The Call of the Templars.

Dragon age
Quote

Post by Jamesserx10 Fri Mar 05, 2010 11:07 pm

Ok, so if you've read some of my posts I've alluded to making

an adventure involving Templars...Well this is it, a VERY long
post I apologize, again, special thanks to gamerdad for the
Ogre concept, I only tweaked its HP a bit to account for the
handicapped encounter, see what you guys think.

The Call of the Templars

Adventure Summary

After saving Vintiver, the PCs find that Arthas, a Fereldan

Freeman Warrior, and aid to them during The Dalish Curse
has left the village, by horse in order to find his prospective
father who left Vivinter to fight with king Cailan in Ostagar
along with the Grey Wardens and the rest of the Bannorn.
The PCs will track Arthas to a small village called Caern in
the Southern Hills to the South West of Vivinter about a days
ride from Ostagar. The PCs will find Arthas forced to stay in
the village as the Chantrys Templars have occupied the
village on accounts of finding a missing Maleficar. In my
campaign, I used one of my friends characters as the
Maleficar, however in your campaign you may need to
modify the game and add in a NPC character. The Templars
have gone to extensive lengths to find this Maleficar, an
supposed apostate on the run, that escaped the tower about
a week earlier from the Mages Tower in the center of Lake
Calenhad. The PCs find that the Maleficar is actually,
Tarian, one of the PCs, who while is not actually a Maleficar,
the accusation is what drove him to flee the Circle Tower.
When the Templars learn that Tarian is the mage they seek,
the PCs will flee with the help of a sympathetic villager (Or
new PC as it was in my game) to a small cave a few miles
away from town. The Templars will soon arrive, and battle
the group. Whether at the end the Templars lie dead,
knocked out, or convinced that Tarian is not a Maleficar they
will receive the call from the Mages Tower for the Rite of
Annulment, the rite that allows the purging of all mages in
Fereldan. While specifically they are called to the Mages
Tower, the remaining Templars will attempt to kill Tarian
and any other mage in the group. As the Templars fall, or
the PCs overwhelmed, a group of Darkspawn will beset the
group, scouts from the encroaching horde from Ostagar. This
will cause Arthas to hasten his ride to Ostagar.

Getting the Characters Involved

The player characters should already be acquainted with

Arthas, and his sudden fleeing of Vivinter will most likely
draw them to go to his aid. If not, express to them that if
Arthas truly is the son of a Bann, they may likely receive a
large reward for his safe delivery to his true father. New
characters in this campaign, will find that Caern could
possibly there home town (if they are a Fereldan Freeman or
perhaps a Surface Dwarf, or another Apostate on the run,
possibly even a misplaced Avvarian Hillsman or Hillswoman)
and play the sympathetic character that tells the PCs of the
cave a few miles away from the town. Or perhaps they are
another traveler trapped by the Templars occupation? In
any case the characters must be interested in this
adventure, as it sets the stage for the next adventure which
is of great importance.

Background

The story of The Rite of Annulment begins approximately

one day before the PCs arrive to the town. Arthas, having
ridden ahead of the group in the dead of night, and even
more importantly on horseback, arrived in Caern long before
the PCs, during that time he stopped in the town in order to
resupply for his final ride to Ostagar, however before he
could leave a group of Templars arrived in the town
searching for a Maleficar, a Blood Mage. The Templars have
reason to suspect the Maleficar had journeyed to Caern in
order to hide out in the Southern Borderlands of Fereldan,
and they lock down the village, allowing nobody to leave.
Anyone can enter, however they are given a strict warning
they can never leave until the Maleficar is found, or the
Templars have reason to believe the Maleficar is no longer,
or never was, in the village. Arthas, now trapped in this city
awaits in the local inn for the occupation to end along with
all the other trapped adventurers, seething with rage for
the Templars and the Chantry that has trapped him.
Another big story ploy to keep in mind, is that the Templars
have not told anyone in the village WHY they are occupying
the city, calling it a matter of chantry business that nobody
has a reason to worry about. This causes Arthas to find why
the occupation has happened, and how it may end, him and
the PCs will be influential in the ending of the occupation.
One way...Or another.

Part 1: Leaving Vintiver

The PCs will awake the next morning after the great battle
against Mythallen and his darkspawn horde, to find that
Arthas has skipped town with a horse in order to go to
Ostagar to find the Bann of Vintiver, his possible father.
Once the group leaves town in order to chase after Arthas
for one reason or another, they will encounter little on the
trip to Caern, the only thing they will find is an increasing
darkspawn presence, as they are ambushed along the route
to Caern. Foreshadowing the Battle of Ostagar that will be
taking place soon. Caern is about a days walk, a quarter
days ride from Vintiver, when they arrive they will find a
brigade of Templars stationed just outside the village, how
they get in, is up to them.

Prologue

The PCs awake in the morning after the battle with

Mythallen and discover Arthas is mysteriously missing...

1. Following in His Tracks (Exploration/Roleplaying

Encounter)

The characters awake, and Arthas is gone! The initial

assumption for most characters is that he has left town to
search for his father...However the PCs do not know where
the Bann could possibly be (They are currently unaware of
the impending blight). They could ask some of the more
important figures in the city, Coalan, Tarl Dale, The Inn
Keepers, the Chantry priestess, or Eshara (providing they all
lived through The Dalish Curse) however they will not
know much. Coalan will be almost completely ignorant since
Arthas never had a reason to go see him before leaving, Tarl
Dale, will tell you that he told Arthas that the Bann was
possibly his father and that he most likely left in order to
find him, through some persuasion (TN 15 Communication
Persuade, TN 11, if Tarl trusts you) you can learn that the
Bann headed South West to Ostagar to fight with King Cailan
in the war against the darkspawn. However this would leave
out a very important detail, entailed later. If they ask the
Inn Keepers, they will tell the group that he left early in the
morning, around 1:00am, thanking them and telling them
that he would not be returning. If they asked the Priestess,
she will tell the group that Arthas stopped by the Chantry
late at night, early morning shortly after 1:00am in order to
receive the Makers Blessings and then left without a word.
The most important person they could ask, is the Stable
Master, the Stable Master, will know that he sold Arthas a
horse late that night, after he awoke him from his sleep,
and that he was headed South West to Ostagar to search for
Vintivers Bann. This is important, because it means Arthas
was on horseback, and Ostagar is only a mere half day ride
from Vintiver, however its almost a 2 days walk! This
increases the haste the PCs must act in, because it means
Arthas could possibly be in Ostagar by midday no problem.
The PCs could buy horses themselves, providing they can
afford the 60sp (for the 50% discount for saving the village)
horses, if they cannot, they have to walk. Whether they ride
or walk, the PCs will eventually learn there destination,
Ostagar. They head South West, following the roads, and
arrive in Caern late that evening, or early in the morning if
they left in the morning or afternoon respectively, or they
arrive the afternoon of the next day if they leave at night
and rest along the way.

Arthas True Agenda

In reality, Arthas is planning to attempt to find his possible

father, The Bann of Vintiver, in Ostagar, where he left to
fight with King Cailan and the Grey Wardens against the
darkspawn. He awoke at 12:30am after only a mere hour
and a half of sleep, and packed his things, at 1:00am he left
the inn and headed to the Chantry to receive the Makers
Blessing (a kind of spiritual ritual similar to mass for
christians) and left the Chantry around 1:30am. After
leaving the Chantry he headed to the stables to awake the
stable master in order to purchase a horse, the stable
master, slightly angry he disturbed his sleep demanded
reason for him leaving, Arthas told him his plan, however he
neglected to say that the Bann could be his father. He paid
the stable master and left on his way around 2:00am,
around 9:00am (slightly before the PCs wake up) he arrives
in Caern, and the Templars arrive a mere hour later at
10:00am causing a systematic lockdown on the village.
2. Beset by Darkspawn (Combat Encounter)

In the late afternoon or evening, the PCs are probably

traveling the roads on the way to Caern, however a threat
lies upon the roads. Secretly roll a Perception (hearing, or
feeling) TN 13 for each character, those who succeed begin
to feel small tremors in the earth. Suddenly darkspawn arise
from the ground, those who succeeded the check arent
surprised, however those who fail are surprised and cannot
act in the first round. The Darkspawn are a group of
Genlocks led by a Hurlock. The Genlocks are all armed with
axes, and the Hurlock is armed with a crossbow, however if
the players get close, he will unsheathe his own two-handed
axe. The Genlocks will charge into combat while the Hurlock
hails bolts from atop a small hill, if 3/4ths of the Genlocks
or the Hurlock is slain, the remaining Darkspawn will flee
into the hills. Once defeated, you should note to the
players, that they find this strange, that the Darkspawn are
found so far away from the Deep Roads far to the West, and
that its quite possible that a heavy infestation of Darkspawn
may be arriving. The Darkspawn are carrying nothing but
there weapons, and their armor is too strange to fit any
human.
Note: Any player that kills a darkspawn in melee must make
a Constitution (Stamina) check of TN 14 or become sick from
the darkspawn blood, this will cause 1d6 penetrating
damage every half-hour until the character lies dead, or the
blood is cleaned off him.
Adversaries:

There should be a number of Genlocks equal to the number

of players, and one Hurlock (Note, even if the group is
small, a Hurlock will still be present to act as the
commander of this band of darkspawn). Genlocks and
Hurlocks can be found on page 29-30 in the Game Masters
Guide Set 1.

3. Poisonous Blood (Roleplaying Encounter)

After dealing with the darkspawn, the characters will

stumble upon the previous prey of this darkspawn hunting
crew, a Surface Dwarf (or PC possibly) lying near dead from
the darkspawn attack. He tells the characters that the
darkspawn wouldve killed him had they not distracted them
momentarily. He asks them to help him up and for healing.
His backstory is he was traveling from a small town farther
west named Caern to Vintiver as part of his world
exploration dream, when he was attacked by darkspawn, he
took down a couple but they were just overwhelming. Any
characters that attempt to help the dwarf must make a
Constitution (Stamina) TN 11 check or they will become
infected from darkspawn blood and take 1d6 penetrating
damage every half an hour until it is cleansed or the
character is dead. The dwarf wont last long unless he
receives attention, the characters must either help him to
Caern or use their own water to help him. If he is treated on
site, unless he was a PC he will continue on his own, giving
the players a total of 20sp each. If not, the dwarf will
accompany the group to Caern to receive medical attention.
The TN for healing the dwarf immediately is 13 for his
advanced wounds, however a mage could cast heal to get
his health up, or cleanse in order to clean off the darkspawn
blood. Note, the dwarf will die from darkspawn blood in 3
hours (luckily the group is only 1hr away from Caern) if he
does not receive medical attention.

4. Arrival in Caern (Exploration, Roleplaying, or Combat

Encounter)

Shortly after the encounter with darkspawn (about 1hr) the

group will arrive at Caern, the primary village mentioned in
the adventure. As they approach they will notice a group of
Templar guards standing guard at the village entrance. When
they attempt to enter the village, the guards stop them a
moment and tell them the city is under lockdown. Nobody
allowed in or out. If the group tries to find out why, the
Templars refuse to tell why, no matter what. Also, if a mage
is in the group, the Templars sense that person, and
question them. The person can talk there way out in many
ways by making an advanced test, with a success thresh hold
of 10, TN 11 communications with several focuses
applicable, note that the Templars will attack after 5
attempts. Other ways of resolving the problem, is that if the
group is taking along the wounded Dwarf they can convince
the guards that he needs medical attention, the Templars
understand and will let them in, however they warn them
that they will be unable to leave the village until the
lockdown is lifted. If the dwarf is not with them, they can
convince the guards to let them in on account Arthas might
be there through an advanced test with a thresh hold of 10,
TN 11 Communications with several focuses applicable. If
they ask about Arthas, the guards say that they dont know
about a specific person by the description, but when they
get in they tell them they should check the inn since most
travelers forced to stay in Caern are currently residing
there. If they fail all diplomatic ways, the village is
surrounded by only a wooden barricade, this could easily be
crossed by a fire spell (providing the PCs dont mind the
villagers panicking, or they could climb over it with a TN 15
Strength (Climb) test. The final option, is to kill the
Templars standing guard (which can be both good and bad
later, if they kill the Templars now, the rest of the Templars
in the village will be on edge increasing all TN made against
them +2, however it will be 2 less Templar guards that are
present later during the cave battle) and then hide the
bodies, however note the consequences of this action and
make sure they know of any other way to get in. Another
possibility is that the group doesnt even wish to enter the
village, if they have the dwarf, note that they wont last
long without taking him into the village, if not, come up
with something else, like have Arthas walk behind the
guards in the village just past the gate to assure them hes
there if you really must, but this should only be a last
resort. Note: Killing the Templars adds +5 to the Village
Alertness meter.

