Venture to the Flying Lands of Halulil in search of an ingredient for a love potion!
You always thought of yourself as adventurers with your feet firmly planted on the ground, but one day you find yourselves having to board an airship. You ascend far into the sky until you arrive at what is known as the Flying Lands of Halulil. Navigating between the small airborne islands is difficult, but you must journey deep into the heart of this close-knit archipelago.
Betty, a chipper halfling researcher from the Magic Academy in the capital, has asked you to find the fabled Pond of Sharea in Halulil. “The water doesn’t look any different from that of a normal pond, but it has indisputable magical properties. If mixed with some special ingredients it can be brewed into a love potion. I just so happen to have those ingredients on hand and tobe in need of creating such a mixture.” Betty looked at you with pleading eyes. “You will go to the Halulil Archipelag, and fetch a vial of this water for me, won’t you? I will reward you handsomely.” At the promise of riches, your interest in the quest grew.
So here you are now, in the Flying Lands, searching for the Pond of Sharea. You look at the various flying islands, trying to spot your destination, until you finally find a small island with a single pond in the middle surrounded by trees. You disembark from the ship and collect a small dose of the miraculous water in the vial provided to you by Betty. The liquid really doesn’t look like anything special – just normal water. Still, you’re not about to test if Betty is right or not about the magical properties. This is the water she wanted, and you will return the vial to her.
Suddenly a flying serpent appears, soaring between the islands. You won’t be able to outrun the beast on your airship, so your only option is to fight! Hopefully your magic and arrows will be able to pierce the creature’s iridescent scales!
Adventure Hooks
- Betty, a halfling researcher, wants to make a love potion. She needs the water from the Pond of Sharea in the Halulil Archipelago to brew the concoction. For the promise of gold, you travel to the flying lands on an airship and get a vial of the fabled water. Just then you are attacked by a flying serpent.
- Gurk, a half-orc engineer, has teamed up with Durk, a half-orc researcher. They want to find the truth behind why the Archipelago of Halulil is airborne. Nobody has figured out thus far how the islands stay suspended in the sky, and Gurk and Durk hope to receive a magical research prize from the Magic Academy in the capital for their efforts. They have asked you, a group of adventurers, to escort them in case any arcane monsters decide to take an interest in them.
- The Flying Lands of Halulil are plagued by a flying serpent who has been preying on the lives of passersby, making the voyage between islands dangerous. The King of Halulil, Omergo the Second, has tasked you with getting rid of the menace. You take an airship to the Archipelago. It doesn’t take you long to run into the monster. Will you be able to defeat the dangerous creature?
Provide help in the siege of Omerta!
Being an adventurer isn’t far off from being a sell-sword at times. When a new opportunity to earn a lot of gold comes along, you decide it’s not beneath you to accept and help King Grumil the Third in his siege of Omerta – an impenetrable fort in the neighboring Kingdom of Letitia.
The siege persists for weeks with no sign of ending. Since the defenses have not yet been breached and you have nothing to do, you decide to help out with the trebuchets by carrying the stones and aiming at the castle walls. After a while, you make a sizable hole in the main gate, and the commander calls you to storm the fort itself. Equipped with magic and steel, you run to the opening to bring death upon the enemies. All the while, they try to slow down your approach by firing at you using ballistae, bows, and crossbows, but to no avail.
Once you’re inside the fort, victory is yours. You may be hired swords, but you care about the victory just like everybody else. After all, whatever your task, you pride yourselves on doing a good job.
Omerta has fallen today, and you had a hand in the fort’s demise.
Adventure Hooks
- Even though you’re adventurers, you won’t pass up the job of joining King Grumil’s army to besiege Omerta, an impenetrable fort. The siege takes weeks, but finally you’re able to break through the castle gate and enter to bring death upon the defenders.
- After your last quest, you’ve been resting in the Fort of Omerta. Suddenly the neighboring country’s leader, King Grumil, launches a war campaign against your kingdom, and his first target is this castle! You have no choice but to join the fort’s defenders. The siege endures for weeks until finally King Grumil gives up and leaves. You’ve won and can once again safely leave for a new adventure.
- King Grumil’s forces have abandoned their weaponry and equipment after quitting the siege of Omerta. You search through the battlefield, looking for any valuables. You’re poor adventurers after all, and scavenging is just another way to get rich, right?
Pray in the Shrine of the Three Animal Gods!
A strange wizard who goes by the name of Alexander has asked you to visit the Sanctuary of the Three Animal Protectors and read out loud the words he has written down on a piece of paper. The quest is a strange one, but well-paid, so you take the mission without much thought.
Within the shrine you pass by an elevated dais which seems to cover a sarcophagi of sorts; a place of burial for a hero, as the engraving says. The three animal protectors can be found at the end of the room: a hare, an eagle and a cat. You stand in front of the figures and read out the words in a strange language you don’t understand. They feel heavy on your tongue.
The floor below your feet open, and you fall into the darkness of the crypts below…. Will you be able to find your way back to the surface?
Adventure Hooks
- The wizard Alexander tells you to recite words in a foreign language in front of the statues of the Three Animal Protectors. When you do so, you fall into the crypts below the building and need to find your way out.
- You escort a curious halfling art student to the Sanctuary; he wants to sketch the Animal Protectors to which it is dedicated. The journey to the remote shrine is dangerous and not without adventures, but finally you arrive safely. The halfling joyfully draws the figures while telling you why the Sanctuary is dedicated to those deities in particular.
- There is a rumor that below the Sanctuary of the Three Animal Protectors is a maze-like complex of crypts which hides forgotten treasure. You arrive at the shrine and look around the room, trying to locate the entrance. Will you be able to find a way down?
Solve the case of the missing chickens!
“My chickens have gone missing,” an elderly villager calls out to your party as you enter Everton, a quaint village by the road to Blackwoode. There’s an inn to your left and a temple to your right. In front of the temple stands a priest along with the elderly lady who has now successfully gained your attention. You had planned to stay the night at the inn and not do anything important for the rest of the day. However, the woman runs up to you and takes your party leader’s arm in her hand. “Please help me!” She cries out. “The priest doesn’t want to aid me! Please, dear adventurers, help a woman in need!”
By the garb on her back, you can tell she’s not rich which means she’s probably not going to be able to pay you much for your time, if anything. It’s not like you have anything better to do though, and night hasn’t fallen yet, so you decide to hear her out. “I’m sure Jeremiah has my chickens! He lives in the middle of the village by the small lake! But he’s a ruffian! I can’t go to him to get my dear babies back alone.” In light of her story, you decide to escort the grandma to Jeremiah’s house.
When you knock on the door, a tall, burly man opens it. “What do you need from me?” His voice is as low and booming as you’d imagined.
“Jeremiah, I know you have my chickens!” The elderly woman calls out from behind you, looking more sure of herself now that she has brought armed forces to aid her cause.
“I don’t have your chickens, Sandra,” comes the giant’s reply. “But Lara might know something about them – she’s your neighbor after all. Why is it that every time something goes missing, people think I’m the devil responsible?”
You couldn’t say, for he seems like a kind man to you even though he looks like a bandit with that giant scar on his face. He’s seen some combat, that’s for sure.
Sandra escorts you to Lara’s house next. The woman who opens the door has her red hair in a braid. Her slightly pointy ears tell you that she’s a half-elf. She’s rather pretty as well.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” When she opens her mouth though, you quickly realize she’s likely not known for her sunny disposition. Her words are full of venom.
“Lara, you have stolen my chickens!” Grandma explains.
You let out a collective sigh. Hurling the accusation at the half-elven woman surely won’t net good results.
But the redhead’s expression changes to a malicious smile. “That I did. So what are gonna do about it?”
“I will have these able-bodied men and women get them back for me!” Sandra calls out behind you.
A flame appears in the half-elf hand. “I won’t give you back the chickens without a fight.”
Is that a fireball she’s cooking up for you? What is a sorcerer of her caliber doing in this middle-of-nowhere village? However, there is no chance to think about the why-s and how-s. It’s time to fight! For the chickens! Or for the safety of your own hides – at this point, self-preservation has likewise become a crucial factor.
Adventure Hooks
- You investigate the matter of some stolen chickens. Your questioning leads you to the house of Lara who turns out to be a sorceress. She won’t give back Sandra’s chicks without a fight!
- The temple in Everton is having trouble collecting this month’s alms from the villagers. The priest has asked you to walk around the area, requesting the sacks of flour that are due. Some villagers will need to be intimidated or persuaded though, as they don’t seem to want to pay.
- It’s the flower festival in Everton, and everyone is supposed to give out flowers. If you want to partake in the festival, you should walk around the village and participate in the flower exchange. There will be a reward for the person who has the most blossoms at the end of the day.
Survive the visit to the Royal Treasury!
The dark of night has fallen over the land when you approach the Royal Treasury, shrouded in shadows. Your party’s rogue opens the door with his lockpick. The lock is complicated, but after a few attempts the path before you finally stands clear.
You remember the task – find the Goblet of Kings and bring the relic to the rich widow, Graciana, who has hired you to steal it. You don’t know what Graciana wants to do with the goblet or what motivated her to request the theft. All that matters to you is the coffer of gold she promised in exchange for the item.
You put the guards to sleep, and now you open the door to the treasury. The sight of gold piles galore welcomes you. Gems are scattered around as well, and two large coffers full of rubies, emeralds and sapphires stand by the walls. Amongst the riches are also magical artifacts such as elaborately engraved swords and maces. You whisper amongst yourselves: would it hurt to carry more than the goblet out of here? You decide you should at least stuff your pockets with as much gold as you can carry.
When you approach the nearest gold pile though, a sword, a hammer and an axe rise from the ground, pointing their sharp edges at you. The weapons are the real protectors of this place – they are alive! And they won’t just let you take anything without a fight.
Adventure Hooks
- You go to the Royal Treasury on behalf of Graciana, a rich widow, who wants you to steal the Goblet of Kings. Once you’re inside, you witness a peculiar sight: the magical artifacts are living weapons, and they won’t let you get away without a fight.
- King Lucius wants to move the Royal Treasury. While the task is not really one befitting adventurers, you accept the job of packing all the riches in bags and transporting them to the new building.
- King Lucius wants you to pick your reward for the latest quest you’ve completed for him. You accompany him to the Royal Treasury where you see all manner of gold and artifacts. Picking just one item won’t be a simple task.
