#Ivain's run

[cigarettesandinevitablebetrayal]

If I'm not allowed to take this pendant with me before I leave, I'm going to go feral

[celestedoesarttm]

hihihihi omg i heard abt u from @kip-has-fleas it said we'd get along well so hi here i am now please tell me everything about red sun omg i NEED to hear about it /lh (i'll be able to see and respond to stuff on here when i'm home alone so probably... next wednesday (unless u happen to have Sky: CotL or fortnite :3 /nf)

anyways yeah hi u can call me vio btw

i have tumblr (obviously lol /silly) and pinterest although u might have to get an invite link from me for that also i'm cloud_of_corvids on duolingo i think so do what you will with that lol /silly sooooooo yeah :3

Hello Vio!! I’ve heard some lovely things about you as well, and if there’s one thing I love it’s talking about my OCs for extended periods of time! I’ll try to keep basic Red Sun synopsis rather short, though.

Red Sun is set on a planet covered in a vast desert and lit overhead by a burning hot crimson star. There’s a City set up in a valley, a City so large that hundreds of millions of people mill about in some hundreds of thousands of levels every day. And outside of the City is the Wastes—the desert where nobody wise lives and anybody who wants to get away from civilization goes. Our protagonist, Gunhilde, is neither particularly wise nor particularly in love with her fellow man.

That’s why she and her newlywed wife, Annie, settle down in a cabin in the Wastes. And life is good and happy and lovely until their money runs out, and they can’t exactly just plant something lush and tasty in the desert. Gunhilde’s far from a stranger to her sixgun, of course, so she starts taking trips into the City every so often to do odd jobs that stray too close to the wrong side of the law for Annie’s liking.

The tension between them silently grows until, one day, Annie decides that damn it, she’s had enough. She steals Gunhile’s sixgun secretly and announces to her wife that she’s leaving, picks up her packed bag and her banjo case, and heads out the door. Gunhilde follows, protesting and pleading with her. Annie pulls out the gun to make Gunhilde leave her alone. Shock makes the sudden pain in Gunhilde’s right shoulder dull, but she doesn’t quite know if it’s shock from her body or shock at her wife—ex-wife, now, she supposes.

Gunhilde spends a sad few days alone in the house with a hurting shoulder before she decides to follow Annie into the City to find her. She stops at a sleazy bar at the very edge of the City, where she meets an interesting figure by name of Ivain Ray. Ivain’s rather interested in Gunhilde’s sorry tale, and they decide to stick with her and help her in her search. They bring her to their, ah, business partner Eloise Deorwine, the matriarch of one of the richest families in the entire City. Eloise offers Gunhilde money and resources for her search, as well as a place to stay and friendship. The cowgirl stays there for a couple of months, befriending Eilos (Eloise’s younger brother) and going to Eloise’s elaborate balls in between searching for her lover with Ivain.

Those lovely months filled with anticipation come to an end when, one day, Ivain and Gunhilde walk through an alley by one of Ivain’s bars as a shortcut and stumble upon the dead body of Ivain’s little sister, Ialde ‘Moray’ Ray.

Ivain is absolutely heartbroken, but once Eloise urges them to resume their life and stay away from drink, their grief turns into a wild desire for vengeance for whomever decided it was a great idea to shoot their sister. They start their own search alongside Gunhilde’s, and eventually their research reveals that a certain group killed Moray (on accident, it seems. At the very least she wasn’t a purposeful target) and that Gunhilde has previously worked for that group in the past, back when she was doing odd jobs for money. And apparently she’s still got quite a pretty little bounty on her head. And Ivain has lots of debts to pay.

Ivain takes Gunhilde out on a walk through the City, disguising it as another research trip. The moment they’re alone together, they pulls a gun on her and turn her in to the police for a hefty profit. (When they return home, Eloise greets them sweetly, then asks where Gunhilde is. They promptly break into tears.)

And so Gunhilde spends about a year in jail with an bullet wound to her shoulder that never quite received the proper medical care it deserved. That’s how, when Eloise finally ordered Ivain to go back and bail her out, Ivain found her with a badly amputated arm and a look of loathing in her eyes. They paid her bail and then paid an additional large number on getting her a new arm. (She tested it out by beating the shit out of Ivain. Since the arm was made of steel, it worked quite well.)

That’s currently where the story leaves off—Gunhilde staying with the Deorwines again, still looking for her ex-wife and adjusting to a new arm and new strained relationships; Ivain making deals with Eloise, being dismissive of Eilos, and avoiding Gunhilde; Eloise running the place, dealing with her vampirism, and keeping Ivain in check; and Eilos still struggling with his mental state, ripping up his paintings, and trying to remain good friends with Gunhilde. And, of course, somewhere deep in the heart of the City, you can still hear Annie singing and playing her banjo, the sound drifting out among the streets and looking for a couple of dollars.

And if some of the stuff I mentioned in that last paragraph seemed a bit out of left field, that’s because this is the HEAVILY ABRIDGED version. I’ve had to breeze past some set dressing details, Ye Miserable Bastards, the finer points of the Deorwines, the Rays’ backstory, and I’ve completely dodged the whole sorry tale of Azalai Belle and the Circus. (In my defense, that one happened a good twenty years or so before the story began.) but yeah!!

(Two last bits of promotion: Red Sun has a WIP website that I’m currently trying (and failing) to make! I also have a youtube channel where I’ve posted several animatics and songs related to Red Sun. They’re in a playlist on my channel, and the links to both my YT channel and my Neocities Red Sun website are in my bio.)

Thank you for sending in this ask, again, I love talking about my little guys and the stage show that’s dancing through my mind, so thank you for giving met he opportunity to do so. If you (or anyone else 👁 👁) have any questions, feel free to shoot me an ask and I’ll elaborate!!! :D

[liliapet]

Dérive: Situationist International Architecture & the Modern City

by Matilda Roberts

‘We are bored in the city!’ wrote Gilles Ivain, the French political theorist, activist and poet, at the age of nineteen. Boredom is a condition first really experienced, by many people, as students. Not boredom just in the sense of having little to do but real boredom where all you can feel, whether you have a lot or a little do, is an emotional flatness and a resigned indifference. Why are we bored in the city? For Gilles Ivain, writing his ‘Formulary for a New Urbanism’ in 1953, boredom is the price we pay for living in a rationalized world where ‘darkness and obscurity are banished by artificial lighting, and the seasons by air conditioning’. For Walter Benjamin, our boredom derives from the repetitive sameness that our mechanized life develops. Henri Lefebvre, a French Marxist philosopher and sociologist, also explains boredom as a modern affliction deriving from the dominance of technology. Pre-modern societies developed systems that were connected organically to the rhythms and cycles of nature. In the performance of apparently identical tasks, there was always variation and novelty, however slight. For example, ocean waves, although appearing interchangeable are each subtly different, shaped by wind and the movement of the sea. There are smaller rhythms within the larger ones; in some instances they are gentle, at other times immensely threatening. They are unpredictable; Lefebvre writes, there is ‘always something unexpected, always something which seems to be a fragment but is suddenly a whole.’ Technology has fragmented a formerly integrated style of life resulting in an automatic, essentially passive response to lived experience.

