a ssas s ination in oeble

Designer: Marcello De Velazquez Editing: Tim Mangan and Ethan Yen Border Kingdoms Loresmiths: Joe Alfano, Tim Mangan, Rick O’Donnell, and Ethan Yen Layout: Dave Zajac and Tim Mangan Cover Art: Matthew Sargant Interior Art: Thomas Gernert Cartographer: Rick O’Donnell Border Kingdoms Map and Lore: Wizards of the Coast and Ed Greenwood Playtesters: Arthur Saucier, Barb Saucier, William Saucier, James Schweiss, Ryan Parks, Jonathan Reitz, Dan Beam, Kyle Baker, Stephen

MacIntyre, and Brian Shah Special Thanks: Joe Alfano and Travis Fuller D&D Adventurers League Guildmaster: Chris Lindsay D&D Adventurers League Wizards Team: Adam Lee, Chris Lindsay, Mike Mearls, Matt Sernett D&D Adventurers League Administrators: Alan Patrick, Amy Lynn Dzura, Travis Woodall, Claire, Hoffman, Greg Marks, Ma'at Crook,

and LaTia Jacquise DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. ©2020 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.

CCC-GHC-BK3-01 Adventure Tier: 1

Optimized For: APL 3

Version: 1.1

ASSASSINATION IN OEBLE The scion of The Drakefang has disappeared! Rumors of assassination quickly sweep over the lands of

The Swordpoint Streams. Lady Mezmra Irondrake calls to adventurers to discover her daughter’s fate

and bring her home, dead-or-alive! Can they find answers in a violence-ridden town or uncover a truth

better kept underground?

A Two-Hour to Four-Hour Adventure for Characters of 1st – 4th Level

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Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

CCC-GHC-BK3-01 Assassination in Oeble 3

ccording to the sage Meriadas of Westgate: “The Border Kingdoms are the most favored destination for adventurers who want to proudly and boldly conquer a realm or

establish their own new kingdom. Lords, counts, dukes, kings and emperors rise, proclaim themselves, and are swept away with the speed and regularity of waves crashing upon a shore.” This tumultuous land lies between the Lake of Steam and the Shaar in the Forgotten Realms. Gamehole Con has been granted exclusive rights to develop Adventurers League content in this region and our offerings include adventures, source material, and short stories. For more Border Kingdoms content, visit the DMs Guild!

Border Kingdoms content at the DMs Guild

A Note About Encounter Scaling This adventure is optimized for a party of five characters. When running an adventure at a large convention such as Gamehole, it is common to have seven players at a table, which has the potential to affect encounter balance. Players tend to bring their best and brightest to gatherings like Gamehole, and a group of seven optimized characters can easily overpower the recommended party strength. As a DM, you can—and should—adjust each encounter’s difficulty to present a challenge for your players. If the characters are overcoming combats too easily, increase the recommended strength level of the encounters by a step (from average to strong, for example). If needed, you can also increase the number of monsters or maximize their hit points to make things a little harder. In some cases, you may even need to increase the difficulty by two steps. Just be careful not to make things unwinnable. Remember, adjusting or improvising is encouraged, so long as you maintain the adventure’s spirit!

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ELCOME TO ASSASSINATION IN OEBLE, A D&D

Adventurers League™ adventure, that is part of the official D&D Adventurers League™ organized play system and the Convention Created Content program.

This adventure is designed for three to seven 1st – 4th-level characters and is optimized for five characters with an average party level (APL) of 3. Characters outside this level range cannot participate in this adventure. The adventure is set in the Border Kingdoms, a tumultuous region of the Forgotten Realms on the southern shore of the Lake of Steam. During the adventure, the characters search Oeble for the daughter of a missing noble, avoiding dangerous peacekeepers and navigating gang rivalries.

