Plots & PlacesPost your PCs and NPCs for others to reference and enjoy. This is also an alternate location for long-term campaign and plot development. These can be system neutral or relate to any game or system.
Where Bastards Go To Die A 4E D&D Adventure for Five 9th-Level Characters
Background:
Thirty years ago, a githyanki raiding skiff slipped out of the astral plane and rampaged the northern hills, taking many human slaves destined for forced labour - or worse. However, the captain of this foray found his authority challenged by several of his lieutenants, who sought to seize power for themselves. The leader of the mutineers, a heartless schemer named Ylarr, battled the captain for control of the ship. And lost.
However, Ylarr was not killed by the captain. Instead, the captain threw Ylarr off the deck of the skiff, along with his fellow mutineers. "You are not fit to call yourselves Githyanki," the captain sneered. "And you will suffer now among beings almost as worthless as yourselves."
Ylarr and the mutineers found themselves stranded on the material plane, unable to find a way back home. While any of them could have found a gate to the Astral (and indeed, a few did just this), the exact path back was unknown to them. Most abandoned Ylarr, except for a fairly meek Githyanki Navigator named Semou. The two companions wandered the land for years, hoping to find a way home. Semou just wanted to be among his fellows once more; Ylarr wanted vengeance.
They had almost given up hope when an earthquake hit the shores of the quiet fishing village of Aierre. Afterwards, dark red coral erupted from the waves, and a crooked tower, covered in kelp and barnacles, was seen on the distance. Word of this tower spread through the land, soon falling upon Semou's ears. He knew of the tower... an ancient Githyanki gateway to the astral sea. And a way back home.
Synopsis:
The PCs make their way to Aierre (recently flooded by adventurers, fishermen, and profit-seekers) in the hopes of exploring the crooked tower in the centre of the reef, though they soon learn that the coral is nearly impossible to cross. Trying to find a means of bypassing the coral, they learn of a wizard’s ritual that may help. But upon searching the wizard's hut, they find he has been killed. The PCs learn that he’s created a ritual allows the reader to cross the blood-draining coral, but at the cost of agreeing to life-draining magicks.
A few days later, they are approached by a healer woman who begs them for help - many people have been found completely catatonic, wandering the streets. As the PCs investigate, they find that two Githyanki are rounding up people in order to use their souls to power a ritual to cross the coral. The PCs storm the Githyanki's lair - an old crematorium - and confront Semou, who tearfully reveals his part in the plan to "go back home".
The PCs are given magical cloaks that allow them to cross the blood coral in the hopes of catching Ylarr, using the souls of captured victims to prevent their dying from the coral's effects. The PCs eventually chase Ylarr into the tower - and from there to a Githyanki Astral Fortress known as Journey's End - with the hope of retrieving Ylarr's ritual cloak and freeing the trapped souls within.
Introduction:
The PCs can hear of Aierre's plight from a variety of sources best left to the individual GM. Whatever the source, they learn that a recent Tsunami hit the coastal village of Aierre, and that after the quake a huge patch of blood-red coral had risen from the waves. And in the centre of this coral was a Leaning Tower.
Naturally, PCs will want to investigate this newly-discovered ruin. They are, after all, PCs.
When they get to Aierre, they find the village is swarmed with people. Many are adventurers trying to find ways of crossing the coral, while others are vendors and tourists, awed by the coral and the winds that seem to emanate from the tower. Others still are fishermen, who brave the waters in search of fish, which are found in abundance (the blood-draining effects of the coral are weakening many fish; this attracts predatory fish, which are soon weakened, which draws in even more fish).
PCs get a chance to explore the village, during which they can learn:
The Coral: The Coral is blood red, and rises at most a metre from the water. It is uneven, very sharp, and riddled with tide pools and the rotting bodies of fish. When the high waves strike, they blast up a dozen metres into the air along with the collected blood on the rocks. Any who get within a few feet of the coral feel a pulsing under their skin... and any who actually step on the coral find their blood begins to seep through their skin, being pulled towards the coral like a piece of iron is to a magnet. (Game effects can vary; it is suggested that every minute on the coral requires an endurance check at DC 23... failure drains a healing surge from the victim). As of yet, no one has been able to make it more than a couple of hundred yards into the coral.
The Tower: The tower is surrounded by nearly a kilometre of coral in every direction, and is roughly a half kilometre from the shore of Aierre. Even from that distance, though, the viewer can clearly see that the tower tilts ominously to the north, jutting from the ground at a 70 degree angle. Those with knowledge of the seas point out that it leans in the same direction as the ocean's currents, and suggest that centuries of being pushed have caused it to tilt in the sediment. Indeed, viewers with a spyglass note that the tower is covered with rotting seaweed, and is completely blanketed in layera of barnacles, oysters, and clams.
The Winds: The Tower is surrounded by a vortex of winds (caused, in part, by the open gate in the tower's heart; air is moving from the material plane into the Astral, creating all sorts of weather disturbances). This vortex creates very strong winds that cause massive waves and bizarre weather effects. In addition, they make flying a very difficult endeavour. Those that try are buffeted and thrown by the gales, and many are eventually pushed to the blood coral below, with disastrous results.
The Search:
Around this point, the PCs will most likely be searching for a way to cross the blood coral. Flight is obviously out of the question, due to the strange winds, and most PCs of this level probably lack long-range teleportation powers. The only way to the tower is through the coral... which is impassable at this point.
After some asking around, the PCs learn of a hedge wizard who has been developing a ritual that will allow the crossing of the coral. However, when the PCs get to the wizard’s home, they find the window broken and his dead body on a bed. There is no trace of the ritual he had been working on, save for some scratch notes. These notes describe the basics of the ritual – a spell that allows the creation of a magical cloak that absorbs the blood-draining necromancy of the coral. Unfortunately, the notes suggest there’s been a problem – the cloak needs an energy source to provide that protection, and this energy source is currently the soul of the cloak’s wearer. In essence, the wearer is protecting his physical body by sacrificing his soul – obviously not much of a solution.
The Healer Woman:
The PCs probably do not want to use the ritual notes, but these notes could provide the groundwork for creation of a ritual of their own. If the PCs decide to do this, they undertake a skill challenge. Devised by the GM, the PCs perform arcane research, ask questions on the street about the wizard, and perform endurance tests in arcane trials. This challenge will take a few days, and will probably be interrupted by the healer woman (described below), but if the PCs are able to finish the challenge, they may wind up with a ritual that will create cloaks of soulbound resistance of their own... only these cloaks would not require the steep cost of the cloaks created by Ylarr, described below.
A few days after the PCs enter Aierre, they are approached by a local healing woman. She takes the PCs to her healing house, and shows them five catatonic men and women – they were all found in the street, unable to do anything beyond draw breath. They have remained catatonic for days, in some cases. Careful questioning reveals that the first catatonic soul was found roughly a day after the wizard was killed.
What’s Going On:
Ylarr killed the wizard and stole the incomplete ritual. Rather than seeing the soul cost of the cloak as a hindrance, he saw it as a benefit. Ylarr knew of another ritual, learned during his time in the nefarious Githyanki fortress of Journey’s End, which allowed a warrior to link his soul to that of a bound victim – injuries on the warrior would first appear on the bound victim.
Ylarr was able to create a cloak (the Cloak of Soulbound Resistance, below) that was powered by the souls he trapped. However, to do this, he needed victims who were calm at the time of the ritual’s casting – agitated souls were naturally more defensive, and resistant to the binding effects.
This was where Semou came in. Ylarr is an intimidating figure (not just because he’s a Githyanki; his recent forays into the Blood Coral have caused his skin to porously leak blood). The younger Githyanki has long had some minor shape-shifting powers, granted by a magical amulet. Semou also has a rapport with “lesser” mortals, and secretly, he’s even come to admire many of them.
Semou’s desire to get home overweighs his empathy for others, and so he has been rounding up humans (both locals and visitors), chatting them up and plying them with alcohol, before taking them back to the abandoned crematorium outside of town where the Githyanki have been holed up. There, over a “friendly game of cards”, Ylarr would secretly cast the ritual and bind the souls to his cloaks (Ylarr has made one cloak for each Githyanki of his “crew” – only Semou has responded to the call, however).
Investigation:
Next comes an investigation portion of the adventure (or, optionally, a skill challenge), with the possibility of combat encounters with rival adventurers (“get off my turf!”), thief gangs, Lacedons (Aquatic Ghouls) from the blood coral, wind elementals, or whatever other fiendish encounter the GM can dream up. As the PCs investigate the catatonic victims, they uncover more and more of Ylarr’s plan.
How exactly this plays out is beyond this outline, but it should involve discussions with the family and friends of victims, references to the disguised Semou, along with mention of the crematorium. Eventually, the PCs learn that the victims were last seen heading towards the Crematorium with a strange-looking human (the disguised Semou).
The Cloak of Soulbound Resistance:
The Ritual Ylarr has created consists of two fused rituals. It causes the captured souls to be linked to the wearer of the cloak – damage the wearer suffers is transferred to the victim instead. However, because of the Wizard’s original ritual, the only damage that is transferred is the damage effect of the blood coral. But that is enough for Ylarr.
Were he to enter the blood coral, the vampiric effects of the rock would be drained from the souls (and bodies) of the catatonic victims. But there are two additional effects:
First, the connection to numerous souls at once is heady and intoxicating. The wearer of a cloak connected to perhaps four or five souls at once finds his senses overwhelmed, his mind moving in multiple directions. The power the wearer feels is immense. The result is the wearer, for all intents and purposes, is drunk.
Second, due to a quirk in the ritual, should one of the souls die, the wearer of the cloak will feel a sudden increase of personal power. Because of this, it is Ylarr’s intent to widen out the damage to all the souls at once, so that when they die, he can use the power boost to help in his goal of killing the Githyanki of Journey’s End.
The Crematorium:
When the PCs get to the Crematorium, they will naturally have to fight their way through undead guardians (who have allied with the Githyanki due to Semou’s gilded tongue). Eventually, they find the Githyanki lair, along with Semou (and nearly two dozen more catatonic victims).
Semou drops his human disguise, and puts up a half-hearted battle (his powers should be charm-based). He is clearly outmatched, and offers a deal. He tells the PCs much of the story given above (perhaps revealed through a skill challenge?), revealing at the end that he got into an argument with Ylarr when he found out Ylarr’s true goal (to destroy Journey’s End), and Ylarr soon left in a drunken haze. Semou tells the PCs of the Cloaks’ effects, and how Ylarr plans to keep the souls alive until he gets to Journey’s End for the power rush. He honestly seems to regret his role in this affair, and repeatedly tells the PCs “I just wanted to go home...”
How the PCs eventually decide to deal with Semou is their affair.
In any case, they find that Ylarr has produced multiple cloaks (he had hoped that some of his fellow Githyanki mutineers would show up and join him in his quest for revenge). Knowing the effects of the cloaks (wearing it could cause catatonic victims to die), the PCs also know that if they don’t don the cloaks, they won’t be able to track Ylarr down through the coral (leaving those trapped souls to a fate worse than death). Furthermore, Semou tells the PCs that if they are fast, they should easily be able to reach the tower before permanently harming any of the catatonic victims.
The Blood Coral, part two:
The PCs make their way through the blood coral. If at all possible, try staging this during the night. Because of the wind, there’ll be a rainstorm, and possibly lightning. The coral tries to drain the blood from the PCs, but the cloaks protect them. (as a staging device, give each PC a list of four NPC names – possibly NPCs you’ve introduced earlier in the adventure – and how many healing surges each NPC has. Whenever a PC would lose a surge from the coral, let them choose which NPC instead loses a surge). Naturally, the PCs will be slightly drunk from the cloaks’ effects... however, they do not feel the rush as strongly as Ylarr does, due to differences in the physiology of githyanki and others (perhaps the xenophobia of the Githyanki makes the association with other minds all the more unsettling?)
As the PCs move through the coral, they should fight a pack of Lacedons (aquatic ghouls – adventurers who have already died on the coral trying to reach the tower), and possibly a maddened aquatic monster of some sort (taking ongoing damage from coral). Along the way, they catch glimpses of Ylarr, lurching back and forth drunkenly, speaking to the spirits around him.
However, Ylarr gets to the tower first. Before he does, though, the PCs see him cut off a chunk of Blood Coral, throwing it into his pack. When lightning strikes, they get their first good glimpse at the Drunken Githyanki – his face contorted in a haze, and bloody red streaks running throughout his skin. His eyes, fingernails, and the corners of his lips are caked with clotted blood. He carries a silver greatsword that has long ago tarnished to near black. He enters the tower blearily speaking to his spirits.
The Leaning Tower:
The Leaning Tower is a gate to the astral plane. It is leaning at a seventy degree angle, and much of it is filled with barnacles, seaweed, and the rotting carcasses of fish that were trapped in the building when it arose from the sea.
However, the tower is also home to astral ghosts, flickers of slaves sacrificed in Journey’s End. Many seem to treat the PCs as if they were the Githyanki overlords, and whimper and plead. Some beg for their captors to spare the lives of their children; others offer to sell out fellow captives “if you’ll just let me go”. As the PCs ascend the tower (which is difficult to do – it is tilted, uneven, and the slippery floor makes it all too possible for poor footing to cause a victim to slip right out the side), they are stopped by these astral flickers.
All the while, they can hear Ylarr above. He begins to chant a ritual of opening. When the PCs burst in on the top room - buffeted by rain, the sound of the crashing surf, and howling winds- the ritual reaches a climax, and the PCs (with Ylarr) are flung to the Astral Plane...
Journey’s End:
The PCs find themselves in Journey’s End, with Ylarr drunkenly lurching about.
Journey’s End is a Githyanki stronghold. Red Dragon whelps run in the streets, odd gecko-like lizards scuttle along walls, and the flayed corpses of humanoids twist on gibbets. The whole fortress is built in the heart of the astral, and floats on the inert body of a dead god. It has many narrow streets, and massive defensive fortifications are tended to by captured slaves.
The PCs emerge on a battlement overlooking much of the city... and Githyanki are closing in. The heroes have to get the cloak off Ylarr (who is attempting to use his blood coral to drain the nearly-dead captive souls to gain a power boost before Githyanki soldiers arrive) and escape the city.
Whether through role-playing, a skill challenge, subterfuge, outright combat, or something else, the PCs should eventually receive Ylarr’s cloak. Whether they decide to fight Ylarr, or leave him to his fate of killing as many of his fellows as he can before dying, is their choice. However, the PCs have to find a way back through the portal before Githyanki soldiers arrive.
Denouement:
When the PCs return to the tower, they may wonder how they’ll get back. After all, their cloaks are nearly drained, and they have to cross the blood coral. Luckily, the tower, having long been dangerously close to toppling, crumbles from the strain of the portals. Barely able to escape in time, the PCs survive the tower crashing into the coral. This crash naturally opens many large rifts in the coral, with the forced aquatic shockwave further cracking open rifts.
These rifts allow the PCs to return home while passing only a few patches of blood coral.
The PCs reverse the ritual and stop the catatonia from gripping surviving victims. Victims will have large bruises due to blood loss, but these will heal over a few weeks, quicker if the healer woman tends to them.
PCs might not receive much in the way of rewards in this adventure, though individual victims could well give PCs family heirlooms, monetary donations, or even future favours as thanks.
The Coral, exposed to open air, begins to die a week after the tower falls. Within a month, it is simply an island of red rock. The ruins of the fallen tower are combed over by treasure hunters, who soon abandon it when they learn it has little value (it no longer functions as a gateway to the astral).
Semou, if he still lives, is chased out of town, and finds himself walking the road, searching for a place to call home.
Ingredient Summary:
Quick note: I was going to suggest how each ingredient relates to the others, but that’d make a long post already longer. And if I have to explain the connections, I obviously didn’t make them strong enough. Hopefully, you can see how each ingredient is connected with the others.
Inebriated Githyanki: Obviously Ylarr. While he is only inebriated when he dons the cloak, he is not revealed to the PCs until this event, and will only cease being inebriated when the cloak is removed – at which point, the PCs will probably abandon him to his eventual death.
Con Artist: Semou, who has been rounding up victims for Ylarr.
Journey’s End: While the location is obviously a stand-in for this, I actually see “Journey’s End” as more of a theme for the adventure itself. Both the major NPCs are seeking an end to their “journey” on the material plane (one wants revenge, the other just wants companionship). The coral causes death (one form of “Journey’s End”), and the tower itself is a journey point. Even the crematorium can be considered a journey’s endpoint.
Blood Coral: Obviously the coral that surrounds the tower.
Leaning Tower: The tower in the centre of the coral. Leaning is defined in the text, and utilized both in ascending the tower, and in eventually escaping the coral.
Cloak of Soulbound Resistance: A bit different from the 3e Item, but I think it has some flavour. It obviously grants “resistance” to the coral, through the binding of souls.
__________________ Current Campaign:The Shattered Isles Homebrew - Hammer (Minotaur Fighter 8), Kirra (Drow Rogue 8), Shedin (Dragonborn Paladin 8), Zahar (Half-Eladrin/Half Drow Bard 8), and Seahorse (Halfling Rogue 8). Currently the group is in the Feywild, trying to discover who is poisoning the drow.
Our heroes find themselves on guard duty at an annual local farmer's convention, taking a simple and boring task in between dangerous adventures. When they are sent to evict a drug-addled foreigner, they find that even the boring tasks can be rewarding, and dangerous. A short 4th Edition adventure for five players of level 5.
Background
Grathik, a Githyanki artist of some renown has nearly hit rock bottom: resorting to fooling adventerous and/or brave people into feeding his blood coral addiction. To do this, he is looking for a big score - the floating hunk of land called Journey. By removing the artifact, the Cloak of Soulbound Resistance, worn by the drug lord Valda, the tower that sits atop the largest blood coral mine will topple, leaving the mines to whomever is well equipped to empty them. Grathik has already prepared some of Valda's men for positions of power, as well as hired a group of former prisoners to work in the soon-to-be-opened mines, he just needs the current authority in power.
