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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 448117" data-attributes="member: 221">Dog Days and Kobold Knights“Dog Days and Kobold Knights” is a 3e adventure for a party of 7th to 8th level PCs.  It features an enigmatic message from the gods, a princess kidnapped by kobolds, a drought and a noble sacrifice.  There are two distinct parts to the story involved in this adventure.  While the main text of the adventure devotes itself to the second half of this story, creative DMs can easily introduce the PCs to the events of the story during the first half and some ideas are presented later to help do just that.  The Kingdom of Klusky, featured in the adventure, can be easily changed to suit  any campaign.  The three gods involved should be a lawful evil deity worshiped by kobolds, a chaotic good deity worshiped by elves and a lawful good deity worshiped by humans.SynopsisA severe drought has hit the land, lasting through the spring, summer and now into autumn.  As hope fails, a divine message is sent, a noble sacrifice at the right time will bring rain.  A sacrifice is prepared and the PCs are hired by the king to carry out the sacrifice at the proper location.  Before the PCs can do that, the kings daughter is kidnapped by kobolds who intend to use her as a “noble” sacrifice to bring rain.  The king sends the PCs to rescue the princess.  The PCs descend through a deep well, giving chase to the kobolds who are in fact heading to same spot the PCs were hired to make sacrifice at.  Events come to a head when, upon arriving at the Table of Water, the PCs find that a group of Elves has arrived to sacrifice their high-priest in order to bring rain.  Which group will end up making a noble sacrifice?  Only the actions of the PCs will decide.Background The Kingdom of Klusky has been experiencing an extended drought.  Not a drop of rain has fallen since the winter snows melted.  Furthermore, a strange sign has been noticed in the sky.  The dog constellation, normally seen only during the dry summer months, has been prominent in the sky during the whole course of the drought.  This has caused many to speculate that the drought is of divine origin.  Perhaps the gods are displeased with the people for some reason.  The clerics of Klusky’s primary deity, a lawful good god of sun and rain, has been silent throughout the spring and summer.The Kingdom is not alone in its problems.  The drought has affected two other kingdoms near to Klusky.  The first is the elven kingdom north of Klusky.  Like Klusky, the elves are unable to discern the reason for the drought, though they too have recognized the divine hand at work.  The second kingdom near Klusky to be affected is a large underground kingdom of kobolds.  These kobolds are sometimes a minor nuisance to the people of Klusky, but few suspect its true size.  The kobolds in question have developed a rigid society, held together by a respect for law and a devotion to their god.  The drought has affected them as well for the water table has almost vanished and the underground springs are drying up.  In fact the drought is a test, arranged by the mutual consent of the three deities in question.  Each noticed their devotions had decreased of late and each wished to spur their followers on to greater adoration and respect.  Therefore they arranged a drought.  But they have also each agreed to a contest to see which has the more devoted and wiser followers.  As autumn began, each sent a vision to every single one of their clerics, asking for a noble sacrifice to bring rain.  They are testing, first, how their followers will interpret a “noble sacrifice,” and secondly, which will be the one to actually offer the sacrifice at the proper location.The kobolds have decided that the sacrifice of the virgin daughter of the King of Klusky will fit the bill.  They have made arrangements for their best soldiers, knights in service to their own king, to kidnap the girl and transport her to the Table of Water where they will offer her to their god for a bride.  The marriage ceremony will unfortunately include the death of the girl.The elven high priest has decided that the most noble sacrifice possible is himself.  He therefore plans to travel with a small group to the Table of Water where he will lay himself on the table and call down pillars of fire upon himself, giving his life for that of his people.The humans have decided…  well that’s where the PCs come inPlot HooksThe DM can introduce the PCs to this scenario in a number of ways.  If the PCs possess a cleric of one of the deities in question, then he will receive the vision like every other cleric in the realm.  The vision will come at the first full moon of the fall, giving the people three full weeks to come up with their sacrifice.  The vision is simply that of a night sky above a strange stone table (the Table of Water).  The constellation of the dog is reflected in the water as is a gibbous moon.  A voice then intones, “When gibbous shines the harvest moon and arid stars linger, Rain will come with sacrifice: Noble, Pure and Good.”If the DM desires to bring the PCs into the plot at this early stage, they can be commissioned by the king to search for a proper sacrifice.  Visiting different sages will give the PCs different answers to the sacrifice.  Some ideas for the sacrifice are as follows:1) A young gold dragon2) A vessel of pure water3) A holy sword4) A flawless diamondDMs should feel free to expand on any of these ideas but must remember that the PCs will only have two weeks to fetch the item in question.  In truth, the gods are more interested in how their demands are interpreted than the actual sacrifice (with an exception, as noted in the conclusion.)If the DM decides to bring the party in after the item has been chosen, the king and his advisors have decided to offer up the king’s holy sword, a relic from his ancestors.  It is in fact a +5 holy sword.  Ideally, the PCs (assuming they are good aligned) will be called by the king who wishes for them to carry his sword to the Table of Water where they are to offer it up as a sacrifice.  The king offers to richly reward them if the rains come.  If the DM wishes to not have the PCs be the party making the sacrifice for the kingdom, then the kidnapping of the princess by the kobolds can introduce the PCs to the events of the story.  In such a case the DM should arrange for a party of Clerics sent by the king to also be at the Table of Water at the climax of the adventure.A KidnappingHowever the DM arranges it, the PCs should be at the kings castle when the events described hereafter unfolds.  In the courtyard of the castle of Klusky is a deep well which has never gone dry.  