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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mythago" data-source="post: 1500560" data-attributes="member: 3019">mythago vs. nemmerleMilady Tiger    An adventure for characters around level 8-10.      Ingredients   Ivory Tower Reluctant Rakshasa Excessive Mucus  Local Hero  Covered Bridge Senseless Bickering       Background      Rakshasa are arrogant, intelligent and powerful enough that for them, challenge often comes only through besting their own kind. For years, the valley of Bollerjee and the people within it lived in terror of Kajasthi, a powerful rakshasa who treated the entire valley as his personal playground. He personally led a hunt that wiped out half the elephants in Bollerjee, using their tusks to craft an ivory tower in the center of the valley. He forced the people of Bollerjee to divert a river around it and build a covered bridge over it. He set air elementals to kill anything reaching the island by means other than the bridge. Kajasthi demanded tribute—pretty girls, fine gold jewelry, precious gems, and wonderful food. He grew fat and content, and got sloppy.     Djam Karet, another rakshasa, eventually heard the rumors of the terrible tiger demon that ruled over the far-off land of Bollerjee. After investigating the rumors both of Kajasthi and of Bollerjee’s fabulous natural wealth, she moved to a large city and became involved in the political web. After years of careful manipulation, she arranged for a party of mighty adventurers who had just driven back a ghoul invasion to travel to Bollerjee. Disguised as a female elf, she followed at a discreet distance as the party made their way through the dangerous jungles of Bollerjee, tracked down Kajasthi, fought their way across the river and its terrible guards, and charged into the tower.     Days later, all remained silent. No victors emerged to declare their triumph or seek the source of the invasion.     Satisfied that her dupes had killed Kajasthi and had been killed in return, she attempted to take possession of the ivory tower. Unfortunately, one of Kajasthi’s protections—which the adventuring party had avoided because they didn’t walk in the front door--was a magical ward that cursed anyone passing through the gates with a horrible disease. Djam Karet was stricken with the worst head cold ever. Excessive mucus constantly flows from her nose and eyes; she wears a veil out of vanity.      She eventually managed to run into a group of Bollerjee villagers, who had brought tribute to Kajasthi. They were so overjoyed to hear that their oppressor was dead that they anointed the rakshasa (who spun a tale about being the lone survivor of the adventuring party) a local hero and brought her back to their village to recuperate. Djam Karet is annoyed at having to behave herself and make nice, but she is too ill and weak to risk losing potential rescuers. She directed the villagers to send for heroes who could help end her curse; she is sure that Kajasthi must have some antidote or ward-remover in his tower, in case he accidentally got caught by his own trap. Remove curse and cure disease have failed to stop the illness.     Plot Hook   The PCs can be traveling through Bollerjee in search of adventure and loot (think: Mysterious Ancient Jungle Kingdom), or they might hear rumors of the beautiful elf Chalcedony’s plight. More traditional would be to have an odd little man, who has traveled all the way from Bollerjee, accost them in the tavern and beg for their help. (Bollerjee has a lot of gold and ivory, so payment would be possible for less altruistic PCs.) Djam Karet is currently living in semi-luxury in the town of Nandikai, kept pampered and cared for in her own tent.     If the PCs talk to Djam Karet: She has used her alter shape ability to appear as a lovely elf woman. The effect is somewhat ruined by the constant wheezing, coughing and sniffling coming from under the cloth-of-gold veil she wears. Suspicious PCs who remove the veil will not pierce the illusion, but will definitely see her with swollen eyes, excessive mucus, and chapped lips.     It’s possible that they will find out she is a rakshasa, in which case she will fight them to the death if need be. The villagers will be outraged and will not hear a word against their hero; if she is threatened or attacked, throw a mob of 2d6 armed low-level villagers wielding farm implements and old, rusted weapons at the PCs     If they do not figure out that something is wrong, Djam Karet will spin them a long, heartbreaking tale of the battle across the river and how all of her companions but she were slain (she can describe them very well; after all, she hired them), and how she only escaped badly wounded and with Kajasthi’s dying curse ringing in her ears. And sinuses. There are holes in her story; she can’t easily explain why the PCs went across the river instead of the bridge (too obvious; a trap, they thought), or whether all of the guards of the tower are dead. She also doesn’t know exactly how the curse can be lifted, but is sure that “you will know” when the PCs find the antidote.     If the PCs charge straight to the tower: They will not know about the adventuring party that preceded them or about Djam Karet, but otherwise all is the same.     