I’ve generated a “five part” dungeon for this adventure partly inspired by Chat GPT, but…not quite-every 5 mile hex the party passes through, i’ll roll d6 for an encounter. On a 4+, it will be a “Room”, on a 1-3, it will be against my standard encounter list for this region (which I also fine tuned by modifying the neighboring Thornwild list)-
Gathering, 1002, Moonday 2, 36 degrees weak wind, smoke drifts to indicate direction, leaves and weathervanes stationary
Scene 1: (Immersion, See a shadow in the distance)
The village of Lesher showed little damage from the goblin raid. Still, the fact remained that goblins had attacked the village the night before and captured eight villagers, retreating into the woods with them. Sir Lesher’s men mounted a pursuit, but were driven back by the goblins and forced to return to their village to await reinforcments. Sir Korstan was send with a squadron of soldiers that included my brother, Erik, and I.
We arrived around late morning after the attack, so the tracks are still fairly fresh. With two squadrons of soldiers and half a dozen local hunters, we set back into the woods to track down the raiders. We arrived at where Sir Lesher’s men were ambushed, and then the trackers said that it appeared the goblin raiders split into six different groups. Sir Korstan decided to split his forces as well, so that hopefully we could catch up to the raiders and defeat them in detail before they reached their destination. He split his detachment up into demi-patrols, and he joined Sir Lesher in following the central group of goblins, hoping to be able to reach any smaller troupe that needed help, or to be able to call upon us should the goblins reform into a single party once more.
Erik and I, along with two other men, were assigned to follow Sergeant Tiberan, and a scout named Deklan into the forest pursuing the second northern band of goblins. Deklan said there appeared to be seven in that group, and one prisoner. The odds that we are with the group pursuing Rosamund are pretty low, but I hope that she is safe, wherever she is, and that someone rescues her in time.
-No Encounter-
We follow the tracks as they pass beneath the shadow of Levan’s tower. The old ruins are said to be cursed, and a few of the older soldiers who had been stationed there for a time said that they always felt uneasy within the tower’s walls and surrounding grounds. I am glad the goblins chose to give it a wide berth.
-Woodland minor event- Q: is he Ardelian? EXCEPTIONAL NO Q: Thornwilder? NO Add Thread: A mysterious Sultari was seen fleeing through the forest
Some time later, we spot a man in the woods who runs from us. He looked like he was Sultari, judging from his dusky skin, but since he didn’t return our greeting, we can’t know for sure. We chose to stay on the goblin’s trail instead of trying to figure out who he was or what he was doing here.
-Room One-the Maze of Thorns-Immersion-Touch Q: blood trail? NO
The goblin tracks take us down into a ravine that is filled with a tangled mess of brambles and thorns. I feel one of the branches and note how long and sharp the wooden spikes have grown. It looks like they forced their captive down on all fours to crawl through gaps in the vegetation with them, but the tunnels through the briars are narrow and tangled.
With the scout, Deklin, leading the way, we all get a few scratches here and there. Unfortunately, Filip is suprised by a hare that runs across out path, and jumping up in surprise, throws himself into a mess of brambles! Then crying out in pain, he stumbles into even more. Only after he calms down can we continue on our way. When we finally get through the tangled mess, we Deklin helps Filip pull the thorns free that had gotten wedged between the links of his armor. Then Deklin continuse leading us along the path.
-Room Two-The Wolf Pack-Immersion-see something edible above us-
We continue following the trail as the sunlight begins to fade, and I notice some wild pears up in the branches of a tree overhead and offer to climb up and bring some down for us. While I”m up in the tree, Deklin warns, “There’s a pair of wolves trailing us.” Following his gaze, I see them as well.
“Goblin pets, or wild?” asks Tiberan as he loads his crossbow. We all follow suit.
“Wild, I’d guess,” says the hunter. “They are scenting your man’s blood…they’ll likely stay on us until the rest of their pack arrives.”
“When? They haven’t howled for them?”, I ask, unconvinced.
“They’ve been leaving their own scent, so others will follow,” Deklin warns.
