rumors that its citizenry is in open rebellion, and hunters to your whereabouts. Now desperate, Bloodsand Arena its sorcerer-king, Kalak, is dead. you’ve accepted work with an trader name Kaldras. He needed a few able-bodied workers You have joined an elven caravan heading Revision by Baz Stevens from an original to guard his caravan and care for his beasts as southeast. You notice the elves have a few adventure by Chris Tulach. Original version to they journey to Tyr. Once there, Kaldras plans workers along and ask the caravan master, be found at the website to reunite with the rest of his tribe, unload his Kaldras, if he could use a few more hands. He cargo, and pay you 50 gp in ceramic. By posing hires you to guard the caravan and care for his Level 6 as respectable hired hands, you hope to evade beasts. Once in Tyr, you can collect your 50 gp your pursuers and find a new, less colourful in ceramic apiece and either purchase supplies Wilderness backgrounds path when you reach Tyr. there or head to Grak’s Pool, a nearby oasis, to obtain water. Highsun, the hottest month of the year, is brutal The Road to Tyr on everyone, including your band of outcast Urban backgrounds (Poster map) refugees living in the foothills of the Ringing Mountains north of the city-state of Tyr. When  Crimson sun, olive sky your gang moved to its current camp during the Tyr is a city-state in chaos, and paradigms across  Two moons Athas are snapping. Kalak, one of the nearly cooler months, game was plentiful enough, and  Plummeting heat omnipotent sorcerer-kings, is dead. A band of the spirits of the land answered your calls with  Cries and moans of the wounded rebels, now known as the Deposers of Kalak, occasional finds of water buried beneath the  Creak of wagon and kank cracked stones and within cacti near your laid low the centuries-old tyrant. In the wake of hideout. Now, the oppressive heat has taken a the great arcanists’ downfall, the city’s It’s twilight in the desert outside Tyr. One hour toll on your group of escaped slaves, former oppressive order has crumbled. Factions ago, the party battled desert raiders. Though convicts, and displaced tribal folk. Your band’s struggle for power, snatching at scraps of successful, the caravan took heavy casualties. small stores of water are running dangerously influence and wealth as templars, Kalak’s Each pc is given a scene to rp, then ends each low, and the cacti have long since been agents, struggle to reassert civic authority. with “...during the battle”. Then we flashback to desiccated. Your hunters must travel farther to Howls of anarchy mix with the joyous whoops the combat find prey, and they return with less to eat. The of freed slaves in a cacophony that has yet to camp turns to you, its trusted leader and quiet since the world turned on its head. You #1 thought the bedlam Kalak’s death created fighters, to bring back sustenance before more A weather beaten elf with skin as dark as the would afford you a measure of protection from of your outcast kin die in the rocky badland leather he wears hands you a stone cup with your current troubles. So confident were you hideaway. You gather up your meager some brackish warm water in it. possessions and set out for Tyr, where you hope that you opted to throw the dice in a couple to find a way to earn some coin or barter for questionable financial opportunities. Apparently “You fought well stranger. Where did you learn supplies. Just outside the city-state, you hear those who lost while you gained alerted bounty to wield arms?” The raider is bleeding out. He pushes his bone Encounter level 5 sword across the sand towards you.  Kaldras, Elf Raid Leader, level 6 #2 artillery, leader (250 xp) “Don’t leave me to the Bazraags, finish me now.  Eladrin Veiled Warrior, level 5 soldier You are on your knees, cradling the head of a elf If you have the guts.” not yet out of boyhood. He will die soon from (200 xp) bloodloss. Encounter level 6  Jossi, level 4 skirmisher (175 xp)  Zeburon, custom level 7 soldier elite  2 Elf Dune Striders, level 4 skirmishers “Thank you for your kindness stranger. Do you (600 xp) (350 xp) have a family that will mourn your passing into  War Crodlu, level 5 brute (200 xp)  Kank Soldier, level 4 soldier (175 xp) the Gray?”  Anakore Hunter, level 5 lurker (200 xp)  4 Aarakocra Warrior, level 6 skirmisher minions (252 xp) When Kaldras is bloodied, Tellemon and two #3 dozen guards arrive to break it up.

