Meamnar:Forgotten Rose

Forgotten Rose is a story arc for a solo campaign. The campaign is set mostly in the Northern Kingdoms of the campaign setting of Meamnar. The main character begins the campaign as a first-level Rogue and first-level Sorcerer named Rose.

Adventure Background

In the year 1014, Northern Reckoning, a conjurer named Mondar completed work on a tower in the Kingdom of Hylar that could teleport itself to various outer planes at his command. He used this to bring forth denizens of the lower planes in an assault against the kingdom. A group of adventurers, led by Erendil the Red Paladin, defeated Mondar during Highsun of that year. One of the adventurers, a wizard named Karn, disrupted the teleportation ability of the tower, effectively stranding it on the plane of Baator, the Nine Hells. Before it was teleported away, Erendil also placed a curse on the tower, preventing Mondar or any of his descendants from entering it.

The tower still exists within Baator. Three days each year, however, beginning on Highsun, the tower returns to its original location.

By 1230 NR, most knowledge of the tower has been lost. A couple of books penned by Karn were in the possession of Archibald the Sage of Threshold. Mondar's only living descendant, Seldar, through divination, discovered the existence of the books. Himself a conjurer as well, Seldar attacked Archibald, killing him and his wife, and stole the books (and anything else of value in the house). He then set fire to the house and escaped. Their daughter, Rose, was fortunately in another part of town at the time. Thanks to a contingency spell of Archibald's, Forgotten Rose, all evidence of her existence was erased. Once Seldar returned to his underground lair and began studying Archibald's writings, he discovered the spell and dispatched an assassin to find and murder Rose.

Seldar intends to find a way to recover the tower and gain control of its teleportation abilities.

Meanwhile, Rose found herself homeless on the streets of Threshold, and soon connected with a halfling rogue named Eleanor. Eleanor began teaching her the tricks of her trade. Rose has also discovered, fairly recently, a talent for arcane magic that she is only just beginning to understand.

The adventure begins in Threshold, with the assassin, Vartek, having arranged a meeting with Eleanor, waiting in the shadows of a derelict building for the two rogues to spring his trap.

Adventure Synopsis

Rose must foil the attempt on her life, discover that Seldar is responsible for it, determine why he killed her parents, and prevent him from gaining control of the tower.

Beginning the Adventure

The adventure begins in an abandoned building in Threshold. The building was most recently a cobbler's shop, with a storefront and workshop on the main level, and a small residence in the upper level. Eleanor has instructions from Vartek to lead Rose to the back room of the second floor, where he will attempt to kill her. Eleanor, for her part, has been paid 20 gold coins up front, and expects another 100 upon delivery.

Eleanor's ruse is that the room would make a wonderful new hideout for the two of them, their current one being too drafty, stuffy, dirty, etc.

Concluding the Adventure

If the tower survives the battle intact, Rose is within her rights to claim ownership and use it as a base of operations.

Notes

Father, human male wizard 8 Mother, elven female x 4

Wizard, Seldar, attacks the house in Threshold. Kills both. Rose is across town. Father, upon death, casts Forgotten Rose and B contingencies. Wizard takes spellbooks, etc, and A, a magical device that he plans to use to attack a dwarven colony.

Over three months, Rose is befriended by Y, a 3rd level rogue, who just wants her magical abilities to commit crimes. She learns 1 level of rogue from him.

Seldar finds the contingency spells in Father's spellbooks, and contracts a bounty hunter, Z, to track down any offspring. Z goes to the town, meets with Y, and works out an arrangement.

Events happen, and Obryn shows up at the right moment to save the day.

Holes: what's the arrangement, how does Y die, how does Z die or get thrown off track, how does Rose find out about Seldar.

Seldar, human summoner, unwittingly hires Rose. The task is to recover a tome from a tower in nearby foothills. The tower belongs to Seldar's family, and is only present on the Material Plane for three days a year, immediately following Highsun. The rest of the time it is on the plane of Baator, the Nine Hells. Seldar, by virtue of a family curse, is not allowed to enter the tower.

He has arrived in Threshold to assemble a group of adventurers to enter the tower and retrieve the tome. He has gathered two fighters, a wizard, and a cleric of X. Rose is the fifth member of the group.

The tower has three levels. There is a handful of skeletons on the first level, a trap on the second, and an imp on the third.

The book will supposedly tell Seldar how to reclaim the tower and manage the plane-shifting. The first task will be to find a necromancer who can bring an ancestor from the dead (gravedigging) and trap their soul in a magical container, an Iron Flask. Get the flask, release the demon, etc.

When she returns to Threshold, she is paid by a lackey and left with no answers. She should then tail the lackey to Blackburn, where he proceeds to organize the gravedigging. The grave is empty. Who was he digging up? Local cleric knows. Clear out the nearby goblin caves for him?

Grave belonged to the only 'good' member of Seldar's line. He faked his death to avoid his brother, and fled north to the hunting areas (ranger). She's followed there, and the real grave is robbed. She's left for dead, but can trail the caravan back to Seldar's underground lair (with help from a ranger). There, she can see the book and know what he's after. He's got an Iron Flask and employing a drow necromancer to perform the ceremony.

He knows the book is there because of his great-great-grandfather, who's a lich and living comfortably in Thelbane.

Rose's father was the one who banished the lich and the tower, except that both reappear each year. The lich used that info to escape, and feebleminded Rose's father, who is now his slave (not really dead). His mind was then put into Lichbane, a short sword, by a dwarven weaponsmith.

Vasha was born in the town of Threshold on the 25th of Nyott, 1299, Northern Reckoning. Her mother, Tasha, was a barmaid. Her father, an elf, is otherwise unknown. Vasha's mother died when she was 15, an innocent victim of a wizard's duel taking place in the city. The loser, a mage known as Iallum, died during the battle. The identity and whereabouts of the victor are unknown. Since her mother's death, Vasha slowly slipped into illegal activities, first acting as a lookout for the Blades, a local thieves' guild, and then actively participating in some of their burglaries. During a burglary on the night of Highsun, 1230 NR, she unwittingly set off a trap in a guestroom of the Crying Goblin. She was attempting to steal a small cedar box, that, upon being moved, began emitting a noxious gas that left her unconscious. When she awoke, she was bound at the wrists and ankles, and being watched...