Stealing, By the Numbers (III)

Map of Warcraft's Shadowfang Keep

The courtyard of Shadowfang Keep, in Warcraft, is full of worgen, wolves, and undead servants.  This was the first major change I made to the setting:  given what I’d already decided about the two factions squaring off against each other, that simply wouldn’t work.  Furthermore, the players would just have experienced two fights; a third one here would postpone the roleplaying encounter by another hour or so, according to my rule of thumb, and I wanted to get there fairly early.

I’d been considering putting a nightmare in the stables, with saddlebags that were a bag of holding, in a nod to the game; I discarded that idea.  I took all of the enemies out of the courtyard, replacing them with the ghostly sentry crossbowmen I’d mentioned in my previous post, and a single dead worgen feathered with several bolts.  I also eliminated the worgen boss Razorclaw the Butcher, since he didn’t fit in my Dungeons & Dragons version of Shadowfang Keep.  Instead, I placed two ghostly servants (wraiths) in the kitchen area; these were unfriendly and suspicious toward the PCs, but not immediately hostile.  The characters could attack them, and win fairly easily, but it would negatively impact the encounter that was to come.

They could also avoid the encounter by taking the far ramp upward and moving through a wraith-occupied room, instead.  I worked out the outline of another encounter, deciding that these wraiths would be more hostile toward intruders, but I didn’t spend too much time on them because I expected some metagaming from my players.  Not intentionally trying to ruin the story, or anything — but, when you run Shadowfang Keep in Warcraft, you typically go through the kitchen, because you miss two boss fights if you take the ramp.  Since my players were familiar with Warcraft, I figured they’d take the path they were used to.

If I’d been developing this for more experienced players, I would have changed the layout of the keep in many ways, including this — my own dungeons tend to be a bit more “realistic” (much as I hesitate to use that word in this context) in layout, and I usually don’t like to steal ideas quite so transparently.  But in this case, it worked for me.

I invested more effort into developing the roleplaying-oriented encounter that would occur if the players did as I expected and went through the kitchen and into the banquet hall.  There they would meet Baron Silverlaine, leader of the undead faction.

Encounter Three (level 9 encounter, 2350 XP): The Baron (Battle Wight, 400 XP) is in the great hall, at the location marked “3″ on the map, along with a number of courtiers and servants (3 Wights, 200 XP; 3 Wraiths, 200 XP; 4 Wraith minions, same stats but 1 hp and no spawn ability, 50 XP; 4 Wight minions, same stats but 1 hp, 50 XP; 1 Ghostly Mage, using Eladrin Twilight Incanter stats but undead, incorporeal, and vulnerable radiant 5, 350 XP).  The court will grow deathly (heh) quiet when the PCs appear, and the Baron will challenge them, demanding to know what their business in his keep is.  The players can choose to fight, but interaction will probably reveal the Baron’s hatred for Arugal, and they might then choose to ally with Silverlaine against the mage.  Persuading Silverlaine to strike an alliance is a skill challenge.

Silverlaine is a tyrant and respects shows of strength; he will not hold efforts to Intimidate him against the party.  Diplomacy is also obviously useful.  He doesn’t like being lied to, though — Bluff is not an automatic failure, but it is rather difficult (DC 26), and a failure will cause that character to take a -2 penalty to any other Charisma-based skill checks he makes.  If the characters battled the wraiths in the kitchen, the entire group takes an additional -2.  (The crossbowmen outside are sufficiently distant that combat with them would go unnoticed.)

Arcana, Insight, and History will all prove useful, offering clues (and bonuses) or outright successes, depending on the characters’ reasoning behind the check.  The baron will also look favorably upon any effort to use Religion to set the spirits to rest; such efforts will fail while Arugal lives, but the attempt will count as a success, not a failure.  Other skills might be used at the GM’s discretion, as usual.

If the characters succeed in the skill challenge, the Baron will give them his signet ring.  This causes the undead of the keep to recognize the players as allies; they will be friendly toward the players.  It also increases its wearer’s vigor, granting him 5 temporary hit points.  These temporary hit points are refreshed with every short rest.  Upon reaching a milestone, the ring also grants its wearer the ability to reroll one Strength-based check (including a Strength-based attack roll) per encounter; the wearer must take the second result, even if it is worse.  Baron Silverlaine’s Signet Ring is a level 9 magic item worth 4,200 gp.

Failure in the skill challenge does not necessarily mean the Baron attacks — although that’s a possibility, depending on the characters’ words and deeds.  However, even at best, he will not be friendly toward them, and will demand they leave his presence immediately.  Attempting to remain will cause him to offer a final warning, and then lead to combat if they persist.  The characters will probably begin the combat at a disadvantage, as the Baron’s court is likely to have surrounded them during the negotiations.

If it comes to combat, while the Baron is not yet defeated, he grants his Wight and Wraith followers a +1 bonus on their attack rolls.  Treasure: Baron Silverlaine’s Signet Ring (see above).  Note that obtaining the ring through combat will not cause the other undead of the keep to become friendly; it must be freely given in order for that to occur.

Once the encounter with the Baron is resolved, one way or the other, the characters can proceed up the stairs.  There they’ll find more worgen corpses.  Most of these were slain by Commander Springvale’s men, and he awaits in the room beyond (marked “4″ on the map), at the top of a short flight of stairs.  Here, he stands eternally vigilant, maintaining the phantom guards’ patrols along the section of the ramparts just outside his room.  This area is where most conflicts between the undead and the worgen occur.

Springvale is a warlord and a soldier of some skill.  While he is not evil, he is dedicated to his liege, Baron Silverlaine, as he was in life.  If the characters have not allied with Silverlaine, he will attempt to prevent them from passing, in accordance with the Baron’s orders.  In this case, the characters will need to sneak past, trick, or fight Springvale and his men.  If the PCs have allied with the Baron, he will allow them to pass, and will give them what aid he can in the form of advice, mundane supplies, and a safe place to rest.  If pushed, he might agree to send one of his men to assist the characters; he cannot spare more, and will decline to go with them himself, citing his duty.

Encounter Four (level 8 encounter, 1900 XP): Commander Springvale (Battle Wight stats, but add the Warlord’s Wolf Pack Tactics at-will and Lion’s Roar encounter powers, 500 XP because of added powers) and four Ghostly Soldiers (Phantom Warrior Ghost, but scaled up to level 8, 350 XP) are in the room.  If pressed in combat, Springvale will order one of his soldiers to go for reinforcements; it will attempt to retreat to the ramparts, and, if it succeeds, will come back 1d6 rounds later with an additional two Phantom Warriors.  Treasure: Springvale has a substantial treasure stashed in a hidden compartment (see below).

Characters who have allied with the Baron will still gain the experience reward if they negotiate in a friendly manner with Commander Springvale and learn more about Arugal and the keep.  Springvale has extensive knowledge about the keep, although he is not aware of the top level of the tower, in which Arugal now makes his home.  His knowledge of anything past the room in which Fenrus the Devourer lairs is dated — none of the phantoms have successfully passed the beast since it arrived.

If the characters successfully defeat Arugal, upon their return, Springvale will reveal to them the location of his hidden treasure:  200 gp in assorted coins and a black pearl worth 500 gp.  Without the Commander’s assistance, the compartment is difficult to find (Perception DC 25), though its lock can be picked fairly easily if it’s found (Thievery DC 20).

Related posts:

1. Stealing, By the Numbers (IV)
2. Stealing, By the Numbers
3. Stealing, By the Numbers (II)
4. Wrapping Up Warcraft
5. Hacking Skill Challenges