Cliffhanger: The Proper Count

We get another Cliffhanger today: The Proper Count. This one is for 7th-level characters. It's set on the eastern coast of the Greyhawk map, but it can be set anywhere that has a bunch of fishing villages. They recommend a cleric, since things move fast and there isn't much time for healing breaks. And it uses the Lighthouse map from the Map-a-Week archive, which is handy.

So, the adventure involves a pair of fishing villages that have a friendly rivalry; they hold a contest every year to see which village catches the most fish, with the winner getting custody of a silver trident until the next year's tally. The judge every year is a gnome lighthouse keeper, Perri. Unfortunately, Perri has vanished, and there's a sea serpent lurking about the lighthouse. Needless to say, the villagers aren't thrilled about either of those two things. So, adventurers are required to get rid of the beastie and find the missing gnome.

The party could be looking for the gnome, or wondering why the fish supply has suddenly stopped. Or they might be on a serpent hunt; there are plenty of options to get the characters involved. When the party does decide to investigate, their first stop should be the lighthouse, which is still operating (even in daylight) despite the absence of the keeper.

It turns out that the 'sea serpent' is actually a pair of tojanida who are hunting for green octopi but will happily substitute human, elf, or dwarf in their diet if given the opportunity. And the light coming from the lighthouse? It's a dispel magic ray which will send any flying party members into the drink. Oops.

Inside the lighthouse, they will find that what appears to be a 'boilover' in the kitchen is actually an ochre jelly. Assuming they defeat it, they'll find a signet ring that belonged to the gnome; scrying with it will reveal that Perri is alive, but in a very confined and dark space (which turns out to be a trunk), and he's very scared.

The next level of the lighthouse doesn't offer any encounters, but there are clues to be found. The most significant is that Perri was seeking information on a sorcerer named Silas Enger. As it turns out, Silas did a bad thing and got on a devil's wrong side; he was cursed to become a half-fiend/half-medusa, and he lost his sorcerous abilities in the process. He heard that the gnome was investigating him, and decided to find out why. As he approached the lighthouse, Perri set the dispel magic in the light, then hid in the trunk. Silas has been looking for him, and was about to find him when the party showed up.

Big fight time, and hopefully the party has a way to avoid being turned into statues. Assuming they win, they are heroes, and are invited to the trophy festival. If they lose, well...

So, what do I think of this adventure? It's short, easily doable in a single play session. It's very contained; the lighthouse is the only map needed. There are only three encounters, but all three will prove to be challenging. So, it looks like a fun one-shot. I'd run it.

Alright, next up is Dragon Magazine #280. We're getting away from the racial themes and doing an issue on sorcerers. It should be fun. See you then.

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