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<blockquote data-quote="MortalPlague" data-source="post: 6532389" data-attributes="member: 62721"><p><strong>Evil Wizard</strong> - Mendor</p><p><strong>Low Level Dungeon</strong> - The carved-out chambers below Ratter's Dell is a low level dungeon (both by content and by location)</p><p><strong>Angry Ogre</strong> - Gorthog</p><p><strong>Pile of Treasure</strong> - The pile of treasure</p><p><strong>Help Wanted Sign</strong> - Mendor's brick</p><p><strong>Magic Sword</strong> - Whisperion</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Beneath Ratter's Dell</span></strong></p><p><em>A 5th Edition Adventure for 3rd Level Characters</em></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">Background</span></strong></p><p><em>"Raise arms, and they'll respect you."</em></p><p></p><p>The words had not been meant for Mendor, the bastard son of Lord Tadros Redding. But in the boy's mind, they sparked a fire. Growing up in the shadow of his older half-brother, Mendor had always longed for respect. And while Jon Redding was groomed to rule, Mendor was pushed aside, alone with his books. When Mendor vanished one night, there was no real search for him; in a few short years, he was forgotten.</p><p></p><p>For fifteen years, Mendor toiled beneath the crumbled fort at Ratter's Dell, not six hours from his family's estate. He plied his craft, infusing simple items with sentience. If he could not have subjects, he would <em>make</em> subjects. His talents grew, but his animated vassals were not enough; bitterly, he vowed that he would take his brother's estates and titles for his own.</p><p></p><p><em>"Raise arms, and they'll respect you."</em></p><p></p><p>Taking those words to heart, Mendor began to build an army. He recruited an ogre named Gorthog as muscle. He acquired suits of armor, bringing them to life as a small army of his very own. With ten suits at his disposal, he began to craft weapons as well; swords that would dance through the air and cut down men who stood in his way.</p><p></p><p>Whisperion was the first, a large blade suitable to strike terror into Mendor's foes. But the sword was a failure; while it could communicate telepathically, it was unable to rise from the workbench. Disgusted, he returned to his books, and bid Gorthog to take it away.</p><p></p><p>But Whisperion was not keen to be discarded. A crafty weapon, it was able to exert control over the weak-minded Gorthog. It directed him to move about the dungeon, and it subverted Mendor's control over many of his magical subjects.</p><p></p><p>The betrayal was swift and sudden. When Mendor came to, he was in a cell, deep within his own dungeon. While he was angry at Gorthog's betrayal, Mendor was smart enough to suspect Whisperion's involvement. His spellbook was hidden in his workshop, and the only spell components he had were those for animating objects. Taking up a brick from the crumbling wall, he scrawled a message on the surface and sent the brick hopping for help. And then he sent another. And another.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">Hook</span></strong></p><p>The PCs are attacked by a mean-spirited brick. It has writing clearly painted onto one side:</p><p></p><p>"Help Wanted! Trapped under the old fort at Ratter's Dell! Reward! --Jon Redding"</p><p></p><p>Jon Redding disappeared two days ago while riding in Mournwood. If sought out, his father will confirm the story, and will offer a handsome reward for his son's rescue. Mendor caught and murdered his half-brother when he stumbled onto the crumbled fort; he is simply using his name to draw in somebody to rescue him.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">The Dungeon</span></strong></p><p>Ratter's Dell is a low place at a crossroads in Mournwood. The roads have long fallen into disrepair, and the fort built to watch over them has crumbled. Fifteen years ago, Mendor took shelter in the cellars, and noticed that one of the walls had broken away, revealing a network of caves beneath the ruin. He created servants to help dig out the tunnels, and began to carve a lair for himself.</p><p></p><p>Whisperion has subverted Mendor's control over most of the animated objects in the dungeon. The animated armor proved resilient to the sword's persuasion, a problem which the sword is dealing with currently. Gorthog, furious at being used by Whisperion to lock up Mendor, is trying to break Whisperion in his chambers.</p><p></p><p>With all of Whisperion's focus on controlling the ogre and protecting itself, the dungeon is uncontrolled. Animated objects are everywhere, ready to attack if disturbed. Several rugs have wrapped up animated armor, while one portly armoire has barricaded a door against other suits. In Mendor's workshop, his treasure has taken humanoid shape and is playing the role of master.</p><p></p><p>There are three chief points of interest in the dungeon, which the PCs may encounter in any order, depending which path they choose.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">The Workshop</span></strong></p><p>As proof against thieves, the wizard animated his treasure. With both Mendor and Whisperion out of the picture, the pile of treasure has decided to become its own master; it has formed up into humanoid shape, a mass of clinking coins who rattle out a metallic voice to issue commands to the other animated objects. The other animated objects mostly ignore the treasure. It is carrying Mendor's spellbook and wand, and fancies itself a magic user, bustling about the workshop doing 'wizard things'.</p><p></p><p>As the PCs enter the workshop, the treasure will challenge them, demanding to know their business. It will belittle and taunt the PCs, considering itself invincible. It is receptive to flattery, and can be bargained with for information. It will happily tell the characters that Mendor is in the cells. It has no idea who Jon Redding is. It will also tell the PCs that Gorthog and Whisperion are in the ogre's quarters and insist they go kill Gorthog; It is terrified of the ogre, who it considers its greatest foe.</p><p></p><p>Should the PCs get into a fight with the treasure, it will fight like a swarm. Waves of sharp coins will slice them. A pearl necklace will strangle any PC it can seize, while a jewelled mace will smack whoever it can. It will throw the wand and spellbook. The wand is a non-magical focus, but the spellbook is a thick, leatherbound tome which hits for 1d6 bludgeoning damage. It will also mimic its master by commanding the armor to "Seize Jon!", oblivious to the specific context of the command. But the armor only obeys Mendor's commands.</p><p></p><p>Items of interest in the workshop include several potions and mixtures. Sitting on a table, covered in dust is a painting of Jon Redding and Mendor as teenagers, with their father standing behind them. On a different table, in a stack of papers are plans for a telepathic, flying sword: Whisperion. Scrawled at the bottom is 'Useless, doesn't fly'. Additionally, there is a map of the complex sitting on a table (see Handout). The map will try to ineffectively smother whoever picks it up (whichever player picks up the handout first).</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">The Ogre And Whisperion</span></strong></p><p>Gorthog is in his quarters, trying to break Whisperion. The ogre is in a terrible rage, and is having a one-sided argument with the sword (Whisperion's replies are telepathic).</p><p></p><p>The PCs will hear Gorthog a good distance away. Should they try diplomacy, Whisperion will force Gorthog into attacking. It should be clear that the sword is not quite swinging the way Gorthog wants it to, which only increases the ogre's rage. While Gorthog cannot willingly let go of the sword, he could be disarmed, which would free him of the sword's compulsion. The ogre could then be convinced to surrender, especially by offering him a shot at the treasure pile (which he desperately covets). If the PCs are more interested in killing him, Gorthog will happily try to kill them right back.</p><p></p><p>When he imprisoned Mendor, Gorthog took the wizard's keys. They are sitting on a table in his chambers (and could be snatched by a stealthy character). There is a pile of gnawed bones in a corner, and a pile of bloody clothing next to it. Jon Redding's bones and house tabard can be found here. Observant PCs may notice that Gorthog's hands are nicked with dozens of fresh bruises and cuts; he tried to grab some coins and was attacked by the treasure the other day.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">The Captive Wizard</span></strong></p><p>Mendor is locked in his cells. He has used most of his spell components to craft his bricks. One brick is currently hopping up to smash against the lock repeatedly. His plan is to play the part of Jon Redding; they share enough of a resemblance for it to work, so long as the PCs aren't suspicious. If they have been elsewhere in the dungeon first, they could piece together that this is a ruse.</p><p></p><p>His chief goal is to get free. The wizard will say or promise anything to be freed. He knows that Whisperion has control of most of his subjects, but he retains control of his animated armor. If he comes into contact with any of them, he can command them to attend him. If the PCs see through the Jon Redding disguise, he will beg to be freed, admitting that Gothrog must have eaten the poor lordling. He will gladly villify Gothrog and Whisperion to make himself seem less sinister.</p><p></p><p>If released, Mendor sticks with the PCs until he has gathered two suits of animated armor; bidding them to attack, he will try to escape to his workshop, where he can collect his wand and spellbook (which the treasure will relinquish). He will then set about gathering his animated armor to attack Gorthog and Whisperion.