(by David Schibeci - Used with the permission of David Schibeci)

Love Honour Death is a stand alone module set in Legend, the world of the Dragons Warriors Roleplaying System. It contains a generic adventure suitable for any fantasy roleplaying system. You do not need any more than this module to play the adventures within, but Book 6 or DWR is highly recommended.

Background Material
The most important background material is in the form of a story, located below. The story, A Tale Told By Firelight, forms the backbone of the adventure and should be read carefully before proceeding.

The rest of the background material is scattered throughout the module as necessary, either as separate passages or as references to useful texts.

A Tale Told by Firelight

Five hundred years ago, myth tells a tale of a boy born to a poor family. The boy would have stayed like this had it not been for an exiled warrior, turned mercenary, who stumbled across this family one winter storm. Had it not been for the boy's family who saved the frozen warrior and nursed back to health, the warrior would have died. The warrior, amazed at the generosity of these poor folk, realised that the poor family could not afford to lose the food they gave him. Guilt-stricken he took off a few days after his recovery, to see how he could pay back these poor villagers.

While the villagers though the warrior was just another rude mercenary, he was in fact a disgraced knight who still held some influence in the court. The warrior begged his old mentor, the adviser to a great and powerful king, to take the boy as a squire and give his family a home near the lord's castle. The lord, so impressed by the warrior's description of the selfless nature of the saviours, agreed immediately though he expected the boy would come to naught.

This family were amazed at this sudden reversal of fortune and bade the boy to work hard as thanks for this great gift. The boy was overwhelmed at his new position and begun his training in earnest. The lord was amazed at the natural aptitude the boy demonstrated, easily overcoming all the squires of the same age as himself. The boy trained hard, dedicating himself to the art of the knight, but what pleased the lord the most was the way the lad took to his scholastic lessons showing a keenness of mind as well of arm.

The exiled warrior also took pride at the boy's progress, giving the lad extra lessons as well as instilling in him the code of a knight. In just a few years the lad was knighted, and to the amazement of the court, gave the lands he gained as a knight to his fellow villagers. Most of the nobles called him mad but the king took an immediate shine to this enthusiastic, young knight.

Though the young knight preferred roaming the countryside defending the meek, mild and down trodden, he has to occasionally return to court to report on his activities as well as renew his pledges to the king. It was on visits such as this that a young, red-haired maiden caught his attention. Never before had the young knight felt as he had, smitten not only by the lass' beauty but also of the wit she displayed when mentally sparring with the king's clergymen about matters both philosophical and religious.

The young knight despaired when he found that this maiden was in fact the king's daughter, the princess and heir to the throne. He gave up all hope for a happy ending and launched himself with twice as much vigour at his work.

The young knight's lightening passage had caught the attention of a few jealous knights who saw him as an usurper. He especially enraged another young knight, who was also said to have a promising career. This dark knight was a potential suitor of the princess' though his attempts to woo the lady with his charm and arm had failed. The knight also saw the vigour at which the young boy pursued his work as an attempt to woo the lady himself, and was doubly enraged.

The lady in question thought the knight of poor origin to be the most handsome and noble of souls she had ever come across. She though she had found her soul mate and pressed her father to allow her to marry this knight. Her father was delighted and agreed immediately.

The knight of questionable motives overheard the conversation and flew in such a rage that the nobles spoke of cries of spirits for years afterwards. This knight was the son of another king with whom he pleaded to make the motions of war to frighten the first king into marrying his daughter to him to save his kingdom from the ravages of war. He also stirred up a hate campaign against the knight, targeting the princess' relatives who did not like the young man's unknightly ways.

The princess, unaware of what was happening, race to the knight's said to tell him of the news. The knight was over joyed at receiving his truest wish. The love struck couple returned to the court. What awaited them was worse than the blackest nightmare.

The king had promised his daughter to the other knight to save his kingdom and ensure the peace. The young knight was grief-stricken and would not be comforted. He returned to the countryside to continue his work. The princess pleaded with her father, but to no avail. The dark knight, after a night of drinking, approached the princess in the dead of the night. Ennobled by the drink, he tried to force himself on the princess, and after a struggle there was an accident and the princess was stabbed.

News of this accident flew across the land and reached the young knight's ears in short order. Enraged he returned and took the life of the dark knight. In a final monumental act of anger, he cursed both the knight's family and the king's. He swore he would live the rest of his days hunting down the ancestors of both houses until till their seed was exterminated.

