The Temple Between.pdf

The Temple Between
PART ONE:
RETURN TO OVERLOOK
Parts One and Three of this adventure take place in
the city of Overlook, first introduced in “The Siege of
Bordrin’s Watch,” the second installment of the Scales
of War (Dungeon #157). “The Temple Between”
assumes that PCs are familiar with—and somewhat
well known within—Overlook, and it details only
those portions of the city important to this adventure.
You might wish to have that adventure handy, for easy
reference.
As the PCs approach the city, read:
The towering walls of Overlook rise slowly but steadily over
the horizon as you draw ever nearer your destination. From
a distance, the city looks as secure and serene as ever, but
as you move closer, you can see that all is not as you left it.
A great mass of activity bustles around the gates, people
lugging stone and timber this way and that, all beneath the
watchful eyes of sentinels who stand dutifully atop the wall.
One particular blond-bearded dwarf in plate armor—an
officer, you would assume—stands atop the gate shouting
orders to everyone in sight.
Although the activity doesn’t appear especially rushed
or frantic—indeed, you see people pausing to talk or jest
with one another as they work (and when the officer isn’t
looking)—it appears as though Overlook were mobilizing
for war.
The PCs are hailed as they approach, while the sentinels
atop the walls and by the gates offering friendly
but careful greetings. Multiple crossbows are trained
on the party until they identify themselves, but once
they do, their welcome becomes far warmer. Several
workers and soldiers stop to claps their hands, and
the sentinels swiftly lower their weapons and stand
taller at their posts. Word has spread of the PCs’ heroics
on behalf of the city so far, and their return is seen
as a good omen.
If the PCs ask, any one of the workers or soldiers—
or the officer, who introduces himself as Captain
Aerun—tells them that yes, the city is making preparations
for war. It’s not that they anticipate any specific
trouble, and indeed, the Council of Elders and the
various priesthoods have reason to hope that, with
the defeat of the orc invasion and the closing of the
Shadowfell gate, their city is good and safe for a
long time to come. Still, recent troubles have stirred
up a strong “better safe than slaughtered” mentality
among the populace and the city leaders, and so
the Council of Elders have ordered that Overlook’s
defenses be repaired and enhanced.
Should the PCs question any of the locals about
any current troubles, they receive only puzzled and
slightly concerned replies. “No problems going on
that I know about,” is the common response. “Why, is
there something we should be worried about”
For at least their first few hours in Overlook, then,
the PCs find no signs of the troubles that drew them
here—or at least, they probably don’t.
At least in this part of the adventure, no random
urban encounters occur. At this point, the PCs are
famous enough—and, more importantly, skilled
enough and of a high enough level—that your average
street thief or other ne’er-do-well gives them a substantially
wide berth.
Subtle Changes
If the PCs have come in response to Lavinya’s sending,
they can proceed immediately to the temple of
Erathis in the Divine Knot. If so, continue with “The
Shadow of Civilization,” below. Similarly, depending
on what personal connections they’ve made in
past visits to Overlook, they might also decide to visit
either the Stone Anvil or Haelyn at the Shrine of
Erathis. In these cases, proceed either to C3 or C4,
respectively.
But in most instances, the PCs likely find somewhere
to take their ease, an establishment where they
can grab a bite to eat other than trail rations, and a
bed somewhat softer and less bug-infested than the
open earth.
It is possible that the PCs might seek out old allies
(or enemies), as long as they feel they have nothing else
to do. At the moment, this isn’t likely to accomplish
much of anything. The Council is currently far too
busy dealing with preparations for war and various
administrative catastrophes (some of which were engineered
by Captain Aerun or other infiltrators to keep
them busy), and has nothing for the PCs to do except
maybe lend a hand reinforcing the gates. Bram Ironfell
is currently out of town. Although you’re welcome to
have the PCs talk to any NPCs with whom they have a
past relationship, none of it amounts to much.
KEEP TRACK OF TIME
From the moment the PCs arrive in Overlook,
keep track of how much time they spend.
Whether they complete their exploration of the
Mountainroot Temple within five days from this
point, or not, impacts their ultimate chances of
success when the city falls under siege. See “Victory
Points,” page 37, in Part Three: The Siege
of Overlook.
December 2008 |
11
DUNGEON 161