NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="UselessTriviaMan" data-source="post: 6496877" data-attributes="member: 6678460">Iron DM Round 1, Match 3- Gradine vs UselessTriviaManIngredientsGive or TakeHeavy WaterDiseased AldermanCelebrated OrcDistant TerminusUniversal LanguagePower StruggleThis system-agnostic adventure takes place in a no-magic/low-magic steampunk fantasy setting, and is intended for characters of mid-level experience.IntroductionIt is a time of prosperity. An unprecedented peace has reigned between the humans and the orcs for nearly three years, all thanks to one orc. Ugzugg the Bold - inventor of the steam-powered steel dragons - demonstrated to both kingdoms how his invention could be used to create new, faster, and safer overland trade routes for the betterment of all. Ugzugg’s steel dragons now travel the length and breadth of both kingdoms, providing fast and safe transport that now only takes days, instead of weeks or even months. Ugzugg is a hero in both kingdoms, but the fame has gone to his head. When he heard rumors that someone had discovered a new energy source that could supplant steam (rendering his dragon locomotives obsolete), he decided to deal with this in proper orc style: he’d sabotage his competitor’s work and murder him in the process. Explosions are a good way to do both at once.The human inventor and scientist Aloysius Urey has been trying unsuccessfully to unlock the mysteries of atomic power, and his funding is running out. He invited Throckmorton Winfiddle IV, the Alderman of Phlogisburgh, to visit his laboratory in the hopes of impressing the noble and squeezing some grant money from the king’s wealthy cousin. Throckmorton wears a very distinctive Bane-esque respirator mask apparatus (lots of hoses and brass fittings) to help him breathe, due to a lifelong battle with tuberculosis.Unfortunately, the Alderman’s visit is interrupted by the saboteur’s explosion. The blast destroys the atomic engine and instantly kills Throckmorton and his guards (and the unfortunate assassin); Urey survives, but is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation.Player HookThe PCs are minding their own business when the building they’re walking past suddenly explodes. They’re knocked down by the blast, but otherwise not seriously injured. As the dust cloud settles, they hear the panicked cries of Aloysius Urey from within the partially-wrecked building, calling for help. The PCs find Urey unsuccessfully attempting to revive the Alderman. How It All Goes DownAloysius Urey’s laboratory is destroyed, along with his life’s work. He is reluctant to leave the room, even if pressured. Those searching the area will find a dead orc; Urey will know that the assassin was sent by Ugzugg the Bold. But before anyone can leave, an ancient, white-robed gnome enters. Speaking telepathically, she introduces herself as the Oracle of Phlogisburgh and explains that the explosion was no accident, and someone tried to kill Urey. She’ll also inform them that they've all contracted a wasting disease (radiation poisoning) from the explosion, and without treatment they’ll all die within a week, give or take a day or two. (The Oracle wears a pendant that shields her from the radiation.)There is a possible cure for the wasting disease, a liquid known as Heavy Water, but it will not be easily obtained. It can only be found in the Cavern of the Crystal Rose, in the heart of the Ch’quenya jungle. Once there, they’ll have to ask the Crystal Rose to give them some Heavy Water. But to be able to speak with the Crystal Rose, they’ll need to retrieve an item from Throckmorton Winfiddle’s private chambers - the Codex Vox. He stole it from the Oracle.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The only way to reach Ch’quenya in less than a week is to ride the steel dragons. The jungle of Ch’quenya is on the far side of the orc kingdom, at the absolute furthest way station.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Oracle warns that the party will only have a few minutes to decide on a course of action, before the City Watch arrives.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If no one else suggests it, she’ll mention that it would be easy to disguise someone as the Alderman to gain access to his private chambers.</li> </ul>If no PC volunteers to don the disguise, Aloysius will do so just before the Watch arrives. At this point through a comedy of bureaucratic errors and half-heard information (unless the PCs correct them), the City Watch should come to believe that the dead person on the floor is Urey and the Alderman is dying of an unknown wasting disease.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Any reasonable plan to retrieve the Codex Vox from the Alderman’s chambers should be allowed to succeed.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The “Alderman” can easily order a steel dragon to take everyone to Ch’quenya.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Oracle can’t travel (she’s too old and frail for such adventures), but she’ll show everyone how to work the strange Codex Vox device.