CCC-QCC2019-01

Hillsfar’s Rancid Webs

Written by Jonathan Kennedy-Ellis

A suspicious murder leads the heroes into an old section of Hillsfar’s sewers, where the local fey are stirring up trouble for the surface dwellers. A Two-Hour Adventure for Tier 1 Characters. SampleOptimized for APL 3. file

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. CCC-QCC2019-01 Hillsfar’s Rancid Webs (v.1.2) 1

CREDITS

Lead Designer: Jonathan Kennedy-Ellis

Editing: Scott Moore D&D Adventurers League Guildmaster: Chris Lindsay

Art Director & Graphic Design: Patrick E. Pullen

D&D Adventurers League Wizards Team: Adam Lee, Chris Lindsay, Mike Mearls, Matt Sernett

D&D Adventurers League Administrators: Lysa Chen, Amy Lynn Dzura, Claire Hoffman, Greg Marks, Alan Patrick, Travis Woodall

Playtesters: Samuel Buncy, Bryan Hendrick, Erin Schuster, Kenneth Starr

CCC-QCC2019 Plot Coordinator: Scott Moore

Special Thanks: Lake Effect Gaming and Events, LLC

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, , the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. 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.

©2019 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, StockleySample Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. file

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. CCC-QCC2019-01 Hillsfar’s Rancid Webs (v.1.2) 2 Their objective is to locate the group that Adventure Primer perpetrated the killings. This is Story Objective A. The minor human noble, Graham Toroth, has been • Episode 3: Cabal. The characters, now having murdered. His drow bodyguard, Khinzeth Navroril, located the headquarters of the killers, must now is the chief suspect but also lost his life during the disrupt the group’s plans. This is Story Objective B. murder. Red Plume inspector Lord Investigator Henry Uskworth has found the city guard’s Bonus Objectives investigation wanting and has called in the characters However, this adventure also includes two, 1-hour to assist with his own investigation which concerns a bonus objectives that the characters can pursue if group of fey causing trouble below Hillsfar. they have additional time to do so—earning additional advancement and treasure checkpoints Background in the process. These bonus objectives are found in this adventure’s appendices, as follows: Following the end of the Great Law of Humanity, Malkyn Grenefeld led an attempted fey insurrection • Bonus Objective A: Abducted! A human woman to take hold of Hillsfar. This coup failed thanks to the approaches the players and asks them to rescue efforts of various adventurers and Grenefeld was her drow husband who she believes has been pushed out of the picture. kidnapped. This bonus objective is found in There are, however, several groups of fey who Appendix 9. maintain tenuous alliances and continue to harass the • Bonus Objective B: Friendly Neighborhood Spider. citizens of Hillsfar. One such group is led by a drow, Two Hillsfar municipal workers are in the entrance Binthan Kenth, who believes that he has a holy of the sewer, tasked with dealing with a blockage in calling handed down by Lolth to bring surface- the sewer. They would rather have the characters dwelling drow back into the fold or kill them for their do it. This leads the adventurers to find a cordial blasphemy. arachnid who just wants to be left alone. This This has led to the murder of Lord Graham Toroth bonus objective is found in Appendix 10. and his bodyguard Khinzeth Navoril. A matter that the investigating Red Plumes brushed off as a simple Episode Sequence case of “bodyguard kills his master”. Lord Henry Uskworth doesn’t accept the investigation’s findings Depending on your time constraints, play style and and has called for adventurers to assist in his own environment, this adventure takes approximately inquiry. two-to-four hours to play.

Episodes How Will You Play? The duration of your session depends on how much The adventure’s story is spread over three story of this adventure you utilize. At the very least, your episodes that take approximately 2 hours to play. session will last approximately 2 hours. However, if These episodes are introduced by a Call to Action you wish, you can provide a longer experience for Episode. The adventure also includes two 1-hour your players by utilizing the bonus objectives. bonus episodes that can be played if time permits, Story Objectives Only. To complete the both of the that are introduced anywhere in the adventure. adventure’s story objectives, the characters play in If you’re planning to play the entire adventure at Episodes 1 through 3 in order. once, you only need to introduce the Call to Action Bonus Objectives. You can extend this adventure once. However, if you plan to play them over several by one- or two- hours by utilizing the bonus sessions, you’ll want to revisit the Call to Action each objectives provided in the appendices. These bonus time you play. objectives are primarily dealt with during Episode 2 Episode 1: A Most Suspicious Killing. The characters with the hook for Bonus Objective A occurring at the are invited to investigate the scene of the murder, end of Episode 1 and the hook for Bonus Objective B the circumstances of which are suspicious. After occurring at the beginning of Episode 2. Bonus investigating the party is then tasked with bringing Objective A is concluded towards the end of Episode the killers to justice 2 and Bonus Objective B can be concluded during Episode 2: The Rancid Webs. The characters explore Episode 2 or after Episode 3. an ancient and defunct section of Hillsfar’s sewer. Sample file

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. CCC-QCC2019-01 Hillsfar’s Rancid Webs (v.1.2) 3 Episode Flowchart This section provides a basic understanding of not only the flow of the adventure, but also the outline of the different paths that your players may take in reaching their stated objective.

1

Episode 1: A Most Suspicious Killing

A 2 B Bonus Objective B: Bonus Objective A: Episode 2: The Rancid Friendly Abducted! Webs Neighborhood Spider

3

Episode 3: Core of the Cabal

Sample file

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. CCC-QCC2019-01 Hillsfar’s Rancid Webs (v.1.2) 4 Episode 1: A Most Suspicious Killing (Call to Action) Estimated Duration: 20 minutes Scene A. Well isn’t is Obvious? The characters have been requested to meet a Red What Does He Know? Uskworth has already Plume investigator at the scene of a murder. They deduced what has happened in the room and wants are told to keep open minds and to bring “Their best to test the character’s reasoning skills. If they fail to thinking caps”. Upon arrival they are waved in by a come up with a reasonable explanation for the pair of bored looking Red Plume guards and are murders, he will throw his hands up in despair, escorted to the investigator who is waiting berates them for their simplemindedness and impatiently at the door of a noble’s drawing room. explains that someone else has clearly broken into the room, killed both men in a fit of violence and • Episode Goal. The characters should aim to find then made it look like the drow attacked his master out all they can about the murder and what Lord before succumbing to his own wounds. Uskworth wants from them. If asked about Lord Toroth’s body, Uskworth explains it has already been removed due to his Area Information station but had similar pre- and post-mortem This area features: wounds to Navoril. Dimensions & Terrain. The drawing room of A group of drow and fey have been making a Lord Graham Toroth is a 15’ by 20’ room. The floor nuisance of themselves and Uskworth has tracked is currently covered in papers that appear to have them down to an old section of sewer. This is where been strewn about during some scuffle; a broken ink the adventurers come in – he wants them to enter pot and other glassware indicates it was particularly the sewer and bring the murderers to justice. If they violent. Other major features include a desk, a agree he offers them Khinzeth’s spider silk rope of fireplace, a broken window, a bookcase that is in climbing to assist in the mission. some disorder, and the corpse of male drow Khinzeth Navoril. Dalria Markenath Lighting. The area is brightly lit from several The gnome servant of Lord Toroth, Dalria is very candles in the room. shaken up when the characters meet her and will Other Features. The drow’s body can be only talk to the characters if they can succeed a DC examined. A successful DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) 11 Charisma (Persuasion) check. check indicates two things: the rapier wounds had Objectives/Goals. Dalria is very distraught and been made post mortem and small dagger wounds only really wants to go home but Uskworth won’t let under the arms were the cause of death. her until she has answered his questions, which she If the characters try to search the room and succeed won’t do as he is being very rude about it. a DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check, they find What Does She Know? Dalria remembers seeing a crossbow bolt underneath the bookcase. A tiny people who move very quickly bursting through successful DC 12 Intelligence (History) check reveals the window. One shot her with some sort of dart and that this is a drow weapon judging by the design. she fell unconscious. She no longer has the dart, it was collected before she woke up. Lord Henry Uskworth Lord Detective Henry Uskworth is a tall, gaunt Treasure & Rewards member of the Red Plumes. He prides himself with • Magic Items. Spider silk rope (rope of climbing). analytical thinking, which he has little ability to put on hold. While many would feel overwhelmed and The drow’s rope of climbing is offered to the players used in such a position, Lord Uskworth finds great to use during the investigation. This is unlocked for satisfaction finding the answer to other people's the players at the end of the adventure if they are mysteries. successful in both main objectives. Objectives/Goals. Uskworth’s friend has been murdered and the city guard have been doing a poor Call to Action job of investigating it. He wants to not only bring the The objective is to locate the drow cabal that is perpetratorsSample to justice but also create a teachable attacking surface dwelling drowfile and stop their moment for his Red Plume subordinates. activities.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. CCC-QCC2019-01 Hillsfar’s Rancid Webs (v.1.2) 5