Pre-scene Notes
We’re finally going for another Cave dive! I feel the pacing of this campaign is too slow with seemingly so many things happening outside the Cave so far, so I’ll try and concentrate on this. This session will show how the Cave dive mechanism can further develop Cavesmuth’s NPCs’ backstories.
Scene setup/conflict:
Party back to step one before the incident at the Docks, and have to find a way to build fame
No altered/interrupted scene
Scene:
The party ate breakfast at the tavern hall upstairs in silence. For once, Filli was the last to join them, but now with a reanimated Fido in tow. The Cliff’s Edge Tavern was littered with patrons as per all hours of the day, and they were still talking about the ship that crashed into the Docks. It had been towed back into the quay now, but the repair and cleaning work on the Docks were going to continue for a while.
Soke plopped some bacon and eggs in front of Filli with a large jar of milk, grunting a shortie like him needed his milk to grow. Filli seemed like he had not heard her, bags under his eyes, still thinking about what Voldan said yesterday. Weird Elf told him to cheer up, and the party decided maybe it was worth going to the Trade House or Governor’s Office to see if any new requests were up.
As they arrived at the Town’s Square however, in front of the Cave of Dreams, there was again a large crowd gathering. The party, with Zar’s and Yankovic’s tall frames, managed to squeeze towards the front and saw Osran himself sitting behind a makeshift stall in front of the Cave’s entrance. He seemed to be handing out miscellaneous items to adventurers that were planning to enter the Cave under the glaring sun.
Osran spotted the party, particularly Weird Elf, and headed over. Weird Elf obviously took a step back, readying his shield, but to his surprise, Osran bowed his head in front of all the townsfolk and publicly apologised for his behaviour on the ship yesterday. He attributed it to being to being of a muddled mind with Hiba having lost his memories, and now the other healers had also confirmed Yankovic’s diagnosis, could only hope for forgiveness. Yankovic was a bit flustered, considering Osran was the governor of this whole place, and a man of his position bowing to a commoner would be impossible to think of in the Capitol. However, he quickly recovered and started trying to entice Osran to join the Church of Xanthia.
Osran sidestepped the question and diverted Yankovic’s attention to how the Governor will show full support to a Church of Xanthia at some point in the future if Yankovic was able to drum up the support. Clearly an empty promise at this stage, Osran was able to shrewdly change the conversation to what the party could do to further Yankovic’s aims of starting a church here.
Osran explained the reason he was here first thing in the morning was because he was giving out items that may lead the adventurers’ Cave dives to reach a location where they could have a chance of curing memory losses. He understood the scholars were still researching the link between a party’s possessions and where they end up in the Cave, but this was the only measly thing he could do to help his childhood sweetheart at this point. He even struck a deal with the Roses where any adventurers returning with memory-loss related items will be rewarded handsomely, especially if it helped Hiba Arrington.
Filli asked if they could have one as well, thinking this may be a useful opportunity for Yankovic. Instead of a pile of other miscellaneous items on the stall, Osran actually took an item from underneath the counter and gave it to the party. It looked to be a piece of dried fin broken off from some kind of sea creature. He said the item was from a powerful creature that had memory draining powers, and although he had been saving this for the more famous adventuring parties, he considered with the party’s strange affinity and getting involved with the Docks incident, maybe fate would have make it more likely for the party’s Cave dive with it to encounter something more relevant than others.
Filli, obviously not having fully reflected on Voldan’s words yesterday, accepted the quest readily. Zar did not have much to do with it and agreed as the party went into the Cave for their second expedition. Once they were amidst the fog and the hustle of Town’s Square were no longer heard, Zar pointed over to Yankovic. Zar stated there would be hard choice if they indeed did find a memory loss curing item, as he would rather use it on Yankovic than to hand it over to Osran for his goodwill.
Zar and Yankovic did Insight checks for Osran’s motives, getting only 11 and 5 respectively.
