This adventure follows directly on from The Adventure of the Dragon’s Scale.
Introduction
Like The Adventure of the Dragon’s Scale, this is another
low-level adventure that begins away from Orn, with Bolsano the Merchant. Following their adventure in the forest, he
has told the players that he may have other jobs for them. But hopefully less
dangerous ones!
One quiet day in the Inn, the characters are summoned urgently to Bolsano’s
workshop by one of his staff. They are
told to come fully-equipped for anything.
Once there, they find him engrossed in his crystal ball. Not taking his eye off the scene in the glass, he quickly
outlines what he describes as a ‘great opportunity.’ He has found, and for the last few hours has
been following, a small group of goblins who have stolen some significant
treasure – a large emerald, some trinkets and a small trunk. They have surprised and murdered the owner
while he was camped by an open road.
It looks like they would be easy to defeat, and they are currently hunkered
down in their lair – an encampment around a cave, in the side of a shallow valley. They have obviously stolen this stuff, and
it seems not unreasonable to relieve them of their ill-gotten gains.
What do you say?
Bolsano is eager, and willing to pay the characters the usual fee
of 150gp per person for the quest. (If
pushed, he will go as high as 180gp, he is that keen, but he also strikes a hard
bargain). As before, he can make a
dose of a Potion of Greater Healing available. He might also negotiate on the spoils. He is really after the emerald, and will be
happy for the party to claim the rest of the spoils. But he will want to cut their pay by half or more if that is the deal.
However, he believes the goblins are intending to move on soon,
and maybe to meet up with a larger group, so there may only be a narrow window
of opportunity.
The characters may notice that this quest is rather more morally
questionable than the earlier adventure, but Bolsano will attempt to address
their scruples. Goblins are known to be
evil, he will say. They have probably stolen the goods anyway – and have killed their rightful owner. And to
be honest, the adventurers are so powerful, they could just dominate the little
pack, and overcome them without killing them.
If the adventurers agree, Bolsano leads them to the same pentacle
as before. If they turn him down, it probably
won’t prejudice him for other assignments.
Assuming they agree, he says:
“Excellent, I’ve been setting this
up. You’ll arrive about half a mile down
the valley from the goblins. Just head
upstream and you’ll see the encampment on the right, about halfway up the
valley’s side. I’ve scanned around, and
can’t see any other immediate threats.
Leave some kind of marker, so you can
identify the gateway when you’re finished.
You may need to act fast to catch them unawares. I’ll keep an eye on the gateway spot. This time it should only take five or ten
minutes to get you home from there.
Oh, and I have checked. This place is around fifteen miles from the
last quest. And it’s not in a forest,
just open grassland. So that should mean
less hassle.
Good luck!”
For the DM only:
Unsurprisingly, this easy-sounding adventure is not what it seems. Again, Bolsano has no clear idea where he is sending the adventurers. He is pretending to be more knowledgeable than he really is. Also, unbeknownst to Bolsano, the group of goblins
are the cowardly servants of a gang of ogres and half-ogres (ogrillons), for
whom they were raiding. The main gang will arrive shortly after the party have defeated the
goblins.
If they want to avoid a very one-sided fight, the best route for
the characters will probably be to retreat further into the cave, breaking down
a grill that the goblins could not pass.
This leads to a somewhat different adventure from what was
planned by Bolsano, as this is the back route leading to the abandoned dwarf
stronghold of Azak-Rakar.
The unexpected challenge for the characters will be to navigate
the dwarfish ruins and escape through the main entrance without alerting the
ogre gang.
On Orn
The characters adjust to the environment as described in The Adventure of the Dragon’s Scale. As before, each player is told separately how they feel, although the referee does not explain why these changes are happening.
They arrive on a stretch of open meadowland by a stream. They are in a valley with low, boulder-strewn hills on either side. There is the occasional tree, either hawthorn or crab-apple. There is a familiar mist, which limits visibility to around 250 feet. It feels like it may rain sometime soon.
As Bolsano explained, they need to travel upstream to find the goblin’s encampment.
