TOMB OF THE FORGOTTEN PRINCE

Hook: You're sitting in the smoky old tavern after a long journey from the Eastern Lands... None of you suspected that you'd be welcomed so warmly... In fact, it's suspicious... The innkeeper is ingratiating, and the prices seem to be cheaper, just for you... You're so tired, you barely care, but, do note the oddity. After an hour and a hearty meal of heavily spiced food, rich wine, you're approached by the innkeeper carrying a silver ewer. His mood is tentative, but, eager, as he lingers near your elbows, refilling your wine cups and bantering nervously. Finally, he says, 'I hear tell that you took care of something for a friend of mine in the next port, and that your recent exploits brought a favourable return for you... My source is not one to exaggerate, so, I trust what he tells me is true concerning your exploits... I have a request. One I can pay you handsomely for, especially since you look like you could spend more time in relaxation after such arduous travel...' You just stare at him through bleary, wine-soaked eyes, and he continues, more confident, now. 'See, one of the old lords of this land buried their dead in the far hills, leagues from here, across the steppes... in the mountains... The riches they possessed are said to be extraordinary. I personally require something from one of the tombs. A prince of some renown. He was ruthless and cruel... But, his daughter was fair and wise... She gifted him with a magical flute that is said to sound like any bird you wish... He was a hawk hunter, this prince, and frequently used the gift to call in the fierce falcons from the hills, or simply to listen to their harsh call upon the balconies of his now ruined home... Where most everything from that fabled land has now been looted, I know of the location of this prince's hidden tomb from, as I said, a reliable source.' He pauses mid-pour. 'Bring me this flute, and you may keep whatever treasure you find there, as payment. It should be more than ample reward for such a task. Thing is, this prince was so ruthless, none wanted to remember him, so they hid his tomb and scrubbed all knowledge of it from any records, so it would remain hidden. I have found it... Or, more accurately, my acquaintance has...'

Details: In reality, the story of the prince is mostly true... He was a ruthless warlord. He managed to subjugate his entire country and some of the lands around it. And though he does possess a particular flute buried with him in his tomb, it is not what the innkeeper says. The innkeeper has a faulty story, from a very powerful source who figured the fool would love such a trinket. In fact, the flute wakes the dead. When played, it's notes stir the bones of the deceased. They can be commanded through use of the flute, but, if the flute is not played properly, they turn on the player, angered that they should have been woken from their slumber and rest. The source is a wizard who plans on following the characters out to the location, hoping they will procure the flute for him, or, at the very least, set off most of the traps. The tomb was hidden and trapped, for a reason. It contains most of the family of the prince (not undead, but, they may become so, if the flute is played properly), but, after he was killed, his body was destroyed, records were conveniently lost, and the flute placed in his tomb, in his place, to keep it from the hands of those who might use it as the prince had. To conquer the lands and bring evil into the world. The wizard will bring a small force to attack the characters once they leave the tomb. The ruins above the tomb are a barely-recognisable heap of stones that were once the prince's luxurious keep. It was razed to the earth to destroy all evidence the prince ever existed, and to cleanse his evil dwelling and purpose from the face of the world...