The One That Got Away

The Royal University, Toys for the Sandbox #44

With Toys higher page count of late, it has been awhile since I had idea overruns for an issue of Toys. This week, however, as I was working on the map for #44 a bit of space opened up and I realized it had a story to tell, not enough to give it its own issue, but a story that needed telling. So here it is – a new One That Got Away.

The Dueling Green

Tucked between the School of Theology and the School of History is a open, overgrown space. A low gateless wall surrounds this thick tangle of grass and small shrubs. This is the dueling green. It was common in the early days of the city for members of the king’s court to come here to settle their differences with steel when words had failed them or emotion ran too high. Shortly after the university was founded, however, laws were passed making it illegal to duel in city limits. That, of course, did not stop people from meeting on the dueling green so the king had the wall built to keep people off the piece of land. Some say there was another darker reason the green was sealed away.

Twists

At the center of the green is a magical sword that was used by one of the king’s advisers. The sword was broken during a duel and the adviser, his comrades and opponent all vanished. The green is now a place filled with twisted wild magic. Once the wall is scaled the space inside is much larger then it appears to be from the outside. This bit of cursed ground can be healed if someone manages to repair the spells that are bound to the blade. According to a long forgotten law if there is someone who can do this, they will be awarded the plot of land and the blade.

The old dueling green is haunted by those who died there. If one enters the green on a moonless night and brings one of the ghosts something that belonged to them when they were alive, they will answer three questions.

There are several secret gates in the wall around the yard making it a perfect place for clandestine meetings. Members of the first families who know about the gates meet there. The thieves’ guilds use it too. Now someone has placed magics on the stones of the wall that listen to what happens in the green. The first families want that person found and dealt with. So do the thieves. The culprit responsible is a young, penniless wizard who is a follower of Dorman Rookers, the leader of the isolationist movement.

It has been a while since we had more Toys then could fit in the box and the box has gotten bigger over the last few issues. Even so it has happened again and I have more ideas than will fit on the page. This time I have not one but two hooks that did not make the cut.

When Are We?

As the party walks past the pier they feel a strange jolting sensation and look around to realize that the town of Greatbridge has disappeared. A smart enough wizard or other archanist can figure out that they have stumbled through a rip in time and wound up in the past.

The Twists

1.  The party has arrived at the height of the were-kingdom period on the island. The mage in the party is able to calculate when and where the time rift will open again. The party just needs to stay alive long enough to get there.

2.  The party has gone back in time to just after the creation of the island and Gravin’s imprisonment there. He is weak and disoriented and gives the party a small amulet and tells them how to get home. When they return to the present he asks them for the amulet back.

3. The party has arrived during the monastery period. The monks want to use the party to help test some of their ideas. The seer is willing to help them escape if they sneak into the monastery and destroy the library.

The Runes in the Ship

The party is looking for a very old magic spell that was rumored to be known only by an evil sorcerer named Gravin. Legend says that he was imprisoned on an island in the southern sea. Their quest has brought them to Pirate Island where they hear stories of a ship filled with ancient magical writing.

The Twists

1.  The spell is indeed carved on the inside of the hull, but as the party starts to copy it a number of coral golem attack them. They need to protect their wizard while he works.

2.  Once the spell is cast it summons Gravin and he is bound to do a task for the party but he is off the island.

3.  The spell is not where the party thought it would be and their quest must go on. However, there is an old seer on the island who can help them find what they are looking for, but at a price.

 After a couple of weeks of fitting my ideas between the covers, I have overdone it once again. You may have noticed that the gnome scholar, Etherion Medelsprite did not have much going on other than his studies. That is not  the case. He just showed up late to the party and his hooks did not make it in. So without further ado I give you:

A Scream in the Mist

While walking crossing the Mistmoore the party finds themselves about to cross into the meadow when they are stopped by a shout from a high-pitched, almost squeaky voice. Looking around they do not see anyone, but are yelled at once again to stop. The voice tells them if they come any farther they will never be able to come back to this place. The voice explains that it is already trapped but needs their help.

The Twists

The voice is that of the gnomish scholar, Etherion Medelsprite who has taken up residence in the meadow. He has manuscripts that he will pay well to have delivered. However, the manuscripts tell secrets of the faerie people and the faeries will send agents after the party if they agree to the mission.

Etherion, the gnome scholar needs someone to guide a cart of supplies he is sending for back to the meadow, but anyone who enters will forget where it is. Once the party hires the cart and gathers the supplies they will be attacked by bandits during the trip back to the meadow.

The voice belongs to one of the trow who has decided it is time for the gnome to leave. He will give the party a large stash of leprechaun gold if they find the gnome’s people and get him out of there.

Often I write more than will fit on the ten pages of Toys for the Sandbox,  and the Pirate Island is no exception. What did we leave out this time? Oh, nothing much. Just a royal hostage. Here, take a look for yourself.

