Scales of War - [Lvl 10] - Fist of Mourning.pdf
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F
ist
o
of
M
ourning
by Robert J. Schwalb
illustrations by Gonzalo Flores, Goran Josic,
Howard Lyon, and Anne Stokes
cartography by Mike Schley
An adventure for 10th-level characters
TM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
4
January 2009
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DUNGEON 162
ist
ourning
✦
4
a r y 2009
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DUNG E O N 16 2
Fist of Mourning
While lords and heroes alike look to the brimming
war spilling across the lands, evil blossoms in places
unexpected. With the realm, and possibly the world,
teetering on destruction’s precipice, new factions rise to
work their wickedness. One such menace is the Cult of
Exquisite Agony, a disturbed cabal dedicated to perfect-
ing mortal f lesh by infusing it with the essence of chaos
to make it more adaptable, stronger, faster, and better.
Gathering in a fallen hero’s tomb high in the Stone-
home Mountains, this cult commits horrific acts hidden
from those who cannot comprehend their effort’s mag-
nificent end. Though careful to avoid attention, success’s
proximity has made them sloppy, and their deeds leave
traces those with courage and resolve can follow.
“Fist of Mourning” is a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
®
adventure for five 10th-level characters. Although
designed as a short scenario for adventuring parties
participating in the “Scales of War” adventure path,
you can adapt it for use in any mountainous region of
any game world and for any campaign.
BACKGROUND
The Cult of Exquisite Agony blossomed and withered
many times over the centuries, rising in power, but
falling when madness and treachery consumed its
greatest leaders. Each time the cult rose, it sought
to improve on what the gods themselves had done:
remake mortal f lesh into something better and attain
the full potential they believed was buried within all.
The last time the cult stirred was over a century
ago, many miles to the south in the ruins of Zannad.
Believing the secrets to their evolution was within
the fabled yuan-ti city, they scoured the wreckage
with little luck and they, like others before them,
succumbed to insanity and malice, turning against
each other in an orgy of violence. Not all perished,
and at least one escaped to carry the filthy message
of transformation to other lands.
One such refugee made it to Overlook, and before
her death, she passed on her cult’s tenets to loyal
followers recruited from local folk. Over the genera-
tions, the cult grew, but its leaders did not follow in
their founder’s steps until one named Obsen came to
power 10 years ago. A disturbed man with a taste for
the exotic, he believed he gained the power and quali-
ties of everything he ate provided the meal was alive
while he consumed it. So he ate plenty and often. It
wasn’t until he devoured a slaad tadpole, purchased at
a high price in Nine Bells—the poor and crime-ridden
district in Overlook—that he realized he had the
means to attain perfection all along.
For the next 10 years, Obsen and his cronies quietly
amassed slaad tadpoles, performed hideous experi-
ments on themselves in dank cellars, stole
residuum
to
power their rituals, and made unconscionable pacts
with otherworldly beings until they perfected the pro-
cess. When Tusk’s armies marched on Bordrin’s Watch,
Obsen and the cultists quit the city and marched to an
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DUNGEON 162
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Fist of Mourning
old tomb under the Fist, a blunted peak in the nearby
Stonehome Mountains, where they murdered the witch
living there, and recruited heavily from the mountain’s
denizens until they were strong enough to gather vic-
tims for the glorious transformation they would create.
the characters 2,800 gp (parcel 5) if they recover his
residuum
(worth 1,000 gp). It’s not that the necroman-
cer can’t purchase more
residuum
; he has a reputation
to protect. Characters who stamp out the cult and
return the stolen property also earn 2,500 XP for
completing a major quest.
2,800 gp, plus a useful contact in a future adventure
if they need it. Also, PCs who destroy the cult in the
process earn 2,500 XP for completing a major quest.
Treasure Preparation
Since this adventure should help 10th-level adven-
turers make up any shortfalls to reaching 11th level,
stock the dungeon with treasure parcels you have yet
to give out for this level. “Fist of Mourning” assumes
the characters are already halfway to their next level,
so the adventure supplies five treasure parcels. Adjust
this as needed to make sure the characters receive
the proper treasure for their levels. Magic items,
coins, goods, and other valuables are described in the
room summaries and the parcels they represented
are included for your convenience. As always, where
the text specifies a magic item, you should feel free to
swap it out with an item from your players’ wish lists.
ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS
Hook: Missing Adventurer
While adventuring in Overlook and in its surround-
ing lands, the player characters have met and might
have rivalries with other adventuring groups. When
one such group comes under attack by these cultists,
most are slain and at least one is abducted. The lone
survivor begs the PCs for help in recovering his miss-
ing friends.
The characters must rescue the cult’s prisoners
from the Fist of Mourning and return them to Over-
look. Doing so allows the PCs to earn a reward of
As close as they are to their goal, the cultists’ depraved
acts are bound to draw attention. Someone they
crossed hires the adventurers to root out the deviants.
The player characters climb the mountains and track
the cultists to their lair. Once inside, the characters
must navigate its perils, learn what the cultists intend,
and stop them before their corruption spreads too far.
STARTING THE
ADVENTURE
ADVENTURE
PART ONE:
ON EVIL’S TRAIL
THE POSSIBLE QUESTS
“Fist of Mourning” offers PCs an opportunity to
earn quest XP. Provided here is a list of possible
quests, and their rewards, from the hooks in the
adventure.
Major Quest—Bereft Necromancer
Rufus Crumley wants his
residuum
back, plus he
has a reputation to protect.
Reward:
2,500 XP and 2,800 gp (parcel 5).
Major Quest—Missing Adventurer
Rescue the cult’s prisoners from the Fist of
Mourning and return them to Overlook.
Reward:
2,500 XP for the cult’s destruction
and 2,800 gp (plus a useful contact in a future
adventure if they need it).
