The Quality of Gold

Part 3: Lower Village & Side Quests

Comments in Blue have been added after publishing.

Details

Side Quests

If the party is looking for adventure or needs to buy something they can’t afford, some of the locals have side quests that they can do for fun and profit. These are marked with ** Side Quest Available **

Lower Stonehaven Village

Notable NPCs

• Mr. Dubb
• Nate Leed
• Tolin
• Dundali
• Karl and Marta Kommin
• Thad Dugger
• Possum
• Anna
• Inbrus Elkenhurst

The lower village is mostly surrounded by a low plaster wall that once separated properties and farms but now just helps keep out the occasional stray cow or herd of deer. If the party talks to any of the townsfolk, they will find them polite, but wary. Anyone who makes a DC15+ Diplomacy check will put them at ease and can ask more questions and vice versa.

Side Quests (in RED) were listed in the map key as they were provided by the relevant people in those locations.

SH1 – Church of the Lady of Valor

This small church is dedicated to Iomedae with weekly services performed by Lady Rowena, a Knight of Lastwall from the old country. She resides in the Citadel, but can be found helping the locals frequently in the village. Her sermons are held on Sunday mornings.

SH2 – Graveyard

Behind the church is a small graveyard that has a few well-tended burial sites for notable locals, business leaders, etc. There is one stone sarcophagus for a well-respected former mayor named Olivander Mully. His plaque indicates that he passed only 5 years ago (4676-4718 AR). A fresh grave is kept open by the superstitious villagers who like to be prepared and not allow any of their important dead linger above ground for too long. Sprigs of Buckthorn and garlic are regularly sprinkled into the grave.

SH3 – Dubb’s Bakery

Anyone approaching this bakery, day or night, can smell the delicious goods being cooked within. Mr. Dubb is a rotund man in his late 50’s who lost his wife a decade earlier in Lastwall and settled in Stonehaven where the locals love his baked goods. Even the residents of Upper Village and the Citadel stop by for a treat or two. He is always seen wearing a flour-dusted apron (even when about town). He sells fresh baked goods as well as bakery supplies. Mr. Dubb lives in a small room above the bakery. No one actually knows his first name.

SH4 – Leed Residence

Nate Leed is the local handyman/stableman/porter for the Lower Village. Usually found in the stables or the tavern, he can be often seen bustling from building to building with a cart or a couple heavy sacks on his shoulders. If the party tips him for a service, he will go out of his way to give them top-notch attention.

SH5 – Stables

A simple stable can accommodate up to 4 horses, although the stable keeper, Nate will pitch a tarp in the back if more space is needed. Nate is also handy with other animals and is a modestly successful hunter. His only current resident is a gentle riding horse named Guinevere.

SH6 – The Red-Eyed Crow ** Side Quest Available – later **

‘The Crow’ as the locals call it is the local Tavern and Inn. Managed by an older dark-skinned man named Tolin. Although he seems to have a pleasant demeanor, he seems self-conscious about his right arm and hand and anyone making a DC18 Per roll will notice that what seemed at first to be intricate tattoos are actually runes on an artificial limb. He is hesitant to speak about it if someone comes out and asks, but if someone is more tactful, he will say that in his younger days, he was a Lastwall Warden and lost his hand in a big battle with the Tyrant’s forces. His superior officer was so impressed with his heroics, he sent Tolin to Lepidstadt to allow the doctors to replace the limb. He now lives a quiet life but also one that allows him to hear news of the world.

The Crow has two additional stories with rooms for rent. They also serve food and drink for modest prices.

If someone asks about the name of the Tavern, any random person will make a sign to ward evil (fingers in a circle on forehead) and then shake their head. If someone asks Tolin, he will make the same sign and tell the story. Anyone in earshot will make the sign as well. Tolin will tell them that for over 50 years, an old ratty looking crow used to live nearby and terrorize the locals. It would scare off visitors and screech at everyone going about their business. Rumors began to fly about a crazy polymorphed wizard, a vengeful ancient spirit and even a murdered female lover exacting her wrath and heartbreak. One day, the crow was discovered pinned to a local farmer’s barn by a rusty pitchfork. The overjoyed townsfolk appointed him mayor that day and the mood of the town improved considerably. The beloved mayor is now memorialized in the tomb in the old graveyard.

