Witches' Cave

Near the Witches' Cave

1. Briea Ethi “Salvation in Perfection” Founding Year: 3,716 Population: 1,012 – This old town is in a clearing in the temperate rainforest.
Overheard in Briea Ethi
• A horde of gold has just been found, so enormous that gold will soon be worth a fraction of its current value.
• Gwevylart is actually the illegitimate son of Pascowayae Jann with her lover Gwevylart Alison rather than her husband Leodet.
• The Praetresse is actually one of the 'witches.'
• Acairae Eiric is actually an illegitimate daughter of the Attractae Vicereinne Cafellae Ḍi̋nîma̋, hidden away in Briea Ethi to avoid a succession scandal.
• Little Talekae Hearn has been acting oddly lately. She keeps singing songs in a strange language and talking to people who aren't there.
Things to Do in Briea Ethi
1. A Missing Scorpion
   A gang of hapless thieves has stolen a powerful new weapon, and the Praetresse wants it recovered discreetly.
   Story
   The Court commissioned a local artisan to craft a new weapon of war, which its creator, a young, brilliant human woman named Genevieve (Jennie) Gwydyr, has dubbed a Rotary Scorpion. The device is a siege instrument with a rotating cylinder attached to a launching mechanism, The cylinder can hold up to ten 7-foot bolts, and after each bolt is fired, the next bolt is immediately lined up in its place. The weapon is lightweight, very mobile, and can fire bolts four times faster than any scorpion known. A well-trained team can even reload the barrel as its being fired, which gives it an unparalleled advantage on the battlefield.   The device was stolen from Genevieve Gwydyr's workshop three days ago. The Praetresse is worried who it might be sold to and how it might be used but is even more worried that the Court will discover that the weapon is lost, and she'll be held responsible. She is looking for a discreet team to find and return it before anyone realizes it is gone.
 
2. The Sorceresse' Tower
   The town Sorceresse has been consumed by dark magic. Her tower is bursting with eldritch energies, which are beginning to consume the town.
   Story
   In the town of Briea Ethi stands a tall stone spire, the tower of Aodhnaitae The Elegànte. This venerable sorceresse keeps to himself for the most part, but serves as an advisor to the mayor, and is loved for hosting a harvest festival for the town each year.   Rumors of some strange events were overheard in the town's local tavern for a few months, but no one considered they might be real. That all changed four days ago.   Late one night a small earthquake shook the town. Most in the town had never experienced such a thing. Later still, brightly-colored flashes of light were seen about Aodhnaiterr's tower. All that night the air was electric, and the earth continued to shake beneath it.   The next morning was calm and quiet. The wizard would not come to his door, and cautiously, the town returned to normalcy. At midday, the horses and other animals in the town began to cry out, then tried to escape the town in a blind panic. Shortly thereafter, a malevolent storm suddenly rolled in. Above the wizard's tower, witnesses reported an eye in the storm. Though early in the afternoon, the eye opened up into the black void of the night sky and a few red, fiercely-burning stars.   The storm raged into the night, when things got calm again. Just after the moon went down over the distant hills, an explosion rocked the town. A blast leveled all buildings within two hundred feet of the tower, and the ruins smoked with eerie green fire. Despite the blast, the tower remained, as if monitoring it's doomed test subjects below.   Pegeenerr Moss the mayor -- a towering former soldier with a formidable handlebar mustache -- organized the militia. They broke the door down and advanced into the tower. The entire town watched nervously through the night until another blast wave shook the town. The door opened, and only two of the militia emerged. Burned and injured, they stumbled out in a daze. They muttered only nonsensical words and shortly thereafter, attacked their caregivers savagely before they were killed.   Pegeenerr Moss began to evacuate the town as the rumblings and mystical energies continued to emanate from the tower, and wants to hire adventurers to find out what happened.   The players enter Aodhnaiterr The Astounding's tower and fight their way up the numerous levels to the top. Magic works strangely in here, and the very fabric of reality is twisted. At the top level, the players discover the body of the wizard and are attacked by his malevolent spirit. His private chamber seems to have no ceiling, but instead, a night sky filled with the horrible void of space. Upon defeating the spirit, the tower begins to collapse, and the PCs must hurry their way out, avoiding getting crushed. Once out of the tower it implodes into a singularity and evaporates as if it never existed.
 
