Winter IrondDM (Winner)!
howandwhy99
Adventurer
Thanks for being honest, guys. I recognize the problem now and won't make the same mistake in the future. If any of you watching would like to post a comment, please email me directly. I'd love to hear what you have to say.
Otherwise... Back to the game!!
There's more than one player I'm rooting for!
Otherwise... Back to the game!!
There's more than one player I'm rooting for!
Greybar
No Trouble at All
Amidst the night's fog on the canal-docks of the City of Midrushing stands a lone figure. He cuts a sharp figure dressed in the blue and white of the city guard, but his head hangs heavy. His rapier dangles in his hand as he looks down upon the fog that rolls upon the canal's water. He removes the feathered hat that is the symbol of his captaincy, and gravely tosses it to float upon the waters of the canal and be swallowed by the fog.
"O Captain, My Captain"
is an adventure for heroes of level 4-6.
Ingredients: Fogged window, City Captain, Simple lock, The Moaning Diamond, Financial Coup, and a brace of Gargoyles
Background: The Rise of a City and it's Captain
Captain Thomas Wrightson rose through the ranks of the city guard as a bold and incorrigible man. The powerful in the City recognized him for one that could not be bought by any one of their number, and thus was a safe and wise choice for a prosperous city. His reputation amongst the people was impeccable. Women from every quarter of the city swooned at his heroic figure and flashing blue eyes. Young boys took up old blankets to be their capes and fought river-reed sword duels to recreate his victories over the bandits that once preyed on the canal traffic that is the city's financial lifeblood. In a climactic end to his first year as City Captain, he personally fought a duel with the leader of the bandits, Revyn Thorp. If the tales be true, he crippled Thorp's good sword arm and then ran him through. Thorp's body fell into the Rushing River and was never seen again.
After the successes of the first year Captain Wrightson won for Midrushing a reputation for safe commerce it had never had before. Midrushing gained a great financial coup as traffic surged on the canals that bypass the rapids that give the river its name. The noble houses of the City drank to Wrightson's name (and their profits) and raised him to a Lordship in thanks. In these heady days, Captain Wrightson took a wife, a beautiful young girl named Penelore who he met as she sang at the tavern that the guardsmen favored. The bards of the city loved the tale: she a beautiful orphan and he a dashing commoner raised into the ranks of the powerful. The entire city cheered their wedding.
But that was last year. Tonight the Captain stands alone. Tonight the great hall of the city has been burgled and the emblem and chief treasure stolen. The Moaning Diamond, brought to the city by its founding nobility over two hundred years ago, is gone. Fate leads Captain Wrightson to the unconscious watchman soon after the deed. Once woken the watchmen describes the figure he saw as he blacked out and points in the direction of the canal's city docks.
The captain rushes to the docks and through the fog sees a figure enter the cabin of a private home-barge. Lightly stepping up from the docks to the barge's deck, he wipes away the mists from its fogged window, revealing to him the thief: his wife Penelore. Reeling from the shock and betrayal, he falls back upon the docks, senseless.
Act 1: To Action! or the fish take the hook
Three hooks are provided in the challenger's entry...
The Good Citizen Hook: As his head clears the Captain thinks of one group, one band of heroes, that can recover the Moaning Diamond and bring justice to the city. He does not trust in his own ability to act clearly and with justice, so in the dark of night he pounds upon their doors to hear his tale and perform this great boon for him.
The Roguish Hook: The local thieves guild has also prospered with the City. The total wealth moving along the canals more than offsets the thinner pickings. But with this theft the entire guild will need to lie low, and so the guildmaster is motivated to set things right and quickly. The PCs are offered the job of bringing the Moaning Diamond back so that the guild can placate the authorities by having it re-appear in a politically effective manner. The PCs are instructed to spy out Captain Wrightson to gain information and then proceed. (use hook below from there)
The Four Heroes went into a Bar hook: The PCs, enjoying the tavern at night between adventures, are surprised to have the captain of the guard crash through the doors. In a daze, half-sane, he tells his sad tale to the wonderment of the assembled people. Our heroes are motivated by the fame and reward that will obviously come to those who recover the Diamond.
The heroes can learn easily from Captain Wrightson that Penelore was on a barge on the canals. By logic or asking locals it will be obvious that the fastest way for her to escape would be down-canal and to the Rushing River. Up-canal and then up-river is certainly possible with a reasonable barge-horse as well. Gather Information will lead to the knowledge that a barge has indeed slipped down-canal in the night, stiffed the dockmaster his fee, and taken one of his tow-horses. He gladly offers a few remaining horses as steeds if needed to recapture the villain. There are two locks between the city and the Rushing River. Once the barge hits the river it will gain speed and quickly cross beyond easy capture. The hunt is on.
Act 2: The Guarded Lock
By horseback, rowboat, or sail the heroes will pass through or by one of the canal's locks prior to catching our thief. This lock is guarded by ruffians of Penelore's employ to prevent pursuit. The tow-road that runs along the canal switches banks at this lock via a wooden bridge. The bridge crosses over the lock just after the downstream gates to give the most clearance possible. These ruffians are just beginning to light fire to the bridge as the heroes approach in order to both destroy the land path and perhaps block the river path as well.
For the GM, this is also an opportunity to familiarize the players with what a simple lock is like and how it operates. This will save distracting explanation at the final scene of the adventure. The lock is 70 ft from gate to gate and 10 feet wide. At each end are wheel-drive sluices that can let the water equalize between canal and lock. After the water is equalized, the gates themselves can be opened by long counter-balanced beams. Running across the top of gates themselves is possible, but their wet slippery tops will require a Balance DC15 check.
As the ruffians are vanquished, the heroes see two winged shapes observing the fight and then winging down-canal. To a keen eye these can be distinguished as a brace of gargoyles.
Act 3: The Final Lock
The heroes catch sight of Penelore's barge as it enters the final lock. Two ruffians have leaped out to open the sluices on the downstream gate. The gargoyles dive upon the heroes with stony cries. Penelore comes to the deck of the barge, holding the Moaning Diamond. True to its name, the diamond can be heard like a distant foghorn. Penelore will reveal herself to be the daughter of Revyn Thorp, her vengeance upon the City of Midrushing now almost complete. With the diamond she will score her own coup upon the city and field a force to equal her father's until the City begs for her mercy.
