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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neurotic" data-source="post: 8153399" data-attributes="member: 24380">Cold LavaBefuddled WerewolfDespondent MarineWoods: Sunlit and ShallowJumping CoinsCheating DeathFor fantasy or modernHooks:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">help those in need</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">greed</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">wish</li> </ul>The adventure starts on the island (up to DM how the party gets there). They find a man lying on the shore, dying. When revived, despondent marine tells them about the rich temple of Hine-nui-te-po, the ancient moon-goddess of island people. In the temple resides his brother, turned into a monster. The party needs to help him lift the curse by bringing him to the temple altar and performing a ritual of Cheating Death, “killing” the curse.If the party won’t help he launches into promises of temple riches. Finally, if that fails, he offers that the altar grants one wish after the ritual.First obstacle: the temple submerged at some point and the entry is gained by swimming through woods surrounding the temple, sunlit and shallow. The pyramidal temple entry is at the lowest level.The entry is cold, much colder than the surrounding water. After several twists and turns, the party sees a werewolf going from left to right as if strolling. It doesn’t appear to notice them. Once out of sight it howls. It is not possible to find it. Show them a brother in all forms, a befuddled werewolf, human, and wolf wandering around.Finally, they come upon an orrery showing the moon in its four phases above a sleeping man. A sleeping man has a circular slot in his forehead.Phases are aligned with hallways leading toward one of the corners. The passages are a labyrinth, simple, but not trivial.Each ends in a room with a challenge. One contains a silver coin (full moon) and the inscription “Light reveals, darkness hides, but all are needed for death to lose.”. The second room has oxidized silver (black “Death”), the other two are half-moons. The waning room contains an inscription: “Use me to win over death!”. (obscure language check? decipher script?) Waxing one says “Use me to unlock Death”.Returning to the orrery they find a befuddled werewolf waiting, whimpering. If they attack, it attacks. Otherwise, it will follow them quietly, whining occasionally.Waxing coin placed onto sleeper's forehead unlocks the second level. The party comes onto a checkerboard edge with a cowled figure standing across.“Play Jumping coins against me, the winner goes to the moon, the loser remains.” as white coins appear on their side. Jumping across the black piece causes white to half-darken. Jumping twice causes the piece to change allegiance. Thus, you can get from full moon to waning half, but not waxing half. You cannot win, The Death cheats.Unless they remember and pull out the waning half. With it, the replica of the board appears on the ceiling, but with colors switched. The goal is to “feed” death with all four phases, not to win at checkers. Cheating death otherwise obeys the rules of the game and takes the pieces when it can.Once defeated, it opens the third level of the temple, but curses “Two will lie to remain in the temple”. Werewolf is already cursed, thus immune. There is a treasure trove of silver items and an altar with pedestals for moon-phase coins. There is a ritual book on a stand next to it with four rituals “Moon Blessing”, “Cheating Death”, “Dream sight”, “Light eternal”.Performing the second one with the werewolf on the altar will lift the curse. At that moment, great hourglass turns, the topmost level opens and cold slush oozes downward filling everything with the smell of ammonia (Fort saves or nauseous) and extreme cold (Fort save or fatigued). This cold lava will take its time but will fill the temple. The race to the exit begins.Death also fills its room with more treasure (real, wastes time of greedy PCs).Coming upon the orrery, they find it is rotating and the signs of their passage are gone. How do they find out which way is out? There is time for everyone to go through the passage 3 times. They could split, but remember that two will lie when they find the exit. (for 4 passages you need 9 people, adjust accordingly, the solution: werewolf goes alone – he is not cursed and will not lie, others go in 2, 3, 3 groups).1. werewolf finds the exit, good2. all in agreement = 2 cursed ones are the duo, lying.3. one triplet disagrees = 2 cursed inside, minority speaks the truth4. two triplets disagree = take majority report</blockquote>

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