The Tower Apart

This is a mini work-in-progress adventure for 13th Age, intended to last two sessions.

Elevator Pitch

A reverse dungeon-crawl, where you start in the innermost core of a dungeon and work your way out. You’re a bunch of convicted criminals and your sentence is to invade a tower, kill some dragons, and get out.

Conceit

You’ve all been tried and sentenced by the Court of Stars. Whether or not you are guilty of what you’ve been accused of matters little. You’re being offered a mission, overseen by a high Elven officer. Escorted to the edge of the Overworld, over the Iron Sea, and kicked over the cloud breach, with only a Rocfeather parachute and your equipment to serve you. Your target is a dragon’s nest, perched on an ancient coral tower jutting from the sea.

Inside you’ll find many trials. Your way in is secure, and in fact, unavoidable. You either land on the peak of the tower, or meet your end in the brine. Destroy the nest and make it out, and you’ll be granted clemency by the Elves. Problem is, the nearest shoreline is hundreds of miles away.

Six Main Points (For the GM)

1. Every character in the party has been found guilty by the Court of Stars. This means everyone in the party should have some reason to respect the sovereign – likely, all Elven citizens, or the friendly Human and Lizard population. Perhaps a prisoner of war.
2. The Tower Apart has long been a place of interest for powerful recluses. It’s nearly impossible to get in or out, and it’s remote enough that no one comes snooping. It’s had many tenants over the ages, from mages, devils, and dragons.
3. This party isn’t the first group sent here on behalf of the Elves. No other has succeeded, or even survived. Their notes, scratched on the walls of the tower, soon betray the party’s fate.
4. The Red Dragon Ash-Ksarasharasksha has taken roost here and made it her nest. The Three has keen interest in keeping this hidden, as nesting sites for dragons have become rare, with the draconic population dwindling since the 8th Age.
5. The tenant prior to Ksarash was a sorceror studying Living Weapons, artifact items that live in the realm of ghosts, binding to their wielders. Chuuls appear capable of creating similar living magic items, though misformed in ways. The sorceror had a labratory for researching Chuuls and their growths.
6. The Diabolist has recently been lain low. The Demon of Drowning lays in the root of the tower. Typically this would render it innavigable, but the demon is willing to make a deal to aid the party.

Set-Up

The party should be told the entire core conceit before making their characters. During planning, you should see if there are any common themes among icons, and try to make modifications to the adventure to fit the theme.

Here’s what the players will be told about their mission by their quest-giver, at the start of the first session.

The Quest

You’ve all been sentenced for your crimes against the Court of Stars by her majesty, The Elven Queen. The Court is gracious, and acknowledges your talents and the worth you may bring to the crown, and is offering you a chance at clemency. There is a tower in the sea, Utoplenna, where a Red Dragon has taken roost. It would behoove the crown if this tenant was evicted from their roost.

As such, we will be sending you all to this tower to dispatch the drake Ksarash and destroy her nest. Do so, and we will welcome you back into the court with open arms.

The Tower

Utoplenna was originally a demon’s lair, named after them. It is split into four broad sections: The peak, the foyer, the balcony, and the cellar. The party begins at the peak and makes their way to the balcony.

The tower itself is made of a reddish coral material, carved by ages of use, weathered strongly by the driving rains that persist around the Iron Sea. It can only just be reached by divers from the Overworld – if it were much further out, The Great Stormhead over the sea would completely isolate it. It leans strongly Eastward, and the balcony is on the Eastern face as well, making descent directly from the peak to the balcony difficult.

The Peak

The peak is broad enough, and currently flush with vegetation. Ksarash has figured out a commensal relationship with the living plants,

Fight 1:

• Some plant life (C.267) Large 4th level wrecker [CONSTRUCT]

Initiative: +9

Prime the Rune +7 vs. AC - 14 damage

Lever must use Strike the Earth as his next attack.

[Special Trigger] Strike the Earth +10 vs. AC - 28 damage

A character hit by Strike the Earth may choose to be knocked Far Away, and reduce the damage to 22. Lever must use Prime the Rune as his next attack.

Reflexive Prime: When a character rolls a natural 1-5 to hit Lever, Lever may use Strike the Earth as his next attack.