Editing Meamnar:Lost Marbles

Lost Marbles is an adventure for five 3rd level player characters (PC's).  The adventure is set in the city of [[Meamnar:Hylar_City|Hylar]], the capital of the Northern Kingdom of [[Meamnar:Hylar|Hylar]] in the campaign setting of [[Meamnar:Main_Page|Meamnar]].  The adventure was included in the tabletop campaign [[Meamnar:Stoned|Stoned]].

==Adventure Background==

Marbles is a retired adventurer, an old gnome trickster who lives comfortably in a small, unassuming residence in [[Meamnar:Hylar_City|Hylar City]].  He's well-known throughout the city, and all who know him have an opinion of him.  Some think he's a harmless, senile, old fool.  Others are wary of him, concerned about his thieving past.  Still others are simply annoyed at his incessant pranks and practical jokes.  Many suspect that his senility is nothing more than an act, that underneath he is as cunning as ever.

Not surprisingly, all of it is true to some extent.  For the most part, Marbles still has his wits about him.  Unfortunately, though, whether by old age or the wear of an adventuring spellcaster's life, Marbles suffers from occasional bouts of dementia.  He is aware of this, though, and is quite embarrassed by it.

==Adventure Synopsis==

Being so well-traveled, Marbles has a great deal of knowledge about [[Meamnar:Main_Page|Meamnar]], and any group of adventurers exploring the darker places in [[Meamnar:Hylar|Hylar]] are bound to seek him out sooner or later.  Such is the case in this adventure, which begins with the party arriving in [[Meamnar:Hylar_City|Hylar City]] to find that the old gnome they're seeking has been arrested.

It seems that dear old Marbles has been charged with the crime of murdering three Red Guards.  He is expected to stand trial the day following the party's arrival.  Barring any intervention, he will be found guilty, sentenced to death, and then beheaded the following day.

The party, of course, should feel compelled to intervene.  Unknown to them, however, the [[Meamnar:Balance|Balance]] is aware of what really happened, and was also planning to rescue Marbles.  Once they are aware of the party, though, they will step aside to see if the adventurers manage to save him.  If they do, then the [[Meamnar:Balance|Balance]] will become much more interested in the party in the future.  If they fail, though, the [[Meamnar:Balance|Balance]] is prepared to step in and rescue Marbles themselves.

So what really did happen?  Three Red Guards are indeed dead, and Marbles is the one who killed them.

==Beginning the Adventure==

===Bad News===

When the party arrives in town, they should be oblivious to the fact that Marbles has been arrested.  Their first clue should be the Arcane Lock on the door to his house, with a scroll tacked on it as well, reading "No Trespassing."

===House of Marbles===

Should the party gain entry into Marbles' house before investigators have been there, they will find it in its normally messy condition.  Should they begin searching the two-room residence, they may find any of the following:

* A vial of sneezing powder (victim is [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#dazed Dazed] for two rounds, then once every 1d6 rounds thereafter for ten minutes).
* A sleeping [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/bat.htm bat], hanging from one of the rafters.
* Buried under a mass of scrolls, an angry [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/demon.htm#quasit quasit] in a cage that inhibits its Alternate Form ability.  The magical cage, which is 1' wide, 1' long, and 1.5' tall, inhibits the supernatural shape-changing ability of any creature placed inside of it.
* A tan [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#bagofTricks Bag of Tricks].

The search should inevitably be interrupted before they find anything of value, by an investigator escorted by two guards.

'''Investigator:''' CR 1/3; Medium Humanoid (Human); HD 1d6 (Exp1); hp 3; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 12, touch 10, flat-footed 10; Base Atk dagger +0 melee (1d4); Full Atk dagger +0 melee (1d4); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; AL LG; SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +2; Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 10

''Skills and Feats:'' Appraise +2, Decipher Script +2, Disable Device +2, Gather Information +6, Listen +2, Open Lock +2, Search +6, Sense Motive +2, Spellcraft +2, Spot +2; Investigator

''Equipment:'' Leather, dagger

'''Red Guardsmen (2):''' CR 1/3; Medium Humanoid (Human); HD 1d8 (War1); hp 4; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 10; Base Atk long sword +2 melee (1d8); Full Atk long sword +2 melee (1d8); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; AL LG; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 11, Dex 11, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10

''Skills and Feats:'' Climb +2, Intimidate +2, Jump +2, Ride +2; Weapon Focus (long sword)

''Equipment:'' Chainmail, long sword

===The Bullseye Inn and Tavern===

This is a frequent hang-out for Marbles, less than two blocks from his house.  The proprietor, a halfling named Lars Oakenshield, is familiar with him, and is aware of the charges against him.  If asked, he would relay the following information about the incident.

