Broken Names

Just moving house this week and will need to set myself up with shiny new internet loving, will post the first adventure once I've finished writing up all the monsters and I'm happy with the room descriptions. It's still quite a bit shorter than I would have liked, but oh well, save the long stuff for later adventures.
Also increased the scope of the campaign now, but I have still have to give the middle adventures more detail, or else the players won't be at a high enough level for the Big Evil Boss Thing.

Oh yes, will have to come up with a way to transfer my maps into a digital format since I hand draw all of them. Time to borrow someone's scanner!

will sort out the layout issues here later, needless to say, it looks a LOT better in my word document.

Adventure One:
The Broken

Introduction
Tevarel the Whisperer has concocted a great plan, taking lessons learned from the fate of the Hag Countess, former ruler of Malbolge, sixth layer of the Nine Hells. The night hag plans to sow her name through the planes and then tie them together using the power of the Arching Flame, said to the life flame of the multiverse. The plan is complex, but she has already taken the first few steps on the path to its completion.
Firstly she has broken her true name and shared the fragments to her mortal servants. This was accomplished in a great ritual called the Ritual of Many Names. The ritual shattered her true name as planned, though the laws of the multiverse are not so easily broken and there was a great explosion of arcane energy. Tevarel herself vanished, and a number of her chosen mortals were killed, but enough survived to serve her needs. Most of those survivors believed the ritual had failed, some believed the other participants had betrayed them and tried to steal Tevarel’s power for their own.
A plan this complex and expansive is hard to keep in the dark however and other players have begun to make their moves to usurp or thwart the night hag.

Adventure Synopsis
The PCs are contacted by a ghost called Andar who seeks the return of his master, the dragonborn wizard Kagar’rin. He can provide a substantial sum of money, a number of low powered magical items and the promise of valuable knowledge once Kagar’rin is back, since no doubt the wizard will be grateful for the assistance. Once negotiations are concluded the meeting is interrupted by Tembral and a band of hired Hive thugs, sent to ‘discourage’ people from helping Andar.
After dealing with Tembral, Andar can provide information about the whereabouts of Kagar'rin, obtained through lengthy and expensive magical scrying and divinations. The dragonborn is being held in an old Mercykiller prison on Acheron known as Kaath.
The portal to Kaath is in the Lazz School of Vivid Unpleasantness. Unfortunately the school is closed to visitors at the moment, being reserved for the private party of Elspeth d'Arlen, the favoured daughter of one of Sigil's golden lords. The PCs should use cunning and guile to sneak into the party in order to get close to the portal. Inside the school they discover the portal is inside Elspeth’s birthday present, a razorvine hedge maze. To find the Sharp Arch they will have to deal with the labyrinth beast inside the maze.
Once they arrive on Kaath, the PCs find the prison in turmoil. They discover that Kaath will shortly collide with another, much larger cube. The prisoners have rioted, taking control of the mines and grinding production to a halt. Kagar’rin is nowhere to be seen, though the warden points the PCs in the direction of the mines. This is trickery however, Kagar'rin has been transformed into a small adamantine statue by the Ritual of Many Names' backlash and is kept close at hand by the warden, Black Volrune, as he seeks to discover the reason behind the strange event.
After clearing much of the mines and not finding the missing wizard, once the PCs leave and find that the prison guards have orders to take them captive to replace the dead prisoners. With the defeat of his minions Black Volrune flees to the prison’s factory and prepares his last stand.
With Kagar’rin the statue in hand the PCs must make a mad dash for the portal back to Sigil even as a new group of interlopers appear and attempt to take Kagar’rin from them. All this time the cube in the sky gets closer and closer. The PCs have to jump into a great rusty crater just in time to hear a resounding CLANG as they enter the portal to Sigil.

Adventure Hooks
Tensar’s Employment Service - Andar has put a notice up with Utadas Tensar to hire a capable group of bloods who are interested in the retrieval of a missing friend in Acheron. Tensar may bring the PCs together and send them to see Andar about the job.
Indentured Service - The PCs might start in the Prison, where they have been sentenced to indentured service by the Sigil courts. Andar is willing to take up their service, and even pay them handsomely, if they assist him in finding and rescuing Kagar’rin.
Friend of a Friend - One of the PCs mentors may owe Andar a favour and chooses to repay it by having the party assist Andar in any way possible.
Guild and Faction Help - While Andar is a nominal member of the Fraternity of Order, he does know a lot of high-up men and women from long before his death. Certain guilds, such as the Planewalkers Guild, would be interested in the information he can provide to add to their catalogue of portals.

The Chant
Strange groves of razorvine are appearing in the upper planes.
Portals to the Court of Light are no longer active. No one knows why. No one's barmy enough to go ask Shekinester about it either. Cutters seeking personal enlightenment will have to find it somewhere else.
One of Tvashtri's proxies is in the Cage, seems to be waiting for something but no one's been able to get past his bodyguards to ask.
The Clerk’s Ward

A1: The Gallery of the Mazed
In a quiet lane on the edge of the Sandstone district of the Clerk’s Ward is the Gallery of the Mazed, an unimposing museum of former belongings, interesting mementoes and artwork about known victims of the Mazes. It is run by the ghost of Andar Maunchir, a scholar in life who was cursed by his wife to continue his work even after death. Since dying Andar hasn’t worried a bit about his curse, in fact he’s quite happy to continue working as the curator at the Gallery.
Being a ghost does have its limits however, Andar finds it difficult to manipulate objects in the real world so he hired a small army of scribes, record keepers and cleaners to keep the Gallery running and in good condition. When the PCs come to visit however Andar has sent his staff away but kept the museum open, not that he can lock the doors without help anyway.

Gathering Information
Prior to their visit the PCs may wish to dig up some information about the Gallery and its strange curator.
The Gallery of the Mazed is in the Sandstone district, near the Civic Festhall. Not many people visit it.
It is run by a ghost, some cutter called Andar Maunchir, used to be a guvner.
The Gallery focuses on the various citizens of Sigil who have been Mazed. It displays many interesting belongings, mementoes and pieces of art about those in the Mazes. The current exhibits are about the missing factols.
Andar is a ghost because his wife cursed him for being too focused on his work. He doesn’t seem to mind being a ghost.

When the party approaches the Gallery read out the following passage to them:

You arrive at a very nondescript building in the Clerk’s Ward. The street is typical of the Sandstone district named for the red sandstone paving stones you walk on at this very moment and almost everyone you‘ve walked past appears to be a tiefling. The building is a plain affair made out of If it weren’t for a worn and tarnished plaque next to the open doors you might have missed it entirely.

When the party enters the Gallery read out the following passage to them:

The interior of the building is surprisingly pleasant. Large glass displays dominate the floor space, exhibiting strange and wondrous items from across the planes. A transparent smartly dressed man approaches you from a statue of some kind of half-dragon, half-man creature in the middle of the room.

The transparent man is Andar, he beckons the PCs over to the statue in the middle of the Gallery. Andar is very forthcoming with what he wants from the PCs and what information he can provide. He’s willing to pay 500 gp for the services of the party, but will only give them 50 gp up front. He can be negotiated into giving up to an additional 10% to both the full payment and the up front payment. If the PCs ask for some magical items, Andar is willing to provide three potions of cure light wounds, but they will have to come back the next day since he’s sent all his hired help home.
The task Andar requires the PCs to do is to go to a prison in Acheron and bring back his friend Kagar’rin. He knows the portal keys and portal locations to get there an back, it should be quite simple. The curator will not provide any more information until the party has accepted or declined.
Throughout the negotiations the odd person come and goes in the Gallery, but Andar pays them no mind. Some of these are thugs hired by Tembral getting into position. Once the PCs have settled the negotiations Tembral enters the Gallery and sets about giving his warning.

Tactical Encounter: A1: Rude Interruption

Development: Once Tembral has been dealt with Andar may provide a bonus magical item if no more of the glass exhibits have been knocked over. He also provides the party with addition information from the table below.

What Andar Knows:
Kagar’rin is a dragonborn wizard, though Andar has no way of measuring his power he reckons the dragonborn to be quite powerful.
Kagar’rin is in a prison on Acheron called Kaath.
The statue Andar is standing next to is a sculpture of the dragonborn, he should be easy to recognise. The PCs will notice that the statue is missing its left arm below the elbow.
He doesn’t know what condition the dragonborn is in, but he assumes it’s likely to be quite bad since the wizard hasn’t made his own way back to Sigil by now.
The portal to Kaath is some sort of artwork in the Lazz School of Vivid Unpleasantness called the Sharp Arch.
The key to the Sharp Arch is to break a weapon against it.
The return portal from Kaath is some pit the locals call the Rust Pit. The key is drop of soldier‘s blood.