</p><p></p><p>Killing the PCs is high on his list of priorities, since they know that Jon Redding is dead, and who killed him. He knows the time for action is now, and he needs to strike the Redding Estate by force with his animated armor as soon as possible. If the PCs escape to warn the Reddings, Mendor's plans will be ruined.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">A Reactive Dungeon</span></strong></p><p>Constructs don't detect things the way normal creatures do. Most of them have blindsight, which can be effectively blocked by a good barrier; an animated object won't 'hear' what's happening in the next room. Clever PCs may exploit such senses to rest up and recover between fights. While this is a clever approach, it is not without its risks.</p><p></p><p>The chief risk is Gorthog. He won't be smashing Whisperion around forever. Sooner or later, the ogre will venture forth and roam the complex, magic sword in hand. The chances of this increase, the longer the characters tarry. The treasure pile may also make a foray into the wider dungeon, though the chances of this are lower. Furthermore, it is possible that Mendor's brick manages to finally smash the lock, and the wizard himself begins to move against the party.</p><p></p><p>Additionally, there is always a chance that something nasty has wandered along the underground river.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">The Handout</span></strong></p><p>This is a map of the complex that Mendor drew so he could plan where to place his 'Animated Soldiers'. Every rug pictured on the map has wrapped up the nearest suit of animated armor, and is keeping it held (without dealing damage; Whisperion wants to convert them later). This will not stop them from attacking, chiefly by swinging the rug against adventurers. Enough damage will free the armor. Gorthog's quarters are on the upper level, while the workshop and cells are both on the lower level. The underground river that cuts through the center of the dungeon is slow-moving and easily swam. The chasm in the upper level is directly above it; keep in mind that PCs can see the beaches below and the various entrances to the lower level.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">Conclusion</span></strong></p><p>The authorities will pay a bounty for Mendor's capture, especially if the murder of Jon Redding is revealed. Tadros Redding will share a small reward for delivering the bad news, but he is not glad to hear it and will treat the characters with icy politeness only so far as civility demands. As for Whisperion, there are many mages or academics who would pay a good price for such a unique blade. But they must be sought out, and the challenges of handling a sword who can take over one who wields it should not be underestimated!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MortalPlague, post: 6532389, member: 62721"] [b]Evil Wizard[/b] - Mendor [B]Low Level Dungeon[/B] - The carved-out chambers below Ratter's Dell is a low level dungeon (both by content and by location) [B]Angry Ogre[/B] - Gorthog [B]Pile of Treasure[/B] - The pile of treasure [B]Help Wanted Sign[/B] - Mendor's brick [B]Magic Sword[/B] - Whisperion [B][SIZE=5]Beneath Ratter's Dell[/SIZE][/B] [I]A 5th Edition Adventure for 3rd Level Characters[/I] [B][SIZE=4]Background[/SIZE][/B] [I]"Raise arms, and they'll respect you."[/I] The words had not been meant for Mendor, the bastard son of Lord Tadros Redding. But in the boy's mind, they sparked a fire. Growing up in the shadow of his older half-brother, Mendor had always longed for respect. And while Jon Redding was groomed to rule, Mendor was pushed aside, alone with his books. When Mendor vanished one night, there was no real search for him; in a few short years, he was forgotten. For fifteen years, Mendor toiled beneath the crumbled fort at Ratter's Dell, not six hours from his family's estate. He plied his craft, infusing simple items with sentience. If he could not have subjects, he would [I]make[/I] subjects. His talents grew, but his animated vassals were not enough; bitterly, he vowed that he would take his brother's estates and titles for his own. [I]"Raise arms, and they'll respect you."