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For those who lost, to share the unloved.
Spoiled for length
o Object
Distant and unimportant, the town of Azurestone only exists because of the nearby quarry of rare blue granite. As a result, the noble appointment to Lord Mayor is not one that brings with it prestige or notoriety. However, the power of love has drawn the attention of the distant royal court, as one of the noble princes has sought to marry the mayor’s daughter.
The dowry pledge was an heirloom of the Mayor’s family, the ornately carved Bell of Sarenrae. Crafted over one hundred years ago by the Lord Mayor’s great-great-grandfather, the bronze bell only holds value for the mayor, or to extremely discriminating collectors.
The archaic laws of dowry mean that unless the bell is recovered, his daughter will be unable to marry the prince and his family’s one chance at noble aspirations will be dashed.
o Two Obstacles
During their headlong chase of the Red Raven through the woods, they will catch sight of her on the far side of a small creek. The creek is maybe fifty feet across, with a channel ranging ten to fifteen feet wide at the center that has yet to be covered by winter ice.
The party will have to find a way to cross the river, while being pelted with arrows by the still retreating Red Raven. Charging headlong through the water is to risk exposure and frostbite, while dallying too long risks the loss of the Red Raven’s trail.
Later, near the foot of the mountains, the party will be faced with a sheer climb up a rock face. They will be further challenged by the presence of the druid’s Rime Stone Zombies using thrown rocks to slow their climb. The party will discover something is amiss when the Red Raven is captured by some of the undead who were helping her escape.
o Who and Why
Many a tale is told around the local fires of the fearless female rogue known as the Red Raven. A legend of the woods and mountains around Azurestone, she has traditionally been known for helping those lost in the woods, or attacked by animals. Only later do those she helped realize that some bit of coin or other bauble has been removed.
Never before has she taken anything of real value, and never without rendering aid, so there is a mystery in her actions. Loyal to a fault, she has been duped and manipulated by the human druid who leads her order. Without truly understanding his motivations, she set out to steal the bell at his request.
The druid’s motivation is far more sinister. Some time ago, during one of the town festivals, the druid met the daughter of the Lord Mayor. Stricken by her beauty he fell head over heels in love with her, and professed such publicly. The feeling was completely unreciprocated, and the public humiliation of the rejection planted a festering seed of resentment and madness in the druid’s mind.
The druid turned aside from his oaths to nature and the wild, instead pleading to darker forces of storm and destruction. His devotion turned to the worship of Rovagug, who has promised the druid the hand of the Mayor’s daughter in exchange for a summoning ritual, requiring the bell.
o Final Showdown
Several hundred feet above the rocks below, an icy shelf juts out of the mountain. On this natural stage, ancient druids set an awesome ring of stones, anchoring a place of natural power. Nearly invisible to the surrounding area, from this vantage the druids could see for miles.
Now the place bears a dark visage. Heavy axes, like those favored by Rovagug hang from the stones, and thick daubs of dark blood paint out the twisted fanged mouth and spider leg symbol of the Destroyer.
The hard stone, jagged ice and blood stain symbols contrast sharply against the beauty of purple mountains, ice-blue sky, and the distant blemish on the horizon that marks Azurestone and the yawning maw of its quarry.
o New Monster
Maddened by jealousy, and consumed by his new devotion to Rovagug, the druid has created an anathema to the life he once sought to protect. Having slain his brother druids in a blind rage, he has animated their lifeless bodies as uniquely powerful zombies. Frozen nearly solid by the frigid mountain temperatures, and incased in a thin layer of gravel and granite from their shallow graves, the druids have become Rime Stone Zombies.
Their motions are even slower and more ungainly than traditional zombies, but they are resistant to all but the deepest penetrating wounds, and their touch carries more than mortal cold. Their only true weakness is fire, but even then the sudden melting of the unnaturally cold ice could release a blast of dangerous steam.
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Misery loves company...
The town of Azurestone, a military post for a decade after the famous battle, is now a quiet, near-frontier town, famous only for the twenty-year-old war monument. Unfortunately, the banner and skull were stolen last night in a raid of stealth quite unheard of among the monstrous clans of the Fog Peak Mountains. A handful of witnesses claim to have seen a small group of goblins and gnolls leaving town with the banner, and one child claims that they met a huge man with the head of a bull not far outside the village.
While most of the town’s inhabitants are relieved that the monsters left without causing trouble, the town’s constable, Marcus Laenwald, is concerned that this event means someone is trying to reunite the mountain tribes and means to use Graebung’s banner as a unifying symbol. He is convinced that the safety of Azurestone and the surrounding lands requires the return of the banner, and probably the death of the would-be leader. The party is convinced or hired by Laenwald and his few supporters to track the thieving band and return the banner and skull. Any other information about what is happening in the Fog Peak Mountains will be of critical value to the town.
As it turns out, the banner and skull were stolen at the behest of Graebung’s own son, Garbek. He does plan to use the banner as a unifying symbol, but more important to his plans is the skull. He, along with his tribe’s shaman, plans to raise his father’s spirit in a ritual that will grant him the abilities to unite the mountain tribes and continue his father’s path of conquest. The ritual will bind the spirits of Graebung and Garbek to the soul of the tribes themselves, giving Garbek the charisma and leadership skills to unite them into a warhorde greater even than his father’s. This is a new monster template: Hordebound, with the Hordebound Ogre as the module’s new monster.
The party will begin their quest with an immediate confrontation with a minotaur, placed outside the town to thwart any pursuit. The party’s path will be plagued with traps and ambushes, often by monsters of unusual skill (class-advanced hobgoblins, gnolls, etc., or specialized monsters like blues or ogre mages) and dire animal companions. A particularly nasty ambush is set for the party in a gorge leading into the Fog Peak Mountains by a pair of formian warriors (who would love to see Garbek lead the tribes out of the mountains for good). Particularly skilled trackers may give the party opportunities to turn the ambushes around on the monsters, but Garbek is unusually intelligent for an ogre and has sent quite a number of groups to thwart pursuit on several avenues.
If the party is successful, they will reach Garbek’s lair at the back end of the gorge: a small complex of caves. Still in the process of completing the ritual, Garbek will send his shaman against the party (actually an annis hag disguised as an ogre). Once the ritual is finished (and probably about the time the party finishes off the shaman, the now hordebound Garbek will take on the party. Although Garbek as managed to round up the assistance of a number of small groups, most of his followers are likely to scatter if he is defeated, reinforcing their long-held beliefs that working with other tribes just isn’t worth it.
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It would've been political glory *tear*
What is the Red Raven and why is it important?
The Red Raven is a priceless ruby raven statuette that has long been
passed down through the family of Baroness Enyensla. It was originally
a work of Dwarven art that came into her great-great-grandfather's
possession over 150 years ago while he was but an adventurer and
before he founded the town of Azurestone.
Azurestone, a large town at the base of the Fog Peak Mountain Range is
now the capital of a small but somewhat wealthy Barony thanks to the
gemstone mines riddled throughout the mountain range. But the last few
years have been tough, the once reclusive and relatively peaceful
Dwarven clan within the mountains has grown aggressive and has been
claimjumping the human miners. The Baroness and her diplomat have
since opened negotiations, and the return of the Red Raven was a key
secession to make peace with the Dwarves. Until it was stolen; now
without the Red Raven, war looms, and while the humans only have a
small militia, their wealth can afford many mercenary armies to fight
the Dwarves. The Dwarven clan, not large in its own right either, has
the advantage of a heavily fortified position. If war erupts, victory
will come at great cost to both sides.
What are the two obstacles in the PCs way?
The first major obstacle to the PCs is the environment itself, winter
has come to the Fog Peaks, and while many animals may go into
hibernation, there are far worse creatures still lurking in the snow.
The second, and more threatening obstacle is the conspiracy. The
conspiracy to create war between the humans and dwarves will go to
great lengths to stop anyone who tries to recover the Red Raven, and
it's a conspiracy well hidden.
Who took the object and why?
Just before the troubles with the dwarves started, a group of human
miners uncovered a sealed chamber in their shaft. Inside the chamber
is a shrine to the Demon Lord(ess) Ajatar. A local adventurer was
called in to investigate the shrine, and was quickly corrupted by
Ajatar's magic. Now a servant of the demon lordess he has gotten
himself a position as leader of the Barony militia and intends to
manipulate events to gain revenge on the Dwarves who killed her
cultists over a century ago and erased all evidence of her existence.
What does the final showdown look like?
A cat and mouse fight through a heavy blizzard between the party and
the evil Ranger cult leader. The ranger cultist will have the terrain
on his side and a few demonic allies (likely Dretches)
What new monster?
The Gulon. A demon servant based around the mythological creature of
the same name.
--The Gulon is a Scandinavian legend, also known as a "Jerff" in
Sweden and "Vielfras" in Germany. It is a hodgepodge of various
creatures, usually described as being the size and shape of a dog,
with some catlike features such as the head, ears, and claws. It also
supposedly has a thick coat of shaggy brown fur and a tail resembling
that of a fox.
The Gulon is notorious as a symbol of gluttony because of the strange
eating habits it is supposed to have. It will make a kill, and then
gorge itself until it is swollen and unable to eat more, at which
point it will find two trees and squeeze itself in between them,
pushing the meat through its own body before returning to the kill and
repeating the process. (source: wikipedia)--
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Well, this thread could be huge, and I'll be happy to add my two cents.
2. The first obstacle they must deal with is the Curse of the Raven that the culprits leave imprinted upon the town upon stealing the Angel’s Tear. They leave the curse because of how they took the item and what they are. This curse sends the town into total disrepair as everyone in the town becomes obsessed with their own ambitions, and the PC’s may indeed be in the way.. The second obstacle occurs after the PC’s reach the forest. After following the tracks of the culprits for about an hour, the PC’s are greeted by the blood and gore of the animals that fought each other for power after falling to the Curse.
3. The culprits who took the Tear are known as the Ravenborne. They are called such because at birth their faces are marked with the symbol of a Blood Red Raven. The wings go “through” their eyes and the torso and tail goes down their nose and “into” their mouth. The head takes a place in the middle of the forehead, and the mark clearly shows two glowing eyes looking at the viewer. Each of them is tainted with a tiny hint of Asmodeus’s power, brought down throw their family as a recessive gene. The Red Raven is moniker that Asmodeus takes when dealing with the Ravenborne, and those he “favors” with this mark are tainted by it, as such evil divine power is almost not containable by mortals, even in small amounts.. The Ravenborne have stolen the Tear as the final of five artifacts used to summon a unique devil known as the Red Raven, who they believe will bring about the reign of Asmodeus in Azurestone. This devil will attempt to take ultimate power by killing one of the prominent personages in town, taking his place and using his otherworldly powers to sway the people and bring the word of Asmodeus to the town.
4. The final showdown will be in two stages. The first will be with the Ravenborne and their leader. Should they succeed in stopping the ceremony, the Red Raven will not appear as planned, but the attempted corruption of so good an artifact tickles Asmodeus such that he raises the Ravenborne leader in a wash of fell energy. This raised Ravenborne is overcome with divine power and explodes in a wash of blood, only to have his Raven birthmark come off his face, which would still be intact, and become a manifestation of the Curse of the Raven. A Curseborne, you might say.
5. The one surefire “creature” that would be gone into the adventure would be the Ravenborne. They are humans in almost every sense of the word except for that tiny bit of Asmodeus blood, and the curse that comes with it. The origins of the curse would be further explained as well, as well as its effects, as well as why it affects so many things in such a wide area.
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RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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Here's the module that never was. :D
The Iron Trust was formed to contain such an evil. For the first time in 400 years, the Trust has failed. The End of Days nears.
The Iron Trust had 2 goals – keep the Black Seed hidden from the world, and erase all mention of its existence. From the Black Seed grows the world-ending Tree of Woe. In crumbling papyrus scrolls, the Tree of Woe is described as an endless void, shaped of gnarled wood, rising from the earth like a cancer. Growing so it eclipses the sun, searing the ground with its roots; it will merge our world with the Abyss and create a doorway for demons to enter our realm.
For centuries, the Iron Trust hid the Seed in a chest forged of cold iron, sealed with a lock that had no key. At random intervals, the chest was moved to new locations. For 23 years, it secretly resided in the rugged mining community of Azurestone, watched over by Mayor Anros Kohl.
The PCs awaken to Azurestone being sacked. The Apostles of Ichaiah have come for the Seed. They are a doomsday cult comprised of 13 monks. Sentenced to death, they arose as ghasts. The PCs must escape their burning room(s). In their escape, they encounter an Apostle. Wearing purple robes, with the Roman numeral “IX” branded into his throat, he is searching the floorboards and notices the PCs. When he opens his robes, the carrion stench of death overpowers the party before combat ensues.
The Apostles obey their messiah – the Raving Prophet, Ichaiah. Ichaiah is a cambion that believes in his own divinity. He worships himself, and his prayers are disturbingly granted. From his brow, two oily, eyeless eels spring forth. Using the Tree of Woe, he will command an army of demons to take this plane. Long has he sought the Black Seed, and finally it is being delivered to him. In 14 days, a lunar eclipse will shroud the moon, and Ichaiah will plant the Seed.
Azurestone is decimated, and its few survivors cling to one another. The day following the attack, Dhara’Jul raiders strike the village, taking whatever they can. The Dhara’Jul -- mongrels of orc, ogre, and human stock, pillage Azurestone atop pygmy mammoths, bearing shields emblazoned with a white centipede.
2 days after the raid, the debris is cleared and the Apostles’ success is confirmed. The PCs are told of the Black Seed, who took it, and that the Tree of Woe requires three rituals to grow: it must be planted in long shadows, sewn into ashen earth, and watered with virtuous blood. The first two conditions are satisfied in the Field of Kings, at the base of the Fog Peak Mountains. Cast in mountain shadows, the Field of Kings is where the Dhara’Jul travel to burn fallen chieftains.
The Apostles move quickly and can’t be caught, especially with winter setting in. But hope is not lost! Azurestone’s resident eccentric offers the use of his airship – “The Red Raven 3.” A curious construct, it’s a large red balloon lashed to a caravel. Flying, the party might be able to stop Ichaiah in time.