A2: Lazz School of Vivid Unpleasantness
The Lazz School of Vivid Unpleasantness is almost impossible not to notice, walls are set at impossible angles and form indescribable shapes ending with improbably spikes and blades. Outside the Lazz School black garbed buskers perform and the whole area smells of cloves thanks to the scented pipeweed visitors to the school seem to favour.
The Lazz School is currently closed to visitors since it has been reserved for Elspeth d’Arlen’s birthday, only those with one of the immaculate black invitations with gold script are allowed entry into the Lazz School. There are a great number of guests arriving at the school, many from pony cabs or sedan chairs. All guests are dressed in black and white, the dress code for the party. At the entry gate to the Lazz School of Vivid Unpleasantness are four tough looking tieflings from the Minder’s Guild dressed in their grey uniforms.

For a guest to get past the guards, he or she should meet two conditions.
1. Each guest must have an invitation. “No invite, no entry, no exceptions bub.” The guards collect invitations from each guest upon entry, and then drop them into the box by the gates. All the invitations are identical and have no mention of names except for Elspeth d’Arlen as it is her birthday. Every five minutes a guest arrives, the guards take their invite, stare at it a bit and then drop it into the box before waving them into the school.
2. Guests must be properly attired. The dress code is black and white only. The guards sigh and direct guests who have violated the dress code to either a paint shop or a tailor in the Sandstone district. Paint costs 1 gp and is enough to coat all of a character’s armour, the tailor also sells a wide variety of appropriately coloured outfits. The guards eye any weapons suspiciously but let it pass, if the golden lord’s daughter invites adventurers then it’s her problem if they bring their adventuring gear.

Setup: To get their way past the guards the PCs can attempt to talk their way into the school.
Complexity: 2 (requires 6 successes before 3
failures).
Primary Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidation.
Bluff (DC 15): The character attempts to convince the guards they are indeed guests, servants or part of the entertainment.
Diplomacy (DC 15): The character implores the guards to let them through.
Insight (DC 10): These guards are tough and not easily intimidated. Does not count as a success for the challenge.
Intimidate (DC 20): The character attempts to show the guards that they’re tougher and stronger or that they know bigger and tougher people. Standing in the way would be a bad idea.
Streetwise (DC 15): The guards are members of the Minder’s Guild, they’ve got a reputation for being tough and getting things done through brute force. Does not count as a success for the challenge.
Success: The Guards allow the PCs into the school without further hassle.
Failure: The characters are turned away. The guards use physical force if the PCs do not comply.
Bonuses: If the PCs possess both an invite and are properly attired they succeed automatically at the challenge. If they fulfil one of these conditions they gain a +5 bonus to their bluff, diplomacy and intimidation skill checks during this encounter.
Giving the guards a bribe of 5gp gives the PCs a bonus success during the challenge.

Setup: Obtaining an invite, either by stealing one from the box or getting one from an arriving guest.
Complexity: 1 (requires 4 successes before 2
failures).
Primary Skills: Bluff, Intimidation, Thievery.
Bluff (DC 15): The character attempts to pass themselves off as a guard or member of staff at the school to an arriving guest to take their invite.
Intimidate (DC 10): The character impresses their physical presence on an arriving guest, pressuring them into surrendering their invite.
Thievery (DC 15): Using sleight of hand the character steals an invite from the box or from an arriving guest.
Success: The PCs obtain an invite to the party.
Failure: The guards notice the characters and shoo them away, with force if necessary.
Special: Mage Hand: A wizard can use the mage hand cantrip to steal an invite out of the box behind the guards. Doing so without alerting the guards requires a complexity 1 Int check (DC 15). Other characters can assist this check (+2 bonus per assist) if they succeed at a bluff check (DC 15).

If the PCs attempt to force their way past the guards, fail in an attempt to steal an invitation or make a nuisance of themselves, the guards don’t give them a second chance. The guards threaten them with physical force if they don’t leave. Fortunately for the PCs the guards are rotated every hour, so they can get additional chances to get past the guards then.
In the event the PCs start a fight with the guards, the guards quickly blow whistles, meant to summon the city watch. The guards strike with the intent to kill, the reputation of the Minder’s Guild is on the line. If the PCs retreat the guards do not pursue, though several people in the crowd jeer at the PCs. A watch patrol arrives in six rounds, if the guards are defeated before then, the PCs can freely enter the school. Use the statistics for human guards (MM p.162) to represent the guards at the school.

