Knife in the Dark

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This Adventure Seed is for all game systems.

A deadly threat stalks the streets of Belm. An Adventure Seed for all levels of play.

Adventure Seed 1a:

A Knife in the Dark by Robert J Defendi

Credits Author: Robert J Defendi Line Editor: Josh Peltier Additional Contributions: Scott Llewelyn Cover Art: Kevin Wasden Interior Art: Brian Hailes Art Direction: Christopher Mitchell Pagemaking: Wallen Ashcroft Copy Editing: Christine Fortune Publisher: Robert J Defendi Editing, Development, & Production Staff: Robert J Defendi, Scott Llewelyn, Josh Peltier, Christine Fortune, Christopher Mitchell, Wallen Ashcroft Web Master: Robert J Defendi Play Testing: Amanda Peltier, Angela Daley, Bjorn Olsen, Brandon Leavitt, Brenda Llewelyn, Dan Willis, Gary Llewelyn, Jennie Mollerup, Josh Peltier, Kori Emerson, Mark Giffune, Mason Emerson, Mat Daley, Matthew Fitt, Robert J Defendi, Scott Llewelyn, Stephen Johnson. Special Support: Heike A. Kubasch, Bruce Neidlinger; Tim Dugger, and Steve Long. We’d also like to thank all the fans on the Iron Crown Forums who have shown so much support and enthusiasm, especially Allenrmaher, Buddha, Cormac Doyle, Grafton, Ictus, Ironmaul, Lichemaster, Lorenen, Maelstrom, Markc, Norin, Pendragon, Quasar, Smiling DM, Wolfram Riegler (our first customer), and Yammahoper. Rolemaster, HARP and Spacemaster are Copyright © 2006 Aurigas Aldebaron, LLC, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. Rolemaster™, HARP™ and Spacemaster™ are trademark properties of Aurigas Aldebaron, LLC; no unauthorized use permitted. ‘d20 System’ and the d20 System logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United States and other countries and are used with permission. Wizards of the Coast is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United States and other countries and is used with permission. HERO System TM ® is DOJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system. HERO System and Champions Copyright © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Fantasy Hero Copyright © 2003 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Dark Champions Copyright © 2004 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Pulp Hero Copyright © 2005 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Justice Inc., Danger International, Western Hero, and Star Hero Copyright © 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. For further information about Hero Games and the HERO System, visit www.herogames.com.

Copyright © 2007 by Final Redoubt Press. All rights reserved. No reproductions without permission. Produced and distributed by Final Redoubt Press, 263 Fall Street, Salt Lake City, UT, 84116. Stock #0002

Introduction

What is an Adventure Seed? An Adventure Seed is a story idea. In The Echoes of Heaven, an Adventure Seed is a story idea that we at Final Redoubt Press promise never to contradict with future canon. It’s a chance to allow you to expand an idea or mystery in the setting without worrying about whether we’ll contradict you with future products. But this Adventure Seed is a full product, and that means it’s something more. This is a fully written adventure plot, meant to allow you to get your game moving almost immediately. This outlines all the major steps of a story, carrying you through an entire narrative arc. With this product, the rule books of your game (including maybe a monster book and whatever manual holds sample NPCs) you should be able to run an adventure with almost no preparation at all, and just a touch of imaginative table improvisation.

WHAT THIS PRODUCT INCLUDES This product includes a full adventure plot, with enough notes that you should be able to run with no preparation at all. This product also includes a description of the Dramatic Purpose of each stage of the story. This way, if your story moves off in a new direction, you know what you need to do to maintain the dramatic arc. Finally, this product includes notes for how to fit this adventure in The Moving Shadow campaign, our epic series of adventures in The Echoes of Heaven that will take the world to the brink of destruction.

WHAT THIS PRODUCT DOES NOT INCLUDE This product includes no creatures’ stats. You have your monster books. This adventure contains no NPC stats. Almost every game has premade NPCs for the GM to use, and many GMs are used to improvising NPCs on the fly.

This product contains no rules. You probably know the rules you use at your table much better than we do. This product contains no firm idea of what system you are using. The Moving Shadow is statted for four different game systems, but there’s no reason you need to use this with The Moving Shadow or even The Echoes of Heaven. This product contains no firm rules on how experienced the characters are. It’s designed with inexperienced characters in mind, but since there are no stats, you can use it to challenge characters at any point in their careers.

