Scenario: The Blacksmith of Inniscrone

Encounter Premise:

Years ago a down-on-his-luck smith tricked an animus artisan of the waning court and stole the fey's iron gauntlet and magic hammer. Afterward, he imprisoned the creature inside his forge and enslaved it to do his drudge work. In time, the smith has gained a modicum of fame and fortune. However, as the waning court makes advances on the mortal plane the animus artisan enacts his plan for revenge. Fey magic sweeps through the city and animates many of the tools and weapons sold by the blacksmith but made by his fairy slave.

The heroes must not only brave a slew of killer constructs and deal with the corrupt mayor who doesn't want to lose her village's best source of revenue. She and the blacksmith plot together to come out on top. A cadre of fey also plagues the area, seeking to free the animus artisan and punish the mortals for their hubris.

Location:

Inniscrone used to be a sleepy little hamlet until a twenty-eight months ago. Sure, a major trade road bisected it but if travelers pressed on in either direction they'll reach a bigger city by mid-to-late evening. Take a few hunting trails and one makes it either of two small lakes in under an hour. The outskirts are buffered by stone-walled farms. The center of Inniscrone is built around the crumbled walls of an ancient fort.

Then came Gerwald Kapp, a war veteran from what he said, just looking to settle down and live the peaceful life of a blacksmith. His forge was up and running in a month and by winter's passing merchants were making special stops in Inniscrone just to peruse his extraordinary wares. The inns needed more rooms, the stables a wider breadth of services. The mayor's coffers grew fatter. Two years on Inniscrone is no longer a footnote on the journey but a bustling destination with an economic boom in full swing.

Suggested Presentation

Let Inniscrone be a town that the characters travel through a few times before pulling the trigger on this scenario. As mentioned it is along a major trade route between two larger cities but is still inviting to spend an evening or two in. Given the booming nature of its economy, other mundane adventures can even spin out of the city such as a caravan escort, monster hunt or the like. Of course, during these travels, the characters will hear of the blacksmith Knapp and meet him, perhaps purchase some of his wares. Let the city feel like a living, breathing place for the players. It will give its dire straits and potential destruction greater gravitas.

The hook can come in a couple of ways. The most interesting may be a character getting a solid deal on a magic weapon from Knapp’s shop. A day or two later the weapon will animate on its own and attack its owner as a flying sword ((monster manual page 20)) with the addition of whatever magical properties it had. If a dungeon master wants to make this fight more challenging a handful of swarms of direflies can spontaneously manifest around the weapon. This will also clue the heroes in that this has something to do with fey of the waning court. This should invest a need for the player characters to look into what is going on and ensure they are near enough to do so.

On the way back into town pepper the journey with murderous constructs and people in danger.

Here are some suggestions:

A traveling peddler is assailed by a few swarms of kitchen knives on the road.

A logging camp is menaced by flying axes ((use flying swords stats)).

A group of pitch forks come soaring out of a burning farm and at the party.

A herd of corpseshoes is in the process of smashing the carriage they once drew with a lesser noble screaming inside. If the corpseshoes are not properly disposed of they could threaten the heroes throughout the adventure.

Just outside of Inniscrone a vainglory or two blasts anyone that attempts to get into town.

A pair of corpseshoes and a fallower is finishing off a farming family not far from the road.

A clutch of scarecrows ((monster manual page 268)) ambush travelers on the road and drag them into the road to fertilize the fields. Their stuffing is infested with direfy larva.

A squad of animated armors ((monster manual page 19)), with their owner’s rotting within, patrols a bridge and won’t let anyone pass.

A treant assailed by flying axes ((using flying sword stats)) that is investigating an infestation of lesser deadwoods and could prove an ally to the heroes.

As the heroes near Inniscrone, it is plain from a distance that it is a city under siege. Some buildings burn out of control. The cacophony of combat echoes, though it sounds like a slaughter. The common folk of the town are ill-prepared to fend off the everyday tools focused on killing everyone. Freely use any of the above encounters not previously done as the heroes move around town. Also, there could be flying great swords and shields patrolling the streets along with normal flying swords. Other constructs could be scattered throughout the town, waiting to cause problems such as rugs of smothering ((mm page 20)), iron cobras ((mtf page 183)), or other homebrew monsters that tickle the dungeon master's fancy.

