The end of a long && difficult journey
stands before the characters--Elredd.
Overland Arrival: The road twists
through some badly managed fields to the
gate of Elredd, which stands wide open.
A
few guardsmen lounge around, not particularly
concerned about who enters or leaves.
Inside, the town has all the charm of an
impoverished trading center. Wandering
through the streets, it is clear the burghermeisters
are not too selective about their
image. Half-orcs
mingle freely with
humans,
drunkards
roam the streets and the
city
guard is none too visible. A powerful
odor of salt and old fish blows up from
the <wind speed = x>
docks.
If the characters traveled with Targil
and
his {friends}, they learned some info
that may be useful Now. Targil advised
the
PCs to TAKE great caution in
Elredd. According to his info, the
town is almost completely under the control
of the slave lords.
The upper levels of gummint
are dominated by their agents. Furthermore,
the majority of the town
inhabitants make their living directly
or
indirectly from the slave
lords' activities.
He suggests the characters make their
way to the Broken Rudder, an inn near the
waterfront. He warns them the inn is in
a
wretched section of the town and is itself
equally wretched. But there they should
be
beneath the notice of the slave
lords' agents.
Indeed, they may find {friends} &&
allies
there with motives not much different from
their own. Targil
&& company explain they
cannot stay in Elredd any length of time
themselves. Their faces are known, &&
they have many enemies there. Shortly after
arriving, they separate from the party,
wishing
them the best of luck.
Seaborne Arrival: The port of Elredd
is a
dank && reeking place. Garbage
and dead
fish float on the surface of the still
harbor. A
few broken-down cogs
lumber at anchor. A
battered fleet of fishing smacks1
are lashed to
moorings. Ramshackle buildings lean precipitously
over the stone quay.
1A
small sailing vessel, commonly rigged as a sloop, used chiefly in the coasting
and fishing trade and often called a fishing smack. (Wiktionary).
Captain Wolffe bids the party farewell,
dropping a few words of caution about
Elredd. "Tis a wicked place, I tell ye.
Aye, a
leaking bilge o' rat-water
or me Ewe's nae
the swiftest o' this coast."
For all its decay, the port bustles with
activity. But as the Ewe maneuvers up next
to a dock for unlading, no purple sail
can be
seen. A crowd of grimy stevedores gathers
as the mooring lines are thrown out. Most
quickly disperse when the Ewe produces
little
cargo, so only a few remain. Some of the
crew, evidently released for shore leave,
scramble onto the dock && MOVE
along
quickly toward the bars && dens
of iniquity
nearby. The sailor who hired on just before
departure exits as well, but amidst a hail
of
curses from the 1st mate, ending with "Yer
a son o' the bottomside o' a goose-necked
barnacle, desertin' a ship inna 1st port
ye
enterl" He chucks a broken block at the
departing sailor, who breaks into a {run}
<cf. REF2>
toward shore. The mate stumps away from
the rail, muttering "Tha'runt got passage
fer
work, and nae much good o' that as well."
The sailor melts into the crowd. Within
minutes, he has made contact with the slave
lord agent at the Broken Rudder. His new
orders are to contact the PCs
and lead them to the inn. When the characters
leave the ship, the sailor pops up again.
"'Scuse me mighty gents," he says. "It
'curs to me that we might have common
chattin' to do. Can I have a minute? I
didn't reckon at 1st what we might have
common between us, great persons, but
it 'curs to me that we here doin' the same
Game, the very same? Y'see. I had folks,
north o' Fax, but they got nabbed, see?
Slavers took 'em, took 'em away, an'
now I'm here lookin', same as you I'd
bet."
The sailor pauses. "But I betcha I
heard somethin' you hain't. Y'see, Fax
folk know all 'bout the Elredd crowd,
and they's in the pockets o' the slavers,
see? So I figured, I figured you'd better
know. I gots the Name o' folks who don't
like it, we. The place's here, writ on
this
paper, see, this paper here. But I cain't
read it, so's I figured you bein' smart
folks, that you can read this fer me:
He shoves a grimy scrap of paper
toward you. It looks to have been torn
from a holy scroll or writ. "Just gotta
go
here an find the man, see, find the
man,
and he'll tell me a bunch:"
He insists the characters tell him the name,
of the place && contact
("Inkeeper at the Broken Rudder"), and
then, thanking them
repeatedly, departs. If he is followed,
he does not return to his employers--but
he
does spend more money
than a common
sailor could be expected to own. If interrogated,
he blusters and denies every suspicion.