WHAT NEXT? You can begin play almost immediately. If you want to get straight to the meat, skip to What Came Before if you’re playing in The Moving Shadow or Setup if you’re not. It probably takes an average reader 10-15 minutes to read this adventure once through. If you are about to run the game and you grabbed this as an emergency measure, step out of the room for a few minutes and you’ll be ready in no time. If your players seem likely to bug you, start them arguing about a sixth month old GM call, their favorite sports teams, or reality shows. You’ll be ready to start before they are. If you have a little more time, we welcome you to read the next sections. They should give you an idea about what The Echoes of Heaven and The Moving Shadow is all about.

WHAT IS THE ECHOES OF HEAVEN CAMPAIGN SETTING? The Echoes of Heaven is a game world of darkness and danger, where a monolithic church has split into dozens of quarreling factions and holy war looms like a shadow. Here, strength and brutality win the day and only those with the most faith, honor, and courage can stand against the terrible tyranny of those who would enslave everyone of a different belief, a different philosophy, a different race. Worse, it is a world infected by the very fabric of Hell itself.

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It’s a world that once knew perfection, where Mortals and Angels labored side by side and all spent their days basking in the light of God. There was no Mortal Realm. Hell was nothing more than a province of Heaven. All lived in Paradise, and they knew what it was like to wander in Grace. Then came the War. The Fall of the first third of the Host of Angels nearly destroyed Heaven. The Fall of the second third came as a death knell. Only the foresight and planning of the Five Prophets saved everyone from languishing under the rule of the Fallen . . . but it came at a terrible price. Enter Meridrin, the Mortal Realm, a world sundered from Paradise, a world both familiar and strangely different. A world where you can make a difference. The Echoes of Heaven is designed for use in four different game systems. They are the d20 System game (owned by Wizards of the Coast), Rolemaster (owned by Iron Crown Enterprises), HARP (owned by Iron Crown Enterprises), and HERO System (owned by Hero Games). This product can be used with any fantasy game.

WHAT IS THE MOVING SHADOW? The Moving Shadow is a ten-part adventure campaign that takes the world to the very brink of destruction. In it, characters must fight against the depredations of some of the greatest villains the world has ever known. In the end, only the smart, the brave, and the lucky have any hope at all. These adventures are statted with versions for four different games: the D20 System game, HARP, HERO System, and Rolemaster. The Moving Shadow gives characters the opportunity take characters through an entire career of adventures. They start inexperienced but will end as some of the most powerful characters in the world. The range of experience depends on the game system: Game System d20 System game HARP HERO System Rolemaster

Starting 2nd lvl 3rd lvl 165 points 3rd lvl

Ending 20th lvl 30th lvl 300 points 30th lvl

In addition, The Moving Shadow has a series of Teasers, which take place during the last days of the War in Heaven. It is truly a campaign that spans ten thousand years.

LINE ELEMENTS The Echoes of Heaven contains two main elements. They are sourcebooks and adventures.

Sourcebooks

Some of the existing sourcebooks are as follows: The Echoes of Heaven Campaign Setting—The Echoes of Heaven Campaign Setting details the Mortal Realm and includes a bonus supplement describing the Kingdom of Ludremon at no extra charge. The Last Free City—This book depicts the city of Felric’s Redoubt, known as the City-State to many. Sheltered in the lands of Ingrast but beyond the woods of the Elves, this city has remarkable freedom . . . but with freedom comes danger. The Lost Kingdom of the Dwarves—Centuries ago an Ulcer opened inside the Dwarven kingdom of Uzarâg. Now this land is more Hell than earth, and it fills to overflowing with a multitude of dark and evil creatures, most notably the Cambionic Orcs and worse yet, the Great Fiend known as the Warlord.