It shouldn't take long to spot two bastions among the chaos; the lord's estate and a local inn. Barricades are set up around both buildings, their windows boarded over. A smattering of archers are precariously purchased atop the lord-mayor's manor urge the heroes to their building upon seeing them. In turn, commoners call out from the inn offering safe harbor as well. Before the heroes choose one or another the hob mob swarm will attempt to coax them to the smithy. This choice of a starting base could greatly influence the outcome of the adventure as each group has a different agenda.

Lord-Mayor Levina Greye, Gerwald Kapp and the assorted flunkies are hold-up in the mayor's estate. This group wishes to see the town rescued, but the status quo maintained. Both Levina and Gerwald have grown rich from Cindermane's imprisonment and wish to see the fey subdued and forced back to work. In addition, they want the tax collector Wren Holmese disposed of rather than pay their dues or risk that she will expose their scam to the local baron. They will try to trick the player characters into doing their dirty work for them.

Wren Holmese, the tax collector, saved what townspeople she could and organized a defense within The Broken Bough Inn. Along with with her small retinue, the owner of the Inn, Edvan Reeve, and staff wish to see the entire town rescued. However. Wren has learned of the enslaved fey behind Gerwald's success and of Levina's tax evasion. She aims to see the fey killed the good of all and for the two mortals responsible for this tragedy to be put in chains or swung from a tree. Edvan supports this because he'd rather the town go back to its quiet, forgettable state despite the hit to his bottom line. Likewise, he's grown sweet on Wren. Wren will strive to recruit the heroes to set things right.

Cindermane and his hob mob are focused, of course, on recovering Cindermane's iron gauntlet and thus free the animus artisan from bondage. However, due to the fey's evil nature, he also wishes to see Inniscrone wiped out to the last soul for profiting from his humiliation. He will play on the player character's pity as best he can to get them to retrieve the iron gauntlet for him, implying he will leave the city alone afterward. Of course, Cindermane will betray the heroes the first chance he gets.

In summary, the mayor of the city and the blacksmith want their fey slave re-captured and the nosey government official slain. The tax collector and innkeeper want to see the fey slain and the mayor and blacksmith captured. The fey wants to be free for good and burn the village to the ground. The clear good option is siding with Wren Holmese, of course, but the other two factions will present their cases in the best light possible. How the adventure is resolved, who lives and who dies, is ultimately in the hands of the player characters.

Antagonists:

Cindermane, the enslaved - animus artisanA once haughty and handsome noble laid low, Cindermane's namesake hair was shorn by Gerwald Kapp while the smith was in a drunken stupor. Patches of ginger dot the fey's skull, along with ugly scars from where Gerwald's razor was imprecise. One of his horns is cracked, his gaze little more than spent charcoal within malnourished sockets. Very little light smolders beneath Cindermane's blackened skin. The fey wears soot-caked pants and a ragged, leather smith's belt with a few tools tucked away. His right arm ends at the elbow in a field of scar tissue.

However, Cindermane only wears a mask of impotence and servility. Even disabled the fey is quite capable of taking a life if his rage bubbles over. This murderous nature fully manifests if he gets his iron gauntlet back at which point Cindermane will try to kill every man, woman, and child in Inniscrone; starting with the heroes who helped him. He is also a devious soul, willing to prey on the pity of others and spin everything to seem as if he is the innocent victim in all this. In some respect, there is truth in the waning noble's claim because of Gerwald's mistreatment. However, the animus artisan has ruined countless lives over the years and this stint in servitude has taught him nothing. If anything, it has only made the villain's heart blacker. He will claim, the opposite, of course, to further his goals.

Hob Mob. Normally these miniature craftsmen wouldn't have anything to do with someone like Cindermane. Hobs like the Material Plane and the mortals in it; at least those that are respectful. Unfortunately for Inniscrone, Gerwald Kapp is anything but respectful. These particular hobs have helped out around the village for generations. However, as the town grew by leaps and bounds they were left treats and thanks for their services less and less often. Then they came across magical tools supposedly made by the new smith in town. The mob soon discovered his secret, the imprisoned Cindermane. They may have been content with leaving the whole matter alone and moving onto a settlement that might treat them better. However, Gerwald caught one of the diminutive crafters and in cruel delight tried to enslave it too. When the wee fey refused to comply Gerwald slowly crushed it in a vice. Whipped up with righteous fury the swarm drove Gerwald from his smithy, freed Cindermane from his cage, and aided the waning noble in bringing his various wares to life. Worse yet, the longer they are around the animus artisan the more twisted and frothing the mob becomes. The once gentle crafters now want to see Inniscrone burn too.

