Holystone - The Oracle of Fishtown

The Oracle of Fishtown

The Oracle is an older-looking woman who sits on a podium at a crossroads in Fishtown. She wears a blue linen dress and often has a shawl draped around her shoulders. She is generally nice to people, though she seems to know if an evil character is asking her questions and will ignore them.

No one knows the Oracle’s real name. She has been on the podium for years, since the founding of the city. The Oracle is obviously human, but has not aged appreciably in 200 years. As far as anyone knows, she has not gotten off the podium in all that time.

She appears to be magically protected. Anyone who would try to harm her or move her from the podium will disappear in a flash of smoke and find themselves standing on the shoreline in the Docks district. Spells just seem to fizzle if they are directed at her. Mages and clerics have talked with her, trying to discover her secret, to no avail. She usually just won’t talk to them if they question her about who she is or how she is still here. 

Everyone in the City knows about the Oracle. There are lots of rumors about her. Adventurers who ask around will hear lots of stories, some true, some false. If a player is a cleric of Luna, the GM should tell him all the relevant information regarding her when asked.

One very popular rumor states that one hundred years ago a demon attacked the Oracle as she was talking with some children. She pointed at it and it was blasted into nothingness. Anyone asking about the Oracle in a local tavern will hear this story.

The Church has declared that she is a Lunar Saint, though she wasn’t very impressed when she was told about it. The locals treat her with reverence, bringing her food and wine every day. She is very kind to them, and often gives them advice about some issue that is bothering them. 

If a noble comes to her with questions, she charges them five gold and will answer one question, with no guarantee of a direct answer. She gives the money to a local church that tends to the poor. 

When adventurers ask for their fortunes to be told, the Oracle often sends them on a short quest. After they complete the quest, she will answer a question for them. The answer is always correct, but may be disguised in a riddle that the adventurer might not understand until the event comes to pass. 

The GM should use the Oracle to introduce new adventures and to leave hints about some upcoming part of the campaign. If the GM needs the adventurers to find a clue that they somehow missed, the Oracle is a great way to provide it. If the players keep going back to the Oracle and use her as a crutch, the GM should have the Oracle quit talking to them for a while. 

In addition, if the GM wants the players to meet the Oracle, have her send a street kid or another adventurer to bring them a message to meet her. 

Quests from the Oracle

1. There is a murderer loose in The Triangle. He has been killing street children and prostitutes. He needs to be stopped.

2. The adventurers must go to Hilltown and get a bouquet of flowers from a halfling merchant who has a store there. The Oracle is playing match-maker with a young couple, and the flowers will be given to the boy to give to the girl he likes. Both of them have asked the Oracle about each other but fate seems to prevent them from getting together. The Oracle is trying to fix that.

3. Beastmen from the forests north of the city raided some outlying farms. The adventurers should travel there and defeat them.

4. The Oracle senses the presence of a demon in South Harbor. The adventurers should locate it and destroy it.

5. The adventurers should spend the day helping the local church meet the needs of the poor, whether by providing food or healing them of disease.

6. A street gang from The Triangle has been burglarizing homes in Fishtown. The adventurers should find the gang and bring them to justice.

7. Something evil has been excavated in the mines of Cliffside. The adventurers should go there and destroy it.

8. The Oracle loves a cinnamon pastry that is sold in the Market. The adventurers must go there and buy her some.

9. The Oracle wants to meet with a gypsy wise woman who lives in Tent City. The adventurers should go there and let the woman know. If none of the adventurers are gypsies, they will have to convince the gypsies to let them meet the wise woman.

10. Ratmen were spotted in Fishtown. The adventurers should find the creatures and dispose of them.