ZG04_Always_On_Time

EN5ider Presents:
Always
on Time
Part One
A 5E-Compatible Adventure for 6th-Level Characters
Introduction
Wherein a Lantern Heralds Adapting the Adventure.
Dark Days All the low-level Zeitgeist adventures assume the PCs are agents
of the Royal Homeland Constabulary. If your party is a group of free
I
n the previous Zeitgeist adventure, the par- agents instead, they might have been hired by the RHC, especially
if they had previously uncovered Caius’s secrets in Digging for Lies.
ty discovered a tiefling philanthropist named If you are using this adventure in another setting, the central
element of a coastal rail line can be made into a pseudo-medieval
Caius Bergeron was a member of a conspiracy known pilgrimage route that travels 90 miles in six days. Several later
encounters that use the train as a physical space may need to be
as the Obscurati, which appears hostile to the party’s heavily altered or omitted, but the core of the adventure still works.
Several encounters can be easily stand alone, including “Danger-
nation, Risur. ous Waters,” a naval engagement against a ship captained by an ice
mage (page 16), “Hobo Maximus,” a rescue of a damsel from a trio
The party also learned that Caius planned to take a trip by train of wizards in an arena (Act Two), or a cursed island and the dungeon
to a meeting in a foreign city. In Always on Time, the party uses beneath it (a group of encounters in Act Three).
that lead to outmaneuver and unmask the conspiracy.
Risur’s traditional enemy, the nation of Danor, operates the
3,000-mile long Avery Coast railroad, which connects numerous Background
nations. With the support of Risur’s Royal Homeland Constabu- The Obscurati, detailed more fully in the Zeitgeist Campaign
lary, the party will go undercover aboard this train and seek clues Guide, plan to alter the nature of reality. This requires a massive
to what business Caius was traveling toward. Meanwhile, agents ritual to change the planets in the night sky that imbue this world
of the Obscurati assemble for a gathering of members of the con- with different energies and essences. They’re still over a year away
spiracy, bringing with them a magic lantern that is key to their from the culmination of their plot, but one key component has just
ultimate goal. been completed.
From the Pen of Seamlessly Updated to Fifth Edition by

Jacob Driscoll EN Mike Myler
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With Additional Material by Ably Produced and Facilitated by

Ryan Nock Russ Morrissey
Evocative Cover Illustration by Special Thanks to

ShenFei Jennifer Taber, for her patience;
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James Hazelett, Brian Patterson, Jonathan Roberts generous patrons of EN World EN5ider whose support has
made this Fifth Edition update possible.
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2 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

Introduction
The Lantern. Luc Jierre. Nephew of Danor’s sovereign,

Luc Jierre, a socially-awkward tiefling arcanoscientist with a Han Jierre, and brother of the country’s Minister
nervous stutter, has invented a magical lantern. By burning fuel of Outsiders Lya Jierre, Luc has always felt inferior
attuned to a specific plane, the device can channel planar energy to his family. From childhood, his stutter made him
through its light and suffuse its surroundings with the traits of that socially withdrawn, but he found comfort in the
plane. This can create a variety of magical effects, making the lan- arcanosciences. He could express himself on paper
tern useful both as a weapon and as a tool of control. in clear formulae, and he could learn a skill the rest
The lantern’s settings can be adjusted to change intensity and of his family did not possess.
scope. For instance, if fed fuel attuned to the fiery planet Jiese, the Only recently did Luc realize that his family
lantern could simply make a single object become highly flammable, has been grooming him all along. He resents them
or it could allow fire elementals from that world to temporarily en- somewhat, but cannot deny that he values power.
ter this world. Since Jiese also influences wars, the lantern could He hopes that his new invention will earn him a place of respect. Now that he
instead stir people toward conflict, either a whole area or just a few has finished the lantern, he expects he’ll work on countermeasures to Risuri
targets to whom the lantern has been properly attuned. magical technology, or perhaps improve mana-storage devices, to let magic
The lantern is a prototype, and it will be duplicated in large form items last longer in Danor.
in lighthouses across the continent. The Obscurati intend to use Once he’s inducted into the Obscurati, he’ll be given a major role in Lantern
these lighthouses to keep the world stable while they transition the Cell, preparing larger version of his lamp and testing their ability to affect the
planes. More insidiously, the lighthouses will let them placate popu- minds of the public at large. That possibility will enthrall Luc, who has never
lations by manipulating their emotions en masse. before had the ability to make people do what he wants.
Recruitment. the VIPs will stagger their arrival across a week; Luc Jierre arrives
Luc is not yet a part of the Obscurati. His uncle Sovereign Han on the 16th. His sister Lya Jierre will be waiting to greet him. (The
Jierre, ruler of Danor and one of the conspiracy’s three leaders, party met Lya in Adventure One, Island at the Axis of the World;
encouraged Luc’s education, groomed him through life to pursue she is set to marry the king of Risur as part of a peace treaty.)
this invention, and made sure Luc had access to all the resources The Obscurati know the PCs were investigating Caius Bergeron
he needed. Under intense pressure to live up to these expectations, (during Adventure Three, Digging for Lies), but they have no reason
Luc grew up awkward and nervous, but nevertheless brilliant. to think the party knows about Vendricce. And the party’s superior,
Luc has been told to take the Avery Coast Railroad from the Chief Inspector Stover Delft, encourages them to trust no one.
Danoran capital of Cherage to the eastern terminus, the city of
Vendricce. Luc crafted the lantern in Danor’s dead magic zone, ef- Spy Mission.
fectively a giant “clean room.” Now he brings it for final testing, The party’s mission is to learn as much about the Obscurati as pos-
and he too will be judged whether he is worthy to join the conspiracy. sible. All they have to go on, though, is a train schedule retrieved
from a dead tiefling philanthropist. Chief Inspector Delft tasks the
The Gathering in Vendricce. PCs to ride the same train and look for anyone Caius might have
The Obscurati have planned a gathering of all the heads of the been meeting. With luck, someone will lead the party to a meeting
various Obscurati cells to meet in Vendricce on the 20th of Winter, of the conspiracy.
500 A.O.V. (After Our Victory). To minimize the risk of discovery,
Train Route.
Dead and Wild Magic. The train passes through seven main points during the adventure.
Within Danor’s borders, magic quickly seeps away. Spells with a • Beaumont. Major shipyard on the west coast of Danor. Train
casting time of more than an action cannot be cast within Danor. leaves here the morning of the 11th of Winter.
Static benefits of magic items function normally over the short • Cherage. The Danoran capital, which has an evening curfew.
term (i.e., you won’t have to recalculate the stats on your character Train arrives on the evening of on the 11th of Winter.
sheet). However, most activated powers of items don’t function, and • Orithea. The only stable city in the Malice Lands. Train
after a number of weeks equal to the item’s rarity, its magic will be arrives on the 12th of Winter.
drained away entirely. • Trekhom. The capital of Drakr. The train arrives on the 13th
A creature’s own innate magical features still function, such as of Winter.
any cantrips granted as a racial feature. • Nalaam. A decadent casino city run by mages in the
Just beyond Danor’s borders, in a broad swath hundreds of miles mountainous border states between Drakr and Crisillyir.
wide, the fabric of magic is damaged but not destroyed. In these Train arrives on the 14th of Winter.
places, known as the Malice Lands, whenever a character casts a • Sid Minos. A haunted island city off the coast of Crissilyir.
spell, uses a magic item power, roll an unmodified 1d20. On a 1, a Train arrives on the 15th of Winter.
mishap occurs. This usually takes the form of the power backfiring, • Vendricce. A forested border-city in Crissilyir, where the
manifesting as a free-willed monster, or otherwise going danger- Obscurati have their palace. Train arrives just before sunset
ously awry. on the 16th of Winter.
EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One | 3

Introduction
It is important to stress that the PCs are not expected to run a Danoran veteran of the Fourth Yerasol War. Caius gave her a gold
in and attack the conspirators when they find them, since they’ll ring to wear, which has an internal inscription that reads “Oath-
be severely outgunned. A victory in this mission would be to learn keeper Bree’s Shield.” Any high-ranking member of the conspiracy
the identities of key conspirators and escape without being noticed. who sees this inscription knows that Bree is working for Golden
While we have included plenty of climactic combat, make sure you Cell, but she is tier five: useful but with no knowledge of the Ob-
prepare your players to understand that they’re trying to complete scurati’s agenda.
a mission, not win the war in one fell swoop. Bree has not heard from Caius for a couple months now, and as
a good soldier she’s trying to complete her mission as best she can.
The Railroad. She has enlisted two men as “plainclothes” guards–Olivert Boone,
The main theater for this adventure is the Avery Coast Railroad, a carousing tiefling who performs gunslinging shows around the
the pride of Danoran technology, and a showcase of the nation’s country; and Verzubak Tantalovich, a dwarf mage who manipu-
engineering prowess. Though Danor has numerous railroads con- lates fate and chance. They’ll board the train between Beaumont
necting its cities, the Avery Coast line is the longest in the world, and Cherage.
spanning 3,000 miles, from the city of Beaumont on Danor’s west Bree knows that Caius wanted her to come with him to a meet-
coast, through the Malice Lands, Drakr, various minor nations, ing at the Sovereign’s mansion in Cherage, so she intends to follow
and finally ending in Vendricce, on Crisillyir’s border with Elfaivar. that much of his plan. There she meets Luc and is given clearer
See the end of this document (The Avery Coast Railroad) for instructions.
extensive details of the train’s route, history, design, and crew. Luc has an escort of his own, Ottavia Sacredote, a deaf elfwoman
who is a spy within the religious hierarchy of Crisillyir. She is a bit
Luc’s Entourage. conspicuous, especially in the company of a tiefling, but she’s one
Before Caius Bergeron was killed, he had already made security ar- of the few highly-ranking operatives the Obscurati can spare who
rangements for the train trip with Brianne Kaldeckis, called Bree, is capable of communicating via sending, making her invaluable

Introduction
Ring Code. Brianne “Bree” Kaldeckis. A 47-year old

Each ring has a three word inscription. The first two words can be veteran of the Fourth Yerasol War, Bree lost her right
anything, as long as their initials are O.B. The number of letters leg and arm to a Risuri-summoned jaguar. The same
in the third word indicates what tier of the conspiracy he’s in. Tier druid who took her limbs kept her alive, and after the war
three includes just a handful of cell leaders like Lya Jierre and Ro- she was given a peg leg and sent back home to languish
land Stanfield. Tier four members are their trusted servants who in a veterans’ community. There she was approached by
nevertheless only grasp a fraction of the conspiracy’s scope. Tier Dr. Wolfgang von Recklinghausen, whom the party met in Adventure Two,
five is for useful minions who are not privy to any major secrets. The Dying Skyseer. Wolfgang used experimental magical science to attach a
A gold ring means the wearer is part of Golden Cell, a silver ring recently-dead woman’s limbs to Bree. He enchanted a girdle to help with the
indicates Lantern Cell, and a bronze ring stands for Colossus Cell. mending process, which Bree wears to this day.
Other cells use some local tree’s wood. Caius wore a gold ring that World-wise and granted a second life, Bree sold her services as a body-
read “Original Bergeron Gold.” guard. She came to Caius Bergeron’s attention after a clever ploy to thwart
a pursuer; she detached her arm and set it across the room with a crossbow.
Finona Duvall as an Ally. Since her girdle let her control her limb at range, she was able to shoot the foe
The PCs learned of Caius’s plans by recovering a letter from the phi- when he crossed its path. The Obscurati are always drawn to ingenuity, and Dr.
lanthropist to a lady friend he was trying to seduce, a tiefling mage von Recklinghausen had already drawn their attention, so Caius hired Bree.
named Finona Duvall. The party likely defeated Finona in combat, Bree values honor and her word, and gladly serves as bodyguard, but she
and even if they spared her she probably died at the hands of an has turned down offers to serve as a soldier or assassin. She favors sleeveless
extraplanar monster that ate her brain. But it’s possible she survived shirts even in the cold, and is not shy about the massive scar around her right
and could be pressed into service as a double agent, or that one PC upper arm. When in Danor, her limbs itch at the seams, and she doesn’t like to
might try to pose as her. stay in the dead magic zone for more than a week at a time.
This ploy could provide an “in” for the party to more quickly iden-
tify Luc and his entourage, so don’t be afraid to reward the party for Olivert Boone. A tiefling with a smile women
clever thinking. Remember that the focus of the mission is not Luc, swoon for, Boone went adventuring in the Malice Lands
but rather whom he’s meeting at the end of the line. at an early age. He charmed many a woman and had to
defend himself from jealous husbands. He developed an
Compartmentalized Secrets. amazing knack with a pistol, and eventually while explor-
It’s important to understand that at the start of the adventure, only ing burnt-out ruins he stumbled upon a magic urn. When
Ottavia knows about the Obscurati, and even she just thinks that opened, it released a demon that possessed his pistol, granting him nearly un-
they are an organization of enlightened thinkers who are opposed paralleled accuracy, but at a price. His demon pistol demands blood.
to the Clergy. She knows nothing about the Axis Seal, the colossus Already a misogynist, it wasn’t hard for him to switch to killing women after
being built in Flint, or the conspiracy’s ultimate plan. he loved them. He particularly likes bringing women on his adventures and
Bree knows she’s working for a secret society, but not much else. coming back with sad tales of their demise. He came to Bree’s attention when
Boone and Verzubak are just hired muscle, albeit very talented he rolled into Danor with chests full of loot from his adventures. She just
muscle. They don’t ask questions. knows his reputation as a gunslinger, and has no idea he’s a serial killer.
When amused, he slaps one hand on his chest as a one-handed clap, so he
in case anything goes wrong. Also, just in case, a handful of pas- never has to take his pistol hand far from his weapon. He’s working this mis-
sengers in the common cars are hired mercenaries who will come sion for the money (about 3,000 gp), and has no ideological ties to Luc Jierre.
to Ottavia’s aid if she gives the right signal.
Ottavia wears a silver ring that says “Orthodoxy Bolsters Gods,” Verzubak Tantalovich. This bleary-eyed
marking her as tier four of lantern cell. dwarf has studied the magic and mathematics of luck,
and he only lights up when he’s winning at dice. His
Unrelated Actors. calculations don’t work well in Danor’s dead magic zone,
The challenge for the party is the large number of passengers aboard so he ended up owing a few hundred gold pieces to a
the train. These include a half-orc businessman from Ber who has gambling den in Keskay. But Verzubak still has enough
run afoul of a criminal syndicate, a Danoran madam who is taking luck that the killer sent for him dies before even seeing the dwarf.
a young eladrin woman to sell into slavery, a turncoat Risuri spy, a Verzubak plans to bet boldly in the casinos in Nalaam, which will test his
militia member working with train robbers, and a dirty hobo with theories to the limits, because magic is entirely forbidden at the betting
an unlikely connection to someone the party has met before. tables. To him, this bodyguard mission is just a way to get seed money for
These characters have plotlines of their own that the PCs are his “research.”
likely to get involved with as they try to sort out real leads from red Though he looks perpetually tired, he loves to drone on to anyone who’ll pay
herrings. While each is a distraction from the main mission, if the attention. A genuinely nice fellow, he can find a way to pay a stranger three
PCs get involved and help people in need they can benefit greatly compliments in a single sentence, and if someone looks like they’re getting
later in the campaign. Some of their fellow passengers might even bored with his talk about numbers and science he’ll let them talk to help them
prove instrumental in the success of this mission. feel far more interesting compared to him.

Introduction
Ottavia Sacredote. Born deaf, Ottavia was Adventure Overview

given to a Clergy orphanage where she grew up devout The party sails to Beaumont, but on the way the PCs are intercepted
in her faith, despite being an elf in a predominately hu- by two privateer ships working for the Ob. The party has to lie, fight,
man religion. She learned to communicate through sign or flee in order to reach Beaumont on time.
language and even speak, albeit with difficulty. When Their ship drops them off and sails ahead, and will be waiting
she reached maturity, she began to hear the whispers of for them in Trekhom, Sid Minos, and Vendricce, ready to provide
angels and trained in the use of magic. But as she rose supplies, support, and escape at mission’s end. However, an experi-
in prominence in the Clergy, she began to doubt the purity of those in power. mental Ob submarine stealthily follows their ship’s movements.
Though still earnest in her faith, Ottavia was susceptible when an agent of After some brief down time in Beaumont, the party boards the
the Obscurati noted her concerns and offered her a chance to make a differ- train and heads out. The first day provides many opportunities for
ence. She believes the conspiracy just to be a group of enlightened thinkers the party to interact with other passengers, to try to get a sense of
who want to reform society and improve the lot of the poor and weak. In whom they should be keeping their eyes on. Suspects include Dam-
Crisillyir she has been subtly acquiring information to disgrace hierarchs she ata Griento, a nervous orc businessman who is taking his family
thinks are abusing their power, while helping promote more generous priests. on a first-class trip and Elanor Yanette, a fat, brusque enchantress
Ottavia took an instant liking to Luc when she realized the man knew her accompanied by a veiled woman.
sign language. She believes Luc’s lantern will be used to shield and illuminate By the time the train stops in Cherage for the first night, Bree,
the weak when an inevitable reckoning occurs. Throughout the trip she Verzubak, and Boone are all aboard, but they pretend not to know
presses Luc to make sure his creation is used for the right purpose. each other. Bree sneaks off into the city to meet with Luc and Otta-
Ottavia has an enchanted headband that lets her project her thoughts. This via. Overnight, a masterfully athletic hobo stows away on the train.
helps her be understood more clearly by people who cannot sign, but makes This is Andrei von Recklinghausen, who goes by the name Mister
it nearly impossible for her to lie, so she tries not to use it unless necessary. Mapple (see page 8).
The morning of the second day, Luc and Ottavia board the train,
Elanor Yanette. This hugely fat enchantress but they try to stay out of sight. Also boarding is Cardiff Hengehill,
travels the Avery Coast, facilitating the buying and a Risuri spy with secrets about the Danoran military. He has regu-
selling of valuable people to whorehouses or wealthy lar contact throughout the day with Malia Baccarin, a member of
patrons. By a strict reading of laws she is not technically the train’s militia who is Cardiff’s contact with his buyers.
trafficking in slaves, but rather arranging contractual
employment or performing wedding matchmaking. She is Complications.
a highly loathsome woman, rich, smug, and mostly lacking in empathy. Over the next five days, the party has multiple opportunities to ob-
Since she cannot rely on magic in Danor, she makes use of powerful drugs serve each suspect, while other threats and mysteries provide their
and poisons to placate her “products.” (She’s immune herself and as a con- own distractions.
sequence she can eat just about anything.) Once the train gets through the On the second night, the train stops in Orithea. While most of
Malice Lands she starts shamelessly enchanting men who strike her fancy to the passengers sight-see or conduct innocuous business, Luc and
sleep with her. Ottavia head to the city’s lighthouse, where Luc meets with a local
Little interested in conversation, she’s content to just have feasts in the Obscurati cell leader. He shows how his lantern works and provides
lounge car and then retire to her room to read erotic poetry. But if someone documents to help the local cell convert the lighthouse into a large
shamelessly compliments her or draws her into a discussion of celebrity gos- scale version.
sip, fashion, or magic, she opens up and brags about her work, though she has On the third day, bandits raid the train as it travels through
plenty of justifications for how her horrible behavior actually helps people. the Malice Lands. They provoke a screaming hydra-like beast to
emerge from a swamp and attack the train as a distraction, and the
Cardiff Hengehill. Your classic international PCs have to weigh the risk of blowing their cover with saving the
man of mystery, Cardiff Hengehill spies in Danor with- lives of the passengers — possibly even Luc and his crew.
out even bothering to conceal his Risuri accent or his That night the train limps into Trekhom. There Cardiff tries to
memorably handsome face. After years of small time sell his secrets, while Damata attends a lecture by the famous dwarf
missions that he hoped would earn him a trip back philosopher Vlendam Heid. Luc again sneaks away to a lighthouse
home to retire while he still had his looks, Cardiff finally to show off his invention to another cell leader. Meanwhile, Ottavia
has achieved an espionage coup. Through contacts, bribery, and burglary, he receives a sending warning her that Risuri agents are after Luc.
managed to get a copy of a briefing on Danor’s military build-up plans for the Luc’s bodyguards become more wary and try to figure out who’s
next five years. spying on them.
He’s done with Risur, though, and so he plans to sell the documents for On the evening of the fourth day, the train reaches Nalaam,
20,000 gold pieces to the Drakrans. Malia, a guard on the train, has arranged where most of the plot-lines of the side characters come to a head.
the meeting. Since there is no Ob cell to meet with, Luc and Ottavia spend the
Cardiff’s normal demeanor is cool and disapproving, and he tends to keep evening preparing surprises for the party.
quiet so other people are more prone to fill the awkward silence. But he can On the fifth day, as the train pulls into Sid Minos, Luc triggers a
fake interest with remarkable enthusiasm. replica of his lantern, attuned to the PCs and infused with energy

Introduction
of the planet Nem. The PCs’ souls are pulled from their flesh and Damata Griento. A 40-something half-orc from
trapped into a ghostly version of the train. If they do not manage Ber, Damata has brought his wife and two children on
to reach the train’s engine and disable the lantern quickly, they’ll board for a vacation. Though the rest of his family is a
never be able to reunite with their bodies. boisterous party of new-wealth tourists eager to see
They return to this world just as the train pulls into Sid Minos the “Old World,” Damata is troubled and edging toward
station. Ottavia boards a carriage and uses illusions of Luc and manic-depression.
company to try to lure the party to follow her. She takes a boat to Damata hails from a family of orcish warchiefs in Ber,
a nearby cursed island, and when night falls undead rise from the and he never fit in as a warrior, so he made his wealth in real estate, mostly
sea and attack the party. Ottavia confronts the party above a tomb, dealing with Risuri and Danoran elites trying to set up factories. After a de-
which provides safety from the horde of the dead, but also serves as cade of success, though, he was suckered into a high-stakes con by a man
a prison for an ancient demon, Ashima-Shimtu. Though bound by posing as a Risuri train magnate, planning to build a railroad across the An-
magic far greater than anything the PCs could now overcome, she thras Mountains to connect the two countries. Damata was dazzled by a slick
sees the party as an investment, and she offers to teleport them to pitch that involved teleporting him to Flint and taking him to lavish parties.
Vendricce so they can complete their mission. Seeing vast potential for wealth and needing a huge down payment to buy
Of course the PCs might find their own way out, or simply avoid a stake, Damata took a loan from The Family, a criminal organization based
the trap. However they manage to reach Vendricce, when the train out of Crisillyir. When his ‘partner’ disappeared with tens of thousands of
gets to the station it offloads all its passengers except Luc and his gold pieces, Damata was on the hook. After begging for mercy, he was told
remaining guards. Then the train moves to a nearby private depot to steal the magical heirlooms and war trophies of family, and bring them
where a welcome party from the Obscurati waits. The party can to Nalaam where the local mages could convert the items into more liquid
spot Lya Jierre meeting with her brother, and there’s an opportu- wealth. Damata botched an attempt to lie to his wife, and ended up with her
nity to steal the lantern before an overwhelming force of private and their kids tagging along, expecting to enjoy a vacation while Damata does
security comes to take Luc to the Obscurati Palace. ‘research for his railroad.’
While it is possible the party might follow discreetly all the way Damata has a suitcase of holding full of magic weapons and amulets he
to the palace, they are likely spotted by look-outs at the depot. The stole from his villa at home, about twenty items worth a total of 34,000 gp.
fastest escape is to hijack the train and drive it to the harbor, where He has a hunch he’ll never make it home alive, and even if he does, he’s pretty
their ship awaits. But Lya Jierre and other Obscurati forces try to sure his family will kill him.
thwart them, and the submarine that has stalked them since the • Ejeka, the wife. A darling in her late 20s, Ejeka is quieter and more re-
start of their mission blocks the mouth of the harbor. The PCs are served than her husband. She has an eye for art and fashion, but sees
outnumbered, and they must survive a gauntlet to reach their ship her major responsibility as shepherding her two boisterous children.
and escape. • Dabo, the daughter. Just turned 13, Dabo is something of a spoiled
princess who is used to getting her way and speaking her mind. She
Undercover Adventures. isn’t entirely enthusiastic about the trip, and complains frequently
While we have included a mix of action scenes and dungeon crawling, about missing her friends, and how unfair it is that she had to leave for
a major element of Always on Time sees the PCs going undercover months. She’s disgusted by her father’s recent maudlin affections, and
and trying not to be detected as foreign agents. Guidelines on han- was raised to think men are supposed to be tougher.
dling PC surveilling and interrogating their marks are summarized in • Tarro, the son. A young boy of 7, Tarro is easily bored, and constantly
the following Investigative Skill Challenges. seeks stimuli from new things, new people, new places, and new ideas.
If the players don’t seem to be enjoying keeping a low profile, He explores, and is always testing his boundaries with his parents.
don’t penalize them harshly if they fall back on familiar tactics. If Damata plans to show his family a great vacation—museums, lavish hotels,
the PCs simply attack Luc and company when they realize he’s grand musical venues, fine dining—until they reach Nalaam. Should some-
working with the conspiracy, then try to beat information out of him, thing happen to him, he’s made arrangements with a business associate in Sid
the party still has to make it to Vendricce to see the gathering. And Minos to take in his family.
of course the Ob can have other agents watching the train, who can
be responsible for the various threats on the party’s life. Malia Baccarin. Dark, lithe, and beautiful, Malia
grew up in Danor, though her family was Crisillyiri. She
has tangential connections with various criminal organi-
zations in every city along the Avery Coast line, and she
enjoys favored status for getting crooks in contact with
other crooks in ways that profit everyone. She makes
sure to pick up the local newspapers at every stop along
the train, and often has a bundle tucked under her arm as she does her duty
through the train.
She’s a skilled manipulator, and can cajole, goad, or seduce most any man
into doing what she wants. Her dream is to retire in a few years with a solid
stash of cash and buy an island villa in Crisillyir.

Introduction
Investigative Challenges Tailing a Suspect.

Two common actions during this adventure are following suspects Variable Level Skill Challenge.
to see where they go, and engaging suspects in innocuous conversa- Key Skills: Deception, Insight, Investigation, Perception, Per-
tion to try to tease out their motives. While the GM can always suasion, Stealth
handle these situations narratively or with ad hoc dice rolls, those Default Difficulty: Moderate (DC 13).
who want more structure can use the following skill challenges. Be When a PC tries to tail a suspect, try to think of the target’s move-
sure to make reasonable adjustments in reaction to what the PCs ments in three stages. For instance, in Orithea the enchantress
are doing. Elanor might head to the apothecary’s district, shop innocuously
for a bit, then head to a merchant that sells illegal love potions. In
Table: Default Skill Challenge DCs Trekhom, Luc goes to a bar near the enclave, then his guards look
DC Difficulty DC Difficulty for signs of pursuit, and finally he heads to the harbor lighthouse
8 Routine 15 Difficult where guards stop anyone who isn’t an approved visitor.
10 Easy 17 Hard For each stage, narrate what the target is doing, then the PC
13 Moderate 20 Extreme has to make two checks — one to keep up, the other to stay hidden.
Based on the result of the PC’s checks and the target’s plans, nar-
rate the next stage of the pursuit. After the third stage, the target
Isobel Travers. An eladrin woman just reaches his or her destination and the PC should be able to witness
entered her teens, Isobel is a third generation something noteworthy and important (or simply innocuous if the
Danoran, basically born and raised to breed more suspect is not actually up to anything).
eladrin. Her host family has a small stable of six If a PC fails a “keep up” check, increase the DC of further “keep
eladrin women, and they import eladrin men to fa- up” checks by one step to the Hard DC, regardless of what skill
ther children. The sons are sold to other Danoran is used. This represents the PC falling behind and having trouble
households, half the daughters are kept as future seeing where the target is going. A second failed “keep up” check
breeding stock, and the rest are trained to be fine means the PC has lost their target.
wives for wealthy patrons around the continent. Likewise if the PC fails a “stay hidden” check, increase the DC
When she’s not affected by Elanor’s mind- of further “stay hidden” checks. The target has gotten suspicious
numbing drugs and magic, Isobel does realize that she’s basically a slave, but and is more on guard. A second failed “stay hidden” check means
she has no real will to escape because she knows she could never survive on the target has made the PC. The target’s reaction will vary based
her own. on situation and personality — flight, confrontation, attack, calling
Among the many skills she was trained to make her a desirable wife, Iso- the guards — but he or she almost certainly won’t let the PC see
bel has a beautiful singing voice, but while drugged she just hums to herself, anything incriminating.
mostly tragic songs about suicide and revenge. It might help to remind the players that if they think they might
fail, it could be smarter to give up and try again when the train
Mister Mapple. A year ago Dr. Wolfgang reaches another station on the next day (instead of tipping off a
von Recklinghausen dabbled in dark magic to potential enemy).
stitch together and reanimate dead flesh into a new
creation. Thanks to the efforts of his father, the Keeping Up.
creation regenerates wounds like a troll, and has Each stage have the PC make an ability check, typically Wisdom
almost unmatched strength and agility for a human. (Perception). If the target goes through a crowded district, perhaps
But as a consequence of the dark magic used in his Intelligence (Investigation) would be more appropriate. If the tar-
creation, he drains the soul of anyone he touches. get asks the town guards to be on the look-out for the PC, Charisma
Wolfgang named his creation Andrei and tried to teach him to be like a son. (Deception or Persuasion) might allay the guards’ suspicions. Let
But Andrei recalled some memories of his former life, and when he finally the PCs come up with suggestions, but feel free to adjust the DC
realized how his “father” had created him he lashed out. Andrei murdered based on how likely the skill would actually help the situation.
Wolfgang’s entire house staff, then drained the life out of the doctor’s wife.
He nearly killed Wolfgang too, but his father set him on fire and fled. Staying Hidden.
Andrei eventually recovered, but his home was destroyed. For months he Each stage have the PC make an ability check, typically Dexter-
had no thought but to find his father and kill him, but Wolfgang eluded him. ity (Stealth). Strength (Athletics) might let a character stalk along
Eventually Andrei was reduced to begging and theft, and he wandered until rooftops, if the terrain is appropriate. Charisma (Deception) or
he came to the railroad. He’s been stowing away for the past half year, seeing Intelligence (disguise kit) might let a PC blend into the patrons at
the world and learning voraciously, and has decided to enjoy the pleasures of a coffee shop. Perhaps a character might even hold their breath and
life instead of dwelling on death and vengeance. But he cannot touch anyone, hide underwater with a Strength (Athletics) check when following
and he longs for someone he could take as a bride. a target near the docks.
He has chosen the name Mister Mapple, something he thought sounded
safe and pleasant.

Introduction
Multiple PCs. Pacing and Leveling.

Because there are so many suspects to investigate, the players have The party starts this adventure at 6th level. At the adventure’s end
to decide whether they want the wider coverage of splitting up, or they should reach 7th level. If the PCs have not earned enough ex-
the easier success (and safety in numbers) of working as a team. perience through encounters, award story experience at the end of
If multiple PCs are trailing the same target, each PC makes the the adventure.
ability checks.
If anyone succeeds the “keep up” check, it counts as a success for Favors and Prestige.
the whole team. However, if anyone fails the “stay hidden” check, The Zeitgeist Player’s Guide details the Prestige system and how
it counts as a failure for the whole team and increases the DC for the PCs can use it to request items and call in favors. Though this
future checks of that sort. If the team gets a second failure to stay adventure takes place far from Risur, the RHC has agents around
hidden, only those who failed their ability checks are spotted by the world. If the PCs do well at establishing contacts during the Mis-
the target. sion Planning montage, they will be able to get at least quick favors
handled.
Enemy Team.
Bree, and later Luc Jierre, have back-up covering them when they
head out each night. For each bodyguard still active, increase the
DC of all the skill checks by 1 (for a maximum of +4 if Bree, Ot-
tavia, Verzubak, and Boone are all on watch).
However, if the PCs have figured out the bodyguards are work-
ing together, one or two party members might distract them, so Nature, or Religion) to make the target think they have much in
they won’t count toward increasing the DC. This depends on the common. Charisma (Intimidation) also works but will usually leave
party being smart and learning the pattern of their enemies, and the target unfriendly or even openly hostile after the interrogation.
if done poorly it runs the risk of tipping their enemies off that the If the PC succeeds their ability check, they establish a rapport
PCs are hostile. and can move on to “extraction.” If they fail the ability check, the
target cannot be coaxed to open up. The PC can try again, but the
Interrogating a Suspect. DC increases to Hard. If they fail a second time, the target won’t
Variable Level Skill Challenge respond to further attempts unless something changes in his or her
Key Skills: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion relation to the PC (such as if the PC saves the target’s life).
Default Difficulty: Moderate (DC 13).
An interrogation might involve subtly getting a suspect to talk Extraction.
about herself, verbally intimidating or manipulating a prisoner Once the PC has established a rapport, they can make a skill check
into confessing a secret, or physically punishing a target until he to extract information from the target. This is almost always a Wis-
breaks. To get useful information, the PC must establish and main- dom (Insight) check. On a success the PC gets the target to reveal
tain a rapport, and then extract information out of the target. something useful. The target might tell a total lie but the PC is able
When running an interrogation as a skill challenge, first have to see through it and figure out what’s really true.
the player explain or roleplay how they’ll attempt to establish If the PC fails their check the target gives up nothing and be-
rapport, and then have them make an ability check. Then if they comes a little wary. If the PC fails a second time they lose their
succeed they can explain what information they’re trying to extract, rapport with the target (which counts as one failure on a “rapport”
and make an ability check for that. check).
Rapport. Good Cop, Bad Cop.

Rapport reflects the target’s trust of the PC. In a casual conversa- When two or more characters coordinate in an interrogation, each
tion, a target might think the PC is just a normal person and have PC can make a skill check to establish rapport. As long as at least
no reason to look for ulterior motives, and after establishing a rap- one PC succeeds their check, the whole team establishes rapport.
port with the PC he might be willing to share things he wouldn’t Only if everyone fails does the DC for further attempts increase.
with a total stranger. During a harsher interrogation, the PC must Once the team has established rapport, anyone can actually ask
make sure that the target’s anger or loathing of their captor does the questions but they just make one Wisdom (Insight) check to
not overwhelm whatever other emotion the interrogator is trying extract information, using whosever skill modifier is highest.
to evoke. In the classic “good cop, bad cop” situation the pair coordinate
To establish rapport, the PC must make a skill check. If the to get the target to open up and then the character with a stronger
PC has a genuine connection to the target, they might make a insight asks the questions. A variant is to have one person physically
Charisma (Persuasion) check to keep the target happy. Charisma break a target, and then afterward a different interrogator asks the
(Deception) works if the target is faking a connection, particularly questions. Or the same mechanics could handle five PCs carousing
for seduction or to pose as a fellow criminal. If the target is a mage at a bar, getting a suspect drunk and then encouraging him to brag
or scholar, the PC might even use Intelligence (Arcana, History, about his secret mission.

