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Smoke on the Horizon

Asatania™ Module AS-25E Adventure Module for the Asatania Crashing Chaos™ Campaign

CREDITSDesign: Michael Cerny

Editing: Amy Cerny, Adam MaturinMaps: Amy Cerny, Michael Cerny, Stephanie McAlea

Cover Artist: Christopher ZakrzewskiInterior Artists: Christopher Zakrzewski, Olie Boldador

AS-2 Smoke on the Horizon is a 5e adventure module designed for four to seven level 2 characters.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thomp-son, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.AS2 - Smoke on the Horizon v1.06 Copyright 2016 Fantastic Reality / Michael Cerny

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Contents

Preface ...........................................................................................................4

Notes ...............................................................................................................5Asatania Crashing Chaos Campaign Guide .......................................... 5Official Publications ................................................................................... 5Errata and Updates .................................................................................... 5Difficulty Adjustments................................................................................ 5Find us at Fantastic-Reality.com .............................................................. 5

Introduction ..................................................................................................6Plot Overview .............................................................................................. 6Setting ........................................................................................................... 6Random Encounters .................................................................................. 7

Scene 1: Leaving Siver’s Mill .......................................................................9Introduction ................................................................................................. 9Farms ............................................................................................................ 9

Scene 2: Prefect Aquitus’ Manor ................................................................9Harv .............................................................................................................10Location A: Entrance ...............................................................................11Location B: Courtyard .............................................................................11Location C: Prefect’s Office ....................................................................11Location D: Prefect’s Bedroom ..............................................................13Location E: Guest Bedrooms & Bath ...................................................14Location F: Servant Quarters ................................................................14Location G: Dining Hall ...........................................................................14Location H: Kitchen .................................................................................14Location I: Storeroom .............................................................................15Location J: Privy ........................................................................................16

Scene 3: Argenta ........................................................................................ 16

Scene 4: The Road East ............................................................................ 18

Scene 5: The Connaught Farm ................................................................. 18

Adventure Conclusion ............................................................................... 19

Appendix I - Creatures .............................................................................. 20Corpse Reavers .........................................................................................20Ul-Grogtok (Kan Demon) ........................................................................21

Appendix II - Non Player Characters ....................................................... 23

Appendix III - When Things Don’t Go As Planned ................................. 24Players Avoid the Road ...........................................................................24

Appendix IV - Player Handouts ................................................................ 25

Appendix V - Revision History ................................................................. 27

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PrefaceAS-2 Smoke on the Horizon is the second story

adventure in the Asatania Crashing Chaos cam-paign. Likely uneasy about the events that have led them to this point, players will learn that the Kan Demon have murdered the local Imperium Prefect and ransacked the countryside.

They may even wonder whether heading to Bray’s Bay is a good idea, but they will probably take some solace in their ability to deal with Kan Demon soldiers so far.

They’ll continue to meet non-players characters that will be woven through the larger story over the coming weeks. Their initial interactions with those NPCs will determine how many in the cam-paign will view them in the weeks and months to come.

Events in Asatania are in motion and game masters need to impart that feeling for the next few adventures. Players should feel pressured and unbalanced, without a sanctuary for rest and recovery, utterly unable to stop in order to catch their breath.

Everything should feel straightforward to play-ers right now. The Imperium should represent civilization and high values while the Kan Demon should seem the bloodthirsty barbarian invaders.

Over many future play sessions, they will come to understand that the world is a far more com-plicated place than it might first appear. Which is fitting, because at level 1 or 2, the life of an adven-turer is about survival; it’s kill-or-be-killed.

I hope that you and your group enjoy play-ing this adventure as much as I have. As always, please contact me with comments, criticism and trip reports from your time in Asatania.

Michael Cerny cerny.mw@gmail.com

January 2016

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NotesAsatania Crashing Chaos Cam-paign Guide

While this adventure contains everything you need to run it, the Asatania Crashing Chaos Campaign Guide can help you paint a more vivid picture of the world, and is highly recommended. Words and phrases in bold text indicate that corresponding entries with additional information may be found in the Guide. Perusing it while you prepare for the adventure is recommended, though not re-quired.

Official PublicationsThis adventure was designed with the

Open Gaming License version of the 5th edition rules (specifically version 5.1 of the Source Reference Document), however, you may find it helpful to have copies of the official hardcover books handy.

Errata and UpdatesFrom time to time, Asatania adventures

are updated to correct errors, clarify scenes, or even just to improve them based on player feedback. This adventure, AS-2 Smoke on the Horizon is currently at revision 1.06. Revision notes are located in Appendix V.

Difficulty AdjustmentsThis adventure is designed for four to

seven characters of second level, with the optimal number being five. If you have fewer players, you need to tone down some of the combat encounters. If you have more, you need to increase the strength of the opposi-tion.

