kobolds and one kobold acolyte. Each Daask criminal
fights until reduced to half its hit points then flees. If the
characters capture one of the criminals, a successful
DC 13 Charisma (Intimidation) check compels the cap
tive to reveal the following information:
The group works for Daask, a criminal organization.
The criminals were told to kill Coal via a letter sent by
a Daask lieutenant named Garra. The letter has since
been destroyed.
The criminals have no other useful information to
share with the characters. They don't know Garra is
a half-ogre, and they don't know how to contact her. A
character who succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence (His
tory) check knows Daask's members are mostly immi
grants from Droaam and some of the local population
from the Cogs and lower wards of Sham.ROLEPLAYING COAL
After the Daask attack, Coal realizes she mistook the
characters for assassins and apologizes. The warforged
is soft-spoken and mild-mannered. If the characters ask
her about Razor, she gets sad and offers the following
information:- Razor served with Coal in the Cyran military during
the Last War, during which Coal lost her right arm. - Razor and Coal had trouble finding work in Sham,
due to the fact that many businesses are reluctant to
hire warforged foreigners. The pair became desperate
for money.
A month ago, Razor told Coal she had a job working
on a long-term secret mission for Alden d'Orien, the
scion of a dragonmarked house. Warforged from other
parts of the city were also recruited to help in the
task. The job required physical labor, so Coal's injury
prevented her from being able to do the job. Razor
planned to save money then buy Coal a new arm so
she could work with her. - Razor would often come back from work sullen or
wounded but never opened up about the job until
shortly before she died. Razor confessed that the job
was more dangerous than it seemed when she was re
cruited. Razor was planning to quit before she died.
After providing the characters with this information,
Coal encourages the characters to question Alden
d'Orien. The warforged then leaves Sham, believing she
is no longer safe in the city.
DEAD COAL
If Coal dies at the hands of Daask forces, the characters
can still salvage the mission by bringing Coal's corpse
to Sergeant Vilroy, who calls in a favor and gets a mem
ber of the Blackened Book to cast a speak with dead
spell on Coal's corpse.
DEVELOPMENT
While many of the House Orien members live in the
house's enclave in Terminus, the more powerful mem
bers of the dragonmarked family live in the upper wards
of the city. If the characters ask around, they learn Alden
d'Orien has a residence called Unicorn Estate in the
Mithra! Tower district of Upper Central Plateau. If the
characters consult with Sergeant Vilroy, she suggests
that they confront Alden d'Orien, but cautions them to
be diplomatic.MITHRAL TOWER
Mithra! Tower is Sham's most desirable downtown
residential district in Upper Central Plateau and is oc
cupied by some of the city's wealthiest citizens. When
the characters enter this district, read or paraphrase the
following boxed text to the players:Many of the grand homes in Mithra I Tower are true to
the district's name, boasting mithral filigree. The Sharn
Watch seems to be everywhere in this neighborhood full
of busy scions climbing into skycoaches, hosting opu
lent parties, and showing off their latest purchases at all
hours of the day.
Unicorn Estate has a grand unicorn statue and
unicorn-shaped topiaries adorning the yard beyond
an open, wrought-iron gate. Flanking this gate are two
guards in House Orien livery. Each wears a beautiful
helm shaped like the head of a unicorn.
The magnificent marble home is clearly owned by one
of the city's wealthiest dragon marked families. Seated on
a patio couch are two figures engaged in quiet conversa
tion: a haggard man in his late thirties and an attentive
kalashtar who holds a rose-colored crystal in his hands.
Two more guards dressed like the ones at the gates
stand nearby.The gates of Unicorn Estate are open, allowing the
characters walk onto the property after first presenting
themselves to the guards and stating their business.
A detect magic spell reveals that the grounds of the es
tate radiate auras of abjuration and illusion magic. Any
humanoid that takes a long rest in the estate can attune
to the property as if they were attuning to a magic item
(see "Attunement" in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's
Guide). A creature attuned to Unicorn Estate can't be
affected by enchantment spells of 3rd level or lower
while it is on the property unless it wishes to be. When
a creature not attuned to the estate enters the property,
the illusion of a unicorn appears wherever the creature
is and brays loudly, announcing its presence. Four hu
man guards provide security at the estate, with two at
the front gate and two following Alden.
Alden d'Orien (neutral male Brelish human noble)
and his assistant, Vishtai (chaotic good male kalashtar;
see chapter 6), are talking about official house business.
Vishtai records notes in a spellshard (see chapter 5).
When the pair notices the characters, Alden calls them
over and asks their business.CHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES