The Ruins of Jeribo

Jeribo is a small trading post on the frontier of Tel-Kanan. Like many frontier towns, Jeribo has a minor imperial presence—and most native Jeriboans despise their Mazrian overlords. 

As the heroes approach this island and see the level of its destruction, they might assume that the Empire attacked it. They'll need to investigate further to learn the truth. 

This adventure can pull triple duty: it introduces starting players to the game, it gives them a balloon they can use for transportation, and it sets up a city they can repopulate and rebuild during downtime.

Jeribo is a small trading post on the frontier of Tel-Kanan. Like many frontier towns, Jeribo has a minor imperial presence—and most native Jeriboans despise their Mazrian overlords. 

As the heroes approach this island and see the level of its destruction, they might assume that the Empire attacked it. They'll need to investigate further to learn the truth. 

The Story So Far 

A day or so beforehand, Jeribo fell to a raiding force of Zordin dragonriders and allied monsters from the Chaos, who appeared like a bolt from the blue. As the invaders attacked, almost all the Jeriboans fled past the Skyharbor and leapt over the island’s edge. The Zordin chalked this up to some kind of mass suicide. In fact, the Jeriboans were retreating to the forestcliffs, where a system of concealed nets—now retracted—leads into a secret cave network within the island. 

Confident from their easy victory, the dragonriders decided to press onward with their conquest of outlying Kananite islands. But one dragonrider, Madenifel, was left behind, since her dragon’s wing was badly injured in the raid. 

For the past day, Madenifel has tended to her wounded dragon, resentful of her comrades for marooning her, and increasingly paranoid that her hold over Jeribo is more tenuous than originally thought. 

Enter the Heroes

By default, the adventure starts on a hot-air balloon headed to Jeribo. The balloon is owned and operated by two married Kananite traders, Ezra (a merchant), and Zubai (an artisan who knows the Balloons lore). The traders hope to purchase purple dye and flying fish sauce from the Jeriboans, transport the goods to the larger island of Ushu, and sell them for a profit. 

However, the traders are worried, verging on desperate, because Jeribo is not where it’s supposed to be. After two days of increasingly desperate navigation, the traders have finally spotted Jeribo drifting in the distance—almost as if something knocked it out of its orbit around Tel-Kanan’s cyclone into a new trajectory. 

Several reasons can explain why any or all of the heroes are passengers on this balloon: 

• The traders hired the hero(es) as bodyguards, guides, or consultants. 

• The traders found the hero(es) stranded or shipwrecked by a mysterious disturbance in the Skysea’s windcurrents.

• The hero(es) paid the traders for transport to Jeribo and destinations beyond. 

If one of the heroes is Shinarian, they can start the adventure on Jeribo, as a mysterious statue known to (and probably avoided by) the locals. This hero simply wakes up right as the others land. If you go this route, speed things along to unite the party as soon as possible. Encourage heroes traveling to Jeribo to land quickly. Wherever they land, they immediately encounter the Shinarian hero waiting there. 

Encourage the players to leave their heroes’ backstories as open as they like. In the troubled realm of Tel-Kanan, there are plenty of reasons for characters to stay tight-lipped about who they are and where they come from. 

This adventure is meant to be a "sandbox" and emphasizes player freedom. Broadly speaking, here's how it's designed to unfold.

Landing and Exploration

The heroes arrive, decide where to land, and begin exploring the island's locations. They don't have to explore the places in any order.

At some point, the heroes realize that almost all the denizens of the town are missing. They also encounter:

• Madenifel, a Zordin dragonrider and part of a raiding party that just conquered Jeribo. Her dragon was badly injured, and now she's marooned on Jeribo.

• Monsters—including two octopuslike creatures wearing the armor of Mazrian elite soldiers, who try to ambush the heroes. 

• Hotep, a hippo-headed Mazrian imperial panjandrum, and Tey, his ibis-headed factotum assistant. Both are hiding in a cellar after being abandoned by their Kananite subjects. 

• Jebedoah, an old Kananite priest, hiding within a giant statue of Lord Adod in the Temple. Jebedoah knows where the rest of the townspeople are hiding.

Showdown with Madenifel

The dragonrider leads the monsters remaining on the island; they answer to her. She seeks to waylay the heroes, attacking from range and moving freely around the island. 

Madenifel isn't sentimental or particularly attached to her wounded dragon, but the creature serves as her best chance to leave the island, once it heals. If the heroes go to the Temple of Adod, where the injured dragon is holed up, they'll force Madenifel into a direct confrontation. 

The dragonrider only speaks Zordin and the Antediluvian language of Chaos monsters. If none of the heroes speak these languages, communication may prove challenging. Heroes might encounter a strange monster in the Library who can translate.

Madenifel is ruthless and paranoid. If her forces defeat the heroes, she’ll have them bound and brought to the Temple, and let them bargain for their lives in exchange for showing her how to operate a hot-air balloon. Otherwise, she’ll make a show of feeding prisoners to her dragon.

Conclusion

By the end of this adventure, heroes should acquire 5–10 experience points. If they fight carefully and rest as needed, they should be capable of vanquishing Madenifel, her dragon, and her monsters.

Alternatively, the heroes may wish to treat with the Zordin raider. If the heroes are hostile to the empire, they may view the Zordin invaders who destroyed the Empire as potential allies, or at least “the enemy of my enemy.” 

Madenifel won't hesitate to betray the heroes as soon as she has the advantage. However, creative heroes may find a way to learn lore from her during downtime. Her dragon could also prove to be a useful companion—to a hero brave enough to try to tame and ride it. 

After the Zordin and monsters are dealt with, the heroes will likely wish to find the missing Jeriboans hiding within the island. If not, the Jeriboans will emerge once it’s clear the town is safe. 

Party Strength

The adventure is balanced for three or four heroes with 0 to 10 XP each. The most dangerous part, if the heroes fall for it, is the ambush in the Town Square. The dragon in the Temple, if fought alongside Madenifel, is also a serious threat. 

For smaller or weaker parties:

• Reduce the number of monsters in any given encounter to ensure the heroes don't get overwhelmed. 

• Have Madenifel run out of arrows after a few shots.

• Allow heroes to find a healing salve or two in the Town Square's imperial economic development office cellar.

For stronger parties:

• Add a kulu brute to the mobile force.

• Give Madenifel a Kotharian staff. 

• Remove the dragon's injury penalty. 

Transportation to Jeribo

The adventure assumes that the heroes are visitors to Jeribo. It includes the two balloon traders, Ezra and Zubai, as a means of transportation to the island and a reason to land (they need olivewood fuel). 

If the heroes have lore that grants them their own hot-air balloon or skyreme skiff, you can simply leave out the two traders from this adventure entirely. You can also have them appear in different circumstances. For example, Ezra and Zubai might own the ruined balloon in the skyharbor rather than local Jeriboan traders, and heroes might find the couple hiding in the forest.

If the heroes have a balloon, they need to land on Jeribo to acquire more olivewood fuel. If they have a skyreme, the vessel's dark-magic-powered oars are running out of charge, and they hope to find more crystals in Jeribo's market.