This adventure is not done yet. Please return later.
Genre: Fantasy
Primary Focus: Political Intrigue
Secondary Focus: Investigation, Combat
Time: 1-2 hours
Complexity: 1
The Duke’s Funeral is a quick, simple one-shot for Level 1 characters that is easy to run and great for beginner players and GMs. You will be playing as a group of adventures that made a name for themselves after helping defend the city of Breggen against an orc raid. Because of your deeds, you have the honor of being invited to the funeral of the Duke of Breggen. All of the most important people from Breggen are here. There is, however, somewhat of a tense atmosphere since the duke was not necessarily the most beloved ruler…
This adventure can be easily inserted into most Fantasy settings. You can use any sort of city as a starting point, and you can freely exchange any fantasy race and lore with those of your chosen setting. The default option is the world of Iskra and the city of Breggen. You do not need to know anything about this setting other than it is a classic medieval fantasy setting to run and play this adventure, so do not worry about the details.
Character Suggestions
Here are some finished Characters for the players to choose from. This is especially good for beginners who do not yet have the know-how to build their own. Feel free to change the gender and name of these characters. You can import the character in the online character sheet.
| Name | Dalyor Zindi |
| Race | Elf |
| Sub-Archetype | Evoker (Mental) |
Dalyor Zindi is an elven wizard traveling the world in search of old knowledge. He works as an adventurer on the side to finance his travels. He knows a variety of elemental destruction magic.
| Name | Dhozeabryn Warmfoot |
| Race | Dwarf |
| Sub-Archetype | Battle-Engineer (Technology) |
Dhozeabryn Warmfoot is a dwarven cleric of Chaos and Light, channeling his creativity to craft blessed weapons and armor. He travels through the lands to test his weapons against evil monsters. His faith allows him to imbue his weapon with fire and heal allies.
| Name | Elyscia |
| Race | Human |
| Sub-Archetype | Ranger (Nature) |
Elyscia is a human mercenary who has extensive training in the wilderness. She is mostly in the adventuring business for the gold. She is a skilled archer and an excellent scout.
| Name | Erart Windstep |
| Race | Half-Elf |
| Sub-Archetype | Artist (Creative) |
Erart Windstep is an optimistic half-elf traveling the world as a bard in search of great stories to tell. He has a lute with which he can summon the power of chaos, capable of messing with the minds of his enemies and inspiring his allies to give it their all.
| Name | Hilda Undertree |
| Race | Gnome |
| Sub-Archetype | Rogue (Cunning) |
Hilda Undertree is the daughter of a gnome carpenter. She was bored with her life and decided to venture out. She is very stealthy and uses every dirty trick in the books to take her enemies off guard, finishing them off with her dagger and slingshot.
| Name | Rau Kit |
| Race | Beast Folk |
| Sub-Archetype | Martial Artist (Unarmed) |
Rau Kit is a Wolf Beastfolk who grew up in the forest. An explorer by nature, he decided to travel the world as an adventurer. His wolf nose makes him a master tracker, and his claws are fast and vicious.
| Name | Willmen the Nobel |
| Race | Human |
| Sub-Archetype | Protector (Bulwark) |
Willmen the Nobel is the third youngest child of eight born to a noble knight. He has vowed to prove himself to be a valiant knight and ventures out to take on dangerous missions. He wears sturdy plate armor and defends his allies with his sword and shield.
| Name | Xorag |
| Race | Orc |
| Sub-Archetype | Rusher (War) |
Xorag the orc is always ready for a good battle. This barbarian storms into combat without a second thought, swinging his greataxe and cleaving through enemy hordes. Beware his orcish rage.
The Adventure
| Important NPC | Description |
|---|---|
| Duke Waltrug Weststone (Human) | The late Duke of Breggen. He was an old human and a reclusive ruler. |
| Frank Weststone (Human) | The son of Waltrug and Selun Weststone and the brand-new Duke of Breggen. |
| Albree Sprucewind (Gnome) | The leader of the craftsmanship guild and the richest person in the city besides the duke. |
| Elsa Ironmantel (Dwarf) | The captain of the guard and responsible for the security of the duke and the city. |
| Rolf Esterun (Human) | The bishop of the Light and the most important religious leader in the city. |
The adventure starts right after the funeral of Duke Waltrug Weststone. The body was laid into the crypt roughly 20 minutes ago. Now, they are with all the other guests in the main banquet hall.
