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The Town of Gildspire
Under inspection, Gildspire makes little sense as a settlement. It is, at best, a fevered dream. An illusion of what a person might conceive as a town. Its five concentric walls with so little space between them are nonsensical. The population it can sustain is so minuscule that a town this size would be little more than a farming hamlet. The buildings inside, too, appear to be staples of what a city should have. It is a caricature.
Townsfolk. Everyone in Gildspire, except for the guards, came from outside and were forced to take part in the town’s story-lines. The weak of mind are vulnerable to the Mother Executioner’s spells; they take part in their roles as if these were their lives all along. Those who resist are mentally threatened into complying. If they refuse, the city guards, magically summoned and mute, take them to jail. About half obey; the rest are taken to the Mother’s Temple.
The Characters. All characters are directed to become ‘patrons’ in the tavern (area 12). They have 1 day to comply before the guards come looking for them.
Random Events – 1d6
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1d6 |
Details |
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1 |
Two city guards (knights) haul two screaming commoners to jail (area 13). If confronted, two guards climb down from the walls and attack. |
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2 |
Ten toughs arrive in town and immediately rebel against the Mother’s demands. Eight city guards (knights) fight them in front of area 16. |
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3 |
The bell tower rings three times. If the characters ask around, the locals think it means someone has been executed in the temple. |
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4 |
A merchant caravan arrives in town with twelve commoners and two guards. They despair when they learn they cannot leave town. |
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5 |
Four city guards (knights) patrol Gildspire marching. They are particularly strict and pick a fight at the smallest provocation. |
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6 |
Half the NPCs in town are instructed to participate in a parade to celebrate the Mother Executioner’s reign. It lasts 1 hour. |
A Town for Fools
Illana, the Mother Executioner, has always been a prodigy among mages. But recently, she became a believer of the Horned Goddess. This deity is an elusive and famed trickster. The deity gave Illana access to greater power, but the consequence of wielding it slowly tore her mind apart. Illana became unstable and insane. She forgot the origin of her title (see Rumor 2) and now sees herself as an authoritative figure who orders everyone around and executes those who do not comply. With the power of the Horned Goddess, Illana brought forth the town of Gildspire on a whim. She planted fake memories of Gildspire, mentally influenced those nearby to approach, and summoned the mute guards to force those inside to play their roles. Her actions and the existence of Gildspire serve no real purpose. These are the desperate ramblings of a crumbling mind with great power.
1. Gatehouses and Walls
Each gatehouse in Gildspire is guarded by two city guards (knights). They are mute. A Detect Magic spell reveals they have been conjured out of thin air; they are not real people. They allow people inside and close the gates behind them. The guards allow people back into outer sections if their role requires them to be there.
Walls. The five concentric walls are 20 feet tall (DC 14 Athletics to climb). Six city guards (knights) patrol each of the wall walks.
Magic Ward. Once people enter Gildspire, they cannot exit. A Wall of Force surrounds the town. The barrier is one-way, allowing people in.
2. Effigy of the Mother
A tall statue on a dais overlooks the area. It depicts a robed woman with sharp horns.
A man, Gustaff, stands by the statue. He is a sort of tour guide. He says Gildspire owes its prowess and safety to the ‘Great Mother’. He cannot be convinced that he is a puppet playing a role.
3. Blacksmith Shop
Two people live here: a young man named Arthur (commoner) and a teenager named Jirlens. Arthur plays the role of blacksmith but the man knows nothing of the trade; he is a farmer. The teenage boy acts like his son and apprentice; Jirlens cannot be convinced that this is not true. Arthur is afraid and silently tells the characters how he came to Gildspire in a merchant caravan.
4. The Gilded Inn
Rick plays the role of innkeeper and invites the characters to stay. Six more people are here as patrons. Half of them are aware of their predicament but comply. They share the following:
- Deserters are taken to jail. Only if they agree to perform their role can they return.
- There is another inn after the third wall. But the patrons of that tavern believe their roles.
- The Mother Executioner sometimes gives telepathic commands to some townsfolk.
5. Alchemist’s Shop
An old woman works strenuously with alchemical implements and fuming glassware. Her concentration is deep.
The alchemist, named Nadia, is magically convinced of her craft, but a mage may notice that her procedures and technical knowledge are flawed (DC 12 Arcana).
Treasure. Despite her lack of skills, there are three Potions of Healing and one Potion of Invisibility on the shelves. She does not mind the characters taking them.
6. The Market
Five vendors, fully committed to their role, work the stalls in the market. They sell common, run-of-the-mill items. The clientele, which comes from time to time, sometimes features people who are just pretending to be customers. No money is exchanged.