Side Quest: Life of the Party (after doing 1-2 other side quests)

This side quest was done after a few others and I added a new section to the Lower Village map.

If someone in the party seems to be charismatic, patient and influential, Tolin will ask the group for a favor. In the Stonehaven Upper Village area is a home belonging to a newlywed couple, Pavel and Marissa Redshadow-Barkley who moved to town only a few months ago, but they have not been seen in the Lower Village in that whole time. Tolin would like to have someone go to their home and formally invite them to a dinner in their honor at The Crow. And if they decline, to find out why? Tolin will pay the party 5gp each if they can get the couple to attend.

Redshadow Manor has been a fixture in Stonehaven for over 200 years. The last descendant of the family, Roland Redshadow passed away 6 months ago at the very ripe old age of 88. Upon his passing, his body was returned to the family crypt in Ardis, the Old Capital. He left his estate in Stonehaven to his beloved niece, Marissa who used to visit her uncle every spring when the weather was warm. The timing was perfect, because Marissa had just married and when she told her new husband about her inheritance, he was thrilled to come into such good fortune. The couple moved to Upper Stonehaven about three months ago and brought a pair of trusted servants named Jacque and his wife Louise with them from Ardis. Unfortunately, the estate also came with its own problems. The former governess of Romeri Redshadow from 75 years ago, Madam Sofiya was poisoned by Romeri so she could continue to give his descendants the absolute best service and advice in perpetuity. And she did take good care of their most recent master, Lord Roland. When the new young couple arrived, the ghostly woman was ready to assist in rebuilding the Redshadow family. She was overjoyed that the latest Redshadow was a young woman of child-bearing age, so she is making sure that the Redshadow legacy remains intact by trapping the couple in the house until young Marissa conceives. The two servants that arrived with the couple are in charge of the day-to-day affairs, but do so under mortal threat from the ghost.

If the party attempts to contact the newlyweds, they will find that no one answers the door and the windows are boarded up tight on the first floor. If they  stake out the house or ask around, everyone will confirm that the newlyweds have not been seen since they moved in a few months ago. With a DC16 diplomacy check, someone will remember that they sometimes see a young woman leaving and returning with groceries about once a week. She leaves by the southern gate heading towards one of the local farms. If the party is unable to find this out, one of the servants will eventually be seen leaving for a shopping trip. If the party does not think to do this, the servant (Louise) will try to seek them out and ask for their help.

A young woman with ashen skin and wide eyes motions you to a corner around the back of a building. She looks nervously around and pulls the cloak of her hood closer.

She will ask the party for help with “The Master and Mistress”. She does not go into great detail, but tells them that they are being held hostage by a wicked woman (she does not tell them that this is a ghost, as this may scare them off). She hands them an old key and says that they can access the house through the servant’s gate which is at the back side of the manor. If asked, she will tell them that she is forbidden to speak of the predicament otherwise the wicked woman will harm the young master or his lady.

The group will need to figure out a way to solve this because it will be difficult to take on a ghost at their lower level. Ideally, they’ll need to make some diplomacy rolls to find out why the ghost is holding the couple hostage and possibly come up with a creative solution. if the party can make four successful DC-16 diplomacy checks while trying to negotiate with the ghost it will allow the couple to go back to their normal lives. And the group will get full experience for defeating the ghost.

The party may also elect to enter the mansion forcibly. In this case, the ghost and the residents will be harder to negotiate with. Ultimately, the ghost will need to be dealt with either through combat or diplomacy. If they fight and defeat Madam Sofiya, she will return in 3 days’ time and begin her threat again.

When the party enters through the back door, they will find a normal looking kitchen where an upcoming meal is being prepared by Jacque. If anyone enters the kitchen, Jacques will say “You should not be here!” and try to get them to leave. If they mention that Louise sent them here and show him the key, he will sigh and sit down in one of the chairs resigning himself to whatever fate may befall them. He will not disclose that the keeper is a ghost, but he does know her motivation. The party can find this out with a DC-16 diplomacy check.

If the party is successful in releasing the young couple they will gladly and gratefully accept the invitation to the party and when this news is conveyed back to Tolin, he will reward them as promised. Tolin will tell the group that the party will be announced shortly, but should be within a few days. He hopes they will be able to attend.