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Summary:
The PCs have the chance to make a few coins while performing fire-prevention work for the Temple of Iximitchili. The level of work they do will be dependent on their skills and can range from simple brush clearance to the inspection of major buildings. And as always with code enforcement, opportunities arise for the clever or those with a light-hearted view of the law.
Assumptions:
The PCs are comprised of some strangers from Jerranq, far to the north, and are dwelling in the City of Ghostly Feathers in Xicalanca. At least one PC can speak Azotlan or has access to a tongues spell. They have need to have access to the marketplace in the city.
Location:
The City of Ghostly Feathers in Xicalanca.
Historical Date:
701 A.C. Xbalanqueinatl (late autumn)
DM's Introduction:
Iximitchli (icks-eh-MITCH-lee) is the god of fire and represents
both the beneficial aspect of the forge and the destructive nature
of the wildfire. Generally his priesthood emphasizes the former,
and his temples are hubs for the commercial enterprises of smiths
and craftsmen of many varieties. But the Temple is also responsible
for carrying out fire prevention duties, a constant need in the
large cities.
Why Work?
Let's face it, adventuring is a risky business but has the major benefit in that it frees you from the mundane life of work. And most of the work the temple offers is hard, hot and dusty - take it from one who's done brush clearance with hand tools, it sucks. The priests know this, of course, and use both a carrot and stick to attract workers. The carrot is a fair wage for work done, and the stick is the requirement that anyone wishing to do business at the temple and marketplace beyond the most ordinary level must make a "sacrifice" of work done.
This "sacrifice" is repaid both with coins and a copper emblem that allows the individual to enter the areas of the temple and marketplace where more important work is done. This emblem is changed annually, which creates a constant demand for them as well as work for the coppersmiths who take the old emblems and restrike them.
So a good way to bring the PCs into this encounter could be their need for access to specialty goods. Alternatively, they could be hired by a wealthy man to gain the emblems for his own trading needs.
Dramatis Personae
Necahual
Necahual (knee-KA-hwa) is typical of the priests found at the temple - primarily a craftsman with a bit of religious training. He will be responsible for hiring the party members and determine their level of expertise, and will supervise them for a portion of the encounter.
Cenyaotl
Cenyaotl (sen-YOAT) is a tanner whose loose ethics have helped him become fairly well-to-do. He has used his superior skills in negotiation to gain a commercial advantage over his rivals, and with that has come a certain contempt for law. His tanning shop has numerous fire hazards that he has used coin to get ignored.
The Temple Grounds
Most of the public portion of the Temple of Iximitchli is found in the marketplace. It is probably more correct to say that the market grew around the temple rather than the other way around. In any case it is a hive of activity, with numerous craftsmen at work and items being hawked and sold. The temple is also a labour market, with semi-skilled laborers waiting patiently for work.
Inside the temple more sophisticated work is done by clerks, scribes and minor officials. Contracts for skilled labour, large quantities of crafted items and other such commercial arrangements are made there.
Getting Hired and Paid
So long as they have a pulse Necahual will hire the PCs, but the type of work they receive (and their level of pay) is dependent on their skills. The base wage offered is 2 sp. This is the amount that each PC will be paid for the work, plus an additional percentage for skills:
+10% per Spot skill bonus point
+10% per Search skill bonus point
+50% per Gather Information skill bonus point
+100% per skill bonus point in Knowledge (architecture and engineering)
or any appropriate Craft of Profession skill
Example: Bob the Builder has a Spot bonus of +2 and a Craft (carpentry) bonus of +3. He will earn 320% more than Grond the Barbarian, who will use his combat skills to rage against the dry weeds Bob wants cleared at least 50 ft around a house.
The PCs as a group will also get a bonus for every infraction discovered and reported:
+ 1 sp per minor infraction
+10 sp per major infraction
And of course each party member will also receive the copper emblem that allows them access to many of the Temple's services for that year.
Note: It is fully understood that PCs of the level likely to be involved in this scenario are going to be underwhelmed by the wages from this scenario. However, such wages are secondary to the copper emblem which will allow them access to skill craftsmen, or forges so that they can do their own crafting, or to sellers of rare ingredients and items such as potions.
The Work
Once Necahual hires the PCs he will depart on his rounds with them, inspecting various areas and buildings for fire hazards. The degree of detail the DM wishes to use here is up to him - for example, the DM can ask the party to make various skill checks using Spot, Search or any other appropriate skills, with a Minor Infraction found on a DC of 15 or more. Most areas won't have problems, so it might be best to consider making checks on an hourly basis, or even longer.
Every building or area that Necahual inspects and passes will be given a small tin emblem stamped with a special symbol for that season. He will then note the building on a wax tablet he carries, with the information to be stored in the records at the temple later. He also notes those that do not pass the inspection, and they will be fined and re-inspected later.
Necahual is generally serious about his work, but today he has the chance to visit his mistress without arousing his wife's suspicions. The PCs will be able to work independently - but not before Necahual is certain he won't get into hot water. He won't leave until he's sure that the PCs are at least somewhat competent, which the DM can best assess from their attitude. But he really wants to go, both for the joys of his mistress and because a tanner's shop is on the inspection list.
Knocking on Opportunity's Door
Once Necahual is gone, the PCs can do as they please. If they wish, they can just cool their heels somewhere and show up to the temple in the afternoon, turning in the tablet and reports. Necahual will not be pleased to see that no additional work was done, but he's in no position to do anything but smile and pay them.
Alternatively, the PCs could be motivated by the chance to find infractions and make some more coin. This will eventually take them to the shop of Cenyaotl the tanner. Tanning shops are dirty, stinking places filled with the effluvia of dead animals and the barrels of urine used as part of the process. In addition to this, Cenyaotl has cut every corner he can in provisioning his store, making it a real hazard to the community.
The tanner will not be pleased to see the inspectors but will do his best to show willingness. He's a crafty bastard, though, and will try to lead the party into the cleanest part of his shop, all the while gassing on, describing in gory detail the tanning process, and offering them "tasty tidbits" like day-old ox-head and the like. A successful opposed roll of Sense Motive against.his Bluff will reveal that he's got something to hide.
The inspectors can find what he's hiding on the following table, using Spot or Search. Add a +4 circumstance bonus for each rank in Profession (tanner). The roll is not cumulative (until the DC of 20 is exceeded):
DC 5 = 1 minor infraction
DC 10 = 2 minor infractions
DC 15 = 1 major infraction
DC 20 = 1 major and 2 minor infractions
Each 5 points above DC 20 = +1 minor infraction
Each 10 points above DC 20 = +1 major infraction
Example: A roll of 30 finds 2 major infractions and 4 minor infractions.
Examples of infractions:
Major
Open fires used to boil the tanning vats
Fires used indoors without a proper chimney
Minor
Heavy brush within 50
ft of the building
Lack of fire barrels in a commercial building that uses flame
Chances are strong that the PCs will find a whole lot of problems here at the shop. But Cenyaotl still has one trick up his sleeve - bribery. Once the inspection is complete, he will suggest that the party inspect one last place - where a pouch full of coins is found (75 sp). He'll let the party keep the cash in return for a clean inspection. They can also negotiate the price with him, and though Cenyaotl is loathe to offer up many more coins he can offer them some well-crafted leather goods.
If the party declines, they can return to the temple, claim their reward and end the encounter.
If they accept and choose not to report Cenyaotl, they do the same.
Or, they can use their new-found power and go on to other nearby businesses looking to shake down their owners! In any case, they have had the chance to see a little bit of the daily life of Xicalanca.
Other Modifications
Feel free to turn the tanner's shop into something else if one of the PCs has taken ranks in an another profession. If, for example, one of the PCs has two ranks of Profession (fisherman) then she can impress Necahual with her expertise and get sent to the docks. It's a rare opportunity to reward a PC for choosing some non-combat skills!
Characters
| NECAHUAL CR
1 Male human Cleric 1 (Iximitchili)/Expert 1 NG Medium humanoid (human) Init +0; Senses Listen +3, Spot +3 Languages Azotlan AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10 hp 6 (2 HD) Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +5 Spd 30 ft (6 squares) Melee unarmed -1 (1d3-1 nonlethal) Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft Base Atk +0; Grp -1 Special Actions turn undead (3/day) Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 1 [CL 3 conjuration {creation}]; melee touch -1, ranged touch +0): 1st - animate rope(d), peacebond (DC 12) 0 - detect magic, light, mending Domains: Craft (+1 CL conjuration [creation] spells, Skill Focus (craft) bonus feat), Creation (+1 CL conjuration [creation] spells) Abilities Str 8, Dex 10, Con 9, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10 SQ spontaneous casting (cure) Feats Alertness, Investigator, Skill Focus (crafting [metalsmith]) Skills Appraise +3, Bluff +2, Concentration +3, Craft (metalsmith) +6, gather Information +2, Heal +4, Knowledge (religion) +4, Listen +3, Perform (oratory) +1, Search +3, Sense Motive +3, Spellcraft +5, Spot +3 Possessions wooden holy symbol, spell component pouch, belt pouch, wax tablet, stylus, tin emblems, hammer, nails (20) |
| CENYAOTL CR
1/2 Male human Expert 1 N Medium humanoid (human) Init +0; Senses Listen +2, Spot +2 Languages Azotlan AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10 hp 3 (1 HD) Fort -1, Ref +0, Will +2 Spd 30 ft (6 squares) Melee unarmed -1 (1d3 nonlethal) Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft Base Atk +0; Grp +0 Abilities Str 10, Dex 10, Con 8, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 10 Feats Skill Focus (craft [tanning]) Skills Appraise +5, Bluff +4, Craft (leatherworking) +4, Craft (tanning) +8, Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +4, Listen +2, Search +2, Sense Motive +3, Spot +2 Possessions belt pouch, artisan tools |
Experience Points:
In addition to normal experience (which in Therra is half of that recommended in the DMG), each party member should be rewarded as follows: