nonamazing
Explorer
Round one, Match 5: nonamazing versus howandwhy99
What is good? And what is evil? In a perfect world, there would be a clear line between the two. But this world is far from perfect, and in the service of a higher ideal, a good man may do very dark things. In "Fearful Harvest", the player characters come to the aid of a secretive general who seeks to gain control of a potent necromantic weapon--and to use it to protect thousands of innocent civilians. Is it right to use such a power, even with the best of intentions? The characters will have to face fear itself in order to answer that question, and what they decide will determine the fate of an entire nation.
Adventure Background
In the final years of the Last War, the proud nation of Cyre was besieged on all sides. Karrnath, Thrane, and Breland constantly clashed with Cyre (and one another), tearing the once-peaceful heart of Galifar into a bloody battleground.
Near the end of the war, Cyre managed to negotiate a tenuous cease-fire treaty with their northern neighbor, Karrnath. Karrnath's military was in poor shape, and the Karrnathi leaders were eager to secure their borders in order to recover their strength. After the treaty was signed, Cyre pulled their troops away from the disputed territories in the north to reinforce their devastated southwestern borders.
This is when things took a turn for the worse. An ambitious young Karrnathi commander, L---, learned of Cyre's reduced defenses in the north and saw the opportunity to sieze a long-contested and strategically valuable piece of land: the northernmost peninsula of Cyre. From that easily defensible location, Karrnath would be able to launch attacks into Aundair, Thrane, and Cyre itself. L--- saw it as a weakened Karrnath's only chance to turn the war around.
The Karrnathi War Council would never have agreed to L---'s idea--the security that the cease-fire treaty gave to Karrnath was too valuable to risk. But L--- didn't see things quite the same way. He made plans in secret to gather a small army of highly trained men with which to attack Cyre--without the knowledge or approval of the War Council. He would break the treaty himself, and to hell with the ineffective generals on the Council!
The attack went perfectly. L--- made his way across the river and siezed the peninsula without a single man lost. L--- was surprised and pleased to encounter so little resistance. He immediately set his men to fortifying the wide open plains of the middle peninsula. A few hours later, however, scouts informed L--- that a vast horde of refugees were heading straight for them, fleeing a sudden and terrible destruction. A destruction that, in fact, seemed to be spreading all too quickly: a terrible grey cloud swallowing the land whole.
L--- found himself at a loss. Unsure what else to do, he decided to wait and watch, to see for himself what this 'destruction' might be. This proved to be a fatal mistake. The destruction that reduced all of Cyre to a wasteland swept down over the tiny Karrnathi army, bringing with it a terrible bleak fear that siezed the hearts of L---'s men. Most of the soldiers died instantly, paralyzed by terror, and the rest died slowly, poisoned by the tainted magic the clouds brought. Only L--- himself somehow managed to slip back across the river. Cyre was gone, and in its place lay the endless gloom of the Mournland.
Adventure Synopsis
It is a little more than two years after the destruction of Cyre, and the player characters are contacted by L---, now a general in the Karrnathi army, who asks them to act as his escorts. He intends to travel into the Mournland and he needs the help of some skilled mercenaries, although he is evasive as to exactly why. He insists that time is of the essence. The characters cross the dangerous Cyre River and make their way into the northern peninsula, where they find an open plain filled with corpses and radiating a deep and horrible fear. The characters must confront a lingering terror strong enough to kill, and in doing so, discover General L---'s darkest secret--and their only hope.
Adventure Hooks
At this point in their careers, the characters probably have made a minor reputation for themselves as a competant group of mercenaries and/or explorers. This is exactly what L--- is looking for, and the most direct way to get the characters involved is to simply have L--- send them a messenger asking for their services. He's willing to reward them in one of three ways for their help: he will grant them a letter of credit worth 2,500 gp (up to +1,000 more with a DC 20 diplomacy check), he will agree to act on their behalf in any one matter involving Karrnath politics (effectively granting the characters some measure of influence with the Karrnath government), or he will give them a uniquely crafted Karrnathi Skeleton or Zombie to act as their servant (or both, with a DC 25 diplomacy check).
Some players, however, may balk at such a ordinary, cliched hook. Here are a couple of other, slightly more unusual options to accomodate different tastes. The adventure is written with the assuption that the players choose the default hook, but the DM should find things easy enough to adjust (a few suggestions are sprinkled throughout the adventure).
1. Flamewind, the mysterious gynosphinx Oracle who currently lives in Morgrave University, calls the characters to her and gives them the following cryptic prophecy: "Driven by a fallen Lord of the Deep, the Blades will cross the River of Tears and tear apart the city of Despair, unless the shamed General can master the fear born of his secret defeat." The prophecy seems to make little sense, until one of the university's scholars suggests that the City of Despair might be Karrlakton, located on the border of Karrnath, right across the river from the Mournland. Once in Karrlakton, information that the characters gather lead them to General L---, who they find just as he is preparing to enter the Mournland. The characters will have to follow him in order to find out what is happening.
2. The characters are asked by a representative of House Cannith to enter the Mournland and recover what they can from a secret Cannith laboratory. Once in the Mournland, the characters encounter a wounded General L---, who pleads for their help. Even if they don't want to help him, however, they still find themselves caught up in the action, as the krenshar who live in the area (see below) choose that moment to attack.
