After learning the secrets of Andraste’s Ear, the PCs may choose to either tell Bann Nicola what they know, or confront her with half-founded suspicions of her involvement in any number of crimes. If they simply reveal the situation at Andraste’s Ear to her she praises them for their smart think- ing, promises to take over the investigation, and sends them on an unrelated quest (of your inven- tion) to the Fereldan Hinterlands where—with any luck—they’ll die fighting some horrible demon. She sends assassins after them, to give them an additional kick in death’s general direction. If they accuse her of being involved in wrongdoings she dismisses their accusations out of hand, confi- dent that she’s kept herself at arm’s length from the crimes. She has the PCs thrown into the street, and they discover that their names are slandered up and down the hills of Denerim in the days and weeks that follow. Hodin (see Part 4: 1. Spotting the
Courier) dies in a random act of street violence the
next day to further obscure any connection between Bann Nicola and Andraste’s Ear.
HODIN
A pale-skinned layabout with a remarkable lack of curiosity, a trait heartily encouraged by the sub- stantial pay he receives weekly for a laughably simple task. Abilities (Focuses) 1 communicAtion (seduction) 2 constitution 1 cunning –1 dexterity (riding) 0 mAgic 3 perception
2 strength (heAvy blAdes)
1 WillpoWer
Combat ratinGs
sPeeD health Defense armor ratinG
9 36 9 0
attaCks
WeaPon attaCk roll DamaGe
long sWord +4 2d6+2
PoWers favoreD stunts: Pierce Armor. talents: Single Weapon Style (Novice). WeaPon GrouPs: Brawling and Heavy Blades.
equipment longsWordAndleAthersAtchel.
• He delivers the messages to an elf who sells fruit
in the Market District. He doesn’t know her name.
• Three days after he delivers the messages each
week, a loaf of fresh bread is delivered to his doorstep with his payment baked inside.
Hodin inherited this job from his deceased father, has no idea who ultimately employs him, and doesn’t want to know.
2. An APPle
A week
EXPLORATION ENCOUNTER
Hodin drops the confession parchments with an elven costermonger.
If the PCs confront Hodin instead of following him, skip this encounter.
You follow the man who took the parchments through the dawn’s early light to the Market District. Even at this hour, the district is bus- tling as fishermen and farmers stock their stalls. The man walks straight for the cart of an elven apple-seller just on her way out of the district’s central square. Without looking at her he takes an apple, drops the satchel, and ambles away without paying for the fruit.
As he moves away, the woman picks up the satchel and stuffs it into the shelf underneath the cart. She’s about to take up the pushbar again when four unkempt young men step up to the cart. One asks the elf a question and reaches out to stroke her hair. She shakes her head and shrugs her head away from his touch.
“We’re not taking no for an answer today,” one of the other men says, loud enough for you to hear him clearly, and the four grab her. No passerby apparently cares to intervene as the four drag her into a nearby alley.
The costermonger is Shayda, an elven woman who sells apples in the Elven Alienage.
The four men are simple hooligans who slept in an alley last night, and, feeling moved to inflict themselves on someone, find Shayda a tempting target. Local preju- dice leads passersby to ignore crimes against elves, and unless the PCs intervene, Shayda is in for a terrible experience. Clearly, this is a moral test for the heroes. If human male PCs enter the alley, the men indelicately offer them the opportunity to join their rape. Human women may or may not be openly attacked depending on whether they look like they can defend themselves. Elves and dwarves are attacked with lethal force out of hand. Shayda fights in her own defense only once it SHAYDA
A city elf with short hair who genuinely cares about her people and uses the money paid by her mysterious benefactor to improve their lot.
Abilities (Focuses) 3 communicAtion (bArgAining) 1 constitution 2 cunning 2 dexterity 0 mAgic 2 perception (seeing) 0 strength 1 WillpoWer Combat ratinGs
sPeeD health Defense armor ratinG
14 30 12 0
attaCks
WeaPon attaCk roll DamaGe
dAgger +2 1d6+1
PoWers
favoreD stunts: Knock Prone and Skirmish. WeaPon GrouPs: Brawling and Light Blades.
equipment dAggerAndApplecArt.
looks like the PCs are going to beat the four men. A TN 11 Cunning (Cultural Lore) test suggests that killing Fereldan men in defense of an elf is against the king’s law.
If rescued, Shayda is profoundly grateful. She laments that she has nothing but apples to offer the PCs in thanks. If questioned about the messages, Shayda lowers her head:
“When I moved to the city, I was offered this job by a man I haven’t seen since. It pays ten silvers a week and all I have to do is deliver a pouch. I use most of the money to help the other elves.”
If the PCs continue to question her about the specif- ics of her delivery, she reveals that someone meets her on the way to the Alienage each week and offers to buy seven apples for ten silver pieces. This is almost always the same man, who dresses as a household servant. Along with the apples, Shayda turns over the pouch.
Shayda is willing to let the PCs follow her to watch the hand-off, but insists they stay hidden, or at least remain separate from her as she rolls her cart downhill toward the Alienage.
If the PCs leave Shayda to the four men she emerges from the alley some time later, bruised and weeping, and pushes her cart downhill toward the Alienage through hot tears.
3. the finAl ConneCtion
EXPLORATION ENCOUNTER
Shayda hands over the satchel to the spymas- ter’s servant.
