The Harvest Moons Affair: Part 1
The Mummy of Hamish Skaalder
Read the following aloud, if you wish.The most famous food out of Greynor, by far, is called pizza. Originally invented by a human man named Frank Pepe, his "tomato pies" have become the rage of the Unified Kingdoms of Greysilt. Simple pies to gourmet slices, pizza is known as the favorite food of most of the The Kingdoms.
Ah, Greynor! Legendary city of pirates and rogues, built on the delta of the White River, which is born at Lake Wutjorn a thousand and more miles Northward. It is a place of canals, and docks, and tall leather boots thudding on plank bridges that span tiny waterways. To the city's south lies open ocean, broken by a cleverly constructed sea wall that uses a limestone concrete that is best known for being able to heal itself. The concrete is actually made with sea water, so the Sea Wall, as the locals call it, has been around for quite a long time, now. Most of the dwellings and shops are post and lintel affairs, built of planks and marine carpentry offcasts, so there are a lot of graceful curves to many of the roofs and corner shops. Some even have large chunks of vessels embedded within them as a tourist draw. Others have less grandiose vision for their advertisement; the The Gilded Goose, for instance, simply has a life size statue of a golden goose placed on the porch outside of their main entrance, with a comfy chair and a sketch artist readily available. The plaintive calls of multiple species of sea bird fill the air during the day, the busy business of the bustling city keeping them airborn and complaining about not having access to someone's sandwich. The city's smells run the gamut, from barrels full of the most disgusting fish bait on the planet, to bakeries that draw patrons directly through their olfactory organs. It's the sights, sounds, and smells of the street food, tho, that sets Greynor apart. Performative as well as sensory, the street artists are all different, each inspired to be more innovate than the last, and they stretch the bounds of their skills with rotating griddles; or cylidrical stoves; or the pressure-cooked popcorn that finishes with a loud "BANG!" There are a thousand kinds of pasta, and conch fritters are a matter of personal pride, or even family honor in some cases. Busking is considered an honorable profession, in Greynor, and there is music on every street corner, it seems like. Operatic voices rise and fall throughout the canals as the Gondoladeirs pole their vessels along the narrow waterways, often melding perfectly with a random mandolin player's haunting melody. You have all come here for your own reasons, but here you are in Greynor, The City of Refuge.
The characters can have any reasons they wish for coming to Greynor, or indeed for how long they have been there, but the premise here is that they are responding to a job offer that has been posted around the docks and taverns of the Lower City. Many of the tavern owners in the city have thrown the advertisements away, because the interviews are to be held at a rival tavern called The Gilded Goose.
Structure
Exposition
The first night, 4 Prill, 5427
The party will spend the first night in Greynor, at a job interview conducted by Cass Elliot herself, although the habitually secretive agent's initial cover is going to be Menolly Singer. She will be holding the interviews at The Gilded Goose in the Lower City, near the Breakwall and docks. It's a rough section of town, but the slight woman (Cass stands at just 5'2" tall) shows no fear, in the slightest.
Read the following aloud if you wish.
You have come to "The Gilded Goose"; a modest, post-in-beam affair, built with perfect joinery and timber more alike to be on a ship at sea. The tables are thick planks, the flooring is made of polished white oak. According to a sign outside, it is "The Best Inn Everywhere!" Inside, the impressive joinery comes more into focus as the intricasies of building such a tavern become clear to any and all who are interested in such things. Above the bar, there hangs an immense ship's wheel with the initials "G.S." Engraved on a brass plaque at its hub. A bear-like, bearded figure tends the bar, dreadlocks kept back by a kerchief and a tricorn hat. His leather apron bears the stains of many a busy night. The applicant being interviewed before you slams his tankard down on the table, sloshing perfectly innocent mead all over the thick planks. Loudly proclaiming that the small, surprised-looking woman who is doing the actual interviewing is a "whore begotten slattern", in a fit of rage, he reaches over his shoulder and draws a broadsword so large the diminutive woman could easily use it as a bed.
