A Plague Upon Your Houses was the ninth adventure released for the Blackwheel Company Faction Adventure to be run as part of the Xen'drik Expeditions campaign.
Synopsis[]
With General Ogdin working hard to offend and rebuke the generosity of the Dragonmarked Houses, Field Marshal Maceck has cleverly explored other options to keep the Company well-supplied and at the cutting edge of fighting technology. His deep and long-standing contacts on Khorvaire have allowed him to explore other options for research and development. Following up on the staggering success of the Glory Road as a mobile base of operations, Maceck continues to push the envelope in finding novel ways to combine transportation and military technology. Presently, he has secured an exclusive contract where the Blackwheel Company will fund the start up of a secret joint venture between a small group of Zilargo elemental binders and a resurgent tribe of Dhakaani artisans seeking to restore the lost glory of their empire and reestablish superiority of goblin artifice. With Blackwheel Company funding, the fledgling cooperative has produced their first work: An Elemental Kraken.
Soon after having to bring down his own ship over Stormreach. Maceck realized that even airships had become viable targets for pirates and other factions. Blackwheel air superiority was no longer as efficient, complete, or intimidating as it once had been, and their distinct advantage gained from it had been largely marginalized. It was far too easy to shoot down, ambush, or hijack airships and they were far too visible. The keen businessman's most recent idea is an elemental ship that runs beneath the waves. The possibilities for stealthy transport of supplies, troops, or just about anything else are limitless and with elemental-powered technology, such a ship could be built for speed as well. And while the Blackwheel Company may no longer be alone in the skies, Maceck intends them to be devastatingly effective and invisible beneath the vast oceans of Eberron.
This adventure finds the hires sent on a secret mission. Maceck, wisely, no longer trusts his own officers and prefers to keep the details of this mission secret until the last possible moment. The construction of the Tidal Wraith, the first of the Leviathan class Elemental Kraken's has been a monumental undertaking in terms of both the secrecy and the funding required. Maceck intends to surprise the Executive Council with it as a show of his leadership and determination. As a result, and well aware of the interference of his rival Ogdin, Maceck is sending his most loyal and trusted operatives to escort the ship safely to the Council meeting on Sorrowdusk Isle.
Unfortunately, and unbeknownst to Maceck, the Dragonmarked Houses have not let the construction of such a technological marvel escape their notice. Out of both fear of losing their investment in the Company and anger that the Company would seek support and armament outside of and without the consent of the Houses, a team of Pharlian operatives have been planted aboard the vessel to capture it. Under the command of Lt. General Oath, the PCs must attempt to repel the saboteurs and save the ship. Making matters worse, the Pharlian operatives have been ordered to destroy the ship if the attempt to capture it fails. It's up to the PCs to salvage what they can and find a way to escape and perhaps even learn a little about who and why the ship may have been attacked.