Though both kingdoms have disappeared in antiquity, legend speaks of a hate filled knight who roams the land.

Adventure Synopsis

The characters stumble across the prostrate form of a young man, bleeding to death and being assaulted by what appear to be thugs. The thugs are in fact members of a family, the DeVeragons, who caught the young man in the act of murdering their sister. If the characters save the young man, he will plead with them to help take him get to Ferromaine to fulfil a vow he made a long time ago.

The young man, who introduces himself as Daniel, is in fact the young knight from A Tale Told by Firelight. The vow is in fact that of wiping out the last living members of the DeVeragon and Ferris families. His real name is Danten Bretson, and the only thing which keeps him alive is hatred and the vow he made to avenge his beloved. Once his vow has been completed he is quite willing to take his own life.

Once in Ferromaine, Danten disappears without a trace. The characters soon find more work, however, being hired to investigate some strange disappearances and murders occurring in the city of Ferromaine. It appears that members of two families are being mercilessly slaughtered, those of the DeVeragons and Ferris. While the characters are investigating, Danten will once again stumble upon the characters' path, pleading he needs their help once more. He will state that he is trying to recover a family heirloom stolen from a ancestor 500 years ago.

If the characters agree they will find that Danten wishes to break into the ancestral home of the DeVeragons, a castle located to the east of Ferromaine. Once inside, Danten will disappear and leave the characters in the lurch. The characters should still recover this 'family heirloom' which is in fact a chest containing the burnt remains of his beloved as well as her last possessions.

The final confrontation comes when the characters are hired by a servant of the Ferris family, fearing for his relatives. They fort up in their mansion -like house and stay the master's safety. On the last day of their stay, they catch the murderer in their midst. Danten reveals all when he discovers the characters have the chest.

Starting Off The Adventure

The adventure has been designed to start dramatically, with the characters discovering the prostate body of a young man on the road to Ferromaine. Of course Ferromaine has only been chosen as that is where the bulk of the adventure is set. It could quite easily be placed in any major city in Legend with alterations to take into account geography, culture and political situations.

There are a number of options to get the characters heading in the direction of Ferromaine. One is to get the characters hired by a merchant to move goods between where they are currently located and Ferromaine (within reason).

If this is the characters first adventure, however, why not thrust them into the middle of the action?

Prologue: And Death Shall Have No Hold Over Me

The following piece of music and text is designed to introduce the characters to the overall 'flavour' of the adventure as well as allude to things to come. Though it will be some time before the characters can make the connection between the story and the events they experience, it is essential to read the story to build up the mood of the adventure.

Bards, Troubadours and Storytellers all tell tales of magic and wonder to thrill audiences young and old. There is one tale, however, reserved for that quiet hour of the night, as the embers of the fire begin to die, and the young ones can hardly keep their eyes open.

It is a tale of a young knight and a young princess who shared a love so bright and happy that it should have lasted a lifetime. Of how the princess was so cruelly slain by one who professed his love for her, and how the young knight slew this villainous liar.

What these teller of tales will not say for fear of scaring the young ones is that some say the young knight haunts the castle of his princess, never sleeping that last sleep for his hatred can never be satisfied...

Part 1: On The Road to Ferromaine

The characters, on the road to Ferromaine for one reason or another, happen to stumble upon the prostate body of a young man, Danten Bretson. He was beaten into submission by members of the DeVeragon family. These brothers stumbled into their sister's room, half-drunk, while the young man was in the act of slaying their sister. Enraged they struck Danten down, but he managed to get away.

Wounded and bleeding, Danten stumbled south towards the Ferromaine road. The brothers, having time to sober up, begun the chase at once. The characters have stumbled upon the group five minutes after the brothers intercepted Danten.

The sun, blazing in the sky above, seems to smile down at you as you make your way south along the road to Ferromaine. The bright day and singing birds can only add to your buoyant mood.

Making you way briskly along the road, you notice ahead of you a group of figures standing in the middle of the road. As you cautiously edge your way closer, you notice they have surrounded what appears to be the prostrate body of a young man. One of the figures, another young man, waves his fist at the sky and kicks the unconscious man.

Another of the figures holds the first back, whispering something in his ear, while pulling out a length of rope out of his back pack with his free hand. The figures look they are going to perform a hanging.