Depending on the next few minutes, the characters have a chance to ingratiate themselves early, by jumping in to help when the rejected barbarian, Kurt of Cotnor, comes in for the kill, blade held high over his head as he readies himself to bifurcate Cass. Or, they can stand by and watch Cass handle herself.Read the following aloud if the party does not help Cass.
The diminutive older woman slips out of the way of the massive steel sword at the last possible moment, but rather than disengaging like a sane person, Cass takes a step between the huge man's legs! With hands so fast your eye cannot follow them, she pulls a small knife from each of her sleeves in a quick, practiced motion. With nary an unnecessary motion, she sinks each of them into Kurt's two hamstrings, eliciting a howl of rage and pain that seems animalistic from the (now toppling) Kurt. In a blur of motion, the tiny woman hits him twice more as he falls. Quite precise blows, in fact, that have the giant human out cold, stunned and drooling, before the floorboards even shake with his bulk's massive impact. Two guards, who had been standing surreptitiously in the shadows behind behind their boss, retreive his hulking form, and drag him off to the drunk tank to sleep off the tiny woman's thrashing. Looking around quickly, once he has been dragged off, the government official sighs deeply as she notices all of the other applicants have been scared off by the display. Turning to the you, the only applicants left in the building, she asks, undefeated, "So. You folks want a job?"
A typical Greynor Day
Once they have accepted the job, Cass will give each of them fifty pieces of gold, a red Ankh Anah'tuhn Crystal, and a challenge coin proving that they are doing the Kingdoms work, should they ever need it. They can produce the coin to gain shelter at any dwelling in the Unified Kingdoms, and roadside inns will give them their cheapest rooms for "free", billing the Kingdoms for their stay afterwards. It is an egregious crime to misuse the challenge coin, on a par with comitting a cardinal sin.
Conflict
The characters choices are somewhat limited, here at the outset. They can either;The third option is to turn the adventure down entirely, and run off to become a criminal syndicate or something equally exciting, such as chartered accountancy. The DM can also, of course, simply drop the characters into the adventure at any point they think is feasible to their own storytelling.
- Help Cass Elliot fend off Kurt of Cotnor, and be awarded the job.
- They can watch Cass defend herself, and take the proffered job.
Accepting the job brings the characters to level two!
Rising Action
Per their job agreement, they need to board a vessel, outbound for Stilton Head, called The Endeavor II, on the morning tide, the day after tomorrow (6 Prill, 5427NG). They can either fast forward to that time or explore the city, maybe do some shopping with the advances given them upon accepting the job. There are several maps provided for any off-the-cuff hijinks they would like to get up to, and room for endless side quests and adventure. Greynor is full of colorful NPCs and has a library that just can't be beat. The librarian, Pandora Skydale, is one of a kind. Thankfully.
Read the following aloud if you so wish
Read the following aloud, if you wish
Leaving Greynor bright and early the morning of Prill the sixth, the The Endeavor II slips her lines and eases away from the dock. With a shout from the First Mate, a sail is set, and she points her bow to the horizon. Another shout, another sail, and the massive ship ponderously picks up speed
Travelling the five seas
Sailing the high sea has its own set of challenges and potential disasters. Crew conflicts, disease, inclement weather, and mechanical issues are just a few of the things that can spell disaster for the trip. Thankfully, there is a DM Tool available to help out with that, should you wish to use it. Use the article, and the tools within it, to run the ocean part of the adventure. Remember, losing crew means a loss of Crew Quality Score. It will take several weeks to reach Stilton Head. For each day of travel, have someone in the party roll 1d6 , three times per day-representing morning, mid day, and mid afternoon. Rolling a 1 triggers a random encounter, details of which can be found on the Nautical Adventure and Combat page.
In a perfect world, the party would reach Stilton Head in twenty-one days. So their travel time will be approximately three to four weeks. To facilitate ease of game play, we will say they arrive on 28 Prill, 5427NG.
