Introduction: Calm Before the Storm

Deep within the Speartip Mountains rises a single, ancient tower that casts a long shadow. Since the days of old, this tower has been a home to great evil: the Three Crones. Living in their shadows and whispers, they have greatly influenced the workings of the world – most notably the Wolfstun Kingdom. It is here that the story begins, in the history of ages long past; and it is here where the story will meet its end. The details of that end depend on the adventurers whose fates are yet to be decided, though many players vie for their part in weaving them.

First Things First

The Coming Storm is a story of epic legends made real, kings and betrayal, of knights and monsters, presented here as a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS roleplaying adventure for a party of four to six adventurers of levels 1-13. A balance of character classes is helpful, since the adventurers will face a variety of challenges. Each character class will certainly have its time to shine.

This book is meant for you, the Dungeon Master, alone. I recommend you read all of it before running the adventure. It assumes you have the fifth edition core rulesets as well as Valeria: A Guide.

The Monster Manual and other official fifth edition books contain stat blocks for most of the monsters and nonplayer characters (NPCs) found in this adventure. Descriptions and stat blocks for new monsters and NPCs are provided in appendix D. When a creature’s name appears in bold type, that’s a visual cue pointing you to the creature’s stat block in the official fifth edition books or within Valeria: A Guide. If the stat block is in appendix D, the adventure text tells you.

Spells, nonmagical equipment, and magical items mentioned in the adventure are described in the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, or Valeria: A Guide unless the adventure text directs you to an item’s description in appendix C.

Adventure Overview

The last King of Wolfstun, often called King Galdric the Last, was a great and noble king and warrior until his death. When he disappeared and was presumed dead, the kingdom fell to the watchful duty of the Steward until Galdric’s son was of age to take the throne. That is, until his son and wife were killed in an accident along the road. The line of Galdric proclaimed dead, the weight of rule fell to the Steward, and has remained for the last thousand years.

The Kingdom has since known times of peace as well as unrest under the Stewards, although to their credit they have maintained the kingdom’s size and prosperity. The roads of the kingdom are protected by the military, allowing safe travel between the towns while the lands between are filled with danger and adventure. The Kingdom’s citizens, largely devoted to Kord, welcome this challenge as a way to prove themselves and grow in strength, eschewing weakness and cowardice.

  When the Stormbearer prophesied the coming of Galdric’s Heir, long believed lost, many in the kingdom stirred with excitement. However, now 90 years after the proclamation, many have lost hope of the Heir’s immediate rise, turning their attention to once again expanding the Kingdom and personal wealth.

The adventure begins in the middle of all of this. The characters make their way to a small town on the outskirts of the Kingdom, where they encounter the Dark Knight – the still-living enemy of King Galdric, now bent on destroying the Heir. After escaping this brush with death, they join the refugees of Blackforest on the way to Flurrdock, where destiny awaits. It is in this small town where the characters encounter the Order of the Coming Storm and are told the oracles (see chapter 1, “Oracles of the Storm”).

From this small town, the characters are sent to find the Heir with the oracles as their vague guide. They adventure throughout the Wolfstun Kingdom until they eventually find the Heir. After finding the Heir, they ought to travel with him to the Order of the Coming Storm in Hexcourt Hold’s ruins. There, they face the Order and their skepticism of the Heir’s actually being the heir. In order to prove the Heir is who he is supposed to be, the Order sends the party to retrieve an ancient book of the kings of old from Stormhelm.

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  Once retrieved and the Heir’s identity confirmed, the Order will direct the adventurers to aid the Heir in stopping the Dark Knight, as was foretold in the Stormbearers prophecy. They are given two leads – valkyries of the Kingdom who have reports of his possible hideout deep within the Speartip Mountains.

The party must find these two valkyries and get the information of this tower’s location – traveling to the Stormsteele Caverns as well as the Ruins of the Red Hand. Once rescuing both valkyries, they will give the party the relevant information to begin their final march – towards the Savage North and beyond, to the Tower of Whispers.

The characters make their way to the Speartip Mountains, and must travel through the brutal wildlands of the Savage North. There, they wade through potential allies or enemies who can either aid or harry the adventurer’s efforts. Once they make their way through the Savage North, they face the even harsher environment of the Speartip Mountains, perhaps even stumbling upon the Obelisk of Aaravos, before arriving at the Tower of Whispers.

Here, they face their ultimate test: the Dark Knight, bound by the crones to a tormented existence. They must put him to rest for good, whether by freeing him or striking him down for good – which can only be done by slaying the one thing truly binding him to his dreaded existence: the husk of his wife.

The adventure ends once the characters rid the world of the Dark Knight – they do not need to defeat the Crones, although doing so would truly lift the darkness that looms from their tower. Should the Heir have survived, he can be instated as the true king of Wolfstun, or try to run from this calling if dissuaded during their travels. Much of the fate of the Kingdom and this adventure’s resolution rests upon how the characters engage with the story and subsequently chart the course of the Kingdom’s future.

Adventure Background

King Galdric fell to his knees wanting to weep, but the grief even swallowed his tears as he looked upon the flaming ruins of Hexcourt Hold and his knights – his friends. The one who did this would pay, he swore. He followed the trail that led into the heart of the Speartip mountains, leaving his trusted advisor to steward his kingdom in his absence, not knowing how long it would take… or that he would never return.

When Galdric was struck dead and did not return after months, the Steward assumed the throne officially – and seized the opportunity to ensure it would belong to his kin forever. The widowed queen and her young child were lured into a trap set by the Steward, killing the queen and causing the Kingdom to believe their son had died, too. So, it was believed, ended the line of kings in Wolfstun.

Yet the queen suspected the Steward’s hunger for power, and entrusted her son to a faithful knight just before tragedy struck. Fearing his death should he be found to be alive, the knight gave the child to a poor farming family of the Kingdom, promising he would return for the child. But when the knight returned, he found the village had been burned by bandits and none remained, and the line of Galdric faded into obscurity. That is, until the Stormbearer’s prophecy. For in truth, the heir had grown of such an age to think quickly, hide during the raid, and then escape to a family of merchants passing by on a road the next day. Those merchants took him in, and he lived his life and continued his line.

Now, history threatens to repeat itself as the Dark Knight rises once more, Galdric’s heir is threatened by the Steward of Wolfstun among the shadows, and the future of the Kingdom hangs in the balance once more.

Adventure Factions

Throughout The Coming Storm, a number of factions and players vie for control and dominance of the Wolfstun Kingdom. The most important and wide-spread factions at work in this adventure are found below, with descriptions of those factions and their goals – which will surely clash during the course of the adventure.

The Order of the Coming Storm

The loyal knight whom the queen, Galdric’s wife, entrusted her son to was Ser Meven Rogard. When he returned to find the village burned and Galdric’s son nowhere to be found, he assembled the few knights that were still loyal to the line of kings over the Steward and formed the Order of the Coming Storm. Believing that if they were vigilant, when Kord deemed it the right time, he would cause the Heir to emerge from obscurity and take his rightful place. They are the watchmen who look for the clouds of this coming storm, the heir of Galdric.

Throughout the years, the Order of the Coming Storm remained faithful, bound by their oath to protect and search for the Heir. As generations came and went, however, their numbers dwindled to a faithful few. But when the Stormbearer gave the prophecy of the Heir’s return, the Order was revitalized in their search. To prevent another decline in their numbers once more, some are slow to hope for an immediate return, but they remain vigilant to protect the Heir, should he be found and proven to be the line of Galdric.

Goals. The Order of the Coming Storm is deeply committed to the line of Galdric and the true kings of Wolfstun above all else. They work to ensure the Kingdom’s prosperity in their respective roles, providing a kingdom for the Heir to return to when he comes. They also seek out the Heir, but they’re hesitant to believe he will show up in their lives. When those in the

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Order who are close to the Steward are made aware of actions for the Steward to obtain more power and live as though he were the rightful king of the Kingdom, they will secretly destabilize some of that power, creating small instabilities for the Heir to step into and assume control when he does emerge.

Notable Members

The Order of the Coming Storm was once a selective group of knights, and while many of them are still trained in the ways of chivalry and knighthood, over the generations have brought other professions into the fold. Some notable members of the Order of the Coming Storm are listed below.

• Ser Tancrede. Leader of the Order of the Coming Storm, Tancrede (LG human male knight) is in his older years. He is slow to hope for the present emergence of the Heir for fear of disappointment.
• Ser Frederic Rogard. Frederic (appendix D) is the descendant of Ser Meven, the knight who started the Order. He is headstrong and brash, and hopeful.
• Ser Gallahan. Gallahan (NG human male knight) holds both title and land as a General in the Wolfstun Kingdom’s army.
• Ser Vvemlen. Vvemlen (chapter 10) is newer to the Order, recently returning after being missing for months and nearly believed dead by the Order.

The Steward’s Agents

Steward Vjergan Armstadt fears nothing more than the loss of his authority and power for him and his children. As such, in addition to the spy network of the Wolfstun Throne, he also has a shadow organization of spies and agents who report directly to him. He has these agents work his will to ensure his security and the success of his schemes.

The Steward’s Agents are loyal to Vjergan and his line, and while not the most well-guarded secret within the Kingdom, the actual identities of the Steward’s Agents are not well known. Some nobles fear the Agents, with whispers of assassinations and disappearances of contradicting voices and political opponents of the Steward, being linked (true or otherwise) to the Agents.

Goals. The Steward’s Agents serve to enact the wishes of the Steward, Vjergan Armstadt. They obey his every word and are skilled in manipulation and other espionage tactics. Recently, with the buzz around the coming of the Heir, Vjergan has tasked the Steward’s Agents with finding the Heir before he comes to light and silencing him for good – putting an end to the threat he makes to the Armstadt’s thousand year reign over the Wolfstun Kingdom.

Notable Members

Few members of the Agents are known, but they can be anyone at any time, hiding in the shadows to report deeds across the Kingdom to the Steward. Feel free to add Agents throughout the game, in addition to the following important figures.

• Osfrith Hather. Osfrith (LE human male assassin) is the bastard child of Steward Vjergan. Instead of getting rid of him quietly, Vjergan kept Osfrith close, eventually sending him to work in the Kingdom’s spy network. After years of manipulation, Osfrith has become an unwaveringly loyal leader for the Steward’s Agents and tasked with spearheading the search for the Heir.
• Duanna Drerissa. Duanna (NE tiefling female mage) is an advisor to Steward Vjergan. She engages with all of the political pageantry of the Kingdom, paying special attention to the workings of Vjergan’s critics.

The Temple of Kord

Ever since King Eiric was blessed by Kord and built the grand temple to the Stormlord in the kingdom’s capital, Kord has been the major deity for the Wolfstun Kingdom. Following the primary commandments, the clerics of Kord emphasize bravery, strength, and glory through trials and combat. Their teachings are largely why the Kingdom has not eradicated many of the monsters and threats from the wilds between cities: the temple insists that they are tests, given by the Stormlord, for the refining of the nation’s citizens.

Still, they are not unsympathetic to the struggles of the commoner. Strength and glory are virtues, but they are to be

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bravely wielded in defense of the weak. As such, they offer their services to all, regardless of station, in hopes that their aid and behavior will serve as an example for all to strive to be more than they are. Members of the Temple of Kord can be found in the Stormlord’s temples throughout the Kingdom, as well as in arenas and coliseums that praise strength and bravery.

Those who belong to the Temple of Kord are not only priests and clerics, but any who hold tightly to the ideals and teachings of the Stormlord.

Goals. The Temple of Kord’s primary goal has always been allegiance to the Stormlord. They uphold his commandments and promote inner fortitude through tests and feats of strength. More than the followers of other deities, they remember the ways of old and promote the ideals of the past; ideals of strength and honor through embracing conflict and hardship. While many have moved into the modern era, there are some who desire a return to a wider embrace of the Olde Laws.

The Knights of the Green

The Knights of the Green is an order loosely affiliated with the Wolfstun Kingdom, primarily due to convention rather than their allegiance to a governing body. The Knights of the Green are unlike most other knightly

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orders, as they are decentralized and have no primary governing body. Rather, they are bound by the Oath of the Green, passed down from mentor to student and initiated on an independent basis.

Although not opposed to traveling together, Knights of the Green tend to travel alone or sometimes with groups of adventurers. This lack of banding together does not prevent a sense of camaraderie, as they will often share stories and drinks when members of the order cross paths.

No one knows for sure where the Knights of the Green come from or their origins, and as each mentor told their student their own version of the origins of the order, many versions of their history have emerged over the generations. At the center of all these origin stories is a figure called the Green Knight (placed some time after the disappearance of King Galdric), who some believe to be a historical figure distorted by time while others view the Green Knight as the mythological figure that provides an explanation of the current order.

Knights of the Green have an inherent distrust of the Blood Hunters of the Black Tower. While they seek to accomplish similar goals, they utilize vastly different tactics to accomplish those goals. While not impossible, Knights of the Green rarely work with Blood Hunters, taking it upon themselves to clean up any potential mess left by one of the Blood Hunters.

Goals. The Knights of the Green swear an oath to protect all that is good and right in the world from all that is evil. They are enjoyers of the natural order, protectors of the wilds, and slayers of monstrosities that threaten all they love. They wander the Wolfstun Kingdom in search of such threats, doing whatever is necessary to end them and protect both nature and civilization alike. While few in number, they tend to be welcomed by the common folk throughout the Wolfstun Kingdom as harbingers of good.

The Sons of Kairon

The Sons of Kairon, sometimes called “The Family” by those within, is one of the most prolific and largest criminal networks in all of Valeria. Their operations extend across all three continents and they deal in many different trades, ranging from assassination to controlling trade and everything inbetween.

The organization was originally started by three of the sons of Kairon, the true liberator of Stormhelm during the War of Retribution (see the sidebar “Liberation“ in the Stormhelm Gazetteer). Angry with their father’s lack of rule after rescuing the city, they began to work in secret to control the Kingdom from the shadows, taking what they believed to be their inheritance, robbed from their father before it could be theirs. Thus, the origin of the phrase “We will have what is ours,“ a common farewell among the Sons of Kairon.

Over the years, the Sons of Kairon grew their network and reach until it became the massive organization that it is today. They have contacts in all strata of society, and engage in many enterprises both legal and illegal. The Sons of Kairon have their headquarters (and some of their biggest criminal enterprises) located in the ruins of Old Stormhelm, using the many tunnels between and under the ruins to avoid discovery by the city’s guard. Although many have known their generic existence beneath the ruined city, they have yet to be discovered by any authorities.

The three leaders of the Sons of Kairon (also called the three Sons) each have their own title related to their operational specialty. The Hand deals with all the economic enterprises of the Family (both criminal and legal) stretching from gambling to legitimate businesses throughout the Kingdom. The Foot oversees the muscle and mercenaries of the group from all backgrounds and skill sets, as well as contracts for the guild’s assassins and thieves. Lastly, the Eye is the master diviner of the Family, using their magic to see trends and advise the Hand and Foot in future operations.

Goals. Originally started out of revenge and greed for what was theirs, the Sons of Kairon’s ambition has grown. Now, they simply hunger for power and wealth afforded them by their vast network. Because the organization is so large, individual members of the Family may have their own reasons for joining and their own desires.