Gerwald Kapp, the blacksmith. Gerwald always saw himself as more clever than talented. Growing up, he learned enough to be a passable smith but always sought to cut corners as to make some extra coin from his grift. Sure he had to move on whenever too many horses threw their shoes because he skimped on nails, or there was the time he had to go into hiding after a noble's armor buckled at a jousting tourney. Any decent items he sold were purchased from adventurers looking to unload mundane weapons and armor, or from bandits seeking a safe place to fence illicit wares. He always passed them off as his own as often as he could. Then, one night he found his cash cow. The fey Gerwald came across on the side of the road was passed-out drunk and surrounded by the corpses of mortal party-goers that Cindermane had broken over the course of a reverie. Knowing just enough folklore about the waning court the conman tied the fey down and loped off his iron gauntlet. He caged Cindermane and after selling a few of the fey's goods bought a building in Inniscrone. Now, he faces the consequences of his misdeeds but is still looking for a way to weasel out of it.

Gerwald's lifestyle hasn't made him soft, however. He's taken great pains to keep the muscular physique one would expect of a blacksmith. He maintains a short beard, peppered with a few streaks of grey and a mop of black curls he usually keeps under a red cap. However, a keen eye will note more hair on his forearms than one would expect for the profession, and his hands are soft and well-cared for instead of calloused. After being barricaded in the lord-mayor's home for several days his gaze carries a haunted look, his skin paled with worry. He never lets a sling-bag with Cindermane's gauntlet out of his sight, and mostly keeps it slung over a broad shoulder. He's been wearing the same attire for this time period too, which has become rumpled and worn. ((Commoner for stats monster manual 344))

Lord-Mayor Levina Greye. A stately woman Levina perhaps would have been better suited at a proper court instead of relegated to a bump in the road like Inniscrone. However, she has grown accustomed to the station as it allowed her to treat the village like her own little fiefdom. Levina keeps her auburn hair up in tight, elegant bun, with a few wisps artfully teased free to accentuate her thin neck. The lord-mayor tends to wear dresses which accentuate said neck and are heavily brocaded with rich, warm patterns atop black fabric. Unlike many women in her position, she bears a rapier on her hip and has a dueling scar at the left edge of her lips to show for it.

Levina is a cunning woman. She sensed Gerwald Kapp was a rat early on, because it takes one to know one as it were. From an early age the lord-mayor stepped on others to get what she wanted and due to a deep mean-streak makes those whom defy her desires pay a heavy price. She approached Gerwald early on and quickly discovered the secret of his success. Instead of exposing the smith, however, Levina conspired with Gerwald to keep the enslaved Cindermane a secret. She knew that the superior wares would bring business to Inniscrone, and in turn fill her coffers. She's been embezzling heavily off of this windfall and will do anything to keep the profit coming in. Even before the fey got free and constructs assailed her village, Levina was already one edge thanks to the arrival of the tax collector Wren Holmese. ((Noble for stats monster manual 348))

Knox, Elrod, Bageley, Deben, and Kendrick. These are Levina's lackeys, technically the town sheriff (Knox) and his men. They are hiding in lord-mayor's estate as well. While they are hardly great swordsmen or anything the quintet can hold their own in a fight. They won't hesitate to attack the player characters if Levina orders it. Her crimes have made them all rich these past few years. ((bandit leader and bandits for stats, monster manual 343-344))

Allies

Wren Holmese, the tax-collector: Gifted with a hawk-like nose and piercing eyes to match. She is a meticulous woman who values integrity above all else. Over the years she's had her fill with petty courtiers and back-country wannabe autocrats who are more interested in lining their pockets than following the law. These days Wren gives them no quarter. Given the meager taxes collected compared to the booming nature of Inniscrone Wren rightly assumed that Lord-Mayor Greye was embezzling. She brought a cadre of guards with her in case Lavina tried to make her disappear as many such scoundrels have in the past. However, the slight, small woman wasn't prepared for the curse which gripped the city shortly after her arrival. If not for the timely intervention of Edvan Reeve, owner of the Broken Bough Inn, then she and her soldiers would certainly be counted among the casualties rotting in the streets.

