The Crown Jewels of Poitain (my players, don't read this!)

[KemperBoyd]

We know that Poitain used to be an independent kingdom before it became a part of Aquilonia. I've decided to run a short campaign (about 3-4 session) where the PC's hear about the lost crown jewels of Poitain and decide to go out and find them.

My ideas so far are that there is a scholar in Tarantia who is an expert on Poitainian history. What he knows is that in the last lost war against Aquilonia, the Royal Guard of the last king of Poitain emptied out the royal palace and hid the treasure somewhere in the mountains. However, they were wiped out in a great battle (or maybe an ambush) so the secret was lost until now.

The scholar has an old manuscript that has been penned by a scribe who served the commander of the Royal Guard, which tells about how the Guard moved the treasure to an abandoned mithraeum. A bracelet was made to the commander of the Royal Guard, where there is a map. And this bracelet is lost as well. So the players will have to track down where the last of the Royal Guard fell and find the bracelet, first.

Then they can go looking for the mithraeum amongs the ancient ruins in the poitainian mountains, facing both harsh environment, mountain men and others who seek the treasure.

And of course, the treasure isn't there any longer, since it was found and moved away during the last Poitainian uprising against Aquilonia. However, there's a journal and a map to help them on their way.

Bad news: the treasure is hidden somewhere on the coast. I haven't yet decided if it should be on an unhospitable island of the Shemitish coast or on a distant shore in the Pictish wilderness. And the treasure has attracted powerful guardians at this point.

Feedback, ideas?

 

[Timestheus]

My suggestion:

The crown jewels, etc, are hidden in a cave complex either in the pictish wilderness or worse in that ghoul infested forest.

Of course the treaure being crown jewels is not neatly stacked in chests. It is being worn by ghouls who are the dead last king and his royal guard all killed by poision by an assasin sent by the king of Aquilonia at the time.

The assasin would be a half ghoul half demon who still follows his oath that the Poitian crown never be found by killing anyone pict or otherwise who gets to close to the ghouls.

If the party does acquire any of the jewels then he begins to stalk them still wielding his acursed blade that inflicts a disease that slowly morphs the victim into a ghoul.