City Guide I Everyday Life
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Table of Contents
Introduction Coins of Silver and Gold Miralles’s Blithes Spirits Scribes and Paper Gizelle’s Fine Herbs and Potions Silken Dreams Traken brother’s Stables Ringing Steel diCarpoli’s Shoes The Armorium Reston’s Wood Creations Expedition Outfitters Stormfeather’s Fletchery Blue Flame Inn D20 License
Credits
Writers Neal Levin, Darren Pearce, Patrick Lawinger, Joseph Carriker, Wil Upchurch Editor Rich Taylor Cover Art Gillian Pearce, Kallen Interior Illustrations Gillian Pearce, Anna Dobritt, Owen Kuhn
City Guide I
Coins of Silver and Gold
Intro to the City Guide Coins of Silver and of Gold
So you want to know all there is to know about the City eh? You came to the right place, now let me just get my pipe and my mead and I'll be right with you. Still here? That means you're interested in what I have to say?
The sun was a brilliant golden orb that hung over the City of Rhys casting beams of warmth into the cobbled streets and gardens of the merchant’s quarter. The City was old and almost a mixture of styles, rural and baroque. A cross between a bustling metropolis and a slow languid town, here you could while away many hours doing nothing much at all. A mixed melting pot of many colors, creeds and races. Tall spires of the noble’s quarter melded with the flat and burly buildings of the surrounding lower classes. It was in such a place that fame, fortune and adventure could be found. But not in a Tavern this time, the gardens of the local park were the gathering point for several souls under the shade of a white wood gazebo. “It’s said that all adventures begin somewhere, and end somewhere else. It’s also said that the most successful adventurers are prepared beforehand, well equipped and well armed.” The speaker was a well groomed man with a shock of black hair and a neatly trimmed beard, he wore the robes and trappings of a magus of some description, the one thing that set him aside from most of his ilk was the long and ornate blade that rested across his back. His name was Salbanon Ravenclaw of the house of Arcanis. “S’what I expected from a sorcerer though.” Snorted the warrior Harald with a look of disgust. “Adventures aren’t made of preparation they’re made of cold steel and blood, hard work fighting off monsters. Orcs and things.” He was a tough man was Harald Meren; his family were warrior’s stock, broad and burly. He himself stood over six and a half feet in height and when dressed in plate and chain, looked like you’d expect the older heroes of valour to look. Long brown hair and a wickedly sharp glare were two of his weapons, a large axe leaning on the wall by him. A laugh cut across both men, it came from a figure that stood close by dressed in the finery of the noble classes and sporting short sandy hair, through which peeked the slightly pointed ears of the elfin half-breeds. Harald being a purist snorted again and looked back to the sorcerer. Undaunted the figure moved over. “Adventurers eh?” He questioned. “What luck, I’m looking to recover some important, err, trinkets from the caves to the south of here, and I’m in need of a few brave souls to help me.” Without as much as a by your leave he added. “Interested? Or do I find a less cowardly warrior?” “Who are ye to call me a coward?” Bristled the warrior, reaching for his axe.
What kinds of things will you find within the pages of this book, well young and old Adventurer alike you’ll find Fantasy and a few things to spark imagination; ideas for your own world and by all means feel free to use them, that’s what they’re here for. From the dingy Tavern bars of a seedy back alley establishment to the roaring fires of the Tavern and Inn known as the Blue Flame. You should find something here to help you with your creations. The world is your oyster for you to play with as you see fit, if you don’t like something here then you are the Master of that Fantasy and you can change it, we have created the various locations within the tome to show you the kinds of things you might find in an average city, I myself have seen many different things in my time on many different Spheres, but I still find things to surprise even me. Also within you’ll find a motley and not so motley crew of colorful characters for you to meet and greet, to tinker with and make your own. The worlds of creation are open to you all you have to do is take that step and I for one, the High Mage and Wizard Estabhan welcome you to the glories and mysteries within this book and the City inside, I am most happy to meet you and wish you all the gold and glory that is to come.
Open Game Content & Copyright information City Guide I is ©2001 Dark Quest, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproductions of the product without permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. City Guide is presented under the D20 License. Material listed in white box or in white text displaced in a black box is Open Game Content. All other text and artwork herein is copyrighted Dark Quest, LLC. “d20 System” and the D20 System Logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used under the terms of the D20 license. Visit the Dark Quest Games website at: http://www.darkquest.com for additional information.
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City Guide I
Coins of Silver and Gold
“Ah, calm yourself good Sir, I am the Lord Lorenon Halfar, bard and minstrel at your service. Now before ye get yeself all fired up Sir, pray listen…I…said adventure…Orcs no doubt and more…and a pile of gold the size of a dragon’s horde!” Salbanon knew well a bard’s way for over exaggeration but there was something about this Lord that drew his attention, he was loquacious and brash, but beneath that exterior he sensed there was a decent companion to be found, something in the liquid blue of his eyes gave this away. Harald was not the brightest of the family nor the most trusting but the man said two words that made him smile, Orcs and gold. “Better be.” He said before replying with a smirk. “I’m in.” “I’m Salbanon and this is Harald, Lord bard.” Replied the sorcerer with a slight smile and upturn of his lips. “And like him, I feel this could be a good opportunity to test my abilities.” Lorenon rubbed his hand. “Grand, Grand!” He chuckled. “Then let us go and see what my coins of silver and gold can burrow out of this fair city eh?” He gestured to the street beyond the garden and began to trail off whistling. Both men joined him with a dubious look to each other, before long they were in the streets of the city, jostled and bustled, knocked and prodded. Touts hawked their wares constantly, jerky here, sweetmeats there. Bottles, boxes, pans, pots and pets. All of it was open and available on the streets and for the unwary it was almost as great a challenge as a dungeon infested with monsters and traps. The smell was wonderful, baked breads, spices and cheeses, all of it combined for a wondrous if somewhat overwhelming journey. As they were heading to their first port of call the sorcerer suddenly felt a hand slide into his robe and his spell components pouch began to slip from the safety of its hiding place. He made a grab for the wrist and squeezed. “Ow!” It was a definitely sharp and feminine voice, belonging to a slightly scruffy but gorgeous looking girl, vibrant green eyes and a long whisper of silver hair, pale skin tinged with a very slight blue and angular, regal features. She wore the simplest of clothes, a shirt and breeches. Looking at her you might be fooled into thinking she was a down on her luck human girl, it’s only when Salbanon noticed her ears he chuckled softly. “Well, well, well.” He snorted with a laugh. “What have we here? Perhaps I should turn you into a newt for this hrm?” His dark eyes danced with a merry mirthful glint. Vibrant green looked downcast for a moment. “Trust me to pick the pocket of a mage.” She growled and yanked her hand free, yet she made no move to run, a fact that endeared her to the sorcerer a little already. “Sorcerer.” He corrected.
“What ever you want.” She was going to say old man, but he wasn’t, he couldn’t have been more than thirty, and he was handsome and her words died on her lips. “Leave the girl alone Sal.” Grumbled the warrior. “We waste time in this, need to get going, or we’ll miss the dwarf’s sale!” A slight pause, as he looked the woman over. “Oh, not another pointy?” That was it, he walked a little faster and further ahead of them all. “Pointy!” Growled the thief woman with a glare. “I’m Sabine Quicksylver, locksmith!” A snort caused her to flare her nostrils. “Stuff pointy up your!” The Lord cut her off. “Now, now!” Said Lorenon with a half laugh. “Locksmith? Eh? I might have needs of your talents, for we are a hearty band of adventurers and we are about to go into danger.” A dramatic pause as he floridly gestured. “There are sure to be traps and more than enough gold for all.” “Gold?” She perked, giving him the once over. Nice eyes, mostly elf, but he certainly wasn’t a sucker, she could tell that. “I get an equal share with you all?” She purred softly. “I’d better or I’ll leave you to rot in there, where ever there is…” “You have my word.” Said the Lord bard. “But introductions are in order.” After the short introductions they were well on their way once more, crossing through a less than empty market square into the merchant’s quarters and towards a large and fine looking building, it stood several stories high and was made of lacquered black and white wood. A large bronze disc hung over the door with the name. “Agenar’s Wares.” In curling script, under this rested the embossed image of a dwarven hammer and anvil. The sun caught the metal and made it shine more than ever, a fact which amused the sorcerer. “Pretty.” Said Sabine with a soft smirk. “Looks like someone’s proud of their work.” “Old friend of mine.” Said the Lord with a grin, eyes dancing in the sun. “This is the place to get mostly anything you’re looking for, a collection of merchants and merchandise. Come on we’ll miss Agenar.” The warrior was already inside; he’d gone on pretty much ahead while the thief and bard stopped to exchange useless words. Elves and part elves, bah. It was like a veritable wonderland within the halls of this building, various merchants showed off their wares, from clothing to swords and armour, it could truly be said that the many floors of this place had anything and everything on offer, and if you knew where to look and whom to ask, much, much more. Lorenon lead the group to a short and well kept looking dwarven man, long brown hair and a short but braided beard framed an expressive and almost kind-hearted face. Serious grey eyes regarded them all with a business-like stare.
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City Guide I
Coins of Silver and Gold
“What can I be doing for you fine lady and gents today then?” Agenar’s voice was rich and melodious, almost as fine as the Lord bard’s. “Hello Agenar, we’ve come to spend my gold in a huge fit of generosity and madness.” This caused the others to double take at their new companion, questions followed but he waved them off with a flick of his wrist. “No, no, its mine to spend and spend it I will.” He grinned like a cat. “And I choose to outfit this ragtag band for a foray into danger.” Agenar grinned, he liked the sound of this and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, he began to ponder something and then chuckled. “Take your time, look around, Lorenon’s money’s good here, spend as much as he lets you, we have to talk.” He grabbed the Lord bard’s sleeve and tugged him off to one side into another room. Leaving them alone. They split up instantly, heading to the various merchants, floors and rooms, trying this and that, getting information on various prices and for further reference and much later on. Custom made clothing and items. The building was a flurry of movement as they spent the Lord bard’s gold like it was water. Not thinking about how they might repay back his generosity or even if he wished them to, the warrior figured that this was a good payment for risking his life, the thief though the bard was out of his mind and the sorcerer thought there was a catch somewhere but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “Hey Sabine!” Harald yelled with a wide grin. “Well? What do you think?” He stood dressed in fine chain armour, a red cloak hanging from his shoulders, a new sword and a shield embossed with a red dragon. “Not bad eh?” The thief woman stopped short and whistled, her green eyes flickered softly as she smiled. “You look almost date-able.” She winked slightly. “Seriously it does really suit you.” She’d just returned from making her purchases. Gone was the shirt and breeches, a set of fine crossstitched leather leggings and a black silk shirt had replaced them. Over this rested a leather armor jacket with silver studs, form fitting and quite tight. Soft boots made of black doeskin just hid two very thin throwing daggers from the warrior’s eyes. She spotted him looking her over and giggled a little, twirling. “What do you think?” She purred. “I…I…think it’s you.” He turned around and blushed somewhat, “Damn pretty elves.” He muttered, her laugh told him she’d heard it. She whirled off in search for the elusive sorcerer and found him deeply ensconced in the magical section of the building, like the rest of them he had taken the time to get himself a change of clothing and now stood looking regal. In his right hand he gripped a long ironwood staff topped with a single crystal of quartz. He was dressed in breeches of midnight blue,
like her own they were cross-stitched and of fine quality. Over this a shirt of purple silk, and a tunic of dark blue rested. The tunic was emblazoned with various magical runes and symbols. Finally he now wore a long robe with a hood, the robe was the color of a sapphire blue sky and trimmed around the edges with a black silk band, upon the band were hand stitched runic symbols and patterns. “Hello Sabine.” He looked up from reading a scroll, which he tucked into his belt. “My you’re looking fine.” A grin lit his features for a moment. “You’re not too bad yourself, are we ready?” The sound of the lower door opening and two figures returning heralded the dwarf and Lord bard’s entrance. The others returned to Lorenon’s side and he smiled for a moment. “That’s better, now you’re looking ready to take on the danger of the caves.” He winked. “My dwarven companion has said you can have this for nothing, as long as you honor one request?” They were shocked and amazed; Sabine spoke up first. “What’s the catch?” “No catch, I get to come with you, I’m bored here and I long for the thrill of the underground, the song of the axe and the blood of Orcs.” Answered the dwarf with a grim smile. The three looked at each other and very quickly a consensus was reached. It was the sorcerer’s turn to deliver it. “Welcome then Agenar, shall we go?” “About time.” Muttered Harald and turned to leave without a pause, he was out of the door and into the bright sunshine before they could stop him. Except it wasn’t sunny anymore, it was pouring down rain from angry storm-laden skies. “Typical.” He grumbled. “I’m going to rust.” The band’s laughter echoed through the streets and cobbled alleys as they moved off with the soggy and sodden warrior in tow, darkly rumbling like the sky overhead.
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City Guide I
Mirialle’s
Description: Mirialle is a slender young woman with light brown hair and light blue eyes. While very beautiful, she wears shabby clothes and never looks people in the eye when she speaks to them. She carries a healing kit strapped to her back when she is away from her home, and usually has clusters of dried herbs tucked into her belt. Her high-pitched voice is rather shocking at first but people soon adjust to her voice and strange mannerisms.
Mirialle’s
A small cottage squats a few feet away from the road. Dingy, unpainted, and in need of serious repairs, the cottage remains standing by force of will alone. Plants, leaves, and odd objects are suspended in net bags that hang all along the outer edge of the roof. The hanging bags, and the cluster of herbs nailed to the decrepit door, clearly suggest it is a herbalist’s home.
Personality: Mirialle inherited her home, and business, at age 12 when her mother died in a carriage accident. In truth, Mirialle is an extraordinarily beautiful young woman, it is her abrupt personality and inability to look people in the eye that causes people to keep her at an arm’s distance. While her main business is selling herbs and healing kits, she is open to patients of all kinds, and never refuses treatment to anyone under any circumstances. Mirialle wears a faint, twisted smile when talking to customers that also frightens some people as they feel she is hiding something from them. Mirialle has no guiding morals; she secretly sells poisons to assassins at the same time she sells antidotes to the general public. If Mirialle can make a profit without risking herself, she is capable of almost any act.
This is the home to Mirialle Lark, a herbalist and healer with a rather odd reputation. Known throughout the city for her herbs and healing kits, she also has a reputation for making antidotes to various poisons. Unknown to any outside the local assassins’ guild, she also makes some of the same poisons she provides antidotes for. The door has no lock or alarm, even when Mirialle is away. She is somewhat protected by the local assassins’ guild but this is not common knowledge. The filth and decrepit state of her cottage keeps her safe from theft as does the general idea that healers should be left alone
Information and Interactions: Mirialle deals in herbs, poison antidotes, and healing kits and discusses her knowledge of them quite freely. She knows the best areas to find certain herbs, if she doesn’t grow them in her garden already, and can identify the effects of all common poisons. Something she does not discuss is her business with several different assassins. She knows, or suspects, the real names of the leading assassins in the city but does not divulge this information under any circumstances. Her strange sense of business honor leads her to inform the assassins’ guild of any questions related to their business, or to ask them for help if she is assaulted or threatened. Mirialle makes potent poisons used by several assassins and can easily seek protection from the guild any time she requires it. If a PC has a letter or marker from a leading assassin in the local guild she is willing to discuss her poisons and offer them for sale, without such a letter or marker she does not even admit to owning poisons let alone selling them.
Mirialle Lark, Female Human, Exp3: CR2; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 2 in. tall); HD 3d6; hp 10; Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Atk +1 melee (1d4-1/crit 19-20/x2, dagger), or +4 ranged (1d4-1/crit 19-20/x2, dagger); AL N; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +6; Str 8, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 13. Skills: Alchemy +10, Appraise +8, Diplomacy +7, Gather Information +7, Heal +7, Knowledge (herbs) +8, Knowledge (poisons) +8, Sense Motive +7. Feats: Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Alchemy). Possessions: 3 daggers, healing kit, potion of cure light wounds, an ornate silver ring (10 gp), and a pouch containing 14 gp, 47 sp, and 32 cp.
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City Guide I
Mirialle’s
1) Shop Interior
GOODS
The small cottage is packed full of strange glassware, jars, and glass bottles. Vials, jars, and bottles are lined up in racks along shelves that cover every wall and a variety of herbs lie drying on a large table in the center of the room. A small cot rests against one wall, clearly the only place to sit or sleep and a rusted stove squats in the corner. The wood floor is covered with dirt, dust, and discarded fragments of herbs to a level that it can’t even be seen in some places. Despite the filth and complete disorganization, Mirialle has a reputation for having the best and purest herbs and antidotes in the entire city.
Mirialle’s business revolves around selling fully prepared healing kits and the herbs to stock them along with her more profitable business of selling poisons and antidotes. • •
Healing kit Replacement herbs
50 gp 25 gp (replaces herbs used up in a healing it)
Antidotes: Mirialle’s antidotes are single dose and do not act immediately. A patient must take a dose of the appropriate antidote and rest for a minimum of 8 hours before recovering any lost ability scores. Her antidotes do not recover permanently lost ability points. If taken within one minute of receiving a dose of poison the antidote gives a +10 circumstance bonus to the next saving throw against the effects of that poison. Antidotes to common poisons cost half as much as the equivalent poison. If Mirialle must make an antidote to a new or rare poison she charges a price equivalent to the full price of that poison.
The cottage is a mess, and a frightening one at that. Vials of antidotes Mirialle sells are unmarked, only she knows which vial is which. Her glassware is rarely, if ever, cleaned yet she somehow still creates pure poisons and antidotes for general use. Mirialle lives and works here, but she usually walks to the market to purchase food. After spending her days creating antidotes and healing kits she loathes cooking for herself. There is a 30% chance that Mirialle is out of her home during the day to collect herbs, get food, or help a patient someplace. She is always home in the evenings.
• • • • • •
Treasure: The glassware she uses is dirty and would require a huge amount of cleaning work before it would be worth selling to anyone. The vials of antidotes are mixed with vials of poison and all of them are unmarked, any vial stolen has a 50% chance of being a poison rather than an antidote. There is a small sack hidden behind the rusting stove that contains 297 gp, 143 sp, and 17 cp (Search DC19).
Spider venom antidote Scorpion venom antidote Snake venom antidote Parlic oil antidote Schil residue antidote Toadstool antidote
75 gp 100 gp 60 gp 3000 gp 5000 gp 500 gp
Poisons: Mirialle does not sell poisons to anyone that does not have proper references from the local assassins’ guild. She won’t even admit to owning poisons without those references. Some of the poisons she provides are rare and unique to the local area. NOTE: The poisons listed here are quite powerful, their use should be monitored carefully by the gamemaster.
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City Guide I
Mirialle’s
Item: Parlic oil
Character Hooks or Stories:
Parlic oil is extracted from the leaves of a local flowering plant. It takes almost an entire bush worth of leaves to extract enough poison to be potent. Parlic oil begins to decompose 10 minutes after exposure to air so it must be used soon after applied to a weapon. Type: Injury DC17; Initial Damage 3d6 Str; Secondary Damage 3d6 Con; Cost 3000 gp.
•
Mirialle is a strange character that can be the subject of rumors, or the source of adventure.
•
Mirialle has heard about some new plants growing in a nearby forest and asks the PCs for help getting some samples.
•
The city guard is suspicious, they believe that Mirialle might be supplying poisons to the assassins’ guild. They can’t investigate openly so they ask for the PCs’ assistance.
•
Mirialle disappears. The assassins’ guild is concerned that she might be in hiding and giving information to the city guard. They use a disguised intermediary to show concern for the missing woman and ask the PCs to investigate.
Item: Sehil Residue Schil residue is created by heating certain flowers until the petals dry and flake away. Residue left behind on the glass is then concentrated in a light oil that can easily be spread on any surface. Type: Contact DC20; Initial Damage 3d6 Con; Secondary Damage 3d6 Con; Cost 5000 gp
Mirialle dissolves toadstools in a light acid and then boils them down to a light powder that can be spread on food or mixed with drinks. Toadstool concentrate has a slightly bitter taste so it is usually mixed with strong beverages. Type Ingested DC16; Initial Damage 2d6 Str; Secondary Damage 1d6 Str; Cost 500 gp
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City Guide I
Blithe Spirits gathered there, allowing all and sundry to sample the latest wares from Blithe Spirits. One favored ploy is to have the bards recite the songs and stories they know about a given locale and then allow those gathered to sample the fine wares from that locale.
Blithe Spirits
There are several entrances into the offices and warehouses of Blithe Spirits. The first of these is the elegantly carved walnut and brass double doors that serve as the entrance into the winery shop proper. The brewery entrance is a stout walnut door accessible from the alley which leads to the back of the warehouse, where two more sets of large wooden doors are used to load and unload the casks of spirits that are stored at the warehouse and used as trading goods along the Blithe Spirits caravan routes.
So, lad, what’ll it be? Oh, we’ve got a fine selection to choose from – we’ve elven dawn-wines, and dwarven beetle-honey mead. We’ve frost brandy from the tops of icy mountains and desert khour’iss, made from cacti by the nomadic peoples of those hot lands. River-beer, oaken wine, walnut ale and even orcish blood mead. What’ll it be, then? All courtesy of Blithe Spirits, of course, lad – me tavern’d be quite bare without it. Taverns, inns, restaurants and noble homes all know that the best purveyor of alcoholic spirits from far and wide is Blithe Spirits. Originally a small ale brewery owned by a family of halflings, the Blithingsfords, Blithe Spirits has become very stable and profitable since Faranith took over. But it was the contributions of Corinn, Faranith’s younger brother – an irresponsible wanderer and hedonist – that has made Blithe Spirits the traders to find the best spirits from.