Before describing this scene, establish why they are here. Tell the players that their characters managed to stop an orc raid, turning them into local heroes in Breggen, and that they were invited to the funeral of Duke Waltrug Weststone with all the other important people of the city. Mention that they witnessed how the duke was carried into the crypt.
Waltrug Weststone was rather unpopular after becoming reclusive since his wife died. He started neglecting the city, rarely coming out. What is not known, however, is that the death of his wife made him paranoid of his own death. He secretly built a lab under the mansion, where he started researching ways of gaining eternal life. He studied the necromantic and illegal arts of the Darkness and found a way to cheat death by becoming an undead. He prepared his coffin with a hidden magical circle that would revive him shortly after being laid into it. This will cause problems later.
The official story is that the Duke died in his sleep of old age. The truth is that his son Frank Weststone killed him by suffocating him while he was lying in bed. The motive? Frank thought that his father was doing a horrible job reigning over Breggen and that he could do a much better job. To be fair, he is not wrong about that, even if the morality of his act is highly questionable. Now that the Duke has come back from the death, he is seeking revenge against his own son.
The banquet hall has a buffet with snacks and is decorated with flowers, candles, and black ribbons. A painting of Duke Walturg Weststone has been set up. The guests are standing around, eating, and talking to each other. The player characters will notice four especially important people in the room: The new duke Frank Weststone, the guild master Albree Sprucewind, the captain of the guard Elsa Ironmantel, and bishop Rolf Esterun. Ask the players if they wish to approach any of them. Each of those individuals has a piece of information about the late duke.
Albree Sprucewind (Gnome) is the leader of the craftsmanship guild. She has a bit of a bubbly and bold personality and is not afraid to speak her mind. She wears colorful and expensive clothing that reflects her high economic position. When the players talk to her, she will be hopeful that commerce will pick up again under Frank Weststone. She will also tell the players that the late Duke secretly ordered the construction of a hidden room connected to his bedroom and garden.
Elsa Ironmantel (Dwarf) is the captain of the guard and responsible for all military and policing operations in Breggen. She is stoic and stays calm in most situations. She wears plate armor and is equipped with a halberd. She will apologize for not being able to defend the city when the players approach her and be thankful for their service. While she says that she is sorry, she will explain that the Duke ordered to focus the city’s defenses at his mansion, which led to the walls being understaffed. She will also mention that the Duke seemed to be fearful of his own death after his wife died of natural causes.
Rolf Esterun (Human) is the local bishop of the church of the Light, the most common religion on the continent, including Breggen. He is an old man wearing pristine white and golden robes, typical for a person of his position. He is known as a wise and kind man who, however, has little tolerance for what he perceives to be against the will of the Light. When approached by the players, he will be thankful for saving lives in the orc raid and generally friendly. When asked about the Duke, he will admit to not having liked him much since he neglected the church and his duties as a ruler. He will also mention that the Dukle refused to be granted the normal Light funeral rites, which are important to protect the corpse from the Darkness and its necromantic influences.
The new duke, Frank Weststone (Human), will enthusiastically greet the player characters when approached and praise their heroics. He will talk about how he plans to do better than his father and that he needs capable people for his plans. He will try to hire the players to permanently stay in Breggen and help with defending and rebuilding the city.
The Empty Grave
After the players talk to one (or more if they split up) of the four important persons, or after a while, if they decide not to talk to anyone, a guard will run in and whisper into the ears of Frank Weststone. If the players are currently talking with Frank, they can try to listen in with a successful Perception Skill Check against 7. If they are further away, they will need to roll at least a 13. The guard will tell Frank that the door of his father’s crypt was found open, and when one of the guards checked it out, his father’s corpse was gone.