Players Introduction
You have still to be fully recognized as a major force in the area, but as long as the jobs and the money keep coming in, you can wait for a real chance to show the world that you are destined to be a group of heroes of legend. Of course, sometimes the jobs are just pathetic, like today's: Keeping the locals at the annual farmer convention from getting too rowdy. Two gold a day, with rooms in the largest tavern for five days will pay the bills, and there really isn't risk of anyone getting hurt.
Joghost's Annual Farmer's Convention is an exciting time for the locals: there are livestock competitions (Farmer Bettencourt has won the best looking sow competition every year for the last twenty years, but has always come in second or third in the egg-laying chicken contest); there are plowing contests, limited to 4 oxen teams only; there are rides for the kids, and vendors of all sorts of items for the whole 5 day event. The event is timed at the end of harvest-time, so most farmers are present with carts of food to trade or sell, and the town has the benefit of Journey's Passing the day after the convention finishes. Journey is a medium sized earthmote that circles the surrounding 100-mile landscape at a regular interval. No one remembers if the convention was timed as it is because of Journey, or if Journey's Passing was just lucky timing. Journey was said to have been ripped out of the ground over 100 years ago, and has been circling the area ever since. There are around 600 people who live on the island, and they trade in ore harvested from the small mountains on the island and some rare plants that grow especially well on the floating land. You are welcome to trade with them, and there are likely adventures to be had if you take up with the island after the convention, but your job is to keep people safe at the convention, starting 5 days before, and lasting until Journey's Passing.
The first two days passed without incident, the third day was the drinking festival - so removing a few drunks was no suprise. Yesterday, a githyanki of all things, had to be escorted out of the convention for starting a fight - something about a customer not paying what they agreed to for a caricature. You remembered him from the day before as well, he still smelled of ale, and slurred his words, it's not often you see a githyanki in a farming community like Joghost, and even less common to see a githyanki artist, let alone a drunk githyanki! To say he stands out in your memory is a dramatic understatement. He seemed harmless enough, and didn't put up a fight as you escorted him out, and you were assigned to guard his artist stand at the convention until he was allowed back in after closing. While he cleaned up, he engages you in conversation:
Encounter 1: Meeting Grathik
"I see you are not accustomed to such... low work. As you must know, my people have explored the universe, sailing the Astral Sea, earning a reputation for conquerers. I can see much more in you than farmer's guards."
Grathik is an upfront man, his tongue loosened by too much drink. He thanks the players for their work in town, and admits that he was in the wrong when he nearly started a fight. He explains his situtation as this:
He grew up the third son of a well-respected Captain, but he never had much of a mind for military matters. Instead, he focused on painting, and was known as quite an artist among his people. However, he battled with his place in society, never feeling a connection to his military minded family, and so he connected with drink and drugs. Now an outcast from his people, he works in the mortal realm scraping by a living doing protraits and some commisioned work.
Much of this is true - however he is an expert liar, and it takes a DC 27 Insight check to see that his drug addiction is not the whole reason for his outcast status - he was trading in drugs which got him sent away. He is also not poor, he lives simply, saving his coin for a big score.
He implores the players to help him when Journey arrives - he was cheated by a drug dealer who lives in a tower on the edge of the earthmote, and while he gets by, he could be a wealthy man if this drug dealer, named Valda, would either pay him the 5000 gold for the landscape of the Astral Sea that he painted (A History check of 15 reveals knowledge of this painting - 5000 gold is a low price for this famed piece of art) or give it back. He tells you that the painting was given, but neither the gold nor the "other compensation" was given - he was lucky to escape with his life. If you can make this Valda pay, or reclaim the painting, he will give you 500 gold.
Conclusion: You are working the convention for its final day, as Journey comes into sight. Get paid your 10 gold for guard duty, and Journey comes into sight before sundown.
Encounter 2: Skill Challenge Get to Journey
You must find a way to get to Journey and find your way to the leaning tower. This is a short skill challenge that helps steer the rest of the adventure. Each player must gain a success to count for 1 group success. After 1 group success, the players move to Part 2, having a found a way onto the Earthmote. Allow the players to make as many checks as they want to learn more about the Tower. If they gain 3 successes in part 2 before 3 failures total, they succeed in the challenge, and are able to avoid fighting in either the Tower entrance or the mines. If they fail the skill challenge, than any approach will force a battle.
Part 1: Getting to the Earthmote
Arcana - devise an obscure levitation ritual
Diplomacy - hire a ride to the island
Thievery/Stealth - stowaway a ship to get up there
Endurance/Athletics - work with various farmers to move goods - lose a healing surge, but give all other party members +2 to part 1 checks.
Part 2 - Find information about the area
Streetwise Easy DC - learn about drug-like nature of Blood Coral - it is crushed and inhaled and gives the user +2 to Reflex and resist 2 to all damage for 5 minutes. After that, the user gains Vulnerable 3 all and -5 Will and Fort until they take an extended rest.
Streetwise Hard DC - Learn about Valda - the man took posession of the Tower after it was abandoned when it started to tilt. He has a magic cloak that he never removes.
History - Learn that the mining of blood coral led to the tower's tilting - it was sold shortly after the first shift, and the mines were supposedly closed. This also opens up the Hard Streetwise check.
Insight - Learn that the mines are still active - digging up Blood Coral.
Thievery - Watch the guard patterns to see an easier way in.
Arcana Moderate DC - The tower is held up by magic.
Arcana Hard DC (available only after hard Streetwise)- the magic is associated with the cloak Valda wears - he is soulbound to the cloak, which allows him to make it resist falling off the earthmote.
Nature/Perception - The earthmote is unstable, and a significant shock could cause it to crash down.
Once the players have gathered information, they can either attempt to enter the Tower through the direct route (or sneak around to gain entrance if they succeeded in the skill challenge) or by going through the "dormant" mines. If they have succeeded in the challenge, they are able to avoid workers in the mines.
Encounter 3a: Mines
Level (Party level +2) consisting of dwarves and kobolds with humans.
Encounter 3b: tower entrace
Level (Party level +2) consisting of guardian constructs and a human mage and 2 dwarves
Encounter 4: The Leaning Tower of Journey - Steal the Cloak or Kill/arrest its owner.
Fight/confront Valda (level 7 solo controller). Every round he calls for 2d4 minions to assist. Valda takes a -2 to all defenses when wearing his cloak. If the party negotiates with him to get the painting, he inhales Blood Coral and attacks as they try to leave.
Encounter 5: Escape Journey's End
As the earthmote falls to the ground, you must battle the miners and guards that blame you for the downfall. Move terrain 1d6 squares in a random direction (1d4: 1=N, 2=E, 3=S, 4=W) as players make their way to the airship ports where people are being evacuated. This is a moving battle, through either mines or overland. Use fallen trees, dislodged mine debris or mining equipment as traps, +5 vs Reflex. The Earthmote should be collapsing from the end, near the tower.
Resolution
Should expose the Githyanki as a con artist and drug addict, not to mention potential drug lord.
Blood Coral - it is crushed and inhaled and gives the user +2 to Reflex and resist 2 to all damage for 5 minutes. After that, the user gains Vulnerable 3 all and -5 Will and Fort until they take an extended rest.
Ingredients:
Leaning Tower - Valda's HQ <
Blood Coral - Mined substance that caused tower to lean, also motivation for Grathik
Con Artist - Grathik
Journey’s End - the Earthmote Journey crashes to the ground <
Inebriated Githyanki - Grathik
Cloak of Soulbound Resistance Valda's item that keeps his tower standing
Leaning Tower is the scene of the battle, at the edge of an Earthmote called Journey. Like it sits at the End... Also, the final battle brings the moving earthmote crashing to the ground, Ending Journey. Con Artist - go for double meaning - painter at a convention and Githyanki who gives false information to get the heroes involved.
these were a much tougher set of ingredients than the round 1 sets (just wait till round 3!) and the connections between some of them started to feel a little stretchy and forced, but that’s to be expected, (expected, but not allowed to pass unnoticed).
Leaning Tower
Atras had his tower lean because the rock underneath was being mined away.
Wik’s tower leaned in the direction of the sea current after many years.
both of these were ok. at least there was a rationale for why they leaned…
Con Artist
Atras had his githyanki play the part of the con artist who gives the party the mission under false pretenses for his own gain.
Wik had Semou, who is more of a follower obeying orders than someone (professionally) deceiving others for a monetary profit.
both usages of the Con Artists seemed a bit weak to me. I much rather would have seen an independent story element interacting with the other ingredients and weaving an immense con throughout the story than a blending of the gith into the Con Artist. one is just a clichéd story hook and the other is just following orders. I’ll give Atras the better point on that one, but not by much.
Journey’s End
Atras named the area Journey, put the tower on one End of it, and crashed it into the ground, Ending it.
Wik gave us two NPC’s looking to End their Journeys, and a few other weaker connections.
neither very strong. again mild point to Atras.
regrettably, beyond these first three, the differences started getting more pronounced.
Inebriated Githyanki
Wik gave us a gith who is intoxicated by the power of the souls that he’s wearing, so he staggers as he heads towards the tower.
Atras’ gith was drunk the day before, and is introduced to the characters as a drunk artist.
but Inebriated is only a part of the ingredient; the other half being Githyanki. Githyanki are violent extra-planar xenophobes. Wik’s character’s casual disdain for the souls of the townsfolk that he’s stolen, as well as his odd quest to kill his former employer was a lot more believable in context than Atras’ Con Artist whose racial descriptor could have been swapped out with an elf, orc, goblin, etc without impacting the story in any real way. this point goes to Wik.
Blood Coral
Atras gave us a drug, mined from the earthmote beneath the Leaning Tower, while Wik gives us a huge vampiric coral.
btw, I was just stringing random words together, but it turns out that blood coral is the most expensive coral to make jewelry from (it’s ox-blood in color). I was wondering what you would do or find with it.
the red coral that drinks blood coming from the ocean depths and making the sunken tower available for access came closer than the drug that, again could have been replaced with some other substance without a major change in the story. point to Wik.
Cloak of Soulbound Resistance
again, I liked Wik’s Cloak of Resistance that had Souls Bound into it more than Atras’ Cloak that Bound the Souls of his defenders allowing him to call them to his defense.
(remember what I said about stretching? we really need a little more detail on this sort of stuff Atras, because that’s a HUGE intuitive leap that I really didn’t have any reason to reach for, other than to be nice. without that leap, your badguy wore a cloak with a name tagged onto it that would otherwise be indistinguishable from another cloak.)
point again to Wik.
Looking for connections, what I saw was
Wik’s Githyanki is Inebriated from wearing the Cloak of Bound Souls allowing him to cross the Coral to reach the Tower so that he can End his Journey. as mentioned above your Con Artist was the weakest ingredient. if the entire adventure had been a Con of some sort (a different NPC who lied to the Githyanki to get him to accomplish all these things to serve some other purpose than what he was seeking?) then you would have been six for six.
Atras’ Githyanki Artist is running a Con to get the adventurers to go to where drugs are mined beneath a Leaning Tower to fight a guy wearing a Cloak
well.
Atras, you mentioned on the other forum that you ran into a time crunch. regrettably, it showed. while I was reading your entry, I saw several places where that three hours you said you didn’t have could have shored up a lot of holes in your story and made for a better overall entry. while I liked the play on words of an Artist doing a Con, it just didn’t fit in well with finding a Githyanki at the county fair trying to hire the party. it just wasn’t that strong a hook and without that hook, the whole idea behind the adventure started to collapse. if I’d been playing, I would have been distrustful of the whole setup and wondered why we were killing the miners and their boss in the first place?
Wik, just on the basis of just the ingredients, your’s was the stronger of the two entries and your connections were better. however, I would not have named the githyanki fortress “Journeys’ End” since just naming something after a potentially difficult ingredient can be a very distracting attempt to bypass a difficult ingredient by inexperienced Iron DMs. if you hadn’t drawn your connections in the Ingredient Summary for Journey’s End and pointed out the other interpretations, I would have tossed that one out of your lineup completely and that ingredient (and likely the match) would have been Atras’ as well. what would have been better would have been to emphasize those “End of Journey” connections as they came up inside the entry. they would have carried a lot more strength that way. I also would have tried to make some of the extraneous stuff less significant (stuff like the wind vortex that only really only blocks flying, the crematorium or the healing woman).
Wik’s Where Bastards Go To Die advances him to Round 3.
Last edited by phoamslinger; 1st November 2009 at 10:15 PM..
This adventure is designed to for a party of 12th level PCs. It takes place somewhere deep in the Feywild.
Introduction
While traveling through the Feywild, the PCs sleep becomes troubled by vivid, compelling dreams that call them to aid the Artisan of Dreams, an ancient Fey spirit who was cursed by a neighboring spirit, the Wolfang, when the Artisan stole a powerful magical axe from him. The PCs are drawn into the dispute by the Artisan's manipulation of their dreams and soon find themselves caught up in a surreal dream world to hunt down one of the Wolfang's servants who has stolen the axe back for his master.
Background
The Artisan and the Wolfang have been uneasy neighbors in the Feywild for centuries, both powerful spirits, and neither powerful enough to defeat or drive the other away. When the Wolfang found a powerful weapon, the Singing Battleaxe, in an long-abandoned Eladrin ruin, the Artisan both coveted it and feared that it might shift the balance of power and allow the Wolfang to threaten the Artisan directly.
Using her powers over dreams, the Artisan manipulated one of Wolfang's servants, a wolfen-shapeling named Bebadolf, into pretending to still serve Wolfang, then gaining his trust and stealing his master's axe to bring to the Artisan. The Wolfang caught onto the Artisan's plan at the last moment and, while not able to stop Bebadolf from escaping with the Axe, he did place a curse on it that inflicted the Artisan when Bebadolf delivered it to her. The Artisan, whose powers to manipulate others dreams are greatest when she sleeps, is now unable to sleep except when she is in the presence of the clear, ringing tone of the Singing Battleaxe.
Not long before the PCs arrive on the scene, Bebadolf, free of the Artisan's dreaming compulsions and once again under the sway of Wolfang, repaid the favor, claiming to be bringing word of Wolfang to the Artisan, then slipping away with the Axe. The Artisan realized the deception too late and failed to catch Bebadolf, but was able to trap him somewhere in the Dreaming Realm itself, where he remains trapped. Unable to sleep without the Axe, she cannot enter the Dreaming Realm and so seeks others that she can send there to retrieve the Axe for her.
The Artisan of Dreams The Artisan appears as a beautiful elven-featured woman whose robes and hair trail away into pale blue strands of glowing mist. Her skin too has a faint bluish tinge and when she moves, she seems to fade slightly into the mist swirls that about her. Her lands are a small section of the Feywild scattered with dreamstone, a pale blue rock that pulls the Feywild around it closer to the Dreaming Realm.
She lives in a small two-story wattle-and-daub house that seems out of place amidst the lush wilds of the Feywild. The woods nearby are littered with rune-carved pinnacles of dreamstone and a faint bluish mist drifts through the area.
If not for Wolfang's aggressive territoriality, she would be content to live her days in her small house, drifting in and out of dreams, but Wolfang's creations constantly prowl about the edges of her lands, kept away only by the terrible, vivid nightmares and compulsions she sends to those who come too close. With Wolfang's curse and the loss of the Axe, her powers are greatly weakened, allowing her only minimal contact with the Dreaming Realm.
Normally, her powers of dream manipulation – especially when her targets are near dreamstone – are immense, but in her cursed sleepless state, she can only barely touch the dreams of others and only when they touch dreamstone. Her dreamstone-littered studio has an enchantment, however, that can send others into dreams of whatever she paints on an easel.
Bebadolf Like his master, Bebadolf is a wolfen-changeling, a changeling capable of taking the forms of man and beast, though most comfortable in the guise of a wolf or a human. In wolf form Bebadolf is a large black-furred wolf with traces of red in his fur. In human form, he is a large black-bearded man with a shaggy main of hair, both traced with touches of red. Caught up in the Dreaming Realm, he is stuck repeating the same few dreams and, while trapped within them cannot remember the waking world, believing his is what he dreams.
Wolfang has two forms. In human form he is a level 14 solo brute, in Wolf form, he is a level 14 Solo skirmisher.
Hooks
1) The PCs have been sent by a powerful ally of theirs has been plagued by night-terrors and so sends the PCs to find the so rumored Artisan of Dreams to see if she can banish the nightmares. 2) The PCs themselves have been cursed with nightmares and have heard of the Artisan. They seek her out in hopes that she might help remove the curse. 3) The PCs, while traveling through the Feywild, pick up a small piece of dreamstone or touch a larger dreamstone vein, rock, or boulder in passing. This allows the Artisan to send vivid dreams calling for the PCs help, the magical compulsion causing thoughts of the dreams to constantly be at the backs of the PCs minds and they find themselves distractedly walking in the direction of her lands as they travel.
Bullet Point Adventure Summary 0. Hooks
1. Players travel to the Artisan's abode.
2. The Artisan convinces the players to assist her
3. Dream Sequencing
4. Resolution
1. PCs Gone Feywild How the PCs travel to the Artisan's house is up to the DM and in part depends on the Hook(s) that bring the PCs there. If the PCs have been sent, a skill challenge to find it (with bonuses to checks of any PCs that have touched dreamstone) might be appropriate, with a failure taking more time/leading the PCs to hostile Feywild creatures/etc.
The DM might just rule that they find it, especially if the PCs are just passing by and have received the Artisan's compulsion via dreamstone.
In either situation, the party might catch glimpses of huge feral looking wolves or shaggy, wild looking men watching them and then slipping away before they can be confronted.
When the PCs reach her house, she opens the door as they approach, tells them she's been expecting them and lets the party in.
2. Mind if I Axe You a Few Questions Once at the Artisan's house, the Artisan tells the players a bit about her powers over dreams, the hostility of the Wolfang, the Wolfang's curse upon her that doesn't allow her to sleep without the Axe and the resultant weakening of her powers, the Bebadolf's theft and entrapment in the Dreaming Realm, and her plea for the PCs to help her.