Q: do we hear howling? EXCEPTIONAL YES
Then back in the direction of the Thornwood, we hear a chorus of wolves howling. Then one of these two calls out his reply.
We loose arrows and bolts, killing one of the wolves while the other, wounded, flees howling in pain!
I quickly grab half a dozen fruit, and then climb down to join my squadmates.
Q: Do the wolves retreat? NO
We continue on our trail until the light grows too dark to make out the tracks and Tiboran calls us to halt. We pitch our tents and set a fire, posting two men on guard, but the wolves seem to surround our camp. Howling intermittently from every direction. Deklin says he thinks there are only seven up them, but we aren’t sure how to lure them in, or drive then away so we can deal with the problem. Instead, we are forced to endure a restless night of endless barks and howls.
When Nestor and I are up for the midnight watch, I actually have to wake him. He was having no trouble sleeping. He jokes, “I’ve got lots of little brothers and sisters. I’m used to hearing kids howl in the middle of the night.”
-No attempt to conceal camp, so nighttime encounter roll…generates a trio of hunters-Q: Thornwilders? YES Q: speak common? YES E: Setback to ‘A mysterious Sultari was seen fleeing through the forest’: the Attainment of the Innocent
About an hour into our watch, the wolves move off for a bit, and I see three figures, dragging a fourth behind, approaching the edge of our camp. I raise my crossbow and challenge, “Who goes there?”
“Hunters,” one of the men replies in a Thornwilder accent. “The wolves are eager tonight. May we share our fire?”
“Wake the sergeant,” I whisper to Nestor, who is as wary as I am of the strangers deep in these woods.
“What’s that you are dragging behind you?” I ask.
“A slave. A runaway,” the man replies.
As the rest of the squad is roused, the sergeant decides there may be safety in numbers after all. Tibaran calls out, “Come into the light!” and the three men approach. They a broad shouldered warriros draped in fur cloaks whith their skin adorned with blue warpaint. Behind them cowers the Sultari was saw earlier. His wrists are bound and his clothes are torn from having been dragged through the brush as he no doubt tried to resist his captors.
“What’s his crime?” I ask, pointing at the prisoner.
The leader of the barbarians looks at me, “Defying me.”
Deklin shakes his head, as Tibaran welcomes the savages into our camp. They tie their captive’s legs even tighter, and then two of the warriors lie down to sleep, while the leader joins Nestor and I on our watch. I learn the man’s name is Baruk. It is also clear that he doesn’t think much of us, but is merely using our camp so his men can get some rest, since they can’t catch the wolves on their own. I tell him about the goblins we are chasing, who have taken some of our people.
Q: Do the wolves attack? NO Q: Does he know where the goblins are from? EXCEPTIONAL YES
He tells us that they are likely heading to the City of Red Stones. That ancient cursed city is home to a great many goblins, and something else, darker still that lurks whithin its depths. His people avoid the place, for there is nothing good there. And once the goblins reach it with their captives, we’d best just return home to our farms and soft ways of living.
When our shift ends, I lay down in my tent. Listening to the howls of wolves and fearing for the fates of our countrymen, and of Rosamund.
Gathering, 1002, Lord’s Day 3, 49 degrees modest wind, leaves and small twigs in constant motion, flags fully extended
Immersion-Sound-Wailing
Q: Do the wolves retreat at daybreak? YES Q: does the sultari speak common? EXCEPTIONAL YES
Scene:
It’s a long restless night with wolves circling the edge of the camp, and strange warriors near the fire with us, but the morning brings hope that we might still catch up to the goblins before its too late. We break camp and as the savages go on back towards their own village, with a captive begging our help, promising to repay us if we will free him, we shake our heads and continue on our mission.
-Encounter-Hunters/Trappers-
We’d only split up for a short time, when we heard the sound of wolves howling, and crying out in pain. The sound of men yelling in fury. We ran to the sounds, and saw the hunters from the night before surrounded by the wolf pack and fighting for their lives against impossible odds.
One of the younger warriors was surrounded by four wolves, while their leader, Baruk had three of the pack at his heals. The third man was facing down two. THe Sularan was nowhere to be seen, and half a dozen more wolves were closing in on the trio.
