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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CleverNickName" data-source="post: 4966234" data-attributes="member: 50987">Bakra's BondA 3.5 Edition D&D AdventureIntroductionThis adventure is designed for a party of 3 to 5 characters, of relatively low level (about 2nd - 5th level.)  The party must be capable of using divination magic, whether by spell or magic item.BackgroundDoti Island is an elongated, fertile patch of farmland in the middle of a large, fast-moving river, about twelve miles away from the king's own castle.  This island is home to several small farms and a large sugar plantation, all of which are important sources of revenue for the kingdom.  On Doti Island, sugar cane is grown and harvested, and its sap is crushed and boiled into molasses.  A portion of this molasses is fermented and distilled into rum.Each year when the first new batch of rum is ready to drink, the plantation owner will host a feast.  This celebration is known as the Festival of the First Spirits: a specially-marked barrel of rum is rolled out in front of everyone and tapped, and gallon after gallon of rum is served.  Specially-minted coins bearing the same marking as the cask (known as the symbol of the first sprits, a quartered circle) are given as party favors, and a large white flag bearing the symbol is flown from the roof of the plantation owner's mansion.  Years ago, when the tradition first started, the feast was a gesture of kindness, a way for the plantation owner and foremen to reward the serfs for their hard labor.  Over the last ten or fifteen years, however, the feast became a pretentious and aristocratic gathering of the kingdom's upper crust.  Only the wealthy rum and sugar merchants, guild leaders, and rulers of the kingdom are invited now, and the serfs must cook, serve, and entertain them...if the serfs get invited at all.  The serfs regard that symbol of the first spirits as both a curse and an insult.The villain of this story is the plantation owner, Bakra Myal.  He is an overbearing slave master and evil wizard in disguise, with aspirations of one day killing the king and assuming his throne.  He hides his cruelty and greed from the public eye, using more subtle Enchantment spells to draw the important and affluent people into his web.  Now that the king has finally accepted Myal's annual invitation to the festival, he has his chance: Myal has brewed a powerful elixir that will bring all who taste it under his control, and has swapped it for this year's "first spirits."The Party's InvolvementThe adventure begins when a member of the party uses a divination spell or magic item.  The spell misfires, causing the caster to collapse into a trance-like state.  The character will receive a vision of a beautiful woman standing on a lake of pure water, somewhere in an underground cave.  The woman in the vision calls out to the character, and speaks the following clue:Seeker of the unknown!  Evil has arisen in the east, an evil which will soon consume the realm and slay all you know and hold dear.  Find me where the sugar grows, in the north cave of the south hill on the west shore of the eastern island.At the end of the vision, the character wakes from the trance.  Inexplicably, the character is completely soaking wet as if (s)he had been plunged into the river.The characters will experience this same vision each time they use divination magic.  The DM should make each subsequent vision to be more extreme than the next, to help build a sense of urgency.The location described in the vision is obvious to everyone in the kingdom; the rum (and its festival) are practically legendary.  For non-residents, a DC 10 Knowledge (Local) or Gather Information check will give them the location of the island.NPCsBakra Myal, the Plantation MasterHuman Wizard 9Neutral EvilMyal is a middle-aged, balding, and thin-looking man, with the look and demeanor of someone who tries too hard to impress others.  He talks too much, uses intelligent-sounding words, wears expensive clothing, etc.Myal specializes in spells that allow him to manipulate and control others.  His spell catalog contains mostly Enchantment spells, his personal favorite being dominate person.  Through the use of magic, he surrounds himself with powerful people and affluent friends, but he is no fool...he knows that the "friends" he gains through this means are little more than puppets.Rahtid the TerribleOgre Barbarian 7Chaotic NeutralRahtid is Myal's bodyguard, a dominated and polymorphed ogre barbarian.  Before he was captured by Myal, Rahtid was a powerful leader of his tribe's army...now, he has been reduced to little more than a puppet.  Myal uses him to do many of the unpleasant tasks around the island, often changing to ogres form several times in one day to create disguises.  A few of Myal's favorites:"Rahtid," Myal's bodyguard (a male human bodyguard);"Cyalla," Myal's wife (a beautiful human female);"Flense," Myal's pet wolf (a dire wolf);"Shayla," Myal's teenage daughter (a young human female).Myal controls Rahtid though a very powerful magical talisman.  This iron talisman, cast in the shape of a quarted circle, is always around Rahtid's neck no matter what form he is polymorphed into.  The amulet gives Myal the ability to mentally dominate and change the appearance of any creature that wears it.If the talisman is ever removed, Myal's control over the ogre will be broken, and the polymorphing spell will be dismissed.  