Dark Continent Redux: The Light Watchtower

Dark Continent Redux

A Fantasy Core Adventure

© Jerry Harris 2016

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Playtest Rules.)

Dark Continent Index

Interior Index

Inner Station Index

The Light Watchtower

1 XP for clearing the Watchtower.

The rest of this is going to make the assumption that the Characters are heroes and are going to try and save the town.  If they concoct some scheme to enter town directly, not involving the method describe below, let them go for it and improvise a response. 

As soon as the riverboat drifts into the harbor, it will start taking fire from the Light Watchtower.  There are 4 Possessed Witch Doctors at the top.  Their job is to fire on any ships trying to come into or leave the harbor.  The military galley at the military pier is already sinking and on fire.  (The Players, perhaps remembering that their next contact, Captain Verity, commands such as vessel, may find this news disconcerting.)  Once again, you can use the Naval combat rules, but I’d suggest just using the general guideline that if the ship gets hit by 2 Fireball spells (they just need to roll to activate the spell, there’s no Save) the ship catches on fire.  The rowers and crew will immediately abandon ship.  They’ll make for shore and then start heading back down river on foot.  The ship itself will run aground in front of the tower 1 rd later, break up, and sink. 

(If the Characters can pilot the ship into the harbor without getting hit twice, they’re extremely lucky.  It will take 4 rds to maneuver it to anywhere in the harbor.)

The Witch Doctors will be distracted by another ship attempting to leave the harbor while they’re distracted by the group’s entry.  However, the 8 Possessed Pygmy Natives guarding the base of the tower will swarm the Characters’ landing area.  This is what’s left of the force that took the tower by stealth.  The Characters should have little trouble dispatching them.  Here is also where they’ll notice that these natives are clearly not natural, with their glowing red eyes and animalistic mannerisms.  Further, the tower can be climbed via a spiral staircase on the inside.  The Witch Doctors on top won’t be expecting an attack from below, unless the Characters make an undue amount of noise.  Again, the Witch Doctors will have the red eyes, though slightly more human in behavior.       

 

From the top of the tower, the Characters will be able to get a good overview of the town (go ahead and describe the town layout).  The Warehouse area has scattered groups of natives grabbing other natives and dragging them off.  They’ll be able to hear the bell ringing at the temple and seeing signs of conflict in the area.  The Keep appears to be deserted as does the Tent City area.  The Estate area appears to be under siege by natives.  Taking out the Witch Doctors will allow five riverboats from the docks filled with residents to escape.  However, there are still a multitude of people on the docks.  The natives are clearly massing nearby to attack them.

A small jetty with a rowboat is available next to the Light Watchtower if the Characters are wondering about getting to town.