Original Campaign by Jason Bulmahn (2009) for Pathfinder and Paizo Publishing
Original Characters and Artistic Liberties are all my imagination
The young heroes of the town of Kazen are ready for their coming-of-age ceremony, an old tradition in which they retrieve a piece of the eternal flame burning in the tomb of the town's founder. Yet when they arrive there, they find only the corpses of their fellow townsfolk, dead bandits, and mysterious animated skeletons. The novice heroes must brave the traps and perils of the Crypt of the Everflame, discover the source of the corruption that has awakened an ancient evil, and defeat a menace that seeks vengeance against Kazen and its people.
CHAPTER ONE
4th Day of Neth
Dusk Marudurk sat on a bar stool in the Dancing Elk Tavern in the small town of Kazen, on the continent of Nymthras. The half-orc felt the eyes of the other patrons baring into the pale grey flesh of his back, still untrusting though they had known him all his life. He scoffed as he drank a large mouthful of ale, he pondered to himself. His kind were often seen as true monstrosities, the result of perversion and violence, whether or not it was actually true. Half-orcs were rarely the result of loving unions, this was a fact Dusk had quickly come to understand, that as such he was forced to grow up hard and fast, constantly fighting for protection, until he grew larger and stronger.
Finally, at the age of 19, Dusk was ready to make a name for himself.
"Are you honestly drinking? Today of all days?" The skylark voice made him perk up immediately. Angela Sunfire stood before him, in all of her 5'3". The young cleric of Sarenrae placed her hands on her hips, looking up at where he sat at the bar. "I thought you just wanted to meet here." Dusk regarded her, taking another drink which made her sigh and shake her head. "I suppose we do have a few moments."
As the human took a seat at the bar, Dusk made eye contact with the bartender. "A honey mead for the cleric. Angela, put your coin purse away." Smirking at the bashful expression the cleric wore, she put her coin purse back into her satchel. Angela knew better than to disagree with the half-orc over trivial matters, he saw no logic in it. The young woman thought back to when they had first met, she had recently come to Kazen as a ward of the Church of Sarenrae. Dusk had been a lonely outcast at that time, what he felt was uncivilised in a civilised land. Though he was never outwardly violent, the half-orc was untrustful of the young cleric's good intentions. Having been taught by long experience that there was no point doing anything but that which directly benefited him, Dusk had become reclusive and didn't have many friends. Talking almost solely to his human mother and full blood orc father, Dusk was close to both of them.
"To a future as bright as the sun, as prosperous as can be." Raising a small glass of mead, the two had a small toast between the two of them. Dusk had no idea how his human friend could drink honey mead, it was so sweet it made his brain hurt and teeth ache. Yet he watched her drink it as though it were water. He looked over at her passively, long blonde hair left free to flow down her back and large blue eyes rimmed with thick black lashes; Angela contrasted starkly to the half-orcs' brutish appearance. "This year's quest for the Everflame is special, you know that right?" Dusk nodded, taking another sip of his ale as she continued. "It's been 4 years since the mayor last decided to send a group of young adventurers to the crypt."
"We're expected to travel light." The half-orc added, giving the human woman a slight side eye. "So don't bring anything we don't need."
Angela looked over the half-orc carefully, studying the facial expression he tried desperately to hide behind his grey visage. "You're worried, but you shouldn't be. Almost everyone knows that the challenges we'll face are nothing more than tricks and illusions, the entire town just plays along."
Dusk shook his head as he finished his drink in one last, large gulp. "Illusions or not, we're all going out there to prove ourselves." He sat his stein down on the dark stained surface of the bar, and turned his body to face her. "Besides, someone has to look out for the little cleric."
"Oh please, you just want an excuse to pick a fight with Brichavau." The cleric scoffed, and the mention of the wizard apprentice's name made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. That half-witted, arrogant half-elf always managed to rub Dusk the wrong way. "The bell will be tolling soon, we'd better get going."
The two stood from their seats at the bar and made their way outside, where the streets of Kazen were quiet and empty. Most preferred to spend the day surrounded by loved ones, but as the bells atop the Temple of Sarenrae tolled their midday song, echoing throughout the quiet town of Kazen, the first of the townsfolk made their way into the square, dressed in black, as if attending a funeral. They slowly filled the square, moving quietly across the cold, hard ground, their eyes downcast and mournful. Dusk and Angela found themselves a place to stand and after a few moments, a murmur passed through the crowd as it slowly parted to let Mayor Kergabannes through as he led the way with a tarnished silver lantern. Behind him, an old pony pulled a cart laden with backpacks and supplies.
Once he reached the centre of the crowd, the mayor stopped in his tracks and called out to the assembled townsfolk. "Once again the winter winds blow through the Deep Forest, marking the end of another year's harvest. There are wolves in the woods, howling at our walls, and serpents in our shadows, waiting to strike. Just as it was one hundred and seventy-four years ago, when Kazen himself built these walls to protect us, so it is today." The round, older man looked around him at the faces that filled the square. "Where are the heroes? Where are the brave folk that will venture out to Kazen's tomb and retrieve the flame to keep this community safe for another winter?"
At the mayor's pause, Dusk stood at his full height of 6-foot and spoke first. "I will accept the mission."
"As will I." Angela's lark-like voice piped up from beside him, and he grinned down at the cleric.
"Wilhelm Brichavau, apprentice to Wizard Ambrose Pinorym!" The over-confident voice of the half-elf made Dusk groan, earning a quick poke to the side from his human friend. "I shall gladly accept this quest!" The half-orc rolled his eyes in the direction of the young half-elf man, he was dressed in wizarding robes of burgundy befitting the town wizard's apprentice, with pale blond hair and ghostly blue eyes.
A small voice caught Angela's attention, and she turned to see the daughter of a local halfling family, the Oatstreams. Gaining the halfling girl's attention, Angela watched as she scaled up Dusk's back to stand on his shoulder. "Jenny Oatstream, I would very much like to go too."
Mayor Kergabannes waited a moment, until no other youngsters spoke up. "Then who is to have the honour of carrying the lantern?" The cleric stepped forward, urged on by nods from the half-orc and halfling. The tall, elderly man smiled and handed it to Angela, telling her to use it to bring the fire back to Kazen. He then handed each a backpack, "Each pack contains 5 days' worth of rations, a small tent, a winter blanket, a full water skin, and a piece of the Trail Map that leads from Kazen to the Crypt of the Everflame." In addition, the cart also had 50 feet of hempen rope, a box containing tinder and three tinder twigs, a labelled potion of cure light wounds, torches, a grappling hook, and a small bottle of local brandy. The mayor once again spoke to the townsfolk. "I present to you the brave heroes who will follow in Kazen's footsteps to retrieve the Everflame! Some of them may not return, but I say to you that their sacrifice shall not be forgotten." The mayor opened his arms to the group of adventures. "Go, brave heroes, and do not return until you have the eternal fire." With that, the mayor pointed to the south, the direction of Kazen's tomb.
As the cleric, the warrior, the wizard and the rogue began to make their way out of the town of Kazen, the townsfolk began waving goodbye with cold, solemn looks on most of their faces.