Note: she leaves out the choice bits about her manipulating Bebadolf and stealing the Axe in the first place.
She offers material rewards (up to 2-4 treasure parcels worth), years of pleasant dreams, her deepest gratitude, and/or an unspecified favor that they may claim at a later date. She won't reveal how desperate she is unless she thinks it might convince the players to help.
Once they agree to help, she leads them to her studio where she tells them that she only is sure of one of the dreams that the Bebadolf is trapped in and that she will send them to it in their sleep so that they might find Bebadolf and/or the Axe. She explains that when she paints something, it becomes a dream that they can access via a door in her studio that otherwise leads to nowhere.
She tells them that when she sends them into the dream, they may bring some dreamt objects to the waking world and back to the land of dreams and that those objects might take on slightly different forms from one dream to the next, but they are often important and will stand out. She also explains that the rules of the Dreaming Realm are not the same as the waking world and that many things that seem logical in the actual world will not work.
3. To Sleep: Perchance to Dream: Ay, There's the Rub In the following series of encounters, the PCs must go from dream to dream, attempting to find the correct sequence of dreamt objects and dreams to enter in order to eventually find the Axe. Each dream has a “success” and “failure” result listed, depending on the dream. A quick chart of the sequence is available below.
In any dream, if the PCs try to explore beyond the “bounds” of the dream, they find themselves wandering back towards the main features of it. At the completion of every dream, success or failure, they find the door to the Artisan's studio somewhere. When they pass through, they awaken and 6 hours have passed and the Artisan questions them about what they have dreamt. If the PCs didn't have any combat in the dram, the 6 hours counts as an extended rest.
If they have gotten the "key" to another dream - locations mentioned in the dreams that lead the PCs to other dreams in the sequence - she can then paint the location for the PCs, allowing them to do whichever enter the dreams in any order they chose.
If they aren't figuring it out, the Artisan might have ideas (give hints) about the key objects and/or "dream keys," at the DM's discretion. If the DM wishes to apply time pressure, when the PCs wake from their various dreams, the DM can have the Artisan mention seeing Wolfang's minions prowling closer and closer, play up her worry, mention her increasing exhaustion, etc.
Key dream objects and "dream keys" are in bold. If the PCs reach a result that has a dream object, the PCs may then carry that object to their next dream(s) or until they use it, at which point it is gone unless they return to the dream where they got it originally to get it again. If the PCs learn of a "dream key" and the PCs mention it to the Artisan, she can then paint that dream and send them to it.
In any of these dreams, the DM may require that the PCs make some sort of appropriate skill check for the “successful” results to be applied. Note, though, that if they then fail, they may have to repeat dreams several times.
Key Items: Wool: When PCs enter a dream carrying the Wool, it appears as a small bag full of wool. Alcohol: When PCs enter a dream carrying the Alcohol, it appears as a pony keg. It is still full of wood alcohol in whatever form. Axe: Once the PCs have the Axe, the dreams end the next time they go through the studio door. Note: the other axes mentioned aside from the singing axe that the wool merchant brings out in the Town dream are red herrings.
Read anything in italics to the players.
Dream A(Boat) – Alcohol a Party-Time Necessity The Artisan paints the image of a man at sea in a small boat. Sitting in the center of it is a massive open-topped barrel. A sailor stares down at the barrel, an axe in his hand and a fearful expression on his face. In the distance is what looks to be a small port town. You fall asleep and you awaken in the room next to your own sleeping forms. As you pass through the studio door, you find yourselves standing in the boat beside the seaman.
The sailor will explain his predicament, shaking as he does so. He was hired by “a man with an axe” to smuggle in a vat of alcohol. It is larger than he thought and now, as the current is pulling him inexorably towards the port, he realizes he has nothing to hide the barrel with. If he doesn't hide it, he will be arrested and executed. If he hacks it apart with his axe and tosses the remains overboard, he won't be arrested, but “the man with the axe will come for me."
If the PCs haven't gotten the Wool(see below), he nay-says anything they say, chops apart the barrel and dumps it overboard(failure). As the contents of the vat spill overboard, the PCs will recognize it as wood alcohol, poisonous for most creatures to drink.
In a dream-style jump, they are then standing on the dock beside him as he looks about a hazy gray town. “I'm no smuggler. I'll have to go become a Shepherd in the hills like my sister. Then the man with the axe won't find me.”
If the PCs have gotten the Wool, they can pull bags of wool out of nowhere, covering over the barrel (to the sailor's delight). When they are satisfied it is hidden, they suddenly are in port, an official looking man with an axe at his belt is standing on the dock and filling out a form. He says “carry on” and vanishes.
The PCs then find themselves standing on the dock with the sailor and the barrel(success). He opens the lid of the barrel, scoops out a tiny keg of it, and hands the Alcohol to the PCs, saying “thank you, the man with the axe will reward me handsomely. Enjoy yourself here in Town.” The town becomes slightly less hazy around you as the seaman fades away.
Dream B(Shepherd) – A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing The Artisan paints the image of a meadow filled with grazing sheep, a young shepherd girl with an axe in her hand watching over them. You fall asleep and you awaken in the room next to your own sleeping forms. As you pass through the studio door, you find yourselves standing in the meadow beside the shepherd.
She seems unsurprised by their arrival, but is crying.
“I tend my sheep, but as soon as I sit down to shear one, suddenly there is a wolf amidst the flock that begins killing them. I chase it off, but as soon as I sit down again, it returns. Can you help keep watch over my sheep while I shear them? If you do, I will give you some of the wool!”
Presumably, the PCs will watch over the flock. When they do, they make Perception or Insight checks opposed to Bebadolf's Stealth or Bluff checks. If they succeed, they notice that one sheep(Bebadolf) is acting strangely and is sneaking through the flock. Roll initiative at this point.
If a PC hits Bebadolf before he hits a sheep, he turns on them, fighting until he is bloodied then fleeing(success).
If the PCs have already killed him in human form(see the Town dream below), he fights differently. For one, he uses a power to make himself appear exactly like the sheep around him then teleports into the flock. The PCs must make Insight checks to know which one he is until he attacks again. He also fights to the death. When he dies, his body transforms to his human form and has the Axe.
If they kill him or drive him off, the shepherd gives them a small bag of Wool.
Otherwise, he kills a sheep(failure). The PCs must leave, wake up, and try again.
Note that in any of these situations, the sheep simply mill about grazing, unconcerned by the wolf in their midst or even their fellow sheep being killed.
Dream C(Town) – I'll Drink to That The Artisan paints the image of a cozy port town. It looks practically idyllic, except near the docks is the smoldering ruins of a warehouse. A large man with a shaggy black beard and hair stands at edge of the smoky remains staring at it blankly. You fall asleep and you awaken in the room next to your own sleeping forms. As you pass through the studio door, you find yourself standing beside the man in the painting.
“All of my merchandise, lost in the fire? What will I do now?” the man says. “What is a merchant without a thing to trade?”
If they ask, they learn that he is a wool merchant and that some sailor accidentally burned down the warehouse and fled in terror. He is also Bebadolf, but does not remember his name.
If they do not have Wool, he shrugs off any attempts to help or console him(failure). “I'm not fit to be a merchant, I'll go back to being a hunter, go back to my family's grove in the Forest. But I'll hunt down that sailor first!” He then disappears, leaving you alone in the suddenly hazy town.
If they have Wool and give bags of it (again appearing from nowhere) to him, he shakes their hands and runs around in excitement, then invites them to his house to celebrate(success). Suddenly, they are in his house, that looks exactly like the Artisan's, except there is a detailed painting of a sheltered Forest grove on the ceiling of the main room.
He grabs a keg and sets it down on the table, then says, “just a moment, need something to open it with.” He then leaves the room for a minute.
If the PCs have the Alcohol, they may switch it with the keg on the table.
When Bebadolf returns, he has the Singing Battleaxe, a large emerald-bladed axe that hums continuously with power, the tone shifting subtly and harmoniously as you listen.
He uses it to chop open the keg and pours them all wooden tankards full. He drinks first, taking a huge drought.
If it is his keg, then the alcohol has no notable effects.
If it is the Alcohol keg however, he gasps “what type of drink is this? Poison!”. He then starts swinging wildly with his Axe and is blind for the duration of the encounter that ensues.
If the PCs defeat him and have not killed him in wolf form, he clutches the Axe to his chest, snarls, “you are sheep to the slaughter!”, and falls to the ground, his body transforming into that of a massive wolf, identical to the one in the Shepherd dream. If they have killed him in wolf form, he remains in human form and drops the Axe, which will return with them to the real world.
If the PCs do not fight him, eventually he and his house fade away leaving only the studio door.
Dream D(Forest) – Wood'ent You Know It The Artisan paints the image of a sheltered forest grove. Standing in the middle of it are two trees that seem to have sorrowful faces, as though they are weeping. You fall asleep and you awaken in the room next to your own sleeping forms. As you pass through the studio door, you find yourself in the grove with them.
The trees are a pair of treants, the smaller one is the “husband”, the larger the “wife”. Both are mourning the loss of their sapling, cut down by a brutish man with a singing axe.“Oh If only we trees could drown our sorrows with drink the way you fleshlings do!” she wails.
She will tell them nothing except her hatred for the man with the axe. If the “husband” tries to say anything she shouts him down, telling him its all his fault and cowing him into submission.
If the PCs have the Alcohol and offer it to her however, she drinks it down(success). “Alcohol that a treant can drink! If you can find this, maybe you can do more for me! Hunt down and kill this man – no, he is more than a man. He can take the shape of man or beast and must be killed in both forms to truly die. But be warned, if you kill him in one, he will fight to the death in the other!
The PCs gain a +1 bonus on their attack rolls against Bebadolf after this point.
If they don't have or don't offer her the Alcohol, she becomes more and more upset and inconsolable until, over her “husbands” attempts to restrain her, she attacks the party, which may either stay and fight or flee through the convenient studio door(failure).
To complete the Dream Sequence, the PCs must kill Bebadolf in both his forms. Which ever they kill second drops the Axe.
Dream Sequence Quick-chart Dream A(Boat) → Fail(no Wool) = “Unlock” Dream B(Shepherd)
Dream A(Boat) → Success(used Wool) = “Unlock” Dream C(Town), get Alcohol
Dream B(Shepherd) → Fail(don't stop Bebadolf) = nil
Dream B(Shepherd) → Success(stop Bebadolf) = fight Bebadolf in Wolf form, get Wool
Dream C(Town) → Fail(no Wool) = “Unlock” Dream D(Forest)
Dream C(Town) → Success(used Wool) = “Unlock” Dream D(Forest), may use Alcohol and/or fight Bebadolf in Human form
Dream D(Forest) → Fail(no Alcohol) = nil
Dream D(Forest) → Success(used Alcohol) = learn how to kill Bebadolf, gain attack bonus
Final Success: Kill Bebadolf in Wolf form in Dream B(Shepherd) and in Human form in Dream C(Town) to get the Axe.
4. Resolution - Wake Me When It's Over When the PCs exit the dream with the Singing Battleaxe, the Artisan thanks them profusely and sets about honoring her side of whatever their arrangement was earlier. If they came on Hooks 1 and/or 2, they can then set about resolving that business as well.
Further adventures might involve helping the Artisan remove the curse, attempting to make peace with Wolfang and/or combating him, and/or stepping into the nightmares of the PCs and/or whoever hired them to “combat” dream creatures(if they PCs came on hooks 1 or 2).
Ingredients
Artist's Studio - The studio is the Artisan's house. Also, the studio door is the means by which the PCs enter and leave the Dream Sequence and bring back items such as the Alcohol(Vat of Poison) and the Singing Battleaxe itself.
Vat of Poison - The vat is a literal vat of wood alcohol in the boat dream, that is used in the forest dream to learn how to defeat the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, Babadolf, and can also be used to poison Babadolf in one of his forms.
Frightened Seaman - The sailor in the Boat dream that's attempting to smuggle the Vat of Poison. Also the sailor who burned down the wool merchant's warehouse in the Town dream.
Dream Sequence - The series of dreams the PCs go on, each entered by the door to the Artist's Studio. In the dreams, the PCs use get the Vat of Poison from the Frightened Seaman, and use it to get information on and potentially to poison the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, all to get the Singing Battleaxe for the owner of the Artist's Studio. Also, they must do the dreams in the correct order, i.e. the correct Dream Sequence.
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - Bebadolf, the Wolfen-shapling, a shapeshifter capable of taking on many forms, including that of a sheep, a wolf, and wool merchant. He is a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing figuratively, literally and/or a bit of both at different points. He has the Singing Battleaxe. He is the main target of the PCs during the Dream Sequence because of this.
Singing Battleaxe - The main objective of the PCs in the Dream Sequence. The PCs seek it on behest of the owner of the Artist's Studio since it has been cursed so she may only sleep while it is around. Also, the overbearing treant wife("battleaxe") can be made to talk("sing") about the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing if given the Vat of Poison to drink.
__________________ Robots, assassins, hobgoblins, the Ashen Tower, polite beholders, land pirates, gnome genocide, the Corpse Ramp, artifacts, exploding zombie dragons, flying islands, dying heroes, blood feuds, vanished races, the Black City: Rise of Felskein.
Iron DM 2009, Round 2, Match 4, Iron Sky vs Sparky
Iron DM 2009, Round 2, Match 4 – Iron Sky vs. Sparky
Still Life A 4th Edition D&D Adventure for 3-5 Players of levels 8-10. Ideally, the party should include a Bard.*
Artist Studio Dream Sequence Frightened Seaman Singing Battleaxe Vat of Poison Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Adventure Background Recently, Maskim (a soulrider) arrived in town after surreptitiously hijacking a merchant and his smuggled shipment of Dreamtrap. After using the Dreamtrap to poison and possess a seaman aboard the ship he was on, the soulrider set about finding a victim well-placed to screen further victims. He settled on the court artist, Skal, a reclusive eccentric with access to the upper echelons of power in the city. He has now infiltrated the court of the Crown (or a suitably high-ranking noble) by taking over Skal’s identity.
Adventure Synopsis The PCs’ exploits have come to the attention of the Crown who requests that they attend a banquet in their honor. At the banquet, Skal, the Artist-in-residence, a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, feigns being stricken by one of the PCs (the Bard) and requests that the Bard come to the Artist Studio the following day to sit for a portrait. Observant PCs may note that the artist’s admiration is pretense (Insight, Difficult DC). Attract your Bard with whatever indulgences he desires, fine spirits, delicacies, scented baths, massage, a fancy new outfit or instrument for the sitting. Ultimately, the banquet’s host insists on paying the sitting fee and would be offended if the Bard does not accept.
Once at the studio, Skal makes the Bard welcome and, after enjoying whatever enticements were promised, the Bard is escorted into a bath for a long soak in a Vat of Poison (described below) that will make him vulnerable to the soulrider’s possession. If possessed, a side effect of the Dreamtrap is that his soul is displaced into a fey dreamscape. (Encounter – Nothing Like a Good Soak)
On the day the Bard will take his poison soak, the other PCs will be approached by a Frightened Seaman, Manfred. He tells the PCs that his friend, Jernin, has gone missing and he can’t report to the authorities that he suspects foul play because he’s afraid of drawing the wrong kind of attention to his questionably legal business (he’s one of the smugglers that brought the soulrider and the Dreamtrap into town). He is earnest and worried. He asks for their help and offers a reward in goods or service, their choice. (Encounter – I Failed the Buddy System)
If they search successfully, the PCs find Jernin unconscious, but not in very good shape (certainly he’s been robbed, possibly had his extremities nibbled by rats or other vermin). Worse, his soul is trapped in a fey dreamscape. It is possible to administer an antidote to the poison, but it will go better if the PCs themselves ingest the poison and undergo a ritual to enter the fey dreamscape and rescue the lost seaman through a Dream Sequence. If they are reluctant, Manfred negotiates a new price (he is a good negotiator). If they rescue him, then Jernin can indentify Skal as the soulrider’s next target. (Encounter – Dreams and Lightning)
Meanwhile, the Bard is likely to have succumbed to the poison and/or Maskim’s attacks. He is transported to a fey dreamscape, but being a wily PC, he can attempt to navigate the Dream Sequence and get out. And get out he does, though, the Feywild is a strange place… out is relative. He escapes into a battleaxe. If he failed the skill challenge, he is stuck in the battleaxe and can only sing to communicate. He has become the Singing Battleaxe. The Bard’s player should get extra XP if he makes a go of roleplaying this. If he is reasonably successful in the challenge, he can sing to communicate and also has access to his Bard powers and abilities. If he is has perfect success he can sing to communicate, has access to his Bard powers and abilities and is also a Singing Battleaxe with a variety of fiery ‘singe’ powers - melee, ranged and area attacks. Though he must be wielded to use any Attack powers. (Encounter – Fleeing the Feydream)
The rest of the PCs, whether out and about or searching for or helping Jernin, eventually spot Maskim-Bard doing something suspicious… · Near the Docks booking passage on a ship · Ducking down an alley (he’s going to clean out his stash of Dreamtrap before leaving town) If he catches sight of them he bolts and tries to lose them, he makes his way back to the studio and prepares to defend and hopefully kill the PCs. If pressed, he will try to flee by other means. (Encounter – The Devil of It)
If the PCs are successful at taking down Maskim/Bard, they can attempt to reunite the Bard’s body with the Bard’s soul, if that’s what the Bard wants. (Encounter – Fallen on Bard Times)
It might occur to the PCs that Skal is now somewhere, possibly trapped in a fey dreamscape. (Encounter – Naked!)
The Quests Minor Quest – Find and Save Jernin, the Seaman’s friend (optional) Major Quest – Find and Save the Bard
Starting the Adventure The PCs are to be the guests of honor at a banquet thrown by the Crown (or a noble of sufficiently high rank). Promises of gifts, excellent food and the continued good will of the Crown should be more than sufficient to draw the PCs to the capital city.