There is more to pirating than looting ships and drinking rum. There are rousing songs to be sung and the occasional abduction. One crew on the pirate island has taken a young prince hostage in the hopes of making some quick money. The prince’s family wants him back, and will pay a party of adventurers quite well if they pull off the rescue.

Hostage Drama

A young prince from a nearby kingdom has been taken hostage by the pirates, and they are demanding a ransom for his safe return. The family wants to pay the ransom, but does not want to set a precedent. The older brother of the prince approaches  the party and asks them to rescue the young man.

The Twists

The older prince knows that his father is thinking of naming his younger brother successor to the throne excluding  the older prince. The older prince has paid the pirates to kidnap the younger prince. He has also paid to have him killed during the rescue attempt.

The younger prince likes the pirate life better than being a prince, and is not a willing accomplice to his own rescue.

The young prince is in hiding. He has learned that a powerful member of his father’s court is going to betray the king to his enemies. He tried to warn his father, but was not taken seriously. He is on the pirate island negotiating with the priests of the islands for help in recapturing his country if it should fall.

The One That Got Away, The Ritual Site

As usual there were more ideas for The Ritual Site than would fit into the latest issue of Toys. This time there is a bit more flavor text. You see, there are more than just the forts of the forest wardens circling the forest. In the northwest there is a strange old structure, older than the wardens’ forts and older even than the ritual space. This is the crystal chapel.

The crystal chapel is a single towering quartz crystal that stands straight up from the earth. At one time in days long gone someone or something came here and carved a building into the crystal. Today the interior of the crystal appears to be a labyrinth of twisting narrow corridors that open onto small chambers. The walls in the chambers are decorated with carvings that use the natural shading of the crystal to tell stories of the gods and the creation of the world.

At the center of the labyrinth is a chapel of sorts. Rows of benches have been carved into the quartz and a pulpit has been carved into the space also. Anyone standing here to address those assembled in the room will find their voice to be amplified. Whether this is a magical effect, or just a property of the room’s construction, it is hard to tell.

The entire crystal does give off a faint magical energy, and occasionally pockets of more powerful energy can be seen moving about inside the crystal.

There is a lot going on in Greatbridge, way more than can be covered in a mere ten pages. Here are a few things that we had to leave out. In addition, down the road from here we will have to make another visit to Greatbridge to talk about the Shivering Inn Tavern.

A Bit More Flavor

One of the big problems that faced Greatbridge was getting enough fresh food to keep the townspeople fed. It used to be that it was as common for the people of the town to trade for tomatoes as it was for gold. But since a wizard spent some time in Greatbridge taking refuge from his enemies, that is no longer necessary. The wizard decided to repay the town for their hospitality by helping them with their food shortages, and he had built the Great Greenhouse and the Hanging Vineyard.

When the wizard left town, he left behind three buildings for the town’s use. The first was the building now known as the old tower which had been built as his home. Today this building is used by the visiting academics who have come to study nearby ruins. Much of the rest of the time the tower is empty.

The great greenhouse came into being because during his time on the bridge the wizard became frustrated with the food there. To rectify this he commissioned the construction of a greenhouse. Here he enchanted the walls and the planting beds to provide all things the plants would need to grow. To that end the stones give water and the glass roof magnifies the sunlight to allow plants to grow year round. Today the greenhouse is the property of the town, and is overseen by the powerful families. Everyone who makes their home in Greatbridge gets a share of the produce.

The  wizard still was not satisfied after he had solved his food needs, and he had another building constructed. This building is a tall, sail-shaped tower. Here the interior walls are covered with large vines for grapes. Enchantments create different growing regions so that the people of the bridge can grow any sort of wine grape they wish. Along the lower floors is a large area used to produce wine and store the casks. This wine is sold to the residents of the bridge, and also to merchants who pass through.

Another Possibility

Recently a young man has shown up in town and started to make a name for himself by always finding the best deals each merchant has to offer. He seems to always know where to find the best deal, and always seems to have a good relationship with his fellow merchants. His secret is an amulet that has recently come into his possession known as the Eye of Sellite.

The Twists

1. The amulet was stolen from a powerful merchant prince from the lowlands. The young man who has taken it, however, sees the amulet as payment of a debt to him because the merchant prince destroyed the young man’s father. The merchant prince has hired assassins to come after the young man, and the young man wants the party to help keep him safe.

2. The young man is trying to amass enough money to pay ransom for the girl he loves. She is rich, but one of many daughters, and her father will not pay. Meanwhile the other merchants in town are trying to steal the amulet. The merchants manage to steal the amulet away, and the young man comes to the party looking for help.

3. The amulet has led the young man to find a group of slavers who are secretly trafficking slaves though the area. He is not sure who is involved, so he comes to the party for help.

The Wandering Child

When the revolutionary army laid siege to the jail it was not just the guards and the prisoners who were caught inside. Several of the guards’ families were there when the siege started. Not all of them survived. There was one young girl who was caught in the fire that destroyed the front part of the building. After the siege her mother and father moved away unable to stay in the town any longer.

