Campaign Starter: Vampiric Intrigue for D&D or RPGs

This adventure can be can be easily customized to a party of any size or level, or run as a level 6-7 adventure for 5 players. It can work as a small side adventure in an existing campaign, as a standalone one-shot, or the start of a new adventure. Use the links to the tools in their relevant section to customize the adventure to your party.

Hampwater sits on a peninsula with floating islands that are held up by the roots of the plants growing on them, swaying in the current. Hampwater is the center of trade for wine, which it's well known for. An iron-willed ruler (Nalaed Ironfist, Female Dwarf) demands respect from the populace. The races live together mostly in harmony.

A vampire has opened a lucrative business in the royal city, her customers including several high-ranking members of the court. Using her charm and skills of persuasion, the vampire goes on to sell information to the rivals of the nobility (including each other), while feasting on the less prominent customers. The PCs will be hired by a member of the nobility that wants to stop the sale of their info.

Einkil Lutgehr, Male Dwarf

Description: He is constantly adorned with expensive silk clothing, often dyed in bright brown and black, and wears rings and necklaces with large, colorful gems. He carries with him a set of axes, each one with a ruby on the hilt. He only wears one on his belt and the other on his back. His auburn hair is knotted and matted. His brown eyes are passionate and lively.
Personality: He loves telling others what to do and how they should feel about things. To his fellows he is seen as friendly and intelligent, but is angry and unforgiving to the so called fatcats and any who do and have associated with them. Voice: Speaks with a cold

Einkil will hire the PCs to track down the owner of The Ghastly Pegasus, but admits he doesn't know her name. He can describe her as a well shaped woman that appears middle aged that tends to wear silk. Her hair is white and drawn into a ponytail with a clover scrunchie, and she has brown eyes. For leads, he recommends they start at her tavern, The Ghastly Pegasus.

The Ghastly Pegasus

The Ghastly Pegasus stands at a major crossroads in the noble district, with a crowd watching performers. The tavern is a brick rowhouse, with a small fenced yard and vines covering the walls and roof. It contains piles of scrolls and books scattered everywhere: on the counter and along the walls. There's a dance floor where patrons and staff can be seen dancing, and a male elf working reception.

The owner is not present, but each member of staff has a 1 in 4 chance of being a Vampire Spawn. They don't know where the owner is and are generally unhelpful in answering questions. With some investigating and prodding the patrons, the PCs will learn of a back room where the owner keeps files.

The door to the back office is locked and trapped. This trap is activated when a creature touches its surface, which delivers a dangerous surprise to anyone touching the lever.

Effect: Targets any creature that touches it, 6 (2d10) damage and DC 10 CON save or stunned for 1 round

Trigger: touch trigger, activates when surface is touched by a creature.

Countermeasures: A spell or other effect that can sense the presence of magic, such as detect magic, reveals an aura of divination magic around the surface. A successful dispel magic (DC 10) cast on the surface destroys the trap.

Attempting to destroy the lever will trigger the trap, activating the lever at range (such as with Mage Hand) can trigger the trap from a safe distance.

If the office is investigated, the PCs will find two receipts: one for Shava's Groove (DC 10 Investigation), and the other for The Spectacular Bracelet (DC 15 Investigation).

Shava's Groove

Shava's Groove is nestled in a well-lit avenue with guard towers. The blacksmith is a timber framed single storey building, with large windows and overgrown hedges. It contains an inviting hearth and a large variety of metal tongs hanging on the walls. As you approach, you see a pickpocket palm a pouch of coins from a passerby and makes his way into an alley to escape.

Shava Mystralath, Female Elf

Description: She wears a grey tunic with blue highlights, and long white pants that bunch up around her shoes, and carries axes. She is bald on top and has large golden tufts of hair around her ears. Her fierce amber eyes like to dwell on things.
Personality: She is a woman who does what she needs to. She will acquiesce to black mail and extortion to avoid trouble. She is a bit of a macho woman and will challenge people to random contests of strength and skill, and invite them to random hunting and fishing trip. Voice: Spits words with contempt

With a DC 15 Persuasion, Shava will know of the white-haired woman with clover scrunchie. However, any sort of questioning is interrupted by a group of thugs. They're on the payroll at The Ghastly Pegasus and are here to "discourage" the PCs from asking around about their boss.

Use the following encounter: 2 Dragonfang, 1 Gnoll, 1 Kobold Inventor

After defeating the thugs, Shava will admit she's only met the white-haired woman a couple times and never got her name. She knows Gormogord Stonebridge is better acquainted with her, and recommends visiting him at The Spectacular Bracelet.

