ShadowFighter15
2009-09-04, 07:54 AM
I just knocked together a semi-rough adventure I'm hoping to run for a couple of friends sometime. The players will be new to D&D, and I may give them pre-made characters for this (since it's both to give them a better idea of the game and to help them learn the rules), so keep that in mind.
There are three adventure hooks I used (I took them from the BoEF, but sexual connotations have been removed/or are dealt with in a SFW manner and the hooks were the only things I used from the book), two of which are meant as misdirections to keep the players guessing at just what the hell's going on. This is meant to be a short, one-off adventure and I still need to sort some things out, but the important stuff is all there. If there are any plot-holes I've accidentally left in, please let me know. I've also provided the original hooks verbatim from the BoEF simply for completeness.
Hook 1 (starting off as background info):
Original Hook from the BoEF
The king has died and the queen declares her female lover as her new legal mate, much to the consternation of the populace.
My use of it (this info will be available through asking around town)
The lord of (to-be-named) County has died and his widow (who has received her late husband's position) declares her female lover as her new legal partner as well as allowing same-sex marriages to be legal in the area. The people of the county are fiercely divided on the events; what few same-sex marriages the local Church of Pelor has performed have all been flocked by anti-gay protesters to the degree that they have been called off.
Further complicating things is that no-one in the area ever remembers seeing the Lady's lover before the Lord's death, not even the castle servants.
The Truth behind this hook (when this is revealed will vary depending on how the players proceed through the adventure)
There is nothing sinister about the Lady's lover. The Lord and Lady met her when travelling to the kingdom's capital several months before. Since the future-lover was also headed that way, she accompanied the generous nobles, both for the company and because she is a talented sorceress and could act as additional protection.
On the trip, both the Lord and Lady fell in love with the sorceress, and she likewise fell in love with both of them. The visit to the capital had been a lengthy one and, eventually, the Lord and Lady learned that the other loved the sorceress as well. Over dinner with the sorceress; the nobles explained their feelings and the sorceress revealed her own, the night culminating in the inevitable.
The sorceress agreed to return with the nobles to their castle and was offered room and board in one of the unused towers, which was subsequently (and falsely) declared unsafe and barred from entry. The sorceress had often travelled through the town, but had used spells such as Disguise Self to go unnoticed and appear merely as a traveller.
She would spend many nights with the nobles, using invisibility and teleportation spells to move through the castle unnoticed. It had been her who screamed at finding the Lord dead in the morning, but had quickly turned herself invisible before anyone could enter the room; leading people to assume it had been the Lady who screamed. Both she and the lady are in the dark about the Lord's death, but both have their suspicions.
Hook 2 (will happen as the players go about town, possibly asking about hooks 1 or 3 or simply buying supplies):
Original Hook
A set of royal twins known for their stunning looks and cruelty takes a fancy to one of the adventurers and demands for him to choose one or the other as a lover.
My use of it
The two eldest sons of the late lord; identical twins known for their stunning looks have both been smitten upon seeing Ceres' character (change twins' gender if she plays a guy) and beg her to choose one as a lover. (hopefully talk Ceres' husband into playing as well and using a character with feelings for Ceres' to bump up drama; cheap, but effective)
The catch, however, is that both twins are known for exceptional acts of cruelty that are only spoken of as rumours, lest the twins' lackeys descend on the teller. (will have to come up with something suitably nasty; probably torturing prisoners for fun or abusing their servants, should be able to get some ideas from episodes of Cadfael).
The Truth behind this hook (like the first hook; this will be dispensed depending on how the players progress through the adventure)
The Lady and Sorceress suspect that the twins are responsible for their father's death. They married so that neither of the twins could secure their father's title (which would have happened as soon as one of them was married, with their mother acting as an advisor), even if one of them was able to find a bride. Should their claim to the title be invalidated, their younger sister will be the next in line.
They have frequently been seen leaving town for several days at a time, and the few who have dared follow them have all quickly lost the trail.
Hook 3 (the main hook I'll encourage the players to investigate):
Original Hook
Every sexually mature virgin in a hundred-mile radius goes missing early one morning.
My use of it (possibly kicked off by a remark from an NPC towards a female party member)
A number of young women, aged anywhere between 15 and 20 have been disappearing slowly over the course of the last few weeks, about one every few days or so. They've all disappeared without a trace; no signs of a struggle and no forced entry - not even the bed sheets the girls were surely under have been disturbed. Inquiries by the players will reveal that all of the girls taken were unmarried and (most likely) virgins.
One night at the inn; the players will be woken by a woman's scream. If they act quickly, they will see a cloaked figure (a cross between the Assassin PrC artwork and the assassin in the end cinematic of The Witcher) rush out of one of the rooms and a short fight will ensue between the players and the figure, ending with the figure leaping back and Dimension Door-ing outside the inn (stumbling on something outside to tell the players where he went). Players will be encouraged to pursue the man (should one stay behind, the woman was a changeling who's mutable physiology rendered the chloroform (or whatever in D&D has the same properties) useless on her), who will lead them away from town until disappearing in a flash of light.
