03-Wednesday – Twists

Wednesdays we will be investigating what twists and turns we can include a twist in the adventure

Too close to home

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Welcome to another night here at Brazen Wolfe Tabletop where tonight we look at finalising the last little bits for this weeks plot hooks, twists etc.

This week we will be meeting with a a few familiar faces as they realise that they have been a part of the biggest lie in their sleepy villages history, so without further delay let’s get into tonight’s content.

Homecoming

207WeHoCo

Milly looked around the Broken Tankard dazed as if she had just woken up from a night of drinking their private reserve of Mountain bear stout – named because a single mug could cause a mountain bear to regret i’ts decision to drink the dark ale for a week. Looking from face to face she could tell that everyone felt the same, dazed, confused and as if waking from a dream. Well almost everyone, Carline just looked plain furious. As she began to wonder why Carline shrieked out a long painful cry – a long mournful shriek that was filled with loss, regret and most of all rage. “Hunter!!”

Immediately everyone in the room broke out from their daze, even as Carline dropped the lute that she was strumming but a few minutes ago and drew a long bladed sword people were standing up screaming out the same mournful, rage-filled cry of anguish and Milly knew why as she felt the same. Hunter had betrayed them all, had somehow affected all of their minds to think that he was the father of Katya, and that his fellow conspirators, Katya’s families trusted cooks and hirelings, were her real family. How could this have happened, everyone knew and loved Katya’s parents and Katya was the heart of the village, she had personally helped everyone in the village and was on her way to complete her parents wishes – to become a priestess of Chauntea.

As the village mobilised, an unspeakable agreement now that they had all had their mind cleared form what ever had put heavy fog around their memories, Milly instructed her brothers to stay behind and prepare for any wounded, they after all inherited their fathers battle lust that made them more as much as danger to the villagers as they were to Hunter and the traitors.

The march was harsh as the snow had deepened as they had moved on and the villagers were on edge. Despite their wish for vengeance and justice they had never been in a real fight before and there were rumours amongst those who marched that glittering eyes and razor sharp teeth could be seen just outside of torchlight.

It was about an hour until they passed the first toppled stone that looked like it could have been the grand gated entrance to the manor which was on the families estate, everyone remembered these gates being tall and splendid but what they passed looks like they had been destroyed a century ago. The metal bars rusted and brittle and the stone green with moss and crumbling in places. As they marched onwards they took a collective gasp as the same level of ruin could be seen on the once near-majestic manor that now appeared to be a decrepit pile of ruins and rocks. Four tall, impossibly thin figures could be seen at the windows watching the villagers approach and in the time it took Milly to blink the figures had gone – disappeared from eyesight and drifted off to the unknown. Others had seen it too by the nervous chatter and jittery movements from the villagers.

“Milly, Carline, there’s movement to the east!” A spooked logger shouted as the villagers backed up into a tight little ball, their makeshift weapons pointing outwards towards the dark. A nervous tune broke out, the same one from the previous nights around monsters on the hill. Carline lent her voice to the chorus and soon the song was being sung with bravado with all trace of nerves washed away by the bards energetic display of disgust towards those on the hill. A loud blood curdling shriek was their reward that seemed to resonate down from the old building as half a dozen or so figures approached from the east, their forms cloaked on th snow and wind.

Thanks for joining me tonight for this Wednesday plot and hook expansion. Let me know what your thought, don’t forget to come back tomorrow for more content and as always don’t forget to roll with advantage,

The Brazen Wolfe

Unfamiliar places

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Welcome back to a Wednesday where in this post where we look at the twists, turns and changes to the known plot that we have for this week. So far we have young Paul Turp fumbling as he went to hammer in a plank of wood into a post which broke bones in his hand. We also saw that Katya was experiencing a twilight between her her day-terrors and the reality she has known for the longest time.

Tonight we are looking at it from a different point of view to get a better understanding of what the party may be up against this week.

Dizzy spells

206WeDiSp

Paul’s eyes fluttered open to the sight of a dim room and the sound of howling wind outside the small stone room he was lying in. Sitting upright was a mistake and he barely had enough time to catch himself before he fell to the hard stone slab. Looking around the room he squinted trying to force his eyes to focus on the dim stone walls as his vision begins to focus in on the cracked stone, worn wood and small flurries of snow that come through a few gaps in the roof. Pushing himself up he winces as he leans on his left hand, looking down he notices a slightly grubby bandage had been woven around his hand. Slowly unravelling the bandage from around his hand he studied the bruised, blood covered skin beneath unable to see the broken bones and torn flesh where his hammer had shattered his hand yesterday.

