# The Lackless Curse
## Campaign Arc for Temerant
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## Table of Contents
1. [Arc Overview](#overview)
2. [Act 1: The Cryptic Inheritance](#act-1-the-cryptic-inheritance)
3. [Act 2: Following the Trail](#act-2-following-the-trail)
4. [Act 3: The Curse Deepens](#act-3-the-curse-deepens)
5. [Endgame: Breaking or Accepting Fate](#endgame)
6. [NPCs & Locations](#npcs--locations)
7. [Session Breakdown](#session-breakdown)
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## Overview
Campaign Length: 18-28 sessions (Levels 2-12)
Tone: Mystery, family tragedy, dark legacy
Core Theme: "Some sins bind across generations."
The Lackless family is cursed. Their bloodline carries a geis—a magical compulsion—that destroys talent, marriage, and sanity. The party discovers one of the following ties them to House Lackless:
- Party member is secret Lackless heir
- Party must protect/help Lackless noble
- Party inherits Lackless debt/curse
- Party discovers who cursed the Lackless (Chandrian? Ancient enemy?)
The arc involves:
- Genealogical mystery (who is actually cursed?)
- Magical research (breaking geises/curses)
- Political intrigue (Maer's court, Vintas nobles)
- Supernatural horror (curse manifestations)
- The real enemy (reveals Chandrian ancient conflict with Lackless line)
Victory means breaking the curse, accepting the curse, or weaponizing it.
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## Act 1: The Cryptic Inheritance
### Overview (Sessions 1-4)
Party discovers connection to Lackless family through mysterious letter, noble patronage, ancient document, or family revelation. Curse manifestations begin occurring.
### Session 1-2: Discovery
Opening Hook (Choose one):
Option A: The Letter
- Party member receives sealed envelope from unknown patron
- Contents: "You are blood of my blood. The curse sleeps, but wakes. Claim your inheritance before it claims you."
- Includes: Lackless ring (crescent moon + three tears, ancient silver)
- No explanation of relationship (intentionally cryptic)
- Signature illegible
Option B: Noble Patronage
- Party is hired as guards for dying Lackless noble
- Noble pays 100 gold talents upfront; will pay 200 more if they survive
- Dying words: "The curse... it takes everything. Find what binds us. Free us."
- Shows party Lackless symbol on their wrist (faint scar, seven-pointed)
Option C: The Ancient Document
- Party finds sealed stone chest in Ergen ruins
- Contains: Lackless ledger dated during Creation War era
- Entries reference "the binding," "the price," "the name that breaks"
- Suggests Lackless line was guardian or sacrificial line
- Final entry: "The boy has agreed. When this is read, he will have paid."
Option D: Family Revelation
- NPCs party trusts reveal they are distant Lackless cousins
- Party suddenly has family obligations
- Curse begins manifesting in party members (headaches, strange dreams)
- Family member dies of curse shortly after revelation
### Session 2-3: Curse Manifestations
Party witnesses curse in action. Each manifestation is different but devastating:
Talent Blight:
- University musician loses hearing overnight (DC 18 Healing check to restore)
- Talented athlete's legs fail (paralysis)
- Child prodigy experiences complete amnesia
Madness:
- Lackless noble hears voices commanding violence against loved ones
- Woman argues with herself (personality split)
- Man becomes catatonic, unresponsive
Relationship Collapse:
- Married couple betray each other; no logical reason given
- Lovers become violent toward each other
- Family members turn on each other with baseless accusations
Erasure:
- A Lackless child becomes half-forgotten
- People struggle to remember the child's name
- Child's room is gradually forgotten (doors open to walls, not rooms)
- Slow disappearance from existence (terrifying and tragic)
NPC Introduction: Kael Lackless (Historian, Human Arcanist, Level 5)
- Obsessed with collecting Lackless family history
- Believes curse is ancient geis (magical binding) placed by enemy
- Theories: Chandrian? Enemy mage during war? Self-inflicted sacrifice?
- Offers party 50 gold talents to investigate curse origin
- Provides: Family tree (incomplete), location of Lackless estates, list of cursed members
Party Realization: This curse spans generations. Every Lackless is affected. It's not random; it's systematic.
### Sessions 3-4: Investigation Phase
Party researches curse via multiple sources:
University Archives (DC 14-16 Arcana/History):
- References to "House of Locks" (possible Lackless corruption)
- Pre-Aturan texts mention "binding of blood" and "eternal payment"
- Ergen Empire records note Lackless as "guardians of the deep ward"
- Implication: Lackless were chosen to bear curse, not cursed
Church Records (DC 15 Religion/History):
- Heresy trials naming Lackless necromancers and warlocks
- Church suppressed Lackless historical records (5+ volumes missing)
- Testimonies describe Lackless as "marked by shadow"
- Inquisition note: "They refuse to renounce the pact"
Maer's Court (DC 13 Persuasion/Deception):
- Maer is distance-related to Lackless (5th cousin)
- Court whispers: "Maer shows curse signs (erratic behavior, forgotten family members)"
- Politicians secretly fear curse affects Maer's legitimacy
- Opportunity: Cure Maer for political favor
Vintas Nobility (DC 14 Insight/Gossip):
- Old families avoid Lackless socially (stigma)
- Rumors: Lackless made pact during ancient war
- Some nobles speak of "the binding" with reverence (fear? respect?)
