Deuce Traveler
Adventurer
Saint Vardan's Comet
Ingredients:
Heavenly Body
Fog of War
Sullen Scion
Lawful Good
Any Given Day
Bad Investment
Covenant
Contract
Hook: The heroes are enjoying the court of a stable and prosperous kingdom during a feast in honor of their recent heroics. A comet was seen by renowned astronomers a few days ago and many in the court are debating its scientific or mystical significance. Most of the land's notables are in attendance, when suddenly an apparition of a heavily armored person appears and begins to threaten the assembly, stating that he has come to judge them for the destruction of Elencia, a kingdom that ceased to be centuries ago. A group of heroes must quest to discover evidence on how Elencia fell, the innocence of the kingdoms that have sprouted around its remains, and somehow get to the Vardan to present their case or have their cities destroyed by the comet's doomsday weapons. A demonstration is shown off the coast of the kingdom, resulting in a circle of destruction miles across where sea life and a few fishermen are washed ashore.
Adventure:
The armored man is a canonized knight named Vardan whose religion was wiped out with Elencia, and he resides in the passing comet. Elencia was once a powerful country whose arcane and technological discoveries are only now being matched. It was eventually threatened by an diabolical horde and the kingdom's researchers turned from civil improvements to mighty weapons of war. One final invention was the comet Vardan resides upon to act as a doomsday weapon of revenge in case Elencia fell. The fear was that the land would be swarmed by the agents of evil, bringing about millenniums of darkness. If evil had won Vardan was to destroy their cities, causing a great reset where good civilizations might have a chance to return from the ashes. The knight was chosen because of his singular dedication to see the task through, since it was his trust in the false redemption of his wicked nobleman father that resulted in a great betrayal that had turned the course of the war against Elencia. Vardan agreed to end his family line and be sacrificed, taking a covenant that he would see the deed through once his soul was transferred into an iron golem built to last the journey.
When Vardan returned centuries later all signs showed that Elencia was destroyed. Nations he spies upon seem a mixture of good and evil, though social norms reveal small displays of what are cultural taboos from his time. Realizing he has some days left before the comet swung past the sun and left the range of the threatened world, Vardan sent his message and demonstration in the hopes that some heroes will give him the evidence he needs to stop his attack, not comprehending that he may have needlessly killed sentient beings in the process.
It is up to the DM whether or not information and artifacts about Elencia's ultimate fate are readily available, or if the heroes have to go questing. Whatever happens, Vardan will continually monitor the activities of the chosen champions in order to try and measure their worth. A court inventor, the gnome Whizblast Waterhaus, has been contracted to complete a rocket that she claims will be able to intercept and land on the comet. Vardan warns that the heroes will also have to have magic with them that will allow them to survive in space, explaining that the magical defenses of the comet prevents teleportation and he fears lowering it would allow larger forces to arrive than what a rocket could hold. Whizblast doesn't tell the characters or anyone else that the rocket has a drill for a head, is meant to burrow deep into the comet, and is actually loaded with a powerful explosive charge that will ignite when in physical contact with a ton of metal. The inventor is lawful neutral and has a reputation for supporting liberal policies, but she sees Vardan as too great a threat and herself as a practical woman; the only person capable of rising to this occasion. She does ask to be compensated for the endeavor by being granted mineral investment rights to the comet. Whizblast does feel remorseful for sending the party to their deaths, but a combination of narcissism, greed and opportunism convinces her that she is the hero of this tale.
Whizblast was erroneous in believing that the comet was made of mostly metal, as it is really mostly ice and rock with a small nickel, carbon and iron core and some metal structures on the surface. The rocket does not drill straight into the comet, and goes only halfway in through the ice and rock without contacting metal. The rocket is damaged and torn, allowing the party to leave through the tunnel they just made, but stranding them.
What's more, Vardan's divine magic alerts him to a severe danger that a device on board the rocket holds. He projects another message to the party, ranting and raving about their betrayal, and warns that even if they succeed in destroying him, the comet has been ordered to manufacture squad after squad of clockwork knights whose mission will be to rip their rocket to pieces so that they'll never escape alive. Protestations will be dismissed by Vardan, who will snidely tell them that even if the characters are innocent, then they have been duped by the wicked of their land. They may realize that there might be something foul going on with the rocket, but unless they possess incredible technological skills, they have little way to figure out what the source of the danger is, and even less of a chance to disarm it.
