1st Match: LazarusLong42's entry
nemmerle said:
Round One - First Match-Up:
Wulf "Built-In Excuse" Ratbane vs. Lazarus "Can't Keep Him Down" Long
Ingredients
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Demon Summoning Circle
Chaotic Priest
Ruby-Eyed Idol
Pool of Acid
Agoraphobia
Ogre Tribe
"The Abyss Stares Also"
A DnD adventure for mid-level PCs (7th-10th)
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"...if you stare long enough into the Abyss, the Abyss stares also into you." --Friedrich Nietzsche
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Important NPCs and Histories:
Vaarastia, a Succubus
Vaarastia's fate was sealed many centuries ago. A trickster herself, she should have been warier in choosing those she intended to seduce. But even those skilled at seduction make mistakes--and hers was a doozy. While terrorizing the small town of Haladan, she found herself unable to charm one particular peasant, and unable to get him to submit to her advances. Missing the obvious clues that this peasant might not be what he seemed, she pressed her advances, and was suddenly faced with Sorrin, a wizard of great stature and power--and one who was not averse to trickery himself, and was very unhappy with her destroying the men of his home. He placed a number of severe curses on her--some of them spells of his own devising--and Vaarastia was reduced to little more than a
pool of acid. She was an intelligent pool of acid, but most of her former powers were gone, and she was unable to continue her reign of terror.
Dismayed and unable to do much more than crawl along the ground, Vaarastia made her way into a small cave, where she stayed, plotting what revenge she could...
Diardis, a Cleric of Chaos
Diardis followed no god. He did not believe in gods at all, and
drew his clerical powers from Chaos itself. This did not make him popular, however; in fact, he was shunned by most of those in Haladan, despite being willing to heal them. He even studied arcane magic in the vein of the legendary Sorrin, hoping it would make his existence more palatable, but to no avail. The more he was shunned--and, in fact, persecuted--for his non-belief, the more afraid he became of people, and of the town square of Haladan, where he was routinely ridiculed. He eventually left the town entirely, forsaking the people he tried to help and leaving them to fend for themselves. He found a small cave some way outside Haladan, and intended to live as a hermit for the rest of his days, studying his magic. He rarely left the cave due to his ridicule-induced
agoraphobia.
The other occupant of the same cave had a different idea for him, however. Vaarastia had been able to regain a small modicum of power in her acid-pool form, and was able to charm Diardis into believing she was a friend. She saw in him her revenge on the town of Haladan, and a way to return to her true form...
(Brief stats: Clr7/Wiz5, CN alignment, Chaos and Trickery domains, low Charisma)
Morgh, an Ogre
Morgh's tribe was large--too large, in fact, to continue being organized without becoming problematic. When he was first asked to lead several clans into the wilderness to found a new
tribe of ogres, he felt honored to be asked to lead. He never realized the tribe's elders were attempting to rid themselves of some of the chaff.
Though Morgh's former tribesmen thought the new tribe would be likely to disappear rapidly, it turned out that the ogres they had sent away may not have been the strongest or smartest, but they were wily and hardy. They settled around
a large statue of an ogre with dark red ruby eyes. The wisest among them guessed the idol had been there for centuries, or perhaps longer. Morgh, seeing the ogre statue, felt it would be a very good place to start his new tribe. He named the new tribe "Red-Eye" after the statue, not knowing what role the statue would eventually play in his life...
(Brief stats: Ogre Bbn6, CE alignment, low Wisdom. The Red-Eye tribe should consist of 50 or so ogres with 1-3 Bbn levels, as well as a couple of clerics.)
Minor NPCs:
Cortan, head Magistrate of Haladan (Human Ari7, NG alignment)
Sorrin, a very powerful wizard (Wiz23/Acm5), long since deceased
Recent History:
The city of Haladan has recently been subject to horrific raids by a tribe of ogres wearing armor bearing two deep red eyes. They have routinely breached the city's defenses and slaughtered innocents, though they never seem to go for complete slaughter, generally taking but one body each. The magistrates of Haladan have repeatedly asked for help from the local count, but no such help has been forthcoming.
