Intro Plot Point: Slavers on the Long Road

This is the recommended starting point for the campaign.

Depending on when this plot point is introduced will determine how the party stumbles upon it. They could have picked it up in a settlement or happened upon it while on the Long Road during another quest. If stumbling on it while on another quest, they can turn in the quest, if they find it on a job board later and they have the required proof.

This plot point starts the main story. The quest is to patrol The Long Road for bandits as there have been frequent attacks as of late. The attacks have not been the normal bandit raiding parties, as victims are being captured and sold into slavery. While the slave trade in Umi is legal, capturing free civilians and enslaving them is not. The problem is being ignored because the king of Byhase is busy with a border war.

The bandit group responsible for the attacks is part of the Jade Daggers. They were assigned to cause problems on The Long Road during the border war to weaken King Byhase's image and ability to govern their empire. The goal is to have the king replaced with Lord Malcom Mastoff, a man who works for the Jade Daggers. Ignoring the road disruptions could make King Byhase look weak and give Lord Mastoff an opportunity to convince the emperor's council to let him rule the Byhase Kingdom.

What the Jade Daggers didn’t account for was a merchant looking to hire an adventurer party to keep the road safe. Lord Herald Hastings is a very honorable and legit merchant who has no problem dealing with issues when others will not. He’s trade company uses The Long Road for most of its business therefore, an increase in bandit activity is unacceptable.

The Hastings Call to Arms

Lord Hastings is a very honorable man who believes in taking matters into his own hands when others will not. He has earned his wealth and status through trade and manufacturing, specifically in the textile industry. When he is working hard, he is using his wealth to better the people and aid them wherever he can; including taking the law into his own righteous hands. He has a strong reputation with the Byhase guards and their commanders.

Lord Hastings has put a call out for adventurers to aid in the safety of the Long Road, as the king has refused to provide it. He has issued documents for each adventurer who accepts his quest. These signed documents make you an honorary guard of Byhase and command you to patrol the Long Road in the kingdom. They are to search for bandits impersonating slave traders who are wrongfully enslaving travelers to be sold on the black market. Each document has a number system and meeting location to show which adventurers are to patrol together. The documents will expire ten days after the indicated date.

One of the bandit groups impersonating slave traders has Kinder locked in their wagon, along with a few other victims. Two of the slaves are actual slaves but four, including Kinder, are civilians wrongfully enslaved. One of the four is also Shmoo in his commoner disguise, as he is investigating the bandits as well.

Shmoo will not reveal himself and will remain as a clueless commoner with all his odd curiosity about others. It is possible through all the chaos he uses his hiding ability to disappear and watch from the shadows.

This quest starts the overarching main plot point for Returning the Hammer. Before starting this plot point, read up on Kinder and Shmoo’s profiles.

Reward Details

Lord Hastings requires proof through bandit ears. Each ear (one per bandit) rewards five gomi with a base reward of forty gomi, to a maximum of one hundred.

Roadside Situations

There are a few situations the party can come across while patrolling the road. For each day they spend on the road, roll based on the table below. Except for the sixth, each situation can only happen once. If a roll results in a previous situation, move down to the next situation that hasn’t happened.

1. Although the bandit slavers are affiliated with the Jade Daggers, they aren't connected to the scheme of disrupting trade on The Long Road. The slavers are transporting slaves owned by the Jade Dagger’s copper mining company, The Copper Nugget. They are unaware of their employer’s plot and are simply carrying out their duties. Dirt cakes the slaves loose and pale skin.
• Creatures: Bandits, adult commoners.
2. On their way to Avac, the legal slaver is getting the required paperwork to sell their slaves at the auction. The slave brands, along with a sealed notice, show proof the slavers are legit in their business according to the laws of Umi. The slaves appear to be moderately healthy considering their situation.
• Creatures: One traveling merchant, three adult commoners.
3. This slave trader is legally within the laws of Umi and is on their way to the slave auction in Avac. They have all the required paperwork for each of their slaves. The slaves look healthy for being slaves, and a few have muscular builds like that of gladiators.
• Creatures: One traveling merchant, guards, six adult commoners.

4. Main Event The slavers are not registered slave traders and are Jade Dagger Bandits. They are capturing free citizens and selling them in the black market. A married couple, Maltus and Gorgas, were among the captives. Their daughter disappeared during the attack, which could be important for the plot involving the necromancer's cave. To track the child, the party would need to travel about half a day down the road to the location of the bandit attack on her parents’ wagon.

   Among the captives is Kinder. The bandit slavers could not take away Kinder’s master’s war hammer but could knock him out and shackle him. Even when unconscious, he would not release his grip on the hammer.

   The third captive is a human who has little to no concern for his captivity, as he knows he can escape whenever he wishes. This captive is Shmoo and can be a helpful character for the game master to use throughout the campaign should the party need any assistance. He disappears during the chaos of the party, freeing the captives as he is very good at it. Refer to Shmoo for his stats and information.

• Creatures: Bandits, Kinder, and three adult commoners
5. The caravan is a group of fur traders from the Empire of Rafaite headed to the Page Empire. The caravan master is the only one who speaks Umish, krkn, and Raf’Shat, otherwise they all speak only Raf’Shat. Besides the drivers and servants, there are eight guards (two per wagon) that are a mix of Shishiza and Raf’Shat. All the guards look menacing, muscular, and intimidating. Being from the Rafaite Empire, the caravan has no slaves.
• Creatures: One aristocrat merchant (caravan master), four adult commoners (drivers), four child commoners (servants), and a minimum of eight guards.
6. Besides the local merchant, farmers, and other Umi citizens traveling to sell their goods, the day was very uneventful.

Introducing Kinder

Once Kinder is rescued, he will ask the party if they know where the Predas Plains are located. He does all this with a shy and insecure demeanor; while tightly clenching his master’s war hammer. Being a former pack goblin, Kinder does not have much confidence and a good pack goblin would never ask for anything, let alone help with a master’s command. However, Kinder is conflicted, knowing that he is no longer a pack goblin and is free to do as he pleases. He knows help would increase his chance of success, but does not know how to ask for help since he’s never done it before. If asked, he will explain why he has a war hammer the size of himself and how he is on one last mission to return it for his former master. This can hint to the party that he might need help, as it is visibly clear that he is frightened and alone.

The party has two options. Help Kinder with his quest to return his master’s war hammer or not help and go on their way. If the party refuses, Kinder will follow them at a distance as he is unsure of what to do or where to go. Refer to the Main Point: Returning the Hammer for more information.

Regardless of their choice, the next two intro points should be played out to help increase the character’s level. The plot points can happen regardless of if Kinder has joined the party.