The party must find a way to set-up proper defenses for their rocket for the return trip, and to break into Vardan's sanctum. The comet itself is inhospitable, making traversing laborious, slowed further by squads of strange clockwork soldiers. Vardan is even more deadly, being an intelligent and high-level knight trapped in an iron golem's body, connected via cables to the comet's seat of power. Disconnecting the knight from the seat of power will help if the heroes can slice off the cables.
The heroes can fight their way through clockwork knights, disable the comet's seat, and therefore its weapon controls and defenses, beat Vardan, and either teleport (with the defenses now down) or repair the rocket. If they fail, but are able protect their rocket, Vardan may not kill them if he believes them to merely be enchanted, unwilling agents of the forces of evil. Vardan's knowledge of the heroes' world is limited, but the knight golem tries to make the best guess at which locations to target based on information he finds on the party, his incomplete scrying, and paranoid beliefs on what evil forces sent the characters on their suicide mission. He makes the party watch as he obliterates his targets by dropping large shells of iron and nickel onto population centers, while yelling at them about how it is their fault this happened. He then releases them with enough tools to repair and dig out their rocket, uncaring about his or their own fate and shutting himself down in remorse.
The heroes can fail to protect the rocket, and when enough of the clockwork knights enter it to tear it apart their total metal weight will eventually exceed one ton, causing the ship's sensors to send a signal to Whizblast's explosive charge and blowing up the comet. A forgiving DM might allow for the characters to have two rounds of life left as the comet's defenses fall and allow teleportation again. Whizblast's machinations will be exposed, but she will become a national hero. Financially, Whizblast will be ruined as her investment into the comet mineral rights will not result for much. She hoped that the comet was filled with metals like gold and palladium, so the iron meteors that land will be worthless. But, she will become a powerful political figure for saving the kingdom.
The party may get to Vardan and talk him down. Vardan is a lawful good knight and does not want to attack the cities below, knowing that even if they are indeed controlled by evil hordes and minions, the suffering caused by firing would be immoral. Vardan has had centuries to sit and ponder his potential actions, and hoping to see either a world dominated by Elencian culture or a demonic hellscape that would justify a cleansing. What he has seen so far has made him realize that he has a mission to wipe out evil, but lacks the situational awareness on who the enemy is, where they are, their strength, and whether cleansing is the best course of action. His isolation with only his past mistakes and the sins of his family has also resulted in him becoming socially inept, lonely, fearful of failure and paranoid. Vardan would agree with someone who points this reality out to him, and knowing that he can't be trusted to arbitrate fairly, he is looking for someone to lift his obligation. Supporting evidence of his lack of judgement can be any loss of sentient life that Vardan caused when he conducted his demonstration.
Vardan standing down can be accomplished in one of two ways. First, the party can explain to him what he is scrying and present any evidence collected about Elencia's fate and the innocence of the kingdoms built around the ruins. Convincing arguments and physical evidence results in Vardan standing down and lowering the anti-teleportation defenses on the comet so they can teleport back home. Vardan is not certain what his new mission should be, but he does know that he'll have a few more centuries to think about it as his comet leaves the system.
The second option is for a character of noble intentions to offer to take Vardan's place. Although Vardan doesn't trust the characters as he worries about powerful enchantments and geases, he does explain that his body is immune to such influences. If a character would be willing to swap their spirit with his, the character would combine their knowledge of the world with a non-corrupted mind and make the best determination on whether or not the comet's weapons should be employed. A curious character that wished to retire might actually prefer this fate, living in an immortal iron body with a repository full of Elencian artifacts and books to study for centuries. As for Vardan, no matter the condition of his new host, he will go through a range of powerful emotions as he is returned to a body of flesh. The long years of guilt and obligation that have tormented him will finally be lifted from his or her new shoulders, and for the first time in centuries Saint Vardan will weep.
Further Adventures: Word about the comet and its potential as a weapon of war will attract the powerful, potentially leading to a quest to stop raids upon it. If the world was saved, the results of the adventure will spark a renewed interest in Elencian advancements, with rumors of new, unexplored ruins popping up from time to time. If parts of the world were struck by the doomsday weapons, then entire cities will be wiped out. Even if Vardan only struck cities of irredeemable evil societies, the power vaccuum that results will be the source of great chaos and strife. Further, the heroes could cause a sensation if they safely discover Whizblast's treachery and call her to task. Whizblast has many supporters among natural philosophers and in court, and her actions will seem pragmatic to many. If the heroes insist on a trial, Whizblast will handle herself well and bask in the public attention and drama, coming out even stronger politically and a potential thorn against the characters. If they kill her in retaliation, she will be raised from the dead by loyal patrons and the characters risk becoming pariahs.
