Introduction
The most ironic thing, by far, was the fact that the compound had been nearly deserted when they hit it. Thus the attack, devastating though it was, had actually killed few. Lucyan, the Netherese Chief of Station, had sent most of the men out on missions weeks beforehand—messengers to Mirabar, a pair of agents to Silverymoon, trade representatives to the Moonshaes mission, even an assassination team for a particularly troublesome diplomat at Dark Arrows Keep—leaving himself with little more than a skeleton force for defense of the main Luskan fortress itself. Granted, Lucyan had still left himself a force that under normal circumstances would have been more than adequate—he’d had at least a pair of senior priestesses, an understrength company of shadar-kai foot soldiers, and perhaps as many as a handful of monks from the Order of the Dark Moon, all reinforced by the inherent defenses of a Shadovar Enclave located well within the Plane of Shadow—but still… all of that was as nothing to the force that a senior agent of the Netherese Empire could have commanded at the height of his power. All of which meant that despite the destruction of the Luskan stronghold, most of Lucyan’s network was still intact; it was just scattered. Disorganized. Unable or unwilling to communicate. Which turned out to be little different in practical reality than if the network itself had actually been destroyed in detail.
Well. What else should one expect? Luskan is a sty. A haven of despair and villainy. It’s this, after all, that in the past has made it such a useful recruiting ground and base of operations for Shadovar agents. The difference is that now it’s the Sharrans who’re on the run instead of their enemies. The only surprise is that so many of your allies seem to have given into the city’s native despair. It’s your allies who’ve disappeared, and it’s up to you to find them.
You sigh. Thinking about it makes you angry, but for now, your rage has no target. You need allies, and you need information. That’s why you’re in Southtown, heading through the old Captain’s Court towards the South Docks and Rat Alley. You’d gotten a note from Ovid. There was supposed to be a meeting of those still loyal to the Cause.
A chill breeze blows up off the water, and you pull your cloak tighter around you, lowering your head. There’s nothing to be gained by attracting attention, and anyway, it’s still cold in the city even now in early spring. Around you, the city is a hopeless wreck, a hard-used derelict, forgotten or abandoned by anyone with sense. The walls are pockmarked and ruined. Gaping holes stand open where locals have scavenged the stone for their own personal use. Closer on, a few buildings stand on shaky legs. Most are burnt-out hulks, standing like decrepit skeletons in the hard northern night. One, a once enormous tower maybe a mile distant, looks like it might have been hit by a meteor. Weird lights play across its ruined spires, and its aura is chilling, even from across the harbor. Beyond it, an enormous earthmote hangs in the sky.
The Spellplague didn’t just hit this place, you think. It damned-near flattened it.
You walk quickly down towards the harbor, but on the docks it’s more of the same. Most of the buildings are little more than unclaimed kindling. A few look like they might be sound, but these are all boarded up, many with doors that have been visibly chained shut. There are few people out on the streets, but those that are have the wary, tough-eyed look of street muscle. Thugs, cut-throats, or simple gang look-outs… you’ve no way to know for sure and less desire to find out. As always, the citizenry is a hodgepodge of humans mixed with the lower races. Men predominate, but in a three-block area, you see more than a few goblins and kobolds and even an orc riding herd on a string of skinny working girls. Gnolls and perhaps even ogres are likely hiding deeper in the shadows. The orc’s whores smile when you approach, but their desperate looks are anything but appealing. In one alley, a pair of street-urchins huddles under a blanket, eyeing with envy the fire that a group of human street-toughs has set in a steel rain barrel across the street. It’s a sign of the city that the bravos won’t share their warmth—even with children.
The Dark Mother would be proud.
You walk on and notice at last that people are staring at you. Your weapons and armor—both clean and serviceable—mark you like a beacon as an outsider. Before long, you begin to get the idea that you need to get indoors. Fortunately, the meeting, at a tavern called the Tipsy Mermaid, is just around the corner. In another moment, you’re inside, doffing your cloak and scarf. You recognize the kobold Vilavarex instantly. He’s a weird little bastard to be sure, but he’s smart, and he’s loyal. In Luskan, that counts for a lot.
There are a few others present, but none look familiar. None look like Sharrans. After a moment, you pull up a chair beside the kobold. “Vilavarex.”
He nods to you without looking. In front of him, he’s spread the cards of his Tarot deck. “Something is not right here,” he says. He flips a card. It’s the Ten of Pentacles—reversed. “Something is…“
Behind you, the door bangs open. An ogre stoops and then comes in through the door. Snow swirls behind him, but he makes no effort to close the door, instead leaving it open to the elements. On his heels, a quintet of shadar-kai warriors enter with weapons drawn.
Beside you, Vilavarex finally finishes his thought. “Something is wrong.” Vilavarex looks up, suddenly alarmed. “That. By the Dark Mother, this is not right. Not natural.”
The little kobold has a point. Those shadar-kai haven’t said a word. Haven’t even blinked. So… glassy-eyed stares, and in the company of an ogre? And for that matter, what’s going on with the ogre? Ogres usually only have one mood—angry. But this one looks calm, even placid. Which doesn’t change the fact that it’s got a greatclub, and that it’s closing the distance in a decidedly purposeful way.
You come quickly to your feet, and beside you, Vilavarex does the same. This is about to get interesting.
***
Click here to download the Excel spreadsheet for Encounter 1. That will take you to a ZIP file I've stored in Google Docs. When you're ready to make monster knowledge checks, those results are posted here.If you've got any questions or comments, please post them below. And enjoy!
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