There are two obvious branches this encounter can take. The characters, if they are good souls, will probably want to help the young man. The rest of this adventure is designed with that option in mind. However, there is nothing stopping the characters from walking off in the opposite direction. If the characters do this, and you wish to continue with the adventure, simply make Danten immortal. So driven is he by hate, that he can't be slain by ordinary means. He will keep popping up in the character's way until they are forced to take some sort of action.

Part 2: Daniel Be My Name

Once Danten has been rescued and healed up, the characters can begin questioning him. If they ask who the figures were, he will reply that they must have been common thieves as he has never laid eyes on them before. He will say that he is just a down-on-his-luck knight travelling to Ferromaine looking for work. The thugs must have seen his armour and guessed he was a rich knight, and that's why they attacked.

The characters should, and rightly so, feel the story doesn't quite feel right. Why would common thieves want to hang a knight? Danten, to complete the lie, will introduce himself as simply Daniel: "I lost both my honour and my name a long time ago."

After stories have been swapped and the introductions are over, Danten will beg the characters they help him get to Ferromaine. He is now worried for his safety and wishes the safety of numbers. The characters should readily agree, as this is the first half-truth Danten has told them. He is scarred at being attacked, but by other members of the Ferris and DeVeragon families.

Part 4: And They Carried Me On Their Backs

Depending on where the characters are, Ferromaine may only be a few days ride or a few weeks. Any longer would push even the credibility of this adventure. Though not an essential part of the adventure, the journey from where the character's meet Danten and Ferromaine allows the Games Master to both lay some dark hints about their mysterious companion as well as build a grand description of the surrounding countryside.

Encounters can, and should, be provided for the characters along the road. The type, size and ferocity of the encounters is up to the discretion of the Games Master, but a mixture of wild creatures indigenous to the local area as well as human and humanoid encounters are suggested. Undead, magical and other weird and wonderful creatures would detract from the overall feel of the adventure.

Part 5: Acquaintances Lost And Commissions Won

When the characters arrive in Ferromaine, ward in tow, read the following passage:

Ferromaine, city of towers. Home to a quarter of a million people. Trade centre of the north and undisputed jewel of the region.

You make your way through the bustling streets, jostled and bumped by the hundreds of people flowing through the street. Merchants line the street, standing being their colourful stalls, waving their hands to get your attention. Your eyes are assaulted by a kaleidoscope of colours as your eyes are besieged by a mosaic of smells. Truly, this must be what it is like to be alive.

And when you turn, you notice, Daniel is gone.

Now that Danten has arrived in Ferromaine he feels a lot safer, and though he feels indebted to the characters, he is a lot more driven by his hatred.

The characters should feel a little peeved by the whole affair, but not sooner has Danten disappeared then they are pressed in service. They are approach by a city official, either a friend of the characters or knows of one of their friends, and begs for a brief moment of their time.

This city official, Kl'ren, will inform the characters that there have been a number of suspicious murders around Ferromaine, but only involving two houses. Kl'ren suspects that it is just house rivalry, but both houses vehemently deny such accusations. They assure the Ferromaine council they are the best of friends. Wether the characters believe any of this or not is up to them, but after being offered a large sum of money they are sure to launch themselves into the deed.

There are a number of possible avenues of exploration for the characters:

1. First the characters will more than likely want a list of the murders that have taken place. So far there has been two in the region. Clare DeVeragon was murdered yesterday in the family summer house to the north of Ferromaine. This is the sister of the three who pursued Daniel: John, Tom and Harry DeVeragon. Their father, Cecil DeVeragon, drowned two years ago in a mysterious accident while hunting and their mother supposedly took her own life last year, jumping from the tallest point of their ancestral home, located to the east of Ferromaine. All of their other relatives have long since died or disappeared under mysterious circumstances, except for their aunt and uncle who are currently looking after the family, Bruce and Desdemona. The DeVeragons, all questions will be answered by the aunt and uncle, stating the boys are too torn up with grief, and will be extremely tight-lipped at any such encounters.
2. The second murder took place over a week ago in the ancestral home of the Ferris' located to the south of Ferromaine. Brigette Ferris, prone to sleep walking, managed (somehow) to get out of the house and was run down by a carriage in the wee hours of the morning. The husband, and head of the family, Den Ferris will answer all questions saying his daughter, Julia, and two sons, Red and Bret, should not be bother by such impersonal questions. The last of the relatives of the Ferris' disappeared last year while travelling to Ferromaine, and no one has seen them since. Den believes them dead, but will not explain why he believes such a thing.
3. The characters can also try to get a feel for the situation from the locals. Though not many of the citizens of Ferromaine can fill the characters in with any details, they will tell the characters there are rumours of bad blood between the Ferris and DeVeragon families. Both are powerful and influential families who hold a lot of sway in the city.
4. Finally, the characters should stumble upon of storyteller, telling the story laid out in the introduction to this adventure.

