Here Come the Lizards

[Tybalt]

Here Come the Lizards

I'm planning on running "The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh" and related adventures as the first stuff my players encounter. That's the one where the players are investigating a mysterious haunted house at first only to find it is a smugglers' 'haunt', and that the smugglers are selling sophisticated weaponry to a nearby clan of lizard folk.

The "U" series of modules have to be among the best written for AD&D, and it is a wonderful balance of roleplaying and dungeon delving. My players are going to be leading a small military force, sent to help protect the local villages during the harvest season. (the local militia, being villagers themselves, are needed to bring in the harvest, and since there is a possible war with the goblin tribes across the river coming they want it brought in as efficiently as possible)

I've always found the lizard folk fascinating creatures because they are potential enemies but also potentially just beyond the periphery of importance or even allies. In a previous incarnation of this campaign world (the New Edom campaign; it is focused largely on the small republic of New Edom) the lizard folk were simply deadly enemies with the humans of the republic and their demi-human allies, but I like this series because there are other possibilities.

The Lizard folk, according to the module series, are actually preparing for war with sahuagin, and are both trying to get better weaponry and also align with other intelligent aquatic creatures. I think this will be particularly interesting because I have not depicted the New Edomites as very adept at seafaring at this early point in their history. The sea facing them to the south is vast and the trading and fishing ships they do have hug the coastlines for the most part. There will be a genuine sense of discovery in encountering the races such as merefolk and locathah.

However, there is another subplot. New Edom is a Republic which is vehemently focused on eliminating the possibility of its people becoming slaves again or subject to any form of monarchy or oligarchy. There is a remote region near the Great Swamp called Gilead, which is largely populated by members of a cult which worships the spirit of the long overthrown (first and only) King of New Edom, believing that by performing secret sacrifices and by a ritualized sense of caste and sexual roles that they avert famine and disease. Since every region elects their own representatives to the council, and since their harvests are actually very good, the few who are aware that something is really wrong with the area don't say much about it. However a young woman fleeing the area with a baby that would have been exposed on a hillside as a sacrifice to the King has made an accusation. Her brother, the Councillor, has not so much hushed it up as muffled it, but the Council Police want to discreetly take a look. They are going to send an officer to investigate, who will be junior enough to ostensiblyl just be acting as an intelligence officer for the patrol.

This is a potentially complicated scenario, I admit, but the players will be free to some extent to decide how much they want to put into the investigation of either situation. The local leaders for the most part intend simply to point out the need for security and focus on the lizard folk, and while the players are in town to make sure they are wined and dined and generally kept away from anything that would disturb them. It will not be easy to investigate as part of the discipline of the local cult is that the sacrifices are never spoken of. (think of the victims of the wire in "Watership Down") In a way the irony is that it is the local steading chiefs and town elders and not the lizard folk who are villains.

Among the accusations are:

1. That some children and the elderly are sacrificed, when for instance a steading changes hands or when for instance a child is born during a new moon or during a time of potential famine or illness.

2. That only men of property or those given special permission may marry.

3. That men and women have separate tasks in daily life. For instance, only men may actually harvest crops while only women may do such things as husk the grain.

4. That the locale has not sent any women to militia duty in nearly two generations.

5. That there are secret rites that take place on a hill which is a secret barrow full of the bones of sacrifices.


The Cult of the Hill King

The Hill King cult is based on a visitation about two generations ago upon a farmer, desperate for rain to feed his dying crop, by the spirit of King Obed, the first and last king of New Edom, who proved a tyrant and was slain for it. The farmer was instructed to bring his scattered body parts and put them secretly under a hill which was called Hallow's Hill. The Hill King then had the farmer swear to abide by certain practices, including sacrifices of blood and rigid adherence to lore assigned to men and women. The farmer then taught this to others and gained authority over them. The farmers who head each steading in the area of Gilead are clerics of the Hill King, for the dead spirit has become a demi-god through this worship.

Upon invocation the bones of the sacrifices may be animated by a priest of the Hill King.

[Numinous]

I love the thread name, hehe...  Anyway, it seems like a nice campaign outline.  It's always easy to make mistakes, but I can see this campaign turning out to be quite entertaining for your group.  Have fun with it!

[CYMRO]

:clap:
I remember when Saltmarsh first came out.  You are right, it is a great one.

As a suggestion though, if you really like lizard folk, give their race a real name.  It tends to add a dimension to a race.
I chose for them naydrans in Altvogge.

[Tybalt]

Thank you for the link btw, I've saved your site to my favourites list to get a better look. I'll send you my thoughts on it.

Good advice on the idea of having a name for them that they call themselves...

I should add a bit of background about my further thoughts on the Council Police. These are made up of various people of various character type classes who serve the council as protection, messengers and as investigators. While they have the power of arrest they must justify it before a magistrate. One of my players, playing a psion (who has object reading) will be the Council Police officer present. It is an extra character package; consistent lawful behavior and obedience to the ideals of the Republic permit the character to maintain the training of a Council Police officer.

1st level bonus: interrogation and pain tolerance, rank of Ensign in the Council Police.

3rd level bonus: 2nd Lieutenant; gains powers of arrest. (which act as an intimidation success against New Edomites or any person within the borders of the Republic)

4th level bonus: 1st Lieutenant; at this point the character should be tested for loyalty again. Things like dishonesty for self gain (deceiving enemies of the state is fine), corruption, disloyalty, plotting against authorities or violence to authorities disqualify and subject the character to arrest at this point. If the test (ie consistent behavior) is successful the character goes up to the next degree in resistance to magic due to intense training.

6th level bonus: Captain; the Council Police officer has the power to begin an investigation on his own recognizance. This requires the investigation to be justified to a Guardian of Justice or the Council but can be instigated on the character's own.

8th level bonus: Major; the Council Police officer by now has gained a network of informants and contacts. The character may roll versus charisma once per session to gain information. (gm's choice, and it is divided in half for secrets and by 3 for dangerous secrets)

10th level bonus: Lieutenant-Colonel; the officer directly works for a patron on the council. This means both the benefit of high influence and the trouble of being put to work.

11th level bonus: Colonel. At this point the officer is in charge of a section of the council police and will gain lower ranking followers. Note that to suit the campaign these can be spies, investigators or whatever is most suitable.