Notes on Running this Adventure
There are a few plot twists in this story, so it is highly suggested that the DM carefully read through the entire adventure before running it, paying particular attention to the main NPCs (General L--- and Sir C---). In the descriptions of both of these major characters DMs will find information that expands the backstory of the adventure and helps to clarify the plot.
The other important thing for a DM to keep in mind is the effect of pacing on the structure of the adventure. The players should continually feel as though they are pressed for time, especially during the later half of the story, when they are affected by the lingering fear. When it looks as though the players are taking their time to make a decision about what to do next, interrupt them, either with General L---'s impatience or a minor random encounter.
In particular, try to keep the pace of combat quick and frantic, especially any fights that take place in the Mournland or while any of the players are affected by the lingering fear. Any player who takes too long to decide what to do in a given round should lose their action, as their character stands paralyzed with indecision and fear. Careful use of pacing will drive the adventure toward its climax, and help the players feel an echo of the fear their characters are experiencing.
Scene One: A meeting in Karrlakton
Karrlakton is a large, gloomy city located on the southern border of Karrnath. General L---'s mansion is near the center of the city, in a particularly grey district that also contains the city's main govermental buildings and other important structures. General L---'s messenger insists that the characters visit as quickly as possible, which leaves little time for sightseeing.
The General warmly recieves the characters in his front parlor, a cold stone room gloomily decorated with maroon tapestries and old dark wooden furniture. He refuses to sit, instead pacing urgently around the room as he speaks rapidly: "Well--damn fine of you to come so quickly. Men after my own heart, I'd say. I've never believed in hesitating for anything--He who hesitates is lost, I've often said, don't you know. I'll assume you've gotten yourselves in order, eh? Don't worry about supplies, we're all well set, I've spent a week preparing." He pauses only to look briefly out the window. "And what are we doing sitting around talking, then? My ship and crew are waiting for us outside the city, we've packed, we're no doubt ready to go, and all that remains is a drink of wine to fortify us for the journey!" As he speaks, a rather fragile skeleton, dressed as a servant in somber greys, moves around the room passing out wineglasses. The skeleton then passes a dust-covered bottle of wine to the general, who grimaces. "Damned if I didn't ask for a red wine, not a white!" He then turns to the characters as he pours their wine. "These undead are quite excellent for following orders, don't you know, but they're a fair spot of useless when it comes to finer details. Which is, of course, why I'm having you fellows come along with me." General L--- then gulps down his wine, slams the empty glass down on the table, and heads for the door, clearly expecting the characters to follow him.
The General doesn't seem to stop for anything. He'll discuss the characters rewards as they walk, as well as fill them in on the details of the mission. He tells them that he intends to cross into the Mournlands to recover "a valuable item". He refuses to say what the item is, except that it is very important to him and to the defense of Karrlakton. He is desperate to get in and out of the Mournlands as quickly as possible, and insistant that the journey must take place right away, or "it will be too late!"
General L--- tells the characters as little as possible about his past and nothing at all about his shameful failed invasion of Cyre. He will casually mention that he remembers Cyre "how it used to be", and if pressed, will say that he needs living mercanaries for his mission because his undead servants have tried before and failed. Characters should be easily able to note that the General is hiding things from them with a simple Sense Motive check (DC 15), but on the whole, it seems that L--- is sincere about his desire to protect Karrlakton, and that he genuinely believes this mission will help achieve that goal.
L--- rushes the characters quickly out of the city and to a heavy black sailing ship crewed by Karrnathi skeletons. Across the river, the characters can make out the thick, forbidding grey wall of mist that marks the edge of the Mournland.
Scene Two: Crossing the River of Tears
The stretch of river between Karrnath and the Mournland is dangerous one. Strange winds blow out of the Mournland, making the river rough and turbulent. Luckily, the General's ship is heavy enough to remain stable in the fast-moving waters. L--- plans to sail upriver for quite a distance before crossing over into the Mournland, which means that this leg of the journey will take several hours. L--- paces anxiously across the deck, constantly checking and rechecking the sails, the rigging, and his supplies. Surprisingly, L--- has piled stacks and stacks of various books all across the ship. If asked, L--- seems slightly embarassed and mumbles, "...well, I didn't know what else to use..." before refusing to say anything further.
As the ship inches closer to the Mournland, there is a subtle sense of tension in the air, and a feeling of dread settles over the characters. DMs wishing to extend the length of the adventure may add a couple of minor encounters at this point. I suggest either an attack by venomous river serpents (use the stats for a Huge Viper Snake, page 280 in the MM) or a freak storm that causes the sailing to become more difficult than the General's simple-minded undead can handle (forcing the characters to take control of the ship and steer it to safety).
Scene Three: The Plains of Shame
As the ship hits land, the characters find themselves engulfed by impenetrable grey mist. For several chilling moments, all sound is muffled, and all vision is cut off completely. The characters can faintly hear L--- shouting for them to follow him as he leaps out of the boat.
The transition into the Mournland seems to take forever. Finally, the characters emerge into a dark, blasted plain. There used to be grass here, but it has long since died off, turning this once-verdant field into a literal desert. It is very dark here, but L--- has a decent lantern, and seems to know where he is going. The characters have little choice but to follow him.
