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Rules • Themes • Bestiary • Religion • Races • Guilds • Families • Arlinac City • Maps • Adventures • Stories |
A mad scientist named Yelmn experiments with explosives in his hilltop tower a half-day's walk from Arlinac City. He is insane, and spends his days trying to obtain record heights for launching rockets. The PC is sent to visit, to make sure Yelmn is okay and possibly to bring back any new alchemical recipes Yelmn is willing to share or sell.
This adventure uses the Palisade Tower map.
The PC initially has three objectives, each worth an experience point.
During the adventure the first objective will change. Yelmn cannot be saved; his Pixie servant, Lily, is the NPC that the PC should protect.
The Therion mad scientist who built and lives in the tower is Yelmn. He is not nearly as unstable and wacky as depicted by his reputation. Secretly, he also knows Transmutery and is trying to combine it with Alchemy to make rockets able to "seed" clouds with potions.
Yelmn has two Pixies living with him, Lily and Gnarl. Lily does the housework. Gnarl loafs around, seldom leaving his room.
Two Kobalts, Castiltz and Toctinth, have befriended Yelm. They bring him provisions and provide him with pleasant company, in exchange for rudimentary training in explosive use. They have an ulterior motive: when Yelmn finally discovers how to seed clouds they will kill him, fetch from their Superfamily Kobalts skilled in explosives, and use Yelmn's discoveries to attack Arlinac City.
An Unseemly named Splendidly has discovered Yelmn's tower and decided to stir up trouble. Splendidly is participating in an Unseemly game somewhat like a "treasure hunt". The goal is to provoke members of each intelligent race to kill members of each other intelligent race. Splendidly wants to score five points by having a Pixie kill a Kobalt, Kobalts kill both a Pixie and a Therion, and Therions kill both a Pixie and a Kobalt. Splendidly has found all of the secret doors in the basement, and is skilled at creating illusions and using hypnosis.
Yelmn used Transmutery when building his tower. Built into the northwest part of the stone wall is a solid stone "well" much stronger than any normal stonework. In the tower's first floor room is a hatch opening into the bottom of this "well". Yelmn can load a rocket into the hatch and then launch it up the chute.
Splendidly spends all of his time hidden, in darkness or behind illusions. During the past three weeks he has created chaos within Yelmn's household.
First he stole from both Kobalts, who accused each other of theft.
Then he stole from Yelmn, who accused Castiltz of theft. Later that day Splendidly make Yelm and Gnarl believe that Castiltz was threatening Lily.
The next day Splendidly hypnotized Lily and kidnapped her. Gnarl became enraged and the Kobalts. He killed Castiltz, then was killed by Toctinth, whose leg was wounded. Yelmn believed (perhaps truly) that Toctinth had become a danger to him, and fled to the nearest roadside inn to get help reclaiming his tower from the Kobalt.
Meanwhile, Lily reappears, unharmed but also unable to remember what happened. Toctinth realized Lily was hypnotized, and attempted to flee with her to the nearest Kobalt settlement. However, Splendidly intercepted them at the property's gate and gave Toctinth an ultimatum: the Unseemly will kill Toctinth unless Toctinth kills a Therion.
Splendidly hopes that when Yelmn returns with other Therions, Toctinth will kill at least one Therion before being killed by them. Splendidly also wants to arrange for a Therion to accidentally kill Lily, perhaps after she kills one of them. To best obtain this result, Splendidly has hypnotized Toctinth and Lily and assigned them each a simple yet violent task. Toctinth is at the top of the tower with a bow, waiting to shoot Yelmn when the scientist returns. Lily is hiding in the basement's explosive test room, sheltered behind an upended table, waiting to throw fiery explosive vials at anyone entering the room.
Splendidly has also arranged things in the tower so that Yelmn appears violently dangerous.
The roadside inn is a place the PC would stop on the way to Yelmn's tower. Yelmn arrives at the roadside inn just before the PC does. The PC hears Yelmn trying to gather anyone willing to help him reclaim his tower from a Kobalt burglar. (Yelmn is not going to admit that he has peacefully allowed two Kobalts into his household, especially since he has been giving them training in making explosives.)
The PC should accompany Yelmn back to the tower, perhaps accompanied by other Therions from the inn. On the way, Yelmn will talk about Lily, and ask the PC to watch for her and help her. During this conversation the GM should start to make Yelmn seem suspicious. A sensible PC will ask Yelmn about his tower and what a Kobalt burglar might be after, but Yelmn will be unable to give a complete and convincing answer since he will not mention his relationship with the Kobalts or the secret rooms in the basement.
Once through the property's gate, the GM should arrange for Toctinth to shoot at Yelmn from a window at the tower's top floor. This can happen as the party first approaches the tower's front door, or when the party discovers the smoke-filled room and the cowardly Yelmn runs outside. Yelmn's death will provide the PC with a mystery to solve, made more difficult by the false clues planted by Splendidly.
As soon as Splendidly has scored five points (Yelmn is killed by Toctinth and then two of Toctinth, Lily, or a Therion are killed) he will attack, trying to ensure there are no survivors. If Splendidly does not score five points he will remain hidden, but be angered at the PC for ruining his plans; the Unseemly will follow or track the PC and reappear during a subsequent adventure.
[Notes about Splendidly's prepared hiding places]
All of the fake notes prepared by Splendidly do not match Yelmn's handwriting. A comparison with Yelmn's notes in his workroom will reveal this. Splendidly erased Yelmn's notes from the chalkboard in the explosives laboratory.
1. Gate bells on inside but no lock
2. Yard All first floor windows are barred. The tower's second floor has two windows that are closed with shutters but not barred. The tower's third floor has three open windows.
3. Garden description.
4. Outhouse description.
5. Tower Door description.
6. Sitting RoomUnder one couch is a note from Toctinth to Yelmn that Splendidly did not find: "Something is not right. Went to get other Kobalts. Unseemly? Lily with me."
7. Three Story Tower First story is kitchen and dining room. It is filled with smoke. Gnarl is lying just inside the door from the sitting room, holding a fake note from Lily that reads "Yelmn is trying to kill you all." The second story is library and workroom for plans. Third story is Yelmn's bedroom.
8. Chute description.
9. Stairway Up description.
10. Lily's Pretty Room Explosive trap, an obvious trap door in the floor at the southeast corner.
11. Explosives Laboratory Crossbow trap. The chalkboard has a fake note from Yelmn that reads "Must kill the kobalts and Gnarl."
12. Pantry and Storage description.
A. Gnarly's Messy Place description.
B. Kobalt Guest Room Castiltz's body is here, trapped with exploding bladders of sleep gas.
C. Explosive Test Room description.
D. Secret Alchemy Lab description.
E. Trapped Dead End gas trap
F. Secret Corridor description.
W. Trap Door to Lily's Room description.
X. Trap Door to Explosives Laboratory description.
Y. Tunnel to Garden description.
Z. Tunnel to Hillside description.