Dangerous Designs

A war criminal is broken out of prison by well-armed Kobolds working for a mysterious mastermind who threatens the gnomish city of Hupperdook. “Dangerous Designs” is an adventure that takes characters from 1st to 3rd level, and which introduces them to the Western Wynandir region of the continent under the rule of the Dwendalian Empire. This region is geared toward adventures that involve monster hunting, political intrigue, and the war with Xhorhas.
If your players are using the heroic chronicle to create their characters (see chapter 4), they might wish to create characters who grew up in the Zemni Fields or Marrow Valley, giving them a closer connection to this region and to the Dwendalian Empire. For characters not from Western Wynandir, the players should consider what has drawn those characters to Hupperdook. Because this adventure ties directly to the Kryn Dynasty's conflict with the Dwendalian Empire, you can also ask each player to consider their character’s stance on the war and how the war might tie into their background.

Plot points/Scenes

The characters are drawn into this adventure in the lower regions of the city of Hupperdook, an industrious gnomish enclave where long days of hard work in the forges and scrapyards end with evenings of extensive celebration and debauchery. A brilliant human engineer named Huron Stahlmast was assigned to Hupperdook by the Dwendalian Empire, where he led the development of weapons for the war against the Kryn Dynasty. After years of rising disapproval of his ideas and methods, Stahlmast was ousted by the folk of the city due to his eccentric experimentation and brutal means of testing his weapon designs. Shamed and without funds, the inventor allowed his dark hatred to push him to meet with agents of the Kryn Dynasty, seeking aid that would let him complete his work and enact his revenge.
With the Kryn resources now funneled to him, Stahlmast has amassed and trained a force of kobold minions to help him steal resources from Hupperdook and establish a secret subterranean base deep within the Silberquel Ridge. As construction of his experimental weapons nears completion, Stahlmast plans to use those weapons against the empire that cast him aside.
Stahlmast’s plot to take over Hupperdook and hobble the military might of the Dwendalian Empire’s gnomish war machine begins with a prison break. The target is a Kryn operative whose assistance Stahlmast needs. From there, the characters are drawn into the growing chaos orchestrated by Stahlmast and his minions, chasing down leads and eventually confronting the mad inventor within his mountain lair.

Adventure Summary

In the first part of the adventure, even as the characters arrive in Hupperdook, a jailbreak sees a dangerous goliath prisoner of war named Sken Zabriss freed by a group of cloaked kobolds. Their violent escape route crosses the characters’ path before they flee into the night. The city’s watchmaster, Bram Gulchswattle, hires the characters to investigate the breakout and to discover the whereabouts of Zabriss and her kobold allies.
Clues lead the adventurers to a waterfall-cloaked cavern that conceals Sken Zabriss, a force of kobolds, and a master artisan missing from the city. When the characters complete this encounter, they reach 2nd level and can return the subdued Sken Zabriss to Hupperdook and collect their reward.
In the final part of the adventure, the characters are urged to continue their investigation by entering Stahlmast’s base—or they might pursue Sken to that base if they allowed the goliath to escape. Once inside the halls of Stahlmast’s mountain compound, the adventurers must uncover the depths of the mad inventor’s betrayal of the empire. The dangerous incursion culminates with an all-out battle against Stahlmast and his prototype war machine.

Setup and Starting Points

Before the adventure begins, talk to your players about why their characters might have made the journey to Hupperdook. You can provide details regarding the city and the surrounding region as outlined in chapter 3. You can also ask the players if they want to share any of their characters’ goals, which might provide reasons for their group to come together. Seeking paying work, purchasing equipment, and wanting to join the war effort are all common reasons for traveling to the gnomish enclave.
Use this time to also discuss if the characters are meeting for the first time or if any of them already know each other.

Subplots

• 1. A Boom in the Night
• 2. Ascending the Mountain
• 3. Stahlmast’s Lair
• 4. Concluding the Adventure