All The Way Home
[Approved by Jerry on May 15, 2006. Enjoy! This will be fun to DM.]
[Reviewed by Jerry on March 23, 2006. This is good Kathy. Just finish it up, polish a bit and we’re good. Resend for approval when done. See my suggestions. Note that me using suggestions doesn’t mean it’s bad. Usually that means the module intrigued me and I can’t help adding my own ideas. ;) Good work!]
Title: All the Way Home
Game: Cinnamon Valley
Date: April 2006
Author: Kathy Ice
Summary of Module: A seemingly routine rescue mission turns into a horrifying ordeal when the PCs and a group of children are accidentally transported to Koshe-Marr. They must fight the dangers in that place and figure out a way to return home.
General Notes: This module presents the opportunity for some very intense character-related stuff. Before beginning, I intend to contact certain players via e-mail and discuss with them whether they’d like their character to go through a particularly harrowing experience. I think there’s a tremendous roleplaying potential here, but I don’t want to mess with anyone’s character to this extent without their prior knowledge and consent.
Changes to module when played: 1 paragraph (to be done when the module concludes)
Scene 1: The Missing Children (4 weeks) – The group is contacted by Dulcet (http://www.woldiangames.com/dm_resource/games/cinnamon/npcs.htm), who tells them that a group of Jarlwolf children has become stranded while on a field trip. They were exploring a local ruin when they were trapped by a cave-in. They don’t appear to be in any immediate danger, but they can’t get out. Dulcet asks the group to get to the kids, then contact her via a scroll of Sending that she gives them. She says there’s no need to try to get the kids out; that she will figure out some magical means of transporting them all to safety.
The group travels to the ruin, and is able to reach the kids fairly quickly. They discover that the kids are fine, but the instructor who was with them was killed by the cave-in. When they (presumably) contact Dulcet via the scroll, she tells them to stand by, and that they will all be transported out magically.
Scene 2: Not in Jarlwolf Anymore (5 weeks) – Dulcet attempts to use a spell to retrieve the party, but something goes wrong. For a brief instant, they see her smiling face and the familiar room, but then they are torn away, and find themselves in an abandoned manor house in Harrowed Moon.
[Jerry: Do you have the Ravenloft books? If not, let me know and I’ll send you a CD of them. There is a sort of traditional way to bring them into the Land of Dread. That is with shadow. Ravenloft uses mist, but shadow works better for us. They find themselves….nowhere, with moving shadows all around warning, scaring, suffering, etc. Flashbacks of childhood, times of fear, joyous happenings twisted into something horrible, etc. as they travel…for a period of time that is not measurable. Then after that “bit of foreshadowing” they arrive wherever you want.]
They barely have time to register their strange new surroundings before they are attacked by a horde of Varguilles. The group is seriously overmatched by the creatures, who fly in and out of the ruined windows of the manor house, and through holes in the walls and ceiling. Gerdi (see below) is killed (but not turned into a Varguille; I may have to modify the critters a little from the Monster Manual).
[Jerry: You’re taking kids into Koshe-Marr??? COOL!]
[Kathy: Well, nothing says horror like kids in danger. At least, that was my thinking.]
Just when the fight is becoming desperate, a human man bursts in, telling the group to run with him to a place of safety. He leads them to his home, a poor but sturdy cottage, and they are able to shut out the Varguilles (who eventually give up and move on).
Gerdi returns as a ghost. She’s too little to really understand what “dead” means, and she is upset that everybody seems to be treating her differently. She cries when people are afraid of her, and doesn’t understand that when she tries to hold hands, the touch of her icy little fingers really creeps people out. She remains with the party for the rest of the adventure.
[Jerry: very nice!]
Scene 3: Baelfred (1 week) – The man who rescued the group invites them to stay with him for a while and get their bearings in Harrowed Moon. He introduces himself as Baelfred and tells them a little about the place they’ve come to: that it is ruled by a vampire, that there are villages of ogres and goblins, and that life is very trying here for the handful of humans, who are little better than serfs.
Baelfred is actually a vampire, and sees the arrival of this group as his way out of Koshe-Marr. He’s rather low on the food chain here, but he’s heard of other realms where vampires are scarcer and he would have freer rein. He wants to use the group to help him out of Harrowed Moon. And, he may snack on one or two of them along the way. Because he wants to keep the group to himself, he is perfectly willing to defend them against other monsters, as he did with the Varguilles.
