The Silver Cup

Party Level: 2nd (1204 XP)

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The party was caught in a storm off the coast of Yuzne and the captain beached the damaged ship in a cove. Not wanting to wait the party headed for the town of Kodyma along the old and largely unused coastal road through the dense woodland. Along they way they picked up some kobold trails, followed them and ambushed a small party of them.

Hungry Drakes (Standard)
2x Guard Drakes	250 XP
Spitting Drake	150 XP
2x Spiretop Drake	100 XP
Total (each)	150 XP

Wolf Pack (Standard; tp 4)
Dire Wolf 200 XP 2x Gray Wolf 125 XP Total (each) 112 XP	Frost Dagger +1 (on kobold corpse)

Kobold Rear Guard (Standard; tp 10)
2x Kobold Dragonshield 250 XP 2x Kobold Skirmisher 200 XP Total (each) 112 XP	30 gp and 300 sp (in locked money chest)

On reaching Kodyma and after having spent the night at the Fire Mountain inn they head out to the outlying farms for information on the kobold raids. They discover the farm of Mr and Mrs Vasylyna has been raided although little of value was stolen — only a small silver cup of sentimental value to the farmers. The cup is described by Mr Vasylyna as being inscribed with a pattern of "odd lines and such". The party resolve to track down the kobold raiders but arrive too late and see them sailing off taunting them with the silver cup as their prize: "Keep the coin! We have the shinier prize!"

The kobolds were sailing for a small group of islands and the party resolve to find a sea chart and boat and try and hunt them down.

Whilst searching for a ship and crew to hire in the taverns of Kodyma's waterfront an altercation with a belligerent sailor is avoided without violence.

Belligerent Sailor (Easy)
1x Human	150 XP
Total (each)	38 XP

Eventually, a small sailing boat (left behind by a less fortunate adventuring party) is purchased from the harbor master and with a good chart of the islands the party sail south. Along the way a clay scout homunculus lands on the ship watching everyone. When a second clay scout arrives half an hour later, Elora attacks and the two constructs are soon slain and sinking to the bottom of the Great River.

Homunculus Observers (Easy)
2x Clay Scout	250 XP
Total (each)	62 XP

The party landed on the first of the island. A heavily forested island with a small cove and a path leading upwards. A small boat was poorly concealed with branches.

Helena scouted ahead and found a small bandit group. The group agreed to asked them for information on the kobolds but were met with demands for money and threats. The bandits were eager for a fight and attacked when the party declined to pay.

Bandits (Hard; tp 1,5)
Human Mage 175 XP Elven Archer 125 XP Halfling Thief 125 XP 2x Hobgoblin Soldier 300 XP Total (each) 181 XP	Assorted coins (90 gp) 2x gemstone rings (200 gp) Great Axe +2

Having defeated the bandits and rifled their stash of loot the party sails for their next island, an apparently deserted and heavily wooded one closer to the island they suspect is occupied by the kobold (some smoke was spotted). Along the way they pass one of the other islands. On top of a small, ruined tower on this island a thin figure stands motionless, silhouetted against the sky.

Landing on the wooded island the party camps in a small clearing inland, mindful of a lair of a large creature spotted on the beach.

The following morning, an hour before dawn as the eastern sky begins to brighten they creep down to their boat, past the creature lurking in its lair and cast off and row for the kobold island.

Lurking Crocodile (Easy)
Visejaw Crocodile 175 XP Total (each) 44 XP

The party nears the kobold's island, they pass the sea cave with its signal lantern and stone jetty, and go past the shingle beach with the kobold's five ramshackle wooden huts (four small, one larger), large campfire and four sleeping kobolds. After some tricky maneuvering the boat is beached on a tiny cove on the south eastern end.

Beaching the Boat (Easy)
Level 2 complexity 1 skill challenge 125 XP Total (each) 31 XP

A plan of attack is made: distract and panic with a flaming sphere from Zotin, a surprise charge by Barnabas and Elora with sniping support from nearby concealment by Helena.

The plan is executed successfully and the kobold huts are soon cleared.

Kobold Village (Hard; tp 6,9)
2x Kobold Dragonshield 250 XP 2x Kobold Slingers 200 XP 8x Kobold Minions 200 XP Total (each) 162 XP	In Shaman's hut: 1x Potion of healing. 50 gp (in purse). 250 gp in amber gems (on non-magical totem staff).