The Olde Laws

The Olde Laws, as they come to be known as, were once part of official Wolfstun law until the middle of the Era of Expansion. Being seen as primitive, they were removed from the law, but were not made illegal – allowing adherents to still follow the laws today. While not everyone in the Kingdom is familiar with the Olde Laws anymore, there are still some who follow them today: mostly by those who hold a personal code of honor and courage. Officials rarely get involved in disputes of the Olde Laws except for in the most severe cases.

The Olde Laws emphasize bravery, courage, and honor as paramount to all else. Those who follow them,

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regardless of their other deeds, believe their adherence to the Olde Laws to be inherently honourable. While few, there are those throughout the course of the adventure that follow the Olde Laws, and characters can leverage this adherence to their benefit if done wisely.

Some of the Olde Laws are included here, but feel free to create more of the Olde Laws that can be used in your game.

The Haengall

Perhaps the most notable of the Olde Laws is the Haengall, a solo combat which often ended in death. However, not all individual combat was considered a Haengall. The challenge of a Haengall was issued specifically over matters of honor and serious personal affronts and could not be rescinded once the challenge was issued. If the challenge of a Haengall was accepted, then followed very specific rules:

• The Haengall can be fought immediately after the challenge was issued, or planned for up to one week after the challenge is issued.
• If the person who was challenged by the offended party does not show up to the Haengall, then the challenger is viewed as in the right and their honor is restored.
• If the challenger does not show up to the Haengall, they are marked as outcasts and to be killed as the most dishonorable of all people for making a grave threat on the honor of another without the courage to follow through.
• If both parties show up, they fight with no interference or aid from anything other than their own abilities until one party surrenders. However, because their presence meant they were standing up for their own honor, these fights usually ended in the death and leaving the victor as proven by the gods to be in the right.

Oaths

Oaths are sacred according to the Olde Laws. Any oath or promise given is taken incredibly seriously, and is often made with the shedding of blood on behalf of the one making the oath (usually by cutting their palm with a blade). Those who still follow the Olde Laws are avoidant of making oaths or direct promises because of their severity, and foster an intense hatred for any who break their oath.

Oaths can be made for a number of reasons, such as oaths of loyalty and service; oaths of devotion; oaths to achieve a specific result; oaths of friendship and camaraderie. Any such oaths are taken as of highest importance to uphold. Those who follow the Olde Laws have been known on occasion to make a temporary truce with enemies who also follow the Olde Laws in order to hunt down and punish oathbreakers.

Common Wolfstun Lore

Most of the detailed lore important to this adventure are legends and long-forgotten history to much of the Wolfstun Kingdom. Scholars and historians even debate some of the written stories of the line of Kings and the Hexcourt, which are believed to be as exaggerated a fairy-tale to the people of Wolsftun as King Arthur is to the real world. The stories centered around many of these events have many renditions, some more true than others, that the citizens of Wolfstun believe. Few exist who know much of the truth.

Running the Adventure

This adventure is designed to allow for the characters’ freedom in choosing where to go and what to do. The Oracles of the Storm (chapter 1) are to guide the players in seeking out events that will move the story along. The following information will help guide you, the Dungeon Master, run the game with the character’s levels and ability to face certain challenges in mind.

Character Advancement

The adventure is meant for four characters of levels 3-13 and beyond, and includes threats for those levels and beyond. The Dark Knight can be an especially deadly challenge at those levels. It is assumed that characters will gain levels over the course of this adventure, as well as acquire allies and powerful magic items that can tip the scales in their favor. Characters who advance upon the Dark Knight and the Tower of Whispers without first increasing their power will likely die. At the end of each chapter is a guide for leveling.

You can award experience for defeating foes, but it is recommended to keep characters within the levels listed in the chart below in order to keep the balance of the game. Appropriate milestone awards include the following:

Finding Artifacts. The characters gain a level when they

obtain crucial items such as one of the Elemental Blades

Defeating Villains. The characters gain a level when

they defeat the featured antagonist(s)

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 in a location, such as the mindflayer cult leader in Qaldi’s Coven (chapter 6).

Accomplishing Story Goals. The characters gain a level

when they accomplish something significant, such as recruiting the Heir or freeing the valkyrie Kara in the Ruins of the Red Hand (chapter 13).

Areas by Level

Avg. Level	Area	Ch.
1st - 3rd	The Black Bandit	app. B
3rd	Blackforest	Ch. 2
4th	Flurrdock	Ch. 3
5th - 7th	Bramni	Ch. 7
5th - 7th	Heavenly Rest	Ch. 6
5th - 7th	Pasgala	Ch. 9
5th - 7th	Seddas	Ch. 4
5th - 7th	Vanbi	Ch. 5
5th - 7th	Vestersted	Ch. 7
5th - 7th	Hexcourt Hold	Ch. 10
8th	Stormhelm	Ch. 11
9th - 10th	Ruins of the Red Hand	Ch. 13
9th - 10th	Stormsteele Caverns	Ch. 12
11th	The Savage North	Ch. 14
12th	Aaravos’ Obsidian Obelisk	Ch. 16
12th	Speartip Mountains	Ch. 15
13th	Tower of Whispers	Ch. 17

Timeline of Events

The Dark Knight has stirred from his rest, and he now moves into the Wolfstun Kingdom to find the Heir. While there is not a specific timeline of events, the shadow of the Dark Knight should loom over the campaign. He is far stronger than city guards, and even the valkyries of the Kingdom are no threat to him alone; if and when he appears in the cities of Wolfstun, fear and dread follow but no one dares challenge him.

Not every appearance of the Dark Knight results in the bloodshed and massacre like in Chapter 2. When he appears further south, away from his bandits and undead army, he is menacing and foreboding, investigating the town and interrogating citizens in side streets rather than beginning an outright raid. If city guards or adventurers are alerted to the Dark Knight and decide to attack, he will fight until overwhelmed at which point he summons his nightmare steed and escapes.

Just as the Dark Knight need not massacre every time he appears, neither should every encounter with the Dark Knight happen in front of the characters. Consider having him appear in a city before the characters arrive, and his intimidating presence is the talk of the town – causing the characters to be cautious for fear of him being nearby.

Most chapters will have a special event with notes for the arrival of the Dark Knight in that area of the adventure, and can be implemented at any point.

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Random Encounters

The Wolfstun Kingdom is alive, and the time in between each city ought to feel that way. Whether the characters travel by road or in the wilderness, check for a random encounter after every 30 minutes that the adventurers spend traveling (don’t check if they have already had two random encounters outdoors in the past 12 hours).

• If the characters are on a road, an encounter occurs on a roll of 18 or higher on a d20.
• If the characters are in the wilderness, an encounter occurs on a roll of 15 or higher on a d20.

If an encounter occurs, roll on the relevant daytime or nighttime encounter table, depending on the time, or have the Dark Knight’s servants appear (see the “Dark Knight’s Servants” sidebar).

You can let players narrate their way out of easy encounters, or you can increase the difficulty of easy encounters to keep them exciting. You can also shorten encounters by having monsters flee when they lose the tactical advantage or most of their hit points. Additionally, random encounters aren’t tailored to a specific level. If the characters encounter hostile creatures beyond their ability to defeat, give them the option to run, hide, negotiate, or otherwise avoid certain death.

Daytime Road Encounters

d12	Encounter
1	Traveling merchant
2	1d4 knights
3	Argyle Sparkhammer
4	3d6 traveling Wolfstun soldiers (guards)
5	1d4 gladiators
6	1 troll
7	Osfrith Hather accompanied by 1d4 spies
8	Trinket
9	Guard Tower
10	Farmstead
11	The Dark Knight
12	Traveling noble

Nighttime Road Encounters

d12	Encounter
1	Camped caravan
2	1d8 bandits
3	2d6 wolves
4	Argyle Sparkhammer
5	1 will-o’-wisp
6	Trinket
7	Guard Tower
8	Farmstead
9	The Dark Knight
10	Roadside Temple
11	1d4-1 wraiths
12	Hidden Bundle

Daytime Wilderness Encounters

d12	Encounter
1	Ruins
2	Hall of the Horse Lord
3	2d6+1 goblins
4	Grave
5	1d6 werewolves in humanoid form
6	The Dark Knight
7	1 druid
8	False trail
9	Hunting trap
10	1d4 pixies
11	1 dryad
12	Quiet Grove

Nighttime Wilderness Encounters

d12	Encounter
1	2d4-1 will-o’-wisps
2	Hall of the Horse Lord
3	Ruins
4	1d4 werewolves with 1d8 wolves
5	1 dreading bell
6	1 necromancer (mage) with 2d6 skeletons
7	Grave
8	False Trail
9	1d4 quicklings
10	The Dark Knight
11	3d6 elk
12	Quiet grove

You can also have other creatures appear and provide a distraction or aid the characters in their encounter. For example, another adventuring party stumbles upon the characters as they fight off a pack of werewolves and choose to aid the characters in defeating the threat, perhaps for a favor or requiring a “safety fee” from the characters. This can also create an opportunity for a second encounter with the new creatures who appeared.

Use the descriptions that follow to help run each random encounter. The table entries are presented in alphabetical order.

Argyle Sparkhammer

How the characters first see Argyle on the road depends on whether it is night or day.

Daytime. If it is daytime, read:

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The dwarven man is Argyle (appendix D), traveling with a collection of magical items and artifacts, making his way towards Stormhelm. He dismounts and approaches the characters with a jovial smile and friendly tone.

Nighttime. If it is nighttime, read:

If the characters do not attempt to sneak around the tent without avoiding detection, requiring a DC 17 Dexterity (Stealth) check, Argyle hears them on the road and comes out to greet them and welcome them into his tent for stew, as they surely must be tired from a day’s travel.

Interacting with Argyle: First Time. When he meets the characters for the first time, he introduces himself as “Argyle Sparkhammer, owner of Argyle’s Emporium in Stormhelm,” and then asks the characters their names. He is very interested in the characters’ capabilities and what they do, coming across as friendly, but seeking to ascertain the potential in the characters as adventurers. A DC 20 Wisdom (Insight) check allows a character to understand a secondary motive to Argyle’s questioning, and although they cannot quite ascertain his end goal they understand he is not posing any threat to them.

After listening to the characters, read the following:

He gathers some items from his collection and offers them to the characters for free. If the characters ask what he wants in return, he responds, “Oh, I’m sure we’ll figure something out. Just take care of them and use them on your adventures for me, will you?”

Interacting with Argyle: Reunion. If Argyle has met the characters before, he remembers their names and asks how the magic items he gifted them have served them in their adventures, regailing stories and asking what other items they have found in the meantime. Afterwards, he’ll ask the characters if they’d like to trade their items – or items they’ve acquired – for anything he has on him at the moment. As a parting gift, he gives the characters an additional magic item as another “symbol of their friendship.”

Argyle’s Wares. Argyle has many magical items, and is generous with them. However, he does not give the characters something so beyond their skill and abilities.

Use the following table to determine what items Argyle is willing to give the characters based on their level from the corresponding treasure tables starting on page 144 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Character Level	Magic Item Table
1-5	B (p.144 of the DMG)
6-10	F (p.146 of the DMG)
11+	G (p.147 of the DMG)

As the DM, you can either roll randomly on the relevant tables to determine what Argyle gives the characters, or you can choose items that would be most useful for the characters.

Argyle gives each character one item for free when he first meets them. Afterwards, he only gives one item for free to the whole group, but is willing to trade the items he previously gave them for another item in his wares, even if it is an increased rarity.

In addition, characters are able to purchase items from him, on top of the items he gives them for free. His collection of goods at any time is from all of the above-mentioned tables despite only giving the characters items from the level-appropriate table. You can use the pricing for magic items found on page 135 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Limited Hospitality. Because Argyle is connected to his collection of wares, he is aware when a creature takes one as long as they are not shielded from divination magic. As such, he knows when an item of his is stolen – and he has no sympathy for that. If a character attempts to steal another item from his wares, Argyle considers that character an enemy as they have abused and mocked his hospitality and generosity.

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Bandits

If the characters are moving quietly and do not have light sources, they can try to hide or ambush the bandits. These bandits are usually small bands of ruffians looking to make some coin from extortion or threats rather than seeking to actually start a fight.

Camped Caravan

Camped along the side of the road are 1d4 wagons, each with a tent housing 1d4 merchants (commoners) who are traveling with a random assortment of goods to the nearest town. There is a 30 percent chance the caravan is accompanied by 1d8 guards. Characters can persuade the members of the caravan to allow them to camp together with a DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check.

The caravans also carry goods from the Adventuring Gear table in the Player’s Handbook that have a price of 25 gp or less, which the players can purchase. Most merchants are unwilling to buy anything from the characters, however.

Dark Knight

If on the road, read:

The Dark Knight rides his nightmare steed, slowing as he recognizes the characters. The Dark Knight seeks to silently intimidate the characters, although he might speak a few words. If the characters are not accompanied by the Heir and do not try to fight the Dark Knight, he rides away.

If the characters are in the wilderness, read:

If the Dark Knight is in the wild, he has come to a place he remembers from his time in the Hexcourt. This time fills him with emotions, though faint – but more than he has felt for eons locked in the Tower of Whispers. Here, he is less likely to be aggressive towards the characters, unless they have the Heir with them. His movements are more somber, but resolved to slay the Heir as he remembers all that he was and blames Galdric and his kin for his own ruin.

Roleplaying the Encounter. He also attempts to size up the characters. It is possible that, if the characters are powerful enough, he might challenge one to a Haengall as a test of strength. If the character is sufficiently strong, he will view the character as a possible replacement for himself. If that is the case, the Dark Knight does not kill the character, but attempts to take them back to the Tower of Whispers.

If the characters travel with the Heir, the Dark Knight will recognize the Heir and attack, targeting the Heir and seeking to kill him and his allies.

Dreading Bell

The dreading bell is found in a clearing, not far from the skeletal remains of a noble woman. You can determine how long the remains have been there and how she died. You might even have the characters stumble upon the corpse before hearing the bell, allowing for more suspense.

Druid

The druid follows the characters in animal form for 1d4 hours, ascertaining their goals and intent. They have stumbled into the lands that the druid protects, and the druid seeks to see if the characters are friend or foe.

The druid can be spotted with a Wisdom (Perception) check opposed by the druid’s Dexterity (Stealth). As long as the characters do nothing malevolent to the landscape and do not attack the druid, the druid might emerge from its animal form and interact with the characters – possibly giving directions or guidance to an intended location.

Dryad

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The dryad will rarely show herself to the adventurers without being lured. However, if one of the characters has a Charisma score of 16 or higher, she will attempt to draw them away from the rest of the party. In such an event, she appears in the trees where only that specific character can see her, and she uses her “Fey Charm” ability to lure them away and spend time with the character.

Elk

A herd of elk move past the party in the distance. There is a 30 percent chance that the leader of the herd is a giant elk with magically glowing horns that give off dim blue light in a 10 foot radius, much like the light of the moon on a clear night.

False Trail

This event occurs only if the characters are traveling; otherwise, treat the result as no encounter.