The adventurers might come to the Fist of Mourning
for a variety of reasons. Consider using either one of
the following adventure hooks or come up with one of
your own.
ON EVIL’S TRAIL
Once the characters are engaged in the adventure,
you might start at the entrance to the Fist and proceed
with the adventure as written. Or you can develop the
story more slowly by roleplaying through the process
by which the heroes are hired, learn about the cult,
and track the cultists to their lair. What follows are
tools to help you develop the adventure more slowly.
If you choose to use these skill challenges, consider
removing the Outraged Dead encounter on page 19
to keep the XP in line.
Skill Challenge:
SC1 Investigating the Cult (page
11).
Skill Challenge:
SC2 Travel to the Fist (page 12).
Hook: Bereft Necromancer
Rufus Crumley might not be popular in Shantytown,
but he is still a powerful and feared figure whose
inf luence cannot be overstated. Because he is pro-
tected by his dire reputation and his undead thralls,
no one has ever dared steal from him in his long years
in the city. So when someone breaks into his tower,
destroys his zombies, and makes off with his
residuum
stores, the necromancer is quite put out.
Familiar with the adventurers’ recent escapades,
the necromancer turns to them for help. He offers
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DUNGEON 162
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STARTING THE
PART ONE:
Fist of Mourning
PART TWO: THE FIST
The Fist stabs out from a high peak in the Stonehome
Mountains. Named for its uncanny resemblance to a
closed fist, it marks Murat’s grave, a hero who fell in
the dwarf uprising against the giants. The dwarves
abandoned the tomb centuries ago when cruel winter
storms, orcs, and other mountain-dwelling horrors
became too great to maintain it safely. In recent years, a
filthy hag claimed squatter’s rights and made the place
her home. However, even her gruesome appearance
and sinister appetites weren’t enough to deter the cult
from taking it for themselves, and she met a terrible
end in the bottom of a ravine when she tried to resist.
The tomb consists of the dungeon’s western
tunnels and chambers. They exhibit fine dwarven
architecture still in good repair even after long
neglect. The eastern chambers are crude since they
were hand and tool-excavated. Orc miners, who
serve the cult much as they served the mountain
witch before, chip away at the granite for silver,
gems, and anything else they might extract from the
unyielding rock.
General Features
Illumination:
Rooms are all dark unless other-
wise mentioned in the encounter text.
Ceiling:
Ceilings in the complex are as tall as
their widest dimension.
Doors:
Constructed from stone, the doors all bear
intricate carvings featuring dwarves battling orcs,
ogres, and giants. The doors are all unlocked, but
such is their weight that it requires a standard action
and a successful DC 10 Strength check to open them.
Stairs:
Whether crude or fine, stairs all count as
difficult terrain.
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DUNGEON 162
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Fist of Mourning
mound of furs rises, revealing a wrinkled crone complete
with a jutting chin, milky white eyes, and one black tooth
in the center of her mouth. She cackles as she hobbles
toward you.
Tactical Encounter:
F1 False Witch (page 13).
Characters who succeed on a DC 11 Perception
check can hear the sound of metal striking stone
coming from room 3.
The crone is an oni mage in service to the cult. It
assumes the hag’s appearance in case any mountain
folk come to trade or seek a remedy from the now-
dead wizened monster. The oni plays the part well,
pretending to be an unhinged and repellent creature,
offering to cure the party’s ills, trade for information,
and so on, using Bluff to maintain the deception (+15
check modifier). The oni mage denies the Cult’s pres-
ence here, but if the characters are insistent, it drops
the disguise and attacks.
Tactical Encounter:
F1 False Witch (page 13).
Treasure (Parcel 9):
The cultists left the hag’s
personal treasures alone when they took over the
place, though they tucked them away in a niche in the
center of the north wall. A character who succeeds on
a DC 16 Perception check locates a sodden sack con-
taining a rotting human hand, 90 gp, a garnet (worth
100 gp), a ritual scroll of Detect Lies (worth 360 gp), a
potion of healing,
and a
caustic whetstone
(
AV
190).
3. Excavation
The orc miners work this room to extract precious
metals and gemstones.
Tactical Encounter:
F2 Infested Mine (page 15).
4. Deeper Chamber
While the orcs served the hag, they dug out this
chamber searching for gold and silver. When they
found nothing, they changed direction. Now, aside
from a few broken tools, this room is empty.
When the characters enter this room, they can
hear chanting echoing from the chamber ahead with
a successful DC 10 Perception check.
5. Deep Mine
The orc miners abandoned this room when they
found nothing of value. Once the cultists moved in,
they erected an idol to embody their perverse vision
and awakened it with elemental power and foul
rituals. Now, at all times, cultists gather to pay their
respects.
Tactical Encounter:
F3 Entropic Thralls (page
17 ).
Treasure (Parcel 7):
Piled around the suppurat-
ing eidolon are 1,000 gp, a topaz (worth 500 gp), and
two peridots (worth 100 gp each).
1. Cave of the
Mountain Witch
This room housed the mountain witch, the cruel hag
who claimed the tomb as her lair. The cult murdered
her and enslaved her minions.
When the PCs can see into the room, read:
2. The Furnace
Early excavations exposed a pocket of hot gasses
fed by a pool of molten rock. The liquid stone has
cooled somewhat to form a thin crust over the fiery
substance.
When the PCs enter this room, read:
An opening in the mountain extends into a wide cave. To
the west, two statues carved to depict armored dwarves
f lank old, weathered stone doors. To the east, a tunnel
opens into a deeper chamber. What at first looks to be a
Dim light shines up from a cavity filling the room’s eastern
extent. The ceiling is smooth stone. A path winds around
the cavity and it exits through a fissure in the north wall.
January 2009
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DUNGEON 162
8
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