Adversaries:
Two Templars, there stats can be found in the Bestiary at
the end of this adventure, the Templars will keep fighting
until one dies, when that happens the other will attempt to
flee into the village, the have to stop him or risk the entire
town being on alert. If that happens you will have to
improvise the adventure.

End of Part 1:

By the end of part 1, the characters should have arrived in

Caern one way or another, they should also be relatively
sure that Arthas is in the village, if the dwarf is still with
them, they should have a sense of urgency in order to get
him safe.
Part 2: The Village of Caern

Before we begin on the parts, note that the village of Caern

in a weird way. The occupation of the Templars has every
person in the village on edge. Depending on how much the
characters interact with the town, the town will move
through phases, from No Alert, Low Alert, Medium Alert, and
finally High Alert, based on how much they affect the city,
below is a chart on the description of the city on each
alertness.

Alert Type: No Alert

Points: 1-4
Description: The village is not worried about the presence of
the PCs, to them they are only travelers trapped by the
occupation. The villagers will treat the NPCs with typically
respect for a visitor with relative respect and kindness,
unless they give them reasons to not be.

Alert Type: Low Alert

Points: 5-9
Description: The village is slightly on edge, the villagers and
templars will keep an eye on the PCs watching to see if they
do anything suspicious, this adds +1 TN to any Persuasion,
Stealth, or any other related skill check.

Alert Type: Medium Alert

Points: 10-14
Description: The village is wary of the PCs, the Templars will
be quick to judge the characters and if they see them do
something wrong, they wont be afraid to talk to them
about what they are doing, this adds +2 TN to any
Persuasion, Stealth or any related skill check.

Alert Type: High Alert

Points: 15+
Description: The village is on total lock down, nobody is
allowed outside of there homes, if anybody (PCs included)
are seen outside of their homes or the inn without consent
of the Templars, they will attack on site. This adds +4 TN to
any persuasion, Stealth, or other related checks.

1. Welcome to Caern (Exploration Encounter)

Min Alert: 0 (No Alert)

Max Alert: 5 (Low Alert)

Caern is a small village, made mostly of wooden houses, the

air is filled with the scents of smoke from fireplaces,
stables, and most importantly of Templars. Every corner the
characters turn, will hold more and more Templars all
looking for the missing Maleficar. The players wont know
why the Templars are present. However they will be looking
for Arthas. The town of Caern is small, the population is only
about 250 made up of craftsmen, peasants, and beggars.
The local Bann like in Vintiver has left to fight against the
Darkspawn with King Cailan and the Grey Wardens. The town
includes the stables near the entrance, the inn to the far
north side of town, the people live in houses along with
west side, the east side is the craftsman terrace. In the
middle of the town is the local chantry, this is where the
Templars are focused the most.
Asking around town for Arthas will yield little results,
however most will tell the players too look in the Inn where
most trapped travelers end up. The chantry will be closed
by Templars since they are using it as their base of
operations. The players will find the stables uneventful
since nobody needs a horse with the occupation. The
Craftsman Terrace will find anything the players could need
from Set 1. As for the Inn, that is where the characters must
end up one way or another. When the characters find there
way into the Inn one way or another, head to the next
section. Note: If the dwarf is still with them, the Templars
will let them into the chantry for healing.
2. Catching up with Arthas (Combat/Roleplaying Encounter)

Min Alert: 0 (No Alert)

Max Alert: 5 (Low Alert)

When the characters arrive in the inn, it is bustling and busy

(unless of course its nighttime) in either case, the place is
packed. Trapped travelers forced to remain in the inn until
its over. The first thing the characters will notice is Arthas at
a table near the far end of the inn, talking to a Elf...When
the characters approach Arthas will instantly notice them
and receive them indifferently. He will be happy, however
dismayed at how he is now trapped in the town. Arthas
seems deep in thought however. Upon further probing by the
players he reveals he has a plan to end the occupation of
the town. He will then introduce the players to his elf friend
(another new PC), a freedom fighter in the city rebelling
against the Templars. The two have hatched a plan in order
to sneak into the Chantry, first to find out why the Templars
are here, the next, solve the problem one way or another so
they can leave. As Arthas explains the plan, note that
suddenly several drunken men enter the bar. The men are
angered that the occupation has not ended all day and have
already entered a state of drunken haze and are convinced,
that since the Templars arrived shortly after Arthas, that he
must be the reason they are there and confront him. The
characters could make a TN Communication 11 (base
without alert increases) and convince them that Arthas isnt
the problem. If they fail there other attempt can be to
challenge them to a game of drinking. No matter what the
drunken men will accept the challenge, the drinking
competition can only be between one character, and one of
the men. This is treated as a Stamina (Drinking) advanced
test with a success thresh hold of 13 (not affected by alert
penalties) with a TN of 10 (also not affected by alert
penalties). The character must keep drinking and succeeding
until the other man passes out from drinking too much (once
they pass the thresh hold of 13 he passes out) if the player
fails once, that player will pass out from drinking, and not
be available in the forthcoming fight against the men. If all
else fails, a bar room brawl will break out. The Bartender
will yell out as the battle begins that no weapons are
allowed, he doesnt mind a fight but fists only! The players
can take this warning, or not. The drunken men will fight
attacking constantly until they reach hp, at which time
they will flee unless knocked out (or killed if the players are
willing), the consequences of the fight are below. However
the drunken men are dealt with, Arthas will go on to explain
his plan and introduce his elf friend. They plan to execute
the plan late tonight in the dead of night, and asks for your
assistance. Obviously, the characters cant just wait around
for the occupation to end, and any mage characters will feel
uneasy with Templars around so the characters will have to
go along for one reason or another.

Drunken Men flee: Alert +1

Drunken Men are KOd: Alert +1 extra for each knocked out
man
Drunken Men are killed: Alert +3 for each killed.
If the Players used weapons: Alert +2

Adversaries:
There are three drunken men, there stats can be found in
the Bestiary at the end of this adventure.

3. Against the Chantry (Roleplaying Encounter)

Min Alert: 1 (No Alert)

Max Alert: 16 (Max Alert)

Upon leaving the inn the players will notice a large group of
citizens of Caern outside of the village chantry protesting
against the Templar occupation. Upon investigating, they
will find that the villagers are demanding the Templars at
least tell them why they are there. At the helm defending
the Templars stand, is Knight-Commander Travis. As the
protest progresses, he threatens to kill any villager that
steps forth in the name of the Maker...Note to the players
they MUST resolve this if they wish the chantry to remain un
alerted. Now there are multiple ways to resolve this,
peacefully, moderately peacefully, and violently. The latter
causes the Alertness to rise the most besides failing to
resolve situation in the first place.

Peacefully: As you could imagine the Knight-Commander

only has the chantrys needs at heart, you can convince him
through a Cunning (Religious Lore) TN 13 (before alertness
penalties) that the it is obvious that the Chantry would not
sanction the killing of innocents. Other methods exist, apply
focuses as you will, however this should be treated as
another Advanced Test with a Threshold of 15, with 5
chances before he declines your arguments and threatens to
kill you if you proceed further. This resolution causes no
alertness rise, the villagers disperse as the Knight-
Commander refuses to say anything and returns to the
Chantry.
Alertness: +0

Moderately Peacefully: The Villagers as you could probably

see are quite pissed at the Chantry for inhabiting their
town, if you cause a small riot to begin you could cause the
Templars to retreat back into the Chantry, however this
causes a gain of alertness and should hopefully only be a
route taken by those who fail to convince Knight-
Commander Travis to leave peacefully. This check can be
made by a Willpower (Courage or Morale) for either a
courageous speech or an uplifting one with a TN of 11 (this
test is not affected by alertness). If successful the crowd
will be thrown into a riot causing them to charge the
Chantry, this will cause Knight-Commander Travis to retreat
into the Chantry, locking the door barring the angry crowd
from entering, the crowd will then leave.
Alertness:+2

Violently: The players could also openly confront Knight-

Commander Travis, calling him a fool for threatening the
villagers attacking him. This fight will be tough, Knight-
Commander Travis is a tough Templar, however even though
the alertness will rise a fair amount, this method does have
one more upside, it means if the players kill Knight-
Commander Travis now, it means during the Cave Battle he
will not be present with the rest of the Templars.
Alertness: +5

If all fails, or players do nothing: If the players fail at all

attempts to settle the group, some villagers will charge
Travis, he will have no choice but to slay them. The site of
their own dying causes the villagers to retreat in fear, a
player could make a Willpower (Morale) check of TN 15, if
they wanted to, causing them to attack Travis in unison
(ultimately causing him to flee) but this will cause an even
greater alertness increase than this would give anyway.
Alertness: +3
If the Crowd attacks Travis: +2 more.

Adversaries:
Knight-Commander Travis is addressing the crowd alone and
without any other Templar. However he is one tough cookie,
his special stunt Nullify Magic can be deadly to any mage
in the group causing them to be unable to cast spells and
sapping there mana down to half its current amount,
although dealing with the Commander here will mean he
wont be present in the Cave Battle near the end of the
Adventure.
4. The Templars Resolve (Combat/Roleplaying Encounter)

Min Alert: 1 (Low Alert)

Max Alert: 21 (High Alert)

As the players return to the inn near the end of the day,
they will be confronted by three Templars. The Templars
saw the spectacle they made today with Knight Commander
Travis (or noticed they seemed different compared to the
rest of the villagers if they did nothing). They will claim that
one of the PCs might be one of the people they are looking
for. This is the PCs first clue that the Templars are indeed
here looking for someone. The Templars will react in a
specific way depending on how they resolved the issue.

If they solved it Peacefully: The Templars, while appreciate

that it didnt turn to blood shed, seem a little estranged by
how you shattered Travis confidence. They can be
convinced that you were only looking out for the good of the
Chantry or the Village by a Communication (Several focuses
applicable) TN of 13 (before alertness penalties). If you
succeed the Templars leave you be, believing you are not a
threat. If you fail then they will attack you under suspicion
of being the Maleficar they are looking for.
Alertness: +0

If they solved it Moderately Peacefully: The Templars will

believe you to be quite the rabble rousers and will take a
greater Communications check to be convinced you arent a
threat, TN 15 (before alertness penalties). Even if you are
successful your actions of the previous situation will still
cause the alertness to increase a bit.
Alertness: +1

If they solved it Violently: The Templars will strike out at

you for killing Knight Commander Travis without a chance to
hear what you have to say.
Alertness: +3 (do not count the penalty for killing the
Templars stated at the end)

If they did nothing and didnt cause a riot: The Templars will
note that you looked strange for a villager, PCs can convince
them that they are travelers with a Communications (Bluff)
check of TN 13 (before alertness penalties)
Alertness: +1

If they did nothing but then caused a riot: The Templars will
attempt to arrest you for disturbing the peace, the TN for
the Communications (Bluff) check will go up to TN 15 before
penalties, if failed they will attack you.
Alertness: +2

If the Templars are killed, Alertness: +3

End of Part 2

The PCs, Arthas, and the NPCs if you have them, should now
know what must be done, to reach Ostagar they must sneak
into the Chantry tonight in order to find why they are here,
and then find a way to hasten there leaving. Alertness could
now be anywhere between No Alert to Max Alert, this will
begin to take effect in the next section of the adventure,
and will be until the end of the game.

Part 3: Maleficarum

The PCs now wait until the dead of night before trying to
sneak into Caerns chantry, the alertness of the village now
begins to take effect, the less alert, the easier it will be to
sneak in and out without much trouble, the higher, the more
Templars will be on guard.

1. In Defiance of the Makers Templars (Exploration

Encounter)

In the dead of night (around 2:00am) the PCs will begin their
plot to sneak into the village Chantry to find out why the
Templars are here. When the PCs leave into the night, they
will find the village, quiet desolate, with not many people
nearby even the Templars have gone to bed (unless it is
under High Alert, in which case see Event 1a). When they
arrive at the Chantry, they find the doors locked as they are
usually with the Templars occupation. They have many ways
in order to get in. The PCs could lock pick the door, with a
TN 15 Dexterity (Thievery) check, if successful then proceed
to part 2. If not, another option is to climb to the top of the
Chantry and drop in through the fireplace, then unlock the
door from the other side, to reach the top of the Chantry,
the players will have to make a Strength (Climb) check with
a TN of 13. If the player makes it to the top, they can drop
through the Chantrys chimney taking 1d6 penetrating
damage for the fall, but they will unlock the door allowing
the rest of the group to enter.

2. Sneaking Through the Chantry (Exploration Encounter)

When the players enter the Chantry, they will enter the
main hall, a large room filled with pews and a alter at the
front to the Maker. Upon the chairs are prayer books of the
Chant of Light and same upon the alter. Also upon the alter
they will find a Medallion of Andraste, which belongs to the
Revered Mother of the chantry, taking it would fetch 50sp
for selling it, but it would also make the Revered Mother
very sad. Besides that, they cant find anything else, until
they search the room. By making a Perception (Seeing)
check with TN 11, the players discover a lever near the
alter. One click causes it to open up a secret passage way
hidden beneath the alter, as the alter moves out of the way
leading to a ladder. Below the players will find the Templars
Living Quarters as well as the hiding spot of the plans of the
Templars. Another place of note, is a door north of the alter
leading to the Revered Mothers Room, the door is locked
and cannot be picked. The door to the West leads to the
Chantrys Priests Quarters, also locked and not pick able at
this moment.

3. The Templars Living Quarters (Exploration, Combat, or

Roleplaying Encounter)

As the players descend they find themselves in the Templars

Living Quarters. Past all the bedrolls of sleeping Templars a
little to the north is a door that leads out. This encounter is
considered an Advanced Test for Dexterity (Sneaking) with a
TN of 13 and a success threshold of 10, (the hall is 20yds in
length, each time they succeed they move that much on the
dragon die). If they fail, the guards begin to awake.
If a player fails and the guards awake they can deal with
them in a couple ways, they could attempt to convince
them they are the late watch a Communication (Bluff) with
a VERY high TN of 17 (and thats before alert penalties!) If
they fail, the Templars will throw them into the storage
room as a prison cell until the next morning when they will
be questioned (see Event 3a). Succeeding causes them to go
back to bed and allows them to proceed anyway. Or the
players could attack the Templars, there are quite a lot of
them however and this will INSTANTLY increase the alertness
to High Alertness period. If the Templars overwhelm them
they will be put into the storage room as jail until the next
morning when they will be questioned (see Event 3a). If
they kill all the Templars they can proceed, but they must
now deal with the late watch of Templars when leaving the
chantry (after event 4, see Event 1a).
Adversaries
There are 9 Templars, a very difficult fight for a group for
appropriately leveled characters, especially mages. Note
that if this encounter results in combat, alertness will be
permanently raised to High Alert for the remainder of the
adventure.

4. The Templars Rationale (Roleplaying Encounter)

If the PCs reach the next room, they will find a meeting
room where the Templars meet to discuss there motives. A
long table about 5yds across sits in the middle of the room,
the stone walls lie cold and dark, at the far end of the table
a small packet of parchment with writing on it lays. When
the NPCs investigate, you may read the following to them,
as it is the letter.

Dear, Knight-Commander Travis

As you know a Maleficar escaped from the circle tower

recently, his name is (Insert PC who is the mage here for us,
Tarian). While we cannot give as true description, due to the
fact that he has long been warped by blood magic, we can
tell you that we have tracked him to the Southern Hills. A
small village named Caern, about a half days ride from
Ostagar is likely his next place of refuge. We are asking you
now to take your company of Templars and occupy it. Search
for the Maleficar, if you find him. Kill him. If you find reason
that he has moved on head towards your next lead, we will
send new orders if necessary. Good luck.

Makers Blessings,

Knight-Commander Gregoir

After the PCs read it, they will now know that the true
intent of the Templars is to find Tarian! (Or whatever PC you
used). The players can now question there player whether
or not they are truly a Blood Mage. For us, Tarian can
explain he is not a Blood Mage but a mistake in the tower
has mistaken him as one. He fled the Tower becoming an
apostate and now the tower seeks judgement upon him. As
the players accept that the mage is innocent, the Revered
Mother will enter the room, she will introduce herself as
Revered Mother Catherine. She will ask why you are here, if
the PCs tell the truth, she will understand and sympathize
with the characters, understanding why they have come.
And offer to recruit them to find the blood mage if they
try to explain that its a misconception, she will warn the
Templars not believing the PCs. The PCs will escape, but the
Templars will be at their backs. If you stole her medallion of
Andraste, she will instantly notice it and warn the Templars
causing a similar fate. If you lie and tell her you will help
find the Maleficar, she will let you go, but ask you begin
your search in the morning so she may cover up the
problems. The players, COULD kill the Revered Mother,
causing an instant jump to High Alert (no combat required,
she is defenseless) but who would want to kill an elderly
priest but heartless thugs? However if the city is already at a
High Alert stage, it wouldnt do much except add to
everyones fears. However its resolved, the players will
escape the chantry knowing that they must now find a way
to convince the Templars the mage is not a Maleficar.
Arthas, however will be estranged, not quite convinced
since you lied to him after all, a Communication TN of 13
will cause him to accept the mages innocence and he will
remain with the group, fail and he will stay until he can
leave the village, and then be on his way alone to Ostagar
away from the rest of the group. Either way, now the
Templars will be after the PCs, as well learn later the
Revered Mother will betray you, or if she already warned the
Templars they will already be after you!
End of Part 3

The players should now understand there goal, convince the

Templars that there is no Maleficarum threat, convince them
that the Maleficarum has already moved on, or kill all the
Templars in the city (which would be quite difficult, unless
you killed several already). The players will flee at the
urgency of the Elven friend of Arthas to a small cave a few
miles away from the village in hopes to plan and blow this
over.

Part 4: The Rite of Annulment

As the characters escape Caerns chantry, the now know

they must convince the Templars that the Maleficar doesnt
exist, or is no threat. However no matter what events
transpired in the chantry, they are now on the run from the
Templars. Arthas elf friend Ralath suggests a cave a few
miles away from the village.

1. On the Run (Exploration Encounter)

As the players flee the city, Templars chasing after them,

they must escape them in the dead of night. They run past
the entrance causing the guard Templars to chase farther
after them. The players must now outrun the Templars or
face them in combat. The characters must outrun the
Templars by 100yds. This is treated as a Advanced Test of
Dexterity (Acrobatics) with a TN of 11 with a success
threshold of 10 (Each success is counted as gaining 10 yds on
the Templars). Note, every player must escape. If a player
fails a test, the whole group must stop to deal with a
amount of Templars equal to half the group size, rounded
up. Players who have already escaped will not be in these
failed test battles, and are not counted towards the amount
of Templars that attack. The Templars numbers are infinite
until they escape, and do not reduce the amount in the final
cave battle at the end of this section. When all players have
escaped continue to the next section.

Adversaries
Templars, already noted earlier, find them at the end of this
adventure in the Bestiary.

2. Clearing Out the Cave (Combat Encounter)

When players finally outrun the Templars they arrive at the

cave. As they enter the cave, it is desolate, dark and damp.
They can barely see forward, however they have a sense not
all is right here. As they proceed down the dark passage,
they see eyes glaring at them. Darkspawn. Guardians of
probably the larger group out and hunting for the night,
however the players will probably only assume that the
darkspawn are here to rest for a moment and that they are
not the true threat. The chamber is dark, every player
suffers a -1 to all attack rolls from lack of vision unless they
have some sort of manner of night vision (torches, etc.). The
group of darkspawn are a group of Genlocks, one per player.
Note, 10 yds into the caverns main entrance, the darkspawn
have set up a trap.

The Pitfall Trap

The pitfall trap is triggered by a player stepping through the
trip wire 10yds into the cavern. It causes the player to fall
through the floor taking 3d6 penetrating damage. The player
must escape the hole by making a Strength (Climbing) check
TN 13, if they need help another player can help them up
through it reducing the TN to 9. Players can notice the trap
before triggering it if they make a successful hidden
Perception (Seeing) check of TN 15. Then disarming it takes
a Dexterity (Traps) TN 13. The trap is a radius of 6yds,
causing the player who trips the wire as well as the people
behind him and anybody in front of them to fall in as well.
All attacks made against a character in the trap must be
made by ranged weapons and must be adjacent to the traps
hole, and all attacks automatically hit.

When all the genlocks lie dead, the players are victorious
and have secured the cave...For now.

Adversaries
Genlocks, as mentioned earlier, one per player.

3. Templar Vice (Roleplaying Encounter)

Arthas, the dwarf, the elf, and the players wait in the cave,
hoping the Templars wont find them. However around
6:00am, they hear rumbling coming from the door, the
Templars have found them! As they prepare the Templars
enter the cave, led by Knight-Commander Travis unless hes
dead already, then they are led by his second in command,
Knight-Lieutenant Harrison. Depending on the alert the
players are on, or if they killed Knight-Commander Travis
already this situation can be resolved in many ways.

If the city was still on No Alert: The Templars enter the

cave, claiming they did well to hide from them but now it
was over. Seeing as they didnt cause too much trouble they
give themselves a chance to explain themselves. The players
can make a communications check, several focuses
applicable, TN 13, to convince them that the mage, is not a
Maleficar, not in the cave, or not in the village at all. If they
succeed, immediately proceed to the next section. If they
fail, the Templars dont believe there petty excuses and
attack, refer to the Cave Battle encounter near the end of
this part.
If the city was on Low Alert: The Templars still compliment
them on their stealth, but they led on just a little to much,
again they give them a chance to explain themselves, but
the TN is increased to 15 for convincing them.

If the city was on Medium Alert: The Templars say, you led
them on quite the extravagant chase but it ends now, the TN
for convincing them to not attack is increased to TN 17.

If the city was on High Alert, or if Knight-Commander Travis

was killed: The Templars charge into the cave, no mercy and
the battle begins.

The Cave Battle

This encounter is quite the difficult one if the players arent

smart, or arent rested. The battle begins with 4 Templars,
with Knight-Commander Travis, or Knight-Lieutenant
Harrison in the back barking orders. As each Templar falls, a
new one takes there place to attack. The base number in
the Templar reserves is 20. Reduce 2, if the players killed
the Templars in the beginning of the adventure outside the
city, remove 3 more if the players killed the group that
questioned them after the riot, and remove 9, if they killed
all the Templars in the living quarters for a minimum of 6.
Knight-Lieutenant Harrison is considerable weaker than his
Knight-Commander superior, however if he is killed in this
battle then the Templars will not retreat, however if Knight-
Commander Travis lives, and then is killed in the battle,
instantly continue to the next part ending the battle. Also if
Knight-Commander Travis lives, then the final reinforcement
for the Templars is Knight-Lieutenant Harrison if the players
kill that many. This battle is intense, however it does not
have to end with all the Templars dead, in fact, after 5
rounds pass it automatically ends and you proceed to the
next section. However if the players are overwhelmed the
adventure ends as the Templars show no mercy in killing the
players.