Baelfred tells the group of the Inn, which is some three days’ journey from his cottage. He tells them that there are ways there into other realms. He also says that he has often thought of trying the journey himself, to escape this realm, but feared the dangers along the way. With a group of brave, stalwart adventurers along, though, he might be willing to risk it. He’ll even help take care of the kids….
Scene 4: The Journey (4 weeks) – Assuming the group takes Baelfred up on his offer, they all set out of the Inn. The first day is uneventful, but on Day Two the group is attacked by a group of 4 Wights. The group is able to rest and recover afterward.
Scene 5: An Errand (5 weeks) – Balefred rather abashedly comes to the PCs and makes a “confession:” he has not told them everything about the trip. The truth is, he says, he cannot use the portals to the other realms because he was born here. There is, however, a magic item that will allow him to overcome this restriction. And he happens to know that the item is located near here. It is guarded by cunning traps, but surely such resourceful adventurers will be able to secure it. He offers to watch the kids while they’re gone.
Of course, Balefred isn’t telling the whole truth about the magic item. He can’t use the portals, all right—because he’s evil and evil creatures cannot use them. The magic item will enable him to shield his alignment from the magic guarding the portals. Also, he’s hungry and wants to separate the PCs from the kids so he can enjoy a little snack.
The PCs are directed to an abandoned mine, where the magic item is hidden. Several traps guard the route to the item.
The item proves to be a hideous, unnatural amalgam of humanoid and manufactured parts. It consists of several humanoid heads, fused together through some sort of foul magic. Snaking among them is copper tubing, and there is a small spigot near the base. It is always unclear whether the heads in this “head still” are completely dead. Sometimes you’d swear you saw one of them move out of the corner of your eye—and didn’t that one have its eyes closed before? When the spigot is turned on, the entire mechanism shudders, and the heads twitch and tremble as if they were still alive (but that’s just the mechanism, right?). A horrid, black, viscous substance oozes slowly from the spigot, which works as a potion of Nondetection.
When the PCs return, Devrin is dead. Baelfred seems very upset and guilt-stricken, and says there was nothing he could do to protect him. The other kids say they were asleep and they were awakened by shouting, away from camp. Interestingly, ghost-Gerdi is nowhere to be found.
Scene 6: The Fiend Unmasked (4 weeks) – At some point, the PCs will catch on to Baelfred’s true nature. They can search for and find Gerdi, who is hiding because she doesn’t want “the bad man” to get her (she doesn’t really understand that, dead, she’s pretty much safe from him). She saw the whole attack and can tell the PCs what happened. Even if the PCs don’t find her, the “dead” Devrin rising again as a vampire spawn is going to be a pretty big giveaway. However they find out, the group needs to act quickly or Baelfred will take out more kids.
Baelfred does what he can, trying to separate the group, turn them against each other, and use his Dominate power on whomever he thinks is weak-willed enough for it to work. If confronted directly, he fights.
Once Baelfred is defeated, it is a short day’s journey to the Inn. If he hasn’t already, Devrin returns as a vampire spawn, and the party must destroy him. This is going to be hard for them as they will have grown fond him. Bralin in particular is going to have a tough time with this.
From there, they can return safely home. Gerdi dissipates after seeing her mommy one last time, and the group is left with memories that will haunt them….
[Jerry:
My other observation is that this is a very straight forward story with only one real revelation/plot twist. Think through it one more time and see if you can’t throw the characters for a loop a few more times.
Ideas:
--Is there something about one of the kids that makes the spell go bad?
--Is the pitchfork councilwoman casting the spell not who she seems?
--Are the instructions to the inn accurate? Of do they lead to another vampire’s abode as a plan B of the vampire? Or is it an inn, but not THE inn.
--Do any of the kids, or adventurers know the vampire?
--Does the Vampire turn one of the kids into a vampire while they are gone?
Not wholly happy with any of those, but you see what I mean about turning the module on it’s head and throwing a few curves at them along the way.]
End matter:
A: List all NPCs used in the module.
