d20 Expeditious Retreat Press 1 on 1 Adventures 06 - The Shroud of Olindor.pdf - Expeditious Retreat Press - R5700

1 on 1 Adventures #6

The Shroud of Olindor

By Matthew J. Hanson

1 on 1 Adventures #6: Shroud of Olindor

Lord Dragle was set to auction off his most recent discovery, the Shroud of Olindor . The

elven relic was certain to make Dragle a wealthy man. Such a pity he had to die. But the

plot surrounding Dragle’s death is far more layered than it appears. It is up to the player

character to discover the hidden motives and ultimately recover the Shroud of Olindor .

The Shroud of Olindor is the sequel to 1 on 1 Adventures #2: Star of Olindor ; however it can

easily be played as a stand-alone adventure.

An adventure designed for 1 GM and

1 player (Level 7-9 Rogue)

Requires the use of Dungeons & Dragons, Third Edition Core Books, published by

Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

This module includes 24 adventure-packed pages, complete with NPCs, locations, maps, set

events, and loating events, forming a ready-made adventure. It has been crafted for one

player and one GM so even the smallest gaming group has adventures suitable to their needs

with minimal preparation time. With some minor scaling, The Shroud of Olindor is suitable

for use with a traditional four-player party.

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If you enjoy this module, look for future releases in the One on One Adventures line from

Expeditious Retreat Press

One on One Adventures #6

The Shroud of Olindor

by Matthew J. Hanson

An Adventure for One Rogue level 7-9

Author: Matthew J. Hanson

(www.matthewjhanson.com)

Editing and Layout: Suzi Yee

Cover Art by Joan Guardiet and David Esbri

Internal Art by Claudio Pozas

Adventure Background............................................2

Time Line....................................................................3

Events..........................................................................3

Arrival.................................................................3

Event 1: Auction at the Meeting House..........3

Event 2: The Funeral of Lord Dragle...............4

Event 3: The Missing Undertaker....................4

Event 4: Dead Body Guard...............................5

Event 5: Dead Again..........................................5

Floating Events..........................................................6

Event A: Sending a Message (EL 7).................6

Event B: The Final Attack (EL 8)......................6

Places...........................................................................6

Kendleton............................................................6

The Meetinghouse.............................................6

The Church.........................................................7

The Catacombs...................................................7

Don’t Matter’s Tavern.......................................8

The Dragon Hunter’s Lodge............................9

The Golden Bough Inn......................................9

The Graveyard....................................................10

Lord Dragle’s House.........................................10

People..........................................................................11

Most People........................................................11

Gathering Information......................................11

The Town Guard................................................11

Alhans..................................................................11

Auguando and Nizu..........................................12

Belinal..................................................................13

Lord Dragle.........................................................14

Caspian Dragle...................................................15

Constable Eldun ................................................15

Gurt and Sable....................................................16

Kip and Rak........................................................17

Leandra................................................................18

Marly....................................................................18

Mother Olannae.................................................19

Quarillos Starwhisper ......................................20

Ravid Lurk..........................................................21

Tasker..................................................................22

Vancing................................................................22

Concluding the Adventure......................................23

Maps............................................................................24

Legal Section..............................................................24

Adventure Synopsis

The adventure begins as player character hears rumors

that the Shroud of Olindor will be auctioned off in

Kendleton. She may be approached to help secure access

to the artifact by a historian named Thail Donnodol.

The night of the auction Lord Dragle drinks his

elixir and falls into his deathlike stupor. The next day

he is buried, and that evening Dragle’s bodyguard

and servant return to exhume Dragle. Before they do,

Worbs, the local gravedigger, discovers what is going

on and Dragle’s bodyguard snaps the gravedigger’s

neck. They place the gravedigger in Dragle’s grave and

Dragle hides in a secret chamber within an inn called the

Dragon Hunter’s Lodge.

But one does not rise to the role of crime lord

without mastering the art of unearthing secrets.

