Azata Adventures
April 26th, 2011
Hello everyone and welcome back to another great Grave Plots, where as always you will find new and interesting plot ideas and adventure hooks laying in wait to inspire and entertain. This week is Azata Week here at Necromancers of the Northwest, and so we will be looking a little bit at some typical adventures one could have with azatas. Now, for those who didn’t know or who didn’t read yesterday’s Dark Designs, azatas are the Pathfinder “reinvisioning” of the 3.5 eladrin, which you know are also chaotic good outsiders. The following adventure details a set of games devised by azatas as a means of dispute resolution between mortal kind and the mysterious fey.
The Whitepeak Games
Every ten years in the remote mining town of Whitepeak a very unusual competition is held between mortals and fey, where champions compete in numerous events to determine the ultimate winner. While the stakes are low (control over a relatively out-of-the-way hot springs), the games have become a point of pride for both sides and only the greatest of heroes and most capable adventurers are invited to compete. Thus, when the PCs receive an invitation to represent mortal kind in the games, a combination of pride, honor, and the chance to win great fame and glory should compel them to accept. The journey to Whitepeak isn’t an easy one and for champions of the mortal realm the road is especially fraught with peril, as some of the more capricious of faeries will do everything in their power to make sure that their side has the advantage at the games. While the contest rules prohibit violence outside of the games, an intentional loophole does permit for clever adversaries to prevent their opponents from ever reaching the games, and the PCs will have to endure countless attempts at bribery and seduction at the hands of their soon-to-be competitors, and may have to quickly address some conveniently timed dragon attacks on major cities far from their destination. Should the PCs manage to make it to the mountain where Whitepeak is located, they must still contend with a tradition-mandated foot journey through rugged terrain inhabited by a tribe of angry ettins who have been specifically tasked with making things difficult for would-be competitors.
If the PCs make it through all of that, they arrive at the picturesque town of Whitepeak, which is in the full swing of celebration for the games. Music from around the world and beyond fills the air along with the enticing scents of fine foods and spiced cider. The PCs are greeted as heroes at the gates by a hardy group of contest officials who direct them to their lodgings and invite them to enjoy the festivities while they await the arrival of Lord Silver, the bralani that founded the games over a century ago, and the official start of the competition. With that, the PCs should feel free to wander the beautiful town of Whitepeak and mix the other people in for the games, which could include hauntingly beautiful and devilishly tricky fey, other mighty mortal heroes representing the home realm, hardy locals caught up in the celebration, and any number of exotic spectators eagerly awaiting the beginning of the games.
A week later, Lord Silver arrives amidst a sudden and powerful snow flurry and calls all the contestants to meet at the local castle for instructions and the official opening ceremony of the games. Once inside the castle, Lord Silver explains that this year, as in years past, the sides of mortals and fey will each be represented by three teams competing in three separate events to decide the fate of the Jawol Hot Springs for the next ten years. The first event is to be a simple combat between the opposing teams, with points being awarded on the demonstration of skill at arms and clever use of tactics. The second event is to be a contest of wit, with each team reciting a poem of original composition and points being awarded for delivery as well as artistic merit. For the final event, each team will face a dragon in a challenge of its choosing, with points being awarded as merited by the challenge. After explaining the events Lord Silver invites the contestants to join him the castle’s great hall for the ceremonial meal, a great feast held for the contestants and important delegates such as King Strom, ruler of Whitepeak; Lady Isrena, a faerie of high standing; numerous human nobility including Lord and Lady Treivare, the richest mortals currently living; and a number of prominent mystical figures and outsiders including a host of other azatas, including lillinds and ghaeles. Following the feast, Lord Silver announces that the games will officially begin tomorrow morning and recommends that contestants get their rest while they still can.
In the first event the PCs will be facing a diverse group of fey warriors including a nymph, a pixie, and a mysterious elf-like creature in armed combat. Before combat commences, Lord Silver explains that at the conclusion of the battle the judges will each award a point to the side that most impressed him or her. Sitting on the judging panel is Lord Silver, who will award his point to the side which best displays skill and cunning during the combat; King Strom, who will always award his point to the mortals; Lady Isrena ,who will always award her point to the fey; Hialla, the foremost of ghaelies who will award her point to the side which fights most fairly; and the high priest of Whitepeak who, lacking a better meter, will award her point to the victor. The side which receives the most points out of five will be judged the winner of that event. The battles between the other teams should be decided at your own discretion.
In the second event, the PCs will be asked to compose an original poem consisting of no more than 1000 words, which they are to recite to the judges. Each team will again be judged out of five points with points being awarded based on the quality of the delivery and strength of content. Sitting on the judging panel will be Lord Silver, who will award his point if the content of the poem contains heroic deeds; King Strom who will award his point to the mortal teams unless one of the fey teams specifically impresses him; Lady Isrena, who will award her point only to fey teams unless one of the mortal teams impresses her by demonstrating a knowledge of the natural world; Shemalla, the foremost of lillinds, who will grant her point only to teams with particularly spectacular presentation; and a local bard by the name of Hans whose point can be guaranteed by mentioning Whitepeak in the composition. The side with the most total points will win the event.
The final event will pit each team against a dragon in a challenge of the dragons choosing, with the judging panel awarding points based off of the competitors’ performance against the dragon. On the judging panel this time will be Lord Silver, who will award points to teams who find a creative solution to addressing the dragons challenge; King Strom, who will award his point to the mortal teams which aren’t obviously crushed by the dragons; Lady Isrena, who will award points to fey teams which aren’t obviously defeated by the dragon; Harold Kiver, a ranger who hates dragonkind and will award his point to teams which defeat their dragon opponent at their challenge; and finally, each team will be judged by the dragon they competed against, winning a point if the dragon felt they conducted themselves in a respectful matter. The side with the most total points will again win the event, and the side which has won the most events will win control of the hot springs for their side for the next ten years.
Well that’s it for this week’s Grave Plots. Join me next week for more great plot hooks and adventure ideas; until then, allow me to wish you all the best in your gaming endeavors.