7. The Magic Shop
Mark, a man dressed in an ornate robe, greets the characters when they arrive. He drops the act when he sees the characters are not mindless puppets. He explains he is not even a mage, but a fisherman (commoner). Unfortunately, the wares in his shop are worthless trinkets; nothing is magical. He offers to help in whatever way possible.
8. Adventurer’s Guild
This establishment is empty. The guild ‘members’, who are a trio of commoners, took the weapons here and tried to attack the temple a few days before the characters’ arrival. The city guards confronted and subdued them. They are currently imprisoned in area 12. None of them want to obey; they will be moved to the temple soon.
Treasure. On the desk of the main room, there is a leather purse with 240 GP. A note on the desk mentions these are the guild’s funds, meant to be used to pay adventurers.
Oh! Merciful Horned Goddess! Let me use your power to craft a bastion that represents your values. We shall make you proud or perish in the attempt.
Illana, Mother Executioner
9. Tower of the Archmage
A middle-aged gentleman with a leather apron works with beakers and a small microscope.
Playing the role of an archmage, Victor Greenwall (tough) is one of the taxmen sent by Duke Harold Farland. He dutifully plays his role out of fear. He explains, while pretending to do ‘magical research’, that some of his fellow officials were taken into the temple and never returned. He is disappointed that the duke sent the adventurers and not the army: “This is not going to be enough; we need more help. Some say the Mother Executioner is an actual mage!” Still, he offers to help.
10. The Market
The vendor refused to comply and was forcibly removed by the guards a week ago. Blood was cleaned from the floor and items rearranged in haste (DC 17 Investigation to notice these clues).
11. The Squishy Griphon
Nine commoners pretend to be merchant travelers and cannot be convinced otherwise.
Deserter. A tenth man named Urich approaches the characters and reveals something he found out by accident. Alcohol disrupts the Mother Executioner’s mind control for 1 day.
12. The Lucky Charm
The characters are invited in by fully immersed staff and given drinks. These are soft drinks; the staff ignores the alcoholic beverages in the bar. The characters are expected to stay here indefinitely. Once they abandon their appointed role, they have 1 free day before the guards come.
13. Gildspire Prison
Lara Sharpnail is the only person here. City guards bring deserters from time to time and put them in cells. Lara only has to offer them food and drink. Otherwise, she has nothing to do.
Allies. Lara is glad to see adventurers; she offers to join the party to explore the temple.
Prisoners. Three men (guards) are in the cells, the members of the fake guild (area 8). They offer to help too. If left here, the city guards come for them after 2 hours to bring them to the temple. The characters can use this event to try to access the Temple of Mother Executioner.
Information. Lara reveals that after 3 days of imprisonment, if people do not obey, they are taken into the temple. She believes they are summarily executed. She also claims that during the change of watch, there are less guards in the temple’s entrance; it is the best moment to approach.
14. Temple of the Mother
An opulent statue of Illana, the Mother Executioner, looms on the church’s altar.
Six people (commoners) are being held against their will. They are malnourished, as the Mother Executioner expects them to be extreme ascetics who only eat once a week. Some rebelled a week ago and were taken into the temple. The starving people are too weak to help, but they are hopeful that their plight might soon be ended.
15. Botanic Garden
A young lass, Anya (commoner), plays the role of a herbalist. Out of all the hostages in Gildspire, Anya quite likes her current situation. For years she was misguided and lived on the streets out of the charity of others. Now she has a roof over her head, food, and ‘stuff to do’. She is the mind-free person in the town who is grateful and loyal to the Mother Executioner. She is willing to betray the characters if she learns their treacherous plans.
16. Temple of the Mother
Behind the fifth gatehouse and wall, a white-bricked temple rises. Its single spire and campanary features a gilded, conical roof.
Guards. Four city guards (knights) stand by the entrance. If attacked, two more come from the nearby wall come to help after two rounds.
Getting In. The characters can burst their way in through sheer force by defeating the guards. If they wait for the change of guard, the reinforcements never arrive. Alternatively, if the characters are put in a prison cell in area 13 and wait for the guards, they are escorted inside. The city guards, while strong combatants, are not intelligent enough to remember who is meant to be in the cells or why. If the characters are escorted in, the guards take them to the dungeon’s area 2.
The Temple. The circular Temple of Mother Executioner is a grandiose, opulent shrine. There are no pews or imagery of the mother, though. The Detect Magic spell reveals everything is bathed with illusory magic, making the place look more pristine than it is. In the center of the room, a gargoyle-flanked, 15-foot-wide staircase descends 40 feet to the dungeon’s antechamber (area 1).