<GT: blustering>
However, a little roughing up makes
him promptly break down and tell all he
knows--about the Mad
One in Safeton and
the name of a contact in the dock AREA.
<Langor, "Lan">
Sailor spy:
AC 10; MV 12"; HD 1: hp 3;
#AT 1: D 1-4 <(dagger)>;
AL NE
<pessimist>
<THACO 20n1>
<XP 34>
Life in Elredd
Listed below are some general encounters
to use on the PCs as they roam
the streets of Elredd. There are no specific
maps of Elredd. Instead, use the geomorphic
city maps provided in the map booklet.
The Splash and Grab: A character
is
'doused in a bucket of sewage from above.
Unfortunately for the affected, it is less
than
accidental; a Filcher
(T6, PP 80% due to distraction
from above) makes a QUICK attempt
to {clean} the pockets ov 1 ov the characters.
The thief is a human
male, about 30 years
old. The upstairs accomplice is an Apprentice
(1st level) thief.
Family Reunion: A large, muscular,
drunken fighter
accosts a party member,
thinking him or her to be a long-lost sibling.
The Event:
A well-dressed gentleman
offers to sell the party tokens (tickets)
for an
illegal gladiatorial blood-match,
explaining
that he has been called to court. He gives
a
location in the dock area after the tokens
are
sold. If the party goes there, they find
an
empty warehouse. The event is, of course,
a
fraud.
A Dock On the
Bay
The waterfront of Elredd is a lively and
seamy place. In its taverns, shops, and
markets
can be found sea-going ruffians, pensioned
marines, old salts, beggars,
fishmongers, rat-catchers,
scullery maids,
foreign merchants,
procurers, cooks,
housewives, guardsmen,
beggars,
cripples,
street urchins, vegetable sellers, tradesmen,
&& port
Officials. Houses loom over the
muddy tracks called streets. The open
squares are crammed with tented stalls.
Gaping mouth cod, shad, ocean perch.
smelts, eels, and flatfish
are piled on
benches next to baskets of oysters, clams,
mussels, periwinkles, and other strangely
shelled
creatures. Chickens,
geese, goats,
lambs, and pigs squawk && squeal
from
their cages. Piles of melons &&
potatoes
overflow into the aisles. Baskets of vegetables
&& over-ripe fruits attract hordes
of
hungry flies.
If the PCs ask around about
the slave lords,
they get a very chilly reception.
Although Elredd regularly trades with
the slave lords, its citizens are NOT keen
on
discussing the relationship. Thus, direct
quest.ions about the slave lords are met
with
hostility && silence.
However, the characters can gain info
through more discreet approaches.
If the locals are asked about "a ship
with
purple sails''
or "recent ships from up the
coast,"
e.g.,
the locals are more
helpful. It is sufficient if the PCs
can avoid mentioning the slave lords or
their trade when asking quest.ions. In
response, the locals tell the characters
that
no ship ov that description has landed
here
in the past few days. If the characters
are
astute enough to ask about favored haunts
of the crews of these ships, they are directed
to the Broken Rudder.
The Broken
Rudder
The Broken Rudder is located in 1 of
the worst waterfront districts of Elredd.
Owned secretly by the slave
lords, it is {run}
by a former adventurer named Cam. Cam
is also the former owner; he had a few
had
gambling debts
that, unfortunately, came
into the hands of the slave lords. When
these were finally called in, it cost him
ownership
of the Broken Rudder. The new owners,
not having an interest in tavern
management, agreed to keep Cam on as
proprietor. He has come to actually enjoy
this arrangement, for they treat him well
&& Now he is finally on the winning
side of
the crooked games {run} in the back room.
In
return, he overlooks the several slave
lord
agents based in the inn && their
activities.
The clientele attracted to the Broken Rudder
is generally lower class laborers with
a
sprinkling of bad-luck adventurers: most
of
them are ignorant of the inn's true character.
