Sample file Introduction

Theon ce-mighty kingdom ofVesuand short of paying homage. The young tions have been often ignored. Funher· is n grave danger: Divisiveness within Prince hadthe pedigree, butwi thout the mo.re, all attempts to recover the Sarona the realm is approaching anarchy. Fur­ CroWtl of t.h Sun, he lacked the majesty have failed-a situation which of itselfhas m therore , ever-hostile fac tions from the to rule . Withm a fow momhs of Mara­ diminished the council's esteem. Eth •ngar Khanate posea serious threat . met's disappearance the superstructure At theour.set of this adventurethe C:Ollll· For many years the fierce people of the of the realm be gan to crumble and the cilonly hasnominal control over the sour.h­ steppes have looked with envy upon lhe seeds of anarchv were own. em ponion of lhe realm,du e largely to Lhe prosperous coasral realm to the cast. In Although No�'ikfa the capitalo fVesc­ support of the Duke of Rhoona and the l thi,g perilous hour Vc stland lacks thal land, the kings of the realm have aways amenable dispositions of lhe J arls of So­ which it needs most. strong and legiti­ had a sp cial affrn ity with the hamlet of derfjord. Elsewhere lhe voice of the council mate leadership. Ruthin. For centuries the High Kings is weak or else completely ignored. At tha rune, the northern and western have been crowned here under theaus pi­ portionsof the countryare most ttou bled ces of the Cieri� of Rulhin. A small but Background Intrigue in the absenc of an effective, ce ntral au­ prestigious order, the Ruthinians have thomv. Raidsalong me border with th always supported the high kingship, es­ Without doubt the beBt kept secret in Khanate are commonplace as the pecially in limes of succession. the realm ii;th e fact that a direct heir to Ethtmgarians test the weakening menle Following Maramet'li demise thesecler­ I.he throne: yet. lives. 1wcnty years before of .he Vestlandian folk. And within I.he ics, under the direction of theirpatriarch, King Ma:ramcl's disappearance , the realm itsclf, pettywar lords are engaged Annat:ks, soughtin vain to t abilizeth e po­ Queen of Ve sdand gave birth m rwi:il in the most uncivil pracrices: e.xacung lirical climare in the realm.As stalwan sup · boys. The elder. and senior by a matter unla\'nul [01)5 on toads and waterways; poners of law and order, the Ruthlnians of minutes, wa Thendel. The other extortion ; mugglin g and otheract ivities had to accede to the traditions and thus babl! was named Tenltar. Only one mid­ in defiance oi the law of the land. they could no press for Tuendd's en..­ wife was witness to the event and tragi­