Setting Drop this adventure into any capital city that has a Port.
If you are in need of a capital city, welcome to Barrowdon in the kingdom of West Dorn. The city is divided into several wards spread over 3 hills and the valleys between. The city is growing towards a 4th hill.
The Tops - The wealthy live on the tops of the hills in wards referred to as Tops. Their shops, tavern and manors clustering thickly, but the limited space means the wealthy of Barrowdon have taken to building upwards or out in the suburbs instead of the unthinkable option of expanding into the city’s Bottoms. The city’s 3 hills are festooned with towers. There are a number of broad raised boulevards that connect the Tops with one another like bridges. · Crown Hill, this is where the nobles of Barrowdon live. It houses the royal palace (a tower that is – by royal edict – the tallest building on Crown Hill), the homes of Barrowdon’s nobility, gardens and the civic offices under direct supervision by the Crown or nobles. The PCs attend a banquet on a high floor of the royal palace. · Shining Hill, this Top is where the city’s faithful go to worship. Amongst the Tops, it is the one that flirts most with expanding into the Bottoms, though, in fact, there is still distinct separation between the denizens of the Tops and the denizens of the Bottoms. Shining Hill is home to several temples and the civic offices overseen by the various religious Orders. · Fortress Hill, this is the Top closest to Barrowdon’s bustling port. It is a cliffside promontory where the city’s original rulers once lived and is home to a working Fortress which currently acts as the seat of the military and certain civic offices overseen by the military. The city’s wealthy non-nobles live here. Fortress Hill is the chief gateway to the other Tops.
The Bottoms – the Bottoms, unlike the Tops, is a horizontal sprawl of buildings, with some green spaces that are the last remaining remnants of the lawns of the cemetery that used to cover the area. Scattered throughout the Bottoms are intact remnants of the city’s namesake Barrows (Note: they’re not barrows, but rather above ground crypts, the name ‘barrow’ stuck, however). Most of these crypts have been emptied, given over long ago to the needs of the living. In the Bottoms, it is considered lucky to live in a crypt. The wealthy of the city are trying to direct the city’s growth to engulf a nearby 4th hill (so that they can have a new Top to occupy). Skal’s studio is one of the first buildings on the lower slopes of this new 4th hill. Skal’s studio connects a number of impressive crypts in which he lives, works and entertains.
NPCs Skal – Red-haired and wild-eyed, Skal is the reclusive and cranky Artist-in-residence to the King and his Court. Skal does portraiture for the city’s well-bred and wealthy. He is notoriously eccentric, requiring that sitters who visit his home endure an exquisite ritual of hospitality and hygiene for each day of the sitting. For most, this is pleasant for a few days and then it quickly grows tiresome. But anyone who wants to have ‘a Skal’ hanging in their salon comply with the strange man’s demands. And everyone wants ‘a Skal.’
Maskim – a soulrider devil who uses Dreamtrap poison to subdue his victims so that he may possess them in safety. Soulriders are foul looking devil parasites that move from victim to victim. Most victims possessed by a soulrider are obvious, but Maskim has mastered the art of staying unseen while occupying a host. As long as he only uses his victim’s powers, he can remain camouflaged.
Manfred – a seaman and smuggler whose friend has gone missing. He approaches the PCs who aren’t sitting for a portrait to enlist their aid in finding his friend Jernin. He is nervous about doing so if he learns that they are guests of the Crown.
Jernin – is another seaman, a friend of Manfred’s. He was attacked, poisoned and abandoned by Maskim. He knows that his body was possessed, though he doesn’t know who did it, and that he – while possessed – attacked some painter (Skal).
“The Crown” – If you haven’t created a Monarch for your PCs’ homeland, then meet King Rodulus VI. His Queen, Vashna, is just oozing with pride over the recently finished ‘Skal’ hanging in the main hall of the royal residence (whether castle or palace) and suggests throwing a gala so that she can show it off. The PCs have done a number of impressive deeds and the King wants to meet them so that he can gauge their character and bring them closer to him either to watch them because they bear watching or to ally with them because they seem aligned with his royal agendas.
Encounters
Non-Combat: Nothing Like a Good Soak The Bard arrives at Skal’s studio and is greeted by his assistants. He is ushered to a well-appointed sitting room where Skal joins him, showing him a variety of curiosities he’s collected (including a handsome battleaxe). He is entertained, wined, dined. After the pleasantries he is escorted to a bath (if you’re using Barrowdon, the bathhouse is in a crypt and if you think your players/PC won’t bolt, make the vat out of a sarcophagus).
The bath contains hot water and an attendant puts in 3 scoops of strongly scented salts (crystalline Dreamtrap). The attendant will stay or go as the Bard wishes, and if asked to scrub, will do so with a long-handled brush. The attendant doesn’t know about the poison, only that they are under strict orders not to contaminate the Bard’s bathwater. Skal is strange and such orders are not unusual.
The Dreamtrap poison is in the bath and gets 3 attempts to overwhelm the Bard. If the poison is unsuccessful, the Bard may feel a little light-headed (from the heat and steam, of course) and is ushered off to finish the pre-sitting rituals – massage, wardrobe, coiffure. Maskim is in attendance for the wardrobing and hairstyling.
If the Bard succumbs to the poison, Maskim possesses him as soon as possible, displacing the Bard’s soul into a fey dreamscape. (NOTE: If your players or the PCs are suspicious types, make the vat poison-free for the first few sessions, then spring the poison). If the Bard does not succumb to the poison after the third time he is in the vat, then Maskim will attempt to possess him while the Bard is being dressed and then coiffured (the Bard is admonished to ‘Sit still!’ if he attempts to move or look at what is pinching or poking him). The Bard, though he shook off the poison’s effects, is still tainted by the fey poison and when Maskim takes possession of his body, his soul seeks refuge in the fey dreamscape.
NOTE: If you would rather handle this element of the adventure without rolls and it may be more elegant to do so – then do away with them all together. Keep the pleasantries light-hearted an unsuspicious then tell the bathing Bard that he drifts off into a dreamy doze…
…and switch to the other PCs.
Skill Challenge:I Failed the Buddy System The PCs who are not at Skal’s studio will be approached by a frightened and nervous seaman, Manfred. He is worried about his friend Jernin and is afraid to take the matter to the authorities. He offers a reward, worth 1 treasure parcel, or a service (he’s a smuggler, not a bad friend to have). If the PCs negotiate and outdo Manfred (Difficult DCs) he will offer 2 treasure parcels. He can’t accompany the PCs but directs them to a likely locale to start the search.
Primary Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Streetwise
Bluff, Diplomacy or Intimidate (easy DCs): Your smooth talking, charm or bullying get you pointed at someone who knows something. Each skill may be used once to generate 1 success per skill. Thereafter Bluff, Diplomacy and Intimidate (hard DCs) may be used to grant +2 to Streetwise checks.
Streetwise (Moderate DCs): You ask around and learn that a man of that description was seen at the Slate & Silk. Once at the Slate & Silk another successful Streetwise check will reveal that Jernin was seen in the warehouse district. Once in the warehouse district, another successful Streetwise check will get the PCs to a specific warehouse unit.
Success: The PCs find Jernin in the warehouse unit, a small, locked facility. If they aren’t able to get him out, Manfred can.
Failure: The PCs find Jernin in the warehouse unit, dead.
Skill Challenge/Combat: Fleeing the Feydream The Bard awakens standing poised on a blades edge. The blade must be as big as a mountain. The edge curves down and away from him in both directions, straight as a razor. Walls of fire follow the blade on either side and down. Above and behind him, the Bard sees sees Skal’s face wreathed in red, bloody hooked tentacles. Skal is singing one part of a duet that the Bard knows well. Without meaning to the Bard takes up his part of the duet. As soon as he begins singing, he feels a searing pain in his feet and begins sliding forward on the blade away from Skal, leaving a smear of blood behind as he ghosts forward. Scenes of what Maskim-Bard is doing with the Bard’s body flash across the sky.
Insight (Moderate DC): Skal’s singing voice is poor, but the Bard attempts to salvage something reasonably pleasant sounding by adjusting his harmony. A successful Insight check earns a +2 bonus to the next check. This bonus can only be granted twice.
Acrobatics (Moderate DC): Flames dart across the blade and the Bard attempts to quickly lean back under them while still balanced on the blade. A successful Acrobatics check earns 1 success. After a success, Acrobatics can no longer be used.
Athletics (Moderate DC): There is a notch in the blade, it will have to be jumped. A successful Athletics check earns 1 success. After a success, Athletics can no longer be used.
Total Success (no failures): Skal’s face falls away, howling his dismay, the fires subside, and the blade turns slowly flat. The Bard comes awake…
Success (up to two failures): Skal’s face roars by and the flames surge in answer. The blade jerks abruptly sideways and the Bard falls down onto the flat of the blade’s surface. The Bard comes awake…
Failure (3 failures): Skal’s face flies forward and knocks the Bard off of the blade, he falls endlessly into the flames, screaming. The Bard comes awake…
…and is a Battleaxe. A Singing Battleaxe (+2). Or possibly a Singing Singing Battleaxe (+3 Singing Battleaxe with an At-Will Scorching Burst). The Bard can feel his attack powers (if he has any) at the ready, but needs to be wielded to bring them to bear. In combat he will have his own initiative, but will not be able to make any Movements.
The Bard is now conscious and aware, but he is trapped in a Battleaxe in Skal’s sitting room. One last call-and-response refrain echoes in his head and the Bard sings out his part. A curious servant sticks her head through the door and blinks before moving away. The Bard can only communicate by singing (Bonus XP to the player that makes a go of roleplaying this). If he calls (sings) for help, Maskim’s servants peer curiously in the door, but will not touch anything.
The Bard is also aware of what Maskim-Bard is seeing and hearing.
From his vantage point he can see the entrance hall of Skal’s studio. He will have a ringside seat for Skal’s arrival pursued by the PCs.
(Optional) Skill Challenge: Dreams and Lightning The PCs have discovered Jernin in a small warehouse unit. The unit is leased to the merchant that Maskim had possessed on his way into the city. His stash of Dreamtrap is here (Difficult DC to find).
If Jernin is alive, a successful Nature check will reveal that Jernin has been poisoned, a successful Heal check will reveal the same and also that he is in stable condition but is weak in failing health (he needs help fast), a successful Arcana check (trained) will reveal traces of planar magic.
Manfred will ask the PCs to help him take Jernin to a nearby atelier (a wizard or alchemist’s workshop). The apothecary is very curious about Jernin’s condition and offers to help, for a reasonable price, of course (Manfred pays this). In order to help Jernin the PCs must take Dreamtrap while under a ritual that will render them safe for the duration of their foray. Taken under the influence of the ritual, the Dreamtrap is reasonably safe. If the PCs are reluctant, Manfred offers to double his payment (which might mean 4 parcels if the PCs played hardball earlier). If the PCs undergo the ritual and ingest the Dreamtrap, they awaken on the deck of a storm-tossed ship…
…it is cold and the wind is howling. Rain lashes the deck, it stings the eyes (a Perception check reveals the rain as alcohol). A man’s face, looms out of the clouds reaveled in flashes of red lightning that streak from his eyes and mouth (the PCs don’t know it, but it’s the Merchant’s face). Where the lightning strikes the ship erupts in red, grasping tentacles with nasty looking hooked spikes instead of suckers.
Jernin is at the helm, squinting into the gale. He is shouting orders at the PCs.
Insight or Nature (Hard DC): The PC anticipates Jernins next command and gives a +2 to the next skill check. This bonus can only be granted twice regardless of the skill used.
Acrobatics (Moderate DC): Jernin barks a command to a PC who suddenly finds himself in the rigging. A successful Acrobatics check earns 1 success. After a success, Acrobatics can no longer be used.
Athletics (Moderate DC): Jernin barks a command to a PC who suddenly finds himself at a winch. A successful Athletics check earns 1 success. After a success, Athletics can no longer be used.
Other: Jernin Barks a command for a PC to attack one of the tentacles who suddenly finds himself next to a seething, grasping hooked tentacle armed with a dagger. Basic melee attack vs Moderate DC. This may be used multiple times.
Success: The stormy skies clear and the PCs sail into a cave in the side of a cliff. The cliffside is carved in Skal’s likeness with the mouth of the cave as Skal’s mouth.
Failure: The ship wrecks into a cliff and the wreckage is battered into a cliffside carved with a gargantuan likeness of Skal. Each PCs loses a healing surge.
Jernin wakes and is terribly weak, but is able to reveal that the merchant on his ship paid him in drinks to transport a parcel to a warehouse (where the PCs found him). He felt weird after the drinks and then was stuck on the ship, but still aware of what
Skill Challenge: On the Devil’s Tail After helping (or not helping) Jernin and Manfred, the PCs are on their way to their next destination when they see the Bard out and about. This is Maskim-Bard. He spots the PCs and flees with the PCs (presumably) in pursuit. The PCs chase Maskim-Bard across the city to Skal’s studio. This skill challenge is the Urban Chase from the DMG, pg 78.
Total Success: If the PCs succeed in chasing Maskim-Bard without a single failure, they are hot on his heels as he enters Skal’s studio.
For each Failure: Add an additional Legion Devil Hellguard to The Horns of a Dilemma to represent the extra time Maskim had to prepare his minions.
Combat: The Horns of a Dilemma In this encounter the PCs are facing Maskim-Bard and his devilish and mortal lackeys. Maskim doesn’t want to risk his new body, but he will if it means his life. The PCs are likely to be reluctant to seriously injure their friend (but remember that a killing blow can be rendered non-lethal at the option of the PC making the attack). The relative success of the PCs in On the Devil’s Tale will determine the level of this combat encounter.
Maskim-Bard is not aware of the Bard’s soul in the battleaxe in the sitting room of his studio. The Bard is aware of what Maskim-Bard sees and hears, so he knows the PCs are on their way to the studio. He should probably reveal himself to them then, but he may not. He can only bring his attack powers to bear if wielded by another. Maskim-Bard becomes aware of the Singing Battleaxe, he will attempt to keep it from the PCs, but really, the axe should fall into PCs hands.
The final battle takes place in Skal’s actual studio amidst canvasses and tables and a surprising amount of space.
The Enemies 2150 XP – 2600 XP
Maskim-Bard - Soulrider Devil Bard, Level 11 Atrillery, 750 XP (see below) Succubus, Level 9 Controller, 400 XP Cambion x2, Level 8 Brute, 350 XP each Legion Devil Hellguard x2, Level 11 Minion, 150 XP each
For each failure in On the Devil’s tail add 1 Legion Devil Hellguard.
Skill Challenge: Fallen on Bard Times If the PCs are successful in defeating Maskim-Bard they now have to decide whether to reunite the Bard’s body with the Bard’s soul. If they decide to do so (after extorting something from the Bard of course).
The PCs (Bard included) enter the dream and are falling. Falling, falling. Surrounded by burning smoke, flame and the shattered remains of the Singing Battleaxe.
[font=Verdana]The Skill challenge involves collecting shard of the Bard’s soul and dodging the shattered giant battleaxe debris, also using that debris to hide behind when storms occur in the dreamscape. See http://www.penny-arcade.com/2009/8/3/”]Gabe’s Free Fall Rules for how this should play out.
Success: The PCs alight on the earth and the battleaxe debris lands gently around them. It forms up into into a battleaxe once more before disintegrating into a glowing ball the flows into the Bard. The PCs… awaken…
Failure: The PCs hit with a terrible impact and lose 1/2 of their remaining healing surges and are dazed until the next day. The PCs awaken… …and it’s all over. And it wasn’t just a dream at all.
Concluding the Adventure The PCs may wish to find and help Skal, they may also wish to find and help the Merchant if they can. The King would like Skal returned to himself. The PCs are allowed to keep the Battleaxe and the King commissions a tale or song from the Bard about the whole thing. And then there’s another party, at which Skal requests to do a proper portrait of all of PCs. For free.
Further Adventures Major Quest – Find and Recover the Bard’s body (if Maskim flees while still in possession) Minor Quest – Find and Save Skal (if the PCs care Skal is still alive somewhere in the studio (The Bard knows where, because he remembers seeing where Maskim-Bard stashed Skal. Minor Quest – Find and Save the Merchant (if the PCs learn and care, the Merchant may still be alive somewhere on Skal’s property or somewhere in the city.
Dreamtrap This is a relatively obscure poison of extraplanar origin (the Feywild) that saps its victim’s ability to shake off its effects. It has been reported to transport its victims to dreamscapes within the Feywild itself (and always does so when a soulrider successfully attacks a victim). Dreamtrap has a strong flavor and odor, so is most effectively administered as a contact poison or, as Maskim has discovered, a soothing bath salt. Administered in this way, Dreamtrap may make 3 attempts to poison its victim.
The plant, Dreamwort, can be smoked or ingested in small quantities to produce mild euphoric and psychedelic effects.
Dreamtrap; Level 10 Poison Distilled from the Dreamwort plant that grows in the Feywild, this poison induces a mild sleepy euphoria that deepens until the victim falls unconscious. Poison; 1,250 gp Attack: +13 vs. Fortitude; the target takes a –2 penalty to Saves (save ends). First Failed Save: The target is weakened and the Save penalty increases to -4 (save ends). Second Failed Save: The target falls unconscious for and experiences vivid dreams of the Feywild.
Soulrider Devil Skal (see attached picture)
Soulrider Devil Bard Use the Bard PC’s abilities and powers. Add the Black Chill Blast, Acid Flame, Soulrider Sacrifice and Fey Step as above.
