Part 2 – Dark Omens- 202MoChMi
As the party leave Kyoko’s room on the boat they are shown back to where they were staying by the boy again but not before the boy slips a small magical charm into the pocket of one of them (a hawk with stretched wings where the feathers touch to form an arch.
As they see the inn they realise the boy has disappeared (Passive Perception DC14 or an active check would have heard the flutter of wings faintly). That night the party members may (DC14 passive perception) notice a dark mist drifting down the walls, DC10 if they have dark vision) when the last of the lights have gone out. If they watch the mist the creature wont reveal itself and it will disappear however if they ignore the mist, don’t see it or fake not noticing it then the creature will reveal itself.
Once revealed creatures within 10ft need to make a DC12 Charisma save or they remain unconscious/asleep or they remain unaware of the creatures presence. They can re-take this test if something (a sound such as the creature finding a magical item it will begin to feed and this makes a sound like a wind being pushed through a small crack in a wall) with advantage the second time around.
The creature hates silver and will flee from mirrors or silver weapons or jewellery immediately but seeks out magical items (such as the hawk talisman). If the PC has a magical item they will (no roll needed) notice something in the room with them looking over their items. If it’s discovered they will find a magic item displaced and strange pox-like marks. This doesn’t damage the item but it looks like it would be irreversibly damaged if the creature was to finish its hunt for the magical items.
The creature will generally only visit one Party member if un-disturbed but if all party members have a magic item it will visit each of them until it’s discovered or its destroyed the magical items.
If the party find the creature it will disappear through the roof whilst emitting a hollow shriek. If it was disturbing devouring a magical item it will revisit that character again to try and slake its thirst but it will increasingly grow more violent the more times it is denied its meal. Eventually attacking the party members who come between it and the magical item.
Now that the creature has it’s sights set on the party they need to decide what to do about it, if they report it to Kyoko or the guards (or both) and how they will get rid of the creature. Changing inns/ taverns or sleeping arrangements won’t stop it from finding them and it will reappear each night just as the last lights go out.
Climbing was easy for Takeo due to his ability to twist use his toes and grip onto objects and surfaces in the same manner his hands could. As he hung from a tree just outside of town he used some of the magic he was taught as part of his training to join the Lotus and altered how his eyes perceived the world. Blinking a few times to acclimatise his eyes he looked across the town at the market place where the group of adventurers he had been tailing to firstly confirm that they were not responsible for their current predicament and then to monitor them since the magic talisman had been slipped into their belongings. So far his suspicions had been confirmed, there is a creature that is responsible for the appearances in the people of Daye’s houses and the loss of their items. He was waiting for word to come back from his teacher about what the the creature could be, what was the best method to deal with it and its connection to magic items.
What puzzles Takeo was that the creature had not visited any of the Red Fleet ships which added to the cause of concern and suspicion from the guard and the people of the town. As he watched the adventurers moving, sluggishly after several nights of no sleep it seems, he couldn’t notice anyone following them, watching them or acting suspicious at all. Even some of the guards seemed cheerful and happy to have them in the town which surely meant that they had revealed the true nature of the thefts of items. Surely…
Releasing his grip on the wood he summersaulted and landed on is hands and feet crouching down as he continued to watch the group move bout the stalls and buildings as they made their way towards the Red Fleet ships moored at the pier. Slipping on his shoes once again and adjusting his mask back on to hide his face he surged the altering magic through his body again and sprung into the air as he took on the shape of a hawk – flying towards the ships and to report back to Kyoko on his findings. Who knows, maybe his teacher had sent word already and he could begin to devise a plan to confront this creature.
Kyoko frowned at lord Toshio as he walked towards the raised platform in the middle of the central square of the Town of Daye. She had warned lord Toshio that to bring the gift he had planned into the city was to insight wrath of the creature. However despite the warning lord Toshio insisted that this gift to the Daye Town’s priestess of Chauntea on her coming of age would bring favour back to the Red Fleet. Going as far to insist that this will enable them to remove these harsh restrictions that the town has imposed upon them Toshio seemed to be making a power play to take over the fleet.
Looking across the gathered crowd her eyes drifted over a hawk standing on a large flag pole, the creature stared at her before clicking its beak and turning towards the crowd of onlookers. Following its gaze Kyoko noticed the adventurers that she had run into and told of their problems, Takeo had told her that he had placed the charm with a simple location enchantment upon the party and that the creature had been drawn to it.
Since being interrupted when it was feeding on the item, or so the running theory was, it had grown more erratic and aggressive and even lashing out as it fled the last time it. If this creature seeks out enchanted or blessed items then the gift of the Red Fleet would make the young priestess a target. From what she can tell there wasn’t much magic in this town before now and their appearance and the influx of minor magical trinkets and talismans from the ships changed this. What she couldn’t work out is why none of their blessed or enchanted items on the ships had been targeted and it was to this reason that she wanted to talk to the adventurers before it was too late.
A tinge, a whisper on the air had her and the hawk whip their heads towards the crowd, the gift had just been received by the priestess, the bright red cloth taken from a wooden box and presented towards the maiden of Chauntea. Searching through the crowd for the source of the disturbance they saw nothing but her stoic masked people standing in respect for the ceremony and the jubilant people of Daye who were applauding the gift that had been presented to her.
Walking towards the disturbance she was so focused on seeking for the source of the whisper of dark omens that she bumped into the party of adventurers and the whispering stopped completely.
“We need to talk” she said to the party before grabbing one by the elbow and walking out of the crowd towards a quieter part of the square. She needed the party to be with the priestess to make sure that she would be safe and to escort them to her and the Lotus if the creature revealed itself.
Environment and running the adventure
The party find themselves being escorted back to their accommodations by Takeo. He wears his mask constantly when around people and answers questions directed at himself in a way that he gives information but never fully answers the question. Insight check (DC14) would reveal he is hiding things but not lying in what he is saying.
The other mission he has is to plant a lesser charm of tracking on the party. Passive perception 15 will notice the attempt and if he is called out on it he said he thought the party dropped the good luck charm and was giving it back.
That night the party are visited by the creature once they are asleep. If in separate rooms elves, those with passive perception of 14 or higher will awake to something in the room but it wont reveal itself unless that party member has something magical on them (items). If they do wake up due to the passive perception a dc12 charisma saving throw is required. If they pass they notice the creature, on a fail they don’t notice the creature but have an uneasy feeling of being followed or watched.
When it finds a magical item it will begin to feed, this process wakes up the party members in the room and they see a creature inhaling blue, green or red dust motes from something it holds in its hands. Once the party wake up the creature will turn into its mist form and disappear through the ceiling or wall.
This happens twice more that night and on the third attempt the creature will lash out (attack roll) at the nearest player.
DM decision. Let the party go another night where they are visited again and if they interrupt the feeding again it will attack again. This depends on what the party want to do the following day and what other plans you have. When the party realise the creature is targeting magical items then have that day or the next day be the birthday ceremony and gift awarding for the priestess of Chauntea.
At this point Kyoko, Takeo and Hurane know of the creature and will answer questions from the party, but not what drives it. They don’t know what it is exactly only that it is a spirit from their home continent and it will feed on magical items to sustain its driving hunger.
After the priestess ceremony where she is awarded a magical necklace Kyoko will ask the party to try and persuade the party to join Kyoko for dinner, so she can watch over her as she believes the creature knows of the amulet and since it’s been denied meals the last few nights it will be aggressive.
The party can approach the priestess how they will but she wont leave until after she has conducted the dusk ceremonies. As they leave the temple with night falling the creature tries to attack the priestess but it keeps shying away at the last moment. Hurane or Takeo arrive and lead the Party to Kyoko’s ship where upon the creature won’t enter the main cabin.
Encounter – The Spirit in the dark mist
IF the party fight and kill the creature (with anything other than silver) then a dark mist like cloak falls to the ground and a badly hurt Red Fleet merchant from the Ren family falls to the ground.
If killed by a silver weapon then the mist gets absorbed into the silver of the weapon and its gone.
Brazen Wolfe Tabletop 
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