Desptte the best intentions of many thronemem. lrutead, rhey proposed that cally theQu een died shortly tben:afte.r. e nobles. Vest.land has been besetwith in­ the Prince should become Regent until In theuon ost ecrcy i.he king and An­ ternalstri fe forove r five years, ever since uch time as the Somna could bf' recov­ nacks held a sad counsel with one an­ the disappearance of the last High King, ered. Fu rther, Annacks suggested chat an other ]ate into the night. The Rutbinian Maramel . This fierce but noble monarch expedition be orgaruzed for Lhc purpose of Patriarchhad the .heavy burden of point­ apparently perished in a campaign reclaiming the lost crown and the pre­ ing out the inherent danger of there be­ against barbarianson th border withthe sumed body of the missing king. ing rwin heirs to the throne. Even in his Hc.ldann Freeholds. At the time only a Much agamst Annacks' bener judg­ shattered stat of mind th • grief-stricken handful of Maramet soldiers return d ment, yoW1g Toendel ins.isted uponleading monarch could see the problem; wb.en it de�ite the overall success of the sortie. ihis excursion to the northc:m rronrier. Alas, came time, which of these boys would 'eltlan dian losses were grave , and worst within a fortnight of Lhisleave- takir1g1 the rule? How could one of the Princes defer of all,the king simply vanished. Prince s bodywas borne back to Ruthin. to the other? Il was plain enoQgh that Maramechad an heir in the person of ThendelSample's pany had file been ambushed by civil war, and quite probably a sundered his son, Thendel, but the continuity of Ethengar:i.ans on the northwest :frmu:ier. kingdom, lay in the future. a th · lineage was clisrup ed by the loss of Aft.er Thendcl's deth, Annacks and So it was thatthe king andhis advisor the orona, the greatly revered mystical at.her dignitaries �tablished a Council of decided that one of the boy should be crown of the High King. It was widely Regents in orrvtlc . Only those well­ taken away in secrecy and givenas an or­ known - even by the lowliest peasants disposed to the high kingshipelected were phan to a worthy guardian: As the - th.al tht: High King always wore the lO this body, fortheir mandate wa.s to gov· youngest Tenitarwas thus taken by An­ great cu·clct. for not only was the Sorona em until such time as the monarchy could nacks and given into the care of the at­ a symbol of Lhe king'i;power . it was also be restored. Under Annacks' in.Ouence it tending midwife. This trusted servant an ndorsement of his right to wield it . was agreed that the council would labor was furn isbedwi th money forhe rself and Th lore of Vestland held that only one also for the Sorona's return.Officially , the the babe, and further directed to find a worth� of hlgh kingsrup could wear the regents held that if the crown could be re­ suitable home for the child. It was also crown. Without thi el{- e\'ident symbol stored , then a man worthy of kingship decided that. 1v[ aramet and Annacks of righ teousness Maramet's son found would come forth lo wearit. would001 kno11vof the child's fate, forthe himself berefL of legitimacy. Now afterfive ye ars,thc power and au­ temptation to seek him out would be too Although many nobles, such as Duke tb.ority of the Council has dwindled. 1n great. If the need arose to find the babe, tephcn of Rhoonp.( s e theD&D ® mod­ some cases the regents have simply been they would trust to the powers of the ul , X3 Thr Cum efXanallum ), acknowl­ unable to discharge the duties of royalty. In Sarona. Thus young Tenitar, Prince of edged Thcndel's claim , olhcrs .stopped =es of feudal succession their prodarna- Ve stland, was taken into the nighl.

