Sean, an aged widower who sells alchemical and herbal mixtures in the town of Jadeborough, has been sad lately since his wife Mary died. His only daughter Fiona left town many years ago, having abandoned her studies and fallen in with a bad crowd. The last he heard she was rumoured to be part of a bandit gang in the north, near Ferleigh. He doesn’t know what has become of her.
The bandits’ hideout is known to the Ferleigh villagers, although they aren’t keen on revealing it for fear of reprisals. The hideout is within a huge hollow petrified tree in the forest. It’s been furnished quite comfortably, with living space for the entire bandit gang and a private office for the bandit leader. They keep a careful lookout and will try to draw adventuring parties away from the tree.
Stats: Idrina |
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Idrina, bandit leader
STR 11, DEX 11, WIL 13, 11 HP
Driven to rule with an iron fist.
Armour 1
Poisoned crossbow: d6 damage. On critical damage, lose d6 DEX as muscle spasms from the poison wrack your body.
Arcanum: This crystal headband gives the wearer the power of flight at will. They also become as light as a feather, making them vulnerable to being pushed around.
Arcanum: This heart-shaped glass container contains a pale pink rose-scented perfume. Squirting a little puff of it into the air has a strange effect: the thoughts and imaginings of those nearby become illustrated through fanciful pink visions forming in the perfume mist.
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Stats: Bandit |
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Bandit
STR 10, DEX 11, WIL 8, 5 HP
Driven to undermine the law.
Armour 1
Weapons: Mostly crossbows, knives, and spears (d6 damage)
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The bandits’ hoard consists mostly of coins and jewellery, and is kept in a secret chamber dug out between the tree’s roots. A trapdoor under a rug in the dining-hall grants access, but one of the steps down is rigged to a slicing blade trap.
Fiona tried to leave the bandits some time ago, to settle down with a baker in Nettford and raise a family. The gang’s rule is that nobody leaves except in a box, and so she was tracked to that village and killed. This is clearly documented in the gang roster and in the leader’s diaries; those bandits that were in the gang back then also remember the event personally if questioned. Each source of information also mentions in passing that the husband and child were left alive.
In the village of Nettford, the baker and his son — Thomas and Brian, respectively — are well-known; the father is caring and hardworking, while the boy is now three years old and loves to be helpful. Thomas relates that Fiona rarely talked about her family and was too ashamed to return and visit them.
If the two can be united with Fiona’s father, Thomas will in gratitude show the characters the space under his floorboards where some of Fiona’s belongings were hidden when the bandits came to exact revenge. This cache consists of her weapon, a map with ciphered notes, and some scroll cases. Thomas can’t read any of the esoteric writings in the cases but believes them to be valuable. One of them is the fourth page of the Cadian text regarding the Gadolim.
Cadian Document: Page 4 |
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I tell you now of the fourth of the number of the Gadolim, being Fiduciaon the Angel of Hope. In appearance it is like a great golden bowl rimmed with eyes of blazing light, and borne aloft by four alabaster wings. The bowl is filled with incense and bitter herbs, and the smoke thereof pours forth eternally.
Meet not the gaze of its eyes, O Sorcerer! Know this: that bolts of light fly from its eyes, and turn its foes to dust. Take not a greedy man before this Angel, for he shall be hated and destroyed, and ye may be destroyed also. The aura of its presence is woe also to those who are impatient or fearful, for they shall fall into a deep sleep from which there is no awakening.
But see now the limit of Fiduciaon: when any man shall attempt a task, and fail, the Angel cannot perceive his failure; verily, it is as if the attempt was not made.
Finally, let he who studies omens know this: when the Angel of Hope draws near to a place, the poor and needy shall find hidden stores of gold and jewels.
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Stats: Fiduciaon |
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Fiduciaon, Angel of Hope
STR 20, DEX 20, WIL 20, 30 HP
Driven to destroy the greedy.
Armour 1
Bolts of light: Make a DEX save. On a failure, lose d12 STR as part of your body (perhaps a hand or a leg) is blasted into dust. At zero STR, your body is completely disintegrated.
Power: The Angel can create secret caches of treasure. It presciently knows who will find them, and whether or not they are deserving.
Limit: If any character tries to do something and fails, the Angel is unaware that they have even tried.
Aura: Within a 100ft radius, those who express feelings of impatience or cowardice must pass a WIL save or else fall into a coma. They may attempt another WIL save every day to shake the effect. The aura lasts for a week after the Angel departs this plane.
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