4. Hints of a New Blight (Combat Encounter)

Whether the players killed all the Templars, some of them,

or convinced them not to attack, this next fight is
unavoidable, so it is in the PCs best interest to have not
have to fight. As the sun rises on Fereldan, they see light
shine through the cave. Suddenly tremors in the ground
begin to appear, the Templars stop there attack and turn to
the entrance, as an entire Darkspawn hunting party charges
into the cave to reclaim it. Apparently the darkspawn in the
cave earlier were the guards, this group is returning for the
night in order to kill the PCs and Templars. Now, based on
how many Templars are killed and how wounded the PCs are
after the last encounter, this fight can be VERY intimidating.
Assure them that any remaining Templars will stand with
them, and also that they can still achieve victory. The
darkspawn hunting party is made up of 1 Genlock for every 2
players and every 2 remaining Templars (including those off
the field), half the number of Hurlocks as there are
Genlocks (rounded down) and finally, the final boss of this
adventure, a Ogre. The Ogres entrance should frighten the
PCs but not cause them to be discouraged. Make his
entrance grand and foreboding as he is the final boss, but
not so much that the PCs dont think they can defeat him.
The entrance is now blocked by darkspawn, the Templars
caught between the PCs and the darkspawn, the Templars
will turn there blades to take down the monsters telling the
PCs they will deal with them after the battle. Any remaining
Templars will now assist the PCs against the Darkspawn
raiding party. This fight can be long and tedious due to the
amount of people, roll the Templars as one initiative to not
confuse any more than it should.
When the Ogre finally falls, if the PCs did not kill it with
fire, the Templars will know and light a torch and burn it
before it can recover. Make the death of the ogre as
spectacular as its entrance, perhaps describing a badass
killing blow. As the Ogre falls the PCs and Templars will sigh
a breath of relief. However depending on their actions the
epilogue can happen in many ways.

Adversaries:
An amount of Genlocks equal to one per every 2 members
fighting, including off field Templars, half the number of
Genlocks in Hurlocks, and an Ogre. Obviously, the less
fighting the PCs did with the Templars the better off they
will be, not to mention Knight-Commander Travis is one ass
kicking machine already.

Epilogue

As the Templars turn there attention back to the PCs, the

Templars notions of the mage being a blood mage will be
destroyed, during the battle they noticed no such blood
magic or even the sense of dangerous magics from the
mage, and trust that since they have not stabbed them in
the back, they are not evil. As the Templars realize there
folly they nod leave the PCs to themselves. If the PCs return
to the village they find the villagers happy that the
occupation is over, and attribute it to the PCs and reward
them 100sp total to be split among them and a 25% discount
on all goods. If you failed the test to keep Arthas with you
earlier in the Chantry, he will say his thanks and depart
without you heading to Ostagar, the PCs are now free to
choose there next actions.

Optional Encounters
These following encounters are completely optional and
there undertaking involves certain things happen.

Village on High Alert

The players have really done it now, the village is on high

alert, the soonest moment the players plan to leave the inn,
they will find nobody outside and everybody in their homes.
The Templars have order total lockdown, nobody allowed in
or out of their homes. Meals are delivered daily, although
they arent very filling. When the players decide to leave
they must make a Dexterity (Stealth) check of TN 13 every
1min or be found by 2 Templars who they must kill (These do
not reduce the amount of Templars in the cave battle)

Captured by Templars

If the players are captured by Templars while infiltrating the

Chantry they are placed in the storage room until the
morning. They can escape in a few ways, either a Strength
(Climb) check of TN 15 to reach the window in the room and
let themselves out, or they could bust down the door with a
Strength (Might) check of TN 13 to escape, however this
method causes a combat against 2 Templars standing guard
and IMMEDIATELY puts the village on High Alert. Any other
methods are applicable such as locking picking the door,
anything that has to do with the door is TN 13, anything
involving the guards outside the door is a TN 13 (Plus alert
penalties). If the players do nothing, encourage them that
the Templars will likely kill them if they do not escape, they
can keep trying until they escape.

Bestiary
Hurlocks and Genlocks: They can be found in the Dungeon
Masters Guide of Set 1, refer to it for there statistics.

Templar:

Abilities (Focuses)
Communication: 1 (Etiquette, Leadership)
Constitution: 2 (Stamina)
Cunning: 1 (Arcane Lore, Military Lore, Religious Lore)
Dexterity: 1 (Calligraphy)
Magic: 4
Perception: 0
Strength: 2 (Intimidation, Heavy Blades)
Willpower: 1 (Courage, Faith, Morale, Self-Discipline)

Combat Ratings
Speed: 11
Health: 30
Defense: 13
Armor Rating: 3

Attacks:
Long Sword, Atk: +4, Damage 2d6 +4

Powers:
Favored Stunts: Disarm, Skirmish, Minor Nullify Magic
Minor Magic Nullification (SP 4): The Templar uses his
abilities to nullify a mages magic, this affects a 10yd cone in
front of the Templar in any direction from him, and causes a
Mage to be unable to cast spells for 1d6 turns-willpower-1

The powerful Templar, is the holy warrior of the Chantry.

Servants of the Maker and Andraste, they were formed in
order to watch mages, and trained to fight them. They are
not only guards of the Mages however, they also serve as
their hunters, hunting and finding Apostates and Maleficar
and bringing them to justice.
Drunken Man:

Abilities (Focuses):
Communication: 0 (Gambling)
Constitution: 0 (Drinking)
Cunning: -1
Dexterity: 0 (Brawling)
Magic: -2
Perception: -1
Strength: 1 (Intimidation)
Willpower: 1

Combat Ratings
Speed: 10
Health: 10
Defense: 10
Armor Rating: 0

Attacks:
Fists, Atk: +2, Damage: 1d3+2

Powers:
Favored Stunts: Lightning attack, skirmish

A drunken man of the village of Caern, this man blames the

PCs for whatever reason the Templars have come to the
village and locked it down.

Knight-Commander Travis:

Abilities (Focuses)
Communication: 2 (Etiquette, Leadership)
Constitution: 2 (Stamina)
Cunning: 2 (Arcane Lore, Military Lore, Religious Lore)
Dexterity: 1 (Calligraphy)
Magic: 5
Perception: 2
Strength: 3 (Intimidation, Heavy Blades)
Willpower: 3 (Courage, Faith, Morale, Self-Discipline)

Combat Ratings
Speed: 11
Health: 65
Defense: 13
Armor Rating: 5

Attacks:
Two-Handed Sword, Atk: +5, Damage 3d6 +5

Powers:
Favored Stunts: Disarm, Skirmish, Major Nullify Magic
Major Nullify Magic (SP 3): Through being a skilled and
trained Templar Travis has learned to take his magic
nullifying powers to the next level, causing any mage within
20yds of him in all directions to be unable to cast spells for
1d6+2-Willpower turns, the ability also saps of a mages
current MP.

Knight-Commander Travis is not a Commander because he

was a man of high monetary worth, but due to his
perseverance and skill. He is a steadfast member of the
Templar order, and is particularly deadly to mages, showing
Apostates no mercy, and will not hesitate to kill any who
stand in his way of his duty. But besides that, he is actually
quite compassionate, and kind to those around him that are
not cause for evil.

