Here is the adventure write-up that I was talking about
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Sorry for the wall of text lol If you want to go check out the D&D Version you can do so here:
http://www.dmsguild.com/product/190561/ ... ga-The-Red
If you intend to be a player of this adventure than stop reading here!
THE MUSIC BOX SAGA PART 1 "THE RED"
Introduction: A small town has unknowingly found a ancient evil
in the form of a odd red music box.....
What does this mean for the small town? And what effects will it have on unwary
visitors?
By Allen Biddle A.K.A Dungeonmaster Bloba
Backstory
Long ago a powerful wizard, with the help of his drow
slave; created very powerful artifacts in the shape of music
boxes, But he had no idea the kind of power that he dealt
with to create the boxes, and he lost control of them. The
boxes became self aware and they sought out people who's
will they could break. They can speak to the user they send
urges into them, urges to use the box. One of the boxes,
the "Red" one has found its way to the small lakeside town.
of darkwater.......
The Town of Darkwater
The town side on the edge of a small lake. The town is small
Only a few hundred people live there. The small island in
the middle of the lake is said to be haunted and most of the
townsfolk will not go anywhere near it......
Points of interest
1. The Darkwater Inn
The darkwater Inn is a small inn run by a human by the
name of Dorvin Modo. The inn offers rooms and food
at the standard price for inns in the area. The inn is on
the edge of the lake with a small dock for fishing.
Dorvin also rents row boats for people who wish to go
out on to the lake.
When the players enter the inn for the first time read
them this.
"As you enter you are greeted with with smell of sweet
mead and roasted meats. A tall man with dark hair and
blue eyes stands behind the bar. he calls out to you in a
charming voice; "Welcome to the darkwater inn! Not the
most charming name I know but it works. How can I
help you?"
If the players ask to rent a boat Dorvin lets them for the
price of 2 copper per hour (If the players have -2 poor or more they can not afford to rent the boat). But he warns them of the
haunted island in the middle of lake telling them to do
their best to stay away.
2. The temple of the god of light
The temple has one head cleric who has level 3
Healer. You can use who ever the god of light is in
your game world for this temple. The temple
will offer healing to the sick or wounded for
a small fee (The fee can be any thing that you
think fits your game world but 25 gp (A Player would need about a DN 4 wealthy roll to pay this.) would a good start if you are unsure.) the cleric can
use Healer 5 times a day and has Effective x1.
Read this to the players when the first enter the
temple.
" The smell of incense is thick in the air, and many
candles are lit around the main chamber. In the
middle of the room sits an alter of the god of light
and a old cleric kneels before it in prayer."
3. The trade shop
Close to the entrance of town there is a small
shop that sells general goods such as
torches, food, and healing potions. the shops
owner is a half-elf by the name of Phila
Prim.
When the players first enter the shop read
them this.
"You see many shelves filled with many items
foodstuffs ,potions,and trade goods. You see a
small half-elf woman walk out of a back room
she has long golden hair and bright green eyes as
she sees you she smiles and says "welcome to my
shop. How can I help you?"
Adventure Hooks
• The players are looking for shelter from a
storm when they come across the town
and take shelter at the Darkwater inn.
• The players have been tasked with hunting
down a rare artifact that was last seen in the
town of Darkwater.
The music box
This is one of the music boxes created
by the wizard and his drow slave over 1000 years
ago. This box has the power to warp the world
around it send people into a sub realm between
this plane and the lower planes. A cult of demon
worshipers have found the box in the temple on
the island in the middle of the lake But their
leader has no idea what kind of power this
music box truly holds and soon he and everyone
in the town will find out first hand......
Powers
1. The box has three buttons inside of it a red,
a blue, and a green.
The red buttons sucks everyone except the
caster into a sub realm where demons lurk.....
The blue button summons demons to
this plane under the casters control....
The green button ends the effects of
the box.
To notice the buttons; the box must be
open, (When opened; the box
activates the last button pressed) and
a DN 6 check (perceptive is recommend for this check) must be passed.
2. When the red button is pressed each character
within 15ft of the box must make a Iron-Willed roll DN 6 or be sucked into a sub realm until this box ends
its song; (10 rounds or until the demons are killed)
for each character sucked in there will be 1 Dretch
waiting for them.
3. When the blue button is pressed any nearby
demons are summoned in this plane until the end of
the song (10 rounds) and will follow the casters
commands as long the caster caster succeeds a DN 4 Iron-willed roll every turn.
4. When the blue button is pressed the song ends
along with any effects.
Summoning table for the blue button
Roll 2d6
2-3 summon 1 dretch
4-7 summon 2 dretch
8-9 summon 3 dretch
10-11 summon 1 quasit
12 summon 1 quasit and 2 dretch
A mind of its own
The music box has a mind of its own and
acts as beacon for demons when used.
the more someone uses the box the more
of chance that it gains control over them.