Yankovic just said they can consider this if they even ended up at a place that could give them such an item. Zar said he was just voicing his mind and admitted he could not see past whether it was all an act from Osran. The public apology to Yankovic would actually help Osran’s public image here at a frontier town with many untamed adventurers. On Osran seemingly getting his own hands dirty in front of the cave, Zar was not sure if the whole worried act for the Lady Arrington was truly because he was smitten by her, or Osran was just fabricating a blatant, but controllable and defendable weakness. Or the most complex scenario, it was a bit of both, especially with Banquo’s ties with the Arringon family in the Capitol. Either way, Osran’s reactions and proactiveness now would get its way back to the Capitol for damage control or otherwise.
Filli was horrified at this quick apt example of his saviour complex without thinking about how the item could help Weird Elf, and apologised at this clearly immature world view. He offered to perform a ritual to Identify the dried fin Osran had given them as they walked through the mist and he rode on Fido. However, very little was fed back from the spell, considering it was not a proper magical artefact or tool. Filli explained the Identify spell had its limits, and it did not tell of an item’s history, just how to utilise it and its magical nature. The spell feedback did indeed confirm the fin was a part of a very magical creature, but other than that, it had no other function more than a souvenir piece, or as they were using now for Cave dives.
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As the party talked through this, the fog had cleared and they found themselves on a forest path instead of any dungeon this time. There were thick woods on either sides of them, which looked normal enough that they had no cause for straying from the path. A guard outpost of some kind could be seen in the distance at the end of the path. The outpost had a wooden logged fence and a scout tower, with the guard house atop a small stone hill within. A small lake on one side of the path up towards the camp made it look a little idyllic for any type of military operation, but its firmly closed wooden gate suggested otherwise.
The guard outpost was a map I’d found by Penanegra and immediately I knew I can run a short campaign restricted to this one location. A murder mystery was ideal. As the party approached the gates, a scout at the top of the tower halted them and asked what their business were. Zar and Yankovic looked at each other and Yankovic said they were passing by and would just like to take a rest at the camp. The scout was unable to make the decision and therefore shouted at another footman to ask the guard captain for further instructions, while training a crossbow at the party.
Zar this time gave Yankovic advantage in the Insight check, as Zar had proficiency even if Yankovic’s score was higher, translating in story that the two of them were conferring on the scout’s demeanour. Scored a 16.
The party waited, but ready to flee if necessary, considering they could see the scout trying his best to hide his nervousness, or even dread. For an out of the way outpost like this, they were not expecting the scout to be this stressed, as they did not see any cause for concern or signs of dangers on their path here. There were even fish in the pond happily swimming next to them.
Not long after, a footman climbed the tower to whisper something in the scout’s ear, who nodded. The footman climbed back down the tower while the scout spoke to the party, with noise of people behind the wooden gate moving to open it.
“The Captain wants to speak with you, travellers! This is the Greenhand Outpost, and although it is some distance from the front lines now, it’s still a military fortification of the Empire. In other words, don’t think about straying about where you don’t belong, or I’ll shoot you on sight.”
It was only at this point I’d thought to roll random NPC generator for the people inside the outpost. I don’t plan to go into separate posts going into details of the system I’d used, as that’s basically writing the whole custom RPG system, but should be able to follow along with the actual play posts.
For this campaign, I’d limited the scope by restricting the outpost to only have 10 NPCs. I used GM Apprentice as an NPC Generator to roll all 10 at once, and used its crumbs of info for each, was actually able to come up with some minor relationship maps, motives, and possible clues for the future whodunnit. I’d pasted them all into the same spreadsheet, and picked and chose things as I saw fit, making notes at the bottom. Whether I use those links in the story depends on how the PC’s investigations will be, but this definitely generated a sturdy foundation for the campaign.
As linked in the post-scene notes, GM Apprentice is useful as a one-stop-shop generator for other things, playing solo or not.
The party saw a gnome with a huge beard down to his bellybutton heaving the massive wooden gates open a crack. He was slightly slumped over from age, and worn a thick cloak even for the mild weather. He gestured for the party to come in with a grin, “Hail there travellers. I’m Kevolo Truebuckle, one of the soldiers stationed here. As Alorin said, just keep with me and you’ll be fine. Come along now. Let’s go.”
