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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rune" data-source="post: 1182261" data-attributes="member: 67">Rune vs. the CHAMPEEN BULLYWUG BASTARD...IngredientsMountain Cabin (Lothario's safe haven/den of villainy.)Frost Worm (The foundation of Chastity, part of Lothario's plan, and also, a little bit of mockery.)Lothario (A ladies' man.  Also a heretic.)Spiral Staircase (A bad trip down to inevitable destruction.)Heat Lightning (Divinity.  Or not.)Heresy (The betrayal of faith on the part of, well, that depends on who you listen to.)This adventure is presented from two opposing viewpoints, each with different expectations of the PCs.  However, there should be plenty of opportunities--and possibly incentive--for the PCs to change sides during the course of the adventure.  Should this happen, the motivations of both sides should be sufficiently detailed that the DM need not fear an abrupt shift of viewpoints.This scenario assumes the existence of a (presumably) Lawful Neutral god, WRTH.  One or both sides may depart from his will without knowing it during the course of the adventure, or they may not.  This is most problematic with Lothario, who has become Chaotic Neutral.  It is entirely left to the DM to determine how characters (possibly) offending their god would still be granted spells.  Perhaps the character(s) are granted powers by some deceptive dark power, or perhaps the god is actually Neutral in alignment--or has somehow shifted to it.  Or, perhaps, neither of the parties actually had divine power in the first place.This scenario also assumes a slight variation from the standard frost worm, but only in flavor.  The assumption being that, first, the frost worm has a skeletal structure and, second, that the skeletal structure does not turn to ice when the worm enters its death throes.  The resulting explosion consists of both ice and bone, but is mechanically identical.  Finally, this scenario assumes that frost worms, for whatever reason, have found a way and a reason to thrive in the frozen mountainous region that this adventure takes place in, whereas normally, they would be limited to plains.This adventure is designed to be a moderate challenge to a party of four characters, roughly level 10.  Any business that places the PCs within the frozen mountains is sufficient for presenting this adventure to the players.  If the PCs are a mostly lawful lot, it is suggested that they encounter the city of Chastity first.  If, on the other hand, they are primarily a chaotic group, it is suggested that they encounter Lothario’s cabin first.Spiraling DownwardThe First Step...LotharioIn the frozen mountaintops, a majestic city rests upon the bones of the largest frost worm the world has ever known.  The Theocracy of the Chaste, which rules this city, is particularly proud of its heritage.  As they tell it, the warrior Logos stood between his god, WRTH, and the colossal frost worm and slew the worm at the behest of his god and so was charged with building the theocracy.  WRTH was, is, and ever shall be Master of Law, Order, Justice, and Chastity.  So it was that the City of Chastity prospered peacefully and orderly until its very foundation was undermined by heresy...In the frozen mountaintops, very near the tyrannical Theocracy of the Chaste, Lothario made his home.  Lothario, once a slave to dogma, now a Champion of Freedom, hides in exile and works tirelessly toward the subversion of the oppressive regime.  What matter that he is more lover than figher?  Women need to be freed of the Tyranny of the Chaste as much as any man...The Second Step...Heat LightningIn the frozen mountaintops, it is clear that their god is angry.  A phenomenon unexplainable through natural means rings the mountain peaks.  The lowlands surrounding the mountains are unnaturally hot and strange flashes of light dance, almost continually, on the horizon.  If the denizens of Chastity knew what it was, they would call it “heat lightning.”  Instead, they call it “divine wrath” and they know that they must honor the prime tenet of their faith--justice.  They must apprehend the heretic, Lothario.  They will be more than happy to hire wandering adventurers, at almost any price, to help them eradicate the threat to their very structure...In the frozen mountaintops, it is clear that their god is pleased.  A ring of lights flashes around the mountainous horizon almost continually.  Lothario’s army grows daily.  Every day, Lothario is able to lure away more of Chastity’s youth.  Indeed, it is clear that WRTH wants nothing less than the cleansing of his religion.  To this end, Lothario would be delighted to hire skilled adventurers to aid hi, particularly since his army is yet small, undisciplined, and chaotic...The Third Step...HeresyIn the frozen mountaintops, a cleric has betrayed his faith.  Should PCs who find themselves in Chastity need any convincing of Lothario’s villainy, they need only speak with the scores of women seduced and abandoned to a hollow life outside the rigidly defined social castes of the city.  In anyone this would be reprehensible behavior.  In the clergy, sworn to oaths of chastity, it is heresy.  Indeed, to break with the holy teachings and claim that the Theocracy does not pursue justice, as Lothario has done, is unforgivable heresy.  The sooner Lothario is found and dealt with, the better.  Unfortunately, interrogation of the city’s youths has proved futile, and no one seems to know where Lothario is hiding...In the frozen mountaintops, a theocracy has betrayed its people.  Should PCs who find themselves in Lothario’s stronghold need any convincing of the Theocracy’s tyranny, they need only speak with the scores of young men and women who have fled the chains of oppression.  Clearly, a governing body that does not have the best interests of its citizens (and what could be more crucial than freedom?) at heart is not just.  Since justice is a prime tenet of the faith, it can only be concluded that the Theocracy has long since betrayed its faith and served itself through heresy, rather than its god.  It is Lothario’s divine duty to liberate his brethren.  Alas, he is no fighter.  However, he has a plan to shift the odds in his favor...The Fourth Step...Frost WormIn the frozen mountaintops, cold death hunts.  Lothario is well aware of the location of a frost worm’s lair in the surrounding area and intends to lure the army of Chastity strait into it.  He will, when the time is right--and that time is fast approaching (for surely the flashes in the sky portend victory!)--take a few of his most able warriors or adventurers with him to the gates of Chastity.  If the PCs have agreed to aid him, he will certainly hope to bring them along--they will certainly be far more seasoned than any others.  Hopefully (predictably, Lothario insists) the Theocracy will send out a massive portion of its army in pursuit.  Straight into the jaws of the frost worm.  Once the army has been destroyed, inciting rebellion should be no difficult task within the city...In the frozen mountaintops, justice would be served.  The last place anyone in the Theocracy expects for Lothario to show up is at their own gates, but there he stands.  If the PCs have been recruited to help apprehend the outlaw, all they need to do is chase him down.  They will have practically an entire army at their backs.  If the PCs are successful in catching up to Lothario, he will attempt to persuade them that his cause is right, but more importantly, he will insist that the PCs find (with him, of course) a place to hide, for the frost worm will be quick in coming.  The army is quick in interpreting this encounter as proof (if they needed more) that Lothario is in league with the Enemies of WRTH.  The pursuing army consists of several hundred adequately trained warriors and at least half of them should survive the attack (Lothario is no supreme tactician and severely underestimated the abilities of the worm).  If the PCs fight the worm, a great deal more will probably survive.  At any rate, Lothario will do everything in his power to escape, caring far more for speed than for covering his tracks and the survivors should have no trouble tracking him to his cabin...The Fifth Step...Mountain CabinIn the frozen mountaintops, a safe haven sits comfortably among the stark peaks.  It is a cabin, cozy and inviting.  It harbors, however, a secret.  Deep in the mountain, underneath the cabin, Lothario has carved out (with the aid of recruited artisans) a stronghold.  The chamber is capable of housing hundreds of people and it is here that Lothario builds his army.  The chamber is accessible through a secret panel in the cabin wall and down a long, spiral staircase.  Lothario, ever a lover of the dramatic, could not resist the irony of fashioning the staircase from the bones of a collection frost worms, and so it is constructed.  With an army not nearly as diminished as he had hoped in pursuit of him, Lothario will head for his cabin--and his secret stronghold, with all possible haste.  If the PCs are courageous and foolhardy, they could attempt to delay the oncoming army before they get to the cabin, but the cabin will provide a much better ground for battle.  However, if the PCs do linger, the army may well attempt to recruit them, explaining how wicked their quarry is to the unfortunately misguided PCs...In the frozen mountaintops, a den of villainy taunts the stark mountainside that it rests upon.  It is a cabin alive with wickedness, traitors, and anarchy.  The heretic makes his way toward this cabin and the army pursues.  At first, upon entering the cabin, it seems abandoned--but this is impossible.  In fact, a secret panel may be discovered in one of the walls on a successful Search check with DC 20.  Behind the panel, an eerie staircase, fashioned of the bones of a frost worm in mockery of the divine City of Chastity, spirals down into darkness.  Somewhere below the sound of footsteps echo...The Sixth Step...Spiral StaircaseIn the frozen mountaintops, a spiral staircase descends into the depths.  If pressed, and if the PCs are with him, Lothario will meet his foes on this staircase, though he will personally disengage and continue down at the first opportunity.  The staircase is narrow and can only fit two fighters side by side, in cramped formation.  Additionally, it provides unsteady footing, especially for those fighting from above.  Mechanically, a balance check of DC 5 should be required to maintain footing for anyone fighting upward on the steps each time they make an attack.  Failure means a tumble down the staircase.  Those on higher ground should suffer the same fate on a failure of a balance check made at DC 10.  If Lothario is successful in escaping, he will rally his army within his stronghold and hope to fend off the Theocracy’s attack...In the frozen mountaintops, a spiral staircase descends into the depths.  If the PCs pursue Lothario with the army, he will not hesitate to flee down the stairs.  Catching him is then only a simple matter of racing down the treacherous staircase.  A balance check of DC 10 must be made for each round of running, modified as normal for a running character.  A failure means a tumble to the bottom.  If the heretic manages to escape to his stronghold, the PCs and army will be met (though perhaps not immediately) with an army of several dozen poorly disciplined young men and women...The Final Step...JusticeIn the frozen mountaintops, two opposing forces, unavoidably linked, drag each other into mutual destruction.  Lothario’s army will be overrun; it is inevitable.  Lothario will stand trial for heresy against the Theocracy of the Chaste.  If found guilty (as is also inevitable), he will be burned at the stake.  Justly.  Finally, the weakened city will suffer a revolt from its disenchanted and oppressed citizens and the Theocracy will find its end therein...All of this assumes that the PCs do nothing to alter events.  The PCs could help Lothario fend of the attacking army, and the Theocracy may well fall all the quicker.  Or, the PCs may be able to quell an uprising in the City through use of force or, more likely, diplomacy.  Possibly, the PCs will be able to talk some sense into both sides and prevent the destruction of both, although this is not a likely course.Finally, the PCs may determine that both sides are reprehensible and that neither has any true idea what justice is, let alone, who is just.  In such a case, the PCs may just leave them to their (just?) fates.</blockquote>

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