Cradle Thief

Encontros Pendrake

I am told the lands of Zu hold many fantastical wonders — and just as many horrors. The serpents known as “cradle thieves,” for example, have a habit of abducting sleeping children from their seemingly safe beds. I am thankful a wide ocean separates us from those lands and the cradle thieves have not found their way to our Iron Kingdoms. If such creatures were to find a home here, I would fear for our lives.
— Viktor Pendrake

Ever since the Mercarian League found the passage to Zu, everything from common fruit to lavish jewelry from those far-off lands has fetched a king’s ransom on the open market. It was only a matter of time before someone thought to bring living creatures across the seas for display and study here in western Immoren. Unable or unwilling to see beyond their coin purses, however, these merchants do not care about the consequences of such a decision, even if it has lasting and possibly deadly implications for years to come.

Designed for four PCs of 10th level, this encounter takes place in a traveling carnival. Although the exact location is unimportant, it should be in an area presently inhabited by the Mercarian League.

Encounter Background

The party could be in the area of the carnival for any number of reasons. The encounter could be random or could tie into a larger plotline. Some ideas include:

• Having successfully finished an adventure, the PCs seek a place to relax for the evening. Rather than merely retire to the inn, however, they see several posters advertising that a nearby carnival will be revealing “Exotic and Astounding Creatures from the Faraway Lands of Zu” for that night.
• An eccentric scholar/collector attends the carnival to gather information about the creatures from Zu. Depending on the situation, the scholar/collector might ask the PCs to find out if one or more of these creatures could be“acquired” for her collection.
• The authorities hear rumors the Blackclads may attempt to free the creatures and release them into the wilds of western Immoren, so the local constabulary hires the PCs as keepers of the peace.

Read Aloud
As you approach the brightly colored tent, screams erupt from within, followed by a tremendous clamor as part of the tent collapses. As you rush to investigate, carnival patrons race toward you, eyes wide with terror.

Doc Vok’s Carnival of Wonders

DMs can refer to this background information for a more complete picture of events just prior to the PCs’ arrival.

Ringmaster Doc Vok enters the tent, followed by a steamjack pulling a large tarp- covered wagon. He reveals the creatures to the spectators’ thunderous applause. Unbeknownst to him, however, the female cradle thief has shrugged off the tranquilizers used to sedate her. She immediately directs her mesmerizing drone and moth to a flame powers at the ringmaster, also catching the audience in her spell. The ringmaster shambles toward the cage and opens it. She promptly swallows him whole and her mesmerizing drone power stops. The spectators are freed from the effect in time to see Doc Vok’s shiny black boots vanish down her throat. In blind panic, they stampede the exits. The stands in the northwestern portion of the tent collapse under the catwalk above them. The cradle thieves escape through the open cage door and slither toward the darkened area of the carnival tent.

Meanwhile, the party arrives outside a neighboring town or city to find
the carnival in a large field. Several colorful tents and wagons surround the big top. A crowd gathers, and the din of games and voices fills the air. As the party nears the big top, they hear screaming inside. A moment later, people flee through every exit as something crashes down around them. The map displays what the PCs find when they fight their way past the screaming mob into the tent. A good many people remain inside, most of them trapped in the wreckage of the collapsed bleachers. The PCs should still get a chance to question someone attempting to escape.

Under the Big Top (EL 12)

When the PCs enter the tent, read or paraphrase the following:

Read Aloud
You push through the last of the fleeing patrons and enter the big top, a massive pavilion supported by two wooden pillars. Large stands ring the outside and support a network of high catwalks that anchor the light fixtures. On the western side of the tent, however, the stands have collapsed and pulled down a portion of the catwalk with them, plunging that side into darkness.
In the center of the tent, a steamjack has been harnessed to a flatbed wagon with a large metal cage on it. The cage door hangs wide open. The only sounds are the fading screams of the patrons outside, the low chugging of
the idle steamjack, and the low moaning of the wounded trapped and hidden somewhere in the wreckage.

If the PCs decide to stop one or more fleeing patrons, roll on the following chart to determine what information they learn.

