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Summary:
The party must foil a plot by House Mercur to sever the trading relationship between House Riverine and a Rootless Clan of Thaneeri.
Assumptions:
The party is in the service of House Riverine.
Location:
The Far Coast near the border with Thaneer.
Historical Date:
21 N.S. (5535 A.D.), Early Summer
GM's Introduction:
House Mercur is the staunchest rival of House Riverine and has been for centuries. Recently, Mercur has been actively trying to establish itself in and usurp Riverine's position as premier trading house of the Far Coast.
To this end, House Mercur has come up with a scheme designed to deny House Riverine a lucrative avenue of trade and, possibly, swing that avenue the way of House Mercur.
History of the Vardekii:
When the Empire of Antoria invaded the lands of the Thaneeri barbarians, they conquered fully half of their homelands. The tribes that once resided in the conquered lands were either wiped out or enslaved by the Imperium, fled north and were absorbed by friendly clans or enslaved by hostile ones, or, in rare cases, existed on the periphery of Thaneeri society as semi-nomadics called the Rootless.
Most Rootless clans did not last long in what remained of Thaneer. Many took up to banditry and robbery, and these eventually were hunted down and destroyed when their depredation became too much for the local Thaneeri clans to ignore. Other attempted a sort of semi-nomadic existence, constantly settling on the edges of various clan territories in the hope that they could go unnoticed for a time and eek out an existence. Often these clans would choose to settle in border areas disputed by neighbouring clans with the notion that they would not then be kicked out by one clan because the rival clan would respond to any attempt to enforce any claims on that land by the opposing clan.
Unfortunately for the Rootless clans, this type of existence did not last long. The Rootless, having no permanent home, were more subject to the vagaries of famine and disease. In addition, with no stable livestocks or farmlands and with, generally, the choice of wilder and less fertile lands in which to dwell, existence tended to be subsistence at best. Their semi-nomadic way of life also prevented them from developing and maintaining even the rudimentary crafts of the Thaneeri.
All of these made the Rootless clans easy pickings for the established clans, and the latter looked upon the former as "easy pickings", since the Rootless had no other clans as allies and less access to weapons and magic.
And so, most of the Rootless clans passed away. From time to time other Rootless clans would form, the result of being on the losing side of inter-clan warfare or even being comprised of splinter groups banished and exiled from established clans.
One Rootless clan, however, survived. They are known as the Vardekii Clan, an ancient clan whose lineage runs to the old Vardekii lands in the very south of the Far Coast. This clan was one of the first to be overrun by Imperial forces, and since, at the time, the Thaneeri did not realize the common peril they faced, no other clan took them in. The Vardekii wandered north, sometimes swinging back south behind Imperial battle lines to raid and hide, all the time awaiting for some divine saviour to route the demonic Imperials and return their ancestral homelands.
When the Imperium finished its advance into Thaneer and began to consolidate its holdings, the Vardekii were driven north. There they faced a rough existence as a Rootless clan, but due to good leadership, prior experience, and, they will claim, the blessings of Lothar, they managed to survive. Of a surety their numbers dwindled, and they were harried and attacked at all quarters. But they turned their Rootless existence into an art, never engaging in banditry enough to provoke retaliation, and always fleeing a settling place before the owning clan could muster enough force to drive them out.
And so, for many years it went, and it came to pass that even the canny Vardekii were starting to fail. The years of wandering took their toll, and as they became more desperate, they were forced to turn more and more to banditry, which provoked the established clans to hunt them, which in turn provoked more misery and desperation and so on.
But events favoured the Vardekii, for the Great War of the Gem had ended and the Empire, tired of warfare and great events, began to process of rebuilding and an era of luxury and decadence began to take hold of the wealthier sections of the Empire. In addition, the renown of one of the heroes of the Gem, Queequeg of the Ice People, sparked interest in the products of the far north. As such, whale ivory, ambergris, whale oil, and other rare products from the lands of the north came into high demand by Imperial society.
And so it was that trade began indirectly between the Empire of Antorium, the pinnacle of civilization of Western Jerranq, and the Ice People, some of the most remote and primitive people in Therra. But this trade was, indeed, indirect, for the whole of the remaining Thaneeri tribes stood between the Imperial Holdings of the Far Coast and the Ice People, and the Oto Sea was plied by the dragonships of the Thaneeri as well. And of the Thaneeri, only a few border tribes in the south, near the Far Coast border, were friendly with the Imperials and maintained trade relations. And so, in order for an Ice People product to make its way to the Imperium, it had to be traded first to the northernmost Thaneeri. They would, in turn, trade it south, and so forth, until it finally arrived at the Far Coast border and was procured by Imperial merchants for transport to the Heartland.
Unfortunately, this meant these goods had to pass through sometimes half a dozen, sometimes a dozen hands before they reached the merchants. And each hand they passed through took a bit of profit and thereby raised the cost.
And so it was to the good fortune of both the Vardekii and House Riverine that they found each other. For House Riverine realized that the Vardekii, being wanderers, often found themselves at the northern verges of Thaneer and could therefore trade directly with the Ice People. Further, their wanderings would eventually then take them south, all the way to the border of the Far Coast. In this way, House Riverine found a direct (albeit sporadic) pipeline to the goods of the Ice People. This allowed them to procure such goods at a tremendously low price and yet sell them in the Heartland for the going rates, reaping a huge profit for the House.
The Vardekii, on the other hand, also benefited. They traded the Ice People goods for metal weapons, armour, and implements as well as food and beasts of burden that allowed them to live a better than marginal existence. This allowed them to refrain from banditry and took away some of the hostility directed towards them by the established clans.
Because the Vardekii travel as circumstances permit or force them, there is no way for a regular market to be arranged between them and House Riverine. Instead, a secret protocol has been agreed to. When the Vardekii arrive at the borderlands, they send a runner (usually a young male proving his adulthood) with he red cloth headband of the chief of the clan. This headband is decorated on one side with Thaneeri runes of friendship and agreement that sealed the bargains between the Vardekii and House Riverine, and on the other with runes describing the place where trade is to be conducted. Upon receiving the headband, House Riverine forms up a caravan and meets with the Vardekii for several days of trading before the barbarians hustle back across the border and begin their wandering anew. At the end of the market, the headband is returned to the chief.
The Mercur Scheme:
House Mercur was tired of watching House Riverine rake such a substantial profit from the Ice trade. What's more, they could not figure out how House Riverine could afford it, at times, undersell the rest of the Ice market for less than cost.
A well-placed spy within House Riverine has given them their answer. House Mercur has now learned of the Vardekii and the protocol of the red headband. They now seek to use this information to their advantage…to sunder the relationship between Riverine and the Vardekii, and perhaps to even supplant House Riverine as the new trading partners of the Vardekii.
Mercur's plan is both cunning and simple. As the Vardekii approach the southern border, House Mercur prepares a false headband, arranging a meeting between House Riverine and the Vardekii at a place of Mercur's choosing. An agent of House Mercur, disguised as a barbarian, delivers the headband. House Riverine then forms a caravan and sends it to trade with the Vardekii. When the caravan arrives at the designated location, agents of House Mercur, disguised as Vardekii barbarians, ambush the caravan; making sure survivors escape to inform House Riverine what has occurred.
Meanwhile, when the real Vardekii arrive, House Mercur sends some agents to waylay the headband runner. Instead, agents of House Mercur disguise themselves as a caravan from House Riverine. When they arrive at the Vardekii encampment, they caravaners, warriors all, suddenly spring on the stunned Vardekii, allowing most to escape but causing enough pain and damage so as to have committed an act of atrocious treachery.
In this way, House Riverine will voluntarily sunder its relationship with the Vardekii, believing that the barbarian clan has turned on them and gone savage, and the Vardekii will voluntarily sunder its relationship with House Riverine, believing that the corrupt Imperials have shown their true colours and betrayed the clan.
At the very least, this will shut down the Ice goods pipeline for House Riverine, who will now have to purchase Ice goods sixth or twelfth hand like the other houses. But even better, sometime later House Mercur will try to woo the Vardekii, after they have become desperate again, and perhaps it will be House Mercur that ends up with a pipeline of cheap Ice goods to bring to the Imperial markets!
All in all, it seems like a no-lose situation for House Mercur.
Too bad things don't always go according to plan…
Part One - The Token:
It will be around noon when the party is summoned into the audience chamber of Lord Barnabus Quericor, the head of House Riverine in the Far Coast. Lord Barnabus is seated on his chair atop the small dais in the audience chamber, and his lovely wife Abrinda sits in a slightly smaller seat to his right.
As the party arrives, Barnabus greets them and then gets down to business.
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Attend to what I tell you good members, for I have an important duty for you to undertake. Do you see this red headband I hold before you? It is a secret token between our House and a tribe of Rootless Thaneeri called the Vardekii. The Vardekii are called Rootless because they have no tribal lands to call their own. Because of this, they wander across the lands of Thaneer, staying in one place only as long as they can before their savage kinsmen come to drive them away. But this wandering has found a purpose for House Riverine. As you may know, since the end of the Great War of the Gem, goods from the lands far to the north have become quite popular amongst the effete of the Heartlands. Indeed, we have the mighty Queequeg to thank for this, for his participation in the great deeds of the previous age sparked an interest in his homeland. All of the great houses have been quick to jump into the market for these goods. However, they are quite expensive to procure. As you know, the Thaneeri as a rule do not regard us in a very good light. As such, it is really quite impossible for our caravans or ships to sail directly to the Ice People and conduct trade. Instead, the usual method of procurement is to purchase these goods from a friendly Thaneeri clan along our border. The only problem is, you see, that these friendly Thaneeri obtained the goods in trade from another clan to their north, and they from a clan to THEIR north and so forth and so on up through the clans that border the very lands of the Ice People. With such goods passing through so many hands, each taking a bit of profit for themselves, you can imagine the price of such goods by the time they reach the beasts of burden of the Imperial Houses. But there's the rub my friends! For we of House Riverine, always at the forefront of innovative ideas, realized that this Rootless clan, the Vardekii, wandered the depth and breadth of the Thaneeri lands, including both the farthest northern reaches and south to our very borders. Why not, then, trade directly with these barbarians? Being Rootless, they are a desperate people much in need of weapons, armour, and foodstuffs and so are willing to give us great bargains. And indeed, since the goods of the Ice People now only flow through them and not the hands of a dozen or more clans, the markup is quite small when it reaches our caravans. Of course, we can then sell these goods on the open markets of the Empire at full price and pocket the difference. Now, these Vardekii are wanderers, not migrators, and so there is no regular time or place when they show up on our borders with goods to trade. So instead we have worked up a secret protocol, secret because the Vardekii do not wish the other clans to know that they are trading with Imperials nor that they are even camping in the area, and because we wish to keep the lovely Vardekii all to ourselves. When the Vardekii arrive, they send a runner. He bears with him the read cloth headband of the chief of the clan. This headband has Thaneeri runes upon it that spell out the passwords and details of our agreement. On the reverse side are drawn more runes that describe the meeting place. When we receive the headband,
we form a caravan, load up on the goods the Vardekii need, head
to the meeting place, and conduct our business. When the market
is finished, we give back the headband and go our separate ways
until the next time. Now normally that would be that. Of course, we sent our enforcers to the ambush site, but the Vardekii had long gone. We assumed that they had decided to end our trade agreement and revert to their savage ways. It is after all, a constant call upon the sensibilities of the barbarians, and so I had no illusions that one day our protocol might end. But the strange thing was, only last night we received a visitor. He was a barbarian of the Vardekii tribe and he arrived bearing a headband. Needless to say we took the lad captive. But I am truly puzzled. Why would the Vardekii, having sundered our agreement, send us another headband? Surely they don't think us foolish enough to fall for the same trick again? Something is clearly amiss. And although I can speculate on many possible scenarios, I need to know what is the truth of the matter. That is why I have summoned you. You are all young and inexperienced, but this will be a good test for you to see how talented you are and of what use you will be to me and the House in the future. We will form a caravan with more trade goods and I have found four merchants who will volunteer to drive the caravan. They have agreed only with the reassurance that a holy one of Indolle will accompany them on the mission and will bless them as they set out. I want you to escort the caravan. I will send eight of the house guard with you. Your mission is to escort the caravan to the meeting place. You are to then try to ascertain why the Vardekii ambushed us if at all possible. If you are attacked, you are to defend the caravan. If you feel that you can, you are to punish your attackers as severely as you are able. But if you are attacked, you must make certain that at least one person from the caravan returns to report what happened to us. Do any here refuse this assignment? |
Assuming no one refuses the assignment, Barnabus will tell the party that the caravan will leave on the morrow.
Should the party inquire as to the fate of the runner who brought the headband, Barnabus will say that he is being held in the House dungeon until such time as the matter is resolved. Should the party wish to speak with the runner, Barnabus will allow it.
The runner is a strong, lithe lad with pale white skin and blond hair and green eyes. He appears to be about 15 years of age, and this is common for headband runners should the party inquire, as being the runner is a privilege and a sign of honour of the clan given to an up and coming young male entering adulthood.
The runner shows now signs of abuse or torture, even though a torture chamber is visible from his cell. He is manacled to the wall but has enough length on the chains to walk most of his cell and to sleep on the straw bed and make use of the chamber pot. He cannot reach the bars with his hands, though he can get within easy spitting distance of them.
If spoken to, the runner will, of course, deny everything. He is the real Vardekii runner and knows nothing of the ambush of the Riverine caravan. Indeed, he also knows nothing of the ambush of his own clansmen and is even unaware that, according to House Mercur plans, he was never supposed to make it to House Riverine. The runner noted nothing unusual during his run to House Riverine.
If questioned as to how he knows the way to House Riverine, he will say that it is clan lore that you simply follow the Great River to the Sea and there is the great "Stone Huts" of the "Demoners". He has never been to Dwillingir before, and he can explain that the actual handoff of the headband involves the runner hiding in the nearby woodlands along the trade route until a caravan bearing the mark of House Riverine is spotted. The runner then approaches the caravan while displaying the headband and the headband is quickly transferred, the runner then usually returning to the clan with the trade caravans, usually hidden amongst the goods. He will say that he does not know why the exchange of the headband must be done so secretly, but he believes it is because the Demoners often war amongst each other and House Riverine wishes other Demoners not to know about the headband or the Vardekii.
Part Two - The Vardekii:
The next morning, the caravan will form. It consists of 4 large wagons laden with trade goods, mostly metal weapons, shields, some studded leather and scale armour, pots and pans, ceramics, and foodstuffs and spices. A few jewels are also held in strongboxes.
Barnabus and Abrinda are there, overseeing the details and bolstering the flagging confidence of the merchants assigned to this mission.
The 4 merchants are all male, young, and clearly nervous, hoping that by accepting this mission they can make a name for themselves within the House and come to the attention of the Trade Lord himself. They will request that any priest of Indolle present bless them for a safe road and easy travel. Their names are: Hendogir, Baddlerun, Scarbrotth, and Loftlir.
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* Merchants (4): Male human Expert 1; CR 1/2; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 1D6+3; hp 9; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 10 (touch 10, flat-footed 10); Atk +1 melee (1D6+1, quarterstaff), +0 ranged (1D4, sling bullet); AL LN, SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +1; Str 12, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 13. Height 5 ft. 8 in. Skills and Feats: Appraise +5, Bluff +5, Handle Animal +5, Intuit Direction +3, Knowledge (local) +5, Listen +4, Profession (trader) +3, Spot +4, Wilderness Lore +1; Alertness, Toughness. Possessions: quarterstaff, sling, 20 bullets, traveler's outfit, belt pouch, 10 cp, 14 sp, 1 gp. |
The 8 house guardsmen are formed up as well. As Barnabus is counting on the party to do the leading and thinking, he has had assigned to guard the least clever of his men. That said, the guardsmen are still staunch in the face of danger and strong. Their names are: Emmeric, Volash of Mirn, Vigosh, Hasden, Charnley, Baddir Allun, Harper, and Danner.
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* House Guardsmen (8): Male human Warrior 1; CR 1/2; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 1D8+1; hp 9; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 14 (touch 10, flat-footed 14); Atk +2 melee (1D6+1, halfspear), +1 ranged (1D8, light crossbow bolt); AL LN, SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will -1; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 9, Cha 8. Height 6 ft. 0 in. Skills and Feats: Climb +3, Intimidate +1, Jump +5, Listen +0, Spot +0, Swim +5; Weapon Focus (halfspear), Point Blank Shot. Possessions: studded leather, small wooden shield, halfspear, light crossbow, 20 crossbow bolts, traveler's outfit, belt pouch, 10 cp, 13 sp, 3 gp. |
If the party asks that the runner accompany them back to the meeting place, Barnabus will refuse, saying that he wishes to keep a hostage from the Vardekii until this business is complete. He will then wish each of the party and the guardsmen and merchants good luck and hand the party the red headband for return to the Vardekii.
The Journey:
The journey to the meeting place can be as eventful or uneventful as the DM likes. The party has been given a map and directions to the meeting place, and if the party can somehow decipher the runes on the back of the headband they will be able to see that those runes correspond to the directions they have been given.
The journey should take two days. The first will be spent traveling on the south side of the Chulette River, which is swollen from the last runoff descending from the Aynayjor Mountains to the west. There is a trade path that follows the south bank of the river all the way up to Oldinton. It is not often used for travel to Oldinton, however, because of its proximity to the Thaneeri lands. Instead, most trade to Oldinton follows the Imperial roads through the town of wayward.
Nevertheless, there is some travel going to and from the steads and farms near to the river on this side of the bank, including merchants, peddlers, farmers, fishermen, lumberers, and huntsmen. The party can decide whether the caravan should try to gain lodging at a stead or camp by the river.
The next day the party will be traveling when they should make a Listen check (DC 10). Anyone who is successful will hear rustling coming from some bushes about 30' to the side of the pathway (away from the river). If anyone wishes to try to spot what is causing the noise, they can make an opposed Spot check (at -1 per 10'distant) against a Hide check at +8. Anyone who makes the Spot check notices a long red tail with a stinger atop it poking out of the bushes.
3 monstrous scorpions will suddenly emerge from the brush and attack.
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* Monstrous Scorpions (3): CR 1; Medium-size vermin; HD 2D8+4; hp 15, 13, 17; Init +0; Spd 40 ft; AC 14 (touch 10, flat-footed 14); Atk +2/-3 melee (1D4+1 [x2], claws; 1D4 and poison, sting); SA poison, squeeze, improved grab; SQ vermin; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 14, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 2. Length 6 ft. Skills and Feats: Climb +8, Hide +8, Spot +7. Special Abilities: Poison (Ex): Sting, Fortitude Save (DC 15); initial and secondary damage of 1D4 points of temporary Strength damage. Improved Grab (Ex): Usable if the scorpion hits with a claw attack. If it gets a hold it hangs on and stings. Squeeze (Ex): If the scorpion gets a hold on an opponent that is medium-size or smaller it automatically deals damage with both claws and stings at full attack value. Special Qualities: Vermin: No Intelligence score, and therefore immune to all mind-influencing effects. |
A search of the dead men will turn up the following:
· 3 brass brooches engraved
with the symbol of House Mercur (a winged foot).
· 3 shortswords
· 3 suits of leather armour
· 3 light crossbows and cases with 20 crossbow bolts each
· 3 vials containing potions of Expeditious Retreat
at 3rd level
While there is nothing to tell the party what these men were up to when they died, in actuality it was this group that was charged with intercepting the Vardekii runner who made it to House Riverine. They were tracking the runner and were closing in on him and intended, with the help of the potions, to catch him and slay him. Fortunately for House Riverine, a trio of hunting scorpions happened upon the tracking group as it rested and slew all 3 men.
Later, the party arrives at a bridge that crosses the Chulette River. The bridge is obviously Imperial made, and is surmounted by two wooden watchtowers some 40' high that each hold 2 soldiers. Within sight of the bridge, to the south, is a small fort with wooden palisade set atop an earthen rampart. The fort is merely a border outpost designed to keep a watch on the bridge. Unbeknownst to the party, Imperial engineers have rigged the bridge so that 6-8 strong men can collapse it by working ropes hidden into the ground nearby that attach to key supports for the bridge under the surface of the river.
The soldiers will simply hail the caravan and ask them to report any suspicious activity to them on their return.
Once across the river, the trade path soon peters out. A number of game trails and foot trails lead in various directions, and the party's map points them in the right direction. It is another couple of hours travel, through increasingly rough terrain (though the wagons can make it with a Profession (trader) check against DC 6 to avoid some sort of wagon mishap such as a thrown wheel), until the party reaches the meeting site.
The Meeting Place:
The Vardekii have scouts out looking for trouble approaching the meeting place. They have just been attacked by the disguised Mercur caravan and are recovering and preparing to leave. Since they are a wandering clan, they have no set place to bury their dead, and so they conduct funeral rites at the spot the dead fell. The majority of the clan has already left the area, heading north, but the chief's son and a number of braves and a shaman have remained to finish the rites.
Assume the party's caravan is easily spotted by the Vardekii scouts. The wagons are large and laden and creak noisily and often slam over rocks and ruts with a resounding wooden thwack!
However, the DM should allow for smart parties that have sent out scouts of their own to perhaps have the party scouts sneak past the Vardekii scouts.
The scouts work in pairs, with one at the fore doing the actual scouting and the other some 50' behind backing him up and ready to relay information whistled from bird calls.
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* Vardekii Scouts (2): Male human Ranger/Barbarian 0/0; CR 1; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 1D10; hp 10; Init +2; Spd 40 ft; AC 14 (touch 12, flat-footed 12); Atk +0 melee (1D6, handaxe), +2 ranged (1D6, shortbow arrow); SQ rage, two weapon fighting, favoured enemy (animals +1); AL CN, SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +0; Str 11, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 10. Height 5 ft. 9 in. Skills and Feats: Climb +3, Hide +6, Jump +3, Listen +8, Move Silently +6, Spot +8, Swim +2; Alertness, Dodge. Special Qualities: Rage (Ex): During rage have the following statistics instead of those given above: hp 12; AC 12 (touch 10, flat-footed 12); Atk +2 melee (1D6+2, handaxe); SV Fort +4, Will +2; Str 15, Con 15. Skills: Climb, Jump, and Swim increase by +2. The rage lasts for 5 rounds after which time the scout is fatigued. Possessions: leather, handaxe, shortbow, 20 arrows, explorer's outfit, belt pouch. |
Should the scouts see the party approaching, there will be some quick bird calls (you can allow the party a chance to hear these and then make a Wilderness Lore check at DC 15 to realize the call was not natural). Then the scouts will return to the clan and the barbarians will set up an ambush, seeking to defend themselves and gain some measure of revenge upon the party. The barbarians will assume that the party has either come back to collect the dead (perhaps to animate them or perform some other act of Imperial unholy perversion upon the fallen) or to fight the remaining warriors. The scouts will have noted the sigil of House Riverine emblazoned on the wagons.
