The Curious Case of Black Lake

This self-contained adventure largely encompasses a small-scale hex crawl, with a dark mystery lurking at its very heart.
Player characters will travel to the remote village of Black Lake, which sits at the shore of the eponymous basin. Sent here by a patron in The Forgotten Realms's Waterdeep, the party has been tasked with retrieving a sample of white pelurskite, a luminous crystal with incredible magical properties, to bring back to their patron researcher. Pelurskite is said to originate from an island in the centre of Black Lake. It's market value and scarcity are likewise staggering - the party have been asked to discover how these crystals are formed, and return with a proper specimen.

Pillars of Adventure Content

Social Interaction: @@@OO
Exploration: @@@@@
Tactical Combat: @@@OO

Characters will travel to Black Lake, a village in a region that is unfamiliar to them, on behest of their patron. Each character should have a meaningful tie to this individual who has a vested interest in discerning the true nature, and hopefully procuring a potent sample, of pelurskite.
The nature of this adventure provides opportunities for tactical combat, but has a much higher emphasis on wilderness exploration above the other two pillars. Characters with good social/interpersonal skills will also be an asset, as will be some tool proficiencies. Creative problem-solving can aid the party's efforts.
This region is a homebrew setting that is situated within the Silver Marches, past The Cold Wood in a bleak wooded expanse.

Character Generation

Player characters for this adventure will be 5th level.
Resources for character building include official Wizards of the Coast published materials for D&D Fifth Edition (excluding Unearthed Arcana as well as any third-party content).
Characters will use the Standard Array to generate their ability scores. Hit point level-up increases will use the given class averages.
Multiclassing and feats are permitted.
As well as granted class & background starting gear, a character begins the game with an additional 200gp, which can be spent during character creation to purchase additional goods found in the Player's Handbook. Note: If planning to play a spellcaster, consider using your gold to purchase any necessary material components with a listed gold value, else you will be unable to cast the relevant spells. Additionally, wizard PCs can spend their gold to learn additional spells they're able to cast.

What the Characters Know

Patron: Mathilda Vodren

Mathilda is a researcher of magical phenomena based in the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors in the city of Waterdeep. A tiefling woman in her early sixties, Mathilda has an inquisitive mind and keen intellect. She's well known in the Watchful Order for not only her extensive research but also her kind and patient manner.
Mathilda has assembled the party from individuals she has crossed paths with and those who've come recommended on their reputation. Those characters might be former apprentices of her's; a person in her debt; a fan/beneficiary of her work; or they may have a close bond with another hand-picked individual. Each character should have a compelling reason to take on this quest.
Mathilda's studies have taken an interest in a rare but highly sought-after type of crystal known as pelurskite. Her position in the Watchful Order does not afford her easy access to the precious mineral, as the normally rare crystal has been facing a scarcity all along the Sword Coast of late. Of course Mathilda has several projects ongoing at a given time, and she has assembled these adventurers to travel to Black Lake in her stead. She's currently engaging in research involving fey crossings and is expecting a group to return with findings within a tenday, so she cannot make the trip herself.

Region: Black Lake

Considered a part of the Silver Marches, the Black Lake and it's like-named village lay far to the north in a wintry climate. The roads leading through and past the Cold Woods are unguarded and reports of wolf and bear attacks are not uncommon.
The remote settlement's business lays largely in export of these powerful pelurskite crystals; the soil is cold and harsh for growing crop, and it does not have a strong fishing industry as the Black Lake itself is disconnected from other rivers or tributaries, leaving it more or less stagnant. Few folk beyond merchants who routinely make the bimonthly trek to Black Lake know much of the villagers' way of life; their folk are insular and rarely travel away from their home, as reports go.
The party thus far has travelled for approximately 23 days, including pit stops in major settlements, on horseback. They took a route from Waterdeep to Nesme, on to Citadel Felbarr, and up through the Cold Woods on their approach to Black Lake. By the time they reach their destination, they are just about out of food and water supplies from their last leg of the journey, and will need to restock once they have arrived.