Today people often tell stories of a lost little girl asking strangers to help her find her father. She wanders the streets talking to passing strangers. Those who stop to help her are not seen again.

Twists

1. The girl is the spirit of the little girl who died in the siege. She leads people to their death and is building an army of the undead which she means  to have  march on the capital to revenge her own death.

2. The girl knows where her father is; he was captured by bandits and was killed. She is trying to find someone to help her recover his body which has been sold to a necromancer and turned into an animated servant.

3. The girl is an illusion cast by a wizard who specializes in selling heroic hearts to apothecaries that sell materials to dark wizards.

For more Northern Jail info get Toys for the Sandbox #20 available at RPGNow

Yes, ten pages and still I am writing more than I can fit into a Toys edition.

Some of you may have found it odd that in just a few month’s time the outside of the Rudolph and Grumblebearded Mine had become overgrown, the mine carts had rusted and the bones of the poor fools stranded there had bleached completely white. There is an answer to this conundrum, and it just might get your party in trouble.

The Aldishain in the Canyon

The Aldishain are temporal elementals that are attracted to old places and collections of ancient treasure. One has taken up residence in the canyon near the old Rudolph and Grumblebearded Mine, attracted by the striations and fossils embedded in the rock walls.

The Twists

1. A young man left town a few days ago to take a message to his aunt in the next town. He returned this morning old and decrepit. Someone needs to go after the Aldishain and recover the boy’s time in order to heal him.

2. The Aldishain is waiting to meet with the party. It is a servant of the wizard, Jurlamon. The wizard has a job offer for the party. He needs them to travel back in time and board the Astral Star and place a device that will let Jurlamon save his crewmates on the ship.

3. The Aldishain is mostly harmless, but a wizard wants to study it and will pay the party well if they can capture it. How do you capture something made of time itself? The wizard has a theory. He just needs the party to hold special crystals around the creature while he completes a ritual. What could go wrong?

The Happy Huntsmen pub is not the sort of place to go if you want a quiet night out. The locals know it as the Dreck and Bother due to the common curses being thrown back and forth by the owners. The two owners fight over everything from the decor to the proper hours of operation. Recently a young up and coming minstrel has been booked to play at the Dreck and Bother. Now show time is getting close, and she has not shown up.

Finding the Minstrel

Margaret, one of the owners, has gone to a lot of trouble to secure the minstrel’s performance, and she is adamant the show will go on. She has offered free drinks to whoever can find the minstrel, and get her to perform.

The Twists

1. The minstrel has learned of the pub’s reputation, and refuses to go on unless the party can guaranty civility between the owners for the duration of her performance.

2.  A group of low lives grabbed the minstrel, and are ransoming her back to her manager. The manager is trying to get the money together without letting anyone know she was taken. If he feels the party can be trusted he will offer half the ransom, all he has gathered so far, if they rescue her.

3. The minstrel made a mistake in accepting  the engagement. She is cursed with lycanthropy and turns into a tiger a few nights out of the month; this is one of those nights. If the party wants their free drinks, all they need to do is catch the weretiger without hurting her.

The One That Got Away: The Ice Merchant, Toys for the Sandbox, #16

It has been noted that the ice merchant does not go anywhere without the small dagger he wears on his belt. This knife has a gold hilt and a small dark gem that may be either a poor quality ruby or emerald. The stone is so dark and cloudy that most of the time it appears black. Marcus acquired the dagger while his party was raiding the dragon’s hoard and originally meant to keep it as a souvenir even after he sold off the other treasure to fund the his ice business.

The dagger has magical properties. Among these is the ability to communicate with the user. The blade has become Marcus’ most trusted adviser both in business and in his private life.

The Vizier’s Dagger.

The ice merchant Marcus has a magical dagger which advises him. Some feel the dagger cannot be trusted.

The Twists

1. The blade craves wealth and power for its owner. It will help guide the one that carries it to a position where they can advise and then betray nobility in order to seize power for themselves.

2, The former owner of the knife wants it back, and hires the party to recover his lost property.

3., The knife is not satisfied with Marcus, and has taken control of his mind causing him to kill the woman he has been seeing. The party has some connection to Markus’ family and is asked to prove their son innocent.

Magic Item

The Vizier’s Dagger

This is a slightly ornate dagger topped with a dark gem that will shine red or green depending on certain circumstances. It will show red if there is danger or hostility directed at the owner. green if there is an opportunity for the owner to advance his social position. The gem will also take on the colors of anyone its owner serves, so if a house has blue as its official color, the gem will take that hue.

The wielder of the dagger gets a slight bonus to attacks and damage made with the weapon. Its true power is the advice it gives. Because of this the owner receives a large bonus in all social interactions. The knife does have a desire for power, and will advise the owner in that direction. If the owner is not willing to take power, the blade will find a way to move to a new owner. This can include dominating the mind of the owner for a short period of time.