'''''Aye, I know Marbles.  Poor old fella.  From what I hear, he turned himself in yesterday, though I can't see why.  If I were him, I'd be halfway to Lirath by now.  You don't rip a bolt o' lightning through three guards and expect t' get a slap on the wrist, y'know?'''''

===The Tanner's Shop===

Randall Tanner owns a three-room shop near the docks where the stench of the harbor and fish market mask the odors of his trade.  His two daughters, Alissa and Juni, ages 12 and 9, are his apprentices.  His wife died three years ago of dragon fever.

Randall is a member of the [[Meamnar:Balance|Balance]], and the back room of his shop is a common meeting place for the group.  [[Meamnar:Neva_of_Ardeon|Neva]] is staying with him while she is in [[Meamnar:Hylar_City|Hylar City]], and it is there that the group should be able to find her.

Prior to his arrest, Randall was the only person in the area (besides Elias) who knew that [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]] worked for the [[Meamnar:Balance|Balance]].

If more than a few hours have passed since [[Meamnar:Neva_of_Ardeon|Neva]] and the party entered the city, then she has had time to gather information on what happened to [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]].  An informant, a cook at the castle, told her that when the cleric of the Red Knight questioned the spirits of the dead guards, he learned that they were somehow on the take.  When the cleric informed Captain Krebb, the captain instructed him to never mention that fact again.

The cook also learned that apparently [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]] wasn't alone when he attacked the guards.  There was apparently an accomplice, but his identity remains anonymous.

===Sewers===

If the party ventures into the sewers to investigate the scene of the crime, read or paraphrase the following.

'''''The slimy passage is typical for a main line of the city's sewers.  It is about five feet high, and just as wide.  The filth-covered walls are composed of stone bricks, and an archway is present every few feet to support the ceiling.  The water, if it could be called that, is only a couple of inches deep in the center and moves lazily down the passage.  The section is probably about thirty feet in length, separating two corners that are just tight enough to obscure what lies beyond them.'''''

'''''There are definite signs of activity here.  Where the water does not reach the walls, there are plenty of footprints pressed into the muck.  Toward one corner, scorch marks blacken the wall and have burned away most of the moss-like vegetation that covers it elsewhere.  A lone spear lays half-submerged in the stream.'''''

If they search the area, they may find (DC15) a symbol etched into one of the walls.  It is comparable to a backwards 'G', and was likely carved with a rock or other crude instrument.  The symbol is one used by the [[Meamnar:Balance|Balance]] and indicates that there is something of value in the direction indicated by the placement of the horizontal mark (in other words, if it was a normal 'G', the "something of value" would be in the opposite direction).

Should they head in the direction indicated by the symbol, the group will find (DC10), just around the corner, another symbol on another brick in the wall.  This one, apparently carved with the same tool, is a circle inside an ellipse, and would appear to be an eye.  The brick is loose, and removing it will reveal a cavity behind it.

In the cavity is an amulet, the Star of the Lost Princess.  The Star is made of gold, about three inches in diameter, with a pale sapphire set into the center.  It is on a delicate gold chain, about two feet in length.  Elven script is etched in a circle around it, reading, "May your daughter's star shine ever bright."

Marbles hid the amulet and placed a Magic Mouth upon it.  When triggered by the spoken word "Randall", it will say, "Order two bottles of Valeran blackberry wine at the Salty Parrot."

===The Salty Parrot===

The Salty Parrot is a tavern in the docks district, especially popular with the sailors who come and go through [[Meamnar:Hylar_City|Hylar City]]'s port.  After killing the guards, [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]] instructed Elias to go straight to this tavern and lay low until someone arrived.  The 'someone' would be identifiable by trying to order two bottles of [[Meamnar:Valeris|Valeran]] blackberry wine from the bartender.  While the wine is a popular drink, and one of [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]]' favorites, it is never stocked at the Parrot.

Elias ship's carpenter (chip) on a [[Meamnar:Valeris|Valeran]] caravel, the Lazy Goose.  Above-board, the ship hauls leather and/or cheeses from [[Meamnar:Valeris|Valeris]] to [[Meamnar:Hylar|Hylar]], returning with pork and spices from abroad.  It also serves fences in [[Meamnar:Valeris|Valeris]], who sell the captain (Pawel Lutek) spoils that he then resells in [[Meamnar:Hylar_City|Hylar City]].

[[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]] is Elias' handler, and was meeting with him in the sewers.  The guards were on the take and suspected Elias of wrongdoing.  They followed him as he left the Lazy Goose, and eventually to his meeting in the sewers.  [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]] discovered them, and killed all three accidentally (casting Lightning Bolt instead of Sleep), and turned himself in to protect Elias' identity.

Lutek did his business, and set sail for [[Meamnar:Valeris|Valeris]] the day before the party gets to [[Meamnar:Hylar_City|Hylar City]].  He suspects that Elias may be not what he seems, but the killing of the guards gave him no time to look into it.  He did, however, inform his local fence of his suspicions.  The fence, Miranda, is having an associate of hers, Ulfgar, keep tabs on Elias.

The purpose of the meeting was for Elias to deliver the amulet and message.  He knows little of his mission, other than to move items between [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]] and the contact in [[Meamnar:Valeris|Valeris]] and to keep tabs on Lutek.

This is a tavern near the harbor.  Here the party should be able to determine which ship Lutek sailed with.  After leaving the ship, Elias waits here for the [[Meamnar:Balance|Balance]] to catch up with him.  Elias carries a scroll from another member of the [[Meamnar:Balance|Balance]] working in [[Meamnar:Valeris|Valeris]].  The scroll uses a book cypher, the elven poem referenced by the amulet.

 May Your Star Shine Ever Bright

 May your star shine ever bright,
 May it always sail the sea of night,
 May it glimmer in the dark to guide your way,
 May it last through until the break of day.

The code is as follows:

'''''15 01'''''

'''''04 04 28 04 08 02 27 01 26 01 20 04 12 02 21 02 16 02 04 02 31 03 05 04 03 01.  31 01 21 02 33 01 24 03 02 03 14 01 08 02 32 01 02 03 12 00 06 05 05 03 20 01.  05 01 09 02 32 01 09 03 10 03 14 01.  26 02 03 04 03 03 12 00 20 04 22 05 33 01 02 04 12 01 06 01 31 01 05 01 23 04 04 01.  31 01 28 03 10 01 06 01 12 02 20 01 09 03 14 01 14 05 04 02 17 01 21 02 29 05 20 01 20 02 04 04 20 01 24 02 10 04 31 03.  28 07 14 02 17 07 05 03 20 01 06 01 01 03 14 03 20 03 12 02 24 03 33 01 09 03 07 02 23 04 34 00 21 01 32 01 34 00 10 03 29 02 33 01 31 01 13 01 02 02 31 05 09 06, 27 03 12 00 20 03 21 02 27 01 09 02 03 01.'''''

'''''10 01'''''

Decrypted, the cypher reads:

'''''M'''''

'''''Not like others.  Body untouched.  Elowin, an elf.  Tracked robbers.  Bribed with gold and ale.  Hired by grey dwarf to find books, scrolls.'''''

'''''S'''''

Elowin was an elf residing in [[Meamnar:Poznan|Poznan]].  She died in 1389, and was buried in the City of the Dead there.  Rindorn, on behalf of Janek, hired a local group of mercenaries to raid the tomb, searching for any information they might find about her daughter, [[Meamnar:Eleria_the_Enchantress|Eleria]].

[[Meamnar:Serak_of_Poznan|Serak]], the [[Meamnar:Balance|Balance]] member in [[Meamnar:Poznan|Poznan]], has been tracking another group of graverobbers who have actually been taking the bodies of the deceased.  He began tracking this crime, assuming it was one more in the string, but found out that the perpetrators were a different group, and that they obviously had different motives.  He was able to acquire one of the pieces of jewelry they subsequently fenced, and sent it along with the message with Elias to [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]].