Unatached Soulrider Devil (see Dragon 370, pg 43)
Ingredients Artist Studio · The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’s home base; site of the Vat of Poison and the portrait sitting · The atelier (the workshop of a wizard or alchemist) where the PCs learn of a ritual that will let them attempt to enter the fey dreamscape and attempt to navigate a Dream Sequence to rescue a Dreamtrap victim Dream Sequence · The PCs’ attempt to rescue Jernin, Skal and/or the Bard · The Bard’s skill challenge to escape the fey dreamscape into the Singing Battleaxe Frightened Seaman · Manfred is part of crew of smuggling vessel that delivered illicit shipment of poison (and unwittingly, the soulrider); he is frightened of being found out by authorities · Manfred’s friend Jernin has disappeared, he’s afraid for his friend Singing Battleaxe · Battleaxe with PC inside o The PC can only communicate by singing o Also, if the PC is very successful in his skill challenge, he gets ‘singe’ powers Vat of Poison · Spa treatment that is laced with Dreamtrap so that Maskim can possess his victims. Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing · Maskim is a soulrider devil who masquerades as a normal citizen
*If a Bard is not available, a PC with fiery powers or a fiery personality will suffice (preferably one whose class doesn’t focus on Fortitude, like a Cleric, Warlock or Wizard) and especially one who can be bribed with the finer things in life.
Artist Studio: Iron Sky's studio is part of the setting, and the visual images brought back from the dreams help the PCs decide where to go, so there is some artist-ness in it. Sparky's studio is a plot hook, and could be replaced with something else that serves as a luxurious lure. Edge to Iron Sky.
Vat of Poison: Very creative poison use by Iron Sky, but that little tankard doesn't sound much like a vat, dreamscape physics notwithstanding. Sparky nailed this one. Edge to Sparky.
Frightened Seaman: Both are certainly frightened, but Iron Sky's sailor has only some minor window dressing for his sailor-ness: his essential, irreplaceable quality is that of a smuggler. Sparky's sailor is also a smuggler, but the skill challenge to rescue him is decisively nautical (though it's also a series of orders barked by an NPC, which I dislike, but that's neither here nor there). Edge to Sparky.
Dream Sequence: Good use to both here, though some of Sparky's best dreams may not see use if the PCs aren't good at Streetwise. The sequence of dreams dreamt up by Iron Sky, though, are superb. You've managed to capture the cool parts of a Groundhog Day effect, but quick and simple enough that it's not going to annoy the players. Point to Iron Sky.
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Sparky, you've put a predator in an innocuous form. That's good. Iron Sky, you've put a wolf the wool of a sheep. That's better. Point to Iron Sky.
Singing Battleaxe: Both are tolerable. Neither has much "axe-ness" to it, but the singing-ness is fine. Iron Sky, I was worried yours would only be used as a plot-point, but it's also used as a dream-clue, so that's fine. The tree-wife's personality Sparky, the "singe" thing is clever, but I don't see how it ties in to anything that "sing" didn't already cover. Neither is perfect, but I liked Sparky's a little better, while I felt Iron Sky's was better connected to the other ingredients. Point to Sparky.
Now, on to usability. Iron Sky, let me again say that the dream sequence was simple enough to be utterly usable. Sparky, your scenario relied on the players willingly splitting the party, and their reward is having the Bard possessed by a critter that will kill him dead as a minor action, no save.
Spoiler:
Soulrider Sacrifice (minor; at-will)
The soulrider devil takes 10 damage and recharges black clill blast or acid flame. If the soulrider devil would be killed by this damage, it instead kills its host and becomes unattached (see the stat block above), and it shifts 3 squares as a free action.
Sparky, your dream scenarios lead to some interesting skill challenges, but they require player buy-in to doing some risky stuff... essentially, from the player's perspective, you ask them to submit to the same treatment that the Bard underwent when he lost his body. You're asking for a certain trust, when you just punished someone for that exact trust.
Once again, mandatory splitting of party, compounded making the Bard sit out until the big fight, when he may or may not be noticed.
In terms of plot, I'd've liked to see more ambiguity from Iron Sky's Artisan vs. Wolfang setup, but there's nothing really lacking in the scenario. Sparky, though: what happened to Skal? Why did the devil want the Bard's body, and if it was a creature well practiced at stealing bodies, why didn't it have a plan for coping with his allies?
Evocative writing: both were good, especially the dream sequences. Sparky, I felt a lot of evocation in the air around your city & crypts, but those weren't ingredients, so some of your better writing went without credit there. (Not that I won't steal from it -- because I will -- just that it won't help you in this round's judgment.)
This round goes to Iron Sky, for great ingredient use, good connectivity, and a very usable scenario.
__________________
Brevity is the soul of wit, so trim your sig or look dumb.
<Had the wrong window open when I tried to reply to another thread, ignore this>
__________________ Robots, assassins, hobgoblins, the Ashen Tower, polite beholders, land pirates, gnome genocide, the Corpse Ramp, artifacts, exploding zombie dragons, flying islands, dying heroes, blood feuds, vanished races, the Black City: Rise of Felskein.
UGH. I got called away today at work twice-- once to stand in as an extra on a video shoot, once so they could announce our first departmental case of Swine Flu-- so this is not as polished as I had hoped.
A PERNICIOUS QUARREL
An adventure of dastardly diplomacy for up to 8th level PCs.
Exhumed Grave
Tail End
Unmentionable Services
Unhappy Goatherd
Cross-Eyed Beholder
Gloves of Arrow Snaring
BACKGROUND/SETUP
What began as a friendly rivalry between two ostensible allies has, over the course of centuries, grown into a bittery and deadly feud. A beholder known colloquially as “The Magnificent Maw” has pitted his own intellect and criminal network against a canny rakshasa currently operating under the guise of a gnome named Kip*.
* Not her real name. Her real name is Kajanajat, but to any astute adventurer, a name like Kajanajat fairly screams “rakshasa.” So don’t even think it. She’s just Kip.
What began as a professional (if criminal and indubitably evil) rivalry can now be settled to their satisfaction only with the death of one or the other. Unfortunately, the two are uniquely matched opponents: The rakshasa’s natural damage resistance and spell resistance makes her nearly immune to any spell-like or even physical attack from the beholder, and the beholder’s anti-magic eye renders the rakshasa’s potent sorcery moot. It’s certainly within the realm of possibility that one or the other of them might get lucky, but as they are both natural cowards, they prefer to work patiently and by proxy, each trying to get a perfectly secure upper hand before moving.
The balance of power at the moment where the PCs get involved has tipped slightly. The Maw has allied himself with a clan of duergar (naturally resistant to many of the rakshasa’s spells, and in particular immune to phantasms) and they have successfully stolen Kip’s prized gloves of arrow snaring (which she acquired as proof against blessed bolts).
Kip has spent many months tracking them down to their current location, an abandoned dwarven mine in the low mountains where the PCs are currently travelling. In their last and most recent encounter, Kip managed to land a bestow curse on the Maw, leaving him permanently cross-eyed (at least until the curse can be lifted). As a result of the curse, any of the beholder’s eye-stalks has a 50% chance of missing its intended target and striking some other target instead. Needless to say, the Maw retreated immediately, leaving only a few duergar to deal with Kip.
Kip prevailed, using baleful polymorph on many of The Maw’s duergar allies—including a particularly useful Clr5 who was transmuted into a black-bearded billy goat (among other goats in Kip’s herd).
All of this seems to lean in Kip’s favor at the moment, but The Maw is working wheels within wheels. He and his duergar allies have been working through the tailings of the gold mine, sifting out huge quantities of arsenic, which the duergar have been adding in vast quantities to their diet. Although the arsenic is harmless to the duergar (who are immune to poison), The Maw’s plan is to trick Kip into eating one of his highly poisonous allies, thereby introducing the poison into her system while neatly bypassing her damage reduction. Unfortunately, they have reached the end of the tail and they have no more arsenic on hand. If Kip does not eat one of the duergar within the next day or so, the opportunity will “pass,” so to speak.
THE MAGNIFICENT MAW
Standard Beholder (CR13), currently afflicted with a bestow curse that causes all of his eye-stalks (other than his central eye) to go cross-eyed, giving him a 50% chance to miss his intended target and strike a random target instead.
KIP the RAKSHASA
Advanced Rakshasa (+3 sorcerer levels to Sor10, CR13.) Kip’s spell resistance advances to SR30. Kip’s spell selection should be changed up to focus on illusions (phantasms), and should include misdirection, gaseous form, shadow conjuration, hold monster (duergar are immune) and baleful polymorph. Kip knows that The Maw can revert any of his polymorphed allies to their natural form with his anti-magic eye.
ENTER THE PCs
The adventure is broadly arranged as a series of sequential encounters between the PCs and either Kip or The Maw, with a finale that brings all the major players together at the same time to decide things once and for all. The PCs will grow in their knowledge of the situation over the course of several encounters, and may ultimately ally themselves with one or the other of the major villains to destroy the other—and then possibly to double-cross their ally and finish things off for good.
FIRST ENCOUNTER—The Unhappy Goatherd
The PCs first encounter (a purely circumstantial encounter as the PCs are travelling through a fairly desolate and rocky/hilly area) will be with Kip, disguised as a female gnome with a small herd of goats. Some of these goats are real goats (not Kip’s preferred fare, but ok in a pinch) and some of these goats are polymorphed duergar.
The DM should be careful to play Kip completely innocently so as not to arouse the players’ suspicions. She should be played as “the hook” and certainly not “mysterious” or “untrustworthy.” You will want to play on your players’ preconceived meta-game notions. Nothing in your actions or Kip’s conversation should say anything other than, “Young female gnome goatherd named Kip who needs help from the PCs.”
Kip will greet the PCs shyly and a bit warily, and ask them if they would like to share her midday meal of warm goat cheese and fresh goat’s milk. She is obviously very unhappy and will quickly open up to them—asking if they are adventurers and if they would be willing to help her.
Kip will explain to the PCs that a horrible monster (“a big mouth with lots of sharp little teeth”) has recently taken up residence in an abandoned dwarven gold mine (true) and he seems to have some dwarven allies (true). She will explain that she encountered them near the mine itself (true) but that she managed to get away and they didn’t pursue her (true). She is sure that they are up to no good (true) and pose a danger to the nearby village (true).
Kip will use misdirection if necessary and if she realizes that she is in a zone of truth or the like she will just naturally extend the conversation with small talk, interspersed with such completely true snippets above. Eventually, she’ll throw in the following:
“There’s something more I am almost ashamed to ask. There is a grave not far from here (true) that has recently been dug up (true). I found bones everywhere (true) but I’ve arranged everything back (true). There are some gloves missing (true)—they must be magic (true)—and I’m certain those no-good dwarves have taken them (true). I’d really like to see them returned (true). You probably think that’s a silly superstition but I hope you don’t’ want to see a grave defiled (true). I would hate to think these hills might end up haunted by some hero’s ghost. Maybe you won’t even have to fight them.”
Finally, Kip will end, “Well if you do go up there, please don’t mention that you’re doing this on my behalf. I got away before but I am sure it would mean more trouble if they knew I sent you (true).”
SECOND ENCOUNTER—The Magnificent Maw and his Allies
The abandoned gold mine is not far from where Kip has set up camp. The mine is mostly collapsed and does not go back far, but does have its share of twists and turns. The duergar who watch the entrance will use invisibility and move silently behind the PCs as they investigate the cave.
Not far into the cave—perhaps at the first intersection—is a giant boulder painted to look roughly like a beholder—mostly just one big eye and lots of teeth. The duergar will stand above/behind this rock and speak to the PCs invisibly, “Who comes to petition The Magnificent Maw?”
If the conversation goes well, the duergar will remove a pebble with continual light from his belongings and, remaining invisible, lead the PCs down the hallway as a floating light. Eventually they will come face to face with The Maw in a large chamber with lots of collapsed tunnels and the remains of the tailings. A “suitably daunting number” of duergar will invisibly move into the chamber and take up position. When The Maw finally turns to face the PCs, his anti-magic eye will reveal many of the duergar who are in position around the chamber. The fact that The Maw is cross-eyed should be apparent to the PCs—his eyes will waggle and cross uncontrollably while he speaks to them.
(The PCs should also note that all of the duergar are armed with crossbows and there are more than a few crack shots among their number…)
The Maw has no interest in fighting the PCs but the encounter can certainly go that way if the PCs so choose—but they should be clearly outmatched. Indeed The Maw may be inclined to spare them if he can charm or neutralize enough of them with his eye-beams (remember his miss chance and the possibility of striking his own duergar allies).
If The Maw can get the PCs into a receptive mood for diplomacy one way or the other, he’ll quickly figure out what is going on and suggest to them a counter offer. Exactly what he offers depends on whether or not the PCs mention the gloves:
If the PCs don’t mention the gloves: “I know that goatherd. Hmm, yes. In fact if I am not mistaken, she has quite a flock of tasty goats. Tell her that we’ll move along if she’ll give me all her goats. She can keep one or two for dinner.”
If the PC mention the gloves the bargain changes subtly: “Well, that goatherd has one fine black billy goat. I’ll trade the gloves for that goat. And if she won’t trade, maybe you could just sneak that goat back here on your own…? I’ll still honor the bargain. My word is my bond.”
The Maw’s first and most pressing plan is to get his Clr5 ally back so that he can cast remove curse on him, so he will make what bargains he can to get that goat back. However, The Maw is nowhere near as canny as Kip, and although he’s no more likely to lie or break his word, he is more likely to let the PCs in on the whole quarrel, revealing Kip’s nature, if he thinks it will improve his position to take a band of adventurers into his confidence.
If The Maw takes the PCs into his confidence, he will guarantee their safety and ask them to arrange a truce between himself and Kip—the adventure moves to THE FEAST. However, he is worried about arousing Kip’s suspicions, so he will warn the PCs that under no circumstances should they mention to Kip that they are working on his behalf. It is imperative that Kip believes the PCs are acting in the interests of settling things peacefully.
If he gets desperate enough, The Maw will trade all sorts of guarantees if the PCs will cast remove curse on him. He’ll honor any agreement with them but move to take Kip out once and for all at THE SHOWDOWN.
THIRD ENCOUNTER—Back to Kip
This encounter depends heavily on how the PCs handled The Maw, and what they know.
The PCs might try to talk Kip out of her herd. She will trade the herd for the gloves (and even the score later).
The PCs might try to steal the black billy goat. This will arouse Kip’s suspicions but she’s not likely to reveal her true nature to save one prisoner. The Maw will get his curse removed and the adventure moves to THE SHOWDOWN.
The PCs might now know Kip’s true nature and decide to take her on. Kip’s not down for that and will certainly try to flee using whatever means are at her disposal (gaseous form, etc.)
The PCs might know Kip’s true nature and try to arrange a truce between her and The Maw. Remember that The Maw’s ultimate goal is to trick Kip into eating one of the duergar who are laden with arsenic from the tail—and he’s on the clock. Of course, the PCs don’t need to know that one of the goats slaughtered for THE FEAST is actually a sentient being, and neither Kip nor The Maw is bloody likely to tell them. Kip will make certain that the meal is prepared when the PCs are away (perhaps returning to The Maw to agree to the truce.)
THE FEAST
If the PCs manage to arrange a friendly encounter between the two villains, it will be at THE FEAST. Nothing will save Kip now—eventually she will eat the tainted meat, which contains enough arsenic to kill her a few times over. She’ll lose several points of CON in the first round and she’ll have 1 minute (10 rounds) before the secondary effects kick in and she loses several times 1d8 CON.
Of course, as soon as she realizes she’s poisoned, the adventure moves to THE SHOWDOWN. She may already be dead but she'll try to take
THE SHOWDOWN
This part of the adventure is triggered as soon as the PCs, Kip, and The Maw are together together and open hostility breaks out. The PCs will need to pick a side quickly.
The Maw can always use his central eye effectively, and he will usually keep it centered on Kip no matter what. If he’s still cursed, he can’t very effectively use his other eyes, but use them he will, willy-nilly. Remember that Kip has SR30 and The Maw is caster level 13.
Kip will use Shadow Conjuration to summon allies when and where she can, and other illusions to distract whomever she can.
A paladin PC may be able to cast bless weapon on one or more crossbow bolts, either for the PCs or even the duergar to use. Whether or not they work depend on whether or not Kip has her gloves back, and certainly whether or not The Maw has her in his central eye (thus negating the magic on the blessed bolt). Timing is key.
Much hinges on the villains’ appraisal of the PCs capabilities. Obviously, if the PCs attack either of the villains, any previous agreements are off with respect to that villain.
The ideal denouement for the PCs is likely a situation where they can ally with one of the villains to take out the other, but where the remaining villain is sufficiently weakened that they can take him or her out, too.
Exhumed Grave-- the ruse that Kip uses to try to get her gloves back
Tail End-- the end of the tail from the mine, full of arsenic
Unmentionable Services-- the PCs are asked by each villain not to mention their involvment
Unhappy Goatherd-- Kip's disguise
Cross-Eyed Beholder-- The Magnificent Maw
Gloves of Arrow Snaring-- Kip's prized gloves
This adventure consists of a pair of encounters that can be added as flavor to any existing adventure. There exists the tomb of a dracolich underneath a dungeon or castle. The tomb has since caved in and been filled in with dirt. Furthermore, a paladin has consecrated the ground, preventing the dracolich from rising again, as long as the dirt remains. The paladin’s wizard friend, foreseeing a time when other creatures might wish to free the dracolich, added a mechanical trap to the grave.
An unfortunate beholder by the name of Scilivanthrok had heard the legend of the great evil buried under consecrated ground, but was unaware that it was a dracolich. Having uncovered the tip of the dracolich’s tail, he now realizes that he does not want to awaken the dragon—but is also now caught in the trap, and needs to escape. He hopes that the party will help him with this.
If the beholder moves out of the way, or tries to free himself, he will be shot by an Arrow of Slaying. However, he knows of a goatherd outside who has Gloves of Arrow Snaring, who might be willing to part with it. Out in the field, the goatherd indeed has these gloves, but he is quite upset because his goats prove unwilling to mate. If someone in the party is willing to help (the task involves a magic skin that turns someone into a goat, a Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity, a bladder of warm milk, and a scroll of Remove Curse) he will give the Gloves to the party for free.
With the gloves in hand, the party can catch the hidden arrow, freeing the beholder to recover the dracolich grave, and leave the party in peace.
