d20 4e Black Death Publishing Wyrmslayer.pdf

Wyrmslayer

Credits

Author: R. A. Baker: Cover art: Joe Calkins: Maps, NPC & monster editing: Kai Nyce

Table of Contents

C hapter 1: Help Wanted

Page 1

Chapter 2: Dragon Mountain

Page 5

Chapter 3: Which Way Now?

Page 11

Chapter 4: Death or Success?

Page 14

Conclusion: The End...For Now!

Page 17

In the world of Hanan Pacha, all dragons are good. They have been the companions of

elves as dragon and rider for ages. However, that situation will be reversed if the Great

Serpent, Leviathan is able to re-enter the demi-plane uncontested. Your players have the

opportunity to retrieve the sword known as 'Wyrmslayer' and deliver it to the man of

prophecy. If the world is to have any hope at all, he (or someone who can take his place)

needs to battle and defeat the Great Serpent! This adventure has been crafted for medium

level (5-8) , courageous adventurers that seek to save the good and innocent people of the

demi-plane.

Legal

photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers. Certain parts of this publication are published under license. This book is entirely a

work of fiction. Any names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the Author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or

localities is entirely coincidental. Rex Baker asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by

way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise recirculated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it

is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition

Game System License

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Italicized text is for reading aloud at your

discretion. This 4 E adventure is best suited for

character levels 6-9. It can be adapted to other

levels by increasing or reducing the number of

opponents.

halfling/tiefling mix) and says, “Very well, let's

go down to the cavern and see about this.”

The wizard is not a tall man, he is thin and

gaunt looking, his skin is pallid, his eyes are a

bright blue in color and he has long hair. He has a

goatee that is more gray than dark. What's really

notable is the presence of magic all around him.

His wooden staff is topped by a claw that

holds an orb. As he chants out a brief incantation

and the staff's orb flairs brightly. The pair vanish

into thin air, with an audible 'pop' as air leaves

with them.

They arrive in the Tri-skull's cavern. The

youthful dragon is indeed flying around the huge

cavern. He circles it as his great wings flap to

keep him aloft. He snorts out sulfur and puffs of

smoke as he bugles and roars.

Zarin's face contorts as he speaks the

strange words of the Draconian language. Tri-

skull dives softly and lands in front of the pair.

The dragon tells Zarin that a dragon rider is

nearby with a message of alarm. The dragon

fears a great event on the Isles of Io, in the

Inland Sea. He wants Master to send someone

there and see if they can help. “What does this

fellow say to you, young dragon?”

The dragon answers promptly, "The

dragons are in an uproar and are a danger to us

and themselves." He wants to hire paid

mercenaries. I asked him how we would pay

them to do this? He said, “How about the

unimaginable treasure collecting dust in several

dead dragons lairs, might that be payment

enough?”

“Down the Great Serpent was hurled, the

one called Leviathan, as Arag'orn struck it

squarely with the Blade of the Titans, called

Wyrmslayer . The skull of the beast was cleaved

front to back. Its body whipped about under the

water in a death rattle, taking it down to the sea

floor even more swiftly. It would return someday,

for now though, the world of Hanan Pacha was

safe from this abomination of Dragonkind. The

hero returned whence he came, awaiting the

passing of ages until the call for help went out

again.”

The Prophecy of the Serpent

Chapter 1: Help Wanted

This opening is for those who are in a large

city which has a port. I would have the

adventurers contacted by a local wizard who is in

need of some brave souls for an important task.

Once the wizard (Zarin) contacts them, have him

relate the following story to them.

"The three-headed dragon is acting very

strange, Master Zarin." says Keldie, a look of

concern dominates the expression on his narrow,

almost featureless face.

"He has been flying around his lair, roaring

and bugling for no apparent reason. Sometimes

he fires off one of his breath weapons. He barely

takes time to eat and that worries me more than

anything."

