Devene: Introduction

The Party is leaving Magnimar on the way to Sandpoint as directed by Hobart Deverin after saving the nephew of Titus Scarnetti.
They are travelling with Emmandil and his most trustworthy guardsman, and the party is accompanied by Guard Captain Acacia Uriana . They reach Devene as night falls and come across three men on the road (Vaskar, Craise, Tollard) who have just murdered the yet-to-be-known miner Garrod, friend of Innkeeper Galwinn.

Structure

Exposition

During the Party's slumber

Galwinn leaves the Inn to speak with Emmandil who has hired the PCs as extra guards, asking him how long he is staying in Devene and whether he is willing to part with any of his guards - the Party.
Emmandil would reply that he would be willing to stay at most a day, and that he requires at least 3 guards with his caravan, though he also states that he is paying them "of course" and Galwinn would need to have a lucrative offer to convince them.
Galwinn then seeks out Jarrek the Teamster as his property is the closest to the road and he may have heard or seen something that night. Unfortunately he needs to wake Jarrek but due to the nature of the situation Jarrek is willing to assist - he did in fact hear a commotion as he was washing ready for bed, but decided he would look into the noise in the morning.
Finally, Galwinn investigates the murder scene and discovers that the body has been moved. Luckily he is able to uncover a single item of the deceased: a Journal, which he reads by lantern-light when he returns to his Inn. As the book was written by his friend Garrod who had gone missing a week ago, he tucks it away in the kitchen as he enters the building from the back door - causing him to stumble straight into Kelnor and his thugs who are preparing to capture the PCs.

Introduction

Outskirts of Devene

As you crest the rise, the settlement of Devene comes into view. Beyond, the shadowy pinnacle of Copper Rock sits starkly upon the hills behind the village, pointing accusingly at the grey sky. Dark clouds rumble and a fork of lightning briefly catches your eye. Perhaps there is a promise of rain. The land needs it: This is a desolate place.
Drought has stricken these once-verdant hinterlands since the Ciprus River stopped flowing, diverted by the earthquake last year. You can see the forked, jagged scar where once the river flowed, cutting through the earth. A number of farms sit on the outskirts of Devene, nursing dry and yellow crops.

Conflict

Murder on the road The PCs witness Jek Bartollo’s road agents rob and murder someone. Vaskar , Craise and Tollard are seen within the outskirts of Devene, looting a slain traveler ( Garrod ). It is clear that this is a murder. They notice that they are discovered, leading Vaskar and Craise to claim they chanced upon the body, and they ask Tollard to accompany the PCs into Devene to inform Keddard Dunn, the Watch Sergeant.
Whilst Keddard conducts a cursory investigation into the death, Vaskar, Craise and Tollard discretely inform Jek Bartollo. Similarly, Keddard informs Kelnor of the PC’s presence.
Cat eyes in the dark As the PCs pass through the town, they come face to face with a black leopard - Tabaxu. This is the leopard from Koblin's Bizarre Bazaar; it has come out into Devene looking for food and it snarls menacingly when it is discovered. It attacks if it thinks it can bring a PC down as an easy kill, otherwise it lopes off into the trees.
Although the leopard has been trained for performance, anyone using Handle Animal to control it will find the DC increased by 2 because of its hunger. PCs that offer it meat gain a +5 bonus on wild empathy or Handle Animal checks, for the first check only. A leather collar around its neck spells the name "Tabaxu" on one side and ‘KBB’ on the other. The leopard is one of the few remaining (alive) animals from Koblin’s Bizarre Bazaar.

Rising Action

The Cult's Activity The Cult of Dagon attempts to abduct the PCs while they stay at the Miner's Rest Inn, making it apparent that the cult is making a number of lightning raids; Devene is in chaos as houses burn and packs of Dagonspawn Zombies roam unchecked, set loose from the Copperstone Mines by Kelnor.
Due to the murder on the road and the Adventurers arriving in town, the Cult hastens their plan of converting the residents. They begin that very night; Kelnor and a handful of Cultist Rogues capture a large portion of the remaining townsfolk using a high-level Sleep spell, locking them in slumber until they are awaken deep underground in the Temple of Dagon (area 19).

Parent Plot

Dagon Uprising

Local Knowledge DC 15

There is a mine in the Copper Hills, sitting in the dark shadow of Copper Rock. Both Magnimar - and to an extent Sandpoint - prize the garnets, citrines, and morganites the mine yields yearly. However, the mine shut last year when a tunnel collapsed, killing nine miners. It has yet to reopen, and folk say things have not been the same since. Some people have packed up and left, others have simply disappeared.
It is said that between the dead trees of the northmost part of the Spires and the Copper Hills that inhuman tribes lurk, preying on the unwary. Surely, such talk is fanciful: Perhaps that folk seek to blame superstition for the hard times that have fallen upon Devene.