...the first half of an adventure! It has finally come, the ultimate end of GURPSmas! The final surprise is an adventure playable in GURPS (theoretically, in any other system as well.) Today, I will post mainly the setup for the adventure, with the second half (a short dungeon) and enemies being posted tomorrow, as the final GURPSmas present. The adventure is called "The Mines of Tosid", Tosid meaning Armor in dwarven-speak. DO NOT click read more if you intend to ever be a player in a one-shot of this, as there are spoilers ahead. This adventure's power level is recommended at two to three characters with 150 total points, but higher is okay. TL can be anywhere from TL1 to TL4.
The adventure has some background crucial to the story but can be removed to better fit an adventure with a different start. The mines itself was built more than a hundred years ago, with it being overrun by a lesser necromancer, named Ubel Ingizor, a dozen years or so before the start of the adventure. The mines mined a special mineral called Riverstones, which were used to upgrade armor into high-powered sets (see Make Cursed Items Cursed Again!)
He initially invaded with two evil companions, the evil ogre Crunch and the powerful dwarf Clang. The three decimated the small garrison of thirty men at the mines, which was a 60/40 split of dwarves and humans. Most escaped, leaving Ubel with a garrison of forty-six men, including the three overlords.
At the time that the party meets for the adventure, the necromancer Ubel has been sending out raiding parties to grow his hoard of gold that he has, as he has been selling the sacred Riverstones illegally for profit in the region, mostly to orcish warlords and barbarian raiders, which has been worsening the problem of conflict in the region. Even though the orcs and barbarians have lived in the region for as long as the settlers that you are working for, with the heightened power, many settlements are being completely pillaged and razed.
The adventure begins in a damp cell. The party has been arrested for something illegal they did in their previous antics, but now the local Baron stands in front of their cell. He is named Baron Kurtis Ivishan II, the son of the infamous warlord Kurtis "Kurt The Red" Ivishan, who wiped out the tribe of Avagana twenty or so years before the adventure. His bloodline is feared in local cultures, due to the decimation of the tribe, meaning that the party should at least have some sort of interest or curiosity surrounding him.
He asks the party for a favor, in exchange for freeing them. The mines were once an important tourism and economic point in the region around the town (which is just simply called Ivaton.) The Baron wants the mine back at all costs, with both of his previous attempts failing. He thinks that you lot are ample to take it on, as he really has only sent militiamen to clear it out, seeing as most able-bodied fighters are currently harvesting the season's crops in the fields. Along with your freedom, he promises to bless one item of your armor of your choosing, free of charge. (Note: Riverstone only improves the rating of Armor, not anything else. Shields do count, but only for their DR.)
If they are to accept, they are sent on their merry way towards the dungeon. If they do not? Well, that was certainly a short adventure. I am joking, but see the end of the blog post for more info. The trek to the mines is through a narrow mountain pass, which blocks out most magic, irritating any magic user in the party. As they get further and further into the mountain pass, they make it to a point in the pass that is mostly blocked off by an abandoned wagon. If they choose to approach, they are attacked by three orcish scouts, which is a trivial fight for the party.
Once they complete the fight (or find a way to avoid it), they can move onward through the mountain pass, until they enter the Valley of Tosid where the mines lie. The valley itself is infested with orcs and barbarians, though both groups are fighting each other. It is up to the GM to choose if there are any encounters with these folk in the two-hour trek to the mines. As they near, they see the faint purple necromantic aura around the mines, that keeps the skeletons alive and ready to fight. Tomorrow's post will have the actual dungeon along with maps for other parts of the adventure.
If the party chooses to not accept the favor of the Baron, they have two other possible options. They must wait out their 2d6+1 day sentence, but afterward, they can either head toward the mines themselves (asking for directions either in Ivaton or along the way) or find the Baron in the town, with this time asking for money rather than freedom. Both are acceptable for the adventure, as after the adventure is up to the GM. If you have any questions or if I worded anything wrong or didn't mention anything, let me know, and I will fix it. To the GMs out there reading this post? Thank you for GMing, it is a crucial part of the game and we can't do it without you.
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