“Marked For Death”
Difficulty: This adventure is for 4 to 6 level 11 characters with a run time of 2 to 4 hours.
Special Notes: This adventure is for players who are okay with PC death in a deadly campaign.
Summary
A group of Drow Assassins have been hired to kill the party while they sleep, so the party must go confront them.
Setup: Nowhere is safe.
During a long rest at night, before the party has recovered, they are attacked by Istorvir Argith (Drow Elite Warrior MM128). Istorvir targets the PC with the lowest HP. A player with a passive perception of 20 will notice the assassin coming. If Istorvir is not noticed, then he makes 2 shortsword attacks at advantage against the PC with the lowest HP. The attacks do an additional 1d6 poison damage and give the poisoned condition on a successful hit. If Istorvir has less than half HP on the start of his turn, or if his target is killed, he will attempt to escape by casting darkness.
Investigation: Assassins!
If the players capture Istorvir, they can get the following information from interrogating him. Otherwise, they can get this information from contacts around town.
Talabrina Hunzrin(Drow Priestess of Lolth MM129), the high archpriestess of a cult of drow has marked the entire party for death. There is a 50,000 gold bounty on every party member. This is in retaliation for their killing one of her servants(a boss from a previous mission). There is no way to cancel the contract, but it is an exclusive contract for only the drow assassin's guild. The drow assassin's guild is located in a series of caves below the city, and killing the leader of the guild might send a message that the gold isn't worth the trouble. There are two entrances to the caves, one by swiming into an underwater spring, and another hidden under a tomb in the cemetary. (There are four other entrances that lead to secret rooms in houses in the town belonging to the drow. The party may attempt to fake their own deaths, or even attempt to collect the bounty on each other, or a combination of both where they disguise innocents as themselves, murder them, and try to collect the bounty. How you handle that is up to you.)
Counter Attack: Caves
The map of the caves is on DMG p.312. The caves are completely dark or in dim light. Only the magical spell: Daylight can create bright light here. Otherwise it is dim light or darkness, giving disadvantage on perception checks to the party. The caves are guarded by Quaggoth(MM256). A number of the beasts equal the number of PCs plus 1 attack the party in the caves in one of the rooms of your choice. The guild rooms have lots of Drow(MM128) servants and workers who will retreat and raise the alarm if they see the party. If the alarm is raised, eventually, 2 Drow Elite Warriors(MM128) and 3 Quaggoth(MM256) will come to face the intruders in combat. These guards do not have the authority to negotiate and will fight to the death. The party can possibly infiltrate the guild quietly or by disguising themselves. If they do so, then they can meet the following noncombat encounters while in the caves and guild.
Drow Servants: A room of 2d12 Drow(MM128) are preparing food in this room.
Quaggoth Pen: There are two dozen cages of sleeping quaggoths in this room.
Storage Room: The players can search this room to roll once on the Treasure Hoard: Challenge 0-4.
Laboratory: This room has equipment and supplies for making the poison that the drow assassins put on their weapons. The party can find 2d10 vials of antidote and 2d6 vials of poison if they search the room.
Temple: There are 2d4 Drow meditating and praying in this room.
Sleeping Quarters: There are 2d6 Human servants sleeping here.
Guildmaster's Quarters: Guildmaster Vielyn Mlezziir (Drow Shadowblade MToF187) is meditating here. On a successful stealth check of 17 or higher, a PC may attack him at advantage while prone, causing him to be surprised to start the climax battle.
Climax: Facing The Guildmaster
Guildmaster Vielyn Mlezziir (Drow Shadowblade MToF187) and 4 Quaggoth(MM256) will show up after the party defeats the 2 Drow Elite Warriors. If the party snuck into his room and attacked him while sleeping, then they 4 Quaggoth are not present for this battle and his AC is reduced to 15. The entire room is dim light or darkness that can only be dispelled by the Daylight spell. The guildmaster fights brutally, teleporting to and killing the weakest party members. He will attack unconscious PCs to finish them off. He also has 3 superior healing potions on him that heal 8d4+8 that he will use if reduced below 75 HP. Vielyn will negotiate if the party wish to talk, and if he can't escape once his HP drops below 50 and he is out of healing potions. He is willing to cancel the contracts if the party agree to complete a contract for him for free. The job is to infiltrate the High Elf Palace and kill princess Lelenia Waelvor. If the party agrees to this, then Vielyn allows them to leave via a secret passageway that leads to his house on the surface. If they don't kill the princess within the week, he will reactivate the contract. If he is negotiating because he was below 50 HP, then the party can also steal his stuff and roll once on the Treasure Hoard: Challenge 5-10 table on DMG p.137. If the party kills Vielyn, then they can search his room and roll once on the Treasure Hoard: Challenge 11-16 on DMG p.138. If the party is negotiating because they are being beaten, then they are not offered any treasure reward. After killing Vielyn, an investingation check DC15 will reveal the secret door that leads to his house on the surface.
Wrap-Up: Still Hunted
After the party returns to the surface, have them discover that even though the Drow assassins guild is no longer after them, Talabrina Hunzrin has put out a more general and public contract on them for 10,000 gp each. The party is still hunted and must be careful at every turn. Their faces are on posters everywhere they go with the promise of 10,000 gold dead or alive. The adventure ends with a messanger from Talabrina approaching the party and telling them that his mistress seeks and audience with them to negotiate their surrender if they wish to live. She can guarentee their lives and safety if they agree to her terms unconditionally.
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