Into the Sand

Blood and Sand Part 2

An adventure for 2nd level characters

 Blood and Sand - Into the Sand
The Blistered Scorpion
Assuming the players decide to go to the Blistered Scorpion
as the old man from the coliseum suggested, read the
following.
Following the directions given by the old man, you
make your way into the slums of Manshaka. Lining
the streets (if you can call them streets, being little
more than the sandy open spaces between
buildings) are the dispossessed and desperate.
Some beg for coins or water, some are too far gone
to even speak. Every so often, you see a corpse
being stripped of what little belongings it had.
Eventually, you reach the Blistered Scorpion, a
rundown building made of sandstone, a heavily
weathered, barely legible sign hanging lopsided
from a post by a single rope.
Entering, you see it about half-full. Most of the
clientele seem to be hardened men and women,
clearly battle ready, but fairly relaxed. Finding seats
in a back corner that still gives you a clear view of
the door, you pass by what appears to be some sort
of notice board with several scraps of parchment
tacked to it.
Once you are seated, a human woman comes
over. "What can I get for you today?" she asks.
Once the party has talked for a bit, and presumably split up
their spoils from surviving the Gauntlet, the waitress returns.
This is a good opportunity for the party to get to know each
other a little better, as they may not have met each other prior
to The Gauntlet event.
The waitress comes over with your food and drinks,
bowls of stew and flagons of ale. "This letter was
left for you," she says as she places an envelope on
the table, then walks away, leaving you to your
meals and discussion.
The letter reads as follows.
Congratulations on surviving the Gauntlet. My
organization is always on the lookout for talented
agents, and I feel like you could use the work. The
pay is solid, and the contacts my organization can
provide may be useful as well. If you are interested,
take a room here at the Blistered Scorpion. I will
find you there just after the turn of midnight. - VF
If anyone in the party questions the innkeeper about the note,
all he can tell them is that it was dropped off by a boy in rags,
who told him to look out for the party. The party should be
able to have a long rest before the next part begins.
1
Just after midnight, a serving girl beckons you to
the common room of the inn, pointing out a
bronze dragonborn sitting at the very same table in
the back that you were at earlier. Seeing you, the
dragonborn waves you over.
"Greetings, my name is Filaxen. I'm glad you
decided to meet with me. I have an... enterprise...
that involves a certain level of risk, and given your
exploits in the Gauntlet, I think you can handle it."
"We have a trade caravan delivering supplies to
Kled, a village out in the wastes. We have reason to
believe this caravan will be attacked, which is
where you come in. Protect the caravan, ensure it's
cargo reaches Kled safely. The caravan will provide
any needed food and drink for the journey. An
associate of mine will contact you there,
presuming the caravan makes it there safely. You
will, of course, be well compensated for the
trouble."
The dragonborn is the VF referred to in the letter, and is a
member of the Veiled. The Veiled Alliance is a splinter group
of Harpers who take their fight against tyranny and
oppression excessively seriously.
Assuming the party agrees to the task, Filaxen tells them
the caravan is lead by a human named Tormen, and will be
leaving in the early evening, so as to avoid traveling in the
blistering mid-day heat. This should give the party enough
time to gather any supplies they think they might need for the
journey. Kled is about one day's travel from Tyr.
Journey to Kled
When the party is ready to begin the trip to Kled, read the
following.
Tormen is a middle aged man with the leathery skin
of someone who spends too much time in the sun
without adequate protection. When he notices you
approaching, he grins and moves to meet you.
"Ah! Greetings, you must be the additional
guards Filaxen mentioned! Not sure why he thinks
we need so much protection, I've made this trip
hundreds of times, never ran into anything me and
my boys couldn't handle!" With this he motions at
the five other men currently loading supplies onto
a trio of pack lizards. "Ah well, who am I to turn
down extra help, particularly when someone else is
footing the bill? Welcome aboard!"
The caravan is made up of Tormen (same stats as a noble),
five guards, and three giant lizards.
Canyon Ambush
The journey to Kled is largely uneventful for the first few
hours. The caravan is large enough that most desert
creatures give it a respectful berth. Around midnight, the
caravan is traveling through a canyon. This canyon is being
used as an ambush point by the group Filaxen was worried
about.
The raiders wait until the caravan is in the middle of the
canyon, before dropping boulders ahead of the caravan, and
then 6 of them attack from the cliffs with bows, while the rest
attack from behind through the canyon. The acolyte stays up
on the cliffs with the archers. The raiders can be noticed
before the trap is sprung with a Perception check (DC 15),
although unless the party is actively keeping watch, only
particularly perceptive character would be able to notice with
passive perception.
If the PCs notice the raiders read the following:
The journey to Kled is largely uneventful for the
first few hours. The caravan is large enough that
most desert creatures give it a respectful berth.
Around midnight, the caravan is traveling through a
canyon. Something seems off, raising the hairs of