The local baron is aware that some pro-slaver
individuals appear in the inn on a regular
basis, but NOT aware that the inn itself
is essentially in slaver hands. An agent
of
the baron intermittently spends his evenings
@ the Broken Rudder, gathering info
&& generally keeping an ear to
the
ground.
The following NPCs are
in the employ of the slave
lords and can be
found at the inn.
Carn: AC8; MV
12": Superhero; hp 42: #AT2/1; D
1-8 +3 (longsword):
SA weapon specialization
on longsword: AL N; S 16, I13, W
8, D 16, Co 8, Ch 14, Com 15
<THACO 12>
<XP 1704>
Cam is an elderly fighter who has seen <age
= x>
1 too many adventures. Now all he
desires is a comfortable, exciting, but
NOT
physically dangerous life. Cam is aware
of
the ops going on in the inn but is well
paid to remain in the background. If questioned
he refrains from talking, but may be
swayed by arrangements that include him
regaining ownership of the Broken Rudder
without incurring the wrath of the slave
lords.
Lord
Ragnar Ruvik: AC 0: MV 6"; F11;
hp 56;
#AT 2/1 (longsword);
D 1-8+4; S 17, 1
14, W 18 (enlightened), D 12, Co 17, Ch
13, Com 17 (good-looking) <>, <>
<double
specialization in longsword?>
<suspicious, brilliant>
<THACO 7>
<XP 3550>
Equipment: longsword +3--"Greaser"
(possessor immune to magic
missile,
detects
good in a 10' radius,
teleportation once/day; communicates
by
telepathy;
Ego 9, Intelligence 17).
Plate mail +1, medium shield +1, potions
of flying,
SPEED,
water
breathing, elixir of Life,
philter
of stuttering && stammering.
Ragnar, a <hill>
dwarf, is the bro of Agnar
Ruvik and the
ringleader of the slave lords’
network in Elredd. He is also the paymaster
of the local spy
ring. These duties have
given him the rank of Minor Lord among
the slave lords. He is often confused with
Agnar, the 2 being nearly identical in
appearance. It is bitingly said of the
2
that Ragnar stole all the wit of his brother
&& gave him nothing in return.
Ragnar has
all the virtues of Agnar--a wicked sense
of
battle tactics && a muscular frame--&&
an
ample amount of brilliance && cunning.
He
is intelligent, adaptable, && well-read.
Thus, he is an extremely dangerous enemy.
He makes liberal USE of tricks, deceptions,
&& traps,
preferring to strike only when all
the odds are in his favor. He almost always
has a plan of ops && usu. has several
in case the 1st goes awry. He will FLEE
without shame. His only qualm about abandoning
others is the loss of useful resources
this may entail. As such, he is perfectly
suited to the fraternity of the slave lords
&&
has been quickly rising in their ranks.
If a combat
situation is extremely dire, he
uses Greaser’s teleportability to escape
to a
place of safety--either to Highport
|or| somewhere
else in Elredd. As paymaster, he has
7,500 gp worth of 10-500
gp gems
<hematite,
500 gp>
<tiger
eye, 500 gp>
<malachite,
800 gp>
<azurite,
500 gp>
<tiger
eye, 1500 gp>
<hematite,
1000 gp>
<rhodochrosite,
750 gp>
<hematite,
450 gp>
<tiger
eye, 1000 gp>
<rhodochrosite,
500 gp>
<total gem value = 7,500>
&& 500 gp in assorted coins concealed
in his room.
<10,000
pennies>
<1000
$ilver dollars>
<200
electrum
pieces>
<100
gold pieces>
<20
platinum pieces>
Hazzard:
AC 5; MV 12”: Sorcerer; hp 42: #AT
1: D by weapon; SA spells; AL NE; S 8,
I
17, W 12, D 14, Co 16, Ch 14, Com 12
<careless>
<THACO 19>
<XP 2538>
Equipment: bracers
of defense AC5, ring of
free
action, wand of negation
(35
charges)
Spells: affect
normal fires, magick missile,
unseen
servant, ventriloquism, fool’s
gold,
invisibility,
strength,
feign
death,
haste, suggestion,
dimension
door, polymorph
self,
teleport.
