Adventure L2-1 Arnheim: Sabotage in the Kilns
First of a series of three level 2 adventures set in Arnheim on the continent of Aorlan.
Setting: The town of Gode and its kilns and environs.
Hook: A series of mysterious kiln failures in the past month has disrupted Gode’s pottery trade. Sir Roderic enlists the party to investigate and put an end to the sabotage before it impacts the town’s reputation and trade.
Objectives: Identify the saboteurs, uncover their motives, and prevent further sabotage.
Culprits and Motivations
Edvar Durlok: A disgruntled former potter, Edvar was ousted from the Kilnsmith’s Guild due to poor craftsmanship. Bitter and seeking revenge, he aims to discredit the guild by sabotaging its production.
Hired Thugs: Edvar has enlisted roughnecks to help execute his plan. They are motivated purely by payment. They are camped just inside the forest, not far from town.
False Rumor: Edvar spreads the idea that the sabotage is being done by rival potters from Lirlen, another pottery town downriver. He says they are trying to take over Gode's pottery trade.
Key Locations
Kiln Row: The central area where most of the kilns are located. It is bustling during the day but very quiet at night unless someone is working late firing pots.
Abandoned Shed: Near the river, this dilapidated building is near collapse. It hides clues and provides an ambush point.
Lumberjack Guild: Marko Arvidson is the crew boss for the lumberjacks. This big barn contains firewood for the kilns, some lumber for construction and is a hang-out place for the lumberjacks. There's a table, chair, cards and dice. Marko has been paid by Edvar to keep the lumberjacks away from the forest camp. He's a bit defensive and dodgy if questioned. If the party talks one of the other lumberjacks into speaking, he says Marko has kept them working in a new part of the forest for the past week. And that they have smelled a woodfire when the wind blew toward them from the forest.
Nearby forest: The saboteurs' camp is just inside the forest, not far from town.
Available Clues:
Order determined by the adventurers. Kiln Row: While investigating at night, the party encounters hired thugs disguised as workers. They are attempting to sabotage another kiln that is being fired. They spring out of concealment to attack the party to cover their tracks. They are normal humans with at least average hit points. One wields a hammer, the others clubs. They flee if things go badly. If one is captured and convinced, he will growl: "Talk to Edvar," and nothing more. Abandoned Shed: Searching the shed reveals a burlap sack of tools used in the sabotage, but also triggers the collapse of a tower of empty barrels. Damage is minor and might be dodged by someone quick or lucky. But the noise attracts a small group of the saboteur thugs who were smoking down by the river. This shed is their in-town hideout. They are normal humans, but with at least average hit points, and they each have a club. They flee when things go badly. If one is captured and convinced, he will growl: "Edvar din't pay enough for this. Lemme go an' I'll bust his head." Hunted by wolves: The forest outskirts are home to territorial wolves that, unbeknownest to the town, have been corrupted by evil magics as yet undiscovered. They would not normally attack the party, but now will, specifically going after the trailing adventurer. Nature knowledge or a very observant role will realize they are not acting naturally. Perhaps they are ill? They don't show signs of being rabid. Forest Camp: Following clues leads the party to the saboteurs’ camp in the woods, especially with tracking skill or lucky rolls. Here, they face the saboteurs’ leader, Edvar Durlok, and his band of thugs. Edvar uses a light crossbow, and has minor alchemical items: a smoke bomb and a vial of alchemical fire. The thugs are normal humans with at least average hit points. They wield clubs except for the toughest, who has a short sword and maximum hit points. Upon defeating Edvar, the party finds incriminating evidence in his pack: a journal describing his time in the guild, increasing tension as they ask him to improve his quality, then his ouster, his anger turning into vendetta, his recruiting and payment of the thugs, the rumors he has been spreading and the sabotage he has had the thugs perform. Resolution and Reward: If the plot and the evidence from Edvar's journal are brought to Sir Roderic, he rewards the party as promised with 50 gp each. The Kilnsmiths Guild gifts each adventurer with a fine hand-crafted ale tankard for their efforts, which will be hung above the bar at The Clay Hearth if the adventurers like - and filled with Mella's best when they visit! The Kilnsmith’s Guild promises discounts on goods and services.
End of Adventure L2-1 Arnheim: Sabotage in the Kilns
- A faint trail of ash mixed with clay dust leading from one of the sabotaged kilns to an abandoned shed near the river.
- A loose note tucked into a crack in an investigated kiln's wall. The innermost part of the note is burned leaving just the outmost portion. It appears to contain a rough sketch of the kiln layout with sabotage points marked. The remaining letters are "to E.D. afte".
- A potter at the Clay Hearth Tavern says they saw someone last night walking with a limp and carrying a heavy sack over by Kiln Row.
- A burlap sack of tools is discovered in the abandoned shed, including a hammer and an iron wedge that matches damage to the kilns.
- A clay miner having an ale at the Clay Hearth Tavern overheard a conversation three nights ago between Edvar Durlok and a table of rough-looking strangers. He couldn't hear much but "ruining Gode’s reputation" struck him and stuck in his memory.
- A piece of torn fabric, possibly from a cloak, is found stuck on one of the recently sabotaged kilns. Theo Dumont, the town’s tailor, can identify it as a cloak he made for Edvar Durlok. In fact, Durlok just dropped off a torn cloak that needed this repair.
Order determined by the adventurers. Kiln Row: While investigating at night, the party encounters hired thugs disguised as workers. They are attempting to sabotage another kiln that is being fired. They spring out of concealment to attack the party to cover their tracks. They are normal humans with at least average hit points. One wields a hammer, the others clubs. They flee if things go badly. If one is captured and convinced, he will growl: "Talk to Edvar," and nothing more. Abandoned Shed: Searching the shed reveals a burlap sack of tools used in the sabotage, but also triggers the collapse of a tower of empty barrels. Damage is minor and might be dodged by someone quick or lucky. But the noise attracts a small group of the saboteur thugs who were smoking down by the river. This shed is their in-town hideout. They are normal humans, but with at least average hit points, and they each have a club. They flee when things go badly. If one is captured and convinced, he will growl: "Edvar din't pay enough for this. Lemme go an' I'll bust his head." Hunted by wolves: The forest outskirts are home to territorial wolves that, unbeknownest to the town, have been corrupted by evil magics as yet undiscovered. They would not normally attack the party, but now will, specifically going after the trailing adventurer. Nature knowledge or a very observant role will realize they are not acting naturally. Perhaps they are ill? They don't show signs of being rabid. Forest Camp: Following clues leads the party to the saboteurs’ camp in the woods, especially with tracking skill or lucky rolls. Here, they face the saboteurs’ leader, Edvar Durlok, and his band of thugs. Edvar uses a light crossbow, and has minor alchemical items: a smoke bomb and a vial of alchemical fire. The thugs are normal humans with at least average hit points. They wield clubs except for the toughest, who has a short sword and maximum hit points. Upon defeating Edvar, the party finds incriminating evidence in his pack: a journal describing his time in the guild, increasing tension as they ask him to improve his quality, then his ouster, his anger turning into vendetta, his recruiting and payment of the thugs, the rumors he has been spreading and the sabotage he has had the thugs perform. Resolution and Reward: If the plot and the evidence from Edvar's journal are brought to Sir Roderic, he rewards the party as promised with 50 gp each. The Kilnsmiths Guild gifts each adventurer with a fine hand-crafted ale tankard for their efforts, which will be hung above the bar at The Clay Hearth if the adventurers like - and filled with Mella's best when they visit! The Kilnsmith’s Guild promises discounts on goods and services.
End of Adventure L2-1 Arnheim: Sabotage in the Kilns