Arriving in Stilton Head
Arriving in Stilton Head will elevate the characters to level three!
Stilton Head, like Greynor, is built entirely on an ever-changing delta of small islets. It is certainly a city, but it is an isolated city. The next closest population center is Hammingburg, which is a rural township out in the old growth woods that border The Impenetrable Forest of Birkwud. They will only be here one day (arriving quite early in the morning) and one night, leaving ridiculously early the next morning on a barge that will be hauled up river by a team of oxen; a spectacle they are looking forward to witnessing.Read the following aloud, if you wish.
Stilton Head fades into view far more slowly than the smells have reached you. Pine tar, sawdust, and seasoned oak permeate the air like some exotic perfume. Inside the breakwall, sounds fade in more quickly, with the braying of churchbells and calling out of draft animals. The homes are built in such a manner so as to be easily rebuilt, as the shape of the islands can change drastically with a simple rain storm. Many of the buildings are built on stilts to avoid damaging flood waters. There are canoes and rowboats along every bank, as the city took a much different approach to the yearly flooding than Greynor has; they have decided to embrace it. There are no canals policing the water into strict lines and grids; the river runs as it will, with the folks of the Islets adapting to the river's changes to their topography.
It is almost entirely post-and-lintel construction technology, made with planks and cast offs. Off to the southern portion of the port is the hulking, timber-built offices and workshops of the world famous Headship Nautical Construction Company, with a half-built ship's hull up on massive stilts. As your own ship glides across the glass-still water of the artificial harbor, you realize she is, in a way coming home, having been built right here, out in the middle of nowhere, at the Headship Nautical Construction Company.
With a shout, the last sail is furled, and the boat drifts into its spot at the dock with a soft bump. Welcome to Stilton Head!
Encourage the players to explore the city, maybe with a pickpocket chase, for example. Or a simple shopping spree. Whatever is easiest! Whatever the party chooses to do, they will be on the flat-bottomed river barge that leaves before the sun comes up in the morning
Travelling the River Whitten
Read the following aloud, if you wish
The lumber industry around here is huge, a gigantic part of the local economy and social infrastructure. As such, the accoutrements and tools of that industry have overlapped with other industries in the area...such as river travel.
When the lumberjacks of the northern territories fell trees, they trunks are first sawn into specific lengths; usually twenty, forty, or sixty feet. They are then cast into the river, to wend their way down the lazy water to Stilton Head. The lumber companies, seeing a need for a mobile command and control center to break up big log jams, invented the river barge.
This idea came, in what would later be called a "blinding flash of the obvious", to a Teamster named Cliff, one night, while he was walking between his two favorite brothels. Since then, it has evolved into the most efficient manner of delivering goods and people up the river to the tiny hamlets, and smaller towns, such as Hammingburg. Once the logs and barges are poled down river, the barges are towed back up by ox teams, who walk in a track dug on the northward side of the river. It is a massive operation, requiring many moving parts and cooperative workflows, but it is all run smoothly by the Teamsters division of the Merchant and Sailors' Guild. The Teamsters care for, and work with, their animals, and they are very good at their jobs. The men and women of the Barge Crews work their butts off, day in and day out, belying their reputation as gangsters at every turn. Oh, they may be bawdy, vulgar, and absolutely disgusting with their cat-calling, but they also stopped the whole operation one time to help a fawn trapped in a briar patch., and they have assisted women in giving birth many times, always ending up the doting godfather doing their level best to spoil the kid rotten with gifts and candy.
It should take five days to get up the river. Once again, have the players roll 1d6 three times per day-roughly representing morning, noon and, night-to check for Random Encounters. On a 1, there will be a Random Encounter, such as described on the River Encounter Generator. These can range from environmental anomalies to bandits, or worse yet, a Kobold War Gang.
Climax
The characters arrive in Hammingburg on (or around) Maya 7, bright-spanking early in the morning, and the meat of the adventure begins! This is their last chance to gear up and go shopping before they head off into the forests, then the crypts beyond.
Arriving in Hammingburg
Hammingburg is a quaint, largish township on the very cusp of Birkwud. It is known for hearty souls, hard working people, and timber. Lots and lots of timber. Lumbering, and lumber related industries, are a big thing, here in Hammingburg, and the culture and local style show that fact off proudly.
Read the following aloud, if you wish.
The sun rises behind you and to your left, and much like Stilton Head, the sparse and rare signs of human habitation suddenly opened out into a large, bustling township. It is almost surprising, as it emerges from the wilderness you have been surrounded by until now, to realize that within the hour, you could be eating a fresh meat pie.
And, with that thought, the scent of rosemary-kissed pork pies reaches you over the slow moving river water. Brown sugar and maple sausages are cooking somewhere ahead, you can almost hear them sizzling. The sounds that start reaching you, just then, are cheerful and inviting, which is a relief, you discover. You had been somewhat afraid you were going to end up in some backwater logging camp without a serviceable tavern, but here we are in the veritable lap of luxury!
With a bump!, and a low moo from one of the burdened oxen, the barge comes to a halt. Ladies and Gentlebeings, welcome to the Hamlet of Hammingburg! Your first order of business will be to find the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and get paid for the trip you just took to get here. But your first order of the day is to find a nice place to stay, wash away the grimey road dust that seems to have become a second skin, and indulge in a meal. You have earned it!
Encourage the party to rest and recouperate at The Gilded Goose while they are here in "the 'burg". If they choose elsewhere, it is up to you where, and when, they hear the story of The Owled Man.
The Owled Man
The grand design, is to have the party blast a hole in a hill whilst fighting the The Owled Man. They will then find the Hillside Entrance to Hamish's Crypts...but beware! The Owled Man will be a real challenge for the party, and you may or may not wish to adjust his challenge rating on the fly.
Defeating the Owled Man will elevate the characters to level four!
The Hole in the Hillside
Read the following aloud, if you wish.
The hole in the hillside has revealed a shallow cover of dirt and humus, covered in a thick layer of slimey leaves that the nightcrawlers are busily trying to burrow into, out of the light that you have thrown on this situation.
Within the hole, a small platform of hewn stones surrounds a central pillar comprised of bones, and bone fragments, which have been artfully arranged into some sort of memorial. A set of perfectly circular stairs descends into the darkness below.
The lights will come up as the party descends; alchemical flames that do not consume precious oxygen. Technically, the rooms can be done in any order that is possible, and one sees fit. The catacombs are filled with many complex, even Rube Goldbergesque, traps and hindrances for the players to enjoy, so have some fun with the next few rooms! For our purposes, the ideal room order within the catacombs is detailed to the right. The entire adventure culminates in a battle with the mummy of Hamish Skaalder, which animates and attacks if anything at all is disturbed on his grave.
Once (if!) the Mummy is defeated, the eastern part of the room will collapse dramatically, exposing a hole leading out of the crypts, as well as five extremely surprised Kobolds who will run off to the east, shouting the words "veep eeth!" They are calling the name of their general, V'peef Sujo. But if the party needs to rest (and they should), now is the time to do it!
A war party will return to investigate in four hours.
Read the following aloud, if you wish
As the dust settles from your fight with the Mummy of Hamish Skaalder, with a low pitched rumble the eastern corner of the ceiling and wall begins to rain dust and debris. For a moment, you stand frozen, watching with wonder as that entire side of the room collapses, leaving a hole open to the blue sky above. It is breezy, you notice fondly, and the sound of the leaves rustling reminds you of how long you have been down here in the crypts. Birds are still flapping off in a blind panic, there's a fox looking at you curiously over the lip of the newly formed hole in the forest, and a scouting band of five kobolds blinks the dust out of their slitted eyes before running off to the east in a panic of their own, shouting "V'peef! V'peef!".