The Cross-Eyed Beholder
The party first encounters the grave in a room in a dungeon. The floor of the room is bare earth, and a large hole has been dug at one end. At the bottom of the hole floats a beholder, named Scilivanthrok. He stares intently at a tail bone that has been unearthed—the tail end of the dracolich. Also, hugging the beholder’s form is a large cagelike structure. It has bound the eyestalks of the creature in such a way that they bend inward, facing each other.
“There is another here! I can hear you!” the beholder calls out. “No, fear not, I will not harm you. Yes, indeed, if you find the way to set me free, then I shall call you friends, allies! I am Scilivanthrok, and a fool, yes. You see this bone before me? It is the tail of a dracolich. It does not move, yes? It is not yet active, and will stay this way if I stare at it. No magic, you see? Now, I must not move either, for I am trapped! I shall be struck dead if I move, killed by a hidden arrow! You would like the poor foolish beholder dead, but the dracolich will live! No, I know more people. There is a man, he tends goats, and has magic! He can give you gloves, and you can catch the arrow yourself! Then I free myself from the trap, cover the grave, and we all are safe, and friends, yes? You help foolish Scilivanthrok?"
edit: judgment done. waiting on the other two judges now...
Spoiler:
ok. InVinoVeritas, you went way over the time limit and your entry clearly needs more work (it doesn’t even have a title). and your opponent finished and submitted his entry within the time constraints. the first two are bad, but the third one is the real killer. but as an intellectual exercise, let’s take a look at what we have.
Wulf has a full adventure laid out with hooks and a storyline. IVV has a side adventure that could actually be dropped into any high end dungeon as a side encounter.
Ingredients Exhumed Grave
Wulf’s entry used the grave as a plot hook to motivate the players, but it never really comes into the story much beyond that. IVV’s entry used the partially exhumed grave as the resting place of a dracolich which held the beholder in place. so this was actually a much stronger usage. point to IVV
Tail End
Wulf’s Tail End is the back of the mine where the arsenic was being dug out. IVV’s Tail End lies in the Grave and is the threat that holds the Beholder and the rest of the story depends on more than just the tail end not being revealed. again, point to IVV.
Unmentionable Services
Wulf’s services were not to tell the other side. IVV’s services involved “a magic skin that turns someone into a goat, a Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity, a bladder of warm milk, and a scroll of Remove Curse.” truth be told, I’m almost glad that IVV didn’t have more time to go into details on this one. blech! unmentionable in the extreme. third point to IVV.
Unhappy Goatherd
Wulf’s Goatherd was a disguise, made acceptable by the presence of Kip’s goats. IVV’s entry wasn’t particularly inspiring either, but at least it was an actual Goatherd, not a Rakshasa pretending to be a Goatherd. not a strong point, but an edge to IVV.
Cross-Eyed Beholder
I was wondering how you were going to pull this one off. Wulf’s curse and subsequent mis-fire rules were a much better idea than IVV’s cage trap that pushed the eye stalks around. point to Wulf on this one.
Gloves of Arrow Snaring
I can see where a Rakshasa would go out of his or her way to keep their hands on this item, to the exclusion of a whole bunch of other things. it is the Gloves which provide a background for most of Wulf’s storyline. IVV, stopping an arrow of slaying from killing the Beholder, wouldn’t it have been easier to just put a tower shield in front of the trap? and I personally can’t stand High Magic campaigns where even the lowly Goatherders have magic items lying around worth hundreds or thousands of gold pieces. Wulf got the point on this one as well.
so at the end of the ingredients, we have Wulf with two points, but IVV with three and an edge.
Connections:
Wulf your Grave didn’t tie to the End or the Goatherd very much at all, other than lipservice. and I found Your services were fairly weak as well. the Beholder that stole the Arrow which drives the rest of the adventure works ok, but even though you’ve got the various ingredients dropped in here and there, they really didn’t connect for me all that well.
IVV, your Grave holds the Tail End (of a monster, but that monster is just a mcguffin that never really comes into play) keeping the Beholder trapped and for it to escape the trap, it needs the players to perform Services for the Goatherd to get the Gloves.
Generally if I can string all six ingredients into a single (mostly) grammatically correct sentence, that’s doing pretty well. another nod towards IVV’s entry.
Usage
Wulf’s entry clearly dominates here. IVV, if I were playing in a game and walked into the setting you’ve described, I’d laugh my a$$ off at the monster and walk back out of the room. but it would be worthy of a laugh, once the situational stupidity of the beholder and the whole scenario was exposed to light. we the players would be asking the DM, “What were you thinking…” and it would have hung around as one of those bizarre stories of failed adventure hooks for generations to come… not a point there, but maybe half a grin.
Wulf. the biggest problem I had with your entry, more than anything else was your 7th ingredient, and that’s because it’s such a major dominating part of the whole storyline: Kip the Rakshasa. your entry is great and would make a fine adventure to run (especially since we three judges are actively trying to find some really tough finale ingredients for the end). I was and am impressed that you came up with anything with all six ingredients, much less that it was coherent and at least tried to string them all together. but there's a lot of extra stuff in there as well and without that extra stuff, your adventure based only on the six main ingredients just doesn't happen. each judge has his own grading system. mine looks, more than anything else, at the six core items. everything else is just touchy feely stuff.
IVV. I think it was Napoleon who said “Ask me for anything but time.” in my opinion, the basic ideas you had for stringing together the ingredients without a whole lot of extra stuff would have been a much stronger entry than Wulf’s and would have put you into the final running, if you could just have polished out the little bumps along the way and come up with a finished product within the time. a couple of your items were weak, but overall you had a much tighter usage of all six and used more of them better, without needing to drag in more stuff (Kip, the duergar, etc).
for these final three rounds, all three of us (Radiating Gnome, Nifft, and I) will be submitting a judgment. best two out of three judgments wins. even though IVV went over on time, on the basis of the ingredients and the way he used them, I would have given him the round on a wide margin - Iron DMs are not setting specific and a side trek or single encounter is just as valid as an entire campaign setting would be. it is the usage of the ingredients and ONLY the ingredients that should make up the core of an entry. but due to all the other negative factors involved with IVV’s entry, since my other two judges haven’t posted yet, here’s what I’m going to do.
in radically different ways, I found both entries needed a lot more work to be what I would consider a winning entry.
if either of the other two judges gives InVinoVeritas a win, or even if one of them is undecided and puts forth a split decision (like mine), then I will give IVV the win for this round.
but if they both throw it to Wulf (which I find rather likely in all honesty), then the decision will be unanimous and Wulf will advance.
so which of these two advances will now depend on RG and Nifft (which was the case anyway, come to think).
Last edited by phoamslinger; 7th November 2009 at 06:43 PM..
Exhumed Grave
Tail End
Unmentionable Services
Unhappy Goatherd
Cross-Eyed Beholder
Gloves of Arrow Snaring
Spoiler:
I don't DIS-like either of these, but neither can I feel much LIKE for them. They're both unfinished.
If weekends are better for you folks, please speak up early! I don't care if this contest takes a few extra days. I do emphatically care about the quality of work -- and I know that these entries take a lot of work!
Okay, so first things first: ingredients.
Exhumed Grave - Wulf's is pure backstory, and odd at that, since any PCs who acted on it would be conflicting with the lie-averse Rakshasa. InVino, you've made the grave into the setting. Advantage IVV.
Tail End - Wulf, I'm not sure how the PCs would know they were in a "tail end". My criteria for evaluating ingredients involves thinking how a player would respond when asked, "so what did you think of the ______?" And if a player would have no clue what I'm talking about, that ingredient is a failure. IVV, your tail end is cleverly integrated, but it's a mechanical failure, because the central eye wouldn't affect an undead critter. Still, at least players would see it, and there's plenty of room for a mechanically minded DM to say the central eye cone was really stopping a magic rune of blah blah blah merely adjacent to the tail.
Unmentionable Services - Boy, I gotta be more careful with ingredients. IVV, you almost lost a ton of points before I realized that the discomfort I was feeling was entirely our own fault for giving you that ingredient. Kudos. Wulf, your services were mention-averse, but the PCs could easily betray either party without a second thought. I'd rather these services were things the characters would be embarrassed about, so IVV takes this one. In a disturbing, yet oddly satisfying way.
Unhappy Goatherd - I felt like both of you nailed this one, though I have a lot of trouble seeing this Rakshasa just hanging around playing goatherd all day. Loses several plausibility points there.
Cross-Eyed Beholder - IVV, I'm just not seeing it. A mechanical trap custom-made for beholders?! That just happens to be above him as he exhumes a grave? Point to Wulf for straightforward implementation. IVV, if I used your scenario, I'd also use Wulf's mechanic -- somehow the beholder triggered a bestow curse and that is what made him crosseyed.
Gloves of Arrow Snatching - IVV, nice to see a beholder-specific problem (can't wear gloves), but why would a goatherd have such gloves, and how would the beholder know this fact, and ... yeah. Plausibility strain. Wulf, excellent justification. Of course a Rakshasa would want those! I'm kicking myself for never making that connection. Point to Wulf.
Evocative Prose: I liked Wulf's entry-cave, I liked the Rakshasa vs. Beholder mafias, I liked the cross-eyed curse.
IVV, I loved the idea of a Beholder trapped by not wanting to turn off his anti-magic cone, and the list of goatherd "animal husbandry" equipment was a bit TOO evocative... and by that, I mean excellent.
Plotwise: Wulf, I liked the idea of a feast on the poisoned flesh of the deep dwarves... but that was also terribly problematic, since the PCs would presumably be eating at the feast as well. Also, how would the PCs or Beholder get to choose which goat, rather than Kip? Also, why hasn't the sentient goat run away yet? Also, these criminal organizations must have been near a town, and I could easily see the PCs deciding to skip the mine and go to town for arrows, wands, ale, whores, whatever -- and then doing some Beholder research, discovering that the criminal underworld had two ringleaders, and connecting the dots from there -- and just deciding to kill both of them, which is what I'd probably want to do!
IVV, I really liked the essence of the setup, but felt it just wasn't justified by the details. IMHO the Beholder knows too much about his situation to have been caught in it.
In general, I felt that each of you have the kernels of an awesome idea, but didn't polish that idea to completion, and the rough edges are poking holes in your continuity.
Usability: Both scored low, because of the work I felt a DM would need to do to fill in the details in adapting for his own use.
Based on ingredient use, I want to give the match to InVinoVeritas. But ...
Spoiler:
despite my reservations, I'm going to give it to InVinoVeritas anyway. He had far less cool stuff, but in this case less is more, because there were fewer loose ends dangling in my face. This bothers me, because with a tiny bit of tweaking Kip is an awesome NPC, and could easily be turned into the party's patron for half a campaign as they gather the equipment she needs to finally destroy civilization... including those gloves. But Raksha Gangsta wasn't an ingredient.
Even though I don't like how incomplete each of these felt, I really do admire the inspiration that oozes from both. Kudos on creativity.
__________________
Brevity is the soul of wit, so trim your sig or look dumb.
And it falls upon me to sum up, after presenting my own.
First, My take. Pernicious Quarrel (PQ) vs. Unnamed Entry (UE)
Spoiler:
Let me just get right to the meat of this -- I want to pay some attention to the ingredients and the form, despite the unusual circumstances.
So, the ingredients.
Exhumed Grave.
I frankly had to go hunting through PQ to find this ingredient. It's there, but I really had to hunt for it, and it could really have been anything. In UE, on the other hand, the dracolich's grave was being exhumed by the beholder . . . it works. It's not all that strong, but it's there a little better than the one in PQ. Point to UE.
Tail End
Again, the tail end of the gold mine in PQ is there, but not really in an interesting, evocative way. The exhumed end of a tail of a Dracolich is pretty cool . . . clever, even. Edge to UE.
Unmentionable Services.
Well, the unmentionable services in UE were funny, and certainly unmentionable. I laughed at the idea. In PQ, the services are not really unmentionable at all -- it's a trivial thing, but asking someone not to mention something is not the same as that thing being unmentionable, at least in my head. And, certainly, the PCs had the OPTION to mention those services to either party in the exchange . . . so . . .they were not quite unmentionable at all. I'm imagining 4e skill challenge version of those unmentionable services . . . . Edge to UE.
Unhappy Goatherd.
I like Kip a lot -- it's a real shame that he's not an ingredient per se, because if he were, I think he could have carried a lot of the weaker stuff in PQ. The goatherd guise is okay, but it's sort of weak, even with the flock of polymorphed duegar goats. With UE, the goatherd is an actual goatherd, and as campy and weird as his role in the story is, at least he's tied to the story by an ingredient that calls for that sort of camp (unmentionable services). The idea that a goatherd has a set of gloves of arrow snaring . . . well . . . anyway, that's another ingredient. I'll be back on that horse in a sec. But, if we focus on the unhappy part . . . in UE, the goatherd is unhappy; in PQ she's only pretending to be unhappy. I dunno. It's pretty thin. Call it a wash.
Cross-Eyed Beholder
Honestly, I'm not excited about either of the uses of this. In PQ, the beholder is crosseyed because of a curse, in Ue because of the trap which has caught his eyes and pointed them at each other. Both of those are weak, but I have to say that the idea of a mechanical trap -- one that was not designed specifically to catch a beholder -- has this one caught with his eyes all facing each other is just too much to swallow. Point to PQ.
Gloves of Arrow Snaring
I'm really struggling with the idea that the goatherd in UE has the gloves -- if he has a magical item of such value (and of so little use in his everyday life), why the heck hasn't he sold it and given up being a goatherd? Point to PQ. (and, really, the girdle of masculinity/femininity? Where does he get these wonderful toys?)
So, it's very close, with 3 ingredients swaying towards IVV, and two for Wulf, with a split decision on the goatherd.
Usability
I don't really know what sort of players either of you play with, but my groups don't do well with this sort of delicate negotiation sort of adventure, especially when they are so far fetched.
In PQ, depending upon whether the DM tips his hand, may well believe Kip and head off into the mines to look for the maw, but the PCs will "know" at that point that they're facing the bad guy. They see a painted boulder and hear a voice, they stop sweating the "real" beholder and start attacking. And the rest of the adventure falls apart from there.
In UE . . . well, my PCs would just killed the helpless beholder in the trap, then go looking for the goatherd who has some loot. Maybe some further development would create a situation where combat is ill-advised because it might actually wake the dracolich, but that's not here now.
Evocative Writing/Creativity.
I wasn't very excited by much in either entry. I liked Kip a lot. I think he has potential. And in a very different way, I liked the unmentionable services in UE, even though they're based on magic items that are improbably in the kit of a lowly goatherd.
Overall -
Man, this is a lot harder than I expected when I sat down with these two, given the circumstances. And I find that I'm leaning towards an answer I did not expect to come up with before I started to look closely at the way ingredients were being used.
PQ should have been an easy winner, given the time and development of the adventure. Everything about it is more fleshed out, more developed, more complete than UE. But in the key areas of the ingredients, UE is still edging out PQ, despite the anorexic development, because the ideas behind the use of those ingredients are better. And that's an interesting place to be.
But look at Kip -- so much has been done in this adventure to develop the Rhakshasa Kip -- and the only thing that pays off for the competition is the unhappy(?) goatherd guise he uses to get the PCs to help him. It certainly makes for a more complete entry, and that helps, but does it help the entry cross the finish line? I'm torn.
UE has better, if campy, use of the ingredients. It lacks hooks, and all the window dressing that we want from a good Iron DM entry. But I still am drawn to that adventure more -- that's the one I would rather play. I think if IVV had been able to develop this entry better, it would have been the hands-down winner. No question in my mind.
I find myself in a place where I'm on the hooks between giving one entry my nod because it was more complete, but not because I liked it better -- or, giving the other entry my nod because I liked the ideas better despite the lack of completeness of the entry.
In the end, Iron DM is about creativity and inventiveness -- and I don't necessarily like the trend towards entries that have included complete stat blocks for monsters, etc. Those are nice, but to me they're not the heart of the matter.
So, I'm going to tip towards IVV. I'm sure it's a minority position, but that's where I'm standing.
The short version of the judgement on this round is that Nifft has given a solid vote for IVV; that was enough to throw Phoamslinger's vote into IVV's column, so my position was trivial . . . . though my weak vote for IVV makes this a pretty wish-washy but still unanimous decision
Reading over the judgements, I think we're all responding to the same things, and all felt the same sort of frustrations making a decision on this round.
Wulf, I think you're a helluva guy, and you've been a model of sportsmanship, given the lateness of IVV's entry. And, frankly, I'm still surprised that I didn't like this entry of yours better. But as one of the judges, I want to make it a point to thank you for your generosity and grace.
And InVinoVeritas, I'm happy to be the one to send you along to the finals, but I'd HATE to see another entry as thin as this past one, given the other strengths you clearly have. I hope that we'll be able to schedule the final round in such away that you'll have the time to complete your entry properly.
Gone Fishin’
A Fourth Edition D&D Adventure for five PCs of 15th level
Background:
The Black Rock Confederacy has recently come under the threat of raids originating from the many caverns that thread through the hills. Strange, aquatic fish monsters, named “Kuo-Toa” by those knowledgeable in such things, have been making forays on the various towns and villages of the confederacy. Many have gone missing, dragged screaming into the steaming caverns below.
Traditional attempts to fight this menace have failed – fortifying the numerous villages and towns is difficult at best, and the laying of traps thus far has been unsuccessful. Divine pleas for aid point towards a risky endeavour – for, in the very caves haunted by Kuo-Toa, there is said to lie an abandoned magical trident that grants control over the fish men. But to enter the underdark – and brave the kuo-toa army that camp there – is a terrifying proposition.
Luckily for the Confederacy, a resourceful young healer named Ebon Grai has put forward one means of acquiring otherwise reluctant volunteers. The Confederacy will issue a draft...
Synopsis:
The PCs are asked by Confederacy leaders to arrange for the draft of civilians, in the hopes of putting together a suitable force capable of acquiring a magical Trident said to be located in an old underground dwarven hold. They take part in the forced drafting of the adult populace, having to quell riots and settle on a means of determining suitability in the drafting process. During this process, they will be faced with many bribery offers, and will most likely wind up on the expeditionary force themselves.