The feeling of dread that had been plaguing the characters earlier grows even stronger. There is a taint of fear all across this plain: characters suffer a -4 penalty to all their saves versus fear as long as they remain in the vicinity. In addition, any character that becomes frightened at any point finds that the fear stays with them. After the duration of the fear effect would normally wear off, the character may make a second saving throw at the same difficulty (the -4 circumstance penalty remains). If they fail this second saving throw, they become shaken (-2 penalty to all attacks, saves, and checks) until they leave the Mournland entirely. As their heart rate increases and their bodies fill with tension, shaken characters take 1d6 subdual damage every hour, reflecting the stress that their fear-wracked bodies suffer. This is known as the lingering fear. Characters who contract lingering fear may eventually fall unconcious due to subdual damage. If not helped, such characters will never wake up--they will suffer horrible nightmares until they die in their sleep.
After about an hour of marching, the characters come across a disturbing field of corpses. Perfectly preserved, these Karrnathi soldiers bear no wounds, only twisted expressions of terror. General L--- is quiet and subdued. He seems extremely bothered by the corpses ("Their horrible staring eyes! Like they're condemming me...") but is very reluctant to speak of it, insisting that time is ever more important. Unwilling to stop for even a moment, L--- indicates a crumbling tower at the edge of the battlefield, and urges the characters onward.
But before the group can reach the tower, a odd cat-like beast blocks their way. This is a Krenshar, mutated by the strange powers of the Mournland, given an unnaturally thick hide and an uncanny knack for causing fear. The monster uses its augmented scare ability to begin driving the characters away, but surprisingly, does not follow them. The Krenshar's lair is currently full of food (see the next scene) so this monster is not currently hunting. Rather, it seeks to drive away what it sees as a potential threat to its young.
-- I suggest advancing the Krenshar to about 5 HD, making it a Large creature. DMs can adjust as needed, perhaps adding more HD or even a second Krenshar, but two things should remain the same: the Krenshar should have the Ability Focus feat, making the DC of their scare effect a 15; and the Krenshar should also be given damage reduction 10/mithril as an effect of the Mournland's mutation. In short, the Krenshar shouldn't be much of a direct threat to the characters, but instead represent an obstacle that is almost impossible to get around (because of the scare effect that drives characters away and the damage reduction that makes it difficult to hurt).
Scene Four: The Fallen
Driven away from the Krenshar and the tower, the characters stumble across a pair of simple tents. General L--- becomes even more nervous once he sees the tents, and literally panics as one of them moves slightly. A lean half-elf, dressed in the uniform of a Karrnathi captain, emerges carefully, clutching a glowing silvery spear. "Betrayer!" the half-elf screams, his eyes narrowing in anger as he spots General L---. "Dishonorable monster! You broke the treaty! All of those soldiers," he points toward the field of preserved corpses, "are dead because of your warmongering ambition!" The half-elf then begins to furiously attack L---, who seems too terrified to even protect himself.
The characters may leap to the General's defence, or they may do nothing. Whatever happens, there are only two eventual outcomes: either the characters defeat Sir C---, or Sir C--- defeats the general.
If C--- defeats the general, he has a change of heart just before striking the killing blow. As C--- stands over the general, his spear raised to strike, he hesitates. "What am I doing? Am I truly about to murder an unarmed, defenseless foe? Have I allowed myself to sink to his level of dishonor?" Shaking, C--- throws his glowing spear to the ground and runs off into the darkness.
If the characters defeat C--- but leave him alive, he seems to regain his senses slightly. He offers them the spear, knowing that it could be their only chance against the Krenshar. General agrees to take Sir C--- back to the mainland to be healed, but only after the Krenshar have been dealt with. If the characters kill Sir C---, then the spear is their's to take, and L--- is saddenned but grateful.
No matter what happens, the time has finally come for L--- to explain himself. Still in a state of near panic, L--- haltlingly confesses to his violation of the cease-fire treaty two years ago. He explains that he had tried to send the undead to recover the fallen bodies of his men, but something about the strange magic that preserves the corpses of the field also interferes with the perception of the undead. The skeletons and zombies that L--- sent grew confused and eventually wandered away. So it became necessacary for L---, despite his misgivings, to send a team of living soldiers to do the job.
The lone surviving soldier of Sir C---'s team returned to L--- with grim news. But in the soldier's report, L--- saw a glimmer of hope. For the soldier reported spotting growths of a stange grey herb that L--- recognized as Black Rosemary. Although L--- was not a necromancer himself, he actually knew a great deal about the dark arts, believing that any good commander should strive to understand his soldiers, living or not. He knew that Black Rosemary was an extremely rare ingrediant in a alchemical mixture that could give his unliving soldiers incredible defensive abilities.
L--- began to make plans immediately upon hearing the survivor's report. Black Rosemary was powerful--very powerful, and if he could get his hands on some, he could greatly strengthen Karrnath's army. Perhaps he could finally make up for the tragedy he had caused.
Now that the whole story is out in the open, the characters can decide whether or not they are willing to help L--- retrieve the Black Rosemary. They may quickly discover that Sir C---'s spear will be invaluable in helping them deal with the Krenshar.
-- The commander's spear is a mithril +1 holy longspear. All allies within 30 feet of the spear's wielder gain a +4 morale bonus on saves versus fear. If the wielder is a paladin, the effect extends to 60 feet, and the morale bonus stacks with the bonus granted by the paladin's aura of courage. Additionally, any character touching the spear is instantly cured of any fear effects that he may currently be suffering from, including the lingering fear.
Scene Five: The Tower of Fear
With the commander's spear in their possession, the characters make their way back across the field of corpses to the crumbling tower they had spotted earlier. Any characters still suffering from the effects of the lingering fear begin to have minor hallucinations: it seems to them as though the corpses are moaning and twitching in agony.
The tower has become the lair of a small group of Krenshar--the characters had encounter the Krenshar mother earlier. As they approach the tower for the second time, the entire pride attacks. This should be the character's moment of triumph--with the commander's spear in hand, they have the power to defeat the Krenshars.
-- For this encounter, I suggest using a pair of 5 HD Krenshar--a mated pair--and three 1 HD ones--the children. The adults should have the damage reduction and Ability Focus, the children are just normal Krenshar (unless, of course, the DM feels like increasing the challenge of this final battle).
After they finish with the Krenshar, the characters find thick clumps of a greyish herb growing all around the base of the tower. Some of the herbs have small black spots on their leaves. The plants generate a strong aura of fear. Smart characters may realize that the fear that grips this entire area seems to be originating from these very plants.
This is what L--- is looking for: the Black Rosemary. But now that the characters have found it, and can feel the disturbing wrongness that radiates from the tainted herbs, will they allow L--- to make his harvest? L--- claims that he plans to use the herbs to help protect Karrlakton, and he seems to be telling the truth? It it worth the risk? To complicate matters further, the tiny black spots are spreading more and more quickly. If the herbs are not picked quickly, they will rapidly become useless. As the players discuss what to do, constantly remind them of the spreading decay--they have only moments to make up their mind.
If the characters agree to help L--- harvest the herbs, he is humbly grateful. He helps the characters return the gathered herbs to the ship. He spends the voyage back pressing the herbs between the pages of the books that he'd brought, in order to preserve them (sadly, the General isn't much of a botanist).
If the characters decide not to help L---, he quickly grows furious with them, and then desperate. He practically begs the characters to help him, telling them that this is his only way to make up for his prior disgrace. If the characters still refuse, he walks away dejectedly, leaving the characters to find their own way out of the Mournland.
-- To be continued in The Siege of Karrlakton, part one.
Ingredients:
Mithril Spear: The spear given to the characters by the dying Karrnathi paladin, Sir C---. The commander's spear gives the characters a fighting chance against the Krenshar, both by bolstering their saving throws versus fear and giving them a weapon with the power to overcome the Krenshar's damage reduction.
Rosemary: The Black Rosemary is General L---'s goal, a an extremely rare with the power to enhance his undead soldiers.
Undead General: General L---. (I may have stretched the meaning of this ingredient. I decided to make him a general that commands undead, rather than a general that is undead. I thought that he was a more sympathetic character this way.)
Krenshar: The fear-inducing beasts who are the characters' major challenge/obstacle.
Killing Fields: The battlefield on which General L---'s men were slaughtered, and where their perfectly preserved corpses still lie. (I tried to give this one a double meaning: not only are these the fields on which men were killed, but because the nercomantic energy that causes the lingering fear is tied to the location, these fields are killing the characters.)
Indecision: The thing that General L--- blames for his failure, and the thing which he hates the most. Thematically represented in the adventure by the decision that the characters must make, the confusion generated by the lingering fear, and the punishments the characters regularly recieve from being indicisive.
Fearful Harvest
A prelude to the Siege of Karrlakton
A Horrifying Eberron Adventure for low level (3rd - 5th) characters
A prelude to the Siege of Karrlakton
A Horrifying Eberron Adventure for low level (3rd - 5th) characters
What is good? And what is evil? In a perfect world, there would be a clear line between the two. But this world is far from perfect, and in the service of a higher ideal, a good man may do very dark things. In "Fearful Harvest", the player characters come to the aid of a secretive general who seeks to gain control of a potent necromantic weapon--and to use it to protect thousands of innocent civilians. Is it right to use such a power, even with the best of intentions? The characters will have to face fear itself in order to answer that question, and what they decide will determine the fate of an entire nation.
Adventure Background
In the final years of the Last War, the proud nation of Cyre was besieged on all sides. Karrnath, Thrane, and Breland constantly clashed with Cyre (and one another), tearing the once-peaceful heart of Galifar into a bloody battleground.
Near the end of the war, Cyre managed to negotiate a tenuous cease-fire treaty with their northern neighbor, Karrnath. Karrnath's military was in poor shape, and the Karrnathi leaders were eager to secure their borders in order to recover their strength. After the treaty was signed, Cyre pulled their troops away from the disputed territories in the north to reinforce their devastated southwestern borders.
This is when things took a turn for the worse. An ambitious young Karrnathi commander, L---, learned of Cyre's reduced defenses in the north and saw the opportunity to sieze a long-contested and strategically valuable piece of land: the northernmost peninsula of Cyre. From that easily defensible location, Karrnath would be able to launch attacks into Aundair, Thrane, and Cyre itself. L--- saw it as a weakened Karrnath's only chance to turn the war around.
The Karrnathi War Council would never have agreed to L---'s idea--the security that the cease-fire treaty gave to Karrnath was too valuable to risk. But L--- didn't see things quite the same way. He made plans in secret to gather a small army of highly trained men with which to attack Cyre--without the knowledge or approval of the War Council. He would break the treaty himself, and to hell with the ineffective generals on the Council!
