Ever have one of thos einstances where you weren't sure if what you came up with was going to work? This was one of them:
Spring 2004 Iron DM Tourney
R1 – M3:
Enkhidu vs. Howandwhy99
The Ingredients:
Ghetto
Bird of Paradise
Fresh Poison
Racial Paragon
Harridan
Renaissance
The Adventure:
Rat Pack
Adventure Notes:
This adventure is an urban sidetrek meant for characters of 6th or 7th level (though it can be easily scaled for characters of other levels). It can be dropped in whenever the PCs enter a mid sized or larger city, though if the DM wishes, she may use the city of Deithon, briefly described below.
Summary
The PCs stumble into the kidnapping of a prophesied halfling child, and must find the infant’s wererat kidnappers and rescue the child before they can infect her with their disease.
Background
When the Child of Jade was born six months ago, the Monks of the Emerald Renaissance celebrated by allowing their austere brothers and sisters a second bowl of rice at their evening meal. In the morning they began their search for the infant that was their order’s founder reincarnated. The Order’s learned men and women had long ago discovered the prophesied location of the birth – a city currently called Deithon - and runners were sent to verify that their predictions were correct.
When the runners returned with tales of an infant girl so beautiful she captured the attention of all who looked upon her, and whose birth (the rumors said) gave no pain to her mother, the entire monastery packed up and left, leaving only a handful of brothers and sisters behind to make their retreat ready for the return of the Child of Jade.
When the monks of the Emerald Order arrived in Deithon, they found a city totally unlike the one prophesied in the old texts. Where the prophecy had spoken of the Child being born into a city of enlightenment, all that greeted them in Deithon was ignorance and squalor. Its people were poor, superstitious, and uneducated – more concerned with finding their next meal than enlightenment. This was not a place fitting for the Child of Jade!
Thus did the Grand Master of the Emerald open the coffers of the Order and began the daunting task of renovating the city. Work progressed quickly, with the building of schools, soup kitchens, and even the rebuilding of a great library.
However, in the underbelly of the city, an order of a different type watched in dismay and disgust as the monks transformed Deithon block by block, and plotted for the best time to strike…
Deithon
The city of Deithon was, up until recently, a city in decline. Though it once had a reputation for scholarship of all sorts – it contained numerous academies and was a storehouse for all sorts of ancient knowledge – it suffered greatly at the hands of an invading army. That army burned the great library at Deithon to the ground, and the city never really recovered.
The wealthy and noble shut themselves in their towers behind well kept walls, while they allowed the Merchant’s Quarter to fall into disrepair. Worst, they pushed all of the city’s halflings into the Low Quarter (once the Student’s Quarter, which housed the great library), creating a massive ghetto which quickly became ruled by gangs and even worse elements.
However, since the Emerald Order has come to Deithon, the town has quickly changed. Monks are everywhere, building, teaching, and assisting in any way they can. They have cleaned up whole neighborhoods in the merchant’s and low quarters, and are slowly making their way across the ghettos of the Low Quarter. A handful of schools full of little halflings have sprouted up (as well as several schools for older halflings wishing to learn to read and write), and everywhere the ghetto’s inhabitants are being put busily to work. The city is truly in the middle of a full blown (if very quick) renaissance.
However, a gang known only as the Rat Pack – up until the arrival of the monks the defacto rulers of the Low Quarter – do not like what they have seen, and are now seeking for a way to regain their power.
Adventure Hooks
PCs can becoming involved with the Child of Jade for a number of reasons. As always, the best hooks are always campaign specific. However, a pair of hooks designed to attract PCs to the city of Deithon follow:
-PCs may wish to see the Child of Jade. This is could be especially true for bards or those with a connection to the Emerald Order.
-Rumors have surfaced that Deithon, once a center of knowledge, has begun reconstructing the Great Library, and several caches of scrolls (magical and otherwise) thought lost in the fires hundreds of years ago have already been found. Certain PCs (bards, wizards, or simply those with a desire for ancient knowledge) may wish to get a peek at such things.
NPCs
Jasmine: Halfling Paragon Infant
The Child of Jade is a six month old infant who happens to be perfect in every way. Her birth (according to the ancient writings of the Order of the Emerald Renaissance) will usher in an era of peace, enlightenment, and intellectual progress. In those same writings, she is described as the reincarnation of the founder of the Emerald Order. Even as a baby, she has an air of tranquility around her, as if she knows things beyond the ken of normal men.
Jasmine has, in game terms, the Paragon template, adjusted due to the fact that she is an infant (for example, her strength is not yet that of a Paragon, though it might well be in another 6 months). As such she is very resistant to harm in comparison to a normal halfling child. As she matures, Jasmine will come into her own, eventually taking levels in the Racial Paragon: Halfling class and further able to take advantage of the powerful abilities granted by the Paragon template.