Even now, there is still a small amount of water in its depths.  However the water table has been so lowered by the drought that the depth of the water at the bottom of the well is only about a foot deep.  The kobold knights, sent by their king, have found the well to be the perfect way into the castle of Klusky, for there is now a passage at the bottom, where once there was a swift underground stream.  A week before the gibbous moon, fourteen days after the vision, a squad of kobolds ascends into the castle, sneaks into the princesses’ chamber and kidnaps her, carrying her back down the well.  An alarm is raised, and the king, now more mindful of his daughter than of the drought, demands the PCs descend down the well and rescue her.  The demands are of course laced with offers of rich reward mixed with dire threats for failure.  The chaseThe kobolds have planned well and have left numerous challenges for any pursuers.  Tracking the kobolds through the underdark should not be difficult, but the kobolds should always be at least a few hours ahead of the PCs (no matter how slow or fast the PCs move they should have a constant sense of being just behind the kobolds.  Some of the encounters should include:1) An umber hulk left at the bottom of the well to slow down pursuit.  This brute has been “tamed” and trained by the kobolds and a kobold handler (Rog 3, Exp 2) gives orders to the umber hulk.  Should the PCs kill the handler, there is a good chance the umber hulk will grow confused and either falter or flee (or it might attack in rage).2) A corridor with a series of wire triggered traps (falling rocks, etc.).  A group of three kobold knights is at the other end (Rog 3, Fgt 2), waiting to pepper PCs with arrows as they attempt to cross the corridor.  DMs should take care to present the kobolds as a dichotomy of values.  On the one hand these particular kobolds see nothing wrong with stabbing their opponent in the back.  On the other hand, they are well trained and will meet death with honor, even saluting their opponents as they die or as they kill them.  They are evil, but they are also extremely lawful honoring the three concepts of Land, Law and Lord.  3) Two basilisk in cages.  The cages are rigged to open when the PCs trip a wire.4) A huge earth elemental.  This is not a trap and the encounter can be made more interesting by the addition of a few kobold bodies, suggesting the kobolds themselves fought the elemental as they passed.  The elemental will attack anyone in its territory, until either they flee, take away half its hit-points, or manage to get around it.5) A great gulf (a hundred feet across and just as deep that must be crossed.  The kobolds had a rope bridge they used, but they cut it after crossing.  6) A mass of 20 to 30 goblin warriors waiting to ambush the party.  These goblins are servants of the kobolds, but they are thirsty as well and having been told that the PCs will prevent water from coming again, they will fight fanatically.  If captured, the goblins will talk (unlike the kobold knights) and will relate the fact that the kobold clerics received a vision calling for sacrificeThe PCs should be underground for a week, following the kobold trail through mile after mile of tunnel and obstacles.  Eventually the Kobolds will surface at a cave near to the Table of Water.  The PCs should exit the cave just as the sun is setting and the real fun should start.Sacrifice at the Table of WaterThe Table of Water is an ancient and sacred place.  It is a large stone table, slightly concaved, in which there is always a thin layer of water.  The table top rest upon a large rock engraved with ancient and unknown letters.  Legend says that one can sometimes see the future reflected in the water.  Others say that the water upon the table is sacred to the gods and can sometimes cure disease.  One interesting fact not often noticed is that the table never reflects the sun or moon, though it reflects the stars and the clouds with mirror like clarity.The table is located in a clearing at the very peak of an old hill.  PCs should be able to follow the kobold tracks to the table even if they do not recognize their locale. As the PCs approach the table, the kobolds already have the princess dressed for her “wedding” to their god and have her bound upon the table.  At the same time, a group of elves is approaching from the north.The ten kobolds (8 of which are knights (Rog 3, Fgt 2)) are led by a 6th level cleric and a 5th level sorcerer.  The elves, a party of five, are led by a cleric (8th level).  The high priest of the elves wears a Medallion of Thoughts and also a Ring of Truth (operates as a detect lies spell).  This makes it hard for people to lie to him (which may be important in any negotiations with him.)  With the priest are two of his fellows (5th level clerics) and two bodyguards (6th level fighters).  Though one can never tell exactly how these things will play out, the elves will likely assist the PCs in fighting the kobolds.  The kobold priest will attempt to sacrifice the girl while the others fight.  It will take him 6 uninterrupted round to complete his ritual.  If the girl dies, rain will come immediately and the remaining kobolds will attempt to flee back to their caverns.If the PCs and the elves defeat the kobolds, the elvish cleric will demand they allow him to offer himself.  The PCs may or may not agree to this.  If they try to stop it, it will take intense diplomacy to get the cleric to agree to let them offer an alternate sacrifice first.  If they do not stop him, he will die upon the altar, calling a pillar of fire upon himself and the rain will come, but with disastrous results.ConclusionThe best outcome is, of course, the PCs being allowed to offer up whatever sacrifice they have prepared or been given.  Doing so will bring rain if the sacrifice fits the three qualities required.  When the rain comes, the dog constellation will vanish from the sky, returning the following year only at its normal time.Should the sacrifice made by either of the good aligned groups (the elves or the humans) involve a sentient being, the rains will bring with them great floods that will destroy many villages and homes in both the elven and human kingdoms.    If the rain comes, the king will handsomely reward the PCs and even more so if they save his daughter.  The reward can be whatsoever the DM decides is fitting but can easily include land and titles.  If the PCs prevent the high-priest from sacrificing himself and manage to bring the rain, he will be embarrassed and ashamed and will offer the PCs either his medallion or his ring out of gratitude for the lesson learned.</blockquote>

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