The Mage's Fair
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Author: Ryan Cooper
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quadrant/2765/inde
System: AD&D 2nd Edition
Type: Scenario
Category: Fantasy
Requirements:

THE MAGE'S FAIR:

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an AD&D Adventure by Ryan Cooper

Distribute Freely

(as long as you aren't making any profit and you give me credit)

Sorry this adventure is so disorganized!

I have left out details such as character stats for the DM to flesh out.

E-mail me with comments: h87rpc@morgan.ucs.mun.ca

Check out more of my adventure modules at "The Rar Side":

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quadrant/2765/index.html

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The adventure begins in a medium sized city (hopefully the PCs' "home base"). It all starts when a local thieves' guild decides to send it's resident wizard, one Menudo the Magnificent, to a legendary mage's fair held every four years, far in the northern mountains. There, creatures of all races are free to gather to buy, sell, and trade all things magical (weapons, armor, potions, automatons, mutant monkeys, whatever). Of course, this fair attracts many powerful creatures, and there is always danger of theft or violence, bespite the efforts of the magical guardians summoned by the fair's proprietor, a powerful archmage known as Arcturus. Menudo is being sent with various magical items which are useless to the guild, as well as a large sum of money, and is expected to bring back items

that could be of value to the guild. He is not extremely powerful (in fact he's also a bit of a coward), so he arranges for an escort of able warriors to guard him and act as his agents at the fair. Of course, this is where the PCs come in. It's up to you to decide how to get the PCs the job (perhaps they owe the thieves guild a favor, perhaps they will do it simply for a monetary reward, maybe Menudo is the PC mage's cousin, etc.) If for some reason Menudo should have reason not to trust the PCs (bad reputations, etc.), he may bring a few

thieves guild thugs "just in case", and he'll probably bring a potion of spelld or some other item that would allow him to escape quickly.

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THE JOURNEY:

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The journey to the location of the fair, known as "The Valley of Mist", is long and perilous. This effectively weeds out those who probably don't belong at the fair. The journey requires a 100 mile hike through rough mountains, along cliffside paths, with the occasional dangerous climb or swaying rope bridge. Obviously, horses or other mounts cannot be taken on this journey. In addition, flying is out of the question, as above the sheltered passes between the mountains, the harsh wind and bitter cold are too much to endure. If you

wish, the PCs may be attacked somewhere on the way (I recommend a small pack of yeti, or maybe a few griffins). Despite the brutal conditions, once the PCs get fairly close to the valley, there are caves about every 20 miles along the path. These caves are stocked with food, water, and firewood, as well as spare blankets (although these have been used by countless travelers). These supply caves should prevent travellers from freezing to death in the night.

As the PCs crest one of the final rises before they reach the fair, they encounter an unusual individual. A very large man (about 7' 2") dressed is a full suit of jet black armorsits on a large boulder by the path. As the PCs approach, he stands up and says that no group may pass without one of their number dueling him. He need not be defeated, but if he wins, he demands to have one of the PC's magic items. He will choose the item. Believe it or not, this is a umber hulk wearing a ring of polymorphing and a ring of detect magic. He

is wearing full plate +1 and carries a non-magical 2-handed war axe(2d8 damage). He knows a limited amount of common.

If he is defeated, he will let the PCs pass. If he wins, he will take a magic item of his choice (remember, he can tell what items are magical but not what their powers are). If the PCs attack as a group, he fights until badly injured, then removes his ring and reverts to his normal state, bursting from his armor. He flees while the PCs are suprised. If followed, he quickly runs to the fair, and is admitted. It is vital that he escapes the PCs, hopefully still in possesion of their item. They will have a chance to get it back later.

Finally the PCs reach the Valley of Mist. The reason for it's name is obvious--steam billows upward from the bottom of the valley, where a small area (600 ft x 800 ft oval) is being magically heated. Inside the parimeter of the magic (the border is marked by a thin wall of mist) there is no snow, and people walk around in light clothes. When the Ps reach the gate (a large marble arch), they are greeted by a friendly silver dragon (an associate of Arcturus), who explains that the fair's main activity, the auction, does not begin until the next day, but that the market is open now, and that they are free to look around. He also

points out a pit fiend walking down the main thoroughfair, saying that crimes are subdued by the pit fiend guards, and criminals are exiled from the fair.

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MAP:

----
*********--*******
     ****                 *****
 ****                          **
*    H    H            H  H      *
* H    H                H   H   H *
       *    H    H                 H   H   *
       * H     H                 H          *
       * _________                   H       *
      * |         |            __________    *
      * |         |           |          |   *
      * |         |           |          |   *
      * |  1      |           |          |   *
      * |         |      5    |   2      |   *
      * |         |           |          |   *
      * |         |           |__________|   *  
      * |_________|                         *
       *  /\                           H    *
       * /3 \   _______          H  H       *
       * \  /  |       |                    *
       *  \/   |       |      ___      H   **
*      |  4    |     |3  |         *
 ****  |_______|     |___|      ***
    *******    **
   *****************

KEY:

*= mist barrier

H= small house owned by important fairgoer

1= the Spellflinger Inn

2= the Auction House

3= mysterious building guarded by pit fiends

4= strange black tower

5= Marketplace

Let the PCs explore the fairgrounds. Of course, they will probably end up in trouble. After all, no PC can stand not knowing what's in any give "mysterious building". However, hopefully they won't get in enough trouble to get kicked out of the fair. That would screw up the adventure a bit (but you might still be able to pull it off). If only a few of the PCs get kicked out the adventure is managable (in fact that may make it work better).

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A few notes about the fair:

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Payment is almost exclusively made in gems, mithril, or other valuable commodities, since no one wants to carry around the huge sums of gold pieces required to do business at the fair.

Anyone walking into the mist barrier (which is mere inches thick) will find themselves walking out on the same side, right where they walked into the mist (even though they didn't turn around). This prevents people from fleeing the fair with stolen items, or from entering from anywhere besides the gate.

The mysterious buildings contain mutants, automatons, etc. These are a reserve force of Arcturus in case he loses control of the pit fiends or the fair gets really out of hand. The black tower has no door and is magical. It is Arcturus home, and is effectively inpenetrable (magical and mundane barriers and traps).

Each small house is owned by a visitor of the fair who returns every time there is a fair. The only way to secure one of these is as a gift from Arcturus.

Arcturus is a 25th level mage of incredible power. Don't even let your PCs consider trying to kill him or something stupid like that.

If the PCs go looking for the black knight, they don't find him... yet.

Rooms at the inn go for about 50 gp a night(Menudo will pay for the PCs' lodgings), not including meals or drinks. The inn is about 150' x 200'. The commonroom is filled with all sorts of creatures, from vampire mages to underwater-dwelling creatures in water-filled "space suits" to normal mages. There are several groups gambling over magic items at any given time, and a fighting pit in one corner takes bets (minimum 100 gp) on the outcomes of

battles between guests' pet monsters, mutants, etc. This is the center of commerce in the late hours after the marketplace and auction house have closed.

The auction house is where the big items get sold. Here you might find a vorpal sword or a portable hole. Items range in starting price from 1,000 gp (very minor items) to 25,000 gp(very powerful items).

The marketplace is open from dawn to dusk. Stalls are 500 gp/day to rent, and almost anything of middling magical power can be found here, including potions, scrolls, spellbooks, rings of protection, armor, cloaks, gauntlets of strength, whatever you can think of.

REMEMBER, keep the level of power of the items relative to the amount and power of magic in your campaign. If magic items are rare and low powered, the most powerful item at the fair might be a shortsword +2. If powerful magic items are common, the PCs could probably find a holy avenger +4. Whatever the case, make the most powerful magic items beyond the PCs financial reaches, and save the most powerful items to be auctioned at the auction house. Ifthey have saved a lot of money to come to the fair, allow them to purchase a few items. Before they spend all their money, remind them of the auction the next day. Menudo tells the PCs to keep an eye out for items that his guild could use, and to report to him immediately if they find anything (he makes all purchases himself, since he deos not trust the PCs enough to allow them to make the purchases). He remans at the inn (he is intimidated by all the powerful and magical creatures around). The PCs may find a few items of use such as: potion of invisibility, gloves of climbing(+10% chance to climb walls), dagger +1, potion of

infravision, etc, but nothing really useful or powerful.

------------Encounters:

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The following encounters happen to the PCs as they wander about the fairgrounds (if the party has split up, have the encounters happen to different PCs as they explore the grounds:

NOTE: these are not random encounters, they are planned, and have something to do with the plot of the adventure.

1. The goblins:

The PCs will probably be suprised by this. Amid powerful mages and magical creatures of all types, they see a small troupe of ordinary-looking goblins led by a shaman in a wolf-hide cloak making their way through the crowd. They aren't going anywhere important, so if the PCs decide to follow them out of curiosity, they won't discover anything. The goblins eventually return to their inn room.

2. The neogi:

As the PCs are looking around the marketplace (or wherever), a normal-looking mage walking in front of them suddenly becomes fuzzy in appearance, then the image of him melts away into that of a neogi (see Monstrous Compendium), a spider-like creature about 4' tall. The neogi makes a suprised sound, then scurries away to the inn. No one pays much attention, except a goblin loitering nearby. He lookes startled, then also runs for the inn. If either is followed, they go to their respective inn rooms (the goblin goes to the same room as the

other goblins).