Adventures

Each sourcebook comes packaged with an adventure. Between these two works, your campaigns can explore an ever-widening world of intrigue and danger. The Throne of God (Episode 1)—A story that spans 10,000 years, here the players learn the lay of the land in the Mortal Realm and fight to find an ancient relic—a diamond splinter said to come from the Throne of God Himself. The Festering Earth (Episode 2)—The characters travel to Felric’s Redoubt, the City-State. There they must solve a series of murders before the serial killer brings the entire city to its knees. On Corrupted Ground (Episode 3)—Still reeling from their adventures in Felric’s Redoubt, the

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characters must now delve into the heart of Hell on earth—Uzarâg. Inside the fallen kingdom, it will take all their skill, faith, and mettle to survive. This Adventure Seed can fit neatly after The Throne of God.

OUR PHILOSOPHY At Final Redoubt Press, we wish to bring highquality products into the hands of the gamers who need them. Starting with characters ignorant of the world around them, players can discover the Mortal Realm even as the story unfolds. With each new adventure, player and character alike will discover a world rich in excitement and adventure, a world as intriguing as their GM can make it.

Mages in all four have similar spells and clerics in all four have similar divine powers. This means that we can weave a story without worrying about whether a mage can cast a fireball in all four systems. We can provide a GM with everything he needs to run his game, and he can do that with his own house rules and his own style of game play. As much as possible, we intend to stay out of the way. This isn’t saying that we don’t add optional abilities or even change the way that some things work. That’s necessary in all game worlds. It just means that we won’t stumble all over ourselves because a d20 System game Bard can do a bit more with illusions than a Rolemaster Bard. Each game group should play the game the way they like to play it.

AN ONGOING CAMPAIGN

Dramatic Purpose

We’re aware that different games progress at many different rates. Some groups play almost every day and some fight to meet once a month. Therefore, we’ve tried to devise this world and this series for any rate of play. Each adventure is designed for characters of a certain level. A GM needs only to adjust the rate of experience gain to meet the needs of his group. If a group can play an entire adventure in one weekend and that leaves three more until the next product releases, then the GM can match the experience gain to move hand in hand with this pace. Meanwhile, he’ll find Adventure Seeds in every product that will allow the characters to explore the world around them until they’re ready for the next episode of the series. That is one of the possible uses of these Adventure Seeds. They fit neatly between the full adventure products, allowing you to flesh out your game while you’re waiting for the next release.

Every stage in this adventure has a dramatic purpose. These are there so the GM can better decide what to do if the party goes off book. If a group diverges wildly from the written adventure, let them. Take the dramatic purposes of the skipped stages and invent new events that serve the same purpose. Maybe the party abandons the adventure entirely and refuses to go back. If so, who are any of us to say they did wrong? Take the remaining dramatic events and create new ones for the party, following their new path. It might not be this adventure, but it will be an adventure, and it will be a lot more fun than arguing about whether the party is ruining the GM’s plans. As long as all the purposes are served, you will have a workable story, probably even a good one. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t the story you set out to tell. Gaming is a collaborative effort, after all.

Quad Statting

Running the Campaign

The Echoes of Heaven contains stats for four different games. We at Final Redoubt Press purposely chose these games for their compatibility. Each of these games has the same general levels of power and abilities for the major classes or professions.

This Adventure Seed fits neatly into the ten-part, ongoing campaign The Moving Shadow. This brings up some issues one wouldn’t have in a standalone adventure.

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DOWN TIME It’s possible that someone will want to run these adventures before the entire series has been released. It’s likely that a game group may finish an adventure before the next one is available. We’ve taken this into consideration. You can’t run a ten-part adventure and not expect to take some side trips. Don’t worry if this is your intention. We’ve built downtime into the story between each adventure, and these Adventure Seeds are handy ways to fill that down time. Near the end, it might be nice to run the adventures concurrently, but there’s no point in this series where one adventure must be played directly after the one before.

EXPERIENCE AND TABLE PACING If you’re running the adventures in a series, then the issue of experience will come into play. Some groups might want to do the adventures one right after another. Others might have ten sessions between each adventure (especially if they meet frequently while waiting for the next release). The thing to remember about experience is that it’s all arbitrary. Many GMs ignore official experience guidelines. Some have home systems. Some just assign experience by story points, some by number of sessions, regardless of session content. The important thing to remember is that no experience system is set in stone. If you have multiple adventures in this series and you wish to run them back to back, then a party will need to gain three levels in a single adventure. If you want to run eight adventures in between, than they need to average a third of a level each time experience is given. It doesn’t matter how fast a group advances as long as everyone understands what to expect and why to expect it. If you tell a party you want to game every single night but the next adventure isn’t out for two more weeks, they’ll understand they might need to advance more slowly.

events of The Throne of God and before the events of Adventure Seed 1b, To Burn a Witch. It’s likely that characters came out of the last adventure at a certain approximate character level or point value. Game System d20 System game HARP HERO System Rolemaster

Character 3rd lvl 4th lvl 170 points 4th lvl

But since you choose the power of the adversaries in this adventure. They can be just as powerful as you want them to be. This means you can use this Adventure Seed in any setting or any point in your characters’ careers.

Stats

No opponents have stats in this adventure, but most every game has NPC stats in one of the primary books. Use them to flesh out the bad guys in this Adventure Seed, or, if it’s easier, just improvise them as you go. Many GMs can stat an NPC in their head without skipping a beat.

Descriptions

This Adventure Seed has no “boxed text.” That means the descriptions of rooms, people, and places are all yours. Tailor them to your game and your characters. This is most of the improvising you’ll need to do to run this Adventure Seed.

Mechanics

We’ve left mechanics as simple as possible in this work. We’ve listed all bonuses as a percentage. 5% = 5 in a percentile system or 1 in a system using a twenty-sided die or 3d6.

Character Power Level What Came Before If you are plugging this adventure into The Moving Shadow, then it likely takes place right after the

If you’re running this Adventure Seed as part of The Moving Shadow, it fits neatly after the events in

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The Throne of God. This gives the characters some background. Shortly before this Adventure Seed begins, the characters attacked an Ulcer (a place infected by the fabric of Hell) in Stanor Monastery in Ludremon, near the city of Belm. During this adventure, they tried to end an Ulcer and instead caused it to grow and surge out of control. Only through heart and perseverance did they manage to defeat the Demon and close the Ulcer. The characters survived this, as well as the trickeries of their opponent, a Demon of Deceit that was using the entire setup to trick the characters into committing a Human sacrifice. It hoped this would make the Ulcer permanent. As the Adventure Seed begins, the characters have recently limped home from this ordeal.

The Adventure Plot

What follows is the plot of the Adventure Seed. This is only one course the adventure could take. If the party diverges from this plot, let them.

SETUP By default, this Adventure Seed begins after the end of The Throne of God, the first adventure in The Moving Shadow campaign. The Adventure Seed could exist anywhere or at any time, however. All you need is a world where there are multiple religious orders or multiple Churches. This Adventure Seed assumes the characters play in The Echoes of Heaven Campaign Setting. Still, with slight adjustments, it could take place anywhere. The characters must have done something that would cause a group of religious people to want them dead. This could be anything from showing up with strange money and rumors that they claim they are from Heaven, to destroying a religious relic, to accidentally desecrating a holy or unholy place. It could even be a misunderstanding or a case of mistaken identities. When the Adventure Seed begins, the characters are in Belm, in Ludremon. If they did well in The Throne of God, they are likely guests of Cardinal

Gleann. They enjoy a moment of respite, and if they played the Teaser in The Throne of God, they are trying to understand the Mortal Realm, a place strange to them. This begins just as the characters come to think they could call this place home.

TEASER One day the characters are out in the city. They can be together, but it will be more interesting if they are separated, maybe shopping in pairs. They probably don’t know the Order of Sinnius has marked them as suspicious. If the characters played the Teaser in The Throne of God, they have likely told someone, probably Cathon and Gleann, that they fought ten thousand years ago in the War in Heaven. If that’s the case, then one of the Cardinal’s servants heard Gleann speak of it while listening at a door. A rumor has reached the Society of Sinnius. Either way, the characters likely took actions in The Throne of God that has marked them as troublemakers. This can be as simple as the Society mistakenly thinking they aided Weracy in stealing the cathedral’s Holy Relic. If the characters threw the Splinter into the Maw of Hell, then they could be marked for destroying a Holy Relic. If they did nothing that could be distorted, perhaps a jealous member of the clergy invents a crime and has reported it to agents known to contact the Society. The Society of Sinnius is a secret order of assassins within the Church. They have only one real agent in Belm at the moment. He will begin by testing the party, to see if they’re easy marks. If they’ve been throwing around money from Heaven (collectors’ items to be sure, and some coins have made it into the present as Holy Relics to allow identification) then the agent of the Society will want to see the coins. The agent, his name is Bemandon, will start by quietly hiring thugs and street urchins. He’ll make them think he’s starting a new crime guild in the city and he’s auditioning them for service. Then he’ll set them on the party. In one afternoon, the characters in the separate groups will deal with everything from outright attacks, to muggings, to pickpocketing attempts. If the party met the street urchin Midd