Introduction
Adventure Layout Recurring Characters. Stover Delft, Damata Griento, Andrei

The majority of Always on Time occurs during a period of six days von Recklinghausen, Ashima-Shimtu, and Lya Jierre all play
it takes the train to travel 3,000 miles. Most of the party’s inves- prominent roles in later adventures. All other NPCs that appear in
tigations and interactions will occur at whatever pace they are this adventure might recur in minor roles, but feel free to do with
comfortable with, but the various suspicious NPCs won’t sit around them as you wish. If anyone important dies, you can replace them
and let themselves be interrogated all day. While the days are spent with someone thematically similar.
on the train with the occasional social interactions, the nights take
the action into various cities. NPC Entry Page
We present the scenes that occur at specific locations in chrono- Assistant Chief Inspector Stover Delft 13
logical order. You’ll want to be familiar with the various NPCs in Brianne “Bree” Kaldeckis, war vet 5
order to handle the PCs investigations, which can turn out count- Damata Griento, orc businessman 7
less different ways. Olivert Boone, gunslinger 5
Verzubak Tantalovich, luck mage 5
Scene Layout. Elanor Yanette, sex trafficker 6
Each scene is presented in a format of Title, keywords, and tag-line. Isobel Travers, eladrin slave 8
Keywords include: “Mister Mapple,” Andrei von Recklinghausen, the Creation 8
Scene Type: Action, Exploration, Exposition, Puzzle, Social, or Luc Jierre, arcanoscientist and inventor 3
Hybrid. Ottavia Sacredote, Obscurati priestess 6
Duration: Montage (a few hours or days), Real-time (a few min- Cardiff Hengehill, turncoat spy 6
utes), or Tactical (round-by-round). Malia Baccarin, treacherous train guard 7
Minister of Outsiders Lya Jierre Act Three
NPC Roster.
Because of the large number of NPCs the party will meet, we’ve Incidental NPCs. The following NPCs probably only show up for
compiled two handouts to help you keep track of their various sta- a single scene, but if the PCs latch on to anyone, you can refer here
tuses, mannerisms, and role in the adventure. A DM handout lists to remind yourself who is who.
keywords and traits to help you portray the NPCs, while a player
handout details characters whom the PCs would be familiar with NPC Page
at the start of the adventure. Encourage the players to add notes as Candace Coman, RHC double agent 14
they meet new people of interest. Hank Gallager, reporter/spy 14
Clark Dunstan, docker/spy 14
Miggs Maloney, cop/spy 14
Jessica, Anna, Emilia, Kell-guild thieves 14
Glaz du Sang Magie, Obscurati water mage 16
Jerrial and Auria, privateer captains 17
Xorin Marchand, conductor 20
Kov Marik, train chef 20
Doris Gavagne, piano player 20
Bucher Monmarl, Danoran bureaucrat 24
*Hanse Randall, architect/Obscurati cell leader 29
Rodinn, Malice bandit captain 29
Vankloff Jeanov, dwarf ritualist Act Two
Ulrik Pevedin, military secrets buyer Act Two
*Ramos Zoltan, prison magnate/Obscurati cell leader Act Two
Vlendam Heid, renowned philosopher Act Two
Sylvester Fomazelli, Family capodecina Act Two
Azon the Stoneforger, magical item launderer Act Two
Lord Kulp, Master of Games Act Two
Nikola the Necromancer Act Two
Father Balthazar Act Two
Jaime the Weevil Act Two
Cordell Donofrio, Sid Minos businessman Act Three
Gene, lunatic godhand Act Three
*Lester Guillory, Risuri engineer (Ob tier 4) Act Three
*Dustin Huff, Danoran astronomer (Ob tier 4) Act Three
*Emily and Anna Davis, Crisillyiri lobbyists (Ob tier 4) Act Three

Introduction
Rewards Character Themes.

At the end of this adventure, the party’s Prestige with Risur should Each Zeitgeist adventure includes one or more scenes that bring
increase by 1 step. If they manage to stymie or confront the con- the PCs’ character themes (detailed in the Zeitgeist Player’s Guide)
spirators in Vendricce in any way and manage to escape alive, their to the forefront.
Prestige with the Obscurati increases by 1. If they rescue Isobel • Dockers will find friends in the docks along the Avery Coast,
and get her to safety, their Prestige with the Unseen Court will making it easier to slip in and out of cities and send messages
improve. It’s very unlikely the party’s Prestige with Flint or The to their allies at sea. But sufficiently popular dockers might
Family will change. find their fame a liability when trying to travel incognito.
At the end of Adventure Three, Digging for Lies, each PC should • Eschatologists get to meet the founder of their movement,
have had gear valued at around 16,000 gp, not counting anything Vlendam Heid.
they hid from an office audit. At the start of this adventure, the PCs • Gunsmiths might enjoy shopping for enchanted firearms in
each receive 6,000 gp worth of stipend and salary. Trekhom, where Drakran gunsmiths are experimenting with
grenades and rockets.
List of New Magic Items. • Martial Scientists will get to duel esteemed swordswoman Lya
New items are presented in the appendix. Jierre, and learn her signature severing technique.
• Luc Jierre’s wayfarer’s lantern. • Skyseers take a bit of a back seat after getting a lot of
• Bree’s butcher’s girdle. attention in the past two adventures. However, they’ll have a
• Ottavia’s headband of roaming thoughts. strong intuitive grasp of Luc’s lantern.
• Cardiff’s amulet of the impeccable spy. • Spirit Mediums as always provide an invaluable skill in an
• Boone’s demonic pistol. investigation where dead bodies might show up.
• Verzubak’s lucky dice ki focus. • Technologists are riding a train. Odds are high they’ll get a
• Lya Jierre’s razorburst rapier. chance to drive or possibly even crash the train. Who wouldn’t
• An apostate godhand’s hands of heaven and hell. enjoy that?
• Vekeshi Mystics have an opportunity to rescue an enslaved
eladrin woman, and through Ashima-Shimtu they can learn
Final Word Before We Start part of the truth about the Great Malice.
We are sensitive to the risk of “railroading” the players in an ad- • Yerasol Veterans will be heading into the homeland of the
venture that literally takes place on a railroad. The players can only enemy they faced in the last war. You as GM should look
score a complete success in their mission if they ride the train to for opportunities to present old rivals who remember the
the end, and so we list events that are very likely to occur at various PC. Bree could work for this, but ideally the PC would not
points during the trip. However, do not hesitate to let the party’s be compelled to attack her on sight, either for revenge or to
actions change things dramatically. Fun games are full of dramatic maintain a cover story.
surprises, and a derailing train is certainly that.
An Avery Coast Railroad train at full steam along a lonely stretch of track.

Prologue:
If You Choose to Accept It
T
his section covers the party’s planning ef- Timeline.
The Zeitgeist calendar consists of four seasons of 91 days each.
forts prior to embarking upon their spy mission. The adventure begins somewhere around the 35th of Autumn, right
after the end of Digging for Lies. The party’s ship sets out for Beau-
mont on the 85th day of Autumn. They should arrive seven days
Mission Planning later, on the 1st of Winter, giving them ten days of leeway in case
of delays. On the 11th, the train departs Beaumont, and barring a
Puzzle/Social. Montage. Level 8. derailment it will reach Vendricce just before dusk on the 16th.
The PCs and Chief Inspector Delft plan a mission in foreign territory.
To set the stage for the adventure, read or paraphrase the New Ship?
following. In adventures two and three the party likely cruised around on an
unarmed cutter, just big enough for a party of adventurers to handle
Mere days ago you learned the name of the conspiracy: the Obscurati. on their own. In Always on Time, though, they get access to either a
They have kept their secrets well. Though twice their plots have en- two-masted schooner or a seaworthy steamship, armed with eight
dangered Flint, both were accidents—an earthquake released a flood of light cannons. We present two specific ships that meet these criteria
deadly magical fuel they were refining on Cauldron Hill, and an alien on page 39—Roscommon and Khalundurrin.
monster freed by their tinkering with ancient magic nearly pulled the
RHC headquarters into an insane far realm. You don’t know what their be under surveillance. Toward that end, they’ll need a cover story,
ultimate designs are, but what you’ve seen suggests they have access a red herring so that any spies won’t get suspicious at the lack of
to many resources. activity.
Your boss, Chief Inspector Stover Delft, asks you to meet him aboard Second, cover identities. This will be a difficult operation, re-
your ship, far from any possible spies. The conspiracy seems overcon- quiring them to use false identities as they travel through multiple
fident in their ability to keep secrets, and they don’t know how much foreign nations. They’ll need documents, appropriate attire, and
you’ve learned. But you have a time and place where you know this ways to explain their uncanny martial prowess if anyone sees them
‘Obscurati’ will be gathered: the 20th of Winter, in Vendricce. It’s time get into a fight. They’ll be traveling first class, so even if the party
to plan your next move. has a bunch of weird races, sufficient money tends to get people to
“I apologize for not bringing pastries and coffee,” Delft says. “This overlook such issues.
meeting needs to be as hush-hush as possible. I have the first tiny bits Third, contingencies. The RHC does have agents laying low
of a plan in my head, but it won’t work if any spies get wind of this. Loose along the route the PCs will be taking, but it will be a challenge to
lips sink ships and you, constables, are going overseas.” coordinate them so they can be useful to the party without drawing
attention. Also, the nation of Risur has access to many resources,
Delft explains the basic idea of the mission: and the more preparation the party does, the easier time they’ll
Caius’s letter said he’d be traveling by train from Beaumont, at have on their mission.
one end of the Avery Coast Railroad, to Vendricce, the other end. Once the planning is complete, there’s still the actual mission.
He’d be leaving on the 11th of Winter, and would attend a meeting The party will board a ship — a new vessel, since the one they’ve pre-
on the 20th in Vendricce. Delft has a hunch he’ll be meeting with viously used is likely being watched — and sail to Beaumont. That
someone else from this Obscurati group. leads to the fourth component, spycraft.
The party will take the same train Caius would have, and they’ll On the train they’ll need to identify people of interest without
look for people he might have been meeting along the way, or oth- blowing their cover. Delft figures that they can safely contain their
ers headed to the same meeting. In Vendricce they’ll try to recover investigations to first- and second-class passengers, since he doubts
useful intelligence about the conspiracy, possibly take a prisoner for anyone important would ride coach. He reminds them that the big
later interrogation, and then return to Risur. He admits it’s com- payoff is in Vendricce, so they should be careful not to move too soon
plicated, but they have about fifty days to figure out all the details. and spook someone who might lead to more valuable information.
The final step is extraction. The characters will need to come up
Five Elements to a Good Spy Mission. with several ways to get out of Vendricce when the mission is over.
There are three elements that need to be handled before the party Delft would love it if the characters plan a nice, quiet escape where
leaves, and two components to the mission itself. no one ever knows they were there, but he figures the party won’t
First, secrecy. The party must tell as few people as possible what be so subtle, so he admonishes them to plan for other eventualities,
they’ll be doing, because they can’t know who might be a spy or such as if they’re being pursued by an entire army or something.

Prologue: If You Choose to Accept It
Planning Montage. Assistant Chief Inspector Stover

The players are not expected to decide every detail; instead they’ll Delft. A local Flinter in his early 40s, Delft gets
spend the next few weeks in a sort of ‘planning montage,’ where squinty and condescending when his authority is
the party’s clever ideas and/or skill checks determine how well the questioned, but he can recognize talent and good work.
party prepares for various challenges and contingencies. Delft chews tobacco, and thinks he looks charming if
To start, show the players the Avery Coast Railroad Brochure he grins while sucking on tobacco juices. He walks with
handout (page 40), and then make sure they know the following a cane because a mimic tore a chunk out of his leg fifteen years ago. He has
key details. a habit of poking inanimate objects with the cane before he gets too close to
1. The train they want to be on leaves Beaumont at 7:30 a.m. on them, and spitting on them when he wants to be extra sure.
the 11th of Winter. It reaches Vendricce at around 5:30 p.m.
on the 16th of Winter. Caius’s meeting is supposed to start on
the 20th. Meanwhile in the News…
2. The party will want to leave for Danor with plenty of time to While the PCs are buckling down on their mission planning, what’s
spare, in case of complications along the way. Delft suggests going on in Flint and the rest of Risur?
the 85th of Autumn, about 50 days from now. • Fire. Scholars throughout Flint weep as the Miller Memorial
3. Delft suggests having the PCs’ ship drop them off in Library burns down. The library, which was built over 400
Beaumont, then sail ahead. The train moves faster than the years ago during the first term of Governor Roland Stanfield,
boat, but due to terrain it would be possible for their ship to contained original copies of some of Risur’s oldest literature,
be in Trekhom when the train is scheduled to arrive on the poetry, and religious epistles. Police authorities blame poor
13th, as a contingency in case things go wrong. It could also construction of the building’s gaslight lanterns, but some found
be in Sid Minos when the party arrives on the 15th. From it suspicious that no adjacent buildings caught fire. The lawyer
there it would still be able to reach Vendricce by the 16th. for of a pair of lizardfolk brothers serving a life sentence in
After that, proceed to the montage, which should progress as a prison for arson delivered a statement on their behalf. Though
collaborative brainstorm. Don’t be stingy with answering their they did not explicitly claim responsibility, they warned that
questions or even suggesting a few elements they might have over- Risur should release them, or else more buildings will burn.
looked. After all, in-game the PCs have much more time to plan • Fireband. Benedict Pemberton, owner of experimental arms
than the players do. manufacturer Pemberton Industries, is on a tour of the nation,
speaking with members of parliament and rich power-brokers
to promote his new book, Behold! Science! In it, he argues that
Mission Preparation the Risur-Danor peace conference scheduled for early Spring
501 could kill the nation’s progress in technological innovation,
Variable Level Skill Challenge. since without the threat of war there will be no motivation for
Key Proficiencies: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, History, research. Critics charge he’s making a veiled push for war with
Perception, Persuasion, Stealth Ber, about which he makes derogatory claims throughout the
Default Difficulty: Unless otherwise noted, all ability checks are book.
DC 15. • Fired! As protests continue in Parity Lake over factory condi-
This challenge has three goals which the party pursues simulta- tions and worker abuses, several owners discharged their entire
neously. Successful ability checks, clever ideas, or good roleplaying workforce without notice and brought in police to arrest as
can count as successes, and the more successes the party has, the trespassers any workers who showed up. The same day, several
better chance they have for victory in their mission. hundred Beran immigrants arrived at Bosum Strand and were
Each goal lists tactics that can contribute successes. Some tac- ushered directly to the factories.
tics are marked with an asterisk (*). These do not contribute to the • Fireworks. The year ends on the 91st of Winter, and that
main pool of successes, but provide alternate routes to success or evening the people of Flint can expect a dazzling display of
make things easier for other checks. It is unlikely the party will fireworks launched from ships in the harbor. Parades are
succeed at all their goals. That’s fine. being organized, including the grand March of Kings, a mobile
• Goal One: Secrecy. costume ball with dancers and all manner of extravagant
• Goal Two: Cover Identities. entertainment. A few small factories upstream of Stray River
• Goal Three: Contingencies. are producing high-quality fireworks, while those in Parity Lake
are under watch to make sure nothing burns down.
Passage of Time. • Ice. Climate researchers at Pardwight University warn that
This montage consists of seven rounds, each roughly a week in extra soot and smoke in the air from the industrial economy
length. Handle events week by week. Like any good montage you’ll will block sunlight, cooling the planet and causing horrible
show lots of things happening at once to remind everyone of what’s winters. A spokesman for Eschatologists of Flint United sent a
going on. With every round show a little improvement, but to show thank you letter to the department, encouraging them to keep
it all will take too long. spreading evidence of the world’s imminent demise.

Large and Small Parties. Six or seven successes are a partial victory; the Obscurati know
For each PC fewer than five in a skill challenge, reduce the number the party is preparing for a sea voyage, so they make various
of successes needed for partial victories and complete victories. For precautions.
each PC above five in a skill challenge, increase the number of suc- Fewer successes are a failure. The Obscurati pretty much know
cesses need by two. the party’s plans — someone blabbed, or a spy snuck a magical lis-
tening device into their office, or they got a member of the party’s
Have each PC choose one goal to pursue, then describe how ship’s crew to betray them.
they’ll attempt to reach that goal. If necessary, use an ability check
to adjudicate whether the PC succeeds. Once all the PCs have had Goal Two: Cover Identities.
their turn, a new round starts. Before going undercover in foreign countries, the PCs need to
make sure their cover identities will withstand scrutiny. Simply
Goal One: Secrecy. showing up and announcing they’re RHC constables will get them
This represents keeping up appearances so that the various spies tossed out of the country or arrested as spies. Some tactics toward
who are watching the party don’t get suspicious, or simply hiding this goal include:
from the spies outright. Sample tactics for this goal include: • Visas, Passports, Miscellaneous Documents. [Dexterity
• Do Busy Work, Leave Fake Paper Trail. [Dexterity (Sleight (Sleight of Hand), Intelligence (forgery kit), Charisma
of Hand), Charisma (Deception or Persuasion)] The PC (Diplomacy)] These items, acquired legally or illegally,
pretends to be on another case, or actually pursues some provide ‘proof’ for the party’s cover identities. This tactic can
minor investigation unrelated to the Obscurati, or files false contribute no more than three successes.
paperwork. If the party gets at least one success this way each • Look the Part. [Intelligence (disguise kit), Charisma (Decep-
week for five consecutive weeks, the party earns two extra tion)] A PC finds appropriate clothes and accoutrements for
successes, because even spies assume the party can’t be faking the whole party, and makes grooming suggestions to aid
it for that long. the disguise. This tactic can contribute no more than two
• Act in Secret. [Dexterity (Stealth)] Alternatively a PC might successes.
arrange a careful system to ensure that no one can get a look • Rehearse Personalities. [Intelligence (disguise kit), Wisdom
at what the party is really up to. This tactic can contribute no (Insight)] A PC can quiz the rest of the party to make sure
more than four successes to the goal, however. they won’t be tripped up by questions, that they don’t answer
• *Locate Spies. [Wisdom (Insight), Charisma (Deception or to the wrong name, and that they all know each other as well
Persuasion)] If the PCs are going to spend their time faking as they should. This tactic can contribute no more than three
effort, they ought to make sure those efforts are actually be- successes.
ing watched by someone. This doesn’t contribute to the main • Finishing Touches. [Intelligence (Arcana, History, or Reli-
pool of successes, but a success on this tactic makes the above gion)] The appropriate skill depends on what cover the party
tactics easier, reducing busy work, fake paper trails, and is using, but a PC could coach the party on topics their cover
actions in secret to DC 13. identity would know.
• *Turn the Spies. [Charisma (Diplomacy or Intimidation)] • Results. A complete victory here means the party not only
This risky gambit can only be attempted after the party has pulled together convincing backstories, costumes, and
locates the spies. One success at this tactic establishes contact documentation, but they’ve had a chance to get comfortable
with the spies. A second success lets the party buy off the with their cover identities. They’ll only be discovered if they
spies. For the price of a bribe worth 1,000 gp, the party con- act overtly out of character (and you as GM should try to
vinces the spies to deliver false intelligence. (The bribe takes remind them before they accidentally do anything that would
the form of various favors and small items, not a single cash break their cover).
payment, though it is counted from the party stipend.)
The risk, however, is that a failure on either skill check What Spies?
spooks the spies, and they report that they’ve been discovered. A secretary in the RHC office, Candace Coman, thinks she’s just
At that point, no matter how many successes the party gets keeping tabs on the PCs for a reporter, but the reporter she’s in
on this goal, they can never achieve a complete victory. contact with is actually Hank Gallager, a spy who delivers his in-
Alternately, after the first check establishes contact with formation to an anonymous proxy in Parity Lake. The information
the spies, the party might try to just kill them. The spies are Gallagher delivers eventually gets to Lorcan Kell’s thieves guild, who
no real threat — equivalent to a handful of low-level rogues– in turn pass it on to the Obscurati.
so the party automatically can take them out, but this Meanwhile a docker named Clark Dunstan watches the party’s
likewise tips off the spymasters that something’s up, so the ship, while an elderly cop named Miggs Maloney looks for chatter
party cannot achieve a complete victory at this goal. about the party from other police officers. Both report to a similar
Results. If after seven weeks the party has eight successes, they get chain of command as Gallager. The only real threat are a trio of
a complete victory; the Obscurati have no idea the party will be Kell-guild thieves—Jessica, Anna, and Emilia—who watch the PCs’
heading to Danor, making their enemies much less suspicious. homes and occasionally tail them.

A partial victory means the identities are hard to pierce, but they Bah! Let’s Start Already!
won’t stand up to close scrutiny. A failure means that their identi- If your players just want to jump into the mission, they can use
ties are just the minimum sufficient to get them into Danor and the following cover identities. Adjust genders, names, and races as
onto the train. If they raise a fuss or draw the attention of the au- needed. Strange races will require more elaborate explanations.
thorities, they’ll have to work to avoid discovery. • Royston Porcher. Veteran of the Fourth Yerasol War, turned
land-owner in the southwestern Risuri province of Blackgap.
Goal Three: Contingencies. Now touring the Avery Coast with his bodyguards and former
Each week a PC can choose to take the necessary steps to prepare war buddies.
for one of the following contingencies. Most of these do not require • Gary Normanson. War buddy of Royston’s.
any sort of skill check to succeed; it’s enough for the narrative that • Tristan Wolfe. Another war buddy.
the player is making plans. Some are harder to get, though. • Scottie Butcher. Mage bodyguard, hired to check for
• Docks and Ports. If the PCs need to sneak in or out of a city compulsions and illusions.
or get contraband delivered, this contingency will ensure • Chet Foster. Foreign manservant.
they have allies they can turn to at the docks of one of the six As for secrecy and contingency, assume the party got a partial suc-
coastal cities along the railroad (Nalaam is in the moun- cess on maintaining secrecy; and give them two “spy tokens.” During
tains). These allies might only number five or six, and they the adventure they can hand over a spy token to get help for one of
won’t fight for the party, but they’ll act as look-outs or do safe the contingencies above, as if they’d planned for it.
favors. The main challenge to this contingency is to arrange
and communicate codes and signals to people across the necessary teleportation beacons (cities without beacons are
sea. After all, the PCs and their allies have likely never met difficult to teleport into or out of, due to latent gold deposits
before. in the ground). A successful check gets a mage in one of those
Each time the party chooses this contingency, they can cities to wait on retainer, ready to teleport the party.
arrange contacts in another city’s port. A character with the These cities’ teleportation beacons are in secure facilities
Docker theme always has a chance of finding friends in port under heavy guard. While foreigners are allowed to enter,
even if the party did not arrange for allies in a given city. they will be questioned thoroughly, subjected to mild
• Enclaves. Each night the train stops in a Danoran-owned divinations, and asked to pay for a teleportation visa if they
enclave with entertainment and lodging. Each time the party do not already have one (at the cost of 500 gp per person,
pursues this contingency, they can arrange for allies in one valid for five years).
of the seven cities along the railroad. As above, these allies • Care Package. [Charisma (Persuasion)] If the party is ca-
won’t fight for the party, but they can be a useful extra set of pable of sending, they can requisition gear from the RHC just
hands. as if they were present in person. After first making an Intel-
• Friendly Passengers. Each time the party chooses this ligence (Arcana) check to get a mage on retainer in Flint, the
contingency, they can arrange for one Allied Passenger to be party will have to convince the RHC’s quartermaster to be
in the coach cars, ready to act when they see the right signal. ready to hand over requested items to the mage. If success-
The stats for Allied Passengers are presented in Appendix ful, the party would be able to cast sending, use the normal
One: The Avery Coast Railroad. Prestige rules to requisition items, and then have the items
• Eyes on the Train. [Charisma (Persuasion)] With a success- delivered via teleportation to the city of their choice. The time
ful check, a PC can arrange for a low-level RHC agent to required would be about 8 hours longer than however much
get a job aboard the train, likely as cleaning or cook staff. If time it would normally take.
the party succeeds a second check they can also get someone Results. After the seven weeks of preparation, make a list of what
hired on to the train’s security detail. contingencies the party planned for. When they run into trouble
• Teleportation. [Intelligence (Arcana)] If the party is not able during the adventure, encourage them to call upon whatever plans
to do so themselves, they might need a mage to teleport them, they made in advance, and try not to say no to reasonable sugges-
particularly if they get thrown off the train and need to catch tions. It’s likely the party will make some plans that are never
up to the next stop. Only Trekhom, Nalaam, Sid Minos, necessary, so if they actually picked the right spot to plan, make
and Vendricce can be teleported into, as they possess the sure to reward them for it.

Act One: All Aboard
T
his act includes the party’s journey to Cachalot.
The party’s ship is being followed by the Cachalot, an experimental
Danor and their train’s travel through Danor submarine powered by both steam and magic. The Obscurati have a
handful of these vessels, and they patrol around Axis Island. Each
and the Malice Lands. is 110 feet long, 15 feet wide, and has a crew of 8 marines and
one magitech engineer. They’re little more than tubes with pumps,
compressed air, and engines, but with the aid of magic they’re fast
Dangerous Waters enough to track any ship in the sea. If threatened they can dive to a
depth of 30 feet and easily slip away. Each also carries two smaller
Exploration. Montage. submersible pods with mechanical arms. They can be used as escape
The party sets sail across the Avery Sea, but their route is watched vehicles, or as delivery devices for spellbombs.
by the Obscurati. The engineer and captain of the Cachalot is a very old Danoran
On the night of the night of the 85th of Autumn, Delft wishes wizard named Glaz du Sang Magie. He specializes in hydromancy,
the party luck, and then they set out aboard their ship (detailed on but has a fascination for ice and steam as well as liquid water.
page 39, Roscommon and Khalundurrin). Any skyseer in the party
notes that one of the golden motes of Urim has disappeared, likely Welcome Party.
devoured by Nem. This heralds a change in fortune, and promises Obscurati mages on Axis Island regularly cast divinations to see if
secrets will be revealed. potential threats might be approaching, but they get lots of false
The ship sets out on a seven-day voyage west into the Yerasol Ar- positives because they’re paranoid. When the party approaches,
chipelago, then north to Beaumont. It’s a well-trafficked merchant they send out a submarine to see if they’re a legitimate threat. If so,
route, and though their ship flies Risuri colors, Danor’s navy is not they have on their payroll various privateer ships in the archipelago
supposed to attack. they can magically contact. The Ob’s actions vary based on how well
On the fourth day, as they near the archipelago, the party might the party handled the Secrecy aspect of the planning montage.
notice a smoke plume following them a mile or two away with a Complete Victory. One of the pods sneaks up and plants a magical
successful DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) check, as if coming from tracking device on the bottom of the PCs’ ship’s hull. The subma-
a steamship. But there’s no sign of an actual vessel. If a PC uses a rine tails them for a day until they get near Danor, where even the
spyglass eventually he spots a small steam pipe sticking five feet out seas are part of the dead magic zone. It reports back to base, and
of the water, emitting the smoke. Just in front of it is a periscope. the Ob perform more divinations. Eventually they realize who the
An Ob vessel tows the Cachalot into position for its subterfuge mission.

Act One: All Aboard
Sightseeing. Naval Combat.

If the PCs take this opportunity to take a look at how things have Escaping the privateers is only possible if the party’s ship has its
developed on Axis Island since they left, warships patrol the waters rudder intact. Even then, it’s a long endeavor. Every eight hours
near it. Should the party somehow get onto the island, they find ex- can each make a DC 14 Dexterity (vehicle [water]) check to help
cavations akin to those at the ziggurats, but on a much grander scale. navigate, aid the crew, trick the pursuers, or perhaps hide amid
Factories have sprung up around the Axis Fortress, assembling hu- the archipelago. If at least half the party succeeds these checks,
manoid constructs for manual labor so that no menial workers will they get a victory. They have to rack up three victories to shake the
be exposed to the island’s secrets. A lake is being drained, its feeding privateers off their tails. If all the PCs fail, it negates one victory.
streams diverted so that in the coming months the giant Axis Seal If the party is already out of victories and then all PCs fail, the
can be unearthed. Security is extremely tight. privateers catch up.
party is and where they’re headed, so they give the Cachalot orders Canis est Carnes
to follow the party’s ship all the way to Vendricce. • 28 privateer crewmembers
Partial Victory. As above, but the Ob also sends two privateer • 2 privateer officers
ships to board the party’s vessel and look for anything suspicious. • Captain Jerrial
This might provoke a fight, but it’s not necessary. Amicus Selachii
Failure. The Ob wants to stop the party now, so they order the • 22 privateer crewmembers
privateers and the Cachalot to attack. • 4 privateer officers
• Captain Auria
Interception. Cachalot
The route through the Yerasol Archipelago gets a bit dicey in a few • 8 Obscurati marines
spots, and every captain has his favored stations of passage. One • Glaz du Sang Magie
such is a steep wooded island called Rivenstone. The trees here
yield soft lumber, good for quick ship repairs but not long-term Each privateer ship individually is an average encounter. Together
shipbuilding. There’s even a large safe cove with sheltering rock they’re a hard encounter. The Cachalot would be a hard encounter,
walls, named Colmarr’s Folly after a gnome ranger who sank his though they withdraw if they don’t win as fast as they’d like, so
ship when he sailed too close and cracked his keel. The wreck lies they’re more like a challenging encounter. If the party is set upon by
split on either side of the cove’s threshold. all the ships at once, it’s equivalent to a very difficult epic encounter.
In the predawn hours of the fourth day of their journey (89th
Autumn), the party’s ship passes near Rivenstone. Any PC with Terrain.
darkvision who is on lookout might notice one of the Cachalot’s If the party has a rudder they can make for the cove, Colmarr’s
pods sneaking up to the party’s ship in the predawn hours by mak- Folly, which presents a bottleneck for the privateers so they can only
ing a DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check. If the pod crew thinks attack one at a time. First the Canis attacks, starting 100 feet away
they’re undetected, they use the pod’s mechanical arm to jam an and closing 40 feet per round until it stops adjacent. The Amicus
enchanted metal spike into the bottom of the ship’s hull; this spike appears 8 rounds later, sailing up alongside the Canis and using
acts as a beacon, making it easier for Cachalot to track the party’s it as a bridge to the party. The Cachalot’s pods flank the party and
movements. Then, if the Ob has ordered a boarding or attack, they attack from the far side. Also, because the cove is only about 20 feet
use the pod’s mechanical arm to detach the party’s ship’s rudder. deep at its entrance, the Cachalot won’t follow because its captain is
If no PC noticed the pod, the party’s crew realizes the rudder wary of getting stuck. Of course, the party might simply get caught
isn’t working within a few minutes, by which point it has drifted out in open water.
away into the night. If the party spots the pod or is wary of sabotage, The Cachalot can detach its side pods, each 15 feet long with a
they might be able to get the rudder and start to reattach it. At best hatch on top. If someone is inside to pilot, they have a speed of 50
they’ll get done just after sunrise, right as the privateers arrive. feet underwater, or 20 feet on the surface.
Tactics.
Battle of Colmarr’s Folly The privateers aren’t particularly clever. Jerrial, who wears bucca-
neer’s breastplate so he can swim safely and walk on water, leads
Action. Tactical. his crew in melee. Auria has two of her crew hold and load spare
Two ironclad privateers attempt to board the party’s vessel, while a muskets for her as she fires from her ship’s forecastle at anyone
submarine lurks nearby. who’s out of reach of the main crew. The officers use their fencing
Two privateer ships — Canis est Carnes and Amicus Selachii — ap- skills to try to dark around and make attacks on weaker opponents.
pear on the horizon and make for the party. Using semaphore, the Aboard the Cachalot, Glaz watches through the periscope. Even
privateers signal for the party to yield to boarding and search. Once if he has orders to attack the party, he’s wary of risking his ship so
the ships reach close range, the privateers prefer to board and force he lets the privateers exhaust themselves first. Then he surfaces and
surrender rather than sink a valuable ship. pops the hatch so he can conjure an ice storm to trap the party’s

Act One: All Aboard
ship. Four marines swim to the ice floe and climb aboard the party’s
ship, while the others pair up in the sub’s pods. Each pod has one
pilot and one man up top, shooting out of the hatch.
If more than half the marines are defeated, or if Glaz feels
threatened, he orders a retreat. As many men as possible pile back
into the sub, and then it submerges.
Privateer Crewmember
Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil
Armor Class 12 (leather armor)
Hit Points 11 (2d8+2)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
11 (+0) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)
Saving Throws passive Perception 10
Skills Athletics +2, Vehicles (water) +3
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Dwarvish Captain Jerrial, Canis
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) Medium humanoid (human), lawful evil
Actions Armor Class 16 (buccaneer’s breastplate)
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 Hit Points 112 (15d8+45)
(1d6+1) slashing damage. Speed 30 ft.
Privateer Officer 18 (+4) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 15 (+2)
Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil Saving Throws str +7, dex +5, con +6
Armor Class 15 (studded leather) Skills Athletics +10, Intimidation +5, Vehicles (water) +8
Hit Points 65 (10d8+20) Senses passive Perception 11
Speed 30 ft. Languages Common
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
15 (+2) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 14 (+2) Brave. Jerrial has advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Saving Throws str +4, dex +5, wis +2 Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when Jerrial
Skills Athletics +4, Deception +4, Vehicles (water) +5 hits with it (included in the attack).
Senses passive Perception 10 Net Master. Jerrial does not have disadvantage on attack rolls with his
Languages Common net from being within an enemy’s reach. In addition, he is able to make
Challenge 2 (450 XP) attacks with other weapons the same round he attacks with a net.
Actions Actions
Multiattack. The privateer officer makes three melee attacks: two with Multiattack. Jerrial attacks twice with his magic trident and once with
their rapier and one with their dagger. Or the privateer officer makes his net or makes three melee attacks.
two ranged attacks with their pistol. Magic Trident. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft. or
Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) piercing damage.
(1d6+3) piercing damage. Net. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 5/15 ft., one target. Hit:
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range If the target is Large or smaller it is restrained until it is freed. A
20/40 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) piercing damage. restrained target or another creature within its reach can use its
Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. action to make a DC 10 Strength check to escape the net. Dealing
Hit: 8 (1d10+3) piercing damage. 5 slashing damage to the net (AC 10) also frees a restrained target
Reactions without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the net.
Parry. The privateer officer adds 2 to their AC against one melee attack Reactions
that would hit them. To do so, the privateer officer must see the Parry. Jerrial adds 2 to his AC against one melee attack that would
attacker and be wielding a melee weapon. hit him. To do so, he must see the attacker and be wielding a melee
Equipment weapon.
Gear. The privateer officer carries a potion of greater healing (heals Equipment
4d4+4 hp). Gear. Jerrial carries a potion of greater healing (heals 4d4+4 hp).

