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Message: <blockquote data-quote="reveal" data-source="post: 2295042" data-attributes="member: 1236">InstabilityAn investigative adventure for four level 15-20 charactersSummaryThe PCs investigate strange attacks by undead in a merchant town called Gorring. While there, they talk to a lot of interesting people, investigate the situation and find out who is causing the problems.The adventure, as written, highlights a few of the more high-profile NPCs. It also takes you through the investigation to its end without too many side turns. It is highly recommended that you, the DM, invent your own NPCs and locations to use in this adventure to flesh it out more to use in future adventures or campaigns.Background on GorringThe “Temple in the Clouds” had been there longer than the town of Gorring itself. 30 years ago, a band of merchants decided that the land directly below the temple would make a good spot for trade for two reasons; one, because it was along the Gorring river, which made it an excellent location for river trade and, two, because the monks in the temple would also need supplies. In return for the trade between the two parties, the monks promised to protect the merchants from bandits that decided to cause trouble.Recently, the peace that had existed in the area has been broken. At night, undead creatures have been terrorizing the town. The few clerics in Gorring have been unable to defeat the abominations and are helpless. The monks have also been useless as the undead creatures are too strong for them to handle. Heroes are needed and they are needed quickly.Hooks1) The PCs are traveling through the area, whether by land or by river, and stop in Gorring to rest, trade, eat, etc.2) One of the PCs in the party is from Gorring and has received word from a relative that help is needed and the monks cannot protect them from the new threat.3) If one of the PCs is a monk, he/she could belong to the same order as the monks in the “Temple in the Clouds” and has been asked to help them defeat this enemy.NPCsRichard Russels is the mayor of Gorring. He’s very sure of himself but is not overbearing. He has been mayor for the last decade and the townsfolk, especially the merchants, are very pleased with his service. Richard understands that the town is made for trade and does his best to make sure the town is ready for any and all outsiders. He makes sure the merchants are taken care of, since most everyone in the town works for them in some way. Recently, Richard has been very ill and it is worrying the people closest to him. It is also worrying some of the more successful merchants as the vice mayor, Ralph Francis, is not as “friendly” towards the merchants.Ralph Francis is the type of person who holds a grudge and always does everything he can to settle it. Because of this attribute, he does not like the merchants very much. Years earlier, a merchant swindled him out of his hard earned money and refused to provide a refund. Since that time, Ralph has harbored a deep resentment, feeling all merchants were just as slimy. The mayor trusts Ralph, however, because Ralph is beloved by the non-merchant townsfolk. Because of his hatred for merchants, Ralph has turned completely on the side of the townsfolk, always whispering to the mayor how the merchants are liars and are keeping the money out of the pockets of the “hard working people who line the merchants larders with goods.”Herbert Saunders is the head of the merchants guild. He is very good at his job. He makes sure that goods are always stocked, that logs are meticulously kept and that the merchants are, generally, well taken care of. Lately, however, Herbert has wanted more. He has always like the mayor but Herbert thinks that he could do better and could increase the amount of money brought in by the merchants.Brother Sebastian Kine resides in the “Temple in the Clouds,” as the residents of Gorring call it. He is the head monk and presides over the day-to-day operations. The Temple has been in this location for the last 100 years. Brother Sebastian has resided there since it opened its doors. 50 years ago, after years of intense study and inward reflection, he achieved a state of Enlightenment. The very next year, he was put into place as the head monk. He has ruled fairly and wisely these many years. It was his idea to allow the merchants to reside in Gorring. It was he that recommended trade with the merchants as a way to gain supplies. It was he who has shown the most compassion for the people in the town and has shut down every single argument he has ever heard as to why the Temple should stay solitary. And it was he who poisoned the mayor of Gorring.Background on Brother Sebastian (monk 20/necromancer 5)They say that when a monk reaches spiritual Enlightenment, his body becomes so pure that poisons can no longer affect him. When Brother Sebastian reached Enlightenment, he decided to test this theory. Taking a small amount of foxglove, Brother Sebastian laced his tea with this deadly poison. He sipped the tea slowly and was surprised at how sweet it tasted. He did not know what to expect so he meditated, waiting to die if it was to be so. Hours later, he stood up and was pleased at the results of his experiment. Not because he proved he had reached Enlightenment, that would be foolish, but because he had discovered a very tasty additive for his tea.So, over the years, Brother Sebastian drank his poisoned tea and never died. But, unexpectedly, the poison did start to work on his mind. After 50 years of drinking poison, his mind became darker. His judgment became clouded. He was still trusted and loved by all in the monastery, but his private life began to take a dark turn. He decided that the path to Enlightenment took too long. He wanted to “speed up” the process. He decided to start experiment with necromancy. His reasons were obvious: Why experiment on himself? Why not experiment with the undead to find out how to prolong life?Night after night he locked himself in his room. The hidden cellar made a perfect laboratory. But day after day he had to deal with the problems of that “problem” town at the bottom of the wall. 5 years ago, he realized that if he could somehow get the people to leave, whether by choice or by death, he would have more time to devote to his experiments. First, he would poison the mayor. A week later, he would unleash his undead experiments onto the town. Once everyone was either dead or gone, he would be left in peace. His plan has started to unfold.Enter the PCsOnce the PCs get to Gorring, the mayor has already been poisoned and political infighting has assumed. The mayor lies in a state of near death and Ralph Francis, the vice mayor, and Herbert Saunders, the merchant leader, are jockeying for succession. The PCs will have to work fairly quickly to assuage fears and solve the problems.Gather Information in GorringDC 10 – The undead showed up to attack the town one week after the mayor fell ill. The monks from the Temple have tried to help but to no avail.DC 15 – The mayor suddenly passed out three weeks ago while having dinner with Brother Sebastian from the Temple and has not waken since. His breathing is shallow and no one in the town, not even the apothecary, has been able to help him.DC 15 – Though slow to admit it, the clerics in the town are not powerful enough to stop the undead.DC 25 – Ralph Francis is hated by the merchants. He always sides with the townsfolk regardless of their actions towards the merchants.DC 30 – Herbert Saunders is jockeying for position to become the next mayor. He sees the mayor’s recent illness as an opportunity to seize power.DC 30 – Ralph Francis is jockeying for position to become the next mayor. He sees the mayor’s recent illness as an opportunity to seize power.DC 30 – The local apothecary still has the food and drink the mayor was consuming when he fell ill. They are trying to figure out if he was poisoned. So far they have found a residue but have failed to analyze it.Knowledge(nature) checks on the residueDC 15 – This powder looks as if it were made from a yellowish plant.DC 20 – The name of the plant is foxglove.DC 25 – You know of a cure for it.Temple in the CloudsIf the PCs decide to go to the Temple, they will need to take the lift to the top of the impossibly high wall. Once at the top, they will be greeted by monks from the Temple and offered food and drink.When they ask for Brother Sebastian, they will be shown to his office. Brother Sebastian is anxious to get rid of these interlopers but doesn’t want to play his hand too soon. A successful Sense Motive check will tell the PC that Brother Sebastian is hiding something. Brother Sebastian claims to know nothing of the attacks. He has sent monks to help but they have all been rebuffed. He would help more if he could but he doesn’t think there is anything he can do to stop the onslaught.During this time in the office, any PC making a Spot check (DC 20) will notice a black book tucked deeply into a bookshelf. Further inspection will show it to be a book on necromancy and that it has recently been used. If asked about the book, Brother Sebastian will become defensive and suddenly change the subject.Brother Sebastian will grin wildly and offer an item “that may help.” He will open up a large cabinet, which seems to protest its being opened, and pull out a small, darkwood dagger. He will tell the PCs that this weapon was rumored to help fight off an invading undead army years ago by another one of the their Order. He doesn’t know what it will do and it has been sitting in the cabinet for so long, it has layers of dust on it, that he completely forgot about it. He will hand it to whichever PC wants it. After that, he says he can do no more and shows them out.The darkwood dagger is actually a cursed item. The cabinet he opened stores many items that the monks are forbidden from using for one reason or another. Some are good; some are not. This dagger, for instance, belonged to an evil drow monk who liked to toy with his victims before killing them. After disarming them, he would offer them the “opportunity” of taking one last swing at him before they died. “Here, use this,” he would say and then throw them his dagger. The victim, fighting for its life at this point, was more than happy to be given this weapon. So they would thrust the dagger at the monk and, suddenly, become very, very still. The dagger, you see, had a sense of humor as well. Whosoever attacked with it would instantly become paralyzed. The monk would then take his time with his victim, cutting off a finger here, a toe there, until the creatures heart would finally give out. It made ones job so much easier that way.Darkwood dagger, cursed: Every time a person makes an attack with the dagger, they must make a Fortitude save (DC 23). If they fail, they are paralyzed for 1d4 hours. Strong necromancy; CL 16th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor; bestow curse.Gather Information in the TempleDC 10 – Brother Sebastian has been the head of the monastery for 50 years.DC 10 – Monks have been sent to help the townsfolk but could do nothing. The undead creatures were too strong.DC 20 – Brother Sebastian has been acting strange lately. He’s seems a bit forgetful in his duties.DC 25 – Brother Sebastian has been keeping all the monks indoors at night for the last couple of days so as to stay hidden from the monsters attacking the village.DC 25 (if the dagger is shown to the other monks) – That is the cursed weapon Kuri-ki. How did you get it?DC 30 – A few monks have heard low moaning and chanting coming from Brother Sebastian’s room late at night. They think he was meditating but they are not positive.EncountersThe Mohrg are the undead creatures that attack the town at night. Each evening, 2d4+3 Mohrg’s enter town with the sole purpose killing townsfolk. They are intelligent creatures, so they understand their instructions to only kill one or two mainly to scare people into leaving rather than murdering everyone. Brother Sebastian thinks if everyone was massacred it would draw a lot more attention to the town than he desires.Encounters can be as frequent as you like, but they only occur at night. A sample encounter is listed below.Outskirts of TownIf the PCs set watch, at midnight they can spy a single Mohrg making its way towards the town from the woods to the west. PCs making successful Spot checks (DC 20) will notice other Mohrg’s waiting.The Mohrg’s like to have a little fun with the townspeople. Since they know the only way out of town is to the west, since the river is to the east, one or two Mohrg’s will go into town and drive out a few terrified people. Of course, these people run directly into the trap and are torn limb from limb before realizing what’s going on.If the PCs perform a Track check (DC 20), they will find all of the Mohrg’s tracks lead to the lift for the impossibly high wall.ResolutionWhether from gathering information, tracking or pure suspicion, the PCs will eventually come to the conclusion that Brother Sebastian is the perpetrator. There are many ways this could be resolved.1) If the PCs can convince the other monks to help, they will. Brother Sebastian will not fight them and will go with them peacefully. The monks will try to help him and find out why he is doing this. Brother Sebastian will tell them of his plan and of his tests with the tea. The monks will realize, as will any player making a successful Knowledge(nature) check (DC 25), that the poison is causing his instability. This can end very peacefully if the PCs wish.2) If the PCs want violence, there will be violence. If the PCs have convinced the monks to help, they will be hesitant to attack, at first, but when they see how Brother Sebastian has changed, they will join the PCs in attacking. Brother Sebastian will be joined by 1d4+1 Mohrg’s.3) If the PCs have not convinced the monks to help, they will either a) have to attack Brother Sebastian at night when the other monks are locked in their rooms or b) be prepared to take on the monks as well as Brother Sebastian.If Brother Sebastian is close to being defeated, he will make a last ditch effort to run to the impossibly high wall and jump off. Using his slow fall ability, he will make it to the bottom long before any of the PCs get there in the lift. If he does escape, he will hold a deep resentment for the PCs.Ingredient ReviewDarkwood dagger – Cursed item given to the PCs by Brother SebastianFoxglove – Used in the tea drank by Brother Sebastian and to poison the mayorEnlightened Monk – Brother Sebastian himselfMohrg – Undead created by Brother Sebastian to attack the townImpossibly High Wall – The Temple of the Clouds rests at the top of this wallInstability – The name of the adventure as well as Brother Sebastian’s current mental condition</blockquote>

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