If the party succeeds the skill challenge, they have successfully escaped the guards! If not, the guards are hot on their trail as they run through the alleyways of Baldur's Gate. Either way, their next encounter is with a mysterious man, apparently a merchant.

Gotta Hide! - Is that a group on guards I hear? Their hot on our trail, the party needs to find a place to hide, and quick!

Looters - Out of an alleyway steps a gang of ruffians, seeking to capitalize on the chaotic situation. There's no time for a fight, and the party has no weapons anyway, what is their next move?

Loose Masonry - Part of a stone building ahead has been damaged, and has begun to crumble. If the party is below, they must avoid falling rocks. If they are on the roofs, they must avoid a fall.

Fire, Fire! - A merchant's cart lies in front of the party, aflame and blocking the alleyway you meant to escape down. Will the party attempt to find an alternate route with Investigation , or scale the walls using Acrobatics ?

The Crowd - Before the party is a sea of unruly citizens. In order to escape, they must cross through. Perhaps they could use Stealth to blend in to the crowd, or Athletics to push their way through.

The following five challenges lay ahead of the party. They can approach them through any means, but some ways may be easier than others. Players may only attempt to use a skill if they are proficient in it.

Otherwise, they may escape into the city. This will prove to be a more difficult task than expected, as the city is currently in chaos following the fall of Elturel. The party must make a series of skill checks in order to pass through the crowds unharmed and without being caught by pursuing guards (3 successes means the party escapes, 3 failures means they do not).

Raise the Alarm! If he/she is not in a secluded location a guard may use an action to raise the alarm. By shouting or ringing a bell the alarm brings an additional guard every 3 rounds, this effect stacks for every guard who raises the alarm.

If the party waits too long, they will have to fight the guard as he enters the cell.

Suddenly, an explosion rocks the wall of the cell, throwing stones at high speeds inward. The party must make a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check , or take 1d6 Bludgeoning damage as they are pummeled by fragments. In the aftermath, a gaping hole lies before them leading outside. The guard, seeing this happen, calls out before funbling with the keys.

Our party begins their adventure in a shared prison cell, playing Baldur's Bones on the flagstones, where they have been held for months. Looking out of the single barred window in the cell, they can see that a commotion is brewing nearby.

Throughout the history of Baldur's Gate, uncountable travellers have graced its cobblestones. With the fall of Elturel, however, the typical and atypical among them have become indistinguishable in the pursuant chaos. It is certainly an atypical traveller upon whom the party stumbles, out of time and out of options, who will forever change their fates.

Andy the Merchant

As the party enters this particular backalley of Baldur's Gate, they note the sounds of the city seem to fade away. As the party rounds a corner, a flash of reflected light and a metallic clink ring out as a distinctly polished gold piece bounces once, twice to settle at the feet of the party.

The party looks up to see a balding human, looking to be somewhere in his late 30s, dressed in linens and decorated with satchels and purses of various sizes. Holding a loosened purse, he looks to have just spilled a few coins on the ground around him and is busy picking them up and returning them. He notices the players and gestures toward the errant gold piece.

Hrmph. 'Ow clumsy of me. Oh, 'ello there, sirs. Ah.....well, finder's keepers I always say.

If the players ask his name, or try to leave ("Not so fast, sirs!"), the man will introduce himself.

Andy the 'umble merchant, at your service. Purveyor of wares of all kinds, businessman, problem-solver, and 'fief, yes 'fief, of the 'eart. If you don't mind me saying so, sirs, you 'ave the look of someone on the lamb. Am I correct? Well, per'aps I can be of assistance.

At this point, if the players did not succeed in the prison escape skill challenge, they may be nervous about the guards that were on their tails. They will have noticed by now that no one has appeared, and the alley remains distinctly quiet. If they make a DC 15 Insight (Wisdom) check, inform them that they suspect magic is hiding this location somehow.

If the players are insistent in leaving, Andy may let them go, only to reappear later, or perhaps the players will suddenly hear the sounds of approaching guards from the direction they try to leave. As the GM, you must decide if it is worth it to force the encounter if they aren't in the mood to bargain with this suspicious individual.

If the players stay, Andy opens his cart to reveal a veritable horde of arms and armor, bits and bobs, trinkets and just about anything else you can imagine. The party may browse the wares, but ultimately will conclude that they cannot afford anything Andy sells. If, at this point or any in the future, the party attempts to attack or rob Andy, he will laugh it off while thwarting the attempt with obvious ease.

As the party is without coin (other than the single gold piece, of course), Andy will suggest instead that they barter with favors. He will offer to outfit them fully with decent equipment if they agree to look into a certain matter for him ("I 'elp you, you 'elp me!").

It is here that we hook back into the published material. Andy will take the place of Captain Zorge for the purposes of explaining anything related to Elturel, the refugee crisis, the Hellriders, etc. The players likely have very little knowledge of what's been going on the past few months, so this should all be fairly new to them. He will then explain their mission.





You 'eard of the Dead 'free? 'em gods, Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul. Well lately Baldur's Gate's 'ad a bit o' a cultist problem, and it's startin' to get out o' 'and. They ain't got a care for law an' order, an' the fucking flamin' fist ain't competent enough to take care o' the problem. Well it don't 'elp that the city's in an uproar at the moment, but folk ain't in much of a buyin' mood. You'd be doin' me a kindness if you found their 'ideout an' took care o' 'em. A few blocks from 'ere is Elfsong Tavern. Ah, yes, of course you know the one. Well, a spy named Tarina 'angs out there. It's a good spot for listenin' in on the going's on of Baldur's Gate. She owes me a favor, so tell her you work for me. Ask her what she knows about the Dead 'free, I'm sure she could point you in the right direction. I'll equip you...arms, armor, all top quality. You come back 'ere wif' proof you done the deed, you keep it and I'll 'frow in some coin to boot.

If the player's agree to the terms, Andy will pull out a scroll from one of his many adornments and present it.

An' now, if the sirs would be so kind as to sign 'ere. Hah, on'y kidding! All I need is a firm 'andshake, and we're square.

Andy will shake the hand of the first player to offer it. He will voer both sides of the player's hand during the shake, and if the players check the backs of their hands or have a passive perception higher than 14, they will immediately notice a black sigul has appeared on each.

Simply a bit o' insurance, I'm sure you understand. You fulfill your end, and that mark'll disappear.

Andy will present the players with starting equipment at the GM's discretion, then send them on their way. If the players failed the prison escape skill check, they will immediately encounter two prison guards upon leaving the alleyway. If they attempt to return, Andy will be gone.