# Time For Another Round Of Iron Dm!!!



## el-remmen

*Time for another round of the good ole Iron DM*

How does this work?

Simple.  We get 8 people willing to play (and 3 alternates).  I pair people off as competitors and give them a set of 6 "ingredients".

The ingredients are elements that must be used in the designing of a scenario/adventure - which should be written up in overview form - players can be as specific as they like - but detailed stat-blocks and the like are not weighed as heavily as uniqueness and playability of the ideas.

The results are then judged by me and the winner moves on to the next round. . . 

So, once we have the 8 players (and alternates) - I will pair people up based on availability.  However, we are going to change one aspect of the game - to make scheduling easier - players will have 24 hours from the posting of the ingredients to post their entry - which should give plenty of time for someone who is not immediately around when the ingredients are posted to get their entry done.  Entries usually range from half a page to a page and half of writing (three or four paragraphs) - overly long entries run the risk of boring the judge 


As usual, we ask that those not involved in a round not post any suggestions or ideas about the posted ingredients. 

The Iron DM is a grueling competition, with hard as nails judges (expect to have your scenario picked apart).  

I will be posting an example from a previosu IRON DM round soon. . .

So, who wants to play. . . the previous ENworld Iron DM has dibs on playing so he can defend his title.


----------



## Wicht

Count me in.


----------



## el-remmen

*Example*

By our very own Pielorinho!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Ingredients*
_Carnival
Manticore
Crystal Hypnosis Ball
Stirges
Con Games
Giant Snakes_

This adventure is suitable for seventh-level characters, roughly.

Background: Twenty years ago, Nipazir the manticore nearly made a fatal mistake: the cavern complex he decided to make into his new lair turned out to be the home of Kyrchthi the lich. Just before Kyrchthi snapped her fingers and disintegrated the intruder, she thought of a use for him. Years ago, she’d created a crystal hypnosis ball to snare a particularly meddlesome rival. It had worked, but since then it had fallen into the hands of a band of traveling gypsies, and was being used by a third-rate wizard for whom she could care less. She’d thought of reeling in the wizard and using him for experiments, but it seemed worthless. Now, she had an idea.

These days, the more-powerful wizard travels with the gypsies and participates in their carnivals as “Oliman the All-Seeing”. He’s reasonably famous for his divinatory powers, but he doesn’t let everyone access them: instead, he tests the prowess of questioners, and only answers questions for those he deems worthy. The worthy ones are shown the crystal hypnosis ball, which always “answers” their questions by directing them to the nearest cave (and suggesting they go posthaste). Nipazir then eats them and brings their valuables to Kyrchthi to add to her hoard.

The PCs need help from a sage, but they’re out in the boondocks. Lucky for them the carnival’s in town! It’s a sad carnival: a few flabby dancing bears, ripped-up tents, a chained goblin displayed as a baby hill-giant, that sort of rot. The main event Oliman’s Contest of Brains and Brawn, will attract some local toughs, but none of them will be able to defeat the various creatures summoned by Oliman. For the PCs, he’ll cast Summon Monster V twice, summoning giant fiendish constrictors.

Assuming they beat the constrictors, he’ll take them into a small tent and reveal the crystal ball to them. It’ll show a nearby 

[edit: everything after here was typed after the deadline, just to show that I DID have a complete idea]

cavern, intimating that it contains an altar on which there's something the players have been seeking; the only monsters it shows in the cavern are a hive of rust monsters. Simultaneously it'll suggest that the PCs not take any steel weapons or armor into the cavern, and that they leave for the caverns immediately.

Nepizir, now a 12 HD manticore, is waiting in the depths of the cavern for victims to be sent to him. He chose a cavern infested by stirges, on the hopes that they would finish off any visitors and save him the trouble. Besides, he likes his meat dry. If he hears people effectively fighting the stirges, he'll come flying out and join the fray.

Oliman is not expecting the PCs to return; if they do, he'll do his best to parley his way out of trouble. He is completely unaware that his cooperation with the manticore is magically compelled, but effective diplomacy can convince him of this.


----------



## Desdichado

I would love to play! You're not looking for volunteers in the next hour or so, are you?


----------



## el-remmen

No, I want to have the full 8 (and alternates, if possible) before starting.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Sign me up!*

Please sign me up, I'd be very interested in playing.

-rg


----------



## ninjajester

i wouldn't mind giving it a shot.  "put me in, coach.  i'm ready to play."


----------



## Zappo

Consider me signed up.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Count me in!


----------



## Snoweel

Wicht said:
			
		

> *Count me in.  *




You were robbed last time brother.

I'll be rooting <snigger> for you again this time.

Dryad ghost whose tree has been made into a mast - excellent.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Snoweel said:
			
		

> *
> 
> You were robbed last time brother.
> 
> I'll be rooting <snigger> for you again this time.
> 
> Dryad ghost whose tree has been made into a mast - excellent. *




I second that. I thought that was brilliance.

Makes me want to pull out right now and save face.


----------



## Rune

Ooo, ooo!  Pick me!  Pick me!


----------



## arcseed

Is that 8?  If not, I need something to distract me from finals.


----------



## Desdichado

Nem, when are you thinking about doing this?  I really want to participate, but timing may be an issue: I've got meetings (and then a Sammy Hagar/David Lee Roth concert) later tonight (not to mention game 7 of the Stanley cup playoff series!) and tomorrow is my daughter's birthday.  I realistically probably won't be able to do anything until Monday.


----------



## Wicht

I am impressed people actually remember my last entry.  Thanks guys.


----------



## el-remmen

Joshua,

This will be done over the next several days, including the beginning of next week - but since we now have 8 folks

Wicht
Joshua Dyal
Wulf Ratbane
Radiating Gnome
Rune
Arcseed
Zappo
and Ninjajester

if you are willing to start immediately I just need you and one other player to say you are ready. . . 

--------

P.S. Lay off about last Wicht's entry - he clearly was really good at this - his opponent's was just more original is all.  He is the favorite for winning this one according to the book-makers in Vegas. 


we still need 3 alternates


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*I am ready*

I am ready.  There's even more coffee in the other room if I need it.

-jpj


----------



## arcseed

I'm ready.  Let's go!  Abalone battle!


----------



## Quickbeam

It appears I logged on too late for this round nemmerle, but keep me in mind as an alternate for this contest and/or a participant next time around !


----------



## Wicht

If we have 24 hours then I am ready.


----------



## el-remmen

Where's Joshua Dyal? He is the one with the scheduling troubles and he is not around!

IF he shows up we'll do him against Wicht.

For now we will do Radiating Gnome and Arcseed. . .  Please post again to be sure and then I will post the ingredients you will then have 24 hours from the posting time to post your adventure synopsis.

Remember, there is a gentleman's agreement that you will not look at your opponent's post until AFTER you post your own - and no editing your post. . . 


gnome, arc - Ready?


----------



## arcseed

aye.  ready.  And of course no peeking.


----------



## el-remmen

gnomey?


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Scout's Honor*

No peeking.  And I am ready.  24 hours should be perfect.



-rg


----------



## Wicht

I can start at any time over the next two hours.  After that I will have to wait till tomorrow morning.


----------



## el-remmen

Ok, according to my clock it is 3:21 pm EST - you have until tomorrow same time - I may be away for the weekend - so judging will be delayed - but I WILL be checking the posting time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are your ingredients:

Bones
Earth Elemental
Ghouls
Magic Key
Kuo-toa
Holy Ground

----------------------------
Good luck


----------



## Vaxalon

*I take the challenge...*

BUT.

I have a game scheduled for saturday, so I can't defend my title immediately.

I'll be more than happy to defend it later in the week.

What is my status in the competition?


----------



## Sodalis

_
{Text deleted}
_

Um, what part of the request to not do what you just did did you not understand?


----------



## Desdichado

Yikes, I go to a meeting with my director, and I miss out!  I didn't realize we had 24 hours: I thought last time you did it in an hour.

If that's the case, I can probably do one tomorrow sometime.  I won't be able to hang around waiting for it to start, though.  But give me a due date some time Sunday morning, post the details tomorrow morning, and I'll jump in.  Otherwise I'm probably not good until Monday morning.  Rest assured, I'll be around Monday bright and early!


----------



## Wicht

That works for me Nemm - assuming you can post the ingredients tomorrow morning.


----------



## ninjajester

i'm good whenever.


----------



## Zappo

Well, it's almost midnight here and I'm going to sleep. I will be here in about ten hours!


----------



## Zappo

I'm ready at any time.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*“Not your little brother’s Shamu”*

“Not your little brother’s Shamu”
For a four characters of roughly 5th - 6th level.

The characters are sent to investigate the apparent disappearance of a cleric of Pelor named Azure Primavoir. More specifically, they have been asked to recover an ancient tome from Azure and return it to the cleric who has hired the party. Azure was the caretaker of an important holy site, where many of Pelor’s faithful make pilgrimages, on a coastal island called Damure Key.  The area has a reputation for being dangerous, but the holy site and its attendant temple are important in the faith of Pelor.  

To reach the island the PCs travel over by ship, a short sail of less than an hour most days, depending upon the winds.  On board the ship they hear a few rumors about the town and the local waters – for the most part, the captain and crew dismiss concerns about the reputed dangers of the local area, but some of the other passengers have heard stories about all sorts of sea monsters breaking ships apart and sending all aboard to the deep.  Of priestess Azure, the one thing everyone who has met her can agree on is her great beauty.  Some seem to resent her sermons, others are more accepting, but most would concede that most of the people in the primarily male fishing village of Damure attend her services to watch her, and if they get a little religion in the process, so what?  

In town they find much the same as they did on the boat.  Those who make their living on the waves dismiss the dangers of the deep, while those who live and work ashore are a bit more leery about it, having heard terrible tales.  The sailors all claim that ships that are lost – fairly frequently – in the area, are lost because the captains are too cheap to pay for a local pilot to guide them through the rocks and reefs.  A few landlubbers may reveal to perceptive or persistent characters that there are a group of “fishermen” in town who are actually wreckers, luring unsuspecting ships onto the reef, where they sink, then they kill the crew and steal the cargo.

The Temple and shrine of Pelor in town is behind a great wall and a locked gate.  There is a warning inscribed on the gate – The gates will only open for Azure or the bearer of her key, and all those who step on the grounds in absence will be killed.  Naturally enough some roguish types have tried in the past, but were killed quickly when the holy ground itself seemed to rise up and crush them (Greater Earth Elementals).  Should the party choose to try to invade the temple grounds without the key they will be driven off by the Elementals (elementals destroyed are replaced by new Greater Earth Elementals in 1-4 rounds).

Further investigations in town will reveal several bits of information:
1. The Shrine is believed to be the location of a great battle, where the bones and relics of a group of Saints are kept.  The local thieves would very much like to get in there and see what goodies are in the Shrine, but no one has survived entry.
2. Azure has been in Damure for five years, and the faith of Pelor has gained a lot of ground in the town in those five years as she has worked hard, through sermons and deeds to shift the community’s alignment from Neutral with evil tendencies to Neutral with good tendencies.  
3.  Azure locked up the shrine about a month ago to go on a mission with some of her more faithful followers to investigate reports of a skeletal whale that was attacking ships in the area.  Some of the fishermen claim to have actually seen it, flapping it’s great flukes and even breaching like a live whale, but slipping much more easily into the sea (with only bone, no flesh, it makes eerily small splashes despite it’s great size).  Some locals have even gone missing, a detail that many seem reluctant to reveal.
4.  There is indeed a thieves guild in the village that primarily operates as wreckers.  Those who go out and raid and loot are told by their guild master, a one-eyed veteran named Narit, where they will find the ship to raid.  No one but Narit seems to know how he knows, although some of the rogues will have caught a glimpse of the great skeletal whale, with the same details as the fishermen.  Although the rogues will talk tough at first about great battles with the crews of the ships, if pressed or interrogated by an authority they will claim that there are never crews of passengers on the wrecks by the time they get there.  Most have no idea where the bodies end up, and don’t really care.  They’ve been making an easy living on the wrecks.  Narit has grown resentful of Azure’s efforts to clean up the town, and has a very strong desire to get the key himself and use it to raid the Shrine.

What’s really been going on is that Narit has a secret partner in the raids, a Kuo-Toa Necromancer named G’parl.  G’Parl leads a small tribe of Kuo-Toa that make their home in the reefs in the area.  The tribe is caught between the humans on the island and a tribe of Locathah further out, and were being squeezed out before G’Parl came to power.  He contacted and brokered a deal with Narit, summoned up his great Skeleton Whale Bone-mu, and began sinking ships.  

When when Bone-mu sinks a ship, the crew and passengers are cast into the sea, where they are attacked by G’Parl’s other necromantic creation, Ghouls and Lacedons.  Of each crew, about half are eaten and half become more spawn.  This growing undead army has helped G’Parl and the Kuo-Toa push back the Sahuagin, but they also need more and more bodies to feed on, which means more and more ships.  Lately the passing shipping has not been enough, and G’Parl has taken to sending Bone-mu after some of the local fishermen.  

Azure went out in a small fishing boat to try to do something about Bone-mu.  She never returned.  Bone-mu and G’Parl killed her and her companions, and G’Parl is now in possession of her equipment, including the Key.  To retrieve the key the party will have to kill G’Parl. 

Should the party travel by ship to look for G’Parl, they will encounter a few eerie bits of wreckage, with no signs of survivors. Then, eventually, their ship will be attacked by Bone-mu and a big group of Lacedons and Ghouls.   Bone-mu will ram the ship repeatedly from below until there are several hull breaches, and the ship begins to take on water.  Then Lacedons will appear in the water surrounding the ship, scrabbling up the sides of the sinking ship to attack the crew and party members.

There is some help for the party, if they can arrange it – Narit has a stash of potions of water breathing – potions that he uses when he makes his secret meeting with G’Parl.  Narit also knows the way to a secret cove, where there is a small cave with a tunnel that leads underwater to spot in the reef quite near G’Parl’s underwater fortress.  

The party negotiates or forces the aid of Narit, or under their own steam, makes their way to the underwater fortress, fights the ghouls and lacedons and Kuo-Toa that try to protect G’Parl, then have their final battle with G’Parl, who rides Bone-mu into battle. G’Parl’s underwater home is a fortress made from the accumulated bones of decades of people lost at sea Bone-mu, a Gargantuan Skeleton, is especially tough for the PCs: it takes only half damage from piercing and slashing weapons, and bludgeoning weapons are very difficult to use underwater. 

Enterprising parties might get some help from the tribe of Locathah, or recruit a little extra help in town.

Once G’Parl and Bone-mu are defeated, the party can recover the key and return to the Shrine and use the key to enter and make their way past the Earth Elementals, recover the tome they were searching for, and complete their mission.

Just to double check:
Bones (A skeleton whale named bone-mu, the walls of G’Parl’s underwater fortress)
Earth elemental (Guardians of the Shrine)
Ghouls (G’Parl’s army of Ghouls and Lacedons)
Magic Key (Azure’s key to enter the shrine)
Kuo-Toa (G’Parl and his followers)
Holy ground (the Shrine to Pelor)

Major Encounters:
Narit (Human Rog7)
Rogues (Human mostly, Rog1-3)
Greater Earth Elementals (CR 9)
Bone-mu (Gargantuan Skeleton-whale, CR 7)
Other Aquatic Skeletons (Sharks, swordfish, Dolphins, a mix of medium and large size Skeletons – the Sharks, of course, will be simply great big nasty animated jaws, as that’s just about all the bones there are in a Shark’s body)
G’Parl (Kuo-Toa Necromancer, CR 10)
Basic Kuo-Toa Warriors and Rogues (CR 2 or 3)
Ghouls and Lacedons (CR 1)

Just the bare bones, but there you have it.


-rg


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

I am good Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, maybe even early Wednesday... but then I have business travel till Thursday evening.

(Basically out Wednesday noon till Thursday evening).

Wulf


----------



## Wicht

I am good till about 2 p.m. EST today (saturday) and then I won't be around much till Monday.


----------



## arcseed

A dark and lonely coast.  The natives are a mistrustful sort, shunning strangers, shutting themselves up in their houses at night, whispering of foul things that lurk in the shadows.  But there is one spot of light here, a small chapel with mysterious healing powers.

The chapel is one room, about 20 feet square, a grey, weathered wood, with a dirt floor.  The floor is a couple feet below the bottom of the door, for it is the dirt itself that has the healing powers-- eating a small amount of the dirt will act as a gradual Greater Restoration, resoring one level/stat point per day, or a Regenerate that slowly takes effect over a week or so.  The hermit who lives in the shrine implores the party to only take what they need, as the dirt loses potency within a few days of leaving the chapel, and warns the party against being out at night, inviting them to stay in the chapel.

As night falls, ghouls will appear and surround the chapel.  The Hermit doesn't want to talk about them, but if pressed, will say there have always been a few around, but recently there have been a lot more.  If the party chooses to investigate the next day, tracking the ghouls or a half-day searching the area will reveal an entrance to a partially flooded cave complex, inhabited by ghouls and a band of Kuo-toa.  The ghouls will attack both the party and the Kuo-toa, although the Kuo-toa clerics will have used their turning to command as many as they can manage.  The Kuo-toa will not immediately attack, but warn the party away.  If questioned, they won't say much, but will let slip that they're only there temporarily.  

In fact, the Kuo-toa are there to excavate and raise the gigantic evil skeleton of an ancient nameless evil.  It is the presence of this skeleton which causes anyone in the caves or the land around to be raised as a ghoul d4 days after their death, just as if he were killed by a ghoul.  The Kuo-toa have captured an earth elemental to speed the excavation, and in a large central room the skeleton is mostly uncovered, save for the skull and one leg.  It is enormous: the rib cage alone is a good 20 by 30 feet, the bones are of strange proportions to humans, and detect as evil.  The skeleton is bound in iron chains, with an arn padlock hanging down between the ribs, all of a scale with the skeleton, and unrusted, despite the age and the damp.  The lock detects as good, and has a Magic Circle Against Evil effect around it, which extends up to any areas of the caves above it, and to the chapel, directly above.  Kuo-toa clecics in this room can draw upon the power of the skeleton to add an extra 2d6 unholy damage to their lightning bolts against good characters. 

In one of the submerged sections of the caves, in the head Kuo-toa priest's quarters, the party can find the key to the lock, as well as the vile tomes containing the rites the priest intends to use to control and bargain with the ancient evil.  The tomes are bound in Kuo-toa skin, and will hit any good characters who read them with a negative level.  The key is exceptionally heavy, weighing 50 pounds (-10 swim!), and will do one of those funny space-bending things if used on the lock, appearing to fit perfectly in both the lock and the hand using it.  

If the party is sensible, they'll just off the Kuo-toa or steal the books and key to prevent the evil thing from coming back.  They might also want to try to cover up the skeleton again-- this will return the ghoul creation to the previous, lesser rate.  If they use the key without the evil rites, the skeleton will awaken, claw its way out of the caves (causing the ceiling to collapse, as the earthquake spell), and walk out into the sea.  This will at least stop more ghouls from being created, though the party may want to deal with the unspeakable evil they've unleased on the world at some point.  If the party wants to try the evil rites?  Well.  Give 'em a wish, to be carried out in the way that causes the most collateral damage, and then the thing starts giving orders, starting with sacrificing the hermit to it.

Oh: For some parties, the hermit being worried about the ghouls may not be enough of an adventure hook.  I suggest having the party run into the slaughtered, eaten remnants of a group of Kuo-toa the next morning, with clues on them about the evil power below.

Props to China Mieville, the Santuario de Chimayo, and, of course, Lovecraft.  Oh, and the Goonies, but not for anything direct.


----------



## Desdichado

Just checking in.  From the looks of it, Nem is out of town, Wicht is going out of town tomorrow, and I'll be relatively busy the rest of the weekend as well.  So, I guess we're taking a by until Monday?


----------



## Zappo

I'm still here. Will be for the next few hours. Then I'll go to bed.

But ultimately, if I have 24 hours, you can just call me at any time.


----------



## bloodymage

*2nd Alternate*

Doesn't look like alternates will be required. Nevertheless...


----------



## Radiating Gnome

bump


----------



## el-remmen

Just read them thru once each - so judging will now commence - as I look at them more closely and tabulate the results. . .


----------



## Rune

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Bones
> Earth Elemental
> Ghouls
> Magic Key
> Kuo-toa
> Holy Ground*




Wha...hey!  I've seen those ingredients before, somewhere...

Anyway, I'm ready to go anytime.

Oh, and good luck, everyone!


----------



## el-remmen

When it comes right down to it, both entries had some obvious weaknesses.

Arcseed’s set up was simply poor.  It seems to assume that the party is not only going to seek out this chapel with the healing dirt, but that they spend the night there and then not simply kill all the ghouls and move on.

While RG’s would have us believe that crazed kuo-toa necromancer would bother making deals with some human rogue  - and hinges the party discovering the main encounter section (the underwater fortress) on that one hole in the verisimilitude.

However, despite this RG’s scenario has the most strengths in the setting up of the adventure – while one would hope that in a fleshed out adventure RG would pay more attention to the town and what it is like, and how the rogue’s are organized – the scenario does give the impression of a seedy run-down port town of rogues and cut-throats and poor fishermen.  I think adventures that have the PCs have to interact with “locals” for information are good because they all the players to associate information with specific people and thus are likely to remember it better.

I think both entries did not do enough with the earth elemental ingredient.  It seemed an after-thought in Arcseed’s and an XP machine in RG’s.

Yet, RG’s use of a skeletal whale was a clever and original idea that was superior to Arcssed’s cliché “nameless evil” He also linked up the ingredients better by making the ghouls lacedons 

In the end, I award this round to Radiating Gnome.  His entry showed a good bare-bones for what could be an excellent adventure with a variety of elements including the use of social skills (to gather info in the town) to nautical skills (boating and tracking) to melee. 
The motivation of the PCs might have been made stronger by presenting this as a special mission for a cleric or Paladin of Pelor.

Arcseed’s excavation lent his scenario the air of a Lovecraftian tale, with the unearthed and chained skeleton (nice image!), but in general did not seem to blend the elements together well, and had a weak motivation.

So, Radiating Gnome advances. 

Arcseed thank you for playing and I hope to see you next time we play. . .

------------------

So, we still have: 

Wicht
Joshua Dyal
Wulf Ratbane
 Rune 
Zappo
and Ninjajester


Radiating Gnome will not get his next round until the other three preliminary rounds are done.  I should be around from 8:30 AM EST tomorrow – so please post if you are ready to get going. . .

We have one alternate so far – if the day begins to wane tomorrow without one of the original players showing up and an alternate is around I will be taking them for the sake of expediency.


----------



## arcseed

Congrats RG.  

Unfortunately, I just couldn't come up with very good ways of connecting the 'holy ground' neat idea with the skeleton image, and elementals just don't do it for me. 

Be fun seeing the rest of the contest.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Ready whenever...


----------



## tleilaxu

tleilaxu sounds the gong

"and after our next commercial break..."


----------



## Zappo

Ready for the next half day or so.


----------



## Xarlen

Darn! You got 8 players first. I wanted to play, but you had 'em by the time I read the entire thread. Foo.


----------



## Angelsboi

ditto Xarlen.  Damn work.


----------



## Desdichado

I'm here and I have a pretty light day at the office today.  I'm ready to take a scenario and start putting it together...


----------



## el-remmen

Zappo and Wulf, if you are ready to go now - please post.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Ready!


----------



## Wicht

I'm ready and as soon as I have some caffeine in my system I will be ready 

So fire away when ready Nemm (assuming its stille me vs Joshua)


----------



## el-remmen

Ok, Wicht and Joshua. . If you are both ready I will post your ingredients. . .

Wulf - as soon as Zappo shows up again - we can go with you. . .


----------



## Desdichado

OooOOh!  Parallel path contests!  Sounds like fun!

In fact, I even have to pop home for lunch today to pay my rent.  I can pick up my books if I need to!


----------



## el-remmen

waiting on Zappo and Wicht. . .


----------



## Wicht

I'm still ready


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Aaargh... Come on, Zappo, the wait is killing me.


----------



## el-remmen

Ok these ingredients are for *Joshua Dyal & Wicht*
----------------------------------------------------------------------
_
Paladin's holy mount
Gargantuan fire beetle
Crippled rogue
Flooded mine
Diary
Intelligent Greatsword_
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to my computer clock it is now 9:46 am EST - you have until tomorrow this time. . . 

As usual, the regular rules apply to not reading your opponent's entry until AFTER you have posted yours and the prohibition of non-competitors posting ideas. . .


----------



## Zappo

Oh oh... sorry, I was away for some hours. Busy reinstalling windows on another computer, and as usual the network isn't working. I've never, ever seen the network on windows 9x work at the first attempt, and only once at the second.

Anyway, it'll be for the next round.


----------



## el-remmen

Ok, so Zappo is here . . .I assume Wulf is still around?

Are we ready to go with the concurrent rounds?


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

YES PLEASE!


----------



## Zappo

Oh, yes!


----------



## el-remmen

Ok, *Zappo and Wulf*  - Here ya go!

_
Amnesia
Island Fortress
Evil Monks
Eggs
Hangman Tree
Cursed Spear, Back-biter
_

According to my clock is it 11:05 am EST - you have 24 hours.

Good luck. . .


----------



## Radiating Gnome

arcseed said:
			
		

> *Congrats RG.
> 
> Unfortunately, I just couldn't come up with very good ways of connecting the 'holy ground' neat idea with the skeleton image, and elementals just don't do it for me.
> 
> *




Thanks, Arcseed.  I like the "Holy Dirt" idea in your post.  

And Nemmerle, thanks for your comments.  As for the Earth Elementals, you're right, they were a tough fit in that adventure -- I didn't intend them as an XP machine, but as an insurmountable obstacle that would force the players to find the lost key . . . but you're right, that could have been handled a lot better. 

I'm looking forward to the next round.

-rg


----------



## Desdichado

Yes, congrats RG.  My luck was to be pitted against Wicht, a guy who from many of his posts, I think not only thinks like I do but is considerably more clever.  I'll have to be in top form to advance to the next round!  Speaking of which, I oughtta get busy and start writing down some of the ideas I've got hurtling through my head with these elements...


----------



## Quickbeam

nem,

I love the concept of Iron DM, and must have slept through its previous incarnations.  It appears that you'll have all eight participants for this tournament (and thus not need my services as an alternate), so please keep me in mind for the next installment!


----------



## Sodalis

see- the key for being an alternate is to find the right opportunity for maximum knee crackage...  or shoudl i say- tanya harding the poor sap and take his place.... 

of course me and you can have our own steel DM competition- but then again- my stories are usually one two sentances long with runons and multiple linkers and four subjects and eight verbs with three adjectives for each noun, and a car that cant fly cause its a stupid car and it has three little wheels that nobody likes and when the cows come home, the moon shines down and...

you get the idea..


----------



## Wicht

This is always fun.  There are some rough edges in this entry but to polish them all away would just make it longer...

*Iron DM Tournament; Round 1*
Ingredients: Paladin’s Holy Mount, Gargantuan Fire Beetle, Crippled Rogue, Flooded Mine, Diary, Intelligent Greatsword

*The Cleanup Crew 
or The Caverns of the Chaos Stone*

About 1000 years ago, a stone of chaos crashed to earth.  This stone had two main powers.  The first was that it had a strange effect on magic, causing spells to operate in an unpredictable fashion.  The second effect was that any intelligent being within a thousand yards of the stone was liable to have their alignment slowly change until they were chaotic neutral and certifiably insane.  A _Protection from Chaos Spell_ was the only way for a being to approach the stone without eventually losing it’s mind.  

This stone caused numerous problems until about 500 years ago when it was sealed in a container created with the powers of law and buried in the earth.  This worked until about 200 years ago when the container was found by underground dwellers.  The stone was for a time released and a group of adventurers, at the cost of their own lives, sealed it within the earth once more.  There it continued to lay until just recently.  The ground in which the stone was buried is rich in copper and a series of mines have been excavated in recent years.  These mines are three layers deep and at one point they even lie under an above ground lake.  About a month ago, some of the miners broke through into a sealed chamber in which there were four skeletons.  As they eyed the treasure on the skeletons none of them paid much attention to the strange multi colored rock (the Stone of Chaos) in the center of the room.  Instead, one of them picked up a sword and that’s when the trouble started.  The sword, an intelligent greatsword, warped beyond all hope by 200 years of exposure to pure chaos, dominated the man and out of sheer boredom killed the remaining miners.

Over the next few weeks, the mines became a place of pandemonium.  The miner and the crazy greatsword stalked and killed and tormented any they came upon.  In addition, the local ‘bug’ population, through the magic of the greatsword and the nature of the stone, began to grow, literally (the sword has the _Enlarge_ power and a bug fetish).  Huge earthworms (rumored to be purple worms by some of the miners), mosquitoes as big as stirges, and a gargantuan fire beetle, all began to appear and soon the mine owners could get no-one to go into the mine.  So they hired some adventurers and sent them in to find out what was going on.  Things went smoothly for this group until they were underneath the lake and then one of the wizard’s spells, a _Magic Missile_, turned into a _Fireball_, collapsed the room by burning out the support beams, and flooded the mine.  Only two of the party survived.  The party’s rogue made it through the water to the third area of the mine, which was still dry.  There he managed to kill the greatsword-wielding miner.  However, he too soon went insane.  The other member of the party to survive was the mount of the gnome paladin, a large awakened dog.  This creature swam to safety but is currently trapped in a series of rooms and is living off of any insects or fish he can find and kill.  Fortunately for him his inherent nature protects him from the power of the stone.

The PC’s are hired as a clean up crew to follow up after the first bunch of adventurers.  In the upper level of the mine, the PCs will have little problem.  The power of the stone does not quite reach this far and there are currently only a few insects of large size to cause trouble.  The second layer of the mine will present a bit more of a challenge.  Here the lake waters have flooded the mine passages and PCs must have some way to navigate through the tunnels.  As well, some of the fish have made it into the tunnels from the lake and are behaving strangely.  Some may pose a threat to the PCs but all will be a nuisance as they act in a chaotic fashion.  The dog, the late gnome paladin’s mount, is to be found in a series of dry rooms just above the water level, but unable to get to other sections of the mines on its own.  If the PCs find the dog it can easily relate what happened to the first party.  Any spell cast on this level of the mines has a 20% chance of behaving as a completely different spell (chosen randomly).  This does not affect spells already in effect but only those actually cast at the time.

The third layer of the mines is when things should get really strange.  The water has not flooded this layer but that does not make the going easier.  Here the rogue, crippled from the collapse of the mines, completely insane and wielding a powerful and crazy greatsword, will stalk the party and try to pick them off.  A Gargantuan fire beetle has dug out a huge nest and is very hungry.  Earthworms of huge size mindlessly deliver crushing attacks as they pass.  And other insects and creepy crawlies also abound in large size and in some cases, large quantities.  To make matters worse, any spell cast in this area has a 50% of behaving as a different spell and for each hour spent in the area, each PC not protected by a protection from chaos spell must make a Will save or move one alignment step towards chaotic neutral.  Those that reach chaotic neutral go insane and behave as such.

If the PCs manage to make it into the chamber containing the stone of chaos, they may find the diary on one of the skeletons to be helpful.  Here the writer, a wizard, records the last hours of the party as they magically sealed themselves in the rock, away from those creatures that attacked them.  The wizard last entry tells of the party’s warrior eyeing him strangely.  The wizard also, however, mentions in the diary the power of a protection from chaos spell against the stone in the diary and using this knowledge the PCs may be able to once more seal away the stone.


----------



## Quickbeam

Sodalis:
You and I would make for an amusing pair in an Iron DM contest.  You've explained the finer points of your writing style , and let's just say that brevity is not my strong suit.  My posts are generally filled with an array of fluff, sound, fury and bluster, amounting to a whole lot of hyperbole .


----------



## mmadsen

*A Few Suggestions*

I love the Iron DM concept, and it's quite a crowd pleaser, but the thread, by necessity, fills up with bumps and role calls.  Could we edit the Iron DM thread down to just the goods?

Also, lots of people are chomping at the bit to play along.  Can we have an unofficial "home game" thread, where people post their entries right after the "real" competition?  That is, we could all post our own entries with the same ingredients RG and arcseed just used.


----------



## el-remmen

*Re: A Few Suggestions*



			
				mmadsen said:
			
		

> *I love the Iron DM concept, and it's quite a crowd pleaser, but the thread, by necessity, fills up with bumps and role calls.  Could we edit the Iron DM thread down to just the goods?
> 
> Also, lots of people are chomping at the bit to play along.  Can we have an unofficial "home game" thread, where people post their entries right after the "real" competition?  That is, we could all post our own entries with the same ingredients RG and arcseed just used. *




Well, when the game is done and I archive it I will prune out all the extraneous stuff - I was even thinking of starting an "Iron DM webpage" with the records of all the past competitions and the future ones. . .

As for the "home game" as long as you wait until both entries are posted AND the 24 hours are up (to eliminate any chance of confusion) go for it. . . feel free to take the initiative. . . 

I ask that competitors in a particular round not do this however. . .


----------



## Sodalis

> nemmerle:
> As for the "home game" as long as you wait until both entries are posted AND the 24 hours are up (to eliminate any chance of confusion) go for it. . . feel free to take the initiative. . .




YEEEAAAHHH!!!!!

I will repost my adventure that was taken off of my last post:

ingredients:
Bones
Earth Elemental
Ghouls
Magic Key
Kuo-toa
Holy Ground

A bunch of ghouls were sitting around a carcass of a fallen hero stupid enough to wander into the graveyard, eating the last bits of meat from his bones.  A Kuo-Toa jumps out from behind a bush and grabs the bag of gold from tehfallen hero and run away.  Not looking at where he was going, he bumps into a Earth Elemental that was locked out of his house.  He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a magic key and unlocks the door. Unbeknownst to him, that the door actually leads to Holy Grounds .  the elemental thanks him and walks into his new home...


----------



## Radiating Gnome

Sodalis said:
			
		

> A bunch of ghouls were sitting around a carcass of a fallen hero stupid enough to wander into the graveyard, eating the last bits of meat from his bones.  A Kuo-Toa jumps out from behind a bush and grabs the bag of gold from tehfallen hero and run away.  Not looking at where he was going, he bumps into a Earth Elemental that was locked out of his house.  He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a magic key and unlocks the door. Unbeknownst to him, that the door actually leads to Holy Grounds .  the elemental thanks him and walks into his new home... [/B]




Boy, I wish I could step down and conceded my position in the semi-finals to you, Sodalis.  So concise, and yet so . . . random. 