“I must be dreaming” he muttered to himself as he stood up, now aware of the heavy coat that was wrapped around his shoulders. The coat was thick, a bit old and felt well worn as he began to move around the small room he found himself in what could only be described as crypt. moving towards the door he tried to open it but found it barred from the outside. Cursing he rattled the door further trying to push through or dislodge what was keeping the door closed before looking around the room for a way to pry open the door. Looking around the room he finds a torch bracket that hung limp from the wall where it would have been attached and after a few rough tugs on the torch it came loose. Jamming the torch bracket between the door and the wall he began to pry, hearing a snap from outside on the third heave which resulted on the door shifting inwards a bit. Sighing with relieve Paul only now realised that there are now that the howling wind had dissipated.

Reaching through the door to try and shift the shattered plank of wood that had held it closed he heard the crunching of snow moments before he withdrew his arm back inside the door as a wolf jumped at the door where his arm was there a moment ago. Slamming the door shut he pushed against the door as the wolf, joined by another or more by the sound of it, scrambling to get the door closed he managed to wedge the torch bracket into a crack in the floor and into the door, leaning against the door with the torch in place he sighed and felt through the pockets in his slightly damp cloak. Feeling the dry hard scrap of jerky he had left over from his lunch, stuffing it inside his mouth he chewed as the claws from the wolves scratched against the door causing it to shudder as he lay against the door and ate the jerky trying to calm his nerves.

Thanks for joining me tonight for another brief writeup for what we are looking to expand this weeks adventure with. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow night and if you like what you read then feel free to follow for future updates.

And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Broken tankard

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Welcome to Wednesday where we look at twists, turns and otherwise secondary plot hooks for the adventure. This week, coupled with the main driving plot from last week, we will expand the existing plot because, lets face it, the creepy family and daughter with nightmarish visions is probably plot enough.

So like most adventures we will find the party stopping over in a tavern, this weeks port of call for a drop of the good stuff is The Broken Tankard, a dwarven run tavern where the lads at the Broken tankard bring you a themed menu, drinks and service that’s almost as gruff as it is warm and inviting.

So let’s kick off our boots, loosen our bracers and visit what promises to be a great night and tale to write home about.

The three siblings

205WeTTS

Weary from their travels the party enter the quiet village known to travellers as Bracken Hollow they walked to the only building open and sporting any sign of life and warmth as the weather had turned cold on the steady climb up to the village.

Pushing on the door they entered the room to a near crushing silence where the eyes of twenty odd people stared at them. A stout, muscular dwarf in what appeared to be a leather breastplate walked backwards, careful to not spill what they carried, through the saloon style doors that separated the large warm dining hall to a kitchen where rich roasts could be smelt cooking.

As the dwarf turned around, a large platter of food on a tray nearly overflowing with roasted vegetables and some meat the party could now see that the stern, imposing and commanding figure was a young dwarf maiden, her long golden hair tied in a tight top-knot. Noticing the silence she slammed the food down on the table before grabbing a dented tankard from the bar and strode foward.

“Right, back to it ye’ sons of oxen. I’ll deal with this” the called out as she strode towards the party, placing a hand on her hip as she stood in front of the party before urging them to lean closer to her.

“Sorry for this, the villagers here don’t like strangers, well anyone ‘new’ really.” she then squared her shoulders and grabbed the first person in front of her and lifted them an easy six inches off the remarkably non-sticky tavern floor. “You create any trouble here you’ll ‘ave to deal with me. You hearing me?” she said, giving them a sly wink before setting them on the ground as she strode off toward the tavern bar. As the party watched the matriarchal dwarf stride through the room, a dull roar of merriment now coming from the room – content that the strangers had been thoroughly warned.

As the party moved forward, the grins, laughter and smell of good food lifted their spirits and eased their nerves. The few travellers they had passed on the road were either leaving Bracken Hollow or had nothing good or polite to say about the town or its people. Sitting down at a large table, occupied by a pair of farmers, brothers apparently, they quickly became acquainted with the pair before the plates of food and drink they ordered were set before them. A few minutes passed and as they enjoyed their meals and the company of the brothers a small cheer broke out and a rather attractive bard with golden hair appeared on a small barrel and stool with a lute. She strummed out a few chords before getting off into a merry jig about a crazed hermit who the whole village despised for good reason as it was though that the hermit cursed their crop and stalked their kids to eat. Despite the dark omens and shady character the jig was merry and full of humour where the hermit would always fail spectacularly and in the most publicly embarrassing way possible.

Two other dwarves, males and by their appearance identical twins, appeared from the amongst the crowd and they began do dance around the room picking up tankards, plates and taking money and orders from people. The family resemblance between them and the gruff matron of the tavern was uncanny. It was at such a moment where the tavern was roaring with laughter that the door opened again, letting in such a chill that it startled the room.

The man who entered seemed to slither-crawl across the ground, his sickly pale-yellow skin was met with an nearly insatiable grin that he carried as he nodded to each and every person in the room.

