Uneasy Lies the Head

You managed to disperse a swarm of pixies from the Chiang Emporium in Ylraphon with minimal damage to the shop. Your reputation for mastery and grace precedes you amongst members of the Chiang Emporium.

You’ve gained the favor of Sebastian Emberstar after rescuing his employees from a lynch mob. In gratitude, he grants you an exclusive offer: access to their forges. You have the one-time opportunity to provide your own funds to add decorative flourishes to a weapon you own (gems in the hilt, embossed or filigree in the blades, etc). You can spend any amount, but if you spend at least 10,000 gold, the weapon’s craftsmanship impresses those who view it and know about such things. At the DM’s option, once per adventure you can gain advantage on a Charisma-based ability check by flourishing or displaying the weapon.

Immediately before or after an adventure set in Ylraphon, you may spend up to 30 downtime days (minimum 10) to attempt to research, find, and explore some of the ruins of Outer Ylraphon in search of treasure. In the presence of the DM, roll percentile dice and add the number of days spent on this downtime activity, comparing the total to the Treasure Seeking Results Table on this page.

You enjoy research privileges at Master Salvar’s Academy of Spellcraft and the Arcanist’s Art, a school of magic still under construction. Choose one of the following skills: Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, or Religion. Record the chosen skill as part of this story award (“Local Pursuit: Academic Researcher (Skill)”). Immediately before or after an adventure set in Ylraphon, you may spend 5 downtime days performing special research. Once during your next game session, you may inform your DM you are using this benefit to gain advantage on a single Intelligence check or on a single Constitution saving throw to maintain your concentration on a spell when you take damage. If you use this benefit on an Intelligence check for the skill you chose when you gained this story award, you may treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10 for that check.

You take on an important role at a local temple or shrine. Choose a deity you worship. If you do not already worship a chosen deity, you must choose one worshiped by a fellow member of your party. Record your choice as part of this story award (“Local Pursuit: Preaching the Faith (Deity)”). Immediately before or after an adventure set in Ylraphon, you may spend 5 downtime days participating in or leading religious rites (such as weddings, funerals, ordinations, or rituals recognizing holy occasions). If you do so, you gain the benefits of having spent 3 days performing the Recuperating downtime activity (as described in the Player’s Handbook), and you begin your next game session with Inspiration.

You have become an influential member or ally of the Shadowcloaks, Ylraphon’s thieves’ guild, and they rely on you for your expertise in a particular illicit activity. Choose any one tool. Record the chosen tool as part of this story award (“Local Pursuit: Shadowcloak Specialist (Tool)”). Immediately before or after an adventure set in Ylraphon, you may spend 5 downtime days performing illicit activities with the Shadowcloaks in town. Once during your next game session after this activity, you may inform your DM you are using this benefit to gain advantage on a single ability check with the tool you chose for this story award or on a single initiative roll.

You help to train the new Town Watch. Choose a type of simple or martial weapon that you and your comrades train with and record it as part of this story award (“Local Pursuit: Town Watch Training (Weapon)”). (If you wish, you may choose Unarmed Strike as a weapon for this purpose.) Immediately before or after an adventure set in Ylraphon, you may spend 5 downtime days training Town Watch members or recruits. Once during your next game session after this activity, you may inform your DM you are using this benefit to gain advantage on a single attack roll with the weapon you chose for this story award or on a single social interaction check with members of a law enforcement organization (such as the Ylraphon Town Watch).

You foiled an attack on the Moonwater, preventing Vanquo from taking control of the temple. While the temples’ famous prophetic baths were befouled, the High Initiate, Andorran Bree, has offered you an opportunity to use them once the waters are suitably cleansed.

You fell in battle against the minions of a renegade mind flayer. But an adventurer’s brain—even when not taken alive — is a delicacy few mind flayers could resist. Selfless heroics add such a delicious spice! Your story ends here, although your demise spares you from spending your days as a mindless thrall—a fate your compatriots are likely to share.

The Adventurers Guild of Ylraphon is a loose-knit league of “dungeoneers, tomb-robbers, errant crusaders, swashbuckling mercenaries, and sundry formidable scalawags of all races and vocations” (according to its charter). It represents adventurers’ interests in town and helps regulate the profitable exploration of the surrounding ruins.

To initially join the Adventurers Guild of Ylraphon, a character must speak to Jotan Silverhammer, lieutenant guildmaster and volunteer sergeant of the Town Watch. There is no cost if you discovered the cause of the illness affecting the Old City, or if you obtain one of the Local Pursuit story awards, due to your substantial contribution to prosperity of the Old City. Otherwise, initial dues are 50 gp, with additional payments of 12 gp a month. These costs are waived, however, for volunteers either who work three shifts a month for the Town Watch. In game terms, this means a character must spend 50 gp to join, and to remain a member, whenever they spend downtime, they must spend an additional 4 gp for every 10 downtime days they spend (though you may be able to substitute downtime for this cost, see below).

If a character who owes these dues fails to pay them as soon as they spend downtime, they must pay them by the end of their next game session or they lose all benefits of guild membership, and must pay the 50 gp initial dues again to regain them.

Members of the Adventurers Guild may delve local ruins in search of treasure. They gain access to the Guild Delving downtime activity before or after any adventure set in Ylraphon.