3. The Dragon's Bane
   Rumors tell of a fearsome dragon that terrorizes this region, named Kayneis the Miserable. A group of silver miners have been enslaved by the beast; and all of their break-breaking earnings go into the dragon's maw...and it's vast hoard of treasures.
   GM Preview
   The dragon is actually the town's protector, but is enslaved by a fiend.
   Story
   In actuality, the dragon is the towns protector: a fact which is revealed if adventurers question the locals. However, in recent weeks the dragon has ceased it's normal patrols and hasn't been collecting the gifts that the townsfolk supply to keep the dragon fed and happy.   If the adventurers decide to undergo the perilous journey to the dragon's nearby den, they will encounter a mind-controlling fiend who is holding the dragon enthralled while enjoying it's hoard. The fiend will order the dragon to attack the adventurers as soon as they are detected, while trying to stay out of harm's way itself.   If the adventurers manage to slay the dragon and the fiend, they will have free run of the dragon's hoard...and the eternal enmity of the townsfolk. If they save the dragon from the fiend's clutches they will earn the eternal gratitude of the townsfolk, a small reward, and a very powerful ally in the form of the mighty dragon Kayneis the Miserable.
 
2. Xithian Ethi “Xithian Ethi before all” Founding Year: 3,686 Population: 999 – This old village is in a clearing in the temperate rainforest.
Overheard in Xithian Ethi
• Gemmie Kevern is actually an illegitimate son of the Vicereinne Cafellae Ḍi̋nîma̋, hidden away in Xithian Ethi to avoid scandal.
• Local pet cats have been disappearing because they have run off to join a pack led by a werebobuar.
• The frail, elderly Giorsalae Odgar was beset by a gang of drunken hooligans late at night. A witness claims she battered them all senseless with her cane, before hobbling the rest of the way back to her home.
• Rangers have reported encountering treecats that cam mimic the sounds of other animals and even human speech.
Things to Do in Xithian Ethi
1. The Hungry Giant
   Xithian Ethi is on the verge of panic, as a frightening giant steals away one of their livestock every few days. Fearing starvation in the coming months, the villagers call for the help of anyone who can solve their big problem.
   GM Preview
   The giant isn't simply stealing the livestock to eat them. It stole the animals so that it could breed them and have an endless supply for the years to come.
   Story
   The settlers are worried that they'll go hungry through the winter if they can't stop the big brute. They're hiring negotiators to placate the giant by whatever means necessary.   If the negotiators should seek out the giant, named Inghean, they will find he is not simply pillaging the settlement for a quick meal. He's taken the livestock and put them to use, intent on breeding them for the seasons to come. Of course, knowing his appetite, he's allowed for plenty of leftovers.   Though the giant is not altogether friendly, he's not without reason. An accord can be struck with him to various effects. Though the settlement makes for an easy target, there are wild animals in the wilderness. A cunning diplomat could convince him to hunt those animals, to either his benefit or the settlement's. In time, they could even grow to have a sort of symbiotic relationship with each other.   Of course, should diplomacy fail, a fight with the giant would not be uncalled for. And even if the giant could be convinced to share goods with the people of the settlement, they would have to be convinced likewise.
2. Holy Treasure
   The Court recently issued an edict that handsomely awards those who recover holy relics and donate them to the Nation. Explorers of all kinds have been searching in every cave and under every rock in Attractae, hoping to strike it rich. A woman named Gaileil Siawn has a map to an ancient tomb that she believes holds a relic of a renowned Elven Priestesse named Rigriele the Lucky. She is offering to split the reward with anyone who helps her find the relic.
3. Hostage Situation
   Angry after a dispute with the Praetress of Xithian Ethi, due to raids on the town and robberies of travelers in the area, a nomadic tribe called the Brutal Secrets has captured the Praetress' daughter and are holding her hostage until their concerns are addressed.