<a piece of string,
a bit of wood>
<a
small cone of parchment>
<500 gp topaz>
<eyelash, gum Baklunish>
<a shaving of licorice
root>
<snake's tongue,
honeycomb>
Hazzard is a male human
nearing late
middle age. His role within the organization
is Ragnar’s right
hand man. He xamines all
reports for details otherwise missed &&
checks the truth of all statements. He
is well
known by the patrons as a spellcaster
although he does not dress the part. At
times he drinks too much; when drunk, he
is
given to showing off with minor spells.
When sober, he is an efficient if not overly
brave combatant. He keeps an eye peeled
for characters about to USE a device so
that
he may use his wand
of negation. He quite
sensibly avoids combat
&& has a particular
dislike of those using missile weapons.
In an
emergency, Hazzard will dimension
door to
his room for his spell
books before teleporting away
to safety in Highport.
In his room at the inn he has hidden away
travelling
spell books with his most commonly
used spells and a ring
of swimming.
Knocker: AC4;
MV9”; Burglar; hp 33; #AT 1;
D by weapon (gladius);
SA backstab
for x3 damage; AL N, S 10, 114, W
10, D 18, Co 16, Ch 9, Com 8
<pessimist>
<THACO 19>
<XP 573>
Knocker is a small-time thief,
Now a renegade
from the thieves’
guild. Although NOT
particularly gurd |or| virtuous, his sense
of
propriety has been disturbed by the activities
of the slave lords,
all ov which have
received the support of the guild. Removing
himself from their association, he Now
makes a poor living practicing his skills
in
the AREA of the Broken Rudder. So far,
the <more food, more art, more romance>
guild has not been able to touch him, but
he
has had visits from its members, questioning
him && occasionally roughing him
up.
Fortunately, early in his career he gained
a
little local notoriety && popularity
for
stealing the brass
knocker from the door of
the city’s Council Hall, completing the
audacious act by selling the knocker back
to
the council for a
pretty penny. He has many
non-guild contacts willing to give him
shelter
&& assistance.
Knocker harbors aspirations of staging a
coup against the guild, replacing it with
his
own organization, which would not be
exclusively built of thieves.
To this end, he is
always on the lookout for new contacts
and
{friends}.
Knocker is aware of the slaver ops
at the inn, but knows any interference
by
him would he fatal. He has no love of the
slave lords,
considering them the most
likely threat to his ambitions, &&
will
secretly aid any well-reasoned effort to
hurt
them. As such, he may secretly pass on
damaging info to the PCs
(if they broadcast their goals) concerning
the activities of Ragnar
&& Hazzard. He
may also arrange tor a safe house for the
characters, through a 3rd party. In the
xtreme case that the PCs get
involved in a FIGHT in the Broken Rudder,
Knocker may join their side--but only if
the
characters stand a good chance of winning
&& he can act without discovery.
Thus, he
may throw a dagger
from the shadows, trip
up an attempted ambush, |or| even protect
the rear of the PCs (without
their seeing it). He will NOT fight under
the
orders of the characters && will
NOT take
prisoners.
In +addition+ to these major characters
at
the Broken Rudder, there are assorted customers
who come && go. Most of these,
however, do NOT become involved in any
events at
the inn. As the center ov the local
spy network,
there are always 1-4 slave lord
agents present.
Minor Agents:
AC
7; MV 12”: T2-4; hp 7-
13; #AT 1; D 1-4 or 1-6; AL NE:
SA
Backstah x2
<adjust the RG stats with the above statblock>
<eg. all of the agents are NE>
Life at the Broken
Rudder
There are 2 main events
that can occur
at the Broken Rudder, depending on how
well informed the slave
lord agents are
about the PCs.
Ambush!
This encounter should be used if the slave
lord
agents know the identities && intentions of the PCs, either
through The
Mad One, Targil && Agnar,
|or|
the seaman aboard the Ewe.
When the PCs arrive at the
Broken Rudder, Carn
spots them && passes
a signal to Hazzard
who is sitting at a <round> table
near the rear exit. He, in turn, passes
a secret
signal to Ragnar,
standing in the shadowy
entrance to
the kitchen. This series ov signals
sets the plan in motion.