The main purpose of this section of the adventure is to give the characters a feel for the situation as well as building up the tension and the atmosphere.

Part 6: A Dark, Avenging Angel

When the characters come close to breaking the puzzle of Danten, Danten himself will appear wherever the characters are staying to beg for their help again. He will say that he is trying to retrieve an old family heirloom (he will state that it is five hundred years old) that he thought was lost but discovered that a wealthy family hereabouts stumbled across it many years ago.

He will tell the characters that he begged for them to return the heirloom and even offered a sum of money but they refused. He says that his only other course of action is to infiltrate their home and take back the heirloom.

The characters may be a little squeamish about stealing but Danten will be very persuasive, using a latent charm ability he has always had (like a charm spell). If the characters agree, Danten will want to leave that evening.

The family who owns the manor are the DeVeragons and it is their ancestral home. Danten intends to break in and slay the head of the house. Danten needs the characters as both diversion and to throw them off the scent. He will also warn the characters that they may be separated during the course of the evening, and they must make for the heirloom. He will describe it as a large, oaken chest with an engraving of two snakes biting each others tails on the top.

The manor is located an hour east of Ferromaine, nestled in the woods north of that grand city. Plans for the manor house are located in Appendix B. There are two important events for the characters when exploring that house. One occurs when the characters get past the main walls, they are set upon by guards, which is described in detail in Something Lost below. The other is when they discover the chest, which is described in detail in Something Found also below.

Part 7: Something Lost

As mentioned above, as soon as the characters get over the walls, and into the grounds beyond, Danten will disappear into the night. The characters will be set upon by a group of guards, equal to their number, and it is in this scuffle that Danten makes a break for it. He intended to lose the characters the whole time, but had a cover story so the characters would not be worried and would continue looking for the chest.

Part 7: Something Found

When the characters reach the main bed chamber, they will almost be drawn to the chest which lies to one side of the room. Once they have the chest in their possession, a small chest which can be quiet easily carried by a single person, they will have to escape the mansion and return to Ferromaine to wait for Danten's return.

Part 8: In The Pay Of The Enemy

Allow the characters to sit an stew before starting the final wheels in motion. A few days after the character's break in and recovery, they will discover the head of the house of DeVeragon, the uncle, was slain the very same night as their entry. The characters should put two and two together and work out that Danten is their killer.

The characters should also be able to work out that Danten's next target will be the head of the Ferris family. If the characters do not seek him out and offer their services, one of the servants of the Ferris household will seek out the characters to hire them out wether Den Ferris wants their help or not.

One again, the plans for the Ferris Household have been laid out in Appendix B. The night the characters stay to guard Den Ferris, Danten will make his move. He will sneak in and go directly to the main bedroom. If the characters are there at the time, go to Pain, Loss, Death below.

Part 9: Pain, Loss, Death

This is the most important part of the adventure, and is where the characters and Danten confront each other. There are a number of ways the adventure can end:

1. Danten regrets the killings he has done and faces justice as decreed by the council of Ferromaine. He will be incarcerated for the rest of his natural life, which would be another forty years as soon as he renounces his vengeance because he will now age normally.
2. Danten regrets the killings he has done and takes his own life.
3. Danten refuses to let the characters sway him and attempts to kill Den anyway. If the characters stop Danten then the end result is the same as the first choice. If the characters have to kill Danten, then that too will be an ending.
4. For those who think all other options are two depressive, make him forgive both families for their sins (and vise versa), and allow him to rejoin his beloved one in a magical and mystical ending.

Epilogue: Shadows Overhead

Depending on how the adventure ends the characters will either feel happy or extremely depressed. It is important to uplift the characters at the end and make them feel like they have accomplished something. Given the options above, that is going to be extremely difficult, but who said a Games Master's job was easy?

House DeVeragon

The House DeVeragon was built over five hundred years ago by Gen DeVeragon, after being knighted by King Fredrick Ferris I. The land on which the manor was built on was granted to him by the king as part of his knighting. The manor has been in the family ever since.

