A bunch of old adventure seeds...
1. Plague spreads amongst the villages
"You have proven your loyalty to the church of Thanatos, now take this powder and introduce it to the wells of every village in Karameikos."-Urga, High Priest of Thanatos addressing the faithful in a meeting in Mirros.
DM Briefing: Travellers and Merchants begin dropping small sacks of poison into the wells of numerous villages across the Kingdom of Karameikos. Symptoms include boils and lesions and looks like the mummy rot plague.
2. A Sinkhole opens in Kelvin
"Are you sure we won't get in trouble?" Yan looked about nervously.
"We can sell that rock for a gold Royal now shut up and dig..." Boris speared his crowbar into the dirt by the boulder. The Crowbar vanished into the Earth along with the boulder and much of Mrs. Mealy's Garden.
"What did you do?" Yan looked at his friend.
DM Briefing: A Sinkhole opens in the city of Kelvin. The Hole Expands threatening several homes. The Sinkhole drops 500 feet into a cavern the size of the city above it.
3. A Sword in the Peat
"Found it under the Peat I did. Look at it." Stephan wiped the muck from its surface.
His companion stared at the blade and looked for the smiths-mark that should be...
"By Hala...It Cannot Be." Iago fell to his knees in fear.
"Iago?" Stephan stared at his friend.
The sight of Stephan holding a sword aloft while leaning over his kneeling companion drew instant attention.
"He's killed him!" The voice from the crowd was quite loud.
DM Briefing: A very old short sword is found beneath the peat diggings east of the city of Kelvin. The Sword has the blacksmith's marks of Halav. Indeed, this is one of Halav's swords crafted by the smith before he achieved immortality. The Sword is non-magical yet will fetch a price of a million gold Royals. As a consequence everyone will want it by any means.
4. A Plot to take the Estate of Marilenev (part 1)
"One of the Last Traladaran-held Estates...?"
"It produces near a hundred million gold Royals a year."
"Well there is that."
"Lady Marilenev's tithe to the Church of Traladara exceeds the tithe we get from every Thyatian in the Kingdom including the King."
"The Church of Karameikos must have it all."
"And those are very important points but how?"
"There are Clerics of Chaos in the Mountains to the North-east. It is time they moved against the Kingdom."
"Vanya help you if the Patriarch finds out."
DM Briefing: Senior Clerics in the Church of Karameikos begin plotting to take the Estate of Marilenev as a Bishopric. They flood the region of the North east with poorly guarded merchants with wagonloads of weapons.
5. Something under Mirros
"I hear ol Vigo was moanin about somethin tryin ta eat him when he went the Jakes at the Broken Mug." Boris squatted above the hole in the ground and moaned at his constipation.
"Damn Drunk with his fairytales!" Replied Yan from the next squat.
"You Know there are supposed to be tunnels dug beneath the city." Boris was thinking they might look into that soon.
"Yeah. Been thinking about...what the...ERRAGGG!" Yan's scream was Cut short.
"Yan? What you Screaming about? Yan?" Boris felt very alone as he staggered forward around the stall to look in on his friend. he watched as a naked foot and leg slid down a very narrow hole. The stall was sprayed with blood.
Boris made best speed for the Tap Room leaving a trail of dung in his wake.
"For Halav's Sake someone find me a Pot to go in..."
DM Briefing: A Gelatinous predator begins eating people who use the toilet or venture into cellars. This is a Permanently Hasted Gargantuan Black Pudding (stats: 8xHD, 2x Size).
6. Death on the Rooftops
Vigo turned to face the noise and watched wooden roofing tiles clatter into the dirt street. Vigo looked up at the cloaked shadow on the roof above him. The foe was an almost intangible piece of black cloth gripping a great Scythe.
"Scyth'r!" Vigo screamed and fled down the alley in a mad rush.
Vigo crashed through People standing in front of the Black Dog Tavern.
"The bugger has come for me..." He tried to make them understand as the cloaked figure dropped from the roof top into their midst and took Vigo with a single swipe of its pure entropic Blade.
DM Briefing: A Shadow with a Scythe of Pure Entropy descends on the city of Mirros and begins targeting several individuals who were all involved in a raid on a Temple when they were young adventurers. The Weapon itself has the abilities of a magic missile in that it automatically hits inflicting 1d6+1.
7. A Sandbar blocks the Mirror Harbour
"Dredge it they Says. Do it Quicker they Says, Trade pays your wages, they says." Purvis the Wizard waved his Rod of Civil Works and the sand loaded on the Barge.
"Who says what?" The odd voice came from all around him.
"Who said that?" queried Purvis as he looked around him.
The wet sand began to tower to its full height pulling even more sand onto the barge.
"I said that." The very ancient and aquatically-evolved earth elemental was in the mood for conversation.
"Pefh! No sandbar here." Purvis dived into the harbour water and swam for shore.
"What about me?" The twelve foot tall sand-bar wanted answers.
"Not my department, I'm Civil Works." Purvis was having none of it.
"Want to hear about how the water gets the grit out of all my crevices?"
"Definitely not!" called Purvis as he headed to the nearest tavern.
DM Briefing: An ancient (and aquatically adapted) Earth Elemental decides to make its home in the Harbour of Mirros to the inconvenience of Ships in the Harbour.
8. The Great Robbery
"I was just saying that it seem silly."
"What do you mean?" Arlo Von Gaunt queried Boris.
"That the King's Treasury would have fifty two Firkins of Silver simply walked down to a ship in the Harbour." Boris whispered as the army of Porters walked past in teams of two with a small barrel branded Treasury of Karameikos on a litter between them. They were escorted by a hundred Guardsmen.
"They're paying it to Darokin for the Annual Shipment of Grain."
"I Think it's silly." replied Boris to his new companion.
"You think that twenty-six thousand pounds of Silver is Silly."
The Silver was loaded into the hold.
"I simply think it silly that they didn't have better protection of the Ship."
DM Briefing: Robbers steal a ship moving 260,000sp of Karameikan Coin to the Republic of Darokin.
9. Buttleknnose's Steam
The great brass ball turned as the steam sprayed from its opposing arms.
"What exactly does it do?" Stephan stared at the Gnome-built engine with wonder.
"It is Technology!! It drives the future. It powers the...the ships of industry!" Buttleknnose was struggling for words on his Knees with his hands in the Air.
Shuuu...Shuuu...Shuuu...Shuuu....went the great steam engine echoing all the way down the valley. It didn't seem to be driving anything in particular.
"But what exactly does it do?" Stephan looked at his companion who was attempting not to break into laughter.
"Um, well, nothing right now. Gear's broke."
"Well the folks down the valley would appreciate it if you fixed the noise, particularly the loud bang that happens in the morning."
"Yeah! It's putting off the milking cows." Arn the dairy farmer was finally getting a word in.
"That wasn't the Buttleknnose Steamball(tm). That was the Buttleknnose SteamKannon(tm)." Buttleknnose was on a roll.
"Will you ask him what "(tm)" means or shall I?" Stephan stared sternly at the smiling farmer...
DM Briefing: A Gnome builds some steam based technology to the detriment of the future.
10. Flying Shield Abducts Villagers livestock
"It was big and shiny and round and polished mirror-like, like a...a mirror and there were lights and it flew and ..." Stephan held up a hand to pause the young Halfling.
"So what you are saying is that a big shiny flying discus abducted your sheep?"
"Nono. That was the Thingummy that they flew off in. It was funny-looking elves with pointy ears and silver clothes and lightning bolt wands with funny grips and they all went about saying 'resistance is pointless' and 'prepare for the harvest' and 'cor! that's a pretty sweater'...scared the missus an all."
DM Briefing: Blacklore Elves with Magic-built flying Saucers and Lightning bolt ray guns abduct some farmers Livestock and take them back to their secret base on the dark side of the Moon.
11. The Burrowing Tower
"Our initial investigations of the Tower in the Great Crater have provided valuable Data." Prince Malachie looked around the Council Chambers at the few Princes and Princesses of Glantri who cared to show up.
"Witness reports that the Tower 'burrowed to the surface' have been verified. The Geological Data is on page three of the report. The Tower itself is of Entropic origins and has an aura consistent with an artefact of Entropy" Malachie paused and looked at princess Hillsbury.
"We are however still unable to penetrate the Interior." Princess Hillsbury smiled at his personal failure.
DM Briefing: The Tower has been penetrated by Synn the Night Dragon (a.k.a. Dolores Hillsbury). To activate the tower, she must sacrifice the princes and princesses of Glantri (She has already sacrificed prince Kol). Activating the Tower causes everyone in the Great Crater to evolve into Gargantuan versions of themselves (Gargantuan: HDx8, Sizex2).
12. Something Terrible
A great and terrible monolith in the deep of the Phlogiston loomed before their hammership. The helm crashed and the hammership soon followed.
"By the Immortals! What is that thing?" Captain Halav stared at the incredible sight as the small wooden vessel fell into its gravity well...
DM Briefing: The PC's, having ventured into Spelljammer Space encounter the Starship Warden, a fifty mile long, twenty five mile wide, 8&1/2 mile thick derelict (and potential Dungeon) adrift in the Phlogiston.
13. A Plot to take the Estate of Marilenev (part 2)
"Fire!" Alexis listened to the cry as her fireball gems struck dry timber in the Nest. No Moon made her invisible on the flying broom. The explosions shook the poorest district of Mirros and began their work. Rescuers were going to their deaths, the impoverished populace was in anarchy. Within moments the entire quarter was an inferno.
DM Briefing: Senior Clerics in the Church of Karameikos plotting to take the Estate of Marilenev as a Bishopric employ a Thyatian Mage to carpet bomb that region of Mirros known as THE NEST with fireball Gems.
14. River of Blood
"The Magos bleeds, my friend." Kuzama whispered to her companion the latest rumour.
"Aye. I hear the River Magos flows with an unholy redness. As though the Mountains were bleeding..." Stephan invoked the ritual of Halav for simply speaking of such evil.
DM Briefing: The Magos river runs bloody red from it's source. Fish in that river float dead on its edges. A Cinnabryl Vein has been discovered at the source of the river by some Modrigswerg dwarves who are using it to make weapons from an alloy of Cinnabryl Known as Corrupted Steel (not RED STEEL). These are Entropic Weapons which inflict <standard weapon damage> + <Entropic plague requiring a will check at -8 penalty or become half fiendish>.
The process requires the washing out of the redness of the steel to create a dark and rotting look to the steel.
15. The poisoning of an Emperor
"Are you sure he took the poison?" Senator Fiorenza needed to know.
"Yes." The Assassin did not enjoy being interrogated by his employers.
"Are you sure it will work?"
"Fiates Rose is impossible to detect, and immune to all magical and clerical cures. The Emperor is a dead man within three days."
DM Briefing: The Young Emperor of Thyatis is poisoned by something that can neither be detected as poison, nor cured by wizard or clerical magic. This leaves the Thyatian Empire with a child for an emperor.
I just had to put this one here. It was too interesting to pass up.
16. On the whim of an Emperor
Special Category: The Mystaran Past
The Emperor of Thyatis stared at the old map. Oddly Alphatia wasn't on it.
His aide leaned forward to examine the curiosity.
"Um? Sir? Shouldn't that bit be labelled Empire of Alphatia?"
Emperor Zendrolion snapped a look of disgust at the disloyalty of his staff.
"If I say there is no such place as Alphatia, then that is all." The aide straightened and cleared his throat.
"Yes my Emperor!"
The Emperor's Aide carried word to the Cartographers guild. Overnight, Every map was altered and new ones issued.
DM Briefing: Emperor Zendrolion Issues new Maps. Maps without any sign of Alphatia. Irrelevant until you colonise a piece of vacant coast based on that map and the Alphatians show up to tax your Wizard-Baron.
17. A Home with a View
Frandos the Maleficent looked out across the Great Crater. The staircase being carved into the steep embankment, by an army of underskilled humanoids learning the art of stone masonry, was a wide avenue on the roof of the homes on the lower level.
"As you can see my lord, it is a house with a view and you will not regret the location..." Prince Kol's Aide smiled as he sold the better aspects of the city being carved into the Caldera.
DM Briefing: The PC's are granted a nice house in the Great Crater in a Lottery by which Mages from the Great School of Magic might be lured to live in the great Crater.
18. A Plot to take the Estate of Marilenev (part 3)
"They are looking for answers."
"Then it is time we gave them some."
"You will personally spoil a tax shipment of wine coming to the King from within the Marilenev Estate."
"But that would Expose Me!"
"Yes Moray Vaco. And that is why you will go to ground with the Humanoids in the Cruth."
"You are mad!"
"No, Just setting you in place to lead the humanoids against Traladaran Settlements there."
DM Briefing: The clerics conspiring to take the Marilenev Estate begin exposing their own as plotters to destabilise the patriarch and turn the Traladarans against the Church of Karameikos.
19. Bargle abducts Aleena
"I intend to father my children upon you." Bargle stroked her cheek and smiled at his own rising pleasure.
"Get off me you monster!" Aleena pushed him away.
"You’re my property now."
"My Husband will get you." She was pure hate.
"Who? Him? He came looking for me at Mistamere." Bargle pulled back the curtain to reveal a very dead and tortured Traladaran shackled to a torture frame. Aleena recognized the broken form before her instantly.
"Noooooo!!!!" Aleena's Scream echoed across the flying castle...
DM Briefing: Her Husband murdered by Bargle, Aleena is abducted from Threshold by Bargle the Infamous. The PCs must penetrate his flying fortress and rescue Aleena.
20. What fiend is that?
"What?" Desmond turned his head quickly to catch a view of the shadow moving beyond his field of vision. Nothing.
Desmond shook his head and walked off.
"Heerraaa!" One of his guards screamed.
Baron Kelvin ran to the sound. The Guard was dead.
"Sound the Alarm!" Kelvin's loud voice screamed the words.
Guardsmen poured into the hall.
"We have an intruder. Find him now. And someone deal with him." The Baron pointed at the body. Guards Scurried off and a few carried off their dead companion.
Baron Kelvin returned to his chambers to retrieve a weapon. His mace hung on a hook on the inside of the door.
"Why do you need a mace when you have a perfectly good sword in your hand?" The voice came from nowhere. In his hand he now held a sword. The blade coated in the blood of the Guard.
DM Briefing: Baron Kelvin develops an alternative Personality. It is Chaotic Evil and of the Fighter Class.
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