Month: Feb 2024

Desert of the Lost

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Welcome to another week at my tabletop and this Monday kicks off with looking at the Desert of the Lost. This large expanse of sand dunes is home to a growing number of tribes and outposts. Why you might ask? Well its simple. Trade and the promise of treasure. Over the number of years a great number of merchants have tried to cross the desert and have failed, their wares, goods and gold lost beneath the sands. Or has it?

So let’s explore the blistering days and chilling nights by grabbing a coffee, sitting down and rolling into tonight’s adventure!

With the desert holding a bounty of dozens of caravans and adventurers going missing the temptation to look for the lost treasure of the sands was overwhelming. But for a young Tabaxi scholar and adventurer it was a dream that promised her an easy retirement for her family and fame that would spearhead the other adventures she had planned for. But will she be able to find the right people to trust in taking her to the lost treasure or will she just be another nameless soul beneath the hot sands.

Beneath the waves of sand dunes there was something ever stirring. The growing city was getting greedier and the need to appease the queen was growing. However the sound of boots on sand, the smell of camels and horses was enough to bring them out of hiding and to begin the hunt.

Desert of the Lost

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Desert of The Lost – Created in Nightcafe.

Norturi looked across the endless dunes and watched the sun as it started to set down across the dunes. Looking at the scraps of parchment, books and scraps of cloth in front of her. These were the merchant logs of several caravans that had gone missing in the desert as they were heading off to fulfil a big contact and she was just the Tabaxi to find the cache.

The desert itself was broad and harsh. Very few rocky outcrops, nearly no oasis’s and enough man eating creatures that even the experienced hunters would avoid it. But Norturi had a suspicion that all the merchants that had disappeared had followed the same path, and that somewhere beneath the sand the collective hoard of all their wealth and goods was located. She just didn’t know why, which made her hesitate to go alone. 

Dusting off the articles she folded them into her backpack before jumping onto the back of her camel. She thought she knew where they were, but didn’t know why. So she had to get herself some mercs to get her there and more importantly back safely with the loot.

Thanks for joining me for the start of a new week of adventuring. This one like a few others of mine has a bit more to the start of it than presented here but you’ll just have to wait for the zine to see what I mean. So don’t forget to come back each day this week and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Inns, Taverns and Stores

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After a busy afternoon and spending a bit too long adding more details to the Avermeet adventure I ended up settling on a few different concepts involving Inns, Taverns and Stores. These are the birthplace of adventures, hooks and sometimes plots so its only natural to have a few up ones sleeve. So in my journey to find the best kick-off point for this adventure I got lost amongst the art, the possibilities and so we will have to settle on what I discovered (and had AI create for me) for this weeks content.

So grab a coffee, sit back and let’s walk down a street that may be all too familiar.

Inns, Taverns and Stores

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Inns – created in Nightcafe.

The humble inn. A place where jobs are posted, party members can rest and thieves can attempt to steal special items from said parties. A place where the adventure can be born, escalate or conclude or all three and it’s found in nearly every single campaign.

They provide an opportunity for any number of NPCs to legitimately have a reason to bump into or simply be near the party at the right time and place of our choosing.

Stores – Created in Nightcafe.

The general store, or store in general can be host to any number of things which can provide our parties with a means to spend their gold. It also provides us, the DM, with a way to introduce a MacGuffin into the parties hands. A conveinent plot development, an item, a NPC, knowledge or tools can be gained from the general store – so its not just for rations, rope, 10ft poles and torches never mind… Everyone always has darkvision.

But Stores can provide points of plot too. An illegal storefront that is selling stolen wares (much like my first adventure-zine.) or it could be the focal point of the adventure where the suspect works at a store. Or knows who did it, or was a victim of the villain. There are nearly too many options here for us to investigate but that just shows how versatile these key buildings can be.

Taverns – Created in Nightcafe.

And lastly the Tavern. A place for food, drink, gambling, song, dance and murder. That’s right another building for stories to take flight, take a sudden unexpected twist or end with is Taverns. They can be blended with an Inn but I would expect the clientele of a tavern to be detrimental to a good nights sleep. Taverns can also have the most fun with their names too. Five Fat Ravens Tavern, The Fatty Pheasant, or my personal all-time favourite, the Frisky Mare. Taverns just need an adjective and a noun and you got yourself a tavern name. Nearly fool-proof and your parties will remember it for ages to come.

Thanks for visiting tonight. Not quite the zine I was hoping to get published tonight, or two of them in fact, but it was still a fun write-up and night of art discovery for myself. Don’t forget to come back next week as we continue on this path and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Hazards of Mountaineering

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As we prepare for another end of week write-up we look to the old 5e DMG where we can find some hazards of mountaineering within. We would all be well aware now that there are other things that we can throw at our party other than creatures to fight. Hazards can be rewarding to overcome just like an encounter with a particularly strong creature, or solving a hard puzzle. Tonight we look at some such things and how we can weave them into this weeks adventure.

So let’s sit back, grab a hot coffee and roll into tonight’s content.

Hazards of Mountaineering

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The hazards for the Dusty Crag mountains are quite common place across many mountains and other environments. The first being weather.

Strong Wind

Now a particularly strong wind in the right circumstance or situation can be deadly. Trying to climb a shale filled cliff for example could lead to a fatal slip if one is trying to climb in strong winds. A strong wind however also carries other hindrances such as imposing disadvantage on all ranged weapon attack rolls and also perception checks (wisdom) that rely on hearing as the sound is carried away. A strong wind will also extinguish open flames (camp fires or torches) and it will disperse gases (cloud kill, fog, etc.). It will also mean that flying, via non-magical means is now impossible – so I hope you have a wizard with fly or magic broomsticks. Flying creatures also must land at the end of its turn or it will fall out of the sky – not a good result for the aarakocra ranger.

Heavy precipitation (or dust)

Much like the strong wind, heavy precipitation, or dust storms, can impose disadvantage on perception checks, but in this case it’s for those requiring sight not hearing. It will also extinguish open flames if it’s raining (or dust if there is enough of it) and depending on how violent the wind is it will also carry the same penalties as that.

Shale or slippery cliffs

Walking on shale is a dangerous hobby and for many it results in a painful fall onto one’s rump. However when coupled with vertical movement it can be devastating. When a creature attempts to walk across or climb onto a section of loose shale or simply slippery cliffs for the first time in their turn they must make a DC10 dexterity (acrobatics) check or fall prone. If you’re on the ground this isn’t such a bad thing but if you’re forty feet in the air that’s 4d6 bludgeoning damage. Now having climbing tools, a mountaineering kit or simply spider climb would either completely negate this or provide a bonus (Advantage) on the skill check.

Razor sharp stones

Now instead of being loose shale what about shards of obsidian, or blade like shards of rock, shattered volcanic stone or even glass. For this we can simply look at the spell spike stones. This results in the area being difficult terrain and anyone through the terrain suffers 1d8 piercing damage for every 5 feet they move. Now for climbing I would also have them roll for Shale/slippery cliffs as the pain could cause them to slip and fall. However, this could simply block the party from moving forward. Rewarding creative thinking such as binding hands, feet or padding them or simply taking longer to progress through the area, plotting a safe course through could be enough.

Nesting ground for nasties

Now inspired from a variety of childhood movies this one is a fun one. Have the hand hold or foot hold be the home for a lizard, snake, spider, centipede or scorpion who doesn’t like being intruded against. Having them being poisonous may be good for higher level parties but just the bite, shock, slip and fall may be enough to warrant a challenging trek for other level parties.