The PCs will need cold iron weapons to combat the Tree if it takes root. Unfortunately, Mayor Kohl’s cache of cold iron weapons was stolen in the Dhara’Jul raid. The PCs must fly to the Dhara’Jul village and recover them. The Dhara’Jul worship terrible gods, and will sacrifice the party to Kurzna-Maaga (“The Crawler Below”), a gigantic albino centipede that lives in the God’s Bowl, atop a swarm of his children.
The party must then make their way over the Shattered Hoof Plains, cross the Chalkwood, traverse the Crane River and Burik Pass, and finally confront Ichaiah and his Apostles on the Field of Kings.
The PCs’ path is dangerous. In the air, they’ll be attacked by Gathen – moth-like creatures with humanoid upper bodies, three red paralysis-inducing eyes, razor sharp talons, and long barbed tongues. The PCs will have to man the heavy crossbows mounted on the Raven and battle them in flight. Rearguard Apostles will follow them through the Chalkwood, destroy the ship, and send them reeling towards the ground in a fiery wreck. With little time left, they’ll have to make it to the Field of Kings on foot. They’ll also be pitted against one another by a Puppeteer Spider, a grotesque beast with a bulbous body and 10 pairs of humanoid hands on its underbelly, that controls its prey with mystical silk.
On the Field of Kings, they’ll face Ichaiah and his Apostles. Watered in blood, the Tree takes root. Amid lightning strikes, as the curtain separating our world from the Abyss slowly tears, Ichaiah delivers his Final Sermon.
My submission:
Finally, the weather broke, and with it, the siege. It was there, on the edge of the Brellesh forest, that the settlers founded the community of Azurestone, placing the now-revered stone on a pedestal in the middle of the village. Though the Runelords had long ago succumbed to their own vices, their creations lived on after them. Yet Azurestone remained protected by the mysterious properties of the blue stone egg they found that night. Each year, as they gather the harvest and the snows of winter approach, the citizens of Azurestone hold a great seven-day festival to celebrate their continued survival and to honor the protection of the stone.
As the adventure begins, the PCs arrive in Azurestone to find the villagers preparing for the harvest festival and gathering stores for an early winter. Unbeknownst to them, a young half-orc named Karrak has been exiled from his home on the far side of the Fog Peak mountains for daring to marry the daughter of a local human lord. Fleeing with his bride, Karrak has headed out into the wild to find a place where he and his beloved can live in peace. As they cross the mountains, the pair are beset by the gaunt undead wendigos, and the young woman, Siobhan, is infected with a ravenous hunger for humanoid flesh. Having heard rumors of the mysterious properties of the artifact in nearby Azurestone, Karrak creeps into the town one night and steals the stone, hoping it will be able to save his bride from her terrible fate.
Now the PCs must track down Karrak as he races back to the mountains and his dying bride. They must find him and return the stone before the snows come, covering his tracks and bringing the savage hunger of the wendigos down upon the community of Azurestone. As they track the desperate Karrak through the Brellesh forest, they must cross the Dreadfall – a massive deadfall stretching as far as the eye can see, and home to an unusual undead plant creature known as a deathbriar. It quickly becomes apparent that if they are to have any hope of bypassing the Dreadfall and catching Karrak, they must befriend the local fey inhabiting the forest, and ask them for aid. In doing so, they also learn the story of the Red Raven, a great, phoenix-like spirit who stole the knowledge of the Runelords to give to the creatures of the forest for protection, but who was nearly slain by terrible spirits of air, and fell into a torpor. It was this struggle the original settlers witnessed, and it was the Raven himself they found, dormant in the form of the Azurestone.
When they finally confront Karrak in the cave where Siobhan lies dying, the half-orc has himself become a wendigo and destroyed the egg. Only by defeating Karrak, and piecing together the clues to release the Red Raven to fly again, will the PCs have any hope of saving the people of Azurestone, the young lovers, and possibly even themselves from a fate worse than death. If released, the Raven grants his knowledge to the fey of the forest and the people of Azurestone, protecting them forever from the horrible, gluttonous threat of the wendigos.
Some good stuff here. And this is the stuff that didn't make the cut.
Just comparing it to what everybody else here did, I can think of a whole bunch of things I wish I'd done differently, but all in all, I'm happy enough to collect my first rejection letter (everybody's got to start somewhere...), that I can't get too worked up about it.
And I'm looking forward to a kick-butt module.
YAY! REJECTION! My only friend and constant companion! ^_^
With no clues the town began turning on its sheriff a capable Ranger named Vertram, but called “The Red Raven” for his unusually colored animal companion. When The Red Raven’s wife was witnessed murdering the last victim, she was found and hung by a mob of the angry villagers. The Red Raven turned to drinking to dull the pain. When he nearly killed one of the villagers in a drunken conflict he exiled himself from the town.
Alone in the wilderness he stewed in his hate, and an orc shaman, lieutenant to a powerful orc warlord found the Raven and hatched a plan. He convinced the ranger with a heady mix of magic and deception that the ranger could remove the pain he felt by getting even with the village. All he need do is take the Eye of the Storm from the village’s beacon tower and bring it to a plateau high up in the Fog Peak Mountains. With the village no longer capable of sending early warning to other towns the orcs will have a clear path into the fertile human controlled territories.
The PCs are in town getting to know the townsfolk, the area and its history when the artifact is stolen by the Red Raven. The new and inexperienced Sheriff begs the PCs aid while she tries to keep the townsfolk together in the Temple. She warns the PCs that they must hurry as winter rapidly approaches the Blizzards which affect the area would surely destroy homes and end lives.
The heroes are off on a grand chase that takes them across a rapidly freezing wilderness. They must cross a raging river by hopping from ice floe to ice floe and dodging arrows from orc attackers on the other side. The PCs explore Red Raven’s trap filled cabin home, which is soon engulfed in a deadly inferno by Raven’s so-called orc allies. They eventually find themselves scaling one of the Fog Peak Mountains and discover why they are named so – the constant fog is caused by internal geysers constantly spouting steam which keeps the mountain peaks shrouded in mist.
Then they encounter the real “Cold Blooded Killer”. What first appears to be a beautiful, cold and injured woman is really an Eispeinne - a fey creature that feeds on the precious body heat of the living. The Eispeinne is an ambush killer that breeds by implanting an egg in a mammalian host. The egg hatches and the Eispeinne take the appearance of their unfortunate incubator, with one important difference: Four spindly insectoid arms which sprout from their backs ending in vicious ice-pick claws. Arrogant, deadly and cunning the Eispeinne embodies a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In the frozen ice cavern the PCs are at a huge disadvantage against the Eispeinne which is capable of traversing the slippery cavern with ease and gain power by feeding on the PC’s body heat.
The climax of the adventure occurs atop a plateau on the Fog Peak Mountains. The PCs discover the Red Raven has delivered the Eye of the Storm to Saw-Maw and his savage orc lackeys. With a fierce blizzard raging around them, dangerously low temperatures and outnumbered by enemies the heroes have a chance to reason with the Red Raven and set him on the path of redemption before it’s too late. What follows is a fierce battle where the orcs play hot potato with the Eye of the Storm while they wait for the plateau’s natural hot water geysers to erupt. When they finally do the PCs must race down the mountain before they are boiled alive by hot water or pulverised by falling rocks and debris.
If this didn't make the cut then you know whatever did had to be REALLY good. :P Hehe.
In retrospect I should have hit the high octaine marks first and then introduced the mystery aspect. But still, what good are mistakes if you don't learn from them.
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When fallen paladins don't know they've fallen...
1) Azurestone, whose lapis lazuli-festooned architecture lines every street, is a town watched by a god. Seven decades ago, when it was merely an unnamed hamlet at the crossroads of trade routes, a treant druid gave its founders a blessed shard of para-elemental ice called The Soul of Winter. Explaining The Soul was a gift from Erastil, she promised it would protect Azurestone from even the harshest winter.
Erastil’s shrine, constructed in the days following The Soul of Winter being bestowed, eventually grew into a large church, and the once loose collection of buildings evolved into the town of Azurestone. For seventy-three years The Soul kept the lands within five miles of Azurestone as warm as a spring day no matter how heavily the snows fell or how fiercely blizzards raged.
Then a week ago, a madman in gleaming gold armor appeared raving about an angel, butchering a dozen townsfolk, razing Erastil’s church, and vanishing with The Soul of Winter.
Now the skies grow grey and winds kissed with the promise of winter blow as autumn quickly dies. No provisions are stored. No time remains.
The town of Azurestone faces annihilation.
2) The Soul of Winter is being used indirectly by the agents of Rovagug to bring about The Eternal Rime, a cataclysmic disaster which will cast Golarion in an unrelenting ice storm. Clerics of Rovagug will assail the Player Characters to prevent them from stopping The Soul’s possessor from using it in a ritual to tear an ever-expanding rift between the material world and a demiplane of arctic horror.
Perusing The Soul, the PCs will come across a village of gnolls. The gnolls, mistaking the PCs for allies of the golden-armored man who slaughtered part of their tribe, will be hostile, protecting what remains of their numbers and winter provisions. The true challenge presented by the gnolls, however, is to see that they are actually on the defensive and not enemies. When the PCs parlay with the gnolls they discover that a warrior in gold entered their village, killing indiscriminately until he found the chieftain. He demanded the chieftain’s weapon and tribe’s relic, an ancient greatsword with a gaping center, claiming acquisition of the weapon was part of a holy quest. When the chieftain refused, he too was cut down.
3) In his youth, a redheaded boy named Gavin Nitahl was the fastest runner around. He was so swift it was said he could even outrun the razor ravens, incredibly agile and quick birds indigenous to the area, and he earned the nickname the Red Raven. While it was assumed the natural athlete would make his living as a fleet-footed scout, he was drawn to a life of service in the church of Iomedae, becoming a paladin by the age of nineteen. For twenty-nine years the Red Raven served the church, his golden armor a symbol of the light he stood and fought for.
On one terrible, rain-soaked night two years ago, that light was engulfed in cold darkness and insanity.
Using supposedly reliable information, Gavin lead a company of younger clerics and paladins into the warren of a vampire beneath the Ruins of Suth-Ereth. The company found that vampire- along with ten others of its kind. A sepulchral wave of undeath descended on the company, draining the life from them by touch and bite. The sole survivor of the attack was Gavin, his mind irreparably fractured after watching his wards consumed. He too would have died that night had one vampire, a priest of Rovagug, not hatched a far more insidious use for the Red Raven.
4) On a high plateau in the Fog Peak Mountains, covered in snow that’s been falling since dawn, the PCs arrive just in time to watch the Red Raven use the chieftain’s sword- The Soul of Winter now ensconced inside the blade’s hollow- to carve into the very fabric of dimensions. As a maelstrom of snow, ice, and gale rips from the wounded sky, Gavin’s “angel” reveals its true form, a nightmarish Hound of Wrath, who begins to attack the PCs, attempting to prevent them from stopping the final moments of the ritual that will bring The Eternal Rime to the world.
5) Hound of Wrath- Perverted demons serving at the pleasure of their Lord of Despair, Rovagug. Hounds appear as beautiful golden-skinned, winged humanoids, but their true form is a corruption of that façade- eyes smoldering burnt holes, faces contorted in unimaginable rage and pain, and wings tattered, dripping caustic blood that can be whipped at their adversaries.
I'm noticing that there are a number of striking similarities in these proposals.
Frozen Stream/River Crossing with Arrows a flying.
Minor Artefacts which protect a village from frozen death.
Demonic influences.
Fallen heroes.
These are the stuff adventures are made of! Unless apparently you want it published ;) lol. Anyway, can't wait to read more of these. They seem very interesting.
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Here was my proposal.
Adventure Background
Centuries ago there were two villages. One was nestled in an agriculturally rich lowland valley near a river. The other was located upriver in an upland vale at the base of the Fog Peak Mountains. It possessed meadows ideal for grazing livestock. The common bond between the villages was an artifact from elder days called the azurestone. The stone dampened the extreme weathers and hindered natural disasters that could hurt the villages. During the steamy summer months when flooding might occur from mountain runoff and the rains brought by warm ocean currents, Lower Bluerock kept the stone. In the winter, Upper Bluerock held the artifact to mitigate the coldest and harshest of the storms that came down from the mountains. Unfortunately, it also had an insidious side-effect making the people complacent, somewhat slothful and emotionally dependant on the stone. The ritual to exchange the sacred stone had gone on for generations, since before the Monument Builders, the village elders claimed. But one year, the lowlanders, for reasons now obscured by time, decided to keep the azurestone.
Violence ensued and the surviving representatives of Upper Bluerock who had arrived to transport the stone to its winter shrine, fled back to their village empty handed. In the spring, they vowed to return and recover the ‘stone. Unfortunately, that spring never came. After having been held back for years, the winter hit the vale with a vengeance. Having become complacent and never having to worry about survival in a harsh climate, the villagers were not ready. Their food sources dwindled and they could not seek aid as snows filled the trails to the lowlands. Slowly, they succumbed to the elements and their baser instincts. Starving, they turned to cannibalism, and in the end, they all became food or froze to death. The last man to die, the village headman cursed Lower Bluerock and vowed to never be laid to rest until their precious stone was finally returned. Revenge, tempered with the death throes of his people, brought him back as a malevolent spirit that haunted the ruins and brooded, waiting for an opportunity.
Into this story of ancient betrayal, the Red Raven entered. She and her husband, along with their companions, were in the business of blazing trails as members of a prestigious adventuring guild. Their current project was to find a pass through the Fog Peaks. Their temporary base became the friendly town of Azurestone. They restocked and headed into the hills. At the forgotten ruins of Upper Bluerock, tragedy struck. The trailblazers were beset by the frostbitten*, the unhallowed dead of the former villagers, and their leader, a being that called itself the Alpengeist. Her companions killed and her husband possessed by Alpengeist, Red was compelled to steal the azurestone and return it to the undead headman in order to free her husband. With her abilities as both a rogue and wizard, the heist was relatively easy. Coincidentally, she beats another group (recently arrived cultists of Urgathoa) in the stealing of the relic. The player characters join the drama in the aftermath of her theft.
Adventure Summary
The adventurers arrive at the normally easy-going town of Azurestone which is on the verge of a riot. After stopping hostilities, they are recruited to retrieve the azurestone from the thief known as the Red Raven. If not returned, the townspeople claim that their town will die. After some investigations and provisioning, they head into the wintry wilderness. On their heels are cultists of Urgathoa, intent on taking the stone for themselves. Red Raven leads the adventurers along the river and through alpine forests towards the mountains, past previously constructed obstacles and traps designed to discourage pursuit. Along with these, the players will also have to deal with a small tribe of gnolls, before they catch up to ‘Raven just inside the ruins of Upper Bluerock. Here, depending on the interactions with their antagonist, multiple battles and resolutions could occur. In a straightforward scenario, player characters catch up to and confront Raven, defeat her, and take the stone. However, before they leave the ruins, Alpengeist and the frostbitten* attack in one last desperate effort to regain the stone. They could also ally with Red Raven or Alpengeist to help them fulfill either or both of their goals. At some point they will have to deal with the cultists. All these confrontations could take place one by one, or in a final, chaotic showdown. If they survive, another moral dilemma arises as they determine the final fate of the cursed relic.
*the new monster
Never did submit mine, couldn't get any ideas for how it would work. Still in the early stages:
W3: Flight of the Red Raven
A priceless object has vanished and the PCs must retrieve it. Starting in the small community of Azurestone, their quarry has fled into the wilderness toward the distant Fog Peak Mountains. The chase is on to retrieve the object before the oncoming snow erases the culprit's trail. This is an adventure for 4th-level characters.
What is the object that vanished and why is it important to retrieve it?
Melenia ago, a meteorite crashed in the mountains near what is now Azurestone. The barbarian tribes of the frozen tundra searched out the source of the falling stone. After a few days journey, they found the rock had maintained a constant temperature that made the surrounding area habitable. The land was warm and safe from the harsh winter, yet surrounded by the cold environs. Through the years, the energy of the heavenly stone would ebb in the coldest time of winter, protecting the villagers. With the loss of the stone, the frigid winter will embrace the village and many will die.
What are two of the obstacles the PCs must overcome while chasing down the culprit?
Survive the cold environments and forest minions of the Druid.
Who took the object and why?
An evil druid that protects the surrounding area finds the stone as an affront to nature and wishes to destroy the artifact and drive out the human settlement by any means necessary.
What will the final showdown with the culprit look like?
Frost minions (see monster section), protect the druid and battle at the edge of a mountain bound glacier. The Druid will need to focus on the ritual to destroy the meteorite, but will break away to fight if threatened.
What new monster do you plan to include in this adventure?
Frost templates to monsters and animals. The frost template will give them immunity to the cold and special abilities tied to the cold.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Here's mine. It had such potential! *sob*
The one hope held by the citizens of Azurestone lies in an artifact known as the Red Raven, a priceless heirloom held by the former founder that supposedly possesses the power to locate the founder’s lost heir. The night before the ceremony that would activate the Raven and send it out to seek the heir, the artifact was stolen by an unknown bandit.
While pursuing the culprit, the PCs must traverse numerous miles of wooded wilderness en route to the distant Fog Peak Mountains, where the thief is believed to be heading in order to conceal his tracks in the coming snows. The woods, however, are filled with the tyrant noble’s men who seek to prevent anyone from possibly locating the founder’s heir and have laid numerous traps and ambushes for anyone pursuing the thief. Additionally, within the mountains themselves are numerous wrathful spirits known as rockwights, bitter at the destruction of their mountain homes and filled with hatred at all who traverse therein.
The thief is none other than the founder’s lost heir, a half-elf who had been raised by his elven mother in the lands to the north. The Red Raven was a gift from the thief’s mother, given to his father so that he may seek them out whenever he wished. Filled with anger at the fact that his father had not once contacted them in several decades, the boy sought out the truth of his father’s identity and tracked him to the town of Azurestone which he had established only a few years after the boy’s birth. Seeing his father’s town flourish, the young boy simply waited for the old man to die, not having the heart nor depth of rage to commit outright murder. Instead, the boy fostered a relationship with the nearby tyrant kingdom, ingratiating himself to their cause and enlisting in their army. Over the years, the boy rose to a position of some importance within the military and, seeing his aging human father about to die, told the tyrant king of his intentions and began plotting the takeover of his father’s prized legacy. With the Red Raven firmly in hand, no one could make a claim to Azurestone and the tyrant he now served would crush the life out of it, completing his revenge.
The final showdown will occur in the mountains themselves, just as the first snows are beginning to fall. The thief, when confronted, will reveal that he is, in fact, the very heir which the Raven was intended to seek. This becomes abundantly clear when the thief is able to command the Raven in battle against them, using it in conjunction with his own martial prowess to combat the PCs if they are unwilling to permit his plan to come to fruition. The battle will take place high above a ravine which the thief will attempt to use to his advantage by knocking characters to the rocks below. It will become a running battle as the thief retreats frequently to heal himself and attempt to set up ambushes for the PCs amongst the crags and snow-slicked mountain paths. Environment will be crucial to the battle as the thief will use every advantage he can get against the superior numbers of the PCs. Higher ground, difficult terrain, and a few dirty alchemical tricks will all be available to the villain as he makes his final defiant stand against the allies of his father in a desperate attempt to exact his final revenge once and for all.
The new monster I plan to include is a vengeful elemental spirit known as the “rockwight.” Created in the wake of mass mining operations, these elementals represent the pain and suffering that a mountain endures at the hands of industrious humanoids who delve deep into the earth. They exist only to take vengeance upon trespassing humanoids, adding the gems and metals they carry back into their mountain home in hopes of healing the scars of industry. They possess many of the usual elemental traits in addition to abilities befitting their angst-driven existences, such as a piercing wail that produces a shatter effect against metal and stone items.
here is mine!
As the last leaves hang tight to tall trees, and a blanket of foliage rests on the ground creating a riot of oranges, yellows and reds all is not well in the small community of Azurestone. The last Chinook winds warm the autumn air as dark skies form on the horizon bringing with them the cool chill of winter’s grasp. Pure innocence is at risk in this small community and scandal is afoot. Missing is a newborn baby fresh from the womb, her mother brutally massacred. Who will solve this mystery and will it be solved in time? In the distance the jagged cliffs of Fog Peak Mountain loom beckoning any who dare to attempt their ascent, worse still is the trail of the culprit leads to this ominous wall of stone. Will Heroes emerge in time to make the climb and rescue the infant from untold horrors…?
What is the object that vanished and why is it important to retrieve it?
A newborn, pure innocence is always worth saving.
Two obstacles the PCs must overcome?
OBSTACLE #1 THE MIDWIFE AND THE MASSACARE
The Heroes are lead to the dwelling of the local midwife who attended the birth of [BABY] and tragic death of [MOTHER]. Upon arrival the residence seems abandoned. Further investigation has the Heroes stumble on a macabre scene. Blood soaked rags and rusted surgical implements litter the room. Sprawled open on the table is leather bound book its pages revealing an obscene ritual. With a listen check, sloshing noises can be heard from a back room, bursting forth slides a wet mass of tangled umbilical cords, placenta, amniotic fluid, and stillborn pieces [SEE NEW MONSTER]. After overcoming the encounter and study of the book, the Heroes realize where the newborn child is being taken. The book details a temple to [Deity] in the distant Fog Peak Mountains. Even more unsettling is that some pages have been torn from the manuscript detailing some horrific ritual involving the lost child!
OBSTACLE #2 CHASING THE SUN
The Heroes finally reach the base of Fog Peak Mountain, in the distance dark clouds gather heavy with an impending storm. The air is chill and the heroes can see their breath as it escapes their lungs. Looming high above is the summit of the mountain and the lost temple to [Deity]. The heroes quickly realize if they do not reach the summit before the storm arrives and night falls the fate of the baby will be grim. A series of Balance and Climb checks will be needed to reach the summit in time, even pushing the Heroes to fatigue and exhaustion. Of course no treacherous climb would be without an ambush from cultists at some point!
Who took the object and why?
The Grandfather himself took the newborn. This village elder and member of town council is the true culprit! This vermin plans to perform a rite to [Deity]. This rite when properly performed describes how to meld the life force of a newborn to extend one’s own mortality.
The final showdown with the culprit.
High atop the slopes of Fog Peak Mountain hides a temple to [Deity]. Nestled among the many natural hot springs, which give the mountain, its name lays the forgotten entrance to the temple. Long abandoned except by mountain goats and wild cougars this temple stands like a splinter violently jutting from the landscape’s skin. As the sun crests over the mountain and the first snow falls, the heroes make their entrance.
The temple is uncomfortably warm; the air stinks with the acidic stench of sulfur. In the heart of the complex rests the climax to this adventure. Chanting can be heard and drumming--an ever-hurried beat that results in a chaotic crescendo of drums and shouts to then start over. A baby swaddled in red is held aloft by a masked figure atop an altar. A mass of writhing humanity sways back and forth undulating to the cacophonous beat of the drumming. The stone floor is wet with a mixture of condensation from the hot springs and the sweat and stink of the cultists. As the heroes make their presence known the majority of the cultists flee in terror; however, making their way to the altar to save the baby does not go unmolested. Six armed cultists provide protection to the central figure with the swaddled baby. As the masked figure disrobes he reveals the fleshy forms of newborns pressing outwards against his abdomen. Three entire forms can be made out, and as he runs his hands across his distended and bloated belly the muted sounds of crying can be heard.
What new monster do you plan to include in this adventure?
I plan on introducing the “Birthing Golem”.
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alrighty, here we go (oh and bartender, better make mine a double)
The Azurestone, a spall of exotic sky-blue mineral and namesake for the small, remote community, has been taken. The town of Azurestone is nestled within a grove of eerie, pale Bonetrees which have the unfortunate side effect of weakening the separation between the Material and Ethereal planes. Before the arrival of the sacred spall, the townspeople were continuously raided by Ethereal Filches, Ethereal Marauders and other planar horrors. The Azurestone effectively counteracts the Bonetrees' influence, leaving the citizens of this remote town safe.
• Who took the object and why?
Red Raven, an especially sadistic xill with a cloak of red feathers stole the Azurestone. His plan is to end the planar blockade by feeding the spall to a cantankerous old xorn living in the Fog Peak Mountains. Unfortunately, carrying the stone prohibits Red Raven from using his planewalk supernatural ability and he is uncertain of the exact location of the xorn’s lair from this reality.
• What are two of the obstacles the PCs must overcome while chasing down the culprit?
1. To buy himself some time, Red Raven planned the first leg of his getaway carefully. The party follows a trail to the ruins of a spatially-distorted tower several miles outside town where a mated pair of legendary creatures now guards their isolation ferociously.
2. Once inside the wooded foothills the characters are stalked by an insane treat bent on trampling or chasing them out of its forest. This massive tree is draped with tattered tapestries and faded ornate linens. It is in fact a huge animated object; a marquee disguised as a tree. The players may notice a brilliant red feather caught in its boughs.
• What will the final showdown with the culprit look like?[/i]
The characters should spot Red Raven just outside the lair of the xorn. If forewarned he will be waiting at the rear of the antechamber. A xill is a formidable foe but he is only one combatant. Should he even suspect that the party is a real threat he will flee down the tunnel, trying to attract the attention of the xorn. Combat will become an entangled triangle of competing goals. The xill will do everything in his power to get the stone to the zorn. Afterwards he will fight to the death to keep the party at bay. The grumpy xorn will be interested only in the spall. If he gets hold of the Azurestone he will immediately begin to eat it. It will take three rounds to fully ingest the shield sized stone and it will affect the zorn as if he was intoxicated. Success for the party depends on how much of the stone remains.
• What new monster do you plan to include in this adventure?
Described as large as a calf, antlers on its head, red eyes, a face not unlike a man's, a body covered with green, red, and black scales, and an impossibly long a tail ending in a fish's fin, the legendary Piasa Bird is rumored to hunt these lands. Is it true that this bird is an evil spirit which devours men? This may even be one of the motivations to get the characters so far out into the untamed frontier.
Well, in the interest of full disclosure:
Deep in the month of Neth, under the chill cover of darkness as the citizens of Azurestone celebrate the Concordance of Candlelight, Everenson Kneff is taking his revenge ...
Azurestone is a community founded on the twin arts of natural history and druidic prophecy. It is a smallish community as things go, but one that enjoys more than it's fair share of the learned and the gifted, both natural philosophers and poets. The community even boasts a small college of learning, and is governed not by a mayor, but the college's chancellor. The community also possesses an extensive library and museum, but it is the Azurestone itself which fills the hearts of the town with pride, and their souls with worry. The Azurestone was used for centuries by ancient Druids to read the future in the stars using an extensive system of runes and notches to chart the path of the heavens, but recently the heavens have gone mute.
While many had theories, one voice rose from the clamor of learned men claiming he knew the answer, but his was an answer that none were willing to accept. The college's foremost expert on the arts of Alchemy, Kneff, claimed that the stone's origin was far older than the druidic sects, that it was in fact a relic of an old god - a facet of Norgorber himself. Kneff was insistent, even after he was threatened with a charge of blasphemy, until he was thrown not only out of the college but nearly stoned by the citizens of Azurestone prior to sneaking out in the dead of night. And now he has returned to steal the Azurestone itself.
Kneff plans to take the stone to the Mournspire high in the Fogpeaks, there to use it to awaken the prophetic powers of the stone and learn the secrets he hopes will allow him to become an intimate of Norgorber. He is aided in this quest by the Tahren, dark fey born of the blood spilled in an ancient attack on Norgorber. The Tahren are blessed with the ability to sow doubt and paranoia in the minds of men, and they will use this ability to hinder Kneff's pursuers.
Kneff uses his intimate knowledge of the college grounds, his budding talents for sorcery, and his mastery of the alchemical craft to set up several distractions for his theft including busts of magical darkness, howling maelstroms of terrifying screams, and blazing displays of pyrotechnics. Once the player's combat their way through Kneff’s gambits, they will still be faced with a chase through the college's library and museum before finally finding that they have been pursuing a decoy all along, and that Kneff is long gone.
