Oracle of Flame

A dungeon crawl for 4-5 Players of levels 3 to 4
Created for Imarand, the Twin Worlds Campaign Setting

 

Backstory

Rumors are spreading that an Oracle of Flame is claiming to be a new demigod. He is wandering from village to village amassing a small army of followers but also burning the places he visits to ground including anyone who opposes him. A group of brave adventures is assembled to investigate his claims of divinity and, if necessary, put an end to his reign of destruction. The players find themselves on the Black Isle in the city of Ardee, from where they set out to the Village of Ashfall, which the Oracle of Flame has chosen as its new victim.  

Dear Hero,   Recently we learned of a priest claiming to worship a new kind of god. Unfortunately, this priest is pillaging and looting villages all over Terria in the name of his god. I have come to you to ask for a favor. Recent scrying has taught us that the priest has made his way to the village of Ashfall on the Black Isle. Prevent him from destroying another village, by whatever means necessary. Our liaison in Ardee, Lady Shiela Everflame, has already been notified of your arrival and will have made preparations for your arrival. Please make haste and travel to Ashfall as soon as you are ready. Afterward, report your findings back to our liaison.   She will grant you a reward of a 1,500 gp or allow you to select a weapon or armor with magical properties form the guild treasury.   Signed,
Viscount Drako Ulfia

 

Quest

The adventurers are sent to a village named Ashfall upon the Black Isle. A letter they were given from their guild in Whitemere promises them each a reward of 1500 gp or a magical +1 weapon or set of +1 armor of their own choice. However, supplies are limited and they can only spare 2 magical items. When they arrive by boat at the always gloomy city, Ardee, they still have a week's journey ahead of them to reach Ashfall, located in a valley between the Black Rim Mountains. If the players need anything for their journey, the city-state of Ardee has anything they may need up to +2 weapons, armors and wondrous items. Their travels are without incident until they come close to the village. As night falls before they reach Ashfall, the players come upon a roadside house, the home of a halfling man William and his wife Bethany. The couple invites the party in for warmth and some good food, insisting if the players refuse. After serving a tankard of ale, a hot meal and getting the player some rest he lets the players go if they wish to. When the players reach the village, they find the Oracle is already expecting them and he and his followers are clearly visible as the players ride into the village. When they come upon the village square they see a horrible sight: burned and crucified bodies are scattered about the square. Most are dead, but some are muttering to themselves with a zealous fever.

• Perception (DC 15)

You notice that the followers of the Oracle also have burn marks on their bodies. A big, bloated man is standing on a wooden dais as some of the townspeople are forcefully being gathered in front of the stage by his followers. When he sees the players he starts preaching:  

“AH! Welcome, my children, new messengers of the Black Flame, harbingers of ash, to be reborn from the ashes when I cleanse this world in righteous fire!” “I, Criscel Dagdua, chosen of both the gods and the elements, shall be a god on both worlds and both worlds will burn! Choose: serve me or leave. Do neither and you will see the entire village burn in front of your eyes!” He snaps his fingers and one of the villagers in front of the stage bursts into flame, while he laughs.

  If a player decides to attack Criscel and he takes a hit, he uses his rod to engulf the player in a pillar of hot, black flames, reducing him to 1 hit point. Even after being attacked Criscel lets the player leave but orders his followers to chase them out of the village. If the players flee the town, the oracle's followers chase them for a while before returning to the city. Not long after that the players they run into William on the road out of town. If all the players attack Criscel, his followers interfere and eventually overwhelm the players, killing several townspeople during the fight. The players are left for death but awaken in the house of William and Bethany, who are tending to their wounds. The players take 1 point of charisma damage as their face or body is horribly burned and marked. This charisma damage is permanent and cannot be cured by anything except a Break Enchantment spell.

• Spellcraft (DC 16)
  The player noticed he has been branded by an altered arcane mark. Only a Break Enchantment will get rid of it.
• Knowledge (Religion) (DC 18)
  The mark has the properties of an unholy symbol but isn’t active and doesn’t grant any powers.
• Knowledge (Religion) (DC 22)
  If Criscels claims are true he is a demigod. Demigods need a godly sponsor to gain or leach their power from. Although demigods are powerful, they aren’t immortal.