Now there is a few hazards we can include in our mountaineering adventures. But don’t forget that tomorrow is the fated zine day so don’t forget to come back for that and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Masters of the Sky

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This week as the party trek into the Dusty Crags, a series of tall rocky outcrops, cliffs and forest, the party come face to face with the masters of the sky. These creatures, the griffons and wyverns of the crag are powerful adversaries and something that should be avoided where possible. However there is another trick up the sleeve of these creatures as the griffon of the Dusty Crag has a nasty surprise.

Let’s not wait any longer. So grab a coffee, sit down and let’s roll into tonight’s adventure!

Masters of the Sky

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Dusty Crag Griffon – Created in Tetra-cube

As with any creature that spends long enough in an environment they will evolve to suit that space. The Griffons in the Dusty Crag however have adapted in an unusual way. Some of them after feasting on the creatures of the valley below their skies have developed a neat party trick. After ingesting a large quantity of creatures that dwell in these rocky hills they have absorbed some of the arcane taint that this land gives off. This has given some descendants of these masters of the sky the ability to project an illusion to thwart would-be attackers or raiders as well as to lure out the rivals for the sky. The Wyverns.

Griffon – Created in Tetra-cube.

As there are only a few of these Dusty Crag griffons who have developed this magical skill there are a great number of the beasts who do not possess any semi-magical ability. These griffons are no more lethal but rely on the alphas, the Dust Crag Griffons, to lure their biggest prey into position before diving at the distracted creatures to ensure a swift kill.

Wyvern – created in Tetra-cube.

However, despite the cleverness of some of these griffons the sheer size, bulk and strength of a wyvern is never to be underestimated. These flying brutes are fast, lethal and overall terrifying as many predators of its size are. Able to shred an adult griffon instantly the only way that the smaller predators can bring down such a beast is with synchronised group effort and by ambushing the larger alpha predator, the true masters of the skies.

And with that we have the final content of the week and it is where we leave it for tonight. Don’t forget to come back this weekend as we plan to get some Zines out and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Hunting for the Nest

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The party is once again schlepping through a forest but this time they are hunting for the nest that will grant them moderate riches. Or, it will grant them an early retirement through death. Not known for their welcoming nature the inhabitants of this forest, griffons, wyverns, “tritnols” and more, are vicious and unrelenting when defending their nests. But that’s the price of hunting for the nest at the centre of this adventure.

So as with other nights, let’s grab a coffee, sit back and roll into tonight’s adventure.

Hunting for the Nest

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The Hunting Grounds – Created in Inkarnate.

The thick vegetation, large collapsed trees and rocky outcrops making it difficult to navigate in a straight line the party, and other nest seekers, have to brave the climb up the hills or the steep ascent where there is little cover from the predators in these hills.

With some trees providing a perch or a useful way up to a higher ledge this climb isn’t without its shortcuts but even these can have their perils. Rocky, craggy hills are prone to hiding reptiles, insects or arachnids that call these holes and crevices home. One wrong foot, or hand placed in the wrong hole and you may get more than you bargained for.

With each ledge being 20 feet into the air and the nest itself sitting 80 feet up only a fool would climb that without a ledge to rest on. A fool or those trained in mountaineering that is.

Mixing craggy hills and cliffs to give it an uneven jutting appearance at certain steps hopefully gives more depth of height for the hills. The trees add in cover, ways to climb and boost as well as places to jump to if required. There are several things you can do with a tree. The fallen trees provide cover, could be shelter or a place to hide and the one between the cliffy-craggy hills could be used to walk or climb across. As always multiple layers with varying transparency make up tonight’s map as blending the transparent backgrounds produces the nicer looking maps.

Thanks for joining me the map making night this week. A forest one again – nice and easy with few challenges this one was a nice and relaxing map make. Don’t forget tomorrow we reveal some beasties to encounter this week and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Unsubtle Lies

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Never has there been a new creature discovered without subtle, sometime unsubtle lies being its unwanted companion. The platypus was thought to be a hoax when first discovered and rumours of other sea-serpents and other monstrous creatures have been included in all histories. But for the Tritnol the lies go much further than just something that is cosmetic, their very existence is based on a singular lie.

