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Mermaid Rescue

The Situation

Down at the harbor, a bottle pops up from the depths. There’s note rolled up inside, and a cork firmly pushed into the top. You fish the bottle from the Harbor, open it up, and remove the note.

It’s from Triton, king of the mermaids.

“My daughter has been kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. If she’s not rescued, your entire world is in grave danger.”

“What’s the danger,” you wonder, “and where did the sorcerer take her?” It’s up to you to rescue her.

Locations

  • The Castle of the North. The giant Castle of the North towers above you. Thankfully, the drawbridge is down. You cross it, and enter the castle courtyard. Knights and townspeople scurry about, busy with the day’s tasks.
    • The Shop Cart. You approach the shop owner, who waves her hands over her numerous wares with a flourish. “See anything of interest,” she asks?
    • The Planning Room. You walk through the door into the first room on the right. There’s a table and chairs, and some maps on the wall. Clearly, this is a meeting space of some sort. The space is otherwise empty.
    • The Supply Closet. There are some brooms and mops leaning against the wall in one corner, and a handful of buckets in another. A sink with water is against the wall between them.
    • The Pantry. You look around and see nothing but food. The whole is stacked floor to ceiling with bread, cured meats, and dried fruits.
    • The Vault. As soon as the door opens, you hear the clinking of coins. Against he back wall is a table. Seated at it is a tiny goblin, with tall pointed ears and a hunch in his back, counting a massive pile of gold coins and noting them in a small journal. On either side are tall shelves stacked high with coins, jewels, and other objects of value.
    • The Tower. The moment you enter the tower, you sense that something is amiss. A dark, magical aura fills the first floor. The tower is filled with traps, monsters, and, on the top floor, either the wizard himself or evidence that he was here.
    • The Dungeon. You open the door and peer into it. A narrow winding staircase leads down. You feel a damp, cold breeze blowing. The yelling gets louder. “Help! Help!” In the dungeon, you’ll find the mermaid locked in a cell.
  • The Mines of the Mountain. Contains a rare ore and a magical torch, the Torch of Hallows, that are required to forge a key that can open the mermaid’s dungeon door.
    • The Ledge. It’s about 12 feet high, with a rough face. Plenty of places to tuck hands and feet if you wanted to try to climb it. But if you fall, you could get hurt.
    • Cavern of the Hydra. You enter a dark, cavernous space. It’s about 30 feet wide and 20 feet high. A pile of fallen rocks sits against the wall to one side. Stalactites hang from the ceiling, and a stalagmites grow from the ground. You hear the drip of water. Then you hear a low grow.
    • The Cliff. You stop suddenly, put your arm out, and tell the rest of the group to back up slowly. You’ve just come across a deep crevice plunging into the darkness. It’s about ten feet from one side to the other, and there’s a small ledge about five feet down on the far side.
    • Underwater Tunnel. You come to a murky pool of water. It looks to be about 15 feet deep. Directly ahead of you is a solid wall of rock. Staring into the gloom, you notice what appears to be a small opening at the bottom of the pool, along the far wall. You don’t know what’s on the other side.
    • Cavern of the Crab. You enter another cavernous room. Bioluminescent algae casts a blue/green glow into the space, which reflects off the giant rock in the middle of the room. Towards the back of the cavern are gold coins, jewels, and what appear to be magical artifacts. Suddenly, the giant rock in the middle of the room shakes and rises. It’s a giant crab!
    • The Hall of the Torch of Hallows. You see the glowing flame reflecting off the wall before you even enter the room. As you step into the space, you see it: the Torch of Hallows.
  • The Mountain Pass. A winding path through the mountains. The pass is filled with dangerous terrain, goblins, and cyclops.
  • The Hideout. A former mountain outpost where the sorcerer and his minions are now hiding. There’s a rotting bridge traversing a rapidly moving stream that leads to the front entrance. The walls are crumbling, and the building is in heavy disrepair.

Creatures

  • Knights
    • Instinct: Protect the kingdom
    • Damage: D8
    • HP: 6
    • Armor: 3
    • Expert with swords and other hand-held weapons
  • Townspeople
    • Instinct: Flee danger
    • Damage: D6
    • HP: 6
  • Enchanted Brooms
    • Instinct: Protect the kingdom
    • Damage: D8
    • HP: 6
    • Armor: 3
    • Expert with swords and other hand-held weapons
  • Hydra
    • Instinct: Attack and eat people
    • Damage: D10+n (n is number of heads)
    • HP: 12
    • Armor: 2
    • Attacks with multiple heads at once. If too much time passes, head regrows.
  • Giant Crab
    • Instinct: Protect treasure
    • Damage: D10+2
    • HP: 12
    • Armor: 3
    • Only attacks if you come too close. Attacks with both claws.
  • Goblins
    • Instinct: Horde the gold!
    • Damage: D6
    • HP: 6
    • Attack in groups. Whip into a frenzy as more goblins attack at once.
  • Cyclops
    • Instinct: Smash and eat things
    • Damage: D10
    • HP: 12
    • Armor: 1
    • Horrible close-ranger vision. Loves to throw rocks.
  • Sorcerer’s Apprentice
    • Instinct: Defend the sorcerer, use the magic they’re learning
    • Damage: D10
    • HP: 8
    • Still learning, so they don’t know as many spells and they often fail
  • Sorcerer
    • Instinct: Destroy the kingdom
    • Damage: D10
    • HP: 12
    • Armor: 2
    • In possession of powerful spells

Events

  • Everyone in the Castle courtyard seems dazed or “off”
  • Enchanted brooms attack
  • The mermaid informs the adventurers that her magical shell was stolen, and with it, the sorcerer can command an army of sea creatures to invade the land
  • The sorcerer uses the shell to invade the land

Things to find out

  • Where was the mermaid taken?
  • Why did the sorcerer take her?
  • Why are the sorcerer’s apprentices working with him?
  • How can the sorcerer be defeated?

Questions for the players

  • What do you know about the Castle of the North?
  • Where did the sorcerer come from?
  • What do you know about the merpeople?
  • What other magical creatures live in the area?