[/I] Taking those words to heart, Mendor began to build an army. He recruited an ogre named Gorthog as muscle. He acquired suits of armor, bringing them to life as a small army of his very own. With ten suits at his disposal, he began to craft weapons as well; swords that would dance through the air and cut down men who stood in his way. Whisperion was the first, a large blade suitable to strike terror into Mendor's foes. But the sword was a failure; while it could communicate telepathically, it was unable to rise from the workbench. Disgusted, he returned to his books, and bid Gorthog to take it away. But Whisperion was not keen to be discarded. A crafty weapon, it was able to exert control over the weak-minded Gorthog. It directed him to move about the dungeon, and it subverted Mendor's control over many of his magical subjects. The betrayal was swift and sudden. When Mendor came to, he was in a cell, deep within his own dungeon. While he was angry at Gorthog's betrayal, Mendor was smart enough to suspect Whisperion's involvement. His spellbook was hidden in his workshop, and the only spell components he had were those for animating objects. Taking up a brick from the crumbling wall, he scrawled a message on the surface and sent the brick hopping for help. And then he sent another. And another. [B][SIZE=4]Hook[/SIZE][/B] The PCs are attacked by a mean-spirited brick. It has writing clearly painted onto one side: "Help Wanted! Trapped under the old fort at Ratter's Dell! Reward! --Jon Redding" Jon Redding disappeared two days ago while riding in Mournwood. If sought out, his father will confirm the story, and will offer a handsome reward for his son's rescue. Mendor caught and murdered his half-brother when he stumbled onto the crumbled fort; he is simply using his name to draw in somebody to rescue him. [B][SIZE=4]The Dungeon[/SIZE][/B] Ratter's Dell is a low place at a crossroads in Mournwood. The roads have long fallen into disrepair, and the fort built to watch over them has crumbled. Fifteen years ago, Mendor took shelter in the cellars, and noticed that one of the walls had broken away, revealing a network of caves beneath the ruin. He created servants to help dig out the tunnels, and began to carve a lair for himself. Whisperion has subverted Mendor's control over most of the animated objects in the dungeon. The animated armor proved resilient to the sword's persuasion, a problem which the sword is dealing with currently. Gorthog, furious at being used by Whisperion to lock up Mendor, is trying to break Whisperion in his chambers. With all of Whisperion's focus on controlling the ogre and protecting itself, the dungeon is uncontrolled. Animated objects are everywhere, ready to attack if disturbed. Several rugs have wrapped up animated armor, while one portly armoire has barricaded a door against other suits. In Mendor's workshop, his treasure has taken humanoid shape and is playing the role of master. There are three chief points of interest in the dungeon, which the PCs may encounter in any order, depending which path they choose. [B][SIZE=4]The Workshop[/SIZE][/B] As proof against thieves, the wizard animated his treasure. With both Mendor and Whisperion out of the picture, the pile of treasure has decided to become its own master; it has formed up into humanoid shape, a mass of clinking coins who rattle out a metallic voice to issue commands to the other animated objects. The other animated objects mostly ignore the treasure. It is carrying Mendor's spellbook and wand, and fancies itself a magic user, bustling about the workshop doing 'wizard things'. As the PCs enter the workshop, the treasure will challenge them, demanding to know their business. It will belittle and taunt the PCs, considering itself invincible. It is receptive to flattery, and can be bargained with for information. It will happily tell the characters that Mendor is in the cells. It has no idea who Jon Redding is. It will also tell the PCs that Gorthog and Whisperion are in the ogre's quarters and insist they go kill Gorthog; It is terrified of the ogre, who it considers its greatest foe. Should the PCs get into a fight with the treasure, it will fight like a swarm. Waves of sharp coins will slice them. A pearl necklace will strangle any PC it can seize, while a jewelled mace will smack whoever it can. It will throw the wand and spellbook. The wand is a non-magical focus, but the spellbook is a thick, leatherbound tome which hits for 1d6 bludgeoning damage. It will also mimic its master by commanding the armor to "Seize Jon!", oblivious to the specific context of the command. But the armor only obeys Mendor's commands. Items of interest in the workshop include several potions and mixtures. Sitting on a table, covered in dust is a painting of Jon Redding and Mendor as teenagers, with their father standing behind them. On a different table, in a stack of papers are plans for a telepathic, flying sword: Whisperion. Scrawled at the bottom is 'Useless, doesn't fly'. Additionally, there is a map of the complex sitting on a table (see Handout). The map will try to ineffectively smother whoever picks it up (whichever player picks up the handout first). [B][SIZE=4]The Ogre And Whisperion[/SIZE][/B] Gorthog is in his quarters, trying to break Whisperion. The ogre is in a terrible rage, and is having a one-sided argument with the sword (Whisperion's replies are telepathic). The PCs will hear Gorthog a good distance away. Should they