Our automatic response to boredom is to scroll the Facebook news feed, search the internet for distractions and play games on our phones or consoles. At the end of this we are very rarely left feeling satisfied or even any less bored. As students we are initiates preparing for our role in a culture of general passivity. At least this was the stance taken by the Situationist International, of which Ivain and Lefebvre were some time members. For them, everyday life in the modern world is so deadened by routine, the banality of culture and the spectacle, that deep and unrelenting boredom is the inevitable result, and total revolution the only ‘cure’. The SI formed in 1957, and it’s two key publications were published in 1967. The ‘spectacle’ is at the centre of Situationist theory. Developed by Guy Debord in his 1967 book, The Society of the Spectacle, it is a development of Karl Marx’s concept of fetishism of commodities, reification and alienation. The ‘spectacle’ revolves around the idea that we are ruled by commodity and consumption and the mass media has rendered us completely passive. The Situationist’s rejected the fragmented nature of modern society and called for synthesis, drawing many of its ideas from Surrealism, and in particular the Surrealist critique of bourgeois life. However, the Situationists spurned Surrealism’s concentration on the imagination and chance, and instead promoted the power of life and living itself. The Situationist’s thought that in restricting themselves to the aesthetic plane, art could pose no real threat to the established order.

Members of the group came up with a number of solutions through architecture. Constant Nieuwenhuys’s ‘New Babylon’ architecture would no longer be the concrete manifestation of a controlling social order. It would end nowhere; have no national economies, or collectivities. Every place would be accessible to all and life would be an endless journey across a city which changes rapidly. In his accompanying essay, ‘New Babylon’, Constant describes it as a shared residence, ‘a temporary, constantly remodeled living area and a camp for nomads on a planetary scale’. The very basis of time and space would be transformed by the introduction of free time and free movement and completely new social relationships would be created.

Gilles Ivain’s solutions to avoid boredom in the city involved splitting the districts of the city into moods.  There would be, among others, a bizarre quarter, happy quarter, noble and tragic quarter, historical quarter, useful quarter and sinister quarter. The city’s inhabitants would engage in a continuous dérive (dérive is an unplanned journey or stroll, another idea developed from Surrealism). They would completely disorientate themselves in the constantly changing landscapes. In order to inject fun and play in to the city Ivain suggested a few changes for Paris:

…the underground should be opened at night, after the trains have stopped running… rooftops of Paris should be opened to pedestrian traffic… modifications of fire escapes and construction of walkways where necessary… public gardens remain open at night unlit or with dim lighting… street lights should have switches… churches made into ruins or fearful houses… accentuate their unsettling effects…

In the city the situations we live in are created for us. The width of streets, heights of buildings, advertisements, lights, the circulation of traffic, the colours of front doors, and the shapes of windows all arrange our space and subtly shape urban lives. The Situationists wanted to radically disrupt this by disrupting the make up of the city.

While the ideas of Ivain and Constant may seem unreachable they indicate towards more realistic ways in which the boredom of modern life can be broken. Boredom can be seen as an estrangement from acting and thinking, from direct living. Natural rhythms cannot be entirely eliminated; many aspects of daily life still remain hidden and obscure, beyond the grasp of the fully legible and rational. The human body, for instance, preserves the ‘difference within repetition’ that Lefebvre thinks is lost. As long as we do not disengage ourselves from our own bodies we will still encounter chance and surprise. For the Situationist writer Raoul Vaneigem, whose The Revolution of Everyday stands alongside Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle as the canonical text of Situationist thought, creativity, love and play are life’s nutrients – the only real ways in which we can participate in the world.

While the Situationist International, as a movement, had a habit of over intellectualizing the problem of modern life, a number of their ideas regarding play in the city and attempts to interrupt daily life could be valuable in today’s society. Though they claimed art could pose no real threat to the established order, it can make successful attempts to disrupt daily life and inspire direct living. This can be achieved by escaping the alienating physical and social constrictions of traditional art practice; the separation of audience and artist, production and consumption, and creating art that invades daily life. The film The Institute, documents a situation in San Francisco in 2002 in which artists turned the city, for those who were paying attention, into a city of play. Participants in the game did not know what was going on but those who committed themselves to it reported the way in which the intervention to their daily routine changed their lives. Watch the film and you will see that this is quite an extreme example – but this kind of project can have a valuable effect on inhabitants of a city, inviting a latter day Revolution of Everyday Life at it opens the door to a new way of approaching your environment –  not just as a tool for survival, but as a place to play, create and therefore really live.

[greyhawk5e]

5e Greyhawk 2nd Level Adventure

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Housecleaning

A Second Level World of Greyhawk Adventure for D&D Fifth Edition

New NPCS

Sir Kedwyn Waters, Kensa's brother, young, confident, impatient

Wynna the Squire, Serious, ambitious, anxious to prove herself

Segrius, Newly Free Wizard, cocky, happy to be free of his former master

Hedec, No-nonsense provisioner, proud of his work, won't budge on price

Faedra, Sad, ashamed young wizard, can't believe what a fool she was

Amon, Suspicious, small minded townie, full of fear

Sister Gwenna, Impatient, Brash, Cleric of Tritherion, quick to act

Brod, Even keeled businessman, family first, wants to avoid violence

Mavis, Strong mother and wife, supports Brod but has equal say

Lillen, Young dutiful daughter, funny in a dry way

Belus, Wide eyed kid who can't wait to see the world, sick of Moonglade

Mahone, Murderous gleeful Redcap, hell bent on killing humans as revenge

Brigid, Duty-minded Sprite, appalled by inustice, ready to fight

Read to the players:

“It is Godsday, the 5th of Harvester, the year 597.  It's been three days since Cardyn's Cove was held hostage by the evil Father Zoreg and retreating forces of the Empire of Iuz.  

Father Goren is getting the Church of St. Cuthbert ready for the funeral of your former employer Cidan of Hardby.  

Young Kensa Waters has told that you a wizard of her late father's aquaintance will attend the funeral.  He can examine the magic box that Father Zoreg guarded with his life, and perhaps find a buyer for its contents.  In the meantime, she has invited all of you to her father's wake at Lakeside Manor, her family estate.  It is tonight.”

Lakeside Manor is modest, for the mansion of a wealthy trader. Still, it is the most impressive home in Cardyn's Cove.  

Cidan lies in a closed casket in the living room and the town's leading lights have come to pay their respects.  Ygraine and her partner play a tasteful medly of songs.  Father Goren blesses the body, his wife and son in their Godsday best.  Lionas the Reeve greets everyone at the door.  Kensa tries not to cry in the receiving line.  The Waters' butler Ollant serves drinks and crab cocktail.