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in The Throne of God (an optional encounter), then he could reappear here. Run all the encounters simultaneously, cutting back and forth between the separate party members for excitement. If possible, have Midd lead characters on a merry chase before they catch him. A precocious and witty attitude might make the party want to help the boy. This is especially true if you set him on the player with the softest heart for children. As the encounter winds down, the characters should probably have a prisoner or two. None of these people are loyal to their prospective employer. They’ll talk right away. If the party works quickly, they can get the information before the watch arrives. Dramatic Purpose The Dramatic Purpose of the Teaser is to hook the players in, hopefully before even a single die is thrown. In a television show, the Teaser is the part of the episode that comes before the credits, lasting anywhere from thirty seconds (for shows like the defunct Enterprise) to more than ten minutes (for shows like the also defunct Alias). The Teaser is (relatively) short, to the point, and usually set up to end in a cliff hanger to keep the viewer from changing channels.

vise them, though he knows little about crime. He can introduce them to the city watch and various nobles, however. The characters’ investigation will likely stall at this point since they’re following false leads. However, they will have a visitation that night. Note that you don’t want the characters to come to the conclusion that the cover story is fake. If they run into all dead-ends, they’ll start to think more deeply about what’s involved. If the characters hear rumors of this new force in Belm, but find the head of it elusive, they’ll probably keep looking. Dramatic Purpose The dramatic purpose of the first act is to introduce all the major characters, the plot, and the setting elements. Act One can be difficult to handle because it often gets a bit ho hum if the GM isn’t careful. The act should end with the characters entering a “new world,” meaning that they are going out to take care of some problem or to fulfill some new role. This is an adventure, though, not a movie. A GM should make sure that they don’t use this notion of movie structure to railroad characters.

ACT TWO COMPLICATION

ACT ONE The characters can interrogate the various thugs, muggers, and children. At this point they should learn Bemandon’s cover story and think something is brewing in Belm. They shouldn’t realize at this point that they were targeted maliciously. Bemandon did “let slip” that he had picked the targets because they’d entered the town stained in blood and with rent clothing. The thugs, muggers, and urchins think he randomly picked a group that had seemingly won a fight and decided they would be a proper test. Whatever the case, at least one of these prisoners will announce that there’s a rival power in the city in front of a large group of onlookers. At this point the characters will likely try to gather advice and help. Gleann is more than willing to ad-

A man appears at the room of the character who seems most like the party leader (or perhaps a player who’s been left out of the role-playing so far). He breaks in quietly if possible and the character may or may not catch him. If not, they won’t know anything is wrong until someone sitting in the corner chair politely tells them it’s time to wake up. The man is Tiremy, a member of the Thieves’ Guild. The Belm Thieves’ Guild is powerful, and gaining in power every day. Recently they entered the protection racket, allowing people to buy their way onto a safe list that bans them from guild operations. Things are going well for the Thieves’ Guild, and they intend to keep it that way. The man will make offers to pay the party for any information they find on this new rival power. He will make thinly veiled threats about the characters’ safety and the safety of their friends if they don’t

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comply. If the characters attack, the man tries to escape (he might or might not succeed). If they don’t, the characters should feel like they just made a deal with the Devil. If they kill him, several priests in the cathedral, perhaps even Midd if he’s been taken under the party’s wing, will wake to find knives stuck to the inside of their doors one morning later. The Thieves’ Guild doesn’t fool around. Note: Most everything about Ludremon is an Adventure Seed, as outlined in The Echoes of Heaven Campaign Setting. This means that Final Redoubt Press will leave these ideas alone. These are all there for you to use in your game. This story could take place in a different city. It could involve a political element other than the Thieves’ guild. The bottom line is, this is an idea, not official canon. If you’ve done something with the Belm Thieves’ Guild that makes them inappropriate here, feel free to replace them with a group from your game or to invent a new organization seeking power in Belm. Dramatic Purpose Act Two is the confrontation of the story. It’s also been called the “blue collar work” of storytelling. In Act Two we cover all the meat of the adventure, everything that happens from the actual adventure beginning until the climax. Act Two should start with a complication, early on, to make matters worse than the characters initially thought.

ACT TWO TWIST Bemandon might have eluded the characters entirely at this point, but that isn’t his actual goal. He came to the conclusion that he needed to do something about the PCs days before the start of the adventure. Now that he’s seen them in action and maybe gone through their pockets, he’ll go straight into his plan. He will start with a new group of ruffians, if those seemed to work well. He’ll use this tactic especially if he suspects one or more characters practice banned magic and might be loathe to display it on the streets

of Belm. He’ll find a high vantage point and watch as this new band tries to ambush the party. They’d prefer to do so in an alley but they’re paid enough to attack in the open as well. If these are captured, they tell the same story as the first group. At this point, the story can advance in a few different ways, depending on how long you’d like it to run. The characters should now realize this isn’t about controlling the city at all. If you’re ready to move toward the climax now, the characters suspect this is about killing them, then advance to the End of Act Reveal, perhaps with one more scene applying pressure from the Thieves’ Guild. If you’d like to wallow in the bloodshed a little longer, then there’s plenty you can do now. Bemandon is interested in killing the party as quickly as possible. Still, he has the patience of a serial killer (which is, in fact, what he is), and he’s content to pick them off one at a time. To that end, he will set up a series of traps and ambushes on the party. This will continue until he’s sloppy enough the characters are able to track him down (perhaps through a meeting place or by paying urchins to look for him). He’ll release wagons on characters, try to drop heavy things on their heads, perhaps even snipe at them if he can find buildings where there’s no chance of the party catching him before he exits. All of these attacks should make the characters feel harried. They might even hole up in their rooms in Gleann’s mansion. though the Thieves’ Guild’s knives on their doors might discourage that; At the same time, the Thieves’ Guild applies pressure. Notes begin to arrive. Maybe there’s a break in and theft at the Mansion. Things start to escalate and the characters should feel there’s a clock over their head, that if they don’t resolve this soon, something is going to break.

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Dramatic Purpose This is the Act Two Twist. Here the story takes its first move in a new direction and the characters realize that all is not as it seems.

END OF ACT REVEAL Things will likely come to a head in one of three ways. First the characters might come up with a clever enough tracking strategy to find Bemandon. If so, they track him to a deserted noble’s manse in the nice part of town. Locals say the lord is reclusive and spends much of his time at his country estate, and while they haven’t seen him for days or even weeks, that’s not unusual. They might smoke him out by forcing his hand. Holing up somewhere is enough to force him to take risks to attack the characters. For instance if they don’t leave their rooms at Gleann’s, then he might be forced to shoot a PC with a crossbow from a lessthan-perfect vantage. It could well be the characters can get to him before he escapes, and he’ll lead them on a merry chase. Finally, if the players become too frustrated, he might make a mistake. Bemandon might be a “good member of the church” and a professional, but he does what he does because he’s psychotic, not because he believes (it might be more accurate to say he believes because he’s psychotic). He’ll make a mistake eventually. If catching him involves a chase, let him get a head start for dramatic purposes. Now this is a touchy subject. If he gets away because you wouldn’t let the characters catch him, then they’ll feel like you’re railroading them for story reasons. If the little obstacles and problems you throw in their way merely delay them in catching him, then that’s just a good chase. Make it vivid. Put in barking dogs and fallen children and the fantasy equivalents of a fruit cart and two guys carrying a pane of glass. Chases are about the exciting details. Don’t let it degenerate to dry rolling. If they chase and he does escape, he can hit an obstacle or two as well to allow the party to catch up a little. Once the chase starts, it should inevitably lead to the deserted manse. Bemandon will get there first. He has filled the main hall with bands of hanging cloth, turning it into a type of maze. Boards squeak throughout the room. From the sounds of these boards and his familiarity with the place, he can track the party by

sound. Now he will try to turn the tables on them. With a prerigged rope, he’ll open all the shutters at once, bathing the place in light. He will avoid the light himself. He’s practiced at this; he can use the shadows of the players to pinpoint them for attacks. In this room, Bemandon gets a +25% bonus to hiding and stealth and attempts to locate others. The party gets corresponding penalties. The room echoes terribly. If Bemandon couldn’t tell the locations of people by the tone of the squeaking boards, he wouldn’t stand a chance of finding them. He uses this to his advantage. The entire time they’re here, he rants. He calls them sinners and heretics and explains how they must be expunged. He taunts them and puts on the Jack the Ripper act. During this, he takes potshots at the characters with a crossbow. Once they catch on to his location, move to Act Three. Dramatic Purpose This is the End of Act Reveal. Here, we learn something of the real truth behind this entire adventure. The End of Act Reveal should change the nature of the story and rocket the characters into the final dramatic climax.

ACT THREE Act Three begins one of two ways. Either the party finds the villain in the hanging cloth maze, or they start to and he catches on. If they find him, conduct the battle immediately. Be certain to use the hanging cloth to great effect. Make the environment as much a character and a foe as Bemandon. If he notices them catching him, he’ll flee upstairs. The party should be able to track him by his noise at this point due to their nearness. He will lead them up two stories and onto the roof. It rains a lot in Belm. The roofs are treacherous and peaked. One can leap from one building to another (often you can just run). If they make it this far, conduct the final battle here in a great, aerial melee. Again, use the environment to its fullest. Characters failing skill checks should slip and fall. They might end plunging to their deaths (or at least to their pain) or hanging from gut-

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ters. If things aren’t exciting enough and the light wasn’t much of an issue downstairs (not enough to affect play), this might be a good time for a storm. Maybe even a lightning storm. (in fact, that might be an interesting source of light downstairs). Eventually, they should kill Bemandon (or be killed). At this point, the climax ends. Dramatic Purpose Act Three starts the minute the characters’ plan collapses and they begin the final battle, in whatever form it might take. Act Three contains the climax and any falling action necessary to resolve the story.

ommend assigning subjective experience based on the accomplishments of the party. As a general rule, you’re aiming for half the remaining experience they’ll need to play The Festering Earth. Characters who performed well and role-played should get more. Characters that performed poorly should get fewer. For the target power level of characters in The Festering Earth, use the following chart: Game System d20 System game HARP HERO System Rolemaster

DENOUEMENT Bemandon has some treasure, mostly in monetary form. The noble of the manse is dead, and if the characters probe, they might find evidence of some minor heresy to explain the fact. In searching Bemandon’s body, they will find a black holy symbol of the Church. Most people won’t place any significance in that, many people wear holy symbols. Gleann will think it’s odd, however. He’ll tell the people about rumors of the Society of Sinnius, and how some stories have them carrying holy symbols made of ebony or obsidian. If the characters don’t already realize that he worked for a secret branch of the Church, they should now. Dramatic Purpose The dramatic purpose of the entire denouement is to give the characters a feeling of completion, to let the story wind down and wrap up naturally.

Character 4th lvl 6th lvl 180 points 6th lvl

WHAT COMES NEXT It’s up to you how to continue, but the implications of the Adventure Seed could be far ranging. Bemandon might have sent word to the Society detailing the “crimes” of the party. The Thieves’ Guild might or might not have reason to hate the characters. The heroes might well have befriended Midd. They might even have decided to foster him. If you’re playing in The Moving Shadow, then you could move straight on to The Festering Earth. To do so, assign them twice the experience outlined above. If you feel like the plot should move forward more incrementally, then Adventure Seed 1b is called To Burn a Witch. It fits neatly between this Adventure Seed and The Festering Earth.

EXPERIENCE If you are playing this Adventure Seed on your own, and not a part of any campaign, assign experience normally. Your game comes with rules on Experience Awards. If you’re playing this Adventure Seed as part of The Moving Shadow, then you probably have placed this after The Throne of God. In that case, we rec-

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