The Order of the Emerald Renaissance
The Emerald Order is a group of monks dedicated to finding enlightenment through learning. They are valued as scribes, counselors, and sages by those who know. The Emerald Order is primarily an organization of halflings, though they have on occasion taken members of other races into their fold. They are headed by the Grand Master of the Emerald, a halfling monk of very advanced years (and pretty advanced level, too).
Most members of the Order are not described here, as they are simply halfling monks of levels 1 through 3, tasked with teaching, building, and cooking in the ghettos of the Low Quarter. However, the PCs will likely end up dealing with Sister Tarise, described below.
Sister Tarise: 6th level human monk
Sister Tarise has been charged as a “nanny” of sorts for the Child of Jade. Her task is to assist the child’s mother in whatever ways she deems fit. She is further tasked with protecting the Child from harm if necessary.
The Rat Pack: Wererat Pack
This gang of wererats (exclusively halfling) has had a quiet stranglehold on the Low Quarter for about a generation, and has been slowly encroaching on the Merchant’s Quarter for years. While no one really knows that the Rat Pack is a group of lycanthropes, it is an open secret that people who cross the gang “disappear” in the middle of the night.
All members of the Rat Pack have at least one level in Rogue.
Since the arrival of the Order, the Pack has lost whatever hold they had over the Merchant’s Quarter, and they are quickly losing ground in the ghettos. Worse, their leadership has been ineffectual in finding ways to stop it – the usual tactics (protection scams, bribery, etc.) aren’t working against the monks. This was recently resolved in a bloody coup. The Rat Pack is currently (and newly) ruled by a Glass (Ftr2/Rog5/Ass1), a viscous little one eyed halfling who personally slew every rival he had after killing the old guard. Glass has a perverse love for killing with poison, and has cultivates many different types of herbs, molds, etc for their manufacture. Currently, his favorite poison is a tincture of feathers from the namesake of Haniga’s Bird of Paradise (below – this poison is mechanically equivalent to Large Scorpion Venom with the added effect that it also paralyzes its victims for 1 to 6 hours), though he is also partial to belladonna (and keeps a fresh supply on hand to cow his fellow wererats, who have a healthy fear of the stuff).
Glass has big plans for the Rat Pack, and plans on eventually ruling all of Deithon (and possibly more). However, he knows that, as long as the monks are in the city, he will be unable to bring any of his plans to fruition. As a result, he has decided to run the Order out by kidnapping (or killing if he has to) the child that brought them here in the first place.
Haniga: Dwarven Expert
Hanigan is the owner of the Bird of Paradise, a flophouse, bawdyhouse, and whorehouse that also happens to be the biggest house in the Low Quarter. She is an old harridan of a woman – sharp tongued, bad tempered, and more than a little cranky. She despises anything and everything except for 1) wealth, and 2) her collection of rare and exotic birds, who live uncaged in the high rafters of her establishment. Her prize is an actual bird of paradise of particularly large size, that perches on the top rafter, coming down occasionally to dine on bits left by Haniga or her patrons.
Unknown to Haniga (who is much more interested in keeping her birds), the Rat Pack keeps a safe hole underneath her establishment, and come and go frequently through the always present crowd at the Bird of Paradise. As far as Haniga is concerned, Glass is simply renting a room in the back (where this entrance lies). This safe hole has connecting tunnels to the sewers of the city.
Events
Events described below are meant to serve as a loose guideline of NPC actions that assume no interference by the PCs. Of course, once the PCs interefere (because that’s what PCs tend to do) these actions will adjust accordingly.
When the PCs arrive –
When (for whatever reason) the PCs arrive in Deithon, they will be greeted by a bustling city. Everywhere they will see the green robed monks of the Order, and everyone will be talking about the Child of Jade. In general, people will be open and friendly, though if the PCs stray too far into the unrenovated part of the Low Quarter they will be less so. The monks, in particular will be very willing to answer questions, and will likely encourage the PCs to see the Child of Jade, who “visits” areas of the city every afternoon. PCs who inquire will be told that the child will be visiting the grounds of the Great Library (in an area of the Low Quarter that has just begun reconstruction) the next time she makes her rounds.
The first afternoon after the PCs arrive –
The first full afternoon after the PCs arrive in town (which might even be the same day they arrive if the did so in the morning), the Child of Jade, her mother, and Sister Tarise (with several other lower level monks in tow) will make an appearance in the Low Quarter and slowly make their way toward the plaza where the foundations of the Library stand. Mother and child will be carried on a palanquin carried by four monks, while Sister Tarise and two other monks range in front and behind. On this trip, the Rat Pack (a total of 10, not including Glass, who will be likewise hidden in the crowd watching – 1 5th level rogue, 2 4th level, 2 3rd level, and the rest 1st level)) will strike from among the crowd, throwing poisoned daggers at the monks to weaken/incapacitate them and attempting to steal the child. Note that the sneak attacks from the rogues will likely hit the flat footed monks, and if the PCs are not present to intervene this attack will definitely succeed, leaving several monks dead and both the child’s mother and Sister Tarise poisoned and paralyzed.