We let loose with crossbow bolts as some of the pack turned their attention towards us while the tribesmen fought savagely for their lives. My brother killed one wolf when it lunged towards our sergeant, and Filip killed two more with his crossbow as they fled, wounded, but Baruck must have slaid half the pack! The wolves tore down one of his men, and were dragging him away, but as bolts rained down towards them, and the rest of the pack fallen, the last two wolves gave up their meal and ran away.
Baruck kicked aside one of the wolf carcasses and walked over to his fallen man. Kneeling down, he called over his companion and they begin binding up the man’s wounds. Our sergeant signals us forward, “You’re people fight well, ” Tibaran says.
Baruck scoffs, “I fight well. These young ones are still weak. Let this one’s scars remind him that only in strength lies victory.”
“Where’s your prisoner?”, I ask.
“Feeding the other half of the pack, no doubt,” says Baruck, drawing his thumb across his neck. “We left him behind, but he must have looked too small since they came back for more.”
I curl my lip in dusgust as the Sergeant gets us back on our way.
-Encounter-Hunters/Trappers- Seriously? Three times in a row? I don’t think so!-
E: Setback to ‘Rescue the captives taken by goblins’: a Haggle over Emotions
Scene:
We come to an old shrine that has been ravaged by fire. There is a broken statue and a cracked altar at the heart of the shattered stone structure. Rain has worn away the ancient runes and images that once adorned the site. There are goblin footprints here, scraps of food, and fresh blood.
“You know they’re dead, right?” Erik says suddenly while we look around.
“Silence, soldier,” Tibaran commands, but my brother wasn’t speaking to him so much as to me.
“Your friend. That girl you like. Rosamund? She’s dead by now, or worse,” Erik says, as though he’s not suggesting something I didn’t already fear.
I glare at him, “We have a job to do. Until the order arrives to turn back, we press on. I don’t give up easy.”
“Silence, both of you!” Tibaran commands. “Deklin, what do you see here?”
Q: Is the camp fresh? YES Q: female captive? EXCEPTIONAL YES
Deklin looks at me, “Was your girl taken by these goblins?” he asks. I nod, he shakes his head, “Well hope this wasn’t her. But her struggles bought us some time. They didn’t leave but an hour or two ago.”
Erik looks at me and shakes his head, “If she isn’t dead, she wishes she was.”
“Let’s move!” Tibaran commands, and we are back on the march.
Scene #4: (Troll has a perception of 12, with advantage on smell. Party needs a collective 72 stealth roll to move past undetected, they roll 56)
The trail leads us through an area where bone laden totems hang from the trees, and it appears the goblins have left an offering of food near the entrance of a small cave. Deklin signals for us to be silent. “Trolls!” he warns.
As we try to sneak by, I notice a copper ring lying in the dirt, no doubt lost by some poor traveller months ago. I reach down to pick it up. Then I hear Filip cry out, “Damn it all,” and I see that he has tripped over a a half buried tree root. Deklin looks back towards him wih absolute terror in his eyes, as Tibaran looks towards the cave entrance…a fierce growl echoes forth.
“Stand together!” the sergeant commands as a massive troll charges out of the cave, spittle spraying from it’s mouth and its eyes red with bloodlust! Our squadmates rush to meet it while Deklin, Nestor and I cut loose with our bows. Bolts and arrows find their marks, as my brother’s spear lances through the troll’s arm. But then the fiend’s wounds begin to heal before our eyes as it’s claws slash across my brother’s chest, sending him reeling with a spray of blood. But my brother is a strong one, and stays in the fight!Nestor and I rush to his aid, thrusting our spears up at the troll as it slashes at him, knocking his spear to the side and sinking its teeth into his arm. Then with a swing of it’s massive arm, it’s claws tear through his throat, and my brother collapses in a pool of blood that paints the ground red! The troll falls to our attacks moment’s later, but its wounds continue to heal. Tibaran yells, “Keep hacking at it men! Deklin, light me a torch, now! Reder, check on your brother!”
I kneel down by my brother’s side, but it’s too late. His head was nearly severed by the troll’s claw. I take my brother’s coinpurse and soulchit, and begin wrapping his body in his cloak.