the back of your neck. Around the mid-point of the
canyon, you see some movement atop the cliffs.
Raiders! You barely have time to cry out a
warning before they attack, showering the caravan
with arrows, while more burst out of cracks in the
canyon wall. A large boulder is dropped in front of
the caravan, blocking it's escape.
If they don't notice:
The journey to Kled is largely uneventful for the
first few hours. The caravan is large enough that
most desert creatures give it a respectful berth.
Around midnight, the caravan is traveling through a
canyon. Something seems off, raising the hairs of
the back of your neck. Around the mid-point of the
canyon, a large boulder suddenly drops in front of
the caravan, blocking the way forward. Suddenly a
shower of arrows rains down from the cliffs, and
men burst out of cracks in the canyon walls,
rushing towards you with violence in their eyes.
There are 12 bandits being lead by an acolyte. Six of the
bandits rush the caravan guards, while the rest focus on the
party. They try to get to the pack lizards to search them for
the item they are looking for. If a bandit gets within 5 feet of a
pack lizard, they use their next action to search it for the item.
The item in question is on the middle pack lizard, but the
bandits don't know that, so they just search the nearest un-
searched lizard until they find it. If one of the bandits
manages to find the item, they retreat, with the remaining
bandits covering their escape.
The bandits will also break and flee if more than 10 of
them are killed. Climbing the 20 foot high canyon walls
requires an Athletics check (DC 15).
Moving the Boulder
The boulder blocking the way forward fills the entire canyon
passage that the caravan is using to travel to Kled. It needs to
be pushed 40 feet in order to get it out of the way into a side
canyon. Pushing the boulder take an Athletics check (DC 20).
Failure makes everyone pushing take a level of exhaustion,
success lets them push the boulder up to 10ft.
Arrival in Kled
Kled is a small oasis on the edge of Old Coramshan. Upon
the caravan's arrival, Tormen is greeted by the village elder.
After speaking for a moment, the elder gestures to a
sandstone building near the village center. Tormen shakes his
hand and then returns to the group.
Tormen comes over to speak to you. "Mav says the
person you are looking for is in a tent with a blue
triangle near the door. Also said you would know
what that meant?" He looks at you expectantly for
a moment. "No matter, I appreciate the help with
those bandits. We wouldn't have made it without
you. If we are still in Kled by the time you finish
whatever business you have here, we would be
happy to have you come back to Manshaka with
us."
Tormen thinks for a moment, "Now that I think
of it, part of the purpose for this caravan was to
deliver water. Seems a bit strange to need to
deliver water to an oasis. Might be worth looking
into. I would probably start with Arai, at the
warehouse near the middle of town." He points to
the building Mav had pointed him to. "Good luck."
The party may want to rest in Kled, but if they rest for 2 or
more days, they will have to deal with a bandit raid on the
village. If the bandits have already secured the item they were
looking for from the caravan, it takes them 4 days to attack,
otherwise, they will attack after only 2 days, targeting the
warehouse. If the PCs go to the Echo Caves before then, the
attacks never happen.
If the bandits attack, all of the bandits from the Echo Caves
come. They time the attack so that it hits the village during a
sandstorm.
Sandstorm
The sandstorm reduces visibility to lightly obscured out to
20ft, and heavily obscured beyond that. It deals 1d6 piercing
damage per hour to individuals caught out in the open, with a
DC 10 Constitution save for half. Being equipped with
appropriated gear for desert travel (cloaks, filter masks and
goggles) cause the creature to take only half damage on a
failed save, and none on a successful save. Anyone not
appropriately outfitted also takes gains a level of exhaustion
each hour.
2
 Filaxen's Contact
After a bit of looking, you find the tent Tormen
mentioned. Other than the blue triangle, is seems
like pretty standard desert nomad fare. From inside
you hear a voice, "Ah, you must be the ones Filaxen
mentioned. Come in, come in. The sands wait for
no one.
As you enter, you see an old, almost decrepit
looking, man sitting on a stool stirring a pot
casually. Upon closer inspection, you can see his
eyes are a milky white.
"Quit staring!" He snaps irritably. "You are
probably here about your payment aren't you? Yes, I
thought as much. Well I don't have it!" He bangs
his stirring stick against his pot, "Damn bandits!
They attacked just last night, stole your oh so
important reward right from my tent! Could have
been killed! Not that I'd expect you ingrates to
care, damn young'uns... no respect for their
elders..." He seems to trail off for a minute.
After a bit of prompting, he reacts with a start.
"Eh? What now? Oh right, your reward. Well lucky
for you, I know where the bandits hole up! You
want your reward, you can find it at the Echo
Caves! Now get out! I'm not sharing my dinner!"
Kled Supply Warehouse
The Kled Supply Warehouse is a squat sandstone building
near the middle of the village. It is run by a bald-headed man
name Arai. Arai's left cheek is scarred over, the result of an
attack by some sort of desert creature in his younger years no
doubt.
The inside of the warehouse is no more remarkable
than the outside, mostly boxes and barrels of
supplies for the village stacked neatly around the
building. Workers move throughout the warehouse,
