AGE 12+ DREAMS OF THE RED WIZARDS™ SCOURGE OF THE SWORD COAST ™ AN ADVENTURE FOR CHARACTERS OF 2ND – 4TH LEVEL TITO LEATI t MATT SERNETT t CHRIS SIMS CREDITS INTRODUCTION Design Scourge of the Sword CoastTM is a D&D® Next adventure Tito Leati, Matt Sernett, Chris Sims designed for 2nd-level characters. This adventure is the Development first part of the Dreams of the Red Wizards™ campaign, Matt Sernett, Chris Sims which continues with the Dead in Thay™ adventure, Editing available later in 2014. Over the course of these two Scott Fitzgerald Gray adventures, players can face off with major villains of ® D&D Group Manager the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign setting. Mike Mearls This adventure is playable at home or through a thirteen-session D&D Encounters™ season. The season D&D Producer Greg Bilsland begins on the February 15–16 Launch Weekend at your local Wizards Play Network location. The season Senior Creative Director Jon Schindehette continues every Wednesday after that, and concludes on Wednesday, May 7. Playing in the store is fun and a Art Director great way to enhance the experience. Here are some of Kate Irwin the benefits of playing in stores. Graphic Designer ✦ Trish Yochum Participants receive a twenty-sided die designed especially for this season. Cover Illustration Tyler Jacobson ✦ Players receive a color map of the Daggerford region. Cartography ✦ Dungeon Masters receive a poster map of Dagger- Mike Schley ford as well as its surrounding region. Interior Illustrations ✦ Dungeon Masters receive six nonplayer-character Sam Carr, Miles Johnston, Mike Schley, Mark Winters cards that they can use as a play aid. D&D Brand Team ✦ It’s a really great way to support your friendly local Nathan Stewart, Liz Schuh, Laura Tommervik, Shelly game store! Mazzanoble, Chris Lindsay, Hilary Ross, John Feil Prepress Manager Launch Weekend kicks off this season. Check which Jefferson Dunlap day your local game store plans to run the event. This Imaging Technician season, the Launch Weekend portion is built into Carmen Cheung the adventure. Allow two to four hours for the event. Production Manager Players should have enough time to gain admittance Donna Woodcock to Daggerford and find at least one of the adventure Organized Play hooks. That way, when they return on Wednesday for Chris Tulach D&D Encounters, it’s easy to pick up where they left off. Playtesters Adam Page, André Bégin, Andrew, Andy Madsen, Anthony Carroselli, Brendan Bar, Brent, Bri, Cecilia Black, Chris Olsen, Chris Wood, Craig Campbell, David Stark, Dean Hagis, Derek McIntosh, Derwin Roberson, Edward Kim, Egert, Éric Leroux, Genevieve Miedema, Giaco Furino, Greg Wise, Harry Flaskos, Harvie Jarriell, Horner, Iakus, Jamie Tachiyama, Jason Baxter, Jason Burnley, Jason, JD Harvill, Jessica, Jonah Wise, Jonathan Urman, Josh Pittman, Karl Resch, Keegan Wise, Kenneth J. Breese, Lauren PREPARING THE Bilanko, Liam Gulliver, Manda Collis, Manon Crevier., Marc Bernard, Mark, Mary Hershey, Matt Rolston, Matthew Stanton, Mélanie Côté, Melissa ADVENTURE Forward, Michael Liebhart, Mik Calow, Mike Flaskos, Mike, Naomi Harris, Naomi Kellerman-Bernard, Nick Peterson, Nicole Bunge, Raiane, Ray Before you start the adventure, spend time familiarizing Franklin, Reanna Hackney, Regis Collins, Rob Ramirez, Robert Alaniz, yourself with the locations, events, and characters. The Robert Hallowell, Robert Quillen II, Sean Plank, Shaun, Tiffany Taylor, Todd Wahnish, Tom Burdak, Travis Graham, Western Avenue Gamers, Will adventure’s introduction is the most important part to Vaughn, Yan Lacharité read initially. As characters proceed, get comfortable not Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, their respective logos, and only with the locations they’re going to explore, but also Scourge of the Sword Coast, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the USA with the statistics of the creatures relevant to the area. and other countries. All Wizards characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast LLC. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events included herein is purely coincidental. ©2014 Wizards of the Coast LLC. 620B11188001 EN 2 BACKGROUND remote area of the Forlorn Hills, away from prying eyes yet within striking distance of the Thayans’ ultimate This adventure picks up in Daggerford after the events aim—Waterdeep. In the fortress, under the direction of Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle™. That series of four of the lich Tarul Var, the Red Wizards are creating a adventures (available on www.dndclassics.com) chroni- magic gate to transport their forces from Thay to the cles the efforts of the Red Wizards to collect four keys Sword Coast. They plan to connect the gate to a portal to unlock the power of elemental nodes