Inside the shaman's hut, poorly concealed under a rug is a trap door leading to a tunnel. A group of kobolds lie in wait in a small room. The room is fitted out as a sort of basic magical laboratory with the equipment and material for constructing homunculi.

Kobold Shaman (Standard; tp 21,7)
1x Kobold Wyrmpriest 150 XP 2x Kobold Dragonshield 200 XP 1x Clay Scout 125 XP 1x Giant 'mouse' trap 125 XP Total (each) 150 XP	150 gp ornate silver knife. 200 sp in a small wooden box. Staff of Fiery Might +2 (in pieces and currently non-functional). Homunculi Instruction Manual (in draconic and very tattered and worn).
1 value based on assembled staff minus cost of materials to assemble it.

Two passageways lead out of the room: one smells of damp and mold and the other smells sour.

The sour smelling passageway leads to a lair of a young green dragon. It holds the sliver cup and does not want to give it up. Only some fast talking by Barnabas allows the party to leave without being attacked. The second passageway leads to underground dock with the kobold's small sailing boat tied up. Three kobold guard the area and attack.

Kobold Dock Guards (Easy)
1x Kobold Slinger 100 XP 2x Kobold Skirmisher 200 XP Total (each) 75 XP

Party Level: 3rd (2321 XP)

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After some discussion the party decide to wait until night fall before trying to retrieve the cup while the dragon is sleeping. Unfortunately it awakens and attacks, nearly killing Helena before it's killed.

Draximazix (Hard!; tp 2,5)
1x Young Green Dragon 1000 XP Total (each) 250 XP	Leather Armor +2 (still on the bones of its previous owner) An ornately bound book in draconic (250 gp) 360 gold coins (carelessly scattered)

After slaying the dragon, the cup and a roll of parchment is found. The parchment is a map of the island of Yuzne and its neighbouring islands. Lines, corresponding in angle and position to those on the silver cup have been freshly drawn on the map. The lines converge on another island to the west.

(Quest) Recover the stolen silver cup

Major Quest 600 XP (each) Total (each) 600 XP

The next location indicated on the map is the nearby small island with the ruined tower with its mysterious, motionless figure standing on top. The party sail to the island and discover that the figure is an old, undead skeleton. He's watching and waiting for something and barely remembers that it has something to do with a silver cup stored below the tower and guarded by "pirates". It's not clear who the skeleton is nor why he's there.

The rooms beneath the tower is damp and ankle deep in soggy, decaying material and debris and the doors and other woodwork is completely rotten and falls apart with the slightest touch. The "pirates" are four undead zombies. They attack.

Zombie Pirates (Normal; tp 3)
2x Zombie 300 XP 1x Corruption Corpse 175 XP 1x Rotwing Zombie 175 XP Total (each) 150 XP	Another silver cup of nearly identical design. Boots of Spider Climb (from the Watcher).

When the party return to the watcher on the tower roof he crumbles to dust and all that's left is a pair of boots.

The next point indicated on the map is on the promontory on the southern shore. The party sail there where there is is a goblin villages built around an old castle high on the cliff top. The goblins are wary but they're a tribe with a history of trading with other races and they allow the party ashore. Firrac, the goblin leader, requests aid in stopping a silent, secret, nocturnal killer.

At night the party ventures beneath the castle and enter a passageway. At the end is a stone door. It's cracked and foul black water trickles out contaminating the goblin's well. The door is broken open and inside, pilled against the door are several corpses lying in the foul black water. Something approaches from the darkness...

Skeletal Pirates (Normal)
2x Skeletons 300 XP 1x Blazing Skeleton 200 XP 1x Cavern Choker 175 XP Total (each) 168 XP

The final room is guarded by a lone ghoul wearing a mouldy tri-corner hat.

Ghoul Pirate (Normal; tp 8)
1x Ghoul 200 XP Total (each) 50 XP	The third silver cup. Emerald worth 100 gp. 125 gp.

Having explored these caves the party returns to the goblin leader and advise that their well is contaminated.

(Quest) Eliminate the silent killer in the goblin village (tp 10)
Minor Quest 150 XP Total (each) 37 XP	250 sp. Promise of a further reward if the problem is really resolved (50 gp).

The next location on the old map is some castle ruins near the large town of Rozdolny on the island of Kirove to the west. The party set sail...

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Party Level: 3rd (3576 XP)

The adventure continues in The Black Vial.