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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CleverNickName" data-source="post: 7507638" data-attributes="member: 50987">THE CAKE OF KINGSMindful Mind FlayerCon ArtistAncient CultureRoyal MintIncremental MalisonHungry HippogriffBurning RainAdventure Synopsis:  The royal wedding is this weekend, but the cake has been stolen!  The party must quickly track down the rare ingredients needed to replace the valuable cake, and then bring the vandals responsible to justice.  But all is not what it seems! Along the way, they uncover a terrible plot against the royal family, capture the evil mastermind responsible, and rescue a prized hippogriff from a terrible fate!BackgroundThe wedding of the beloved Prince Strongjaw to the famous Princess Maidenfair has the entire realm in an excited uproar.  Everyone who is anyone will be in attendance, and neither kingdom has spared any expense in preparing for the reception.  In particular, the wedding cake itself will be the legendary "Cake of Kings," the most decadent dessert ever devised, a cake truly fit for a king--nay, two kings.Making this magnificent cake takes almost a week, and isn't easy.  The ingredients are rare, expensive, and difficult to acquire.  The chef is mysterious, and his recipe a closely-guarded secret--in fact, just last week a man was arrested for trying to steal it.  But today, just one week before the wedding, disaster struck!  The magnificent cake has been stolen, carved up and carried off by greedy thieves!The Crime SceneOn the evening of the crime, the cake had been locked in the royal carriage and parked inside the locked royal garage, awaiting transport to the banquet hall.  Guards outside the garage heard nothing out of the ordinary, and the hippogriffs housed inside did not raise the alarm.  The guards explain to the party that the thieves slashed the top of the carriage, helped themselves to the cake, and carried off the rest without a trace.  Unbeknownst to the guards (or to the party, unless they are skilled investigators) the cake was actually eaten by Bucky, the prince's own prized hippogriff.  The prince has a habit of treating the creature little pastries and baked goods over the years, and the spoiled creature helped itself to the cake when it was put under his guard.  The clever hippogriff sliced open the leather top of the carriage with its hooked beak, gulped down the prized cake, and licked the platter clean while the other hippogriffs quietly looked on.  Sharp-eyed sleuths may notice a small trail of crumbs leading from the carriage to Bucky's (suspiciously unlocked) pen.  There won't be time to finish their investigation, however.  Soon after they begin, the party is approached by the desperate Chef McGuffin, famed inventor of the recipe.  There is just enough time to re-bake the cake and save the wedding...but only if someone can gather the ingredients.  As their reward, he offers a Hero's Feast prepared for them personally at a banquet in their honor.Part I:  Gathering the IngredientsThe first ingredient the players will need to acquire is a sample of McGuffin's special sourdough starter, necessary to leaven the cake and give it a distinctive tangy flavor.  This ancient culture has been locked away in the royal catacombs for nearly a thousand years, handed down through the centuries from the first king's first bread-maker.  The sourdough starter is so strong and well-aged that it has literally taken on a life of its own, and will not give up a sample easily (use the stats for a gray ooze).  A sizable portion of it must be collected, roughly a half-gallon, and it must be kept alive and unspoiled for the trip back up to the surface.The second ingredient is a special herb called Royal Mint, a potent strain of peppermint so delicate it cannot be cultivated in gardens.  It grows only in the inhospitable volcanic badlands to the south, a region of the realm known for its caustic pools, corrosive rainfall, and poisonous reptiles.  A generous bushel of fresh leaves will be needed to make the cake's delicious icing and candy decorations...but to collect them, the party must outwit or outmatch their guardian: a green dragon with minty-fresh breath.The third rare ingredient is a dram of the caustic rainfall that falls in that same volcanic region, which will neutralize the acidity of the sourdough culture and impart a soft, tender texture to the dough.  