A Fereldan man dressed in the simple clothing of a household servant walks up to the apple cart just as it is about to pass through the gate into the Alienage. He and the elf exchange a few words, and seven apples and the satchel are exchanged for a small pouch that looks to contain coin. The two of them part ways, the servant heading back uphill toward the better districts of the city.
The man is Roger, the servant who tends (and lives at) the house where Marissa also lives and does the work of research and intrigue assigned to her by Bann Nicola via Crannoch. The house is in the southwestern part of the city. Roger doesn’t head straight there, but instead makes several stops for other foodstuffs on the way. (He doesn’t receive any other unusual deliveries over the course of his other errands, however.) It requires an opposed Dex-
terity (Stealth) vs. Perception (Seeing) test to follow
Roger without his notice. If Roger notices that he’s being shadowed, he attempts to lose his pursuers without let- ting on that he knows he’s being followed. If he can’t lose the PCs, he ultimately heads for the house forewarned that there’s something unusual going on.
If the PCs accost Roger, he protests ignorance of any- thing and everything, claiming that he saw the satchel and offered to buy it from the elf, who agreed and sold it to him. He feigns annoyance to “discover” that it’s full of paper (although in no event will he allow the PCs to have or see the parchments).
One way or the other, Roger eventually returns to the house where Marissa is waiting.
The servant takes a meandering path to a house in the northeastern section of the city. The house itself is nondescript, almost hidden, accessible only through a small alley.
You see what looks to be a Mabari war dog chomping on a large bone in the alley. The dog briefly looks up at the servant as he passes inside the house, then goes back to chewing on the bone.
MARKET THUGS Scum of the earth.
Abilities (Focuses)
0 communicAtion (persuAsion)
2 constitution
0 cunning (militAry lore)
2 dexterity (riding)
1 mAgic
0 perception
4 strength (heAvy blAdes)
2 WillpoWer (courAge)
Combat ratinGs
sPeeD health Defense armor ratinG
12 48 12 0
attaCks
WeaPon attaCk roll DamaGe
Fist +2 1d3+4
long sWord +6 2d6+4
PoWers
favoreD stunts: Disarm and Mighty Blow.
talents: Armor Training (Novice), Dual Weapon Style (Novice), Single Weapon Style (Novice), and Unarmed Style (Novice). WeaPon GrouPs: Bows, Brawling, Heavy Blades, and Light Blades.
equipment longsWord.
If the PCs approach the door to the house, the dog— Ripper—stands up and snarls at them. If they ignore this warning, he gives a full-fledged bark, finally attacking them if they persist in their approach. Ripper is trained not to accept treats from strangers.
Inside the house, at Ripper’s warning, Marissa begins gathering her things so she can quickly flee the house via an underground tunnel if need be. If Roger was accosted or knows he was followed and Marissa is thus forewarned, Marissa flees immediately when Ripper starts barking.
If Ripper continues to growl or bark, Roger emerges from the house with a loaded crossbow in hand. He orders Ripper to calm down, inquires what the PCs want, and does his best to satisfy their curiosity and send them on their way. Under no circumstances does he allow them to enter the house.
If Roger comes to the conclusion that Marissa should flee he loudly uses the phrase “down Trampstead Lane” in conversation with the PCs. (She’s listening in, and knows this signal.) A TN 15 Cunning (Cultural
Lore) test alerts an observant PC that there’s no such
street in Denerim.
Even if he can’t get rid of the PCs, Roger buys as much time as he can for Marissa to escape. It takes her four rounds from the time she decides to flee to bundle up her things and reach the trapdoor in the house’s base- ment, or two rounds if she was forewarned.
If the PCs manage to make it to the basement before Marissa can get through the trapdoor, she prepares to fight unless (or until) it’s clear that she’s going to be RIPPER
Roger’s loyal and tenacious pet, a bit stronger than the average Mabari.
Abilities (Focuses) 0 communicAtion 3 constitution (running) 0 cunning 5 dexterity (bite) –3 mAgic
4 perception (smelling, trAcking)
4 strength (jumping)
3 WillpoWer (morAle)
Combat ratinGs
sPeeD health Defense armor ratinG
18 28 15 0
attaCks
WeaPon attaCk roll DamaGe
bite +7 1d6+6
PoWers
favoreD stunts: Knock Prone and Mighty Blow.
ROGER, THE SPYMASTER’S SERVANT An older man who enjoys a comfortable life tend- ing to Marissa’s needs. He’s aware of the broad outlines of his work on behalf of Bann Nicola and is devoted to the task, honestly believing that Den- erim is better for her presence.
Abilities (Focuses)
4 communicAtion (deception, etiquette, persuA- sion)
1 constitution
3 cunning (culturAl lore)
2 dexterity (boWs)
0 mAgic
2 perception
1 strength
3 WillpoWer (selF-discipline)
Combat ratinGs
sPeeD health Defense armor ratinG
12 21 12 0
attaCks
WeaPon attaCk roll DamaGe ranGe
crossboW +4 2d6+3 30/60 yArds
mAul +1 1d6+4
dAgger +2 1d6+2 —
PoWers
favoreD stunts: Rapid Reload and Lightning Attack. WeaPon GrouPs: Bludgeons, Bows, Brawling, and Light Blades.
equipment crossboW, 20 bolts, mAul, AnddAgger.