This trail was left by evil druids, hunters, or some other entity. Following it in either direction leads to a spiked pit (see “Sample Traps” in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). A thin tarp made of twigs and pine needles conceals the pit, the bottom of which is lined with sharpened wooden stakes.

Farmstead

The farmstead is home to 1d8 commoners (parents and children) who live simple and humble lives. There’s always work to be done on the farm, and they’ll gladly take any help they can get. However, they are unable to give much compensation other than humble hospitality.

Gladiators

The gladiators are wearing their finest armor and weapons, headed to the Thunderdome in Vanbi to compete and gain renown. Characters who speak to the gladiators are told about the regular arena events, as well as the Tournament of Champions happening soon (see “Special Events” in chapter 5 of this adventure). If the characters decide to go to the tournament, they can accompany the gladiators to Vanbi.

Goblins

The characters are ambushed by goblins. The goblins have laid many traps (see “Sample Traps” in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). The goblins lie in wait until a character triggers the trap. The traps can be spotted with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.

Grave

This encounter occurs only if the characters are traveling; otherwise, treat the result as no encounter.

There is a 75 percent chance the grave is intact, appearing as an elongated earthen mound or a rocky cairn. Characters who dig up the grave find the skeletal remains of a humanoid in unusable armor with rusted and corroded weapons.

If the grave isn’t intact, the grave has been dug up by some creature and all that is left is a shallow, mud-filled hole.

Guard Tower

Guard towers are scattered across the major roads of the Wolfstun Kingdom. They provide additional protection along the main trade routes for caravans and travelers. They are protected by 2d6-1 guards who are equipped with light crossbows (+4 to hit, range 80/320 ft.) in addition to spears, dealing5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage on a hit.

Hall of the Horse Lord

The characters are visited by the Hall of the Horse Lords, an interdimensional space that is attached to the ancient ways of the Wolfstun Kingdom. The hall is in the shape of an ancient Longhall, a long and ovular building that has two massive wooden doors forming the entrance. On each of the doors is the symbol of a horse reared on its hind legs facing away from the center. The hall and its contents change depending on what time of day it is.

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 Daytime. The daytime Hall of the Horse Lords has white horse imagery in all of the paintings and murals along the wall. At the back end of the hall is an altar with a mural behind it. The mural depicts a black horse and a horn being blown above it of similar color. The altar holds the ebony horn of the horse lord (appendix C). When the characters leave the hall, walking out of the door places them back where they were before entering the hall, and the hall vanishes.

Nighttime. The nighttime Hall of the Horse Lords has black horse imagery in all of the paintings and murals along the wall. At the back end of the hall is an altar with a mural behind it. The mural depicts a white horse and a horn being blown above it of similar color. The altar holds the alabaster horn of the horse lord (appendix C). When the characters leave the hall, walking out of the door places them back where they were before entering the hall, and the hall vanishes.

Repeat Rolls. If the characters would roll this result again after taking the horn from the altar for a specific time, the Hall of the Horse Lords does not appear and instead they come across a herd of 3d6 wild horses (riding horses).

Hidden Bundle

This encounter occurs only if the characters are traveling; otherwise, treat the result as no encounter.

The characters find a leather-wrapped bundle hidden in the underbrush, stuffed inside a hollow log, or nestled in the boughs of a tree. If they open the budle, inside they find a dagger, shortbow, and set of common clothes. The bundle belongs to a hunter or hermit who has stashed a set of belongings for survival here.

Hunting Trap

This encounter occurs only if the characters are traveling; otherwise, treat the result as no encounter.

Have each of the characters walk in the front fank of the party’s marching order make a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check. If one or more of them succeeds, read:

Wolfstun hunters and trappers set these traps hoping to catch animals for food as well as thin out the wolf populations. If none of the characters in the front rank spots the hidden trap, one random party member steps on it. Rules for the hunting trap are presented in chapter 5, “Equipment,” of the *Player’s Handbook.”

Knights

The origin of the knights is up to you, the Dungeon Master. They might be allegiant to the Wolfstun throne, they might belong to the Order of the Green, or have some other affiliation in the kingdom.

Necromancer

The bodies are skeletons who follow the commands of a necromancer. Use the mage stat block for the necromancer, except that it has the following spell list:

Cantrips: chill touch, mage hand, prestidigitation

1st level: cause fear, mage armor, magic missile, ray of sickness

2nd level: blindness/deafness, enlarge/reduce, misty step

3rd level: animate dead, vampiric touch

4th level: blight, greater invisibility

5th level: danse macabre

Osfrith Hather

As Osfrith Hather is serving the Steward, he must travel from city to city, and usually on horseback (riding horse). With him are fellow Agents of the Steward, although they do not tell others their specific title and just that they work for the city of Stormhlem and the Kingdom. They will stop any travelers passing by and ask them questions to ascertain any information or oddities occuring in the realm, believing these will lead them to the Heir.

They rarely engage in outright conflict, and instead will follow the characters at a distance if they have the Heir until they arrive at a tavern where the Agents and Osfrith will work to kill the Heir covertly.

Pixies

The pixies are chaotic creatures, interested in having a good time. They might turn one of the characters into a toad using the polymorph spell temporarily before returning them to their own form, or other harmless pranks for a good time.

Characters who engage with the pixies in revelry or put on a show for them can gain the pixies’ favor, as the pixies follow the characters for 1d4 hours for conversation and companionship.

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Quicklings

The darklings are mischevious and evil, although they are not usually murderers of larger creatures. Instead, they prefer to perform malevolent pranks against creatures. They will follow the characters to where they make camp, and then will hide precious items, tie shoes together, or even plant a stolen item on one of the character’s persons.

Quiet Grove

This grove is free from threats and predators. Characters may rest here without fear of being disturbed. The waters are slightly blessed, allowing the first creature to drink from it to receive the effects of a lesser restoration spell once per day.

Roadside Temple

This small temple is unattended, but has an altar for each of the Primary Deities in Valeria. Sometimes travelers will stop here for prayer.

If a creature prays and succeeds on a DC 20 Intelligence (Religion) check, they receive the effects of the sanctuary spell for 24 hours. If the characters take the time to repair the temple and clean it up, every hour they spend decreases the DC of the roll by 2.

Ruins

These ruins are not an uncommon sight in the Wolfstun Kingdom. Many have tried to settle the harsh wilds of the Kingdom, and few have succeeded. You can decide what the ruins are from: past conquests and a fallen kingdom, the old stronghold of a forgotten order of knights, some fortress of evil in ages past, etc.

If the characters arrive here at night, they might find some travelers or knights camping amid the ruins. This opens up an opportunity for the characters to interact with the ruins’ temporary denizens.

Traveling Merchant

The traveling merchant can offer a variety of nonmagical wares dependant on their occupation, which you can roll to determine:

d8	Merchant Occupation
1	Clothier
2	Alchemist
3	Carpenter
4	Blacksmith
5	Fletcher
6	Leatherworker
7	Mason
8	Tinkerer

These merchants might also be persuaded to purchase items from the characters, allowing them to sell items they do not want or need before reaching a town or city.

Traveling Noble

The carriage is pulled by a draft horse and has a noble inside of it with their personal belongings. They are accompanied by 1d8+1 guards, with one driving the carriage and the others following on foot.

Depending on how many guards are present, the noble might stop the characters and hire them to escort them to the nearest town. If the characters successfully protect the carriage from any attacks, they can also earn a special favor (see “Marks of Prestige” on page 229 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide).

Trinket

A random character finds a lost trinket. Roll on the trinket table in the Player’s Handbook, choose a specific trinket from the table, or make one up on the fly.

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Troll

The troll is trying to claim a part of the road and is taxing others who travel on it. Most people acquiesce, and those who refuse are killed and eaten. The toll is 5 silver pieces per person.

Werewolves

If the werewolves are in human form, read:

If the werewolves are in wolf form, read:

How the werewolves act depends on the form they have taken (based on the time of day).

Human Form. Werewolves in human form pretend to be trappers. If more than one is present, the others are within whistling distance.

They try to befriend the characters to see if they are carrying silvered weapons. If the characters appear to have no such weapons, the werewolves assume hybrid form and attack. Otherwise, they part company with the characters and leave well enough alone.

Wolf Form. Werewolves in wolf form follow the party from a safe distance for several hours. If their Dexterity (Stealth) checks exceed the characters’ passive Wisdom (Perception) scores, the werewolves attack with surprise when the characters decide to take a short or long rest. Otherwise, they wait until the characters are weakened by another random encounter before moving in for the easy kill.

Will-o-wisp

The will-o’-wisps drift, waiting for creatures to approach. If there are enough will-o’-wisps, they will attack the characters themselves. Otherwise, they will attempt to draw the characters to quicksand where they can feast on their misery as they die (see “Wilderness Survival” on page 110 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide).

Wolfstun Soldiers

The Wolfstun Kingdom’s soldiers are moving from one keep to another. There is a 20 percent chance they are being deployed to the Savage North. They will not attack or accost the characters unless provoked.

Wraiths

The wraiths seek to destroy the characters out of their hunger to consume.

Storied Encounters

The following encounters have story and lore associated with them. While they are not simply a random encounter, you can substitute a random encounter roll with one of these. Each of these encounters can be used simply as a random encounter, as a plot hook to pursue alongside other goals, or not used at all. Hints at them can be introduced earlier in the campaign, allowing for a climactic narrative moment when the encounter occurs.

Each of the following storied encounters has a recommended minimum level at which the characters should engage with them. You might use them as recurring elements in the adventure, as some of them need not occur only once.

The following storied encounters appear in alphabetical order.

Alpha Dog

Recommended Minimum Level: 7

Encounter Overview

Werewolves are dreaded enough by the commoners of the Wolfstun Kingdom, fearing their appearance in their village and the threat they pose to an already dangerous enough life. Somewhere amid the woods, a group of werewolves have gathered under the most powerful werewolf since the times of legend: an alpha.

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 Few remember the ages long past, in the ages of King Galdric and the Hexcourt, that some werewolves did not dread their curse, but worshipped the First Werewolf, Lycan, and in their worship were granted incredible powers as leaders of werewolf enclaves. Those who do so are incredibly powerful, lead packs of werewolves due to their strength, and seek to establish terrible enclaves to worship Lycan. Many believed that the secrets to becoming an alpha werewolf were left in the past, as the Hexcourt had hunted such creatures in their adventures.

However, one has returned. A member of the Black Tower, a bloodhunter named Izromarr, was sent to the Wolfstun Kingdom to hunt down the rising number of werewolves. However, in the attempt, he was bitten and cursed with lycanthropy himself. Having taken one of the ancient texts from the Black Tower regailing the stories of the alphas and their practices, Izromarr gave into the curse and decided to use it as a means of gaining power. Now, he is amassing a following of werewolves in order to create his own dominion as the alpha.

Encounter Hooks

The characters might run into this encounter if at least one of them is connected to a monster hunting guild such as the Knights of the Green, the Blood Hunters, or even if they are dedicated to hunting monsters without an affiliation to a group or guild.

Characters might catch on to the presence of an alpha werewolf in the following scenarios:

• They travel through a village within the werewolves’ territory (you can decide where they reside). Villagers say that one werewolf in particular stood a full head above the rest and seemed much more terrifying, barking commands to the others.

• The characters receive a letter requesting aid from a village Harald, or from a member of a monster-hunting order that has heard of their deeds. This can be an NPC who the characters have met before, or one that has heard of them from a contact.

Roleplaying the Encounter

Izomarr, an alpha werewolf (appendix D), raids a village with 2d8 werewolves during the night. They attack and attempt to curse at least ten villagers with lycanthropy in the attempt to add them to their number. Once they afflict the ten villagers, they return to their caves a few miles away from the town.

If the characters engage in combat with the werewolves, the Alpha will draw their attention with four other werewolves while his followers continue to curse the villagers. If Izomarr is reduced to half his point maximum, he barks to the werewolves to retreat, taking the disengage action and shapeshifting into their wolf forms as they flee to their caves. There, they stand a better chance of fighting the characters.

The characters can track the werewolves with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check. The wolves have their enclave in a secluded region of the wilderness, and on the way the characters might be attacked by sentries or packs of wolves that are used to guard the enclave. The enclave itself is decorated with bones and scraps of hide in dedication to Lycan, whose symbol can be found within the central chamber of the caves.

If the characters defeat the werewolves and Izomarr, the surrounding towns will be freed from their tormentors, and will gladly provide free housing and food for the characters.

Encounter Rewards

If the characters successfully defeat Izomarr, the following rewards are able to be found in the enclave:

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• a ceremonial dagger worth 100 gp
• The Moonlit Tome, the rare work that Izomarr took from the Black Tower detailing the origins and means of becoming an alpha werewolf.

After the Encounter

Once the characters defeat Izomarr and have taken The Moonlit Tome, they will have defeated the creature who brought the alphas back to the Wolfstun Kingdom. However, Izomarr might have taught these practices to other werewolves. When rolling on the random encounter table, you can add an alpha werewolf to the “Werewolves” random encounter.

Carnival of Terror

Recommended Minimum Level: 5

Encounter Overview

Life can be awfully bleak, especially for a commoner who has to work their lives away to provide for their families. That’s why the day is always a little brighter when a group of performers comes to town. It offers levity and a change of pace for the people, who flock to the merriment.

The Moonlight Mummers is one such group; or so they would seem. While they appear to be full of merriment, laughter, and entertainment, in reality they are evil and demonic cultists who prey on the weak before leaving to a different town to repeat the whole charade. Their process is simple: arrive in a town, set up their small carnival with their wagons and tents, put on games and shows for the common folk free of charge, and then leave the next day.

However, whenever they leave, the following days are filled with sadness and worry as children seem to go missing from the towns, lost in the night’s activities, leaving parents worried and heartbroken at the inability to find their loved ones.

The disappearances result from the Moonlight Mummers, who lure children into the tents and mazes of the carnival, only to kidnap them and sacrifice them to Cyric, the Spider King, the Treacherous Deity of deception.

Encounter Hooks

The following are examples of how the characters might first learn of this encounter.

• As the characters travel through a town, there are a number of parents frantically asking if anyone has seen their children. If the characters engage, they learn that the children went missing last night, after the carnival put on by the Moonlight Mummers.
• The characters arrive in a town as the Moonlight Mummers set up shop. They invite the characters, as they do all the citizens, to attend the carnival that night.

Roleplaying the Encounter

The Moonlight Mummers are a group of eight performers (bards), led by their ringleader (cult fanatic). They travel with 2d6 stage hands (cultists) who help set up the carnival from the wagons. Their tents and games look anything but new, beat down from the travel and the “lack of funds to repair them” as the group claims.

When they arrive in a town, the stage hands will set up the carnival while the ringleader directs their efforts. The performers will go through the town, inviting everyone with laughter and merriment to the carnival that night. A successful DC 20 Wisdom (Insight) check on the carts reveals the symbol of Cyric incorporated into the playful designs and filigree.

There are a variety of games, mazes, and other activities to keep the townsfolk occupied while the Moonlight Mummers are weaving their webs. While they put on the festivities, the performers and stage hands will attempt to pickpocket the townsfolk. They often invite children into the tents for shows, where they trap and sacrifice the children away from the prying eyes of their parents. Each tent is 10 feet by 10 feet wide, but is enchanted under the effects of the demiplane spell which the ringleader can alter a 10-foot by 10-foot square inside the demiplane at their will. They use this effect to perform dazzling light shows and illusions of animals for their viewers, as well as a defensive measure.

