Secrets of Stosan - ONE-SHOT

INTRODUCTION

• One-Shot takes place on the weekend before the annual Sodalarium Festiva Sodalarium l in Domunz
• They are joined by their friend NARINN KUZAR, who is very shy and doesn't have family to come home to during the Sodalarium. He has been at the academy for a few years but came to Stosan at a much YOUNGER age than most o the students, and is still relatively young

IMMEDIATE STEALTH CHECK BY ALL (Narinn is an even 10) - Have to beat the PASSSIVE PERCEPTION of 12 for the GUARDS (ABER and OLLIE) to go unmolested through the hallways.

• NARINN insists that he's heard from his guardian, Professor Flavel, that Professor Brycos has all kinds of cool stuff in his office.

HISTORY OF DOMUNZ CLASSROOM- WANESH OFFICE - MAP 1

The walls are wainscoted with lacquered oak panels, above which the wallpapered walls are covered with charts, diagrams, photographs, lists, and chalkboard notes—along with shelves of magically-useless necessities from across the known world. Fragments of Warforged from the Nalied Desert excavation, ancient fossilized wooden stakes from vampire barrows in Winda, tapestries depicting a massive Sphinx said to inhabit the missing Novudiesium Temple to the North, even ancient Sahuagin skulls from the earliest structures found in Domunz near Lake Urda. The lecture stage has no lectern, but instead has a large table filled with artifacts and tools from Professor Brycos's time in the field. . There is a pick-axe, an old Magiault vase, a rusty swords from ancient Obreriault, and cups and plates from halfling villages once thought to exist south of Chalinos. And wherever possible Brycos lined the walls with bookshelves, mostly with his own journals and writings from his time in the wilds, but also with collective writings of hundreds of his collegues, many of whom had passed on during Brycos's 100 plus years on Domunz. The door to his office was to the right of the main lecture stage, and they knew from experience the old Professor usually kept it locked.

FUN STUFF

Desk at front of classroom filled with Goodberries for Sodalarium Festival
• DC PER or INV 15 to find first NOTE, written by Wanesh but not yet sent

My King - As you celebrate the annual memorial of your friend, I thought I'd send along a letter with updates from the Academy. Flavel's experiments appear to be going well, while he has yet to produce a fully operational soldier, I suspect by this time next year we may have at least one working prototype. I know it falls a little behind our original plans and your desire to have fully automated Guards within your halls in Obreriault, but in his defense Flavel's work has slowed somewhat these past few years due to his taking on a ward, the tragic Kuzar child, who I must admit even I find fascinating. Elbin has taken him on to deal with the trauma of losing his parents, but I am much more fascinated with what their experimentation may have done to the boy, and I think Flavel is as well. If we learn of anything, you will be the first to know. As always, I will keep you posted on our ongoing projects, and the Potion experimentation, which is going well, and has even produced new stable versions of the formula. It is still not as potent as the original that Livero Domusul created, but useful nonetheless - as we both can attest to with our extended ages! Hoping this finds you well -Wanesh

• DC PER or INV 20 to find (in office) NOTE:

Wanesh - I already know what you're going to say, but the boy has finally left my crew and set out on his own in the world. Last time I spoke to him he was hellbent on becoming some kind of mercenary, though his weakness for alcohol could get him killed in that profession. Either way, you should meet your child before it is too late. Every man needs to know their father, even if he pretends not to want to know who you are, and revels in the chaos of being a Bastard's son. Please think about it. - NTB

STORY POINTS

• Necromancer CONTODY grabs Narinn while the others are looking around, knocking him out, and throws him over his shoulder.

CONTODY- "Got the brat. (pointing to the Acolytes) Acolytes of the X-Cult, stay here and deal with his friends. The Artificer and I will take care of our other errands on campus."   Necromancer (Contody) and Artificer (Thorman) exit hastily (DIMENSION DOOR) while Acolytes advance on the others.

ENCOUNTER

• Map 1 - Cultists and Guards
• Cultist (6x) Cultist CR 1/8
• Aber & Ollie Guards (2x) Guard CR 1/8
• Chase the Cultists out onto Campus, Guards tell them to go one way while they go the other

LOOT

• (2x) Potion-of-longevity PER or INV DC 21
• (2x) Potion of Healing (DC 18 to find)

Suspended in this amber liquid are a scorpion's tail, an adder's fang, a dead spider, and a tiny heart that, against all reason, is still beating. The ingredients vanish when the potion is opened.

• 300 GP, 52 SP, 34 Copper
• Parchment and Paper (100 gp worth)
• Wind FanWind Fan. DC 22 to find

XAVAMIR PLAZA - MAP 2

A clangorous bell sounds from onw of the nearby school towers, calling the late hour as you approach Xavamir Plaza in the dead of night. This snowcovered square, situated as the center and focal point of the Academy, features a towering statue of King Alphanis in his prime. The imposing figure of the school’s founder dominates the snow-soaked plaza in the central square, looking down upon the students and winter refuse with imperious scrutiny—you wonder, would what would he think of the actions of the cultists this evening, he being rumored to have been a necromancer himself? The cold plaza around the site is empty—only dead trees and ravens left to bear witness as you hurry along, till you hear sounds of scraping and shuffling not coming from you or your friends.   You look around, and through the moonlight you see them, bloated corpses summoned by the ghastly powers of cultists invading the campus. The undead drag themselves forward, a dim and pallid light glowing within their fogged eyes. Maggots peek through holes in their green-grey flesh, squelching and scattering as pieces of their hosts fall to the floor. Bones click and clatter with each uneasy step. They release rasping sighs from their foul throats, filling the air with the stench of rotten flesh.

FUN STUFF

• Statue of Alphanis has a carving of a BELL near its base, with a handful of runes around it. At night, the BELL dimly glows with a greenish energy. (PER or INV DC 13 to see it)
• If they hit the BELL, release the Toll the Dead spell - can only be used once per hour
• If a character is in trouble, (i.e. defenseless) a Black mace Mace-of-smitingwill appear near them, a replica of the one in Alphanis's hand, which they can take and use for the adventure

ENCOUNTER

• Map 2 - Zombies and Iron Defender
• Zombies (4x) Zombie CR 1/4
• Iron Defender (Construct) Iron-Defender CR 1
• Ends with the following, DEX Saving Throw 14 (on faily, 2d4 FORCE damage)

POWERFUL EXPLOSION HEARD (and felt) NEARBY A massive blast rocks you back. Before you can even think how loud it was, your ears ring and your head pounds with blood. You open eyes, which you closed on reflex, to a scene of smoke and confusion in the distance, coming from the direction of the Onsyx Artificing Lab.

LOOT

• Replica of Alphanis Mace (temporary magic item) Mace-of-smiting
• Zombie collectively have about 6 copper and 9 SP among them
• From the cart can find 2 Daggers, Spell Scroll of INViSIBILITY (DC 18 to find)

ONSYX ARTIFICING LAB - MAP 3

The chemical tang and dark, thick smoke burns your eyes as you enter the fireylab as the stars wink in and out of eyesite ominously overhead through the shattered ceiling and the smoke roiling up from the hungry flames. Pools of viscous fluid—of every shade and hue—cover the dirty floor in grimy puddles, and a suite of old artificing instruments rusts on the table nearby, alongside various pieces of metal in silver, gold, bronze, looking to be pillaged recently, with signs of heavier pieces of metal being dragged out through the ruined entryway. A metal foot appears to have been left behind, and looking closely you see several metal fingers on the workbench as well. From beneath a large piece of machinery you see what looks like a flattened human foot only attached to an ankle by a thin layer of skin and muscle, the entire area around the appendage covered in dark blood, much of it boiling in the open flames.

You hear movement beyond the flames, and begin to move toward the sound, careful to avoid the blazing embers around you. Caustic chemicals burn your nostrils as you make your way further into the lab and toward the transmutation crystals beneath the reinforced metallic shell in the back. Pushing past superheated stone columns you finally reach the source of the noise. Before you, the Necromancer is sending robotic parts through a teleportation circle, some of them looking to be almost fully formed into large Warforged creations, the largest stack being pushed on a wheelbarrow by a Dwarf who himself looks to be the Artificer the Necromancer spoke of earlier. You spot Narinn unconscious in a corner, his face singed with soot, but otherwise looking ok, thankfully not yet pushed through the teleportation circle.   THORMAN- "If you find anything else send it on through to my lab, I'll get started with what we've already taken."   The circle closes behind the Dwarf, and the Necromancer turns back to the remains of the lab. As he sees you look upon his work, his eyes narrow.   CONTODY- "I see you managed to fight your way through my undead. Pity that I'll now need to replace them with your own lifeless corpses. Lucky for me, never have I felt more powerful than on these hallowed grounds, in the shadow of the greatest necromancer of the age."   Suddenly a grim light leaps to his eyes, and crackles between his fingers as he points foul energy in your direction, keeping himself between you and your friend.   CONTODY- "Shall we begin?"

FUN STUFF

• Warforged pieces and parts (having been scrounged through) - PER DC 14 to find
• d6 damage if they get too close to fire
• Tum Tum appears to help, but will attack if they get close (DC 18 Animal Handling to keep him in line)
• NARINN will be unable to wake up

ENCOUNTER

• Map 3 - Necromancer, Guards and Wolf
• Contody - Chief Necromancer Necromancer-wizard CR 9
• Tum Tum (Narinn's wolf) Tum Tum CR 12
• Aber & Ollie Guards (2x) Guard CR 1/8

LOOT

• Black Hourglass and Grey Deathmask from Necromancer

EPILOGUE

• Guards (ABER and OLLIE) find the kids inside, near the Lab as it begins snowing, helping put out the flames from the explosion
• Afterwards, NARINN awakens and runs back toward the lab, "I....I,I I I was dreaming of wolves...and- and running through the forest...and I saw Nicov....dead"
• Narinn finds Nicov Flavel's body and drags it out (if group has not already done so). Narinn flees toward the dorms, inconsolable, Ollie goes after him to make sure he is safe
• Headmaster arrives, puts out whatever flames are left, is saddened by Flavel's death. "I will get in touch with King Xavamir and let him know what transpired here this evening. You did well to stand against these cultists"

AFTERMATH

• Danious (Dane) DIED fighting the Necromancer in the flames. When he was knocked out he fell INTO the flames and died. TOUGH LESSON was also lost to the flames.
• He DOES have a sister (younger) named JANIOUS that the others have not met yet
• THEY DID NOT FIGURE OUT that Wanesh was Mark Bastardson's father
• where we first heard the term the SVIFTY CULT Svifty Cult