Topic: The Veins of the Earth & I
I follow the Veins of the Earth play report of peterwebb, and as at some point, peterwebb´s players where near a city in the veins, it inspired me to write a few encounters for that area. But as always, time works against me, the city is likely destroyed now (read yourself) and thereby peterwebb might not have use for these encounters anymore (or do you, Peter?). Anyway, I rushed to finished them and now, here they are. Enjoy!
Encounters near a City in the Veins (d10)
01# Mad Dwarf Miner
Sound: Shuffling, two feet steadily moving forward while barely leaving the ground
Smell: The Stink of a Rot Lantern (see p.195; Light of Decay), stone dust and a feint stench of shit.
He looks haggard, his beard and hair are iron gray, wiry and spreading out to all directions. In the light of a lamp, his skin glistens with sweat and grime, his stumpy teeth are yellow, green and black. All but for one, which is a roughly cut emerald. The leather apron, boots and heavy gloves are worn, the rags below them are falling apart. An undefinable piece of rotting meat, covered in a glowing sheet of -something-, provides him a little light. It dangles from a piece of chain wrapped around the top of worn and stained pick-ax, held in one hand. With the other, the dwarf secures a large back made of sewn skin, heavy with...something. His unsteady eyes watch everyone warily.
If given some time, Irzin will remember his name. He is a miner that works a large lode of gems “not far from here..”. He will never, NEVER!NEVEREVER!! tell you where it is. He only comes to town to barter some of the raw gems for rations and light. Sadly, the dwellers of the city don´t offer him much for the raw gems. He needs to trade whole pounds to gain anything. But he knows that those from “above, like me” value those things. “It will make me rich. Give me food and light, and I´ll make you rich, too!”.
Irzin has been down here for far to long. He came down here with his brother. His brother is long dead now, he killed him, HAD TO KILL HIM, for he had become mad. Irzin still works the lode. Right now, he has more raw gems stored up in nearby cave than he could ever carry, but wants more. There is A FORTUNE to be made.
The lode is the nightmare-work of the Aelf-Adal, a cruel but simple trap. As long as anybody comes back for mining, there will be more. But as soon as a miner decides not to return, a Saving Throw vs. Magic needs to be passed. On a failure, the poor wretch will come back and continue to work till hunger sets in. If three Saving Throws in a row are failed OR if a character returned three times (free will or not), he or she is cursed to come back to the lode till death.
02# Blackfoot Gigaferret (p.30)
The predator stalks the tunnels around the city. They have become its hunting ground. The ferret is often absent for weeks or even month, but always returns. There are tales in the city about it, killing it may very well give the characters a bonus in the interaction with other city dwellers. Then again, resting near the city instead of a forced march into its safety(?) may give the Gigaferret the one moment it needs to kill a PC.
03-04# Cambrimen (p. 34)
They are a nuisance for the guards of the city, for they ALWAYS come back within 2d6 days after they have been scared of last time (see “What They Want” table; result 11). The guards stopped killing them and just shoo them away, as killing one of them makes the whole tribe mad (result 4). It is not that they are overly dangerous, but they are numerous and combat with them results in a mess. When the characters meet the Cambrimen, they are the first after a long, long time to (perhaps!) gain a different response from the Cambrimen tribe.
05# Fungal Ambassodile (p.56)
The first time the characters encounter it, it will be on its way towards the city. In its jaws, a negotiator from a different citystate enjoys the diplomatic immunity and the security of being carried by a hulking monster of a cave-dwelling THING. The Ambassodile may be met in the city from there on, but will not be ready for further missions until it finished its current diplomatic errant. On the next encounter, it will be heading out of the city, finishing said mission by returning the envoy. If it is ever met again, it will want to meet the PC alone, outside of the city. There, it will regurgitate a partially digested envoy with an offer for the PC. The envoy wants them to... (roll d4)
1# ...sneak back into the city, kill an important person there and bring the head back to the Ambassodile (that will then regurgitate their payment). The target has a home in the city, bodyguards and perhaps even traps.
2# ...venture to a nearby cave system (a map on a stone tile is provided), open up a (provided) very large (oversized item) clay bottle there and and spill a bit of the contained fluid every turn on the way back near the city. Then, pour out the rest near the city. This will lure something NASTY to it. (There is a chance that the Ambassodile will NOT be waiting to give a reward: it was the promise of the envoy, not of the Ambassodile).
3# ...wait at a certain tunnel crossing/large cave and kill the first group of three or more humanoids that enter it. The PC need to bring back the heads to the envoy before the Ambassodile releases the payment, and it will take 1d4 days before the group shows up.
4# ...wait till a slave trader comes back to the city, and get a certain slave back (alive!), no matter how. Payment is provided when the slave is returned alive, and the Ambassodile will take the slave away. To make room for it, it will throw up the half-digested diplomat (who will die within a turn. How hungry are the PC?).
It is up to the GM what the payment is, but it should be something that cannot be digested.
06-07# Olm Trader (p.90)
The Olm has a small number of items (weapons, tools and/or armor parts) made from iron and steel. All things have been found or salvaged by its brethern, and stored by the tribe till it was enough to make it worth a trip to the city. It wants to trade it for food, wood or for light that it may use under the water. Roll 6d10 to determine the items it offers for trade. If a result comes up twice, it is available two times unless it is 7# (in that case, discard the dice). If a result comes up more than twice, discard the “access results” unless it is 1 to 4. In that case, the item is available multiple times
1# Iron dagger , slightly rusty
2# Metal arrow tips; 2d4
3# The head of an ax, rusty and in need of thorough sharpening
4# Head of a shovel, very rusty;
5# Blackened cooking pot
6# Old helmet, slightly rusty
7# Chain mail, ripped and rusty; (AC: 14)
8# Head of pick ax, slightly rusty
9# A golden tooth
0# A grappling hook
08# Trilobite-Knight (p.141)
It will meet the PC on their way, and show itself. It will act calm but challenge one of the characters (a fighter, if possible). Depending on how the fight goes, it will either surrender or accept surrender. If the PC are wise enough to accept, they will meet the Knight again when they are in dire need of an ally, and may count on him if they have put up a good fight before
09# Halfling Hunter
Tabbit is a 5the level specialist and out here to kill the the GigaFerret (see #02). He is a little sadistic and ready to use the characters as bait. In the meanwhile, he hunts for anything he can easily dispatch to sell the skin and some of the meat in the city. His weapons and armor are up to the GM, but soft leather armor, throwing knives, a large knife and a blow pipe are suggested, as well as perhaps a small number of jaw traps. Tabbit may follow the PC, and either finish monsters they attract, or themselves if they end up badly wounded. His willingness to fight over prey is very limited (he did not survive in the Veins by picking fights), but an “are you sure..?” will imply that he is willing to provide for trouble on their way back. If attacked, he flees quickly and throws either crow feet or glass marbles behind him.
10# The Dwarven Explorers (2d4)
Names: Grizwalt, Kirsten, Reygar, Thurwyn, Ambrose, Hammek, Tilda, Sargath,
Alignment: all Chaotic
The 1st level dwarfs came down here to explore and to find riches. They came with iron rations, lamps and oil, climbing gear, leather armor (some with chain), rope and all the usual trapping of spelunkers. They started out as a team of eight. The first time the characters meet them, the result of 2d4 decides how many are still alive. When they are met again (only once or twice per adventure, the GM should ignore further encounters) their number is rolled for again. If it is lower than before, a few more bit the dust. Otherwise, those that were alive last time will still be (there number does not grow). As soon as there are only three of them left, it will be the last time the characters meet them. They may find their corpses later on. The moral of the dwarfs is equal to their number +2
Last edited by Gregorius21778 (2018-04-26 23:08:15)