The Price of Greed

by SulkingRaccoon

This adventure is designed for a standard party of level 1 adventurers. The written material is fairly short, and can probably be played in one or two sessions. The adventure can grow into a bigger story, or be worked into an extant setting.

Hadina, Pride of Azadan Desert

The city of Hadina lies in the heart of the scorching Azadan Desert, surrounded on all sides by endless stretches of sand and suffocating heat. It is built on a small oasis, and with this precious water has managed to grow into a bustling town.

One of the Hadina's most prominent merchants is the dwarf Erias Malbek. He is undoubtedly very wealthy, but never flaunts his prosperity. He usually keeps to himself, associating only with his close friends and colleagues. So, any player who is a Hadina resident is surprised when Malbek hires the party to perform a "special mission."

Part 1: Merchant Malbek

Around noon, merchant Malbek calls the players to his home for a meeting. The merchant is middle-aged, with tanned skin and dark hair, and is dressed in simple linen garments instead of the colorful silks merchants often don. He has a very curt and almost standoffish manner of speaking and so he is well-known in his circle for acting aloof among anyone who isn't his close friend. This habit arises from the fact that Malbek is very slow to trust others. But, as he addresses the players, he sounds desperate.

He is deeply concerned by the absence of his business partner, Zaida Demir. She was supposed to arrive from the town Zakalla two days ago, but is nowhere to be found. Malbek fears she may have been captured by a group of bandits led by the infamous desert mage Drutho. He wants the players to leave the following day for Zakalla, and hopefully find Demir somewhere along the way. He promises the players 50 gold each for a successful rescue.

If the players accept, Malbek gives them a thorough description of his colleague. She is a human in her late thirties, with copper-colored hair and a large hooked nose. She is usually seen wearing patterned robes and a red scarf. Malbek will stiffly refuse to give any details about her belongings or the reason for her trip.

Next, he explains the route to Zakalla. It’s a fairly straightforward three-day journey north, but there are no good places to rest between the two settlements. And worse still, the route is notorious for bandit raids and hostile desert wildlife. Malbek urges the players to prepare carefully for the journey, then retires to his office. The players will have the rest of the day to collect supplies for their travel, and get a good night’s sleep.

A Perilous Path

The Azadan desert is blazingly hot. As the players traverse it, they will need to consume sufficient food and at least 2 gallons of water per day or risk exhaustion, as described on page 185 of the Player's Handbook.

Part 2: Into the Desert

The trip to Zakalla takes approximately three 8-hour days of walking, and the first day of travel is blazingly hot. By midday, the desert terrain has changed from rolling sand dunes to rocky hills. As the players approach a craggy mountain pass, they might notice a few sandstone scorpions with a DC 15 Perception check. If not, the pack of three scorpions will attack the players as they crest a hill.

Just downhill, there is a male elf corpse with several deep gashes and scorpion tracks leading away from it. The body, apparently belonging to an impovershed vagabond, is dressed in rags and torn boots. There a gold bar cradled in the corpse's arms, inscribed with the name “DEMIR.” Clearly, the traveler stole it from somewhere.

Sandstone Scorpion Medium beast, unaligned Armor Class 14 (Natural Armor)

14 (Natural Armor) Hit Points 9(2d6 + 2)

9(2d6 + 2) Speed 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 13 (+1) 11 (+0) 13 (+1) 1 (-5) 9 (-1) 3 (-4) Senses Blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 10

Blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages —

— Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Actions Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 5 (2d4) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.