Seriously, though, it would be cool to see what others might do with the same ingredients. 

-rg


----------



## el-remmen

Sodalis, I meant in a different thread. . . Not this one - it is cluttered enough. . .


----------



## Desdichado

*The Caverns of Cynwallon*

Note: edited to clean up a few typos.  Content remains the same.



> _Originally posted by nemmerle:_
> Ok these ingredients are for Joshua Dyal & Wicht
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Paladin's holy mount
> Gargantuan fire beetle
> Crippled rogue
> Flooded mine
> Diary
> Intelligent Greatsword
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> According to my computer clock it is now 9:46 am EST - you have until tomorrow this time. . .





*The Caverns of Cynwallon*

_Set-up:__  This mini-adventure is meant to take place --at longest-- over the course of one play session, and is meant to be slipped into a campaign as a side-bar to whatever else is going on whilst the characters are travelling through the wilderness.  No levels or other statistics are given to accomodate multiple CRs for this adventure, depending on the level of the PCs._

Background: (for DMs only)  The little town of Cynwallon is a sleepy little village that probably doesn't appear on most maps.  It is a river-side port who's past glory days as a mining boomtown of sorts are long behind it.  Today, the inhabitants are indigent farmers and fisherfolk, but they are friendly and good-natured, for the most part.  The premise of the adventure is that the PCs, while travelling from one destination to another pass through this town during a time frame in which it is most convenient to spend the night here.  Although written with the assumption of a standard pseudo-European campaign setting, a few name changes and you should be able to use it in other types of settings as well.  This adventure is also designed to allow the PCs to become as involved or not as they wish, but either way, the final encounter would still happen.  Depending on how inquisitive the PCs wish to be, they may know all about Captain Cat at that time, or they may wonder who in the world this strange madman is that's attacking them for no reason as they travel on the road outside of Cynwallon.

However, the history of Cynwallon is a little more detailed than some would think.  Cynwallon was once a tin-mining center of great importance.  Folks came from all over to work the tin-mines, and they dug too deeply and too greedily, in the time-honored tradition of hubristic miners everywhere.  They did not find a sleeping balor under the ground, but hazards of a more natural variety finished the mines off once and for all.  As they dug, they found the remnants of dormant volcanic activity deep underground.  Twice during the operating days of the mine, scalding steam jets blasted forth from the earth to wipe out scores of miners at a time.  And finally, the worst of all, they dug too near the river about 70-80 year ago.  The thin rock walls broke and the mines completely filled with river-water.  From that point on, the orphans and widows and few remaining townsfolk either moved or took up a new way of life.  The entrance to the mines was blocked off with rubble and stone, and no one really knows exactly where it is these days.

Scene I:  As the PCs approach the town (from whichever direction your broader campaign dicates they approach) they see an odd sight: a noble, although somewhat bedraggled horse grazing in a small wild meadow.  The horse has the battered remains of a aristocratic saddle, and bears torn and smudged symbols that belong to whatever good holy order or god that exists in your campaign world.  The horse looks intelligent, and if you have any paladins or clerics in your party, they may recognize it as a paladin's warhorse (DC 20 on whichever Knowledge skill you feel is appropriate, if desired.)  The poor horse is limping awkwardly and is somewhat thin and dull.  If the PCs decide to try and approach the beast, it will make a half-hearted attempt to run away.  The horse cannot run any faster than a standard PC character race, as its limp will hinder it's movement.  The DM may, if desired, make a somewhat lighthearted, if also pathetic, "combat encounter" in which the PCs can try to stop the horse by grabbing its mouldering reigns (grappling attack), or nose, or whatever.  Hopefully the PCs won't try to kill the poor animal, but if they don't recognize it as a paladin's holy mount, or don't care, then they can do so.  It should be a simple procedure: the poor creature is about done for anyway, and will be down to one HD of hitpoints (use a standard paladin's mount and adjust level according to your PCs' levels.  However, keep in mind that this isn't supposed to be a tough encounter: just a chance to get some information.

If the PCs stop or kill the horse and search its saddlebags, they will find a mildewed and water-damaged leather-bound book, which turns out to be the diary of one Sir Olney, a knight of (insert campaign specific holy order here.)  The poor Sir Olney, if the PCs look at the diary at all, was writing a trip log of his journey to pick up a magical and wonderful sword which was to be delivered to (insert campaign specific big city here, hopefully one located in the same direction the PCs are headed).  Apparently a noble of that city was to pay a handsome reward for the delivery of the magical sword, with which Sir Olney hoped to restore the temple of his god in his hometown, which had recently burned to the ground.  The last entry, however, what little of it that can be read through the mildew and water stains, mentions river pirates briefly, and his fear that he might run afoul of them in the area of the river near the mines of Cynwallon.

Scene II:  As the PCs leave the horse (whether they stopped it and read the diary or not) and continue on into Cynwallon, they will not find much there to do except stable their horses, talk to run-of-the-mill townsfolks (who can give a brief history of the town, if desired) and hole up in the small in, Edrick's Roost.  If the PCs decide to stay the night in that inn, and come down to the common room, they can meet the Captain Cat, a mysterious figure (detailed below).  If they do not go to the common room, or do not even go to the inn, then they may hear about Captain Cat from the citizens of the town, or they may even be accosted by him in the street.

Captain Cat:  Captain Cat is not, of course, the real name of the old scoundrel, but due to his boasts about being a former pirate captain on the river, and his habit of wearing a cap made from the skin of a wild-cat, the locals call this chap Captain Cat, or even Pirate Cat.  He's a slightly elderly fellow who talks loudly and somewhat crudely, but the locals generally put up with him anyway, and laugh at his antics.  He has found a fire beetle nest, and he makes his living, such as it is, by harvesting the creatures for their luminous qualities, which he barters with or sells to the townsfolks.  They generally consider him a bit "touched by the gods," "taken one swig too many of some bad moonshine," "held underwater a bit too long while a'boatin'" or whatever other colorful metaphor you like to describe someone who's not in possession of his full faculties.  If the PCs meet him here, they should get the same impression: he will ramble --occasionally incoherently-- about all kinds of things, although most often he will mention how he was robbed by fate of that "poor sod's treasure."  If questioned, he will give a few more details: he tried to save a poor knight who had been attacked and wounded in the river, but he couldn't get the fellow to shore (at this point, Pirate Cat may point to his wooden leg: below the knee on his left leg is a cunningly crafted oak foot.)  As the knight died, he tried to pass on something important, "his treasure" to Pirate Cat.

At this point, astute PCs who have followed all available options open to them, may start to get the idea that Pirate Cat's "poor sod" is one and the same with Sir Olney and his treasure is probably the magical sword that he was trying to deliver to (insert campaign specific reference here again.)  If not, they may decide to investigate Pirate Cat's claim to a lost treasure in the area anyway, or if not even that, they will have to pass that way on their way out of town anyway.  So, with some modifications depending on what the PCs have found out and what they actually decide to do, you as the DM can move on to Scene III.

Scene III:  On the other side of town, the road leads somewhat near the river shore.  There, the PCs will spot someone wading on the edge of the water apparently looking for something.  That someone is, of course, Captain Cat.  Captain Cat, on seeing them, will believe they are coming to steal his "rightful treasure" from him.  If the PCs are able to sneak up and incapacitate him by whatever reason, or if Captain Cat sees them either one, he will trigger (involuntarily, if incapacitated) a magic ring that he keeps on his person.  He makes a habit of searching the water with one of his fire beetles wandering around with him: he pokes at it with an old rapier that he carries to keep it going the direction he wants.  The ringhe triggers is good for one enlargement spell which will turn his fire beetle into a gargantuan version of the relatively timid creature.  This will spook the poor bug, and it will attack the PCs out of panic and fear.  If Captain Cat is still up and about, he will join with the beetle.  It turns out he's a tougher customer than the PCs probably suppose: he's a high enough level rogue to be a suitable challenge for the PCs.  His peg-leg is cleverly constructed (and he's so used to it) that he can (mostly) move about as a normal person, although he will be unable to run (4x movement in combat) and will suffer a -10 penalty to any Move Silently checks.

Let the PCs fight this fight for a little while, then spring the next surprise on them.  Turns out that the volcanic activity hasn't been quite so dormant lately after all, and the flooded mines have been heating up and building up quite a bit of pressure.  The PCs also happen to be fighting over some of the flooded tunnels.  The stomping of the giant fire beetle has loosened the rock that holds the pressurized water of the tunnels in check, and it will suddenly break forth out of the ground at the climax of their battle!  Let them make reflex saves to avoid the boiling column of water and dirt, and if they fail give them appropriate damage.  In addition, the sudden vacating of all that water will cause the tunnels to collapse underground, and the ground itself will suddenly sag.  Make the PCs (and their opponents) take another reflex save or fall 20 ft.

Assuming they are still around, the PCs should now be able to (hopefully) finish off Pirate Cat and his Giant Beetle (if it looks too challenging, you can also have the magic wear off and the beetle returns to its normal size.)  Either that, or Captain Cat may be sufficiently "freaked out" by the sudden geyser and collapsing ground that he runs away.  Make a DM call on how much the PCs need to finish the fight vs. how much they may need a break by this point.

However it ends, though, the PCs will have found (especially if they're looking for it again) that the shifting of the rock and water has exposed a large, gold-hilted greatsword -- the same greatsword that Sir Olney was trying to transport to (again, insert campaign specific location here) and that Pirate Cat was trying to uncover himself.  The weapon is at least a masterwork weapon (possibly with magical bonuses as well, depending on the level of your characters and if that is appropriate) but with a wrinkle: the sword talks.  However, the PCs will find very quickly that just because it does so does not really make it intelligent: the sword keeps up an almost never-ending diatribe of stupid jokes and humming to itself.  If questioned, it will tell all about Sir Olney (and how he snored all night, and any other scandalous knowledge it may have about him) and his mission to deliver the sword to (you know the drill by now, right?) for a reward.  If the PCs can stand to be around the annoying piece of hardware long enough to finish Sir Olney's quest, they are welcome to do so.  If not, the incessant talking will probably get them in trouble someday, as the sword has an annoying habit of belting out showtunes while it's owner is trying to sneak past enemy guards, tell embarassing stories while the owners are trying to impress prospective employers, give away bluffs the PC is trying to engage in, etc.


----------



## Desdichado

Now that mine's posted, I went ahead and read Wicht's -- great job!  Makes me wish I'd taken a little more time to proofread and modify a bit!

Still, I got things to do tonight, so I'll just let it stand as it is, I suppose...


----------



## Zappo

> _Amnesia
> Island Fortress
> Evil Monks
> Eggs
> Hangman Tree
> Cursed Spear, Back-biter
> _



*Setting*: A small tropical island named Taisalai, ruled by the evil Tjopians.

_Geography_: Taisalai is small, no more than 40 kilometers across, and is mostly covered in a dangerous jungle. The jungle is very thick and includes many plant monsters. Animal life is limited to birds and insects. The closest land mass is more than a week's travel by boat away, and the sea surrounding it is very rough, making the place isolated, difficult to reach or to leave.
A single town and harbor has been built on the coast; its name is Taesjeli and its people are slaves to the Tjopians. These people live through piracy, fishing. The few water sources are guarded: each well is surrounded by a small wooden fort, manned by two or three Tjopians (6th to 8th level monks) and ten to twenty soldier slaves (1st to 3rd level soldiers).

_Ancient History_: Taisalia used to be uninhabited until a few centuries ago. Back then, on the continent, two monk factions were warring: the good Sekaldes and the evil Tjopians. The two orders have never been friends, but an ages-old truce binded them. Eventually, the Tjopians (or the Sekaldes, depending on who you ask) betrayed and attacked the other order. The war was long and bloody, but eventually the Sekaldes prevailed and exiled their enemies to the distant Taisalai (hoping that they would be too worried about survival to engineer more evil plans).
When they reached the island after two months of navigation, the prisoners broke free while disembarking, killed the guards, seized control of the ships, and enslaved the sailors. Knowing that they would be killed if they returned, they used the mariners and surviving guards as slaves to secure water sources, find food, and build a village. They also used the ships for piracy and acquired more slaves from the closest nations.

The village has grown into a relatively big town of about a half thousand people, thanks to the costant slavery raids. A fortress has been built in the middle of the village, using up almost all the stone of the island. While the majority of the population is dark-skinned (having inherited the trait from the people of the nations close to Taisalai), the Tjopians have refused to 'contaminate' their blood and are the only white-skinned people on the island. This, combined with the fact that they kill all their children who aren't fit to be trained in their martial arts (that is, those who are neutral or chaotic, or good), has caused severe inbreeding among them. To partially prevent this, the Tjopians seize as their 'personal' slaves any white person they find during the raids, mate with them and throw them in the jungle after the birth of two or three children. There are about fifty Tjopians on the island, and all of them are monks (most between 3rd and 7th level). The best and highest level ones are assigned to guard the water sources or to command pirate ships. The elder take all the decisions.

_Recent History_: One of the white slaves, named Maklor (5th level fighter), held prisoner in the chambers of the Tjopian woman Kalsera, has managed to win the love of his forced consort. Kalsera kept Maklor with her for eight years, during which they raised a son and a daughter. Unfortunately, the kid displayed a chaotic nature and lacked the focus to become a martial artist, while the girl showed excessive kindness and goodness towards the slaves. Eventually, the elders decreed that the kids had to be killed and Maklor exiled to prevent further corrupting influence from him.

At the execution, Maklor shouted and cried, but he was tied and couldn't do anything. Kalsera, instead, was just watching in silence. When the elder arrived, holding a magical spear which was reserved for executions (the condemned don't deserve to be killed with martial arts), she suddenly jumped at him screaming and attacked him fiercely. More monks rushed to his aid, and Kalsera eventually was subdued. The elder struck here with the spear, but before dying she murmured: "Cursed we are, cursed, for slaying our own children. Betrayed by those they trust the most... the fate we give is the same we receive".

Maklor fell silent, gazing in the void as the elder shook the spear free and murdered the two crying children as well. They took him away and dumped him deep within the jungle to die.

*The PCs*: this mini-adventure is good for PCs of mid levels. Good PCs should desire to help the slaves to escape; others can be motivated by the need to get away from the island.

_Getting started_: there are several ways to get the PCs on Taisalai. One is presented here: the island hosts little animals but a wide variety of exotic birds. A wizard desires one of those as a familiar, a sort of parrot, and for this reason he hires the PCs to travel to Taisalai and retrieve its eggs. Knowing well the danger this poses, he pays them well and tells them to reach the island as stealthily as they can, find a nest, pick up a few eggs, and get out of there as soon as possible. He arranges for a ship whose captain is mad enough to travel there and tells them goodbye.

_The adventure_: The captain is good and, by travelling during the night aided by magical darkvision, he manages to reach the island unseen. He tells the PCs that he will return to pick them up in exactly three days. Unfortunately, right after the PCs have landed on a hidden beach and the ship has left the shore, a Tjopian pirate ship spots it and attacks. The battle is brief; it is too far for the PCs to do anything, the captain and most of the crew are killed, the rest are taken prisoner.

The PCs have no choice but to enter the jungle and look for the eggs and a way out of the island. Encounters in the jungle can include all sorts of natural tropical birds and plants as well as monstrous plants. Soon, the PCs spot a hangman tree, with a half-eaten human body still in its branches. If the PCs get close, the tree will attack them. The corpse is all that remains of one of the slaves sent to die in the jungle. There are more such sights in the jungle, but the PCs can also find wooden forts guarding wells, or hunting patrols. Eventually the PCs meet Maklor. He is being attacked by another hangman tree. If the PCs save him they find he has a blank stare. Maklor's mind simply couldn't stand seeing his wife and children brutally murdered in front of him, and he has completely forgot everything, becoming practically catatonic - he was thrown into the jungle a few hours ago and survived until now through sheer luck. If the PCs talk to him, he slowly starts speaking again, but he doesn't remember anything of who he is or why he is there until the PCs reach the village.

There, the PCs see that all the inhabitants are dark-skinned; if the PCs are white, they seem to always avoid their gaze and lower their head when they pass. There are very few monks in the village, and for now the PCs don't meet any. If a PC tries to talk with a slave, he can learn how the place is run. Maklor, listening, slowly remembers being captured and enslaved, but still knows nothing about Kalsera or his children, and he doesn't remember his name. If a slave understands that the PCs are neither slaves nor Tjopians, he points them to a hut where another slave, named Benh, lives. Benh is planning a great escape from the island, but he lacks the weapons and strength for it. If the PCs gain his trust, he will ask them for help (pointing out that following him is the only way out of the island).

This is the plan: that night, there will be the funeral of a Tjopian woman named Kalsera, who got killed in tragic circumstances. He proceeds to tell the PCs the whole story, and while he does so Maklor simply doesn't listen and doesn't seem interested. Truth is, his mind is protecting itself from the pain by avoiding to listen. Cunning PCs might get suspects if they notice that their newfound friend can't remember a single word of that story. He does remember the rest of the plan: attacking the relatively few monks who are guarding the ships while the really powerful Tjopians are at the funeral, and then mounting the slaves on all the ships and leaving. Without ships, the monks won't be able to follow.

The funeral takes place during the night, at a couple hundred meters from the harbor. There is some light foliage in between, and as it is custom, the scene will be surrounded by torches and bonfires, and the attention will be focused on the rituals, so the monks will be hardly able to see what happens far in the dark. The PCs have the task of stealthily eliminating the monk guards of the harbor. There are slave soldiers helping the guards; if the PCs are dark-skinned, they will protect the guards (they are too afraid to do otherwise), but if they are white they will be confused and do nothing.

Assuming that the PCs manage to kill the monks without being noticed, the evacuation of the slaves can begin. There are ten large ships in the harbor, barely enough to accomodate all the slaves. This is the most delicate part of the operation: getting five hundred people on the ships before the funeral ends. The PCs oversee the operation and will travel on the last and fastest ship, together with the best soldier slaves. When almost everyone is on and nine ships on ten are leaving the harbor, the ritual reaches its climax: the dead Kalsera is lifted to the light where everyone can see her clearly.

Including Maklor, who is on the ship that just left. He suddenly remembers everything and his eyes widen with madness. He screams the name of his beloved and would jump overboard if some of the former slaves didn't hold him, trying to silence him. But it's too late: some of the Tjopians leave the funeral and run at full monk speed toward the harbor. Benh, who is on the fast ship with the PCs, curses and orders everyone to get on the rows and start working hard.

The elder who killed Kalsera is the first to arrive. He could easily jump on the PCs' ships but he knows it is too dangerous. Instead, he laughs and mocks Maklor, and throws the spear at him. The spear flies straight and true towards Maklor's heart, but at a few feet's distance suddenly changes direction and heads towards the elder! The elder is surprised but narrowly dodges it, and then the spear turns again and hits him very hard in the back. The elder was still low on HP from the fight with Kalsera, and the force of the blow drops him to his knees.

At this point, the final battle begins. The Tjopians are stunned from seeing the spear fly back and hit the elder, and some of them think the escaped slaves are being aided by powerful wizards. Still, a couple high level monks and a few low level ones reach the harbor and jump or swim on the PCs' ship before it gets too far and too fast. The PCs have to fight them with the aid of twenty slaves (5 of them are commoners, level 1st to 3rd, and 15 of them are soldiers, level 3rd to 5th, armed with various weapons and light armors). The slaves have seen the monks fight and will help the PCs well, by occupying the squares near them, using the _helping other_ option, and readying actions to limit the monks' movement.

If the PCs still have the parrot eggs, they'd better take care to avoid getting them squashed!


----------



## ninjajester

just so you know, nem, i'm ready whenever.  i'm off for the next two days so i may not be checking in as often (ie mornings), but you are free to post the ingredients any time in the next two days and i will have an entry ready by the time limit...

(i guess it's kind of funny that i surf message boards far more at work than at home...)


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Tough game! I hope I have formatted this ok for the competition. I can't believe how long it took! I spent more time on this than I do on my regular game! (Don't tell my players...)


_Amnesia (Lotus Flower)
Island Fortress
Evil Monks
Eggs (Harpy Eggs)
Hangman Tree
Cursed Spear, Back-biter_

*****

*Setting*
Within the core world of Greyhawk, the DM should set the meat of this adventure (the island fortress) in the territory of the Scarlet Brotherhood. Suitable islands can be found in the heart of their territory on the Tilvanot Peninsula; in the Olman Islands; or in their holdings amongst the Sea Princes (to the west) or the Lordship of the Isles (to the east). Possibly the best solution is to place it on a very small island off the coast of Onwal, near their bastion at Scant. This solution allows you to place a small island-- too small to be mapped, but just large enough for a fortress-- right in the heart of Greyhawk, within easy travelling distance.

The adventure is suitable for 6th-8th level characters.

*Background*
For more years than she can remember, the wizard Fara has been slave to the whims of the Scarlet Brotherhood. They contact her rarely, but each time their demand is the same: some _cursed_ item, to be presented as a gift by unknowing pawns to an enemy of the Brotherhood. To her eternal shame, the Brotherhood holds no particular sway over Fara; her motivation is simple: money. With 'generous' funding from the Brotherhood, Fara was able to retire from a troublesome life of adventure and settle down to scholarly research.

For her own peace of mind, and the protection of her benefactors, Fara made it a regular practice to drink _potions of forgetfulness_ after each contact. For years this has been her escape from guilt and the source of "plausible deniability" should she ever be found out. Even by wizards' standards, Fara is more forgetful than most, and after countless years of near-addiction to the potions, she remembers almost nothing "short term" if it is not written down.

Fara now finds herself in a curious predicament. Her latest note to herself is a list of ingredients (lotus flower, harpy eggs) but she has forgotten what they are for. She believes (and the PCs may come to agree) that they are ingredients for a cure to her current state of forgetfulness. 

Fara hires the party to undertake the usual "ingredient gathering" mission. Fara is wizened and wrinkled, warm and gregarious-- though more than a bit muddled. She'll make sure to get the PCs names and descriptions to make a note for herself, apologizing in advance if she does not remember them later. She will then give the PCs her list of ingredients, which includes a hastily scribbled addendum in red ink: _Find both on the island fortress... PAID_ In addition she'll give them her personal signet ring, which she assures them will give them safe passage on the fortress, as well as with any of the local "privateer" captains who may be contracted for the journey.

*The Ocean Voyage*
Unless the PCs are strapped for time and have access to some kind of teleportation, they will have to suffer an ocean voyage. Whether the PCs hire a privateer or more respectable transport, the risks are essentially the same: run afoul of "civilized" folks, or risk the attention of other privateers-- or, worse yet, the Brotherhood navy. In any case the Brotherhood only allows privateers to dock safely in their harbors, so the PCs will have sneak in if they are not flying the proper colors. The DM can use this opportunity to throw a short (EL5-6) encounter at the party.

*The Harpy Eggs (EL8)*
As the PCs approach the island fortress they will have to contend with the first of its defenses-- a murder of harpies who have taken up residence on the high cliffs. The four harpies nesting here will begin by trying to lure PCs off their ships at the limit of their 300' range-- especially unfortunate for the fighters in heavy armor. This encounter could be particularly deadly under those circumstances, so the DM is encouraged to have any ship's crew prepared to help out, from restraining PCs to firing crossbows at the harpies. 

Each harpy has a clutch of 2-3 eggs, more than enough for Fara's purposes.

*The Lotus Fields (EL ~9) *
Half-Orc Overseer (Bbn1/Ftr2 x8)
Once the players have safely landed on the island, they can approach the small fort. The outlying lands of the fort are covered in lotus fields and worked by dazed peasants, many of whom sit glassy-eyed in ramshackle huts. The work is overseen by half-orc warriors. The overseers will not take kindly to PCs gathering up armfuls of lotus flower from their fields. If the overseers are shown the signet ring, they will advise the party to move on to the fort-- they are apparently expected. 

*The Monastery(EL11) *
Li Pao, the Sleeping Dragon, Servant of the Celestial Emperor (LE human Mnk 8)
Bodyguard (Mnk4, Bbn4, Ftr4, any CR4 humanoids-- x9)
The fort is simple, with 20' high stone walls. An portcullis guards the only entryway. A single central tower (30' high) looks out over the walls with a view of the ocean. Beneath the tower are clustered several spartan buildings-- monastery-style. 

If the PCs are polite and non-aggressive here, they will easily get out without a scratch on them. Master Li Pao will show them the greatest hospitality: food, drink, and a night's rest. Under his roof, he will assure them, they are safe, and will take offense if his honor is questioned. He will bring out several small clay pots, sealed with black lotus extract, and a straw-filled crate containing a pair of harpy's eggs. Li Pao will ask them to deliver them to Fara with his regards. He does not appear to expect any money to change hands. After dinner he will ask them to accompany him to his private garden, where they can pick up the last remaining item.

Li Pao's garden is dark, quiet, and serene: arranged in the traditional contemplative style, save for the crooked tree growing in the center. The tree has beautiful white and red blossoms, but its gnarled limbs give it an eerie appearance. The peasant swinging from a noose on the lower branch does not help matters any.

Li Pao will gesture to a gardener who will scurry over to cut down the branch. "The branch of a hangman's tree," he will explain, then, laughing, "though I regret that Kwok died willingly, as I ordered. Mistress Fara will have to procure the _blood of a traitor_ by some other means. Oh, I _am_ curious what she's cooking up this time!"

Unless the PCs have reached the boiling point by now, Li Pao will retire and they can spend the evening peacefully.

*Returning to Fara*
Fara (N human Wiz10)
The return to the aged wizard can go many different ways. Fara honestly does not remember what all the ingredients are for. The players may take pity on her, or they may decide to kill her for her part in what is apparently some brewing evil.

Unfortunately, Fara has a pile of recently delivered mail waiting for her, including a letter written in her own hand and sealed with her own signet ring. The letter will say simply: "Harpy eggs and lotus extract-- forgetfullness potion. Hangman's tree and traitor's blood for cursed back-biter spear. Deliver spear to King of Kruski. Drink potion!" If the players discover this letter, things will get worse for Fara.

If the players show her mercy, Fara will express genuine regret, explaining truthfully that she has no memory of her hand in the Brotherhood's machinations. This is a complicated question of guilt and innocence!

If the players attack her, she will defend herself grudgingly. Many of her daily spell slots will be taken up by item creation and identification spells, so she cannot put up much of a fight. 

_Curveball #1_: If the players kill Fara, make certain they discover her first letter (tucking it in her spellbook is a likely solution). One or two days later, throw them a curveball: A messenger will track them down, asking them if they have seen Fara, and if they would mind delivering a letter to her. This second letter says: "A hangman's tree from the bastard's own garden and your own blood! Deliver the spear to Li Pao with a ribbon on it!" and in large red letters: "DON'T FORGET: DRINK POTION!"

_Curveball #2_: The peasants, the overseers, even Li Pao himself, will actually seem to recognize the PCs and welcome them back! This can be as convincing and worrisome as you see fit. You may allow the PCs to simply write off the experience as the ramblings of lotus-addled peasants-- or you can really play it up to give them the eerie feeling that _they_ have forgotten some major events in their own lives. If you choose the latter, be ready to provide answers and further adventures!


----------



## el-remmen

Ok, I have looked over the 4 entries in the two concurrent rounds and one set is a lot closer than the other. . . though I have a feeling I know whom the winners shall be after I have sat down to go over the entries again and pick them apart and REALLY judge them. . . 

Look for results tomorrow, by noon or so. . eastern standard time - of course.


----------



## el-remmen

*Joshua Dyal vs. Wicht*

Well, I will give Joshua Dyal one thing - his was better organized than Wicht's. . . 

He also had some cute elements like "Captain Cat" (i.e Pirate Cat) - I think in general the scenario was weak because of what is meant to draw the party into it - and while I think it is always a good idea to try to find alternatives to the "hired to retrieve such-and-such" or "saving the maiden in distress" story hooks - happening upon a holy horse doesn't seem to have the hookiness that is needed - esp since it then requires that the party listen to the tale of a drunken crazy man and follow up on it - Now, don't get me wrong I am totally against scenarios that lead PCs by the nose as well - but there should be some more concrete motive for moving the PCs from place to place.

There is also the problem of "breaking the rules" for magic rings and allowing Captain Cat to trigger the ring involuntarily if the party manages to take him out before he can react (cheesy, in my opinion) also, even if cast by the most powerful wizard the _Enlarge_ spell would not be able to make a fire beetle gargantuan.  However, getting around the CR problems that a gargantuan beetle would reprsent to most groups by making it a magic effect that could be dispelled or wear-off is clever.

Now, Wicht's scenario seems to have Warhammer Fantasy to thank for its inspiration. . . what with its Chaos Stone (which reminds me of a warp stone -though in this case people are only changed mentally).  Sure the hook here is weak as well. .. but the scenario inside offers a variety of challenges for PCs - you have combat with crazed monsters and fish, the physical challenges of a flooded mine to find the source of the problem and of course the mystery of how to avoid the effects of the stone - and not to mention the opportunity for some good role-playing as the PCs slowly turn crazy. . .

Of course, Wicht failed to mention how crippled the rogue is and how effective he could really be in a fight if he is crippled (points to Josh for his explanation of the peg-leg!), and I think the Holy Mount dog "easily" explaining the situation to the party is also weak (undermining what could be a cool investigative aspect to the scenario). . .

But in the end, Wicht's entry is the stronger and he wins this round advancing to the next. . .  In general I do not think his entry is as strong as some others I have seen him do in the past - but he is just warming up and still is the favorite to win. . .


----------



## Desdichado

Ah, well.  I did expect early elimination going up against him!  Congratulations, Wicht!


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Oh god... I haven't looked yet. I have butterflies in my stomach.

I want to thank Nemm in advance for the punch-in-the-gut public criticism I am going to receive. 

Need to get used to it now!

Ok... here we go...

EDIT: Hmm... nothing yet. Don't like the "hired to retrieve" hook, eh? That doesn't bode well...


----------



## el-remmen

Wulf, I have not judged yours yet. . . 

But keep a box of Kleenex ready


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

As long as it's "punch-in-the-gut" criticism, and not "kick-in-the-junk."

I don't think I could take _that._


----------



## Desdichado

_



*Wulf Ratbane:*
As long as it's "punch-in-the-gut" criticism, and not "kick-in-the-junk."

I don't think I could take that.

Click to expand...


_
That's true: I really enjoy getting this kind of feedback.  True, I don't necessarily play the same way Nemmerle does, and some of the criticism he gave my entry, while I can understand it, wouldn't matter much in the games I've played.

But that's the point, isn't it, to create a mini-scenario that is applicable to anyone, and not just to my game?  I guess that's where I struggle: I think about games the way I like them, not really generically.


----------



## Zappo

Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> *EDIT: Hmm... nothing yet. Don't like the "hired to retrieve" hook, eh? That doesn't bode well... *



Not really. I used practically the same!


----------



## el-remmen

*Wulf vs. Zappo*

I was really impressed by the background for Zappo's scenario - placing it in Greyhawk (the generic world) was a good idea - and adding racial politics to the adventure is something few people have the guts to do in modules - so I liked it. . .  I loved the inbred and twisted monks - whether they were originally evil or good - doesn't matter by the time the PCs get there - what matters is that they are forced into a culture and society they are not used to and must slowly learn what is going on here and what the rules are. . .  I am personally a sucker for adventures that introduce a new way of looking at things counter to the PC's assumptions.

However, the scenario that Zappo has created has an incredible amount of room for things to go utterly different than described in his synopsis. . . This is a strength for an experienced DM who can handle such a wide number of variable - but a weakness for any beginning DMs who struggle when verisimiltude demands that something different than predicted in the adventure should happen.

While the idea of escaping while a funeral takes place is very cool and very dramatic - the fact that the slaves come up with the plan kind of leaves the PCs out of the loop - when such "plans" are part of what makes being a PC fun - or at the very least perhaps the slaves' plan could be flawed and the PCs could have the opportunity to improve on it. . . And of course this ASSUMES that the PCs will go along with this plan to begin with - the combination of the funeral, the escape attempt, the revenge of Maklor and the hunt for the parrot eggs leads to a wide variety of possibilities. . .   

Also, Zappo did not include a very important possibility - what if the PCs insist on seeing "the leaders" and want to negotiated with the monks? What would their reaction be to strangers?  Also, something needed to be included that would give the slaves an opportunity to trust the PCs - otherwise why would they risk confiding in them about the escape plan?

Now Wulf's scenario at first sight looks typical and probably boring - the good ole "hunt for components" stand-by that we have probably all done a million times - but whoa. . . did he do a friggin' good job with it!  

First of all, the way he handled the amnesia (potion of forgetfulness & the lotus flower) was brilliant (and much better than the way Zappo seemed to shoe-horn his into his otherwise well-blended scenario).  Secondly, the scenario as a whole has a tenseness and a revealing of question after question that works really well. . . as the PCs proceed their suspicion grows - not only of their employer - but of the monks they are visiting (and if the GM uses one of the "twist" options appended by Wulf they can even grow suspicious of themselves!)

the possibility of combat during this scenario is real - but the great thing is that a party could handle it in an investigative or diplomatic kind of way and still have positive results. . .

Wulf's deceptively simple entry is particularly great because in addition to presenting a one-time encounter of interest and different levels - it can easily be used to have ramifications to the campign both to the future and the past - the two "curveballs" really help to flesh out the scenario as part of a greater campaign - as does the idea that these cursed items are purposefully made and distributed can lead to clues about the Scarlet Brotherhood in the future (yes, Wulf used Greyhwawk as well)  Thought I have to admit I like Zappo's inclusion of the back-biter spear better as it has a dramatic role as opposed to being a MacGuffin.

The cool thing about BOTH entries is that they could probably be combined without too much effort and be very multi-layered and very messy. . . 

In the end, I award *Wulf* this round . . he really blended the elements well - and his use of the harpies to ensure one small initial combat to counter-balance the "talking" of later in the scenario was very good.  

Personally, I think that if Wulf keeps writing scenarios like this he is going to give even  masterful Wicht a run for his money. ..


