Adventure # 1: Jerimond's Orb

Note: Jermimond's Orb is a module published by AEG, authored by Ree Soesbee and compatible with Dungeons and Dragons (3rd Edition). You can purchase the module here. Changes were made to make the module compatible with my campaign.

Returning from vanquishing a werewolf in a remote Karameikan village, Sir Kristoff and Kerwyn the Mysterious camped for the night a ten day’s journey from their home base in the city of Specularum. Just after dinner, a squat, hideous creature with yellow eyes, vicious claws, a mouth full of dagger-like teeth and a body covered with blue-black fur leapt out of the wood and sunk its teeth into Sir Kristoff’s mule. Having dispatched the pack animal, the creature then turned its attention to the two adventurers. Kristoff engaged the beast with his sword, while Kerwyn weakened it with a Ray of Enfeeblement. A few sword strokes and magic missiles later, the creature lay dead at the heroes’ feet. After Kerwyn took one of the creature’s teeth and a patch of fur as trophies, the adventurers decided to push on lest any more of the creatures attack them in the night. Checking their map, they decided to journey to Treefall, a village half a day’s journey from their current location.

Upon arriving at Treefall in the early morning hours, the adventurers were unable to rouse any of the townspeople. The town’s inn, named simply “Anatol’s Inn,” actually had a sign posted that read “The door’s close at nightfall. They do not reopen until sunrise. No exceptions.” Knocking on the door anyway, the adventurers heard a strange scuffling sound followed by an aggressive pounding on the door from the inside. Retreating towards the town square, the Kristoff and Kerwyn stopped by a bronze statue of a benevolent looking man holding a staff in one hand and a large seemingly precious blue orb in the other. A placard at the foot of the stature read, “Jerimond the Mage, friend to all and patron of Treefall. Orb of light, orb of peace and plenty - Jerimond's last gift to his friends - Rests here, with his ashes. He will be sorely missed.” Casting Detect Magic on the orb, Kerwyn determined that the stone was not enchanted. Just then, several of the creatures they fought earlier in the night emerged from the alleys between surrounding buildings and attacked. Kristoff and Kerwyn outdistanced the creatures on horseback and made it down one of the town roads which took them to a church dedicated to the Thyatian god, Ixion. Fortunately for them, the local priest, Father Agedos, opened the church doors and gave them Sanctuary.

Father Agedos explained the town’s current circumstances. About two weeks previous, the town’s crops began to rot. This loss was followed by attacks on livestock, which many attribute to bandits. Finally, Treefall suffered the tragic loss of Lala, the six-year-old daughter of a local merchant who was found stabbed to death before the statue of the town’s benefactor, the late wizard Jerimond. Agedos explained that some townspeople believed that Lala wasn’t stabbed to death, but rather mutilated by some sort of strange creature. Agedos also lamented that the townsfolk were somewhat suspicious of him, as they held on to their local “superstitions” and resented his efforts to “gather the flock” behind the worship of Ixion. Kristoff and Kerwyn became suspicious when they asked Agedos about the statue of Jerimond. Agedos explained that the townsfolk placed a great deal of faith in the orb’s ability to bring them good fortune, but seemed somewhat evasive when discussing its properties and history. Agedos seemed particularly disturbed when Kerwyn explained that the orb was no longer enchanted. After their conversation, Kristoff and Kerwyn decided to get some sleep before investigating further. At the priest’s suggestion, they decided to rest until sunrise, sneak out of town, and then reenter Treefall so as to avoid any association with Agedos.

Later that morning Kristoff and Kerwyn reentered the town to find Anatol sweeping out his inn. They questioned him about the night before, but the innkeeper didn’t seem to be aware of anything strange having transpired. Before they could press the innkeeper for any more information, a commotion developed just outside the premises. Anatol and his wife stepped out of the inn only to collapse in grief when they realized what transpired. Some townsfolk returning to Treefall late the previous night had found the innkeepers’ son lying dead by the side of the road. As they lowered the body to the ground outside the inn, Kristoff and Kerwyn noticed that the boys wounds corresponded to those they deliver to the beast the night before. Checking his belt pouch, Kerwyn was alarmed to discover that the tooth taken from the creature the night before now appeared to be that of a human.

As they mused over the situation, one of the townsmen – a young man by the name of Vassily – addressed the crowd, chiding them for placing too much trust in Jerimond’s orb and for not taking direct action against whoever was terrorizing their town, be they bandits or monsters. He then proposed to organize a group of men to gather that night and hunt for whomever or whatever was responsible for the recent tragedies. Just as he was winding down his tirade, a disheveled young man with a rude manner scoffed at Vassily, and dismissively left the crowd gathered outside of Anatol’s Inn.

Sir Kristoff engaged Vassily in conversation over a drink. He confirmed that there were monsters in the region, that he and Kerwyn had battled and killed one of them the night before, that there were more than one of the beasts, and that he and Kerwyn might be willing to join Vassily and his men in neutralizing their threat. Once he had drawn Vassily into his confidence, he injected enough information into the conversation for Vassily to figure out that Anatol’s son was the creature killed the night before. Although deeply disturbed, Vassily agreed to keep that detail secret for fear that the townspeople would overreact and hence deprive them of the help needed to eradicate the threat. Vassily, however, refused to entertain Kristoff’s notion that he might himself be transforming into a creature by the light of the moon.

Meanwhile, Kerwyn cast a Read Thoughts spell and caught up with the rude young man, whose name was Slava. Engaging Slave in conversation, he was able to tell that Slava had stolen the original Orb of Jerimond, that he had five roguish accomplices, that the four of them were trying hard to decipher some sort of code in order to unlock one of the orb’s secrets, and that they hiding out in some sort of stone structure. Kerwyn also asked Slava if he knew where Jerimond’s tower was located. Although Slava answered “no,” Kerwyn’s spell allowed the wizard to discern exactly where the tower was located. Finally, Kerwyn also saw that Slava’s ultimate plan was to leave town both wealthy and arm-in-arm with a pretty young lady who was the object of his affection. Kerwyn, however, was unable to obtain the young lady’s name. Despite the wealth of information that Kerwyn gleaned through spellcraft, the substance of Kerwyn’s conversation with Slava involved the wizard attempting to enlist the rogue’s help in investigating the threats to the town. Keen on breaking off his conversation with Kerwyn, Slava disingenuously agreed to help and then went about his business, promising to come back to Anatol’s with a full report later that afternoon.

Kristoff and Kerwyn then regrouped. Upon comparing notes they both agreed that it would be unwise to meet with Vassily and his men that evening, suspecting that they would turn into creatures and attack at sunset. They also agreed that they had to must find Slava before sunset and confront him about the orb. After a few inquiries, they found out that Slava lived with his father on a nearby farm, so they set off to find the young man. Unfortunately, Slava was gone by the time the adventurers reached the farm. A brief conversation with his father, however, revealed that Slava was in love with Ilka – the sister of the young girl who had been murdered only a week prior. Frustrated by their attempts to find Slava, the adventurers decided to investigate Jerimond’s tower.

They reached Jerimond’s tower by mid-afternoon. Entering the two story structure, they found a room notable for its four rune-covered support pillars as well as for the arcane books, scrolls, and writings carelessly strewn about the room. One of the pillars contained a secret door that had been exposed but remained locked. A Read Magic spell revealed that the orb served as a key for the secret door. Apparently, the thieves hadn’t quite figured out how to activate the mechanism. Kerwyn was also able to determine that the orb, which had been created by Jerimond, boosted the good fortunes of any individual who carried it. Placed in the statue, it could extend this boon to everybody in town. The orb, however, came with a price. Any individual who enjoyed the benefits of the orb would suffer a terrible curse upon being deprived of its power. Not only would they suffer random misfortunes, but they would ultimately be transformed into hideous creatures called Mathorns.

As the adventures explored the chamber, one of Slava’s accomplices entered the room and sounded an alarm. Kerwyn cast an invisibility spell upon himself, leaving Kristoff to handle the five rogues that emerged from an adjoining hallway. As the battle was joined, Kristoff and Kerwyn both noticed Slava slinking deeper into the keep. Still invisible, Kerwyn gave chase. Kristoff made quick work of three of the rogues. He then offered an ultimatum to the remaining two, who dropped their weapons and surrendered. Kristoff then followed after Slava. Entering the room that Kerwyn had followed Slava to, Kristoff almost became the victim of a sneak attack, but was saved by Kerwyn’s intervention. Kristoff then grappled Slava into submission and ordered him to come clean.

After producing the orb, Slava explained that he was only following orders. Father Agedos, he claimed, was the mastermind behind the whole plot. Frustrated by the fact that the townspeople were less than pious, Agedos enlisted Slava to take the orb, hoping that the resulting tough times would push the locals into worshiping Ixion. Agedos told Slava that he could use the orb to find Jerimond’s legendary treasure hoard. Although Slava admitted that the promise of this treasure was tempting, he insisted that it was mostly fear of the priest’s power that led him to take the orb. He promised to earn his redemption by playing whatever part the adventurers wanted in bringing Father Agedos to justice.

Believing Slava’s story, Kristoff and Kerwyn travelled back to Treefall and ordered Slava to replace the orb, which he did. The adventures related Slava’s tale to the crowds as they gathered, and anger against Father Agedos’ treachery began to rise to a nearly riotous pitch. Making its way to the church, the crowds confronted Father Agedos, but the priest’s apparent surprise, fear and confusion raised doubts in the adventurers’ minds regarding Slava’s story. These doubts were confirmed when they noticed that Slava had slipped away. Kristoff and Kerwyn then talked the crowd out of punishing the priest and towards finding Slava. Unfortunately, the knave got away, taking his beloved Ilka with him. Despite this setback, Kristoff and Kerwyn left Treefall knowing that they had changed the town’s fate for the better.