Act One: All Aboard
Captain Auria, Amicus REACTIONS

Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that the Obscurati Marine can
Armor Class 16 (studded leather) see hits them with an attack, they can use their reaction to halve the
Hit Points 75 (10d8+30) attack’s damage against them.
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Glaz du Sang Magie
10 (+0) 18 (+4) 17 (+3) 13 (+1) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) Male humanoid (human), lawful neutral
Saving Throws dex +7, con +6, wis +4 Armor Class 17 (mage armor, ring of protection)
Skills Acrobatics +7, Athletics +6, Deception +4, Insight +4, Perception Hit Points 130 (20d8+40)
+4, Sleight of Hand +7, Vehicles (water) +7 Speed 30 ft.
Senses passive Perception 14 STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Languages Common, Elvish 8 (-1) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 10 (+0)
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Saving Throws Dex +7, Wis +5, Cha +4
Brave. Auria has advantage on saving throws against being frightened. Skills Athletics +2, Arcana +6, Insight +4, Perception +4
Cunning Action. On each of her turns, Auria can use a bonus action to Senses passive Perception 14
take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action. Languages Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Sylvan
Deadeye. A firearm deals one extra die of its damage when Auria hits Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
with it (included in the attack) and Auria ignores any cover but total Cold Training. By spending a bonus action when he casts a spell that
cover when attacking with a firearm. deals damage, Glaz can change the damage the spell deals to cold.
Evasion. When Auria is subjected to an effect that allows her to make Focused. Glaz has advantage on Constitution saving throws made to
a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, she instead takes maintain concentration on a spell.
no damage if she succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage Sculpt Spells. When Glaz casts an evocation spell that affects other
if she fails. creatures that he can see, he can choose a number of them equal to
Actions 1 + the spell’s level. The chosen creatures automatically succeed on
Multiattack. Auria attacks twice. their saving throws against the spell, and they take no damage if they
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range would normally take half damage on a successful save.
20/40 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4+4) piercing damage. Spellcasting. Glaz is an 8th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is
Musket. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 40/120 ft., one target. Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). He has the
Hit: 17 (2d12+4) piercing damage. following spells prepared from the wizard’s spell list:
Reactions Cantrips (at will): light, ray of frost, shocking grasp, true strike
Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that Auria can see hits her with an 1st level (4 slots): burning hands, color spray, magic missile, shield,
attack, she can use her reaction to halve the attack’s damage against thunderwave
her. 2nd level (4 slots): blur, flaming sphere, invisibility, protection from
arrows, scorching ray
Obscurati Marine 3rd level (3 slots): dispel magic, fireball, protection from energy, slow,
Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral water breathing
Armor Class 15 (chain shirt) 4th level (2 slots): fire shield, ice storm, wall of fire
Hit Points 39 (6d8+12) Actions
Speed 30 ft. Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20/40 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) piercing damage.
13 (+1) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) Cold Blast. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one
Saving Throws dex +5, con +6, wis +3 target. Hit: 14 (2d10+3) cold damage.
Skills Athletics +4, Perception +4, Vehicles (water) +5 Equipment
Senses passive Perception 14 Gear. Glaz carries a ring of protection.
Languages Common, Elvish
Challenge 1 (200 XP) Aftermath.
Frost Bullets (10, 1/turn). The Obscurati Marine’s pistol attack deals If the party prevails, they sadly can’t do much with the extra ships,
cold damage instead of piercing damage. though if they do manage to seize the Cachalot they might decide
Actions to trade up to the more advanced vessel. Glaz begs for mercy if de-
Multiattack. The Obscurati Marine attacks twice. They can only attack feated, and offers to give the party information about the Obscurati.
once per round with their pistol. He doesn’t know much they aren’t already aware of, but he can give
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. them an idea of what’s happening on Axis Island, and might even
Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage. be willing to lie to the Ob via sending, telling them both the PCs’
Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. ship and his own sub sank, but that he found his way to an island
Hit: 7 (1d10+2) piercing damage. and does not need rescue.

Act One: All Aboard
If the party is defeated and the GM wants to salvage the rest of announce that the railroad has proven that Danor can accomplish more
the adventure, perhaps have them taken to Beaumont as prison- with intelligence and manpower than most nations can accomplish with
ers, where they’d have a chance to escape. They’d probably have to mystical secrets and genuflecting to gods.
board the train as coach passengers, but they’d still have a chance. The train hisses and steam spurts from its edge, casting a white haze
If the GM thinks the PCs might enjoy owing a favor to the fey, they over the platform and obscuring some of the other passengers waiting
might be rescued at sea when the privateers are attacked by merfolk here. There is a whistle, and a man waves at the crowd, welcoming you
agents of Beshela, the archfey who appeared briefly in the first ad- aboard. He wears a brilliant red and yellow sash emblazoned with the
venture as an ally of Duchess Ethelyn. symbol of the Avery Coast Line: a pair of train tracks, woven in an infin-
ity symbol.
Entering Danor The waving man is the train’s conductor, the amiable and boisterous
Xorin Marchand, and when he realizes the party is traveling first
Social. Montage. class he beams at the chance to impress them. He offers to per-
Arriving in Beaumont, the party has a few days to get settled before sonally escort them to the rear of the train. Porters can take their
the mission. luggage, and the whole group boards onto the lavish first class din-
A ship riddled with cannon holes will raise a few eyebrows in the ing car, Car 19, while the crowd of coach passengers waits in line.
port of Beaumont, but luckily the Obscurati do not have allies ev- Xorin introduces the party to Kov Marik the first class chef and
erywhere, so the party can get into the city easily. A customs agent Doris Gavagne the piano player, then escorts them to their suite
and his security staff briefly check the party’s documents, then wel- in Car 17. While the porters deposit their bags, Xorin encourages
comes them to Danor. them to enjoy a complimentary breakfast in the dining car. The
The PCs should get lodgings appropriate to their cover stories, party might decline Xorin’s tour so they can better watch who else
and they might fill their time by visiting the local military academy boards the train, and he won’t press the matter.
Lamar University, attending an opera, or taking in a burlesque
show. The city is smaller than Flint, with a thicker stench of indus- Exploring the Train.
try hanging in the air, but it’s full of people like any other. Most The coach cars are about half-full with workers, and the second-
dislike Risuri, but they’re hardly a faceless enemy nation. class rooms are also about half-full with businessmen. Only one
Very little magic works in Danor, and so the city lacks any of the other suite in first class is occupied. If the party brings their tickets
tiny magical flourishes found in every civilized part of Risur. But with them they have free run of everything from Car 10 on back,
perhaps the biggest shift is the climate. Just a couple hundred miles but the crew ask everyone to be in their assigned spaces when the
north of Flint, Beaumont has no shelter against frigid arctic winds train departs, to make sure they have an accurate count.
blowing south. While it hasn’t begun to snow yet, the temperature Among the hundreds of people on board, there are about forty in
drops near freezing at night, weather unheard of in Flint. the second class rooms, and a family of four in the suite next to the
party’s. Of the former, only one makes an immediate impression.
Needle in a Haystack Bree.

Brianne Kaldeckis, called “Bree,” boards in a fairly sour mood, and
Social. Real-Time. if asked, she may confess that she has a friend who was supposed to
As hundreds of people board at the western terminus of the railroad, board with her, who is now missing. Though she has a seat in Car 16,
the party looks for suspicious characters. she sits in the first class lounge car, looking for Caius. She knows
Boarding: Bree, the Griento family, the PCs. his mission was secret, though, so she won’t give away many details.
On the morning of the 11th of Winter, the party’s train is set to She’s not terribly talkative, and if pressed tries to steer conversa-
depart at 7:30 a.m. (See map opposite and Appendix 1, page 33.) tions to generic topics like travel and weather. Talking about the
war does get her interested, and she’s excited to hear how it looked
The elaborate architecture of Beaumont’s Western Station looms over from “the other side.”
you: seemingly drooping, heavy with stone depictions of the celestial
bodies. Behind you, imposing in its vastness, a giant marble clock face The Grientos.
some twenty feet in diameter gives accurate time down to the second. A family of four Beran half-orcs is on board the Avery Coast line,
Brass numbers dictate the passage of each moment, an exacting feat of riding it from one end to the other as a sightseeing trip. They are
engineering that Danor has exported to most of the world. the Grientos, and behave very much like an archetypal tourist fam-
In front of you is another of Danor’s marvels: the Avery Coast train, ily. They are also very “new money,” traveling in a first class that
a great behemoth of black iron, still somehow appearing sinuous as it they are fairly inexperienced at handling gracefully. They board the
stretches into the distance in front of you. Windows stud its length, and, train, and take up residence in the first class lounge, in awe of their
at the far end, gray smoke belches out of the smokestack of the locomo- environment. The husband, Damata, is particularly excitable and
tive. This is the marvel that is said to have tamed the Malice Lands, and chatty, and he tries to strike up conversations about engineering,
it is working to unite the continent into one grand economy. Brochures but hems and haws if anyone brings up sightseeing.

Act One: All Aboard

Act One: All Aboard
If the PCs haven’t already noticed, Tarro the son makes a fuss Shortly after the security check, the clock tower outside the sta-
about Bree’s arm scars. Ejeka the wife apologizes and tries to get tion booms out a tune on the half hour. There is a great snapping
the boy to drop the topic, but Bree just smiles calmly and tells Tarro hiss heard throughout the train, and the behemoth vehicle lurches
that if his sister’s arm ever gets cut off, he should hold onto it in case into action, metal squealing and clicking. The party can feel the
they can sew it back on. This excites Tarro the son to no end, and train accelerating, slowly but steadily hauling its tons of cargo and
causes Dabo the daughter to shriek. Damata becomes stricken at passengers up to speeds unmatched except by magic. Beaumont
the thought of his children being hurt. glides past, and soon the scenery of pastoral Danor is flying by at
60 miles an hour.
Last Check.
At 7:25 (a.m. and p.m.) train security guard Malia Baccarin makes
a pass through the first class and second class sections, checking Keskay
to make sure everyone’s in their right section and no rabble snuck
in from coach. The beautiful, dark-skinned woman stands out in Social. Montage.
Danor almost as much as the family of half-orcs. More suspects board at the city of Keskay.
Malia makes an offer to any men in first or second class, as well Boarding: Elanor and Isobel, Verzubak, Boone.
as women (like Bree) who look tough. She asks if they’ll be staying The train stops about once an hour at different small cities, wait-
with the train on to Trekhom. If so, it’s traditional for distinguished ing just 10 minutes for people to board or disembark. No one else
guests to enjoy a ‘safari’ of sorts in the Malice Lands. They sit on the boards on first class, but the ranks of second class and coach shuffle
roof of the train with muskets, and with the guidance of the train’s gradually through the day. If you need help fleshing out impromptu
security personnel they can shoot at any malice beasts that come at social interactions between the PCs and these unimportant passen-
the train. Malia’s ulterior motive here is to figure out who might gers, see Filler NPCs (page 35).
be a threat when her brigand allies attack in the Malice Lands. If The train stops in the agricultural hub city of Keskay at 11:17
anyone’s interested, she offers to acquire fine rifles when they’re in a.m. Outside the windows the party can see people gathered on the
Cherage, for the low price of 100 gp apiece. See the Arms Dealers landing, and amid a crowd of unassuming human workers and busi-
sidebar in Act Two for details. nessmen, four people stand out.

Act One: All Aboard
Big Pimping. Night in Cherage

The people attracting the most attention on the Keskay stop are a
pair of travelers joined at the wrists by ornate bracelets of gold. One Social. Real-Time.
is Elanor Yanette, an immense woman, well-dressed in a flowing It’s much harder to keep an eye on suspects when they all get off the
silken gown, with a constant expression of disdain on her jowls. She train for the night in the capital of Danor.
escorts a figure wrapped from head to toe in black fabrics, such that The train arrives in Cherage at 5:38 p.m. A few minutes later
it’s impossible to tell if it’s a man or a woman. Even the eyes are hid- another train, heading west from Orithea, pulls up parallel to them.
den by dark gauze. This is Isobel, an eladrin woman who was raised Both park for the night.
by a Danoran family and has just turned twenty. Elanor is taking
her to Nalaam, where she’ll fetch a stunning price as a trophy wife. Fifteen minutes outside of Cherage, the train guard Malia asks everyone
Elanor leads Isobel, and the gazes of hundreds of curious onlook- to please return to their seats to keep an eye on their personal effects.
ers follow them. The two board; while their luggage is taken to a The enclaves are always busy, she says, and it’s easy for thieves to hop
suite in Car 18, they head straight for the first-class lounge. Elanor on board in the commotion and nick unattended valuables.
demands food. Isobel sits across from her and says nothing. Occa- The majestic capital city of Cherage looms on hills around the train
sionally she starts to hum, but Elanor slaps her hand to silence her. station, casting deep purple shadows in the light of the setting sun.
Isobel eats only food Elanor brought along, which is laced with Already lights are beginning to turn the city into a shining wonder of
drugs that dull the senses and willpower. She’ll be allowed to sober wealth and prosperity. The hills shield the city proper from the smoke of
up in Nalaam, to be presentable to buyers, but Elanor can’t have its inland industries, but you can still smell soot on the wind.
her valuables running away. Elanor keeps Isobel veiled to hide that The conductor and various security staff have repeatedly reminded
she’s an eladrin woman, and forces her to wear multiple gold rings you of Cherage’s curfew for visitors, often pointing out tall buildings
and necklaces so she can’t teleport. She never lets Isobel leave her that show the scars of old fires. Because the Workers’ Riots a gen-
sight, and won’t blink to kill anyone who tries to steal from her. eration ago nearly burned the city to the ground, now only those few
citizens with proper passes are allowed to travel between city districts
Lady’s Man. after sunset. But you are welcome to enjoy the fine dining and enter-
Another object of interest is Olivert Boone, a tall, refined-looking tainments of the rail enclave.
tiefling, dressed in a long leather coat, underneath which he wears
an ostentatious red-velvet vest. His horns sprout through a rough Cherage is the capital of Danor, built on several hills around a
hat that he wears to shield his eyes from the sun. He smiles charm- bay. Streets are lit by gas lamps that reflect off the high windows
ingly at the two lovely, high-class looking women who have draped Cheragans are so fond of. Different districts are separated more
themselves around his shoulders. Once he has stowed his luggage by elevation and architecture than by actual walls or gates. Police
(in Car 14), he makes straight for the common food car (Car 13). have the authority to ask for identity papers of anyone, and if you’re
He proceeds to buy drinks for the two dozen people there, flirts found outside your “home district” at night, they’ll arrest you. The
with some women, and then heads to the first class lounge (Car 19), party’s train tickets count as a permit for the railroad enclave,
grinning at the jealous anger of his two lady friends. which consists of a few city blocks ringed by a 20-foot wall. The wall
is more of a reminder than a blockade: it has many gaps, holes, and
Well, That Was Lucky. unlocked gates that those determined to break curfew can use to
Verzubak Tantalovich, a bleary-eyed and richly dressed dwarf, get into the rest of the city.
boards in the coach section (Car 10), then makes his way through The enclave itself has one cheap hotel for coach passengers and a
crowded aisles to his seat in Car 15. As he is passing through the fancier hotel the party will stay in, located on opposite sides of the
common dining car, there is a small outcry: a man has choked on a train tracks. A handful of cheap bars, one fancy bar, two theaters,
small nut and died. The PCs might investigate or learn later that the four restaurants, and a somewhat conservative dance hall cater to
dead man was armed with a hidden, poisoned dagger, and he had passengers, staying open well past midnight. Other buildings of
a portrait in his pocket of a dwarf that sort of resembles Verzubak. note include a police station, the office of the city’s transportation
The death is an accident. Verzubak jostled the man in passing, authority, and a few touristy museums.
causing him to choke, but it was not intentional. The dwarf is just The PCs are welcome to sleep in their suite on the train, but most
that lucky, thanks to the power of a pair of magic dice he uses. The everyone else goes to the hotels.
power is subtle, but it protects him even in Danor’s dead magic zone.
Getting Into Trouble.
Secret Mission. The various suspicious passengers go about their own affairs at
Bree, Boone, and Verzubak all note each other, but don’t interact. night, and the party might decide to follow one or split up to keep
Someone hanging out in the first class lounge who makes a very tabs on multiples. See the Tailing a Suspect skill challenge (page 8)
good DC 20 Wisdom (Insight) check can tell that the dwarf is ig- for guidelines.
noring the others a bit too studiously, but Boone and Bree are good The enclave police are equipped to deal with mundane threats,
enough liars not to give any tells unless the PCs engage them in not highly-trained spies and spellcasters, but when the party gets
close conversation. into trouble they can call for reinforcements — enough men with

Act One: All Aboard
carbines and pistols should be sufficient to get even PCs to stand sling insults, slurs, and half-full bottles at the foreigners. The group
down. If the party just comes quietly, the cops will let them go for a claims that all Berans are savages, especially the orcs, and that they
small bribe (10 gp apiece). If the party fights back, they might end deserve only to be enslaved for their own good. Damata attempts to
up tossed in an oubliette and held until the Danorans figure out herd his family away from the belligerents, but his daughter Dabo
their secret identity. starts crying and runs straight at them (in orcish culture, girl’s
Should the party raise red flags but escape, or if they piss off temper tantrums tend to be aggressive). If the party doesn’t inter-
the wrong people, the next morning the police come on the train vene, Dabo gets savagely beaten and kicked before she can be pulled
and insist on searching the party and confiscating any weapons or away, and Tarro receives a black eye after biting one of the militia
magic items they find, calling them evidence. They happily explain members’ ankles.
that the party is free to stay in town and file the proper paperwork If the party intervenes, the militia members aren’t a real threat
to have the items returned to them after the investigation is over. (use the standard statistics for Guards), but a scuffle will draw at-
Of course, the same goes for other travelers, so the party’s sus- tention of the police, who’ll side with the militia.
pects aren’t eager to start a fight.
Elanor and Isobel.
The Grientos. Elanor meets with two Cherage town guard after disembarking the
The family go to a few children-friendly buildings in the enclave, train, and an hour later, after she gets settled in her hotel room,
with Damata listing off interesting factoids about construction, en- they return with a travel permit to a wealthy district. She heads
gineering, and mathematics to educate his children (“these arches out, with Isobel in tow and the guards as protection, and eventu-
are fascinating constructs, each one using only gravity, placed on ally comes to a rather opulent manor house high upon a hill. She is
a single keystone to keep the entire building erect!,” “This build- greeted warmly at the door, and is welcomed inside.
ing was constructed in the early age after the Great Malice, by a Her host, a high-ranking bureaucrat named Bucher Monmarl,
governor who wanted to pay homage to his dead wife, whose stone flatters Elanor and adores Isobel, hoping to curry favor so some day
portraiture makes up the columns…,” etc.). he might benefit from the woman’s fleshmongering. A few more
As the family returns to the hotel, however, they cross paths with guests arrive and share a small banquet. Getting a close look would
a group of drunken militia members who are traveling coach. They be very tough, but it would yield the purpose of Elanor’s trip.

Act One: All Aboard
The Bodyguards. Perhaps ten minutes later, Bree finishes her drink and leaves
Bree, Verzubak, and Boone travel independently but act in concert. discreetly. She takes a different route out of the enclave, using an
They all get rooms in the fancy hotel, and then stagger their de- official travel pass to get past the guards. But then she takes a path
parture. The plan is for Boone to go to leave around 8 p.m., being that goes right past Boone’s alley. If anyone followed her, and man-
flamboyant, flirting with women in the hotel lobby, and overall at- aged to get out of the enclave, Boone tries to disrupt their pursuit
tracting attention. He heads to the ‘cheap’ hotel, where he convinces when they come past by stumbling into them, pretending to be
a 16-year-old woman to come with him to the enclave’s fanciest bar, drunker than he is, and threatening to challenge them to pistols at
L’Wabe du Fonne. Five minutes behind him, Bree leaves her room dawn. This distraction gives Bree a chance to shake the party, and
and heads to the same bar. Verzubak, who has been sitting in the counts as one failed “keeping up” check.
hotel lobby fiddling with dice and a notebook, watches both people If the PCs aren’t simply following the same streets Bree takes,
to see if anyone follows them. Then, five minutes later, he goes to Boone won’t spot them. He’s busy, after all.
the same bar.
If the PCs follow either Boone or Bree, Verzubak notices them if Bree’s Rendezvous.
their “Stay Hidden” check (see Tailing a Suspect, page 8) does not Bree goes to a carriage depot and hires a ride. In the post-curfew
beat DC 18. If they are trying to Stay Hidden from Verzubak, they streets of Cherage, following her will be challenging, but she goes
only have to beat DC 14. to the Sovereign’s mansion even if she knows she’s being pursued.
The bar is busy enough that the trio can all spend time there More and more police roam the streets as the party nears the
without crossing paths. Bree nurses a drink, Boone chats up this capital district where all the major government buildings are. The
evening’s lady, and Verzubak plays the stereotypical Drakran dwarf, Sovereign’s mansion itself has a wide, flat lawn surrounding it, and
drinking, buying drinks, and laughing at people’s jokes. He plays a numerous soldiers guard the walls.
lot of dice, losing mostly, but winning big once to recoup his stake. Getting this close ought to yield enough information, but there
At 9 p.m., Verzubak booms out a toast that quiets the room, of- is almost no chance the party will be able to follow Bree to the ac-
fering to buy a round if everyone will listen to him for just a minute. tual meeting. The grounds of the mansion are studded with stones
His toast is a signal to the other two. gathered from Methia, the former capital of the old holy empire of
• If he saw no one following either: “To those we trust in, and the Clergy, abandoned after the Great Malice. These stones nullify
to those who earn our trust. May alcohol forever help bring magic entirely, with the one exception of tieflings’ infernal wrath
us together!” power. Spellcasters might be able to scrape by elsewhere in the
• If someone was following Boone: “To adventure, and never country, carrying their own mana with them, but here they are
waking up in the same town twice. Or at least not in the powerless.
same bed!” Inside the mansion, Bree meets with Luc and Ottavia, who did
• If someone was following Bree: “To the owners of this fine not know about her or Caius. Sovereign Han Jierre, who is one
establishment, who will soon be taking a lot of money from of the heads of the entire Obscurati and knew Caius, makes the
me. You give us drink; we give you this toast!” connection and tasks Bree with helping keep Luc safe on his jour-
• If both Boone and Bree were followed: “To the train, which ney. They spend the next few hours discussing plans, and then Bree
unifies this continent, and to all the lovely people aboard it heads back to the rail enclave.
who will be sleeping off their hangovers tomorrow!”
• If he personally is being followed: “All of you care so much Extracurricular Activity.
for free drinks that you’ll listen to a foreigner ramble on, so I After Bree passes Boone, he feels his job for the evening is done.
suppose I must toast myself! To Verzubak Tantalovich!” (This He takes his lady to an even more secluded spot, then stabs her
one elicits laughing boos.) through her heart. He takes her hair and uses it as a brush to coat
If Verzubak suspects the PCs of following him, Boone, or Bree, he his demonic pistol, then spends a few minutes disemboweling her.
approaches them right after this toast and buys them a drink, then He stretches her limbs spread-eagle, places her liver in her right
suggests they play a game of dice. This lets his accomplices know hand, her heart in her left, then pulls her intestines into a ring
who to look out for. After that, the dwarf’s job for the night is done. around her. When he’s finished he walks away, and slowly the blood
He keeps a wary eye out for clues, but mostly just tries to help every- coating him is absorbed into the pistol, turning the metal crimson.
one have a good time. At 11 p.m. he joins a small crowd who head It slowly fades over the coming day.
out to watch a burlesque show. If the PCs won’t give him privacy, he abandons his plan, and is
surly the entire next day as the demon in his gun urges him to kill.
Sneaking Out. If interrupted during the act, Boone flees frantically, trying to
A few minutes after Verzubak’s toast, Boone suggests he and his hide his face. If cornered or if he knows he’s been identified, he
young lady friend should find some place private. Boone offers some fights back. If he gets away, though, he makes a point of finding
high-spirited shouts to the other beautiful women around the room, a police station and reporting that he was attacked by a group of
but then he and his friend leave the bar and head out of the rail thugs, led by a man with spiky white hair. He claims the woman
enclave. They sneak through one of the gates, avoiding any guards. he left the bar with was taken, and he was left in an alley. The cops
Then they stop in an alleyway and have some private time. eventually find the woman’s body, and assume Boone is just a victim.

Act One: All Aboard
If he is not interrupted, Boone returns to his hotel and sleeps New Passengers.
soundly. The next morning there’s talk about a woman brutally As the party gets back aboard, they notice Malia the train guard
murdered in the night, but no one links her to the tiefling gun- followed by a pair of men carrying a huge chest marked with the
slinger. Boone will repeat this procedure every night throughout logo of a prominent gun manufacturer. These are the rifles she’s
the journey until he’s caught. He’s careless on the first night, killing acquired for the safari. She orders the men to load them into the
someone he’s been seen with, but from then on he picks up strang- first class lounge car’s supply room.
ers and performs his ritual sacrifice with somewhat more discretion. Just then a tall handsome man with a briefcase strapped to his
Eventually, if the PCs don’t manage to catch Boone first, Bree wrist by a leather cord — Cardiff Hengehill — pushes through the
figures out what he’s been doing and tries to punish him. That’s crowd, grabs Malia by the arm, and drags her aside for a private
detailed in the scene Three Milestones (Act Three). conversation. She shakes free of his grasp, but remains professional
as she quietly tells him she’ll give him a letter later with details on
Mister Mapple. the meeting she has arranged. Cardiff walks off to Car 14 without
At some point later in the evening, perhaps as the PCs are return- a word.
ing to their hotel room, a grinning man darts past them, apparently A bit later, a very unusual pair arrives at first class: a flat-faced
enjoying himself. The shabby-looking gentleman wears nothing but tiefling man with an air of boredom about him walks arm-in-arm
a long coat with patches and holes, and he smells pungently of bath with a sternly beautiful elf woman. Geometric tattoos are visible
oils. Four enclave guards chase after him, but the stranger is faster. along her hands and neck, and any PC that succeeds on a DC 12
It takes only a few moments for him to sprint to the bridge over Intelligence (Religion) check recognizes as marks of an oracle of
the train tracks and jump down onto the train, not even breaking the Clergy. They are both dressed in quite high fashion, and their
stride. He tumbles and rolls to the far side of the train, out of sight. luggage is carried on by private servants. Onlookers are abuzz with
This is Andrei von Recklinghausen. If the PCs inquire, they speculation about them.
learn that the man came to the front counter of the hotel, intro- Elanor Yanette recognizes Luc Jierre, and gossips loudly that
duced himself as “Mister Mapple,” and asked if anyone was staying he has a reputation as something of a shut-in, since he hasn’t been
in the top floor Mayoral Suite. When he learned no one was, he seen in town for a few years. The woman, she opines to anyone who
walked outside and was spotted climbing up the side of the building is still listening, is clearly a bought bride, and she insinuates that
(he had pants on at that point.) she would have arranged a better pairing.
It took half an hour for the hotel to decide to send people up, Just before Luc and the elf woman get on the train, the woman
and they found him bathing in the suite’s tub. He shoved his way (Ottavia) waves her hands in very precise gestures. Luc pauses, re-
past the guards with ease, and actually seemed to take it slow on sponds with a few gestures of his own, and the woman laughs. She
the stairs down, like he was enjoying being chased. The cops figure makes one more volley of hand signals, and then Luc thanks the
there’s no use looking for him now. porters, stuttering, “Th-th-the lady s-s-says th-th-thank you.” Then
Mister Mapple, for his part, sneaks onto the train, steals some they head for their suite in Car 18.
clothes from random people’s luggage, and heads for Car 6. He peels In the very unlikely situation that a PC understands Crisillyiri
open the wooden paneling on a box of silver religious artifacts that sign language (it’s only recently been developed), Ottavia asked if
has a lot of cloth padding. He shifts the contents into other boxes Luc was nervous, and he said that he’s ridden the train plenty of
and crates, then uses the box as his bed. He sleeps with one eye open. times. If the party was hoping to eavesdrop, they’re out of luck.
Across the Border.

Into the Malice Lands Throughout the day the party can cross paths with other guests in
the lounge car. The train goes through a city every hour or so, until
Exposition. Montage. finally at 4:51 p.m. it reaches a station at the base of a hilltop fort.
The railroad heads into an inhospitable region of wild magic. This marks the border between Danor and the Malice Lands. Nu-
Boarding: Cardiff Hengehill, Luc Jierre, Ottavia Sacredote. merous soldiers disembark, leaving the coach section fairly empty.
Once again, the train is set to leave at 7:30 a.m. First- and second- A boisterous band greets them, creating a festive atmosphere for a
class passengers can have porters bring their luggage down from few minutes before the train moves on.
the hotel. If the party got into any trouble the night before, the The air tingles and seems to shift temperature and humidity
police might show up around 6:30 a.m. to question them and search based on one’s emotions (hence why the fort tries so hard to keep its
their suite. Conductor Xorin is aghast that his first-class travelers troops spirits up). Outside the train, the terrain south of the track
might be inconvenienced, and so he can manage to keep the party is a bog with jagged rocks rising out of it; to the north is a flat sheet
out of jail as long as they don’t fight back. of ice with cactuses sticking out of it.
If Boone was unmasked, he tries to sneak back aboard the train. Malia the train guard comes through and reminds people that
He’s taken a ton of precautions, so unless the party explicitly keeps while magic can work, because of the risks it poses they must insist
an eye out for him around the cargo cars, he manages to stow away that none be used until the train reaches Orithea. An assistant with
on board. Once he gets to Orithea he’ll buy an illusory disguise and her begins moving all the clocks on the train forward one hour.
pick his mission back up where he left off. They’ve entered a new time zone.

Act One: All Aboard
Safari Time! Then you enter the Danoran-operated rail enclave, and it’s all per-
Malia starts rounding up people who were interested in shooting at pendicular and parallel lines. The layout here is the same as every other
malice beasts. She hands out rifles to those who are interested, then nightly stop, with one fancy hotel, one common hotel, and plenty of en-
leads people up to the roof of Car 19. Malia’s comfortable walking tertainment. But there’s no curfew like in Cherage, and out there await
up top, but she suggests everyone else sit down and plant their feet the oddities of Orithea, this one safe oasis in the Malice Lands.
on the lip along the edge. If anyone falls, the train can stop, but the
conductor will be furious for being made late. Orithea’s city center is smaller than Cherage, but dozens of idiosyn-
The train slows to a leisurely 20 miles per hour (150 feet per cratic suburban farming towns surround it. Once you get outside
round). This afternoon’s safari will be brief — the train’s schedule the rail enclave there are a few places that tourists tend to gather.
can only spare about half an hour — but tomorrow they’ll have a cou- A series of high towers on hills north of the city give spectacular
ple hours. A keg of beer and pitchers of hot spiced cider are provided views of the constant aurora, and the Night Market near the docks
to make for a pleasant experience even if no monsters show up. is full of crafters hawking their wares and spellcasters promising
Feel free to choose a few creatures with appropriate challenge safe rituals in the dim orange-green light.
ratings, mostly natural or elemental beasts, and “monsterize” them In the enclave, the entertainment is much tamer than in Cherage.
with wretched malformations. Some just loiter a few hundred feet Lounge singers backed by strings and pianos are popular; one the-
away. Some heard the train coming and roar as it rolls past, or ater puts on an elaborate puppet show. A museum tells the history
charge after it, trying to leap onto its side and climb up. Malia just of the Malice Lands, with a prominent exhibit presenting relics of
laughs, confident people in and on the train are safe. the first “Malice State,” Pala, founded by the philosopher William
Miller shortly after the Great Malice. Daring travelers can sign up
Shooters. for an overnight trek outside the stable zone, to ruins north of the
In addition to any PCs who get involved, Bree, Boone, Cardiff, and city, which are seeded with kitschy fake relics of a “lost civilization.”
both Damata Griento and his son Tarro want a crack at the mon-
sters. Cardiff transfers the cord of his briefcase to his ankle instead Law Enforcement.
of his wrist, so it won’t bother his shooting. Malia and four other Standards are much laxer in Orithea than Cherage, and the city
train guards also have rifles, but they don’t shoot unless a monster is more welcoming of weirdoes and foreigners. If the party causes
looks like it might be an actual threat. trouble and gets caught, the city doesn’t want to hold onto prisoners
After the group fires off a few dozen shots, people spot a figure if it can just ship them out, so the party will be held overnight, then
standing atop Car 6, shouting at them and waving a crowbar in the escorted to the train by a large complement of guards who ensure
air in frustration. This is Mister Mapple, whose afternoon nap was the group leaves town.
ruined by all the racket. The PCs should be able to recognize his
coat. A few guards go to try to get him down, but he ducks back into The Grientos.
one of the cargo cars and hides. The family takes in a puppet show until 8 p.m., then heads to a high
tower near the center of town — not as good a view as the north hill
towers, but a safer spot to watch the aurora. Plus, there’s a restau-
Aurora over Orithea rant. Dabo claims to be a vegetarian, and Tarro ends his meal early
to crawl beneath the table, but by and large the night is uneventful.
Exploration/Social. Montage. Damata leaves a hefty tip after the meal, and has a romantic dance
As the train stops for the second night, the party can observe suspi- with Ejeka (much to Dabo and Tarro’s disgust).
cious movements of the enemy.
The train arrives in Orithea at 6:04 p.m. The train coming from Elanor and Isobel.
Trekhom has already arrived. Elanor leaves the hotel at 7 p.m. for the Night Market, Isobel as
always at her side. Unbeknownst to her, Mister Mapple follows her,
The evening sky is streaked with the brilliant colors of gold, violet, red, and the party might cross his path if they’re also watching Elanor.
and blue. More than just a sunset, the heavens warp and change the Other shoppers give Elanor a wide berth. She visits a small
sun’s light into an aurora, painting the sky with streaks of iridescent, apothecary that deals in potions of charm and domination, where
chaotic color and ribbons of ethereal light. she purchases a few. On her way back to the rail enclave, Mister
Like the day before, fifteen minutes outside of Orithea the train Mapple steps into her path and tries to engage Isobel in conversa-
guard Malia asks everyone to please return to their seats to keep an tion, reciting a love poem about a troll and a princess, all the while
eye on their personal effects. The enclaves are always busy, she reminds ignoring Elanor. Isobel is too dazed to respond coherently. Mister
you, and it’s easy for thieves to hop on board in the commotion and nick Mapple tries to pull aside the veils covering her face. Elanor reacts
unattended valuables. by reaching for her spell components, but Mister Mapple grabs her
As you roll into Orithea you can spot people mingling atop the odd wrist and squeezes. He asks if she’s willing to risk fighting him
wobbling spires that rise above so many of the buildings in this city. here. Elanor screams for help, playing on the idea that she might be
Almost no structures have straight edges. Out on the coast, even the a helpless old woman. At the sudden attention, Mapple backs away,
beam cast by a lighthouse seems to curve on its way out to sea. then runs, leaps, and clambers up to a rooftop, out of sight.

Act One: All Aboard
Cardiff. Reactions of Luc’s Crew.