Whether the players meet William during their flight or wake up in his home, he tells them the following:

“Come with me, I have some people I'd like you all to meet. I'm sorry about not giving you any warning about the state of the village. You needed to see the horrors of the man for yourself before you can make a decision.”

Within the house are three locals, some of them burn marked, but all looking at the party with hope for an end to their suffering.

“Let me introduce you to Alfsar, Trapper, Hunter, and defender of the village, Ruby, shop owner of ‘The Broken Flask’, and Nela, the Major’s Daughter. Together we have come up with several plans to free the village, but we cannot agree on which one would be best and we need seasoned adventurers such as yourself to pull any of them off. Listen to our plans and decide which one you feel is most viable. Choose carefully. Once a plan is set in motion you cannot go back. The lives of the villagers are in your hands.”

 

Alfsar

Alfsar takes the initiative and tells the players his plan.

“I have learned that Criscel can only use that rod of his a couple of times each moon. My suggestion is to take the initiative and attack them head-on.”

If the players ask about the threat of burning the village Alfsar explains:

“Yeah, some people will die but it’s better than living under his tyranny.”

If the players ask about the lives of the followers:

“Those that follow him of their own free will are traitors and will be cut down if they stand in our way.”

Ruby

Ruby is a bit hesitant to speak but clearly disagrees with Alfsar. “Your plan is too reckless, Alfsar. I have been operating a small smuggling ring here in town and there are secret tunnels below the village streets that some smugglers have been using. I don’t think they have found them yet, so I suggest using the tunnels to sneak into the burned inn and kill Criscel and his most trusted followers. The rest of them will flee if their leader is dead.”

Nela

 

Nela seems shocked by Ruby's claim of using the tunnels. "Those tunnels were closed off for a good reason. I for one wish to save as many lives as possible. We can rebuild our homes, find food and water and make a new life for ourselves in the mountains, if only we can evacuate the villagers. Every life we lose can never be replaced. Therefore I’d like you all to protect the villagers while we get them out of the town.” Alfar sees nothing in Nela’s plan to abandon the village. He says: "We will hardly be safe from his wrath, living in the mountains. No, we need to kill him while we can."

  The three start bickering amongst themselves about the pros and cons of each plan.   Whichever plan the players choose, the other two NPCs will reluctantly accept their decision and will cooperate with the plan. If the players decide on a completely different course of action all three will refuse to work with them and each will instead try to execute their own plan without the aid of the PCs.  

Alfsar’s Plan

Alfsar proposes a straightforward attack with torch and pitchfork, but during the fight, a large part of the village will be put to the torch by Criscels followers. During the events, Criscel and his followers will start lighting up the houses of the villagers.   The following will be handed to the players by Alfsar, he has been collecting these for emergencies.
Treasure: 2 Potion of Cure Light Wounds, Potion of Resist Fire (10), Potion of Darkvision
Many of the events for Alfsar's plan take place in burning buildings. These buildings present the following hazards at the GM discretion:  

SMOKE EFFECTS

A character who breathes heavy smoke must make a Fortitude save each round (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or spend that round choking and coughing. A character who chokes for 2 consecutive rounds takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. Smoke obscures vision, giving concealment (20% miss chance) to characters within it.  

CATCHING ON FIRE

Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid this fate. If a character's clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out—that is, once he succeeds on his saving throw, he's no longer on fire. Pick 3 or 4 events from the following list in any order to represent Alfsar's plan, ending with the Kill Criscel event.   Train the Peasants [CR 4] The players are asked to give a few villagers some impromptu martial training. The players can complete this in any way they like, for example having to villagers spar together or showing off some combat moves themselves, but during the training, the group is attacked by an enraged Owlbear. The panicked villagers immediately start fleeing, but it is clear to the players that the NPCs need 5 rounds to escape to safety. The PCs need to keep the Owlbear occupied for that time or defeat the creature outright.   The Owlbear's nest was set on fire by Criscel’s followers and the confused and angry creature will attack anyone at random. It is under the effects of a Rage spell for the duration of the combat.   Players and NPCs start off in the camp with the enraged owlbear coming from the road. Use the Enraged Owlbear encounter below.   Defeat the Followers [CR 4] When the players move forward through town they are attacked by a group of followers on the town square or in the streets.   Players and NPCs start on one side with the map with the cult group or looters near the well. Use the Cult Group or Looters encounter below.   Raid the Blacksmith [CR 6] Alfsar asks the players to arm the villagers. In order to get a weapon, they need to defeat some elite guards to gain entrance to the blacksmith's shop.   One guard is stationed at the front door and one is on patrol inside. Use the Elite Guards encounter below.   Fight Fire with Fire [CR 5] Criscel counters Alfsar’s force by unleashing a large black fire elemental to burn the village to the ground. It is up to the players to defeat it while the rest of the attack force keeps Criscel's followers at bay.   Place the elemental on one of the houses. Use the Large Black Flame Elemental encounter below.   Kill Criscel [CR 5] Faced with defeat, Criscel tries to flee. Use the following chase encounter.

1. Steep Hill
2. Slippery Rocks
3. Bear!
4. Brambles
5. Treacherous Path
6. Muddy Slog
7. Rickety Rope Bridge
8. Angry Bees
9. Tangled Forest

If the player catch up, Criscel will fight to the death.   Use the Criscel encounter below.   Ruby’s Plan Ruby’s plan for sneaking into the village using the tunnels will attract less attention than Alfsar's plan. The following will be handed to the players by Ruby, her secret supply in case of trouble.
Treasure: 2 Potion of Cure Light Wounds, Oil of Invisibility, Potion of Spider Climb
Pick 3 or 4 events in the following order on the list to represent Ruby's plan, ending with the Kill Criscel event.
  Finding the Tunnels Although Ruby knows of the tunnels, she has never actually used them and can only provide the players with vague directions to the exit deep in the forest. This is a skill check challenge in which the players need a total of 7 successes of DC 15 to find the tunnel entrance.   Survival, Knowledge (Geography), Knowledge (Nature) and Knowledge (Local) are obvious choices for useful skills, but allow the player to get creative with their skills or spells rewarding them with a success for clever use of abilities.   Not Alone [CR 4] The tunnels are filled with stagnant water, the damp hallways dug by hand ages ago. Not long after the village of Ashfall was founded, part of the tunnels caved in, trapping an aquatic creature inside. Unable to escape the creature cursed the tunnels, which became haunted after it died.  

SEAFOAM BODY CR 4

XP 1,200
CE haunt (10 ft. by 20 ft. camber and hallway)
Caster Level 4th
Notice Perception DC 22 (to hear the sound of soft sobbing)
hp 8; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 hour
Effect When this haunt is triggered, a lady/man-made from seafoam appears. All creatures in the chamber and hallway are targeted by an unnatural lust spell (Will save DC 15) Those that come in contact with the seafoam (either compelled by the spell or of their own volition) must make a Fortitude save DC 14 or contract the slimy doom disease.

Destruction Open the hallways to the sea once more. At high tide, the seawater destroys the haunt.
Unbeknownst to the players, a Barghest has also taken up residence in the labyrinth of tunnels below the city leading to Ruby’s Shop near the village square.   Use the Barghest encounter below.   Defeat the Followers As the players exit Ruby’s shop and head towards the inn, they are attacked by a group of followers.   Use the Cult Group or Looters encounter below.   The Flame Guards Finding the burned inn is easy, but two elite guards protect the backdoor leading from the inn to Criscel's chamber. A fight is the only option to get past them.   Use the Elite Guards encounter below.   Kill Criscel Ruby’s plan is all about killing Criscel in his chamber. As long as the players approach stealthily he is taken by surprise and doesn't have any time to buff up before combat.   Use the Criscel encounter below.  

Nela’s Plan

Nela's plan is to evacuate the village and let Criscel burn it to the ground. She hopes that by creating distractions and traps they can distract the thugs long enough to get all the villagers out. Nela has asked the villagers to help out and gathered the following potions to aid the players.
Treasure: Potion of Cure Light Wounds, Potion of Barkskin (+2), Potion of Reduce Person, Potion of Remove Disease
Pick 4 to 5 events from the following list to encompass Nela's plan.
During the events, Criscel and his followers will start lighting up the houses of the villagers. The players face the following hazards from the burning buildings:  

SMOKE EFFECTS

A character who breathes heavy smoke must make a Fortitude save each round (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or spend that round choking and coughing. A character who chokes for 2 consecutive rounds takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. Smoke obscures vision, giving concealment (20% miss chance) to characters within it.  

CATCHING ON FIRE

Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid this fate. If a character's clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out—that is, once he succeeds on his saving throw, he's no longer on fire.   Defeat the Followers The players are asked to defeat a group of followers roaming the streets and preventing villagers from escaping.   Use the Cult Group or Looters encounter below.   Old Nan Help an elderly pair move an old chest and some pieces of heavy oak furniture out of the city. This is a skill check challenge in which the players need a total of 7 successes of DC 15 to get the old couple out of the village. Strength, Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimidate and Knowledge(Local) are obvious choices for useful skills, but allow the players to get creative with their skills or spells rewarding them with a success for clever use of abilities.   Refugees The players need to protect a group of villagers as they try to get out of the city. The group consists of 2d4+1 villagers with each 6 hit point and an AC of 12. The players need to escort the villagers out of the village moving 20 ft. per round. Each round 1d4-1 (with a minimum of 1) followers (use the brigands from the NPC list) appear and randomly attack the players and the villagers. After 10 rounds the villagers are safely escorted out of the village.   Everything burns The players are asked to help to put out a fire and save the villagers that are trapped inside a burning building. Let the players go wild with ideas on how to put out the fire and get the 1d6 people out of the house while it is on fire. Smoke Hazards and Fire hazards apply to this event. This is a skill check challenge in which the players need a total of 7 successes of DC 15 to save villages trapped inside. Strength, Perception, Create Water Spell, Survival and Knowledge(Local) are obvious choices for useful skills but allow the players to get creative with their skills or spells rewarding them with a success for clever use of abilities.   Fight Fire with Fire Criscel has unleashed a large black fire elemental to burn the village to the ground. It up to the players to defeat it while the last of the villagers escape.   Use the Large Black Flame Elemental encounter below.  

Players Plan

Based on the nature of the player's plan, choose 3 to 5 events from all of the scenarios above. During any of the events chosen from the three scenarios above, the players might run into the NPC that suggested the specific course of action that the event is linked to. The players can decide to aid him or her during the event. One of the chosen events must be the Angry Mob.   Angy Mob The players are attacked by a mob of villagers that are either fleeing or fighting to protect their village.   Use the Looters encounter below.  

Conclusion

If the players manage to defeat Criscel his reign of destruction ends and his followers scatter. However, the Black Flame that granted him power still lingers in the darkness between the stars. In the case that the players captured Criscel, they can make an Intimidate DC 24 check on him to get information about the Black Flame from Criscel. Please note that Criscel will fight to the death is placed in a combat situation. This information isn’t available if the players kill him during his encounter or followed Nela’s path.   Extra Credit Any player who decides to worship Criscel or the black flame during or at the end of the session. If the players let Criscel escape or take Nela’s path, they are likely to hear more from Criscel. Note if any of the players has the unholy burn mark. This might serve a purpose in later adventures. As the players leave the village of Ashfall, they once more come upon the old house of William and Bethany. Only the see the house in nothing more than old ruins, walls blackened by fire. Weed and plants clearly suggest the house has been a ruin for a very long time. Who did the player meet and who were William and Bethany, will be a mystery, going back to the village and ask around will not reveal any more information than they have seen or heard with their own eyes and ears.