The Spectacular Bracelet

The Spectacular Bracelet is found in the arcane quarter, shaded by a row of large trees. The jeweler is a wooden and large single storey building, with a small fenced yard and finely-crafted furniture. It contains a set of gold scales and various display counters with gemstones.

Gormogord Stonebridge, Male Halfling

Description: He is a mite stocky and is generally shirtless and showing off his tattooed chest. He has moderate length chestnut hair. His hazel unseeing eyes seem to look past you.
Personality: He has a massive crush on the owner of The Ghastly Pegasus. His philosophy is that everyone needs a friend and as such shows hospitality towards all. Voice: Hollow voice

Gormogord is one of the "special" clients that gets personal attention from the owner, a position he prizes highly. In fact he's fallen in love with the white-haired woman, and will do anything to protect her, including disposing of meddling adventurers. He'll refuse to assist the PCs, and will attack if pressed or if he comes to believe that they mean to arrest or otherwise harm the love of his life.

Gormogord is a werewolf and unaware that the owner of The Ghastly Pegasus is a vampire. He'll attack the PCs with his guards, and some underdark clients that he was conducting a meeting with. Use this for the encounter: 2 Drow, 2 Goblin, 1 Kenku, 1 Transmuter, 1 Werewolf

If the PCs defeat Gormogord he'll beg for mercy and tell the PCs he knows where she is currently. Her name is Emeny Heiser and had been by his shop earlier that morning. She mentioned "having some work done" at The People's Enchantments and was headed there right after.

The People's Enchantments

The People's Enchantments is along a road full of small shrines and market stalls. The enchanter is a simple terra cotta building, with a white shingled roof and dead hedges out front. It contains curtains draped over the walls and a bookshelf full of paintings and supplies.

As the PCs enter the room they see a room full of paintings and two women, a human and a halfling. At their intrusion, the halfling will shout in alarm and fill the room with a strange smoke that looks like brushes of paint. When the players regain their senses, they find themselves trapped in the landscape one of the paintings showed. Also in this environment are creatures, all of which possess small bottles of strange, clear, strong-smelling liquid.

The players are trapped inside a magical painting. The liquid in the bottles is turpentine. Splashing the liquid on any player or creature/NPC in the painted world causes them to take a high amount of acid damage. If a player is reduced to 0 HP by this acid damage, they are freed from the trap and awake normally in the room where they fell asleep.

Both the woman and halfling have fled the room and blocked the door. The door can be broken with a DC 13 Athletics check, where they'll find the human has fled leaving only the halfling behind.

Jasmine Stoutman, Female Halfling

Description: This petite short woman is perpetually holding a chocolate of some kind. She wears a red collared shirt and brown skirt. She accessorizes with a tan scarf around the waist and a bandolier diagonally across her shirt, marred by chocolates. Her hair is cut close to her head. She wears crescent spectacles with a black brim.
Personality: This woman loves painting and to teach people painting more than just about anything. She has a cruel streak; something she gained from her previous mentor. She harbors resentment against her former mentor. Voice: Laughs frequently while speaking

Jasmine is a coward and will quickly surrender if interrogated. She can confirm that the human woman was indeed Emeny Heiser, and that she turned to mist and fled. She's known Emeny was a vampire, and is paid well to keep quiet and help hide the vampire's presence. She knows where Emeny's home is, and can give the PCs directions.

Emeny Heiser's House

Emeny can be found in the den with 2 hostages, and other rooms can contain hostages as well.

Emeny Heiser, Female Human

Description: A well shaped woman just over fifty, she wears silk and lounges about seductively. Her white hair is drawn into a tight pony tail with a clover scrunchie. Her eyes are brown and beady.
Personality: Quiet and reserved she prefers to listen than to talk. She will nod occasionally and communicate nonverbally. She is often prim and proper but will on occasion tell either really disgusting or offensive jokes, which seem out of character. Voice: Speaks with a cold

Emeny will ask the PCs why they've been hunting her, and try to find out who hired them. If the PCs mention Einkil Lutgehr, she'll become surprised and confused, and reveal that Einkil is her master. She'll try to uncover any possible motivation for his betrayal, and eventually conclude that this must be a power grab.

Emeny won't force a combat here, and may come to a compromise with the PCs or threaten them with the safety of the hostages. If a combat breaks out, she's a vampire and not easily defeated. During combat, she can use her Bite on the hostages if no PCs make better targets. She's an intelligent and cunning combatant, prioritizing disabling healers and charming damage dealers.

If the PCs learn the truth about Einkil and return to him, he won't be present. This could lead into a larger campaign where the players try to find him and uncover the seedy underworld of a vampire clan operating within the city.

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