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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wulf Ratbane" data-source="post: 2347222" data-attributes="member: 94">Chasing the RainbowAn adventure for 8th-10th level PCs.BackgroundFrom above, the region known as the Drakeskills looks as if the land itself were seized in an enormous talon, crumpled, and dropped carelessly back to the earth. The Drake river runs crookedly through this hilly country, fed by countless smaller creeks that wind through the hills, joining in the raucous rumble of the Drake until it is finally free of the hills to tumble into the sea.It is fertile land, and numerous small villages have sprouted haphazardly along the banks of the Drake’s many tributaries. But the hills and creeks make travel from village to village difficult, and defense of the area more difficult still. Now, the villages have banded together under a single Constitution to provide for their common defense. From Warden’s Kill in the north to Draketon in the south, the territory is united under a single Lord Protector, who rides under the Rainbow Pennant, representing the many villages and diverse peoples of the Drakeskills.But it was not always so.The Lord Protector is chosen by an archaic ritual, now enshrined in their Constitution, that dates back to the very first Lord Protector, Bellux of Heironeous. When the Drakeskills faced a fleet of invaders from the sea, and the call went out for help, it was Bellux who rode from the northernmost village to the southernmost village—in record time—rallying and inspiring the people along the way. Bellux’ small warband boasted dozens of colorful banners from all the villages, but it was as a single united army that they pushed the invaders back into the sea. The people urged Bellux to stay on as their protector, and the ritual by which the people choose their new leader is an homage to Bellux’ inspiring ride.To prove their worth, the contenders for the position must race from the northernmost village to the southernmost village, stopping in each to gather a token of goodwill from the villagers. Magic is forbidden, though each contestant is permitted to call upon his special mount as needed. (If the paladin has no mount, a horse is provided.) It is a difficult race, lasting several days, and requiring the entrants to cross the crooked river dozens of times in order to visit every village. The villagers may offer the token only to the first contender to arrive; some offer a token to each contender to arrive; and their Constitution stipulates that any village is free to devise such noble tests as they see fit before awarding the token. In many villages, the tests are performed on the bridge into town, and the contestants will find the bridges closed until they can pass the test—making the completion of certain tests doubly important: not only to collect the token, but also to cross the bridge and continue the race. The first contender to arrive in the southernmost village of Draketon with more than half of the village tokens wins the protectorship and the Prize.The “Prize” is the blade Bellux Sanctorum, an intelligent weapon forged from the sainted soul of Bellux himself. Over the intervening years, the weapon has been forged and reforged countless times, as a sword, spear, axe, polearm, lance, etc.—its blade, hilt, or haft marked with a shining lightning bolt in honor of Heironeous. The blade has been reforged so many times, it has become almost unsuitable for war, but it remains an invaluable source of counsel for the Lord Protector. The weapon grants its wielder the ability to discern lies and detect thoughts, and its special purpose is to slay deceivers. It is said that the weapon can communicate telepathically, not only with its wielder, but also with those in its presence. Bellux Sanctorum is an ill-tempered advisor—he does not abide fools, flatterers, nor deceivers; nor in fact does the weapon seem to abide any Lord Protector who does not rule to the letter of the paladin’s code. When a Lord Protector’s time has come, the blade shatters; a race is held to determine who will wield it next, and the blade is reforged according to the winner’s needs. The ConflictThe blade has been broken and the time has come to choose a new Lord Protector. This time, however, there is an odd wrinkle: Among the contestants is a half-orc paladin named Half-heart (ex-Bbn 2/Pal10), and there are powerful forces who want to ensure that Half-heart does not win.The Witch: A powerful druid—in fact, the human mother of the half-orc paladin—is determined to see her scion fail. If she cannot turn Half-heart away from the light and back to “his own people,” she will just as happily see him dead. In addition to a few villagers she has paid off to spread rumors and malcontent, she has a small tribe of orcs and beasts at her command to frustrate Half-heart’s attempt to win the race.Involving the PCs1)    The Unlikely Approach: It’s possible, though unlikely, that one of the PCs may be a paladin vying for the Rainbow Pennant himself. In this setup, the DM can create an interesting dilemma for the PC: If the PC comes across the half-orc at a crucial moment, he may be forced to choose between helping a fellow paladin or continuing on to win the race.2)    Neutral (or Bad) PCs: The PCs may be hired by the druid herself to intercept Half-heart and frustrate his bid for the Prize. In this case, perhaps, the PCs may be “successful” only in enraging the half-orc and turning him back to his chaotic roots; his paladinhood thus stripped, he becomes a dangerous recurring adversary.3)    Good PCs: Most likely, the PCs will be hired by the retiring Lord Protector with ensuring that the race is fair. The current Lord Protector does not have the benefit of Bellux Sanctorum to sift through the rumors and lies, but he is not completely without wits; he knows that something is amiss and suspects that the race is crooked or, worse, that some of the contestants may be in real danger.  He has heard rumors that a half-orc named Half-heart is entering the race, but he suspects that the half-orc may not be a real paladin, and that the race is awash in magic and deception. He fears that he alone cannot keep abreast of the situation through his own devices. In this vulnerable period until the blade is tempered and reforged, the Lord Protector is reluctantly forced to rely on outside forces for additional counsel and support. Unlike the contestants, the PCs are under no restriction from using teleportation magic or flight to hurry themselves from one area of the race to another. The Lord Protector will ask them to try to find out what’s going on, to witness the start of the race, and to ensure that the race is subsequently run as fairly as possible. They should not interfere with the contestants in any way that would jeopardize their eligibility, but they are free to “interact” with anyone who might unlawfully interact with the race itself.SidebarsThe nature of the competition provides ample opportunity for the DM to introduce additional “side quests” while the competition plays out. The PCs should have an opportunity to talk with the villagers as well as the half-dozen or so other competitors, to ‘pace’ the competitors, and to observe or even play a role in some of the “tests” required along the way. For example, one or two of the PCs might be “randomly” selected from the crowd to do mock battle with the competitors as they attempt to cross the bridge into the village. (In some cases these tests are as much a test of mercy as they are a test of might.)The Race BeginsThe PCs will surely note Half-heart when the race begins. Not only is he the only half-orc, he is the only contestant without a horse. He begins the race on foot! With the legacy of his barbaric fast movement and his Endurance feat, he keeps up surprisingly well against the heavy warhorses of the other competitors.Half-Heart’s EdgeThe mysterious competitor Half-heart starts the race on foot to hide his “edge” as long as possible: His special mount is not the typical horse, but a war elephant named Gnesh. Where other competitors must cross the bridges and subject themselves to the tests of the villagers, Half-heart plans to take his Gnesh right across the water, easily fording currents that are too swift or too deep for the horses. The elephant is an excellent, powerful, and nearly untiring swimmer. In addition, Gnesh has a decided edge when it comes to the frequent Constitution checks necessary to keep up a running pace. It is an almost perfect, classic “slow and steady wins the race” edge for Half-Heart.The Witch’s First TreacheryIn the form of a raven that shadows the race’s progress, the witch keeps an eye on Half-heart. Unfortunately, she knows almost as little about her son as do the other competitors in the race. She will watch, patiently, as he falls further and further behind the other competitors, preparing an ambush of orc berserkers to intercept Half-heart on the second day. (It is her hope that a show of “rageful” force will remind Half-heart of what he has given up in pursuit of his paladinhood.)If the PCs are swept up in this ambush, they will not only have to contend with the orcs themselves, but also with Half-heart, who will stubbornly shoo them away and refuse any help, lest the PCs spoil his bid at the Prize. The Witch’s Second TreacheryThe Witch is likely to be equally aware of the PCs involvement soon after the race begins. Rather than focus her attention on Half-heart, her next gambit is to try to lure the PCs away (and kill them, if possible). The PCs should get word by friendly sending that an insect plague, creeping doom, or rampage of giant animals is underway at a village farther along the race. The Witch’s Final TreacheryHer final, desperate trick is as unsubtle as the rest: As the competitors near the final village, the Witch will cast control weather to cause the spring (or autumn) weather to turn unseasonably cold. It is an obviously magical effect, and within 10 minutes the temperature will begin to drop and snow will begin to fall on Half-heart, Gnesh, and everyone else within a 3-mile radius. (Throughout the adventure, you should allow the Witch the use of a feat to allow her to cast spells subtly, while in wildshape form.)The snow will be difficult on all competitors in the area (reducing speed by at least ½) but it is especially harsh on Gnesh (particularly if he was wet when the temperature began to fall). Half-heart will be forced to dismiss Gnesh until the snow stops or he leaves the area. If the race is tight at this point, so close to the finish, Half-heart will surely lose.Nevertheless, Half-heart will refuse any attempts by the PCs to directly aid him or his mount using magic, but the PCs may help by driving off the druid-raven (before the spell is cast) or countering or dispelling the effect afterwards.The unseasonable snowfall will tell Half-heart everything he needs to know about who is interfering in the race, and why. He will obviously be concerned that his involvement is endangering the other competitors, the villagers, and even the PCs. Unless the PCs can convince him that they can take care of the Witch so that he can finish the race, Half-heart will be forced to withdraw from the race to settle the matter with his mother himself.On the other hand, if the PCs volunteer to tackle the Witch once and for all, Half-heart will provide such assistance as he can, including directions to her cave redoubt (if the raven flees) or offering to use himself as bait to draw her out.If the PCs fight the Witch now, it will be a vicious battle—she will use the weather and altitude to her advantage, summoning air elementals to blind flying PCs with snow, and attacking them with swarms of flying insects, vultures, or ravens (with animal growth). PCs on the ground (including her son, who may still be trying to finish the race!) will be harassed in a ‘running battle’ with bugs, beasts, plants, and a horde of horse-mounted orc barbarians who will arrive in short order.The Lord ProtectorRegardless of the results of the race, both the new and the retiring Lord Protector will express their gratitude to the PCs for what help they were able to provide in making certain that a fair race was run. The PCs should have an opportunity to meet with the new Lord Protector as well as to interact with Bellux Sanctorum (which could be an interesting encounter indeed if Half-heart has won the Prize and the blade is reforged into an orc double-axe with a split personality…)Ingredients ·    Ill Tempered Saint – the sword, Bellux Sanctorum; broken and reforged into a new weapon as a badge of office (and advisor) for the Lord Protector. ·    Rainbow Pennant – the race for the Rainbow Pennant, the banner of the Lord Protector and symbol of the unified Villages·    Horse – Paladins' warhorses, typically used to run the race·    Snow – the Witch's final desperate attempt to stop Half-heart·    Constitution – needed to win the race, of course; but more literally the unifying document of the Villages·    Crooked River – the river that runs between and separates the many Villages· Special Tie-Breaking Ingredient: War Elephant– Half-heart's special mount</blockquote>

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