Patron Questioning (d4)
d4 Result
1 “By Morrow! Snakes! Huge snakes!”
2 “That noise they make. It was sort of a strange humming sound. When I snapped out of it, I saw the big one swallowing the ringmaster whole! Horrible!”
3 “My husband/wife and son/daughter are still trapped inside! You have to save them!”
4 “The stands have collapsed on people. I saw one of those things slitheringtoward them.”

Conditions

The northwestern portion of the tent is cloaked in darkness, as detailed on the map. Rules for darkness can be found in the DMG. The collapsed stands are considered rough terrain.

Further Adventures

The events in this encounter can lead to other encounters or more detailed adventures. Some possibilities include:

• A cadre of strangely dressed soldiers arrives soon after the fight. They use their handsto communicate through an interpreter, who explains they are warriors from Zu who deliberately deafen themselves as a defense against the cradle thieves. They are seeking more detailed information about the purchase of these creatures.
• It seems the owner of the carnival had stolen the cradle thieves from a competitor. If any of the serpents have survived, the competitor wants them returned and will pay the heroes a handsome sum for their efforts.
• The surviving carnival folks mention how the ringmaster had tranquilized the cradle thieves: He had fed them large rats intoxicated by the chubu fruit of Zu. To cut his expenses and stretch the supply of chubu, however, the ringmaster had tried using smaller doses. The results were obviously catastrophic. Some enterprising PCs might find some profit in the barrel of fruit left behind.
• The cradle thief corpses are counted, and it seems one has gone missing. Was it stolen or did it escape alive? The local constabulary wants the PCs to find out.
• Professor Pendrake arrives to examine the corpses of these fantastical creatures. His autopsies confirm that not only is cradle thief anatomy similar to that of other large snakes, the female has recently laid a clutch of eggs. He asks the PCs to locate this precious prize on his behalf.

Cradle Thief

These intimidating green snakes feature gold patterns running down their lengths. Males are smaller than females, with darker, duller scales. Both genders possess cobra-like hoods that fan from their necks. Larger and looser than the scales on the rest of the body, the scales on the hood can vibrate to create an eerie, mesmerizing hum that lulls prey into helplessness. Both genders quite capably hunt on their own, but when females have laid their eggs, they rely on the males to hunt live food while they guard the nests. Males need quarry small enough to be captured and carried in their coils, though, so they slip into homes at night, targeting small children and infants. Their mesmerizing drone keeps everyone asleep and helpless as the cradle thieves earn their name again and again.

Mesmerizing Drone: As a standard action, the cradle thief can spread its hood and vibrate its scales. This produces an eerie, humming drone that lulls prey to inactivity in a 30–60´ radius. Alternatively, it causes prey to be stunned for as long as the creature generates the sound, plus 1d4 rounds afterward. If multiple cradle thieves generate the noise.

Moth to a Flame: A female cradle thief may use this ability as a standard action on any single target under the effect of mesmerizing drone, adjusting the sound of her vibrating scales to a target in front of her.

Tactics: The cradle thieves have left the cage and spread out. The tranquilizers have worn off, leaving them all ravenous — the female especially so because she has not eaten for days. Smarter than other animals, they choose to explore their surroundings and ensure things are safe before they sate themselves on the trapped and wounded. If the PCs dawdle in the lit area, the snakes will eat patrons trapped in the wreckage, then escape through the exits to become an extremely dangerous new threat to the local community.

Generally, when any snake uses mesmerizing drone, the others will assist. They add their own drones if they are close enough to catch targets in both effects (and raise the DC of the Will save), or attack those who resisted the power. The males are quickest to respond if the female uses her more powerful drone.

The one exception is the single male who hides under the trailer out of the light, waiting for a single target to stray close enough to him. He attacks any lone PC who investigates the cage or tries to bodge the steamjack.

Treasure: The cradle thieves carry no treasure of their own, their exotic nature being their only value. Whether as captured live specimens or as a nice new pair of snakeskin boots, these creatures will fetch a high price, to be determined at the GM’s discretion.