Quickbeam vs. Howandwhy99
False Impressions
An adventure for characters of 4th – 6th levels
Ingredients:
The Dolphin King
Expatriates
Keen Scythe
Obvious Snafu
All Around Vision
Worg
BACKGROUND:
Nearly two generations ago, a young man named Jaern left the village of Ashleigh Grove on the outskirts of the human city Corwyn to fight in a holy crusade across the Harwiss Sea. Jaern was a simple farmer when he left, but during his many years of training in the field, he dedicated his life to Pelor (or any other god of light). His great feats as a paladin brought him some degree of fame abroad, but few stories made their way back home. This notoriety brought with it numerous enemies, and Jaern became very cautious. He commissioned an enchanted weapon, which would aid him in his vigilance…an exceptionally effective blade that would allow him to see from every angle (providing a great advantage, because detect evil is by no means infallible or perfect as an early warning system). Legend referred to this weapon as the Blade of Jaern.
Fifteen years ago, Jaern carried this weapon back to Ashleigh Grove, when old age had caught up to him and he could feel death approaching. Accompanying him on this final journey was Ooldan, the wizard who enchanted the Blade of Jaern, and a close friend of the paladin. Upon Jaern’s death, Ooldan had him entombed near the shores of the sea that had carried Jaern to greatness, somewhere to the northeast of Corwyn. Ooldan set a permanent guard at the tomb’s entrance, to protect the sanctity of his friend’s burial ground, and to make certain that the Blade of Jaern did not fall into evil hands. In the days and weeks subsequent to Jaern’s death, Ooldan spent many nights mourning the loss of his dear friend over huge tankards of ale in the many taverns around Corwyn.
More recently, a Jackalwere* pirate named Faroun and his crew attacked a merchant ship under cover of darkness. As fate would have it, an aged Ooldan happened to be among those on this vessel, and the long years of peaceful comfort left him lackadaisical about keeping protective spells in effect. So it was, that Ooldan died with all of the other souls on board. Among the loot the Faroun recovered, were many books and arcane scrolls possessed by Ooldan. While the Jackalwere had little use for the scrolls and spellbooks beyond the price they might fetch, the wizard’s journal proved most to be a most interesting acquisition. There was an entire section dedicated to the life and deeds of Jaern, the latter portion of which made mention of the magical blade Ooldan had enchanted for his friend. There were also notes referencing Corwyn, and the burial tomb where Jaern was laid to rest with his possessions.
Believing that the blade, which Ooldan’s notes claimed gave one
all around vision, would allow him to use his gaze attack in all directions simultaneously (an understandable misconception by the power-hungry pirate), Faroun and the rest of his crew set sail across the Harwiss Sea to find the coast of Corwyn.
GEOGRAPHY & THE REGION:
Corwyn sits at the inner coast of a small bay. Following the coastline 20 miles to the southwest lies the human city of Pelfasse. Roughly 30 miles northeast of Corwyn lies the dwarven settlement of Durbin-Ra. About a dozen miles inland from the coast, a dense forest stretching miles in all directions, is home to numerous tribal enclaves of orcs. Life along this stretch of coast is harsh, and relations between the various cities and peoples are tenuous at best. Trade is limited, and there is a strong sense of isolation among the humans and dwarves, since they are surrounded on one side by water and separated from the inner continent by the orcs.
SET UP:
Having moored his ship along the coastline just outside of Corwyn, Faroun and his two Jackalwere lieutenants assume human form and investigate the region. Faroun recognizes that the Bay of Corwyn would make an ideal location for a permanent base of operations, and conceives of a plan to overtake the entire city.
* First, Faroun and his crew capture a large Pelfasse whaling vessel, then sail up the coast to Corwyn. From this captured ship – which plainly displays the flag of Pelfasse – they unleash an assault on the wharf district using ballista and large harpoons rigged with alchemic mixtures, which set the pier ablaze.
* Faroun and his crew then flee into the Harwiss Sea, returning a day later to the shores of Durbin-Ra, now flying a flag of Corwyn, which was previously stolen. Once again a fiery volley of missiles is launched from the ship, this time directed at the dwarven scout posts and towers.