===The Harbormaster===

Thorgrym the Harbormaster is an ill-tempered dwarf who maintains very strict control over the activities at the harbor.  He should be able to identify any ship that has entered or left the harbor in the last three days.

===Gallows===

The following is tacked to the gallows the day after the party arrives in [[Meamnar:Hylar_City|Hylar City]].  This is a standard method that the city uses to disseminate news and information about accused and convicted criminals.

'''''Posted: Barjin of [[Meamnar:Lirath|Lirath]], aka Barjin the Bear, a mercenary, has been convicted on two counts of the crime of murder with intent, and is sentenced to hanging here at noon tomorrow.'''''

'''''Posted: Kelvin, a peasant and resident of [[Meamnar:Hylar_City|Hylar City]], has been convicted on thirteen counts of theft, and is sentenced to hanging here at noon tomorrow.'''''

'''''Posted: Tomte Barbaerlun, aka [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles Barbaloot]], a gnomish adventurer and resident of [[Meamnar:Hylar_City|Hylar City]], has been convicted on three counts of the crime of murder with intent, and is sentenced to hanging here at noon tomorrow.'''''

On the day of the execution, read or paraphrase the following.

'''''A crowd has gathered, a diverse group of peasants, at least a hundred and perhaps twice that.  A few vendors wind through the spectators, hawking various kinds of food and drink.  The hangman, dressed in black leather and a cloth hood, is checking the knots of three nooses that hang from a beam of the gallows.'''''

'''''A door to the keep opens and a procession emerges onto the gallows platform.  A drummer leads an officer of the Red Guard and three prisoners.  Three additional Red Guardsmen are behind them and on their flanks.  The prisoners shuffle along in manacles and leg irons.  The first of the prisoners is a grisly man, middle-aged and unkempt.  The second is a wiry young man, visibly trembling.  The third is [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]], moving slowly and with great difficulty.  As he drags the irons along the walkway, two women pitch rotten tomatoes at him, one of which splatters upon his leg.'''''

'''''As you watch, the three prisoners are led to the gallows, where the hangman fits the noose over each of their necks.  As he adjusts the knot of [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]]' noose, the gnome looks toward your group and you see an odd sparkle of intelligence in his eyes.  He winks at you once, almost imperceptibly.  Unaware of what just transpired, the hangman then places, one by one, a cloth bag over each of the prisoners' heads before stepping back to a wooden handle jutting up from the floor of the gallows.'''''

'''''The drummer exchanges his rhythmic beat for a rapid drumroll.  The officer nods to the hangman, who immediately pulls the lever.  Three trapdoors open simultaneously, and two of the prisoners' bodies drop, the ropes catching their fall with a snap.'''''

'''''With the drummer silent, the crowd's gasp fills the air.  Where [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]] once was, the noose hangs empty.  The cloth hood slowly falls empty to the platform.  While the other two prisoners writhe and jerk at the end of their ropes, everyone else appears to be frozen for a moment, staring at the empty noose.  Less than a minute later, they expire and fall limp, their misery over.'''''

'''''Meanwhile, the guards rush forward, looking around the gallows in vain.  Two other men rush forward, one in crimson robes and the other wearing the armour of the Red Knight.  Simultaneously, they begin separate spells of divination, each quickly calling upon their own mystic powers.'''''

'''''In the end, though, there is no answer.  The crowd, utterly confused, slowly disperses, with small groups chattering about the events as they depart.  The mage and cleric, their divinations fruitless, look blankly at the officer in charge, while the hangman and other guardsmen continue to search the area.'''''

Later that day, the following is tacked to the gallows.

'''''Reward: Tomte Barbaerlun, aka [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles Barbaloot]], a convicted criminal.  Last seen yesterday at the gallows.  One thousand gold crowns offered.  Wanted dead or alive.'''''

Once [[Meamnar:Marbles_Barbaloot|Marbles]]' life was threatened by the noose, his contingency spell was triggered and he was immediately teleported to the plane of Elysia.  His intention is to remain there until his death, which he feels is near given his advanced age.

==Concluding the Adventure==

TBD

==Notes==