You blink your eyes three times, and the entire drama has ended. Birds begin to sing again, there are crickets chirping from some shaded part of the forest, and the low croak of a bullfrog declares the emergency officially over. The forest goes back to it's routine, as if stuff like this happens all the time. You are left alone with the forest, the dead of the crypts, and the contents of the now-really-dead mummy's tomb. What is your next move?
Defeating the mummy brings them to level five!
With a DC12 Insight check, the players would be able to discern that the Kobolds are shouting someone's name as they scamper off to the east. If anyone speaks Draconic, the kobolds can be heard yelling "Back to the Shrine! Back to V'peef!"
Following them, or heading that way at all, will reveal the nearby Dragon Shrine. V'peef is on his way back with a squad of raw-recruit Kobolds, and when the shrine is entered, he knows it via the three dragon heads. He will dismiss the kobolds, and move in to confront the characters, teleporting away to the twins' castle the instant he takes any damage.
Read the following aloud if you wish
The shrine's door is wide open, and as you walk in you are flanked by torches and a pair of wall hangings on either side of the door. Two carpets sporting the chaos symbol lie on the floor on either side of the doorway.
There are no less than three dragon heads on the walls, one straight ahead, and one to each side. They are incredibly realistic, two of them staring menacingly at copper-colored eggs that are elevated upon ornate stone plinths.
With a DC15 Perception check, a player character would be able to tell that the dragon heads are real, and have been severed and mounted like deer antlers.
Three glowing, egg-shaped statues adorn the ancient stone altar, artistically cracked to reveal blobs of lava, flowing around serenely within them. Candles, made to burn especially brightly, are affixed within human skulls to make mocking lanterns out of their open mouths and eye sockets. Every surface, every fixture and piece of molding, is etched with profane sigils and vulgar epithets entreating Shayna to consume the threat of Humanity.
V'peef will arrive ten minutes later to confront and kill the trespassers. He means to do this alone, in order to impress his mistress, but will flee immediately upon being injured, teleporting to his lair in the forest; an old Keep he has whipped his kobolds into restoring for himself and his brother, Uthooplig Islapo.
V'peef is a textbook egomaniac. He is narcissistic, a borderline personality, and his education has focused on how evil humans are. He is cruel, sadistic, and none too very bright.
V'peef is a textbook egomaniac. He is narcissistic, a borderline personality, and his education has focused on how evil humans are. He is cruel, sadistic, and none too very bright.
When the dragonborn paladin teleports away, the entire structure begins to crumble. The dome above the shrine begins to disintegrate, raining debris down on top of you. You have only seconds before the entire building collapses, trapping you inside, but you are nimble and savvy enough to get out of the way of the falling stones and chunks of mortar. Gathering together at a safe distance, the party watches as the shrine collapses completely, and the red glow that had been emanating from it quickly fades away to the normal gloaming of Birkwud at night. The urge to get back to town strikes you hard. A soft bed after a pint of good ale sounds really nice, right about now.
After all that you have seen here, you know two things for sure. One, the paladin you just fought worships the devil dragon. Two, the shrine you just destroyed was dedicated to the devil dragon. What is starting to pervade your awareness is that now, after all of this, the devil dragon may find out who you all are, personally. The last thing any of you need is a devil on your back, and this devil dragon seems like she wants to be more than a mere devil. She wants to be worshipped like a god.
But first, rest, and gather your thoughts in town. Hammingburg awaits, and after all, you defeated the The Owled Man Down the Road, and the mummy of Hamish Skaalder, making the town safer with every action you have taken.
The walk back goes by much more quickly than you would have thought, and you are greeted with a hero's welcome as you enter the Gilded Goose. Free drinks, and a soft bed, await. Treasures, to your mind right now. That night, as your head hits the clean pillowcase with the super high thread count, you can reflect back on a job well done.
After all that you have seen here, you know two things for sure. One, the paladin you just fought worships the devil dragon. Two, the shrine you just destroyed was dedicated to the devil dragon. What is starting to pervade your awareness is that now, after all of this, the devil dragon may find out who you all are, personally. The last thing any of you need is a devil on your back, and this devil dragon seems like she wants to be more than a mere devil. She wants to be worshipped like a god.
But first, rest, and gather your thoughts in town. Hammingburg awaits, and after all, you defeated the The Owled Man Down the Road, and the mummy of Hamish Skaalder, making the town safer with every action you have taken.
The walk back goes by much more quickly than you would have thought, and you are greeted with a hero's welcome as you enter the Gilded Goose. Free drinks, and a soft bed, await. Treasures, to your mind right now. That night, as your head hits the clean pillowcase with the super high thread count, you can reflect back on a job well done.
Falling Action
The next morning, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will arrive at The Gilded Goose, with a message from Cass Elliot asking if the characters would like to extend their contract with the Kingdoms, at which point they would begin receiving pay if they take the job. It pays fifty gold per month just to be on retainer, plus extra per job, and bonuses for good work. Modest housing is provided in Craysilt and Greynor, and they will be given a badge that identifies them as Special Agents of the Kingdoms. They are perfectly free to turn the job down and do their own thing. Either way, travel back to Greynor is paid for by the Kingdoms.Read the following aloud, if you wish.
You have spent a week and more resting and recuperating at the Gilded Goose. The staff fawns over you, treating you as heroes, and making the entire process far more enjoyable. Gradually, the sores and bruises fade away, and the time has come to say goodbye to Hammingburg, and the locals at the Gilded Goose have gathered to wish you a fond farewell. Avo Icraophoe even gets a little tear in her eye, and has to bury her face in her apron. Igle shakes your hand warmly, and that red-headed kid that kept stealing everyone's borscht even solemnly offers up a brand new whoopie cushion, hoping you'll use it in rememberance of him. And finally, you set out for the docks, and the barge that's going to float you down the river. The teamsters working the docks and who pole the work barges downriver are busy making vulgar remarks and comments to pretty girls, and all seems normal with the world. With a sigh, the excitement that comes with the beginning of any journey fades as you set foot upon the planks of the river barge. This may even be the same one you spent so many days riding on the way up here, how's that for ironic? You find a place to lay down as comfortably as possible, and claim it as your own with your cloak and bundled belongings, and with a jostle you are pretty sure the teamsters did on purpose, the craft sets off down the river, propelled by the slow current of the wide River Whitten.
For game purposes, we are going to say they are leaving on Maya 22.
Travelling the wide, muddy river is much the same as it was on the way here, with gorgeous scenery, changing with the seasons and now in the full bloom of young summer.
It takes three days to travel downriver on the barge, at which point we will be back to Stilton Head on Maya 26. Their ship will be there waiting for them, and they only have one night in the city before they depart on Maya 27 with the evening tide.
Thanks to prevailing winds and tides, the trip back to Greynor aboard The Endeavor II will only take two weeks.
River Travel
It takes three days to travel downriver on the barge, at which point we will be back to Stilton Head on Maya 26. Their ship will be there waiting for them, and they only have one night in the city before they depart on Maya 27 with the evening tide.
Stilton Head
Thanks to prevailing winds and tides, the trip back to Greynor aboard The Endeavor II will only take two weeks.
Ocean Travel
Resolution
Finding yourselves back in Greynor, your heart wrenches slightly as you realize the time has come to say good bye to your friends.
There are an abundance of hugs and back slaps, hearty handshakes and fond farewells, and the sack of money Cass Elliot hands each of you with 500GP in it does help quite a lot.
Cass tells you all to stay in touch...she has more jobs for you, if you are amenable to them. In the meantime, enjoy your downtime in Greynor! The The Gilded Goose is supposed to be one of the best taverns in the city!
If the players have not figured it out yet, it is exactly the same tavern! The Gilded Goose is Everywhere, and anywhere, Bayard wants it to be! If they stick around for the next chapter, they will learn they can fast travel through its friendly doors, all across Pax!
Comments