Dungeon Mastery: Writing that introduction to B2 Boneharrow

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

Background

A little under a century ago a faction of dwarves led by a chaotic dwarf cleric named Urga left Rockhome rather than face persecution at thr hands of the clerics of Kaygar. They travelled south to the black peak mountains and established a monestary. Unfortunately they also discovered gold in the rock at the base of the cliff which they mined. The mine, an extensive network of tunnels and chambers known as the sapworks were ultimately abandoned because the gold had been depleated and if they continued, subsidence might destroy the temple. The Siegetemple and its wealth quickly drew the attention of the local mainstream religious faiths and they banded together to eliminate the monastary of chaos and its occupants. The dwarves were promptly exterminated, The temple was looted and the main entrance bricked up.  The area abandoned, the Sapworks became a nest for humanoids which needed to be regularly cleared out. The Siegetemple on the otherhand has remained abandoned until recently when an entropic cult looking to control the humanoids nesting in the sapworks found a way into the temple. Now they secretly direct the actions of the humanoids to raid the surrounding territory while they create an army of undread warriors. Of course no one knows there are clerics hold up in the Siegetemple. Thats something the adventurers will discover once they clear out the humanoids.

Getting the Players Involved

A reasonably balanced out party should have at least one Cleric, Magic-user, Thief, and a bunch of Fighter types (Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings included). A selection of adventure hooks are provided below. They should be located in Penhaligon for this adventure although Dukes Road Keep is just as viable a start Location.

A word in the right ear...

As Father Jarnos raked in the church graveyard and pulled up some old bones with his harrow-rake. He is immediatly stricken with a strange sensation that this was more than just an accident. The word 'Boneharrow' strikes a chord. Investigating the history of the grave Father Jarnos discovers the bones were those of a warrior who was present at the Siege at Boneharrow almost a century before. Father Jarnos is certainly too old to go himself, but perhaps if he whispered of Boneharrow in the right ear others might look into it in his stead.

To the party cleric read the following:

Old Father Jarnos encourages you closer as he rakes around an old gravestone."See this one. He was at the Siege of Boneharrow. Its not a tale told in any church record other than a few notes in this fellow's Journal. The church of Traladara learned of Chaotic dwarves establishing a monastary up in the hills just north of Penhaligon." Jarnos coughs and after a pause, continues his tale."They went up there with an army of the faithful and found a monastary perched on a cliff overlooking a narrow Valley. The Dwarves had mined gold beneath their monastary and were farming food. They exterminated the Dwarves, cleared out that temple, and bricked it up."  Jarnos rakes a little more before he gets to the crust of his tale."Apparently goblins hit a caravan on the Dukes Road just north of Penhaligon and vanished. It seems to me that those mine-workings might be a place for their warband to hide out." 

...and the wrong ear

Aren Col discovers a gold coin while crossing a stream just east of Penhaligon. Its identical in shape and size to a Halav (a Traladaran copper piece) except the face is that of a dwarf and the reverse is some sort of symbol he's never seen before. Having seen the dwarf currency out of Rockhome he knows the dwarf isnt one of their kings - this one doesnt have a crown. The only writing on it is on the edge and thats definitely dwarf.  Still, its gold, and gold is meant to be spent.

To the party dwarf read the following:

You have been sitting about in the tavern for a while when you notice a scruffy human playing with a gold coin. Even from where you are the shape of it looks like one of those Traladaran copper pieces, except this one has a dwarf on the face and dwarf writing down the side...Bone...Harrow...and then as he flips the coin to examine the opposite side you see something that makes you feel as though your beard were being used to strangle you: The dwarven symbol for chaos...long forbidden by the clerics of Kaygar. No dwarf in his right mind puts the symbol of chaos on a gold coin and yet there it is...in the hands of some idiot human.

If the dwarf PC approaches Aren Col about the coin Aren offers to trade information about it. He says he wont part with the coin (and any offer will most certainly get his attention) but he will trade the location of its discovery for a translation of the writing on the coin, and the meaning of the symbol.
Aren Col (chaotic 3rd level Wizard) will follow the dwarf (and the party) discreetly using his crystal ball. He will then proceed to direct his own party of adventurers to Boneharrow with a plan to kill and rob the pcs, loot the temple and basically get rich over everyone elses dead bodies.

Gathering Information about Boneharrow

If the adventurers choose to make inquiries about Boneharrow Roll 1d20 and add the PC's charisma bonus to determine the amount of information these sources are prepared to part with.

Next time...the journey to Boneharrow.