Altar to the Corrupted
As the day of the living sets, the night of death rises revealing this forgotten, forsaken and abominable land. An ancient amphitheater sits at its heart, an altar glazed in dried gore grovels at its center. Paces before the ruined amphitheater, a stone arch yawns casting its wan light upon the troubled stones. Far from the portal's reach, repelled by its rays, a wicked roiling black liquid flows. If this land knew water it would know this is not it. While the wind seems still, the forsaken trees still sway. From every source of light the shadows strain as if to engulf it forever. Only the stones remember what happened here and if any could leave, they’d never forget.
Doomed Dockyard Defense
The Feignar Trading Company is restructuring and moving their main base of operations to a larger city, which also requires transporting their treasury. The heads of the company were warned about not one, but about various gangs and agencies that will likely attempt to steal the treasury the very moment it arrives in port. While most of the trading company’s leaders don’t believe in the threat, they have hired the party as a last-minute meager security to appease the more cautious members.
The treasury arrives in 12 hours.
It’ll take some quick sleuthing, silver tongues, and a proper plan to arrive at the naive company’s funds anything other than a Doomed Dockyard Defense.
Is your party up to the task?
This versatile map is quite generic for some good urban encounters, and the included adventure is also very cool. I hope it works for you too!
Echo of the Oracle
Characters of level 8-9
In a cave high in the mountains, the oracle of Thylos dispenses his wisdom. From across the land, supplicants bearing offerings—ranging from simple food to rare treasures—come to the cave to receive answers to their questions. One such petitioner was the void cultist Amydra hoping to explicate the meaning of an ancient inscription. Not satisfied with the oracle's answer, Amydra returned with members of her cult, overwhelmed the acolytes and captured the oracle. The characters seek the wisdom of the oracle. In a nearby town, they hear that all recent petitioners have been turned away, with some never returning at all. The townsfolk whose livelihood depends on visitors to the oracle beg the party to investigate.
Fires of Ambition
Brewmaster Elwurt of Calhoth’s Brewers’ Guild, believes the stoneworker Almara, abducted his sister, Ryneth. Months ago, Almara’s brother, a brewer, died during a brawl at Brewers’ Hall. Elwurt was present, but the magistrate declared him innocent. Enraged, Almara swore vengeance.
Two days ago, Ryneth did not return home. Last night Elwurt found a note on his desk that read, “now we are even”. Elwurt cast his runestones and augured that Ryneth is alive and at the masons’ headquarters, Shaper Hall.
The Job. Elwurt believes Almara wants to extort him for a confession or coin, but he has different plans. Elwurt seeks hardened professionals. He expects a swift recovery of his sister. The guild master doesn’t want the law involved and cannot have the brewer’s guild connected. He hires the party to be brutal and successful.
Shaper Hall sits outside of Calhoth proper, in a dense grove. Elwurt’s informants report the door is locked and the windows shuttered.
Idol of Avarice
A once-respected scout has turned to banditry, ambushing and robbing travelers on the roads they once patrolled. Unfortunately, they succumbed to a powerful curse that forces them to serve a greed demon whose essence resides in an ancient idol.
Their commanding officer, puzzled as to why one of the squad’s most trusted members has turned to crime, hopes the party can discover what has happened to them.
"A kneeling statue, cloaked and hooded, looms over a heap of treasure. It holds aloft a bowl of gleaming red liquid. It is difficult to look away as the idol and its hoard tempt you."
Kobold-napped!
Piruva, a kobold wizard, has had enough of serving dragon masters. Using a ritual stolen from her previous master’s hoard, she tried to create a twilit demiplane where kobolds could live
in peace. Alas, she accidentally produced an unstable demiplane destined to collapse. Unwilling to accept failure, Piruva has a plan to fix what went wrong, and all it takes are some mortal souls.
A 15-foot-diameter circle of glowing Draconic runes surrounded by six stone braziers occupies the center of the stone dais.
This adventure is split between two planes, the Material Plane and Piruva’s demiplane. Each of Piruva’s followers is wearing an amulet of demiplane transport, which they use to travel to and from the demiplane to escape enemies and set up ambushes.
A Narrows Escape
Characters level 6-7
The characters are consulting with a scholar at the Great Librarium when an alarm is raised. Someone has broken into the restricted section and stolen The Chained Tome, a book of fiendish lore. Witnesses saw a cloaked figure fleeing the library and heading toward the Narrows, a series of subterranean canals.
The characters are asked to follow the thief, in the hopes of catching the criminal before they disappear completely.
Tomb of the Banished in the Shadowfell
We are in the Shadowfell, in an old misty graveyard, at a family tomb. It is unknown why this noble family has been banished to this land, but the characters suspect they will find a passage to their home world deep within the tomb.