Kneff's getaway was not clean however, and it will not take long for the party to begin their pursuit either by tracking or with the help of the diviners of Azurestone. Hurrying after the thief, they speed their way towards the Fog Peak Mountains. However, Kneff is not unprepared. Once his pursuers catch up to him at the edge of the Howling Canyon, he calmly detonates the charges he has rigged to the bridge that spans the gap, cutting the party off via a half-mile deep chasm with a torrential river at its base.
The party need not despair long though, as the sages of Azurestone have an idea where help can be found. In the foothills of Fog Peak, the brilliant but misanthropic mechanical genius Denaldi has his workshop, where he has been working on an ambitious project, a lighter than air zeppelin powered by the enchanted ores mined in the Peaks, christened the Red Raven. But even reaching Denaldi will be difficult as the party must first pass through the trials of the Whisperwood forest.
Once the heroes obtain Denaldi's aid and the Airship, they must brave the dangers of the Fog Peak Mountains, a series of mountain peaks jutting from the high altitude fog that gives them their name - looking much as a series of small islands in an eternally roiling grey sea. Small communities live atop some of the peaks, mining for the rare ores and mystically active stones that bring high prices in the markets of Golaria. Creatures also prey the skies and the great grey sea, and the airship will be preyed on by skysharks as well as other dangers. In addition to these dangers, the heavy black clouds threatening a blizzard of winds and snow are creeping ever closer.
When the heroes finally catch up to Kneff, it will be from the deck of the Red Raven, high atop the Mournspire, at a shrine to the lord of secrets built open-air of great black columns, and the ceremony will have already begun !
Double check it for non-alphanumeric characters, Eyebite. I'd wager that's the cause.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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For what its worth, this was my shot at things:
Module Summary:
The notorious Red Raven, a notorious half-elven burglar has struck again! In the dwarven trading post of Azurestone, she has breached the quarters of a diplomat from Axe Blade Fortress (the sponsoring dwarven stronghold), and filched his ring of office. Without that ring, the diplomat can not continue his mission, which might very well prevent bloodshed with the human neighbors. The loss of the ring would also cause considerable damage to the diplomats reputation, and by extension, damage his sponsoring noble as well. Finally, the ring itself is a masterpiece of dwarven craftsmanship, made from mithral and studded with tiny gems.
Worse still, the supposedly-secret defender of both the diplomat and his possessions, a Namescourged Devil, supported the Red Raven and betrayed his master. The creature was a gift from a Chelish Devil-Binder several decades back, and had served faithfully – until now. The fact that the Red Raven was able to twist the devils allegiance to her is the first clue towards the larger conspiracy involved. The Red Raven was hired, and provided with the Devils name by Lord Bargamar, an unscrupulous noble of Axe Blade Fortress, a major dwarven fortress in the Fog Peak Mountains.
The Red Raven has followed the quickest route towards the Fog Peak Mountains, which leads through the treacherous Deadstone Fens. While the Red Raven had known the path to be dangerous, she followed it as the only way to reach the dwarven stronghold without being seen and captured for her numerous other heists. Should she arrive at the fortress, Lord Bargamar would pay handsomely for being able to damage one of his rival’s servants, as well as seeing his violent plans for the human neighbors of Axe Blade Fortress fulfilled.
In the Deadstone Fens, the party encounters the restless remnants of a dwarven army which perished in a long-forgotten battle. While these forces consist mainly of skeletons, and should not be overly dangerous themselves, these repeated clashes should quickly lead to fatigue from lack of proper rest, and can be problematic for spellcasting characters. In addition, the Red Raven creates a false trail to throw off potential pursuers. This false trail leads into the lair of a territorial water naga. Diplomatic groups can avoid combat here, and even gain valuable time due to the nagas familiarity with the terrain.
The final showdown with the Red Raven takes place in the ruins of a dwarven temple. The Red Raven herself underestimated the danger from the undead plaguing the fens, and found sanctuary here. She has spent the time waiting for her wounds to heal and exploring the temple. The Namescourged has been unable to enter the hallowed temple, and thus lurks nearby. The devil is currently tasked with protecting the Red Raven from assailants (like the characters), yet the Red Raven is far from defenseless herself. Her excellent equipment and the temples automaton defenses (Animate Object statues) should still provide a challenging battle, even if the rogue is not at her full strength. Within the ruins of the temple, there are shattered walls, rubble and uneven footing, allowing the Red Raven to use her tumble and balance skills to good advantage.
The Red Raven would rather escape with her life than die for some others benefit, and thus, if pressed beyond her means, possibly surrenders. This might expose the larger plot behind the theft, and lead to further adventures in investigating Bargamar.
New Monster:
Namescourged
The myth that you may control a devil’s allegiance by knowing its name has possibly originated with these creatures. The Namescourged are a breed of devil particularly favored by infernalists for its unfailing obedience and dependability. Anyone speaking one of these creatures name instantly becomes the sole master of the devil, and commands its allegiance almost perfectly. Upon being bound like this, the Devil chooses a new name, following an arcane scheme few comprehend. They further hell’s goals in two ways: Due to its basic nature, the creature will usually “use” any command it is given to the hilt in furthering its own goals (and thus accustom their master to evil). Secondly, their usually unfailing reliability invites trust and dependence on the part of the master, making the betrayal all the more painful if the creature is stolen away by another.
They appear similar to completely hairless human males with stark white skin, and blazing red eyes, but can change their shape into any normal animal, including seemingly innocuous pets. In any form they take, they retain their coloration, however, so doves, small dogs and rats are common forms among those masters who do not wish to advertise their guardian.
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Okay, for your reading pleasure, or displeasure, my take on W3 - Flight of the Red Raven.
Enjoy, comments are appreciated, too.
Robert N. Emerson
Grand Master Delver CuDraoi at Delver's Square
Magister of Glen Ravin
The Emerson Papers
Ex Ignorantia Ad Sapientiam; E Luce Ad Tenebras
W3 - Flight of the Red Raven
With the Red Raven, the village has survived each winter with minor loss of life and strife, but it is still a struggle for the stout, hard-working folk. Without the Red Raven, the village will have a difficult time finding game or lost friends and family in wilderness frontier around their village.
Although the village has always used the magical sculpture for the good of the community, such as searching for game or lost villagers, there are no restrictions on what it can be commanded to scout, save for distance and visibility. It cannot be sent to find a subterranean lair or horde, unless it is already underground, nor sent to another plane without first being there.
[/spoiler}
Not only must the heroes race against the coming snow and dangers of terrain, but also local predators looking to complete their winter fattening before the season settles its glacial clutch upon the wilds. There are several humanoid tribes, too, that might interfere with the party, either because they are opportunistic or loosely allied with Eoln.
Also, their quarry is Eoln Elandr, a rogue elven ranger who seeks to use the wondrous figurine for illicit gain by waylaying caravans, couriers, and others in order to take from the rich and make him richer. Eoln’s time amongst reclusive mountainfolk has turned the elf down a path of greed similar to that of hording dragons or bandit-kings.
Long ago this elven-ranger’s love turned cold, as the brief life of Jelina, his human wife, was ended by an amorous sorceress. Turning to his people for justice, Eoln was dissatisfied with the punishment of the prominent elven woman for killing a human. Instead, the elf maid was only to be shunned for the estimated remainder of the Jelina’s life. With a glacial heart, Eoln sought to become powerful enough that none would dare ignore him or his loss again.
The first step to that power is using the Red Raven to find his wife’s killer, who has been hidden from Eoln, slay her and amass a kingdom’s ransom.
Set in their path are numerous allies of the renegade; a demented druid named Ilrum the Wild who is the brother of Eoln’s late-wife, the bugbear brothers Loorgh and Laargh, and a myriad of animal allies. One ally is Eoln’s cat-companion, a taima (tahy-muh) named Tsova, and his pride, which consists of several females, juveniles, and two younger males.
The final conflict will be a rapidly shifting battle in the craggy terrain of the slopes of the Fog Peak Mountains between the adventurers and Eoln’s forces.
After numerous close calls and battles throughout the wilds, the final battle will take place at Eoln’s bandit camp, which resides in a rocky, mountainside copse that offers cover to both sides of the engagement. However, the party is in the woodland brigands’ territory that lends a guerillas edge in their foes’ favor.
Taimas are similar to the savannah prowling lion; however these large cats have adapted to the mountainous climates without losing their social nature. Smaller than true lions, taimas are roughly the same size as a medium-sized humanoid. Normally a dusty-tan in color, the taiga lion’s fur lightens as it thickens with the coming winter until it is that of grey-white speckled mountain snow.
Often likened to wolves, taimas are more cunning, not only do they hunt in packs with the females taking the lead, but when attacked it is the males’ ferocity that is unleashed with the females splitting their numbers between guarding the young or becoming skirmishers.
Normally taimas are so strong of spirit and will that they make for bad animal companions or familiars, due to the strong familial sense they have for their pride, but Tsova bonded deeply with Eoln when the ranger rescued him from an icy chasm several winters ago.
So earned was the taima’s loyalty that the pride considers Eoln family, even though Tsova is the only animal companion.
Yay! there is still hope to contribute to the evolution of Golarion!
"we're combing through the entries to see if any of the monsters might make suitable entries into the Pathfinder bestiary section."
--Jason Bulmahn
I saw that too. Hopefully mine gets picked! (Its a consolation prize, but maybe enough to get contributor beside your name... but probably not)
Anyways, here is my query:
Adventure Background
“Red Raven” is the adventuring moniker of Elegost Corvus, the Pathfinder who discovered the Sul-kaeren Stone.
The Sul-kaeren Stone is an archaeological artifact carved with Thassilonian and Azlanti script, as well as Kaigan Glyphs.
Kaigan Glyphs are rare, but examples have been found on artifacts in every coastal region of Golarion, from the shores of Varisia to the sunken ruins of Azlant. Before Elegost discovered the Sul-kaeren Stone, Kaigan Glyphs had proven immune to translation through both conventional methods and divination, due to their alien context.
The Corvus Codex is Elegost’s painstaking deciphering of the Kaigan Glyphs into their Thassilonian and Azlanti equivalents using the Sul-kaeren Stone as a reference, then translating into Common. The Corvus Codex also contains many translations of Kaigan Glyphs that had been previously documented.
Kaigan Glyphs are a form of aboleth script, used by their cults and agents since ancient times. Elegost’s translations have granted him insight into the philosophy, power and lore of the aboleths, including the grand manipulations and destructions of civilizations such as Thassilon and Azlant. Elegost also learned of the raes-aeri, an elder race vanquished by the aboleths.
This study has slowly driven Elegost insane. He now views all civilization as a sham perpetrated by the aboleth overlords.
The aboleths have spies inside the Pathfinders, and when they learned of the Corvus Codex, they sent a squad of cultists and skum to Elegost’s Azurestone manor to silence him.
Elegost survived the ambush, and gathered the Sul-kaeren Stone and Corvus Codex before fleeing Azurestone.
Adventure Summary
The PCs are charged by a Pathfinder Venture Captain to determine the fate of the Red Raven, and to recover the priceless Sul-kaeren Stone and Corvus Codex. The last known location of any of them is Elegost’s Azurestone manor, itself the scene of bloody murder.
Clues in the manor and a trail outside of town indicate that Elegost has fled towards an Irori monastery in the distant Fog Peak Mountains, approximately a month’s travel across the untamed Fianna Woods from Azurestone. The clues also hint that Elegost is being pursued, and that some of his pursuers are not human.
While fleeing through the Fianna Woods, Elegost contacted a former adventuring comrade, and asked the druid to discourage any pursuits through the Fianna Woods. While troubled by Elegost’s paranoia, the druid agreed.
The druid will hinder the party with magic unless they win his favor through either word or deed. The PCs can stop a party of nobles hunting dire animals for trophies, or defeat a troublesome chuul if necessary to impress the druid.
A rogue Pathfinder, Mhaedros Tolzant, will race against the party as he leads cultists and skum after Elegost. He will set ambushes and try to hinder the party whenever possible. For example, if Mhaedros gets to the Azure River Ferry first, he will sink it. While crossing an icy glacier, Mhaedros will challenge the party in one last decisive battle.
After defeating Mhaedros, the PC travel to an Irori monastery perched on the edge of a volcanic caldera. Warmed by hot springs and surrounded by glaciers, the monastery has existed in this icy oasis for centuries. The monks believe their prayers prevent primordial horrors from escaping the seemingly bottomless chasm at the center of the caldera.
Elegost sought sanctuary and knowledge at the monastery, but now has fully succumbed to his insanity and successfully used aboleth lore to unleash a single raes-aeri from the depths of Golarion.
The party will have to clear the monastery of drones created from infected monks before confronting Elegost and his raes-aeri guardian at the chasm’s edge.
If the PCs reason with Elegost and force him through diplomacy to acknowledge his insanity, he will be overcome with remorse and cast himself into the chasm.
The noise of this battle will cause an avalanche that will bury the caldera and seal the chasm at a dramatic moment, leaving the party to travel back to civilization with the recovered artifacts.
New Monster
Raes-aeri appear as large anthropomorphic hybrids of a praying mantis and a scorpion.
Like the aboleths, the raes-aeri came from the depths of outer space to prehistoric Golarion. In antiquity, the aboleths vanquished the raes-aeri and bound them to the inner depths of Golarion with rune magic. Now the raes-aeri perpetually wage war amongst themselves for limited space and resources.
Queens (advanced raes-aeri) command the more numerous lesser raes-aeri, who in turn command the drones. Raes-aeri have an affinity for monstrous insects.
When a raes-aeri’s poison reduces a victim to 0 intelligence, the victim falls into a coma and emerges days later as a drone. Drones are mindless humanoids with insect-like mutations such as segmented eyes, pincers and chitin armor.
And here is the rough encounter outline I did last week. I was hoping to make the next round obviously, but as I plan to run it for my players at some point, it wasn't wasted effort. Plus I have fun creating stuff like this.