The ogres themselves have been under orders--as far as they know--from their god. The statue near which they have settled their tribe began speaking to their leader, Morgh, about a year ago, when its ruby eyes started glowing brightly. They do not know it, but Diardis is actually sending them messages through the idol, using them to do the bidding of his own master, Vaarastia. The ogres leave the slaughtered bodies of the innocents near his cave, as directed, and he is using their parts as material for a very powerful
summoning circle--one which will unbind Vaarastia from her pool and unleash her first on Diardis, and then on the city of Haladan.
Possible Hooks:
- The PCs, in their travels, come to the city of Haladan during its time of despair, and are asked by the magistrates to give aid to the city.
- The PCs, staying in Haladan, are party to the very first attack by the ogres. One of the NPCs travelling with them is killed, her body taken to be part of the summoning circle. They plot revenge against the ogres, only to find there is more to the problem.
- For those DMs who like evil monstrous PCs: The PCs are members of Morgh's tribe--particularly wise members who are able, after a while, to see through Diardis's illusions, and wonder why their leader is following this illusion. This would make for a shorter adventure, almost a side-adventure, but one that could lead to a party of ogre PCs adventuring together.
Plot Outline:
I. The City of Haladan
Depending on when they arrive in the city, the PCs will find it normal, and only see it in its deteriorated state after the first couple of battles versus the ogres; or they will arrive with the city guard already running ragged and citizens already slaughtered. The head magistrate, Cortan, will plead with the PCs, who at mid-levels should be quite powerful compared to the general populace, to help them in their fight against the ogres. The PCs should be able to get the following information through either Gather Information or Diplomacy checks, or general sleuthing:
- There was a godless cleric who left the city some five years ago, but no one knows where he went, and frankly they didn't care that much.
- The last time so many were left dead was during a succubus's reign of terror over 300 years earlier. Sorrin, a wizard whose name is legend, destroyed the succubus.
- The large abandoned tower to the south of the town was long ago Sorrin's tower; it has long since been gutted, and is mostly in ruins. (If the PCs investigate the ruins, they should find suitable minor treasure and perhaps some random encounters. If they spend large amounts of time searching, the DM may let them find the Sorrin's journal, which will recount his tale of the succubus attacks on Haladan, and his leaving the succubus as a pool of acid.)
The ogres have not been killing large numbers of people, even though their hordes certainly should be able to. Rather, they seem to be taking several individuals and killing them, then leaving. They never leave the bodies behind, which the citizenry find distressing, as they would like to bury their dead.
II. Morgh's Ogres
The ogre tribe should be created so as to pose a significant, but not overly formidable, challenge to the PCs. If the PCs invade the ogres' encampment, they should eventually overpower the ogres. Morgh, seeing his new tribe about to go up in smoke, will plead for his tribe's lives. The PCs may be also able to kill entire raiding parties in Haladan if they wait for the raids, and if they do so will eventually be confronted by Morgh, a bit scared, who will come to the city wondering why his brethren have fallen. Either way, Morgh will be at least superficially penitent--he does not want to die himself--and will give the PCs whatever information they wish. Specifically, he will tell them that he has simply been taking orders from his god, and will lead the PCs to the Red-Eye idol.
If the PCs kill Morgh and his entire tribe, or if Morgh leads them to the idol, the idol--that is, Diardis using
major image to bring the idol to life--will speak to them, telling them that the sacrifices have been sufficient, and that their service to their god is released. The illusion is unlikely to fool all but the least wise (or unluckiest) mid-level PCs (DC 15). If the PCs ask Morgh, they will show him where he and his tribe have been leaving the bodies; likewise, if the PCs attempt to Track, they will notice a trail leading from the encampment in the opposite direction from the city. Following these will lead them to Diardis's cave.
If Morgh is captured and not killed, he may also try to tell his own story--which, while not part of this adventure, may someday lead the PCs in the direction of his old tribe.
III. The Abyss Stares Also Into You
Diardis's cave is sparsely furnished, and typical of what you might expect from a hermit. A few things are very noticeable. First is the dead bodies piled up outside the entrance: headless (and if any of the PCs examine them closely, heartless) bodies in a rather foul-smelling pile. The heads and hearts are inside the cave, forming another noticeable feature: the large summoning circle which sits right next to an acid pool. (The pool, in fact, seems to be dissolving one of the hearts.) Before reaching the inner part of the cave, the PCs will hear Diardis chanting. A Spellcraft roll (at DC 30 because of the lack of visual cues) will indicate that Diardis is chanting a summoning spell of some sort.
When the PCs enter the cave, Diardis will be momentarily shocked by the intrusion, giving the PCs one or two rounds to reason with, or attack, the priest while he is flat-footed. Diardis will then open with a barrage of offensive spells--and possibly some offensive language. PCs should make a Listen check (DC 20) to notice that there's another presence here--in this case, Vaarastia, telling Diardis to "Kill them!" and to "Finish the spell, fool!" A Spot check (DC 20) made immediately after a successful Listen check will clue the successful PC that the sound is coming from the pool of acid. Any PC gazing into or examining the pool of acid must make a DC 23 Will save, or be
charmed by Vaarastia.
Diardis will surrender when he realizes he cannot beat the PCs. He will be reluctant to tell his story without successful Diplomacy checks. If he is convinced to do so, he will tell of his ridicule at the hands of the people of Haladan. Vaarastia will not let him tell too much before she begins seriously egging him on. "Finish it!" Diardis will jump to her commands, and will prepare to finish the summoning.
IV. Endgame
The PCs may try to kill Diardis at this point, effectively ending the summoning. Particularly good-aligned parties, or particularly astute parties, will notice something odd about the way Diardis moves--as if he were a marionette, almost (Wis check, DC 15). Casting
break enchantment or
remove curse on the cleric will free Diardis from Vaarastia's enchantments long enough to get him out of the cave.
If Diardis lasts two rounds at the summoning circle, the acid pool disappears, suddenly replaced by Vaarastia in her natural form. She will immediately jump at and kiss Diardis, after which she will attempt to flee from the party.
If Diardis is killed, or if Vaarastia's enchantment is successfully removed, or if he is bodily removed from the cave by a burly PC with a high grapple check, then the summoning will remain incomplete. Vaarastia will plead with the PCs to let her be summoned into her natural form, but if the PCs avoid gazing into the pool, they will not feel any compulsion to do so, whether they could or not. If the summoning circle is broken or Diardis killed, the spell will immediately end.
Vaarastia will shout curses and unprintables at the party if they leave her in her acid pool form, but will be unable to back it up without charming any of them.
If the PCs rescue Diardis from Vaarastia, they will likely wish to take him back to Haladan, but he will protest due to his agoraphobia. He is truly afraid of the people, and of the town square where he often had rocks thrown at him. If the PCs are feeling especially helpful, they may wish to try to cure him. A casting of
remove fear while he is in the town square will help, and after barely escaping from Vaarastia, he may be willing to atone for what he's done to the city. Whether he flip-flops on his beliefs--and whether the townspeopleare willing to accept a godless priest--is best left to the DM's discretion.
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Review of Ingredients:
Demon Summoning Circle: Built partially of recently-dead citizens of Haladan, it is particularly powerful; Vaarastia plans for Diardis to use it to summon her out of her acid pool.
Chaotic Priest: Diardis is a Cleric of Chaos, specifically believing not in the gods but in the power of Chaos itself.
Ruby-Eyed Idol: Morgh's tribe settled by this statue, little thinking that Diardis would use it to give Morgh and his tribe commands.
Pool of Acid: Vaarastia was transformed into a pool of acid by a powerful wizard she attempted to seduce about 350 years ago.
Agoraphobia: Diardis's godless ways led to public ridicule, which led to agoraphobia and a general distaste of people. His tenure in the cave and relationship with Vaarastia has served to reinforce it. The PCs may have a chance to cure him of it.
Ogre Tribe: Morgh's original tribe sent him and many others away--ostensibly to form a new tribe, but in reality to die. However, his tribe survived, and are used as pawns by Diardis and Vaarastia.
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