Adventures

Arriving in Eveningstar

Main Article: Arriving in Eveningstar

  1. Arrive in Eveningstar with a merchant caravan from Arabel.
    • Lauritz van Aken pays the heroes 5 gp each; "enough for a room at the Tankard, a hot meal, a bath, and a change of clothes."
    • Mina van Aken shows interest in anyone who demonstrates bravado (default to the Fighters).
  2. Check in at the Lonesome Tankard
    • Introduce Dunman Kiriag and Fatback Stonegut to the players.
      • Dunman should be found talking to himself, but otherwise be warm and inviting.
      • The only waitress working is Kylie Proskar, a ditsy girl with curly blond hair.
    • Describe the furnishings of both the tavern floor and the characters' rooms.
    • Louis Beaumont and Marcel Favreau are playing Purple Dragon Dice. "Sorry lads, table's full."
    • Get some direction: Lord Reardon Cormaeril's estate lies beyond the westernmost building in town.
    • Overhear some gossip:
      • "Did you 'ear th' Spellplague got Tilverton?" "Tilverton?! Tilverton's been dead for ten years from when the Netherese came back!" "I know but now it's worse! A traveler told me there's an inky black pit wif' wispy blue veins what's made from the souls of the dead!" "Souls of the dead? How's 'e know that?" "I didn't ask 'im. Hey! That's mine!"
      • "A whole falcon for a dozen chicken wings?! These prices are becoming outrageous!" "They wouldn't be so outrageous, if we weren't so heavily taxed." "Careful, friend, you know how well the Lord tolerates sedition." "Did you hear about Joséphine Dupuis?" "Aye, a sorry story, that is. The woman's husband dies in combat and leaves her nothing." "Leaves her nothing? The Purple Dragons pay out three year's salary to the next of kin upon their death! The only way he could have left her nothing was if the Lord or the purser kept it for himself!" "Quiet! Quiet!" "…and worse yet, she decided to speak out against the Lord, and he threw her in Eveningstar Hall, and tossed her children onto the streets." "At least the House of the Morning still takes in orphaned kids."
  3. The heroes travel to Lord Cormaeril's estate, but are denied entry by one of his maids, Mylene Bruneaux. She tells them that he's attending his daughter's wedding, and with a bit of convincing will let on that they could try to approach him at the reception. However, security is going to be tight, so they need to obtain six invitations.
  4. See also: SKill Challenges, Always a Bridesmaid…
  5. The player characters attend the Cormaeril-Dragonguard wedding reception.
    • The nobility sits upon an elevated platform served by a waitstaff and eat fine food and wine. The newlyweds sit in the middle of two great tables linking the Cormaerils (of Suzail) and the Dragonguards (of Arabel). The commoners sit among a haphazard array of tables and benches, and a portion of the Market Square has been allocated for folk dancing. There are musicians, jugglers, dancers, and a flower girl selling roses ("they're only a copper"). Purple Dragons and private security are everywhere, and they've erected an impromptu "fence" of massive spears spaced eight feet apart and long cotton banners between them. Everyone seems to be having a good time.
    • Order the players by their intentions; encourage them to mingle, and those who want to approach Lord Cormaeril act last.
    • The players have difficulty reaching Lord Cormaeril and may be forcibly removed if they are too persistent.
  6. Lucian Sewell will approach the player characters.
    • "My offer is simple; bring me the prettiest tressym you can find, and I'll get you an audience with Lord Cormaeril."
    • Why? "You see that girl over there?" (the bride) "That's Deirdre Cormaeril… excuse me, Dragonguard. She and I used to be close, and it annoyed her father to no end… and now she's a beautiful virgin bride—for the record, I've deflowered that girl on at least four occasions."
      • How? "You see that ghoul over there? That's Wolfgang Gerhard. They say Clerics of [[[Ilmater]] have a hard-on for pain, both giving it, and receiving it, so they're excellent healers.
    • "You see that blond over there, the one surrounded by merchants' sons? That's Reardon's youngest, Leslie. She'd be perfect for my plan, but where's the fun in boldly going where every man has gone before?"
    • "Now look over there. That's Cordelia Cormaeril, Reardon's other daughter. She's the shy one, the good girl, the one least likely to sleep with a guy like me… and that's why I need your help. I'm not even aware of her ever having a boyfriend, apart from some kid she met in the legislative youth program in Suzail, and she only has one hobby anyone knows about: tressym. She loves the little winged terrors… and that's why I need you to find me the prettiest one. They're common in Starwater Gorge. I'd go myself, but I'm needed here to keep up appearances.
      • What can you pay? "Isn't the experience of adventure its own reward? Alright, I'll give you 80 lions and 200 falcons, that's 100 gold pieces in total. That will certainly keep you in Bitter Black for a while."
      • Why Cordelia, not Deirdre? "Now that she's married, she's off limits. I wouldn't want to disgrace our families." This is a bad lie. "Okay, okay. Did you even see that ogre she's marrying? I may be a sexual deviant, but I don't have a death wish!"
  7. The heroes travel north to the Starwater Gorge. On the way, the come across Lauritz van Aken's wagon.
    • The wagon is beset by 4 Goblin Warriors (MM 137) and 8 Goblin Cutters (MM 136).
    • Mina van Aken is hiding nearby, and will come out of hiding toward the end of the battle (she can assist, if the battle goes poorly for some reason). She begs the player characters to help her father, who was kidnapped by goblins, and demands to come with them.
      • "My father was taken by those… things. They killed most of his bodyguards, but dragged off a few of them. I can't figure out why they'd need human prisoners, but we need to rescue them."
        • Reward? "My father is wealthy, but most of his coins are tied up in trade goods! The brooch he wears is worth 680 gold pieces—I'm sure he would give it to you if you saved him!"
        • Tressym. "A tressym for a girl? I'm a girl! We're a fickle sex, I can help you choose the right one! I used to have a tressym when I was a little girl. I also have this cage you can use to trap them! Just help me find my father and I'll help you in return!"
        • Stay Here! "I cannot sit idly by while those things hurt the only family I have left. I can be useful to you!"
  8. This should be sufficient to end the first session. If not, run this encounter:
    • 1 Dire Wolf (MM 264) and 2 Goblin Sharpshooters (MM 137)