The PCs meet Ebon Grai, an opportunistic young healer who has offered to lead the expedition. Ebon is a very smart man, with sinister motivations, which the PCs soon discover on their trek underground. Ebon has developed a process that allows slain volunteers to be temporarily revived as wights – those undead that are able to return to the surface will be easily revived (or so Ebon claims).
The strike force makes it way through a fungal forest underground, with the PCs having to settle disputes among their “troopers” and unease over the “new recruits” (the wights). After several battles with Kuo-Toa, they learn that a strike team of Fish Men is making its way to the fortress in order to secure the trident.
The PCs (along with Ebon) leave the main expeditionary force to enter the fortress, which has been charged with electrical energy due to the presence of so many Kuo-Toa whips and monitors. Eventually, the party comes across the Trident (an artefact that allows the PCs to control the Kuo-Toa) only to be predictably betrayed by Ebon. Using their kuo-toa army, the PCs have to battle Ebon’s Wights if they wish to escape the underdark alive.
A Quick Note:
Unlike earlier entries, this adventure could be very large in scope, and is not necessarily linear in structure. While a potential path is charted for the PCs to follow, deviations can (and probably will) occur. Further, the exact outcome of this adventure remains open to PC choice. As such, the presentation of this adventure will differ from earlier entries, instead focusing on individual ingredients and adventure possibilities.
The Black Rock Confederacy:
The Black Rock Confederacy is a collection of independent townships in the Furnace Hills, an area known to be riddled with both limestone caverns and lava vents. Considered by most to be a suicide locale, due to the frequent volcanic eruptions and inevitable monster raids, the confederacy still attracts a rough and tumble assortment of miners and profit-seekers, due to the abundance of gemstones (particularly diamonds) in the earth. The confederacy consists of a dozen or so towns and villages, scattered throughout the hills, each no more than thousand souls strong.
The exact reasoning for why the PCs find themselves in the Furnace Hills is, of course, up to the individual GM to decide, but a simple reason that can easily be explained into the story is to come as independent arbiters, hired in a low-lying town. As the Confederacy struggles against the increasing Kuo-Toa raids, they have decided (due to Ebon Grai’s leadership and plan, described below) that a military draft to put forth a field army is the best pursuit. However, in such a case, there are always those who can put forward a valid argument on why they should not be considered for the mission. And, due to the small size of the confederacy, no leader could be considered to be truly neutral. As such, the PCs could easily be hired to act as a neutral, unbiased party. This “hook” is the default consideration for the adventure, though GMs can modify it as they see fit, obviously.
The Draft:
Ebon Grai has put forward a plan to draft thirty men and women that are capable of entering the underdark in the hopes of securing the trident. Each will be trained in basic military drills, equipped with arms and armour, and arranged into a strike force. However, Ebon has a technique that will allow those who are slain to be temporarily revived as a special form of Wight – a monster with a fully-functioning body and a soul in limbo, capable of draining life from the living. The breakthrough in the process is Ebon’s ability to, upon returning home, return the wight to life without the expensive ritual components that would surely bankrupt the confederacy. This technique is done using an easy-to-operate machine the healer has been working on for years as a side project – everyone knows how to use it, and are reasonably sure it will work. Enough, at least, to accept the risk Ebon proposes.
Of course, no one wants to face the possibility of temporarily turning into an undead monstrosity, and so a random draft is necessary. The PCs are hired to decide what constitutes a “draft-worthy candidate”, debating on parameters such as age, physical fitness, average intelligence, and so on. Each time they make a claim, they are presented with a “corner case” that they will have to make a ruling on. Of course, the whole time, they are presented with individuals feigning illnesses to make them exempt from the draft. During this period of the adventure, they are also given “friendly advice” by Ebon to make sure certain individuals are automatically drafted (rivals that Ebon holds a grudge against), as well as bribes by wealthier miners to exempt certain members. At least one “Draft Riot” should occur, and rebellions that oppose the draft could also spring up (imagine the PCs’ headquarters being surrounded by a “sing-in”!)
In any case, the PCs have to organize the draft itself, and the draft should be carried out as a major adventure scene. People growing increasingly tense as things carry on, while draftees pass out when their names are called.
After the draft is carried out, if the PCs haven’t volunteered to lead the expedition, they are approached by the community leaders, who beg the PCs to venture into the underdark. If they oppose this, they are instead approached by wealthier draftees who are willing to pay a rather large sum (in diamonds) if the PCs take their places. The PCs are also responsible for the training of the new recruits.
The draftees will follow PC advice as long as it is reasonable, and have a good mix of trepidation at the ordeal ahead of them and pride in their new combat abilities. Each is equipped with suitable arms and armour, provisions for the expedition, sun rods, and metal neck tags identifying themselves. They have a fear of the wights, and as more and more draftees are changed into undead, the fear among the draftees increases. They are prone to panic, and develop jaded personalities alarmingly fast.
For a good example of the draftees’ behaviour, watch the movies Platoon and Hamburger Hill, or most any movie on the Vietnam war. Establish several draftees early on, and give each draftee a catch phrase (such as “this can’t be happening” or “one day, this will all be over, and we’ll laugh about it”. As the draftees die and resurrect, they’ll repeat these catch phrases at key moments).
Ebon Grai:
Ebon Grai quickly establishes himself as a problem. Not only is his plan an unusual one, but his personality suggests he has little love for the confederacy. He does act as the expedition’s healer, though he charges for his healing services, and readily admits he became a healer for the money. Furthermore, his desire to see townsfolk changed into Wights becomes apparent very early on, with the so-called “healer” often declaring minor wounds to be fatal, suggesting a “temporary change in life status” as the only possible solution.
An early example will involve a draftee breaking an arm or a foot, and Ebon doing his best to humanely kill the civilian and promptly bring him back as a wight. Of course, the PCs will not trust Ebon very early on, especially once they realize they have no way of controlling the wights without the healer (who, of course, was fully trusted above ground). For his part, Ebon will do his best to get to dying draftees before the PCs, to turn them into wights before PC healing magic can take effect.
Ebon’s secret plan is to raise an army of wights and steal the trident, and then use the trident to gain control of the kuo-toa. With this force under his control, he’ll intensify the raids upon the surface and increase his army of wights substantially, until he is strong enough to seize control of the diamond stores and achieve fabulous wealth.
By the time the PCs realize Ebon is a threat, they also discover that they need him to return to the surface alive. After all, the moment he dies, the wights will go berserk. They should realize that the speedy retrieval of the artefact is the only way to return to the surface.
The Wights:
The Wights, as raised by Ebon, are mostly animated bodies animated by necromantic energy, as opposed to the soul-like animus that drives most people. They appear in many ways in their original form; however, their improper blood flow gives most of the wights a bruised look, with many purple splotches over the face, neck, hands, arms, chest, and legs. The longer the wights remain “dead”, the more pronounced this purple colouring becomes.
The Wights are not mindless, in fact retaining the same level of intelligence and training they had in life, only with a pronounced desire to “achieve the mission” (acquire the trident) and a subtle hatred of those who are still alive. Each wight is also incredibly loyal to Ebon, readily laying down his “life” to save “the master”. Should Ebon die, the wights will go berserk, slaying the remaining draftees readily. Each wight says little, though they often repeat one or two phrases. Some unconsciously repeat the last words they said over and over again as a mantra, others (such as the draftees the GM has decided to focus on) will repeat a stock phrase, even when it makes absolutely no sense. When they are forced to speak, they respond in one or two word answers.
During their foray into the fungal jungle, the Wights develop infections all over their body due to the moist conditions, some even growing mushrooms during watch duty. Upon reaching the dwarven lightning fortress, a wight that gets struck by an errant bolt of electricity will suddenly have its heart start once more, at least for a few seconds (one round). During this time, the wight reverts to his human self, screaming in horror at his current predicament before once more “going wight”.
The Underdark:
When the PCs enter the underdark with their large expeditionary force, they must move through many limestone tunnels and lava vents. The entire underground is hot and steamy, as there are numerous underwater vents that keep the air uncomfortably moist. For the first few days of the journey (encountering relatively small kuo-toa strike teams), the group encounters only small mushrooms and fungus conditions. This all ends when they enter the last stage of the journey, the mushroom jungle (see below).
During this trip, the group should have many role-playing opportunities with draftees (as they break for camp and try to keep morale), leadership opportunities, arguments with Ebon, and pitched battles with Kuo-Toa. The battles with Kuo-Toa should involve the PCs in a side fight, running a skill challenge to influence how the battle as a whole went. In any case, draftees should die during the Kuo-Toa ambushes; the success of the PCs in the skill challenges should influence the number. Make it clear that PCs cannot fight the Kuo-Toa along – each fight should involve dozens of the fish men. Furthermore, the more wights there are in the party, the easier each fight becomes, which could allow the PCs to think dead draftees are the ideal solution (good parties could have a very hard time rationalizing this).
The Fungal Forest:
The Fungal Forest is a series of large caverns, fed by both magma vents and aquatic waterways to create a steamy, moist environment. The steam collects on the millions of stalactites hundreds of feet overhead, before reaching a critical mass and “raining” in predictable torrents. This abundance of moisture has lead to the development of an underground “jungle” of sorts, populated entirely by giant mushrooms and various fungi that resemble undergrowth. The frequent rain and thick vegetation plays havoc on night vision, and the draftees find their clothes soon completely sodden and uncomfortable – diseases run rampant if left unchecked.
The group knows that the “dwarven fort” is somewhere in this forest, but also know that the forest stretches across dozens of caverns, each cavern kilometres in length. The Kuo-Toa are also searching the area in large groups (conveniently, groups the same size as the PCs expeditionary group! Who’d have thunk it?), using the waterways and pools to get from location to location, as they hate the conditions of the forest at least as much as the surface dwellers.
Many survival challenges can take place here – disease and the rotting of food are an obvious place to start, but deadfalls, poisonous fungal clouds, strangling vines, and pit traps are all possible choices. There could be minor dwarven ruins, completely overgrown, that foreshadow the dwarven fortress (below). Encounters could include Kuo-Toa raiding parties (in the thick of the “jungle”, these fights would be running skirmishes), bizarre giant centipedes that act like jungle snakes, and all manner of insect.
The Lightning Fortress:
The PCs were sent to get the Trident of Fish Command, which was said to be in an old dwarven fortress made of steel, buried underground. When the PCs reach the fortress, they see that the steel framework has been completely covered by the unchecked fungus forest. They also soon learn that the Kuo-Toa discovered it first, and the presence of lightning-powered Kuo-Toa whips and monitors has charged the metal structure in many places. In fact, it hums with electrical energy in places.
The PCs realize sending the entire strike team into the fortress (now probably half human and half wight, at least) would be more of a hassle than a help, so instead go in themselves. Ebon insists he accompany them (he wants the Trident, remember), and brings along his two favourite wights. Run Ebon and each Wight as a companion character, if possible.
The fortress is obviously dwarven in nature, with dwarven script in the walls and dwarf-sized hallways and furniture. Many of the larger room are filled with fungus growths, while large patches have completely rusted through. Despite this, many areas consist of bare metal, which often has an electrical charge. Furthermore, the Kuo-Toa in the area are aware of this, and use it to their advantage. As mentioned above, wights who trigger the numerous electrically-charged areas will temporarily revive, which should unsettle most PCs.
Exploring this dungeon should be a horror setting at times, with the wights increasing the tension, and the kuo-toa launching ambushes from underbrush or through rusted-open walls. Eventually, though, the PCs make it to the central room, and find the trident.
The Trident of Fish Command:
Built by the dwarves centuries ago, the Trident was forged to repel the Kuo-Toa that infested the underdark. However, the Kuo-Toa soon learned of the trident’s powers, and left the dwarves alone. With no kuo-toa to worry about, the trident remained unused for decades, until it was loaned to surface-dwelling humans to increase their fishing yield. Of course, after this, the kuo-toa attacked once more, and the dwarves scrambled to regain their valuable artefact. It was eventually returned, but not before the dwarves were forced to the surface. The bearer of the trident was not able to repel the kuo-toa – he made it to the old steel fortress before he was killed from a fall through the floor. The trident has remained in the fortress ever since, forgotten.
The Trident allows the wielder to control up to fifty Kuo-Toa at any one time, issuing commands as a minor action.
When the PCs recover the trident, Ebon makes his power play to seize it. However, the PCs should be prepared, and repel the healer. Ebon flees back to his army of Wights, and leads them in an attack against the remaining draftees, hoping to develop more followers. The PCs have to use the trident to control the nearby Kuo-Toa to stop Ebon... without killing him (since should he die, the wights will go berserk, and will not make it back to the surface to regain their former lives).
Exactly how the PCs accomplish this, of course, remains to be seen.
Final Notes:
If the PCs are able to lead the wights and surviving draftees to the surface, the wights are revived and Ebon will face prosecution and probable hanging. The trident will be used as a deterring device, and once the kuo-toa realize the confederacy has the trident, they cease their raids.
INGREDIENT SUMMARY: Evil Healer: Ebon Grai. Obviously evil, throughout the adventure. His "healing process" of temporary revival is pretty evil, and his behaviour as official doctor throughout the adventure is pretty nasty. Purple Wights: Again, pretty obvious. They are purple from their half-living status (and the congealed nature of the blood). This was actually really hard to figure out, but once I took at look through my first aid book (completely by accident!) it all came together. Military Draft: The PCs both initiate the draft itself, and then have to deal with draftees throughout the adventure. Trident of Fish Control: Not only the "MacGuffin" but an artefact that creates a very interesting encounter at the end (and the first time that the PCs are able to actually oppose Ebon, since if they do beforehand, they'll find many wights against them). Underdark Jungle: The mushroom forest. Very much a jungle (due to the frequent rain and heat) over a forest. Lightning Fort: The dwarven steel fortress, charged due to the presence of so many kuo-toa exploring it.
__________________ Current Campaign:The Shattered Isles Homebrew - Hammer (Minotaur Fighter 8), Kirra (Drow Rogue 8), Shedin (Dragonborn Paladin 8), Zahar (Half-Eladrin/Half Drow Bard 8), and Seahorse (Halfling Rogue 8). Currently the group is in the Feywild, trying to discover who is poisoning the drow.
This adventure is designed for a party of 11th level PCs. It takes place deep in the Underdark and makes a great introduction to paragon-level play.
Background
The brilliant and ambitious Locutious “Royal” Bolt had a grand dream; to set up a human empire amidst the dangers of the Underdark. He was partially successful, creating rifts to the Elemental Chaos to power the defenses of a series of forts around the borders of the territory where he planned to build his empire. Unfortunately for his grand dream of the “Bulwark Empire”, several factions took an interest in his machinations, including the neighboring drow and the militaries of the elemental cities Stormbreak and Cloudpeak(see below).
While the drow had no interest in the forts themselves due to the distance from their nearest settlements, they didn't like Bolt's rapidly expanding power or the idea of his forts falling into someone else's hands. They infiltrated his followers and performed a ritual that turned all of the inhabitants of his primary fort into ravening undead, figuring that would deter anyone else from taking it over. When Bolt himself was transformed, he – unlike most wights – retained a shred of his previous personality and ambitions and created a small “kingdom” of Wights based out of the first fort he constructed: the Sparkrift Bulwark.
Sparkrift Bulwark
The first fort is built in a massive Underdark cavern, designed around a rift to just inside a massive continual lightning storm in the Elemental Chaos known as the Allfront. The Sparkrift Bulwark taps into the power of the storm, channeling lightning into the fort and its surrounds to create a nearly-impenetrable barrier. The yellow metal walls of the fort have arcane and mechanical grounding devices that keep those inside it safe from the energy-saturated area around the rift but those outside aren't so lucky.
Sparkrift Jungle
Everything went entirely according to Bolt's plan, including the Sparkrift's effect on the lush, tangled Underdark jungle in which he built his fort. Much of the native Underdark flora and fauna died away, but what remained adapted and intermixed with the exotic plants and creatures native to the Allfront.
Aside from the usual Underdark giant mushrooms and phosphorescent fungus, the Sparkrift Jungle also now holds brilliantly-colored schools of cloud-swimming Sparkfish, several of the smaller breeds of Skywhales(that tend to remain in the near the energy-rich Sparkrift itself), dangerous Flicker Sharks, volatile current bushes, and, most importantly, exotic Crimson Charge-blossom flowers and an elemental-adapted fungus called Blue Groundweb.
Charge Blossoms and Groundweb have the unique property that, when gathered and ground together into a paste that is applied to the skin, the wearer is protected from the worst of the elemental effects surrounding the Sparkrift itself (and lightning in general). This is the key that let Bolt and his followers come and go from the Bulwark once the Sparkrift was opened and is also the key that has allowed Bolt, in his new form, to keep his small army of Wights intact.
The Sparkrift Jungle is a dangerous place. Every round a creature is in the Jungle, they take an attack versus Fortitude that deals 2d6+3 lightning damage from the ambient lightning energy sent out by the Sparkrift. The local creatures and plants have either adapted to this environment or are native to it and have grown in/migrated to the Jungle. Any normal Underdark hazard or an evolved version of just about any normal Underdark monster might be found here as well.
Also note that the Jungle is thickly laden with faerzress – the magical energy that is consumed by the Underdark plants in the Jungle – that made the growth so rich in the first place. Because of this, any teleport attempt is reduced to a 1 square teleport and any divination or scrying rituals fail when used in or on the Jungle or Bulwark.
Locutious “Royal” Bolt, aka the Royal Wight
Bolt was an eccentric genius whose mad fervor was enough to draw a hundred human followers on his “Royal Underdark Design.” Once converted, he still remembered enough to coat his wights with his stockpiles of protective paste and have them constantly scour the Jungle for the ingredients to keep their supply high.
