d20 Creative Mountain Games The Whispering Woodwind.pdf

The Whispering Woodwind

A Questus Supplement

An Adventure for Four 2nd Level Player Characters

- Table of Contents -

Map of the Trundlefolk Encampment ---------------------------- 18

#6 Bullies at the Bar ------------------------------------------------- 26

Map of Parvue -------------------------------------------------------- 26

#7 Pact with Parvue ------------------------------------------------- 28

#8 The Stable Loft --------------------------------------------------- 30

#9 The Old Crone ---------------------------------------------------- 30

Map of the Lumber Camp ------------------------------------------- 31

#10 Beer Barn of Lorthalonville ----------------------------------- 32

#11 Ambush ----------------------------------------------------------- 35

#12 Mopping Up ------------------------------------------------------ 36

#13 Lorthalon ---------------------------------------------------------- 36

#14 Settling with Parvue and Tardak ---------------------------- 36

Open Game License ------------------------------------------------- 38

Encounter Map of the Questus ------------------------------------- 2

Preface ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

Overview ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3

Behind the Scenes ---------------------------------------------------- 3

Summary of the Encounters ---------------------------------------- 4

Adjusting the Bar ------------------------------------------------------- 5

Guide to Running NPCs ---------------------------------------------- 5

#1 The Belly of the Beast -------------------------------------------- 5

#2 Hound Hutch of Farmer Lyle --------------------------------- 11

#3 The Town Watch Outpost -------------------------------------- 13

#4 Horse, Bear and Cub -------------------------------------------- 14

#5 The Trundlefolk Encampment -------------------------------- 15

Map of Peddler’s Knoll ---------------------------------------- 17

Designed and Written by Mark Alexander Clover

- The CMG Support Team -

Jason Ambrose, Ron Amorim, Brian P Anderson, Travis Anderson, Jim Atkinson, Darwin Bell, Joshua Bennett, Matthew Blakeley, Mario Bolzoni, Art Braune, Jonathan Brock,

Pat Buckley, Delwin Richard Chafe III, Stephanie Charette, Dennis Cherry, Craig Cochrane, Deathe Davis, Ed Diana (and the NBOS folks), Ed Doherty, Robert Durham,

Curt Duval (GamesPlus), Lars Frehse, Ralph Allyn Gadbois III, Derek Garrison (TalonComics), Dave Gilham, Martin Hackett, Håvard Haagenrud, Lisa Harding,

Benjamin Haynes, Christopher Haynes, Lynn Haynes, Eric Jensen, Chris Kennedy, John Melton, Aaron Morgan, Marc Morgan, Russell Morrissey, Matthew Muth,

Albert Nakano, Cameron Nichols, Eric Noah, Erik Ny, James Clifton Payne III, Maxine Peters, Levi Reynolds, William Ronald, Pieter Rozendaal, Florian Schulz,

Christopher Shepard, Dan Smolinske, Nick Smolinske, Tony Sorenson, Jeff Swegler (GamesPlus), Pierre Therriault, Ian Urbina, Alex Watters, Kent Wayson, Alex Wilson

This document is copyright of Creative Mountain Games 2002. It is intended for personal use and

may not be redistributed or reproduced without express written consent of Creative Mountain Games.

Portions of this document are Open Game Content as outlined in the license included in this

document and those portions may be used according to the terms of the Open Game License.

‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast

and are used with permission and according to the terms of the ‘d20 System’ License version 3.0.

A copy of this license can be found at www.wizards.com.

“Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons(R) Player’s Handbook, Third Edition,

published by Wizards of the Coast(R)”

“Dungeons & Dragons(R) and Wizards of the Coast(R) are registered Trademarks of

Wizards of the Coast and are used with Permission.”

www.creativemountaingames.com

Great Mouth Bay

1 2 3

Jalston

= Livestock

= Spring Crops

= Winter Crops

= Orchards

= Town/Thorp

= Encounters

6-8 + 14

Parvue

The Road from

Jalston to Parvue

10-13

Approx 15 Miles

Key to the Encounters

The Belly of the Beast ---------------- #1

Hound Hutch of Farmer Lyle ------ #2

The Town Watch Outpost ----------- #3

Horse, Bear and Cub ------------------ #4

The Trundlefolk Encampment ---- #5

Bullies at the Bar ----------------------- #6

Pact with Parvue ---------------------- #7

The Stable Loft ------------------------ #8

The Old Crone ------------------------- #9

Beer Barn of Lorthalonville ------- #10

Ambush ---------------------- ---------- #11

Mopping Up --------------------------- #12

Lorthalon ------------------------------ #13

Settling with Parvue and Tardak --- #14

Questus - The Whispering Woodwind

Preface

Behind the Scenes

The lives of ordinary people seldom touch our own in sig-

nificant ways until we choose to become involved. It seems

that Contel, the Bard, has quit his day job, skipping out on

a sizable debt. When an astute innkeeper of questionable

pratices enlists the help of heros to cover his losses, it is only

the beginning. The trail leads through a series of encoun-

ters; some germane, others less relevant but still revealing.