The GM is encouraged to keep the fight raging over the gates and banks of the lock, and finally up onto the barge. When the heroes get to the barge to confront Penelore, the downstream gates buck free from the too-hasty opening off the sluices and the barge lurches down into the Rushing River.
Penelore is a Rogue and a Bard, and quite handy with a rapier or crossbow. Match her to your heroes to give them a good final fight.
She will use charm person, claim she's carrying the Captain's unborn child, look past the heroes and shout "Now, Father!", or anything else to get an advantage on the PCs.
Wrap-up:
While persuasive heroes could certainly change the fate, here are some basic consequences to work from:
* If the heroes return victoriously with the Diamond before the city rouses with the dawn, then all can be put right save for the broken heart of the Captain. The nobles of the city will convince him to remain, though he may never be the same again. The new heroes of Midrushing will be accoladed by the nobles, but any celebration is dampened by the sad mood of the people and their fallen Captain.
* If the heroes return after early morning but successful, the city will be in an uproar and the nobles already moved to anger and betrayal. They will have already condemned Captain Wrightson and be unable to back down without losing face, even if the heroes have accomplished their mission.
* If the Diamond is lost and/or Penelore escapes then the Captain will be held for trial. Heart-broken and accused of betraying the city that he loves and once loved him, he will be found dead by his own hand in his cell, his heart pierced by a dagger begged from guard.
Notes for the GM:
* Primary theme elements here are the darkness and the fog. The sounds of the canal and silence of the night are complementary to this. The moans of the diamond are like a distant foghorn, seemingly directionless in the dark and fog.
* Urgency - the players must be driven to catch up to Penelore. Remind them of this if they ever think of taking 20 on a check.
* The scenario is certainly written with a heroic swashbuckling feel in mind. Bold proclamations by both hero and villain are encouraged.
* A simple lock:
"O Captain, My Captain"
is an adventure for heroes of level 4-6.
Ingredients: Fogged window, City Captain, Simple lock, The Moaning Diamond, Financial Coup, and a brace of Gargoyles
Background: The Rise of a City and it's Captain
Captain Thomas Wrightson rose through the ranks of the city guard as a bold and incorrigible man. The powerful in the City recognized him for one that could not be bought by any one of their number, and thus was a safe and wise choice for a prosperous city. His reputation amongst the people was impeccable. Women from every quarter of the city swooned at his heroic figure and flashing blue eyes. Young boys took up old blankets to be their capes and fought river-reed sword duels to recreate his victories over the bandits that once preyed on the canal traffic that is the city's financial lifeblood. In a climactic end to his first year as City Captain, he personally fought a duel with the leader of the bandits, Revyn Thorp. If the tales be true, he crippled Thorp's good sword arm and then ran him through. Thorp's body fell into the Rushing River and was never seen again.
After the successes of the first year Captain Wrightson won for Midrushing a reputation for safe commerce it had never had before. Midrushing gained a great financial coup as traffic surged on the canals that bypass the rapids that give the river its name. The noble houses of the City drank to Wrightson's name (and their profits) and raised him to a Lordship in thanks. In these heady days, Captain Wrightson took a wife, a beautiful young girl named Penelore who he met as she sang at the tavern that the guardsmen favored. The bards of the city loved the tale: she a beautiful orphan and he a dashing commoner raised into the ranks of the powerful. The entire city cheered their wedding.
But that was last year. Tonight the Captain stands alone. Tonight the great hall of the city has been burgled and the emblem and chief treasure stolen. The Moaning Diamond, brought to the city by its founding nobility over two hundred years ago, is gone. Fate leads Captain Wrightson to the unconscious watchman soon after the deed. Once woken the watchmen describes the figure he saw as he blacked out and points in the direction of the canal's city docks.
The captain rushes to the docks and through the fog sees a figure enter the cabin of a private home-barge. Lightly stepping up from the docks to the barge's deck, he wipes away the mists from its fogged window, revealing to him the thief: his wife Penelore. Reeling from the shock and betrayal, he falls back upon the docks, senseless.
Act 1: To Action! or the fish take the hook
Three hooks are provided in the challenger's entry...
The Good Citizen Hook: As his head clears the Captain thinks of one group, one band of heroes, that can recover the Moaning Diamond and bring justice to the city. He does not trust in his own ability to act clearly and with justice, so in the dark of night he pounds upon their doors to hear his tale and perform this great boon for him.
The Roguish Hook: The local thieves guild has also prospered with the City. The total wealth moving along the canals more than offsets the thinner pickings. But with this theft the entire guild will need to lie low, and so the guildmaster is motivated to set things right and quickly. The PCs are offered the job of bringing the Moaning Diamond back so that the guild can placate the authorities by having it re-appear in a politically effective manner. The PCs are instructed to spy out Captain Wrightson to gain information and then proceed. (use hook below from there)
The Four Heroes went into a Bar hook: The PCs, enjoying the tavern at night between adventures, are surprised to have the captain of the guard crash through the doors. In a daze, half-sane, he tells his sad tale to the wonderment of the assembled people. Our heroes are motivated by the fame and reward that will obviously come to those who recover the Diamond.
The heroes can learn easily from Captain Wrightson that Penelore was on a barge on the canals. By logic or asking locals it will be obvious that the fastest way for her to escape would be down-canal and to the Rushing River. Up-canal and then up-river is certainly possible with a reasonable barge-horse as well. Gather Information will lead to the knowledge that a barge has indeed slipped down-canal in the night, stiffed the dockmaster his fee, and taken one of his tow-horses. He gladly offers a few remaining horses as steeds if needed to recapture the villain. There are two locks between the city and the Rushing River. Once the barge hits the river it will gain speed and quickly cross beyond easy capture. The hunt is on.
Act 2: The Guarded Lock
By horseback, rowboat, or sail the heroes will pass through or by one of the canal's locks prior to catching our thief. This lock is guarded by ruffians of Penelore's employ to prevent pursuit. The tow-road that runs along the canal switches banks at this lock via a wooden bridge. The bridge crosses over the lock just after the downstream gates to give the most clearance possible. These ruffians are just beginning to light fire to the bridge as the heroes approach in order to both destroy the land path and perhaps block the river path as well.