Their escort seemed friendly enough, unlike the scout Alorin, who kept a watchful eye on their backs even as they entered. Kevolo led them North, all the while engaging Filli in conversation, whether it was because of the strange Fido or they were of similar height.
The party past the training ground on its West and a row of stationery tents to the East, where the wheelbarrows and pack animals suggested it was actually the storage and reception area for the outpost’s resources. A path separate to the North West, which the party saw another bigger tent in the distance but not sure what else laid around the corner. Kevolo continued to lead them up some stone steps pick-axed out of the native rocky hill to the stone guard house.
The guardhouse had a front reception area, and then three bedrooms on its East. Kevolo explained he shared one of these bedrooms with another guard, with only the Captain having his own room while the labourers had their own tents outside at where they had past by the entrance to the outpost. Round the reception’s wall, there was a small living area, like a staff break room, and a card game on the table. Another door from the break room led to the kitchen, as indicated by the smell and clangs of pots inside. Kevolo opened the door to the kitchen, asking where the Captain was.
“The Captain is at the graveyard,” a child’s voice replied out from the kitchen but how the girl looked took the whole party by surprise.
A half orc girl stood, about ten in age, wearing an oversized blood stained apron. She had a stoic expression on her face and a severed piece of meat on her counter. She had a half-raised cleaver in her hand, standing atop a stool and ready to deliver another chop. The scene was weird enough as it was, but the fact that the girl looked like Soke Buclym from the inn about ten years younger was the most disturbing thing for the party.
“Brant, that rascal, he should’ve told me that’s where the Captain was. Alright gang, about turn.” Unaware of the party’s reactions behind him, Kevolo murmured and gestured for the way they came. He called back to the young Soke before closing the kitchen door, “I know you said you were fine, but take it easy, okay kid?”
Soke did not respond and the sound of thud and severed bone came from the now closed kitchen door.
As the party walked back the way they came and took the branching path outside, the talkative Kevolo said almost to himself. “Poor kid. Her name is Soke and she lost her parents years ago. By what or who, I don’t know. But the cook was her parents’ friend and was the one who raised her. He could only get a job as an army cook, so she just had to follow. Zimala tries to take her under her wing, but the kid’s just got that sort of heartbreaking personality. I mean, we told her she doesn’t need to cook in place of her uncle today, right after what happened, but she doesn’t listen.”
The party were also whispering amongst themselves behind the distracted Kevolo. Considering the party had entered the Cave right after Soke’s breakfast hit their bellies, it was possible that had triggered the location of this Cave dive to be related to her instead of Osran’s mysterious fin - after all, no one was sure yet how Cave dive locations were triggered. Weird Elf joked whether she had slipped a hair into Zar’s food. Regardless, they also remembered this could be an alternate universe, so who knew if this was really a glimpse into Soke’s past or not. Whether this would yield them any memory aiding items, nobody could tell. They were more likely to get an item that killed cooks.
Arriving past the Western corner of the outpost, they reached what appeared to be a plot of land with a few gravestones that the camp called the graveyard. A gangly man with a mane of wild hair turned around from in front of the grave when he heard their footsteps. From his uniform, it was clear he was the captain of the outpost. An older lanky man with an eyepatch over one eye looked up, but returned to tending to the makeshift ceremony table in front of him. A pyre was being built by two other guards behind them. They were preparing for a funeral.
“Fiorn Wychfrost, Captain of the Greenhand Outpost.” The tall man approached and offered a strong hand to all three party members. Even Zar had to look up at him due to his height as the party introduced themselves. The Captain continued, “As you can see travellers, you have happened upon us during an unpleasant circumstance. Please, come with me. Kevolo, help Zimala and Nirya with the pyre. Travellers, please follow me.”