Quarillos Starwhisper discovers that Dragle is not dead

and sends his top enforcers to correct that situation.

Dragle survives the attack, but his bodyguard dies in

the process. This reprieve does not last long, as Quarillos

Starwhisper soon locates Dragle and slays him.

That is of course, unless the player character

intervenes. The Shroud of Olindor is a nonlinear

adventure where the player is free to explore the town,

search for clues, and talk to witnesses at her own pace.

Should she fail to uncover the secrets, events continue to

happen in order above, but if she succeeds, she can alter

these events, save lives, and possibly earn the Shroud of

Olindor for herself.

Lord Dragle was set to auction off his most recent

discovery, the S hroud of Olindor . The elven relic was

certain to make Dragle a wealthy man. Such a pity he

had to die.

But the plot surrounding Dragle’s death is far more

layered than it appears. It is up to the player character to

discover the hidden motives and ultimately recover the

Shroud of Olindor .

The Shroud of Olindor is an adventure for one player

and one DM. The adventure is designed for a 7-9th level

rogue, but is suitable for any character interested in

investigation.

Adventure Background

Thousands of years ago the elven city of Olindor was the

center of art and culture, but after millennium of glory,

the city fell to decadence and invasion. Ever since its

demise, historians and treasure hunters prized any relic

from the city, but most of all they sought the powerful

treasures used by Olindor’s greatest heroes: the Star , the

Vengeance , and the Shroud of Olindor.

Just over a month ago an enterprising aristocrat

named Lord Dragle was scouring a rubbish sale when

he discovered a tattered black cloth. Using a wand

of detect magic he conirmed his suspicion that it was

something special, and he purchased it at once.

Lord Dragle identiied the cloth, and found that it

had amazing powers to enhance stealth. Dragle offered

to sell the cloth to the head of the local thieves’ guild,

an elf named Quarillos Starwhisper. It was Quarillos

who irst recognized the cloth for what it was: the

Shroud of Olindor .

Quarillos offered to pay a price well worth the

Shroud ’s magical properties and Lord Dragle happily

agreed. However between making the deal and turning

over the Shroud , Lord Dragle learned the Shroud ’s

history and its true value when he received another offer

that was double Quarillos’ price. Lord Dragle could not

resist the additional coin, but he knew better than to

cross the city’s crime lord. So he hatched a scheme to

have his cake and eat it too. Quarillos could not kill Lord

Dragle if he was already dead.

To that end, Lord Dragle purchased an elixir from

the local alchemist that would put him into a death-

like coma. He created a nearly identical facsimile of

the Shroud of Olindor and used a wand of magic aura to

make it seem magical. He secreted the true Shroud in a

vault in the catacombs below the local church. Dragle

announced that he would hold an auction to sell the

Shroud , planning to drink the elixir on the night of the

auction. A letter to Quarillos Starwhisper told the elf

that the auction was a sham, and Quarillos would still

receive the Shroud. Lord Dragle would then lay low

until the end of the week when the true buyer of the

Shroud would arrive. Dragle would make the trade,

and leave town to start a new life with his new wealth.

Unfortunately for Lord Dragle, things do not always go

according to plan.

Adventure Hooks

A character who has played through The Star of Olindor

might already have enough interest in the legend of

Olindor to investigate the latest treasure. If this is

the irst adventure she plays, if she needs additional

prompting, or if you wish to introduce a key character

from the next adventure, the DM may wish to utilize

Thail Donnodol.

The ancient elven historian Thail Donnodol has spent

his life studying the city of Olindor. He was excited to

learn that one of its treasures, the Shroud of Olindor had

been recovered. As a modest academic, Thail doubts

that he can afford the steep price the Shroud is sure to

reach at auction, but he does not need to own it. Instead

Thail hopes to gain access to the Shroud to study it for

its historical properties. Unfortunately he has other

important business that he must attend to, so he asks

the player character to go in his place. If she can secure

access to the Shroud , Thail offers her a reward of 1,000

gp, plus the results of any information he uncovers.

