Original Concept - Trey Coonrod
Supplemental Writing & Ideas - J. Keith Wykowski
© 2000 J. K. Wykowski & T. Coonrod
Gamemaster Background -
There was once a very powerful wizard in the duchy of Peirlyean named Kaspar Horner. He used his magical abilities and great business knowledge and became a master merchant, controlling much of the trade in the surrounding county. He was well known in the county, but was feared for his unnatural powers. While ostensibly a wizard, he was in fact a necromancer. His apprentice, Tobias, was well trained in the dark arts and finally decided to kill his mentor for his wealth and magic. Kaspar Horner had no immediate surviving family, only a nephew named Karl Horner. Karl had heard of the family stories concerning Kaspar's great wealth and decided to find it. He does not know about the apprentice Tobias. Entering the family manor, Karl encountered a great number of traps; living, inanimate, and undead. Fleeing for his life, Karl decided to hold a contest to find the secret cache. Attracting a small army of adventurers with the lure of 1/10th the family fortune, they are currently camped outside the manor's walls. Tobias searched the grounds until he saw the gathering mercenaries camped without. Pretending to be a simple wizard, he joined the searchers. He intends to lead them into traps and ambushes until he is the only one of his group remaining, and then steal off with the treasure. The undead wandering the manor grounds are all under his control. While appearing to wander aimlessly, they are actually searching for the treasure room. The treasure room is a magically constructed room with 400 square feet of space. Inside is enough treasure to make anyone quite rich. Even a single character's share of the 1/10th should be enough to keep any adventurer in the style they all wish to live in for a few years.
Player Introduction -
You have all arrived during the summer month of Warshun to a small manor house in the Peirlyean duchy. Invited by a less than honest merchant named Karl Horner who owes all of you a good sum of money. He has recently come into a family estate that has been rumored to have a bountiful secret treasure chamber. He has been unable to discover the secret, which is where all of you come in. Dividing all of his searchers into groups based on a random color selection, all of you chose the same color. Whichever group discovers the secret room and returns to him first will receive 10% of the horde's value in addition to the moneys owed him. "Please don't destroy anything in your search, or you will be disqualified and asked to leave." he adds as you leave the main tent just outside the gates of the manor house.
Events during the contest. Use these events to spice up the adventure if things get slow.
1 - Brawl the first evening between several of the other groups.
2 - Karl owes a lot of money to not so nice people. Those people come to collect, and decide to help search for the treasure room. That way they get the 10% and their money as well.
3 - All out skeleton attack. Tobias decides to remove some of the competition by sending a horde of skeletons to strike at once. The various groups must work together to survive.
Tobias the Dark (NPC Necromancer)
The Competition (NPC Group Listings & Basic Stats)
© 2000 J. K. Wykowski & T. Coonrod