“Just a bottle of wine Milly,” the man spoke, his voice seemingly the only normal thing about him as the room was dead quite watching him. As the tavern hostess went to the back room to retrieve a bottle of wine the man turned to the party and the two brothers on the table. “Say, new faces. Pleased to meet you all, everyone calls me Father.” he said, his grin setting the nerves of the players on high alert.

“They just came in, here from Daye” the younger of the brothers said loudly, grinning as he sipped on his tankard. The older brother pushed the kicked his sibling under the table causing a confused look of pain to spread across his kin’s face.

“They are just passing through Greg,” the older brother began, “say, do you need help with your fences before this weather gets any worse? We would be glad to be of assistance again” he said as he turned around, a smile coming to his face but not his eyes.

“Yes, Colin, that would be appreciated. I will tell Mother, uncle and Aunty to expect you around the house as to not alarm them. Also please call me Father, it is my real name after all” Greg-father said, his grin never leaving his face. As he leaned in to begin more conversation a stomping began at the barrel and stool where the bard was singing. The party only now aware that the whole tavern was staring at the man called both Father and Greg. Turning his head to the bard she began to sing a tune about a monster in the woods and the villagers who grew tired of it preying on their stock, households and lives. The message clear to the party from the way the bard stared at the man next to them. The man simply smiled more, if possible and began to nod and sing along before turning to the party “I really do like this song, the beast in it is quite…” he was cut off by the thud of a bottle next to him.

“There ye are father. A bottle of the good stuff, I brought a second one out not sure if you were wanting more than one” Milly said dusting off her hands on her kilt.

“Thanks Milly dear, that’s very kind. Yes we will take two so we can celebrate with Katya when she recovers. Well I best be off before the weather turns worse” he said sliding over entirely too much gold for what the bottles were worth, instantly waving Milly off when she began to protest.

As the man left the room began to brighten up again and some people even began to sing along with the bard.

“The songs she sings,” the older brother said between mouthfuls of roasted potato, “they are about him and his family. They have a daughter but she is never seen outside and they do not take kindly to visitors. I really do fear for that girl. There is something.. Special about her” he said almost wistfully before realising what he said and returning back to his food.

There we are, a bit more of a glimpse, a tavern, a dwarven maiden who is maybe more than what she seems called Milly and an introduction to Father. What will the party do and make of this situation?

Don’t forget that if you use this in one of your games to let me know! I am curious to see how other parties work through these adventures and what you would/will and do change about them. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

A welcome distraction

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Welcome to Wednesday where we look ay plot twists, secondary hooks or bumps in the road where we may place a side path along the road to the end goal for our players.

Tonight I wanted to touch on last nights post, the Priestess having a problem that she wants the party to help with. This may be a simple quest or something that will take the party away for quite some time.

Errand for a Priestess

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Priestess Lizbet sat in the corner of the inn dressed plainly with none of the formality or elegance that she commonly wore when om official duty. She sighed in relief and swirled the ale around in the tankard almost reminiscing what life was like before she came into this position.

A group of people sat down at her table dressed much like her and familiar to her in some degree. “Hello adventures, I am relieved and gladdened that you came to meet me at such unexpected notice. I have a proposition for you. I have had ‘mother’, reveal to me another priestess of Chauntea that is more powerful than the current.” She stared at the adventures, so far they had played along and were pretending that she wasn’t the priestess. “This new priestess will be a great addition to the sisterhood here in Daye but she needs persuasion and I believe that you may be able to do such.”

“I believe she is about a day and a half north, there is a small community in the hills. She wouldn’t be too far out of adolescence but I don’t know much more than that.”

“If you can help me I may have another request of you that will undoubtedly be in both of our interests and I can provide some gold for this request upon completion” she says, unable to fully disguise who she is due to the way she speaks.

The party look amongst each other but there is a glint in their eyes that she finds promising to furthering the remedy to her predicament.

The idea of this one is straight forward, a side “retrieve / fetch” quest to keep the party busy but also work towards Lizbets goal. She, despite liking the luxury and opulence of her role, dislikes being in the spotlight and the focus from the town of Daye.

She believes if she can find someone else to fulfill the role then maybe she could go back to worshipping her deity and helping the community without the celebrity status.

Thanks for joining me to look at a side quest for the party.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for more content and as always don’t forget to roll with advantage,

The Brazen Wolfe

Waning moon heralds the dark

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Welcome to Wednesday where we look at twists, turns and changes in direction of the adventure. This week there isn’t a huge amount that we would want to shift as we are wrapping up the adventure with the Red Fleet setting anchor in Daye.

So to still make use of the adventure I think I will touch on something that I would be adding on Friday. So sit back, have a cup of tea (or coffee – my preferred liquid) and enjoy.