Adventure Structure

This adventure is structured around set events, loating

events, and more importantly, the interaction of places

and people. While a timeline of events is provided, the PC

has a wide latitude in deviating the adventure from the

timeline and determining how the adventure will end.

Time Line

This timeline assumes no interference by the player

character. Events in bold correspond to events detailed

in the Events section.

many minor characters. The only notable absence is

Lord Dragle. Eight o’clock comes and goes, but the

auction does not start.

In the meantime, the player character has the

opportunity to talk to any of the NPCs attending the

event. If the character does not approach any of the

NPCs, Belinal approaches the character and initiates

conversation.

Belinal starts by makings small talk and speculating

that the auctioneer is holding the auction until Lord

Dragle arrives. She then steers the conversation towards

the Shroud of Olindor . Belinal tries to learn as much about

the PC’s motives as possible.

Lord Dragle eventually slips into his private box

nearly half an hour after the auction was scheduled

to begin. Not coincidentally, the auction starts several

minutes after Lord Dragle arrives.

While the Shroud of Olindor is by far the most

important item to be auctioned that evening, there are

several other objects up for auctions. These include the

Celestial Shield ( winged shield ), Sword of Destruction

( +1 laming shocking longsword ), Malikor’s Sceptor ( rod of

splendor ), Candor’s Signet Ring ( ring of protection +2 ) and

the Steed of Sandgrino ( bronze griffon igurine of wondrous

power ). In addition to their magic properties, all of these

objects have historical signiicance, which increases the

inally auction price ten to ifty percent over the prices

given in the DMG.

After these items have been auctioned off, it is time

for the main event. Read or paraphrase the following.

Day 0 Player character arrives in Kendleton

Lord Dragle casts magic aura on the fake shroud

and hides the real shroud in the catacombs

Day 1 7:00 pm Auction at the meeting house

9:20 pm Lord Dragle’s death

11:40 pm The Auction house empties

Day 2 2:00 pm The funeral of Lord Dragle

11:00 pm Vancing and Marley exhume Lord

Dragle

11: 20 pm Vancing kills Worbs

Day 3 12:00 pm Caspian announces he is giving the

Shroud to the church of Leolus.

Day 4 7:30 am Mother Olannae notices Worbs’

absence

Day 5 1:00 am Gurt and Sable kill Vancing. Lord

Dragle lees to his home.

5:00 am Ravid Lurk discovers the body and

lees the town.

6:00 am A server at the Hunter’s Lodge

discovers Vancing’s body.

Day 6 12:00 pm The duration of magic aura on the

false shroud expires.

Day 7 2:40 am Quarillos inds Lord Dragle,

tortures, and kills him.

3:35 am Quarillos inishes placing Dragle

on the auction hall.

5:00 am Lord Dragle’s is discovered

“And now it’s the moment you’ve waited for,” the

auctioneer announces. “The Shroud of Olindor . Let’s

give a hand of thanks to our patron, Lord Dragle.”

The audience applauds, and the lavishly dressed Lord

Dragle begins to rise from his chair. He is a tall man

who might have been muscled at one time; middle

age has made him soft and doughy. For a moment

Lord Dragle looses his balance, but is steadied by the

well-muscled female half-orc beside him.

“Thank you,” Dragle says. “I am honored to...”

Dragle clears his throat and adjusts his collar. In the

last few seconds the color has bled from his face,

and sweat has looded his brow. “I am honored to

receive such credit for my humble...” Lord Dragle

stumbles again and then collapses.

Events

The following events are the natural low of action

should the PC do nothing while in Kendleton. However,

these events are mutable, and the PC may prevent or

change the way these events play out.

Arrival

If she is new to Kendleton, the player character should

arrive in the early evening on the day before the auction.

Allow her the opportunity to get to know the town, select

an inn, and possibly meet some of the personalities that

will play major roles in the adventure.

The audience gasps and begins to murmur. The

auctioneer announces that there will be a short pause,

and he invites Belinal to perform onstage. Meanwhile

Lord Dragle’s bodyguard has whisked her master away.

