A Change of Plans

This adventure is designed so that the DM can drop it into his current campaign on the fly. “A Change of Plans” is suitable for four to six low-level characters (1st to 3rd level). The encounter takes place in the wilderness east of the Badato River in Kalamar, but can be used nearly anywhere with minor changes.

Moved to the northwest of Ardarr-Norr, at the foot of the Vrykarr Mountains.

Themes

Slavery

Structure

Exposition

To begin the encounter read the following to the players:

Soudain, une femelle halfling, hagarde et effrayée. halfling sort des bois et se dirige vers vous. Elle est vêtue de haillons gris et sales. Elle s'effondre à quelques mètres et murmure, "S'il vous plaît... aidez..." Quelques instants plus tard, un soldat Kalamaran armé, monté, et à l'air brutal Kalamaran fait sortir son cheval des bois en portant un un lasso. Il hèle avec un grognement, "A terre !"

La femelle halfling lève les yeux et gémit, "Ne le laissez pas m'emmener me faire massacrer ! Il veut me faire tuer !"

Conflict

Even if some or all of the PCs are lawful in alignment and don’t have a problem with Slavery, they should be reminded that the last statement from the halfling should appeal to all good aligned characters. However, the mounted soldier refuses to answer any questions and the halfling is too hysterical to be coherent at the moment.

If any of the PCs are locals or have knowledge of the area, closer inspection reveals that the soldier is a heavy infantry sergeant in the Kalamaran army. The sergeant (Sgt. P’Mare) assumes the PCs are going to be trouble, and while not immediately violent, he will be hostile.

The better armed the party, the more cautious he is. He will demand the PCs “turn over” the halfling (who is a slave), threatening them with his authority as well as violence if the party refuses.

If the PCs are cowed by his threats or feel more loyalty to Kalamar than compassion, Sergeant P’Mare lassos the escaped slave and drags her off. If the PCs don’t leave too quickly afterwards, a shrill scream can be heard, followed by a score of other loud calls. If the PCs choose to investigate, they follow the sound of voices half a mile before coming across a meadow where they can safely watch the following from the shadows:

Dans la prairie, vous tombez sur une douzaine et demie d'esclaves Gnomes et Halflings liés les uns aux autres par de lourds colliers autour du cou et des mains. Au centre de la foule, l'esclave halfling que vous avez vu auparavant est attaché et assis sur un cheval. Le soldat que vous avez rencontré auparavant (sergent P'Mare) enfile autour de son col un grossier nœud coulant suspendu à une branche d'arbre autour de son col. Six soldats à cheval font de leur mieux pour garder le reste des esclaves à distance et sous contrôle. Les autres esclaves hurlent bruyamment pour que l'on fasse preuve de pitié. Les cris de "Pas Adel !" et "Ayez pitié !" sont entendus.

Once he slips the rope around her neck, P’Mare turns, walks slowly towards the small crowd and bares his teeth. Loud enough to be heard by the PCs, he shouts:

Voyez ce qui arrive quand on résiste à la volonté de l'Empereur, petits bâtards !"

Sergeant P’Mare will take another moment or two to behave as ghoulishly as possible toward the other slaves. If the PCs still don’t intervene, P’Mare swats the horse (his own) that Adel is sitting on, which then bolts forward fifteen paces, thus hanging and instantly killing Adel. P’Mare lets the rest of the slaves (now silent) stare at the gruesome spectacle for a few minutes before giving the order to start moving again. If the PCs don’t take any action or refuse to follow, the encounter is over.

If Sergeant P’Mare’s threats don’t work and the PCs refuse to release the halfling into his custody, he will attack. On the second round of combat, the halfling will assist the PCs by using a stray tree branch as a makeshift club.

Read the following to the players as the halfling makes his move toward Sergeant P’Mare.

Un cri perçant déchire l'air, venant du halfling, "Bâtard tyrannique ! Je ne sentirai plus la piqûre de ton fouet !" Elle se précipite sur son ancien ravisseur, hurlant comme une banshee, agitant une épaisse branche d'arbre.