It is the sound of music that ultimately settles the score.

Twenty years ago, a merchant ship named the Beast was

tossed about in the Great Mouth Bay and severely crippled.

In an attempt to save her crew and cargo, the captain ran the

Beast aground on the shore near the town of Jalston. Even

though many lives and much of the crago were saved, the

ship was irreparable. However, the captain’s misfortune was

to the benefit of an enterprising young man named Tardak.

As part of the effort to save the cargo, he earned the right to

salvage the ship. Convincing the tired workers to help him

drag it further ashore, by plying them with ale, he went about

the task of converting it to an inn and tavern. Not a pretty

sight, it was still an expensive building regardless if it was no

longer seaworthy. In an ironic twist on its name while on the

water, Tardak renamed the vessel the Belly.

The Whispering Woodwind is a World of Revloc Questus

adventure geared to four 2nd-level player characters. Those

who survive have the opportunity to advance to the next

level per the rules outlined in the Players Handbook. Guide-

lines in the section entitled Adjusting the Bar detail ways to

modify this adventure to accomodate higher and lower level

player characters.

Meanwhile, the sentencing of a gang of men who had fallen

afoul of the law was interupted by the events surrounding

the Beast. Seeing the chance to impress his superiors with

his ingenuity, a segeant of the Main Keep Guard pressed

the defendants into service for the recovery operation.

When the task of rescuing the crew and cargo was at an

end, the suspects were regrouped and marched back to the

courtroom, but one person was missing. The leader of the

gang, a young but dangerous man named Lorthalon, had

apparently drowned during the salvage operation, though

his body had not recovered. Sentencing proceeded for the

remaining members of the gang of cutthroats, they were

found guilty of their crimes, and hung by their necks until

dead the following day.

Overview

Prior to using this supplement, it should be read thoroughly

at least twice. There are three types of boxed text within

Creative Mountain Games releases; shaded boxed text

without borders, shaded boxed text with borders, and boxed

text with borders but not shaded. Shaded boxed text without

borders should be read or paraphrased to the players as

each encounter is revealed. When paraphrasing, be sure

to touch on the key points. In most cases, simply listing key

points can give away information that should be less than

obvious to the players, so paraphrasing should be done

judiciously. Shaded boxed text with borders is information

solely for the DM. It is set apart from regular text information

to highlight it as important. Boxed text with borders but not

shaded is Open Game Content and can be reused in other

releases as provided by the Open Game License included

with this supplement.

In unrelated events, a son was born to a wealthy family in

the capitol city of the kingdom. Although quite musically

talented, his parents wished for him to carry on the family

business, even though he was not suited to such endeavors.

After their deaths, he did his best to follow the path they had

set for him but those plans were not to be. As the business

slowly declined, he opted to follow his own dreams and

cashed out of the life his parents had arranged. Purchasing

an expensive and magical flute, he began to tour around the

kingdom, seeking happiness in his music. Unfortunately, the

flute carries a curse. While it increases one’s natural ability

to render beautiful music, it dooms that musician to a life of

poverty and wandering.

NPCs and monsters in this supplement are detailed in the

sections in which they first appear. Their descriptions are

accompanied by statistical blocks that define their abilities

and level of power. The shaded boxed text without borders

will help you to introduce the encounters. Encounters are

set to encounter levels suited to a party of four 2nd-level

player characters for which this adventure is designed.

While reading through this adventure, prior to running it, be

sure to keep in mind the abilities of the player characters that

will be playing and plan for ways to keep it challenging.

This brings us to the present. In the town of Jalston, in

the county of Jals, people are going about their everyday

business. Tardak is sole owner and propietor of the Belly, a

rundown shell of a ship. Known for serving cheap ale to the

indigent of society, he also provides inexpensive lodgings

to those who do not mind sleeping in hammocks stretched

between the rotting timbers in the galley of a shore-bound

vessel. Contel has been seen lately catering to the crowds

in the Belly with his fine flute playing but gleaning only small

rewards for his efforts. Two paths have crossed and fate has

spun a web from the strands of their lives. It only remains to

be seen what other lives might yet be intertwined.

There are additional guidelines for running encounters in-

cluded with CMG supplements; Adjusting the Bar and the

CMG PROSE System . Each is detailed in its own section

but briefly Adjusting the Bar helps you to scale encounters

and the CMG PROSE System assists in the portrayal of

NPCs during interaction. Both will be of great use while run-

ning this adventure.