Kaldras the caravan master walks over to you The Elf Market “Hold! Stay your weapons! By the authority of with a severe look on his elven face. Arrival in Tyr (poster map) Arisphistaneles, I order you to cease your violence!” “The raiders have killed my kin, and worse,  Hustle and bustle destroyed some of my precious cargo. I expect  Horns, chanting Mercenary guards armed with razor-sharp you to remedy both those unfortunate  Sweat and dust obsidian spears pour from every nearby situations. Can you prove your worth?”  Furtive, paranoid, desperate looks passage. The elves’ eyes flick warily in your direction as they wait to see how you’ll react to  Traders in skins, stone and wood the captain’s order. (market map) #4  Carapace armour  The kanks are still skittish. Their handler, an elf Moonrunner tribe  Manacles with no name that you remember, tries to calm  Unhitch the wagons  Mercenary swagger them  Goes to fetch wages  Mul, dwarf and human. One half-giant.

“These beasts look dumb, but they’re anything Insight DC Moderate The elves are fingering A battle-scarred human male in a polished but. They sense power in you. Are they right?” weapons rather than lending a hand unpacking carapace breastplate strides toward you. The the cargo. sun reflects brilliantly off his bared steel short sword. Everyone’s eyes are drawn to the precious metal. #5 “I am Tellemon, captain of the guard of this Into the Arena The fighting field is elaborately decorated. More quarter. You have violated the peace, and I than a half dozen large pillars sheathed in demand to know why.” serrated obsidian dot the field’s dunes. Each 20-  Searing sun and heat foot-tall column is topped with a flat, dull Encounter level 5  Unruly crowd surface. Massive spiderwebs stretch vertically Skill challenge: complexity: 1 (requires 4  Palanquins, nobles, fans, slave girls between some of the pillars, partially obscuring successes before 3 failures). your view. You are locked, weaponless, inside a seldom-  Diplomacy DC moderate (15) used section of the arena barracks. You are The master of games sounds the gong, and the  Bluff DC moderate (15) given time for a short rest before being well fed crowd cheers as the gate cranks open. Several  Intimidate DC moderate (15) and watered. As you are escorted through the hunched, gaunt humanoids clad in mismatched  History DC moderate (15) tunnel to the arena, you hear the crowd armour and carrying bone spears and obsidian- churning above you. tipped javelins stride from the darkness. You instantly recognize your foes: Gith, psionically Resounding success (no failures): The captain Encounter level 5 gifted, merciless hunters. banishes the tribe from Tyr for one year and  Gith Hobbler, level 4 artillery(175 xp) orders the elves to pay the adventurers 200 gp  2 Gith Spearheads, level 5 brutes (400 Perception DC hard (23) You notice a sand dune in ceramic coins and a Jolting Guard Weapon xp shifting of its own accord. from Kaldras’s personal stores.  4 Gith Savages, level 4 skirmisher Pillars: These circular pillars are sheathed in Basic success: Tellemon believes the minions (176 xp) serrated obsidian. A creature forced into a pillar adventurer. But he also sees an opportunity to  2 Crystal Spiders, level 4 lurkers (350 does not move into the square; instead, it takes give Kaldras a public comeuppance. He orders xp) 1d8 damage. The 20-foot-tall pillars are blocking that the dispute to be settled in Bloodsand terrain. The top of each is flat and smooth. Late afternoon offers no respite from the Arena, where he suspects the adventurers will blistering heat that clings to the air, and the Spiderwebs: Webbed squares are difficult thump the elves. stench of the day’s previous arena battles fills terrain and lightly obscured. A creature that Failure: Tellemon decides that despite the elves your nostrils. enters a webbed square must make an being consummate liars, he sees no reason to Acrobatics or Athletics check, or it is You are charged with subduing your opponents. trust outsiders. The elves have brought good immobilized Escape DC moderate (15). You are not required to kill them today; coin to Tyr, even if their methods are a bit however, doing so won’t lose you any points. Crowd: Tired from a long day at the arena, the underhanded. The captain detains the You don’t know what types of savage creatures crowd gets fired up for spectacular displays of adventurers and sentences them to a fight in will emerge from the gate at the far end of the violence only. Whenever a creature scores a Bloodsand Arena. arena. critical hit, onlookers shout their glee, bolstering the attacker and granting it 5 hire you as outside agents to investigate the Arena Investigation temporary hit points. bold slaying.”  Fly blown body  Detritus Conclusion: After the combatants exit the Selonius hands you the sealed scroll. arena, the arena master congratulates the Encounter level 5 victors. The pcs are paid their choice of 50 gp in The scroll is a writ authorizing the adventurers Skill challenge: complexity: 3 (requires 8 ceramic or a fruit of healing to question the citizenry and capture the criminal, who is to be brought to successes before 3 failures). Arisphistaneles’s estate for questioning. The Investigating the Body: Murder in the terraces adventurers are promised 50 gp in ceramic apiece for completing the task.  Heal DC moderate (15)  Nature DC moderate (15) If the characters accept, Selonius tells them the The crowd’s shrieks of pleasure devolve into  Perception DC moderate (15) fright as Tellemon’s body falls and his blood guards have left the body as it fell and details drips on the spectators in the stands below. what little he knows about the victim. Characters can use any of these skills to discover the first three successes, but only a  The murdered mercenary captain is The guards clear the stands, whipping at slaves successful Nature check reveals the fourth. and intimidating free folk. The gladiator named Tellemon. He oversaw patrols in handlers swoop the adventurers into the tunnel the merchant quarter. First Success: The character sees a slender, entrance that leads between the staging area  Tellemon was an efficient and effective deep stabbing wound that entered Tellemon’s and the arena barracks. The characters are leader. He had a fondness for sending left kidney. asked to stay put until the guards restore peace disputes to the arena for resolution. Second Success: The adventurer realizes this in the arena. Believing Tellemon’s reputation for doing so encouraged peaceful behavior, type of wound shouldn’t have killed Tellemon An hour later, a robed half-elf appears with a especially in the shady Elven Market, so quickly. scroll tucked under one arm. Arisphistaneles afforded Tellemon this Third Success: The character finds green, paste “Gladiators, I am Selonius. My master, Governor indulgence. like residue in the stab wound. Arisphistaneles, extends his thanks for your  Tellemon’s family lives in Tyr. His father Fourth Success (Nature only): The adventurer patience. He came to the games today is a prominent dune trader affiliated knows the paste is a virulent poison made from specifically to watch you, intrigued by rumours with House Vordon, the primary iron cacti native to the area, and making it requires of your unconventional approach. trading merchant house in the region.  The guards have detained a few arcane magic. “The governor grieves the murder of one of his witnesses who were sitting near Interviewing the Witnesses: top captains, and worries that an insider might Tellemon when he was murdered. be involved. He has authorized me to quietly  Diplomacy DC moderate (15)  Intimidate DC moderate (15)  Streetwise DC moderate (15) quarter, but the characters’ inquiries have beggar asked several questions about Tellemon caught the Veiled Alliance’s attention. and his cohort this morning. This skill can be Characters can use any of these skills when used to gain a maximum of 1 success in this questioning bystanders. challenge. The Mercenary Quater First Success: The character learns that a  Street vendors Intimidate DC moderate (15): An adventurer towering male at least 6 ½ feet tall and wrapped  Rough drink and smoke frightens information from one of Tellemon’s in a white tunic approached Tellemon. The  Gang culture guards, who was also a close friend. He captain cried out, and there was a clattering  Weights and gambling discloses that the captain received missives sound moments before his body hit the ground. from Tyr every few weeks and was unwilling to Second Success: A bystander tells the Your inquiries have led you to the quarter of divulge their contents. This skill can be used to adventurer that the murderer fled the scene town, where the mercenaries who guard Tyr gain a maximum of 1 success in this challenge. live. Off-duty guards drink, play games of wearing sandals common to gladiators. Perception DC moderate (15): A character sees chance, and participate in contests of a dishevelled dwarf muttering to himself and Finding the Weapon: athleticism as the day begins to cool into the heading toward the outskirts of the mercenary evening.  Arcana DC hard (23) quarter. This skill can be used to gain a  Perception DC hard (23) Special: If the characters failed in the previous maximum of 1 success in this challenge. skill challenge, Birk’s allies assault them during First Success (Perception only): The character Stealth DC moderate (15), after successful their investigation. finds a bloody dagger under a seat near the Perception check): A character follows the body. Its hilt is wrapped in a fine tan cloth that Encounter level 3 dwarf to a gladiator training hall near the is covered in strange glyphs.  Wilder, level 3 artillery (150 barracks and watches him enter. This skill can xp) be used to gain a maximum of 1 success in this Second Success (Arcana only): The adventurer  3 Human Wasteland Raiders, level 2 challenge. realizes these quickly fading symbols mean an soldiers (375 xp) arcane charm was placed on the cloth and has Streetwise DC hard (23): Through bribery and  been used. 2 Dwarf Conscripts, level 2 brutes (250 eavesdropping, a character learns that a crazed xp) dwarf beggar known as Birk Suntouched has Success: The characters discover the murderer been seen entering one of the gladiator training Encounter level 5 fled toward the mercenary’s quarter, and they halls on the outskirts of the barracks. Two Skill challenge: complexity: 3 (requires 8 learn the information without raising any successes on this skill guide the group to the successes before 3 failures). suspicion. exact building. Diplomacy DC moderate (15): A character asks Failure: A spectator reluctantly volunteers that Athletics DC moderate (15) a couple guards if they’ve seen anything the murderer fled toward the mercenary’s Bluff DC moderate (15) unusual today. One of the guards says a dwarf Endurance DC moderate (15) A character participates in a game—perhaps both he and the governor are Veiled Alliance The full story drinking, gambling, or a physical contest—and members and asks to be taken to Arisphistaneles, governor of Tyr, is the covert earns the respect of the guards. The adventurer Arisphistaneles’s estate to verify his story. leader of the local Veiled Alliance cell. The gains a +2 bonus to his or her next primary skill organization of arcanists is dedicated to Failure means fighting the gladiator to the check. preservation magic and thwarting defilers. Even death. though Arisphistaneles cringes from memories Success: The characters enter the gladiator of certain intrigues, he’s been able to justify training hall in time to overhear Birk Encounter level 6 most of his actions as serving a higher ideal. Suntouched ask the gladiator why he dropped  Tembo the assassin level 6 solo (reskinned Tembo), (1250 xp) the knife and fled from the stadium. The Veiled Alliance isn’t the only organization with covert operations in Tyr. Members of the Failure: The characters enter the gladiator and possibly... True cabal are devout followers of Sorcerer-King training hall and find the gladiator assassin, but  Birk Suntouched, Dwarf Sunpriest, Kalak of Tyr, who was recently overthrown and Birk Suntouched is nowhere to be found. level 5 artillery, leader (200 xp) slain. They hold out hope that Kalak survived the attack. Barring that, they plan to put an heir Confronting the killer on his throne. Several True members, under Conclusion deep cover, have won positions of influence in The governor, glad to find out about the True Tyr. Dozens more have secured powerful posts In the training hall, empty slave pens line one organization’s plot, pays the adventurers and throughout the Tyr Region. end of the room, and a stone table obviously awards them with his personal sanction, which used for discipline and torture sits in a corner. A comes with free lodging and sustenance In the aftermath of the Tyrian rebellion, most weapons rack, combat circle, training dummies, whenever they’re in Tyr. The gladiator is stories credited the rebels with killing the and a beast pit fill the rest of the hall. exonerated for killing Tellemon to protect the sorcerer-king, but a few rumours fingered the governor. Lastly, the governor offers the Veiled Alliance as well, saying it turned the If the party succeeded on the previous characters a chance to undergo the initiation wheels that set the plan in motion. Enraged, challenge, they find Birk here. He can be tests to join the governor’s cell of the Veiled True followers seek revenge on the Veiled negotiated with. Alliance. Alliance.

If the characters question Birk, he comes clean. If the characters apprehend the gladiator only, Across the region, hidden agents are receiving The dwarf tells the adventurers he hired the Arisphistaneles pays them. They do not, word to strike at known or suspected Veiled gladiator to kill Tellemon because the captain of however, gain his personal sanction, nor are Alliance members. Tellemon, one of the the guard was spearheading a True plot to they offered initiation into the governor’s mercenary captains hired to guard the assassinate Arisphistaneles. If the characters Veiled Alliance cell. They are released into yr as prominent merchant houses’ concerns in Tyr, is show Birk the governor-signed writ or make a freemen. The governor later hears the whole a True member. He’s suspected Arisphistaneles Diplomacy DC hard check, Birk tells them that story from Birk. of being a Veiled Alliance sympathizer for months. Fruit of Healing Level 5 Common Until a few days ago, Tellemon was content to quietly watch while enjoying gainful This simple magic draws on the body’s natural employment in the city. However, his Tyrian healing ability to cure your wounds. contact’s latest letter revealed that Price: 50 gp Arisphistaneles isn’t just an Alliance agent; he Power (Consumable * Healing): Minor Action. heads the Tyr cell. So Tellemon began hatching Eat this fruit and spend a healing surge. Instead a plan to kill the governor. of the hit points you would normally regain, you regain 10 hit points. But skullduggery roosts in the Alliance’s ranks, too. When Veiled Alliance agent Birk Suntouched uncovered the guard captain’s plan only hours before its slated execution, he decided to strike first and didn’t risk the time it would take to inform Arisphistaneles. Knowing Tellemon would be at Bloodsand Arena for the day’s games, Birk hired an assassin to kill the captain while the games held his attention.

Appendix Jolting Guard Weapon Level 8 Uncommon

You deflect the enemy’s attack with a deft parry so forceful that it numbs the foe.

Price: 3,400 gp Weapon: Any melee Enhancement: +2 attack rolls and damage rolls Critical: +2d8 damage Power (Encounter): Opportunity Action. Trigger: An enemy misses you with a melee attack. Effect: The triggering enemy is weakened until the end of its next turn.