Eveningstar Farmer's Market

Main Article: Eveningstar Farmer's Market

The Eveningstar Farmer's Market is the primary social event for the folk of Eveningstar, Cormyr. The members of the Ebon League may be excited to take part in the event, and should meet some new friends!

NPC Ideas

  • Hope, a tiefling girl handing out tracts, being picked on by bigoted rednecks (NPC from The House of the Morning)
  • Amelie, Bertrand, and Claudette Dupuis are looking for their puppy, Abelard (quest)
    • Bertrand carries a human femur that Abelard retrieved from the tomb at Pillar Rock, near Old Meg's Hut
    • Sister Maria Sungold is looking for the Dupuis children in the crowd, as well
  • A gang of thugs (including a half-orc named Vegar Laursen) is are stealing produce (foreshadows a quest)
  • Eberk Hardcastle, a dwarf veteran sharing war stories (diversion)
  • Rolen Oakshadow, the tressym dealer, revisited (some hilarious fun)
  • Louis Beaumont and Marcel Favreau, compulsive gamblers, are playing card games
  • Farmers selling produce and finished goods
    • Names: Jethro Bodine, Terrence James "T.J." McIntyre, "John Boy" Walton, Dale Earnhardt III
    • Produce: carrots, parsnips, potatoes, apples, pears, tomatoes, corn, wheat, peas, and beans
    • Livestock: chickens, pigs, sheep, and cattle
    • Foodstuffs: red snapper, cod, herring, beef, milk, cheese, butter, vinegar, beer, wine, cider, mead, cakes, pies, breads
    • Finished Goods: wooden furniture, handicrafts, plain clothing, blankets, linens, and furs

Derivative Sites

  • The cornfields by the House of the Morning actually grow all manner of vegetables, but corn is the most prevalent and obvious. Large swaths of corn have been bent or broken, creating seemingly-random paths through the corn maze. Priests can occasionally be seen trying to divine their meaning, peering down at the patterns from atop the cathedral's bell tower. Investigation shows that the earth has been disturbed, but no meaningful conclusions can be drawn… though certainly the player characters are given to wild speculation!
  • Old Meg was a sorceress of some ability who lived in Eveningstar a long time ago. The Evenor feared her eccentricities and she lived a relatively secluded life in her hut between the temple fields and Pillar Rock. Shortly after she died, her hut was damaged by fire and it was never rebuilt or demolished. Children often play in the woods nearby, but they fear to approach Old Meg's hut, claiming it is haunted. The foul denizens who lurk in Old Meg's hut are far worse than any mere ghosts: Evenor teenagers, weary of life on the farm and bored with their tiny village, often come to Old Meg's hut to drink and get high.
    • The five teenagers hanging out in the basement of Old Meg's hut are: Eduard, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett.
  • Pillar Rock is a natural plateau that rises above the treeline in northwestern Eveningstar. It provides a romantic view of the village, the "Stonewall" (the cliff separating Eveningstar from the Stonelands), and the Eastern Stormhorns, so it makes a secluded, but popular, date spot. In the southeastern base of Pillar Rock is a dilapidated old tomb where Eveningstar's honored dead were once interred. A few centuries ago, a necromancer performed dire experiments in the old tomb, but paladins of Lathander killed him and sealed the entrance with divine magic. With the coming of the Spellplague, these incantations have faded and the tomb is now sealed only by a massive stone slab. As one delves deeper underground, earthquakes and other seismic events become increasingly common, foreshadowing two future adventures.
    • The tomb at Pillar Rock has very plain, moss-covered architecture and simplistic coffins and sarcophagi. Giant ants (use the stats for Kruthik) have long nested here, but recent quakes and the Spellplague have awakened a number of the bodies entombed here as undead, including ghouls, skeletons, and zombies.
    • Locations: ornate mausoleum of a wealthy Sembian thief (encounter 1); memorial to travelers frozen to death during an especially harsh winter (encounter 3); the tomb of the Eveningstar family who were the original Evenor settlers (encounter 4); giant ant nest with human bones picked clean (encounter 5).
    • Inscriptions: "Molest ye not these tombs, for I hath hexed them. - Malloco the Mad" (entrance), "Here lies the merchant prince Rodriguez in exile, a thief whose wealth was once greater than all the pirates in Sembia." (encounter 1), "Winter's icy grasp has cost these travelers their lives. We shall never forget them, even if we do not know their names." (encounter 3), "Here lieth the Eveningstar family, the founders of thy village. Thou owest them thy respect and tributeth ye that which is thine to their descendants, for all time." (encounter 4).

The Western Homesteads

Main Article: The Western Homesteads

  • The PCs find an Evenor farmstead beset by hobgoblins. After they slaughter the goblins, they find a human family ("Lean" Marty McLean, Irene McLean, and daughters Lydia, Chastity, and Dori McLean), equal parts hostage to and protected by the hobgoblin shaman, Lagduf the Seer.
    • Lagduf wants to make a deal with the Ebon League: in exchange for protection from the warchief Uglúk, she offers them vital information and guidance. If the heroes refuse, they will do battle. The Seer is an elite Hobgoblin Warcaster (MM 140), and she has two Owlbear spirit companions (MM 212). If they defeat her, she will try to escape. If the Seer defeats them, she will question their role in the fight against Uglúk, but then show them mercy.
      • Uglúk is after Lagduf because of his brother's death. She fears him because of a vision in which he was responsible for her death. Where the Ebon League decides to hide the Seer is important; they can sneak her into their rooms at the Lonesome Tankard, or they can bring her to the tomb at Pillar Rock, or somewhere else.
      • Lagduf tells the Ebon League that, in order to save Eveningstar, they'll have to venture deep underground. This must be cryptic and vague, or else she will have played her hand. She only offers half of her information up front, in order to prevent the Ebon League from turning on her.
        • She will also offer to foretell each of their fortunes personally:
          • Bolthor, "You will wander this land until the sun bleaches your bones, and you will never be worthy of yourself."
          • Immeral, "If your life is the question, you will certainly not like the answer."
          • James, "No matter how far you sail from home, you can never escape your past."
          • Morthos, "You will find what you seek, but it will not be worth the sacrifice."
          • Tarak, "You will uncover your past with your companions, but you will have never been more alone."
          • Zaggy, "You came into this world like a spring rain… you will leave it just as swiftly."
  • The Ebon League is introduced to their rivals, the Blessed Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun.
    • Solair Eclipse is a half-elf cleric. She is a demanding perfectionist who eagerly takes up the cause of good.
    • Zangold Swordhand is a human paladin. He serves as a somewhat judgmental moral compass.
    • Eliyassa Stormshadow is an elf avenger. She is often required to do things her morally upstanding counterparts could not.
    • Sylas Goldentree is an eladrin invoker. He is by far the oldest and wisest, and acts as a patriarch to the group.
    • Maruval Battleheart is a dwarf runepriest. She is the most conservative and stubborn and tries to keep her team on task.
  • The Blessed Brotherhood had been absent from Eveningstar the past week because of dangerous monster attacks in the western homesteads. They found no such signs, and were forced to wander further afield, eventually finding a horned drake nest near the Stonelands. They brought back the carcass one of the larger creatures as proof. It was with luck they stumbled upon the homesteads being under attack by goblins, and return to the Lonesome Tankard triumphant!
    • Plant the seeds of distaste, but don't lay it on too thick!
  • The Ebon League will be given the opportunity to interrogate Shevaril Starcloak. See the "Interrogating Shevaril Starcloak" Skill Challenge.
    • When If the Ebon League decides to investigate the Meisner family farm, they will find that it is currently in a state of disrepair, looking like something out of that Hoarders show. Reardon Cormaeril's private security and the Purple Dragons have both searched this place, but it was a mess long before they went digging. There is no evidence to be found, but something (the Blessed Brotherhood) has led five Horned Drakes (MM2 88) to this place. They attack with very little warning.

A Day of Remembrance

Main Article: A Day of Remembrance

Following the events on the bridge over the Starwater, the Ebon League is left in a precarious diplomatic situation between their friend Lauritz van Aken and their benefactor Reardon Cormaeril. Lauritz's daughter Mina is dead and was returned to life as a ghost, and Reardon's son Liam has been cursed, an aged husk of his former youth and vitality. Each of them is angry with the other, believing his own child to be innocent and the other completely at fault.

Mina van Aken's funeral is planned to take place at the House of the Morning, to be presided over by the Patriarch Charisbonde "Trueservant" Belon. Lauritz requests that the Ebon League do him a personal favor and bring him a shrubbery (NI!), Mina's favorite flower, the mountain laurel. Unknown to the Ebon League (unless they're particularly clever), he intends to use the poisonous shrubbery to kill Reardon and Liam Cormaeril. Finding the plant isn't extremely difficult, but not long after they do the Ebon League is attacked by a hobgoblin scouting party. They are able to sneak up on the hobgoblin soldiers (followers of the lieutenant Shagrat) with Stealth (DC 13), but eluding the archers is harder (DC 21). The archers will themselves sneak up on the Ebon League if their Stealth checks fall between 13 and 21.

Mina's funeral is a tasteful and teary-eyed service. Belon delivers the following eulogy:

"It is truly tragic when death calls to one so young, but do not dwell on tragedy and instead revel the miracle that was life. Like the immortal sun which rises in the east, life is eternal and is to be celebrated while we bask within it. So warm is love, the sunlight of life, that we long for it in its absence, even knowing full well that the sun will always rise again. So too is loss, that though our lives go on, we are left longing to feel that warmth just one last time. As we lay this little one to rest, know this: Amaunator, the sun incarnate, had long known this child was to be called back to the eternal sun, a peaceful realm of unending goodness. I say to you again, nay, worry not, for surely she is in a far better and safer place than we here."

Lauritz gives a slightly less cheerful speech:

"Many of you have known the pain of losing a child. It happens every day; the world is full of goblins and orcs and far more wretched beasts which plague us to no end, but yet we endure as a people. And as a people, united, we protect ourselves from these evils. As a people, united, we find peace and prosperity. But this peace is threatened—not by hobgoblins or demons—no, we have warriors such as the Ebon League to deal with these threats—our peaceful way of life is threatened by the continued lordship of corrupt noble houses, like those of your very own House Cormaeril."

At this point, the Cormaerils in attendance look offended, and the Purple Dragons move to stop Lauritz, but Belon waves them off and comforts Lauritz. Lauritz shrugs off Belon and continues, breaking down and weeping:

"My daughter was a loving and kind girl, whose death is a tragedy. Please… please… oh, gods, please…"

Belon (or one of the Ebon League) must help Lauritz down from the pulpit. At this point, if any of the Ebon League wish to make a speech, they may. Afterward, a wake is held within the church, and during this time it would be appropriate for the Ebon League to speak with Belon regarding the prisoner Shevaril Starcloak. Belon (and possibly Sir Rodrick) lead the heroes to the library, where they can speak openly and privately. Belon's primary goal is to protect the church from Reardon's reprisal, but he was also a friend to Tessaril Winter and had always liked Shevaril. They may talk at length regarding plans, but Belon's requirements for requesting Shevaril be released into his custody would also include the Ebon League's guarantee that they will act in the church's behalf in dealings with Reardon, as well as performing a favor for Belon and the church as an act of good faith, to be determined as needed.

During their conversation (and the wake) bugbear assassins try to kill Belon and the Ebon League, but are (presumably) defeated. Leaving the library, they find that the church's paladins are battling bugbears, and it is revealed that Sister Maria has been taken hostage. The Ebon League (and Sir Rodrick) follow into the temple fields, and find a bugbear with Lauritz thrown over one shoulder and Maria held before him like a human shield in front of him. The bugbear (Gargan) might reveal his mission (kidnap the King of Cormyr and kill the Blessed Brotherhood), but at some point mid-conversation, the earth shakes violently, and an Earthwrought Bulette emerges. Gargan catches the bulette's jaw, releasing Lauritz and Maria, but the bulette overpowers him and he stumbles away. The bulette soon turns his attention to the Ebon League, and a battle royal ensues between the bulette, the bugbear, and the Ebon League.

Drawing the Lines

Main Article: [[| Drawing the Lines]

Following their defeat of the bulette, the Ebon League is left to deal with its remains. Answer their question as you see fit, but here is some key information:

  • Arcana (DC 15): This bulette has been exposed to large amounts of blue fire from the Spellplague, but is itself not plaguechanged.
  • Dungeoneering (DC 5): The "tunnels" created by the bulette are composed of loose earth, unsuitable for any type of travel. (DC 10): The erratic tunneling patterns contribute to their instability. (DC 15): Unusual seismic probably plays a role in the confusion of this animal.
  • History (DC 15): Dwarves of the Storm Horns who once maintained an underground road to the Stonelands once kept bulettes as work animals.
  • Nature (DC 5): The bulette is a natural beast common from the Moonsea region to the Stonelands. (DC 10): Though the hide of a bulette is far too stiff to be put to use in armor or clothing, its meat is tender. (DC 15): The chemical that bulettes use to digest rocks is a powerful dissolving agent and also produces an anxious hallucinogenic high. (Streetwise DC 15: This is worth 340 gp).
  • Religion (DC 15): In some dwarven heresies, the bulette is revered as an agent of Moradin. These cults use the bulette's pancreas in a variety of rituals to produce visions and receive guidance from the All-Father.

The Blessed Brotherhood has left Eveningstar on a mission for the church. Belon's messenger boy summons the Ebon League, when they witness the arrival of Reardon Cormaeril's 300 Blackwater mercenaries. Belon presents the Ebon League with a writ from the Archdiocese of Amaunator in Suzail with a writ for the release of Shevaril Starcloak to the House of the Morning, signed by King Azoun V himself. The prisoner transfer is met with some resistance by Reardon's men, but the Purple Dragons and the Ebon League can defuse the situation.

Those who would oppose Reardon Cormaeril are invited to a secret meeting at the House of the Morning. In attendance are Belon, Shevaril, Lauritz van Aken, and five of Shevaril's remaining believers: Chevalier, Montage, Detente, Avant Garde, and Deja Vu. The final arrival is Rodrigo Vanzetti, who is secretly a Crown agent who has been investigating Reardon's connection to the Fire Knives of Westgate. The Ebon League are asked to weigh in and together they host a planning session. Afterward, Shevaril asks the Ebon League to retrieve her personal chest from Tessaril's Tower, since she is forbidden from leaving the House of the Morning, an order she'd like to follow for the time being.

Not long after entering Tessaril's Tower, the Ebon League stumbles upon Cidolfus Dolomite, the Lantanese artificer. He is currently constructing a flying ship using his patented elemental-binding techniques, but some of his "subjects" have broken free from their summoning circles. Heroes are welcome to ask Cid whatever they please and he will answer honestly. Here are some suggested answers:

  • Who are you? "I am Cidolfus Alva Dolomite, the famed Lantanese engineer. I am well-known among magical and technical circles for the methodologies I invented which draw energy from the magical creatures of the Elemental Chaos and traps them as fuel sources for machines! I call it… TeknoMag!"
  • Who is this guy? "This is my robotic laboratory assistant, Prometheus. He is an ordinary Gondsman in many ways, except that I have infused him with magical energy from the Elemental Chaos so that he may cast spells."
  • What are you doing here? "That's an interesting question; when Lantan was destroyed, I fled here to speak with Tessaril Winter, who was previously a patron of mine. She let me use this laboratory to finish my greatest invention yet: a flying ship which requires the use of no spells as Selûne and Shar had dictated them, and therefore exist without the fear that the Spellplague could send you falling from the sky!"
  • What happened to Lantan? "When the world began to change, the oceans rose a great height as well. It was a warm sunny morning when massive tsunamis battered Lantan and sent most of its people and technology to the bottom of the Trackless Sea. Those few of us who escaped separated when we reached Amn, and I haven't seen another artificer or techsmith since."
  • Will this ship really work? "Absolutely. I only have a few kinks to work out and she'll be skyworthy in no time! Let me tell you about one of those kinks, though…"

After their questions cease, Cid will explain his predicament:

"Since Tessaril left and Shevaril stopped visiting, I have worked tirelessly to complete my greatest invention, but my summoning circles are weakening without wizardly assistance. Several of my research "subjects" have escaped, and are currently running amok in my laboratory. I have created several devices which can drain their energy manually, but when I get close enough they usually attack me, instead. My magical protection grease of undeniable use against elementals (and other stuff, too!) has protected me so far, but my supply is dwindling. Simply put, I am wondering if slayers such as yourselves would assist me in battling these elementals so that I may bind them into my machines. I would reward you, of course."

Goblin Interlude

Main Article: Goblin Interlude

Manan Ba'arin (Exposition)

The Initiation

The player characters (Baram, Evgeni, Grimbergen, Habakul, Ogan, and Wartooth), along with Hrothgar and Splug, are inducted into the Crimson Talon. In the foot of Nalavara's volcano lair, the warchief Uglúk says a few words and the induction begins with the red dragon slashing each across his brilliant new suit of armor and then bathing them in flame. Hrothgar bears them both with pride, while Splug winces and hides.

DM Goals

  • Introduce Major NPCs: Uglúk and Nalavara.
  • Introduce Minor NPCs: Hrothgar and Splug.