Valley Maps
If required, this can be used as an initial players map:
In order to find the Goblin's camp, the characters will need to move upstream, and climb a little way up the hills to the right. Otherwise, they may miss their encampment in the mist.
(Should the players cross the ridge of the hills to the right, they will find another, similar small valley. The only difference is a dense stand of dark trees at the bottom of the valley, and further upstream. See the map below).
Note – Where the adventurers arrive is no different from any other part of the meadows. which stretch alongside both banks of the stream. In order to be sure of their point of return, they will need to leave some kind of marker, as Bolsano suggested.
If they move carefully, along the right-hand hillside, they will soon spot the cave and the
goblin encampment through the mist.
How the players approach this challenge is up to them. The cave entrance is mere 300 feet above the
valley floor, and there are several hundred feet of hillside above it.
If the characters attempt to climb the valley side, and approach
from above, they may realise there is a further valley beyond. The next valley has a similar waterway and there is stand of trees and bushes at the bottom a little way further
up. However, this will be hidden in the mist.
(If the characters go seriously off-piste, further investigation in the other valley will reveal that these are holly and hawthorn, with a morass of blackberry bushes and thorns in the undergrowth. This will appear to be impassable, and will be very difficult to penetrate. However, if they do succeed, they will eventually come to the main entrance of the abandoned Hold of Azak-Rakar. It is just possible that they may decide to explore this as a way of attacking the goblins from the rear. However, the assumption for the remainder of this description is that the adventurers attack the goblins in the cave, and enter the Hold via the rear entrance. A full description of the Hold appears later, but it will be far simpler for the referee to run the adventure if the players enter through the cave).
The Goblin Encampment
There is a lot of detritus – bits of wood, rags, a burnt-out fire,
bones - scattered around the entrance to a cave in the side of the valley. Sitting on a pile of wood outside the cave is
a goblin guard. One or two other goblins
occasionally pop their heads out of the cave to speak with the guard.
Overall, there are three goblins in the cave, in addition to the
guard.
Goblin. Small humanoid, neutral evil. Detailed appearance, stats and behaviour as MM 5e.
|
Name |
HTK |
Chall. |
|
Name |
HTK |
Chall. |
|
Nog |
5 |
50 |
|
Cog |
4 |
40 |
|
Grog |
5 |
50 |
|
Esmerelda |
6 |
60 |
They also know their ogre masters will be along soon, so if the
goblins have warning, they will fight defensively, playing for time. They will back into the narrow cave, and
fire their short bows at any creature silhouetted in the opening. The cave extends back into deep shade, it is
6 feet wide at the mouth, but narrows to just 4 feet wide quite quickly. Two goblins can stand abreast in the tunnel
and fire. If pressed, they will retreat
further and further into the cave. However, the cave is blocked around 50 feet in by a set of metal bars that
they cannot get past.
If the
adventurers can defeat the goblins, they will find a small, well-made chest and
a leather bag, alongside some food consisting of charred meat and grains in
bowls set to one side. The goblins will
drag the chest and bag with them if they are forced back into the cave.
The chest is locked. If the lock is picked (DC 8), it will open (no trap) to reveal a book, two rings, a blue gem, a green gem and three potion bottles containing red, green and red liquids. If the trunk is broken open, it is 70% likely (each) that the potion bottles will shatter. The bag holds a pair of green leather gauntlets and matching knee-high boots (medium size, too big for the goblins), along with 10 gold and thirty silver pieces.
For further descriptions of these items see the end of this section of the adventure.
The Goblin’s Masters Arrive
The goblin’s masters are a gang of four ogres and three half-ogres (ogrillons), who come over the hills opposite the cave shortly after the defeat of the goblins. The characters will merely see several large, giant-like forms through the mist.
If the ogres and half-ogres spot the adventurers, they will loudly bellow a challenge and spread out, charging at speed towards them and aiming also to cut off any escape routes up or down the valley. The ogrillons will be in the centre, with the ogres at the flanks.
Ogre. Large giant. Chaotic evil. Detailed appearance, stats and behaviour as MM 5e.
Name | HTK | Chall. | Name | HTK | Chall. | |
Bagg | 69 | 500 | Hijko | 25 | 300 | |
Willum | 55 | 450 | Tonk | 52 | 450 |
Name | HTK | Chall. | Name | HTK | Chall. | |
Jarga | 28 | 200 | Jando | 28 | 200 | |
Jurgit | 29 | 200 |
It will be obvious that the ogres can outrun the characters, unless the latter have magical assistance.
In all probability, the players will see this vicious-looking group as a challenge too far, and look for ways to escape. They certainly should! (If they don’t, the DM could have a second wave of ogres appear on the hillside but this is usually unnecessary). The ogres are fast, and will outpace any characters on foot - at least, of a usual character race.
The ogre gang will throw their javelins and then rush up the hill towards the characters. (Note: the intent for the next stage of the game is for the charging giant creatures to drive the characters deep into the cave - to the narrow end which the ogres are too large to enter. The DM may decide that the first wave of javelins miss, if that point is achieved).
There are few places to hide in the valley - and although they might be able to hide in the mist, this is unlikely to work; the ogres appear to be able to see at least as well as the adventurers in the misty clouds. By withdrawing to the cave, they will as a minimum be able to limit how many enemies can come at them at once – a tactic which the goblins may indeed have employed against them earlier. However, this may feel foolhardy, and rather like a trap, if they haven’t already explored the back of the cave and discovered the barred way.
A grid of horizontal and vertical metal bars is set into the cave walls at the rear, and blocks any progress further into the cave. Through the bars, a tunnel can be seen leading deeper into the hillside. Two characters of Medium size or less in light armour can just about stand side-by-side by the bars; the grid can be wrenched free of the walls by characters with a combined strength of 26 or above.
The Goblin's Treasure
It is unlikely that the adventurers will have time to examine their haul before escaping the ogres. It is recorded here for convenience only. A further link is provided at the end of the adventure.
PART 2: UNDERGROUND
If the characters can remove the grid and enter the tunnel, the ogres will be unable to follow them - both they and the ogrillons are too large. They may, however, instruct any surviving goblin servants to track the adventurers at a distance and report back.
Deeper into the Cave – the Abandoned Hold of Azak-Rakar
Beyond the bars, the walls appear smoother, as though the characters are entering a crafted tunnel. See DM's Map 1 below. This being Orn during daylight, there is a quite dim, opalescent light illuminating even the darkest corners of the tunnel.
DM's Maps of the Hold
Again, these maps should not be shared with the players, who should be encouraged to draw their own maps (albeit with the DM's help).
Map 1
The passage from the back of the goblin’s cave was an emergency exit from the small 'Forest Dwarf ' hold of Azak-Rakar; the passage also doubled as a secondary air vent. In the past it was well-guarded, but most of the dwarves’ defences are now sadly defunct. (Note: A fuller description of the Forest Dwarves, and what became of the inhabitants of the Hold, will be found later in the campaign. For the current adventure, it is enough that the characters will be exploring the strange place they left behind).
Around 10 feet after the bars, the tunnel doglegs to the right. There is another similar set of bars (a combined strength of 22 is all that is required to remove them).
Beyond this grill, set in the ceiling, is a Magic Mouth ((M) on Map 1), which will trigger if anyone passes beneath it, saying ‘Go Back, thou foul fiend!’ in an old form of Common Tongue. At the same time a bell can be heard ringing in the distance. In the past this would have alerted the defences of the Hold. Hearing the alarm bell may still discomfort the players.
After the grill, the passage slowly narrows from 4 feet to 3 feet, and the ceiling drops to 4 feet in height. It begins to slope downwards at about 20 degrees. After a further 50 feet of this, the passage ends with a final battered grill which can be easily removed. The three grills are marked (g) on Map 1.
1. | Following the third grill, the narrow passage is supported by oak stanchions and the walls are neatly panelled in hornbeam. The passage descends slowly, in a wide spiral, as shown on the map. At point (1), the hornbeam panels are split and cracked. Behind these broken panels is the secret hiding place of a Subshadow. Subshadow. Detailed appearance, stats and behaviour. The subshadow will attempt to Hide, and then attack the rearmost character in the party after they have passed by. If spotted and challenged by the group, it will fight in self-defence, while attempting to flee down the passageway and surprise them later on, elsewhere in the complex. |
2. | Guard Room. The applewood door from the tunnel is closed, and is fitted with a grating (closed from inside). It is rotten and can be forcibly pulled open (strength check of 10). There is enough of a gap at the bottom of the door that the subshadow could slide under it, to avoid the adventurers. Inside, the adventurers find a cave, with a roof five feet high. The walls and ceiling are panelled in beech and on the floor are the remnants of an old, cheap carpet. The room contains basic beds, chairs and tables, sized for dwarves. It is empty of personal possessions, and reasonably tidy. On a rack on the far wall are a couple of crossbows and twenty quarrels. These are still functional, although they need cleaning. One feature of the weapons is the lack of any metal on them; they are crafted from an unusual, strong wood (never encountered by the characters before), and maple. On a shelf above the rack is a small statuette of a forest dwarf – this was one of the places where the magic mouth will have echoed its alert – residual magic can still be discovered on the statuette, although it is non-functional. The magic will fade over the following day. The statue shows a dwarf wearing a garland of greenery on its head, and with some kind of plant woven into its beard. It appears to be wearing leather armour, and carrying a wooden shield. The exit is an open beechwood door which leads to a further, short passageway lined with pine (walls, floor and ceiling). |
3. | Ready Room. As with the previous room, this cave is lined in beech and has a low ceiling. There is no door on the passageway from the guard room. Again, there are no personal belongings in the room. There are a dozen dwarvish beds and lockers here, along with tables and spartan chairs. There are two racks of spears (ten in each rack), again made of the strange, tough wood, and another statuette on a shelf, similar to the previous one. Hanging close to the figurine is a large brass alarm bell. As with the statuettes, residual magic can be detected on the bell for the next day. The door out is more ornately panelled, and made of varnished elm. The long corridor is panelled throughout in polished teak. The fittings are noticeably better made than has been seen in the previous tunnels. |
Map 2
The long teak passageway meanders for around fifteen hundred feet or more before coming to a sturdy, polished walnut door, with dark pinewood fittings. Inlaid in the door is the figure of a forest dwarf in maple, this time wearing a crown. This inlaid figure is repeated on all of the doors in the main keep. Again, the subshadow could slip beneath the door.
1. | Social area. The polished walnut door can be readily opened, and leads into a wide living area, with many doors off. This cavern is lined along the walls with panels of apple and oak, with a high (7’) ceiling of maple. On the walls are many pictures of forest dwarf families, usually pictured against single trees or in leafy forests. There are tables with hard chairs and soft couches grouped together, and trunks containing wooden cups and bowls of ornate workmanship. Many of the furnishings have become infested with toadstools, moulds and rot, but these are not dangerous. However, there is a smell of decay and mildew throughout the area. There is dust everywhere. |
2. | Sleeping area. The walnut door leads to a large room panelled in polished cherry wood. This is full of many softly-furnished beds, with cupboards and chests. It appears that, a long time ago this room was abandoned in a hurry. The cupboards and chests are open and clothing is strewn across the room. As in the social area there is a smell of mildew and the room is extremely dusty. |
3. | Sleeping area. Panelled in pinewood and furnished similarly to room (2) above. Against the far wall is a bookcase with several volumes of children’s stories in archaic dwarven and elvish languages. |