try diplomacy, Whisperion will force Gorthog into attacking. It should be clear that the sword is not quite swinging the way Gorthog wants it to, which only increases the ogre's rage. While Gorthog cannot willingly let go of the sword, he could be disarmed, which would free him of the sword's compulsion. The ogre could then be convinced to surrender, especially by offering him a shot at the treasure pile (which he desperately covets). If the PCs are more interested in killing him, Gorthog will happily try to kill them right back. When he imprisoned Mendor, Gorthog took the wizard's keys. They are sitting on a table in his chambers (and could be snatched by a stealthy character). There is a pile of gnawed bones in a corner, and a pile of bloody clothing next to it. Jon Redding's bones and house tabard can be found here. Observant PCs may notice that Gorthog's hands are nicked with dozens of fresh bruises and cuts; he tried to grab some coins and was attacked by the treasure the other day. [B][SIZE=4]The Captive Wizard[/SIZE][/B] Mendor is locked in his cells. He has used most of his spell components to craft his bricks. One brick is currently hopping up to smash against the lock repeatedly. His plan is to play the part of Jon Redding; they share enough of a resemblance for it to work, so long as the PCs aren't suspicious. If they have been elsewhere in the dungeon first, they could piece together that this is a ruse. His chief goal is to get free. The wizard will say or promise anything to be freed. He knows that Whisperion has control of most of his subjects, but he retains control of his animated armor. If he comes into contact with any of them, he can command them to attend him. If the PCs see through the Jon Redding disguise, he will beg to be freed, admitting that Gothrog must have eaten the poor lordling. He will gladly villify Gothrog and Whisperion to make himself seem less sinister. If released, Mendor sticks with the PCs until he has gathered two suits of animated armor; bidding them to attack, he will try to escape to his workshop, where he can collect his wand and spellbook (which the treasure will relinquish). He will then set about gathering his animated armor to attack Gorthog and Whisperion. Killing the PCs is high on his list of priorities, since they know that Jon Redding is dead, and who killed him. He knows the time for action is now, and he needs to strike the Redding Estate by force with his animated armor as soon as possible. If the PCs escape to warn the Reddings, Mendor's plans will be ruined. [B][SIZE=4]A Reactive Dungeon[/SIZE][/B] Constructs don't detect things the way normal creatures do. Most of them have blindsight, which can be effectively blocked by a good barrier; an animated object won't 'hear' what's happening in the next room. Clever PCs may exploit such senses to rest up and recover between fights. While this is a clever approach, it is not without its risks. The chief risk is Gorthog. He won't be smashing Whisperion around forever. Sooner or later, the ogre will venture forth and roam the complex, magic sword in hand. The chances of this increase, the longer the characters tarry. The treasure pile may also make a foray into the wider dungeon, though the chances of this are lower. Furthermore, it is possible that Mendor's brick manages to finally smash the lock, and the wizard himself begins to move against the party. Additionally, there is always a chance that something nasty has wandered along the underground river. [B][SIZE=4]The Handout[/SIZE][/B] This is a map of the complex that Mendor drew so he could plan where to place his 'Animated Soldiers'. Every rug pictured on the map has wrapped up the nearest suit of animated armor, and is keeping it held (without dealing damage; Whisperion wants to convert them later). This will not stop them from attacking, chiefly by swinging the rug against adventurers. Enough damage will free the armor. Gorthog's quarters are on the upper level, while the workshop and cells are both on the lower level. The underground river that cuts through the center of the dungeon is slow-moving and easily swam. The chasm in the upper level is directly above it; keep in mind that PCs can see the beaches below and the various entrances to the lower level. [B][SIZE=4]Conclusion[/SIZE][/B] The authorities will pay a bounty for Mendor's capture, especially if the murder of Jon Redding is revealed. Tadros Redding will share a small reward for delivering the bad news, but he is not glad to hear it and will treat the characters with icy politeness only so far as civility demands. As for Whisperion, there are many mages or academics who would pay a good price for such a unique blade. But they must be sought out, and the challenges of handling a sword who can take over one who wields it should not be underestimated! [/QUOTE]
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