Adventure Seeds

Bring Me Don Carlos!

A rival noble has just hired the famed Estalian duellist Don Jose, and the PCs or their patron noble are caught off guard, for now their rival is all the talk of the court. The only way to remedy the situation is to get Don Jose's rival, and some say superior, Don Carlos. Thus the PCs are off to Estalia, Tilea, or Bretonnia where Don Carlos is at, insinuate themselves into a foreign court and find a way through intrigue to bring Don Carlos to their own court and under their patronage. Don Carlos, of course, is very pleased with his current circumstances and will need considerable effort to be convinced to leave. This affords the opportunity to travel and engage in some courtly intrigue.

Bullied!

A honest but simple merchant is in a dilemma, a more powerful and wealthy merchant, trained in the art of duelling has cunningly maneuvered the poor merchant into a duel to the death. The powerful merchant has no less than two duelling teachers, one from Estalia and the other from Tilea, and is well known for his skill at arms. The honest merchant, shocked at the challenge was unable to turn it down before the wealthy merchant stormed off gleefully. This terrified merchant doesn't want to die and turns to the PCs for help in some fashion to overcome this obstacle. There are a number of ways the players can undertake this task. First they can seek out by lawyers and others and find a legal means to send in a substitute, change the duel, or some other legal ploy. Less successful, they might try to hurriedly train their friendly merchant, although this probably will not be sufficient. They can undertake a means of discrediting or blackmailing the rival merchant, or even find a way to disable him before the duel or weaken the rival merchant before the duel. Ingenious PCs may find other ways of dealing with the issue as well.

Cursed!

Baron Kaltstein, a duellist known for the sheer number and violent nature of duels he has fought has gone into hiding. He hires the PCs or calls upon them as friends to help him, where he swears them to secrecy before showing them his withered right hand. He suggests Sorcery as the cause, or could it possibly be a mutation instead?. He wants the situation remedied and who ever responsible found. The PCs may just seek out a cure, but due to the number of duels the Baron has fought he has a number of enemies that could be investigated. Worse still, the Baron is an oppressive lord and some investigation at his distant estate reveals that the disgruntled inhabitants there know of the affliction, apparently a wise woman told them? Does she know through divination? Or is she responsible? And maybe the world is a better place with a disabled Baron?
To make this scenario different, the Baron's affliction may not be physical, the curse could be mental. His hands shake and he can't wield a rapier or a gun. Once again, he claims it is sorcery, but perhaps he has a minor mental illness? Maybe its guilt from the number of people he killed? Perhaps those he killed haunt him in his sleep? Or more mundanely, perhaps he drinks too much, or is addicted to drugs? Despite any obvious answers to the contrary, the Baron is certain that the cause is magical and there nothing wrong with him or his lifestyle. The large sum of money he offers to make things right should be a good enough incentive.

A Dead Man's Pistol

Vlad Boroshkin, ex-patriate Kislevite and its only noted duellist has died recently in a fencing match, many suggest witchcraft was to blame for his failure, but others suggest that it was his love of drink that resulted in his demise. Regardless, his finely crafted gun, reputed to have been enchanted so as to never miss, has gone missing or its ownership is in dispute. If missing, someone at the duel is believed to have stolen it and thus the investigation is on. If in dispute, the rival who slew him owns the gun. His Imperial mistress claims the gun is his, a famed armorer claims that the gun was never fully paid off, and no less then three members of his family demand the gun as part of their inheritance. The current owner refuses to give up the gun and challenges any claiming possession to a duel - by pistol of course! None want to challenge the victor to a duel by pistol, as its powers are widely known. Furthermore, precedence suggests that should the gun's current owner be defeated in a duel, the victor might very well have legal claim to possession of the gun considering the current terms under which the gun is possessed. Thus the players on their own behalf or on the behalf of the other parties must find a means to legally or illegally acquire the famed Boroshkin pistol!

A Difference in Opinion

The player is challenged to a duel. Before the duel begins however, a dispute emerges over the rules of the duel. Their opponent insists that a certain set of rules be followed that happen to benefit that Duellist, and they list a series of rules and produce even a small handbook on the matter. The players may dispute those rules, call upon other witnesses, call upon their teacher, and enter into a battle over the conditions of the duel. Of course everyone has an opinion, and strangely enough there may be two dozen different versions of what should or shouldn't be done. Onlookers may themselves demand duels from other angry onlookers. The player may have to fight half a dozen duels with their opponent over which rules should be used before the real duel may officially begin!

Outclassed!

One of the PCs is challenged to a duel that day, against one or more superior opponents, known for their skill and ruthlessness. Clearly the PC(s) are in trouble with only a few hours before the duel. The players must find a way of ensuring their own victory. This can be attained by poisoning or weakening their challengers, altering the duelling weapons (or poisoning them), finding some legal loophole to give the player an edge ("A-ha! von Ludwig's Law states that all Red-heads must fight left handed! And blindfolded!"), visiting the dueling site and arranging things to benefit the PCs, or the use of magic to ensure victory. Resourceful players may, after investigating the strengths and weaknesses of their rival come up with other clever schemes as well.

Treachery!

The PCs arrive to late for their noble friend's duel, to discover that their friend is on their death bed. Upon their arrival their friend insists that treachery was involved in the defeat, and before the executor of his estate, claims that the estate will not be passed on until he is put to rest. Without giving any further clues he dies. The estate is substantial and the executor upset about the condition, and puts pressure on the players to make a cursory investigation that exonerates all. However, something might suggest otherwise: poison in the dead friend's body? Or a small poison dart at the back of his neck... something to suggest foul play.
Over two dozen people witnessed the duel so there are plenty of witnesses, some may want to hide the truth, others might have valuable information that player's can piece together. Was there a conspiracy involved between the other duellist and some of the onlookers? Were any of the inheritors involved in plotting the death? The friend won't rest until their death is avenged and the players may very well be haunted by the shade of their friend who appears to them late at night, urging them silently onward in the investigation.

-Rev. Lepper