The attack went perfectly. L--- made his way across the river and siezed the peninsula without a single man lost. L--- was surprised and pleased to encounter so little resistance. He immediately set his men to fortifying the wide open plains of the middle peninsula. A few hours later, however, scouts informed L--- that a vast horde of refugees were heading straight for them, fleeing a sudden and terrible destruction. A destruction that, in fact, seemed to be spreading all too quickly: a terrible grey cloud swallowing the land whole.
L--- found himself at a loss. Unsure what else to do, he decided to wait and watch, to see for himself what this 'destruction' might be. This proved to be a fatal mistake. The destruction that reduced all of Cyre to a wasteland swept down over the tiny Karrnathi army, bringing with it a terrible bleak fear that siezed the hearts of L---'s men. Most of the soldiers died instantly, paralyzed by terror, and the rest died slowly, poisoned by the tainted magic the clouds brought. Only L--- himself somehow managed to slip back across the river. Cyre was gone, and in its place lay the endless gloom of the Mournland.
Adventure Synopsis
It is a little more than two years after the destruction of Cyre, and the player characters are contacted by L---, now a general in the Karrnathi army, who asks them to act as his escorts. He intends to travel into the Mournland and he needs the help of some skilled mercenaries, although he is evasive as to exactly why. He insists that time is of the essence. The characters cross the dangerous Cyre River and make their way into the northern peninsula, where they find an open plain filled with corpses and radiating a deep and horrible fear. The characters must confront a lingering terror strong enough to kill, and in doing so, discover General L---'s darkest secret--and their only hope.
Adventure Hooks
At this point in their careers, the characters probably have made a minor reputation for themselves as a competant group of mercenaries and/or explorers. This is exactly what L--- is looking for, and the most direct way to get the characters involved is to simply have L--- send them a messenger asking for their services. He's willing to reward them in one of three ways for their help: he will grant them a letter of credit worth 2,500 gp (up to +1,000 more with a DC 20 diplomacy check), he will agree to act on their behalf in any one matter involving Karrnath politics (effectively granting the characters some measure of influence with the Karrnath government), or he will give them a uniquely crafted Karrnathi Skeleton or Zombie to act as their servant (or both, with a DC 25 diplomacy check).
Some players, however, may balk at such a ordinary, cliched hook. Here are a couple of other, slightly more unusual options to accomodate different tastes. The adventure is written with the assuption that the players choose the default hook, but the DM should find things easy enough to adjust (a few suggestions are sprinkled throughout the adventure).
1. Flamewind, the mysterious gynosphinx Oracle who currently lives in Morgrave University, calls the characters to her and gives them the following cryptic prophecy: "Driven by a fallen Lord of the Deep, the Blades will cross the River of Tears and tear apart the city of Despair, unless the shamed General can master the fear born of his secret defeat." The prophecy seems to make little sense, until one of the university's scholars suggests that the City of Despair might be Karrlakton, located on the border of Karrnath, right across the river from the Mournland. Once in Karrlakton, information that the characters gather lead them to General L---, who they find just as he is preparing to enter the Mournland. The characters will have to follow him in order to find out what is happening.
2. The characters are asked by a representative of House Cannith to enter the Mournland and recover what they can from a secret Cannith laboratory. Once in the Mournland, the characters encounter a wounded General L---, who pleads for their help. Even if they don't want to help him, however, they still find themselves caught up in the action, as the krenshar who live in the area (see below) choose that moment to attack.
Notes on Running this Adventure
There are a few plot twists in this story, so it is highly suggested that the DM carefully read through the entire adventure before running it, paying particular attention to the main NPCs (General L--- and Sir C---). In the descriptions of both of these major characters DMs will find information that expands the backstory of the adventure and helps to clarify the plot.
The other important thing for a DM to keep in mind is the effect of pacing on the structure of the adventure. The players should continually feel as though they are pressed for time, especially during the later half of the story, when they are affected by the lingering fear. When it looks as though the players are taking their time to make a decision about what to do next, interrupt them, either with General L---'s impatience or a minor random encounter.
In particular, try to keep the pace of combat quick and frantic, especially any fights that take place in the Mournland or while any of the players are affected by the lingering fear. Any player who takes too long to decide what to do in a given round should lose their action, as their character stands paralyzed with indecision and fear. Careful use of pacing will drive the adventure toward its climax, and help the players feel an echo of the fear their characters are experiencing.
Scene One: A meeting in Karrlakton
Karrlakton is a large, gloomy city located on the southern border of Karrnath. General L---'s mansion is near the center of the city, in a particularly grey district that also contains the city's main govermental buildings and other important structures. General L---'s messenger insists that the characters visit as quickly as possible, which leaves little time for sightseeing.
The General warmly recieves the characters in his front parlor, a cold stone room gloomily decorated with maroon tapestries and old dark wooden furniture. He refuses to sit, instead pacing urgently around the room as he speaks rapidly: "Well--damn fine of you to come so quickly. Men after my own heart, I'd say. I've never believed in hesitating for anything--He who hesitates is lost, I've often said, don't you know. I'll assume you've gotten yourselves in order, eh? Don't worry about supplies, we're all well set, I've spent a week preparing." He pauses only to look briefly out the window. "And what are we doing sitting around talking, then? My ship and crew are waiting for us outside the city, we've packed, we're no doubt ready to go, and all that remains is a drink of wine to fortify us for the journey!" As he speaks, a rather fragile skeleton, dressed as a servant in somber greys, moves around the room passing out wineglasses. The skeleton then passes a dust-covered bottle of wine to the general, who grimaces. "Damned if I didn't ask for a red wine, not a white!" He then turns to the characters as he pours their wine. "These undead are quite excellent for following orders, don't you know, but they're a fair spot of useless when it comes to finer details. Which is, of course, why I'm having you fellows come along with me." General L--- then gulps down his wine, slams the empty glass down on the table, and heads for the door, clearly expecting the characters to follow him.
Major NPC: General L--- (Aristocrat 2/Warrior 2) The General is more than likely one of the most unusual people the characters will have ever met. He is a true man of action--he stays on the move constantly, only stoping to sleep, and even then not for very long. He will not stop to answer questions ("We can talk while we travel, eh?") and he can't abide hesitation. His catch phrase is "He who hesitates is lost!" and if the character spend any amount of time with him, they will be sure to hear those five words quite a lot.
L--- blames himself for the deaths of his men, and he never confessed to the War Council about his ill-fated invasion of the Cyran peninsula. The soldiers under his command were assumed to have deserted, something that had become all too common during the last few years of the war. After Cyre was destroyed, the war finally came to an end, but L--- remains tormented by his secret shame. He believes that because he hesitated, his men were lost, and so he has sworn to never hesitate again, to never be stopped by indecision. When confronted by a choice of any sort, he will always immediately take the quickest option.
L--- refused to accept more men under his control, for fear of causing more pointless deaths. These days, he commands a large portion of Karrnath's undead forces. L--- feels comfortable commanding the undead--they, unlike living soliders, are completely expendable. His main motivation in asking the characters for help is that he's come up against something his undead minions can't handle: the harvesting of the Black Rosemary (see Scenes Four and Five for more details, and for information on how L--- learned about the necromantic herb).
L--- blames himself for the deaths of his men, and he never confessed to the War Council about his ill-fated invasion of the Cyran peninsula. The soldiers under his command were assumed to have deserted, something that had become all too common during the last few years of the war. After Cyre was destroyed, the war finally came to an end, but L--- remains tormented by his secret shame. He believes that because he hesitated, his men were lost, and so he has sworn to never hesitate again, to never be stopped by indecision. When confronted by a choice of any sort, he will always immediately take the quickest option.
L--- refused to accept more men under his control, for fear of causing more pointless deaths. These days, he commands a large portion of Karrnath's undead forces. L--- feels comfortable commanding the undead--they, unlike living soliders, are completely expendable. His main motivation in asking the characters for help is that he's come up against something his undead minions can't handle: the harvesting of the Black Rosemary (see Scenes Four and Five for more details, and for information on how L--- learned about the necromantic herb).
The General doesn't seem to stop for anything. He'll discuss the characters rewards as they walk, as well as fill them in on the details of the mission. He tells them that he intends to cross into the Mournlands to recover "a valuable item". He refuses to say what the item is, except that it is very important to him and to the defense of Karrlakton. He is desperate to get in and out of the Mournlands as quickly as possible, and insistant that the journey must take place right away, or "it will be too late!"
General L--- tells the characters as little as possible about his past and nothing at all about his shameful failed invasion of Cyre. He will casually mention that he remembers Cyre "how it used to be", and if pressed, will say that he needs living mercanaries for his mission because his undead servants have tried before and failed. Characters should be easily able to note that the General is hiding things from them with a simple Sense Motive check (DC 15), but on the whole, it seems that L--- is sincere about his desire to protect Karrlakton, and that he genuinely believes this mission will help achieve that goal.
L--- rushes the characters quickly out of the city and to a heavy black sailing ship crewed by Karrnathi skeletons. Across the river, the characters can make out the thick, forbidding grey wall of mist that marks the edge of the Mournland.
Scene Two: Crossing the River of Tears
The stretch of river between Karrnath and the Mournland is dangerous one. Strange winds blow out of the Mournland, making the river rough and turbulent. Luckily, the General's ship is heavy enough to remain stable in the fast-moving waters. L--- plans to sail upriver for quite a distance before crossing over into the Mournland, which means that this leg of the journey will take several hours. L--- paces anxiously across the deck, constantly checking and rechecking the sails, the rigging, and his supplies. Surprisingly, L--- has piled stacks and stacks of various books all across the ship. If asked, L--- seems slightly embarassed and mumbles, "...well, I didn't know what else to use..." before refusing to say anything further.
As the ship inches closer to the Mournland, there is a subtle sense of tension in the air, and a feeling of dread settles over the characters. DMs wishing to extend the length of the adventure may add a couple of minor encounters at this point. I suggest either an attack by venomous river serpents (use the stats for a Huge Viper Snake, page 280 in the MM) or a freak storm that causes the sailing to become more difficult than the General's simple-minded undead can handle (forcing the characters to take control of the ship and steer it to safety).
Scene Three: The Plains of Shame
As the ship hits land, the characters find themselves engulfed by impenetrable grey mist. For several chilling moments, all sound is muffled, and all vision is cut off completely. The characters can faintly hear L--- shouting for them to follow him as he leaps out of the boat.
The transition into the Mournland seems to take forever. Finally, the characters emerge into a dark, blasted plain. There used to be grass here, but it has long since died off, turning this once-verdant field into a literal desert. It is very dark here, but L--- has a decent lantern, and seems to know where he is going. The characters have little choice but to follow him.
