We’ve lastly come to the tip, the ultimate journey on this anthology, Hearth and Darkness. Suitably, the PCs get to try to steal one thing well-known. On this case, they are going to be sneaking into an efreeti warlord’s fortress, previous fiends and dragons, to steal the Guide of Vile Darkness. This ultimate journey within the anthology is for Eleventh-level characters.
Spoiler Warning
You may be capable of piece collectively far more of the construction of this journey when you maintain studying. So if you’ll be a participant on this journey, it’s best to do what you’ll do when you see the Guide of Vile Darkness itself and stop studying!
The Hook
Along with simply sending the PCs their customary key if they’re working for the Golden Vault, there are three further hooks that you should utilize to supply the job to the participant characters.
- A human chief dwelling close to the efreeti’s fortress is contacted by an Arcanololth working for the genie, and brings this info to the PCs in an effort to weaken the ability of the efreeti warlord.
- A member of The Fated, a faction primarily based out of town of Sigil, is worried in regards to the efreeti having the Guide of Vile Darkness as a useful resource, they usually want to rent the PCs to steal the e book to allow them to guard it.
- A warlock that when had the arcanoloth as her patron has discovered in regards to the e book and desires to show that she has reformed by providing the knowledge to the participant characters.
After they get the job, in addition they get a replica of a map of Brimstone Fortress, smuggled out by the arcanoloth.
The Setting
This journey takes place in a distant location close to a volcano, primarily inside the normal environs of the efreeti’s fortress. Whereas it isn’t explicitly said, the efreeti secured the Guide of Vile Darkness from cultists that had been making an attempt to boost a useless dragon as a dracolich, which is a fairly good excuse to make use of the setting that has a longtime cult of dragon-worshipping cultists specializing in creating dracoliches, the Cult of the Dragon within the Forgotten Realms.
Heist Tropes
The PCs are left vast open for the way they need to try this heist, however they’ll time their entrance into the fortress to coincide with a Cambion service provider that usually visits. Whereas it’s not the happiest trope from the PCs standpoint, the Erinyes guards on the fortress can see by means of magical disguises.
The efreeti maintains a jail within the fortress, and there may be the chance for the previous “jail riot distraction” to be employed. Along with this, there’s a prisoner that the PCs can befriend that may assist as one more distraction.
It’s additionally a fairly stable recurring trope that probably the most priceless factor that the villain owns is saved in their very own quarters, and that’s the case right here as properly, full with a harmful decoy of the e book and a complicated safety system across the vault. On this case, the vault being a demiplane.
Moreover, if the PCs meet up with the arcanoloth that smuggled the knowledge out of the fortress, they’re very happy to tag alongside and assist the PCs, however they’re additionally ready to double-cross the PCs. The arcanoloth is sure by contract to not steal something from his employer, but when the PCs steal the Guide of Vile Darkness, it’s completely okay to steal the e book from the thieves.
The DM additionally has the choice of utilizing the “shock, the villain is definitely at house” trope, because the villain’s schedule is erratic and he may present up on the fortress at any time, and makes use of aircraft shift to reach. That makes it tougher to foretell his presence, and simpler to make use of as a twist to complicate a heist that’s going alongside too properly.
Particulars
We get some persona particulars for the efreeti second in control of the fortress, the arcanoloth administrator, the dragon watching the skies over the fortress, a number of of the prisoners, and some quirks in regards to the workers that works within the fortress as properly. I like that regardless that it’s not a part of the mission, the PCs can be certain that the prisoners keen to riot truly pull off their jailbreak (regardless that they solely want to return again and encourage them to riot a second time to perform this). I additionally like having the ability to befriend an ogre that simply desires its doll again.
Creatures
The fortress’ guards embrace a purple dragon and several other totally different fiends. There are duergar workers, and salamander troops working as muscle. The service provider, his crew, and the prisoners are all humanoids, apart from the aforementioned potential ogre pal. The executive and residential space features a beholder and a few golems. I’ll provide you with three guesses about what the false e book is. Total, this can be a good number of totally different creatures.
After Motion
If one of many PCs is foolish sufficient to attempt to attune to the Guide of Vile Darkness, it could be harder to show it over to a faction just like the Golden Vault or the Fated to observe over it. If the adventurers handle to keep away from doing one thing foolish like attuning to one of many evilest books within the multiverse, their rewards will fluctuate primarily based on who employed them.
- A stronghold and a retinue in the event that they work for the native chief
- An Amulet of the Planes in the event that they work for the Fated
- A reward from the Blessings part of the DMG in the event that they work for the halfling searching for redemption
The Golden Vault provides the PCs a magic merchandise, however on this case, it’s a really uncommon magic merchandise, which is sensible while you simply stole an artifact for them.
Ideas
I’m fairly proud of this journey, and it’s a suitably epic wrap-up for a marketing campaign, when you use the anthology in that method. Stealing an artifact from a warlord from one other aircraft of existence is unquestionably price some bragging rights.
I used to be a bit of shocked when the cultists weren’t outright named as belonging to the Cult of the Dragon, however I used to be additionally a bit of shocked that they didn’t affiliate the cult with Vecna, given how strongly 5e lore has been tying him to the Guide of Vile Darkness. I imply, he’s even bought a built-in carrying case in his ribcage for the factor.