Before before we spill the tea, let’s grab a coffee sit down and roll into tonight’s adventure.

Unsubtle Lies

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Together the party climbed the mountains, avoided the creatures the elf El’thirnol had warned them about and with some luck they were making good progress. As part of the wager Callum had told them all roughly where the nest was. However, instead of waiting until dawn like the others, Callum and his sellsword were gone by the morning and were likely ahead of the party.

The village they had come from lived amongst the mountains and was largely left alone by the hostile creatures that lived nearby. It was probably the seasoned hunters that were stationed on the walls and towers around the village. The trek into the mountains didn’t take long and even as they marched onwards shouts could be heard from other parties who were attempting the same climb. It sounded as if the other people racing the climb were finding the paths just as difficult or running into trouble.

As the party ascended they became more acutely aware of the large creatures flying above them, griffons. They were the least of their worries as they moved stealthily but alerting the real monsters of these cliffs would only bode poorly. The Griffons and Tritnol’s weren’t the only master of the cliffs here. Wyverns had been known to live in this area – preying on griffons and their chicks as well as taking down the Tritnol when they were feeling particularly bold. But the elven huntmaster had told the party how to overcome the difficulties of the terrain and how to hide from the predators and so far it was working.

As the chosen adventures climbed El’thirnol watched with spyglass in hand. They were nearing the nest that he had sought and with any luck the parents were not around. But something was troubling him. The Tritnol’s were flying overhead as normal, large lumbering creatures that appeared to defy gravity as they flew. But the volume of them looked suspicious. When they gathered like this they normally found dead griffons and even wyverns the following days.

He watched the creatures in the area from his perch. His trained eye picked out where they all lived and he watched them. A few griffons lay still as they watched the Tritnol’s closely like the alpha predators they were. Despite being the huntmaster of the village, and widely known as being a master at his craft he had yet to take down a Tritnol. Their thick hide seemed to evade all arrows, bolts and even a ballistae had no effect. They were truly a strange creature.

But as he watched the creatures below he noticed that a group of hunters approached one of the nests. As the parent rose from the nest he glanced away towards his vigil on the flying giants and something odd occurred. A flickering, like the disruption of a spell, was coming over one of the Tritnol’s. As he watched he heard a shriek of pain as the Tritnol disappeared completely. Looking at the source, a wounded griffon with an arrow shaft in its leg. A moment later the sharp talons separated foolish hunters heads and limbs from bodies as the griffon’s partner swooped the hunters.

The titan in the sky, the Tritnol’s form wavered from that moment onwards, as if injured itself. El’thirnol mused. Something was odd here and the injured and odd acting Tritnol and corresponding with a Griffon being wounded was not something he would write off as coincidence.

The revelation here isn’t soo much a revelation as it is twist. What if the mightiest beast in the sky wasn’t real and was a lie that wasn’t spun by the hunters of creatures, but from the creatures themselves. Something interesting to explore this week as we continue to expand the adventure. So don’t forget to come back each day and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Huntmaster

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As the hunt for the Tritnol commences the Huntmater, El’thirnol watches as Callum a small band together to try and claim the elves prize. However the huntmaster has other ideas. This week we expand the adventure further to get a glimmer of what is to come, a change in the air has the huntmaster, El’thirnol, waiting for a sign of things to change and an opportunity. But that’s looking a bit deeper into this weeks adventure and getting ahead of ourselves.

So to stay ahead of the pack let’s grab a coffee, sit back and let’s roll into tonight’s adventure!

Huntmaster

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El’thirnol Wellundrae – Created in Artbreeder.

