Subject: The Adventure of the Missing Hawk
System: Pendragon
The Adventure of the Missing Hawk: A Solo Adventure for Pendragon
INTRODUCTION
This adventure begins with the player's lord calling for a day of
Falconry. Ideally, this should be Arthur, but lesser Knights may have
lesser lords. All are to meet at a well known field near a
well-stocked forest. As this is to be a grand day, many ladies and
followers are coming along to enjoy the festivities. Music and the
odor of flavoured meat fill the air. Despite the festive nature of the
occasion, Arthur (or other lord) always insists the Falconry be done
by the book, as is Just. Clergy must use Sparrow Hawks; Ladies,
Merlins; Knights, Goshawks; Earls, Peregrin Falcons; and
Kings/Princes, Jerfalcons. The order of turns follows that pattern as
well, generally going from lowest to highest glory. If a contestant
does not have the correct type of falcon he has several minutes to
come up with the correct type. Players who succeed in their skill roll
receive 10 Glory, if they have a Critical success before such a large
gathering, they receive 50 Glory.
All goes well, until the mid-afternoon, when it is Arthur's turn.
Arthur releases his favorite Jerfalcon correctly, but while it is
flying high over the nearby forest their is a flash of light, and the
bird is gone. Everyone suspects foul play, and Arthur is irate about
the loss of his favorite bird.
"A fine charger from my stables for whomever returns my Falcon!"
screams out Arthur seconds before all the nearby knights and squires
start a frantic rush to their mounts. The player, and squire if
present, then join the mass of knights headed into the woods. Unknown
to all, the local forest is protected by a Maiden of the Woods. An
evil witch has recently trapped the Maiden, but needs a knight to
finish her off. Thus, she has captured the Jerfalcon to lure knights
into the forest.
INTO THE WOODS
The player knight eventually separates from the other knights once
they enter the densely wooded forest. Once no other knights are
present the player knight passes a tree with an interesting feature, a
small faerie sitting on a limb above the knight's head.
The little faerie is friendly and always speaks in rhyme. A possible
introduction is:
Greetings to you good Sir Knight.
Are you looking for a bird that was lost in flight?
I'm Cathaen, up here looking for mice,
folk round here come to me for advice.
If the player knight is friendly, Cathaen passes along the following
advice.
When deeper in the woods you find yourself
Take the far right path, to find the elf
Or bear left for a fight that's a chore
But, to find the bird you are looking for
Take the middle path, go straight and true
Look for the old woman, dressed in blue.
But beware of honeyed words and her wiles
Lies lurk behind those withered old smiles.
Harm not the forest, be it squirrel, bear, or tree,
Or the curse will be far, far greater for thee.
After the faerie has been thanked (or attacked) he disappears with a
small flash of light.
After another hour or two the player knight wanders deeper into the
forest and comes upon a small meadow. There, the paths ends only to
begin in three places at the far side of the glade. All of the paths
look similar. The knight must choose which path to follow (it should
be an easy choice).
THE PATH TO THE RIGHT
If the player knight takes this path, he eventually comes across the
small faerie he had met before.
Why, good Sir knight did you choose to come this way?
Perchance, you like me, and want just to stay?
Whatever reason the player had for coming this way is not important.
The faerie elf teases him for a little while before finally saying
Well, it has been fun, but it has had its cost
You've wasted much time, and now you've lost!
Once the player leaves the faerie he suddenly realizes that it is
almost sunset, his brief chat with the elf took several hours and
someone else has completed the quest. 10 Glory and a check in Faerie
Lore for attempting to recover the king's Jerfalcon, but meeting an
elf.
THE PATH TO THE LEFT
This path leads deeper into the woods, to the home of a large, angry
bear. The bear is upset at the loss of the Maiden of the Wood and
fights anyone who comes by. 25 Glory for defeating the bear, but the
time wasted has enabled someone else to fulfill the quest and return
the Jerfalcon to the King.
THE MIDDLE PATH
The middle path leads to a beautiful shady glen. A small hut stands in
the center of it, with a beautiful weeping willow overhanging a small
pool close to the hut. If the player knight knocks of calls out, the
door is opened by an old woman dressed in a tattered and worn blue
dress. She is very ugly, and happily invites the knight in for a
drink.
Once inside, it can be seen that the hut is in noticeably better
condition than the old woman. Lace curtains hang from the windows, and
embroidered silks cover shelves and tables. A brightly glazed teapot
is sitting on the small wood-stove, piping away happily. Most
importantly though, a hooded Jerfalcon is resting atop the headboard
of the bed. By its markings, this is none other than Arthur's bird.
The old woman pretends to be a dotering old grandmother, and refuses
to talk of the Jerfalcon or other matters until her guest has been
seated and been served some tea. Hospitable knights should await the
old lady, while Worldy or Reckless knights may ignore her and try and
grab the falcon. In this last case, the old woman allows the player
knight to steal the Jerfalcon, but when they return with it to Arthur
he points out a new curse. The old witch has reduced their Appearance
by three. Glory 50 for returning the Jerfalcon despite being cursed,
and a fine new Charger.
