The Quality of Gold
Part 10: The Escapee & The Undead Camps
Comments in Blue have been added after publishing.
Details
Chapter 7: The Escapee
When a refugee (or group of refugees) is discovered by patrolling Knights or happens upon the Stonehaven area, they are quickly assessed for their talents and the majority of them are either brought to the Citadel Terrace for assignment (if they have trade skills) or are taken to one of three refugee camps nearby. But the unfortunate ones relocated to the camps are subjected to a horrific fate. When the refugees first arrive at the camp, they are fed, clothed and assigned a tent to reside. Each camp has a ‘doctor’ that will tend to wounds and provide elixirs to restore their health and strength. The elixirs do indeed make them feel better, but one of the restoratives, called ‘The Boost’ also infects the person with either zombie rot or ghoul fever. Within a couple days, the victim is separated from their group and brought to an infirmary tent where a sign is posted warning of disease and danger and also a slate with a number on it (1 through 4). These relate to the stages of the disease and any of the tents with a 4 will have their victims removed that night and placed into the appropriate pen for completion of their transition to undead.
The holding pens are maintained until the necromancer can retrieve them for her own nefarious purposes.
Recently, one of the luckier victims critically saved for the contraction of the disease and escaped from one of the quarantined tents in the northern camp after discovering what was happening. His name is Gavin and he originally escaped from Lastwall with his family and become separated weeks ago. If asked he tells them that he was the foreman at one of the more successful silver mines near Vellumis. He wandered aimlessly through the mountains and across the rolling plains until he came to the cursed town of Blackcross. Gavin has been living behind one of the abandoned buildings, under the water tower but witnessed the heroes and their triumph over the evil priest and the disguised succubus.
Gathering up his strength, he will approach the group with his harrowing story. He is near starving though and tells them that it is a long story… (trying to get them to feed him) He will try to get the group to investigate the camp and free the victims although he will warn them about the ones who will succumb soon and can be identified by the sign on their tent.
** Important Information that Gavin can tell the party:
The party has a few choices at this point – they can immediately go to the Camp and confront the bad guys/rescue the prisoners or they can head back to Stonehaven and investigate. They can also try to find any other camps and track down the necromancer (she will not be easy to find since she is informed of the party’s goody-goody, “helpful” intentions already.
Mountain Camp
The mountain camp is nestled in a small gorge near the base of the mountains up a narrow cart-sized trail north of Stonehaven Citadel. The trail starts about 1 mile north of the Lake. It is fairly easy to travel and the carts usually travel at night, so during the day, it is safe to use. From Blackcross, it is about 20 miles (1 day @ 25 speed).
The party can approach from the main trail or can try to circle around, but the terrain is particularly difficult (on purpose) and only a skilled mountaineer can enter from a different direction (Survival DC30). When they get to the camp, they find that security is lax. A pair of guards pace a route between the center of the camp (1-2), the entrance at the trail (3-4), then to chat with their fellows at the campfire (5-6), then back again, spending about 20 minutes in a total circuit. (roll 1d6 for position when the party arrives) They have a passive Per of 19.
The guards are used to carts arriving as well as the odd hunter. Carts they let pass if they appear to have business at the camp (delivering supplies or corpses), hunters they turn away and tell them this is a private camp for the sick and diseased from Stonehaven. That usually ends any argument.
The party can get creative, try to sneak in or just force their way in. The latter option will eventually get the attention of the guards’ fellows. If the encounter is loud, Dr. Plimb may step outside to see what the fuss is about then lock himself inside after ordering a pair of guards to his side.
If he sees the party approaching his position, he will order the guards to open one of the pens and release the undead as cover for his escape.
The Dead Pens
The pens where the undead are kept is a sharply steep pit with 15-20’ walls and spaced about the rim are fat, nasty smelling candles of Plimb fashioning that seem to keep the undead at bay and from climbing out. If the barricade is removed, they swarm out looking for fresh flesh to feast on, without regard for friend or foe – food is food!.
The guards are complicit in the undead-making enterprise, but do not know much more than what their job entails; keep order in the camp, follow the Dr’s orders, unload fresh refugees or bodies from the carts that arrive every 1-2 weeks and stay clear when the “Mistress” arrives. On the second night she goes to the pens and her personal guards load the carts up with the undead, cover them with heavy blankets and leaves that same night. Any refugees who try to leave or get too curious are visited by the Dr. who gives them a dose of the Boost and settles them into an infected tent. If they have to enact an accident, they just keep the body for the Mistress’ next visit or dump it into the pits for ‘food’.
If the party searches the guard quarters, they will find that there are no valuables other then what they carry on themselves. The guards in the houses are unarmored and must spend a round getting their weapons if they hear a warning or alarm. They will not have time to don their armor, which will lower their AC by 3.
Refugees will not fight under any circumstances and will most likely attempt to flee if they are in mortal danger.
If the Mistress’ private cabin is searched, it is tidy with fresh linens and food ready. A low fire burns in the fireplace which can be stoked into a roaring flame at any time. A wardrobe with a few heavy cloaks, soft leather boots and a few clean robes of different colors and styles hang inside (mostly of shades of blue and teal). The nightstand has a secret compartment (DC20 Per to find), not trapped, that contains a Scroll of Bind Undead and a Scroll of Vampiric Touch.
If Dr. Plimb’s house is searched, the party will find the equivalent of an Alchemist’s Lab, a Formula Book with the recipes for The Boost and for the Angel-fat Candles. Both of these formulas are unique, evil and require components that would require harvesting undead or celestial beings. If the right buyer can be found, they would sell for over 1000 gp, but would be highly illegal. Other than these, the party will find notes on the arrivals of new refugees, their race, sex, approx. age and transformations. General dates are written that indicate that this operation has been in business for several years and that there are 3 total camps similar to this one referred to as Mountain Camp, East Camp and Ravine Camp but not their locations. Guard names. Pay and hire dates are also in the records, but nothing at all about the Mistress or her plans other than the numbers of undead she ‘processes’.
Start of Game 10/24/23
The ghouls are subjected to the effects of the Angel-fat Candles and are Slowed 1 / Enfeebled 2 while within 30 feet of them while they burn.
The first order of business for the ghouls is to douse the candles which takes a single action if they are next to one. Then they will attack the party for some refreshment.
Dr. Plimb will try to cut a deal with the party and agree to use his Alchemy skills to make a Moderate Antiplague (+3 Fort save) for each of them if they agree to allow him to flee from the Stonehaven area. Or, if they let him live and restrained in camp.
If the group wishes to bring him back to Stonehaven, proceed to Cart of Death encounter
If the group interrogates Plimb, he can tell them the following info with a successful DC18 Intimidate or Diplomacy
- He does not know the exact location of the other camps, but thinks one of them is a little over a day east of Stonehaven, and the other is to the south, about a day away from Stonehaven off of a trail leading east from the main road.
- He does not know who the Necromancer is but believes it a woman who disguises herself in Stonehaven because she knows a lot about the goings on in town.
- The ‘knights’ and officers at the Citadel all know that they are to sort new visitors/refugees for talent and/or corruptibility.
- He doesn’t know much about specific people in town since he has mainly visited the Citadel for his assignment here
The party left the Mountain Camp after spending a night there and allowing Dr. Plimb to flee the area in return for his help overcoming the undead diseases and ensuring that all the captives are healthy and survived. They now have a couple options for their next move:
- They can go back to Stonehaven
- They can find one of the other camps (this was the option the party chose)
- They can leave the area completely