Advice for an adventure requested

[Gilladian]

Okay, this is short time - I really only have til tonight to work this plot out, but here's the situation:

(Oh, AbdulAlhazred - stay out!)

This campaign is supposed to be one of high chivalry and romance - think King Arthur, but without that specific plot anc characters. The realm is called Alleterre, and is sort of early-medieval/celtic/romantic rolled into one.

The PCs have a magical ring which is some sort of treaty between the human king and the seelie court. Unfortunately, this treaty has been neglected for the past several generations, and is failing. The ring is the concrete form of the treaty. The PCs are about to be told they need to take it to "the rightful king" and remind him that the treaty needs honoring.

The Unseelie want to corrupt the treaty so they can take over the fey world. The giants want the unseelie to succeed so they can invade more human kingdoms.

So the PCs (a knight, a squire, a lady, a merchant's son, a boy (who is the guardian of the ring), a stableboy and a seelie dog are on their way to meet the true king.

What obstacles could the unseelie throw at them to stop or mislead them? I'm thinking a wild hunt, which could terrorize their horses and split the party but wouldn't actually harm any of them. but then what?

Here are my actual notes so far:
Aumry's Dream

"Last Night, I had a dream. It started with Gervaise, the dog. He woke me up, and he pulled at me until I followed him. He took me into the forest, but it wasn't like the forest here. The trees were all as tall as mountains, and as green as emeralds and their trunks were made of what looked like silver and gold. I think it was the Fairy realm.

But I wasn't frightened, because Gervaise took me to a clearing in the forest. My father was there. He told me not to be afraid; he was in trouble, but I didn't need to worry. Instead, he told me I was to take our Family's Task, the Ring, and carry it to the King of Alleterre. The Rightful King!

He said it was very important that I do this as soon as possible. He said I would know the Rightful King at once, when I saw him, because he would be a good and honorable man, and he would bear the signs that he was beloved of the Seelie Court.

Will you help me?"

Challenges:

Must get safely across Alleterre to King's Court. Where is it? King on procession? How to find out?

Foes trying to stop PCs (unseelie)
Horned Knight? Maybe just try to terrify party (wild hunt), drive off horses, get people lost in the woods…

Wild Hunt: 4 riders, ghostly (cannot be hit), a dozen hounds (also ghostly). Fear effect. Riders, mounts, dogs, etc… must all save vs fear…
begins with sound effects (galloping hooves, howling of hunting dogs, wind, then dead silence, hunt appears, fear rushes over, etc…)

Foes trying to steal ring (same or different? Seelie?)
two attempts, one by a human group (bandits can simply ambush the PCs, but one of them specifically tries to grab Aumry) , one by some sort of creature (beast?)

Seelie testing PCs:
try to get PCs to turn aside, go on a different quest
Faux "rightful king" (king's uncle) attempting to intervene
PCs misled, told current king is not true king (uncle's story)
PCs meet "king"; must determine if Uncle is true king or not
PCs meet "true (young) king" but he is not the right person. Is another faux king (illusion?) by fey.

Reach court:
Must find person to introduce them at the King's Court.
Must negotiate court etiquette, etc... meet king and recognize rightful authority (what signs?). Present ring and explain history. Will he believe?

 

[was]

What level are the pc's?
Idea: racing to deliver the ring in time for the coronation/solstice/ceremony..etc
Foes:
1. Decently powered unseelie fey leading a large band of goblin raiders, maybe throw in a couple of fomorians for support.
2. Band of giants throwing stones/melee

-first challenge (skirmish): fight off the powerful unseelie and goblin scouts
-second challenge (skirmish): large goblin band w/ formorians threaten to overwhelm group until giants join in making it a 3 way melee...pc's get the chance to sneak away off the main road and through the wilderness
-third challenge (chase): running through wilderness trying to avoid random bands of goblins and giants
-fourth challenge (deception): arrival at fort/town/castle/city..etc, the unseelie is disguised/polymorphed as king/senechal etc. and tries to trick the pc's into giving him/her the ring
-fifth challenge (skirmish): the combined forces of giants/goblins hits the town during the coronation/ceremony..etc...can allow the unseelie to slip away or provide a momentous final battle..etc

 

[Gilladian]

Thanks! Actually, we spent the night learning to use a new web-based rpg site (roll20, if anyone is interested) and so we barely got started on the adventure. All they know is that they need to go see the king and deliver the ring, so far.

We're using a 2d6 system, very rules light, basically a version of Barbarians of Lemuria reflavored for chivalric setting. It is only our second week using the rules, so we're just getting started with that, too. I have to make up any monsters we meet, so I may not do too many!

The first encounter is a possible "scatter" scenario - the PCs are stalked by the wild hunt, which they cannot hurt, but which can only terrorize them and their horses. I'm hoping to get one or two of them lost, and then give them some sort of challenge getting back to the other PCs. Level is a non-concept, but assume fairly low (and low-no magic on the PCs part).

the giants are at this time movers behind the scenes only; the PCs don't know they're involved - they think giants are all just crude muscle and no brain. And the giants cannot enter Alleterre en masse YET...

Anyone else have ideas? I think one person/group lost in the woods may meet a dryad or nymph who is seeking a lover, as a diversion. What other things could they meet while wandering in the forest?