Dark wind

203WeDaWi

As Kyoko stepped onto the deck of the ship belonging to the Ren family she noticed the harshly burnt and damaged wood above the doors and windows. As she walked towards the door a fishing harpoon sprung from where it lay and barely missed her as a throwing blade deflected it off course. Looking backwards at the masked and robed form of Takeo and the armoured form of her friend Hurane she nodded thanks to both for having her back.

“It looks like my teacher was correct. The family would have had to let the Gaki spirit take possession willingly. This whole ship seems to have been desecrated in order to allow the spirt free reign” Takeo said as he smacked a lantern that flew towards his had to the ground.

“There is no sign of the family here. They must be elsewhere, likely continuing to do as they please to sate their desire and the Gaki’s hunger.” Hurane said, sticking his head through the door only to duck out quickly as the sound of knives on a wooden door thudded from where he was standing.

Cursing Kyoko lead Takeo and Hurane off the boat and watched as the moving objects stopped. “We will need to prepare the adventures before they come back” she said as she turned to head back to her boat only to be met by a pair of glowing eyes as several people grabbed them and a sharp smelling rag was forced across their faces.

So the disappearance of key NPCs when they are needed and maybe a note left on a table with poorly chosen words such as “Ren family” could see the adventures walking into a trap consisting of a family fully enthralled by the Gaki spirit and its energy having accumulated so much in a short period of time that its affecting the objects in the ship that it calls its home, for now, which can then a medium level encounter into something much more challenging.

Well that’s it for tonight, short sharp and too the point for our secondary plot hook and twist. The safe return of the Captain and her compatriots as well as the purification of the gaki spirit being in the cards this week.

Don’t forget to let me know if you have any feedback on the format or the adventure itself as I really do want to hear from my awesome readers their thoughts!

And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,

The Brazen Wolfe

Magic is fickle

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Welcome to Wednesdays content where we look at the secondary hook, plot twist or influence to the adventure that we don’t see at the start of the week. So far this weeks section of the adventure has the party hounded by a mysterious creature who is hungry for their magical items and who has, in its rage, finally lashed out at the party members who prevent it from getting towards it’s target.

So let’s see what twist of fate, unlucky omen or dark tiding brings a sense of urgency of change in this weeks Wednesday post and let’s prepare for how the party can overcome it.

Dismissed omens

202WeDiOm

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.

This one is pretty straight forward – the priestess was presented with an enchanted gift from one of the wealthy merchants from the Red Fleet – Once revealed a dark omen (a whisper) was heard in the crowd but disappeared quickly. Kyoko wants to ensure that the priestess is safe but with the restrictions placed upon her people only the party can make sure she is safe but she doesn’t want to reveal what she knows to the guard and wider audience in case one of them is responsible for the creatures attacks.

The goal of this is to get the party to the priestess at the local temple to Chauntea at night, have them encounter a very angry spectral creature who attacks them but tries to get to the priestess who is wearing an ornate necklace AND to then have them and the priestess (or just the necklace) board Kyokos ship. If required Takeo can appear and urge the party to follow him back to the ship. The creature will pursue them to the ship but wont move as fast as them, always just behind them.

Well that’s it for tonight, investigated the next stage of the adventure, a small view of what is happening since the last part of the adventure and the next phase of it with a bit more information revealed.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Thursdays extra content and if you are liking this weeks writeups so far consider following or liking what you read. Oh, and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

A beacon for dark mist.

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Welcome to Wednesday where we look at extensions to the plot or shifts in the setting or adventure we are developing this week.

Tonight I’ll look at putting the new format to test and see how it feels so if you have any feedback please let me know!

Dark mist falling

201WeDaMiFa

Dark tendrils of mist crawled down the wall as the lantern light left the room and ascended the stairs of the two story house. As the tendrils touched the floor it rose to take the shape of a hunched humanoid. Glowing pits for eyes snapped up on a neck that twitched and  shook erratically as it watched the last of the light disappear up stairs.

Skitter-slinking across the floor it moved through the room picking up items, raising them to its face where it inhales their smell in deeply before putting them back not quite in the same space. The mist that clung to its form obscured its face and most of its details but it seemed unhindered by the dark cloak that clung to it.

As it picked up a trinket from a mantleplace it inhaled deeply causing wafts of blue light to float from it. The creatures body shook uncontrollably in what could only be described as ecstasy  as the blue energy touched its face. Cupping the anchor medallion in both hands it inhaled deeply and grain by grain the talisman disintegrated in a trail of blue light and disappeared into the mouth of the creature.

“what in bloomin heck!” A loud voice said as the click of flint and tinder sounded from the stairs. As the spark of flame moved towards the lantern the creature whirled around and spotted the interloper. Jumping to the wall of the house it skittered up the wall at freakish speed. The sound of a man shrieking, a dropping lantern and shattering glass was the only sound as the creature climbed into the shadows of the the room. Slowly as it stared down at the man with its glowing pits for eyes it could smell the fear from the human as it stared at its eyes. Slowly its body turned to the same dark mist that surrounded its body and it drifted through the wall, two faint embers of its eyes the last thing to disappear.