Now, his wights ambush patrols or caravans of whatever Underdark creatures that happen to pass by the Sparkrift Jungle, then retreat to the relative safety of its bounds, often taking captives so he can Soul Harvest them to heal up any injured/damaged Wights after battle(see below).
As the Royal Wight, he still wears the purple and white garb of the royalty he made himself up to be in life and a gaudy crown of white gold studded with emeralds.
Mechanically, he is a Battle Wight Commander(MM1,p262), modified to be an elite – mostly consisting of making the Soul Harvest power an at-will rather than recharge power, augmenting the area-of-effect and healing quantity of Soul Harvest, and giving him 15 lightning resist.
The rest of his Purple Wights are as Battle Wights(MM1,p262), any he sends out of the Bulwark are coated with the protective purple paste, granting them resist 15 lightning for the day. All of them are canny about the hazards of the Jungle and adept at avoiding them.
Stormbreak and Cloudpeak
Stormbreak is a many-bridged city in the Elemental Chaos that is built on a web of massive wind-blown floating platforms that continually fly along the crest of the ever-expanding Allfront. Currently, they are preparing for war with the neighboring floating city of Cloudpeak. Until fairly recently, the cities were peaceful, but Bolt's Sparkrift sits in the Allfront between the two cities, disrupting the schools of Sparkfish and the migration patterns of Skywhales that the two cities fish/hunt as their primary food sources.
As sky fishers in the two cities began coming back with empty nets, the two cities became more aggressive in protecting their territories in the Allfront, eventually leading them to the brink of all-out war as they skirmished over the disappearing foodstocks. Finally, both called up their militias – the last step before war – the massive swelling of their respective militaries putting a massive strain on their resources and their already fragile relations with each other.
As a last-ditch diplomatic effort, the military leaders of the cities met in an attempt to avert the war and sent a combined squad of soldiers to the material plane in an attempt to find and eliminate the cause of the Sparkrift. This force wasn't quite prepared for the dangers of the Underdark into which they were sent and their number has now dwindled to two; a Genesai(Wind) Warlord from Stormbreak, code-name “Bellows”, and a Genesai(Lightning) Paladin from Cloudpeak, code-name “the Purifier”.
Bellows and The Purifier
Having finally reached the edge of the Sparkrift Jungle, Bellows came to the conclusion that if they were to have any hope of completing their mission and surviving to report their success back to their home cities, they had to conscript “locals” to the task. They have managed to bribe, threaten, coerce, and/or persuade a few adventurous parties to brave the depths of the Sparkrift Jungle for them and have learned much from those group's (mostly fatal) failures. They have a plan that they think will work, but they are running out of time; every day they wait is another day closer to war between Stormbreak and Cloudpeak.
The Purifier was also given a secret objective by the commander of his order, The Knights of the Golden Sky, to test a new ritual codenamed “Heal Evil” that may possibly restore intelligent undead and return them to their previous forms. It is a lower priority than preventing the war, but if it doesn't compromise their primary mission, he would like to try it on one of the Purple Wights.
The PCs will discover them in a small camp on the outskirts of the Sparkrift Jungle consisting of a pair of small personal tents, a much larger “command tent”, and two supply tents. Both agents own and carry a veritable arsenal of weaponry and equipment – mostly taken from their fallen companions and “conscripts” – some of which might be offered as rewards. Most importantly, Bellows has the Trident, MK2, Fish Command and Control Device(see below).
Bellows has a constant swirl of wind about him and an air of absolute command. The Purifier is much quieter, but his eyes spark with his zealousness and devotion to the mission(s).
Each is a different flavor of Level 13 Solo Soldier(Leader).
Trident, MK2, Fish Command and Control Device(TMK2-FCACD)
These tridents are primarily used to keep Flicker Sharks and other larger sky-swimming creatures away from military airships traveling through the Allfront and the one Bellows possesses is integral to their plan to complete their mission.
The trident has an at-will, standard action power that automatically(no roll required) dominates a nearby swarm of Sparkfish, a single Flicker Shark, or a Skywhale until the end of the player's next turn.
Sparkfish are usually non-hostile “background” elements and the DM can assume there is always a school or two of them “swimming” amidst the Jungle or near the Bulwark. If the Trident holder calls a school to swarm around them, the bodies of the Sparkfish protect anyone inside the huge(3x3) school from some of the lightning energies of their environment(lightning resist 5). Also, they can be ordered to attack the Trident-holder's enemies.
Flicker Sharks and Skywhales are more rare and Skywhales are also an important part of Bellow's plan(see below).
Also, the Trident has been secretly modified by the Purifier so that if an intelligent undead creature is hit by the blunt end of the trident, an item daily power, free action power activates: the creature makes a saving throw. If it is successful, the power is not used up; if the save fails, the creature dies unless otherwise noted(see below). Bellows knows nothing of this power, nor do any PCs not taken aside by the Purifier(see below).
Hooks 1) The PCs, while traveling through the Underdark, encounter the Bellows and The Purifier and are conscripted to aid them on their mission(s). 2) If the PCs have ties to any Underdark factions (drow, dueregar, etc), those factions can send them to investigate Sparkrift Bulwark and/or the Sparkrift Jungle to determine how much threat they pose now. 3) The PCs are encountered wherever they happen to be by Bolt's recruiters – who have been gone from the Underdark for months to years as they roam the lands and haven't heard of their master's fate – who promise them adventure, power, high rank, and/or good pay if they join the “Bulwark Empire's” military, dispatching them to Sparkrift Bulwark to enlist. 4) Cloudpeak and Stormbreak have called upon their allies in the material plane for assistance; allies who happen to be factions the PCs have been working with/for and send the PCs to assist. 5) Good aligned Paladins, Clerics, or similar characters might have been sent by the same order that the Purifier is a member of to aid him in his secret “Heal Evil” mission(see Below).
Bullet Point Adventure Summary
0) Hooks
1) Drafted into “the mission” and briefed
2) Infiltration/navigation of the Sparkrift Jungle
3) Skywhale assault on the Sparkrift Bulwark
4) Resolution
1. Mission Improbable
The PCs find themselves on the outskirts of the Sparkrift Jungle. How and why they are there depends on which hook(s) the DM used to get them there.
Regardless, when they arrive, the commandeering Bellows will attempt to conscript them into their mission, via whatever means he thinks will work; pleading, persuasion, bullying, promises of equipment, riches, and/or glory, even threats if he believes there is no other alternative.
The Purifier uses Insight to gauge the PCs' trustworthiness, approaching good-aligned Paladins and Clerics first, then any other seemingly good-aligned characters(especially any he discerns to be ritual casters, offering them copies of the ritual if it works). The Purifier will take such notables aside to discuss his secret “Heal Evil” mission. If he can convince them to help with his secret mission, he will attempt to get them to help persuade the others to help with the primary mission.
Once the PCs are on-board, Bellows shifts to the stern mien of a commanding officer. Whichever PC has the most prominent military bent, took the lead in the negotiations, and/or that Bellows likes most becomes “Sergeant.” He appends “Private” to the beginning of all the rest of the PCs' names. When speaking of them in general, he calls them “the Recruits”.
The Purifier mostly stays quiet, though occasionally throws in strong words about the “righteousness” of their mission, especially to any PCs in on his secret mission.
Bellows reveals the following plan, all drawn up and diagrammed on dozens of parchment sheets pinned to a large board that he points to with a long stick as he details the mission:
OPERATION: LIGHTNING STORM Preparation: The Recruits are to be trained in the use and operation of the Trident, MK2, Fish Command and Control Device(TMK2-FCACD). Phase 1: The Recruits are to use any means at their disposal, including but not limited to relevant applications of the TMK2 to appropriate a sufficient quantity Objective Alpha(indigenous fungal species BG, alias Blue Groundweb and floral species CCB, alias Crimson Charge-blossom) from the edge of Operation Zone Bravo(Sparkrift Jungle). Phase 2: The Recruits are to rendevous at Home Base with Objective Alpha to regroup to create LBF-15(Lightning Block Factor 15) and prepare for Phase 3. Phase 3: After training in the use and operation of LBF-15, the Recruits are to make liberal application of it to fortify against local conditions and infiltrate Operation Zone Bravo, eliminating or avoiding any encountered hostiles, using the TMK2 at their discretion. Phase 4: Upon reaching the boundary of Operation Zone Charlie(Sparkrift Bulwark), the Recruits are to use the TMK2 to locate and commandeer any sufficient Objective Delta(Skywhales). Phase 5: Once inside a commandeered Objective Delta, the Recruits are to use its arial capabilities to bypass the barrier surrounding Operation Zone Charlie. Phase 6: Upon location of a suitable Landing Zone inside Operation Zone Charlie, the Recruits are to find and identify Primary Objective Echo(Sparkrift's source). Phase 7: If necessary, the Recruits will perform a holding action while destruction and/or neutralization of Primary Objective Echo are carried out. Phase 7b: Target of opportunity, Secondary Objective Foxtrot(Locutious “Royal” Bolt, aka the Royal Wight) shall be eliminated if possible, though not at the expense of Primary Objective Echo. Phase 8: The Recruits will be responsible for self-extraction from Operation Zone Charlie and Operation Zone Bravo. Debriefing to be carried out at Home Base.
Bellows will then answer any questions, distribute written copies of the mission(with all the words in parenthesis omitted for “mission security reasons”, and send the Recruits on their way.
Once the mission briefing is complete, The Purifier will slip the relevant PCs a slip of paper with the following:
Special operation “Heal Evil” Phase 7c: The alternate function of the TMK2-FCACD is to be used on Secondary Objective Foxtrot if at all possible. If not, it should be used on Tertiary Objective Golf(any Wight).
2. It's a Jungle Out There!
The PCs now are set loose into the Sparkrift Jungle. Their first foray won't take them too far into the Jungle, especially since, even with a swarm of Sparkfish about them, they probably can't survive the round-by-round lightning attacks very long. Inside, an Easy Nature or Dungeoneering check nets 1 handful of the Blue Groundweb and a Hard Nature or Arcana check nets 1 Crimson Charge-blossom flower. Failed checks to pick Crimson Charge-blossom inflict 2d10 lightning damage as Charge-blossom's are improperly handled.
The PCs will spot (and hopefully use) schools of Sparkfish and maybe a Flicker Shark or Skywhale in the distance, glowing eyes and furtive movements deeper in the Jungle, but shouldn't be forced to fight at this point.
Once they return to “Home Base”, The Purifier will quickly grind and mix LBF-15 salves(1 handful of Blue Groundweb, 1 Crimson Charge-blossom, plus a bit of water) that can be applied grant 15 lightning resist for the day. Any PC with the Alchemy feat that observes him can now produce make LBF-15 if possessing the proper ingredients.
On their second foray into the Jungle, the PCs face a skill challenge to navigate the Jungle and find their way to the Sparkrift Bulwark. Failures will usually mean attacks from roaming bands of Wights and/or a school of Flicker Sharks, encounters with particularly charged flora (walking through current bushes, stepping on blue charge-blossoms, etc) that will overcome even the Groundweb's lightning resist and cost the PCs a healing surge. The PCs might also encounter any appropriately modified Underdark monsters and especially distinctive Underdark hazards such as doomspores or failed teleport attempts over pits.
Once they near the Bulwark, they find the Jungle has been cleared away so the last 50 feet or so from the walls are open ground. Spires on the walls reach up towards the Sparkrift that sits over the Bulwark, continuous bolts of lightning from the crackling into them. Blue lightning constantly rolls across the outer surface of the walls; any creature that touches them takes 3d10+5 lightning damage and is pushed 5 squares.
The PCs must undertake another smaller/easier skill challenge to find a Skywhale, use the TMK2 on it, have it swallow them(harmlessly), and fly them over the wall of the Bulwark.
3. Fade to Wight
Once the PCs “land” the Skywhale, they find themselves inside the Sparkrift Bulwark.
Inside is a large central tower, the spire on its top touching the bottom edge of the rift itself. The PCs must fight their way through the Wights roaming the courtyard, then into the tower itself. If they get through the tower's open doors, they can close and bar them against the Wights outside. On the highest level of the tower, they find a massive and intricate arcane device – a massive central crystal, floors and walls littered with glowing glyphs, spinning crystals orbiting about, swirling arcs of metal, and any other embellishments the DM cares to add. Guarding it is a handful of Purple Wights and the Royal Wight himself.
The room is dangerous – the glyphs flare up when touched, as do the crystals, arcs of metal slam into and push people around, etc – and should make for a dramatic fight, especially since the Wights are canny enough to work together and take advantage of workings of the device – such as immobilizing PCs in the path of hazards or on dangerous glyphs or immobilizing PCs near the Royal Wight so he can use his healing Soul Harvest power on them.
If the PCs attack the workings of the device itself, each hit makes the room even more dangerous – randomly arcing arcane energy, massive falling pieces of metal, exploding crystals, etc.
If the PCs successfully hit a normal Purple Wight with the “special end” of the TMK2 and it fails its save, that Wight dies instantly since there is not enough of the previous personality remaining for the transformation. If the Royal Wight is struck and fails his save, however, he instantly becomes Bolt again. Several things happen at this point: the Wights instantly see Bolt as hostile and Bolt quickly sums up the situation. If the PCs have started attacking his device, he will quickly call for them to stop and head towards a series of glyphs on the wall where he needs to survive three rounds to turn the device off. He keeps the same hitpoint totals he had as the Royal Wight but loses all his powers.
Once off, Bolt will suggest they get out of there since there's Wights everywhere and he isn't sure exactly what will happen with the “Singularity” (the Sparkrift) closes.
If they land 5 hits on the device(whether Bolt is helping them or not), the whole tower to becomes unstable and the device starts coming apart dramatically. The Wights will suicidally continue to attack, but it should rapidly become apparent to the PCs that they need to flee. If he has not been killed or “healed”, the Royal Wight will flee as well to rally any remaining Wights in the courtyard against the PCs.
When the PCs reach the courtyard, they will face a horde of Wights to the front and an exploding tower and violently collapsing rift behind. The Skywhale they flew in should be nearby so they can call it with the TMK2 and make a dramatic fighting escape back over the walls and into the Jungle.
If they destroyed the device, as they fly away in the Skywhale, the rift trembles and collapses and the whole tower implodes to a shimmering pinpoint of energy, then explodes in a massive shockwave that tears apart the Jungle and sends the PCs' Skywhale crasthing into the Jungle.
If they didn't destroy it, the rift still collapses and sends out a shockwave the crashes the Skywhale, but the Bulwark (and some of the Wights inside) survives.
At this point, the PCs resources are probably fairly exhausted and the DM can simply narrate their flight through the Jungle back to “Home Base”, though if the DM desires, they may face more of the Jungle's hazards as they depart.
4. See no Evil, Heal no Evil
When the PCs reach the camp, they are enthusiastically greeted and rewarded by Bellows. He issues a round of “field promotions” – the Sergeant to Lieutenant, the Privates to Corporals – and carries out his side of whatever was agreed upon earlier when the PCs were “drafted”. Also, he hauls out a keg of “field brewed beer” that he made from some of the local Underdark plants, taps it, offers the PCs frothy tankards full, and drinks heartily with them.
The Purifier will pull aside the members of the “secret mission” and ask how it went. If they destroyed a regular Wight or hit any Wight(s) to no effect, he will take the Trident somberly and not speak of it again.
If they got it to work on Bolt, however, he will examine Bolt, write extensive notes in a journal, then thank the PCs profusely and let them keep the Trident as a reward.
If Bolt lives, he eats and drinks ravenously with the PCs, likely being scolded by Bellows and the Purifier for his irresponsibility and lack of regard. Bolt half-listens until he is done eating when he jumps up, shouts “so much work to be done!” and disappears back into the Sparkrift Jungle.
Further adventures
The PCs have many options from here. They might investigate Bolt's other Bulwarks, perhaps at Bellows and the Purifier's behest. They might escort the agents to a teleportation circle or another rift where they can return to the Elemental Chaos. If they go along, they might discover the war has already started and join one side or the other, or be enlisted to try to stop it. They might head off with the Purifier to capture more undead as he works on perfecting “Heal Evil”. If Bolt has been restored, they might join him in his instantly renewed attempts to create his empire or find themselves chasing him down trying to stop him from creating more forts and mucking with the planes.
Ingredients: Underdark Jungle: The Sparkrift Jungle, full of a strange mix of creatures, plants(such as the Blue Groundweb and Crimson Charge-blossom that are mixed and used by the Purple Wights and gives them their color), and hazards of the Underdark and the Elemental Chaos. In its depths is the Lightning Fort, ruled by the Evil Healer, the Royal Wight.
Lightning Fort: The Sparkrift Bulwark, built by the Royal Wight(the leader of the Purple Wights and the Evil Healer) in the middle of the Underdark Jungle. The LBF-15, created from ingredients found in the Underdark Jungle, also Fortifies creatures against lightning. Also, creatures that spend any time in the Underdark Jungle take Lightning attacks that target their Fortitude.
Evil Healer: The leader of the Purple Wights, who built the Lightning Fort in the middle of the Underdark Jungle. Also, the Purifier, whose secret “Heal Evil” mission is to find a way to reverse the evil that creates intelligent undead.
Military Draft: The war preparations at Stormbreak and Cloudpeak that caused the adventure to take place in the first place. One of the plot-hooks to get the players to come(to join the military at the Lightning Fort) and what Bellows does once they are there. As part of their reward, the PCs are given fresh-tapped field-brewed alcohol(Military Draft beer). Also, as a Wind Genesai, the highly militaristic Bellows also has a constant stirring wind about him (a “military draft”, *wince*).
Purple Wight: The Purple Wights led by the Evil Healer, so named because they smear a paste made from plants in the Underdark Jungle and protect themselves from the power-source of the Lightning Fort. Also, the Royal Wight is dressed in purple, customarily the color of nobility (he also wears purple/white because I couldn't resist the terrible pun).
Trident of Fish Command: A device given to the PCs to aid them in getting through the Underdark Jungle and into the Lightning Fort. Also the instrument of the Purifier's plan to be the Evil Healer, by healing the Evil Healer with it.
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