1. A Boom in the Night

The adventure begins with the characters arriving (whether singly or together) in Hupperdook. Map 5.4 shows Lower Hupperdook and marks the locations of the Ironlot and Assembly Yard sections of the city. Once the players are ready to begin, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to set the scene:

A chilled, misty night hangs over the industrious mountainside city of Hupperdook, the scent of a recent rain on the air as you walk the muddied path. The nightly festivities have already begun, with the elevated section of the city known as the Idleworks Shelf alight with colorful lanterns and streamers. The distant sounds of music and firecrackers echo from hundreds of feet up the stairs of the mountain. You arrive at the quiet, dark fields of the Assembly Yard, passing massive forges and partially constructed war machines. All the city’s industry has seemingly been abandoned for the night, while the workers of Hupperdook unwind in the celebrations of the upper city.

Start by having the players describe their characters and determine which of them are traveling together. If they arrive as an established party, prompt them to talk about their collective goals in coming to Hupperdook. If they arrive as smaller groups or solo characters, play out their interactions as smaller vignettes covering how they cross each other’s paths, prompting introductions on the way to a destined meeting. Either way, point out that most activity appears to be happening in the upper city. With the scene set, the characters can progress farther through the streets. As they do, they come across an older fellow named Auby Shudderstone (a neutral good, male gnome commoner), cleaning his open-air machinist’s workstation. The only gnome still working in the area of the Assembly Yard that the characters pass through, Auby is a bit ornery and doesn’t want to party with his fellow machinists. However, he can offer up information about the city if prompted. He’ll recommend that characters speak with Watchmaster Bram Gulchswattle for work, and will even act as a guide if treated with respect or offered coin. When the characters are headed past the Assembly Yard into the Ironlot area of the city, proceed with the next section.

Prison Break!

Before the characters reach the stairs to the Idleworks Shelf, read:

The peace of the evening is shattered by the deafening crack of a massive explosion that rocks the southeast part of the city. At the base of the mountain, shards of rock spray the street a hundred yards from where you stand. Heavy smoke billows from a cavernous hole in the mountain wall. As you shake the ringing from your ears, six cloaked figures appear in the street, running from the source of the explosion—and charging straight toward you!

Ask each player how their character reacts. If any of the players wish to try to stop or engage with the running figures, tell everyone to roll initiative. The action begins near the mountain base of Lower Hupperdook, so see the Ironlot streets (area H1) below for more information. Depending on their interest or sense of curiosity, the players might wish to simply step away from the intruders and allow them to escape, perhaps following them afterward. If so, they can get a good look at the figures before one of them releases a cloud of magical fog behind them, aiding their escape and making it impossible for the characters to pursue them. If the players wish to set up a trap or surprise the cloaked figures as they rush past, ask them how they choose to prepare in the few moments available to them, then begin combat once the trap is sprung.

Parent Plot

Dangerous Designs

Subplots