Father Goren's wife Jedona thanks the players for saving her son Sesin.  She tells them they have found a home for the girl Ivaine and her two brothers, who the players saved from Iuz's soldiers.  At that moment, Kensa's brother Sir Kedwyn Waters, 26, arrives.  He is a newly annointed Knight of the Hart.  He took his vows with a large new class, replacing fifty knights who died in the Greyhawk Wars.  He is joined by his female squire Wynna and two soldiers.

Kedwyn was given leave by the Knights to attend the funeral and set his family's affairs in order.  The third Waters sibling, Edryc, is deployed deep in Iuz's territory, and could not return.

Interaction One

Kedwyn thanks the PC's for saving his sister and his family home.  He then asks Kensa if he could have a moment alone with the PC's. They retire to his father's study.  He tells Lovecraft he has fought the Drow and they are worthy adversaries. It makes his heart full to see a Half Orc turn to the Light.  He tells them about the Knights.  “The Knights of the Hart are an Order of humans and elves that spans three nations.  We have one purpose.  We fight Old Wicked and we won't rest until he's dead.”

He heard news of what they found on Zoreg's body.   He wonders if there are any demon globes left.  In return for one, he would defy his orders and tell them a story he learned from Furyondy's spies in Axeport.

If the PC's do not give him the globe, he tells them he expected better of a Paladin of St. Cuthbert.  He returns to his sister, and shuns the PCs.

If they give him a demon globe, he tells them how the warlock Waqounis was Iuz' governor in Axeport. How he gave Father Zoreg a sacred mission before he died, entrusting the box to him with great care.

How Zoreg and his men left the castle the night before the siege.  How the Devoted would not have fled if they weren't given direct orders. “Scarheads fight to the end.”  How Waquonis died smiling, content the box was safe.

He tells them that the boxes are built by Iuz' priests. Only they can open them.  But the boxes give off a pulse they can track.  Old Wicked has a spy network in Furyondy called the Shadowclaw. They will hunt the PCs for sure.

The next day is the Funeral of Cinan Waters.  The entire town is there.  The Church looks beautiful.  Father Goren asks Malachius to assist in the ceremony. He enjoys the shock on the attendants' faces when the Bread of St. Cuthbert is blessed by a Half Orc in a holy vestment.  Kensa vows to continue her father's work, making Cardyn's Cove the fishing capital of Furyondy.

After the ceremony, the Wizard Segrius approaches.  He is short, round, and ambitious.  He wears a cloak of billowing.  He has just completed his apprenticeship with the Wizard Janziper. Janziper is a ruthless Johrase refugee who serves the King of Furyondy on the Eastern Front.  Kensa's father stocked  Janziper's castle, and Segrius was the master of provisions.  

Interaction Two

Segrius:

“I was the apprentice of the Wizard Janziper, a ruthless and powerful man. He serves the Viscount of the March at Castle Eyeberon.”

Segrius examines the box.  The only way to open it now that it's original owner is dead is to cast Anti-Magic Shell on it, a spell far beyond his capacity.  

“Once a year, the Wizards of Furyondy and their allies will gather to buy and sell magic in a secret location, the Wizard's Bazaar. You must have a special pass, The Wizard's Writ, to enter.  This keeps the non-magical rabble out, along with any enemies of the Crown.  I can help you get in, if you'll help me.

My master was a refugee from the Bandit Kingdoms.  Iuz conquered his home city and he was tortured by hobgoblins for months.  He escaped with only his life and his desire for revenge.

It is customary to give an apprentice money when he begins his career, but Janziper had none to give.  But he did kill many hobgoblins for Furyondy.  He got the Baron of Willip to grant me the deed to Moonglade Spire, a small tower three days march from here.  It was built by a woman named Faedra 350 years ago, when Furyondy was just a minor province of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy. She grew it out of wood, with a technique long forgotten.  She disappeared soon after.  The tower has been empty since.

The local farmers won't go near it.  I know enough about the ancient wizards of the Great Kingdom to know it could be deadly.  Magic was common-place back then.  The tower is likely to be drenched in it. Kensa tells me you killed demons and fifteen of Old Wicked's soldiers.  If you inspect Moonglade Spire, and pronounce it free and clear of all dangers, I will give you a Wizard's Writ and tell you the location of the Bazaar.”

Hedec the Provisioner will provide the PCs with any equipment they need at Player's Handbook prices.  They can buy horses and a pack mule from Lionas' stables.  Segrius gives them a map.  He has a contract to help Lionas rebuild the town.  He will stay at the Narwhal until their return.  

MOONGLADE

If the PC's ride, the journey takes a day and a half.  If they walk, it takes three.  They make their way north, through grasslands, to Moonglade, an area of unincorporated farmland.  A DC 15 Perception check will reveal they are being tailed by Amon, a young man of 19.

He protests he was just curious about such a strange party of travellers.  A DC 20 Perception check will notice a symbol of Tritherion around his neck.  He has nothing of value.  He knows a boarding house near Moonglade Spire.  He says the land around the tower is cursed.

The PCs pass two corn Farms on the way.  Goats graze. Farmers eye the PCs warily.  Some make signs of Tritherion as they pass. Finally, there is a sign in Common that says “Travellers Welcome.”   This is Brod's Boarding Barn.

There is a large Barn, with cots laid out.  There is a backhouse that's used as a dining hall.  A farmer couple, Brod and Mavis run the boarding house with their children Belus and Lillen. Brod is a big guy and can handle himself in a fight.  They warn the PCs that the locals have been unfriendly since the war, and that they shouldn't tell anyone they are heading to Moonglade Spire.  The locals don't want anyone to disturb the tower and bring the curse on their land.

If asked, the farmers will tell the PCs that  vines, weeds, and giant inedible pumpkins grow uncontrollably for three acres around the tower.   No farming is possible, and each year the cursed area grows larger.  No one has gone inside for years. The last ones to do so were a teenage couple, Mack Pratt and Myllis Green. On a dare when Brod was a boy.  They never came out.

That night, the PCs are awakened by a local mob.

Sister Gwenna, Cleric of Tritherion, leads six Villagers, carrying torches and picks.  She has a trained Falcon. This is the Moonglade Militia, who run off anyone attempting to disturb the Spire.  

Gwenna demands that the PCs leave, calls them “foul sevants of Old Wicked. You must be the ones who fled Axeport!”  She sensed demonic magic with a detect evil spell, and they are “thieving barge folk, Drow and Pigbloods.”  

Brod comes outside to warn the milita off his land.  It gets tense fast. The villagers are willing to burn down Brod's farm if things go haywire.  The PC's must use magic, Persuasion, or very judicious violence to defuse the situation.