As El’thirnol watched the tavern change from silent individuals into hastily planning and scheming groups he could not help but grin. He knew that what Callum had described was a creature that lived in those mountains but it was not what he thought it was. No, it was something that El’thirnol wanted more than the floundering giants of the skies. He wanted a mighty hunting companion one which his long elven years could make good use out of.

And so the hunt was on, to bring back the eggs that would hopefully spawn creatures he was seeking. But as he watched several groups leave and sporting weapons that were not conducive to the mountains he had his doubts. Callum was holed up with a few of the village folk who adored him and believed his stories. However even the elven huntmaster could see that they would be trouble. Besides the idea of paying gold to the man and his rag-tag group of sellswords didn’t sit well with El’thirnol

Callum Winker – created in Artbreeder.

Behind him he could almost sense that the old elf was plotting something. Callum was used to twisting tales of his exploits to get what he wanted but being confronted was something new. He had boasted of his prowess in front of the elf before but this was the first time that the old man had been riled up about it. Something was not right here and Callum was going to prove the elf wrong.

The people around him were his fans, sellswords like himself who were spoiling for a good fight and adventure and better yet, they knew the mountains. With this group by his side he wouldn’t have to retreat before confirming the kill; like last time, instead they would be able to confirm that the job was done and get paid by that high and mighty elf.

Standing up he and the members of his team went off towards his lodge. There he would get the gear they need to ascend into the mountains and complete this challenge before anyone else.

El’thirnol watched the members of the groups leave until his eyes fell on another group. Adventurers from out of town it would seem. Approaching he sat down next to them and began introductions. If he could convince another group to get involved he could increase the chance of success for the safe arrival of the eggs and his future.

Now that’s all we have for tonight. But don’t forget to come back daily this week as we continue to expand upon this adventure one day at a time. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Larger Than a Griffon

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Welcome to another week at my tabletop and this week are are on the hunt for something larger than a griffon. What may you ask? The Tritnol! I would not be surprised if you had not heard of one before as they are quite the oddity. Rumoured to be larger than a griffon, maybe not as ferocious but definitely stronger. A wise man would keep ample food with them as they are voracious eaters but once sated they are calm creatures.

So to avoid spending the night writing about these creatures in the intro, let’s explore another action packed adventure by grabbing a coffee, sitting down and rolling into tonight’s adventure!

Bounty set, wager ready and the hunt for the Tritnol’s nest is ready. Rumoured to be several times heavier than a griffon, the Tritnol egg’s weight in gold is a small fortune for an everyday person. But for adventurers the bounty on three such eggs is surely worth the risk.

Larger Than a Griffon

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The Tritnol’s Nest – Created in Nightcafe.

“Not having seen something doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Rumours of the mad mage, Albazahr’s, creations have spread far and wide and none are as weird as the very creature that lives in the Toll Mountains. The Tritnol is a savage creature, larger than a griffon but twice as mean. With teeth that rip like daggers, talons like swords and the ability to breathe out fire hot enough to melt a golem. These creatures are feared and hate…” the man stopped as someone started clapping from the doorway.

The hunter was boasting about taking down one of the creatures for the fourth night in a row, having slain it with a perfect shot from his mighty black-wood bow. But it seems that someone wasn’t as excited about the story as he had hoped. 

“A great story Callum, but that is all that it is. A story. The Tritnol’s are a passive creature driven by hunger primarily. Instead of sharp teeth they have a beak, not overly sharp as it’s used on vegetation primarily. They don’t even have talons but more like. Stubby toenails at best. Oh my the Tritnol is a marvellous creature but it sounds like you have slain something entirely different. Do go on.” the elven hunter, El’thirnol, mocked as he strode through the door. 

“I’m telling you the truth. The nest lays empty but a day’s climb into the mountains. Three eggs lay there. If I could have gold to buy some gear that I lost in the daring fight I will climb back up and show you.” Callum hastily replied back, his face a mask of sweat.

“A wager then!” called El’thirnol. “One of these eggs weight in gold if you can bring it back to me. If you bring back all three then that’s three times the coin. If you can do that Callum, or anyone else in this room, then my gold and respect is yours.”

