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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Desdichado" data-source="post: 209293" data-attributes="member: 2205">The Caverns of CynwallonNote: edited to clean up a few typos.  Content remains the same.The Caverns of CynwallonSet-up:  This mini-adventure is meant to take place --at longest-- over the course of one play session, and is meant to be slipped into a campaign as a side-bar to whatever else is going on whilst the characters are travelling through the wilderness.  No levels or other statistics are given to accomodate multiple CRs for this adventure, depending on the level of the PCs.Background: (for DMs only)  The little town of Cynwallon is a sleepy little village that probably doesn't appear on most maps.  It is a river-side port who's past glory days as a mining boomtown of sorts are long behind it.  Today, the inhabitants are indigent farmers and fisherfolk, but they are friendly and good-natured, for the most part.  The premise of the adventure is that the PCs, while travelling from one destination to another pass through this town during a time frame in which it is most convenient to spend the night here.  Although written with the assumption of a standard pseudo-European campaign setting, a few name changes and you should be able to use it in other types of settings as well.  This adventure is also designed to allow the PCs to become as involved or not as they wish, but either way, the final encounter would still happen.  Depending on how inquisitive the PCs wish to be, they may know all about Captain Cat at that time, or they may wonder who in the world this strange madman is that's attacking them for no reason as they travel on the road outside of Cynwallon.However, the history of Cynwallon is a little more detailed than some would think.  Cynwallon was once a tin-mining center of great importance.  Folks came from all over to work the tin-mines, and they dug too deeply and too greedily, in the time-honored tradition of hubristic miners everywhere.  They did not find a sleeping balor under the ground, but hazards of a more natural variety finished the mines off once and for all.  As they dug, they found the remnants of dormant volcanic activity deep underground.  Twice during the operating days of the mine, scalding steam jets blasted forth from the earth to wipe out scores of miners at a time.  And finally, the worst of all, they dug too near the river about 70-80 year ago.  The thin rock walls broke and the mines completely filled with river-water.  From that point on, the orphans and widows and few remaining townsfolk either moved or took up a new way of life.  The entrance to the mines was blocked off with rubble and stone, and no one really knows exactly where it is these days.Scene I:  As the PCs approach the town (from whichever direction your broader campaign dicates they approach) they see an odd sight: a noble, although somewhat bedraggled horse grazing in a small wild meadow.  The horse has the battered remains of a aristocratic saddle, and bears torn and smudged symbols that belong to whatever good holy order or god that exists in your campaign world.  The horse looks intelligent, and if you have any paladins or clerics in your party, they may recognize it as a paladin's warhorse (DC 20 on whichever Knowledge skill you feel is appropriate, if desired.)  The poor horse is limping awkwardly and is somewhat thin and dull.  If the PCs decide to try and approach the beast, it will make a half-hearted attempt to run away.  The horse cannot run any faster than a standard PC character race, as its limp will hinder it's movement.  The DM may, if desired, make a somewhat lighthearted, if also pathetic, "combat encounter" in which the PCs can try to stop the horse by grabbing its mouldering reigns (grappling attack), or nose, or whatever.  Hopefully the PCs won't try to kill the poor animal, but if they don't recognize it as a paladin's holy mount, or don't care, then they can do so.  It should be a simple procedure: the poor creature is about done for anyway, and will be down to one HD of hitpoints (use a standard paladin's mount and adjust level according to your PCs' levels.  However, keep in mind that this isn't supposed to be a tough encounter: just a chance to get some information.If the PCs stop or kill the horse and search its saddlebags, they will find a mildewed and water-damaged leather-bound book, which turns out to be the diary of one Sir Olney, a knight of (insert campaign specific holy order here.)  The poor Sir Olney, if the PCs look at the diary at all, was writing a trip log of his journey to pick up a magical and wonderful sword which was to be delivered to (insert campaign specific big city here, hopefully one located in the same direction the PCs are headed).  Apparently a noble of that city was to pay a handsome reward for the delivery of the magical sword, with which Sir Olney hoped to restore the temple of his god in his hometown, which had recently burned to the ground.  The last entry, however, what little of it that can be read through the mildew and water stains, mentions river pirates briefly, and his fear that he might run afoul of them in the area of the river near the mines of Cynwallon.Scene II:  As the PCs leave the horse (whether they stopped it and read the diary or not) and continue on into Cynwallon, they will not find much there to do except stable their horses, talk to run-of-the-mill townsfolks (who can give a brief history of the town, if desired) and hole up in the small in, Edrick's Roost.  If the PCs decide to stay the night in that inn, and come down to the common room, they can meet the Captain Cat, a mysterious figure (detailed below).  If they do not go to the common room, or do not even go to the inn, then they may hear about Captain Cat from the citizens of the town, or they may even be accosted by him in the street.Captain Cat:  Captain Cat is not, of course, the real name of the old scoundrel, but due to his boasts about being a former pirate captain on the river, and his habit of wearing a cap made from the skin of a wild-cat, the locals call this chap Captain Cat, or even Pirate Cat.  