</li> </ul>Unless the PCs open their mouths, word will quickly spread that Aloysius Urey is dead and the Alderman is dying of a mysterious wasting disease. Obviously, if the PCs don’t create and maintain the charade that Throckmorton is still alive, this mission will become much harder. They’ll have to break in to steal the Codex Vox from the Alderman’s chambers. The Oracle will have to charter a steel dragon to take them to Ch’quenya. And Ugzugg will continue to try to assassinate Aloysius, especially once they cross into the orc kingdom.Riding the Steel DragonThe steel dragons are titanic locomotives, but instead of riding on rails, they roll on huge tank-like tread feet. They can create their own paths, slowly chewing their way through obstacles (and using those obstacles as fuel), but this is an extremely slow process. Once a dragon has cleared a path, however, it can reuse that track of flattened ground to travel easily and quickly. Spread out along the tracks are refueling stations, allowing dragons to speedily get back on their way.Initially, riding the steel dragon will be uneventful (aside from the worsening radiation sickness). But shortly after crossing the border into the orc lands, the dragon will briefly stop for refueling and a large group of orcs will come aboard, led by none other than Ugzugg the Bold himself. He's heard about the terrible illness of the king’s favorite cousin, and wants to provide a protective escort to the savage wilds of Ch’quenya.The PCs will have to maintain the charade even longer, unless they can somehow find a way to convince the orcs to go away. Ugzugg hasn’t ever met Alderman Winfiddle, but he has heard of the metal-masked noble by reputation. He’ll want to befriend the reputedly rich noble, and will make himself quite annoying during the long trip. Plus, Ugzugg knows he’s responsible for the illness of the Alderman and wants to smooth this over as best he can. And if necessary, remind the PCs that killing Ugzugg would likely have Very Dire Consequences.Ch’quenya is a rough place, but they can hire a guide to take them to the Cavern of the Crystal Rose in relative safety. A couple of possibly hungry jungle creatures will be encountered en route.The Crystal Rose itself is found in an unexpectedly cold underground grotto, and appears to be a massive obelisk of glowing, rosy-pink ice jutting up from the water. In truth, the deuterium-rich ice surrounds a crystalline formation that can be communicated with via the Codex Vox.The utterly alien “mind” of the crystal will comprehend a request for Heavy Water, but it will require payment for this difficult service. It will demand a life for a life. (It says something about crystals and sympathetic bonds, but that goes right over everyone’s heads.) Either a supplicant can give his own life to save the rest, or he can take a life to protect his own. The [Crystal, Rose] is utterly indifferent about which choice they make, as long as payment is provided. One human or orcish life will be sufficient for all. Once payment is made, the [Crystal, Rose] will begin producing deuterium and converting the pool to Heavy Water.Swimming/soaking in the (surprisingly warm) Heavy Water for eight hours will flush the radioactive toxins from everyone. Now they'll just have to make it back home again and deal with the repercussions of dead nobles and/or orc heroes, and the subtle machinations of an alien Oracle who wants to go home.Dramatis PersonaeThrockmorton Winfiddle IV: Alderman of Phlogisburgh and cousin to the king. He wears a very distinctive respirator mask apparatus, covering all of his face but his eyes, because of his lifelong struggle against tuberculosis. Sadly, he died in the explosion.Aloysius Urey: Scientist, inventor, and really smart guy who has nearly discovered atomic power. Unfortunately, he’s exposed to a lethal dose of radiation and will die without a cure.The Oracle: A prognosticating, advanced gnome-shaped alien who has been shipwrecked on this backwater planet for the last 82 years, thanks to a collision with a certain comet. She’s got a good gig as the famed Oracle of Phlogisburgh, but she really wants to go home. This atomic disaster, while sad, could be the catalyst that sets events in motion that will let her return home, if she can pull the right strings.Ugzugg the Bold: Famed orcish inventor and orcish national hero. He created the steel dragon, a titanic steam-powered locomotive that is rapidly propelling both humans and orcs into the first stages of an Industrial Revolution. He doesn’t want atomic energy to steal his limelight, and he’ll do anything to stop Urey’s progress. Killing him would have Major Consequences. The Crystal Rose: The alien crystal at the heart of a fallen comet, hidden within the Ch’Quenya jungles. It is the only potential source of Heavy Water, a cure for the radiation sickness, but only if the PCs can retrieve the Codex Vox to communicate with it and ask for its help.Give or Take - The price for the cure, as required by the [Crystal, Rose]: one life. Will you give your own life to save the others, or will you take another life to save yourself?Heavy Water - The required component for curing the Diseased Alderman’s (and the PCs’) radiation sickness, this can only be produced by the Crystal Rose.Diseased Alderman - Throckmorton Winfiddle IV, Alderman of Phlogisburgh, suffers from tuberculosis and wears a respirator apparatus mask at all times.Celebrated Orc - Ugzugg the Bold, famed orcish inventor and international hero. He created the steel dragons, massive steam powered locomotives that run on tank-like treads instead of rails. Primary contributor to the start of the Industrial Revolution and a lasting peace between the orcs and humans. He’ll do anything to prevent the rise of atomic power (and the decline of steam), including destroying the human inventor who is attempting to harness the power of the atom.Distant Terminus - The PCs must accompany the Alderman to the far-off jungles of Ch’quenya, the furthest way station of the steel dragon tracks, to find a cure for their radiation sickness.Universal Language - The Codex Vox, a quest macguffin that will allow the PCs to communicate with the Crystal Rose and request that it create heavy water.</blockquote>

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