* Now Faroun begins his earnest attempts to locate the paladin’s resting place, hoping to locate the Blade of Jaern. The Jackalwere’s thinking is that Corwyn is likely to find itself gearing up to wage war on two fronts given tensions in the area. With the city’s militia and guardsmen spread so thin, Faroun incorrectly believes it will be easy for the pirates to conquer Corwyn since he’s thoroughly convinced the Blade will grant him the ability to use his gaze against potential foes in all directions simultaneously.
* Corwyn begins to prepare for war with Pelfasse within 24 hours of the pirate attack. Meanwhile, Dwarven scouts see Corwyn’s military preparations, and report to Durbin-Ra that the humans are set for war. The canvas is ready…
PC HOOKS:
1) Unbeknownst to Faroun, a small fishing boat was in the area when the pirates captured the Pelfasse whaler. The whaler had been captained by a man named Hubson Tane, who was known for his excessive drinking. Upon returning to Pelfasse, the fisherman, Linten, tells folks that from a distance he saw pirates engaging the whaler. Grief-stricken families and other townsfolk are unwilling to believe Linten, assuming that he is trying to create some small measure of celebrity for himself out of the whaler’s disapperance. Naturally, they assume Tane and his drinking were responsible for the loss of life. Tane’s wife, Henara, is desperate to believe the fisherman, and wants to cling to any hope that her husband is still alive. She offers a cash reward to anyone who can find the pirates and bring them to justice, or provide proof that her husband’s drinking was not responsible for the whaler’s disappearance. She will seek out the party if they are in the area of Pelfasse, because their reputations precede them, or the party will hear of the reward (which folks generally believe is a wild goose chase).
2) After the attack on the outposts, the dwarves of Durbin-Ra imprison human
expatriates who have been living and working amongst the dwarves. They fear that some of the humans may be spies, and do not want to risk any information leaks with war on the horizon. These farmers, miners, loggers, etc. are all kept in a dwarven jail complex. One
expatriate Crattus Irvee has managed to escape and he returns to Corwyn to determine why his people have attacked the dwarves. Upon questioning the authorities, Irvee is told that there was no attack. Determined to avert war and free his family back in Durbin-Ra, he seeks help. Irvee may know of one of the party members and sends word to him/her, or perhaps Irvee has heard of the party’s adventures and seeks them out. He hopes that his appeals to the party’s collective conscience and good graces will be enough to motivate them.
Then…once the PCs start investigating the alleged pirates or the naval attacks, Faroun will come to them in human form. His two lieutenants are stationed in the cities of Pelfasse and Corwyn and they will direct him to the PCs if they start snooping. Faroun will approach the party alone. He will appear to be a thin man of average height. His hair is mottled and oily, and his fingernails are long and dirty. Faroun wears a ring of mind shielding on his right hand. He will introduce himself as Ferrin Todlow, and upon greeting the PCs he will say, “a pleasure to eat you” and cover this by saying, “meet you…meet you.” This
obvious snafu (as in slip of the tongue or faux pas) might put the party on guard. Faroun tells the party that he has information for them. . .that he knows of a magical device which will allow them to see the truth by looking back through time. He will offer to reveal the location of this item in exchange for something. He wants them to subdue and retrieve a
worg from a small orc encampment in the nearby woods, saying that he’s always wanted to train a
worg himself. This is another
obvious snafu (in the sense of the word’s true origin, which was army-speak for Situation Normal, All Fouled Up.), as the PCs clearly would have to move into orcish territory in order to accomplish this. In truth, the device does not exist, but Faroun looks at things this way: either the party will be killed by the orcs and their mounts, putting an end to their snooping about…or they will return with the
worg, potentially drawing the orcs into conflict with the humans of Corwyn and Pelfasse, making his conquest even easier.
ENCOUNTERS
The Worg:
Faroun details the location of a nearby orc encampment two miles into the woods, at a point roughly half way between Pelfasse and Corwyn. 12 orcs are camped here, and 6 more are on active patrol of the area (1/2 mile radius of the camp). Near the center of the camp, a pen holds two adult
worgs and their litter of four pups. If the orc patrol spots the PCs, they will call for their comrades, who will abandon their camp for the fight. If the orc patrol spots the PCs when they are leaving the camp, they will not engage immediately, but will report back to their base with the information (that humans have attacked the camp, potentially leading the orcs to take up arms against the human cities).