Another week has come and with it, another week of adventuring. Don’t forget that each day this week we will be expanding the adventure to include more details. So don’t forget to come back each day this week and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Bramblewall Races

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Tonight and I have created a zine, the fourth of the new year. It’s a little late as I wasn’t well for a few weekends there but I hope that you are finding the now normal format of this Zine useful. So without any further waiting I present, The Bramblewall Races, in the same format, as a fun one-shot to assist GMs.

As always this adventure can be used system agnostic but focuses on D&D so please feel free to adjust to what ever system and the creatures you are using in your adventure! However as always Kobold fight club can be used to quickly balance an encounter for Dungeons and Dragons and Tetra-cube provides the stat-blocks for the creatures found in this adventure.

So I hope you enjoy this weeks adventure, The Bramblewall Races, and that your rolls are made with advantage.

The Bramblewall Races

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Bramblewall was a village that survived in the treetops of the Redfall forest. The tall trees towered above the landscape and the people, the many villages that called this forest home, had defended their way of life for hundreds of years. 

The party could see the forest from half a day’s travel away and even then the sheer size of the trees was something that simply could not be prepared for. Towering above the spires, towers and keeps of many (if not most) of the cities they had visited, the trees here were something entirely different. 

The village of Bramblewall itself was towards the west of the Redfall forest and the job was dependent on the elders of the village giving them the approval to continue. If they were not successful in getting the job at least the Bramblwall races were there. 

A face paced treetop race where the contestants rode upon flying mounts, usually giant birds, to be crowned the Bramblewall champion. This event itself would be fascinating to see let alone the prospect of the market.

The road to Bramblewall was easy to find as merchants, caravans and wagons of all shapes and sizes were heading along the road on their way to riches and success. The races brought people but the merchants brought the other things the visitors needed. Foods, goods, wares and even items targeting adventurers and mercenaries. The Bramblewall race markets were nearly an event in itself. 

As theAs the party walk through the market and ask for directions they are pointed towards a hut at the base of a tree. The hut matched the ones that littered the treetops and branches hundreds of feet in the canopy with the key difference being its location on the floor of the forest.

Bramblewall Forest – Created in Nightcafe.

PDF adventure – The Bramblewall Races

the-bramblewall-racesDownload

Thanks for joining me today for another Zine this year. As usual there is a lot more in the Zine than there was in the daily updates on this blog – so make sure to grab a copy of the PDF.

Next time you get a party together consider running this adventure and I hope that you enjoy it.
I hope you don’t miss a thing so come back daily in the coming week and year. This is so you can experience the creation of the next adventure as it evolves and shapes out. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

2024 Campaign Adventure 9

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Good evening all and welcome to the Ninth day of adventuring for my party. While I will endeavour to not give away the campaign, adventure or plot moving forward (in case my party read these updates!) I will attempt to write up each adventure this year continuing with my 2024 campaign adventure 9 – continuing on from the 2023 adventure.

This is a continuation from 2023 Campaign adventure 8 as the party continues on their first mission as members of the investigation of the strange creatures in these lands.

2024 Campaign Adventure 9

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Plot:

Dawn at Snowtown

The dawn started on a different note. Tater finally having fallen asleep with his armour off spent 30 minutes checking the armour and donning it after a long time of wearing it on the road. Kai having wrapped himself up in blankets and forming a little nest in the rented room in which to keep warm and to block out the light.

Downstairs breakfast of nearly-stale bread and salted pork greeted them as Snowtown was a little short on supplies. After a short discussion about where to begin the party, Tater, promised to help fix the door he destroyed last night and they decided to go investigate the old witches hut as it wasn’t that far away. Pushing forward they were warned to stay out of the forest that borders the Gritch mountains.