Cardiff takes a carriage to a very luxurious restaurant on top of The bodyguards try to use the same tactic every night to prevent
one of the aurora observing towers, called Brilliance. He lets it be Luc and Ottavia being followed. If one of the bodyguards is unavail-
understood that he spends profligately and tips generously, and he able—most likely Boone—the others follow as much of the plan as
uses this to get a window seat, where he orders a fine steak and possible. If two of them are out, the one remaining bodyguard just
dines completely alone. tries to keep watch and slow down pursuers.
During his leisurely meal, Cardiff studies a Dwarven phrase- If the bodyguards notice the party following once, they’ll be
book, and he seems to be preparing for a business meeting. Cardiff suspicious, but they don’t immediately conclude the party is spy-
leaves the restaurant shortly after his meal, and goes to one of the ing on them. If the PCs are spotted more than once, though, the
fancier inns in town for the night, but not one inside the enclave. bodyguards will look to Ottavia for guidance. Using the Obscurati
He is never without his briefcase. guideline of maintaining secrecy first, she will tell everyone to stay
as close to the train as possible and do nothing that will give the spies
Malia. any more information. Luc will ask the conductor to contrive a ruse
Malia lingers at the train as many of the other militia members that will make the party vacate their suite and catch the next train.
depart. When they ask her to attend, she confesses that she’s wor- If that still doesn’t work, they’ll simply wait patiently until the train
ried about some of the freight, and is staying behind to check up on has passed Nalaam to eliminate the threat (as detailed in Three
it. She searches the cargo cars and eventually spots Mister Mapple’s Milestones in Act Three).
little nest in the box that once held silver church icons. Malia does If the PCs ever directly attack Luc’s bodyguards, all who are pres-
not report the disturbance. ent defend each other with lethal force. Survivors will demand the
She heads to the Night Market. She makes contact with an old PCs be thrown off the train or arrested. Note that while it might
witch who offers potions and trinkets. Malia knows the witch, make sense for Luc to just leave this train and catch the next day’s,
though, and the two of them leave for a nearby inn, where they de- doing so will cause the party to miss out of most of the side plots
scend to a basement. Malia pays 75 gold pieces for the witch to use that resolve in Nalaam.
sending to contact brigands in the Malice Lands. Tomorrow those If the PCs are sufficiently discreet, though, Luc’s crew won’t sus-
brigands will rob the train. pect anything until Ottavia receives a sending in Trekhom.
The message is, “Train arrives at nine. Four guards at front. Six
guards at caboose, eight hundred feet back. Target car six. Bar- advice on a few bars in the area. Then they too head out, Luc car-
ricade six hundred feet from monster.” rying a large case that contains his lantern. They pass Boone, who
Afterward, Malia goes to the Effervescent Cup back in the en- keeps an eye out to see if anyone’s watching them. Then Verzubak
clave, where she meets her fellow train guards. follows from the hotel.
At the bar, once again they use toasts to signal whether they’re
Mister Mapple. being followed. In addition to the ones before (see page 25), they
The stowaway has become intrigued by Isobel, whom he sees as a also use:
prisoner. His romantic streak manifests in a stalker-ish way, and he • If Verzubak saw Luc and Ottavia followed: Verzubak toasts,
follows her and Elanor to the Night Market, as mentioned above. “To meeting strangers, and realizing that you only want to
After Elanor gets him to back off, he flees back to the enclave, kill about half the people you meet!”
climbs the outside wall of the hotel and breaks into Elanor’s hotel • If Boone saw Luc and Ottavia followed: Boone toasts, “I
suite. He finds one of Elanor’s bags of drugs and alchemicals to dull don’t want to detract from my own great time, but I just want
the mind, and he concocts a plan, which he’ll enact in Trekhom. everyone to raise a glass to my fellow tiefling. He looks a little
nervous being out of Danor, so let’s show him a good time,
Luc’s Crew. ah? Cheers!”
Boone, Bree, and Verzubak repeat the procedure from the night
before, with just a few adjustments. After everyone gets settled in Sneaking Out.
their rooms, Bree goes by their rooms and Luc and Ottavia’s room. As in Cherage, Boone sneaks out with his lady friend. He plants
She slips a note under the door, explaining what route she wants himself in a spot on the way to the Night Market. Ten minutes later
that particular person to take, but she makes no mention of the Bree departs and heads for the docks, where she pays a handful of
others, so that the letter won’t by itself reveal they’re all working dockers to do her a favor, then sits and watches the aurora over the
together. sea.
At 7:30 p.m., Bree goes to the Effervescent Cup. Shortly thereaf- Finally Luc and Ottavia excuse themselves and head out. They
ter, Boone picks up a lady from the fancy hotel and hangs out with take a route past Boone, into the Night Market, then to a carriage
her on the route between the hotel and the bar — they make out on depot. They hire a carriage for the evening and head to the docks,
the bridge over the train tracks. past Bree, toward the city’s lighthouse.
Verzubak waits behind, playing dice with one of the enclave If anyone is following them to the Night Market, Boone will
guards and writing mathematic equations in his notebook. Luc again do his “stumble and get angry” trick to slow the pursuers.
and Ottavia go to the concierge desk, and Luc stutteringly asks for If the party follows them to the docks, Bree has her hired dockers

Act One: All Aboard
delay the party by dropping and shattering crates in the road just
after Luc and Ottavia’s carriage goes by. If the party’s in a carriage
of their own, they won’t be able to get through the mess and will
have to detour around it.
Once Bree’s confident Luc and Ottavia are not being followed,
she rendezvouses with them at the lighthouse.
Boone’s Next Murder.

After his job is done, Boone takes his lady to an inn, sleeps with
her, then slips out. He finds a random woman of the evening, takes
her to an alley, and ritually sacrifices her to his pistol, just like in
Cherage. The next morning, people again are talking about rumors
of a second grisly murder, which leads to suspicions that the killer
might be on the train.
Luc & Ottavia.

Luc and Ottavia follow Bree’s plan to avoid being observed, but
their ultimate goal is to present Luc’s invention to a local Obscurati
cell leader in Orithea. They meet on a small spit of land that juts
into the harbor, at a small support building adjacent to the city’s
lighthouse, where a crowd of 20 armed guards greet their carriage.
Inside, a wealthy architect named Hanse Randall watches Luc
show off his lantern, and then magic-using assistants ask ques-
tions about how it works, how to recreate it, and how to scale it up
to lighthouse size. During the course of these questions, a small
accident occurs. The wild magic of the Malice Lands causes the
lantern to surge with excess power while burning oil infused with the swamp’s fog, engineer Steeg sees the barricade and pulls on
the essence of Mavisha. At exactly 10:14 p.m., every fire in the city the brakes. Just as Malia predicted, the train manages to stop 100
is transformed into water, leaving the city lit only by the aurora. feet from the barricade. The monster will spring from the swamp
Simultaneously, a patch of sea around the lighthouse bursts into and attack the middle and rear of the train, giving the bandits easy
flames for a moment. access to the freight cars at the front of the train.
People in Orithea treat this sort of oddity like people living near
a fault line would react to a minor earthquake. There’s caution, but Great Train Robbery.
no one’s too worried. As the train is passing through a fog-filled swampy region, the train
lurches and its brakes begin to screech. Everyone on the roof must
make a DC 11 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or fall off the side of
The Screaming Malice the train. Those already seated are safe. The train travels 200 feet
before stopping.
Action. Tactical. Just as the train screeches to a stop, a deafening chorus of roars
Train robbers strike while a towering monster distracts the guards. sounds from the fog. The screaming malice rises from the swamp
The train leaves Orithea at 7:30 a.m. The complement of first- north of Car 10 and attacks.
class suites stays the same, and no one of consequence boards in • 1 screaming malice
second class. As in Cherage, if Boone is on the run, he sneaks on • Rodinn, Malice bandit captain
board in coach. • 8 Malice bandit riders
As soon as the train’s out of Orithea, Malia invites interested • 9 Malice beast steeds (treat as warhorses)
parties back up onto the roof of the lounge car for another round
of shooting at helpless malice beasts. The same group as before Terrain.
shoots — Bree, Boone, Cardiff, Damata and Tarro Griento (Car- The encounter is roughly divided into a swamp section to the west
diff again attaches his briefcase strap to his ankle instead of his and a desert section to the east, with the train running eastward
wrist) — plus 6 of the train’s guards. The terrain changes rapidly, through them. At the start of the encounter, Cars 1 to 8 are in
and creatures obediently show up and die. This goes on until 9 a.m., the desert, Cars 9 to 19 are in the swamp. The boulder barricade
when a gang of brigands spring their surprise. the bandits set up is 50 feet east of the locomotive (Car 1). This
They have laid a huge barricade of logs and explosives atop the barricade is just an illusion, created by the bandit leader Rodinn.
rails east of the edge of a swamp, which is home to a horrible psychic Clever PCs might notice that the nearby terrain of swamp and des-
monster called a screaming malice. When the train emerges from ert would not suffice to provide enough boulders.

Act One: All Aboard
The screaming malice appears north of Car 10. The assumed • Round Two. Malia yells for the other guards to go help, and
course of events is that the PCs make their way down the train to says she’ll make sure the first-class passengers are safe. She
the screaming malice, then fight it off, save passengers from its climbs down into the lounge car. Bree and Boone meet gazes,
spawn, or rush onward to the locomotive, to get the train moving. and she nods downward, implying they need to protect Luc.
Use the timeline below to keep track of what happens up until when • Round Three. Damata drags his son down the ladder, and
the PCs intervene in a particular location. heads into Car 18, shouting warnings as he runs to get
his family in Car 17. Bree also climbs down, and she stops
Timeline. outside Luc and Ottavia’s suite, banging on the door. Boone
Front of train. heads to the connection between Cars 17 and 18, keeping an
• Round One. Bandits ride in. Chief guard Vodyarika Lerkem eye on the monster. Verzubak and a lot of other people flee
leads 3 other guards to the locomotive. from the second class suites toward the rear of the train.
• Rounds Two to Five. Bandits jump their steeds onto the The above people stay at these locations until the end of the
locomotive. They dismount and fire pistols while the steeds encounter, unless the PCs get them to move.
claw and bite. They kill one guard per round. Guards knock The other six guards start to nervously approach the
out one bandit each round. Engineer Steeg surrenders. screaming malice along the train’s roof. Cardiff grabs four of
• Round Six. Bandits stabilize their wounded, who remain as the rifles discarded by Damata, Boone, Bree, and Tarro, and
rear flank. he follows the guards.
• Rounds Seven to Ten. Bandit captain and four bandits • Rounds Four to Eight. Cardiff and the guards advance one
remount and ride to Car 6. car every two rounds, eventually stopping at Car 16.
• Rounds Ten to Twelve. Bandits shoot Mister Mapple, who • Rounds Nine to Twelve. Cardiff and the guards fire at the
tries to drive them off. He’s left for dead, but will regenerate. screaming malice. They deal a combined 24 damage per
• Rounds Thirteen to Twenty. Bandits steal items of value from round to it.
Car 6. • Round Thirteen. With the monster only one car away, Cardiff
• Rounds Twenty-One to Thirty. If no one from rear of train is and the guards run back toward the end of the train.
approaching, bandits quickly grab valuables in Cars 3, 4, and
5. They ride away as soon as they see trouble approaching. See the table below to track how many spawn and casualties there
Middle of train. are, and how much damage the guards have dealt with their rifles,
• Round One. If any characters are near the front of the train, when the PCs finally engage the monster. Make a note of how many
they may see a lump rising in the black, swampy water below casualties there are in this fight; it will affect the party in the en-
the bridge. The tumescent growth rises, brackish water cas- counter Three Milestones (Act Three).
cading off of it, revealing something slick, black, and tarry
reflecting the dim sunlight. Something like a tentacle shoots Malice Spawn Casualties
suddenly out of it, smashing through the windows of Car 10. Round Malice Location # of Spawn Casualties
Other tendrils — actually long necks capped by amorphous, 1 Car 10 0 0
reptilian heads — rise up and begin to scream. 2 Car 10 2 0
• Round Two. The head in Car 10 detaches, and the neck 3 Car 11 2 2
pulls back out. A new head regrows. The original head, still 4 Car 11 4 4
screaming, splits apart into four whip-tailed drakes called 5 Car 12 4 8
malice spawn. These begin to kill the passengers. 6 Car 12 6 12
• Rounds Three to Fourteen. Each round, the screaming 7 Car 13 6 18
malice moves about half a car-length toward the back of the 8 Car 13 8 24
train. On odd-numbered rounds the malice reaches a new 9 Car 14 8 32
car, then smashes through windows with its head. Every even 10 Car 14 10 40
numbered round it detaches the head, creating new spawn. If 11 Car 15 10 50
not stopped, it reaches Car 16 in round thirteen. 12 Car 15 10 60
• Round Fifteen. The screaming malice withdraws into the 13 Car 16 10 70
swamp, and its spawn leave the train. They’ll merge with 14 Car 16 10 80
their original body, and thus feed the malice. 15 Departs 10 80
Rear of train.
• Round One. People see the screaming malice rise up. The Tactics.
guards are dumbfounded. Tarro Griento screams, and Malia The screaming malice feeds on intense emotions, and the ban-
feigns terror as well. Cardiff detaches his briefcase from dits lured it to this swamp with a ritual and a sacrifice. When it
his ankle, considers attaching it to his wrist, but decides he senses the unease of the passengers on the train (due to the sudden
needs both mobility and free hands to shoot. braking), it approaches to eat. Its screams acts as a psychic aura

Act One: All Aboard
The Suspects.
If the PCs think to check on the NPCs during this encounter, here’s
what they’re doing:
• Luc and Ottavia stay locked in their suite in Car 18.
• Bree guards Car 18.
• Boone waits on roof between Car 17 and Car 18.
• Verzubak heads for Car 19.
• The Grientos stay in Car 17, arguing over whether to hide or Screaming Malice
run. Gargantuan aberration, unaligned
• Elanor and Isobel stay locked in their suite in Car 18. Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
• Mr. Mapple fights off bandits, gets shot and left for dead, Hit Points 232 (15d20+75)
regenerates. Speed 30 ft.
• Cardiff leads train guards to shoot the monster. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
• Malia waits in Car 19, trying to keep passengers from fleeing 22 (+6) 6 (-2) 20 (+5) 2 (-4) 11 (+0) 5 (-3)
into the swamp. Saving Throws con +9, cha +1
Skills Perception +8
to heighten people’s emotions, and its spawn wreak havoc inside Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, prone
the train, causing panic and capturing actual flesh (terror is a fine Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 18
apéritif, but flesh and blood are the main course). Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
When the PCs get within its field of view, or if any PCs attack Malice Spawn. Whenever a malice spawn is destroyed, the screaming
it or its spawn, it is attracted by the rare taste of heroism. The malice takes 10 damage.
malice spawn break off from killing passengers, and they rush Many-Headed. The screaming malice has five heads, each of which
the party — some through the train cars, others along the top. The occupies its own 10-foot square. When the malice moves it can move
screaming malice itself closes in and tries to bite and fling whoever its heads to any space within 25 feet of its body. The heads are part
is dealing the most damage to it. It does not move adjacent to the of the malice, and so share its AC and hit points. Effects that inflict
railroad, though, since the rigid metal injures it (the attacks of the conditions or force movement can affect a head, but each head
railroad guards are not substantial enough to get its attention since tracks its conditions separately. The screaming malice can only make
the guards are as frightened as the passengers). attacks (including opportunity attacks) against creatures adjacent to
The bandits try to flee before the party reaches them, but if forced one of its heads.
into a fight the riders form a defensive group as they withdraw to Truly Gargantuan. Once the screaming malice reduced to 155 hp or
their steeds, while their leader Rodinn unleashes illusions in an less it flees, as do all its spawn. The screaming malice is immune to
attempt to buy them time. conditions and cannot be affected by any sort of forced movement.
Its heads do not have this same immunity, however.
Aftermath. The screaming malice has disadvantage on attack rolls against
There are few wounded, but likely many are dead. Malia, upon see- creatures adjacent to its main body.
ing the carnage, withdraws from everyone, shocked because she Vulnerable to Order. The malice beast’s flesh withers at the touch of
expected the bandits to use a monster as a distraction to rob the the railroad. If its body or one of its heads starts its turn at ground
train, not to actually kill people. Captured bandits know they had level adjacent to the train, the screaming malice takes 10 damage.
an ally on the train, but only Rodinn knows the ally was Malia. Actions
The surviving guards inspect the barricade and realize it’s an Multiattack. Screaming Malice makes five head bite attacks.
illusion. Engineer Steeg nervously starts the train moving, and the Head Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target.
illusion disappears when the locomotive comes into contact with it. Hit: 13 (2d6+6) piercing damage.
During the rest of the trip to Trekhom, Conductor Xorin makes Produce Spawn. When there are 10 or less malice spawn created by
his way through the train, checking on people and asking if they the screaming malice it can detach one of its heads in place of making
saw anything that might be useful for the formal investigation into an attack. The area the head occupied becomes four new malice
the attack. spawn. The head regrows at the end of the malice’s next turn.

Act One: All Aboard
Malice Spawn Rodinn, Bandit Captain

Medium aberration, unaligned Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Armor Class 16 (mage armor)
Hit Points 22 (3d8+9) Hit Points 104 (16d8+32)
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft. Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 8 (-1) 16 (+3)
Saving Throws wis +3, cha +2 Saving Throws dex +6, cha +6
Skills Stealth +6 Skills Acrobatics +6, Deception +9, Insight +2, Perception +5, Stealth
Damage Immunities poison +6
Condition Immunities disease, charmed, frightened, poisoned Senses passive Perception 15
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception xxx Languages Common
Challenge 2 (450 XP) Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Actions Cunning Action. On each of his turns, Rodinn can use a bonus action
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
(1d6+2) slashing damage. Evasion. When Rodinn is subjected to an effect that allows him to make
a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, he instead takes
Malice Bandit no damage if he succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage
Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil if he fails.
Armor Class 15 (chain shirt) Sneak Attack. Rodinn deals an extra 21 (6d6) damage when he hits
Hit Points 39 (6d8+12) a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll,
Speed 30 ft. or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Rodinn that isn’t
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA incapacitated and he doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
13 (+1) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) Spellcasting. Rodinn is a 4th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability
Saving Throws dex +5, con +6, wis +3 is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). He has the
Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +4, Perception +4, Sleight of Hand +5 following spells prepared from the sorcerer’s spell list:
Senses passive Perception 14 Cantrips (at will): acid splash, dancing lights, mage hand, minor
Languages Common illusion
Challenge 1 (200 XP) 1st level (4 slots): detect magic, mage armor, magic missile, shield
Actions 2nd level (3 slots): enlarge/reduce, suggestion
Multiattack. The Malice Bandit attacks twice. They can only attack Actions
once per round with their pistol. Magic Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. or range 20/40 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) piercing damage.
Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage. Acid Ray. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one
Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. target. Hit: 17 (4d6+3) acid damage.
Hit: 7 (1d10+2) piercing damage. REACTIONS
REACTIONS Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker Rodinn can see hits him with an at-
Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that the Malice Bandit can see hits tack, he can use his reaction to halve the attack’s damage against him.
them with an attack, they can use their reaction to halve the attack’s
damage against them.

Appendix 1:
The Avery Coast Railroad
R
ail travel has only been around for a few Bad Economics.
Normally the benefit of rail travel is that it allows easy transporta-
decades in Danor and even less time in the tion in directions not serviced by sea lanes or rivers. In the United
States, for instance, the Mississippi River was an early boon to trade
other nations along the Avery Coast line. The promise in its watershed, while the Transcontinental Railroad ran perpendic-
ular to the river, connecting the east and west ends of the country
of easy trade and travel convinced countries that once and starting a massive economic integration.
The Avery Coast Railroad, however, mostly hugs the coastline.
viewed Danor as an enemy to let Danoran engineers, Drakr already had its own network of railroads under construction
by the time Danor proposed this international route. The only safe
businessmen, and even soldiers into their lands. In ev- waystation in the Malice Lands was Orithea, which is coastal, limit-
ing their options for connections with Drakr. The designers decided
ery town and city along its route, Danor owns small that rather than trying to create the most useful railroad, they would
make it the most visible. Rather than creating opportunities for new
enclaves with housing and dining for long-haul guests. towns to spring up, it runs through major existing cities.
Now that people are becoming comfortable with their presence,
Though most of the employees of these enclaves are Danor is letting the various border states use their own money to
hire Danoran experts to build additional branches of the railroad.
locals, each station is run by a very visible tiefling
effect on the wild magic, and the railroad’s crack militia can handle
coordinator. Tickets are purchased in Danoran coins any threat with a pulse.
The railroad has seven major enclaves along its route. Each en-
(helpfully provided by moneychangers), and this is clave is roughly 500 miles from the next, and the train stops at a
different enclave each night. After twelve days of travel, the train
slowly making international merchants comfortable returns to Beaumont where it is taken out of service for a day for
thorough cleaning and maintenance.
doing business in Danoran currency. • 1st Enclave: Beaumont, on the west coast of Danor.
• 2nd Enclave: Cherage, the capital of Danor.
Route. • 3rd Enclave: Orithea, the only stable city in the Malice
The trip from Beaumont to Vendricce (see the map on page 4) takes Lands.
six days, and each evening the train stops at a major city as a waysta- • 4th Enclave: Trekhom, the capital of Drakr.
tion. To minimize the risk of rail damage, derailment, and banditry, • 5th Enclave: Nalaam, an independent city state run by
the train only runs during daylight hours. To traverse the 3,000 mages in the mountainous border states between Drakr and
miles and keep its schedule, the train reaches speeds as high as 60 Crisillyir.
miles per hour, unmatched by any other vehicle in the world. • 6th Enclave: Sid Minos, an island on the coast of Crissilyir.
In total a dozen locomotives operate on the railroad at any given • 7th Enclave: Vendricce, a forested border-city in Crissilyir.
time, enough so that each day a train reaches each station going in
both directions. Depots between major stops store replacement lo- The Train.
comotives and train cars in case of damage, but daily maintenance Refer here for names of key train staff and the disposition of secu-
has kept such failures low. For the three years of its operation the rity. Key staff include:
railroad has only had a handful of major delays. Travelers can count • Engineer Steeg Leon
on a train coming to their city, headed in either direction, every • Conductor Xorin Marchand
day, and so the Avery Coast Railroad has earned one of its slogans: • Vodyarika Lerkem, head of the train’s militia
“Always on Time.” • Grason Wasson, guard between second class and first class
The other popular slogan, “Taming the Malice,” is perhaps the • Kov Marik, chef in first class
railroad’s greater achievement. The Malice Lands lie between Dan- • Doris Gavagne, piano player in first class
or and Drakr, in the territory where magic works occasionally but • Malia Baccarin, guard liaison for first- and second-class
erratically. Creatures mutate readily into monsters and inconstant • 8 miscellaneous attendants who keep the place clean, work as
magical energies conjure bizarre weather. The presence of so much waiters, and respond to minor trouble
iron in such a regular construction seems to have a stabilizing • 9 miscellaneous militia guards

Appendix 1: The Avery Coast Railroad
heavy industrial equipment for a steelworks, bound for

Vendricce. That car has a contingent of five militia members,
who occasionally check on the other freight cars whenever
the train stops.
If the PCs check the other cars, their contents vary day
by day, but might include quite a bit of preserved food, some
expensive Danoran fabrics, some casks of fine Trekhom
ale, and several tomes of history and the arcane. Between
the Freight Cars and the Common Cars, a militia member
named Vodyarika keeps stern watch.
Mister Mapple stows away in different cars each day.
• Cars 10–12 — Common Cars: Also known as the “sardine
cars,” these cars have seating for 36 people, but are usually
crammed above capacity. Each car has two lavatories at the
rear.
• Car 13 — Common Food Car: A car serving nuts, dried
fruits, and jerkies, with six tables set up in it. A militia man
and two attendants work here, and a small private room
often hosts train staff for brief breaks. The common food car
is a frequent destination for families from the common and
second class cars, as well as anyone who just needs to stand
up and stretch.
• Car 14–16 — Second-Class Cars: These cars have five rooms
with seating for six apiece, slightly more spacious leg-room,
and minor furniture. Each car has a restroom at front and
back. A militia member named Grason stands guard between
the second-class cars and the first-class cars.
Bree has a seat in Car 16, Verzubak in Car 15, and Boone
in Car 14. Cardiff sits in Car 14.
• Cars 17–18 — First-Class Personal Cars: These luxurious cars
If any staff are injured or killed, they will be replaced the next time have two suites, each with beds for five people, a small com-
the train stops for the night. mon room, and a private restroom with standing shower.
Treat militia members as guards armed with rifles and bayonets The party has had one suite rented for them in Car 17. The
(when a bayonet is fixed, the rifle can be used as a spear). The mi- Grientos have the other suite in Car 17. Luc and Ottavia have
litia might shuffle a bit during the day at different stops, and there one suite in Car 18; Elanor and Isobel have the other.
are too many for everyone to know each other. Overnight, enclave • Car 19 — First-Class Lounge: The “caboose” of the train, the
security guards watch the train, and in the mornings the train’s First Class Lounge is a richly-appointed bar. There are plush
militiamen are a bit lax when it comes to checking their work. seats, wide windows, and a piano for entertainment. Portraits
The layout of the train the PCs take, from front to back, is as of the magnates of the Avery Coast line adorning the walls.
follows (see the map of the train cars on page 21): A server and chef named Kov staffs the bar here, and cooks
• Car 1 — Locomotive: This is where Engineer Steeg runs most meals. An old woman named Doris performs cheerfully
the train. Conductor Xorin also stays for the majority of the on the piano, but has a good read of the crowd’s mood and is
train’s trip. They are usually guarded by two militia members. never a bother.
• Car 2 — Fuel Car: The fuel car carries enough fuel for two
days’ worth of travel, but it is refilled at each nightly stop. Terrain Elements of the Train.
Because Danorans cannot refine firegems themselves, and A fight may break out on board the train itself. In these combats,
because the Malice Lands do odd things to the crystallized there are benches, chairs, pianos, bars, and other bits of furniture
fire, the train runs on actual coal between Beaumont and the party may interact with.
Trekhom. From Trekhom to Vendricce, the train uses fire- • Taking Cover. Most of the cover on the train is not large
gems instead, as they are cheaper than coal. A single militia enough to fill an entire 5-foot square. However, a creature
member here helps shovel fuel for the engine. can spend a bonus action to take cover behind an adjacent
• Cars 3–9 — Freight Cars: There are five freight cars. At each object, such as by ducking down behind a bench, leaping
stop, various pieces of freight are loaded and unloaded by behind a bar, or scurrying under the piano. They gain the
teamsters in each town. The frontmost car is loaded with benefits of cover against ranged attacks coming from the

Appendix 1: The Avery Coast Railroad
other side of the object (half, three-quarters, or total cover at throw or fall prone and be pushed 5 feet in the direction the
the GM’s discretion). train was traveling.
• Travel Between Cars. To pass between cars one must open a A character with the technologist theme can easily
first door, step across a 5-foot platform with just a knee-high understand the machinery of the locomotive. Any other
railing, then open a second door to enter the next car. In character must make a DC 15 Intelligence check as an action
combat a character would have to spend a bonus action and to figure out how to accelerate, decelerate, or apply the
the Use an Object action. emergency brakes. After a successful check, the character no
The doors remain open unless someone closes them by longer needs to make a check for that action.
hand.
• Outside the Train. Moving along the top of a train car while Filler NPCs.
it is in motion requires a DC 8 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check The party is likely to talk to a lot of NPCs. If you don’t want to tip
or else the creature falls prone at the start of their movement. them off by naming only “important” NPCs, here’s a quick roster
A creature must make the same check if it takes damage of filler folk for the second class section.
while standing atop the train. • Alexi Mohrbacher. A Drakran human returning home after
The windows and decorations along the sides of the train selling magical implements to Danorans who want to be able
cars provide plenty of handholds. Climbing along the side of to use magic. It’s a solid business because the goods never last
the train requires a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. more than a few months.
It’s quite safe to sit atop the train’s roof, since a sturdy lip • Bethany Cousineau. A Danoran tiefling on a private errand
provides a good foot rest. A creature seated and braced in for her family.
this way counts as prone, but can use crossbows and firearms • Charon Chevrolet. Old man taking a vacation from his goat
without penalty. Militia members typically sit on the roof of farm to see his grandchildren.
a train car while in the Malice Lands, the better to shoot any • Dan Boyene. A Danoran traveling ophthalmologist, with a
malice beasts that attempt to attack the train. suitcase full of eyeglasses.
• Driving the Train. Normally the train travels at 50 to 60 • Emile Davion. A lieutenant in the Danoran military travel-
miles per hour (250 to 300 feet per round), but an operator ing with five soldiers who are enrolling in the Woodruff
in the locomotive can safely accelerate or decelerate the train, Memorial Martial University in Cherage.
changing its speed by 10 feet per round, to a maximum of • Ford Zugoksy. A minor Danoran politician going to a fund-
800 feet per round. The train can also move backward at a raiser in Cherage.
maximum speed of 100 feet per round. If the train makes a • Giles Bonhomme. A nervous musician who constantly holds
turn at a speed above 700 feet per round, the train operator his trumpet case to his chest.
must make a DC 15 Intelligence (vehicle [land]) check or the • Herbert Nembillion. A tall blonde duelist going to Nalaam to
train derails. fight in the arena.
An operator can also apply the emergency brakes, • Jacques Labelle. A fat sea captain who has to go to Cherage
decelerating the train by 100 feet per round (from its to file an insurance claim.
cruising speed to a halt in 3 rounds, or from its full speed to • Kipana Swansdotter. A college professor from Nalaam who
a halt in 8 rounds). Applying the emergency brakes causes was doing experiments on how magic decays in Danor.
any creature on the train to make a DC 13 Dexterity saving • Leroy Flowers. A man on the run after he murdered his wife.

Appendix 2:
New Magic Items
Amulet of the Impeccable Spy. Focused Severance Technique.
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) Wondrous item, rare
The side of this amulet that faces outward is just a bland copper Characters with the Martial Scientist theme who witness Lya
disk dotted with silver studs, but on the reverse is an inward-facing Jierre use this technique and later acquire her martial thesis, Field
eye. While wearing it, you are aware when your Charisma (Decep- Study of Melee Effectiveness and Foe Debilitation through Focused
tion) or Dexterity (Stealth) checks fail to conceal your motives or Limb Severance Techniques Contrasted with Mainstream Oppor-
movements from observers whom you are aware of and whom you tunistic Techniques, can learn this technique.
can see. Whenever you hit a target with a melee weapon that deals slash-
In addition, you can cast disguise self (DC 12). The amulet can’t ing damage and the target has fewer hit points remaining than
be used this way again until the next dawn. your level, you can attempt to remove a limb. The target must make
a Constitution saving throw (DC equal to the damage of the attack).
Butcher’s Girdle. On a success, the target loses an extremity of its choice — hand, foot,
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) arm, or leg. On a failure, you choose which extremity the target
A normal girdle keeps your belly in the shape you want. This belt loses. Creatures without extremities are unaffected.
does that for your whole body. If one of your limbs becomes severed, Special. If you are wielding a razorburst weapon, such as the one
you can move and control the limb as if it were still fully functional. Lya Jierre owns, add double its magical bonus to attack and damage
Whenever you move more than 5 feet, the limb can fly up to its to your level to determine the HP threshold of this ability.
speed (maximum height of 30 feet), though it must remain within
100 feet you or else it falls inert. You can use your severed limb to at- Hands of Heaven and Hell.
tack as normal. If the limb shares the same space as you, you can use Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
a bonus action to reattach it to your body, restoring full function. These arm-length fingerless gloves are infused with the pugilist
In addition, you can intentionally sever your own limbs with a training of the Clergy’s elite godhands, and tainted by the light-
blade as an action. This does damage to you equal to one-quarter ning tongue of a demon. While you are wielding these specially
your total hit points. A missing leg effectively makes you prone ordained brass knuckles, once per round when you hit a creature
(even if you can stand up, you can’t balance well enough to fight at with an unarmed strike you may pummel it or another creature
full effectiveness). adjacent to you, dealing 1d6 points of electricity damage. Each time
you pummel this way, the hands of heaven and hell gain one charge
Demonic Weapon. counter, which lasts until the end of the encounter.
Weapon (any), very rare (requires attunement) When the hands of heaven and hell have at least six charge coun-
Though no visual trait betrays its nature, this weapon is frighten- ters, after your next successful melee attack with them you gain a
ingly warm to your skin. As you touch it, for a moment you feel like number of temporary hit points equal to the amount of damage the
your hand it submerged in fresh blood. The sensation passes, but attack dealt.
you cannot help but long to feel it again. When you hit a creature
with less than half its total hit points, the weapon deals an addi- Lucky Dice Ki Focus Thoughts.
tional 1d4 fire damage per points of proficiency bonus you possess. Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
When you first touch the weapon, if it does not have a living Keep these two six-sided dice in your pocket. They’re good luck.
wielder it instantly attunes to you. The first time each encounter If you have a ki pool, the size of your ki pool increases by 1. When
you attempt to draw or retrieve any item, if you are not already you roll these six-sided dice, the result can be any number you
holding the weapon, you draw the weapon instead of whatever you want. Numbers outside the range of 2 to 12 will be quite suspicious,
intended to get. however.
Once per day you must kill a sentient being and smear the weap- Special. If you want to bring the idea of the character owning
on with its blood. If you do not, you suffer a cumulative –1 penalty special dice to your gaming table, have the player owning this
per day to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma ability checks due magic item choose one d20 they own. The player must only ever use
to the gun whispering into your mind, compelling you to feed it. If the chosen die for attack rolls. No one but that player may touch
this penalty exceeds your Wisdom score, you are driven mad and that die. Once per session if the selected die rolls badly, they’re al-
kill yourself with the weapon. lowed to make a “cleansing” re-roll to get the bad numbers out. If
The weapon cannot be destroyed as long as it has a living wielder. the owner violates these rules, they must set aside the offending die
The curse can be removed by the remove curse spell or greater magic and replace it.
(which requires using the weapon to kill a pregnant she-goat sub-
merged in holy water).

