Hang 'Em High

SETTING Caer Fobin and Environs
AIDS Sharp's Rifles
SUGGESTED READING Thardic Republic Kingdom Module, Alternate Army

The Setup | The Story | Getting Them There | Rescuing Micheal | Conclusion

The Setup:

Fobin is in turmoil. The legionnaires are getting angry at having to eat "standard fair" while still encamped. They've come to accept the hanging of their quartermaster and worry for their lost members - but the food is driving them towards mutiny. Few soldiers can afford to eat out two meals a day for each day, and now food is getting scarce.

Maps:

Characters:

The Story

Richard of Coranan was a full-timer who fell in love with Jessica of Fobin, the secret mistress of Horrik Barral. Horrik bought Jessica a room near the Halean temple and kept her well. When Horrik found out Richard was selling goods on a local black market to make extra money - he probed further to find out why. When he found out Richard was dallying with his mistress and that Jessica was willing to leave him for Richard, Horrik had Richard arrested for black-marketeering. Richard claimed he was innocent, but none came forth to defend him and there was a lot of evidence against him.

Jessica has since disappeared. Richard was hung on the 12th of Morgat for dereliction of duty and treason. Anyone who can read can find the court transcripts in the main clerk's office. The local peonian priest (Jarrel) can bring you to his unmarked grave.

Michael was sent from Coranan along with the replacement troops. He has not spoken to his brother in 8 years, and was not surprised to hear of the man's demise. As dark as Richard appeared - Michael is sunny. Michael was driving a cart with 4 apprentice cooks and kitchen workers - about 2 hours behind the forces that arrived in Fobin on the 2nd of Kelen. He never arrived.

He stayed an extra day over in Geishtei to repair a wheel - but the following day he still had not arrived. A patrol found his cart, and his supply wagon, both overturned in the mud (it was raining heavily when they found it.) Tracks lead off into the woods, and then disappear. The wet foliage did much to hid the trail.

At midnight a patrol returned, and the new Fobin I:I was awoken. They were sent out to try and find the new quartermaster (or at least his supplies, as the caer was starting to run out...) but neither search was successful. The search party found a horse in the river, its bridle rapped around a fallen tree. The beast must have been swimming for hours - yet it was still resilient.

Where Are They Now?

I can't answer for Richard, but Michael is about 20 Km (4 leagues) away. He is alive, but unwell. He and one assistant were the only ones to survive the bandit attack. Michael is refusing to help the bandits - and thus cannot be trusted to be released. He will die in 4 days if the bandits do not find him medical attention.

The Missing Tenaci +

Contrary to other rumors the bandits are the missing tenaci as well as 6 reservists from various other fortifications. All legion trained their encampment is a small fortress among the trees. They are trying to join up with another group of bandits who have been the real troublemakers in the area.

They raided the cart and covered their tracks, but have no clue about he unicorn they scared off in to the river Thard.

The Other Bandits

The other group of bandits who had the legion's dispatcher killed - were hoping to find and steal the unicorn the dispatch mentions. They wanted to sell it to the Black Market for a pretty penny. They believe the beast to have been slaughtered by these new "bandits." There for the "bandits" will be turned in by the real bandits in the area to the legion. Confused yet? No? Good.

The bandits will send word that they want to meet the new "bandits" to discuss joining forces, but they hope the legion will discover them instead.

There were once over 20 of them, but in order to find the unicorn they attacked a legion dispatcher and set fire to a village (Rusna) to tray and hide their intentions on the 3rd of Kelen. Unfortunately (for them) Rusna is home to several veteran legionnaires who now till their own lands.

One of the veterans (Johnas) sent his son (milar) to the local outpost to warn them. The cohort from Fobin arrived less than a candle after the bandits departed. In game 4 they were hunted down and caught (and the dispatcher's horse found.) but the dispatches and 4 horsemen (from their tracks) were missing.

