Circle of Thunder

The reclusive anchorites of the Circle of Thunder gather on this hill to make sacrifices to Talos the storm god. In stormy weather, the anchorites also perform rituals to summon Gorthok the Thunder Boar, a destructive force they can unleash against their enemies. A circle of standing stones atop the hill helps to focus the anchorites’ magic to make the summoning of Gorthok possible.

Three anchorites — Flenz, Narux, and Yargath — defend the hill. When not performing rituals in the circle of standing stones, they patrol the surrounding woods, forage for food, and lurk in caves dug out of the hillside. When the characters arrive, the anchorites are gathered on the hilltop. If Gorthok has not been defeated yet, the anchorites are in the midst of summoning the great boar. Otherwise, they are conjuring a storm.

Cave Descriptions
Three caves are set beneath the hilltop, each serving as the lair of an anchorite of Talos. The caves are dug out of the earth, with each cave mouth braced by two rectangular stone slabs topped with a heavy lintel stone. All the caves have 7-foot-high ceilings and crude wooden gates for doors. Each cave features a different layout but has similar contents.

A: Entryway. Situated in the middle of this intersection, facing the cave mouth, the skull of a boar rests atop a pile of humanoid and animal bones. A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check can ascertain that the bones are a warning to stay away.

B: Boar Pen. The gate to this room is lashed shut with rope. It holds a boar that is the anchorite’s companion and garbage disposal. The boar can’t harm anyone while trapped in this room. If the gate is opened by anyone other than an anchorite of Talos, the boar tries to flee the cave, attacking anyone in its path.

C: Cell. The gate to this cell is lashed shut with rope. The cell is used to hold animals doomed to be sacrificed in rituals to Talos. There’s a 25 percent chance that a harmless deer is trapped inside. Otherwise, the cell is empty.

D: Anchorite’s Retreat. This unfurnished room serves as the anchorite’s quarters. Niches in the walls hold clay dishware, wooden utensils, gathered berries, bundled herbs, and creepy totems. In areas C2 and C3, the anchorites have hidden treasure buried under the earthen floor in a random 5-foot square. See those areas for details of the treasure.

E: Secret Exit. This tunnel slopes up to a secret trapdoor that is plainly visible from the underside.

Travel to the Circle
Characters traveling to the Circle of Thunder have the following two encounters en route.

Tree Trap
This encounter can occur anywhere in Neverwinter Wood.

''You come upon a sixty-foot-wide forest clearing, in the middle of which is a black, needle-like spire — a forty-foot-tall pine tree ravaged by fire long ago, its limbs burned off. Tied to the dead tree near its base are several ghastly dolls made of twigs bound with black hair.''

Yargath’s Patrol
As they move through the forest, the characters are beset by Yargath, an anchorite of Talos, and a band of orcs — two orcs per character in the party, including sidekicks.

''As you make your way across uneven ground rising to a ridge, several hulking orcs ascend a similar ridge across from you, separated from you by a sixty-foot-wide, ten-foot-deep gully. The orcs unleash terrible battle cries as they are joined by a humanoid with elongated claws.''

Arrival
Characters coming from the Woodland Manse approach the Circle of Thunder from the south.

''Ominous storm clouds gather in the sky as you approach a ninety-foot-tall hill with trees spreading across its slopes. Atop the hill is a large ring of standing stones. Two ghastly figures dance within this henge, surrounded by a number of smaller capering creatures.''

The standing stones and the dancing figures are described in area C1. Characters who circle the hill before climbing it spot three caves (areas C2, C3, and C4) near the hilltop.

Circle of Thunder Locations
The following locations are keyed to the map of the Circle of Thunder.

C1. Henge
Atop the hill is a ring of eight upright stone structures, each one consisting of two 10-foot-high vertical stone slabs spaced 5 feet apart and topped with a 3-foot-thick flat lintel stone. These uprights can be toppled by creatures with a combined Strength score of 80 or higher.

In the middle of the circle, two humanoid figures dance around a deer carcass, each wearing the rotting head of a boar as a mask. These foes are Flenz and Narux, two anchorites of Talos. They are joined by frolicking twig blights — two blights for each character in the party, including sidekicks. Flenz and Narux are either performing a ritual to summon Gorthok the Thunder Boar, or they are making a sacrifice to appease Talos and call forth a storm. If the characters have not yet defeated Gorthok, the boar arrives once both anchorites are dead, appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the circle with a thunderclap. Gorthok fights to the death.

Secret Trapdoors. Below these trapdoors are tunnels leading to areas C2, C3, and C4.

C2. Northwest Cave
Carved into the lintel stone above the cave mouth is a picture of a boar chasing after a stick-figure humanoid.

C3. Northeast Cave
The lintel stone above the mouth of this cave is bare.

C4. Southeast Cave
Carved into the lintel stone above the mouth of this cave is a pictograph depicting three stick-figure humanoids being struck by lightning. Yargath keeps no treasure here.