1) Shop This shop is certainly the heart and soul Blithe Spirits. The floors here are well swept and covered with deep wine-toned rugs which almost match the reddish wood of the shelves. Upon the shelves are flasks, decanters, small hand-kegs and bottles, all filled with a vast profusion of alcohols not to be found locally. The majority of the spirits available are Blithe Spirits’ own ale. However, the biggest draw is invariably the exotic brews brought from far-off places that most folk of the city have only heard tales about.
Shop Exterior Blithe Spirits maintains a large set of warehouse offices near the city’s main marketplace. The street-facing part of the building houses the business offices of the brewery and trading house. Above the main entrance is the plaque bearing the company’s symbol – a laughing theater mask surrounded by a wreath of lashed tree limbs heavy with walnuts.
There is always an employee in here, ready to tend to the needs of their customers, whether those customers are here to purchase a single bottle for a special evening, several tuns for a large party or a season’s worth of spirits for an inn or tavern. The sales staff often arranges to have orders delivered. Such orders are usually a carts-load or more of goods, though recently, they have taken to hiring entertainers and bards to make special deliveries, complete with songs and sonnets of well-wishing or love.
The building itself is built of a stone foundation. The walls themselves are stone along the bottom three feet; the rest of the wall is crafted of sturdy walnut, stained a deep red-brown hue. The roof of the building is made up of blue-grey shingles that match some of the stones that make up the foundation. A massive awning of colorful patchwork hue that stands out for quite a distance covers the front of the shop.
Walnut & Brass Double Doors: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 22, Break DC 24, Open Lock DC 40. The Blithingsfords encourage bards and other entertainers to take up spots beneath this awning, in order to attract people’s attention to the establishment and its shop. Several times a day, employees circulate among the people
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City Guide I
Blithe Spirits
2) Offices
Originally conceived as an extension of inviting bards to perform under the awning in front of the shop, Blithe Spirits offers its “tasting theatres” twice a month or so. Attendance is by invitation only, with the local nobility, rich merchants and best customers receiving most of the invitations. A renowned bard or other performer is invited to perform, while the staff – expensively liveried for this night – circulate with goblets and snifters of the finest and most exotic drinks Blithe Spirits has to offer.
Plushly furnished and finished with red-stained walnut and brass, these offices are noted for their splendid liquor cabinets from which a glass is usually poured to toast successful business dealings. Those making the deals are careful to not offer a drink until after the deal has been made, so as not to be accused of trying to get customers drunk in order to secure better terms.
These events have come to be known in the city as an excellent place to make business contacts, as well as be seen, though the gathering is hardly a formal affair. Though the eventgoers certainly do imbibe quite a bit of Blithe Spirits’ best stock, the business deals made here aren’t just between guests – it is generally agreed that Blithe Spirits makes more here in one night than it does during an entire week of normal commerce in the shop. The Blithingsfords are always in attendance at these affairs; indeed, when Corinn is in town, he insists on providing the entertainment himself, much to the delight of attendees.
When deals must be made for large orders, whether that order is for space in one of the Blithe Spirit caravans or for a winter’s worth of mead, the sales staff guide the customer to one of these finely appointed offices to hammer out the details. The doors to these rooms aren’t quite as impressive as those in the shop itself, but are sturdy enough to provide privacy.
Walnut & Brass Double Doors: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 22, Break DC 24, Open Lock DC 30.
Door: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 15, Break DC: 18, Open Lock DC 20; Liquor Cabinet: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 8; Break DC: 13; Open Lock DC 20.
3) Tasting Theatre The tasting theatre is a grand room, richly decorated with gilt woodwork and fine tapestries. A crystalline chandelier hangs from the ceiling, its central crystal enchanted with a continual flame spell which is refracted and split by the crystals that surround it, bathing the room in spangles and shimmers of light. The seats scattered throughout the room are very comfortable and situated to allow private discussion as well as a view of the exquisitely crafted walnut stage.
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City Guide I 4) Warehouse The warehouse is a large area with a stone floor. Though the ceiling isn’t very high, the cargo – crates of bottles packed in straw, hundred-gallon tun-kegs and other containers – isn’t mainly stored here. This floor of the warehouse is for those shipments that have been brought in that day or for those that are going out that day. A ramp leads down to the massive cellars of Blithe Spirits, where goods are stored and aged as appropriate. During the day, there are usually about six workers or so, doing heavy moving and sorting. Faranith, who keeps careful track of everything in and out of his warehouse, oversees them, often moving between supervising the warehouses and the brewery.
There are two sets of large cargo doors that lead to the alley outside, where caravan carts and wagons unload and load goods. These cargo doors are barred from the inside at the end of the day, making them impossible to pick. There is another similar set of doors that leads to the warehouses from the brewery.
Large Cargo Doors: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 25, Break DC 25; Open Lock DC: nil.
5) Brewery
There is a strong walnut door that leads off of the alley outside; this is the brewery entrance, set away from the shop’s entrance. There is also a simple door that leads between the brewery and the shop – this door usually remains closed and locked during normal business hours. Finally, there is a set of large cargo doors into the warehouse, which allows the tun-kegs of Blithe Spirits’ signature ale to be decanted in the brewery and easily transported into the aging cellars in the warehouse. Unlike the warehouse cargo doors, this set of doors locks with a very advanced lock.
Blithe Spirits This brewery is where Blithe Spirits truly began. It is here that the Blithingsfords family of halfings brewed the first Blithe Spirits, a fine pale ale that earned them renown for leagues. Their family made a modest fortune and founded a brewer legacy that lasts to the present day. The brewery has the strong smell of fermentation, though it isn’t an unpleasant one. All the workers here are halflings, either members of the Blithingsford family or others whose families have worked for the brewer clan for two generations now. Faranith prefers to spend his time supervising the brewing in here, though most of the time he can be found in the warehouses, dealing with the inventory and accounting.
Walnut Door: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 20, Break DC 23, Open Lock DC 40; Simple Door: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 15, Break DC: 18, Open Lock DC 20; Large Cargo Doors: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 25, Break DC 25; Open Lock DC: 40.
Goods
The goods from Blithe Spirits come in several purchasing sizes. The difference in price is noted in the description of the item. These sizes are: • Bottle: A glass bottle that holds approximately one gallon. These bottles usually have wicker wrapping along the bottom half of the bottle to help cushion it from breakage. • Hand Keg: A very small barrel that is about a foot in length and ten pounds in weight, the hand keg holds 2 gallons of liquid. • Cask: A small barrel approximately two feet long, containing 12 gallons of liquid. • Barrel: Between three and five feet in length, barrels hold 30 gallons of liquid. This is the standard size for a season purchase made by a normal household. • Butt: A large barrel some six to seven feet long, a butt holds 100 gallons. This is the standard size for a season purchase made by a large household, such as those of nobility.
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• Tun: Massive barrels mounted into the walls of taverns and inns and tapped directly, tuns are about as long as butts, but are much larger around, holding 250 gallons of liquid.
Blithe Spirits Item: Undergold
Though Blithe Spirits offers a selection of standard ales, wines, meads and ciders, they also have a fine selection of specialty brews:
Undergold: A rich, thick dwarven mead that seems to glitter with spangles of gold in firelight, undergold is made from the sweet honey produced by the small subterranean hiving beetles that are often found near veins of gold. Though the spangles in the rich golden mead aren’t actually flakes of gold, that is a favored story among those who serve this mead, which has become a city-wide favorite served warm during the holidays near winter solstice.
Item: Blithe Spirits
(1 gp/hand keg, 5 gp/cask, 12 gp/cask; these prices go up by as much as 50% during the winter months near the solstice.)
Blithe Spirits: A fine pale spirit, Blithe Spirits is an ale flavored with walnuts and brewed to a fine light hue. Possessed of a slightly nutty flavor and a head of creamy ivory froth, Blithe Spirits is still highly sought after and favored far and wide. (3 sp/bottle, 5 sp/hand keg, 3 gp/cask, 7 gp/barrel, 25 gp/butt, 80 gp/tun).
Item: Dawn-wine Dawn-wine: A fine pinkish, bubbly wine, elven dawn-wine is a favored among the young nobility of the city for its sweet taste and buoyant dizziness that the wine produces. Dawn-wine is so named because of its strange properties when held in direct sunlight – it refracts and softens the light, creating a swirl of pale pinks, purples, blues and golds only normally seen during a spectacular sun rise. This wine is very rare and expensive and only sold in its
distinctive light golden-hued bottles decorated with deep azure velvet trim woven around the neck of the bottle. (20 gp/bottle)
Item: Frost Brandy Frost Brandy: An incredibly sweet, pale bluish drink, frost brandy is reputedly made in a mountain-top monastery from berries that grow during the few warm summer months and then remain frozen all winter. They are plucked just as spring nears, giving the berries a chance to distill their sweet frigidness into a fine brandy. Frost brandy has the curious property of remaining fairly cool all the time, regardless of the room temperature and as such is a popular drink during the hot summer months. (7 sp/bottle, 15 sp/hand keg, 8 gp/cask, 20 gp/barrel; this price may increase by as much as 25% during summer.)
Item: Khour’iss Khour’iss: Not quite a wine, but certainly not an ale, khour’iss is the strange, dark green foamy sour drink brewed by the nomadic tribes of the deserts. Khour’iss has mildly hallucinogenic properties, referred to as khour’ann, or “mirage lights” – lights in the view of someone who is intoxicated on khour’iss seem to dance and shimmer like the sun at noon in the desert, creating spherical flares and beams of many colors. Khour’iss is sold in the ubiquitous glazed clay jars used by the desert nomads; each stoppered jar holds 2 gallons of khour’iss. (25 gp/jug)
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Blithe Spirits
Item: River Beer River Beer: River beer is a beer brewed from the cat-tail-like plants that grow along some rivers in the south. It holds a rich tang that is considered to be bitter to some palates, but many folk enjoy the ink-black beer and its greenish head, especially with a platter of sharp cheese. (6 sp/hand keg, 4 gp/cask, 9gp/barrel, 30 gp/butt, 75 gp/tun.)
Item: Thousandleaf Thousandleaf: A strangely dark wine made from the black berries and oak sap of a mighty oak forest, thousandleaf was originally enjoyed by foresters and those who lived near the druids who first pressed this wine as an offering to the fey folk of their wood. Now, thousandleaf is highly enjoyed all through the Blithe Spirit caravan-routes for its sweet taste with a slightly woody aftertaste. Thousandleaf comes in barrels made of oak. (1 gp/hand keg, 6gp/cask, 15 gp/barrel, 50 gp/butt, 175 gp/tun.)
Item: Redtongue Redtongue: Considered a daring drink, redtongue is an orcish mead. Though it gets it thick, cloying taste from the rich honey found in the wilds that the orcish tribes inhabit, it gets its deep red color from the blood used as a fermenting agent. Though those at Blithe Spirits are quick to reassure customers that the blood merely comes from animals, some knowledgeable in the ways of orcs say that it comes from the enemies of the tribe struck down during war.
Personalities Faranith Blithingsford, Male halfling Exp3: CR 2; Small-sized humanoid (3 ft., 0 in. tall); HD 3d6+9; hp 24; Init +4 (+4 Dex); Spd 20 ft.; AC 15 (+4 Dex, +1 Size); Attack +5 dagger (1d4 +2), or +7 thrown dagger (1d4 +2); SV Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +5; AL N; Str 14, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 14. Special Attacks: halfling traits; Special Qualities: halfing traits. Skills: Appraise +7, Bluff +5, Craft (barrels) +4, Diplomacy +8, Gather Information +4, Knowledge (nature) +3, Perform +4, Profession (brewer) +7, Read Lips +4, Wilderness Lore +3; Languages: Common, Gnome, Halfling. Feats: Dodge, Lightning Reflexes Possessions: worker’s clothing, small accounts book, slate pencil, dagger
Faranith is very serious about his work. He is fully aware of the fact that he is carrying on a legacy that his younger brother doesn’t want to be burdened with. This is fine with Faranith – he is fully confident in his capabilities to build Blithe Spirits ever higher, though perhaps without the flamboyance that Corinn lends to the operation. This isn’t to say that he’s ungrateful to his younger sibling, however – he realizes and acknowledges that he owes Corinn much. Faranith has just begun looking for a bride; his business has been built to the point where he can concentrate on settling down to run things. He is anxious about providing for the continued legacy of Blithe Spirits; unfortunately, this may show a bit too often in his dealings with prospective young women.
(5 sp/hand keg, 3gp/cask, 8 gp/barrel, 25 gp/butt, 90 gp/tun.)
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Corinn Blithingsford, Male halfling Brd7: CR 7; smlla-sized humanoid (3 ft., 2 in. tall); HD 7d6+21; hp 46; Init +3 (+3 Dex); Spd 20 ft.; AC 14 (+3 Dex, +1 Size); Attack +6 melee, or +9 ranged; SV Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +6; AL CG; Str 10, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 18. Special Attacks: halfling traits, spells; Special Qualities: bardic knowledge, bardic music, halfing traits.
Blithe Spirits as Faranith enjoyed the fine brews from far off, others might as well. They would be willing to pay fine amounts of money to purchase these rarities. So, Corinn became a partner in the new enterprise: his job was to find new spirits wherever he went and determine if they were worth including in the caravan routes. If so, he was to negotiate a price for the right to buy them in large amounts, something that the charismatic Corinn found himself remarkably well suited to doing. Blithe Spirits has prospered ever since.
Skills: Appraise +4, Bluff +7, Climb +2, Concentration +6, Diplomacy +10, Gather Information +10, Hide +5, Intuit Direction +3, Move Silently +5, Perform +12, Sense Motive +2, Spellcraft +3, Swim +2, Tumble +8; Languages: Common, Dwarven, Elven, Halfling, Orc. Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack Spells (3/4/3/1 per day): 0-lvl – dancing lights, detect magic, light, mending, prestidigitation, read magic; 1st – alarm, cure light wounds, expeditious retreat, feather fall; 2nd – cat’s grace, cure moderate wounds, mirror image, tongues; 3rd – dispel magic, haste. Possessions: leather armor +1, shortbow +1, cloak of elvenkind, masterwork short sword, various gems (totaling 200 gp).
Corinn is the younger brother of Faranith. Fortunately, it wasn’t to Corinn that the family business was left; he has always been a wanderer and rogue who loved seeing new sights and hated tedium. So, shortly after their parents died, Corinn left the comfort of the city and began to wander, taking his knowledge of music and its magics to the places he’d always heard stories about. Though he didn’t enjoy the life in a brewery, Corinn was nonetheless the son of a brewer – he knew good spirits when he found them. He began collecting samples to take back to his brother, who thoroughly enjoyed the gifts and the stories that came with them. Then, one night, as the two were deep in their cups celebrating Corinn’s return, they hit upon an idea – as much
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Scribes and Paper A small pale green cottage with light yellow trim clings to the edge of the road so tightly that people simply walk across the small porch in front as they make their way back and forth. Planters hanging onto the windowsills hold mums and other bright flowers and the sign proclaiming “Scribes and Paper” over the door is decorated with flowers and vines.
This is the home and business of Alara Reed. Alara made her reputation by creating a special paper that is more resistant to fire and water damage. The paper is used in business ledgers, papers, and spellbooks. She moved the actual paper making part of the process to a small building outside the city because the smell of the chemicals and herbs used to make the paper created such a powerful stench that her neighbors protested. The sheets of treated paper are delivered here and then she binds them into books and ledgers that she offers for sale. In addition to book sales, she offers her service, and the services of several other scribes to copy books, record business transactions, and help with business ledgers. While many wizards do purchase her spellbooks, they are priced higher than equivalent books elsewhere, which cuts down her business. She makes the most money selling her special paper to merchants who believe it is worth the extra cost. Additional income from her scribe service also exceeds anything she makes selling spellbooks.
Glass windows in the front and sides of her home could easily be broken and bypassed by thieves but her home is in one of the busiest parts of the city making it difficult for anyone to enter her home unobserved.
Scribes and Paper
Oak Door: Thickness 2 in.; Hardness 8; Break DC 20; hp 30; Open Lock (DC 25). The door is solid oak. It is unlocked during the day but is barred with a sturdy oak board at night.
Alara Reed, Female Human Exp3/Wiz3: CR5; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 3 in. tall); HD 3d6 (Exp) + 3d4 (Wiz); hp 18; Init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Spd 30 ft.; AC 14 (+2 Dex, +2 deflection); Atk +2 melee (1d4-1/crit 19-20/x2, dagger), or +5 ranged (1d4-1/crit 19-20/x2, dagger); SA spells; AL LN; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +7; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 13. Skills: Alchemy +12, Bluff +7, Concentration +10, Craft (paper making) +9, Craft (book binding) +11, Diplomacy +7, Forgery +9, Gather Information +7, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Knowledge (local history) +9, Profession (scribe) +7. Languages: common, dwarven, gnome, elven. Feats: Combat Casting, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (Craft (book binding)). Wizard Spells Known (4/3/2; base save=DC13 + spell level); 0arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, ghost sound, light, mending, read magic; 1st- chill touch, feather fall, hypnotism, identify, mage armor, magic missile, sleep; 2nd- cat’s grace, enthrall, Melf’s acid arrow, web. Possessions: 2 throwing daggers, +2 ring of protection, an elegant diamond ring (2,000 gp), and a pouch containing 43 gp, 18 sp, and 3 cp.
Windows: Hardness 0; Break DC 1; hp 2. The windows are made of cheap glass that makes a great deal of noise when shattered. The additional noise gives a +10 circumstance bonus to Listen checks for anyone within 50 ft.
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City Guide I Description: Alara is a dark-haired woman with a fair complexion and dark blue eyes. Her round cheeks and slim figure make her appear far younger than she really is. Her delicate hands are almost always stained with ink and splotches of ink are usually seen on her robes. She tends to wear blue robes with silver or gold trim. A soft voice and gentle, but outgoing, nature has made her many friends. Personality: Alara is friendly, but has a soft-spoken nature that tends to keep her in the background. The loss of her familiar several years ago has left her even more subdued than normal. As the widow of a respected craftsman, she met a great deal of initial resistance when taking over and expanding her husband’s business but has overcome almost all resistance with her new paper and the scribe service that she began. While shunned by many local wizards that view her as a competitor, merchants throughout the area appreciate her services and her discretion. Alara keeps all of her promises and has never failed to deliver a product on time. She is universally trusted to keep business negotiations tightly held secrets. Although she is an attractive woman, since her husband’s death she has had far more interest in running her business than in dating. Information and Interactions: Alara knows a vast amount about local history and politics. She has helped record many of the recent events and has copied books dealing with events in the more distant past. While she does know a great deal about local businesses she declines to discuss any details, nor does she suggest one particular craftsman or merchant over another as she does business with virtually all of them. She is able to read and write in any of the languages she speaks and is able to help interpret old maps and documents. If she is unable to read a particular document she can find an equally discrete associate that can within a day.
Interior 1) Front Room Various ink jars and batches of parchment rest on the small desk in the center of the room. Vases full of flowers stand on top of the bookcases along the back wall and in the front corners of the desk. Large pieces of leather and thin boards rest on a workbench along the west wall. Neat stacks of paper stand on shelves beneath the workbench. A solid oak door in the back of the room leads into another part of the cottage.
Alara stores her work materials here, and does all of her work here.
Scribes and Paper
During the day there is a 20% chance that one of the scribes that does some work for Alara is also here (Exp3, 10 hp, Craft (book binding) +8, Diplomacy +6, Profession (scribe) +7, other skills as needed) and a 25% chance that a merchant or other customer is present.
The workbench is where she binds the different ledgers and books she sells and the desk is where she does her scribing work and performs business transactions. The desk has several drawers that are all locked or unlocked with a single locking mechanism. The door at the back of the room leads into her home.
GOODS All of the items Alara sells bear her special mark. She sells her special paper by the sheet and sells bound books that can be used as spellbooks or business ledgers. Item: Alaran Paper Alaran Paper: Alara Reed makes this special paper using a special, secret process. The paper is coated with a light oil that actually aids ink permanence rather than preventing it. The process of making the paper, and coating it with her special oil, makes it more resistant to water damage and somewhat resistant to fire. Alaran paper has fire resistance 3 and can be immersed completely in water for several hours before being ruined. While it is usually used for business documents, this paper is excellent for scrolls that see a great deal of travel and abuse. (8sp per sheet.)
Item: Alaran Spellbook Alaran Spellbook: 25 gp per blank book, Merchants are the main purchasers of these books, using them as ledgers for recording business deals and accounting rather than spells. Each book has 100 pages of Alaran paper bound to thin wood boards covered with leather and is resistant to insects, fire, and water. Each book has fire resistance 5, and can be immersed in water for
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approximately 8 hours before being permanently damaged. The wood and oil used to make the books helps repel insects making them far less susceptible to insect damage. While the books are more expensive than standard spellbooks, many traveling wizards prefer having the added protection.
In addition to the above products, Alara provides herself, or one of several equally trustworthy associates as a scribe on demand. She can act as a neutral observer of business dealings, make a record of the transaction, and then affix her seal to it.
Oak Desk: Thickness 1/2 in.; Hardness 4; Break DC 15; hp 30; Open Lock (DC 25). A single lock controls all three drawers in the desk. If the lock is picked all three drawers are unlocked, if drawers are pried or broken open each of the three drawers must be broken individually. Treasure: The desk doesn’t contain much treasure but if the PCs go through it they find 200 sheets of unbound paper in one drawer, a bag with 252 gp, 43 sp, and 132 cp and a ledger showing her business accounts in another drawer, and a spellbook holding all of the spells she knows (see above) in the final drawer. Unbound paper and bound books in the store have a total retail value of 300 gp.
