Sam

ple

file

Face Down in a Muddy Road

Asatania™ Module AS-15E Adventure Module for the Asatania Crashing Chaos™ Campaign

CREDITSDesign: Michael Cerny

Editing: Amy Cerny, Adam MaturinMaps: Amy Cerny, Michael Cerny, Stephanie McAlea

Cover Artist: Christopher ZakrzewskiInterior Artists: Christopher Zakrzewski, Olie Boldador

AS-1 Face Down in a Muddy Road is a 5e adventure module designed for four to seven level 1 characters.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thomp-son, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.AS1 - Face Down in a Muddy Road v1.07 Copyright 2016-2017 Fantastic Reality

Sam

ple

file

3

Contents

Preface .........................................................................................................4

Notes .............................................................................................................5Asatania Campaign Guide ..............................................................................5Official Publications .........................................................................................5Errata and Updates ..........................................................................................5Difficulty Adjustments......................................................................................5Find us at Fantastic-Reality.com ....................................................................5

Introduction ................................................................................................6A Note on Races ................................................................................................6A Note on Magic ................................................................................................6Plot Overview ....................................................................................................7Starting Backstories ........................................................................................7

Scene 1: On the Road .................................................................................7Introduction .......................................................................................................7Getting to Know Each Other ..........................................................................8NPCs ...................................................................................................................9

Scene 2: Ambush! .....................................................................................12Encounter ........................................................................................................ 13Loot and Experience ..................................................................................... 14Scene Conclusion .......................................................................................... 14

Scene 3: Roman Vidic ..............................................................................15NPCs ................................................................................................................ 15Encounter ....................................................................................................... 15Loot and Experience ..................................................................................... 16Scene Conclusion .......................................................................................... 16

Scene 4: Siver’s Mill Burns ......................................................................16Corpses in the Road ...................................................................................... 16Siver’s Mill Locations .................................................................................... 17Loot and Experience ..................................................................................... 20Scene Conclusion .......................................................................................... 20

Adventure Conclusion ..............................................................................20

Appendix I - Creatures .............................................................................21ul-Grogtok (“Kan Demon”) ........................................................................... 21

Appendix II - Non Player Characters ......................................................25

Appendix III - Kan Demon Map ..............................................................26

Appendix IV - Player Handouts ...............................................................27

Appendix V - Revision Notes ....................................................................30

Sam

ple

file

4

PrefaceYou hold in your hands (or are reading

on your screen), the result of several years worth of thought about the world of Asata-nia. AS-1 Face Down in a Muddy Road be-gins that story and will introduce players to the world and the major threats it faces. Fur-ther adventures will build upon its founda-tions. Players will often be faced with choic-es for which there is no clear right answer. The end result will be a story you create with your players, which is layered with themes of sacrifice and struggle, but also moments of hope and joy.

Asatania’s original inspiration came from an article I read which was about ancient Chinese maritime exploration. In the 1400s, the Chinese were the most accomplished long-distance mariners in the world. They constructed fleets of huge sailing ships. Led by Zheng He, these fleets were sent out on missions of trade and exploration through-out the known world (some even believe they reached the shores of North America). Yet, shortly after Zheng He’s death, Chinese ex-ploration ended when, in 1525, the authori-ties seized and destroyed any oceangoing ships with more than a single mast.

The Chinese had their reasons for formal-ly ending the age of Chinese seafaring, not the least of which was a desire to focus their energies and resources on the Mongol land invasions. However, this put me on the path to Asatania and got me thinking of what else might cause a nation to ban ocean explora-tion.

I thought of ancient threats and exotic lands, and about the futility of trying to hold back chaos. I imagined a land that felt itself protected by vast oceans. Concerned about existential threats across the horizon, it might build barriers to prevent the explora-tion of the world. Perhaps it was afraid of something it had discovered in a strange and mysterious land, or perhaps it just valued stability and believed it could insulate itself from the chaos of the world outside.