----------



## el-remmen

Here are the results so far:
----------------------------------

Radiating Gnome vs. Arcseed - *Winner: Radiating Gnome*

Joshua Dyal vs. Wicht - *Winner: Wicht*

Wulf Ratbane vs. Zappo *Winner: Wulf Ratbane*

--------------------------------------------------------------------

We only have _Ninja-jester_ and _Rune_ to go and the first set of first rounds will be done. . .  Ninja said he'd be ready to go any time - so we are just waiting on Rune. . . If he does not come around by 2 pm EST - I will call for an alternate. . .


----------



## Rune

I'm ready any time.

(But, _man_ the competition looks fierce!  )


----------



## el-remmen

Ingredients for Rune & Ninjajester:

_
sundial
were-bear
drider
ring of elemental command
triptych
butler _

It is now 11:33 am EST by my clock - you have 24 hours - normal rules apply.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

*Re: Wulf vs. Zappo*

Wah-hey! That medicine was not so bitter after all! 

Thanks, Zappo!
[Bows to his gracious opponent!]

And to Chris Nolan!
[props to _Memento_ inspiration]

(Please pardon the blathering, this is my first Iron DM.)



			
				nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Now Wulf's scenario at first sight looks typical and probably boring - the good ole "hunt for components" stand-by that we have probably all done a million times - but whoa. . . did he do a friggin' good job with it! *




Aww, crap, don't tell my players. So far I've kept them sated with the ol' standby: Piles of Dead Bad Guys.

In fact I think if you are going to write an adventure with broad applicability to all sorts of heroes, you need to stick to the Big Three:

1) money/loot
2) curiosity
3) piles of dead bad guys

Those three components can motivate 99% of the adventurers out there. I hope that my Amnesia entry is adaptable to all three.



			
				nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Personally, I think that if Wulf keeps writing scenarios like this he is going to give even masterful Wicht a run for his money. .. *




The heck you say! So how's the bracket looking? I don't want to face Wicht!


Wulf


----------



## Zappo

See Wulf? I told ya not to worry too much about the "find item for mage" quest.

But [dramatic] we'll meet again. [/dramatic].


----------



## Wicht

Joshua Dyal said:
			
		

> *Ah, well.  I did expect early elimination going up against him!  Congratulations, Wicht! *




Thank you.  And good job yourself! 


And now a couple comments on my entry, since it is judged.  Nemm is right as to my 'inspiration' for the Chaos Stone being Warhammer.  And likely the fact I have been immersing myself in lovecraft lately (and Brian Lumley) contributed to the madness and the bugs.

I also had about a dozen hooks in mind for the scenario but failed to include them for the sake of brevity.  (I will do better)  The size of the fire beetle was one.  Since the 'normal' fire beetle grows only two feet in length, a gargantuan specimen would surely be worth some money.  Also, borrowing from a well used plot device, one of the dead NPC adventurers could be somebody of importance and the PCS might have the job of finding the body.  Or a sage might well have discovered the existance of the chaos stone in history and by putting 1 and 1 and 1 together and getting three, the sage might well direct the party to an 'artifact' of power.  Of course said artifact is more than useless.  It is downright dangerous and a hazard to any that possess it.

As for the dog, I did not mean for it to be a spoiler for the whole adventure.  I merely meant to suggest that it could explain the way the first party meant its demise.  That is, it could serve as a warning that magic might backfire at the players.  

And yes, I forgot to mention how crippled the rogue is.  Mentally however I pictured him limping around with a slight twist, a mad leer and a bent leg.  Kind of a non-hunchback igor.


----------



## Wicht

*Re: Re: Wulf vs. Zappo*



			
				Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> *The heck you say! So how's the bracket looking? I don't want to face Wicht!*




Hey! you are going to make me blush.   

Modesty however makes me admit I am as prone to dumb game ideas as the next guy.  It all depends on the ingredients.  _As I cross my fingers for undead in the next round._

It could be worse.  Willie Walsh could be playing.  I would personally like to see how he does with this.  

And for what it is worth I really liked your adventure idea, I could see me using it sometime.  Amnesia and subtle plot twists within the scenario make for a good fantasy mystery IMO.


----------



## Eridanis

*Re: Re: Wulf vs. Zappo*



> Aww, crap, don't tell my players. So far I've kept them sated with the ol' standby: Piles of Dead Bad Guys.




<Wulf's players go wild in the Iron DM balcony when he wins the first match>

Ack, we know you have it in ya. I just figured you saved it all for the famous Sunday game.  

Seriously, Iron DM is a fun idea. I'm looking forward to the coming rounds. Us vulgar Americans will try not to get too rowdy up in the balcony.


----------



## Xarlen

I'm excitedly awaiting the next game. I'm in there, man. I'm there.

Hey, could we suggest ingredients?


----------



## Vaxalon

*Re: I take the challenge...*



			
				Vaxalon said:
			
		

> *I'll be more than happy to defend my title later in the week.
> 
> What is my status in the competition? *




Correct me if I'm wrong, Nemmerle never replied to this?


----------



## el-remmen

Sorry, Vax ..  .

I figure you could go head-to-head with the winner of this for the title of ENworld Iron DM. . .


----------



## mmadsen

For anyone interested in posting their own responses, I've greated an Iron DM "Home Game" thread.  Feel free to post an adventure using any of the already used ingredient lists.


----------



## Vaxalon

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *I figure you could go head-to-head with the winner of this for the title of ENworld Iron DM. . . *




That's what I figured, but I wanted to make sure.


----------



## ninjajester

*The Mirror of Being*

The Mirror of Being (suitable for parties level 8-10, I think...)

     150 years ago the drow archmage Thraxis D’Gall created the Mirror of Being.  It consisted of three large mirrors set in a triptych frame, with three magical gems set in the centerpiece of each frame.  It was used to transform anyone in the reflections into any living creature the user desires.  Unlike polymorph spells, someone transformed by the mirror into another creature becomes that creature in every respect permanently.  If their new form is intelligent they will retain memory of their previous form.  The mirror also has the effect of forcing the creature who has been transformed to obey the person controlling the mirror.  Finally, if the controller’s willpower is strong enough, they can trap a creature within the mirror, rather than transforming them.
     Thraxis used the mirror to create a small army of driders, using the people of the nearby town of Windfield as unwilling guinea pigs.  Thraxis began a campaign of conquest and destruction.  He was finally stopped by the Company of the Silver Sundial.  Cat’s Eye, half elven bard and leader of the company, engaged Thraxis in a mental battle for control of the mirror while the rest of the party fought off his minions.  Cat’s Eye was able to seize control of the mirror, but was unable to trap Thraxis in the mirror or transform him into a harmless form.  He was, however, able to transform Thraxis into a drider (effectively lowering his maximum and current wizard level to 6-see monster manual entry on driders).  The transformation broke Thraxis’ control over the driders.  Horrified at what had been done to them, they turned on him.  Together the company and the driders managed to defeat Thraxis, scarring his face horribly in the process.  Being unfamiliar with the mirror’s powers, Cat’s Eye was unable to force Thraxis to obey him, and Thraxis escaped via teleport.  Cat’s Eye used the mirror to return the villagers to normal.  The company did not possess the means to destroy the mirror, so they removed the gems that focused the power of the mirror and magically hid them in the large sundial the town erected in their honor in the square.  Cat’s Eye wrote a short riddle explaining how to retrieve the gems and recorded it in his journal.  Mirisal Argent, a paladin in the service of Pelor and member of the company, swore that his family would forevermore guard the mirror and keep it safe.
     Present day:  The current guardian of the mirror is Simiran Argent.  Unlike his heroic ancestor, he is a fop with a drinking problem.  His butler, Jared, is actually Cat’s Eye.  He has served the Argent family in the capacity of butler all this time in order to help protect the mirror.  Only Mirisal was aware of the deception.  Argent Mansion, an estate a few miles outside of Windfield, is where the mirror is kept.  Simiran is unaware of the mirror’s powers; he simply thinks of it as another family heirloom.  Thraxis has finally located the mirror.  He wants it back so he can attempt to return himself to his original form.  He has created a lair in some nearby underground caverns and recruited a quartet of driders for bodyguards.  There is no surface entrance to the caverns; all entrances and exits come through the underdark.  He has acquired a ring of elemental command (earth) to allow minions and underlings access to the caverns via the passwall and stone shape abilities of the ring.  Having learned his lesson the last time, he stays in the shadows this time and hires the local thieves’ guild to get the mirror back.  They send Darion, a werebear enforcer, and Whisper, a gnome rogue, to get the mirror back.  Darion is needed to carry the mirror as each frame of the mirror is 8 feet high and four feet wide; the entire thing weighs over 800 lbs.  Whisper handles the breaking and entering.  They encounter Simiran and Cat’s Eye and beat them soundly.  They steal the mirror and return it to Thraxis using the ring.  Upon noticing the missing gems, Thraxis flies into a rage and orders them to recover the gems.
     The party is approached by a battered Cat’s Eye (Simiran is comatose).  He invites them back to the mansion, where he requests their help in recovering the mirror.  Use whatever will motivate the party; Cat’s Eye is wealthy and has acquired a lot of unique or magical items.  He reveals the mirror’s history and powers, as well as the fact that it is useless without the gems.  He also reveals that the gems can be used as lodestones to locate the mirror.  He tells the party where the gems are, but realizes he can no longer remember how to get them out, due to age and being knocked around by a werebear.  He advises them that the riddle with the key is in his journal.
     Meanwhile, Darion and Whisper have returned and have been eavesdropping.  Once Cat’s Eye reveals where the riddle is, Darion bursts into the mansion to attack/distract the party while Whisper tries to sneak into Cat’s Eye’s room to retrieve the journal.

The riddle (written in elven)

The gems of being are locked in time-
Sapphire at dusk,
Ruby at dawn,
And Opal at noon.
Name the gems
at the proper time
to set them free.

     In order to release the gems from the sundial, one need only speak the elven words for dusk, dawn, and noon at each specific time of day.  They must be spoken in order, and they must be spoken in elven.  If asked, Cat’s Eye will remember that the words must be spoken in elven, but that is all. 
     Whisper will try to avoid the fight and flee with the journal.  Darion will fight until he is taken out or Whisper has escaped.  If the party defeats Darion and Whisper, they are free to take the journal to the sundial and attempt to solve the riddle.  If the party defeats Darion and Whisper escapes, the party will probably race to the sundial in an attempt to stop Whisper before he can get the gems.  Due to the fact that it will take almost a full 24 hours before all three gems can be removed, Whisper will seek the guild’s help.  Depending on the party’s actions, the guild may stake out the sundial, send assassins after the party, hide Whisper in a safe house while he figures out the riddle, or even try to steal any gems they retrieve.  Whisper will try to retrieve at least one gem if possible and take it to Thraxis.  Darion had the ring, so if the party beat Darion, he will have to get Thraxis to let him in.
     Once the party has any or all of the gems they can be used to track the mirror.  The gems vibrate as they get closer to the mirror.  The gems will lead the party directly to a dead end tunnel.  This is where Darion and Whisper gained access to the caverns using the ring.  If the party doesn’t think to use the ring (which Cat’s Eye can identify), they can break through the wall using mining tools in approximately 15-30 minutes.  Of course, this will alert Thraxis and his drider bodyguards, who will be prepared for a fight..
     If Thraxis gets the mirror and all 3 gems, he will use the mirror to return to his original form, with all knowledge, levels, and spells.  Fortunately, the mirror takes complete concentration to use, and transformation takes 1 minute (10 rounds).  During this time the party can still stop him by either removing Thraxus from in front of the mirror or removing the gems.  His drider guard will try to prevent this.  Removing the gems will create a magic backlash that will trap Thraxis in the mirrors and shatter them, trapping him forever.

Darion-8th level human/werebear barbarian.
Whisper-10th level gnome rogue.
Cat’s Eye-12th level half elf bard.
Thraxis-6th level wizard/drider
Drider Bodyguards (4)-standard driders
Thieves Guild-use standard rogue and fighter templates from the dmg, levels 2-10.

(this was a lot harder than i thought it would be...)


----------



## ninjajester

*ingredients...*

btw, my ingredients were:

sundial
were-bear
drider
ring of elemental command
triptych
butler 

i forgot to list em, but i didn't want to cheat and edit, so here they are...


----------



## Rune

*Ingredients:*

Sundial
Werebear
Drider
Ring of Elemental Command
Triptych
Butler

*A Sundial in Shadow*
A short adventure for characters level 5-7

*History*

Many a long year ago (records are not available to specify the era) a sage widely regarded by contemporaries as a crackpot made his way to the mountain village of Arid View to oversee the construction of an unquestionably odd work of architecture.  This was to be his home for many years to come until his unexplained disappearance (and presumed demise) caused the villagers to once again take notice of his strange work.  The sage was rumored (but not publicly proven) to be a master in the arcane arts and particularly interested in the theory of “chronomancy.”

Arid View was a small trading and mining town on a cliff peak of the northern face of the Black Mountains—just above the cloud-line.  Not too far below, a savage tribe (or, perhaps, several tribes) of dwarves hunted the thick woods of the mountain and fought to contain the drow and driders inside the mountains.

Shortly after the disappearance of the Sage of Arid View, an obscenely wealthy young man by the name of Corion of the Vale decided that he absolutely must own the former home of the Sage and purchased the site from the town for such a great quantity of money that the town coffers overflowed for several years.

Corion had his eccentricities.  His greatest oddity was his tendency to collect rare or odd items—and creatures.  Naturally, Corion was no adventurer.  Rather, he hired special mercenary teams of “collectors” to acquire the things that he wanted to add to his collection, often at great cost.  Unfortunately for Corion, his tastes often ran to sentient and even intelligent creatures and his excesses eventually brought about his end.

Arid View suffered a fate just as cruel.  An army of driders entered the town in search of their missing commander—who was, in fact, being held captive by the eccentric collector.  The driders, however, had been followed by their enemy, the drow, and the town of Arid View was the unhappy site of a monumental battle—a battle so large that the town was razed and taboo sprang forth so terrible that none would dare approach it.  Even taboo faded into history, eventually; that was some five centuries ago.

*The Setup*

In order to become involved in this adventure, the PCs need only to be traveling the paths through the Black Mountains in an effort to cross them, or they could deliberately be seeking the ruins of Arid View—for legend has not entirely faded from memory of the fabulously rich town above the clouds.  The site could be in another location, if the DM wishes to have the PCs stumble across the ruins unwittingly in another clime, but it must be an arid place with little cloud cover.

Curiosity should prove great enough for the PCs to sustain interest in the adventure long enough to solve the puzzle, but if curiosity does not suffice, it is quite possible for the Sage’s House to still contain a great deal of Corion’s riches—even though this adventure presumes that the place has been fairly thoroughly looted.

*The Sundial*

As the PCs near the ruins, presuming that they do so during the day, a gleam is apparent as the sunlight reflects off of what looks to be a massive gem.  As the party nears the site, it is evident that the bright structure is, in fact, a large mansion, obviously made of glass.  Of the town that once surrounded it, little remains.  Five hundred years have buried the rubble of the once-thriving town in overgrowth.  This is not the case for the mansion, which, the PCs will soon discover, is cylindrical—stretching up toward the cloudless sky.  Weeds and vines do creep up the frosted glass wall of the building, but on the whole, time has not touched it.

Inside the building, the PCs may begin to understand why this is so.  A few things are immediately obvious.  The building consists of a single massive room.  A large, frothing bear is suspended in the air—in mid leap—its froth frozen in space.  Several types of vermin scurry along the floors and walls.  A ring of bookshelves circle the building—all only three feet high and most quite empty.

Two cages are open—one by force and one by some other means.  A face peers up from the polished marble floor—it is an image of stark terror, particularly haunting because it is staring directly at the bear.  Many other cages are around the room, each containing some unusual, but mostly mundane creature.  Each is, like the bear, motionless.

The ceiling is white.  Slightly less than half of it allows light to pass through.  The most intriguing aspect of the room, however, is that it resembles, more than anything else, a colossal sundial.  A smooth marble vane stretches to the ceiling and towers over the carved markings on the floor that should read hours but instead display arcane sigils of some sort (a successful Knowledge: Arcane check at DC 15 suggests that they may have something to do with time).

A large triptych stands conspicuously in the center of the room.  Its first panel depicts a tall, lean man casting some sort of spell in the shadow of the Sundial in the morning.  The second panel depicts a much shorter and wider man cowering in the shadow of the Sundial at midday the second figure bears a strong resemblance to the face in the floor.  The final panel depicts a group of people who look strikingly like the PCs shattering the Sundial in the afternoon.

What might not be immediately obvious is that a man hangs, cocooned, from the white ceiling, that that ceiling is a thick layer of webbing underneath the true glass ceiling, and that an albino drider also hangs motionless from the darkened portion of the ceiling, camouflaged against the white backdrop.  These may be easily discovered if the PCs have a means of climbing the vane (DC 20) or the walls (not possible through mundane means), or of flying up to investigate.  Otherwise, the PCs have a chance to spot them at DC 28.

If the PCs climb the vane, they will discover that they can pass through some of the strands of webbing that are not so tight and they will be on the other side of the webbing.  The intensity of the light reflecting off of the webs will likely blind the PCs for 1d4 turns unless they make a Reflex check at 15 to shield their eyes or take precautions before they ascend.

Most of the remaining books in the bookshelves focus on the theory of “chronomancy” and are nothing more than philosophical tomes.  Etched into the side of the vane, an archaic form of the common tongue pronounces the following:

_Stand, ye, in the shadow of this vessel.
Know, ye, the hour of your arrival.
Speak, ye, the words of Timeless travel.
Beware, ye, the hour that the sun shines not—
For that is the last hour._

*The Home*

A secret trap door lies in the center of the room, leading to the personal chambers of the former inhabitants of this building.  It may be discovered on a Search check at DC 15—the looters of this building had no real desire to keep the door hidden.  Below, a few personal effects are evident, including a desk stuffed with records of accounting.  These are dated and list a long series of transactions between Corion and various groups of “collectors.”  

Two of the later entries include a “snow-spider” and a dwarven werebear—both collected on the same day—less than a week before the final entry.  A successful bardic knowledge check at DC 20 will remind the bard that a local legend speaks of the dwarven spider hunter, Raging Bear, who disappeared five hundred years ago.  He was rumored to have been bitten by a werebear during his Trial of Manhood.

At the very last, the entries begin to look like journal entries.  In the final couple of days, the entries indicate, “the snow-spider has gotten out somewhere; I don’t know where it’s escaped to and now, my butler has gone missing.”

The last entry reads: “The drow and the driders are at war.  They’re taking over the town.  I may have to leave my beloved collections.”

Little of value has been left in these chambers, but one oddity remains.  A hand protrudes from the ceiling, weighed down by a stone ring, which is impossible to remove through mundane rings.  The hand, in fact, belongs to Corion, as does the face seen in the floor, above.  The ring is the last of Corion’s inanimate collections.  He believed that the ring was a cursed _ring of meld into stone_.  In fact, it is a cursed _ring of elemental command (earth)_.  It functions in all ways as an uncursed version (and has met the conditions necessary to awaken its greater powers, with Corion’s final ill-fated usage of it), but it weighs the wearer down in such a way as to lower the wearer’s Dexterity score by 8 and the Strength by 4.  The ring may only be removed from the wearer if a _remove curse_ is cast on it, or a _dispel magic_ successfully suppresses the magic of the ring.  The former does not eliminate the magics in the ring.

A Search check in the lower chambers at DC 25 reveals a secret panel undiscovered by previous looters, behind which lies a sack filled with 5000 gold coins minted no more recently than 500 years ago.

*The Situation*

Corion was never much interested in the workings of the creator of this mansion and paid little heed to the warning etched into the vane of the Sundial.  His lack of studious attention also led to the demise of his butler.  He assumed that the lack of components would render the spell casting half-spider powerless.  How was he to know that it needed no components for its _suggestion_ ability?  His butler was seduced toward the cage, while feeding the creatures in Corion’s collection one evening, and was captured by the drider when he ventured too close.  The butler was relieved of the keys to the cages and the drider escaped, climbing up to the ceiling—with the butler (now hanging lifeless in a cocoon), where it immediately began to spin its web.  The web continued to become thicker and thicker until it began to blot out the light of day.  Had Corion paid more attention to his surroundings, he may have noticed, but his mind was bent toward his next capture.

During this time, the dwarf, Raging Bear, had begun to learn that he could control his lycanthropy to some extent—that is to say, although he would still become a bear during full moons, he found that he could also change into a bear when he raged.  The raging bear possessed a strength that even the sturdy steel bars could not hold back and, on the day that the drow and the driders began to pour into Arid View, the bear burst from its cage and hurled itself toward its hated captor, who frantically slipped on the _ring of elemental command_ and sunk into the marble.

At that moment, the sun passed over the opaque portion of the drider’s web and the Sundial’s progress was interrupted for the first time.  Time stopped.  The effects were in every way identical to a _temporal stasis_ spell, except that it effected every living creature within the building at the time and that dispel magic does not have a direct effect on the spell.  There are, however, a few ways to remove the effects.  One would be to reestablish the Sundial’s connection with the sun, most likely by burning away the web (requiring massive amounts of acid or fire).  A second solution would be to destroy the Sundial, a feat most easily accomplished with the aid of the various powers of the _ring of elemental command_.  A third solution would be to dispel each of the twelve sigils on the face of the Sundial, in effect, destroying the Sundial in a much less physical manner.

Once the stasis effects are dispelled, a melee ensues.  If the PCs have removed the ring from Corion, he is violently expelled (upward) from the marble floor, suffering 5d6 points of damage.  If he still wears the ring, he passes into the chambers below and hopes that the werebear does not find a way down to confront him.  The werebear will end its rage after two rounds and revert to a dwarf.  When this happens, he will be much more reasonable, but will still be wary and seek nothing more than escape.

Despite the fact that Raging Bear is usually Chaotic Good, he has no control over his rage and will attack the nearest targets in a straightforward manner, while he is under its influence.  Despite the force of this creature, the real threat to the party is the drider.  If the PCs have not noticed it, they have one chance to do so with a Spot check at DC 25.  If they do not, the drider drops down on them and receives a surprise round, then levitates away.  The drider will continue to attack the PCs with spells and by jumping in and levitating away for as long as it is able.  Ultimately, it will not yield its life in this combat, if it can help it, and tries to escape the building if it is losing its battle.

*The Cast*

Corion is a level 3 Expert with 9 hp.  He is Chaotic Neutral, extraordinarily self-centered, and almost too attached to his possessions to leave them behind, even when his survival depends upon it.  No amount of evidence that the PCs have saved him will influence him to reward the PCs.

Raging Bear is a dwarf from one of the local hunting tribes.  He is a level 1 Barbarian with the Werebear template and ranks in Control Shape.  He is usually Chaotic Good.  He is an afflicted werebear, bitten during his Trial of Manhood, an archaic ritual among his tribe, in which the dwarf goes out alone to survive in the wilderness when he has come of age; it is no longer practiced.  In addition, he is claustrophobic—life in captivity does not agree with Raging Bear.  He is potentially a good ally and companion for the PCs since the ways of his tribe have changed and even the most venerable dwarves are too young to have ever met him.

“Snow-spider” is an albino drider.  Once an albino drow, such an aberration was virtually guaranteed to displease his goddess and be transformed into a drider.  Among the driders, albinos tend to either be dominated and subdued or, if they have particularly strong personalities (as “Snow-spider” does) to become natural leaders.  Through years of dedicated treachery and maneuvering, “Snow-spider” has become the leader of a small army of driders bent on destroying as many drow as possible.  It was a great misfortune for the army when “Snow-spider” disappeared—captured by a group of adventurers.  For the next week, the drider army hunted down the adventurers and traced them to the town of Arid View.  They planned an attack and began to methodically search the village for their leader when the drow army that had been tracking them for some time ambushed them.  The battle that followed destroyed the town of Arid View.  “Snow-spider” is Chaotic Evil, cunning, and ruthless.  Revenge drives the drider, but he knows the value of patience.  His stats are as a normal drider with a Cha of 19.


----------



## el-remmen

Well, I have looked over both entries in brief and will be judging them more closely sometime today. . .

Oh, and congrats! I was certain at least one of you would email me or post asking me what the heck a "triptych" is. . .


----------



## tleilaxu

and for the rest of us?


----------



## Wicht

I will admit it - I had to look a triptych up in the dictionary 

And Nemm, I am available all day as far as I know for round 2.

I am in fact drinking my ginkgo laden brain broo even as we speak to get my mental faculties good and perculated.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Oh, and congrats! I was certain at least one of you would email me or post asking me what the heck a "triptych" is. . . *




Well, now that you mention it, I wouldn't mind knowing what a MacGuffin is...

Sounds like a euphemism for passing wind to me.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

Wicht said:
			
		

> *I am in fact drinking my ginkgo laden brain broo even as we speak to get my mental faculties good and perculated.  *




Oh, great, and all I have is coffee strong enough to chew.

-rg


----------



## Wicht

Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> *Well, now that you mention it, I wouldn't mind knowing what a MacGuffin is... *




Alfred Hitchcock defined a MacGuffin as a plot devise that was there solely for the purpose of moving the action forward.


----------



## Rune

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Well, I have looked over both entries in brief and will be judging them more closely sometime today. . .
> 
> Oh, and congrats! I was certain at least one of you would email me or post asking me what the heck a "triptych" is. . . *




I considered it; then I looked it up through other means


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Wicht said:
			
		

> *Alfred Hitchcock defined a MacGuffin as a plot devise that was there solely for the purpose of moving the action forward. *




Ah. I see. So it does not, in fact, have anything to do with too much Guinness and loose fitting trousers. 

Although many's the time too much smooth, black oatmeal stout has "moved the action forward," if you know what I mean, and I think you do.


Wulf


----------



## dravot

Wicht said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Alfred Hitchcock defined a MacGuffin as a plot devise that was there solely for the purpose of moving the action forward. *




Usually the MacGuffin is an object; the Maltese Falcon is one of the best examples I can think of.


----------



## el-remmen

First of all, Ninja Jester - in the future MAKE CLEARER PARAGRAPH BREAKS!!!!! 

Ahem. . .  I knew when I gave these ingredients that they were slightly more difficult than the others I had given so far - but if anyone was up to the challenge I knew it was Rune (of the crazy story hour) and NinjaJester (who is like a ninja AND a jester which can only mean one thing: _So friggin' Bad Ass!_)

Anyway, I'm sorry to say that I saw more weaknesses than strengths in NJ's entry.. . .

Well, actually - in both entires there are "armies of driders" - which typically (according to the MM) really shouln't be - but NJ does get around this by having the driders be the result of the magic mirror a opposed to Lolth's curse - however, the REASON the evil wizard chose driders (as opposed to the myriad other things he might have chosen) is not made clear - giving the feeling that they were simply stuck in there to meet the ingredient requirements and not for some creative or dramatic purpose.

Also, NJ's use of the triptych was stretching it - a three-paneled mirror isn't really a triptych - so that lowered my opinion of the scenario in terms of fulfilling the requirements of the Iron DM game. 

I think the problem with the scenario in the end is that all I have about it are questions, and not the good kind (like Wulf's entry made me ask):

Why did Cat's Eye become a butler to guard the mirror?  
Why did he leave a clue to where the gems are if it no longer served any good purpose?
How do the were-bear (who are supposed to be _always_ lawful good according to the MM (but that can easily be ignored) and the gnome know to come back and "easvesdrop"?  What if their eavesdropping is unsuccsesful?

And so on. . .

Now Rune's entry is very ambitious.. .  Leaving aside the army of driders (which I mentioned above) and the strange "war" with drow - the sundial tower itself is brilliant idea - and while I generally chafe at the idea of chronomancy - it works well here - however, there is one problem with this scenario - a BIG GLARING problem - If the sundial being blocked from sunlight caused that negative stasis effect - how come it never happened on the first very overcast day? Or what about at night?

However, I think this problem could likely be fixed pretty easily (by making it a combination of events that lead to the result - not just the drider's web) - and based on the good characters (the aselfish collector, the albino drider and the barbarian were-bear dwarf "spider-hunter") and on neatness of the location itself I will give this round to *Rune*

As one last comment, Rune's story hook was VERY good - as it allowed for a variety of ways for the party to get there - from happening to pass by the village while searching for a way across the mountains to seeking out the works of the crazy sage.


----------



## Wicht

Congratulations Rune!


----------



## el-remmen

*trip·tych*   Pronunciation Key  (trptk)
n. 
1. A work consisting of three painted or carved panels that are hinged together. 
2. A hinged writing tablet consisting of three leaves, used in ancient Rome. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

*MacGuffin* - a device employed to provide reason, to create motivation. It's not supposed to mean anything - it's simply supposed to be there. 

Think of the suitcase in _Pulp Fiction_


----------



## el-remmen

*semi-final round*

The next round shall be

Wicht vs. Rune

and

Radiating Gnome vs. Wulf Ratbane

Please post your availability. . .


----------



## Wicht

I am here.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Ouch!

I leave within the next 15 minutes to catch a plane for a business trip... I am not available until Thursday evening. =(

(see page 1!)

If by some happenstance I have easy computer access, I will pop back in and post. I can always work on the entry in my downtime as long as I have until, say 8:00 pm thursday to post it.

That would give me time to get home from the airport and get in front of my computer.


Wulf


----------



## el-remmen

Wulf, don't sweat it - your round can wait a day. . .  plus - not sure RG is around.  .  We can try to get yours started tomorrow evening or Friday morning. . .

Where you going?


----------



## Rune

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Well, actually - in both entires there are "armies of driders" - which typically (according to the MM) really shouln't be.*




It was a _small_ army...



> *
> Now Rune's entry is very ambitious.. .  Leaving aside the army of driders (which I mentioned above) and the strange "war" with drow - the sundial tower itself is brilliant idea - and while I generally chafe at the idea of chronomancy - it works well here - however, there is one problem with this scenario - a BIG GLARING problem - If the sundial being blocked from sunlight caused that negative stasis effect - how come it never happened on the first very overcast day? Or what about at night?*




D'oh!  I thought I was pretty clear about that, but I guess not.  The effect was triggered by the first break in the continual progress of the shadow, so nighttime would not hinder it.  And, if you will recall, the tower was set above the cloud-line; this was done for a reason--to negate the possibility of cloud cover doing just what the web does.



> *However, I think this problem could likely be fixed pretty easily (by making it a combination of events that lead to the result - not just the drider's web) - and based on the good characters (the aselfish collector, the albino drider and the barbarian were-bear dwarf "spider-hunter") and on neatness of the location itself I will give this round to Rune*




Good suggestion for a more fleshed-out version!  It could always use some more complexities!  The albino drider was the most fun--creepy _and_ cruel!



> *As one last comment, Rune's story hook was VERY good - as it allowed for a variety of ways for the party to get there - from happening to pass by the village while searching for a way across the mountains to seeking out the works of the crazy sage. *




Actually, the hook was the hardest part, but I figured that once the PCs got into the buildling, curiosity would drive them through the adventure.

And, for what it's worth, I liked the triptych mirror idea, NJ!

Thanks, all!


----------



## Rune

I'm ready.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Aw hell*

Me vs. Wulf?  

Bad day to be a Peck.

I am here.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Where you going? *




Rhode Island. 

Into the very heart of the Borg.

Tomorrow evening start time works for me-- gives me till Friday evening to finish it, which is perfect!


Wulf


----------



## Wicht

Rune said:
			
		

> *I'm ready. *




In case you missed it at the bottom of the last page Nemm, I am ready as well.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*A glimmer of hope*

Wulf will be tired and wrung out after a business trip!  Short folk rejoice!  The Gnome has a Chance in Hell!  

-rg
Vice President of Peanuts and Pretzels
Gnome and Halfling Alliance for Shorter Tables (GHAST)


----------



## el-remmen

Ok. . .

*Round 2*

Ingredients for *Wicht & Rune*

_Beggars
Corrupt Fire Priest
Defiled Graves
Penitent Undead
Sacred Plants
Tainted Blood_

According to my clock it is 11:40 am - you have 24 hours.


----------



## ninjajester

i am shamed.  now i must commit seppuku.  nem, will you hold my katana and assist, so that i will not shame myself further?

as an aside, i tried to make the paragraph breaks with indentations, but i guess i didn't pay as much attention to the final text as i should have (*!@#!*%! cut and paste from word!).

in the end, it was the time limit that killed me.  all of nem's questions were things i planned on addressing, but i can keep rewriting and editing forever unless i stop myself.  oh well, there's always next time.

congratulations, rune.  the albino drider was a great idea.


----------



## Rune

Wicht said:
			
		

> *Congratulations Rune! *




Thanks!  And congratulations to you, in advance!


----------



## Rune

ninjajester said:
			
		

> *
> congratulations, rune.  the albino drider was a great idea. *




Thanks!  Your adventure was potentially pretty creepy.  I'd love to see a finished version of it, someday!


----------



## Wicht

*Fire and Blood*

The following adventure should be placed in a small urban area.  Ideally, the temple of fire would be the main religion in town, leaving the citizens with few options of where to turn in times of spiritual crisis.  The mood of the adventure should be dark and dirty.    Ravenloft would be an ideal setting for the events detailed hereafter, but it can be easily used in most campaign worlds.  Much of the action takes place at night though the climax takes place at dawn.  The events of the adventure are probably best suited to PCs of approximately 10th.  It is very likely that the climax of the adventure, the death of Dalius the vampire at the dawn, will be seen as the triumph of good.  DMs should allow this notion, only informing them of the error of their assumptions when it is realized that Dalius was not the true villain after all.

*Overview*
Dalius is a vampire of immense age and power.  He is on the one hand evil and depraved.  He is a child molester and a multiple murderer many times over.  On the other hand, he is also filled with centuries of guilt.  Despite his guilt he cannot bring himself to stop the wickedness that he does and finds himself time and again preying upon children.  Those children he abducts and uses to satisfy his perverted desires he always kills and destroys.  This vampire is so filled with remorse that he has decided to end his unlife.  To support him in his suicide he has turned to Jiphthar, a priest at the temple of fire.  Together they have concocted a plan for Dalius to publicly “greet the sun” and burn in righteous fire.  

