A Plea for Help and the Rescue of a Prince
While the characters are relaxing in the new Traveller's Lodge, sponsored by Nybik's shares of the treasure, they receive an urgent request for help.
Prince Neden's airship has been taken down by a troll airship, and the Prince and his men are currently being besieged in their downed vessel by a group of orks. Fortunately, one of Prince Neden's men, Finin O'Danan, managed to break through the siege and proceed north to find help in Vors. It is pure coincidence that Finin stumbles upon the characters first, but that's how legends are made.
Finin will plead with the characters to come to the aid of his prince, but will spare only enough time as he believes is necessary. He will be keen to get back to the battle, but will talk with anyone he passes. If the characters are unwilling to help the characters, Ceren and Nybik will join the fray which should encourage the characters to do likewise. If the characters decide to join the fun willing, Ceren and Nybik will still join the characters.
When the characters arrive on the scene, about a half hour south of Vors, they find Prince Neden and his forces are indeed hard pressed. The characters arrival should turn the tide of the battle, but give each characters one to two orks to satisfy their blood lust.
Map 1 - Location of Crash Site
The map above gives the approximate location of the crash site relative to Vors. The orks are locals who were lead to believe, by The Blood Circle, that the downed ship was Theran. As orks rigidly believe in freedom, they will do whatever is necessary to defeat the 'Therans'. If they do find out who they are really attacking they will stop immediately and beg for forgiveness.
Once the character's save Prince Neden's life, their adventures have just begun. A description of Prince Neden, and brief statistics, can be found on pages 50 - 51 of TH.
The Brooding Prince and Family Reunion
The prince will be extremely thankful of the character's opportune arrival, and will promise the characters will be amply rewarded when he returns to Throal. He will explain that he is on an urgent mission to help combat the reports of a horror which has been harassing a T'skrang village and holding up trade conveys from Iopos and Throal. Though relations between Iopos and Throal are barely cordial at the best of times (see page 72 of TH), the trade conveys contain intelligence reports as well as refugees smuggled out of the city.
The horror attacking Pen'teran has destroyed the docks and continues to harass villagers. Trade convoys refuse to travel through the area, and so trade has trickled away to nothing. Prince Neden, on his own initiative, has decided the only way to return trade to normal is to remove the threat of the horror.
Prince Neden's force have dwindled and most of his forces are injured or dead due to the crash as well as the ork attack. The prince will be willing to employ the characters to help him complete his mission. He is not completely brash that he thinks that he can take on a horror by himself, and will appreciate any help the characters can give (and will pay handsomely).
The prince will be quiet distressed that the part must continue by foot, as the journey will take longer and he believes that the sooner they arrive the better. His distress is soon eased by the arrival of Swiftfoot. Swiftfoot was travelling to Vors to visit Bonehead, when he spotted the airship wreckage and diverted his journey to investigate. Swiftfoot will be happy to lend his airship and crew to Prince Neden's efforts which should encourage the characters to join in the fun.
Map 2 - From Vors to Pen'teran
No encounters have been selected for this part of the episode, though they can be provided to relieve tensions and once again reinforce the idea that travel through Barsaive is still dangerous. Suitable encounters can be chosen from the following list : return of the Troll Sky raiders who attacked Prince Neden's ship; another ship of crystal raiders; Chakta Birds; Crakbills; Drakes; or Griffins.
Pen'teran: Home of the Horror
Once the characters arrive in Pen'teran they have begun their journey which will end in a confrontation with the Blood Circle. The Blood Circle has made a pact with a horror to attract the attention of the Throalic Navy. The Blood Circle intends to capture Prince Neden and make him their puppet ruler, in anticipation of Valurus' demise.
The characters are going to have to help Prince Neden search for the horror preying on the villagers:
The first thing the characters should do is talk to the some of the villagers to find out what's going on before they stick their neck out too far. When they talk to the villagers they will find out that they are just being harassed and no one has been hurt. Property has been damaged and livestock have disappeared, but no name giver has died nor suffered any injuries of any sort.
The same evening as when the characters arrive, Prince Neden's party is attacked by a group of ogres at wherever they are staying. The Blood Circle want to kidnap Prince Neden, but don't wish to have to rely on their orkish underlings. Considering the run of bad luck the Blood Circle have had with orks, they have decided to use a few ogres they have captured and mind wiped. The ogres are blindingly loyal to their masters, but have little thought of their own so will attempt to complete their mission without fighting that hard. They will prefer swatting the characters out of their way and continue with their mission.
With the failed kidnapping attempt in their mind, the characters should be suspicious that there is more here than meets the eye. Their suspicions should be increased when they notice they are being shadowed. At this point make it difficult for the characters to catch the people shadowing them, as it will add to the tension, and will add to the atmosphere of the characters.
The Blood Circle are going to be very irritated at the characters are going to try to get them out of their hair. There is a crazy old man in the village who is always spouting off about something, so most people ignore him. The Blood Circle are going to use him to get at the characters, by using their horror to seize his mind, they will make the old man start raving about how some of the prince's men are horror marked. Normally the villagers are quiet well reasoned, but when the subject of horrors come into play, sense goes out the window. Eventually the villagers will start rustling up a possie and persecuting the characters. When the characters demonstrate their artisan skills, the villagers will be convinced of their purity. The old man too can demonstrate an artisan skill?
When the going gets tough, the tough start picking on horrors
When all is said and done, the Blood Circle will attempt the only other option open to them, direct confrontation. They know if they can completely overwhelm the prince's forces, their plan can still work. They will allow the horror to mark the prince and leave him in the wilderness for someone to follow. With no memory of his experiences in the village, the king will send an investigative team to the village and find it razed. The team will conclude the prince's forces were overwhelmed by the horror, and the prince barely escape with days in the wilderness taking their toll on the young prince. The incident will be forgotten and the whole affair swept under the carpet.
Thus when the Blood Circle make their full on assault the characters are going to have to both saved the prince from being marked by the horror as well as saving as many of his men and the village if possible. The characters first priority must be the prince.
The attack will occur two days after the characters uncover the crazy old man, so take the time to create some tension as well as throw the characters a few false leads, or lead them on a wild goose chase. The attack will occur at sunset, when most of the villagers are retiring, and the light is bad enough to cause confusion.
The Blood Circle will strike with a force of thirty six orks, six ogres, three Blood Circle members (Gren'ta, Fe'lik and Toh) and a horror (Despairthought).
The cliff hanger for the first cantos is the showdown between the characters and the horror. Their adventure doesn't end there, as Toh will escape from the fight, but will leave the characters with a parting message.
"You think you have won? You think this is ended? This is only the beginning my friends, and the end is yet to come!"
Success and the Voyage Home
The characters have succeed in defeating a horror and have earned the respect of the Prince of Throal at the same time. If the characters want to give things a rest at this stage, Prince Neden will try an convince them that they will receive a royal reward if they return with him to Throal. He will stress the fact he has lost many good men to the Blood Circle, and wishes to enlist the characters help in exterminating them once and for all.
Once the characters have been convinced returning to Throal is a good idea, Prince Neden will be keen to leave as soon as possible. Once again he will prey on Swiftfoot's good nature and enlist his airship for the return journey to Throal. The distance between Pen'teran and Bartertown (the entrance into Throal) is about a thousand miles, and will thus take the airship only about a day to travel.
No set encounters have been planned for this leg of the journey, but they can be easily included. Raiders and pirates are common, as well as a number of flying beasts. To break up the monotony of the journey, throw in a few encounters.
Throal, Home of the Dwarves
When the characters arrive, the first thing Prince Neden will do is to take the characters to see King Valurus. Since the airship must land on the outskirts of Bartertown, their small trip will take them through Bartertown, through the Gates of Throal, down the Hall of Jothan and to the Inner Kingdom and the royal chambers. Prince Neden will be able to get the characters through any checks along the way and a personal meeting with the King. When the characters get to the king, see Ill Met by Moonlight below.
On the characters' trip, try to describe the surroundings as much as possible to build up a sense of atmosphere about the age and grandeur of Throal. Your best source of information is, of course, Throal: The Dwarf Kingdom. For a detailed description on the layout of Throal, as well as the many wondrous thing the characters can see on their journey through the kingdom, see TH pages 114 - 138.
Ill Met by Moonlight
When the characters are taken to see the King, they are immediately ushered into the Queen's private chambers for King Valurus is by his wife's side as she wastes away to nothing. The Blood Circle's hand is once again in the pot, as they have poisoned the Queen to help their plans to conquer Throal. With the Queen out of the way, only the King stand in the way of their conquest.
The only cure for the Queen's malady is a plant which only grows on the top of Throal Mountain. The Blood Circle know this also, and have managed to gain the help of a Espagra to guard the plant against any adventurers trying to seek the plant.
King Valurus will plead with the characters to get the plant, as the adventurers he has sent so far have all failed. He will offer them anything in his power (the Games Master is going to have to reign in the characters if they make absurd requests) to find the plant and bring it back. The characters are also being let into one of Barsaive's best kept secrets, that the King himself is wasting away.
Once the characters agree, Merrox, Master of the Hall of Records, will give the characters the information necessary to find the plant. Prince Neden will once again join the characters, over the protests of his father.
If the characters need supplies or to heal up, King Valurus will assign the characters someone to buy anything they need, including booster potions to help speed their mission.
After the characters are healed and stocked up, Prince Neden will lead them out of Throal and the long arduous hike up the mountain. The characters will take a winding and treacherous path that snakes its way around the whole of the mountain, eventually reaching the peak of the mountain.
The trip should take the characters the bulk of the day and only one encounter has been provided with Chakta Birds.
The path is rocky and difficult, so to add to the tension of the journey, make the characters make a few dexterity tests to see if they can successfully climb the terrain. Extra encounters can be included, but this episode has been kept short and snappy to build up the tension and to emphasise the desperation with which the plant is needed.
Once the characters have reached the top, they are going to have to find the plant. Don't make it easier for the characters, force them to search for a while before someone stumbles upon the plant. Once they have discovered the plant, they will realise that they are not alone. For the plant has a guardian, an Espagra.
Once the characters have defeated the Espagra they will activate a message left behind by one of the Blood Circle members. The message is from Kesnok, and was recorded in the eventuality that the characters did in fact succeeded in killing the Espagra.
The air in front of you shimmers, resolving itself into the shape of a glowing blue figure. Hidden beneath the folds of a cloak, you cannot discern any features of this figure, except it is of medium height and build.
"If you are viewing this message it means you have defeated my guardian, and foiled my plans. This is the last warning I will give to the people of Barsaive. The Blood Circle will be triumphant, even if we have to drown Throal in a river of blood."
The figure turns as if to leave but pauses. Half turned, it continues.
"If by some strange fate it is my old adversaries viewing this message, those who defeated my obsidimen in the Stone Citadel and the plains, and thwarted my plans in Blood Wood . . . be especially warned. When we met anon it will be for the very . . . last . . . time."
Return to Throal
The character's return journey to Throal should once again take the bulk of a day, so the characters are going to have to sleep somewhere on Throal Mountain for the night. Their best plan of attack would be to search for a cave or a similar place to bunk down for the night.
When dawn comes the characters can continue on with their desperate journey back to the King. Prince Neden, who joined the character's on their journey, will get the characters straight through all the administrative red tape and straight back to the side of the Queen.
The Royal Healer will accept the plant graciously and will immediately set to work in fixed the antidote. After ten minutes the antidote is finished and administered. If the characters are still watching they will notice and almost immediate recovery on the part of the Queen. Though still weak, she will thank the characters profusely.
The King at this stage will thank the characters profusely, and reward the characters with a sum of money and a few magical items at the Games Master's discretion. While rewarding the characters, the King will ask a boon of them. He is livid with rage that someone would stoop to attacking his wife, and will plead with the characters to investigate the poisoning.
He will also take the characters into his study to discuss the Blood Circle and their activities. He will be as insisting as Alachia (see Blood Wood for details) on the information the characters provide, more out of curiosity than paranoia.
Once the characters accept, move on. If the characters do not accept, it is up to the Games Master to guide them in the right direction, or end the adventure here.
Investigation
There are a number of ways the characters can go about investigating the poisoning of the Queen. The following is just a list of suggestions:
The characters first line of questioning should be to find out all they can about the poisoning from the King himself. He will tell the characters that the Queen was suddenly struck down by an illness that the royal healer didn't see coming. After examining the Queen he came to the conclusion that the Queen had been poisoned by Ja'freet. He knows little of the plant, except the symptoms of being poisoned by the plant.
Next the characters are going to want to find out more about the plant. They should find a herbalist who can identify and describe Ja'freet. The herbalist will tell the characters that Ja'freet is normally administered by burning the plant and letting the victim inhale the poisonous fumes. This method is less dangerous, as the victim will not die immediately (pointing the finger at the poisoner).
The characters are next going to try and find out who would know about Ja'freet and its affects. The herbalist would be able to make a list of about twelve names of people who know of Ja'freet and its effects including the herbalist and the royal physician. To cut the list down, the characters will discover only three people would have had access to the inner sanctum of the royal chambers, the royal physician, Heramtoia the merchant and Jun'ka an amateur botanist and one of the King's servants. The only one to have direct access to the Queen's chambers is Jun'ka and the royal physician.
It was in fact Jun'ka who poisoned the Queen, but he was under the influence of Heramtoia at the time. The characters will be able to search Jun'ka's quarters and find a quantity of the plant there which should confirm the character's suspicions. If they explore further, however, they will discover that he knows nothing of the plants or the deed, but has a number of gold coins that he should not possess considering he is a servant and receives little in the way of wages.
The characters will now have to investigate the royal physician or Heramtoia. As soon as the characters decide to investigate Heramtoia, the real perpetrator of the crime, go to Shadow below. Cast a few suspicions on the royal physician, but the King and Prince Neden will quickly vouch for his integrity and loyalty to the royal family.
Shadow
As was mentioned above, the characters have been shadowed by an assassin the whole time they were investigating the Queen's poisoning. Heramtoia, the poisoner, lives in a nice part of the Inner Cities being a well-to-do merchant as well as dealer in illegal substances. When the characters arrive at his combination shop/home they will find the door open and the inside of the building ransacked. Waiting for the characters inside is the assassin hired by Kesnok to eliminate the characters once and for all.
The door lies open, swinging almost imperceptibly in the slight breeze gliding through the dome. As you enter you notice the interior of the building is dark. Items lay scattered on the floor. Books, jars, and other objects have been strewn from one corner to the next.
From the corner of the room, a shadow detaches itself and glides forward. As it approaches nearer you can tell it is a humanoid figure, one hand holding a blade of some sort.
"Kesnok has marked you for death."
With those words the figure rushes forward.
Lead by the Nose
After defeating the assassin, the characters should try and determine why the assassin ransacked the place. In Heramtoia's abode they will find documents that will lead the characters to believe he was a Blood Circle agent. The documents are communications between the merchant and Kesnok himself.
The characters are going to have to read through most of the letters to get to the really juicy ones which spell out how Kesnok intends to kill the king when he appears publicly for the first time in six months. This will both demonstrate the power of the Blood Circle and pave the way for Prince Neden to take the throne.
When the characters discover this incriminating piece of evidence, they will notice the building is on fire and all the exits have been blocked. A favourite tactic of the Blood Circle, Kesnok stationed a man outside to deal with the characters if the Hand of the Blood Circle failed. The characters are going to have to get out of the building in a hurry, or they will be burnt to death. The fire brigade have been detained, so the characters can't look for salvation there.
The Winner Takes All
After the characters have escape from the fire, they are going to have to find where the King is giving his speech and get there in a hurry. This part of the adventure is crucial. To increase the tension and enjoyment for the characters, describe in minute detail the people surrounding the characters as they try to desperately arrive in time.
