Deliver Me Goods

Deliver Me Goods

This module is meant to serve as an early hook for a campaign or for a short break in regular activities. 

Background

The lands of Beyvier are home to a melting pot of races. The lands are settled comfortably between three separate mountain ranges that nestle the country away from the threat of harsh weather. The lands see fair weather almost year round. However, while the lands are home to fair weather and clear skies, the kinfolk of the land are in dire straights. A recent uprising of banditry and brigands have been ravaging trade routes and the country side. 

Scene I

A travelling merchant who is making a name for himself in the lands of Beyvier is sitting in a local tavern looking for strong adventurers who can help protect him and his caravan as they travel to the nearby city of Landhoth. Drak Dimsooth, the merchant, has put up a reward of 1 gold upon embarking and 5 more gold upon the safe receipt of goods in the town of Landhoth. Drak already has a female mage, Thine Willhound, and an armored guard, Grun Gre, in his employ. They are quiet and stay to themselves, however, they refuse to leave his side for any reason, and they make a show of always being around Drak. 

(Alternatively, Drak can be placed in the woods with his two travelling companions. He has pulled his wagons around and has made camp for the evening. If you go with this route, you may disregard any information pertaining to the PC's being hired in the tavern and instead the letter is a more generic proposal of intended deeds.)

If the players question anyone in the tavern about this Drak fellow, they may find that he has recently entered town, and while people know little of him, he offered goods (mostly armor and weaponry) with very reasonable prices. If the have exceptional charisma skills, they may also ascertain that Drak entered town with no hired help outside of his two companions. (It should be noted that if they players get this far, this fact should be played up as suspicious or mysterious.)

Drak has a single personal chest that he carries with him, it is on his person at almost all times except for when he uses the bathroom. He sleeps with the chest next to his head. The chest contains a few things of note:

• 70GP
• An assortment of precious gems and stones
• A recreational drug of some sort, (or something similar in your setting)
• An ink well and quill
• A drafted letter.

The letter contained in his chest is a draft written to a small band of hired thugs disguised as local bandits. It lays out the plan that he will hire PC's who look of wealth. After which, he will lead them along a trail leading close to the hide out of the thugs and they will spring a trap, capturing or killing the PCs. Upon the dispatch of the PCs, he will award each thug 2GP and Drak will receive the properties of the PCs in order to sell at the following town. 

The PCs can use the information of the letter in any way they want. They may choose to go along with the plot and know of the staged attack or they may choose to turn in Drak and his companions, however, it is up to the players and the GMs should prepare for such events. 

If the PCs accept Drak relays the information that they will depart within the hour. He needs to send a letter announcing his plans to visit the next town (this should give some sort of red flag to the PC's since this is not customary), and to pack up the remainder of his goods. 

Scene II

Drak gathers his cart of goods and two companions along with the PCs and begins to travel to the next town. After a half hour of travel Drak announces he needs to rest for a moment and heed the cal of nature. (He leaves his chest on the cart buried under some goods). His two companions and himself leave for 5 minutes to relieve themselves. 

When he returns his mage, Thine, offers the party some mushrooms they acquired in the woods.  She claims they are safe to eat and is visibly shewing something in her own mouth already. 

• Frocnaught Mushrooms: These mushrooms are not deadly, but they are toxic to most humonoids. After 15 minutes they begin to take hold by causing some to collapse asleep and others to suffer from intense stomach cramps. The cramps last until the following morning in game, and the sleep last until the same time unless cured by magic or a healer of some sort. (This should be accounted for in real time, After 15 minutes of RP the effects of the mushrooms should be conveyed tot he afflicted.)
  

(Any PC who ate of these mushrooms should be approached by a GM and told of their symptoms. In a party of 8 or less only one PC should be affected by the sleeping sickness and 2 others should be affected by the stomach cramps, making it hard for them to do any strenuous activities. )

Before the travelling continues Grun challenges PCs to a game of chance, his choice dice. 

Grun, a dim fellow with immense strength has more muscle than patience. If he ends up on the losing side of the gamble more than 3 times, he rages and threatens to beat up a PC until he gets his money back. He refuses to continue on until he plays 5 rounds. However a charismatic PC may convince him otherwise, if this doesn't prove to work Drak wacks him on the head and he continues on begrudgingly. 

Scene III

If the PCs have not dispatched Drak and his companions by this point then the following should occur. 

After a long travel the sun begins to set on the horizon and Drak tells the PCs that just around the bend there is a spot to set up camp for the night. By this point some of the PCs should have already begun to succumb to the effect of the Frocnaught Mushrooms. As the players turn the bend, they find a fallen tree blocking the path. Drak calls the caravan to a halt and tells the PCs to hold while he investigates. He leaves his two companions and the party and refuses anyone's assistance. He quickly disappears into the wood line. (The fact that he leaves his two companions behind should seem very suspicious to the PCs. To increase the suspicious they brandish their weapons of choice and attempt to move into advantageous positions on the PCs.)

After a moment or two a  war horn sounds from the woodline and 9 bandits jump forth.

• Bandits each have 1 HP. They carry whatever weapons they can get their hands on and are poorly trained. They should prove no serious fight for the PCs.
• Grun Gre has 5HP and a few points (your discretion) of armor. He wields his weapon effectively. 
• Grun is automatically effected by any spells that target the mind such as command, control, and fear type spells.
• Thine Willhound has 4HP and no armor. She is equipped with a wand and a selection of offensive spells. She is allowed to have 1 AOE spell that causes Debuffs but no damage. 
• Upon one of the bandits bodies the PCs can find a letter similar to the one in Draks personal box. 

If the players get the uperhand quickly, Thine and Grun quickly surrender and offer all their knowledge about the plans Drak had. While they are loyal to Drak, they are far more loyal to their own lives and coin. They even plead for the adventurers to allow them to join the ranks. 

It should be noted that at any time in the module, the PCs can attempt to gain the support of either NPC. However, if Drak is around they simply shrug it off until they reach the start of scene III, at which point, they quickly spill the plans. If they only get the support of one NPC and not the other, the second NPC realizes how dire the situation is and runs off to avoid their death. 

By the end of the battle Drak is no where to be found. If one or both of the NPCs are still alive they relay information that Drak most likely retreated to the Bandit's hideout and is awaiting the return of the NPCs with their good news. They also relay the information that at the hideout, there should be no less than 5 more bandits including the bandit leader.

If none of the NPCs were alive or captured they PCs should be able to pick up on the trail of Drak. However the plays may decide not to follow the tracks, and that should be awarded by the PC's getting pick of goods on the cart including Draks personal box with his items and money contained within.

It is possible that the module could end here.

Scene IV

If the PCs follow the trail of Drak to the bandit hideout, they find a small camp set up in a small clearing among the many trees of the forest. It is possible they could get the jump on the bandits. None of the bandits nor Drak should be expecting an attack as they are confident in the abilities of their brothers and sister who have no doubt pulled this trap dozens of times successfully.  

• If the PCs choose a sneak attack and are not noticed by the bandits, they should catch then in disarray, perhaps some separated from their weapons by a sizable distance.

• If they assault the camp and the bandits are aware of it, they have already gathered into two groups, one group in hiding and the other bracing for the attack. 

• If the PCs approach the camp in peaceful manner, the Bandit leader may hear out the PCs from a distance. They could use this opportunity to bribe the leader for the head or living body of Drak, however the Bandit leader demands a sizable amount since he has come into a fair amount of wealth in his partnership with Drak. If the PCs push their luck and approach to closely they hidden bandits attack, if they drag on the conversation, The bandit leader voices his boredom and orders and attack. Drak is a cowardly man and does all he can to avoid combat, however he does not try to escape as he is frozen in fear.

If the PCs do manage to convince the leader to hand over Drak, they deliver him with tied hands behind his back and make good on their word. They fancy themselves more of sellswords for hire than bandits, and while they have spilled much innocent blood, they value coin more than death. 

• Drak has 4HP and a pouch with 12GP. He also carries a scroll that when examined shows it to be a Deed of Land. 
• Bandit Leader, Swey Vullt, has 5 HP and a small amount of armor. He is effective with his weapon and commands his troops with ease. He has 5GP on his body.
• Bandits each have 1 HP and are much more organized than the last batch. However if their leader dies, they fall into disarray and lose their effectiveness. 
• The camp itself is full of consumables and trinkets. These items are up tot he discretion of the GMs, however Drugs and alcohol should be a large focus. This is also a good opportunity to place in a plot hook item. They bandits could have unknowingly come across an item of great power, mystery or a map of some sort, it should be mixed in with the remainder of their possessions. 

At this point what the PCs do with Drak is up to their discretion. He is a weasel and makes grandeur promises of coin that he has hidden somewhere, however if they are smart they would realize he is just saying what he can to get out of their clutches. If the PCs take him to a local town and turn him in, they should be awarded a small bounty.