placing the things brought in by Tormen's caravan
in their places. The is also a small storefront just
inside the door, where people can purchase
supplies.
If the PCs ask for Arai, he is willing to talk with them.
Regarding the water shortage, he informs the party in hushed
tones that something has been fouling the oasis, but he
doesn't know what. The underground spring feeding it starts
at the Echo Caves about a day's journey northwest of Kled,
but the people sent to find out what is wrong have never
come back. He offers the party 100 ceramics each if they can
fix whatever the problem is.
The store sells basic supplies (including desert survival
gear), but at a 50% markup due to Kled's remote location.
3
Journey to the Echo Caves
About three hours from reaching the Echo Caves, the
characters spot a dark line on the horizon. As time goes on, it
becomes clear that it is moving towards them. By the time
another hour has passed, the sandstorm hits them, engulfing
them in a maelstrom of swirling sand that threatens to scour
the flesh from their very bones.
The PCs can try to find cover to wait out the sandstorm, or
can try to push on through to reach the caves while the
sandstorm is keeping the bandits in place, and hopefully not
expecting visitors. If they try to find cover, a DC 15 Survival
or Nature check will let them find cover to ride out the storm.
The Echo Caves
The Echo Caves are a series of three chambers about a day's
journey northwest from Kled.
Entrance
4 bandits and 2 acolytes guard the entrance to the Echo
Caves.
The PCs can try to sneak up on the bandits guarding the
entrance. If they succeed, the bandits will be around a table
playing dice, while the acolytes stand further back talking. If
the party fails, then the bandits flip the beds and table for
cover, and ready actions to shoot the PCs as they enter the
caves.
Leader's Room
This chamber actually has a bed in it, a rarity in
desert dwellings. A carpet that has seen better days
covers the floor, and there is a desk against one
wall with papers scattered across it.
As you enter, the bandit leader gestures causally
at you, "Time for dinner, Fang." He says to his
jackal. They charge into combat as one.
The bandit leader is a bandit captain. He and his jackal
Fang work together in combat, Fang using the help another
action to grant the leader advantage on attacks.
Treasure Room
This room is where the bandits stored their ill-gotten gains.
In this chamber you see various trade goods that
the bandits "liberated" from their victims and a
couple chests of proper treasure. There is also a
stream of water running down the back wall into a
pool which has an empty vial sitting beside it. The
thing that draws your eye however, is an obsidian
pedestal in the middle of the room. It is draped
with a cloth as black as the obsidian itself, and
appears to be covering something on top of the
pedestal.
 Treasure
Lifting the black silk, you see an amber colored 1500 copper pieces
gem of startling intensity. It almost seems to glow 1000 silver pieces
with a swirling inner light. Looking at it, you feel 70 gold pieces
like you've seen it before somewhere, but you can't Chrysoprase (50 gp)
seem to place exactly where. Citrine (50 gp)
2 x Jasper (50 gp)
Moonstone (50 gp)
The gem is the Oculus Futurae a powerful artifact that has Quartz (50 gp)
some control over time itself. It will be a focus in future Sardonyx (50 gp)
adventures. If a PC picks it up, they have the strongest feeling Star rose quartz (50 gp)
that they should not let it go. Bead of Force
Potion of Invulnerability
Oculus Futurae If the party has spoken to Arai, the vial can be brought back
Intelligent Artifact to him along with a couple bandit scalps as proof that they
Intelligence 12 have dealt with Kled's water problem.
Wisdom 17 At this point, the party has acquired the Oculus Futurae,
Charisma 17 although at this point they do not know what exactly it is they
Communication: Transmitted emotions to the wielder
have. Investigating that will be a future endeavor.
If using milestone experience, the party should now gain a
Senses: Hearing and vision out to 30ft
level. If not, the experience reward for each encounter is
Alignment: Neutral Good details in the Encounter Experience table.
Special Purpose: Oculus Futurae is convinced that it and it's
wielder have key roles to play in future events Encounter Experience
Minor Powers: Encounter Experience
The wielder gains proficiency with History checks Caravan Ambush 500 xp
The wielder gains +1 AC as Oculus Futurae gives them
Move the Boulder 400 xp
insight into opponents future actions.
The wielder is immune to disease, their body reacting as Survive the Sandstorm 400 xp
though it had already developed immunities to them in the Echo Caves - Entrance 400 xp
past.
Can cast Misty Step, stopping time long enough for the Echo Caves - Leader's Room 690 xp
wielder to move 30ft. Roll 1d6, 1-5 means the wielder
cannot use this power again until after a long rest.

Major Powers:
The wielders Wisdom is increased by 2 while attuned.
Oculus Futurae gives the wielder the ability to transport
themselves and their allies through time by jumping into
the bodies of their ancestors and descendants.

Minor Flaws:
When more then 10ft away from Oculus Futurae, the
wielder is blinded
The wielder's pupils change into golden hourglasses.
The wielder see's everyone as what they will look like in
300 years. For most people, this means they look like
undead. Long living things, like elves, still look pretty
normal, just a bit older.

Major Flaw:
Upon attunement, the wielder ages 3d10 years.

Treasure
4
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