The Briefing (Exposition)

Fast forward to the present day, in the hobgoblin village of Manan Ba'arin. Hrothgar, who is now in a position of authority, explains the details of his plan to invade the goliath camp Rimespire. When he leaves, Splug takes the player characters out to show them a good time before their potentially-deadly mission. Amidst their drinking contests and whoring, Splug makes it clear that he's no fan of Hrothgar's leadership and tries to recruit them into an assassination plot.

DM Goals

  • Explain the adventure.
  • Make the players question Hrothgar's leadership and Splug's loyalty.

Rimespire

The Assault

Two lookouts guard the pass to Rimespire. Upon the camp being alerted, another ten goliath nomads rush headlong into battle (Encounter: 12 Goliath Nomads). Scouting the edges of the camp for the Blessed Brotherhood, the player characters find the village's beastmasters (Encounter: 2 Goliath Berserkers + 5 Horned Drakes). Noticing the banner of the god Amaunator, the Crimson Talon enters the chaotic battleground (Encounter: 9 Goliath Warriors). They march on the large tent in the middle of the village but are stopped by Risar son of Sarsoak, the brother of Bolthor (Encounter: Risar, Goliath Barbarian + 4 Goliath Berserkers), but the barbarian escapes.

DM Goals

  • A fast-paced, chaotic battle and four combat encounters.

The Chieftain's Cave

Despite their surprise attack and superior numbers, the goblin horde is forced to withdraw and regroups outside of Rimespire. Several goblins report that the Blessed Brotherhood were leading the surviving non-combatants to a cave for their safety, which naturally leads most of them to assume it is the former dragon's lair that is now home to the goliath chieftain, Dagoth. When they encounter the chieftain, he performs a ritual with separates him from his spirit companion and then pulls an Obi-Wan Kenobi, being struck down and returning more powerful than you could possibly imagine (Encounter: Dagoth, Goliath Shaman).

DM Goals

  • Just a cool encounter and a Star Wars reference.

Stonefang Pass

The Blessed Brotherhood was actually being led to a cave called Stonefang Pass, an abandoned dwarfhold. Hrothgar, Splug, and a host of hobgoblin grunts accompany the Crimson Talon. They find the Blessed Brotherhood, but are eluded due to a bright flash of divine light, but this catches the attention of two necromancers, Ariana and Claude. Seeing an opportunity to use the goblins to complete their goals, the necromancers do battle with the Crimson Talon (Encounter: Nightbringer Necromancers) and then lead them on a chase to Stonefang's binding chamber, where the goliath have hidden and Tessaril Winter is protecting a series of four altars from the necromancers.

At this point, Splug makes his move and invites the player characters to join him.

  • Have the player characters decide amongst themselves who to support. The four most likely choices are:
    • Side with the warlord Hrothgar against Splug… and gain a +2 to Fortitude Defense for their great stamina.
    • Side with the rogue Splug against Hrothgar… and gain a +2 to Reflex Defense for their lightning reflexes.
    • Side with neither against both of them… and gain a +2 to Will Defense for their iron will.
    • Side with neither and do not act… and gain no bonus to any stat for being faggots.

In the confusion, the Blessed Brotherhood charges into combat with a throaty cry to Amaunator (Encounter: The Blessed Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun). Remind the players to interrogate the Blessed Brotherhood while battling with them. Their questions should largely be concerned with the death of Muzgash and the location of Lagduf. The Brotherhood knows nothing about either of these, but they fight evil to the death!

  • After three rounds, the necromancer Claude will make a move on one of Stonefang's bindings and will retrieve his mighty rib, only to be frozen in place by Tessaril Winter's cone of cold. A petrified creature gains Resist 20 damage, but if they can damage him he'll shatter and they'll have access to the artifact.
  • After six rounds, earthquakes and the apparent awakening of the giant Stonefang end the encounter even if a clear winner has not been determined. Any characters who have died, whether among the Blessed Brotherhood or the Crimson Talon, will remain dead forever.

DM Goals

  • Remind the players of certain storyline elements.
  • Make the players choose between Hrothgar and Splug.
  • Introduce Stonefang Pass and the Nightbringers (foreshadowing).
  • End the Goblin adventure with a sense of mystery.
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