Wren hasn't figured out exactly what is going on quite yet. She knows Lavina and the famed smith Gerwald are waiting the siege out in the lord-mayor's home. The brunette doesn’t trust Gerwald one bit, she can smell a liar from a mile away. She's also seen the hob mob around town and it's clear that the focal point of all this nonsense is Gerwald's smithy. Once she learns of Cindermane, the tax-collector won't be moved by the fey's plight. She's learned over the years that you should never take fey at their word. Likewise, if Cindermane can so casually take the lives of innocents he has to be destroyed rather than aided in her eyes. ((Noble for stats monster manual 348))

Fearic and Pherim. These are the two soldiers tasked with keeping Wren safe. They've been with the inquisitive woman for a few years now and are exasperated with the wide berth of trouble she ends up getting the trio. While lone-suffering, however, they are protective of their boss. Frankly, they'd not have their lives be any other way. Both Fearic and Pherim enjoy the travel and adventures Wren has gotten them into. However, Fearic is concerned about this current matter, as the killer constructs and strange fey are outside of their usual wheelhouse. Pherim is confident, however, they will get through this as they always do. In truth, he's more concerned with how sweet the local innkeeper is on their boss. ((knights for stats, monster manual 347))

Edvan Reeve. The owner of the Broken Bough Inn wears a handsome grin and shirts that are a bit too tight for his brawny frame. Edvan tried his hand at adventuring once and lost two fingers as a consequence. However, he made enough loot to buy a building in Inniscrone back when it was a forgettable blip on the trade road. Like many adventures before him, he hoped an early retirement would lead to a quiet life. It did for a few years, and Edvan was content to be part of the little sleepy community. Then Gerwald Kapp moved into town. Soon his tables and rooms were full nearly every night and Edvan saw his fortunes rise with everyone else's. Unlike everyone else, however, the blonde fellow wasn't happy about it. Sure, he was able to buy better stock, pay his employees well and even put on an addition to the Broken Bough, but Edvan knew trouble would come with it. He'd been on the other side of these situations, after all, as an adventurer. He didn't think it'd be quite as strange a situation as what's befallen Inniscrone, though.

He also didn't think it would plop so lovely a lady as Wren Holmese on his doorstep either. Edvan is smitten with the spunky, small woman and a bit too obvious about it. However, he is also not foolish enough to attempt suicidal heroics on her behalf. He already took a few blows helping her and her men get off of the streets and into the inn when the constructs started attacking. Edvan will be thankful for the player characters' assistance in saving the town, though he will sour to any that attempt to romance the apple of his eye. He's disdainful of Lord-Mayor Levina Greye and Gerwald Kapp, rightly believing that they ruined his quiet home. ((bandit captain for stats))

Dasiy and Maitane Two servers at the Broken Bough. Daisy is sweet on Gerwald Kapp, at least she was until all this nonsense broke out. She still doesn't want to see the blacksmith harmed. Maitane, a bit older, just wants to survive this madness no matter what. ((commoner for stats))

Ambiance

Inniscrone and the surrounding area are under siege as common tools have turned against their owners. To emphasize this make sure to throw in helpless bystanders under immediate threat, or recently slaughtered, by Cindermane's wares. If the heroes do not act and act quickly more innocents are going to die; keep this reality fresh in their minds. Echoing cries for aid are suddenly silenced if the player characters dawdle or the body count as a backdrop for the next encounter multiplies. If you really want to ratchet up the desperation add a weather event to slow the characters down, such as a downpour that washes out parts of the road, or a snowstorm that blankets everything in white, save the bright crimson of spilled blood, of course.

Likewise, paranoia is a big part of this scenario. The heroes should never feel certain that common items nearby aren't going to spring to life and attack. Emphasize the implements in the area and give them descriptions even if they aren't animated. The cooking pot over an abandoned campfire is embossed with what looks like a worn-down leering face. The cart just outside of town sports an iron-reinforced front-side with thick rivets, and it creaks as the heroes near. Outside one of the houses, the hanging lanterns have an eye etched into their steal that seems to follow those that pass by. Let your imagination run wild. Don't be afraid to let an item stay docile for a long time. For example, as Daisy of the Broken Bough Inn has a conversation with a player character she's chipping up potatoes for a meal. It isn't until the end that the knife and its kin around the room float up and attack.

Each of the three parties the heroes can side with should also appear to be in dire straits, because they are. Also, however, make sure to portray each in a sympathetic light at first meeting. The lord-mayor and blacksmith want to see the fey caught and peace restored their town, but also are worried about the despotic tax collector in town. The fey has every right to feel wronged and only seeks the return of what is his. The innkeeper is sweet on the tax collector, and desire to see the town set right and the lord mayor pay for her crimes. The more that the story creates a moral quandary for the players, the better.