Ingredients:
Heavenly Body
Fog of War
Sullen Scion
Lawful Good
Any Given Day
Bad Investment
Covenant
Contract
Hook: The heroes are enjoying the court of a stable and prosperous kingdom during a feast in honor of their recent heroics. A comet was seen by renowned astronomers a few days ago and many in the court are debating its scientific or mystical significance. Most of the land's notables are in attendance, when suddenly an apparition of a heavily armored person appears and begins to threaten the assembly, stating that he has come to judge them for the destruction of Elencia, a kingdom that ceased to be centuries ago. A group of heroes must quest to discover evidence on how Elencia fell, the innocence of the kingdoms that have sprouted around its remains, and somehow get to the Vardan to present their case or have their cities destroyed by the comet's doomsday weapons. A demonstration is shown off the coast of the kingdom, resulting in a circle of destruction miles across where sea life and a few fishermen are washed ashore.
Adventure:
The armored man is a canonized knight named Vardan whose religion was wiped out with Elencia, and he resides in the passing comet. Elencia was once a powerful country whose arcane and technological discoveries are only now being matched. It was eventually threatened by an diabolical horde and the kingdom's researchers turned from civil improvements to mighty weapons of war. One final invention was the comet Vardan resides upon to act as a doomsday weapon of revenge in case Elencia fell. The fear was that the land would be swarmed by the agents of evil, bringing about millenniums of darkness. If evil had won Vardan was to destroy their cities, causing a great reset where good civilizations might have a chance to return from the ashes. The knight was chosen because of his singular dedication to see the task through, since it was his trust in the false redemption of his wicked nobleman father that resulted in a great betrayal that had turned the course of the war against Elencia. Vardan agreed to end his family line and be sacrificed, taking a covenant that he would see the deed through once his soul was transferred into an iron golem built to last the journey.
When Vardan returned centuries later all signs showed that Elencia was destroyed. Nations he spies upon seem a mixture of good and evil, though social norms reveal small displays of what are cultural taboos from his time. Realizing he has some days left before the comet swung past the sun and left the range of the threatened world, Vardan sent his message and demonstration in the hopes that some heroes will give him the evidence he needs to stop his attack, not comprehending that he may have needlessly killed sentient beings in the process.
It is up to the DM whether or not information and artifacts about Elencia's ultimate fate are readily available, or if the heroes have to go questing. Whatever happens, Vardan will continually monitor the activities of the chosen champions in order to try and measure their worth. A court inventor, the gnome Whizblast Waterhaus, has been contracted to complete a rocket that she claims will be able to intercept and land on the comet. Vardan warns that the heroes will also have to have magic with them that will allow them to survive in space, explaining that the magical defenses of the comet prevents teleportation and he fears lowering it would allow larger forces to arrive than what a rocket could hold. Whizblast doesn't tell the characters or anyone else that the rocket has a drill for a head, is meant to burrow deep into the comet, and is actually loaded with a powerful explosive charge that will ignite when in physical contact with a ton of metal. The inventor is lawful neutral and has a reputation for supporting liberal policies, but she sees Vardan as too great a threat and herself as a practical woman; the only person capable of rising to this occasion. She does ask to be compensated for the endeavor by being granted mineral investment rights to the comet. Whizblast does feel remorseful for sending the party to their deaths, but a combination of narcissism, greed and opportunism convinces her that she is the hero of this tale.
Whizblast was erroneous in believing that the comet was made of mostly metal, as it is really mostly ice and rock with a small nickel, carbon and iron core and some metal structures on the surface. The rocket does not drill straight into the comet, and goes only halfway in through the ice and rock without contacting metal. The rocket is damaged and torn, allowing the party to leave through the tunnel they just made, but stranding them.
What's more, Vardan's divine magic alerts him to a severe danger that a device on board the rocket holds. He projects another message to the party, ranting and raving about their betrayal, and warns that even if they succeed in destroying him, the comet has been ordered to manufacture squad after squad of clockwork knights whose mission will be to rip their rocket to pieces so that they'll never escape alive. Protestations will be dismissed by Vardan, who will snidely tell them that even if the characters are innocent, then they have been duped by the wicked of their land. They may realize that there might be something foul going on with the rocket, but unless they possess incredible technological skills, they have little way to figure out what the source of the danger is, and even less of a chance to disarm it.
