The players are in the country Ezral. For their own reasons, they have arrived in the port town of Nobhaven. Nobhaven is a peaceful fishing village, not much happens there. Nobhaven has a small, yet notable library run by a retired court wizard named Engen Green (Male, Dwarf 406). Engen has recently suffered from an accident that has left him crippled. No one is sure exactly what happened, and he isn’t telling. But many hear rumor of a shadow organization in the town that attempted to kill him. Others who are even more perceptive will make note of the recent adventurers wanted sign posted in the library window.
Engen Green
STR 14 (+2) DEX 10 (+0) CON 12 (+1) INT 20 (+5) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 11 (+0)
Dwarf, Male, 406 years old 4’6” ft tall, Green eyes, Dark hair, Dark skin, Uses a cane
Owner of the Nobhaven Library. Former Ezralian Court Wizard retired.
Mayor Twinkleberry
STR 10 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 12 (+1) INT 13 (+1) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 15 (+2)
Halfling, Female, 123 years old, 2’9” ft tall, Brown eyes, Sand blonde hair, Tan skin, Cheerful, but has a limp she tries to hide.
Mayor of Nobhaven. Used to be part of an adventuring group where she received the limp.
The adventure begins!
The players are standing outside the Nobhaven Library. It’s early summer, the sky is a brilliant blue with storm clouds off in the distance. If Nobhaven is lucky, either Caelum or Ignis will blow it away from the town. The entire town smells of fresh sea air, it is possible to hear sea birds squawking in the distance. At this point, the players all spot the sign saying adventurers wanted in the window.
Should the players decide to go inside, they will see an old Dwarf sitting at the counter with a pair of half-rim glasses resting on his nose as he reads a large tome labeled 101 things to do when you have all the free time in the world. The perceptive players will notice that the dwarf is, in fact, dozing off and not actually reading. Upon waking him, he will introduce himself as Engen Green, court wizard. He will then correct himself by saying the owner of the Nobhaven library, he apologizes saying that his memory is not what it once was. He then asks the players where they are from. If any of them say from or near Nobhaven he will not trust them and need much convincing before continuing.
Engen Green has recently had a run-in with the local criminal guild known as the Blackbirds. He assisted the town guard in capturing and killing the second in command to the Blackbird leader. And ever since they have been out to get him. He shows them his cane saying that they already broke his leg. He says that if the party is able to stop the guild, he will pay them handsomely.
If the players choose to accept the job, he will tell them that the Blackbirds operate in the market most of the time and that they can find out more there.
The Market
Once the players go to the market, they will see it is a bustling little town market. Kids run around playing, merchants, try to sell their odds and ends that they gathered from far away lands. Fishermen are selling fish, and bakers baking fresh bread. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. On a DC 10 Perception check, the party can scope out 3 human shady individuals pulling a triton fisherman into an ally.
The Quiet Wisp
The Wise Ent
The Forsaken Sasquatch
Should the party eavesdrop the shady individuals, they will hear this, “The Crow wants his money.” They will hit the fisherman in the stomach and he will cry out. If the party did not notice them pulling him into the ally, they will have a DC 5 Perception check to hear this.
If the shady individuals see the party, they will warn them before attacking. The fisherman will hide during the battle, but after it’s over, if the party is victorious, the fisherman will introduce himself as Titus Ezralith. He will offer information on the Blackbirds. He will also offer his ship as a travel service should they need to travel somewhere via water.
Titus Ezralith
STR 11 (+0) DEX 15 (+2) CON 13 (+1) INT 14 (+2) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 8 (-1)
Triton, Male, 68 years old, 5’5” ft tall, blackfish eyes, turquoise skin, light green hair in dreadlocks in a topknot. Wears raggedy sailer clothes.
Capitan of the Seadeep Trident.