This twist looks to add in what may have been assumed but to add in element’s to the adventure and introduce the main villain or adversary for this adventures. This week we have a curse brought over on the trading boats possessing a trader to feed on magical energy in order to sustain itself.

This curse likely was a family heirloom that someone brought over with them to the new land and the presence of new magic, or the lack of wards and protective rituals that are common place in the home land are not present in the city of Daye.

The objective here is straightforward, a person who has bo recognition of what they do makes questioning and interrogation impossible. The alternative form and abilities of the possessed makes them appear, and rightly so, unnatural as it crawls across the walls and roofs like a dark mist.

Thats all what we have time for today. A brief narrative of the subject of interest today and then the reasoning behind it. Going back to the roots of what I want to do here where I talk about the content from a dungeon master point of view but I wanted to keep a bit of the narrative to provoke that creative spark in those who read it.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for more content and as always don’t forget to roll with advantage,

The Brazen Wolfe

Hook line and sinker…

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Wednesday is here so let’s look at what I believe twists and turns really bring to the table. This is the third week of exploring Arciryas and although the series of adventures could be completed in a single full day adventure, maybe, but for the purpose of the process it’s been broken into three parts. Each week we have looked at a twist for a future week, or so it seems to have played out to be so and this week I wanted to do something different.

So this week let’s investigate the under currents for what could be future potential plots for a longer story arc or at least a glimpse of what I look for in a campaign/multi-part adventure and when I believe a twist in the plot, or one of the hooks will allow us to reel in a keeper.

Sorry for the fishing puns, my wife doesn’t appreciate my artistry when it comes to these things.

Rip tide

Ok so a catchy title – they are actually called Rips or Rip Current but they aren’t as catch as a Rip Tide… any way..

So for those who are not aware of what a Rip current is they are areas near the shore of a beach where the breaking of waves and wind force surface water to land, however that water will then try and get back out to sea by the path of least resistance which will do so quickly and in some cases quite wide. This movement of water from the shore back out to sea essentially is a current that will pull objects, people, boats, etc. out to sea and in most of cases the current is too strong to fight against.

So why Rip Tide (current). Well when I look at the currents in this adventure (please bear with the terminology) we have Blake and his ambition, Rafnir and his need to defend his people, prince Sellis and his want to form a bridge.. over troubled water (bear with it!) and his father, King Felris, in his madness seeks the path of what he believes is redemption for his people and the remedy for his kinds affliction.

Within this scope of influences to our adventure we have been introduced to a circle of people who can become key protagonists, or antagonists, by simple actions they can change, twist or irreversibly shift the direction in what the plot and whole adventure can go. These shifts in the current can cause what was a straight forward journey across the waves into something more unpredictable or treacherous.

The one I am exploring here is the grief stricken Sea Captain (and daughter) Astrid.

Astrid in her grief for her lost mother, the fear for the safety of the person she cares about most, Rafnir, and also that warriors spirit that she has within her could all be used to spur her into motion. The first option here is a simple, yet sad one.

As she crept from shadow to shadow her eyes never wandered too far from the light at the window, her feet making no sound as she skirted the edges of buildings and slunk into shadowy nooks and crannies as she moved towards her target. The rain had come at midday and did nothing to dampen her resolve even if it did mask the occasional tear that escaped her eye, Raf would take some time to forgive her for what she was about to do but at the end of the day he was like her, pragmatic.

“The end justifies the means” she muttered to herself, the sound of rain drowning out her own voice before it reached her ears as she unslung a rope and grappling hook from her shoulder. Swinging the hook to gain momentum she hefted it towards the balcony where the window was situated. Giving it a few tugs to be sure that it was taught she began the climb, the wet stones causing her feet to sleep occasionally but her determination and pain spurred her onwards. As she reached the balcony she stepped over and landed on her feet as quiet as an alley cat.

(Alternative path 1)

13WeRT1

The sound of voices could now be heard from the window frame, one agitated, confused, angry the other dismissive yet tinged with sadness.

“How could you do this Mathias, after they welcome us into their home, their keep with open arms ready to discuss peace you have ruined it all. There is no way forward from this, no way to salvage the situation you have gotten us into.” One voice, the agitated one, snapped almost hissing in the speed he was speaking. It took Astrid a moment to realise they were speaking elven, her enchanted earring letting her understand what was being said despite not allowing her to speak the language herself.

“My prince, forgive me. It was the only way for our people, you can not claim to see otherwise. The curse is their doing and with the ambition in that mans voice we will never be free.” the other replied his voice breaking with emotion.

Somewhere in the keep an alarm rang, soon soldiers were scurrying everywhere like ants in the rain surging forward with single purpose.

“We will explain your actions, perhaps they will spare our people housed in other parts of the keep if they have you and I as a blood debt.” The prince spoke. Calculating and calm despite the emotion in his voice. As Astrid heard a brief scuff of boots further into the room she slunk closer to the window, drawing her longsword – fear of the curse it holds not seeming like a big thing any more.

“I am truly sorry my prince.” the one called Mathias said in a soft tone.

“We can still save our people.” the prince spoke, turning towards the door as voices could be heard stamping up the stairs towards the room he stayed in.

A blade shot out from the robes of the one called Mathias and plunged into the neck of the prince. Astrid covered her mouth to hide any noise she would produce in her shock.

“I am sorry my prince. They are already dead. King Felris has ordered it to be as so. Cleanse the weak so that the strong may lead and a new wave of our people and surge forward.

The prince turned, clutching briefly at the neck of the man in front of him before he collapsed, presumably dead, on the floor at his feet. As the pounding began on the door and the voices of the guard started to demand the door to be opened up the robed man dashed towards the window and balcony.

Astrid slid from her hiding spot in the shadows and faster than even elven keen senses could respond to she separated the traitors head from his shoulders as the door burst open and the guards had just enough time to see a red flash of the enchanted blade as the body fell in a noiseless cry at the feet of Astrid.

(Alternative path 2)

13WeRT2

The room was quiet except for the scratching of quill on parchment and the groan of a chair. Sneaking forward Astrid looked into the room and noticed her target, the prince Sellis, sitting at a provided desk and writing on provided parchment. The prince was wearing a thin flowing robe but still seemed to be wiping his brow from sweat that glistened in the candle light.

“There, that has done it. Hopefully Blake can remove that cursed ‘artefact’ from my peoples home and we can be done with this curse and move forward to peace above and below the waves” the prince said, stretching as he placed the quill in a inkpot on the desk.

Astrid crept forward, drawing her oiled blade silently from it’s scabbard as she prepared herself to take a life.

“Are you sure that’s the wisest decision prince” Astrid’s blood chilled as she heard a familiar voice from her right, glancing up she met the piercing gaze of Rafnir. “We both know that Blake can’t be trusted, he seeks conquest and to rebuild his armada using that cursed technology to wage a new war.” Rafnir stood slowly and walked towards Astrid, sadness and disappointment in his face.

“You may be right Rafnir Coral-Tusk but there has never been peace that was for free. This is the only way for my people to be free of their curse and he has given his word to study the dark magic of the artefact. If we know how to undo what has been done to my people then they won’t suffer from their madness any more, they won’t feed on souls to sustain themselves of give birth to life any more. For a chance at that I would give a madman the keys to the sea.” The prince said before standing up.

Rafnir gestured to Astrid to be silent before muttering an arcane phrase in orcish. Astrid watched a she turned invisible before her own eyes. That man was always full of mystery.

“Did you say something Rafnir?” Prince Sellis turned around and looked to him, smiling.

“I think you’re right. There is another way however. The man and his party who spoke to your man at the docks. They are more than capable at removing the artefact from where it rests and we don’t give a madman a weapon. We would need to be discrete and would need a ship that could carry the cargo and captain to take us to where it is but it’s possible.” Rafnir spoke to Prince Sellis, but directing some words towards his hidden friend.

“You speak as if you know this captain already, if so. Can they be trusted?” the Prince asked, walking towards the window causing Astrid to step back and move out of the way of the prince. As he reached the window he stuck his head out and sighed as the water splashed his scaly skin.

“I hope so. She has not let me down yet.” Rafnir said as he stared at where Astrid stood. His mismatched eyes piercing through his own magic and her resolve.

We have explored but 2 of the several NPCs we could use to create under currents with. We could also have our Wizard, Petrel, become a contender for the artefact, or, create a ritual that would strip the madness from the elves.

We have Blakes men who are so driven to the cause that they would complete the mission even if Blake had a change of mind and heart after talking to prince Sellis, not wanting to use the artefact but to right past wrongs.

We also have the main NPCs themselves, Prince Sellis, King Felris, Blake, Rafnir or the party members who could shift the direction of the current and create a different outcome. If the invention / discovery from Petrel meant that an entire army could use it to be able to fight under water then we could have a battle underwater, a clash of two armies under the waves if you will.

What ever the shift, if it makes sense and drives a meaningful or enjoyable change in the story for your players generally about midway through a campaign I introduce a shift, to rekindle the interest of the party or hone their focus onto where I want them to explore. You set the stone to roll and they keep the momentum going forward.

Don’t forget if you like anything in particular do let me know and if you use this adventure/campaign setting and hooks I would equally love to know how they helped drive your creative spark onwards.