Dulcet (http://www.woldiangames.com/dm_resource/games/cinnamon/npcs.htm)
The kids:
Cerina – Oldest of the kids at 14. At “that awkward stage” both physically and emotionally. Alternates between acting very adult and very childlike. Often sullen. Unattractive, pimply. Develops a crush on Lorth; follows him around, flirts very awkwardly.
Devrin – Likable, charismatic lad of 12. Talented musician who wants to be an adventurer when he grows up (a bard, naturally). Drawn for some strange reason to Bralin.
Nelle – Shy girl of 11. Drawn to the more outgoing Any.
Turi and Naki – Brothers of 10 and 9, almost as alike as twins. Boisterous, energetic, inclined to fight each other (but all in good fun). Fascinated with Harvest; whether it’s a crush or simple appreciation of her monk skills is anybody’s guess.
Kiara and Hmanny – Hmana sister and brother of 10 and 6. Quiet, well-behaved. Tend to stick together and not socialize as much with the others. Not drawn to any particular party member.
Lirena – Girl of 8, who has always been pretty and has always been able to use it to her advantage. A bit spoiled, not too bright. Drawn to Arminas and always wants to pet his eagle.
Istel – Quiet, bookish girl of 7. Some of the other kids are intimidate by Ril’Veneyl’s unusual appearance, but Ista finds him fascinating, and wants to learn more about how he does archery.
Dolo – Devrin’s younger brother is a sturdy lad of 6 who plunges cheerfully from one scrape to the next. Constantly in need of rescue (not to mention a bath), he is nevertheless quite likable. Drawn to “Andwaff.”
Gerdi – Istel’s younger sister is the youngest of the group at 5 years old. She has a forceful personality and isn’t shy about expressing herself. She’s not precisely unlikable, but is definitely a challenge. Makes an impression on everyone in the party.
Balefred : male vampire, Ftr4/Rog3, CR 9; Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid); HD 7d12; HP 58; Spd 30 ft; AC 21 (touch 15, flat-footed 16); Base Atk/Grapple +6/+12; Atk +13 (1d6+6, club) or +12 melee (1d6+9 plus energy drain, slam); Full atk +13/+8 melle (1d6+6, club), or +12/+7 melee (1d6+9 plus energy drain, slam); SA Blood drain, children of the night, create spawn, dominate, energy drain, sneak attack +2d6; SQ Alternate form, DR 10/silver and magic, Darkvision 60 ft, fast healing 5, gaseous form, resistance to cold 10 and electricity 10, spider climb, undead traits, vampire weaknesses; AL NE; SV Fort +5, Ref +11, Will +4; Str 22, Dex 20, Con 0, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 14; Skills and feats: bluff +16, climb +13, hide +19, intimidate +11, jump +15, listen +16, move silently +19, sense motive +16, spot +16, swim +13, tumble +14, Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Spring Attack, Weapon Focus: club, Whirlwind Attack
B: List all locations used in the module. Describe the location if it's the first time the party has entered this location in this campaign. We're talking places like inns, shops, temples, etc. If there are changes to the location from the last entry, note what has changed and that it HAS changed.
Dulcet’s House (used before, unchanged)
A ruin near Jarlwolf (new)
A ruined manor house in Harrowed Moon (new)
A hovel in Harrowed Moon (new)
A guarded treasure stash in Harrowed Moon (new)
The Inn (from the Harrowed Moon resource, unchanged)
C: Magic Treasure: List all non-standard treasure given in the module with a writeup of what the item does. This should be done to Woldian standards.
Head Still – Produces some very disturbing effects and a potion of Nondetection. The PCs should decide to destroy it. That thing ain’t right.
I also need to create a new magic spell, for the express purpose of having it go wrong and transport the group to Koshe-Marr. Neither Teleport nor Dimension Door quite fits the bill. I’ll work with Cayzle on this, if he has time.
D: List the experience for the module. [Remember we are advancing at 3 levels a year for levels 1-3, 2 levels a year after that until 21st level is reached.]
About 4,000 XP base, with the potential for whopping RP bonuses.
General notes: Give me the level of detail necessary to run the module. Anything beyond that is up to you. Look at your module as you fill in the template with that "focus" in mind. Can my Asst. DM or a sub DM run this with this amount of information?
I do not need monster details for the module. Just the name of the monster, etc. If strategy is needed, include that. You can work up the monster's stats when the combat comes. We are all honorable enough to not cheat "against" the players during combat.