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The Auction:

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The main action of the adventure starts at the auction. Menudo wakes the PCs early the next morning and they all go to the auction house and take seats. The first few items are just magical weapons and armor (nothing of use to the thieves guild, though the PCs may wish to bid for them). Eventually a very useful item is brought to the stage to be auctioned: a silver key that will open any lock. The bidding starts at 4,000 gp. Menudo places a bid, but immediately afterwards he is outbid by a slender, spidery middle-aged mage sitting next

to... the black knight! If the PCs cause a scene at this time, they are subdued by the guards and exiled to wait for Menudo outside the fair. Assuming they don't cause trouble just yet, Menudo places another bet, but is again outbid by the same man. This continues until Menudo reaches his limit (he only has about 7,000 gp left at this point), and is again outbid. No other items of exceptional usefulness are auctioned. After the auction, Menudo tells the PCs to follow the mage and the black knight. They merely return to the inn. Afterwards Menudo calls a meeting in his quarters and hatches a plan. He plans to follow the

pair when they leave the fair and ambush them in the wilderness, stealing the key.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What's really going on:

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Ok, you might be confused by now and might be thinking that this adventure is going nowhere. But here I'm going to explain it all. Here we go:

The mage travelling with the black knight is a rogue neogi named Garek. Years ago he fled from his brethren to live his own life. Neogi do not take well to defectors, and they have been trying to track down Garek since he left. Soon after landing on this planet (if you do not use spelljamming in your campaign, the neogi are a race from far in the underdark) he purchased a ring of alter self at the mage's fair, and has since then been travelling in his present guise. He also secured an identical ring for his Umber Hulk slave (see Neogi MM

entry--all negi have umber hulk slaves), and suited him up in black armor. Now Mendor (the umber hulk) appears to merely be a very large human, and calls himself the black knight.

A few years ago Garek encountered a band of goblins led by a shaman prophet known only as "the Wise One", and convinced them to let him be their leader. He led them in raids of human and humanoid villages, allowing them wealth and luxury they had not had before. They are now his (semi-)loyal followers. As such, he has brought them to the fair with him as lookouts and agents, as he is still paranoid about being caught by his brethren. While at the fair, he contacts the Wise One only in secret, as not to arouse suspicion.

In fact, a group of neogi that were sent to track down Garek are also at the fair. They have heard of his initial visit to the fair (before he had the ring of alter self), and have anticipated his return. They are using normal alter self spells (with very limited durations), posing as human mages while they look for Garek. When one neogi was in public too long, his spell wore off and he returned to his normal form. He hurried back to the inn, but not before being spotted by one of Garek's goblin henchmen. The goblin immediately reported to the Wise One, who reported the information to Garek.

As for the silver key, Garek wants it because during one of his recent raids on human villages, he acquired a special magic item from a wizard (who he killed in the raid). It is a magical door and doorframe( not attached to any wall or anything). The door is a portal to a pocket dimension that is a room about 10' by 10' by 10'. Garek has reason to believe that powerful magic is stored in the room. However, the door is magically locked, and Garek has been able to do nothing to unlock it. He refuses to try to forct the door open in fear of

triggering a trap or destroying the door's magic in the process. So he needs the silver key to open the door. Of course the door is quite a bulky item, so he has not brought it to the fair. He has left it in his lair, a four-day journey from the fair (in a different directionthan that in which the PCs came).

After observing the fair-goers and their activities for the last two days, by the time the fair is over, the neogi tracking Garek down have figured him out. A small mage travelling with such an unusually large warrior attracted their suspicions at first, and after continued observence, they are now fairly certain they have found Garek. They plan to follow the pair after they leave the fair and attack them in the wild.

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After the Fair:

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After the fair is over, Garek and Mendor leave for home. They meet up with the goblins about a mile outside of the fair. PCs tracking them may think the goblins have captured the pair, or they may realize tis doesn't make sense, since there are no signs of a struggle. The other neogi will also be tracking Garek, a little bit behind the PCs, and when they realize that the PCs are also tracking their quarry, they will hurry their pace, for they have been ordered to bring back Garek alive (so that he can be transformed into a Grand Old Master--see Neogi MM entry).

The PCs catch up to Garek and his troupe on the way back to his lair. There are 20 goblin warriors (several are 1st-3rd level fighters) and the WIse One, as well as Garek and Mendor still in their human guises. Garek is a 8th level magic user and has cast stoneskin on all members of his group in advance. Garek also has several combat-oriented magic items at his disposal (you decide). Garek and Mendor will revert back to their true forms if badly injured (this heals a certain percent of damage--see entry for ring of polymorphing in the DMG) and continue to fight. Mendor will fight to the death; Garek will surrender if he is

near death or otherwise realizes he doesn't have a chance.

The other neogi arrive in the middle of the battle. If it looks like the PCs are going to kill Garek, they interfere, simultaneously trying to subdue Garek and kill, drive off, or immobilize the PCs. There are 6 neogi. All are 5th level magic users. If badly injured they will flee.

The adventure is almost over once this confusing three-sided battle is concluded. Assuming they are the victors, they may try to track down any neogi or goblins that have escaped. If they do not do this, and they have slain Garek, the other neogi will follow them and attack occasionally, alwys centering their attacks on a single PC, trying to kill the PCs one at a time. If Garek is let to live, the neogi will attempt to capture him, whetjer the PCs take him prisoner or leave him behind. The PCs may want to find Garek's lair and loot it

(especially if they somehow get the information about his magic doorway out of him), or they may just take the magic key and return from whence they came. Once they reach the city, they are paid in full.