Scribes and Paper There are a number of small items on the many bookshelves throughout the room but the only items of real value are hidden in a secret compartment behind one of the bookcases.
[Search DC27] Treasure: Hidden in the secret compartment is a detailed description of the process used to create Alara’s special paper. This document is worth 2,000 gp to the proper client but few people would understand its value. A bag holding 300 gp and 2 500 gp rubies is also hidden in the compartment.
Oak Door: Thickness 2 in.; Hardness 8; Break DC 20; hp 30; Open Lock (DC 25). The door leading to Alara’s living area is made of solid oak and is protected by a complex iron lock requiring a specially designed key.
Character Hooks or Stories: •
2) Alara’s Living Area
•
The tiny back room of the cottage is filled with soft, plush furniture surrounded by tall bookcases. A small bed in the northwest corner is almost completely enclosed by bookshelves, as is the unused stove in the center of the west wall. Curtains cover the few windows making the room rather dark and forbidding. Although neat and clean, the room has a sterile, empty feel to it.
•
•
After her husband’s death Alara only used this room for sleeping and storing things. She still keeps the room clean, and sleeps here every night, but she is rarely here when she is not asleep. The stove hasn’t been used in years, Alara never cooks for herself anymore. In the early evenings, Alara takes walks through the city before deciding on a tavern or restaurant to eat and relax in before returning home to read and go to sleep.
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Alara’s special background and knowledge can be very helpful during an adventure, and she can be very useful in other ways. The PCs might want her to act as a witness for a business transaction or ask her help in interpreting some documents they have found. She can also be used to entice PCs into adventures in other ways. A local wizard wants Alara’s special process for making paper and hires the PCs to obtain it any way they can. Alara left to witness a business transaction and never returned. Some of the scribes that worked for her are at a loss as to where she is or what happened to her. They ask the PCs to investigate. A mysterious map is left on Alara’s doorstep along with a strange note mentioning a distant relative. Unable to investigate herself, she asks the PCs to take the map and learn what they can.
City Guide I
Gizzele’s Fine Herbs and Potions Shop Description: 1)Storefront A large lean-to style tent serves to protect the small wooden benches that make up this simple shop. A flap in the back of the tent is buttoned closed, and a stretched piece of hide bears the words “Melting Room” in a red ink eerily similar to blood. A wrinkled old woman sits on a three-legged stool near the back of the tent, her demeanor quiet and placid as customers browse her strange wares. The words “Gizzele’s Fine Herbs and Potions” are scrawled on what appears to be an old piece of a shattered door.
Three wooden planks are set at various heights within the tent and each holds a variety of strange and unique items. One holds vials and flasks made of clay, wood, and metal, some empty and others full. A second plank holds charms and jewelry made of animal skins, teeth, and bones.
None of the pieces appears particularly valuable, though their expert craftsmanship is apparent to any that make a successful Appraise or Craft (Jewelry) check (DC 12). Finally, the third plank holds wooden bowls of various sizes filled with rocks, dust, feathers, and other obvious components for arcane spells. Interested buyers can find all manner of components, often even rare bits such as ki-rin eyelash or strips of displacer beast hide (20% chance for any rare component that does not have a listed gp value).
Gizzele’s
2) The Melting Room
This room feels a bit cramped due to its low ceiling, from which several glass vials hang by leather straps. The vials vary in shape and color, but they all hold the same gelatinous substance. Underneath each vial is a small candle that causes the gelatin inside to cough and gurgle, releasing a thin green smoke into the air. Soft cushions of local and exotic design and rugs of stripped bark are piled on the floor.
This unique attraction is a favorite with local ladies, who are always on the lookout for inventive ways to spend their coin and enhance their reputation. It is built in half of the wooden structure that also serves as Gizzele’s home. The only entrance is a wooden door that remains open during the day, allowing access only through the tent flap in the front of the store. At night this door is locked. A bead curtain is drawn across the doorway during sessions, and small vents are built into the ceiling to allow the smoke to slowly drift out of the room. These vents are too small to provide access to the room. The room can comfortably hold up to eight patrons at a time. The cost is 2 gp for a 15-minute session. Sitting in the room and doing nothing but inhaling the smoke for an entire session allows a person afflicted with disease to automatically succeed at his next check to resist the ailment. In addition, the beneficiary heals half of any subdual damage he has suffered.
Oak Door: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 22, Break DC 22, Open Lock DC 25.
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Gizzele’s
3) Gizzele’s Room
This small room smells like a damp forest. Piles of herbs, plants, and sticks cover the floor, and a grass palette lies just to the left of the door. Next to the palette is a finely woven and embroidered pillow. The pillow is silver in color, quite large, and sags toward the middle. Streaks of dirt and scratches can be seen on its surface. A desk sits against the opposite wall and next to it is a locked wooden box with a latched lid. A small oval mirror trimmed with sea coral lies flat on the desk amidst an array of jars and makeup trays.
Goods
Aside from mundane items such as clay jugs, flasks and nonprecious jewelry, she has a variety of useful items to offer interested shoppers:
Built onto the back of the Melting Room, this simply furnished living space is where Gizzele sleeps when she is in the city. An open window provides light and air to the room. The window is closed and latched from the inside when Gizzele is not home.
• • • • • • • • •
The grass palette serves as her bed and her dog, Quetrien, sleeps next to her on the pillow. She stores her gear in the wooden box next to the desk, which is where she applies the makeup to make herself appear as an old human woman.
Treasure: The contents of the box are as follows: 8 gp, 44 cp, a coral necklace (35 gp), 2 vials of oil of insect warding, 3 antivenom poultices, 2 potions of cure light wounds, 1 potion of invisibility, a set of travelling clothes, a leather collar with the name ‘Quetrien’ etched into it, and a wooden cudgel.
Oak Door: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 22, Break DC 22, Open Lock DC 25. Latched Window: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 17, Break DC 22, Open Lock DC 30.
Antitoxin [5]- 35 gp, works only against natural poisons Scentbreaker Pouch [4]- 5 gp Tanglefoot Bag [2]- 65 gp Tindertwig [30]- 1 gp Plant and Animal-based Spell Components- varied Unique spell components- 100 gp per unit Potion of Cure Light Wounds [3]- 65 gp Oil of Insect Warding [2]- 40 gp *new item Antivenom Poultice [3]- 75 gp *new item
Services: In addition to the sale of these items, Gizzele is a sage knowledgeable in local geography and history, wilderness lore, and flora and fauna. In addition, she offers the “Melting Room,” where she boils herbal concoctions that provide a healing smoke. Although they smell bad, they will allow anyone afflicted with a disease to automatically succeed at their next check to fight the ailment. A fifteen minute session costs a mere 2 gp and she has built quite the side business catering to noblewomen of the area, who scramble to appear to have the most delicate constitution of them all.
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Traveler Knowledge: Travelers will likely not have heard of Gizzele, as she keeps to herself and doesn’t hawk her wares. She is generally regarded as a “local secret,” though anyone asking about herbs or potions around the city is likely to be referred to her. Resident Knowledge: Gizzele is known to almost everyone around town, as her medicinal compounds have been used to great effect by rich and poor alike. Her prices are always reasonable, though an astute shopper will notice that they seem to fluctuate according to the buyer’s ability to pay. Gizzele is a kindly old woman who never seems to run out of energy or ingredients. Many wonder just how much longer she will be around, and who, if anyone, will take her place when she finally passes on. Hidden Knowledge: Although she appears to be an
elderly human woman, she is in reality an adult elven druid who ages herself using magic and makeup. Though some have come close to uncovering her secret, it has not yet been revealed. She has been tending to the community for over a hundred years, apparently aging only slightly less than she should. The humans of the village tend to die off before they become suspicious, and the more long-lived residents of the village pay her little mind. It is not known why she perpetrates this disguise, nor is it likely anyone in the village would care.
Gizzele’s
inherent prejudices of her people. When she found them friendly and approachable, she called her dog to her and sat down to share a meal with the group. Speaking over dinner they found many things in common, not the least of which was their stewardship of the land. She had run across a ranger’s convocation, and after some convincing she agreed to accompany them to the nearest town. The energy and resourcefulness of the humans awed Gyzzillu, and she was surprised to find those of other races living side by side with the hardy folk. She realized just how much the isolation of her people had created a false understanding of the humans and their ways. Certainly their manners seemed coarse and the way they treated one another was alien, but the young elf woman was overjoyed by their sense of community and benign hearts. It was at this time that she resolved to learn more about the ways of the humans and at the same time to teach them some of the old ways that her people observed. For the past 80 years Gyzzillu has sold herbs and potions to the people of the small town, all the while imparting small bits of wisdom and learning all she can about the culture of the humans. She uses makeup, dress, and occasionally a spell to hide her true nature, posing as an elderly human woman. To facilitate this disguise, she altered her name to sound more human. Some suspect that all isn’t right with Gizelle, but she has become an entrenched part of the town and most are content to leave her alone.
History: Gyzzillu Tytholissias took up the mantle of the druid after deciding that her race was just as culpable in the destruction of their surroundings as was the human one they fought and spoke out against. She believed that the elves’ constant warring diluted their spiritual connection to the land and that they were betraying the memory of their ancestors. Sad but resolute, she left her home to start a new life, her only companion being the dog that she had raised from birth. Over the next few years she wandered the forests and wetlands of her home, learning the druid’s art from any that would teach her. She fought many battles during this time, helping other druids to protect the land from the predations of evil humanoids, sport hunters and even dragons. It was during this period that she had her first experience with humans. She approached the group cautiously, unable to completely shake the
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Appearance: As an elf, Gyzzillu has just reached adulthood and is quite beautiful. Her long brown hair frames a strong-boned face, which is dominated by her large, almond eyes. She enjoys reverting to her natural appearance during long forays into the forest, during which time she gathers plants, herbs, and other components for her potent brews. In her human guise, she appears to be an elderly human woman with frizzy gray hair and badly wrinkled skin. She wears heavy layers of patchwork clothing, often combining utilitarian tunics and pants with smothering shawls and wraps. In addition, she almost always wears some sort of head covering, her favorite being a bright red turban interwoven with strands of platinum and gold. Even when disguised, her almond eyes remain, and anyone looking into them deeply enough detects a mysterious spark that is inconsistent with her outward appearance.
Gizzele is rarely found without her canine companion, Quetrien. Quetrien is a sleek greyhound, standing roughly half the height of its master. Her tail wags constantly and she is trained to fetch a variety of items for Gizzele. She is able to identify many plants and herbs by smell, and is a competent hunter and tracker as well. Personality: Gizzele is quite happy living in the city, although she does get out to the forest whenever possible. She displays a light humor when dealing with customers and will listen patiently to whatever problems they might be having. She is genuinely concerned for the health of the people of the city, and often recommends time in the wild, especially if the person is feeling mentally drained or depressed. She takes time off every few months to travel with the rangers of the area and dispose of any dangerous creatures that may be infringing on the town’s territory. During these “runs” she keeps the mood of her companions light and is quite valued for her skills in the healing arts and natural lore. The only thing she does not condone is intolerance toward other races. She firmly believes that this type of thinking is responsible for the hatred and antipathy felt between the races and she would like to see them put their differences aside and work together for the benefit of all.
Gizzele’s
Gizzele: Female elf, Druid 4/Wiz3: CR 7; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 1 in. tall); HD 7d8; hp 41; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14 (touch 12, flat-footed 12) Atk +3 melee (1d4-1, dagger) or +6 ranged (1d4, sling); AL NG; SV Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +11; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 14. Skills: Concentration +8, Disguise +4, Heal +11, Knowledge (Arcana) +8, Knowledge (Nature) +11, Profession (Herbalist) +10, Spellcraft +8, Wilderness Lore +11. Feats: Alertness, Brew Potion, Scribe Scroll, Spell Mastery SA: Animal Companion (small dog, “Quetrien”), Find Familiar (none), Nature Sense, Resist Nature’s Lure, Trackless Step, Woodland Stride Druid Spells Prepared (5/4/3; base DC = 14 + spell level): 0— create water, detect poison, know direction, purify food and drink, resistance; 1st— animal friendship, cure light wounds, detect animals or plants, goodberry; 2nd—produce flame, wood shape; Wizard Spells Prepared (4/3/2; base DC = 13 + spell level): 0—daze, detect magic*, light*, read magic; 1st— change self*, charm person*, mage armor; 2nd—alter self, invisibility* Possessions: masterwork dagger, amulet of natural armor +2, cloak of resistance +1, potions of cure moderate wounds (2), potion of neutralize poison, scroll of change self (2).
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City Guide I
Gizzele’s
Silken Dreams Shop Exterior: The shop is a plain wooden structure, two stories high, with several windows around the exterior. The front door is made of fine oak shod in steel with what looks like a pretty sturdy lock. Although the sign above the door emblazoned with a needle and thread and flowing elven texts gives the feeling of home with the tiny vines of ivy growing upon it.
The exterior windows are shut at night with shutters on the outside of the building as well as the inside. Oak Door: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 22, Break DC 22, Open Lock DC 25.
Adriana, Female Human Adept1: CR1; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 6 in. tall); HD 1d6-1; hp 5; Init +3 (+3 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+3 Dex); Attack -2 melee, or +3 ranged; AL LN; SV Fort -1, Ref +3, Will +5; Str 6, Dex 17, Con 9, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 16. Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarven, Goblin, Elven. Skills: craft (tailor) +8, Concentration +3, Hide +3, Knowledge +6, Listen +3, Move silently +3, Pick pocket +5, appraise +8, Sense motive +5, Spellcraft +6, Spot +3, Use rope +5. Feats: Dodge, Heighten spell. Adept Spells Per Day: 3/2.
Possessions: 2 throwing daggers, +2 cloak of protection, an masterwork tailors tools, and a pouch containing 32 gp, 22 sp, and 8 cp.
Latched Window: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 17, Break DC 22, Open Lock DC 30.
1)Front Room: The back wall of the front room has a variety of different dresses and dress wear hanging from a wooden rack. The designs show the styles of various countries and elaborate designs. The majority of the room is filled with bins of fabric and cases full of thread. A small series of benches are made out of ornately carved wood and covered with velvet cushions. A desk covered with several parchments of draft designs sits in the right hand corner of the room, under an flickering magical torchlight. Somewhere near the back left corner of the room sits a second desk.
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City Guide I Description: Adriana’s beauty is slowly fading as she ages, yet unlike others that choose to hide the fact they are aging, she tends to enhance that feel. She constantly wears things that make her look less beautiful, perhaps as a means to let her customers outshine her. Her black hair is tied up in a bun, which generally is held in place by a simple hair netting. Her eyes are sharp and piecing as she is usually squinting to keep track of the needles and find the proper placement of a piece of cloth. But her face is always smiling, even when she stabs her finger with a needle. Personality: Adriana is able to properly hob knob with the nobility to get the better customers, and yet can carry on a conversation with merchants alike. And generally cares for her assistant. She is a joyful person that almost never has a frown on her face, even when the worst of situations happen. She uses her magical skills to enhance some of her products, but will not utilize them to influence a sale, trusting on her skill with a needle to do the talking for her.
Shiela, Female Human Exp1: CR1; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 2 in. tall); HD 1d6; hp 6; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Attack -1 melee, or +2 ranged; AL NG; SV Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 9, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 9. Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarven. Skills: Balance +4, Gather information +4, appraise +3, Hide +4, craft (tailor) +4, craft (cobbler) +2, Move silently +2, Open lock +4, Read lips +3, Spot +4, search +3, ride +2, swimming +3, listen+4, knowledge (heraldry) +2. Feats: Alertness, Skill focus [craft(tailor)].
Possessions: silver dagger, silver dragon hair barret (50g), tailors tools, and a pouch containing 15 gp, 42 sp, and 28 cp.
Description: Sheila is rather on the plain mousy side. Long straight blond hair streams down her back, barely held in place by a silver dragon hair barrette. Her eyes are a startling green, almost an emerald green with brilliance and intelligence evident in her gaze. She dresses rather plainly, but keeps her garments in such a clean and intact state, that everything she wears looks like it is brand new.
Gizzele’s Personality: She’s very happy where she is. Having a home over her head, reasonable incoming from working, and a mentor who treats her like a daughter. She is therefore very pleasant to deal with customers and will bend over backwards to treat them like nobility, even if they obviously aren’t. It will take a lot to shake her. She has woken several times in the middle of the night to burglars and has dealt with them with the tools allotted to her, so a simple threat during the day isn’t likely to cause her to stumble in her daily activities.
Goods
Men’s Clothing Noble’s shirts [Fine Cloth] Noble’s shirts [Velvet] Noble’s shirts [Silk] Entertainer’s Shirts [Good] Entertainer’s Shirts [Excellent] Noble’s Doublet [Fine Cloth] Noble’s Doublet [Velvet] Noble’s Vest [Fine Cloth] Noble’s Vest [Velvet] Entertainer’s Vest Noble’s Pants [Fine Cloth] Noble’s Pants [Fine Leather] Full Noble’s Velvet Outfit
5 gp 10 gp 20 gp 1 gp 5 gp 25 gp 75 gp 10 gp 25 gp 1 gp 5 gp 25 gp 200 gp
Lady’s Clothing Noble’s Short Chemise [Cloth] Noble’s Short Chemise [silk] Noble’s Long Chemise [Cloth] Noble’s Long Chemise [silk] Noble’s Skirt [Fine Cloth] Noble’s Skirt [Velvet] Noble’s Bodice [Cloth] Noble’s Bodice [Velvet] Noble’s Bodice [Fine leather] Full Noble’s Silk & velvet Outfit
5 gp 26 gp 7 gp 40 gp 25 gp 75 gp 26 gp 50 gp 100 gp 175 gp
Note: Fine leather clothing acts as padded armor for protection.
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City Guide I
Traken Brothers’ Stables
A strangely shaped building faces the road here. It obviously began as a small barn with a high roof, but now someone has added small buildings or workshops to each side of the barn. The barn, which clearly is used to stable a number of horses and draft animals, is painted yellow and the twin buildings to either side are both painted green giving all three buildings a somewhat outlandish appearance. Open doors lead into the small buildings to either side of the stables while the main entrance has a sign marking it as “Traken Brother’s Stables.”
Bolik and Eddon Traken turned their father’s stables and forge into something larger, and more popular. Bolik takes care of shoeing horses and creating metal buckles, pins, and other items used in harnesses for horses and draft animals while Eddon makes saddles, harnesses, and packs. Despite rumors to the contrary, both brothers get along extremely well, something they attribute to their separate workshops. Bolik and Eddon have a trusting, some would say foolish, nature. Weather permitting, the doors to their work areas and the stables are always open. Everyone in the city knows that both young men are completely non-violent and refuse to lift a hand even in their own defense. Their quiet natures, and disavowal of violence, gave them much grief when they were children but eventually earned them the respect of their neighbors, and the city guard. Anyone caught attacking either of the brothers is met with such outrage that they would be lucky to survive long enough to be arrested. Merchants and travelers often bring newly purchased animals here to have them shoed and get new saddles and harnesses made. Animals stabled here are extremely well-cared for and the brothers’ work has a reputation for being solid and high quality, though without much flair or artistry.
Traken Stables Interior Rooms 1) The Stables While the stalls smell strongly of the horses, mules, and oxen stored there, the reek of manure is far below most stables. The animals have shiny coats and fresh straw suggesting they are extremely well cared for. A ladder in the back of the stables leads up to an enclosed loft while short ladders to each side reach small lofts holding large quantities of hay. Doors in the north and south walls lead into the buildings built onto the sides of the stables.
The Traken brothers normally only stable animals here that are awaiting new shoes, saddles, or harnesses. While they are willing to stable additional animals, they charge double the standard rates and give all of the excess money to Guralf, the young boy that works the stables for them, as a bonus. One of the stalls in the very back of the barn has been converted into a small sleeping area for Guralf who has no other home. There is a bell near the entrance to the stables that Guralf rings loudly in the event of a horse theft.
Guralf, Male Human, Exp1: CR1; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 7 in. tall); HD 1d6+2; hp 5; Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Atk +1 melee (1d6+1/crit x2, club); SQ deaf mute; AL NG; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +3; Str 12, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 13. Skills: Animal Empathy +5, Handle Animal +5, Knowledge (horses) +4, Ride +6, Profession (stable hand) +3, Wilderness Lore +3. Feats: Iron Will, Run. Possessions: wood club, pouch with 2 gp, 45 sp, and 57 cp.
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City Guide I Description and Personality: Guralf is a short, stocky young man with poor posture. His drooping shoulders make him look even shorter than he really is. The smell of the animals he works with clings to him wherever he goes, fortunately his dark hair and handsome face help overcome his odor. Guralf is a deaf mute that was abandoned by his family as a young child. The Traken brothers found him and have cared for him ever since. If a new customer enters the stables he runs to get either Bolik or Eddon. If he does know some form of sign language he hasn’t let anyone other than the Traken brothers know. He communicates easily with the Traken brothers mostly because he knows his duties and is very responsible about them. Guralf does not share the Traken brothers’ non-violent nature. He runs away from anyone attacking him but loves the animals he cares for and assaults anyone attempting to harm or steal ‘his’ animals to the best of his meager abilities.
Traken Stables
Treasure: A secret panel in the floor conceals a compartment holding a bag of coins. Search DC 27 Bag contains: leather bag holding 187 gp, 235 sp, and 139 cp.
Treasure: Saddles and animals stored in the stable vary in value and price, but theft of any of these items is a rather dangerous proposition. Horse theft is generally punished by hanging and the city guard keeps a close watch on the stables and their non-violent owners. Guralf has a small bag of gold coins hidden beneath some of his blankets, Search DC22, bag with 17 gp.
2) The Loft A ladder from the stables enters the enclosed loft through a hole in the floor. Walls enclosing the loft, and the sloping ceiling just overhead, make the room seem cramped and uncomfortable. A curtain divides the small room into two halves with each half holding an identical bed and dresser. A wood burning stove in the center of the room provides heat on cold nights and oil lamps provide light for the windowless room.
The Traken brothers live here, and have lived here ever since they converted part of their family home into their respective workshops. The curtain is only closed when one brother wants to sleep while the other is awake. Although they are always lit and filled, the oil lamps are firmly attached to the ceiling to avoid any accidental fires. The brothers lead a simple life and have few decorations or items of value
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City Guide I
3) Bolik’s Horseshoes
This building appears small from the front entrance but extends the full length of the stables. A massive stone-enclosed forge surrounded by bins of coal and iron ore occupies the back of the narrow building. An anvil and racks of different sized hammers and casts stand before the forge beside large barrels full of oil, water, and salted water.
The fire in the forge is never completely out so the building is extremely hot night and day. Bolik makes horseshoes, and shoes the horses right here. The door between the stables and his workshop is large enough for even a large warhorse. Stone flooring surrounds the forge but most of the floor is packed earth. He uses casts and molds to help make the nails he uses as well as buckles, pins, and other accessories for saddles, wagons, and tack. Bolik can be found here anytime between dawn and dusk, and often into the night. While he does not make any weapons or armor, he has a reputation for taking excellent care of horses and other animals.
Traken Stables
Unknown to Bolik, a thief once hid some stolen items beneath one of the flagstones near the forge. Finding the loose stone is difficult (Search DC30) and it is close enough to the fire that moving it requires withstanding a bit of pain (10 hp of fire damage to move the stone). Once moved aside a leather bag is revealed. The bag contains: 1 small diamond (350 gp), 4 tiny rubies (100 gp each), and a scabbard of keen edges. The thief quite justly believed that nobody would ever search for this hiding spot.
Bolik Traken, Male Human Exp3: CR2; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 9 in. tall); HD 3d6+6; hp 16; Init –1 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 9 (-1 Dex); Atk N/A –see description; AL LG; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +4; Str 15, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10. Skills: Animal Empathy +6, Appraise +7, Craft (blacksmith) +9; Handle Animal +6, Knowledge (metals) +7, Perform +6; Ride +5. Feats: Lightning Reflexes, Run, Skill Focus (Craft (blacksmith)). Possessions: leather apron, blacksmith tools, belt pouch with 1 gp, 43 sp, and 28 cp.
Approaching the forge makes the heat almost unbearable, and touching the stones near the forge can result in 1d4 points of fire damage.
Treasure: Bolik keeps a small box containing 34 gp, 23 sp, and 120 cp under one of his tables (Search DC17).
Description: Bolik is a broad-shouldered young man with a wide flat nose and drooping cheeks. His dark hair and piercing brown eyes make him seem large and imposing, especially when he is dripping with sweat from working the forge. When he speaks, his voice is surprisingly deep and powerful. Bolik sings and chants while he works, using the rhythm of his hammer blows to time his various songs. Bolik wears linen pants and a thick leather apron while working, substituting a shirt for the apron only when his work day is complete. Personality: Although Bolik and Eddon don’t discuss their religion, both of them are completely non-violent. Bolik is non-violent to the point that he refuses to defend himself against aggressors. The most he will do when attacked is run away. Bolik kept steadfast to his beliefs and religious laws throughout
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City Guide I
Traken Stables
his rather rough childhood, but that faith and strength of character has given him a reputation as an honest, trustworthy man and earned him the respect of all his neighbors. Because of his religious beliefs, he refuses to work on any weapons or armor, as these are products used for violence. He also donates most of his profits to his church and other charities in the city. Bolik doesn’t make promises often, but when he does make a promise, he will die before breaking it. While Bolik can’t claim many friends, all of the neighboring families and merchants respect him and rush to his aid anytime he might need it. Information and Interactions: Bolik loves metal, and loves working with metal. He can identify rare metals and strange ores easily, but won’t even touch a sword or other weapon in order to study the metal it was made of. While he is willing to discuss his belief that by eschewing violence he gets closer to his god, but he doesn’t try to preach non-violence to others because he knows that few people like to hear about his beliefs. Bolik helps with information concerning other merchants and craftsmen in town, but he won’t give information about potential dungeons or adventures because such discussions are likely to lead to violence.
corner between the door to the street and the door into the stables hold saddles, saddlebags, and a variety of bridles. While none of them are overly decorated or artistic, all are of the highest quality and appear to be very sturdy.
Eddon has a variety of work knives used to cut the leather, but he doesn’t consider any of them weapons and, like his brother, eschews any form of violence. Leather used by Eddon has already been through the tanning process in a tannery outside the city so his workshop has none of the pungent, powerful aromas associated with the tanning process. The leather he uses is thick enough to be very useful for saddles, saddlebags, and similar items but he generally doesn’t have leather supple enough to be used for clothing or armor.
Treasure: The leather and tools in the workshop are worth approximately 400 gp total, but couldn’t be sold for more than 80 gp to a fence. A small box beneath the workbench holds 15 gp, 23 sp, and 52 cp (Search DC 15).
Goods Most of Bolik’s trade is in horseshoes. He charges 5 gp to shoe a horse and care for it for a full day. In addition to horseshoes, Bolik makes nails for construction as well as plows, shovels, and other work tools. He refuses to work on weapons. Set of horseshoes Box of 50 nails Plow blade Shovel Folding shovel (travelers)
5 gp 4 sp 8 gp 2 gp 3 gp
4) Eddon’s Saddleworks
Eddon Traken, Male Human Exp2: CR2; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 10 in. tall); HD 2d6; hp 7; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Atk N/A –see description; AL LG; SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +2; Str 12, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 15. Skills: Animal Empathy +7, Craft (leather worker) +7; Diplomacy +7, Gather Information +7, Handle Animal +7, Knowledge (local) +7, Perform +7, Ride +6. Feats: Great Fortitude, Run. Possessions: leather clothing, pouch holding 2 gp, 37 sp, and 22 cp.
This small building appears to have been tacked onto the stables as an afterthought. Racks draped with different varieties of tanned leather take up the back half of the room while the front half is consumed by a large workbench littered with leather awls, punches, and needles. Pegs and strangely shaped racks in the
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City Guide I
Traken Stables
Goods
Eddon sells saddles, saddlebags, and straps and harnesses for different draft animals. While all of his work is of the highest quality and uses the highest quality materials, none of it would be considered artistic or overly attractive. His work is strictly utilitarian. He does make saddles for exotic animals, but does this only on request and asks for several extra days to do the work properly.
Description: Eddon is somewhat taller and frailer than his older brother, but he has the same dark hair and deep brown eyes. Eddon’s face is a bit thinner and more drawn than Bolik’s making him somewhat more attractive. His soft, deep voice is calming to animals and people alike. He is often found chanting strange, wordless but peaceful rhythms as he works. Eddon is always seen wearing leather pants and a leather vest along with linen shirts in a variety of colors.
Pack saddle Riding saddle Exotic pack saddle Exotic riding saddle Saddlebags
5 gp 10 gp 15 gp 30 gp 4 gp
Character Hooks or Stories:
Personality: Like most brothers, Eddon and Bolik are very different, yet very similar. Eddon is an outgoing gossip that loves to hear news of events within the city. While he opposes violence, he is more open to hearing violent tales than Bolik and doesn’t frown on adventurers quite as much. When it comes to keeping promises and remaining steadfast in faith, Eddon and Bolik could be twins. Eddon’s outgoing nature has made him more friends and acquaintances than Bolik and made people somewhat more open to hearing news of his non-violent religious faith. Eddon, like Bolik, is completely non-violent. He runs from a fight before defending himself and never strikes back against an aggressor. Information and Interactions: Eddon is happy to discuss local news, gossip, rumors, and politics with anyone that happens by. He is easily persuaded to discuss his non-violent faith and encourages people to give up violence and anger. While he doesn’t openly discuss dangerous territories or rumored dungeons, he directs people to the sages or merchants that might have the appropriate information.
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•
Bolik and Eddon are non-violent and might need help from the PCs in a number of different ways.
•
A local priest, considered a madman by most, disappeared recently. While not of their religion, Bolik and Eddon are concerned about him and ask the PCs to find out what happened.
•
Bolik (or Eddon) has disappeared and the neighbors are both concerned and upset. They take up a collection and offer a reward for his return.
•
Thieves have been robbing the brothers’ blind and the neighbors have had enough. The PCs are asked to ‘convince’ the local thieves’ guild to leave the brothers alone.
•
A steady customer recently died after leaving several magnificent stallions in the brothers’ care. They ask the PCs to return the horses to the merchant’s family, something that requires a great deal of overland travel.
City Guide I
Ringing Steel
Gregor doesn’t believe he yet has the skill to produce a masterwork sword, he can however provide masterwork daggers. He is usually in the process of creating one masterwork dagger every 3-4 months, most of them custom requests from his regular customers.
Ringing Steel The building is a small cottage like structure, with the smell of sulphur in the air and the sound of metal ringing constantly. During the day the front doors are opened. On the door there is a heavy iron knocker in the shape of a twisted Gargoyle.
Gregor prefers to trade-in in old products for new ones at roughly the same value, instead of paying to buy items from PCs. If requesting money for items he will pay ½ value for masterwork weapons, and 1/3 value for good quality weapons. If presented with an inferior quality weapon he will appear rather upset and spit on the ground claiming the item is not worth dung. All further dealings with Gregor will receive a –2 penalty on any merchant rolls.
Oak Door: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 22, Break DC 22, Open Lock DC 25.
Caltrops Eating utensils Crowbar Grappling hook Manacles
1)Store Front
Dagger Masterwork Dagger Dagger, Throwing Longsword Shortsword
Two long counter line either side of the room in the storefront. A rickety old chair leans against the wall on the right side of the room. On the counter along the right side of the room is two large shallow wooden bowls. The first bowl holds iron nails for building. The second bowl holds assorted two, three, and four pronged eating utensils, and two different sized spoons.
1 gp 1 gp/set 3 gp 1 gp 20 gp 2 gp 400 gp 2 gp 20 gp 8 gp
Hal, Male Human Rog1: CR1; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 10 in. tall); HD 1d6; hp 8; Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+1 Dex); Atk +2; AL CN; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +0; Str 11, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 9.
One the counter along the left side of the room are a variety of swords and knives for sale. A small oil lamp is hanging on an iron hook above the weapons, it is only lit near dusk.
Skills: Appraise +4, Bluff +4, Forgery +2, gather information +4, listen +4, ride +2, search +4, sense motive +2, use rope +2, Craft (blacksmithing) +2, Craft (calligraphy)+4. Feats: Far Shot, Point Blank Shot.
Goods
Possessions: Dagger, longsword, crossbow, belt pouch containing 6 gp, 47 sp, and 14 cp.
Gregor doesn’t sell a sheath with his blades. What he does provide a small leather loop with a metal circle to put the blade through and hang it on your belt. He will also give you a iron square that can be used as a token to get a discount on leather sheath over at a friendly leathersmith he knows.
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City Guide I
Ringing Steel At least 4 small ingots of silver are on a small side table in this room, along with several dozen bars of iron are neatly stacked in a pile for use. A copper bowl stands filled with charcoal coke which is used to fill the bowl out in the forge.
Built into the table is a large enchanted decanter of endless water that Gregor found on his adventuring days. The devise is actually quite large and not portable without a wagon.
3)Forge
The forge is a dark and dingy place, as it much easier to see the glowing metal in the shade. The temperature of the fire brings the place to an almost unbearable temperature for most people. The smith's forge has a fire in a hearth fuelled by charcoal, which is in a shallow clay bowl raised off the ground at waist height. Next to the hearth is two different sized anvils. Multiple bellows of various sizes are around the fire allowing them to raise the temperature to the desired amount. Next to the anvil is a supply of water and vegetable oil for cooling. A table full of punches with which to make holes, shears for cutting sheet metal and files for smoothing the metal is available for use.
Description and personality: Hal is a thieving conniving slime. He regularly cheats Gregor. For every customer that pays for products in silver or copper coins, Hal takes 10 percent of the sale and pockets it. Hal talks to each and every person entering the store as if they are his best friend. He remembers everything, but acts towards even those that insult him, as if he is doing things in their best interest.
Note: Several shovels lay against the wall of the room, used for shoveling the coke (coal product that looks vaguely like popcorn) into the fire. As well as removing the waste product from the fire so that it doesn’t starve the fire.
Hal is rather artistic. He has practiced and learned the ability to etch designs in the blades that Gregor makes. He utilizes a simple acid made from tomatoes to etch the design in the blade after he paints the reverse of the design on the blade. He later rubs off the paint leaving the final design. For simple designs such as runes or silhouettes he charges 1 silver an image. For more complex designs he charges 1-5 gold.
Gregor, Male Human Ftr4: CR4; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 9 in. tall); HD 4d10; hp 36; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+1 Dex); Atk +4 AL NG; SV Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 17, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 5.
2)Storage Room
Skills: Appraise +3, Climb +1, Ride +2, Sim +2, Craft (blacksmithing) +5, Craft (weaponsmithing)+5.
A large copper basin is set in a wooden tabletop. There is a single pipe flowing up from the corner of the basin turning back into it. Turning a knob on the basin will allow water to flow into this sink.
Feats: Power Attack, Quick Draw, Run.
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City Guide I
Ringing Steel of his chest will attest to the results of the battle. One of his companions didn’t make it out alive, since they had expected Gregor to be able to protect their back. Gregor vowed that he would learn all he could about blades and be the best master swordsmith around. He hasn’t quite attained that goal yet, but his blades aren’t bad. Everyone expects him to be a dwarf or some other hunched over man who can wield a hammer able to strike down a God. Gregor is extremely insulted by this. Coupled by the fact that the sword with poor workmanship came from a dwarf, he hates them with a passion. He will throw any dwarves out of his shop on site, yelling at them to go seek out their own kind.
Possessions: chainmail, masterwork dagger, blacksmith tools, longsword +1, ring of protection +1, masterwork weaponsmith tools, masterwork leather boots, 42 gp, 77 sp, and 12 cp.
Donal, Male Human War1: CR1; Medium-Size Humanoid (5 ft. 7 in. tall); HD 1d8+1; hp 9; Init +0); Spd 30 ft.; AC 10 ; Atk +2 AL NG; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +1; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 8. Skills: Appraise +3, Handle animal +1, Hide +1, Listen +1, craft (blacksmith) +4, Spot +1, Swim +1. Feats: Quick Draw, Run. Possessions: blacksmith tools, longsword, dagger, 8 gp, 27 sp, and 6 cp.
Description and personality: It is Donal’s job to take the clinker out of the fire. Clinker is waste product of coal, it has brownish markings and somewhat shiny appearance, like a lump of melted glass with sand and cigarette ash mixed in. The phrase "cleaning the fire" refers to digging these gooey lumps out of the bottom of the fire pot, where they are blocking off the flow of air to the fire. It usually leaves Donal coated with the fine ash powder. Donal never knew his mother, she having died in childbirth. He wants to be a swordman. Unfortunately his father apprenticed him to Gregor 4 years ago. Yet he can still dream. Donal will attempt to convince anyone he thinks as an adventurer to teach him swordplay. He even has a few gold worth of coins that he will spend to get training. Mostly his money is in silver and copper.
Description: He is dressed usually in a patchwork leather pair of pants, variety of black, brown, and green patches, well suited to protect him from his work, as well as look reasonably fashionable when it isn’t covered with ash. As expected when near the fire he doesn’t wear any metal objects. And while usually shirtless, he has a thick brown leather apron to protect him from the fire. He usually changes his boots before working near the fire. During the workday at the fire he has on very thick-soled brown high leather boots. When away from the forge he wears a pair of fine green leather boots his friend made him as a gift. Personality: Being a shop keep wasn’t Gregor’s goal in life. He was pretty set on being an adventurer and exploring the world. Unfortunately early in his career as an adventurer, he bought a blade that had some pretty shoddy workmanship involved. His blade broke in the middle of combat and he almost lost his life. The large scar running from his throat to the middle
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City Guide I
diCarpoli’s Shoes
diCarpoli’s Shoes
Antonio is nervous as usual, thanks to the pranks of the faeries that run his shop. A successful Sense Motive (DC 10) will pick up on this fact. Observant customers (Spot DC 25) may note that the place does not seem to have been used for work in quite some time.
1) Storefront
You see before you a small wooden building with what looks to be a newer expansion built onto the back. A flat wooden board painted in reds and greens reading “Dicarpoli’s Shoes” is propped up against the structure next to an open door.
The workbench is covered with a fine layer of dust and the tools sit idly by on their shelves. The collection of masks ranges from primitive orcish tribal masks to finely crafted porcelain from the largest cities in the world. A character may make a Knowledge (art or culture) check (DC 15) to identify any single mask’s origin. The masks were the senior diCarpoli’s only obsession outside of cobbling, and his collection is one of the most impressive for hundreds of leagues around. Jib and Jab love to torment Antonio by making them come to life and talk to him or his customers. Antonio can almost always be found sitting behind his desk at the back of the room, and to his left is a door that leads to the workroom. This door is locked at night, though Jib and Jab flit off to the forest after their work is done.
The door to the front room of Dicarpoli’s is old and flimsy. It is chained shut at night, leaving no locks to pick, but the ragged wood is easily breakable. Two curtained windows let light in during the day, but wooden crossbeams make egress difficult for those not willing to cut through them. There are two similar windows in the back room, but the only door is inside.
Wooden Door: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 12, Break DC 10, Open Lock DC 35.
Wooden Door: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 18, Break DC 18, Open Lock DC 35.
Barred Windows: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 20, Break DC 20.
GOODS
2)Front Room The front room of diCarpoli’s is a dark, wooden room with a workbench to the left of the door and shelves of shoes, boots, and tools on the right. As you look around, your curiosity is piqued by an assortment of masks that stare down at you from the walls of the establishment. A man sits behind a semi-circular desk at the back of the room, and behind him is another wooden door. When you enter, he kicks his boots off the desk and stands to greet you.
All manner of travelling and work boots and shoes can be found here, and Jib and Jab have even created somewhat of a fashion trend with their new gossamer dress moccasins (35 gp).
Somewhere amidst the detritus of the workroom can be found a pair of boots of speed, slippers of spider climbing, and a packet of dust of disappearance.
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one has guessed Antonio’s secret, and time will only tell if the façade will outlive his sanity. Shoppers looking for special items will have to first win over the mischievous faeries, either by joining in on a prank against Antonio or weathering the faeries’ torments in a lighthearted manner.
2) Workroom Piles of buttons, laces, leather and stitching cover the floor of this small room. There doesn’t seem to be any order to the place. You think you catch a bit of movement under a pile of ribbon, but you can’t be sure.
Antonio diCarpoli: Human Male, Exp2/Com4; CR3, Medium-sized humanoir; HD: 4d4+2d6; hp: 17; Init: +3; Spd: 30 ft.; AC: 15 (touch 13, flat-footed 12) Atk: +3 (1d6, short sword); AL: CG ; SV: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +3; Str 11, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 13.
This back room is truly the faeries’ domain. Piles of buttons, laces, leather and stitching cover the floor of this small room. This is where Jib and Jab do the fine work that sustains the shop. They flutter around constantly, gibing each other and playing pranks on Antonio. Somehow they also manage to get their work done in a timely manner, with a high degree of quality evident in all of their boots and shoes.
Skills: Bluff +5, Climb +4, Craft + 5, Listen +1, Perform +8, Profession +3, Use Rope +7
If anyone enters this room, Jib and Jab will go invisible immediately, most likely sensing the intrusion before it happens.
Feats: Armor Proficiency (Light), Run, Skill Focus (Perform) Possessions: leather armor, short sword, bone flute with gold trimmings, masterwork cobbler’s tools
Barred Windows: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 20, Break DC 20.
Description: Antonio wears the plain clothes of a craftsman, practical cotton chemise and pants with a thin leather belt. His shoes are the only fine clothing he wears, made by his father several years ago and enduring to this day. His brown, stringy hair falls in his face constantly, and sweat clings to his furrowed brow. He smiles and greets his customers nervously, glancing around in anticipation of flying nails and bootstraps.
Jib and Jab, pixies Exp3: Size: S; HD: 1d6+3d6; hp: 14; Init: +4; Spd: 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (good); AC: 16 (touch 15, flatfooted 12) Atk: +7 (1d4-2, dagger), +8 (1d6, composite shortbow); AL: NG ; SV: Fort +1, Ref +7, Will +7; Str 7, Dex 18, Con 11, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 16.
Personality: Antonio was once a calm and carefree boy, playing his flute in the forest and dreaming of lands far away. All that changed on the day he met Jib and Jab. Now he is a nervous, paranoid shopkeeper. He stays indoors most of the time for fear that the faeries and their pranks will follow him out of the shop, and customers are generally hurried out the door with a receipt and a nervous wave. Word of his behavior has gotten back to his father, but the old man just attributes it to Antonio’s quick lesson in real life. So far, no
Skills: Bluff +8, Concentration +8, Craft (Cobbling) + 11, Escape Artist +11, Heal +9, Hide +18, Listen +14, Move Silently +14, Ride +11, Search +12, Sense Motive +12, Spot +14
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diCarpoli’s Shoes
epithets. Finally the creatures got to the point. They were very big fans of his father’s work and were very angry to see such disrespect done to his legacy. Antonio expressed his surprise that a cobbler had fans, but the creatures would have none of it. They told him in no uncertain terms that they would be doing the cobbling from now on, and Antonio’s only role would be to hide their presence and run the business.
Feats: Dodge, Flyby Attack, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Finesse (dagger), Weapon Focus (shortbow) SA: Spell-like abilities, special arrows SQ: SR 16, natural invisibility
Figuring that this just meant less work for him, Antonio shrugged and agreed to the arrangement. Since then, the faeries, named Jib and Jab, have proven to be expert craftsmen, but Antonio’s life has not been made easier. Living with faeries is not easy, and Jib and Jab have made his life an endless stream of pranks and nerve-wracking situations. They enjoy turning invisible and flying things around the room while Antonio nervously stammers an explanation to a startled customer, or causing him to misplay a note while he tries to impress his newest love. Business has not suffered, however, and Antonio is resolved to put up with the faeries’ pranks until his father passes into the next world.
Possessions: composite short bow, masterwork dagger, pixie arrows, masterwork cobbler’s tools, 37 gp
Shop History: Anja diCarpoli was the greatest craftsman of his day, fixing and creating boots and shoes that would last years under even the roughest conditions. His skills were legend among local merchants, and all vied to carry his goods across the lands. All was not well with Anja, however. As age descended upon him, he felt fire in his hands whenever he gripped a vise or hammered a nail. Finally, he was unable to move his hands enough to work. It was time to pass the family business on to his son, Antonio.
Plot Hooks
Unfortunately, Antonio had spent more time whiling away the hours dreaming in the forest and playing his flute than he had practicing the art of cobbling under his father. Such a wasteful childhood saddened Anja, but he could do nothing but watch as his son took over the shop. One day the frivolous young man was out in the woods composing a tune when his flute was snatched from his hands. He could see nothing carrying it, but the flute continued to fly deeper into the forest. He seemed to have lost it after several minutes of chasing and he stopped to catch his breath. As he was bent over he felt something hit him in the back of his head. He turned just in time to see his flute flying toward him for another blow. He fell to the ground and looked up as his flute dropped to the ground at his feet. Out of thin air appeared two flying creatures, with wings thin and gossamer.
•
They appeared angry and babbled in a high-pitched language that Antonio could not understand. Seeing his confusion, one of the creatures slapped the other on the back, causing it to cough out a colorful burst of light. After that Antonio could clearly understand the creature as it berated him for being a “lazy, good-for-nothing son” and other piercing
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Bored one day, Antonio decided to try on some of his father’s masks in an attempt to scare the faeries. Unfortunately for him he soon tried on the mask of the jester, and when he tried to scare them he ended up on the floor laughing at his own boredom. Jib and Jab thought this was hilarious and joined in the fun. It wasn’t until a few days (and incidences with customers) later that the three realized something was wrong. The PCs come wandering into the shop just as the realization has hit the three cobblers and they see before them a scene of hysteria and panic. The party’s appearance throws more chaos into the scene as Jib and Jab try to hide and Antonio attempts to explain things, all the while laughing in the party’s faces.
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diCarpoli’s Shoes
the wearer attempts to use a Charisma-based skill, she must succeed at a Will save (DC 15) or suffer a –6 penalty as she laughs for no apparent reason. This occurs each time that she attempts to use any Charisma-based skill.
Antonio paid a sage good money to find a substance that acts as an allergen to sprites. Now that he has the information, he needs someone to obtain some of the substance without Jib and Jab finding out about it. Unfortunately, the nosy pixies listen in on the cobbler’s plan and set out to harry the PCs all the way to their destination.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, bestow curse, tasha’s hideous laughter; Market Price: 1200gp; Weight: ½ lb.
Traveler Knowledge: diCarpoli’s Shoes is the finest cobbler for a dozen leagues. They do very high quality work at fair prices, and the elder diCarpoli is a good citizen who is well liked within the community. Resident Knowledge: The diCarpoli legacy seemed doomed when Antonio first took over the shop for his ailing father. The quality of the work diminished and several affluent clients were lost to cobblers in other cities. Then recently, probably spurred by the shame of his father and business’ struggling account book, Antonio began producing excellent quality products once more. Business is slowly returning, although some fear that the stress of running the shop and living up to his father’s legacy is taking its toll on Antonio. He has seemed sick and distant lately, and rarely leaves the shop to pursue his interests like he used to. Hidden Knowledge: Unknown to both faeries and diCarpolis alike, one of these masks is in reality a mask of the jester. Should Jib and Jab ever find out they will not hesitate to place the mask on Antonio while he sleeps as a prank.
Item: Mask of the Jester Mask of the Jester This beautiful white porcelain mask is painted with bright colors to appear like a jester or woman wearing heavy makeup. When placed upon the face, the wearer feels a shudder in his abdomen and begins to giggle. This giggling subsides over the next minute, during which time the mask appears to blend with the wearer’s face. No other effect is apparent. The next time
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The Armorium 1) Store
The Armorium Shop Exterior
Inside the central door is a large display room that showcases Norville’s latest creations. Four square wooden posts support the ceiling and various suits of armor are mounted on wire mesh mannequins around the room. Shields of all types and sizes ring the walls and lay stacked in piles on the floor. A wooden door stands closed on the wall to your left.
The two-story wooden house that stands before you is painted red, with white railings along the wide front porch and upper balcony. Broad wooden steps lead up to the spacious porch. Two suits of armor, one plate mail and the other scale mail, stand guard next to the steps. There are two doors leading into the structure, one at the top of the stairs labeled “Armorium,” and another smaller door at the extreme right of the porch. A wooden sign depicting two shields and a suit of armor painted in black hangs out over the porch to attract the attention of passersby.
A small gnome wearing strange looking leather armor over common clothing walks out from an alcove at the back of the room and greets you.
Norville has a desk set up at the back left corner of the room, and directly opposite, hidden from patrons view, lies a small alcove that serves as a miniature workshop. He uses this to make minor repairs to clasps, buckles and the like.
The two suits of armor that flank the entrance to Norville’s place remain during the day, but in the evening he brings them inside.
When in the shop he always wears “tiled” leather armor, a bulky suit that has sliding tiles that can provide more or less protection in different areas as the wearer desires. The armor is bulkier than normal leather, having all the properties of studded leather armor except the armor bonus, which remains at +2. He keeps a masterwork light hammer at his belt at all times and another behind the desk in this room. In a pinch he can use his tool hammers as weapons, but he suffers a –1 to hit and damage with these makeshift weapons.
The smaller door to the right opens onto a stairway that leads up to Norville’s dwelling. It is locked at all times. Norville has hollowed out a large, oval-shaped window to the left of the front door. A wooden flap is locked over it at night, but during the day the flap is propped up by a beam to allow light into the establishment. This window is fashioned in the gnome style, and is small evidence of Norville’s longing to return to his people. Two normal glass windows on the side of the house follow the stairs up at an angle, being 8 and 15 ft. off the ground respectively. Three similar windows shed light on the second floor, two overlooking the balcony and one more to the rear of the house.
The door on the left wall leads to a thin hallway filled with Norville’s special collection. Inside rests an assortment of magical shields and armors, as well as a few protective devices including an amulet of natural armor +2 and a pair of bracers of armor +3.
Walnut Doors: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 22, Break DC 24, Open Lock DC 40.
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The Armorium This is Norville’s sitting room, where he quietly reads his book of folk tales whenever he allows himself a quiet moment. The pipe on the side table is full of normal tobacco. Anyone searching under the chair’s cushion will find a section of embroidered silk, given to Norville by a secret admirer. It fell here one night as he fell asleep in the chair, and his distracted mind has since forgotten about the charm.
Goods Customers can find any type of common armor or shield in the Armorium, and Norville is pleased to custom fit a suit of armor, even full plate mail. Magical items and items made of special materials are detailed below.
The portrait staring down at him is that of his dwarven mentor. He doesn’t really like the painting, but he couldn’t refuse his teary-eyed companion as he bequeathed to him this amateur work.
1) Studded Leather +1 2) Chain Mail +3 3) Breastplate +3 (sized for a gnome or halfling) 4) Scale Mail +2 5) Leather Armor of Sneaking +2 (sized for a gnome or halfling) 6) Small wooden shield +2 7) Large steel shield of bashing +2 8) Small steel shield of fire resistance +1 (ignores first 5 points of fire damage each round) 9) Large adamantite shield
3)Norville’s Quarters (Bedroom)
Only two pieces of furniture stand in this windowless room: a bed with two gnomish “moss pillows” neatly stacked at its head, and a bookshelf upon which several books are neatly arranged. Metal bits and pieces cover the floor here, making walking without shoes a treacherous proposition. Springs, joints, bolts, and washers join a variety of strange little tools to cover the room.
2)Norville’s Quarters (Front Room)
In the back corner of the room stands a wire mesh mannequin holding a gnome-sized steel shield that bears a painting of a duck flying over a mound of earth, all this in front of a colorful sunset.
An open doorway leads into this large room. A square glass window to your right sheds light on the room, which is furnished in a comfortable manner. There are two similar windows on the far wall to your left.
On the bookshelf are Norville’s collected tomes on engineering, armorsmithing, and metallurgy, many of which he inherited from his dwarven master. A thick book with an orange cover and gold trim contains gnomish folk tales, a book he takes down whenever he feels wistful and homesick.
A small, well-stuffed red chair sits under the nearest window, and a side table holding a pipe and several interlocked pieces of metal rests beside the chair. A glass bowl filled with water sits upon a mahogany stand, and several tiny, exotic fish swim inside. Two colorful rugs cover the wooden floor
The wire mesh mannequin holds Norville’s greatest creation: a gnome-sized shield that bears his family crest. He had the shield enchanted to sing to him in gnomish whenever he speaks the word “mother,” for that is all he remembers of his mother, who died when he was barely 3 years old. It will radiate Transmutation magic if detected.
Standing open on the opposite wall are two doorways that appear to have had their doors removed. A poorly drawn portrait of a proud looking dwarf hangs on the wall in between these doorways.
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The Armorium At night Norville locks the door to his workshop with a sturdy lock, but he often leaves tools scattered around the forge area, which gets him into trouble from time to time (see below).
The metal bits are worthless, but all of the tools in the room are of masterwork quality. Under a loose floorboard (Search DC 16) near his bed Norville keeps his accumulated wealth. The stash amounts to 22 pp, 83 gp, 6 finely cut sapphires worth 75 gp each, and a deck of illuminated playing cards he stole from the engineering school.
Oak Door: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 20, Break DC 21, Open Lock DC 28.
Plot Hooks:
4) Norville’s Quarters (Common Room)
• This plain room is nothing but a junkpile, with bits of metal, wire, and tools strewn about everywhere. Some larger pieces are also thrown into one corner, mostly half suits of armor modified in strange ways that look difficult fi not impossible to wear.
There is nothing of value in this room unless a character is making a particular study of the cluttered mind of a gnome.
Lately Norville’s tools have gone missing, and he would very much like to have them recovered. Alas, Norville has no time to go chasing thieves and so the mystery has gone unsolved. He offers a reward to the characters if they will find out who has been taking his things. After some investigation, the PCs find the lair of a kobold tribe that has been taking the tools. They have lost a valuable tribal artifact down a crack in the earth, and they are using the stolen tools to dig their way down to it.
Item: Sharpshield
5) The Forge
Sharpshield- This small metal shield has razor sharp edges and is used to defend against monstrous attackers whose long reach and dangerous appendages can spell the doom of an unprepared combatant. In any round in which the character wielding the sharpshield fights defensively or uses total defense, he may take one attack with the shield as a free action against any opponent who attacks him with natural weaponry (this includes characters using unarmed strike). This attack is at his highest base attack bonus and does not provoke an attack of opportunity (the shield counts as an
A mixture of sawdust and hay covers the floor of this area. One end holds a sophisticated forge while the other is enclosed. A variety of saws, hammers, and other tools are strewn about the closed part of the structure, and another few dozen specialty tools hang on the wall. Several workbenches and cabinets fill the room, and you can see drawer after drawer filled with metal bits, screws, and nails.
Behind the house that serves him as shop and home is Norville’s forge and workshop. Beneath this open wooden structure is a smithy that Norville uses to make repairs to armor as well as forge new pieces. There is a 50% chance that he will be in the forge when PCs arrive at his shop. exotic weapon for this purpose, so the normal –4 penalty applies unless the character takes a proficiency with the sharpshield). The wielder retains the AC bonus of the shield while using it in this way.
He pays a local orphan 1 cp a day to watch the shop for him while he works. The orphan boy, his face streaked with mud and his clothing in tatters, will greet the PCs with a heavy accent and try to keep them busy until Norville presents himself.
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Cost
Damage
Critical
Range Increment
Weight
Type
28 gp
1d4
19-20 x2
-
6 lb.
Slashing
History: Norville’s father always tried to interest his boy in something besides fighting. As a young gnome he was pugnacious and inquisitive, an explosive combination that always seemed to get him into trouble. Neighbors would often find him in their homes “fighting” pests, even if they happened to be the family pet. Finally, in a last bid to divert his son’s excess energy, the beleaguered man sent him to train with nearby engineers. The lad showed immediate promise as an engineer. He quickly identified and classified even complex problems, although his lack of formal knowledge often kept him from solving them. Norville worked through the night to find answers, but much to his mentor’s dismay he often discarded his books in favor of unique and novel solutions. Eventually this tendency got him into big trouble when one day he decided to help one of his professors with a particularly difficult problem he had been working on. The results were disastrous. Not only had he wrecked an expensive piece of equipment and the professor’s lab, but he had also ruined a presentation his mentor was giving to the mage’s guild the following week. Embarrassed and indignant, he left the engineers and made his way to the city. He found work as a claspmaker for a local dwarven armorsmith, and eventually began to apprentice with the jovial dwarf. Although he sometimes added “improvements” to the suits of armor he created, he was a reliable employee and followed the dwarf’s instructions. When the old smith decided to retire, he asked Norville if he would like to buy the shop and stay on as chief armorsmith. Norville jumped at the chance, and he has run the shop successfully ever since.
*Any damage inflicted with the sharpshield can be added to any ensuing grapple check due to a creature’s Improved Grab ability.
Norville Gaxonn: Male Gnome, Exp13, Size: Small humanoid; HD: 13d6+26; hp: 75; Init: +2; Spd: 15 ft.; AC: 19 (touch 12, flat-footed 17) Atk: +10/+5 melee (1d4+1, light hammer) or +11/+6 ranged (1d4+1, light hammer); AL: CG ; SV: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +8; Str 12, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 10. Skills: Appraise + 17, Craft (Armorsmithing) +21, Disable Device +17, Gather Information +14, Hide +20, Knowledge (Engineering) +21, Open Lock +16, Profession (Blacksmith) +14, Profession (Engineer) +14, Search +17 Feats: Armor Proficiency (Medium), Endurance, Shield Proficiency, Skill Focus [Craft (Armorsmith)], Skill Focus [Knowledge (Engineering)]. Possessions: two masterwork light hammers, scale mail +2, Gaxonn Shield
Traveler Knowledge: Norville Gaxonn is an eccentric armorsmith who occasionally turns out unique and helpful items. His renown for creating excellent shields may be a myth, the measure of their quality increasing only in comparison to the strange armors he produces. Nevertheless he is a trustworthy and friendly fellow, and his shop is worth a visit when in the city. Resident Knowledge: Norville seems a happy fellow who doesn’t drink or get into much mischief. He spends much of his time working in his forge or up in his home, though he does get out to public gatherings and meetings on a frequent basis. The only problem with striking up a conversation with Norville is he will either get caught up in talking about his latest creation or insist that he has just the right solution for a problem that you are having, whether real or imagined by the inquisitive gnome. Hidden Knowledge: Norville has carved out a good living in the town, but he dearly misses his home. He would love to see his father again, but isn’t sure he can face the shame that his dismissal from the engineering school. Any information about his home village, or talk of gnomes in general, elicits much appreciation from the gnome and a deal on goods for sale.
Personality: Norville is a cheerful gnome, always busy fiddling with small contraptions and “defensive improvements.” He enthusiastically greets all that enter his shop and insists on showing them his latest creations. Even when potential customers show more interest in his shields than in his good selection of modified armor, he keeps a smile on his face and a bounce in his step. He will quickly lose interest in customers who refuse to at least examine his latest invention, though, and move on to more “interesting” clients. Appearance: Norville loves to wear a suit of his tiled leather armor while showing customers the shop. This odd looking armor is made in a checkerboard pattern and pieces can flip to other sections of the suit. He also wears a red cap topped by a shaggy white ball and off white tunic and trousers.
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Reston’s Wood Creations
Reston’s Wood Creations Oak Door: Thickness 2 in.; Hardness 8; Break DC 20; hp 30; Open Lock (DC 20). The door is unlocked during the day but locked at night when Falgur and Sindrulia sleep. Opening the door by any means rings a small bell that is sure to attract attention.
A wood sign hanging over the door of this large, twostory wood frame home marks it as “Reston’s Wood Creations.” Painted bright red with white trim around the windows and door, the building screams for attention and makes the buildings beside seem plain. Carvings and wood inlays on the sturdy oak door attract the most attention by creating an intricate, life-like portrayal of a small mill beside a running river. The door, and even the sign above it, are clear signs of the shop owner’s skill.
Windows: Hardness 0; Break DC 1; hp 2. The two windows to either side of the front door are made of glass that is easily broken. Heison Reston, their son, trapped the windows with an alarm spell that is triggered if either window is broken. Trap (EL1/6): Breaking either window triggers an alarm spell that alerts Falgur, Sindrulia, their neighbors, and the city guard.
Falgur Reston took over his father’s wood shop many years ago and built his own reputation as a master wood worker over the past several decades. Once dedicated to making furniture and cabinets, Falgur now makes wood weapons for travelers and small wood toys for children. A master craftsman, his reputation has spread throughout the city. Several well-known wizards openly proclaim that Falgur’s creations hold enchantments better than any other competitor, better even than some metal weapons. His skill with wood is talked about almost as much as his blindness. Rumors claim that his early attempt at an adventuring life was ended by a terrible battle that left him blind. Attempts to remove his blindness and heal his eyes have all met with failure creating rumors that the god’s cursed Falgur. On the other hand, more rumors claim that his skill with wood is so great that the god’s felt they had to balance his skill with blindness.
Alarm Trap: CR1/6; triggers alarm spell, no damage. Search (DC 26); Disable Device (DC26).
Travelers wandering the city streets easily recognize the bright red building and beautifully carved door. Falgur took advantage of the strange colors possessed by some rare tropical woods when creating the inlays for the oak door. Though impressive to the average passersby, the work on the door is far more impressive to anyone recognizing the skill that went into its creation. Opening the beautiful door rings a small bell to beckon Falgur, or his wife Sindrulia, to greet customers. Falgur’s shop is a small room at the front of his home that opens into a workshop in the back. The second floor of the home is contains several beds, a large living area, and a tiny kitchen.
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Reston’s Wood Creations Few craftsman have the skill he possesses, but rather than leading to jealousies, he has only gained their respect. Realizing his skill was hurting the ability of other woodworkers to find work, he deliberately focused on the small market of wood weapons and intricately carved bows leaving the growing market for furniture and cabinets to other craftsman. While not a braggart, he is unashamed of his skill and is always happy to demonstrate it. Falgur generally gives a small wood horse, carved animal, or wood flute to any small child that enters the store. Falgur loves to talk about three things, his wife, his children, and wood. Falgur loves wood, he loves the smell of wood and the feel of the grain beneath his finger tips and loves to describe these things to anyone willing to listen. Falgur often allows children into the back workshop and sometimes tries to teach older children how to sand or carve different pieces of scrap wood.
Falgur Reston, Male Human, Ftr2/Exp7: CR8; MediumSize Humanoid (6 ft. 1 in. tall); HD 2d10-2 (Ftr) plus 7d6-7 (Exp); hp 34; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 15 (+3 armor, +2 deflection); Atk +10/+5 melee (1d6+3/crit 18-20/x2, +2 azurawood scimitar); SQ blind, mystic sight; AL NG; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +7; Str 13, Dex 11, Con 8, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 10. Skills: Appraise (wood items only) +14, Climb +6, Craft (weaponsmith-wood) +18, Craft (bowmaking) +18, Diplomacy +10, Handle Animal +5, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge (nature) +14, Ride +4, Sense Motive +10. Feats: Blindfight, Expertise, Skill Focus (Craft-bowmaking), Power Attack, Skill Focus (Craft-weaponsmith), Toughness, Weapon Focus (scimitar).
Information and Interactions: Falgur grew up here as a child before going away on a few short-lived adventures. He has been living and working in this shop for over 40 years and is acquainted with all of other craftsmen, nobles, and other important figures in the city. While he is happy to give out the information he does know, he doesn’t like to spread rumors, or even confirm them. Hurt by rumors during his youth he simply refuses to deal in them. Falgur’s marriage to Sindrulia is a topic of rumors as it is. Already blind when he met her, she was impressed by his skill, knowledge, and love for life. Falgur does not know that Sindrulia dropped her claim as a princess in a nearby eleven kingdom when she married him, and she always finds a way to quiet any rumors of that type to reach the shop. Falgur and Sindrulia have three grown children (all half-elven), their eldest son Heison is a wizard employed by the city guard, and their daughters Ivy and Poreah are both traveling bards. Ivy entertains nobles and works in some of the higher-class taverns in the city while Poreah has been adventuring for many years. Falgur loves his children, and Sindrulia, and often talks about them.
SQ-Blind/Mystic Sight (Ex): Falgur is blind, but despite this blindness he is somehow able to identify and differentiate between any creatures that are within 10 feet of him. He can’t use ranged weapons, but suffers no penalties when in melee combat. Possessions: +2 azurawood scimitar, +3 bracers of armor, +2 ring of protection. These items are always on Falgur’s person. They are made of the finest wood and are beautifully carved. A powerful wizard enchanted the ring and bracers as payment for some of Falgur’s work. If Falgur is outside the shop he carries a pouch with 4d4 gp, 5d8 sp, and 3d10 cp.
Description: Falgur is a tall, slender 63-year old man with graying hair and enough wrinkles to give his face a great deal of character. A pale complexion highlights the scars that flank his solid white eyes, eyes that show no pupil or iris. While his advanced age has begun to slow him down, he still retains much of his strength and his slender fingers retain their nimble skill. His mystic sight allows him to look straight at people that speak to him, something some people find rather disconcerting. He never makes any effort to conceal his blindness. His great skill has made him fairly wealthy over the years but he still wears simple linen clothes, usually blue or green in color, and a leather work apron. He keeps his scimitar with him at all times, and always wears the ring and bracers that were enchanted for him. Personality: Falgur is a jovial man, loved by almost all the people that know him. His blindness does not matter to him, and he simply presumes it doesn’t bother anyone else.
Sindrulia Reston, Female Elf, Brd4/Exp1: CR4; MediumSize Humanoid (5 ft. 1 in. tall); Init +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+3 Dex, +3 armor); Atk +7 melee (1d6/crit 18-20/x2, Artrik (+1 rapier)), or +7 ranged (1d6/x3, masterwork composite shortbow); SQ spells, bardic music, bardic knowledge, eleven properties; AL NG; SV Fort +1, Ref +7, Will +6; Str 8, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 16.
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Reston’s Wood Creations back on her family to stay with the man she loved. While she deals well with elves, she prevents any mention of her old family within the store or in discussions with Falgur. Anyone insisting on discussing her background is met with the fiery side of her normally calm nature. Falgur knows she gave up much to marry him but to this day he does not know that she was once considered a princess and she prefers it that way.
Skills: Craft (bowmaking) +5, Diplomacy +11, Gather Information +11, Knowledge (history) +9, Listen +7, Perform +10. Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse (rapier). Bard Spells Known (3/3/1; base save=DC13 + spell level); 0dancing lights, daze, detect magic, ghost sound, light, read magic; 1st- hypnotism, mage armor, sleep; 2nd- cat’s grace, enthrall.
Information and Interactions: Sindrulia takes care of the money side of the business. She knows how much Falgur’s work is worth and charges top price for it. Both Falgur and Sindrulia are probably wealthy enough to give away his work, but Sindrulia doesn’t believe in giving discounts to people that can afford his skill. When it comes to children Sindrulia probably spoils the young children of the neighborhood worse than Falgur does. She often feeds them snacks and pastries as they watch Falgur work and openly encourages them to follow their dreams. During slow moments, or pleasant days she can be found sitting on a stool in the store and playing her harp for anyone that chances to pass by. Sindrulia knows a great deal about the history of the local area, it has been a hobby of hers, and history of the nearby elven kingdoms. She is always happy to discuss local history, but feigns ignorance and lack of knowledge when it comes to the elven kingdoms. Discussions about her children (listed in Falgur’s information) are always welcome.
Possessions: +3 bracers of armor, Artrik (a +1 rapier), a masterwork flute made by Falgur, a masterwork harp made by Falgur. The bracers are a gift from the same wizard that enchanted Falgur’s. The carvings on them match Falgur’s precisely, she and Falgur consider the bracers their wedding bands and always wear them. Artrik is a +1 rapier an extraordinarily ornate pommel that was given to her years before she met Falgur. Unknown to all but a few, it is a sign of her elven nobility and a symbol of the family that she left behind when she married Falgur.
Description: Sindrulia is a 158-year old elf that whose beauty and grace has generated several rumors and even two songs. Her extremely thin frame makes her appear somewhat taller than usual, something she highlights be keeping her long golden hair tied back into a tight bun. Violet eyes twinkle with unvoiced laughter as she speaks in soft, musical tones. While Falgur may be blind, Sindrulia spares no effort in clothing herself in fine silk blouses and soft linen pants and skirts all cut in the latest styles. She tends to favor blue, and dark blue clothing that go well with her eyes and treatments such as scarves and belts colored to contrast with them. Being elven, age has not even begun to touch the smooth lines of her beautiful face or the softness of her pale gold skin.
Item: Artrik Artrik: An elven blacksmith created this +1 rapier for Sindrulia’s family over 1000 years ago. The long, narrow blade is made of silvery metal and engraved with strange glowing runes. The pommel is silver and is engraved with long, smooth lines that spiral up and down the grip. When drawn, the blade glows with a pale green light instantly revealing its magical nature. One of Sindrulia’s great uncles, a well-known adventurer in his day, used it often enough to give it a name. The craftsmanship of the rapier, and the stories it is attached to, are so ancient that few elves outside Sindrulia’s family have any chance of recognizing it. Anyone that does recognize the rapier (Bardic Knowledge DC 28, DC23 for elves, or Knowledge (history) DC30) recognizes Sindrulia’s nobility.
Personality: A musical voice, good humor, and a gentle nature, has won over most of the people that have met her. She is completely devoted to Falgur, her love for him is unending, and resigned to his aging and the fact that she is destined to outlive him by many years. All of these qualities help cloak a streak of pure stubbornness, she does not compromise on anything related to Falgur or their children. Sindrulia met Falgur while performing at one of the high-class taverns in town. Impressed by his gentle nature, and his refusal to let his blindness alter his happiness, she began to see more of him. Eventually, she agreed to marry him to the shock and dismay of her family. Once a princess, she turned her
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Interior Rooms: 1) Falgur’s Store 2) Falgur’s Workshop Wooden walls of the store are carved with delicate depictions of animals and monsters as well as people in various nature scenes. The west wall possesses an incredible set of carvings that shows a scene of the city itself as seen from the front gate. Differences between the view depicted and the present view from the front gate are easily attributed to the age of the carving itself. If the carvings along the walls weren’t testament enough to Falgur Reston’s skill, the cabinets and desk dominating the center of the room show a level of craftsmanship that few could ever hope to match.
Unlike the walls in the store, these walls are strictly utilitarian. Pegs and shelves along the walls hold Falgur’s various tools and the wide variety of different woods he uses line the walls. The smell of sawdust and freshly cut wood fills the air. Sawdust and wood shavings are swept up and put into a large bin in the corner to help keep the workshop clean. Three narrow workbenches occupy the center of the room, providing enough space for several workers.
Falgur has no apprentices now, and his children have all left for other duties, but he still allows people that are interested to pull up a stool and watch him work. During the day young children are often found here watching him work, some are given scraps of wood to work on themselves. A narrow stairway in the back of the workshop climbs up to the living areas of the home. The tools hanging on the wall are made of the finest alloys and are kept extremely sharp. Falgur once created a beautiful shaft for a dwarven waraxe. The dwarf he sold it to paid him twice what Falgur asked and sent him several sets of masterwork woodworking tools that now line the walls.
Sindrulia usually tends the store, but she often calls Falgur out of his workshop when people come by. Neighborhood children to pass back and forth through the store and into the workshop with impunity, waving to Sindrulia as they pass by. During the day there is often a plate of pastries or other snacks on one of the counters for customers, and for the constant flow of young children passing through.
Treasure: The desk and cabinets are unlocked but no coins are stored in either place. A masterwork azurawood scimitar, two masterwork azurawood longswords, a masterwork azurawood knife, and a masterwork composite longbow can be found in this room along with a wide variety of carved figures and flutes that are given to children that come to visit. All of the weapons possess clear markings and any thefts are reported immediately to the city guard. Most items sold by Falgur are specifically contracted for so the store doesn’t carry much stock.
Treasure: Between the masterwork tools given to him, and tools handed down by his family there are 5 sets of masterwork woodworking tools worth 300 gp each. Three of the sets of tools possess markings that clearly show ownership by the Reston family. The tropical woods stored here are valuable (totaling 1200 gp), but the only person in the area purchasing such items in raw form is Falgur so stealing the wood only makes the thieves easier to capture.
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3) Falgur and Sindrulia’s Home
Treasure #2: Falgur concealed a secret compartment in one of the walls using his masterful skills (Search DC38). It contains gold and gems with a total value of 5000 gp.
Expensive tapestries hang from the walls and crystal and porcelain figurines occupy niches and shelves throughout the room. Glass skylights in the roof above let in sunlight during the day, and star and moonlight at night. Glass covering the lamps is clear and free of soot suggesting they are rarely lit. A loft that can be reached by a short ladder covers the northern half of the large room. Three beds occupy the loft and a much larger bed is tucked beneath it. A small kitchen is seen in the southwest corner and the rest of the room is filled with chairs, sofas and a variety of small tables. Furniture throughout the room is of the highest quality, made of the finest tropical hardwoods and carved with intricate designs. While the store below contains demonstrations of Falgur’s skill, his home bears signs of generations of skilled woodwork and hints of the wealth a true master craftsman can acquire.
Note: Falgur and Sindrulia are almost universally liked and respected throughout the city. Any theft from them or their home receives prompt and dedicated attention from the city guard.
Goods Each piece of Falgur’s work receives his full attention and dedication with every piece virtually a work of art. Falgur charges double the standard masterwork rates for his work and still has more work than he can really handle. In addition to the weapons described below, Falgur carves beautiful wands, rods, and staves for mages upon request. While these initial products cost double what they would elsewhere, many wizards claim that adding charges and enchantments to Falgur’s creations is far easier and less taxing than anyone else’s products. All of the longswords, scimitars, knives, and bows created by Falgur are carved with unique designs. If presented with one of his creations he can tell exactly whom it was sold to simply by feeling the designs with his fingers. The woods he uses are described below. Falgur’s work is of such high quality that the experience point cost of adding enchantments and spells is cut in half. If items are purchased for enchantment the added cost is usually made up by a discount from the mage paid to enchant the weapon.
Falgur is blind, and enough light comes through the windows and skylights for Sindrulia’s elven eyes to see clearly at night. Over the years both of them have acquired a fair amount of wealth, though nothing compared to the wealth that Sindrulia abandoned when she married Falgur. The skylights and windows on this floor are made of extremely thick glass to withstand the elements and provide insulation but can still be broken fairly easily.
Glass Skylights and Windows: Thickness 1 in.; Hardness 3; Break DC 13; hp 10. The glass is high quality and quite thick but shatters when hit hard enough. If steps aren’t taken to minimize the noise the shattering windows make enough noise to alert anyone within a radius of 40 ft.
masterwork azurawood longsword: masterwork azurawood scimitar: masterwork azurawood knife:
Treasure #1: The three tapestries depict ancient elven battles and are of the highest quality. A cousin that actually approved of her choosing love over family gave them to Sindrulia as a wedding gift. They are worth 1000 gp each, but are easily identified and almost impossible to fence. The crystal and porcelain figurines vary in value from 2 gp to 150 gp achieving a total of 650 gp but can’t be fenced for more than a quarter of their true value.
620 gp 615 gp 600 gp
The weapons listed above are made of azurawood with ebonwood and sorfang inlays. Falgur used to make these weapons with ebonwood, and still can, but he likes the weight of the azurawood and finds it easier to make a balanced weapon with it. Falgur’s azurawood weapons have a hardness of 10 and fire resistance 10 for the purpose of damage to the weapons.
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Reston’s Wood Creations 675 gp 835 gp 700 gp 900 gp 1000 gp
Item: Sorfang Sorfang: Rare even in the best of times, sorfang is a somewhat soft wood with a pale reddish-brown color. Falgur uses sorfang for inlays and decorations but never for actual weapons. Sorfang has the odd quality of being very resistant to fire. Any item with sorfang inlays gains fire resistance 10 (for the item only, not the person holding it). All of Falgur’s swords, scimitars, and knives have sorfang inlays designed to protect them from fire damage.
Falgur’s bows are made with ebonwood and bone along with sorfang inlays. While the bows last indefinitely if strung only for use, they can be kept strung for several years without losing their strength or flexibility. Falgur’s bows have a hardness of 7 and fire resistance 10 when considering damage against them.
Character Hooks or Stories: 1) If the GM desires they may use Falgur and Sindrulia to help entice PCs into an adventure. Sindrulia’s knowledge of local history might bring a lost tower or dungeon to mind to help the PCs on their way, or one of the following character hooks could be used.
Woods Used: Falgur uses several rare tropical woods in his creations. Woods he uses for different projects vary on the purpose of whatever item he might be working on.
2) Shipments of the rare woods Falgur uses in his creations have suddenly stopped. Falgur is worried that something has gone wrong and asks the PCs to check into it.
Item: Azurawood Azurawood: This strange wood is pale white with dark blue veins. While very light, it is extremely hard making it difficult to work with. Strangely, azurawood holds an edge as well as steel making it good for swords and knives. If treated properly weapons made of azurawood are as hard as steel. Unfortunately, azurawood is not very flexible and can’t be used for bowmaking. Azurawood is so hard that it requires masterwork tools to work with and at least 5 ranks in a woodrelated Craft skill to avoid ruining it.
3) Heison, their son, suspects corruption in the city guard and asks Falgur and Sindrulia to acts as intermediaries in hiring the PCs to investigate. 4) Poreah, their youngest daughter, has been out adventuring. Her latest letter mentioned an “interesting dungeon” but they have not heard from her since. They ask the PCs to investigate her disappearance. 5) Their daughter Poreah has written from a distant land saying she may have found a cure for Falgur’s blindness. Falgur has been blind so long it doesn’t bother him, but Sindrulia asks the PCs to meet Poreah and bring back the potential cure.
Item: Ebonwood Ebonwood: Almost black in color, Falgur uses ebonwood for almost all of his creations. It is hard, sturdy, and flexible making it good for bows, staves, and even bladed weapons. The dark color of the wood makes it extremely attractive when polished and makes inlays and different carvings stand out more.
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Expedition Outfitters
rafts. The walls are covered with large adventuring gear such as tents and sleeping bags. To your immediate left is a glass case full of fishing gear with a wide assortment of fishing poles and nets hanging on the wall behind it.
Shop Description:
Shelf upon shelf of adventurer’s clothing is massed on the main floor of the place. A long display table to your right bears a great variety of tools for underground travel, and a rock wall behind the table stands ready to demonstrate their effectiveness. Two staircases stand at the far end of the room, leading up to the second floor of the building, an open area that rings the room about 15 feet off the main floor.
Shop Exterior A large, unobtrusive warehouse looms before you. It is easily the size of one of the grander noble homes on the other side of the city. A simple wooden sign hangs above two sliding metal doors. The sign reads “Expedition Outfitters: Essential Goods for Adventuring and Survival.”
Note: Finding items without assistance is a pain, and Bazz is rarely in the mood to help people locate that perfect red hunting cap. A Search check (DC 22) is required to find particular items in less than ten minutes, and failure can mean up to a half hour per item. A Diplomacy check (DC 18) will get Bazz’s attention enough for him to direct the PCs to what they are looking for, but he is liable to charge them extra for his time!
When they retired, Gareth and Bazz bought a large warehouse by the docks. They intended to stock the large building with goods for sale at another location, but the practical Bazz suggested they merely turn their storage house into a shop itself. He saw no need for a fancy storefront, after all they and their customers were men of action not prone to being impressed by fancy window dressing and upscale amenities. The warehouse has no windows, and the only entrance is through the sliding doors in the front. These thin metal doors are sturdy, but they are locked from the outside by a chain and padlock, which is rusty from age and easily bypassed. Shaking the doors causes a major ruckus as they bend and bow back and forth.
2)Second Floor The second floor is filled with unique items from the native races of many different types of terrain. Signs offer tools used underwater by merfolk and ingenious inventions of subterranean races such as troglodytes and dwarves. Some of the tools look truly bizarre, and divining their purpose is difficult at best.
Sliding Doors: Hardness 8, Hit Points: 15, Break DC 30, Open Lock DC 18.
These items are often very expensive as they are hard to acquire, and any customers that appear to have a fair amount of gold will be quickly shuffled in this direction. Gareth loves to show his customers the stairs while he climbs an empty hanging rope up to the next level. He feels it adds flavor to their shop and lets customers know that he knows what he’s talking about. Also found on the second floor is a magically sealed and
1) Main Showroom An outfitter’s shop of awe-inspiring proportions lies beyond the sliding metal doors. Two stories of goods can be seen from the doorway, with a huge vaulted ceiling from which hangs a variety of boats, pontoons, canoes, and
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locked display case stocked with unique items imbued with magical abilities. They empty this case each night and lock its contents in a concealed pit underneath the floor of the shop.
Gareth Oesendraz: human male; Rgr7; CR7; mediumsized humanoid; HD: 7d10+14; hp: 52; Init: +1; Spd: 30 ft.; AC: 16 (touch 11, flat-footed 15) Atk: +10/+5 and +9 (1d8+4, long sword and 1d6+3 hand axe); AL N ; SV: Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +5; Str 17, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 10.
Goods
Skills: Climb +9, Heal +4, Hide +5, Intuit Direction +6, Knowledge (nature) +6, Listen +10, Move Silently +8, Profession (merchant) +7, Spot +10, Use Rope +3, Wilderness Lore +7.
All items found on the adventuring gear table in the PHB can be bought at this shop, and prices will be between 10% lower and 10% higher than the standard cost listed, depending on Bazz’s mood. All items are available in normal or masterwork if applicable. They even offer rare and expensive items such as the two spyglasses they have for sale. One of the spyglasses is an old captain’s glass, still green with the brine and salty sea spray it was subjected to. The other is a smaller glass used by dwarven surveyors during a large building project. The following items are also for sale:
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Run, Weapon Focus (longsword) SQ: Favored enemy +2 (beasts), Favored enemy +1 (aberrations), Track. Spells Prepared (2): 1st- read magic, speak with animals Possessions: studded leather armor +2, long sword +1, masterwork hand axe, cloak of resistance +1, ring of minor elemental resistance (cold)
Class Tools Climber’s kit Hourglass Magnifying glass Merchant’s scale Thieves tools Water clock
Appearance: Gareth is a strong-looking fellow with barely an ounce of fat on his body. He still looks to be in adventuring shape, and will often climb the walls of his shop barehanded in order to retrieve an item hanging far above the ground. He has short brown hair, a thick moustache, and plain brown eyes. He wears the muted colors of a commoner at most times, an off-white tunic and trousers sometimes accented by a brown leather vest.
Clothing All standard clothing can be purchased in a variety of styles and colors. Cold weather outfit Explorer’s outfit Traveler’s outfit
Personality: Gareth speaks in very short sentences and gets right to the point, but will talk for any length of time when the discussion turns to outdoor adventuring or wilderness survival. He is quite knowledgeable about adventuring and wilderness lore and is quite the salesman. Although he treats customers with far more respect than his partner, when night falls and it comes time to hit the taverns he can be as obnoxious as his belligerent partner.
Food Standard trail rations can be purchased. Exotic meats and trail mixes can be purchased for a premium price (3 gp per day). New Items Lantern, head Lantern, everburning head Ink bead False wall
35 gp 150 gp 200 gp 40 gp
4 lb. 4 lb. 2 lb. 3 lb.
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Expedition Outfitters underground water supply to flood the tombs. After they put their plan into action, there was little left to do but waltz in and take the artifact home. Or so they thought. The company wasn’t expecting the vast number of undead their trick released into the tombs, and the ensuing battle was almost more than they could handle. Two of their members were killed and several others had their life energy and strength devoured by their gruesome foes. When the surviving members arrived back at the surface, they found the town hostile and the church elders ready to send them prematurely to face their gods.
Bazz Thundershield: Dwarven male; Ftr8; CR8; mediumsized humanoid; HD: 8d10+32; hp: 76; Init: +2; Spd: 15 ft; AC: 20 (touch 12, flat-footed 18) Atk: +13/+8 (1d10+6+1d6 electricity, dwarven waraxe); AL: CN; SV: Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +2; Str 17, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 9; AL: CN. Skills: Climb +10, Handle Animal +2, Jump +10, Profession (merchant) +4, Swim +12
Appearance: Bazz is a sturdy dwarf and is built like an ox. He has a long grey beard, knotted into two intricate braids. He always wears his trusty chain shirt, but will usually remove his horned helmet during business hours.
Their next mission was no less a spectacular success. Hired by a town to clear out a kobold infestation in a nearby silver mine, the Men of the Brazen Wood hatched a plan that would defeat the kobolds once and for all. They procured some bodies from a local cemetery that had recently fallen victim to a terrible illness that was just being eradicated from the city. They located the stream that fed the underground spring used by the kobolds for water and dumped the bodies into the stream, infecting the kobolds’ water supply with the disease. Unknown to the adventurers, the stream also fed a waterfall where many of the town’s women did their wash. Within two weeks the mine had been cleared, but the city was undergoing an intense relapse of the disease. The party left town quietly, never revealing the method they used to cleanse the mines.
Personality: Bazz is much less a businessman than Gareth, often being downright rude to customers for no apparent reason. He is much closer to losing his mind than Gareth and has trouble distinguishing between customers and untrustworthy party members. He will often respond to questions about merchandise with accusations of cheating or lying. When the accused parties express confusion or shock at his behavior, he comes back to his senses and apologizes, blaming the harsh realities of adventuring life for his lapses. He will then pursue this line of reasoning to try to sell extra gear to now paranoid customers.
Over the course of the next few years, the membership of the Men of the Brazen Wood changed frequently. The survival rate for members was just below the average leper colony, mostly due to their ineptitude and laziness. The plans they hatched never seemed to work out quite right, and Gareth and Bazz were witness to nearly three dozen gruesome demises. Finally they decided that their luck couldn’t hold out forever and they cashed in their adventuring gear for shopkeeper’s uniforms. They tend to leave out many of the details of their missions, and most times won’t even name the group they used to travel with.
History: Gareth first met Bazz during a barroom brawl at the Lucky Maiden tavern in a city they’ve both forgotten. They were there answering an open call for brave men to wrest the Dagger of Jalintha from the clutches of an illithid who had taken up residence in the cavernous tombs beneath the city’s graveyard. When the dust settled, they and two others were selected to accompany the newly formed Men of the Brazen Wood to complete the task. Their benefactor, the church of the city’s patron deity, did not care how the dagger was retrieved, only that it was taken from the hands of the lich. Little did the church know that the group’s plan was to reroute an
Traveler Knowledge: There is no better source for expeditionary and adventuring gear than this shop, owned by two former adventurers who know their way around a dungeon better than most. Gareth One-Eye is a shrewd ranger known for his ability to size up a party and give an honest appraisal of their chances of success.
Feats: Blind-fight, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (dwarven waraxe), Power Attack, Sunder, Weapon Focus (dwarven waraxe), Weapon Specialization (dwarven waraxe) Possessions: masterwork scale mail, large shield of arrow deflection +2, shocking dwarven waraxe +1, gloves of swimming and climbing
Resident Knowledge: Gareth and Bazz are both old adventurers that still have too much of that life in their blood. They are known to belittle customers into thinking they aren’t going to succeed at their current mission, and then to use that
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uncertainty to sell more goods. They don’t interact much with the rest of the town, except to drink heavily at local taverns and dare the other customers to start a brawl (apparently they were involved in an extraordinary amount of tavern brawls during their adventuring days).
The everburning version of this item does not use oil, rather its interior surface is magicked to always stay lit. A metal shutter can be closed to douse the light. Its illumination radius is the same as the standard version.
Hidden Knowledge: During their travels as part of the Men of the Brazen Wood, a group of tomb robbing mercenaries more interested in gold than adventure, these two men saw more than they could handle. After years of facing gruesome undead and watching their fellow party members get turned into meals for spiders and worse, both of these men are teetering on the brink of insanity. After nearly the entire group was slaughtered by a rampaging behir, the men decided to call it quits and open a shop in the nearby city. They both would love to strap on the adventuring gear for one last run, but each man knows it would push him over the edge.
Caster Level: 3rd; Prerequisites: continual flame (no feat needed); Market Price: 150gp; Weight: 4 lb.* *For everburning version only
Item: Ink Bed Ink Bead: These glass beads have a wax stopper that prevents the contents of the bead from spilling. They are filled with a thin, black liquid that, when released in water, spreads quickly to form a shroud of darkness in the area.
Plot Hooks: 1.
2.
The family of one of the Company of the Brazen Wood’s “incidental victims” has sent an assassin to take revenge upon the only two surviving members of that particular band: Gareth and Bazz. After one close call in which their dark-cloaked assassin escaped, they call on the PCs to find out who wants them dead and why.
The cloud is 20 ft. wide by 20 ft. high by 40 ft. long, and provides total concealment to those behind it. Creatures within the cloud are considered to be in total darkness.
Gareth and Bazz receive word that a member of the Company of the Brazen Wood has been captured by an ogre mage, and they wish to see him freed. Not having confidence in their old adventuring group they contact the PCs in order to hire them for this job. Of course, with the Company also looking to rescue their comrade, the PCs are in for the wildest ride of their lives.
Item:False Wall False Wall: This device is made of thick paper reinforced by extremely light wooden thatch. It folds down to the size of a small book when not being used. When unfolded, it resembles a rough cavern wall in texture and appearance. The false wall is square-shaped with each side being approximately 8 ft. in length. Only one large, two medium, or four small creatures can hide behind a single false wall at any time.
Item: Head Lantern
It would fool no one in full daylight, but in the sparse light of the underground world it can be a valuable survival tool. Those attempting to locate a creature hidden behind a false wall by sight incur a penalty to the resulting Spot checks. The penalty is –5 for torchlight or its equivalent, and increases to –10 for anything less, including the use of darkvision.
Head Lantern: This modified bullseye lantern is fitted with a strong cloth headpiece that allows it to be worn on the brow, leaving its user’s hands free for other tasks. It illuminates a cone 40 feet long and 15 feet wide at the end. It can only hold enough oil to burn for an hour at a time, after which time it must be refilled.
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Stormfeather Fletchery
Stormfeather Fletchery
Good wooden door: Hardness 5; Hit Points 15; Break DC 18; Open Lock DC 30.
Oh, a-lookin’ for a bowyer an’ fletcher are ye? Well, ye’d be hard pressed to find a finer one than Stormfeather, rest assured. Craftsmen so fine, they say there’s elven blood in their family tree somewhere – and I can believe it by lookin’ at that Elisa, let me tell ye! Haw! Erm, ahem. Good day, sir.
1)Shop Floor The interior of this building is rather old, though the wooden surfaces are kept waxed and oiled by Thea. Multiple display items hang from the wall, notably a number of the fine bows that Silin has crafted over the years that he has never sold. Also hanging from the walls are individual examples of Silin’s fletchery and arrow-crafting work, from the wickedly barbed warhead arrows used in short and long bows, to bulb arrows used to hunt fowl and other small game with. The fletching all bears the distinct gray and white markings used on all Stormfeather arrows.
The shop floor is divided in half by a wall and hearth on one side, and the business counter on the other. Behind the business counter, Silin keeps several quivers of his arrows. This provides a little nook behind the wall where Silin normally does small detail work on bows by the light of lamps and the hearth and provides significant warmth during the winter.
Stormfeather Fletchers is a shop well known for its goods. Rangers and other hunters come from miles around to buy quivers of their fine work. The Stormfeather family is best known for its fletching and arrow-craft, though their bows are quite fine. More than this, however, the Stormfeathers are known for their willingness to teach nearly anyone who comes to them the use of the bow – adventurers have been known to make extensive trips to see old Carneg.
Goods
Shop Exterior
The goods to be had at Stormfeather Fletchers are, as the name suggests, primarily arrows and bolts. The fletchings of Stormfeather arrows are marked with a distinctive gray and white pattern, painted on by Silin as part of his work.
The storefront of Stormfeather Fletchery is nicely whitewashed, with blue-gray painted accents on shutters and jambs. The sign above the door is done up as a thundercloud with an arrow arching downwards, zigzagged like a bolt of lightning, its fletching bearing the distinctive gray and white markings of Stormfeather work.
Silin always has a number arrows on hand – indeed, he tends to have a great number of them, quivered and all ready to be sold. (See the sidebar “Store Contents” for exact details.) But Silin doesn’t only sell standard hunting arrows – he also sells his custom-made bulb-arrows, the favored tip for those who are hunting small game or birds. (These bulb arrows have the same statistics as standard arrows, but inflict subdual damage.)
The door is a stout pine door fitted with a bell that rings merrily as someone enters it; the door and shutters are kept well locked at night.
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At any one time, Silin has the following goods in the store: • Shortbow: 1d6 – 1 • Shortbow, composite: 1d4 –1 • Shortbow arrows: 2d6 + 10 quivers (1d8 – 4) • Shortbow bulb arrows: 1d4 + 5 quivers (1d4 –2) • Longbow: 1d4 –1 • Longbow, composite: none (request only) • Longbow arrows: 1d6 + 5 quivers (1d6 – 4) • Longbow bulb arrows: 1d4 + 3 quivers (1d4 –2) • Light crossbow: 1d4-1 • Light crossbow bolts: 2d4 + 5 cases (1d4 –2) • Heavy crossbow: 1d3-1 • Heavy crossbow bolts: 1d4 + 5 cases (1d4 –2)
masterwork bows or crossbows on hand – these must always be made to order.
2)Workshop This is the workshop where Silin does most of his major work while either Thea or Elisa tends the shop. The tables and counters back here are littered with feathers, wooden shafts in various stages of stages of straightening, sanding and smoothing, various pots of wax and glue. One entire side of the workshop is dedicated to the bows he is working on at any given moment. A door from this room leads to the alley outside and is normally locked. This is the door where most folk selling Silin his raw goods come to. Those looking to sell Silin glue, good pieces of wood (for either arrow shafts or bows) and sinew for strings or bags of feathers often come by this door.
A quiver holds 20 arrows; a case holds 10 bolts. The numbers after the parenthesis are the number of those containers of ammunition available that are masterwork. If a number results in a sum less than 1, there are none to be had. There are never
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3)Storage
5) Elisa’s Room It would seem that Elisa idolizes her grandfather in more ways than one. Like Carneg’s, her room, too, is usually quite cluttered. At least, it is as cluttered as her incredibly fastidious mother will permit. The furniture in the room is quite nice – a nice straw-stuffed mattress and oaken frame, a cupboard for her clothing and a table and chair.
This simple room contains a number of crates, barrels and other containers filled with the basic goods that Silin uses to make his wares. This room is kept neat and tidy, with all of the materials of a single type placed together – pots of glue, blocks of wax, sacks of feathers, a large chest with small bits of wood for use in arrows and composite bows, larger pieces in a barrel for bowyering and a small locked chest with metal arrowheads purchased from local weaponsmiths.
Around the room hang the accoutrements that Elisa has gathered in the hopes of becoming an adventurer one day. These include an outfit of explorer’s leathers, a well-stitched backpack, her bow and two quivers, a hunting knife and sundry other things.
There is also a staircase that leads up to the second floor.
Simple Wooden Door: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 10, Break DC 13, Open Lock DC 25; Chest: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 15, Break DC 23, Open Lock DC 30.
4)Carneg’s Room Carneg’s room is invariably a cluttered mess of adventuring gear (most of it too old to be of real use anymore) and memorabilia. At the foot of his bed, he keeps a locked, trapped chest with a number of his magical items within – his family has been warned not to touch the chest and they know enough about his skills in crafting traps to avoid doing so. He normally keeps his magical items locked in the chest.
6)Family Room This is the large hallway that the family has turned into a gathering room for themselves. Though it is somewhat cramped with furniture, making navigation through it somewhat difficult, it certainly does provide comfort. The seats here are all very soft and overstuffed (though some of them are thread-bare). After a day of work, Silin and Thea prefer their seats near the fire, where they can talk with one another and work on small hand-chores (such as detailing and sewing), and Elisa can sometimes be found with them. Other times, however, she is over with her grandfather in the seats near the large double windows, looking out at the night and listening to his tales.
There is a single dusty window in the room, as well as a brass lantern that has been enchanted with continual flame, a relic of Carneg’s adventuring days. The bed is always mussed and the room is rarely clean – only when Carneg is out of the house for more than a day at a time is Elisa able to clean it up and restore order to the room, much to Carneg’s irritation, usually.
Simple Wooden Door: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 10, Break DC 13, Open Lock DC 25; Chest: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 15, Break DC 23, Open Lock DC 30.
7)Kitchen/Dining This room is meticulously clean and done in dark stained wood. Thea can often be found in here, tending baking bread or some stew or another over the hearth. There are a number of pots and pans located in here, as well as dry goods in ample quantity. There are two windows here that look out onto the street below, from which Thea often watches the goings-on in the neighborhood.
Poison Needle Trap: CR 2; +8 ranged (1, plus greenblood oil poison); Search (DC 22); Disable Device (DC 20).
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Stormfeather Fletchery including to his normal stop at Stormfeather Fletchers in order to purchase more arrows. It was during these trips that she met Silin and the two fell in love. She was quite taken with his staunch and dedicated frame of mind, so unlike her father’s somewhat willy-nilly approach to life. She now tries to play mediator between Silin and Carneg, but often becomes very frustrated with her father herself. (Thea is a NG Cmm1.)
Simple Wooden Door: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 10, Break DC 13, Open Lock DC 25; Chest: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 15, Break DC 23, Open Lock DC 30.
8)Master Quarters Silin and Thea’s bedroom is always very orderly and airy. Thea often throws open the windows in this room during the day, hanging bouquets of aromatic herbs and flowers from the sill so that the air blowing into the room is scented. There is a bowl of rosewater kept near the door, where Silin likes to wash up after a day of work. The couple’s bed is large and has fine lace curtains that cost Silin several months of income to afford. Silin keeps the small coffer of money and valuables his shop earns up here in a secret compartment constructed for him in the bottom of a chest by Carneg.
Elisa: female human Rgr1: CR 1; Medium-sized humanoid (5 ft., 10 in. tall); HD 1d10; hp 10; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 15 (+3 studded leather, +2 Dex); Attack +1 melee (1d6, short sword), or –1/-1 melee (1d6/1d4, shortsword/dagger), or +4 ranged (1d8, masterwork long bow); AL CG ; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 10, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 16. Skills: Animal Empathy +5, Climb +3, Craft (bowyer/fletcher) +4, Handle Animal +5, Hide +4, Intuit Direction +3, Jump +1, Knowledge (nature) +3, Move Silently +4, Ride +4, Wilderness Lore +4;
Simple Wooden Door: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 10, Break DC 13, Open Lock DC 25; Chest: Hardness: 5, Hit Points: 15, Break DC 23, Open Lock DC 30.
Feats: Point blank shot, Precise shot, Track. Special Attacks: favored enemy (+1 vs. goblinoids), human traits, light armor fighting (as though possessed Ambidexterity and Two-weapon Fighting feats); Special Qualities: human qualities, track.
Personalities
Possessions: traveler’s clothes, masterwork longbow, studded leather, matched short sword and dagger set.
Silin Stormfeather: The blonde-haired owner of Stormfeather Fletchers, Silin is a skilled craftsman known for his fine arrows. He learned his art during his apprenticeship with his father; indeed, it was in his father’s shop that he met Thea. After his apprenticeship, he proposed to her and she accepted. Since that time, her father Carneg has come to live with them and has proven no end of frustration for Silin, especially now that Elisa seems intent on following in her grandfather’s footsteps. Silin and Carneg are usually at odds over one things or another. (Silin is a LN Exp4, with Appraise +8, Craft +10 due to Skill Focus.)
Personality: Elisa is the young, fiery tempered daughter of Silin and Thea. She is bent on becoming a “great adventurer” like her grandfather, whom she loved dearly growing up. She often looked forward to his coming home with trinkets and tales of his adventures. When he stopped adventuring and moved in with them, it was the best day of her life, thus far. She always accompanies him when he goes out to help someone sharpen their bow skills and is becoming quite the shot herself. She has even helped him fend off a small patrol of bugbears during one such trip into the wilderness – ever since then, she has been covertly looking around for an adventuring group to join.
Thea Stormfeather: Silin’s wife, Thea is an attractive woman of middling years. Thea grew up mainly in the care of relatives while her father adventured, though he always made sure to stop in and see her. She always looked forward to these times and followed him everywhere when he was in town –
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Carneg: male human Rgr5; CR 5; Size M (5 ft., 9 in. tall); HD 5d10-10; hp 29; Init +4 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+2 Dex, +4 studded leather +1); Attack +7 melee (1d6+1, shortsword), or +5/+5 (1d6+1/1d4+1, shortsword/dagger), or +8 ranged (1d8+1, composite longbow +1); SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +5; AL CG; Str 12, Dex 15, Con 7, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 14. Skills: Animal Empathy +6, Climb +6, Concentration -1, Craft (traps) +5. Handle Animal +4, Heal +5, Hide +8, Intuit Direction +6, Jump +6, Knowledge (nature) +6, Listen +6, Move Silently +8, Search +5, Spot +5, Swim +3, Wilderness Lore +9. Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Track. Special Attacks: favored enemy (+2 vs goblinoids, +1 vs. shapechangers), human traits, light armor fighting (as though possessed Ambidexterity and Two-weapon Fighting feats); Special Qualities: human qualities, track. Possessions: composite longbow +1 (mighty +2), studded leather +1, masterwork shortsword, masterwork dagger, traveler’s outfits, 2 potions of cure light wounds. Spells Prepared (1): 1st – alarm.
Personality: Carneg was a happily married forester when he lost his wife to a wasting sickness. Sick with grief, he left his five year-old daughter with his sister and set out into the forest to help him lose himself for a while. He joined up with a some-time adventuring band, but often spent his money gained on such expeditions drinking heavily in other cities. He would stop by and visit his daughter, who was being raised in a loving, nurturing environment that he could never provide alone. Eventually, though, he became older and began losing his edge. He finally returned to the city and settled down with his daughter’s family. He is utterly enchanted with his granddaughter and her rebellious ways that remind him so much of himself. He has sworn off the drink and has dedicated the rest of his life to making Elisa happy the way he never got the chance to make Thea.
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The Blue Flame Inn
Receptionist, Arden Mhall
The Blue Flame – Inn
Arden Mhall, Human Male, Nob1: CR 1; Medium-sized
Shop Exterior:
humanoid (5 ft., 4 in. tall); HD 1d8-1; hp 7; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Attack +0 melee, or +1 ranged; AL LN; SV Fort -1, Ref +1, Will +3; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 9, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 11.
Standing as a quiet monument to the obvious wealth of its owner and proprietor, the building before you sits at the corner of two intersecting streets. It stands three story’s high and is made of strong gray/white stone. Heavily shuttered windows face out onto the streets providing a glorious over-view of the city from the vantage-point of a row of balconies. Slanted roofs could provide a quick route to the city’s upper runs for a dexterous set of fingers and someone who’s fleet of foot. Black tiles against the gray/white stone and lacquered black wood. The main door is a solid oak one and flanked by a carving of a dragon either side. The claws of the dragons meet at the top of the arch and seem to be holding a ball of black marble. A large sign swings softly backwards and forwards oiled enough as to not make a sound. It reads. “The Blue Flame Inn.” Around the back you can see a walled courtyard with generous stables and a few outhouses.
Languages Spoken: Common. Skills: Hide +2, Knowledge (heraldry) +4, Listen +4, diplomacy +6, Sense motive +5, Spot +4 Feats: Point blank shot, Skill focus (diplomacy).
Possessions: noble’s clothing, silver dagger, silver ring set with black onyx (50gp value), 25 gp, 13 sp.
Description: There is nothing that can be described as handsome on this hook-nosed and eagle-eyed individual that is sat before you. He has a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles on the end of his nose and a thin face and features. He is dressed in a lavish tailcoat and white ruffled shirt, breeches and polished black boots. His dark gray hair and flinty gray eyes mark him as a man of some breeding. His voice is soft yet has an almost nasal quality as he speaks to you. Personality: Arden Mhall is a pragmatic and dedicated individual, he brooks no argument from anyone and will happily tell the most noble of adventurers or royalty that they are wrong and he is right even when he’s wrong himself. His voice has a whiny quality to it, and he’s very English in his mannerisms, loving nothing more than a good book and a cup of tea.
1) Reception: A bright and clean atmosphere greets you as you enter this hall, you can see it’s lavishly decorated with fine tapestries and pictures. Many different statues and statuettes line the walls. The floor is covered with a rich burgundy carpet and makes a soft swishing noise when someone walks on it. At the far end of this fairly large hall is a small booth with a table. Obviously a reception area of some description, manned by a soft-spoken aristocratic man. A set of stairs heads off up into the shadows of the second floor and a large pair of doors set to the North beckons you onwards, further into the Inn.
2) Tap Room: The sound of soft, sweet music is the first noise to greet you in the taproom of the Inn, it seems to come from all around, yet no one can be seen to play it. The next sensation is the smell of a fine roast upon an open fire, spitted and turning, again with magic. The lighting within this place is soft and demure, hushed talk goes on in here, as many people gather at all times of the day to discuss
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The Tap Room serves a fine selection of fine wines and ales from across the city, it’s said that Ellana can get any particular wine to order. From the faewines of the elven peoples, hardy beers of the dwarven clans. Perhaps even the drow wines that are favored in dark caverns and deep mountains.
many things, seated at the oak tables. At the far end of the room is a crescent moon shaped bar, tended by a woman of beauty, dressed in armor and obviously armed. Three large fireplaces provide much warmth in this place. But the most startling feature about the Flame’s taproom is the centerpiece of the room. A large circular well of black and silver marbled stone stands in the center of the room and from it pours a wreathing mass of blue magical flames. It provides a strange and eldritch glow to the proceedings. It seems to cast no heat or cause flammable objects to catch fire. While you watch someone demonstrates and puts their hand into the mass of flames.
Drinks and Meals List: All beers and Ales are served in tankards, all spirits in tall glasses or goblets. Drinks: Cp=Copper Sp=Silver Gp=Gold Ale Beer Black Beer Cider Whiskey Rum Brandy Port Mead
1cp 1cp 2cp 2cp 5cp 5cp 6cp 6cp 8cp
Wines (Red, White, Golden) (Still or sparkling) By glass or goblet: 1sp By the bottle: 3sp Elven wine 5sp glass, bottle 1gp Dwarven beer 6sp glass, bottle 1gp 6sp Underwine 8sp glass, bottle 1gp 8sp Blue Flame (Blueberry and a clear vodka-like liquid called Sesalch) Glass only: 2gp Milk 1cp Tea 1cp Hot Cocoa (Exotic) 1cp Hot Posset (Honey, Milk, Nutmeg, Cinnamon) (Warmed or hot milk) 1cp Meals: Bread and cheese selection: A selection of cheeses and bread from across the disc. 2cp per person. Freshly caught prawns on a bed of greens, covered in a seafood sauce. 3cp per person. Fish and vegetables: Your choice of fish, and lavished with greens and vegetables. 5 cp per person.
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Roasted or Cooked meats: With vegetables and salad. 8cp per person. Chef’s Specials: Use your imagination and concoct some interesting dishes. Varies 1sp up to 1 or 2 gold. Per person. Soups and Broths: Served with garnish herbs and bread. 1-2cp per person. Salads: For the elven palate. 1-2cp per person. White meats: Again good for elves. 3cp per person.
her back are two curved swords with sharp thin blades, they have small silver wolf head pommels and golden cross-guards. Around her neck is a white wolf-head pendant and around her wrists are small silver bracers. Her ears are slightly pointed. Personality: Ellana is a soft-spoken yet hard woman who has seen a long time on the face of the world, while not wholly elven she has half of the blood in her and that’s enough to have given her an advantage in her dealings with folk in the city. She is bright and cheerful, but not overtly so. She loves stories and tales of any kind and could well be swept off her feet by a hearty romantic. She won’t hesitate to use her formidable skills in the defense of the bar and her friends.
Various banquet prices can be set, always remember to charge per head and cover your costs of the set up, you could say charge, 1-5 gold per head or even more.
3) Kitchen:
These are just a few samples of what you could come up with, you’re encouraged to find new and inventive dishes, the master cook is able to come up with almost anything, you want Pizza, then add Pizza, it’s your world, have fun with it.
Day or night it seems there’s always something going on in here, the room is at a high heat, many stoves and ovens line the space in almost regimental symmetry. Cooks move around in practiced ease, and fluid grace taking dishes to serving hatches to feed the ever-hungry clientele. You can smell a glorious aroma of many subtle fragrances. Meat, Bread, Cheese, Spices and herbs, all enough to make your mouth just water.
Ellana Greymane, the proprietor and owner of the Blue Flame Inn.
Ellana Greymane, Female half-elf, Fighter5: CR54; Medium Humanoid (5 ft. 9 in. tall); HD 5d10+10; hp 44; Init +4; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14 (+4 Dex); +5 melee (1d8/crit 19-20/x2, bastard sword); SQ half-elven abilities; AL CG; SV Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +3; Str 15, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 15.
Like the Tap Room, the Kitchens are capable of providing for the most discerning palate, the Master Cook can whip up any dish that the PC’s are likely to want to order, usually with the minimum of fuss. This includes any strange habits that non-human guests might have, for example one Tanari stopping at the Blue Flame ordered a plate of Carceri Snails; they were there within the allotted time. No one knows how he does it.
Skills: Climb +7, Handle animal +7, intimidate +5, Jump +5, Listen +6, Ride +9, Swim +5, profession (innkeeper) +5. Languages: common, dwarven, elven, orc, undercommon
The Master Cook: Genren Stonebeard
Feats: Exotic Weapon ( sword, bastard), two-weapon fighting
Genren Stonebeard, Male Dwarf, Rogue4: CR4; Medium Humanoid (4 ft. 5 in. tall); HD 4d6+16; hp 34; Init +2; Spd 20 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex); +3 melee (1d8/crit 19-20/x2, waraxe); SQ dwarven abilities; AL NG; SV Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +2; Str 16, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 14.
Description: Long snow-white hair cascades around this gentle faced woman's shoulders; her eyes are cool blue like a deep lake. Her skin is almost the color of the snow and the lines of her face are angular and her lips thin and smiling. She wears chain mail armor and a black and white tabard, emblazoned with a wolf's head, covering her figure and hiding her gentle curves. Her shapely legs are encased in chain and she wears dark leather boots and a wide belt. Crossed across
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The Blue Flame Inn 5) Private: Back Room
Skills: Alchemy +5, Bluff +7, Climb +9, Intimidate +6, Listen +8, Search +8, sense motive +7, spot +7, swim +8, craft (pottery) +6, profession (brewer) +8, profession (cook) +8.
This room is ideally suited for privacy and softer dealings; it is lit usually with a few carefully placed lamps at night, or thrown wide to the sun during the day. The décor to your eyes is sumptuous and very classy. Lots of paintings line the walls, and behind glass cabinets can be seen a few interesting things, trophies perhaps and items won on previous adventures. A crystal skull, a finger bone from some sort of large beast, perhaps an Ogre. An ivory wand with many runic writings upon the surface, are a few of the things on display. A burgundy carpet rests on the floor providing soft footsteps as you glance around this room. Off to one side can be seen a simple but effective fireplace and a fresh basket of logs and coals. Finally a few tables are scattered around for guests and patrons alike.
Languages: common, dwarven, giant, undercommon Feats: Dodge, Exotic Weapon (Waraxe, dwarven) Possessions: 53 gp, 23 sp. Description: Dressed in a leather apron and soft shoes, with a mane of shaggy black hair, this short fellow is broad shouldered and wears a dour, but welcoming grin. Eyes the color of shards of jade gleam with some unsaid joke or humor. He moves with a grace not often seen in dwarven kind. Personality: Genren is a cheerful fellow who has a sharp wit and a dry sense of humor; he works his Kitchens like a regimental drill sgt, but usually has time to welcome guests and visitors. If they’re not careful they’ll end up testing one of his latest creations. Woe betide anyone who even so much as calls his cooking to task, he prides himself on his dwarven wheel bread and stone baked biscuits.
Note: Gamemasters are encouraged to place their own items and ideas into this room, be creative the only limit to all of this is your imagination.
6) Banquet Hall 4) Cellar This Dining room is grand, grand indeed, lit by a huge crystalline chandelier that hangs from the top of the ceiling; the chandelier is made from crystal in places and black iron in others. Around the walls shine the lights of many torches at night, unlit during the day. Rows and rows of long tables are placed into lines in the center of the room, and it could hold quite a few stray children or even a visiting group of royalty. At the far end is a huge oval table with a few highbacked sumptuous chairs. These are usually reserved it seems for the guests of the adventuring owner. Several doors lead off to the Kitchens and various oaken serving hatches provide the quickly scurrying waiters with food and drink.
Barrels and more barrels are stacked and carefully placed around the cool, and damp cellar. Thick stone blocked walls provide the perfect atmosphere for the chilling of many of the beverages down below. Stout wooden frames support the beer casks, taps slightly dripping as the valves look to be nearly worn out. A row of spare valves and taps lies on a shelf. All around lighting is provided by a pair of softly glowing oil laps that cast warm circles of light onto the eerie looking room. The smell of beer and wine down here tickles your noses and excites your lips.
The Chandelier is DC 15 to break, requires a Combined STR of 60 to move it, and costs over 300,000 gold.
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7) Stairwell:
29-38) Medium Room: (2 Silver’s/Night)
Read this when the players head upstairs from the Main Hall.
Not as grand as the deluxe rooms nor as expensive, but you can see why they are a little more costly than the standard common rooms.
Soft carpets muffle your footsteps as you ascend to the first floor of the building, from the various windows as you pass up to the hall above you can see the streets and city below. Sconces are placed at regular intervals, blazing during the night, sitting in mute silence during the day.
The level of décor here is grander and more sweeping, the walls have alcoves and carvings, simple and effective. A dresser and a bedside table for convenience. A wardrobe and a single door leading to a small but functional en-suite bathroom. Rich velvet carpet and another, larger, more shuttered window. Light is provided once more by a couple of lamps or windows thrown open to the daylight. A large double bed with carved oak head and footboards dominates the room, covered in silky sheets and with soft fluffy pillows. The word is enchanting bliss.
8) First Floor: Hall At the top of the stairs you can see the hall here spares no expense, just like the lower hall, fine tapestries and artworks line the walls. Oak paneled and full of vibrant color it’s a feast for the eyes. Gilded door-plaques of silver and gold are fastened carefully to thick Oak doors that assure privacy for the Inn’s many visitors. Soft carpets keep the noise of boots muffled as the flooring here is lacquered dark wooden boards. Further on down the hallway you can see that the only other way onwards is up another flight of stairs.
Guests can expect on this floor to have a visit from the maid during the morning when they rise from bed, they are also expected to vacate their rooms no less than two hours before their time of departure, due to the popular nature of the Inn. The rooms on this floor vary with style and design but are on the basic template, you’re encouraged to have fun, add things, tweak things and most of all just go wild. The only thing that can hold you back is you, if you think that there should be a door onto the roof in one of these rooms, then as the GM you can do that. Don’t be afraid of making changes, small or large to what’s set out here, it’s a sketch of someone’s reality. In the end, it’s yours to play with.
It is here on the First Floor that the Common to Medium rooms can be found, GM’s are encouraged to be creative in the design of the various rooms but can use the following two templates for the Common to Medium rooms as they see fit.
9-28) Common Room: (3 Copper’s/Night)
39) Stairs to Second Floor: Read this when the players head up to the Second Floor from the First.
It’s a simple room with a washbasin, dresser and a single bed. The floors are clean, the walls have one or two pictures on them, and a tiny fireplace sits to stave off winter chills. The bed has clean sheets and linen, with soft pillows. The whole room is clean and there is a soft smell of jasmine from a tiny burner on the windowsill, strong shutters keep out the cold and unwelcome guests.
A smaller flight of stairs leads up into the top floor of the Blue Flame, these are oaken, and covered in another soft carpet, matching perfectly with the hall and blending into a softer richer red near the top. Only two sconces provide light here, as the top floor is a much smaller and cozier place to be.
For the price of a few coppers a night you can stay in this room, it’s not the most grand of places but it certainly cannot be described as shoddy.
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The Blue Flame Inn
40) Second Floor: Hall
42-51) Exotic Gold’s/Night)
or
Exquisite
Rooms:
(3
A place of muted shadows and quiet reflections, torches burn here with soft glimmering yellow flames day or night, the second floor has no shuttered windows in the hall. The torches sometimes flicker with a strange motion as a wind passes down the hall, perhaps driven by an unseen hand or just truly an errant breeze. In all other cases it mirrors the rest of the Inn, beautiful and sumptuously decorated.
The top floor is home to the really classy rooms these rooms are the crème of the Inn and have top quality Maid service and all the trimmings. Bathrooms, Sunken baths and even magical lighting. Here is just an example template for one of the more exotic rooms.
A King sized four poster bed dominates this large room, gray/silver drapes fall like misty water on all sides of the canopy. Soft and downy pillows stand against a blackened wood headboard carved with nymph like figures and images. All four posts are cut to resemble twined and vine covered leafy trees. The floor is carpeted with a rich, deep wine-red carpet that is soft and fluffy underfoot. A large fireplace stands against one wall, in regimental stature, marble and gray stone. The walls are home to fine works of art and tapestries. As it gets dark or upon a command word the ever-burning torches in the room light and provide a gentle glow to the evening or when the shutters are drawn. Off to one side, through a door can be seen another room, a bathing room. Two wardrobes and three tables along with at least two more dressers with fine mirrors dominate other walls. A few chairs are placed around the room so visitors might enjoy a rare moment to sit and just relax. This room has full maid service and a bell-rope for service.
There is a secret door that can be found with a decent spot roll or search roll tucked away into the North corridor right at the end, it leads to a narrow staircase that winds up onto the rooftops. Spot DC: 20 Search: DC 25
As the players search or spot read this.
You catch a flicker of the torchlight near the north corridor wall, it moves away from the wall as if blown by an invisible force. Further examination reveals that a small wind sneaks from a tiny crack imperceptible to a cursory glance. The torch sconce turns when gripped and smoothly a passage opens to reveal stairs leading upwards onto the rooftops.
Read this when the player’s enter the bathroom.
Through the door in the main room you can see the silver and white tiles of a bathroom, resplendent with gilded taps and marble surround. The type of bath is the sunken variety and quite deep, it could take a group of around six to eight people depending on race. All around the room are bottles of oils and perfumes, soaps and towels. Luxury is the keyword here.
From here the rest of the Cityscape can be reached, roofs being a prime place for fun and dangerous chases, perhaps someone has stolen something from the Tavern and Inn at Dinner, a Maid is found unconscious in a room, and a shadow is seen heading through that passage. Have fun.
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52) Back Courtyard:
Stable Master: Herrad Kuln
Surrounded by a decent sized wall of stone this courtyard is both functional and provides perfect protection against unwanted guests, it stretches from one wall of the Inn to the other and runs in a square, with the low roofs and gables of the stable buildings at the far end. The ground is gravel and kept clean, the marks of many coaches and carts can be seen dug into it as ruddy tracks, like wounds in the fresh scraped chippings. A few rakes stand around idly here and there ready for stable-lads and lasses to come smooth the night’s traversing over with a practiced touch. The door to the stable master’s office can be seen clearly marked and set back a little to the back of the courtyard, to one side an ornate coachman’s lamp affixed to the wall.
Herrad Kuln, Human Male, Rgr3: CR3; Medium-sized humanoid (5 ft. 10 in. tall); HD 3d10+6; hp 31; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+3 Dex); AL CG; SV Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +4; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 14.
Skills: Animal Empathy +4, Climb +5, handle Animal +6, Heal +4, Intuit Direction +6, Ride +6, Swim +4, wilderness lore +4, craft (blacksmithing) +5, profession (stablehand) +4. Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarven, Gnoll, Elven. Feats: Great Fortitude, Dodge, toughness. Possessions: Explorer’s outfit, blacksmithing toolkit, longsword, dagger, shortbow, quiver w/ 20 arrows, 15 sp, 25 cp.
53) Stables:
Description: Dark glittering eyes set in an almost soulful face, slightly rotund and fatty cheeks always red with mirth. This is the expression that greets you as you gaze upon Herrad Kuln the stable master of the Inn. He is dressed in a baggy white shirt and loose tunic; his breeches of brown leather are slightly oversized and flow out near the bottom. Soft riding boots encase his feet protecting them from the sharp stones of the courtyard. A large broad leather wide-belt wraps around his middle and has the emblem of a horse head upon it. The buckle made of brass. Personality: Kuln is a friendly sort, loves horses, he could speak for hours on that subject, and he’ll take the greatest chunk of the player’s time in explaining all the various pictures and bits and bobs he has in his office, the GM is encouraged to be creative in this. He is very slow to anger, but once he is, he’ll let rip with a torrent of gruffly spoken curse words that could make a barmaid blush.
Ah the smell of horse dung, not what you really wanted to smell as you enter this place, fresh hay lies piled around the back of the spacious stable room, along with various bits of tack and harness. Feed bags on one wall, brushes and all sorts of equipment to keep a horse in prime condition. Lamps for cold dark nights and a few jars of lamp oil, kept in a metal box, to ward from the risk of fire. The floor is hard stone and strewn with hay, the stalls stand further in blocked with stout split doors, upper and lower. Another door in here leads to the stable master’s office as well.
54) Stable Master’s Office: When you enter this office you get the immediate feeling that the owner is a man who is fond of horses, pictures of various thoroughbreds and fine toned beasts line his walls. There is even a horseshoe above the door as you enter. He has several riding crops and harnesses on the walls as well. A large oak table sits back close to one wall, with a nice comfortable looking chair to the back of it. Parchments and quill pens are strewn over the surface; organized chaos is a good word to describe it.
Secrets and Rumours: What is the Blue Flame? Where does it come from? This could be answered in many ways, it’s really up to the GM why that flame exists and what it’s doing there, but here we provide you with a few sample reasons. Some sort of magical effect creates the flame, this is probably the most realistic idea for the fantasy setting, and it could have
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been built specifically for Ellana’s Inn or discovered on the site of the Inn and exploited.
Background Info on all the NPC’s of the Flame.
The flame is natural gas, this wouldn’t work really well since the description of the flame is such that it says, no heat is given. But if you want to alter it, be our guest that’s the idea, change things around, nothing’s set in stone.
Arden Mhall Arden was born to a seamstress and to a librarian in the city; at a very early age he developed a talent for figures and reading/writing, so his parents sent him to a scholar’s school. Later on when he passed his qualifications in those areas, earning high marks indeed, he attempted to open and run his own Tavern, the Wastrel, this proved to be a costly and very ego bruising move on his part. He was fine with the accounts and bookkeeping, but had not got the personality for the tavern bar itself. He would be often snippy and rude to the customers who didn’t match his expectations and very quickly people soured of him. All save Ellana, who took him into her confidence when she planned to have the Blue Flame constructed. He now deals with all her accounts and all her books, without having to be the genial host all the time. He runs the reception and keeps copious notes on guests. That’s all.
Magical stones could create the flame. Like blue crystals or red rubies, anything pretty much can be used, you could have bones, teeth, or no source at all. The flames just exist. But here’s one reason why the flame exists. One hundred years ago to this date there was a terrible battle of magic at the site of the Blue Flame, this battle happened deep underground and far from the eyes of others. Two rival magi met in a clashing mighty duel of magery that rocked the very foundations of the ground with terrible quakes and clamours. Both fought until they were exhausted, at the last possible moment the elder of the two used his final spell to attempt to trap the soul of the other mage, but it went wrong, both mages were consumed in an agonising blue flare of light. And from this light sprang forth everlasting blue flames, burning up through the underground and into the light, a pillar that rose several feet from the ground, and extends hundreds of feet below the ground over where the Blue Flame Inn now stands.
Ellana Greymane There’s something unusual about Ellana, so here it is in all its glory; she was born in a small village not far off from the city, to a miller and his wife (She died in childbirth). The father became an alcoholic and left the girl in the care of the villagers. In her life she did nothing pretty much exciting. Until one day she stumbled on an old box floating down one of the local streams, in it rested a beautiful carved wolf ring made out of pure silver. She wanted to give it to her mother and father, but it was so wondrous and she was but a child…so she kept it… All was well and good until her eighteenth birthday when she was in the local village, she showed the ring to a bunch of villagers who recoiled in horror, before she knew what was happening she was struck over the head and locked away in a cold cellar, chained to the wall. The ring’s magic chose that time to manifest as the moon overhead rose, the village heard a shuddering howl… When they got down to the cellar the girl was gone, and most of the cellar was trashed and into the woods ran a very frightened were creature, but because her heart was pure she retained her personality under the beast, this proved to be an important turning point for her and who she was to become.
It’s said that if a traveler makes a wish over the flame, it can come true, often people hurl trinkets into the fire over the edge of the well, every thousand gold that is thrown in there is a 5% up to a 30% chance of a wish spell activating for that person once only. After this more gold doesn’t increase the chance. Let your imagination run riot though and think of all the whys and wherefores you can to do with the flame. There’s really nothing else that special about the Inn, unless you decided it of course, maybe there’s a ghost that stalks the halls at night, maybe the owner isn’t who she appears to be and becomes a murderous werewolf on a full moon, rampaging the rooms of the Inn and using the flame to dispose of the bodies. Or perhaps she fronts a guild of adventurers from the Inn and scopes out the best as potential employees.
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The Blue Flame Inn Genren Stonebeard Born to a smith and a warrior Genren was never a typical dwarf, he spent all his time down in the Kitchens of the hold and talked with all the cooks, cleaners and caterers he could find, he was fascinated by the various smells and flavors that could be obtained with a simple garnish and a lot of spices. From bread to stew anything that could be made he tried to make, pancakes and spiced rolls, at a young age he began to show aptitude for anything culinary. And forsook the arts of smithing and war upsetting his father and mother a great deal. But he left the hold and the warlike dwarves and began a serious quest, to find out information on cooking from all across the disc. He began to follow adventurers and various travelers for protection, the price for his services in keeping their bellies full and lips moist for the next tasty morsel. And of course it was on such a journey as this that the dwarf found the Blue Flame, Ellana and his life long dream to become a master cook, it only took her one taste of his delicious spiced apple pie to convince her letting Genren go would be a costly mistake, so she employed him, and here he has been ever since.
Over time she mastered the ring of lupus and turned it to a good cause. She formed the adventuring band known as the ‘Moon’s children’ and made quite a name for herself in the wilds, finally when she reached over one hundred years of age, and still looked spry and sprightly, her family had traceries of elven blood in it, well more than traceries, her mother was elven but because Ellana had never known her, she did not know, nor did her father speak of such, too distraught was he that Ellana had been responsible for the death of his wife, he turned to drink to drown his sorrows. And Ellana looks more human than elven, another strange factor for a half elf. Eventually Ellana used her money to build the Inn over the site of the blue flame, and gathered a few close friends about her, and new ones like Arden. She has far from retired and seeks adventure often when she’s in the mood.
Item: Ring of Lupus The Ring of Lupus: Silver and pure at that, carved to resemble a wolf’s head in a snarling fashion it once belong to an evil cult of wolf worshipping beast-men, who used the power of the ring to commit terrible acts of violence and cruelty. It pulls forth the animal from the being that slips it on, in the form of a werewolf. Usually it also pulls the cruel heart from inside as well, but in Ellana’s case it failed and she mastered it. At first the ring gifts the owner with the curse of lycanthropy, becoming useless until worn by a new owner, this only achieved at the death of the old one. After this they change every full moon. Unless the owner masters the ring, usually giving of it their evil heart, or in Ellana’s case, being so innocent and pure that the ring bent to her will…easily.
Herrad Kuln Herrad was born to a noble and his wife, part of the countrified elite, raised and brought up around horses all his life, he shares a deep fondness for them and a consuming passion to the exclusion of all else. He grew up in the noble part of the city and had very little contact with common folk, like most nobles he had a haughty demeanor and manner. He wanted for nothing, and as long as he had his horses he was fine, he would spend days at the stables learning all he could about them, how to ride and how to care for them. In some ways he relates better to horses than he does real people. He first met Ellana when she had an injured horse, bringing it to him for care and treatment, the man showed a great care for the animal and Ellana noticed this immediately. She watched how he was able to treat the injury and how he knew a great deal of how horses worked, this prompted her to hire him as the stable master at the Inn. A position to which he is suited, feels comfortable in, and can go on for hours about, but she loves him dearly and he keeps things on the coaching side of the Inn running as smoothly as he can.
Powers: Transform Ellana into Werewolf form, in this form she has the stats of a Werewolf as detailed in the Monster Manual, with the exception of the alignment, CG and the Mental Stats. See NPC stats. This is at will and has no restrictions. Control Animal, Wolves, like a spell this allows a single Wolf /3 levels of the ring holder to fall under a spell. They can be used to protect and attack, it lasts for 1 hour per level of the ring holder, can be broken if the ring is taken off, and requires the ring holder to make eye contact with one of the Wolves. The Ring does not harm the holder being silver, and confers on them an immunity to all but holy Silver weapons, this is why it is such a sought after item. Clever GM’s might decide to use the ring as part of a subplot or story where it is stolen and the PC’s might wish to get it back.
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