The jungle around the tower has been cleared away in roughly a half-mile radius. A slow brownish river flows from the northeast, splits around Kajasthi’s island, and continues south. The island is just big enough for the ivory tower: clad in ivory and white marble and fitted together with blocks that need no mortar. It will be disappointing to anyone expecting a huge spire, because it’s actually about fifty feet high.     The PCs can fly across the river or cross it by normal means (swimming, building a raft) but it is too wide to jump. Since the previous guardians have all been killed or driven off, this is perfectly safe. Then again, there is a very sturdy-looking covered bridge that goes right across..     The bridge is made of marble bricks all the way up. Dwarves in the group will be hard-put to believe that humans build it. The ceiling and walls are buttressed with long teakwood beams. Kajasthi installed a quartet of marble-skinned gargoyles here and gave them strict orders to attack only groups where at least one person was wearing armor. The PCs almost certainly qualify. The gargoyles will attempt to conceal themselves until the PCs are halfway across the bridge—making escape difficult—and they will swoop down to attack in a screeching pack, their blazing red eyes a contrast to their pale, veined exterior.     If the PCs reach the tower alive: A Listen check by anyone entering the tower will hear the sounds of voices talking in Common. A success by more than 5 points will reveal that it sounds like arguing.     The tower is largely deserted. There are water closets, a richly-appointed bedroom on the lower floor, a small library (no magical books, but plenty of exotic tomes), and an empty kitchen. The topmost floor is devoted to Kajasthi’s laboratory. It is filled with delicate glassware, strange reagents, odd…things…floating in jars of preservative, stuffed imps, and the like. On the farthermost end of the laboratory is an oval doorway that positively spews magic. In the middle of the laboratory stand the remains of Djam Karet’s adventurers.     Kajasthi is not dead; after being badly wounded, he chose to run away and fight another day, fleeing through the oval doorway-cum-gate. He covered his escape by casting a curse of dissension at the party—and all failed their Will saves.     The curse dooms the entire party to senseless bickering without end, trapped in a time loop that does not require them to eat, drink, or sleep. They are incapable of anything but anger and disagreement. The curse is focused on the enormous ivory chest, in which Kajasthi keeps his treasure. The victims cannot and will not speak to anyone else about any subject at all; if physically interrupted, they will keep arguing even if they have to do it while fighting off an attacker. As soon as the threat or distraction is removed they will return to arguing.     All you, as DM, need to do is imitate an average player group arguing over exactly who is going to get what magic item, who will carry which thing and in what pouch, and whether or not it should be sold when they return to town. The curse can be broken with a remove curse spell, but it must be cast on each victim individually; those still cursed will ignore those freed. If only one victim remains, he will argue with himself, Hamlet soliloquy style, about what decision to make next.     Resolving the adventure   The solution to Djam Karet’s curse left with Kajasthi. If the PCs wish to pursue him through the gate, possibly bringing the NPC party with them, you will have to decide how dangerous and stupid this will be. Kajasthi has gone to ground in a place very safe for him, not so much for others.     If the PCs free the NPCs from their curse and compare notes, they may learn that something is not right—especially since “Chalcedony the elf” is right there in the tower with them, and looks oddly like the poor cursed woman in Nandikai, minus the excessive mucus. The NPCs have no idea of Djam Karet’s true nature.     If the PCs want to take the ivory box full of (level-appropriate) treasure, there will probably be plenty of senseless bickering that has nothing to do with a curse.     If the PCs take the treasure and run, the NPCs can’t stop them and won’t notice they are gone.     If anyone confronts Djam Karet, she will fight to the death if necessary; she is weak from the curse (75% hit points, -2 to all Fortitude saves) and has nowhere to run. See the previous note about 2d6 villagers rushing to her defense if she is attacked.     If the PCs make it safely away from the tower and Djam Karet, you can have Kajasthi return early and stalk them, sending summoned and controlled creatures to stalk them and pick them off one by one, Blair Witch style.     NPCs   Kajasthi (LE) – male rakshasa, does not bother to disguise his appearance     Djam Karet (LE) – female rakshasa, disguised as ‘Chalcedony,” a young female elf wizard, veiled and afflicted with a disgusting cold     Chalcedony (NG) – female elf wizard, level 9     Bragak (LG) – male dwarf monk, level 10     Tai Mu Sha (NG) – male human ranger, level 9     Forvarius (LG) – male human paladin, level 9     Clipscuttle (NG) – female gnome rogue, level 10</blockquote>

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