Knight-Lieutenant Harrison:

Abilities (Focuses)
Communication: 2(Etiquette, Leadership)
Constitution: 2 (Stamina)
Cunning: 2 (Arcane Lore, Military Lore, Religious Lore)
Dexterity: 1 (Calligraphy)
Magic: 4
Perception: 0
Strength: 3 (Intimidation, Heavy Blades)
Willpower: 2 (Courage, Faith, Morale, Self-Discipline)

Combat Ratings
Speed: 11
Health: 45
Defense: 13
Armor Rating: 4

Attacks:
Long Sword, Atk: +5, Damage 2d6 +5

Powers:
Favored Stunts: Disarm, Skirmish, Minor Nullify Magic
Minor Magic Nullification (SP 4): The Templar uses his
abilities to nullify a mages magic, this affects a 10yd cone in
front of the Templar in any direction from him, and causes a
Mage to be unable to cast spells for 1d6 turns-willpower-1

Knight-Lieutenant Harrison, is Knight-Commander Travis left

hand man, another powerful Templar, a step above the rest,
with relatively average magic nullification abilities.

Ogre

"They use brute force to charge their enemies like bulls,

slam the ground with their fists to shake enemies off their
feet, and hurl great rocks into the face of oncoming foes.
Melee can be difficult against a giant that snatches a warrior
up in one hand, crushing the life out of him or beating him
into oblivion with the other hand. The nimble can try to
wiggle his way free, or an ally can attempt an array of
stunning blows on an ogre to free the comrade in danger.

Grey Warden lore urges caution when slaying an ogre. Unless

it is ensured that they have received a major wound to the
head or the heart, it is possible that they are lying dormant
and will regenerate to full health within a matter of
minutes. During a Blight, most Grey Wardens recommend
burning all darkspawn to ashes... "dead" ogres in particular."
- Codex entry: Ogre

Ogres are harbingers of the worst of the darkspawn,

appearing only when a Blight is imminent. They are massive
hulks that tower over the battlefield, possessed of
incredible brawn and fortitude, with one alone capable of
destroying an entire squad of enemy soldiers.
- Dragon Age Wiki

"They are 12 feet tall ... "" ... its thick hide ..."
"Two Hurlocks in front of him tried to get out of the way, but
the ogre was impatient. It stepped on one, crushing it
underfoot with a sickening crunching noise, and slapped the
other aside so hard it went flying and slammed against the
wall of the cavern."
"He struggled, but the creature only squeezed him until his
armor dug into his flesh."
"With a wrenching groan, the ogre ripped up a large piece of
masonry from the stairs leaving an impressive gap."
- "Dragon Age, The Calling", David Gaider.

Abilities(Focuses)

0 - Communication
6 - Constitution(Stamina)
0 - Cunning
0 - Dexterity (Throw rock)
1 - Magic
2 - Perception(Smelling)
7 - Strength(Intimidation, Might, Pummel, Bull charge)
3 - Willpower(Courage, Morale)

Combat ratings
Speed: 12
Health: 60 (+20 hp if Templars are present)
Defence: 10
Armour: 4

Attacks
Code:
Weapon Attack Damage
Pummel +9 2D6 + 7
Bull Charge +11 2d6 + 13
Hurl rock +2 3d6 + 7

Powers
Pummel: The Ogre uses its huge fist to batter its enemy,
doing 2d6+7 damage with each hit.

Bull charge: The Ogre charges with lowered head receiving a

+2 to hit, instead of the normal +1 received for the charge
action. The Ogre does 2d6 + Strength + Constitution in
damage.

Regeneration: The Ogre regenerates health at the rate of its

Constitution at the end of each round, normally 6 pts of
Health. Health loss caused by fire can not be regenerated.
The Ogre will not regenerate Health on the round it dies,
i.e. drops to 0 Health or below. But it starts to regenerate
health normally again the next round. The remains must be
burned in order to kill the ogre permanently.

Hurl Rock: The Ogre can hurl great rocks doing 3d6 +
strength in damage. Short range is 8 yards, long range is 16
yards.

The Ogre may also hurl a character he is currently holding,

e.g. after a Snatch and Crush, causing the same amount of
damage. The hurled character suffers the full amount of
damage, without counting the AR. I.e. AR does not reduce
the damage taken. Anyone struck by a hurled character
suffers the same damage, i.e. use the same die roll, just as
if he/she had beeen struck by any hurled object, with AR
counted normally.

Favoured Stunts: Slam the ground, Snatch 'n crush

Slam the ground stunt: The Ogre slams the ground with its
fists to shake enemies off their feet, as a special stunt for 2
SP. Adjacent characters must succeed at a
Dexterity(Acrobatics) test vs target 13 or be knocked prone.

Snatch 'n Crush stunt: The Ogre snatches the target in its
huge hands and begins to crush the life out of them, as a
special stunt for 4 SP. This deals 1D6 + Strength damage
each round. The victims AR is only counted the first round.
The Ogre may Pummel an enemy held like this, and any such
attack will automatically hit the victim.

A character held this way is unable to perform any actions

except trying to wiggle free by making a test of
Dexterity(Acrobatics) vs. the Ogre's Strength(Might). A held
character can also be freed by someone else doing a
"Disarm" stunt on the ogre, and if successful the held
character will be dropped to the ground.

The final boss in the Call of the Templar adventure, the

Ogre is a powerful foe, however the players need not worry
about the regeneration ability as the Templars will burn the
ogre.

Special Thanks to gamerdad at Greenronin.com for providing

me with the statistics for the Ogre, and the guys at Green
Ronin for selling me this excellent game.
Note this adventure assumes you have Arthas in your party,
this adventure can easily be done anywhere with anyone. If
some of the wording is difficult to understand say
something, I know the idea of the accused mage is sketchy,
that's only because in my campaign I accounted for PC's
being mages your campaign may be different. This
adventure can be done without Arthas, or a player as a
Mage, simply take out the opening with Arthas leaving the
village and add a Mage NPC as the accused Maleficar. Again
sorry for any sort of confusing the wording might caused,
this is still technically a work in progress.