For the GM, this is also an opportunity to familiarize the players with what a simple lock is like and how it operates. This will save distracting explanation at the final scene of the adventure. The lock is 70 ft from gate to gate and 10 feet wide. At each end are wheel-drive sluices that can let the water equalize between canal and lock. After the water is equalized, the gates themselves can be opened by long counter-balanced beams. Running across the top of gates themselves is possible, but their wet slippery tops will require a Balance DC15 check.
As the ruffians are vanquished, the heroes see two winged shapes observing the fight and then winging down-canal. To a keen eye these can be distinguished as a brace of gargoyles.
Act 3: The Final Lock
The heroes catch sight of Penelore's barge as it enters the final lock. Two ruffians have leaped out to open the sluices on the downstream gate. The gargoyles dive upon the heroes with stony cries. Penelore comes to the deck of the barge, holding the Moaning Diamond. True to its name, the diamond can be heard like a distant foghorn. Penelore will reveal herself to be the daughter of Revyn Thorp, her vengeance upon the City of Midrushing now almost complete. With the diamond she will score her own coup upon the city and field a force to equal her father's until the City begs for her mercy.
The GM is encouraged to keep the fight raging over the gates and banks of the lock, and finally up onto the barge. When the heroes get to the barge to confront Penelore, the downstream gates buck free from the too-hasty opening off the sluices and the barge lurches down into the Rushing River.
Penelore is a Rogue and a Bard, and quite handy with a rapier or crossbow. Match her to your heroes to give them a good final fight.
She will use charm person, claim she's carrying the Captain's unborn child, look past the heroes and shout "Now, Father!", or anything else to get an advantage on the PCs.
Wrap-up:
While persuasive heroes could certainly change the fate, here are some basic consequences to work from:
* If the heroes return victoriously with the Diamond before the city rouses with the dawn, then all can be put right save for the broken heart of the Captain. The nobles of the city will convince him to remain, though he may never be the same again. The new heroes of Midrushing will be accoladed by the nobles, but any celebration is dampened by the sad mood of the people and their fallen Captain.
* If the heroes return after early morning but successful, the city will be in an uproar and the nobles already moved to anger and betrayal. They will have already condemned Captain Wrightson and be unable to back down without losing face, even if the heroes have accomplished their mission.
* If the Diamond is lost and/or Penelore escapes then the Captain will be held for trial. Heart-broken and accused of betraying the city that he loves and once loved him, he will be found dead by his own hand in his cell, his heart pierced by a dagger begged from guard.
Notes for the GM:
* Primary theme elements here are the darkness and the fog. The sounds of the canal and silence of the night are complementary to this. The moans of the diamond are like a distant foghorn, seemingly directionless in the dark and fog.
* Urgency - the players must be driven to catch up to Penelore. Remind them of this if they ever think of taking 20 on a check.
* The scenario is certainly written with a heroic swashbuckling feel in mind. Bold proclamations by both hero and villain are encouraged.
* A simple lock:
Quickbeam
Explorer
I apologize to our esteemed judge, my fellow competitors, and others who may browse this thread, but my expository remarks will have to wait until tomorrow. A dear friend's mother passed away, and I've chosen to invest most of my time this eveing with his family. Hopefully my post will not seem entirely misplaced in the flow of this tournament when it finally hits this thread.
I'm sure you all understand, and along with the exposition I will respond to any other comments pertaining to my round. Thanks.
I'm sure you all understand, and along with the exposition I will respond to any other comments pertaining to my round. Thanks.
seasong
First Post
Fool's Cold (targetted for level 5)
Ingredients
Fogged Window - an important tactical issue in the scenario
City Captain - Johannes
Simple Lock - of Johannes' hair
The Moaning Diamond - just that
Financial Coup - Johannes is attempting one to regain her political seat
A Brace of Gargoyles - Thrace & Lace are the Brace
Summary: A diamond is unearthed, a foppish aristocrat (and the diamond) must be rescued, a Captain must be avenged (on the aristocrat), a gargoyle's home must be saved (along with some town or another), and the PCs may get all of the above done... or screw everyone and try for riches themselves.
Background
This scenario needs a mountainous/semi-volcanic coast and its corresponding bevy of islands; specifically, a diamond mine in a long-dead volcano. With some work (changing the ship to a caravan, and modifying subsequent descriptions), you could also do this adventure on the mainland. The PCs will be starting in a coastal trade city.
The City: The specifics of the city are not terribly important, so long as they have an aristocracy, captain of the watch roles, and docks. This scenario will add various NPCs to the city, some of them reasonably important, but otherwise it is left as undefined as possible, so you can insert this where you desire.
The Vicious Tart: This ship is well built, and very fast for a boat of any size, and it will be travelling comparatively light (further improving speed) as its cargo will consist of a single small box. The deck is built for transporting people, and has several rooms, each with a darkened window to watch the sea from.
Her crew is a bunch of roughnecks of varied ancestry, including quite a bit of half-orc. In general, they are unsavory looking thugs, big guys with mean, hard eyes, combat scars, and occasional deformities. They look like criminal dock workers, only better armed. If the PCs don't trust the crew to do the job they've been given, you've nailed it.
The captain, Uuhef, is a fierce, red-beared dwarf of harsh manner. Although pale of complexion, he spends most of his time reddened from shouting at his crew. That they put up with what he calls them is remarkable, and a possible testament to his brutal competence.
Oxwater: A port town for the mines, Oxwater is mostly docks, inns, and one tavern. The docks of Oxwater are made of tarred pine and creak and give alarmingly, with areas of warped, semi-rotted wood. The dock laborers look a lot like the crew of The Vicious Tart, just not as well armed.
There is one tavern in Oxwater, a murky affair named, appropriately enough, the Sotted Ox. The sign above the tavern's doorway is a faded woodcut of an ox leaning heavily in a doorway. Which might lead one to believe that 'Oxwater' doesn't refer to water so much as alcohol. Cheap cob pipe smoke wafts from the doorway, along with the scent of whiskey and rum. Inside, people hunch over their tables and talk quietly. The players might see a drunkard laid out on the floor near the door; ancient, wrinkled barmaids who smell of whiskey themselves; a largish miner holding the neck of a spindly sailor and talking too softly to hear, their faces only inches apart; the bartender facing out the backdoor, in the stance of a man relieving himself. It is an unpleasant place, and anyone of decent morals should want out as quickly as possible.