LADY MEZMRA IRONDRAKE is one of The Lords and Ladies of the Realm, retired heroes whose riders patrol, protect, and enforce the “common sense” law of THE SWORDPOINT STREAMS. From the fortress of The Drakefang, they watch for threats. Rumors of an evil in The North have people concerned but the halfling ruler has grown distant. Why? Lady Irondrake’s daughter, ASTRID, went missing while visiting OEBLE, a rivertown and known haven of criminals and cutthroats. Agents searched Oeble returned with news: ASSASSINS nearly took Astrid’s life! She escaped, but to where is unclear. Before learning more, THE GRAY BLADES escorted them from town! Amidst growing gang violence, THE COWLS, control the black-market WEAPONS trade and operate from THE UNDERWAYS, a maze of ancient yuan-ti tunnels under Oeble. The Lady of the Drakefang cannot risk tension with Oeble and implores her trusted advisor, AAN SCARNAPE, to seek others to take on the search. He knows that recent arrivals to The Black Dagger Inn appear to be adventurers.

Adventure Timing This adventure may run longer than four hours. If you need to fit the adventure within a restricted time slot, consider removing the bonus objectives and shortening NPC interactions as necessary.

The adventure’s story is spread over three episodes that take approximately four hours to play. These episodes contain two story objectives and are introduced by a Call to Action episode. The adventure may also include two bonus objectives that can be played if time permits. They are introduced in Episode 2 and Episode 3 and are listed in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2, respectively.

• Episode 1: The Black Dagger Inn (Call to Action). While enjoying drinks, Aan Scarnape proposes the characters aid Lady Mezmra Irondrake. This is the Call to Action.

• Episode 2: Willing and Oeble. The characters search Oeble’s sites to find Astrid Irondrake and elude capture. This is Story Objective A.

• Episode 3: A Search Underways. Below Oeble, the characters broker a weapons deal and confront assassins. This is Story Objectives B.

• Bonus Objective A: A Hard Cell. The character rescue Narro Pia from the jail of the Gray Blades. This is Bonus Objective A, found in Appendix 1.

• Bonus Objective B: Reign O’er Spans. The characters confront a killer gang above Oeble’s streets. This is Bonus Objective B, found in Appendix 2.

Feel free to use the following adventure hooks: • Badge-erd. The characters already serve the

Irondrake family and proudly wear their badge: a copper ring afire. Three fangs jut from its inner arc to its center.

• Loyal Swordpointer. Hailing from The Swordpoint Streams, the characters are accustomed to little rulership and taxation and are willing to defend that right.

• A Tour of the Realms. On a guided trek through the lands along the River Scelptar, the characters stop in The Swordpoint Streams to learn about the region and speak to locals

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This section should provide you, the DM, with a basic understanding of not only the flow of the adventure, but also the outline of the different paths that your players may take in reaching their stated objective.

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Estimated Duration: 30 minutes Adventurers arrive at The Black Dagger Inn and while enjoying hearty meals, refreshing ales, and meaty rumors they meet Aan Scarnape, an agent of Lady Mezmra Irondrake, the local lord who presents a proposition from the local lord. Read the following:

A haggard rider steps into The Black Dagger Inn, wearing worn leathers and a chain shirt. A service badge holds his cloak in place. A loud toast, “For the Drakefang!” is hailed with a hand gesture and slight smile from the veteran, which quickly changes to a purposeful glare as he approaches the table.

Playing the Pillars Here are some suggestions for the episode: Combat. The Irondrake Riders, Aan Scarnape or villagers do not want a fight; they want heroes to help Lady Irondrake. Discourage combat with more riders. Exploration. The inn sells food, drink & lodging with costs of 6 cp or less. The village sells equipment listed in the Player’s Handbook with costs 5 gp or less. Social. Locals may reveal sidebar information and other rumors. Consider assigning DC 10 Charisma-or DC 10 Intelligence (History) checks to learn rumors. A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) check notes Scarnape’s uneasiness. If pressured, Scarnape reveal further information above.

The area has the following features. Dimensions and Terrain. The Swordpoint Streams is a realm of rolling hills, old ruins and veiled crevices. Farms and windmills dot the grasslands near winding streams. A wide dirt road winds east from the River Scelptar. Weather. A light wind blows. Clouds slowly move across blue skies. Sunlight warms the land. Nights are also clear with shining stars. Inn-side and Out. The Black Dagger Inn sets alongside a road that leads to a village. The inn offers modest lodging, a stable, cornmeal meat pies and dark ales. Locals share rumors and throw pails of “black daggers” at target boards at 2 cp for a bucket of 6 daggers. A path behind the inn leads to a well. The Drakefang. The keep of retired halfling adventurers, Lady Mezmra Irondrake sets on a hill that overlooks the village and inn. The Irondrake flag is visible from its turrets- a black flag with an emblem of a flaming copper ring with three fangs jutting from the ring’s inner top to its middle. A road from the village to the keep is patrolled by her riders.