If the PCs return a worg or pup to Faroun, he will tell the party that a knight was entombed outside of Corwyn. The knight was buried with his helm, which was enchanted so that the wearer could scry across time (as the spell scry across the ages (Divine grimoire)). He describes to the PCs where Jaern’s tomb is located, and tells them that the helm is within (again, there is no helm). Faroun has been to the tomb, and could not face its guardian; therefore, he hopes that either the PCs will be killed by the guardian, or that they will find a way to defeat it, and he will be able to take the Blade of Jaern.
Jaern’s Tomb Part 1:
The tomb is guarded by an iron golem constructed by Ooldan. This unique golem wields an enchanted
keen scythe, which gives its bearer
all around vision, and it uses this weapon to defend the tomb along with its poison breath, dispensing with its standard slam attacks. The scythe is the Blade of Jaern, which Faroun seeks. However, Faroun has assumed the blade is a sword, and would not recognize the scythe as his prize. The
keen scythe also bears a magical glamer that makes it look like a weathered and damaged farming tool, not the glorious weapon it really is.
The tomb and golem stand in a clearing in an overgrown area about five miles northeast of Corwyn. The golem stands a few feet in front of the tomb’s entrance. It will not activate, unless someone crosses to within ten feet of the tomb. If that happens, it will attack; however, it will not follow anyone retreating. It will return to its dormant state after ten minutes without engagement. The golem will not activate if the person passing speaks its command word (see below). The tomb itself rests behind a heavy stone door (strength check DC 20 to open) placed beneath a carved archway, guarded only by the golem.
If the PCs interact with the golem, they will quickly learn that discretion is the better part of valor, and flea if they hope to survive. It is quite unlikely that they would be able to beat the golem in combat; however, if they do, the tomb’s contents are described in some detail in the “Jaern’s Tomb part 2” section below. The PCs may realize that they need to find another way around the golem, and may seek assistance (which may prove fruitful, see below).
The Dolphin King:
If the PCs have taken on Mrs. Tane’s task, and are actively looking for the pirates . . . or if the PCs are following the coastline about 11 miles northeast of Corwyn (and 19 miles southwest of Durbin-Ra), they will come along an area of dense overgrowth, and a substantial amount of driftwood. Visibility is only clear to about 15 feet in any direction, while going through this area, because of all the plant-life. If they trek through the area, a spot check (DC 15) will permit the PCs to notice a ship moored off the coast.
This is Faroun’s ship,
the Dolphin King one of his greatest conquests.
The Dolphin King currently carries a crew of 24 hobgoblins, as Faroun and his two jackalwere lieutenants are currently amidst the human settlements. If the PCs move into sight along the shoreline, the hobgoblins on watch will likely notice them. Two pairs of six hobgoblins will board rowboats, and attempt to close and engage the PCs (they have orders to kill anyone who stumbles upon the ship). The rowboats will provide the PCs an easy access to the ship.
On board the ship, the PCs will face twelve more hobgoblins. Of interest on board the ship is a journal in the captain’s cabin. The journal of Ooldan lies open to an entry about the tomb of Jaern, near Corwyn. It describes the mighty Blade of Corwyn (but does not explain that it is a scythe), and makes reference to the fact that a guardian stands sentry at the tomb. A knowledge geography check (DC 15) or knowledge local check (DC 10) will allow the PCs to locate the tomb based upon the description in the journal.
Also of note on board are 1) human remains in the galley, 2) a locked door to a hold below, wherein there lie 20 gems valued at 30 GPE, 200 gold pieces, 450 silver pieces, and assorted pieces of jewelry -- total value of jewelry 100 gold pieces (a ring amongst this jewelry belonged to the whaler, Mr. Tane. His widow would recognize it.), 3) on the bridge there are scattered piles of rubbish, a search check (DC 10) will uncover two flags (Corwyn’s and Pelfasse’s. . . the hobgoblins brought these back on board before they sank the whaler).
Corwyn’s Sage:
In Corwyn, Elias Yost, a cooper, has the added distinction of being the town’s lore-master. He has a small shop in which he makes and sells his barrels. If the party asks around town about Jaern or any of the other relevant info pertaining to the paladin and his blade, folks will suggest that the PCs consult Elias. Elias is a human male in his late sixties. He is an avid reader and has a knack for picking up bits of information. He is very sociable, and often plants himself in one of the city’s taverns. If the PCs go to his shop, he will agree to speak with them after the shop closes, if they will pay his bar tab for the night. If the party finds him in a tavern, he will offer a similar arrangement.