Leaving the Tavern they ran into an older woman who told them the history of the snowmen. They were left as an offering, a recognition of the bargain and agreement that the town had made with the Goliaths that lived to the North. The deal was for the people to not trespass, not hunt the creatures in the mountains and in doing so the Goliaths will barter with them and protect the valley from threats to it and thus Snowtown. Due to this the town has experienced a mostly peaceful existence.

Approaching the crest of the hill that lay east of the town the party saw the forest that they were warned about. Hundreds of snowmen stood under the tress in different forms, appearances and dresses. But approaching them the sheer volume of them causes Kai to bring Tater back to the non-shadowed area and towards the witches cabin.

The cabin itself was ruined. A large hole in the roof let the weather through that had appeared to ruin most of the insides. The door out front lay off its hinges and old herbs, plants and even an long-dead creatures hunt from hooks and ropes attached to the roof. Inside a table had bowls of materials, an open book and a small cauldron of highly dense coal. A bed to the right of the cabin had more herbs hanging from the roof but the rest of the room lay in ruin.

Investigating the room, Tater found the coal and realised it was charcoal – but much harder and denser. Kai with Armaeth’s help read the page the book was open to and understood it to be guiding the reader to binding a recently lost spirit to an object. Meant as a way to preserve someone from dying the spell was a very advanced one at that.

Reading further into the book the coal was identified as a means to bind a small ritual to, a spell to create. Taking this info (the small cauldron of charcoal and the book), and the stocktake of crushed quarts and gypsum (that Kai threw away) they began to move back home after Tater set fire to some Willow they found by the fire. Preparing it to try and create charcoal to compare it with the one found in the cauldron.

Avalanche

As they waded through the knee high snow they, Kai and Groku, noticed a rumbling. Looking towards the mountain they spotted to large figures standing at the crest of the ridge – goliaths. However the snow between them was moving at a quick pace and the surface of the snow was rolling towards them in little balls.

As the party tried to flee to the town to avoid the avalanche of snowballs it became evident something wasn’t right. Tater and Kai were knocked down from the snow, Armaeth flew high above it all and Groku braced and weathered the avalanche. But, the snowballs began to race towards them and started to encompass them with icy psuedopods.

The battle was intense with each member in the group, except Armaeth, being grappled, restrained and then smothered by dozens of animated snowballs. But eventually the numbers dwindled and a lucky sleep spell (that removed a few from play) they made their escape.

Upon reaching the town they found out that a familiar name now, Penny Cartwright, was the last to see the Goliaths and would be the best person to talk to regarding their actions. They also learnt about another girl who had gone missing, Aster, who had moved in from Warrendeep a year or so ago. When they got to Cartwrights they purchased the required iron to mend the tavern door and enquired about the book, the hut and Aster.

Aster had been in love with Mark Kenderson, a handsome hunter who had been missing the last two weeks (the same amount of time as Aster). The two had been brief lovers with Aster preaching to the town that she had a way to make their lives easier, saving them time and making them more gold from their sales. However Mark and his friends had tricked Aster and she had been left heart broken and enraged. Penny also told the party how Aster had bought a great many books, and some materials from her regarding the casting of magic.

It was later revealed as they went to investigate Aster’s house that Marks friends had been assaulted by Aster when they had antagonised her and threaten her to leave Mark alone. She had bludgeoned them with, later revealed, a pestle which had left them bruised a month later. Since then she had withdrew and no one knew where she or Mark were now.

Investigating the house they found a ripped up dress or skirt with a few lengths of fabric torn off it and a secret compartment in the bedroom floor boards that once held a journal or notebook. After that they returned back to the tavern to prepare for the coming days.

Main NPCs:

Daryll Sootbrow
Penny Cartright
Armaeth
Groku

Thanks for joining me tonight for a hybrid of the continuation of my campaign as well as the seasonal adventure for my group! (last years Dice-ember one-shot). Don’t forget to come back again tomorrow for more content. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe