The Bounty on Norlin Eltan

The PC’s will be hired by a third party to arrest Norlin Eltan. They will begins their adventure in Baldur's Gate, having just arrived there. If they are from Baldur's Gate then they may know that Norlin, as a Patriar, is part of the nobility of the city. Norlin has made a grievous error, after he dueled a ranking member of the Xanathar in the Dock Ward of Waterdeep, killing the man. The Guild put a price on his head so that they can torture him and imprison him or his actions, with little interest in being paid off (as Norlin's family could afford). In any case, the Xanathar would have to be paid off in Skullport, and their price would not be cheap. The following are adventure hook that work well with this adventure:

Word has reached you of a bounty on a member of the nobility of Baldur's Gate: one Norlin Eltan. The bounty is 2,000gp, as it seems Norlin Eltan killed a man in the Dock Ward of Waterdeep. Norlin Eltan is to be captured alive, brought to Waterdeep, then taken down to Skullport to be delivered into the hands of a man named Filse. He's wanted alive, although the bounty states they'll take his corpse as well, but for half the price. Baldur's Gate

When the adventure begins the player characters are given some basic information about Baldur's Gate as follows:

Baldur's Gate, sometimes referred to as the Gray Harbor City, is a growing metropolis located up the River Chionthar, a few miles east from where the river meets the Trackless Sea. The city sits on the northern banks of the Chionthar, surrounded by walls, as well as an inner wall that divides it into two sections: the older Upper City and the sprawling Lower City. The Upper City is protected by the Watch, while the Lower City is under the protection of a large mercenary company known as the Flaming Fist. Outside the walls of the city are loose structures that line the road to the east, where a sturdy bridge crosses the river (Wyrm's Rock), as well as on the northwestern side of the city, outside the Basilisk Gate. The city is currently ruled by a Council of Four Dukes, led by a Grand Duke. It contains a sizable temple of Gond, known as the High House of Wonders, a small riverside temple of Umberlee, known as the Waterqueen's House, as well as a temple to Tymora, the Lady's Hall. The city also has Shrines to Helm (The Watchful Shield), Ilmatar (The Shrine of the Suffering), Oghma (The Unrolling Scroll) and Lathander (The Rose Portal). The Wide, a large market ground, is located within the upper city, just inside Baldur's Gate, which the city was named after. There a statue is currently being constructed in honor of one of the most well known heroes of the city ( and Boo, the Beloved Ranger Statue). The city is known for its production of magical smokepowder, its alchemists, as well as a number of fine inns and taverns. SampleThe city, particularly the Lower City, is crowded. Fog tends to cloakfile the city in the morning, as well as in the evening many days. There are no trees growing in the Lower City, only moss on the older stone buildings and ivy. The Upper City holds all the cities temples and shrines, save for the Shrine to Ilmatar, as well as the Helm and Cloak Inn, and the Splurging Sturgeon Tavern. The Lower City holds many of the cities inns and taverns, such as: The Blade and Stars, The Blushing Mermaid, The Elfsong Tavern, Jopalin's Inn, The Low Lantern, and the Smiling Boar. Due to how crowded the Lower City is it takes about twenty minutes to navigate from one gate to another, or one major locale to another. Each gate has a toll of 2sp per person, and 1sp per animal. Most of the city's residents are human, although a sizable numbers of and gnomes live here as well. The players must gather information concerning where they can find Norlin Eltan at the beginning of the adventurer. With a DC 15 Investigate check (with Charisma) they will learn that he's not only a member of the prominent Eltan family, a nephew of a late Grand Duke, but he's a frequent visitor of the Helm and Cloak in the Upper City, as many of the Patriar's often do. The players could head to the Upper City and try to gain admittance to Eltan Manor, which is guarded by veteran members of the Watch. They are not likely to gain access to anyone of importance, and Norlin Eltan won't be there if they come calling (he's been gone for almost a tenday on what his family sees as “A foolhardy romp with sellswords”). If the players head to the Helm and Cloak read the following:

The Helm and Cloak is made up of two buildings, the smaller is an old house fronting Windspell Street at the crossroads facing the Ducal Palace. The larger structure is an old rooming house that faces the High House of Wonders. A tattered cloak hangs displayed over the old rooming house's raised porch, whereas a gigantic helm – once worn by a titan (some say) hangs over the Windspell doors. Wines, fine foods and high class company are to be found here. The ceilings are particularly notable for their depictions of rather eyebrow raising, romantic scenes of carnal pleasures. The place is both an inn and a feasthall, where people come to chat and mingle, as well as eat and drink.