Appendix 2: New Magic Items
Razorburst Weapon. radius), or to turn off. It is fragile and has only 10 hit points (AC 13).
Weapon (any), very rare The lantern’s greater powers require special fuel — oil that has
Pairing Drakran magic and Danoran science, this weapon’s been attuned to a particular plane by steeping it in some item at-
blade is edged with hovering, jagged teeth that glint in the light. tuned to that plane. Typically this is some form of meteorite that
Upon activation these teeth saw back and forth in a keening blur, has been ground to dust. An ounce of this oil burns for 5 minutes.
liable to sever something vital. When you use this weapon to dam- Each ounce of oil is effectively a consumable item of uncommon,
age an enemy that has fewer hit points than double the weapon’s rare, or very rare rarity. The level, based on how much meteor dust
bonus to attack and damage (minimum 1) the weapon shrieks as its the oil contains, determines the strength of the effect. A given
bladed teeth saw back and forth, a mechanism unspooling near the ounce of oil must be attuned to a specific plane.
hilt. The target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = dam- You can use an action to fill the lantern with oil and light it. The
age dealt by the attack). On a success, the target loses an extremity lantern either affects everything it illuminates or only creatures
of its choice — hand, foot, arm, or leg. On a failure, you choose that are specifically targeted. To specifically target a creature you
which extremity the target loses. Creatures without extremities either need to be able to see it when you light the lantern, or the
are unaffected. creature (or its gear or domicile) must be marked with an arcane
A severed arm or hand prevents use of anything that a target was sigil prior to lighting the lantern. Targeted creatures that leave the
holding or carrying. A severed foot slows the target. A severed leg area of the lantern’s illumination are no longer affected, but they
renders the target prone. will be affected again if they return to the area.
The lantern’s effects extend 50 feet in every direction, ignoring
The Wayfarer’s Lantern. even total cover or concealment. A creature with total cover or
Wondrous item, artifact (requires attunement) concealment has advantage on saving throws to resist the lantern’s
The eight-faced cap of this lantern depicts symbols of seven plan- effects because the light is not actually touching them, but the
ets and the sun. Eight brass arches beneath contain a light that magic can pass through solid objects.
glows without flame, held contained without glass. As the light Choose an effect below appropriate to the oil’s planar attun-
touches you reality seems to shift. You can use a bonus action to ad- ement. Each round targets must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC
just the lantern to shed dim (25-foot radius) or normal light (50-foot equal to the level of the oil used). A creature that is hit falls under

Appendix 2: New Magic Items
the lantern’s effect for 5 minutes. If it later moves beyond the radius
of the lantern it is no longer affected, but it will be again as soon as
it comes back into the area.
The lantern’s effect lasts for the full 5 minutes. It cannot be
snuffed prematurely without shattering and destroying the lantern.
• Any. Within 1 minute a random encounter occurs as
creatures native to the plane are drawn to the lantern. The
encounter is up to GM’s discretion based on the current party
level.
• The Dreaming or Bleak Gate. Those affected are physically
transported to the coterminous spot in either the land of the
fey or the land of shadows. • Mavisha. The flow of water within the area obeys the mental
• Vona. Affected creatures gain a +10 bonus to Wisdom (In- commands of sentient creatures. An affected creature can
sight) and Wisdom (Perception) checks. An affected creature use an action raise, lower, or part water, or increase a vessel’s
with vulnerability to radiant energy or sunlight takes 1d6 speed by 10 miles an hour, but it’s not fast enough to be used
radiant damage at the beginning of its turn each round. as a weapon. Multiple creatures thinking in opposition (5 or
• Jiese. An affected creature that takes 1d6 fire damage at the more) can rouse the anger of the water causing it to manifest
beginning of its turn each round. Objects catch fire more as a water elemental.
easily. • Urim. Illuminated stone, crystal, and metal becomes harder.
Alternately, affected creatures become argumentative and Affected creatures have resistance against bludgeoning,
hostile. Any creature that remains under the effect for at least piercing, and slashing damage.
1 minute makes a Wisdom saving throw or is frightened. • Apet. Affected creatures can teleport 50 feet as a bonus ac-
While so frightened, if it ends its turn and has not attacked tion, but must remain within the radius of the lantern’s light.
anything, it must attack or charge the nearest creature. If it • Nem. Affected creatures are pulled from their bodies into the
succeeds its saving against being frightened, it recognizes plane of Nem, a spirit world on the far side of the Bleak Gate.
that its mind is being affected, and is immune from the The world resembles reality but is bereft of occupants and
compulsion for 5 minutes. If a creature is still in the radius of slowly fades away as the disembodied creature wanders away
the lantern after that time, it can be attacked again. from the spot where it died. Even if their body moves, the
• Avilona. Howling winds blow across affected creatures. At spot where they entered Nem is an invisible gateway. If they
the beginning of each round roll 1d8 to determine the wind’s ever stray more than 3 miles from that gateway, they pass
direction. Whenever an affected creature ends its turn, it is into the afterlife and cannot be resurrected. This is normally
pushed 1d4 x 5 feet in that direction. Alternately, other types not a factor with the lantern because it will not burn long
of weather can be called forth, albeit in a limited area. enough.
• Av. Any creature under the lantern’s effect for at least 1 Creatures in Nem cannot see or be seen by living
minute becomes slowed (as the spell, ending on a successful creatures. They gain the Ethereal Movement feature of a
saving throw). If it fails its save, it falls asleep and has vivid ghost (useful for scouting environments).
shared dreams. If it succeeds it shakes off the effect and is If their souls leave the area of the lantern, they instantly
immune for 5 minutes. snap back to the spot where they first entered Nem. If their
bodies are moved from the lantern’s area, their souls snap
back into their flesh.

Player Handouts
Roscommon and Khalundurrin
Roscommon.
A century-old schooner given the favor of Medb, one of the queens of
the Unseen Court.
The schooner is one of the lightest types of vessels used for oce-
anic voyages. Its nimbleness makes it ideal for blockade-running
and surveillance but if cornered by an actual warship it must rely
on the skill-at-arms of its crew since it cannot mount many weapons.
Roscommon, named after the region in Risur that provided for
most of its material, mounts a two-masted square-topsail rig. Her
lower deck could accommodate as many as thirty but she typically
sails with fifteen crew and a cook plus some small elite complement
of officers or specialists. (See illustration at right.)
Laid down in 417 A.O.V., when it was nearing completion its
designer had a druid deliver a replica to a fey circle near the town The Khalundurrin is a steamship with 2 decks, 25 feet across
of Roscommon. The model ship delighted the local fey queen Medb and 80 feet long. There are four light cannons each to port and
and the next morning when the designer returned to work the starboard. Each cannon requires one person to operate. The fuel
ship’s figurehead had been replaced by a beautiful faerie woman compartments carry enough to move the ship 2,000 miles at a
carved from living wood. time. Creatures on the deck of the Khalundurrin have cover (half,
The Roscommon is a sailing ship with 2 decks, 25 feet across and three-quarters, or total cover, at the discretion of the GM) against
80 feet long. There are four light cannons each to port and star- attacks made from outside the ship.
board. Each cannon requires one person to operate. Its two masts
are 70 feet high. Once per short rest, the captain standing at the Planned Timeline.
head of the ship can use an action to ask the favor of the queen’s • 85 Autumn, 500. Your ship departs Flint. Trip to Beaumont
figurehead. The Roscommon and everyone aboard teleports 50 feet should take seven days.
to an unoccupied space. It maintains the same heading and speed. • 1 Winter, 500. Your ship arrives in Beaumont. Your ship sails
for Trekhom.
Khalundurrin. • You have a ten day buffer in case of trouble at sea.
A Drakran-built steamship, sturdy and well-armed, with a bold heart. • 11 Winter, 500. Train departs Beaumont at 7:30 a.m.
The Khalundurrin joined the Drakran navy at the tail end of the • 11 Winter, 500. Train arrives in Cherage by 6:00 p.m.
Fourth Yerasol War. It was captured by Risuri forces when the ship • 12 Winter, 500. Train departs Cherage at 7:30 a.m.
strayed too close to an ongoing naval battle between the Risuri and • 12 Winter, 500. Train arrives in Orithea by 6:15 p.m.
Danorans. Its captain claimed that he tried to avoid the fight, but • 13 Winter, 500. Train departs Orithea at 7:30 a.m.
his ship had changed course when he wasn’t looking, like it wanted • 13 Winter, 500. Train arrives in Trekhom by 6:30 p.m. Your
to get into combat. ship will be waiting at the harbor.
The dwarves of Drakr built the Khalundurrin to be a sturdily • 14 Winter, 500. Train departs Trekhom at 7:30 a.m. Your
armored scout ship, capable of patrolling the edge of a naval for- ship sails for Sid Minos.
mation and surviving a few hits if it ran into trouble. Arcanists • 14 Winter, 500. Train arrives in Nalaam by 6:00 p.m.
who examined the ship postulate that some manner of spirit might • 15 Winter, 500. Train departs Nalaam at 7:30 a.m.
inhabit its steam engine. (See illustration on previous page.) • 15 Winter, 500. Train arrives in Sid Minos by 5:30 p.m. Your
A squat conning tower rises up in the center of the ship, and ship will be waiting at the harbor.
angled steel plates slope outward toward the water around the • 16 Winter, 500. Train departs Sid Minos at 7:30 a.m.
maindeck, with shuttered slots for cannons. The lower deck is hot • 16 Winter, 500. Train arrives in Vendricce by 6:00 p.m. Your
and cramped, but crew sleep easily and speak of dreams filled with ship will be waiting at the harbor. Trip to Flint should take
bold imagery like something out of a Drakran opera. eight days.

Player Handouts
3,000 Mile Route

First Class Servicing
Accommodations. Beaumont • Cherag •
Oritheia • Trekhom •
Fine Dining. Nalaam • Sid Minos •
Vendricce
Scenic Views. in only six days.
Trains Departing Every Day from Every Station.

Travel the Coast at High Speed in Comfort and Safety.
Our trains’ nightly Stop-Overs are Our Courteous, Helpful, Experi-
in safe, populated Areas attended enced Staff always accords Special
by Security Professionals. Attention to traveling Families.
A view from the Avery Coast R.R.

as the train nears Sid Minos.

GM Quick Reference
• Luc Jierre. Tiefling inventor. Stutters. Avoids conversation.
Dramatis Personae
Resentful of those in power, but desires power of his own. Frighten-
• Assistant Chief Inspector Stover Delft. Party’s boss. Chews
ingly intelligent. Excellent manners and etiquette.
tobacco. Cane. Spits. Good-natured.
• Ottavia Sacredote. Elf priestess. Geometric tattoos of a Clergy
• Brianne “Bree” Kaldeckis. Danoran war vet. Dresses to show off
oracle. Deaf. Can talk, but prefers to use sign language. Devoted to
right arm and leg transplants. Honorable. Clever. Loves hearing and
ending corruption in the church. Recognizes people’s flaws, tries to
telling war stories. Sympathetic to suffering.
bring out their nobler sides. Cares for Luc, and is overly protective.
• Damata Griento. Half-orc businessman. Looking for a friend.

• Cardiff Hengehill. Risuri spy. Handsome. Hides through confi-
Pretends to be normal tourist. Afraid of dying, so overly sensitive
dence and looking like he belongs, instead of discretion. Suitcase
and emotional. Panicked concern for family.
strapped to wrist holds stolen documents of Danoran naval
• Olivert Boone. Tiefling gunslinger and lady’s man. Braggart. intelligence. Bouts of heroism. Short temper. Grabs people when
Jovially puts down people. Demon-possessed revolver demands making a point.
sacrifices. When amused, claps by slapping chest with one hand.

• Malia Baccarin. Crisillyir-born, Danor-raised. Rail guard. Contacts
• Verzubak Tantalovich. Dwarven luck mage. Looks perpetually with criminals along railroad. Collects newspapers. Skilled at cajol-
tired. Rolls dice, makes notes about random events in his notebook. ing, goading, seducing. Wants to score big, retire young.
Rejects Heid Eschatol focus on the end of life. Observant. Can tell
• Ashima-Shimtu. Ancient demoness. Chained by Clergy. Scaled
what people care about, so pays a lot of compliments.
skin. Speaks as if narrating events, never in first person. Hints at
• Elanor Yanette. Hugely fat enchantress. Sex trafficker. No knowing great secrets, reveals very few.
empathy. Smug. Keeps people around so she can show off wealth
• Minister of Outsiders Lya Jierre. Tiefling martial scientist.
and gossip. Reads erotic poetry.
Ambitious. Haughty but friendly. Progressive. Wants peace.
• Isobel Travers. Young, beautiful eladrin. Raised to have little Arcano-technological vorpal rapier.
personality. Beautiful singing voice. Usually drugged or magic-

• Nicodemus the Gnostic. Smokes leaf of Nicodemus. Movie-star
addled. Hums errantly.
charisma. Dominates a room with his presence, but encourages
• “Mister Mapple,” Andrei von Recklinghausen. Scruffy, shab- others to talk. Enjoys solitude and posing surprising questions
bily dressed. Smells of fancy bath soaps and perfume. Amazing about philosophy. Ghost who travels between bodies. +
acrobat. Lives to experience new pleasure. Romantic heart.
Regenerates wounds. Touch drains life force.

EN5ider Presents:
Always
on Time
Part Two
A 5E-Compatible Adventure for 6th-Level Characters
Act Two: Turned Tables
T his act turns the PCs from predators to
prey as their targets receive word of being
spied upon.
With perfunctory formality, Malia comes through fifteen minutes
outside of Trekhom. Still shocked by the morning’s attack, she asks
everyone to please return to their seats. After all that’s happened today,
she doesn’t want anyone to fall prey to thieves hopping on board in the
commotion to nick unattended valuables.
The train approaches Trekhom via a titanic, high bridge that passes
over the mouth of a mighty sea. From a distance, you see pollution
Layover in Trekhom thicker than in any city you’ve been before. Huge steel mills churn coal
smoke into the air. Gray snow drifts down from the sky, coating every
Exploration/Social. Montage. surface in freezing wet grime. The enclave and surrounding railyard lie
When the train stops in a city of dwarves, it’s hard for suspects to directly between the city center and the harbor, forcing the whole city
blend in, but equally hard for the party to shadow them. to suffer from the smog in the name of efficient trade.
Less than an hour after the attack, the train crosses the border As the train arrives, night has already fallen and the air is thick
out of the Malice Lands and into Drakr. A steel spire rises five enough with snow that you can only make out vague shapes of squat
hundred feet above the desolate landscape, guarded by a battalion buildings, punctuated by massive towers.
of soldiers and mages. The train does not stop there, but over the
next few hours it hits several small cities. At the conductor’s urging,
most people do not flee the train. He promises their needs will be Investigation.
better tended once they reach Trekhom. When the train pulls up to the station, twenty enclave guards stand
The train is scheduled to arrive in Trekhom at 6:24 pm; if the at ready, as well as the enclave’s tiefling director. Conductor Xorin
party doesn’t take a hand in getting the train moving again, it speaks with the director, and they quickly arrange for the basement
shows up 21 minutes late, by which time the enclave guards have of a nearby theater hall to be used as a makeshift morgue. Bereaved
gotten nervous. passengers have their tickets refunded and their lodgings paid for.
From the Pen of Seamlessly Updated to Fifth Edition by

Jacob Driscoll EN Mike Myler
Publishing tm
With Additional Material by Ably Produced and Facilitated by

Ryan Nock Russ Morrissey
Evocative Cover Illustration by Special Thanks to

ShenFei Jennifer Taber, for her patience;
to the hundreds of gamers who backed the original release
Stunning Cartographic Displays by of Zeitgeist on Kickstarter; and to the over one thousand
James Hazelett, Brian Patterson, Jonathan Roberts generous patrons of EN World EN5ider whose support has
made this Fifth Edition update possible.
Masterful Interior Illustrations by
Claudio Pozas, ShenFei, Eleni Tsami Open Game Content
Includes art in the public domain The game rule information in this article is designated
Open Game Content. All other material in this article, including
with Unparalleled Layout and Graphic Design by maps, graphic elements, and illustrations (including graphic
Eric Life-Putnam elements and illustrations in the public domain), narrative
and descriptive text, character and place names, trade dress,
Playtested for Maximum Enjoyment by “EN Publishing,” “EN World,” “EN5ider,” “Zeitgeist,” all EN
Michael Border, Walter Byers, Justin Engelking, Publishing product and article titles, and Zeitgeist, EN World,
Benjamin Riggs, Dennis Chiado and EN Publishing logos, are designated Product Identity.
2 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part Two

Investigators try to question everyone so the railroad can prevent Arms Dealers.
future attacks of this sort. Men hand out brochures near the hotel inviting visitors to various
The train coming from Nalaam has already arrived. When word craftsmen of fine armaments. It has become a cottage industry in
spreads of the monster in the Malice Lands, many of its passengers Drakr for weapons makers to collaborate with mages in the creation
change their travel plans until they know it’s safe. of new killing tools.
Overnight, passengers in coach and second class are asked to Either by following a brochure or following Verzubak after he
take all their belongings off the train because new cars will replace toasts, the party might find their way to a shop called Knigi, Grudi,
the damaged ones. Bongi, i Strely (Books, Boobs, Bongs, and Booms), which caters to
This scene is meant to give the party time to catch their breaths. all sorts of marginally legal desires, with a library of controversial
Nothing dangerous happens tonight unless they go looking for books and scrolls, exotic magical pornography, various drugs and
trouble. paraphernalia, and of course, explosives.
New weapons include rifles, shotguns, and even magical bullets
The Grand Railyard. (granting no higher than a +2 bonus to attack damage).
The Avery Coast Railroad enclave sits within a crenellated wall, just
to the north of a much larger conflux of railroads. Eight different
railroads that span Drakr meet in a railyard that fills nearly an en- Elanor & Isobel.
tire square mile. Hundreds of rail cars are parked along its tracks, Elanor huffs out of the enclave with Isobel in tow, takes a trolley
and trains roll through the city at least once an hour. to an inn at the docks called Korol Morya (Sea King), and meets
People are free to come and go from the enclave, but the city an esteemed dwarf ritualist, Vankloff Jeanov. They go to a private
does not offer much to the casual tourist. The city has no subrail basement room, where Vankloff acts as a conduit for long-distance
due to disputes over subterranean property, but small overland rail communication.
lines weave between city districts. Older paths underground are If the party manages to eavesdrop, they can hear Vankloff speak
also available, cramped for humans but lit with gaslamps and free with three different voices through the conversation — one with
of gray snow. a brusque Drakran accent, one a charming Crisillyiri, and one a
smarmy Risuri. They ask how the trip is going and express concern
Law Enforcement. at the story of the attack.
Drakr is more prepared for dangerous travelers than the lands to Elanor is obsequious, thanking these “august gentlemen” for
the west. Human and dwarven mages — often armed with painful their “fine taste” and promising to “deliver the goods unmarred — I
and borderline immoral magic such as mind control and soul- haven’t had to beat her once yet, she is very obedient.” She asks for
sucking necromancy — stand ready for people with uncanny combat specific instructions, and the Drakran voice responds that she can
prowess causing trouble. “simply come to the tower,” and she will be welcomed, and, impor-
Drakr is well-known for its harsh treatment of prisoners. Au- tantly, paid very handsomely for her “fresh, ripe, delightful cargo.”
thorities here are said to prefer seeing people sent north to mining The Crisillyiri voice then asks if she has anything for his “other
prisons than taking bribes to let them go. If the party gets arrested, business interest.” Elanor responds that she’ll make a list of “pro-
they’d need to offer at least 500 gp to be set free. spective fodder for the arena,” but warns that the best fighters were
traveling first class and even he “can’t go around abducting wealthy
Rendezvous with Their Ship. travelers, you might be killing my clientele.”
As planned, the party’s ship is waiting in the Trekhom harbor, per- The conversation is over in less than five minutes. Vankloff gets
haps stocked with supplies. If the party gets into too much trouble a payment of 1,100 gold pieces. Afterward they share a drink, and
here, they can catch a ride and get to Sid Minos before the train then Elanor and Isobel return to the enclave hotel.
does, but they’ll miss out on the events in Nalaam.
Cardiff.
The Grientos. During the investigation, Cardiff plays down his role in fighting
Ejeka wants to take her kids some place fun to take their minds off the malice beast. Then he retires to his room in the enclave’s fine
the carnage, but Damata is morbidly drawn to the theater where hotel, changes clothes, exits discreetly, and rents a room in the
the bodies of the victims are being stored. People are talking about cheaper hotel. He carries his briefcase hidden inside a duffle bag.
how a special guest is scheduled to speak tonight at the theater: After midnight, Cardiff leaves the hotel and walks to the larger
Vlendam Heid, the dwarf who founded the major philosophical railyard. He’s scheduled to meet his buyers at Warehouse Six at 7:00
movement of Heid Eschatol. pm. His buyer is a small, fat dwarf with wrinkled face full of stubble,
Damata feels like it is fate that a man who wrote the book on dressed in a Drakran military uniform, named Ulrik Pevedin. He’s
preparing for death would be waiting for him on this trip where he flanked by two human attendants, and a dozen other armed soldiers
expects to die. He insists on going, and Ejeka decides to go to a park hide in the warehouse. Assuming the PCs don’t barge in or other-
with the kids to let them play in the dirty snow. Damata and Heid’s wise try to intervene or interfere, the meeting proceeds as follows
interaction is presented in more detail below.
EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part Two | 3

Cardiff puts down his duffle bag as he enters the warehouse, then pulls Luc’s Crew.
out his briefcase. He sets the briefcase on the table, and opens it. Inside Much like in Orithea, the group works to let Luc and Ottavia head
there are many sheets of paper, and the fat dwarf leers over them. to a lighthouse at the harbor. Due to the sad events of the afternoon,
“Ahahaha! These documents will be very valuable on the open market, Verzubak has a hard time finding people to gamble with, and Boone
my spy friend. Thank you ever so much. Danor’s military secrets are, has to enlist a man as his drinking buddy, instead of a young lady.
ahem, safe in my hands. Please, have a drink with me and tell me how The group watches each other’s backs, heads to the inn Korol Morya
you found these.” The dwarf reaches to sift through the documents. (Sea King), and then gets the signal from Verzubak. Ottavia writes
Cardiff closes the briefcase, almost catching the dwarf’s fingers. a note and has it delivered to Bree.
“You can figure that out yourself after you pay me.”
“Just received sending. Tell others, our mission under surveillance.
The dwarf heaves another briefcase onto the table. Cardiff moves Suspected Risuri group sailed into Beaumont. Do not confront. Give
to open it, then pauses and turns it so it opens facing the dwarf. information to me.”
The dwarf laughs and opens it — no trap is triggered — and turns
it around again. Cardiff counts stacks of platinum and gold coins, If the party failed the secrecy part of the mission training mon-
then inspects a bag of gems — the contents of the case are worth a tage, instead the note contains brief descriptions of the PCs, short
total of 17,000 gp. He transfers the money to his duffle bag, leaving enough to fit into the 25-word limit of sending.
the dwarf’s briefcase empty. After seeing Luc off, Bree quietly shadows Boone. She doesn’t see
him kill his victim, but does find the body. She’ll report this to Ot-
“You are too paranoid,” says the dwarf, “even for this country. I would not tavia, who’ll concoct a plan to deal with both the party and Boone,
kill you without being sure you are prepared for it.” who has become a liability.
“You can never be too prepared,” Cardiff says. “Don’t read page eight. Luc and Ottavia meet up with a dwarf who owns all the pris-
It’s trapped to explode.” He walks away with his duffle bag, laughing as ons in northern Drakr, Ramos Zoltan. The lantern demonstration
he goes. occurs without a hitch. If the PCs manage to get a glimpse into
the meeting, they can see mock-ups of Trekhom’s lighthouse, a few
Cardiff heads to the docks and catches a ship out at first light. other city lighthouses along the Drakran coast, and the giant spire
at the border of Drakr and the Malice Lands.
Stopping the Exchange. After leaving the lighthouse, Luc prepares a contingency. Using
If the party intervenes, Pevedin’s fourteen goons will try to kill his family name as leverage, he gets the enclave director to agree
them. Cardiff will simply try to escape, either with the documents to some special repairs for the train. He has a replica of his experi-
or with his reward (or both, if possible). Pevedin just cowers. You ment installed on top of the locomotive, concealed under a sheet of
can use for his guards the stats of the Privateer Officers (page @@), steel as part of the smokestack. He is also given access to the train’s
reskinning sabers as maces. interior overnight; he scribes sigils into the hidden backsides of the
The documents are related to Danor’s naval maneuvers, and give gas lanterns that light the hallways. In this way, he can activate his
highly detailed records of every ship in the navy, its captain, crew, lantern to affect the entire train if need be.
armaments, capabilities, and recent deployments. This would be
invaluable in the event of a war with Danor.
Doomed Men Are Often
Malia. Philosophical
Malia is enlisted to help carry bodies from the train to the theater-
turned-morgue. Afterward she takes a long hot bath and goes to Social. Real-Time.
bed early, but has trouble sleeping. Malia really doesn’t do much Damata Griento has to decide how to face his death.
else of interest for the rest of the adventure, unless the PCs prompt At 8:00 pm, the enclave clock tolls, and Vlendam Heid walks on
some action. stage, wearing a heavy brown suit and thick spectacles. The audi-
ence is filled with scholars, philosophers, and theologians, but a
Mister Mapple. roped-off section in front reserved for railroad passengers is empty
It’s possible Mister Mapple was captured by the train guards after save for Damata. Depending on how the party has treated him, he
the attack, in which case he’s taken into custody, but manages to might ask one or more PCs to come with him.
escape shortly before dawn.
If unfettered, Mister Mapple follows the PCs because he’s cu- “People ask me,” he starts, “how will the world end? How in the various
rious about them. He might address them briefly — calling down hells should I know? I am not a prophet. I don’t believe you can know
from a rooftop, ready to flee in an instant — to ask their names and what will happen. Yes, mages and priests can see paths and visions, but
introduce himself. He leaves before long, then goes to spy on Isobel it only takes one unlikely interaction or chance meeting to change the
through the window of Elanor’s hotel room. course of the future.
“I don’t say I know how the world will end. But I know that it will end.
Every fire burns itself out. Tomorrow morning, look to the sun. Feel how

warm it is. One day it must burn out, and without it this world will freeze. Recruitment.
Maybe some—.” Either at the theater or later in the evening, a slightly drunk
He stops, then looks down to the front row and adjusts his glasses. Damata and Heid find the PCs in their room — waiting until dawn
“I prepared a speech,” he says. “They hired me and told me the audi- if necessary — and make Damata’s offer. Using the famous philoso-
ence would be layfolk. I tried to prepare something simple. I see I have pher’s authority to back him up, Damata proposes that they are
some admirers in the back rows, but up front, it is pretty empty. You all free men, and that anyone who would threaten another man’s
survived the attack on the train today?” family to make him into a slave does not deserve to live. Those who
Damata nods. would aid such a slaver likewise deserve to die.
Unexpectedly, Heid sits down at the edge of the stage and lets his When they reach Nalaam, he asks the party to accompany him
feet dangle as he addresses Damata (and the PCs, if they’re present) as his warriors. He’ll have to see if he can buy some warpaint in the
directly. morning before the train departs, but he’s prepared to arm them,
“I have a contract, and I must speak on a level my audience under- though they must return the weapons to his family after the battle.
stands. Let us be efficient. I wrote a rather long treatise on how best to In exchange, he’ll grant them a place of honor at his villa in Ber,
prepare for death, and for other endings in life. Today there was a great and will let them keep whatever loot they find after the battle. He
deal of death on your train. I leave it to you: please ask whatever you knows the Family plans to have a wizard present to price and pur-
want, and perhaps we can learn something from this tragedy.” chase the weapons, so there should be plenty of cash on hand.
Damata thinks for a minute, then says, “The people who died today Of course, if the party comes up with another solution (such
don’t have a chance to change anything anymore. I do. I hurt my family, as taking Cardiff’s pay-off and handing it over to the Family),
and I can’t stand myself now. I want to change things. I see now that Damata’s willing to change his mind. If the party refuses outright,
death can strike at any time, from any quarter, so I guess I should make Damata looks to Heid for strength, then nods and departs.
amends while I have the chance.”
“I have dealt with this before,” Heid says. “Life has many chapters, Weapons of the Warchiefs.
and if you want the book to end properly, you must choose the path of The simplest way to handle this is to just treat the items Damata
each chapter well too.” carries as a collection of orcish tribal totems which anyone can
“Oh.” Damata slumps. “It’s hard, because I think if I try to fix anything, wear. These totems only function when fighting for a warchief of
I’ll get myself killed.” the Griento family, and they grant the wearer 15 temporary hit
People in the back of the theater make furious notes. points at the start of combat, and increase the magical bonuses to
attack and damage of the PCs’ weapons by +1.
This sets off an earnest discussion between the burdened, plain- If you want to be more specific, the following items might suffice.
spoken Damata and the more philosophical Heid, who is intrigued Whatever form Damata’s items take, if the party steals them they
by Damata’s vulnerability. Damata explains his predicament. Heid will be cursed until they return the items to the Griento family.
offers no direct answers, instead asking questions to guide Damata Whenever a cursed character gets into combat, he feels thick orcish
to figure out what matters to him. Heid’s goal is to get Damata to hands grasp his limbs and prevent him from fighting. The cursed
act without fear, because he has come to grips with the possibilities character is dazed until the end of his first turn each combat.
of how this chapter of his life will end. • Three sets of bracers of defense.
• Two +1 throwing axes that reappear in the wielder’s hand at
Final Will. the end of the turn they are thrown.
The PCs are welcome to get involved, but barring their intervention, • Four +1 daggers that deal an extra 1d6 lightning damage.
Damata decides that he is likely to be beholden to the Family if he • A set of gloves of missile snaring.
does not stand up to them. The only possible ending to this situation • One brooch of shielding.
that he thinks would honor his family and his nation is if he follows
the tradition of his ancestors and fights for his territory — in this
case his family, his wealth, and his life. He is no fighter himself, but Under Investigation
he comes from a family of warchiefs, and so he will rally warriors
to him. Puzzle/Social. Real-Time.
Unless somehow the party has completely avoided combat so far, Luc Jierre’s bodyguards try to figure out who’s spying on them.
Damata intends to ask the PCs to fight for him against the crimi- No Longer on Board: Cardiff.
nals who seek to make him their slave. He will offer to arm them During boarding, people mutter about news that another body
and pay them in loot, as is the orcish way. If they refuse, he will was found overnight, ritually disemboweled like the last two. The
see that as proof he is not worthy of his family name, and thus the prevailing theory is that whoever called the monster in the Malice
weapons were not his to take. He will instead go to the meeting Lands is trying to kill everyone on the train. Passengers are tense.
expecting with no payment, and will kill himself, because death is The train leaves at 7:30 am. The coach cars are only a quarter full,
better than slavery. and they only end up half full by the time the train reaches Nalaam
The audience is quite excited, and Vlendam Heid himself asks to in the evening. Before then, things seem to have mellowed out, and
have the honor of a drink with Damata. the day goes by without any attacks or monsters.

The situation will depend immensely on how the party has done During the conversation, or if the party is hesitant to let her in,
so far in their reconnaissance. They likely have identified Luc as she mentions that she’s actually pretty bored on this trip because
their target, but they might not know how the others fit into the the man who hired her for bodyguard duty, Caius Bergeron, never
situation. Or they could have figured out everyone’s situation, and showed up. She already had a ticket, though, so she figured she’d
just need to lay low and not attract attention. ride anyway. She hopes the party’s reaction will give them away
Now, though, it’s the villains’ turn to spy on the party. Ottavia (and she tries the same gimmick with several other suspects).
passes along a directive to in no way let on that they’re suspicious,
and not to take any overt actions. They are just to make a slight Your Presence Is Requested.
effort to tease information out of the party. If the party failed to Though Elanor is devoid of empathy, she does value people, because
maintain secrecy in the initial planning, Ottavia knows for sure they let her gloat. As the train nears Nalaam, Elanor has the staff
who the PCs are. Otherwise, you might include some of the follow- deliver magically-written notes by her, inviting everyone in first
ing encounters in the lounge car throughout the day. class and a few suitable folks in second class to attend the Nalaam
See “Investigative Skill Challenges” in Zeitgeist: Always on Arena’s ten o’clock show this evening.
Time—Part 1 or the Zeitgeist Player’s Guide.
Creepy Flirtations. Nalaam, the Decadent

If the party has any female PCs, Boone will spend the morning Playground
flattering her shamelessly. If he feels he’s got a shot, he suggests
they retire to the party’s suite while everyone else is eating lunch. Exploration/Social. Montage.
Throughout the day, the party might spot Boone flirting his way The party’s chief suspects change their pattern amid countless
through second-class and coach. He only chats up women who look distractions.
or sound Risuri. The train climbs into the snowy mountains and reaches Nalaam
at 5:57 pm. The train from Sid Minos doesn’t arrive until 6:08.
Mysterious Couple at Lunch.
Luc and Ottavia enjoy wine and cheese, conversing by sign lan- Fifteen minutes outside of Nalaam, Malia politely reminds you to please
guage. At one point Luc waves down Malia and stutters out a return to your seats. More than other cities on the route, Nalaam is
request. He wants to buy room service lunch for all the other first renowned for its tricky thieves. She suggests you keep an eye on your
class passengers — fine meals. A server comes by the party’s suite personal effects, to make sure no one hops on board in the commotion
with fine wine and cheese, and does the same for Elanor and the and nicks your valuables.
Grientos. Nalaam, a city founded upon a wellspring of magical energy, and
An hour later, Luc goes to talk to the wait staff, asking for details controlled by a cabal of powerful wizards, announces its presence with
on who ate what. He thinks he can detect a pattern based on how light brighter and more colorful than the sunset. In the shadows of the
picky or paranoid the eaters were. He repeats the process — with surrounding mountains, the lights of this infamous den of iniquities hide
cheaper wine — for the second-class passengers. many crimes and cruelties the rest of the world forbids.
As the train pulls into the enclave, you are dazzled by the gilded, glit-
Statistical Analysis. tering spectacle. Throngs of people ply business and pleasure out of
Verzubak’s calculations show him who the most likely RHC spies polished marble carves and atop bizarre structures built in the shapes of
are: they are likely in first class, they are likely Risuri, they are arches, trees, even dragons. Above it all rises the Grand Casino, a tower
likely traveling under pseudonyms, and they likely have been on the of endless games of chance and skill, which generates immense wealth
train since Beaumont. If he’s spotted the party following him, he’s for the archmage lords of the city.
almost certain, but for all he knows, Elanor or Damata might be Nalaam, with all its temptations, beckons you.
very clever spies. He craves proof.
His brand of proof is unusual. He walks down the length of the
train, rolling dice in a cup and peering at the results. He uses his Wellspring of Mana.
luck-based magic to measure the combined odds of getting a certain The Lords of Nalaam make their fortunes selling mana. Their Grand
result on the dice with a given probability of each suspect. Casino is suffused with earth mana which leaks—unbeknownst to
the public, but beknownst to the city lords—from an Ancient sealed
Mind if an Old Soldier Expresses Her Thanks? portal to Apet, the Plane of Earth.
Bree finds a time when the party is in their suite, and she asks if The mana takes the form of crystals, silver dust, or even nug-
she can come in and express her thanks for how they helped out gets of liquid gold, but fades quickly if taken beyond the city’s
against the malice beast. She has some find Alwyr Red, a liquor valley. Mages are drawn to Nalaam by the promise of being able to
imported from the Far East, and she’d be honored to share it with build sturdy structures of whatever shape they desire, and to craft
them and swap war stories. She likes to tell the tale of how she got weapons and armor of exceptionally strong steel. Danor is trying to
dismembered. get the city to set up a factory to produce steam engines of great
quality, but have had little success so far.