Preface, Overview and Behind the Scenes

Questus - The Whispering Woodwind

6. Bullies at the Bar: Upon entering the thorp of Parvue,

player characters will find three possible location-based en-

counters. The first, and most obvious, are a pair of bullies

at the local watering hole. They, and the bartender, have

information about the bard but will not willingly give it. This

encounter has the potential to drain some of the party re-

sources depending on their strategy.

Summary

The Whispering Woodwind is a site and event-based adven-

ture requiring the player characters to act swiftly and suc-

cessfully if they are to achieve their goals. Each encounter

will present new opportunities to facilitate success and ex-

pand their goals. Depending on the make up of the group,

some encounters will bring greater or lesser occasion for

the player characters to gain additional tools to help them in

their tasks. The encounters break down as follows-

7. Pact with Parvue: The party will meet a number of the

citizens of Parvue and may begin to suspect that there is

more happening in the scope of this adventure than they

bargained. Having received no recent news from the lumber

camp that supports the thorp, the people of Parvue have be-

come worried. To solve the case that the player characters

have agreed to tackle, it appears now that they may have to

involve themselves in additional affairs.

1. The Belly of the Beast: Here is where the adventure be-

gins. It is important to hook the players into the adventure

during this encounter. Possible player character motivations

are outlined and ways to draw them into the adventure are

suggested.

8. The Stable Loft : Definitive signs of the bard’s passing

can be found in this location.

2. Hound Hutch of

Farmer Lyle: While

some information can

be gained regarding

the current situation.

characters will find

this a potential source

for mounts. Allies, in

the form of tracking

hounds, can also be

acquired from Lyle.

Pacing

9. The Old Crone: This encounter may help the player char-

acters to tie their two mysteries together but mainly serves to

put the party back on track if they have gone astray.

Speed is of vital importance to the

player characters as they move

through the encounters in this ad-

venture. If they dally, or become

sidetracked, they can lose their

chance of success as events move

forward without them. That is not to

say that all is lost.

10. Beer Barn of Lorthalonville: This is the first of the

several location-based encounters of the lumber camp. It

will serve to either lull the party into a false sense of security

(setting up the ambush outlined below) or allow the party to

size up the situation and handle it quickly.

3. The Town Watch

Outpost: The less

time the player char-

acters waste on the

Town Watchman, the

better. This encoun-

ter serves only to

slow down the pursuit

of the bard.

Even if the player characters be-

come diverted, or luck is not with

them in their efforts, they can still

reap some rewards by sticking to

their goals. Ultimately, it is the

flute that is of importance to Tar-

dak. Provided the party brings that

instrument into his possession, he

will be satisfied with the outcome

and they will have fulfilled thier part

of their bargain.

11. Ambush: If the party has become complacent, they will

find themselves marked for death at the hands new danger-

ous foes. A series of battles ensue that find the adventurers

possibly out-matched and fighting for their lives under fright-

ening conditions.

12. Mopping Up: If the party has astutely assessed the na-

ture of the lumber camp, they will still have to contend with

the cutthroats. It will become much easier to handle their

opponents, but intelligent tactics will serve to lessen poten-

tial losses during this phase of the adventure. If they have

the upper hand, a strong show of force will have the greatest

impact on the situation.

4. Horse, Bear and

Cub: The dead horse

in the road is presum-

ably the one stolen by

the bard, but it has

also just been discov-

ered by a hungry bear

and her cub. Acting

swiftly to drive off the

bear and her cub will glean some clues. Killing the bear is

possible, but leaves the young cub with no parent to look

after it and may not sit well with some characters.

In the end, intelligent play, rapid

pacing, and decisive action will

allow the player characters to

achieve the lion’s share of their

goals and benefit from the highest

rewards.

13. Lorthalon: Provided they have removed the threat of

his entourage, the cutthroat Lorthalon will be easier to han-

dle. Moving swiftly against this leader without first tackling

his allies is a double-edged sword. If Lorthalon is beaten

quickly, it can serve to break the morale of his gang. If he is

encountered early and combat is prolonged, he will be sup-

ported by his minions and the player characters might find

that they are severely out-numbered.

5. The Trundlefolk Encampment : This is an optional en-

counter that can delay the player characters but may serve

purpose within an ongoing campaign. There are also a

number of chances to gain experience and rewards from

interaction with the members of the Trundlefolk community.

Overall, it will serve the player characters’ goals best to

move beyond this encounter swiftly.

14. Settling with Parvue and Tardak : Resolving the mys-

tery of the lumber camp can bring closure to the people of

Parvue but little reward is to be gained from them, since they

will need their meager resources to rebuild their lives. Re-

turning to Jalston with the flute for Tardak is the only actual

requirement to achieving the original goal. Overall success

will need to be measured based on individual player’s goals.