If the player knight is polite and sits with the old woman she babbles
on a bit and eventually offers them two choices. They are dependent
upon whether or not the knight has already drank her tea. If they
have, then she cackles evilly and shows them a mirror. Their
Appearance has been lowered by five! The only way to cure it she says
is to take the axe by the door and cut down the Willow tree just
outside the hut. If they refuse to drink the tea, she tells the player
knight she will return the Jerfalcon if they simply cut down the
Willow outside for her. If they refuse at this point and just take the
Jerfalcon, the same results as mentioned before occur.
Eventually the player knight should find themselves standing before
the Willow with axe in hand, trying to decide what to do (He may be
there to get the Jerfalcon, or remove the curse and get the
Jerfalcon). If the player hesitates, or looks like they are about to
start chopping, a small squirrel leaps out of the tree and attacks
them. The squirrel attacks until the knight retreats or the squirrel
is dead. If the squirrel is killed, a large angry bear charges out of
the woods and attacks the knight until the knight retreats or kills
the bear. The knight is then free to chop down the tree if they so
wish.
If at any time the knight decides that his curse and/or the king's
Jerfalcon is not worth the price of harming the Willow Tree and starts
to leave, he completes the quest. The Willow Tree quickly transforms
into a beautiful maiden dressed in green silk. She is a Maiden of the
Woods, protector of the forest. The old witch had tricked her and
transformed her into a willow tree, until either she was chopped down
or some brave knight refused to kill her for their own benefit. The
witch did not dare kill the Maiden herself, for then the Maiden could
give her a dying curse.
The Maiden of the Woods summons her bear (another, if the first has
been slain) and it chases the old witch out of the hut and out of the
forest. If any of the animals were harmed by the player knight before
the curse was broken the Maiden returns the Jerfalcon and any curse
the player is under (ugliness), then politely asks the knight to leave
her forest. 100 Glory and a fine charger for returning the Jerfalcon
to Arthur and helping rid the forest of the evil witch.
In the best scenario, the player knight refused immediately to harm
anything in the forest. In this case, the newly freed Maiden is most
grateful. She offers her own personal hospitality, as well as that of
her whole forest, anytime the knight so wishes to visit. If cursed,
the knight is cured and, as in the other case, the bear is summoned to
chase off the old witch.
Also in the best scenario, the Maiden develops a slight Amor of the
player knight and gifts him with a pet squirrel. This little fellow is
quite intelligent for a squirrel. Since the Maiden cannot leave the
forest she protects, the squirrel can be a reminder to the knight of
her presence. The squirrel can also help the knight return to the
Maiden's hut, or other places in the woods. 150 Glory for completing
the quest, plus a fine charger and a cuddly squirrel.
Angry Bear
SIZ 25 Move 8 Major Wound 18
DEX 10 Damage * Unconcious 11
STR 25 Heal Rate 4 Knockdown 25
CON 18 Hit Points 43 Armor 7
APP angry
Avoidance: 5
Modifier to Valorous: 5
Glory to Kill: 25
* Attacks: 2 paw swipes @15. Bears may attack only one target per melee
round. If the bear wins the round with an attack roll, it makes two
3d6 damage rolls instead of the usual single attacks. When combating a
mounted foe, this bear usually attacks the mount first. A bear always
completes one more attack after his hit points reach 0, he becomes
unconcious, or recieves a Major Wound. Thus a bear fights one round
after he is dead.
Frisky Squirrel
SIZ 2 Move 2 Major Wound 4
DEX 16 Damage 1d6 Unconcious 2
STR 3 Heal Rate 1 Knockdown 2
CON 4 Hit Points 6 Armor 0
APP cute
Avoidance: 18
Modifier to Valorous: +10
Glory to Kill: 0
The squirrel can give anyone he accompanies a +5 when Hunting in the
woods. He tries to communicate with little chittering noises.
Maiden of the Woods
There is more than one Maiden of the Woods. Each one is born from a tree
in their forest and lives there as guardian of it. They can speak to all
the animals and plants in their forest. Different Maidens have different
amounts of innate magic, often depending upon the amount of Faerie in
their woods.
SIZ 10 Move 2 Major Wound 14
DEX 13 Damage 3d6 Unconcious 6
STR 9 Heal Rate 2 Knockdown 10
CON 14 Hit Points 24 Armor 1 (clothes)
APP 18
Attacks: None
Significant Skills: Awareness 16, Hunting 20, First Aid 15
Significant Traits: Prudent 16, Temperate 18
Significant Passions: Loyalty (Forest) 20, Hospitality 13
Evil Witch
Insight 2705
SIZ 13 Move 2 Major Wound 16
DEX 11 Damage 4d6 Unconcious 7
STR 9 Heal Rate 3 Knockdown 13
CON 16 Hit Points 29 Armor 1 (clothes)
APP 5
Attacks: None
Significant Traits: Lustful 16, Energetic 16, Generous 16, Honest 17,
Proud 16
Significant Passions: Love (Cerridwen) 15
Significant Skills: Celestial Lore 9, Faerie Lore 19, First Aid 9, Folk
Lore 14, Geomantic Lore 10, Religion (Pagan) 10, Sight 18
Magic Limit: 162
Magic Defense: 81
Personal Life Force: 4d20
Significant Talents: Animal Friend 7, Bless 10, Curse 19, Sacred Space 12,
Summon Faerie Creature 14*, Weather Control 12*
* = Natural Talent
Talismans: Curse 162