Tonight several of the side characters’ plots come to a head. Dam- The Grientos.
ata Griento kisses his family good-bye and marches to face a gang Damata casually tells his wife he has a business meeting to attend.
of criminals. Meanwhile, Elanor arranges for Mister Mapple to be At 7:00 pm, Ejeka and the kids head to the casino to watch a show
arrested and thrown into an arena, then sells Isobel into sex slavery. with captive tigers. Damata leaves a letter for his family at the
The people who aren’t particularly active are Luc’s crew, since concierge desk, with instructions to deliver it in the morning if he
they just want to lay low until their trap for the party goes off to- hasn’t returned.
morrow. How dangerous this evening gets depends on how many If the party gets involved, see “Family Stone,” below.
friends the party has made and how much they’re willing to risk
their mission to help strangers who are in trouble. Helping Damata, Elanor & Isobel, Mister Mapple.
Isobel, or Andrei von Recklinghausen here can pay dividends in Also at 7:00 pm, Elanor has arranged for a cadre of lawmages to
later adventures, but the party can skip them entirely without af- visit her hotel suite. They dutifully escort her as she leaves the ho-
fecting the core mission. tel with Isobel, and when they spot Mister Mapple following them
they strike, using stoneshaping magic to trap him until he can be
Fun and Games. knocked unconscious and shackled. They cart the man off to the
If the party isn’t up for heroics, they might play cards, dice, or rou- arena, and Elanor takes Isobel to meet the buyers.
lette at the casino, where cheating with magic is forbidden (which They go to a tower near the main Nalaam Casino, pass through
just means people have to be clever). They might visit one of the the guarded entrance, and proceeds to the top floor. To prolong
many very creative brothels in this city of mages, or simply shop for the pleasure of the sale, she invites the three buyers to come watch
spells and magic. Plus there’s always the Nalaam Arena, the Street a show at the arena. She wants them to see what passion Mister
That is Always Downhill, and the only ski resort in the world. Mapple, a random hobo, had for young Elanor, in hopes of spurring
the men to bolder bidding.
Literal Debts to Society. If the party gets involved, see “Hobo Maximus,” below.
Nalaam handles crime in a unique fashion. Since gold is king
here, the city employs skilled economic theorists and an army of Luc’s Crew.
merchant surveyors to determine average values for anything that Since there is no lighthouse here, and the Obscurati haven’t man-
might be damaged by a crime — windows, carts, sense of security, aged to get a cell leader into any position of authority, the group has
even human life. When a criminal is caught — and since every city no objective this evening. Verzubak heads to the casino and makes a
guard has a bell that can alert watchmages of severe threats, few killing at dice, using magic to feel the flow of luck rather than pre-
major criminals manage to escape — magistrates determine the dict the future or move the dice like most people try. Boone hits up
value of damages he imposed. He is then responsible for repaying a brothel, then later murders a female patron of the same brothel,
that debt, plus 10 per-cent, in a fashion suited to his talents. leaving her in a gutter.
Offenders are branded with an arcane mark until their service is Luc and Ottavia leave their hotel briefly to browse an arcane
done. The point of this is not punishment, but to recoup losses, so commercial district, where mages sell potions, scrolls, and various
as long as a person is not deemed a serious threat, Nalaam authori- reagents. Ottavia, in preparation for a plan the following evening,
ties prefer to get value quickly instead of locking people up. Petty purchases a scroll that will let her create a detailed illusion. After
criminals might simply be sent to a mine or farm, craftsmen are put that, they accept Elanor’s invitation to the arena, and arrive shortly
to work crafting things, and violent offenders are sent to the arena before the 10 pm show starts. Bree shadows them during their shop-
as entertainment. The audience can pay to request specific bouts, or ping and also goes to the arena, but has to guard them from afar
the criminals can volunteer in order to get out faster. because she cannot afford a suite.
Timeline and Course of Events.

Assuming the PCs don’t just ignore the NPCs in need of help, the Family Stone
most likely course of events is that the party goes with Damata to
his meeting with the Family at 8:00 pm. Afterward they go to the Action. Tactical.
arena at Elanor’s invitation (you can encourage this by insinuating Sometimes you just need to stand up to a bully. Killing the bully
it’s a good way to keep tabs on Luc and Ottavia), where they wit- works too.
ness Mister Mapple fighting and surviving injury after horrifying Damata’s meeting with The Family is set for 8:00 pm. If the party
injury. If they try to help him, after the final fight he’ll climb out is accompanying him, he helps them arm up beforehand.
of the arena to attack Elanor and the prospective buyers of Isobel, His creditors told him to bring payment in the form of magic
who are watching from a cushy arena suite. items to a cave a mile from the railroad enclave in a seedy part of
If the party doesn’t get involved, Damata dies rather than pay the town. The cave — right next to an especially sleazy establishment
Family, Mister Mapple is defeated in battle and kept as a curiosity called Holes — houses a forge owned by a priest who collaborates
(until the Obscurati acquire him much later), and Isobel lives the with the family. He launders stolen magic items into untraceable
rest of her life as a plaything. residuum, which can then be used to enchant new items.

All By Himself? Tactics.

If the PCs declined to help, Damata spends his last hour adorning Sly starts by ordering his men to unleash a volley of gunfire against
himself with orcish war paint, then sets out alone. He confronts the the party while he moves in to slit the throat of an enemy using
Family members, refuses to pay them, and then when they threaten Sneak Attack. At first he ignores Damata, intending to save him
his wife and children he raises a knife and slits his own throat, pre- for last, but if he becomes wounded he tries with all his might to
ferring death to being beholden to them. His body is never found, kill the half-orc. The enforcers provide cover for Sly, and flee if he
and his wife receives his letter the next morning, explaining every- goes down.
thing. She and the kids ride in a grief-stricken haze to Sid Minos, Azon and his guards don’t get involved in the battle. The guards
where they meet up with a business associate of Damata and depart. flee deeper into the forge and bar the door. Azon steps through the
stone of the wall and follows them. He uses stoneshaping magic to
Guards at the mouth of the cave escort Damata and any guests keep the party from raiding his shop.
in to a foyer/store-front, beyond which a tunnel leads to the forge
itself. In the foyer waits a foul-mouthed Family capodecina, Sylves- Aftermath.
ter Fomazelli, plus ten of his enforcers and the owner of the forge, Damata prefers to kill all the Family gang, but then leave quickly
Azon the Stoneforger. before police arrive. If the Family wins, they kill the party and are
If Damata had brought the items as agreed, their deal would thrilled by how much treasure they can loot.
have been concluded, and the Family would not attempt to squeeze
blood from a stone. But when Damata shows up without payment, Sylvester Fomazelli
they threaten him, threaten his family, and tell him his children Medium humanoid (human), lawful evil
will works the mines outside Nalaam until the day they die. Damata Armor Class 17 (studded leather, shield)
responds with aplomb by telling the party to kill them. Hit Points 55 (10d8+10)
Negotiating with or intimidating Sly is not easy. He’s not willing Speed 40 ft.
to be disrespected in front of his men, and Damata will demand STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
that his debt be wiped clean before he lets any of them leave. There’s 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 8 (-1) 12 (+1)
not much room for compromise on either side. Saving Throws dex +6, int +4
• 10 Family enforcers Skills Acrobatics +9, Deception +7, Insight +2, Intimidation +4, Percep-
• Sylvester Fomazelli tion +5, Stealth +9
• Damata Griento Senses passive Perception 15
Languages Common
Family Enforcer Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral Cunning Action. Sylvester can take a bonus action on each of his turns
Armor Class 15 (chain shirt) in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage,
Hit Points 33 (6d8+6) Hide, Use Object action, Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, or to use
Speed 30 ft. thieves’ tools to disarm a trap or open a lock.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Evasion. When Sylvester is subjected to an effect that allows him to
15 (+2) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 8 (-1) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, he instead
Saving Throws dex +5, con +3 takes no damage if he succeeds on the saving throw, and only half
Skills Athletics +4, Insight +3, Intimidation +4, Perception +5 damage if he fails.
Senses passive Perception 15 Mobile. Sylvester can Dash through difficult terrain without requir-
Languages Common ing additional movement. Whenever he makes an attack against a
Challenge 2 (450 XP) creature, he doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature
Evasion. When the Family Enforcer is subjected to an effect that allows until the end of his turn.
them to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, they Sneak Attack (1/turn). Sylvester deals an extra 21 (6d6) damage
instead take no damage if they succeed on the saving throw, and only when he hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the
half damage if they fail. attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Sylvester’s
Actions that isn’t incapacitated and he doesn’t have disadvantage on the
Multiattack. The Family Enforcer attacks twice. attack roll.
Dagger (2). Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or Actions
range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) piercing damage. Multiattack. Sylvester attacks twice.
Pistol (2). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one Dagger (6). Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or
target. Hit: 8 (1d10+3) piercing damage. range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) piercing damage.
Reactions Reactions
Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker the Family Enforcer can see hits Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker Sylvester can see hits him with an
them with an attack, they can use their reaction to halve the attack’s attack, he can use his reaction to halve the attack’s damage against
damage against them. him.

Damata Griento balconies. Fine foods, wines, and other luxuries are provided, and
Medium humanoid (half-orc), chaotic good elite guards protect each suite, which are accessed by a private hall-
Armor Class 13 (hide) way in the interior of the building.
Hit Points 39 (6d8+12) The night’s events are presided over by Lord Kulp, Master of the
Speed 30 ft. Games, who directs the arena’s staff to prepare various beasts or
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA prisoners to battle in the snow-covered sands. Known as one of the
10 (+0) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) more magnanimous of the city’s lords, Kulp feels few qualms let-
Saving Throws con +4, wis +4, cha +3 ting criminals die in the arena. He has been known in the past to
Skills History +6, Intimidation +3, Perception +6, Persuasion +5, grant mercy to those who seem wrongfully accused, however.
Survival +6
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16 Audience Reactions.
Languages Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Orc The common folk in the stadium seating love the bloodshed, and be-
Challenge ½ (100 XP) tween each 5 minute bout people rush to bookie booths to shell out
Rage (1/long rest). On his turn, Damata can enter a rage as a bonus coins. If enough people pay, a gladiator can be forced to fight again,
action. While raging, he gains the following benefits: or specific monsters might be called out. When famous guests are
* • Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws. in the luxury suites, the crowd might appeal to them, cheering
* • When he makes a melee weapon attack using Strength he gains a their names and the names of their favorite beasts in hopes the
+2 bonus to the damage roll. most expensive spectacles will be paid for from on high.
* • Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Ottavia is excited by the early bouts, but is shocked when people
His rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if Damata is knocked un- are brought out and start dying. Luc reacts to the carnage with
conscious or if his turn ends and he hasn’t attacked a hostile creature detached curiosity, since he knows he cannot do anything to stop it,
since his last turn or taken damage since then. Damata can also end so he may as well learn what he can. Ottavia refuses to watch, but
his rage on his turn as a bonus action. stays near Luc to protect him.
Relentless Endurance (1/long rest). When Damata is reduced to 0 hit
points but not killed outright, he can drop to 1 hit point instead. Elanor’s Show.
Savage Attacks. When Damata scores a critical hit with a melee Elanor and Isobel arrive accompanied by three mages — the brusque
weapon attack, he can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one Drakran Nikola the Necromancer, the charming Crisillyiri Father
additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit. Balthazar, and the smarmy Risuri Jaime the Weevil. Isobel is still
Actions veiled, and Elanor escorts the young eladrin to the balcony, waiting
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range until the show is about to start so she can make her sales pitch. At
20/40 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) piercing damage. 10 pm, right as Lord Kulp is beginning his pre-games spiel, mir-
rored spot-lighting from arcane braziers around the arena focus
upon the central luxury suite’s balcony. Elanor then instructs Iso-
Hobo Maximus bel to stand and remove her veils.
Isobel slowly reveals herself a statuesque eladrin woman, with
Social/Action. Real-Time/Tactical. short-cropped, ice-blonde hair and brilliant azure in her blank eyes.
Mister Mapple’s identity is revealed as he is forced into a bloodsport She wears a provocative, intimate outfit. The crowd cheers at the
arena. eye candy. Lord Kulp then cuts off the spotlights, annoyed, and he
With Luc, Ottavia, Bree, and Elanor in attendance, it might be directs the audience’s attention down to the imminent bloodsport.
hard for the PCs to keep away from the arena. This scene puts the To her bidders, Elanor crows, “Gentlemen, this is the famous
party into an uncomfortable situation that tests their willing ess to eladrin maiden, Isobel Travers, raised since birth to appease every
risk their mission in order to stop an unrelated injustice. desire a man might have! And as you have just witnessed, her value
Nalaam’s coliseum has seating along only three walls, with the goes far beyond a toy for you virile men. She will make you famous
western quarter of its circumference open to grant a clear view of in this city. Powerful men will gnash their teeth with jealousy.
a majestic snowy mountain, which gleams in the full moon’s light. Beautiful women will beg for a chance to serve you as she does, I
Stadium seating rises over a hundred feet high, and the crowd is tell you with no bragging. This sort of grandeur is priceless, so I’m
thick this evening. The luxury box suites sit partially-recessed at sure none of you will mind starting the bidding at, let’s say, five
the lowest level, just forty feet above the arena floor on the eastern hundred thousand gold?”
edge of the arena. The wizards glance at each other, seeing who’ll move first, but
Elanor and her bidders have taken the central suite. The suite Elanor wags a finger at them.
to the right is reserved for the party, while Luc and Ottavia watch
from the one to the left. The suites have a rear section recessed “Not so fast, you old dogs. Bidding won’t start for half an hour. I have
into the coliseum structure and walled off for privacy, and a front one more show for you. And first, why not see how you feel with the
balcony section with seats that overlook the event. These seats can merchandise? Balthazar, come down, sit, please. Get comfortable. I’m
be seen from the other suites, and only a 10-foot gap separates the going to go make myself a drink.”

PC Involvement? Mapple responds, “I know what indignities you plan for her, that poor,
The party might sit this one out, might attack Elanor and the wizards that beautiful sweet maid. Ask my name? I name you first, Bitch! I think
as soon as they realize what’s up, or might try to help Mister Mapple. no other word would bear the shame of being worn by you. When I get
His “parole” is set at 20,000 gold pieces, a fee no normal man could free, no man, woman, or child will remember you, but remember me they
ever pay off. But if the party pays up, they can get him out of the will. I am Andrei von Recklinghausen, and I swear to free the woman
arena, and sent up to their booth, perhaps to fight Elanor. next to you even if I have to tear out your damned heart, Bitch. Send
Alternately, the party might head into the arena themselves to me more beasts! I shall build a ramp of their carcasses and climb forth
help Mapple survive his fights. It’s key to recall that Lord Kulp would from this pit!”
love to see some foreigners kill Elanor and her twisted triumvirate,
and if it happens at the arena he can cover for the party so there are Elanor, feeling safe just thirty feet above Mister Mapple, laughs
no immediate consequences. and sweeps her handful of gold so the crowd can see.
“A thousand gold pieces, Lord Kulp. My request?” She pauses, and the
Infamous Mages. crowd shouts various monster names. “Bring out the pyrecat!”
A DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the three mages and The crowd whoops with delight, and from deep in the bowels of the
their reputations. arena, a deep roar echoes through the stadium. Lord Kulp gestures, and
• Nikola the Necromancer, a gaunt and bald human who stole workers scramble, and soon a giant gate opens on the far side of the
his fortune by working as an assassin who killed only the arena floor. A single fiery eye flickers in the darkness. It roars again, and
wealthy. It is said that he purchases all the bodies of pros- its mouth lights up with flame as the huge creature strides into view.
titutes who die in Nalaam, and that his private keep in the The pyrecat stands as tall as an elephant, with all the deadly grace of
mountains outside the city is guarded by their zombies. a tiger despite that it is missing one eye, and that one of its forelegs ends
• Father Balthazar, the Clergy’s highest priest in Nalaam, who just above the paw, which has been replaced by a rune-inscribed hook
siphons much of the wealth from the church into his own almost as big as a man.
mansion. None move against him because it is said he can
actually summon demons to do his bidding.
• Jaime the Weevil, a tiny man from Risur who forsook his Possible Battles.
druidic order and became obsessed with controlling animal If the party doesn’t get involved, the pyrecat runs down Andrei, for-
pests, particularly bed bugs. He made his fortune both by merly known as Mister Mapple.
controlling Nalaam’s pests and offering “protection” to make
sure they would not afflict people’s homes and businesses. As nimble and strong as Andrei is, he manages to jump off walls and
In a city of slime and corruption, these three are arguably the worst. tumble through its legs for almost a minute, nicking it with his axe. It
They are not lords of the city, but they flaunt their power and so have swipes at him a few times, knocks him down, but he pushes his entrails
earned the lords’ ire. Each is overconfident in his magical power. back into his abdomen and keeps fighting.
He leaps onto its back, and it bucks, trying to shake him loose, until
Blood in the Snow. finally it’s right beneath the party’s suite. Andrei raises his axe for a
The first 10 minutes of the show just has pretty criminals trying to strike against the spine, but the cat immolates itself. Its fur turns to fire,
dodge a half-dozen angry bulls. Then a pack of starving wolves are and Andrei screams and jumps away. But he’s high enough now that he
sent in against a dire bear, which wins the fight handily. Then six gets hold of a stone decoration just underneath the party’s balcony. He
men are sent out onto the field, among them Mister Mapple. Their hangs one-handed and bats out the flames, which he seems incapable
shackles are opened from afar by magic, and the bear chases them of regenerating from.
down as the men run for weapons scattered around the floor. Before he can recover, the huge predator swings its hook claw up and
Mister Mapple, on the other hand, tries to climb up the wall out pierces him through the chest. It yanks him down, pins him to the snow,
of the arena, but mages around the edge of the wall knock him back and roars a blast of fire into his face. The crowd roars too, and the pyre-
with gusts of wind. Frustrated, Mapple joins the fight against the cat drags Andrei away, back through the gate to devour.
bear. Three men die, but Mister Mapple saves the last man and kills
the bear with a two-handed axe. The crowd is thrilled. This still doesn’t kill Andrei. City mages who noticed his regen-
The spotlights turn again to Elanor’s booth, and Elanor stands, eration ability quickly get him away from the cat and help him
holding out a handful of gold coins. Lord Kulp asks if she has a recuperate, so they can study him.
request, and she says she wants to know the name of the man who Elanor uses Andrei’s enthusiasm for Isobel to drive up the bid-
killed the bear. Mapple just curses at her in response, but then Ela- ding. By the end of the evening she sells Isobel to Father Balthazar
nor tells Isobel to stand, and Mapple realizes who she is. for 1,500,000 gold pieces.
If the party decides to get involved — and what group of “heroes”
Elanor says, “This man was following me and my cute young friend worth the name wouldn’t, really — the ensuing fight can get quite
these past three days. He’s going to die tonight, but I want to know his complex. Note that Isobel is in no condition to take any actions of
name before I pay for his next fight.” her own. She has 20 hit points and AC 10.

• Andrei von Recklinghausen uses the statistics of an owl) in conjunction with vampiric touch to
• Elanor Yanette attack a target able to heal allies. Meanwhile Elanor uses her spells
• Nikola the Necromancer to try and distract or debilitate PCs and keep them from harrying
• Father Balthazar her allies.
• Jaime the Weevil If Andrei manages to reach the luxury suite, he tries to throw
• Pyrecat Elanor off the balcony into the arena.
The pyrecat is not picky with who it attacks.
Terrain.
The luxury suites are just 40 feet above the arena, which is an oval Aftermath.
roughly 200 feet across, dotted with massive columns, some cracked If the party is defeated, Lord Kulp finally intervenes and calls for
and toppled. The coliseum mages don’t get involved, at Lord Kulp’s an end to the fight “for the safety of the audience.” Guards carry the
direction. Luc and Ottavia run for the exits, while the rest of the party away and arena healers stabilize the PCs. Any survivors from
crowd can’t believe their good fortune to witness such mayhem. Elanor’s group vociferously demand the PCs be arrested, incarcer-
ated, even executed, but Kulp insists the arena’s charter sanctions
Tactics. their actions. The party will be released once they’re conscious,
If threatened by the PCs, Elanor at first tries to grab Isobel and though given the state of the arena’s recuperation rooms, their
drag her away to the hallway, but Lord Kulp controls the stone in train suite might end up hosting bed bugs.
the building, and so locks the door (unless the PCs try to enter the Should the PCs prevail, Lord Kulp invites them to his private
suite through the door, which he’ll allow). chambers beneath the arena and thanks them for getting rid of a
Nikola shouts to the others, “Pick one. Kill him. I need bodies.” blight that has steered this city the wrong way for years. If any PC
Balthazar and Jaime focus their attacks on the same target. Nikola is a Vekeshi Mystic, he briefly recites a common saying of the order
uses his unnaturally bonded familiar (a floating spectral hand that in Elvish to see if anyone notices: “The best revenge is to live.”

Von Whatlinghausen? Elanor Yanette

The party might recognize Andrei’s surname and question him about Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil sorcerer 4
it. He doesn’t like to go into details, and instead claims that his father Armor Class 14 (mage armor)
abandoned him, and while he was angry for a while he decided he Hit Points 27 (6d8)
should use it as an opportunity to become his own man. Speed 30 ft.
But if the party mentions knowing Dr. Wolfgang von Reckling- STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
hausen, Andrei is conflicted. He’ll feign indifference, but will want 8 (-1) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 17 (+3)
to know as much as possible. For the duration of the adventure he’ll Saving Throws con +2, cha +5
resist the urge to track down his creator, but eventually curiosity Skills Arcana +4, Deception +7, Insight +4, Intimidation +5,
and pride will overtake his better judgment. Andrei will be making an Persuasion +7
appearance later in the campaign. Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Elvish, Sylvan
Lord Kulp then offers to see Isobel safely to Elfaivar, where her Challenge 2 (450 XP)
people can help her. Andrei is suspicious and wants to go with her. Spellcasting. Elanor is a 4th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is
It’ll be a few hours before she recovers enough from the spells and Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). Elanor knows
drugs affecting her in order to actually talk to people. She’s never the following spells from the sorcerer’s spell list:
had real freedom, but she wants to get far away from Danor. She Cantrips (at will): dancing lights, minor illusion, prestidigitation,
says she has heard of Gale in Risur, and might want to meet her. resistance
1st level (4 slots): charm person, color spray, detect magic, mage
Andrei Von Recklinghausen armor
Medium humanoid (living construct), neutral 2nd level (3 slots): hold person, suggestion
Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Actions
Hit Points 105 (14d8+42) Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range
Speed 30 ft. 20/40 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) piercing damage.
18 (+4) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 8 (-1) Jaime the Weevil
Saving Throws int +3, wis +3, cha +2 Medium humanoid (elf), neutral evil
Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +7, Intimidation +2, Stealth +5, Armor Class 15 (leather)
Survival +3 Hit Points 44 (8d8+8)
Damage Resistances psychic Speed 35 ft.
Damage Immunities poison STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, diseased, exhaustion, 12 (+1) 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 15 (+2) 8 (-1)
paralyzed, petrified, poisoned Saving Throws con +4, wis +5, cha +2
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Skills Arcana +4, Nature +7, Perception +8, Stealth +7, Survival +8
Languages Common, Dwarvish Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 18
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) Languages Common, Druidic, Elvish
Power Attack. When Andrei makes his first melee weapon attack Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
in a turn, he can choose to take a -5 penalty to his melee weapon Blight Fasting. Jaime requires half as much food, water, and rest as
attack rolls in exchange for a +10 bonus to melee weapon damage. In normal.
addition, Andrei can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon Defile the Land. Before casting a spell with a casting time of one action
attack after he uses a melee weapon to reduce a creature to 0 hit or less, Jaime may spend a bonus action to defile the land around him.
points or scores a critical hit with it. Andrei can only use this feature This defiles an area of land equal to a 5 foot radius times the level of
on his turn. the spell. This increases the level of the spell by 2. This trait has no
Regeneration. Andrei regains 5 hit points at the start of his turn. If effect on cantrips.
he takes acid or fire damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start Fey Ancestry. Jaime has advantage on saving throws against being
of Andrei’s next turn. Andrei dies only if he starts his turn with 0 hit charmed, and magic can’t put him to sleep.
points and doesn’t regenerate. Friend of Vermin. Jaime can understand and be understood by vermin
Actions (as if under the effects of speak with animals) and has advantage on
Multiattack. Andrei attacks twice. Charisma ability checks against vermin.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 Land’s Stride. Moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs Jaime
(1d8+4) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. no extra movement. He can also pass through nonmagical plants
without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them
if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard. In addition, he has
advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically created

or manipulated to impede movement, such those created by the Hit Dice. When he reverts to his normal form, Jaime returns to the
entangle spell. number of hit points he had before he transformed. However, if he
Spellcasting. Jaime is a 6th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is reverts as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage
Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). Jaime has the carries over to his normal form.
following druid spells prepared: Jaime can’t cast spells, and his ability to speak or take any action
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, druidcraft, guidance, produce flame that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of his beast form.
1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, detect poison and disease, entangle, Transforming doesn’t break Jaime’s concentration on a spell he’s
faerie fire, purify food and drink already cast, however, or prevent him from taking actions that are
2nd level (4 slots): barkskin, flaming sphere, heat metal, spike growth part of a spell, such as call lightning, that he’s already cast.
3rd level (3 slots): conjure animals, plant growth Jaime retains the benefit of any features from his class, race, or
Wild Shape (2/long rest). Jaime can use his action to magically other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable
assume the shape of a beast that he has seen before so long as it has a of doing so. However, he can’t use any of his special senses, such as
CR of ½ or less and no flying speed (if the creature has a flying speed, darkvision, unless the new form also has that sense.
Jaime cannot use it). He can stay in a beast shape for 2 hours. Jaime Jaime chooses whether his equipment falls to the ground in his
then reverts to his normal form unless he expends another use of this space, merges into his new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment
feature. He can revert to his normal form earlier by using a bonus functions as normal, but the GM decides whether it is practical for the
action on his turn. Jaime automatically reverts if he falls unconscious, new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature’s shape
drop to 0 hit points, or die. While Jaime is transformed, the following and size. Jaime’s equipment doesn’t change size or shape to match
rules apply: the new form, and any equipment that the new form can’t wear must
Jaime’s game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with
but he retains his alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, the form has no effect until he leaves the form.
and Charisma scores. Jaime also retains all of his skill and saving Actions
throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the Magic Spear. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
creature has the same proficiency as Jaime and the bonus in its stat Hit: 5 (1d6+2) magical piercing damage or if wielded in two hands 6
block is higher than his, use the creature’s bonus instead of his. If the (1d8+2).
creature has any legendary or lair actions, Jaime can’t use them. Thrown Magic Spear. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range
When Jaime transforms, he assumes the beast’s hit points and 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) magical piercing damage.

Nikolai the Necromancer Pyrecat

Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil Huge beast, unaligned
Armor Class 16 (mage armor) Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Speed 30 ft. Speed 40 ft.
10 (+0) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 8 (-1) 22 (+6) 13 (+1) 21 (+5) 2 (-4) 12 (+1) 10 (+0)
Saving Throws con +5, wis +4, cha +2 Saving Throws dex +4, con +8
Skills Arcana +6, History +6, Nature +6, Persuasion +2, Religion +9, Skills Acrobatics +7, Athletics +9, Perception +7, Stealth +7
Stealth +6 Damage Vulnerabilities cold
Senses passive Perception 11 Damage Immunities fire
Languages Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Sylvan Senses passive Perception 17
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Languages —
Spellcasting. Nikolai is a 6th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). Nikolai has Keen Smell. The pyrecat has advantage on Wisdom (Perception)
the following wizard spells prepared: checks that rely on smell.
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, fire bolt, mage hand, resistance One-Eyed. The pyrecat cannot see out of its flaming right eye. It
1st level (4 slots): false life, mage armor, magic missile, unseen servant cannot make opportunity attacks except against targets that either it
2nd level (4 slots): invisibility, misty step, ray of enfeeblement attacked or that attacked it since the start of its last turn, or targets
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, dispel magic, vampiric touch adjacent to those creatures.
Actions Pounce. If the pyrecat moves at least 20 feet straight toward a crea-
Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. ture and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target
Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage or 4 (1d8) if wielded in two hands. must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Equipment If the target is prone, the pyrcat can make one bite attack against it
Combat Gear. Nikolai carries a scroll of bestow curse. as a bonus action.
Quick. The pyrecat has advantage on initiative checks.
Father Balthazar Actions
Medium humanoid (human), lawful evil Multiattack. The pyrecat attacks once with its bite and twice with its
Armor Class 16 (chain mail) claws.
Hit Points 105 (14d8+42) Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11
Speed 30 ft. (1d10+6) piercing damage plus if the pyrecat is not already grappling
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA a creature in its mouth, the target is grappled (escape DC 17).
12 (+1) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 8 (-1) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10
Saving Throws str +4, con +6, wis +5 (1d8+6) slashing damage.
Skills Arcana +2, Deception +5, Religion +2 Fire Breath (Recharge 6). The pyrecat exhales fire in a 30-foot cone.
Damage Resistances fire Each creature in that area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw,
Senses passive Perception 12 taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage
Languages Common on a successful one.
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Spellcasting. Father Balthazar is a 6th-level spellcaster. His spellcast-
ing ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks).
Father Balthazar has the following cleric and druid spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, produce flame, resistance, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): bane, cure wounds, protection from evil and good
(good only), sanctuary, shield of faith
2nd level (4 slots): blindness/deafness, enhance ability, spiritual
weapon
3rd level (3 slots): call lightning, conjure animals, spirit guardians
Actions
Magic Sickle. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 4 (1d4+2) magical slashing damage.
Negative Channeling (Recharge 6). As an action, Balthazar roils with
baleful energy, dealing 9 (2d8) damage to all creatures within 30 ft.
Half of this damage is fire and half is necrotic. A creature that suc-
ceeds on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw takes half damage.

Act Three: Off the Rails
I n this act, the party’s quarry tries to take
them out before they reach the gathering of the
Obscurati.
Beating the Players.
In the first act, the party has to get to the train and figure out the
dynamics of how things work. In the second act they learn about
the various passengers and tick them off the list of suspects. Now
in the third act, they should have little doubt that Luc is their target.
Luc, meanwhile, knows he’s being watched, and he tries to take out
the party.
All Downhill from Here Our hope is that one of these attempts will actually work, and
the party will end up in contact with the demoness Ashima-Shimtu,
Social. Montage. who provides clues to a key mystery of the campaign and plays a
As the train leaves Nalaam and enters Crisillyir, Luc and company prominent role in later adventures. Meanwhile, the villains will be
fortify in case of trouble. lulled into a sense of security, so when the party comes to spy on
No Longer on Board: Elanor, Isobel, Mister Mapple. their gathering they won’t face overwhelming numbers of guards
The next morning, the train departs at 7:30 am amid light snow- and look-outs.
fall, rolling downhill out of the Penance Peaks and into Crisillyir. Hopefully the players will enjoy their comeback from near death,
By mid-morning the snow from the mountains turns to a drizzle of and not feel their opponents’ temporary victory is unfair. And if the
sleet, but the train’s run in worse. Malia assures everyone they’re party manages to outwit the villains, don’t try to force the defeat.
in no danger.
If Boone’s murders have not been discovered yet, Bree finds an Kill Them in Their Sleep?
opportunity to slip a note to Luc, which reads: First, Luc has no intention of killing anyone himself, at least not di-
rectly. Second, he doesn’t want to risk anyone in his crew being seen
“Boone is a liability. He’s been responsible for the murders in each city. committing murder. Third, he thinks he’s clever, and wants to prove
Can you add him to the roster of what you’re already planning?” it, so he trusts the lantern trick will kill the party without leaving any
signs of foul play. Finally, he doesn’t want to risk going near them,
in case he or his allies get caught in the lantern’s light and end up in
Lantern Light. Nem as well.
Luc’s goal is to get the party all in the same enclosed location — pref-
erably their suite, and preferably alone. Then he’ll activate the If the party hasn’t followed a pattern, Luc will use his trap when-
replica of his lantern hidden atop the locomotive, which will pull ever he gets a chance. If the train’s getting close to Sid Minos, he
the party into the deadly plane of Nem. might even trigger it if he can just get half the party.
Luc has marked the top of the party’s suite’s door frame with a
subtle rune, and if he can think of any inconspicuous way to get Fall-Back Plans.
items with that rune into the party’s possession, he does so. Options If the party won’t cooperate and come together, Luc’s preferred
include marking coins and arranging for those coins to be included gambit is to have Bree pass a note to Boone:
as change when the party buys lunch, or having Bree give coins
to the party after the battle in Nalaam, claiming she made money “We need to gather them all in the same location. Approach one, say you
on their fight with Elanor, and she wants to share her winnings. want to talk to them in private and spy on their behalf. Try to get them
If the party is careless with their belongings, Bree might have ac- into their suite. We have a spell that will knock you all unconscious. You
cessed their rooms the night before and stitched tiny patches with won’t be harmed, but we’ll be able to kill them before they wake.”
the rune under collars or cuffs.
If necessary, Luc might mark the threshold of the first class With luck, Boone will get the party all into their suite. The note is
lounge car to catch the party there, or even mark both ends of marked with Luc’s rune.
Car 17, which would also affect the Grientos. He’s wary of having
to leave his own suite, but if he has to, he’ll mark Cars 17, 18, and 19
and try to slip away with Ottavia to the forward cars. He’s willing
to risk a few innocent bystanders.
If the party has been dutifully following Malia’s recommenda-
tions to return to their seats 15 minutes before the train stops, Luc
will strike as the train enters Sid Minos. This makes it easier for
him to adopt Ottavia’s secondary trap if his first trap fails.