4. | Sleeping area. Now a pseudo-dragon’s lair. This room is similar to areas 2 and 3, panelled in polished beech. However, the bedding and soft furnishings have all been pulled into a huge mound in the far right of the room. This mound of cloth reaches the ceiling, and it can be seen that it has been structured and reinforced with struts and other pieces of wood constructed from the furniture. Several of the chairs and beds are broken. This mound is the nest of a pair of pseudo-dragons. Pseudo-Dragon. Tiny dragon. Neutral Good. Detailed appearance, stats and behaviour as described in MM 5e. The two creatures are twin sisters, and will fight to defend each other. They will react if they encounter the Subshadow, and will try to beat it off. The players may be able to drive the pseudodragons away, or telepathically befriend them. On the floor a few feet from the nest is a magic dagger made of the same, strange tough wood encountered before. Hidden in the nest are 40 gold pieces. The creatures like the shiny gold, but have no interest in the dagger. |
5. | Bathrooms & Ablutions This stone-panelled room was a bathroom and washing area. But now there is a dank, fetid green pond covering half of the floor. The water is covered with a green scum and thick yellow tendrils. The once-healthy and lifegiving underground stream which originally flowed through the room has been reduced to a tiny trickle, barely disturbing the surface of the pond. The tendrils are dangerous Yellow Weed, which will attempt to ensnare any player that gets close and drag them into the scummy water. Up to four tendrils will attempt to ensnare the nearest characters and drag them towards the scum. Yellow Weed. Detailed appearance, stats and behaviour |
6. | Bedroom and the last redoubt. This was the last sanctuary built by the forest dwarves in defence against the freezing cold of the Great Winter (more will be found about this later in the campaign). For the players, it is enough to describe the area, and let them guess what the cause was. Originally the great oak doors were barred and many layers of insulation (bedding, cloth, cushions, etc) were stacked against it. However, one of the doors has cracked and the characters can force it aside and enter. The room is lit by three glowing stones lying on the floor (abandoned by the dwarves). The glow can be seen through the cracks in the oak doors. They reveal a tumbled scene, of bedding and clothes, and of remnants of food that has been left in a hurry and left to rot and desiccate. Scattered on the floor are round wooden tokens. The characters will see that they were some form of currency. They may also notice that the different types of wood have different values. The strange, hard wood appears to be worth 5 units, Oak 2, Beech 1 , Maple 1/2, and Apple 1/10. They each carry the carved icon of the dwarf on one face, and a crown on the obverse. The friezes on the rosewood walls depict scenes of home, and forest dwarves pursuing successful businesses (carving, building, and shaping many types of wood). Half of the room has collapsed, and earth fills it from floor to ceiling. Nothing of obvious value has been left in the room, apart from, just possibly, the wooden coins. |
7. | Audience chamber, private room and treasure room It is clear that this was a room of state. However, both it and the two rooms off (the robing room and treasure room) have been ransacked in the distant past and little of value remains. |
8. | Guardroom Similar to Map I room 2, except this armoury was once better equipped, and the room is clearly oriented to face towards area 11. The room also contains some basic beds (as Map1 Room 3, ready room). |
9. | Stores Broken sacks and barrels litter the room. The husks from wheat and stains on the floor. |
10. | Kitchen area This was the kitchen area, and tables, cutlery, pots and pans can be found, scattered around. To the left is a mound of cloth and rope which is a nest in which reside a family of Giant Rats (two adults and four babies). The adults will defend the next, but if left alone will not attack. Giant Rat. Small beast. Unaligned. Detailed appearance, stats and behaviour as described in the MM 5e. |
11 | After climbing the stairs, the roof rises to 10 feet and the quality of the woodworking improves markedly – or at least it appears to. There are far more curlicues and flourishes. This wide area and the private rooms off were reserved for visitors, meetings and audiences. In each of the private areas is a battered couch, table and chairs. The central area has a number of long tables with more chairs. The whole area is panelled in beechwood, inlaid with applewood depicting the Hold at its peak. People are meeting and trading; goods are bought and sold, and creatures of many types can be seen. Throughout these scenes, the forest dwarves direct, arbitrate and decide the discussions between others, and they seem to be the largest and most wealthy traders. Now however the whole area is dusty, and