The characters can engage in the carnival games and entertainment, or investigate the Moonlight Mummers and their belongings while they’re busy putting on their act. The Mummers will not act aggressively towards the party out in the open if threatened, but instead will draw them into one of their tents away from prying eyes before attacking.

Encounter Rewards

If the characters put a stop to the Moonlight Mummers, the following rewards are available:

• a magic tent (see appendix C)
• 10d10 x 10 sp of stolen coin

The Green Knight

Recommended Minimum Level: 9

Encounter Overview

The Order of the Green (see “Adventure Factions”) trace their lineage back to the founder of their order: The Green Knight. However, no two stories of the Green Knight are alike – resulting in little being known of the Green Knight, some even doubting he truly existed.

But he did. Many centuries ago, before the birth of King Galdric, the Green Knight – then an elven clan leader – decided to lead his clan away from the Realm of the Elves and offer the light and hope of elfkin to

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men, and left the ways of the Realm of the Elves behind them. Leading his clan to the Alderwood, they eventually settled there and began to mingle with the human settlements around them. While still isolationist for human standards, they were very interactive for the standards of elves.

The Green Knight gained his name when, after establishing his clan in the Alderwood, news came to him of the death of King Galdric and the Kingdom’s lack of a protector with the demise of the Hexcourt. He decided to take the moniker of the Green Knight, departing his clan to wander the realm and protect the world from evil. A loner, he would periodically take an ambitious adventurer under his wings to teach him his ways – thus creating the Order of the Green.

Yet the years grew long, and the Green Knight began to fade into his twilight years. He himself a follower of the Olde Laws, he had sworn an oath to protect the land until it was rid of evil; yet this proved too great a task for himself. In his stubborn refusal to leave an oath unfulfilled, he hid away in one of the sanctuaries he had built in his adventures as the Green Knight and bound himself to the land, continuing to exist as long as the earth endured beneath him. However, he cannot leave the temple to which he is bound without ceasing to exist. As he continues on in existence, he has become so bound to the land that his body has all but faded, turning to vines and plants extending from his armor within the sanctuary.

Here, he rests until he can fulfill his oath or find a successor – one to take up his mantle and see his oath fulfilled.

Encounter Hooks

The characters can find this encounter in the following ways:

• As the characters wander the wilderness, the vegetation and trees around them grow more vibrant. They stumble upon an ancient ruin, with moss and vines growing all over what is left of this ancient temple. They do not know it yet, but they have stumbled upon the sanctuary of the Green Knight.
• If one of the characters is a member of the Order of the Green, or if they are otherwise dedicated to the protection of the world from all that is evil and have a connection to the land (such as a druid or ranger), the Green Knight begins to reach out to them in dreams, drawing them to his sanctuary to test if they are a worthy replacement.

Roleplaying the Encounter

When the characters approach the temple ruins, they feel a rush of wind coming from within the ruins, almost as if speaking yet words remain indistinguishable. The sanctuary is covered in moss and vines, shielding the view of nearly the entire stonework beneath, and the whole area feels alive with magic and nature as a mist hangs low to the ground.

The Green Knight’s consciousness is nearly fused with the land, and his desire to extinguish evil causes all nature to revolt against evil-aligned creatures. Creatures with an evil alignment are relentlessly attacked when within 200 feet of the temple. As they

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approach, they are accosted by birds (swarm of ravens) and rats (swarm of rats), and within the ruins they are attacked by the vines (use the stats for an assassin vine). Neutral-aligned creatures are watched by the woodland creatures, feeling that they are being watched if their passive Perception score is 15 or higher. The ruins’ protectors will attack neutral-aligned creatures if they harm the forest or ruins in any way. Creatures of good alignment are allowed to pass within the ruins unharmed.

The Green Knight is in the central, most preserved chamber of the ruins. A single archway allows access into the chamber, which is filled with vines, trees, and other vegetation, and a single stream cuts through the center of the chamber. The entry into this chamber is warded, only allowing good-aligned creatures into the inner sanctuary of the Green Knight. If dispel magic is cast on the ward at 5th level or higher, the ward is disabled for 1d10 minutes.

The Green Knight’s body is on the far end of the chamber, resting against the largest tree, the once-focal point of the chamber. What look like arms have become folded over and masked by the tree’s roots, as vines half-hide the armor and body beneath. A small dais is raised in front of him, with his axe Galatine (see appendix C) bound to the earth by vines and roots. It can be torn from the earth with a DC 30 Strength check.

When a creature enters the chamber passing through the ward, the Green Knight does not move, but his voice can be heard echoing throughout the chamber. Read the following:

The Green Knight seeks to test the characters who enter his chamber, hoping to find a successor and allow him to rest, knowing his oath will be carried on. To do so, he offers a single test.

The Green Knight allows a creature to attack him with advantage, dealing as much damage as they would like. Then, he uses his blow for a blow ability (see appendix D) on that creature, instantly dealing that much damage to them. If this blow reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the vines in the chamber consume the body and turn them to dust, only leaving any magical items that they were carrying.

If the character being tested by the Green Knight deals 7 or less damage on their attack, the Green Knight uses his ability, and then read the following:

If the creature being tested does more than 7 damage on their strike and survives the damage dealt in return, the Green Knight questions them why they ought to receive his blessing. The Green Knight can then be persuaded with a DC 17 Charisma (Persuasion) check by a good-aligned character who has given blow for blow with the Green Knight. The DC of this check is decreased by 3 for each of the tenets of the Oath of the Green (see “Tenets of the Ancients” on page 87 of the Player’s Handbook) that they mention in their response.

If either of these results occur, read:

If the character fails to persuade the Green Knight, he tells the characters that they may be strong, but do not have the conviction necessary to carry on his legacy. He allows them to leave peacefully. The characters may return, but the Green Knight is unwilling to test the character again for 1 year.

If the character attacks the Green Knight after being sent away, deals more than one blow, takes Galatine without receiving the blessing, or a non-good-aligned character dispels the ward and enters the chamber, the Green Knight defends against the impure. Read:

The Green Knight fights until either the characters die, retreat, or kill him. If the characters fight with the Green Knight and both survive, he will not test them again. If he dies, the vines and roots fade from the room.

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Encounter Rewards

If the Green Knight gives his blessing, the character who took up the Green Knight’s mantle receives the “Fey Touched” feat described below.

In addition, if a character either receives the blessing of the Green Knight or defeats the Green Knight, they are able to take Galatine without being hindered.

After the Encounter

Anyone wielding Galatine, a famed weapon in the Order of the Green, has the respect of the Order’s members. While holding the blade, you have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks with members of the Order, and they will accept you as one of their order, even being willing to aid you and fight beside you in moments of crisis.

However, if the characters attack and kill the Green Knight, his dying act is to give a vision of the characters to his Green Knights, marking them as targets for all members of the Order who come across them.

Paying Their Debt

Recommended Minimum Level: 11

Encounter Overview

Argyle Sparkhammer is a deceptively kind and generous benefactor for adventurers; that is, until he wants an item of theirs. His massive stock of magical items for sale are not all made for him, nor does he discover them – he takes them from the bodies of deceased adventurers. Some he happens upon by chance… but not all.

The Sparkhammers, having stumbled upon an orb of dragonkind generations ago, have rarely had the power to resist the influence of the orb, causing all of them to be charmed into hoarding magical items. This is the key to the family’s wealth.

Argyle has a particularly dastardly plot to amass his hoard: he places a divination spell on each of the items in his possession so that he knows their location at all times. He then gives out low-level magic items to promising adventurers – adventurers who have a knack for delving into dungeons and finding rare and powerful magic items. He is then able to track where those adventurers are, and can scry on them to ascertain if they have anything of interest to him.

When he offers the adventurers a magic item for “free,” he says he’ll think of some way they can make it up to him in the future. By this, he means that when he sees something that he wants (usually a magic item with a rarity of very rare or higher) he will demand it from the adventurers. He first subtly hints at it, promising to buy it for a simple cost. He might even wait for them to perish on an adventure before following their trail to retrieve the items. However, if the adventurers refuse him and his demands for a “fair trade” after all he has given to them, he attacks.

These are the moments he uses his orb of dragonkind, calling forth dragons to aid him in his assault on the adventurers. Those who have refused Argyle perish at his hand, and he takes all of their magic items and enters them into his wares, waiting for the next set of gullible adventurers.

Encounter Hooks

The characters experience this encounter only if they have taken free items from Argyle at some point during the adventure. If so, Argyle shows up unexpectedly when the characters are in the wilderness (such as the Savage North).

Roleplaying the Encounter

If Argyle has given the characters items for free, he begins to scry on them throughout the adventure, looking for other magical items of note. He is particularly interested in mythical items, asking the characters about those items when they come across him on subsequent encounters. He even offers to buy those items from characters for half as much as they could normally be sold for. They might sell the requested item to Argyle, at which he does not attempt to fight them. If they refuse to sell the requested item(s) to him, he retreats and devises his plan, waiting to strike at the opportune moment.

When he surprises the characters, Argyle is flying atop a young blue dragon and is accompanied by seven dragon wyrmlings of random colors determined by the table below. You can also determine what dragons might be nearby based on the environment.

d10	Dragon Wyrmling Color
1-2	black
3-4	blue
5-6	green
7-9	red
9-0	white

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 Argyle demands the items, giving the characters one last chance to give him the items he desires (he does not care for reclaiming all of their items, only the items that piqued his interest – such as one or more of the elemental blades).

If the characters still refuse to give Argyle what he wants, he will attack the characters with his entourage of dragons. He lets the dragon wyrmlings engage with the characters in melee, while he focuses on them from the back of the dragon, using its breath weapon when it is available. Argyle has no qualms dispelling the magic on the items he has given the party to weaken them and make the fight easier for himself, as once he begins fighting the characters, he will not stop until they are defeated.

If the characters kill Argyle before killing the dragons, the dragons will run away rather than continuing to engage in a fight they were forced to enter in the first place. If the characters run away, Argyle will continue to hunt them so long as they are away from civilization.

Encounter Rewards

If the characters survive Argyle’s ambush and kill him, they find the following items of note on his person:

• an orb of dragonkind
• the key to Argyle’s Emporium in Stormhelm
• the Sparkhammer signet ring
• a crystal ball of true seeing

After the Encounter

If the characters give Argyle the item he requests when he ambushes them from the back of a dragon, he threatens them not to tell anyone of what they saw. He lets them carry on their way, but makes it clear that they work for him now, and any items they come across that he wishes to have they will give to him as thanks for his sparing their lives. He does not offer any more free items to the characters.

If the characters defeat Argyle, his Emporium becomes abandoned in Stormhelm, and authorities in the city begin to look into the death of an important member of the city’s society. As the Dungeon Master, you can decide how much the authorities are able to ascertain as to the true nature of Argyle and his hoard, and how this affects the characters moving forward.

Temmy

Recommended Minimum Level: 3

Encounter Overview

Not all magic is as easily controlled as wizards would have you believe. Sometimes magic is wild, with unknown and unpredictable consequences. These phenomena are common along the ley lines in particular. While sometimes these events bring destruction, other times they might cause good.

One day, when a sorcerer got into a scuffle with some bandits along one such ley line, and both parties were slain in the ensuing battle. However, the final strike of the sorcerer to take down his ambushers released a surge of magic that had a particularly strange and curious effect: his feline companion, Temmy, was given sentience.

Awakened to a new world, Temmy started to travel the Wolfstun Kingdom, but as no one would accept her without thinking her some kind of horrible accident, she made herself a home in the woods and named her hermitage “Temville.” Here, she makes all kinds of art that she sells to the few travelers who find their way to her hermitage, hoping to raise enough money to one day attend the Academy in Stormhelm and gain an education, possibly even learning about the little magic she can now cast.

Encounter Hooks

The characters can learn of this encounter in one of the following ways:

• The characters come across a small, hobbled sign pointing from a main road to a dirt path. The sign says in the handwriting of a child, “Temville.”
• The characters overhear a conversation in a tavern or from a passing caravan telling stories of their own encounters with Temmy. Some believe she’s not real, but simply a practical joke by some spellcaster hiding in the distance.

Roleplaying the Encounter

Temmy lives in a small, makeshift hut she formed out of leaves and sticks. She often does her artistic endeavors outside, on an easel made from sticks and bound with twine. She uses whatever supplies she can for her art, although she prefers painting using a small satchel of supplies she has remaining from her old master’s workshop.

When she first sees the characters arriving at her hermitage, she says the following:

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 Always excited at new customers and friends, Temmy proudly shows off her art to the characters. She is selling all of her pieces for 2 sp each, which is at least twice as much as any museum would appraise it for. She hopes to save up 8,000 gp in order to achieve her goal by selling her art. However, having no understanding of mathematics, she does not understand how far she has to go before that will be a possibility; she merely knows how much she was told it would cost for her to get into the Stormhelm Academy. When the characters meet her, she has saved a total of 1 sp (the previous and only purchaser of her art took advantage of her lack of mathematical knowledge and gave her only one coin).

If anyone buys a piece of her art, she calls that person a “forever friend,” and offers one of her favorite meals: freshly caught field mouse.

There is no reason that the characters should help her by giving her the amount needed for her to attend Stormhelm Academy, although she will not be able to without their majority contribution. However, doing so would allow Temmy to pursue her dreams. If a character scams or is mean to Temmy in any way, their alignment changes to evil, and she remembers them as “big scary” and she hides when they come around again.

Encounter Rewards

If the characters are able to give Temmy the necessary funds to attend the Academy, she gives them art.

After the Encounter

If Temmy is funded to attend the Academy, she becomes incredibly knowledgeable of the world, although her peculiar speech patterns remain. Her Intelligence score increases to 17 (+3) and proficiency in both Arcana (+7) and History (+7), her maximum hit points increase to 31 (12d4), and she gains the ability to cast the following spells as an 11th-level spellcaster using her Charisma modifier (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spells):

Cantrips (at will): firebolt, mage hand, minor illusion, prestidigitation

1st level (4 slots): charm person, detect magic, feather fall, sleep

2nd level (3 slots): darkvision, knock, spider climb

3rd level (3 slots): blink, dispel magic, fly

4th level (3 slots): dimension door, polymorph

5th level (2 slots): hold monster, telekinesis

6th level (1 slot): Tasha’s otherworldly guise

With her newfound powers and education, she seeks to protect and provide for others, as the ones who helped her achieve her dreams did for her. If the characters were kind to her and helped her achieve her dreams, she might travel with the party for a while and aid them as much as she can as thanks.

The Questing Beast

Recommended Minimum Level: 5

Encounter Overview

The wilderness of the Wolfstun Kingdom holds many threats and dangers, magical and otherwise. Hags are a particularly common threat, although they rarely bond together to form a coven. When they do, their pact is strong and they rarely betray the coven for fear of the curse and ire of the other two hags.