.2 Introduction

After some dcliberacion and searching, troop, for only the barbarian chieI and realm . More importantly, however, the !K!IVant woman offered the infant w one other remained . Vana Cullen deems it his destiny to rnle. s Kadw.., who was thenKee per of theStones At lat th High King ofVestland caught Accordingly, in the Last five years the of Sky, a sacred placeof st.anding stones in up with the enemy chieftain at a mountain· Duke of Esti.ne has consislentl under­ the north of Vc stlaru:L Ka.den, who even side track known by the local tribesmen as mined the. effo ns or those who seek the thenwas well pastthe prime lifeof , took on Knife's Ridge, on die eastern peak of a vol­ Sarona. In point of fact, it was Cullen's the custodianship of the anonymous or­ canic formation known as the Red Fangs. men , in the guise Etbof engarian tribes­ phan , for he aw a chanceraise to and train WU:h their respective retainersslain, the men, wh_o attacked Prince Thend I s an apprentice, someone co take over r.b.e king and the barbarian engagedin mortal party as it rode our in search of lung and stewardship of the shrine. combat.. The .fiercechieftain received a kill· crown . This chaotic dulce is directly re­ ow, 25 years larer, Tc niou- is the sole ing wound in.themclec, the for king- wasal­ sponsible for the Prince's death ! keeper of the stones. He is known as Gre­ most invincible with the Sorona about his Furthermore, Cullen has made pre­ gorian, and sometimes as Gregor. Igno­ b.ead . Witha last desperatelunge, however, liminary overtures to emissaries of the rant of hi true origins, Gregorian is a the barbarian gra_p pied with tb.e King and Et.hengar Kha:nate. He intends lo offer simple rustic, a fell ow with no more polish together they plunged from the ridge , fall­ the enemy a land corridor through Ves­ h than a caretaker or a marsh ward.en. With ing hundredsof feet intoa narrow ice flow. tland to thesea so that te people of the a matted hai r, a long beard,.and the shabby With no living thing the wiser, bow men steppes may at last take advantge of a n robe · of a pilgrim,he is the most unlikely­ were .instatl.y entombed. in me glacier and lucrative sea trade, free of Ve stlandian looking ca.nclidale forkingship that one sotoO, was theSaro na.The High Kin g and tariffs and meddling. ln exchange for couJd imagin.e'. Deepwithin, though,Gre­ his mystical crown were never seen again. chis promise he expects the tribal people gorian has a noble spiritwaitin g to emerge. Maramet's body, frozen and pre­ to help him win the throne of the re alm Annacks harbors the knowledge that served in death, was conducted through by making war on the southern prov· Teni ,ar (Gregorian) is yet alive, or most the flowof slowly moving ice. And so it inces or the country. likelv so, somewhere in the realm . Anhis wouldhave remained had not an unusu­ In his twisted reckoning, the Duke be­ time the aging patriarch is pinning his ally bot and early springco me. Through lieves that the Etbe:ngarians will accep1 i hopes on fin.ding both the l'Ims.ing heir the bot summer theglacior began to melt lhis proposition because it will gve them h and the Sorona. Tus far, the old man andat last the king's body wascarried off access to the seawithout having to oc­ has riot revealed the existence of the heir in a cold stream that issued from the cupy and govern a new territory. True to to any of the soldiers and adventurers melting ice. The remains were con­ form , though , Cullen secretly plans 10 who have sought in vain for the stlo ducted north for miles, almost to the drive the foreigners back to tl1 plains crov,,i [n chi dark hour, how ver, r.he land-lockedlake or Erid, about 100 miles once he is High King. patriarch l! ready to ma.kc thiscliscl o.sure from the Vestlandbor der. Herc the body Van a Cullen's powers are fornndable, to rhe truec hampions of Ve stland. of thekin g was found by tht:chao tic bar­ largely because he has a numb r of barian priests of Erid hie . agents in key positions throughout the Th Deathof King Maramet The fuidiansSample we.re kee pfileers of t.bc is­ realm. One ofthese is a cleric of RutJun , land shrine to their god, Gylgarid, an en· a fe llow who has kept him appraised of At the time of his demise,King Mara· tity worshiped by many northern development:. in Norrvik. This deviou s met was leading a force of outriders tribesmen. Thedark clerics took up the cleric has secretly monitored Annack:s in again barbarian basedin t.he Hddann body of Maramet, deeming it a gristly his sleep. Alas, the old man has spoken Freeholds. The king engaged the enemy gift from their god. They enshrined it, aloud in hls dreams and t.he Duke now at the �rder and met with some initial crown and all,widiin I.he vaulted depths has reason to believe that a true heir succc s. 0 match for the horsemen or of theircastle on the island. It is here that (Tenltar) exists. Through chis agent, the the King's troop, the barbarians mok l the dead king and the lost Sorona yet lie. Duke of Es tine will also leacn of the par­ flight, ridin g northwest back to the hily cy 's mission to recover the Soronajust as country of the Freeholds. Maramet and The Enemy Within t.he adventurebegin s. his men rod� after them in hot pursuit. Another diabolicalminion of the Duke A t.he Ve stlandians rode on into the In addition to the threat from the is the chaotic wizardress, AJa the high country they began to lose the ad· Ethengar K.hanatc, Vesdand's lawful Seawitch. From her hidden roc.k island van ge over their prey. Tw ice chc bar· factions face a dark and sinister power in tower nfJ' thewest coast of Ostland, this barians ambushed the pursuers and the person of Van a Cullen, the Duke of magic-user has an swered Cullen 's sum· twice the outriders slew their attackers Estine, Vestland's northernmost princi­ moos. At the outset, the Duke has com· despite alarming casualtie . At length, pality, Thisman is the cousin of thedead missioned Ala to find the heir lhrough

Maramet and two of his house.hold king and , by blood at least, a potential the use of her extraordinary powers. fn guards rode on ahead oI the remaining candidate for the vacant throne of the due course the Seawitch will succeed and

3 Sample file Chanter One-A KINGDOM FOR A CROWN

Encounter Setting sleeves and girds his habit as he gets 10. Devlin’s Hut down to work. The monastic community of Ruthin is This is the abode of the monastery’s a full day’s ride from Norrvik. Although 5* Dormitory estate manager, the monk Devlin. tiriny for horse and rider, this sojourn Devlin serves in a number of roles: An- will be uneventful in this relatively This facility houses up to 18 monks nacks’s assistant, manager of Ruthin’s peaceful part of Vestland. and novices. Each bed has an adjoining day-to-day operations, and the collector footlocker with sundry personal items. for the monastery. The hut is sparsely Ruthin Monasterv, Each locker holds 1-20 cp and 1-6 sp. furnished with a small bed, a desk, and a cabinet containing the monk’s attire. At Apart from receiving their commis- the base of the cabinet a small chest holds sion, the PCs will have two opportunities 6. Kitchen 27 gp, 48 sp and 91 cp. However, below for intrigue at Ruthin. Two of Duke During the day this scullery is alive the chest there is a loose floorboard at the Vana Cullen’s agents are in this en- with activity as ld4 + 2 monks busily pre- base of the wall cabinet. In this secret counter, and even at this early stage the pare the meals at the monastery. ‘Two place there is another locked chest with adventurers have a chance to implicate large ovens and larders dominate the 987 gp, 679, pp, and 3,001 sp. In addi- the chaotic Duke in the realm’s internal chamber. tion, there is a rolled parchment that strife reads as follows: At the outset, the DM should steer 7. Mess Hall play toward the meeting with Annacks in Encounter 8. Thereafter the PCs may This hall will be full of brothers be- My Dear Devlin, explore the monastery at their will or in tween the hours of 6-6:30 a.m. and 7- I am delighted with our arrange- keeping with the obstacles therein. 7:45 p.m. (The Ruthinians take only two ment and I have sent a tidy sum of Although there are a number of scat- meals a day.) Two long tables dominate gold to demonstrate my satisfaction. I tered farms in the immediate area, the the chamber and a smaller head table ac- expect regular reports on Annacks’s community of Ruthin is dominated by commodates Annacks and his senior activities and those of the Royal the rnonastery itself. All surrounding monks. Council. You will continue to deal lands are held by the Ruthinian order with the wine merchant on a fort- and the local peasants are tenant 8. Annacks’s Office nightly basis. Keep up the good work farmus, supporting the monks with their and destroy this letter. The patriarch’s office is dominated by V.C. tithes and scutage. a large desk against the west wall. The drawers and cabinets adjoining contain a The author of the note is Vana Cullen, Encounter Key number of parchments, papers, and the Duke of Estine. For the last few years 1. Open Livestock Enclosure scrolls. Most of this literature consists of Devlin has been acting as the Duke’s the monastery’s records. The east wall is agent at Ruthin, keeping Cullen in- Chickens, tethered goats, and other covered by a massive wall unit packed formed of Vestlandian affairs at the high- animals are kept here. Sample file with books and scrolls. est level. As a trusted aide to the patriarch, Devlin has been in an ideal 2. Winery 9. Annacks’s Bedroom position to report on the Council. During daylight hours there will be Despite his high station, the patriarch Devlin’s treasure-a grotesque sum for ld4 + 1 monks here, busily crushing lives in austere conditions. A small bed, an austere monk-has been accumulated grapes and seeing to the delicate process a writing desk, and a wall cabinet are the by embezzling monastery funds and re- of wine production. only furnishings in the chamber. Beside ceiving covert payments from Cullen. the desk is a chest containing 1,078 gp, The wine merchant mentioned in the 3. Brewery 2,776 sp and 679 cp. Every piece of this letter is also one of the Duke’s minions. This fellow has a regular route from (See above) money is accounted for in an accurate ledger outlining the contents of the mon- Seaforth Tower to Ruthin via the Danc- astery’s financial records. The chest also ing Damsel Inn. In this role the mer- 4. Smithy holds the patriarch’s personal papers ,and chant is an ideal messengedagent. The DM will note that Devlin has not During the day the Ruthinian black- seal of office (both as Patriarch of Ruthin destroyed the letter, as instructed. The smith will be tending his forges and ham- and Head of the Royal Council). wily monk has elected to keep the docu- mering away at metal goods and tools. ment as insurance against the day when a This fellow is a monk who rolls up his falling out with the Duke would leave

5 Sample file