Three Milestones the plane of Nem. This does not reset the “3 mile” travel limit, so
simply hopping off the train will not save the party.
Action. Tactical. If their bodies are moved outside of areas marked by Luc’s rune,
Luc Jierre activates a replica of his lantern, pulling the party into a and if any tiny runes on their person are removed, their souls snap
ghostly parallel of the train. back to their bodies.
The train is scheduled to reach the Sid Minos enclave at 5:22 pm.
Luc prefers to strike 10 minutes before this, just over three miles Countermeasures.
out from the enclave. Those who avoid the lantern’s attack might flee their room when
they see their allies fall unconscious. If they can shatter all the gas-
Fifteen minutes before the train stops in Sid Minos, Malia makes the light lamps within the car (the gas flames have turned a deep purple
rounds, asking you as usual to please return to your seats so you can even in the real world), or if they can carry their allies out of the
keep an eye on your personal effects. Though the train has been as- area affected by Luc’s rune, they can end the encounter early.
saulted by a monster and brigands, so far nothing has been stolen If the party — either in the physical world or in Nem — reaches
from the Very Important Passengers, and Malia wants to keep it that the replica lantern on the locomotive and shatters it before the
way. Again, she reminds you, the enclaves are busy, often thick with train travels 3 miles, they snap back to their bodies. Someone unaf-
thieves, and it’s easy in the commotion for someone to nick unattended fected by the lantern might manage to threaten Luc and force him
valuables. to end the lantern’s effect early. Alternately, a PC might trigger the
She leaves, and you approach down the coast toward Sid Minos, com- train’s emergency brakes or detach the rear cars from the front so
ing in with a good hour of daylight to spare. Light rain obscures your they coast to a stop before traveling three miles. If the train is split,
view, but the air is clean, thick with the fresh scent of the sea and only the replica lantern’s magic quickly fades.
the train’s own smoke to ruin it.
The gas-light lamp in your room flickers red, then starts to deepen Where the Hell Are We?
to purple, and the sound of rain swiftly fades away. Outside, the sky PCs who are affected see the world fade to darkness, and those al-
begins to turn black. lies who have not yet been affected slowly disappear (then possibly
reappear moments later when they are affected). The sky seems
When the time is right (likely at 5:12 pm, ten minutes before the filled with ash, and the landscape outside looks like it has been
train stops in Sid Minos) Luc activates the replica of his lantern. abandoned and decayed for centuries.
For anyone he’s not targeting, the only hint of oddity is that all Any Skyseer immediately knows they have somehow been trans-
the gaslight lamps throughout the train flicker red momentarily. ported to Nem. Others can guess that they’re not in the Bleak Gate,
But those affected by the lantern’s magic are pulled into the plane because they’ve been there before, and this place is not just empty,
of Nem. They see the gas lamps turn a deep purple, and the sun it’s ethereal and unreal. It feels distinctly different.
outside dims to a tiny speck, as if it had suddenly moved far away. It’s common folklore known to anyone that makes a DC 10 Intel-
When the lantern activates, each creature in the area must make ligence (Arcana or Nature) check that the land of the dead lies on
a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be hit by the lantern. A creature the far side of the Bleak Gate, and that ghosts almost never stray
that is hit falls under the lantern’s effect for 10 minutes. Normally more than three miles from where they died. If the party doesn’t
it would last 5 minutes, but Luc loaded an extra dose of oil into the figure out the danger right away, they notice within 30 seconds that
replica lantern. Doing so will destroy the lantern after this single the world is slowly fading away to blackness.
use of its power, however.
Creatures hit by the lantern are pulled from their bodies into The Ghost Train.
the plane of Nem, a spirit world on the far side of the Bleak Gate. The party is in the “spirit” of the train, identical in form but lit only
The world resembles reality but is bereft of occupants and slowly by purple gas-lamps, and growing ever darker as time passes. Aside
fades away as the disembodied creature wanders away from the spot from those also affected by the lantern, they see no one else living.
where it left its body. Even if their body moves, the spot where they However, the presence of fresh souls attracts reapers, which fly in
entered Nem is an invisible gateway. If they ever stray more than 3 from the distance. Also, as the party explores the train they find
miles from that gateway, they pass into the afterlife and cannot be faceless spirits called vestiges of tragedy, which linger at the spots
resurrected. This is normally not a factor with the lantern because where people died recently. For each person who died during the
it will not burn long enough, but because the train is moving, time screaming malice attack there is one vestige, most of them concen-
is tight before the party is doomed. trated in Cars 10 to 14.
While in Nem they cannot see or be seen by living creatures. They If anyone looks out the windows, they can easily notice a purple
gain the Incorporeal Movement feature (a PC can move through glow coming from up ahead. By popping up to the roof, they can tell
other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, taking there’s a lantern glowing atop the locomotive.
1d10 force damage if the PC ends its turn inside an object.)
If their souls leave the area of the lantern (in this case, they Murder Train.
would have to leave the train, because every car is affected by the If Boone is still on the train, Luc made sure to exile him too, to
lantern), they instantly return to the spot where they first entered eliminate a murderer and tie up a loose end.

Ghosts of the four people Boone has killed since boarding the
train fade in and out around him, which causes him to panic. If he’s
not with the party, he flees the ghosts and inevitably crosses their
path. He begs for help, even as the ghosts point at him and moan
that he murdered them. The ghosts’ spirits are trapped in his pistol
and cannot cross over to the afterlife until the gun is destroyed, but
are harmless, save for the fact that they spoil Boone’s secret.
Timeline.
Track the passage of time. The train is traveling at least 20 miles
per hour, though it slows down as it nears the enclave. The party
has 10 minutes (100 rounds) before they are cut off from their bod-
ies forever. If a PC falls off the train they effectively “respawn” in
the spirit world wherever they were when they were affected by the
lantern.
• After 5 rounds the dimming of reality is undeniable so the
party should realize they have to act fast.
• In round 10, if Boone wasn’t already with the party he comes
running toward them, chased by ghosts of his disemboweled
victims.
• On the 20th round, after the party has had some brief time to
talk and figure out what’s going on, the first wave of reapers • 15 reapers (5 per wave)
attack. • 0 to 80 vestiges of tragedy
• On the 30th round, the world has faded enough so that every- • 1 ruin wraith
thing is dim unless the party has their own light sources. • Olivert Boone
• On the 40th round, a second wave of reapers attack.
• On the 50th round, the world fades to darkness. Unless they Terrain.
have light of their own, all they can see is the glow of the The ghost train is identical to the real version, minus the living
lantern ahead and tiny motes of starlight overhead. Even people. Light dims throughout the encounter.
the sun has faded. The only sound is the clickety-clack of the
railroad tracks. Tactics.
• On the 60th round, a third and final wave of reapers attack. The reapers target whoever has the fewest hit points and flee after
Alternately, instead of having reapers attack and lights dim by they take any damage since they’re not used to lively folks around
round, the GM might have this happen based on how close the here. The vestiges just stand in the train but attack if anyone comes
party gets to the locomotive. Reapers might strike at Car 16, then within 10 feet. The ruin wraith confronts the party when they reach
lights dim at Car 13, then more reapers at Car 10, then darkness the fuel cars and it weaves through them, trying to shove people off
at Car 7. to force them to start over from the other end of the train.
Boone waits until the party is distracted by some other foes, then
Monsters. guns down a PC point-blank. He makes a break for the front of
The train has a number of vestiges based on the victims who’ve died the train, glancing back at the party with a charming grin on his
so far, and they attack when the party draws near if they’re inside face. He apologizes for having to strand them here, but he can’t let
the train. Waves of reapers fly in, 5 at a time. And at the locomotive anyone who knows his secret live.
waits a ruin wraith, intelligent enough to know it must protect the
lantern in order to ensure the party is trapped. Aftermath.
The party need not fight these spirits, just survive them. The reap- Destroying the lantern is as simple as breaking any lantern. Once
ers fly in from the front, since they’re not fast enough to catch the the lantern shuts off, the PCs snap back to their suite. Any damage
train, and if the party avoids the cars where people died or runs their spirit-forms suffered remains, but manifests as one level of
along their roofs, they can get to the locomotive quickly. exhaustion rather than physical wounds. Unless Luc had to spring
Boone will try to help the party if they help him, but when they his trap early, the train should almost be into the Sid Minos rail
get near the front of the train he’ll turn on them so they can’t reveal enclave. Except for those grabbed by the lantern’s light, no one on
his secret. He hopes to kill them, then break the lantern and return the train has any idea someone just tried to murder the party.
to the real world so he can kill Luc. If the party fails the GM can still salvage the adventure! Instead
If anyone else was brought over with the party, they are likely of having Ottavia trap the party on the Isle of Odiem they might ap-
unable to aid in any sort of battle. It might be safest for them to pear there, trapped in a sort of Limbo, and have to reach the bottom
hide in their rooms. of the tomb in order to return to the land of the living.

Reaper Vestige of Tragedy

Medium undead, chaotic evil Medium undead, chaotic evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor) Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Speed fly 40 ft. Speed fly 20 ft.
2 (-4) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 5 (-3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 2 (-4) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 5 (-3) 10 (+0) 12 (+1)
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +4 Skills Perception +4, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, pierc- Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, pierc-
ing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons ing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled,
paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages — Languages —
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Ethereal Sight. The reaper can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane Ethereal Sight. The vestige of tragedy can see 60 feet into the
when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa. Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.
Incorporeal Movement. The reaper can move through other creatures Hunger For Life. When a living creature comes within 10 feet of a
and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force vestige of tragedy, the creature loses its stand idle trait.
damage if it ends its turn inside an object. Incorporeal Movement. The vestige of tragedy can move through
Target the Living. The reaper has advantage on attack rolls against other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5
living creatures. (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Actions Stand Idle. A vestige of tragedy does not take any actions and is im-
Reaper Sickle. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. mune to damage until a living creature triggers its hunger for life trait.
Hit: 4 (1d4+2) necrotic damage. Actions
Etherealness. The reaper enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Dark Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Hit: 2 (1d4) necrotic damage.
Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can’t affect or be affected by Etherealness. The vestige of tragedy enters the Ethereal Plane from
anything on the other plane. the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane
Reactions while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can’t affect or
Spiteful Retreat. When reduced to 0 or less hit points by an attack be affected by anything on the other plane.
made by a creature within its reach, the reaper can make an opportu-
nity attack before it dies.

Ruin Wraith Olivert Boone

Medium undead, lawful evil Medium humanoid (tiefling), neutral evil
Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Armor Class 17 (studded leather, Charisma)
Speed fly 80 ft. Speed 30 ft.
7 (-2) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 8 (-1) 14 (+2)
Saving Throws wis +6, cha +5 Saving Throws dex +6, con +5, wis +2
Skills Intimidation +8, History +5, Religion +5, Perception +9, Stealth Skills Acrobatics +9, Deception +8, Intimidation +8, Perception +5,
+9, Survival +6 Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +9
Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, pierc- Damage Resistances fire
ing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison Languages Abyssal, Common, Elvish, Infernal
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained Gunslinger’s Luck. Olivert adds his Charisma modifier to his AC.
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 19 Improved Critical. Olivert’s weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll
Languages — of 19 or 20.
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Infernal Legacy. Olivert knows the thaumaturgy cantrip and he can
Ethereal Sight. The ruin wraith can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane cast the hellish rebuke spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait,
when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa. regaining the ability to do so when he finishes a long rest. In addition,
Feast of Ruin. When a creature within 30 feet of the ruin wraith would Olivert can cast the darkness spell once with this trait and regains the
regain hit points from a spell or feature, the creature does not regain ability to do so when he finishes a long rest. Charisma is his spellcast-
any hit points and ruin wraith regains that many hit points instead. ing ability for these spells (spell save DC 13, spell attack +5).
Incorporeal Movement. The ruin wraith can move through other Mysterious Aim. Olivert can use a bonus action to gain a +2 bonus to
creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) damage with his firearms until the start of his next turn. In addition,
force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. when making a ranged weapon attack Olivert ignores anything less
Quick. The ruin wraith has advantage on initiative checks. than total cover.
Unnatural Aura. Animals, whether wild or domesticated, can sense the Actions
unnatural presence of a ruin wraith at a distance of 30 feet. They do Multiattack. Olivert attacks twice with each of his pistols.
not willingly approach nearer than that and panic (as the confused Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range
spell) if forced to do so unless a master succeeds at a DC 17 Wisdom 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) piercing damage.
(Handle Animal) check. A panicked animal remains so as long as it is Demonic Pistols (2). Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 30/90
within 30 feet of the ruin wraith. ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10+4) magical piercing damage plus 3 (1d6)
Actions fire damage if the target is below half its maximum hit points. The
Otherworldly Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., first time each encounter that Olivert attempts to draw or retrieve
one target. Hit: 21 (4d8+3) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point any item, if he is not already holding these weapons, he draws them
maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage instead of whatever he intended to get. Once per day Olivert must kill
taken. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The a sentient being and smear the weapons with its blood. If he does not,
target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A he suffers a cumulative -1 penalty per day to Intelligence, Wisdom,
humanoid slain in this way makes a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or and Charisma ability checks due to the guns whispering into his mind,
rises as a vestige of tragedy under the ruin wraith’s control after 1d4 compelling him to feed them. If this penalty exceeds -8, Olivert is
rounds. The vestige of tragedy becomes free-willed undead when the driven mad and kills himself with the weapons. The weapons cannot
ruin wraith is destroyed. be destroyed as long as Olivert is alive and attuned to them. The curse
Etherealness. The ruin wraith enters the Ethereal Plane from the can be removed by remove curse or greater magic, which requires us-
Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while ing the weapons to kill a pregnant she-goat submerged in holy water.
it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can’t affect or be
affected by anything on the other plane.

Follow that Carriage! Without Ottavia.

Luc waits half an hour to make sure the party has left the train,
Action. Real-Time. then sends Bree out to verify it’s safe. Overnight, they stay in the
Upon reaching Sid Minos, Ottavia enacts a ruse to lure the party enclave hotel, and Bree shares the room to protect him, since they
into a death trap. figure pretending not to know each other is moot now.
While the PCs are trapped in Nem, Ottavia uses a scroll she
purchased in Nalaam to create an illusory duplicate of Luc (and Not Falling For It.
possibly Bree and Verzubak if she thinks the party knows they’re If the party doesn’t follow, Ottavia returns to the rail enclave and
part of Luc’s crew). When the train reaches the rail enclave in Sid links back up with Luc. They plan during the evening for how to
Minos and Ottavia realizes that Luc’s plan to kill the party has keep the party from learning anything important in Vendricce the
failed, she puts her own into motion. following day, and make a contingency to destroy the lantern if it is
Luc hides in the bathroom of his suite, with Bree and Verzubak about to fall into their hands.
perhaps guarding him, while Ottavia leads the illusions on a mad When the PCs try to board the train the next morning the rail
dash through the enclave to a carriage house that provides taxi enclave’s tiefling director meets them with a phalanx of guards. He
service. She tries her best to be conspicuous, picks an impressive- refuses to let them on, claiming there is a problem with their paper-
looking carriage with purple banners along its roof, and waits long work. He’s obviously been ordered to keep them off the train, and if
enough for the party to spot her before getting on board. the party decides to fight, the train’s staff will flee so no one will be
Although she can speak, she has written a note saying, “Please able to drive it. Luc certainly won’t ride it if he knows the PCs are
take us quickly to the harbor, to a boat that will take us to the Isle on board. The party can stow away, or catch a ride with their ship.
of Odiem.” She hands the note to a man in charge of dispatching
carriages, and he finds a carriage for her. She leaves the note with Super-Spies.
him as a bread crumb in case the party needs help pursuing her. Truly excellent spycraft by the party might keep their identities
from being discovered by Luc’s crew. In this case, the characters
The Isle of Odiem. avoided the “Three Milestones” encounter and will avoid this en-
Everyone in Sid Minos knows Odiem — a rocky spur a half mile off counter as well.
the coast marked by a lonely ruined lighthouse — is a damned and
cursed place. Ships that sail too close at night are caught in a current The Grientos.
of blood that dashes them against shoals, and it is said that drowned With or without Damata, the Griento family leaves the rail enclave
sailors rise and devour any who linger on the island past sunset. and goes to the home of a portly local businessman, Cordell Dono-
A DC 14 Intelligence (Religion) check recalls that the island was frio. They spend the night and do not return to the train.
converted nearly a thousand years ago into a vault by the Clergy.
There they kept the most dangerous items found by their godhands,
including creatures possessed by demons (since killing the creature Insula Memoriarum
would only unleash the fiend within).
Ottavia and her illusory companions ride a carriage down to the Social/Action. Real-Time/Tactical.
harbor, where she hands another note to the owner of a 20-foot long Ottavia rains magic down upon the party as the dead rise from the
sailboat, offering to pay a large sum to get her to the island before sea.
sunset (at 6:30 pm). The man only agrees because she is a priestess The island’s surface looks rocky from a distance, but up close
of the Clergy, and claims she comes on official business. When the there are countless tiny outcroppings of rusted and pitted metal.
boat reaches the island she casts augury. If she learns that the party Powdered rust mingles with gray mud to coat the ground. Once on
is not pursuing, she’ll tell the boatman to turn back. shore, Ottavia’s trail is fairly easy to follow, because everywhere she
If the party is in pursuit, she disembarks with her illusory crew. stepped the mud has been churned to reveal rust red wet footprints.
The boatman makes a gesture of blessing and makes for the main- They lead to a tall structure at the southern edge of the island; it
land at full speed without looking back, though he will return at was once a lighthouse, but it has rotted out in many places, and
first light the next morning. parts of the wall have fallen away.
If the party wants to pursue Ottavia, don’t make it hard for them. Ottavia heads inside, then laboriously climbs the damaged steps
Any carriage driver would know where hers was headed, and even and then the stone wall in order to reach the top level. From there
following on foot isn’t difficult. At the harbor, their own ship likely she can look out and watch the party’s approach, as well as keep an
waits and can provide a rowboat. If they don’t want to draw at- eye on the descent of the sun. She wants to stall the party for a few
tention to their vessel they have to offer at least 500 gp before any minutes once they reach the lighthouse, so she dons her headband
sailor will risk the trip so close to dark, or they can buy their own of roaming thoughts so she can communicate telepathically with
rowboat for 50 gp. them while remaining hidden.

When they come within 100 feet, she addresses them. as the sun sets and the dead emerge from the sea. Those affected
can take no action to resist, up until the moment the first drowned
“I am Ottavia Sacredote, oracle of the Clergy, and my task is to protect corpse comes within 30 feet.
the man you pursue. He acts for the betterment of civilization, and he Another voice — feminine, sultry and breathing heavily — whis-
has deemed you a threat. But unlike some in my faith I do not rush to pers into the party’s minds as Ottavia speaks. “The priestess’s
judgment. If you can defend your aggression, do so, and I shall listen. If sermon will see her foes dead. Her rivals, visitors to this island, are
you cannot, let he who is willing to risk his life to harm my charge be the welcome below, where it is safer.” Throughout the ensuing encoun-
first to step across the lighthouse threshold.” ter, the voice beckons them to come below the island.
• Ottavia Sacredote
If the party negotiates, Ottavia has trouble lying because of her • The Voice of the Island
headband, so the party can learn of her mission’s parameters, • Up to 1,000 drowned dead of Odiem
namely to protect Luc until he reaches Vendricce, where he’ll meet
the leaders of the Obscurati. They can also tell that Ottavia is enam- Terrain.
ored of Luc, and while she recognizes he has a vengeful streak born Standing stones 12 feet high surround the lighthouse, their ancient
from being looked down upon most of his life, he has sympathy for wards eroded by sea and rain. Living creatures native to this plane
those who suffer. Keeping him free from harm is not just her mis- gain a +2 bonus to AC while adjacent to them. The northern cliff is
sion; it’s personal, driven by a need to give him a chance to prove a sixty foot plunge to rocks and crashing waves.
that her faith in him is not misplaced. The doors to the lighthouse are weathered bronze, and if bar-
If she becomes convinced the PCs are enemies, or if they try to ricaded from within it they could hold the horde of undead at bay.
enter the lighthouse prematurely, she tells them to wait, and then When the party arrives, Ottavia has barred them, but characters
she uses her enthrall spell to try and captivate as many PCs as she might find their way over or through the wall so they can open the
can. If the spell does not affect all the PCs, she abandons that tactic doors from within.
and attacks. If her spell does affect them all, however, she begins The walls of the lighthouse rise 30 feet high in the front section.
to give a sermon on the nature of corruption, expounding at length There used to be a second floor accessible by wooden stairs, but they
upon how a desire for personal power can lead people to abandon have long-since rotted away. The outside walls are still sturdy, but
others in need, whether that power is wealth, political clout, or su- the roof of the front section is gone. Climbing is fairly easy with a
pernatural might. The enthrallment keeps the party from noticing DC 8 Strength (Athletics) check.


Escape Options. Aftermath.

Aside from heading down to the vault, the party might rain magical Ottavia’s goal really is to protect Luc, which to her means the party
attacks down upon the undead at the base of the cliff, then climb cannot be allowed to leave the island. She’ll fight as long as she can,
down and attempt to swim the mile back to shore. Each round, 10 but if captured she is too honorable to betray the party to the dead.
of the undead rise from the sea and attack. Each PC must swim Likewise, if the party makes an effort to avoid a fight she might
at least 500 feet with DC 8 Strength (Athletic) checks each round, actually ally with them to avoid the horde of the drowned, since
at which point they get beyond the range of the undead. A heroic she’s confident they’re stuck here at least until dawn.
fisherman spots them and brings them aboard his boat.
A spell caster might also manage to teleport the party to safety. Ottavia Sacredote
If they signal their boat from the lighthouse, their crew can get no Medium humanoid (elf), lawful good
closer than 100 feet from shore. The crew is then busy fending off Armor Class 19 (+1 scale mail, ring of protection, fighting style)
the undead, leaving it to the party to close the gap. Hit Points 78 (12d8+24)
Finally, the party might just hole up at the top of the lighthouse Speed 25 ft.
tower and push off any undead that try to climb up. The drowned STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
dead depart a few minutes before sunrise at 7:02 am, giving the 8 (-1) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 16 (+3)
party a chance to rush back to the train before it departs. However, Saving Throws str +0, dex +3, con +3, int +6, wis +4, cha +4
the guards at the enclave will refuse to let them board, so they might Skills Arcana +8, History +8, Nature +8, Religion +8, Perception +3,
have to stow away. Persuasion +6
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
The upper levels of the lighthouse tower are missing huge sec- Languages Celestial, Common, Elvish, Sylvan
tions of the northeastern wall, and to ascend a character will have Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
to climb around or jump over the gaps. The roof of the fourth floor Deaf. Ottavia automatically fails all hearing-based Wisdom (Percep-
is missing, and the walls are only waist to chest high, granting Ot- tion) checks.
tavia cover against attacks from below. Fey Ancestry. Ottavia has advantage on saving throws against being
Unstable Terrain. Due to the island’s curse, whenever a living charmed, and magic can’t put her to sleep.
creature in the lighthouse is reduced to half its hit points for the Headband of Roaming Thoughts. Ottavia has an enchanted headband
first time in an encounter, the stones beneath their feet buckle. That (uncommon rarity) that lets her project her thoughts. This helps her
creature’s space becomes difficult terrain and at the end of its next be understood more clearly by people who cannot sign, but when
turn the space collapses. On the ground level that causes a 20-foot using it she has disadvantage on checks made to lie (making it nearly
fall into the first chamber of the vault below. On higher floors it can impossible to do so) and she tries not to use it unless necessary.
lead to a deadly plunge. A character that falls this way can make a Spellcasting. Ottavia is an 8th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability
DC 13 Dexterity saving throw to catch themselves but be left dan- is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). Ottavia
gling over the gap. has the following bard and cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): guidance, light, sacred flame, spare the dying,
Tactics. resistance
Ottavia enjoys a strong advantage being in the high ground and 1st level (4 slots): command, cure wounds, detect magic, guiding bolt,
behind three-quarters cover; she rains guiding bolt spells down as identify, sanctuary, shield of faith
the PCs try to enter the lighthouse. She switches to shatter if they 2nd level (4 slots): augury, enthrall, locate object, shatter
start to climb the lighthouse tower. 3rd level (3 slots): mass healing word, sending, tongues
The undead arrive 5 minutes after the party arrives and can be 4th level (3 slots): confusion, guardian of faith
seen approaching from hundreds of feet away. If Ottavia’s enthrall Actions
attempt succeeds, the horde shambles up and might attack while Flaming Morningstar. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
the party is distracted. 10 of the undead show up around the edges target. Hit: 4 (1d8) magical piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) fire damage.
of the map, with another 10 every round, all pressing toward the
lighthouse. If blocked at the door, they laboriously climb up the Voice of the Island
walls and try to get inside. The sea below is also full of them, reach- Unknown entity
ing up and moaning, longing to bring the living down beneath the Blood-Bound. The blood of the ancient demon Ashima-Shimtu has
waves with them. dripped into the sea for centuries, and now she is bound to the island.
The party might be able to hold off the undead horde, but it She is aware vaguely of everything happening on the surface of the
should be obvious that they have little hope of being able to escape island, and can occasionally extend her influence.
the island. However, the stairs that lead down in the lighthouse Actions
offer an avenue of escape. Damning Word (Recharge 4-6). Every one of the drowned dead of
The Voice of the Island can aid the party if they get into a real Odiem is stunned this turn. If they are grabbing any characters, they
tight spot, but otherwise the PCs mostly hear calls for them to come release them. The Voice of the Island only uses this trait to give the
to her. PCs time to escape if they are overwhelmed.

Drowned Dead of Odiem Exploring.

Medium undead, neutral evil By default we present the vault after it has been cleared out
Armor Class 12 (natural armor) through centuries of tomb-robbing. The cursed denizens have scat-
Hit Points 13 (2d8+4) tered across the world, and the traps have long since been disarmed,
Speed 30 ft. destroyed, or have simply decayed.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA However, if you want to have a full dungeon crawl, you can add
17 (+3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 2 (-4) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) additional traps, monsters, and treasure on the way to the center
Saving Throws wis +2, cha +2 chamber. Perhaps each chamber has an encounter of a level that
Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; slashing from matches its number, and unlocking the central chamber requires
nonmagical weapons defeating all eight other encounters and lowering wards.
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison The vault also makes an ideal place for you to present special
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, items or plot hooks for your players. If any character has ties to the
petrified, poisoned Demonocracy or the Clergy, or if they you intend to introduce any
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 sort of prophecy or destiny, stumbling upon clues in an accursed
Languages -- tomb does have some classic cachet.
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) Each chamber has roughly the same layout as the central cham-
Grasp of the Sea. When grappled by a drowned dead, the target of ber, which is the only one presented in detail in the map. A front
the grapple counts as being submerged, but cannot hold their breath. gallery contains lore for how to fight evil, and cases or warding
One round after being grappled, the target must start making saving circles hold monsters or cursed items. Then beyond, a lower level
throws or begin drowning. has multiple layers of wards for some prominent evil, like a large
Relentless as the Tide. Five minutes after a drowned dead is destroyed, monster, a relic that melts flesh, or heretical text that will drive the
it immediately regenerates back to full health. Only freeing the demon reader insane.
Ashima-Shimtu can break the island’s curse and allow the drowned
dead to be permanently destroyed.
Staggered. A drowned dead must use an action to move its speed. A Chamber List.
drowned dead can move up to its speed and attack in the same round Though now empty, the chambers once contained a variety of evil.
if its movement is in a straight line that ends adjacent to the target of 1. Vault Entrance
the attack. 2. Heretical Texts
Actions 3. Unholy Arms & Armor
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 4. Blasphemous Artwork
(1d6+3) bludgeoning damage. 5. Accursed Items
6. Afflicted Innocents
7. Damned Souls
Crypta Hereticarum 8. Beasts of the Infernal Horde
9. The Prison of Ashima-Shimtu, Lady of the Forked Tongue,
Exploration. Montage. Last of the High Fiends, Seneschal of the Demonocracy,
The only safe haven against a horde of undead is a cursed vault. Keeper of the Secret Which Must Not Be Lost
At the bottom of the stairs lies the entrance to a centuries-old From chamber 7, a tunnel leads north that ends in a pair of heavy
vault. A gallery once provided a place of worship and reflection. bronze doors: the entrance to chamber nine. The doors have no lock
Warnings in archaic language cover the walls, but most have been or handle, and powerful magic holds it shut. A handprint has been
defaced. A pair of bronze doors hang open, their warding sigils pressed into the metal, and a ring of sigils surround the handprint.
scraped or melted off. A makeshift iron door-bar leans against the A DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals that this is a spell to
wall, formed from three swords melted together. Some time in the open the door, prepared specifically for the unique wards of this
past few decades, another group got caught on the island and had to tomb. To use the spell, someone has to place their hand in the
barricade themselves down here against the undead. handprint. The ritual requires one use of Channel Divinity (or does
Beyond the doors, eight chambers are connected by hallways damage equal to a quarter of the character’s maximum hit points),
lined with bones of priests who were interred here to help sanc- and then the doors open.
tify the island and keep its evil from leaking out. The chambers The chamber beyond is not damaged or defaced like the rest of
contain various heresies, horrors, and demon-possessed men and the vault, but looks fresh and preserved. Polished obsidian forms
beasts. Parts of the vault have sunk and become flooded, but the pas- the ceiling, walls, and floor. The stone glistens and reflects the im-
sages are navigable. In the center lies the vault’s greatest and only age of those walking over it. Time, however, has taken some toll,
remaining prisoner, the ancient demoness Ashima-Shimtu. and a central section of the room has collapsed into a sump, twenty
The feminine voice from the surface continues to invite the party feet deep. From the doorway, there is no sign of any defenders, but
deeper, but it never responds to their attempts to communicate, or the room feels foreboding.
strays much from the “come to the center and I will free you” line. If the party wavers, the voice promises they are almost there.

Sinistra Diaboli Gene, Lunatic Godhand

Medium humanoid (human), lawful evil
Action. Tactical. Armor Class 19 (Wisdom, bracers of defense)
An insane heretic godhand seeks to offer up the party to the demon in Hit Points 76 (8d8+40)
the center of the vault. Speed 40 ft.
Three centuries ago, one of the godhands of the Clergy (a sort of STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
paladin-monk) grew obsessed with the lore of Ashima-Shimtu. He 18 (+4) 17 (+3) — 10 (+0) 18 (+4) 20 (+5)
decided he would pledge himself to the demoness and find a way Saving Throws int +3
to free her. He found a way to bypass the door that guarded the Skills Acrobatics +6, Deception +11, Insight +10, Intimidation +8,
central chamber of the vault, but in so doing he triggered a curse Perception +10
that trapped him underground. Worse, he discovered he could not Damage Resistances variable (see text); bludgeoning, piercing, and
actually free his mistress. slashing from nonmagical weapons
Not that Ashima-Shimtu wanted the crazy man as a minion Damage Immunities poison
anyway. Condition Immunities aging, disease, poisoned
To keep himself alive, the godhand broke the seals holding lesser Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 20
fiends, and he bound himself to them so he no longer needed to eat. Languages Common
Over the centuries he has killed other tomb robbers, and gathered Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
various cursed items to his “lair” to help him defend his mistress. Demon’s Souls. Gene is possessed by various demonic spirits which
Now he hears her whispering to the party, beckoning them closer, have given him immortal life. Gene does not possess a Constitution
and he hopes to kill them as an offering. score, but relies on his Charisma score in its place.
Evasion. When Gene is subjected to an effect that allows him to make a
Meet Gene. Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, he takes no damage
The godhand, Gene, sits on a small stone outcropping in the middle if he succeeds on the saving throw, and half damage if he fails.
of the room, facing a 6-foot tall gold mirror. The old, bearded man Hands of Heaven and Hell (1/turn). When Gene hits a creature with
looks fairly serene, sitting with his eyes closed in his silvery-white his enchanted brass knuckles, he may pummel it or another adjacent
robes. He has no reflection in the mirror. target dealing 2 (1d4) lightning damage. Each time he deals lightning
Once the party has gathered, he stands and turns, revealing a damage the brass knuckles gain one charge, which lasts until the end
grim expression his face. Without a word, he begins to attack. of the encounter. When the brass knuckles have at least six charge
• Gene, Lunatic Godhand counters, the next attack Gene hits a creature with them he gains a
• 8+ golden doppelgangers number of temporary hit points equal to the damage the attack deals.
High Jump. Gene has advantage on checks made to jump.
Terrain. Power Attack. When Gene makes his first melee weapon attack in a
Four complete (and one partial) warding circle glow with faint turn, he can choose to take a -5 penalty to his melee weapon attack
light. Gene has long since released the monsters within. When a rolls in exchange for a +10 bonus to melee weapon damage. In addi-
creature enters one of these circles, it must succeed on a DC 14 In- tion, Gene can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack
telligence, Wisdom, or Charisma check. On a failure, it is trapped. after he uses a melee weapon to reduce a creature to 0 hit points or
A trapped creature cannot leave the circle or affect the circle, and scores a critical hit with it. Gene can only use this feature on his turn.
can neither attack anyone outside the circle, nor use any sort of Quick. Gene has advantage on initiative checks.
magic that goes beyond the circle. A creature can attempt to break Regeneration. Gene regains 5 hit points at the start of his turn. Gene
free of the circle once per round at the end of its turn. The creature dies only if he starts his turn with 0 hit points.
can be released via forced movement, or by damaging the circle. Stillness of Mind. Gene can use his action to end one effect on himself
The pit in the center of the room is filled with rubble and sections that is causing him to be charmed or frightened.
of water 10 feet deep. Variable Resistance. When Gene is struck by elemental damage during
Cursed Mirrors. Around the chamber Gene has placed golden combat, he gains resistance to that type of damage for 1 minute.
mirrors, which create evil reflections. They have warped over time, Actions
though, so the reflections are feeble and misshapen. Whenever a Multiattack. Gene attacks three times.
creature with a soul enters a space within 10 feet of the mirror, a Enchanted Brass Knuckles. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach
golden doppelganger appears adjacent to that creature. Gene sacri- 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) magical bludgeoning damage and if
ficed his own soul, so he is unaffected. Gene has already hit the target once this turn, it must make a DC 15
A given creature can have multiple doppelgangers at once, but Wisdom saving throw. On a failure the target is stunned until the end
there can be no more than 8 at a time. If a mirror is knocked over, of Gene’s next turn or drops one object it is holding (the object lands
however, it no longer functions. in an adjacent square of Gene’s choice).
Reactions
Slow Fall. Gene can use his reaction when he falls to reduce any falling
damage he takes by 40.

Golden Doppelganger Tactics.

Medium construct, neutral evil Gene leaps into the fray and tries to shove and maneuver the party
Armor Class same as target near to mirrors so their golden doppelgangers appear. He then
Hit Points 1 begins talking, but only addresses the doppelgangers. He mostly
Speed same as target grumbles semi-coherently about how long he’s been stuck here with-
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA out people to talk to, and how his mistress stopped being so nice
—— same as target —— after he lost his soul.
Saving Throws same as target He also tries to trap people in the warding circles or dump them
Skills same as target down into the sump in the middle of the room. If anyone tries to
Damage Resistances same as target enter Ashima-Shimtu’s chamber at the north end, Gene flies into a
Damage Immunities same as target rage and will not relent until he has removed them.
Condition Immunities same as target
Senses same as target, passive Perception same as target Aftermath.
Challenge 0 (10 XP) When defeated, Gene’s fires burn out and he slumps to the ground.
Features. The golden doppelganger does not possess any of the target’s He smiles through blood-stained teeth and jovially calls out to
class features but otherwise has the same features as the target. Ashima-Shimtu in the northern room, “Mistress, you have visitors!”
Actions Then he collapses, dead.
Attacks. The golden doppelganger has the same melee and ranged
weapon attacks as the target.

Ashima-Shimtu Then she makes her offer.
Social. Real-Time. Ashima-Shimtu has meditated, and being the guest of priests this past
Trapped for centuries, this survivor of the Demonocracy can make a millennium has given her time to consider matters of morality. She
deal to aid the party in their mission. could condemn these intruders to a slow death of starvation, as she has
When the party enters the northern chamber after defeating so many times before, but she offers them instead their freedom, since
Gene, read or paraphrase the following: she cannot have such herself.
“This is no devil’s bargain, nor a gift that must be repaid by force of
You hear the sea waves crashing from a wide well in the center of the infernal contract. The visitors to her prison desire to leave. They need
room. Above it, a naked woman, her flesh scaled like a serpent, her face only step to the lip of this well, speak the name of where they would
inhuman, hangs suspended. Six hook-tipped chains pierce her legs, her travel, and dive in. Ashima-Shimtu will see them safely there. More, she
back, and her arms. Another hook that sealed her mouth swings loose, will conceal them for a time, so that the divinations of their enemies
and it flutters in the breeze from her lips. will think them dead. She thinks this is the least she can do to thank her
She raises her head and looks at you. The chains stretch and pull at visitors for removing the unpleasant man who had bothered her.”
her skin, and she draws a sharp, wounded breath. When the spasm of Then, eerily, the demoness seems to smile with amusement for a mo-
pain passes, she speaks. ment before lowering her head. The chains themselves seem to relax,
“When Triegenes, founder of the Clergy, defeated the Demonocracy, and she sighs as the pain subsides.
most of the fiend rulers were slain. Because their souls could not return
to the hellish planes that spawned them, the corruption drained into this If the party is wary, Ashima-Shimtu is not much for talking. She
world. Ashima-Shimtu, however, bargained for her life, offering to be a never addresses the party directly, but instead speaks as if narrat-
prisoner, and in exchange she would provide guidance on how to find and ing the scene. If the party declines, she lets them go as they will.
trap the trace essences of the other high fiends. If the party agrees, they can name Vendricce and dive into the
“The Clergy chained her above this well that leads to the sea, and pool. Ashima-Shimtu’s blood magic carries them through the sea,
ringed the wall of the pit with blessings. Now she hangs above a massive and they wash ashore near the harbor of Vendricce just before
font of holy water. The vapor forever stings her, and should she ever sunrise.
wriggle free she will fall and be dissolved. She upheld her end of the Make a note of any PC that were reduced below half hit points
bargain for centuries, and learned to meditate and ignore her physical during the fight with Gene. Unless the party takes special effort
existence so she would not go mad from solitude. Eventually the Clergy to clean themselves of blood, when they dive into the pool Ashima-
captured every fiend’s essence it could find, and they locked them into Shimtu’s blood magic grants her some slight connection to them,
the same vault with Ashima-Shimtu. which she will make use of later.
“And so the Lady of the Forked Tongue would have been forgotten, if
not for the holy war between the high elves and the Clergy.
“Five hundred years ago, two people came to the Isle of Odiem and Terminus East
received from Ashima-Shimtu a ritual that could give physical form to
a belief. The ritual was used to conjure forth an avatar of the goddess Exploration. Real-Time.
Srasama; when she was slain the eladrin race was nearly annihilated. A party of Obscurati welcomes Luc as he and his lantern arrive in
“The surviving heads of the Clergy learned that Ashima-Shimtu had Vendricce.
been involved, but she refused to give them the secret of the ritual The train departs Sid Minos at 7:30 am. Luc spends the day de-
unless they released her. They threatened to kill her, but she knew the jected at the thought that Ottavia is gone, having sacrificed her life
temptation to wield such power made her too valuable to kill. And so she to protect him. The train arrives in Vendricce at 5:42 pm.
remains, the Keeper of the Secret That Must Not Be Lost, waiting for This is currently the end of the line, and so no other train has
the day the hierarch of the Clergy releases her. come from the other direction. However, track is under construc-
“Today is not that day. The visitors to her prison could never break her tion heading east, with the intent of crossing the Strait of Sjögren
chains. But she sees value in them.” into Elfaivar. The first quarter mile of bridge is complete, but be-
yond that just a skeleton of stone and steel rises from the sea. The
Here Ashima-Shimtu identifies the PCs one by one, showing a mys- track currently runs to the end of the completed bridge section, but
tical awareness of their souls and identities. For instance, she might a barricade waits at the edge of shore, surrounded by warning signs,
say, “The killer who masquerades as an arm of the law to forget her
sins. The knight who abandons all for the sake of duty, causing suf- Final Orders.
fering in those who would love him. The drunkard druid who has The party’s boss Delft knows they’re scheduled to reach Vendricce
betrayed tradition for the march of progress. The learned arcanist on the 16th. That morning he has an RHC mage perform up to three
who turned to Vekeshi mysticism to aid her in vengeance.” sending spells to find out the status of the mission and suggest a
This gives the GM an opportunity to develop or resolve inter- course of action. He encourages them to capture Luc if possible, kill
party drama, or simply to frame some of the personal journeys of him if necessary, and recover the lantern for study. Any additional
the characters. information is just a bonus.

to ensure no one accidentally drives a train off the end of the bridge Driving the Train.
and into the harbor. If the party plans to escape on the train, a Technologist can start it
Because the party can reach this location so many different ways, moving without trouble. Anyone else needs to succeed on a DC 15
we present the actions and resources of the Obscurati group here, Intelligence check to figure out how to operate it, though the party
and leave it to your players to plan how to accomplish their mis- might be able to do that in advance. Due to the lessened weight of
sion and then escape. Also, we assume the players will realize the this short train, it accelerates by 30 feet per round, to a maximum
train is primed and ready to roll, making it the best possible escape speed of 800 feet per round.
vehicle, since its course will lead to the harbor, where the party’s
ship awaits. Obscurati in Vendricce.
Though it’s unlikely the party will encounter them in this adventure,
Private Depot. the Obscurati has a palace on a wooded, hilly stretch of shore 10
When the train arrives in the Vendricce rail enclave, the passen- miles north of the city, and an underwater dock beneath it, accessi-
gers all leave, then porters go through to make sure no one’s fallen ble by submarine. The stately grounds appear perfectly respectable,
asleep and that no luggage gets left behind. Luc, Bree, and Ver- but various passages lead to a parallel version in the Bleak Gate,
zubak remain on board. where most of the conspiracy’s affairs occur.
Then the train does some maneuvers to detach most of the central The party will return in Adventure Seven, Schism, and even when
section, leaving just the locomotive, the fuel car, Luc’s first class they’re 15th level they won’t have enough power on their own for
suite car, and the first class lounge (Cars 1, 2, 18, and 19). This a frontal assault. If the party tries one now, they’d likely be spot-
small train pulls up beside a private depot building, stopping at ted within a few minutes. Then they’d be run down by trackers on
6:15 pm. Aboard the train are only engineer Steeg, Bree, Verzubak, horseback and captured before they could make it back to the city.
and Luc (and possibly Ottavia if she never lured the party to the
island). Nicodemus, head the conspiracy, is wearing a different body than
At this point the train depot appears empty, but Lya Jierre waits the last time the party encountered him (at Macbannin’s manor in
inside for the sun to set, at 6:30 pm. At that point she walks out onto adventure two, The Dying Skyseer). He has a weak connection to
the platform and calls out to her brother. Luc and Bree step off his current host, so he cannot contribute in a fight. However, he is
the train onto the platform. (Verzubak remains on board, chatting completely fearless, since he cares not one whit if his body dies. The
with engineer Steeg.) other guests at the depot are Risuri engineer Lester Guillory, Dan-
Luc carries his lantern covered with a dark sheet. Lya is dressed oran astronomer Dustin Huff, and twin sisters Emily and Anna
for a lavish ball (but still has her sword at her hip), and she gives her Davis, political liaisons to the government of Crisillyir who help
brother a boisterous hug. with the conspiracy’s finances. None of them are combatants.
Luc says that he expected there would be a group here to greet
him. Lya says they’re here, and she produces a small vial of lantern Layout.
oil from within her dress. She asks if they were followed, and Bree Lya has Luc place his lantern on one of the tables in the depot. The
explains the events of the trip. effect of the lantern extends 50 feet from it. The party is in the real
As long as the PCs aren’t visible and threatening, Lya is uncon- world, but the lantern lets them see and interact with creatures
cerned. She hands Luc the oil and directs him to light the lantern. in the Bleak Gate who are in that radius, and vice versa. However,
The lantern glows with blue light, and their surroundings peel away, if any of the characters in the Bleak Gate leave the radius of the
revealing another train depot, this one gloriously illuminated by lantern’s effect, they fade out of view from the real world.
candles and chandeliers within while somehow much more deeply North of the private depot lies the grand station, where dozens
dark outside. The lantern has shifted them into the Bleak Gate, and of spare train cars and locomotives park for service. A low hill sepa-
for the next 5 minutes the two worlds will be coterminous. Every- rates this scenic depot from the sprawl of those rails. On a hill to
thing within 50-feet of the lantern exists in both planes at once. the south, the enclave keeps a small barracks of about 200 soldiers,
present in case forces from Elfaivar attack. These facilities also ex-
Bleak Gate Defenses. ist in the Bleak Gate, but are empty and inaccessible in any case.
Inside the Bleak Gate version of the depot waits Nicodemus the In the Bleak Gate version, a small corral beside the depot cur-
Gnostic, a few tier four members of the conspiracy who work in the rently holds 4 carriages and 8 horses. After the meet and greet
Obscurati palace, and a detachment of elite guards who wear capes finishes, they’ll carry everyone off to the Obscurati palace.
clasped by golden pins in the shape of an open book. The grounds
outside are patrolled by additional guards. Welcome into the Fold.
• Lya Jierre The party can see the following events through the depot’s windows.
• Luc Jierre Lya welcomes Luc and Bree into the private depot. She begins
• Bree Kaldeckis to explain the basics of their group while introducing him to the
• Verzubak Tantalovich other guests. She explains that some things still have to remain
• 4 Obscurati bookpin guards secret for now, but his invention, when scaled up and reproduced
• 8 Obscurati musketeers as lighthouses and clocktowers, will help them change the world.


Recurring Villainy. and as the door swings shut behind him the lantern goes dark. The
Ideally, as soon as Lya is below half health she’ll break off combat. depot is empty, and the connection to the Bleak Gate is gone.
Perhaps she jumps off the train and crashes into a fruit cart, or if If the party hasn’t acted by now, Luc and the lantern are beyond
she’s fighting in the streets a phalanx of two dozen soldiers charge their reach.
in, and she’s able to flee through their ranks. We know players hate it
when NPCs escape, but recurring villains are fun. Heightened Security.
If the party does manage to capture her, the events of adventure If the adventurer’s aren’t benefiting from Ashima-Shimtu’s aid to
five, Cauldron-Born can still occur, because Danor will contact King hide from divinations, and they have not otherwise taken precau-
Aodhan, and the moment the party set foot on Risur, he would order tions, the Ob have used plenty of magic to make sure they know if
her release for the sake of the peace summit. Until then, she would anyone’s crashing their event. If Ottavia lives, they will have used
be amiable as long as they did not kill her brother. In any case, a sending to at least discover whether she’s alive
powerful geas forbids her from admitting any of the secrets of the Nicodemus in any event now knows the identities of the party. If
conspiracy to outsiders. he thinks they’re coming, he knows they have a knack for avoiding
If the party works extra hard and manages to break the geas, traps, so he prefers to deter them instead of trying to capture or
recall that the campaign can still work even if the heroes figure out kill them.
the secret early. Lya knows about the seals, the colossus, the lantern, Inside the depot, the bookpin guards cover the entrances. A pair
and the plan that involves them, but even then she doesn’t know of musketeers wait outside each entrance, and another two stand
about the various liabilities that the PCs will be able to exploit in watch on the platform by the train.
later adventures to take down the conspiracy, nor about the secret
history of how Nicodemus and Kasvarina brought about the Great Battle Plan.
Malice. Right now the party is close to cracking some of these mys- The party might try to get help from Malia, who could let them
teries anyway, so while some of the later twists will have less impact, hide aboard the train, and whose scoped rifles would be quite handy
they’ll feel like they’ve scored a major coup. in this situation. If the party has watched a lot of heist films, they
might manage to turn Verzubak to their side and have him replace
Luc stutters as he tries to ask how they’re changing things. He Luc’s lantern with the (repaired) replica from atop the locomotive
is willing to accept almost anything if it will get him respect and before they even get to Vendricce. Or the party might just set fire to
authority, but his conversations with Ottavia have him mindful of the depot and sweep in when people exit.
how people with power tend to abuse it. Until the party comes within 50 feet of the lantern, they are ef-
Lya admits she was uncertain too at first, but when they get to fectively invisible to the guards at the depot, which the party might
the palace, Nicodemus will have a chance to explain in more detail. abuse by attacking from outside the light’s radius. If the party ap-
She assures her brother that they’re doing this to make things bet- proaches from behind the train, the musketeers might not hear
ter, and that they are aided by the wisdom of some of the wisest them (passive Perception 14).
people of the past five centuries. The lantern’s light cannot be snuffed prematurely without de-
Nicodemus charmingly cuts her off there, chiding her for saying stroying the lantern, which the Obscurati won’t do except in dire
too much in mixed company. He turns the conversation to Luc and circumstances. If the party attacks, they have a limited time to get
compliments the man’s intellect, and his bravery for having made past the guards and accomplish their goal — be it murder, destruc-
the journey while being spied on by hostiles. He apologizes, and tion, or abduction.
says that there are some logistical issues they have to handle before If the party hasn’t figured out the purpose of Luc, Lya, and Bree’s
proper pleasantries can begin. amulets, they might get a nasty surprise when they try to drag Luc
Nicodemus produces three amulets, similar to the ones the party away and he vanishes at the edge of the lantern’s light because the
saw Macbannin’s crew using in the witchoil laboratory. He explains party’s in the real world and he’s in the Bleak Gate.
that they’ll need to be wearing that when the lantern goes out, and A stand-up fight against the depot’s whole security force will
it will bring them across the veil into the Bleak Gate, where the real likely not go their way, but if they sweep in and escape in a hurry,
party waits. Normally the trip between the two planes is a hugely they might be able to survive a few rounds of attacks and then get
involved process requiring multiple gates that slowly shift you stage away so the majority of the guards can’t follow. Bree and Lya will
by stage by stage. But with Luc’s lantern, the process will be so remove their amulets and give chase, however.
much more efficient.
Luc, Lya, and Bree put on the amulets, and Nicodemus tells Tactics.
them to mingle. He’ll be back in a moment, but he needs to handle Every combatant’s main goal is to protect Luc. Bree stays by his
some last minute security first. The other Obscurati members come side and covers him, while Lya charges any enemies she thinks she
up to gush to Luc, while Nicodemus walks outside. He lights up a can reach, taking off her amulet if she needs to attack PCs who are
cigarette, tells the guards to keep watch, and then scans the night, beyond the lantern’s light. The musketeers fire from afar, not dar-
looking for signs of the party. ing to close and only using their pistol-whip if absolutely necessary.
A few minutes later, the light from the lantern starts to dim, and The bookpin guards form a heavily armored perimeter around Bree
the guards move to prepare the carriages. Nicodemus goes inside, and Luc. Nicodemus, while he does not fight, will stroll through

the battle, doing his best to look harmless so he can reach the party Luc Jierre
and learn about them. If injured, he smokes a leaf of Nicodemus Medium humanoid (tiefling), lawful neutral
cigarette while he dies. Armor Class 12
If the party gets away, Lya will definitely pursue. Whether her Hit Points 13 (3d8)
brother is safe or not, she knows that the party recognizes her, and Speed 30 ft.
she can’t let them tell King Aodhan his future bride is conspiring STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
against Risur. 8 (-1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 17 (+3) 14 (+2) 11 (+0)
Saving Throws dex +4, wis +4, cha +2
Lya Jierre Skills Acrobatics +4, Arcana +7, Deception +2, Insight +4, Persuasion
Medium humanoid (tiefling), lawful neutral +4, Perception +6, Stealth +4
Armor Class 20 (Intelligence, studded leather) Damage Resistances fire
Hit Points 80 (12d8+24) Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Speed 30 ft. Languages Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Infernal, Sylvan
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Challenge 1 (200 XP)
12 (+1) 20 (+5) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) Infernal Legacy. Luc knows the thaumaturgy cantrip and he can cast
Saving Throws dex +9, con +6 the hellish rebuke spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait, regain-
Skills Acrobatics +8, Deception +6, Insight +7, Perception +7, Perfor- ing the ability to do so when he finishes a long rest. In addition, Luc
mance +6, Stealth +8 can cast the darkness spell once with this trait and regains the ability
Damage Resistances fire to do so when he finishes a long rest. Charisma is his spellcasting
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17 ability for these spells (spell save DC 10, spell attack +2).
Languages Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Infernal Actions
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Wayfarer’s Lantern. Luc uses the Wayfarer’s Lantern.
Bravery. Lya has advantage on saving throws against fear.
Escape Contingency. If reduced below 20 hit points or incapacitated Obscurati Bookpin Guard
by any means, Lya triggers a magical contingency, crafted at great Male humanoid (human), lawful neutral
expense, and travels to the Bleak Gate. Armor Class 20 (plate mail, shield)
Improved Critical. Lya’s weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of Hit Points 45 (6d8+18)
19 or 20. Speed 30 ft.
Infernal Legacy. Lya knows the thaumaturgy cantrip and she can cast STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
the hellish rebuke spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait, regain- 16 (+3) 8 (-1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 10 (+0)
ing the ability to do so when she finishes a long rest. In addition, Lya Saving Throws str +5, con +5
can cast the darkness spell once with this trait and regains the ability Skills Athletics +5, Deception +2, Insight +5, Intimidation +4, Percep-
to do so when she finishes a long rest. Charisma is her spellcasting tion +5
ability for these spells (spell save DC 11, spell attack +3). Senses passive Perception 15
Precise Strike (1/turn). Lya deals 7 (2d6) extra damage with a melee Languages Common, Elvish
weapon attack. Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Quick. Lya has advantage on initiative checks. Bravery. The Obscurati Bookpin Guard has advantage on saving throws
Actions against fear.
Multiattack. Lya attacks twice. Power Attack. When the Obscurati Bookpin Guard makes their first
Razorburst Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one melee weapon attack in a turn, they can choose to take a -5 penalty
target. Hit: 8 (1d6+5) magical piercing damage and if the target has to their melee weapon attack rolls in exchange for a +10 bonus to
fewer than 5 hit points remaining, the weapon shrieks as mechanism melee weapon damage. In addition, the Obscurati Bookpin Guard can
of bladed teeth unfold from the hilt to saw back and forth. The target use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack after they use
makes a Constitution saving throw (DC equal to the attack’s damage). a melee weapon to reduce a creature to 0 hit points or score a critical
On a success, the target loses an extremity of its choice—hand, foot, hit with it. The Obscurati Bookpin Guard can only use this feature on
arm, or leg. On a failure, the attacker chooses which extremity the their turn.
target loses. Creatures without extremities are unaffected. A severed Actions
arm or hand prevents use of anything that the creature was holding Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
or carrying. A severed foot slows the target’s speed by 10 feet. A 7 (1d8+3) slashing damage or if wielded in two hands 8 (1d10+3).
severed leg renders the target prone.
Reactions
Parry. Lya adds 3 to her AC against one melee attack that would hit her.
To do so, Lya must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.
Equipment
Combat Gear. Lya carries two potions of superior healing.

New Magic Item.

The Wayfarer’s Lantern While so dazed, if it ends its turn and has not attacked anything,
Wondrous item, artifact it must attack or move towards and attack the nearest creature.
The eight-faced cap of this lantern (AC 8, 10 hp) depicts symbols of If it succeeds its save against being dazed, it recognizes that its
seven planets and the sun. Eight brass arches beneath contain a light mind is being affected, and is immune from the compulsion for
that glows without flame, held contained without glass. As the light 5 minutes (if it is still in the radius of the lantern after that time,
touches you, reality seems to shift, as if you’re in a whole different world. it can be attacked again.)
You can use a bonus action to adjust the lantern to shed dim light in • Avilona. Howling winds blow across affected creatures. At the
a 25-foot radius or normal light in 50-foot radius, or to turn off. The beginning of your turn roll 1d8 to randomly determine the wind’s
lantern’s greater powers require it be fed special fuel—oil that has been direction. Whenever an affected creature ends its turn, it slides
attuned to a particular plane by steeping it in some item attuned to that 1d4 × 5 feet in that direction. Alternately, other types of weather
plane. Typically this is some form of meteorite that has been ground to can be called forth, albeit in a limited area.
dust. An ounce of this oil burns for 5 minutes. Each ounce of oil is ef- • Av. Any creature under the lantern’s effect for at least a minute
fectively a consumable item of uncommon, rare, or very rare rarity. The becomes slowed (as the spell). On a failed Wisdom saving throw, it
potency (its rarity) is based on how much meteor dust the oil contains falls asleep and has vivid shared dreams. If it succeeds it shakes
and determines the strength of the effect. A given ounce of oil must be off the effect and is immune for 5 minutes.
attuned to a specific plane. • Mavisha. The flow of water within the area obeys the mental
As an action, you can fill the lantern with oil and light it. The lan- command of sentient creatures. An affected creature can use
tern either affects everything it illuminates, or only creatures that you an action to raise, lower, or part water, or increase a vessel’s
choose. To specifically target a creature you require either line of sight speed by 10 miles an hour, but it’s not fast enough to be used as
to it when you light the lantern, or the creature (or its gear or domicile) a weapon. Multiple creatures thinking in opposition can rouse the
must be marked with an arcane sigil prior to lighting the lantern. Tar- anger of the water, causing it to manifest as a water elemental.
geted creatures that leave the area of the lantern’s illumination are no • Urim. Illuminated stone, crystal, and metal becomes harder.
longer affected, but they will be affected again if they return to the area. Affected creatures gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and
The lantern’s effects extend 50 feet in every direction, ignoring even slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.
total cover or concealment. A creature with total cover or concealment • Apet. Affected creatures can teleport 50 feet as a bonus action
has advantage on saving throws to resist the lantern’s effects because (otherwise as misty step), but must remain within the radius of
the light is not actually touching them, but the magic can pass through the lantern’s light.
solid objects. Choose an effect below appropriate to the oil’s planar at- • Nem. Affected creatures are pulled from their bodies into the
tunement. Each round targets must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC plane of Nem, a spirit world on the far side of the Bleak Gate.
equal to the rarity of the oil used: uncommon—DC 12, rare—DC 14, The world resembles reality but is bereft of occupants and slowly
very rare—DC 16). A creature that is hit falls under the lantern’s effect fades away as the disembodied creature wanders away from
for 5 minutes. If it later moves beyond the radius of the lantern it is the spot where it died. Even if their body moves, the spot where
no longer affected, but it will be again as soon as it comes back into they entered Nem is an invisible gateway. If they ever stray more
the area. The lantern’s effect lasts for the full 5 minutes. It cannot be than three miles from that gateway, they pass into the afterlife
snuffed prematurely without shattering and destroying the lantern. and cannot be resurrected. This is normally not a factor with
• Any. Within a minute a random encounter occurs as creatures the lantern because it will not burn long enough. While in Nem
native to the plane are drawn to the lantern. The encounter is up they cannot see or be seen by living creatures. They gain ghostly
to GM’s discretion based on the current party level. traits (as explained in “Three Milestones”). This power can be
• The Dreaming or Bleak Gate. Those affected are physically useful for scouting environments. If their souls leave the area of
transported to the coterminous spot in either the land of the fey the lantern, affected creatures instantly snap back to the spot
or the land of shadows. where they first entered Nem. If their bodies are moved from the
• Vona. Affected creatures have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) lantern’s area, their souls snap back into their flesh.
and Wisdom (Perception) checks. Affected creatures with any
sort of vulnerability to radiant energy or sunlight take 3 (1d6)
radiant energy damage at the beginning of each round.
• Jiese. An affected creature takes 3 (1d6) fire damage at
the beginning of each round. Objects catch fire more easily.
Alternately, affected creatures become argumentative and
hostile. Any creature that remains under the effect for at least
a minute becomes dazed (at the end of each of its turns, the
creature receives a new Wisdom saving throw to end the effect).

Bree Evasion. When Verzubak is subjected to an effect that allows him to

Medium humanoid (human), neutral good make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, he instead
Armor Class 19 (breastplate, shield +1) takes no damage if he succeeds on the saving throw, and only half
Hit Points 102 (12d10+36) damage if he fails.
Speed 30 ft. Lucky Ki Dice. When Verzubak rolls these two six-side dice, they can
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA yield any number he wants. Numbers outside the range of 2 to 12
16 (+3) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 8 (-1) will be quite suspicious. If Verzubak had a ki pool, its maximum would
Saving Throws str +6, con +5, cha +2 increase by 1.
Skills Athletics +6, Deception +2, Insight +7, Intimidation +5, Percep- To add flavor, the GM can pick one d20 for Verzubak and only ever
tion +7 use it for his attack rolls. Only the GM may touch this die. Once per
Senses passive Perception 17 session, if the selected die rolls badly, the GM is allowed to make a
Languages Common “cleansing” re-roll to get the bad numbers out. If the rules are violated,
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) the GM must retire the chosen die and replace it with another.
Bravery. Bree has advantage on saving throws against fear. Quick. Verzubak has advantage on initiative checks.
Butcher’s Girdle. When one of Bree’s limbs becomes severed, she can Stonecunning. Whenever Verzubak makes an Intelligence (History)
move and control the limb as if it were still fully functional. Whenever check related to the origin of stonework, he has a +7 bonus to the
she moves, the limb can fly up to 30 feet (maximum height of 30 feet), check.
though it must remain within 100 feet Bree or it falls inert. She can Sneak Attack (1/turn). Verzubak deals an extra 14 (4d6) damage
use her limb to attack, though if Bree cannot see her target she has when he hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the
disadvantage. If the limb shares the same space as the Bree, she can attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Verzubak’s
spend a bonus action to reattach it to her body, restoring full function. that isn’t incapacitated and he doesn’t have disadvantage on the
Bree can use an action to intentionally sever one of her own limbs attack roll.
with a blade, self-inflicting 25 damage. A missing leg give Bree the Actions
prone condition (even she can stand up, she can’t balance well enough Dagger (10). Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or
to fight at full effectiveness). range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) piercing damage plus the
Power Attack. When Bree makes her first melee weapon attack in a target makes a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or takes 14 (4d6)
turn, she can choose to take a -5 penalty to her melee weapon attack poison damage.
rolls in exchange for a +10 bonus to melee weapon damage. In addi- Reactions
tion, Bree can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker Verzubak can see hits him with an
after she uses a melee weapon to reduce a creature to 0 hit points or attack, he can use his reaction to halve the attack’s damage against
scores a critical hit with it. Bree can only use this feature on her turn. him.
Actions
Multiattack. Bree attacks twice. Obscurati Musketeer
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral
7 (1d8+3) slashing damage or if wielded in two hands 8 (1d10+3). Armor Class 15 (studded leather)
Equipment Hit Points 18 (4d8)
Combat Gear. Bree carries a potion of superior healing. Speed 30 ft.
Verzubak Tantalovich 8 (-1) 17 (+3) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)
Medium humanoid (dwarf), lawful neutral Saving Throws dex +5, con +2
Armor Class 15 (studded leather) Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +1, Intimidation +5, Perception +6,
Hit Points 60 (8d8+24) Survival +6
Speed 25 ft. Senses passive Perception 16
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Languages Common, Elvish
14 (+2) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 8 (-1) Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Saving Throws con +6, dex +6, int +4 Improved Critical. The Obscurati Musketeer’s weapon attacks score a
Skills Acrobatics +9, Deception +5, Intimidation +2, Perception +6, critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
Sleight of Hand +9, Stealth +11 Precise Aim. When making a ranged weapon attack the Obscurati
Damage Resistances poison Musketeer ignores anything less than total cover.
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16 Actions
Languages Common, Dwarvish Musket. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 40/120 ft., one target.
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Hit: 9 (1d12+3) piercing damage.
Dwarven Resilience. Verzubak has advantage on saving throws against
poison.

Minister of Outsiders Lya Jierre.

An ambitious tiefling in her late 20s, Lya is the sis-
ter of Luc Jierre and the niece of Han Jierre, the
Sovereign of Danor. She graduated top of her class
from the Jierre Sciens d’Arms, Danor’s prestigious
academy of war, and many students at several war
colleges have read her thesis, Field Study of Melee
Effectiveness and Foe Debilitation through Focused
Limb Severance Techniques Contrasted with Main- short-distance teleportation works normally.
stream Opportunistic Techniques, which she wrote • Naval crews scramble to blockade the harbor, which the party
near the end of the last Yerasol War. can see as they approach.
Despite her youth, she was awarded the position
of Minister of Outsiders, giving her great leeway to travel and make alliances. On Foot.
For the past three years, she has worked with King Aodhan to keep the peace • If the party flees through the city, they see frantic and
between Danor and Risur, and as they began making plans for a formal alli- confused patrols running down the streets, lanterns in hand,
ance, she accepted the king’s offer of marriage as a symbolic gesture of unity. stopping any foreigners.
Secretly, she is the leader of the Obscurati’s Golden Cell, tasked with deter- • A patrol confronts them as they near their destination (the
mining how to open the great seal on Axis Island. Lya should be portrayed as edge of the city, the harbor, or a safe house), and calls for
a complex character with competing motivations. Though she gets involved reinforcements.
with Risur out of a desire to gain great political power, she does so without
malice. She believes the Obscurati is working toward a more meaningful and Train to Harbor.
lasting peace, but she’s aware that to reach that goal she must tell ever more • Lya boards the train at the rear and runs along the top. If she
elaborate lies and, regrettably, battle would-be heroes. can, she gets to the engine and brakes the train, but likely
she ends up engaged in a sword duel atop the roof of the fuel
car. She might slice off a PC’s hand before eventually leaping
free when the fight turns against her. Bree might join her.
Escape the Noose • City soldiers mounted on horses gallop alongside the train
and fire muskets. Use the statistics for Obscurati Musketeers
Action. Tactical. but be clear these are different troops.
The party has mere minutes to reach their ship and flee before they’re • As the train nears the harbor, construction workers try to
trapped. wave for it to stop, and they leap out of the way at the last sec-
Don’t think of this scene as a specific encounter, but rather a ond as the locomotive plows through a barricade of timbers.
reminder of the resources at your disposal to ratchet and release Not 10 seconds later the train flies off the end of the track
tension during the adventure’s climax. If it seems your players feel and crashes into the incomplete bridge beyond. The impact
successful for simply spying and getting away, or if they defeated ev- shatters the boiler, which explodes in a cloud of deadly steam
eryone at the depot and survived, you can let them reach the harbor and sends a rumble of thunder across the harbor.
and board their ship without extra trouble.
But you want them to feel like they’ve earned a victory. Use these Out of the Harbor.
resources and ideas as needed to bring the party to the edge before • The party’s ship hoists sail, catching guards at the docks off
they succeed. If they’re on the train, it’s a five minute ride to the guard. It sweeps out into the harbor, and the crew mans their
harbor. On foot it’s a quarter hour or worse, depending on how posts bravely as bullets and arrows from the docks strike all
stealthy they are. around them.
• If the party had to ditch into the water, their ship sails up
General City Reaction. and crew throw them lines just as naval cutters are drawing
• At the sound of combat at the train depot, alarm bells ring near.
from the barracks to the south. Dozens of troops begin to • Two warships have navigated to the mouth of the harbor,
scramble out the doors over the next minute. Horns sound and the party’s ship has to surge at full speed in order to sail
an alert across the city, and the military and local city between them before they can angle their guns for a devastat-
guards arm up and march for the harbor, which is the party’s ing volley.
presumed destination. The alarm signals a high-level magical • Finally, if the party has still had it too easy, the Cachalot
threat, and people flee indoors. rises from the depths to block their path. Caught between
• The city’s churches ring golden bells, creating a cacophony two cannon-laden warships and a submarine with only a
that disrupts teleportation magic. It’s not enough to stop the dozen men, the party’s best chance for escape might be to
party from getting away, but attempts to cast such spells re- attack and board the Cachalot, claim it as their own, and flee
quire a DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check to work. Personal beneath the waves.

Aftermath Using the Intelligence.

If the party took any prisoners, it will take at least a few days to
Real-Time. Social. get any useful information out of them. Luc has the most valuable
The party returns to Flint and debriefs with Chief Inspector Delft to intel, and if the party also has Ottavia as a prisoner he might even
gauge the success of their mission. be turned into an asset.
The party likely gets back to Flint on the 24th of Winter. Delft If they recovered the lantern, learning how to use it is fairly easy,
meets them in a secluded location, and works with the party to but acquiring oil suffused with the right planar energy could be a
figure out everything they know. Have the PCs walk through the quest in and of itself. Or the party could just requisition it, and get
events of their mission and answer the following questions. it in a few months (i.e., it will take until the next adventure begins).
• Who was Caius Bergeron meeting in Vendricce? No matter how much information the party has, they don’t
• Who else was attending that meeting? Who from that meet- have the manpower or resources to return to Vendricce right now.
ing was also on the train? The politicians are already balking about the money spent on this
• What allies and accomplices did they have? What possible mission. Delft is going to need time to get support from people in
alliances and connections does this suggest for the Obscurati power, and he thinks the party might want to lay low for a while in
conspiracy? case the Ob retaliate.
• When did each of those people of interest board the train? He will speak to King Aodhan, but even if he convinces the
• What did they do each night when the train was stopped? king and gets more resources, the Ob are hard to pin down. They
Provide an answer for each person of interest and each stop — still can only guess what all the Ob’s plotting is building toward.
Cherage, Orithea, Trekhom, Nalaam, Sid Minos, Vendricce. However, they do know Lorcan Kell’s thieves guild has some con-
• Did you notice any patterns, codes, or other identifying nection to them, and so for the next two months the RHC will try
traits? to whittle down their power base and look for leads to the Obscurati
• What do we know of the conspiracy’s goals? How will they leadership.
accomplish these goals? And then, two months from now, the Ob will be coming to their
• Do you have any clues who in Risur might be allied with doorstep: Lya Jierre is going to be attending a peace summit in the
them? What about allies in other countries? Spring. When she arrives, the party will be ready to capture her
• Who do we tell, and where do we go from here? and her allies, and to thwart whatever they are plotting. e

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EN5ider Presents:

From the Pen of Seamlessly Updated to Fifth Edition by

With Additional Material by Ably Produced and Facilitated by

Evocative Cover Illustration by Special Thanks to

2 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

The Lantern. Luc Jierre. Nephew of Danor’s sovereign,

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4 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

Ring Code. Brianne “Bree” Kaldeckis. A 47-year old

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Ottavia Sacredote. Born deaf, Ottavia was Adventure Overview

6 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

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Investigative Challenges Tailing a Suspect.

8 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

Multiple PCs. Pacing and Leveling.

Rapport. Good Cop, Bad Cop.

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Adventure Layout Recurring Characters. Stover Delft, Damata Griento, Andrei

10 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

Rewards Character Themes.

EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One | 11

12 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

Planning Montage. Assistant Chief Inspector Stover

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Sightseeing. Naval Combat.

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18 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

Captain Auria, Amicus REACTIONS

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Needle in a Haystack Bree.

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Big Pimping. Night in Cherage

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24 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

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Across the Border.

26 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

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Cardiff. Reactions of Luc’s Crew.

28 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

Boone’s Next Murder.

Luc & Ottavia.

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30 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One

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Malice Spawn Rodinn, Bandit Captain

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heavy industrial equipment for a steelworks, bound for

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38 | EN5ider Presents: Always on Time, Part One