Elias happened to be sitting next to Ooldan one night long ago while the wizard was grieving over Jaern’s death. He remembers hearing about Jaern’s successes abroad, and about a great weapon that he wielded (specifics he doesn’t quite remember). If he is shown the journal, his memory will snap back, and he will be able to tell the PCs where the tomb is located based upon the description in the journal.
Whether he is shown the journal or not, Elias remembers that Ooldan often said that rust will keep iron in check. He remembers the wizard would laugh when he said it. “No matter how strong the iron, rust can keep it in check.” Elias does not realize it, but “rust” is the command word that will allow one passage by the iron golem guardian of Jaern’s tomb. A wisdom/intelligence check (DC 20) will permit the PCs to identify the command word, if they have already been to the tomb.
Jaern’s Tomb part 2:
If the PCs have been to the tomb because of Faroun’s false scrying helm, they may have sought to report back to him with their findings and some questions of their own. However, the party will be unable to locate Faroun, who no longer looks like he did when they met him. He now has the appearance of a feeble old man, as do his lieutenants who have joined him. If the PCs return to the tomb a second time, Faroun and his lieutenants are hiding in the surrounding brush, waiting to see if the party can now defeat or bypass the guardian. If the PCs spot them, Faroun will explain that he and his cronies are there because a prophecy foretold that a band of noble adventurers were supposed to release a powerful magic from the crypt, and they just wanted to see for themselves. Neither he nor his companions are armed. If the party attacks the “old men,” the Jackalweres will revert to their natural form, and fight back.
The tomb has a decorative, but empty antechamber, and an inner chamber wherein Jaern is laid to rest. To get to Jaern, the PCs must pry off the top of his sarcophagus with a strength check (DC 25, although 4-8 people may be lifting at once). The paladin is wearing masterwork plate mail armor, a great helm, and has a long sword in his hands. None of the items are magical or remarkable beyond their masterwork craftsmanship.
When the PCs emerge from the tomb, Faroun and his lieutenants will attempt to use their gaze attacks to put the PCs to sleep. Then they will revert to their natural form, and attack the PCs. Faroun will attempt to get the sword at all costs, still laboring under the assumption it’s the Blade of Jaern.
RESOLUTION:
1) The PCs can show items recovered from the Dolphin King to Mrs. Tane, who will recognize her husband’s ring, and accept that he died at the hands of the pirates. A fitting reward at the DM’s discretion will be paid to the party.
2) The PCs can relate the story of the pirate ship, and show any flags recovered to the appropriate officials in Corwyn, Pelfasse, and Durbin-Ra. It is possible that honorary titles and other gifts may be bestowed upon the party for helping to avoid war within the region, again at the DM’s discretion.
3) If the PCs kill Faroun at the tomb, they might use the journal as evidence that he was the pirate and likely perpetrator of the discourse throughout the area, and this may assist in resolving tensions amongst the cities. The same possible rewards as mentioned in #2 apply here.
4) If the party uses detect magic or analyze dweomer to ascertain the scythe’s nature, they may wish to secure the item as their own. The golem will not release the true Blade of Jaern, unless it is defeated in combat, which will be a hefty task. DM’s may alter this Iron Golem to suit their needs, in an effort to keep the Blade of Jaern with the tomb guardian. Furthermore, it is the hope herein, that a party of heroic adventurers would not want to rob the grave of a deceased paladin.
* Jackalweres are 1st Edition MM creatures of 4HD. Their gaze causes sleep (on any unsuspecting creature that fails a will save…per sleep spell….however, a hostile creature is not unsuspecting; therefore, the jackalweres cannot do this once engaged in melee). They are chaotic evil humanoids of very high intelligence, and can assume human or biped jackal form as a standard action. But most entertainingly, they can only be damaged by +1 or better weapons, or those made of iron...how scary would that make the iron golem to them?!? I couldn't resist this old school inclusion
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Edit: It should be noted, that this adventure can be dropped into any campaign where the PCs may be traveling near or along a coastline, with minor changes to the geography and town names. I also noted the names of myself and H&W99 as combatants, which I forgot in my haste to turn in for the night several hours ago.