The proprietor (he wouldn't know the word if it bit him) is thick-handed, black-tongued half-orc who prides himself on his ignorance and lack of civilized manner. He'll serve any drink as long as it's whiskey or rum, and won't ask or answer questions about any person he may or may not have ever heard of or seen. His name is Rumy (pronounced like 'roomy').
Captain Johannes: A prominent captain of the city watch, she is an ax-faced older woman of fiery red hair and a brutally efficient manner. She has spent 25 years clawing her way to her current prestigious position, with the intent of entering politics with her years of service backing her. Unfortunately, she is a bastard, and while that would not ordinarily matter, this was publicized recently among the aristocrats who could most hinder her. She has accepted this harsh turn of events, and announced that she will finish her current year of service and then retire on her saved funds.
Note: If being an illegitimate git doesn't disqualify one in your city, feel free to pick any sort of dark secret - perhaps she's a former felon who acquired a new identity, or her father was a necromancer of uncommon vileness. Whatever works for you. She's good at her job, but she doesn't have to be nice.
Captain Johannes knows about Rupert's recent find (the Moaning Diamond, below), and is considering ways to use that.
Rupert: That individual is Rupert, a very minor aristocrat of the city. Rupert is a foppish aristocrat - he publicized the data as a kind of "Oh, did you know? And she seemed so nice!". He's also fantastically wealthy, which is the primary social grease that lets him get away with stuff like this.
Rupert's family owns the island diamond mine, and (to protect him from possible retribution by Johannes) has sent him there to oversee operations until they are assured that Captain Johannes has retired. Naturally, Rupert wanted to see the mine himself... and naturally, he stumbled across the Moaning Diamond (see below). He immediately sent a letter to his family, and his friends, and now the family desperately needs to get him and the diamond out of the mine before the thieves hit it - Rupert has many 'friends' (he's a free spender), and at least some of them are likely to be thieves' guild members.
Thrace & Lace: A sister-and-brother gargoyle team of burglars and atrocity-specialists in the thieves' guild. Although not terribly bright, they are agile and very skilled. While most gargoyles are content to lurk in the worst parts of the city, Thrace and Lace wanted more. And so they hired on with the thieves' guild.
For the most part, they are extreme specialists - they lurk, hidden, in the stony mines and steal a diamond here and there to fly to the mainland. They make a fair living, they occasionally get to rip a miner apart, life is good. Thrace & Lace have 'cordoned off' a section of the natural caverns attached to the mine for themselves; the miners blocked it off with wooden slats, but the gargoyles have long since turned that into a secret door.
The Moaning Diamond: A 50-carat diamond that would be expensive even without its unusual properties, the Moaning Diamond was strongly affected by its proximity to the heart of the original volcano (indeed, the mine has penetrated to the very center of what was once a raging inferno). It is bitterly cold to the touch (1d6 cold damage per round held), and chills its immediate area to arctic temperatures. The effect on the diamond's structure causes it to creak in very low tones... a moan, if you will. The chill also causes a temperature differential between the diamond's room and any outside, leading to fogged windows (which will be important to Thrace & Lace, below).
As a result, it is fabulously valuable to collectors, who find merit in rarity and obscurity more than any actual quality.
What no one knows (although the gargoyles will soon suspect it) is that the Moaning Diamond is also part of what keeps the volcano dormant. It formed in the heart of the volcano, by unknown causes (perhaps the act of an epic wizard, millenia ago), and began to chill the inferno. With the diamond gone, magma will begin to slowly push its way upward again.
Action
Hooks
Hook #1: Rupert's family could hire the PCs to go to Oxwater, pick up Rupert, and return. This is reasonably straight-forward, and will result in a fairly standard quest scenario, with a few tough choices along the way. Rupert's family will not mention the diamond, or, if they suspect the PCs know about it, they will mention that if Rupert is safely returned, the PCs "might be offered a job to go back and get the diamond, but we wish to ensure Rupert's safety first."
Hook #2: Captain Johannes could hire the PCs to steal the diamond from Rupert. She doesn't want Rupert killed - she wants the political funding the diamond could represent. This can easily be combined with Hook #1 - she will assure the PCs that Rupert will, in fact, have it. She knows that family fairly well. As an alternate way into this, if you have time to build up to it, the PCs could know Johannes and be asked (as friends) to help her do this; she'll still pay them (perhaps even a cut), but instead of hire-and-fire, this will be the beginning of a long-standing alliance with a City Captain who may manage to worm her way into politics after all.
Note: If you don't use this hook, Johannes hired someone else. This could easily be the tavern thugs, in the Acts & Events section below.
Hook #3: The thieves' guild could hire the PCs to steal the diamond. In this case, the PCs might temporarily ally with the gargoyles (or may be a rival, no-killing faction). This can be combined with #1 or #2 above, or both, if you want it really complicated. The guild pays better than Johannes, but Johannes has better morality (although still shady).
Twist to Hook #3: The guild is offering very excellent pay! This is because the PCs are patsies that they suspect (rightly) are working with Johannes. The gargoyles have been instructed to kill the PCs as soon as the diamond is in their claws.
Hook #4: Heck, the PCs could be after the diamonds themselves. In this version, they may pretend to hire on with one of the aforementioned factions that want the diamond, and then make a break for it. If they seem inclined, have Ship's Captain Uuhef know what's what, and offer his services for escaping on the high seas, in return for a 30% cut (he's taking the biggest individual risk). This will end with a lot of enemies, of course.
Hook #5: If you have some time to build up to it, have them know Rupert. They get a letter from him when others do, begging them to come save him - he suspects (rightly) that his family is more concerned about the diamond's safety than his, and wants them to come get him instead. They can find Ship's Captain Uuhef (the only one willing to do it), and go to rescue Rupert. The diamond travels by itself on another ship... but everyone is convinced that the diamond is with Rupert, making for an interesting voyage.
Acts & Events
However you decide the PCs get involved (there is a fairly exhaustive list above), they eventually end up on The Vicious Tart, on the way to Oxwater. The trip is reasonably uneventful, although you may throw in two of the crew getting in a fight with each other, and Captain Uuhef standing by and participating in the betting going on. The fight will be subdual only, but vicious nonetheless - Uuhef wouldn't tolerate something that costs him a crew member, unless he did it himself.
When they arrive in Oxwater, what they do depends on who they're working for. Regardless, it is nightfall and they'll need to meet Rupert at the tavern - that's how he envisions all adventures starting, you see, and he still thinks this is a grand adventure. When they arrive, the tavern is a bit chillier inside than out, but not terribly so. After you've described the tavern and the louts in it, they will see Rupert. He stands out for his finery, but is nonetheless sequestered in a dark corner. He will wave them over covertly. And then he will proceed to open his mouth and explain how he found the Moaning Diamond (he tripped, and looked down), and how he doesn't have it on him, and that he needs to get out of town, fast.
He will also mention that he thinks there is a stone statue after the diamond. He saw it in the mines, although the miners dismissed it as a "weird rock formation". He's pretty adamant on the point, but at this point his imagination goes wild and he starts imagining what kinds of things a statue might want with a diamond.
Any PCs with a good Listen check might, at this point, notice the very, very, very faint moan emanating from Rupert's waist.
At this point, a small group of thugs (whatever you think the PCs can handle) will kind of lazily wander over, and act alpha male-y. They're going to try to intimidate the diamond out of someone; if the PCs simply attack, they will fight here; otherwise, they will wait until the PCs leave the tavern, and then attack in the unlit streets.
After the fight, and a run to The Vicious Tart, the PCs (and hopefully Rupert) will get away and on to the sea. Since they are easily the fastest ship in the harbor, they now have nothing to worry about.
Except... Thrace & Lace, on silent wings, attack. They've been hired by the thieves' guild to steal the diamond, kill Rupert, and frame Johannes (by dropping a simple lock of her hair, as if cut by a sword, near Rupert's body) with the theft.
They still intend to frame Johannes, but have figured out what the gem does for their home (magma has begun seeping in one of their deeper caverns), and intend to return it to the volcano. Now it's a matter of saving their home.
They know exactly which cabin to attack. The luxurious windows of The Vicious Tart are nice, but only one of them is fogged from the interior chill. Fortunately(?), Rupert is also in the room, and he will scream as soon as the gargoyles enter the room. Depending on the PCs' preparations, stopping the gargoyles may be easy or hard, but in any case, Rupert should hold them off long enough for the fight to start.
They will fight hard, killing whoever they have to in order to get to the diamond. If one of them is killed (or knocked unconscious or below 0), the other will surrender and beg for mercy, explaining what the diamond does. If allowed to talk, the gargoyle will explain that they are guardians of the stone, set there to prevent the volcano from unleashing a terrible magma elemental. All lies, naturally, and if caught at them, the gargoyle will admit the truth - they live there, and the diamond is holding back the lava.
At this point, everything depends on what hooks you used and the PCs.
If they return the diamond to the family, hand it over to the thieves' guild, steal it and run off with Uuhef, dump it overboard... they sentence Oxwater to volcanic death, and destroy the mine that provides Rupert's family with much of it's wealth. Evacuating Oxwater could be a good mini-adventure, however.
Note: If they dump it overboard, it might be fun to have this show up later as an iceberg for another sea adventure.
If they bring the diamond to Johannes and explain the situation, she will rehire them to evacuate Oxwater, and use the destroyed mine + diamond to achieve all of her goals at once. She may even make a private offer to the family to return the diamond to the mine in return for their helping her get into politics.
If they give the diamond to the gargoyles, only Johannes will be understanding. Everyone else will become enemies. A possibly better solution might be to go back with the gargoyles to witness the magma, and to bury the diamond themselves. Then the gargoyles really will be guardians of the gem, as they don't want anyone taking out their home. Unfortunately, they'll also try to sink The Vicious Tart after the PCs leave, just to be sure word of the gem's location (and their existence) isn't spread.
Note: If Rupert was killed, his family is an enemy regardless of the return of the diamond... although if the diamond is returned, they won't show it. They'll just quietly arrange some form of backstabbing later.
Finally, the PCs may or may not prevent or clear the frame-up of Captain Johannes. If they do, she will become a staunch ally, and (when she gets to political power) a forimdable ally as well.
TWISTS
The gargoyles might really BE guardians against some powerful fire elemental. After the volcano erupts, have it come out and start ravaging the mainland. If the gem is returned, now that it's known, simply delay the elemental's return a bit...
Rupert and Johannes are actually in cahoots. Johannes doesn't actually want into politics... she wants into the thieves' guild, and Rupert's her key to doing it. He arranged her disgrace to allow her to retire without question. The gargoyles were hired to add verisimilitude, and won't kill him on the boat, regardless. The PCs will be screwed whichever way they turn in this variant...
The family is trying to get Rupert killed. He's a major disgrace, and his aunt (who owns the mine) is in cahoots with the gargoyles, rather than the thieves' guild. She doesn't really care about the diamond, it just makes a singularly good excuse.
Ingredients
Fogged Window - an important tactical issue in the scenario
City Captain - Johannes
Simple Lock - of Johannes' hair
The Moaning Diamond - just that
Financial Coup - Johannes is attempting one to regain her political seat
A Brace of Gargoyles - Thrace & Lace are the Brace
Summary: A diamond is unearthed, a foppish aristocrat (and the diamond) must be rescued, a Captain must be avenged (on the aristocrat), a gargoyle's home must be saved (along with some town or another), and the PCs may get all of the above done... or screw everyone and try for riches themselves.
Background
This scenario needs a mountainous/semi-volcanic coast and its corresponding bevy of islands; specifically, a diamond mine in a long-dead volcano. With some work (changing the ship to a caravan, and modifying subsequent descriptions), you could also do this adventure on the mainland. The PCs will be starting in a coastal trade city.
The City: The specifics of the city are not terribly important, so long as they have an aristocracy, captain of the watch roles, and docks. This scenario will add various NPCs to the city, some of them reasonably important, but otherwise it is left as undefined as possible, so you can insert this where you desire.
The Vicious Tart: This ship is well built, and very fast for a boat of any size, and it will be travelling comparatively light (further improving speed) as its cargo will consist of a single small box. The deck is built for transporting people, and has several rooms, each with a darkened window to watch the sea from.
Her crew is a bunch of roughnecks of varied ancestry, including quite a bit of half-orc. In general, they are unsavory looking thugs, big guys with mean, hard eyes, combat scars, and occasional deformities. They look like criminal dock workers, only better armed. If the PCs don't trust the crew to do the job they've been given, you've nailed it.
The captain, Uuhef, is a fierce, red-beared dwarf of harsh manner. Although pale of complexion, he spends most of his time reddened from shouting at his crew. That they put up with what he calls them is remarkable, and a possible testament to his brutal competence.
Oxwater: A port town for the mines, Oxwater is mostly docks, inns, and one tavern. The docks of Oxwater are made of tarred pine and creak and give alarmingly, with areas of warped, semi-rotted wood. The dock laborers look a lot like the crew of The Vicious Tart, just not as well armed.
There is one tavern in Oxwater, a murky affair named, appropriately enough, the Sotted Ox. The sign above the tavern's doorway is a faded woodcut of an ox leaning heavily in a doorway. Which might lead one to believe that 'Oxwater' doesn't refer to water so much as alcohol. Cheap cob pipe smoke wafts from the doorway, along with the scent of whiskey and rum. Inside, people hunch over their tables and talk quietly. The players might see a drunkard laid out on the floor near the door; ancient, wrinkled barmaids who smell of whiskey themselves; a largish miner holding the neck of a spindly sailor and talking too softly to hear, their faces only inches apart; the bartender facing out the backdoor, in the stance of a man relieving himself. It is an unpleasant place, and anyone of decent morals should want out as quickly as possible.
The proprietor (he wouldn't know the word if it bit him) is thick-handed, black-tongued half-orc who prides himself on his ignorance and lack of civilized manner. He'll serve any drink as long as it's whiskey or rum, and won't ask or answer questions about any person he may or may not have ever heard of or seen. His name is Rumy (pronounced like 'roomy').
Captain Johannes: A prominent captain of the city watch, she is an ax-faced older woman of fiery red hair and a brutally efficient manner. She has spent 25 years clawing her way to her current prestigious position, with the intent of entering politics with her years of service backing her. Unfortunately, she is a bastard, and while that would not ordinarily matter, this was publicized recently among the aristocrats who could most hinder her. She has accepted this harsh turn of events, and announced that she will finish her current year of service and then retire on her saved funds.
Note: If being an illegitimate git doesn't disqualify one in your city, feel free to pick any sort of dark secret - perhaps she's a former felon who acquired a new identity, or her father was a necromancer of uncommon vileness. Whatever works for you. She's good at her job, but she doesn't have to be nice.
Captain Johannes knows about Rupert's recent find (the Moaning Diamond, below), and is considering ways to use that.
Rupert: That individual is Rupert, a very minor aristocrat of the city. Rupert is a foppish aristocrat - he publicized the data as a kind of "Oh, did you know? And she seemed so nice!". He's also fantastically wealthy, which is the primary social grease that lets him get away with stuff like this.
Rupert's family owns the island diamond mine, and (to protect him from possible retribution by Johannes) has sent him there to oversee operations until they are assured that Captain Johannes has retired. Naturally, Rupert wanted to see the mine himself... and naturally, he stumbled across the Moaning Diamond (see below). He immediately sent a letter to his family, and his friends, and now the family desperately needs to get him and the diamond out of the mine before the thieves hit it - Rupert has many 'friends' (he's a free spender), and at least some of them are likely to be thieves' guild members.
Thrace & Lace: A sister-and-brother gargoyle team of burglars and atrocity-specialists in the thieves' guild. Although not terribly bright, they are agile and very skilled. While most gargoyles are content to lurk in the worst parts of the city, Thrace and Lace wanted more. And so they hired on with the thieves' guild.
For the most part, they are extreme specialists - they lurk, hidden, in the stony mines and steal a diamond here and there to fly to the mainland. They make a fair living, they occasionally get to rip a miner apart, life is good. Thrace & Lace have 'cordoned off' a section of the natural caverns attached to the mine for themselves; the miners blocked it off with wooden slats, but the gargoyles have long since turned that into a secret door.
The Moaning Diamond: A 50-carat diamond that would be expensive even without its unusual properties, the Moaning Diamond was strongly affected by its proximity to the heart of the original volcano (indeed, the mine has penetrated to the very center of what was once a raging inferno). It is bitterly cold to the touch (1d6 cold damage per round held), and chills its immediate area to arctic temperatures. The effect on the diamond's structure causes it to creak in very low tones... a moan, if you will. The chill also causes a temperature differential between the diamond's room and any outside, leading to fogged windows (which will be important to Thrace & Lace, below).
As a result, it is fabulously valuable to collectors, who find merit in rarity and obscurity more than any actual quality.
What no one knows (although the gargoyles will soon suspect it) is that the Moaning Diamond is also part of what keeps the volcano dormant. It formed in the heart of the volcano, by unknown causes (perhaps the act of an epic wizard, millenia ago), and began to chill the inferno. With the diamond gone, magma will begin to slowly push its way upward again.
Action
Hooks
Hook #1: Rupert's family could hire the PCs to go to Oxwater, pick up Rupert, and return. This is reasonably straight-forward, and will result in a fairly standard quest scenario, with a few tough choices along the way. Rupert's family will not mention the diamond, or, if they suspect the PCs know about it, they will mention that if Rupert is safely returned, the PCs "might be offered a job to go back and get the diamond, but we wish to ensure Rupert's safety first."
Hook #2: Captain Johannes could hire the PCs to steal the diamond from Rupert. She doesn't want Rupert killed - she wants the political funding the diamond could represent. This can easily be combined with Hook #1 - she will assure the PCs that Rupert will, in fact, have it. She knows that family fairly well. As an alternate way into this, if you have time to build up to it, the PCs could know Johannes and be asked (as friends) to help her do this; she'll still pay them (perhaps even a cut), but instead of hire-and-fire, this will be the beginning of a long-standing alliance with a City Captain who may manage to worm her way into politics after all.
Note: If you don't use this hook, Johannes hired someone else. This could easily be the tavern thugs, in the Acts & Events section below.
Hook #3: The thieves' guild could hire the PCs to steal the diamond. In this case, the PCs might temporarily ally with the gargoyles (or may be a rival, no-killing faction). This can be combined with #1 or #2 above, or both, if you want it really complicated. The guild pays better than Johannes, but Johannes has better morality (although still shady).
Twist to Hook #3: The guild is offering very excellent pay! This is because the PCs are patsies that they suspect (rightly) are working with Johannes. The gargoyles have been instructed to kill the PCs as soon as the diamond is in their claws.
Hook #4: Heck, the PCs could be after the diamonds themselves. In this version, they may pretend to hire on with one of the aforementioned factions that want the diamond, and then make a break for it. If they seem inclined, have Ship's Captain Uuhef know what's what, and offer his services for escaping on the high seas, in return for a 30% cut (he's taking the biggest individual risk). This will end with a lot of enemies, of course.
Hook #5: If you have some time to build up to it, have them know Rupert. They get a letter from him when others do, begging them to come save him - he suspects (rightly) that his family is more concerned about the diamond's safety than his, and wants them to come get him instead. They can find Ship's Captain Uuhef (the only one willing to do it), and go to rescue Rupert. The diamond travels by itself on another ship... but everyone is convinced that the diamond is with Rupert, making for an interesting voyage.
Acts & Events
However you decide the PCs get involved (there is a fairly exhaustive list above), they eventually end up on The Vicious Tart, on the way to Oxwater. The trip is reasonably uneventful, although you may throw in two of the crew getting in a fight with each other, and Captain Uuhef standing by and participating in the betting going on. The fight will be subdual only, but vicious nonetheless - Uuhef wouldn't tolerate something that costs him a crew member, unless he did it himself.
When they arrive in Oxwater, what they do depends on who they're working for. Regardless, it is nightfall and they'll need to meet Rupert at the tavern - that's how he envisions all adventures starting, you see, and he still thinks this is a grand adventure. When they arrive, the tavern is a bit chillier inside than out, but not terribly so. After you've described the tavern and the louts in it, they will see Rupert. He stands out for his finery, but is nonetheless sequestered in a dark corner. He will wave them over covertly. And then he will proceed to open his mouth and explain how he found the Moaning Diamond (he tripped, and looked down), and how he doesn't have it on him, and that he needs to get out of town, fast.
He will also mention that he thinks there is a stone statue after the diamond. He saw it in the mines, although the miners dismissed it as a "weird rock formation". He's pretty adamant on the point, but at this point his imagination goes wild and he starts imagining what kinds of things a statue might want with a diamond.
Any PCs with a good Listen check might, at this point, notice the very, very, very faint moan emanating from Rupert's waist.
At this point, a small group of thugs (whatever you think the PCs can handle) will kind of lazily wander over, and act alpha male-y. They're going to try to intimidate the diamond out of someone; if the PCs simply attack, they will fight here; otherwise, they will wait until the PCs leave the tavern, and then attack in the unlit streets.
After the fight, and a run to The Vicious Tart, the PCs (and hopefully Rupert) will get away and on to the sea. Since they are easily the fastest ship in the harbor, they now have nothing to worry about.
Except... Thrace & Lace, on silent wings, attack. They've been hired by the thieves' guild to steal the diamond, kill Rupert, and frame Johannes (by dropping a simple lock of her hair, as if cut by a sword, near Rupert's body) with the theft.
They still intend to frame Johannes, but have figured out what the gem does for their home (magma has begun seeping in one of their deeper caverns), and intend to return it to the volcano. Now it's a matter of saving their home.
They know exactly which cabin to attack. The luxurious windows of The Vicious Tart are nice, but only one of them is fogged from the interior chill. Fortunately(?), Rupert is also in the room, and he will scream as soon as the gargoyles enter the room. Depending on the PCs' preparations, stopping the gargoyles may be easy or hard, but in any case, Rupert should hold them off long enough for the fight to start.
They will fight hard, killing whoever they have to in order to get to the diamond. If one of them is killed (or knocked unconscious or below 0), the other will surrender and beg for mercy, explaining what the diamond does. If allowed to talk, the gargoyle will explain that they are guardians of the stone, set there to prevent the volcano from unleashing a terrible magma elemental. All lies, naturally, and if caught at them, the gargoyle will admit the truth - they live there, and the diamond is holding back the lava.
At this point, everything depends on what hooks you used and the PCs.
If they return the diamond to the family, hand it over to the thieves' guild, steal it and run off with Uuhef, dump it overboard... they sentence Oxwater to volcanic death, and destroy the mine that provides Rupert's family with much of it's wealth. Evacuating Oxwater could be a good mini-adventure, however.
Note: If they dump it overboard, it might be fun to have this show up later as an iceberg for another sea adventure.
If they bring the diamond to Johannes and explain the situation, she will rehire them to evacuate Oxwater, and use the destroyed mine + diamond to achieve all of her goals at once. She may even make a private offer to the family to return the diamond to the mine in return for their helping her get into politics.
If they give the diamond to the gargoyles, only Johannes will be understanding. Everyone else will become enemies. A possibly better solution might be to go back with the gargoyles to witness the magma, and to bury the diamond themselves. Then the gargoyles really will be guardians of the gem, as they don't want anyone taking out their home. Unfortunately, they'll also try to sink The Vicious Tart after the PCs leave, just to be sure word of the gem's location (and their existence) isn't spread.
Note: If Rupert was killed, his family is an enemy regardless of the return of the diamond... although if the diamond is returned, they won't show it. They'll just quietly arrange some form of backstabbing later.
Finally, the PCs may or may not prevent or clear the frame-up of Captain Johannes. If they do, she will become a staunch ally, and (when she gets to political power) a forimdable ally as well.
TWISTS
The gargoyles might really BE guardians against some powerful fire elemental. After the volcano erupts, have it come out and start ravaging the mainland. If the gem is returned, now that it's known, simply delay the elemental's return a bit...
Rupert and Johannes are actually in cahoots. Johannes doesn't actually want into politics... she wants into the thieves' guild, and Rupert's her key to doing it. He arranged her disgrace to allow her to retire without question. The gargoyles were hired to add verisimilitude, and won't kill him on the boat, regardless. The PCs will be screwed whichever way they turn in this variant...
The family is trying to get Rupert killed. He's a major disgrace, and his aunt (who owns the mine) is in cahoots with the gargoyles, rather than the thieves' guild. She doesn't really care about the diamond, it just makes a singularly good excuse.
Quickbeam
Explorer
First things first. Mythago, I didn't take your comment about burning up the keyboard poorly, so don't worry. I knew it was a long, involved entry, and your levity was appreciated. Also, thank you for the kind words regarding my friend's loss .
Now onto the exposition...
When I first saw the ingredient list, almost all of my attention became focused on The Dolphin King. I knew immediately that I wanted this element to either become an NPC Merman akin to the superhero Submariner, or the name of a pirate ship. After some thought, I decided to go with the pirate ship...but who/what was going to be the boat's captain, and what role would he play in the story?
Next, I moved on to the Keen Scythe, which I expected to give me trouble since I wasn't sure how to incorporate such an item without making it seem forced. I decided that the scythe would become a very powerful magic weapon which granted its bearer All Around Vision, thereby providing a means of incorporating two ingredients in a very central manner. I enjoy playing paladins who wield non-standard weaponry, and the idea of a farmboy become hero who wields a farming implement, struck home for me. I then focused most of the backdrop around this now deceased paladin's awesome scythe, and made it the pirate's motivation for arriving on the scene.
Back to Faroun. A buddy of mine loves pulling monsters and foes out of the original MM, and in tribute to his habit the Jackalwere captain was born. These creatures are very smart, cunning, evil and manipulative, plus they possess the added bonuses of likely being unremembered by most players. Therefore, folks probably won't recall their shapeshifting ability or sleep gaze attack. And the gaze made an amusing flaw in logic on Faroun's part, in that he wanted the Blade of Jaern so badly because he assumed the 360 degree vision would augment his natural sleep gaze.
To add an element of political intrigue -- not to mention the Expatriate ingredient -- I decided to craft the area as a region of tenuous peace. This would allow Faroun to distract the general populace's attention; create several story arcs for the characters to chase; and provide several possible PC Hooks. Add to this chaos a dense forest populated by orcs and worgs, which separates our three cities from the continent proper, and there's enough going on to satisfy any curious party or RBDM.
Faroun (in disguise) asking for a Worg from the party in exchange for information, helped mitigate a scenario that otherwise left the worgs irrelevant. And the "nice to eat you/meet you" faux pas coming from a wolflike creature, was too perfect an Obvious snafu to pass up. FWIW, the other snafu was included becasue I didn't now if our Judge wanted a misstep or obvious error as a snafu -- or if he wanted a true snafu in the literal sense (Situation Normal, All Fouled Up). That meant placing the party in a screwed up circumstance quite common to adventurers, thus the raid on the orc camp.
Finally, the burial tomb and guardian. I thought it would be hilarious to have the crypt guarded by an Iron Golem since Jackalweres can only be harmed by magical or iron weapons. This meant Faroun would need help to reach Jaern's tomb, making his approach of the party more plausible, and almost necessary. Allowing the Golem to wield the Blade of Jaern, was an interesting twist to the story IMO, and it provided a means for keeping such a powerful item out of the PC's hands.
More commentary and explanation will be in a brief reply to Incognito's analysis of my entry.
.Now onto the exposition...
When I first saw the ingredient list, almost all of my attention became focused on The Dolphin King. I knew immediately that I wanted this element to either become an NPC Merman akin to the superhero Submariner, or the name of a pirate ship. After some thought, I decided to go with the pirate ship...but who/what was going to be the boat's captain, and what role would he play in the story?
Next, I moved on to the Keen Scythe, which I expected to give me trouble since I wasn't sure how to incorporate such an item without making it seem forced. I decided that the scythe would become a very powerful magic weapon which granted its bearer All Around Vision, thereby providing a means of incorporating two ingredients in a very central manner. I enjoy playing paladins who wield non-standard weaponry, and the idea of a farmboy become hero who wields a farming implement, struck home for me. I then focused most of the backdrop around this now deceased paladin's awesome scythe, and made it the pirate's motivation for arriving on the scene.
Back to Faroun. A buddy of mine loves pulling monsters and foes out of the original MM, and in tribute to his habit the Jackalwere captain was born. These creatures are very smart, cunning, evil and manipulative, plus they possess the added bonuses of likely being unremembered by most players. Therefore, folks probably won't recall their shapeshifting ability or sleep gaze attack. And the gaze made an amusing flaw in logic on Faroun's part, in that he wanted the Blade of Jaern so badly because he assumed the 360 degree vision would augment his natural sleep gaze
.To add an element of political intrigue -- not to mention the Expatriate ingredient -- I decided to craft the area as a region of tenuous peace. This would allow Faroun to distract the general populace's attention; create several story arcs for the characters to chase; and provide several possible PC Hooks. Add to this chaos a dense forest populated by orcs and worgs, which separates our three cities from the continent proper, and there's enough going on to satisfy any curious party or RBDM.
Faroun (in disguise) asking for a Worg from the party in exchange for information, helped mitigate a scenario that otherwise left the worgs irrelevant. And the "nice to eat you/meet you" faux pas coming from a wolflike creature, was too perfect an Obvious snafu to pass up. FWIW, the other snafu was included becasue I didn't now if our Judge wanted a misstep or obvious error as a snafu -- or if he wanted a true snafu in the literal sense (Situation Normal, All Fouled Up). That meant placing the party in a screwed up circumstance quite common to adventurers, thus the raid on the orc camp.
Finally, the burial tomb and guardian. I thought it would be hilarious to have the crypt guarded by an Iron Golem since Jackalweres can only be harmed by magical or iron weapons. This meant Faroun would need help to reach Jaern's tomb, making his approach of the party more plausible, and almost necessary. Allowing the Golem to wield the Blade of Jaern, was an interesting twist to the story IMO, and it provided a means for keeping such a powerful item out of the PC's hands.
More commentary and explanation will be in a brief reply to Incognito's analysis of my entry.
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