This adventure uses some of my personal home-brew, including the Samurai, and is set in my home-brewed world of Nuovo Arkhosia (map). This is all mere fluff, and the Samurai can be replaced by Knights in the monster manual. This particular adventure follows on from Breaking into Prison, where the party has successfully broken all the Prisoners out including the desired major NPC, Angus.
Prelude
Despite his might and power, Artor could not decisively defeat the Templars and eventually he made peace with them, but he built a Wall around the Templars and other dissidents to keep them contained. All prisoners and political dissidents are banished beyond the wall as punishment. So it is beyond the wall where pockets of faith in the Old Gods continues to survive, although it is in danger of being completely snuffed out.
You have all decided to set out on the road to Dragonspur, capital of the new Arkhosian Empire and throne to the Herald Artor Keler-Vonstahp. You plan on destabilizing the empire from within by building up a dedicated cult to the Old Gods and then using that faith to restore the dead Gods inside of Grimbold's amulet. During your last mission you broke Angus out of prison because he was a former resistance leader in Dragonspur, and you hope that he will help you reignite that resistance for your cause. Angus is feeling mixed emotions since he had willingly given himself up as part of the peace treaty, and his freedom now means that war will restart between the Templars and the Empire.
There are also 10 other prisoners who also escaped from Gaoler's Keep in Dessingrove and are doggedly following the party. Most of these prisoners had only committed religious or political crimes, and were being processed before they were to be banished outside the Wall. They are all too willing to become part of the resistance in return for freedom and safety.
A few of the prisoners have begun to follow the charismatic Amos Caely, who styled himself as "The most connected man this side of the Wall" before he was locked away in Gaoler's Keep. He is never without his two brutish enforcers, Eldridge and Rocky, who show an unswerving loyalty and are extremely protective of their charge. Amos is also travelling with the party, interested to see what opportunities arise.
The trip to Dragonspur is difficult as the party and the prisoners have taken care to avoid all signs of civilization. The dim and humid conditions have made scouting difficult, and occasionally the party would get bogged down in large patches of mud. There is no respite at night either, as the party can hear both the shrieks of distant devils and demons and the screams of their unfortunate prey. So far the party has been lucky to avoid those infernal creatures.
A few days out from the capital the party is exhausted and low on supplies. They have come across a simple village sitting on top of a hill. Arkaxus' divine sense detected a faint flickering taint of evil near the village, but before you can scout the area out, a crazed old man bursts out of the bushes and starts spurting out some crazy nonsense....
Message from the new master, hidden five-fold!
Chosen are you travelers, virile and bold!
The first is concealed power, in plainest sight!
Second is the lost heiress, devoid of might!
Find third among mind seekers, not of this world!
Bargain secrets with the fourth, their wings unfurled!
The final piece we reveal, but bide our time!
Then final peace for all kind, yourself and mine!
The man continues to repeat the verse three times, and does not seem to respond to anything anyone says. After the third repetition the whole party feels a searing pain in their head as the verse is imprinted into their brain. The old man's eyes roll up to the back of his head, blood drips from his nose and he collapses onto the ground into a brief fit before becoming unconscious, Angus absolutely insists on taking the man into the village for medical attention despite the risk of being discovered by the White Stars, and the rag-tag group of prisoners quickly help the revolutionary leader carry the man into the local meeting hall.
- At this point hand out a sheet with the prophecy on it. The party has complete recollection of the whole verse as written. The imprint is definitely magical but the source is unknown.
- If the party follows Angus, continue with Hillsfar Village . Otherwise they encounter Pyroth and Bakasura.
Hillsfar Village
Upon approaching the village, you all notice that it is extremely quiet and that their is an odd odour in the air. There only seems to be the large Meeting Hall, a carpenters Workshop, a grain silo, a butcher, the Barn, and about a dozen huts. There only seems to signs of life at the Meeting Hall, and that is the direction Angus and the prisoner's head towards.
"I got a bad feeling about this..." grumbles Amos softly so that only the party can hear.
