I came up with this adventure for my party of 5 mostly-good-aligned 1st-level PCs. This particular story requires at least one female character and one halfling or gnome-size PC. The basics of the adventure will be here; NPC sheets and maps are in separate blog posts.
A strange curse seems to be spreading like a disease through the city of Lorynthea. Otherwise mild-mannered people (like old men and nuns) are suddenly and unexpectedly erupting into a violent rampage. Every day more people are being locked up. It’s believed to be an enchantment of some sort, and the culprit an elusive woman called K’Ashira the Red.
In this small to medium sized city, enchantments are forbidden, weapons must be peace-tied within city walls, and the only people trusted less than the City Guards are outsiders. The city also houses the Royal Library (see here), a monastery of a specific sort (more on that later) and a less-than-savory quarter of town where the more disaffected call home.
What you need to know about the Curse:
- If an Infected individual touches bare palm or fingers to bare skin of a non-infected one, the latter must make a Fortitude Save DC 15. If save is made, the touched avoids affliction. If the save is not made, then in 1d4 hours the touched becomes delusional and begins to think everyone is his enemy. Within 3d8 hours of this symptom, the newly afflicted loses all memory of himself and everyone he knows. Within 3d8 more hours, the newly afflicted becomes fervently homocidal as well contagious; they get +1 to attack rolls.
- Origin: created by K’Ashira (see Character Sheet), the Curse on Lorynthea will remain until K’Ashira’s demonic amulet is destroyed, as its stone contains the essence of her spell.
- To destroy the amulet, its stone must be cracked with a silver or holy item (such as a hammer, rod, etc.) Impact from silver (or holy weapon) is the only thing which will cause the stone to crack. If the amulet is kept in a holy place (e.g.: a church or monastery, or on the person of a Paladin) the curse will still exist in those afflicted but cease to spread.
Prologue: The Witness
Late in the evening, contrive a way for your PC of Small Size to be out in the streets alone. Upon making a turn, she makes the Spot Check and spies something in an alley: A humanoid woman (she looks vaguely like another of the female PCs, but vaguely enough that it’s obviously not) is holding a talisman of some kind in one hand. Her right hand is touching the forehead of an old man. She chants something in an unrecognizable language (Infernal). Just then, she sees or hears the PC. Allow the PC to get away unharmed for now; fake die rolls as needed.
Day 1: The Arrest
The next day, news spreads by way of town crier about two important events:
- An elderly man was arrested after a violent rampage in a tavern; he attempted to attack people with a fork. The man was taken to the prison.
- K’Ashira the Red is still at large. City guards are looking for a young (girl or boy, depending on the PC’s gender) regarding her whereabouts.
Meanwhile, gossip is overheard in the marketplace:
- The Lunarian Brotherhood (Monastery) is missing its ceremonial silver hammer.
- A merchant had a pair of silver-plated mugs stolen last week, and the guards are sure dragging their feet on it.
- Half the City Guards are corrupt. They’re probably more interested in money than justice.
- The metalsmith’s guild was broken into.
- Gather Information check, DC 15: The metalsmith’s guild is missing two pounds of silver bars.
- DC 17:They wish to keep on the down-low about it, because the silver came from the Baron’s own stores to fashion a pair of ornamental swords.
- DC 19: The site of the break-in is strange, in that only something the size of a cat or smaller could have fit through the window to the storage cellar (which was opened but not broken) and that (Search check DC 15) cobwebs are undisturbed.
Bear in mind: any PC with a WIS score of more than 9 will probably figure out that the only way the guards would know about her witnessing the enchantment would be from the perpetrator herself, and thus find it in her best interest to keep out of trouble with the law.
At some point, the PCs may consider going to the prison to investigate. Somehow (leave it to your DM creativity how, heh) the one female bearing a VERY vague resemblance to K’Ashira is arrested and booked by Lieutenant Mallick Eleguth (see Character Sheet). The clerk at the prison will inform the remaining party members present that her hearing will be at the courthouse tomorrow at 8 AM, and that an attorney would be a good idea.
The hearing will determine whether the arrested PC is competent to stand trial. The only way the case could be dismissed at this point is if it’s proven beyond all reasonable doubt that the person on the stand is NOT K’Ashira the Red.
Also, at some point during the day, an Affected Elderly Woman attacks (see Stats) one or more of the players. She’s not yet contagious, but she’s paranoid and furious. She’ll rant about how they took “her Hubert” away but they’ll never take her away!
Afflicted people may still be at large in the city. It may add a real element of excitement to have the occasional random attack with a chance of infecting a PC…
Night 2: The Payoff
The only attorney remotely willing to take the case is one Bartlett Thornwood (see Stats). He has a kind of bumbling, “Columbo” manner about him, maybe with a hint of “My Cousin Vinnie”. He has lots of experience in tax law–but not criminal law. Fortunately, his fee is not an expensive one.
He figures that the likeliest way to prove that it’s mistaken identity is to prove that there’s no way that there’s any illusion, wild shape, etc. If only there were a court-admissable way to do that…
That evening, perhaps as the PCs are returning to their rooms after meeting an attorney, perhaps as one is out walking, whatever, a conversation from a nearby window is heard. It’s between K’Ashira and Mallick; he receives half of his “payment” with the promise that he’ll receive the other half when they “find the kid; if you don’t, (s)he could ruin everything!” Mallick, foggy on the details of the plan, gets an impatient explanation from K’Ashira that once the town is fully in the grip of this plague and the Baron is willing to give anything to the person who can save the day. When that happens, she explains, there will be a sizeable promotion available for him.
IF the PCs actually try to enter the room, they first will have to get through the jewel shop on the ground floor (see Map), which will be guarded by Bruno (see Stats) and likely get the attention of the Jeweler (see Stats). They will then have to ascend the wooden stairs, which is likely to get the attention of K’Ashira and Mallick. K’Ashira will immediately go invisible and jump out the window, escaping into the alley below with plenty of time to get away unnoticed. Mallick will be ready to fight. If he starts to get cornered, he will Bull-rush past the PCs to get outside, downstairs, and into the street. Once there, he’ll call for backup. K’Ashira’s spider familiar is lurking in the cobwebs on the ceiling, and will drop and attack (see Monstrous Spider, Tiny in the MM). There’s not much in the room: a fireplace, a mattress, a table and chair, and a chest.
The chest contains:
- 2 1-pound bars of silver
- 2 silverplated heavy mugs
- an ornate (masterwork) silver hammer
Day 2: The Hearing
Early the next morning is the hearing for the PC at the courthouse. She’ll have spent the night alone in the cell, with her thumbs cuffed (in a superstitious attempt to keep her from casting spells), her weapons and armor confiscated, her clothing replaced with a prison-issue outfit. She’ll have been given bread and milk for 2 meals a day, because the guards superstitiously think she can cast spells with clear water. She’s not “interrogated” or anything; she’s treated fairly humanely (for solitary confinement in a medieval gaol at least).
Judge Argentia Whitefall (Elf, F, L/N) presides over the hearing. Stats aren’t given because I’m going to assume no PC is actually dumb enough to attack a judge in a courtroom. But just in case, roll her up a handful of sturdy Bailiffs. The prossecuting Baronial Attorney is one Erosthenes Gilder, (Elf, M, L/G) a well-spoken and clean-cut man. The PCs, let’s hope, are clever enough to prove that their comrade can’t possibly be K’Ashira the Red. Mr. Thornwood will have some tricks up his sleeve, not the least of which including calling up the PC of Small Size who actually witnessed the enchantment. If the PCs appear to really be in need of more of a hand, he may also call up an esteemed local wizard who possesses a Gem of True Seeing.
Provided they do well, not only will the wrongly accused PC be released, but Judge Whitefall will be moved to appeal to the Baron for an independent investigation into charges of incompetence and corruption in the city guard.
Thanks in no small part to his performance in court under Thornwood’s cross-examination, Lt. Mallick is among the first to fall under scrutiny, and loses his job (as the PCs will later hear either by news or gossip).
Additionally: The Royal Library has a work-exchange program thast your wizard may look into. It’s through this that an important clue can be gained. For every 4 hours that he works scibal duty for the Library, he’s allowed one hour to write in his spellbook FREE (as in, disregarding the usual gp cost to copy spells into his book). No wizard in his right mind will pass this up! While at his scribal duties, he comes upon the following:
I love props 
Night 2: The Attack
That evening after dark, when the PCs are outside, they’ll hear a man call desperately for help. They may recognize him as the jeweler. “There’s a man over there being attacked!” he cries, pointing toward the alley.
Lying in the alley with -1 HP is Lt. Mallick. Women’s bootprints can be seen going out into the cobblestone street, where of course they disappear after that.
“What should I do?” the jeweler will ask. “Should I get the guards? Or a healer?”
Somehow, Mallick will be restored to consciousness. Trust me, even his “arch nemisis” in my game wanted him awake, so he could talk. When he recognizes the people he’d been so cruel to actually saving his life, he has a change of heart.
(That, and, the “charm person” spell he was under was broken while he was Mostly Dead, and one doesn’t come within an inch of his life without having an epiphany or two…)
He explains that he never saw K’Ashira coming, that she “must have been invisible again”. He also adds, “Have you ever been hit with a magical weapon? Hurts like hell.” It takes VERY little convincing to get him to agree to help catch K’Ashira. He informs them that she’s probably gone underground, literally, after deciding that he’d outlived his usefulness to her. He suggests they go to the red-light district (call it what you call it) to find his contact, Tom Pocket. He’ll likely know where to find K’Ashira. From there he wishes the party all the best and goes to the infirmary.
