Die, Dog, Die!

The third (and final) encounter of the Swallowtail Festival is designed as a climax and should really stretch the party's resources. They should be spending their freshly-earned action points and daily powers now. Describe the scene and center the encounter around the south-eastern building (this will be where Aldern is located). Don't bother placing Aldern on the map. Just have him hide nearby while the goblins ignore him in order to focus on the more threatening PCs.

Make a mental note prior to this fight if any of the party are suitable objects of affection for Aldern. If not, keep a running tally of the damage done by each PC during this fight. Use this to help determine who Aldern is most fascinated with.

I suggest the following encounter for a party of five adventurers:

• 2 Goblin Skullcleavers
• 2 Goblin Sharpshooters
• 1 Goblin Blackblade
• 1 Goblin Dog

Total: 750 xp (Level 3 Encounter)

Once the goblins have been mopped up, introduce the party to Aldern and select his favored PC. Handling Aldern and the next few challenges will be covered in subsequent posts.