A Wild Bird Chase

written by Z Luo

Find the missing bird of the guildmaster’s son. This action adventure should take place in a city with a nearby forest, like any along the rivers of Three Dragons Plain. The adventure is expected to be short, taking under two hours to play.

Hook

The local guildmaster’s young son has lost his pet bird! In the missing poster, the bird is shown as a tawny-feathered chicken, with a note for searchers saying that it can fly. There’s a generous reward offered if the bird is captured and returned unharmed. The boy is spoiled and returning his pet is a great chance to get into the guildmaster’s good graces.

Line

Using a feather to track the bird, the adventurers must chase this mysterious, flighty creature out of the city and into the nearby forests. The bird may seem simple and vulnerable, but it has a sixth sense for danger—every time the adventurers get close to capturing the bird, it evades the trap and makes fools out of its would-be-capturers. The requirement that the creature be retrieved and returned unharmed provides an added layer of complexity to its capture. And when the bird is finally captured, the adventurers must transport it a considerable distance back to the city while it complains very noisily, drawing attention that puts the party at risk. Even though it seems desperately hungry, squawking constantly for food, it is very picky with what it eats.

Sinker

The bird isn’t a bird. It looks like a bird, but it begins to cough up embers as the party travels, suggesting the truth beneath its conventionally avian exterior. In fact, it’s a fenghuang, a kind of phoenix from East Asian legend, and the flames that sustain its life within its heart require it to consume an exorbitant amount of exotic food. It will only accept certain exotic items of the GM's choice, such as water lilies, spell components, or even pearls. How will these items be acquired? With the bird visibly withering away and squawking pitifully, will the adventurers be able to find the food it needs to stay alive and well?

Preparation Notes

Create a map of the bird’s escape route. Give the local guildmaster a little backstory. Choose or design statistics for the bird, with an eye toward its evasive abilities. Come up with some foods to keep the bird healthy that will be fun to hunt for.

Backdrops

Locations

• Three Dragons Plain
• Twin Moons Empire

by insima

Related Organizations

• Twin Moons Empire

This article was originally published in Drintera Magazine Issue #4. It's published here thanks to financial support from our Patreon backers. Join our Patreon to help us keep making great adventures and background for Drintera!