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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gradine" data-source="post: 7507671" data-attributes="member: 57112">The Twisted CourtA Mid-Level 5e Eberron adventureCon ArtistAncient CultureRoyal MintMindful Mind FlayerIncremental MalisonHungry HippogriffBurning RainHooksYou can use any of the hooks listed below, or one of your creation. Two of the NPCs featured below will play a role in the adventure to come.Tales of strange, horrific creatures coming out of the southern Byeshk Mountains have travelled throughout the Eldeen Reaches and across Silver Lake. They all originate from one town: Sylbaran, on the coast of Silver Lake, just across the border between the Reaches and Droaam, the realm of monsters. The Byeshk Mountains form the natural border between the two.One woman has followed these rumors seeking answers. Fernii d’Vadalis, an Eldeen Ranger and scion of House Vadalis (House Crest: Hippogriff) has recently failed her Test of Siberys, and wants to know why she hasn’t yet manifested the Mark of Handling. Her mother married into the House, her father died before her birth, and her uncle, her only other close familial link to the family, was excoriated from the House for his experiments when she was still young. She has begun to suspect that her biological father has no ties to the House, but her mother denies that she has lied about her parentage. Fernii is attempting to seek out her lost uncle for answers, and the rumored creatures bear the hallmark of her uncle’s work.Tel'daar Duukuun is a cunning hobgoblin warlord and claims to be the heir of an ancient Dhakaani kingdom situated around the southern Byeshk Mountains. He could very well be an heir for all he knows; all that matters to him is that he’s been able to attract a small following and none of the forces within Droamm have attempted to challenge him yet. He cares little of rebuilding the glory of the Dhakaani empire or carving out a kingdom for himself; his merely seeks the financial gain to set himself up for life in the Droaam city of Graywall. He has been seeking Dhuugaan or Dhogec, a Dhakaani fortress situated underneath the volcanic Dhogec Ghuukac (Mount Fury). The fortress, home to a forge of byeshk weapons, was said to have been converted into a mint after the Daelkyr and their aberrant armies were defeated. There is said to be a whole treasury full of byeshk-minted coins. Tel’daar has found the entrance; he might have hired the adventurers to brave the depths with him, or a rival or Eldeen official might hire them to put a stop to his plans. If he has not hired the PCs, he will have an entourage of followers with him.Dhuugaan or DhogecThe ancient fortress was abandoned as many Dhakaani sites were in the centuries of decline their empire faced following the Daelkyr War. Many of its ruined tunnels have been caved in; and progress requires travelling through twisty tunnels and dark caverns built by earth-boring creatures long ago. Two key populations of creatures exist within this dungeon: aberrations, particularly dolgrims and dolgaunts, goblinoids that have been twisted by Daelkyr fleshwarpers; and fantastic beasts such as griffins, displacer beasts, hippogriffs, and manticores. Many of these have odd additions or subtractions from their traditional physiology; a result of Bragi’s experiments.A curse (see below) will slowly begin assaulting the minds of any who enter. Delusions, voices, and other tricks of the mind will attempt to make any creature within the complex begin to question their sanity.In addition, there are five key NPCs inside the ruins: two, Fernii and Tel’daar, are described above, and can be found making their way through the ruins whether they are involved with the party initially or not. The other three are:IacthatkarloshIacthatkarlosh is a mind flayer who has taken over the mint within Dhogec. His purpose is entirely research; he has little desire for a physical confrontation and will ultimately flee if he finds himself in danger. He is aware that the Daelkyr Yahathl'thess laid a curse on this forge, as byeshk weapons were instrumental in fighting back their armies. The curse would corrupt the inhabitants of the fortress, first their mind and then their body slowly over time. The curse is what convinced Dhogec’s earliest post-war kings to eschew weaponcraft in favor of crafting and hoarding wealth. Similar curses elsewhere led to the decline of the Dhakaani Empire and the creation of many aberrant creatures. Over the centuries the curse within Dhogec has grown stronger; its effects happen more quickly, and its reach grows further. Iacthatkarlosh is currently keen on studying its effects on Bragi and ultimately the surrounding villages, as the curse continues to expand.Iacthatkarlosh knows everything about this history as well as the nature of Bragi’s experiments. He is friendly and tries his best to appear helpful, but will also be evasive to questioning. He will attempt to manipulate the PCs or their allies; for example, he refers to Fernii as “bastard” and will attempt to glean and utilize the PC’s weaknesses against them. His ultimate goal is to get them to stay long enough for the curse to fully take hold on them, or failing that leave from where they came. This will be a tricky and dangerous conversation. Iacthatkarlosh has too much pride in his research, however, and this can be used against him.Tel’daar will demand access not only to the riches within the vault but to the mint itself, with which he would be capable of minting plenty of the rare coins and make himself a small fortune. Iacthatkarlosh has no reason to stop him, and in fact thinks Tel’daar could be an interesting new case study for his research.HephaestusHephaestus is, or at least was, Bragi’s prized magebred hippogriff. While it is still half-eagle, half-lion, its lion tail has been replaced two tails; a manticore’s tail (complete with spikes) and a clubbed tail, tinged purple, the telltale sign of byeshk. Its wings have been replaced with a displacer beast’s tentacles. Most disturbingly, it is now able to dislocate its jaw, allowing it to produce a whip-like tongue and swallow creatures up to Medium size whole.Hephaestus guards Bragi and the cavern he has made his home, and will protect him with its life. If encountered with Fernii, she will attempt the calm the best down. The Mark of Handling will manifest on her arm as she does so, and she is able to calm the creature long enough to approach and recognize it. However, its mind is too far corrupted to be saved, and Fernii’s hold on it lasts only moments.BragiA former breeder in House Vadalis, he was excoriated when his experiments fell outside the realm of what the House deemed “proper”. He was ultimately drawn to Dhogec due to the curse and its effects. The curse has broken his mind, and his own body has started to change; he has given himself wings (formerly Hephaestus’) and several tentacles and smaller cilia protrude from various points on his emaciated body. He has become fully corrupted, and cannot be saved. In his lair are several journals he kept before his mind decayed, as well as a sealed letter addressed to Fernii; it appears he was lost to the corruption before he could find a way to send it. In the letter, he admits to being her true father. His brother’s death broke him, and while he tried to be there for her, he instead grew ever more obsessed with his work. Her mother swore never to tell; the fear of judgment from the family, especially after Bragi’s excoriation, would have damaged Fernii’s reputation and left her adrift within the House. The letter begs Fernii to kill him and destroy the source of the corruption, which he has deduced has something to do with the mind flayer lurking above.ResolutionThe mint is connected directly to the magma flow within Dhogec Ghuukac, and a complex system of dams, tunnels, canals, and reservoirs keeps the furious mountain in check. Destroying any of these mechanisms would trigger a chain reaction that would cause Dhogec Ghuukac to explode. This would destroy the mint and end the corrupting curse, but it would also place the nearby town of Sylbaran in serious danger from the resulting eruption. Neither Iacthatkarlosh nor Tel’daar want this to happen, and the two will try to stop anyone who attempts to destroy the mint. Iacthatkarlosh will continue to attempt to dissuade the party (and, if pressured, dominate them); meanwhile Tel’daar (and potentially his kin) will have no qualms engaging in violence to save Dhogec Ghuukac. The adventurers must find a way to quickly warn the people of Sylbaran of the danger; this could very well be the best window of opportunity the party will have to destroy the mint and end the curse once and for all, and Fernii will refuse to pass up this opportunity. Meanwhile, Iacthatkarlosh and Tel’daar will seal off any entrances if the party leaves to warn the town first, and will otherwise bolster their defenses, making destroying the mint much more difficult.</blockquote>

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