On the 4th of Kelen the captured bandits were to be tried for their crimes, but the trial was delayed by 24 hours due to the mysterious happenings on the 4th.

Jessica

She's hiding out with the bandits. She was one of them all along - trying to make Horrik Barral sympathetic to the nobles of Eidel province. But it was to no avail - which is why she successfully seduced Richard.

Getting Them There

This adventure was designed for a group of legionnaires, but any group of concerned citizens/freemen will do.

Rescuing Micheal

Conclusion

Mysterious Happenings on the 4th of Kelen

SETTING Fobin Keep
AIDS  
SUGGESTED READING This supplement and Alternative Army.

What came Before:

As the players ask around, and make friends at Villa Milities - here are the most common rumors you'll hear from others about the previous goings on in and around Fobin:

  1. Smugglers are everywhere in this region, most banditry is related to the smugglers activities somehow. If there is an official chapter of the Lia-Kavir in Fobin, its not known about in Coranan nor Golatha.
  2. The previous quartermaster was hung for misappropriation of goods.
  3. The previous Fobin I:I:II was shipped off to Taztos for their association with the quartermaster.
  4. The previous Quartermaster was secretly seducing Horrik's mistress and that's what got him killed.
  5. Fobin I:I:II was wiped out along the river without a sign of struggle nor with any bodies left as proof. The tracks just stopped!
  6. Bandits are really Rethem agents testing our defenses to see if the TR is ripe for invasion.
  7. Bandits are all that are left of the Kandian nobles and servants that once ruled over Ramala.
  8. The Wytels are testing the Fobin forces to see if they're worth hiring upon retirement. Most all of their personal bodyguards come from men and women who have served in Fobin.
  9. The Quartermaster was hung for stealing from the chapel inside the fort.
  10. There's a Nola in the area. It ate Fobin I:I:II.
  11. Fobin I:I:II went rogue and are secretly being hunted for running off.
  12. Bandits recruited Fobin I:I:II and the quartermaster was their go between. When Fobin I:I:II heard he was going to be hanged - they split!
  13. Bandits are actually Agrikan knights in disguise. If they kill you - Agrik gets your soul. An eternity in Ak-Syst.
  14. The festival is just incredible. It's the closest thing you'll find to Coranan excitements - and as legionnaires we're really treated well.
  15. Angus, the barkeep at the Wooden Tankard Inn is the head of the local smugglers. He's a big fellow, tight lipped and his limp is fake. Watch your back when he's around.
  16. The local smugglers use the Halean temple in town to contract most of their business. You can tell - just look at all the seedy folk that go in and out...er... not that I'm counting you as one of them friend.

Truth table for the rumors on the previous page.

  1. T - the smugglers are part of the Black Market - an independent group who run goods from Shiran to Golotha. The local Lia-Kavir doesn't care, but the guilds in Shran and Coranan would pay much to learn when to expect shipments, and where. The Black Market has been cutting into Lia-Kavir business in the big cities.
  2. F- See "The Problem with Quartermasters."
  3. F - See "The Problem with Quartermasters."
  4. T - See "The Problem with Quartermasters."
  5. T- See "The Problem with Quartermasters."
  6. F- See "The Problem with Quartermasters."
  7. F- See "The Problem with Quartermasters."
  8. T - the local district legar keeps a regular eye out to suggest people to his family's services. The Wytels are not well liked - and their political power demands a loyal bodyguard.
  9. F - See "The Problem with Quartermasters.
  10. F -And the Nola did it. .Ñ No, there is no nola in the area - but there are a lot of rumors that a "Dark stalker" roams the river's edge. It eats children and leaves no trace - spooks horses in the knight, ect.ect.ect.
  11. T - See "The Problem with Quartermasters."
  12. T - See "The Problem with Quartermasters."
  13. F - See "The Problem with Quartermasters."
  14. T - Yes it is a great time.
  15. F - well, somewhat true.
  16. F- Nope

And so it Begins...

At midnight it began to rain - throughout the day there was a dull pelting drizzle. Just enough to make everyone annoyed. By midnight that night - it was a torrential downpour with no signs of letting up. Sometime around 1:30 to 2 am on the 4th the river Thard suffered from a flash flood that - while it did no damage to the keep - still cleared men from the south tower's walls.

The storm lasted for the entire day, dying slowly on the fifth. But while the area was still under its affects a black vlasta led a pack of 20 beasts against Fobin keep. Vlasta are not suppose to be that smart - yet this pack tried prying under the walls - pushing against the doors, and trying to jump over the walls. 3 did get in through the water stream (swimming up stream from the thard) into the privy and the well. The two from the well were taken care of by the archers on the walls. The one in the privy was fireballed by the Manus on the walls.

(Call it a 75% chance that of the 10 trying to get in, 1/3 will succeed.) Lots of chaos.

The storm was so great that the court case was called off - as finding the quartermaster was deemed more important. Men housed in the cells beneath the keep suffered a little from flooding - and screamed loudly when they heard something snarl at them from beneath the grates in the floor (about the time the vlasta attacked.)

The day ends at dinner time where A message starting the adventure "Delve Deep" is given to a character.

The Fifth begins with the bandits trial inside the keep. Shortly there after a messenger arrives and the unit must go out to face the bandits - the message is from an informer, but (about an hour later) when Horrik sees the message - he sends out new orders. He recognizes the hand in which it is written - it's Jessica's. He orders the woods combed for the bandit encampment.

In the sixth - Meanwhile the Milities Linari will be capturing their brethren and finding Michael only a little worse for wear.

The real bandits should be found (or at least a few of them caught.) Their trial, along with those caught several days earlier will occur in the afternoon. The bandit's ring leader (the fellow who took the legionnaire's dispatch pouch) should not be among those caught. The bandits will express their support for the Kandian nobles still in Edell province - but have marks and money from Rethem on them.

In the seventh - The group will go to the border for a long patrol (several days out) to try and see where the bandits are coming across. So it's a day of talking to locals and travel. They should find a few clues along the way.

The Storm

The storm was caused by a mage who was trying to spontaneously create a new spell. He spontaneously failed and thus the worst rain storm since 300TR was unleashed upon all of Tharda along the river. It is just a side-event that has no real play in this adventure (other than to make the PCs wet and miserable.)

The Unicorn

The much wanted unicorn is really an item requested by the Sindarin nation (Evael.) They want the beast back (claiming it was theirs and it wandered away one day, yada, yada.) Actually it's from the far north and it wandered down through the mountains to be found (and captured) by the legion. Clan Wyjek is secretly trying to get it to Golotha (or near enough) to sell it to the Rethem Crown (Chafin III) who wants to use it to create a longevity potion (so he can rule forever Mu-ho-he-hahahahah. Ahem.)

The legion would rather see it returned to Evael and the reward paid into its coffers (2000d). Clan Wytel agrees. There are standing orders to protect the beast at all costs - which is why it was moved out of Coranan and to be hidden in Fobin for the coming months. Out of sight, out of mind right?

Wrong. The fake bandits have already passed on the information that the unicorn is hidden in Fobin. So the real bandits (if not otherwise stopped) will be trying to find the beast.

Weird Dreams and Visions

Golden balls should be seen by the PCs in their dreams. In fact -infest them all with dreams that they have to remember and retell. The golden balls are the only important vision/dream, the others were sent to try and confuse the issue by the same mage who wants the Unicorn. He's stationed in Themeson currently (as a guest.)

The Golden Balls have a meaning: The merchant's guild. They know about the reward for the Unicorn, and the elves are subtilely trying to get the PCs to take the reward and return the beast. They know where it is, but have decided not to directly interfere in this matter. Future dreams should be about horses, speed and horns. But said mage is truly trying to muck things up. So the dreams could be warped (running, falling, hooves, musical horns, other beasts, etc....) This should culminate 4 days later with the following dream.