Examining where he disappeared will reveal an old teleportation circle that requires a keyphrase to unlock (Spellcraft check, Knowledge: Arcane to know that a keyphrase ir required; if neither character can make either check: sorceress was disguised in-town at the time and heard the commotion; following the players and then helping to identify and activate the tele circle).
The Truth behind this hook (this also includes where most of the actual adventuring is)
Circle leads to underground temple of Nerull. Deeper exploration reveals cages holding the missing women who are all alive and - so far - have not been harmed, though they have been fed very little. The figure from the inn will approach the group (if the sorceress was with them; she will remain outside to safeguard the teleport circle). During the fight, his hood will be knocked away to reveal him as an undead creature (level-appropriate type). Players will continue deeper into temple, harassed by further undead (try not to drain any spellcasting characters too severely).
In the final chamber (the altar room/congregation area/whatever the hell you'd call it) will be a powerful cleric of Nerull (ECL to be decided). He will give the standard 'villain monologue' (with walls of force keeping the players from running or interrupting*); explaining that he plans to kill every living thing in the county (the final chamber of the temple is directly under the castle) with a powerful ritual as tribute to his god. The captured virgins were only taken because their metaphysical purity could have potentially disrupted ritual's effects (as the town the adventure has been in so far was to be the ritual's epicentre). The captured women will be sacrificed to fuel the ritual, but simply because they might as well be put to use, rather than the ritual needing virgin sacrifices (all of them will be killed after the ritual is complete to be thorough; the temple also acts as a shield against the ritual's effects).
Cleric will fight players (possibly backed up by undead, depending on party condition). Upon winning, players will go back to free the captives and the Sorceress will appear to help get everyone out via the teleport circle.
Twins will not be involved with Nerull cleric; they will appear (disguised) on horseback with a group of bandits outside the circle, planning to capture the recently-freed women and sell them as slaves. Killing two adventurers and a sorceress will simply add to their spoils. Cue one of the twins breaking his disguise by remarking about Ceres' character being present. This will cause an argument between the two; one wanting to kill Ceres for her involvement and the other wanting to save her. The brother arguing for Ceres' survival will be killed by his brother, the sorceress will throw up walls of force to protect the players and women (since the players will hopefully be severely drained after the fight with the cleric), and then to cut off the bandits' escape when the town guard arrive (having been summoned by the sorceress beforehand).
The remaining brother will be hanged for fratricide and his mother will reward the players (she will also be sad, but unsurprised, at her sons' fates), filling in any of the above plot that has not been divulged so far (most likely the sorceress' relation with the Lady and her husband as well as who the new heir is).
I've purposefully left the Lord's death ambiguous in-case the players decide to re-visit the characters they used or if I decide to run a follow-on adventure.
So, thoughts? Comments?
There are three adventure hooks I used (I took them from the BoEF, but sexual connotations have been removed/or are dealt with in a SFW manner and the hooks were the only things I used from the book), two of which are meant as misdirections to keep the players guessing at just what the hell's going on. This is meant to be a short, one-off adventure and I still need to sort some things out, but the important stuff is all there. If there are any plot-holes I've accidentally left in, please let me know. I've also provided the original hooks verbatim from the BoEF simply for completeness.
Hook 1 (starting off as background info):
Original Hook from the BoEF
The king has died and the queen declares her female lover as her new legal mate, much to the consternation of the populace.
My use of it (this info will be available through asking around town)
The lord of (to-be-named) County has died and his widow (who has received her late husband's position) declares her female lover as her new legal partner as well as allowing same-sex marriages to be legal in the area. The people of the county are fiercely divided on the events; what few same-sex marriages the local Church of Pelor has performed have all been flocked by anti-gay protesters to the degree that they have been called off.
Further complicating things is that no-one in the area ever remembers seeing the Lady's lover before the Lord's death, not even the castle servants.
The Truth behind this hook (when this is revealed will vary depending on how the players proceed through the adventure)
There is nothing sinister about the Lady's lover. The Lord and Lady met her when travelling to the kingdom's capital several months before. Since the future-lover was also headed that way, she accompanied the generous nobles, both for the company and because she is a talented sorceress and could act as additional protection.
On the trip, both the Lord and Lady fell in love with the sorceress, and she likewise fell in love with both of them. The visit to the capital had been a lengthy one and, eventually, the Lord and Lady learned that the other loved the sorceress as well. Over dinner with the sorceress; the nobles explained their feelings and the sorceress revealed her own, the night culminating in the inevitable.
The sorceress agreed to return with the nobles to their castle and was offered room and board in one of the unused towers, which was subsequently (and falsely) declared unsafe and barred from entry. The sorceress had often travelled through the town, but had used spells such as Disguise Self to go unnoticed and appear merely as a traveller.
She would spend many nights with the nobles, using invisibility and teleportation spells to move through the castle unnoticed. It had been her who screamed at finding the Lord dead in the morning, but had quickly turned herself invisible before anyone could enter the room; leading people to assume it had been the Lady who screamed. Both she and the lady are in the dark about the Lord's death, but both have their suspicions.