And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Debris on the seabed…

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Wednesday is here and today brings twists and turns that we want to shake up this weeks adventure. As I start to write the twist for this week I am undecided n which direction I want this week to turn, or not (as twists are optional as with everything in DnD and adventure crafting) but I find that my routine to start writing has kindled an ember of a spark so will see where that goes today.

Today we link the past and the present together to see where we want to go from here and after I have written it up I still don’t like the direction it was going then I don’t have to use it for the main adventure.

Past Mistakes

12WePaMi

Blake stepped carefully along the cobblestone streets, the sound of sea birds and waves resonated in the distance as he moved from shadow to shadow towards the docks. Careful to not arouse suspicion he had organised a feast for the guards as a way of thanking them for their diligence in keeping the city safe. A bunch of lies really all so he could meet with someone who could potentially win the forthcoming war.

As he stepped on the wet docks he looked up at The Seabreeze, a pang of guilt in sending his old friend away wriggled into his mind, shaking his head to displace the thought he turned and headed towards a warehouse at the end of the pier. Once used as half-way house for goods to come into the city it quickly fell into disuse when they built a newer dock as the city expanded complete with a much more robust storage facilities which could house more goods, more securely for longer periods of ties.
But that left the old warehouse to fade into memory, but not disuse as Blake quickly began to fill up the old warehouse.

Anticipation and the desire to not be seen made his footsteps quicken and once or twice the slippery boards and planks threatened to take him into the sea for a night time swim but his soldiers reflexes always caught him and his time on a ship kept his legs underneath him as he made his way across the boards.

Reaching the boards that constructed the doors of the warehouse he pulled out a old and worn key and unlocked the door. The unkept appearance kept people breaking in and apart from himself there was only a handful of trusted ex-soldiers like him that laboured away in the warehouse on his secret project.

“Bit late for a visit isn’t it Blake?” The voice of Bjorn, the head engineer said from a desk just inside the door, a bottle of rum on the desk and sketches, drawings an diagrams scattered in front of him.

“It’s never to late for progress old friend. How is she?” Blake asked closing the door behind him and locking it from the inside, the splash of water hitting the side of the warehouse and the clink of bottle on glass the only sounds.

“She has seen better days, I fear she won’t ever be as she used to be but we have made some progress. She should be more recognisable now.” Bjorn said, the squeal of his chair on the floor adding to the noises that Blake could count on one hand. “ere’ I’ll show you.” The old gruff man strode off into the darkness with his memory of the warehouse sufficient enough to tell him where boards were missing or things were left on the ground.

Having walked for a minute in the dark and silence Blake was startled, not that he would admit it, as Bjorn struck a flint and lit a lamp that hung to a post towards the back of the warehouse. The sudden light causing their eyes to adjust for a moment before they took in the vision before them.

A ship. A grand ship at that constructed of thick planks of hard wood, the layer of tar just under the surface of the wood forming a waterproof layer that would keep the huge vessel adrift. Climbing up a rope that hung very near to where they stood Blake made his way onto the deck, well what there was of it. Large patches of wood were bear exposing the frame of the ship, holes for war machines littered the sides of the vessel and a great iron container sat in the centre of the boat.

“Is that..” Blake began before Bjorn jumped next to him, clapping him on the shoulder”

“Not quite like what we used to have. This one has thicker walls and melted permafrost in between the inner and outer layer to act as a buffer for the contraption.” Bjorn said, pulling a pipe and lighting it with the lantern he had carried up with him. “I don’t know how those dwarves did it, but they managed to pull it off. We just need a power source now and we are good.” Bjorn mentioned, nodding towards the open hatch at the top of the vessel.

“And the rest of the deck. Probably need that too before we can set sail with her.” Blake mused, shouldering his friend gently as a chortle took over the older, bigger man. Looking at the network of pipes and cables that connected to the device he could see that the dwarves and gnomes he had brought into this endeavour were making their mark known. “What about weapons? I can see we have ports ready, what will she be able to do?”

Bjorn smiled, a toothy grin that spoke of his love of the subject. “Enough to take down a dragon turtle” he clasped his friend on the should before heading to the railing. “We still need the power source Blake” Bjorn said as he climbed over the edge.

“I know where it is, and I know just the people to get it for us.” Blake said to the darkness as he moved to the edge and prepared to climb over the side to re-join his old war companion.

Well that’s it for tonight. A slight tangent from what my thoughts were on from last week but that’s what makes these things twists. Use wise, Blake would be thinking of the old wrecks near the sea-elf city and using, persuading the party to go and retrieve the power source – the very same one that is corrupting the elves – to power his new war ship.

