Wulf Ratbane
Adventurer
THE KING MUST DIE
Iron DM Round 1 Match 1
Slaad
Wind Skerries
Reticent Constable
Constitutional Monarchy
Original Skull
Holy Avenger
SETUP
This is an adventure for one Paladin PC (and such companions as may accompany him). Ideally, this adventure can serve as an Atonement for a paladin who has failed to live up to the lawful component of his alignment. The quest will show the paladin that it’s not always possible to “do good” while upholding the Law—and sometimes that’s all right.
You can also use this adventure for other paladin-themed quests: the search for his mount, or for his holy sword.
BACKGROUND
Valedon is a constitutional monarchy, with executive powers vested in the regent primarily in the form of a veto; the regent’s Council of Lords conducts and organizes the day to day functions of the state, each keeping in mind the needs of their own subjects as well as the needs of the state. Regent and the council members alike are sworn to uphold and defend the constitution, and each willingly accepts a geas to guarantee their good conduct. Indeed the constitution itself is a powerful magical artifact, the focus for this compulsion.
Valedon’s contains strict provisions for the order of succession, and for many, many generations this has staved off the typical bickering and politicking of the noble families. The regent serves until his or her death; and, if married, the regency passes temporarily to the spouse, who may (by death or abdication) pass the succession to the oldest of his or her natural children. The interim regent may even remarry, and perhaps establish a new line of succession.
The “current” hereditary ruler of Valedon, King Valos himself, was a wizard of great ambition—but only middling skill. When Valos fell ill many years past, none could guess that the cause was a summoning gone awry. Valos had unwisely attempted to bind a blue slaad to his service. Valos —or at least, to drive it away. Unfortunately, it was too late: Valos was infected with slaad fever.
The king’s strange affliction manifested much like a typical palsy, with the king becoming more and more withdrawn until he finally fell into an irrevocable catalepsy. Unaware of the nature of Valos’ illness, but sensing an opportunity, the queen and her lover, High Constable Claudius, kept Valos’ illness a secret and did not summon the priests to tend his illness until they were certain it was too late.
Thus, there was noone at hand to tend the king at the moment of his final transformation: Valos became a green slaad. The ensuing rampage of ur-Valos was brief; he was banished to Limbo after the arrival of the high priest.
This has caused a bit of confusion with regards to succession. Valos (now ur-Valos) is not, technically speaking, deceased, and as far as the Law is concerned, he (or it…) remains the rightful ruler of Valedon.
Claudius and Gertrude do not know the nature of Valos’ disappearance. Nevertheless, they conspired to cover it up—they certainly needed a body if they were to claim the king’s death. Claudius “procured” the corpse of one his guardsmen (slain during ur-Valos’ rampage) to stand in as the body of the king. To foil the High Priests, Claudius literally swapped heads from one body to another, making certain that both the body and the facial features, though severely mangled, might pass muster.
CAST OF PLAYERS
Gertrude—the interim regent of Valedon, wife of the dead king
Claudius—High Constable of Valedon, commander of the armed forces, now husband of Gertrude
Horatio—a high priest of Law
A trio of Inevitables: Lawbinder (a Zelekhut), Oathkeeper (a Kolyarut), and Deathstalker (a Marut)
ur-Valos—the former king of Valedon, now a green slaad
THE FIRST TASK
The quest begins with a powerful appeal, directly to the paladin, from the forces of Law. Lawbinder, the centaur-like Zelekhut, will appear and address the paladin directly. Sent by the Powers, Lawbinder will announce to the paladin, “The Law must be followed. Alight, and come with me.” Lawbinder is willing to serve as a mount for the paladin.
Lawbinder is not very forthcoming, seeking primarily to transport the paladin to Valedon where he can set things right (via planar travel from a higher power, or more mundane means if you place Valedon within a few days’ travel).
Lawbinder will explain to the paladin that powerful magics (forbiddance, among others) prevent him from entering the Manor, and that the paladin must act as his agent on this matter.
The paladin’s first task will be to enter the Manor, where he will first be granted audience with the High Priest Horatio. Horatio will explain the death of the king, perhaps express some reservations about the incident (and in particular the Queen’s short mourning and rapid engagement to Claudius). He will further explain that all attempt to cast speak with dead on the corpse have failed (but he is willing to try again for the paladin to witness—the spell will fail, as the corpse is not intact). Horatio will explain the constitution as necessary.