If the PCs are able to intervene, then the attack will still go off as planned. Likely, the Rat Pack will also still be able to incapacitate the guards and kidnap the child, as they have a large amount of surprise. In addition, if any of the Rats gets the child (which will be wrapped in swaddling), they will immediately take off into the crowd, attempting to lose themselves in it. To make this more difficult, Glass has also paid a dozen more halflings to serve as “bait” – they each bear something the size and shape of a baby in swaddling and will break into a run if a chase ensues, scattering as they run. While this doesn’t preclude the PCs from finding the right halfling with the right bundle, it should make it very difficult. Note that the PCs should quickly figure out that their opposition isn’t quite normal the first time they encounter the Pack’s DR.
In any case, if the Rat Pack successfully kidnaps the baby, they will eventually meet up in the safe hole underneath the Bird of Paradise. If the party successfully gives chase, then they will still head in that direction, though they will attempt to enter the underbelly of the city more quickly (if this is the case, feel free to ambush PCs in hot pursuit).
After the kidnapping –
Assuming the Rat Pack succeeds (either because the PCs weren’t there to stop them or because they failed to stop them), they will inadvertently leave several clues behind as to their identity and their whereabouts:
1) The fresh poison: PCs with enough alchemical knowledge (or poison knowledge) might be able to discover the origins of the poison. If they do (and find out that it’s based on an actual bird of paradise), they should be able to find out about Haniga’s establishment
2) Feathers: PCs who make appropriate spot checks might see tufts of feathers all over the scene of the crime. As above, inquiry could lead them to Haniga.
3) The Hirelings: Not all of the halflings serving as cover for the getaway are Rat Pack-ers. Successful Gather Information checks might eventually bring out leads from those individuals.
If the PCs are not able to put these clues together, then the Order will be served with an ultimatum – leave the city at once or the child dies. If this happens, the Order will quietly contact the PCs to rescue the girl, and give the PCs the same lead as in 1) above.
The Bird of Paradise –
All of the clues should lead the PCs to Haniga’s place – a huge building that was once fabulous but is now ramshackle. It has a dozens of large rooms, even more small rooms, and a large multi story atrium full of birds. Those with enough Knowledge (Nature) should be able to pick out the bird of paradise, and those with a high Spot might match the name plate hanging over the entrance with the bird in the rafters.
If the PCs approach Haniga with questions, she will be uncooperative in the extreme, living up to her reputation as a hag and a harridan. However, she does know that several of her regulars (including Glass, who she knows to be a high up in the Rat Pack) came in with a bundle and headed for the back rooms. If PCs attempt to examine any of her birds – especially the Bird of Paradise – she will become even more uncooperative, and order them out (and a handful of dwarf and half-orc bouncers will attempt to toss them).
If the PCs were at the kidnapping and failed to stop it, several of the Rat Pack in the crowd at the bawdyhouse will keep watch over them and slip away to warn Glass. If so, Glass will have more than one surprise waiting for them should they investigate his room and find the secret passageway to his hideaway.
In a small window in his room, Glass has a pot of belladonna he uses for poisons.
If the PCs find Glass and the Child of Jade –
While the PCs play catch up, Glass has a change of heart – after spending a short amount of time with Jasmine, he realizes that the only thing better than getting the monks to leave by using the child is by using the child directly, by making her part of the Rat Pack. By the time the PCs arrive, he will have bitten her several times (finding out the hard way that she has an unbelievable amount of natural protection to damage – only his sneak attack makes it possible for him to get through her DR on a CDG) and she will be infected with lycanthropy.
If the PCs manage to catch up to Glass, they will have a fight on their hands. If the DM wishes, this can be a rollicking affair that leads the PCs all over the sewers as Glass organizes multiple ambushes, triggers traps, and harasses the party with his wererats. In the end, Glass will go down fighting in hybrid form, ultra confident in his abilities even if all hope is lost.
Aftermath
Assuming that the PCs succeed in rescuing the Child of Jade, they still have the problem of curing her lycanthropy (which can be done with either the fresh belladonna tincture Glass keeps or by finding his belladonna plants he grows in his room at the Bird of Paradise). If for some reason they are unable to cure her, then they will have bigger problems, a powerful (if small) halfling wererat begins prowling the streets during the full moon.
Quick Recap:
Ghetto: the Low Quarter of Deithon, a place full of poor halflings and the setting for the adventure
Bird of Paradise: Both the establishment owned by Haniga and, more importantly, an important clue to finding the kidnappers
Fresh Poison: Both a clue to finding the kidnappers and the means of stopping the Child of Jade from becoming a lycanthrop.
Racial Paragon: The Child of Jade herself
Harridan: Haniga, bird lover and owner of the Bird of Paradise
Renaissance: The revival of Deithon and the reason for the kidnapping