The reason I am erring on the side of not using this is so far my love of steampunk in adventures has been kept to a minimum in this string of adventures and to throw it in now may skew it into a direction I am not sure I want to take it. But, with some adjustments this could simply be a magical artefact (we have seen some such devices in the DMG) that is mechanical and magical legendary artefacts already and some of the settings books also have steampunk / magic-tech / hextech what ever you want to call it so it is not so far fetched.

That raises an interesting question – how does everyone feel on steam punk / advanced technology in a typical sword an sorcery setting such as D&D? Like it? hate it? Haven’t experienced it? I am interested to find out.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for maps/setting and for Friday with fight night! And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

A change in the currents…

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Wednesday is here and it has brought with it a twist for us to consider for this weeks objective. This week we are looking at the raiders that come from the sea to take the souls of those who live on the surface. Currently our players have encountered the raiders on the beach when they tried to ambush the party when they were camping by the sea. In the morning the slain elf had disappeared from where they had stored the body, continuing onto the city of Arciryas they discovered that the city was also struck by the same assailants and several people were slain.

Boarding party

11WeBP

The cold water gripped and felt like it was squeezing and compressing his exposed flesh, and it comforted him, reminding him of home in the deep. Looking over at his companions and their war mounts, various sharks, rays and eels, he steadied his own lithe ray, stroking the edge of her fin as he knew that it comforted her.

As the surface dwellers ships passed overhead the signal was given, his detachment was responsible for disabling the large ship and overthrowing it’s crew without drawing alarm before stage two of he plan.

His mount swam quickly and silently beneath the water, changing how he held onto his beast companion so that he would be under the ray as it approached the keel of the ship as to no be spotted, he quickly disappeared under the ship. Releasing his hold from the ray he called upon his blessed bracers as octopus tentacles stretched over his fingers attached to the barnacle encrusted ship giving him a reliable hold on the wet wood.

Climbing above the water he paused for a moment to give his lungs and eyes a moment to adjust to the surface world, his second set of eyelids folding back the bright light from the moons above caused him a moment of hesitation. The training and raids further down coast had not been enough to fully prepare him for the surface world but he had trained for this moment. The tentacle bracers biting into the wood he climbed the keel of the ship and peered over the edge, pausing again to spot his allies as they viewed the humans, elves and dwarves of the surface.

Three sailors walked the length of the ship, lazily gripping spears as they chatted and discussed the day, weather or what they were most looking forward to do doing when they returned to Arciryas.

A large ray, not his, leapt from the water on the other side of the boat causing a large splash. Several sailors ran to the railing in time to see several more rays jump from the water sending sparkling droplets of sea water onto the on lookers who hooted and hollered in delight at the animals putting on a display next to the ship.

This was the signal. Waiting a few moments for more of the sailors to appear on the deck of the ship the elf and his allies slowly on webbed toes crept over the railing and onto the wood of the desk. Twelve sailors in total stood and watched the rays jumping from the water, six elves crept forward.

As they reached their targets they kicked out, sending a sailor over overboard into the waiting jaws of the sharks the swam below the keel of the ship. As the elves sent the men over the edge their weapons whipped out and stabbed into the neck of each of the sailors that remained. Slowing pulling the shell dagger from the neck of the surface dweller a large strand of blue essence came forth causing the the eyes of the sailors rolled back in their sockets as their life essence was ripped from their bodies. As the last of the essence was pulled from a body the elves caught the bodies, pulling them into the shadows they began their separate dark rituals.

Closing his eyes he stared at the man who’s head laid in his lap. Cutting his finger tips he gripped the head and began to chant in the shadow of stacked crates. After a minute of chanting his body started to become numb as his bones and flesh started to liquify. Long strands of water that used to be him flowed over his arms and into the dead man in his lap. As his head began to waver and turn to water the last of his body flowed into the body in his lap.

His eyes snapped open, looking up at the flickering sale above him he could tell by the luminosity of the moon that the ritual had worked.

He stood up, taking a few shaky steps as he got used to his new body before walking to the railing he dropped the shell blade into the ocean – signifying the ritual was complete. Looking around the boat he noticed six other sailors walking, the shakiness in their legs disappearing as quickly as his had.

As they looked around their ship their minds recognised what each of the instruments, ropes, pulleys and wheels did around the ship. Moving around the ship they regained the positions where their respective bodies were meant to be having access to some of the memories of the people they inhabited now.

“Jaxon, have you seen Percy?” a man who carried himself much as a prince would.

“Last I saw Percy he was leaning over the railing looking at rays. captain” he replied, his memories kicking in.

The captain stomped across the deck, looking for the missing men before stomping down stairs again to organise a search party…

That’s it for twists this week, the twist that we are looking at is the invading party having infiltrated the ships that are coming to aid the city of Arciryas.

There is one other twist that I was going to write about tonight but I may just leave that for the writeup this weekend to expand on what is happening in the city or Arciryas and around it.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for maps and as always don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe