Children of Omens
In the city of Volk, capital of the Fanagar Barony, a young woman stumbles through the streets. Poor Ashenna, clutching her belly, stifling the cries of contractions, she stumbles towards the windows of the Temple on Lindestrae. The last worshiper stumbles out, a few libations in their blood and a dwarven woman attempts to lose the door. She looks to the alley with Ashenna in it and their eyes lock.
5 minutes later, Ashenna is pushing out a child she didn't want. It is not an easy birth, Roma the cleric is covered in blood and they're running out of cold water. The baby is born. Ashenna looks at it and too weak to carry on, goes into shock and passes away.
Roma is left alone, holding a child in her arms, its mother dead on a nearby couch. She looks down at the child.
It's a rat.
Structure
Exposition
For anyone reading in the future, when a child born to a mother of one race and not does not reflect that race, they are called a Manadith. From the sylvan words for "birth omen", a Manadith is usually evidence that a powerful extraplanar entity such as a djinn or devil is present in the prime material plane and is close by. Throughout the years, most villages that have a Manadith born to them, usually have trouble in the near future.
So, when a ratfolk child is born, the population is usually subjected to a terrible plague as it is evidence of Turos, god of Plagues, is awakened once again.
Conflict
A freaking ratfolk manadith was born in the city where the followers of Turos run the biggest medical structure in the Barony.
However, they don't know about it. Neither do the Chaussers. Neither does the Baron.
The only people that know are Roma Goldvein and eventually, the party.
Rising Action
Party is gonna have to decide the fate of the Manadith. If the Plaguebearer's find out about it, they're gonna start gassing the freaking city. If the Chausser's find out, they're gonna kill the fucking kid. If the Collectors find out, they're gonna take the kid for leverage and probably take over the city. Who knows what Baron Douglas will do.
Also, when the party finds out, they will hear someone else outside listening to their conversation.
Climax
So I won't lie, someones gonna find out, it kinda depends on what the party is thinking about doing with the child and will be decided in the moment and shit is gonna go down.
The party might want to stop the Plaguebearers from summoning the Blight, they might have to repel the Chaussers or the Guiding Lance from getting the Child. They may have to stop the Collectors from assassinating Baron Douglas and holding the city hostage. A lot can go down.
Falling Action
So no matter what happens, Turos is gonna unleash the Blight
Components
Hooks
Pock's dad asks him too
Stakes
An entire city and by default, an entire barony.
Moral Quandaries
Whole as child, a little Rat baby
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