Yet this encounter begins with the betrayal of one hag against her coven. When a group of adventurers came to hunt the coven, one of the hags, Grimeda (green hag) abandoned her sisters and fled as they were slain. In their dying breath, they laid a curse on Grimeda to give birth to a creature who would bear her shame. As the years went by, she eventually gave birth, but not to a creature like herself – to a monster. Yet in her madness, she loved and protected the monster as her own kin. Thus the questing beast was born.

Now, the questing beast is grown, and is beginning to cause havoc among the surrounding villages. It hungers, hunting herd animals and village hunters alike in the woods. No one has ever seen the creature, but the legends tell that it sounds like a pack of hunting dogs when it is near – striking fear in the hearts of those who hear it.

The villages have put up a bounty for the unknown monster, hiring knights and mercenaries. All of them have failed, and the villagers are growing desperate.

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Encounter Hooks

The characters can discover this encounter in one of the following ways:

• They travel through a town that is being harried by the questing beast. The characters are asked by locals if they can aid them in their desperation.
• The characters are traveling in the wilderness and the questing beast appears, hunting them for sport.
• The characters are in a tavern or other place that gathers travelers and overhear a story about the “questing beast” from some other patrons.

Roleplaying the Encounter

The questing beast (see appendix D) is a vile creature, an abomination; and it hunts for sport. It stalks upon its prey, striking and dragging them off for the kill. It can be found in the woods with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check to track it, or followed from a village if the characters wait for it to attack the village in the night.

The questing beast prefers to attack its prey by surprising it, and will run and hide before attacking again if it feels overwhelmed. It will not give up a fight, and will use the environment around it to its advantage; hiding in the thick trees before charging and attacking again, then running away to attack in the same way again. In this way, it terrorizes its prey who do not know where it might come from next.

If the characters successfully slay the questing beast, Grimeda appears from the woods at the moment they kill it. She attacks the characters for slaying her “baby,” targeting the character who delivered the killing blow with prejudice. She fights until she is dead.

Encounter Rewards

Once the characters slay the questing beast and bring its pelt back to the village for proof, the village pays them the collected reward of 1,000 gp.

In addition, if the characters check the body of Grimeda, they find a wand of the war mage (+1).

Warriors of Old

Recommended Minimum Level: 3

Encounter Overview

The Kings of the Wolfstun Kingdom, particularly the direct descendants of Eiric during the Age of Heroes, were renowned for their goodness and their legendary weapons. However, while they may have been the most famous of heroes, they traveled with knights that had equally as powerful weapons though they are more obscured by history. Few records from the time speak of knights, rather focusing their attention to the kings, and the sacking of Stormhelm during the War of Retribution only made such records more scarce.

One scholar is attempting to understand the myths and recover whatever knowledge can be found of the unsung heroes of old: Gerbo Turben (LN male gnome commoner with a +6 bonus to History and Investigation). A former Arbiter, when the organization disbanded he continued to travel the world researching mysteries. Presently, he has set his attention upon the three trusted guards of King Eiric, only known in a few records as the Eye, the Hand, and the Foot of the King.

As Gerbo attempts to unearth the truth of these largely unknown heroes of a bygone era, he travels from city to city, scouring the ancient books and records to string together what is history from the legends. Sometimes these efforts require adventuring into the wilderness of the Kingdom, and Gerbo will hire adventurers to protect him on those expeditions.

Encounter Hooks

The characters can first stumble upon Gerbo in one of the following ways:

• The characters cross paths with Gerbo, who is traveling one of the roads between cities in the Wolfstun Kingdom. As the roads are dangerous, he asks the characters to accompany him to his destination.
• The characters can find him in a library or tavern, pouring over his notes and mumbling to himself. If they ask him what he is doing, he gladly shares his current project and the aim of his studies.
• Gerbo is in need of adventurers to accompany him on an expedition into the wilderness, and he attempts to hire the party for his protection on the journey.

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Roleplaying the Encounter

This storied encounter is unique from the others in that it is intended to be episodic. The first time characters interact with Gerbo, they learn a little of what he is researching. If the characters seem interested, he will invite them along on his journey, or promise to inform them if he finds any more information and will invite the characters on any expeditions he embarks on.

The specifics of these adventures are up to you, the Dungeon Master. Ideally, the expeditions lead into the wilderness of the Wolfstun Kingdom, exploring various ruins from long ago. They can be short trips, where the characters simply have to provide protection from any possible encounters along the way, or they might be more in-depth and the characters must help Gerbo navigate a litany of traps and puzzles to uncover the true history of the Hand, the Eye, and the Foot of the Kings of Olde. Possible prizes at the end of these expeditions might be determined by rolling on the following table:

d6	Expedition Reward
1	ancient tablet
2	scroll with details of the knights’ lives
3	mural depicting the knights
4	map to an unknown location
5	ancient key to an unknown lock
6	an ancient riddle about the knights

Each of these prizes at the end of the expedition is meant to provide a lead to continue the journey in the future, but it necessitates research before the next lead is understood. Characters who enjoy this research can aid Gerbo in his efforts; otherwise, he will do research on his own and then contact the characters for another expedition in 1d4 weeks.

After embarking on 1d4+1 expeditions, Gerbo will have ascertained what he believes to be the tomb of the three knights, and he asks the characters to accompany him on the journey.

The characters should be at least 8th-level at this point in the journey, otherwise the adventure will be too deadly for them.

The tomb of the three knights is hidden away in a remote location, guarded by three statues, but only one of the statues has not crumbled to ruin. This statue serves as a stone golem. Each of the statues has a gem on one part of their body: one for the eye, one on the foot, and one on the hand. Removing the gems with a DC 13 Strength check allows them to be inserted into the entrance of the tomb, opening the ancient doors to the inside.

The tomb leads to a central chamber, with three doors leading further in. Each door has a different symbol corresponding to the knights who were laid to rest there, and each chamber has a different test for those who enter into them.

The Eye. The Eye was the spymaster of the ancient Wolfstun Kings, watching over the kingdom. They valued intelligence and a perceptive eye for detail, as well as a quick wit. Within the trial chamber, there is a single bow and a standing container that holds 20 arrows. The moment the characters step into the chamber, two hourglasses on the walls fill with sand, counting down five minutes. Hidden among the statues and architecture of this room are ten slits, just big enough for an arrow to fit through. These slits can be spotted with a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check. An arrow can be fired from the bow to fit into the arrow slits (treat them as if they had an AC of 15). If an arrow misses, that arrow shatters and cannot be fired again. If all ten of these slits are hit with an arrow within the time limit, a secret door is opened to the burial chamber of the Eyes, with their names engraved on each tomb.

The Hand. The Hand was a nimble and charismatic knight, the life of the party and the advisor of economic affairs. He was also a master infiltrator and thief, though he used those abilities for good. When characters enter this trial chamber, four glyphs in the corners of the room that light up (submitting the room to the effects of the antimagic field spell). There are a number of traps and obstacles that require six successive DC 20 Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks to navigate. A failure causes the character to fall off the obstacles and they must start again. If a character gleefully engages in the obstacle course, they can add their Charisma modifier to their Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks. Once arriving at the other side having successfully completed the course, they can enter through the door to the burial chamber of the Hands, with their names engraved on each tomb.

The Foot. The Foot was a loyal bodyguard and protector of the Kings of Wolfstun, always a step behind them and shielding them from their enemies. Characters who enter this room step into a smaller, 30-foot by 30-foot chamber, in the middle of which is a stuffed dummy with a makeshift crown on its head. As the characters step into the room a spectral bunny appears (use caerbannoger stats from appendix D, except it is a fey instead of a fiend). The bunny attacks the dummy, which has 50 hitpoints and an AC of 12. If the dummy is reduced to 0 hit points, the trial is failed. If the dummy is protected and the bunny is defeated, the door opens to the burial chamber of the Foots, with their names engraved upon the tombs.

Encounter Rewards

Rewards are available based on which of the trials are successfully navigated.

The Eye. If the Eye’s trial is completed, the characters find Ydalír (see appendix C).

The Hand. If the Hand’s trial is completed, the characters find Carvaennan (see appendix C).

The Foot. If the Foot’s trial is completed, the characters find Priwynether (see appendix C).

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Wolfstun Locations

The map on this page has all the major cities of the Wolfstun Kingdoms as well as important locations for this adventure. Feel free to create smaller villages and hamlets to fill the spaces between the cities as they adventure around the kingdom.

The following descriptions provide relevant information for the campaign when characters travel the Wolfstun Kingdom beyond those areas found in the chapters of this adventure.

Alderwood

The Alderwood lies next to Seddas, and even the trees here feel alive with powerful magic.

Elven Forest

The Alderwood is home to many monsters, but it is also home to a small clan of elves. They view themselves as friendly towards the surrounding Kingdom, yet they remain independent from it. Years ago, one of the Stewards attempted to assert dominion over the elves, but they know the forest and the magic that dwell there;

INTRODUCTION

 

 

the elves fought back against being ruled by a sovereign nation, and live there in peace. While the elves view themselves as a boon to the human kingdom around them, they are still reclusive – most people in the surrounding cities have not seen one of the elves from the forest.

The forest itself has a connection to the Feywild, causing magic to bleed through. Much of the forest seems to come alive here, with vibrant colors and a whole ecosystem existing within the vast and dense forest of the Alderwood. However, much of the vegetation here is more aesthetic than it is useful, meaning few people attempt to harvest it for raw materials like the Wyrmwood to the south.

If characters travel within the Alderwood, you can replace any random encounter with that of an elven scout who comes from the elven clan within the forest.

Andoils

Population: 2,542

Commerce: Most goods and services are available here, although priests have limited capability and few magic items are available. Most of the trade is centered around farming and taverns for travelers.

Andoils is the easternmost noteworthy town of the Wolfstun Kingdom. It lies near the Alliance of Sovereigns, and as such it is a waypoint for those traveling between the two regions. It has taverns and adventurers from all over, many of whom offer their protective services for travelers making their way into and out of the Wolfstun Kingdom.

Branwenner

Population: 1,879

Commerce: Most of the trade and wealth of Branwenner come from the mines near the river to the north of the town. The raw materials from here supply the surrounding towns as well as Fort Tyrell, with minerals for smithing and construction.

Branwenner is the sister-town to Flurrdock. It was originally built to be a major supplier of food and goods to the outpost of Flurrdock, but as the other city grew, they rivaled one another in population. Now, they work together to have sustainable economies, supplying one another with goods.

Some of the refugees who make it to Flurrdock in chapter 3 might continue on to Branwenner, where they will be more likely to provide work and housing.

Caimderwem

Population: 3,457

Commerce: Many farms dot the plains surrounding Caimderwem, which focuses heavily on agriculture.

Caimderwem is a town with a keep at the center of the inner wall and many farms and agricultural enterprises beyond that. Its nutrient-rich valley provides reliable crop yields. Because Caimderwem is so far from Stormhelm, it often feels like a lesser priority for the Kingdom’s officials despite being near Fort Elmme, which has more vested interest in protecting Vestersted or Bramni. This leads the townsfolk to feelings of independence and needing to take care of themselves.

If the characters come to Caimderwem, consider using the following encounter.

The Demon of Caimderwem

As the characters are passing through the town square in Caimderwem, read:

The man who spoke was Lucien (NE male tiefling), a blood hunter (see appendix D) from the Black Tower. Like many blood hunters from the Black Tower, he travels the lands attempting to hunt evil and demons, and he has found his way to Caimderwem. He had stumbled upon a lesser ice devil, the creature he slew

INTRODUCTION

 

 

before the eyes of the townsfolk. As his order would have it, he has decided to stay in the town until all demons have been dealt with. What he does not know, nor does he care to learn, is that he has already found the only demon within Caimderwem. Even if he were confronted with this information, he would deny it and say that he will make sure this is true on his own.

In truth, Lucien likes the power that comes as a result of the peoples’ fear: they need him to do something that only he can do, and he has shown them that there is (or rather, was) a real threat among them. He begins to amass followers within the town who follow him out of a twisted devotion, viewing him as the only person who can, and will, save them. These followers (cultists) begin invading the homes and common spaces, dragging everyone outside to the boiling pots they have prepared for the “trial” by which people are proven to be devils or not. If the hot steel, which deals 2 (1d4) fire damage, does not turn someone into the true form of a devil, they are proven to be a person.

These followers do not care how many people are hurt in this process, as they are single-mindedly fixated on rooting out any devils that may still be hiding. They will even test people more than once, for fear of a devil taking the form of someone who has already been tested. The more someone protests to this “test,” the more they are suspected of being a devil.

If the characters seek to intervene, the followers of Lucien are headstrong in their devotion to their cause, and Lucien sees no need to intervene in their activities. He is apathetic to the plight of the people, and only cares in the sale of his holy water, potions, and wards that he promises will protect the people to this threat. He will not take kindly to anyone upsetting this lucrative operation.

The truth of the whole ordeal is that Lucien had found the lesser ice devil outside of the town and brought it to Caimderwem as a means of starting the whole scare and business he is now invested in – assuming that most cities would have at least one devil in them to justify his claims.

Fort Elmme

Fort Elmme is one of the two primary military forts of the Wolfstun Kingdom. They protect the nearby roads, ensuring safety for travelers, and stand ready to protect a nearby city should trouble arise. If the characters arrive at the fort and request the aid of the kingdom for a specific issue, a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check will cause the fort commander, General Ørien Hassel, to send a knight to aid the party and investigate their claims.

Fort Tyrell

Fort Tyrell serves a similar purpose to Fort Elmme (protection of nearby roads and villages), although it has also been slowly sending troops to the Savage North and building a presence in the northern border of the Kingdom and beyond. Like Fort Elmme, if the characters come to the Fort with a specific request and actionable information, they can request the aid of a knight of the Kingdom – however, the DC for the Charisma (Persuasion) check is 20 due to the lack of ready soldiers.

Because the commander of Fort Tyrell is Hildr-Commander Lotta Reishus, if the characters have saved Kara or Sigrun (see chapters 12 and 13), the Hildr-Commander will provide free lodging and repairs for equipment at the Fort for the characters as thanks.

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Nustaer Isles

Population: 15,575

Commerce: Most of the Nustaeri people are seafaring warriors, offering their protection to merchant vessels and raiding pirate ships brave enough to near their waters. They rarely sell one of their ships, but when they do they are priced for hefty sums.

The Nustaer Isles are not technically part of the Wolfstun Kingdom, although most of Valeria understands them to be part of their nation. In truth, the Nustaeri people come from an archipelago 100 miles off the Bramni coast. They are a proud, sea-faring nation of warriors and champions hardened by the seas.

Long ago, the islands were thrumming with pirates and rogues who would raid the shipping routes with the Kingdom and were one of the Kingdom’s greatest enemies. But that all changed when a mysterious force arose from the locals of the islands (predominantly aarakocra, tritons, and other rare races) and united the locals to take down the pirates from the inside. Ever since, the locals of the islands have been united under the banner of the Nustaeri, following their leader with incredible devotion.

The Nustaeri people are renowned for their mastery of the seas, and are fearsome warriors whether on their ships or on land. The Wolfstun Kingdom has a treaty with them, offering pay and tribue in return for protection of the shipping and trade routes.

