D&D Adventures 5: Planetar
The party hears some sounds while traveling in the wild, asking for help. When they follow… there is no one except an exceptionally large and beatiful sword. When they pick it up, they are filled with a mixture of feelings: Courage, love, perseverence, hatred, dread, despair. You feel personally and others through someone else, but no way to make out which is which.
An old woman comes out, asking about the sword. She won’t hide that she’s a hag and claims that a planetar came to attack her while she was minding her own business. She placed used her magic to banish it and it caused it to drop the sword. She offers no reason as to why the planetar attacked, but says she suspects that it was somehow corrupted by the sword, which might explain why it got left behind. She has many enemies in different planes and some have magic that could cause this, especially those from the far realms.
If attacked, she will teleport away. If they continue to converse, she’ll continue to chat, telling the party that she can check the sword for corruption: She’s curious, it could help her understand who sent the assassin. She will use weird magic on the sword if allowed, and let them know she understood who (an enemy from the far realm indeed) and that to return the favor, she removed the magic on the sword that corrupted the planetar.
Insight check shows she isn’t entirely telling the truth, but she’ll refuse to say more.
In truth, she knows very well who the planetar is: She killed a bunch of druids and clerics worshipping Silvanus in the area to claim it for herself. Oakfather sent a force after her, which the hag turned into pigs and sold the locals as livestock. Silvanus took that personally and sent a planetar to deal with her. Expecting the move, she silenced and forced the planetar in the sword. Her last bit of magic is nothing, she just fakes it, enjoying the “play”.
There will be fiends coming to buy the sword, along with other “collectors”. Word will eventually reach out to Silvanus, who will send his followers to reclaim the sword. The planetar will also awaken during this time but he will ask to stay in the sword, for the hag also placed a curse to destroy him, should the curse on the angel is reverted. First, they need to find the hag and make her undo the curse.
Will the party sell or otherwise get rid of the sword, especially after learning about the planetar? Will they wield it? Will they help the angel? Pay the price the hag asks? Force her?
This adventure is probably best at mid or mid-high level but could technically any level. It can be a fun side mission that takes 30 minutes to complete (if they leave or sell the sword) or a series of quests that might net the party powerful allies, enemies and/or a sentient weapon.
