The adventure starts in port town of Oran, Tiemcenen. The adventurers have a shared dream taking place in The Gift Horse where Valanna Jahliid makes an appearance and the adventurers fight another party of adventurers with the aid of Zarkon but lose while Valanna Jahliid watches. They wake from the dream in jail from their drunken brawl at The Gift Horse the previous night, remembering only bits and pieces of the job they took on from Valanna Jahliid before the brawl started. Adventure start!/What do you want to do?
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[Country] Empire of Tiemcen: Coloquially known as Tiemcenen. Country the adventure takes place in. Founded approx 1k years ago by Emperor Berber Tiemcen after his army defeated the demon/devil/fiend Orcus (or whatever). Now mostly ruled by a Triumvirate with the current Emperor acting mostly as a figurehead. Most folks have an ambivilent opinion of the government, it could do more but it's not terrible. Tiemcenen is an island roughly shaped like Japan in a warm ocean (Pacific-like) (Sebaou Ocean).
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[Town] Oran: Port town on the southeast side of Tiemcen. Reasonably large, (3-4 taverns) and busy, it's major businesses are (a) intra-empire trade (relatively shorthaul) with only few docks for large ships and (b) fishing. Recent reports of a Kraken nearby have slowed the trade business but fishing is mostly unaffected. Named for the Orani River that runs along the east side of town into the ocean.
- See Map on DMG.313
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[Encounter] The Gift Horse: The shadiest tavern in Oran, on the east side of town. The Gift Horse poorly lit and fairly dirty, but otherwise standard tavern-fare, except for one thing: on the wall with the large hearth/fireplace there are several animal head trophies with small wax apples in place of the eyes, and a horse head in the center with its mouth open. Below it is a small wooden plaque that reads "Look if ye dare".
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[Encounter Zone] Jahliid Manor: Somewhat dilapidated estate to the north of Oran, 2 stories + basement, olive grove (barren) and winery stuff behind house
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[Encounter Zone] Logart Mine: Old abandoned mine to the east of town, front area inside mine is built up and nice (where miners lived when not working) though now in disrepair, back of mine is pretty raw
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[Encounter Zone] East Road: Seaside road towards Logart Mine, TEAM Roquette planning scam with "broken" wagon
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Valanna Jahliid: Beautiful elf in humanoid form, flash frozen flower, gives party the quest off scene, weak to fire damage, doesn't like daylight, base on Snow Spider, humanoid form is concentration spell, young (for elf), southern belle
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Zarkon: Mini boss in Logart Mine, spectator (see MM.30) stats but is beholder (see MM.28)
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[Item] ${macguffin}: thing in the cave for the party to retrieve for Valanna Jahliid
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[Item] Lightbringer: Item in Zarkon's eye that does fire damage for assistance against Valanna Jahliid, Flame Tongue (see DMG.170), command word: Thoros
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Corrin Oneshoe: Found in jail cell next to party, imprisoned for stealing from Wyfield, got caught up in tavern brawl.
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Erisha Ansten: Female Dragonborn (copper), runs The Gift Horse with her husband (Maunt Ansten), yooper accent, runs the frontend
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Maunt Ansten: Male Dragonborn (copper), runs The Gift Horse with Erisha, gruff voice but quiet, works the kitchen
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Keffen: Guard at the town jail.
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Tavern Party
- Wilaver Samulkin: dwarf male, red hair, long braided beard
- Leomorn Glorygem: dwarf male, brown hair, short scruffy beard
- Davros Chorster: human male, blond hair, tanned, clean shaven
- Magsys Brushranger: halfling female, brown hair
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Troupe of Extraordinarily Ambitious Magicians of Roquette
- Jenny Roquette: Female Human, wizard, dark brown hair
- Jim Roquette: Male Human, rogue, black hair
- Mirth: their pet cat (white)
- jail guard releases party shortly after they wake up from the dream (they all have hangovers), early morning
- if party escapes cell, can loot corrin's hat of disguise but causes alarm later
- TODO: figure out effects of alarm, consequences of escape
- else guard returns (only their, not corrin's) gear
- if party escapes cell, can loot corrin's hat of disguise but causes alarm later
- party returns to tavern to fill in the details they don't remember
- high DC INT check to remember details and skip returning to tavern?
- barkeep is annoyed about the mess they made, wants compensation
- if party gives extra comp. reveals that most parties that work for Valanna Jahliid don't come back
- directs party to Jahliid Manor if asked
- party goes to Jahliid Manor to get quest details
- TODO: can persuade Valanna Jahliid to act as guide, will hide from beholder fight, does little/nothing in other fights
- party should go to the cave/mine to the east to get the ${mcguffin}
- TODO: why does Valanna Jahliid want party to go to cave?
- party runs into TEAM Roquette along seaside road to the east on way to cave
- multiple rooms in cave with small encounters? and traps/obstructions
- find beholder at end of cave, is annoyed more murderhobos have come to kill it (again)
- if party kills beholder, can loot something-of-fire (ring?)
- party can convince beholder to spill beans about Valanna Jahliid and/or join them to kill her
- party gets ${macguffin} after beholder encounter
- party travels back to town to see/confront Valanna Jahliid at Valanna Jahliid Manor
- if party does not suspect Valanna Jahliid, she leads them to vault for "reward", attacks
- THE END
- during dream encounter, party sees Valanna Jahliid (humanoid form)
- Valanna Jahliid seems impossibly large, like z-fighting and does nothing to help during fight, but talks?
- opposing party has weird effects:
- A: when attacked, spawns clone (1/attacker)
- B: body parts get lopped off but continue moving
- C: when attacked, spiders cover attacker
- D: on successful hit, random status effect (blindness/paralyze/etc) for one turn
- TODO: maybe also animal trophies come out of the wall? (to draw attention to plaque/trap)
- if a party member looks in the horse's mouth, DC 10 WIS saving throw
- success: disfigured for 6h and -2 to CHA checks/saves
- fail: disfigured for 24h and -2 to CHA checks/saves
- sign changes text to "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
- repeatable 1/6h
- goblin party inside mine leaves 2 scouts outside watching entrance
- one tries to escape and warn party inside when encountered