Jan 7, 2025 11:44 am
Stories of heroes have excited the masses for as long as the art of storytelling has existed. Often for such stories, the more grandiose and outlandish the medium, the better it is at conveying the epic struggles and legendary victories heroes achieve. Stories are still told in the Inner Sea region today of Iomedae’s acts leading up to her ascension to godhood, of Old-Mage Jatembe’s magical legacies, or of High King Taargick’s storied Quest for Sky. More recently, tales of still-living heroes who stood against the runelords of Varisia, who helped to close the demonic rift in the Worldwound, who saved the northern River Kingdoms from an invasion from the First World, and more have proven to be popular inspirations for more modern audiences.
Traditionally, legends of these heroes have arisen organically from their adventures inspiring bards and writers years after their exploits have settled into the annals of history. For Fallenta Sumac d’Venenoux, the passage of time between deed and stage seemed awkward at best and wasteful at worst. Why wait years for these legends to find their way to the stage when one could simply work with the actual heroes fresh off their most recent acts of derring-do and hire them as consultants for Kintargo’s biggest opera since the foundation of Ravounel?
And soon she will find just the right heroes for the show...
Curtain Call
It's been six months since your greatest victory. After dealing with treachery and betrayal and facing down mind-controlled and corrupted minions, you finally thwarted the plans of Osoyo, the Blackfrost Whale, and ensured the alien entity remained trapped beneath the Crown of the World. You certainly have earned a break after everything you went through to foil its nefarious schemes!
All around the region, your friends, allies, and even people in the street have been sharing stories about your heroic exploits—you are, quite literally, the talk of the town. Your fame is even spreading beyond the region in which your previous adventures took place. Awkward hero worship, tall tales, and scandalous rumors about you have become an almost daily occurrence as your legend is already spreading to distant ports that none of you has ever visited before.
On this particular day, a courier has arrived to hand-deliver a scroll case to you. The elegant scroll case is made of silver, blue-painted oak, and abalone shell. Within the case is a scroll curved around a long, slender object wrapped in silk, along with a few loose garnets worth a total of 500 gp.
The scroll reads as follows:
It is my great honor to present you all with the singular opportunity of a lifetime: immortality. Not literal deathlessness, but the immortality of the stage. Like so many others, I have followed your group’s exploits, and they strike me as wonderful inspiration. I wish to turn your epic story into an opera, one that will thrill and delight audiences for ages to come. I ask you to visit me in Kintargo so that we may discuss the possibility of your involvement in this soon-to-be-classic production of your very lives! I’ve enclosed advance payment for your time, including this fine scroll case, but also enough netherwalk incense to cover your journey to Kintargo at speed. Should you choose to travel here via other means, consider the incense additional advance payment.
Seek me out at the Tarry Imp at any time between sunrise and sunset. I apologize in advance for contacting you without revealing my identity, but for the moment, I must use secrecy in order to maintain my advantage over possible competition. When you arrive at the Tarry Imp, simply let the kindly proprietor know that you are there to speak with Auntie Hemlock. I look forward to meeting you, and hopefully beginning a profitable and memorable relationship!Within the rolled silk is a slender cylindrical incense container that holds enough sticks of netherwalk incense to travel to Kintargo. A shorter scrap of paper wrapped around the incense gives precise instructions on how to use it.
Traditionally, legends of these heroes have arisen organically from their adventures inspiring bards and writers years after their exploits have settled into the annals of history. For Fallenta Sumac d’Venenoux, the passage of time between deed and stage seemed awkward at best and wasteful at worst. Why wait years for these legends to find their way to the stage when one could simply work with the actual heroes fresh off their most recent acts of derring-do and hire them as consultants for Kintargo’s biggest opera since the foundation of Ravounel?
And soon she will find just the right heroes for the show...
Curtain Call
It's been six months since your greatest victory. After dealing with treachery and betrayal and facing down mind-controlled and corrupted minions, you finally thwarted the plans of Osoyo, the Blackfrost Whale, and ensured the alien entity remained trapped beneath the Crown of the World. You certainly have earned a break after everything you went through to foil its nefarious schemes!
All around the region, your friends, allies, and even people in the street have been sharing stories about your heroic exploits—you are, quite literally, the talk of the town. Your fame is even spreading beyond the region in which your previous adventures took place. Awkward hero worship, tall tales, and scandalous rumors about you have become an almost daily occurrence as your legend is already spreading to distant ports that none of you has ever visited before.
On this particular day, a courier has arrived to hand-deliver a scroll case to you. The elegant scroll case is made of silver, blue-painted oak, and abalone shell. Within the case is a scroll curved around a long, slender object wrapped in silk, along with a few loose garnets worth a total of 500 gp.
The scroll reads as follows:
It is my great honor to present you all with the singular opportunity of a lifetime: immortality. Not literal deathlessness, but the immortality of the stage. Like so many others, I have followed your group’s exploits, and they strike me as wonderful inspiration. I wish to turn your epic story into an opera, one that will thrill and delight audiences for ages to come. I ask you to visit me in Kintargo so that we may discuss the possibility of your involvement in this soon-to-be-classic production of your very lives! I’ve enclosed advance payment for your time, including this fine scroll case, but also enough netherwalk incense to cover your journey to Kintargo at speed. Should you choose to travel here via other means, consider the incense additional advance payment.
Seek me out at the Tarry Imp at any time between sunrise and sunset. I apologize in advance for contacting you without revealing my identity, but for the moment, I must use secrecy in order to maintain my advantage over possible competition. When you arrive at the Tarry Imp, simply let the kindly proprietor know that you are there to speak with Auntie Hemlock. I look forward to meeting you, and hopefully beginning a profitable and memorable relationship!
[ +- ] Theater Lore DC 18 or Performance DC 25
You recognize the name "Auntie Hemlock" as that of a leshy who serves as the narrator for the opera Thread and Thorn, written by Fallenta Sumac d’Venenoux. Fallenta is a famous director whose productions have delighted audiences throughout the Inner Sea region.
[ +- ] If you get a critical success
You note that many believe Auntie Hemlock to be a self-inserted stand-in for the writer.
[ +- ] Netherwalk Incense