Other possible meanings of the golden balls: Halea? The Order of the Silken Voice has a single gold ball as its symbol. Perhaps the goddess is involved? No. But the PCs may involve her if they want.

The dream is sent by the elves to the PCs to try and help:

Four men hunched around a campfire.

It is drizzling rain. Miserable weather, yet the fire does not go out, nor even dampen from the rain. Beyond the fire is a chained unicorn. It's fighting valiently for its life, but its head is chained down sideways onto a bord and steel bands hold its horn in place. Its body is wrapped in white linnens and golden chains which it cannot break. An axman (his face covered by a leather mask) stands overtop of the chained unicorn. He is looking at the campfire.

The four men are muttering among themselves. The first wears a crown of gold sitting atop a head drenched in blood. His hair is matted, his beard clotted, and his clothes are all blood red but perfectly clean. His skin is sagging and beneath the blood he looks ancient. The second is a fat merchant dressed in senatorial robes. Upon his fingers are a million gold rings - but the rings are all brass, not gold. And the senatorial robes have been sloppily patched. The third is a legionnaire. But his belt is empty - and his weapons rusted, and dull. He's overweight, and lethargic. The fourth is a clean man in a simple robe he turns from his companions and looks evilly - directly at the dreamers, he stands and claps his hands.

At which point all PCs awaken.

The first man is the king of Rethem - Chafin III. He obtained his crown by killing off all of his competitors.

The second is Senator Toribir of clan Wejik- the ones who want to trade the unicorn for two lions which he would then give to the Pamesani games in Coranan for his amusement, and betting purposes.

The third is the fake bandits - they are not really legionnaires any more (no medallions on their belts, out of shape, etc.) The appearance in the dream is suppose to represent their fall from grace.

The fourth is the mage in question. He ended the elven dream abruptly fearing the PCs could hear what was being said. What the PCs saw was not real - rather it was a symbolic image of what has been occurring.

After this dream the mage will send a bunch of bandits over the boarder to specifically hunt down the PCs. If they are not embroiled in the "Delve Deep" adventure - then they should be dodging assassins in:

The Lion and the Unicorn

The PCs camp is trampled in the night by a Lion. The pcs then have to hunt down the two lions in the nearby woods and destroy them.

The PCs, upon arrival in Fobin are allowed to sleep the rest of the day away. Their Mani gives the tenaci the job of finding out who owns the lions. The Mani, meanwhile, will be arguing with the district legar that the beasts had to be destroyed (they were a danger to tents, if not to the general populace.)

The local merchant knows nothing about them, but the merchant in Geishtei does - he's anxious to find them, and reluctant to admit that they'd been stolen. A search back along their trail (from Golotha) will result in finding an overturned cart along the edge of the woods. Bandits attacked the caravan and, inadvertently, let the beasts loose. Mass chaos ensued, and only a few men survived and fled.

The golden crown on the lions is a mark of the Pamesani games in Golotha. The lions were a gift to the Pamesani games in Coranan from one head of state (Chafin III of Rethem) to Senator Toribir of clan Wejik.

Toribir invests heavily in the Pamesani games. A representative of the games is in Geishtei looking for both the lions and the unicorns. If the pcs meet him - they can learn about the missing unicorn and how it was to be part of a transaction - the lions for the unicorn - between Senator Toribir of clan Wejik and Chafin III. Now with both beasts lost, Chafin III is out a lot of money.

GM Information

This adventure idea is based on chaos. Lots of things with political ramifications occurring in rapid succession. The PCs should be forced to choose one, or two ideas and run with them, discarding anything new that comes. Each of these plots should have long lasting effects on the PCs.

This page was last updated on
Questions/Comments should be directed to the Webmaster.
All works are Copyright their respective authors, 2002.