Unknown to Dalius, indeed unknown to anyone in the community, Jiphthar is not whom he seems to be.  He was, it is true, once a priest of the sacred fire, but he has recently converted himself to the service of darker powers (spheres of darkness, death, and deception).  In his study of black arts (Necromancy) Jiphthar had found a ritual by which he can gain great power as an undead fiend.  The main ingredient of power in this ritual is human blood tainted with the decayed remains of human corpses.  The rite requires furthermore that this tainted blood be fed to a vampire who has to then be burnt alive.  The ashes of the burnt vampire can then be used in a potion that will transform a powerful  enough cleric into an undead creature with great power over the dead.  Jiphthar viewed the arrival and desires of Dalius as a divine (albeit evilly so) sign that he should undertake the ritual.  

While Dalius waits below the temple of fire for the date Jiphthar has set, Jiphthar has been hard at work preparing for the ceremony.  He has first of all, been slowly murdering off the other clerics in the temple.  As Jiphthar is the head of the temple, this was easy for him to cover up and there remains only 1 priest who has not yet had an ‘accident.’  Jiphthar has also murdered several of the local beggars for their blood.  As the local cemetery lies just outside the temple grounds, it was easy for Jiphthar to dig up the decomposed remains of the dead and mix them with the blood.  

When the PCs start their investigating, the ceremony Jiphthar plans for Dalius will soon occur.  Jiphthar has let it be known around town that there will be a dawn ceremony in two days which all are invited to attend.  He claims this ceremony will show the power of the fire god over the forces of evil.  

*PC Hooks* The PCs can be drawn into the events of the adventure in a number of ways.  1) If the PCs have connections to a deity of fire, they could be sent to investigate the temple via divine intervention or by church hierarchy to investigate the death of a number of priests (albeit low level priests) in one locale.  2) If the PCs have ties to the underworld or the underprivileged, they could be asked to investigate the disappearances of a number of local beggars, many of whom were well known and well liked.  3) A wealthy family could hire the PCs to discover what happened to their young 5 year old daughter, who unknown to the family, was Dalius’ last victim.  4) The last remaining priest (i.e. the one Jiphthar has yet to kill) could approach the PCs, scared of some unknown terror and haunted by dreams that portend some approaching terror.  5) The many signs of growing evil, all added together, could move the town leaders to approach the PCs to find the cause.  Whatever the hook, the PCs should find themselves investigating at least a part of the mystery and thus be led into the rest of it.

*The action*
Much of the investigation should be spent in legwork and the DM should develop clues that connect various elements of the mystery with other elements.  The PCs need to especially be drawn by clues towards the Temple of Fire.  For example, investigating the cemetery should cause the players to notice that the sacred roses that grow up the side of the walls of the temple of fire have all started wilting and dying, a dread omen.  Many in the town have noticed this.  Jiphthar has inadvertly left a few clues at the site of where he kidnapped some of the beggars that point to the temple of fire (such as a prayer chain, dropped in a struggle and subsequently picked up by a beggar who is wearing it, thinking it is pretty.)  The playmates of the last child killed by Dalius say that she went with a pale man who gave her one of the sacred roses of fire as a present to lure her after him.  Spells used to gain information should also vaguely point to the temple of fire and to blood.   

If questioned, Jiphthar appears to be benign and helpful.  He is full of righteous platitudes and hypocritical condemnations of ‘evildoers.’  He also appears much distressed by the vandalism of the cemetery and the recent decay taking hold of the sacred roses that grow on the temple walls.  He allows the PCs limited access to the temple but does not reveal to them the existence of the secret rooms in which Dalius is dwelling and in which he has hidden the corpses of the beggars (as well as the containers of tainted blood).  Nor does he allow them into his private quarters in which he has several necromantic works hidden.  If the PCs confront him with the existence of Dalius, he explains to them Dalius’ desire and how they have planned to publicly have Dalius greet the fire of the sun in front of all the town to atone for his sins.  If confronted before the ceremony with evidence of necromancy in the temple, he acts astonished and ‘commissions’ the PCs to find out the culprit.  If confronted with his own guilt before the ceremony he will fight and flee, seeking to preserve his hide.  DMs may decide that Jiphthar has unholy help in all of this, in which case a confrontation with Jiphthar could involve demons.

If the PCs confront Dalius in the temple, he will tell them of his desire to end it all (at the right time of course).  He may let on that he does not fully trust Jiphthar’s motives but at this point he is so tired of life that he does not really care just so long as it is going to be over.  Dalius should be played as feeling old, tired and not caring.  The DM should also make it plain just how powerful this vampire is, even when not engaged in combat.

Two nights before the dawn ceremony, the PCs have an opportunity to confront Dalius outside the temple as he seeks to feed one last time.  This is likely the first and only time they see him before the dawn ceremony.  The vampire’s hunger drives him and he does not care whom he feeds upon.  Dalius normally tries to destroy the evidence of his feeding if at all possible, burning any corpses.  Dalius should be too powerful for the PCs to take on unexpectedly.  If he is losing, he flees in gaseous form.  If he is winning he takes a victim to feed upon and leaves the wounded wondering what exactly happened.

The night before the ceremony, a strange and wondrous event occurs.  Driven by the growing powers of darkness in the temple and by their own desire for revenge, the four murdered priest rise as undead and move through the streets of the community.  These undead priests are not necessarily evil but they are hunting with a desire for revenge and anyone who stands in their way is savagely attacked.  As undead, they look somewhat like zombies but have the holy power of fire on their side and cannot be turned as normal.  This should be a night of fear and fire as the priests burn down those buildings they deem as unholy, including a brothel, the thieves guild, several bars and the homes of some citizens.  If directed by anyone with a reasonable explanation towards the temple they will move that way.  Otherwise they will attack anyone they remember as being ‘wicked,’ eventually heading off of their own will towards the temple they remember as home.  At this point Jiphthar will be forced to fight off the undead himself and will if the PCs are around, ask them for assistance.   The last priest of fire left in the temple will die during the night, and Jiphthar will claim that he was killed by the undead priests.  When the undead priests are killed, Jiphthar will declare it a sign that good will prevail and will begin gathering his flock to watch the triumph of fire (i.e. the dawn death of Dalius).

*The conclusion*:  If the PCs have not take actions which will prevent it, Jiphthar and Dalius will follow their plans for the ceremony.  Jiphthar will feed Dalius the tainted blood, telling him that it has been blessed in such a way as to speed his soul to its resting place.  Dalius will not care one way or the other and comply.  If the ceremony is successful, Jiphthar will claim that Dalius was responsible for the events of the last few weeks.  Two weeks later however Jiphthar will have finished his potion and joined the ranks of the undead, bringing forth an army of ghouls, zombies, skeletons and wights from the cemetery.  The gothic temple of fire will become a fortress of the undead and Jiphthar will in one night destroy the town creating a haven of darkness and death.

If the PCs foil the ceremony, Dalius will still seek to kill himself at the appointed hour.  However, he will fight anyone who tries to kill him before then.  Jiphthar will flee and as a necromancer eventually seek a revenge on those who robbed him of his perfect chance to gain the ultimate power over death.  

If the PCs foil the ceremony and kill Jiphthar, they will have truly solved the problem, but the community will never quite believe that their beloved priest was evil and the PCs will lose standing in the community over the ordeal.  

Acknowledgement’s to _Living Dead in Dallas_ by Charlaine Harris from whom I lifted the idea for Dalius.

*Edited to fix an open tag.  Otherwise the whole thing would be in size 3 text.  *


----------



## Wicht

_Bumping _for Rune.

Not that I am in being impatient or anything mind you


----------



## Rune

*Ingredients:*

Beggars
Corrupt Fire Priest
Penitent Undead
Defiled Graves
Sacred Plants
Tainted Blood

*The Dying Flame*
A short adventure for characters level 6-10

Opportunities abound for combat in this adventure, but it is quite possible for the PCs to reach a reasonably satisfying conclusion with no such encounters.

*The History*

In the burning stretches of the Boundless Desert, lies the majestic and holy City in the Sands.  It is at this site that the gods first brought fire to the mortal world.  No oasis supports the city, but the city thrives, nevertheless.  Its fine artisanship is sought the world over, and the city trades the fine works that its inhabitants produce for water and precious materials.

Furthermore, the city attracts thousands of pilgrims a year, each bringing hefty donations to the Priests who run the city.  These pilgrims are visiting the sacred Fire That Does Not Die—the continuing presence of the first mortal flame.  That Fire is kept by the Priests, the Keepers of the Holy Flame, the same Priests who rule the city.

Every one hundred and one years, five of the Priests are required to sacrifice their eldest daughters (as virgins, of course).  The daughters’ blood is drained and mixed and poured over the graves of the Priest’s ancestors, upon which grows the Sacred Grove, a grove of palm trees maintained by the Priests and harvested as fuel for the Fire That Does Not Die.

In this way, the blood of the Priests—and only the Priests, lives on in the Holy Flame.

*Recent Events*

The day has come, once again, for the sacrifice of the Priests’ daughters.  One of these Priests, Comfort of the Desert Breeze, has grown attached to his eldest daughter, Diamond in the Desert Sands, and has succumbed to his daughter’s suggestion that he allow her to escape.  She even provides him with a plan to do so.

On the outskirts of town, a beggar family (one of many such families who crowd the streets of the City in the Sands) has a daughter who bears a strong likeness to Diamond in the Desert Sands.  Diamond has convinced her father to grant her a small fortune in funds and send her to a destination unknown to him.

In her place, the daughter of the beggar family is to be sacrificed.

Comfort, like many of the Keepers of the Holy Flame, is not a divine caster and does not truly have faith in the gods, or his role as a Priest.  Rather, he is a politician, a Priest because his ancestors were Priests and because he enjoys the political power that his position employs; not surprisingly, Comfort believes that the ceremony is nothing more than foolish tradition and has no hesitations about sparing his daughter’s life.

His great misfortune is evident when the Grove that is sprinkled with the tainted blood of the sacrifices begins to slowly die.  Comfort’s fellow Priests discover his deception and slay the former Priest, leaving his body in the desert, unburied.

Consequently, Comfort’s soul is restless and he returns to the mortal realm in the form of a ghost, determined to right his wrongs by hunting down his daughter, sacrificing her, and feeding her blood to the Sacred Grove on the graves of his ancestors.  By doing this, the ghost of Comfort hopes to accomplish two ends: returning life to the dying grove and purchasing a peaceful rest for himself.

*The Setup*

The PCs may find themselves entering the City in the Sands any time that they are traveling through a desert or with a trade route.  The City in the Sands should be a major stop in the trade route, as it is an opulently rich city with trade goods of all kinds—from spices to flying carpets.  The PCs could also be a hired escort for pilgrims to the Holy Flame, or they could be pilgrims, themselves.

Alternately, the location of the City could be changed, but doing so would certainly distort the flavor of the City.  Whatever the case, the PCs will find a world rich in political intrigue and class disparity within the City’s walls and should have plenty of opportunities for exploration and additional encounters.

*The City in the Sands*

When the PCs enter the City, they are accosted by mobs of beggars.  It is immediately evident that, despite the City’s rich appearance, many of its denizens are destitute.  One such group of beggars that the PCs may encounter will tell the PCs a tale of woe unlike most of the other beggars.  They will claim that the “soldiers of the Priests came to take their daughter away.”  This is mostly true—the soldiers were hired guards of Comfort of the Desert Breeze.  The beggars will also claim that they have seen their daughter (Joy of the Whispering Night) a few times in town, at a distance.  This, also, is truthfully spoken, although it is inaccurate.  Actually, the beggars have mistaken Diamond in the Desert Sands, who has not yet left the City—as she is seeking to hire adventurers for protection before she departs—for their daughter.

 Deeper in the City, where the merchants sprawl across the streets and year-long bazaars vie for the money of visiting traders, the PCs will hear worried rumors that the Sacred Grove is dying.  A successful Gather Information check at DC 15 will yield:

the knowledge that the Sacred Grove is the fuel for the Fire That Does Not Die,
the sacred nature of the Holy Fire, 
and the illegal nature of such rumors—for the very well being of the City is determinant upon the existence of the Holy Flame.

If the PCs explore the City during the night (as is not uncommon for people unused to the desert sun), they will encounter the ghost of Comfort of the Desert Breeze, who is searching frantically for his daughter, in order to bring her back to the temple to be sacrificed.  The ghost is far too frantic to be malevolent toward the PCs and will attempt to enlist their aid, if they are willing to hear him out.  The ghost will tell his story if the PCs ask for it, and will answer any of their questions as accurately as it can without actually telling them that the Grove is dying, or that the Fire That Does Not Die is in danger of being extinguished as a result.  The ghost will not tell the PCs what it intends to do with its daughter once it has found her.

*The Options*

At this point, the PCs have several options, of few of which follow:

They may…

a) help the ghost of Comfort of the Desert Breeze to locate his daughter.  She is currently in the City looking to hire some adventurers, so this should not be a difficult task.  If the PCs are cunning (or treacherous), they may even accept the job and receive a handsome payment of 1000 gold before betraying her to Comfort.  Ironically, the sacrifice will only be partially successful—Comfort will cease to exist as a ghost, but the blood of Diamond will not slow the death of the Sacred Grove.  The PCs may well encounter the “guards” of the Priests while searching for Diamond, who are thinking along lines similar to Comfort.  Comfort does not know the motives of the Priests and does know about the search for his daughter; he, therefore, concludes that they must not be allowed to capture Diamond and is likely to warn the PCs to keep the guards from getting to her.  The guards will be in packs of 3d6 and will be level 5 Warriors.  They have orders to subdue Diamond and to make sure that she is not killed.

b) help Diamond in the Desert Sands to escape from the City.  She will pay the PCs a flat sum of 1000 gold in advance for their aid and another 2000 upon her safe delivery out of the Boundless Desert.  This may be more difficult than the PCs would suspect, because the Priests have sent their temple “guards” (or, more accurately, thugs) to find her; the Priests are thinking along the same lines as Comfort, although they do not know that he has returned as a ghost and they would not work with him if they did.  These guards would be in packs of 3d6 level 5 Warriors.  They have orders to subdue Diamond and to make sure that she is not killed.  Should the Priests succeed in capturing and sacrificing Diamond, they will learn that her blood will not rectify their situation.  It is also possible that the PCs would encounter Comfort of the Desert Breeze, who would certainly attack them in this situation, but would go to any lengths to make sure that Diamond is not killed prematurely.

c) help heal the Sacred Grove through druidic spells, specifically, _plant growth_ or 36 hp of _cure_ spells cast directly on the graves.  The PCs may think to try a similar tactic with Comfort of the Desert Breeze by casting _atonement_, but the attempt will not work, because the spell is limited to living targets.  If the PCs heal the Sacred Grove, they will gain the friendship of the Priests (which may not be very palatable, particularly if the PCs have a paladin in the group) and will be rewarded 1500 gold per party member.

d) leave the evil Priests and their precious City in the Sands to rot in the desert.  This should not be a particularly palatable choice, because the entire city will certainly suffer with the extinguishing of the Holy Flame.  The entire economic structure of the City is likely to collapse under the combined weight of the lack of monetary income from the thousands of pilgrims that visit the City every year and the power vacuum that will inevitably be created when the Priests are derived of their purpose and revealed to be powerless (in a divine sense, at any rate).

e) attempt to fill the power vacuum that will inevitably left by the Priests when the Holy Flame is extinguished.  This will no doubt lead to a conflict between the Priests (and their guards) and the PCs.  There are a total of 101 Priests, most of whom are low level Aristocrats.  Few of them have any divine casting abilities and those with such abilities are Adepts.  Each of the Priests is able to call upon 101 guards (level 5 Warriors), and will certainly call upon all of them in the event of a large-scale battle.  If the PCs manage to succeed in taking over the City, they will still have to deal with the economic crisis at hand.  Ultimately, the potential reward of this course of action may not be worthwhile to the PCs.

*The Cast*

Comfort of the Desert Breeze was once Neutral Evil, unlike most of his former fellow-Priests, who are almost uniformly Lawful Evil.  Like most of the Priests, Comfort viewed his position as a political one—not particularly believing or caring in the divinity.  Like many non-believers, he generally assumes that all divine magic is arcane magic cast by a fraud.  Comfort is conniving and charismatic, qualities that once earned him a high position within the Priesthood.  Unfortunately, these same qualities conspired to award his daughter the honor of being one of the sacrifices to the graves of the ancestors—a sacrifice that Comfort was not willing to make in life.  As a ghost, Comfort is quite aware of the nature of divinity, and is restless in his shameful undeath.  He is truly penitent (now Lawful Evil) and wishes to right the wrongs that he has committed against his former colleagues and his City.  He is currently a level 3 Aristocrat Ghost.

Diamond in the Desert Sands is Chaotic Evil—thoroughly selfish, cunning, and manipulative.  She is also (very reasonably) terrified of her impending mortality.  The thought of getting married to escape her predicament has crossed her mind (the sacrifices must be virgins, after all), but is not feasible, because no one would _ever_ think of marrying the daughter of a Priest of the Holy Flame who is scheduled to be sacrificed for the good of the City (and, presumably, the gods).  Even so, she is getting desperate, as rumors suggest that her plan may not have worked as well as it should have, and she will attempt to manipulate the PCs to help her escape, should she encounter them, by any means at her disposal, even seduction.  Diamond is a level 1 Aristocrat.


----------



## Rune

Wow, Wicht!  I just read your adventure, and _man_ is it tight!

I hope I give you a run for your money


----------



## Wicht

Rune said:
			
		

> *Wow, Wicht!  I just read your adventure, and man is it tight!
> 
> I hope I give you a run for your money  *




Hmm, I just read yours and was thinking the same thing (albeit in reverse).  Good show.


----------



## Vaxalon

*Bowing out for the setting contest*

I have decided that I am going to save my creative energies for the WotC setting contest.  Unless you are willing to delay my defense of my title until after the deadline (june 21) I willingly relinquish it.

I must conserve my creative energies.


----------



## MasterOfHeaven

I just have to say both Wichts and Runes entries are incredibly good.  I'm glad I'm not the one who has to pick between them.  Great work, guys.


----------



## el-remmen

Ok, I have read over the two entries and DAMN! this is going to be really close. . .

I guess I should choose the winner based on whose name comes first alphabetically. . . 

Or perhaps based on who has the most letters in their name. . . 

Or maybe. . . I can read them again and again very closely and try hard to determine a winner. . . 

Yeah, I guess I will do the third


----------



## Rune

MasterOfHeaven said:
			
		

> *I just have to say both Wichts and Runes entries are incredibly good.  I'm glad I'm not the one who has to pick between them.  Great work, guys. *




Why, thank you!  In all honesty, so am I!


----------



## Rune

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Ok, I have read over the two entries and DAMN! this is going to be really close. . .
> 
> I guess I should choose the winner based on whose name comes first alphabetically. . .
> 
> Or perhaps based on who has the most letters in their name. . .
> 
> Or maybe. . . I can read them again and again very closely and try hard to determine a winner. . .
> 
> Yeah, I guess I will do the third  *




You could flip a coin.


----------



## Wicht

This sort of suspense cannot be good for a person


----------



## Rune

*Re: Bowing out for the setting contest*



			
				Vaxalon said:
			
		

> *I have decided that I am going to save my creative energies for the WotC setting contest.  Unless you are willing to delay my defense of my title until after the deadline (june 21) I willingly relinquish it.
> 
> I must conserve my creative energies. *




Personally, I see it another way.  I tend to believe that frequently using my creative energies tends to open the flow of creativity and allow me easier access.


----------



## Rune

Wicht said:
			
		

> *This sort of suspense cannot be good for a person  *




Ain't that the truth!


----------



## Wicht

*Re: Re: Bowing out for the setting contest*



			
				Rune said:
			
		

> *Personally, I see it another way.  I tend to believe that frequently using my creative energies tends to open the flow of creativity and allow me easier access. *




I agree.  Personally I think this contest is an excellent excercise in creative writing.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Creative Writing Exercises*

It's more than that, because it's so focused.  I teach a creative writing exercise called "fiction stew" which works about the same way.

Here, though, we work on stuff that's a bit more specific than a simple short story -- we need to worry about hooks for PCs, about how generic or specific to make the setting, how grand or small to make the scope of the adventure, etc.  It's an excellent excercise, and I would consider it GREAT preparation for the WOTC Setting proposal thing.  

Now, TIME might be something else entirely.  I know only too well that we don't have all the time in the world, and perhaps making one thing a bigger priority than the other is good time management.  But  I don't subscribe to the idea that we have limited creative energies.  Abilities, yes, for some of us.  As you'll see when I get bounced in the next round.  

-rg


----------



## mmadsen

As a gentle reminder, for anyone interested in posting their own responses, I've greated an Iron DM "Home Game" thread.  Feel free to post an adventure using any of the already used ingredient lists.

Also, feel free to critique the responses so far.  I'd especially enjoy seeing some good _nemmerlesque_ criticism.


----------



## el-remmen

Cool!  I am an adjective!

Still judging. . . . don't expect a response any time soon. . .


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

I am back and ready to go whenever.

Now I have to scroll up and read those two entries that has the field abuzz...


Wulf


----------



## Radiating Gnome

I am also here

-rg


----------



## el-remmen

Ok, so here we go

*Radiating Gnome vs. Rat Wulfbane* 

Ingredients
---------------
_
Oval Door
Permanent Image
Quicklings
Female Hill Giant
Staff of Thunder & Lightning
False Beard Made from Dwarf Hair_

------------------------------------------------------

The time is now  3:52 pm EST - you have 24 hours - good luck.


----------



## el-remmen

IMPoRTANT NOTE!

That should be "false _beard_"


NOT false "bear"


----------



## Radiating Gnome

Aw, Heck, That changes EVERYTHING.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Grrrr... I hate all this non-core stuff.

Now I have to dig through the closet-o-crap to find some info on Quicklings...

We won't mention the deliberate dwarf insult. [eyes narrow]


Ratty


----------



## Radiating Gnome

I covet your closet of crap.  I don't have anything pre-3rd edition, so I'm stuck with what I can sort out on the web . . .


----------



## Rune

*Re: Creative Writing Exercises*



			
				Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> *Here, though, we work on stuff that's a bit more specific than a simple short story -- we need to worry about hooks for PCs, about how generic or specific to make the setting, how grand or small to make the scope of the adventure, etc*




Ah, but the limitations are good; they force us to be creative in our adherence to them.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

Wulf, I found this, it may help.

http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/fey/quickling.htm

-rg


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Thanks, that does help. I was sitting here thinking I would convert it myself, but it looks like they did it the same way I would have gone about it anyway.


Wulf


----------



## Wicht

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Still judging. . . . don't expect a response any time soon. . . *




 

_Aww man..._

Guess I will check back in another few hours then...


----------



## Rune

Yeah!  Make with the _nemmerlesque_ criticism, already!


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Rune said:
			
		

> *Yeah!  Make with the nemmerlesque criticism, already! *




Could be worse... Could be _Triumph the Dog_ criticism...


----------



## Rune

Oh, I'm looking forward to the criticism.  After this long of a wait, it had better be _goood_!


----------



## mmadsen

> Make with the _nemmerlesque_ criticism, already!




Bonus points for using _nemmerlesque_ go to Rune!  Well played!  (By the way, I wouldn't mind some _nemmerlesque_ criticism over on the "home game" thread...)


----------



## Xarlen

Hey, Wicht. All I have to say is, one Gust of Wind when the vampire goes up in smoke, and that's one Mad cleric.


----------



## el-remmen

My immediate thoughts about  Wicht’s excellent entry was that it might be better served to introduce the PCs to the scenario while the other fire priests are still alive, but slowly being picked off.  This can create the creepiness of gothic murder mystery, especially if one of the PCs happens to be a fire priest.

But putting that aside, the nature of the mystery and conspiracy is wonderful. The manipulative and corrupt priest double-crossing the repentant vampire and his own clergy is a great idea that can be drawn out 9esp. using the above idea) to make what is happening not so obvious to the PCs ~ the introduction of a few other members of the church could also draw suspicion away from the “benign and helpful” fire priest.  

Wicht’s multiple plot hooks are also excellent, and among the best and most varied of those ever presented in the handful of IRON DM competitions I have run here and on other boards.

Rune has fewer, but nearly as elegant hooks for the PCs.   As long as the PCs get to the city it does not seem like it’d be too hard to get them involved in the action.  Even if they are not persuaded by the beggar family’s story of their missing daughter, they could be approached by the fire priest’s daughter, the ghost, or simply be interested (esp. if pilgrims) in investigating the rumors of the dying flame that is never supposed to die.

This is perhaps the hardest judgment I have had to make in this game.  The key difference in these two scenarios is that Wicht’s comes to a particular climax (or at least it could) that can resolve the whole thing, while Rune’s is much more open ended, leaving more room to expand the elements of the adventure into more campaign wide themes –esp. if they choose to help Diamond, or seek to fill the power vacuum and become involved in what seem to be the convoluted and cut-throat politics of the place.

And there is where I laid my decision.  It is easy to imagine the PCs getting wrapped up in the events of Rune’s scenario even if they do nothing – the church guards could easily see them talking with the beggar girl’s family, or overhear them asking about the (or simply being told about) the rumors of the waning power of the fire – or see them conversing or even battling the ghost of the former fire priest.  The politics implied by Rune’s description strike me as the kind of place where it’d be hard for people as curious as PCs usually are to keep from getting in trouble.

So, in the end I give the edge *Rune*. . . especially, keeping in mind that his repentant undead is a bit more believable – a ghost who chose to commit one evil act over another – as opposed to a vampire who feels remorse, why?  It did strike me that the vampire would have been cooler if he were an actor or bard – someone dramatic who wanted a dramatic end, wh owas simply tired of his long unlife, as opposed to feeling bad about his killing – and maybe wanted to explode in a blaze glory that would always be remembered.

Wicht, great entry!  As usual. . I feel bad having to eliminate you at this point – but the upset goes to Rune – who will face either Wulf or RG in the final round. . .

P.S. I know some people will complain (the Wicht fanboys ) about Wicht’s loss, but ya can’t please everyone and it could have gone either way.


----------



## Wicht

I have fanboys?

The mind boggles!

Good job Rune!  I knew I was doomed when Nemm named me the odds on favorite at the outset of the whole contest


----------



## Xarlen

Just for the record, Wicht, I liked the repentant vampire thing. Very contraversal, having him a child molester. 

Good show.


----------



## Rune

*HOLY CRAP!!!*  I got the upset!?!

Wow, Wicht (and Nemmerle)!  You really had me worried and on edge since I read your entry!  I must say that I was extraordinarily impressed, especially with the roving packs of rightious undead.  Beautiful!  I'll have to steal it (I can't run the whole scenerio, because two of my players have read it and I don't much care for vampires, but I'll definetly steal much from it!)!

Nemmerle, thank you for your astonishingly in-depth and _nemmerlesque_ critique.  I am incredibly grateful for your tireless, painstaking attention to such a thankless duty--that of the judge!

And now, I will go home and be worried about the next round!  

Good night, everybody!

PS- By the way, Wicht, for what its worth...your dryad ghost/mast is the only thing I remember from last year's Iron DM contest.  Truly impressive.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Hindergarten’s Atlas*

*Hindergarten’s Atlas
An Interlude for a party of characters lvl 7-9.*


Oval Door
Permanent Image
Quicklings
Female Hill Giant
Staff of Thunder and Lightning
False Beard made of Dwarf Hair

*Intro (will eventually be told to the players by a townsperson in Eck.)*

_A while ago – before most of you were kids – there was a gnomish illusionist in these parts, a queer, reclusive big-nosed git who lived up in the hills above the town. Hants Hindergarten, he called himself.  He passed through the town every once in a while – never shopped for more than a bit of vegetables now and then.  It became a game with some of the local lads as we grew up, trying to follow him back to his hideout up in the hills, but we never found it.  He would always just turn a corner and disappear.

Anyway, as you may or may not know, powerful folk draw trouble like warm turds draw flies. No one knows for sure what it was that happened, but sure enough, one day , not so very long ago, he turned up dead out there in those hills, cut up with little knives, lots of little cuts, here and there – not one of them enough to kill you, mind you, but all together like that . . . it were bad.  

Folk around here figured he woke something up – there are all kinds of old wives’ takes about the wee creatures of the woods that come out and steal babies and such, but I don’t hold with any of that.  

Since then, things do go missing all the time, though.  Maybe it’s the ghost of that gnome.  And maybe it’s the gremlins that killed him.  Who knows?  

Anyways, not many hunters in these parts anymore.  There’s not much game, what with big Nernice out there bashing around, making that racket of hers.  She’s not much of a neighbor, either – keeps to herself, mostly, not that there’s any around here that’d try to go after a giant, now, even if there are rumors about her havin’ the wizard’s treasure and all.  It ain’t like folk around here have much use for something like that, even if it were real.  

Mind you, every once in a while there’s one or two who think they can sneak in at night and get it, but it just don’t work out that way.  It’s like she sees better at night than she does by day.  Uncanny, she is.  So after enough of the town’s boys didn’t come back, they stopped going up there in the first place.  And as long as you don’t mind losing stuff, well, this ain’t such a bad place to be.  _

*Backstory:*

About 20 years ago a Gnome Illusionist calling himself Hants Hindergarten took up residence in the hills beyond the small roadside village of Eck.  He lived there, shrouded in plenty of mystery, making occasional trips to visit libraries and other wizards far and near, and always passing through the town each time he did so.  No on in the town ever saw his home, although many tried to follow him over the years without success.  By and large the hills around Eck were fairly peaceful.  There were a couple of hill giant families rumored to be making their homes further up in the hills, but while the wizard was in the area between them and the town they did very little to bother anyone.  

About a year ago, things took a turn for the worse.  Although no one knew it at the time, a tribe of Quicklings, lead by a sneaky, evil little creature named Spivet, moved into the area.  Notoriously mean-spirited and impossible to spot, they started to pester the townsfolk, got bored with that quickly, and then moved up into the hills looking for more fun.  

They discovered Hindergarten’s secret home, and were insatiably curious about what he had inside.  He managed to drive them off a couple of times, thanks mostly to his staff.  It gave him some pretty powerful attacks, especially a few area effect attacks, the one thing that was very effective against the blindingly fast Quicklings.  As an illusionist his ability to cast serious area effect direct damage spells himself was limited.  After a few engagements. the quicklings decided that they were not going to get him in a direct attack.  

Then the quicklings discovered the Giants, not far away.  Finding the giants much easier to manipulate, they stole their bags and dragged them off towards the gnome’s house, making it look like he had stolen their bags.  

The Quicklings managed to lure the Giants past the permanent illusion that hid the small oval door that led to Hindergarten’s home.  There they orchestrated a fight between the illusionist and the giants that left most of the giants dead.  One of the females, named Nernice, managed to get away with only being blinded.  

While Hindergarten managed to defeat the giants, the quicklings got what they wanted – the great oval door was open, and they were able to get inside.  Before Hindergarten returned from driving off the giants they managed to steal a great deal.  Hindergarten returned and managed to drive them out of his home again, commanding his familiar (a tabby cat named Slats”) to shut the door, but he himself was caught outside, cut off by the Quicklings.

In then end, Hindergarten died trying to reach the town, where he hoped to be safe.  The quicklings had some loot from his home, but not everything, and they were unable to get in once again.  They forgot about poor Nernice for the time being, much more interested in getting past the Oval Door (actually a trap door, set horizontally into the top of a hill).  They tried to lure the cat out – even using one of the things they’d stolen from the illusionist, his home-made, Dwarf-hair, False Beard of Disguise, to try to convince the cat that they were her missing master finally returning.  Of course, that didn’t work at all.  

Months later, Nernice managed a bit of a recovery.  She is still blind, but has learned to compensate (she has a few levels of fighter now, and has learned blind-fight and blindfight 5’radius).  Because she uses her other senses, and is no longer bothered by the invisibility of the Quicklings, she has been able to hold her own against them, killing enough of them in little skirmishes from time to time that they have learned to leave her alone, although they hope to lure some unsuspecting heroes to her lair to take care of her for them.  Nernice, for her part, knows what she’s up against now – she sets snares for the Quicklings, kills any that get too close, and is totally focused on killing them now that the wizard is dead.  Over time, after a lot of exposure, she has also developed a tolerance for the Quickling’s sleep poison, which no longer affects her.

Nernice did recover some of the wizard’s belongings, including a journal which will offer some clues to the riddle used to conceal the secret word that will open the Oval Door.  

*The Present.  

Part 1.*

The party is nearing the bodaciously small town of Eck.  They might not even stop to take much notice, but a bearded gnome they pass on the road outside Eck has a few words with them.  He tells them about the great wizard who died in the area, and his missing staff a staff that gave him the power to command the thunder and lightning. He tells them his name is Spivet (the truth, although some PCs may feel it’s an odd name for a Gnome) that he has given up looking for it (the truth) and he hopes that they have better luck than he did (also the truth).  He also warns them about the Giantess – has seen her brain many a young foolhardy soul (his own people, also the truth).

This gnome is actually Spivet, the occasional leader of the Quicklings. Spivet and the quicklings tried for MONTHS to figure out the secret of the great Oval Door, and finally had to give up.  Spivet’s current plan is to lure humans up into the hills to try to open the door, and in the bargain perhaps also kill Nernice, the vengeful blind hill giant who is stalking his people.  

So in this encounter he is actually telling the truth at every turn.  Of course, the Quicklings are far too undisciplined to simply meet the party and have this conversation with them.  While Spivet is talking to them, two young quicklings steal up to the two rearmost members of the party and try to pick their pockets (The quicklings pick pockets at +12. Unless you really feel like making rolls for them, assume they take 10.  If either of the characters being picked can make a spot check at DC 22, they notice something, but when they turn around they’ll see nothing, as the quicklings are invisible.)

Should Spivet be revealed, he’ll disappear into the underbrush as quickly as possible.  If captured, he’ll reveal nothing, and do everything he can to escape.  He’ll have plenty of help from his fellow Quicklings, and will more than likely get away.  Should he actually be killed, another Quickling will take his place, although without the Beard of Disguise.