The party must find a way to set-up proper defenses for their rocket for the return trip, and to break into Vardan's sanctum. The comet itself is inhospitable, making traversing laborious, slowed further by squads of strange clockwork soldiers. Vardan is even more deadly, being an intelligent and high-level knight trapped in an iron golem's body, connected via cables to the comet's seat of power. Disconnecting the knight from the seat of power will help if the heroes can slice off the cables.
The heroes can fight their way through clockwork knights, disable the comet's seat, and therefore its weapon controls and defenses, beat Vardan, and either teleport (with the defenses now down) or repair the rocket. If they fail, but are able protect their rocket, Vardan may not kill them if he believes them to merely be enchanted, unwilling agents of the forces of evil. Vardan's knowledge of the heroes' world is limited, but the knight golem tries to make the best guess at which locations to target based on information he finds on the party, his incomplete scrying, and paranoid beliefs on what evil forces sent the characters on their suicide mission. He makes the party watch as he obliterates his targets by dropping large shells of iron and nickel onto population centers, while yelling at them about how it is their fault this happened. He then releases them with enough tools to repair and dig out their rocket, uncaring about his or their own fate and shutting himself down in remorse.
The heroes can fail to protect the rocket, and when enough of the clockwork knights enter it to tear it apart their total metal weight will eventually exceed one ton, causing the ship's sensors to send a signal to Whizblast's explosive charge and blowing up the comet. A forgiving DM might allow for the characters to have two rounds of life left as the comet's defenses fall and allow teleportation again. Whizblast's machinations will be exposed, but she will become a national hero. Financially, Whizblast will be ruined as her investment into the comet mineral rights will not result for much. She hoped that the comet was filled with metals like gold and palladium, so the iron meteors that land will be worthless. But, she will become a powerful political figure for saving the kingdom.
The party may get to Vardan and talk him down. Vardan is a lawful good knight and does not want to attack the cities below, knowing that even if they are indeed controlled by evil hordes and minions, the suffering caused by firing would be immoral. Vardan has had centuries to sit and ponder his potential actions, and hoping to see either a world dominated by Elencian culture or a demonic hellscape that would justify a cleansing. What he has seen so far has made him realize that he has a mission to wipe out evil, but lacks the situational awareness on who the enemy is, where they are, their strength, and whether cleansing is the best course of action. His isolation with only his past mistakes and the sins of his family has also resulted in him becoming socially inept, lonely, fearful of failure and paranoid. Vardan would agree with someone who points this reality out to him, and knowing that he can't be trusted to arbitrate fairly, he is looking for someone to lift his obligation. Supporting evidence of his lack of judgement can be any loss of sentient life that Vardan caused when he conducted his demonstration.
Vardan standing down can be accomplished in one of two ways. First, the party can explain to him what he is scrying and present any evidence collected about Elencia's fate and the innocence of the kingdoms built around the ruins. Convincing arguments and physical evidence results in Vardan standing down and lowering the anti-teleportation defenses on the comet so they can teleport back home. Vardan is not certain what his new mission should be, but he does know that he'll have a few more centuries to think about it as his comet leaves the system.
The second option is for a character of noble intentions to offer to take Vardan's place. Although Vardan doesn't trust the characters as he worries about powerful enchantments and geases, he does explain that his body is immune to such influences. If a character would be willing to swap their spirit with his, the character would combine their knowledge of the world with a non-corrupted mind and make the best determination on whether or not the comet's weapons should be employed. A curious character that wished to retire might actually prefer this fate, living in an immortal iron body with a repository full of Elencian artifacts and books to study for centuries. As for Vardan, no matter the condition of his new host, he will go through a range of powerful emotions as he is returned to a body of flesh. The long years of guilt and obligation that have tormented him will finally be lifted from his or her new shoulders, and for the first time in centuries Saint Vardan will weep.
Further Adventures: Word about the comet and its potential as a weapon of war will attract the powerful, potentially leading to a quest to stop raids upon it. If the world was saved, the results of the adventure will spark a renewed interest in Elencian advancements, with rumors of new, unexplored ruins popping up from time to time. If parts of the world were struck by the doomsday weapons, then entire cities will be wiped out. Even if Vardan only struck cities of irredeemable evil societies, the power vaccuum that results will be the source of great chaos and strife. Further, the heroes could cause a sensation if they safely discover Whizblast's treachery and call her to task. Whizblast has many supporters among natural philosophers and in court, and her actions will seem pragmatic to many. If the heroes insist on a trial, Whizblast will handle herself well and bask in the public attention and drama, coming out even stronger politically and a potential thorn against the characters. If they kill her in retaliation, she will be raised from the dead by loyal patrons and the characters risk becoming pariahs.