located in an network a gold elf named Shalendra Floshin revealed to abandoned temple once dedicated to the Princes of them while under Baazka’s influence. Elemental Evil. To distract nearby inhabitants from the true objec- Over the course of Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle, char- tive and to soften possible future resistance, the Red acters faced off with the Red Wizards and other threats Wizards have employed Baazka to possess several evil around Daggerford. They also encountered many of the humanoids and persuade their tribes to come over to nonplayer characters (NPCs) featured in this adventure, Szass Tam’s side. As the Red Wizards’ magic gate nears including Sir Isteval, who is at the center of the effort completion, bands of bloodthirsty humanoids prey to thwart the Red Wizards’ plans. If you are running on traffic across the Daggerford region, raising panic Scourge of the Sword Coast for the same group that played and confusion. News of the attacks has been reaching through Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle, you might want to Daggerford on almost a daily basis, and with this infor- adjust portions of this adventure to account for events in mation have come groups of desperate refugees. that one. Daggerford can’t take in all the displaced folk. To In Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle, a gate to the Nine make matters worse, Pencheska, a succubus in thrall Hells lay open for some time, spewing devils and to Tarul Var, is working to sow chaos in the town. Her smoke. The heroes who closed the gate could not efforts have met with no resistance thus far. Although know it, but amid the chaos of battle, another threat the return of the Red Wizards is not yet revealed, it is emerged. This invisible presence is the essence of a pit clear that Daggerford needs heroes to stop the scourge fiend who has long had designs on the Sword Coast. currently menacing nearby lands. The devil, named Baazka, once marshaled armies from Dragonspear Castle, and it was into his heart that a priest of Tempus lodged the mighty Illydrael, the sword ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS that served as the key to closing the gate. The adventurers arrive when Daggerford is crowded Smote through the heart but not yet dead, Baazka with refugees from outlying lands. Goblins, gnolls, and fled through the gate, the blade of the sword breaking orcs have been raiding the countryside. Now, food is off in his body. Had the blow killed him in the world, scarce and tension is high. Blame for a theft has fallen the devil could have returned after a century to wreak on the refugees, and the Duke of Daggerford has forbid- his revenge. Had it killed him in the Nine Hells, Baazka den more of the displaced from coming into town. would have ceased to exist. Instead, the pit fiend’s black After overcoming difficulties to enter Daggerford, heart continued to beat around the blade. Fearing the characters learn more about the raids. As they fight that removing the broken sword would mean his end, against the humanoids and delve deeper in the dark- Baazka has struggled along in the Nine Hells, reminded ness that encircles Daggerford, the characters learn of of his desire for revenge with every painful heartbeat. Bloodgate Keep. After a final fiendish ambush, they’re Through sympathetic magic, Baazka was unable to ready to confront the real threat to the area. enter Faerûn as long as the gate remained closed by Illy- drael. Once the gate opened, he could pass through only in a ghostlike state. In this form, the pit fiend sought STARTING THE and failed to possess a Red Wizard named Mennek. The attempt alerted Mennek, who informed his master, ADVENTURE Szass Tam. Now Baazka works with the Red Wizards in return for Szass Tam’s promise to free the fiend from This adventure assumes the characters, due to a call his cursed and pained existence. from Sir Isteval in Daggerford for heroic or mercenary The events of Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle failed to aid, are all traveling with a caravan from Waterdeep end Szass Tam’s scheme to turn the Sword Coast into toward Daggerford. The players might have other ideas. a bridgehead for Thayan domination of northwestern (All the characters need not be coming for the same Faerûn. If anything, the Red Wizards’ tribulations reason.) You might take a moment to describe who Sir urged them to act with more caution. Isteval is, since the characters are likely to know him at On the ruins of the abandoned elemental temple, least by reputation. the Thayans have been constructing a secret strong- hold they call Bloodgate Keep. The small fortress is in a 3 When you’re ready to begin, read the following: the love of the gods!” A wide-eyed pregnant woman wrings her hands at his side.