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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 5214464" data-attributes="member: 3192">For Love Or LustA D&D Adventure for a 4th-5th level party of adventurers.  (Aspects include: a human village, seasons, humans, goblinoids, fey, and deities.)During a visit to the quaint hamlet of Devonshire, a well known lover's retreat, all within become playthings of Gods and Monsters as the machinations of Heaven and Hell grind out a new balance heedless of the discord upon mortals' little lives.  Time has frozen for Devonshire, but not for the people within.  Their lives are more fiery than ever as passions great and small seize townsfolk in a frenzy of action, but the unnatural winter snows grow deeper as food supplies are foolishly gorged upon.  Who will restore order to the hamlet and peace to the valley?  What of the rumors of goblinoids marching this way?  And what are the Gods intentions for causing such strife?BackgroundGrack and Gargle have been two busy little imps.  A month ago during harvest time the town drunkard, Toby Horwendill, was run out of town by teetotalers and angry husbands. A lecher and a lush, his actions were used as a bugbear to scare children and youths against drink and unprincipled behavior.  Drunk, and guided unknowingly by the devils, he wandered out of the farming valley, into a nearby forest, and came upon a gathering of brew gnomes and their large supply of beer.  A drinking contest was held with Toby the loser.  For his comeuppance Toby was cursed by the gnomes to become his unwanted title, a bugbear, whenever he became intoxicated for the next year.Looking to amuse themselves even further, Grack and Gargle charmed a real bugbear, Rograr, and stole him from his clan.  Taking this creature into the forest they found the brew gnomes again who were hosting a party for their hero, Rednose the Merrymaker, and his pixie companion Amora the Lovefinder.  These two guests were not just any guests, however.  Each held a heavenly position in service to the Gods. Rednose held his magic slings which unerringly hit any target causing them to find their true love in drink and merriment for ever.  Amora's pixie bow and arrows worked similarly, but her targets find their true love in another person.  Through the devils' tricks the party goers mistook Rograr as Toby transformed into a bugbear.  Being good sports they took up another drinking contest with the promise to remove the curse if Toby won.  But this time the imps fooled them, the bugbear was immune to the effects of drink.  When the stations of the heroes were revealed, the devils let loose Rograr killing everyone, but one gnome who absconded with the pixie's bow and some arrows.  Taking up the slings, the brewpots, and the rest of the arrows the trio headed off to Devonshire to for more frivolity.  Unbeknown to the imps, however, Mother Nature and Father Time saw the fates of their two servants. Taking the guises of Queen Titania and King Oberon they descended to the fairy wood and convened a contest to see who could be granted worthy of assuming the two empty heavenly stations.  Time and nature were stopped. All within the forest and were caught up in a period outside of normal time.  Nature, also halted, turned to winter and snows have begun falling.  This would be but a odd occurrence, if not for a couple of problems. The God's desire an impartial judge to oversee the contest and the fairy have none among them.  And the contest's theme is a Chef Challenge!! with the main ingredient of beer.  With the brew gnomes dead and their supplies stolen winter may be endless.Hooks:The PCs are caught up in time while visiting or retreating within Devonshire.  They may be resting at the beerhall as the hamlet is a station on a well known shipping route.  They may be wintering here for Devonshire's peace and comfort.  Or they may be here on a lover's retreat when time stops and winter comes.  They could also potentially be called to the Contest of in the Fairy wood.Possible Challenges:1. The hamlet of Devonshire is in chaos. The beerhall is full of townsfolk cursed to drink and sing without rest.  The Temperance League is scavenging for lost members also accursed. Winter snows are causing others to hide and hoard in their homes.  Food and drink are diminishing quickly.  The Guard are having trouble mustering for a rumored attack.  1a. In the hands of the imps and bugbear the weapons of the Gods are perverted.  The two imps have turned the bugbear invisible and the gnome's vials of beer he slings curse those hit with intemperance towards any object first encountered, normally the beer itself.  The devils are sticking people with arrows who are in married causing them to fall in love with the first person they see, someone not their spouse.1b. Time begins to repeat itself as each person wakes in the place they arose the day before.  They remember the previous day, but the same day begins again.  As the snow piles up, actions take longer and the cold keeps the heated conflicts indoors.1c. At dusk each day, unless stopped the bugbears burn the crops of the valley and attack the town seeking their lost clan member.  Potentially, a Bugbear-form Toby is given or found by them and taken away.  