Outside
The Manor house is surrounded by two feet thick walls made out of stone. The only ways in are to climb, or through the gates. The gates can be picked (with difficulty) but during the day two guards are at the gate, with four more resting in the garden, and at night the same applies but the four in the garden are patrolling the grounds instead.

House DeVeragon - Level 1

1. Entry Hall
The room is adorned with paintings, tapestries and a few statues. All the doors in the house are ornately carved in oak. The door is normally unlocked.

2. Stair Room
The room is completely bare except for a few sparse decorations and a stair case leading up.

3. Servant's Quarters
There are normally 12 servants scattered throughout the house in the day time, including a chief maid and chief butler. At night they sleep here, together, on six bunk beds. The room has a few paintings, but the servant's possessions are contained in a wardrobe and a chest hidden in the floorboards. They each own 20 gp, but relatively little else. They will ask uninvited guests to leave, raising the six house guards.

4. Kitchen
The kitchen is where the food is prepared. There is little of value here.

5. Storeroom
As the name suggests, this is where all the stores are kept, mainly food. There is also a shed where the gardener (one of the twelve servants) keeps all his gardening tools. There is nothing in here that the characters can use as weapons.

6. Dining Hall
This is the Dining Hall. All of the meals are taken here. The room is tastefully decorated as all the others in the house, but also has a long oaken table and a couple of chandeliers.

7. Library
The library is a personal collection of the uncle's, with a large desk situated in the centre of the room, so it can be used as a study. The walls are lined with shelves, which have books (all non-magical) of every sort imaginable.

8. Guest Lounge
Once a guest has been invited in, they are immediately invited into the guest lounge. This room is decorated in a similar fashion to all the others, with its main distinguishing feature being an array of sofas, lounges and seats, with a fire place built into the eastern wall.

House DeVeragon - Level 2

1. Entry Hall
The landing is unadorned by decorations, and is only a central point to the level, which leads to all the other rooms. The set of stairs lead down.

2-6. Bedrooms
These are richly furnished, personalised to the occupant's taste. The rooms are allocated as follows: John (2), Tom (3), Harry (6) and Clare (5). The last room was reserved for a guest.

7. Master Bedroom
This room is more lavishly furnished than all the rest, though everything in this room is two big to move. One of the cabinets, which doubles as a safe, contains 50,000 gold pieces worth of gems and jewellery. The safe has a poisoned lock, which must be deactivated before the safe can be opened. This is where the boy's aunt and uncle sleep.

House Ferris

The ancestral home of the Ferris family has undergone some radical changes over the past six hundred years. Though it was originally a castle, a fire five hundred years ago forced the king to rebuild the building. After losing his daughter, the king was listless, and so did not put all his energy into the reconstruction of the castle. The end result was a cross between a castle and a manor house.

House Ferris - Ground Level

1. Entry Hall
The room is tastefully decorated with a plethora of paintings and tapestries. All the doors in the house are ornately carved in oak. This is the crux of the whole level, and leads to other places in the house. except for the guest lounge. The room is dominated by a marble staircase leading up.

2. Dining Hall
This is the dining hall, and is where the main meals are served. The room is tastefully decorated with banners and shields, and also has a long oaken table and a couple of chandeliers.

3. Kitchen
The kitchen is where the food is prepared. There are normally six servants in the house, either cleaning, cooking or serving. They will not attack anyone, but will politely ask uninvited guest to leave.

4. Storeroom
As the name suggests, this is where all the stores are kept, mainly food.

5. Guest Lounge
This is where guests are accepted. This room is decorated in a similar fashion to all the others, with its main distinguishing feature being an array of sofas, lounges and seats, with a fire place built into the eastern wall.

6. Study
There is a large desk situated in the centre of the room, the walls are lined with shelves (containing non-magical books).

House Ferris - First Floor

1. Entry Hall
The landing is decorated in a similar fashion to all the rest, and is the central point to this level.

2-3. Guest Rooms
These are richly furnished, but have little in the way of personal items. Each of these rooms are kept very clean.

4. Master Bedroom
This room is more lavishly furnished than all the rest, though everything in this room is two big to move. One of the cabinets doubles as a safe, which is firmly locked. This is where Den sleeps.

5. Master Bedroom II
This room is furnished in a similar fashion to "4. Master Bedroom", and is where Den's wife used to sleep.

6-7. Bedrooms
These are the rooms in which Julia and her two brothers sleep. Julia has a room to her own (6) and the brother share a room (7) because they are identical twins and do not like being separated.

Note: This adventure was first published on the Wanderers Rest.