In town the party can gather a bit more information.  To begin with, they can ask about the story that they were told by the Gnome on the road.  The Townsfolk can back up much of the story with their own experience.  Hindergarten was real, and did turn up mostly naked and dead.  Nernice is real, out there in the woods.  And things disappear all the time now, and they have just learned to live with it.  (Note: An interestin detail PCs may or may not notice is that the townsfolk know nothing about an Oval Door, or where Hindergarten was actually living)

Observant PCs (DC 25) will also spot that many of the townsfolk have superficial cuts on their hands and any other exposed flesh – all minor, all in various stages of healing. If they ask, the townsfolk will usually dismiss the cut as an accident, the sort of thing that is always happening in Eck.

The more time the PCs spend in the little town the more they will lose to the quickling thieves. It won’t be very obvious at first, but bits and pieces of their gear will start to disappear, something which the townsfolk dismiss with a shrug.  “That’s life in Eck.  No sense owning nice things, they just go missing after a bit."  

Spivet’s plan, of course, is to lure the PCs off to fight Nernice for him and to make their way past the Oval door.  So the thievery will not be subtle for long.  Eventually, at some appropriate moment in the evening, a quickling will snatch something very abruptly from one of the PCs – something clearly valuable, and disappear into the dark nighttime hills.  

Once the party is ready to head off after the burglars, they’re hooked.  

*Part 2 *

Spivet’s trail leads into the woods.  Eventually it leads to a fairly worn,  easy-to-follow game trail (Will some PCs remember that there isn’t much game in the area, according to the townsfolk?).  Making it even easier to follow is the obvious drag marks made, from time to time, by the bag of loot, lifted off the PCs, that the figure they are tracking seems to be burdened with.  

Just before dawn they will lose the trail, but see a small cliff face ahead.  A DC 20 spot check will see the flicker of a campfire, nearly dead, reflecting off the cliff.  (this is not Nernice’s campfire – she has little use for one.  The Quicklings are using their ability to create Dancing Lights to create the illusion of the fire.)

As they approach the cliff, on the path or otherwise, they will begin to encounter an intermittent collection of traps and snares.  None of them are very skillful or complex – simple tree snares and deadfalls, a pit here or there, etc.  (In a finished adventure, a list of these traps would be provided, along with either a map of the area and the placement of the traps, or some way of determining who hits the traps as the party approaches the campfire.

As they near the clearing at the base of the cliff, the party will see a large a large sleeping matt near the "fire," as well as a couple of worn bags much like the one they have been tracking over hill and dale.  Nernice is standing in the shadows of the cliff face, waiting for the moment to make her entrance – which is when one of the party members touches her bags.  

The fight with Nernice should be interesting.  As soon as Nernice springs out of hiding, the Quicklings will drop the Dancing Light Campfire, which is illuminating the battlefield.  The PCs may have to come up with some of their own light.  

It’s possible that the PCs will try to talk to Nernice, who might even be convinced to stop trying to kill them long enough to let them know her side of the story.  

Nernice’s treasure is actually a bit on the rich side for a lone Hill giant – double the standard “what’s in the giant’s bag” loot, and add in a journal and a spellbook, both small in size.  They both belonged to Hindergarten.  The journal itself is actually a travel journal, including pages and pages of hand-drawn maps, in addition to some other maps, obviously drawn by other hands. Flipping through the book a few of the party members can find each of their home towns sketched, and some important features noted – along with many other places as well.  The other book, a minor traveling spellbook, contains a few illusionist spells.  

There is also, on the last couple of pages in the journal, a few short lines about the Quicklings.  

_I don’t know what they are – they move so fast.  I turn at the sound of a creak or a distant laugh, and there is no one there again.  Things go missing.  It smells of something fey, and something fell. Slats has seen them more than I, and he’s convinced they’re trying to get into the house.  It’s time to set some wards._

*Part 3.  On the trail again.*

While the party is sorting through the Giant’s bags, Spivet (disguised as a Gnome again) will appear, stepping out of the underbrush.  Spivet might have done much better to let things evolve on their own, but he’s just not able to be that meticulous all the time.  He needs to taunt the players a bit.  He asks about the Staff – seems very interested in the Staff.  His real intention is to get the party angry or curious enough to chase him again, this time Hindergarten’s door.  If it isn’t going very well, he’ll even resort to pulling off the magic beard and revealing his real form, and waving one of the stolen bits of the PC’s loot, taunting them with it, before disappearing into the woods.  He is careful not to conceal his trail, and heads directly for Hindergarten’s house.

Should the party not pursue, Spivit will try again, this time appearing to them as the ghost of a gnome, dressed only in his underclothes, cut to ribbons with little cuts.  He’ll beg the party to set his spirit to rest by opening the Oval Door.  

If that fails to entice the players, Spivet will set up an ambush for the players a bit further ahead, bringing with him all the Quicklings he can (the whole group from part 3).  

*Part 4. The Oval Door and Hindergarten’s House*

Eventually the trail will lead the players to a simple hill.  They will be able to see a worn path that leads up the hill to a certain point, then seems to stop abruptly.  This is a trail worn by the comings and goings of the Quicklings – a trail they have intentionally worn to help spot the illusion.  It should help the party see the illusion for what it is, too.  Once past it, they will be faced with a great wooden Oval Door, actually a trap door cut in the top of the hill, which has been flattened where the illusionary hill continued to rise, perhaps an image of what the hill looked like before the top was chopped off and the hill hollowed out to make Hindergarten’s home.  On the door there is a riddle carved in Gnomish Script:

_It has cities, but no houses; 
It has forests, but no trees; 
It has rivers, but no fish. 
What is it? _

The only way to open the door (short of VERY powerful magic that should be beyond the party) is to answer the riddle, in gnomish (answer: a map).  It’s possible that the party will find some other way to get in (trained or polymorphed Umber Hulk, anyone?).  Whatever way they manage to get in, the result will be the same. They get into the house, and the Quicklings try to sneak in along with them. The party will have a few minutes to examine the handful of rooms on the first level before they will start to notice the presence of the quicklings.  

[Once the password for the door has been heard by the quicklings, they will be able to repeat it and open the door themselves, should the players decide to close it behind themselves.  If the party manages to make it impossible for the Quicklings to enter, they will set an ambush outside the door and wait for the party to come out.  

The Gnome’s home consists of two levels.  The upper level has simple living quarters – a small bedroom, a kitchen, a root cellar, and a comfortable library.  All of this is gnome-sized, and once the action starts all medium sized characters (except dwarves) will suffer a -2 circumstance penalty for having to stoop and fight in such close quarters.

In the library, set idly in a corner, is Hindergarten’s Staff.  Spivet, who has seen it in use, knows he wants to grab it right away, and will make a move for it, even if that means revealing himself.  (On his last day, Hindergarten had used all of the charges the staff would allow him, and left it behind when he went out to try to finish off the last of the giants.  So when he was cut off from his home by the Quicklings he did not have the staff with him)

Another trap door blocks entrance to the lower level of the house.  It’s here that the party will find the weak, emaciated form of Slats, who has been guarding this door for the past year, waiting for his master’s return, living barely on what it could scrounge to eat in his master’s cupboards and a few insects here and there.  He’s a mostly normal cat now, although some vestige of his connection to his dead master keeps him at his post, guarding this door, although there isn’t much fight left in him.  As the party nears him he will first try to scare them off (feeble).  After a few moments of interaction with the party, if it’s possible for a Quickling to be there with the party, Slats will turn and face an empty corner, and hiss like crazy, very upset.  If left on his own, he’ll eventually spring and last at the empty air, stop in mid air and collapse, gutted by an unseen blade.  

And then the Quicklings will attack.  

Probably. At some point the party will have to fight the Quicklings – a lot depends upon if the party decides to go to Hindergarten’s house, how they get in, and what sort of precautions they take.  But once the door is open, the quicklings have what they wanted – they can get into the house, and they can kill the players at their leisure.  They won’t just blindly attack, however.  They’ll sneak along with the rest of the party, and if a party member goes off on his or her own, a few will try a quick ambush to try to stack the odds a bit in their favor.  But once the fighting starts, in the cramped quarters of the gnome’s house, all ten of the quicklings and Spivet himself will get into the action.  

The lower level of Hindergarten’s house is breathtaking.  It’s all one big room – a 50’ long oval.  Along the walls in spots are more bookcases.  These are filled with journals much like the ones in the Giant’s bag.  In those journals Hindergarten managed to catalogue the entire known world of [Greyhawk].  And, filling the center of the room, is Hindergarten’s masterpiece, the product of those journals.  He has created, using a Permanent Illusion, a detailed, three dimensional map of the known world.  An arcane spellcaster, by concentrating, can actually control the map, and zoom in on specific locations.  Many of the locations have been marked with notes, and are clearly carefully detailed to allow for teleportation with as little chance of error as possible.  

The magic that creates the image is centered on a flagon-sized Garnet set in the floor of the room. Should it be pried up, it can be carried around and will not lose its powers unless dispelled by a high level (12 or more) spellcaster.  However, just putting the stone in a bag or covering it will not suppress the illusion – for that it will need to be placed in some sort of magical container (a bag of holding will do).  The stone itself isn’t something that will interest just anyone, but a powerful political figure or similar figure might be enticed to pay upwards of 5000 gp for the Hindergarten’s Atlas.

The Quicklings themselves don’t have much of a lair.  There’s a covered pit not far from Hindergarten’s house where they dump most of the loot they pick up when they steal from the townsfolk and travelers.  Most of it – missing boots, utensils, simple jewelry, etc., will be of little value to the pcs, but if returned to the people of Eck will earn them the local’s undying gratitude (for what it’s worth).  


*Encounters:*
Townsfolk (a few experts, maybe, but not very high level, and no combat is expected here)
Nernice Female Hill Giant FTR2, CL 9
A handful of traps (all CR 1-3, very light-weight)
11 Quicklings (10 + Spivet).  CR 10ish.

*Major Loot:*
The Staff of Thunder and Lightning (treat it as the 3rd edition Rod by the same name)
The Beard of Disguise (as a Hat of Disguise, except it’s a fairly scratchy false beard made of Dwarf hair)
The Atlas of Hindergarten, the great illusionary map of the world, which is centered on a 10-pount Garnet.

----

Ugh.  Time to go to bed.  I’ll be looking forward to reading yours, Wulf.

I reserve the right to tinker and edit and fix typos in the morning when I can see straight again.  

[EDIT 11 am CST:  I did come back in the morning and fix a few typos, and try to clear up a confusing point, but to be fair I didn't change anything addressed in the post below.  The place that I tried to iron out a little is in part four, where I discuss the moment when the Quicklings attack -- specifically I moved the "Probably" to the begining of the next paragraph, where it seemed it would make more sense. I hope I have not disqualified myself.]

-rg


----------



## Xarlen

Nice entry, Gnome. One thing: Is there anything to interest the party to Stay and inspect things, if they're simply staying the night in town? (The quicklings may not realize that?) 

And, why havn't the quicklings just tried to lure a townsfolk up to the hill? 

I know these are nitpicky questions, but My PCs would ask me the same question: Why did they wait on us?


----------



## SoulsFury

This is the coolest thread... but it has me wondering, whats the dryad ghost/mast thing?

Nik


----------



## Wicht

SoulsFury said:
			
		

> *This is the coolest thread... but it has me wondering, whats the dryad ghost/mast thing?
> 
> Nik *




It was the key point of my entry into the first Iron DM's tournament.  While I can't now recall the whole entry, basically, the ghost of a dryad was haunting a town.  Her own tree had been cut down and made into the mast of a ship and thus she literally haunted the mast of a wrecked ship which lay outside of the town.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

Xarlen said:
			
		

> *Nice entry, Gnome. One thing: Is there anything to interest the party to Stay and inspect things, if they're simply staying the night in town? (The quicklings may not realize that?)
> 
> And, why havn't the quicklings just tried to lure a townsfolk up to the hill?
> 
> I know these are nitpicky questions, but My PCs would ask me the same question: Why did they wait on us? *




Not that I want to be defending my entry before Nem gets cracking on it, but it was my intention that the town be small enough that there wouldn't be anyone in town who would have a chance against Nernice -- the Quicklings have already stolen everything worth stealing in town (precious little) and most of the commoners wouldn't be able to do anything about Nernice.  But the arriaval of newcomers -- any newcomers, but especially adventurers, offers the potential of new stuff to steal and the potential of people who might be able to do something about Nernice.  

As for the party sticking around and inspecting things, a lot hinges on the Quicklings stealing from the party -- which I expect would motivate even the most resistant party to check things out, especailly if they have little or no idea what the true nature of the burglars are (remember, they've met an odd gnome, and that's about it for suspects).  Even if they leave town, when they discover the missing possessions they'll most likely turn around and go back.  This is my favorite motivator for a party, when I can swing it -- Revenge.

-rg


----------



## el-remmen

*Just a note:*

I will NOT be reading the above post until AFTER I do the judging. .  as it would not be fair for you to get a chance to respond to someone's questions about your entry and clarify things. . . 

In the future I would appreciate non-participants to NOT comment on entries until AT LEAST both entries are in - Ideally, not until the judging is done - but I know that can be a long time.. .


----------



## Radiating Gnome

Sorry Nemmerle, I wasn't thinking, just responding.

-rg


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Oval Door
Permanent Image
Quicklings
Female Hill Giant
Staff of Thunder and Lightning
False Beard made of Dwarf Hair

*THE CROOKED CAIRN*
Because this adventure deals with fey creatures, the DM can place it in any out-of-the-way location, from dark woods to rolling green hills. You can help set atmosphere if you further place it at or near a crossroads, long recognized as places where dark faerie congregate. At any rate the blackened tree upon the cairn should be visible from a distance.

The DM can hook the PCs into this adventure in several ways, choosing the method that is most likely to appeal to the party's instincts:

Curiosity: Place the Crooked Cairn right in their path as they are travelling.
Greed: The PCs may overhear some clue in a nearby tavern-- perhaps a young adventurer bemoaning the loss of a companion. In either case, the PCs hear tale of a sacred burial mound full of treasure, including fine elven blades and armor.
Glory: The PCs are hired by a local town to investigate the cairn. When the weather is foul, the locals blame the cairn for the thunderstorms, and woe to any traveller who passes by the crossroads at night, in the driving rain. They offer the PCs a modest reward if they can help lift whatever curse haunts the cairn.

This adventure is suitable for characters level 4-6. 

The crooked cairn, a low, rocky hill, is found in a wooded area. Rocks rise around the barren mound like broken teeth; moss covers the rocks and only partly conceals the runes that slither across them. No trees grow upon the mound, save for a shattered oak at the very top, rent asunder years ago by a fork of lightning.

*Background*
Many years ago there were two travelling adventurers, a human bard named Ort and his elven lover Lauren, a druid. Ort and Lauren travelled together doing their best to spread cheer to the small communities roundabout, and dealing as best they could with more serious troubles. They were an example of love, hope, and fidelity to all the folk of the countryside.

At the crossroads where the cairn now stands, Ort and Lauren stopped to rest after a dangerous battle. They fell asleep beneath the arms of the old oak. Little did they realize that the crossroads was the happy home of two pixies by the name of Glimmer and Glammer. Attracted by Ort's musicianship and Lauren's  love of nature, the pixies decided to have some 'harmless' fun with them. What better fun than to test the will of these two mortals? Surely a bard and a druid could resist their fey magic? While the lovers rested at the crossroads, the two pixies bestowed them each with a kiss.

Unfortunately, there was foul magic at the crossroads that day. Both lovers succumbed to the magic of the pixies, and they awoke to _confusion_. At once the two lovers attacked each other ferociously. To his everlasting torment, Ort slew Lauren almost immediately.

When he recovered his wits-- though still furious with anger-- the bard used his magic to charm the two wilful sprites. Together they built a cairn for Lauren, and Ort ordered them to create a _permanent image_ inside of his beloved, lying at rest, surrounded by a beautiful cavern filled with flowers and sparkling crystals. Though Lauren would never wake to see it, though she would soon shrivel into dust, forever would she lie at rest, preserved in beauty with beauty around her. 

Ort planted Lauren's _staff of thunder and lightning_ atop the cairn, hidden within the old oak. Should the pixies try to escape, he warned them, they would be struck by lightning. To further secure their prison, he built a magic portal to secure the cairn, sealed with a clever riddle so that he could return to visit as he pleased.

*The Quicklings (EL5)*
All of that, unfortunately, is ancient history, and things inside the cairn are rather different. The unrepentant pixies are desperate to escape, but true to Ort's word, each time they approach the exit, they are blasted with lightning from the roof of the cairn. To make matters worse, the staff acts as a magnet for lightning strikes, filling the entire cairn with energy. Over the years this energy has changed the pixies into something... different. Blasted by energy, twisted by guilt, and certifiably insane, they have become _Quicklings_. 

The Quicklings cannot escape until the staff is removed, and they spend much of their time using _ventriloquism_ to whisper to passersby and lure them in. They have no knowledge of the riddle on the door, nor can they communicate with folks outside, so it's rather a hit and miss proposition. Though their magic is forgotten, the illusion inside was long ago changed to reflect a cavern gleaming with weapons, armor, and gems-- though the gems are little more than rocks and pepples, that seeming helmet is no more than poor Lauren's brainpan, and that sword, her thigh-bone. 

Not long ago the quicklings received their most recent visitor, a dwarf, though unfortunately with a female hill giant hot on his heels. The cowardly quicklings watched the battle inside their cairn and did not interfere. Only when the dwarf fell to the hill giant did they realize their mistake: they cannot communicate with the giant and she's far too stupid to see through the illusion. Now she's moved in and things are worse than ever! She squats in the cave, spending endless hours caressing her "treasure." From time to time she heads out to hunt, jamming the door with a rock so she can return.

*The Oval Portal*
When the party finds the cairn the door will be closed (and the hill giant within). Written upon the door they will find the riddle. The DM should put this riddle in a language spoken by only one member of the group (such as Draconic or Elven), or he can allow someone to make a Decipher Script or Knowledge: Arcana roll to read it. In any case it is an opportunity to allow a player's skills to shine.

The riddle reads as follows:

_The closed portal glimmers not, the open portal gleams
What passes through this oval portal passes into dreams.
Open every dawning, closing every dusk,
Naught that passes through here does the wise man trust._

The answer to the riddle is "the eye," and with perhaps a little foresight, Ort's riddle also serves as a bit of a warning to those who enter. If the answer is given correctly, the portal will swing open.

*The Cairn (EL~7)*
Once the players open the door, the giant will ready two large rocks and move to hide herself. She'll hurl rocks at the first PC through the passage and then close to melee.

Unbeknownst to the PCs or the giant, the quicklings have devised a _cunning plan._ They know they have little hope of anyone setting them free while the giant remains. At the very least, they need her out of the way.

Using the beard trimmed from the fallen dwarf, the quicklings have made a false beard. Although they will prefer to stay out of the combat, they will use the beard to protect (in their opinion) the most useful member of the party. Left to her own devices, the she-giant has enough wits to attack the person who is hurting her the most. This is where the quicklings will step in: Whoever wears the beard is "IT" as far as the giant is concerned. With a loud, stupid bellow of "DIE DWARF!" she will turn on whoever is wearing the beard and ignore all other opponents.

Using their _haste_, the quicklings will distract the giant by dashing up and placing the beard on some poor sap who was otherwise staying out of the fight. If this PC falls or removes the beard, the quicklings will replace the beard or move it on. Remember that the quicklings have natural invisibility, so the PCs will probably have no idea what's going on. Like the best pixie pranks, this one is hilariously lethal.

If the PCs survive the hill giant, the quicklings will remain invisible, but they will inform the party of the staff hidden somewhere above and offer to trade the rest of the treasure for the staff. As soon as the staff is removed, their curse will be lifted. If the PCs offer to trade the staff, the quicklings will happily leave to wreak further mischief. If the PCs remove the staff and try to keep it or otherwise betray the quicklings, Glimmer and Glammer will hasten out of the cairn and follow from a distance, eager to find an opportunity to hurt the players though careful not to risk themselves (see below).

Finally, if despite the the quicklings' best bargaining, the players don't agree to remove the staff at all, Glimmer and Glammer will turn on the PCs in a frenzied rage.

The DM should be warned that the staff is an extremely valuable item (EL15), far too much for fledgling PCs. It is recommended that the staff be lose many of its powers or even be rendered inert once it is removed. More suitable treasure, including the dwarf's belongings, can be found in the giant's bag.

If the quicklings are free, Glimmer and Glammer will settle down together, and it may be some time before the PCs realize that they have inadvertently unleashed a new race of evil fey into their world...


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

I just want to say, this was bloody friggin difficult. I am going to go read RG's now, but I am not confident.

CR3 quicklings
CR7 hill giant
CR11 magic (permanent image)
CR15 treasure (staff)

Really, really hard to tie together so many disparate elements!


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*That Nemmerle*

He sure likes to make us wait.

I like it, Wulf.  One cool synergy -- apparently special doors all need riddles.  

-rg


----------



## Xarlen

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Just a note:
> 
> I will NOT be reading the above post until AFTER I do the judging. .  as it would not be fair for you to get a chance to respond to someone's questions about your entry and clarify things. . .
> 
> In the future I would appreciate non-participants to NOT comment on entries until AT LEAST both entries are in - Ideally, not until the judging is done - but I know that can be a long time.. . *




Sorry. I thought that we could offer assistance in the critisizm (Wasn't that mentioned earlier in the thread?). Guess I did it a little too soon...


----------



## Breakstone

I must say, Rune, I loved those names!


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

*Re: That Nemmerle*



			
				Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> *I like it, Wulf.  One cool synergy -- apparently special doors all need riddles.*




Aye! I am not surprised by that at all, we gamers share a common experience rooted in Tolkien. What's good enough for Gandalf is good enough for me!

I started with "oval door = eye" written at the top of my notes, and knew I wanted to work that in with the illusion somehow. I am pretty happy about the way _that_ worked out, at least, though overall I wish I'd had another day to work on fitting the rest together.

I'll have more to say about all of it once we're done waiting on nemmerle.

Good luck!


----------



## el-remmen

Ok, well I have looked them over cursorily - and will be judging them _sometime this weekend_.  Yes, nemmerle no matter how _nemmerlesque_ does indeed have a life outside of messageboards _{cue funk music}_ - so I am not sure that I will get a chance before Sunday.


----------



## Rune

Tsunami said:
			
		

> *I must say, Rune, I loved those names! *




Thanks!  I'm a big fan of using exotic sounding names for exotic sounding places and, to me, nothing sounds quite as exotic as using a name that actually means something within the language that provides its context.

Not to plug, but the first page of the link in my sig (my story hour) includes a naming convention that I use for that game.  You may find it interesting.


----------



## Rune

Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> *I just want to say, this was bloody friggin difficult. I am going to go read RG's now, but I am not confident.
> 
> CR3 quicklings
> CR7 hill giant
> CR11 magic (permanent image)
> CR15 treasure (staff)
> 
> Really, really hard to tie together so many disparate elements! *




Tell me about it.  He did the same thing with treasure to Ninjajester and I.  Ya think he's trying to tell us something?


----------



## Breakstone

Just a Mid-Saturday Bump!


----------



## toberane

Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> The riddle reads as follows:
> 
> _The closed portal glimmers not, the open portal gleams
> What passes through this oval portal passes into dreams.
> Open every dawning, closing every dusk,
> Naught that passes through here does the wise man trust._




I love this riddle, Wulf.  Did you make it up, or did you get it from somewhere?


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

toberane said:
			
		

> *I love this riddle, Wulf.  Did you make it up, or did you get it from somewhere? *




Thanks! I made it up. Would be rather a huge coincidence to just _find_ such a riddle that fit the adventure, don't you think? As I mentioned below, my entry really started with "oval door = eye" as the foundation stone, and I like the fact that the riddle serves the second purpose of warning the players not to trust their eyes once they get inside. It's not as long or as tight as I wanted it to be but I am pretty proud of it, so again: thanks!

I love making up riddles. I love wordsmithing. I have a long commute to/from work and many's the time I have spent that hour long drive playing with double meanings and looking for rhymes. 

Many's also the time I have forgotten a good riddle by the time I get where I am going... 


Wulf


----------



## Nail

Bump!

"One of the Best Threads on Earth!"

...or some such dreck.

Wulf, I gotta fiver on ye!  Don't let me down!

(But Rune's gotta good one there.....ya want that we should visit him wit' a some baseball bats an' some boot leather......?     :^)

-*Nail*


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Not confident, Nail, not at all... I barely got that last entry in under the wire.


----------



## el-remmen

First of all Wulf’s riddle was just amazing ~ nicely crafted. . . It was definitely better than the one Radiating Gnome came up with and that one was sweet too (though I think I have seen it somewhere before) So, score one for Wulf. . .

But the hooks, this part goes to Radiating Gnome.  The combination of the strange occurrences in the town, and the trickster quicklings trying to fool the party into opening the gnome’s lair was superior to the “generic” hooks Wulf provided.  Score one for Wulf. . .

And what about the Oval Door?  While Wulf’s riddle was superior, and the idea of a cairn for a dead lover considered to be haunted or curse is a sweet idea – I had hard time accepting that there would be enough room in there for a hill giant – especially room her to fight and throw rocks – how was this place made again?  

Also RG’s giantess seemed to have more personality because her origin and her disability.  The hidden gnome lair covered by an illusion might be a bit cliché – but I can accept it more readily.  Score another one for the ole Radiating Gnome

But Wulf’s use of the permanent image was cooler from the point of view of the _Snow White_-like image of the dead druid (which I was sad to see was gone) and also the quicklings using the illusion of treasure to draw people near was much more inventive in clever both from an “in” the scenario point of view and just a crafting a scenario point of view.  Another one for the Wulfster.

But how did the dwarf get in there?  Did he figure out the riddle, get in and not have time to close the door behind him to keep the giantess out?  Why was the door large enough for a giant to pass through?  The dwarf and the giantess seem kind of “stuck in” in this scenario, which unfortunately makes us subtract a point from Wulf.

But what about the beard?  Wulf’s use of the beard was definitely stands out for “creative use” the idea of the quicklings making a game of placing the beard on the face of a PC to make the giantess split up her attacks and giving the party a better chance to beat her – while still sowing confusion is wonderful.  I would love to use that idea.

As for the use of the _staff of thunder and lightning_, while Wulf’s was much more active than RG’s – I was not impressed by the use of it as a kind of trap for the pixie/quicklings – There was no attempt made to explain how the bard was able to make the staff behave that way. . .and it turning pixies into quicklings, while neat, really creates an insolvable mystery in the scenario.

But in the end, Radiating Gnome’s scenarios stands together better.  As a whole it flows well and all the elements make more sense that how Wulf did it. . .  I think both scenarios could be combined to make it even better – and I think a bunch of traps in the gnome’s lair once the door is opened could make a for a lot more hijinks!

Well, I guess this is kind of another upset. . .*Radiating Gnome* moves on to face Rune in the final round.  RG, I have to admit I am surprised – if only because this scenario was MUCH MORE SUPERIOR to your last entry. . .

Wulf, thanks for playing and I hope to see you back the next time we game. . .


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Holy Cats*

I didn't expect that at all.

Nem., thanks for your analysis and criticisms.  There was a lot that was going on in Wulf's that I felt worked better than mine -- to begin with the riddle (you're right, mine was not original).  As for the improvement from my first round entry to the second . . . I spent a lot of time reading over what the others had submitted in the first round, what was working and wasn't working, to try to get a feel for what the expectations were. In the first round I wasn't really aware of the scope and form our entries should take, so after I got going I had a lot of homework to do.

I felt lucky to get past the first round, and _really_ lucky to get past Wulf.  

-RG


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Ahh, congrats RG! 

Undone by verisimilitude... I was concerned that my entry had more going on in the backstory than in the actual adventure-- and as it turns out, if I'd just explained the background a bit more, I might have pulled it off! Ack!

I confess I was juggling the hill giant right up until the very last minute-- inside or outside? inside or outside?

Good luck with Rune, RG... I count myself lucky to have gotten past the first round to begin with. But I think now with one 1W/1L on my scorecard I know much better what to do next time...

I would feel worse about it if I wasn't able to console myself with the fact that nemm just cost ol' Nail five bucks. Good luck with _all that_, nemmerle!


Wulf


----------



## Rune

Wow, _that_ one caught me by surprise!  At least this means Nail doesn't have to come mess me up with baseball bats and boot leather 



			
				Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> *Good luck with Rune, RG... *




Hey...what, you're rooting for him? 

For what it's worth, Wulf, there are a _ton_ of elements in that last adventure that I loved.  I want to see a version of it that you aren't pressed for time to throw together!

Radiating Gnome: Congratulations!  I look forward to seeing what other tricks you've got stored up that gnomish sleeve of yours...


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

No problem, Rune!

Change "cairn" to "nice, large, comfy pixie lair beneath an old oak."

Voila!


Wulf


----------



## Rune

I think this dwarf is cracking wise with me... 

You may have Nail on your side, but I've got a...

I've got...

Hmmm...

I've got a halfling monk with a pyromaniac spider monkey...

A flamboyant half-orc bard who plays the flute...

Ya know what...nevermind.


----------



## Bianca MarOu

*Hey now!*



			
				Rune said:
			
		

> *I think this dwarf is cracking wise with me...
> 
> You may have Nail on your side, but I've got a...
> 
> I've got...
> 
> Hmmm...
> 
> I've got a halfling monk with a pyromaniac spider monkey...
> 
> A flamboyant half-orc bard who plays the flute...
> 
> Ya know what...nevermind. *





Flamboyant half-orc bards have feelings too, thank you very much! 

But I'm not one to hold a grudge.  ^^ Good luck in the final round hot stuff!


----------



## Gizzard

I'm curious how the "ingredients" are chosen.  Are they the product of some extremely strange random word generator?!  I like to season my random encounters with a bit of meaning or depth; spicing them with official Iron DM ingredients would be just right.


----------



## Wicht

Congragulations to the Gnome.  

On to the finals!


----------



## el-remmen

Radiating Gnome
and 
Rune

Let me know about your availabaility. . .

The final round will be a little different - so I need time to prepare. . .


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Hard to type . . . too much stuffed in sleeves*

I'm just full of tricks.  Really.

I'm around today (at work).  I am ready.

-rg


----------



## Rune

I'm nervous, but ready.


----------



## Vaxalon

*Is it too late to come back?*

My submission for the Setting Design Contest is nearly complete, so I will be able to defend my title after all.  Please let me know if I can participate.


----------



## el-remmen

Ok, since this is the final and you two have proved yourselves to be the cream of the crop - even bumping out the infamous Wicht and the challenging Wulf - I expect this to be a very close and bitter struggle.  

Thus, for this final round in addition to the six main ingredients I am including a list of NINE optional ingredients.  The optional ingredients will only be counted in case a tie-breaker is needed - otherwise they will get no extra weight - BUT poor use of an optional ingredient will be marked against you even if it does not come to a tie-breaker situation - so be careful.  REMEMBER - You do not have to use any of the optional ingredients, and can use any number or combination of them.

*Ingredients*
------------------------
_Tea Party_
_Opium_
_Talking Mouse_
_Murlynd's Spoon_
_Pixies_
_Dire Bear_


*Optional Ingredients*
-------------------------------------
_Serving Wench
Umbrella
Dead Horse
Nagging Wife
Troll's Arm
Child's Toy
Lollipops
Sexy Dancer
Golden Chamberpot_

Good luck - According to my computer it is 11 am - you have 24 hours. .


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Curiouser and curiouser!


----------



## Nail

*poorer, but....err, wiser?*

Acck!  

Wulf, yer not s'posed ta lose!  When th' last time you _lost_?  Demons 'n such couldn't do it.  Pansy foppish mages couldn't do it.  Even those eye-tyrants failed ta put a dent in th' ole Wulf armor.  An' now ye lost to a gnome????!!!!!

The funny thing was, I could only get one taker on th' bet.  Wulf was th' odds on favorite.  Grrrrrrrrrrrr..............

...But anyway, congrats, RG!  I hate t' admit this, but yours was the better entry, even from my biased view-point.  If RG keeps this level o' play up, Rune's in for it........even without me an' th' boys showin' up on his doorstep, bats in hand.  

Not that I have anythin' riding on RG, or anything.   Or that I'd try ta interfere in any way.

<tap>   <tap>    <tap>  <taps club absently on th' bar>

Good luck to yer both!


-*Nail*


----------



## Vurt

I have never seen Iron Chef, or previous incarnations of Iron DM, but this rocks!  Which begs the question, what about a concurrent fight for the bronze between Wicht and Wulf?

-- Vurt


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

I'm up for that if Wicht is willing and nemm has more ingredients in his kit-bag.

Pressure's off, I'd like to do better than my last showing...


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Re: poorer, but....err, wiser?*



			
				Nail said:
			
		

> *Wulf, yer not s'posed ta lose!  When th' last time you lost?  Demons 'n such couldn't do it.  Pansy foppish mages couldn't do it.  Even those eye-tyrants failed ta put a dent in th' ole Wulf armor.  An' now ye lost to a gnome????!!!!!*



*

All right, now, this has to stop.  I'm taking a break from my Creativity Retreat (it's graham cracker and milk time, so you know I'm mad) to take issue with the BLANTANT HATE-SPEAK on this board!  "An' now ye lost to a GNOME?"  YES.  A Gnome that posetively GLOWS with power and energy, and you'd be well advised to take heed, before I  . . . I . . . well, I'll do something pretty dang mean, and you'll be sorry.

Ahem.  Please resume your Wulf Ratbane lovefest WITHOUT slandering the shorter races.  At least not Gnomes.  Those little halflings are a real problem, though, right? 

-rg*


----------



## Nail

*Re: Re: poorer, but....err, wiser?*



			
				Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> All right, now, this has to stop.  I'm taking a break from my Creativity Retreat (it's graham cracker and milk time, so you know I'm mad) to take issue with the BLANTANT HATE-SPEAK on this board!  "An' now ye lost to a GNOME?"
> YES.
> A Gnome that posetively GLOWS with power and energy, and you'd be well advised to take heed, before I  . . . I . . . well, I'll do something pretty dang mean, and you'll be sorry.[/B]




Ahhh....ye knows I'm rootin' fer you now, right?  Not that there's any reason fer that, or anythin'.  Nothin' ta do with "re-coupin'" losses, I assure you. 

Milk 'n crackers, eh?  'Thought that was halfling fodder.  I heard you wee-folk lived on "fresh air 'n sunshine", and all o' that.   Or maybe fungus, I ferget.  Well, whatev'r gets those create-ive juices flowin'...