He's a slightly elderly fellow who talks loudly and somewhat crudely, but the locals generally put up with him anyway, and laugh at his antics.  He has found a fire beetle nest, and he makes his living, such as it is, by harvesting the creatures for their luminous qualities, which he barters with or sells to the townsfolks.  They generally consider him a bit "touched by the gods," "taken one swig too many of some bad moonshine," "held underwater a bit too long while a'boatin'" or whatever other colorful metaphor you like to describe someone who's not in possession of his full faculties.  If the PCs meet him here, they should get the same impression: he will ramble --occasionally incoherently-- about all kinds of things, although most often he will mention how he was robbed by fate of that "poor sod's treasure."  If questioned, he will give a few more details: he tried to save a poor knight who had been attacked and wounded in the river, but he couldn't get the fellow to shore (at this point, Pirate Cat may point to his wooden leg: below the knee on his left leg is a cunningly crafted oak foot.)  As the knight died, he tried to pass on something important, "his treasure" to Pirate Cat.At this point, astute PCs who have followed all available options open to them, may start to get the idea that Pirate Cat's "poor sod" is one and the same with Sir Olney and his treasure is probably the magical sword that he was trying to deliver to (insert campaign specific reference here again.)  If not, they may decide to investigate Pirate Cat's claim to a lost treasure in the area anyway, or if not even that, they will have to pass that way on their way out of town anyway.  So, with some modifications depending on what the PCs have found out and what they actually decide to do, you as the DM can move on to Scene III.Scene III:  On the other side of town, the road leads somewhat near the river shore.  There, the PCs will spot someone wading on the edge of the water apparently looking for something.  That someone is, of course, Captain Cat.  Captain Cat, on seeing them, will believe they are coming to steal his "rightful treasure" from him.  If the PCs are able to sneak up and incapacitate him by whatever reason, or if Captain Cat sees them either one, he will trigger (involuntarily, if incapacitated) a magic ring that he keeps on his person.  He makes a habit of searching the water with one of his fire beetles wandering around with him: he pokes at it with an old rapier that he carries to keep it going the direction he wants.  The ringhe triggers is good for one enlargement spell which will turn his fire beetle into a gargantuan version of the relatively timid creature.  This will spook the poor bug, and it will attack the PCs out of panic and fear.  If Captain Cat is still up and about, he will join with the beetle.  It turns out he's a tougher customer than the PCs probably suppose: he's a high enough level rogue to be a suitable challenge for the PCs.  His peg-leg is cleverly constructed (and he's so used to it) that he can (mostly) move about as a normal person, although he will be unable to run (4x movement in combat) and will suffer a -10 penalty to any Move Silently checks.Let the PCs fight this fight for a little while, then spring the next surprise on them.  Turns out that the volcanic activity hasn't been quite so dormant lately after all, and the flooded mines have been heating up and building up quite a bit of pressure.  The PCs also happen to be fighting over some of the flooded tunnels.  The stomping of the giant fire beetle has loosened the rock that holds the pressurized water of the tunnels in check, and it will suddenly break forth out of the ground at the climax of their battle!  Let them make reflex saves to avoid the boiling column of water and dirt, and if they fail give them appropriate damage.  In addition, the sudden vacating of all that water will cause the tunnels to collapse underground, and the ground itself will suddenly sag.  Make the PCs (and their opponents) take another reflex save or fall 20 ft.Assuming they are still around, the PCs should now be able to (hopefully) finish off Pirate Cat and his Giant Beetle (if it looks too challenging, you can also have the magic wear off and the beetle returns to its normal size.)  Either that, or Captain Cat may be sufficiently "freaked out" by the sudden geyser and collapsing ground that he runs away.  Make a DM call on how much the PCs need to finish the fight vs. how much they may need a break by this point.However it ends, though, the PCs will have found (especially if they're looking for it again) that the shifting of the rock and water has exposed a large, gold-hilted greatsword -- the same greatsword that Sir Olney was trying to transport to (again, insert campaign specific location here) and that Pirate Cat was trying to uncover himself.  The weapon is at least a masterwork weapon (possibly with magical bonuses as well, depending on the level of your characters and if that is appropriate) but with a wrinkle: the sword talks.  However, the PCs will find very quickly that just because it does so does not really make it intelligent: the sword keeps up an almost never-ending diatribe of stupid jokes and humming to itself.  If questioned, it will tell all about Sir Olney (and how he snored all night, and any other scandalous knowledge it may have about him) and his mission to deliver the sword to (you know the drill by now, right?) for a reward.  If the PCs can stand to be around the annoying piece of hardware long enough to finish Sir Olney's quest, they are welcome to do so.  If not, the incessant talking will probably get them in trouble someday, as the sword has an annoying habit of belting out showtunes while it's owner is trying to sneak past enemy guards, tell embarassing stories while the owners are trying to impress prospective employers, give away bluffs the PC is trying to engage in, etc.</blockquote>

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