Highway Robbery

The players are part of a wagon train heading north into Arabel. The wagon train is attacked by two

large logs swinging down to crush the lead horse between them before kobolds come running out of

the trees. 20 kobolds come streaming out, ten kobolds (50 XP per PC) attack the players while the

rest do a quick smash and grab, pairs of kobolds grabbing crates before rushing back into the trees.

Anyone who chases them must face pit traps (DC 11 Dexterity save, 1d10 damage) that the kobolds

are able to easily avoid.

The wagoneer begs the players to recover the crates and that he will double his fee promised to

them to guard the wagons. On the way to the kobolds hideout they will come upon Slingdyke where

the farmer’s (Harpers in disguise) can offer some simple weapons.

Joining an Adventuring Company

A merchant, retired purple dragon, important warmage, moneylender or noble offers to give the PCs

a loan of 1,300 gp. In return they’ll receive 20% of all earnings with a fixed term of at least 5 years.

Contract has an early buy-out option of 10,000gp above the 20%

Special Ops work for the government that they can deny any connections with

Crime boss wanting to get the PCs to do his dirty work for himself.

An Esparin nationalist who wants to see the old kingdom returned to its former glory.

Pursuing the Kobolds

When the players track the kobolds back into their cave where they find five kobolds (25 XP per

player) guarding the entrance. Upon being attacked they raise the alarm inside while shooting at the

PC’s before slowly retreating back. There is another pit trap at the entrance, 20 feet deep this time

and requires 200 lbs to set it off. Kobolds are able to single step over it without causing trouble (DC

11 Dexterity save, 2d10 damage). While people are struggling with the pit trap the kobolds continue

to pepper them with arrows, using small sized tunnels as cover. There are an additional five kobolds

(25 XP per player) waiting inside.

Inside they find however many kobolds haven’t already been killed (maximum of 22) (50 XP) plus

non-combatants (elderly and young who start using the hidden exits that lead out the back. It takes

them 6 rounds to get out). The kobolds will fight while they outnumber the players, fleeing once

there is only 5 of them left. There is also a different tunnel leading further in with a shrine at the

mouth of the tunnel of a dragonborn named Morvarax who was once a mercenary but has become a

Stonelands baron. Before the shrine is where the treasure is.

If they return to the Harper farm on their way back with the broadsheets, the Harper’s ask to make

copies of the broadsheets in return for 50 gp. These broadsheets are in fact false and hold cyphers

that when decoded reveal orders to the agents. The pottery was intended to be sold to very specific

individuals.

If the players return with the broadsheets, the merchant thanks them, gives them the 200 gp as

promised and gives them the name of a local moneylender who is looking to back some adventurers

in return for any profits they make. This patron is an Esparrin descendant with strong ties to Sembia

looking for treasure from his parent’s homeland and to undermine Cormyr.

Treasure

The kobolds have the merchant’s crates (which contains various oils and wines) in addition to

various loot. They have 72 cp, 3 gp, a banged in breastplate, a +1 longsword that has the hilt

wrapped in leather. Underneath the leather is the sigil of House Goldfeather on the pommel. Finally

a locket with a painstakingly painted picture of a woman in her late twenties or early thirties. This is

the great, great grandmother of a woman the players will run into at some stage. She was the High

Lady of House Ulmair and a staunch opponent of the Cormyr-Esparin alliance. She was killed by

agents intent on seeing the marriage occur, but not before she cast a spell upon the locket to

animate whenever a direct descendant of hers held it. She warns that Jorunhast’s agent’s are killing

all of the Esparin houses who are fighting against the annexation of their kingdom and she calls for

the person who finds this locket to continue the struggle against Cormyr’s expansionist ways and to

fight for the return of Esparin’s sovereignty. The outside of the locket has an etching of a unicorn,

the emblem of House Ulmair.