Belzack (3.5e Quest)

Belzack

Intended for four level 3-5 adventurers.

This town has always suffered from goblin attacks, but never so frequently or relentlessly. The addition of zombies to the list of attackers is unsettling as well, and the village will reward players that can figure out the root of the problem and resolve it.

• Prep Time 30 mins
• Play Time 1+ hrs

History

The town has always suffered from goblin attacks, but never so frequently or relentlessly. The addition of zombies to the list of attackers is unsettling as well. The villagers seem quite evasive to any outsiders' questions, and they are very distrustful of the PCs.

Background

Traveling through a dense forest, the PCs come across a small village. The village is populated by farmers and other mountain folk. They eye you at first with what may be hope, mingled with wary caution, but eventually leave you alone. After wandering the village for a while, you are stopped by a small, disheveled looking man. He warns you against adventuring further into the woods, explaining how the village has been the victim of many brutal goblin raids, composed of goblins both alive and dead. He introduces himself as Todd, the village innkeeper, and offers free boarding at his inn, The Brass Tack, should you help remedy the situation.

Hook

Something about this town makes you feel... uncomfortable. Are the villagers hiding something? They try to avoid any attempt you make at conversation. The helpful yet bleary eyed innkeeper warns you against pursuing further into the woods, telling tales of hordes of undead goblins, attacking anyone and everyone that they see. He is oddly forceful in his attempts to keep you in the village.

NPCs

Villagers

Todd, the innkeeper;

Melina, a milkmaid;

Rick, a miner;

Jarah, a miner;

Cloo, a miner;

S'nei, a lumberjack;

Chad, a lumberjack;

Goblins

Grink, Goblin of the Sunned Caves;

Tump, Goblin of the Sunned Caves;

Yorra, Goblin of the Sunned Caves;

Hirr, Goblin of the Half Moon Caves;

Wolm, Goblin of the Half Moon Caves;

Gomwrath, Goblin of the Half Moon Caves (dead and turned zombie by Sunned Caves Goblins)

Others

Belzack, the Ogre Mage necromancer an self proclaimed Chieftain of the Half Moon Caves;

Wonx, an Orc warrior of the woods;

Wonx's crew, the orcs that follow Wonx around;

Emach and Omach, two Dretch summoned by Belzack via the onyx stones;

Items

Armor of Undead Control[1]

Onyx Stone of Animate Dead and Teleport

Stage One: The Altar

The next day you go out to the woods to find the goblins. One must either use search check to find the tracks not follow them (DC 10), or have to have the track feat to follow them across woodland soil. When you do you will see them gathered by an altar. The alter has a stone table in the middle with an undead goblin of the Half Moon Caves on it, along with 4 stone pillars around the table.

If you choose to run, you must succeed in a move silently roll (DC 15) or have the stealthy feat. If you want to fight, you can try a charge or ambush. The goblins have no magic of their own, so what you need to do is find how they are bringing the dead back to life.

Enemies: 3 Goblins (SRD:Goblin) of the Sunned Caves, goblin zombie (Gomwrath): This is a goblin with Zombie traits explained here (SRD:Zombie)

You have to kill the goblins, goblin zombie, and a voodoo priest (he too, is a goblin). But he can not cast spells for some reason...

Enemies: Voodoo goblin with Armor of Undead Control (SRD:Undead Controlling) fitted for a goblin and instead of Morningstar or Javelin use a short staff or small SRD:Quarterstaff

After you kill the Voodoo goblin, you must find where the zombies were coming from. you must search the altar. You will find a black onyx stone with an Animate Dead ability. You can:

A: Destroy it, but if you do you will be cursed with -2 Dex until lifted Hardness Check: 6 HP: 2

B: Bring it back to the town where it will bring fear over everyone, via a Levitate spell, the villagers will then drive out the adventures due to fear. If anyone touches it, including villagers, see below. The adventurers can still touch the stone and continue with the quest.

C: If you touch it, you will be teleported to a graveyard along with the stone and anyone within 50 ft., where you will find a flesh golem. In his head you see a purple stone. The stone being used in its construction and making; you must destroy them both. The teleportation only responds to human flesh for some odd reason.

D. Use Detect Evil on the stone to discover it has a Permanent Animate Dead Spell cast on it and a demonic aura present within though no creatures can be sensed with the stone. This can be done after teleporting to the graveyard but not if it is destroyed. HD of source 4, no direct source can be given.

Enemies: Flesh Golem (SRD:Flesh Golem)

Stage Two: The Graveyard

Once you destroy the golem you will see many opened graveyards. The golem was supposed to be the protector of the place but after killing it a spell will be cast: Animate Dead which in this case cannot be dispelled upon casting. 3 zombies will get up you have 5 minutes to kill them (each round is 6 seconds) and find out a way to get out of there (if you have a paladin after killing the zombies he can figure from where the demonic aura comes). There would be also a question. The players will need to figure out the enemies' purpose and how to get out safe (if they don't want to fight yet). If there is no paladin you can give them a hint that they have to move north, but ask them how they will they figure out which way is north or else a necromancer will show up and you will have to fight. You can also run away and win some time to prepare a plan. The place is supposed to be creepy and dark.

enemies - 3 zombies. SRD:Human Zombie and if applicable a Necromancer Lvl 4 (Evil Cleric with Death Domain)

Stage Three: Demonic Aura Followed

Upon following the demonic aura north or with the hint provided, the adventures encounter Wonx, a Orc Warrior of the woods, traveling through the graveyard and surrounding areas for adventurers to attack and steal from; however, they also have a specific item...

Enemies: Wonx Orc Warrior Level 3, 2 Orc Warriors Level 1, and 1 Orc Ranger Level 1 (Switch Dex and Str Scores for this Orc under (SRD:Orc) and equip it with a short bow instead of javelin and switch Falchion with Short Sword as melee weapon).

Upon resolving of this encounter the adventures and do a search check of the bodies (DC:10). It's easy to find the item in question and standard treasure. This item is a similar onyx stone as the first! However, the Orcs seemed to not be able to use its abilities and the stone has never been cast with a Teleport spell, but has Animate Dead inscribed deep to its core. The stone emits a demonic aura that is concentrated when walking further north towards the next area.

Upon traveling roughly one mile from the initial spot teleported to in the graveyard, the adventurers will encounter the source of the demonic aura!

Stage Four: Demonic Aura Confronted

Upon traveling one mile following the onyx stones' aura, the adventurers confront Belzack, the ogre mage, and two goblins of the Half Moon Caves! They are around an alter with a half-moon present on the front and a small chest is behind it (treasure upon completing the quest adhering to the Encounter Level or the quest). He thanks the adventurers for bringing the onyx stones together for him as he was using them to create an army of undead villagers to help him enslave the village as the numbers of his goblins are dwindling of the Half Moon caves. As the stones gravitate towards him by some unseen force he chants "oonooma gapetm" or arise demons in Abyssal. Two dretch Emach and Omach appear out of the stones to fight the adventurers.

If the dretch are dispatched then Belzack needs to be dealt with as he was scared by the presence of the dretch as well as were his goblin minions. Upon killing Belzack and the goblins the quest in completed and the DM can explain that the Sunned and Half Moon Goblins were warring factions. The Sunned trying to discover the use of the stones and such.

To return to the alter and from there the village, the onyx stone that was first found must be touched teleporting the adventurers back to the alter and from there to the village for rewards from the villagers at the DMs discretion (a place to stay for free and a small amount of gold pieces as the village is poor). Now the adventurers face a new day with another quest behind them and can venture out of the town from there if no other quests are present. Also, to insure the village is never plagued by this evil again the stones can be destroyed, Hardness DC and HP mentioned above, the curse of -2 Dex will not be incurred as the demons were the source of this. The adventures can prove to the village of their accomplishments by a easy Diplomacy check of DC 5.

Enemies: 2 Goblins of the Half Moon Caves (SRD:Goblin), Belzack (SRD:Ogre), and Omach and Emach (SRD:Dretch)

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Quests