Adventure L2-2 Arnheim: Unearthing Trouble
Second of a series of three level 2 adventures set in Arnheim on the continent of Aorlan.
Setting: The Gode Clay Mine and its environs. Hook: Workers at Gode’s clay mine have uncovered an ancient relic buried within the clay, broken into pieces. Strange occurrences have begin to plague the mine and surrounding area, halting operations and creating a pall of fear and dread which has spread to the town. Sir Roderic sends a woman at arms, his Sergeant, to ask the party to visit him at his home, The Old Tower. He appreciates their success with the kiln sabotage, and offers them a reward of 50 gold coins each for investigating the current problem at the clay mine and resolving the disturbance. Objectives: Uncover the nature of the relics, determine their origin, and put an end to the strange occurrences. Completing this adventure only gets them partway through those objectives; they will only be fully achieved on completion of the next adventure, Adventure L2-3 Arnheim: Secrets in the Clay. Culprits and Motivation A curse was placed on a stone tablet to protect an ancient underground temple from looters. Its broken pieces have been found by the clay miners. The civilization responsible for the artifacts also created animated clay guardians to ensure their legacy would remain undisturbed. The lingering magic - and the guardians - treat the miners and investigators as intruders. False Rumor: Some miners claim the events are caused by nature spirits angered because their hill has been disturbed with clay mining. This rumor diverts attention from the relics and their curse. Key Locations Gode Clay Mine: A wide, shallow excavation site cut into the side of a hill. There are several pits and work areas. The unearthed relics are stored in a makeshift tent near the mine. Relic Tent: A storage area where miners placed the discovered items. Because the items are stored here, it is now a focus of unusual magical / spiritual activity. Nearby Woods: The edge of the forest north of the mine, where vegetation is dying and where the miners claim to have seen strange lights and heard eerie noises.
Available Clues The Miners: They report feelings of unease after unearthing the relics. Some of them will report stronger feelings, with encouragement, if they trust the adventurers. All of them describe disturbing nightmares and a sense of feeling watched. Some report seeing shadowy shapes in the corner of their eyes. One reports seeing flickering wisp-lights in the forest. The Inscribed Stone Tablet: The miners found an ancient-looking stone tablet that was in 5 pieces. They are pieces of a 3-foot-square tablet with strange letters (Ancient High Movoran) carved into it. Nighttime Haunting: The mine’s night watchman tells of seeing glowing eyes and hearing whispered voices from the dark of the woods nearby, where the vegetation is dying. Woodland Dead Spot: Trees and other vegetation are dying in an area of woods closest to where the tablet was dug out of the clay. The area pulsates with faint evil energy. Historical Consultation: Joss Wilk, owner of Wood and Wares, is the closest thing Gode has to an expert on local history. A retired adventurer, he possesses a library of historical documents. Most of the leading townsfolk will mention his name if historical questions are posed. If he examines the text on the tablet, he will say that it is an ancient form of High Movoran that is a terrifying prayer to a god whose name he will not speak. He is so shocked by what he reads that he begins trembling and will have nothing else to do with items found in the cursed area. The Idol: The idol (still hidden in the clay at start of adventure) is inscribed with an activation glyph that resonates with magical energy. It acts as a guardian of the secret passage behind it. It radiates both evil and magic auras. Scenes Sir Roderic's request and promised reward: Sir Roderick, knowing that the adventurers handled well the sabotage of the kilns, sends his Sergeant to ask them to visit him at The Old Tower. He explains that there are disturbing reports from the miners, and offers a reward of 50 gold coins each if the party will investigate the reports, examine the relics the miners found and, ultimately, put a stop to the disturbing reports. Relic Tent Haunting: When they walk up to the tent, the most sensitive of the adventurers feel a sense of uneasiness and perhaps even see flickers of shadow on the edges of their vision. Hair stands up on heads, arms, legs. The relics are five pieces of carved stone tablet with broken edges. They are inscribed in an ancient language which is unlikely to be recognized or read by adventurers (it is Ancient High Movoran) with strange non-human figures dancing. It appears the pieces might fit together to form one larger tablet. But as soon as any of the pieces are touched, a gust of wind will blow the tent strongly enough to pull up its pegs, blow it away and knock adventurers tumbling, perhaps with minor damage. This is immediately followed by the attack of an incorporeal spirit appropriate to your game system, such as a minor ghost or shadow or wight. Mineyard Encounter: On their second visit to the mines, the party faces a group of small animated clay constructs that crawl and clamber out from the clay when someone approaches. They charge the party and attack with fists until destroyed. They are minor guardians of an ancient site that is still buried in the hillside. Small earth elementals are likely appropriate, depending on the game being played. Forest Ambush: Anyone investigating the nearby woods - especially the tainted area described above - will have a combat encounter with loud, feral creatures who have been warped by the relic’s evil magic, such as mutated wolves, a brown bear, a murder of crows or a creepy combination of all three. Final Confrontation: A man-sized ancient clay statue is still buried near the side wall of the mine, immediately next to where the tablet relics were found. It does radiate detectable evil as well as the magic of a binding spell. It lies only one foot deeper into the clay of the hillside. It remains inanimate when found and uncovered, but if the party attempts to move or destroy it, it will animate into a golem-like creature and attack. Alternatively, clever tactics might be used to deactivate the glyphs before it animates. A medium earth elemental is a good representation of the construct, depending on the game system being played. There is a small void visible in the clay behind it, which can be expanded into a tunnel opening into the hill. Resolution: After the adventurers have defeated or deactivated the idol and exposed the tunnel they have completed this adventure. If they return to Sir Roderic before entering the tunnel, he will award them the agreed gold. Whether they do that or not, proceed to the next adventure, L2-3 Arnheim: Secrets in the Clay.
