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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 8086511" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/yNcGjrU.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Feeding the RiverThis adventure is for four 4th-level-level PCs and is inspired by elements of Cambodian and Khmer culture. It’s less linear than its predecessor in that while it has a clear start and end point, there’s a smattering of encounters both fixed and random which can happen along the way and grant additional rewards and information about the eventual goal. It takes place along the Kr nhaom River which various communities use for transportation along with typical fishing and agricultural pursuits. Unfortunately a form of supernatural pollution afflicting it threatens all those living off its waters: fish grow sickly and die, monstrous oozes crawl up on land to attack people, and the water levels remain unnaturally low even during the monsoon season. The PCs, whether for reasons of a moral or mercenary nature, are incentivized to find the cause of this malaise and put a stop to it.The bulk of the adventure takes place with the party on a boat ride (courteously lent by a local village) going down the Kr nhaom River, with an in-character map showcasing various settlements and other points of interest upon it. Their eventual goal will be the town of Pāk Lěb, whose magitech industry produces toxic byproducts which gave rise to a powerful spirit of pollution that is worsening things. There are 10 random encounters the PCs can find on the river, and not all of them are violent. A few act as stepping stones to future encounters and minor plots, such as an inhabitant of a stilt-village asking the party to find a lost wedding bangle in exchange for a minor monetary reward, or an apsara (water spirit) woman who when saved from a giant bat teaches the party a song to lead them to her people’s hidden grove in the Serpent’s Coil.Speaking of which, the Serpent’s Coil is a region home to spirits and is left virtually untouched by mortals. Four inlets sprouting from the river lead into respective groves which ease house various trials the PCs can help with: the spirits of nature have their hands full dealing with the unnatural pollution, and easing their burden will help return things to a relative sense of normalcy. One trial involves helping a group of apsara complete a dance to cleanse the grove, which is a puzzle mini-game where the DM tells the players a group of Khmer words. Going by memory, the players match symbols to the words as the dance progresses. The second and third trials are more straightforward combats, where the PCs aid a group of naga warriors* fighting mutated minotaurs, or clearing out a nearby farm of crocodiles and oozes at the request of local rice spirits. The fourth trial comes at the request of a catfish spirit, where the PCs must free the rest of his school from various dangers (discarded nets, trapped in a closed-off pond of polluted water, etc). The completion of each trial gives a riddle or direct advice as to the source of the pollution.*who are CR 1 humanoid shapechangers who can take a serpentine or hybrid form rather than the more explicitly magical snakes of typical D&D faire.The town of Pāk Lěb sits at the delta of Kr nhaom. It is separated into two halves, with a bridge spanning from west to east connecting both sides. The western section of town is new and mostly under construction, and so the only places to dock are on the east. The PCs will encounter a group of oozes of various types attacking villagers and a shaman by the name of Sothy. Said shaman will join the party as a DMPC, asking them to come with her west across the bridge in order to track down the spirit she believes is responsible. The western section of town is full of slime monsters, and Sothy can aid the party with some minor druid spells and summon her tiger spirit familiar. Said familiar can either manifest as a ghostly claw ranged attack, or beneficially possess party members to grant them the Pounce ability of a tiger and advantage on Stealth rolls. Pretty sweet.After some investigation, Sothy and the PCs reunite with the mayor and other villagers at the pollution’s source: a big iron and clay-producing factory. The PCs are granted 3 different suggestions of resolution: first, they can banish the spirit of pollution by destroying the physical objects binding it to this world so that Sothy can conduct a ritual to banish it; this option has the best long-term result for restoring the natural order. Alternatively, they can destroy the spirit like any other monster, which will halt the supernatural malaise but not undo the damage done. Finally, the mayor will offer more reward money than his initial offer if they find a means to enslave the spirit and force it to reabsorb the river’s pollution. Sothy is capable of enslaving the spirit, but will be against the idea unless a successful Persuasion check is made.The spirit is an aberration that can make multiple claw attacks, as well as summon gray oozes and can cast a limited allotment of Druid spells (thunderwave, enhance ability, hold person, etc). It should not be very hard to defeat in straight combat, although if doing the exorcism route the PCs need to protect Sothy from its attacks for 1 minute on top of finding and destroying the binding objects, which is significantly more challenging.Each solution grants an additional reward type: Sothy will grant the PCs a unique magical item (Fishing Cloak) that can transform into a binding net if exorcised; the PCs can harvest the spirit’s residue if it’s killed to imbue into a weapon or armor to grant additional damage or Resistance respectively regarding Poison; or they can earn 300 gp for enslaving the spirit on top of a 400 gp reward that the mayor gives regardless of the outcome. Each outcome also details what happens to the Kr nhaom region and how its people adapt: exorcism sees the waters restored to normal although Pāk Lěb hardly grows. Enslaving the spirit has the same result albeit the town becomes a major industrial hub, but the spirits of the land will leave. Killing results in the corruption being halted, but the tainted areas remain the same and the people adapt the best they can.Thoughts So Far: I like this adventure. The mixture of straightforward encounters along with minor plot developments gives a sense of natural progression and relative freedom on the PC’s part to handle tasks as they wish. Rather than being strong-armed into any single option, completion of said tasks and encounters gives rewards and makes their future endeavors easier. The multiple means of dealing with the pollution spirit are cool, even if said solutions are a bit obvious in the “immoral yet materially rewarding” or “moral yet impractical” outcomes.Join us next time as we explore an undead-haunted village in Drowned Souls of the Hidden Stream!</blockquote>

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