I started the Whispering Cairn last week and so far my players are loving it. Last week we started with a variant of the mine office side trek (that I'll post in another thread) and this week the players went through the false tomb. We ended with the encounter with the acid beetle swarm. It was tough, but they made it through with only the loss of an animal companion.
For those who may be curious as to how to get the whole thing started, here's the text from the handout I gave to my instigators as suggested by the module:
The Latest Gossip in Diamond Lake
Amazing news is flowing through the streets of Diamond Lake. Adventurers have come to town! And not just any adventurers, these were real champions from the Free City of Greyhawk itself!
A man named Auric was the leader of the small group. He is a dashingly handsome man with well-coiffed blonde hair and a very muscular build. He has made no secret of the fact that he is the greatest gladiator from the Free City arena. He wears a unique red and black leather belt topped with the representation of a haunted female face. Those people who had been to the Free City games instantly recognized this as the Champion’s Belt of the Free City Arena.
A beautiful elven rogue seems to be the marksman of the group. She wears a blue cloak, red top, and black leather pants accented by black elbow length gloves and thigh high boots. She has introduced herself as Tirra and she appears very self assured, openly flirting with the rough and tumble crowd of the Feral Dog. She enjoys games of chance, and has challenged anyone who thinks they can take her in a dagger throwing contest.
The last member of the group is the more mysterious man Auric refers to as Khellek. This balding, dark-haired human wears a high collared red cape, clasped with a skull. Khellek is clearly older than Auric, although it was difficult to tell his age in comparison to the elf Tirra.
(Insert picture of Auric and company from the online supplement here).
Speculation runs rampant as to why they are here. This richly dressed trio has been frequenting the Feral Dog, Diamond Lakes’ most notorious (and dangerous) tavern. The small group has been asking a lot of question about the Stirgenest Cairn, one of the many ancient burial sites that are scattered about the Cairn Hills where Diamond Lake is located. Everyone in town, though, knows that there is nothing there of interest. The town’s youth constantly explore the ancient site, and have always found it completely empty of marvel and harmless to say the least.
But that isn’t the only site at which the youth of the town have played. It wasn’t common knowledge, but those children who had recently grown up in Diamond Lake knew of another cairn about a day’s ride outside of the town. The cairn is near an old iron mine that went dry about fifty years ago, and was abandoned a few years later when the manager mysteriously died. About a decade ago, several children found the nearby cairn while camping out by the mine. Since then, the town’s youth have dared each other to venture into the cyclopean entrance to prove their bravery. Most found the place too scary, for when the wind was just right, haunting and almost magical tones would emanate from the depths of the forgotten tomb. Those who have been to the tomb have called it the Whispering Cairn.
Visits to the Whispering Cairn became less frequent about six years ago when a girl mysteriously vanished while sleeping in the cairn. Now children still dare to go to the entrance of the tomb, but none enter. The secrets of the cairn have since remained undiscovered.
It stands to reason that if famed adventurers from the Free City have bothered to come to the inconsequential town of Diamond Lake, they must be in search of some hidden treasure. Right now they’re asking about the wrong place, but it would only be a matter of time before they learn of the Whispering Cairn.
Maybe a group of intrepid youth could investigate the Whispering Cairn first and plunder its hidden secrets? The office to the abandoned mine would serve as a perfect meeting place and base of operations for just such an expedition. Perhaps you should gather your friends and seek fortune and glory in the ancient halls of the Whispering Cairn.
Crazy Duck,
Thanks for posting this. I'm getting ready to start a new group and this is just what I need to get them going. I don't know if you posted the Mine Office encounter yet. If you have could you put the link in this thread as well.
Beldar
Thanks! Here's the link to the thread with the mine office encounters. Note that these are pretty tough because I've got seven experienced players to challenge.
Crazy Duck
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/dungeon/ageOfWorms/whisperingCairnVari antMineOfficeStarterAdventure&page=1#84125
Crazy Duck,
Thanks for the reply. I have between 6-9 players at any one time. The group I run is for kids that range in age from 10-16. I think they could handle your version.
Thanks,
Beldar
I got my group hooked using the above plot, plus I sent around the first two Wormfood articles as "homework" to read. When I asked people to make characters, I told them they should all come from Diamond Lake. Five of seven of them are from town, and the two that aren't have ties to other characters. To instigate the plot, I picked my three best role-players and told them they should convince their other friends (characters) to come along. In the end, I had three groups of two. The seventh was a druid who for a mission for the Bronzewood lodge was looking for the missing soldier who's body appears in the mine office.
It worked out well. The group started working together from the start, but still role-played while they are there. I keep reminding them that its just a matter of time before Auric and crew shows up...