The Victim
This encounter will
preferably be in the
Thieve's
Quarter, but may occur anywhere.
It is also preferable
to use this encounter
after the party decides
to split into 2 or
more groups (if they
do). If the party splits,
make sure to physically
separate the players
into their groups
so that one won't know
what the other is
doing. Randomly select
1 of the groups to
have this encounter.
Just as the group
rounds the corner, they
hear a familiar voice
cry out in pain from
behind them.
There, stumbling out of the
shadows,
is one of the other party members
(As referee, select
the party member you
feel will gain the
most trust and sympathy of
the group.) He appears
to be injured
severely. Staggering
to his friends, he says
they were attacked
by a large band of thugs
only a little distance
away. He then grasps
1 of the PCs and
collapses
with a faint murmur.
"Help me..."
The injured party
member is actually a
rakshasa.
His plan is to send most of the
group off on a wild
goose chase, leaving him
alone with 1 character,
who will be easier
to overcome than
a group. He warns the
others to be careful--the
brigands may be
using a poison
that weakens. He caught a
blow and now feels
as if he can hardly
MOVE. He suggests
someone remain with
him until he recovers
and then they will
both catch up. If
all characters in the group
want to leave, he
will lag behind, hoping to
draw 1 other character
back to be
attacked.
If the rakshasa
is injured and has 20 or
fewer HP
remaining, he will attempt
to escape by casting
invisibility upon himself;
or, in desperation,
by using his illusion
powers to look like
1 of the party or one
of the city guard.
If any cleric makes an
attempt to cast a
bless spell, the rakshasa <Ceremony:
Consecrate Item?>
will fly into
a rage, stopping at nothing to
slaughter that character
before the spell can
be finished. The
actual shape of the rakshasa
will not be seen
unless his magical illusion
is dispelled
or the creature is slain.
If the party does
not split up into 2 or
more smaller
groups, the rakshasa will
assume the form of
one of the guests from
Dame Golds'
party. He will appear to be
wounded. In this
guise he will attempt to
convince someone
in the party to escort him
to a safe place.
The idea, of course, is to
allow him an easy
attack. If successful, he
will return as that
party member, hoping to
continue his sneak
attacks. If all else fails,
the rakshasa will
attack the rearmost member
of the marching order,
and will try to
escape. If the rakshasa
is killed, it will be
seen that he is wearing
an intricate necklace
of Vedic design,
made of gold
and platinum
and set with five
rubies: the total value of
the necklace is 8,000
GP.
Rakshasa:
AC -4; MV 15"; HD 7; hp 50;
#AT 3; D 1-3/1-3/2-5;
SA illusion, esp,
immune to 7th level
and lower spells,
weapon +3 or better
to hit; AL LE
THACO 13
XP 1325
The
Wind of Covetousness
As you START down
the street, the gentle
breeze which had
been coming trom <wind speed = x>
behind you dies.
A new wind, with a
strange but not unpleasant
smell, gently
wafts toward you.
In the light of the oil
street lamps, you
see and hear 2 men
and a woman arguing
loudly over possession
of a ring.
At this point have
the players each roll a
D20: those rolling
above their Wisdom
score have failed
a saving throw and will be <Ability Checks,
WSG>
affected by the Wind
of Covetousness, a
strange magical breeze
which can occur
anywhere. Those affected
strongly desire
the ring which the
townspeople are arguing
over, feeling strongly
justified in some
strange way that
the ring should he theirs.
The townspeople in
turn covet belongings
of the characters,
with the same convictions
in their beliefs.
Affected characters begin to
eye the belongings
of other characters. and
so on. If the PCs
do not start a
brawl the townspeople
will. However,
townspeople will
fight to subdue, not using
weapons
unless they are attacked in the
same manner.
Characters who make
their initial save vs.
the Wind feel a strong
desire to possess the
ring, but they will
be able (with a struggle)
to fight it off and
act freely. These characters
may draw affected
characters away by
throwing a coveted
object some short distance,
which the affected
characters will follow.
If the characters
can be led around a
corner which is blocked
by a building, the
Wind will lose its
hold over the character.
