The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

Skills: A filth nixie has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim
check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard.
It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even
if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action
while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
*Filth nixies have a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks
when in the water.
Event: If It All Goes Wrong
This section is intended to be a tense stealthy run
through the enormous vessel, filled with close calls
and desperate fights, rather than a slugfest. To give
the Sea Harriers a fair break, the Games Master should
allow for the possibility of the Player Characters being
caught, rather than using deus ex machina devices to
bail them out for the sake of the story. After all, the
Celebration is a huge ship filled with enemies. If the
Player Characters’ luck runs out even once, they could
have hundreds of Sea Harriers after them and nowhere
to run. Instead of heading back out to sea with Azbeth
freed and Sunspite’s diary in their possession, they
could end up alongside her in the brig.
If the Player Characters screw up, run with it. This is
not as much of a disaster as it seems. The Sea Harriers
are heading for Lost Athul anyway, which is where
the Player Characters will need to go next. Any of the
following situations could put them back on their feet
again:
• Although they have made a bargain to enter Lost
Athul and retrieve the stones for Omorogg, the Sea
Harriers find the actual task more daunting than they
expected. Faced with a black, dripping city newly
risen from the sea bed, the Sea Harriers will be
inclined to send prisoners in first to test the ground
instead of risking their own lives. With a few lucky
breaks, the Player Characters can slip free of the Sea
Harriers and reach the soul-stones before they do.
• One of the Sea Harriers takes a shine to a Player
Character. As spoils of war, the Player Characters
are there for the taking, so any unmarried Harrier can
claim one. The Harrier connives to have the Player
Character taken away from the rest and brought to
a private cabin. Ways to incapacitate the lustful
Harrier will no doubt suggest themselves…
• The Celebration is attacked by an enraged sea
serpent, which smashes one of the stabilising hulls
almost entirely off and makes the ship list badly.
As hundreds of Harriers rush to the deck to man
the catapults and see the brute off, the brig is left
without guards. This is an ideal time to attempt
to batter the door down. With all the noise of the
fighting, nobody will notice a few more bangs and
crashes. Alternatively, the serpent’s lashing tail can
smash through some planks right in the side of the
brig. The good news is that there is now a way out, if
the Player Characters can squeeze through. The bad
news is that the way out is gushing water and will
flood the brig completely in ten rounds!
Aftermath
If the Player Characters have been cunning and
fortunate, they will be able to escape the Celebration
with Azbeth and return to their own vessel. Retrieving
Azbeth is worth a story award equivalent to a CR 12
challenge. The Games Master should raise this to a CR
14 challenge if the Player Characters are also able to
find and make away with Sunspite’s journal.
The Player Characters must now make a difficult
decision. If they have the journal and know the sea
raiders’ plans, they can now attempt to follow them to
Lost Athul and retrieve the eggs. Azbeth will argue
fervently in favour of this plan, saying that they must
act now while there is time. Archimandrus is more
concerned with bringing the Player Characters to Xoth
Sarandi, where they can finally meet up with the Council
and discuss the next phase of the Drow War. Some of
the possible outcomes are as follows:
If the Player Characters decide to head straight to Xoth
Sarandi and ignore the Sea Harriers, they may miss out
on the Lost Athul adventure below and are still saddled
with the problem of Omorogg. The Games Master
may, however, opt to delay the Sea Harriers’ trip to
Lost Athul until the Player Characters decide to oppose
it, which is something of a plot juggle but does mean
that the Player Characters do not miss any adventure
content. Making straight for Xoth Sarandi means that
the Player Characters encounter fewer hazards when
they reach their destination, as their enemies have less
time to organise a counter-strike; see the next chapter
for details.
It is also possible for them to head to Xoth Sarandi and
then take the sea-portal from there to Lost Athul, which
still brings them there faster than the Sea Harriers can
travel. The Celebration may be vast, but she is also
slow. This is the most efficient plan, as it allows the
Player Characters to meet with the Council (albeit
briefly) and intercept the Harriers, possibly with elven
backup. However, they first have to persuade the
Council to allow them to open the portal, which has
been disused for decades.
Ibon Presno Gonzalez (order #73006) 8
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