Quest - Shazora

Goal: to find out Shazora's intentions with respect to the artifacts she is gathering and thwart her plans. It will be necessary to discover more about her in order to succeed.

The party has 2 possible paths to travel in order to reach Galfindor, Shazora's place of birth: North to Witbury, then West to Galfindor; or West along the coast to the small villages of Flo Bos and Lostbeach, then north along the river to Galfindor.

Traveling to Galfindor: {{{1

Witbury Path: {{{2

En Route to Witbury: {{{3 As the road turns around a bend at the foot of a hill, the party hears a commotion ahead. A wagon, laden with what looks to be furniture and other housewares, stands to one side of the road. In the front sit two people, a man and a woman; in the rear, nestled among the cargo, you see two young children (perhaps 3 and 5) peeping out. Surrounding them is a group of armed men on horseback. One of them grabs the man and pulls him out of the wagon.

Brigands (4xMR 57, 1xMR 56) If more than 1 of their number is killed, they will ride away, apparently in flight, then turn and shoot arrows at the party from a distance of about 150 ft (3d6 dmg, SR target ≥ 9). While retreating, they lose that round in combat (if the party attacks them).

Man: Wilmur Sanford. 25 years old, short dark brown hair, long mustache, sunburned. A laborer on his uncle's vineyard, he and his family decided to try to try their fortunes in Summershore working for the Baron, who was always looking for able-bodied men to serve in his guard. Woman: Greta Sanford. 23 years old, very short, with a round face and sharp nose. Light brown hair partially concealed under a headwrap. Kids: Zander and Biscuit, who are fascinated yet frightened by the party.

Reward: 70 AP each, 50 gp for the party

Witbury: {{{3 As the party enters the town square, they see a very round, middle-aged man standing on a platform and addressing a crowd of townspeople, who are clearly very upset with him. "What about the orcs, then?" one of them shouts. "Why haven't you done anything about them, eh? We can't work in the fields, we can't bring our goods to the city, we can't even open our front doors without risking an attack from those beasts. And what are you doing about it? Nothing at all!" "Good people! Do not fret!" the fat man says. But even though his smile is wide and his manner reassuring, even you can see that he is sweating. "The problem is being investigated and will be resolved to everybody's satisfaction shortly. When I have further news to report to you, I will do so. Until then, there is nothing for us to discuss!" And with that, he moves off toward an official-looking building on the west side of the square. He catches sight of you, however, as he walks. (If the party doesn't follow him, a magistrate emerges from the mayor's office and seeks the party out, telling them the mayor wants to speak with them.

Mayor: Brently Bumswell. 50 years old, fat, thinning hair combed over the top of his head. Wears fine clothes and elegant rings, and smells faintly of scented oils. Smiles a lot, until he either doesn't get his way, or he does and the party is of no further use to him. The mayor tells them the town has been having problems with a roaming band of orcs who have set up camp nearby.

Have a player roll 2d6-7. 0: Players immediately find the camp, surprise the orc guards, and get a free round of combat against them. Anything else represents the number of rounds it takes them to find it, preceded by an ambush. For each round, roll 1d6: a 1 or 2 means an encounter with 4x Grunts (MR 70). 5: A grainfield. Wheat sways in the wind. A broken plow lies nearby. 4: A thinly wooded area. At the edge of the copse of trees there is a small shrine to a woodland spirit. 3: A wide, shallow stream trickles past. The ground is marshy, and some cattails grow in the mud by the bank. 2: A small path winding around the foot of a steep hill. A lone, dead tree caps the hill. 1: Ambush. In searching for the camp, the party enters a clearing. Suddenly, arrows are fired, and a group of orcs emerges from hiding and attacks. 4x Grunts (MR 70, below). Fire a volley of 4 arrow shots at the party (SR target 8, 3d6 dmg). Melee attacks afterward.

Orc Camp: Grunt MR 70, Armor 3 Spite 2: Nasty Stab. 1d6 dmg to 1 random person. 2x Spite 2: Two orcs team up and deal 1d6 dmg to 3 random persons. 3x Spite 2: Three orcs team up and deal 1d6+4 dmg to all 4 party members.

Commander MR 100, Armor 5 Spite 3: Feint. Does not take damage this round. Spite 4: Rally. All Grunts receive an extra +4 dmg to their rolls this round.

