Down Came a Blackbird - Part 3: Town Meeting

Mayor Lars Brighthol gathers the citizens to discuss the recent deaths and disturbances. Here the characters receive the egg from the children just as Maude and Kraggen make a bold attack on all in attendance.

A. THE TOWN MEETING

The Town Meeting Announcement informs the characters that the Moon Lantern major has called an emergency meeting to discuss the violence of the past few days. A large turnout is expected, including the guild members, traders, commoners and even the former senator, Tomas Woodrue. There is also a heavy Red Plume presence and many guild members have hired bodyguards.

Lars Brighthol, the mayor, talks to the general public on the steps of city hall at daybreak to answer questions and allay their fears. After facing the public, she intends to retire to the hall’s main chamber to discuss the matter in detail with those in authority. When the characters arrive at the town hall, read or paraphrase the following aloud:

The roof of the city hall gleams in the red light of dawn. Steps rise to the building’s main entrance, where Red Plume Legionnaires stand as well as guild leaders are each flanked by heavily armored personal bodyguards. The forecourt below is crowded with common-folk and more armed legionnaires. The locals wait for the mayor to speak, whilst nervously glancing at the starlings who chirrup in the eaves of surrounding buildings.

B. THE CHILDREN

Soon after the characters arrive for the meeting, they’re approached by Ham Barleywain. He points through the crowd to a group of children , who are standing under an archway and looking over worriedly.

- Talking to the Children

Ham introduces each of his friends to the characters. Telmay has clearly been crying and is being comforted by Marni. Yenry is wide-eyed and fidgety. Fipp is glowering at the characters but looks pale and shaken; he guardedly holds the egg, wrapped in cloth. Fipp needs reassurance that he won’t get into trouble for taking the egg from the marshes. He’s not in favor with the elders at the orphanage and is worried that they’re looking for any excuse to send him packing to the barracks. He’d rather his name wasn’t mentioned at all. Characters who succeed on a DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check win him over.

He pushes the wrapped egg into the hands of one of the characters and tells them of a conversation he overheard last night.

• Late last night, Fipp stumbled upon two figures debating the raid they’d just carried out on Telmay’s home. He was hiding behind crates, so his view of them was limited.
• The woman was tall and ugly. He could only see the man’s shadow, but his voice sounded more like a growl and he kept coughing.
• They were looking for an egg and were angry that they didn’t have it.
• They seemed to be in love – the woman said, “Soon we’ll be together, my beloved” and she spoke about a ritual.
• The woman told the man to look for where the seagulls gather, if he ever needed to find her, but to be wary of her “feathered friends” when the tide is in.

If the characters are stern with Fipp, he throws the egg at them and runs off. The other children scatter into the crowd. Anyone who succeeds on a DC 12 Dexterity check catches the egg. Otherwise it bounces to the ground – luckily it is made of tough stuff.

The characters now have the egg. Ideally it should hatch during the following encounter to add to the pandemonium.

C. THE BIRDS ATTACK

A horn sounds from the roof of city hall as Lars Brighton steps up to the lectern. Attendees are already calling out their questions. As he begins to answer, the birds swarm and attack. Salty Maude means to punish the city of Moon Lantern and make her presence known. Read or paraphrase the following aloud:

High above, starlings flock in a vast murmuration – a billowing black cloud against the golden light of day. The birds roil overhead, throwing Salt Square into an unnatural gloom as the citizens begin to panic. Onlookers gasp and shriek as the swarm takes the shape of a giant eye sweeping back and forth across the square, as if searching for something. As quickly as it materialized, the eye explodes, as hundreds of screeching birds plummet from the sky to attack.

Two swarms of seagulls. attack everyone present at the meeting. Terror sweeps across the square as everyone tries to escape. The mayor and guild members are bustled into the hall as the legionnaires try to fend off the onslaught.

Crowds. Due to the mass of people running in all directions, characters are unable to use the Dash action.

Cover. There are crates stacked around which the locals were sitting on for a better view of the proceedings. These can be climbed or used as cover (+2 to AC and Dexterity saving throws). They also block several exits from the square.

Balconies. Some of the buildings have wooden balconies which can be climbed onto.

Kraggen's Grand Entrance

At the beginning of the second round, Kraggen the Peryton lands on a nearby rooftop. Backlit by the morning sun, his human shadow extends before him. His roar is like nails on a chalkboard, and he beats his wings angrily before swooping down into the square. Two blood hawks soar overhead and divebomb the terrified crowd at Kraggen’s call. Kraggen is a peryton that can speak Common.

Tactics

Each of the swarms attacks a different area of the square: north, middle and south (areas N, M and S on the map - see “Complications”, below). Kraggen’s goal is to recapture the egg and return it to Maude in her lair. He uses the surrounding rooftops and balconies to gain height advantages for his Flyby and Dive Attack powers. If unable to get to the egg, Kraggen fights to the death, as his pride won’t allow him to flee.

This encounter is one of the adventure’s main showdowns and should be challenging for the players. Most of the legionnaires present are trying to get citizens to safety, though there should be plenty available to aid the players if they get into trouble. Aim for high drama. with birds shattering windows to enter buildings and Kraggen goring legionnaires with his antlers. Careering in all directions, the birds form a blizzard; and the noise of the baying peryton, the piercing bird cries, and the shrieking citizens, is clamoring.

Depending on how the encounter is going, add more starling swarms or bloodhawks as you see fit. The moment Kraggen is slain, the remaining birds howl unnaturally in Maude’s voice. They continue to scream like the hag as they fight on. When there is only one swarm remaining, those birds peel off into the sky, and the fight is over.

Complications

Each area of the town square which is under attack has its own complications to add further drama and danger to the encounter:

• Northern Area: Trampled on the Steps. People charge up the steps to seek shelter in the hall. A young man has fallen on the steps and is in danger of being trampled by the surging crowd. Lifting him to his feet is an action that requires success on a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check.
• Middle Area: Lost in the Crowd. An elderly woman stands disorientated in the middle of the square. Her spectacles lie broken at her feet, seagulls are tugging on her headscarf, and she’s calling out “Lora? Lora?!” Characters who succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check spot another woman in the crowd calling for her grandmother. Lora is a young woman and rushes to embrace her elderly relative.
• Southern Area: Stranded on a Wall. A boy is stranded on a balcony and is being harangued by starlings. The crates he used to climb up have been knocked over in the chaos of the attack. Rescuing the child requires success on a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check.
• The Egg Hatches. Once the egg begins to hatch it takes two rounds before the baby peryton pushes its head fully through the shell. The newborn creature mewls loudly which draws the attention of Kraggen and the birds.

AFTERMATH

When the struggle is over, hundreds of dead seagulls litter the square. If Kraggen is dead, the hag’s anguished cries echo into the heavens. Many townsfolk are injured and taken into the council hall for shelter and treatment. Those who have lost their lives are shrouded in blankets and carried indoors.

Lars Brighton stumbles from city hall – he and his retinue are covered in cuts after the seagulls burst through the hall’s windows and assailed all inside.

Gordol Thorne of the Red Plumes steps forward and leads the characters to the mayor. Gordol speaks up for them, praising them for their valiant efforts in battling the birds. Lars is reluctant to praise characters, but keen to know anything they can tell him about the events of the past few days. He also promises to reward the characters with 200gp if they can put a swift end to the troubles.

The Gratitude of the Citizens

If the characters rescued any of the townsfolk during the encounter, they gain the following boons:

Trampled on the Steps. The young man rescued on the steps introduces himself as Redam Bisk, son of a wealthy merchant. He gives the characters a signet ring, which will grant them discounts when buying supplies from various traders in Moon Lantern.

Lost in the Crowd. Lora Willowgrain and her frail grandmother Arnelle, step forward to thank the characters. Lora owns a local bakery and insists that the characters stop by whenever they’re in town and she’ll make them up a hamper.

Arnelle holds her broken spectacles and mentions that her necklace was recently lost or stolen. If the characters have the stolen necklace from Wildak's roadshow, they can reunite it with its owner. It belonged to Arnelle’s departed sister, and therefore holds great sentimental value. Arnelle asks that the characters visit her before they leave town, so she can reward them for their kindness. If they visit Arnelle, she gifts each of the characters a hand-knitted scarf.

Stranded on a Wall. A middle-aged man shakes each of the character’s hands in turn. He is Strudor Casuzol, and the child they rescued from the wall is his son, Raffi. Strudor works at the local playhouse, and promises the characters their own private booth, on the house, for a future performance of their choice.

NEXT: PART 4 - TRAIL OF THE HAG

Peryton’s Egg

The egg is roughly 12” long and 10” wide and weighs just over 6lbs. The texture is smooth, and the coloration is light blue with silver flecks. The shell is as hard as steel – the exterior can be broken with a successful DC 30 Strength check, otherwise acid has been known to damage it. When the characters receive the egg, it’s ready to hatch. The baby peryton will bond with the first creature it sees. It needs raw meat for sustenance for the first month of its life (ideally live prey) and will fully mature by three months. Characters who succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check have some idea of how to care for the newborn beast.

Parent Plot

Down Came a Blackbird - Overview