Village and Villagers. The village consists of wood and thatch-roofed homes, barns, and granaries. Villagers (called ‘Swordpointers’) are farmers and millers, but some work as cartwrights, smiths, ropemakers, storehands and waterproofers. Motifs of realm heraldry are visible at each door: a golden oval with three wavy lines emerging from its center to three points inside the circle at four, six and eight o’clock. Rumors. After character introductions, allow players to roll a d8 to see what rumor they have heard. They may know the same rumor.

d8 Rumor

1 Adventurers bury their loot throughout the hills. (True)

2 A local toast, “For the Drakefang!” gains you favor with the locals. (True)

3 The folk of Arthyn claim their mural has magic powers. (True)

4 Lady Irondrake of the Drakefang is mad. (False)

5 Hunting parties amass to The Jundarwood to hunt a “manstag!” (True)

6 An evil bandit, Zombie Josef rides the roads with a band of undead thugs. (False)

7 Hordes of man controlling felines are migrating upriver from Selpt. (False)

8 The great Elminster was spotted in The North. Evil will meet its match! (True)

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A few villagers (commoners) are in The Black Dagger Inn enjoying drinks and company, while Irondrake Riders (guards or veterans on riding horses) patrols routinely pass by the inn and the village. A short time after character’s arrival, they hear the approach of a horse. AAN SCARNAPE (human veteran) arrives, tethers his horse, and walks into the inn. Goals/Objectives. The villagers enjoy their drinks, throw knives and may be willing to share information (refer to the “Playing the Pillars” sidebar). Irondrake Riders keep bandits and monsters from raiding the area and enforce “common sense” law. Aan Scarnape reveals that he has been sent on behalf of Lady Mezmra Irondrake and is in search of adventurers to call into service for a task of great importance to the realm.

Black Dagger Boards A pastime enjoyed by locals, Black Dagger Boards is a simple game and is played like so: Each player throws five daggers at a target (AC: 12). The character who throws the dagger with the highest attack roll wins. Break ties by tossing one more dagger. Locals gamble meager stakes through this game, and some are better at it than others.

What do they Know? Villagers also know rumors such as those listed on the Rumors Table. They are familiar with the services provided in the nearby village. They can confirm or deny rumors (see the “Playing the Pillar’s sidebar). The Irondrake Riders know everything that Aan Scarnape knows, which is the following:

• A ten-day ago, Lady Irondrake’s adopted half-orc daughter, Astrid, and her escort traveled to Oeble to buy gifts.

• Astrid’s reckless spirit is well-known and often leads to rash decisions and dire situations.

• Lady Irondrake ordered agents to Oeble to find her daughter. The agents spoke to locals but learned very little. He gives them the Agent’s notes and map they had of Oeble (see Appendix 3.).

• Astrid and her entourage were nearly victims of an assassination attempt

• The attempt failed. Accounts reveal Astrid was rescued and swept away! By whom and to where is unknown.

• The town police, The Gray Blades, stopped agents and escorted them from town at sword-point.

• Lady Irondrake rewards any who can find her daughter at current rates.

If persuaded, Aan Scarnape also reveals the following: • Astrid confided to him that she was shopping for

boots but intended to purchase weapons from the town’s black market.

• Many worry that Lady Irondrake’s distress is an opportunity for other Lords and Ladies to usurp her.

• He believes The Gray Blades are involved and should be avoided. They are known to be formidable bravos.

If the adventurers accept Scarnape’s offer, they are also given a special Irondrake Badge. The badge emits a glowing pulse when in vicinity of any other Irondrake Badges. This badge, along with the agent’s notes and map will help the party. Scarnape immediately leaves to inform Lady Irondrake of the development. Proceed to Episode Two.

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