The opening plot hook for the campaign in a custom world is this:
A humanoid of unknown race has washed down river and was found by fishermen. It's been long dead, slain by the many arrows still sticking out of its body, showing its crude armor to have been inadequate. All that the kingdom knows about what is up river is that there was once a powerful empire located in the mountains, though legends say all of their lands were cursed when they fell. The kingdom is seeking all who are willing to travel to those lands and find out what is now there.The two characters (currently) in the campaign are Gerald, a tiefling druid, and Deynes Foulker, a human rogue. Extra equipment the starting town provided them with, since it will be some time before they will find another market, is as follows:
Donkey with pack saddle, carrying: bedroll, blanket, 2 person tent,
50' hemp rope, 3 empty sacks, shovel, tinderbox, 2 water skins, map
case, fishing tackle, ink, inkpen, mess kit, 10 sheets parchment, 10
days of rations, 10 torches. This leaves 310 lbs carrying capacity
left for personal gear, and has a total value of 38 gp, 7 sp, and 5
cp. They also get 110 gp for personal gear selection.
Optional rules being used in the campaign are Spell Points instead of spell slots, Massive damage with a minimum damage threshold equal to the creature's Constitution score, and Cleaving through creatures. This provides a little more flexibility with spellcasting, and a more dangerous and cinematic combat experience.
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Adventure 1 Synopsis
(day 1)
Gerald and Deynes
met each other and Frerick Bennington, the town Reeve, in
Cromwellshire, which is located on the edge of the known kingdoms.
They learn the strange creature resembled a cross between a frog and
a human, wore reddish armor made from a material that most resembled
hardened leather, and had crudely constructed arrows sticking out of
its body. It had only been dead for 3 to 4 days, and was found by
the fisherman Tommas two days ago. The villagers burned the body the
day before the characters arrived, fearing it would bring the curse
of the old empire onto their town.
Gerald recalls this
lore about the curse of the old empire.
“Ages ago, long before even the oldest elf was born, there was a
large empire in the mountains that lay to the North. Stories about
how and why it fell vary, but the one piece of information they all
share is that its lands were said to be cursed from its downfall.
What exactly the curse would do isn't really known, but many legends
agree that it would twist the nature of any creature in the lands,
cause the plants to become hostile with thorns and brambles, and that
even the dead might stay restless. ”
Investigating the
area where the creature washed ashore leads Deynes to find a piece of
its armor buried in the sand. Neither Deynes nor Gerald are able to
place what creature this hide once belonged to. Tommas kept the
arrowheads after the body was burned to use as fishing lures, and
after inspecting them Deynes finds they don't belong to any known
criminal organisation. He also realises that though they are heavily
barbed they are crudely made, and whatever forge they came from was
of poor quality. Tommas also tells them that the wood of the arrows
was lighter than any in the area, and burned faster than any he had
ever seen.
Frerick lets them
know that after about 10 miles of grassland they'll come across a
forest to the north. The villagers sometimes go hunting or gather
wood there, but never venture far in. They claim they then feel like
they're being watch, and the bushes rustle when there's no animals or
wind to cause it. Frerick had believed the villagers to just be
jumping at shadows with such tales, but now that the strange creature
had washed ashore he fears it could be something far worse than they
thought.
Gerald and Deynes
then decided to head north along the river to see what they could
find of the creature, what killed it, and what danger may lurk for
the known kingdoms. A little after entering the forest they spot two
boars, and knowing how they defend their territory the party decides
to strike first. Gerald opens by casting Entangle while Deynes shoots
at them with his shortbow. The first boar dropped from a single arrow
that hit true. The second boar stuggled in vain against the grass,
roots, and undergrowth that held it fast. Deynes' second arrow also
flew true and stuck the struggling boar down.
After butchering one
of the boars and having a large meal they continued on till
nightfall. They set up camp, and Deynes took first watch.
Each character
received a total of 150 experience. 50 xp each from the fight with
the boars, and 100 xp each from investigating in the town.
