D20 SYSTEM✦ Normal

The Sour Feast: Conjuration's Bounty and the Rot Below

# Intrigue# Economic# Arcane# Urban

You are summoned to the Arcanum of Veridia, a city-mageocracy built upon a foundation of magically conjured abundance. For generations, the Conjuration School's 'Create Food and Water' overflow spell provided unlimited sustenance, fueling a golden age. But the spell has soured. The conjured food now rots within hours, and a mysterious, virulent mold spreads from the city's Grand Mess Hall, consuming the old, 'real' food stores. The city's peace is fracturing. You arrive as outsiders, and the factions of the city will use you as pawns—or champions—in a struggle for survival that reveals the rot is not just in the bread, but in the foundations of their magic itself.

Chronicle Prelude

The Gilded Arches District, the opulent heart of the Arcanum, where pristine marble plazas and shimmering arcane fountains now host squads of City Watch enforcing strict food rations. The scent of fresh bread from conjured loaves mingles with the faint, sweet smell of decay. Citizens eye each other with suspicion, and two imposing edifices dominate the skyline: the soaring, pristine tower of the Conjuration School and the sprawling, grim fortress of the Civic Quarantine Authority.

Environmental Traits

The city is on the brink of a magical famine and civil war. The Souring is accelerating, and the mold is no longer just consuming food—it's beginning to infest wood and paper, threatening the city's libraries and arcane archives. The ultimate goal is to discover the true source of the rot and decide the fate of the city's foundational magic before it collapses into chaos.

Legendary Archetypes

Rayan

HP:45

STR:16

WIS: 12

CHA:11

Key Factions & Autonomous Nodes (10)

Archmage Selene
An elderly woman with sharp, intelligent eyes and long silver hair streaked with green. She wears the deep green and gold robes of the Verdant Circle, her hands bearing the faint, permanent glow of prolonged arcane exposure. Her expression is one of fierce determination mixed with profound weariness.
Warden Korvac
A tall, scarred man in his fifties, clad in practical, darkened leather armor bearing the CQA insignia. His face is hard, lined with stress, and a faded burn mark covers one side of his neck. He carries himself with the rigid posture of a lifelong soldier.
Lyra the Spymaster
A woman of indeterminate age, dressed in dark, nondescript clothing that allows her to blend into the Undercroft's gloom. Her eyes are constantly moving, assessing, and a faint, professional smile never quite reaches them. She wears no obvious faction colors.
Gurn the Mold-Prophet
A gaunt, wild-eyed man draped in robes made of living, pulsating mold. His skin is pallid and covered in glowing fungal patches. He twitches and mutters to himself, sometimes laughing at nothing. He carries a gnarled staff topped with a bulbous, spore-releasing sac.
The Conjuratum Guardian
A colossal figure of polished stone and ancient, rune-etched metal, standing twelve feet tall. Its eyes glow with a sickly, green-gold light, and cracks in its form seep a thick, mold-like substance. It moves with a slow, grinding inevitability.
Alchemist Bren
A nervous, thin man in a stained CQA laboratory coat, constantly fidgeting with the vials on his belt. His eyes dart around, and he speaks in hushed, hurried tones. He carries a satchel overflowing with notes and tools.
Marlo
A gaunt, dirty man in ragged clothes, clutching a small, patched sack to his chest. His eyes are wide with paranoid fear, and he flinches at every shadow. He smells of sweat and desperation.
The Souring Whisper
Not a creature, but a pervasive psychic presence. It manifests as a faint, greenish haze in the air, a feeling of being watched, or a whisper just at the edge of hearing. In areas of dense mold, it can project fleeting, tempting visions of endless feasts and perfect peace.
Desperate Scavenger
A haggard individual wrapped in stained rags and bits of stolen armor. They carry crude weapons and have the hollow, dangerous look of someone with nothing left to lose.
CQA Enforcer
A soldier in dark, functional armor marked with the CQA insignia. They wear a full-face helmet with a filter and carry a crossbow or truncheon. Their movements are disciplined and alert.

Chronicle Prelude

Environmental Traits

Legendary Archetypes

✦ Related Cases ✦

The Marigold Mint & the Crooked Coin

The Stolen Swarm: A Curse of Honey and Hunger