The barbarians will lay an ambush for the party in this case, using the terrain to their advantage and intending to first soften the party up with missile weapons before closing in for the kill.
Should some of the party sneak past the scouts, then if the wagons have not arrived, the party members will eventually come upon the barbarians (sans the scouts) chanting their dirges in a raised copse of trees near the meeting area.
Should the party members who sneaked past the scouts observe the scouts as the latter spot the party's wagons, they will see the scouts whistle and then return to the meeting area. If the party members follow the scouts all the way there, they will observe the scouts inform the chief's son of the party's coming and the barbarians scrambling to set up an ambush.
The Ambush:
The Vardekii ambush force will consist of the chief's son, the shaman, and 4 barbarians. These are initially in the copse conducting the funeral rites. They will be joined by the two scouts that spotted the party (if applicable). It takes 8 rounds for the scouts to run from their position back to the meeting place, though the scouts who spotted the party will have to initially go more carefully, so it will take 12 rounds for them.
When the ambush is sprung, it will generally involve the Vardekii hiding in the ample scrub and behind boulder in the area. They will generally attempt to set positions in a "U' shape around the meeting place, which is in a small valley. The ambushers will be positioned on small rises surrounding the valley.
The party should make Spot checks against the Vardekii Hide checks to see if the ambush is spotted. If not, the Vardekii will wait until the party is in the place of meeting and then attack.
If the party is cautious and sends scouts ahead, the barbarians will likely wait until the scouts either motion the caravan into the ambush zone or until the scouts start to leave. If a single scout enters, the barbarians might stay hidden and let him leave unmolested and then either wait for the entire caravan to arrive or stalk the caravan and attack it wherever it may be waiting.
Any ambush will begin with a volley of arrows. These barbarians despise arcane spellcasters and are trained to deal with them. At least 2 barbarians will, instead of firing, ready their actions to shoot at any enemy casting a spell within range of their bows. In this case, one will ready to shoot the first such caster and the other the next such caster. In this way, the barbarians hope to be able to disrupt any spells.
After the first volley, most of the barbarians will charge. Although they would like to use their Rage ability, they have already used it in the previous battle with the disguised Mercur caravan, and so they will simply draw their axes and spears and charge down the slopes in what amounts to a large batch of ordinary rage.
The chief's son will lead the charge. Thaneeri do not lead from behind. However, the two scouts will stay back with their bows using them exclusively to ready actions and shoot at spellcasters.
Once the barbarians charge, they will let out a great war whoop. This will certainly alert the other scouts. There are 6 other scouts (2 went out in each compass direction) and they will come running at full speed. These other scouts will arrive in 1D4+6 rounds (roll separately for each group of two), having taken a full normal move in their last round. They will appear from the three directions not taken by the party and will arrive approximately 100' from the meeting place on the top of the ridges.
The arriving scouts will act as they judge best. If the party has, by then, already won, they will likely flee and tell the clan what has happened. If the fight is still going on they may launch arrows or join the attack.
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* Ganon-Urth (son of the chief of the Vardekii Clan): Male human Barbarian 2; CR 2; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 2D12+4; hp 27; Init +1; Spd 40 ft; AC 14 (touch 11, flat-footed 14); Atk +4 melee (1D8+2, battleaxe), +3 ranged (1D6, shortbow arrow); SQ rage, uncanny dodge; AL N, SV Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +0; Str 15, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 15. Height 6 ft. 2 in. Skills and Feats: Climb+5, Intimidate +7, Jump +6, Listen +4, Spot +2, Swim +7, Wilderness Lore +5; Combat Reflexes, Power Attack. Special Qualities: Rage (Ex): During rage have the following statistics instead of those given above: hp 31; AC 12 (touch 9, flat-footed 12); Atk +6 melee (1D8+4, battleaxe); SV Fort +7, Will +2; Str 19, Con 18. Skills: Climb, Jump, and Swim increase by +2. The rage lasts for 7 rounds after which time the scout is fatigued. Possessions: leather, small wooden shield, battleaxe, shortbow, 20 arrows, explorer's outfit, belt pouch, an ivory and leather necklace worth 45 gp, a silver hoop earring worth 2 gp. Notes: Has already used Rage ability. Has suffered 4 points of damage. |
| * Haghur Lotharson: Male human Cleric 2; CR 2; Medium-size
humanoid (human); HD 2D8+2; hp 16; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 13
(touch 10, flat-footed 13); Atk +2 melee (1D8+1, morningstar)
+1 ranged (D6, shortbow arrow); SQ turn undead 4/day; AL CN,
SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +6; Str 12, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 14,
Wis 16, Cha 12. Height 6 ft. 1 in. Skills and Feats: Climb +3, Concentration +4, Diplomacy +2, Heal +6, Knowledge (religion) +7, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +5, Swim +2; Martial Weapon (shortbow), Combat Casting. Possessions: leather, small wooden shield, morningstar, shortbow, 20 arrows, explorer's outfit, belt pouch, potion of Cure Light Wounds at 3rd level, wooden holy symbol. Spells Prepared (4/3): 0 - detect magic, guidance, resistance, light; 1 - faith healing, handfire, summon monster I. Base DC = 13 + spell level. Deity: Lothar. Domains: Water (turn or destroy fire creatures as a good cleric turns undead, rebuke or command water creatures as an evil cleric rebukes undead, a total of 4/day), Strength (supernatural ability to enhance Str equal to level for 1 round 1/day as a free action). Domain Spells Prepared (1): endure elements. |
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* Barbarian Warriors (4): Male human Barbarian 1; CR 1; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 1D12+2; hp 14 each; Init +1; Spd 40 ft; AC 14 (touch 11, flat-footed 14); Atk +3 melee (1D8+2, battleaxe; 1D6+2, halfspear), +3 ranged (1D6, shortbow arrow); SQ rage; AL CN, SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will -1; Str 14, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8. Height 6 ft. Skills and Feats: Climb+6, Intimidate +1, Jump +6, Listen +2, Swim +6, Wilderness Lore +2; Weapon Focus (halfspear), Power Attack. Special Qualities: Rage (Ex): During rage have the following statistics instead of those given above: hp 16; AC 12 (touch 9, flat-footed 12); Atk +5 melee (1D8+4, battleaxe; 1D6+4. halfspear); SV Fort +6, Will +1; Str 17, Con 18. Skills: Climb, Jump, and Swim increase by +2. The rage lasts for 7 rounds after which time the scout is fatigued. Possessions: leather, small wooden shield, battleaxe, halfspear, shortbow, 20 arrows, explorer's outfit, belt pouch. Notes: Has already used Rage ability. |
Parley:
It should be quite obvious to most players and to their characters that something is amiss. After all, it is hardly believable that the Vardekii would send a headband, ambush a caravan, and then think that House Riverine would be stupid enough to send another lightly armed caravan at the behest of another headband.