Part I: Dark Portents
Location: Corvus Manor, Azurestone
1. SOCIAL: Meeting Mhaedros Tolzant for the first time. He has just ransacked the manor after Elegost fled, and pretends to be a friend of Elegost’s who just arrived to visit. This matches his cover story with the townsfolk. Mhaedros soon leaves in pursuit of Elegost.
2. TRAP: Searching the Manor for clues. The locals are more than happy to let the PCs investigate the crime scene, and discover a secret room where Elegost had kept his most important research. Clues found as to Elegost’s destination, and to the identity of his pursuers.
3. COMBAT: Faceless Stalkers (2) disguised as servants ambush the party after they emerge from the secret room. Inspired by Eternal Darkness.
a. Faceless Stalker from Pathfinder #2.
Part II: Primal Forest
Location: Fianna Woods
4. TRAP: Swinging spiked log trap, ewok-style, left by Mhaedros to discourage pursuit.
5. COMBAT: A dire boar is eating the remains of a cultist, and attacks the party when they disturb its meal.
6. SOCIAL: First meeting with Bannson, gnome druid. Bannson bars the PCs path through the Fianna Woods, as Elegost had requested when he fled. Bannson has already harrased a large party of skum and cultists, but he suspects the PCs are a different ilk. The PCs can convince Bannson to let them pass, but first they have to prove their worth.
a. Railroad: If the PCs refuse, they will suffer double the number of random encounters in the Fianna Woods. And they will encounter most of the challenges anyways.
7. SOCIAL: PCs must persuade a group of young nobles trophy hunting in the woods to leave the wildlife in peace.
8. COMBAT: A dire bear wanders by while the PCs are talking to the young nobles. One of the nobles takes a bowshot and enrages the beast, which then charges in looking for blood. Inspired by the Bearkillers.
9. COMBAT: Tatzelwyrms (2) attack the party as they pass near their lair.
a. Tatzelwyrm from DO: Falcon’s Last Hope.
10. COMBAT: Ankhegs (2) have recently migrated to the Fianna Woods, and they need to be eliminated, as they are upsetting the local ecosystem.
11. SOCIAL: Second meeting with Bannson. They PCs need to make a diplomacy check, with modifiers based on their actions in the preceding encounters. If they win, they can pass through the forest unhindered. If they really impress Bannson, he will gift them with an enchanted aberration-bane spear.
Part III: Smoke on the Water
Location: Azure River Ferry
12. SOCIAL: The PCs near the dwarven crafted cable ferry, only to find the outpost in turmoil. Just yesterday, a group of Boggards raided the outpost, capturing some prisoners for their dark rituals. At the same time, Tolzant and his cultists attacked the station at the far side of the river, severing the guide cable for the ferry. The cable can be repaired, but it will take days. The PCs are asked to rescue the captured prisoners before they are sacrificed or eaten by the Boggards.
a. Railroad: If the PCs refuse, the only ford is miles out of the way, conveniently controlled by the Boggards.
13. COMBAT: Boggards (3) at their lair on the riverbank.
a. Boggards are from Pathfinder #2.
14. COMBAT: Boss fight with the boggard priest-king and his bodyguard(s), with the fate of the captives in the balance. Afterwards, the PCs can return triumphant to the outpost, to board the newly repaired ferry and cross to the foothills of the Fog Peak Mountains.
a. Boggard Priest-Kings are also from Pathfinder #2.
Part IV: King of the Barrow Mound
Location: Fog Peak Mountains
15. COMBAT: The party can choose to enter an open Barrow Mound, crafted by a forgotten culture, that lies along the path Inside the Barrow wait some wights (2), created by some of Tolzant’s cultists that fell prey to the King.
a. Optional: The PCs can skip this part and proceed directly to Part V.
16. COMBAT: The King of the Barrow Mound, an advanced wight, waits in his makeshift throne room.
17. TRAP: The King’s burial treasure is stored in a trapped chest.
Part V: Icy Slope to Insanity
Location: Fog Peak Mountains
18. COMBAT: A winter wolf stalks the party
19. TRAP: Tolzant sets off an avalanche to try and bury the party, or at least slow them down.
20. SOCIAL: A small group of dwarven miners has an outpost here, and they can be a source of information to the PCs, as well as providing shelter.
21. COMBAT: A yeti attacks the party as they ascend the mountain.
a. Yeti from Tome of Horrors, pg. 283
22. COMBAT: After the PCs scale the glacier, they will have to fight an ice drake.
a. Ice drake from Tome of Horrors, pg. 116.
23. COMBAT: Final battle with Tolzant and his cultists on the glacier overlooking the Caldera.
Part VI: Fire and Ice
Location: Volcanic Caldera
24. SOCIAL: A steam mephit lingers near the border of the caldera, basking in the steam from a hot spring. He taunts the PCs about what is in store with them, but is more than willing to offer better information for a bribe. Or he can be intimidated into doing so as well.
25. COMBAT: A fevered Irori monk tries to flee the caldera to bring word to the outside world, but is hunted by a Carrion Moth. The monk tells them of his brethren in the monastery, and of Elegost’s insanity.
a. Carrion Moth from Tome of Horrors, pg. 33.
26. COMBAT: The PCs encounter some drones (2) on patrol. After this, the PCs can investigate the Irori monastery in Part VII, or they can proceed directly to the endgame in Part VIII.
a. Drones are a new monster created for this adventure.
Part VII: Bug City
Location: Irori Monastery
27. COMBAT: Drones (3) guard the entrance to the Irori monastery.
28. COMBAT: A centipede swarm must be defeated so the PCs can pass.
29. COMBAT: Praying Mantis (2) stand guard over the captured monks who are still suffering from infection. After they are defeated, the monks can be freed. The abbot tells the PCs of an inner sanctuary that Elegost was unaware of.
30. TRAP: A trap must be bypassed for the PCs to enter the inner sanctuary, where they can rest and gain valuable supplies.
Part VIII: Brink of Insanity
Location: Brink of the bottomless chasm that plunges from the center of the caldera to the inner depths of Golarion.
31. COMBAT: A gargantuan monstrous centipede has just crawled forth from the depths.
32. COMBAT: Elegost (Diviner 5) works on a ritual to free more horrors from the depth, while his raes-aeri guardian watches over him. If the PCs can convince Elegost of his insanity, he will throw himself into the chasm.
a. Raes-aeri are a new monster created for this adventure.
* And I did make up the statblock for my new monster(s) but I'll leave those out in hopes I can submit them to Pathfinder or they get culled from my rejected query.
** Two of my PbP DMs made the 2nd round (Evil Genius and Last Rogue)... Now each post will be a bittersweet reminder that they won and I lost, lol
Wow, if these didn't make the cut, Flight of the Red Raven is sure to be a masterpiece when it hits the stands! While I'm under the impression that the material submitted to Paizo for the open call has since become the property of Paizo--making it a gray area for potential publication should I post the following--I'm going to post my query (now that it's been rejected) as well.
The priceless object that has vanished from Azurestone is, itself, known as the Red Raven. This minor artifact has served as a major power source for the small town, for the last three hundred years. The Red Raven was originally gifted to the dwarven founders of Azurestone by an extraplanar organization of azer known as the Arms of Torag, the dwarven god of the forge. Their azer benefactors tasked them with refining the local ore in the mountains into azurestone, so that the dwarves might prosper from their talents. Azurestone appears as a dusty blue stone, that when used to sharpen ordinary piercing or slashing weapons, increases the sharpness of the weapon, and treats weapons sharpened in such a fashion as masterwork for an hour. As a side effect, weapons sharpened with azurestone create faint blue contrails when wielded. The Red Raven emitted such heat, that it could be used as a constant source of energy to smelt the ore into its purified form, from which they took the name of their town. Even better for the burgeoning community, the Red Raven’s heat was able to provide them with the means to heat the whole town through a series of pipes leading from the underground refinery-vault. Since that day, Azurestone has prospered, and the dwarven founders have passed its secret to only its most trusted descendants.
However, generations later, the Pyre of Asmodeus, a flock of erinyes consumed with pyromania, who have long sought out the secrets of the dwarven forge of Azurestone, have finally succeeded in discovering the true nature of the Red Raven. The Pyre has charged one such member, an erinyes named Relagina, to claim the artifact and use it to stimulate the eruption of Mt. Greizern, a semi-active volcano, which she has been using as her base of operations, located deep within the Fog Peak Mountains.
Relagina has managed to charm and convince to serve her an ogre grappler and minotaur azurestone-enthusiast to defend her lair, as well as an ethereal filcher rogue, whose theft of the Red Raven kicks off the adventure, throwing the town into alarm. Disguised, Relagina teleports to a meeting spot, where she intercepts the filcher’s take, leaving him to his ultimate fate at the hands of the PCs and/or town guard. Just as the town leaders are about to put a call for the aid of adventurers, another party intervenes.
The Clutch of Calistria, a party of wicked, covetous succubi, has recently learned of the Pyre’s plot to steal the powerful relic from Azurestone. Not to be outdone, the Clutch has sent one of their agents—a succubus named Lizencia—to investigate the Pyre’s activities, discovering the whereabouts of Relagina’s lair, and her intentions. Lizencia poses as a member of the dwarven council, and actively seeks out the most capable adventurers to steal the Red Raven from Relagina for her.
Knowing that any such heroes would have to be able to challenge and best an erinyes and company, she convinces the heroes to seek out a magic item almost lost within the Forbidden Mine of Selatar, an old mine outside of town, now the den of dwarven ghosts and vampires. This test will assure her that they could best Relagina et al, and also provide them with a means to do so. The item they will need is called the Horn of the Hippogriffs, and will allow them to tame the hippogriffs of Thanterin Glen, deep within the forest of the same name. The heroes will need to blow the horn on a herd of the creatures to secure mounts to carry them over the mountains, and expedite their passage.
Amidst their flight across the badlands toward Fog Peak Mountains, they will also have to contend with a pair of antagonistic wyverns looking for a mid-flight snack, and a mother roc protecting the wide berth of its nest. They will also be witness to a raid on a gnomish caravan by bugbears mounted on their own breed of mountain-acclimated mounts.
These bugbear mounts are blue-furred, reverse-jointed magical beasts known as caneropards. Caneropards have four eyes in their wolf-like skull, and unusually long necks, like a giraffe. Their paws end with six toes each, and have massive talons protruding from each toe. Their maws are also loaded with fangs as long as daggers, which they chomp at prey that would otherwise be out of reach.
Deep within Mt. Greizern, the PCs will have to finally contend with the airborne Relagina within her lair situated over a pit of magma, a honeycomb of walkways the only suitable terrain for the PCs to do battle with her upon.
Better luck to us all next year!
Adding mine to the list.
The first day of winter is now barely a fortnight away, but the Fire-feather has vanished from its guarded safe - and one of the priests is also missing. His footprints lead past the post where the guard slept and out into the woods. Meanwhile, the first flakes of snow are drifting in on the wind...
In a raging snowstorm, PCs must fight high winds, poor visibility and sapping cold to find and follow the tracks before they are hidden beneath the snow.
And the snowy landscape itself holds dangers, for the trail leads through the hunting grounds of the Shardsingers. These strange creatures appear at first to be no more than hollow shards of ice that sing as the wind blows through them, but unwary creatures have been known to stand entranced by the same song while the Shardsingers weave a cage of ice around them and freeze them to death.
Later, on the scree-riddled lower slope of the mountain, roams a trio of Dire Weasels, driven down from the mountain by vicious, mobbing ravens and hungry enough to tackle even well armed humanoids.
Above the weasels, the trail leads on to a tiny crevice and cave, haunted by the ghost of the original Red Raven. It is here that the priest, a tiefling adept named Tathlan, has fled, tormented and bullied by the raven ghost and its living descendants until he eventually cracked and stole the feather in the hopes of bribing the ghost into leaving him alone.
Meanwhile the raven ghost cannot rest until its feather is returned to it, and outside, the Shardsingers are waiting to capture the feather and prevent the villagers from ever blocking them out again.
The final showdown becomes either a two or a three-way battle over Tathlan and the feather. On one side are the PCs, on a second, a swarm of Shardsingers who may join up with the third group, the ghost of the Red Raven and a flock of his fiendish raven descendants if only to get rid of the Fire-feather once and for all.
If the PCs successfully retrieve the Fire-feather, they must still battle their way back to the village against the looming deadline of the ceremony.
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Here's mine:
The Bitterhold Clan of Bugbears has been a threat to Azurestone for decades. Thirteen years ago, Azurestone was besieged by the Bitterhold Bugbears, led by Chief Xvium. Xvium, a ruthlessly cunning tactician, began his siege by slaughtering the owners of the outlying farms and seizing their crops just after harvest.
The town was saved by a group of heroes led by Terrum Forsathe. Playing on the Chief’s pride and greed, Terrum arranged a duel to decide the fate of the town. The duel ended with Terrum severing Xvium’s left hand. Xvium fled and, in the years following, Terrum has played on Xvium’s paranoia and fixation with winning his hand back, guaranteeing yearly duels in place of sieges and invasions.
That’s about to change if Carmine Killac has his way. Carmine, a Corvus* Rogue/Ranger, has been in Terrum’s jail for three years, and his hatred of the Sheriff and Azurestone has grown deep roots. Feeding this hatred over the last month is Dol Morzoth, a priest of Zon-Kuthon who has arrange to become Carmine‘s cellmate. Morzoth has convinced Carmine that the whole town must pay for Terrum’s “sins” against them, and he has laid out a plan to make this happen.
While Morzoth’s agents create a distraction, the Corvus flock will free Morzoth and Carmine. Then, Carmine will steal the left hand of Xvium and flee with his brethren to return it to Xvium. Either Terrum will pursue Carmine, leaving the town in Morzoth’s mercies, and presenting Carmine a direct chance at revenge, or Carmine will have presented Azurestone’s greatest enemy the prize he most seeks.
The PCs get involved during the distraction, aiding the Sheriff in dealing with the Cultists. This leads Terrum to call on them when the jailbreak and theft are discovered. He must prepare the town for the Bitterhold Bugbear’s attack.. It is up to the Characters to chase down Carmine before he can deliver the hand to Xvium.