If the players ask around for Norlin Eltan they can make a Persuasion check at DC 15 to learn the following:

You talk to a few guests about Norlin Eltan. “Norlin?” a plump young woman ask, “that boy is trouble. Always getting into this and that. You know I heard he bet a bard that he could steal a fiddle from a frost giant... he did. Don't know where he found the frost giant down these parts.” “I know that name,” a gruff dwarf says, “Norlin Eltan, spoiled kin to the late and great Grand Duke Eltan – and he owes me forty gold dragons too!” “Norlin's left the city,” a young man, dressed well and rather handsome at that (numerous girls in the feasthall seem to eye him often), “he met with some mercenaries from Amn and took up the wanderers life... not for the gold mind you, but for the adventure of it... something about exploring lost bridges and castles or whatever. Norlin's never had an abundance of brains, mind you, but he does have friends in high places. I think last time I saw him he was bragging about how he was going to going to Samplewin over some damsel in Beregost... or was it a dandy... I can't recall. fileWell, if he's in trouble I'm sure his family will just buy him out of it, of course.”

That should point the players in the right direction. Beregost is several days to the south, so they will have to travel to get there, unless they have the ability to teleport. Traveling

The players will have to some traveling in this adventure, which will take them from Baldur's Gate to Beregost (and then into the Wood of Sharp Teeth), and then back again. They will get to stop at the Friendly Arm Inn on the way, then in Beregost, a small town where they can learn more about where Norlin Eltan has gone off to, and possibly to the village of Gullykin. The journey takes two and a half days to reach the Friendly Arm if the players make good time, then three and a half to Beregost. Each day and each evening the players are traveling outdoors they run the risk of a random encounter. For the sake of this adventure I have rolled all the random encounters ahead of time. If the players decide to get off track then then roll on a d20 for every day, and twice for every night, with a roll of 18-20 indicating a random encounter. Then roll a second d20. The lower the number the less hostile and easier the threat (1s and 2s being other travelers, or maybe a lone ), while 10 would be a moderate threat (a wandering giant, a flock of wyverns, a roc, etc), and a 20 would be a dangerous threat (a hostile dragon, a host of trolls, or a horde of over a hundred ). The DM could also use the random encounter tables in the DMG as well. This set up assumes the players will be riding on horseback, but if they ride via faster means (such as with brooms of flying) then they'll arrive faster. The first two days the players will have no encounters as they ride toward the Friendly Arm. They will camp under the stars the first evening, then it is assumed they will get rooms at the Friendly Arm when they get there. If they want to camp outside instead then the DM should roll for random encounters twice for the evening. The first evening after leaving The Friendly Arm the players camp will be spotted at a distance by a large pack of hell hounds that have escaped from Avernus (the First Level of the Nine Hells), and have been roaming the area for food. The pack is made up of 3d12 (18) hell hounds, which will fight until they loose half their numbers, then the pack will break off. Hell hounds are vicious killers. Read the following concerning the journey to the Friendly Arm:

It's a warm summer day as you cross Wyrm's Rock, over the River Chionthar, round the mountain that stands between the bridge and Baldur's Gate. The Coast way winds south through a grassy land dotted with copses of trees, small farmstead, boulder fields and not so small hills. Old walls line the road for many miles. That evening you camp on a bluff overlooking the road, in a place where many old fires look to have burned. To the north you can see the lights of Baldur's Gate shimmering against the black sky. The Trackless Sea lies about thirty miles to the west. To the south the country grows more hilly, and both to the southwest and to the east are lines of green from thick forests. The second day the land rises and the road winds around the hills, sometimes over them, and through thin woodlands. There are far fewer farmsteads this far south of Baldur's Gate. Other than the occasional farmers working their fields, you encounter no traffic on the road. You ride into the night on the second day, as the lights from the Friendly Arm are only a few more miles away, and since the inn was once a keep it's far more secure than camping out under the stars. SampleAfter the player characters have left the Friendly Arm (see below), they willfile travel for another three and a half days to reach Beregost, on the second night of which they will encounter the Hell Hounds. Read the following concerning this:

You leave the Friendly Arm and ride southeast along the Coast Way, as it winds away from the Cloakwood to the west, before the road juts back to the southwest around a wide hillock. Dotted trees line the horizon, sometimes running in rows across a hogback ridge or in small clusters out to the east, but in larger numbers toward the edge of the Cloakwood. The land here is far more rocky and thicker with brush than the terrain near Baldur's Gate. You ride for two days, encounter little on the road except a wagon hauling hay (the driver being either extremely unfriendly or having lost his tongue). On the second evening you have made camp within the burnt out shell of a cottage that lies off the road. There are a few other ruins around here, which may have been part of a thorp at one point, but it seems no one has lived here in ages. It's a windy evening, but a clear one. The stars shine and as Selune is but a crescent low on the horizon, with her seven twinkling sisters trailing in tow.

The hell hounds will attempt to sneak up on the camp. They have darkvision and they can see the camp due to a campfire. They use a Passive Stealth at DC 11 to try and sneak up on the camp (they will likely fail). If they are spotted approaching they will be noticed 120 feet away (the edge of the dim light radius of a campfire), or farther if PC that spots them has darkvision. When they are spotted read the following to the player characters:

Suddenly a large pack of over a dozen large, black hounds approaches the camp... they have glowing red eyes and a hellish red light flickers from within their mouths!

The rest of their journey will be quiet. Read the following concerning it:

You ride on for another long day the next morning. Halfway through the day you come to the place where the road splits to the west, heading toward Candlekeep. Just south of here a sprawling woodland stretches across the horizon, which the Coast Way winds through. Here and there large stretches of tree stumps line the area. Just after sunset you mount a slope and spy the lights of Beregost just down the road. The Friendly Arm

The Friendly Arm is a walled hamlet on the coast way, three and half days north of Beregost (three if they travel fast, leave early and arrive late). It's a based around a stone keep, with a stables, gardens, horse pond, and caravan wagon sheds. The Friendly Arms also has a small temple known as The Temple of Wisdom, dedicated to Garl Glittergold (sometimes called The Shrine of the Short), the gnomish patriarch, run by a gnome priestess, Gellana Mirrorshade and her young offspring The inn is owned by the gnomish illusionist and thief, Bentley Mirrorshade, with a staff of both gnomes and men. Bentley has cloaked several iron golems under long standing illusions, which obey his commands, thus he is not to be pushed around. Bentley and his wife are kind and friendly. The rooms are large and airy, and good, simple food is served here. Bentley encourages an air of neutrality between factions here, especially as time has passed. The Friendly Arm has three stories of rooms, each with a common sitting room for guests, with much of the ground floor being the taproom and dining hall.Sample file When the players arrive at the Friendly Arm read the following: A stout keep stands on the side of the road here, surrounded by thick walls. The interior hold a stables, horse pond, caravan wagon sheds, a few cottages, as well as a small stone domed structure that may be a shrine or temples of some sort. A sign before the stairs head head up to entrance to the keep reads “The Friendly Arm – Inn and Tavern” Below that is a second sign that reads “Neutral ground for all guest from all lands”.

If the players enter the inn read the following:

The first floor of the Friendly Arm is a large taproom, with many tables of both large size, as well as smaller sized for smaller folk. Wooden stairs head up to the upper levels, while another leads down to the jakes. Tapestries that depict small figures in big lands adorn the place. Large statues stand in many corners. A gnome in orange robes appears to be the proprietor, with a staff of young human women, as well as a few gnomes. The people here look to be mostly travelers: merchant folk from Baldur's Gate to the north on business, what looks to be a cleric of Lathander in brightly tailored robes who is making the rounds of the bar, a group of Amnish mercenaries drinking and laughing at a table, a quiet duo of older men (scribes by the looks of them with their comical bowl haircuts), not to mention an assortment of smallfolk at the smaller tables, a half-orc woman who looks like she could wrestle a bear, and a band of dwarves who are just as loud and boastful as the rest of the patrons. The place is noisy, smells of stew, ales and the stink of tired folk.

Most of the folk here are friendly and just passing through. The dwarves will be happy to drink with other dwarves. The half-orc woman, Ugrah, has an eye for men that are smaller than here and will send drinks to anyone like that to soften them up. The halflings dance about, make a lot of noise, and one or two may snatch a pouch or two this evening. The scribes are heading back to Candlekeep, after visiting Amn. The Amnish mercenaries are traveling north to Baldur's Gate, and don't want to be bothered. One of them has a bag of holding around his neck, with a captive maiden inside it that they are going to sell to a pirate from Lashtarl's Lantern. The cleric, Atauroth Brighthand, is very friendly, and will ask for donations to his temple, which lies south in Beregost. He's heading north to Berdusk to meet with some brethren there. The players are likely to inquire about Norlin Eltan here. If they do they can make a Persuasion check at DC 15 to gain the following information from Bentley Mirrorshades:

The proprietor, who tells you his name is Bentley, seems friendly. “Oh, yes, we had a lad of that description here about a quarter twentyday ago, give or take a half threeday or so. I believe he was with a duo of sellswords, boasting about some venture or another... oh, they spoke about heading into the forest... either the Cloakwood or the Wood of Sharp Teeth it would be. I think one of the mercenaries was a Sembian, had a Silver Raven pendant and paid in eastern currency... we don't get that many Silver Raven's all the way out here... you know Minsc himself used to drink here... true and treebark. He and Abdel Adrian and their companions would come here often... on some adventurers or another. Now he's off doing whatever and whatnot, and Abdel is a duke in Baldur's Gate... can you believe that? You'd think they'd have more than four dukes... five is a better number if you ask me... my Samplegrandmother lived to be a quarter thousand years old... that half a fivehundredyear...” file In addition to a good nights, rest, food and drink, and information, the players will be approached by one of the scribes during their stay, regarding a potential follow up quest. Read the following when this happens:

One of the scribes walks up to you. (In Chondathan) “Pardon my intruder, but you appear to be the mercenary sort. May I ask a favor of you?” he asks.

If the players will hear him out then read the following:

He smiles and nods. “Thank you. My name is Brother Brather, of Candlekeep and my companion over there is Brother Cantlenumentheranian (Cant-el-num-en-ther-an-e- an). We are returning to our home after visiting the Font of Knowledge in Waterdeep, and we have learned of something of interest that you're kind might appreciate. We told some of the other mercenaries here as well, such as those Amnish brutes and... that half-orc woman. “Well, we were copying texts at the Font when we came across an odd mention of something called an Infinity Gate, which I suppose some wizard built in the city of Iriaebor, west of Cormyr. According to what he found the gate accesses a demiplane known as the Infinitium, which is said to itself contain gates to numerous other planes. We've read about it before in Candlekeep, but the details are sparse. The Infinitium may have been constructed by the Netherese in ancient times, but other sources say it was formed by wizards from a different plane of existence entirely. Such as demiplane would be invaluable for learning about the mysterious of the multiverse. “Anyway, one of the texts we found stated that the Infinity Gate is dormant as it requires a gatekey, but no one seems to have any idea of what that gatekey might be... until we did a bit more reading. The tome stated that the author was able to breech the gate and it use it to read numerous other planes, of which he gave detailed descriptions of, and he claimed that the gatekey he used to open the gate was a cube of pure adamantine, which was consumed by doing so. We don't know if the gate requires the metal to be in a cube like shape, or just enough of the metal itself. “It is in our interest in finding out if such an item would actually be the gatekey. We have written to our brethren, one Brother Umtlar in Iriaebor, and told him that we would inform what sellswords we could of this discovery, so that perhaps the gate could be secured, opened and used again.” Beregost

Beregost was formed originally as a farming village for a wizarding school, which has long since been abandoned, after being destroyed by a cabal of Calishite wizards roughly three hundred years ago. It is now an important trading town, and the site of a temple to Lathander, the Song of the Morning. Here the players can find basic supplies, a limited amount of potions and scrolls from the temple, including sigils for a Teleportation Circle spell if needed. The town has one tavern, The Burning Wizard, as well as three inns. The players have the option of staying where they wish, and their choice may effect how the adventure proceeds, and whether or not they visit the Burning Wizard that evening (perhaps searching for information on Norlin Eltan). SampleDrinks at the Burning Wizard are 5cp for a glass of ale, or 1sp for a glass offile Firewine. They also have some Winter Wine at 3sp a glass. Feldepost's Inn is a older place, but comfortable. Rooms come with a fireplace and a bath. The