So certainly the player characters will be thinking that some sort of counterfeit headband has been made and that some sort of treachery is afoot. The real question is likely to be, by whom? Is it treachery from a faction of the Vardekii? The possibility that House Mercur is behind the situation should surely be a plausible option.
As such, the party is very likely to be inclined to try and parley with the Vardekii. What the party doesn't know is that the Vardekii have just been subject to an attack by House Mercur disguised as a Riverine caravan. Thus, the initial hostility with which the Vardekii react to the party may confuse them and arouse their suspicions.
In order to parley, the party is going to have to calm the situation down. There are many good ways to do this. One way is to use skills like Diplomacy or Bluff or Intimidation. These should be at DC 15 and will basically require a party member to stand out in the open, arms upraised in a gesture of peace and no hostile or even openly preparatory hostile actions being taken by other party members (meaning no readied actions or spell casting). If an obvious arcane spellcaster is visible to the barbarians (excepting bards, who are accepted as long as they do not flaunt flashy spells), then a circumstance penalty of -2 will apply.
Remember, the party will have to manage this in the face of an opening volley of arrows and the barbarians howling down upon them.
It should be noted that only the chief's son and the shaman speak Common (which is a derivation of ancient Amorian). The rest of the barbarians speak Thaneeri.
Should the check succeed (and the player playing the spokesman role plays it well), then the chief's son will order a halt to his warriors and agree to some sort of parley. The party can then try to convince the barbarians what might have happened and also hear the barbarians explain about the recent attack upon them. Further checks might be needed for the barbarians to be convinced that Riverine had nothing to do with the previous attack.
There are other things the party can do to help smooth things over. The DM can apply circumstance bonuses as appropriate to the following:
Any obvious arcane spellcasters should stay well away and out of sight. The Thaneeri dislike arcane spellcasters tremendously. The only exception is bards, who are tolerated as long as they cast no flashy spells.
Offering wergild to the clan (including the trade goods on the caravans).
Showing the fallen of the clan honour by helping to bury the dead (especially any newly killed by the party).
Taking vows of vengeance against whomever really did attack the Vardekii (especially oaths on the name of a god).
Offering to hold a Kazer-umchi, a rite of combat practiced by many Thaneeri tribes where Lothar's name is invoked to guide the prowess of whichever party is right or telling the truth. It is basically a trial by combat, never to the death but only until one opponent surrenders or cannot fight. No magic or missile weapons are allowed. The opponents square off in a combat circle some 60' in diameter. In the case of a Kazer-umchi, the outcome of the fight will greatly determine whether the barbarians believe the party or not, so the party should only attempt this if they think they can win. The chief's son will fight for the barbarians. Any character with Knowledge (local) or with a Thaneeri background will know of the ritual.
In addition to an initial parley, the party can also induce a parley during combat with the barbarians by various means:
Succeeding at Diplomacy, Bluff, or Intimidation checks with a DC of 20 during the combat.
Using non-lethal combat for several rounds to show the party does not wish to kill Vardekii.
Using Charm spells on the shaman or chief's son.
Capturing the chief's son or shaman and holding him hostage.
Outcome:
There are many outcomes from the ambush.
If the barbarians are all slain or captured, then House Mercur will be well pleased that their plan ultimately worked even though the real headband made it to House Riverine. The Vardekii will be convinced that Riverine attacked them, and the loss of the chief's son (assuming he is slain or enslaved) will be devastating to him personally. The Vardekii will be ever after enemies of all Imperials.
If the party is driven off, then the Vardekii will have reclaimed some honour, but will still believe that they were attacked by House Riverine. The Vardekii will be ever after enemies of House Riverine and, if the chief's son was not lost, may, in the future (it would take 1D4+2 years at least) begin to trade with House Mercur. That can be the subject of future scenarios. If the chief's son lost, then the Vardekii will forever be enemies of all Imperials.
If the party can convince the barbarians that they were not behind the previous attack, then proceed to Part Three.
Part Three - House Mercur:
House Mercur attacked the Vardekii in force 4-8 hours before the party arrives at the meeting place. The attack involved a large number of Mercur soldiers as well as sell swords hired from distant locations. Some wizards were also involved. No clerics took part. The attack was completely unexpected and resulted in a surprise strike at the heart of the clan encampment. The fighting was sharp but short, for the idea was to pain the Vardekii enough to hate Riverine, not to slaughter the entire clan or to lose good Mercur soldiers. After the first few rounds, the Mercur soldiers, most mounted, fled the scene.
However, a small force of Mercur agents was left behind. These were assigned the task of spying on the Vardekii in order to make sure that their plan worked and that they left the area. When the majority of the clan left for northern lands, the majority of the Mercur observing force left with them. However, it was noted by the Mercur agents that a small group of barbarians remained behind, and so a small force of Mercur troops has remained to observe the Thaneeri and to make sure they leave.
When the party arrives, it is an entirely unexpected development for the remaining Mercurians. There were no contingency plans made for this occurring because it was assumed that the 3 stalkers Mercur sent to overtake the Vardekii runner would be able to easily dispatch the inexperienced youth. However, there is no accounting for scorpions…
And so, much to their chagrin, a large group of Riverines have entered the meeting place.
At first, the judgment is made to stay silent and watchful. After all, it is likely that the Vardekii, fresh from the previous assault, will simply turn on the Riverines and attack them. In that case, no matter what the outcome of the battle, Mercur prevails. If the barbarians win, then Riverine will despise the Vardekii even more and they will have lost some trade goods and soldiers as well.
If Riverine prevails, then the Vardekii will have lost still more warriors and will hate Riverine even more.
Therefore, unless a parley is made, House Mercur will merely observe from a distance and then quietly withdraw to report to their superiors.
However, if a parley is made, it will be apparent to the Mercurians that their entire scheme is about to come crashing down. The young wizardess in charge of the remaining agents is ambitious and does not want this failure pinned to her. She sees this as a chance to save the day for House Mercur and make a name for herself.
So, she gathers up her forces and launches an ambush against both the Riverine forces and the barbarians.
Please note that Mercur will only launch this assault when it is quite apparent that the two sides have made peace. If, for example the parley is short in duration and does not end with signs of friendship, or if a ritual duel is fought, Mercur will remain on the sidelines until they see which way the wind blows.
Observation:
House Mercur is observing the proceedings using potions of clairvoyance/clairaudience. As such, they are in little danger of being discovered by the party or the barbarians unless they wish it. In addition, a sharp-eyed scout is observing the meeting place from a quarter of a mile away concealed in a tree. He will be almost impossible to spot (especially by low level characters) and so can essentially be regarded as undetectable.
The Mercur agents are encamped out of sight below the tree from which the scout is observing.
Action:
When it appears that their scheme has indeed gone completely awry, the Mercurians will attack. Their goal now is to make sure that no barbarian returns to the clan to tell of the results of the parley, nor any Riverine return to Dwillingir to report their findings. This means that the Mercur attack will be designed less to slay people at first than to immobilize and incapacitate.
The Mercur force is comprised of 4 scouts, 24 soldiers, and 2 wizards. While the combined forces of the Riverines and the barbarians are equivalent to the Mercur force, the Mercurians hope that the element of surprise (remember, the Vardekii scouts will have been pulled into the meeting place), superior armour, and magic will turn the tide.
Nevertheless, the Mercurians are not interested in a fight to the finish. Although none of the soldiers are sellswords, they will still flee a fight that is obviously doomed to failure, especially if the 3rd level wizard is captured, fallen, or slain.
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* Mercur Scouts (4): Male human Rogue/Ranger 0/0; CR 1; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 1D6+1; hp 7 each; Init +3; Spd 30 ft; AC 15 (touch 13, flat-footed 12); Atk +0 melee (1D8, longsword), +3 ranged (1D8, longbow arrow); SQ sneak attack +1D6, two-weapon fighting, favoured enemy (animals +1); AL N, SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +0; Str 10, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 11. Height 5 ft. 8 in. Skills and Feats: Balance +5, Climb +4, Disguise +2, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Jump +4, Listen +6, Move Silently +7, Search +3, Spot +6, Swim +2, Tumble +7; Alertness, Weapon Focus (longbow). Possessions: leather, longsword, longbow, 20 arrows, explorer's outfit, belt pouch. |
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* Mercur Soldiers (24): Male human Fighter CR 1; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 1D10+2; hp 12 each; Init +4; Spd 20 ft; AC 16 (touch 10, flat-footed 16); Atk +2 melee (1D8+1, longsword), +1 ranged (1D6+1, javelin); AL LN, SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 12, Dex 11, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 9. Height 5 ft. 10 in. Skills and Feats: Jump +3, Intimidate +1, Listen +1, Spot +1, Swim +3; Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (longsword). Possessions: scale, longsword, 2 javelins, large steel shield, traveler's outfit, belt pouch. |
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* Giramtul: Male human Wizard 2 (Conjurer); CR 2; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 2D4; hp 5; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 15 (touch 11, flat-footed 14); Atk +0 melee (1D6-1, quarterstaff) +2 ranged (D8, light crossbow bolt); AL LN, SV Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +4; Str 9, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 13. Height 6 ft. Skills and Feats: Alchemy +4, Concentration +4, Diplomacy +2, Hide +1, Knowledge (arcane) +5, Ride +2, Scry +3, Search +5, Spellcraft +7; Scribe Scroll, Augment Summoning, Combat Casting. Possessions: quarterstaff, light crossbow, 20 crossbow bolts, traveler's outfit, belt pouch, spell component pouch, scroll of Choke at 3rd level, spellbook. Spells Prepared (4+1/3+1): 0 - acid splash (2), light, ray of frost, resistance; 1 - summon undead I, summon monster I, mage armour, shield. Base DC = 12 + spell level. Spellbook (18/9): 0 - acid splash, light, ray of frost, resistance, launch bolt, electric jolt, flare, detect poison, disrupt undead, mage hand, mending, open/close, arcane mark, detect magic, read magic, prestidigitation, Horizikaul's cough, repair minor damage; 1 - summon undead I, summon monster I, mage armour, shield, know protections, launch item, lesser fire orb, magic missile, message. Notes: Is assumed to have cast mage armour several rounds before combat. |
