Wednesday already. Today we are looking at expanding out plot, refining the core mission or quest to create that secondary hook or twist that leave the players wanting to stay up later or move your fortnightly session a week early just so they find out what’s behind the hidden door.
So without taking too much time.. a disclaimer.. I know what I want to happen and this week.. I’m also probably going to start on the map tonight too as I’m anticipating something a bit bigger for this weeks adventure. I am also working towards somthing that I hope to implement next month – so stay tuned for that announcement.
Not all that glitters is gold…
The aim of the setting this week is to get the party to the ruins. The party have come at a perilous time where darkness is coming under the chitter of a hundred paws. So this isn’t really a twist more a path that the adventure moves down one or the other.
The keep itself is mostly ruins. The outer walls that used to hold a courtyard have been ransacked for their well carved stone. There is little patches of grass that surround the ruined walls and archways, almost as if the grass itself was cut out.
The only sounds are the occasional gust of wind or the rattle of a stone falling from a long forgotten rampart.. The attempt to investigate such noises leaves the curious puzzled and as such the ruins are believed to be haunted.
03WeMa1
The keep is currently home to a group of thugs, they have sent some of their members to Sparrows Rest to scare the townsfolk into leaving so their presence is not known.
The thugs are currently excavating a long lost passageway looking for the treasures that may lie beneath Sparrows Rest Keep.
Main plot. The cause of a lot of issues for the Adventure
Hostile group discovered and main antagonists
03WeMa2
Investigating the keep at day finds it empty and devoid of life, even the grass and animals know better to dwell near the keep
At night the ruins are filled with Chittering humanoids with their red bulbous eyes almost glowing in the Torchlight.
They are almost endless in numbers and seem to burst forth from a hidden trap door among the stones.
If not thugs it’s these. Party either encounter them at night in the city or at the ruins.
Main antagonists
The party will either way venture into the tunnels beneath the ruined keep.
The weddings off
Kat Baker…
03WeKB1
Kat Baker is and still is heavily devoted to Percy, she found out that he had been sneaking upto the keep to practice dark magic with some dark master at night and challenged him about it, threatening to break off the engagement if he didn’t cease learning dark magic. Which he agreed to.
The next day he was dead, Kat went off to find Percys dark master for revenge.
To progress the story and not have Kat as the culprit. Have this during the day after the body was found (the party were approached during the following day and asked to investigate)
Party catch the investigate during the day and find Kat’s horse mostly devoured and Kat holed up a busted tower severely wounded. She mentions the thugs/humanoids that came from the ground.
03WeKB2
Kat Baker is and still is heavily devoted to Percy, she found out that he had been sneaking upto the keep to practice dark magic with some dark master at night and challenged him about it, threatening to break off the engagement if he didn’t cease learning dark magic. Which he agreed to.
The next day he was dead, Kat went off to find Percys dark master for revenge.
To progress the story and not have Kat as the culprit. Have the players enter the town at late afternoon and have them beseached to go after Kat now. This will land the Party there at night.
If the party get there at night they see a lone figure climbing stairs up the tower with a torch and sword drawn. Humanoid figures (thugs or otherwise) chase her up the steps.
A good blade is one in a million.
Timothy Carpens blade – he is revealed to be a coward.
03WeTC1
Tim Carpen fled and dropped hissword on the ground, his blade lays where it landed. It was said to be an enchanted sword given to his family to protect them against evil as a sign of appreciation from the king at that time.
This blade however is not that, it is a fake and anyone with a keen eye for smithing could reveal that (or a dwarf as there is well etched dwarven runes in the blade but they reveal that Tim was a fraud and coward.
If Tim approaches the party requesting aide to find his families sword then this is a possible choice
If hte party returns during the day then the Mayor may greet them (roll % and <50) he asks to see the blade and then reveals that it is very poorly made. A dwarf could also reveal this information.
If Tim’s mother finds out then it should be revealed that Tim lost the real blade in the ruins weeks ago when he went in search of treasure – he found a hidden trap door and something spooked him so he dropped it in the door. This time he didn’t even make it to the door when he was approached and he threw the sword and ran.
03WeTC2
The sword is indeed fine, and its burried in the chest of a man/humanoid thing with black fur.
The blade shines like bright daylight when revealed at night and during the day it gives of a soft humm that sets anything with an evil disposition upon edge.
Not needed but could drive the story forwards more
Party can retreave hte blade but the presence of the body should alert them to whats under the keep.
If no options are desired, but the quest is obtained then the blade is found on the grass, it is a fine blade but no trace of beast can be found. The party then either encounter thugs or the humanoids depending on 03WEMA1 or 03WEMA2.
People of Sparrows Rest
Twists for either Rose Longhammer or James Goodfellow.
03WeRLH1
Rose Longhammer is actually the mother of a daughter that went missing at the keep a few weeks back. Each day she goes looking for her daughter and finds nothing.
Rose would ask to employ the party to try and find what happened to her daughter. She says that she has had no luck thus far but she is rather poor at tracking or looking around ruins.
New quest for the party
03WeJG1
James is actually in league with the Thugs/humanoids. He has grown impatient at the villagers lack of respect and wishes to bring doom to the village so he can save it and earn enough glory to be given lands and a title at one of the three kingdoms he has been currying favour with.
The thugs leader or the “surprise NPC” reveal that James is the person they are working with.
The party has the choice to extort the mayor, reveal him or do nothing. But they know what the Mayor has done now
Well the plot thickens, and much like a good stew there is meat and hidden flavours to be found. With these additional twists or even additional quests there is more information to work and develope our adventure. There is a strong warhammer feel/vibe I am working on for this weeks adventure as I am quite passionate about many tabletop hobbies and warhammer is another one that I am yet to touch upon.. yet.
Don’t forget, if you like one of the twists above feel free to use it in your own adventure and as always don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe
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