The Captain led the party to the big tent they had past on the way. Upon entering, it clearly seemed to be an armoury, stocked with arrows and spare training dummies. What was jarring though was the table in the middle, where the body of an orc laid.
“This is Malfie, our cook for the outpost, until very recently. We found his body this morning, and had closed off the outpost since then. We are preparing a funeral now to cremate him, although we usually bury the dead under Asu.” The Captain paused and made a religious gesture Yankovic recognised as the God of Arcane, Asu. “We don’t have much time before we must burn the body for… well, obvious reasons as you’ll see with the body. I’m afraid with the state of affairs, although you travellers are complete strangers to us, the fact that you were not here in the outpost until now makes you the perfect candidates to investigate this… murder. Yes, it pains me to believe there is a murderer of comrades amongst us, but I do beseech you to help us. As you are who everyone could be completely sure are innocent an unbiased. We have been living together in the outpost since this was the front lines of the war, and although this is just part of the supply route now, we all knew each other for years and I do not want suspicion and mutual doubt to overcome the outpost. I will try my best to find something of value to reward you, but I do ask for your assistance.”
Despite the humble tone and imploring attitude, the Captain in actuality gave the party little choice but to assist. He did not know the party had to solve the murder as the blatant mission to leave this Cave dive, and civilians did not simply saunter out of a military installation after being told of an in-house murder. Even now, without word, the Captain gestured for them to examine the body to test their capabilities. It really was the party appearing at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Considering this is the initial investigation step, and with my proposed method of running a solo murder mystery, they need some clues to get started. How many though, I made the party collective roll Perception, Investigation, and Medicine to determine how detailed they got. I also used Mythic (yes/no) to interrogate the depth of answers (or even more clues) to give to the party, although I have some ideas already that I would by default give out some clues through the Captain if the party had really bad rolls. Filli rolled an Investigation 8, Yankovic a Medicine 9, and Perception 22 from Yankovic at advantage as Filli also has proficiency. I also used the Mythic (yes/no) questions to confirm what they had found.
The party had certain skills, including Yankovic for some medical skills from the church, but none of them had done any forensics and Zar was basically just a standing stump. Filli and Yankovic never examined a body for a murder case before, and were never in town guards, but they tried their best under the watchful eye of the Captain to see what they could spot on the corpse.
The Orc was middle aged, but looked like he had some strength in his arms even for a cook. His clothes had been torn and ripped, with deep slashing lacerations all over his torso, throat, and back. The wounds were deep, and in streaks of four. The victim’s expression looked as if he tried to struggle, and fight off the assailant before he bled out. Considering it was only found this morning, the body was fresh and only had smells of cooking from his clothes and the blood soaking them. There were grass in his hair, therefore the body must have been outside at some point. They even checked to see if there were any weird colouring on the body or something in its throat, but found nothing short of having to open up the body. They unanimously agreed they were not cutting up Soke’s uncle. Lastly, his knuckles had blood on them, and spotting his hands grasped, they opened it to find a button in one of them. They searched his pockets and clothes but otherwise found no other items or belongings.
Zar at this point having stood there useless, remembered one of his few paladin tricks and cast Divine Sense on the body. Mythic rolled an Exceptional Yes at 50/50. Zar had to pinch his nose and back off, his unlucky charm returning as he choked for fresh air from the stench of one or more fiends as a feedback from the spell.
Filli started an Identify ritual on the blood on the orc’s fist, but the Captain stopped them there. “I can save you the ritual as we’d already done it. So what have you found so far?”
The party conferred and supplied an answer, “The victim was killed in a fight against some sort of fiend with claws we think, outside.”
“Yes Malfie was found in the training grounds this morning, and I had already ritual cast the Identify. From your half-orc friend’s reaction, it was a creature most foul indeed, which is why we have the cremate the body. I suspect we have a werewolf amongst us.”
Filli Investigation check 10
“Werewolves are pretty rare, and considering there is only one murder, the murderer must have got infected from somewhere to begin with?” Filli asked.
