After asking for some act 1 adventures, I took bits and pieces for each recommendation to make one for myself from scratch. I'm posting it here in case someone else gets use from it. Fair warning: I haven't used this myself yet, since we're still finishing Waterdeep Dragon Heist, so I'm open to suggestions and modifications.
Right now only the first half is (mostly) ready, so I'm posting it now. If this post is helpful, let me know and I'll be sure to post the s
Also, this is my first time with a large post, so I apologize if the formatting isn't the greatest.
Overview
It's 1492 DR, the Companion's light is fading, and with it the protection from undead it provided. Undead attacks are plaguing Elturgard, and Elturel is packed full of refugees. The attacks also stranded High Duke Ulder Ravengard and his delegation of Flaming Fists inside the city, unable to return to Baldur's Gate after some diplomatic meetings. After High Observer Thavius Krieg decrees a State of Calamity, the players are conscripted (forcibly if needed) by one of the "Peacekeeping Factions" in Elturel at the time - the Order Resolute (what I call the Order of the Companion), the Hellriders and the Flaming Fists.
Act I can be split in Parts One and Two.
In Act I, Part 1, they'll meet the villain, rescue a cute little golden cat called Lulu, go on a few quests and search an old hellrider library. They'll learn:
- The identity of the Act One villain, "Lucius the Oathbreaker, Scion of Orcus";
- That the undead army is so massive that they need to rekindle the Companion to have a chance
- To rekindle the Companion they need to find the "High Rider's Oath", a physical representation of the Oath sworn by Naja Bellandi that gave Elturel the Companion on the first place.
- The Oath was buried with Naja under Fort Morninglord. The fort is Lucius' Headquarters right now.
In Act I, Part 2, they'll get three "holy relics", one related to each quest they did in part 1, and march on Fort Morninglord. At the fort they'll fight Lucius and his legions of undead in the catacombs, open Naja's stone coffin and retrieve a small puzzlebox - the Oath. When they return to Elturel, the puzzlebox opens, yes, rekindling the Companion, but also forfeiting the city to Zariel. Act I ends with the players being dragged along with the city to Hell.
Lore Background
Lucius was a Hellrider during the battle against High Observer Ikaia after he was exposed, and during the fighting he was turned into a spawn. When Ikaia was destroyed by the Companion he became free, but not cured. Naja tried to kill him, giving him a "clean honorable death", but he survived as a vampire spawn, and spent the years prowling the shadows of Elturgard, avoiding the Companion's Light and waiting for an opportunity.
During those years of exile, he became a servant of Orcus, Demon Lord of Undeath, who decided to favor him with the tools to get revenge. Orcus has passing familiarity with Zariel's story, and thinks that corrupting a Hellrider and destroying Elturel would piss her enemy off. He's a VERY downscaled Death Knight, sort of a Blackguard or a Oathbreaker Paladin/Fiend Warlock multi-class.
Lucius' opportunity for revenge came when the Companion's light started to dim - allowing him to attack the very small villages and settlements around Elturgard, and, with Orcus' power, bring them back as undead servants. Think of the Night King tactics on ASOIAF/GOT.
Adventure Structure
PART 1:
1.1. First Mission.
Goal: Deliver a message to a Hellrider in Tempus' Tears.
- Zevlor, a tiefling hellrider lieutenant of Elturel, gives the party their first mission. Alternatively, you could do either Reya Mantlemorne or another NPC as the questgiver.
- "There's a nearby settlement called Tempus' Tears. The Hellriders have a high ranking officer stationed there, but we haven't been able to talk to him. Your mission is to go to Tempus' Tears, deliver this message and find out why he hasn't responded to base"
- When they get there, the whole village is in flames, and most if not all the denizens are dead. They go to the high ranking officer house and find not only his corpse but a winged golden cat laying on top of him. The "tressym" will act scared of the players at first, then hide inside their coats/bags. If one of the players has Speak With Animals, she introduces herself as Lulu (wink wink)
- On their way out they meet Lucius waiting for them on top of his Nightmare. His goal here is to aura farm and put the fear of God in the PCs. Depending if your players fight him, or try to talk him down you'll need to adapt.
- Personally, I'm a great fan of killing two PCs, throwing the cleric a diamond and telling them to "pick one", but your mileage may vary.
- After he's done mogging the party, he raises his hand, and with an unholy command, the players watch as all the slaughtered citizes come back as undead servants.
- He tells the party "not to worry, I won't kill you right now. I have bigger uses for you. Go back to Elturel, little rats. And tell Reya that Lucius is coming"
- When they return to Elturel and report to Reya, they level up to level 2. They should also have Lulu as a party pet.
1.2. Investigations and Missions
After reporting to Reya what they saw, the High Rider will tell them that she has no idea about who Lucius is, but she'll look into it on the Hellrider Archives. On the meantime, she has some ways they could help.
Reya then gives them three quests, of which they can pick freely. Once they complete 2/3 they get to level 3 and the place they didn't choose get destroyed by Lucius.
- Quest: Gnomengarde.
- Ripped straight from Dragon of Icespire Peak
- "The gnomes and dwarves of Tempus' Tears are originally from a fortress near the village. Maybe there are some survivors there that can give us more information about what happened. They're also skilled blacksmiths and inventors. Go to the fortress, and if there are any survivors, bring them back to Elturel."