Encounter One

Gwenna, Cleric of Tritherion

AC 13 HP  27 AT  + 2 To Hit, 1d6 Mace DMG  XP 450, Trade Spell Slot for 3d6 per level extra damage,  Spells – Cantrip – Sacred Flame, Thaumaturgy,  4 slots Lvl 1 - Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Sanctuary, 3 slots Level 2 - Spiritual Weapon, lesser restoration, 2 slots Level 3, Spirit Guardians, Dispel Magic.

6 Peasant Militia in Rusty Chain Mail

AC 16 HP 4 AT +3 Spear 20/60 range 1d6+ 1 DMG  XP  25

Falcon

AC 13 HP  1 AT  +5 DMG 1  XP  10

Brod (Ally)

AC 13 HP 16  2 AT  +4 To hit Shortsword DMG  1d6 + 2, Longbow 1d8 + 2

MoonGlade Spire  - Level One

Encounter Two

The PCs are a half day's march from Moonglade Spire. When they reach the tower, the ground is indeed covered in oversized, tangled vines and weeds, and massive warped pumpkins.  Arrayed in the fields are three Scarecrows,  which come to life and attack the PC's.  At this moment, the PCs discover that young Belus has snuck away from his father's farm to watch them. One Scarecrow attacks the boy.  If they save Belus, they will get a reward from his father.  If not, Brod and all the locals attack on their return.

3 Scarecrows

AC 11  HP  36 2 AT  + 3 To Hit, Claws 2d4 + 1 DMG  XP  200 Glare DC 11 Wisdom Save or paralyzed with fear til Scarecrow's next turn.

Belus

AC 11 HP 3  

After defeating the Scarecrows, the PCs may enter the Spire. It was seemingly grown out of solid oak, with organic openings where glass is set for windows.  It is five storeys tall, and narrow around the middle. Carved into the double doors is the heraldry of the Great Kingdom.  

MOONGLADE SPIRE - LEVEL ONE

Foyer

The grand entrance-way smells of 350 years of musty air and dust and rot. Cobwebs grow thick in the corners.  It is dark.  A magical moving painting of a brunette female in a wizard robe graduating from some kind of school sits on the left wall. The heraldry of the Great Kingdom hangs in the Graduation Hall. She recieves a scroll and a small box from a smiling professor.  Her family cheers.  

Doors lead on to the:

Living Room

There is a massive fireplace and the ruins of comfortable furniture.  Two suits of ornate plate mail decorated in the heraldry of the Great Kingdom stand beside the fireplace.  A bookcase contains a book in Old Oeridian called “The Hidden Grove : Journeys Through the Feywild by Hirodus the Sage.”  It describes another plane of existence populated by fickle and powerful woodland beings. There are several bound books of “The History of Magic in the Flanaess.” There is also a license to practice Wizardry in the Viceroyality of Ferrond by His Majesty, Ivid II, Overking of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy.  There is a map of Ferrond which looks like what is now Furyondy.  

Encounter Three

If the PCs touch anything, they will be attacked by the suits of Armor.

2 Suits of Animated Armor

AC 18  HP  33 2 AT +4 to hit DMG d6 + 2 XP 200  Immune to Mental AT

At the end of the encounter, the PC's will find one Hat of Wizardry on the a hat rack on the ground.

Kitchen

The kitchen is old and ruined.  Mice scurry across the floor.  A strange Giant Butterfly flies through the kitchen as the players search it. It is beautiful and otherworldly.  On the counter is one Heward's Handy Spice Pouch, and one Bead of Nourishment.

Stairs going up lead to Level Two.

Moonglade Spire – Level Two

Study

Here is another magical painting.  It shows the redheaded woman having a dream of another land.  A whole flock of butterflies like the one that flew through the kitchen fly through a grove of giant blue mushrooms.  We pull out to see that the land lies through a shimmering portal in the sky.  The gateway seems to be 50 feet above the spot where Moonglade Spire now stands.

There is also a music stand with a copy of a piece of music called “A Night With The Fey King” and a Wand of Conducting.

Each magic painting is worth 200 gp if the PCs can cart it out of the tower.  At some point, a Baklunish rug and two mounted swords will attack the players.

Encounter Four

Animated Rug

AC 12  HP  33 AT + 5, target grappled, DC 13 escape, takes 2d6 +3 DMG each turn until escape.  Attacks do 1/2 DMG to victim, 1/2 to rug XP 450  

2 Animated Swords

AC 17 HP  17 AT  +3 DMG 1d8 + 1  XP 50  

Both go dormant for one minute from dispel magic

Balcony

Stairs up from the Study lead to a Balcony overlooking Moonglade.  Two more Giant Butterflies flit about.  

Stairs going up lead to Level Three

MOONGLADE SPIRE - LEVEL THREE

Mezzanine

There is an ancient bar with 2 old bottles of wine, worth 50 GP each. There is also a Tankard of Sobriety here. 8 Boggles hide behind the door of the Master Bedroom.  As the PCs walk from the Mezzanine to the Master Bedroom, Boggles appear from a Dimensional Rift. They cover the ground near the players in Sticky Oil.  They then jump through the rift thirty feet across to the Master Bedroom, and fire paintballs made of sheepskin at the PC's.  In Sylvan they say, “Now you're dressed for the party!  Too bad Mahone's gonna kill you before it starts!  Hahahaha!”  

Encounter Five

8 Boggles

AC 14  HP 18 AT  + 1, 1d6 -1 DMG  XP  25  Oil Puddle – Sticky 11 DC Dex check or restrained, Slippery 11 DC Dex check or fall prone. Rift transports them 30 feet away, they can attack through it.  Climb 30 feet. XP 25

Master Bedroom

The Boggles flee to the Master Bedroom and then out to the Library.  In the Master Bedroom is an old king size Canopy Bed, with a walk-in closet featuring Clothes of Mending and a Cloak of Many Fashions.

There is another Magical Painting on the Wall.  This once again shows the redhead in her bed, dreaming of a beautiful elven man in a red cap kissing her in a field of blue mushrooms surrounded by Giant Butterflies.  

Stairs going up lead to Level Four

MOONGLADE SPIRE - LEVEL FOUR

Library

A Great Library is here.  Most of the books have decayed or been eaten by bookworms, but 6 volumes of stories about people travelling to the Feywild are salvageable and worth 10 gp each from a book dealer.  The common themes of the stories are time working differently in the Feywild and magical effects seeping out of any portal to our world. The decayed skeletons of two teenagers lay dead in the corner of the room.  This is the sad final fate of Mack and Myllis. When the PCs examine the books, the large oak table in the center of the room will attack them.

Encounter 6

Animated Table

AC 15 HP 39 AT + 6 2d8 + 4 DMG, with 20 feet head start + 2d8 and prone if a DC 15 Dex check is failed.  Dispel Magic will render helpless for 1 min. XP 450

Return of 3 Boggles

AC 14  HP 18 AT  + 1, 1d6 -1 DMG  XP  25  Oil Puddle – Sticky 11 DC Dex check or restrained, Slippery 11 DC Dex check or fall prone. Rift transports them 30 feet away, they can attack through it.  Climb 30 feet.

During the fight, 3 Boggles will reappear and fuck with the players with their oils.  In Sylvan they will taunt the players, “How can you fight Mahone if you can't even fight a table!”  They will paintball them too.  

There is a Chest in the corner, with the heraldry of the Great Kingdom in an elaborate bronze plate on the top. On the chest is a Glyph of Warding. Magic Missile, cast at third level, will fire into the character for 3d4+3 DMG.

Inside is a small box, the same one in the painting of the graduation ceremony. And inside that is a Pearl of Power.  It will give an attuned spellcaster back one spell slot per day of up to 3rd level.  It is also Sentient, explaining to the PCs in Old Oeridian that it is one of 13 Pearls of Power, given to the graduating class of the University of Rauxes in the year 248.  It's mission is to further the glory of the Great Kingdom.  It asks how things are, and is horribly depressed to learn that the kingdom has fallen.  He asks where Faedra is, and is even more depressed to learn that she has disappeared.

Laboratory

Among various discarded censers and beakers is a half obscured scroll of a spell that grows wood into a building.  The scroll is damaged and unusable, but would fetch 35 gp from a Wizard.

There is another Magical Painting.  Once again, Faedra dreams of kissing the Elf in the Red hat.  He beckons from the gate above Moonglade. We then see her growing Moonglade Spire from wood to reach the portal.  There is a spiral staircase going up from the room.  Giant Butterflies fly around the stairs.  

MOONGLADE SPIRE - LEVEL FIVE

The PCs climb the stairs and as they do so, the stairs seem to go on and on and on, stretching out for at least five minutes as they spiral up and up through the tower.  Vines like those outside the tower appear on the walls.  Soon the whole wall is covered in strange vines, and tiny blue mushrooms start to grow out of them.  The Giant Butterflies are thick in the air now.  Soon the stairs stop and the PCs find themselves in a vine covered Tunnel.  They have crossed into the Feywild now.    

Tunnel

The vine-covered Tunnel is round and big enough for human sized characters to walk in if they stoop.  There is a giant Mushroom in their way.  If they touch it, it Shrieks.

Shrieker

AC 5 HP 13   XP 10  Makes a soud shrieking noise.

INTO THE FEYWILD

Clearing

When the PCs emerge from the Tunnel, they find themselves in a clearing surrounded by giant Blue Mushrooms as big as trees.  Vines cover the ground.  Misshapen Pumpkins grow everywhere.  There is a narrow path through the clearing 100 feet ahead of them, that appears to be paved with purple stones.

They will soon be attacked by 2 Quicklings and however many Boggles are left.  When there only two Boggles left, they will flee.  “Not fair!  I'm telling Mahone!” they will yell in Sylvan.  The Quicklings simply attack the PCs and steal their things, giggling all the way.  Unless they are stopped, they take everything of value from the party and hide it in the forest forever.

Encounter Seven

2 Quicklings

AC 16 HP 10  3 AT +8 To Hit DMG 1d4 + 6  XP 200  Spells Disadvantage on all Attack rolls unless incapacitated. Slight of Hand + 8, Acrobatics + 8. Speed 120!

Return of 3 Boggles

AC 14  HP 18 AT  + 1, 1d6 -1 DMG  XP  25  Oil Puddle – Sticky 11 DC Dex check or restrained, Slippery 11 DC Dex check or fall prone. Rift transports them 30 feet away, they can attack through it.  Climb 30 feet.

Gazebo One

The purple stones lead to a tiny Gazebo, where a Sprite lives.  The Sprite's name is Brigid.  She greets the players in Sylvan and asks if they are friends of Faedra.  To the denizens of the Feywild, she only showed up one year ago.

Her story is sad, and just one more example of the evil of Mahone. Mahone is a Redcap, who was born when an elf was murdered by a human settler of Moonglade.  And now he lures humans to their deaths through the portal, and spreads the curse to kill their lands.

Faedra was just the latest victim of his dream magic and now she is asleep, her blood drained to keep Mahone alive.  The Curse comes from a magic pumpkin Mahone grew.  It must be destroyed to cure the land of Moonglade and close the gate.   Brigid vows to lead the PCs to Mahone's layer and to where he is keeping Faedra.  

Brigid

AC 15  HP 4 AT Shortbow + 6 To hit, DMG 1, DC 10 Save or fall Asleep.   Invisible at will.

Gazebo Two

If the PCs follow Brigid through the woods, they will reach another, large Gazebo, with a fireplace, where three Satyrs pull on a jug of wine and smoke pungent herb.  Faedra's body lies in the Gazebo, unconscious, with her blood being drained by series of tubes into a carved wooden jug.

One Satyr has pipes and will use them to put the PCs to Sleep.  If that doesn't work, he will try to frighten them.  The other two will attack.  If any die, the third runs off to warn Mahone.  

3 Satyrs

AC 14   HP 31  AT + 5 to hit, 1d6 + 3 Shortsword/Shortbow DMG  XP 100   Spells – Pipes – Charm/Fear/Lullably DC 13 Wisdom Check.

Faedra comes to, but she is in a weakened and vulnerable state.  She can't believe what she's done, and cries.  She was so sure the Feywild would be wonderful and Mahone played on her just-out-of college naivete.  She needs to rest and Brigid vows to get her to safety. Faedra is a level 6 Wizard and appears to be 25 years old.  She is a short, pretty redhead.  If necessary, Brigid can hide the PCs long enough to take a Long Rest.

Mahone's Gazebo

Mahone is a horrible Redcap who sits in a hammock, eating Wild Boar from plates that are brought to him by the last 2 Boggles if the players have not killed them all by now.  He has a large gazebo with a firepit, a bar, and a chest of his belongings.   The vines that have saturated Moonglade emanate from a nasty misshapen pumpkin that sits in his gazebo.  If the PCs destroy it, the portal to the Feywild will close and they will be sucked back to Oerth.

Mahone tells the players that he needs blood to soak his magical hat every three days, so if they have taken his blood supply, theirs will have to do.  With that, he and the Boggles attack!

Encounter Eight

Mahone, Redcap of the Feywild

AC 13  HP 45 AT 3 To hit + 6 Sickle 2d4 + 4 DMG OR 1attack in which he runs up to a PC and attacks with his iron boots, DC 14 Dex check or take 3d10 + 4.  XP 700  

Last 2 Boggles

AC 14  HP 18 AT  + 1, 1d6 -1 DMG  XP  25  Oil Puddle – Sticky 11 DC Dex check or restrained, Slippery 11 DC Dex check or fall prone. Rift transports them 30 feet away, they can attack through it.  Climb 30 feet.

The Redcap has a treasure horde which includes a bagpipe of elven design worth 35 GP, 6 10 GP gems, 85 sp, and a Dark Shard Amulet, which allows warlocks to cast a cantrip they don't know once per day on a DC 10 Int check.

Total XP for the Adventure is 4320, or 1080 per PC in party of four.

When the players destroy the pumpkin, they blink back into the empty third floor of Moonglade Spire.  Upon exiting the Tower, they find that the countryside has gone back to normal.  When they leave the tower they find a crowd of Furyondy's peasants, including Brod and his family and any of the Moonglade Militia that are still alive cheering as they exit the tower.  They have lifted the curse and now the villagers can farm on the land that was once blighted.  Faedra is in a daze, and will accompany the PC's to the Boarding Barn.  She wishes to never see Moonglade Spire again, and will load a wagon with her remaining posessions and set out for the Great Kingdom to see what may be done about her former home.  She is not high enough level to cast anti-magic shell. She is grateful to the PCs for saving her life, and only asks for items with sentimental value to be returned (if the Quicklings didn't get them.)

Upon return to Cardyn's Cove, Segrius will listen in amazement to the tale of the PCs.  He will offer to purchase the Hat of Wizardry if the PCs don't give it back to Faedra.  He will also purchase any other items they don't want.  He will then give them a Wizard's Writ, and tell them that the Bazaar for the first time will be open to wizards from allied nations like Veluna, Greyhawk, Dyvers, Verbobonc, Celene, and Highfolk.  He gives them the location, a Fairgrounds created by magic.

New Magic Items

Moving Painting (minor, common)

This magical painting records an animated scene that plays on a ten second to two minute loop like an Instagram video.  The scene plays in perpetuity unless the painting is somehow destroyed.

[cigarettesandinevitablebetrayal]

Vethna and Sabir both bitching about how they don't trust each other because they're too similar (while less than ten feet apart) is the funniest thing

Poly romancing them is already feeling like trying to introduce a new cat to your old one

[greyhawk5e]

1st Level 5e Greyhawk Adventure

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Unwelcome Guests

A Beginner World of Greyhawk Adventure for D&D 5th Edition

Original Player Characters

Kaedriss, Bride of Boccob, A Flan Cleric of Boccob from the Bright Desert

Lovecraft, A Drow Ranger who has rejected his people's evil ways

Malachius, A Half-Orc Paladin of St. Cuthbert, raised by humans

Baba Manya, A Rhennee Warlock of The Great Old One, an anicent entity from the home wold of the Rhenee

Cast of Characters

Cidan of Hardby, Merchant, recently deceased

Kensa Waters, 18 year old daughter of Cidan, competent, pretty, and athletic

Tozen, Laborer, 30s, coward, shirked the war

Father Zoreg, Cleric of Iuz, arrogant, smart, and charming

Ygiane Harper, hard drinking lesbian folk musician

Argus Redknuckle, 50, super tough ex-boxer, F2

Ollant, butler of Cidan, helped raise Kensa, grieving for Cidan

Lionas the Reeve, 60s, town official, minor functionary in the Barony

Father Goren, 30s, priest, friendly, funny, won't talk religion without a drink

Jedona, Goren's wife, tough, a healer, not squeamish

Sesin, Goren's 8 year old son, inquisitive and joyous

Breddon, 36, disabled veteran, F7, was “in the shit” in the Greyhawk Wars

Ivaine, 14 year old girl, very brave, good under pressure.

Cawen, brother of Ivaine, 6, scared and quiet

Coren, twin brother of Cawen, scared and LOUD

Fendel, 25, Iuz Soldier, poor farmer joined up, in it for survival

Ilina, 20, Evil fanatic Devoted of Iuz, haughty, sure of her cause

Varde, 32, Practical, self-interested, quiet type

Read to the Players:

“It is an early summer evening in the fishing village of Cardyn's Cove. The sun is still out, but the twin moons of Luna and Celene are just becoming visible as the sunset begins.  It's a beautiful day here on the eastern border of the Kingdom of Furyondy, made even better because it's pay day.  Today you each have 10 gold pieces coming your way.

Most of the working age men of this tiny village of 350 are off on a crusade against the Empire of Iuz.  There is a demand for the able bodied, and for the last several weeks, you have filled it.  You've been doing various jobs for Cidan of Hardby, the richest man in the village.  His enormous fishing vessel, The Pride of Hardby, can be seen in the dock, towering over the smattering of small boats that ply the largest lake in the world, the Nyr Dyv, also known as the Lake of Unknown Depths.

Cidan hired you, but you have mostly dealt with his young daughter Kensa. With her brothers at war, she is left to run the household.  She has asked you to meet her at and her father at the Narwhal, a large ramshackle Inn, the only one in town.

As you walk towards the Inn from the north, you pass the lighthouse, which allows ships to leave the rocky harbor at night, the old stone Church of St. Cuthbert high on a hill, the homes of fishermen, and the small businesses of boat-wrights and merchants of bait and tackle.  When you arrive at the Inn a small crowd has gathered for dinner.  There is a gruff scratchy voiced Melissa Ethereidge-style female musician playing bouncy folk songs.  You are struck how everyone in town is either a woman, a child, or over 40.

While the bouncer may be 50, he's still 6'6', in leather armor and carrying a large mace with a bunch of notches in it.  He doesn't look like someone who would be fun to fight.  As you approach, he puts his hand up and says, “Welcome to the Narwhal.  The special today is spicy crab stew, put your weapons in the rack or you can't come in, no exceptions.” He points to a rack on the wall, where a couple rusty swords and an old quarterstaff are stowed.”

 If the PC's refuse to rack their weapons, a very annoyed Kensa will meet them outside the Inn.  The Bouncer (Argus Redknuckle) will fight if provoked.

15 patrons in the Inn are served by a bartender and 2 servers.  Kensa orders a round and says it's strange her dad is late. After speaking to a messenger, the musician (Ygiane) speaks.  “The King's army has defeated the forces of The Old One at Axeport.  They have taken the city!  The Legion of Black Death has been routed.  We attacked from the East, and cut off their escape route.  The Legion has scattered, and is being picked off throughout the countryside!” Half the bar cheers. Ygaine sings  “Old Wicked's Balls,” including the line, “Oh, we're bending over Old Wicked and chopping off his balls!”

Half the bar doesn't cheer or sing.  If the PCs ask Kensa why, she explains that many in the town don't think they should be fighting to free the Shield Lands, when they already fought a war to defend their own country and lost so many.  “It's not our fault the Shield Lands couldn't protect themselves.  They turned down our help before. Why should more die to help them?  We should be defending our own borders and not seeking more death, when we barely survived the last war.”

Just then, a man in a black cassock with a red priestly collar, wearing black scale male over the cassock, enters the bar.  He has black hair, and carries a short sword.  He says, “Stop talking!” His voice BOOMS through the room, and all of the candles on every table burn blood red and super high for three seconds (thaumaturgy) He then throws the lifeless body of Cidan on to the floor of the Inn.  Kensa, seeing her father dead, goes pale.  Behind the PCs, ten Soldiers of Iuz enter.  They wear black leather armor and a red tabard with a white grinning skull in the center.  

The priest is Father Zoreg of the Legion of Black Death.  He offers everyone a chance to convert to Iuz.  “I was once just like you.  I worshiped a god I couldn't see or hear, but then I found a god I could see with my own eyes.  He doesn't tell me what to eat or who to sleep with, he just asks me to kill for him and he rewards me with power and money.  Doesn't that sound wonderful?  Does anyone wish to be saved?”  

No one takes it.  He goes on, “Elements of your government have attacked our city without provocation.  We were able to take a very valuable item and flee the city before their temporary victory.  We find ourselves behind enemy lines.  We have taken your ship, the Pride of Hardby and we need men to sail us to our rendezvous point. In return, you will be allowed to live.  As you see, we have killed the man called Cidan of Hardby.  We have also killed his household guard.”

The Soldiers roll a bag of five heads on to the floor.

Zoreg continues.

“No one is coming to save you.  If you think you can flee and hide in your homes, be assured that my men are looting them as we speak, and loading your possessions on to the ship.  If you resist you will die, but we would much rather you sailed us to our destination and lived long healthy lives.  I carry an item that is vital to my immortal master and I can not fail.  You do not want to cross me.  Soldiers! Loot the kitchen and the pantry.  Take all the sausage, bread, and beer.  The rest of you, get these men to the ship, take the women and children hostage and kill them if they disobey.  You three, come with me.  I'm going to strip this town bare!”

Zoreg leaves.  The patrons  surrender.  Three Soldiers come to the PC's table

Main Encounter One

Argus

AC 12, HP 11, +3 to Hit, D6 + 1 DMG

7 Soldiers of Iuz

AC 12, HP 11, +3 to Hit, D6 + 1 DMG (Short-sword) D8 + 1 (Crossbow)

If they fight, Argus will join the players. 5 Soldiers will fight in the room.  2 will roll a wheelbarrow to the kitchen. 3 leave with Zoreg. The PCs have to get to their weapons at the rack, with three soldiers at their table.  The table can be pushed into them with a successful strength check, knocking them prone. Turned over tables proved haf cover (AC+2.)  The 2 from the kitchen will join the fight on round 4.  The last remaining Soldier, Fendel, will Surrender.

In exchange for his life, he tells the PC's: Zoreg has carried a black box  since they left Axeport.  There are twenty five in the party. Soldiers like him, Priests and The Children (or The Devoted Children of Iuz) who dedicate their lives to the faith.  The have the Greyhawk Rune for “Evil Magic” carved into their foreheads. His second in command is a “Skull Sword” named Varde, he is a sergeant in Iuz's army, his head shaved, his face painted like a skull.  Zoreg is desperate to return the box.  He doesn't know what's in it. The Soldiers carry 10-15 sp each.

If the PC's lose the fight, they wake up on The Pride of Hardby.   This ship is in the dock just south of the Inn (skip ahead)

Argus can tell them that any ship attempting to leave the town now that the sun is down will need the Lighthouse functioning to navigate the rocks.  The PC's should be able to deduce that disabling it would be a good idea.

If the PC's are badly banged up, the Temple of St. Cuthbert, across the town to the northeast, is a possible resting place.  There they will find Goren, his wife Jedona, and son Sesin, and a copy of the Book of Common Sense and The Parables of The Wise Fool. Tucked inside each book is a Scroll of Bless, and a Scroll of Cure Wounds.  There are also two Potions of Poison Resistance and a vial of Holy Water.  If they search, they will also find the back entrance out of the church, and can avoid the trap and follow the tunnel out to the docks (see Tunnel Encounter.)

The Estate of Cidan of Hardby to the north of the Narwhal  is another possibility.  Cidan's estate has been looted already, but a servant (Ollant) hid himself.  If they need to take a Long Rest, they can do it here undisturbed.

If they go anywhere in town, roll d20 every 10 minutes.  On a roll of 12 or higher, a Patrol of two Devoted and one Soldier will cross the PC's path.  A Wisdom check will allow the players to see them first.

On a roll of 5 or lower, they find three Villagers trying to escape.  The Villagers consist of a teenage girl, Ivaine, and her little twin brothers, Cawen and Coren.  If the PC's see them, they will have to figure out what to do.  If they travel more than a block with them, they will encounter a Patrol.

If the PCs investigate the Lighthouse, they will find a Patrol going up the stairs.  The walls can be scaled by a Dextrous Rogue or Ranger.  It is three storeys tall with windows on every storey, that can be kicked in from the outside.  The narrow winding staircase allows only the front ranks to fight.  Being shoved causes you to fall down the stairs on an unsuccessful saving throw.   A second Patrol guards the lantern in the top. It will be easy to smash the equipment inside once they are dealth with.  Then Father Zoreg's force will have to wait until tomorrow.

Patrol

Soldier of Iuz

AC 12, HP 11, +3 to Hit, D6 + 1 DMG (Short-sword) D8 + 1 (Crossbow)

2 Devoted of Iuz

AC 12, HP 9, +3 to Hit, D6 + 1 DMG (Short-sword), advantage on Charm

If they search the town, they will find all of the hostages are locked in the  Boat-wright building.  There are 25 in each building, including the families of the 10 men on the boat.  They are guarded by a Patrol.  Kensa is with them, as Lionas the Reeve, the top village official.  There are still 180 unaccounted for.

The Pride of Hardby

Main Encounter Two

7 Devoted of Iuz

AC 12, HP 9, +3 to Hit, D6 + 1 DMG (Short-sword), advantage on Charm

3 Zombie Pit Bulls

AC 12, HP : 5, + 3 To Hit, DMG D6+ 1, Knock Target Prone if Miss a DC 11 Dex Save,

Undead Fortitude: If reduced to zero, they rez on a check of DC 5 + DMG Dealt, to 1 HP

The loot from the town is being loaded into Wheelbarrows and stockpiled on the Docks.  A Work Crew of 5 Devoted are loading it on to the Pride of Hardby.  At any moment, 3 will be on the ship, and 2 will be on the dock.  It will take two rounds for the reinforcements to arrive.  There are several shops, including a Boat-wright and Bait Shop 100 feet from the dock, where a PC sniper could set up.  If the Devoted lose 2 men, they retreat to the ship. Torches could burn the ship, but the PCs will soon hear the sounds of the screaming townspeople imprisoned inside.

In the Wheelbarrows on the docks are the Village Archives, including Plans of the Church of St. Cuthbert, showing a secret passage from the docks to the Church that was built as an escape route.  

If the PCs lost the battle in the Inn, they wake up in the cabins, which, luckily, are made of shitty wood.  Dex and Strength checks will break their ropes. There are weapons in a crate in the captain's quarters, along with a set of Plate Mail.  Loaded on to the ship are five art objects from Cinan's estate worth 50 gp each.  There is also a Scroll of Dispel Magic.  