“That is a mystery to me as well. No one in the camp is well versed in the lore of the lycanthropy curse as far as I know…” The Captain looked at the party, and to his dismay, also showed blank faces. “Regardless, the fact that there had been one victim meant there may well be another. Not to mention, why Malfie? Just because he spotted the transformation or other motives? I dare say, wherever there is more than one person, there is a network of relationships, and that’s the same here. Although I would like to think none of which can lead to murder…”
At this point, the lanky old man with the eye patch from before entered the armoury tent, quietly but enough to be noticed. “Fiorn, the ceremony preparations are ready.”
“Very well,” with a nod the old man returned out of the tent. “I am glad you’ve timely arrived to have had the chance to examine the body for yourselves. You would have the chance to ask all the questions you need of everyone at the camp after the funeral. That is including myself. I know so little about the lycanthropy condition, who knows if I would have no memories of me howling at full moons. Oh, spare the thought…”
The Captain once again made a gesture of Asu before continuing.
“I have sealed the gates of the outpost ever since the body was discovered, apart from when you have came in, therefore the suspect must be within these walls. No one is missing from the outpost, and they will all be at the funeral. I understand you must be weary from your journey, therefore please make up your tents afterwards in this area. Ungrateful a host as I would sound, I must ask you to start your investigations in earnest first thing tomorrow when Kevolo fetch for you, as he will escort you at all times within the outpost. I just have a bad premonition, this may not be the last murder… Not to mention, the next supply escort for the front lines is expected within the week. If we do not solve this murder by the time the escort arrives here, I am afraid the escort in charge may choose the ultimate option. They are a more straight-forward bunch, and they will rather kill all the suspects to be certain rather than trying to find the real killer.”
The Captain did not say it, but the party fully knew that would include them if they did not find the killer within the week.
More in the next post, but this Cave dive is going to be conducted in an altered structure to keep up the pace. Basically, at the end of each investigative session, the PCs will likely get more Clues to solving the case. Note Clues are not exactly the complete set of information on the case, eg Malfie being Soke’s guardian, but more specific leads to investigate on, although PCs may choose to talk to Soke or anyone else instead. Note to solve the case, Clues aren’t enough, and PCs need to form the Clues into either Evidence or Alibi associated with each suspect. So Clues are basically just the facts. More to be explained in the next post, but so far after the body examination, the Clues list are as follows:
- Malfie’s cause of death are sets of quadruple lacerations
- Malfie was found morning of Day0, time of death assumed to be Day0 early morning/night before
- Malfie was found in the training grounds
- A werewolf may be the murderer
- Button found grasped in Malfie's hand
The PCs then in the next session are able to follow up on any of the Clues, either by investigating a location or questioning a suspect etc. This means there’ll always be a direction for the PCs to go (unless they really get into a dead end…). Anyway, the main murder mystery session starts next time.
Scene close-out:
- Chaos factor back up to 6.
- + party thread: Find item to cure Hiba Arrington of memory loss.
- + party thread: Investigate murder at the outpost
Post-scene Notes
I do like a good whodunnit but I realised running a solo RPG campaign is difficult, considering the main draw I think is that we don’t know who the killer is. That’s the reason I want to dedicate this Cave dive to see if I can find a simple system to basically go with the flow. At this stage of play, I still don’t know who the ultimate killer and how many/who the victims will be. It’ll all be up to the dice gods and the way the PCs carries out the investigation.
I think this is a good place to note some of the very useful things I use sometimes, but for this scene, used a lot more frequently and made things just generally easier. It may not be to the style of everyone, as I’m not your traditional pen and paper and use the computer a lot, but here they are:
- GM’s Apprentice is a useful and succinct one-page random generator for a massive array of info you may want to roll for, incl quests/NPCs etc.
- Kobold+ Fight Club, where it gives a good idea of judging your party’s current level to monsters you want to pitch them against, as well as just a great DND bestiary
- Assistant for Mythic app by glezmen, which just digitise the Mythic GME process instead of looking up tables, including triggering for random events and key words etc. Doesn’t support version 2 as far as I know.
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