A single drop of this corrosive rainfall will burn exposed skin and blind the eyes...so any amount of time spent in these volcanic badlands will be very memorable for the party and their equipment.Part II:  Following the CrumbsWhen the party returns from the badlands with the three ingredients, Chef McGuffin will heap praise upon them and immediately get to work in the kitchen.  But the party won't have time to relax...the instant they leave the kitchen, they are approached by Prince Strongjaw.  The prince's eyes are red and swollen from crying, and he wrings his hands anxiously.  His prized hippogriff, Bucky, has fallen ill!  He begs the party to come and see, and to lend any help they can.The party is escorted back to the royal garage, where they see the poor creature in its pen.  Its feathers, slick with a strange mucus, are falling out in clumps.  Its eyes are glazed over with a milky-white film, and worm-like tentacles writhe at the edges of its beak.  It tries to squawk, and vomits up wedding cake.  If the party hadn't already figured it out, it becomes obvious now that Bucky is responsible for eating the cake, and that the cake had been poisoned.  A search of the kitchen pantry will reveal that the sacks of sugar have been laced with strange, finely-ground crystals.  But who would do such a thing?Princess Maidenfair knows of a likely suspect:  Xaxfas.  This sinister illithid alchemist is a long-standing enemy of both kingdoms, and a personal rival of Princess Maidenfair's family.  By lacing the sugar with foul components of his own design, Xaxfas intended to turn both royal families into illithids under his control.  Bucky saved them all by eating the cursed cake...but at a terrible cost. The curse was never intended for hippogriffs, however, and poor Bucky will die without a cure.A chat with the thief in the jailhouse yields another clue.  The Prince recognizes him as a silver-tongued swindler named Nackerson "the Knack" Tarn: they've met numerous times over the years, but never for something as serious as attempted regicide.  Pressure from the party may persuade him to confess his crime:  he had been hired by "a squid-faced man" to put those crystals into the sugar barrel, and when he was caught he lied and said he had been trying to steal the recipe.  "Because attempted theft carries a lighter sentence than attempted murder," he shrugs.Part III:  The Final ShowdownCharacters skilled in medicine or arcana will confirm that Bucky has been cursed by powerful illithid magic.  And those trained in potions or alchemy might acquire samples to determine the nature of the curse and concoct a cure...but they will need certain rare ingredients of illithid origin.  It's time to pay Xaxfas a visit.The mind flayer's lair is a damp, foul-smelling temple originally built by drow.  Ever wary of intruders, the vigilant illithid makes use of many ancient drow artifacts, scrying devices, and magical sensors to defend his lair and alert them of trespassers.  The party will find Xaxfas in his alchemy lab, protected by his enslaved thralls (enslaved townsfolk and citizens) and horribly mutated experiments.ResolutionXaxfas's lab contains all of the books and materials needed to break the curse; characters skilled in alchemy, arcana, or other suitable skills will need only a few hours to identify and gather the components.  Unless they spent the night in the dungeon or took multiple rests, they should return to the castle in time to create the antidote and save Bucky.  Prince Strongjaw will reward the party handsomely for saving his friend's life.If the party kills Xaxfas, they must bring back evidence of his demise to the court (his body or head, for example) to close the case.  They will each be rewarded handsomely from Princess Maidenfair's family, for ending a dangerous rival once and for all.If the party subdues and captures Xaxfas, he will resist with all of his might.  Xaxfas will use every psionic power he has to overwhelm, enthrall, or destroy his captors for the entire trip back to the castle, and again when confronted by the royal court.  Their extra effort will be rewarded with a special commendation from the local Order of Paladins, for having the decency to bring even this uworthy criminal back to face the justice of the court.Any of the illithid's thralls who survived will return to their families a few days later, or sooner if the party escorts them back.  For the next few weeks, the players will receive small favors, treats, and gifts from their grateful families.  However, if the party slaughtered the enthralled townsfolk indiscriminately, unsavory rumors will begin to spread about the party and their cruel methods.</blockquote>

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