- The village is quiet despite it's size, only having a population of 10 adult humans. However, there seems to be double that number of half-breed and outcast non-human children. All the humans are devils in disguise, while the children have been convinced to serve their new masters
- The village has an odd odor that has no particular origin, or that is readily recognizable by the party. This is because a magic spell has been cast that masks both the evil taint of the inhabitants and hides the rotting flesh of the former villagers
- The mayor of the village is Beau, a middle-aged yet exotically beautiful female human of dark skin and dark hair. She is boisterous and cheerful, and welcomes the strangers into the Meeting Hall. She is really a Succubus, trying to get everyone to stay the night so that she and the others can prey on them
After greeting the party and setting the old man on top of a table, Beau will mention that the village healer, Verner, is out in the Barn assisting the birth of a mother goat and her kids. She will ask the party to go fetch Verner while she orders the prisoners to help the villagers fetch necessary supplies. The rest of the villagers watch on, assisting where they can but continuing their mid-day meal.
- Talking the the adults will find them amicable and endearing, while the children all are quiet and refuse to look the newcomers in the eyes. They are skittish, and the adults will wave it away explaining that they are orphans and don't take kindly to strangers.
- If rejected, she will ask a couple of prisoners to fetch Verner, and at least one will die battling the Demon Goats while the other tries to get the attention of the party.
- Leaving the village at any time will trigger Pyroth and Bakasura
The party manages to catch snippets of conversation from the villagers, learning that the tiefling boy Pyroth has gone missing. The boy has a mean rebellious streak and is probably playing in the forest despite being explicitly forbidden by Beau. The adults blame this on his infernal nature, since it is well known that all tieflings suffer from extreme prejudice and racism from the humans.
Verner and the Demon Goats
When the party reaches the barn they hear high-pitched shrieks of fear and panic. Upon entering the barn you see a couple dozen goats huddled in the corner trying to keep their distance from the single goat in the centre. The goat in the middle has a abnormally distended belly and is being attended to by nervous middle aged with blood covered forearms. His brow is covered with sweat, and he glances towards to the party with a mixed look of fear and incomprehension. Those of you who have dealt with animal births in the past have never seen anything like this.
"I.... I don't know..... I haven't been trained for this..." stammers the man, "You have to help me!"
"I.... I don't know..... I haven't been trained for this..." stammers the man, "You have to help me!"
- The man is Verner, who is the village healer. The pregnant goat is obviously carrying something unnatural. Helping the healer deliver the babies will result in only 6 baby goats; killing the mother goat will instead rip a portal and allow up to 9 fully grown demon goats.
- Delivering the Baby Goats will require a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) or Intelligence (Nature) check. You can try to calm the mother goat with a DC 10 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to give the nursemaid advantage.
- After all baby goats have been delivered, a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check is needed to keep the mother goat alive. Keeping the mother goat healthy means the demon goats become slightly easier later on.
- A DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check reveals that the goats are definitely imbued with some sort of unholy essence, and possibly the lingering effects of infernal magic. Detect Magic reveal this without the need for a check. Divine only picks up a faint, ambigious sense of infernal magic (and it feels it all around, due to the magical spell that hides the true nature of the village).
- Any talk about killing the goats will have Verner physically placing himself between the party and the goats. Verner will beg the party to not hurt the goats. Attacking the goats now will mean that all goats attack, even if the mother has survived.
Delivering the babies:
The firstborn goat comes out, and it is instantly clear that something is not quite right. The goat is larger than normal, with bright red fur and two heads with pitch black eyes that stare at you with scorn. It immediately stands, wobbly at first, and then with a dismissive "maaah" it trots away from the party. Before you can react, another red-furred kid emerges from the mother goat. It is not uncommon for goats to have twins, but then another slides out. And another. Then another. Before you know it, there are a total of 6 baby goats trotting around the barn. It is quite a peculiar feat, and you notice that the mother goat is quickly fading away from the exertion.....
Killing the Mother:
The weapon slides into the neck of the pregnant goat with ease, and you hear the final sigh as the goat takes her last breath. You remove the weapon and sheath it while Verner backs up rapidly, sobbing that you killed the goat. All of a sudden, the belly of the pregnant goat bursts open and reveals a small portal. Before you can react, out of the portal jump 9 goats with red fur and two heads, each head with curved horns. They are each the size of a pony, and their pitch-black eyes rage with fury. Without warning they charge....
Attacking the babies:
You each unsheath your weapons, ready to do away with these infernal creatures. At once, each of the twelve pitch-black eyes lock onto the party, and the baby goats bare their teeth. With a stomp and bellow, all of the baby goats transform before your very eyes. They become the size of a small horse, and they grow curved horns that come to an extremely sharp point. All of a sudden these little babies have become much more dangerous.....
