DE2 Ch1 S4: Summer Heat

As summer presses on into the months of Sirma, Sevma and Eightma, Livania is faced with pressure in Shadowdeep Valley. Zarek patrols grow more thick and take to the mountains overlooking passes into and out of the valley.
The reason for this is that the Maelgwn Alliance has put increasing pressure on the western part of the Valley from successful raids. So far the Minari strike only at positions in the rain forest with no attempt to remove Zarek from their mountain stronghold.

New Settlers

Wave two of settlers arrive from Swannport. This contains some people from further abroad than Swannport itself, drawing settlers from Waithport. Half of them are newly immigrated from the City of Duskh itself. Wave two is vastly larger than the first wave of settlers and brings along with them a broader array of artisans to bring civilization to Livania.

Domain Turns

Could do 2 or more Domain turns here. Length of time should be 2 weeks to 1 month, depending on what activities around going on.
Possibilities:

• Further road building - but no further roads can be built to the west until some solution or workaround is in place regarding the Shadowdeep Valley. It is currently no possible to get road crews through there.
• More fortification
• Diplomacy
• Scouting
• Research

Intrique could begin, depending on if PCs decide to respond to the escalating situation in the Shadowdeep Valley.

Intrigue Potential

The Heroes might decide to go to war. Use one organization or the other; the other one can be an ally and provide substantial support in the form of a special troops unit without a Diplomacy roll. (A domain turn is still required, as well as an Operations roll DC 13 to muster the troops successfully.)
Initiative goes to whichever party has initiated Intrigue. Likely this won't be Zarek, unless the PCs have been deliberately harassing their operations. (See below encounter possibilities.)
Since domain sizes are the same, then each domain will get to take one domain action (or bonus action/reaction) per turn.
Types of actions include:

• Diplomacy - Gain special units from Maelgwn Alliance (DC 15 Diplomacy) or PC domain (DC 8)
• Espionage - Learn secrets, such as current Defense scores, Defense levels, Skill bonuses, current units, or other info (use a Domain's defence for DC).
• Lore - Learn other secrets, especially magical ones.
• Operations - Muster units, build battle-ready fortifications
• Raise Defenses - DC is 13 + current Level to improve it one step.
• Lower Enemy Defense Levels - DC is enemy defense.

Of course, Zarek will try to do the same to the PC domain currently at war with them.
The PCs can go after a leader directly and try to take them out, reducing the enemy's ability to respond well. Any of the lieutenants might be targeted this way (just generate an appropriate encounter on the fly). The King will be far more difficult to get at, possibly requiring the PCs to delve into his mountain stronghold, unless they can figure out a way to draw him out.

Themes

Time has moved into the hottest part of summer. Smoke billows ominously from Mount Kilrin. It rains daily in the late afternoon and again in the pre-dawn hours every morning. Humidity is stifling and all try to escape the heat -- and biting insects -- of the day.

Backdrops

Locations

Rivers End

• Work continues on the theater, with construction due to be complete within 3 months. It can be paid for by a fund-raising effort on Livania's part. (Diplomacy test)

Encounters

Combat

Encounters with Zarek's Ogre troops is possible if the PCs go out to personally scout the situation.
In addition, if the PCs manage to get information on the location of one of the enemy leaders via espionage, or diplomacy (with the Maelgwn Confederation), or during a battle, use a couple Hobgoblin Squads along with one of the Zarek leaders' stats.
If PCs attack, run this by throwing together ad-hoc scenes with minis. Take the FPM stuff, possibly tweaking the encounter above. Note that a direct attack like this will result in a declaration of war on the part of Zarec as they have taken enough and summon units and prepare to move on Rivers End directly. If this happens see above domain intrigue actions, and then move on to the next chapter.

Lost Children

Two children from one of the original settler families have gone missing. The parents suspect they ran off into the woods after sneaking out of their new cabin and are desperate to have help locating them.
The kids may have already been found -- by a Westwald Hag! Hidden somewhere nearby is the hag's hut where the children are being kept raised by the doting, mercurial hag herself named Willow . Willow says the children's parents were negligent and therefore undeserving of the children. However, she will raise them "right". The hag maintains her domain with the aid of a corrupted unicorn named Aeronax. She will attempt to deceive the PCs by using disguise self to make herself look like a mankin woman.

The Trouble with Kate Neep

Along with the second wave of settler comes a few opportunistic merchants looking to get in early on trade, offering necessary supplies to new settlers at inflated prices (2x book price!). Among them is the merchant that abused Kate after a performance, her final one as it turns out, at the Silver Swan. See her nemesis, Bert Broadfoot.
She will go to Jak and ask him to recover her "dignity and piece of mind" by assassinating Bert. Quietly. She will tell him he has powerful friends in the Assembly, though, such as Legate Augustus Gascoigne. Bert may have some protection, as well, particularly in the form of someone trained in counter-assassination techniques.

Related Characters

• Esyllt
• Jak Ravenfall
• Julius Swann
• Rathari
• Seraphina Swann

Related Organizations

• Duskhan Rangers
• Livania
• Maelgwn Confederation

Related Locations

• Rivers End