End of Adventure L2-2 Arnheim: Unearthing Trouble
Setting: The Gode Clay Mine and its environs. Hook: Workers at Gode’s clay mine have uncovered an ancient relic buried within the clay, broken into pieces. Strange occurrences have begin to plague the mine and surrounding area, halting operations and creating a pall of fear and dread which has spread to the town. Sir Roderic sends a woman at arms, his Sergeant, to ask the party to visit him at his home, The Old Tower. He appreciates their success with the kiln sabotage, and offers them a reward of 50 gold coins each for investigating the current problem at the clay mine and resolving the disturbance. Objectives: Uncover the nature of the relics, determine their origin, and put an end to the strange occurrences. Completing this adventure only gets them partway through those objectives; they will only be fully achieved on completion of the next adventure, Adventure L2-3 Arnheim: Secrets in the Clay. Culprits and Motivation A curse was placed on a stone tablet to protect an ancient underground temple from looters. Its broken pieces have been found by the clay miners. The civilization responsible for the artifacts also created animated clay guardians to ensure their legacy would remain undisturbed. The lingering magic - and the guardians - treat the miners and investigators as intruders. False Rumor: Some miners claim the events are caused by nature spirits angered because their hill has been disturbed with clay mining. This rumor diverts attention from the relics and their curse. Key Locations Gode Clay Mine: A wide, shallow excavation site cut into the side of a hill. There are several pits and work areas. The unearthed relics are stored in a makeshift tent near the mine. Relic Tent: A storage area where miners placed the discovered items. Because the items are stored here, it is now a focus of unusual magical / spiritual activity. Nearby Woods: The edge of the forest north of the mine, where vegetation is dying and where the miners claim to have seen strange lights and heard eerie noises.
Available Clues The Miners: They report feelings of unease after unearthing the relics. Some of them will report stronger feelings, with encouragement, if they trust the adventurers. All of them describe disturbing nightmares and a sense of feeling watched. Some report seeing shadowy shapes in the corner of their eyes. One reports seeing flickering wisp-lights in the forest. The Inscribed Stone Tablet: The miners found an ancient-looking stone tablet that was in 5 pieces. They are pieces of a 3-foot-square tablet with strange letters (Ancient High Movoran) carved into it. Nighttime Haunting: The mine’s night watchman tells of seeing glowing eyes and hearing whispered voices from the dark of the woods nearby, where the vegetation is dying. Woodland Dead Spot: Trees and other vegetation are dying in an area of woods closest to where the tablet was dug out of the clay. The area pulsates with faint evil energy. Historical Consultation: Joss Wilk, owner of Wood and Wares, is the closest thing Gode has to an expert on local history. A retired adventurer, he possesses a library of historical documents. Most of the leading townsfolk will mention his name if historical questions are posed. If he examines the text on the tablet, he will say that it is an ancient form of High Movoran that is a terrifying prayer to a god whose name he will not speak. He is so shocked by what he reads that he begins trembling and will have nothing else to do with items found in the cursed area. The Idol: The idol (still hidden in the clay at start of adventure) is inscribed with an activation glyph that resonates with magical energy. It acts as a guardian of the secret passage behind it. It radiates both evil and magic auras. Scenes Sir Roderic's request and promised reward: Sir Roderick, knowing that the adventurers handled well the sabotage of the kilns, sends his Sergeant to ask them to visit him at The Old Tower. He explains that there are disturbing reports from the miners, and offers a reward of 50 gold coins each if the party will investigate the reports, examine the relics the miners found and, ultimately, put a stop to the disturbing reports. Relic Tent Haunting: When they walk up to the tent, the most sensitive of the adventurers feel a sense of uneasiness and perhaps even see flickers of shadow on the edges of their vision. Hair stands up on heads, arms, legs. The relics are five pieces of carved stone tablet with broken edges. They are inscribed in an ancient language which is unlikely to be recognized or read by adventurers (it is Ancient High Movoran) with strange non-human figures dancing. It appears the pieces might fit together to form one larger tablet. But as soon as any of the pieces are touched, a gust of wind will blow the tent strongly enough to pull up its pegs, blow it away and knock adventurers tumbling, perhaps with minor damage. This is immediately followed by the attack of an incorporeal spirit appropriate to your game system, such as a minor ghost or shadow or wight. Mineyard Encounter: On their second visit to the mines, the party faces a group of small animated clay constructs that crawl and clamber out from the clay when someone approaches. They charge the party and attack with fists until destroyed. They are minor guardians of an ancient site that is still buried in the hillside. Small earth elementals are likely appropriate, depending on the game being played. Forest Ambush: Anyone investigating the nearby woods - especially the tainted area described above - will have a combat encounter with loud, feral creatures who have been warped by the relic’s evil magic, such as mutated wolves, a brown bear, a murder of crows or a creepy combination of all three. Final Confrontation: A man-sized ancient clay statue is still buried near the side wall of the mine, immediately next to where the tablet relics were found. It does radiate detectable evil as well as the magic of a binding spell. It lies only one foot deeper into the clay of the hillside. It remains inanimate when found and uncovered, but if the party attempts to move or destroy it, it will animate into a golem-like creature and attack. Alternatively, clever tactics might be used to deactivate the glyphs before it animates. A medium earth elemental is a good representation of the construct, depending on the game system being played. There is a small void visible in the clay behind it, which can be expanded into a tunnel opening into the hill. Resolution: After the adventurers have defeated or deactivated the idol and exposed the tunnel they have completed this adventure. If they return to Sir Roderic before entering the tunnel, he will award them the agreed gold. Whether they do that or not, proceed to the next adventure, L2-3 Arnheim: Secrets in the Clay.
End of Adventure L2-2 Arnheim: Unearthing Trouble