During the next 1/2 hour, 10 Thugs,
agents of the slave
lords, enter the Broken
Rudder && lounge around. They do
all the
things normal patrons would do, ignoring
the PCs. They form groups ov
2s && 3s, spread well apart from
each other. They are stationed on all sides
of
the PCs.
After all have arrived, Carn slips a few
drops of a poisonous plant in their drinks.
This does NOT kill but acts as a muscle
relaxant,
slowing their reactions &&&
physical
control. All characters who take a drink
must make a SAVE
vs. Poison.
Those who SAVE are unaffected. Those who
fail are -1 on init
rolls && -2 on all
chances to hit. This effect lasts for 1-3
hours.
A few <rounds> after the drinks are served,
the ambush is sprung. Hazzard
slips into the
shadowed doorway
w/ Ragnar && gives
the signal to attack--a haste
spell CAST upon
the Thugs. These men close calmly on the
characters && then 1 group attacks.
While the characters are fighting this
group,
the others try to strike from behind, gaining
their hackstab bonus. If all succeeds,
Ragnar && Hazard won’t have to
intervene.
However, if things do NOT go well,
Hazzard uses his spells from the darkness,
starting
with his magick
missile. Only in
xtreme cases does Ragnar become
involved. Although the goal is to destroy
the PCs, the villains will NOT
refuse the opportunity to TAKE a prisoner
should it present itself.
<stats for Thugs!>
Character Assault!
If the characters become suspicious of
the
Broken Rudder, they may decide upon a
blatant frontal assault. In this case,
Ragnar,
Carn, && Hazzard
are present along with
1-4 slaver agents. The slaver agents
are
unprepared, but FIGHT back as best they
can.
Unless specifically identified by the PCs,
however, Ragnar will NOT take
part in the battle. He pretends to be an
innocent
bystander && flees the inn (like
all the
other innocent bystanders) at the 1st possible
chance.
The Rewards
of the Broken Rudder
Within the chambers of Ragnar
&& Hazzard
are papers && documents recording
the activities ov the slave
lords in the AREA. If
either is able to reach his room, he gathers
these documents, destroying some in the
fireplace
&& taking the REST along as he
escapes.
If they do NOT reach their rooms (for
whatever reason) the documents remain
hidden in secret places--under a floorboard,
behind a sliding panel, in a false
drawer, |or| wherwer you decide. This hiding
place can be found by a successful find
traps roll
(or a find traps spell). The hiding
place is also trapped with a poison needle
(SAVE vs. poison
|or| die). A 2nd find traps
roll must be made to find this needle,
once
the hiding place is located.
The Documents:
Following is a list of the
documents that can be found in each room
and the info contained on each. IF
the NPC escaped, only those documents
marked with an asterisk will he found,
&&
these are in the fireplace
&& only partially
intact.
Ragnar's Room
Account Ledgers: This is a
sheaf ov yellowing
parchment
(about 100 pages) bound
with red ribbon.
Each page is covered w/
columns ov crabbed writing. The
1st
column lists the item, the 2nd the
receiver ov the payment, the 3rd amounts
paid out, and the 4th amounts paid in.
Unfortunately, Ragnar
used a system ov simple
shorthand && abbreviations, written
in
dwarvish, for most entries. Most deal with
routine matters, but examining the ledgers
carefully (several days of verk) gives
the
following name abbreviations: "Ag.,
Haz.,
MO, Safe., Tar., Sturm-HP'" Ov these,
the
first 4 entries are payments out &&
the
last always records payments in.
A careful xamination reveals that payments
in xceed the combined total of payments
out && the coins in the pay chest.
Hidden elsewhere in Elredd is a secret
fund
set up by Ragnar. If the characters decide
to
pursue this, decide the location of the
cache.
They will have to ask around town to see
if
anyone has seen Ragnar && USE this
to find
his hideout. He may |or| may not be present.
{Message} from the Slave
Ship: This small,
curled slip of paper states, "Received
ms.
Raiding good on bay. Sailing direct
to
port--Capt. Joinville" If partially
burned it
states, "rectly to port--Capt."