- One elderly noble hints: "They paid so we wouldn't have to."
Major Discovery (Session 4): The Rhyme
Through research, party finds fragmented poem carved into stone (University sublevels):
> "The Lackless boy was born to serve,
> The King of Thieves, the dark reverse.
> The four-plate door and what lies beyond—
> A binding made, a promise pawned.
> The boy was bound so none could break,
> The lock, the key, the price to take."
Interpretation:
- Lackless line made voluntary bargain (not cursed by enemy)
- "The boy" = original Lackless ancestor who sacrificed himself
- "The four-plate door" = reference to something sealed/imprisoned
- "Binding" = magical link between Lackless bloodline and imprisoned entity
- Every Lackless born = another link added; more suffering distributed
Mechanical Elements:
- Curse Investigation: 3/5 sources found (party is halfway to understanding)
- Kael Lackless becomes faction contact (provides lodging, research access)
- If PC is Lackless: Curse begins manifesting on them (penalties grow)
- Maer's interest increases (if party reveals Maer connection)
## Act 2: Following the Trail
### Overview (Sessions 5-14)
Party investigates four separate paths to understand curse origin. Each path reveals different aspects of truth. All paths converge on revelation: Lackless line is lock imprisoning ancient entity.
### Path 1: Lackless Estates (Sessions 5-7)
Location: Ruins of ancestral Lackless holding (Vintas borderland, day's travel from civilization).
Session 5: Arrival & Exploration
Party arrives at crumbling manor. Building is partially intact but shows signs of:
- Deliberate abandonment (not attacked, evacuated)
- Magical warding (faint sygaldry on doorframes)
- Time distortion (rooms seem too large, distances confusing)
Environmental Hazard: Curse Cloud
- Every 1d4 minutes, DC 14 CON save or gain 1d4 psychic damage
- Source: Curse manifestations bleeding into reality
- Wards prevent manifestations from fully entering (blessing and curse)
- Long rests are nightmarish but possible (disadvantage on saves)
Discovery: The Library
Party finds intact library with curse documentation:
- Volume 1 (Ergen Era): Describes "The Binding of 0" (year unknown, pre-Aturan)
- Volume 2 (Early Aturan): Generation-by-generation account of curse effects
- Volume 3 (Recent): Last entry dated 50 years ago; writer's handwriting degenerates mid-sentence
- DC 16 Arcana: Pattern analysis reveals curse strengthens with each generation
Pattern Discovery:
- Generation 1 (original boy): Curse is light; manageable
- Generation 5: Curse doubles; multiple family members affected
- Generation 10: Curse triples; entire branches fail
- Current (Generation 20+): Curse is overwhelming; many Lackless die young
Implication: If pattern continues, Lackless line will be extinct in 2-3 generations. Time is running out.
Session 6-7: Hidden Chamber
Deep beneath manor, party finds sealed stone chamber (requires Arcana DC 16 to open):
The Chamber Contains:
- Original binding ritual apparatus (ancient sympathetic links)
- Portrait of "The Lackless Boy" (young, determined, sad)
- Journal of the boy (partially readable):
- "I understand now. The entity must be contained."
- "I volunteer. The cost is my line, forever."
- "Future Lackless will know this was sacrifice, not curse."
- Final entry: "It's done. I can feel it. The binding holds. It will hold for millennia."
Revelation: The binding is personal sympathetic link between Lackless bloodline and imprisoned entity. Every Lackless born adds strength but also adds cost (more suffering shared).
Party Options:
1. Copy binding ritual (research DC 18 Arcana; take 1 week)
2. Attempt to strengthen binding here (requires rare components)
3. Seek to break binding (dangerous; entity stirs)
4. Leave, seek other answers first
Mechanical Element: If party copies ritual, they gain knowledge for later ritual-casting (critical for endgame).
### Path 2: The Maer's Confidence (Sessions 8-10)
Session 8: Court Invitation
If party revealed Maer connection, Maer sends formal invitation to Severen (capital).
Journey to Severen (1 week travel):
- Party stays at luxury inns; Maer covers costs
- Maer's agents observe party during journey
- Opportunity: Gather intelligence on court factions
Session 9: Court Audience
Party arrives at Maer's grand court. Maer appears:
- Distracted, paranoid
- Surrounded by advisors and guards (untrusting atmosphere)
- Shows physical signs of curse: missing memories, moments of confusion