Loot: Longbow, bronze helmet (+2 armor, 16 gp), leather armor x4 (+3 armor, 90 gp ea.), 200 gp

Reward: 150 ap, 250 gp

Coastal Path: {{{2

Flo Bos: {{{3 Flo Bos is a smallish port town -- hardly a village, but clearly living in the shadow of the larger and more prosperous Summershore. An inn, the Frog Rampant (which depicts a heraldic shield emblazoned with a rearing frog on its sign), lies near the port itself.

As the party enters the Frog Rampant, drunken dockhands at the bar examine them with open hostility. One, a tall man with a shock of red hair poking out at odd angles from his head, gets up and approaches the party. He is visibly weaving. He makes some ugly comments about the non-human members of the party and is spoiling for a fight. He will pull a knife and lunge towards them, joined by his friends, who have been circling them while he speaks.

Rusty MR 50. Drunks MR 39 (x6)

If the party kills anybody, the inkeeper will not let them stay at his inn. If the party tries to insist, the large mob that has been gathering, some 30-50 people, ought to persuade them to leave town quickly.

Lostbeach: {{{3 Notice posted in the square: A reward is offered to anyone who can rid Lostbeach of some threatening monsters. Interested parties are invited to speak to the mayor.

At the mayor's office, the party finds 3 people present: Adam Greene, the mayor; Richard Malthus, the judge, and Geoffrey Lamb, the local priest. Speaking to them, they get the story about the notice. A ghost ship has suddenly started appearing every few nights out in the harbor, sends out a dinghy to shore, and phantom figures disembark. No one knows why, but everyone is terrified to approach the shore now, even by day. For a port town, the mayor says, this is a true crisis. He asks for your help, and offers a reward of 500 gp if you are able to resolve the situation.

If the party investigates, they will find that they cannot harm the ghosts, and that the ghosts (for now) do not attack them, either. Their leader, a tall, dark figure in a broad hat, will speak to them:

"In life, I was known as Tom the Black. I and my crew ruled the southern coast of Treland, and our name was known and feared as far away as Persh and even Cudland. Nobody could match our ship for speed, or our crew for bravery and daring. One day, we came across the flotsam of a ship that had been wrecked in a terrible storm the night previous. Clinging to the shattered mast we found a young boy, no older than ten, still breathing. He was the only one left alive. We took him in, saved him from the circling sharks, made him one of us, first a cabin boy, then later a sailor and fighting man. His name was Jack Hawkins, but we called him Hawk. He grew up with us, became a fierce swordsman and a cunning navigator. I planned to make him my successor, a captain in his own right, but disaster struck. We were surprised during a raid on a seaside town. Instead of taking the port by storm, we found ourselves suddenly surrounded by the King's navy and taken prisoner. As we were led up the gallows, we saw him, Hawk, in the front row of the crowd. He laughed, shook a bag of coins at us. As the platform dropped and the nooses tightened around our necks, only then did we understand. He had betrayed us for the price on our heads. That was twenty years ago. But every night since, we have sailed our ghostly ship over the night-black sea searching for Hawk. And every night, he has eluded our sight..."

As Tom has been speaking, the ghostly flesh on his face has slowly been decaying and melting away. Now nothing but the skull remains as he finishes his tale, his voice a rasping wind: "But we have foouunnd hhimmm nnnoowwwwww...."

Tom demands that the party locate Jack Hawkins and bring him to them, saying that they have already spoken to him in town. The party has two basic choices: placate the ghosts, or refuse / help Hawk. If they agree to help Tom, he will say, "Good. Find him. Strike him with this. Bring him to us." He offers the party the spectral dagger from his belt. It shimmers with unearthly iridescence, and although players can wield it, it still seems immaterial.

Help the Ghosts: 3 major suspects: the mayor, the judge, the priest.

