Scoundrel adventures
CHAPTER 6
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Lore: Characters with ranks in Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nature), or Knowledge (religion) can research the frog god’s fane to learn more about it. When a character succeeds on a skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. DC 15: Countless civilizations have risen and fallen deep within the jungle. Their ruins still lie hidden from civilized eyes. DC 20: A cult that worshiped Wastri, a deity shaped like a frog, once held great influence from a stone temple in an untamed swamp. Frogs of incredible size are sometimes spotted near mysterious ruins deep within the flooded jungle. DC 25: Wastri directs his followers to further the needs of humans and amphibians. His worshipers once erected rich temples to honor their deity in the murky places his swamp-born wards might attend. Description: Crumbling and overrun by denizens of the swamp—especially bloated and oversized amphibians—the frog god’s fane is now more a monument to rot than to any deity. Whole floors have been flooded, and the riches that once lined the walls and served as sacrifices have been lost to ages of muck and eroding waters. Yet within its deepest sanctuaries, through passages filled by brackish waters, lie hidden chambers in air pockets. Within these depths remain treasures untouched by swamp water, but even more valuable are the strange secrets carved in stone: sculptures once viewed only by the highest of priests, which detail worship by both human and amphibian. Prerequisite: A character must discover the ruined frog god’s fane and reach the secret chambers within its depths to gain the benefit of this location. Location Activation: A character must spend at least 10 minutes in meditation on the scriptural secrets hidden deep within the frog god’s fane, and make a DC 15 Intelligence check at the end of that time. If she succeeds on this check, she gains the benefit of this location. Otherwise, she has failed to accept some vital truth among the markings. Recharge: Any number of characters who plumb the treacherous depths of the frog god’s fane can gain the benefit of this location. A character who fails the required Intelligence check cannot try again until her Intelligence score permanently increases. Special Ability (Ex): Upon succeeding on the Intelligence check to understand the frog god’s secrets, the character makes a fundamental connection, gaining an insight into truths she never realized were linked. She gains Skill Focus in her choice of Knowledge (history), (nature), or (religion) as a bonus feat. Furthermore, even if the character has no ranks in the chosen Knowledge skill, she can make checks with that skill as if she were trained.
Duration: A character who gains the insight of the frog god’s fane learns its secrets and gains its benefits permanently. Variation: Any seat of great and unfathomable information might grant an effect like that of the frog god’s fane. For example, a metal tower crashed from the stars might grant those who come to understand it bonuses on Knowledge (architecture and engineering) and Knowledge (the planes) checks, while the ancestral library of the imperial family might provide insights into Knowledge (geography) and Knowledge (nobility and royalty). Such information is too esoteric to share, requiring one to experience it personally to gain its benefits, but a character might learn some important piece of information that could lead to further adventures. Ability Value: 2,000 gp.
Heward’s Hall
An obscure patron of bards and other music makers, the mortal Heward studied the ancient songs of the elves, and legends say, eventually brought music to humanity. He created instruments that are commonplace today and composed some of the oldest songs and airs known to the race, as well as crafting a unique pipe organ known for its mystical properties. His furthering of music led bards to honor Heward’s name, eventually giving rise to a number of cathedrals, concert halls, and playhouses dedicated to the first bard, each taking the name “Heward’s hall.” Some of these sites are incredibly inspirational to songsmiths and musicians of all walks, instilling within them the ability to push their own talents to extreme heights. The specific locale described below is just one example of such a legendary performance venue. Lore: Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can research a Heward’s hall to learn more about it. When a character succeeds on a skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. DC 15: Heward is the patron of bards and human musicians. This result reveals the commonly known stories bout him. DC 20: Numerous concert halls and theaters are known as Heward’s halls, in honor of the first bard. Some such places are very inspirational to artists. DC 25: Owners, managers, or religious groups controlling a legendary Heward’s hall often restrict access to only the most accomplished or promising artists. Description: Behind the stage of the Saltmarsh Playhouse’s main auditorium is an organist’s nook, a famed Heward’s hall. The high-ceilinged room allows an accompanist to play the impressive, two-story pipe organ without its size and grandeur detracting from performances on stage. The walls of the room and many of the towering brass pipes of the organ are engraved with well-known songs that are said to have been composed by Heward or that are dedicated to the first bard. Directly over the