Hook 2 (will happen as the players go about town, possibly asking about hooks 1 or 3 or simply buying supplies):
Original Hook
A set of royal twins known for their stunning looks and cruelty takes a fancy to one of the adventurers and demands for him to choose one or the other as a lover.
My use of it
The two eldest sons of the late lord; identical twins known for their stunning looks have both been smitten upon seeing Ceres' character (change twins' gender if she plays a guy) and beg her to choose one as a lover. (hopefully talk Ceres' husband into playing as well and using a character with feelings for Ceres' to bump up drama; cheap, but effective)
The catch, however, is that both twins are known for exceptional acts of cruelty that are only spoken of as rumours, lest the twins' lackeys descend on the teller. (will have to come up with something suitably nasty; probably torturing prisoners for fun or abusing their servants, should be able to get some ideas from episodes of Cadfael).
The Truth behind this hook (like the first hook; this will be dispensed depending on how the players progress through the adventure)
The Lady and Sorceress suspect that the twins are responsible for their father's death. They married so that neither of the twins could secure their father's title (which would have happened as soon as one of them was married, with their mother acting as an advisor), even if one of them was able to find a bride. Should their claim to the title be invalidated, their younger sister will be the next in line.
They have frequently been seen leaving town for several days at a time, and the few who have dared follow them have all quickly lost the trail.
Hook 3 (the main hook I'll encourage the players to investigate):
Original Hook
Every sexually mature virgin in a hundred-mile radius goes missing early one morning.
My use of it (possibly kicked off by a remark from an NPC towards a female party member)
A number of young women, aged anywhere between 15 and 20 have been disappearing slowly over the course of the last few weeks, about one every few days or so. They've all disappeared without a trace; no signs of a struggle and no forced entry - not even the bed sheets the girls were surely under have been disturbed. Inquiries by the players will reveal that all of the girls taken were unmarried and (most likely) virgins.
One night at the inn; the players will be woken by a woman's scream. If they act quickly, they will see a cloaked figure (a cross between the Assassin PrC artwork and the assassin in the end cinematic of The Witcher) rush out of one of the rooms and a short fight will ensue between the players and the figure, ending with the figure leaping back and Dimension Door-ing outside the inn (stumbling on something outside to tell the players where he went). Players will be encouraged to pursue the man (should one stay behind, the woman was a changeling who's mutable physiology rendered the chloroform (or whatever in D&D has the same properties) useless on her), who will lead them away from town until disappearing in a flash of light.
Examining where he disappeared will reveal an old teleportation circle that requires a keyphrase to unlock (Spellcraft check, Knowledge: Arcane to know that a keyphrase ir required; if neither character can make either check: sorceress was disguised in-town at the time and heard the commotion; following the players and then helping to identify and activate the tele circle).
The Truth behind this hook (this also includes where most of the actual adventuring is)
Circle leads to underground temple of Nerull. Deeper exploration reveals cages holding the missing women who are all alive and - so far - have not been harmed, though they have been fed very little. The figure from the inn will approach the group (if the sorceress was with them; she will remain outside to safeguard the teleport circle). During the fight, his hood will be knocked away to reveal him as an undead creature (level-appropriate type). Players will continue deeper into temple, harassed by further undead (try not to drain any spellcasting characters too severely).
In the final chamber (the altar room/congregation area/whatever the hell you'd call it) will be a powerful cleric of Nerull (ECL to be decided). He will give the standard 'villain monologue' (with walls of force keeping the players from running or interrupting*); explaining that he plans to kill every living thing in the county (the final chamber of the temple is directly under the castle) with a powerful ritual as tribute to his god. The captured virgins were only taken because their metaphysical purity could have potentially disrupted ritual's effects (as the town the adventure has been in so far was to be the ritual's epicentre). The captured women will be sacrificed to fuel the ritual, but simply because they might as well be put to use, rather than the ritual needing virgin sacrifices (all of them will be killed after the ritual is complete to be thorough; the temple also acts as a shield against the ritual's effects).
Cleric will fight players (possibly backed up by undead, depending on party condition). Upon winning, players will go back to free the captives and the Sorceress will appear to help get everyone out via the teleport circle.
Twins will not be involved with Nerull cleric; they will appear (disguised) on horseback with a group of bandits outside the circle, planning to capture the recently-freed women and sell them as slaves. Killing two adventurers and a sorceress will simply add to their spoils. Cue one of the twins breaking his disguise by remarking about Ceres' character being present. This will cause an argument between the two; one wanting to kill Ceres for her involvement and the other wanting to save her. The brother arguing for Ceres' survival will be killed by his brother, the sorceress will throw up walls of force to protect the players and women (since the players will hopefully be severely drained after the fight with the cleric), and then to cut off the bandits' escape when the town guard arrive (having been summoned by the sorceress beforehand).
The remaining brother will be hanged for fratricide and his mother will reward the players (she will also be sad, but unsurprised, at her sons' fates), filling in any of the above plot that has not been divulged so far (most likely the sorceress' relation with the Lady and her husband as well as who the new heir is).
I've purposefully left the Lord's death ambiguous in-case the players decide to re-visit the characters they used or if I decide to run a follow-on adventure.
So, thoughts? Comments?