Each time the box is used the user must
make a Iron-willed roll DN 2 plus the
number of times they have used the box.
If the roll fails they will lose control and
become a slave to the box and do
everything they can to cause death and
havoc.
The demon within
The soul of a powerful demon was used to
create this box and he still has a mind of his
own. If he takes over the user of the box the
box may be used at range of 10 miles instead of
15 ft.
Charges 3/day
the box regains all spent charges at dusk
each day.
A dark and stormy night
When the players first arrive in town read
them this.
"You have been traveling for sometime now
and a storm has brewed overhead and
nightfall is nearly here. But the gods must
smile on you for you spot a sign that reads
"Welcome to Darkwater Village"
At this point you may wish to have the
players move to the Inn you can tell them
that they see the lights of the inn at the end
of the road.
1. Encounter at the inn
Once the players reach the inn let them talk with the
innkeeper and each other at this point you can find out what
they are doing here. did they come as a group? or did the
storm force them all into the inn?
Once the players are settled down read this to them.
"You notice a Nervous looking man over in the corner of the
inn. he slowly sips his ale and taps his foot."
If the players ask the innkeeper who he is, he tells them that
he is the mayor's assistant and that he has been waiting here
for a few hours. If the players talk to the man he says;
"Oh hello there..... I don't suppose that you might be able to
help me?"
If they agree to hear him out he tells them that he had a
meeting with the mayor but he has not showed up yet and it
has been hours. He asks the players if they would be willing
to go to the mayor's house and make sure he is alright he
tells them he will pay them 10 gp for their help.
If the players don't help him then you will have to find some
other way of getting them to go to the mayor's house.
2. Mud slide
The mayors house is about 15 minutes outside of town and
it is on top of a hill so at this point you can have a little fun
with the players if you want. this part is not needed for the
story to go on so feel free to skip it if you like.
When the players reach the hill read them this.
"You make it to the foot of a hill you see the lights of the
mayor's house atop the hill. But the rain has turned the dirt
road leading up the hill into a mud slide....."
At this point you can have the players make
a roll DN 4 (Agile is recommended for this roll.) to see if they can keep
their balance while climbing the muddy hill. If they fail you
can just have them slide back down the hill. If you see them
fail too much just let pass with no check. this part is only for
a little fun and if you think that it slows your game down
too much then feel free to skip it.
3. The mayor's manor
Once the players reach the manor you may
read this to them.
"You see a large manor with a iron fence all
the way around and a large iron gate. You
can also see that many of the windows of the
manor have lights on inside."
Once they reach the gate they have a few
ways to get in.
• They can try to pick the lock on the
gate with a roll to open the lock DN 6 (Dexterous is recommended for this roll).
• They can try to climb over the gate
with a roll DN 6 (Agile or strong are recommended for this roll.)
• They can also make a Roll DN 8 (Strong is recommended for this roll.)
to force the gate open. (If more
than one character tries this at once
See page 99 of the Ova Core book "Teaming up")
Once they make their way past the gate
they will find the door to the manor is
slightly open.
If the enter they will see signs of battle and
the two dead body's of the mayors guards
and the body of the mayor himself. there
are signs that magic has been used in the
battle as well.
4. The cult
Once the players leave the manor the leader of
the cult will be waiting outside along with some
of the other cult members you may read this to
the players.
"You see a group of hooded men waiting for you
outside, the one who appears to be the leader says
"You have come to this town at a great time! You
will be apart of its fall to the lower planes! He then
lifts up an odd red box that begins to play an erie
song and you begin to see demons appear before
you."
At this point the cult will flee leaving the
players to face the demons.
5. The demon attack
The box has summoned four dretchs that will
attack the players until they are killed.
if you wish to make this encounter easier for the
players lower the number of dretchs to three. If
the players don't kill or otherwise defeat the
demons within 10 rounds all the demons fade
away.
6. Return to town
Once the players return to the inn and tell the mayor's
adviser what has happened he will be shocked and offer
to pay the players to find out more about this cult before
the town is doomed. He will also pay them 10 gold
apiece for checking on the mayor.
The hunt for the cult
Give the players some time to rest and get some supplies
ready before you send them out to hunt the cult. The
mayor's adviser will offer them 100 gold (1 wealthy) to find and deal
with the cult.
There are a few way that they can find out more about
the cult.
• The players can make a roll
to find out more about the cult from the
townsfolk (Charismatic or Cute! are recommenced for this roll) . Try and roleplay out this investigation if
your group has the game time to do so.
Here is a list of what the players may find out based
on how well they rolled.
1. DN 4 The players find out that some of the
townsfolk have seen lights in the woods late at night.
2. DN 8 The players find out that there is an old
tower outside of town. It is said that you can see
lights on inside late at night.
• The players can make a Roll to try and find out more about the lore of the town ( Smart or Knowledge: History are recommenced for this roll.)
