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| Volume 1, Number 2 | June/July 1999 |
Download the Adventure 53kb | Download the Maps 129kb
| Feature - The Beast of Malar |
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By Thomas Hefferon Introduction This Adventure is set in the quiet but medium sized town of Ashabenford in the comfortable region of Mistledale. It is set against a backdrop of murder, corruption, suspicions and a great ancient evil. The basic plot line to this adventure is that of an ancient evil, returning to Mistledale thanks to The Cult of Blood (Malar's). After a thousand years, Malar has decided that he wants to bring back an incarnation of himself, the Beast. He prepares to risk some of his power again in the hopes of becoming stronger. This time he feels that he can be victorious, as there is no one to oppose him with the elves now in retreat.The Beast will grow in power with each victim that it kills. When the characters arrive on the scene, it has already killed four times. This has been allowed to happen because the Dale's legendary defenders, The Riders of Mistledale, have been infiltrated by the Cult, and their lords magically charmed into believing that the whole thing is a foolish joke. The character's jobs in the adventure is that of investigators. They are to uncover what is going on in the town. If you own a copy of "Volo's Guide to the Dalelands" it will help you to flesh out the adventure better. But do not worry if you do not because books are no substitution for imagination. On the other hand, if you do have the book, the chapter on Mistledale will give you information on some of the buildings and people that are in the adventure. At the start of the adventure I have put a few things in that will help with the running of the game. These are: a rumors section, a time-line of events and a roster of all the NPCs in the adventure including what they say if asked what they know. Another reason why I have included these is because I want the DM to take the town and broaden it and have the PCs walk around and talk to people. My intention when writing this adventure was to allow the DM take it and add in all kinds of their own idea's, while sticking with the plot line. So, make this your own game and add what you want to it. If your players have spare time during the course of the adventure then let them do what they want to do. If they want to go Beast hunting, on a quick sub adventure or whatever else then that's fine. But remember these few things, they mustn't find out about the Malar cult or be able to capture or kill the Beast until the end of the adventure. So draw thy sword and I will be off! I hope you enjoy the adventure! History of the Beast A long time ago when the glories of Myth Drannor were not legend but fact, and the elven folk walked the forests of the surrounding lands, a great evil arose. It was a thousand years ago, and peace and tranquility ruled the land. The elves and their human cousins ruled the land side by side without any of the problems of today. But as it is when good is abound, evil would try to take hold of the land and an evil God would try to use this evil to build upon his power base. As legend has it, a Cult dedicated to Malar the Beast lord rose in the area of Mistledale. Their only goal was to help Malar's cause in the Realms. The Cult began to infiltrate the area. They hid out in the woods because they began to be persecuted by the authorities of the Dalelands and Cormyr. It is said that while there one among their number, Duhbrin, was sent a vision by Malar. In a dream he saw an astounding great gray beast. It was feeding on the heart of a human. Then in Duhbrin's dream Malar appeared to him, and uttered two words, "More power!". The words echoed over and over again. When he awoke in the morning, Duhbrin knew what it all meant, and he had the mark of the Beast God on his arm. However it was not burned in. It was actually a part of it. It was undisputed that the dream had been a sign from their God. The faithful cult forgot any fears and followed the directions of Duhbrin. He seemed to somehow know, mystically, of the route they must take and he guided them to the town of Ashabenford. It was there that they were to put Malar's plans in to action. An incarnation with a small bit of Malar's power would soon appear to them. After a short preparation period it would come. At first it would be weak. But it would feed on the hearts and Souls of the local people and would grow stronger in power. Not long after the killing began. The elves of Cormanthor began to hear of the atrocities the Beast was committing and sent a group of their finest warriors to defeat the foul creature. But when they arrived they found that Malar's power had grown. He would not be so easily defeated. They communed with the forest and found out where the Beast's hideout was located. They went there during the day, when they knew it would be resting. But they had not counted on the Cult of Blood being around. What followed was a titanic battle at the edge of the great forest between Malar's cult and the group from the Elven Court. Not many would survive this sad day to tell it's tale. At the end of the day Malar's power was reduced and the Beast slain. But the heroes paid the price |