A3: The Razor-Hedged Maze
Once inside the PCs are free to wander around the school unimpeded. There are a large number of guests and a wide variety of entertainments, though many are strange or bizarre to the average citizen of the Clerk’s Ward.
If they ask around for the Sharp Arch the PCs will eventually end up in the main hall where Elspeth is about to receive her birthday present - a hedge maze, made from razorvine, complete with labyrinth beast. Of course she wants to see it being used, and to hear the labyrinth beast at work, so she picks a random group of people to be the first ones to try it out. Of course that means she picks the PCs. The crowd applauds and cheers as the PCs are manhandled into the entrance of the maze.
The Razor-Hedged Maze is magical in nature so constantly changes its own layout, the DM is free to have the PCs wander around for as long as they like. Occasionally the sounds of something large moving around should be heard along with heavy breathing and the smell of cinnamon.
After a suitable amount of time getting lost in the labyrinth the PCs come across the Sharp Arch, a large arch made from edged weapons welded together. Swords, daggers, axes, even some weapons with no discernable use adorn the arch, constructed from every sort of material. To open the portal the PCs must break an edged weapon against the arch. Of course this makes a lot of noise and attracts the labyrinth beast. As the labyrinth beast gets close the sound of heavy breathing and the smell of cinnamon should get stronger and stronger until the beast charges into the clearing with the Sharp Arch.

Tactical Encounter: A3: The Razor-Hedged Maze

Development: With the labyrinth beast defeated, the PCs are free to open the portal to Kaath undisturbed.

Avalas
First Layer of Acheron

A4: The Prison Camp
Kaath is an ancient prison camp that was used by Mercykillers to punish criminals with hard labour for generations before the Faction War. With the end of the Faction War the Mercykillers were no more, and hobgoblins took over, taking in prisoners of war captured from Acheron’s countless armies instead of convicts from Sigil. No longer serving the greater ideal of justice, the prison now performs as an iron mine, turning the very substance of the cube into a commodity. The camp’s main clients are a number of generals who need the iron to build weapons to continue their wars and fiends of the Blood War.
The current warden is a hulking hobgoblin called Black Volrune. Recently a vast cube has started to drift closer and closer to Kaath, causing great distress at the prison camp that a collision will occur soon. Without orders though Volrune refuses to stop production or evacuate the cube, leading the prisoners to riot. The prisoners have now taken control of the iron mines and fortifying it against the guards.
Black Volrune is further vexed by the strange appearance of an adamantine statue discovered several months ago. The statue is the dragonborn wizard Kagar’rin, transformed by the power of the Namebound Circle but still able to communicate through the use of telepathy. Volrune is unsure as to what Kagar’rin really is, but he keeps the statue close and frequently seeks its advice.
When the PCs exit the portal to Kaath, they find themselves surrounded by wary crossbow wielding guards. The guards do not attack first however, the PCs could be customers seeking the refined iron of Kaath.

As the party arrives through the portal read out the following passage to them:

You step through the portal and appear in the mouth of a fallen siege tower beneath a clear blood red sky, only marred by a massive cube spinning slowly in the heavens.
Around you half a dozen men in spiked armour stand alert, pointing loaded crossbows at you. A hulking hobgoblin shoulders his way past the humans and stands in front of you, fists resting on his hips.
“What brings you to my prison cutters?”

Black Volrune arrives and instructs the guards to stand down and is willing to hear what reasons the PCs have for arriving at his prison. Once he’s satisfied with their answers he will answer their questions. Use questions below as a guide to how Volrune answers any questions

Who are you?
I’m the warden on this bleeding cube. Customers call me Black Volrune, this rabble calls me captain.

Why Black Volrune?
Don’t know, I don’t stay awake at night and wonder why neither.

Customers?
We sell refined iron by the ton here. Mined directly out of my cube. Processed in the factory.

What is this place?
This here is Kaath, my prison. Use the prisoners to mine the ore right out of the cube. Used rust monsters to make the first tunnels, but some got loose.

Any question about Kagar’rin
Never heard of him. Doesn’t mean he ain’t one of my prisoners, might not be in the books. But the prisoners have been acting up lately, rioted and took control of my mines.

What sort of prison is this?
Hard labour camp, used to be run by Mercykillers but they upped and left. I got my orders to keep it running, so we keep mining the ore and process it at the factory.

When the PCs run out of questions, Volrune gives them a proposal: He’ll allow them into the mines if they find and kill the gang leaders organising the prisoners. While they’re down there they’ll be free to look for Kagar’rin all they want.

Of course Volrune actually has Kagar’rin in his office in the factoy, but he hasn’t been able to put a name to the statue until the PCs arrived and gave it to him. Kagar’rin has not tried to communicate with the PCs simply because he has no idea who they are and suspects them to be agents of his enemies.

A5: The Iron Mines Entrance