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Listnar wiped the perspiration from his brow. Usually, a person of Listnar's importance would not be found in an establishment such as Norina's House of Veils. He was an illusionist of great reknown and status, and the House of Veils was hardly the type of place one of his stature would frequent.Still, Listnar could not help himself. He had come, as had most of the patrons, to see the new dancing sensation, a young lass named Philana. It was getting near the time for her next performance. Listnar could tell.
The crowd grew quiet as the musicians began to play. The light quartz lanterns began to dim as a beautiful raven haired maiden made her way out onto the stage. Listnar felt his heart start to pound as the lithe dancer moved with the music. The crowd gasped as the first of the silken veils fell to the floor.
Hours later found Listnar sitting in the tower he had managed to claim in the western district of Kratas. Thoughts of Philana filled his every waking moment, and he knew he would have to have her. No matter what it took.
Unfortunately for Philana, she has attracted the attention of an illusionist named Listnar. Though Philana dances for everyone in the audience, Listnar always believed that she was dancing for him. He has fallen madly in love with her, and believes that she must be equally in love with him, though maybe she hasn't realize it yet.
Recently Listnar has decided that he doesn't wish to wait for Philana to come to her senses. He has decided to have her abducted and brought to his tower so that he can help her realize how deep she cares for him.
Of course Norina, owner of the House of Veils, is upset. Philana was her star performer, bringing in the crowds that spent money on the drinks and dancers that kept the House of Veils going. The loss of Philana has crippled her business and Norina wants her back.
At this point, Norina hires the characters to find out what became of Philana, and to bring her back. She promises the characters 100 silvers each if they can find the missing dancer and return her to the tavern.
This whole encounter should be used to set the stage for things to come. Allow the characters time to socialize, drink, and interact with the locals. Once they are relaxed, have one or more of them drawn into a good, old-fashioned bar fight. Every good set of heroes should get into at least one bar fight while adventuring.
During the bar fight Listnar will have his ruffians abduct Philana. This will not be noticed until it is time for her next performance and she is no where to be found.
After wandering through the streets and enjoying drinks at several taverns, you find yourself outside a two story building with a sign that reads House of Veils over a picture of a maiden's face smiling from behind a veil. By the sound of laughter and raucous music, and the amount of people crowding to get in, you decide that this must be a place to visit.
After managing to get inside, you find yourself in a comfortable tavern crowded with Namegivers of all shapes and sizes. Three musicians are busy providing a beat for the two attractive dancers who are slowly removing various articles of clothes while moving seductively to the music. The crowd is cheering and whistling while barmaids move through distributing drinks.
The crowd applauds as the two dancers finish their routine and head offstage. The lights dim slightly as the music changes to a more romantic tone. The crowd grows quiet as a lone dancer takes the stage. She is a dark haired beauty with exotic eyes whose appearance takes your breath away. She is layered in the finest silks and moves more seductively than you thought possible.
As you look around the crowd, you realize that the effect she is generating is universal. The men are staring, unable to take their eyes from her, as are some of the women. She continues dancing, removing pieces of silk, one at a time.
She finishes to thunderous applause, and coins are flung from the crowd. Not copper with the occasional silver, but silver with the occasional gold. The girl disappears from the stage, leaving the barmaids to gather the tips.
During this time, a group of ruffians will start a bar fight to distract people from the kidnapping going on back stage. Read the following once the characters are relaxed and enjoying themselves:
A man in a torn leather tunic staggers into your table, spilling his drink on (fill in the character most likely to be annoyed). He looks at you and says, "You clumsy oaf! You made me spill my ale." With that, he takes a swing at you.
Make the character roll a Perception test with a target of 6 to avoid being taken by surprise. Once the fight starts, more ruffians will join in and the brawl will spread throughout the tavern. Let the brawl go for six rounds before the bouncers and what passes as the town watch in Kratas break up the fight.
Ruffians (three for every two characters)
| DEX: 13: 6/D10 STR: 13: 6/D10
TOU: 13: 6/D10
PER: 9: 4/D6 WIL: 10: 5/D8 CHA: 10: 5/D8 |
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| Initiative: 6/D10 | Physical Defense: 7 |
| Number of Attacks: 1 | Spell Defense: 6 |
| Attack: 9/D8+D6; Fist: 8/2D6 | Social Defense: 6 |
| Damage: Fist 6/D10; Club 9/D8+D6; Short Sword 10/D10+D6 | Armor: 2 |
| Number of Spells: 0 | Mystic Armor: 0 |
| Spellcasting: 0 | Knockdown: 6/D10 |
| Effect: 0 | Recovery Tests: 2 |
| Death Rating: 35 | Combat Movement: 30 |
| Wound Threshold: 9 | Full Movement: 60 |
| Unconsciousness Rating: 27 | Legend Points: 60 |
| Equipment: Short sword, club, dagger, leather armor | |
| Loot: 1D6 x 10 silvers | |
| Skills: Melee Weapons 3: 9/D8+D6, Streetwise 2: 6/D10, Unarmed Combat 2: 8/2D6 | |
By the end of the fight Philana will have been kidnapped and taken to Listnar's tower. When it is time for her next performance Norina, the owner of the House of Veils, will take the stage. When that happens, read the following:
The crowd grows quiet once more as everyone gets ready for Philana's next performance. A sandy haired woman takes the stage, clears her throat, and begins to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid I have bad news. Philana seems to be missing. I think she has been abducted."
The crowd boos and moans at the news. Many of the patrons start to leave. The lady on stage looks upset. "Aren't there any heroes in the crowd? Heroes who would help a maiden in distress?"
Allow the characters to interact with Norina. If they wish to help, Norina will invite them backstage.
"I am glad you are going to help me. It is difficult for a woman to run a successful business in Kratas. Many people want to control my tavern, and even me. Whoever took Philana may be trying to put me out of business. Let me take you to her dressing room, maybe you can find something that will help you. Then I will have to go back out and soothe the remaining customers."
With that, Norina stands up and takes you to Philana's dressing room. "I wish you the blessings of the Passions, my friends. For both Philana's and my sake." She then turns and heads back out to the tavern. The dressing room is small and crowded with a table set before a mirror, a chair, several trunks, and a few costumes hanging on pegs. The chair is lying on its side, and some of the costumes are scattered across the floor.
Characters can make Perception tests or Evidence Analysis tests against a target of 6. Success will allow the characters to recognize the fact that there was a struggle, and that Philana did not go willingly. A Good success will allow the characters to find traces of blood, and a piece of torn cloth with a symbol of a jagged edged dagger embroidered onto it.
A second Perception test, target of 6, will allow the character to remember that the ruffians in the bar fight had similar symbols on their tunics. A successful Streetwise test, target of 8, will remember that the symbol is worn by the Jagged Blades, a minor streetgang in Kratas.
Once the characters have examined the dressing room, they will have to decide what to do next. If they were unable to identify the symbol, they will have to ask around at the seedier bars in Kratas. This will require a Streetwise test or a Charisma test with a target of 8 every hour. For every 20 silvers spent while searching, add +1 step to the tests. Only one test is allowed per group of characters searching. If the characters split up, they will get to make more tests, but will be weaker if they get into trouble. Once successful, read the following:
The bartender at the Dead Crow looks you over. "Yeah, I know who the Jagged Blades are. They hang out in a rundown tavern a few blocks from here called the Sealed Tomb. They're a rotten bunch, willing to do just about anything for a few silvers."
Allow the characters to gather and discuss the next course of action.
Once the characters go inside, read the following:
You see a dark room lit by sputtering torches. Several people look up from their drinks as you come in. They are in torn leather, and you can see the embroidered dagger on each of them. The bartender standing behind a rough wooden table holding a couple of casks and several dented pewter tankards look at you, frowns, and says, "I think you are in the wrong place."
The only other way to get the information is to defeat the ruffians in combat. Once they are defeated, a Charisma test with a target of 6 will get the characters the information on a normal success.
Once the characters know the location of Listnar's tower, they can head there to recover Philana.
| Room# | Description | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Front Door - Rough stone steps lead up to an
iron bound wooden door covered with runic writing of some sort scratched
into it.
The door is locked, needing an 8 to open. The runes are written in magic, needing a 7 to read. They say, "The tower of Listnar the mighty". The door has a rating of 8/25. |
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| 2 | Lower Floor - You see a room decorated with
a beautiful rug, a nicely carved wooden table with four matching chairs,
a large fireplace with embers still glowing, several cabinets, and shelves
containing small carvings of animals. A stone staircase leads up to the
floor above. A spark of light comes from under the table.