Whatever the reason, I decided that Asata-nia would be about what might happen when waves of chaos crash into this rock of stabil-ity. Unused to war, the insular realm would suddenly find itself fighting for survival. Its ossified government would struggle to resist and its people would be left to fend for them-selves.

I started to write stories and novels about Asatania at least a dozen times, but could never get them to “stick.” Only when I turned to role playing games did the words begin to flow freely.

I feel like I’ve done my job as world build-er and game master when my players spend long periods of time constructively discuss-ing their options. This sort of “in character” deliberation is the hallmark of immersion as players start to care about the world they are inhabiting and what happens to it. For the brief time each week when we get together to play, everyone feels as if they are in Asata-nia and they are their characters. Now, after playing through (and often rewriting) those stories with good friends, I’m releasing it into the wider world.

Asatania is no longer my world, but instead has become our world. You may choose to play it “by the book” or modify it beyond the recognition of its author. Ei-ther way, I sincerely hope that you get as much enjoyment out of reading and playing through these stories as I did writing them.

Michael Cerny cerny.mw@gmail.com

January 2016

Sam

ple

file

NotesAsatania Campaign Guide

While this adventure contains everything you need to run it, the Asatania Crashing Chaos Campaign Guide can help you paint a more vivid picture of the world, and is highly recommended. Words and phrases in bold text indicate that corresponding entries with additional information may be found in the Guide. Perusing it while you prepare for the adventure is recommended, though not required.

Official PublicationsThis adventure was designed with the

Open Gaming License version of the 5th edition rules (specifically version 5.1 of the Source Reference Document), however, you may find it helpful to have copies of the of-ficial hardcover books handy.

Errata and UpdatesFrom time to time, Asatania adventures

are updated to correct errors, clarify scenes, or even just to improve them based on player feedback. This adventure, AS-1 Face Down in a Muddy Road is currently at revision 1.07. Revision notes are located in Appendix V.

Difficulty AdjustmentsThis adventure is designed for four to sev-

en characters of first level, with the optimal number being five. If you have fewer players, you need to tone down some of the combat encounters. If you have more, you need to increase the strength of the opposition.

In most cases, increasing or decreasing the difficulty is a simple matter of adding or removing one creature. In more complex instances, suggestions have been provided.

Find us at Fantastic-Reality.comOur website at http://fantastic-reality.com

is a great resource for up-to-date informa-tion about the Asatania Crashing Chaos campaign. There you’ll find notes on develop-ment, excerpts from unpublished works, and occasional special offers.

You can also find us on Twitter at @AsataniaGM and at http://www.facebook.com/FantasticRealityGames.

“And so, the Nephilo cast his gaze across the sea...”

Barthol Marchel, CE2024Sa

mpl

e file

6

IntroductionWelcome to the first story adventure in the

Asatania campaign.

AS-1 Face Down in a Muddy Road is designed to introduce new players to Asatania and set the stage for the story you and your players will cre-ate. Please take some time to peruse the Asatania Crashing Chaos Campaign Guide and familiarize yourself with the world and the forces shaping it. Understanding the factions and history will be of immense help when you need to answer player questions or react to their actions.

If you have the Asatania Crashing Chaos Play-er’s Guide, it would be helpful to give your players some time to read it before creating characters. The Player’s Guide provides information that would be known to most people born on the conti-nent of Tere. It also contains suggested backstory elements which will help players create more compelling characters.

A Note on RacesPlayers may be surprised to learn that the rac-

es of Tere include only humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and half-elves. There are many other races described in various rule books (e.g. tieflings, dragonborn) which are neither native nor known on the continent of Tere, however, game masters may feel free to allow other races at their discretion. Such a character may be a shipwrecked survivor from another continent, or perhaps there is a tiny enclave of the race hidden in the wild reaches of Tere.

A Note on MagicOne of the mysteries of the campaign is the

lack of magic on Tere. Players that choose a class with innate magical ability - whether arcane or di-vine - will believe themselves unique in the world, and they will be unaware of any creatures that practice magic. It is assumed that players will have taken pains to have kept their own abilities hidden during their life prior to the start of this adventure.

If your players are concerned that this detail of the campaign will limit their character’s abili-ties or growth, reassure them that will not be the case. Magic is a significant element in the story that will unfold as the campaign progresses.

On Tere, the average person believes that magic is the stuff of folklore and fairy tale. While illusionists and sleight-of-hand artists are com-mon, no one has seen “real” magic before. Should they see characters using magic, people may go to great lengths to rationalize what they are seeing. Illusions, alchemy, engineering, or just pretending they didn’t see something are all possible reactions. A few non-player characters are more sophisticated and experienced than this, and will be so annotated in the text of this and other adventures.

RPG System CombatibilityAsatania Crashing Chaos’ design prioritizes

story and ease-of-play over detailed adher-ence to a specific ruleset. As such, it has been made as system neutral as possible, and should be easily convertible to any modern fantasy role playing rules, though it was specifically designed for the fifth edition of the most com-monly used system.

We love the fifth edition’s focus on simplicity that fosters fluid story-telling and game master discretion. If you are already familiar with those rules, you should be able to start playing imme-diately.

The Asatania Crashing Chaos campaign and associated adventures are being released under the Open Gaming License (OGL).

Sam

ple

file

7

Plot OverviewThe adventure starts with the characters riding

on one of the ubiquitous Traveler Wagons to-wards the small coastal town of Bray’s Bay. Each character may have a different reason for head-ing there, but fate has them all traveling together. With them are their driver, a couple of Imperium bureaucrats, and an out-of-work laborer.

The group will come across a couple of farm-ers attempting to repair a broken down cart. The “farmers” reveal themselves to be Kan Demon just as a stream of arrows and spears fly at the party from multiple directions.

After the fierce ambush encounter, the charac-ters regroup to find one of the bureaucrats dead, the laborer has fled, and a half dozen Kan De-mon dead. While Kan Demon coastal raids were expected, a force this deep into the interior is unprecedented.

As the group continues towards Bray’s Bay, they plan to stop at the small hamlet of Siver’s Mill to grab some breakfast and pick up a fresh set of horses. Nearing the hamlet, the heavy smell of smoke in the air gives them pause. They soon realize that it has been attacked and pillaged. The characters find no survivors in the smoldering ruins, though they will have another encounter with the raiders.

They find an invasion map on one of the de-feated Kan Demon at Siver’s Mill, which raises more questions than it answers. The players are forced to decide whether to continue to Bray’s Bay and hope it hasn’t been overrun, or check out the nearby locations marked on the map.

This adventure should take between 4 and 6 hours to complete and characters should reach level 2 by its end.

Starting BackstoriesAs part of their backstory, each player should

include a reason for their character to be heading to Bray’s Bay. The reason doesn’t have to be epic, but it should be important enough that the players won’t feel compelled to abandon their journey at the first hint of trouble.

If a player is having trouble coming up with a reason, here are some possibilities:

• the character is hoping to join the new army to defend their homeland

• the character is searching for someone who was last seen in Bray’s Bay

• the character wishes to book passage to the Windsome Chain islands to track down a person or thing

• the character is adventurous and seeks to be “where the action” is

Scene 1: On the RoadIntroduction

After the players have created their characters and backstories, read the following backstory:

Last summer, longboats appeared up and down the eastern coast of Tere from across the Dawn Sea. The ships brought with them large humanoids dubbed “Kan Demons” by a scared populace. The invaders aren’t supernatural, but rather, a previously unknown race. They are savage, destructive and cruel, but most definitely mortal. By summer’s end, the invaders had pillaged numerous towns and cities, inciting fear and panic in the coastal regions. Then, as suddenly as they arrived, the invader’s boarded their ships and returned across the sea. Concerned more raids would follow, Emperor Marchel ordered the creation of a new army to defend the coastline. This “Home Guard Regi-ment” is now marshalling at Bray’s Bay.

Sam

ple

file