each horse's stall. At any given time, four of the horses are saddled and ready to ride.