In this state he is safe until the booze wears off.  But then he will be interrogated and roughed up for information.  2. The town Mayor and Magistrate Marcan Horwendill is confounded.  A pillar of the community, now he faces a wife who declares love for his ignoble brother, Toby Horwendill (the cursed drunkard).  She has been stuck with an arrow of lovefinding, but through a fortunate side effect knows where her true love lies. Marcan keeps her restrained the best he can, tormented by waking up each peculiar day next to the woman he loves, but who does not love him.  2a. Toby is slung with a vial of the gnomes beer by the bugbear and if he has drink becomes one himself.  If found as a bugbear after the bugbear clan attacks, any potential Guard left hand him over out of fear.2b. If Marcan can be consoled, he potentially can judge the contest in the woods over who shall become the next Merrymaker and Loverfinder of the Gods.  He is pure of heart, but demoralized by the loss of his love.2c. The town calls on the Mayor to bring order to the town.  While he is preoccupied locking his wife in their home, those who are not cursed are panicked and will charge his it - the only stone building in Devonshire.  They seek their honorable leader and safety as well.3. The fairies of the forest are looking for beer to hold the contest as well as a judge.  While it is not desired, they will send emissaries to the hamlet to purchase one and petition the other.  However, beer is in high demand as well as other forms of drink. And honorable behavior is nowhere to be found.  Food is also loath to be parted with given the demands of winter seemingly having come early.3a. In the forest, all sorts of fairies are gathered and building cooking ovens and stockpiling chef supplies as they ignore the snow piling up around.  Once beer, any other cooking ingredients a contestant wishes to use, and a judge are gathered the contest begins.  The first position up to win is that of Merrymaker and the chef who creates the most savory, intoxicating meal with the inclusion of beer in the dish will win the station.  The position of Lovefinder is more difficult.  The meal must not only be intoxicating, but a dish made for two.  3b. When both contests have been completed time and nature are restored as Oberon and Titania leave the forest hall. Retrieving the slings and arrows of their new stations becomes the next challenge however.  They newly appointed rank holders will know the location of their own tools, but not who uses them currently. 3c. With the aid of these weapons in the right hands, order can be restored in Devonshire.  The clan of bugbears attacking can also potentially be dealt with in a similar manner by causing love and merriment to break their ranks.  ConclusionsDepending on what course the PCs take a vast array of story lines are possible.  They could simply seek to leave the cursed area, they could be struck by arrows and beer vials themselves, or they could immerse themselves in each potential conflict.   Multiple events are likely to occur as covered under the challenges above.  Other decisions made and events created by the PCs are up to the discretion of individual DMs.  The restoration of Time and Nature are of primary importance.  Other potential goals include: the retrieval of the magical slings and arrows.  The attacking bugbears upon the down.  The charmed bugbear and the two imps who instigated this scene.  The reuniting of Marcan and his wife by removing her curse and possibly their reconciliation with Toby.  The restoration of Toby to human form, possibly even sobering him up for good.  And lastly, the drinking of beer and getting into fights in the beerhall.Ingredients:1.) Honorable Man: Marcan, the magistrate whose honor is true, but who is in crisis for fear of losing it and his wife.  He is also an Honor, or judge, for the town and the cooking contest.2.) Heavenly Station: The positions of Merrymaker and Lovefinder can be won by PCs and used to restore order to the hamlet.  3.) Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune: The Slings of Merrymaking unerringly cause targets to find their true love in drink and merriment.  The Arrows of Lovefinding unerringly cause targets to find True Love.  In the imps and bugbear's hands, they cause outrageous actions, while tentatively giving their targets what they desire. 4.) Winter of Our Discontent: The winter caused by the stopping of time and nature, which grows worse until new a new Merrymaker and Loverfinder are found.  During the period everyone is discontented, the townsfolk, the mayor, his wife, her lover and his brother, the bugbear clan, the fairies, and the Gods themselves.  Except, of course, the devils.5.) Bugbear of Small Minds: Rograr, charmed by the small-minded imps.  As well as Toby who is a bugbear both literally and figuratively to the small minds of the intemperate in Devonshire.6.) Beer!!! or Iron Chef Beer Challenge?: Beer fills the ravenous appetites of those struck by the sling as well as what is in the vials slung.  Beer is also the desperately needed main ingredient of the cooking contest, which must be in each course of the meal contestants make.</blockquote>

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