"Welcome to the end of the world," says Hyric, the Human Captain of Waterdeep's town guard. He looks up each 'adventurer' with distaste in his eye and a sneer on his lips. He honestly doesn't like any of you. Or at least, that's what you feel emanating from him.
"I say that because you're the only ones who we've got to help fix the problems we're facing. After all the campaigning for volunteers, we had to go through the jails to find suitable members, and even conscript a few of you. Anyone smart enough to keep from being chosen is still out in the city, instead of standing on this wall."
Which is where all of you are, standing on the wall that surrounds Waterdeep. You have a good view of the city behind you, a sprawling metropolis of tall buildings, though most have started to show some wear. In front of you, however, is vast, sprawling fields, most of which are swarming with undead monstrosities. These are mostly the mindless kind, roaming corpses intent on eating everything in their path, but there are a few other types as well. Undead Ogres and Giants, Skeletal Minions. They're all out there. They're all pissed. And they're all trying to attack the city.
Of course, none of them can get within five feet of the wall. But that doesn't stop them from trying.
"The city is in a bad place," Hyric said. "First, we're overcrowded from the refugees from all over the continent. They're packed in tight, with usually five or six to a room. They're getting restless, and disease is running rampant because of it. We need more space. Another city, if we can. One scout came back from the south, and says that Calimport has virtually no undead menace, but we've lost contact with that city altogether. If we could take the city, and build a reliable roadway, it would do wonders to give people breathing room.
"Second, there isn't enough food in the stores, and what Clerics we have aren't very powerful. The wizards hole themselves up in their towers, so they're no help. We can keep most of the population alive, but this has caused theft to be a daily practice. The forests to the east are still full of game. The undead seem to ignore them. There are also fields of farmland that way that is simply sitting there, waiting for someone to start planting. But...the undead are fairly concentrated there. They seem to be attracted to something in that area. More investigation is needed, and unfortunately that's all the information we have.
"Third, we aren't well enough equipped to fight off the hordes out there. Without new resources, our armor and weapons are breaking, with blacksmiths having to cannibalize steel from doorknobs. There are mines up north, namely Mithral hall, which had a stash of armor that would go a long way to protecting our men. There may even be weapons there we could use. We'd have an easier time clearing out these hordes around the city, and guarding any roadways we make, if we had that.
"Fourth, we can't travel at all. The hordes hound us if we leave the gates, and the undead pirates keep us away from the open seas. No matter how many times we sink their ships, they just keep coming, and we don't know where they're coming from. We need a small, fast ship to go looking for their port, and stop them. If we could use the seas, we could more easily travel to and from various locations.
"Lastly, there's the undead themselves. They're a constant bother. They can't get in the city, but a steady stream of them comes in from the north, somewhere around Icewind Dale. If they could be stopped, then everything becomes easier. Of course, the sheer volume of undead that comes from that mountain is mind boggling, but still.
"So those are your choices. Those are the things we need done. We can get you whatever equipment you believe you need to help you, within reason. Anything you find in the field is yours. Many of the magical items of legend have disappeared. We think that someone, or many someones, have been collecting them. If you find any, you're welcome to them.
"You will also earn rewards for each of these missions, if you complete them. Housing, wealth, whatever you need that we can spare. In the highly unlikely event that you complete all the missions, and it has the effect of bringing our civilization back from the brink, you will be very wealthy indeed."
He started laughing. It was a big, infectious laugh, as if that was the most absurd thing he'd ever heard.
"Let's be real, you aren't going to last your first mission, and we're going to have to find another group of idiots. Take some time to deliberate and decide what you're going to do. Let us know what you need."
He stood there, looking over the hordes, in case the group had any questions.
"I say that because you're the only ones who we've got to help fix the problems we're facing. After all the campaigning for volunteers, we had to go through the jails to find suitable members, and even conscript a few of you. Anyone smart enough to keep from being chosen is still out in the city, instead of standing on this wall."
Which is where all of you are, standing on the wall that surrounds Waterdeep. You have a good view of the city behind you, a sprawling metropolis of tall buildings, though most have started to show some wear. In front of you, however, is vast, sprawling fields, most of which are swarming with undead monstrosities. These are mostly the mindless kind, roaming corpses intent on eating everything in their path, but there are a few other types as well. Undead Ogres and Giants, Skeletal Minions. They're all out there. They're all pissed. And they're all trying to attack the city.
Of course, none of them can get within five feet of the wall. But that doesn't stop them from trying.
"The city is in a bad place," Hyric said. "First, we're overcrowded from the refugees from all over the continent. They're packed in tight, with usually five or six to a room. They're getting restless, and disease is running rampant because of it. We need more space. Another city, if we can. One scout came back from the south, and says that Calimport has virtually no undead menace, but we've lost contact with that city altogether. If we could take the city, and build a reliable roadway, it would do wonders to give people breathing room.
"Second, there isn't enough food in the stores, and what Clerics we have aren't very powerful. The wizards hole themselves up in their towers, so they're no help. We can keep most of the population alive, but this has caused theft to be a daily practice. The forests to the east are still full of game. The undead seem to ignore them. There are also fields of farmland that way that is simply sitting there, waiting for someone to start planting. But...the undead are fairly concentrated there. They seem to be attracted to something in that area. More investigation is needed, and unfortunately that's all the information we have.
"Third, we aren't well enough equipped to fight off the hordes out there. Without new resources, our armor and weapons are breaking, with blacksmiths having to cannibalize steel from doorknobs. There are mines up north, namely Mithral hall, which had a stash of armor that would go a long way to protecting our men. There may even be weapons there we could use. We'd have an easier time clearing out these hordes around the city, and guarding any roadways we make, if we had that.
"Fourth, we can't travel at all. The hordes hound us if we leave the gates, and the undead pirates keep us away from the open seas. No matter how many times we sink their ships, they just keep coming, and we don't know where they're coming from. We need a small, fast ship to go looking for their port, and stop them. If we could use the seas, we could more easily travel to and from various locations.
"Lastly, there's the undead themselves. They're a constant bother. They can't get in the city, but a steady stream of them comes in from the north, somewhere around Icewind Dale. If they could be stopped, then everything becomes easier. Of course, the sheer volume of undead that comes from that mountain is mind boggling, but still.
"So those are your choices. Those are the things we need done. We can get you whatever equipment you believe you need to help you, within reason. Anything you find in the field is yours. Many of the magical items of legend have disappeared. We think that someone, or many someones, have been collecting them. If you find any, you're welcome to them.
"You will also earn rewards for each of these missions, if you complete them. Housing, wealth, whatever you need that we can spare. In the highly unlikely event that you complete all the missions, and it has the effect of bringing our civilization back from the brink, you will be very wealthy indeed."
He started laughing. It was a big, infectious laugh, as if that was the most absurd thing he'd ever heard.
"Let's be real, you aren't going to last your first mission, and we're going to have to find another group of idiots. Take some time to deliberate and decide what you're going to do. Let us know what you need."
He stood there, looking over the hordes, in case the group had any questions.
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