parts are smeared with birdlime. Some of the rooms off the main area are occupied by stirges. (a) 2 Stirges Stirge. Tiny beast. Unaligned. Detailed appearance, stats and behaviour as described in the MM 5e. Hit points 2 and 3 (b) Empty (c) Empty (d) Empty (e) Empty (f) Empty (g) 3 stirges As (a) but HP 1, 4 and 3 (h) Empty (i) Empty (j) Guard statue in the entrance An animated statue of a forest dwarf, 4’ 6” tall, carrying a large club. This hornbeam figure was created fifty years ago to protect the Hold and keep the peace at meetings. It will first attempt to subdue any creature being aggressive in area 11, failing which it will strike with its club. If combat ends it returns to the entrance to area (j). Animated Statue: Detailed appearance, stats and behaviour
|
12. | At the foot of the wide, ornate stairs out is a sign saying ‘Watch The Sky.’ There is a patch of Gray Ooze on the stairs about halfway up to the doors. It will attack any character wearing metal armour. See MM 5e. The Grand Entrance to the hold has huge doors of Oak, inlaid with many other types of wood, showing an apple tree in fruit on each door. Above the doors, on the outside, is a large sign saying ‘The Dwarves of the Forest bid you Welcome to the Hold of Azak-Rakar’ in Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Draconic, and Gnome. Followed by a second sign in Common: ‘Closed for the Great Winter’ |
At this point, the characters will have come through the small Dwarf Hold of Azak-Rakar. They may speculate about what happened. The referee should ideally keep brief notes about those speculations.
PART 3: EXIT AND RETURN
Outside the doors, the characters will find themselves in a dense forest of hawthorn and holly. Any of the creatures from the Hold may follow the party outside except for the subshadow and the animated statue.
Having exited from the Hold, the challenge for the players is to find the portal and return to Bolsano.
DM's Map showing where the main entrance to the hold is in relation to the portal (not to be shared with players):
Unless they have been keeping close and accurate maps, the characters will be unclear where they have resurfaced in relation to the portal. The tangled holly and hawthorn trees will make it hard to see any distance, even without the enclosing mist.
The entrance to the hold faces downstream, with the higher hills to the right upon exiting. The players will need to realise they have come out into a different valley, and must to cross over those hills.
There are wild goats living in the tangled, thorny woods, but they pose no threat.
The Ogre band can be assumed to be searching for the party, supported by their vassal goblins if they have survived this far.
While the majority of the ogres have remained within 100 yards of the cave entrance (the back door to the Hold), three are out scouting. One has been sent upstream, one downstream from the cave, and one has been sent up hill, to the brow of the hill above the cave. It is this last ogre that the characters may encounter.
The DM should be able to extemporise a wilderness game of hide and seek. The players should if they are careful, be able to spot the ogres without being seen in their turn, and the cover of the mist and the hawthorn/holly forest will help in the initial stages. This forest is difficult to travel through, and reduces speed to 10’ unless the characters have special aptitudes (or are wearing the Greenwalker leathers from the treasure (qv)). Visibility is limited, and the tangled thorns rise to 15’. At the start, by climbing atop the exit from the Hold, the characters may be able to see beyond the greenery.
After the characters have left the forest of hawthorn they will see the small stream that winds through the valley and is joined by other rivulets. They will realise that this is smaller and faster than the stream near the portal.
Other Encounters
Some tens of minutes after leaving the shade of the forest, a large flying dinosaur will be seen. This is a giant meat-eating pterosaur, called a Hatzegopteryx.
Hatzegopteryx. Detailed appearance, stats and behaviour.
Unusually, this beast has been ridden – it carries an empty saddle, and a leather saddle bag is strapped to it. It has already been wounded by an arrow (-4 HP) and the rider’s strap (attached to the saddle) is broken.
The creature will fly into the holly forest, and predate on one of the goats. If the characters do nothing, it will leave with a goat in its mouth and fly off into the mists.
If the characters attack the beast, it will retaliate if not badly hurt. However, it is generally more interested in leaving with its goat.
The Ring of Lesser Dinosaur Control (qv) can be used on the beast. However, it will not be able to fly carrying creatures weighing more than 80lb.