The sergeant then starts scorching the troll’s wounds so they can no longer heal. Then he asks Deklin to look around, “How many trolls do you think live in that cave?”
Q: Just one? YES
“Just one, it looks like. Any others would have come out already, and trolls don’t often hunt during the day,” Deklin replies
The sergeant nods his head, “Reder, we are leaving your brother inside the cave. We’ll recover his body on the way back. Nothing is going to bother him there. Nothing willingly enters a troll’s lair.”
Still shaking, I agree, and help carry my brother inside. Then I mutter a prayer to our ancestors to welcome my brother among them with open arms, for he was a man of courage, whose life was cut short too soon. Nestor puts his hand on my shoulder, “Hang in there friend. We still need you.”
Filip whistles, “Look at all of this!” There are crudely made sacks of ancient coins…tribute and payments no doubt from the goblins to this troll, who must guard the trail they use to reach their stonghold. There are also some copper ingots with an unfamiliar stamp, and some other things that might be of value in the lair. Tibaran warns us not to take anything, as it will slow us down. Best to pick through this on our return trip.
Scene: Immersion: Touch, environment silky Encounter: Escapee (Room 4) (Positive Alteration):
We continue following the trail, and I am lost in my thought. I am remembering the good days with Erik, when we were children. Then his change when Old Tom died, and now, seeing his body lying dead in the dirt. Then Deklin calls out, “Hold up! Something happened here. The prisoner escaped!” he says, pointing off to the left of the path we are following. “The goblins have scattered to pursue!”
Tibaran orders us to fan out and we parallel Deklin as he tries to quickly track the panicked captive.
It isn’t long till we start hearing the yells and shouts of goblins, “Over here!” one shouts, then another grunts, “See her! See her!”
Then we see them, but they haven’t seen us. Tibaran signals, and we cut loose with our crossbows. Deklin and I cut down one of them before they even realize we are there. They scream out in surprise, and take cover, returning fire. “Nablett…get the girl!” one yells, while the others stand to fight. Arrows and bolts fly back and forth, but our keen eyes and heavy armor allow us to continue pressing forward in formation, even as they try a fighting withdrawal. One by one, they fall, I kill two of them myself. Then the last one, realizing he was alone, turned and disappeared into the deeper woods.
We immediately start calling out, and a plain looking farmgirl, with torn clothes, and tear stained face stagger towards us, “By the ancestoers…thank you! Thank you!” she sobs as Tibaran signals for Nestor to tend to her, while Filip starts checking over the dead goblins, looking for valuables.
After a few minutes, Tibaran says, “Let’s head head back to the troll cave.
We start following the sergeant back when Deklin signals for us to halt. Point ahead, we see a large shape up aheaad in the shadows beneath an ancient tree. The large greenskinned creature’s eyes glow red with hatred. Realizing we’ve spotted it, the troll grins and shows its massive fanges. The wooman behind us begins sobing. Tibaran orders us to fall in alongside him. “Nestor, light us a torch.”
Several bolts find their mark as the creature charges towards our forming battleline. Then we drop our crossbows and level spears as it reaches us while Deklin moves to the side to continue getting clear shots with his longbow. The creature seems to focus its rage on me, and I wonder if it found my brother’s corpse in its brother’s lair, and knows who slew its kin. I am enraged aat the sight of the beast, and strike quickly, forcefully, driving my lance deep into its arm in two quick thrusts. It slashes at me with its fierce claws and gnashes at me with its teeth, but I am too quick, and it fails to land a lethal blow, only grazing my armor lightly as i slip this way and that, stabbing it twice again while Tibaran and Filip strike at its flanks. Though its wounds close quickly, the sheer number of blows wear it down, and then Nestor arrives with a lit torch. The fear in the fiend’s eyes shines bright, but we strike it down before it can flee. Soon, it is a smoldering corpse as well!
“Reder, you fought well, let’s take a look at those wounds,” Tibaran commends me as Deklin treats teh scratches I endured.
Q: Had the second troll been at the cave? NO
We soon return to the troll’s cave and are surprised to realize the second troll had not been there. We fill our sacks with ancient coins, and split up some gems and other valuables we that we found including some vials that may hold magical potions, and a couple of map cases that contain scrolls in an unfamiliar language. We put together a litter to carry my brother’s body with us, and then we start making our way back home.
It is already dark when we reach the site of our previous night’s camp. Once more, we light a fire and pitch our tents.
As we sit by the fire, I am on the first watch with the rescued woman, “Do you know what happened to Rosamund?” I asked her.
Q: did she see which group took Rosamund? NO
“I…don’t know,” she stammers. She’s curled up by the fire. A blanket pulled tight around her. She stares at the flickering flames whose reflection dances across her face.
I hear a cat cry out a warning in the distance. Something has just become its dinner no doubt.
Gathering, 1002, Heyday 4th , 45 degrees light wind, feel breeze on skin, leaves rustle, wethervane begin to move
Immersion-Scent-Incense
Scene #6 (Positive Alteration):
I wake to the smell of Tibaran’s pipe. It is a heady aroma, like the incense burnt in temples on holy days. We eat breakfast, then break down our tents and soon resume our trek back to Leshar. We are carrying my brother with us when we run into a column led by the Baron.
“Greeting’s Sergeant,” the Baron calls out, looking down at us from his horse. Most of the company is on foot, as horses are of limited use here in the forest. The baron is flanked by his vicious hounds. His marshal, his wife, and his battle mage are also with him.
“We put two trolls and half a dozen goblins to the sword, rescuing one of the captives. But we lost a man, and are on our weay beck to Leshar. Some Thornwilders told us they think the goblins we were pursuing are from a place called Red Stone. It is haunted by an ancient evil they warned. We aren’t sure where the rest of the squadron is. Sir Korstan split us up to follow different groups of goblins, to try and recover all of the captives.” Tibaran reports.
THe baron nods his head, “Alright then, get your men back to the village and wait there. Take the girl back to her home. Gesturing to the scout,” take us along the path you had followed.”
With that, we split ways, and resumed our trek.
-No encounters the rest of the day-
Q: Have other groups returned yet? YES Q: Successful? YES
(Roll d6 for number rescued, 3d6 for surviving rescuers, survival checks for the fallen men)
Scene Immersion, More incense
It is late in the evening when we reach Leshar, having followed the lights of the village once we began to see them through the trees. The girl is happy to be home and her family quickly embraces her and leads her away. The other three squadrons under Korstan have also made it back, shortly after the Baron had passed through, rescuing two other hostages, but not without cost.
We carry Erik’s corpse to the village shrine, where the Custodian offers up prayers for his safe journey up into the stars alongside two others of our company who had fallen. Another two men are being treated for injuries at the shrine. After prayers, I join the rest of my squad at the viilage pub, The Laughing Satyr.
The villagers are gathered there, along with the surviving members of our company. The villagers worry over those who have not yet been rescued, while the soldiers boast of their victories, or toast the memory of fallen friends.
Q: Anyone talking to me? YES -topic: shelter regarding antagonist
Nestor sits at my side, “To your brother Erik! He was a good man,” I nod and lift my cup. Nestor continues, “Imagine what he’d have done with his share of what we found!” Nestor marvels.
I shrug my shoulder,”We’ll never know. Those stones look valuable. I don’t know.”
“Yeah? What are you going to do?” Nestor asks.
“Not stay here. I don’t want to stay here with my brother gone. Maybe I’ll go back home. Maybe I’ll just hit the road, not sure yet.” I confide. “How about you?”
“I’m going to marry Maisy,” he grins, “Our wages are pretty good, but with a windfall like this, a little nest egg, I can afford of room in town and not have to stay in the barracks.”
I smile at my friend, “Yeah, she’s a good one alright. Think she’ll say yes?” He laughs.
Q: Do the other survivors know what happened to Rosamund? EXCEPTIONAL NO
I ask the villagers in the tavern who’ve spoken to the other survivors whether there was any word of Rosamund. None of those who’ve made it back know anything about her fate. This worries me as I lay down in my tent to rest.
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