CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions Individuals in Hulburg enlist your aid to combat an ambitious threat to Waterdeep. You are needed to infiltrate Fangjaws Hold and bring the threat’s mastermind to justice. A Two to Four-Hour Adventure for Tier 2 Characters. Optimized for APL 8 Credits Designer: Greg Marks D&D Adventurers League Administrators: Amy Dzura, Editing: Toni Winslow-Brill Alan Patrick, Travis Woodall, Claire Hoffman, Greg D&D Adventurers League Guildmaster: Chris Lindsay Marks, Ma’at Crook, LaTia Bryant Art: Joe Abboreno, Matt Cavotta, Chippy, Dyson Logos, Playtesters: Gary Affeldt, Richard Brown, David Krolnik, Vinod Rams, Wayne Reynolds, Ben Siekert, Francis Sean Mittelstaedt, Ben Siekert Tsai, Sam Wood Art Director & Graphic Design: Joe Abboreno D&D Adventurers League Wizards Team: Adam Lee, Chris Lindsay, Mike Mearls, Matt Sernett DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, 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 ofSample Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property offile 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. ©2018 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, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. 1 CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions (v.1.0) • Bonus Objective A: Battlefield Intelligence. While in Adventure Primer the Skullsmashers’ lair, the characters need to figure out the names of Tor’vlexis’ operatives already in Waterdeep “The darkness always lies.” in order to prevent them from carrying out their mission even after the beholder has passed. This bonus objective - Anthony Liccione is found in Appendix 4. • Bonus Objective B: The Enemy of My Enemy Is Background My Enemy? While in the Skullsmashers’ tunnels, the followers of Shargaas offer the characters’ the truth TOR’VLEXIS the beholder has created a thieves’ guild in of who Da’vok really is. All the characters need to do Hulburg with the intention of gathering enough resources is assassinate the tribes’ high priest of Gruumsh. This to overthrow his hated rival: . Tor’vlexis XANATHAR bonus objective is found in Appendix 5. thought the Moonsea was far enough away from the City of Splendors that he could marshal his forces without his enemy noticing him but unfortunately for him, Xanathar is Episode Sequence not new to the game. Depending on your time constraints, play style and Xanathar’s operative, DA’VOK TORIN, has been sent environment, this adventure takes approximately two-to- by the canny crime lord to stop his foe and what better four hours to play. plan is there than to use adventurers. They love to get involved in all sorts of murder for “justice.” Da’vok has How Will You Play? previously pointed the characters at the Hulburg thieves’ The duration of your session depends on how much of guild and later, Tor’vlexis’ hideaway Sulasspryn. Now all this adventure you utilize. At the very least, your session that remains is to send them against the beholder and his will last approximately 2 hours. However, if you wish, orc allies among the Skullsmasher tribe. She encourages you can provide a longer experience for your players by them to eliminate the beholder once and for all. utilizing the bonus objectives. Story Objectives Only. To complete the both of the Episodes adventure’s story objectives, the characters play Episodes 1 through 3 in order. The adventure’s story is spread over three story episodes that take approximately 2 hours to play. These episodes Bonus Objectives. You can extend this adventure by are introduced by a Call to Action Episode. The adventure one- or two- hours by utilizing the bonus objectives also includes two 1-hour bonus episodes that can be provided in the appendices. These objectives branch off played if time permits, that are introduced anywhere in Episode 3, but their order is fluid—they set the scene for the adventure. the final episode and may even have an impact on the events that transpire. If you’re planning to play the entire adventure at once, you only need to introduce the Call to Action once. However, if you plan to play them over several sessions, you’ll want to revisit the Call to Action each time you play. • Episode 1: After Hours. While on the Hulburg docks, the characters notice that they are being watched. The suspicious character flees into a nearby ship. Onboard Da’vok is waiting for them in an out of the way place for a meeting where she plans to enlist them once again. This is the Call to Action. What Was to Be and What Is • Episode 2: On the Road. The characters pursue This adventure was originally slated to be CCC- Tor’vlexis into Thar in search of the reclusive ALMOTGC-31 SKULL02-07 and debut at MyCon19 Skullsmasher tribe. The quicker they find the orcs, as the third part of a trilogy. Unfortunately, that never the less likely the beholder is to know they are coming happened and parts 1 and 2 where the characters and begin preparations to receive them. This is Story thwart Tor’vlexis’ thieves guild in Hulburg where Objective A. never released. The folks at Cold Iron Conventions were happy to give this adventure a home as a self- • Episode 3: Behind Enemy Lines. The characters contained story. execute their plan to eliminate the threat of Tor’vlexis in the home of the Skullsmashers. This is Story Objective B. Bonus Objectives ThisSample adventure also includes two, 1-hour bonus objectives file that the characters can pursue if they have additional time to do so. These bonus objectives are found in this adventure’s appendices, as follows: Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. 2 CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions (v.1.0) 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. Sample file Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. 3 CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions (v.1.0) Episode 1: After Hours (Call to Action) Estimated Duration: 20 minutes Area Information The characters have just closed a tavern next to the Hulburg docks. If they have not previously adventured This area features: together, they have met this night at the Hook and Anchor. Dimensions & Terrain. The characters begin on Being the last of the patrons, they are standing around a dockside street, but assuming they follow onto the outside the tavern when the character with the highest Onyx Star, they quickly find themselves inside the large Passive Perception notices a hooded figure on one of the Captain’s cabin. There is a chair for each character and piers watching the party. The figure is standing in the Da’vok is already sitting at the head of the table with a distant shadow, trying to casually go unobserved without map of the nearby region spread out on top. actually hiding. Lighting. It is poorly lit with just a few torches here and • Operatives of Da’vok Torin. If the characters have there on the street and none on the docks themselves. played previous adventures with Dav’ok Torin, the The docks themselves are in dim moonlight. figure gives them a knowing nod, and proceeds up the gangplank to a ship named the Onyx Star. If the Creatures/NPCs characters do not follow, the figure looks around to make sure no one else is watching before lowering her Da’vok (human) is very secretive. She implies without hood and allowing them to see it is Da’vok, whom they specifying, that she works for Lord Hulmaster. Indeed, have previously met. she has “carelessly” left a coat with the heraldry of his Lordship embroidered on the lapel on her chair, where it If the characters have never met • Convenient Rubes. can be noticed with a Passive Perception of 13 or higher. Da’vok before, she knows that adventurers are nosey and likely to investigate anything suspicious. So, she She welcomes the characters like friends if they have “sneaks” aboard the ship expecting that they see her met before and if they haven’t, she congratulates them on and involve themselves. their curiousness and offers them the chance to be of aid to Hulburg. Objectives/Goals. Da’vok is hoping to convince the characters to kill Tor’vlexis for her. What Does she Know? Da’vok tends to speak in incomplete truths, avoiding outright lying, but occasionally omitting details that might lead back to who she really is. She imparts the following: • She is an operative for someone who has an interest in protecting the city. She has previously worked with adventurers (possibly the characters) in order to investigate a new thieves’ guild forming in Hulburg. In the process, her allies uncovered that the guild was organized by a beholder called Tor’vlexis. The beholder was building a guide with plans on eventually spreading its grasp from the collapsed city of Sulasspryn to take over the guild in Waterdeep run by another beholder known as Xanathar.