The former bodyguard will turn on Myal, and exact his revenge for nearly twenty years of mistreatment.The CooyahThe island is home to four powerful and benevolent spirits known as the Cooyah.  They are not actual spirits; they are elemental creatures known as "weirds" in other lands.  These elementals are as old as the island itself, and they care for and protect the natives of the island as if they were their own children.For years, these elemental spirits have served the islanders by keeping the island fertile and giving them special insight into farming techniques (such as telling them when to plant, what days to harvest, and how to rotate their crops.)  With the help of the Cooyah, the islanders became very successful farmers.  But in the twenty years since the plantation was built, they have watched their children suffer more and more under the oppression of the plantation's success.When Myal began hatching his plan to overthrow the kingdom, the Cooyah foresaw unbelievable suffering in the future...not only for their island children, but for the entire kingdom as well.  The Cooyah know that Myal will be a terrible and tyrannical ruler, who will bring only war, famine, and death.Part One: The CooyahOn the west shore of Doti Island, there are two rocky hills, side-by-side.  And true to the wierd's vision, there is a cave opening on the north side of the southernmost hill.  The cave is home to various vermin and animals common to the area: bats, rats, spiders, centipedes, and beetles.Eventually the cave will lead the party to the Cavern of the Cooyah...a large, dome-like chamber with a large pool of water in the center.  As they enter, the beautiful woman from the vision will emerge from the pool and beckon for them to come closer.  As they get within range, she will speak:We are the Cooyah.  Heed us, and know the truth.  Our children suffer under the oppression of their masters, their dignity has been sold, their prosperity stolen, and their good health poisoned, by those who enslave them.  Do this task, and heal their wounds!The sugar that is not yet sugarholds a curse that is not yet a curse.Find the spirit that is not a spirit,and spill its blood that is not blood.Go now, and seek my sister Cooyah, who dwells in the tallest tree on the tallest hill of this island.  She knows the path you must take and the place you must find.By my touch, you will know your enemy, but do nothing until you have spoken with my three sisters and completed our tasks!At the conclusion of her monologue, the weird will reach forward and touch one of the party members lightly on the shoulder.  Immediately the character will become completely drenched with water from head to toe.  The weird will then nod, then vanish into the pool of water. -----The "sister" that the Cooyah was referring to is an air weird, who lives atop a magical tree on the highest part of the island.  The magical forest is home to several dangerous plants and animals native to the island, such as assassin vines and panthers.The tree that the party seeks is clearly visible from anywhere on the island.  It is an enormous oak tree, far larger than any tree in this area could naturally grow.  Climbing the tree requires a DC 12 climb check.  At the top of the tree (60 feet up), the branches are tightly woven together like the nest of a bird.  Within this "nest" is a swirling pool of mist and vapor.  As the party climbs the tree and looks upon the pool, a beautiful woman made of mist will rise from the pool.  She speaks with a whispery, airy voice, like wind blowing through trees.We are the Cooyah.  Heed us, and know the truth.  Watch for the symbol of the first.  Where you see it, know that the touch of evil is not far away!  In your travels, you will find a white door with white hinges, but no handle.  At this door, speak the answer to this riddle.I dreamed I saw a fairy's dance,Upon the midnight sky.Where lights, like lantern's grew,Without a whim, or a why.Amid their joy,Amid their dance,I came running into their midst.But with nar'ry a sound,They drew away,And fell into the mist.Oh, I saw them again,But only from very far.Dancing in the air at night,Like tiny lanterns, or tiny stars.(Answer: firefly.)Go now, and seek my sister Cooyah, who dwells among the stones on the eastern side of the island.   Only she knows the secret of your enemy's doom!And with that, the creature descends into the pool of vapors.  As with the other weird, the elemental will only repeat the riddle again if summoned, and will scold the party if they delay too long.-----This other "sister" is an earth weird, who lives at the bottom of a gravel pit on the east side of the island.  This part of the island is home to many different reptilian creatures who bask on the sunny, bare patches of rock: snakes, lizards, and the occasional wyvern can be found here.As the party approaches the gravel pit, the rocks and sand within it begin to churn.  The form of a beautiful, brown-skinned woman will emerge from the pool of earth, and begin to speak.We are the Cooyah.  Heed us, and know the truth.  Your foe has great power, and has powerful friends.  Alone, you have no hope of defeating him...he will rise to power, and he will bring death and destruction to all people of the realm.Find his closest companion, the one who never leaves his side.  Break the seal he carries around his neck, and free the monster it binds.  Only then will you gain a powerful ally, one strong enough to defeat your foe.Go now, and take these three riddles with you to the lair of your foe.  