This journey is a good quest to check the heroes’ ethical compass. The adventurers are requested to assist a village eliminate some kobold pests. The kobolds messed with the farmers solely as a result of they’ve a bigger downside on their fingers. Will the heroes intervene and attempt to assist all events? Or will they homicide every part of their path so long as it earns them some gold? It is a 2nd stage journey.
The village of Blos is a farming settlement with a inhabitants of about 300 folks. For years, this village has supplied neighboring cities and bigger cities with nice produce. Its individuals are hard-working and perseverant. Working the land provides the folks of Blos a which means, they usually do it gladly.
Life is calm and quiet in Blos for essentially the most half. The farming settlement is surrounded by bigger cities and communities; issues normally keep there. Nevertheless, wild beasts and monsters typically emerge from the forest to the south or the mountain path north. Despite the fact that these conditions by no means pose an actual risk, the village of Blos doesn’t have native heroes so that they depend on outsiders.
The final time they employed a bunch of adventurers, it was to take care of a few owlbears who attacked farmers. This case was sorted out when one of many heroes observed some owlbear cub tracks. The tracks led to a barn the place two younger ladies had saved the little owlbear. They’d adopted it as a pet as a result of they thought it was cute. When the cub was returned to its mother and father, the owlbears left the farmers alone.
The Present Downside
This time, the village of Blos is having bother with a group of kobolds. The sneaky little lizards come at night time and steal the villagers’ meals. At first, they solely focused dried fruits, bread, and jerkies. However for the final two weeks, smalls calves, pigs, and hens have disappeared too. The villagers realized they wanted assist from outsiders in any case this occurred. The townspeaker is for certain that killing the kobolds is the one approach to eliminate them for good. They provide a bounty of 250 gold items.
Nevertheless, Moise Kein thinks in any other case. He believes kobolds are attention-grabbing creatures. And that they aren’t evil deep inside. He’s conscious of the scenario and plans to affix the employed adventurers. When the adventurers arrive in Blos, they might keep within the Wiped Cream Inn. Moise is current after they check-in and buys them a spherical of ale.
Moise believes this case will be solved with out hurt just like the final time the village employed outsiders. He tells the heroes in regards to the time that two little ladies kidnapped an owlbear cub. When the cub was reunited with its mother and father, the owlbears stopped harassing the farmers and returned to the woods. He’s positive one thing should have startled a group of kobolds within the mountains, forcing them to search for meals right here.
Moise (guard) tells the adventurers he can fend for himself and that he needs to go discover the kobolds too. He claims he speaks the kobold tongue, Draconic, and will help to translate as properly. He needs 15 gold items from their pay and a portion of any treasure they discover. If the heroes refuse his assist and firm, he follows them in secret anyway.
Draconic Dilemma
Moise is considerably proper. The kobolds are certainly pressured to steal from the village. A lamia got here out from the depths of the caverns and located its approach to the kobolds. The poor reptiles don’t have a alternative however to conform or be killed and eaten. Nevertheless, it isn’t on Moise’s fingers to deal with this case. The heroes should resolve in the event that they settle for his assist and recommendation or take care of the kobolds themselves.
NPCs
Moise Kein
Lawful impartial human (age 31)
Moise is a tall and corpulent man. His dimension grants him adequate energy to elevate a sword and struggle, although he’s not very apt. He has curly quick hair and darkish pores and skin. His inexperienced eyes specific knowledge and kindness. He studied the Draconic language when he was younger; his mother was an clever scholar who taught him. Moise likes to assume exterior of the field. He at all times believes issues will be solved in ways in which profit all concerned.
Character Trait. “Compromises should be finished to achieve complete tolerance.”
Ultimate. “I received’t go away this world with my conscience soiled.”
Bond. “All acutely aware creatures deserve a good trial and remedy.”
Flaw. “My standpoint tends to be subjective whatever the proof proven.”
The next descriptions of areas 1 via 10 correspond to the kobold’s caves and a few historical ruins.
Space Descriptions
Terrain. The kobold’s cave is darkish and humid. The forgotten throne room options stone flooring and partitions.
Doorways. There are two oak doorways within the ruins. Every has an exquisite stone, arched body made from sq. stone blocks. The door subsequent to the throne has an phantasm spell on it (see space 7).
Ropes. The kobolds set ropes to climb to space 3, space 5, and the platform in space 2. The ropes are held by heavy rocks positioned on them. The ropes can maintain small creatures with no bother. Nevertheless, if a medium creature makes use of any of the ropes to climb up, there’s a 50% likelihood that it breaks. Creatures that fall take 1d6 bludgeoning harm. If the heroes are hostile to the kobolds, the reptiles try to chop the ropes whereas they climb, if attainable.