Jus' don't spill th' milk on yer keyboard, little one.   "Radiate" away!     :^)

-*Nail*


----------



## Breakstone

Excelent idea with the optional ingredients, Nem.

I can't wait for this one!


----------



## Xarlen

I'm ready for the next game. I sign myself up. If nothing else, I want to suggest ingredients.


----------



## Rune

Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> *Like the best pixie pranks, this one is hilariously lethal.*




By the way, I meant to comment on this earlier, but...

I _love_ this line.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Thanks, Rune. 

It's just bumming me out more and more, though. 

I took some good stuff and screwed it up.


Wulf


----------



## Rune

Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> *Thanks, Rune.
> 
> It's just bumming me out more and more, though.
> 
> I took some good stuff and screwed it up.
> 
> 
> Wulf *




Don't take it so harshly.  Those were some nigh-impossible ingredients to work with when you factor in the time limit.

Personally, I'd love to see you and Wicht square off, by the way.  That's the fight we all paid to see!

I have faith in yer... (and I thought you'd wipe the floor with me, but that's a fight for another year... Although, I'm not implying that our stunty friend, Radiating Gnome, won't be able to take me either.  I'm geniuinely concerned.  Now, back to typing for me...)


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*may the gods of Iron DM bless Bill Gates*

I was sitting there at my computer, on the third page of my entry, and the power in my house went out.

It was like some stupid excuse my students give me all the time. 

So I lit some candles and some flashlights, and got to work from where I thought I had left off on my Visor, hoping against hope . . . 

The power just came back on.  MIcrosoft word had a restored version of my file.  I lost a little time, and have some interesting typos in the stuff I did on my visor, but I'm back at it.  

Too bad I couldn't harness my inner glow to some sort of generator and run my computer off that . . .

-rg


----------



## Breakstone

*Re: may the gods of Iron DM bless Bill Gates*



			
				Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> *I was sitting there at my computer, on the third page of my entry, and the power in my house went out.
> 
> It was like some stupid excuse my students give me all the time.
> -rg *




Gnome, this is no excuse.

My dog ate my Iron DM application, but no one believed me!


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*I need no excuse*

The gnome will post, have no fear.

rg


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Tea party
Opium
Talking Mouse
Murlynd’s Spoon
Pixies
Dire Bear
(Serving Wench)
(Nagging Wife)
(I couldn’t work a third one in without it feeling REALLY contrived – there you go, Rune.)*


*If  Betty Ford were a Pixie . . .*
A mostly-roleplaying interlude adventure for 4 5-6th level characters. 

*A little background and setup*

The mysterious Brisby Forest sits in a dark, undeveloped part of the Kingdom of Something Appropriate.  It is only frequented by daring adventurers, who rarely return and those who do return never speak much about their experiences.  The Druids in the Kingdom of Something Appropriate do enter the forest from time to time, but are very close-mouthed about what is in the forest.  

This sort of mystery draws some odd folks, that’s for sure.  

Near the Brisby Forest is the city of Groveton, the fief of Baron Thorvald.

About a month ago a young rake named Thordis – the son of Baron Thorvald -- who had a taste for hired women, strong drink, and stronger drugs, disappeared.  He hasn’t turned up in any of his usual haunts, and the officials that the baron has been sending around to look for him have not been able to find any clue of his whereabouts.  Not ready to give up, but aware that his son’s taste in entertainments may mean that the official channels are not the best way to make inquires, the Baron asks his advisors to find some investigators who might have more luck – good hearted folk who might know a bit more about the darker side of the street, but who still want to see justice done, and a son returned to his father.  

The PCs, a bit more experienced than the average rabble, are recommended to the advisors by a barkeep that knows them, and they are asked to the baron’s keep for a meeting.

The PCs will have been in the area long enough to know the reputation of the Baron – a bit out of touch but a good soul – and his son – a dangerously unpredictable loose cannon who is always looking for some sort of trouble to alleviate his perpetual boredom.  

The Baron’s butler will help the party clean up a bit for their audience with the baron, trying to impress them with the importance of the man they are about to meet, but the Baron himself is warm and personable, meeting with the party in a library rather than a throne room, and coming out from behind a desk to shake their hands.  He’s obviously worried about something, and doesn’t waste anytime telling them that his son is missing has he’s prepare to make a generous offer for his return.  And he will make good on the offer.  He will start with an offer of 1000 gp for his son’s return, but will offer just about anything for his son’s return – up to, as a last ditch offer, a magic item for each member of the party, designed and constructed by the baron’s personal wizard (anything the wizard, who is 9th level, is capable of creating – a list of possibilities will be provided.  Of course they’ll have to wait around for delivery, and the wizard won’t start until Thordis is returned).  Baron Thorvald loves his son and is not about to take no for an answer.  

If the players ask why the Baron’s wizard or even any of the local clerics, the answer is that they have not been able to success fully scry his location, or contact him – there are powerful magical mists that seem to be hiding him.  A good sense motive test (DC 20) will also lead intuitive PCs to the conclusion that the Baron’s advisors may not have tried all that hard to find Thordis – they do not think he should be heir to the throne of the baronry and are of the opinion that his disappearance was simply good luck, or perhaps divine providence.

*The Hook: * The Baron’s largess.  The party might refuse, theoretically – because, after all, who wants to live the high life.  The Baron might resort to some other forms of compulsion, in that case – threatening to imprison the PCs and their families and close friends, shutting down the tavern of the friend who recommended them, etc.    

*Part 1.  The Investigation Begins. * 
A little gather information work in town paints a pretty stark picture of young Thordis.  He was more than a womanizer and brawler, although he was that in spaces.  He had also developed a taste for smoking opium.

The first personality they will encounter as they make the rounds in their investigation is a Tavern that they know was frequented by Thordis. It’s not the sort of tavern they would frequent – wealthy merchants and minor nobles are the usual customers there, and the prices and quality of the service and entertainment reflect the clientele.  This is where Thordis would usually begin his evenings.  

Dropping his name a little, at first, will reveal the party line that no one knows anything, but a bit of convincing will direct the party to one of the serving wenches in the tavern – Estelle, the daughter of the innkeeper, who watches her closely from across the tavern room while she talks to the party.  

A DC 17 spot check will notice that Estelle is pregnant.  (yes, it's Thordis', but she's not the only one to bear a bastard of his in town).

Estelle first insists that she knows nothing.  A bit of prodding will reveal that she’s afraid that he got into some sort of trouble in the opium den he frequents

Estelle can tell the party about another rumor – she can tell the part about someone who might know more. Siggid, a woodsman and drunkard who had befriended Thordis in a brawl a few year back They both had a taste for drinking and smoking, so they became fast friends.

Going around to Siggid's house will bring out a sweaty, beefy woman, Marga, who wastes no time in laying into the party for not having real, respectable jobs -- why don't that settle down and grow something, build something, craft something -- no, their kind have to go around killing and breaking all the time -- sure, they always have money, but there's a lot that is a lot more important than money, which she wished her deplorable husband might some day realize, things like community and family and trust and honor and all the things that those who live by the sword would have no real idea about, moving from place to place as they do, etc., etc. etc.  If they can get a word in edgewise she can tell the party the she knows Thordis and is appalled that his disappearance causes so much consternation, the no good sack of meat, and not one person has come around to ask about the disappearance of her husband and sole source of support -- is the baron going to do something about her missing husband?  Send some motley lot of mercenaries out to drag him back home to face the music?  

She can also tell them give them a few tips on making some contacts with the local thieves guild that runs the Imagatorium, the opium den that her husband frequents with his rich buddy, the prince.  

Making contacts with the rogues guild will take some interesting roll playing, but in the long run it's not that hard to find out where the Imagatorium is, once the dealers have given the party the runaround long enough to be sure that they are not going to try to arrest any of the rogues.  

In the den things are difficult. It’s dark and smoky and just being there will give the party members a bit of a contact high – they’ll feel a bit woozy, have trouble focusing on faces, etc.  The place is just a room full of velvet pillows and mattresses, littered with people in various stages of stoned out of their gourds.  Most of the addicts there are quite altered, and don't have a lot to offer, but one of the dealers there can tell the party that Thordis and Siggid left a few nights ago, talking about going up to the Brisby Forest to find the Mouse's tea party.  They can pick up only a little more information than that -- they left with very little gear, just rode out of town in the middle of the night and were never seen again.

*Part 2 The hunt*

Should the party report their findings to the Baron, he will shoot a very concerned look at Ottar, but otherwise encourage the party to continue with their investigation.  

The party loads up their gear and heads off to the woods to look for Thordis.  Reaching the woods is no problem, but they are warned off by everyone they pass -- don't enter the woods, you'll never come back, etc.

At the edge of the woods, there are no tracks to be found.  The woods themselves are three kinds of horror movie creepy -- misty, dank, shadowy, and just plain scary.  As they take their first step into the woods they hear a screech.  A wilderness lore check (DC 15) identifies the call as that of an owl in distress, but they can’t find the source of the screech if they go looking (it’s actually a pixie sentry).  

As they move through the woods, the only tracks they find are the intermittent prints of a huge Dire Bear, but the tracks only appear in intermittent patches, and they are unable to track the bear.

A few more jarring, spooky moments later they come upon a small clearing, which entirely filled by a striped tent pavilion.

The occasional sound of china clinking can be heard within the tent.  

A wilderness lore check of DC 15 will note the heavy musk of a bear in the area, but there won’t be any sign of it in the clearing.  

They circle around the pavilion looking for an entrance.  Eventually they find it, being held open for them by a young human boy.  “Please come in,” he says.  “We have been expecting you, and have saved you seats at the table.  There is always room for more at the Party.”

Entering the tent the party finds a table laid out to serve as many as 20 human-sized guests.  Most of the seats are taken, but just enough remain to seat the entire party.

There are several more children in the room.  They are all similar enough to clearly be siblings of some sort, and all seem to be roughly the same age. Everything in the pavilion is finely crafted, gilded and accented tastefully with gems.  The china is pure white, and the food on the table – a generous supply of fruit and pastries.  

What seems out of place at the table are the other guests.  While they all seem to be eating with quite refined table manners, behaving live tea party guests, they are all in dirty, tattered clothing, and are obviously at various stages of starvation and malnutrition.  

A child holds out a chair for each member of the party.

Once they are seated, they hear a voice. It will require a DC 30 spot check to spot the source of the voice – a little mouse, standing upright and wearing a white robe tied at the waist with a bit of string.  The party members can check each round – roughly after each exchange of questions and answers – to try to spot the speaker.  

_*What’s really going on:*
Brisby forest is under the protection of a powerful druid named Harek.  Harek has not been around for a few years, though – he left the forest in the care of two of his most trusted cohorts – a Pixie Druid (student of Harek’s) named Angilix, who is the leader of a band of pixies that live in the woods, and an Awakened Mouse Wizard named Welby.

The pavilion is a prison of sorts – a quarantine that developed here years ago when some evil hunts men came into the wood looking for sport.  Over time it has gathered a growing number of evil men – men that Welby and Angilix believe are better taken out of the world.  

Most of the pavilion is a layered web of illusion.  There is a table there, and the chairs are real enough, but the only food at the table is a bit of gruel doled out to each guest from a bowl filled for every meal with a Murlynd’s Spoon.  As the spoon only makes enough to satisfy the nutritional needs of four people, the food is being spread too thinly, and the guests are slowly starving to death.  

None of the guests have any memory left. Each is some sort of villain from the local area – killers, highwayman, rapists, and Thordis and Siggid are there. The guests will all speak politely to the party, ask a few polite questions, but will only say that they don’t recall if they’re asked any questions in return.  All of the guests have had their memories wiped by the Pixies’ arrows.

If the illusion of the pavilion were to be dispelled it would reveal the crude mass grave, which has been dug and filled in by the Dire Bear.  In it are the bodies  of many other prisoners who have slowly starved to death at the Tea Party.
_
*Back to the Story . . .*

Welby will deflect questions about himself until he is spotted, preferring to focus his scrutiny of the party. 

Welby will question the party about their lives, and their past deeds, with a keen interest in the crimes they have committed against others. As the party answers questions, the children will be milling around, refilling teacups and offering napkins to the guests.  While doing this, the children(pixies) are using their detect thoughts ability to see what the PCs are thinking about while they answer the questions, and if they tell a lie or a half-truth about something, the child will titter and giggle.  If they think of an event in the past that they do not bring up, the child will say something in sylvan, and then Welby will ask the PC directly about the event in question. 

Welby will spend time examining each of the characters – questioning them about their pasts, etc.  If they sit still for it, he will make a determination about them – should they stay at the tea party, or should they be sent back into the world.  If they don’t have questionable acts on their conscience, at least none that Welby and the Pixies can detect, Welby will reveal himself (if he has not been spotted) and ask them what their business with His Tea Party might be.  Again, if the party lies, a child will giggle.  

*Welby’s explaination of the Tea Party:*
“My tea party is the last party that these people will attend in their lives and it is the best party, filled with all the foods they love and new people to meet, every day.  They will never leave.  They belong here – the things they did in the outside world sent them here, one way or another, and it’s here they’ll stay.  Keeping evil out of the world is a good thing, is it not?”

*Welby’s defense of his own small stature (not just tiny, but FINE):*
“Don’t judge me by my size, bootfolk.  I am the sworn protector of this forest. If you dare to try to lay a hand on me, the woods will come alive and punish you.”

Angilix, the other partner in this scene (the Pixie Druid) prefers to play along as one of the children, and will let Welby do the talking.  

The party is in a tough spot. (assuming a mostly-good party) The Pixies are not evil, and they are not doing especially evil things – starving to death at the tea party isn’t the best way to go, but as the Pixies keep the guests pretty devoid of memory, they are not aware of the length of time that they have been there, and without a frame of reference don’t realize that they are wasting away to nothing.

Should the party be a fairly despicable bunch, Welby will decide to keep them there, and signal the pixies to attack, putting them to sleep and wiping out their memories.

*Let me do the talking:*
Negotiating with Webly will be difficult, as the party will have very little to offer that would make a difference to him.  The one thing that Webly wants enough to consider releasing some of his prisoners is to find his master, who has been gone far longer than he should have been.  Welby will explain that he and the children are waiting for the reappearance of Harek, and if the party could go find him and bring him back – or bring some news of him, they would be grateful enough to release Thordis and Siggid, should the party ask for him, too.  

Finding Harek will be a whole separate adventure, not detailed here.  

It’s possible that the party will find some other leverage that will convince Welby that he should release Thordis, but as Welby isn’t very frightened of the party, and the children are acting as his lie and bluff detectors, it’s going to be a tough sell.  

Welby will have to be convinced to trust the party to not decide to try to have their memories wiped by pixie arrows when they leave the forest.

*So we’ll do it quiet-like:*
Should the party decide to try to sneak back after dark to steal Thordis, they’ll find the Tea Party Guests all asleep in their seats, and no one else in sight.  The Pavilion is watched by two Pixie guards each night.  They flit around invisible and amuse themselves as best they can with the bits of cast off treasure equipment lying around the Pavilion – the possessions of the Guests.  

The Pixies have listen and a spot bonuses of +8, so it is conceivable  that a stealthy group might be able to get in there to try to rescue Thordis before they notice.  A listen check of DC 22 will alert the PCs to the presence of something poking around softly under the table, but they won’t be able to see anything if they look.  

Actually pulling Thordis away from the table is sure to draw the attention of the guards, who will immediately sound an alert.  

In the event of an alert, the whole gang from “Boring Party Anyway” will join the fray over the course of the next several rounds, and the party will have their hands full trying to make their escape.

*Boring Party Anyway:*
Should the party dispel the illusions in the Pavilion, attack the children or Welby, or pick some other sort of fight, the illusion will drop, revealing a simple wooden table in the middle of the clearing, with the guest sitting on crude wooden chairs in front of chipped crockery bowls of gruel.  

PCs may be surprised that Welby doesn’t disappear, although the children do.  

This should be a tough, confusing final battle.  At first, most of the children will disappear as the Pixies return to their normal form, turn invisible, and scatter.  One of them, Angilix himself, will stay behind, resume his normal form long enough to say.  You shouldn’t oughta done that” and then “Here, Dogar!  Dogar, Alert!” This, of course, will hopefully give Welby the time to get someplace safe where he can start to cast some spells on the party.  

Dogar is Angilix’s Dire Bear animal Companion.  He’ll charge into the clearing and roar mightily, in an effort to scare off the party.  Should that not work, he’ll do his best to try to drive them off by fighting.  

While all of this is going on, the other Tea Party guests will also be in the area – milling around as confused as humanly possible.  Most will start to fumble for weapons dropped at their sides weeks or months before, just as a reflex, but each has no memory of anything before the Tea party. They will defend themselves, will take some serious convincing to get them to help fight the bear or to run away with the party.  

Webly will find a likely spot and start casting spells to support Dogar.  He is a 5th level transmutter, and has a handful of spells that should make things really interesting as the party tries to drive him off.  He should be very slippery – he has invisibility, mirror image, dimension door, haste, blink, and expeditions retreat – as well as some offensive spells to remind the party that he’s there if they get tired of chasing him.  As a Fine-sized animal, he’s VERY hard to hit, but if he can be successfully grappled he’s probably done for.

After about 6 rounds or so, the handful of Pixies who had been the children in the Pavilion will also start to return to the scene of the battle, lending their support to Welby, Angilix, and Dogar.

If either Angilix or Webly are captured they can be traded for one prisoner each. Or, the party might try to grab Thorvis and make a run for it, rather than stand in there toe to toe and try to fight the whole bunch.  

If the party should defeat the entire force of Bear, Pixie, and Mouse, they will find themselves the proud custodians of about a dozen surviving, starving amnesiacs as well as the equipment that those guests had on them when they arrived at the tea party.  (Assorted goodies, nothing too extraordinary).  The Pixies will also have left behind the Murlynd’s Spoon.  

_Note:  This is really the only fight in the adventure – there has been a lot of roleplaying and scene stuff along the way, but this fight is about it – for that reason, it’s a doozy.  It’s not necessary that the battle be a slugfest to the death, however.  Welby and the Pixies will probably know quite a bit about the party by the time the fighting starts.  Assuming they’re relatively good characters Welby will feel as though they’re better off in the world, and will try to use spells and abilities to subdue the party rather than kill them.  The party will awaken on the edge of the forest, each having been hit with an amnesia arrow (Fortitude save DC15 or lose all memory, see MM pg 173 for more details).  

If any of the party members remember enough to try to find the pavilion again, the clearing will be empty, except for the mass grave, which will now include the bodies of the guests who had been in the pavilion when the party arrived.    _

*The End:*
Should the party manage to return Thordis to his father, the Baron will be embarrassingly grateful.  He will pay the party the agreed-upon sum, unless it was the magic items, and then he will command Ottar to complete the items.  Ottar will take his sweet time – a month or more per item, depending upon the request, citing the need for rest between, etc.  

Thorvald, of course, will be stuck with a much thornier issue – he has a son who had lost his way, and who has been returned to him, but with no memory of his life before – should he have Thordis’ memory restored or accept this as a second chance to raise his son right?

The party might also consider trying to find out who it was that put the idea in Thorvis' head to go looking for the Mouse's Tea Party in the first place -- who might know something about it?  But  that would be a very short investigation if Thorvis' memory is not restored, and even then Ottar was disguised by an Alter Self spell, so the investigation will probably not go far.  

*Opponents, Encounters and rewards:*
Lots of investigation (reward PCs as a CR 5 encounter)
Rogues (mostly 1st level runners, a few big guns around to convince the PCs to play nice if they get rowdy in the Imagatorium.
Webly, Awakened mouse Transmuter 5 (Cr 6)
Angilix, Pixie Druid 6 (Cr 7)
Dogar (Dire Bear, CR 7)
8 or so Pixies (Cr 4 each)


time for bed.

-rg

(AM edit -- spotted a typo, realized I'd put the wrong name in for my opponent in the list of ingredients used. still more typos, sorry about that  . . .)


----------



## Rune

*Ingredients:*

Tea Party
Opium
Talking Mouse
Murlynd’s Spoon
Pixies
Dire Bear

*Optional Ingredients Used:*

Serving Wench
Dead Horse
Nagging Wife
Child’s Toy
Sexy Dancer

*An Unusual Trip*
A short adventure for characters level 8-12

This adventure is designed to be run with the core rules, but would be nicely complimented by the use of the _Oriental Adventures Handbook_.  Suggestions for replacing the classes of some NPCs with classes from that book will be given in parentheses after the original suggestion.

*The History*

An insular island exists off the eastern coast of the Western Continent.  Until recently, no traders or visitors of any kind were allowed to approach the island, under any condition.  Those who managed to get past the naval defense and reach the island, for some foolhardy reason or another, have never returned.  Until recently, nothing else was known of these reclusive people; nothing was known of their home, or their ways—the islanders were a complete mystery.

In truth, they had developed a highly organized feudal society, under the leadership of an increasingly weakening empire (the Sunlit Empire).  Their customs and traditions are extraordinarily rigid in comparison to those of the rest of the (known) world.  Naturally, they had developed a completely self-sufficient economy in the process.

This is not to say that the island is free from conflict; recent events are certainly bloody enough to dispel that notion.

*Recent Events*

Nearly a year ago, this self-imposed embargo and isolation was lifted by the young emperor, Golden Sunrise Reigns, who had hopes of increasing the wealth of the Empire through trade with the great Western Continent.  Many fine products and materials were introduced to the island, while a multitude of exotic products and spices flowed out into the larger world.

By far, the most influencing product to be integrated into the Empire was an insidious substance called opium.  The popularity of the drug spread throughout the island with an rapidity that could not be believed and with consequences that could not yet be fully understand—a terrible addiction coupled with a dependence upon the Western Continent for the intoxicating substance.

For his visionary action, Golden Sunrise Reigns was assassinated within a few months.  The employers of the assassins have never been verified, but they are most likely one of a few noble Houses who disagreed with the emperor’s goals.  Several of these Houses had vested interests in certain trades within the Empire, amounting to monopolies.  Furthermore, a number of Houses may well have guessed at the cruel nature that the opium trade would take on and desired to prevent it.

Regardless of the actual employers, the results of the assassination were catastrophic.  The fragile bonds holding countless fiefs together were sundered and civil wars began to spring up all over the empire between the fractured, feudal lords.

Golden Sunrise Reigns left behind a successor—his son, Ancient Sunrise Returns—but the boy is barely eighteen months old.  Until he has reached maturity, Golden’s brother, Winter Sunrise Hides, has been assigned the duties of the acting regent.

*The Setup*

The PCs will need to travel by sea to get to the island of the Sunlit Empire.  The PCs could be traders, or could simply be traveling with traders to visit a new and exotic locale.  If the PCs do not particularly wish or have plans to travel to the Sunlit Empire, it should be no difficult matter to have the ship boarded by pirates or the navy of the Empire (factions of which are run independently by various warring Houses) and brought to the shores of the island Empire.  The ship that the PCs are on will inevitably carry a large quantity of trade goods—including, especially, opium—if it is intended to dock at the island Empire at all.  Some of these goods may well belong to the PCs, if they are traders.

The PCs will dock in the Sunlit City, a massive port, which serves as the seat of the Empire.

The PCs will be unable to understand any of the denizens of the island unless they speak Draconic, the language of the Empire (presumably because the main structures of worship appear to revolve around draconic idols).  If none of the PCs can speak Draconic, an interpreter (level 3 Expert) will be made available to the PCs almost as soon as they step off of the ship—the powerful Houses of the Empire have reason to greet Western visitors with surprising—and suspiciously conspicuous—warmth; with the recent warring, trade with the island has diminished noticeably and the demand for opium only continues to increase.

Consequently, many of the people on the docks are servants of the Houses and have been ordered to greet foreign traders and invite them to the palace of that particular House.  Whether the PCs are actually traders or not, the locals will assume that they are.  If the PCs explain that they have no goods, or that their goods have been raided, the servants are likely to assume, wishfully, that the PCs are lying in an attempt to drive up the trade price of their goods.

As it happens, the House Sunrise has servants at the dock on the day that the PCs arrive on the island.  As the House Sunrise is the House of the acting regent and the infant emperor, none of the other servants will approach the PCs; to do so would mean imprisonment or death for the offender.  These servants will not take any foreigners with them until after House Sunrise has left with some.

*The Sunlit Palace*

If the PCs opt to accompany the servants of House Sunrise to the Sunlit Palace (the home of House Sunrise), they are likely to arrive in the early afternoon at the fantastic and unusual towers of a beautifully exotic palace.  If the PCs opt to make their way in the City on their own, instead, they certainly will have to do so without the aid of a translator.  Even if the PCs can speak Draconic, they will find that the rest of the City is much less civil to foreigners, as old isolationist tendencies are still quite prevalent within the Empire.  

Eventually, the PCs may realize that it would be in their interest to accept the House Sunrise’s hospitality and return to the docks to accompany their servants to the Palace.  If this is the case, they will arrive at the palace somewhat later.  In either case, the PCs will be invited to join the regent and several lords of some of the most powerful Houses in a Tea Ceremony.

Winter has invited a few lords that he least trusts to drink Tea with him, enjoy some entertainment, and converse.  Only three of the five invited lords show up.  These are Roaring Waterfall Rages, Sleepy Shadow Lies, and Hunting Arrow Whispers.  Winter is operating under the theory that the enemy is less able to cause mischief if the enemy can be seen.  He is also hoping to kill two birds with one stone, using the opportunity to impress his unexpected guests (the PCs) at the same time.

The Tea Ceremony takes place in the Throne Room—a room almost utterly devoid of furniture, save several cushions (apparently for kneeling on!  Nobody appears to sit down anywhere on this island), several very low tables, and one massive, low platform constructed, or at least adorned, with the remains of a massive bear.

This is the Sunlit Throne (although, not a throne in the sense with which the PCs will most likely be familiar—it is merely a large platform to be kneeled upon).  The throne has a history, which Winter will be most pleased to relate, if the PCs show interest.  Several generations in the past, the Great Uprising saw the end of one dynasty’s control of the throne and the beginning of another—the Sunrise dynasty.  The new emperor, Bitter Sunrise Chills, was said to have been a tough general in his day.  Legend tells that the general traveled, alone, into the wilderness (which, at the time, was much more vast than currently, Winter assures the PCs) and personally killed a dire bear, twenty feet long and nearly 6000 pounds.  The remains became the Sunlit Throne.

Silent women wearing revealing silk robes and wearing white face-paint fulfill the role of serving wenches.  The women are uniformly graceful, patient, and watchful as they serve the tea, but the lords of the Houses and the regent never seem to notice that they exist.

One more feature of note is that the room is absolutely saturated with the heady, pungent aroma of some kind of incense.  In fact, this is opium and prolonged exposure to the tainted air will cause the PCs (and the NPCs) to loose a degree of control over their senses.  The drug should be treated as a poison, with an immediate loss of 1d4 points of Dexterity if the PCs fail a Fort save against DC 20 and a further loss of 1d6 points each of Dexterity, Wisdom, and Intelligence on a failed Fort save against DC 25 one minute later.  Furthermore, a PC who fails both saves has developed an addiction to opium and will suffer 1d6 points each of Constitution and Strength damage in the first week without exposure to the drug.  The PC will suffer 1 point each of Constitution and Strength for every day thereafter for 2d6 more days, after which, the addiction has been overcome.  However, every time that the PC is exposed to the _possibility_ of abusing opium hereafter, the PC must make a Will save against DC 20 to avoid being compelled to give in to that possibility.  Opium also has one other important quality, which shall be discussed later.

The evening’s entertainment consists of a group of very seductive dancers.  Only a Spot check at DC 20 will reveal that the dancers follow a strange tradition unfathomable by the outer world; that is to say, that the dancers are not the females that they appear to be…

*The Assassins*

Sometime during the ceremony, a servant will run in and yell that Winter’s prize stallion has been slain.  This is the only warning that the opium-affected partygoers will have that something is amiss.  Within a round, two assassins leap from the shadows to attack.  Their primary targets are the nobles (and the royal), but they will readily engage in combat with the PCs if the PCs attempt to get in the way.

The PCs will have a chance to avoid a surprise round by making a Spot check against the assassins’ Hide checks (remembering the effects of the opium).  The opium will affect the assassins in the same manner as the PCs and the other NPCs as soon as they enter the room.  They will escape immediately after they have slain all three nobles and the regent, or when five rounds have passed, whichever comes first.  The assassins are both actually Rogue 7/ Shadowdancer 3 (if you are using the OA rules, you may wish to replace some or all of the Shadowdancer levels with Ninja Spy levels).  They have been hired by one of the two Houses that did not show up to this evening’s tea ceremony, in order to eliminate four of their rivals at once.

If the PCs survive and their host (and his other guests) do not, the PCs may be blamed by the house for their deaths, but most among the household are aware that there are much more likely causes for the deaths than a wandering pack of homicidal foreigners.  Even so, the situation should become pretty tense when screams start echoing down the hallways from the personal chambers, which is precisely what happens within a few moments.

*The Emperor*

As it happens, the emperor-child is missing.  A woman wails in the infant’s room, while she stirs a porcelain bowl of rice-paste with a pair of the strange stick-like eating utensils of the locals in an absentminded daze.  The sticks are actually magical, and function as a _Murlynd’s Spoon_, save that the gruel is rice-paste and the utensils are impossible for an unfamiliar connesuer to eat from—in all other respects, the sticks _are_ a [Murlynd’s Spoon[/I]; this was the emperor-child’s private dining set.  Strewn across the room are various toys, an open cage constructed of some sturdy reed common to the island, and a closed cage of the same material, inside of which, a mouse chatters to itself quietly.  In Draconic.

The wailing woman, the PCs may soon discover, was the wife of Golden Sunrise Reigns—and is the mother of Ancient Sunrise Returns.  She is Meadow Gently Rolls.  She is obviously distraught, but manages to take time in between her wails to pester the white-faced servant women (whose role it was to care for the child) unceasingly.  She repeatedly asks them for an account of what has happened, but the women are all unable to give satisfactory answers.  Invariably, they respond that they have no memory of the night’s events.  A Spot check made at DC 25 will reveal that each of them has an almost invisible, tiny arrow protruding from some part of their body.  Meadow is annoyingly critical of everything at this moment and the PCs should not feel that their status as “honored guests” will exclude them from chastisement.  It most certainly will not.

Meadow is currently irrational, but when she regains her senses, she will remember that she has, perhaps, a reliable witness.  Meadow is a follower of spiritual magic—treat her as a level 9 Druid (or a level 9 Shaman from OA)—and has crafted a “toy” for her infant—an intelligent mouse, from a normal one (through the _awaken_ spell; if Meadow is a Shaman, the mouse will have to have been purchased from overseas, as Shamans do not have access to _awaken_).  The mouse has, indeed, witnessed what happened to the infant, but is unable to make any sense of it.  The mouse heard laughter with no source and saw the other cage open—the cage holding a one-foot tall half cricket, half humanoid-type creature (a grig—a fey sold to the House Sunrise from overseas with the claim that it brought good luck—the baby’s other living “toy”) with the strange stringed instrument (a tiny fiddle, used, the household presumed, for entertainment, but actually played as a distress signal—and a beacon to the fey realm).  The cricket-creature hopped out and…disappeared.  A moment later, still accompanied by the strange laughter, the baby rose into the air, floated away a few feet, and…disappeared.

If the PCs are still under the influence of the opium, they will soon discover its secondary properties—that is, people can see the traces of overlap between the fey realm and the mortal realm.  In the present case, the PCs will see what appear to be trails of glitter suspended in the air.

At this point, the PCs may begin to suspect the truth, that is, that the baby was not kidnapped by rival Houses, as many within the Empire are likely to suspect, but that the baby has been kidnapped by fey (which are completely unknown to the islanders) at a mischievously coincidental moment.  In actuality, two pixies answered the call for help sent forth by the grig’s fiddle, rescued him (invisibly, of course), and stole the baby emperor, for no reason other than one simple constant law of nature: _that’s what pixies do_.  On their way out, they made a point of shooting the servant women with their _Memory Loss_ arrows, but, having no idea that the mouse was intelligent, took no such precaution with it.

If the PCs are still under the influence of the opium, they may find the portals used by the pixies (which have not yet faded, but will within 1d4 days) to the fey realm on a successful Search check of 20.  These are two-way portals, which may only be used if the person traveling through them is conscious of their presence.