Otherwise an affected
character will remain
so until 2 game turns
have passed (and
the Winds move on),
or until the character
has been rendered
unconscious due to subdual
combat damage. <Subdual,
UA>
| Coming down the street
toward you is a
tall but very burly man with an officious air. Behind him trail 4 guardsmen. His neutral expression turns into a smile as he sees you and moves to intercept. "A word with you, gentle folk, if 1 may," the man says. "I am Tudwill, the Exalted Magistrate to the Council of the Nine, blessed be their names, and I'm afraid you have inadvertently broken some city ordinances. |
Tudwill does in fact
serve as a judge in
trivial matters of
law, but all matters of
import are routed
to more important magistrates.
He earns the majority
of his income
by catching people
in the act of committing
minor infractions
and collecting the fines at
that time;
to put it another way, he issues
tickets and then
"fixes'' those same tickets.
He is incredibly
inventive at twisting the
actual law to cover
whatever circumstances
are around, and his
fines vary by what he
judges the accused
actually has (usually
50%-75% of what the
victim has at the
time).
Naturally, none ot
this makes Tudwill a
beloved public figure
and normal townspeople
go to great lengths
to avoid him.
Still, he is a bit
of a comic figure--a corrupt
petty bureaucrat,
all pomp and air. Unfortunately,
he must be taken
seriously, for he
does have the power
to imprison offenders
in the slave
pens, and the offender might be
sold before he comes
to trial! Charges he
might bring against
the party include: more
than 4 people in
a group after dark (if
applicable); possession
of non-Suderham
currency (if they
haven't been to the moneychanger);
resisting an officer
of the law (if
they argue about
their guilt); possession of
possibly forged passes
(whether they are real
or not); public intoxication
(whether they are <Effects of Alcohol and
Drugs, DMG>
sober or not); failure
to wipe feet before
crossing the street;
failure to cross street at
the proper point;
failure to render assistance
to an officer of
the law; obstructing the path
of an officer of
the law; etc., etc. Tudwill will
settle for a total
of 40 GP from
the
party, though he
will try for more.
Taliesin
the Bard
-
| Walking down the
street you hear the
haunting strains of a ballad of doomed Love roll forth in a rich baritone voice accompanied by a lute. When the bard finishes his song, the dozen or so bystanders erupt into deserved applause. You, too, have felt your heart strings tugged by this man's magickal voice. His dark eyes wander over the crowd as he turns, acknowledging the applause with nods. He faces your party, makes eye contact, and nods slightly in your direction. There seems to be a mysterious magnetic power about him. But, with his performance done, he gathers his money and disappears down the street. |
Later in the night,
when the PCs
are in a tavern,
Taliesin will reappear.
Casually approaching
the PCs,
he will draw them
into a quiet corner
for drinks and discussion.
Taliesin is a thoughtful,
sensitive fellow,
but what has happened
to him lately he does
not fully understand.
Many months ago he
felt compelled to
set out on a long journey.
He did not know where
he was going or
why, but remembering
the teachings of his
druidic master,
he went. His old master had
often talked of the
spirit dream sent by The
Earth Spirit,
and perhaps that was what this
was. At any rate,
he followed the call.
At 1st, as he traveled,
his wanderings
were random, vague,
and incomplete. But
as weeks passed,
his footsteps became more
and more deliberate,
finally bringing him to
this place. And on
his journey he had
dreams--dreams of
fire, churning seas,
darkness,
and blood. In
these dreams he
saw the faces of
the PCs and
knew that he had
to find them. But, Now
that he has you,
he doesn't know what he is
supposed to do.
Clerics
who magickally investigate Taliesin
have no trouble detecting
a strange aura
about him--he is
somehow special. However,
nothing more will
be revealed. He
wants to help and
will answer all the questions
of the PCs. At this
point,
you must decide haw
much he knows and
how much you want
to reveal to your players.
If they are having
a difficult time finding
where to go next
and what to do, allow
Taliesin to be well-informed
about the slave
lords
and their movements. He will be able to
give them several
solid clues about where to
go and what to LOOK
for. If the PCs
have had successes
already, have Taliesin
suggest that things
here may run deeper than
expected--that some
thing or some power as
yet unsuspected is
present here. There is a
greater adventure
here than meets the eye,
one that continues
into Queen of the Spiders
The Catacombs of Suderham +