Here is a list of what the players may find out based
on how well they rolled.
1. DN 4 The players know that a band of wizards
once had a base somewhere in the nearby woods.
2. DN 8 The players know that there is a old tower
somewhere in the woods that was once home to a
band of wizards and that it would be a good place
for the cult to meet at.
1. Into the woods
The players should somehow find out that they need to
enter the woodland. if they find out about the tower
the locals tell them how to find it and no check is
needed. Otherwise give them a Roll DN 4 to find the way to the tower (Perceptive or Knowledge: Woodland are recommenced for this roll.). If they fail
the roll have them encounter a wild worg if they
somehow manage to talk to it they find out that it is
hunting for food and will make a trade with them.
if They give him food he will not attack them and he
will offer to show them the way to the tower.
2. The forgotten tower
The cult will only be here at nighttime so if the players
come at daytime they can set up an ambush for the cult
here.
Once the players reach the tower read them this.
"after spending much time traveling though the thick woodland
you come across a large ruined tower in a small clearing, it
is covered in vines and other plant life."
The cult has three members there are 2 Cultists
and 1 Acolyte who acts as their
leader he has the box with him.
If the players set up a ambush for the cult they get
surprise on their attack otherwise the battle will go on
normally.
The Acolyte will try and stay back and send the cultists in
first. As soon as things look grim or the players get
within 15 ft of him he will use the music box to try suck
them into a demiplane (He does not wish to summon
demons because he can't fully control them so they may
attack him as well.) Each character within 15ft of the box
must make a Iron-willed roll DN 6 or be sucked into a sub
realm until this box ends its song (10 rounds or until the
demons are killed) for each character sucked in there will
be 1 Dretch waiting for them.
Once the battle is over the players can return to the
adviser for the reward also you may wish to tell them
that he may like to see the music box.
Treasure: Each cultist has a pouch with 10 silver and the
acolyte has a pouch of 10 gold.
also the music box.
On the way back to town the box starts to play all
by its self and tries to suck the players into the
demiplane. Each character within 15ft of the box
must make a Iron-willed roll DN 6 or be sucked
into a sub realm until this box ends its song (10
rounds or until the demons are killed) for each
character sucked in there will be 1 Dretch waiting
for them.
3. Return to the adviser
The adviser will be waiting for the players at the inn
once they return he will give them 100 gold and ask
them if they found anything odd on the cult like a
music box.... if they don't have the box he will ask them
to go back and look for it.
Once they bring the box to him he will tell them that
he and the mayor are guardians of the box and that it
is now his duty to make sure that the box is returned
to its resting place. he goes on to tell them that if left
unchecked, the box would cause massive harm to the
world and that it can not be destroyed by mortal
hands and must be sealed away. He tells them that the
old temple on the island has a lower sanctum with
magical seals that will keep the box in check and that
they must return it at once for it puts them and
everyone around them in danger.
To the temple
1. The haunted isle
The players can reach the island with a boat that they
can rent from the innkeeper if they tell him the
reason for needing the boat he will let them use it for
free.
Once the players reach the island read them this.
"After a short walk inland you come across the ruins of
an old temple not much is left standing just the lower
half of the walls. In the middle of the ruins is a trap
door with a broken lock (The cultist broke in here)."
At this time the box springs open once more and
summons two more dretchs that will stay and attack
the players for 10 rounds or until killed.
2. Into the temple
The players make it to the sanctum with no problem
and find a metal box on a pedestal in the middle of
the room.(This is a holding room for the music box.)
Once they place the box on the pedestal their job is
done. or so they think.....
3.The battle with the box
As the players try to leave they hear the sound of
the box behind them and the door out seals shut.
The box has gathered enough blood thanks to the
cultists that it can use some of its power and it
hopes to gain even more power by killing the
players before they can seal it away again.
You can read this text to the players.
"As the music box plays its song once more, you see
a orb of light rise above the box as more demons
are summoned into the room."
2 dretchs are summoned and every 3 rounds a
new one will be summoned into the room as well.
The box itself has shown its spirit heart and can
now be harmed.
Once the players win the battle read them this.
"In a massive display of power the box unleashes
bolts of raw magic all over and damages the walls
and you now notice the water is leaking in....
fast."
If the players survive the battle the seals in the
room now activate that the boxes power is no
longer suppressing them, ending any power that
it has for now.
The end
Once the players return they are given their
reward and they are made an offer to join the
guardians of the box and help hunt down the
other boxes and keep the world safe.
also if you like you can read this to the players at
the end of the game.
"You all have the same dream a few nights later;
of a room underwater with an odd box in the
middle then out of nowhere the box pops open
and its erie song plays once more..."
Thanks for reading! hope you had fun! be on the
look out for more adventures in the music box
saga!
I will write the monsters up for this soon until then tell me what you think!
Monster list
Dretchs
Box Heart
Cultists
Acolyte
Quasit