Aftermath:
The party leads Verner back to the Meeting Hall, where the villagers have arranged a makeshift hospital bed for the old crazy man. Verner sets to work immediately, working in tandem with Angus to treat their patient. Beau sidles up next to the party and tuts to herself.
"That old man is in a bad way, but Verner can handle him. Don't you worry about that! But I am worried about my poor little boy Pyroth. That little horned devil always gets himself into trouble, and I fear he may have stepped into something bad big time; the little rebel loves his food and yet he has skipped lunch! Do you think you could do me a quick favour and search for the little tyke?"
With nothing much to do except watch the flustered Verner work on something drastically more mundane than aiding the birth of two-headed goats, the party slowly files out of the Meeting Hall and begin their search for the little Tiefling boy....
Aftermath:
The party leads Verner back to the Meeting Hall, where the villagers have arranged a makeshift hospital bed for the old crazy man. Verner sets to work immediately, working in tandem with Angus to treat their patient. Beau sidles up next to the party and tuts to herself.
"That old man is in a bad way, but Verner can handle him. Don't you worry about that! But I am worried about my poor little boy Pyroth. That little horned devil always gets himself into trouble, and I fear he may have stepped into something bad big time; the little rebel loves his food and yet he has skipped lunch! Do you think you could do me a quick favour and search for the little tyke?"
With nothing much to do except watch the flustered Verner work on something drastically more mundane than aiding the birth of two-headed goats, the party slowly files out of the Meeting Hall and begin their search for the little Tiefling boy....
Pyroth and Bakasura
On the outskirts of the village near the edge of the forest, you notice a little figure running towards Hillsfar. The figure cannot find their footing and is constantly tripping over on the uneven ground. Then, all of a sudden, a humanoid-like figure leaps unnaturally high out of the forest and pounces on the other figure. The new creature drags the smaller figure back into the forest, which you can determine is small child. It seems like the child is in trouble, and you must act quick if you are to save him.
- Treat the search and the following event as a series of skill challenges. They will eventually catch up, but the result of their rolls will determine whether Bakasura has captured his prey or if the boy is relatively safe. Each of the challenge rolls should range from DC 10 to 15.
- If the party decides to leave the child to fend for himself and continue to Dragonspur, the child will die horribly and the devils in the village will start feasting on the remaining prisoners.
- Use these stats for Bakasura. Bakasura will always flee from danger, and will curse the party for being Devil-loving cultists that don't know when they are being played.
The Demon Bakasura is now gone, and the little Tiefling boy quickly rushes up and sticks close to you. But as soon as you move towards the village, his eyes open wide with fear and he edges closer towards the tree-line. Any attempt to talk to the boy is futile as he seems to be mute, but he makes one thing clear; he points towards the village and then places his hands next to each side of his head with one finger pointed upwards, just like horns....
The Succubi in the Village
Screams seem to come from every point in the village. The escaped prisoners are being chased down by the villagers and are dragged towards the barn, while the children are being sheperded into the meeting hall with trussed up Angus. Some of the villagers seem to spout wings and begin flying, circling around the village in search of more prey. One of the flying villagers lets out an unholy screech and points towards the party as they reach the edge of the village.....
- The Succubi are not particularly fond of fighting, and will use the properties of the Lair Actions to give themselves an advantage at hiding in the shadows when things get tough
- Beau will escaped with, at the very least, the children if the Party attempts to save the prisoners. The Succubi in the barn will attempt to open a portal and shepherd in the Prisoners if the Party attempts to save the children first.
- As soon as the last Succubi flees, the spell is disbanded over the village and the truth emerges; the original villages have been slaughtered and left lying where they fell. The smell is overpowering.
- The Hallucination will re-enact scenes from when the Succubi slaughtered the original townspeople.
Appendix: Monsters
Beau the Succubus
Medium fiend (shapechanger), neutral evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 66 (12d8+12)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 (-1) | 17 (+3) | 13 (+1) | 15 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 20 (+5) |
Skills Deception +9, Insight +5, Perception +5, Persuasion +9, Stealth +7
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, poison; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Telepathic Bond. The fiend ignores the range restriction on its telepathy when communicating with a creature it has charmed. The two dont even need to be on the same plane of existence.
Shapechanger. The fiend can use its action to polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid, or back into it's true form. Without wings, the fiend loses its flying speed. Other than its size and speed, its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Actions
Claw (Fiend Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 6 (1d6+3) slashing damage.
Charm. One humanoid the fiend can see within 30 ft of it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed for 1 day. The charmed target obeys the fiend's verbal or telepathic commands. If the target suffers any harm or receives a suicidal command, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. If the target successfully saves against the effect, or if the effects on it ends, the target is immune to this fiend's Charm for the next 24 hours. The fiend can have only one target charmed at a time. If it charms another, the effect on the previous target ends.
Draining Kiss. The fiend kisses a creature charmed by it or a willing creature. The target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw against this magic, taking 32 (5d10+5) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Charm. One humanoid the fiend can see within 30 ft of it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed for 1 day. The charmed target obeys the fiend's verbal or telepathic commands. If the target suffers any harm or receives a suicidal command, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. If the target successfully saves against the effect, or if the effects on it ends, the target is immune to this fiend's Charm for the next 24 hours. The fiend can have only one target charmed at a time. If it charms another, the effect on the previous target ends.
Etherealness. The fiend magically enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa.
Draining Kiss. The fiend kisses a creature charmed by it or a willing creature. The target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw against this magic, taking 32 (5d10+5) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Charm. One humanoid the fiend can see within 30 ft of it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed for 1 day. The charmed target obeys the fiend's verbal or telepathic commands. If the target suffers any harm or receives a suicidal command, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. If the target successfully saves against the effect, or if the effects on it ends, the target is immune to this fiend's Charm for the next 24 hours. The fiend can have only one target charmed at a time. If it charms another, the effect on the previous target ends.
Etherealness. The fiend magically enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Beau takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; Beau can't use the same effect two rounds in a row.
Miasma Fog A mysterious purple noxious gas forms a cloud in a 20-foot radius centred on a point that Beau can see within 120 feet of her. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. It lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. Each creature that starts its turn in the cloud must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its turn. While poisoned in this way, a creature is incapacitated.
Magical Blindness A 20-foot sphere at a point that Beau can see within 120 feet of her is immersed in Magical Darkness. The sphere spreads around corners. It lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
Hallucination A creature that Beau can see within 120 feet of her must make a DC 13 Will save or be subjected to vivid Hallucinations. The have disadvantage on all attack rolls and grant advantage on all attack rolls against them.
Appendix: The Amulet
The Gods within the amulet will gain or lose powers depending on the decisions and actions of the party. The Gods can sense intent, so will gain power even if the party does not follow through with a certain action.
The following should be used as a guide when determining who gains power during the adventure:
- Immediately following Angus to help the old man will favor Bahumat & Pelor.
- Abandoning Angus and the old man at any time will favor Bukalos & Asomodeus.
- Showing any interest and concern for the children will favor Pelor.
- Rejecting to go fetch Verner will favor Asomodeus & Bukalos.
- Failing to help the Pyroth the Tiefling child will favor Bukalos and Gruumsh.
- Leaving the village to it's fate once the devils start feasting on the prisoners will will favor Bukalos and Gruumsh.
- Defending the prisoners and the children from the devils will favor Kord and Bahumat.
- Accidentally killing a child favors no-one, but murdering them all favours Bane and Gruumsh.
- Killing the Demon Goats will favour Erathis, Raven Queen and Pelor. Letting the Demon Goats live will favour Bukalos and Gruumsh.
- Delivering the Demon Goats will favour Pelor and Melora. Killing the Pregnant Goat will favour Gruumsh and Bukalos.
| Name | Domain | Current Power |
|---|---|---|
| Asomodeus | Power and pride | 1 |
| Bahumat | Justice and Honour | 2 |
| Bane | War, Domination, Subjugation | 2 |
| Bukalos | Disaster and Pain | 1 |
| Erathis | Civilisation, Order, Peace | 0 |
| Gruumsh | Wrath, Destruction, Cruelty | 1 |
| Ioun | Magic, Study | 1 |
| Kord | War, Athletics | 2 |
| Korellon | Freedom, Beauty, Art | 1 |
| Lloth | Treachery, Lies, Deceit | 3 |
| Melora | Nature, Wilderness, Sea | 1 |
| Moradin | Creation, Craftsmen | 1 |
| Pelor | Sun, Farmers, Commoners | 2 |
| Raven Queen | Death, Burial, Winter | 4 |