Sergeant P’Mare will still concentrate on the PCs first. If combat ensues and it becomes apparent that he is outmatched, he will attempt to flee and return with reinforcements later. Whether or not the soldier successfully flees, the female halfling (Adel) will answer questions.

Rising Action

The female halfling is gasping for breath as she lets her crude weapon fall from her hand, “Thank you… thank you. P’Mare holds a quicker whip than the taskmasters in the mines. My name is Adel Edgecraft, and I owe you my life for…

She suddenly looks panicked, “Oh, my countrymen! I have abandoned them!”

Adel regarde les PCs nerveusement.

"Ils emmènent mon peuple pour le massacrer dans les arènes de Bet Kalamar ! S'il vous plaît, nous n'avons rien fait pour mériter cela ! Sauvez-nous !"

She will inform the PCs she was being transported with eighteen other halfling and gnome slaves west from the Ka’Asa mountains when she escaped from her bonds and fled. They were being transported to Togeseta, a town on the Badato river, and from there to Bet Kalamar where they will face their death participating in gladiatorial games. They are being escorted by a group of six mounted soldiers, not including the one they just dealt with. If the PCs are hesitant to rescue the slaves, she will become desperate and start promising rewards she doesn’t have (but could acquire), or even indentured servitude.

Climax

If the PCs take too long deciding what to do or decide to do anything other than rescuing the slaves (that includes taking the halfling with them), two more soldiers show up to investigate what happened to their sergeant. If the PC’s didn’t prevent him from escaping in the first place, the sergeant will return with three soldiers. If the sergeant is killed, the soldiers will retreat back to where their comrades are waiting for them.

If the PCs decide to rescue the rest of the slaves after they have dealt with the reinforcements or did so before the reinforcements arrived, the halfling will guide them half a mile to where the rest of the soldiers wait with the slaves. A third of the soldiers are Hobgoblins. The soldiers are nervous about traveling in the wilderness and will leave if the reinforcements do not shortly return. The slaves are not bound with chains but with thick rope (4 HP, Break DC 23) to make traveling easier. If reinforcements do return after encountering the PCs, they may decide that the PCs are more trouble than one slave is worth and move on, though they won’t get very far with the slaves traveling on foot. If the PCs get into direct combat with the remaining soldiers and the party outnumbers them by more than two to one, they will attempt to surrender, flee, or both.

If the PCs decide to return Adel (because of lawful alignments or loyalty to the country of Kalamar), things won’t go as they planned. First, if Sergeant P’Mare survived long enough to get back to his troops alive, he orders his troops to attack those who have stolen the property of the Empire. If the PCs killed him and try to return Adel, Adel betrays them in hopes of freeing her people:

Alors que vous vous approchez de la prairie où le reste de l'unité montée de Kalamar attend avec dix-huit esclaves halfling et Gnomes, Adel se met à crier : " Au secours ! Au secours ! Brigands ! Ils ont tué le sergent P'Mare et sont venus voler le reste des esclaves !" Les soldats dégainent leurs épées et commencent à avancer avant même que vous ayez le temps d'émettre un déni.

Falling Action

If the PCs are successful in freeing the slaves (intentionally or not) the slaves will have nothing to offer them as a reward but gratitude. The Kalamaran soldiers’ arms and any captured horses are of fair to good quality; however, they all bear symbols of the Kalamaran military. What is unmarked isn’t particularly valuable: two weeks worth of iron rations, one to four gold pieces per captured or defeated soldier, and traveling gear and supplies. Adel will announce that the slaves are in need of the supplies and ask for them.

There will be little material reward (at first), but the PCs have made life long friends that will spread word of their good deeds. In time, they may fall into good graces with the Brotherhood of the Broken Chain (pg. 170, Kingdoms of Kalamar) or the Face of the Free (pg. 192, Kingdoms of Kalamar) without even realizing it and benefit from an unseen benefactor.

Resolution

Afterwards, the PCs can use Adel as a henchman if she made that promise to in exchange for the PCs help, or if the PCs have been very helpful and cooperative, they might convince her to do so anyway. She will remain with the party until she feels she has paid off her debt, or longer if they get along. She is a very talented weaponsmith.

Relations

Neutrals/Bystanders

Adel Edgecraft

Female halfling Exp2: CR 1/2; Medium Humanoid, HD 2d6; hp 10 (currently at ; Init +0; Spd 20 (4 squares AC 11 (+1 size), touch 11, flat-footed 11; Base Attack/Grapple +1/-3; Attack +1 melee (1d4+1 club) or +1 melee (1d2+1 nonlethal, unarmed Full Attack +1 melee (1d4+1 club) or +1 melee (1d3 subdual, unarmed strike Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SQ halfling traits; SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +3; AL NG; Str 13, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 12.

Skills and Feats: Appraise +4, Bluff +6, Craft (alchemy) +4, Craft (weaponsmithing) +11, Diplomacy +8, Disable Device +7, Escape Artist +7, Gather Information +3, Open Lock +4, Use Rope +4; Skill Focus (weaponsmithing).

Languages: Halfling, Kalamaran, Merchant’s Tongue.

Possessions: Club.

Adversaries

Sergeant P’Mare

Male human Fighter 7; Medium Humanoid (6-ft. tall), HD 7d10+9; hp 49; Init +0; Spd 20* (4 squares AC 16 (+4 chain shirt, +2 large steel shield), touch 10, flat-footed 16; Base Attack/Grapple +2/+3; Attack +3 melee (1d8+1 crit 19-20/x2 longsword) or +2 ranged (1d6+1 crit 20/x2 javelin Full Attack +3 melee (1d8+1 crit 19-20/x2 longsword) or +2 ranged (1d6+1 crit 20/x2 javelin Space/Reach 5 ft./5ft.; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0; AL LE; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8.

Skills and Feats: Ride +4, Handle Animal+3, Intimidate +3; Mounted Combat, Power Attack.

Possessions: Long sword, two javelin, chain shirt, large steel shield, 50’ rope, 6 gold pieces, and a heavy war horse.

*Note: Use speed of mount, 50 ft., when mounted.

Human Heavy Infantry Soldiers (6)

Human War1: CR 1/2; Medium Humanoids, HD 1d8; hp 5; Init +0; Spd 20* (4 squares AC 16 (+4 chain shirt, +2 large steel shield), touch 10, flat-footed 16; Base Attack/Grapple +2/+1; Attack +1 melee (1d8 crit 19-20/x2 longsword) or +1 ranged (1d6 crit 20/x2, javelin Full Attack +1 melee (1d8 crit 19-20/x2 longsword) or +1 ranged (1d6 crit 20/x2, javelin Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0; AL LN; Str 11, Dex 11, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10.

Skills and Feats: Ride +4, Handle Animal +3, Intimidate +3; Mounted Combat, Power Attack.

Possessions: Longsword, two javelin, chain shirt, large steel shield, 1d4 gold pieces, a heavy war horse, and saddle bags filled with iron rations.

*Note: Use speed of mount, 50 ft., when mounted.

Hobgoblin Heavy Infantry Soldiers (2)

Hobgoblin Fighter 2; Medium Humanoids, HD 2d10+1; hp 11; Init +0; Spd 20* (4 squares AC 16 (+4 chain shirt, +2 large steel shield), touch 10, flat-footed 16; Base Attack/Grapple +2/+1; Attack +1 melee (1d8 crit 19-20/x2 longsword) or +2 ranged (1d6 crit 20/x2 javelin), Full Attack +1 melee (1d8 crit 19-20/x2 longsword) or +2 ranged (1d6 crit 20/x2 javelin Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SQ Hobgoblin traits, darkvision 60 ft.; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0; AL LE; Str 11, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 8.

Skills and Feats: Ride +5; Mounted Combat.

Possessions: Long sword, two javelin, chain shirt, large steel shield, 1d4 gold pieces, a heavy war horse, and saddle bags filled with iron rations.

*Note: Use speed of mount, 50 ft., when mounted.