Underneath the table is Listnar's pet lightning lizard. He raised it from the egg and uses it as a guard dog. Once the characters have entered, it will cover itself in the Crackling Armor (the spark of light under the table) and attack. Lightning Lizard
Once the characters have defeated the lightning lizard, they can continue. The cabinets have food stuff, plates, tankards, and several bottles of wine. The small animal statues were carved by Listnar and have little value (maybe 5 silvers each). Of course, things may be on fire if the lightning lizard has missed anyone with the Twinbolts. If this happens, make things seem rushed as the characters try to complete the rescue before the old tower burns down and collapses. |
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| 2 | The Stairs - You can see the old stone stairs
leading up to the floor above. You can hear some sort of chanting coming
from above.
Listnar has placed an Alarm spell on the stairs, the Effect number is 12. Anyone going up the stairs with a Spell Defense equal to or less than 12 will trigger the alarm. It will start shouting "Begone, intruders, begone. This is the tower of Listnar the Mighty." This will prevent Listnar from being surprised. (As if he didn't notice the characters fighting the Lightning Lizard...) |
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| 3 | Second Floor - As you reach the second floor
you see a chamber fit for a king. The ornate king-sized bed is covered
with satin, and tied to the four posts is the almost naked form of Philana.
Glaring at you from behind the bed is a black haired man wearing robes
covered with arcane embroidery. His eyes look wild as he releases a bolt
of greenish magical energy at you.
The man behind the bed is the illusionist Listnar. He is almost finished binding Philana to himself, and is very annoyed that the characters are disturbing his plans. He has already cast Displaced Image on himself and will Ephemeral Bolt the first person up the stairs. To sense the Displaced Image a character has to make a Willpower test with a target of 15. Any successful attack on the image gives the attacker an immediate Disbelief test with a target of 7. Success will reveal Listnar's true location in the corner of the room. Once he is discovered, Listnar will plead for his life. He is more concerned with living than he is with keeping Philana. Listnar the Mighty 5th Circle Illusionist
Once Listnar is defeated, the characters can rescue Philana. If they believe Listnar is dead, they can search the tower. In the room there is the bed, a desk, bookshelves, a trunk, and a wardrobe. The desk has writing supplies, paper, and an ivory letter opener (worth 25 silvers). The bookshelves have various books on art, romance, and adventure. The trunk is locked (needing a 7 to open). Inside is Listnar's Spell Book, 2 Healing Potions, a bag with 25 gold pieces, and a small box with a single diamond (worth 500 silvers). The wardrobe has extra robes, boots, clothes, and a Dwarven Winternight Cloak. There is little of value in the tower, and most of the furniture is old and worn, covered by Glamour to appear beautiful and exotic. Listnar is usually too afraid to adventure and has nothing in the way of magical items. Philana will be grateful for being rescued. Let each male character make a Charisma test against her Social Defense of 9. The character with the best result will be the one she feels most grateful to. On a Good result or better a character may start a romantic liaison with her. |
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If at all possible, let Listnar escape with his life. He will Dead Fall using his Karma, thus projecting an illusion of his own death. He is the major antagonist in the upcoming Days of Vengeance.
| Creatures and Opponents | |
| Ruffians at the House of Veils | 60 points each |
| Ruffians at the Sealed Tomb | 60 points each |
| Lightning Lizard | 150 points |
| Listnar the Mighty | 250 points |
| Treasure | |
| Lightning Lizard eyes | 300 points |
| Creative Roleplaying | |
| Rescuing Philana with no thought of reward | 75 points |
| Other actions at the Game Master's discretion | 75 points |
| Adventure Goal | |
| Rescuing Philana | 150 points |
Circle 2 Spells
Epheneral Bolt, Monstrous Mantle, True Ephemeral Bolt, Weather Cloak
Circle 3 Spells
Alarm, Mind Fog, Nobody Here
Circle 4 Spells
Improved Alarm, Stop Right There
Circle 5 Spells
Flying Carpet, Pleasant Visions, Wall of Unfire
Circle 6 Spells
Bouncing Blaster
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