Mild. Each caverns and ruins are fully darkish. There aren’t any gentle sources right here.
Smells and Sounds. The caverns odor of rotten meat and useless animals. Kobolds aren’t clear and their urine has a powerful ammonia stench. The ruins have a odor of mud and stone. Space 10 reeks of demise attributable to all of the animal carcasses that the lamia has left.
1. Attending to Know Kobolds
The mountain path is a few hours away from city. The heroes must step off the trail to seek out the kobold hideout. It’s not tough to see their three-pronged footprints on the bottom and observe them to the cave. The kobolds positioned a chunk of wooden to cowl the doorway of the cave. A 20-feet-long hall results in a big space. The darkish cavern has a number of boulders scattered throughout. To the south, there’s a 15-feet-tall pure rock balcony. To the northeast of this space, a set of stairs leads as much as space 2. A gap on the east wall, about 12 toes above the bottom, results in space 5.
There are two kobolds on the balcony. They throw rocks with their slings the second they see the heroes. 4 extra kobolds interact in melee fight with their daggers, two of them cover behind massive boulders. If two or extra kobolds are lowered to zero hit factors, the remaining retreat to space 3. These kobolds don’t communicate Frequent. They’re afraid and pushed by the warmth of battle; it isn’t attainable to motive with them.
If Moise accompanies the heroes, he begs them and tries to persuade them to not hurt the little reptiles. He agrees to make use of non-lethal drive to knock them out of fight if obligatory. Moise trusts his intestine and believes the kobold chieftain is perhaps keen to parley. If the heroes refuse to hearken to Moise or kill a kobold in his presence, he turns in opposition to them. He (guard) can’t permit them to kill harmless sentient creatures like this.
If the heroes refused Moise assist from the start, he steps within the third spherical of fight. No matter what the heroes did earlier than he arrived, he makes an attempt to persuade them to not hurt the kobolds moreover. If he fails, he takes the kobold’s facet. The kobolds struggle alongside Moise with out query after he yells in Draconic that he’d die for them.
2. Kobold Treasury
This space options two massive stalagmites. Laborious soil has solidified on them, making a kind of platform 15 toes above the bottom. The kobolds use this place as storage. A big amount of meals rests on the platform. Dried fruits, jerkies, and different spoiled items. Two kobolds are on the platform with their slings prepared.
Moise notices the chief of the kobolds will not be right here and presses the heroes to go away and search for it. He stands between the heroes and the kobolds in the event that they imply to hurt them. The kobolds flee if an intimidating character scares them (DC 13 Intimidation). In any other case, they throw rocks however flee if one among them is lowered to zero hit factors.
Treasure. The dried meals right here feeds a bunch of 5 medium creatures for every week. A field of pricy spices will be offered for 35 gp.
3. The Kobold Fact
The kobolds collect on this space if the heroes drive them to retreat. Thrak, the kobold chieftain, wears feathers and strings of bones connected to necklaces and bracelets. A gaggle of six kobolds stands in entrance of him to guard him. Eight non-combatant kobolds eavesdrop from the sting of the hall to the south.
Thrak can communicate the widespread tongue and negotiate with the heroes if Moise isn’t current. Nevertheless, talking in Draconic will increase the possibilities of a diplomatic answer. Moise or a personality with good diplomacy expertise (DC 11 Persuasion) can clarify to the kobolds that they’re there to speak and perceive why they’re stealing from the village now. If the negotiation is had in Draconic this examine is made with benefit.
If the kobolds are satisfied, Thrak tells the adventurers in regards to the monster from the caves in space 10. The kobold explains they found the traditional ruins not way back. However their tunnel not solely led to the traditional ruins, however it additionally linked their cave with a special cave system of unknown underground tunnels. That is how the lamia discovered their hideout. Now it asks for meals and tribute, in any other case, it descends from its lair and assaults the kobolds as an alternative.
The kobolds conform to cease harassing the village and its folks so long as the heroes eliminate the monster. The heroes can persuade Thrak to spare a few of his troopers for the trigger in the event that they’re persuasive sufficient (DC 13 Persuasion). In the event that they do, 4 kobolds observe the heroes of their quest to kill the monster.
If the heroes ask the kobolds in regards to the monster, they are saying the next:
- It’s a four-legged beast with enormous paws.
- It has the torso of a girl.
- It has magical skills that manipulate the thoughts.
4. Kobold Refuge
The ground is affected by furs and pelts. A lot of the kobolds sleep right here. That is the final stand for the non-combatant kobolds if they’re pushed to retreat. They climb down the balcony and exit the cave if obligatory.
A gap on the north wall results in the small balcony that overlooks space 1. Two small piles of small rocks lay at either side of the balcony.