• Adam Greene, the mayor: A solidly built man in his late 30s or perhaps early 40s, thick dark hair, graying at the temples. When the party returns to Adam, they find him drinking tea in his office. At the sound of the name "Jack Hawkins," he fumbles his cup. He came to Lostbeach some 15 or 20 years ago and set up a shipping business. After years of sucess in business, he set his sights on politics last year when the old mayor passed on.
• Richard Malthus, the judge: A ruddy, avuncular man with a long, aristocratic nose and heavy eyelids. Looks to be in his early 50s. Came here from Bineley, a town to the east, some five years ago. Before that, he served in various towns throughout the Baron's lands.
• Geoffrey Lamb, the priest: A lean, almost scrawny man in his 60s, with thinning hair that is now snow white in color. Lived here all his life, as other townsfolk will attest to.

If the party strikes Adam with the phantom dagger, he will fall limp to the floor -- unconscious, not dead. If they bring him to the shore, Tom the Black will revive him before the rest of the crew forces him to board the dinghy. His frenzied shrieks can be heard for a few minutes as they start back to the ship. Then both the dinghy and the ghost ship shimmer for a moment and disappear. Then there is nothing but silence.

Reward: 200 ap each. When they return to their room for the night, a brine-soaked chest sits on their bed, dripping with jewels. 600 gp.

Help Hawk: Geoffrey Lamb, the priest, says he can exorcise the spirit, but also needs the cause of their ire to be present at the ritual. He will temporarily bless the party's weapons so that they can fend off (although not permanently destroy) the ghosts, who will immediately attempt to snatch Adam (Hawk) from them. Their job is to buy Adam and him time to complete the ritual. The ghosts, once they realize that they've been betrayed again, will attack in force.

Tom the Black (MR 153) Spite 2: Yo-Ho-Ho. Tom takes a swig from a murky bottle with one hand while he attacks with the other. Add 2d6 to this round's HPT for the ghosts. Spite 3: Cutlass Swipe. 1d6 dmg to random target. Spite 4: Golden Showers. A rain of gold coins suddenly begins to fall all around you. Everybody roll 2d6 (target 7) or do half damage next round due to the distraction. Spite 5: Davey Jones' Locker. A swirling darkness momentarily overtakes your senses. Even after it clears, you all find it hard to focus. Everybody subtracts 1 attack die from their attack for the next 2 rounds.

Crew (MR 22) x6

After the battle, there is a moment's stillness, before the spectral glow of the ghosts begins to grow again. Just as it takes form, the priest finishes his prayer. "BEGONE, FOUL DEMONS!" he bellows, and bolts of light pour out of his hands, blinding you. When you recover, all traces of the ghosts are gone. Turning to Adam, however, you see his body crumpled on the sand, a look of absolute terror on his features.

Reward: 100 ap each. Malthus, the judge, sees to it that you are paid the 500 gp promised by the late mayor. Galfindor: {{{1

Priestess of Yendor will answer questions about Shazora; also seem puzzled as she speaks to the adventurers. Why do they seem so... weak... for a group of monsters? Where are their powers? She will offer to help, if they promise to battle Shazora. As a token of their intentions, she asks them to rid her community of a necromancer who is harvesting the local cemetery and has also started preying on the populace.

Kill the Necromancer: {{{2 They find a barrow, inhabited by a necromancer who has set up his workshop there. Also, in one tunnel, a puzzle.

Necromancer MR 150. Spite 2: Heal Zombie up to max health. Spite 3: Drain 1d6 CON from 2 party members, add to his own or to zombies'. Spite 4: Deadens feeling in one target's weapon hand. Halves dmg for 2 rounds. Spite 5: Summons additional zombie (MR 19).

7x Zombie MR 19. Spite 3:

Back room contains 3 pedestals with inscriptions on them, and a variety of items spread out in a semicircle in front of the pedestals.

Riddle 1: "Give me food and I will live. Give me water and I will die." (Fire)

Riddle 2: "I am light as a feather, yet no man can hold me for long." (Breath)

Riddle 3: "Pronounced as one letter, And written with three, Two letters there are, And two only in me. I'm double, I'm single, I'm black, blue, and gray, I'm read from both ends, And the same either way. What am I?" (Eye)

When all 3 items are placed on their pedestals, a hollow opens up in the back wall, containing: 500 gp

• Razor whip (4d6). Once per day, may be invoked to inflict fire damage for the

duration of a single combat. (+6 dmg)

• Potion of Acid Breath (3 doses). Inflicts 3d6 damage on anyone in the 3 spaces

immediately adjacent to the user (in a given direction).

• Monacle of Superciliousness: When worn, +2 IQ and WIZ.

All players receive 200 AP.

Reward from Priestess: {{{2

• Vanth (Fire Demon Rogue):
  1. Vanth can now cast Blasting Power (9 WIZ): Blast of fire that does (Character Level)d6 + (Personal Adds) damage to all creatures in a 5-foot radius of the target (i.e., immediately adjacent to it).
  2. Flame Whip (15 WIZ, lasts 3 rounds): Vanth can summon a phantasmal cat-o-nine-tails of hellfire, which inflicts Xd6 dmg + X for 3 rounds afterwards (where X is her current character level). The damage is magical and bypasses any armor. It also stacks (i.e., hitting the same target repeatedly will cause more burning).
  3. Weakness towards holy items: As Vanth's demonic power grows, so does her sensitivity to the powers designed to combat it.
     1. She now takes triple damage from holy or blessed weapons (this includes spite damage); and
     2. finds it difficult to focus in temples or on other holy grounds. On all saving rolls made under these conditions, roll 3d6 and discard the highest die. If the result is a double, continue all DARO rolls using this same mechanic (3d6, keep lowest two).
• Firenzia (Centaur Wizard):
  1. Healer by Nature: When sober, he can now cast Poor Baby (heals 1 CON per 2 WIZ) up to the maximum of his WIZ -- but does not use up his actual WIZ, as if he has a secondary pool of magical power just for this purpose. As his WIZ stat increases, so will this pool.
  2. Gifted with the Bow: Whenever Firenzia is shooting with a bow, he now gains the following bonuses:
     1. He doubles all DEX saving rolls made in aiming; and
     2. adds 1d6 damage for every level Firenzia has reached.
  3. Boozehound: When confronted with alcohol, he must make a SR vs INT at the level of his character. Failure means that Firenzia will lose control and happily drink every drop in sight right then and there, even if it is not an opportune time to do so. As a result, for the remainder of the day, otherwise simple actions may require saving rolls. Also, depending on the amount that was consumed in the situation, he will suffer penalties on saving throws as follows:
     1. Buzzed: On all saving throws, roll 3d6 and keep the lowest 2 dice.
     2. Moderately Drunk: Roll 4d6 and keep the lowest 2.
     3. Hopelessly Blotto: Roll 5d6 and keep the lowest 2.
• Lupin (Werewolf Rogue):
  1. Transform (5 WIZ/round):
     • +50% SPD and STR (round up)
     • BUT, subtract this same amount (whichever is highest) from IQ. If as a result this falls to 3 or below, Lupin will enter an animal rage and attack both friends and foes at random. This will continue for 1d6-2 rounds before Lupin returns to human form.
     • Cannot use weapons in wolfen form; however, does do 2(Ld6) damage with his claws, where L is his current character level.
  2. Constant regeneration: +1d6 CON/rnd
  3. Weakness to silver: Silver does 2x damage & heals slowly (at the rate that normal people heal). This includes spite damage.

• Haela (Vampire Warrior):
  1. Hypnotism: Haela can dominate the will of another person/creature. In making the attempt, both she and the target make 2d6 rolls and add their CHR (or MR/10 + 10). If her result is the higher, she controls the target for as many rounds as the difference in rolls. If she fails, she cannot attempt to control that target again for as many rounds as the difference in rolls.
  2. Bloodsucker: While she does not need blood to survive, drinking it does provide some definite... benefits.
     1. Healing: When drinking the blood of the living (creatures / characters with zero CON do not provide this benefit), every point of CON drained provides Haela with 1 CON, up to 10 points above her normal CON maximum. This artificial boost is only temporary, however. It lasts until she takes damage; non-blood forms of healing will only bring her CON up to its normal maximum.
     2. Rush: Immediately after feeding, she will experience a rush of power from her meal. +50% STR and DEX. This effect lasts 1d6-2 rounds (minimum of 1 round).
  3. Sunlight: With the development of Haela's vampiric powers, she also begins to suffer their drawbacks. Sunlight, while not (yet) deadly, causes her a measurable degree of discomfort and disorientation. On all saving rolls made in direct sunlight, roll 3d6 and discard the highest die. If the result is a double, continue all DARO rolls using this same mechanic (3d6, keep lowest).