The characters might choose to go to the Nustaer Isles during the course of the adventure; if so, the islands have high coastal bluffs and cliffs, many of which are perches for sentries of the islands. They also provide good cover for ships attempting to hide away, which is why the pirates of the past chose this archipelago for their hideaways. The villages on the islands are unique, each one representing the rare races that populate them. Only the few trusted advisors and leaders of the Nustaeri know where Nustaeroth resides, although many still try to find her.

Storm Gulf

The Storm Gulf is the body of water to the west of Stormhelm. It rests between the Wolfstun Kingdom, the Tricorner Coalition, and the Realm of the Elves, each nation trading with one another along its waters.

The Storm Gulf is the waters that the first humans are believed to have traveled to make land in the Wolfstun Kingdom during the Dawn of Time. Ruins of ancient civilizations can be found along the coast of the Storm Gulf, as well as many shipwrecks. Sailors who traverse the waters often pray to Kord, as it often produces terrifying storms that have seen the end of many seasoned sailors.

There is a channel that leads between the Tricorner Coalition and the Wolfstun Kingdom, spanned by the Skybridge, the only route by land between the far-western portion of the continent. Its mysteries remain undiscovered by any who research it.

If the characters spend time on the Storm Gulf, every day there is a 10 percent chance that there will be a storm that replicates the effects of the storm of vengeance spell (save DC 13) where each round of the spell takes 1 minute and the storm lasts 10 minutes.

Westridge

Population: 1,632

Commerce: A large installment of soldiers are stationed here, and much of the population works in agriculture. Some government buildings regulate trade with the western nations.

Westridge is located atop some cliffs that overlook the river to the east. It has a vantage point to see trade caravans and travelers for miles. The Wolfstun Kingdom has trade officials that are housed here, often venturing to monitor trade caravans going in and out of the kingdom.

Due to its proximity to the Skybridge, there is a museum and university in Westridge that is dedicated to the study of ancient civilizations. They theorize of what life was like before the Divergence, what peoples and civilizations might have existed, and the like. Many theories of existence and creation have come out of this institution, the most popular of which is recorded in Valeria: A Guide and is echoed by minds across the world.

If the characters travel to Westridge, they can encounter many scholars (commoners with +6 to History checks) and their odd books. If the characters arrive after retrieving the proof of the Heir’s lineage, a scholar with a fringe theory as to the supernatural abilities of the Wolfstun Kings being more than just legend can validate the characters’ finding and help quell any doubt. If characters bring the elemental blades or other historical artifacts to this institution, the scholars will identify the weapons and items for free.

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Chapter 1: Rumblings of the Storm

A long, dark shadow slowly extends over the Wolfstun Kingdom. The nation, familiar with and unaffected by thunderstorms which are often viewed as the signs of the Stormlord’s favor, does not have physical clouds, but a metaphorical darkness that now creeps over the land. After a millennium, the lost heir to the throne is prophesied to have returned, an ancient threat and enemy of the throne has emerged once again, and the fate of the Kingdom hangs in the balance.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight, the undying and corrupted persona of the knight-hero Landon Pelleir, has the statistics presented in appendix D. He can be encountered throughout the realm, pushing further into the heart of the Wolfstun Kingdom, usually (but not limited) in the wilderness, sometimes in towns – although these encounters are up to the Dungeon Master. There is one location outside of the Tower of Whispers where the Dark Knight can always be found, as determined in the oracle detailed later in this chapter.

History

In life, Landon Pelleir was a world-renowned knight. Near the end of the Age of Arcanum, he was recruited by King Galdric of the Wolfstun Kingdom to join a small band of knights that the King was assembling under a single vision; knights that would be as equals, doing away with the pageantry of court life and giving themselves to ridding the land of the evils that plagued it for generations.

As Landon Pellier moved his family from their home in the Alliance of Sovereigns to a small homestead outside of Hexcourt Hold, his natural charisma and proven ability as a warrior made him quick friends of the other knights as well as King Galdric himself. Soon after arriving to Hexcourt Hold, Landon Pelleir went on a quest with King Galdric that almost resulted in the king’s death. At the last moment, Landon was able to swoop in and rescue Galdric, saving his life. From this moment onward, Landon Pelleir would be King Galdric’s dearest friend and confidant.

As Landon Pelleir grew close to the King, he in turn grew to know and respect Amyras, the archmage advisor to the King – despite getting into multiple arguments over how to advise Galdric. When Amyras created the Elemental Blades, he specifically crafted the blade given to Landon out of pure force to represent the might and power of the Hexcourt Knight himself. However, because of Landon’s headstrong and brash nature, Amyras placed a spark of his own essence into the blade given to the blade of King Galdric so as to counterbalance the advice Landon would give to the king in Amyras’s absence. This conflict between Landon and Amyras would begin as playful and friendly, but would turn into a bitter divide that would bring about the ruin of the Hexcourt.

The downfall of Landon Pelleir and the Hexcourt would begin when King Galdric sent him on a mission to defeat a bandit holdout within the northern reaches of the Kingdom. Defeating the majority of the bandits, the leader escaped north into the Mountains, causing Landon to give pursuit.

It was within these mountains that Landon first stumbled upon what would spell his doom – the Tower of Whispers. As he approached the Tower, the whispers began to madden him. Entering the tower, he found himself entering a chamber that would lead below the Tower to the pool of the Crones who lived beneath. His head foggy with the dark magic of the Crones, he asked for the power to be stronger than any other knight, promising whatever the Crones demanded. With him in their clutches, their corruption driving Landon mad, they made their demands: the young son of the knight.

Out of his mind and influenced by the Crones, he made haste to his homestead, taking his child from his wife’s arms. Seeing the influence of some ancient evil in the eyes of her beloved, she tried to stop Landon from taking the child, at which he struck her and killed her, fleeing back to the Tower of Whispers to offer his child to the Crones. As the evil creatures took his son into the waters of their pool, they granted him immense power, binding him to their will and removing the fog from his mind. In binding him to their service, the Crones gave him a set of black armor and shrouding his Elemental Blade in darkness. The intimidating visage of his dark armor and blade would be what earned him the name of the Dark Knight and the reminders of his promised servitude.

In this moment of renewed clarity, Landon’s will and spirit were crushed at the thought of what he had done. Once having viewed himself as a stalwart knight and incorruptible force, the shattering of his self-perception and the things that he had done to amass power brought him to ruin. In an act of desperation, he used his newfound powers granted by the Crones to revive his wife, using part of his own soul to bring her back.

Rising from the waters of the Crones’ pool was Landon’s wife, alive… almost. The Crones’ cruel magic granted to Landon created a corrupt shell of his wife, resurrected in body but shattered in mind, only able to say Landon’s name. Distraught at his wife’s death, to see her resurrected in any form was enough for him.

He began to blame King Galdric for sending him to the mountains. Believing that Amyras had grown to hate Landon out of jealousy he had told King Galdric of where to send Landon in an attempt to get rid of him.

CHAPTER 1 | RUMBLINGS

 

 

The fury at the perceived betrayal by King Galdric, Amyras, and the Hexcourt Knights began to erode Landon’s grasp on reality. Thus the Dark Knight was born, and he sought revenge.

Riding upon Hexcourt Hold, the Dark Knight quickly and deftly struck down each member of the Hexcourt, knowing their fighting styles and weaknesses. Already the strongest of the Hexcourt, the Dark Knight’s newfound power granted by the Crones allowed him to easily slay and bring to ruin the knights. However, Galdric had been in Stormhelm to attend to his kingdom, escaping the deaths of the Hexcourt.

In an effort to draw out King Galdric, the Dark Knight began to terrorize the landscape, slaying villages and attacking innocents. Eventually, Galdric did respond to the Dark Knight, not knowing that it was his once-trusted friend who was now turned evil betrayer. Believing the entire Hexcourt to have been slain by an unknown assailant, when Galdric stepped onto the battlefield to face the Dark Knight, he immediately knew from his stance, though more feral, that Landon Pelleir was the one behind the black helmet. Filled with sorrow, King Galdric knew that he would have to bring justice to his once-friend for the atrocities he had committed – along with the betrayal of his oath. Their original clash ended abruptly as the Dark Knight fled to the Speartip Mountains as Valkyries approached. King Galdric pursued his friend into the mountains, where in front of the Tower of Whispers the King and the Dark Knight clashed.

A long and brutal battle between the two ensued. The Dark Knight’s power was strengthened as he was now near the Tower, and overwhelmed King Galdric. In a moment of desperation and justice, Galdric prayed to Kord and struck a lethal blow upon the Dark Knight. The Dark Knight perished, but Galdric had received a mortal wound, himself. Leaning against the Tower of Whispers, the King of Wolfstun died, slain by his closest friend.

The Dark Knight had been struck down, but the Crones knew he had infused part of his soul to his wife’s walking corpse, and used this bond to return him to life – his service to them was not yet over. For generations, he remained within the tower, driven to depravity by the sorrow of his actions. Dwelling his sad existence in the Tower of Whispers with the husk of his wife, he remains the puppet of his Crone masters. His bond to his wife allows the Crones to bring him back into his cursed servitude, yet he is unable to end this curse because it would mean killing his wife yet again. Thus, he remains bound to the Crones by his own sorrow and ruin.

Goals

The Dark Knight has the following goals in this adventure:

Revenge: Kill The Heir

The high priest of Kord is not the only one with the gift of foresight: Around the time that Stormbearer prophesied the coming of the Heir to Galdric, so too the Crones saw the Heir’s return. They informed the Dark Knight, who had believed that in killing Galdric, he had ended his line – not knowing of Galdric’s son. Driven mad by centuries of dwelling in the Tower of Whispers, his blame of King Galdric for the loss of his child and wife drove him to give Galdric the same fate that he now suffers: an end to his lineage.

The Dark Knight, now returned to full power, is moving throughout the Wolfstun Kingdom in an attempt to find the Heir and kill him, ending the lineage of King Galdric once and for all. Restless until he exacts his revenge, the Dark Knight will stop at nothing until he accomplishes his goal – and destroying anyone who stands in his way.

Should someone rob the Dark Knight of this goal, he will dedicate himself to destroying the person who ruined his revenge, killing them and everyone they love in retaliation. In this event, he loses what little control he still had over himself and his emotions, giving into the primal and fully evil shell of himself that he now is under the Crones’ control. Additionally, if anyone was tasked with prote

Destroy the Order of the Coming Storm

The Dark Knight has also been told by the Crones of a group of knights dedicated to the Heir. While he has not met them or know who they are at the outset of this adventure, their existence reminds him of the Hexcourt. His anger towards those who would be dedicated to the cause and kin of Galdric are deserving of death, and part of the Dark Knight’s revenge on King Galdric also extends to any who would protect the Heir. While his primary goal is to destroy the Heir, if he were to uncover the identity of any of the knights of the Order of the Coming Storm, or to discover where they have their base, he would go out of his way to destroy the Order.

Free Himself from the Crones

The Dark Knight is bound to the will of the Crones, but he hates both himself and the Crones for his miserable existence. Because he is bound to his wife, the Crones are able to bring him back from the dead indefinitely so long as his wife still exists. He cannot bear to kill her again, and so he finds himself stuck in this cycle. However, he hopes that if he can find someone to take his place, he can be free from this curse and finally escape after centuries of despair. He knows that for this to work he would need to find a suitable replacement. The Dark Knight is willing and ready to coerce

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or use otherwise evil means to convince them into making a deal with the Crones for his freedom.

When the Dark Knight comes across a strong person, he will duel them, but not to the death, to test them and see if they are a suitable replacement.

Roleplaying the Dark Knight

As the Dark Knight, Landon Pelleir views his soul lost to the evil of his Crone masters. Corrupted both by their magic as well as the atrocities he committed, he feels nothing but resignation to his own evil ways. The only two exceptions are his love for his wife, twisted though it may be, and his hatred for King Galdric and his lineage. This love and hate burn as embers deep within the Dark Knight, masking over and covering the immeasurable pain of his unending servitude that have numbed all else.

While as a man, Landon Pelleir was a brash and hot headed yet cunning knight, now as the Dark Knight his emotions have grown to a dull non-existence, knowing only the twisted love and raw hatred. Once haunted by his crimes and cruelty as the Dark Knight, now he gives into the cruel desires and propensities that arise.

Having nothing to live for other than feeding his hatred, the Dark Knight is singularly focused on achieving his goals. His cruelty is not unbridled, but always focused towards accomplishing his goals; he does not engage in purposeless cruelty, but in resigning to his corrupted nature he tends to be needlessly cruel. Inflicting upon others the same pain he experienced when he became the Dark Knight, he is calculating and targeted in his brutality.

The Dark Knight is a fearless force on the battlefield, unafraid of challenging even the strongest warriors in the land. He fights with no reservations, knowing that should he perish, the Crones will summon him back to the Tower and he will arise again from their pool. However, despite fighting fearlessly, he still knows the purpose and tactical utility of retreating, if only to not embolden his opponent by allowing them to defeat him.

The Dark Knight cannot stand seeing a unified group of adventurers, as it reminds him of his days in the Hexcourt and his perceived betrayal by them. He will work to sow discord among such a group, warning of the inevitability of what happened to him for others who trust anyone but themselves.

Despite the deep-seeded corruption from the Crones, the Dark Knight is still a knight at heart As such, he honors both knightly code and the Olde Laws, particularly respecting the rules of solo combat and the Haengall. He often challenges individual warriors to duels. He is tactical in battle, setting up traps and scenarios that divide his enemy’s forces. He regularly will separate powerful opponents from their allies, preferring to take them on individually where he knows he will not be overwhelmed.

When the Dark Knight Attacks

The Dark Knight is not meant to be an ever-present threat, but neither is he one who waits until the very end to show up. He is searching throughout the Wolfstun Kingdom for the Heir, and so he can be stumbled upon in various circumstances. When he is encountered by the party outside of the Tower of Whispers or the other location he can always be found (see Oracles of the Storm), the Dark Knight will test the party’s strength, often by challenging the most imposing figure to solo combat. This is a means of determining if the character is a suitable replacement for him with the Crones, as well as keeping a gauge on the character’s advancement and gaining knowledge of their skills – which he then adapts to and plans accordingly.

If the party attacks him all together, he will fight for a moment before fleeing, summoning his nightmare steed and riding away. He does this not out of fear, but avoiding the delay in his plans by being resurrected by the Crones at the Tower of Whispers. If the party breaks the rules of solo combat, he views them as dishonorable and unworthy of the general protections granted under the knightly code. The next time he encounters them, he will use any and all means to defeat them, preferring to maim them and leave them alive but impaired.

The Dark Knight’s Redemption

It is possible, although difficult, to redeem the Dark Knight and break the curse of the Crones over him, setting him free. The necessary requirements to remind him of who he used to be, the great and chivalrous hero Landon Pelleir, are described in the Epilogue. However, the grip of the Crones increases with each successive time they bring him back, deepening the bind of their will upon his soul. Keep track of each time the Dark Knight is killed and brought back by the Crones, as each successive resurrection of the Dark Knight drives him further into darkness and farther away from the possibility of redemption.