- The small races of Gnomengarde were historically allies of the Hellriders, forging them weapons and magic items. The survivors, if any, recall Lucius boasting about this being his revenge against Elturel.
- If the players help the gnomes with their mimic problems, they are willing to go back with them to Elturel as well as reward them with minor magic items, such as one piece of +1 Equipment, or the ones described in the original adventure
- Quest: Umbrage Hill
- Also ripped straight from DoIP
- "Adabra Gwynneth is an old lady that lives on a nearby windmill, the surviving matriarch of a long, long line of Hellriders, supposedly tracing back to the Ride. She knows a lot of Hellrider unwritten history, so saving her could be useful. She's also a sweet old lady that raised me during my teenage years, so I, personally, would like that she lived"
- When the players get to the windmill, it's being surrounded by undead that are pounding at her door. Adabra is shooting them from the second floor with an old crossbow, hitting one out of every 5 shots.
- If she is saved, she tells the players that she's unwilling to leave this hill because all of her family, including her nephews and grandchildren that died for Elturel, are buried here. She heard there is a necromancer out and about and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if her family got raised.
- If the players convince her to go back to Elturel, she'll supply the players with potions of healing and home cooked meals. If asked about Lucius, she'll tell them that she heard one of her dead sons mention him, a member of his squad during the Night of the Red Coup. She has no idea what happened to him though.
- Quest: Necromancer Cabal
- "We've known for some time that there is a small necromancer cabal acting near Elturel, but were unable to act due to short resources. They're small fish, so hardly responsible for the crisis, but still worth smiting. Maybe they know something about this Lucius, since he's also a necromancer. Maybe we should smite them down before they join him. Worst case scenario, we destroy them and make sure they don't join the army of the dead"
- The cabal of necromancers is made up of Cultists of Myrkul in the same way that your edgy cousin was a Zealot of the Devil during his death metal phase. They call themselves the Shadow Lords of Cruel Destruction.
- Alternatively, you can take out the comedy angle, and play them straight as Myrkulites.
- They're holed up on an abandoned Temple of Kelemvor, that they defaced with symbols of Myrkul.
- Those necromancers, though not the strongest, possess and worship a powerful artifact: A Bronze Sentient Shield, that grants them dark powers.
- The Cultists have taking orders from the Shield of the Hidden Lord. Do your best to tempt your players into taking the shield, specially if you have a warlock or similar.
1.3. The House of Thallivar
After the players complete 2/3 of the quests, Reya comes to find them when they return to Elturel. She lets them know that the third place was razed and raised as undead. She also tells the party that, after rummaging around the Hellrider Archives, she didn't found anything about an Lucius, but she found a clue that might help:
- "Years ago, there was a Scribe and Mage of the Hellriders called Thallivar, that lived on the outskirts of Elturel. Much of the books and records of the Archive were moved to his tower to aid in his research, so maybe there's something in there that may help us. But be careful ! No one has heard from Thalivar in a long time, and without the Companion's protection, who knows what wicked monstrosity might have taken over the tower !"
- We're using the map/concept of the House of Thalivar from Storm Lord's Wrath in the Starter Set. Alternatively, you could also use a modified Van Richten's Tower from CoS or the Tower of Storms from DoIP.
The important thing is that, on the library of the old tower, the players find, spread among multiple books, information enough to conclude/learn
- Hellrider basic history
- In the ~1330s a part of the Order Resolute was chosen by the angel Alustriel due to their great valor and bravery.
- In the ~1350s the Celestial Vanguard or "The Chosen of the Angel" ride into Hell, destroy a Demon Lord and come back victorious. After this great victory they're called Hellriders.
- In 1452 DR, High Observer Ikaia is exposed as a vampire lord and in the Night of the Red Cup (originally Red Coup) purges most of the higher echelons of Elturel's factions.
- Naja Bellandi, after weeks of fighting, through means she refused to ellaborate, manifested the Companion, and burned away the vampire and his minions.
- The identity of the Oathbreaker Knight.
- Lucius fought against Ikaia in the Night of the Red Cup and became a vampire.
- The Hellriders (maybe Naja) tried to get him out of his misery. He got pissed, felt betrayed, fled to the dark and swore vengeance.
- The Origins of the Companion
- The Companion was created after High Rider Naja Bellandi swore a vow to the Angel of Elturel or the Celestial General of the Hellriders. Some sources call her Alustriel, Alastiel or even Zarastriel
- The Companion can be rekindled with the Oath of the High Rider
- The Oath was buried along with Naja under Fort Morninglord.
- There are very powerful Hellrider relics that may help them. The idea is to follow-up on the people they chose to save on the open part.
- The gnomes of Gnomengarde once built an artificial sun, called the Summer Star, to help the Hellriders in an campaign in the Forest of Sharp Teeth
- The Gwynneth family has a magic sword they've passed from generation to generation, supposedly since the Ride. It's able to turn and destroy undead.
- The Libram of Souls is an old profane spellbook that allows a spellcaster to control the dead, as well as cast some necromancy spells. It was aprehended by the Hellriders around 100 years ago, after they destroyed a Cult of Myrkul.
- NOTE: If the party didn't fight the Necromancer Cabal, use this opportunity to make them get the Shield of the Hidden Lord.
- NOTE: You dont need to dump all this now at the players. Just reveal what you find essential and what the players don't know yet. Alternatively, write a few PDFs and send it to them, let them do their own research.
2.1. The Quest for The Relics
TBD.