*Through the Looking-Glass*

At this point, the PCs will be confronted with a number of options, a few of which follow.  They may:

a) leave the Sunlit Palace and charter a ship home from the island.  This course of action should not be very palatable for the PCs; if the PCs choose this course of action, they will be leaving behind an Empire in the throes of collapse.  A multitude of crises confront the island—from a dependence upon opium that far outpaces the availability, to multiple civil wars, to the inevitable change in dynasty.  If Winter Sunrise Hides has been killed, an immediate power vacuum will be created.  Otherwise, it will take a little while.  Ironically, in a few weeks, the baby emperor will be returned to the household, but no one will ever trust that the child is exactly what it seems from that moment forth.

b) become involved in one of the civil wars that are breaking out all over the Empire.  The PCs may find that they have been swept up into the schemes of one House lord or another and could be recruited or manipulated into serving, directly or indirectly in the coming wars.  If the PCs find themselves in this situation, they are very likely to find themselves conspicuous targets for assassins and rivals.  If the House that the PCs sides with wins the wars (through hard years of fighting), the PCs may be awarded honorary positions of authority, at best.

c) help to inaccurately accuse someone of the crimes committed during their stay.  If the PCs are not able to discover that fey are responsible for the kidnapping of the emperor, they may well help to pinpoint the wrong person or persons for the crime, should they aid in the investigations.  The most likely suspects will be whatever House or Houses are implicated in the assassination attempt.  However, the PCs may also suspect Winter Sunrise Hides, who could possibly have arranged the kidnapping out of jealousy (he will never, after all, be able to kneel on the Sunlit Throne) and, furthermore, has a sinister name.  The PCs may also suspect the Houses present at the party were involved, as they certainly have as much reason to cause discord within the household as the other Houses and could possibly have disproved Winter’s theory that observation would neutralize their threat.  Finally, the PCs may suspect Meadow Gently Rolls is behind the kidnapping.  Evidence for this is sketchy, at best, and the motive is nearly non-existent, but most of the people within the household do not like her and will be willing to believe that she is the culprit, if a minor attempt to convince them is put forth.  The House Sunrise will gladly reward the party 10,000 gold-worth of exotic trade-goods for their help in bringing closure to this situation.

d) attempt to fill the power vacuum that will inevitably be left when the House Sunrise is absolved of authority.  The only real way to accomplish this task would be through a successful war against all of the vying Houses.  This may be possible if the PCs have an army across the sea and go to retrieve it, but will be fruitless, even so.  Not only would the PCs have to contend with all of the problems outlined in choice “a,” above, they would never be accepted as legitimate rulers by the people of the island.

e) journey through the portals in Ancient Sunrise Returns’ room to the fey realm to retrieve the baby.  The fey realm is an unsettling place.  The landscape seems to shift under the feet of the PCs and the weather is in constant flux—as are the seasons.  Most of the inhabitants of the fey realm are grigs, nixies, and pixies, but the PCs will confront many creatures that are only illusionary—usually bizarrely so—from insane tailors with facial features that stretch beyond the bounds of nature to giant caterpillars which rest atop fungi while they blow multicolored smoke rings from long pipes and spout a fount of incoherent poetry.  This is the nature of the fey realm.  At some point, the PCs may finally find the young emperor, suspended in mid-air.  The fey are willing to give the baby back in return for one favor (they don’t have any real reason to keep him, anyway).  The fey are genuinely concerned that the use of opium can allow mortals to enter their realm at will and would like to enlist the PCs’ aid in staunching the flow of the opium trade.  Should the PCs agree, whether honestly or not, the fey will allow them to take the baby back with them through a newly created portal into the child’s bedchamber (if the PCs do not agree to the terms, they will be _forced_ through the portal by masses of fey, many of which have the _polymorph self_ spell-like ability).  The fey will, from that point on, keep an eye on the PCs.  If the PCs ever break their promise, they will very likely come to regret it.  If the PCs return with the emperor, the House Sunrise will gratefully reward them with friendship and 20,000 gold-worth of exotic trade-goods.

*The Cast*

Winter Sunrise Hides was the brother of Golden Sunrise Reigns and is the regent of the Sunlit Empire until Ancient Sunrise Returns reaches maturity.  Winter is a Lawful Neutral Aristocrat 7/Fighter 3 (if OA rules are being used, replace the Fighter levels with Samurai levels).  He is well practiced in the art of politics and relishes the power that his position implies.  Winter has always coveted the Sunlit Throne and many suspect that he may well have had a part in the assassination of his brother, nearly a year ago.  Winter may never be the emperor, but he knows how to take what pleasure he can from what is available to him.

Roaring Waterfall Rages is a violent warlord and the head of House Waterfall.  His House and House Sunrise have long been rivals—since before the time of the Great Uprising.  Waterfall controls a very large army and is waiting for the tiniest excuse—any breech of law by the regent will do—to unleash it.  Waterfall is a Lawful Evil Aristocrat 1/Fighter 10 (if the OA rules are being used, replace the Fighter levels with Samurai levels.

Sleepy Shadow Lies is the head of House Shadow, a relatively minor house quickly growing in influence.  Shadow is adept at trading information and is said to have an extensive network of spies.  Shadow’s animosity with House Sunrise stems from a slight from Golden Sunrise Reigns in childhood.  The nature of the slight is known only by Shadow.  Shadow would leap at the opportunity to destroy House Sunrise, with or without the promise of the Empire waiting for him.  Sleepy Shadow Lies is an Chaotic Evil Aristocrat 5/Rogue 5.

Hunting Arrow Whispers, the head of House Arrow, does not particularly dislike House Sunrise, or Winter Sunrise Hides, but he distrusts them.  He fervently believes that the decisions of Golden Sunrise Reigns damaged the Empire beyond repair and that Winter is doing nothing to slow the demise of the Empire.  If the regent is not willing to save the Empire, Hunting Arrow Whispers will not shy away from his duty to assume the leadership of the Empire…
Hunting Arrow Whispers is a Lawful Neutral Aristocrat 1/Fighter 9 (if the OA rules are being used, consider replacing the Fighter levels with Samurai levels).

Meadow Gently Rolls is the mother of Ancient Sunrise Returns and was the wife of Golden Sunrise Reigns.  Meadow is not a likeable person—she is cranky, irritable, and generally unpleasant.  Furthermore, she consistently finds fault with everyone she knows.  These annoying tendencies are balanced only by her connection to her spirit ancestors and her great love for her son (she didn’t particularly like her husband and many people, perhaps wishfully, tend to blame her for his death).  Meadow is the equivalent of a level 9 Druid (if the OA rules are being used, she should be a level 9 Shaman).

The fey presented in this adventure are much more mischievous and potentially malevolent than the sprites in the Monster Manual.  Hopefully, these fey are a bit more reminiscent of the fey of folklore.  Assume that all of the fey in this adventure are chaotic, ranging from good to evil (but more likely neutral or evil).


----------



## Wicht

Good job both of you!!


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

I have a strong opinion on this one.

Where de judge at?


----------



## Nail

He said no comments 'till.....when?  Somethin' about fairness an'  impartiality an' all o' that.

Hey Nem, when can we vent?

-*Nail*


----------



## el-remmen

I have given them both a once over and will be writing up my decision sometime this evening. . . 

Until then do you not think suspense is better served by people NOT saying who they think should win?


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Yep yep yep! We're being careful!


----------



## Rune

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *I have given them both a once over and will be writing up my decision sometime this evening. . .
> 
> Until then do you not think suspense is better served by people NOT saying who they think should win?  *




Personally, I put my money on Wicht at the very beginning, but with Wulf's absolutely friggin' beautiful entry in round one, I'm having my doubts.  It'll be a tough call, that one, for sure.


----------



## Nail

Yup, I'll keep my comments t' myself, 'till after Nem' posts.  Y'all better do th' same, or me an' th' boys'll come knockin'......

Suspense is good fer th soul.......or some such rot.

<OT> Hey Rune:

'Finally got yer sig.  It's that muppet fantasy movie, ain't it.  What's th' name?  I forget.

-*Nail*


----------



## toberane

Nail said:
			
		

> <OT> Hey Rune:
> 
> 'Finally got yer sig.  It's that muppet fantasy movie, ain't it.  What's th' name?  I forget.
> 
> -*Nail* [/B]




It's called _The Dark Crystal_.  Great flick.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Stress Relief*

So, for those of you who are as on edge as I am, here's a totally unpaid plug:  Check out the "Thinking Putty" at :

http://www.puttyworld.com/

It's ye olde silly putty, but it comes in all kinds of colors, and you order it in tins that provide a good baseball-size handful.

I've been giving my bronze putty a workout today.  

-rg

PS -- if you go to the site, make sure you check out the "Learn Tricks page, where they have movies of themselves shooting putty out of a PVC cannon, hitting it with a hammer (it shatters) and other fun stuff.


----------



## Rune

toberane said:
			
		

> *
> 
> It's called The Dark Crystal.  Great flick. *




Best fantasy movie ever, with Lord of the Rings trailing at a distant second place.

Also, I might add, one of my favorite prophesies--one whose style I attempt to emulate whenever I give prophesies to my players in a game.

I like prophesies that give a best case scenario (or worst case), tell how it can be acheived, but don't actually mention if it will, or not.


----------



## el-remmen

Let me begin by thanking all of our contestants not only for playing, but for coming up with such creative endeavors, win or lose.

Now for the final round. . .

Radiating Gnome and Rune both up with very creative approaches to using these ingredients.  

I loved RG’s hook – while it may seem heavy handed – by having the baron willing to go to any lengths to get them to save his “good for nothing” son it sets up a realistic character ~ I particularly like that if bribery and reward does not work he will use blackmail or threats to the PCs or the people they know to get what he wants – of course, this runs the risk of putting the PCs in direct conflict with the Baron, but that would be an adventure in and of itself.

Rune’s hook by comparison is infinitely weaker – the whole “if the pcs are traders” thing is kind of slim – and while being boarded by the Empire’s Navy or being forced to land by pirates who steal their goods might work better – it still seems more contrived than RG’s – personally I think, by making the PCs some kind of ambassadors or representatives of some noble or despot they have worked for before – or perhaps seeking some rare component for a spell or magical item might have worked better – forcing the PCs to treat the people of this island with respect and deference in order to get what they want.

But put that aside – Rune’s scenario is just AWESOME. . . Ok, ok, the dead horses thing was stuck in there awkwardly – but the idea of the PCs are foreigner s embroiled in politics and cultural conflict that they can barely keep up with or understand is just the kind of adventure that we should see on the shelves more often  - forget ruins and dungeons and caves – the labyrinths of human interaction in royal courts are the real dangerous places in the world.  I also like the chance of becoming addicted to opium – again, providing a great and lasting role-playing opportunity   I mean, damn!  Between the PCs, the far eastern themed land and the conflict with fey – you have a triad of possible conflict, confusion and wonder. . .  Bravo Rune!

But what about RG’s scenario? – well, I have to admit it went straight to my soft spot for strange dream-like scenes and Lewis Carroll imagery – with the children’s party, the bad men made forgetful and the talking wizard mouse. . .  Question about the mouse though: How does he cast spells with no hands?

In the end, I think it is pretty clear that the final round goes to *Rune*.  Radiating Gnome, you’re scenario was excellent – but I guess it just fell short of being spectacular. . . I think in some future Iron DM competition you will definitely be one of the favored competitors. 

I am willing to do a round of Rune vs. Vaxalon for the title of “Iron DM of Enworld” – but it is really all I have time for what with so much I have to do these days. . . 

I will do another competition in a few months time, so keep an eye out for it. . .


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Oh, wow.

Congrats to both... For what it's worth, RG, your entries got better and better each time, and I thought you had that last round for sure. (No offense to Rune!)

This was an Iron DM made for surprises!


Wulf


----------



## Xarlen

Okay, three things.

First, congrats both of you.

Second, RG, I was rootin' for you, I liked yours alot.  

Third, When's the next game? And, in reference to the first half of this question, sign me up for it!


----------



## Wicht

Wow, congragulations Rune.  Hold on tight to your trophy cause you know we are all going to be gunning for it whenever Nemm does this again 

And congragulations to the short guy as well, I too thought the Gnome was going to win this round.  

I thought the moral ambiguities of the forest tea party and the role-playing required by the PCs searching for the son to be excellently crafted.  Like Wulf, I thought your entries kept getting better and better.


----------



## Rune

Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> RG, your entries got better and better each time, and I thought you had that last round for sure. (No offense to Rune!)
> 
> This was an Iron DM made for surprises!





			
				Xarlen said:
			
		

> RG, I was rootin' for you, I liked yours alot.





			
				Wicht said:
			
		

> And congragulations to the short guy as well, I too thought the Gnome was going to win this round.




Thanks for all the confidence, guys! 

Seriously, though, Radiating Gnome, your entry _was_ very good and my hook _was_ very weak (although I did think making PCs ambassadors before the game would have been too contrived for a "generic" adventure, even if it is great for an ongoing campaign)!  I kept thinking of so many things that I would have done differently after I had submitted my last entry that I was pretty sure you had that last round, too, although, in my defense, your scenerio seemed a little narrow in scope to me.  If the PCs decided to do things a little differently, I didn't see how they would find the information necessary to proceed with the adventure.  Many groups I know would just get frustrated and leave without going into the woods.

On the other hand, you had a _great_ batch of characters.  The cultural conflict in my scenerio pretty much insured that I wouldn't be able to explore mine as well as you did (even _if_ I was as good at it as you--or Wicht, for that matter, to begin with), you certainly beat me in that part!  Loved the mouse--it hit my soft spot for Douglas Adams!

I had a really tough time with this one, because those ingredients kept screaming, "Through the Looking Glass!"

Which is kind of what I specialize at.  Consequently, I knew that was exactly what Nemmerle was expecting to see and that I'd lose for sure if I went that route.  Damn that Rat-Bastard!

As a side note, Nemmerle, the mind-game involved in including the extra, optional ingredients is just pure evil (don't lick it!).  I used a lot of them, but only because they fell into place with what I was trying to do.  The horse, by the way, served a very useful purpose; it allowed the PCs (and the NPC nobles and regent) to make a spot check before the Shadowdancers killed them all--ah, a room filled with opium...what better location for a battle?



			
				Wicht said:
			
		

> Wow, congragulations Rune.  Hold on tight to your trophy cause you know we are all going to be gunning for it whenever Nemm does this again




Hey, I haven't got it yet!  There's still Vaxalon.  Maybe you all might remember him..._he'd be the guy who won last time!_ 

For what it's worth, it's been a blast, y'all.  I've enjoyed reading some absolutely stellar entries and stretching myself to the limits of my creative endurance--and pushing against those limits!  Whatever happens in this last round, I can certainly say that I've enjoyed my run!  I want to personally thank ninjajester, Wicht, and Radiating Gnome for giving me ulcers (and you too, Nemmerle!) and for being excellent competitors.  There are only two match-ups that I'd like to see (both for the sake of curiosity) that will have to wait for another contest--*Wicht vs. Wulf* and *Wulf vs. myself*.

And, y'all watching this at home (and, hopefully, playing the Home Game), I hope you have been able to glean a tip or two about what makes a good adventure and what hinders a good adventure, which is, I believe, really the whole point of this contest.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Hey Rune...

For what it's worth, it was just a matter of personal taste as a DM that sided me with RG. I can't imagine anyone had any criticism per se of your entry.

Just in my opinion, I found yours was actually TOO ambitious and TOO wide in scope. I got the feeling as I was reading it that it just kept setting up more and more scenarios, but that I was going to have to do the legwork myself. 

That's not a flaw, just an opinion. It's totally a subjective thing from DM to DM. Most "real" DMs would prefer your style, I guess, but I am fundamentally lazy.

This contest vies with the World Cup right now for the number of surprises and different competitors everyone seems to want to keep an eye on.

I don't know how I am going to wait _months_ for another contest. I hope I can get in!


Wulf


----------



## Rune

Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> Hey Rune...
> 
> For what it's worth, it was just a matter of personal taste as a DM that sided me with RG. I can't imagine anyone had any criticism per se of your entry.




I can.  And I have some, but Nemmerle pretty much covered the rough spots in his _nemmerlesque_ analysis.  It definitely could have used some polishing up (as opposed to my second entry, for which the ingredients were easy enough that I had the chance to smooth out all of the rough spots and have plenty of time to spare--tougher ingredients=rougher adventures).



> Just in my opinion, I found yours was actually TOO ambitious and TOO wide in scope. I got the feeling as I was reading it that it just kept setting up more and more scenarios, but that I was going to have to do the legwork myself.
> 
> That's not a flaw, just an opinion. It's totally a subjective thing from DM to DM. Most "real" DMs would prefer your style, I guess, but I am fundamentally lazy.




I don't know if most would, but I know I certainly do (and, I suspect, Nemmerle also does).  I personally love adventures that produce a lot of strong hooks for the players to follow up on later, if they chose to.  I've never seen an adventure with too many plot hooks.  I try to include as many strong (outgoing) hooks in my scenerios as possible--it makes running the rest of the campaign that much easier.



> I don't know how I am going to wait _months_ for another contest. I hope I can get in!




I'll battle you in the Home Game thread after my contest with Vaxalon, if you want!

This will offer us an opportunity to get pretty critical with each other's entries--and our own!  What do you say?


----------



## Rune

By the way, if anyone's interested, I used the naming conventions from my ongoing campaign (see the sig) for the names in my last entry.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Aw shucks*

I mean, congradulations, Rune!  It's well deserved, of course -- you layed out a very ambitious campaign, going places I decided not to go with my entry because of time and energy constraints. Heck, when I decided not to force a third optional item into the adventure I figured I was shooting myself in the foot.   

Because of the Opium and the Tea I gave serious thought to drawing in Oriental Adventures (it would finally justify the money I spent on the book!) but in the end decided not to, that it would be too much, and I would just stick to the core stuff.  I made the same decision with the other sort of anachonistic elements, like the Umbrella optional ingredient -- I didn't want to have to explain the changes in setting it would take to create that adventure.  Trying to explain big setting things like that would distract me from creating the smaller scale details that would make it fun for the players, I felt.

I do wish I'd had more time on my entry -- not that I think it would have made a difference in the competition, but there are a few undeveloped areas (now that I have a few nights sleep under my belt and can think clearly again).  

For example, yesterday afternoon I was sitting around (in the "library", if you must know -- where I do all of my truly deep thinking and floss a little less frequently than I tell my dentist) and really struggling to deal with Webly's background a little.  I mean, the awakened mouse as co-ringleader of a band of pixies is interesting, but who taught him wizardy?  And so right there on the crapper it came to me -- the only obvious choice was Ottar, the king's wizard, and the connection there would do a LOT for the story -- it would explain the Mouse's wizardry, it would better explain the oddly civic-minded band of pixies (if they were running the little secret prison in part under the guidance of Ottar, through his apprentice Welby), and it would also help deal with the too-good-to-be-true potential hook -- because Ottar is not about to spend months creating magic items for a party of heroes who killed his appretice and destroyed the prison he created to keep the countryside safe.  

I realize that my approach to the hook for this adventure was a bit unusual, but it does tend to fit my personal DM style a bit better.  I tend to create adventures in which there is a lot less loot available to the PCs.  I like the action to keep moving, and not to have to deal with all the petty looting that tends to go on.  In this instance, the PCs would probably not find the lair of the Pixies and Welby, they would get only meager equipment from the Tea Party Guests, if they managed to control the clearing long enough to gather it all up, etc.  And more than likely they would not be able to completely win a toe-to-toe fight in the end, so to have succeed they will have had to come up with something pretty creative, or fought really well against overwhelming odds.  A big paycheck at the end -- even one that included a few magic items, would go a long way to make up for the poor loot in the adventure.  Of course, the adventure would not end with the big christmas party of magic items the players would expect -- in the draft that I entered Ottar would stall and drag his feet, and the party would certainly get bored and move on before they had everything they wanted.  And in my more developed revision, with Ottar much more connected to Welby, he would either refuse to create the items for the party, create flawed or even cursed ones, or something else to get back at the party for foiling his plan -- which, in turn, would drive the party back to discover Ottar's involvement in the Tea Party.  

Welby is a very interesting NPC, though.  I like the idea that there's a slim chance that the party might find his lair -- some sort of burrow or hollow tree -- with it's library of teenie tiny spellbooks each about the size of a coin, and holding a single spell each (some of the higher level spells might require multiple volumes). 

Given more time, I would have to spend some time working on Welby's spell list -- he really should limit himself to spells that have no material component.  I mean, the little ball of bat guano that (at least used to be) is required to cast fireball would be about half Welby's weight.  It's possible that some of the scale things in the game break down when you take them to this sort of extreme -- would the fireball cast by a fine-sized spellcaster have the same area of effect as one cast by a medium sized spellcaster? The rules as they are make no distinction -- which is fine, we wouldn't want the fireball cast by a gargantuan dragon to be any bigger than it is already -- but it's an interesting wrinkle in the rules nonetheless.  

Anyway, Nemmerle, this has been a lot of fun, and I'm especially excited to have made it as far as I did -- it put me into a position to create entries for all three levels.  I could always have played the home game, or just played around with the ideas myself, but I know this from my other projects -- it's not the same without the real deadline, the real pressure.  

And to Wulf, and Wicht, and Xarlen -- and everyone else -- thanks for the support, and for rooting for me.  

-rg


----------



## Little_Buddha

Wulf Ratbane said:
			
		

> *Just in my opinion, I found yours was actually TOO ambitious and TOO wide in scope. I got the feeling as I was reading it that it just kept setting up more and more scenarios, but that I was going to have to do the legwork myself.*




Absolutely! That's exactly what I thought when I read it; I gave the edge to RG because Rune's was so ambitious it required ten times more exposition than he gave it! The outline of the adventure seemed terse because there's virtually an entire campaign setting contained within it!


----------



## Rune

*Re: Aw shucks*



			
				Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> I do wish I'd had more time on my entry -- not that I think it would have made a difference in the competition, but there are a few undeveloped areas (now that I have a few nights sleep under my belt and can think clearly again).




When you get it finished, email me a copy.

Actually, this brings up an interesting question in my mind.  Does anyone here plan to polish up and/or expand any of their entries later?  I plan to do so with each of mine, but I'm not sure what I'll do with them...since my players have read them.  Maybe I'll give them away if anyone actually wants to use them.

My last entry could easily have been ten (or more!) times its length.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

*Re: Aw shucks*



			
				Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> *And so right there on the crapper it came to me -- the only obvious choice was Ottar, the king's wizard, and the connection there would do a LOT for the story...*




Yep, that's very clever. Mmm... it's like a soothing balm to my ego. 

But, don't you just _hate_ hindsight? 

Anyway, rg, you may now put yourself in the same "always a bridesmaid" class as Wicht. Not too bad, though, there's quite a bit of prestige to being the fan-fave runner-up!

Nemmerle now has two champs and two runners-up and is well on his way to a fantastic "tournament of champions."

Wulf


----------



## Rune

Little_Buddha said:
			
		

> Absolutely! That's exactly what I thought when I read it; I gave the edge to RG because Rune's was so ambitious it required ten times more exposition than he gave it! The outline of the adventure seemed terse because there's virtually an entire campaign setting contained within it!




I agree that more expostion would certainly not have hurt my last entry (except by keeping me from finishing it in time), but I wouldn't say that it _required_ more exposition.  Allow me to explain:

I have always been a fan of adventures that imply many details (especially flavorful details, as you can probably tell ) without actually tying the DM down to them.  (And, here, I seem to be contradicting my postion from an earlier conversation I've had with mmadsen, on this thread, but bear with me.)

I feel it is far better for an adventure to inspire the DM to creatively embellish the setting.  Detail is nice, but the DM's imagination is more important.  That being the case, I tried to give enough solid detail only to run the adventure on and merely hint about how to fit it into the ongoing campaign in a lasting way.

I furthermore disagree that this would make a good campaign setting.  It might for a short campaign, but it works much better as a significant location in a larger campaign.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*Re: Re: Aw shucks*



			
				Rune said:
			
		

> *
> 
> 
> Actually, this brings up an interesting question in my mind.  Does anyone here plan to polish up and/or expand any of their entries later?  *




Given world enough and time, I think there are enough interesting ideas in the entries I wrote that they might be turned into pretty good adventures -- even the weakest, the first one, has some interesting challeneges in it (I still like the huge whale skeleton and the smaller shark skeletons (just jaws) for the party to deal with).

But do I have the time?  With a day job, a summer teaching gig, a SO who needs attention every once in a while, and my own campaign to run, I don't know if I can make the time for a full write up anytime soon.

I have a couple of other adventures on the back burner I keep wanting to write up, too -- sections of what I've whipped up for my own campaign, a first level adventure and a mini-campaign of three.  There's just too much to do.

But, then, I've been getting deeper and deeper into the D&D thing over the past 18 months -- returning to gaming after a LONG hiatus, and trying different things out.  And I always seem to be slipping a little deeper into the game stuff, and letting other hobbies and passtimes fall by the wayside (I can't remember the last time I played a computer game was).  So we'll see what I'm going in a month or so.

I will say one thing about coming back to the game now that I'm in my 30's -- I LOVE that I have enough money now to buy pretty much any book I want, even if I don't expect to EVER use it in my campaign.  So now I have Oriental Adventures, Spycraft, Dragonstar, Call of Cthulu, and a bunch of other junk floating around.  

-rg


----------



## toberane

*Re: Re: Re: Aw shucks*



			
				Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I will say one thing about coming back to the game now that I'm in my 30's -- I LOVE that I have enough money now to buy pretty much any book I want, even if I don't expect to EVER use it in my campaign.  So now I have Oriental Adventures, Spycraft, Dragonstar, Call of Cthulu, and a bunch of other junk floating around.
> 
> -rg *




This is not universal.  I'm in my thirties, and there are still a gawdawful number of D&D and d20 books I want to buy but don't have the money for.  You must be independently wealthy.

Of course, I also have a wife, three kids, and an 18 year old neice living with me.  Sometimes I wonder where the money goes.  It seems every year, my wife and I make more money than we ever have before, but we seem to also be more broke than we ever were before.  

BTW, I loved all the work you guys did in this game.  Threads like this were what made me give up posting on this board in the first place--they take up entirely too much of my time!  (Which is not a bad thing when you're at home, but at work, that's another story...)


----------



## Radiating Gnome

Rune said:
			
		

> *
> 
> 
> I feel it is far better for an adventure to inspire the DM to creatively embellish the setting.  Detail is nice, but the DM's imagination is more important.  That being the case, I tried to give enough solid detail only to run the adventure on and merely hint about how to fit it into the ongoing campaign in a lasting way.
> *




I probably should have quoted a couple of other posts -- several posters have said that Rune's final entry was too broad, too ambitious, etc.  But you've all read the thread, so I'll move on.

Rune shouldn't have to defend the style of his entry -- he won, and his entry deserved it, no question there -- but the finals did seem to stretch to the limit the range of possibilities for the competition, and in the end comparing the entries seems to be like comparing apples and oranges.  It might help, in the future, to have much clearer guidelines.  After all, what I knew about the competition and what was appropriate I learned as I played, and from reading the other posts. 

It would help to have much clearer guidelines for entrants.  Rune and I differed, in this case, in one very fundamental way -- he was writing the outline of an adventure -- a sort of recipe he could give to other DMs, while I focused much more closely on the details of the adventure, writing it as best I could to represend the way I would DM the set of encounters myself, rather than what someone else might do with the same core ideas.  Should entrants be approaching this from the point of view of someone writing source material for other DMs or for their own game?  Is this a competition for scenario writers or DMs? 

Is one approach more appropriate than the other? Should it be clear in the competition whether entries should lay out encounters, interludes, full adventures, or campaign-length productions?  

Should there be other guidelines as well?  Should it be permissable to morph an ingredient into something that works a little better for your story?  (As I did in the first round, morphing ghouls into Lacedons)  Are there there guidelines about the use of different game worlds and settings?  Could I, for example, have written a Call of Cthulu version of the last entry?  

I'm not trying to say that if there had been strickter categories, the results would have been different.  Far from it.  But clearnly there were a variety of different expectation here, and it might help in the future if they were a bit more clearly laid out.

And, Nemmerle, I want to make sure you know I'm saying this all out of respect and appreciation -- I had a great time in the competition and the only results I've ever questioned were the ones where I won.

-rg


----------



## Wicht

No Rune should not have to defend his entry.  We all accepted Nemm as judge and we knew going in the judging was more or less subjective.  

Of course that means that individually some on us may find some scenarios more palatable than Nemmerle for our own style of gaming.  But thats life.

And yes, Nemm this game is fun to play.  Do it again soon!


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

Hmmm... I was thinking along the same lines, rg, and then I just decided that the seemingly arbitrary nature of the Judge was one of the lynchpins of the whole Iron DM concept.

And I think that's kinda cool.

I guess given two entries of equal merit, nemm might lean one way or the other just on his personal preference for how they are structured, but I don't think that would persuade me to change my methods. 


Wulf


----------



## Vaxalon

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *I am willing to do a round of Rune vs. Vaxalon for the title of “Iron DM of Enworld” – but it is really all I have time for what with so much I have to do these days. . .  *




I am ready, Nemmerle!

Vaxalon straightens out his silver lamé DM suit and prepares to go on stage to defend his title...


----------



## el-remmen

As for the format. . .

I really would rather not provide too much of a guideline because I don't want to limit or stifle anyone's creativity. . .   And while sometimes the difference in scope of two entries can make them difficult to compare - in the end I try to measure them on their own merits and then decide which one I think worked better for what it was. . simple as that. . . 

At least not once in this competition did I have to choose which entry sucked _less_ as I had to do in the past on more than one occasion. . They were all excellent - and RG - under ordinary circumstances I think your final entry would have won the whole thing - but I think Rune's was just above and beyond the ordinary.


As for Vax vs. Rune. . I am ready for the next two hours or so - so let me know


----------



## Nail

I was rootin' fer the little gnome too, as it seemed Rune's entry tried to do too much......but it's all been said already, so I'll shut-up on that point.

Both were great stuff, of course......<tips helmet>



			
				nemmerle said:
			
		

> *As for the format. . .
> 
> I really would rather not provide too much of a guideline because I don't want to limit or stifle anyone's creativity. . .   And while sometimes the difference in scope of two entries can make them difficult to compare - in the end I try to measure them on their own merits and then decide which one I think worked better for what it was. . simple as that. . . *




<shrug> Accepted.

Still, I couldn't help but think o' this contest in the same frame of mind as the (now long dead) ENWorld encounter/NPC contest.  You know: simple location 'n NPC, easily inserted into any campaign.  Whatever happened t' that contest, anyway?

Congrats, Rune!

-*Nail*


----------



## Rune

Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> Rune shouldn't have to defend the style of his entry -- he won, and his entry deserved it, no question there -- but the finals did seem to stretch to the limit the range of possibilities for the competition, and in the end comparing the entries seems to be like comparing apples and oranges.




Why, thank you, but there obviously _are_ questions about that...the difference in our styles was great enough to make sure of that.  You are correct to say that the two entries were like comparing apples and oranges.  However, I do not hold with the idea that one style should be prefered over the other in the Iron DM tournament.  I would like to assume that Nemmerle gives less weight to the style of the scenerio than the other elements.



> It might help, in the future, to have much clearer guidelines.  After all, what I knew about the competition and what was appropriate I learned as I played, and from reading the other posts.




I'm not sure that this is necessary; the guidelines seemed pretty clear to me (he was even lenient and ignored his rule about editing the posts).  The tricky part, as you indicate, was trying to determine what Nemmerle considered good and bad usage of elements.  Like you, I only had past examples to learn from.  But that's kind of part of the game.  It's subjective, nobody ever assumed it wouldn't be.  We all respect Nemmerle and his _nemmerlesque_ critiques; therefore, we trust in his ability to judge the competition.

Is it fair that the first pair to square off had no examples to go by (unless they happened to remember the last tournament)?  Well, yeah.  They weren't competing against anybody else at the time; they were similarly handicapped.  And, hopefully, they learned much from it (as one of those was Radiating Gnome, I think it's safe to say that he certainly did!).



> It would help to have much clearer guidelines for entrants.  Rune and I differed, in this case, in one very fundamental way -- he was writing the outline of an adventure -- a sort of recipe he could give to other DMs, while I focused much more closely on the details of the adventure, writing it as best I could to represend the way I would DM the set of encounters myself, rather than what someone else might do with the same core ideas.  Should entrants be approaching this from the point of view of someone writing source material for other DMs or for their own game?  Is this a competition for scenario writers or DMs?




You and I differ, I think, on just what an adventure should do.  You refer to my scenerio as more of a recipe to be given to other DMs, while yours is a focused and detailed adventure.  It is my assertion that an adventure _should_ be a recipe to be given to other DMs--that's the point.  That being the case, you (a creative writing instructor) should know better than to write the scenerio for yourself.  Know your audience and write for it!

I'm not saying a DM shouldn't keep in mind what he would do while running the scenerio, but, as this is a public forum, I kind of figured that the scenerios should be written for the public--that is to say, a group of DMs with widely varying styles of play and players!  I've seen no evidence that would make me change my mind on that point.



> Is one approach more appropriate than the other? Should it be clear in the competition whether entries should lay out encounters, interludes, full adventures, or campaign-length productions?




I think that judging would be made a lot easier if Nemmerle did this, but I can't say that it would necessarily be as fun to follow (or participate in!).



> Should there be other guidelines as well?  Should it be permissable to morph an ingredient into something that works a little better for your story?  (As I did in the first round, morphing ghouls into Lacedons)  Are there there guidelines about the use of different game worlds and settings?  Could I, for example, have written a Call of Cthulu version of the last entry?




The ambiguity of the guidelines in this area leaves the entrants free to be daring.  I think that Nemmerle is pleased when he comes accross an ingredient, for which the author shows the initiative to creatively bend the concept, if it is well applied.



> I'm not trying to say that if there had been strickter categories, the results would have been different.  Far from it.  But clearnly there were a variety of different expectation here, and it might help in the future if they were a bit more clearly laid out.




It might make things easier on Nemmerle, but, again, I don't think that it will make the contest any better.  Limiting the scope of the contest can only limit the scope of the results.

[edit]And I see that I type too slowly!  Many of my points have already been made for me!


----------



## Rune

I'm ready for another sleepless night !


----------



## Vaxalon

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *As for Vax vs. Rune. . I am ready for the next two hours or so - so let me know *




I think we're both ready, Nemmerle.


----------



## Gizzard

I think its too narrowminded to debate only Rune and RGs final entries; I think we should really stir the pot by asking "which scenario was the best from the entire contest?"  ;-)

Personally, I loved Wulfs Memento tribute with the Potions of Forgetfulness.  Delicious.  But the entire contest was great, full of fabulous ideas.  I'm sure a Albino Drider or a blind Hill Giantess will show up in my campaign someday.  Kudos all.


----------



## Rune

Gizzard said:
			
		

> *I think its too narrowminded to debate only Rune and RGs final entries; I think we should really stir the pot by asking "which scenario was the best from the entire contest?"  ;-)
> 
> Personally, I loved Wulfs Memento tribute with the Potions of Forgetfulness.  Delicious.  But the entire contest was great, full of fabulous ideas.  I'm sure a Albino Drider or a blind Hill Giantess will show up in my campaign someday.  Kudos all. *




Since you mention it, that's my favorite too (so far).  But there were some other really _really_ good ones.  That's why I love this tournament!


----------



## Rune

Vaxalon said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I am ready, Nemmerle!
> 
> Vaxalon straightens out his silver lamé DM suit and prepares to go on stage to defend his title... *




But, before we begin, may I say that it is an honor to compete against the Iron DM of ENworld!


----------



## el-remmen

Ok, we are going to do it as we did in the final round - which is to say there will be the usual 6 ingredients and then a list of 9 optional ingredients that will only be looked for in the event of a tie - but can still be marked against you if there is not a tie and you used them poorly.