The paladin may also speak with the Queen and with Claudius, both of whom will be evasive, but extremely careful not to lie. Claudius is particularly reticent, suspiciously so; if pressed long enough, he will default to a story that he knows well (and truly), and describe the slaad attack, and might linger a bit too long and dramatically over the death of his men; a Sense Motive check may tip the paladin off that something is not right—if the player needs a “strong clue” then the body count simply won’t add up. More subtly, an inspection of the guards’ bodies in their crypts may reveal that the one corpse has had its head replaced with another (these neck bones are ripped apart, these neck bones have been cut cleanly through).
Ultimately the paladin’s task in this section is to reuinte the original skull from the guardsman with the “fake” king’s corpse, so that speak with dead will function correctly. At this point, through questioning, the corpse can reveal that it is not, in fact, the corpse of the king, but rather that of a lowly guardsman (killed by ur-Valos).
Under questioning, Claudius and Gertrude will truthfully admit that they had nothing to do with the disappearance of the king, and they both truly believe him to be dead. Under the laws of Valedon they are guilty of a minor crime at best (tampering with a body). There is, however, the matter of their attempt to subvert the constitution…
The paladin should return to Lawbinder to report.
THE SECOND TASK
When the paladin returns to Lawbinder, he will be greeted instead by Oathkeeper, a kolyarut. Oathkeeper will announce himself, concluding “Oaths must be kept. Draw steel, and return to Horatio.”
When the paladin returns to the Manor, he will be greeted directly by Horatio, who is surrounded by the angry, grieving families of the slain soldier, all demanding justice. Horatio will briefly explain that Claudius has fallen ill, wracked with pain for his attempt to subvert the constitution. In the interim Horatio has determined that ur-Valos yet lives, and is the rightful ruler of Valedon— unacceptable! And yet, they are all bound by the word of their constitution.
Horatio will explain that Valos, ur-Valos, whoever or whatever he is, is liable for the deaths he caused, and must be brought to justice, tried, and executed—which result will neatly solve their succession problems as well. There before the grieving families, Horatio will task the paladin with a Quest: “Will you undertake this holy mission and avenge these people?”
Whether or not the paladin accepts the Quest, when he returns to Oathkeeper he will be greeted by both Lawbinder, Oathkeeper, and now Deathstalker, the marut, who stretches out his hand to the paladin. “I speak for Death, who speaks last for all. Come with me.”
Deathstalker will plane shift the paladin and the other inevitables directly to the howling chaos of Limbo.
THE THIRD TASK
The paladin and Deathstalker arrive on a floating island of intricate clockworks. Small modrons can be seen scurrying to and fro among the gears, making adjustments and repairs. The island has a giant metallic sail of sorts, and multiple sculls, all powered by clockworks that lead back to an enormous clockwork key. Deathstalker grabs the key, sets his massive shoulders to work, and begins winding the key. “Our craft has been made ready. I will wind the skerry,” he advises, “You… You repel boarders!”
While Deathstalker winds the skerry, the skerry begins moving through the howling winds of Limbo. The DM should balance this task so that it is “harrowingly difficult” for the paladin. The two lesser inevitables will assist the paladin as chaos beasts and slaadi literally appear out of the chaotic soup to attack. Oathkeeper the Kolyarut fights with two swords: a holy avenger and a righteous avenger (the axiomatic counterpart of a holy avenger). He will loan one of these swords to the paladin.
For each round that the marut spends winding the key, the skerry will be powered for one round as the key unwinds. Thus, even Deathstalker may come forward to help at times, provided he has banked enough rounds of winding to keep the skerry powered and moving forward.
The last few moments of the trip should be the most harrowing, with Deathstalker completely tasked to keeping the skerry moving forward through intensifying winds. A huge rock will suddenly loom out of the mists and the skerry will crash into it.
The paladin has landed on the rocky home where ur-Valos now dwells. It should be obvious where to find ur-Valos, “There! Just up the hill!”
His den should be marked with something foul.
At this point, swarms of slaadi should descend on the group. The inevitables will all together press the paladin to move out immediately and carry out their task. “Bind fast the Law!” “Keep the Oath!” “Speak for Death!” They will make a path for him to break free and seek out ur-Valos.
Single combat will ensue. ur-Valos will not be taken alive, though the DM is free to contrive a way in which this is possible.
At the moment where ur-Valos is finally vanquished, the paladin should be returned to the Prime Material plane—either through a friendly plane shift or even a hostile banishment.
DENOUEMENT
It will be clear to Horatio and the others of Valedon if the quest is successful. The paladin should witness (perhaps unsatisfactorily?) the smooth workings of Law as the succession falls neatly into place: Gertrude and Claudius will rule.
It is left to the DM to find some suitable reward for the paladin if mere atonement does not suffice.
Iron DM Round 1 Match 1
Slaad
Wind Skerries
Reticent Constable
Constitutional Monarchy
Original Skull
Holy Avenger
SETUP
This is an adventure for one Paladin PC (and such companions as may accompany him). Ideally, this adventure can serve as an Atonement for a paladin who has failed to live up to the lawful component of his alignment. The quest will show the paladin that it’s not always possible to “do good” while upholding the Law—and sometimes that’s all right.
You can also use this adventure for other paladin-themed quests: the search for his mount, or for his holy sword.
BACKGROUND
Valedon is a constitutional monarchy, with executive powers vested in the regent primarily in the form of a veto; the regent’s Council of Lords conducts and organizes the day to day functions of the state, each keeping in mind the needs of their own subjects as well as the needs of the state. Regent and the council members alike are sworn to uphold and defend the constitution, and each willingly accepts a geas to guarantee their good conduct. Indeed the constitution itself is a powerful magical artifact, the focus for this compulsion.
Valedon’s contains strict provisions for the order of succession, and for many, many generations this has staved off the typical bickering and politicking of the noble families. The regent serves until his or her death; and, if married, the regency passes temporarily to the spouse, who may (by death or abdication) pass the succession to the oldest of his or her natural children. The interim regent may even remarry, and perhaps establish a new line of succession.
The “current” hereditary ruler of Valedon, King Valos himself, was a wizard of great ambition—but only middling skill. When Valos fell ill many years past, none could guess that the cause was a summoning gone awry. Valos had unwisely attempted to bind a blue slaad to his service. Valos —or at least, to drive it away. Unfortunately, it was too late: Valos was infected with slaad fever.
The king’s strange affliction manifested much like a typical palsy, with the king becoming more and more withdrawn until he finally fell into an irrevocable catalepsy. Unaware of the nature of Valos’ illness, but sensing an opportunity, the queen and her lover, High Constable Claudius, kept Valos’ illness a secret and did not summon the priests to tend his illness until they were certain it was too late.
Thus, there was noone at hand to tend the king at the moment of his final transformation: Valos became a green slaad. The ensuing rampage of ur-Valos was brief; he was banished to Limbo after the arrival of the high priest.
This has caused a bit of confusion with regards to succession. Valos (now ur-Valos) is not, technically speaking, deceased, and as far as the Law is concerned, he (or it…) remains the rightful ruler of Valedon.
Claudius and Gertrude do not know the nature of Valos’ disappearance. Nevertheless, they conspired to cover it up—they certainly needed a body if they were to claim the king’s death. Claudius “procured” the corpse of one his guardsmen (slain during ur-Valos’ rampage) to stand in as the body of the king. To foil the High Priests, Claudius literally swapped heads from one body to another, making certain that both the body and the facial features, though severely mangled, might pass muster.
CAST OF PLAYERS
Gertrude—the interim regent of Valedon, wife of the dead king
Claudius—High Constable of Valedon, commander of the armed forces, now husband of Gertrude
Horatio—a high priest of Law
A trio of Inevitables: Lawbinder (a Zelekhut), Oathkeeper (a Kolyarut), and Deathstalker (a Marut)
ur-Valos—the former king of Valedon, now a green slaad
THE FIRST TASK
The quest begins with a powerful appeal, directly to the paladin, from the forces of Law. Lawbinder, the centaur-like Zelekhut, will appear and address the paladin directly. Sent by the Powers, Lawbinder will announce to the paladin, “The Law must be followed. Alight, and come with me.” Lawbinder is willing to serve as a mount for the paladin.
Lawbinder is not very forthcoming, seeking primarily to transport the paladin to Valedon where he can set things right (via planar travel from a higher power, or more mundane means if you place Valedon within a few days’ travel).
Lawbinder will explain to the paladin that powerful magics (forbiddance, among others) prevent him from entering the Manor, and that the paladin must act as his agent on this matter.
The paladin’s first task will be to enter the Manor, where he will first be granted audience with the High Priest Horatio. Horatio will explain the death of the king, perhaps express some reservations about the incident (and in particular the Queen’s short mourning and rapid engagement to Claudius). He will further explain that all attempt to cast speak with dead on the corpse have failed (but he is willing to try again for the paladin to witness—the spell will fail, as the corpse is not intact). Horatio will explain the constitution as necessary.
