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Adventure One:
Influences of the Witch
Campaign Date: 11th of the Tomb (December), 862
Mundane World Date: November 20th, 2002
Experience Points: +737 per character (cumulative total is 18,737 per character)
In Character Journals (Optional): +100 for Cupric's Adventure 1 Journal, +100
for Brass' Adventure 1 Journal
Around noon on a snowy day in the city of Greytower, capital of the duchy of Falconmoor, a small group met in a private room at
The Silver Rings, a well respected tavern and inn near the old city, a short distance from the main Temple of Thorenheld.
Such a meeting in itself was not unusual: the rooms were often in high demand for business dealings, private card games, and the like,
but the combination of individuals certainly would have drawn attention in the common room or for that matter, in the church.
Father Fabitor Thisk, an aged priest of the Reliquis faith, and Journeyman Sage Jevicca Norr, a young and attractive scholar, entered
last. Waiting for them were six individuals: three humans and three elves. Introductions were made all around the table,
occasionally with a few comments added by the elderly priest. Two of the humans were obviously servants of the Reliquis Church
judging by their blue robes (over plate armor) and holy symbols: Father Brendan Dondarrian, clearly a priest, and Sir Perianor, a
knight. The third human wore well cut common clothing and introduced himself as Brass, although without a title or explanation.
The first of the elves introduced herself as Solera and Father Thisk added that she, as well as her companion Allele's, were "elvish
delegates" assigned to his order. The last of the elves was Cupric and it was clear he already knew Father Thisk, although from
where was unclear. Father Thisk thanked everyone for joining him and explained that their meeting was being held at The Silver
Rings to avoid raised eyebrows and the like at the church, although they were on church business. He spoke with a hoarse,
rambling voice and occasionally lost his train of thought, but conveyed enthusiasm for the meeting and the task at hand. Thisk
was of the Order of Thorenheld's Acumen, a very old order of the church that in ancient times, just after the fall of the old
Empire, was charged with the duty of collecting and examining the various magical artifacts left behind by the dead or fleeing
arcanists of the Empire. Over the years those duties had become the purview of the Illuminators and his order was left with
little more than basic guard duties, such as watching over a small number of old vaults in the basement of the church: hardly an
illustrious posting. However, Thisk explained that he hoped to rebuild the order into something greater and do good for the
church as well as the people of the duchy: he had brought together the unusual team of humans and elves, church officials and
arcanists, to begin explorations of the old Empire so that they could learn from what they found and gain a better understanding of
the dangers the Empire had created. Furthermore, if the cooperation was successful, it might play a small role in fostering
better relations and understanding between the church and the elvish people, as there was barely tolerance between the two groups.
The elves were generally atheist and looked at the Reliquis, as with all human faiths, with either amusement or disdain, an attitude
that was reflected at the "heathens" by those of the church. While the mission of his order would certainly not change that
overnight, perhaps it would help serve as an example and understanding between the two, as well as expand the faith. Jevicca Norr
added that she was a liaison between the Duke and Father Thisk, as the Duke was "always eager to assist those of the Church in their
endeavors", and that she could be called upon as needed to help ensure the success of Father Thisk's mission. She had little to
add, but was responsible for bringing Solera, Allele's, and Brass to Father Thisk's attention. Father Thisk added that he was
working on some missions, primarily to ancient Imperial sites for information gathering that would take place in the spring, but in
the meantime he had something of a mystery to solve. He removed a wrapped bundle from a belt pouch and placed it on the table:
within was a small medallion made of ancient Imperial steel covered in the runes of Astara-Nulvoth, the official representative of the
Empire in charge of the region before the Empire crumbled. Cupric noticed it for what it was right away and explained that such
Imperial Sigils were rare: furthermore, the one on the table was in perfect condition, extremely unusual in itself. Thisk
explained that the sigil was not from some ancient ruins, but found in town. A dwarf smith who occasionally did some work for
the church from his shop on the far north side of the city had found it and sent it to Father Thisk to figure out what it was.
Thisk had dispatched one of his knights, Kalerecent, and his assistant Rsanir to speak with the dwarf, Rinner Silverfind, for more
information. They had left yesterday and Silverfind's forge was only a half hour carriage ride away, but Thisk had just learned
neither of the agents had returned. Thisk was not very worried as Kalerecent could certainly take care of himself, but he was a
bit concerned that not even a message was left for him. As the party was working for him and the Order of Thorenheld's Acumen
for at least several months, following up on Kalerecent would give them a good opportunity to talk and get to know each other before
they would need to count on each other in the field and facing real danger. The party was largely silent during the entire
explanations, although Allele'a brought up payment for her services. Jevicca and Father Thisk explained that the party's
mundane expenses, such as room and board, would be covered. Furthermore, those items that were not of obvious danger to the
church could be kept by the party and Jevicca added that the Duke would help with costs, although there was not a clear arrangement of
payment made specifically from the Order. Father Thisk did mention that the Silver Rings often hosted visitors to the
church and that he could arrange for rooms for the party there on behalf of the church, which the party quickly agreed to. During
the carriage ride to the northern part of the city, the group talked briefly and got to know each other slightly better. Cupric
was perhaps the most outgoing and friendly, curious about his companions. Sir Perianor was somewhat tight lipped but clear in
his devotion of the church. Solera and Allele'a were both fairly reserved while Brass and Father Brendan were more open,
although the conversation was a bit awkward all around. The carriage rolled to a stop as the driver gasped out in surprise: they
were at the right street but before anyone could look for Silverfind's forge, all eyes were drawn to a terrible sight. A man
stumbled down the street screaming and on fire, completely enshrouded by flames. Sparks were hitting nearby buildings and people
as they fled. The party knocked open the door of the carriage: Father Brendan approached the man and was slightly wounded by the
flames dancing over his skin. Allele'a circled around a nearby building and nearly stumbled over a badly burned man laying in
the street, gasping for whatever slight breath he could manage through the obvious pain. Sir Perianor tried to assist Father
Brendan while the rest of the party tried to find water: Cupric used some powdered water to douse a part of the flames. With the
fire starting to subside slightly, it was clear the made was not actually injured by the fire, although he was moving oddly (as if
poisoned or afflicted). He calmed enough so that he could be escorted to a nearby water trough, although before the group could
get very far, a blast of lightning arced from the eyes of a man. He was a reasonably well dressed commoner who screamed, covered
his eyes, but was unable to contain the power: several nearby buildings were hit, damaged, and one began to catch fire. A moment
later a third individual screamed out: a woman near a vending cart suddenly began to float upward out of control. She screamed
in panic as she rose first ten, then twenty feet in the air. Cupric was quick to try and catch her by jumping up and try and
snag her with the end of his bow, but she was easily out of reach. Brass had noticed an odd individual in the street, cloaked
man avoided by the crowd a short distance away from the party. As Brass drew near, he saw the man was clearly elvish, but with
unusual dark skin and white hair. The man watched with an amused sneer and continue to walk down the street, pausing to look in
a nearby shop window. Brass called out to him and received a curt reply in the Imperial language by the elf to "address him with
proper respect" before the elf continued on his trek. Meanwhile, the rest of the party had dealt with the burning man,
extinguishing the flames, but had little luck rescuing the floating woman. The man firing electrical energy from his eyes
continued to be a hazard, randomly blasting the nearby buildings while screaming in pain or fear. Lastly, Brass had advanced
half way down the street and was standing in front of a smithy: there was screaming coming from within. As the rest of the party
except Solera, who remained back to try and help the afflicted and was rewarded by a blast of lighting, and Allele'a, who climbed a
nearby building and maneuvered for a better look of the street, had advanced to join him, Brass decided to check out the smithy.
Inside was a dwarf with a look of absolute horror on his face: merged into a nearby wall was some kind of squid like creature,
flailing in pain. A small greenish demonic beast, only a foot or so tall was flying around merrily and landed on the dwarf's
shoulder. Brass called out to help the dwarf, but saw the smith's fingers twitching in a manner similar to casting but not
exactly a spell: as he finished the gesture, a wolf-like creature appeared, except with short black fur and a face more like a
humanoid's than a wolf or canine. It lunged forward, knocking brass to the floor, and sunk its teeth into his leg. Outside,
Cupric, Perianor, and Father Brendan confronted the bizarre elf. Suddenly they all began to sweat acid that began to burn their
clothing and give off a terrible smell, but did not harm any of the group. Cupric realized that the elf was "of the Fall", one
of the elves who joined the Empire from Shal'Theran and were physically changed by their experiences with Imperial magic. He
called out to the stranger in disgust, insulting him. Perianor called out a challenge as well. The elf responded with a
glare and stepped forward, declaring he would teach the group a lesson, but a vicious slash from Perianor's great sword enhanced by
his Smite Evil ability blooded the elf badly: the dark elf stumbled back, surprised. With a glare he ran off making great
speed, near that of a horse, and took off through the fearful, shrieking crowd. Hearing the signs of struggle and catching
a glimpse of Brass flailing on the ground, the rest of the group rushed into the smithy except for Perianor. Allele'a had
stayed outside with her bow ready and an arrow readied, waiting for trouble. Solera tried to help the floating woman, now more
ore less a consistent 30' above the ground, but after the blast of electricity from the man trying to cover his eyes, she readied an
arrow and fired, sinking it deeply into his chest. The man gasped and stumbled to the ground, near death. Perianor saw the
wounded man and rushed to his aid, using his Lay on Hands ability to stabilize him, saving the poor man's life through his
quick action. Inside, the wolf-creature howled, a terrible bay that sent shivers through everyone around. The party
resisted the effect, thanks in part to Cupric's heroic song, and quickly dispatched the creature with a few attacks including several
spells from Brass. However, one of the small imp-creatures appeared and tried to sting him with its tail, although it too was
incapable of doing much. A second one of the creatures was more successful and stabbed Brass with its stinger tail: he felt a
slight burning from some kind of poison, but was strong enough to avoid its effects. The dwarf had picked up an axe and slowly
approached the party, obviously fighting with some kind of self control not to attack, but with the death of the summoned
monstrosities and a word from Cupric, the dwarf dropped his weapon, obviously relieved of the compulsion urging him to attack. The
crowd outside had backed far off, but enough people saw Solera's deadly arrow and screamed. As she used a rope to lasso the
floating woman and pull her to safety, a small group picked up whatever was handy as a weapon and advanced, throwing rocks at the elf
and screaming in rage. Perianor stepped forward and as a representative of the church, ordered them to calm and disperse.
The crowd seethed but began to back down: Solera moved closer to join Perianor, a move many in the crowd thought might be prelude to
another attack. The crowd quickly fled, yelling about the vicious elvish archer and calling for the guards. With the
mysterious dark elf gone, the dwarf (who introduced himself as Rinner Silverfind) uninjured but shaken, and the odd magical effects on
those outside subsided, the party gathered and checked their condition. Rinner could shed little light on what had just happened
except that the hideous imp-creatures had urged him to kill, yet he had thankfully resisted. He was quick to thank the party for
their help and explained that he had found the odd Imperial device at some nearby property he owned, a manor house just a block away.
The party asked him to show them the way to look around: Rinner was more than happy to assist, mentioning that Kalerecent and his
assistant had been by yesterday, looked around, and were to return the keys to him at his shop but had never stopped by. Rinner
wasn't worried, figuring that "church business" had called Kalerecent away before he could return the key. The party departed after
Sir Perianor spoke with the nearby guards and quickly smoothed over the events, although the guards were more concerned with the
burning house. The senior guard mentioned they were getting all sorts of odd reports of unusual events "of the Witch" as well as
that a disfigured or burned elf (certainly the dark elf) had fled into the nearby fields. Allele'a meanwhile lingered behind and
took the opportunity to look over Silverfind's shop, pilfering a few gold pieces but leaving nearly everything untouched. The
party arrived at the manor house and found the gate unlocked. Rinner showed them the adjoining stables and where he had found
the Imperial necklace: it had been on the ground, as if discarded and partially covered by a some dirt and old hay. He had
barely noticed it but a glint of something caught his eye: he picked up the medallion thinking it was a silver piece someone had
dropped, but was very surprised by what he found. He explained he owned the property and was looking to sell it: he came by
every few days to check on the place but that it was otherwise left alone. Perianor went to the front door while Brass let
out his fox familiar to check the area. The familiar reported some unusual scents that he couldn't quite narrow down but
certainly weren't what he would expect to find. Perianor found the door unlocked and opened it as Allele'a slid past him--and
nearly into the blade of a great sword. A tall human man wearing heavy plate armor had swung at the first person through the
doorway, missing Allele'a and taking a good chunk out of the door frame. She skittered back and promptly threw a vial of
alchemist fire, hitting her attacker and setting some nearby curtains on fire. Perianor swung and badly wounded the man, who
immediately ran to an adjacent room. As the party gave chase, Cupric used more of his powdered water to put out the fire, much
to the relief of Rinner Silverfind. The armored attacker took out a potion and drank it, suddenly disappearing.
Perianor swung at his now invisible enemy as Solera also joined him in the room. Allele'a and Father Brendan followed: Allele'a
saw the movement of a door and floorboards and realized the man was heading back into the foyer. She gave chase, swinging with
her rapier and drawing blood. The party quickly followed but the invisible man ran through the open doorway and into the
courtyard, toward the main gates. Brass ran to the gates and readied a spell as he stood in front of them, waiting for signs of
an invisible adversary. Cupric also ran to the gates, right into the invisible man, knocking him down to the ground. Snow
and dirt kicked up as the invisible attacker tried to stand: Brass fired a Snilloc's Snowball Swarm nearby, catching the
invisible man but also wounding two people in the street nearby. The invisible warrior ran into the street and despite a
Detect Thoughts spell by Cupric, soon disappeared down the nearby side street and alleyways. Perianor and Father Brandon
quickly healed up the wounded civilians, saving another two lives. 
DM Musings: This was a pretty good first adventure, especially considering this is the first time this group has played together
(except for Gen Con). Most everyone said it was tough to get into character, probably a combination of playing new characters
and some weakness in how everyone is brought together basically working for the church. I think this will probably firm up as
the party gets more into the adventure and out of the "introduction" section, but even so I think the party did a good job of the
basic role-playing and figuring out just who the heck they are in this campaign, something that can be tough to do with a new campaign
in a world and environment that is unfamiliar (only two players are from the Saturday Falconmoor campaign).
I found running a pre-made adventure purely by the book (with only setting changes and a few minor alterations to NPCs such as race
and, on accident, a gender change) very challenging, more so than I really expected. I reread the first couple of chapters of
the adventure several times right before gaming but still didn't feel like I knew it half as well as something I created, although I
didn't miss anything significant. As far as rules go, the only thing I think I missed was giving everyone listen checks (instead
of spot rolls) for detecting the invisible attacker at the end, although I ended up giving out more specific information as to
location than I should have according to the DMG, but in the end it was a wash.
Overall I had a lot of fun running this adventure and hope to do a little better with it as I get more familiar with running the
module.
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