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* Chanarral: Female human Wizard 3 (Enchanter); CR
3; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 3D4; hp 10; Init +1; Spd
30 ft; AC 16 (touch 12, flat-footed 14); Atk +1 melee (1D6-1,
quarterstaff) +3 ranged (D8, light crossbow bolt); AL NE, SV
Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +5; Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 15, Wis
15, Cha 12. Height 6 ft. Skills and Feats: Alchemy +4, Concentration +5, Diplomacy +3, Hide +4, Knowledge (arcane) +7, Ride +4, Scry +3, Search +4, Spellcraft +8; Scribe Scroll, Still Spell, Combat Casting, Spell Focus (enchantment). Possessions: dagger, light crossbow, 20 crossbow bolts, traveler's outfit, belt pouch, spell component pouch, scroll of Summon Swarm at 3rd level, spellbook, 4 potions of Clairvoyance/ Clairaudience at 5th level, wand of Magic Missile at 1st level with 24 charges. Spells Prepared (4+1/3+1/2+1): 0 - daze, resistance, ray of frost (2), flare; 1 - sleep, charm person, shocking grasp, mage armour, shield; 2 - Tasha's hideous laughter, Aganazzar's scorcher, protection from arrows. Base DC = 12 + spell level (14 + spell level for Enchantment spells). Spellbook (18/9/3): 0 - silent portal, acid splash, light, ray of frost, resistance, launch bolt, electric jolt, flare, daze, dancing lights, ghost sound, mage hand, mending, open/close, arcane mark, detect magic, read magic, prestidigitation; 1 - sleep, charm person, shocking grasp, mage armour, shield, change self, hypnotism, endure elements, mount; 2 - Aganazzar's scorcher, Tasha's hideous laughter, protection from arrows. Notes: Is assumed to have cast mage armour and protection from arrows several rounds before combat. |
Outcome:
If a survivor from both the barbarians and the Riverines lives to tell the tale of the parley and the Mercur attack, then relations with the Vardekii will be maintained. In addition, the Vardekii will now despise House Mercur and will never think of trading with them. If the chief's son was slain by the Mercurians, then the Vardekii might even take to raiding Mercur caravans in the future.
If only one but not both of the barbarians or Riverines have a survivor report back, then although relations with the Vardekii are damaged, they can be restored by some careful negotiations next year when tempers have cooled. It will be obvious from the Mercur attack that the Mercurians were behind the whole plot, and certainly the truth of this can be relayed when negotiations resume.
Any Mercurians captured may be
kept by the party, though the Vardekii would certainly like to
take some captives to their clan for torture and enslavement.
It is common house war practice to
Ransom prisoners back to their House. Barnabus is inclined to
do just that, for the right price.
If the Mercurians succeed in stopping every barbarian and Riverine from reporting to their superiors, then their plan will have succeeded in every respect. Any prisoners captured will be taken back to House Mercur, questioned, tortured, and then, in contravention of normal House protocol, executed. House Mercur has no choice, for a single survivor reporting the Mercur attack will ruin their schemes. If the party is captured, the DM can simply inform them of their fate or the DM can organize a rescue or escape scenario of some sort.
If, on the other hand, the Mercurians capture prisoners but still a survivor escapes to report what happened, then House Mercur will realize that their scheme has failed and they have been implicated. In this case they will ransom prisoners to the clan and Riverine House respectively. Player characters and Riverine members will indeed be ransomed, though Barnabus will be none too pleased at the loss to the House. He will, however, move to repair relations with the Vardekii next year (that can be the subject of another scenario).
The Vardekii will not ransom their kin from House Mercur. Ransoming hostages is not a foreign concept to most Thaneeri, but the dishonour of being captured by Imperials usually foregoes any such. In addition, Thaneeri superstitions indicate that any prisoner of the Imperials may be a demon or wizard in disguise or that the prisoner may have been altered in some unclean way during his capture. In this case, House Mercur will sell Vardekii prisoners into slavery after failing to successfully ransom them.
Typical ransom prices are 100 gp per level. This is increased by 50% for priests, wizards, and sorcerers. This is also increased by 50% for nobility or ranking members of the guild.
Part Four - Aftermath:
Assuming the party has successfully parleyed with the Vardekii and fought off the Mercur, they will be congratulated by Barnabus. Any lesser accomplishment will provoke a reaction from Barnabus commensurate with the outcome of the situation.
Assuming House Mercur's scheme was found out (by the Mercur attack), then Barnabus will want to take some sort of revenge on House Mercur, for foiling their plan and ransoming back their members merely negates their advantage. It does not even the score. Impressed with the party's abilities under pressure, Barnabus will give responsibility for crafting and executing the revenge to the party. He will explain that the revenge should be subtle, not grievous enough to start a full scale House war or draw the attention of the authorities, and should be costly, painful, and somewhat humiliating to House Mercur.
This revenge can be, of course, the object of a follow-up scenario.
The runner taken captive by Riverine will be released as long as Barnabus knows that there is peace possible between Riverine and the Vardekii. If he thinks the Vardekii did indeed turn on House Riverine, then the runner will be sold into slavery.
Experience:
In addition to normal experience (which in Therra is half of that recommended in the DMG), each party member should be rewarded as follows:
· The party successfully
parleys with the Vardekii and convinces them to peace: +50 XP
· The chief's son survives and is not lost to the Vardekii:
+25 XP
· The 3rd level Mercur wizard is captured by the party:
+25 XP
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