In most cases, increasing or decreasing the difficulty is a simple matter of adding or removing one creature. In more complex in-stances, suggestions have been provided.

Find us at Fantastic-Reality.comOur website at http://fantastic-reality.com

is a great resource for up-to-date information about the Asatania campaign. There you’ll find notes on development, excerpts from unpublished works, and occasional special offers.

You can also find us on Twitter at @AsataniaGM and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/FantasticRealityGames.

“I have received word of murderous raiders pillaging the countryside. Send soldiers at once.”

Prefect Aquitus

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IntroductionWelcome to the second story adventure in the

Asatania campaign.

AS-2 Smoke on the Horizon picks up where AS-1 Face Down in a Muddy Road left off.

Players will have encountered the Kan Demon invaders at least twice, once via ambush and again when they arrived in the town of Siver’s Mill.

Plot OverviewThe players have just completed either AS-1

Face Down in a Muddy Road or ASX-1 The New Mine Masters and should be continuing on to-ward Bray’s Bay. Along the way, they will encoun-ter a pillaged countryside with murdered farmers and burned farms. They will come across the local Prefect’s Manor only to find everyone mur-dered and the home looted.

At each step of the journey, it should become more clear that Bray’s Bay is in peril or has fallen altogether. They may even start to become nervous about continuing the journey, but their character’s own reasons for going to Bray’s Bay plus the entreaties of the NPCs should keep them on the path towards the coast.

Finally, they will arrive at Bray’s Bay and dis-cover a town under siege. The defenders still hold, but the situation is dire. Players will be left wondering how they might help, or even if they can, as this second adventure ends on a cliffhang-er.

The adventure should take between 3 and 5 hours to complete. Players should either be level 3 or close to it by its end.

SettingSiver’s Mill is a hamlet in the Meshel Valley

of eastern Tere. The valley was formed eons ago by glacial action and the valley floor is mostly flat, though hills start to develop as it nears the sea.

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The Meshel Run is a small river that runs down through the Pecalin Range to the sea at Bray’s Bay. Generally tame, in years of a particu-larly deep snowpack, the stream turns into a rag-ing torrent. Inhabitants of the region must deal with serious flooding every few years.

Years ago, the Old Sea Road was the main travel corridor from Regalia to Bray’s Bay. Small towns and villages popped up along the route to serve travelers and trade.

Imperium engineers eventually carved a much more direct route through the Indos mountains to Bray’s Bay leaving the Old Sea Road less trav-eled.

While farming is possible, the glaciation of the valley has left the soil rocky and difficult to work. The residents of the Meshel Valley are poor by Imperium standards and the population within the valley has slowly been declining for many years.

As the characters travel along the road to Bray’s Bay, they’ll come across farms and home-steads dotting the landscape. They will also note that the forest has reclaimed much of the land from farmers. Old foundations, the remains of stone fences and rotting wooden outbuildings can still be found in the woods.

There are abandoned towns and villages along overgrown old roads branching off the Old Sea Road that would make ripe locations for further adventures, should you wish to develop them.

Random EncountersWhen traveling along the Old Sea Road, there

is a chance that players will have random encoun-ters. Use the instructions in each scene to deter-mine when to roll for encounters.

FIGURE 1 - RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE

d20 Encounter1-10 Nothing11-18 Kan Demon Patrol19 Scared Farmer (only occurs once)20 Deserting Soldier (only occurs once)

Kan Demon Patrol1d4+2 Kan Demon will be heading along the

Old Sea Road from Bray’s Bay to Siver’s Mill. The group will always have one Kan Demon Sergeant and the remainder will be Kan Demon Troopers.

The sergeant will have 1d10 gp and the troop-ers will have 1d4 gp each.

Scared FarmerNote: if the party has already encountered a

“scared farmer,” substitute a Kan Demon patrol for this roll.

The party encounters an exhausted farm hand, named Uru Moss, walking west along the road. He will not attempt to flee from the party, as his fear of the Kan Demon makes any human face seem a friendly one.

Off the Beaten PathPlayers may try to avoid Kan Demon encoun-

ters by traveling overland rather than via the road. Elise de Cavaliere will be unhappy with this, as her life savings are tied up in her cart, but she’ll go along with any logical player plan.

Siver’s Mill is about 40 miles from Bray’s Bay. The road is easy terrain, but should the party decide to go off-road, the forest should be considered difficult terrain for the purpose of their speed.

If they take to the forest, you may find it use-ful to replace the Prefect’s Manor scene with an alternate woodland scene. Some ideas and examples can be found in Appendix I: When Things Don’t Go As Planned.

In addition, meeting Argenta is a key element of the story, so if there’s no logical way to engi-neer the encounter with her in this adventure in the event of the party taking to the forest, don’t force it. The encounter could occur after the group gets to Bray’s Bay in AS-3 Muscle, Sinew and Wood.

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