Along the way, they’ll be challenged by traps laid by the Corvus flock, including a scene where they discover a slaughtered family’s farm and hear the cries of a baby. If they move to investigate, an Entangle trap may make them easier targets for the Corvus rogues lying in wait.
They’ll also find the trail to the Fog Peak Mountains fraught with natural perils, including a pack of dire weasels led by Gillikutti, a savage Gnome Barbarian. Their path cuts across Gillikutti’s hunting grounds, disturbing the wildlife and spoiling the pack’s repast. Gillikutti is not pleased, and demands fresh food to replace the lost game, deciding to hunt the characters if they cannot replace what was lost by their intrusion.
When they catch up to Carmine, they find themselves surrounded by Bugbears and Corvus. Fortunately for them, the Bugbears are under strict orders to bring everyone they find to the chief. The penultimate battle might occur here if the players are foolish enough to fight such a large group, but will more likely take place at the Bitterhold fight pit.
Xvium’s youngest son Duxxor has grown strong and popular, rivaling the chief uncomfortably. Xvium was planning to send Duxxor and his strongest supporters to Azurestone as the Bitterhold champions, until two months ago, when he was approached by Dol Morzoth, who laid out an alternate plan.
When they arrive at the Bitterhold encampment, Xvium greets the Corvus warmly and asks what should be done about the adventurers. As Carmine begins a descriptive speech, Duxxor interrupts. By clan law, as the Champion, he challenges the party for possession of the hand. The chief is outraged, but his son has enough support that he must abide by clan law. As the battle begins, Xvium quietly reminds Carmine that the Corvus are not bound by Bugbear law. A wild three-way fight ensues, focused on the current holder(s) of the hand.
The characters reclaim the hand for Azurestone and, with diplomacy, can reinstate the uneasy truce. They may discover Dol Morzoth’s role in the adventure and prepare for the final battle when they return to Azurestone. Dol Morzoth and his followers have captured the sheriff and his deputies, turning the jail into a shrine of their dark god. The final battle takes place in this disturbing shrine to pain and loss.
* Corvus are a cousin race to Kenku. They have blood-red feathers instead of black, and are taller and thinner. They can mimic sounds similarly to the Kenku, and can also duplicate any spell of up to 2nd level with audible components they have heard within one minute, up to 3 spells per day, as a supernatural ability. In combat, they often throw spells back at the caster the round after it was cast, mocking the caster’s voice and movements.
Rejected as well, here's my entry:
W3: Flight of the Red Raven
But a turncoat Venture-Captain in the Pathfinder Society named Corvus Vaskul also learned of the red raven through Kember’s progress reports. Trained to infiltrate the pathfinders and steal their secrets, he sees an opportunity. Corvus knows other elven artifacts once existed in Lythiria and believes the raven can lead him to them. So he journeys to Azurestone under the guise of personally checking Kember’s claims. While there, he secretly poisons her, steals the figurine, and escapes into the wilderness. With no healers in Azurestone capable of curing Kember, the town’s only priest hastens to carry her south to a temple of Gozreh. Before departing, however, Kember requests the PCs track down Corvus and reclaim the figurine.
But the red raven complicates matters. Unknown to Corvus or Kember, the bird has its own agenda — namely, the return of its mistress. The ancient elven manuscripts Corvus studied failed to record the real reason the Lythirians disappeared. Conscientious sages struck their true nature from history because of the embarrassment brought upon all elvenkind. Prior to their extinction, the entire Lythirian house turned to evil, enthralled by Antariel Oronae, who became a vampire and used her raven familiar as a daytime agent to solidify her house among the elves of the Mordant Spire. But when her own kind rose up to slay her, the vampire queen fled for her life. Unfortunately, Antariel never reached her coffin in time and perished in the morning sun, leaving behind the red raven for others to eventually find. Now, unaware of Antariel’s death, the bird seeks to speed Corvus to the hidden lairs her mistress had prepared for her retreat, hoping to unite as her familiar once again.
While chasing Corvus the PCs face several challenges, both monstrous and weather-related. The wily assassin sends the red raven to scout for pursuers and uses a number of wilderness tricks to evade them. Eventually, the heroes must cross a frozen lake formed by a beaver dam to reach the Faenwood. A cryohydra aggressively hunts the area, stirred into activity by Corvus’ passage. This leads to a harrowing battle on the lake’s surface where the cryohydra cracks the ice while swimming to reach them. The heroes must soon fight, flee, or sink to a numbing death, presenting both a physical and endurance challenge for those who become exposed to the elements prior to reaching the Faenwood.
Later, within the forest, the PCs also encounter snow elf guardians of the Mordant Spire, cousins of the Lythirians who have seen the red raven of Antariel flying their forest once again. A wizened druid and his snow leopard companion lead the group, preferring that the past remained buried. While Corvus uses the red raven’s secrets to slip through these guardians and into the Fog Peak Mountains, the heroes must convince the elves to let them pass, either diplomatically, by force of arms, or through a contest of skill to prove their mettle.
The final confrontation takes place in a glacier-carved valley containing aboveground crypts prepared by Antariel for her fleeing progeny. The ancient sins of the vampires also taint the surrounding forest, giving rise to a species of bloodletting treantkin who guard the approach. While the presence of the red raven allows Corvus to pass these guardians, the heroes must put down the evil plants to gain access to Antariel’s crypt. Within those stone walls lies a frozen pool of blood which the red raven directs Corvus to thaw so he can reach the powerful items he seeks. Armed with these artifacts, he then makes his stand against his pursuers. Meanwhile, in a dark chamber below the churning waters, a coffin opens, releasing an ancient vampire spawn once enthralled by Antariel. This creature attempts to claim the red raven as a symbol to rally more of their kind to walk Golarion again.
I suspect it may have been rejected for any of the following reasons:
1. Vampires - An often over-used creature. And, although the adventure idea used a vampire spawn in the context of the finale, it may not have appealed to the reviewers.
2. Item Familiar - Although it's OGL, including the concept of an item familiar in a GameMastery module might eat up too much space. I had hoped to pull it off in a reasonable manner, though.
3. Pathfinders - This adventure idea drew pretty heavily on the Pathfinder Society, and that may be something Paizo wants to keep more in-house for the moment...in terms of development and what-not.
4. Azurestone - I really didn't go into much detail or elaboration on the significance of the town itself. I'd hoped to expound on that more within the outline or the adventure, though.
5. Finale - I didn't describe the nature of the elven artifacts Corvus would use in the final battle. More detail might have strengthened the query, but I was running very short on word-count by that point and hoped to invest more description in the nature of the NPCs and antagonist.
My two-cents,
--Neil
I've been a "lurker" here since finding out about the open call. It's been really interesting reading all of the posts and seeing the friendly banter. Usually on message boards, there's one or two beanheads stirring up trouble, but I haven't seen that here. It's a refreshing change.
I submitted into the open call with my brother-in-law, but we didn't make it into the final 12 either. In all honesty, I'm a little relieved. I'm not positive we could make the deadline. Also, the project is bigger than anything I've written before. We did a couple of mods for the RPGA, but they're only 10-12 pages long. This would be 32, and with a shortened timeline.
FWIW: Here's our attempt.
Over a hundred years ago, the logging village of Azurestone entered into an accord with the enclave of druids who protect the ecosystem of the surrounding territories. The sign of this pact is the Staff of the Red Raven. So long as this staff is possessed by Azurestone, the accord remains. The staff has been stolen. If it is not retrieved before the upcoming annual summit between Azurestone and the enclave, the accord will be broken. The accord has never been anything less than shaky. Without it in place, open hostilities are sure to begin due to the aggressive logging Azurestone engages in.
A militant, zealous druid arranged for the Staff of the Red Raven to be stolen. Without the staff, and thereby the accord, the druids can defend the deforestation Azurestone is engaging in. He arranged for a freelance thief to steal the staff. It was delivered to a ranger in the nearby forest who then took the staff to the druid. The ranger killed the thief without the druid’s knowledge or permission to eliminate the witness.
As the party travels through the forest toward the Fog Peak Mountains, they will be engaged by the new monster. It is a cross between a dire badger and a porcupine. It is smaller than a dire badger, but covered in venomous quills. A complete Ecology and Origin of Species will be provided in the adventure.
The main obstacle the players must face is time. If the staff is not retrieved before the summit, the accord will be broken and the uneasy peace will end. In a more confrontational sense, two encounters will slow the party and provide combat elements in the adventure.
First, a group of mounted half-orc raiders will attack the party in the wilds between Azurestone and the mountains. The half-orcs have nothing to do with the enclave or Azurestone; they’re just bandits.
The second is an intentional ambush by the druid. At the base of the mountains is a river, swelled over the banks by recent heavy rainfall. A summoned water elemental attacks the party as they cross the slippery, nearly washed-out bridge.
An additional obstacle the party will face is the mountain itself. Weather and terrain will be a difficult obstacle to overcome. The further up the Fog Peaks the party goes, the worse the weather gets. Without the proper equipment or magic, they are likely to be fatigued from exposure for the final encounter with the druid.
As the party climbs the mountain, the final encounter begins to shape. They will have an aerial view of Azurestone and the surrounding forest. They will then see the effects of Azurestone’s aggressive logging. When they finally reach the druid, they will be faced with a moral decision. The druid is not evil. He is a radical zealot defending the forest he helps protect. He also arranged for the stealing of the staff and is working against peace. Do the players attack and kill the druid, see things from his side and leave, try to capture him and bring back the staff, turn him over to the enclave, or something else entirely? There is no wrong choice, nor is there a right one. There should be inter-party discussion, probably leading to in-character arguments and intense philosophical differences.
This should prove to be greatly enjoyable to both player and judge as it contains aspects every adventure type. It is a mix of investigation, combat, role-playing and character interaction, and value judgments, with a bit of moral ambiguity on the top. The pressure and pace should be intense, as there is a race against the clock. The combats will be challenging due to design and terrain. The options should prove insightful. The outcomes of the adventure should vary widely and depend heavily on player personality and party makeup.
The party will have two primary adventure hooks: help the druids reign in their zealot or help Azurestone keep the peace. It is possible for both agendas to be represented, depending on party makeup.
The villain is not clearly defined. This is done intentionally. Is the village in the wrong for over logging, straining the accord, and damaging the ecosystem? Is the zealous druid in the wrong for believing his ends justify his means? This is presented as a struggle between two non-evil groups who have clearly opposing viewpoints. The party is drawn in to judge between two groups who are neither right nor wrong.
Nice to meet you Neville,
Its a great community. Everyone is quite nice and its alot like a big family. Hope to see you around the boards again.
Sorry for the thread-jack, everyones entries so far are awesome. Please continue posting, I'm enjoying the read.
:)
First off, congrats to all you losers for some great ideas (present company included, of course), but, more importantly, congrats to those advancing to the second round.
This is the first time I really paid attention to these boards, and I must say, you all are a great bunch of people.
Now, the unveiling of my entry -
“Legends say a raven cannot resist eating dead flesh. A plague of anger and passion brought much death to the region centuries ago – so much so their feathers soaked red with blood. It is said: “When a hungry wolf runs throughout the night, a red raven often takes to flight.”
- Prophecy of the Red Raven
What is the object that vanished and why is it important to retrieve it?
Cerulean Moon, an intelligent sword with a lapis-lazuli hewn orb of mysterious origin embedded in its hilt, is seemingly bound to the small community of Azurestone and, as legends claim, suppressed the Red Raven Plague that devastated the countryside centuries ago. In reality, the Cerulean Moon did more than subdue a disease: the otherworldly weapon abated the lycanthrope affliction captivating the region as well as the cursed community of Azurestone.
Since its disappearance, the town folk of Azurestone are changing. Generations later, the inhabitants, unbeknownst what disease boils in their blood, are more irritable, ornery, and impatient, then ever remembered. Worse still, a hero’s tomb is desecrated, some people disappeared, while others are found seemingly mangled by wolves and blood-soaked ravens. The return of Cerulean Moon is imperative and its mystery solved unless the Red Raven Plague will again wash the land with blood.
What are two of the obstacles the PCs must overcome while chasing down the culprit?
Besides traversing unspoiled wilderness, far from civilization, while a full moon approaches, PCs must not only beat back raven swarms accursed with lycanthropy, but they must outrun and outmaneuver scores of transformed villagers they mean to save.
Who took the object and why?
Gilead, a distant descendant of the fallen paladin, Sir William Longtooth, took Cerulean Moon from its prominent position at the center of town. The king charged Sir William, due to his wisdom, bravery, and martial prowess, those many years ago to quell the rapidly growing hoard of rampant werewolves that advanced upon the region. Armed with Cerulean Moon, temporarily bestowed to him by the church, Sir William marched confidently into the werewolf den.
To his shock and dismay, Sir William found the sword not merely a werewolf bane, but within its presence, the werewolves instantly became human once more and had no knowledge of their reign of terror. Believing them innocent of their actions and recognizing his true nemesis, the accursed affliction, the noble knight could not bear sending these men, women, and children, to the hangman’s noose, despite the overwhelming urge of Cerulean Moon. It is also perhaps William loved a woman among the guilty and this is what turned him to lead a life as a pariah.
Whatever reason, William refused to return the sword to the church deciding to live the remainder of his life in the newly christened town of Azurestone. The church outraged, severed his deific link unless he returned the weapon and atoned. However, Sir William never sought atonement, for with Cerulean Moon within the immediate vicinity, the inhabitants had a proper chance to live a normal life.
Upon his death, the town folk interred Cerulean Moon along with its new master and placed an enchantment that none but his offspring could wield the weapon. Generations later, Gilead entered the tomb, took the weapon, with plans to return it to its proper place within the church. This, he believed, would allow him to atone his ancestors, restore the deific link to his family, and finally become a paladin himself.
Unfortunately, Gilead does not have the same willpower as his wise ancestor. Immediately upon release from the tomb, Cerulean Moon overpowered the young squire and he killed two villagers. Distraught, Gilead fled into the wilderness and now fights to regain control over the intelligent weapon. The moments he is able to gain control, he flees further toward Fog Peak Mountains to save his friends further tragedy. But, as control slips from his grasp, the sword beckons him back to the village to kill the progeny of the werewolves of centuries past.
What will the final showdown with the culprit look like?
The PCs confront Gilead upon the treacherous mountain peaks, snow whirling and writhing into a coming storm. After a few rounds of battle, Gilead finally gains brief dominion over the weapon attempting to surrender it. However, a new creature comes into being, forcing Gilead into his hybrid werewolf form. Now, both monsters attack with the full force of desperation.
What new monster do you plan to include in this adventure?
A manifestation of a sword’s ego; called a sword spawn, forms to kill all in one, last desperate attempt to regain control. This is an applied monster template that allows an intelligent weapon with an ego to manifests itself.
My thanks for any commentary, especially suggestions for improvement.
What is the object that vanished and why is it important to retrieve it?
A clear blue crystal, of the sort Azurestone is named for, was used in dim antiquity to capture the first snowflake of the Last Winter before it touched the ground. Since that time it has been enshrined below Azurestone and its magic has kept the harbinger of the Last Winter, the Red Raven, frozen in time.
Without the crystal, the Red Raven, now warped by ages of resentment into a hideous vulture-serpent, will be freed and may finally complete its duty as harbinger.
What are two of the obstacles the PCs must overcome while chasing down the culprit?
The culprits kidnap a group of loggers and, before carrying off the hostages, order the loggers to lure the PCs into an ambush. If the PCs answer the request for help, they’re attacked by orcs and giant buzzards who drop hollowed buzzard eggs packed with choking mustard powder. The PCs will have to deal with the attackers and find the hostages, costing them scarce time. The culprits, a band of half-ogres, abandon the hostages in a cave that houses a Scabrous Broodmother, an undead thing of blood that tears its own flesh to spawn bloodsucking little Scablings.
The PCs will also have to cross a swampland ruled by the delusional ogre druid Charlock and his swarms of mange-warped skunks and dire chipmunks. His druidic powers are tied to the icy environment of the Fog Peaks, where he was once an ally of the centaur Toxoph (see below). The mismatch of environments makes Charlock seem all the madder, as do his animal subjects that he parades about in a travesty of his former ally’s kingdom. The PCs may be able to get crucial intelligence from the ogre, if they can negotiate in terms of his delusions.
Who took the object and why?
Agents of the centaur warlord Toxoph raided the Red Raven shrine openly, killing several guardsmen. Toxoph plans to use the crystal’s winter magic against his rivals, tribes of ogres and athachs that war for dominance of the Fog Peaks. His first plan is to imprison the head brute of the athachs, called Ur-Athach.
What will the final showdown with the culprit look like?
Toxoph has pretensions of empire and loves to force his barbarian orc subjects to celebrate his magnificence. He is particularly fond of the songs of his court bard, the ogre Bellower. The PCs have a chance to catch him unawares if they can strike amid the fanfare and pageantry of one of Toxoph’s galas, held at the frozen feet of Ur-Athach. It seems the victory is not hard won until the Red Raven comes to claim the crystal.
What new monster do you plan to include in this adventure?
In addition to the Scabrous Broodmother, there is the Red Raven, which is now a mockery of its once noble self. It has a naked serpent-like neck and a venomous beak. Its shadow is nightmare itself, causing those it falls upon to see their worst fears in the flesh. As the illusions appear only to the afflicted, their friends are powerless to help.
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I've debated posting my submission, but I figured that this way, at least (hopefully) someone might be able to take some of my ideas in their own campaign.
Any suggestions would be appreciated towards making a better submission.
Here it is...
Centuries ago, a paladin known only as the Red Raven defended Shalast from an invading horde of Bakrakhan. During a pitched battle his weapon was destroyed. The Azure Flame was an intelligent flaming blue bastard sword of considerable power made of blue crystal—breaking it tore apart a soul. One part lived on in a valuable artifact called the Azure Stone, and the other part was carried off with the Red Raven into the Fog Peak Mountains. The Red Raven lured the invading army after him, but nothing is known of his fate for none ever returned. Most of this story has been lost in the mists of time.
Decades later rumors began of hauntings in the Fog Peak Mountains. Travelers tell of the earth rising up against them and wandering dead men who will steal your soul. The seers receive visions about a sundered soul that will be made whole again. Oracles receive vague prophecies referring to a Red Raven and Living Stones. Just as the prophecies are starting to get clearer, a god dies—seers scream and the prophecy becomes obscured.
When the PCs come upon the town of Azurestone, the local oracle, Mondellan, has gone missing with the Azure Stone that has been the town’s magical protector and symbol of power for more than a century. While occasionally a little crazy, Mondellan is a much loved and respected member of the community. The townspeople believe she has fled toward the mountains in an attempt to fulfill the prophecy. They fear for the safety of an old woman in the wilderness alone.
Mondellan heard that some large magical red birds had taken up residence in the surrounding wilderness. Thinking that the time is right to fulfill the prophecy, she took the Azure Stone and pursued these “red ravens.” These deadly beasts, called Krim, have razor sharp claws, metallic feathers, and a mean disposition. They have been terrorizing outlying villages. The PCs must locate Mondellan before she is the Krim’s next meal.
At this point, Mondellan insists that the PCs accompany her to the mountain and fulfill the prophecy before she goes mad with dreams and nightmares. If the PCs refuse, she will take off like a crazy woman and the PCs have to give chase and protect her from the monsters on the Scorned Mountain.
When the PCs reach the Scorned Mountain, they have to defend against Earth Mephits, Earth Elementals, Undead Soldiers of the defeated army, and various Living Stones. The soul of the Azure Flame has taken over the Scorned Mountain and infused it with magic so it now attacks any who come near. The PCs must fight the mountain itself, in the form of rains of boulders, earthquakes, and animated rock formations.
What the PCs don’t know is that a few of the Red Raven’s enemies survived. The story of the Azure Flame has been handed down in Bakrakhan, and a secret group of elite fighters called the Blackstone Guard has emerged. They are charged with keeping the prophecy from being fulfilled so that Shalast never has the power of the Azure Flame again. The Blackstone Guard have heeded their own prophecies and have come to protect the Scorned Mountain from anyone who would try to make the sword whole again.
The PCs will have to decipher the prophecy to find the final resting place of the Red Raven and the Azure Flame. The final clue will be a large red rock formation (Red Raven) that points them to a hidden door in the mountain. Inside they find a giant Rock Construct (CR 6) that is the final manifestation of the broken sword. It is constructed out of rock, the final piece of the Azure Flame, and the armor of the dead Bakrakhan soldiers. It has many characteristics of the Azure Flame, including a blue flame attack.
Just as the PCs begin to deal with this threat, an elite group of Blackstone Guard led by a Blackguard named Kristof comes in behind them. The PCs are caught in the middle. Smart PCs might be able to direct the Construct’s rage against the Blackstone Guard, decreasing the overall threat.
Objectives for the PCs are to find Mondellan, fight off the Krim, protect her and the Azure Stone on her journey to the Scorned Mountain, defeat the monsters and the mountain, fight the Blackstone Guard and the Rock Construct, and finally make the Azure Flame whole again.
Here's mine. Please criticize! All scathing attacks are welcome! Help me learn!
INTRODUCTION
When the PCs launch a desperate wilderness chase to recover the stolen keystone that quells seismic activity under Azurestone Village, they can’t tell friend from foe and don’t realize they carry the fate of two frontier civilization’s in their hands.
BACKGROUND
Wrathful elementals called wilderwolds embody nature’s seismic fury. Their vaguely-lupine forms are composed of shuddering rocks joined together by smoking magma. These continuously convulsing horrors hate all who instill order upon nature’s chaos.
Wilderwolds frequently assault the geological fault running beneath the broken hills connecting Mount Valaitis to Azurestone, twisting the badlands ragged. Nonetheless, for centuries, the russet-colored keystone in Azurestone’s entrance arch has quelled all seismic activity within 25 miles. Legends say Azurestone’s tranquility shall end only if:
The people fail to pay the cost
The anchorstone of old is lost
The raging mountain fills the sky, and
The red raven fails to fly
ADVENTURE SUMMARY
Darkling Thieves
One night on winter’s cusp, red lights flair from distant Mount Valaitis. Dawn reveals the northern sky blackened with smoke and Azurestone’s keystone gone. Prints suggest “radas” stole it and fled into the forested wilds. Villagers describe radas as soulless, lamia-like butchers with humanoid upper bodies above the four-legged bodies of great mountain cats.
The ground trembles and Azurestone panics. Its elders offer a reward for the keystone’s swift return. The PCs accept the challenge. Another swashbuckling team accepts too, departing in a flying ship they rename The Red Raven, to cheers and applause. Few watch the PCs depart into snow flurries threatening to obscure the trail.
The Chase
The radas’ trail runs the ragged ridge of broken hills marching to the mountains. Vigilance and stealth could slip the PCs past a dire-lion den and medusa’s statue grotto. The trail plunges through frigid waterfalls haunted by a belker-like ice elemental and stretches along a crumbling cliff-walk beneath a harpy’s roost. The Red Raven reappears intermittently. The PCs defeat an elaborate ettercap ambush and free a great raven (giant owl stats). It dubs radas noble, cultured creatures that dwell near its own aerie atop Mount Valaitis. It flies away on red wings.
On a ravine bridge, two radas attack the PCs without quarter. Ruins of an earthquake-destroyed city cling to the ravine’s walls. Bas-reliefs depict radas writing, building, and dancing. A stone map shows one keystone in the ravine city, another atop Mount Valaitis, and three in other mountain locations, but none where Azurestone stands.
The PCs overtake the main rada party trapped by a pyro-hydra atop a half-frozen lake. Through battle, the PCs capture the keystone. Nonetheless, Radas (or documents they carry) reveal the following:
Centuries ago, wilderwolds stole the keystone from the radas’ ravine city, precipitating its collapse. Human adventurers from Azurestone then retook the keystone. Rada prophesies foretold that folk from Azurestone would eventually save the radas from extinction, so the radas let Azurestone keep the keystone on the promise to return it when needed. Centuries passed; wilderwolds destroyed all keystones except those in Azurestone and Mount Valaitis. Last month, wilderwolds dwelling within Mount Valaitis finally succeeded in stealing its keystone. They re-kindled the mountain’s fires and commenced churning a cataclysmic eruption yet to occur. Radas rushed to Azurestone to borrow back Azurestone’s keystone. The elders refused.
Competitors
The Red Raven’s party attacks the PCs, planning to extort all of Azurestone’s money before selling the keystone elsewhere. If the PCs prevail, they win the airship. If they lose, the pirates capture them (and surviving radas) for slave trade. While the airship rides the winds, the PCs escape its brig, defeat the pirates, and sail for Mount Valaitis.
Fire and Ice
Windsong, the radas’ crystalline, cloud-wrapped city, rises to Mount Valaitis’s frozen peak. As the PCs arrive, gaping rents and lava consume the city’s lower third. Wilderwold forces route rada defenders.
Fire mephits ignite The Red Raven’s sails to force a crash landing. If grounded, the PCs dodge falling rocks and jump lava channels to reach the peak. As the cataclysmic eruption mounts, the PCs defeat wilderwolds and place the keystone in the peak’s arch. The mountain instantly calms, and the evil forces retreat.
Depths of Shuddering Flame
Azurestone remains unprotected, so the PCs descend the volcano’s sulfurous shafts to recapture Windsong’s keystone. In tangled, magma-carved cavities, they battle flamebrother salamanders, magmins, magma mephits, and wilderwolds to reclaim the keystone and escape.
Flight of the Red Raven
Remaining wilderwolds race south through the earth’s roots to generate an earthquake to level Azurestone tomorrow at dawn. If the airship’s wrecked, the PCs climb the peak’s far side. Somewhere along the eruption-shattered cliffs dwells a raven with red wings that could carry a rider to Azurestone in a single night’s flight.
Self-Critique Here's my self-critique. Please provide your own!
1. Always Start with Action
When trimming from 1,000 to 800 words, I foolishly cut the adventure’s harrowing, first encounter. En route to Azurestone, a sudden earthquake drops the PCs through a crack in the earth into a collapsing subterranean chamber that they must escape. While escaping, they glimpse their first wilderwold. Cutting this encounter was a mistake.
2. Don’t Be Too Linear
The timeline seemingly leaves too little time for the PCs to rest and recover. (In truth, I built in rests, but the proposal, to enhance the drama, didn’t suggest this.) Moreover, the PCs might not care about the radas’ plight. They might immediatley return the keystone to Azurestone and let Mt. Valaitis blow Windsong to Kingdom Come, thereby missing half the adventure.
3. Answer All Questions Fully
I sacrificed detailed answers to Paizo’s questions for story narrative. I didn’t expound sufficiently upon the two climactic battles, one on Mount Valaitis’ peak and the other in the volcano’s bowels. Big mistake.
4. Don’t Make Encounters Seem Too High-Level for the Party
A medusa, a dire lion, a cryo-hydra, a battle to escape a sky-ship’s brig and overcome its pirate crew a thousand feet up in the winds, earthquakes, battles amidst volcanic eruptions, and all on a timeline? What? Couldn’t I fit in defeating an entire pantheon of evil gods too? Reshaping the Great Wheel? And where were the Holy Grail, the Fountain of Youth, and Elvis Presley?
5. Never Split theParty
The final scene suggests only one giant raven is available to fly to Azurestone to save it, so only one party member can take the climactic flight. I should have emphasized Diplomacy would have convinced a flight of ravens to carry all PCs.
6. Focus on Great Ideas and Crunchy Bits, Not Great Writing, Story Continuity, and Fluff
Paizo didn’t ask for a cohesive, complex story. It asked for story ideas and unique crunchy bits. Nonetheless, there’s a disturbing trend out there to dumb D&D down to combat encounters alone, to reduce play to something like a mindless action flick filled with special effects but devoid of a narrative carrying deeper emotional impact. Paizo’s products resist this trend. So I shot for story elements (a prophetic riddle to solve, a shifting understanding of who the villains are, multiple interpretations of the clue about the red raven, a heightening sense of urgency throughout, and so on) and I tried to show I can write. I crafted sentences with cadence and alliteration, like, “The radas’ trail runs the ragged ridge of broken hills marching to the mountains.” I should have focused on answering questions instead. I’d have done better with, “The PCs finally wrest control of the last keystone from wilderwolds while hurtling up the volcano’s chimney on a pitching stone slab swirling on a rising surge of lava.”
PLEASE ADD YOUR THOUGHTS!
Any suggestions would be appreciated towards making a better submission.
At this point, I don't have any suggestions for improving the submissions that have been posted so far. Some of them are quite good. At times, there were definitely places where I'd be reading along and, with my editor's hat in place, I'd find a reason to stop reading...mostly because my interest waned.
So really, the important thing is to keep the interest level up and bring out your best ideas as soon as you possibly can in your write-up. For the deeply analytical, here's some philosophy I've taken from previous writing projects, Paizo seminars, etc.
First...make sure there's a memorable, interesting, and unique villain. Avoid cliches. Mad wizards, vampires, dragons, and cult leaders often get overused. Look for something different. And if you do use one of those cliches, make them interesting in a way that hasn't been seen before. But don't go overboard. Weird is still weird. So you have to make a villain different without making him silly. But most of all, make sure the villain and his goals are a legitimate threat.
Second...make sure the adventure takes place in a memorable, interesting, and unique set of locales. You can't do anything run-of-the-mill here and really attract a gamer's interest. If you're going to do an urban adventure, make sure the city or town has some interesting quirk about it that will engage the heroes. If you're going to do a wilderness adventure, then make sure the forest, jungle, desert, plains, or mountains have something unique about them that sets off everything in the players' minds and gets them involved in applying their skills and talents. And, if you're going to do a dungeon crawl, make sure the rooms, traps, and encounters all have some memorable element to them. Basically, imagine the adventure playing out like a movie. And imagine various scenes or "cool moments" that might take place at a certain location in that movie. These are the locations you need to include in your adventure. Because these are the locations where you'll place your most memorable encounters. And your players will enjoy them more if the location somehow impacts their use of skills, magic, attacks, etc. Once you can envision these locations, they become the encounters you'll want to highlight in your submission.
Third...make sure there's a compelling and interesting plot. What's happened in the past? Why? What's happening now? Why? And what might happen if things continue their current course? Again, avoid cliches. Rescuing a kidnapped princess, fighting off a humanoid incursion, or putting down an undead uprising are overused plots. You can still borrow certain elements from those situations, but you want to make them different and interesting in a way that hasn't been done before. Make sure the villain's goal is something the heroes will want to oppose. Provide a variety of hooks for getting them involved and keeping them involved over the course of the adventure. Look for any interesting situations where the plot can twist back and surprise the players for those "a-ha!" moments.
Fourth...give the villain some interesting and memorable minions assisting him with carrying out the plot. This can be anything from a new monster to shaky allies that the heroes might be able to turn against their master. Just make sure they have a credible reason for being in the location where the adventure takes place, associating with the memorable villain you have in mind, and somehow help to move along the plot in a logical way. Avoid dropping in minions that don't make sense in relation to all of those other factors. Otherwise, they just come off seeming out of place. They cloud the "story" of the adventure and bring down the "suspension of disbelief" factor that's essential to the game and story-telling in general.
Fifth...make sure there's an interesting reward at the end of the adventure. What's the pay-off? Is there a unique and memorable treasure the heroes can acquire? Do they earn some kind of recognition or gift from those who hire them? Are they awarded lands, titles, or commendations that help improve the heroes in the eyes of everyone else in the world? These are the things that players and GMs will have fun incorporating into the lives of the characters and future gaming sessions. Just make sure it's something that fits with everything else...i.e., location of the treasure, the villain's affiliation with it, and that it somehow serves or enhances the plot.
My two-cents,
--Neil
Neil, thanks for that. I think that is quality advice, and you lay it out well. I imagine that is what any fantasy gaming publisher wants out of an adventure . . .be it Open Call or a DDI Dungeon submission.
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Contributor
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Here are a few quick notes of things we saw that led to rejections:
• Didn't follow the directions
• 80% backstory, 20% adventure detail
• No description of what happens during the adventure
• Didn't follow the directions
• Use of WotC IP as key point of adventure
• Use of challenges or rewards not in line with 4th-level characters
• Didn't follow the directions
Here are a few quick notes of common elements we saw that DID NOT (necessarily) lead to rejections:
• Lots of gnolls
• Lots of fey (there will not be a fey in the published module*)
• Lots of artifacts
• Lots of artifacts the PCs get to keep (they're 4th level!)
• Lots of yetis as new monsters (Jacobs has already called dibs on that)
• Lots of Azurestones as mining communities
• Lots of red-headed women as Red Raven
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* Said with 80% certainty
I suck at following directions.
Well, mine is 800 words on the dot - including name, e-mail, questions, right format, etc.
Unfortunately, I mistook 11:59 a.m. for 11:59 p.m. - and I read the requirements at least three times in detail. My brain, for some reason, did not process and I posted my entry late (Oct. 1st, 10:30 p.m. and extremely proud of myself until I realized my horror).
Oh, well. One can only laugh.
• Lots of gnolls
• Lots of fey (there will not be a fey in the published module*)
• Lots of artifacts
• Lots of artifacts the PCs get to keep (they're 4th level!)
• Lots of yetis as new monsters (Jacobs has already called dibs on that)
• Lots of Azurestones as mining communities
• Lots of red-headed women as Red Raven
As George Carlin/Filmore would say:
"It's a wilderness adventure. You gotta have gnolls, man."
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'Tis true, after reading these ideas, I can see both why mine was rejected (they all have some similar elements) and that the chosen ones must be something truly grand. Still, good work all; I'm sure I'll be stealing an idea or two from some of you at some point.
The community of Azurestone is the dream of one dwarf: Durin Firebrand. Three years ago, Durin and his team of delvers discovered a blue mineral in the Fog Peak Mountains that, when added to iron, yielded a steel strong enough to rival the legendary adamantine alloy. Since then, Durin has lead the Firebrand clan in re-establishing a presence in the region, the small town built on the dwarven ruins of Azurestone.
As happens with any such venture, the story grew in the telling, and rapidly Azurestone grew to a few hundred adventurous souls, drawn by the prospect of fortune and convinced of the protection of clan Firebrand. Despite the dangers posed by the local gnoll tribe, rumors of a harpy coven in the Fog Peaks, and the legendary Stone Tusk – great savage beasts that roam the foothills and forests - the non-dwarves in Azurestone now outnumber the Firebrand clan two-to-one.
Survey teams were conscripted to scout the surrounding lands, but these heavily armed missions were mere distractions; Durin already has chosen his location. In truth, the teams are meant to tame the lands between Azurestone and the Fog Peaks. The stage is set for mining to begin in earnest. The town defenses are built, a rudimentary road runs through the foothills of the Fog Peaks, and Durin announced a location has been found, that mining will begin in the spring.
An unexpected attack by the local gnoll tribe may put an end to these plans, and to all of Azurestone. The attack came just prior to the completion of the town wall. Though the attack was repulsed, Durin died, taking the secret of the location with him. Not even his sucessory, Myris, knows the mine’s location, but he has an idea.
The Raven’s Flight Inn & Tavern is Azurestone’s only drinking establishment. The Raven’s Flight was financed by Durin, and he spent many an evening in the common room there. More than once, villagers would ask what Durin was hiding, why the town had gone so long without prospecting. He would smile raise his mug, and say, “The raven knows.”
The Raven’s Flight was targeted by a group of gnolls during the attack. They took the weathervane that stood outside the Raven’s Flight, a masterpiece red marble and wrought-iron sculpture, well-balanced and intricate, but more valuable for its recognizablity rather than any material worth. Since the attack, Myris suspects that the raven was more than a welcome sign – that it in fact revealed or gave clues to the mine’s location.
Myris sends the PCs to search out the gnolls and recover the weathervane. Either through impressive diplomacy or strength of arms, the PCs discover the gnolls do not have the Raven, and that a someone from Azurestone conspired to have the gnolls attack the town. The PCs return to Azurestone to learn that the bodies have been sorted and one boy is missing: a half-elf named Thom.
Myris again sends the PCs to track Thom, known to be a rufian entrepreneur and was seen near the Raven’s Flight during the attack. Through various townsfolk, the PCs learn that Thom made plans to weather the winter in a secluded mountain cabin. The PCs follow Thom’s trail to an encounter Misty Gulch Bridge – a rope bridge across a 500 foot expanse – only to discover the bridge has been cut. To follow the trail, the party must ascend the peak and risk the coven of harpies, descend to the valley and risk discovery by the angry Fog Peak Gnolls, or traverse the Misty Gulch, a place said to be guarded by the ravenous Stone Tusk beasts.
If the PCs catch Thom before he reaches the cabin, he’s sick with paranoia. After a short battle, Thom claims he was framed for the theft of the raven. This is hard for Thom to prove, considering he has the raven. If the PCs don’t encounter Thom until the cabin, he’s already dead by Durin’s hand. That’s right, Durin is alive. He and Myris orchestrated the gnoll attack and tricked Thom into stealing the raven, then sent the PCs after it, knowing their failure would dishearten the populace. The raven really does point to the secret location, but Durin didn’t want to share the wealth with any non-dwarves, thus the ruse to get the riff-raff to leave town – once the place was rebuilt.
Once they deal with Durin, the PCs must decide to either spend the winter in Durin’s cabin, or return to Azurestone, where they find the town mostly deserted; few want to spend a desolate winter here with no prospects for the spring. Only the hardiest and most loyal of the Firebrand clan remain in Azurestone, with a hostile surprise for the PCs.
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I nearly used gnolls but my wife talked me out of it. (They are perfect for 4th level wilderness adventures.)
Of course I'm a bit biased, but I still felt like my submission didn't fall into these items. Maybe it's simply that other's were better than mine. Still good stuff for next time.
Hope the submissions weren't too tedious to plow through.
Here are a few quick notes of things we saw that led to rejections:
• Didn't follow the directions
• 80% backstory, 20% adventure detail
• No description of what happens during the adventure
• Didn't follow the directions
• Use of WotC IP as key point of adventure
• Use of challenges or rewards not in line with 4th-level characters
• Didn't follow the directionsHere are a few quick notes of common elements we saw that DID NOT (necessarily) lead to rejections:
• Lots of gnolls
• Lots of fey (there will not be a fey in the published module*)
• Lots of artifacts
• Lots of artifacts the PCs get to keep (they're 4th level!)
• Lots of yetis as new monsters (Jacobs has already called dibs on that)
• Lots of Azurestones as mining communities
• Lots of red-headed women as Red Raven---
* Said with 80% certainty
Here are a few quick notes of things we saw that led to rejections:
Thanks for that breakdown, Mike. It certainly helps me understand what you guys probably saw (or didn't see) in my submission. Moreso than the rejection notice, at least. And I understand there's no way you could possibly explain why a submission was rejected to 138 or more folks (nor should you have to)...
With that in mind, here's an analysis of my own query and where I think it fell short:
• 80% backstory, 20% adventure detail
• No description of what happens during the adventure
These two bit me because it's very hard to find that perfect balance. For instance, too much adventure detail without the backstory and the writer just automatically assumes the submission will get rejected because he hasn't explained enough of the "why's" behind what occurs during the adventure.
Out of curiosity, do you guys have a general idea of the expected balance between backstory and adventure that you prefer? Is it 50/50? 40/60? I know it varies, but a ballpark estimate on where you think the majority of a write-up should focus might help folks next time around.
• Use of challenges or rewards not in line with 4th-level characters
I think I may have fallen a bit here, too. I wanted one of my most memorable encounters to involve a cryohydra (CR6 for those keeping score at home), which can be a tough fight even for 5th or 6th level PCs. It was my hope, however, that there would be enough room over the course of the adventure to level the PCs beyond 4th so they'd be better prepared for it.
• Lots of artifacts the PCs get to keep (they're 4th level!)
I partially fell down here. The red raven figurine of wondrous power I wanted to introduce, would have incorporated the rules from Unearthed Arcana for an item familiar. As such, the PCs would only get to keep and use its powers if they managed to bond with it. And even so, they wouldn't gain full access to its capabilities until they'd attained an equal or higher level than its previous owner...and considering that was a elven sorceress who created the item in the first place, that would have taken awhile, even after the PCs ended the adventure around 6th level.
Anyway, thanks for the feedback you guys have handed out here and elsewhere. I'm still looking forward to the "monster" submission opportunities...as well as any future open calls for another module. In the future, it would be encouraging, however, if you could somehow notify folks who at least made the "meeting"...i.e., the Top 30. That way, we can know how close we came.
--Neil
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Here are a few quick notes of things we saw that led to rejections:
• Didn't ninja the directions
• 80% backstory, 20% adventure detail, 0% ninjas
• No description of what happens to ninjas during the adventure
• Didn't follow ninja directions
• Use of WotC IP as key point of adventure, not ninjas
• Use of challenges or rewards not in line with 4th-level non-ninja characters
• Didn't follow the directionsHere are a few quick notes of common elements we saw that DID NOT (necessarily) lead to rejections:
• Lots of gnolls
• Lots of fey (there will not be a fey in the published module*)
• Lots of artifacts
• Lots of artifacts the PCs get to keep (they're 4th level!)
• Lots of yetis as new monsters (Jacobs has already called dibs on that)
• Lots of Azurestones as mining communities
• Lots of red-headed ninja women as Red Raven---
* Said with 80% certainty
hmmmmmmm........
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Here are a few quick notes of things we saw that led to rejections:Thanks for that breakdown, Mike. It certainly helps me understand what you guys probably saw (or didn't see) in my submission. Moreso than the rejection notice, at least.
Yeah, the breakdown is much appreciated. I, too, fell into the "too much backstory" category. I like backstory. I'm a plotter and a schemer. I tend to run encounters in my home games "off the cuff" with no pre-planning at all. I knew this was going to be tough for me. Ah well, maybe next time I'll make a conscious effort to actually write more crunch and less fluff.