The time is at hand!Part Two: The FestivalBy now, the party's task should be clear: they must destroy the barrel of rum before anyone drinks it, they must find Myal and his "closest friend," and then they must remove the symbol from around the bodyguard's neck.When the party enters the plantation, the plans for the festival are well underway: guests have already began arriving, and the king and queen themselves are expected in the morning.  Myal is a quintessential host, mingling with his wealthy guests and important friends, with his "beautiful wife" by his side.  Depending on the party's actions, he will either welcome them to the party (if they act politely, put on pretenses, or throw their money around) or have them thrown out (if they cause a disturbance or behave rudely.)Clever players will know to "work the crowd" a bit, pretending to be guards, old friends, or family members of Myal in order to get close to him (and close enough to that keg to destroy it.)  The DM should have fun with this part of the adventure...it is the perfect opportunity to introduce new and interesting NPCs, discuss the politics of the realm, drop rumors of faraway lands and treasures, and so forth.As the party mingles, Myal watches them closely.  He changes Rahtid's form several times throughout the evening both to make himself look like he has many close friends, and to make it less obvious to the party that he has a controlled "pet" ogre.  Ultimately, though, one of the player characters should notice that no matter who is on Myal's arm, they are wearing the same talisman around the neck.  More astute players may notice that Myal's wife and daughter never appear in the same room at the same time, even when good manners would require it (while dining, for example.)Once the party figures out the nature of Myal's bodyguard, their host and his companion will excuse themselves from the party and head into the plantation house.  They will not come out again until the king arrives and it is time to tap the keg.-----The plantation house is a large wooden structure with approximately twenty rooms.  It should me mapped out in the style of a Haitian plantation house, with numerous windows and high ceilings.The cask of the first spirits, which has been laced with the powerful domination potion, can be found in the basement...it is heavily guarded by Myal's dominated policemen (2nd level human fighters.)As the party explores the plantation house, one member of the party will begin to get "signals" from the water weird.  His or her clothing will grow more and more damp, the closer they get to their quarry.  In this way, the elemental weirds will guide the party to the keg and to Myal's lair.  By the time the party finds the keg, for example, the character and all his gear will be completely soaking wet.Myal's lair is on the top floor of the mansion, hidden behind a magical door.  The door is white with white hinges, and carved with a repeating pattern of quartered circles.  The door is locked by an arcane lock which opens if the password is spoken ("firefly.")Inside, Myal and Rahtid can be found, preparing the final ingredients for the magical potion.  They attack the intruders furiously...Rahtid fights to the death, but Myal attempts to flee if he takes any damage.Use of the IngredientsPlantation: while the adventure takes place on a plantation, this ingredient is more than just a backdrop.  All of the names of the NPCs are taken from the Jamaican dialog and slang, the villain is a caricature white slave owner, all of the workers are an oppressed lower class, etc.Soaking Backpack: the water weird guides the party through dampness.  Every time someone is "touched" (receives a vision or guidance) by the water weird, he or she is drenched with water.Ogre Bodyguard: Myal has captured and dominated a powerful ogre named Rahtid, who he now manipulates to be his bodyguard (among other things.)  Near the end of the adventure, the party must break the magical bonds that hold the ogre in order to defeat Myal.Three Wishes: Every faction in the game has three desires, or "wishes."   Myal thirsts for magic, wants to rule the kingdom, and secretly longs for companionship (as evident in his bizzare relationship with his captured bodyguard.)  The Cooyah want to lift the oppression of the islanders, restore the rightful king to the throne, and prevent the invasion of a friendly territory.  The party wants to help the Cooyah and protect their homeland from invasion, but they also want to be able to cast divination spells normally again.Elemental Weirds: The benevolent faction in the game is the Cooyah, a trio of elemental weirds.  Using their unique divination skills, they draw the party to the island, guide them to the voodoo priest's lair, and reveal how to defeat the villain.Symbol of the First Spirits: The "first spirits" refers to the first batch of rum created on the plantation each year.  When that first cask is ready, it is branded with a special symbol, and served to all of the guests at a week-long festival.  That symbol eventually became the plantation's trademark, and appears in several places throughout the adventure.  The talisman of binding, which Myal uses to enslave his ogre bodyguard, is cast in the shape of this symbol.Pronounciation and GlossaryBakra (BAH-krah): Jamaican for "master"Cooyah (COO-ya): Jamaican for "look upon"Doti (DOUGH-tea): Jamaican for "earth"Myal (my-ALL): Jamaican for "wizard"Rahtid (rah-TEED): Jamaican for "surprise" or rage</blockquote>

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