“IMPossible Problems”
Difficulty: This adventure is for 4 to 6 level 1 characters with a run time of 1 to 2 hours.
Special Notes: Run Swarm creatures in theater of the mind for best results. They are always within range of the PCs and make the entire battlefield difficult terrain.
Summary
An evil imp is causing swarms of creatures to attack the village. The party is recruited to investigate the attacks.
Setup: IMPosing swarms
Enemies: Swarm of Rats, Swarm of Ravens, and Swarm of Bats (MM337 and MM339)
The party arrives at the village of Felditha at dusk only to be attacked by swarms of vermin. Describe the rats as being all over the ground and crawling up the PC's legs. Describe the bats and ravens as filling the air around the PC's, diving in to peck and bite, then flying away. After the battle, describe more of the ravens arriving to perch on the rooftops. Describe the screeches of more bats in the distance, and rats begin crawling out from under houses. A villager, Vincent Cromdor(Commoner MM345) steps out of his house and calls for the party to take shelter inside. If they don't, have more swarms attack them. Once inside they can rest and talk with Vincent.
Investigation: IMPotent Villagers
The party learns the following information from talking with Vincent: In the village of Felditha every night the streets swarm with rats as ravens and bats attack anyone brave enough to walk out in the open. The villagers stay terrified in their homes. During the day the ravens perch ominously, covering the trees and rooftops. If attacked the birds fly off for a bit, but inevitably return. Killing them doesn't seem to reduce their numbers. A huntsman who tried to kill many of them one day was found in his bed the next night, dead of multiple rat bites all over his body. Since then, the villagers have hidden inside at night, and only go out during the day when necessary. They have to be very carful to block any holes in their walls and floors to prevent the rats from getting in, and the rats chew new holes every night, so much of the villager's time is spent repairing and patching holes. The vermin have decimated their food supplies and many of the villagers are starving. Vincent can tell them that Lady Eleanor Archard might have more information. She is a noblewoman who lives in the mansion on the top of the hill outside the north of the town. He also has seen Marc Bostel, the merchant, out on the streets at night without being attacked. Marc usually parks his wagon of curiosities in the town square.
Marc is an agent of the Imp who has been blackmailed into helping the infernal creature. Marc has a secret that he doesn't want anyone to know about. He accidentally ran over a villager, Daylen Anderton, killing him with his wagon. Marc buried the body, but the Imp saw everything and now threatens to reveal his crimes unless Marc helps him. The Merchant has been helping the Imp gather supplies and prepare for its ritual over the past months. He knows where the Imp's lair is and can take the PCs to it if they pass a DC17 intimidation DC20 persuasion check.
Counter Attack: IMPrisoned Captive
Wherever the party goes Lady Eleanor is kidnapped from there. She either comes to barter with the merchant, out for a walk, or at home. A 2-headed dog carries her off with the help of a swarm of rats while swarms of ravens and bats attack the party. A perception check DC15 lets a party member hear the IMP speaking in Infernal to the Death Dog(MM321). If the party manages to save Lady Eleanor here, then when they get back, her sister, Judithe is missing, kidnapped the same way. Vincent and Marc both witnessed Judithe being carried off by swarms of rats. They tried to help, but the bats and ravens attacked and the two men were unable to help Judithe.
Climax: IMPressive Battle
Enemies: Imp (MM76), Death Dog(MM321), Swarm of Rats, Swarm of Ravens, Swarm of Bats.
The PCs can follow the trail of the kidnapped woman to a cave in the woods, or if they interrogate Marc he can show them the way. If they rescued Eleanor, then Judith is tied to a post in the center of the cave with brush and wood piled around her, about to be burned alive. If not, then both sisters are tied to separate posts. They are tied with vines that have AC10 and 20hp or require a DC15 sleight of hand check to untie in one round. The imp's first action is to knock a torch of the wall which lights the oil-soaked wood around the women. Magic or a DC15 survival check is required to extinguish the fire. The women will burn to death in 4 rounds if nothing is done to stop the fire. The Imp remains invisible, allowing the Death Dog and swarms of vermin to fight the battle, but a DC 15 perception check allows the party to hear it yelling commands in infernal. If the Imp sees an opportunity, it will drop its invisibility to attack a weak PC if it thinks it can deliver a fatal blow. It will go invisible and retreat whenever it is in a losing position. The Imp is burning the woman at the stake as an offering to it's master, a Pit Fiend. The Imp is out of favor with the Fiend and is trying to regain it's lost status. Lady Eleanor and her sister Judithe are unaware that their father made a deal with the pit fiend in exchange for their wealth. If questioned the Imp claims that they are owned by his master and their souls will descend to hell if their bodies are burned alive. (It's up to the DM if this information is true, or if the Imp is making it up or mistaken.) The Archard family fortune was built upon an infernal contract that their father Barid Archard made with the pit fiend.
Wrap-Up: IMProved Circumstances.
After rescuing the damsels, the Archard family is very thankful and rewards the party handsomely for their service. Judithe and Eleanor are strangly unconcerned about the information learned about their father's dealing with denizens of the underworld. If the party go back to spy on the sisters, they can see them naked, surrounded by candles, drawing a pentagram on the floor of the great room of the mansion. A pit fiend appears and kneels before them within the pentagram and asks what favor they request. The sisters ask for the imp, and it materializes before them looking terrified. The fiend gives the imp over to the sisters.
Treasure: Roll on Treasure Hoard: Challenge 1-4 DMG p.137 for each woman rescued.
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