Oracles of the Storm

The events of this adventure are part of a twist of fate, which can be revealed by an oracle, who has the gift of foresight. Before you run this adventure, you must roll dice to determine the following elements of the adventure:

• The Heir’s location
• The location of the four missing Elemental Blades – the Flame Blade, the Frost Blade, the Bolt Blade, and the Acid Blade
• The location of the Dark Knight outside of the Tower of Whispers

---

These oracles can make the adventure different each time. At some point, the party is likely to meet Sandal

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Feddi, the half-dwarf child with the gift of foresight (see Chapter 3). When he encounters the party, he will be able to see into the future and reveal to them the information determined in this section. Characters who are able to cast the divination spell are also able to receive this information, although the DM might determine that the information is either unavailable or, on the contrary, reveal more information via the spell.

Oracle’s Foresight

When you roll for the oracles before running the adventure, write down the results for future reference, which you can use to determine the locations for each oracle. If the characters go to Sandal, you can either use the results from the previous rolls, or roll again and substitute the new results for the previous ones. Once this has been done in-game, the results do not change.

When you are ready to roll for the oracles, roll 4d20, 1d6, and 1d4. Then, read the oracles in the following order.

Elemental Blades

The four d20 rolls are to be used to determine the locations of the Elemental Blades. Each one corresponds to a different Elemental Blade, but begin the oracles of the Blades by reading the following:

Flame Blade

For the first of the Elemental Blades, read:

The first d20 roll determines the location of the Flame Blade (described in appendix C). Read the boxed text for the appropriate rolled number, as given in the “Elemental Blades Locations” section that follows.

Frost Blade

After reading the oracle for the Flame Blade, read:

The second d20 roll determines the location of the Frost Blade (described in appendix C). Read the boxed text for the appropriate rolled number, as given in the “Elemental Blades Locations” section that follows.

Bolt Blade

After reading the oracle for the Frost Blade, read:

The third d20 roll determines the location of the Bolt Blade (described in appendix C). Read the boxed text for the appropriate rolled number, as given in the “Elemental Blades Locations” section that follows.

Acid Blade

After reading the oracle for the Bolt Blade, read:

The fourth d20 roll determines the location of the Acid Blade (described in appendix C). Read the boxed text for the appropriate rolled number, as given in the “Elemental Blades Locations” section that follows.

The Heir

After reading the oracle for the Acid Blade, read:

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The roll on the d6 determines the location of the Heir (described later in this section). Read the boxed text for the appropriate rolled number, as given in the “Heir’s Locations” section that follows.

The Dark Knight

After reading the oracle for the Heir, read:

The roll on the d8 determines the location in which the Dark Knight is guaranteed to be found outside of the Tower of Whispers. Read the boxed text for the appropriate rolled number, as given in the “Dark Knight’s Locations” section that follows.

Elemental Blade Locations

The four d20 rolls determine the locations of the elemental blades, which the party can find in locations determined by the roll for each elemental blade.

1 - Tower of Whispers

The sword was taken by the Dark Knight and hidden away in the Tower of Whispers (chapter 17, area XXXX).

2 - Ruins of the Red Hand

The sword is wielded by Fulke, the fallen valkyrie leader at the Ruins of the Red Hand (chapter 13, area XXXX).

3 - Hexcourt Hold

It is part of the treasure horde of Kalvaxas, atop the ruins of Hexcourt Hold (chapter 10, area XXXX).

4 - Qaldi’s Coven

The sword is used as the ceremonial weapon for sacrifices in Qaldi’s Coven (chapter 6, area XXXX).

5 - The Market Square

This blade is available at one of the merchants’ booths in Seddas (chapter 4, area XXXX).

6 - Argyle’s Emporium

The sword is in Argyle’s possession, and can be found in his shop in Stormhelm (chapter 11, area XXXX).

7 - Kua-Toa Lair

The sword has made its way to the hands of the Kua-Toa’s chieftain, off the coast of Bramni (chapter 17, area XXXX).

8 - The Savage North

The sword has been lost in the wilds of the Savage North (chapter 14, area XXXX).

9 - Pasgala Library Dungeons

The Arcanaloth underneath the Pasgala Library has the blade amid their possessions, hidden beneath the library (chapter 9, area XXXX).

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10 - Seddas Mercenaries

The oni posing as Loghaine, leader of the Silver Sellswords in Seddas, wields the blade (chapter 4, area XXXX).

11 - The Silent Depths

The Lady of the Lake in the Silent Depths guards the sword (chapter 10, area XXXX).

12 - Stormsteele Caverns

The beholder Bathaldun has the sword in his lair connected to the Stormsteele Caverns (chapter 12, area XXXX).

13 - The Wyrmwood

The blade is abandoned by its former wielder within the Wyrmwood near Vestersted (chapter 8, area XXXX).

14 - The Obelisk

The sword can be next to the Obsidian Obelisk, its previous owner killed by the wandering guardian of the area (chapter 16, area XXXX).

15 - Bramni

The sword is the personal blade of Bramni’s Proctor Edward Dolan, passed down for generations in his family (chapter 7, area XXXX).

16 - Old Stormhelm

The blade belongs to the leader of The Foot, a leader of the Sons of Kairon, Old Stormhelm (chapter 11, area XXXX).

17 - Vanbi

The sword is the grand prize for winning the Tournament of Champions in the Thunderdome (chapter 5, area 1).

18 - Vestersted

The sword was held by a criminal who now is detained within the Vestersted Prison (chapter 8, area XXXX).

19 - Thundering Legion

The sword is held by Kagrar the Gold, the leader of the Thundering Legion clan in the Savage North (chapter 14, area XXXX).

20 - Tomb of the Knights

The sword can be found in the corresponding tomb of the original knight in Hexcourt Hold (chapter 10, area XXXX).

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Heir’s Location

The location in which the party can find the heir is determined by rolling a d6.

1 - Seddas

The heir can be found in the markets of Seddas, looking for a way to free himself from an entanglement that was not of his design (chapter 4, area 3).

2 - Vanbi

The heir is found trying to win fame and find his place by competing in the Thunderdome in Vanbi (chapter 5, area 11).

3 - Heavenly Rest

The heir can be found at the Heavenly Rest tavern, searching for someone who can interpret his dreams (chapter 6, area XX).

4 - Bramni

The heir can be found in Bramni’s Longhouse, trying to find someone who will hire him to work on their ship so that he can have the adventure he’s always longed for (chapter 7, area XXXX).

5 - Vestersted

The heir can be found in Vestersted, trying to end the corruption in the woods to protect those around him (chapter 8, area XXXX).

6 - Pasgala

The heir can be found in the Great Library of Pasgala, searching for answers to the mark he bears (chapter 9, area 8).

Dark Knight’s Location

This oracle determines the location in which the Dark Knight is guaranteed to be found throughout the adventure before the characters arrive at the Tower of Whispers. The first time the characters arrive at the foretold location, the Dark Knight can be found there (described in the corresponding chapter).

1 - The Place of Ruin

The Dark Knight can be found on a cliff overlooking the ruins of Hexcourt Hold (chapter 10, area XXXX).

2 - The Place of Bargain

The Dark Knight can be found parlaying with Fulke in the Ruins of the Red Hand (chapter 13, area XXXX).

3 - The Place of Command

The Dark Knight can be found in the Savage North in the forward camp of his army (chapter 14, area XXXX).

4 - The Place of Longing

The Dark Knight can be found at night amid the ruins of Old Stormhelm (chapter 11, area XXXX).

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The Heir

When the Stormbearer gave the prophecy of the emerging heir to the Throne in 907 E.E., many thought that the Heir was already born and began a short-lived search to find them. A few imposters made themselves known, but their lies were quickly found out. After years of searching, many began to believe that either the prophecy was false, or that it would not be fulfilled for generations to come.

Then sixteen years ago, amid a thunderous storm, Cedric Lanwaith was born to a humble family. Most have given up hope of finding the Heir, as the prophecy itself gave no description of what he would be, only what he would do. Thus, the boy Cedric’s destiny, known by the fates, goes undiscovered by those around him. Born with a lightning bolt shaped birthmark, Cedric is an oddly brave child, and easily earns the respect of those around him – even that of adults. Now sixteen years old, Cedric’s destiny is about to unfold.

Who is the Heir?

In this adventure, Cedric’s specific upbringing and personality is determined by the Oracles of the Storm. While some elements of the Heir change based on the Oracles, there are certain core elements of who he is that are the same, regardless of where he can be found or his unique talents. He is always a brave young man, and although he may not understand or make sense of his destiny at first, he will answer the call for adventure and resist the fear that often comes with it.

  Mark of the Storm. Cedric’s bravery is innate, to be sure, but is granted by what he believes to be a birthmark. The male descendants of the Wolfstun Kings of the past all had the same mark – a lightning bolt – which was believed to be a sign of Kord’s favor and strength granted to the one who would lead the Kingdom. Few people today know the history or significance of the mark and its connection to the royal family. Those who know of the mark on Cedric believe it to be nothing more than a phenomenon or a unique grace of Kord with no significant meaning.

The Real Cedric, Please Stand Up

Cedric is an integral character to the plot of this adventure. No matter where he can be found, he always has the following personality trait:

Personality Trait. I have never known fear, and will never back down from a challenge.

His specific characteristics and abilities, varying from adventure to adventure – determined by the Oracles of the Storm – are as follows:

The Heir in Bramni

If Cedric can be found in Bramni, use the following information for him:

Origin. Cedric Lanwaith’s parents died when he was young and he was given to the orphanage. While growing up, Cedric spent his days escaping the overbearing rule of the headmistress, learning how to thrive on the streets. He always dreamed of finding ultimate freedom on the ocean, feeling an inexplicable desire to live life on the uncontrolled seas. He longs to join the crew of a ship for the adventure – preferably a ship that belongs to adventurers.

Stats. Use the expert stat block for Cedric, which can be found later in this section.

Personality Trait. I bluntly say what other people are hinting at or hiding.

Ideal. The low are lifted up, and the high and mighty are brought down. Change is the nature of things.

Bond. No one else should have to endure the hardships I’ve been through.

Flaw. It’s not stealing if I need it more than someone else.

The Heir in Heavenly Rest

If Cedric can be found in Heavenly Rest, use the following information for him:

Origin. Cedric is from a tiny farming village, the son of a poor family. His parents were always devout, and when Cedric was born with his birthmark, they believed him to be a chosen follower of Kord as a blessing to their family. They raised him as much as they could in the ways and beliefs of Kord, yet when Cedric turned sixteen, he felt there was more to be had in his faithful pursuit of Kord. Knowing the tenets of Kord and the

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scriptures of Kord, he has set out to seek the head cleric, the Stormbearer, in order to advance in his training.

Stats. Use the spellcaster (healer) stat block for Cedric, which can be found later in this section.

Personality Trait. I quote sacred texts and proverbs in almost every situation.

Ideal. We must help bring about the changes the gods are constantly working in the world.

Bond. Everything I do is for the common people.

Flaw. I judge others harshly, and myself even more severely.

The Heir in Pasgala

If Cedric can be found in Pasgala, use the following information for him:

Origin. Cedric was born to one of the lower noble families in Pasgala, his parents the leaders of the Watchmen. They are well renowned and have many resources at their disposal. The family’s resources along with the vast collection of records and information in Pasgala have allowed for the expansive education of Cedric. He is incredibly intelligent, with a quick wit and an insatiable curiosity.

Stats. Use the spellcaster (mage) stat block for Cedric, which can be found later in this section.

Personality Trait. I’m willing to listen to every side of an argument before I make my own judgment.

Ideal. The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge.

Bond. I’ve been searching my whole life to find the secrets of the Wolfstun kings and discover the Heir.

Flaw. I speak without really thinking through my words, invariably insulting others.

The Heir in Seddas

If Cedric can be found in Seddas, use the following information for him:

Origin. Cedric’s parents were a pair of wealthy merchants, but had their business ruined by a competitor when Cedric was young. Growing up on the streets, his father became part of the thieves’ guild, Cedric learned the tricks of the trade. However, after a mistake led to the theives’ guild punishing him by causing his mother’s death, now Cedric wants out, doing what it takes to earn his freedom from the guild.

Stats. Use the expert stat block for Cedric, which can be found later in this section.

Personality Trait. I’m always calm, no matter the situation. I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me.

Ideal. There’s a spark of good in everyone.

Bond. My mother died because of a mistake I made. That will never happen again.

Flaw. If there’s a plan, I’ll forget it. If I don’t forget it, I’ll ignore it.

The Heir in Vanbi

If Cedric can be found in Vanbi, use the following information for him:

Origin. Cedric Lanwaith was born to a blacksmith in the city of Vanbi, who made weapons and armor for the warriors of the Thunderdome. While he was growing up, Cedric was able to learn basic fighting techniques from the patrons of his father’s smithy. Desiring to make a name for himself, he has been trying to fight in the Thunderdome himself. He’s tough even though he’s unrefined, shaped by the mercenaries and warriors who can be found in the central attraction of Vanbi.

Stats. Use the warrior (champion) stat block for Cedric, which can be found later in this section.

Personality Trait. I face problems head on. A simple, direct solution is the best path to success.

Ideal. I want to be a great warrior, renowned across the kingdom for my strength and bravery.

Bond. My honor is my life, so I always keep my word.

Flaw. I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.

The Heir in Vestersted

If Cedric can be found in Vestersted, use the following information for him:

Origin. Cedric Lanwaith grew up in a hard-working family home. His father was a lumberjack, and provided for them after the death of Cedric’s mother from a sickness one winter. Cedric learned a hard work ethic and a humble heart from his father. In recent weeks, the increasing danger in the Wyrmwood resulted in Cedric’s father’s severe wounding – making him bedridden. Now Cedric seeks to discover the cause of the problems and prevent anyone else from being hurt like his father.

Stats. Use the warrior (defender) stat block for Cedric, which can be found later in this section.

Personality Trait. If someone is in trouble, I’m always ready to lend help.

Ideal. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their station.

Bond. I protect those who cannot protect themselves.

Flaw. I have a weakness for the vices of the city, especially hard drink.

The Heir’s Stats

Cedric is a crucial part of this adventure, and his dynamic participation with the characters throughout the story should be reflected in his ability to grow and adapt to his experiences. This means that as the characters level up, so too will Cedric. This can happen at a slower pace, and can change depending on when the characters encounter the Heir.

Ideally, they should encounter him when he is at 4th-level, and Cedric will not progress above 12th-level. He is a crucial part of the story who can assist the characters in their efforts and adding to

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the adventurers’ numbers. However, part of the challenge of this adventure is keeping the Heir alive and assisting in his training to teach him to be all he can be.

Cedric’s starting stat block is determined by his origin and the Oracles, changing based on where he is found in the adventure. He is one of three class types (expert, spellcaster, or warrior) with possible subtypes listed in the following sections. Each class’ stat blocks can be found at the end of this section. When he levels up, use the level chart for his class as listed below to determine what benefits he gains.

Leveling up Cedric

The following information is used to level up the Heir, regardless of his specific class.

Starting Level

The lowest level Cedric can be found is at 4th-level, and he cannot advance beyond 12th-level in this campaign. The tables accompanying the Heir’s classes will only show additional features and abilities granted from leveling up beyond 4th-level, and everything the Heir would have gotten in the first four levels will be found within his stat block of the corresponding class.