The feeling of dread that had been plaguing the characters earlier grows even stronger. There is a taint of fear all across this plain: characters suffer a -4 penalty to all their saves versus fear as long as they remain in the vicinity. In addition, any character that becomes frightened at any point finds that the fear stays with them. After the duration of the fear effect would normally wear off, the character may make a second saving throw at the same difficulty (the -4 circumstance penalty remains). If they fail this second saving throw, they become shaken (-2 penalty to all attacks, saves, and checks) until they leave the Mournland entirely. As their heart rate increases and their bodies fill with tension, shaken characters take 1d6 subdual damage every hour, reflecting the stress that their fear-wracked bodies suffer. This is known as the lingering fear. Characters who contract lingering fear may eventually fall unconcious due to subdual damage. If not helped, such characters will never wake up--they will suffer horrible nightmares until they die in their sleep.
After about an hour of marching, the characters come across a disturbing field of corpses. Perfectly preserved, these Karrnathi soldiers bear no wounds, only twisted expressions of terror. General L--- is quiet and subdued. He seems extremely bothered by the corpses ("Their horrible staring eyes! Like they're condemming me...") but is very reluctant to speak of it, insisting that time is ever more important. Unwilling to stop for even a moment, L--- indicates a crumbling tower at the edge of the battlefield, and urges the characters onward.
But before the group can reach the tower, a odd cat-like beast blocks their way. This is a Krenshar, mutated by the strange powers of the Mournland, given an unnaturally thick hide and an uncanny knack for causing fear. The monster uses its augmented scare ability to begin driving the characters away, but surprisingly, does not follow them. The Krenshar's lair is currently full of food (see the next scene) so this monster is not currently hunting. Rather, it seeks to drive away what it sees as a potential threat to its young.
-- I suggest advancing the Krenshar to about 5 HD, making it a Large creature. DMs can adjust as needed, perhaps adding more HD or even a second Krenshar, but two things should remain the same: the Krenshar should have the Ability Focus feat, making the DC of their scare effect a 15; and the Krenshar should also be given damage reduction 10/mithril as an effect of the Mournland's mutation. In short, the Krenshar shouldn't be much of a direct threat to the characters, but instead represent an obstacle that is almost impossible to get around (because of the scare effect that drives characters away and the damage reduction that makes it difficult to hurt).
Scene Four: The Fallen
Driven away from the Krenshar and the tower, the characters stumble across a pair of simple tents. General L--- becomes even more nervous once he sees the tents, and literally panics as one of them moves slightly. A lean half-elf, dressed in the uniform of a Karrnathi captain, emerges carefully, clutching a glowing silvery spear. "Betrayer!" the half-elf screams, his eyes narrowing in anger as he spots General L---. "Dishonorable monster! You broke the treaty! All of those soldiers," he points toward the field of preserved corpses, "are dead because of your warmongering ambition!" The half-elf then begins to furiously attack L---, who seems too terrified to even protect himself.
Major NPC: Sir C--- (Half-Elf Paladin, 3rd level) Sir C--- is normally a kind, generous man, patient and understanding. He has spent the last week in the Mournland, however, and been forced to see things no man should have to bear. Although he has been kept safe from the lingering fear--largely because of the spear's power--he has nevertheless been slowly sliding into insanity.
General L--- hired Sir C---, and his men, to recover the corpses of the soldiers that L--- left behind, although the General did not tell C--- exactly how those bodies came to be there. Sir C--- led a group of seventeen warriors into the Mournland--fifteen were killed by the Krenshar. One soldier escaped, taking the only boat and leaving Sir C--- stranded.
The first few days were bad, but tolerable. As long as Sir C--- held onto his spear, the lingering fear couldn't effect him. But after the third day, the ghosts came. Hour after hour, Sir C--- has been haunted by the specters of General L---'s men--bitter, angry ghosts, tormented by the taint of the Mournland, many of whom loudly blamed L--- for their deaths. Sir C---, in his broken state, has come to believe that it is his destiny to avenge the dead.
General L--- hired Sir C---, and his men, to recover the corpses of the soldiers that L--- left behind, although the General did not tell C--- exactly how those bodies came to be there. Sir C--- led a group of seventeen warriors into the Mournland--fifteen were killed by the Krenshar. One soldier escaped, taking the only boat and leaving Sir C--- stranded.
The first few days were bad, but tolerable. As long as Sir C--- held onto his spear, the lingering fear couldn't effect him. But after the third day, the ghosts came. Hour after hour, Sir C--- has been haunted by the specters of General L---'s men--bitter, angry ghosts, tormented by the taint of the Mournland, many of whom loudly blamed L--- for their deaths. Sir C---, in his broken state, has come to believe that it is his destiny to avenge the dead.
The characters may leap to the General's defence, or they may do nothing. Whatever happens, there are only two eventual outcomes: either the characters defeat Sir C---, or Sir C--- defeats the general.
If C--- defeats the general, he has a change of heart just before striking the killing blow. As C--- stands over the general, his spear raised to strike, he hesitates. "What am I doing? Am I truly about to murder an unarmed, defenseless foe? Have I allowed myself to sink to his level of dishonor?" Shaking, C--- throws his glowing spear to the ground and runs off into the darkness.
If the characters defeat C--- but leave him alive, he seems to regain his senses slightly. He offers them the spear, knowing that it could be their only chance against the Krenshar. General agrees to take Sir C--- back to the mainland to be healed, but only after the Krenshar have been dealt with. If the characters kill Sir C---, then the spear is their's to take, and L--- is saddenned but grateful.
No matter what happens, the time has finally come for L--- to explain himself. Still in a state of near panic, L--- haltlingly confesses to his violation of the cease-fire treaty two years ago. He explains that he had tried to send the undead to recover the fallen bodies of his men, but something about the strange magic that preserves the corpses of the field also interferes with the perception of the undead. The skeletons and zombies that L--- sent grew confused and eventually wandered away. So it became necessacary for L---, despite his misgivings, to send a team of living soldiers to do the job.
The lone surviving soldier of Sir C---'s team returned to L--- with grim news. But in the soldier's report, L--- saw a glimmer of hope. For the soldier reported spotting growths of a stange grey herb that L--- recognized as Black Rosemary. Although L--- was not a necromancer himself, he actually knew a great deal about the dark arts, believing that any good commander should strive to understand his soldiers, living or not. He knew that Black Rosemary was an extremely rare ingrediant in a alchemical mixture that could give his unliving soldiers incredible defensive abilities.
L--- began to make plans immediately upon hearing the survivor's report. Black Rosemary was powerful--very powerful, and if he could get his hands on some, he could greatly strengthen Karrnath's army. Perhaps he could finally make up for the tragedy he had caused.
Now that the whole story is out in the open, the characters can decide whether or not they are willing to help L--- retrieve the Black Rosemary. They may quickly discover that Sir C---'s spear will be invaluable in helping them deal with the Krenshar.
-- The commander's spear is a mithril +1 holy longspear. All allies within 30 feet of the spear's wielder gain a +4 morale bonus on saves versus fear. If the wielder is a paladin, the effect extends to 60 feet, and the morale bonus stacks with the bonus granted by the paladin's aura of courage. Additionally, any character touching the spear is instantly cured of any fear effects that he may currently be suffering from, including the lingering fear.
Scene Five: The Tower of Fear
With the commander's spear in their possession, the characters make their way back across the field of corpses to the crumbling tower they had spotted earlier. Any characters still suffering from the effects of the lingering fear begin to have minor hallucinations: it seems to them as though the corpses are moaning and twitching in agony.
The tower has become the lair of a small group of Krenshar--the characters had encounter the Krenshar mother earlier. As they approach the tower for the second time, the entire pride attacks. This should be the character's moment of triumph--with the commander's spear in hand, they have the power to defeat the Krenshars.
-- For this encounter, I suggest using a pair of 5 HD Krenshar--a mated pair--and three 1 HD ones--the children. The adults should have the damage reduction and Ability Focus, the children are just normal Krenshar (unless, of course, the DM feels like increasing the challenge of this final battle).
After they finish with the Krenshar, the characters find thick clumps of a greyish herb growing all around the base of the tower. Some of the herbs have small black spots on their leaves. The plants generate a strong aura of fear. Smart characters may realize that the fear that grips this entire area seems to be originating from these very plants.
This is what L--- is looking for: the Black Rosemary. But now that the characters have found it, and can feel the disturbing wrongness that radiates from the tainted herbs, will they allow L--- to make his harvest? L--- claims that he plans to use the herbs to help protect Karrlakton, and he seems to be telling the truth? It it worth the risk? To complicate matters further, the tiny black spots are spreading more and more quickly. If the herbs are not picked quickly, they will rapidly become useless. As the players discuss what to do, constantly remind them of the spreading decay--they have only moments to make up their mind.
If the characters agree to help L--- harvest the herbs, he is humbly grateful. He helps the characters return the gathered herbs to the ship. He spends the voyage back pressing the herbs between the pages of the books that he'd brought, in order to preserve them (sadly, the General isn't much of a botanist).
If the characters decide not to help L---, he quickly grows furious with them, and then desperate. He practically begs the characters to help him, telling them that this is his only way to make up for his prior disgrace. If the characters still refuse, he walks away dejectedly, leaving the characters to find their own way out of the Mournland.
-- To be continued in The Siege of Karrlakton, part one.
Ingredients:
Mithril Spear: The spear given to the characters by the dying Karrnathi paladin, Sir C---. The commander's spear gives the characters a fighting chance against the Krenshar, both by bolstering their saving throws versus fear and giving them a weapon with the power to overcome the Krenshar's damage reduction.
Rosemary: The Black Rosemary is General L---'s goal, a an extremely rare with the power to enhance his undead soldiers.
Undead General: General L---. (I may have stretched the meaning of this ingredient. I decided to make him a general that commands undead, rather than a general that is undead. I thought that he was a more sympathetic character this way.)
Krenshar: The fear-inducing beasts who are the characters' major challenge/obstacle.
Killing Fields: The battlefield on which General L---'s men were slaughtered, and where their perfectly preserved corpses still lie. (I tried to give this one a double meaning: not only are these the fields on which men were killed, but because the nercomantic energy that causes the lingering fear is tied to the location, these fields are killing the characters.)
Indecision: The thing that General L--- blames for his failure, and the thing which he hates the most. Thematically represented in the adventure by the decision that the characters must make, the confusion generated by the lingering fear, and the punishments the characters regularly recieve from being indicisive.