The paladin may also speak with the Queen and with Claudius, both of whom will be evasive, but extremely careful not to lie. Claudius is particularly reticent, suspiciously so; if pressed long enough, he will default to a story that he knows well (and truly), and describe the slaad attack, and might linger a bit too long and dramatically over the death of his men; a Sense Motive check may tip the paladin off that something is not right—if the player needs a “strong clue” then the body count simply won’t add up. More subtly, an inspection of the guards’ bodies in their crypts may reveal that the one corpse has had its head replaced with another (these neck bones are ripped apart, these neck bones have been cut cleanly through).
Ultimately the paladin’s task in this section is to reuinte the original skull from the guardsman with the “fake” king’s corpse, so that speak with dead will function correctly. At this point, through questioning, the corpse can reveal that it is not, in fact, the corpse of the king, but rather that of a lowly guardsman (killed by ur-Valos).
Under questioning, Claudius and Gertrude will truthfully admit that they had nothing to do with the disappearance of the king, and they both truly believe him to be dead. Under the laws of Valedon they are guilty of a minor crime at best (tampering with a body). There is, however, the matter of their attempt to subvert the constitution…
The paladin should return to Lawbinder to report.
THE SECOND TASK
When the paladin returns to Lawbinder, he will be greeted instead by Oathkeeper, a kolyarut. Oathkeeper will announce himself, concluding “Oaths must be kept. Draw steel, and return to Horatio.”
When the paladin returns to the Manor, he will be greeted directly by Horatio, who is surrounded by the angry, grieving families of the slain soldier, all demanding justice. Horatio will briefly explain that Claudius has fallen ill, wracked with pain for his attempt to subvert the constitution. In the interim Horatio has determined that ur-Valos yet lives, and is the rightful ruler of Valedon— unacceptable! And yet, they are all bound by the word of their constitution.
Horatio will explain that Valos, ur-Valos, whoever or whatever he is, is liable for the deaths he caused, and must be brought to justice, tried, and executed—which result will neatly solve their succession problems as well. There before the grieving families, Horatio will task the paladin with a Quest: “Will you undertake this holy mission and avenge these people?”
Whether or not the paladin accepts the Quest, when he returns to Oathkeeper he will be greeted by both Lawbinder, Oathkeeper, and now Deathstalker, the marut, who stretches out his hand to the paladin. “I speak for Death, who speaks last for all. Come with me.”
Deathstalker will plane shift the paladin and the other inevitables directly to the howling chaos of Limbo.
THE THIRD TASK
The paladin and Deathstalker arrive on a floating island of intricate clockworks. Small modrons can be seen scurrying to and fro among the gears, making adjustments and repairs. The island has a giant metallic sail of sorts, and multiple sculls, all powered by clockworks that lead back to an enormous clockwork key. Deathstalker grabs the key, sets his massive shoulders to work, and begins winding the key. “Our craft has been made ready. I will wind the skerry,” he advises, “You… You repel boarders!”
While Deathstalker winds the skerry, the skerry begins moving through the howling winds of Limbo. The DM should balance this task so that it is “harrowingly difficult” for the paladin. The two lesser inevitables will assist the paladin as chaos beasts and slaadi literally appear out of the chaotic soup to attack. Oathkeeper the Kolyarut fights with two swords: a holy avenger and a righteous avenger (the axiomatic counterpart of a holy avenger). He will loan one of these swords to the paladin.
For each round that the marut spends winding the key, the skerry will be powered for one round as the key unwinds. Thus, even Deathstalker may come forward to help at times, provided he has banked enough rounds of winding to keep the skerry powered and moving forward.
The last few moments of the trip should be the most harrowing, with Deathstalker completely tasked to keeping the skerry moving forward through intensifying winds. A huge rock will suddenly loom out of the mists and the skerry will crash into it.
The paladin has landed on the rocky home where ur-Valos now dwells. It should be obvious where to find ur-Valos, “There! Just up the hill!”
His den should be marked with something foul.
At this point, swarms of slaadi should descend on the group. The inevitables will all together press the paladin to move out immediately and carry out their task. “Bind fast the Law!” “Keep the Oath!” “Speak for Death!” They will make a path for him to break free and seek out ur-Valos.
Single combat will ensue. ur-Valos will not be taken alive, though the DM is free to contrive a way in which this is possible.
At the moment where ur-Valos is finally vanquished, the paladin should be returned to the Prime Material plane—either through a friendly plane shift or even a hostile banishment.
DENOUEMENT
It will be clear to Horatio and the others of Valedon if the quest is successful. The paladin should witness (perhaps unsatisfactorily?) the smooth workings of Law as the succession falls neatly into place: Gertrude and Claudius will rule.
It is left to the DM to find some suitable reward for the paladin if mere atonement does not suffice.