After ifteen minutes, the auctioneer returns again

to announce that auction will not proceed this evening.

Along with him is Constable Eldun. Eldun apologizes

for the incontinence, but he needs to talk to each of the

guests one at a time. He has brought two advanced

guards and six regular guards for crowd control.

Event 1: Auction at the Meeting

House

Time: Day 1, 7:00 pm

Place: The meeting house

People: Belinal, Constable Eldun, Lord Dragle, Tasker,

Quarillos Starwhisper, Vancing

The meeting house is crowded with an array of

personalities, many wear exotic dress. Belinal, Tasker,

and Quarillos Starwhisper are in attendances, as are

The PC must wait in the main hall until inally it is

her time to speak to the constable. Constable Eldun asks

a series of questions: who is the character, why is she

interested in the auction, did she see anything unusual

that evening, and where she is staying in town. The

constable’s attitude at this time unfriendly, and he will

not answer any questions, explaining that there are a lot

of other people he needs to talk to. If made indifferent,

he still will not answer questions, but recommends the

character visit his ofice tomorrow. If made friendly

or helpful, he will tell the character what he currently

knows, that Lord Dragle is dead, apparently from

poison. Once the PC has inished her questioning the

constable allows her to leave.

At some point during the memorial, a disturbance

breaks out between Tasker and Caspian Dragle.

Caspian has decided to delay auctioning the Shroud

until the questions surrounding his father’s death have

been answered. Tasker has other business arrangements

that require him to leave the following afternoon.

Tasker accuses Caspian of trying to force him out of

the auction as some sort of “elven plot.” If the player

does not intervene, Tasker implies, not so subtly, that

perhaps Caspian is responsible for his father’s death.

“From what I hear, you two weren’t fond of each other.

And who stands to proit from his death?” At this point

Mother Olannae and Constable Eldun step in to separate

Tasker from Caspian. Olannae reminds everybody that

this is a house of worship and asks everybody to show

some respect.

After Tasker’s rant, the memorial continues with

little incident, and guests gradually ile away.

Event 2: The Funeral of Lord

Dragle

Time: Day 2, 2:00 pm

Place: The church & the graveyard

People: Belinal, Caspian Dragle, Constable Eldun,

Leandra, Lord Dragle, Marly, Mother Olannae, Tasker,

Quarillos Starwhisper, Vancing, Worbs

The funeral for Lord Dragle is held the following

day. It is a somber event, conducted in the traditional

fashion. The funeral is held in the Church of Leolus

and led by Mother Olannae. Lord Dragle’s casket is

then taken to the graveyard, where it buried under the

supervision of Worbs, the gravedigger.

After the funeral all those assembled return to the

church and mill about in its meeting hall. Ostensibly

it is time for people to share their memories of the

deceased, but Lord Dragle had few close friends. The

crowd is more interested in gossiping about the murder

and determining the fate of the Shroud of Olindor . Give

the player the opportunity to talk to any of the other

assembled guest.

Event 3: The Missing Undertaker

Time: Occurs day 2, 11:00 pm. Noticed day 4, 7:30 am.

Place: The graveyard

People: Lord Dragle, Marly, Mother Olannae (after the

fact), Vancing, Worbs

This event is one of the quietest. Unless the PC

attempts to meet Worbs soon after he goes missing, his

loss is not noticed for over twenty-four hours. At this

point the Mother Olannae notiies Constable Eldun and, if

she knows the PC is investigating the murder, the player

character. Alternatively, if Eldun is friendly or helpful

towards the PC, he will pass the information on to her.

The Scene: If a character takes the time to examine

the graveyard in detail (DC 15 Search check or Survival

check if the character has Track), it reveals that the dirt

on Lord Dragle’s grave has been disturbed even more

recently than Dragle’s burial.

d20 Expeditious Retreat Press 1 on 1 Adventures 06 - The Shroud of Olindor.pdf

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