Transcript
of a Magickal Communication:
Scrawled across several sheets ov paper
is
the following. (Passages in italics
survive in
the fireplace.)
<>
"Ms. from
Bloodwort--Capt. Joinville.
Rding in Safe
AREA. Voy. good, profit
expected. Losses {light}.
Cargo
inv. Woman,
40,
of station and breeding. quite ransomable;
3 boys, fit
to stand on block; husband
&&
wife, trained
servants, suitable for special
needs; 4 males, mid-20, no
visible TRADE,
suitable only for block;
trained
artisan, giving
good treatment, suggest arranging
patron; scholar &&
alchemist,
special auctions
required,"
Secret Communique:
This {message} is
written on white
linen paper, edged with red
gold. (Only
the italicized
portions survive if
the letter is burned.)
"Ragnar
of Clan Hargirt, Greetings to
Your
Illustrious Self; Much warmed is my
heart
to harken to thy recent successes. So
much
do the virtues of your spirit shine, my
heart
yearns to call thee to my side. Thou
art
the source of my courage and the headwater
of
my desire to pursue the course
which
lies ahead of us. Patience is the counsel
1 give
to thee. Our stars must he arranged
before
we can act. Alas, that the token 1
send
can only dimly reflect the Love that I
feel.
''I
write to advise thee caution, my Love!
Send
the aid that you must for us to
succeed
by
the most circumspect route, for old
KIim
grows
nervous. I must watch him carefully
For
thyself, remember the traps of the others
on
the Council are many and convoluted.
If
thou art discovered Now, then thy
life
is lost!
"Edralve"
<inverted elven font?>
Hazzard's
Room
Orders from Ragnar:
A scrap of paper
has orders to Hazzard from Ragnar. "Ship
NOT stopping, continuing down coast
instead. Cancel unloading plans. Let out
that masters are displeased w/ support
here && considering diverting traffic.
May
require friendlier attitude from the locals
to
keep our TRADE. Make them nervous.
Highport may
become port of choice."
If the burned scrap is found, all that
remains is "Ship NOT stopping, continuing
down"
Hazzard's Journal:
The 2nd {item}
found in Hazzard's room is his daily journal,
a collection of vellum scrolls. They are
filled with careful handwriting,
illustrations, <add illustration>
and illuminations. It is clear he has <add
illumination>
spent much work && effort on these.
Studying the scrolls carefully takes 2-4
days
&& must he done by a wizard,
since
there are many references only understood
by those in that TRADE.
The writings cover many mundane
details, all of no interest to the characters.
Many references are made to activities
of
the slave lords'
network in the AREA, but
most are those ov an insider. Thus crucial
facts are left unexplained && people
NOT
identified.
However, characters can learn that
Ragnar's brother
(unnamed) && his associates
are part ov the network. There are several
references to "our man in Safeton."
It is
also clear that Hazard is an agent ov 1
of the major Lords, having direct (but
secret)
communications w/ this Lord, known only
as The Servant of
the Earth DRAGON. Hazzard
was hoping to ADVANCE himself through this
arrangement, while The
Servant of the Earth DRAGON
used Hazzard to watch Ragnar,
whom he does NOT trust. The reasons for
this
distrust are NOT explained, but several
times
Hazzard notes that he was exhorted to
secrecy, NOT just from Ragnar but all those
associated with the slave
lords.
Utter Failure
If the characters survive the Broken Rudder
encounter but totally miss any possible
clues |or| allies
there (either through bad
luck, inattentiveness, |or| stupidity),
they can
still get a lead. Sometime after leaving
the
inn, a merchant
offers to sell them some
goods they obviously do NOT want. Once
rejected, he offers them slaves,
|or| @ least
info about where they can pick
some ^up^. He reveals nothing if threatened,
&& if NOT, he demands the most
xorbitant
price the PCs look to be able to
afford. He accepts both money
&& goods in
TRADE although he is NOT too keen on magickal
items the
characters don't obviously USE.
Since you are giving the PCs
such an obvious clue, you should make
them pay dearly for their previous failures.
>>Leaving
Town (Elredd)>>
^^ Follow this link ^^