One of the bodies of the shady individuals will contain a letter. The letter will write:
The Crow wants you to collect the debt of 1000 GP from that blue skin piece of shit. He’s behind on his protection money and the Crow says it’s time to teach him a lesson. Don’t kill him, just leave him barely breathing. If he doesn’t have the coin on him, take his clothes and sell them. Then search his boat and take anything of worth. If there isn’t anything of worth there, sell the boat. After you’re done, meet me in the town hall in the mayor’s office at midnight, the Crow will have another job for you.
-The Collector
The Townhall
The Collector is the Mayor’s secretary, his real name is Blaze (Fire Ginasi, Male, 23). He is the Mayor’s most trusted employee and is in a perfect position for the Crow. He will be suspicious of the players should they meet him out in the open. He will openly attack the players if they tell him they know who he is and have evidence, otherwise, he will deny any claims. If the players attempt to set a trap, he may “help” the party but secretly sabotage them. Otherwise, he will not realize that the party is onto him. If the party confronts him at midnight, he will attempt to kill them, if he fails, he will scream bloody murder and attempt to accuse the party of being part of the Blackbirds. Guards will hear the commotion and rush in. They will attack the party unless the party is able to convince them not to.
Blaze
STR 10 (+0) DEX 12 (+1) CON 12 (+1) INT 13 (+1) WIS 11 (+0) CHA 15 (+2)
Fire Genasi, Male, 23, 5’11” ft tall, obsidian skin, fiery hair, outwardly nice, but secretly hates what he considers to be lesser beings.
Assistant to the Mayor of Nobhaven, and a lieutenant in the Blackbirds.
Can cast produce flames and burning hands.
If Blaze’s hp goes below half health, he will attempt to flee. If he gets away, the Crow will know about the party. If he doesn’t getaway, and he is still alive, the party can intimidate information out of him, if he is dead, they can find a note on him.
He knows: Where the Blackbird hideout is. How to get into the secret entrance, and where his cache of protection money is hidden.
The letter reads:
Collector, Upon completion of your lackey’s job to get money from the blue skin, bring them back then have them go after that Dwarf at the library. I want him dead. When you come by tomorrow for the morning market, bring the collected money. I look forward to your report
-The Crow
The protection money is hidden under one of the floorboards. A DC 15 perception check will discover the loose floorboard. The protection money is worth 1200 GP.
The Blackbird Base Entrance
The secret entrance to the Blackbird base is hidden in the market. There is an alleyway where a stone wall can be pushed in to reveal a passageway leading down. The DC is 20 to spot the door without knowing where it is.
When the party enters, they will come across a long passageway sloping down. They will encounter a hallway that they will have to traverse in order to get to the Crow’s office.
The Crow’s Office
The hallway will open up into the Crows office. The room is a courtyard. The ground is grass with a stone path leading to a desk sitting under a roof with four wood pillars in the center of the courtyard. Sitting at the desk is a human. The Crow. The crow is a middle aged man, possibly in his mid-fifties. He has two men standing to his left and right. The Crow will offer to invite the party into the Blackbirds. If they accept, they will become members of the Blackbirds and will receive jobs from the Crow, if they refuse, the Crow and his men will attack them as it begins to rain. If the party successfully kills the Crow, they will find a key to his desk. The desk will contain a ledger saying how much each shop owes the Blackbirds and if the party can pass a DC 15 Investigation check to figure out the code in the ledger that reveals the Crow’s cache of wealth. The cache is hidden under the third stepping stone from the desk. The cache contains 600 GP, a band of loyalty, a mystery key, a gnome’s prosthetic leg, a two-handed katana, and a sword cane.
The Finale of the First Adventure
Should the party return to Engen, he will thank them and give them 200 GP each for assisting him and will give them a letter of recommendation should they ever apply to become members of the Ezralian court (though he will tell them it is highly unlikely that they will achieve such a feat). The party will be regarded as heroes for stopping the Blackbirds throughout the city. They will be given free rooms for a fortnight at the local tavern should they wish to stay for a while. If Titus is still alive, he will offer to house the party in exchange for some help around the ship and a small cut in any job the ship takes.