Summary of the Whispering Woodwind

Questus - The Whispering Woodwind

Adjusting the Bar

Guide to

Running NPCs

For each encounter that you find in a CMG product there

will also be a shaded, boxed text example of how to adjust

those encounters for various types of gaming groups. CMG

products are written for a baseline of four players, each with

one character and a standard spread of classes at a given

level. However, this may need to vary from group to group.

If the size of your group is greater or less than the standard

four, “Adjusting the Bar” is necessary. Some groups are

new to the rules, or so familiar with the rules that challenging

them can be difficult. Even with a standard group, a game

session can go poorly, or too easily, due to the randomness

of the dice. In those cases, it may be worthwhile to raise

or lower the level of an encounter just to keep the game

interesting. “Adjusting the Bar” will help to keep the game

fun and challenging for any group of players.

One of the most difficult tasks for any DM is to get players

to suspend their disbelief. Doing so helps the players to

roleplay their own characters and be absorbed into the cam-

paign setting. In those brief hours, the gaming table seems

to disappear and the world unfolds before them. There

are few things more engaging than seamlessly introducing

characters with which the players can interact. It is useful to

have pre-generated statistical blocks, a physical description

and some background for the characters that the players

may encounter. It’s of further help to enrich each persona

with a multifaceted perspective of their own.

To help that become an easier task, the CMG PROSE Sys-

tem breaks down the attitude of primary NPCs with the ap-

proach they take to handle any situation. It prioritizes how

they view the world in regard to Politics , Religion , Others ,

Self and Economics . Each area of their PROSE is rated

from one to ten and should be considered as an indepen-

dent rating of how highly they regard each aspect. A high

rating in one aspect does not disallow a high rating in an-

other. High ratings in two aspects simply mean that both are

equally weighed in decisions that are made on a daily basis.

This can be either a conscious or subconscious process for

them. In addition, three Key Words (adjectives or adverbs)

are given to help show how those priorities manifest them-

selves during interaction.

1. Holding Their Hands - You’ve got new players, and

maybe only two total, who still haven’t mastered any of the

rules. Every now and again they surprise you but most of

the time they simply don’t understand the game mechanics.

Alternately, one player has purchased a rule book, and read

part of it, but the rules really have nothing to do with role-

playing to this group. Perhaps another has dice but prefers

to avoid rolling them. In these cases, lower the bar to “1”.

2. Allowing Some Leeway - The players have a basic

understanding of the rules but prefer not to slow down

the game by adhering to the letter of the law. They are

satisfied with your interpretations of the mechanics, and

would rather keep things moving, even if that means that

they overlook some of the details of the rules. Alternately,

one of the players didn’t show up this week and another will

have to leave halfway through the session due to another

commitment. You’d like to get through enough of the session

to have fun but not if this means that a couple of them will be

rolling up new characters next week. Adjust to number “2”.

It should be noted that this system is meant to enhance both

Alignment and Charisma. Alignment is still the strongest

determinant of one’s attitude and Charisma is the ability by

which one expresses oneself from moment to moment.

Politics can play an important role in how one views the

world, and one’s place within it. A high rating in this aspect

doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is active in politics,

though it can be. It can simply mean that they are aware

that politics affects their lives. To a person of noble birth, it

might be a driving force causing them to pursue a high office

or even the crown. To someone of common birth, it might

be the axe they grind, always blaming their lot in life on the

machinations of those in authority. Someone with a low rat-

ing in this aspect is likely to view politics as trivial, believing

that in the long run the petty squabbling of those in charge

means absolutely nothing to their existence.

* Playing by the Book - The group has the standard number

of players, a good cross section of classes and skills, and

the treasures have always been at standard levels. In this

case, ignore “Adjusting the Bar” unless the group’s dice are

falling flat or rolling hot.

3. Bumping a Notch - An extra player or two has shown

up and can’t be sent home without playing. Perhaps the

treasure levels have been a little generous in the past. This

will even out in time but, for now, these players are sitting in

fine fetter. Adjust the bar to number “3”.

Religion is often the guiding force in a person’s life to the

exclusion of all else when this aspect rating is high. They

may view it as a calling or the means by which they need

to govern their lives. They might even perceive daily life as

inconsequential, thinking that come what may, their fate is

predetermined by powers beyond their control. Someone

with a low rating in this aspect is likely to view any religious

views as mindless babble, preferring to believe that daily life

is much more pragmatic and less spiritual in nature.

4. Dialing Way Up - The group has a lot of players, sometimes

with multiple characters, and enjoy having an entourage.

Alternately, this group of players know the rules better than

the writers. They always like to have the best tools for the

job, build their characters to be specialists and spend all of

their treasure to ensure they have the highest advantages.

Adjust the bar right to the top at number “4”.

Adjusting the Bar - Guide to Running NPCs

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