The saddle bag contains a pack of papers (blank) and pencil, a small telescope (to act as a scout’s spyglass) and 5 travelling biscuits in the form of wafers (each will sustain for a day and restore up to 4 HP).
In the game of chase and hide, the characters may also meet a number of birds and beasts, as well as other creatures. Like the the goats of the hawthorn forest, these encounters are likely to be of little danger.
A final, more distant encounter occurs if the characters successfully cross over to the other valley (containing the portal). They will feel a wave of evil and terror emanating from a point in the clouds above them. This will last less than a minute, and then dissipate.
Orn at Night.
It is quite likely that the characters will be travelling for many hours, and night will begin to fall. Here, again, the unusual nature of Orn will assert itself.
Although the light will dim, it will never become truly dark. The strange, opalescent light of this world will remain. At its darkest, it will resemble a deep twilight.
The mist will remain throughout the night.
Eventually, if successful, the characters should be able to return unmolested to the spot in the meadows where they arrived on Orn. It should be possible to avoid the ogre sent in the direction of the portal.
The remaining paragraphs apply when the Goblin Heist is played as part of the much larger Orn campaign. However, should the referee wish to play it as a standalone adventure, they can have the adventurers return to Bolsano’s workshop, where they will seek their reward - see the Optional Ending for The Adventure of the Goblin Heist .
The Surprise Arrivals
If The Goblin Heist is being played as part of the Orn campaign, then when the party return to the area where they first arrived, they will find an irregular patch of burnt and scorched grass, around 15 feet across.
By the river, hiding in the grasses, they will find Bolsano, whose clothing and hair are badly singed but who is otherwise unwounded, along with his wife, his senior manager from his emporium, and Falco the halfling.
Bolsano had kept a watchful eye on the crystal ball for many hours into the night, and had grown increasingly concerned when the party did not appear. Around midnight, however, his Emporium was subjected to a surprise attack by a large group of masked and mounted men. They smashed the windows, an explosion wrecked the main doors, and they set fires burning across the many customer areas.
Only these four were in the shop complex. The men had surrounded the Emporium and were firing at anyone they could see.
Bolsano and the others tried to fight back, but they could barely see the assailants and their weapons and spells were wholly insufficient. Eventually, Bolsano realised that the only way to escape was through the magic gateway. In a rush, they headed through the burning shop to the workshop in the basement, Bolsano opened the gateway and they all hurried through, grabbing what they could. As a final act, a flagon of oil was thrown back through the gateway, in the hope of starting a fire underground and deterring pursuit. As a result of this, the gateway closed.
The refugees from Ixixion will tell this in a garbled fashion, and not all at once, contradicting each other from time to time. This may take an hour or so.
Bolsano believes that the marauders in Ixixion will have moved on, and he wants to try and recover his business. He had letters of protection from Kingsguard and Larren. He would like help to return and assist with this.
He doesn’t know which way to go, but he can draw a map of the lands in the hundred miles or so around Ixixion. Of course, Bolsano hasn’t yet realised that his magic has transported everyone concerned to the different world of Orn. So, in that sense, his map is wholly useless to the adventurers.
Bolsano has lost his spell book. He has already cast some spells, and only has one 3rd and one 4th level spell slot left available. After a long rest all slots will be restored, but he will only be able to use the spells he had prepared before he lost his book. He carries a leather bag, which he grabbed from the store, containing ten gems (diamonds and rubies) worth 100gp each, and four bottles of potion of greater healing.
Nina, Bolsano’s wife, is terrified, and just wants to go home.
Bruno is stolid, and putting a brave face on things, but secretly feels that his God is testing him severely.
Falco managed to collect his belongings before the flight, including tools in a wooden box, with 10 gp. Around his waist is a rope of climbing. He also wears goggles of night and is lugging an alchemy jug. He has cast spells, and has used all his spell slots when he first meets the party. After a long rest these will be restored.
Here are further details of the four refugees.
And, finally, here again is The Goblin's Treasure.
The next adventure is The River Journey
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