*Main Ingredients*
--------------------------------
_Angry Mob
Costume Jewelry
Alchemist's Fire
Silver Dragon
Foppish Vampire Bard
Apparatus of Kwalish_


*Optional Ingredients*
_lobsters
sharks
ostriches
elephant
chipmunks
golden chamberpot
courier
decapitated halfling
tax-collector_


Good Luck!  It is 3:48 pm EST - you have 24 hours.


----------



## Wulf Ratbane

nemmerle said:
			
		

> *Main Ingredients
> --------------------------------
> Angry Mob
> Costume Jewelry
> Alchemist's Fire
> Silver Dragon
> Foppish Vampire Bard
> Apparatus of Kwalish
> 
> 
> Optional Ingredients
> lobsters
> sharks
> ostriches
> elephant
> chipmunks
> golden chamberpot
> courier
> 
> decapitated halfling
> tax-collector*




! ! !

Anybody needs extras, you can pick one up in my Story Hour.


----------



## Radiating Gnome

Rune said:
			
		

> *
> You and I differ, I think, on just what an adventure should do.  You refer to my scenerio as more of a recipe to be given to other DMs, while yours is a focused and detailed adventure.  It is my assertion that an adventure should be a recipe to be given to other DMs--that's the point.  That being the case, you (a creative writing instructor) should know better than to write the scenerio for yourself.  Know your audience and write for it!*




What I _should_ know better based on being a creative writing instructor is really pretty much immaterial -- and, as confusing as it may seem, many writing teachers and writers would argue that all we CAN do it write for ourselves -- look out at the world and see what we would like to read, and then write that.  Once you've stepped beyond the need to write for specific, work-related or academic audiences, we are all our own first audience. If we are not writing to please ourselves, we're going to be very unhappy writers.

Besides, if we're going to pick on the gnome based on being a writing teacher, don't forget to point out his terrible typos.  I mean, really, I should be doing SOME proofreading, shouldn't I?   

It's amazing how poorly an education in creative writing prepares a person to write genre material, or game material.  The rules are so very different, it can be more of a hindrance than a help.  I've been dealing with professors for years who look down their noses at anything that isn't rubberstamped "literary", but the good news is that many programs are starting to be more flexible, in both the sorts of texts they'll read, and even (though much less frequently) in the kind of writing they'll let students turn in.  

I was just asking if clearer expectations would help, but it's pretty clear that everyone else likes the ambiguity of the competition.    I asked a question -- got my answer, and that's cool -- I understand what Wulf and the others are saying about the value of the Nemmerlesque judging.  I'm sorry if my questions came off as criticism of the process or of your style.  That was not intended.   

I had a good time, learned a lot and enjoyed the exercise.  Most of my time on the boards over the past year has been spent poking around in the story hours, and it was a lot of fun to play in the sand box with some of the big guns from that part of the board.  

Rune, kick butt in the title match. 

[edit: I can see that the finals have started, and I'm still rambling into my beer.  No more distractions . . . ]

-rg


----------



## Rune

Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> What I _should_ know better based on being a creative writing instructor is really pretty much immaterial -- and, as confusing as it may seem, many writing teachers and writers would argue that all we CAN do it write for ourselves -- look out at the world and see what we would like to read, and then write that.  Once you've stepped beyond the need to write for specific, work-related or academic audiences, we are all our own first audience. If we are not writing to please ourselves, we're going to be very unhappy writers.




That's a good point, but I'm too tired (and busy) to dip into the philosophy of creative writing, right now, so I'll table my response for later.  By the way, I had my tongue planted firmly in cheek when I wrote that, but forgot the 



> Besides, if we're going to pick on the gnome based on being a writing teacher, don't forget to point out his terrible typos.  I mean, really, I should be doing SOME proofreading, shouldn't I?




Everybody typos typos once in a while.



> It's amazing how poorly an education in creative writing prepares a person to write genre material, or game material.  The rules are so very different, it can be more of a hindrance than a help.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you wouldn't mind elaborating, I'd like to hear more on that subject.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was just asking if clearer expectations would help, but it's pretty clear that everyone else likes the ambiguity of the competition.    I asked a question -- got my answer, and that's cool -- I understand what Wulf and the others are saying about the value of the Nemmerlesque judging.  I'm sorry if my questions came off as criticism of the process or of your style.  That was not intended.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't think anyone thought it was anything but a suggestion influenced by what you've learned in the process of advancing through the Iron DM tournament.  I certainly didn't think so.  Perhaps a disclaimer at the beginning that helps to warn the entrants what they'll be getting into would do the trick...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had a good time, learned a lot and enjoyed the exercise.  Most of my time on the boards over the past year has been spent poking around in the story hours, and it was a lot of fun to play in the sand box with some of the big guns from that part of the board.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> Same here, and I'll definitely read some of the less famous entrant's posts differently from now on (yours, for instance).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rune, kick butt in the title match.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> I'll try, but I can't remember _anything_ about Vaxalon's style!
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


----------



## Radiating Gnome

Rune said:
			
		

> *
> .
> It's amazing how poorly an education in creative writing prepares a person to write genre material, or game material. The rules are so very different, it can be more of a hindrance than a help
> If you wouldn't mind elaborating, I'd like to hear more on that subject.
> *




Rune -

I'm writing a big response to this -- probably going way off the stupid self-important deep end, as usual, but that's the sort of jckss I am.  

I will, though, for the sake of the thread, take it off this list and start another topic.  Here's the link: 
Creative Writing Programs and Genre/Game Writing


----------



## Rune

*Main Ingredients:*

Angry Mob
Costume Jewelry
Alchemist’s Fire
Silver Dragon
Foppish Vampire Bard
Apparatus of Kwalish

*Optional Ingredients Used:*

sharks
elephant
golden chamber pot
courier
decapitated halfling
tax-collector

*The Anger Within*
A short adventure for characters level 4-7.

There will likely be only one combat within this adventure, but it will possibly be quite lethal for parties of the recommended level range, particularly the low end, as the PCs will be confronted by a large number of creatures at comparable CR ranges and what may amount to 500 at a much lower CR.  If your players are not accustomed to playing intelligently in combats, you should probably wait a few levels (say, range 6-9) before running this scenario.

*The History*

The city-state of Polis has long held an animosity toward its neighboring city-state, Hybris.  For longer than collective memory stretches, the two cities have brought armies forth to meet on the battlefield, or besieged the other city.  Never has one army been able to sack the city of their rivals.  The armies of Hybris are well organized, highly trained, and will not yield the battlefield to their enemies, even in defeat.  If a Hybris army stands before a smaller army, with their tall spears held upright beside tower shields, most sensible generals will know that the day is lost and retreat.

Not so, with the generals of Polis.  Their units are smaller, their equipment is inferior, and their training is far less focused, but the armies of Polis can hold their own on a battlefield, even against the mighty armies of Hybris, because their tactics are dirtier and their desperation is quite often much greater.  Of late, however, the armies of Hybris have begun to develop their own dirty tricks.

The war has not been constant, but every generation has answered its call to arms.

Part of the problem is that the two city-states share the same river, a moderate waterway that serves as a trade route connecting several city-states and waters the farms of the lower-castes.  The people of Polis rely much more on agriculture to sustain their economy than do the people of Hybris.  Unfortunately, Hybris lies upstream of Polis and the city has a tendency to hamper the flow of the river during planting season.

Furthermore, both cities levy stiff tariffs against the trade-boats of the other city.

Polis believes that it holds a crucial trick in reserve; for as long as anyone can remember (much longer, actually) the Silver Poet has resided in the city.  The people believe that he is a silver dragon (his fierce, almost feral features seem to suggest this, as well) who prefers to remain _polymorphed_ in a human form.  They believe that if the city is ever _truly_ in danger of being overtaken, the Silver Poet will revert to its true form and rescue it.  For the most part, however, the citizens of Polis know that the Silver Poet keeps to himself within his lair during the days and performs epic poems relating the exploits of the city’s ancient heroes (whom the Silver Poet may well have known, personally) in the evenings.

Nobody notices that the Silver Poet is _never_ seen during the day, casts no shadow, and does not cast a reflection in mirrors.  Any who do become aware of these oddities are likely to chalk them up to the bard’s “draconic” nature.

*Recent Events*

Planting season has arrived again and, as they are often disposed to do, Hybris has cut the flow of the river down beyond the minimum level needed for the farmers of Polis.  This year, they have even had the audacity to send “tax-collectors” to Polis, in an attempt to extort money from the city.  For each farmer that pays the hefty “water tax,” the flow of the river is slightly increased.

This bold move has been too much for the Senate of Polis to take; they have officially declared war on Hybris.  However, even while the army is mobilizing, the Speaker of the Senate (a position akin to that of chancellor), a halfling named Akhealus, stands in their way.  The Speaker is quite popular among the people of Polis, but the other senators hate him.  He is a self-centered, ambitious little man, who never hesitates to place his own agendas before the welfare of the city-state.  His current agenda is to form an organization dedicated to collecting money from the farmers to pay the “tax-collectors” with—and to skim a portion of that money off the top.  The Senate is aware of Akhealus’ motives and resent their feeling of helplessness in the matter.  The halfling is the Speaker of the Senate and, furthermore, holds the sympathy of the public.

In the last month, an army was sent to greet the Hybris army on the plains between the two cities.  The results of that battle are still a mystery to the city.  Less than two weeks ago, the Senate sent for an oracle to aid them.  That woman has already arrived.

Less than one week ago, the Hybris army reached Polis and began an assault.  The greatly weakened army of Polis (the men who did not head out on the expedition toward Hybris) took to the field.  Amazingly, the little group of men held the army at bay, although, by the end of the day, nothing much was left of either side.  In some strange fit of anger, Akhealus has forbidden anyone from burying the dead men of Hybris, insisting that no such honor is deserved (his motives are unclear to everyone, save the Silver Poet, who actually the halfling to take this course of action).  In doing so, the halfling is poisoning the land around the city.

Even more recently, the Silver Poet has been whispering suggestions to the members of the Senate (who are actually _charmed_) that the Speaker of the Senate is incompetent, corrupt, and should be removed from power through violent force.

*The Setup*

This scenario assumes that the PCs are traveling through a relatively fertile area, with at least one river, during the spring.  It also assumes that the PCs are not traveling particularly urgently somewhere, as this scenario has the potential to completely derail them and to set new courses.  The landscape should be somewhat Mediterranean in feel, that is, slightly warmer than a temperate spring, olive trees dotting the countryside, etc.  These elements, of course, are unnecessary for the actual scenario to work, but will help to give it a distinguishing flavor.

As the PCs are passing through the area, they will encounter a young man wearing torn scale armor, who rests, exhausted and heavily wounded, by the side of the road.  He is a warrior (Level 5 Warrior) from the Polis army, sent to invade Hybris.  He _was_ a warrior.  He is currently nothing but a courier, sent to deliver the bad news that the army of Polis has been defeated on the field and the army of Hybris is quickly marching toward the city of Polis (in, fact, it is already there, but the PCs and the courier have no way of knowing this).

The courier, Philos, is on the verge of death (0 hp), and will beg the PCs to take his information to the city of Polis (if the PCs do not heal them).  If the PCs heal him, Philos will insist that the PCs join him at his house in Polis for a feast of gratification, after he delivers that message.  In this case, he will request that the PCs escort him to the town, as he knows well the dangers of traveling alone in the wilderness (even alongside a river).

Outside of the city walls, the PCs will be assaulted with a terrible smell.  This is the smell of an army in death.  The smaller forms of soldiers share the field with the massive husks of dead war-elephants—all rotting in the merciless sun; it is truly a gruesome sight.  The PCs should be affected as per a _Stinking Cloud_ spell.  If the PCs make it further (without turning back, or becoming ill), they will see a marvelous place; an “enlightened” city filled with philosophers, poets, politicians, and slaves, each going about their daily business, as they try not to breath the foul air.

As there is, essentially, no longer an army of Polis, it is good fortune that the army of Hybris has retreated.

*The City of Polis*

In the City of Polis, the PCs will find themselves led to the Seat of the Republic, either to report the news of Philos, or to accompany Philos, if he is with them.  They will have to wait an hour or two to be seen.  In the meantime, they may find themselves in conversation with the Oracle’s assistant (she gives no name), who is also present.  The Oracle’s assistant is somewhat of a philosopher, herself, and may challenge the PCs to a test of wits.

If the PCs agree to converse with her, she will present a handful of obviously cheap costume jewelry and a solid-gold chamber pot, filled (which she produces from an discrete corner of the room, where it has been tucked away.  She will ask the PCs which of the two are worth more.  When the PCs have chosen and explained their choices, she will present her line of reasoning, which is that the costume jewelry is obviously worth much more than the gold chamber pot; the jewelry has the ability to help its wearer influence attitudes, actions, and intentions, if the wearer knows how to use it for such.  On the other hand, the gold chamber pot is only, after all, filled with human waste.

Before the PCs (or Philos) are allowed to address the Senate, the Oracle will approach the PCs and speak directly to whichever has the highest Charisma, saying that she had a dream—a vision—in which thousands of sharks of all different sizes swam around a lone fisher in a small boat.  With the sharks all around him, the fisher does not seem to notice that his boat has sprung a very slow leak.

The Oracle, if pressed, will explain the dream in one way, only: “Heroes of the ancient times hide the villains of our time.”  If the PCs can make sense of this statement, it may clue them into the fact that the Silver Poet is manipulating the Senate and destroying the city of Polis from within.

The Oracle’s assistant has a different take on the dream, and timidly offers it.  She says, “The enemy who watches from the outside is far less insidious than the enemy who takes residence within.”  If the PCs can make sense of this statement (which should be less difficult, as the assistant has not yet mastered the fine art of obfuscation), it may clue them into the fact that the Hybris are more or less a distraction to the city, while the Silver Poet is its greatest danger.

Shortly, the PCs will hear the sounds of argument behind the sealed doors of the Senate Chamber.  A successful Listen check made at DC 15 will reveal that the shouting voices are accusing someone of abusing the trust of the people and that that someone will be the ruin of the city, while a high-pitched voice defends itself by saying that it really didn’t see that all this is necessary and…_gurgle_.

Before they get a chance to see the PCs, the Senate embarks upon a course of action with the potential for dire consequences.  When the Senate exits from their chamber, they are carrying the head of the Speaker, the halfling, Akhealus, separate from the body.

As the PCs have no further business within the Governmental Seat, they are asked to leave the building.  They have free reign to go wherever they would like within the city, but will find that, within 10 minutes (not likely enough time to get to the edge of town), a state of martial law has been declared and the gates are sealed.  No one is allowed into or out of the city.  These gates include not only the gates on the roads, but also the gates on the river, which completely seal off anything above the water-line and make travel by boat into or out of the city impossible.

*The Devil’s Spell*

Early in the night, the citizens of Polis will gather in the center of the city to await news of the confusing events around them and to hear the nightly performance of the epic storyteller, the Silver Poet.  Tonight, the Silver Poet has something else in store, entirely.  The Silver Poet has grown bored of passively controlling the government over the last couple of hundreds of years.  Finally, he has devised a plan that should keep him occupied for another thousand years, or so.

By now, the PCs may suspect the true nature of the Silver Poet’s identity.  He is certainly not a silver dragon—and never was.  Rather, he was once human—and has been a vampire for the last few thousand years.

His new plan involves overthrowing the government of Polis, killing every living thing within the city, and founding a necropolis.  Tonight.

He does not realize it, but his plans will be aided by the army of Hybris.

The Silver Poet stands before the massive crowd and begins to tell a tale much different from the ones he usually spins.  This one is of deceit, betrayal, and murder.  He tells of how the Senate beheaded their own beloved Speaker and he calls upon the crowd to take vengeance upon the Senate.

The mob is angry, quite ready to destroy their own government, even in this time of war.

At that moment, a large, metallic lobster crawls from the river, followed by another, and another, and another, and so on.  All told, there are twenty-five of them.  Each of these is an _Apparatus of Kwalish_ modified to launch flasks of Alchemist’s Fire and acid with range increments of 10ft (as if thrown) in a forward arc.  Each is operated by two soldiers of Hybris (level 5 Fighters) and has snuck into the city by traveling along the bed of the river, beneath the river gates.  Once inside the city, they attempt to burn down as many buildings as possible; killing civilians is only a secondary mission.


*The Mob Rules*

At this point, the PCs will be confronted with a number of options, a few of which follow, perhaps in combination with others.  They may:

a) attempt to kill the Silver Poet.  If the PCs have discovered that the Silver Poet is a vampire, they may attempt to kill him as they would any vampire.  This should be particularly difficult, because he will have the adoration and protection of the angry mob.  Furthermore, the PCs may wish to find the lair of the Silver Poet to do the job right.  That lair is in a massive chamber beneath the Governmental Seat, a fact unknown to all within the City.  The entrance to it (a massive, stone trap-door) can be found in the Senate Chamber on a successful Search check at DC 30.  If the PCs do not realize that the Silver Poet is a vampire, but wish to attack him anyway (or neutralize him in some other manner), they will find the task quite difficult for the reasons specified above.  If the PCs are successful in killing the Silver Poet, the angry mob will turn on them completely, for Polis has had no better-loved man than the Silver Poet in thousands of years.

b) attempt to neutralize the angry mob.  The PCs may have a means to counteract the bardic (and vampiric) enchantments of the Silver Poet and may attempt to do so.  This is probably the best course of action to take, as the crowd will be able to defend itself much better against the soldiers of Hybris in the metallic lobsters.  If the angry mob is pacified, it will not be able to put up a resistance, but if the angry mob’s fury is redirected, it will still be able to put up a rather formidable defense.  If the Senate survives, they will certainly reward the PCs with 3,000 gold minted in the local style.

c) try to escape the city by swimming under the river gates.  This is always an option and should not be too much of a problem for the PCs to pull off in the heat of the surrounding battle.  The water is very cold and the PCs suffer damage from cold exposure for as long as they are in it, in addition to being in danger of drowning.  The current is fairly quick (30 ft per round), and if the PCs choose the gate downstream, they should be out of the city in very little time.  This choice of action should not be very palatable for the PCs, because the city will very clearly be doomed by one faction or another; if the angry mob does not tear the city apart, the Hybris army will, or the Silver Poet will do worse.

d) fight the army of Hybris.  This should be a difficult task, as the PCs would be facing a total of 50 level 5 warriors, marching (and fighting) in 25 metallic armored vehicles.  This will be a tough battle, even without the angry mob getting in the way of things.  The rewards of this choice of action may not be high, if the angry mob is never neutralized or the Silver Poet is allowed to carry out his plans.  Otherwise, if the Senate survives, they will be perfectly willing to reward the party with 3,000 gold (in addition to any other reward they may give the PCs, such as the reward from choice “b,” above.

e) hide within the city.  If the PCs choose to hide, they will never be trusted or respected by anyone in the city again, assuming that both the PCs and/or any part of the city survive.  If the angry mob happens upon them, they will enact a swift punishment for cowardice in their blood-lust.  If the soldiers of Hybris happen upon the PCs, they will disdainfully kill the cowardly dogs that they view the PCs as, assuming, but not caring, that the PCs are denizens of Polis.  This course of action should not be palatable for the same reasons listed in choice “c,” above, but also because the only likely reward is death.  The PCs may attempt to follow this course of action in combination with a more heroic choice; if this is the case, none of the above holds true, save that the angry mob will try to kill the PCs if they are caught in the act of hiding, as will the soldiers of Hybris (who will try to kill them, anyway).

*The Cast*

Philos is a Lawful Good level 6 Warrior.  He loves his city-state and is loyal to a fault.  When duty falls upon him to deliver the message of defeat to Polis, he does not hesitate to leave immediately, despite his exhausted and heavily wounded condition.  This is typical of Philos.  Philos could potentially become an ally or companion of the PCs, particularly if he survives, but Polis does not.

The Silver Poet is a Chaotic Evil level 5 Bard/ Vampire.  He is fond of wearing flashy, gaudy, and sometimes simply feminine clothing and a great deal of adornments, such as jewelry and a _ring of mind shielding_.  The Silver Poet is ancient and enjoys playing mind games with people, using his vast experience in life to undermine opponents in duels of wit or banter.  Even so, the Silver Poet is not jovial—and has not been for centuries.  A massive boredom has set in upon the immortal.  The Silver Poet performs epic poems about the heroes of Polis’ ancestors—tales that he may well have been around to witness firsthand, if they are true.  The Silver Poet maintains a steady diet of slaves, which he purchases personally, so as not to arouse suspicion of his true nature.  Most people assume that, as a silver dragon, he eats the massive amount of slaves that he purchases, anyway—after all, a dragon’s got to eat _something_ doesn’t it?

The Angry Mob is a Chaotic Neutral entity that is made up of the citizens of Polis.  It should be treated as a level 1 Warrior taking up five hundred 5ft squares, which need not be adjacent.  Each of these squares (individuals within the Mob) has a single attack and 4 hp.  All saves, especially Will saves, are made as a single entity!  Furthermore, the Angry Mob is able to assist itself in attacks, if an individual element forgoes its attack.


----------



## Vaxalon

Ingredients used:

Angry Mob, "Costume Jewelry", Alchemist's Fire, Silver Dragon, Foppish Vampire Bard, Apparatus of Kwalish

Optional ingredients:
"Lobsters", "Sharks", "Ostriches", "Elephant", Courier

The following is an adventure outline that is adaptable to a variety of different backgrounds and settings.  By adjusting the power of the antagonists, it can be scaled for anywhere between level 5 and 15.  Beyond level 15, many of the challenges become trivial.

A liveried courier delivers invitations to a fancy-dress party in the most exlusive district in the city to the PC's.  The host is a mysterious figure known as Borthax, a powerful wizard.  The invitations each include a silver broach.  This piece of jewelry places an 'alter self' spell over the wearer, to create a costume.  All of the costumes are animalistic forms.  The guests are warned that anyone who removes the broach before the appointed time will be ejected from the party.

The site of the party is a fortified manor house dating back to the founding of the city, a sprawling edifice with numerous rooms for secret liaisons.  Shortly after their arrival, a person dressed as a lobster invites one of the PC's aside.  He warns the PC's that he knows for a fact that Borthax is imprisoned as a result of a botched mission on another plane; that the Borthax that invited the PC's is an imposter.  He knows who the PC's are because he can identify them by smell, but he doesn't know who the false Borthax is; indeed, he doesn't even know which costume the falst Borthax is wearing.  He is the silver dragon Kuradion, who has been keeping track of adventurers in this city for centuries.  He warns the PC's that this party was called for some other reason besides entertainment, and to keep their eyes open.

PC's who fail to go to the party may discover that agents scattered through the seedier parts of the city are inciting the rabble, and several nasty-looking mobs are forming.  They are well-organized, and it is clear that this has been planned.  Shortly after dark, the mobs start moving towards the wealthy districts.  Due to its suddenness, the constabulary is caught off guard and are unable to stop them.  The PC's may be able to stop one or more of the mobs, but at least one should make it to the manor house.

Later on, the lobster is not to be found; he is called away by a member of the constabulary (using a Recall spell) to help deal with the mobs.

If the partygoer PC's poke their noses in back rooms and side closets of the manor house, they may very well discover a room guarded by a couple of men costumed as a shark and an elephant.  They can be tricked, as they are not terribly bright, or dealt with quietly in order to get past them.  The room they are guarding contains an Apparatus of Kwalish, and a wide passage down to the city sewers.

Poking around in the house is not easy, and if it is not done carefully it may raise the suspicions of the guests or staff.  Any suspicious activity may very well get the PC's expelled.

In an attic, the PC's may find numerous wine barrels which are actually full of alchemist's fire.  A hidden water-clock mechanism is timed to release flaming death upon everyone in the house about an hour after sundown.  Disarming the trap will not be easy, as interfering with it could set the trap off early.

If the PC's make any kind of ruckus, they will be asked to leave the party.  If they mention the alchemist's fire in the attic, the majordomo will act very confused, and demand to be brought to see for himself.  He is actually a vampire bard, disguised as the majordomo, and when he gets the PC's alone in the attic he will attempt to defeat them quickly and quietly.

About a half hour after sundown, the bard, costumed as an ostrich, begins to play.  He weaves a heightened "enthrall" spell into his song, which most of the partygoers are unable to resist.  In the middle of his performance, the mob attacks.  Shortly thereafter, the alchemist's fire is released, whereupon the bard attempts to make his escape to the Apparatus, and down into the sewers.  His destination is a secret evil shrine under the manor house, accessible only by going underwater.  By sacrificing the lives of the noblemen and commoners alike that he has arranged to roast alive in the manor above, the vampire plans to boost his power sufficiently that he can take over the city in the aftermath.

If the Apparatus has been sabotaged, destroyed, or stolen, or if confronted by opposition he cannot quickly vanquish, the vampire will flee in bat form to escape the conflagration.

edit: Ingredients used


----------



## Vaxalon

(bump)


----------



## el-remmen

_ And the winner is. . .  _
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
*PSYCHE!!!!*

I haven't read them yet. . . Just got back from a long day of work - need to run out and get a 12-pack of Honey Brown, jot down my daily subway observations and then get to the judging. . .

Be back some time tonight. . .


----------



## el-remmen

I am now on page two of the judgment - damn! This is taking a long time. . .


----------



## el-remmen

I'm finally done. . . 

. . but I think I'll make you all suffer a bit longer.


----------



## Vaxalon

I'm sure that it will be insightful, fascinating reading, Nemmerle.


.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
That is, as long as I won!


----------



## el-remmen

I think you forgot the winky (), you smarmy bastard!!!!   <--- see? winky!


----------



## Vaxalon

I *never* forget my winkie.


----------



## el-remmen

Wow . . . 

This was a hard one. . .

First of all in order to remain _nemmerlesque_ (I friggin’ love that) , I have to say that I think neither of these entries are up to par with some of the ones that came before them in earlier rounds.

There I said it. 

But still. . . There were some pretty amazing gems in both of them that made me stop and go “ahhhh” in satisfaction.

But let’s be mean.  Let me list the bad stuff of each first:

*Rune (the bad stuff)*
-------------------------

_The setting_.  While I personally like it, unlike the eastern flavored setting of his last entry, this one seemed a lot harder to fit into most existing campaign settings.   Warring Greek-like city-states, with enough armies of rotting dead to offend the gods themselves is a great great thing – but where is it gonna go?

_The Hook_: Um, they are just traveling along and just happen to help the dying courier and just happen to follow him along and just happen to hang out in the Senate Building and happen to overhear the yelling inside, and etc. .  etc. .   If they needed to bring news themselves, or find someone in the city or consult the oracle for some other goal, all of these might have worked.  I was disappointed.

_The Silver Dragon_: People _thinking_ the vampire is a silver dragon?  That is a very weak use of the ingredient – hell, a tavern called “The Silver Dragon” would have been a better use of it.

_The Vampire_: 1) Not foppish  2) His motivation was that he was bored?  Um. . . I know you can do better.  The necropolis idea is cool – but could have been handled better.

_The Apparatus of Kwalish_: A whole unit of them?  You take the cool gritty Greek-feel of your setting and Faerunize it with a bunch of soldiers in tin-cans!  I mean, I know it was an ingredient – but I think you ruined the uniqueness of the item by using it in such a way.  And where were those guys all along?  Just lying in wait? For what? For their army to get decimated?  

_The Angry Mob_: While it was ambitious to try to handle the mob in the way you did. I don’t think it really works rules-mechanics-wise.  Better to handle the individual encounters with the mob in a dramatic fashion, I think.  Also, how was the vampire able to affect to many people and create such a violent and long-lasting reaction?  Maybe I need to re-read the _Enthrall_ spell, or something – but I think even some slight explanation might have been warranted.

*Vaxalon (the bad stuff)*
-------------------------

_The Angry Mob_: Why are they angry?  Why did they choose this moment to rampage?  Does this have something to do with the vampire’s plans?

_The Silver Dragon_ The local constabulary has the means to recall a silver dragon at will to deal with crime and looting?  Where the hell is this place?  Would not the silver dragon’s frightful presence be pretty much enough to keep the majority of the low-level mobbing schmucks at bay?

_The Alchemist Fire Bomb_: A time bomb?  Kind of anachronistic, don’t ya think?  But putting that aside, some idea of how it worked might have been a good addition – and if it is so dangerous and is meant to kill everyone in the house, would not the vampire be afraid to be anywhere near it?  I mean, fire is one of the few things they are vulnerable to.

_Everyone Gets a Magic Item?_ – The costume ball was a GREAT friggin’ idea – but everyone there is given a magical item?  I know the vampire thinks everyone is going to die, and so they will be destroyed – but that is a heck of a lot of effort and XP to just go up in smoke – he must of spent 100 years on that part of the plan alone (depending on how many guests there are).  The alternate use of “costume jewelry” _was_ clever, however.

_Question_: The bard and the majordomo are the same person?  That was unclear. . .And what if the crowd at the party is alerted to the trap as a group?

_The Apparatus of Kwalish_: Feels stuck in there for the sake of being stuck in there.  If he can assume gaseous form, or animal form, and has access to a variety of spells, what does he need the apparatus for?  I think for an ingredient to really be used well, the reason for its presence needs to be clearer and more pertinent.

_The Vampire_: As in Rune’s entry – what is his motivation aside from mayhem?  Why are the PCs invited? Was the dragon invited?  Is it general knowledge that there is a dragon around?  If so, the vampire was foolish to invite him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, okay.. enough of the mean stuff. . . here’s what I liked:

*Vaxalon (the good stuff)*
---------------------------------------

_The Costume Party_: Just a nice classic touch.  It works not only with the classic horror Vincent Price-like vampire movie feel, but with the building of a mystery.  It builds what should be the REAL question of the scenario for the PCs “Why were _we_ invited?”  The animal figures are also very creepy.  While I did not like the use of the dragon, the placement of someone who sows the seeds of suspicion is great – as at a costume party you have no way of knowing who is really who, let alone their motivations. *

_The Location of the Scenario_: A big old spooky house has a lot of potential for creepy stuff to be discovered as the PCs snoop around/  It gave me a “The Shining” feel, esp. with the animal costumes – who knows what kind of depraved things might be discovered in those gloomy halls.

_The Danger in House_: While I was not all that fond of the time-bomb thing, the idea of a danger to the house and the guests is a great “cap” to the building of the mystery.  I think it would have worked better when the “frightened party-goers” became an “angry mob” as they found their way out of the house blocked.

_Rich vs. Poor_ Class politics is something too often ignored in D&D – again, while I did not like the use of the angry mob in the entry – if properly explained, it could have been a nice touch – as the party cannot get out to help anyone in the city as it is burned around them.

*Rune (the good stuff)*
---------------------------------

_The Setting_: Okay, I know I listed it among “the bad stuff” (so consider this one as canceling itself out), but  I am a sucker for the Greek City-State thing.  The warring groups, the rotting dead, the heroes of yore, all these things work well – if the larger context of the campaign setting allows for it.  I was reminded of Antigone by the whole set up.

_The Manipulative Power_: I like how the vampire manipulated the Senate and the People all Chancellor Palpatine style.  While I thought there was not enough motivation provided.  I am a sucker for political intrigue – unfortunately, the events of the adventure play out too quickly for the PCs to really get involved. 

_The Oracle_ The Oracle’s test was wonderful, but don’t you think there should have been more of a pay off for figuring it out?

_The Trojan Horse Idea_: Apparatus of Kwalish use = bad. The idea of enemy soldiers sneaking into the city = good!

-----------

So, anyway – I think it is obvious. . .  The winner and still CHAMPEEN. . . . *VAXALON!!!!*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* One last thing: I had a great that goes along with Vax’s entry – What if everyone invited to the party had done some wrong to the vampire either knowingly or unknowingly and this was their punishment?  This way you could have all sorts of a mix of nefarious and good NPCs at the party, and the PCs could have foiled some plan of the vampire in some earlier adventure without knowing it – and just earned themselves a nemesis?


----------



## Vaxalon

Thank you very much, Nemmerle, you are a gentleman and a scholar.

To explain the Apparatus, Vampires can't handle being immersed in running water.  Doesn't matter if he's a rat, he still can't go into the sewer-water if it's running.  So that's what the apparatus is for... it's to evade his limitation.  Otherwise he'd never be able to get to the shrine.

The reason I didn't explain why the mob was angry was to allow it to be customized to the setting.  I strive to maintain that openness.

As for the dragon being called away, yeah, it was lame.  I don't like powerful NPC's running around where they can steal the show on the PC's.

You're right, if the guests had been locked into the house, that would have been better... I considered it, but then couldn't figure a way to work in the angry mob.

Rune, you are an excellent Iron DM competitor, and if I had been up against any of your other entries, I would have lost.


----------



## Breakstone

Good job, Vax, and nice try Rune!


----------



## Rune

Congratulations, Vaxalon!  A well-deserved victory!  I hope to beat you, next time!


----------



## Wicht

speaking of Next time, the sooner the better nemm


----------



## Radiating Gnome

*And the crowd goes wild*

At least, the crowd in my head.  

Congradulations, both of you.  

This was WAY too much fun.  So how long do we have to wait to get started again?  

-rg


----------



## el-remmen

*Re: And the crowd goes wild*



			
				Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> *
> So how long do we have to wait to get started again?
> 
> -rg *




Um, let's say. . . September. . .


----------



## hong

Vaxalon said:
			
		

> *I *never* forget my winkie.
> *




That's my Vax!


Hong "my work here is done" Ooi


----------



## ninjajester

i just want to say that this was a blast.  congrats to vaxalon and rune; vaxalon for staying on top and rune for winning 3 in a row!  finally, thanks to nemmerle for starting this whole thing up and judging it (you never got back to me on holding the katana, nem).  i got so many cool ideas from this thread it's unbelievable.  anyhow, i can't wait for next time...


----------



## mmadsen

*Re: And the crowd goes wild*



> This was WAY too much fun.  So how long do we have to wait to get started again?




Well, you could swing by the "home game" thread and offer up some scenarios or criticism...


----------



## mmadsen

*Re: Re: Aw shucks*



> Does anyone here plan to polish up and/or expand any of their entries later?  I plan to do so with each of mine, but I'm not sure what I'll do with them...since my players have read them.  Maybe I'll give them away if anyone actually wants to use them.




Excellent idea, Rune!  I know I'd like to see that.


----------



## mmadsen

Nemmerle, when can we expect a cleaned-up thread of just the ingredients, adventures, and critiques?  (Not that I don't enjoy the audience noise...)


----------