Gaining Levels

Cedric gains a level in the adventure in the same way that characters do, and using the same milestones.

Hit Points

Whenever Cedric gains a level, it gains one Hit Die, and his hit point maximum increases. To determine the amount of the increase, roll the Hit Die and add its Constitution modifier. It gains a minimum of 1 hit point per level.

If Cedric drops to 0 hit points and isn’t killed outright, he falls unconscious and subsequently makes death saving throws, just like a player character.

Proficiency Bonus

The Heir’s proficiency bonus is determined by his level in his class, as shown in the class’s table.

Whenever Cedric’s proficiency bonus increases by 1, add 1 to the to-hit modifier of all the attacks in the stat block, and increase the DCs in his stat block by 1.

Ability Score Increases

Whenever Cedric gains the Ability Score Improvement feature, adjust anything in his stat block that relies on an ability modifier that you increase. For example, the warrior stat block uses Strength for its attacks, and so you would increase the attack’s modifiers to hit and damage if the Strength modifier increases.

Additionally, whenever the Heir gains the Ability Score Improvement feature, he can instead choose to gain a feat in the same way as a player character.

The Expert Heir

The expert is a master of certain tasks, favoring cunning over brawn. If Cedric is the expert, he is quick, sharp-witted, and skillful.

When Cedric gains a level as the expert, he gains the following features as summarized on the Expert table.

The Expert

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
5th	+3	—-
6th	+3	Coordinated Strike
7th	+3	Evasion
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	—-
10th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
11th	+4	Inspiring Help (1d6)
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement

Coordinated Strike

6th-level Expert feature

Cedric is adept at fighting in concert with a companion. When the Heir uses its Helpful feature to aid an ally in attacking a creature, that target can be up to 30 feet away from Cedric, and Cedric can deal an extra 2d6 damage to it the next time he hits it with an attack roll before the end of the current turn. The extra damage is the same type dealt by the attack.

Evasion

7th-level Expert feature

Because of extraordinary good luck, Cedric is skilled at avoiding danger. When he is subjected to an effect that allows him to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, he instead takes no damage if he succeeds on the saving throw, and only half as much if he failed. Cedric does not benefit from this ability while incapacitated.

Ability Score Improvement

8th-level Expert feature

At 8th level and again at 10th and 12th level, the Heir increases one ability score of your choice by 2, or two ability scores of your choice by 1. Cedric cannot increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Inspiring Help

11th-level Expert feature

When Cedric takes the Help action, the bonus the creature receives to the d20 roll increases to 1d8. Additionally, if that roll is an attack roll, the creature can forgo adding the bonus to it, and then if the attack hits, the creature can add the bonus to the attack’s damage roll against one target.

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The Spellcaster Heir

The spellcaster is a practitioner of magic, aiding their allies in and out of combat with their spells. The spellcaster’s magic falls into two categories, each with their own role and corresponding stat block: Mage, or Healer.

When Cedric gains a level as the spellcaster, he gains the following features as summarized on the Spellcaster table.

Spellcasting

The Heir has the ability to cast spells. Their role (Mage or Healer) determines the spell list and spellcasting ability used by the Heir, as shown on the below table.

Spellcasting

Encounter Location	Role	Spell List	Ability
Pasgala	Mage	Wizard	Intelligence
Heavenly Rest	Healer	Cleric	Wisdom

Spell Slots. The Spellcaster table shows how many spell slots the Heir has to cast its spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, Cedric must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. The Heir regains all expended spell slots when it finishes a long rest.

Spells Known. The Heir knows cantrips from its spell list. The Cantrips Known and Spells Known columns of the Spellcaster table shows when Cedric learns more spells of your choice. Each of the spells in the Spells Known column must be of a level for which Cedric has spell slots, as shown on the table.

Additionally, when Cedric gains a level in this class, you can choose one of the spells it knows from this class and replace it with another spell from its list. The new

spell must be a cantrip or of a level for which Cedric has spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability. The Heir’s spellcasting ability for these spells depends on the role he fills (determined by his encounter location from the Oracles). He uses his spellcasting ability whenever a spell refers to that ability. In addition, he uses his spellcasting ability modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spell he casts and when making an attack roll with one.

  Spellcasting Focus. Cedric can use a focus for his spells depending on his role. As a mage, he can use an arcane focus, and as a Healer he can use a holy symbol.

Ability Score Improvement

8th-level Spellcaster feature

At 8th level and again at 12th level, the Heir increases one ability score of your choice by 2, or two ability scores of your choice by 1. Cedric cannot increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Empowered Spells

10th-level Spellcaster feature

At 10th level, Cedric’s spellcasting affinity becomes wrapped up in a particular school of magic. Choose one school of magic for Cedric. Whenever he casts a spell of that school by expending a spell slot, he can add his spellcasting ability modifier to the damage or healing roll of that spell.

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The Warrior Heir

Warriors are brave champions of martial might and valor, standing on the front lines in defense of allies or as the spearhead of the assault against evil. They wield any weapon within reach in order to cut down their foes. The warrior fulfills two roles: Champion or Defender.

When Cedric gains a level as the warrior, he gains the following features as summarized on the Warrior table.

The Warrior

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
5th	+3	Extra Attack
6th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
7th	+3	Battle Readiness
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	—-
10th	+4	Improved Defense
11th	+4	Indomitable
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement

Extra Attack

5th-level Warrior feature

Cedric can attack twice, instead of once, when he takes the attack action.

Ability Score Improvement

6th-level Warrior feature

At 6th level and again at 8th and 12th level, the Heir increases one ability score of your choice by 2, or two ability scores of your choice by 1. Cedric cannot increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Battle Readiness

7th-level Warrior feature

Cedric is always ready for battle against evil and those who threaten his friends. He has advantage on initiative rolls.

Improved Defense

10th-level Warrior feature

Cedric’s defensive prowess has grown through experienced combat. His Armor Class improves by 1.

Indomitable

11th-level Warrior feature

The Heir’s iron will strengthens their resolve. Cedric can reroll a saving throw that he fails, but he must use the new roll. Once he uses this feature, he cannot use it again until he finishes a long rest.

Optional: Training Cedric

Throughout the adventure, the characters might try to teach Cedric any number of new abilities, from combat to political skills. While one day of training is not enough to alter Cedric’s stats, if the characters spend time to train Cedric, these efforts can be rewarded with mechanical reflections.

Feats And Abilities

Cedric cannot change classes (for example, switching from Spellcaster to Warrior), nor can he have levels in two different classes (for example, both Warrior and Expert). However, he is able to mechanically reflect significant training with the addition of a feat (a list of

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possible feats is available on page 165 of the Players Handbook). In addition, a character can teach Cedric an ability that is within reason for his class (the Warrior could learn a Maneuver from the Fighter’s Battle Master archetype, etc.).

Gaining such feats and abilities should not take years, nor should they be done within the span of a week. However, if players are willing to invest the time and coin necessary for training, they can be rewarded with slight modifications or once per day abilities that Cedric can use.

Skills

Perhaps a character might wish to teach Cedric another skill with which he could become proficient in. In order to do so, Cedric must undergo many days of practice of the skills, in addition to the cost of necessary materials to become proficient in them. For example, a character teaching Cedric to become proficient with alchemy tools must purchase the proper tools and ingredients, as well as investing the time to teach the proper use of

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both the materials and the tools themselves. However, like features and traits, these efforts can be rewarded by adding a relevant skill with which the Heir can then be proficient.

Additional Proficiencies

The Heir can also be trained to use additional weapons, tools, and vehicles. As with the above changes, this process takes time and monetary investment to purchase the item, tool, or vehicle that will be used in the instruction of the Heir, as well as finding a teacher who can impart their wisdom on the proper techniques for the relevant option to the Heir. Teachers can be either NPCs or the characters themselves.

Each class for the Heir has their limitations to what they are and are not proficient with, although that can change from adventure to adventure based on what you find useful as the Dungeon Master. Use the Rogue, Wizard, Cleric, or Fighter player classes as a starting place for the Heir’s proficiencies based on his own class and specialization.

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Starting the Adventure

There are many ways to get the characters to the start of the adventure, where they encounter the rising darkness of the Dark Knight early on. As the clouds of the gathering storm begin to swirl, use the following sections to explain why the characters are willingly moving towards the northern reaches of the Wolfstun Kingdom, where their lives will be forever changed with what they encounter. Use whichever of the following plot hooks you favor.

In “Mercenaries Welcome,” the characters are hired by one of the merchant guilds to scout the northern border of the Kingdom near the Savage North in search of bandits who might disrupt supply lines. The guild might offer gold or other incentives – should the party succeed or return with information. They are sent to the town of Blackforest where they encounter the great shadow of the Dark Knight.

In “The Mysterious Invitation,” the party is invited by letter from an unknown figure to the small town of Blackforest, promising reward and adventure if they arrive. If the party is not already connected, this plot hook is a way to have all the characters meet at the beginning of the adventure.

In “Premonitions,” visions are given to either a character or an NPC about an event on the northern border of the Savage North, and the characters are hired to provide protection on the journey to the dangerous wildlands. Information is available depending on which faction the characters are aligned with in the Kingdom.

Mercenaries Welcome

The characters start their adventure in a tavern of a city of Wolfstun, most likely in Seddas or another large trade center. This adventure hook is ideal if your characters value coin above other possible motivators.

The characters are able to interact with the merchants at any time. The merchant is Gerald Gøttreson (LE male human noble), and he is an associate of the Golden Ledger guild in Seddas. If the party is not in Seddas, Gerald is traveling by wagon and is accompanied by four guards for protection; otherwise he is simply accompanied by other merchant companions.

Gerald’s sobriety declines throughout the night, and the sooner the characters speak with him, the more coherent he is to speak and answer questions. He is attempting to create a trade route between the Savage North and the Wolfstun Kingdom following rumors of possible expansion to the North, wanting to have a profitable foothold in the event those rumors are more than conjecture.

At this point in the night, Gerald is willing to pay an adventuring party up to 50 gold pieces for stopping bandits in the north, or for information as to their whereabouts and how to avoid them. He tells them to head for Blackforest, which is as far as any of his previous hires have gotten before losing contact with them. He suggests the small hamlet as a starting place for their investigation and warns them of possible bandit activity near the town.

If the characters do not speak to Gerald to take the job before he finishes his drinks, read:

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The tavern keeper begins preparing beverages for all the patrons, including the characters, before taking payment from the now drunk Gerald. If the characters speak to him after this outburst, he increases the reward to 75 gold pieces. This pattern repeats itself in a more slurred manner as Gerald continues to drink. Each subsequent time an outburst like this happens, Gerald raises the reward by 25 gold pieces, up to a total of 125 gp.

If the characters agree, then they go to Blackforest (the only thing he can say at the end of the night) before paying the characters half of their reward now, and half upon completion, if they return to Seddas where they can find him (chapter 5, area 2).

The Mysterious Invitation

This adventure hook can be used in any city or location within the Wolfstun Kingdom, and even on the road as the characters travel.

Ideally, this plot hook is used if the characters are drawn to noble causes and calls to heroic action; or to the possibility of fame and renown. Regardless of where the characters are, you can read the following:

The knight is Ser Rhodri (LG male human knight), a member of the Order of the Coming Storm and sympathetic friend to Ser Frederic. The note he delivered bears the Rogard family crest, the crest of Ser Frederic and his line. Bound within, the characters can read the following message:

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Should the characters choose to follow Ser Rhogard, he makes his way to the nearest military fort as he is a knight of the Kingdom. He refuses to acknowledge giving the characters the note in front of others, and is oddly secretive regarding this interaction in public.

If the players acquiesce to Ser Frederic’s request and make their way to Blackwater, they will not find him there. The letter was sent to them weeks ago, as Ser Frederic had given Ser Rhodri a description of the characters as they had been described by Sandal (chapter 3, area 9). Ser Rhodri has been holding onto that note in (what he believed to be the unlikely) event that he ran across the characters. In the time since Ser Frederic originally penned the letter, he has traveled away from Blackforest and will first encounter the characters in Flurrdock (chapter 3), after the events of chapter 2.

Premonitions

The following plot hook assumes that the characters are from Wolfstun and connected to various organizations within the Kingdom.

Blackforest lies over 200 miles northeast of Stormhelm, the capital city of the Wolfstun Kingdom. Before the characters embark on their quest, those who have faction allegiances receive additional information described in the sections that follow. Take the players aside and read the boxed text for their faction.

Grand Temple of Kord

The vision can come from a cleric in the temple, or can be given to the character directly if they are a cleric. If they are not a cleric of Kord, then the temple will describe the vision second hand to them and tell them to investigate. The interpretation of the dream is difficult, but the following details are shared to the character:

• A dark stormcloud swirls from the north, moving in towards the Kingdom.
• Lightning strikes at small towns, slowly increasing its destructive path until there is nothing left.
• The stormcloud seems to be searching for something.
• A glimmer of light, a star, begins to swell from the Kingdom as the cloud moves in, as if preparing to clash.

There are whispers among the clerics that the dream is related to the Prophecy of Galdric’s Heir, but few dare speak that hope aloud. Since the northern reaches of the Kingdom are rife with danger, each character aligned with the temple is given a potion of heroism.

Endura Pansophical

Tonna Liutgarde (LN female half-elf mage) is an ambassador in Stormhelm for the Pansophical. Her contacts have given her information to think that there are whispers of an increasing number of necromantic practices arising on the northern edge of the Kingdom.

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Wanting more information on the legitimacy of these claims, she sends the characters to the northern edge of the Kingdom, the small outskirt town of Blackforest, to investigate. Characters aligned with the Endura Pansophical are given a spell scroll of remove curse.

The Sons of Kairon

The Sons of Kairon wish to establish a foothold in the north, making them indispensable to merchants trying to forge their way to the vast resources of the region. They plan to heavily “tax” caravans passing through the roads should they be able to gain control of them, as well as charging fines to the merchants for clearing out the bandits along the road.

Characters who are aligned with the Sons of Kairon are given a bag of holding to store any important documents and information found along their travels.

Knights of the Green

Characters aligned with the Knights of the Green can interact with other members of their order, such as their mentor, before embarking on their journey. They are generally welcomed in by common folk as heroes and protectors.

Once every long rest, the characters who belong to the Knights of the Green can receive inspiration when they kill an evil-aligned creature.

Mercenaries of Wolfstun

The following plot hook can be specifically modified based on which mercenary or adventurer’s guild the characters belong to. Some prominent guilds can be found described in the chapter on Seddas (chapter 4), but any mercenary guild will work for this plot hook.

Characters who belong to a mercenary guild are given whatever normal supplies they may need by the guild, as well as one greater healing potion for their adventure.

Agents of the Steward

Osfrith Hather is trying to find the Heir for the Steward, who wishes to see the Heir killed in secret and secure his claim to the throne for him and his children.

Agents of the Steward can be found in nearly every town, forming a sort of shadow organization themselves. Characters who are agents of the Steward know how to find them of their own accord in a given city, and can contact Osfrith in this manner when desired. If the characters bring actionable information to Osfrith which he can use to bring an end to the Heir, the characters will be granted special rights (see “Marks of Prestige” on page 230 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide).

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