I have recently started an Eberron campaign and intend to run Seekers of the Ashen Crown for the group, however the adventure starts at 2nd level, so instead of asking the players to make 2nd level characters I put together a short adventure designed to run in 6 hours that would take them from 1st to 2nd level and give the PCs a chance to get to know each other.

Encounter 5 in this adventure was specific to our group, so when I do the encounter write-ups for this I shall attempt to include alternate ways of passing the doorway.

ADVENTURE OUTLINE…

XP Budget: 4000XP (1000XP each for 4PCs)

Region Name: Sharn

Shards of Secrets Lost

A bar fight in the Drunken Goblin draws our heroes into debt, a beautiful stranger offers to cover the debt for them, but only in exchange for a favour.

Adventure Summary: The PCs have all arrived in Sharn, the city of towers, for their own reasons and are enjoying a quiet drink in the Drunken Goblin tavern. They spy an ex-cyrian soldier enters the tavern and questions the barkeep. He is directed towards a brutish man sat drinking heavily with his companions. The encounter quickly turns to violence as the brutish man whips the bottle he is drinking from across the face of the cyrian. The PCs are dragged into a fight as the whole bar erupts into a mass melee.

After the fight the PCs are confronted by the barkeep asking them to pay for the damage they have caused. Fortunately for the PCs a beautiful woman agrees to front the fee for them, in exchange for a minor favour from them.

The woman introduces herself as Julienne d’Tharashk and informs the PCs she is searching for an item of supposed power. She believes the item is in the underbelly of Sharn, it was last known to be in the possession of a group of changeling spies and thieves known as the Chameleons. This group had a base in the depths of Sharn for many years before they were expunged by the Church of the Silver Flame. The shard is believed to still be in that base.

The PCs are given information as to the location of the old base, but not its exact location, they must use their own means to locate it. When they are finally drawing near to the base they are ambushed by a group of changelings who shout a cryptic message as they engage the PCs.

Once they defeat the changelings they finally reach the secret base only to discover the door is protected by some sort of enchantment and that they require a full changeling to bypass it. Fortunately, one of the PCs reveals himself to be a changeling.

Once they bypass the door they discover the base is still guarded, by a group of constructs.

After the constructs the find a half-buried doorway which they must clear, upon clearing it they find that the doorway has a puzzle-type locking mechanism.

Inside the doorway the do not discover the item they are looking for, they do however discover information which suggests the item was taken away before the Silver Flame attacked the base here.

On their way out of the base they are confronted by more changelings who wish for the PCs to hand over the documents they have just discovered.

Once they are finished with the changelings they can finally return to Julienne who sends them on their way thanking them for their help. She however calls them back later when she finds out further information regarding the item she seeks.

Introduction: The PCs have all arrived in Sharn, the city of towers, for their own reasons and are enjoying a quiet drink in the Drunken Goblin tavern. They spy an ex-cyrian soldier enters the tavern and questions the barkeep. He is directed towards a brutish man sat drinking heavily with his companions. The encounter quickly turns to violence as the brutish man whips the bottle he is drinking from across the face of the cyrian. The PCs are dragged into a fight as the whole bar erupts into a mass melee.

Encounter 1 (600 XP): Combat. The PCs are caught up in the melee at the Drunken Goblin. They must protect themselves from the brawlers and then deal with the watch when they turn up (Encounter 2). After the fight the watch show up and question the PCs about the brawl, they do not arrest the PCs as they did not instigate the brawl, however the tavern keeper demands reparations be paid for the damage caused. As the PCs were involved in the fight the watch agree and the PCs are asked to pay a fee of several hundred gold pieces. Luckily for the PCs a dragon-marked woman intervenes and offers to pay the fee for the PCs but they must be willing to run an errand for her.

Encounter 2 (0 XP): Role Playing. The woman introduces herself as Lady Julienne d’Tharashk, a minor member of the House of Finding. Her house has recently come upon some information and she is looking for someone to attempt to locate an item for her. The item is one of the shards of Liryana’tani (Crown of Remembrance) which was sundered by the goblins of Dhakaani many years ago.

Her information suggests the shard was discovered by a group of changelings from a secret society called the Chameleons, this group was based in Sharn and attempted to subvert power from the leaders of the city. The church of the Silver Flame viewed this as an affront to the decent people of Sharn and expunged the organization.

The Chameleons base was located in the depths of Sharn, Julienne has some information on where it may be located, however the information is out of date and incomplete.

In exchange for the PCs acquiring this item Julienne agrees to pay their debt, however if they do not hold to their bargain the house of finders will come looking for the PCs in order to collect the debt.

Encounter 3 (300 XP): Complexity 3 Level 1 Skill Challenge. The PCs take the information they have and attempt to decipher it and locate the old chameleon base of operations.

Regardless of whether the PCs are successful or not they attract the attentions of the remaining chameleons who avoided the Silver Flame attack and they are attacked before they reach the old base.

If the PCs are successful in this skill challenge they reach the doors of the base before they are attacked.

If the PCs fail in this skill challenge they are ambushed before they reach the base of operations in terrain which is much more favourable to the changelings.

Encounter 4 (600 XP): Combat. The PCs must combat the changelings in order to continue with their quest.

Encounter 5 (0 XP): Role-Playing. Once the changelings are dealt with and they reach the door, they discover that the doorway appears to be impassible, with some searching they discover that it is only possible to pass the door if they are in the presence of a changeling. Fortunately the PCs have a changeling in their group, much to their surprise.

Encounter 6 (700 XP): Combat. As soon as the PCs enter through the doorway they spy several constructs that animate, defenders of the base which are apparently still active. Once the combat is over the PCs have the opportunity to investigate the chamber further discovering evidence of the Silver Flame attack many years ago. During their investigations they also discover a doorway that appears to have been blocked by falling rubble during the fight.

Encounter 7 (500 XP): Complexity 5 Level 1 Skill Challenge/Puzzle. The PCs must dig through the rubble to unearth the doorway at which point they discover that the doorway is sealed through a complex locking mechanism. The PCs must attempt to decipher the locking mechanism to enter the complex.

Encounter 8 (0 XP): Role-Playing. The PCs discover various pieces of documentation suggesting the shard was moved elsewhere before the Silver Flame attack, though where is not disclosed. The PCs have time to discuss what this may mean before continuing.

Encounter 9 (900 XP): Combat. As the PCs attempt to leave the chameleon base they are attacked by another group of changelings, one who presume the PCs have the shard. When the PCs deny it they attack refusing to believe the PCs.

Conclusion (400 Minor Quest XP): These changelings finally dispatched the PCs can now return to Julienne and report what they have found. Julienne thanks them and promises to honour her bargain even though the PCs did not recover the shard. She informs the PCs that if they wish to continue in the search for the Shard she will contact them again when she has more information.

Major NPCs Encountered/Mentioned: Julienne d’Tharashk.

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