A starting level adventure for the neighbourhood kids on bikes, where that old wizard has made a horrible mistake and now needs to be rescued from his bungalow.
Radney Waltstone was once the terror of the Red Mountains and called the Archmage of Death. The thing of whatsit, you know, right? He had a gleaming tower and an army of skeletons and kings trembled at the mention of his name. Or maybe it was mayors? Now, Radney is old. And tired. And his back hurts. And his fingers shake. The demons don’t respond to his summons and the paladins aren’t targeting him with quests. This old man can now barely even raise an undead rat.
For the neighbourhood kids, his bungalow at the end of the cul-de-sac is a strange and creepy place, its overgrown garden somewhere to tread only for the most important of dares. The other day, one of them plucked up the courage to steal some plant pots from the old man’s shed. They cheered the successful quest, not knowing the Radney was watching them and thinking bitter thoughts.
Confused about these young heroes and worried about what else they might be questing for, Radney has retreated to the cellar under their home and began a ritual to summon a demon to teach those who would defy him a lesson. But failing eyesight and traitorous hands meant the summoning went unanswered. Radney resolved to wait, but fell asleep, something you should never do next to a magic circle. Things unpleasant have escaped
It’s Saturday morning, and as the street’s teenagers gather to plan the day’s larks, they all see the blue smoke bubbling out of Mr Waltstone’s windows. For a few of them, heroism overcomes fear and they enter the house to rescue their neighbour.
A – Front Garden
A path of broken concrete tiles leads up the front door from the pavement. The garden is a mess of weeds and grass that has grown up to waist height that surrounds the path. The plants move in an unnatural fashion – any contact with them causes them to grasp, pull in, and bind.
B – Entrance Hall
The front door is ajar and leads into a small entrance hall. The beige carpet matches the beige wall paper and the selection of beige coats hanging on the brass hooks. The umbrella stand and hat stands are empty. A devil-hornet buzzes out from the coats.
C – Bedroom + Study
What was a large bedroom has been converted into a small bedroom and small study. A single bed is against the far wall next to a wooden nightstand and wardrobe. Old books are piled on the floor around a desk that is littered with scraps of old spells, shopping lists, complaints to the local council, and unfinished letters to distant friends. A record player on the desk is screaming incoherently. When standing next to the record players, a creature takes sonic damage for every 5 seconds they are next to it, such is the volume. Every metre away from the record player reduces the damage by 15%, as the volume geometrically reduces such that by the door it is barely audible.
D – Lounge + Kitchen
The lounge contains a large comfortable arm chair and a dusty unused sofa. Both are orientated to look out of the large glass windows that dominate the rear of the bungalow. The far side of the room is a small kitchen with a breakfast bar. Last night’s dishes sit unwashed in the sink beside a very old fashioned coal oven. Behind the kitchen is a small narrow stairway that leads down into the basement, from which a deep purple smoke is billowing. Sat at the breakfast bar is a minor gluttony demon. It is eating its way through the contents of the larder . If left alone it will only eat but any interruption is met with vile insults. Attempts to remove the food will result in it attempting to eat the party.
E – Bathroom
The bright flower pattern of the tiles is nearly as overwhelming as the avocado green bathroom suite. There’s a small mirror above the handbasin.
F – Rear Garden + Shed
The rear garden has been paved over with concrete slabs. There are a few large large plant pots with flowering bushes in them. An atonic vibration can be heard coming from the wooden garden shed. A Nardic Imp is attempting to make some kind of infernal instrument out of the dusty and disused tools. It demands help and reverence to its musical genius.
Basement
With the same space as the bungalow above, the basement is surprisingly spacious and uncluttered. There are neat metal shelves along the north and west wall filled with boxes of mundane memorabilia from Radney’s lengthy life. At the centre of the room is a large magical circle, drawn onto the floor with chalk and wax. Radney is asleep in a rocking chair with a very cold cup of tea next to them on a small side table. The sound of his snoring is drowned out by the wailing of damned soul, the pulsing of bubbling lava, and the crackle of exotic magical particles fraying from the edges of the 3 metre wide portal the damned dimensions that hangs from the ceiling. The smoke bubbled from the edge of the portal.
Sitting on the floor of the centre of the magic circle is a Minor Conductor, dressed in a ragged robe and carrying a broken wand. The little demon is trying to coax more of their kind through the portal but is only able to bring through the smallest and most meagre. It will gibber excitedly on see the party and attempt to murder them for their blood.
If Radney is awakened, they will be horrified at what has happened due to them falling asleep. He will hobble off to his boxes to try and find a magical item. It will take him 6 rounds of combat to find it – it’s a small talisman that the old man will throw into the portal, causing it to shatter and close. Should the Minor Conductor still be alive at this point it loses all of its damage reduction and half of its remaining health.
Radney is deeply ashamed about falling asleep by a summoning circle and very grateful to the party for rescuing him. He asks for help in removing the magic circle from the floor of his basement and offers up some very minor magic items from his memorabilia. If any of the party are magic users, he will also offer some magical tutoring.
Image Credits – Map by Jaye Foster – CC-BY-4.0, Borrowed Time by Roger Marks – CC-NC-ND