Kendarian Diplomats: Difference between revisions

In addition to each of the heroes, there are two hired guards with the stats of '''Guards''' (CC p. 222) and two Kendarian diplomats. One has the stats of a '''Merchant''' (CC p. 229), and the other the stats of a '''Noble''' (CC p. 231). Feel free to add more NPCs to this entourage, or to change the personalities and motivations of some of the characters. Lord Elarion should remain generally unchanged as his family will be a notable political force later in the campaign.

'''Lord Elarion of House Sutian''' ''(Noble).'' Lord Elarion is a human, the younger brother of Baron Desmond Sutian. Elarion is very loyal, but also relentlessly pursues personal gain. Posed with the question of betraying his brother for wealth or status, Elarion would not be incorruptible, but it would require a steep price to make him forego his family obligation. The Sutian family is responsible for the governance and protection of Greenvalley. Given Greenvalley’s suffering as a result of the famine, Lord Elarion hopes to secure shipments of grain and dried meat from Bridgemoor’s markets to his home for the coming months.

Trouble begins almost immediately upon entering this stretch of rough wilds. The travelers are first accosted by a pack of hungry wolves. The wolves will leave the party alone if they receive a number of rations as shown on the table below.

{| class="wikitable"

|+

|-

|2

|9

|-

|-

|4

|11

|-

|-

|6

|20

|}

In the event of combat, after ½ of the wolves that fight the heroes have died, the remainder will run away to look for food elsewhere.

==== Rocky Road ====

For each player, add up the sum of their two checks to find out how successfully they endure the trials of the journey. Implement effects that they suffer on the following day as they break camp, when road weariness sets in.

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!Bears

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|}

==== Fighting the Florens ====

{| class="wikitable"

|+

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|}

Assuming that the heroes do not fight, and instead engage in conversation with these creatures, they will learn that they are florens. Their corrupted grove is about a half-day’s travel north, which would add a full day to the heroes’ travel time before they reach Bridgemoor, likely causing their NPC companions to run out of rations.

If the heroes do decide to help the florens, then proceed to the Corrupted Floren Grove section. The NPCs might complain about the detour, but if the heroes recommend escorting the NPCs to Bridgemoor and then immediately returning to help the florens, then all parties will be satisfied. If the heroes insist on helping the florens straightaway, the NPCs may protest but will go along with the plan.

Heroes might want to make AWR or INT checks to see if they can determine anything specifically wrong with the vegetation or the area in general. Any such check might reveal the following information. A high roll reveals information for lower rolls, as well.

'''Less than 5:''' There is a drought.

'''5-10:''' This area is usually some kind of small marsh, and the water has almost completely dried up.

If the heroes want to look for threats specifically related to the vegetation, either before or after learning any information from the above attribute checks, allow them to make an AWR check. On a roll of 8 or higher, they spot the corrupted plant life that is directly responsible for the problems in the grove.

If they see this information, then the enemy plants are Partially Surprised when combat begins.

The exact type and number of hostile creatures are based on the party’s size, as shown on the table below.

{| class="wikitable"

|+

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|}

'''''Read Aloud:''''' ''A half-hour’s journey from Bridgemoor, the Kendarian village of Dustdale clings to an appropriately named dusty fold between a couple stony, shrubby hills. It has only one major road, with a handful of public buildings forming a town square and a smattering of townhomes arranged in a jumble around these buildings. Shockingly, the village is so small that there isn’t even an overnight inn, although a small taproom still serves as a stage for social mixing. There is no town fence or wall to speak of, but on either side of the village, the main road has a clump of dark, thorny brambles that look like a poor effort at growing a hedge wall.''

If they ask around town, they can interact with the following NPCs. Without too much difficulty, they can determine that the apothecary is up to shady business and is responsible for creating the brambles outside town.

If the party searches Leda’s herbal shop, they can roll an INT or AWR check and add any relevant skill. On a roll of 13 or higher, they find a strange coin that is not any recognizable currency. It is a medallion that seems to be made of solid gold. It has a skull and scythe on one side and an indecipherable glyph on the other. On a roll of 19 or higher, they also find the remains of a letter in her fireplace. It is burned beyond legibility, and the broken wax seal has melted, but the seal’s wax is a striking pitch black.

|}

'''Dorta,''' ''the Barkeep.'' A matronly [[halfling]] woman who runs a small and pleasant taproom, Dorta has no aspirations in life other than getting her son to become a competent leader. She knows all the most current gossip out of Dustdale’s population of almost one hundred inhabitants. She has the stats of a '''[[Noble]]''' (CC p. 231).

=== Conclusion ===