Scales of War - [Lvl 7] - Den of the Destroyer.pdf - Scales of War - Kitraida

"The armies that today

march across the ﬁ elds

and mountains of the world

will tomorrow be forgotten,

as will we all. But do not

fear the progress of history,

nor give up in today’s ﬁ ght,

for our e orts are far from

futile. Instead, prepare

your sword and shield and

stand against the tide that

threatens to overwhelm our

lands. For though you and

I may be forgotten in the

years to come, what we do

today will echo through the

ages and determine the fate

of all those who follow

in our footsteps."

by Rodney Thompson

illustrations by Jason A. Engle,

Rob Alexander and Steve Prescott

✦

cartography by Mike Schley

D e en

D estroyer

of the

November 2008 | DUNGEON 160

An adventure for 7th-level characters

estroyer

ber 2008 | DUNGEON 160

Den of the Destroyer

“Den of the Destroyer” is an adventure for five 7th-

level characters. By the end of the adventure, the

characters should reach 9th level. You can run this

adventure as the sequel to “The Lost Mines of Karak,”

continuing the unfolding story of the Scales of War

adventure path, or run it as part of a campaign of your

own design.

In this adventure, the PCs are called back to

Brindol by a surprising summons that sees them

undertake a dangerous mission to an abandoned

githzerai fortress. Along the way, they must deal with

bounty hunters hired by an old enemy, and confront a

vile gang of gnolls terrorizing Elsir Vale.

across Elsir Vale, pillaging, plundering, and seizing

as many captives as possible.

Fangren and his mercenaries went about the

agreed-upon task with gusto, carving a swath of

destruction across the borders of Elsir Vale. Using

an ancient githzerai monastery known as Fortress

Graystone for their base of operations, the gnolls

began kidnapping innocent inhabitants of the Vale

for their own sinister pleasures. Most of their raids

focused on outlying settlements, allowing them to

wreak havoc without drawing the attention of more

powerful parties.

As the gnolls found more and more success in their

raids on the Vale, their leader grew even hungrier

for power. Soon, Fangren came to believe that their

success was not due to shadar-kai weaponry but by the

favor of the demon lord Yeenoghu. Fangren quickly

started to see himself not as merely the leader of a

band of gnolls, but as a chosen one of Yeenoghu, with a

destiny to become one of the demon lord’s exarchs.

While he sent his bands of mercenaries across the

Vale, Fangren began gathering the components for

the bloody ritual that would infuse him with the foul

power of Yeenoghu. The gnoll shaman has completed

the first phase of the ritual deep inside the githzerai

fortress, opening an energy conduit to the Elemental

Chaos in the hope of embracing the power of the

Ruler of Ruin.

However, the creation of this conduit and the

powerful magic of Fangren’s ritual have had an effect

the gnoll shaman did not expect. Within the Hall of

Great Valor in Brindol, magic long hidden within an

ancient ceremonial sword has been awoken. A week

past, the sword spoke, begging the aid of a group of

heroes—and asking for the PCs by name.

ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS

In the aftermath of “Rescue at Rivenroar,” the PCs

recovered not only the kidnapped inhabitants of

Brindol but also several relics of great historical value

to the inhabitants of Elsir Vale. Among these was a

ceremonial platinum longsword. Though the folk of

the vale have no knowledge of the sword being magic

(and though the PCs would have detected no magic

within it), it contains a primal essence that has been

reawakened by Fangren’s powerful rituals. (If the

PCs did not recover the treasures of the Hall of Great

Valor, the sword was recovered by a local patrol that

mopped up at Rivenroar after the party left.)

The PCs are assumed to be in the city of Overlook

when the adventure begins, most likely after return-

ing and resting up from their adventures in “The Lost

Mines of Karak.” The PCs hear that a messenger has

recently arrived from Brindol, desperately seeking

the party.

On further investigation, the PCs discover that

this messenger has been captured by a band of

Lost Ones, the powerful thieving guild the PCs faced

off against in “Shadow Rift of Umbraforge.” After

rescuing the messenger, the players are beseeched to

return to Brindol.

Arriving in the town, the PCs head to the Hall of

Great Valor and speak with the curator Sertanian,

then with the sword itself. Identifying itself as Amyria,

the sword charges the party with a mission: travel

to an abandoned githzerai fortress now occupied by

savage gnoll mercenaries, then perform a ritual to

transform the sword into its true form. Even as the

PCs weigh their next move, bounty hunters from

Overlook attack the museum, wrecking the place as

they target the party on behalf of an unknown patron.

BACKGROUND

Some months ago, a mysterious figure calling himself

only the Emissary contacted the hobgoblin chieftain

Sinruth and spurred him into reviving the marauding

horde known as the Red Hand of Doom. Unbe-

knownst to both Sinruth and the PCs, this Emissary

was the shadar-kai arms dealer Sarshan. Simultane-

ously, Sarshan began sending messages to the leader

of a band of gnoll mercenaries, a disciple of Yeenoghu

named Fangren, in the hopes of inciting the gnolls in

a similar fashion.

The gnolls were not so easily commanded, how-

ever, forcing Sarshan to take more drastic steps.

While the goblins were content to raid Brindol

thanks to little more than motivational letters, the

gnoll mercenaries required something more. In

order to secure their services, Sarshan arranged for

the gnolls to receive several shipments of shadar-kai

weapons from his storehouses in the Shadowfell. In

exchange, Fangren agreed to lead his mercenaries

November 2008 | DUNGEON 160

Den of the Destroyer

With the sword in their possession, the PCs

travel to the githzerai fortress. However, the arduous

journey is made more dangerous by another bounty

hunter—the elf Gilgathorn, who knows that Sarshan

is the one who has put a price on the PCs’ heads.

The PCs arrive at the monastery and fight their way

through its gnoll defenders, Gilgathorn waiting for an

opportune moment to make his move.

In the end, the PCs find the ritual chamber and

face off against Fangren. The energy conduit to the

Elemental Chaos has been opened, the shaman chan-

neling the power of Yeenoghu against the PCs. After

defeating Fangren, the PCs perform the ritual that

transforms the spirit of Amyria into its true form—a

mysterious young woman who will come to play a

central role in the events the PCs are caught up in.

PREPARING FOR

ADVENTURE

to become familiar with the material and the style

of presentation. The sections below describe the

adventure format.

ADVENTURE

“Den of the Destroyer” takes the PCs from the

city of Overlook to Brindol, and then to a githzerai

fortress hidden in the Giant’s Shield mountains.

As they seek to end the threat of the gnoll shaman

Fangren and his followers, the PCs are pursued by

bounty hunters who they eventually discover have

been sent by the shadar-kai arms dealer Sarshan.

One of those bounty hunters—the elf Gilgathorn—is

an ongoing threat as the PCs take the fight to the

gnolls in Fortress Graystone.

If you are anxious to start the adventure, read the

introductory material (including the “Finding the

Messenger” skill challenge) and the first two encoun-

ters (“Kidnappers” and “The Hall of Great Valor”).

This will take the PCs up to the point where the

sword asks for their aid, providing an exciting first

adventure session.

The bulk of the combat encounters take place

within the ancient githzerai monastery known as For-

tress Graystone. Some of the encounters within the

fortress can take place in different areas, so familiar-

ize yourself with the citadel’s overall layout.

REVELATIONS

“Den of the Destroyer” leads directly into the

climax of the heroic tier adventures in the Scales

of War adventure path. Many of the disparate

pieces of information the PCs have gathered

over the course of their previous adventures

begin to come together in this adventure. As

such, you will want to emphasize the following

points of revelation to the players.

✦ The gnolls of the Wicked Fang pack have

been hired by the shadar-kai arms dealer

Sarshan to do his bidding in Elsir Vale. He has

given them specific instructions, including

seizing (and holding) Fortress Graystone and

kidnapping powerful individuals from across

the Vale.

✦ A bounty has been placed on the PCs’ heads

by Sarshan himself.

✦ Fortress Graystone is more than an ancient

ruin. The githzerai who built it did so to

protect a long-dormant energy conduit that

links the site to both the Elemental Chaos and

the Astral Sea.

✦ Sinruth, from “Rescue at Rivenroar,” was also

manipulated into doing Sarshan’s bidding by

the arms dealer’s deception.

✦ The platinum sword from Brindol is in reality

the alternate form of a divine being whose full

identity and purpose are yet to be revealed.

THE QUESTS

“Den of the Destroyer” offers the opportunity

for PCs to earn quest XP in two places. Provided

here is a list of quests, and their rewards, in

the adventure.

Major Quest—The Ritual of Amyria

The PCs must reach the ritual chamber in

Fortress Graystone, then perform the ritual

described to them by the spirit trapped within

the platinum longsword.

Reward : 2,000 XP.

Minor Quest — The Captives’ Fate

The PCs need to discover what happened to the

citizens of Elsir Vale who have been kidnapped

by the gnolls.

Reward: 350 XP.

What You Need to Play

This adventure contains everything you need to

play, including background information, setup,

and encounters (including tactical maps). Reading

through the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 4th Edition rules

is your first best step to understanding and prepar-

ing to run the adventure. As mentioned above, read

through at least the opening sections and initial

encounters before starting. This review enables you

November 2008 | DUNGEON 160

PREPARING FOR

Den of the Destroyer

Using Tactical Encounters

Each encounter includes several common elements.

Monster Statistics

Encounters include stat blocks for each monster type

present in the encounter. If more than one monster

of a particular kind is present, the stat block indicates

how many creatures can be found.

Features of the Area

This section describes special features noted on the

map. If the location has items or areas of interest with

which the characters can interact, those features are

described here. Look here to see if a door is out of the

ordinary, if an altar has a secret compartment, or if

the area includes treasure.

Encounter Level

Each tactical encounter assumes a group of five player

characters. An encounter of average difficulty is one

where the encounter level is equal to the level of the

party. Encounters that are 1 or 2 levels lower than the

party are easy encounters, while encounters that are

a higher level than the party are difficult encounters.

For overcoming an encounter, a group earns the

XP value noted beside the encounter level. This

amount should be divided by the number of group

members, and an equal amount should be awarded

to each character.

Tactics

This entry describes special actions the monsters take

to defeat the adventurers. Sometimes this means the

monsters take advantage of special features of the

area or make use of special powers or equipment.

Treasure Preparation

As with the previous installments of the Scales of

War adventure path, this adventure makes use of the

parcel system of treasure rewards described in the

Dungeon Master’s Guide . The characters should accu-

mulate fifteen parcels by the end of the adventure.

You can supply these treasures in whatever way you

wish, but the sidebar presents the most likely areas to

feature treasure. During your preparation, assign

parcels to the areas in the spaces provided.

Map

Each encounter includes a map keyed with the initial

locations of each monster. The map also indicates the

location of any special features of the area.

Setup

This section of a tactical encounter provides you with

the basic parameters of the encounter. First, it pro-

vides a key to the monsters in the encounter so you

can locate them on the tactical map. Next, it provides

context or background information for the encounter.

The map of each encounter area indicates where the

monsters are located when the encounter begins. The

setup section also describes what the monsters are

doing and how they react when the PCs arrive.

TREASURE PARCELS

Parcel A: _____________________________ , Temple of Pelor.

Parcel B: ___________________________ , Hall of Great Valor.

Parcel C: __________________________________ , The Stairs.

Parcel D: __________________________, Githzerai Mind Trap.

Parcel E: __________________________________ , The Cells.

Parcel F: ___________________________ , Training Chamber.

Parcel G: _________________________ , Meditation Chamber.

Parcel H: ____________________________ , Marshaling Point.

Parcel I: Parcel 14, Marshaling Point.

Parcel J: ______________________________ , Ritual Chamber.

Parcel K: _____________________________ , Ritual Chamber.

Parcel L: ______________________________ , Thorn’s Attack.

Parcel M: Parcel 15, Thorn’s Attack.

Parcel N : Parcel 16, Thorn’s Attack.

Read Aloud Text

Read aloud text provides information detailing what the

characters can see and are aware of. You do not have to

read it word for word; feel free to paraphrase and use

your own words when describing this information.

Use read aloud text wisely. It is written for the

most common approach to a particular situation, but

what your player characters do might require you to

alter the information in any number of ways.

Based on the guidelines in the Dungeon Master’s Guide , the following parcels can go in the spaces above. Rely on the wish lists your

players gave you for the first four parcels.

Parcel 1: Magic item, level 11

Parcel 2: Magic item, level 11

Parcel 3: Magic item, level 9

Parcel 4: Magic item, level 8

Parcel 5: 1,500 gp art object + 400 gp

Parcel 6: Three 500 gp gems + 200 gp

Parcel 7: 500 gp gem + 800 gp

Parcel 8: 1,100 gp

Parcel 9: Eleven 100 gp gems

Parcel 10: Three 250 gp art objects + two potions of healing

Parcel 11: 600 gp

Parcel 12: Four 100 gp gems

Parcel 13: One 250 gp art object + 50 gp

Parcel 14: Wicked Fang *

Parcel 15: Figurine of wondrous power: elderwood falcon *

Parcel 16: Figurine of wondrous power: ironwood hound *

* See “Appendix II, New Items,” page 96.

November 2008 | DUNGEON 160

Den of the Destroyer

STARTING THE

ADVENTURE

When the players are ready to begin, read

the following.

The Death Squad

In “Siege of Bordrin’s Watch,” the PCs might have

tussled with a murderous group featuring two dop-

pelgangers. In the aftermath, they likely discovered

a note with the names of a number of adventurers,

including four of the party. These death squads are

actually agents hired by Sarshan with a specific goal:

hunting down and slaying professional adventurers

that might interfere with his plans. Following his

encounter with the PCs in the Shadowfell, Sarshan

dispatched one of his most powerful death squads

to hunt down and slay them. Thus far, the PCs have

eluded them, but should the party fail the following

skill challenge, they must face both the Lost Ones and

the death squad simultaneously.

If the PCs do face the death squad in the temple of

Pelor, they find another list among the doppelgangers’

belongings, this time with detailed descriptions of

the PCs, sketches, and extensive notes on the party’s

exploits. Though this does not tell them who hired the

death squad, the note combined with the news of the

bounty on their heads should be a strong indicator

that someone is out to get them.

ADVENTURE

The adventure begins after the PCs return to

Overlook following the events of “The Lost Mines of

Karak.” Though a sense of urgency should prevail

once things get underway, there is no set time

frame for the messenger to arrive from Brindol. In

particular, if the PCs are behind their expected XP

totals (each character should be at about the mid-

point of 7th level going into this adventure), feel free

to run a side trek adventure to get them to where

they need to be.

The day is dreary, the sky threatening rain. Suddenly a voice

calls out behind you, and you turn to see a familiar face.

While the PCs are out in the city, they run into either

Kalad (the dwarf paladin from “Siege of Bordrin’s

Watch” and “Lost Mines of Karak”) or Reniss

(the half-elf ranger they met in “Shadow Rift of

Umbraforge”). After initial greetings, the NPC passes

on the following information.

“Word on the street is that someone’s looking for you. A

messenger from Brindol. She was in the market, asking

everyone in earshot if they knew you. She said her name

was Alys, sounded desperate.”

MESSAGE FROM

BRINDOL

Settling Old Scores

If the PCs tussled with the Lost Ones in “Siege of

Bordrin’s Watch,” the kidnapping marks the party’s

third encounter with the members of that underworld

guild. Those previous encounters (and the drub-

bing the Lost Ones likely received at the PCs hands)

have left them hungry for revenge. One of the guild’s

underbosses, a human named Szagyn, assumes that

Alys is a compatriot of the PCs, and hopes to use what

she knows to gain the advantage.

If the PCs’ previous skirmishes with the Lost Ones

were particularly memorable (and especially if you

added additional run-ins between the party and the

guild), feel free to play up this encounter as a kind of

final showdown. If the PCs are unlucky in the skill

challenge below, the Lost Ones gain unexpected

allies—a group of mysterious killers targeting the PCs.

The adventure begins when a messenger from

Brindol arrives in Overlook searching for the PCs.

The messenger, a young human woman named Alys,

arrived in Overlook a day before. Unfortunately, when

she sought the PCs out through the city watch, her

queries also reached the ears of the Lost Ones (see

“Siege of Bordrin’s Watch,” page 15, and “Shadow

Rift of Umbraforge,” page 9).

Alys’s arrival was unfortunately timed. Mere days

ago, a bounty was placed on the PCs by Sarshan, the

shadar-kai arms dealer the party dealt with in “The

Shadow Rift of Umbraforge.” Sensing opportunity, the

Lost Ones have kidnapped the messenger, hoping to

glean information from her that might allow them to

get the advantage over the PCs.

November 2008 | DUNGEON 160

STARTING THE

MESSAGE FROM

Scales of War - [Lvl 7] - Den of the Destroyer.pdf

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