5. Tunnel to the Ruins
This tunnel is 25-feet-long. It appears lately dug.
6. Throne Room
Six tall columns adorn this huge, two-leveled throne room. There’s a picket door with a stone body to the south and a set of stairs to ascend to the throne space. The partitions of this corridor have outdated engraved murals. Just a few of them are in ok situation to differentiate something. The murals painting a brief stout humanoid hitting a sword with a hammer on an anvil, some kind of outdated dwarven runes, and half the image of a robust particular person sitting on the throne.
Kobolds got here right here in nice numbers and scared a few darkmantles. The blind flying monsters avoid the kobolds since. Nevertheless, if the heroes enter this place with out the corporate of the kobolds, two darkmantles try and ambush them until one of many heroes is perceptive sufficient (DC 13 Notion).
7. Forgotten Throne
A fantastic throne with bronze and silver arms and decorations stands by the north wall, lined with mud within the darkness. The throne is on a three-step dais. The dais exhibits remnants of what as soon as had been lovely carvings that drew dwarven conventional patterns towards the legs of the throne. A spider swarm lives underneath the throne. Any creature that sits on it, startles the swarm. It assaults. If the throne isn’t manipulated in any approach, the spiders stay hidden.
Secret Door. There may be an phantasm spell on this door that makes it appear like the wall. The phantasm stops working if the heroes contact it.
8. Treasure Room
The partitions of this small room function engraved murals. These are in higher situation. A dwarf lined by a pompous kingly cloak holds a chalice with each fingers, protecting his face with the ruby-encrusted golden container. The chests within the room are fastened to the ground.
Treasure. The room incorporates two stone chests with the next objects: a sturdy soapstone goblet (50gp), a pair of decorative fur gloves (30gp), an embroidered silk ribbon (25gp), a set of silver utensils (30 gp), a silvered jug of unique dwarven wine (20gp), and a +1 shortsword.
9. Antechamber
This space smells of demise. The animal carcasses in space 10 reek and their stench reaches this space. The west wall of this space collapsed a very long time in the past to disclose one other cave. Rocks and boulders are scattered throughout. If the kobolds are current, they are saying that is the place they go away the cattle they steal. The monster takes them away and eats them in space 10.
10. Deadlier than Kobolds
This cave is stuffed with rubble and rocks. A small tunnel to the south results in extra underground tunnels. They aren’t related to this journey and their vacation spot is left to the DM’s discretion.
The monster (lamia) eats the leg of a goat when the heroes arrive. Lamias are intelligent creatures. It solid the spell scrying lengthy earlier than the heroes arrived and it’s conscious of something that occurred with the kobolds. If the reptiles betrayed her, the lamia makes use of its claws to reap aside the kobolds first. The lamia makes use of its Intoxicating Contact on Moise and casts geas on him if he’s current. The lamia then orders Moise to kill the kobolds. If this occurs, Moise fights in opposition to the impulse and battles his personal thoughts, dying within the course of. If Moise will not be current, the lamia makes use of the spell on the hardest hero.
If the lamia is lowered to half its hit factors, it flees via the south tunnel. It casts main picture to create an illusory landslide on the tunnel and canopy its retreat. If the heroes handle to see via the phantasm and pursue the lamia, it casts disguise self to change into a weak, dying, wounded girl. She tells them a narrative of how she obtained misplaced and ended up right here.
Listed below are among the attainable outcomes for this journey.
If the heroes listened to Moise and accepted his assist and recommendation, the kobolds fulfill their facet of the cut price and cease harassing the village. The kobolds give the heroes meals and the spices in space 2 as a reward. Again residence, the heroes earn their pay, and Moise presents them his books and notes with which he realized Draconic. Any creature that makes use of these paperwork to review and has entry to apply with different audio system for no less than two years, can be taught to talk Draconic.
If the heroes didn’t settle for Moise’s assist, he finally ends up useless or arrested for going in opposition to the village’s employed adventurers. This doesn’t imply they’ll’t parley with the kobolds however it makes it harder until one of many heroes speaks Draconic. This additionally makes the confrontation with the lamia deadlier. If the heroes struggle the lamia with out assist, it’s a deadly encounter with low possibilities of success.
In case the heroes entered the cave with a kill-everything-that-moves angle and kill all of the kobolds and the lamia, they earn their gold and a bonus of 300 gold items if they carry the lamia’s corpse as a trophy. They nonetheless must take care of Moise’s want to defend the kobolds. However, if the heroes solely eliminate the kobolds however go away the lamia alone or alive, the four-legged monstrosity assaults Blos at night time. How this confrontation is dealt with by the villagers and the heroes is left as much as the DM’s discretion.
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