Zarin sighs heavily, looks down at Keldie (a

A dragon rider, Aragorn Cloud, is in

Deepport using his psionic talents to contact

Zarin's dragon. He has knows the reputation of

the young dragon's master. Aragorn seeks a

powerful group of mercenaries to retrieve a

sword, Wyrmslayer , its matching shield, helm and

armor from its resting place. All of the dragon

riders are elves and elves may not retrieve the

items that he needs.

Aragorn relates the story found on page 5

to the PCs. He is an older male elf who has gray

facial hair and eyebrows. His nose is big and eyes

are a bright green. He is just big all over, not

overweight but sturdy. He wears an expensive-

looking, red cloak and carries a sturdy-looking,

wooden staff.

Deepport

The great wall of Deepport surrounds the

city, which sits high on a bluff, overlooking a

deep harbor. The city is a mixtures of many

races, with many different types of communities.

where Aragorn seeks out a ship for passage back

to the Isles.)

Aragorn meets the captain of the trading

vessel, Windrace , which is a three masted

schooner that has been plying the Inland Sea for

two decades. The officers and crew have fought

off several pirate vessels in that time. The ship's

main armaments are four ballistae and two

trebuches'.

The two negotiate a price of passage and

later agree on the terms. They register the

transaction with one of the city's clerks,

documenting the transaction and legal contract.

The Windrace is ready to leave in two days hence.

The area that you are in is a crowded,

bustling market district in the port section of the

city. Most of the buildings are stone structures

and the streets are cobblestone. Oil lanterns sit

atop tall poles at frequent intervals.

The people of this ward are a mix of

merchants, working class and poor. Only the

merchants seem to be dressed in fine attire. City

guards have blue armor emblazoned with the

seal of Deepport. This city doesn't sleep much,

with many taverns being open late.

The night is cool and clear. Streets are

lantern lit and street vendors hawk their wares.

The smell of the Inland Sea in the air. White gulls

wheel about in the sky, crying out to each other.

Street vendors hawk their wares, which

can be anything from seafood to exotic imported

items from distant lands. Each vendor calls out

the names and prices of his or her items for sale.

Competitors set up far apart from each other.

Some of the vendors even cook their food for

customers.

The merchants are by and large, well-to-do

and honest. Those who aren't take their business

to the great Dungeon of the Bluffs or out of

business entirely. This area has many taverns

and inns to service the sailors calling on the port.

One inn which stands out is Cogburn's

Roost. In the alley behind it, a wall has been

broken open from within. The city guard is

investigating the area just inside a long-

forgotten, sub-basement. The area is cordoned

off and guarded around the clock.

Traders, sailors, workers and merchants

often meet in Cogburn's. It is a three story

building and covers one side of a city block. It

has two entrances and porches which overhang

the board walkway. You can smell the rich aroma

of rum and of roasting coffee beans upon

entering.

Journey By Sea

The ship glides effortlessly through the

rolling waves of the sea. She has a good wind

filling her sails and the crew does a masterful job

of sailing. The coast recedes in the distance and

is soon out of sight. The sea air smells fresh and

clean, compared to that of the city. The seas are

calm and the weather clear and cold. Winter

journeys can be dangerous, though the season

last no more than two months.

The first part of the journey is uneventful.

Each day the sea is calm, no fog is encountered

and the weather is cool and clear. This is as cold

as it gets this close to the equator. Frost forms on

the surfaces of the ship but is evaporated as the

sun heats the morning. Two days into the journey

a lookout calls down from the crow's nest, telling

of the sighting of the twin islands of Sumbar and

Roathar. The ship passes the first isle and later in

the day, sails into the harbor of Roathar after it

passes through the Sumbar Straits.

The ship docks at the village of Roathar,

(named after the island). The ship's crew offloads

lots of goods and takes on even more. The

buildings are made of a combination of mud,

wood and thatch. None of the few businesses

stay open at night. Decent accommodations can

be found in rented cabins. The cabins are bare

except for cheap cots, blankets and wood stoves,

four people to a cabin. Rocky's Tavern is the only

place to drink, eat and gain reliable information

and rumors.

The residents are mostly human with very

few of the other races. Pirates and their allies are

often in town, keeping a low profile. Pirate ships

anchor in a small cove on the other side of the

island. The peaks of an ancient volcano rise into

the clouds, being capped with white snow.

Woodlands dominate the rugged landscape of the

Cogburn's Roost

The inn has three bars, two fireplaces and

dozens of tables. The place is busy, crowded,

smoky and noisy. Wood stoves line one wall while

kegs line the other. Numerous people cook, serve

and bus tables for the constant flow of patrons.

Two bards are performing on stages for the

pleasure of the patrons.

There is a gaming area in the back,

underneath a staircase. Sailors rub shoulders

with mercenaries and commoners alike. (This is

island.

Stormy Seas

The morning dawns cool and partly cloudy

with winds blowing northeasterly. The crew of

your ship has offloaded a part of the cargo and

taken on more for the journey north. They are

ready to cast off by the time you arrive at the

docks.

It only takes a couple hours to exit the

strait and sail along the coast of Elleron. A

lookout notifies the captain of a ship heading out

of a cove on the island. The ship is on an

intercept course and the captain shouts out

orders to evade. It is even faster than yours and

closes at a steady pace.

The ship has a bow which gleams metallic

in the mid-morning sun. It is obviously going to

try to ram when it gets close enough. The crew is

now manning the ballistae and trebuches'.

Soon, arrows rain down and and the

Windrace's ballistae shoot back, sending arrows

out. A pair of catapults are flinging boulders off

of the other ship and the first couple land

uncomfortably close to your ship. A boulder from

one of the Windrace's trebuches' hits the stern of

the other vessel, taking out a pirate and putting a

large hole in the top side.

Large plumes of water spray the decks with

missed shots. The crewmen are fighting hard but

the other ship is still gaining fast. The captain

looks hopefully toward you. The rain of arrows

has caused a few casualties amongst the crew. A

cleric is working to treat them now.

The Inland Sea has turned violent this

evening, great roiling waves are tossing the ship

as what's left of the crew try to keep her from

being swamped. You have had eight days of

travel in mild weather until now. Thunder clouds

rumble overhead, lightning flashes as gale force

winds lash the vessel with sheets of cold rain.

The ship does have a couple of large life boats, if

it comes to that!

The storm lasts all night and into the next

day. When it finally abates, the ship has taken a

beating. Six more days of travel will finally bring

the ship within sight of Skull Isle. This rocky

outcropping does look like a skull. Aragorn tells

of a mad wizard who supposedly has lived here

for decades.

The Isle of Io is within sight as the ship

rounds the southwest side of Skull Isle. The

terrain is dominated by mountains and temperate

forests. The peaks are shrouded in cloud cover

and white with snow. There are no dragons flying

today.

Seas are rough with moderate, cold winds

blowing in from the northeast. High peaks rise

into the clouds on the islands ahead. The

remaining crewmen look exhausted and need to

make landfall soon. The ship is in need of

extensive repairs.

Finally the harbor is made and the ship

sails up to a set of docks. The area has been

devastated by fire. The buildings still standing

are made of the same material as the ones on the

last island and even fewer in number. The area is

mostly deserted. The forest begins just past the

small collection of huts.

Deckhands work with dock crews to secure

the ship and the gang planks. Aragorn takes the

lead in walking down to the docks. He directs the

crew toward a pair of huts to the left

saying,"You'll find food and quarters there,

construction materials are in the large building

just off the other dock."

Aragorn has a sad look on his face, shaking

his head, he turns to you and says simply, “Come

with me.”

The Windrace suffers structural damage

from the boulders and fatal damage if it is

rammed. Being rammed and grappled is a dire

situation. When this happens, only the pirate ship

is seaworthy. The pirates seek to board the ship

and plunder the cargo, remove the grappling

hooks, then let it sink.

Alternately, the ramming bow misses and

the ships grapple, side by side. This results in

melee fighting between the PCs and the pirates,

as well as the crew of the Windrace.

Note: All stats for the crews and Aragorn Cloud

are located in the Appendix Download.

Black Skull's Tactical

A wall of force with permanence protects the ship

from waterline to the middle of the front mast.

The pirates always try frontal attacks with a +10

to their normal AC.

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