On the below deck of the ship are the ten prisoners, including Tozen, and disabled veteran Breddon, locked in the crew cabins. They are guarded by 2 Devoted commanding 3 Zombie Pit Bulls, which roam the halls in a set pattern.  The Devoted are stashing the town's valuables in the caargo hold.  They will attack the PCs on sight.  

If the PCs start the fight from being captured, the Devoted from the docks will come down to help once the fight starts going badly for Iuz.  But no matter what, the PCs should not have to fight all 7 and the Pit Bulls at once. Break it into waves.  

If the PC's win, the last Devoted alive, Ilina, will tell them that even if they sink the ship, it won't matter.  Zoreg has all he needs to cast the Hailing Ritual, and contact his master.  

Once the encounter is over, the PC's will learn that the Cleric of St. Cuthbert, Father Goren, his wife Jedona, and their son Sesin have been captured and taken to the Church, and that the remaining Iuz forces were seen rolling a black box in a wheelbarrow there.  They will also learn that they collected Nightshade, Mandrake, and Blood Moss from the Apothecary.  If the PC's can learn what a Hailing Ritual is (Breddon knows this, as well as anyone making an Arcana check) they will know they can't do it until dawn, so there is time for a Long Rest.  If they check the town records and look at the Church Plans, they find they can enter through the Escape Tunnel that ends up in the Old Boathouse.

Tunnel Encounter

2 Giant Centipedes

AC : 13, HP 6, + 4 To Hit, 1D4 Damage,

Poison Save DC 11, 10 DMG + Paralysis for one hour unless Cured

This is a long dirt tunnel that leads from under a building near the docks to the

Church of St. Cuthbert.   If the tunnel is used, 2 Giant Centipedes will attack.  A stealthy PC with Darkvision can find their nest and distract them with meat or Corpses so they do not attack the PCs.

The tunnel slopes up to the entrance under the Church. There is a trap door, which opens downward into the tunnel, so one can climb into the church.  It is trapped, with a large iron ball set to fall on the intruder's face when they pull the door down.  If the player does not disarm the trap or stand to the side when opening it, an Iron Ball falls on them, doing 1d6 damage.  The back entry way goes up into the store room of the Church (skip ahead.)

If they don't use or learn of the Tunnel, they have to go through the front door. Varde and 2 Soldiers block the front.  A Devoted stands on the roof and signals if the players come from either side.  There is a Lesser Glyph of Warding on the door, which will be found by examining it.  It registers as evil and magic. If Dispel Magic is used, the doors may be opened safely.  If not, take 1d8 damage. Varde is a Skull Sword (Sergeant) in the Army of Iuz.  His face is painted like a skull.  

Front Door Encounter

1 Devoted of Iuz

AC 12, HP 9, +3 to Hit, D6 + 1 DMG (Short Bow), advantage on Charm,

2 Soldiers of Iuz

AC 12, HP 11, +3 to Hit, D6 + 1 DMG (Short-sword) D8 + 1 (Crossbow)

Varde, Skull Sword of Iuz

AC 12, HP : 20, +5 To Hit, 2d6 + 3 DMG, 2H Fighting : Re-roll 1,2.  

Second Wind: Can add 1d10 HP Once

Inside, the PCs will find Father Goren and his family tied upside down to the statue of St. Cuthbert, making the Evil Magic Rune symbol.

They are performing a Hailing Ritual.  If they perform a spectacular act of ritual murder to enemies of Iuz, it will draw his attention and they may ask him a favor.  In this case to be teleported home to safety.

  2 Devoted chant and play drums made of demon skin.  2 other Devoted do an elaborate dance, while Father Zoreg sprinkles goats' blood with a dead branch on the altar.  There are three ceremonial knives and a ceremonial bowl in front of the family.  If attacked, Zoreg and the dancing and drumming cultists will continue the ritual.   They will only attack if the PCs disrupt the ritual by rescuing Goren and his family.  If one of them is moved to safety, they drop their chanting and attack.  Varde and the guards will enter if still alive and the PCs seem to be mopping the bad guys up, but it is important not to throw too many villains at them at once, as they are 1st level.  A long arduous fight of many enemies in succession makes for a great climax, but two many at once is a sure party wipe.

The two 2 other Devoted, not involved in the ritual, will throw demon globes at the PCs.  They have 5 with the souls of Manes trapped inside them, and one with the soul of a Dretch.   A demon globe is a glass sphere covered in runes that contains a demon's soul in smoke form.  When it shatters, it releases the smoke which forms a demon which can attack next round.  

All it takes to disrupt the ritual is to douse a burning concoction of incense and reagents in the center of the room, or free any one of the prisoners.  Once this happens, the remaining Devoted will stop the ritual and fight to the end.  However if Varde or the Soldiers are the last ones left, they will flee.

Main Encounter Three

6 Devoted of Iuz

AC 12, HP 9, +3 to Hit, D6 + 1 DMG (Short-sword), advantage on Charm

Father Zoreg,

AC 15, HP : 18, +2 to Hit , DMG 1-6,  

Touch of Death: Add 9 HP to One Attack Once

Chill touch 1d8 Attack, Command, Shield of Faith (+2 AC), Bane (-d4 AT/SV for 4 Characters) 1 Potion of Gaseous Form

5 Manes Demons (from demon globes)

AC 9, HP 9, + 2 to Hit , D6 + 5 DMG 2d4

1 Dretch Demon (from demon globes)

AC 11, HP 18, 2 AT + 2 To Hit, Bite : D6 DMG, Claw, 2D4 Damage

If the ritual is disrupted, Zoreg will grab the box and run down the passage to the docks and attempt to steal a boat himself.  

If Father Zoreg dies, the PC's will find his box.  It cannot be opened except by magic beyond the ability of the players, but gives off magic and evil.  

Magic Items

Vayne's Demon Globe – A Magical Glass Eight Inch Sphere.  If thrown at the ground it shatters and releases the demon imprisoned with in it in gaseous form.  The demon grows to full size and solidity and attacks the nearest character on the next round.   

Null's Impenetrable Box (major, rare)

This item is a black box about one cubic foot in volume.  It is made of an odd black laquered wood into which odd runes in Abyssal are carved into every surface centimeter.  It gives off strong magic and evil if detect spells are used on it. It cannot be opened by any means except by the creator of the box. It is indestructible.  In this case, the locket of the Great Kingdom (from Greyhawk Adventures) is inside it.  The soul inside the locket can normally cast magic jar, feeblemind, and animate dead but because it is inside the magical box, it cannot affect anything outside the box's walls.  The only way to open the box without it's original creator is to cast anti-magic shell. This will also negate the properties of the locket so it would have to be removed from the box and the shell for the soul inside (currently Waquonis, a Warlock of Iuz) to use it's powers to free itself from the locket.